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Gunman Dead; Black Friday Fights And Frenzy; Pope Francis Travels To Turkey; First Lady Welcome Christmas Tree; U.K. Embraces Black Friday; Protesters Urge Black Friday Boycott; Oil Prices Lowest Since 2010; Gunman's Rampage; Gunman in Texas; U.N. Criticizes U.S. Profiling

Aired November 28, 2014 - 13:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Shots fired on the Mexican consulate, a federal courthouse and the police headquarters. Authorities in Austin, Texas say the gunman is dead and we're still learning new details of what happened.

Black Friday, the deals, the steals, the fights and the frenzy. We're live with it all.

And Pope Francis travels to Turkey where he delivers a pointed message to listeners during his trip to this predominantly Muslim country. Let's get started.

Hi there, I'm Brianna Keilar in today for Wolf Blitzer. It is 1:00 p.m. here in Washington, 6:00 p.m. in London, 8:00 p.m. in Ankara, Turkey, and 9:00 p.m. in Baghdad, Iraq. Wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks for joining us.

We begin at the White House where the holiday season in the U.S. has officially kicked off. First lady Michelle Obama and her daughters welcomed the White House Christmas tree. It is an 18 1/2 foot tall Douglas fir. It was grown in Pennsylvania, and this tree will be on display in the Blue Room.

And speaking of the holiday season, 140 million, that's how many shoppers the National Retail Federation estimates will take advantage of deals in the U.S. this weekend. From the pictures, it does look like it's off to a good start. Many beginning their Black Friday holiday on Thursday night, actually, braving huge crowds for deals at this Macy's in Herald's Square in New York City.

But in some cases, shopping for the best deal turned into a battle for bargains, literally. In Texas, police had to intervene when crowds got rowdy in a Wal-Mart. For more on this, let's bring in National Correspondent Deborah Feyerick. She is live from the Newport Mall in Jersey City. And we also have Business Correspondent Alison Kosik.

Deb, you have been at the mall since early this morning. That's when the action really got started. What have you been seeing?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's really interesting. The most intrepid shoppers were the ones who came yesterday about between 9:00 and midnight and got a lot of their shopping done. Some stayed overnight here at the mall. The bigger stores like Macy's, JCPenney, Kohl's, all of those were open, really, throughout the night and people were loaded up with bags. You can see a lot of people are carrying shopping bags. There's a family over there, they've got a bunch of bags. They're taking a little break right now, getting something to eat. The restaurants also doing very well, fast-food stores making sure they keep everybody strong and braced for the shopping, because a lot of people are getting their shopping groove on.

Here joins us, the Zleiflers who were here. You guys came about an hour and a half ago. First of all, are more people, less people? What is your perception?

DANIEL ZWEIFLER: Definitely a lot more people here today. This is a lot crazier than it is here normally.

FEYERICK: You guys hit Macy's. What was that shopping experience like? Because I walked through there, too. What was your experience?

SOYAN ZWEIFLER: Inventory was a little messy. There's stuff all over the place. But you could find some deals. I tried to avoid (INAUDIBLE) because there were just so many people there. You can't even walk past aisles. But the handbags, we got a couple of good deals. So, myself, my parents, so it was good.

FEYERICK: So, you're not just buying for yourself. You're also buying some Christmas gifts right now, some holiday gifts. Now, your daughter also got something so you're making out pretty well. Do you want to show everybody what you got? Go ahead.

AMANDA ZWEIFLER: I got this bag from -- to put my phone and other stuff I'll get sooner or later.

FEYERICK: But you do have the cell phone, right? You're not, like, buying that just to pretend you have a cell phone. OK. Well, that's good. And the deals pretty much what you expected?

DANIEL ZWEIFLER: Yes, they're pretty good. Much better than, you know, what you expect.

FEYERICK: How long are you planning on staying here?

DANIEL ZWEIFLER: We're probably leaving not too long from now.

FEYERICK: I am with you. Unfortunately, I'm going to stay here a little while. But anyway, so, a lot of people really are here taking advantage of the sales. You know, the stores have really been pushing. They're offering coupons. They're offering free gifts. They're offering sort of these deals where if you're the 100th shopper, then you get some money off. So, they're really trying to incentivize people to come to the stores.

But if you can't, the good thing is you got a backup plan. Your plan B is to go to the dot-coms, you know, whether it's JCPenney.com, Target.com, anywhere.com and you will be able to shop online there. They're offering a lot of deals, too. So, the deals you're seeing here, you can see online as well. You know, to us, the sort of being here, the swell has happened. It was quiet in the morning but now we're seeing a pretty healthy group of people who are making their way, shopping, taking advantage of whatever deal they can get, whether it be 10, 20, or in some cases 60, Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, this is part of my Black Friday tradition is watching it happen here on CNN and then doing the online shopping later. Alison, I wonder, yesterday was Thanksgiving, and even some of my co-workers here, they were out last night shopping for Black Friday which has now become Black Thursday. There was a backlash for some stores that they did this. But how important is it that stores open before Black Friday now?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's very interesting you ask that because this year, of all years, it's important for these retailers to get these shoppers in and get them in early because Thanksgiving has come late which means that window of time to get shoppers in is shorter before Christmas. So, what are we seeing? We're seeing an online push where you're seeing retailers not wait for Black Friday. They're -- they started sending out e-mails about Black Friday back on Tuesday of this week.

And they're also doing what you said, Brianna. They're doing what everybody has criticized. These stores are opening on Thanksgiving Day. And you know what? People want this or they wouldn't be coming and the stores wouldn't be opening. Case in point, the Flagship Macy's store right here in New York City, 15,000 people were waiting in line yesterday on Thanksgiving to get into the store at 5:00 p.m. The CEO this morning said -- the CEO of Macy's said, people want this. Listen to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRY LUNDGREN, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, MACY'S: It was crystal clear, they wanted us to be open last night. We had that in the feedback. But they showed up in massive numbers. And so, we could go against their wishes and go for others but our decision is always to do what our customer wants. As for our employees, it's very simple. We hired 85,000 additional employees just for the November and December period with the understanding that if they would like to come to work for us, they will be working on these particular holiday days. That's what we need to have filled.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Now, a bit of irony in this whole shopping on Thanksgiving. Analysts are saying, you know what? These stores don't wind up making any more money by opening up on Thursday. They just basically move the sales from Black Friday a little earlier, so, Brianna, it winds up making the holiday shopping experience, at least until Black Friday, more of a marathon than a sprint, just for that one day, Friday.

KEILAR: Yes, I can't blame shoppers. I would rather stay up late maybe on Thanksgiving than get up early today. So, I can't blame them.

KOSIK: I agree. We'll work off the turkey.

KEILAR: Yes, exactly. Alison, thank you so much. Deb, thanks to you as well. You're in it for the long haul. We'll be checking back in with you.

Americans, though, they aren't the only ones taking advantage of the deals. Black Friday madness has gone international. Shoppers scrambling there at the store in London trying to grab T.V.s and other electronics. Stores gave deep discounts. They extended their hours. They advertised special deals. Jim Boulden explains why retailers have imported this American tradition.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BOULDEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Black Friday British style. You start with customers lining up outside a store, in the dark, early in the morning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I took that cab up there and the cab driver was actually in the queue with me, he was actually over there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't know they even did it here. But I used to do it in America a few years back so.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The deal is here now so take it now.

BOULDEN: Add in the rush through the doors, grabbing $200 LED T.V.s. (INAUDIBLE) says it sold 8,000 in the first hour. Add in another import, a few cheerleaders wearing black and white, of course, and you have that most American of holidays. Black Friday shopping.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need the Xbox. Where's the Xbox?

NATALIE BERG, GLOBAL RESEARCH DIRECFTOR, PLANET RETAIL: Black Friday makes sense in the U.S. because it follows a national holiday, Thanksgiving. It happens on a day when most people are off from work and it's a chance to kick start the Christmas spending. Whereas here in the U.K., Black Friday is just any other Friday.

BOULDEN: It was started here by the likes of Apple and Amazon. Now, retailers like Tesco, John Lewis, Boots all have Black Friday deals. One of the big U.K. retailers pushing out the vote this Black Friday is ASDA. It's owned by Wal-Mart and using its Wal-Mart connections to try to offer huge discounts. Last year, ASDA ran short of big screen T.V.s. Now, they're relying on the parent company to fill the shelves as opposed to local suppliers, to sell a lot more 40-inch LEDs for around $200.

AYAZ ALAM, SENIOR DIRECTOR, GENERAL MERCHANDISE, ASDA: All the T.V.s that we are selling in Black Friday have been sourced from either relationships that we've got with Wal-Mart and the brand it supplies or directly from Wal-Mart factories. Today, we'll sell well over 20,000 televisions in Black Friday today.

BOULDEN: Police in Manchester, England said there were several arrests overnight after being called to seven Tesco stores. The chief of police there slammed the store for not having enough security. In London, police were called to three more stores. This trend now flies in the face of the time-honored British tradition of the January sales.

ALAM: We need to ensure that we can save the money before Christmas rather than discounting them after Christmas when people have already spent the money.

BOULDEN: It doesn't hurt that many people in Britain get paid monthly, so this Black Friday also sees the last paycheck before Christmas, an early present for retailers perhaps.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: And it's always nice to have Jim Boulden with us. He's joining us now from London. That is quite a scene there in your story, Jim.

BOULDEN (on camera): Unbelievable.

KEILAR: It's crazy. Is this going to stretch throughout the weekend?

BOULDEN: Yes. In fact, because we don't actually get the Thanksgiving, do we? We don't get the Turkey. So, you know, people were lining up today, then they had to go to work or school. So, there is expected to be an even bigger crush on Saturday going into Sunday, then we have cyber Monday. But I have to tell you, seeing these people, seeing the cheerleaders, Brianna, I wasn't expecting that, --

KEILAR: Exactly.

BOULDEN: it's an extraordinary import from the U.S. to come here. And it's not just Apple, Amazon, ASDA, Wal-Mart doing this. Now everybody wants to get involved in it and give people a really deep discount a month before Christmas. So, I think it's just going to grow and grow here in the U.K.

KEILAR: All right, we'll be watching, Jim. Great to see you. Thank you so much.

BOULDEN: Yes.

KEILAR: Now, let's talk about the Ferguson protests. They have moved from the streets to retail stores. This digital poster has been shared and retweeted since the grand jury declined to indict Officer Darren Wilson on Monday. It's hash tag blackout Black Friday. National Correspondent Jason Carroll is at the Wal-Mart in Ferguson. And I'm wondering, Jason, if you're seeing the boycott happening there?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, here at this Wal-Mart in Ferguson, the parking lot has started to fill up, so not sure what type of effect the boycott is having so far. I can tell you that this Wal-Mart here opened up late, 8:00 this morning. That is late for a Black Friday. But considering what happened out here last night in its several other Wal-Marts in the area, demonstrators showed up and so did the National Guard. They blocked off the parking lot here at this Wal-Mart, preventing people from coming in.

Those that did show up were told that the Wal-Mart would not open until 8:00 this morning. Protests not just at Wal-Mart but also at Target. There was a target there in Brentwood. That's about half an hour from where we are. Dozens of protesters showing up at that Target. Shouting things like hands up and shut it down for Michael Brown. Back out here at this Wal-Mart, where a few demonstrators showed up here this morning, we spoke to one woman from Wisconsin who talked about why she decided to demonstrate for Michael Brown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Black lives matter more than Black Friday. We give thanks one day and then the next day, we'll trample each other for a $50 T.V.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Brianna, there have been calls all across social media on Twitter, on Facebook to shut businesses down here in Ferguson and across the country. But, you know, you talk to small business owners who are out here, especially those along West Fluorescent, some of those that were looted and some of those that were burned, some of those small businesses aren't sure if they will ever be able to reopen -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Thanks, Jason.

Oil prices are dropping again on the heels of yesterday's OPEC decision to keep production at current levels. This decision moved the market to its lowest price in over four years at just below $69 a barrel in the United States. And that means that you can expect gas prices to stay at or below the current price in the U.S. which is $2.79 a gallon on average for regular unleaded.

Still so many questions today after a gunman wearing a vest opened fire on a consulate, a courthouse and a police station. Police in Austin, Texas are looking at a potential explosive devices that may have been left behind in his wake. We'll tell you what we've learned.

And with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announcing his departure, who's on the president's short list for a replacement at this critical time? We have some new names that could be under consideration.

And the United States not fully in compliance with the U.N. convention on torture? We'll tell you what else the U.N. had to say.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: We're learning more about a gunman who opened fire at a government building - or buildings, I should say, in downtown Austin, Texas, early today. The man, whose name has not been released, fired more than 100 rounds at the Mexican consulate, the federal courthouse, as well as the Austin Police headquarters, before he was shot dead. Our Victor Blackwell has been following this story.

How did this whole thing unfold, Victor?

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, we've just listened to some of the dispatch recordings, and we know that the first calls came in at about 2:22 local time. You have to consider this is a holiday. And as the police chief described, there were crowds there because the bars had just closed at 2:00.

But, what we know is that the people who called in said that it sounded like a machine gun or some semiautomatic weapon because there were so many shots, as you said, more than 100. They don't know the sequence in which these building were shot yet, but, as you said, the Mexican consulate building, the Austin Police Department headquarters, the new federal courthouse in downtown Austin, also a branch of the BB&T Bank were all damaged there.

We have a bit of a description of the suspect. A 50-year-old white man who lived in Austin and has a criminal record, although no details about that record.

I have to tell you, though, as dramatic as the details of the event are, how it ended, those are just as dramatic. We're told that a sergeant, who was securing the horses with the mounted division, was holding on to the reins of two horses with one hand and with the other hand fired a single shot, and then that suspect fell to the ground. It has not yet been confirmed if it was that single shot or self- inflicted gun wound that killed this 50-year-old suspect, Brianna.

KEILAR: Wow. And there's also this concern, Victor, that police have. They think the suspect may have left explosives at his home or in his van. Is there an update on that?

BLACKWELL: Well, when the officers, they rushed in to drag this suspect away after he dropped to the ground, they noticed two things. Cylinders inside his vehicle. They suspected that possibly those could be IEDs or some type of bomb. He was also wearing a vest that they suspected could have been a suicide type vest. But the bomb squad was called in. The SWAT team was called in. Those two things were cleared. So there were no explosives there. But the chief, when asked if they would be searching his home, said that they would approach that location with the possibility of a threat. Maybe booby traps at that location. No update yet if those have been found. But we can tell you that a small green propane tank was ignited outside the Mexican consulate, but that fire was put out before it caused any damage to the building.

KEILAR: All right, Victor, thank you so much for that report. We'll be following along with you.

And still ahead, a United Nations committee, highly critical of the United States for racial profiling, excessive force by police, and other human rights issues.

And later, President Obama's search for a new defense secretary. We'll tell you who is on the expected short list. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: A tragedy, that's how the United Nations committee against torture describes the killing of Michael Brown. Meeting in Geneva today, the panel said it has to respect the decision not to prosecute Officer Darren Wilson, but it also accused the U.S. of not being fully in compliance with the U.N. convention on torture. Specifically, the group was critical of the use of racial profiling and excessive use of force by U.S. police, but it did not specifically mention events in Ferguson.

Joining me to talk about this is CNN's Phil Black. He's in London.

And, Phil, you know, earlier this week, the same committee urged President Obama to be transparent on alleged CIA torture. Is the U.S. suffering a credibility crisis here on human rights?

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, this United Nations committee has certainly come up with a pretty long list of concerns. Ways in which it believes the United States is not living up to the U.N. convention against torture. Some of it is historical. You touched on CIA allegations of torture there. It also talks about rendition and what it says were abusive interrogation techniques. That historic stuff, it wants the United States to be more transparent about just went on during that time.

It also had quite a bit to say about Guantanamo Bay, the fact that people are still being detained there indefinitely without charge and trial. It talks about attempted suicides there, mass hunger strikes, and it doesn't like the way that some of those inmates there, those detainees, are force fed.

It's other concerns, mandatory detention of some immigrants, including children, sexual violence in the military and in the armed forces, and the continued use of the death penalty. And it had some pretty tough language with what it regards as botched executions for the excruciating pain and prolonged suffering it says they caused. So not a crisis of credibility as such on human rights for the U.S. according to this report, but certainly not a clean slate according to this U.N. committee, Brianna.

KEILAR: No, definitely not. And I wonder, because two weeks ago you saw Michael Brown's parents giving testimony to the committee in Geneva. Do you think that that impacted this assessment out today?

BLACK: Well, when Michael Brown's parents testified at that committee in Geneva, they said at the time that what they wanted were answers from the U.N., they wanted action, they wanted the U.N. to tell the world about what they say is happening in Ferguson. They also wanted some tough criticism of their broader concerns about policing across the United States. In the end, they got part of what they wanted, because as you mentioned, Ferguson, nor Michael Brown, neither of those things gets a mention in this report. But in it, take a look at this. The committee expresses deep concern at frequent and recurrent police shootings and fatal pursuits of unarmed black individuals. It also noted numerous reports of police brutality and excessive force by law enforcement officials against certain racial and ethnic groups.

At a press conference marking the launch of the report, members of the committee said that what has been happening in Ferguson, the events there, it is a tragedy, but they had to respect the authorities' decision not to prosecute Officer Darren Wilson for shooting Michael Brown.

Brianna.

KEILAR: Phil Black, thank you so much.

Up next, the challenge in choosing a new Pentagon chief. We'll be taking a look at the expected contentious confirmation fight facing President Obama.

And later, Iraqi tribe's take on ISIS, but they say they're being left for dead by the Iraqi government and by the U.S. led coalition. We'll go live to Baghdad.

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