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Four Cops Killed in Ambush; Obama Expected to Boost U.S. Troops in Afghanistan

Aired November 29, 2009 - 22:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, the four bodies of Seattle area police officers removed from a place police described as a death trap. They were ambushed by a gunman in a coffee shop as they prepared for work this morning.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. We're going to begin with some breaking news tonight from Washington State. Much of the information coming in with just the last few minutes, within just the last few minutes here into CNN.

The bodies of four slain police officers were moved to the morgue in a solemn-like memorial caravan earlier this evening just a few moments ago, as a matter of fact. We have learned the names and we have seen the face of the person of interest. Again, just coming in. Police held a press conference a short time ago. And now we're getting the faces of the victims in all of this. Four Lakewood City police officers, three men and one woman.

I want to tell you the name -- there we go. Sergeant Mark Renninger. Here's what they say about Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39 years old with 13 years of law enforcement experience. He's survived by a wife and three children.

And, again, I want to reiterate. This is all coming in within seconds. They are looking for a person of interest here. There's officer Ronald Owens, 37 years old, 12 years of law enforcement experience. He's survived by a former wife and a daughter. And then there's Tina Griswold, age 40 with 14 years of law enforcement experience. She's survived by her husband and two children. And officer Greg Richards. Officer Greg Richards is 42 with eight years of law enforcement experience. He's survived by a wife and three children. A wife and three children.

And police, again, are looking for a person of interest in all of this. We want to get to the scene really quickly here and go to Patrick Oppmann. He's a CNN all-platform journalist.

Patrick, again, this information just coming in. You're on the scene. Maurice Clemmons, 37 years old. If we can get his picture up. Maurice Clemmons is a person of interest here that they're looking for. Went into, apparently, they believe he went into a coffee shop this morning in the Seattle area, in the Pierce County area, gunned these four officers down as they were preparing for work. They were going over their computers. And police believe they never really had a chance. They may have had -- one officer may have had a chance to fire back, but they believe these officers were ambushed and they're calling it somewhat of a death trap for these officers.

What is the latest on this person of interest, Maurice Clemmons?

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN ALL-PLATFORM CORRESPONDENT: Maurice Clemmons is the name on every police officer in this area, probably in the state tonight, because he is armed and dangerous, police say. They say they had run-ins with him in the past. That he's currently wanted right now. Sorry, he's currently on bond right now for $150,000 for a third degree assault on an officer and the rape of a child. They say in the information. He was in this area today, that he was looking to get retribution on officers, and he may have been behind this attack.

They're calling him a person of interest right now. He's not a suspect. But they say he's armed and dangerous. They are looking for him very carefully, Don. And as well, a little while ago, we saw those officers' remains brought out here. Still a very active investigation. Police say they will be working throughout the night, throughout the days ahead to bring in this person, Maurice Clemmons, who they say they're looking very hard for him. I'm putting my earpiece in back, Don, because I just lost that a moment ago so please bear with me.

LEMON: You know, this is all unfolding at the last minute here. We wanted to get this information on.

So, Patrick, we'll get back to you in a little bit.

In the meantime, I want to go to Hunter George who is a public information officer. He's with the Pierce County sheriff's office. He joins us tonight by telephone.

We are told that he is -- this person, this Clemmons has had an extensive violent criminal history. He's from Arkansas. The history includes aggravated robbery and theft. He recently was arrested and charged in Pierce County in Washington State for third degree assault on a police officer and second degree rape of a child.

So, again, Hunter George is going to join us a little bit from the sheriff's department there. But I want to give you a little bit of information about the killings here. Today's killings were the second time in a month that Seattle area police have been targeted in deadly shootings. Seattle officer Timothy Brenton was killed one month ago. That was on Halloween night while sitting in his police cruiser. His partner was wounded in that attack. The suspect in that case? A 41-year-old former security guard. He was shot and wounded several days later. He remains hospitalized, and Seattle police vehicles have also been targeted in fire bombings there.

We want to check in to that. We wanted to talk to Hunter George to see if that is related. Investigators say a note was left at that previous crime scene that threatened to kill police officers. I want to get back now to Patrick Oppmann, who is at the scene.

Patrick, you were listening to the press conference that police held just a short time ago. And they talked about the officers, what happened this morning. Again, that they were ambushed, and they believe that the officers really had no defense. One officer they say possibly shot the suspect, this 37-year-old Maurice Clemmons and they were asking the public for help with this. But, again, so far they don't a suspect. They believe that he was -- that he has left a note and then went to his girlfriend's house and police had video of that just a little earlier.

We're going to get back to Patrick and to Hunter Gorge in just a little bit as this all unfolds. In the meantime, we're going to move on and talk about other things that are happening.

The president prepares for his speech on Afghanistan. What's at stake for the nation, and troops and U.S. policy in the region?

Also, Tiger Woods finally speaks out following his accident, but he is not talking to police. The 911 tapes have been released. And you can hear them right here.

And Cindy Sheehan, the anti-war activist confronted by a veteran at a rally. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED VETERAN: Nobody cares.

CINDY SHEEHAN, ANTI-WAR ACTIVIST: Get out of my face.

UNIDENTIFIED VETERAN: Nobody cares.

SHEEHAN: Get out of my face.

(EXPLETIVE DELETED)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you doing?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That's only a small part of the exchange there.

Also, we want to know what's on your mind tonight. Make sure you weigh in. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. We have been following the breaking details on four officers in the Seattle area gunned down this morning as they prepared for work.

We want to go now to Hunter George. He is the public information officer with the Pierce County sheriff's office. He joins us now by phone.

Glad that you can join us right now. So listen, the latest with the suspect, Maurice Clemmons, 37 years old, extensive criminal history. Tell us what the latest is on locating him.

HUNTER GEORGE, PIO, PIERCE COUNTY, SHERIFF'S OFFICE (via telephone): Well, thank you for having me. Our investigators identified him as a person of interest earlier this afternoon. They are aware of a few places where he is known to reside or hang out, and there's an intense search for him.

LEMON: They believe that he targeted or you believe that he targeted these officers inside of this coffee shop this morning. There was a witness who was a barista there who saw all of this happen. And there was also someone else there, an employee. None of those employees was hurt or injured in this, but the four officers were all killed.

So this was targeting, you believe, and do you believe that this is related possibly to what happened in Seattle one month ago?

GEORGE: Those are several questions. Let me tackle them. As to a connection to the Seattle incident, we have no idea. There's a person in custody as my understanding in the Seattle incident. So I'm not aware of any connection between the two events.

Also, I want to be clear that Maurice Clemmons is a person of interest. We're not calling him a suspect. As our detectives have relayed to us, he was believed to have been in the area today and through a combination of evidence and witness accounts as Detective Troyer says, he's someone we really, really want to talk to.

LEMON: Well, Detective Troyer also says, too, that the attack was clearly targeted at the officers not a robbery. He said this was more of an execution, walk in with a specific mindset to shoot police officers. And the reason I asked you about Seattle because that was the exact same M.O.

GEORGE: Similar. And definitely this is considered an execution. The suspect walked in, and there were four officers sitting there getting ready for their workday. They had their laptops open. They were doing kind of preliminary work scoping out their day, figuring out where they're going to go, who they are going to talk to and that kind of thing.

We understand that essentially two were gunned down as they were -- my understanding is as they were seated there, they were gunned down. A third stood up and was shot, and then the fourth -- and I'm not sure which one that is. But a fourth officer struggled with the suspect, and even got as far as out the door of the coffee shop with him. And we're not sure, but we think that -- we think that the suspect might be injured and possibly even wounded. They're still working on the crime scene, but it's possible. They think that at least one of the officers might have gotten a shot or two off.

LEMON: All right. Thank you very much. We're getting more information. Hunter George, public information officer with the Pierce County sheriff's office. Please get back to us.

And, you know, of course, our thoughts go out to the family members of these officers. We appreciate it.

We want to turn now to Afghanistan. In the coming months, U.S. troop levels there will likely reach 100,000. On Tuesday, President Barack Obama expected to authorize another 34,000 American forces to fight the Taliban and help train Afghan forces. That is a 50 percent increase over the 68,000 who are already there. There are also 45,000 troops from other countries as well.

CNN's Atia Abawi is in Afghanistan. Our Chris Lawrence is in Washington to share their insights on the impending troop announcement.

Thank you, guys, so much for joining us.

Chris, you just returned from Afghanistan a short time ago. Atia, you are there now.

Chris, I want to know, when you're talking to the Pentagon and you're hearing about the troop levels, the Pentagon is preparing some 30,000 to 34,000 troops to go over there. How are they preparing them? And how soon before they will possibly go?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, from what we're hearing, the first troops could leave just next month, about a thousand marines to leave next month. And then another few thousand to follow after that, possibly in January. After that they will roll out in staggered brigades. There's no way that you could deploy 30,000 to 40,000 troops in Afghanistan all at once. There's just no infrastructure there to handle that kind of influx. So it takes time to mobilize troops, to get them equipped, to get them over there, and then get them into their particular areas.

LEMON: And the question, Chris, is that 30,000 troops, is that enough?

LAWRENCE: It depends who you talk to. You know, I'm sure -- you know, the commanders on the ground will always tell you, yes, we could always use more troops. But from everything we're hearing from General McChrystal this seems to be about the minimum number he feels he needs to get the job done.

LEMON: How quickly do you think that they can move in and dig in here?

LAWRENCE: Like I said, the first few thousand are pretty much immediately. But, again, to get all 30,000 to 40,000 in there, you're probably looking at probably towards the end of next year.

LEMON: All right. Let's go to the ground now in Afghanistan. I want to talk to Atia Abawi.

You've been talking to people there. U.S. troops, I would imagine as well. What's the morale like? And are they anticipating Tuesday night the president's decision and what he's going to say?

ATIA ABAWI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now when you talk to the commanders on the ground, when you talk to the troops on the ground, they'll tell you they're here to do their jobs. They're not necessarily waiting for President Obama's speech. They are expecting it to happen.

They do say that they do need more support when it comes to troop levels in Afghanistan. To complete the mission here. When you also talk to Afghans on the ground, it depends on who you talk to. How they feel about the new U.S. troops possibly coming into the country. Some will tell you that they want them to come as long as they're used for the right reasons. And that's to build a society. Because they feel if you build a society that it will bring peace in their lives.

There are others who have been victims of the war. They have lost family members, and they are not excited about new troops coming in to Afghanistan. Right now they're fearful of that. But, again, that changes from province to province and district to district.

LEMON: And the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced that he's going to have a NATO-led coalition. That's what he's announcing. The points to that, Atia, security forces, that's number one. So that they can train the security forces so that they can operate on their own. Good government rather than one that is corrupt and also economic development because poverty is also a huge issue there. Those are the three major points that have to be addressed in Afghanistan.

ABAWI: And those are the major points that the Afghan people want to be addressed as well. When you look at economic development and when you talk to the average Afghan, they will tell you that their number one concern isn't necessarily the security situation as much as it is their poverty situation. Some of these poor Afghans actually turning to the Taliban because they're providing them money, they're providing them food to put on their table.

Another thing that the Afghan government, you can't have a stable Afghan society without a government that the people can trust, and that government that the coalition countries can trust and work with. We've spoken to international diplomats here in Afghanistan who told us that it's not necessarily just the Afghan government's fault, it's also the international community's fault for ignoring Afghanistan although they've been here for eight years. We just spoke to the Canadian ambassador who told me that the mission didn't really necessarily start until three years ago.

Don?

LEMON: All right, Atia. Stand by.

I want to talk to Chris Lawrence, again. Chris just back from the region. You were imbedded with U.S. troops there in Afghanistan. My question is -- they're also trying to be more personal instead of walking around at big brother. Are they winning any hearts and minds on the ground in Afghanistan? LAWRENCE: You see small battles won every day, but you know, it really depends -- you've got to get down to the individual level. You know, you see times where the kids will run up and they'll talk to some of the soldiers and there seems to be a good rapport between the soldiers and the people in that village. You know, other times we see where they throw rocks at some of the soldiers as they pass by in the convoy. So it's very much individual basis.

Something, Atia, I thought brought up a great point about, you know, pay and getting some of these Afghan security forces. They did just raise their pay, so now they're going to be making about $165 a month U.S. It doesn't sound like much to us here in the United States, but, you know, in a country where a lot of people are living on a dollar a day, you know, it's a significant increase. So it will be interesting to see if that pay increase has any effect on morale, on recruitment and things like that going forward.

LEMON: All right, our Chris Lawrence who just left Afghanistan, was imbedded with troops there. And also Atia Abawi who was on the ground, and who will be there on Tuesday for the president's announcement.

Thanks to both you, OK?

LAWRENCE: Yes.

LEMON: If anyone knows the challenges the U.S. and Allied Forces face in Afghanistan, it is retired Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt. When I spoke with him earlier tonight about the troop ramp up, he said Americans should expect to be there for the long haul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY (RET.): I think we need to prepare the American people for the honest truth that this will take five to ten years at a minimum before we can hand this over to the Afghans so that they can run the security portfolio and no longer be reliant on American troops in Afghanistan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Kimmitt said more troops in Afghanistan is not comparable to the so-called surge in Iraq. He also cautioned that Americans shouldn't expect the same results because Afghanistan poses a much tougher challenge to U.S. troops.

Tuesday night, President Barack Obama will reveal his decision about U.S. troops heading to Afghanistan. Our special coverage with the Best Political Team on Television begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

Osama Bin Laden, did we have him in the crosshairs? New claims from Senate Democrats that he could have been caught years ago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: All right. Let's talk now about the state of our nation. The holiday break definitely over in Washington. The president has a busy agenda this week on everything from Afghanistan to the ongoing debate over health care.

So let's talk about it all. April Ryan is in Baltimore. She's a White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks. And John Fund of the "Wall Street Journal" also joins us tonight. He is in New York.

Good to see both of you.

John, I'm going to start with you, OK? Retired Air Force General Don Shepherd told me last night that while some have criticize the president saying that he's deterring about Afghanistan, he feels and many on the ground feels that the president is handling it properly. Many conservatives don't believe that.

JOHN FUND, "WALL STREET JOURNAL": Well, I think the president's speech is going to be putting the Afghan conflict in a moral context. He's going to say, look, we started this. We have to finish it. And I also think the president is going to earn some points by pointing out the human rights dimension.

If we leave Afghanistan, what will the Taliban do to the people there? We saw what they did the last time they were there. Having said that, there are some political risks here. I think the president's left-wing base is going to be very happy with this. They won't abandon him, but they're not going to like the fact that 50 percent increase in troops in Afghanistan means a longer more prolonged war.

LEMON: John, that's a very good point because, April, a new poll, Opinion Research Corporation Poll and CNN, shows that Americans are split on the war in Afghanistan. Forty-five percent say they favor the war, 52 percent say that they oppose the war. When asked if the president would send 34,000 more troops to Afghanistan, 50 percent say they would favor that, 49 percent say that they would oppose.

So, John, brings up a very good point. He does stand to possible lose some support from the base by doing this.

APRIL RYAN, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN URBAN RADIO NETWORKS: Right. And it goes back to an issue that we talked about before, about the fact that when this president ran for the Oval Office, he talked about pulling people out of Iraq. Yes, he talked about going into Afghanistan, but many people felt that the lead was buried about Afghanistan, and it was more about pulling people, the troops out of Iraq, and trying to quell the situations in Afghanistan. But, indeed, it's being ramped up, and people are trying to figure out what's going on here.

LEMON: OK. Don, I want to talk to you about Osama Bin Laden. We heard from some of the Democrats in the Senate that the U.S. Army had Osama Bin Laden in the crosshairs, but then failed to capture him and they're blaming it on the former defense secretary and also on General Franks over there at the time. Do you think that this is partisan politics?

FUND: Look, a lot of blame goes around. Remember, we had an extremely successful invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, but we didn't get Osama Bin Laden at the end. I think we have to go back and figure out what went wrong, but I don't think we should belabour this because the real question is what are we going to do about Pakistan, where Osama Bin Laden is probably hiding. And the fact that the Pakistanis aren't really with us all the way on the War on Terror.

LEMON: Let's move on now.

April, do you want to comment on that?

RYAN: Yes. You know, Osama Bin Laden, everyone says once Osama Bin Laden is caught, that is really the main issue. And, of course, al Qaeda is still out there. Extremists are still out there. But Osama Bin Laden is the main head. He is the leader of al Qaeda. The person who helped push 9/11. So once he is caught, really truly al Qaeda will be really cut into. The head will be lobbed off. Yes, they will try to pull together, but Osama Bin Laden is still and has been the key element for these wars.

LEMON: And the question is here, did we have him in the crosshairs? That's what yet to be proven. So let's talk about health care, John Fund.

The vacation is over. Time to get rid of the turkey and dressing and all that, and it's back to work for Senate because they start talking about health care and moving this bill forward.

FUND: Well, the Senate Democrats have a real problem because right now they're in danger of losing votes to the left if they continue with a public option, and they're also in danger of alienating some people on the right.

So, I think that the problem the Democrats have is ultimately the unemployment rate. They are trying to pass health care, which 17 percent of Americans say is the number one issue. At the same time, the unemployment rate is likely to go up this Friday. And I think the American people are asking questions.

We may want health care reform, but we also want our jobs and we want unemployment to go down. So I think the Democrats may be making a fatal miscalculation here. They're proceeding with something that is not the number one issue and in fact is receding as an issue right now.

LEMON: John Fund, that's going to have to be the final word on that.

April Ryan and John, thank you very much for joining us tonight.

RYAN: Take care, Don.

LEMON: A man calls 911 when he sees his neighbor drive into a tree. It just so happens his neighbor is Tiger Woods. We'll play the recorded call from Tiger Woods' accident.

And two commercial concepts you rarely see together. It's local and it's a chain. It is a hot new trend in shopping.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Top stories now. We begin with breaking news out of Washington State tonight. Police in Pierce County have removed the bodies of four officers shot to death in a coffee shop at the beginning of the shift. The area is just south of Tacoma near McChord Air Force Base. They've appealed to the public to help find this man -- this 37-year-old Maurice Clemmons. They do not say he's a suspect, but they call him a person of interest.

President Barack Obama on Tuesday night is expected to announce a 50 percent increase in the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. That would eventually put about 100,000 pairs of boots inside that country. Tuesday night's announcement comes after months of deliberation by the president with his top military and civilian advisers.

Tiger Woods has turned down a third request to answer questions from Florida Highway Patrol officers. They want to know more about Woods' car accident early Friday morning. Meantime, Woods has posted a statement on his Web site calling the one-car accident, the crash there, embarrassing. He says it's all his fault and he also asks for privacy.

Also today, the Florida State Patrol released a recording of the 911 call from Tiger Woods' accident. Listen closely.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

911 OPERATOR: 911, what's your emergency?

LEMON (voice over): 2:30 Friday morning, the unidentified man, a neighbor, calls for help to the exclusive Isleworth subdivision in Windermere, Florida.

CALLER: In the Isleworth subdivision, I need an ambulance immediately. I have someone down in front of my house. They hit a pole. I came out to see...

911 OPERATOR: Is it a car accident, sir?

LEMON: The caller seems distracted. A woman's voice is faintly heard in the background.

CALLER: (INAUDIBLE)

911 OPERATOR: OK, sir. Sir, is it a car accident?

LEMON: The 911 operator tries several times to get the caller's attention.

911 OPERATOR: Sir? Hello?

CALLER: Hello, yes.

911 OPERATOR: Is it a car accident, sir?

CALLER: It's a car accident, yes. I need -- yes.

911 OPERATOR: OK, now, are they trapped inside of the vehicle?

CALLER: No, they're laying on the ground now.

LEMON: Golfing phenom Tiger Woods lays on the ground, according to police, in and out of consciousness, the operator instructs the caller to hold on while she calls for an ambulance. The man is overheard instructing someone on the scene to assist Woods.

CALLER: And get some water.

LEMON: Moments later, Fire and Rescue takes over.

CALLER: Yes. Windermere, Florida, in the Isleworth subdivision.

PARAMEDIC: What happened? What's wrong?

CALLER: I have a neighbor, he hit the tree. And we came out here just to see what was going on. I see him and he's laying down.

PARAMEDIC: Hit a tree? You mean he was in an auto accident?

CALLER: Yes, there was an auto accident, yes.

PARAMEDIC: Is he unconscious?

CALLER: Yes.

PARAMEDIC: OK. Are you able to tell if he's breathing?

CALLER: Uh, no, I can't tell right now.

PARAMEDIC: OK. Alright. We do have help on the way. What color is his car, too?

CALLER: It's a black Escalade.

LEMON: Another woman is heard screaming in the background while the caller explains what he knows.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's happened?

PARAMEDIC: Is anyone able to open the door?

CALLER: We're trying to figure out right now.

911 OPERATOR: OK. Is he trapped inside of the vehicle or is he on the ground?

CALLER: We're trying to get the police here right now. We don't know what happened. We're figuring it all out right now. We're trying to phone the police right now.

PARAMEDIC: Your phone is breaking up. Can you hear me, though, sir?

LEMON: Fire and Rescue calls police while the caller, neighbors, Woods and his wife wait.

PARAMEDIC: Are you with him right now?

CALLER: Yes, I'm with him right now.

PARAMEDIC: OK.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: The person who made the 911 call has been interviewed by the highway patrol. A patrol spokeswoman says investigators might speak with other people who were at the scene if needed.

Crash a White House party, and you have to pay the price. Secret Service agents reportedly tracking down the couple that slipped past them as politicos clamor for prosecution.

A dangerous dust-up in the desert. Brown skies, brutal winds. When will the dust settle?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: So, they crashed a White House state dinner, shake hands with the president and rub elbows with VIPs. Expect a weekend-long date with the Secret Service.

Michaele and Tareq Salahi were interviewed by agents not just once but twice this weekend. That is according to the "New York Times." Now, the fame-seeking couple caused a commotion after slipping unnoticed into President Obama's first state dinner on Tuesday. Secret Service considering bringing charges against the Salahis.

Well, the thought is catching on among some analysts and politicians. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED ROLLINS, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: They basically trespassed. They had no right to be there. The Secret Service has a tough enough task without people having dressed up and pretend they're important. These people want a reality TV show, give them one. It's called dealing with the federal prosecution system in the District of Columbia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, Democrat Evan Bayh of Indiana and Republican Jon Kyl of Arizona both followed in line on Sunday, saying that the Salahis should be prosecuted. We turn now to the very busy travel day for folks who are coming back from Thanksgiving. Our Jacqui Jeras checking it all and also going to tell us about our commute tomorrow.

How is it going, Jacqui?

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: All right, Jacqui Jeras, thank you. Glad you're back. Glad you had a great Thanksgiving as well.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Thanks. You, too.

LEMON: Iran on a mission. Ten new uranium enrichment plants, two months to break ground. Now, the White House is firing back.

And ready for an American invasion? Cubans fine-tuning their defenses.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Iran upping the ante in the high-stake showdown over its nuclear program. The Cabinet is rolling out plans for 10 new uranium enrichment plants, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants to break ground on half of them within two months.

The announcement is already adding fuel to concerns that Tehran has ambitions to build nuclear weapons. And it comes just days after a UN nuclear watchdog group demanded Iran stop construction on a previously secret uranium enrichment facility in Qom.

Iranian leaders insist they're trying to generate energy, not weapons. But the White House has been quick to condemn the plan.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs issued a statement Sunday saying, "If true, this would be yet another serious violation of Iran's clear obligations under multiple UN Security Council resolutions, and another example of Iran choosing to isolate itself." Gibbs continued, "Time is running out for Iran to address the international community's growing concerns about its nuclear program.

Sharp words from the White House. So, what does this mean for diplomacy with Iran?

I put the question to James Rubin, a former assistant secretary of state who served under President Clinton. He's currently teaching at Columbia University.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES RUBIN, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: For the last year of the Obama administration, both Washington and Tehran have tried to keep the rhetoric to a minimum and avoided threats of escalation and threats of the situation deteriorating. So, President Ahmadinejad is clearly attempting to threaten the world with what -- if it could be actually done would be a full-fledged nuclear program that could be easily turned into a nuclear weapons program.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: To enrich uranium, the gases spun into centrifuges to purify it. Iran's new blueprints call for half a million centrifuges. In theory, that's enough to produce one warhead every two days.

The message from Havana to Washington, D.C. -- we're ready for you. Nearly five decades after America's failed Bay of Pigs invasion, Cuba conducted war game exercises this weekend. The stated reason -- to prevent another possible invasion from the United States. Thousands of people took part as the island-nation celebrated its National Day of Defense.

Big box stores, mega-chains, critics have long complained they drain the personality out of neighborhoods. But now in Brooklyn, a chain reaction. How small business owners are adding locations without sacrificing flare.

And hunting humans in Africa for their body parts. The reason -- witchcraft. It is a story you'll only see on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The final numbers are rolling in for the post- Thanksgiving shopping frenzy. A survey by the National Retail Federation found that more people went shopping over this holiday weekend than last year, but they spent less per person. About $343 per person this year compared with $372 last year. Total spending for the Black Friday weekend reached an estimate $41.2 billion.

Also, we're headed into Cyber Monday when people go back to work and use their office computers to point and click for bargains. One survey predicts 96 million Americans will shop online on Monday. So, bosses, you know what everybody is doing tomorrow at work.

One retail trend in Brooklyn offers shoppers something different from big box stores. They are chain stores but they're not clones. And as CNN's Jason Carroll reports in tonight's "Money & Main Street," the stores actually complete one another.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They've dominated American consumer culture, Wal-Mart, Target, Costco -- megachain stores. But in one Brooklyn, New York, neighborhood, a phenomenon is taking hold, the local chains. Small businesses linked by a common theme and unlike their big chain rivals, these little upstarts are located practically right next to each other.

PATRICK WATSON, LOCAL CHAIN OWNER: We're not cloning one thing and putting it somewhere else. We're trying to target a neighborhood that we know and love incredibly well and fill the gaps in. We did have to move about a block --

CARROLL: Patrick Watson and his wife, Michelle Provada, first opened Smith and Vine, a wine shop. Then came their cheese store, Stinky Brooklyn, across the street.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is probably the consistency you're looking for.

CARROLL: Finally opening their bar, Jake Walk, about a block away. Doing it just four months after Wall Street crashed.

CARROLL (on camera): Any nervousness at all, given the economy, knowing what you guys are doing?

MICHELLE PRAVDA, LOCAL CHAIN OWNER: I don't know. I just think we were just kind of young and, let's just do it!

CARROLL (voice-over): The local chain concept is simple, identify your customer, cater to their tastes, and once successful, expand within a neighborhood where you've already established a following. The couple knew their Brooklyn neighborhood was gentrifying and opened businesses to reflect a hipper crowd.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can really trust the product if I go here. They are knowledgeable people (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh definitely, I go get my cheese over there and I come back here to get the wine, and then I'll have a little drink at the bar.

CARROLL: Loretta Genville gets the appeal. She owns seven stores also in the same Brooklyn neighborhood under the generic name Airya, ranging from a boutique spa to a toy store.

LORETTA GENDVILLE, LOCAL CHAIN OWNER: We have kind of a history with customers. We get to know our customers and they get to know us.

CARROLL: Experts say more local chains could be on the way.

RAY KEATING, SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP COUNCIL: Entrepreneurs are innovators. And, once the word gets out that this is going on in certain areas, I think you'll have more entrepreneurs considering it. Absolutely.

CARROLL: Patrick and Michelle say they've been rewarded not only with profits, but something else they value, loyalty.

WATSON: You can never expect someone to care about your business as much as you do, but I find that that's sort of a contradiction around here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Jason, thank you very much.

A military veteran confronts anti-war protestor Cindy Sheehan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CINDY SHEEHAN, ANTI-WAR ACTIVIST: Get out of my face. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody cares.

SHEEHAN: Get out of my face. (EXPLETIVE DELETED)

SHEEHAN: What are you doing?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, ahead -- why Sheehan was the one to get cited by police following this protest at a California military base.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A confrontation between anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan and a military veteran nearly ended in a brawl at California's Travis Air Force Base. Sheehan was leading a protest against the use of unmanned drones when things quickly got ugly.

Kris Pickel with affiliate KOVR shows us what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody cares.

SHEEHAN: Get out of my face.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody cares.

SHEEHAN: Get out of my face.

(EXPLETIVE DELETED)

SHEEHAN: What are you doing?

KRIS PICKEL, KOVR CORRESPONDENT: Activist Cindy Sheehan with the bullhorn. The man in uniform declining to give his name. A confrontation at Travis Air Force Base escalating into more shoving.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's one of me. There's only going to be one damn demonstration.

SHEEHAN: Don't push me.

(EXPLETIVE DELETED)

PICKEL: Air Force security police pulling the sides apart. This is the first of six demonstrations the group CodePINK No Drones is holding at military bases. Sheehan bringing attention to the cause, a well-known anti-war activist whose son, Casey, was killed in Iraq in 2004.

SHEEHAN: This is public property. This is our -- we pay for this.

PICKEL: Earlier, base police repeatedly ordering the demonstrations to move their protests off base property.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need to be departing the area or moving past the demarcation line.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're not in the Air Force. You don't have any authority over us.

PICKEL: Protestors struggling against the winds to get their message heard. The group is against the use of drones by U.S. military in Afghanistan and the possible escalation of forces there.

SHEEHAN: We oppose the reprehensible practice of controlling robots from thousands of miles away to kill innocent people.

Get out of my face.

(EXPLETIVE DELETED)

PICKEL: The single counter-protestor arguing the activists are demoralizing the troops.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are for the troops. We want them to be safe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You demonstrators are never for the troops.

SHEEHAN: I'm never going to stop. No matter how much we're oppressed, no matter how much violence they bring to us. We're going to bring peace to them.

PICKEL: Leaving the base didn't end the events. Part of the caravan pausing in the road. Sheehan given a ticket for impeding traffic.

SHEEHAN: I get assaulted by this old man and I'm the one that gets a ticket. So, yes, it's just (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Kris Pickel reporting from our affiliate KOVR. As for the veteran, no charges have been filed against him, but several members of CodePINK say he should be arrested.

All right. Time now for some of your feedback. I'm sure I'll get some on this one in a little bit. Let's see. Most people are talking about Tiger Woods.

"Tiger is a $6 billion business," wrote by someone. Don, yep, that does make sense. Sorry to see the guy entangled in all of this mess. Hope it is resolved quickly."

"Are there any additional details on the Woods crash? Sounds to me like his wife busted the rear window and then he crashed."

"I'm not sure peeps have the right to pick and choose when it comes to answering police questions about traffic accidents." Thanks for your comments. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, or iReport.com. It's how you get it on.

It is a story you'll see only here on CNN. Hunting humans in Africa for their body parts. The reason -- witchcraft.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK. Now, it's time for a story that you'll only see here on CNN. I have to warn you, it is very disturbing, it involves children in East Africa being hunted and killed and sold to witch doctors because of their albino skin.

Martin Geissler has the heartbreaking story from Tanzania.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN GEISSLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They are a simple, rather pathetic looking group of men but they stand accused of involvement in a crime wave that has shocked East Africa.

The mountains of Burundi have seen more than their share of horrors down the years, but what has happened here over recent months is one of the most sinister chapters in this country's bloody history.

Albinos here are blighted by the sun, poor eyesight and a lifetime of discrimination, but now they face a far more serious threat. In this part of Africa, dozens, many young children, have been murdered, skinned and dismembered all in the name of witchcraft.

The authorities have been pitifully slow to act. These men, arrested in the past few days, are the first to be picked up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I told my friends they could get money from albino bones, so two of them killed a 16-year-old girl. They escaped and I've been caught.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I dug up an albino's grave. I thought the bones would bring me luck, but now it looks like I'll go to prison.

GEISSLER: Ten members of this tiny minority have been killed in one small region of Burundi in the past five months. A shelter has been set up where many now live under guard for their own protection.

(on camera): Witch doctors have been prescribing their traditional medicines in the mountains here for centuries. But these crimes are a new phenomenon. The killing sprees started here just over a year ago. It has nothing to do with culture. It's simply a means for criminal gangs to get rich quick.

(voice over): Witch doctors don't like talking to outsiders, but I was taken to a mountain village in Burundi's highlands to meet Melkiyar (ph).

In his heart, the 75-year-old summoned the spirits and mixed medicines with skills he learned from his grandmother. Generations of tradition are being disrespected, he told me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They come from Tanzania, these people. Some witch doctors there say albinos' blood and bones can bring you luck, help you catch fish, or find gold, but it's not true. Those who are doing this are just criminals.

GEISSLER: We traveled to Tanzania and found the same problem on a far bigger scale. These people say they're being hunted, and they're terrified.

In an office in Dar es Salaam, Shiana (ph) showed me the dreadful evidence of these crimes -- pictures too graphic to show up close.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Other people have been taken the hands or the legs of the albinos, but no punishment has taken place.

GEISSLER: In houses across this part of Africa, albino parents are preaching the same warnings to their children.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to be very, very careful because those killers, they are looking for us.

GEISSLER: The sun used to be these people's biggest enemy, but now that's no longer the case.

Martin Geissler in Tanzania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Sad story.

Again, we want to tell you about the four police officers in the Seattle area, gunned down this morning. Our hearts go out to the family and the police force there. This is our breaking news at the top of the show and it was just happening.

Thank you for bearing with us. I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

"CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE" begins now.

Have a great week, everyone.