Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Winter Storm May Become Nor'easter; Mixed Reviews on Iran Nukes Deal; Pope, Putin Hold First Meeting; Iran, World Powers Strike Nuclear Deal; Remember Officer J.D. Tippit; "Hunger Games" Heats up Box Office; How Will Thanksgiving Affect Wall Street?; Heisman Hopeful Accused of Rape; NFL Suspends Referee

Aired November 24, 2013 - 18:00   ET

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

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: You're here, and you're in the NEWSROOM. I'm Martin Savidge. It's great to be with you.

People from Boston to the nation's capital could have an unwanted guest this Thanksgiving -- a powerful and dangerous winter storm. This is how it looks right now in the Southwest -- the high winds, the snow, the sleet, the ice, the rain, they're all pushing East. Treacherous road conditions out West have already claimed five lives.

Singer Willie Nelson suspended his concert tour after one of his buses hit a patch of ice in east Texas and skidded into an overpass. Several band members were hurt. Already, the storm has forced the cancellation of 300 flights at Dallas-Fort Worth airport.

Meteorologist Karen Maginnis has been tracking the storm.

And, Karen, what we really want to know is what is going on the next few days.

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Marty, this has really turned out to a very dangerous situation across Texas and in New Mexico. We had numerous reports of accidents across southern New Mexico, also west Texas. But now, that's spreading a little bit further towards the East and it does include the Dallas Metroplex, an already an icy mixture. Little bit of freezing rain and sleet reported. Between Interstate 20 and Interstate 10, this is what we're looking to see, kind of the bulk of the icy situation.

But the dynamics of this storm system are going to be changing as we head towards that all important travel day that will affect tens of millions of people, not just along the Gulf Coast but across the mid- Atlantic in the Northeast. We start out, rainfall along the Gulf Coast, still an icy situation coming up for the morning hours for Dallas. And then it looks like the spine of the Appalachians start to pick up that icy mix.

And then, going into Wednesday, take a look at this -- where you see the purple, along the I-95 corridor and to the West, we could see an icy mix and snow fall across interior sections of the northeast. But, the track of this storm still has to be determined but right now it looks like Washington, D.C., New York City and boston are looking at a rain event, a cold rain event.

So, as we look in the forecast coming up for Monday, mostly sunny Northwest Down to Southwest, Dallas will gradually clear out but will focus on the storm system moving through the Gulf and eventually towards the Northeast.

Marty, back to you.

SAVIDGE: Timing could not be worse. We'll keep an eye on that one. Thank you, Karen.

Now that a nuclear deal between Iran and the world, world powers, is officially on paper, there is definitely non-universal agreement that that is a good thing. One of the loudest voices against this agreement is the prime minister of Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu said today the deal with Iran makes the world a more dangerous place. He was against any negotiations with Iran.

President Obama, of course, does not share his feelings. And we are told the two men spoke about this today for about a half an hour. The president assured Netanyahu that Israel will be consulted throughout the implementation of the agreement.

Here's the deal and it's in broad terms -- Iran has to scale back its production of nuclear material and allow inspectors and monitors. In return for some of the tough international sanctions that have hurt Iran's economy -- well, they will go away. Iran's president went on television today calling the deal a win for his negotiators.

And on the streets of Tehran, Iranian people tell CNN that they see this as an opportunity to improve relations with the West.

The Iran nuclear deal is, of course, getting mixed reviews from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Tory Dunnan is live in Washington, D.C.

And, Tory, Congress members are not shy about giving their opinion on this deal, are they?

TORY DUNNAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Martin, not at all. And one thing is for sure -- you can be sure that lawmakers also heard Netanyahu's comments about the deal. So, yes, this is a tough spot for the president to be in, but it's also one for members of Congress. And one of the key factors driving some of them is support for Israel.

So, take a listen to influential New York Senator Chuck Schumer. He is playing around with the idea of trying to lobby more sanctions in Iran. It's something the president said could derail the agreement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: As for additional sanctions that Congress is considering, the disproportionality of this agreement makes it more likely that Democrats and Republicans will join together and pass additional sanctions when we return in December. I intend to discuss that possibility with my colleagues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DUNNAN: So you heard it there. But we also want to show you this, because New York Republican Peter King issued a statement that says in part, "President Obama's agreement with Iran is a serious strategic mistake. This agreement is a victory for Iran and a defeat for the United States and our allies in the Middle East, specifically Israel and Saudi Arabia."

So, some strong fears there.

Secretary of State John Kerry says the U.S. will go into this with eyes wide open. And, Martin, he pointed out there will be no illusions that this is not based on trust, but instead on verifications. We're just going to have to wait and see if that is enough to keep Congress from acting.

SAVIDGE: Yes, some sort of vote by Congress for additional sanctions would be a real problem for the Obama administration.

What are they going to do or how can they convince lawmakers to get on board with the deal?

DUNNAN: It's going to be a whole lot of convincing that this is better in the long run. But on the flip side of things, some members of Congress actually already have ideas of their own.

In fact the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee wants Kerry to come up to Capitol Hill. In that way, the committee can ask questions about the deal. So, as you can tell, Martin, lots of opinions on this, and the coming days will be pretty important.

SAVIDGE: Oh, yes, absolutely.

All right. Tory Dunnan, thank you very much for that.

This nuclear agreement happened after, of course, decades of talks with Iran that went nowhere. And it may have been more than just public negotiations that sealed this deal. A senior Obama administration official says that U.S. has been meeting privately with Iranian officials since President Hassan Rouhani was elected.

CNN's Jim Sciutto is in Geneva.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Geneva, a historic deal is struck.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For the first time in nearly a decade, we have halted the progress of the Iranian nuclear program, and key parts of the program will be rolled back.

SCIUTTO: Designed to block Iran from ever building a nuclear weapon. OBAMA: These are substantial limitations which will help prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon. Simply put, they cut off Iran's most likely paths to a bomb.

SCIUTTO: After weeks of intense talks between Iran and six world powers in Geneva, crippling economic sanctions on Iran will be eased. In all, about $7 billion in relief.

In exchange, Iran agreed to halt enrichment of uranium above 5 percent, well below weapon's grade, and to dilute or convert its current stockpile of enriched uranium so it cannot be used for a weapon. Iran also agreed to stop building or operating its Arak heavy water reactor, a second potential path to a bomb. And Iran promised to be more open, allowing intrusive daily monitoring of its nuclear program.

In answer to a question from CNN, Iran's foreign minister, Javad Zarif, said the deal gave Iran what it has long sought, formal recognition of its freedom to a peaceful nuclear program.

(on camera): Some Iranian officials are claiming that right has been recognized. You say the program has been recognized. The White House says there is no formal recognition of a right to enrich. How did you square that circle?

MOHAMMAD JAVAD ZARIF, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: The plan of action, as we call it, in two distinct bases has a very clear reference to the fact that Iranian enrichment program will continue and will be a part of any agreement now and in the future.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Israeli's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu however was sharply critical of the deal, calling it a historic mistake.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Iran is taking only cosmetic steps, which it could reverse easily within a few weeks, and in return, sanctions that took years to put in place are going to be eased.

SCIUTTO: Secretary Kerry offered this assurance to America's closest ally in the region.

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: The next step requires proof certain, a fail safe set of steps, which eliminate the current prospect of a breakout in the creation of a nuclear weapon.

SCIUTTO: Still, the deal has its critics back in Washington. Republican senators including South Carolina's Lindsey Graham deeply skeptical.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA (via telephone): So, if all we've done is left in place what they've got, question is, should they be allowed to enrich given their behavior at all?

SCIUTTO (on camera): Both Iranian and Western officials say this deal represents a potential sea change in Iran's relations with the West. When you look at the outline of this deal, many components that would not have been predicted even a few months ago and right up until the agreement was announced past 3:00 in the morning Geneva Time, there were doubts that could come to an agreement until the announcement came out in four simple words: we have a deal.

Jim Sciutto, CNN, Geneva.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: The agreement with Iran could be a make or break moment for the president in the middle of what's been a pretty rough second term. Is this deal one for the history books? Or it will just merely muddle the waters in the Middle East? The political debate is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: There's no question that these are definitely troubled times for President Obama. His approval rating is the lowest of his presidency. And then, you've got the Affordable Care Act, his signature legislation, has been crippled by a very troubled roll-out, the signup at the Web site.

So, now, you have this historic deal that's been reached between Iran and six world powers over Tehran's nuclear program, and you might think, hey, it couldn't come at a better time. The president went live on television late last night, announcing the deal as a success.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: The international unity is on display today. The world is united in support of our determination to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. And Iran must know that security and prosperity will never come through the pursuit of nuclear weapons. It must reach through fully verifiable agreements that make Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons impossible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Well, you might think all of this would ease tensions, especially political rivalries. But I don't think that's the case.

Let's bring in CNN political commentator and Democratic strategists Maria Cardona in Washington and CNN political commentator Ben Ferguson. He is in Dallas where he has braved the weather.

Thanks very much, Ben, for doing that. Maria, let me start with you. Is this agreement really enough to distract the nation from what has been the horrible roll-out of Obamacare?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it's certainly is historic in nature, that's for sure, Martin. But I'll tell you a secret, the international schedule of things that happened on the international stage really has nothing to do with the president's domestic agenda. So, whether it will, quote-unquote, "distract" from Obamacare, who knows? I can tell you that the president can actually walk and chew gum at the same time, focusing on his priority to make sure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon and we saw that that was a first step of success in the announcement last night and he is also focused on making sure that Obamacare is up and running, get fixed. We see more good news daily on that end. More people are signing up. More people are looking at their options. More people liking what they see.

So, I think, importantly, the American people are seeing real leadership from this president on both tracks. Whether one that has been difficult and one that focused on for a while.

SAVIDGE: Hold on, Maria, let me stop you there, because I do want to bring in Ben.

And, Ben, you know, you heard what Maria said, that the president does not have a way to control the schedule of international events. But the secretary of state --

BEN FERGUSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: He does.

SAVIDGE: -- he could have made settled this sooner rather than later. That's what some speculate. What do you think?

FERGUSON: Yes. Well, I think that this is obviously political in nature. That's the worst part about this agreement is we literally just rewarded Iran for having bad behavior. They've continued on this track to build a nuclear weapon. And so, after we put in sanctions and they continue to move forward, we have now said, OK, we will reward you with billions of dollars that you can get your hand on.

We are also in this nuclear deal which I read earlier, we're going to give them humanitarian aid. The biggest issue with that is there is three Americans right now in Iran in prison that we know of. One of them is a pastor, a Christian pastor named Saeed and the president of the United States of America in this deal didn't even get the Americans back that have been in prison in Iran but we are sending humanitarian aid.

So, we don't give aid to our Americans in prison in Iran but we give humanitarian aid to the people of Iran. That's how bad this deal is for the United States of America, and I think it was done for political reasons and it's sad.

SAVIDGE: And I think a lot of people would say the divide of disagreement may have been beyond political lines. Maria, there are actually have been some Democrats who are now speaking out and saying that they aren't really keen on this idea either.

CARDONA: Well, look, clearly, this deal is not perfect. No deal as complicated as this, that actually right now achieves a very first important step that has been not achievable in decades. It's not going to be perfect. Not everybody is going to like it. And there's no question that Secretary Kerry has his work cut out for him.

So, it's a good thing that he actually comes from the Senate, the very people that he has to convince.

FERGUSON: But I think --

CARDONA: And I think once I talks about the details that are in this deal, it has a lot of teeth. It has a drop-dead deadline --

FERGUSON: It doesn't.

CARDONA: if when Iran has to got show progress and if that doesn't happen, sanctions will be ratcheted up, the president even left on the table last night the option of nuclear -- I'm sorry, the option of military action.

(CROSSTALK)

SAVIDGE: Go ahead, Ben.

FERGUSON: You look at Chuck Schumer today. Chuck Schumer is a guy that understands foreign policy and when it is political and when it's not. And when Chuck Schumer comes out and as adamant as he is today on this saying this is a bad deal for America, we are rewarding bad behavior, the president's foreign policy right now is out to see, this is -- look at Iran and how they react to this. They are celebrating this in the streets because they know that today was a massive victory for the president of Iran and America is the one being played in this all because Barack Obama wants to come back and say, I had some sort of victory because my poll numbers are low and Obamacare is a disaster?

And yet again, look at this deal, if you're American --

(CROSSTALK)

CARDONA: That is so ridiculous -- that is so ridiculous to think that this deal came about because Obamacare has been -- the roll-out of Obamacare has not been great. That's just ridiculous.

FERGUSON: It did.

(CROSSTALK)

SAVIDGE: We've got to go. We have to cut it there. Thank you.

CARDONA: And it's a good first step.

SAVIDGE: It is a first step, and it's not the last of the debate. Thank you both, Maria Cardona and Ben Ferguson.

CARDONA: Thank you, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Nice to see you, Ben.

FERGUSON: Thanks.

SAVIDGE: Good to see you, Maria. Thanks.

CARDONA: Thank you, Martin. You too.

SAVIDGE: Are they or aren't they? For the very first time, the Vatican has put on public display what is believed to be the remains of St. Peter. But like something from a Dan Brown novel, there is controversy here. And we will bring it for you, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Pope Francis will meet Russian president, Vladimir Putin, for the first time. That will be tomorrow at the Vatican. Some are already calling this the most important papal summit in decades.

Relations between the Vatican and Russia had been strained lately but the two men have one thing that unites them, that's the crisis in Syria. Pope Francis and Putin are adamantly opposed to international intervention in the Syrian civil war.

And today, for the first time ever, the bones believed to be St. Peters remains were put on display at the Vatican. At mass today, the pope held the small container holding the remains. Mystery and controversy surround whether they really are authentic. It comes down to faith.

Here's Ben Wedeman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it's something of a leap of faith to say those are indeed the remains of St. Peter. They were kept for decade in an urn in the papal apartment with an inscription that essentially said tradition holds that these are the bones or remains of St. Peter.

Now, circumstantial evidence may point to the possibility that those are the bones, after much study, it was found they belong it a man who's about 5'7" who died between ages of 60 and 70, which does coincide with the traditional narrative of the life and death of St. Peter. But there's no way anyone can carry out any sort of DNA test on those bones to ascertain they belong to St. Peter.

One more bit of evidence to add is that apparently they were found in an underground cavity that did have an inscription in ancient Greek that said, Peter is within -- which indicates or suggests that somebody by the name of Peter was buried down there. But historians and archaeologists aren't all together convinced. But this is a matter of faith when it comes to the Catholic Church.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Ben Wedeman, thanks very much for that explanation.

Right now, millions of Americans are in the path of a storm that could become a nor'easter. And, of course, this certainly isn't good news for those traveling for Thanksgiving.

Coming up, a look at who is bracing for the cold and wet holiday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: At least five deaths now are being blamed on a huge winter storm that is working its way east across the United States.

And this video here is going to tell you much of the story, driving too fast on icy roads, led to this roll over of an SUV in Oklahoma City. Fortunately, this driver was wearing a seatbelt and walked away unhurt. But scenes just like it could become all too common over the Thanksgiving travel period, because this is all about timing.

As this storm moves east, it could collide with an arctic blast out of Canada and the moisture coming up from the Gulf by Thanksgiving, East Coast might find itself in the grips of a full blown nor'easter.

Right now, it's Dallas-Fort Worth that is in the path of this particular storm. Taking a look here at the tower cam coming at us from the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, some 300 flights were canceled today. It doesn't look that bad. But as you know, it doesn't take much to interrupt flights.

CNN's Nick Valencia has been tracking this storm.

And, Nick, how soon before it hits where you are?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Martin, that weather system came over us a couple of hours ago, about 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. Eastern, your time. We saw a mixture of light rain and sleet. That moisture didn't really stick on the ground for very long.

But as we move into those evening hours and the temperatures drop below freezing, we can expect the road conditions here to have some major problems. Earlier when I spoke to the Texas Department of Public Safety, they laid out the worst case scenario.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. LONNY HASCHEL, TEXAS DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFETY: It depends on which model you are listening to as for as forecasts are concerned. If we end up with all freezing rain, there was one model that called for half inch of ice. If that comes to pass, that's going to be terrible for travel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: And that low pressure system that's moving its way from southern California through New Mexico, on through Texas and perhaps eventually into the Northeast, it's causing temperatures to drop below about 10 to 20 degrees below average for this time of year.

Martin, these are temperatures that we are tending more -- they are more normally around January. Not usually around November this time. And as you mentioned, it doesn't look that bad right now. Texas state officials are bracing for the worst. They say, you can have about a quarter of an inch of freezing rain on those roads. Black ice, you know, it comes out of nowhere for a lot of those travelers. So for those in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, be sure to stay safe.

And that quick note as you mentioned earlier, Martin, already, 300 departures cancelled from Dallas-Fort Worth airport. Airport officials do tell us that's more of a precaution in anticipation for the severe weather. They are trying to limit the number of passengers stranded at airports Monday morning -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Right. Of course, that has a ripple effect across the country.

Nick Valencia, all right, thank you very much for giving us that update.

President Obama working today to put a new nuclear deal with Iran into the first light. The president spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was against negotiating with Iran to begin with. And he calls this weekend's agreement a historic mistake.

Iran agreed to roll back parts of its nuclear program. That in exchange for some lifting of some economic sanctions. The deal has a timeline, though. Six months. During that time negotiators will try to hammer out something more permanent.

Last night's announcements of the nuclear deal was crossing the finish line so to speak. The race toward that historic moment, though, actually started months ago when the Iranian people elected a new president with new priorities.

I want to get Aaron David Miller in here because he is with the Woodrow Wilson International Center and has served both Democratic and Republican administrations as a Middle East negotiators.

And, Aaron, you wrote in "Politico" an article today which is titled "Let's Not Celebrate Yet." Why?

AARON DAVID MILLER, WOODROW WILSON INTERNATIONAL CENTER: Because it is way too early, Martin, to break over the champagne and as I mentioned in the article, put the party hats on. I mean, you've got a first step against the -- background of profound suspicions between the United States and Iran. Secret channel notwithstanding.

You have big issues, not just on the nuclear weapons issue but on a variety of issues across the region, human rights, 150 Iranians have been executed since President Rouhani took office. You've got problems -- differences over Iranian support for Syria. And you've got key American allies. Israeli and Saudi Arabia, our closest, longest-term allies, are profoundly upset about what it is we're trying to do.

So I think there's a lot that needs to be done, in essence, to make this what people are claiming it is not, which is a historic agreement. It is a step that could, could, begin to transform the U.S./Iranian relationship, but we are not there yet.

SAVIDGE: OK, so let's just take it for what it is, a step maybe. But you report on these secret meetings, which I had not heard about until now. So who is involved and how was it able to remain a secret?

DAVID MILLER: Well, I mean, keeping radio silence on negotiations is critically important under any circumstances. It was true in the Arab-Israeli arena for a long, long time. When Moshed Dayan showed up in Washington at the State Department in October 1977, my colleagues were shocked by the fact that he had been meeting secretly with Anwar Sadat's presidential adviser Tahami.

So it's those kinds of negotiations my former boss, Madeleine Albright, claimed that negotiations like mushrooms grow better in dark places. And I think that's absolutely right. So this back channel, presumably is starting even before Rouhani took office, basically was an effort, I think, to create a measure of confidence and trust to open up a direct -- a direct dialogue.

And this -- I don't want to over-idealize it or over-sentimentalize it, but the fact is when two countries are getting their cues and their images and their understanding of one another from the worst possible sources, direct negotiations, direct contact, direct dialogue is extremely important. And I suspect it helped pave the way for this agreement. Not that it became a decision-making channel.

SAVIDGE: Right.

DAVID MILLER: But it was a discussion channel.

SAVIDGE: Let me ask you a real quick before we run out of time. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as we've reported is not happy at all. He thinks that the world is even more dangerous because of this. Describe the tough spot Israel finds itself in.

DAVID MILLER: You know, in life, where you stand has a lot to do with where you sit. And, you know, Barack Obama is sitting in Washington, surrounded by non-predatory neighbors to his north and south, and literally fish to his east and west, where one historian called our liquid assets.

Israel is a powerful country. Hundred nuclear weapons and then some. But it is a small country, nonetheless, in a very dangerous neighborhood. And the Israelis as -- have a very dark past, as well. So for Netanyahu, this is existential both in terms of the way he looks at this issue and his sense of responsibility.

I don't expect that these two guys are going to agree on much about the Iran issue. They agree on the end state but how to get there, the timing, sense of threat. This has really opened up a significant rift. And, you know, unlike Lehman Brothers, as I argued the other day, the U.S.-Israeli relationship probably is too big to fail.

SAVIDGE: Yes.

DAVID MILLER: But we're in for a rocky ride, Martin.

SAVIDGE: You're absolutely right. Aaron David Miller, thanks very much. Good to talk with you.

DAVID MILLER: Nice to see you.

SAVIDGE: The sequel to the "Hunger Games," it's breaking box office records. But it also inspired some young girls to arm themselves with their own bows and arrows. Will it be mayhem in the streets? Arrows flying from pacts of young street hooligans? Well, no. But I'll explain next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: On Friday's 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination, part of the tragedy was almost forgotten. Another man was killed in Dallas that fateful day. And today's "American Journey" takes us back to remember Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit, Lee Harvey Oswald's other victim.

Here's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): As bells rang out in Dealey Plaza to commemorate John Kennedy, an 85-year-old great grandmother watched and listened. And more than anyone in that audience, she must have felt a double heartache. The nation had lost a president, she had lost a husband.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A Dallas policeman, just a short while ago was shot and killed while chasing a suspect.

COOPER: Marie Tippit was at home that day. She remembers her husband coming home for a quick lunch before heading back to his patrol car. As she told NBC News, it was suddenly a very hectic day.

MARIE TIPPIT, WIFE OF DALLAS POLICE OFFICER J.D. TIPPIT: They had called him and told him a description of the person that they was looking for.

COOPER: That person was Lee Harvey Oswald. J.D. Tippit drove to the Oak Cliff neighborhood in Dallas. He pulled over at intersection of 10th and Patton and stopped a man walking along the street. But as Tippit got out of his patrol car, Lee Harvey Oswald fired three times from the 38 caliber revolver. He shot Tippit a fourth time as the officer lay on the ground. J.D. Tippit died instantly.

TIPPIT: I just couldn't believe it. It was just unreal.

COOPER: Marie Tippit was in agony as they buried her husband. She had three children to raise and a pension of $232 a month from the Dallas Police. Donations from a grateful public ultimately added up to almost $650,000.

Today there's a memorial plaque at the corner of 10th and Patton in honor of J.D. Tippit but it took almost half a century to make that happen. It was dedicated only last year. She told the "Dallas Morning News," quote, "I'm proud we have it. It'll be a good thing for history to remember what happened here."

Anderson Cooper, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Thanks, Anderson.

The "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is even hotter than the original. Millions of fans hit the theater this weekend, putting the blockbuster sequel number one at the box office.

Our Rosa Flores is in New York. And Rosa, it seems like the movie isn't just inspiring people to spend money on tickets, is it?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Martin, you're absolutely right. It's also inspiring young girls to improve their survival skills. And I'll get to that in just a moment. But let's start with a box office estimates.

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," folks, is en fuego. Grossing more than $161 million. Making it the fourth highest three-day weekend ever. And once you add the more than $146 million at the international box office, the worldwide total is a whopping $307 million.

It was shot in places like Georgia, Hawaii, and New Jersey, while the original movie was all filmed in North Carolina. And it's inspiring hundreds of Girl Scouts there to put their archery skills to the test. Scouts from all over the state gathered in Shelby for a chance to earn their archery badges and learn about the film industry and its impact to their home state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIZ POPWELL, TROOP VOLUNTEER: Teach them about safety and the fun that we can have and that also teaching them a little bit about the movie industry and what that means and what that means to the local economy and how that brings money into our local economies as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: And if you're wondering how the "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" rates with the original blockbuster that opened in March of 2012? Well, hear this. "Catching Fire" brought in nearly $9 million more than the original "Hunger Games."

And Martin, let the games begin, my friend.

SAVIDGE: Yes. Not bad. Not bad. I sense this is not the only sequel of that. Thank you very much, Rosa.

(LAUGHTER)

FLORES: Yes. You're welcome.

SAVIDGE: The NFL penalizes a ref. Benched for what he said to a player. And there's a young Heisman hopeful in the headlines but for all the wrong reasons right now. We'll talk about this with Terence Moore, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Thanksgiving means a short Wall Street week but it's also an important one. Te markets look for any impact from all the earlier- than-usual sales. After all, consumer shopping is one of the economy's most important indicators.

Here is Alison Kosik.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Martin. It's going to be a short week on Wall Street. Just like the rest of us traders get Thanksgiving off and look forward to the annual turkey dinner. Friday will be a half day here at the New York Stock Exchange. And on that day, Wall Street will be watching to see how big the Black Friday crowds are.

Wells Fargo is the latest firm to say it expects shoppers to be tight- fisted with their money. It has huge implications. Consumer spending accounts for two thirds of economic growth. And the big question is, if shoppers are going to be turning out on Thanksgiving Day. A growing number of stores including Macy's, Wal-Mart, Toys "R" Us and JCPenney will be open on the holiday. A relatively new phenomenon which has been met with some public outcry.

As for the early part of the week, it'll be packed with a litany of housing reports. More than usual because the government shutdown in October delayed many of them. There's construction, building permits, pending home sales and home prices.

Martin, that's what's coming up this week on Wall Street.

SAVIDGE: There is a lot to follow, Alison. Thank you very much.

A Heisman Trophy hopeful with a rape allegation hanging over his head? The NFL benches a referee for using a derogatory word towards a player. And even if you're a fair weather NFL fan, well, tonight, it promises that it's a game to watch this season. Tom Brady versus Payton Manning. So let's tackle all of these this week. I love the cliche.

(LAUGHTER)

And we're going to talk to our sports contributor, Terence Moore. Great to see you again.

TERENCE MOORE, CNN.COM SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you.

SAVIDGE: Let me weigh into what is going on in Tallahassee here and the young man here that's under fire. He's up, you know, for the Heisman Trophy.

MOORE: Yes.

SAVIDGE: His team is doing extremely well. And I'm wondering for Jameis, how much of a distraction could this be?

MOORE: You know, you know what, let's look at this. They played Idaho yesterday. And Jameis Winston was so shaken up by those, Martin, he only led them to 80 points. OK? Now put this in perspective. You and I are quarterback in Florida State probably can score at least 40 points against Idaho. OK?

SAVIDGE: Right.

MOORE: And then this weekend, they're playing a bad Florida team. They'll win there, too. So this has not been that much of a distraction because of that. The weak teams. And also you've got the prosecutor. The prosecutor says he's not going to decide whether or not to do anything in this case until after the Thanks giving Day weekend. So that gives him a break, too.

SAVIDGE: Right. Yes. You know, some had suggested that maybe this was a leak to try and to interfere with the playing of this team.

(CROSSTALK)

MOORE: It hasn't worked so far.

SAVIDGE: Well, and it is also a pretty easy schedule that they're at.

MOORE: Yes.

SAVIDGE: I mean, if I was going to leak this information, I would have done it, say, four weeks ago or three weeks ago when they had really -- a huge game that was on the line. But that's just me talking.

These allegations, of course, extremely serious, because, you know, the question is what took authorities so long.

MOORE: Yes.

SAVIDGE: This happened back in February but only now it's really being investigated?

MOORE: Well, I mean, we've seen this so many times before. You know, whenever you're talking about a city that has a football factory, you have politicians, you have law enforcement agencies and officials, who have a tendency to become part of a team. OK? And they start looking the other way.

The alleged rape victim here, people around her saying things along the lines of, they were warned by the Tallahassee Police you better not carry this too far because you know this is a football town, wink and a nod, you better back off.

But I will say this. The prosecutor in Tallahassee, a guy named Willie Meggs, he's got a reputation to being a very tough guy, even when it comes to athletes. And back in the late 1990s they have a star player named Peter Warrick, who this guys, the prosecutors Meggs, nailed for shoplifting and cost it Peter Warrick the Heisman Trophy. So keep that in mind, too.

SAVIDGE: Right. And Heisman Trophy voting is right around the corner.

MOORE: That's exactly right.

SAVIDGE: Yes. OK. Well, let's move on to the NFL. I want to talk about the referee here because -- we're talking about Roy Ellison, who is suspended for one game without pay because of comments that he hurled at a Washington Redskins player.

You know a lot of times we tend to think it's the refs that get, you know, the abuse. What happened here? What was going on?

MOORE: Well, first of all, this has been a very bad year for officials. And this is another example right here.

SAVIDGE: Yes.

MOORE: And the NFL made the right decision here, Martin, because, you know, I used to be an umpire way back in the day, when I was as a youth, and I used to love being an umpire. And one of the first things they told you even back then is that you cannot confront people as an -- as an official or umpire, no matter what is said, no matter what is done.

Now in this particular case, the people who support Ellison are saying that, this particular Washington Redskins offensive lineman used the N word, called him the N word, and that he was justified in retaliating. But you know what, you're not as an official. If you want to retaliate, you shouldn't be an NFL official or any kind of initial.

SAVIDGE: Yes. I think, you know, once the officials lose then you've lost all sense of control in any way.

MOORE: That's exactly right.

SAVIDGE: And it's a violent sport.

MOORE: And particularly when you -- you sounded like you're an anti- Sunday school teacher with your language.

SAVIDGE: Let's talk about the football game that's on tap for tonight. You know, the showdown here is, of course, about the quarterbacks.

MOORE: Sure.

SAVIDGE: These two men.

MOORE: Yes.

SAVIDGE: A classic confrontation of two generals of the field. Who do you think is the favorite?

MOORE: Well, it's got to be Tom Brady simply he's 9-4 against Peyton Manning.

SAVIDGE: Yes.

MOORE: But, yes, I'll tell you what's interesting. I just checked the weather before I came out here, supposed to be 20 degrees on Foxboro, wind chill of five degrees, and Peyton Manning had those (INAUDIBLE) and I had had medical people tell me way back when, he's adversely affected by bad weather.

Now the god thing is, it's not going to snow. We know about Tom Brady and snow with the Tuck Rule. So that's one thing in his favor. But it should be New England winning this game.

SAVIDGE: All right. We'll see how it plays out.

(LAUGHTER)

Terence, pleasure to see you.

MOORE: Thank you.

SAVIDGE: Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

MOORE: And same to you and to your family.

SAVIDGE: Thank you.

Well, many of you are on holiday next week. There are of course extra family around. Those in-laws that you may want to dazzle with your brilliance. Well, we're here to help you. Know that. What you need know about the week ahead. Coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: With your "Weekly Five," I'm Rosa Flores.

What would you pay to own a piece of Hollywood history? The iconic statuette of the Maltese falcon from a 1941 film is up for auction on Monday. It's considered one of the most valuable props in movie history and could fetch up to $1 million.

Place your bets. Internet gambling goes online legally in New Jersey. Starting on Tuesday any adult in the Garden State with a computer or smartphone can play the same games found in casinos. New Jersey now joins Nevada and Delaware where it's legal to bet online.

Wednesday, watch the giant balloons come to life. Ahead of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Spectators will have the chance to see the balloons being inflated and they may want to look extra close at some balloons. Snoopy, Woodstock and Spongebob Squarepants will all be getting makeovers this year.

As Americans give thanks on Thursday, Jews will celebrate the beginning of Hanukkah. For the first time in decades the first day of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving will overlap. To mark the Thanksgivingkah holiday, people have created T-shirts, cards, songs and the menurkey -- a menorah shaped like a turkey, of course.

And on the biggest shopping of the year, hundreds of Wal-Mart workers are planning to stage a Black Friday walkout. According to a statement from the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, the employees are promising widespread massive strikes and protests. The workers want better wages, benefits and working conditions.

And that's your "Weekly Five."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: And as promised, five questions for the week ahead. Up first, the deal with Iran, the history-making agreements being met with sharp criticism from both side of the aisle. How does Secretary Kerry and President Obama sell the deal to Congress? And better yet, the American people.

Number two, reaction from Wall Street. Stocks climbed higher for a seventh straight week last week. The Dow and S&P close at record highs. But will the Mideast news make waves?

Number three, a deadly winter storm that's taking aim at the East Coast. Ice and snow. They threaten to wreak havoc for Thanksgiving travel. It is the northeast in for a holiday nor'easter. How about that?

And number four, Black Friday shopping in all its glory. This year, a handful of stores actually will open early on turkey day, Thanksgiving. They will be opening to pay off for the retailers.

Number five, rumors are swirling that, get this, news anchor Katie Couric may be planning to leave ABC News? Well, that's according to the "Hollywood Reporter." She may be on her way to Yahoo! So will the ABC darling jump ship?

OK, those are the questions.

Winter weather is coming up in just a minute. Miley Cyrus meanwhile turned 21 this weekend. But the birthday bash was not all fun and games. Get this. Police say that a burglar or burglars entered her home in New York. And that happened on Friday. The homeowner who police would not identify but CNN has confirmed was Miley told police that some personal items were taken. Didn't specify. Officers say that there were no signs of forced entry and they don't have any suspects.

A father and son in Long Island, New York, are accused of trying to cheat a lottery winner out of a million dollar prize. Police say that they own a deli grocery where they gave the customer a $1,000 winning or winnings, for his ticket. But you see the ticket was actually worth $1 million. Well, the winner got a little suspicious. And when he returned to the store they allegedly offered him 10 grand not to go to police.

You can see where this one went. The man went directly to police. The men were arraigned yesterday on larceny charges.

A today for the first time ever, the bones believed to be from St. Peter's remains will put on display at the Vatican. It came during a mass in St. Peter's Square marking the end of the Catholic Church's Year of Faith.

The bones were found during an archaeological dig at the Vatican in the 1940s. Mystery and controversy had surrounded whether they really are authentic.