Today on CNN Newsroom
Fallen Heroes
We'd planned to tell you about these troops in our second hour Friday; unfortunately, the rundown kept changing, and we weren't able to air the Fallen Heroes segment.
Here's the original write-up:
These four soldiers from the Fourth Engineer Battalion trained together... deployed together... and died together.
On October 15, an IED blew up their vehicle in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
Spc. Jesús Flores Jr. joined the Army in December 2003. His family had moved to the U.S. from the Philippines when he was young. Friends there - and here - knew him as "Jun Jun" and "Lil' Flo".
Spc. Daniel Lawson joined the army in 2008, and shipped out about a year later. He had a degree in computer programming, but wanted to provide more for his family: wife Latoria, and their three kids - ages 10, eight, and five.
Pfc. Brandon Styer was just 19. He'd joined up his senior year of high school, where he was a student-athlete - and a big-time Phillies and Redskins fan. Private Styer's other passion: customizing his prized Mazda MX8.
At 34, Staff Sgt. Glen Stivison Jr. was a paternal figure to a lot of his troops, who called him "Stivey" or "Papa Sti". He loved pranks, karaoke, and fishing. But most of all, he loved his wife Eryn, and their boys - ages six and eight.
We honor the sacrifices of these troops - and the nearly 5,300 other Americans lost in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/30/lawson.daniel.jpg caption="Spc. Daniel Lawson"]
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/30/flores.jesus.jpg caption="Spc. Jesús Flores Jr."]
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/30/stivison.glen.jpg caption="Staff Sgt. Glen Stivison Jr."]
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/30/styer.brandon.jpg caption="Pfc. Brandon Styer"]
Are you shopping on Cyber Monday?
About 195 million people shopped in stores and online during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, according to the National Retail Federation. The numbers are up from the same 4-day period in 2008. While the number of shoppers went up, the amount of money they spent went down.
Online shopping over the so-called Black Friday weekend was up 11% from last year. What does that mean for Cyber Monday? That's today – and the NRF estimates 96.5 million of us will shop online today.
How are you doing your holiday shopping? Do you plan to shop online this Cyber Monday? What is the best deal you have found? We want to hear about your holiday shopping!
Post your comments here, and Heidi will read some of them in the Newsroom, from 9-11am ET.
U.S. Redefines Afghan War
Join TJ Holmes and Betty Nguyen weekend mornings in the CNN Newsroom, beginning 6am ET/ 3am PT.
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Your Holiday Travel Guide
As millions of Americans take to the skies, we're providing you resources to help plan out your trip - and prepare for dreaded flight delays. Here are a few Web sites to check for information on conditions at airports all over the country:
The FAA
Flightstats.com
AccuWeather.com
Orbitz Travler Update
At CNN.com's Travel section, check out Road Warriors. It's packed with advice to help you speed up your trip, and make the most of your time no matter where you get stuck.
Know any other great sites? Post and share below.
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Post by: Filed under: Josh Levs |
Coming Up on CNN Sunday Morning...
Voters in Honduras go to the polls to choose a new President today. But many in Honduras and the international community don't see the elections being held under a de facto government as legitimate.
The President will make his Afghanistan strategy speech Tuesday night. CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen joins us this morning to talk about Afghanistan. What is the U.S. trying to accomplish?
Florida state troopers will try again today to talk to Tiger Woods about an early Friday morning car accident near his home. Woods' agent postponed yesterday's scheduled meeting.
We'll check the retail tally from Black Friday. Were the crowds as rowdy as they were last year?
Thanksgiving Travel: And Reynolds Wolf will tell you how the weather is in your neck of the woods if you're making your way home from Grandma's house.
Join TJ Holmes with Brianna Keilar in for Betty Nguyen this CNN Sunday morning beginning 6am ET/ 3am PT.
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Afghanistan Roundtable
President Obama is set to unveil the new strategy for Afghanistan, including an expected troop increase. The announcement comes Tuesday night at West Point. CNN's special coverage with the best polital team on television begins 7pm ET.
Join TJ Holmes and Betty Nguyen weekend mornings in the CNN Newsroom, 6am ET/ 3am PT.
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Post by: Filed under: Clips from CNN Newsroom |
Strategizing Cyber Monday
Hoping to take advantage of some of the holiday shopping discounts this Monday - or, as the retail world calls it, Cyber Monday? We have some key Web sites to help you out.
Digitaltrends.com talks you through how to prepare for all those deals.
Forbes.com guides you to coupon sites and more.
And walletpop.com can help you avoid some of the scams out there.
Within each of these links, you'll find a lot more to help you map out your strategy.
Know other great sites to use? Post and share here.
And for more Cyber Monday advice, check out this video from our blog.
Click, Shop & Save
Who needs to brave the crowds and longs lines at the mall when you can get great holiday deals from the comfort of your own home or office. Our tech expert Mario Armstrong shows you where you can find of all sorts of deals and bargains online this Cyber Monday.
Watch T.J. Holmes, Betty Nguyen and Reynolds Wolf every Saturday and Sunday morning on CNN starting at 6am ET/3am PT
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Coming up on CNN Saturday Morning...
Most of us have recovered from our turkey comas. Some of us even braved the Black Friday crowds! Now we're pounding back the coffee and working on a great show for you on this CNN Saturday Morning.
President Obama is set to unveil the new strategy for Afghanistan Tuesday night, including an expected troop increase. We'll hear from CNN's Frederik Pleitgen, embedded with U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Florida state troopers plan to talk to pro golfer Tiger Woods today to get more information on his car crash near his home.
It turns out the Virginia couple accused of crashing a state dinner at the White House this week did meet the President. We're following the twists and turns of this story.
How's your bank working for you? We'll give you five reasons why it may be time to find a new one.
We'll take a look at foods that may help you avoid coming down with the flu.
CNN Heroes: Josh Levs shows you how you can get involved in their organizations.
Join TJ Holmes with Brianna Keilar in for Betty Nguyen this CNN Saturday Morning, beginning 6am ET/ 3am PT.
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