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Four Civillians Killed in Baghdad's Green Zone; General John Abizaid Visits Newly Elected Afghan President; Turkish Government Tries to Explain Children's Video, "Matyrs Go To Heaven"
Aired November 26, 2004 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: As you can imagine, it's not business as usual at the New York Stock Exchange this morning. Rhonda Schaffler standing by for a look at today's trading day.
Hi, Rhonda.
(STOCK REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Four civilians killed yesterday inside Baghdad's Green Zone, where employees of the British security firm Global Risk are. Fifteen others were hurt in what military officials call a rocket or mortar attack.
British forces are more involved lately in anti-insurgent operations south of Baghdad.
ITV's Harry Smith is traveling with units of the Scottish Black Watch regiment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRY SMITH, ITV REPORTER (voice-over): They've been told to go in hard, and they didn't hold back. Instead of winning hearts and minds, they slung sledgehammers and stun grenades.
They rounded up all the males above the age of 14, an experienced one youngster obviously found terrifying.
Their targets were the homes of former Saddam loyalists across the Euphrates River from Camp Dogwood, dangerous territory, which until now had been considered a no-go area.
But by first light, the Black Watch was in complete control.
(on camera): For most of these soldiers, this is their first chance to go on the offensive. For the past three weeks, they've suffered almost daily rocket attacks into Dogwood Camp. Most of these attacks came from here. This now is their chance to hit back.
(voice-over): It was one of the largest attacks by British troops since the war here officially ended. 700 soldiers, 116 vehicles. I was one of a small group of journalists who'd seen it through the planning stage and the careful rehearsals. But at the end of the day, only a tiny quantity of hidden arms and ammunition was seized. The Army won't say if any of those detained are on its list of high value targets. For the black watch, there is another concern, its future is under threat in the forthcoming reorganization of Scottish regiments. The battle across the Euphrates could well be its last major engagement.
Harry Smith, ITV News, central Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And in news around the world now, the top general in the U.S. Central Command paid a visit to newly elected Afghan president Hamid Karzai today in Kabul. General John Abizaid's trip to Afghanistan was, as usual, unannounced. And yesterday, he and the Veterans Affairs Secretary dropped in on U.S. troops in Bagram and Kandahar for Thanksgiving dinner.
Palestinian power vacuum. The dominant party in Palestinian politics, the Fatah movement, announced today that it will choose a leader in August. The party conference reportedly is timed to preclude any threat to the current Fatah leader's candidacy for Palestinian Authority president. That election is set for the end of January.
The U.N.'s nuclear authority had words for South Korea today, accusing Seoul of violating nuclear safeguards by producing a small amount of weapons grade plutonium. The IAEA isn't taking action, though, apart from investigating the charges. The official Korean statement, that it was researched and ended years ago.
A brutal attack that has police stumped. Central China this morning, a man broke into a school dormitory. He had a knife. He killed eight teenagers and wounded four others and ran. The students were sleeping at the time. That attacker had not been found.
To Turkey now where the government is trying to explain itself after the widespread distribution of a free video. It's a cartoon aimed at children. Some say encourages kids to fight and die in the name of religion.
Alfonso Van Marsh is in Istanbul.
(BEGN VIDEOTAPE)
ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Martyrs Go to Heaven" is about a boy who learns how fighting and dying in the name of Islam is a ticket to paradise. It's a gift video CD. And this Islamist children's magazine distributed it throughout majority Muslim Turkey.
REFIK EROURAN, AUTHOR, SOCIAL COMMENTATOR: It's poisonous propaganda, masquerading as sweetness and light.
VAN MARSH: Sweetness and light, that the mainstream press here criticized as a call for jihad, holy war, criticism that video CD and magazine publisher Atak organization denies on its website. Atak also denied our interview requests.
"I'm ready to be a martyr," says the leader of the film's prophet Muhammad's army. And then...
INCI BAYLA BOBOL, CHILD PSYCHOTHERAPIST: I don't accept children to watch this. That child can learn that that is good.
VAN MARSH (on camera): Anybody can make an extremist CD. But what makes "Martyrs Go to Heaven" even more controversial is that it's literally got the seal of approval from Turkey's secular government.
(voice-over): After authorizing 15,000 copies, the Turkish ministry responsible for screening the flick says it's banned Atak from distributing any additional CDs.
"What's important is to fix this mistake and never let it happen again," he says. 15,000 CDs in a nation of some 70 million people may seem like a drop in the bucket, but some warn of a ripple or ring effect.
EROURAN: The next ring would be somehow affected by the inner ring. And you might end up with a million people being affected by this kind of thing.
VAN MARSH: A kind of thing targeting children that Atak organization insists is educational and was done legally.
Alfonso Van Marsh, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Headlines this hour, European leaders taking a major role in the aftermath of Ukraine's highly disputed presidential election. EU's international policy chief Javier Salana (ph) is in Kiev, as are the presidents of Poland and Lithuania. They're all there to meet with both candidates, each of whom claims he was fairly elected Sunday. Well officials fear that large scale protests and potential political instability in that former Soviet republic might happen. Therefore, they're negotiating.
Iran, the on again, off again suspension of that country's nuclear program may be stumbling toward reality again. A slight hitch this week when Iranian officials asked that several facilities be exempt from the freeze that they proposed. Tehran has now dropped that request after some negotiation. The U.N.'s nuclear monitoring agency may vote on an Iran resolution this weekend. We'll have a live report on today's developments at the top of the hour.
The United States is bracing for $150 million in trade sanctions by the European Union, Japan and several other countries. At issue, an anti-dumping law called the Bird Amendment, which the World Trade Organization says is illegal. It taxes companies accused of extorting goods -- exporting goods rather to the U.S. below production costs, then gives the proceeds to competing American companies. It's a fairly modest punishment, but the amount could rise. And eat your heart out, Pamplona. All across America this morning, an electrifying running of the holiday shoppers. Turkey fueled credit card waving consumers from coast to coast burst through the doors of malls, department stores, and those big box places by the millions. Ordinarily, we'd take you to our own live reporter, but somebody bought him.
Thanksgiving weekend travelers, the return trip should be easier than getting there, at least as far as the weather is concerned. CNN's Orleon Sydney with the mostly improved forecast across the country.
Hi, Orleon.
ORLEON SYDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: How are you doing? Taking a look right now at what's going on across the nation. The southeast, you can see there's quite a bit of air travel currently. So things really haven't changed very much as far as that is concerned, except I don't think there's as many people in those planes as there were yesterday.
Big ridge of high pressure across the Eastern United States. Most of the South is sunny, but we do have one storm system that's pulling across the northern plains. That one kicking off quite a bit of rain and even some pretty heavy snowfalls. We'll have to keep an eye on that for the weekend.
It's raining now at North Plat. Drizzle in Denver. We are getting snow in Fargo. With cloudy skies, a little mix of precipitation in Twin Cities.
This is how it shapes up then for the rest of the day. There's the storm system. Watch it as it moves on eastward. It's going to be windy today. Temperature -- 48 degrees in D.C. So it's going to be a little raw there. Windy too in Atlanta. High of 54. Still some cold air for us lodged across the Rockies.
By tomorrow, that front moves to the Mississippi Valley. Ahead of it, look for showers and thunderstorms. To the north of it, they'll be snow. And you'll find some lingering snow showers across much of the Rocky Mountains.
Right under the clouds, though, here comes the next cold front. It pushes southward down to the four corners. On Sunday, there will be snow in the mountains, rainfall in the valleys, and rain southward through much of Arizona and New Mexico. Also, look for some rain in the Plains states. A few showers of the Mississippi Valley and a mix of rain and snow for much of the Northeast.
The coast, you're going to find rain. Get back into the finger lakes, and the Adirondacks, that's where you'll see the snowfall.
Tomorrow's high temperatures in the 50s, 40s and 30s for the northern tier. Warm in the South. Warms up even more as we head on into Sunday. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Orleon.
SYDNEY: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: Time now for a check of some other stories making news across America. Close shave. A car crashes into a convenience store in Salem, Oregon. Check this out. Hitting a beer delivery man. Well, he suffered only minor bumps and bruises. No other injuries reported.
One of the nation's busiest roads. And today crews are trying to clear stacks of boulders from part of Interstate 70 near Vail, Colorado. Thanksgiving Day rock slides sent rocks as big as vans cascading onto that highway. Officials hope that they can open at least one lane each for east and westbound motorists today.
Missing at sea, Coast Guard crews are searching for this 54-year- old Virginia man reported missing after a cruise to the Bahamas. Glenn Sheridan may have fallen overboard in the early hours of Thursday morning. His wife reported him missing several hours after the ship docked at Jacksonville.
Well, a nine-year-old boy discovers his musical passion in a very unlikely place. That's right. He sings Chinese opera. After the break, I'm going to talk with Tyler Thompson and his mother about his pretty surprising talent.
Also still to come, a comedian uses the stage to highlight the sacrifices of America's troops.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, he doesn't understand a word of what he sings. And he comes from a city known more for its rap stars than its opera singers. But one California young boy is wowing audiences and winning hearts with his expertise at Chinese opera.
CNN's Rusty Dornin reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tyler Thompson is an all American nine-year-old. Dodgeball, football, baseball, basketball, you name it. Music, well, he likes R&B and rap. But his true love is to sing Chinese opera. This fourth grader sings in flawless Mandarin, a skill he began perfecting in the second grade.
His mother heard him singing in the car, only she couldn't understand a word.
VANESSA LADSON, MOTHER: I called a teacher and I go, and I said, "My son is singing in Chinese. You know, what's going on? And she said...
DORNIN: Music teacher Sherlyn Chew spotted Thompson as solo quality when he was seven. But this year, computer classes won out over music at Lincoln Elementary. So now Thompson goes to nearby Laney College for training.
SHERLYN CHEW, MUSIC TEACHER: We work on each word at a time. He would take home the cassette tape that I would record and so that he can hear it over and over again.
DORNIN: Do you know what the words mean when you're singing them?
TYLER THOMPSON, SINGER: I knew you was going say that and no.
DORNIN: But his pronunciation is so good, he fools a lot of people.
CHEW: We perform for a lot of Chinese audience members. And when that happens, people cry when Tyler sings. They say he's so clear and he's so adorable.
DORNIN: Thompson received a standing ovation at San Francisco's Asian Art Museum last March. Now there is even an offer to sing in Beijing.
T. THOMPSON: I'd just like to see what it's like to be in China. Just to know what it's like over there for one day. Usually I like to have...
DORNIN: Oakland, California is known for spawning rappers. Thompson says even his dad had trouble with his choice of music.
T. THOMPSON: At first he thought he was -- it was sort of weird and so did my cousin. But now that they see me going places, they think it's more unique.
DORNIN: A unique talent from an unexpected performer.
Rusty Dornin, CNN, Oakland, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, I told Tyler I wouldn't do this, but maybe we might get a live performance from the Oakland singing sensation. Tyler Thompson joins us right now from San Francisco with his mother, Vanessa Ladson. Great to have you both with us.
LADSON: Thank you. Thank you for having us.
PHILLIPS: So Tyler, what does your shirt say? You have Chinese characters on there, don't you?
T. THOMPSON: Tiger and dragon.
PHILLIPS: Oh, wow. And what's it mean, mom?
LADSON: Power and strength.
PHILLIPS: Power and strength. So when did you know that your son had this amazing gift to sing Chinese opera? LADSON: Well it was about the second grade. We were -- he was singing and telling me he wanted to be in the choir. And I didn't pay much attention to it. I just thought it was just a school choir.
And then one day as I was driving, he was singing the song. And I said sing that again. And he did. And I said, sing it one more time for mommy. And he sang it again. And he said, "Mom, I told you, I want to be in the choir at Laney College. And I can earn a college credit."
So I called Ms. Chew to find out what was going on. And she explained it to me. So I enrolled him in there. And he's just been singing ever since. He has quite a few songs that he knows.
PHILLIPS: No, it's pretty amazing. Tyler, how do you learn the lyrics? I mean, you don't even understand what you're singing. So how do you learn the lyrics? And how you to prepare to perform?
T. THOMPSON: Well, it takes a lot of practice. So like I have to practice that song like every day. But the song that I'm always singing - it's sort of like whenever I sing it, it's like a theme song to me.
PHILLIPS: Wow. And what is the hardest part of singing Chinese opera, Tyler?
THOMPSON: Well, nothing right now. But when I get older, it's going to be my high notes.
PHILLIPS: The high notes. Can you hit a high note now?
THOMPSON: Ah...
PHILLIPS: Oh my gosh. Vanessa, I mean when you look at your child, this has got to be amazing because he goes to a predominantly Asian school. And where there could be maybe some interesting tensions, he stands out as such a star. I mean, what a statement about integration.
LADSON: Yes.
PHILLIPS: I mean, has that -- has it been a complete positive experience in that regard?
LADSON: Well, when I enrolled him in the school, it was for the academics. And I wanted him to learn Chinese. But then I found out from the principal that they didn't teach Chinese. And so this just evolved. And so in a way, he is learning the Chinese with the -- but not knowing exactly what he's singing.
So it's been a positive thing. The kids are - you know, they're kids. They're - they all get along. You know, he has his best friends. You know, and they have their little squabbles. But you know, they're kids first and foremost.
PHILLIPS: All right. I'm going to ask you guys to hold on just a second. We just are getting word that we're getting some tape in of the president of the United States. He was addressing some reporters in Crawford, Texas. Let's listen to that for just a moment.
OK, I'm being told that we're just now getting the tape in. He made a statement to reporters outside this diner in Crawford, Texas. Let's go ahead and listen in now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy Thanksgiving, sir.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Had a great Thanksgiving with our daughters and mother and dad and my mother-in- law. It's good to be back in Texas. Wish the Crawford Pirates all the best in their state playoff football game tonight. I know you agree with me. I'll take a couple of questions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. President. If I can ask you about a couple of new developments today. 17 political parties in Iraq made a postponement of the January 30th elections for at least six months. Wondered about your reaction to that and the tentative deal on Iran's nuclear weapons. And I wonder whether you think Iran should be trusted?
BUSH: You know, first of all, I appreciate the nations of Great Britain and Germany and France, who are working to try to convince Iran to honor their international treaty obligations. And the only good deal is one that is verifiable.
And I look forward to talking to the leaders of those countries. If they can get Iran to agree to a deal, to make sure that it's verifiable. I know the prime minister of Great Britain wants a verifiable deal because I've talked to him personally about it.
In terms of Iraq, the Iraqi election commission has scheduled elections in January. And I would hope they'd go forward in January.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, what are the consequences if Ukraine does not comply with international pressure on the demands of the elections? And do you think that President Putin overstepped his bounds?
BUSH: Just a lot of allegations of vote fraud that placed their elections, the validity of their elections in doubt. The international community is watching very carefully. People are paying very close attention to this. And hopefully, it'll be resolved in a way that brings credit and confidence to the Ukrainian government.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President...
BUSH: Identify yourself, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
BUSH: OK, good. Welcome.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Mr. President, today...
BUSH: Do you know Scott?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very well.
BUSH: You might ask him why he didn't shave.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh.
BUSH: Well, I'm just curious. Looks like it's contagious as a matter of fact. Please, sorry to interrupt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today, the World Trade Organization agreed to finalize or approve sanctions (UNINTELLIGIBLE) $150 million (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Do you have any comments on that?
BUSH: Well, we've worked hard to comply with the WTO. I think it's important that all nations comply with WTO rulings. I work with Congress to get in compliance.
As you might remember, we worked on the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) TI bill because of the WTO ruling. We expected the WTO as well to treat our trading partners as they treat us. And that's why, for example, I filed a complaint on the Airbus situation. We believe that the subsidies for Airbus are unfair for U.S. companies such as Boeing.
Yes, Mark, hi.
MARK, REPORTER: Hi. Sir, you said you're going sign the big Omnibus appropriations bill.
BUSH: Yes.
MARK: But are you bothered by all the examples of pork barrel spending that are in that bill?
BUSH: Mark, it's first a bill. It conforms to the budget that I worked out with the Congress. And I appreciate that. In other words, the size of the bill is a number that we agreed to early on -- earlier this year. And I appreciate that because part of making sure we cut the deficit in half is to work together on the overall size of our spending bills.
Now secondly, obviously there's going to be things in these big bills that I don't particularly care for. And that's why I've asked Congress to give me a line item veto. And the only way a president can affect that which is inside the bill, other than vetoing the entire bill, is to be able to pick out parts of the bill and express displeasure about it through a line item veto. And I hope the Congress will give me a line item veto.
Well, listen, it's great to see everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Northern Ireland?
BUSH: Well, I talked to -- evidently the word's out that I made a phone call this morning. And I did so. And I was just trying to be a part of the process of getting both Ian Paisley's group, Dr. Paisley's group and Gerry Adams' group to the table to get a deal done.
In other words, to close the agreement that they've been working on for quite a while. And hopefully it'll help. Of course, the primary movers are Prime Minister Blair and Bertie Ahearn of Ireland, who have been working very diligently on this. I appreciate their efforts. And anything else I can do to help to keep the process moving forward, I'm more than willing to do so.
So listen, I've got to go eat a burger. Thank you, all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Best line of the day. He's gotta go eat a burger. President Bush addressing reporters there on a number of serious issues actually in Crawford, Texas just a little while ago, as he continues to spend his Thanksgiving break there. We're going to check on the markets right after we take a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Struggling airline U.S. Airways is getting a little help from a its friends, but it could be a double edged sword for its employees.
Rhonda Schaffler joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange with that - Rhonda?
RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, again, Kyra. Well, the help comes from U.S. Airways biggest creditor, General Electric. GE's lease and finance deal could free up to $140 million in cash for the airline. It's not, though, good news for everyone since the plan calls for more cost controls, it could force U.S. Airways to squeeze more concessions from employees. The airline's cost cutting moves have been met with resistance from some unions in the past.
On Wall Street today, the market ended flat during this abbreviated session. The Dow industrials adding less than two points. Nasdaq barely budged. Trading closed early at 1:00 p.m. Eastern today. That it from Wall Street. Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: All right, Rhonda, we'll see you next hour. Thanks.
Coming up in the second hour of LIVE FROM, the babe on the block. We're going to tell you how you can own a piece of the baseball slugger's legacy. LIVE FROM's "Hour of Power begins right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 26, 2004 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: As you can imagine, it's not business as usual at the New York Stock Exchange this morning. Rhonda Schaffler standing by for a look at today's trading day.
Hi, Rhonda.
(STOCK REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Four civilians killed yesterday inside Baghdad's Green Zone, where employees of the British security firm Global Risk are. Fifteen others were hurt in what military officials call a rocket or mortar attack.
British forces are more involved lately in anti-insurgent operations south of Baghdad.
ITV's Harry Smith is traveling with units of the Scottish Black Watch regiment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRY SMITH, ITV REPORTER (voice-over): They've been told to go in hard, and they didn't hold back. Instead of winning hearts and minds, they slung sledgehammers and stun grenades.
They rounded up all the males above the age of 14, an experienced one youngster obviously found terrifying.
Their targets were the homes of former Saddam loyalists across the Euphrates River from Camp Dogwood, dangerous territory, which until now had been considered a no-go area.
But by first light, the Black Watch was in complete control.
(on camera): For most of these soldiers, this is their first chance to go on the offensive. For the past three weeks, they've suffered almost daily rocket attacks into Dogwood Camp. Most of these attacks came from here. This now is their chance to hit back.
(voice-over): It was one of the largest attacks by British troops since the war here officially ended. 700 soldiers, 116 vehicles. I was one of a small group of journalists who'd seen it through the planning stage and the careful rehearsals. But at the end of the day, only a tiny quantity of hidden arms and ammunition was seized. The Army won't say if any of those detained are on its list of high value targets. For the black watch, there is another concern, its future is under threat in the forthcoming reorganization of Scottish regiments. The battle across the Euphrates could well be its last major engagement.
Harry Smith, ITV News, central Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And in news around the world now, the top general in the U.S. Central Command paid a visit to newly elected Afghan president Hamid Karzai today in Kabul. General John Abizaid's trip to Afghanistan was, as usual, unannounced. And yesterday, he and the Veterans Affairs Secretary dropped in on U.S. troops in Bagram and Kandahar for Thanksgiving dinner.
Palestinian power vacuum. The dominant party in Palestinian politics, the Fatah movement, announced today that it will choose a leader in August. The party conference reportedly is timed to preclude any threat to the current Fatah leader's candidacy for Palestinian Authority president. That election is set for the end of January.
The U.N.'s nuclear authority had words for South Korea today, accusing Seoul of violating nuclear safeguards by producing a small amount of weapons grade plutonium. The IAEA isn't taking action, though, apart from investigating the charges. The official Korean statement, that it was researched and ended years ago.
A brutal attack that has police stumped. Central China this morning, a man broke into a school dormitory. He had a knife. He killed eight teenagers and wounded four others and ran. The students were sleeping at the time. That attacker had not been found.
To Turkey now where the government is trying to explain itself after the widespread distribution of a free video. It's a cartoon aimed at children. Some say encourages kids to fight and die in the name of religion.
Alfonso Van Marsh is in Istanbul.
(BEGN VIDEOTAPE)
ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Martyrs Go to Heaven" is about a boy who learns how fighting and dying in the name of Islam is a ticket to paradise. It's a gift video CD. And this Islamist children's magazine distributed it throughout majority Muslim Turkey.
REFIK EROURAN, AUTHOR, SOCIAL COMMENTATOR: It's poisonous propaganda, masquerading as sweetness and light.
VAN MARSH: Sweetness and light, that the mainstream press here criticized as a call for jihad, holy war, criticism that video CD and magazine publisher Atak organization denies on its website. Atak also denied our interview requests.
"I'm ready to be a martyr," says the leader of the film's prophet Muhammad's army. And then...
INCI BAYLA BOBOL, CHILD PSYCHOTHERAPIST: I don't accept children to watch this. That child can learn that that is good.
VAN MARSH (on camera): Anybody can make an extremist CD. But what makes "Martyrs Go to Heaven" even more controversial is that it's literally got the seal of approval from Turkey's secular government.
(voice-over): After authorizing 15,000 copies, the Turkish ministry responsible for screening the flick says it's banned Atak from distributing any additional CDs.
"What's important is to fix this mistake and never let it happen again," he says. 15,000 CDs in a nation of some 70 million people may seem like a drop in the bucket, but some warn of a ripple or ring effect.
EROURAN: The next ring would be somehow affected by the inner ring. And you might end up with a million people being affected by this kind of thing.
VAN MARSH: A kind of thing targeting children that Atak organization insists is educational and was done legally.
Alfonso Van Marsh, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Headlines this hour, European leaders taking a major role in the aftermath of Ukraine's highly disputed presidential election. EU's international policy chief Javier Salana (ph) is in Kiev, as are the presidents of Poland and Lithuania. They're all there to meet with both candidates, each of whom claims he was fairly elected Sunday. Well officials fear that large scale protests and potential political instability in that former Soviet republic might happen. Therefore, they're negotiating.
Iran, the on again, off again suspension of that country's nuclear program may be stumbling toward reality again. A slight hitch this week when Iranian officials asked that several facilities be exempt from the freeze that they proposed. Tehran has now dropped that request after some negotiation. The U.N.'s nuclear monitoring agency may vote on an Iran resolution this weekend. We'll have a live report on today's developments at the top of the hour.
The United States is bracing for $150 million in trade sanctions by the European Union, Japan and several other countries. At issue, an anti-dumping law called the Bird Amendment, which the World Trade Organization says is illegal. It taxes companies accused of extorting goods -- exporting goods rather to the U.S. below production costs, then gives the proceeds to competing American companies. It's a fairly modest punishment, but the amount could rise. And eat your heart out, Pamplona. All across America this morning, an electrifying running of the holiday shoppers. Turkey fueled credit card waving consumers from coast to coast burst through the doors of malls, department stores, and those big box places by the millions. Ordinarily, we'd take you to our own live reporter, but somebody bought him.
Thanksgiving weekend travelers, the return trip should be easier than getting there, at least as far as the weather is concerned. CNN's Orleon Sydney with the mostly improved forecast across the country.
Hi, Orleon.
ORLEON SYDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: How are you doing? Taking a look right now at what's going on across the nation. The southeast, you can see there's quite a bit of air travel currently. So things really haven't changed very much as far as that is concerned, except I don't think there's as many people in those planes as there were yesterday.
Big ridge of high pressure across the Eastern United States. Most of the South is sunny, but we do have one storm system that's pulling across the northern plains. That one kicking off quite a bit of rain and even some pretty heavy snowfalls. We'll have to keep an eye on that for the weekend.
It's raining now at North Plat. Drizzle in Denver. We are getting snow in Fargo. With cloudy skies, a little mix of precipitation in Twin Cities.
This is how it shapes up then for the rest of the day. There's the storm system. Watch it as it moves on eastward. It's going to be windy today. Temperature -- 48 degrees in D.C. So it's going to be a little raw there. Windy too in Atlanta. High of 54. Still some cold air for us lodged across the Rockies.
By tomorrow, that front moves to the Mississippi Valley. Ahead of it, look for showers and thunderstorms. To the north of it, they'll be snow. And you'll find some lingering snow showers across much of the Rocky Mountains.
Right under the clouds, though, here comes the next cold front. It pushes southward down to the four corners. On Sunday, there will be snow in the mountains, rainfall in the valleys, and rain southward through much of Arizona and New Mexico. Also, look for some rain in the Plains states. A few showers of the Mississippi Valley and a mix of rain and snow for much of the Northeast.
The coast, you're going to find rain. Get back into the finger lakes, and the Adirondacks, that's where you'll see the snowfall.
Tomorrow's high temperatures in the 50s, 40s and 30s for the northern tier. Warm in the South. Warms up even more as we head on into Sunday. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Orleon.
SYDNEY: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: Time now for a check of some other stories making news across America. Close shave. A car crashes into a convenience store in Salem, Oregon. Check this out. Hitting a beer delivery man. Well, he suffered only minor bumps and bruises. No other injuries reported.
One of the nation's busiest roads. And today crews are trying to clear stacks of boulders from part of Interstate 70 near Vail, Colorado. Thanksgiving Day rock slides sent rocks as big as vans cascading onto that highway. Officials hope that they can open at least one lane each for east and westbound motorists today.
Missing at sea, Coast Guard crews are searching for this 54-year- old Virginia man reported missing after a cruise to the Bahamas. Glenn Sheridan may have fallen overboard in the early hours of Thursday morning. His wife reported him missing several hours after the ship docked at Jacksonville.
Well, a nine-year-old boy discovers his musical passion in a very unlikely place. That's right. He sings Chinese opera. After the break, I'm going to talk with Tyler Thompson and his mother about his pretty surprising talent.
Also still to come, a comedian uses the stage to highlight the sacrifices of America's troops.
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PHILLIPS: Well, he doesn't understand a word of what he sings. And he comes from a city known more for its rap stars than its opera singers. But one California young boy is wowing audiences and winning hearts with his expertise at Chinese opera.
CNN's Rusty Dornin reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tyler Thompson is an all American nine-year-old. Dodgeball, football, baseball, basketball, you name it. Music, well, he likes R&B and rap. But his true love is to sing Chinese opera. This fourth grader sings in flawless Mandarin, a skill he began perfecting in the second grade.
His mother heard him singing in the car, only she couldn't understand a word.
VANESSA LADSON, MOTHER: I called a teacher and I go, and I said, "My son is singing in Chinese. You know, what's going on? And she said...
DORNIN: Music teacher Sherlyn Chew spotted Thompson as solo quality when he was seven. But this year, computer classes won out over music at Lincoln Elementary. So now Thompson goes to nearby Laney College for training.
SHERLYN CHEW, MUSIC TEACHER: We work on each word at a time. He would take home the cassette tape that I would record and so that he can hear it over and over again.
DORNIN: Do you know what the words mean when you're singing them?
TYLER THOMPSON, SINGER: I knew you was going say that and no.
DORNIN: But his pronunciation is so good, he fools a lot of people.
CHEW: We perform for a lot of Chinese audience members. And when that happens, people cry when Tyler sings. They say he's so clear and he's so adorable.
DORNIN: Thompson received a standing ovation at San Francisco's Asian Art Museum last March. Now there is even an offer to sing in Beijing.
T. THOMPSON: I'd just like to see what it's like to be in China. Just to know what it's like over there for one day. Usually I like to have...
DORNIN: Oakland, California is known for spawning rappers. Thompson says even his dad had trouble with his choice of music.
T. THOMPSON: At first he thought he was -- it was sort of weird and so did my cousin. But now that they see me going places, they think it's more unique.
DORNIN: A unique talent from an unexpected performer.
Rusty Dornin, CNN, Oakland, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, I told Tyler I wouldn't do this, but maybe we might get a live performance from the Oakland singing sensation. Tyler Thompson joins us right now from San Francisco with his mother, Vanessa Ladson. Great to have you both with us.
LADSON: Thank you. Thank you for having us.
PHILLIPS: So Tyler, what does your shirt say? You have Chinese characters on there, don't you?
T. THOMPSON: Tiger and dragon.
PHILLIPS: Oh, wow. And what's it mean, mom?
LADSON: Power and strength.
PHILLIPS: Power and strength. So when did you know that your son had this amazing gift to sing Chinese opera? LADSON: Well it was about the second grade. We were -- he was singing and telling me he wanted to be in the choir. And I didn't pay much attention to it. I just thought it was just a school choir.
And then one day as I was driving, he was singing the song. And I said sing that again. And he did. And I said, sing it one more time for mommy. And he sang it again. And he said, "Mom, I told you, I want to be in the choir at Laney College. And I can earn a college credit."
So I called Ms. Chew to find out what was going on. And she explained it to me. So I enrolled him in there. And he's just been singing ever since. He has quite a few songs that he knows.
PHILLIPS: No, it's pretty amazing. Tyler, how do you learn the lyrics? I mean, you don't even understand what you're singing. So how do you learn the lyrics? And how you to prepare to perform?
T. THOMPSON: Well, it takes a lot of practice. So like I have to practice that song like every day. But the song that I'm always singing - it's sort of like whenever I sing it, it's like a theme song to me.
PHILLIPS: Wow. And what is the hardest part of singing Chinese opera, Tyler?
THOMPSON: Well, nothing right now. But when I get older, it's going to be my high notes.
PHILLIPS: The high notes. Can you hit a high note now?
THOMPSON: Ah...
PHILLIPS: Oh my gosh. Vanessa, I mean when you look at your child, this has got to be amazing because he goes to a predominantly Asian school. And where there could be maybe some interesting tensions, he stands out as such a star. I mean, what a statement about integration.
LADSON: Yes.
PHILLIPS: I mean, has that -- has it been a complete positive experience in that regard?
LADSON: Well, when I enrolled him in the school, it was for the academics. And I wanted him to learn Chinese. But then I found out from the principal that they didn't teach Chinese. And so this just evolved. And so in a way, he is learning the Chinese with the -- but not knowing exactly what he's singing.
So it's been a positive thing. The kids are - you know, they're kids. They're - they all get along. You know, he has his best friends. You know, and they have their little squabbles. But you know, they're kids first and foremost.
PHILLIPS: All right. I'm going to ask you guys to hold on just a second. We just are getting word that we're getting some tape in of the president of the United States. He was addressing some reporters in Crawford, Texas. Let's listen to that for just a moment.
OK, I'm being told that we're just now getting the tape in. He made a statement to reporters outside this diner in Crawford, Texas. Let's go ahead and listen in now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy Thanksgiving, sir.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Had a great Thanksgiving with our daughters and mother and dad and my mother-in- law. It's good to be back in Texas. Wish the Crawford Pirates all the best in their state playoff football game tonight. I know you agree with me. I'll take a couple of questions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. President. If I can ask you about a couple of new developments today. 17 political parties in Iraq made a postponement of the January 30th elections for at least six months. Wondered about your reaction to that and the tentative deal on Iran's nuclear weapons. And I wonder whether you think Iran should be trusted?
BUSH: You know, first of all, I appreciate the nations of Great Britain and Germany and France, who are working to try to convince Iran to honor their international treaty obligations. And the only good deal is one that is verifiable.
And I look forward to talking to the leaders of those countries. If they can get Iran to agree to a deal, to make sure that it's verifiable. I know the prime minister of Great Britain wants a verifiable deal because I've talked to him personally about it.
In terms of Iraq, the Iraqi election commission has scheduled elections in January. And I would hope they'd go forward in January.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, what are the consequences if Ukraine does not comply with international pressure on the demands of the elections? And do you think that President Putin overstepped his bounds?
BUSH: Just a lot of allegations of vote fraud that placed their elections, the validity of their elections in doubt. The international community is watching very carefully. People are paying very close attention to this. And hopefully, it'll be resolved in a way that brings credit and confidence to the Ukrainian government.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President...
BUSH: Identify yourself, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
BUSH: OK, good. Welcome.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Mr. President, today...
BUSH: Do you know Scott?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very well.
BUSH: You might ask him why he didn't shave.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh.
BUSH: Well, I'm just curious. Looks like it's contagious as a matter of fact. Please, sorry to interrupt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today, the World Trade Organization agreed to finalize or approve sanctions (UNINTELLIGIBLE) $150 million (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Do you have any comments on that?
BUSH: Well, we've worked hard to comply with the WTO. I think it's important that all nations comply with WTO rulings. I work with Congress to get in compliance.
As you might remember, we worked on the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) TI bill because of the WTO ruling. We expected the WTO as well to treat our trading partners as they treat us. And that's why, for example, I filed a complaint on the Airbus situation. We believe that the subsidies for Airbus are unfair for U.S. companies such as Boeing.
Yes, Mark, hi.
MARK, REPORTER: Hi. Sir, you said you're going sign the big Omnibus appropriations bill.
BUSH: Yes.
MARK: But are you bothered by all the examples of pork barrel spending that are in that bill?
BUSH: Mark, it's first a bill. It conforms to the budget that I worked out with the Congress. And I appreciate that. In other words, the size of the bill is a number that we agreed to early on -- earlier this year. And I appreciate that because part of making sure we cut the deficit in half is to work together on the overall size of our spending bills.
Now secondly, obviously there's going to be things in these big bills that I don't particularly care for. And that's why I've asked Congress to give me a line item veto. And the only way a president can affect that which is inside the bill, other than vetoing the entire bill, is to be able to pick out parts of the bill and express displeasure about it through a line item veto. And I hope the Congress will give me a line item veto.
Well, listen, it's great to see everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Northern Ireland?
BUSH: Well, I talked to -- evidently the word's out that I made a phone call this morning. And I did so. And I was just trying to be a part of the process of getting both Ian Paisley's group, Dr. Paisley's group and Gerry Adams' group to the table to get a deal done.
In other words, to close the agreement that they've been working on for quite a while. And hopefully it'll help. Of course, the primary movers are Prime Minister Blair and Bertie Ahearn of Ireland, who have been working very diligently on this. I appreciate their efforts. And anything else I can do to help to keep the process moving forward, I'm more than willing to do so.
So listen, I've got to go eat a burger. Thank you, all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Best line of the day. He's gotta go eat a burger. President Bush addressing reporters there on a number of serious issues actually in Crawford, Texas just a little while ago, as he continues to spend his Thanksgiving break there. We're going to check on the markets right after we take a quick break.
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PHILLIPS: Struggling airline U.S. Airways is getting a little help from a its friends, but it could be a double edged sword for its employees.
Rhonda Schaffler joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange with that - Rhonda?
RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, again, Kyra. Well, the help comes from U.S. Airways biggest creditor, General Electric. GE's lease and finance deal could free up to $140 million in cash for the airline. It's not, though, good news for everyone since the plan calls for more cost controls, it could force U.S. Airways to squeeze more concessions from employees. The airline's cost cutting moves have been met with resistance from some unions in the past.
On Wall Street today, the market ended flat during this abbreviated session. The Dow industrials adding less than two points. Nasdaq barely budged. Trading closed early at 1:00 p.m. Eastern today. That it from Wall Street. Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: All right, Rhonda, we'll see you next hour. Thanks.
Coming up in the second hour of LIVE FROM, the babe on the block. We're going to tell you how you can own a piece of the baseball slugger's legacy. LIVE FROM's "Hour of Power begins right after this.
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