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New Day Saturday

Protesters, Police Clash in Ferguson; Community Meets After 12- Year-Old Killed; Rice Wins Appeal, Can Return to NFL; Who Will Replace Chuck Hagel?; Dangerous Culture of Sexual Assaults at UVA?; 49 Million People Traveling This Weekend; NFL Players Say "No More" Domestic Violence

Aired November 29, 2014 - 07:00   ET

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

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: If you're just joining us, we're edging toward 7:00 o'clock in just about 15 seconds.

Welcome. I'm Christi Paul.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Coming up on it.

We've got an update from Fergsuson, because there were days of calm.

PAUL: There were.

BLACKWELL: There were.

PAUL: Yes, there were, at one point. Fresh clashes, though, did erupt overnight outside the police station specifically. We know of at least 15 people were arrested as demonstrators and officers faced off over that fatal police shooting of Michael Brown.

BLACKWELL: And not just in Ferguson, there was more unrest across the nation. Let's take you to Seattle where police used pepper spray as some demonstrators threw flairs there. And at malls, arrests were reported as protesters tried to disrupt Black Friday sales.

PAUL: And back in Missouri, Governor Jay Nixon announced he is calling back lawmakers to figure out how they can pay for state patrols in Ferguson.

BLACKWELL: And on Monday, Attorney General Eric Holder will be in Atlanta, kicking off a series of meetings focused on race and policing in minority communities.

PAUL: Stephanie Elam is in Ferguson this morning.

Stephanie, after what happened last flight, I'm wondering how things look there right now.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot calmer than what we saw last night, Christi. Good morning to you both.

PAUL: Good morning.

ELAM: It's what we've been seeing here in Ferguson. What you see in the morning, throughout the day, it seems calm. And then at night, then you may have some protesters show up. Sometimes, it's full of people, some nights, a lot more as you're seeing right now.

We know those 15 people were arrested. But overall, it was not violent. So, a change of what we saw perhaps earlier in the week, a very different tone. But these protests continue, not just here in Ferguson, but throughout the St. Louis area. And as you were saying, throughout the country, we saw a small group of people protesting down by the Justice Center yesterday, wanting to go out there and protest. They wanted to have a moment of silence on private property. So, police shooed them away from there.

We also saw in the mall, people were gathering and protesting inside the galleria mall here in St. Louis yesterday. And they were expecting this. There was a police presence there that was ready if protesters upset the stores. The stores did temporarily close, but they did reopen, Victor and Christi.

PAUL: So, talk to us about this event, I understand it, the NAACP picking off what is a powerful event today.

ELAM: Right, it's seven days long. They're calling it the journey for justice. And the plan is to begin marching out of the Canfield Green apartment which is where Mike Brown died here in Ferguson. And they are going to march 120 miles to the Missouri governor's mansion in Jefferson City.

The plan there is to bring focus to what has happened here in Ferguson and ask that the leadership of the Ferguson police department be changed. They want the chief to step down. It's a renewed call for Chief Jackson to be removed from his position. And they also want there to be reform -- actual reform to find out how police interact with the community that they're serving. And they're saying it's not focusing on here in Ferguson but on the relationship nationwide.

And as you can see, it's a tone that has resonated throughout the country, and not just the country because you also saw those protesters this week, 5,000 of them in London, taking to the streets there, too, talking about Mike Brown. But it's something resonating with people, this relationship with police and people in the community. And that is something that continues to be the drum beat and something that these protesters keep asking for, Victor and Christi.

BLACKWELL: All right. Stephanie Elam in Ferguson, Missouri, for us live this morning. Thank you so much.

PAUL: Thanks, Stephanie.

We do want to turn to Cleveland now, and here's why, because there's a story similar to Ferguson that's getting a very decidedly different response.

BLACKWELL: Yes, look at this. This was last night. You saw -- you look at Ferguson on the left. On the right, this is Cleveland where some people are gathered at a forum on gun violence and police relations. This is after a shooting of a 12-year-old boy by officers who thought that an air soft gun that shoots BBs, little pellets, 6 millimeter pellets, that he was holding was real.

Now, Tamir Rice, that's the boy's name, he died the next day.

CNN's Rosa Flores joins us now.

Rosa, again, a decidedly different response there. Tell us what came out of this meeting there in Cleveland?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's such a tragic and painful time for the family, of course. Now, their response is really resonating with some observers because it's created a constructive conversation, a dialogue of sort between the police and the community.

Now, I want you to take a listen to a gathering at a church in Cleveland yesterday, you're going to see how church members first voiced their grief and then also applaud the police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a hate crime that hurts into my heart. I have to pull it back. I couldn't take it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know that there is a great deal of unrest in the community and, God, that's why we call upon you, because you are a God that can make things better.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been a cop (ph) for almost 30 years and I never had to shoot anybody. And I've been out there.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: Now, you heard those applause there. It's a conversation triggered by the death of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old who was shot and killed by police. The surveillance video shows the boy walking around, sometimes brandishing the gun, sometimes pointing it at people.

Now, some of those people ended up calling 911, telling dispatchers about a black male, probably a juvenile, who was pointing a pistol and adding that it could be fake, that the pistol could be fake. Now, two officers respond, the video shows that within two seconds upon arrival, the 12-year-old is shot. The police saying that the officers asked the boy to show his hands three times before shooting. The boy died a day later.

It turns out that gun was fake. It was actual a toy. All the details, of course, still under investigation. And the two officers involved are on leave.

But again, Christi and victor, what resonates here, the request from the parent for constructive dialogue and how the community is honoring that request -- Christi and Victor. PAUL: Very good point.

BLACKWELL: All right. Rosa Flores for us this morning -- Rosa, thank you. Let's talk about this.

So many legal questions here, we've got HLN legal analyst Joey Jackson and CNN commentator Mel Robbins with us to kind of sort through this.

Good to have both of you this morning.

JOEY JACKSON, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: Good morning, Victor. Good morning, Christi.

MEL ROBBINS, CNN COMMENTATOR: Great to see you.

PAUL: Good morning.

BLACKWELL: We just showed that video, we're going to show it again, it was released this week, at the moments that police shot Tamir. And again, we're going to warn people at home that is disturbing. I'm not going to say you may find it disturbing.

PAUL: It is.

BLACKWELL: A child is shot. So, it is disturbing.

You can see the car pulls up, within two seconds, Tamir Rice is down. The deputy chief says the officer in the passenger seat yelled for him to show his hands, show his hands, show his hands. But he would have had to have said it that quickly and at that speed to get it out at two seconds before he was shot. Let's start it at one when you look at this, that's so close to pull up next to this kid. Obviously, there are things they should have done differently.

Mel, I want to start with you.

ROBBINS: Yes, you know, this is -- this is a painful video to watch, and one of the things that's troubling, that's coming out of this. I'm sure Joey is going through a litany of things that are problematic, first of all, that the dispatcher never relayed the pertinent information that the gun was, quote, "probably fake." That the police officer never asked for other information, was he alone, where was he in the park, what did they see him doing. So they didn't know what they were pulling into. Then we get into what is hugely problematic and for me, outrageous, which is the "Cleveland Plain Dealer" is reporting that there are inconsistencies already between what the police originally reported they saw versus what we see in the video.

One of the first things the police said, guys, is that Tamir was sitting under that gazebo with a group of people. That they saw him reach for the gun on the table and approach the car, and this claim that we all find to be preposterous that at they're pulling up on the grass, that he was warned three times to put the gun down by police in a moving car with the windows up and the doors closed, and then, of course, that they don't even stop the car barely before the kid son the ground and shot.

So, this is a major problem. And then the other thing that I find just chilling guess how they're going to investigate it. It's going to a grand jury, Christi and Victor.

PAUL: Joey, what do you say to all of that?

JACKSON: Well, Mel brilliantly hit it all. Now, the issues are so many and so vast in this particular case and it starts with the dispatch information as Mel Robbins pointed out and there was, of course, clarity in that -- excuse me, there was clarity in the 911. And the clarity was it's probably a fake gun. Why was that information not conveyed to police? It certainly would have affected the police's state of mind.

Number two, the police certainly should have asked for more information so that they should have been aware of what they were going into.

Number three, under what circumstance do you approach a potentially armed person or someone that you know to be armed, and you approach him at that distance. There was no safe distance in terms of perimeter between the police officer and between the child. Under that circumstance, how do you do that? How do you train to do that? With no safe perimeter, obviously, it's going to cause the police officers to act more quickly, but why should that have occur?

Number four, would they're not have been, if they kept a safe perimeter, an opportunity to warn appropriately the 12-year-old? I don't know that they know. Of course, they didn't, apparently, because they referenced him as a 20-year-old potential person. But wouldn't they if they kept that safe distance have said, hands down on the ground, hands down. And given some useful and valuable opportunity for the child to have his life.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

JACKSON: And obviously, number five, the actions in terms of what they did, suggesting that within those two seconds as Mel Robbins aptly points out that you say three different times with windows down and it just -- excuse me, with windows up and door closed, it just defies common sense, it defies logic and it really has great concerns.

Finally --

ROBBINS: And the law.

JACKSON: Absolutely.

And finally, the fact that it goes to a grand jury, it's problematic. I'm one that believes that police cannot investigate police. And prosecutors who are local to that community cannot prosecute police. There needs to be some independence, because that's where you get community support. That's where you get community trust. And that's where the system works. BLACKWELL: Mel, quickly, we just had on a split screen the response

to the Michael Brown shooting. And the small response, just a few people we saw at that community meeting after the shooting of Tamir.

Why do you think that we're seeing this obviously much smaller, more restrained response, in a case that has fewer gray areas. I mean, there are a lot of questions still in the Michael Brown shooting. This seemed to be a little more cut and dried?

ROBBINS: Well, Victor, that's an excellent question. And I think one of the main reasons this is happening because from the very beginning, the police were proactive. Unlike Ferguson, they were proactive in Cleveland in reaching out with the family, and meeting with the family, and showing the video to the family. And so, the family was involved and respected from the very beginning which had a profound effect.

But one thing that's also the same is that if you guys can believe it, that the local press has already started victim-blaming, smearing Tamir Rice's parents, and somehow putting out in the public that this was a kid from a broken home and that somehow that should play into it.

So, there are sickening similarities as well. And in my mind, you know, look, the police have a hard job and they make split second decisions that they think about for the rest of their lives. But in my mind, this split second decision was completely riddled with all sorts of negligence and problems.

To me, I keep thinking about this as one of these wrongful death cases. And also, I think there should be criminal charges. I mean, when you look at the inconsistencies between what the police initially said in their report and the actual video that we're now seeing, that's very troubling.

I understand that you react in the heat of passion. But to Joey's very well stated points there so many problems with how they pursued this, that I hope we see a very different result in this case in terms of what comes out of that grand jury.

PAUL: We'll wait. That's waiting to be seen.

But Mel Robbins, and Joey Jackson -- always appreciate your perspective. Thank you for being with us.

BLACKWELL: Thank you.

JACKSON: A pleasure, Christi. A pleasure, Victor. Take care, Mel.

BLACKWELL: All right. Ahead on NEW DAY -- Ray Rice has been I guess cleared. His appeal, a judge sided with him in that indefinite suspension related to domestic abuse. He won. And now, he's free to return to America's most popular sport. But will any team pick him up?

PAUL: Plus, the White House and the hunt for a new defense secretary, the fourth in six years. Chuck Hagel is leaving. Who's going to replace him?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Well, have you heard? Ray Rice has been cleared to return to the NFL.

BLACKWELL: Yes, months after his controversial fight with his then- fiancee now wife shot the league's domestic abuse issues into the national spotlight, the former Ravens running back appealed his indefinite suspension and wanted, a judge sided with him, and that means that he's free to play football again if a team wants to sign him.

PAUL: Now, Judge Barbara Jones ruled, the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell never should have increase Rice's original two-game suspension because he didn't lie to the league about hitting Janay Rice, you know, in that elevator accident.

BLACKWELL: And this news comes as Janay is opening up about what happened in February night in Atlanta. Here's what she told NBC's "Today" show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANAY RICE, WIFE OF FORMER RAVENS PLAYER RAY RICE: I was furious, we came home and we can't talk the entire ride. Well, I didn't speak to him the desire ride. Home, he tried to talk to me, I don't want to hear anything.

I just knew he hit me and I was completely over it. I was done. I didn't want to hear anything. I just didn't even want to entertain him, anything he had to say, any explanation. Of course in the back of my mind, in my heart, I knew that our relationship wouldn't be over because I know this is us and it's not him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: And Rashan Ali joining us now for this morning's "Bleacher Report."

So, just to be clear, he's cleared essentially, can he start playing immediately if somebody says come join the team?

RASHAN ALI, CNN SPORTS: Exactly. He can start playing immediately, but the question is what team needs a quarterback that bad at this point in the season. Everybody is looking towards the playoffs, looking forward to that. I'm not sure anybody is that interested in picking up a running back at this point in the season.

BLACKWELL: Yes. And, you know, he had a great rookie year.

ALI: Yes.

BLACKWELL: But it was going in the wrong direction for a running back.

ALI: It was.

BLACKWELL: And he's what, 28 now?

ALI: Yes, he's 28 years old, just 660 rushing yards last year. So, production level had decreased tremendously, especially from the year before, rushing over 1,100 yards. But, you know, coaches said he was kind of giving that spark, looking back to his old self at the beginning of the season. But, obviously, this took place and things changed.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: Do you think that this interview they did, he and, Janay, it's going to help in any way, it's going to temper feelings about him?

ALI: Well, I think them having that united front definitely made people feel a certain way. But the thing is you can't undo what he did. And we can't erase what we saw.

BLACKWELL: That video will always be there.

ALI: Yes, it was always be there. So, we will see -- I don't think that a team will pick him up this season, but somebody might at the beginning of --

BLACKWELL: What are we hearing from the NFL? Are they saying anything about this?

ALI: Well, the NFL has released a statement just recently. I can read you that statement coming up in just a second. What they said that they're trying make sure they have, "Judge Jones' ruling underscores the urgency of our work to develop and implement a clear, fair and comprehensive new personal conduct policy. We expect this policy to be completed and announced in the weeks ahead. Our focus is on consistently enforcing an improved policy going forward."

So, there you have it.

BLACKWELL: All right. And I wonder if this will suggest that we're going see more strict or extended consequences early on, so that if there is this rolling disclosure, there is a more severe punishment from the start. Instead of we've learned more but we've only assigned you a two-game suspension.

ALI: It will be much more stringent.

PAUL: Rashan Ali, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

ALI: Thank you.

PAUL: Make sure to stay here, too. I interviewed actor Blair Underwood and he's talking about his partnership with the NFL to end domestic violence. Wait until you hear what NFLers are saying about this. That's coming up in about 20 minutes.

BLACKWELL: Also, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel pushed out. So, who will the yes pick to replace him? We'll take a look at the list of possible candidates.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: The White House is searching to find someone to replace Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. He resigned this week. The reports are he was pushed out by the administration.

PAUL: Already, two people, though, have turned down the job even before being offered the position.

CNN's Erin McPike has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: New leadership should take over at the Pentagon. And for the last two years, the president's term, that's what's going to happen.

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At least how the administration tells it officially. President Obama and outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel agreed on that. But it's led to more second guessing of the president's management style. And even late night comics are taking shots.

JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON": There are rumors in Washington this week that Joe Biden was not happy with the way the White House forced the resignation of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

MCPIKE: That narrative may be making the president's challenge of replacing Hagel even tougher.

CHUCK HAGEL, OUTGOING DEFENSE SECRETARY: I would always give you my honest and most informed counsel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He served two combat tours in Vietnam.

MCPIKE: When President Obama was hunting for a new Veterans Affairs secretary this spring after Eric Shinseki stepped down amid the V.A. hospital fiasco, there was no immediate shortlist, because the White House wasn't sure what kind of background would be best for the job.

A new attorney general to succeed Eric Holder this fall, his original choices deemed too controversial to pass the Senate so he settled on little know Loretta Lynch. Now, heading into a difficult winter, the White House's only hopes to head the Defense Department, Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed and former Defense Department Undersecretary Michelle Flournoy said no thanks, even before getting the job offer.

Number one on the next defense chief's to-do list, carrying out the president's hotly debated strategy against ISIS.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: They're going to have to send more over there. They're going to have to have forward air controllers on the ground. They're going to have to have Special Forces people. We're going to have to have trainers. MCPIKE: But the big complaint about the defense secretary's past, the

Obama White House micromanages.

Now, topping the revised list, low-key but experiences Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who has experience dealing with ISIS on the domestic front.

And the former number two at the Pentagon, Ash Carter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: All right. Let's go to Erin McPike there at the White House.

Erin, how long do you think it will be before the White House finds a replacement for Hagel?

MCPIKE: Victor, what we have heard from administration officials is that President Obama wants to name someone soon. But keep in mind that at the end of next month, there is a relatively long congressional recess. And then in the first week of January, the new Congress will be sworn in and then there will be a Republican- controlled Senate. So, it will be a while before there are even confirmation hearings in the Senate. And then that person will have to be confirmed, but this could be another couple of months before there is a new defense secretary, Victor and Christi.

BLACKWELL: There are some folks in line ahead of this position.

Erin McPike at the White House -- thanks so much.

PAUL: Thanks, Erin.

Listen, a University of Virginia student reveals what she describes as a horrifying gang rape at a fraternity party. Now, the way the university responded has a lot of not just students but people outraged. We're talking to the student reporter who got a rare interview with a top school official about all of this.

Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: A little R&R for you on this Saturday. Welcome back. I'm Christi Paul.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you this morning.

The University of Virginia is apologizing to a student who says she was gang raped at a fraternity party two years ago. The school is accused of sweeping allegations under the rug. Fraternities are currently suspended through winter break as police investigate.

CNN's Joe Johns went to Charlottesville, Virginia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PROTESTORS: Not one more!

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Protests and angry accusations at university leadership, the fallout from an explosive article in "Rolling Stone," recounting in graphic detail the alleged gang rape at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house two years ago of a female student named Jackie.

NICOLE ERAMO, ASSOCIATE DEAN OF STUDENTS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: I can tell you that I spoke to 38 sexual assault survivors last year.

JOHNS: This is Dean Nicole Eramo, who heads UVA's board that investigates sexual misconduct allegations. A few weeks before the "Rolling Stone" article, Eramo, in an interview with a student reporter defended the fact that no student has been expelled for rape or sexual assault since 1998, not even the ones she says have admitted their guilt to her in informal sessions.

ERAMO: I feel like if a person is willing to come forward in that setting and admit that they violated the policy when there's absolutely no advantage to do so, that that does deserve some consideration, that they're willing to say that I've done something wrong and I recognize that, and I'm willing to take my licks and deal with it. That's very important to me.

JOHNS: Dean Eramo also put the responsibility of filing a formal complaint on the victim.

ERAMO: They're not looking for expulsion or they're not looking for that type of a sanction. They're -- they're looking to be able to look into the eyes of that other person and say, you wronged me in some way, and they're generally feeling quite satisfied with the fact that the person has admitted that they've done something wrong.

JOHNS: Listen to the student reporter press Eramo.

CATHERINE VALENTINE, STUDENT REPORTER: Do you not think it's damaging for sexual assault victims to see the person who sexually assaulted or raped them on campus?

ERAMO: I think it absolutely can be.

VALENTINE REPORTER: So why are they allowed to stay on grounds?

ERAMO: Because I think we are trying to balance the rights of the individual who's being accused as well as the rights of the complainant, and sometimes that's very difficult.

JOHNS: Scores of former and current students have written letters, supporting Dean Eramo.

And despite the way her case was handled, Jackie, the woman at the center of the storm, has stepped back into the spotlight to show her support as well, writing, "Dean Eramo has truly saved my life. If it were not for her, I don't know if I would by alive today." (on camera): We reached out to Dean Eramo today. She works in this

building behind me on the UVA campus. We were told by an aide she would not make herself available for comment. The aide would not take our telephone number and said the dean would not call us later for a conversation on the phone.

Joe Johns, CNN, Charlottesville, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: I'm wondering what you think after hearing some of that sound from her.

Well, let's talk to the student, student reporter Catherine Valentine. She interviewed the UVA associate dean of students there, Nicole Eramo, who you just saw in this piece.

Catherine, thank you for being with us. We appreciate it.

Obviously, you hear that Joe is saying that Dean Eramo was going to keep distance from the media. What was it like for to you sit down with her?

VALENTINE: I had too much to digest in this interview. At first, I think you can see I'm visibly confused. I originally thought that Dean Eramo's interview -- that in the interview she was conveying had her personal opinions. But now that I've had time to reflect, I think she was revealing the university's bad policy.

PAUL: OK. So, let's listen a little bit here from Dean Eramo talking about students who have come to her and admitted that they raped someone. Let's see this again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERAMO: If a person is willing to come forward in that setting, and admit that they violated the policy, when then there's absolutely no advantage to do so, that that does deserve some consideration, that they're willing to say that I've done something wrong and I recognize that, and I'm willing to take my licks and deal with it. That's very important to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: OK. And you pushed back on that a little bit, right? Asking her, you know, what about the student who was raped? And seeing that person on campus? She didn't really have an answer for that.

VALENTINE: She did not. And it was difficult for me to reconcile those two statements because I'm actually an honor support officer. And so, a few times a year I have personally -- you know, I personally see students who are expelled for cheating on things as small as homework assignments. So, it's hard for me to understand that students can admit guilt and remain at the university.

PAUL: Because rape say criminal act, it's not -- it's not as though -- I'm not saying that cheating on a test is not worthy of whatever they deem as well. But, the fact that it's a criminal act is nothing is being done, do the student there we saw many of them, many of them standing up in protest. But generally, what is the feeling on campus there, Catherine?

VALENTINE: It's an incredibly emotional time. It has been a challenging semester to say the least. With Hannah Graham's disappearance and with the release of the "Rolling Stone" article, I think students are reeling right now. And that's in part because we love UVA. I think Thanksgiving break has given us an opportunity to really step back and remind ourselves of things we're obviously thankful for. But it's been an emotional, an emotional semester.

PAUL: I don't doubt it. Rector Keith Martin apologized at the emergency meeting of UVA's governing board this week. I want to listen to a little bit of what he had to say here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE KEITH MARTIN, RECTOR, UVA: I'd like to say to Jackie and her parents that I'm sorry. And to all survivors of sexual assault and their families, I'm sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Now, we know the board adopted a zero tolerance approach toward rape and sexual assault. Do you feel -- do the students feel they're doing enough now, even if they feel they have not done enough in the past?

VALENTINE: I think it's difficult. I think the emergency meeting of the board of visitors was an incredibly important first step. I think the zero tolerance policy is wonderful. But I actually -- in the piece that I interviewed Dean Eramo for, I actually found out that no student in the history of UVA has ever been expelled.

So, it's going to be interesting how the university goes from zero expulsion to zero tolerance policy. But I am, I'm excited, and I think we are ready and waiting for this administration to make changes. I think this is an important step.

PAUL: Real quickly, how much faith do you all there have in this particular incidence that was reported in "Rolling Stone" and any consequences that might come out for any of these alleged seven rapists?

VALENTINE: I think, you know, you've seen this, I personally have read this all over the Internet. I think the feeling is those seven individuals need to be brought to justice. But I also think the administration is doing a lot right now.

I think that while -- you know, Teresa Sullivan just suspended fraternities, which I think, you know, it's important to note that there are, I believe, 87 schools under investigation for violating Title 9, and half of those do not have Greek systems. So, this is not a Greek problem and this is not a UVA problem. But I think that first step by Teresa Sullivan shows that she's taking this seriously which to be honest with you things that students are most concerned with.

PAUL: OK. I've got you. Well, student reporter Catherine Valentine, a great interview. Thank you so much for spending some time with us this morning. We appreciate it. Keep it up.

VALENTINE: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Forty-six million people are traveling for Thanksgiving. We know you're already dreading that drive or flight home, because everybody does it on Sunday together. But don't worry about that. We have a travel expert that knows a thing or two about making the trip home a little more enjoyable.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Thirty-year mortgage rates ticked up this week. Here's your look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: So, according to AAA, 46 million people are traveling this Thanksgiving weekend. And all those people are going to be on the move again in the next couple of days, as everyone heads back to school and to work.

Happy holidays.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: Merry Christmas, whoo!

BLACKWELL: All right. Joining us is travel expert Mark Murphy.

Mark, good to have you with us. Also the author of "Travel Forward."

So, let's start with people who will hit the road because in Atlanta, especially, we know that traffic can change your mood in a second.

Help us get through this. How do we make this experience better?

MARK MURPHY, TRAVEL EXPERT: Leave the car at home or leave it at grandma's house -- no, that doesn't work.

BLACKWELL: No.

MURPHY: Actually, what you want to do is leave now, like today. Or if you can't leave today or later tonight, leave tomorrow morning first thing.

But then again, I always have the option of call your boss and tell him you're not feeling well, you're going to be a little late to work on Monday. And drive back Monday, right after rush hour.

PAUL: That's not a bad idea.

BLACKWELL: So, avoid Sunday is what you're saying. MURPHY: Oh, man, Sunday is going to be horrendous. I would avoid it

at all costs. I always avoided Wednesday going out, because those are two of the busiest days that you're going to see for the next, gosh, you know, months and months, probably until next year.

PAUL: Well, air travelers don't have the option until you want to pay a big fee of changing your flight. I know you just say enjoy the airport. What does that mean?

MURPHY: Yes, you know what that means is these airports have been destinations to themselves. They literally have a mall in there in a lot of these airports. So, you can go shopping.

You know what? We're talking Cyber Monday. How about airport Sunday? Shop in the airport, enjoy yourself. Get a glass of wine.

But the key is get there early, because the lines are going to be long. You're going to get frustrated. You're going to get stressed. Lower your stress, get there three hours early. Have a nice glass of wine, look at the planes taxiing in and out and do a little shopping.

BLACKWELL: So, I was on a flight recently, a picked up a magazine -- I never picked up the magazines in the pocket of seat. I don't know why, I just don't want to touch them. But I picked up the magazine, but I read about this new trend where travelers or anyone, really, you can share a meal with strangers. You go to their home and, you know, they say we've got seats for six for Ethiopia, eatwith.com.

Tell us about that.

MURPHY: Yes, this is really cool. It's part of the sharing economy.

We've seen it with uber and other things. Now, you're seeing it with flood. I love this concept because when I travel, and when people travel, you want to connect with locals. What better way to be invited into someone's house, share a meal with them.

Now, I will warn you, my background is Irish and English. I don't know if I'd be eating with too many of my relatives. You might not be getting a great meal. But you'd definitely have some great conversation and have some fun. And that's the key with travelers, connecting with those locals, getting into that culture, seeing how they live. That's really why you want to do and travel forward.

PAUL: That is interesting.

BLACKWELL: I'd try that. I would definitely try that.

PAUL: You've got to pick up the magazine first.

BLACKWELL: Well, I know the web address.

PAUL: Mark Murphy --

MURPHY: Yes, eatwith, and then they're all over the place, over 100 cities. PAUL: All right. Excellent. Hey, thank you, Mark, so much. Happy

Thanksgiving, by the way.

MURPHY: Thanks. You, too. Always good to see you guys.

BLACKWELL: Good to have you.

PAUL: You, too. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: So, in the wake of Ray Rice being cleared back in the NFL, we're hearing from actor Blair Underwood, he's partnering with the league to end domestic violence with one simple message -- no more. No more domestic violence. No more sexual assault.

We'll talk more in a moment.

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BLACKWELL: So, I wonder, if -- while you're watching your favorite football game, maybe this weekend, have you seen these messages? It's a message from the current and former players. You see them during the commercial breaks.

PAUL: Yes, the message basically is no more. No more domestic violence, no more sexual assault, no more acting like boys but a call to be men.

Here's part of one of the PSAs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more "what was she wearing?"

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more "she was drunk."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more "he was drunk."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more "she was asking for it."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more "she never said no."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more "not in this family."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more "not on this team."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more "we don't talk about that."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more by standing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more ignorance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more excuses.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more.

(END VIDEO CLIP) PAUL: This is more than just the NFL, though, or even a group of football players. This is a coalition of hundreds of national and local groups committed to ending this often hidden crime. So I sat down with one of the PSA's directors, you know him well, actor Blair Underwood. And I asked him how they are hoping this is going to make a difference.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLAIR UNDERWOOD, DIRECTOR, "NO MORE" PSA: Anybody in the public eye, you are role models. So by the mere fact you are stepping up and you're saying how you feel about something, and they are doing it in numbers, not just one or two. You know, they're doing it en masse, it makes a difference because young people, not just young people really. I mean, contemporaries will look at someone in the NFL, making a lot of money, who has all of the trappings of success, the trappings of success, perception of success.

For them to say this is not cool, we don't agree with this, we're not putting up with this anymore. You are making us look bad as a league, as men, it's a powerful statement. And the fact that they are doing it as NFL players at this moment in time makes it that much more impactful.

PAUL: I was struck by William Gay was open about the fact he lost his mother to domestic violence and Cris Carter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRIS CARTER, NFL HALL OF FAMER: My boys will have an impact and it's always the right time to do the right thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UNDERWOOD: It's a new paradigm shift, I think, in this narrative and conversation in our country about being a man and how to speak out on topics like this. So, you know what I found is people understand and these guys understood that by their presence they are saying a great deal. That said, some were more controlled and, you know, restrained a little bit. But they knew they were doing a great thing and great service stepping up and saying it.

So, not everybody is going to open up and not everybody did emotionally. Some did. On my shoot, it was more straightforward. And there with all of the bells on, for all of the right reasons which was great.

PAUL: And, lastly, you know, I've got three daughters, they are not 15 yet, they are younger, but I have those same --

UNDERWOOD: I'm an old man.

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: No, you're not. I started much later than most people, I think. UNDERWOOD: All right. OK.

PAUL: Mine are 5, 8 and 10.

But I have those same fears that you do about my daughter. You realize nobody -- no girl is immune to this. What do you say to her? How do you make her aware of her worth so that she can recognize when something isn't right and walk away?

UNDERWOOD: Well, that's what it is exactly, Christi. It's the worth.

You know, I drive my daughter to school every day if I'm in town, and we're listening to the radio talking about the NFL players and again the Ray Rice situation and I stopped the car, and I pulled over and I grabbed her hand and I said, promise me if any man ever puts his hand on you, pushes you, treats you negatively in any way, but especially puts his hands on you, promise me that you will walk away. Like yes, OK, dad. No, don't be flip about it. I mean this.

The reason I said that is because as you know, these situations almost always escalate. If it starts with a verbal abuse, it escalates to physical abuse, starts with pushing, then hitting. It almost always gets worse.

So, there's no talking around it. There is no excusing it. There's no more. There is no more.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: The "no more" PSA is going to be running during the NFL games. You're going to see more of them. Blair joined with "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit's" Mariska Hargitay and actor Tate Donovan to direct the series of these videos. So, to learn about the program, head over to nomore.org. He mentioned Ray Rice. We're going to be talking a little more about some news with him this morning as well coming up.

BLACKWELL: Yes, right at the top of the hour. Stay with us. I mean, there is a lot going on. We've got it covered.

PAUL: Yes, the next hour of your NEW DAY starts after quick break. Stay close.

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