Return to Transcripts main page

New Day Sunday

Wilson Cites Threats In Resigning Force; Bridging The Gap Police And Minority Groups; Millions Head Home Today After Thanksgiving; Republican Staffer Apologizes; Analysis of Chuck Hagel's Resignation; Pope Francis Raises Awareness about Persecution of Christians in Middle East; Eagles Serve Philadelphia Children and Poor Families

Aired November 30, 2014 - 06:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's 112 days late. Thank goodness. We're so glad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Officer Darren Wilson no longer an officer. The man who shot and killed Michael Brown resigns from the Ferguson Police Department, but a lot of people are asking what took so long.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We opened the compartment where he was and saw him and asked him to come forward and he was horrified.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Found after nearly four years, a Georgia boy text his mother from inside the house he was held captive. What happened next is just astonishing.

BLACKWELL: And the Obama daughters dissed, now the backlash against the GOP staffer who trashed Sasha and Malia.

PAUL: You're up early on a Sunday morning. It's 6 a.m. That 2:00 alarm went off early this morning. We're all with you here. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. It is 6:00 here on the east coast. We're starting this morning with Officer Darren Wilson, no longer a member of the police force in Ferguson, Missouri.

PAUL: He resigned five days now after a grand jury decided not to indict him for killing unarmed teenager, Michael Brown. His lawyer tells CNN Wilson feared for the police department, which parentally had been threatened with violence had he stayed. BLACKWELL: Wilson said he hopes his departure will and this is a quote, "allow the community to heal." But as protests continued overnight, many say this just not enough. Our Ed Lavandera is in Ferguson. So, Ed, was Wilson forced out? Do we know where he is now?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't know where he is now. But you know, many people here say this announcement really doesn't come as a surprise even on both sides of this. No one really envisioned that Darren Wilson could be and continue to be a police officer here in the city of Ferguson.

His own lawyers have been saying that for some time as we've known that there was some sort of negotiation in process to plan for Darren Wilson's exit from the police department here in Ferguson.

But his lawyers have been saying that the chances of him ever working as a police officer are slim to none and his statement last night, Darren Wilson said that being a police officer was the only job he ever dreamed of doing.

So his lawyers saying this is a very difficult process for him as he continues and tries to figure out what to do next. But here in the city of Ferguson, reaction to the news of Darren Wilson's departure from the police department says many people say it just took too long.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My reaction to Wilson resigning today is he should have been fired and in jail a long time ago but in honor of Mike Brown.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It took too long.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's 112 days late. Thank goodness. We're so glad. He should have been fired on day one. Once all the word came out him shooting Mike Brown, I think they should have not put him on leave and he should have resigned or they should have fired him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: So Victor, many people here in Ferguson still want something to come of the federal investigation into the shooting death of Michael Brown. But I think we're still some time away from hearing the results of that.

And as far as the timing follows this, we reported for several weeks that Darren Wilson was in negotiations to leave the department and as for the timing, Wilson's lawyers told CNN last night that there were threats being made to the city of Ferguson Police Department.

That the resignation didn't come by Saturday night and the lawyers suggesting that was part of the reason for the timing of last it in's announcement -- Victor and Christi.

PAUL: Ed, is there still any concern that the police department would be targeted even though he has resigned? LAVANDERA: Well, we were told by the mayor last night that they didn't have a resignation letter in hand here in Ferguson. We don't know if that's changed over the last few hours, but his lawyers have made it clear that he's leaving the department.

PAUL: All right, Ed Lavandera in Ferguson, Missouri for us. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Also joining us on the phone now is CNN's Brian Todd.

PAUL: Brian, we know that you spoke to Wilson's attorney. What did he say specifically about Wilson's resignation?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, Christi and Victor, he said that, you know, as we've been reporting, that the negotiations have been in progress for some weeks now for him to resign, but that recently, in recent days, Wilson had gotten word of threats to the Ferguson Police Department.

I pressed him on those threats. He would not elaborate on the specific nature of the threats to the police department. He did indicate that the threat was of the nature that something could conceivably happen late last night or possibly overnight today into the Ferguson Police Department if he didn't resign last night.

Wilson had gotten a sense that he needed to step out yesterday or last night to avoid something happening. And again, we pressed him on that. He just didn't want to elaborate on that.

But clearly, Wilson had gotten a sense that the timing was such that he had better step out now and he did so. Again, we've been reporting for weeks now he had been negotiating this, his attorney told us this was in fact coming.

He knew he couldn't go back to being a police officer and it looks like he probably won't go back to being a police officer anywhere. One of the attorneys told us that in the early days after the shooting Wilson said that he still wanted to be a police officer.

And one of the attorneys said, you know, if you do that, there's a chance you could be lured into a blind alley and executed. We talked to former cop who say that could conceivably happen to a police officer who is so controversial.

Someone could find out what shift he's working and, you know, possibly lure him into some kind of a trap. So that was -- there were threats to Wilson's life as well and bounties placed on his head. He was in danger himself.

BLACKWELL: Guys, in the control room, it's not too long. Let's put the statement up because I want people to hear from Darren Wilson in his own words, likely with the advice from his attorneys.

But he says that in another interview, "I'm resigning of my own free will. I'm not willing to let someone else get hurt because of me." He goes on to say that, "the hardest thing I've ever had to do is resign. This is the hardest thing I'll ever have to do." He writes.

Brian, you say that he's been negotiating this resignation for some time. Some would ask what is being negotiated, the severance package? The pension, for someone to simply submit their resignation, that can be done in a one sentence letter. Do we know what package he might be receiving?

TODD: I don't know what kind of package he is receiving. The severance was probably a strong consideration there and also they reiterated several times to us, the lawyers did, that they just wanted the separation to be amicable with the Ferguson police.

They didn't want any tension. They didn't want any ill will as he left. His legal problems are certainly not over. Ed a second ago mentioned the federal investigation into whether he violated Michael Brown's civil rights. That's on going.

He faces an internal investigation with the Ferguson police and he faces a very likely wrongful death lawsuit from Michael Brown's parents. So you know, Darren Wilson may be leaving the police department. He's certainly not leaving the realm of justice at the moment.

PAUL: Is there any indication what he will do next, though, Brian, if he doesn't feel he can be an officer any longer?

TODD: You know, we've asked his lawyers that several times now, Christi. It's really not clear. It's not clear what he can do. You know, he's been a policeman his entire career. He's only in his 20s. You know, there are other former police officers who we talk to say, look, he's got to change his name.

He's got to change his appearance. He's got to put his property in a trust so that it can't be viewed publicly. These are steps he has to take just to protect himself. What he can do for profession, that's really unclear at the moment.

PAUL: All right. Brian Todd, we appreciate it so much. Thank you for the update.

BLACKWELL: All right, so imagine this, four long years. A mother wished, prayed for her missing son to come home.

PAUL: And this morning they are finally back together, but wait until you hear about the story. Where police found this boy? It's outstanding.

BLACKWELL: Plus, did you watch this wild plays, big turnovers, and revenge. It's all anybody's going to be talking about today if did you not see it. You want to be in on the conversation. Highlights from last night's high scoring Iron Bowl.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Welcome back to NEW DAY. It's 12 minutes after the hour now. Let's get you caught up with your "Morning Read." PAUL: Is this an incredible story? Honestly, this one had me in tears. This little boy, 13 years old, missing for four years, there he is back with his mother, wiping his tears. Police say he was found behind a false wall after someone told him to check a house in the Atlanta area.

BLACKWELL: Now his father and stepmother are under arrest this morning. They're accused of false imprisonment, cruelty to children and obstruction. There are also three other people who face charges.

PAUL: Talk about Syria now, where the U.S. led coalition battling ISIS launched 30 air strikes overnight in the northern city of Raqqa. The offensive wants a sharp increase in coalition activity there. Recent attacks on ISIS in Syria focused on the city of Kobani near the Turkish border.

BLACKWELL: In medical news, there is new hope this morning for an Ebola vaccine. Scientists say 20 healthy adults received an experimental Ebola vaccine in the first phase of human trials. All of them produced antibodies to the deadly disease and no one had serious side effects. The National Institutes of Health say it's fast tracking more trials.

PAUL: In business news, President Obama and his daughter is headed to a local bookstore in the nation's capital to stock up on Christmas gifts and promote small businesses. So if you're on the president's gift list, these may be spoilers. His purchases include books.

BLACKWELL: In sports, top rank Alabama avenged last year's Iron Bowl loss to 15th rank Auburn in last night's high scoring instant classic. Crimson tide outscored the Tigers 34-18 in the second half of the 55- 44 Tuscaloosa slugfest. ESPN says last night's shootout marks the highest scoring Iron Bowl in the history of the Auburn-Alabama rivalry.

All right, now to our top story again, the resignation of the police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown. After grand jury Monday decided not to indict Darren Wilson, President Obama announced a series of meetings around the country to address the waning trust between communities of color and law enforcement.

PAUL: Attorney General Eric Holder, the first African-American to serve as the nation's top prosecutor is going to hold first of those meetings tomorrow in Atlanta and one of the organizers is a reverend. He is a senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church where Dr. Martin Luther King Kr. co-pastored with his father.

Reverend Warnock is also the author of the book "The Divided Mind Of The Black Church." Thank you so much, Reverend, for being with us.

REVEREND RAPHAEL WARNOCK, SENIOR PASTOR, EBENEZER BAPTIST CHURCH: Thank you for having me.

PAUL: Good to have you here. First of all, what you are hoping comes out of this meeting tomorrow? WARNOCK: We're pleased to welcome to Ebenezer Baptist Church our nation's first black attorney general. As it turns out, tomorrow is the 59th anniversary of the beginning of the Montgomery bus boycott. It turned into a national struggle that changed our country.

Once again as we look at events in Ferguson, we need to change our nation again so that all of us can be assured that we rest under the promise of our judicial system, equal protection under the law.

BLACKWELL: Do you believe that that can be accomplished through conversations or there should be some more aggressive attempts to make sure that first the departments in some ways reflect the communities they're serving?

WARNOCK: Absolutely. We saw that in Ferguson. If there isn't a reflection between the population that's being policed and the actual police, what we see actually looks more like an occupation than policing.

And so we're focused on this issue. Conversation certainly helps. But there really needs to be serious public policy decisions. This Ferguson issue brings into sharp focus the issue of police brutality. I think we need to pull that lens back a little bit and look at the larger landscape of America's prism and industrial complex.

The truth is the land of the free is the capital of prison warehousing in the world. We have more prisoners in the world than any other nation. And so whether it's Michael Brown who was killed by a police officer or Trayvon Martin who was killed by an ordinary citizen posing as a police officer.

It seems that young black men are caught up in a deadly cocktail of systemic injustice and stigma. We've become a menace to society in the eyes of so many and Michael Brown and so many others are the terrible victims of that.

PAUL: You know, we had a conversation yesterday with a man that's what St. Louis police officer. He was telling us that it is difficult to get African-Americans to be police officers in Ferguson.

How can we change that? How can we -- is it something within the department we have to change? It is something outside the department? How do we encourage that integration and the coming together?

WARNOCK: I find it difficult to believe that there aren't young black men and women who would gladly take that job. But you have to imagine being asked to serve in a police department that has not been kind to your community. They've got some optic that's they need to deal with.

They have a perception problem that they need to address. But we certainly need the police department not only in Ferguson, but across the country to reflect the community. We've got to deal with all of these systemic issues.

And so we're glad to welcome Eric Holder to Ebenezer Baptist Church. I've been encouraged by some of the moves being made by the Justice Department. We need more moves to be made and we're eager to hear the status of the investigation.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about that. What are you hoping to come out of those? We know there are two civil rights negotiations launched by the AG. What do you hope to come out of those?

WARNOCK: Well, you know, realistically, the threshold is higher for a kind of civil rights investigation. We really feel that the prosecutor in Ferguson really blew the process. But still there is this civil rights investigation both of Officer Darren Wilson of police practices in Ferguson. That's very important.

I mean, we're focused on this issue of Michael Brown. But we're talking about a community that has been under siege, if you will. Poor people who have been victimized by the government that is using them as a kind of way of paying for municipal fees and that kind of thing.

BLACKWELL: Which we saw with the investigation of the traffic ticket and I think that's also why you hear from the protesters around the country why this is getting reaction in Riley, North Carolina, and even in London. I mean, we saw 5,000 people show up there. We look forward to having you back after your meeting.

WARNOCK: I think there is a bright spot in all of this. We're seeing a new generation of young activists raising their voices. And I believe we have a moment in which we can change America for the better.

BLACKWELL: All right. Reverend, thank you so much for joining us this morning.

PAUL: Thank you, sir.

WARNOCK: Glad to be here.

BLACKWELL: So the crowds, the lines, the delays. Today expected to be one of the busiest travel days of the year. Of course, we'll have your holiday travel forecast for you in a couple minutes.

PAUL: And the Obama girls dissed by a senior GOP staffer. Ahead, some swift backlash against her comments on social media.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: All right. Brace yourself for that other Thanksgiving ritual, the airports. If you're already there, we're feeling for you because today is expected to be the busiest travel day of the year for those of you flying.

BLACKWELL: Yes, that's according to a group which represents some of the nation's biggest airlines. Here's a look at all the flights in the sky right now and, you know, it's still early. But I guess it's 6:24 Eastern. This is pretty good so far. It's reporting 160 delays, 150 cancellations across the country this morning.

All right, CNN's Jennifer Gray joins us now with a weather and travel forecast. I guess, it's more important for the people on the roads.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Hopefully, there is not too much going on out there.

GRAY: You know, Wednesday was a nightmare getting people to Thanksgiving. I think going home is going to be much, much better. Look at the entire east. We have temperatures in the 50s in the northeast. We'll see partly cloudy skies.

Temperatures in the 70s across the south. No rain, looking good. Travel should be much, much more pleasant compared to getting to Thanksgiving. So we're going to see very cold temperatures in the northern plains though. That's where we're seeing temperatures in the teens and 20s.

But look at this. This is a radar and we're not seeing anything. We're seeing quiet conditions across the entire east. We are going to see changes though in the west. We're going to talk about that. As we go through the beginning part of the work week, we do bring in some showers across the south.

That's a cold front that is going to come through and after this nice little warm-up period, we are going to see the cooler temperatures sweep back in. But as far as temperatures this morning, the cold spot, the northern plains. These are wind chills.

Look at. This is almost 30 degrees below zero is what it feels like in Minot, 20 degrees below zero in Bismarck so a very cold morning for you. Northern plains stays cold, teens and single digits on Monday in the 20s, Tuesday and Wednesday.

But look at the difference in the south. Temperatures upper 70s in Dallas today. Temperatures in the upper 60s in Atlanta today and tomorrow, feeling very nice before we cool off just a little bit by the middle part of the week.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

GRAY: Better today for travel.

BLACKWELL: Bring out the flip-flops again.

PAUL: All right. Let's talk about there are protests breaking out in Egypt. Criminal charges are dropped against former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the deaths of hundreds of demonstrators.

BLACKWELL: Plus, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is out. Why did he have to go? We'll take a look at the politics behind his resignation. That is coming up in a moment. But first, this week's "Ones to Watch."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine lies Moldova. One of Europe's smallest and poorest countries, these unremarkable streets harbor a talent, which this woman believes could be the next big thing on the dance music scene.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I grew up in a small town. That's where all my friends are. That's where my family is. One day one of my friends brought me a cd with a program. That's how I found it and how to record my melodies, how to make beats.

That's when actually I started to create something that sounded actually like a track. I didn't go abroad until I was 17 or 18 years old when I got my first show. I always know what track I'm going to start with and maybe sometimes I will think what track I'm going to end with.

Every deejay is a producer. Every producer is a deejay. A whole new way to impress the crowd is your production. I never thought that me from Moldova can be right there with the big names, with the big deejays. I was dreaming about that and it's happening right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Watch the full show at cnn.com/onestowatch.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Thirty-one minutes past the hour on a Sunday morning. We're so glad you're with us. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Let's start this half with five things you need to know for your new day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE YELLING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Number one, in Egypt, one man has been killed during protests after a court dropped all criminal charges against former president Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak had been convicted in 2012 of issuing orders to kill peaceful protesters during the country's uprising. But he appealed and was granted a new trial last year. Prosecutor told state media he will appeal the verdict.

PAUL: Number two, Darren Wilson has resigned from the police department in Ferguson, Missouri. The officer who fatally shot unarmed teenager Michael Brown in August said he feared staying on the force would pose a danger to his fellow officers. The grand jury decided last week not to indict Wilson in Brown's death. But there is a federal investigation that's ongoing right now.

BLACKWELL: Number three, a moment of silence washed over the football field at Ohio State yesterday. The announcer read the name of a missing football player and his picture went up on the scoreboard there. The 23-year-old who complained of concussion symptoms before missing practice Wednesday morning. He hasn't been heard from since. And police are working on several leads and family and friends are now posting flyers all over town. PAUL: Number four, 81-year-old Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader

Ginsburg is expected to head back to work tomorrow. She had a stent placed in her right coronary artery last week after experiencing discomfort while she was exercising. She is also, by the way, a colon and pancreatic cancer survivor.

And number five, a senior Republican staffer coming under fire for what she said about President Obama's daughters, Malia and Sasha. On Facebook, Elizabeth Lauten criticized the teens for their appearance at Wednesday's presidential Turkey pardon. She said, "dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at the bar."

The post has gone viral on Twitter with some twitting that Lauten was cyber bullying the girls. She is now apologizing. But we're going to talk about this with CNN's Brian Stelter in just a bit.

BLACKWELL: This morning, coalition aircraft launched at least 30 airstrikes on ISIS positions in the Syrian city of Raqa. This is a sharp increase in the U.S.-led coalition's activity over the city, which serves as a major ISIS base. Meanwhile, as the fight against ISIS goes on, the U.S. has dislodged its Defense Secretary. Chuck Hagel didn't just resign. Word is that he was pushed out by the White House. But at President Obama's announcement of Hagel's resignation he made sure to praise him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Over nearly two years, Chuck has been an exemplary Defense secretary. Providing a steady hand as we modernized our strategy and budget, to meet long term threats while still responding to immediate challenges like ISIL and Ebola.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So what went wrong during Hagel's time on the job? Let's bring in Michael Williams, former adviser to the president. Michael, good to have you this morning. I wonder now as the president's team searches for the fourth Defense secretary during his administration, is this an Obama problem or was this a Hagel problem?

DR. MICHAEL WILLIAMS, FORMER ADVISOR TO OBAMA STATE DEPARTMENT, NATO: It's probably a bit of both, to be honest with you. From where I sit now at New York University, when you look at the situation, you can see essentially a very complex world. The senator was brought in, Chuck Hagel in this case was brought in to manage the Defense Department in a time of true productions, modernization, cost cutting and so really sort of reorganizing the institution. And since that time the U.S. is really good buffeted by forces from the Middle East across Eurasia, lots of foreign policy challenges and many people thought that Chuck Hagel wasn't up to the job.

The other problem is, however, as countless books have said over the course of this administration this is now the search for the fourth Defense Secretary, that the administration has an issue with the centralization of foreign policy in the White House. That it wants "yes" men in positions at State and Defense Department, not people who push back and that Chuck Hagel was increasingly at odds with the administration and never really had the ear of the president or his senior advisors.

BLACKWELL: So I wonder if it was a mistake to choose Chuck Hagel in the first place. Early on they liked him because he was a critic of the wars that began during the Bush administration. And then now as the president is having to send in troops and join -- lead these coalitions to fight ISIS, Hagel being a critic, is not the best person to have in the position.

WILLIAMS: Well, the administration doesn't really, I think, generally like people who are criticizing it internally or really pushing back. And the difference between Chuck Hagel and his predecessors Gate and Leon Panetta is that he is a much smaller - I don't think in pejorative sense figure politically and institutionally. And the same thing with John Kerry at the State Department. Although the Senator has had an illustrious career, he did not have a political constituency that Hillary Clinton had.

So in the first term you had secretaries of Defense and State who had their own power. And the president needed them for political reasons never mind reasons of state. And so Chuck Hagel and John Kerry come in and those men are really there to do more of the president's bidding than to drum up their own policies. But heads of departments are always representing the institution. The military is very unhappy with a lot of what is going on. And so, therefore, there's been pushback.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk more about the political angle of this. Because I wonder if the poor showing for the Democrats during the midterms has anything to do with this. You think back to Donald Rumsfeld stepping down soon after the Democrats did so well in 2006.

WILLIAMS: Well, yes, and this is probably why it's been done like that. It's not unusual that after you'd have an election with a poor result, you might choose to reshuffle your government or change some positions around. The thing is that this position doesn't really do much in terms of strategic change. Because the problem isn't in my analysis with the Secretary of Defense. It's more with the administration's policy making. And the reality is, that this administration that has centralized control in the White House with the National Security Adviser Susan Rice whom I worked for on the campaign co-incidentally, and Dennis McDonough, the chief of staff and a few close advisors.

And they really, it's sort of their way or the highway. And what happens here, is that this president has - is controlling in many sense as Richard Nixon, but we have to remember Nixon was served by whether you like him or not, probably the best strategic American thinker of the 20th century, Henry Kissinger. And Susan Rice, the current national security advisor is not a strategic thinker. And the policies in the United States are at total odds. So, if you're against ISIS, you know, the president saying that he wants to get rid of Assad and at the same time, he wants to destroy ISIS, ISIS and Assad are enemies, right? So, the policies don't line up on multiple fronts. The same thing on Russia and Crimea, which has really been a pretty weak response, a lack of leadership on the issue and it's frustrating people in Washington as well as allies abroad.

BLACKWELL: All right, Michael Williams, a former adviser to the president, we'll have you back to talk about who now wants this job. After we heard from Secretaries Gates and Panetta and now all of the scuttle that's coming out about the resignation from Hagel, who would want this position? We'll talk about that next time. Michael, thank you so much.

PAUL: So Pope Francis has a message for people of all faiths. And on this Sunday, he's in Turkey just miles from the civil war raging across the border. We're going to take you live to Istanbul.

BLACKWELL: Plus, the Philadelphia Eagles are taking their passion from the field and they are offering it now to people who need some passion and a little more of the net. They need some help. The big impact they're making in Philly, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Seventeen minutes before the top of the hour. Listen, the Philadelphia Eagles are doing some great work.

PAUL: Yeah.

BLACKWELL: They're taking their passion now from the field and taking it out into the community.

PAUL: We're talking about some big named players teaching a local food bank how they can deliver healthier, fresher food to people who really need it. CNN's Miguel Marquez caught up with them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're in Philly meeting an Eagle up close and personal is pretty cool.

(on camera): How exciting is it to be here with the Eagles?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just so fun. I don't even know - really know what to say.

MARQUEZ (voice over): Meeting two?

(on camera): Why is it so important to be here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just spend time with the kids. I think it's something that they always, you know, remember and look back to and reflect on.

MARQUEZ (voice over): Might just be better than Thanksgiving dinner.

(on camera): How much do you like the Eagles?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: A lot. MARQUEZ: Do you like them so much you painted yourself green?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yes.

MARQUEZ: You're doing really well, though.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yes. And my mom screams for that. And I shed a tear last night.

MARQUEZ: Did you?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Because they didn't win.

MARQUEZ (voice over): Philadelphia Center for Grieving Children is in a special class of Eagles charitable work. It's one of a handful of organizations here the team has literally adopted, not just giving money, but doing whatever is needed like building a wall and painting it. Eagles' players Bennie Logan and Jon Dorenbos both have a special connection.

(on camera): How important is it to be here tonight?

JON DORENBOS, EAGLES LONG SNAPPER: It's really cool. I mean, you know, especially from my background, I was in a similar situation where my mom was murdered and I went through two years of counseling. One of the coolest parts about being in the NFL is to do things like this to get the opportunity to do things like this and to do things on a grand scale.

MARQUEZ (voice over): It might not look grand, but it is. The Eagles have dedicated the team itself to ten charities for now. Part of its Eagles care program.

DON SMOLENSKI, EAGLES PRESIDENT: With these limit aid of select nonprofits, we give a larger financial contribution, but we give more than that. We give time. We give exposure. We give our players.

MARK SANCHEZ, EAGLES QUARTERBACK: I'm Mark Sanchez. This is Benny Logan, one of our defensive linemen. I play quarterback.

MARQUEZ: Eagles current QB humble, but since arriving here, he's embraced Philly and its intensive charitable program like few others.

(on camera): And as an NFL guy, you're a hero to a lot of kids, obviously.

SANCHEZ: It's, you know, that's a great feeling. You're there with these kids. You get to talk to them. They see you. You're high fiving and you're playing football with this team. That's cool.

MARQUEZ: Another Eagle favorite, healthy food.

SANCHEZ: We're trying to tackle the problem here in this city. And that is food security and making sure that you guys get these -- the right kind of nutrition, the proper nutrition to grow up and be big and strong like Bennie, right? MARQUEZ: Sanchez and Logan at a garden the team helped revitalize along with a coalition against hunger, the team built this garden at Philadelphia's (INAUDIBLE) helped run a healthy food drive, even a green light food bank offering fresh vegetables for families having a tough time making ends meet. Healthy food, hunger, charity, and a beloved NFL team.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Philadelphia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: Great people doing great thing there. All right, Pope Francis says Christians and people of other faiths are being persecuted in the Middle East. And he and the head of the world's Orthodox Christians say it must stop. We're taking you live to Istanbul next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Pope Francis is wrapping up his three day trip to Turkey and he's finishing this week with a call for peace and for continued dialogue.

PAUL: And he has actually been attending a religious ceremony in Istanbul with spiritual leaders of the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians. And he met today with Turkey's chief rabbi.

BLACKWELL: CNN senior international correspondent Arwa Damon joins us now from Istanbul. Arwa, is there a sense that the pope has accomplished what the goal of this trip is?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the message that the center of this trip has really been about the need for a dialogue, whether it's dialogue among the various churches of Christianity or perhaps at this juncture in history that importance and the need for real genuine dialogue interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims. To that effect, do we have a joint decoration issued by Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew, where they expressed their concern for the general situation in all of the Middle East? They went on to state we cannot resign ourselves to a Middle East without Christians, who have professed the name of Jesus, therefore, 2000 years. Many of our brothers and sisters are being persecuted and have been forced violently from their homes.

It seems that even the value of human life has been lost. And the human person no longer matters and may be sacrificed to others interests and tragically all this is met by the indifference of many. That is a direct reference to the persecution of Christians that we have been seeing for around a decade right now. First by al Qaeda, then by ISIS and both Iraq and Syria, but the statement is also very applicable to the plight of others, the plight of Muslims as well that have been suffering because of this violence whether it is violence carried out by extremist organizations or quite simply violence because of fighting between rebels and the Assad regime when it comes to Syria or because of the violence that has ravaged Iraq ever since 2003. Now, there's not necessarily the sense that the pope's visit or his words are going to cause an immediate impact to the situation on the ground. But at the very least, this is an attempt by one of the highest spiritual leaders in the world to try to reach out and build in the words of Pope Francis on his first day to Turkey, those very needed pillars of trust.

PAUL: All right. Arwa Damon, thank you so very much for update.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Arwa.

Let's dig deeper into our top story now, the resignation of the police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown. Darren Wilson has left the Ferguson police department. But will his departure do anything to heal the rift between law enforcement and communities of color? We're going to get a live report from Ferguson next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Oh, we are counting down the days until the worldwide broadcast of CNN heroes and all-star tribute. This is the CNN holiday tradition at this point. I mean we honor the year's top ten heroes and then CNN names the hero of the year.

BLACKWELL: But while we wait for that, we want to see how last year's top honoree is doing. CNN's Anderson Cooper checks on the man dedicated to cleaning America's rivers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In 17 years, Chad Pregracke and his team picked up 8 million pounds of trash from America's rivers.

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: Yeah!

COOPER: Last November for his inspiring work, Chad picked up a big honor.

The 2013 CNN Hero of the year is Chad Pregracke.

(APPLAUSE)

COOPER: One year later, we caught up with him to get an inside look at what he does and how he does it.

At the heart of his work is a massive 800 ton barge that stores the huge piles of trash that Chad's team collects. It looks like a floating junkyard but ...

CHAD PREGRACKE: Welcome to CNN ...

It's also Chad's part-time home.

PREGRACKE: So pretty much everything is reclaimed or recycled out of either old buildings or old barns.

COOPER: The goal is serious, but there's definitely quirk in this work.

PREGRACKE: So, this would be our creepy doll collection. Why do we have it, I don't really have any idea other than we find a lot of creepy dolls.

COOPER: And trash isn't all you need is to look out for on the river.

PREGRACKE: One of the safety concerns is actually the flying carp. They really do fly out the water at high speeds, and they get rather big.

COOPER: It's all part of Chad's work, work that also includes growing trees. Chad started this environmental effort in 2007, but he was able to expand it after being named CNN hero of the year. In the end, Chad's crusade is about much more than cleaning rivers.

PREGRACKE: It's about people taking action on their own communities. And that's really what it's all about. That's how you change the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: Tune in to see more of Chad in "Rescuing the River." That is the CNN Hero special next Friday night. And then on Sunday, December 7th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, watch CNN heroes, an all-star tribute, to see who follows in Chad's footsteps as CNN hero of the year. It's a star studded evening. And we know you are going to be inspired. And we all need a little bit of that.

Just about 7:00 here on the Sunday morning. And we are so grateful for your company as always. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell.

Always good to be with you.

PAUL: We want to begin this morning with Officer Darren Wilson. No longer we should say a member of the police force in Ferguson Missouri.

BLACKWELL: Wilson has resigned five days after grand jury decided not to indict him for killing unarmed teenager Michael Brown.