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Vice President Dick Cheney Arrives In Saudi Arabia To Speak With King Abdullah; Iraq Under Curfew To Curb Sectarian Violence; Escalating Violence In Iraq Raises Stakes For Talks Between Bush And Maliki; Republicans At Boston University Create Scholarship For Whites Only To Promote End To Race-Based Scholarships; Britain Investigating Litvinenko Death

Aired November 25, 2006 - 11:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Here's what's happening right "Now in the News": A curfew in Baghdad as U.S. and Iraqi troops try to end the violence there. U.S. troops in Taji killed 10 suspected insurgents. And coalition forces killed 22 insurgents and launched air strikes on a bomb making factory north of the capitol. We have live reports coming up from Baghdad and the White House.
And this just coming in, about a deadly police shooting outside a New York strip club. The Associated Press says police shot three men who had just left a bachelor party in Queens. It happened about 4 o'clock this morning. The groom has reportedly died on the day of his planned wedding. A CNN crew is en route to the scene. We'll bring you more just as soon as we get it.

Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in Saudi Arabia today for discussions on Iraq and other Mid East trouble spots. We'll have a live report from Nic Robertson in Riyadh.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: In northern Minnesota the mother of two missing boys says she's prepared for the worst. But she still hoping for some good news. Four-year-old Tristan and two-year-old Avery were last seen playing outside three days ago. The FBI has now joined in this investigation.

Honey Baked Foods has issues a recall order for 47,000 pounds of ham and turkey products sold between September 5 and November 13. They may be contaminated with Listeria, which can cause deadly infections. Some were sold in the Toledo, Ohio area, while others were sold through catalogues and on the Internet.

NGUYEN: Well, you are in the NEWSROOM. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes. The news is unfolding, live, today this Saturday November 25. Here a look now at what we're covering.

NGUYEN: Yes, in Iraq, Baghdad is shut down after a wave of sectarian killings. Is more violence on the way?

HOLMES: And it's the stuff novels are made of. The investigation continues into the death of a former Russian spy. We're on this case. NGUYEN: And can you actually pay to speed your way through airline security?

We're not letting anything slow us down today. You are in the NEWSROOM

HOLMES: Despite government efforts to put a lid on things, fresh violence in Iraq. Mortar rounds hit two houses in Baghdad and a U.S. Marine has died in Anbar Province. CNN's Arwa Damon is live for us in Baghdad with all latest -- Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: T.J., that U.S. Marine death in the ever volatile al Anbar Province, which is in fact the location where many U.S. troops have died, brings the total in November to at least 54 servicemen who have a lost their lives here in Iraq.

Now the sectarian violence we have seen erupting over the last 48 hours is not just confined to Baghdad. North of the capital in the Diyala Province, also ethnically mixed, Sunni gunmen, according to an official with the joint coordination center, believed to be linked to al Qaeda stormed two Shia homes. They separated the men from the women and shot the men dead, 21 Iraqis killed in that attack.

In the capital, despite the government lockdown, the government curfew, that is meant to be curbing the retaliatory violence, the killing here and attacks do continue. Since that curfew was put into place at 8:00 p.m. local, on Thursday, we have seen a number of attacks that have claimed many Iraqi lives and wounded dozens more.

We've seen for example, mortar rounds falling into Sunni neighborhood, focusing mainly on two neighborhoods, there the mortar barrage wounded some Iraqis and killed a few as well. And then we saw earlier this morning, mortar rounds falling into a Shia neighborhood. At least four Iraqis wounded in that attack.

Now if we look at one of the neighborhoods here in Baghdad, as an example of what is happening in the capital, in this sectarian killing cycle that we're seeing, in the neighborhood of Hurriya, it is in the northwestern portion of the city. It used to be ethnically mixed, Sunnis and Shias living side by side. Ethnic violence over the last few months caused most of the Sunnis to flee. They still remain there in some pockets.

On Friday, we saw four Sunni mosques attacked, two of them burned, sustaining burn damage, one of them coming under rocket propelled grenade attack, according to the Iraqi police. And we heard a horrific story from an officials with the Sunni deputy prime minister's office, saying that seven Sunni worshippers were torched by Shia militiamen.

Now the U.S. military issued a statement saying an Iraqi army unit had gone to that area to try to confirm some of these reports. They were unable to confirm the report of the torching, nor could the Iraqi ministry of interior. However, rumor or not, in this place, the dynamic in Baghdad is one such that rumors here have more authority than any official statement, T.J. HOLMES: All right, Arwa Damon for us in Baghdad. Thank you so much, Arwa.

NGUYEN: Well the escalating violence in Iraq raises the stakes for next week's talks between President Bush and Iraq's prime minister. Let's bring in CNN White House Correspondent Elaine Quijano, to talk about the meeting.

Talk to us, if you would first, about the importance of it amid all the violence.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Certainly a heightened sense of urgency, Betty. Good morning to you.

In the wake of that sectarian strife in Iraq, securing Baghdad and reining in the violence will be at the top of the agenda next week, that of course is when President Bush will sit down with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The two will be meeting in Amman, Jordan.

now, as Arwa has been laying out, a great deal of violence in just the last few days, more than 200 Iraqis were killed in attacks around Baghdad. Attacks pitting Shiites against Sunnis.

Now the violence has also sparked threats from a powerful Shiite militia that its political representatives will pull out of Iraq's unity government if Prime Minister Maliki meets with President Bush. Now the White House is showing no signs of backing away from the talks.

And regarding the attacks, in a statement, a White House spokesman said, quote, "These ruthless acts of violence are deplorable. It is an outrage that these terrorists are targeting innocents in a brazen effort to topple a democratically elected government and it is not going to work", end quote.

Now the wave of violence comes at a time when President Bush is finding himself having to strike a delicate balance. On the one hand, he remains under increasing pressure to change course in Iraq, Democrats are pressing for a time frame for U.S. troop withdrawal. At the same time, the president is also mindful of not having to put much pressure on Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and not undercutting whatever power, whatever authority Maliki might have.

Now Maliki, himself, is in a delicate situation, he's in power in part because of the backing of that Shiite militia, led by Muqtada al Sadr, so there's only so much he can do to rein it in. Clearly now, this meeting in Jordan, as I said at the outset, Betty, taking on a heightened sense of urgency, as that cycle of violence reprisals in Iraqi continues -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, we will see how this meeting plays out. We will be watching. CNN's Elaine Quijano at the White House for us this morning. Thank you.

And later today on "This Week At War," CNN's John Roberts will take a closer look at the escalating violence in Iraqi, and the U.S. diplomatic response to that. "This Week at War" airs at 7 p.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. Pacific, only on CNN.

HOLMES: Vice President Dick Cheney is in the Middle East. He arrived in Saudi Arabia today for talks with King Abdullah. CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson joins us now from Riyadh.

Hello, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: Hello. Well, Dick Cheney has come, as his office tells us, to discuss issues and developments in the Middle East, of mutual interest of both countries.

What the United States will look for from King Abdullah is his influence with the Sunni population in Iraqi, and other places of the Middle East to calm the situation down in Iraq. There's no indication at all that that can happen.

A Saudi advisor who was working, preparing for this meeting told me that their work has been going on for two to three months. What Saudi Arabia wants to do is to see Iran's influence, not only in Iraq, not only its involvement in the war in Iraq, but also what Saudi Arabia sees -- and many other security analysts see -- as Iran's involvement through Syria, helping Hezbollah in Lebanon undermine the Western-backed government in Lebanon.

So that's where Saudi Arabia and the United States' views coincide. What can they do? What can they achieve? What can they discuss here today that will make a difference? That's not clear.

But also we understand the issue of Hamas and their militancy will come up for discussion, also the role of Syria at this time. Saudi Arabia would like to see Syria more isolated from what some international politicians, like British Prime Minister Tony Blair, are calling for Syria and Iran's involvement in stabilizing the ways in Iraq.

Saudi Arabia would like to see Syria isolated at this time. They say -- the Saudis say -- they see eye-to-eye with the United States, but the big concern for Saudi Arabia right now, and what they would like to see the United States deliver on, is not to pull the troops out of Iraqi precipitously. The Saudis believe that would just build further violence, not only in Iraqi but in the region in general, and that would effect them -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right, Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson for us in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Nic, thank you so much.

NGUYEN: How about this? A college scholarship for white students only?

HOLMES: Huh, I know it is raising some eyebrows and some call it racist, others say it makes a good point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I see no other way in order to redress problems that were caused by racial discrimination.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The deja vu, and debate in this morning's "Reality Check."

Also, straight out of a James Bond movie, the investigation continues into the death of a former Russian spy.

NGUYEN: And the symbol of soccer moms, is it being phased out? We're going to tell you. Stay with us. You're in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: The College Republicans at Boston University have created a scholarship -- for whites only. The actual purpose is to promote an end to race-based scholarships. CNN's Joshua Levs joins us now with this CNN "Reality check".

Josh, of course, people hear this and it raises some eyebrows. But you know what, not the first time we have heard of something like this.

JOSHUA LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. When I heard the story this week, I thought that sounds familiar -- that's because it is familiar. The same thing happened at a different school just two years ago. But since then, the context has changed. It turns out more and more scholarships, all over the country, are now dropping their minority scholarship programs. We wanted to take a look at this. So here you go, the CNN "Reality Check".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEVS (voice-over): It's the talk of Boston University, a scholarship for white students only, created by the College Republicans, just $250. It's about making a point.

JOSEPH MROSZCZYK, PRES., B.U. COLLEGE REPUBLICANS: Some people are pretty upset about it, and upset at us for it. But we're trying to explain to them you should be equally upset about this regarding any race scholarship.

LEVS: Some argue minority scholarships are need.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I see no other way in order to redress problems that were caused by racial discrimination. The decades and decades of racial discrimination that followed upon centuries of slavery.

LEVS: Deja vu? Flashback to 2004, when this same debate took place at Rogers Williams University in Rhode Island.

JASON MATTERA, THEN-PRESIDENT, COLLEGE REPUBLICANS: Obviously making a political statement that scholarships should be more based on -- based on people who have financial need, and who really strive for academic excellence and it shouldn't just be based on skin color.

LEVS: Then and now, the state Republican Parties condemned the idea. Rhode Island's party said it had racist overtones. The Massachusetts GOP calls it offensive. But efforts to end minority scholarships were fueled by a different debate, the one over race as a factor in admissions at the University of Michigan. Even the president weighed in.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As we work to address the wrong of racial prejudice, we must not use means that create another wrong, and thus perpetuate our divisions.

LEVS: The Supreme Court ultimately said it was OK for the school to consider race, but that awarding admission points for minorities was going too far. And the Court said schools must not reject students from programs based on skin color. That led to changes in many scholarships.

"The Chronicle of Higher Education" says schools like Yale, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and others across the country, have taken millions of dollars previously reserved for minorities, and opened them up to all students.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEVS: So there seems to be this momentum moving against these types of minority scholarships, but the debate itself is very much alive. So if you look at what happened here in Boston, T.J., it may be about one group of students, but what they're doing is they're taking that debate -- that's still very much alive -- and moving it back into the public's consciousness.

HOLMES: You know, it probably won't be the last time we see it.

LEVS: No, it's going to keep going.

HOLMES: Keep going. Thank you so much, Josh.

LEVS: Thanks.

HOLMES: You don't want to miss the 2:00 p.m. hour of CNN NEWSROOM, we'll have a couple of legal experts discuss and debate this very issue.

NGUYEN: Well some final farewells top our look at "News Across America" today.

Funerals are being held this holiday weekend for three of the four high school students killed in Monday's school bus accident in Huntsville, Alabama. The bus driver and three others remain hospitalized.

Take a look at this Virginia home's front windows, boarded up because a deer came crashing into the living room, barely missing a seven-month-old. The homeowners were babysitting their grandchildren when it all happened. The deer charged everyone in sight. Several cuts and bruises later, the family was able to the tackle him, actually tied the deer up and got him out of the house.

HOLMES: You may not see another new one of these again.

NGUYEN: Say it isn't so!

HOLMES: Say it ain't so. You're not going to see it from GM, anyway. The car maker says it is scrapping plans to develop a new family of minivans. I was in the market, too.

NGUYEN: You were looking for a minivan?

HOLMES: Yes.

NGUYEN: You look like the minivan kind of guy.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: GM is actually going to shift to the focus to crossover vehicles that have the body and feel of a car, but are designed to look kind of like the SUVs.

NGUYEN: Sorry, T.J., you'll have to find something else.

Well, three wary neighbors, Iran, Iraq, Syria. Is Iran making a power play, looking forward to a time when the U.S. leaves Iraq?

HOLMES: Also, of course, the holiday season is upon us already. Of course, you're searching for some gift ideas. We may have some for you. Stay here. You are in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN DOT.COM DESK: Well, the day after Thanksgiving is the traditional kickoff to holiday shopping. If you're searching for gift ideas, CNNmoney.com has a few suggestions, plus holiday tipping etiquette.

"Money" magazine takes 25 great gifts, at the best prices, from several major stores, like Best Buy's Nikon, Coolpix digital camera, with a built-in Wi-Fi. So you can e-mail pictures right from the camera. Or the Williams & Sonoma champagne opener, pair it with a bottle of good bubbly. That's a festive gift. For the gamer in the family, CNN Money highlights the ten best gifts for gamers, from role playing to brain teasers.

And if you ever wondered how much you should tip your mail carrier, doorman, or dog walker, we have a tipping guide for you as well as stories from the many service professionals. Many say it's not the gift, but the thought that counts. You'll find much more at CNNmoney.com/holiday. For the Dotcom Desk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: It is still a holiday weekend even though folks like us are working. Reynolds Wolf is also hard at work today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: In a few weeks, "TIME" magazine will name its 2006 Person of the Year. The issue highlights a person, or people, who have made a dramatic change in the world for better or for worse. Here's one possibility.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The atom blast heard round the world. North Korea stunned the international community by testing it's first nuclear device. North Korea's Kim Jong-Il is a candidate for "Time" magazine's Person of the Year.

ROMESH RATNESAR, WORLD EDITOR, "TIME": The testing of a nuclear weapon by North Korea, in some ways was the single biggest news event, if you could point to just one event, because not only is that a major disruption in the balance of power in Asia, but it also, I think, has crystallized this larger danger that the world faces from nuclear proliferation.

The real concern with Kim Jong-Il is not so much that he would ever use a nuclear weapon, but that as the head of a really desperate, poor, starving country, he'd be tempted to sell some of the technology needed to develop a weapon to other states that are interested, or even to terrorist groups.

ADI IGNATIUS, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "TIME": He has continually tied pretty much every other nation in the world in knots, as countries from the U.S. to China to Japan to South Korea, try to figure out how to contain the North Korean threat.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Violence and chaos in Iraq. What its neighbors hope to do, and why.

NGUYEN: So who's to blame for his death? We have the latest developments in the poisoning of a former Russian spy.

HOLMES: Also cash could get you through the airport faster. Who you can pay.

NGUYEN: I've been in the fast lane.

HOLMES: We'll show you who you can pay and how much, that is coming up here in the NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CONSUMER CORRESPONDENT, CNN NEWSROOM (voice- over): Ten years ago, bedroom sheet thread counts topped off around 200. These days it's not unusual to find counts upward of 1,000. The higher thread count doesn't translate into softer sheets. PAT SLAVEN, "CONSUMER REPORTS": Don't pay for sheets that over 400 thread count, they won't feel any softer, and they won't wear any better than sheets in that mid-range, 200 to 400.

WILLIS: Manufacturers use tricks to double, even quadruple thread counts, but don't be fooled. Do look for 100 percent cotton.

SLAVEN: Egyptian, Pima, Sea Island, that does add a luxurious feel to sheets, because the fibers are longer, they're smoother, and they feel nicer next to your skin.

WILLIS: I'm Gerri Willis. That's this week's "Trend Spotting."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: "Now in the News": Details just coming in about a deadly police shooting outside a New York strip club. Take a look at these pictures.

The Associated Press says officers shot three men who had just left a bachelor party in Queens around 4:00 o'clock this morning. The groom has reportedly died on the day of his planned wedding. CNN crew is en route to the scene. We'll bring you more information as it becomes available to us.

Let's take you to Baghdad now. It is under curfew, no vehicles are being allowed on the streets. And the airport? Well, that is shut down, too. As authorities struggle to stop the sectarian slaughter, the killings of more than 200 Shiites Thursday has been followed by revenge attacks.

Vice President Dick Cheney is in Saudi Arabia for talks with King Abdullah. Washington hopes the Saudis will play a role in helping to calm the upheaval across the Middle East.

And today the search resumes for two young brothers, here they are, missing from an Indian reservation in Minnesota. Take a good look. Two-year-old Avery and four-year-old Tristan disappeared three days ago. The FBI is looking into whether the boys wander off or if foul play was involved.

The man who sparked the standoff inside the "Miami Herald" is in custody. Police say Jose Varela, armed with a knife and realistic- looking toy gun was arrested yesterday after a two-hour standoff. He's a freelance cartoonist with the "Herald's" Spanish language paper. His attorney says he wanted to expose a conflict of interest at the paper.

HOLMES: We now know what killed former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko, but the who, the why, the how, still a mystery. British anti-terrorism forces have joined other agencies to investigate. Litvinenko died of polonium poisoning Thursday in London.

That radioactive killer now has British health officials concerned, forcing them to close off several buildings where Litvinenko went before his death. His killer also a mystery. Litvinenko's friends and family say Russian President Vladimir Putin maybe needs to be at the top of that suspect list.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: British investigators are now looking at who might gain -- oops.

All right, sorry, have a little audio there. I thought we were hearing from the president, but again, he is denying any involvement in Litvinenko's death.

Now this is not the first time President Putin or the Kremlin have been accused of using deadly force to silence an opponent. Ryan Chilcote take a look back at the dark side of Russian history and how likely it is that such history now repeating itself.

(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 what exactly is polonium anyway? It's a naturally radioactive material found in uranium ore. It was discovered by famed scientist Marie Curie who named it after her native Poland and polonium is a very rare and about 250 million times more toxic than cyanide.

It occurs naturally but at harmless levels, but it can also be manufactured. Poisoning only occurs when polonium is somehow ingested into the body either by eating, drinking, breathing in the particles or somehow having it come in contact with an open wound.

HOLMES: And despite the curfew, there is more violence in Baghdad today. At least one death and eight injuries are reported. Experts can debate whether Iraq has plunged into a full scale war, but as CNN's Arwa Damon reports, it's impossible to deny that conditions are getting worse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON (voice-over): Like Iraq's immeasurable grief, this funeral procession seemed endless. Hundreds of mourners packed the streets of Sadr City, escorting over 200 coffins, victims of the bloodiest attack since the war started in 2003.

The dead were casualties of at least five car bombs that exploded on Thursday in the Shia slum of Sadr City, an Mahdi militia stronghold loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al Sadr. Addressing crowds in Sadr City after Friday's prayers, a deputy of al Sadr raised both the political and military stakes ahead of a scheduled meeting between the U.S. president and Iraqi prime minister.

SALIH AL-AKEILI, SADR SPOKESMAN (through translator): If the prime minister goes ahead and meets with the criminal Bush in Iran, we will suspend our membership in the Iraqi government. All the people know we have enough power to react and to respond, but for the sake of Iraqi unity and for the interest of the Iraqi people, we will follow our leaders.

DAMON: Now the prime minister finds himself in a precarious situation. Nouri al Maliki largely owes his job to the support of Sadr's bloc but cannot afford to alienate the United States. The political turmoil and violence come at the end of a week with increasingly brazen attacks against government institutions and a surge in sectarian bloodshed.

On the streets of Baghdad, despite a government lockdown to curb retaliation, the violence continues. Pleas for help from Sunni residents broadcast on Sunni TV after a number of their mosques were attacked and reports of more people killed. One resident summed up the chaos. "At the end of the day, we are all losers," Hassan said. "This is our home, our country."

Most U.S. and Iraqi officials will not say Iraq is in a civil war. But many Iraqis look at the growing numbers of bodies filling morgues, the ethnic cleansing in neighborhoods and the escalating violence and say the civil war started long ago.

The Iraqi prime minister's next move, whether he bows to radical Shia cleric Muqtada al Sadr's request or goes ahead with his meeting with U.S. President Bush, will highlight who the real power brokers are. Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: So more sectarian violence in Iraq and a flurry of diplomatic activity. It comes days before President Bush is scheduled to meet with the Iraqi prime minister in Jordan and the president of Iraq postpones a trip to Iran. Vice President Cheney is in Saudi Arabia to talk with King Abdullah.

You got all this? Meantime the U.S. is under pressure to talk with Iran and Syria. Middle East expert Fawaz Gerges is chairman of Middle Eastern studies at Sarah Lawrence College and he joins us now from Cairo where he is also a Carnegie scholar.

OK, we need you to put it all in perspective for us and let's start with this. The Iraqi president is supposed to be visiting Tehran, but that meeting was postponed due to the violence in Iraq. The Baghdad airport has been shut down. But once that opens up, he plans on still going there. But let's talk about that meeting if you would with Iran and Syria. What kind of a role are they trying to play in Iraq when the U.S. pulls out?

FAWAZ GERGES, PROF., SARAH LAWRENCE COLLEGE: Well, as you know, Iran and Syria play a pivotal role in Iraq, particularly Iran, which exercises considerable influence over developments in Iraq. I think what Iran is trying to do is to make a bid for power, for leadership in Iraq and by convincing American policymakers that they cannot resolve the escalating security situation without engaging the Iranians, without talking to the Iranians. Iran is trying to say to the Bush administration. unless you talk to us, the situation will continue to escalate and deteriorate.

NGUYEN: But realistically, what can the Iraqi president expect to get out of this meeting? What tangible can he get out of this meeting in Iran?

GERGES: Not much at all Betty. In fact, I doubt it very much if either Iran or Syria would make any concessions to Iraqis without having direct contact and negotiating with the Americans. I mean let's keep it in mind here, the Iranians and the Syrians expect to be handsomely rewarded by the United States and I think the question is not the president of Iraq, Talabani. The question is Iran and Syria would like to engage the Americans, would like to talk to the Americans, would like to be compensated by the Americans.

NGUYEN: That was my next question. How smart is it for the administration to at least think about engaging, at least in communications with Iran and Syria about Iraq?

GERGES: Well, you know, as you know, from your reporters in the country and some of us in the Middle East here, the situation in Iraq appears to be spiraling out of control. I think the country is plunging I mean forward to all-out war. What you need to do is to basically change the dynamics in the country. You need to dramatically change dynamics and one way to change dynamics in Iraq is to basically engage the Iranians and the Syrians who are helping the anti-American forces in Iraq.

It's just one step in a complex process, but I doubt it very much if there is a magical wand by which you can resolve the escalating and deteriorating security situation in Iraq. It's just one step to engage the Iranians and the Iraqis and help them and ask them to use their offices to reduce the risks to the plunge to all-out war in Iraq.

NGUYEN: You said it there. It is so very complex. Fawaz Gerges, thank you so much for your time today. We appreciate it.

HOLMES: Well, it's time for us now to turn back to talking a bit about the holidays and some happier things and we'll talk about Santa Claus. And apparently Santa is tired of the reindeer games, why the guy in the red suit is swimming with the fishes. Betty?

NGUYEN: How much would you pay though, listen to this, to breeze straight through airport security? No lines, just go straight through. Up next, the price of life in the fast lane literally. Keep it here, you are in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Let's check some of the most popular stories at CNN.com, lots of people clicking on accusations from a soldier who is AWOL for the second time. Private Kyle Snyder (ph) says the military is ignoring calls from his lawyer. Snyder fled to Canada last year to avoid a second tour in Iraq.

The poisoning death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko is also getting lots of hits. He died Thursday in London of highly radioactive polonium 210. Before his death, Litvinenko blamed the poisoning on Russia's president. A British anti-terrorism team is tracking the poison trail.

And a top dot com video is the grandma suicide bomber. The Hamas tape shows a 57-year-old Palestinian woman strapped and delivering her last testament. She had nine children and more than 40 grandchildren is and the first known Palestinian grandmother to attempt a suicide bombing. Israeli soldiers thwarted the attack, but the grandmother did detonate herself.

HOLMES: Life in the fast lane of airport security. Yes. It does exist at some airports. They even played a song for you when you go through the line.

NGUYEN: No, they don't.

HOLMES: I made that part up. But there is such thing for travelers who get tired of endless lines and security checks. But does it really save you time? CNN's Rusty Dornin investigates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For travelers like hurry, hurry, hurry and wait. If you had a choice between this security line and this one, would you pay for it? 30,000 fliers out of Orlando, Florida have.

It's called clear, a registered travelers program that's been up and running in Orlando for more than a year. Marlene Green signed up online. She paid her $100 and has to finish up her application at the airport using biometrics to scan her fingerprints and iris. What did you have to provide to them?

MARLENE GREEN, PASSENGER: Just two forms of ID.

DORNIN: Which were?

GREEN: Passport and drivers license.

DORNIN: 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. Shipper (ph) Donna White, life in the fast lane makes sense.

DONNA WHITE, PASSENGER: It's easy, yes. 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 in five airports including New York City's JFK by years end. PRES. STEVEN BRILL, CLEAR: It's layers of security.

DORNIN: Clear President Steven Brill hopes to use his card in 18 airports by the end of next year. We decided to do an experiment. I'll stand in the regular line which is actually fairly short now and see how it takes me to get through compared to the man with the Clear pass. Rick Blanchett (ph) presented his pass and had his fingerprint taken but was long gone by the time we were through the security line. Then there was Sherrod Cooley. She made our flight just before the doors closed, late because of a traffic accident.

SHERROD COOLEY, PASSENGER: If I hadn't been able to go through 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 right now, Clear lines are only available at Orlando's airport but the company says it plans to open several more lines soon in airports from New York's JFK to Mineta San Jose international in San Jose, California.

NGUYEN: We know this T.J., Santa usually travels around the world on a sleigh pulled by reindeer right? So why has the guy in the red suit taken to the water? An in-depth look, that's next.

HOLMES: We're go in-depth.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: The CNN NEWSROOM continues. At the top of the hour, look who is here, Carol Costello is in for Fredricka this weekend and you got a lot coming up for us.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I really do, this terrible thing that happened in Queens, a couple of guys leaving a bachelor party. Police for some reason opened fire. The groom died on the scene. Al Sharpton is involved so it could become ugly in New York City. We're going to be following that story.

Also, a lot of people are going to be coming back from their holiday visits.

NGUYEN: From grandma's house.

COSTELLO: That's right. Some of them will get bumped from their flights. If that's ever happened to you, don't you just get enraged?

NGUYEN: Only if they don't pay me to get bumped from their flight.

COSTELLO: Oh, no, I still get enraged.

NGUYEN: Do you really? COSTELLO: When I want it go home, I want to go home.

NGUYEN: Sometimes I will actually volunteer, if the pot is sweet enough that is.

COSTELLO: You're a lot nicer than me. I see money. It's all about me. But anyway, we're going to tell you why airlines bump you and how you can be compensated if you are bumped.

NGUYEN: You need to get compensated. If not yes, be enraged because why get bumped for no reason?

COSTELLO: Exactly.

NGUYEN: Got you. I'm with you there. All right.

HOLMES: What kind of scam are you pulling?

NGUYEN: It's not a scam. It's perfectly legal.

COSTELLO: It is.

(CROSSTALK)

HOLMES: Do you have to say that. You're probably doing something wrong.

NGUYEN: No, obviously, I learned it from the airline industry. Thank you, Carol.

HOLMES: Christmas of course just a month away but evidently Santa Claus still got enough free time to take a little dip. He's making a special underwater appearance at the adventure aquarium in Camden, New Jersey. Santa scuba diving with thousands of fish and other sea things. He's supposed to stay there through New Year's Day. Chances are he'll probably take a break what around Christmas or so.

NGUYEN: He's got some presents to hand out. He better take a break.

HOLMES: He has some stuff to do.

NGUYEN: Reynolds Wolf joins us now with a look at the weather outside.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: CNN NEWSROOM continues with Carol Costello.

HOLMES: You all have a good one. Thanks for being here with me and Betty.

NGUYEN: Have a great day, everybody.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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