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U.S. Forces Control Most of Falluja; Arafat's Burial Planned for West Bank HQ; FBI Identifies American Terrorist

Aired November 10, 2004 - 10:00   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: It's great to have you here with us.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, good to be here; a little girl power hour.

KAGAN: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Or two.

KAGAN: Stick around.

WHITFIELD: We'll do two hours.

KAGAN: First, let's start with some headlines.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Well, now in the news -- Yasser Arafat remains gravely ill and Palestinian officials tells CNN they're planning for a funeral that could come as early as this week. Earlier today, a top Palestinian Islamic cleric arrived at the Paris hospital to be at Arafat's side, should he die. We'll have the latest in a live report straight ahead.

In Iraq, terrorists have kidnapped at least two members of Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's family. Now a search is under way. Allawi's relatives were taken from their Baghdad homes on Tuesday. A group claiming responsibility threatens to behead the hostages, unless Iraqi prisoners are released and the coalition-led siege on Falluja is stopped within 48 hours. We'll have much more on that in minutes.

All eyes are on Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve today. This afternoon, the Central Bank will meet to discuss interest rates. And many analysts expect a quarter point increase. Experts cite an expanding economy, job growth and consumer spending as factors to consider.

And two men out of the Bush cabinet; Attorney General Ashcroft has resigned and sources say his replacement could be named later on today. Commerce Secretary Don Evans also resigned. In a letter to the president Evans praised the department's accomplishments, but said it was time for him to return home to Texas.

Good morning again. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in today for Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: And good to have you along. Good morning, everyone. I'm Daryn Kagan.

Want to get right now to a developing story out of Iraq in Falluja, possible a word on a number of insurgents surrendering to the military.

Let's go ahead and bring in our Karl Penhaul who is at Camp Falluja right now -- Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Daryn. We have in the course of the afternoon been getting briefings from military sources, military commanders here on the ground. They did tell us earlier that there are preliminary reports of a group of insurgents in one part of Falluja surrendering to multinational forces.

They haven't at this stage gone into any details, and certainly not given us any numbers at this stage. Moreover, in the course of the fighting over the last day and a half or so, they haven't given us any more updates on the numbers of insurgents captured. Although we do understand there are some insurgents captured.

Also, in a press conference this afternoon, General Jassen, he's the main of the Iraqi commander of the Iraqi forces on the ground here. He was briefing the press, and just confirming reports by the other multinational force sources, that the coalition forces are now in control of approximately 70 percent of Falluja. That would put them a little ahead of the best-case scenario schedule.

And Iraq's general also characterized the level of insurgent resistance as not what he had expected, an indication that the insurgent resistance had been a little lighter than had first been expected -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Karl, I know you're in Falluja. But do you have any more information on these reports that two members of Ayad Allawi's family have been kidnapped?

PENHAUL: Yes, we do have confirmation of that. One is a cousin of Prime Minister Allawi; he's a 75-year-old man. We also understand that Prime Minister Allawi's cousin's daughter-in-law has been kidnapped alongside him. I understand that that is the relationship there.

The prime minister's spokesman, Thair al Nakib, spoke to that and said Prime Minister Allawi considered this kidnapping a terrorist act. And he said that Prime Minister Allawi's resolve to finish business in Falluja and crush the resistance there would not be shaken by this kidnapping, even though the kidnapers, we understand, are threatening to kill those two hostages within the next 48 hours, if the advance on Falluja is not halted -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Karl Penhaul with the latest from Falluja and also from around Iraq, thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, more now from Falluja on this Day 3 of battle. This is the view from behind enemy lines, as insurgents battle the U.S. and coalition forces. So far, that insurgent resistance has been much less fierce than expected. But a top U.S. commander warns the fighting is far from over, and not without U.S. casualties.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is at her post and joins with us the latest from the Pentagon -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Fredricka. Well indeed, officials here are looking at all of this and coming to the conclusion so far, this is not the mother of all battles that they had expected in Falluja. But nonetheless, they believe there is plenty of tough fighting ahead.

Now, looking ahead just a bit, they are ready to move in with reconstruction assistance, compensation for damage done, trying get the city back on its feet. But at this point, U.S. and coalition troops are in the center of Falluja, controlling the majority of the city. They have retaken key civic areas, including the mayor's office.

They have gone through an industrial area where they believe most of the fighters were dug in. The fighting has been characterized only as sporadic. Still plenty of sniper fire, plenty of action but not a major organized resistance so far.

Nonetheless, analysts are warning that, when you look at the long-term picture in Falluja, there is still plenty of hard work ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. THOMAS HAMMES, U.S. MARINE CORPS.: I think so far it's going well. But that's not the real question. Everyone knew we could move through the cities. We did it back in March of '03, we can move through any time we choose. The real question is can we then govern? Can the Iraqi government come behind us and make it a safe place to live? And therefore, gain the loyalty of the people living there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Right now, nonetheless, U.S. and coalition troops still dealing with booby traps, improvised explosive devices. And they have, indeed, even found tunnels; underground tunnels connecting positions they believe were being used by the insurgents -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Barbara Starr from the Pentagon, thanks so much.

Well, stay with us for military briefing on the Battle of the Falluja that's scheduled for the top of the hour. And CNN will have live coverage of that.

KAGAN: And now to the latest on Yasser Arafat. A spokeswoman for the Palestinian leader says that he is now in what they are calling the final phase of his life. An Islamic cleric has rushed to Arafat's bedside to attend what could be his final moments.

CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney is outside the Paris hospital where his death appears eminent -- Fionnuala. FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, that Palestinian envoy, Daryn, is Leila Shahid. And the last time we heard publicly from her outside the hospital was more than a week ago. And she came out earlier today speaking to reporters saying that Arafat was still struggling for his life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEILA SHAHID, PALESTINIAN REPRESENTATIVE: President Arafat is still in the same situation, in deep coma in a very critical state, with the best doctors possible, in this Percy Hospital that has been now for 12 days trying their best to save him. I can't tell you more than that.

I can only tell you that it is critical. But that he is still alive and fighting as much as he can. And his heart is still beating and beating well, because he's struggling. But whether he can make it is very difficult to say at this moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SWEENEY: Well also, Daryn, you heard mentioned there the arrival of a senior cleric from the West Bank and Gaza. Taissir al Tamimi here earlier in the day at Yasser Arafat's bedside. He is here to make sure that Islamic traditions are maintained. And he also spoke to reporters, saying that there was absolutely no question that Yasser Arafat's life support would be switched off. It was against Islamic law, that it was -- as long as there was any life inside of Yasser Arafat's body, then it was God's will that he live. He's expected back at the hospital later again today --Daryn.

KAGAN: Fionnuala Sweeney with the latest from Paris, thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, the Palestinian people and those who worked with Arafat are now looking beyond his death, to his funeral and the future of the PLO.

CNN's Michael Holmes is outside the headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where I understand, Michael, already preparations are under way to prepare a burial site?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, indeed. That's right, Fredricka. The latest we're hearing from Cairo is that Yasser Arafat, if he does die, will lie in state there for a few hours. And then he'll be brought here to the Palestinian Authority headquarters, the Muqata, as it's known.

Now, it's getting a little dark here. But I'm going to try to give you a sense of the Palestinian Authority head quarters. And I'll get Scott (INAUDIBLE), our cameraman, to move around and show you. We keep talking about this place but we hardly ever give you a look at it.

The preparations that were going on earlier right there were, there were trucks and bulldozers coming in to clear up really what was three years of detritus, of fighting with the Israeli incursions and Palestinians fighting back. This area was full of cars and rubble.

Now we move to the right there. And we can just make out to the right of that tree, there's a pile of rubble there. That is going to be the burial site of Yasser Arafat. It is where his own mosque used to be. It was destroyed during the incursions by Israeli forces. They're clearing away that rubble. That's where we're told a monument to him will be put and he will be laid to rest.

Now, to give you another idea; this is a large car park area. The helicopter will land here. The building you see lit up there is Yasser Arafat's own offices, his bedroom on the second floor, his office just nearby.

Down below that, do you see those drums there? Might be difficult to make out in this light. Those drums were put there because Yasser Arafat really feared that the Israelis would come in via helicopter, and kidnap him and expel him. These are drums filled with concrete, with metal posts sticking out of them to try to deter a helicopter landing. A lot of them are already being moved.

So, that gives you a bit of a rough idea of the compound itself. We're at the back end of it, but that's where most people come and go. There's also about 100 or so media gathered around that gate there. And I can tell you in the few days that we've been here, the media has been pouring in from around the world to mark this occasion.

But it's pretty much going to happen exactly there. The Muqata, which has become a symbol of Yasser Arafat in certainly his last three years, where he's been a virtual prisoner there. So he will be laid to rest there. And that's planned for Friday. But given that he is obviously still alive, all of these things could be postponed, move forward, 24-48 hours, whatever is required -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Michael Holmes from Ramallah, thanks so much on that.

KAGAN: We are at 11 minutes past the hour. Coming up, a story that might mean a little bit special to you, mama to be. Talking about a woman who gave birth to twins, she did this just 24 hours ago. But this new 56-year-old mother is ready to show them to the world. Still to come, we're going live to the hospital. You're going to see the mom, hear from her, and see the babies.

WHITFIELD: And the day before her 57-birthday.

KAGAN: Happy birthday.

WHITFIELD: What a great gift.

Plus, dramatic pictures, as a violent police chase unfolds.

And later, the man behind this terror tape, that one right there, is apparently unmasked. Hear what his father has to say about the accusation against his son.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: U.S. intelligence experts believe they've identified the masked man who issues new terror threats on videotape. They believe the man calling himself "Azzam the American" is Adam Gadahn, a young Californian already wanted in connection with al Qaeda threats.

CNN's Thelma Gutierrez introduces us to the man born Adam Perlman in 1978.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Down this dusty, dirt road in rural Riverside County, California, is the family goat ranch where Adam Yahia Gadahn grew up.

PHILIP GADAHN, FATHER OF ADAM GADAHN: I forgot the gate was open.

GUTIERREZ: Philip Gadahn said his son was a quiet kid who kept to himself. He was shocked to see his son's face on television, and surprised to find the FBI at his ranch.

GADAHN: I really couldn't imagine he would do anything that would get him in this position. But I'm not really sure he's done anything.

GUTIERREZ: The FBI believes Gadahn attended an al Qaeda training camp and may have served as an al Qaeda translator; allegations that have devastated his family.

NANCY PEARLMAN, AUNT OF ADAM GADAHN: I am concerned, of course, very concerned. I know of a nephew that was wonderful, young man, caring, loving.

GUTIERREZ: Philip Gadahn says he hasn't heard from his son in three years.

GADAHN: Even when he was keeping in touch with us, he'd only send us a card every six months when he was traveling around.

GUTIERREZ: Gadhan's family wonders how this quiet kid, who was home-schooled ended up at the center of an FBI terror investigation.

PEARLMAN: He never espoused any kind of belief in terrorism or support of terrorism. I mean I never heard that at all.

GUTIERREZ: In November of 1995, Gadahn embraced Islam. Two years after becoming a Muslim, he was arrested for physically attacking the president of the Islamic Society of Orange County.

HAITHAM BUNDAKJI, PRESIDENT, ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF ORANGE CO.: He came charging into my office that one day, screaming and yelling and angry, really angry. And he caught me off guard, and he slapped me right across the face.

(END VIDEOTAPE) GUTIERREZ: Now, the imam at the mosque saw the recently released terror tape in which a masked man, who was described as "Azzam the American" makes terror threats against the United States. The imam told CNN that he believed that that voice was the voice of his former pupil. Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thelma, thanks so much for that update.

KAGAN: Also on the terror front, a 19-year-old man is under arrest, accused of a plot to supply a Somalia terrorist group with night vision goggles and bulletproof vests. Border agents arrested Mark Walker, as he tried to cross into Texas from El Paso. He could face up to 15 years in prison. The FBI says the Rochester, New York man is not a major terrorist or threat to the U.S.

WHITFIELD: Well, she defied the odds and said she doesn't have any regrets whatsoever.

KAGAN: In just one day. All right. Still to come, the 56-year- old woman who just gave birth to twins, ready to talk to the news media and introduce us to her new babies.

Plus, Gerri Willis is making a list and checking it twice.

Hey, Ger.

GERRI WILLIS, CNNFN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey guys, good to see you. We've got the anti-shopping list for the day after Thanksgiving when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, just six weeks from Christmas, can you believe it? If you can't figure out which gifts are naughty or nice, we have got some help for you. Here with tips on the coming holiday season is Gerri Willis.

And I cannot believe we already have to start thinking about the holiday season. Wow!

Willis: Oh, I know. I know. And so many people will be shopping the day after Thanksgiving.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

WILLIS: But I've got a message for them. No. 1, ditch the pocket bike. This is really popular with kids. These tiny, little motorcycles, they're really undersized and they are really dangerous. They are not street-legal. They have really long stopping distances, 20 feet to 30 feet, not a lot of safety features. You want to be careful here, don't buy one of these things, even though the tykes really want one.

WHITFIELD: And something that may be dangerous in the form of costing you a lot of money, online games? WILLIS: Yes, you bet. The big thing now, you don't want just software that you can put on your PC and then play the game yourself. You want to play interactively with people over the Internet, right? Well, sounds like a good idea, but you could be adding on costs that you're not expecting.

Consider this, you may have to pay for monthly fees. Network adapters and ethernet cables could add a ton of money onto what is already expensive software. You might pay 100 bucks for the software and another 200 over the course of the year for all of the bells and whistles.

WHITFIELD: And I think most people would think that cashmere is something very luxurious. It would be appreciated if received, but you're saying just because it says cashmere it may not be cashmere?

WILLIS: Right. Exactly. You got to be careful here. Avoid the classless cashmere. The folks at "Consumer Reports" tell us that there are a lot of sweaters out there being sold as 100 percent cashmere that aren't.

Guess what? They're mixed up with wool. The cashmere is a low grade. It pulls very easily. And they say if you're paying less than $100 for your cashmere sweater, you're paying too little. You could be getting something that you don't want.

WHITFIELD: Ooh, so that's the rule. All right, laptops, everybody loves to get something like that as a gift. And apparently, there's a low end one available at Wal-Mart that really is something that everyone can afford. But you say not so fast?

WILLIS: Not so fast. Five hundred and eighty-five dollars for a laptop sounds great, right? You're used to paying twice as much, maybe more for a quality laptop. The problem is the Wal-Mart laptop according to "Consumer Reports" again, doesn't have a lot of the bells and whistles.

You won't be able to do the kinds of things you might want to do with a laptop. Just basic e-mail, nothing too exciting; for an extra $300 more, you can upgrade to a laptop that would really get you the work done that you need to get done. So, rethink the Wal-Mart laptop.

WHITFIELD: All right. And we know around the holiday season, you're going to get a lot of folks will be calling you, solicitors giving you advice on how best to spend your money. And you say be very careful what kind of information you divulge.

WILLIS: Oh. Be careful about the information you divulge and be careful about who you give money to. I think it's a far better idea to pick up a charity you want to give to first, and not just respond to people calling you on the telephone. One great place to go to figure out who's naughty, who's nice, who are good charities, charitynavigator.org -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Ooh, good advice. Gerri Willis, thanks so much.

WILLIS: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: I guess I better start getting my list together. This is now motivating me that I've got to start thinking of others for the holiday season.

KAGAN: Always a surprised to me when Christmas shows up on December 25.

WHITFIELD: I know.

KAGAN: Like, who knew?

WHITFIELD: I saw the Christmas trees going up in some of the stores after Halloween.

KAGAN: Fourth of July.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

KAGAN: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.

KAGAN: Well, someone who is going to have to shop for a couple more Christmas presents, a motivational speaker who has no problem following a family tradition.

WHITFIELD: And she's excited about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My grandmother had my mother at 53. So I didn't have an idea that that was a problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: All right. Still to come, just one day after the 56- year-old woman gives birth to twins, she is ready to talk. Up next, we go live to the hospital.

Plus...

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rusty Dornin in Redwood City, California. Did the dismissed juror in the Scott Peterson case have anything to do with their near impasse? Find out coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired November 10, 2004 - 10:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: It's great to have you here with us.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, good to be here; a little girl power hour.

KAGAN: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Or two.

KAGAN: Stick around.

WHITFIELD: We'll do two hours.

KAGAN: First, let's start with some headlines.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Well, now in the news -- Yasser Arafat remains gravely ill and Palestinian officials tells CNN they're planning for a funeral that could come as early as this week. Earlier today, a top Palestinian Islamic cleric arrived at the Paris hospital to be at Arafat's side, should he die. We'll have the latest in a live report straight ahead.

In Iraq, terrorists have kidnapped at least two members of Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's family. Now a search is under way. Allawi's relatives were taken from their Baghdad homes on Tuesday. A group claiming responsibility threatens to behead the hostages, unless Iraqi prisoners are released and the coalition-led siege on Falluja is stopped within 48 hours. We'll have much more on that in minutes.

All eyes are on Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve today. This afternoon, the Central Bank will meet to discuss interest rates. And many analysts expect a quarter point increase. Experts cite an expanding economy, job growth and consumer spending as factors to consider.

And two men out of the Bush cabinet; Attorney General Ashcroft has resigned and sources say his replacement could be named later on today. Commerce Secretary Don Evans also resigned. In a letter to the president Evans praised the department's accomplishments, but said it was time for him to return home to Texas.

Good morning again. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in today for Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: And good to have you along. Good morning, everyone. I'm Daryn Kagan.

Want to get right now to a developing story out of Iraq in Falluja, possible a word on a number of insurgents surrendering to the military.

Let's go ahead and bring in our Karl Penhaul who is at Camp Falluja right now -- Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Daryn. We have in the course of the afternoon been getting briefings from military sources, military commanders here on the ground. They did tell us earlier that there are preliminary reports of a group of insurgents in one part of Falluja surrendering to multinational forces.

They haven't at this stage gone into any details, and certainly not given us any numbers at this stage. Moreover, in the course of the fighting over the last day and a half or so, they haven't given us any more updates on the numbers of insurgents captured. Although we do understand there are some insurgents captured.

Also, in a press conference this afternoon, General Jassen, he's the main of the Iraqi commander of the Iraqi forces on the ground here. He was briefing the press, and just confirming reports by the other multinational force sources, that the coalition forces are now in control of approximately 70 percent of Falluja. That would put them a little ahead of the best-case scenario schedule.

And Iraq's general also characterized the level of insurgent resistance as not what he had expected, an indication that the insurgent resistance had been a little lighter than had first been expected -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Karl, I know you're in Falluja. But do you have any more information on these reports that two members of Ayad Allawi's family have been kidnapped?

PENHAUL: Yes, we do have confirmation of that. One is a cousin of Prime Minister Allawi; he's a 75-year-old man. We also understand that Prime Minister Allawi's cousin's daughter-in-law has been kidnapped alongside him. I understand that that is the relationship there.

The prime minister's spokesman, Thair al Nakib, spoke to that and said Prime Minister Allawi considered this kidnapping a terrorist act. And he said that Prime Minister Allawi's resolve to finish business in Falluja and crush the resistance there would not be shaken by this kidnapping, even though the kidnapers, we understand, are threatening to kill those two hostages within the next 48 hours, if the advance on Falluja is not halted -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Karl Penhaul with the latest from Falluja and also from around Iraq, thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, more now from Falluja on this Day 3 of battle. This is the view from behind enemy lines, as insurgents battle the U.S. and coalition forces. So far, that insurgent resistance has been much less fierce than expected. But a top U.S. commander warns the fighting is far from over, and not without U.S. casualties.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is at her post and joins with us the latest from the Pentagon -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Fredricka. Well indeed, officials here are looking at all of this and coming to the conclusion so far, this is not the mother of all battles that they had expected in Falluja. But nonetheless, they believe there is plenty of tough fighting ahead.

Now, looking ahead just a bit, they are ready to move in with reconstruction assistance, compensation for damage done, trying get the city back on its feet. But at this point, U.S. and coalition troops are in the center of Falluja, controlling the majority of the city. They have retaken key civic areas, including the mayor's office.

They have gone through an industrial area where they believe most of the fighters were dug in. The fighting has been characterized only as sporadic. Still plenty of sniper fire, plenty of action but not a major organized resistance so far.

Nonetheless, analysts are warning that, when you look at the long-term picture in Falluja, there is still plenty of hard work ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. THOMAS HAMMES, U.S. MARINE CORPS.: I think so far it's going well. But that's not the real question. Everyone knew we could move through the cities. We did it back in March of '03, we can move through any time we choose. The real question is can we then govern? Can the Iraqi government come behind us and make it a safe place to live? And therefore, gain the loyalty of the people living there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Right now, nonetheless, U.S. and coalition troops still dealing with booby traps, improvised explosive devices. And they have, indeed, even found tunnels; underground tunnels connecting positions they believe were being used by the insurgents -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Barbara Starr from the Pentagon, thanks so much.

Well, stay with us for military briefing on the Battle of the Falluja that's scheduled for the top of the hour. And CNN will have live coverage of that.

KAGAN: And now to the latest on Yasser Arafat. A spokeswoman for the Palestinian leader says that he is now in what they are calling the final phase of his life. An Islamic cleric has rushed to Arafat's bedside to attend what could be his final moments.

CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney is outside the Paris hospital where his death appears eminent -- Fionnuala. FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, that Palestinian envoy, Daryn, is Leila Shahid. And the last time we heard publicly from her outside the hospital was more than a week ago. And she came out earlier today speaking to reporters saying that Arafat was still struggling for his life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEILA SHAHID, PALESTINIAN REPRESENTATIVE: President Arafat is still in the same situation, in deep coma in a very critical state, with the best doctors possible, in this Percy Hospital that has been now for 12 days trying their best to save him. I can't tell you more than that.

I can only tell you that it is critical. But that he is still alive and fighting as much as he can. And his heart is still beating and beating well, because he's struggling. But whether he can make it is very difficult to say at this moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SWEENEY: Well also, Daryn, you heard mentioned there the arrival of a senior cleric from the West Bank and Gaza. Taissir al Tamimi here earlier in the day at Yasser Arafat's bedside. He is here to make sure that Islamic traditions are maintained. And he also spoke to reporters, saying that there was absolutely no question that Yasser Arafat's life support would be switched off. It was against Islamic law, that it was -- as long as there was any life inside of Yasser Arafat's body, then it was God's will that he live. He's expected back at the hospital later again today --Daryn.

KAGAN: Fionnuala Sweeney with the latest from Paris, thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, the Palestinian people and those who worked with Arafat are now looking beyond his death, to his funeral and the future of the PLO.

CNN's Michael Holmes is outside the headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where I understand, Michael, already preparations are under way to prepare a burial site?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, indeed. That's right, Fredricka. The latest we're hearing from Cairo is that Yasser Arafat, if he does die, will lie in state there for a few hours. And then he'll be brought here to the Palestinian Authority headquarters, the Muqata, as it's known.

Now, it's getting a little dark here. But I'm going to try to give you a sense of the Palestinian Authority head quarters. And I'll get Scott (INAUDIBLE), our cameraman, to move around and show you. We keep talking about this place but we hardly ever give you a look at it.

The preparations that were going on earlier right there were, there were trucks and bulldozers coming in to clear up really what was three years of detritus, of fighting with the Israeli incursions and Palestinians fighting back. This area was full of cars and rubble.

Now we move to the right there. And we can just make out to the right of that tree, there's a pile of rubble there. That is going to be the burial site of Yasser Arafat. It is where his own mosque used to be. It was destroyed during the incursions by Israeli forces. They're clearing away that rubble. That's where we're told a monument to him will be put and he will be laid to rest.

Now, to give you another idea; this is a large car park area. The helicopter will land here. The building you see lit up there is Yasser Arafat's own offices, his bedroom on the second floor, his office just nearby.

Down below that, do you see those drums there? Might be difficult to make out in this light. Those drums were put there because Yasser Arafat really feared that the Israelis would come in via helicopter, and kidnap him and expel him. These are drums filled with concrete, with metal posts sticking out of them to try to deter a helicopter landing. A lot of them are already being moved.

So, that gives you a bit of a rough idea of the compound itself. We're at the back end of it, but that's where most people come and go. There's also about 100 or so media gathered around that gate there. And I can tell you in the few days that we've been here, the media has been pouring in from around the world to mark this occasion.

But it's pretty much going to happen exactly there. The Muqata, which has become a symbol of Yasser Arafat in certainly his last three years, where he's been a virtual prisoner there. So he will be laid to rest there. And that's planned for Friday. But given that he is obviously still alive, all of these things could be postponed, move forward, 24-48 hours, whatever is required -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Michael Holmes from Ramallah, thanks so much on that.

KAGAN: We are at 11 minutes past the hour. Coming up, a story that might mean a little bit special to you, mama to be. Talking about a woman who gave birth to twins, she did this just 24 hours ago. But this new 56-year-old mother is ready to show them to the world. Still to come, we're going live to the hospital. You're going to see the mom, hear from her, and see the babies.

WHITFIELD: And the day before her 57-birthday.

KAGAN: Happy birthday.

WHITFIELD: What a great gift.

Plus, dramatic pictures, as a violent police chase unfolds.

And later, the man behind this terror tape, that one right there, is apparently unmasked. Hear what his father has to say about the accusation against his son.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: U.S. intelligence experts believe they've identified the masked man who issues new terror threats on videotape. They believe the man calling himself "Azzam the American" is Adam Gadahn, a young Californian already wanted in connection with al Qaeda threats.

CNN's Thelma Gutierrez introduces us to the man born Adam Perlman in 1978.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Down this dusty, dirt road in rural Riverside County, California, is the family goat ranch where Adam Yahia Gadahn grew up.

PHILIP GADAHN, FATHER OF ADAM GADAHN: I forgot the gate was open.

GUTIERREZ: Philip Gadahn said his son was a quiet kid who kept to himself. He was shocked to see his son's face on television, and surprised to find the FBI at his ranch.

GADAHN: I really couldn't imagine he would do anything that would get him in this position. But I'm not really sure he's done anything.

GUTIERREZ: The FBI believes Gadahn attended an al Qaeda training camp and may have served as an al Qaeda translator; allegations that have devastated his family.

NANCY PEARLMAN, AUNT OF ADAM GADAHN: I am concerned, of course, very concerned. I know of a nephew that was wonderful, young man, caring, loving.

GUTIERREZ: Philip Gadahn says he hasn't heard from his son in three years.

GADAHN: Even when he was keeping in touch with us, he'd only send us a card every six months when he was traveling around.

GUTIERREZ: Gadhan's family wonders how this quiet kid, who was home-schooled ended up at the center of an FBI terror investigation.

PEARLMAN: He never espoused any kind of belief in terrorism or support of terrorism. I mean I never heard that at all.

GUTIERREZ: In November of 1995, Gadahn embraced Islam. Two years after becoming a Muslim, he was arrested for physically attacking the president of the Islamic Society of Orange County.

HAITHAM BUNDAKJI, PRESIDENT, ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF ORANGE CO.: He came charging into my office that one day, screaming and yelling and angry, really angry. And he caught me off guard, and he slapped me right across the face.

(END VIDEOTAPE) GUTIERREZ: Now, the imam at the mosque saw the recently released terror tape in which a masked man, who was described as "Azzam the American" makes terror threats against the United States. The imam told CNN that he believed that that voice was the voice of his former pupil. Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thelma, thanks so much for that update.

KAGAN: Also on the terror front, a 19-year-old man is under arrest, accused of a plot to supply a Somalia terrorist group with night vision goggles and bulletproof vests. Border agents arrested Mark Walker, as he tried to cross into Texas from El Paso. He could face up to 15 years in prison. The FBI says the Rochester, New York man is not a major terrorist or threat to the U.S.

WHITFIELD: Well, she defied the odds and said she doesn't have any regrets whatsoever.

KAGAN: In just one day. All right. Still to come, the 56-year- old woman who just gave birth to twins, ready to talk to the news media and introduce us to her new babies.

Plus, Gerri Willis is making a list and checking it twice.

Hey, Ger.

GERRI WILLIS, CNNFN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey guys, good to see you. We've got the anti-shopping list for the day after Thanksgiving when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, just six weeks from Christmas, can you believe it? If you can't figure out which gifts are naughty or nice, we have got some help for you. Here with tips on the coming holiday season is Gerri Willis.

And I cannot believe we already have to start thinking about the holiday season. Wow!

Willis: Oh, I know. I know. And so many people will be shopping the day after Thanksgiving.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

WILLIS: But I've got a message for them. No. 1, ditch the pocket bike. This is really popular with kids. These tiny, little motorcycles, they're really undersized and they are really dangerous. They are not street-legal. They have really long stopping distances, 20 feet to 30 feet, not a lot of safety features. You want to be careful here, don't buy one of these things, even though the tykes really want one.

WHITFIELD: And something that may be dangerous in the form of costing you a lot of money, online games? WILLIS: Yes, you bet. The big thing now, you don't want just software that you can put on your PC and then play the game yourself. You want to play interactively with people over the Internet, right? Well, sounds like a good idea, but you could be adding on costs that you're not expecting.

Consider this, you may have to pay for monthly fees. Network adapters and ethernet cables could add a ton of money onto what is already expensive software. You might pay 100 bucks for the software and another 200 over the course of the year for all of the bells and whistles.

WHITFIELD: And I think most people would think that cashmere is something very luxurious. It would be appreciated if received, but you're saying just because it says cashmere it may not be cashmere?

WILLIS: Right. Exactly. You got to be careful here. Avoid the classless cashmere. The folks at "Consumer Reports" tell us that there are a lot of sweaters out there being sold as 100 percent cashmere that aren't.

Guess what? They're mixed up with wool. The cashmere is a low grade. It pulls very easily. And they say if you're paying less than $100 for your cashmere sweater, you're paying too little. You could be getting something that you don't want.

WHITFIELD: Ooh, so that's the rule. All right, laptops, everybody loves to get something like that as a gift. And apparently, there's a low end one available at Wal-Mart that really is something that everyone can afford. But you say not so fast?

WILLIS: Not so fast. Five hundred and eighty-five dollars for a laptop sounds great, right? You're used to paying twice as much, maybe more for a quality laptop. The problem is the Wal-Mart laptop according to "Consumer Reports" again, doesn't have a lot of the bells and whistles.

You won't be able to do the kinds of things you might want to do with a laptop. Just basic e-mail, nothing too exciting; for an extra $300 more, you can upgrade to a laptop that would really get you the work done that you need to get done. So, rethink the Wal-Mart laptop.

WHITFIELD: All right. And we know around the holiday season, you're going to get a lot of folks will be calling you, solicitors giving you advice on how best to spend your money. And you say be very careful what kind of information you divulge.

WILLIS: Oh. Be careful about the information you divulge and be careful about who you give money to. I think it's a far better idea to pick up a charity you want to give to first, and not just respond to people calling you on the telephone. One great place to go to figure out who's naughty, who's nice, who are good charities, charitynavigator.org -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Ooh, good advice. Gerri Willis, thanks so much.

WILLIS: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: I guess I better start getting my list together. This is now motivating me that I've got to start thinking of others for the holiday season.

KAGAN: Always a surprised to me when Christmas shows up on December 25.

WHITFIELD: I know.

KAGAN: Like, who knew?

WHITFIELD: I saw the Christmas trees going up in some of the stores after Halloween.

KAGAN: Fourth of July.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

KAGAN: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.

KAGAN: Well, someone who is going to have to shop for a couple more Christmas presents, a motivational speaker who has no problem following a family tradition.

WHITFIELD: And she's excited about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My grandmother had my mother at 53. So I didn't have an idea that that was a problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: All right. Still to come, just one day after the 56- year-old woman gives birth to twins, she is ready to talk. Up next, we go live to the hospital.

Plus...

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rusty Dornin in Redwood City, California. Did the dismissed juror in the Scott Peterson case have anything to do with their near impasse? Find out coming up.

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