thing. they will rprotest as is their right, but they won't be violent. this past august, and i think -- i don't think i'm speaking out of school. we had anarchists who had come into ferguson, we had gang members -- >> we lost his signal right at 5:00. so that's it for "the lead". i'm jake tapper. i turn you over to wolf blitzer in the situation room. have a good weekend. happening now, the battle is on as president obama orders major immigration reforms. republicans plot their next move, but they're already launching a counter attack over obamacare. and grand jury decision could come anytime on whether to indict a ferguson police officer for the shooting death of michael brown as authorities brace for trouble, will protesters listen to urgent appeals for calm. shocking vulnerability. cyber attackers from china came

take down america's power grid and other vital interdiction structure. what is the u.s. doing about this? and flooding fears. buried under 7-feet of snow, buffalo now faces some major melting and heavy rain. where will it all go. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room". we're following two breaking stories this hour. acting alone on immigration, president obama is on the road selling his reform plan. he's in las vegas right now making the case for his executive action. republicans are vowing to fight him every step of the way when it comes to immigration and already hitting back on another front with a lawsuit against president obama's health care reform. and a grand jury could reach a decision any moment in the ferguson, no who shooting death of the teenager make and he will brown. after fresh protests and arres , there are urgent appeals for

calm and sources say officer wilson is offering to step down to ease tensions. i'll speak live with the police chief of st. louis. and senator john mccain standing by along with our correspondents, our analysts and newsmakers. let's begin with jim acosta. >> wolf, just weeks after president obama was heckled repeatedly at cam pan rallies by immigration reform advocates, there were chances of yes, we can during his speech at las vegas. s speech looked a lot like a victory rally in the backyard of harry reid. nancy pelosi and plus a group of latino leaders were apparently on hand. he walked through his political just physical indication f justification iffi

justification for taking his action. he even said he offered to walk bay they're dog or wash his car. >> i didn't dissolve parliament. that's not how our system works. i didn't steal away the various clerks in the senate and house who manage bills. they can still pass a bill. i don't have a vote in congress. pass a bill. you don't need me to call a vote to pass a bill. pass a bill. >> now, just before this speech, the president did sign some memos to his administration associated with the executive actions and white house officials ared adamant that the have the legal and moral high ground. aides have released a letter from a group of legal scholars all stating the president's actions are win high school authori his authority and he's still interested in signing an immigration bill, but until that happen, one white house official told me somebody has to govern around here.

so he went along e and he has n apologies. >> he was very forceful in that speech. jim, thanks very much. as gop lawmakers weigh their options on you how to counter the president's move, they have now made good on their vow to try to sue the president over health care reform. let's bring in dana bash. >> republicans are united in their condemnation of what the president did on immigration. but they're kind of all over the map when it comes to what to do about it. but today, there was a reminder that republicans are beginning to realize they have had more success fighting the president in court than in congress. >> reporter: in federal court friday, house republicans filed suit against the president over obamacare, a move that signals where the gop fight is going over the latest flash point, immigration, what republicans call executive overreach. >> it takes time, but i think we'll win that in court. >> reporter: sources say suing

the president on immigration looks increasingly like the most effective way to respond. house speaker john bay they aoe he personally warned the president executive action will have lasting negative consequences. >> i told the president he's damage the presidency itself. the president offered a simple fix to his side stepping congress. >> i have one answer. pass a bill. >> reporter: the senate did pass a bipartisan bill last year giving undocumented immigrants a path to zicitizenship, but hous leaders feared it would unnecessari unnecessarily divide republicans. officials say the white house had no faith the president would act despite this promise. >> this immigration issues has become a political football over the last ten years or more. ite it's time to deal with it. >> reporter: but even if house

republicans were to debate immigration, they would never agree to the president's scope, allowing nearly 5 million undocumented immigrants for stay legally, which adds to gop frustration saying the president went around congress to avoid compromise. sglt president has chosen to deliberately sabotage any chance of enacting bipartisan reforms. >> reporter: still, there a gop divide eeover to reacts. many republicans argue being against goaded in to a fight. >> i'm not standing here foaming at the mouth. perhaps there are people on the democratic side who wish we would do this with our eyes bugged out and sweat pouring done our brows. we will respond to this in a way that will be effective. >> reporter: but what is that effective response? republican leaders still aren't sure. a court challenge could succeed, but that takes time and there are a lot of conservatives champing at the bit for a more

immediate response, which of course is legislation. >> so debating among themselves what to do next. thanks very much. while immigration reform certainly the center of a very bitter political sblplit, park sparking passions in las vegas was evident. suzanne malveaux is there in vegas for us. >> reporter: a lot of people who attended this speech also attended the one back in 2013 and a big rally that attended back in 2008 where 11,000 people showed up to hear the president's vision. it is controversial for a number of reasons. a lot of people very happy that the president did something, they feel like this is somewhat of a relief for older people who are up documented workers in this country. but there is also a great deal of frustration particularly from some young folks who do not believe that their parents are included, swept up in this

executive order. i want you to hear this exchange. this is the president, he was talking during his speech, he was interrupted, went on for about five minutes as a young man in the audience challenged him why he didn't go further. listen to this. >> we're still going to have to pass a bill. this is the first step. it's not the only step. we'll still have to do more work. so -- i've heard you. i've heard you young man. i've heard you. and i understand. i've heard you. but what i'm saying is this is just a first step. so young man, i'm talking to a lot of people here. i've been respectful to you. i want you to be respectful to me. all right? >> reporter: i want to tell you about what we've learned about him. jose is a high school math teacher, also a graduate of arizona state university. and his friend, we had a chance to speak to his trend who was right beside him during the exchange. you see the young man actually

left. he was crying. he was very upset, very emotional about it. and we asked his friend why and he said it's because he does not believe that his parents are included in this executive order and that this is something that people in the community fear on a daily basis whether or not they will come home and not have their parents there, whether or not their parents will be deported. that is the main concern. i want to also point out that it was even before the speech occurred, there was a small group of protesters, but very, very vocal. this was a group of tea partiers, veterans, as well as bikers who were confronted by an obama assusupporter. it was very emotional. listen to it and what was behind it. >> you're a racist. >> only two people that really belong in the united states anyway and that's mexican and the indian. everybody else is -- >> these illegal aliens going to become legal aliens sooner or

late later. 10 million new aliens. >> we live within our mean, we balance our budgets, we pay our taxes, we do everything we're supposed to do. we obey the laws. we're a nation of laws. >> so wolf, you can see very emotional. this is not something that people are shrinking away from. we've had a chance to get to meet a lot of people in the community and this is a very hot issue. this is spg that the president is going to have a lot of work to do when it comes to selling it to the american people. it was important to do it here. symbolical symbolically, as well, because of the high latino population, he needed the state back in 2008 and this is something that he will be selling as he questiogo around the country. tuesday in chicago, vealhe'll ha round table to discuss immigration reform. back in washington there, are

threats of government shutdown as well as calls for impeachment. >> yes, the white house will undertake a major selling scam pain. thanks very much. let's talk about all of this with john mccain. he's joining us now from the halha halifax international security information rumforum forum. thanks very much for joining us. i want you to hear what the president said about his frustration with the republicans in the house. >> i cajoled and i called and i met, i told john boehner i'll wash your car, i'll walk your dog. whatever you need to do, just call the bill. that's how democracy is supposed to work. and if the votes hadn't been there, then we would have had to start over. but at least give it a shot. and he didn't do it. >> senator, you share that

frustration because you were among those senators who voted for the comprehensive immigration legislation, but for a year and a half, it just sat in the house of representatives. >> i'm very frustrated about what the president just did. he never mentions that between 2008 and 2010 he had overwhelming majorities in both houses and he could have rammed it through the same way he rammed through obamacare. second of all, we don't govern just because of the president's frustration. for years, he said that he couldn't act as he's acting today because it would be against the constitution. so now he's decided that it's okay because he's frustrated? what kind of a precedent does this set for future presidents if they get frustrated with the congress and act in a sweeping order frankly in the view of certainly many of us who study

the constitution in an unconstitutional fashion. and so -- and by the way, if he was really serious and not just seeking political advantage here, why not wait a couple months and see what the new congress does with a larger republican majority which would have given speaker boehner more latitude to act. >> here's what the white house says on those points. first of all, why they didn't act the first two years of the obama administration, they say remember there was the greatest economic recession since the great depression. they had a lot on their plate those first two years trying to get the economy on track. and that's why they didn't take up immigration. >> well, let's go through that. but it was okay to take up obamacare and not immigration reform? give me a break. >> so you don't buy that explanation. as far as the legislation -- the effort right now to go forward with what the president is doing, they make the case that they have legal opinions that, he yes, the president may have

said what he said, but the justice department, department of homeland security, they have come forward with legal opinions saying he is fully authorized legally to do what he announced last night. >> well, nthen who was he talkig to the last previous two years when he kept saying he didn't have the constitutional authority to act. whose opinion was he getting then? he's done a complete 180. he kept saying over and over, and we have 12 clips of him saying i want to, but i can't because it would be -- it's not within my authority. now all of a sudden he's found that authority. and one thing i found about lawyers, if you look hard enough, you can find several of them that will agree with you. >> so when he says, you know what, it will take a few months to implement what he announced, he's appealing to you, democrats and complairepublican, come up plan, he then will be happy to sign it into law and that would

supersede what he announced last night. is that realistic? >> is this the way we now will have presidents govern, by that they will issue executive orders and say, well, you can always fix this by voting in legislation? i don't think our founding fathers, this is what they had in mind as to how a president can act. and again, he directly contradicts himself as to what he said time after time that he didn't have the authority to do so. now he does. and he knows we have a new congress. and if you were really dead serious rather than seeking political advantage, he would have said, look, i'm going to give them some time here because it is very likely. most americans and most members of congress want it ato act thi way. so now we've inflamed the passions. you ran a clip. we've inflamed the passes of the lots ever american of americans

worried this has increased the level of disagreement and increased -- decreased our ability to come to an agreement. and by the way, small item, back when ted kennedy and i were doing immigration reform, then senator obama was with one of his amendments contributed to the failure of immigration reform at that time. >> you mean during the bush administration back in 2006, is that what you're talking about? >> yes, sir. and i'll be glad to provide you with the documentation. >> what did he do as a young senator? >> the farm worker program, he proposed an amendment that would have broken the agreement that we had. >> one final question, senator, before i let you go. i know you don't like the way the president did what he did last night, but in terms of the substance, giving an opportunity to 4 million or 5 million people here in the united states to stay here in the united states, to work, to pay their back taxes, to be united with their families, do you have a problem with the substance of what he

announced? >> i don't have a problem with half a loaf, but we have to have border security. we have to prevent another flood of either children or people who will come to this country and remain here illegally knowing full well that they can achieve citizenship. that's not fair to those people who live a long ways away from the united states. everybody should have an equal opportunity to come to our country and become citizens. so is there any increase in border security, is there any use of technology to try to get control of our border? no. that is not the case. and without border security, you're not going to convince a whole lot of americans that we aren't going it see this movie again. >> he said in his speech last night and today in las vegas, would not aspectsee this movie again. >> he said in his speech last night and today in las vegas, would not aspect one aspect is to increase border security. obviously we'll have to see if that does in fact occur.not aspo

increase border security. obviously we'll have to see if that does in fact occur. >> without additional funding and effort, you're not going to get the border secure. >> he has deported a lot more people than previous presidents deported, right? >> no, not right. >> all right. we'll continue this conversation as usual, senator mccain. thanks very much for joining us. >> thanks, wolf. up next, bracing for trouble. the grand jury in the ferguson, missouri shooting may reach a decision at any moment. and urgent efforts are under way to try to keep a lid on tensions. >> and a top u.s. spy chief reveals chinese cyber attackers have the capability to cripple american power grid and air traffic control. can they be stopped. ncial psychic, i'm sure you know what this meeting is about. yes, a raise. i'm letting you go. i knew that. you see, this is my amerivest managed... balances. no. portfolio. and if doesn't perform well for two consecutive

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word from law enforcement officials that they are boosting their presence here. federal law enforcement officials are boosting their presence here in the st. louis region. the fbi sending dozens of police agents and other personnel to help boost their offices here. atf sending s.w.a.t. team members. we came from a briefing from some of the law enforcement here, they say they're expecting widespread protests. obviously all of this hinges on word that could come at any minute from the grand jury. we know they were meeting here at the justice center, grand jury room is on the second floor here and we'they were hearing t final bits of evidence. we don't know yet what they have decided, but officials are telling us that agents are being told that they should have their weekends free just in case of any problems. >> evan perez, tstand by. we're literally waiting for word on whether or not that grand jury has acted.

with tensions high, authorities are on alert for possible violence. joining us now is the police chief, sam dotson, of the slust metropolitan police. have you been alerted yet? we were told you'd get 48 hours notice of some sort of decision. >> as i sat down in this chair about five minutes ago, i had not gotten that phone call from the prosecute door or from any other law enforcement. so we're kind of in the same situation that everybody else is. we're just waiting for the dwrand jury to make their final decision. >> once they make their final decision, chief, they're going to notify you you that at least a decision has been made. you won't neitherly be told the decision, but just to get ready for potential protests and maybe but we hope not violence. >> that's right. and let's at that time firtake of that. we have a very good plan. our goal is to obviously keep people safe, to keep businesses

safe. we saw in august that there was some looting and burning, to keep those businesses open and safe. but also at the same time, to allow people to have their voice heard, their constitutional rights to protest. so we're set up with a good plan for that. something that hasn't gotten a lot of play are the efforts we've been doing to try to calm and deescalate and ease the tensions. just this morning at 7:30, i started a series of conference calls with organizers of the hands up don't shoot coalition really working on those lines of communication, deescalation and the mayor and the county executive held a press conference this afternoon that talked about a lot of the things that law enforcement and coalition has agreed on. >> does it concern you, chief, that gun sales, concealed carry permits have been surging in the ferguson area in recent weeks? >> it concerns me a lot. and it's that hysteria that the anxiety that is coming through. law enforcement will be able to do their job. we'll be able to protect people,

we'll be able to keep people safe. introducing guns and more guns into the situation and a lot of times those guns fall in to the hands of criminals one way or another. i think every police chief worries about guns in their community. >> stand by, if you don't mind, we have a lot more to talk about. we're awaiting word from that grand jury on the decision on the michael brown shooting case. much more with the police chief this just a moment. also, a very disturbing story we're following. the u.s. power grid, a possible target of chinese hackers. we're learning new details.

back to breaking news. a grand jury decision could come at any moment now in the shooting death of michael brown by officer darren wilson. officials say the fbi, atf, all boosted their presence in the st. louis area as authorities are on alert for possible violence. we're back with chief sam dotson. chief, what kind of coordination have you had locally with federal authorities, federal agents from the fbi, the atf in advance of this grand jury decision? >> well, actually a lot of coordination. we're operating an intelligence center together to share real time information. i know they're bringing in resources to secure their facili

facility. we're talking about all the assets they have available. we have a coordinated plan not only with our federal partner, but with our local and state officials. as you know, governor nixon activated the national guard and we have supported the national guard here, as well. >> you've been critical of the ferguson police department's police tactics. many were critical of the national guard's military vehicles, weapons that were in the area, the national guard i understand has been activated. is this a problem? >> no, it's not. and here's why. the national guard is supplementing local law enforcement. so our officers that were in more routine jobs can thousand be moved to interact with the citizens and the national guard is in the background. so that really helps us gives us more resources. an example, as you can imagine, there is a lot of concern in the broader community. not just the protester community, not just the law enforcement community. they want to see additional

police officers in their neighborhood, they want to make sure that they don't have crimes this their neighborhood and if they do, we respond quickly. i'm able to put more resources in our neighborhoods. it's help to go caing to calm cf our residents. >> with tensions so high, how worried are you that the demonstrations, and we all hope they will be peaceful, but there will potentially be agitators there who will come with weapons or whatever. there could be confrontations with the police. you obviously are worried about that. >> i am. and that's why we've done a considerle amouable amount of t. we've trained our officers how to deal with large groups, peaceful protesters. and when people violate the law, whether throwing something at a police officer, heaven forbid using a firearm, we have plans to deal with that and still let the group have their rights. just because one or two are

instigator, didn't mean the whole group haven't have their voice heard. >> how do you deal with theage traitors coming there out of town and they have no roots really in the local community? >> and that's been a real challenge for us. because as you can imagine, st. louis is like many communities, we know the people in our community. but when we start to see license plates from new york and california coming to our community with people, we really work with our local organizers to say, hey, who are the people that are causing you problems. because they cause law enforcement problems, they also cause problems for the protester groups at a laernlg base because they can't get their voices heard if this group is causing violence. so we have a great relationship and our protesters here help us identify those instigators anda andage state tors from outside our community. >> if he's not indicted, this police officer, officer wilson,

s should he resign from the ferguson police force? >> i think that the reality is that officer darren wilson could not the go back to work in the ferguson police department in to that community. i think that's a conversation he and his attorney have to have, but i think everybody in the community and the region realizes that he could not return to the ferguson police department. but that's his decision. >> in the years you've been a police officer, have you ever seen anything like this before? >> no, i haven't. and what is interesting is as the unified command, we've sat down with the department of justice and said, hey, let's talk you through this. what can we do better, what is working. and the justice department has said we haven't seen anything like this before. the last time our country saw a civil unrest on this level is probably early 2001. there isn't a road map. there isn't a best practice. they said you're really forging the ground for the way law enforcement deals with protests like this. because of the influence of social media just as an example. we're really forging the ground

about how the nation will deal with protests going forward. >> sam dotson is the st. louis police chief. good luck over there, chief. we're hoping for the best. >> thank you, wolf. and we're just asking for calm in our community. >> so are we. we'd like to see calm. protests is america. people are entitled to protest. keep it nonviolent. it's so, so important. appreciate it very much, chief. p good luck once again. >> thank you p. coming up, we'll go live to ferguson for the latest as the community and the country a wait the decision by the grand jury in the michael brown shooting case. plus the shocking announcement by the country cyber chief. how vulnerable is the united states power grid to chinese tactics?

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a shocking revelation about america's vulnerability to cyber attack. every day industries, you tilt, banks and the government are being probed for weaknesses. now a top spy chief revealing china has the capability to take down vital parts of the u.s. infrastructure. jim sciutto, what are you finding out? >> michael rogers, head of military cyber command, he identified china as a major actor, but russia also viewed as presenting a direct cyber threat as well as nonstate groups acting on behalf of russia and china. other countries the u.s. is concerned about, iran, north korea and syria, each with an interest in developing offensive cyber capabilities. together this collection of threats led leon panetta to warn

the next pearl harbor will be a cyber attack. >> reporter: the nation's power grid, water utilities, air traffic control systems and financial services companies, all vulnerable to cyber attacks from china, russia, and hackers acting on behalf of russia and other countries. a dramatic attack capable of shutting town odown one or all those says michael roger, not a question of if, but when. >> cyber challenges are note theoretical. this is something real and that has the potential to lead to truly significant almost catastrophic failures if we don't take action. >> reporter: the preparation says admiral rogers have already gun. foreign nations as well as nonstate actors working on their behalf carrying out recon missions to test vulnerabilities. a successful attack could come at any time, taking down the nation's power grid for

instance, piece by piece. >> the lights go out, do we stop pumping water, does that mean they already have the capability to flip the switch if they wanted to. >> there shouldn't be any doubt in our minds that there are nations states and groups out there that have the capability to do that. >> reporter: cyber attacks have already struck some of the u.s. government's most sensitive systems. it n. la in lating on the, white house unclassified e-mail system with russian entities cited as the most likely suspects. earlier this week, another attack disabled the state department's e-mail. the only defense address miles per hour ral rognlg admiral rog preparing to strike back. >> we need to find what would be offensive, what is an act of war. >> reporter: today china denied it would carry out cyber attacks against the u.s. saying its own law prohibits such attacks, but the fact is china has a vast and highly developed cyber strategy for both military and economic benefit. in his annual threat report,

director of national intelligence james clapper warned that, quote, russia and china hold views substantially divergent from the u.s. on the meaning and intent of cyber security. this is not just a tactic, but a believe of the u.s. that these governments have a fundamentally different view of what is legal and acceptable when it comes to cyber networks. >> what is sho shocking is that he doesn't think the u.s. has a defensive way of preventing these kinds of cyber attacks. >> he says the only defense is offense. you're almost in a situation of mutually assured destruction as we were in the cold war and nuclear days. the only way to deter someone is make it clear you could cause just as much pain. >> worrisome. thanks very much. jim sciutto reporting. we're standing by for the grand jury decision in the michael brown shooting case. we'll get a live update from perfecting son. and snow emergency now threatening to spark a flood disaster as a massive melt-off sets in.

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it's how edward jones you fifteen percent or more on huh, fiftcar insurance.uld save everybody knows that. well, did you know words really can hurt you? what...? jesse don't go! jesse...no! i'm sorry daisy, but i'm a loner. and a loner gotta be alone. heee yawww! geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. jesse? at least 12 people are dead in the emergency that has some parts of western new york buried under seven feet of snow. but the disaster isn't over. rain and warm temperatures are now threatening a massive melt that could trigger flood waters up to six feet deep. championship's brian todd is in buffalo for you. tell us the latest.

>> reporter: well, wolf, here's some perspective on this. behind me, this is not mud or dirt. this is snow. this huge mound of deposited snow, about 50 feet high, i'm about in the middle of it. now i'll pan to your right and my left. we have this line of dump trucks coming in here. this is all deposited snow here in the old rail yard east of buffalo. the mayor says more than 30,000 tons of snow have been removed from the south buffalo area. this is one perspective on the ma massive snow event that's hit this area. for another perspective, we took to the skies. look to the level of snows, up to the windows of many of the houses. more than three days later, still massive levels of snow south of buffalo. there's a guy digging snow off his roof. snow drifts on the top of roofs,

overnight thursday into friday, about 30 roofs had collapsed in the buffalo area. schools in buffalo have been closed all week. here's one reason why. look at those buses and how much they're covered. this is ralph wilson stadium where the bills play their home games. the big story is whether the bills could play on sunday against the new york jets. it was decided that they could not clear the snow from the facility in time. the bill also play in detroit on monday night. this is what a completely unplowed street in buffalo looks like. they're trying to dig out a pickup truck down there. these people may not get out of here any time soon. look at this. this is another snow shower coming over the buffalo area. just an extraordinary snow event this week. residents say they've never seen anything like this.

never seen anything like it, and they're still not out of the woods yet. more snow is coming in over the weekend, and into next week, wolf. and then, of course, we have the meltoff coming. all of this is going to start to melt over the weekend as warmer temperatures hit and the rain is coming. officials have told us they're preparing for swift water rescues if they need to do that. wolf? >> brian, we'll check back in with you. let's bring in our severe weather expert, our meteorologist chad myers. the melt-off as brian was showing us, how bad could that be? >> it could be bad because the drains are packed with snow. no water is going to go down there for a while. then the rain on top of the snow itself. you have -- i really appreciated the guy that was on his roof shoveling it. it's dangerous to get up there, so you have to be careful.

you're standing on snow on a non-flat roof, but the rain is going to flow on that snow. some will melt, but the snow is going to get more and more heavy. so right now if you have a 2,000 square foot house, you are looking at 49,000 pounds of snow on your roof right now. if you get some off or if it slid off, that's great. but you get it heavier than that, you'll have more roof collapses. here are some of the numbers. 85 inches, and in some spots going to be warming up above freezing for a number of days. all that snow will try to melt rapidly. it will rain on top of it and the floods will come up. a lot of street flooding and low-lying areas. something else i thought about. a lot of people there have basements and these little tubs in the bottom of the basements that takes the such pump and pumps it outside. if the drain is full of snow,

you're going to pump the water out, but it's not going to go out. here you go, there's the warmup. by thanksgiving, another cooldown. what do we get? we get swamp, mud, slosh, then we're back down to 10 degrees again. wolf? >> in a few days, 85 inches of snow. hard to believe, even by buffalo standards. thank you very much, chad. coming up, a grand jury decision could come any time whether to indict a ferguson police officer for the shooting death of michael brown. the fbi boosting its presence in the st. louis area as authorities are bracing for trouble.

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happening now. after months of tension and unrest in ferguson, missouri, a bombshell grand jury decision is imminent. are police ready for the worst? we're learning new details about the policeman who shot and killed michael brown. does he expect to face any charges? a friend of the officer, darren wilson, is standing by to join us. plus, a woman with a gun nabbed outside the white house. it's the second arrest there this week. is the president in any greater danger right now? and dramatic new views of the deadly snow emergency in buffalo, new york. it's about to take another dangerous turn. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> this is cnn breaking news. >> let's get to the breaking news. a grand jury decision may be finalized any moment in the

ferguson, missouri shooting case. we're watching the st. louis county justice center where grand jurors have been meeting for any word on a decision. there were new arrests in ferguson overnight as protesters wait to learn if the police officer, darren wilson, will face charges in the death of 18-year-old michael brown. there are widespread fears of new violence. like the unrest we saw after brown was killed. and we're learning more about security operations in ferguson right now and the possible timing of the grand jury announcement. we have team coverage in missouri, here in "the situation room" first, cnn's ed lavandera is joining us live in ferguson. what's the latest? >> reporter: here in the city of st. louis, across the region, law enforcement officials from the feds all the way down to local officials here are preparing for the announcement from this grand jury which could come at any moment and many people anxious to see what the public reaction is going to be. tensions are rising in ferguson. the last two nights local and

out of town protesters have scuffled with police and tried to block traffic on city streets. three arrests last night. all this as it becomes clear that at any moment the grand jury will announce its decision on whether or not police officer darren wilson will be indicted for the shooting death of michael brown. >> violence is not going to be tolerated. >> reporter: local law enforcement officials say they've spent the last three months preparing for this moment. missouri national guard soldiers will be stationed in almost four dozen locations to prevent property damage. st. louis officials say law enforcement officers on the ground will be more tolerant of peaceful protesters engaging in civil disobedience, but violent protesting will be squashed. >> we'll be respectful of the protesters. we're going to be respectful of the residents of these communities. we'll be respectful of the protester's right to protest. but we also need to understand

the please need to protect them selves, as well. >> reporter: from st. louis rams football players -- >> all eyes are on us now. >> the whole world is watching. >> reporter: to the father of michael brown -- >> i thank you for lifting your voices to end racial profiling and police intimidation. but hurting others or destroying property is not the answer. >> reporter: and attorney general eric holder. >> the justice department encourages law enforcement officials in every jurisdiction to work with the communities that they serve to minimize needless confrontation. >> now we're a little bit more concerned, because the tension that has built up over the last few days, few weeks of what is going to happen, what will that response be? >> reporter: pastor robert white was in the middle of the violent protests back in august, fighting to keep the peace. he says he'll be back on the streets, urging the angriest protesters to stay calm. but he's just as worried about some police officers. >> i am afraid as a citizen that

there's going to be factions on both sides that's not going to be able to keep peace. >> reporter: and wolf, across the city here in ferguson, you see store owners that have boarded up their win dose, anticipating violent clashes that could turn violent, as well. so the word here tonight, and again over the next couple of days as we await this decision is anxiousness. wolf? >> certainly is. ed, thank you very much. ed lavandera reporting. our justice reporter evan perez has been working his sources as we wait for word on the grand jury decision and he's joining us live from ferguson. what else are you learning, evan? >> reporter: wolf, the word is anticipation. we know that the grand jury came in here today, the focus is on the grand jury room, on the second floor of the justice center behind me. we know that law enforcement officials have been told that they should prepare for a decision to come out this weekend. we don't know whether that decision has been made. we don't know when that

announcement will come. we were at a briefing just a couple hours ago inside the county building across the street, and they were talking about some of the rules of engagement that the police officers are being given. they've had these meetings with some of the protest groups. they've been told that they're going to respect people's constitutional rights. however, you can already tell, wolf, that there's some disagreement as to whether or not the police are really holding up their end of the bargain. there's complaints about police wearing armor when they confront some of the unarmed protesters, protesters who are nonviolent but blocking traffic and are not paying attention to the orders from the police. so it seems like it's a work in progress. we'll see how this weekend goes, wolf. >> i spoke to the st. louis police chief a little while ago, and he told me that he's worried that there have been lot of gun sales, concealed weapons permits authorized and he's worried

there will be a lot of weapons in that area. what are you hearing about that? >> reporter: well, i think that is one of the concerns that they have. you have property owners who are fearful frankly that the police might have stood down during some of the earlier protests and there were some fire set, and so on. so some people have decided to take it upon themselves to protect their own property, which you can't blame them. but that adds to the tension on the streets, because you don't know how all this will turn out once there is a decision announced. >> we'll stay in close touch with you, evan. thank you very much. evan perez is on the ground for us in ferguson. let's hear now from a friend of the police officer, darren wilson. he's a stay lawmaker and works for the st. louis police officer's association. jeff, thank you very much for joining us. i understand you had a chance to meet with darren wilson yesterday. tell us how that went. >> wolf, i've talked to darren

several times throughout this episode, and, you know, it's not easy for him. but he's trying to live through it like the rest of the st. louis community. >> what's the state of his mind right now? >> i don't feel like i should speak for him. i don't claim to speak for darren or his defense team. he's a brother in blue, and we're concerned for his well-being, as we are for every police officer that's out there in harm's way as we approach zero hour here. >> does he think this grand jury is on the verge of making a decision? >> well, i think there's a palpable sense throughout the community that this decision is coming very quickly. the media reports and the -- just watching the chess pieces move on the chess board indicate

we're close to a grand jury decision, and the announcement that follows. >> you don't believe he will be indi indicted, is that right? >> i don't believe he will be, no. >> tell us why. >> you know, from what i know as a police officer, and i don't claim to know anymore than anyone else than the general public. but from what i know of this case, it seems to be a case of kill or be killed. and a case where deadly force was justified. >> well, if the police officer had a weapon and michael brown, the 18-year-old did not have a weapon, at least on that basis, it seems unfair, right? >> well, deadly force isn't necessarily having a firearm. deadly force can be physical force. it certainly is deadly force when you try to strip an officer of his firearm, which is i think clearly what happened in this

case. >> why do you believe that? tell us why. i assume that's darren wilson, he suggested that he was only trying to protect himself because michael brown supposedly was going for his weapon inside the vehicle, is that right? >> right. and that's been widely reported that the first shot fired was inside the car during a struggle for the weapon. again, i don't talk to officer wilson or his defense team about details regarding the shooting. you know, they are under orders from the grand jury not to talk about their testimony. so this only comes from what i know as a member of the public who is watch thing situation very closely, who represents police officers who are going to be on the front lines when this decision is rendered. >> and this police officer, darren wilson, has received

several death threats, right? >> we all have. i've received death threats. anybody close to this case has received those threats and we take them very seriously. listen, i expect violence to follow the announcement, whether it's an indictment or not an indictment. whether it's violent protest or violent celebrations. i unfortunately, based on what we saw in august here, expect more of the same, which the media just i think has underreported. there were attempts to kill and injure police officers every night for those first two weeks after michael brown was shot. to call these peaceful protests does not do justice to what really happened there. >> what are you doing about the death threats that have been leveled against you? >> well, i mean, we're all just cautious. we pass those threats on to the

police intelligence unit and they are assessed and we let them take it from there. >> i want you to stand by, jeff. we have more questions to ask. this is obviously a huge story we're following right now. the stakes are enormous. we're literally waiting word from the grand jury on whether or not there will be an indictment. much more right after this. people with type 2 diabetes

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18-year-old michael brown. jeff, what are you hearing? will officer wilson resign from the ferguson police force if he's not indicted? >> i don't know anything about his intentions, wolf. i mean, that's a personal decision he has to make with his family. >> we heard from the st. louis police chief that he didn't think it was realistic for him to stay on, given the commotion and uproar and given all the problems that realistically he wouldn't be able to be a decent, fair police officer in ferguson any longer, given the history. you agree with the st. louis police chief? >> i would be more worried about his safety. obviously, there's attempts and plans to injure and kill police that are soeassociated with the protests. him being back on the street would present challenges in that regard. >> based on conversations you've

had, and i know you don't want to give us too many details of those conversations, but he believes, the officer, that he was acting in his own self-defense when he shot and killed michael brown, is that right? >> well, i think that's been repeated in several reports, that he has maintained his innocence, yes. >> does he look back on it and believe, maybe there's something else he could have done short of killing michael brown? >> well, again, these are sort of off limit topics. he's been before the grand jury. he could still be recalled before the grand jury, and he's not at liberty to talk about the events oh of that day. >> over these past few months, certainly we haven't heard from a lot of people out there coming to his defense. what do you think he would like to say to people who are watching right now, especially those who really do hate him?

>> well, i think that every police officer, certainly the 1150 st. louis police officers that i represent, hope that people will respect the justice system. it's the foundation of our country, and we have to allow it time to work. you know, the rush to judgment that followed the michael brown shooting almost instantaneously doesn't do justice to our system of jurisprudence. >> you saw because of all the death threats and for all practical purposes, he's in hiding right now, right? >> yes, his location is not known. >> and he really can't go out there because -- >> not known to me either. >> he can't walk around freely, go to a store or a movie or anything like that, is that right? >> i can't imagine that he can,

no. >> as you told us yourself, you've gotten some threat deaths, so you're taking very careful steps at the same time. give us a thought on how you think the local ferguson police department has behaved throughout this whole ordeal. >> you know, wolf, i'm disturbed by this notion that the police showing up to protect life and property somehow has enticed the crowd into violence. those protesters responded with violence every night for two weeks. and the police kept changing their tactics, and we still saw the same results. shots being fired by protesters. molotov cocktails being hurled. glass bottles and bricks hitting police officers and their police cars. the response of the crowd was to

their own emotions and goals, not to the police. >> so what are the most important lessons all of us should learn what has happened? >> well, that for law enforcement, i think we need to do a better job of getting information out there quicker about what we know with regards to details when there's a police shooting. i think for the citizens, i think they need to be patient and wait for -- wait for real evidence. dorian johnson is sort of the mrs. o'leary's cow of this whole entire episode. his confabulations are what caused much of the early violence and violent protests. >> jeff warda of the st. louis police officer's association, we'll continue our conversation i suspect these next few days will be very, very tumultuous.

we'll stay in close touch with you. thank you very much for joining us. >> thanks, wolf. just ahead, digging for new information about that grand jury decision, how it will play out. hour panel is standing by. we'll break it down for you. mountains of snow for miles and miles and miles. we're going back live to buffalo, new york, where residents are braces for another very dangerous turn in the weather.

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5:30 p.m. local time in ferguson, missouri. the end of the business day. we're standing by to learn if a grand jury has reached a

decision in the shooting death of michael brown. we're joined by jeffrey toobin, our cnn anchor don lemon, and our justice reporter evan perez. he's in clayton, that's where this grand jury has been meeting outside of ferguson. evan, what's the latest, what are you hearing right now? >> reporter: well, wolf, we know that the grand jury came in here today. we know that they met. they saw some -- got some evidence from the prosecutors, some final bits of evidence from the prosecutors. then they began doing their deliberations. wolf, a lot of people have been commenting on weren't they could reach a decision so quickly, which is what local authorities have been telling us. these jurors have been living this case. they've been able to discuss it all along. it's not a regular jury. so that's one reason why officials here thought that they would be able to reach a decision relatively quickly. we know there's some procedure they have to go through. they have to notify the judge. then they're going to let everybody know what they've

decided. >> jeffrey, this grand jury, the way it works, it does not have to be a unanimous decision, right? >> correct. you need 9 out of 12. and the standard is probable cause, which is a considerably lower standard than proof beyond a reasonable doubt, which is what you need for conviction in a trial. >> three african-americans, nine caucasians, seven men, five women on the grand jury. can we draw any conclusions from those statistics? >> you know, i don't know. it is certainly appropriate that it is a diverse jury. but people are complicated, and they don't necessarily vote how you think they're going to vote. but i do think it's good for the community that this is at least a somewhat diverse jury. >> don, you're bracing for a decision at any moment. you're going to be heading back to ferguson to anchor our

coverage. >> absolutely. ahead back tomorrow. and we're here tonight if anything happens. regarding the jury, it's interesting. you need 9 out of 12. there are three african-americans. and as we know in this country, african-americans many times see race and issues like this, especially in ferguson, differently than whites. so it's going to be interesting. i think the interview after this is darren wilson. but to speak to the grand jurors to see what went on when they were hearing evidence and deliberating. >> do you know if they're allowed to speak after they come one their decision? >> as we heard from the prosecutor earlier in the week, he said he's going to give all the evidence and information but may redact the names of the jurors. but the jurors, yes, they can speak out afterward it is they want to. i'm not sure they will want to, but they can. >> evan, what about the grand jury decision? they're going to make a decision, presumably have made a

decision, today is the last day they're meeting. then they'll wait 48 hours to make an announcement to give law enforcement time to prepare. but there's fear there could be a leak. >> reporter: that's right. i don't know how you can keep a decision once it's made from getting out into the public. we know that the grand jury has been meeting at least a couple times a week, depending on the week. we know that they apparently formed a bond. they've become quite friendly with each other. so they spent a lot of time together. but we don't know once they got into the deliberation sessions today, we don't know how that went. we don't know if they asked for more time, whether they asked to see anything else. so that's the big question right now. >> jeffrey, you've studied this, obviously you're a legal analyst, you know the subject. correct me if i'm wrong, if a prosecutor wants to get an indictment out of a grand jury, they can get an indictment,

right? >> answbsolutely. what's so unusual about this process, usually prosecutors tailor their presentation to a grand jury to get an indictment and present only the incriminating evidence and move on to the trial. what the prosecuting attorney has done here is thrown all the evidence into the grand jury. now, if you are not cynical, you could say this is an effort to be fair and have all the evidence presented in advance. if you are somewhat more cynical, you would say, this is an effort on the part of the prosecutor to cover his own behind so that he can pass the buck to the grand jury rather than make the decision himself, which is the way it usually works in front of a grand jury. >> don, you heard my interview with jeff warda from the st. louis police association. he's been talking to darren wilson, the police officer who

shot and killed michael brown. when you heard his side of the story, what went through your mind? >> well, i thought it was good to hear the officer's side of the story. of course, everyone wants to hear from the officer. i think it's good to hear that side. the only thing we heard in the beginning was a friend who called in to a radio station who did not have permission from darren wilson's family and friends to speak. so i think it's good to hear. but as he said, as we have heard from at least the alleged leaks from the grand jury, that he was in fear of his life. and i think that's what the jury is going to grapple with, how much he was in fear of his life, how aggressive michael brown was. and what's going to happen, if he was aggressive at all, and what happened in those moments when that fatal -- during the fatal shooting. >> you reported, evan, that darren wilson is in the final stages of resigning from the ferguson police force, is that right? >> that's right, wolf.

there have been these conversations that have been had in the last couple of months. there's a lot of concern about his own safety. if he's cleared and whether or not he can come back to this force, whether or not his fellow officers would be safe if he comes back and if he's cleared by this grand jury. so we know that he's been having these conversations. we know that one of his concerns was simply that if he resigns while the grand jury is hearing evidence, it would be indication that he's guilty of something. he believes he's not. so he wanted to wait for this process to be over before he handed in his resignation. we know that those conversations were ongoing. >> wolf, just speaking to some of his representatives, as you know, we call and ask for interviews and ask them to come on and speak. i get the sense from them that he does not want to be part of this police department. i don't think that he can be after all this, even if he wanted to be, even if they say

he's not guilty. it would be really tough to go back into the community with what happened there in ferguson. >> jeffrey, you heard the case that was made by his associate or friend, whatever you want to call him, jeff warda from the st. louis police association, that it was legitimate self-defense, the argument that michael brown got into that vehicle, started to go after the weapon. there was a shot that was fired inside the car, and the police officer was acting in legitimate self-defense. that's the argument his side of the argument brings forward. how will that weigh with these grand jurors? >> you know, this is not a complicated case legally. this is a very straightforward decision for the jury. was this legitimate self-defense? this is a legal issue that anyone can understand. one thing i know for sure, we don't know all the evidence that is in front of the grand jury. and i think that's very important to keep aware of now,

is that they have a lot of evidence that we don't have. so i don't know what they'll do, i don't know what they should do. but it will certainly be illuminating for all of us if and when all the evidence before the grand jury becomes public. >> we're on stand by for that decision as soon as we know what happened. we'll hear it with our viewers. guys, thank you very much. just ahead, a new disaster looming after epic snowfall, massive flooding. we're going live to the emergency zone. republicans vow to fight as president obama signs unilateral immigration reform and goes on the road to celebrate. [ narrator ] mama sherman and the legion of super fans.

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president obama hit the road today to sell his new immigration plan that defers deportation for 5 million undocumented immigrants. he signed the executive action on the way to las vegas. republicans are promising to fight back. they're still deciding their next move. the house speaker john boehner says president obama is damaging the presidency. but when it comes to immigration, president obama sounds a lot like george w. bush did back in 2006 when he was trying to get comprehensive immigration passed. he failed at the time but listen to this. >> my fellow americans.

>> i've asked for a few minutes of your time to talk about the reform of america's immigration system. >> our immigration system is broken and everybody knows it. >> once here, illegal immigrants live in the shadows. >> remain in the shadows. >> we're a nation of laws and we must enforce our laws. >> even as we are a nation of immigrants, we're a nation of laws. >> we're also a nation of immigrants and must uphold that tradition which has strengthened our country in so many ways. >> let's bring in gloria borger. and the rnc's former director of hispanic outreach, the former nsc director and jose antonio vargas. thank you very much for joining us. petina, the president deciding to speak in nevada about this immigration reform.

is the president upping the ante for republicans on how they proceed with latinos? >> absolutely. nevada is going to be really important, especially in 2016. clearly what the president is doing is making sure that his message is getting out there. it'sing? republicans need to be aware, to be very strategic how they move forward. they have to be smart on how they approach this executive order and talk more about the process and not fall into traps democrats are trying to set to move back on the gains they did with hispanics in 2014 and hopefully get more support in 2016. >> what does it say to you, gloria, that john boehner speaking out negatively about what the president announced last night but going forward with a lawsuit now against obamacare. >> look, this plays into the theme of the imperial presidency, which is something we heard in the midterm elections, wolf. i think the president has

contributed to that himself when he said, you know, i'm not an emperor, then issues an executive order which republicans can then say, wait a minute, you're acting like you are one, because you made the argument against what you ended up doing. i think this does really wave a red flag for republicans, but they have to decide how they respond. as petina was saying, if they're intemperate about this, if they do something like shut down the government, i think it will be a problem going forward in 2016, with a constituency they need to attract. remember, mitt romney was talking about self-deportation and he had 27% of the hispanic vote. >> george w. bush, 44%. >> dan, let's talk about what the president, for months he was talking about the restrictions, he said he's the president, he's not an emperor. that has been getting a lot of

attention. today he said he's got the executive action. it was legal. he got all the rules put forward, the explanation from the temperature of justice, the department of homeland security. so what does all this say about the president supposedly abusing his power? where does he go from here? >> i think it's silly to say he's abusing his power. this is something that 11 presidents have done 39 times over the course of the last 60 years, to use executive authority to make discretionary decisions in terms of enforcement. the president has not solved the whole problem. when he said he couldn't solve this, the this was our broken immigration system in its totality. the president took a very big step last night, as big a step as he can take. but he didn't take one that solves our broken immigration system. that can only be done through legislation, and the congress has an opportunity to act on that. i don't have a whole lot of hope that they will, given that the last 500 days, the house republicans decided not to act

on a bipartisan bill that came out of the senate. you've had extreme reaction from parts of the republican party. other parts recognizing the problem with latinos, trying to tamp that down. let's see what happens when congress comes back in january and they have an opportunity to start acting. whether they act constructively or continue digging themselves the hole that they have with latinos. >> jose, you listened to the president's speech today. you tweeted this. i can now have temporary status. a work permit, and see my momma in the philippines after a 21-year separation. give us your reaction to what you've heard over the past 24 hours. >> you know, i have to say most of what i've heard in the past 24 hours have been political, framed with what the republicans are going to do and how this is a political move from the president. that's how we've been framing this. i think we're forgetting the fact that about 5 million people

in this country, many of whom, most of us call this country our home. this is where we go to school, we work, go to church. all of a sudden the president just recognized us, right? the president did up the aboute. now it's up to the republican party to figure out how they're going to respond to that and in a way that's compassionate. in a way that aligns with ideals of this country. i'm in las vegas. i was just at the auditorium, the packed house that president obama spoke at. it was really wonderful to see this president, our president fired up about this issue, right? and saying look, if congress wants to do something, let's sign something now. let's do something now. inaction is no longer acceptable. the status quo can no longer remain. that's the message the president is sending. >> gloria, i interviewed senator john mccain earlier. i mentioned that the president,

president obama has been branded, at least for last night, the deporter in chief, because he's deported supposedly more people than earlier presidents. he was denying that, but we went back and looked up the statistics there. there you can see them. this president, first six years, deported or sent back 2,087,000, president bush, 2,012,000. president clinton, 69,000. you can interpret those numbers in different ways. >> what is a deportation. >> what is a deportation, what is a return. >> i will tell you, in talking to people at the white house, they believe that they have been very strong on deportation, that they have been very strong on border security, and they've been criticized by the latino community on the deportation front and they've got nothing in

return from the republican party when it comes to legislation in the house of representatives. so they feel that they can't win either way. >> gloria, guys, all of you, thank you very much. this conversation will clearly continue. just ahead, live to the snow disaster area in buffalo, new york, where roofs are collapsing. the crisis is far from over. first, this impact your world. >> with new backpacks almost as big as they are, the children file into the orphanage after school. their faces and behavior betray few of the horrors they have witnessed or their suffering. their fathers are dead, lost to illness or war in syria. their mothers decided to send them here. >> what's your name is >> my name is awra. >> reporter: she's 8, her father killed by a bullet on his way to work. daddy used to take me

everywhere, she tells us. the orphanage opened in september, offering a safe place. toys replaced those that they left behind as they fled syria. clean water to wash with. and regular, hot, healthy meals. the orphanage was established named after another little girl who was paralyzed by shrapnel. >> we're trying to give them the right to a normal life away from the war. >> reporter: and impact is already being dean. the head of the orphanage says she was solitary, off lost in the memories of her father. i would see him in my dreams, she remembers. i would see him giving someone something. she seems less haunted by his death, dreaming instead of going home to syria, and teaching

arabic. arwa damon, cnn, turkey.

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there has been another arrest of a person with a gun near the white house. this is the second in two days following revelations of stunning secret service security lapses in recent weeks. pamela brown is working the story for us. it is pretty disturbing when you think about it. two incidents in two days. what is going on. >> very disturbing. we got off the phone of the brother of april du bois, the latest person arrested for carrying a weapon outside of the white house. he said he is baffled, his sister is a good person and a supporter of president obama and he has no idea why she would go to the white house carrying a g gun. today secret service search this home of april du bois, the former mixed martial arts fighter was arrested outside of the white house and charged with carrying a pistol. she was spotted with a gun under

her shirt. >> they are looking to see if there are any other conspirators, to see if this person was a part of a larger conspiracyspirators or either egged them on on trained them or manipulated them to do these actions. >> her arrest comed 24 hours after a 41-year-old iowa man went to the white house with a rifle and ammunition in his car. >> it is very concerning and at the same time, it is the gig. it is part of your job. but it is certaining in that -- concerning in that people would have the wherewithal to attack or approach and breach the security of the white house and now you have in society people, who, for whatever the agenda is, copycatting those actions.

>> in september omar gonzalez, say iraq war vet, is seen rubbing across -- running across the line and into the white house. it highlighted serious security lapses in the secret service and led to the resignation of julia pierson. joseph clancy said they are stepping up measures to keep the white house safe. >> when i came back to the secret service and accepted this position, i identified three main areas of concern. one was staffing, one was training, and obviously the morale as well. >> reporter: and law enforcement officials say despite the incidents at the white house this week, there is no uptick in alarming incidents. one official said these type of things outside of the white house are common. >> let's hope everything remains fine at the white house. pamela, thank you to you. floodwaters up to six feet deep. >> that could be the next

disaster in western new york where up to 7 feet of snow has fallen in some areas. 12 deaths are now blamed on the weather emergency and with rapid snow melt expected this weekend, lives are still in danger. brian todd is joining us from buffalo. he has more. what is the latest there, brian? >> reporter: the latest is they are getting ready for the next round of meteorological hardship. there is so much hardship, the initial snow and then the one aspect of the snow removal. i'm standing in the middle of a huge pile of snow where they are dumping some of the removed snow from the neighborhoods here in east buffalo in a rail yard. the mayor said more than 35 tons have been removed from south buffalo, the areas hardest hit in the last couple of days. they run out of places to put it. this is one of the places. another aspect, the sheer scope

of this. we took an aerial tour and flew over several hard-hit areas where they are still not dug out. people still not over it. we flew over the stadium. they have not been able to get the snow off the field. the buffalo bills, as most people following this story know by now, were going to play a game this sunday against the jets. they've rescheduled that to monday night, they've taken the game to detroit. they can't play in that stadium. we also had the perspective of an average homeowners with six foot drift in front of their. and we'll take a look at that. >> trying to negotiate getting on top of a natural snowdrift up here. starting to sink a little bit. oh, i'm definitely sinking. i dug as far as i could into

this hole until i couldn't dig any more. this 6 foot yard stick does go to the bottom and this is close to 6 feet and this is after some of the snow have melted. these are buried cars. look at the top of the house. another huge problem. huge snowdrifts on the top of just about every house here. >> reporter: now that area of the buffalo region got about 6 feet 2 inches and another our yeah got 7'4" of snow. and we want to make you understand, this is all snow. it looks like dirt or mud behind me, it is not. it is dirty snow. about 50 feet high. they are adding to this pile. bringing more in. snow removal is a problem and then probable flood.

>> thank you. that is it for me. tweet me at wolf blitzer or at cnn sit room. erin burnett outfront starts right now. "outfront," breaking news, the ferguson grand jury decision could come at any minute. we are standing by for an announcement. plus for fbi and fta agents sent to the region, and s.w.a.t. on the way. the governor declaring a state of emergency. we'll go live to ferguson. a look at bill cosby, another comes forward. one said she was 17 years old, a minor, when she was sexually assaulted by bill cosby. let's go "outfront." good evening, i'm erin burnett.