Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Black Friday Kicks off Holiday Shopping; Saddam Hussein Trial Resumes Monday; Filmmakers Reunite Friends Separated by War; French Leaders Blaming Rap for Riots

Aired November 25, 2005 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: Happy Black Friday, everyone. Black as in a welcome change from red, which U.S. retailers typically, generally operate in until the start of the Christmas shopping season the day after Thanksgiving.
And depending on where you're shopping, of course, and the degree of holiday spirit in the atmosphere, well, this could also be black and blue Friday.

Cutting in line for a bargain laptop at Wal-Mart, this is in Orlando, can get you into a whole lot more than just a spot on Santa's naughty list.

In any case, it's all about the green, making it, spending it, making it last at least as long as it took to find a parking space at the mall. Holiday shoppers are expected to part with $439.5 billion this year, six percent more than 2004. Now, remember that figure because we'll get back to it a little later.

Suffice to say it added to the good cheer on Wall Street this week, and CNN's Susan Lisovicz can tell us more about that.

Susan, was that really the closing bell or were they just trying to wake everybody up on the floor?

(STOCK REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Yes, I don't blame you. It's crazy. Susan, stay with us just in case you have a question for Mary Snow.

All right. We want to get back to that number that we were talking about. You know, we're talking about the spending: $439.5 billion is the forecast from the National Retail Federation. And we figured out that that's more than enough to buy and sell most of the countries on earth.

Here's just a few whose gross domestic products amount to mere stocking stuffers alongside a few weeks of shopping in America. Austria, GDP in 2004, $256 billion. Chile, $169 billion. Denmark, $174 billion. Greece, $226 billion. And Sweden, $255 billion.

Kind of gives one a grander perspective on the quest for a $50 camcorder, right, Mary Snow?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Absolutely, Kyra. And it is amazing. You know, there were some concerns this year about people scaling back because they've been spending so much money on gasoline and home heating bills this -- coming this winter. So far, though, we've seen, as you can imagine, you see right behind me, crowds still coming out.

Here at Macy's doors opened at 6 a.m. this morning here in Herald Square. A thousand people, Kyra, were outside the store at 6 a.m. waiting to get in to cash in on some of these bargains.

PHILLIPS: Now, you were saying it's not just the women, but you saw the men actually dashing in there for the deals.

SNOW: Yes. One of the first big buys, or big bargains that Macy's set up today was a 75 percent sale on men's shirts. And this caused quite a frenzy inside the store as people rushed in, men included, to get their hands on some of these shirts at 6 a.m. this morning.

PHILLIPS: Wow. All right. Now, what are people buying besides the shirts? And are they happy with the deals?

SNOW: You know, most of the people I talked to today so far say that they are pretty happy with the deals. Now, here at Macy's, department stores like this, people are buying things like clothes.

But one obviously big item we were talking about before with Wal- Mart are electronics. Laptops, TVs. And Wal-Mart has really upped the ante this year, because it has told its customers, "Look, we'll match competitors if they beat our prices." So that is also adding to this frenzy to slash prices very early on in the shopping season.

PHILLIPS: Well, Mary, you know where Susan Lisovicz is, there at New York Stock Exchange. Any questions there for Mary, Susan?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Mary, I've been in your footsteps, and I think I'll be outside one of those malls tomorrow. But you know, Mary, one of the things we've seen is anecdotally is that shoppers are doing the bulk of their shopping closer to the actual holiday. But it's still very important for retails to find out what's hot, if there is a must-have item, whether it's a toy, whether it's an electronic. Are you seeing any of that?

SNOW: I really think, Susan, that the electronics are going to be key this holiday season. And you know, not only shopping at stores but also online. Monday they call it Cyber Monday because people go back to work. They have high-speed Internet access at work, and then they start going online. So that's going to be a popular day, as well.

But you know, last year what happened was some of the discounters like Wal-Mart waited till later in the season to slash prices, and then they paid for it. So that is why there's really been this big push to get people early on in season to have people start spending money.

And you know, this concern, Susan, as you know, you've seen those oil prices affect the stock market. How does it affect American consumers? And that's what this is going to be telling, to see how people did today when we get results in next week.

PHILLIPS: All right. Susan Lisovicz and Mary Snow, the two best women to talk business and shopping. Thank you, ladies. We'll continue to check in with both of you.

I heard this "good job" behind you, Mary, so someone liked what you had to say. All right, guys. There he is. He gave a thumbs up. We'll see you guys in a little bit.

All right. Here are some other stories that we're working on for you right here on LIVE FROM.

Rap and the riots. Is rap music to blame for days of violent protest in France? Well, French politicians are pointing fingers now. We're going to talk about it.

And lamppost larceny. Who's stealing 30-foot-tall lampposts in Baltimore? More than 100 have simply vanished. We're going to try and find out why.

And pampered pets. Would you spend four grand on a doghouse or plunk down a few hundred for a cat stroller? Wait till you see what animal lovers are putting on their holiday shopping lists.

Now, on Monday we're going to take you back to an Iraqi courtroom where Saddam Hussein is scheduled to be back in the dock. Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, examines a trial that already is proving to be quite trying.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lawyer Aqil Al- Kanani remembers his two brothers he says were killed by Saddam Hussein's security forces in 1979. Last month Kanani and his family watched the opening day of Hussein's trial on TV. Now he wants the trial over so he can get answers about why his brothers, Yassin and Taha (ph), were killed.

AQIL AL-KANANI, IRAQI LAWYER (through translator): I really care to hear his answer, no matter if he would go on a trial for my case or another case.

ROBERTSON: Beset by technical glitches last time, the trial faltered in its opening hours. Hussein grandstanded, wasting time. Then his lawyers got a 41-day adjournment to study the charges that accuse Hussein and seven former regime allies of brutally repressing a 1982 assassination attempt.

AL-KANANI (through translator): Speaking to me as an Iraqi and not as a lawyer, I would denounce the delays of the trial, and I would demand the court to execute him immediately. But as a lawyer I see it as a legitimate process.

ROBERTSON: For awhile even the return to court next Monday seemed to be in doubt. Since appearing at the trial, two defense lawyers were killed and another wounded in targeted assassinations. Only U.S. assurances to help investigate and offers of protection appear to have convinced them to come back.

Still in jail awaiting trial are other regime loyalists like Hussein's former deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz. His lawyer is worrying about when his client will see trial.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I saw him the last time, he was very sick.

ROBERTSON: Aref (ph) has had death threats. His concern now is that the trial is unjust. Not just because defense lawyers are being killed but because they lack training in cases like crimes against humanity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They must also send their lawyers also to England, to America, to learn them about this -- this case.

ROBERTSON (on camera): When Hussein gets back in the dock, proceedings are expected to speed up. Witnesses could be called as early as the first day. But within days the trial could be put on hold again to minimize tensions ahead of national elections.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Tragedy, it seems, never takes a holiday, especially in Iraq. A U.S. soldier was killed in a tank accident south of Baghdad on Thanksgiving Day. And we know the soldier was assigned to Task Force Baghdad, but that's all the military's telling us right now.

The soldier's death brings to 2,105 to the number of U.S. troops who have died in Iraq since the war's begun.

And a face-to-face thanks to the troops in Iraq, this from four governors who've been spending part of their holiday with troops from their states on duty there, as well as in Kuwait and Qatar. Here now are some of their impressions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. HALEY BARBOUR (R), MISSISSIPPI: I was surprised to hear my officers talk about how much of the work that they were doing at the beginning of this year is now being done almost exclusively by Iraqis. This is encouraging to me, encouraging both because these are my own soldiers, but also it's encouraging that that's what needs to happen.

GOV. JENNIFER GRANHOLM (D), MICHIGAN: The purpose for my visit here is really just to say thank you to our troops, who have given up a life of -- at home, given up a year of their lives in service to their nation, but also to make a stable and free Middle East and therefore world. GOV. KATHLEEN SEBELIUS (D), KANSAS: We are very proud of our troops who are here. We want to make sure they know that Kansans are behind them, and it was just a great opportunity to convey that in person.

GOV. SONNY PERDUE (R), GEORGIA: I found the morale in our Georgia troops to be extremely high. They understand why they're here, and they understand what their mission is. And while they miss their families, as any of us would, they're prepared to stay until their mission is complete.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIP: Straight ahead, should rappers take the rap for fueling the violence that burned across France for weeks? One group says yes, and they're calling for a federal investigation. We'll look past the lyrics when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, the holidays are traditionally a time for families and friends to get together, difficult if not impossible for those torn apart by war. In the Balkans, filmmakers are using a creative way, though, to try to reunite them.

Here's our senior United Nations correspondent, Richard Roth.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These days a friendship can end when an e-mail isn't returned. So imagine how hard it is to restore a broken bond, especially one disrupted by war. The directors of a new independent film spent five years attempting to spark people living in the war-ravaged Balkans to start talking to each other again.

ERIC VAN DEN BROEK, CO-DIRECTOR, "VIDEO LETTERS": You know, when you travel in the former Yugoslavia, people tell always the same story, like, "I'm so disappointed in my ex-friend or neighbor because he never phoned me asking me how are you?" And the other side would tell us exactly the same. So we thought, let's keep it simple and connect them to each other via video letters.

ROTH: In the Balkans, where families and communities were shattered by a five-sided conflict, reluctant citizens are sending video letters, much more real than reality TV. Videotaped reconciliations to close some sharp open wounds.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking foreign language)

GRAPHIC: And that's why I beg you, please tell me, where the bones of my children are. I've been searching everywhere.

ROTH: The filmmakers randomly convinced people to talk to their camera, with a message to former loved one.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking foreign language)

GRAPHIC: I would like to see all my friends but how will they react if I just show up like that?

ROTH: The tape is delivered to its target by the directors, usually someone on the other side of the multiethnic fight.

KATRINA REJGER, CO-DIRECTOR, "VIDEO LETTERS": We said we have a video letter for you, but we never said who is the sender. And sometimes they would ask and then we had to. But usually, we tried to say it's a surprise. And then they would say, "What is in the video letter? What is it about?"

And then Eric would say, "Hey, listen, we are just postmen. We cannot rip off the envelope and read it first and give it to you. It wouldn't be nice, would it?"

"No, I guess not," they would say, and then we would show it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking foreign language)

GRAPHIC: Sorry, this is all so hard for me.

ROTH: The sender has no idea whether there will be a video response.

VAN DEN BROEK: And in many cases there is the stories like, "I heard that you killed that and that person. Did I even know you?" This is a big question of course. But people know that there are so many rumors after a war and so many stories which are growing bigger and bigger, and they like to find out whether this is true.

ROTH: The war broke up two friends who were like brothers. Emil, a Muslim Serb, fled ex-Yugoslavia for the Netherlands, and never contacted former best friend Sasa, a Serb, because he heard Sasa was suspected of committing a murder.

REJGER: When we went to see Sasa, Eric asked him, "Do you miss your friend Emil?"

And Sasa almost started to cry, he missed him so much. And Emil lives in Holland. So Sasa said, "OK, I'll make this video letter for him."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)

GRAPHIC: I'm dying to see you. Nothing more. I'm going a bit nuts. I'm very nervous.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)

GRAPHIC: Hi, Sasa. Here I'm making a video letter for you. First, I would like to clear some things up. You said in your video letter...

ROTH: The Emil and Sasa exchange was the first of 20 documentaries, and they usually resulted in reunions.

Yezmin (ph) and Georgia used to share a home.

VAN DEN BROEK: It took some time before she opened. Then she opens the door and she closes it and she starts to scream in the back like, "I'm a woman! I need some makeup!" And then she was kind of thrilled, and then she opened the door again and they really hugged. And I mean, it was really, really nice to see this happening.

ROTH: There are some reconciliations that won't happen.

REJGER: Sometimes it was really -- for us it was so emotional because sometimes we had to deliver a video letter to a dead person, and it was not a nice video letter to bring back, you know, to the people that were there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)

GRAPHIC: Look here, Pera, your friend Brana wants to see you, but unfortunately, you died.

ROTH: The Bosnian wars were infamous for pitting neighbor against neighbor.

REJGER: Fear provokes war. And we just decided to stop being afraid, and we tried to show the people by making these video letters that they should stop being afraid.

ROTH: The video letters may be working. The films are the first programming to be broadcast in all six former Yugoslav republics.

Richard Roth, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And still to come on LIVE FROM, a mountain stirs to life in South America. Why people in southern Colombia are looking upward. Their infamous volcano is dormant no longer. Full details in a live report straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A milestone on the road to Palestinian statehood. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas today symbolically reopened the Rafah Crossing from southern Gaza into Egypt. This gives Palestinians control over a border for the first time in nearly four decades. People will be allowed to cross from Gaza into Egypt with no Israeli security check. American diplomats brokered the deal and terms of reopening.

Did rap music cause the recent riots in France? Well, a member of parliament says that young people saw red after hearing angry lyrics, and that's part of what led to three weeks of burning cars and arrests.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP) (MUSIC)

(END AUDIO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: That's just one sample. He wants seven rap acts investigated now, including these guys, Monsieur R, and his song "Fransse," investigated for inciting racism.

Another group, 113, seemed to anticipate the wave of ethnic violence in a 1999 song: "There'd better be no atrocity or the town will explode. The community is a time bomb that will go off. From the commander to the intern, every one of them is hated."

Were lyrics a call to action? We turn to our Jim Bittermann, who joins us live from Paris.

Jim, and after reading so much about this, I never realized that hip-hop crossed over to France from the U.S. in the 1980s and was very much a vehicle of expression for those in the suburbs.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. It very much is so. And one of the things about the French language, it's particularly good for making the kind of raps -- kind of rhymes that rap music does. So it's become very popular over here.

One of the songs that you played there by Monsieur R has been fairly flagrant as far as the members of parliament are concerned. About a quarter of the members of parliament feel that judicial action should be pursued against him and the other groups.

Just to give you an idea, and I've had to clean this up a little bit for the audience here but the lyric translates into English as "France is a whore. You should use her until she drops. I urinate on Napoleon and General de Gaulle. The police are sons of whores."

That kind of thing that the parliamentarians say swirls around in young people's heads, as one person put it, and it's no wonder that when they see a police officer they then see red -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And I was reading that Monsieur R came back and said, look, the song is a diatribe against French leaders who have neglected ethnic minorities. It's not an attack on France in general.

And then, you know, I saw also the response, Jim, from the French prime minister, Dominique De Villepin, and he's saying, "Look, I dismiss all these claims and the claims by my party colleagues. This is, you know -- I don't agree with this, it's not what incited the violence."

BITTERMANN: That's exactly right. Villepin feels that it's wrong to scapegoat the rap musicians.

One of the civil rights organizations here said essentially the same thing, that this is a good way for young people, through these words in the rap music, to vent their anger in a peaceful way. As one group put it, it said it's precisely because when the kids are no longer able to put what they feel into words that violence can take the upper hand.

So there are two sides to this argument. And I guess the real issue is whether or not this rap music is the cause of the violence or whether it's a symptom of some of the things that are causing the violence, the underlying causes of the violence.

PHILLIPS: And Jim, I'm reading that 200 members of Villepin's party have urged the justice ministry to prosecute seven rap groups now for allegedly provocative lyrics that may have caused these riots.

I want to ask you about one of the pioneers in rap, Supreme MTM, and a song that they had written called "What Are We Waiting For?" This was prior to the riots. It was from an album called "Paris Bombed."

And here are the lyrics: "What are we waiting for to set everything aflame? What are we waiting for to no longer follow the rules of the game? We have nothing to lose, because we had nothing to start with. I wouldn't sleep soundly if I were you. The bourgeoisie can quake, the scum are in town."

Some would say, look, there was plenty of warning that this was going to happen if you were to listen to these rappers.

BITTERMANN: Exactly. That was 15 years ago almost that MTM wrote those lyrics. And there are a lot of other things too. There was a movie out about 10 years ago called "Hate," which today looks something like a documentary more than a feature film, because in fact it showed exactly what happened in the French suburbs, a lot of burning cars and a lot of protesting young people.

So a lot of -- there was a lot of forewarning about the kind of anger that had been building in the urban areas.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's interesting stuff, Jim Bittermann. We'll follow up on the investigations and continue the conversation. I know we're trying to get one of those rappers to come on live to talk about it some more. Jim Bittermann, thank you so much.

Well, an on again off again volcano in southwestern Colombia is definitely on right now. It's called Galeras. It's near Colombia's Pacific Coast. And the half million or so residents of the area have been keeping a nervous eye on is that mountain since it rumbled to life again this week.

CNN's Karl Penhaul is in Pasto, near the base of that newly- awakened Galeras Volcano. Karl, has anybody -- or has everyone gotten out of there? When I to you yesterday, there were still thousands of farmers that didn't want to leave their land.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And that's still very much the case, Kyra. Just over my shoulder, you look behind, that is the Galeras Volcano itself. There's a little bit of cloud covering the top, but also, that cloud is mixed with vapor coming down from the crater of the volcano. Now, the maximum level of alert, 1, which was after yesterday morning's eruption, has been downgraded a little to maximum level 2. That means that, according to a volcanologist, that an eruption could happen within the next few days. And there's still at least 5,000 people, the experts say, within the danger zone of that volcano.

PHILLIPS: Actually, my -- I don't know if it's you or me, but I heard about half of -- oh, it is Karl. OK. We're having some technical difficulties with you, Karl. So I'm going to go ahead and -- all right. Can you hear me OK, Karl? Yes, we're having some technical...

PENHAUL: I can hear you fine, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK, good. I've got a good connection with you now, too. Karl, just to give a little background, the last time this erupted, it was the early '90s, right? And scientists were actually studying this volcano to try to be able to tell if, indeed, and when this volcano was going to erupt again. Were those scientists ever able to gain any information to predict what's happening right now?

PENHAUL: The scientists have. In fact, this morning, in fact, they've flown over the crater of the volcano to find out a little bit more about what's going on. And they're saying right now there's lava down in the crater of the volcano, temperatures about 700 degrees centigrade.

They say that there's a lot of vapor there, there's a lot of movement underneath. There's some earth tremors going on. And they also say there's a potential danger from pyroclastic flows. What that means in layman's terms is that clouds of vapor could come over the edge of the crater, roll down the sides of the volcano. And that would burn everything in its path because those clouds are at very high temperatures -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Karl Penhaul there at the Galeras Volcano. We'll continue to follow up with you. Thank you, Karl. And there probably won't be a world tour for Brazil's latest beauty queen. Oh, yes. That's because this contest was held behind bars. You're seeing right.

Forty inmates from ten prisons around Brazil's biggest city took part in the Miss Penitentiary 2005 Pageant. We don't have a picture of the winner, but she got a $160 prize and a break from the regular prison routine.

So if you're making your holiday shopping lists, are you including the furry members of your family? Wait till you see what some people are willing to pay just to make a canine Christmas merry. Is it insanity or the spirit of the season? We're going to talk about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And back here in B Control. All this talk of black Friday, gift-buying insanity, pre-dawn doorbusters. You ever wonder how many of those gifts rung up today are for actual people and how many are for the hairier members of the family?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Is your pet just impossible to shop for? Well, the holidays are a trying time for animal lovers who wouldn't think of leaving their critters out of the gift-giving action. And why not? A study this year by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association found three quarters of dog owners consider their animals part of the family. So here comes the pampering; and to a degree we've never seen before.

What cat wouldn't love to do his private business in high-tech style? Self-cleaning litter box? $100. This doggie day bed, wrought iron with a cedar mattress, $290. Too extravagant? Probably.

But doggienews.com reports that nearly 30 percent of you confessed to spending more on gifts for your pets than for your spouse. They say 83 percent will go so far as to wrap their pets' presents.

This handmade wooden chest, just for cat toys, $110. An off the floor dining set with a lovely corian top and handcrafted legs, $165. The selection in stores or online is virtually limitless, as pet ownership rises and pet indulgence right along with it.

And it's not just at home. That APPMA study shows that 19 percent of dog owners take their hounds on holiday. But maybe not in this cozy canine camper, $5,400.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Fifty-four hundred bucks for a dog camper. Definitely over the top. And the person who buys it, well, definitely crazy? Perhaps?

Brian Kilcommons is the director of Training, Animal Care and Control for the city of New York. And an author. Good to see you, Brian.

BRIAN KILCOMMONS, DOG TRAINER/AUTHOR: Good morning, Kyra. Good afternoon.

PHILLIPS: Good afternoon.

KILCOMMONS: And happy Thanksgiving.

PHILLIPS: Where again -- yes, happy Thanksgiving, wherever you are, right? It's 5:00 somewhere. So what do you think about all this?

KILCOMMONS: I think this is a way for people to bond and show their caring for pets. I mean, the -- let's say dogs. Their position in our society has changed considerably. They no longer work for their dinner. You know, they're basically companions. And as our society has changed, we're getting married later, we're having children later, if at all -- a lot of people are living alone -- dogs and cats really add a quality to our lives.

PHILLIPS: And you know, I guess some folks would say -- you look at those, the victims from Katrina, who don't even have a place to live, yet you can drop $300 on a toy box, you know, for your dog. It sort of seems, I don't know -- what does it say about us and our society?

KILCOMMONS: I think what it says is that we still care. You know, you can't really judge what people care about. You know, what I'd like to see, if you're going to buy a $300 dog bed, well, then give $300 to your local humane organization to help with the animals from Katrina.

But this shows people caring and loving for something. You know, and if we want to start looking at this, how much do we spend on gambling? How much do we spend on alcohol and drugs?

So for people to spend money on their pets, it may seem excessive but as our income goes up, it shows that people will spend more for different luxury products, and the dog is now a status symbol in our country.

PHILLIPS: Do you think the dogs really know they're getting this special treatment? Do they really understand these types of gifts, Brian?

KILCOMMONS: Great question. No, I think this is more for the people. But it makes them feel good. Look at the food industry. They're now putting glucosamines in food for joint health.

The Iams company has DHA and Smart Puppy that actually enhanced learning. It makes for a smarter, more trainable puppy. So whether we're talking about luxury goods, services, or foods, they're really competing with the human area of shopping.

PHILLIPS: Now just -- you're talking about people are making more money, and so they're able to buy the more extravagant gifts. Well, how about, OK, if you want to do that, then shouldn't you take some of that abundance and at least, you know, find your favorite charity or somehow give back to something or someone?

KILCOMMONS: Absolutely. I'm in total agreement for people to support their local humane organizations because a lot of those organizations have animals from Katrina. And what we don't look at is there are so many people that stayed in New Orleans because of their pets and there are so many people that have not been reunited with their pets.

If you love your animal and you look at the dog or cat in your household now, be generous with what you buy them if that is going to make you feel better. But also be generous supporting your local humane organizations.

PHILLIPS: Yes, I have to agree with you. I was amazed at how many people didn't want to leave their homes in New Orleans because they had to leave their pets behind and they were having arguments with rescue crews. That's an interesting point.

KILCOMMONS: Also, Kyra, after working with dogs for over 30 years and dealing with thousands of people and dogs, the biggest gift people can give their pets is communication. You know, the Iams.com Smart Puppy site has ten videos on training. And what training does, it teaches the dog how to communicate with you on their level.

And that's the biggest gift you can give them. They're not going to put a dollar amount on that, but it's going to make you feel good and bring you closer to the pet that you love so much and are willing to spend money on.

PHILLIPS: Brian Kilcommons, thanks.

Well, a mission of mercy puts a U.S. terrorism task force on the front felines in Africa. The team was spurred to action after discovering a case of animal abuse in Ethiopia.

CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has the inside story. Barbara, just this once can we call you a cub reporter?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Probably, Kyra. You know, military people are amongst some of the biggest animal lovers out there, and we came across this story today. We're going to, in a minute, show you some pictures that really are distressing.

U.S. military special forces were in a town called Gode, Ethiopia, out in the horn of Africa, when they came across -- and let's show the picture -- these two cheetah cubs. These cheetah cubs had clearly been abused and beaten, and they were tied up, being forced to fight in front of local people who had gathered to watch.

Well, the soldiers became obviously very distressed at the situation they found. They tried to treat the cheetahs, give them food and water. The owner refused to give them up. But one of the soldiers basically started contacting animal rights groups. Unfortunately, you see one of the cheetahs being beaten there.

Anyhow, what it's all come down to is the Ethiopian government, through the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, has now asked the U.S. military to stage indeed a cheetah rescue, and within the next few days we are told U.S. special forces will go back into this town of Gode, Ethiopia, with the blessing of the Ethiopian government, take the cheetahs to a rescue center and get them the help they need.

Now, of course this isn't really a routine military mission. But a lot of people don't know there are about 1,400 U.S. forces out in the horn of Africa. They are part of a counterterrorism task force.

They move through the horn of Africa, going to these towns and villages trying to do good work, dig wells, build schools, build relationships with the people out there, so terrorist groups don't move into the area. This time on this day their good mission was to rescue two cheetah cubs that were in big trouble -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr from the Pentagon, thanks. Well, the city of New Orleans puts another foot forward on the road to recovery. Or should we say another paw, hoof, or so on. The Audubon Zoo officially reopens this afternoon for zoo members and tomorrow to the general public.

Now, like the rest of the city, it shut down the day Hurricane Katrina hit the city, and although it did not flood when the levees broke, it suffered wind damage and was covered in debris. Now, today's opening marks the return of the city's first major family attraction. It will be open only on weekends until March.

Well, who doesn't like the smell of chocolate? I'll have the answer to that question as soon as we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: So, are hockey's power plays too powerful? The head of the world's anti-doping agency says steroids could be a problem in the National Hockey League. Dick Pound says that he told NHL commissioner Gary Bettman that as many as a third of the 700 players in the league could be using performance-enhancing substances.

Officials with the league, the players' union, and players themselves say they're outraged at that charge. Hockey, back on the ice after last season's lockout, has a three strikes and you're out random drug test policy.

A former president tells CNN America's kids are overweight, and he can say it, too, because Bill Clinton grew up tubby himself. Clinton tells Dr. Sanjay Gupta he remembers being 5'8", 185 pounds, at age 13. Now combating childhood obesity is one of his many causes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was overweight. You know, I was probably in the last generation of Americans where people widely thought a fat baby was a healthy baby. And I lived with my grandparents until I was 4. My mother went back to nursing school after my father died. And they just stuffed me.

And so I was -- I always battled my weight, all the way through school, although I had pretty well gotten it down by the time I finished high school. I was 6'1 and weighed 192 pounds when I graduated from high school. And that's about what I am now.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: How bad did it get? I mean, you know, obviously -- and you've talked about this ...

CLINTON: Oh, I was -- when I was 13, I was 5'8 and weighed 185 pounds.

GUPTA: Is that right?

CLINTON: Yes. GUPTA: What was the worst meal? Do you remember the worst meal you ever had or the types of food that were the worst that you ever eat?

CLINTON: No, I -- but I ate a lot of stuff that was high in fat, and high -- and I ate a lot of it. And I -- you know, I just didn't think about it and I didn't have regular exercise.

But what happened to me is now systematically happening to a younger generation of people. Because, first of all, food's still a pretty good bargain in America and a lot of working families who have to work don't have much time -- don't have time to prepare food at home and have to spend a lot of money on housing, on transportation, and other things, healthcare.

They know they can get high value with the dollar with food, in terms of bulk. And a lot of this food that's purchased, particularly in restaurants, fast food places, is higher in fat content and sugar content and bigger portions than was the case 20 years ago. And I understand why all this happened.

But the bottom line is that we've got too many kids too overweight and they're walking time bombs. They're going to get adult onset diabetes too early, they're going to have cardiovascular problems and the system is really going to be stressed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, more of Bill Clinton tomorrow on "Fighting Childhood Obesity." "HOUSECALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta airs at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, 5:30 Pacific. It's a great show. We hope you'll tune in.

Now a question that seems especially appropriate for the holiday season. Is there anyone who doesn't like the smell of chocolate? The answer -- apparently so. Someone filed a complaint with the Environmental Protection Agency over the aroma wafting from Chicago's 64-year-old Blommer Chocolate Factory. The EPA responded by citing the company, saying its emissions could harm elderly people with heart and lung problems. It also said the chocolate smell could harm children, which should come as a surprise to most children. Now the company is installing pollution abatement equipment that will make the chocolate smell disappear. Look out, Willie Wonka, you may be next.

Well, whether he was a restaurant owner on "Happy Days" or a martial arts master in "The Karate Kid," he was always an audience favorite. We're going to remember Pat Morita when CNN's LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAT MORITA, ACTOR: Remember, dear, no question.

RALPH MACCHIO: Yes, but.. MORITA: Wax on, right hand. Wax off, left hand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: How could we ever forget that classic line, classic movie? Actor Pat Morita, who earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a martial arts expert in "The Karate Kid," is dead at the age of 73. Morita also was known for his portrayal of Arnold, the owner of the malt shop on the TV sitcom "Happy Days." Morita battled spinal tuberculosis as a child and lived in an internment camp for Japanese-Americans during World War II. He died yesterday in his home in Las Vegas.

(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