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New Day

British Diplomat Killed in Afghanistan Attack; Night of Calm in Ferguson; Thousands Stranded in Pre-Thanksgiving Storm; Video Shows Police Officer Shooting 12-Year-Old Boy

Aired November 27, 2014 - 07:00   ET

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

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: We'll following a lot of news for you this morning. It is Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to you. Let's get to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cars filled with explosives attacked a convoy of foreign embassy vehicles in Kabul.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Taliban certainly can do these kinds of attacks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're going to keep this up and we can't defeat them.

MICHAEL BROWN, SR., MICHAEL BROWN'S FATHER: I'm not angry at them but they're not showing any respect to my son.

LESLEY MCSPADDEN, MICHAEL BROWN'S MOTHER: They didn't do it in my son's name.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Protests around the country continue.

PROTESTORS: United we stand, divided we fall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got to stick together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Massive winter storms top busiest travel day of the year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am a man without a flight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's tough to sit and wait.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be patient.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nothing's going to stop me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to our very special Thanksgiving edition of NEW DAY. The turkey is right here.

It is Thursday, November 27th. It's 7:00 in the morning. I'm Michaela Pereira, alongside my darling, Chris Cuomo.

Deb Feyerick is here with us.

Good morning to you.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: So good to be here.

PEREIRA: So glad we could all spend Thanksgiving to all our crew and producers that are here with us today, away from their families, but they'll get home soon.

We start with breaking news overnight.

The Taliban claiming responsibility for an attack in Afghanistan that left five people dead including a British diplomat.

CUOMO: More than 30 others wounded, including some children. This happened when a convoy of cars was hit.

Let's get you right to our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. She has the latest. Barbara, what do we know?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Sadly, perhaps not a surprise. Another attack in Kabul. The Taliban claiming responsibility. A lot of concern that, as the U.S. and coalition presence winds down in Afghanistan, the Taliban moving back into Kabul, moving back into key areas across Afghanistan.

This latest attack against an embassy convoy, one British diplomat now reported to be amongst the five killed, 33 wounded including a number of children. The pictures are brutal to look at.

U.S. troops also, of course, still at risk earlier this week. In the last several days, two U.S. troops killed in another IED attack in eastern Afghanistan, and six U.S. troops wounded in that same attack. A total of eight there casualties, one of the biggest attacks U.S. troops have faced in some time. It goes to the very key point here, even as the presence of U.S. troops winds down, it will be just about 10,000 next year, the Taliban still very capable of launching and carrying out these deadly attacks -- Chris.

CUOMO: Barbara, the harrowing question that hangs over the U.S. is how do they best help keep stability in that country with all the pressure from home to pull out. Thank you for the reporting this morning.

Let's bring in Tom Fuentes. He's a CNN law enforcement analyst and a former FBI assistant director, and we also have CNN international correspondent Anna Coren. There are few people who have covered the Taliban more extensively than she has. Thank you to both of you.

Tom, let's deal with just what this means. We know they can do this. This was not that hard to pull off. Kabul, as we all know, is very tight, and you know, it was a big convoy of cars. But what does this mean, in your opinion, Tom, to the stability of that situation? TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: I think, Chris, that it

just shows that we just can't completely control or pacify the entire country. And you know, at one point years ago, in the many -- the visits that I had to Kabul, you know, at that time they used to say, well, the city of Kabul, at least, is stable. It's the outer provinces, the other areas that the Taliban is able to wage attacks in.

And now I think the message is that they can do it anywhere in the city. And it's really hard because when you have a diplomatic convoy, whether it's the U.S. or NATO or the British, you know, they can see it going down the street. The more vehicles you put in the convoy for security, the more obvious it is that it's an important convoy. And worthy of being attacked, in their minds.

So I think that's the problem here, is that they're sending us a message they can do it when they want, where they want and there's not a lot we can do to completely stop it.

CUOMO: And Anna, when we look at Afghanistan, people will say there has been progress. It's more stable than it's been in a very long time. So maybe the U.S. can pull out. But maybe we're undermining the exact reason it is more stable. What's your take?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, at the end of the day, Chris, the Taliban is on the doorstep of the capitol. There is no denying that. We've seen a wave of suicide attacks in the last several weeks, not just in the capital but also around the country over the weekend. That volleyball match that was targeted in eastern Afghanistan, dozens were killed.

Now, it's up to the local security, 350,000 Afghan police and army, to now control the country, to fight off the Taliban with the help of those U.S. troops and those NATO troops. And as Barbara alluded to, there will be about 10,000 U.S. troops that will stay on there next year through till 2016.

You know, when I was there earlier this year for the Afghan elections, speaking to the Americans on the ground. At the time, you know, American's stance was that we will have an enduring presence; we have to have an enduring presence. Otherwise, we risk Afghanistan becoming a safe haven for terrorists once again.

Obama back in May decided that no, at the end of his presidency all U.S. troops will be pulled out. I think with what is taking place with this new government now in Afghanistan, America needs to relook at its policy. Because really, they need the U.S. presence there to help, not just train and advise but to held in those combat missions to fight the Taliban, to fight al Qaeda.

CUOMO: And unlike, Tom, what we got involved with, the U.S. got involved with in Iraq, where they wanted the Americans out, the Afghans actually want them to stay there. And the question is, if you leave anyway, are you basically setting yourself up for another situation like we have in Iraq right now? How real is that threat, Tom? FUENTES: I don't think it's as real as in Iraq. And I think that the

Taliban, unlike ISIS, doesn't have large military vehicles. And they don't have as much popular support as ISIS does in northwest Iraq, because it's in a Sunni area. And they've been oppressed under the Maliki regime. And they're waiting to see what happens under a new regime that's Shia-led and Iran-influenced in their country.

So I think it's a different situation that way from a military standpoint. But an insurgency, you know, this is what's plagued every occupying western power in history in Afghanistan, that, yes, you can dominate. Yes, you can control it, and you can hold them at bay to a certain extent and it's the Taliban now. And it's been other insurgencies for 2,000 years...

CUOMO: The graveyard of empires. That's what they call it.

Anna, let me end with this with you. If the U.S. does pull out, if the coalition forces aren't there as they are presently, how long do you think it might take before there is a dramatic change in stability?

COREN: Look, I mean, the Taliban is already controlling large swaths of Afghanistan. There is no denying -- denying that. Parts of southern Afghanistan are now tightly controlled by the Taliban. Afghan troops just will not go into these areas.

And while the Taliban may not be like ISIS, they can, you know, hit communities with devastating blows. You know, these suicide bombings, they just disrupt a community. And when they don't feel like they're getting the support from the government or the troops, the local troops, the Afghan troops, that is when they have no choice but to side with the Taliban, because that is where their security lies. So it's a precarious situation for the country. I think the difference now is that Afghanistan has a new president, President Ashraf Ghani, who has signed the bilateral agreement with the Americans. You know, they are playing ball with the U.S., with NATO troops, and they do want them to stay.

CUOMO: It's a tough combination when your oppressor becomes your best option as a protector. Anna Coren, thank you very much.

Tom Fuentes, as always, appreciate your perspective.

FUENTES: Thank you, Chris.

PEREIRA: Turning now to Ferguson, Chris. Police, the National Guard and freezing cold temperatures all combining to keep the peace overnight in Ferguson, Missouri, the scene of so much unrest since the grand jury cleared officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown.

The sense of calm, however, did not stretch everywhere. More than 160 people were arrested in demonstrations in California.

I want to turn to our Stephanie Elam, who's live once again in Ferguson to give us a sense of the mood in that torn-apart community. Obviously, it's very early there. This is the Thanksgiving day holiday this weekend. I'm just curious about your sense is of things there today and into the weekend.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Michaela, there's some hearty folks here. There are three people who just went running past me, getting their morning exercise, I guess, making room for that Thanksgiving dinner. But that's what the people here of Ferguson are focused on moving forward: on cleaning up and figuring out how to move forward with all that has happened here.

At the same time, though, although it was a much calmer night, those protests continued here and around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM (voice-over): A beefed-up National Guard presence in Ferguson keeping the peace and protecting property. A small group of demonstrators braving the snow and freezing conditions to continue the protest. Ferguson mayor James Knowles expressing frustration that the guard wasn't deployed sooner.

JAMES KNOWLES, MAYOR, FERGUSON, MISSOURI: At that point, you're beyond antagonizing. The -- you know, the destruction is already under way. There's no reason not to deploy them. I have no idea why they weren't deployed. That's frustrating.

ELAM: Missouri's governor admitting the state must do better after more than tripling the National Guard forces Tuesday. After two days of arson, looting and vandalism, this burned-out stretch of West Florissant Avenue now considered a crime scene.

Ferguson police investigating a fire that destroyed the church where Michael Brown's father worships and trying to track down who stole an AR-15 rifle from a police car that was torched on Monday night.

The town's business owners and residents now clearing debris, boarding up windows and attempting to rebuild their community.

Meanwhile, protests around the country continue, with hundreds of people once again pouring into the streets. In nearby St. Louis, police arrested three protesters following a demonstration outside city hall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people united will never be divided.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people united will never be divided.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people united will never be divided.

ELAM: Protesters marched into the building after holding a mock trial of Officer Darren Wilson on the steps of the city's courthouse.

In southern California, demonstrators blocked the 101 Freeway, sparking confrontation with drivers and police.

Farther north, the Los Angeles police arrested 130 protesters while trying to corral demonstrators.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No justice, no peace!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No justice, no peace!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No justice, no peace!

ELAM: Outrage over the grand jury's decision reaching as far as London, where roughly 5,000 protesters marched outside the U.S. embassy in solidarity with the Ferguson community Wednesday night.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM: And when you think about 5,000 protesters in London, Chris, that's more numbers than we've seen out here on the streets of Ferguson. So it just shows you how much of a lightning rod this one issue really is, not here just in the United States but for other people, as well.

CUOMO: Point taken. I mean, part of it's scale, right? Ferguson is like 21,000 people, and these other metropolises much more. But to go across the pond to the U.K. means something. Big cities, it means something. This is an issue that resonates in a lot of ways and in part because of the very solid reporting you've done, Stephanie. Thanks for doing for us, especially on this day.

So are you home yet? Are you watching me in an airport right now? If you are, I'm sorry. And I hope you get where you want to be, especially on Thanksgiving.

So many are still trying to make it. They're stranded after this nor'easter that grounded more than 700 flights; delayed 4,000 more. And people who decided to hit the road, they didn't do that much better.

We have Rosa Flores, live out in the elements for us. Let's begin with meteorologist Jennifer Gray. She's tracking the storms for us. Let's understand that science, and then we'll go to the practice of it.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. This was a fast moving system. That was the good news. The bad news is it caught people off-guard, and they were stuck in airports all day yesterday and even into the night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRAY (voice-over): Massive winter storms, from coastal rain to inland snow, battering much of the East Coast and parts of the Midwest on the busiest travel day of the year.

ERIC SAIL (PH), COLORADO RESIDENT: I am a man without a flight.

GRAY: Frustrated travelers feeling the ripple effect of storm systems from Montana to Maine.

SAIL (PH): I got on the road, coming from Vail, and snow storm and multiple accidents all over the place.

GRAY: Nearly 5,000 flights delayed up to six hours on Wednesday, and over 700 cancellations at some of the nation's busiest airports.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were notified that the flight was canceled. So we're sitting here in the airport, waiting for the next flight out.

GRAY: Many airlines are waiving rebooking fees for travelers. But stranded passengers finding it hard to rebook on a day when most flights are already full.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's tough to sit and wait and not know what's going to happen. But we're hopeful.

GRAY: For some of the roughly 41 million people expected to drive during this holiday, it's even worse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Visibility is getting really bad.

GRAY: In the northeast, a wintry mix slowing travel from D.C. to New York, while further inland, heavier snow causing multiple tie-ups and accidents.

ROSE SPIELMAN, NEW YORK STRANDED TRAVELER: This day of all days, it's pretty frustrating. But I have a reunion of, like, 30 family members I'm trying to get to tomorrow in Pennsylvania, so nothing's going to stop me.

GRAY: A train ride was the solution home for many Americans at New York's Penn Station, but they, too, faced delays.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be patient. And see if you can make it.

GRAY: This photo shows the scores of people braving the crowd to be with loved ones this Thanksgiving.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRAY: Just awful. Now, New England was hit especially hard by the pre-holiday blast of snow. At one point the storm knocked out power to 300,000 customers. Rosa Flores is live in Charlton, Massachusetts for us.

Good morning to you, Rosa.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

You know, some people still waking up in the dark and in the cold. Hear this: about 25,000 people still without power here in Massachusetts. Most of them are to the west of us in western Massachusetts, because that's the area that saw the most snow, about ten inches.

Take a look around me. Here where we are, it's more like four inches. So not so bad. Tightly packed. Let's take a look at the roadways quickly. These are the westbound

lanes of I-90, all these folks headed towards New York. Smooth sailing this morning. That was not the case yesterday. State police reporting more than 100 spinouts and dozens of accidents.

So Jennifer, if you take a look at the roadways right now, if you are the ultimate procrastinator, and you are wait until this morning to go see your family, luck is in your favor, because the roads look a lot better this morning than they did yesterday -- Jennifer.

GRAY: They sure do. And I think luck is in people's favor if they're hitting the skies, as well, because it looks like those airlines are going to get back on track, as well. Thanks so much.

Let's get to the forecast, though. That was a fast-moving system. And so a lot of times we see these snow systems impact airlines and roadways for days and days. This was just one day. Unfortunately, it was a very busy day for travel. But now things are clearing out, so the airlines will be able to get back on track, and those roads are looking much, much better.

Cold air in the southeast. We're going to see clear skies, though, looking good, very, very chilly temperatures in the northern plains, though. Temperatures 12 degrees in Minneapolis for today, Chicago at 28, 45 in D.C.; New York City at 38.

Lows tonight, if you're heading out doing a little early-morning shopping tomorrow, 27 in New York, 31 in D.C. waking up, 30 in Kansas City. Temperatures a little warmer in the west.

But the good news is the weather does remain quiet for the next couple of days. We have a little bit of lake effect snow for tomorrow and then clear across the northeast. So if you are heading back home, it looks much, much better for the weekend, as we do have clear skies and cool temperatures.

If you're heading out to the parade, a good day to watch the Macy's parade. It will be chilly, but it's Thanksgiving. We expect that. Thirty-seven degrees currently out there. It does feel like 32. We had a couple of flurries this morning, but those should be moving out. Temperatures staying in the mid-30s throughout the entire parade, feeling below freezing, and winds shouldn't be an issue.

Let's look at some live pictures just a few blocks from our studio. Look at that. We're getting ready. The clown on the giraffe; doesn't get better than that, guys.

PEREIRA: Nothing...

CUOMO: That's a clown on a giraffe.

PEREIRA: ... to see here. That is so fantastic. This is going to be the perfect day for it. And good photographs, too, because the sun isn't glaring.

CUOMO: That's nice. I like it. That's a flat light. PEREIRA: Yes.

CUOMO: Good for pictures. There he is again.

PEREIRA: That's the NEW DAY turkey.

CUOMO: That is, Tom Turkey. Tough for him. Head of the parade. Let's be honest: it's a tough day for him emotionally.

PEREIRA: Tough day, indeed. All right. Let's take a look at some of the other headlines that are making news today. Deb Feyerick handling that for us today.

FEYERICK: Thanks. Everyone, well, let's take a look at more of your headlines.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said to be resting comfortably following heart surgery. She had a stent placed in an artery Wednesday after doctors discovered a blockage. She's 81 years old, the oldest active justice. And she previously survived colon and pancreatic cancer. She's expected home by the end of the week.

And a major terror plot apparently thwarted by Israeli security forces. They say more than 30 Hamas terrorists have been arrested. They were allegedly planning to abduct civilians and carry out attacks on targets, including a football stadium, as well as train stations. Rifles, ammunition, explosives were apparently recovered. Officials say that the terrorists were getting support from operatives in Turkey, Syria, Gaza and Jordan.

An experimental drug to combat Ebola shows signs of success in an early clinical trial. The study found that 20 people who received this vaccine developed antibodies to Ebola. While the results are very promising, enough to launch a trial, for thousands in West Africa. The only issue is the high dose of the vaccine, which could make it harder to manufacture in a timely manner.

And check out this video. Police looking powerless to stop a bunch of wild bikers in Los Angeles. They were doing wheelies -- ouch -- running red lights and driving on the wrong side of the road, all alongside police cars which were pursuing them. Well, the person who posted this on YouTube says a handful of bikers were arrested, but most got away. It's like watching a video game.

The LAPD told us that they were too tied up with the Ferguson protests to deal with questions about this particular incident.

PEREIRA: Oh, goodness. It's always a terrifying thing when you see that happening, and you're a driver on a road, because you don't know how to react and where to go. Goodness.

FEYERICK: Right. The bikers really looked like they were in the middle of a video game there, and they looked like they were having fun, knowing they were chased by the police officers.

CUOMO: The game would be called Dumb in Progress. PEREIRA: Yes.

CUOMO: You know? Any of them that weren't smart enough to take the plates off their bike...

PEREIRA: Pretty much.

CUOMO: ... they'll be seeing those officers again.

FEYERICK: Well, they were wearing helmets.

PEREIRA: Injuries to deal with, too.

CUOMO: No good, no good.

All right. Caught on camera, the last moments of a 12-year-old boy's life. You've heard about this story. He was carrying a toy gun, the orange indicator of that removed. He wound up being killed by police. What does the video tell us about the case? We'll go through it.

PEREIRA: And final preparations ahead of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. What says Thanksgiving, I ask you, more than giant balloons in New York City? We're going to take you back live to the parade route.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Welcome back to NEW DAY. First, we wish you the best on this Thanksgiving day, especially to our troops and their families.

Now, we do have new information for you on an important story. A disturbing video shows a 12-year-old boy being shot by police in Cleveland. They were responding to 911 calls of someone brandishing a gun. The calls were real; the gun was fake.

And we want to warn you: some of this video you're going to see is graphic. Let's get to George Howell with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This video was recorded on a security camera in a Cleveland park, and it shows Tamir Rice moving in and out of view. Keep in mind: these are the last few moments of this 12-year-old's life, video his family wants you to see.

First we see Rice pacing the sidewalk, brandishing what looks to be a weapon, at one point even taking a two-handed shooting stance. All the while, police say he was being watched.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The gentleman sitting in the gazebo is the gentleman that called into our dispatch center.

HOWELL: Here's that initial call to 911.

CALLER: I'm sitting here in the park at West Boulevard by the West Boulevard Rapid Transit Station. And there's a guy in here with a pistol, and it's probably a fake one, but he's pointing it at everybody.

HOWELL: In fact, the caller points out twice the gun is probably fake.

CALLER: The guy keeps pulling it in and out. It's probably fake, but you know what? He's scaring the (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

HOWELL: Here's the clip that shows why the man called 911. The object that looks like a handgun we now know is really a toy pellet gun, and Rice seems to point it at this person, whose identity is blurred.

Police say he's also seen here, reaching for a cell phone, then having a conversation.

Minutes later, Rice moves to the gazebo, where he's now alone. This just minutes before police arrive. And now we know exactly what the dispatcher told the responding officers before they arrived. Notice how she never relays the information that it may be a fake gun.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody is tied up with priorities. There's a guy sitting on a wing pointing a gun at people.

HOWELL: A few seconds later she describes Rice but again fails to pass along the words the 911 caller used about the gun probably being fake.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the park by the youth center, there's a black male sitting on the swings. He's wearing a camouflage hat, a gray jacket with black sleeves. Said he keeps pulling a gun out of his pants and pointing it at people.

HOWELL: What happens next happens very quickly. Officer Frank Garmback driving and Officer Timothy Loehmann.

DEPUTY CHIEF ED TOMBA, CLEVELAND POLICE DEPARTMENT: The officers ordered him to show his hands and to drop the weapon, and the young man pulled the weapon out. And that's when the officer fired.

HOWELL: In the dispatcher's audio, you can hear the officer's grim call for help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Radio, shots fired. Male down, black male, maybe 20, black revolver, or black handgun. Send EMS this way.

HOWELL: George Howell, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA: We're going to bring in CNN commentator and legal analyst Mel Robbins.

Mel, this is a very difficult piece of video to watch. I'm going to show it one more time, because the family does want it to be seen. Here, these final moments of this 12-year-old's boy life. It all happens very, very quickly. Mel, I know you've seen the entire video. I want you to tell me your reaction to this deadly situation.

MEL ROBBINS, CNN COMMENTATOR/LEGAL ANALYST: Well, you know, as soon as I saw it, I actually got all choked up, and I just needed to call somebody. I called our colleague, Joey Jackson. I then e-mailed you.

This is absolutely -- I'm just speechless. This is -- this is -- I hate to use the word but it's almost like the police executed this kid. They pull up. The child, he's 12. He's in sixth grade. This is a park. It is a toy gun. He is shot within two seconds, Michaela, of the police pulling up. I mean, it is literally unbelievable.

PEREIRA: So here is the situation. Let's walk through some of these pieces and parts of this. Because as you mentioned, it happened so quickly.

First of all, what struck me, Mel, and I want you to react on this, and we'll kind of dice -- you know, parse this out a little bit. They roll up so very quickly on him, like directly on him. There's no distance. There's no perimeter. There's no sort of communication: put your hands up, et cetera, from afar. They literally almost roll the vehicle right up on him. That doesn't seem like protocol.

ROBBINS: Well, I don't know if it's protocol or not. But you know, I watched the entire thing, and I think everybody should, before they make a judgment call. Because if you're a parent, if you know a 12- year-old. You know, we all talk about how 12-year-old boys, what they like to play with. This is what my nine-year-old does in the yard with his friends, chasing each other with guns and all that kind of stuff.

This kid for seven minutes, Michaela, is pacing around. He's pulling this gun out. He's waving it around. And then he's putting it back in. Then he's talking on his phone. Then he's kicking the snow around.

Before the police arrive, this child is sitting at a picnic table for over two minutes, just sitting there doing nothing. The police come barreling in, and they claim that they yelled through an open door at the kid to put his hands up, put his hands up, put his hands up. How is that possible? How is -- how are you supposed to hear what the police are saying? The windows are up in the car, Michaela.

PEREIRA: OK.

ROBBINS: The police pull up onto the grass.

PEREIRA: Right. They pull up onto the grass, and it looks as though quickly this young man, this child is down.

Here's another point of the conversation that we need to have. There was such a disconnect. There was no communication between the dispatcher, who said other police officers were apparently tied up with other priorities. They did not pass along to those officers that are arriving on scene that there were reports from 911 callers that they thought the gun was fake. ROBBINS: Yes, that is absolute inexcusable recklessness. And under

the Ohio statutes, there is a charge for reckless -- you know, reckless homicide. I mean, you can -- in my mind, based on the litany, the litany of errors and the way in which these police responded, by pulling up with, clearly, guns blazing at the speed that they pull up within 10 feet of this 12-year-old child at a park on the grass in the middle of the day on a Saturday afternoon. There's no reports of shots fired. There's no reports of anything other than a, quote, "kid with a possible fake gun"...

PEREIRA: But it wasn't even a kid. They were saying they thought maybe, you hear the officers saying maybe a 20-year-old. But at that close proximity would they not have seen that this was a child?

ROBBINS: Well, you know, one of the things that scares me about this -- and look, I've been taking the heat on the Ferguson coverage, because I've been saying over and over again that I support what the grand jury found, that the evidence tends to support and does support what Officer Wilson said.

But in this particular case, I'm going to tell you, this is a stunning video, because what it shows is it shows what all the protesters have been saying, which is the police in many instances act as the judge, jury and executioner.

And in this case, because of the litany of errors that happened on the police force's end, from how they handled it to not passing on the information, I think there needs -- this is going to a grand jury. And if there are no charges for a reckless, you know, kind of homicide in this case based on the video alone -- I realize we're going to get back into what did the officers reasonably perceive?

But to your point, there were alternatives here.

PEREIRA: Yes.

ROBBINS: They could have stayed on the street, Michaela, and made an announcement from the car. They could have gotten out of the car with the guns pointed. This kid doesn't look like he's brandishing a weapon. He looks like he's pulling up his pants.

PEREIRA: Right. Mel Robbins, this is a story we want to stay on and we will. Thank you for your passion and your outrage. We appreciate you coming and joining us with voice on Thanksgiving Day. Thank you so much.

Still ahead, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg is in the hospital recovering from heart surgery. Her health, her age renewing a debate on whether she should perhaps retire. And how would that impact the court and of course, the presidency.

The final countdown is on for Macy's Annual Thanksgiving Day parade. We're going to take you back live to the parade route this morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)