♪ ahead on "new day" -- activists police the attorney general, president obama even calling for calm this morning. right now, we're waiting for a grand jury decision in the shooting death of an unarmed teenager by a ferguson, missouri, police officer. and with rape allegations swirling, bill cosby taking the stage before a sell-out crowd. this is in florida. wait till you hear the reaction he got. and look at this video, aerial views for the nearly 7 feet of snow that's fallen in the buffalo area as the death

toll rises there. an unexpected warmup could bring rain and make a bad situation even worse. despite all of that, we want to wish you a happy saturday. >> yes. >> thank you so much for being with us, i'm christi paul. and look who's back? >> yes, we've got the band back together. i'm victor blackwell. 6:00 in the east coast. we're waiting for the st. louis area as the grand jury decision in the shooting of michael brown. >> that is expected to trigger a 48-hour decision before the actual decision is revealed. >> the business owners there, they remember what happened the first time. they are not waiting around. they are boarding up. and the fbi is sending in more personnel, as local officials, ministers, even the president

appealed for peace. let's get right to stephanie elam live in ferguson this had morning. stephanie, tell us what the situation is like there this had morning. i imagine there are a lot of people waking up and fing on cnn wondering has the decision been made? >> reporter: the decision has not been made. victor and christi. good morning to you both. many people waiting for what's going to happen. and in many cases, what's the worst part of all of this is just the waiting around. the closer the fate of police officer darren wilson gets -- >> uncertainty is beyond difficult. >> reporter: the more anxious many in the st. louis area grow. this woman grew up in ferguson and moved back here to raise her family. her concern is less about whether or not wilson will be indicted for the shooting death of 18-year-old michael brown in august, but more about the reaction that follows. >> if there's peaceful

demonstrations, that's fine. but to have the violence that we've had and from people that are outside of ferguson, in the name of ferguson, no, we don't like that. >> reporter: you don't want to show your face on camera. what's your fear behind that? >> my fear is my family's safety. >> reporter: in the days after mike brown's death, unrest paralyzed ferguson. now businesses here are boarded up, hoping to avoid destruction if protests spin out of control. schools in st. louis county are setting up contingency plans if the decision comes while class is in session. the jennings school district making the dual extend its thanksgiving holiday to last the entire week. some churches are ready to assist protesters and residents affected by potential rioting. >> to awaken a sleeping community to issues that need to be addressed that have always been there i think is a great legacy. >> reporter: reverend tracy blackman said the fissure in

ferguson goes beyond black and white. >> both sides love ferguson. but one side wants to be embraced and have all of the rights and all of the benefits that both sides should have. the other side is able to live in oblivion to that if they so choose. >> i think it was a tragedy that that young man was killed but i think he's given up his life for a greater good that is going to make ferguson better. our consciousness is being raised into doing things that are more inclusive. >> reporter: meanwhile, president obama joined attorney general eric holder and members of the st. louis community in a call for peace, no matter what the grand jury decides. telling abc news -- >> use any event as an excuse for violence is contrary to rule of law. and contrary to who we are. >> reporter: and we understand that officer wilson may be in talks to resign from the ferguson police department. we understand that this is fluid. that the concern on his part,

we're being told, is that he doesn't want to seem guilty, depending on what the grand jury decides. so it's another thing that people are waiting to hear here in the st. louis area. his fate here with police department as well as his fate with the grand jury, victor and christi. >> stephanie, you've reported from ferguson from the several months ago when michael brown was shot. and, of course, you're there live this had morning. give us an idea of the change in intensity of the protests as the deliberations have begun and the testimony that the grand jury is under? >> reporter: well, it's definitely changed. i mean, outside here, outside here where we are, outside the ferguson police department, at night lately there have a little interactions with the police. we've seen just a handful of people being arrested. but at other demonstrations in clayton, which is the county seat which is where the justice center there, we've covered protests there, demonstrations there. and you can see that the people

are galvanized to get their message out. that they're really focused on not getting arrested. that they're focused on just doing what they're allowed to do under the law. and that is not their goal. there's a lot of discussion about that, but there seems to be also a abelief that there's people who want to demonstrate. there's people who want to protest. and then there's another element that just ant to agitate things, victor. >> stephanie, thank you so much. in just a few minutes we're going to discuss the unique grand jury process with hln expert joey jackson and why he thinks there's not been a decision so far. and we want to get to another major story we're following the death toll from that snowfall in buffalo, new york, is growing even higher. officials say 13 people are now confirmed dead. nearly 7 feet of snow blitzed the region in just a few days. look at these pictures coming in. dozens of roofs have collapsed from weight of that snow. folks there now face a new

weather threat. it's expected to warm up this weekend which means all of that snow's got to melt. it's got to go somewhere. and they're expecting possible flooding. cnn meteorologist jennifer gray joins us now. jen, i know you just caught back from there. let's talk about the temperatures. how warm is it going to get and how quickly? >> yeah, we're starting out with temperatures going to get up to 40 degrees. by monday, temperatures could get to the 60s. that's very quickly. not only that, we're expected rain in buffalo. and that's going to add extra weight to those roofs. so that's where we're going to see the possibility of more roof collapses. and that's the biggest fear moving forward. so you can see moving forward in time. there we go, here's sunday, as we get into monday, expected rain today. could get a little break on sunday. maybe a few showers. then some widespread rain moving in on monday. so that's just going to add to it. and that's when temperatures are expected to get pretty warm as well. so that's what we're going to be looking for. we're also looking at this flood

threat that remains in effect through wednesday, guys. that's due to the warm air, the rain and also that snow melt. so what we saw is, look at these totals, 74 inches in lancaster. we saw 85 inches in wells center, 56 in alvin, and closer to where we were, hamburg got 80 inches. 57 on monday. then we do cool off again on tuesday. back into the 30s. so you also have to keep in mind, whatever melts during the day and then turns back to ice as we go through the overnight hours as temperatures get back below freezing. so we could have quite a nasty scenario on our hands as we move forward. >> what a mess. jennifer, some of that snow, obviously, it could run off in lake erie, right? >> they have good drainage systems and rivers and creeks and things like that. so there will be places for the water to go. we're just looking at a large amount of snow, trying to all melt, you know, during the next couple of days.

that's what the concern is, just overwhelming all of those systems and causing that flooding. >> jen, thank you so much. >> thanks, jen. >> so even though he's facing these mounting allegations that he drugged and sexually assaulted a lot of women, it seems, at this point, based on the women that are coming out, last night in melbourne, florida, packed house of bill cosby fans. they didn't just shout messages of love and support of him, they gave him two standing ovations. take a look. [ cheers and applause ] >> now, there were some protesters outside. but the show inside went off without a hitch. the 77-year-old made, as expected, no mention of the allegations against him during his 90-minute performance. list ton what some people at the show had to say. >> a stave ovation when he came out, there was no heckling, there was no talking, there was no nothing.

he did his routine. everybody was gracious. >> very supportive. clapping and cheering on and stuff. actually, he was good. >> now, despite several cancelled shows on air and in person. another one has been postponed indefinitely in florence, south carolina. bill cosby shows no real signs of slowing down. his website has live performances listed for almost ever single week through may. i don't know if you've heard about this yet, a connecticut state agency has released a new report on newtown shooter adam lanza. it says lanza was an isolated young man with deteriorating mental health and a fascination for mass violence. now, his problems were not ignored, they say, but they were misunderstood by his mother, as well as health care providers. lanza killed 20 first graders and six educators at sandy hook elementary school back in 2012. ahead on "new day," the gop

and president obama just cannot get along. they're battling over two executive orders, first, immigration, and another one involving obamacare. why that fight could end up in court. plus, we're waiting for the grand jury's decision in ferguson in the michael brown case. we're going to break down what exactly the panel is deciding. how hard would it be for the prosecutor to prove first degree murder? that's why i went pro. go pro with crest pro-health. for an intensive clean. i can really feel it deep cleaning my mouth. for a 4x better clean try these products together. that was a great check up. ring ring! progresso! i can't believe i'm eating bacon and rich creamy cheese before my sister's wedding well it's only 100 calories, so you'll be ready for that dress uh-huh... you don't love the dress? i love my sister... 40 flavors. 100 calories or less.

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charge. now we're bracing for new protests in ferguson and across the country, especially if there no indictment. >> we're going to discuss potential outcomes with hln legal analyst joey jackson. good morning to you. >> good morning, christi, good morning, victor. >> these are the charges that the grand jury's considered, first degree murder, second degree murder and voluntary or involuntary manslaughter. first of all, how hard would it be for a prosecutor to prove first degree murder in this particular case based on what you know? >> you know, it's interesting, christi, because as we know, the grand juror's given a lot of information in this case. and they'll have volumes of things to go over. what it will boil down to with all the different categories that they have to consider is state of mind. when i talk about state of mind, christi, what i mean is this, first degree murder, deliberation, intent, he meant to do it. so that awould be the evidence that the grand jury would have

to consider to see whether there's probably cause of a deliberate, premeditated intentional murder. then as you move down in the categories what then will they do? second degree murder, of course, is the absence of deliberation. the absence of premeditation. then as us move farther down, christi when you get to the manslaughter issues you have voluntary manslaughter which is yes, i killed him in the heat of the passion, in the heat of the moment. and involuntary is more recless where you consciously disregard the risk of your dangerous activity. so depending on how the evidence unfolds what the grand jury hears what the grand jury considers, you can see them had come back with an indictment on any one of those particular charges. and finally, christi, on that issue, remember, they're not saying the grand jury, in the event they do indict, that he's guilty. what they're saying is we don't know. but there are factual questions, factual issues and we'll leave that to a jury to decide. and that's what an indictment means.

>> right, they're just saying there is enough evidence to move forward with the charge, is what it comes down to. these folks, as i understand, were characterized as being a tight knit bunch but they're not sequestered. do you think in a case that has been as volatile as this, they should have been? >> you know, that's a great point to be made, christi, because you have information that's flowing out. and you have passioned feelings about this. everybody has pan about this particular case and people are not really secret about those opinions and it's everywhere. so what does that mean. it means that it could potentially influence a jury pool. in the event you have a grand jury and a grand jury is empanelled like this here, christi, it's very rare if ever that a grand jury itself would be sequestered. a jury that decides guilt or innocence, that's another matter. so what we have to hope is that, you know what, they considered the facts, considered the evidence, and that while no one

is immune from the outside pressures, they're able to base what they do on what they hear inside that jury gram and not the outside influences throughout for sure. >> this is something from benjamin crump, he's the attorney for michael brown's family. as he spoke to equal treatment, listen to this. >> probable cause is on a tipping scale. it's not like the criminal proceeding beyond a reasonable doubt. if they indict him, he will have his day in court. nobody's saying he doesn't get his constitutional rights of being innocent until proven guilty. we just want to know if we're going to have a chance at justice. that's why you see the people at ferguson and all around this country so frustrated because they say why don't we get equal justice for our children who are dead on the street. >> what do you make of his reasoning there? >> look, the reality is that a grand jury just has to consider probable cause. you know, they heard a lot of evidence, christi, we'll see

whether they believe, right, according to all of that evidence, whether there's reasonable cause to believe that a crime was committed and that darren wilson committed it. >> joey jackson, all we can do is hope that we're not going to see the escapades that we saw before. >> peaceful protests, christi. we're going to continue to follow the developing weather situation in buffalo. consider this, nearly 7 feet of snow on the ground. and rain on the way. we'll talk about that deadly weather emergency. it is far from over. but right now, you've got to watch this. this is video from a drone flying over that area. it is unbelievable what is happening in this community. we're going to talk to the guy who shot this coming up. and this is a heartwarmer, talk about being loyal what buddy the beagle did -- >> this awesome. >> -- it's a great story that once and for all could prove that a dog really is a man's best friend.

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23 minutes past the hour. so glad to have you with us. a lot of news to tell you about in your "morning read." >> yeah, the parents of the beheaded hostage by isis, the memorial services of peter kassig will be held. >> kassigs and about 200 others attended a prayer service.

and obamacare, they say the president overstepped his executive authority when insisting the mandate should be postponed. top gop leaders are challenging the president's plan on immigration. a woman arrested outside the white house monday night is now charged with carrying a pistol. it's a felony. she's expected to appear in court on monday. now friday, secret service agents searched her home and removed several items including apparently a gun. senators grilled an executive from air bag manufacturer takata this week. the hearing was held after takata-made air bags exploded prompting a recall of 8 million vehicles. and now safety regulators want the company to expand air bag recalls to the entire country. at least five deaths have been linked to those air bags. let's get you good stuff this morning. we know you want to smile.

buddy the beagle. his owner got sick. he was taken to the hospital. buddy decided to tag along on the step of the ambulance, look at that, for 20 miles. surprised his owner and others. that's loyalty. >> impressioned that he wanted to help me. he was a help. he made it more comfortable. >> buddy's owner adopted him from a shelter just four months ago. how that dog hung on on that middle step for 20 miles that is impressive. there's a lot going on in the world but we just wanted to squeeze that in for you. more than two years after the benghazi terror attack. we're learning now details about what happened that night. why reports spearheaded by republicans is shooting down claims the obama administration fumbled their response. plus, this nightmare that's

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29 minutes past the hour right now. welcome back. so good to have your company, i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. this morning, we're learning new details about the deadly 2012 benghazi terror attack. there's a new report spirited by republicans and shooting down claims the obama administration mishandled situations on the ground. that incident killed ambassador

christopher stevens and three other u.s. nationals. >> investigative report prepared by the house intelligence committee finds there was no intelligence prior to the attack. that's something that's long been a sticking point for the obama critics. >> now, the reports also found there was no stand-down order for cia operatives. it does reveal, however, overall security at the consulate was weak. >> i want to bring you host of cnn reliable sources brian steltzer. good to have you. do you think they're going to say that the administration mishandled the attack? >> some maybe. not many. it's more about myth than facts. this report refutes some of those myths that have taken root. already on friday night and saturday morning. i've noticed two things about the reaction to this report. the first is on the left and in the middle from news outlets

that seek to be objective like cnn. a lot of coverage of the report. people say this report does dismiss the most outlandish conspiracy theories. on right-leaning outlets, outlets that have a conservative view. one reaction is no report. and the other is saying that the report is fraud and incomplete. christi and victor, that goes to show that that other benghazi select committee that was announced several months ago is going to go forward. and the representatives running that committee say they're going to use this house report as part of their gathered information. in in other words, in a short answer, benghazi as a scandal isn't going away, whether it's a scandal or not. >> so we expect as we move into what will likely be the clinton campaign for 2016, we're still going to see that what difference does it make. and we're still going to hear benghazi in the media as we move into the defense of what happened there? >> yes, in part, because the

report does make clear, this is a report, you know, done both by the republicans and the democrats in the house. the administration officials and the state department officials did make mistake. as you mentioned about security, for example. i think what's most important, though, some of the myth, conspiratorial myths are being debunked. for example, if you google conservative media outlets you'll spiend conspiracy outlets about how the cia operation in benghazi was secretly funneling wedges to syria. this report makes it very clear that was not going on. what i worry about, to be completely honest, victor and christi, when a report like this comes out and those theories get debunked the people who believe them will never hear about the report. on fox news. the new report was mentioned twice, 30 seconds each. and then they moved on. the drudge report, one of the biggest conservative news outlets out there hasn't

mentioned tom. it's trouble the filter bubbles we live in. >> hey, brian, always good to have you here. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> don't forget to watch "reliable sources" airs right here on sunday evening at 7:00 p.m. snow facing you, it's bad enough, right? >> oh, my goodness. >> rain is coming, of course, that could have dangerous flooding. >> the images coming out of there, incredible with nearly 7 feet of snow that hit the area in just three days. this storm has taken a terrible toll. we know this morning, and this is a new number, at least 13 people are confirmed dead. roofs are collapsing under the weight of that snow. cnn meteorologist jennifer gray joining us now. what is the immediate threat there right now, jen? >> well the immediate threat is going to be temperatures warming up into the weekend and into the beginning part of next week. and rain expected as soon as today. when you have rain on top of that snow, it is just going to

add more weight to those roofs that are already maxing out at that -- because of all the snow that's been on there. some people have five, six feet of snow on their roofs. that is a threat as we go through the rest of the week. this is from sunday night into wednesday. so this is going to be a problem for several days. we have the warming temperatures, the melting snow, and the rain on top of that. so, as we go forward in time, you can see, this is saturday -- this morning, or this afternoon. as you can see a little bit of showers here and there. but as we go through sunday and into monday, more rain expected for the buffalo area. and when that happens, we are expecting a possible flooding threat. also with temperatures warming up close to 60 degrees by monday, we're going to be looking at rapid melting. so here's your five-day forecast for buffalo, new york. 41 today with rain. 47 and cloudy on sunday. monday, 57 degrees. and then monday evening into tuesday, that next round of rain

moves in. so another threat that we are looking at this weekend. the severe weather threat for the south could see large hail, damaging winds anywhere from texas to south louisiana, moves a little farther to the east, guys, as we go through sunday. >> jennifer gray, thank you so much. let's talk more about this, in the height of the storm in buffalo, one man trapped inside his home found a way to capture awesome outdoor scenes. >> oh, my goodness, you're looking at drone video here. isn't that something? that's from james ramaley who said it was swamped. james is joining us by phone. james, were you even able to get out of your house today if we had asked you to do so? >> well, good morning, yes, i did. late last night, i had an awesome neighbor, i flagged him down with my drone, with its lights. he had a front loader, so, i'm

officially dug out. the road still isn't cleared, but now, i'm dealing with some ice on the roofs, i'm kind of concerned about. >> so, take us through what we're looking at here. you put the drone up. you're flying around, showing us. what are we seeing? how deep is the snow right outside your door? >> what you're looking at there, that's in the middle of the street. it was -- before they had moved it there, with the kids, it was up to my chest. and that's pretty high. that's about four feet. you guys there? >> yes, go ahead. >> okay. i'm sorry, i heard a beep. anyway, it was about chest deep. the deepest i've ever seen it by far. >> and we've been hearing, james, about high winds. are you surprised that the drone was able to capture all of this? was it windy at the time, i

guess or you caught it in a lull? >> no, i'm not surprised, you know, it stands testaments to companies like gdi innovation and gopro, that this technology can withstand these conditions. you know, i'm just amazed that this technology exists. the filmmaker, it's an amazing tool to have in the shed for times like this. >> it is something to see. we're so grateful you that shared with us, james, james grimaldi for us. take good care of yourself and each other and your neighbors and hope that you all stay safe. >> thank you very much. have a good day. >> you, too. let's talk about the president's executive order on immigration. it has definitely been controversial. maybe an understatement. >> good word, yeah. >> not just with the republican party but activists as well. there are some who say it does

not go far enough. we're going to break down what the overall could mean for this country. michael chang scaled back in 1989 to become the youngest man ever to win a grand slam title at the age of 17 when he took the french open in paris. ten years later, the american launched the chang family foundation. dedicated to tennis, community service and his christian faith. the 42-year-old is now keener than ever to pass on that winning mind-set that served him so well as a player. >> my mentality was, given this talent, certainly, i want to go out and make the very most of it. i want to become the best tennis player i can be. but at the same time, i have this platform. i have this platform to touch lines. hopefully inspire some kids but if i've gone and spent my 16-plus years, you know, going out and trying to achieve my own thing, but never did anything for anybody, never, you know, took the time to spend to sign

an autograph or talk to a youngster, or somehow encourage them, then really what's it all for? you know. sometimes, i think people forget that.

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i was out for a bike ride. i didn't think i'd have a heart attack. but i did. i'm mike, and i'm very much alive. now my doctor recommends a bayer aspirin regimen to help prevent another heart attack. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen.

this weekend, republicans are, many of them, searching for ways to block president obama's controversial action on immigration. but he's standing by his

sweeping overall, a system that both democrats and republicans alike consider broken. >> his move to conceal 5 million people from deportation. and the changes apply largely to parents of illegal residents who have been in the u.s. for at least five years. they'll be allowed to stay in the u.s. for three more years as long as they pass citizenship. >> joining us now executive direct of numbers usa and frank sherry, the founder and executive director of america's voice. i want to start with you, frank. your organization released a statement calling what we saw here an example, to demonstrate our government can work at its highest level of pragmatism and idealism. isn't this exactly the opposite considering that congress is not able to pass any legislation? how is this the ideal? >> well, now, the president is taking action finally.

somebody is doing something to fix our broken immigration system. would it be better for congress to step up? do we need congress to finish the job that only they can do? of course. we need a permanent solution that only congress can deliver. in the meantime the idea that the president is taking common sense steps to say let's go after bad actors, let's protect decent people, let's use our resources wisely, i think is going to be really great in terms of producing the immigration system. as you saw with the tears and hugs and screams of joy really good for hard working moms and dads who want to put food on the table for their families. >> i've read the statements. you work about work permits. there is a provision that not many are discussing that allow high-skilled workers status to be able to continue to work in the country. is that your main point, your problem with the executive action? >> yes, it's not just the high-skilled workers. this is not primarily about

deportation. this order is about work permits. you notice the president did not utter those words. he is giving millions of work permits to millions of people in this country illegally. and this allows them to compete with unemployed americans for almost every job in america. that really changes the equation. and we regard this as a tremendous act of insensitivity. to 18 million americans, do a wonderful job. can't find one. 18 million. and his sole focus here is on the people who are here ill legally. the big push is to stop the deportations. he has to add this assault on the unemployed americans by giving out millions of work permits. yes, that is the biggest problem today. >> we're going ask you this, because the senate bill that's passed and has not been taken up by the house but also increased

the cap for high-skilled workers and the h 1-v visa program. do you think one house considered congress the other, we don't know if they will that that is prudent either? >> there's no excuse for expanding the high-skilled visas. there have been several reports that have come out in the last few months. we have a glut of high-skilled workers in this country just as we have an oversurplus of workers at every level. the only place that we need for workers is agriculture. we have an unlimited guest worker program for agriculture. but we have 18 million people, these are americans and legal immigrants that are already here that are at every skill level. this is the push for more work permits for foreign workers, is all about corporations wanting to drive down the wages.

and american workers have suffered three decades of either stagnant or declining real wages. so we feel like it's time for president obama to really put his focus on the struggling middle class. he mentioned the struggling middle class but then he just dismissed them as if none of this matters. of course, he didn't mention that he's giving out work permits. >> let me get to frank here. frank, there are some who say this isn't going far enough, what do you think? >> look. the job isn't complete. we have 11 million people, this protects 5 million. this is a huge victory, step forward. what we need is for congress to do their job. the senate passed a comprehensive bill back in 2013. the house could bring it up today, they could bring it up before the end of the year, supersede the executive actions and solve it once and for all, but they just refuse to do so. the president is stepping up taking initial steps.

immigrants are going to get in the system, pass background checks, pay their taxes. i think it's a great boon to the economy. i think it's a great boon to the humanity of workers and it finally does something to fix the immigration system. >> thank you both. following a developing story right now in mexico, violent protests over the disappearance of dozens of students. these protesters, as you can see, they're getting pretty bad. we're going to show you some of the incredible pictures we're getting in right now. plus, an incredible scene, too, in san francisco. a window washer falls 11 stories as pedestrians wash in horror. but he was saved. we'll tell you how, coming up.

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your top stories for your "new day." >> number one, the st. louis community is son edge this morning as residents there and across the nation await the grand jury's decision in the shooting death of michael brown. protests some of them were rallies. have erupted since august 9th for the protests of officer darren wilson. wilson could face charges changing from first degree murder all the way to involuntary manslaughter. number two, the disappearance of 42 students leads to violent clashes in mexico city. tens of thousands of protesters showed up in the main city to demand justice. protesters used molotov cocktails.

number three, innocent men wrongfully convicted of murder. in 1975, they're finally free. all charges were dismissed against riley griffinman and ricky jackson after their 39-year nightmare. because a key witness against them. a then 12-year-old recanted his testimony. the gunman who wounded three people at florida state university mailed ten packages before that shooting. officials say the packages sent by myron may have been collected by investigators. and the contents of the packages are not hazardous but they are being center to the fbi for additional analysis. number five, a window washer, he is fortunate to be alive this had morning. he fell 11 stories, not on to the concrete but a moving car in san francisco. the fire department says he's hospitalized in critical but stable condition. he was conscious when responders

arrived. horrified onlookers. of course they ran to help him. the driver of the car was not injured. and we're continuing to follow two developing stories. first of all with new rape allegations surfacing, bill cosby, when he took the stage. and at the top of the hour, we're going to give you the reaction the comedian received after finishing his show. plus, a new weather threat for buffalo, these people have been through enough with all the snow. but now, rain is on wait. why that could mean even bigger problems. we're going to go there live -- next.

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final touches on the show -- dare i go in? come on, look alive, we're almost show time! anderson cooper and the cnn team honor a very special kind of person. >> a lot of these people. they don't have a lot of money. they don't have access to power. they're just people who saw a need in their community and set about trying to fix something. >> reporter: and here the celebs have turned tout pay them tribute. recording artist sheryl crow who performed at cnn's inaugural event is back for a performance. >> i'm grateful to cnn that they have this program because there are so many i think jeangels ou doing god's work. >> reporter: seeing it for the first time is a moment to remember. >> and you have to tune in, december 7th to see the cnn heroes special featuring as we saw anderson cooper. and hosts of celebrity

performers and an evening that is going to offer inspiration. we have a lot more news to tell you about this morning. >> next hour of your "new day" starts now. good morning, glad to have you company, i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. 7:00 here in the east coast. good to have you here. >> we are still wait for a decision in ferguson, missouri. will the grand jury indict officer wilson in the shooting death of michael brown. and we expect a decision any day now. the announcement is expected to trigger a 48-hour waiting period before the outcome is officially announced. now, officials hope to stave off the sort of violent protests that erupted after the unarmed teenager was killed. that was in august. more protests, including more this week, have been peaceful. >> still, business owners are boarding up.

the fbi is boosting its presence. local ministers and even president obama have appealed for peace. stephanie elam is live in ferguson. i want to go to you now. as i mentioned the fbi, atf is there, s.w.a.t. is there, national guard, a state of emergency has been established. who is in charge of security there, do you know? >> reporter: well, if you're talking about in ferguson, christi, it's still ferguson here and really taking the lead is st. louis county police department. as we saw shortly after the first incident happened in august. while there are those other entities here of law enforcement, they may be focused on other things, such as federal buildings. the national guard is here in the event that things spiral out of control. so right now, things still is feel relatively calm here. as you can see. we're standing on the street. and it is calm here. feels like a normal night in smalltown america. that hasn't changeded but this

call for peace has been out there. we've heard these public service announcements coming from many people in the st. louis area. you've got mike brown sr. who did one, asking people to remain calm, as we finally get to that point where we hear from the grand jury. jackie joyner kearse and say the st. louis rams doing one as well. and we also heard eric holder asking for peace. it went so far, this issue is a big deal. it is getting so much attention that president obama telling abc news that also this is something that needs to be focused on. take a listen. >> this is a country that allows everybody to express their views. allows them to peacefully assemble. to protest actions that they think are unrest. but using any event as an excuse for violence is contrary to rule of law. and contrary to who we are. >> reporter: and, again, everyone, calling for peace here in ferguson. you know, down here on the strip

where we are, they do have their christmas deckations up. season's greetings signs are up. perhaps there's a hope that people will focus on demonstrating on protesting but not on destroying, christi. >> stephanie elam live in ferguson, missouri, this morning. thank you so much. and we'll continue to monitor the grand jury's decision and we'll bring you the latest as it happens. let's talk about another story we're following for you this morning. buried by nearly 7 feet of snow. buffalo, new york, is facing a new weather threat. >> temperatures are expected to warm up. and do so dramatically, folks. which means there could be some dangerous flooding here. and this is the death toll has risen now this morning to a new number. 13 from this epic snowfall, cnn's alexandra field is until buffalo for us. we're going to her live. listen, before we get to you alexandra, i want to look at cnn's brian todd who got a

stunning look at snow-covered buffalo from a helicopter high above the city. take a look at this. >> reporter: flying over some of the hardest hit areas, look at the levels of snow, still up to the windows of many of the houses. more than three days after the snowstorm began, still just massive levels of snow in these neighborhoods south of buffalo. there's a guy digging snow off the roof. several people are doing that in the buffalo area because this has been a major problem. snowdrifts on the top of roofs. overnight thursday into friday. about 30 roofs had collapsed in the buffalo area. hundreds were being monitored. schooling in buffalo have been closed all week. here's one reason why. look at those school buses and how much they're still covered. this is ralph wilson stadium where the buffalo bills play their home games. look at that snow accumulation on the field. a big story is whether the business will play their home game sunday against the new york jets. it was decided they could not clear the facility from the

field on time, they're going to play in detroit monday night. this is what a completely unplowed street in buffalo looks like. they're trying to dig out a pickup truck. most of those cars are snow bound. these people will not get out of here anytime soon. we're actually hitting another snow shower here in buffalo. this is just an extraordinary snow event. we've talked to buffaloians who have lived here 50-plus years. brian todd, cnn in the skies over buffalo. >> just on the roofs like that, that cannot be safe. >> 7 feet of snow on the roofs and you're 5'9", how do you shovel that? >> they were doing it. >> let's go to alexandra field. we know that rain is on the way. if the temperatures stay above freezing, we're talking flooding. if they dip below freezing, we're talking ice. and that weight is unbearable for these homes. what's the situation there? >> reporter: people are waking

up just a short amount of time to do it, in buffalo, the snowbanks are piled up, five, six feet tall, burying the street signs in some cases. the streets are beginning to be plowed. really, you've got two issues that people are concerned about right now. one, you've got the warmer temperatures. state officials have come in and warned that this area have seen more flooding than they've seen. while you've got snow remove assets in the area. state assets meant to protect the area in case of a flood. we're talking dozens of boats. hundreds of water pumps. high-access vehicles. but the other threat, the more imminent threat, really, is the rain. when you look at all of this snow, you have to imagine the fact that we're standing out here with these huge sponges. if you've got seven feet of snow on your roof, that's a major problem. we could start to see roofs collapse. this is something that homeowners are trying to deal with. listen to one homeowner who

spoke of the job he has ahead of him. >> obviously with rain coming up and the temperatures to get warmer, just worry about the snow getting heavier, obviously. six feet average across the roof. these roofs going to give out. just trying to take precaution. >> reporter: and that's something we're seeing all over town. people getting on the roofs trying to shovel off the rooftops. christi and victorer mentioned it's dangerous work. but the snow removal has been a top priority. in south buffalo, one of the hardest-had hit areas, 1600 dump trucks trying to load up that snow and get it off the streets before the temperatures start to warm up. >> all right, alexandra freeland, do stay safe there. stay safe there. thank you so much. we're just a couple hours away from a news briefing coming up at noon eastern in buffalo with the latest on the snow crisis and flood threat. >> senator charles schumer of

new york is expected to be at that briefing. but joining us from the phone chautaugua, new york, what can you tell us about the situation and the fears that you're trying to prepare for? >> caller: yes, sure. this morning was the first time i drove to the outreach center this morning with all the roads plowed down to pavement, that's the main arteries. that's the first time that the patrol vehicle was not in four-wheel drive. all the main arteries are down to the pavement. now we're focusing on the secondaries and the side streets and getting the roads open and getting people out of their house us and get back to some normal life. as far as the flooding, our emergency services director and fire personnel are already taking a pro active approach. we're bringing in pumps in with

equipment and staging it all over the county. we're planning for the worst and just hoping for the best. >> as is everyone. you know, we've had on our air, some who were prepared for four days, five days week inside their home. but now that you've got five, six, seven feet in some places. people are in desperate situations. what's the most frequent emergency call you're getting related to this storm? >> okay. with our law enforcement of partners, it's really the medical side of this storm. dialysis patients. we're transporting patients for radiation, cancer treatments. getting them prescriptions. getting them food. all of these hundreds and hundreds of transports back and forth to hospitals, getting doctors and nurses to their locations in nursing facilities in old folks' homes. it's that, very time consuming, a lot of manpower dedicated but at the same time, it's rewarding

that we're able to get to these people and help them. >> hey, guys, can we get the video of this snowblower and the elderly man there. i'm looking at people out with snowblowers trying to deal with feet of snow. i'd imagine that just trying to move the snow is a health hazard on its own, especially with a man of his age. >> absolutely. we had 14 deaths up here. the majority of them are from cardiac arrests. because the snow is fairly heavy. we're asking people if possible to stay inside. the temperatures are rising and we're hoping that the snow will start melting in a normal manner. and then eventually go away this late weekend, sunday to monday, when the temperature is expected to get in the 60-degree range. >> all right. mark witherman, we so appreciate the update. do take care of yourself and everybody there. thanks for spending a little time with us to clue us in.

>> no problem. everybody is giving the effort. >> we wish you the very best. thank you. >> thank you. >> and we'll keep you posted as to what's happening there obviously today. but we do want to talk about president obama because he signed an executive order on immigration reform. republicans, though, say the battle over immigration not even close to being over. plus, two standing ovations for bill cosby in florida last night, despite all the new allegations of sexual assault. we'll take you inside the theater. we wanted to hear what it was like to be there. denver international is one of the busiest airports

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president obama put the signature on an executive order that clears the way for millions of undocumented immigrants to remain in the u.s. for now. >> yeah, but the battle over immigration reform, it is not remotely close to being over. cnn's erin mcpike has more for us. >> reporter: president obama campaigning for his bold move on immigration. at the same las vegas high school where he promised big changes, nearly two years ago. >> las vegas, i've come back to del sole to tell you, i'm not giving up. i will never give up. >> reporter: he told the crowd of mostly latino students he'd

done all he could to get house republicans to at least hold a vote. >> 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. if the votes hadn't been there, then we would have to start over. but at least give it a shot. and he didn't do it. >> reporter: some were disappointed his executive actions didn't protect more undocumented immigrants. >> i understand. i've heard you. but what i'm saying is, this is just a first step. >> reporter: but he quickly turned the focus back on republicans. members of congress questioned my authority to make our immigration system work better, i have a asimple answer. pass a bill. pass a bill. pass a bill.

nobody is stopping them from passing a bill. speaker boehner he warmed the president in a phone call. >> president has chosen to deliberately sabotage any chance of an act of bipartisan reform that he claims to seek. as i told the president yesterday, he's damaging the presidency itself. >> reporter: but with the gop divided over just how to respond to mr. obama, boehner gave no specifics. >> the house bill in fact act. >> joining us live from the white house, so republicans not happy, obviously, with the plan. now, what exactly are their plans to derail it possibly. >> well, christi, attorneys generals in several states are weighing legal challenges but they don't have time to prepare those challenges because we heard from the department of homeland security that the new changes will take place on

december 5th. they don't have a solution yet how they can block this. >> erin mcpike, we appreciate it very much this morning. thank you. let's get to your "morning read." >> new details about the benghazi terror attack that killed christopher stevens. a report concludes there was no intelligence failure prior to the attack. the report also finds there was no standdown by operatives. and overall security was weak. "the new york times" has written that president obama has signed a secret office offering a more expensive mission for troops in afghanistan next year. the times reported that the move will ensure that the u.s. will have a direct role. earlier they said that the u.s.

would have no combat role next year. even though he's facing allegations that he drugged and raped women, bill cosby, you're seeing it there, two standing ovations at a show in melbourne, florida. the 77-year-old comedian has live performances scheduled through may. police in ferguson urging calm. but they're preparing for more protests. we'll talk with the head of a key national law enforcement group about how officers should be gearing up as the grand jury nears its decision. the holiday season is here,

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22 minutes past the hour. and police in the st. louis area are calling for calm, but they're preparing for unrest as we wait for the grand jury's decision here in the police shooting death of michael brown. >> of course, that could come at anytime, of course when we get information, we'll give you the very latest. amid ongoing protests, missouri's governor has declared a state of emergency and put the national guard on alert. and now the fbi is sending more personnel there. >> let's talk to cedric alexander, he's president of the national enforcement executives. i'm so glad to have you here, sir. >> thank you. >> when we talk about the fbi sending more troops, atf, national guard has been called and a state of emergency has been established, how much authority does the ferguson police department have. and because they are at the center of what the grand jury is looking at, how do they move

forward with passable protests? >> i think the important thing to look at is everyone is awaiting to hear what this decision is going to be. hopefully, we all will hear sometime soon. i think the resources are being called in for procautionary measures, those who are going to protest peacefully, they deserve the right to do so. and they'll be allowed to do so. what we're concerned about, all of us in the law enforcement community, are those who may not. those who may insert themselves among the peaceful protesters and create problems. ferguson police department itself, and i'm in pretty frequent contact with the chief there, tom jackson. they're managing the day-to-day calls for service and operations there in ferguson. and, of course, you have st. louis county p.d., as i understand, in one of our more recent visits there. they're going to pretty much have the overall command of any unrest that may occur.

>> there were some who in the immediate days after the shooting of michael brown saw that response first from ferguson police. and then from other law enforcement agencies. and they saw the rifles trained on the crowds as provocative action. what's the line moving forward, as we expect the announcement of either an indictment or no indictment? how far should the law enforcement go to show, yes, we're serious, but not to protect the actions? >> well, i don't believe you're going to see that again. and that's part of the lessons that have been learned there in that community. and of course, across the country as well, too. so that type of what has been considered provocation by many there, who were peaceful protesters, i think you're going to see a very different engagement that's going to take place. however, we also have to remember, though, that depending on if there are any threats, the police must be able to respond

to that. and be able to protect themselves. but what has to be really different this time around, guys, is that police in community have to be working together. to make sure that that bad element is expected from those who are trying to have a peaceful protest. >> and are you getting a sense that that is happening? >> they have been working towards that over the last several months. so we'll see. should there be any unrest. quite frankly, we're all hoping for the best, in terms of whatever the decision is, people are hoping for the best. that that community will be the model for the rest of the nation in terms of how it responded to whenever the decision may happen to be. hopefully, the work they've done there will bear some fruit. >> will show itself. >> cedric alexander, thank you for being with us this morning. >> thank you for having me. >> we want you to stick around if there is a development, we want you to come back. >> thank you, sir. of course, we're keeping an

eye on the grand jury decision we'll bring you that as soon as it happens. plus, no matter what the decision is the fallout could be far from over. that part of the story is still ahead. let's talk about bill cosby as well because he is, yes, facing these mounting rape allegations. but if you listen to the applause here. still getting love from fans this is a show in florida. >> just last night. >> yeah. after 39 years behind bars two cleveland men wrongly convicted of murder freer. 39 years. why the judge finally threw out their convictions. and their emotional release. you're going to see it.

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♪ bottom of the hour right now. so glad for your company. i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. listen to this. [ cheers and applause ] >> that's bill cosby standing there. uh-huh. two standing ovations for him just last night who was performing stand-up in melbourne, florida. >> of course, you know he's facing the mounting allegations that he drugged and sexually assaulted many women. fans packed the theater and shouted messages of love and support for the comedian anyway. cnn's alina machado has details. >> reporter: victor and christi, it was a packed house for bill cosby's 90-minute performance. despite the controversy, he actually got two standing ovations. one in the beginning and one in the end. the 77-year-old made no mention

of the sexual assault allegations during the show. list ton what some have to say about this performance. >> it's funny. just like old bill cosby. didn't think of anything going on currently. he's back to his old stuff. it was good. >> i grew up watching the cosby show. i was glad that i bought the tickets considering it was sold out and the show went on. >> reporter: there were no anti-cosby disruptions during the show. we did see three protesters peacefully holding signs near the venue. they did not get inside. they did not disrupt the show. so far, though, at least six shows have been cancelled. victor and christi. >> alina machado, thank you so much. we've got a new statement from the attorney of bill cosby and he called the numerous allegations absurd. these had new brand new claims about alleged decades old events are becoming increasingly

ridiculous and it's completely illogical that so many people would have said nothing, done nothing and made no reports to law enforcement or asserted civil claims if they thought they will be assaulted over so much years. number one, after four decades behind bars, two cleveland men wrongly wrongly c of murder are free. yesterday, a judge threw out the convictions against ricki jackson and riley bridgman. the pair was convicted back in 1975 after the main witness, a 12-year-old boy said he saw the crime. that witness recently came forward and said, you know what, he fabricated his story. number two, a window washer fortunate to be alive this morning. he fell 11 stories on to a moving car in san francisco. the fire department officials say he's hospitalized but in critical condition. substantial condition there as well. he was still conscious when responders arrived. and people who were there, of course, they rushed over there

to help him. the driver, though, was not injured. >> also. number three here, the gunman who wounded three people at florida state university mailed ten packages before that shooting. officials say the packages sent by marvin may have all been collected by investigators. the contents of the packages are nod hazardous, but are being sent to the fbi for additional analysis. now, the father of a 15-month-old boy who died after being left in a hot car this summer pleaded not guilty to a charge of criminally negligent homicide. officials say kyle seitz was supposed to drop his son off at day care but left his son in the car when the car when he went to work. this connecticut death came a month after a similar incident in georgia grabbed headlines. number five, leave it to beyonce to make the web go wild. new video posted to youtube

called 7-eleven. she sings, dances in her underwear. some girlfriends make an appearance there. this video released yesterday. already nearly 2 million hits. she knows what she's doing. >> let's talk about this grand jury, we are following this very closely this week. waiting to find out if they'll decide if the white officer who killed an unarmed black teenager will be indicted. we'll ask the legal expert what that decision might look like.

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plus identity theft protection. join now at experian.com. with enrollment in experian credit tracker. we return to our coverage of ferguson, listen, the city is on edge as it waits, as the country waits for a grand jury to decide whether the white officer who killed an unarmed black teen will be indicted. now, here's what could happen. officer dari darren wilson coul charged with murder or manslaughter.

>> if not indicted there could be other charges brought against him. we want to bring in cnn's legal analyst mel robbins, based on what you you know, what could be the scenario? >> christi, victor, we're all on edge, me personally after this grand jury has heard dozens and dozens of witnesses and seen months' worth of evidence, they live in the community and they clearly know of the stakes i'm leaning for there will be an indictment for involuntary manslaughter. one of the reasons i believe that, first of all, the standard's really low. you do not have to find the burden of proof that you would at a trial which is beyond a reasonable doubt. you simply have to find probable cause which means more likely than not. on the charge of involuntary manslaughter, unmissouri law, you just have to find that the officer acted recklessly under

the circumstances and whether there's enough facts to proceed with that charge. keep in mind, you guys, there are four potential crimes that the jury will be instructed on under this fact scenario so i think we're still days away from hearing any decision at all, victor and christi. >> you say days away, i wonder with 700 hours or so, as we've been advised, of the testimony and all the evidence, why we expect, or at least, you expect, even it will come in a few days? why couldn't this stretch into december? is there any indication that this will be a quick decision? >> you know, victorer that's an excellent question, you're right. it could actually stretch into december. because keep in mind, in addition to all the evidence, they're also going to be instructed on the law. and the law in missouri, particularly on the charge of justification, is kind of complicated. and when i was talking earlier about the fact that they're

going to be charged on four different crimes, the first one is first degree murder which means there had to be deliberation. the second one is second degree murder which means he had to knowingly kill michael brown. and if there was justification which is yet another thing they'd be instructed on, that then mitigates second degree murder. then you have voluntary manslaughter which under missouri law means that the killing happened in a moment of passion. and then you have involuntary manslaughter which comes down to whether or not the officer acted recklessly. and all of this is going to come down to the credibility of the witnesses, you guys, and the state of mind of officer wilson. >> okay. so if there are no federal charges brought, let's say, against wilson. >> yes. >> yet, a civil suit is brought in. how likely is that to succeed? >> i think it's extremely likely. it's extremely likely. maybe not on the wrongful death,

but certainly on the negligent infliction of emotional distress. when you're talking about the fact that michael brown's body was lying in that street uncovered for four hours. and that the police have already admitted that there were mistakes that were made. now, is it likely that you'll see an actual civil trial happen? probably not. what you're going to see is you're going to see a series of events happen. first of all, if there's an indictment, that certainly makes the civil case a lot stronger. but even if there isn't an indictment in this case, you still have a very substantial civil claim. but i suspect, given the national focus on this and the publicity, that they'll look to settle that out of court. >> mel rob inibins helping us t understand what is difficult in missouri and something very complicated for a lot of people to and where their mind around. mel, thank you so much. >> you, too. we have got to talk about

this epic snowstorm in buffalo. >> oh, yeah. >> it's not over. doesn't mean their troubles are going away just because we don't see any snow today. warmer temperatures is the problem now. which could mean major flooding for areas that have already been pounded. take a look. the holiday season is here, which means it's time for the volkswagen sign-then-drive event. for practically just your signature, you could drive home for the holidays in a german-engineered volkswagen. like the sporty, advanced new jetta... and the 2015 motor trend car of the year all-new golf.

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there this morning. and rain is on the way. >> now, there's a live picture of what's happening there right now. so, people are out trying to, you know, remove some of that snow. they're clearing the streets a bit. they just don't have anyplace to put all of it. >> yeah. i mean, the guy operating the front loader, he's just piling it up on the side. i'm sure, hopefully, it's a side street or driveway. folks are trying to get out but the rain is on the way. we'll take a look at what that means for folks. >> look at that picture and think about if it starts raining and all of that snow turns to water. this is already a serious situation. officials say at least 13 people have been killed because of this storm. >> in some areas the people that live there they were pounded with 7 feet of snow. forcing roofs to collapse. this morning there are new fears that the people could be hit with a major rainstorm. so there's flooding to consider as the temperatures begin to warm up and melt all of that snow. >> let's go to cnn meteorologist jennifer gray.

she's been studying this whole thing. how quickly is it going to get warm there, jen? >> well, it's going to gradually get warmer. it's not going to hit 60 today or tomorrow. we could get close to 60 by monday. up know, while we were there, temperatures were just a few degrees below freezing but the sun was out. so were already seeing a little bit of melting before we left buffalo. today, 41 degrees. rain expected later today, through tonight. could get a little bit of a break on sunday. and then more rain expected on monday. so the fear is when this rain starts to fall, it's just going to add a lot of weight to those roofs that are all right maxed out with the snow on top. then you have the warmer temperatures so you're going to have rapid melting. so there's a lot of different things going on here. it's not just one thing. so as we go through today and tomorrow, you can see the rain moves in with monday, early morning. we're looking at the overnight hours on monday and then pushing out. looks like a lot of rain. but how much are we really talking? we're talking about probably an inch or maybe not even an inch.

that flood watch is in effect, though, not only because of the rain. the rain is just one part of it. it's because >> we're looking at that the next couple days. less than an inch around buffalo, mayber maybe more in some location. also this weekend severe weather threat in the south, texas, south louisiana, more storms possible tomorrow even from new orleans all the way to the border. >> jennifer gray, watching it all for us. thank you. >> thanks, jennifer. as we said, officials this morning, they are really concerned about the homes and businesses because the weight of that snow on roofs. we know it's already collapsed some roofs, but you know, we see this -- look at the guy standing on his roof trying to clean his roof off. >> feet of snow. weighs much more than you think. cnn's tom foreman has more. >> reporter: the rule of thumb, one foot of snow equals about one inch of water. so a koobic foot about five

pounds. a column of this about 25 pounds. that on top of a modest size home if you spread it out over the surface would amount to around 19,000 pounds of weight up there. most homes in buffalo are designed to bear, that but what they may not be able to bear is this. when that snow has time to compact, and to drift, you could have all of that weight from a 5-foot column in a single square foot of, snow and then you put more squares on top of it of the same weight, now you have a different equation. you cover with five foot deep of this suddenly that number could jump up to 95, 96,000 pounds and that's very hard for any house to withstand. granted, the structure is meant to disperse that weight, all of the decking, all of the trusses, all the studs in the wall are meant to make sure that none of that weight bears down on just one part of the house. but if it silt as long time f

rain gets into it gets so heavy it has to do damage. so how can you check? a few simple things you can do if you live in an area like this. first of all, take a look in the attic if you can. if you see obvious buckling of the trusses that is a warning sign. if you hear a lot of unusual popping or groaning noises from the wood that's another warning. and if you try to open interior doors and you find they are sticking that could also be a sign there is a lot of weight on top of the house and you may need to get that roof cleaned off. >> all righty. tom, thank you so much. we'll be right back. theraflu severe cold doesn't treat chest congestion. really? new alka-seltzer plus day powder rushes relief to your worst cold symptoms plus chest congestion. oh, what a relief it is. here we go! narrator: these are the skater kid: whoa narrator: that got torture tested by teenagers and cried out for help.

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anger and frustration as the top executive from air bag company takata takes center stage. the hearing was held after air bags exploded prompting a recall of 8 million vehicles. >> at least five deaths have been linked to the air bags. now some want the recall to extend to every state in the country. cnn's government regulation correspondent has more for us. good morning, renee. >> reporter: christi, victor, the air bag manufacturer acknowledged and apologized for the deaths and multiple injuries caused by the device intended to save lives. the hearing in a word, heated. one issue, whether faulty air bag recall should extend to every state. the air bag manufacturer believes humidity triggers the defect and appears poised for a

fight. that could mean weeks, even months before cars with the potentially dangerous air bags, are recalled. >> we now have a live hand grenade in front of a driver and a passenger. >> for nearly three hours senators, grilled an executive from air bag manturer takata, auw linked to five deat >> do you take responsibility for those deaths? does takata take responsibility? >> we recognize three victims case but my understanding two others are under investigation. >> when the faulty bags deploy the inflator encased in metal can rupture sending shrapnel flying. lieutenant erdman is one of the many surviving victims, metal pierced through the air bag of her 2002 honda, after a minor

crash. >> there was a metallic foreign object which had punctured and fractured my right nasal bone and the tip of the shrapnel -- and the tip of the shrapnel embedded in my right sinus. >> reporter: federal regulators demanded a recall of affected cars move nationwide, a move the air bag manufacturer is resisting. >> do you agree or disagree with the call for a nationwide recall? >> senator, it's hard for me to answer yes or no so if you allow me -- >> it is not hard for you to answer yes or no. >> reporter: the issue remained what did the companies know about the problems with the air bags and when did they know it? takata's vice president of quality assurance surrounded by cameras after, but says nothing. victims like stephanie hope the

start of today's senate probe means being one step closer to getting all vehicles with potentially deadly air bags off the road. >> my vision will never be the same. i will never be the same. >> this monday honda must hand over critical documents and answer questions under oath as a part of federal safety regulators' own investigation. takata will have to do the same next month. christi, victor. >> appreciate it. thank you. >> stay with us. this is a busy morning, a lot going on. >> next hour of your "new day" starts now. >> ahead this hour on "new day," right now, we're waiting for a grand jury's decision in the shooting death of an unarmed teen bay ferguson, missouri police officer. and there have been more arrests during the protests overnight. >> also breaking overnight, a new report details a secret

order signed by president obama to expand the u.s. military role in afghanistan. >> look at this. aerial views showing nearly seven feet of snow that's fallen in and around buffalo as the death toll rises and expected warm-up could bring rain and make a bad situation even worse. take a deep breath because saturday has made to the your doorstep. i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. 8:00 on the east coast. we're waiting for a major grand jury decision in ferguson, missouri. >> jurors deciding whether to indict officer wilson. the announcement is expected to come any moment. officials hope to stave off the violent protests, though, that erupted after the unarmed teen was killed back in august. most of the protests including more this week have been peaceful we want to point out. but, we just got word three new

arrests during last night's demonstrations. police say one of the men was arrested for wearing a t-shirt and a mask with the name the protest group anonymous. >> the fbi is boosting its presence as local officials, even president obama, appeal for peace. stephanie has more from ferguson. >> reporter: the closer the grand jury decision on the fate of police officer darren wilson gets -- >> uncertainty is beyond difficult. >> reporter: the more anxious many in the st. louis area grow. this woman grew up in ferguson and moved back here to raise her family. her concern is less about whether or not wilson will be indicted for the shooting death of 18-year-old michael brown in august, but more about the reaction that follows. >> if there's peaceful demonstrations that's fine. but to have the violence that we've had and from people that are outside of ferguson in the name of ferguson, no, we don't

like that. >> reporter: you don't want to show your face on camera. what is your fear? >> my fear is my family's safety. >> reporter: in the days after mike brown's death unrest paralyzed ferguson and led to months of demonstrations in the st. louis area. now businesses here are boarded up, hoping to avoid destruction if protests once again spin out of control. schools in st. louis county are setting up contingency plans if the decision comes while class is in session. the jennings district making the call to extend its thanksgiving holiday to last the entire week. some churches are ready to assist protesters and residents affected. >> to awaken a sleeping community to issues that need to be addressed that have always been there, i think is a great legacy. >> reporter: reverend blackman says the decision goes beyond black and white. >> both sides love ferguson, but one side wants to be embraced and have all of the rights and all of the benefits that both

sides should have. the other side is able to live in oblivion to that. if they so choose. >> i think it's a tragedy that young man was killed. but i think that he's given up his life for a greater good that's going to make ferguson better. our consciousness is being raised into doing things that are more inclusive. >> reporter: meanwhile, president obama joined attorney general eric holder and members of the st. louis community in a call for peace. no matter what the grand jury decides, telling abc news -- >> using any event as an excuse for violence is contrary to rule of law and who we are. >> stephanie elam joins us live from ferguson. are you hearing consensus on expectation of what we'll hear from this grand jury from people you're speaking to in ferguson? >> reporter: you talk to people on the ground here, victor, the people who are protest, most of

the people i spoke with do not believe he is going to be indicted in any way, shape or form. they believe that officer wilson if they were going to arrest him for anything is is what they are telling me, they would have done it back in august. so a lot of people not expecting that. they are telling me they do believe that this issue here may have been started with mike brown but it's much bigger than that, and no matter what the grand jury does decide to do, they plan to be out here protesting and demonstrating and asking for change. >> do you think this 48-hour waiting period is really going to help the situation? or might it exacerbate it? >> reporter: well, there's two ways to look at it. 48 hours, notifying the schools, then parents can get their children, have them home before any sort of decision comes down so that the children are safe. there's that. but it's hard to believe that a 48-hour notice won't give people enough time to get here. there's people who are protesting and demonstrating that plan to be peaceful and let their voices be heard but there

have been people out here agitators and that's what people are concerned about. if the 48-hour period happen, how will then that give enough time for agitators to make it to the st. louis area. but law enforcement saying that they do have a plan that they are working on, they can't tell their plan because obviously then people will work around it. >> stephanie elam for us, thank you so much. we'll take a look at some of the potential outcomes in this case with legal analyst joey jackson. >> let's get straight to it. the grand jury is considering first-degree murder, second-degree murder and involuntary and voluntary manslaughter. how hard would it be for a prosecutor to prove first-degree murder here? >> good morning. well, examining that question we start out with what they would have to prove in the event that they did first-degree murder and so what will happen is that you are examining really the state of mind. in any of those charges you are looking at the state of minlds.

when it comes to first-degree murder that what you're saying is there was premeditation. there was deliberation. there was the intent to kill. now, how might that be determined in the event that the grand jury looks and they see that indeed michael brown did have his hands up from the credible evidence before them and they think there might be a reason that he shot with hands up and michael brown was posing no threat, that of course is first-degree murder. the grand jury doesn't consider that and say there is no deliberation they drop down to second-degree murder which has no element of premeditation. and then they continue to go down the list. manslaughter, was it voluntary or was it involuntary. voluntary being you know, you kill someone but it's the heat of passion, the heat of the moment, a sudden quarrel. now they may not find that. they may find in the alternative it was involuntary, meaning he acted that is darren wilson, in a reckless way in an irresponsible way in a way that consciously disregarded the danger in discharging that firearm when when there was no

imminent threat. finally understand in addition to these charges the jury will be instructed, the grand jury, on justification. which is self defense. and if the grand jury finds that you know what, darren wilson was in imminent fear for his life and acted reasonably they will not indict on any of the four that we're discussing. >> joey, we know inare seven men and five women on this panel. three are african-american, nine are white, and i heard people argue that is not representative of this community. is that valid and how does it matter? >> well, you know what happens, a wonderful question. here's why. what happens is if you look at ferguson you have a population roughly two thirds african-american and one third white. the county is really reversed. you have 70% white and then you have 30% who happen to be african-american. so the issue of race obviously

comes and is called into question. what happens is when you pick a jury you want a fair jury, impartial jury and that the not only applies to determining guilt it applies to grand jury which has to assess whether there is reasonable cause to believe a crime was committed, and that darren wilson committed it. so i think race matters with respect to the backgrounds of people, their individual experiences, their level and degree of reasonableness, we're all products of our environment, we think based upon how we're raised, groomed, who we associate with and that's why race comes into play. but you like to think in an ideal world that reasonable minds could remain reasonable. and of course with the standard here being so low, whether or not the grand jury believes hey, is there that probable cause, we're not asking you, the prosecutor is not asking neem decide anybody's guilt. they are asking them to make a decision whether the matter should go forward and whether you are black, white, green or yellow, people can do that of reasonable minds.

see whether they do. >> joey jackson, we always appreciate you. thank you. >> a privilege. thank you. take care. more breaking news, "the new york times" is reporting president obama has signed a secret order authorizing a more expansive mission for the u.s. military in afghanistan. >> a reported move would basically mean american troops will have a direct role in carrying out missions against militant groups. i want to bring back major general marks. thank you so much. we know that the president said that u.s. troops would have no combat role in afghanistan next year. if this report is correct, why change the plans now? why is it secret? >> well, let me answer the second question first. clearly, any evaluation of what conditions are like on the ground and how our national security might be altered in order to address those will be kept in a secret environment and it certainly will be classified.

at various levels to be released at some point, portions of that will be released. obviously this got out i think before it was intended. so that by itself makes perfect sense. the reason i think it's coming out now is that there has been a leadership change in afghanistan and the new president really h a relationship with the u.s. presence on the ground that is more folsom, a little more open in terms of his evaluation of his afghan forces and their readiness in order to go after taliban and its relationships with al qaeda and afghanistan. so the united states stands ready to support that. so, this is really a request from afghanistan, from the afghan leadership to address a legiti problem on the ground, the united states saying we're here to support, we are friends in this fight, we're here to try to make a difference. so, the united states has come back and said look, we need to alter our posture on the ground so that we can be a little more

aggressive, not only with our ability to lead operations almost in parallel with afghan forces but also to provide some direct fire support from the air and flew the use of other enablers like unmanned drones, that kind of thing. >> some might ask if maybe the president is looking into iraq and saying if we don't beef up our efforts here in afghanistan, we could be looking at a similar situation what we're seeing with isis there in iraq. is that something he's considering? >> victor, great question. absolutely. i'm certain you know, we always must be mindful of our experiences and what's happening in iraq, really is giving great insights into our administration that we pulled out a little too soon, iraqi forces were not ready, and you reap what you sew so we have this situation where isis in this incredibly vast

ungoverned space of northern iraq and northern syria, essentially causing this level of havoc and really posing an existential threat almost to the united states as well so we're trying to transfer that lesson over to afghanistan and determine what can we do now get ahead of and in front of what might be a growing problem. so we're not a -- not tryingaddress a similar problem a year down the road. let's fix it now while we can. >> thank you so much. >> thank you folks. first buffalo, obviously gets pounded by up to seven feet of snow. and now temperatures are warming up. which brings a new dangerous weather threat to it. we're taking you live to buffalo, pictures are incredible. >> fans in florida showing love for bill cosby despite the mounting sexual assault allegations against him. so, what's next for the 77-year-old comedian's career and his reputation if the allegations continue?

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i got to tell you the death toll from this storm in buffalo, new york is growing even higher this morning. >> officials say 13 people are confirmed dead, the latest fatali fatality a 68-year-old man who was trying to clear snow from his driveway. be careful. this is heavier than you think. we heard that from tom. seven feet of snow in three days. dozen s of roofs collapsed and folks innow face a new threat. >> temperatures are rising which means there's a fear of flooding now. cnn's alexander field has been deep in the snow drifts in buffalo this morning. a number of people we know were stranded in their homes. at this hour are they able to get out? >> we're seeing more people

starting to get out of their houses, due in large part to a lot of streets are cleared. you can see this front-end loader carving out this street southeast of the city of buffalo. these snow banks, these are eight, nine, ten feet high. they keep growing. this speaks to how much snow volume we've seen in this city over the last couple days. this is causing major concerns at this point we know. while the snow has stopped we know the rain is coming, the temperatures are warming so a lot needs to be done to protect against the threat of severe flooding. state officials warning that this area could see worse flooding than in a long time. that means all of this snow piled up needs to be carted out. we're seeing dump trucks dump it in this old rail depot. in the meantime residents asked to try and get out of homes, do some cleanup. shovel off the rooftops. people saying that they are concerned about the threat of warmer weather now and hoping, listen to what neighbors told

us. >> hopefully we can get to work, help out as much as we can. hopefully no one else's roofs collapse. flooding is coming of course. and our big yard as you can see. have to worry about that now. we stuck it out this far. we can do it again. >> reporter: a good attitude to this. a lot of the driving bans are lifted. more roads open. people are still told they shouldn't be out on the roads unless it's essential. the goal in getting the roads is to get emergency services in when and where needed. especially to help officials respond to the threat of flooding. they are bringing in boats, hundreds of water pumps, sandbags and these high ax elvehicles able to get in areas with several feet of water if needed. after a week like this people are hoping they won't be needed. >> quickly, maybe i misheard this. the people in buffalo are being

asked to come out and shovel off their rooftops? >> reporter: yes. people are told they need to take the threat seriously. you have several feet of snow on some of these rooftops. when we talk about the warmer temperature you're talking about rain so we know that snow is about to get a lot heavier. we heard from people, we followed firefighters who responded to calls where people heard their walls starting to crack and ceilings bow. some are told they have to take steps, get roof rakes out. do the best you can. help your neighbors where possible. you've got to do it, get some of that snow off of the roof or you'll see more roofs collapsing. in the last days we've seen dozens of rooftops collapse. >> all righty. alexandra, take care. thank you so much. that is not a safe job to get on your roof. >> feet of snow, you add a person up there on a slant. >> how many know how to do that? let's go to jennifer gray.

she just got back from buffalo and we know that these temperatures are going to warm up. how quickly are they going to do so? >> temperatures are going to warm up into the 40s today, still in the 40s tomorrow and then in the 50s close to 60 degrees by monday. this will be a gradual warm, we should have a lot of cloud cover out there for the next couple days, but the rain is coming. that's what is a concern because when you add that extra water weight and the snow hasn't melted all the way, it's going to add more weight to the roofs like we were talking about. so, i want to talk more, too, about the south. we do have an immediate threat for today and tomorrow for the gulf coast. we could see a large hail, damaging wind, an isolated tornado, that's south texas through new orleans including the hill country of texas. then the gulf coast tomorrow from new orleans all the way to pensacola, a possible severe threat as well. so those storms will make their way up the coast and in fact, it's part of the same system that will impact buffalo on monday. and we're talking about rain

totals probably less than an inch. so we're not talking about huge amounts of rain, guys, but we're talking about rain and warmer temperatures, a lot of factors going into this that are proving not to be fortunate for the city of buffalo. >> all right. jennifer gray, thank you so much for the update. let's talk about bill cosby. we know he is facing mounting rape allegations, but cosby is still getting love from fans like, look, at this show in melbourne, florida. >> just last night that is. what's next for the 77-year-old's career, though, and his reputation if these allegations continue?

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the ongoing conflict in syria left so many children searching for a safe place. and they are doing it in many cases without their families. many have lost one, maybe both parents. all are trying to escape the violence at home. >> cnn's arwa damon went to see one of the many ways that volunteers are taking care of the youngest victims. >> reporter: with new back packs the children file into the orphanage after school. faces and behavior betray few of

the horrors they have witnessed. their fathers are dead, lost to illness or war in syria. their mothers decided to send them here. >> my name is -- >> 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. toys replace those they left yind as they fled. clean water to wash with. and regular hot healthy meals. the orphanage was established by the foundation named after another little girl who was paralyzed by shrapnel. >> children away from all that's happening inside syria and to give them the right to have a normal life away from the war. >> the impact is being seen.

>> translator: the head of the orphanage says she was often 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. arwa damon, cnn, turkey. we're obviously watching what's happening in ferguson. we know that store owners, they are boarding things up. as they wait for the grand jury decision on officer darren wilson. the owner after cake shop a block from the police station is talking with us next about what she's dealing with this morning. stay close.

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definitely cream. [ male announcer ] never made with hydrogenated oil. always made with real cream. the sound of reddi wip is the sound of joy. it is bottom of the hour. we're grateful for your company. >> good to have you with us. let's get to the new developments breaking overnight in ferguson, missouri. three people were arrested last night after dozens spilled into the streets ahead of a grand jury decision in the police shooting case of michael brown. the three were charged with unlawful assembly and according to police, one of the leaders of the demonstration was wearing a t-shirt and mask with the name of the protest group anonymous. jurors are of course as we know deciding whether to indict officer wilson on charges ranging from first-degree murder to involuntary manslaughter. a decision could come at any time. as residents bracing for more

protests the fbi has sent more people to the region. and president obama is urging calm. >> this is a country that allows everybody to express their views, allows them to peacefully assemble, to protest actions that they think are unjust, but using any event as an excuse for violence is contrary to rule of law and contrary to who we are. >> we want to talk about how this is impacting business owners who are struggling to keep things going. >> we have one with us now, natalie is the owner of natalie's cakes and more. it's a new bakery in ferguson right in the middle of all of this. thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you. >> so your bakery is about a block and a half from the police department. what has been the impact of the protests that we see day after day on your business?

>> well, initially when the protests began it was very sad, i didn't have any clientele for two weeks, two whole weeks straight. no one walked in the door. but shortly after a local radio stations and news stations heard the story, there was some publicity done there, and i had a lot of their listeners to come out and just to support. but now the anxiety has set back again, due to the release of the indictment so there is not as much business as there was walking through the door. >> so, how capable do you think, natalie, this is a new business, you're a mom, you've got kids, how long do you think you can survive with this business at this pace? >> you know, i just don't know. so my prayer has been as well as my plea has been just don't harm

the businesses because if the businesses are harmed i'm a business owner here in the ferguson community, as well as live here in this community, and if i can't open my doors every morning i can't feed my kids in the evening, i won't have income to keep a roof over our head. so that's my plea as well as my prayer. >> you mentioned feeding your kids in the evening. you are a mother, you've got a family in that community. what do you tell your children? what is that conversation? >> you know, i tell them that -- because we have you know t customers that come in they actually -- that's like the everyday conversation. so a lot of the times they are really not interested even sitting at the shop after school. but at the same time we have to stop going to school and we just received notice on yesterday

that school's going to be closed all week long due to the release of this indictment, so actually, their big concern was mom, are we going to be able to go to school? now unfortunately i had to tell them last night that school is out for an entire week due to the release of this indictment. and then as far as them asking me, they don't want anybody to burn their mommy's shop down. that's what they have been saying to the people coming in the door. don't hurt my mommy's shop. >> natalie, how are they? talking about what they are saying. but in general, how are they dealing with all of this? i always wonder how kids, we know kids are resilient but i wonder how it affects the kids in that community? >> there's frustration. i've been around their friends from school and they talked about the situation. a lot of them are afraid, you know, of just kind of being locked in school because of things happening bad on the outside. or either not being able to go

to school, or once again because they have a mother who has a business in the community, talk, are they going to put a fire to your shop? it's hard to -- because i can't give them a definite answer, you know what i mean. once again, my prayer and plea is that just don't burn -- don't burn my shop down. please don't destroy it. this is my only means of income for my children. >> natalie, we so wish you the very best and we hope that for you as well. and all of the business owners. there you take good care of each other. thanks for being with us. >> thank you so much. >> top republicans say president obama is acting more like a king, emperor maybe. they are furious over his plan to protect millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation. who stands to benefit in this immigration showdown politically? we'll explore that. ♪ [ male announcer ] over time, you've come to realize...

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>> a lot of similarities there at least rhetorically. president obama and george w. bush talking about immigration. >> president obama insisting the gop inaction forced him to act to protect undo documented immigrants. >> he signed these memos on air force one. top republicans question whether he has the authority to revamp the immigration rules and whether he can sidestep lawmakers. we've got maria cardona. >> and republican strategist kevin madden. thanks to both of you being here. let's talk about the ramifications for 2016. good morning to you. maria, does either party you think stand to gain an advantage from the showdowns we're seeing? >> i think that all depends on how republicans respond to this. and what we're hearing so far really doesn't make me think that they are going to have any advantage going into 2016 with

all of their talk of shutdowns and impeachment and removing the protections that now president obama has given more than 5 million immigrants from deportation without talking about solutions. so, if you think about it this way. going into 2016 you have the democratic party president who has given latino voters protection in terms of health care. 10 million can get health care under the aca. republicans want to repeal. now this protects probably 4 million latinos who are probably 70 or 75% of the immigrant population in this country, and you have republicans talking about wanting to repeal that. so, going into 2016, you have a republican party that is gambling on the perception of their party within the latino community which not great now, i don't think that's a gamble that republicans will win if they don't change the way that they are moving forward to this. >> look, maria makes a point

that you know, republicans do have a demographic problem. we can't continue to win presidential elections if we continue to reduce our ability to win a good chunk, good size of the latino vote in presidential elections. but i think there's also a risk here for democrats, i think particularly president obama right now, in that this is an overreach on his end too. the american people did want to see a ledgetive resolution. they want to see parties come together. after an election where the american people sent a message they want washington to work together, for the president to take such a provocative act and drive parties back into their polar open sits that is something that is going to be looked harshly on. >> i want you to listen to president obama talking about the possibility of postponing deportations and the notion that

he can do that, in his own words over the last few years. >> with respect to the notion that i can just suspend deportations through executive order that's just not the case. >> i can't do it by myself. we have to change the laws in congress. >> the notion that somehow by myself i can go and do these things is just not true. what i said is that there's a path to get this done and that's through congress. i'm the president of the united states, i'm not the emperor of the united states. my job is to execute laws that are passed. >> 2011, with respect to the notion that i can just suspend deportation through executive order that's just not the case. 2013, my job is execute laws that are passed. who is right, 2011 president obama, 2013 president obama, or the president obama who just signed these two executive actions? >> victor, they are all right. i don't think those are inconsistent with what he said.

let's be very clear. he was answering questions from people who said why don't you just suspend deportations for the 11 million immigrants that are in this country and give them what they would have gotten under the senate bill. he still can't do that. which is why he has said that this is a very temporary fix, and that ultimately what he prefers and what he has always preferred has been for congress to take this up because that is the permanent real solution to this. and when you look at the american people and kevin's right there is a risk here which is why you see the president and the cabinet going out to sell this aggressively, about why the president is doing this, in polls you see would see the congress work together. in the absense of any action from congress, do they support the president giving some temporary relief to immigrants who have been here for many, many years, have kids here, have roots here, the numbers go way

up. so again, it's a risk for republicans in terms of how they respond to this moving forward. >> i think -- that's why this is such so odd and also an odd act and also i think a very divisive act on the president's behalf. we did have this brief glimmer of bipartisanship after the recent election results where the president obviously his leadership was repudiated and republicans in the house and senate saw gains because they went to the american people and said we want to make washington work. at that very time there was a glimmer where the president could have worked with capitol hill, possibly work some comprehensive legislation together. >> but the house has a bill that they can consider. there is a bill that the senate bassed more than 500 days ago. if it would come to the floor it would pass. why not bring it? >> because john boehner has said if we are going to have a piece of legislation that is going to work that we do have to rally a larger group of american public support behind it.

and that -- there weren't many republicans in the house that preferred that we have a piece by piece legislation that focuses on securing the border, then moving to those pieces of the bills. >> but they never focus on any piecemeal. they never presented a piece of the meal. >> we don't have a process of democracy here where when the president doesn't get what he wants out of one chamber that he then acts unilaterally. >> then does he give the house republicans the right to say well, he didn't do anything -- if he does this it's an overreach. you have something you can do. isn't that the obvious power move here? pass a bill as the president says? >> if you want to negate what the president has signed you've got that to consider. >> victor, i would argue that's not the process we have which is that the president makes an executive order by fiat and then we have a legislative process

designed to remedy or counter that. instead we have a process says the house and senate work and the president also works hand in glove to make sure that legislation -- when he gets to his desk it will -- >> it doesn't work. >> but that's the process. if things don't work up on capitol hill the president just can't act. that's where -- that's why he said -- that's why he said, maria, that's why the president said time and time again i'm not an emperor. i can't just do this. i can't just ignore the law. >> he still believes that. he hasn't changed the law. he has given temporary relief to a small amount of the undocumented population that is in this country. congress can still act right after thanksgiving if boehner wants to bring the bill to a vote let's do it. if not that bill present other bills that could fix this. >> we've got to call it there. never enough time for these conversations. i thank you both for being with us. >> thank you. so, you've seen women coming

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on that stage you see there, bill cosby and what you're hearing, one of two standing ovations last night for him as he performed in melbourne, florida. for two nights now we've seen

fans cheer him on and show him their support. are the allegations even hurting his career? these allegations that he raped women. >> let's talk about this now. we've got joy rhymen. the question i have is if he didn't do these things, why not just say straight from himself into the camera, these women are lying. >> well, truth in advertising is lot of people don't tell the truth. but in marketing, silence is not golden. what he is not saying says everything about him. and when you're silent, people listen. silent and the word listen have the same letters. >> listen. we do have a response from cosby's attorneyment rereleased a statement if you haven't heard it. where he lash out at everybody. he says over and over again we've refuted these new

unsubstantiated stories with documentary evidence only have to have new uncorroborated story crop up. when will it end. it is long past time for the media vilification of mr. cosby to stop. is the media to blame? >> i think the media's fabulous. the media is putting forth one of the most important notions out there. unfortunately it's sexual assault. we're having the conversation. bill cosby we have -- i'd have to hand it to him he is a catalyst for this conversation on campuses, in the work place, in the world. sexual assault is a very serious issue. >> they are strong words from his attorney. are they going to be enough? >> no. >> is he going to have to sit down and have conversations with somebody publicly? >> he has to. transparency in marketing is key. and he's getting ill advised from his attorney. >> what do you make what if we saw. in melbourne, the show in the

bahamas, that he still is beloved. people -- >> one of them was a women's group. >> his character is beloved. his character was what i would call somebody who puts all of his wealth in his family. that's being vilified so we've got two image issues. cosby and then the huxtable issue. basically bill fell off the cliff. >> that first group was a women's group. >> and you know what it reminded me of, the rice situation where -- the women show up for the games in his jersey. >> well -- >> what do you make of that kind of support when you're talking about allegations that are so violent against women? >> well, now women are being victimized for the second time. a lot of women won't come forward and the fact that he's out there, we're talking about a baker's dozen of allegations. i think it's going to cause room for conversation.

and he is the catalyst. >> if you were advising him what would you suggest he do? how do you repair this? >> talk to cliff, his character. his character was a remarkable character that always left a lesson for the public. the lesson here is tell the truth and talk it through. that's what families do. that's what at least the unreality show families do. this is the new reality. >> and we do need to point out again, though, to reiterate, he has not been charged with anything. these are all allegations. >> he certainly is charged up. >> he has not been charged but he has charged up the conversation. no doubt. so good to have you with us. thank you. >> we'll see you back here at 10:00 eastern. >> "smerconish" starts right after a brief break. hey! i guess we're going to need a new santa

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welcome to the program. i'm michael smerconish. we wait for the decision from the grand jury in ferguson, missouri, key questions you may not have heard. life and death fears among the police. i'll talk to a ferguson cop who says every police officer he knows has received death threats. and i'll go inside a demonstration to grill a protester who says it's time to turn the tables. >> praying for your death. and your death and your death. >> he wants to make the police the target. and i'm an attorney, so i'll take a hard look at the evidence with another lawyer who knows it even better than i do. i want to dig into the most important information that the jurors heard and saw. also, a journalist who is standing up for bill cosby. she calls the media coverage of sexual assault charges