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New Day Sunday

Former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry Dead At 78; Ferguson Waits For Grand Jury To Reconvene; Buffalo Under Flood Warning Today; Obama Extends U.S. Combat Role In Afghanistan; Former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry Died at 78; Protesters in Ferguson Wait for Grand Jury's Decision; Grand Jury's Diversity; Possible Deal with Iran May Not Happen by Tomorrow

Aired November 23, 2014 - 06:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. So glad to have your company. I'm Christi Paul.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. It's 6:00 here on the east coast.

PAUL: Yes, we want to begin with some breaking news, if you haven't heard, former D.C. Mayor Marion Berry has died. He was 78 years old. The cause of death is still unknown. We do know that Barry has struggled with some health problems in recent years.

BLACKWELL: In and outside of Washington, D.C., Barry's name became synonymous with the capitol city from his start in the civil rights movement to his really hands-on approach as a four-time mayor and city councilman at the time of his death. He was often praised for creating jobs and also breaking racial boundaries.

PAUL: And like many, you know, his service was not without a little drama. In 1980, he made headlines after a televised surveillance tape showed him smoking crack in a D.C. hotel room. He was later convicted and he did serve six months in prison for that.

BLACKWELL: Now that did not stop him from a comeback. Barry reclaimed his seat as mayor in 1995 and then was re-elected to the city council in 2004. In July, Barry spoke to CNN's Fredricka Whitfield about his troubled past.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FORMER MAYOR MARION BARRY, D.C.: I've had a rich life, not just a 15- second sound bite, but when you say Washington, D.C., everybody knows, when I came here in 1965, Washington was a sleepy, southern town. No high rises, no anything except for the FBI building. Look at Washington now, all of downtown.

Our neighborhoods have been transformed because of my blueprint. I appointed Herb Miller. He was living downtown. More importantly, I brought hope to the hopeless. In Washington, I have worked hard for the people. And I'm beloved by the people. (END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: This morning he's being remembered for his love of public service and his love of Washington.

BLACKWELL: Joining us now by phone, someone who knew Marion Barry well, the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Reverend, thank you for joining us this early morning.

PAUL: Marion Barry, despite his troubled past, he was really a symbol of that city. So as somebody who knew him really well, you know, what stood out to you the most, Reverend?

REVEREND JESSE JACKSON (via telephone): Well, first of all, I'm saddened by the passing of Marion Barry. I've known him since 1960. We were both students. He's at (inaudible) and I at North Carolina- NT. He was a freedom fighter, who helped change this nation.

We talked just this past week about his book from the plantations of Mississippi to a chemistry major at (inaudible) university. He lived and died with a special place in the hearts of the people. He was at the first meeting in 1960 at the university.

The acts we benefit from, the civil rights act, Maryland was a part of that, an outstanding mayor. People like Bob Johnson and the leadership of Marion Barry and he kept on getting back up.

He died in office with a special place in our hearts of the people. Even though he fell down, he got back up again because the ground is no place for a champion. He indeed was a champion.

BLACKWELL: You know, Reverend, I think it's difficult to relay to people who did not live in D.C. or did not know of the mayor when he was serving. When I went to Howard University as a freshman, Marion Barry was not mayor at the time.

But I heard stories from people who are native Washingtonians, who said if you wanted a job in the summer as a teenager Marion Barry was going to guarantee that there would be a job for you because he loved that city and the young people. Help us understand his commitment and his love for Washington.

JACKSON: He fought to guarantee jobs for students in the summertime. Blacks got contracts they had never gotten before. Much of Bob Johnson's success at BET emerges from the leadership of Mayor Marion Barry.

In the '84 campaign, he hosted a big kickoff meeting at the Washington Center in '84. He put my name on the issue in San Francisco in 1984. Marion never stopped fighting. He was never confused about a racial and cultural wall, a cultural master structure.

He was very clear on that. He understood coalition. He was a great coalition politician as well. He had a great sense of people across the board. PAUL: Reverend Jesse Jackson, we certainly appreciate you sharing your thoughts and your memories of him with us this morning. Thank you for taking the time.

JACKSON: Well, I can only say that Marion Barry's name's on the honor roll of freedom fighters who changed America. From a southern governor to a congressman, Marion Barry's name was on the honor roll of freedom fighters who changed America for the better.

BLACKWELL: All right, Reverend Jesse Jackson, thank you so much for speaking with us.

Let's turn to Ferguson, Missouri, now. People there are frustrated, many people angry. The people who live there in Ferguson are waiting for the grand jury to reconvene tomorrow to find out whether the white officer who shot unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown will be indicted.

PAUL: CNN justice reporter, Evan Perez, has been looking into this. Good morning, Evan.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: Christi, Victor, good morning. It's the grand jury decision everyone is waiting for. The St. Louis County grand jury is set to reconvene here on Monday to decide whether to bring charges against Officer Darren Wilson.

We know they met here for several hours before deciding to go home for the weekend without making a decision. We don't know what the issue was. We don't know whether they wanted to simply hear more evidence or just needed more time to consider the charges that prosecutors have brought before them.

Law enforcement officials have boosted resources for the weekend. St. Louis area schools have decided to cancel classes for the entire week. We have protesters in town who were planning to hold marches who are also now waiting. The entire region is waiting for these 12 jurors to decide whether to bring these charges. Back to you, Christi and Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right, Evan Perez, thank you so much. Later this hour, we'll take a look inside the grand jury, the makeup, and how that might affect their decision.

All right, now to another story that we're following, snow- covered Buffalo, New York, is under a flood watch this morning.

PAUL: Temperatures are about 10 degrees above freezing there today, which means seven feet of thick, dense snow is getting icy and is all going to melt. So the pictures that were sent to us by CNN I-reporter Dawn Buck are beautiful. A county official says there could be five to six feet of water in some areas when it all starts melting. CNN's Alexandra Field is in Buffalo -- Alexandra.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So much snow out here in and around the city of Buffalo, but Governor Andrew Cuomo is saying that he is satisfied with the progress that they're making in the snow- removal operation.

Now a number of state officials are here in western New York, and they're preparing for another possibility, severe flooding. The governor has warned this area could see more significant flooding than it's seen in a very long time.

The forecast calls for the temperature to warm up over the next several days if it happens as quickly as it's forecasted to do. That's when you could see some really serious flooding. Manpower is being brought to this part of the state along with resources.

Five hundred national guardsmen and women are in place ready to respond if needed. On top of that, more than 50 swift water rescue boats and crews. There are also high-axle vehicles that could make rescues if necessary. Hundreds of pumps have been brought in in anticipation of potential flooding and also 176,000 sandbags.

Everyone here is hoping that that temperature rise will happen more gradually and that officials will be able to get more snow out of the area before flooding becomes a big problem. But in the meantime, homeowners are working really hard to stay ahead of the game here.

There is some rain in the forecast so people are trying to get the shovels out, get the snow off the roof. They don't want that rain to combine with the snow. That's when you see more roofs collapsing. Already in the last few days, several dozen roofs have collapsed. We know if more rain comes, that would put more homes in danger -- Christi, Victor.

PAUL: Alexandra Field, thank you so much.

Still ahead, deputies responding to a house fire end up dead. We have the latest on a bloody ambush. This was in Florida.

BLACKWELL: Plus, police in Cleveland shoot a 12-year-old boy. Why? And how could this have happened? We'll tell you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Welcome back to NEW DAY. Want to get you caught up on the "Morning Read."

BLACKWELL: Investigators in Tallahassee, Florida want to know why a gunman ambushed deputies who responded to a house fire. One of them was shot dead. Now, the gunman took the deputy's gun and then started shooting at other deputies and paramedics there who arrived on the scene. He was eventually killed in a shootout with police.

PAUL: Cleveland police shot a 12-year-old boy after mistaking his bb gun for a real semiautomatic pistol. Now, police were responding to a 911 call yesterday about a boy pointing a gun at other people. The officers told the boy to raise his hands. He refused and reached into his waistband instead. That incident's being investigated.

BLACKWELL: From China to Japan to right here in the U.S. in Texas, earthquakes are rattling buildings and a whole lot of nerves. They're all hit within hours of each other yesterday. There are no reports of injuries from last night's 3.3 magnitude quake in Dallas in a suburb there.

But in China's Sichuan Province, people ran into the streets in a panic when a 5.9 magnitude quake struck there. Four people were killed. Dozens were injured. Now, in Central Japan, rescue teams searched crumbled homes looking for anyone trapped inside.

The powerful quake there injured dozens of people at a ski resort. CNN's meteorologist, Jennifer Gray joins us now. Is it unusual to have these quakes?

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No, not at all. In fact, we've seen a lot of earthquakes in Oklahoma and Dallas due to fracking and natural gas drilling. In Japan and China, they're located along the ring of fire. That's where 90 percent of the world's earthquakes happen and 75 percent to 80 percent of the large ones.

In fact, there's over a million earthquakes every year. Not normal at all. Of course, unfortunate but it's not unusual to see that in those locations. One thing I do want to get to, though, you asked, we are going to see some rough weather over the next couple of days.

In fact, already seeing very heavy rainfall, showers and storms pushing through South Louisiana, Baton Rouge, New Orleans. In fact, the severe threat for today is from South Louisiana all the way through the Carolinas.

We could see large hail, damaging winds as this system continues to push to the east, impacting the northeast as we go through the early morning hours on Monday. Fast-moving system will be in and out and then impacting the northeast by tomorrow morning.

So the possibility for damaging winds, large hail and even a couple of isolated tornadoes right there in the Florida panhandle and then a smaller risk in the yellow from New Orleans all the way through Savannah.

I want to talk about rainfall totals quickly across portions of the northeast. We've been looking at Buffalo still on tap to see less than an inch of rain there. We still have that flood watch in effect tonight through Wednesday.

Higher amounts of rain will be in the southeast where we could see anywhere from three to five inches outside Atlanta, one to three in the panhandle. One more thing to mention, we are looking at a possible storm setting up just in time for Thanksgiving travel.

Wednesday into Thursday, two different computer models we're looking at not agreeing yet, but the first one bringing it a little closer to shore, could tap into that cold air, could be a snowmaker and could cause some problems anywhere from D.C. all the way to Boston Wednesday through Thursday.

The other model that we're looking at takes it a little bit farther offshore. It doesn't tap into that cold air as much. It doesn't look like it will be quite a snowmaker. So once those agree, we'll have a better idea what's going to happen.

If you're traveling to the northeast, Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, all that, keep in mind, we could see messy weather, snow possible just in time for Thanksgiving.

PAUL: All righty. Jennifer Gray, thank you for the heads up.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk sports now. Welterweight boxer, Manny Pacquiao, put on another explosive performance overnight, dominating Chris Algerie to retain his WBO title, 35 years old. Boxing great didn't win with a knockout, but Pacquiao scored six knockdowns on the way to his unanimous decision.

PAUL: You know, combat missions in Afghanistan were supposed to be over in a matter of weeks at this point.

BLACKWELL: Yes. But President Obama is now expanding and extending the U.S. mission in the war-torn country. Why and for how long? We'll talk about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: It's 20 minutes after the hour. And President Obama's decided to extend and expand the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan. In a new policy shift, the U.S. military will now keep troops in the war-torn country to carry out combat missions against the Taliban and other militant groups threatening American troops or the Afghan government.

Of course, this comes as a big surprise to a lot of people because back in May, President Obama announced that U.S. combat operations in the country would end next month. Take a listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We have agreed that this is the year we will conclude our combat mission in Afghanistan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Lieutenant Colonel Bob Maginnis joining us now from Woodbridge, Virginia. Colonel, thank you so much for being with us. Why now? What changed? They've been there for, what, 13 years at this point. What prompted this?

LT. COL. ROBERT MAGINNIS, U.S. ARMY (RETIRED): Well, a couple of factors here, Christi. First of all, the military came and told the president, look, Mr. President, we need to keep people there so we can pursue the Haqqani network. Extremists are, you know, popping up here and there.

And of course, the Taliban is a real resilient enemy and our Afghan allies aren't quite ready as yet to fight them. Plus there was the presidential election, Christi, and the fact is that the new president in Afghanistan was far more receptive to us staying and conducting these types of operations.

PAUL: Does ISIS have anything to do with this and the new threat that we've seen from them?

MAGINNIS: Yes, of course. You know, when we left Iraq in 2011 because the Iraqi government didn't want to us there any longer, things started to fall apart as we saw this summer against ISIS. So the president has reconsidered -- we don't want that to happen to Afghanistan.

And if we leave a small element to continue assisting, advising, training and also fighting, as the president said the other day, then that may preclude a similar scenario from happening in that country.

PAUL: I want to read something from back in May, Republican Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Kelly Ayotte released a statement criticizing Obama's move to end combat missions and withdraw troops in Afghanistan with this quote.

"This is a short-sighted decision that will make it harder to end the war in Afghanistan responsibly. The president came into office wanting to end the wars he inherited, but wars do not end just because politicians say so." Does this give credence to the argument that, you know, the U.S. should not set exit dates?

MAGINNIS: Yes, it is difficult. And of course, the Taliban was paying very close attention to this and that was a political factor as well in the recent election in that country. So we have to be careful. We have to help our allies.

Now, we've guaranteed about $12 billion in continued aid, and of course even after the end of next year, we're going to have an element there to continue to advise and assist and train. I think that's something that's necessary.

You know, keep in mind, after World War II, we're still in Germany. We're still in Japan. So a smaller element each year, of course, but the reality is that these countries needed help. Well, Afghanistan was far more undeveloped than any of those countries.

And they need to continue to have our assistance, perhaps not up-front assistance, but assistance in terms of weaponry and some aid and, of course, some advice.

PAUL: The focus has been so -- so narrowed in on Iraq and Syria as of late with ISIS. How much does Afghanistan need us?

MAGINNIS: Well, it's probably more so than Iraq did in 2011. Afghanistan, of course, is a developing country. It has all sorts of issues in terms of security issues. It lives in a very dangerous neighborhood with Pakistan to the south and, of course, Iran to the west.

And people would like to manipulate that country's future. But the reality is, if we can help them to stabilize their democracy, which is very young and needs all the help it can get, then perhaps we're going to find a very better -- or much better long-term outcome if we just help stabilize and contribute to that future of that country.

PAUL: All righty. Lieutenant Colonel Bob Maginnis, always good to have your thoughts, thank you for being with us.

MAGINNIS: Thank you, Christi.

PAUL: Sure -- Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right, thanks, Christi. From civil rights activist to mayor of Washington four times, Marion Barry had a storied career with all the plot points one would expect in a great story. But this morning friends and family are remembering his life and his legacy. We'll talk more about that.

But first, this week's "Ones to Watch" looks at electronic dance music in Argentina and to new stars leading the way, take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Argentina is at the forefront of a Latin American boom in dance music. Its capital is home to two young men, Augustine and Matias who are fast making reputation as one of the hottest prospects on the deejay scene.

MATIAS CHAVES, DJ/PRODUCER: Right now, we just made our first album. That was our biggest achievement. We always try to insert a couple of, like, Latin American instruments or instruments from Argentina, so there is one track specially, that the whole breakdown is a tango melody.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A real important part of the track. So you have created a really high-energy part because after that, you drop the beat. This is a typical sound.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: They're preparing to play their new music to fans for the first time during an all-night set in the city.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Set for four hours, it's a journey. It's like telling a story. It's like we are the captains and everybody is on board. People are following us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I hear a heat beat track, I can hear it from a million tracks. That's a heat beat track. You can hear it in the baseline, the reverb. It's really unique.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: All right, be sure to watch the full show at CNN.com/onestowatch.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: It is 30 minutes past the hour on a Sunday. And we're so grateful for your company. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Thanks for being with us this morning.

PAUL: Yeah, we have some somber news we need to start with this morning. Former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry has died. He was 78 years old. Now, we don't know the cause of death. It's still unknown. But we know that he struggled with some health problems in recent years.

BLACKWELL: Barry started his career as a civil rights activist in the 1960s. He was elected as Washington's mayor four times and served as a city councilman as well.

PAUL: In 1990, he made headlines after a televised surveillance tape showed him smoking crack in a D.C. hotel room. He was later convicted and served six months in prison for that.

BLACKWELL: We return now to our coverage of Ferguson, Missouri, where the people there are just waiting, waiting for this grand jury to make a decision.

PAUL: Yeah, I mean, they're supposed to reconvene tomorrow, we know, and protesters are hoping that they're finally going to know whether Darren Wilson will or will not be indicted for Michael Brown's killing. CNN's Stephanie Elam is live from Ferguson for us. Stephanie, do you get a sense there that waiting has heightened the anxiety?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think waiting has been part of the entire game this whole period, Christi and Victor. Folks are used to it. Everyone knows that this was not going to be a particular science on exactly when we were going to hear back from the grand jury. Technically, they do have until January 7th to come back with their decision. It is expected much faster than that. What we do know is that protesters are still planning on doing what they're doing no matter what happens. And as far as the grand jury decision, some people I spoke with are happy to see that they didn't come back with a quick decision. They take confidence in the fact that perhaps these 12 people are taking their job very seriously and trying to come up with what they believe is the right decision.

BLACKWELL: It may be difficult to know if these protesters are local or are not, but is there any way to decipher how many of these protesters have come into Ferguson and how many Ferguson residents, how many people who live there are really going out night after night?

ELAM: Right. And you're right, Victor. We are seeing people out here night after night. We are seeing demonstrations. We know that there was some more peaceful demonstrations over this weekend as well. And you're talking about, you know, solid numbers of people some nights. Some nights it's just a couple. Some night it's 50 people, 100 people. But yeah, there are a lot of them who are not from here. I've talked to some folks who were telling me that they came from Chicago, some from Kansas, some from Seattle, even, coming here and have been living here since August when Mike Brown was killed. So there are a lot of people from other areas. And as far as Ferguson is concerned, they're very small -- they're much smaller numbers of people from Ferguson, but a lot of the people you will see are from the St. Louis area. A lot of people in St. Louis that have been out here feeling that they are -- this is something that they needed to address because they've seen it through their own eyes in their parts of the community. But yes, there are a lot of people here from other parts of the country. No doubt about it, Victor and Christi.

BLACKWELL: All right, Stephanie Elam there for us, reporting this morning. Stephanie, thank you.

PAUL: Thanks, Stephanie. You can imagine what it's like to be inside that grand jury, you know, knowing the implications of its decision here. So with us, CNN legal analyst Paul Callan and Danny Cevallos. Both with us here. Good morning, gentlemen.

DANNY CEVALLOS: Good morning.

BLACKWELL: So, first of, I wonder just if you can help us understand the makeup of this jury and how that could impact what we expect to hear. We do have the numbers there being a racial split, men and women on this jury. Do you expect that men and women, seven men, five women, that that could have any impact on the perspective looking at what we know, they, of course, know more, but what we know about what happened on August 9th? Let's talk with Paul.

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, you know, I think when lawyers look at how women as opposed to men react to these situations, I know when I picked juries in murder cases, and there's a child involved, this is not a child, he's a young man, he's 18 years old, the victim, the question is, you know, will a woman be more sympathetic because she's a mother? And there's a little bit of that thought that goes into it. But I don't see the gender split as being significant here. I'd be more concerned about the racial split which I'm sure we'll talk about later.

PAUL: Go ahead. Actually, we wanted to get into that. So, Danny, well, let me go to Danny with that one. Danny, the racial split. Paul says that he's concerned about it. Are you?

DANNY CEVALLOS, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I'm not, and here's why. In all my years of picking a jury, I have learned that I have learned nothing about picking a jury. Deciding how people will vote based on their race or gender is like reading tea leaves. It's like phrenology. It's like feeling the bumps on my head to diagnose a mental -- or a medical problem. I think far more concerning really for me is the fact that we even know the makeup of this jury. The entire idea behind the grand jury process is secrecy. And that's to protect grand jurors. Increasingly we've heard more and more information released or leaked about these grand jurors. And I think that subverts and threatens the entire grand jury process. It's a dangerous precedent. If we're going to use the grand jury process, we must preserve its secrecy for the protection of grand jurors. And not use it as a political tool. So while I cannot read too much into the race and gender of the grand jury simply because I do not know that I could guess at how they would vote along those lines, I think far more concerning is the fact that we even know the makeup of this grand jury.

CALLAN: If I could just jump -- if I could just jump in there.

BLACKWELL: Three African Americans, nine Caucasians. Tell us what you think there, Paul.

CALLAN: Well, you know, it's a 9-3 split. You know, Danny's absolutely correct. You can never predict these things along racial lines, but boy, there's the racial split on this case, you know, pretty significant, I think. And now, what's interesting, of course, is that it takes nine votes in order to get an indictment in the case. So if three members of the panel say no and nine say yes, there's -- it's going to go one way or the other. So it could play a part. And the other thing I think we should remember -- and this has been a misconception because I hear a lot of people saying it's not a fair reflection of the community because Ferguson is overwhelmingly black. In truth, it's a reflection of the county. That's how we try cases in the country, on a county-by-county basis. And in fact, there are more African-Americans on this jury than there are on a percentage basis in St. Louis County. So just slightly. I think the population figure is 23 percent African-American. There are 25 percent on the jury. So it actually does very fairly represent the demographics of the county, and that's what we like to see in juries so that there are all groups are represented on grand juries.

PAUL: You know, the thing is, we know that there's a state of emergency that's already been, you know, established there. The National Guard's been called in. There are SWAT teams, the ATF. People are boarding up their businesses because there is such anticipation of what's going to happen if there is no indictment in terms of protests and backlash. How do you, Danny, as somebody -- a member of the grand jury who has not been sequestered and most likely know all of this, how do you not factor all of that in, knowing that whatever judgment you make is therefore going to be severely judged?

CEVALLOS: It's impossible. These people are members of their community. And remember, as much as we try to say that grand juries are secret and the identities are secret, after all, somewhere at a job, someone's saying hey, where's Steve been? He's been out of work a lot the last couple of weeks. And people can divine or figure out eventually who people are and what people are actually sitting on this grand jury even if that information is never released. So you can imagine it's far more known in the community or through the hallways, not just the racial makeup, but the actual identity of grand jurors. And they know that other people know who they are or who can figure it out. So it's just an unimaginable amount of pressure, especially for people who typically do not find themselves thrust into the media spotlight.

BLACKWELL: Paul, the possible charges here, first-degree murder, second-degree murder, voluntary, involuntary manslaughter as well. What will it take to bring a first-degree murder charge, obviously the most difficult to prove if this moves on to the next phase?

CALLAN: You know, I think it's a really tough hill to climb for the prosecutors to prove first-degree murder here, because first-degree murder requires premeditation and planning. And certainly whatever happened in that tragic encounter between Michael Brown and Officer Wilson, it happened very, very quickly and sort of almost impulsively. And I don't think they're going to have an easy time proving premeditation. So if you see an indictment, I suspect it's going to be one on the lower counts that are submitted.

PAUL: All righty. Paul and Danny, we appreciate your insight so much. Thank you for taking the time for us this morning.

CEVALLOS: Thank you.

PAUL: Sure.

BLACKWELL: It was a pretty big weekend for former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. She took part in a biking event. We'll tell you why this event meant so much to her.

PAUL: And a town in Louisiana passed an ordinance to ban pit bulls. And one family is desperately fighting now to save their beloved pet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Five things you need to know for your new day. Up first, police are looking for a gunman who shot and killed four people at a house in (INAUDIBLE) ?leveland. Among the dead, a pregnant woman.

The gunman also shot the woman's nine-year-old daughter. She was grazed across the chest. She told police the shooter was wearing a mask.

PAUL: Number two, the University of Virginia is suspending all fraternities and associated parties until January 9th. This comes after a student described in a "Rolling Stone" magazine article how she was allegedly gang raped. And her frustration at just trying to get justice. School officials have also asked the Charlottesville police department to investigate the incident now.

BLACKWELL: Number three, a gay rights activist and vocal supporter of President Obama has been indicted on sex crimes. 66-year-old Terry Bean was arrested last week on charges of sexual abuse related to a 15-year-old boy in Oregon. Bean's attorney denies the charges saying the statement that Bean is the victim of an extortion ring.

PAUL: Number four, a family in Louisiana desperately fighting to keep their beloved dog Zeus, a pit bull, seen here. So far 40,000 people have signed their online petition to reverse their town's new ordinance which bans vicious dogs that includes pits. The family has to get rid of Zeus by December 1st. And if they don't, authorities will take the dog to the pound where it will be, quote, disposed of. At 8:00 a.m., we're talking to owner Joanna Owens and her daughter, O'Hara, about that.

BLACKWELL: Number five, Gabby Giffords is back on her bike. The former congresswoman completed the El Tour de Tucson ride yesterday. She says she's worked long and hard for this day. Giffords is still recovering after she was shot in 2011 in a mass shooting in her district.

PAUL: So impressive there.

BLACKWELL: All righty. Down to the wire, right now world diplomats are trying to hammer out a deal over Iran's controversial nuclear program.

PAUL: With so much at stake, will they be able to do it before the clock runs out? Up next, why Secretary of State John Kerry says big gaps still remain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: This morning there are major concerns that a possible deal with Iran over its controversial nuclear program may not happen by tomorrow's deadline. An Iranian official says because of limited time, it would be, quote, impossible to find uncommon ground. Right now Secretary of State John Kerry is in Vienna to address what he calls serious gaps still remaining. Let's go straight to CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson. He's live in Vienna with how those talks are going. Impossible serious gaps? It doesn't seem like this is going to happen. Do we have any indication of what those serious gaps are?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We don't. One of the reasons we don't is because the content of these negotiations is being very closely held. We don't have any access into the hotel behind me where the talks are taking place. And everyone involved in those talks is keeping very, very quiet about what's discussed. And the reason for that, we're told, is simply that they don't want to undo any possibility, any chance of making an agreement. The State Department says it is still focusing on trying to reach an agreement. Secretary Kerry has just concluded another two-hour meeting with his Iranian counterpart, the foreign minister Zarif and the E.U. representative Catherine Ashton. Again, no read out on how that's gone. Secretary Kerry speaking just yesterday describing how big those gaps that remain are. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We're working hard. We hope we're making careful progress, but we have big gaps. We still have some serious gaps which we're working to close. And the good thing is, the P-5 plus 1 are united and working in concert, and we're simply going to not say anything subsequent about the discussions while they're going on. But a lot of serious work is going on by a lot of people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now, the same Iranian semiofficial state news agency (INAUDIBLE) reported that from the Iranian side, the gaps are too big to get a deal with the time left available, said that they are now discussing or the options are on the table for an extension. The State Department continues to say that they're still trying to get an agreement within the time frame, but they are discussing internally and with international partners their best options for a way forward. But as one State Department officially told me a little while ago, there are big decisions for the Iranians to make at this stage, and they show no signs so far, at least, of making those big decisions. Victor?

BLACKWELL: And not much time left to make those decisions. Nic Robertson for us in Vienna. Nic, thank you very much. Christi?

PAUL: You know, fears this morning that ISIS could take control of Iraq's Anbar Province because the Iraqi military and tribal forces have been facing off with extremists in a bloody, deadly battle. This since Friday. And local officials are warning CNN now that if extremists can take a central military and government complex, the Sunni-dominated province will fall, they say.

BLACKWELL: A top cop in Mexico has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of 43 college students back in September. According to officials, Cesar Nava Gonzalez allegedly helped round up the students and hand them over to a drug gang to be massacred. Thousands across Mexico continue protesting in the streets, demanding justice for the families of the victims.

PAUL: This morning friends and family are remembering former mayor Marion Barry, Washington mayor, of course. He had a troubled past but Barry managed to make a comeback time and time again. And in the next hour, how he turned from a civil rights activist into a symbol of that city. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: All right, Thanksgiving is almost here, and here at CNN, we're preparing for our own holiday tradition. "CNN Heroes: an All- Star Tribute," is a celebration of this year's top ten heroes.

PAUL: And we do not use that term lightly because the things that they have done are really spectacular. The star-studded gala was held this week in New York City. It airs Sunday, December 7TH. And Michaela Pereira kind of gives us a behind-the-scenes sneak peek.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're in what's called the whale room. You're wondering why, right? A little hint for you. The days leading up to the main event are action packed. Cameras, lighting, HD video screens and decor are put in place. And no show is complete without the rolling out of the red carpet. Before you know it, a transformation.

So inside this trailer, my fantastic colleagues are putting the final touches on the show. Dare I go in?

Come on, look alive, people! We're almost at Showtime!

On this night at the museum, host Anderson Cooper and the CNN team honor a very special kind of person. ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of these people, they don't

have a lot of money. They don't have access to power. They don't have, you know, they're just people who saw a need in their community and set about trying to fix something.

PEREIRA: And here the celebs have turned out to pay them tribute. Recording artist Sheryl Crow who performed at "CNN Heroes" inaugural event is back for another special performance.

I'm grateful to CNN that they have started this program because there are so many angels out there on this planet that are doing god's work.

PEREIRA: For the night's honorees who never seek the spotlight, seeing it all for the first time is a moment to remember.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Tune in to see the show featuring Anderson Cooper and a host of celebrity presenters and performers on an evening that is sure to inspire. That's "CNN Heroes: an All-Star Tribute" Sunday December 7TH at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, of course, right here on CNN.

PAUL: We have a lot of news that we need to get to this morning, too.

BLACKWELL: Yeah, the next hour of your "NEW DAY" starts right now.

There's been no grand jury decision in Ferguson, and they won't reconvene until tomorrow. But we're going to break down what this could mean for the case and for Officer Darren Wilson.

PAUL: Plus, a rape scandal at the University of Virginia. New this morning, the school's president suspends all campus fraternities as allegations of sexual assault and violence on campus grows.

BLACKWELL: And a flood watch right now for residents in Buffalo, New York. A new scare as massive amounts of snow start to melt away.