this is cnn breaking news. >> good morning, everybody. so glad to have your company. i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor black well. 6:00 here on the east coast. >> if you haven't heard, former d.c. mayor marion berry has died. he was 78 years old. the cause of death is still unknown. we do know that barry has struggled with health problems in recent years. >> in and outside washington, d.c., his name became synonymous from his start in the civil rights movement to his hands-on approach as a four-time mayor and city councilman at the time

of his death. he was often praised for creating jobs and also breaking racial boundaries. >> and like many, his service was not without a little drama. in 1980, he made headlines after a tape showed him smoking crack in a d.c. hotel room. he was later convicted and served six months in prison. >> that did not stop him from a comeback. he reclaimed his seat in 1995 and then was re-elected to city council. in july, he spoke to cnn's fredericka whitfield about his troubled past. >> i've had a rich life, not just a 15-second sound bite, but when you say washington, d.c., everybody knows, when i came here in 1965, washington was a sleepy, southern town. no high rises, no anything except for the fbi building. look at washington now.

all of downtown. our neighborhoods have been transformed because of my blueprint. i appointed herb miller. he was living downtown. more importantly, i brought hope to the hopeless. in washington, i have worked hard for the people. and i'm beloved by the team. >> this morning he's being remembered for his love of public service and his love of washington. >> joining us now by phone, someone who knew marion barry well, the reverend jesse jackson. rev represented, thank you for joining us this early morning. >> marion barry, despite his troubled past, he was really a symbol of that city. so as somebody who knew him really well, you know, what stood out to you the most, reverend? >> well, first of all, i'm saddened by the passing of marion barry. i've known him since 1960. we were both students. i at north carolina-nt. he was a freedom fighter. who helped change this nation.

we talked just this past week about his book from the plantations of mississippi to a chemistry major at the university. he lived and died with a special place in the hearts of the people. he was at the first meeting in 1960 at the university. the acts we benefit from, the civil rights act, maryland was a part of that, an outstanding mayor. people like bob johnson and the leadership of marion barry and he kept on getting back up. he died in office with a special place in our hearts of the people. even though he fell down, he got back up again because the ground is no place for a champion. he indeed was a champion. >> reverend, i think it's difficult to relay to people who did not live in d.c. or did not know of the mayor when he was serving, when i went to howard university as a freshman, marion

barry was not mayor at the time, but i heard stories from people who are native washingtonians who said if you wanted a job in the summer as a teenager, marion barry was going to guarantee that there would be a job for you. because he loved that city and the young people. help us understand his commitment and his love for washington. >> he fought to guarantee jobs for students in the summertime. blacks got contracts they had never gotten before. much of bob johnson's success at b.e.t. emerges from the leader some of. mayor marion barry. in the '84 campaign, he hosted a big kickoff meeting at the washington center in '84, he put my name on the issue in san francisco in 1984. marion never stopped fighting. he was never confused about a racial and cultural wall, a cultural master structure.

he was very clear on that. he understood coalition. he was a great coalition politician as well. he had a great sense of people across the board. >> reverend jesse jackson, we certainly appreciate you sharing your thoughts and your memories of him with us this morning. thank you for taking the time. >> well, i can only say that marion barry's name's on the honor roll of freedom fighters who changed america. from a southern governor to a congressman, marion barry's name was on the honor roll of freedom fighters who changed america for the better. >> reverend jesse jackson, thank you so much for speaking with us. let's turn to ferguson, missouri, now. people there are frustrated, many people angry. the people who live there in ferguson are waiting for the grand jury to reconvene tomorrow to find out whether the white officer who shot unarmed black teenager michael brown will be indicted. >> cnn justice reporter evan perez has been looking into this.

good morning, evan. >> reporter: christi, victor, good morning. it's the grand jury decision everyone is waiting for. they're set to reconvene on monday to decide whether to bring charges against darren wilson. they met here for several hours before deciding to go home for the weekend without making a decision. we don't know what the issue was. we don't know whether they wanted to simply hear more evidence or just needed more time to consider the charges that prosecutors have brought before them. law enforcement officials have boosted resources for the weekend. st. louis area schools have decided to cancel classes for the entire week. we have protesters in town who were planning to hold marches who are also now waiting. the entire region is waiting for these 12 jurors to decide whether to bring these charges. back to you, christi and victor. >> evan perez, thank you so much. later this hour we'll take a look inside the grand jury, the makeup, and how that might affect their decision. now to another story that we're following. snow-covered buffalo, new york, is under a flood watch this

morning. >> temperatures are about ten degrees above freezing there today, which means seven feet of thick, dense snow is getting icy and is all going to melt. so the pictures that were sent to us by cnn i-reporter dawn buck are beautiful. a county official says there could be five to six feet of water in some areas when it all starts melting. cnn's alexandra field is in buffalo. alexandra. >> reporter: so much snow out here in and around the city of buffalo, but governor andrew cuomo is saying that he is satisfied with the progress that they're making in the snow-removal operation. now a number of state officials are here in western new york, and they're preparing for another possibility, severe flooding. the governor has warned this area could see more significant flooding than it's seen in a very long time. the forecast calls for the temperature to warm up over the next several days if it happens as quickly as it's forecasted to. that's when you could see some really serious flooding.

manpower is being brought to this part of the state along with resources. 500 national guardsmen and women are in place ready to respond if needed. on top of that, more than 50 swiftwater rescue boats and crews. there are also high-axle vehicles that could make rescues if necessary. hundreds of pumps have been brought in in anticipation of potential flooding and also 176,000 sandbags. everyone here is hoping that that temperature rise will happen more gradually and that officials will be able to get more snow out of the area before flooding becomes a big problem. but in the meantime, homeowners are working really hard to stay ahead of the game here. there is some rain in the forecast so people are trying to get the shovels out, get the snow off the roof. they don't want that rain to combine with the snow. that's when you see more roofs collapsing. already in the last few days, several dozen roofs have collapsed. we know if more rain comes, that would put more homes in danger. christi, victor? >> alexandra field, thank you so much. still ahead, deputies

responding to a house fire end up dead. we have the latest on a bloody ambush. this was in florida. plus, police in cleveland shoot a 12-year-old boy. why? and how could this have happened? we'll tell you. tional is one of the busiest airports in the country. we operate just like a city, and that takes a lot of energy. we use natural gas throughout the airport - for heating the entire terminal, generating electricity on-site, and fueling hundreds of vehicles. we're very focused on reducing our environmental impact. and natural gas is a big part of that commitment.

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back to "new day." want to get you caught up. >> investigators in tallahassee want to know why a gunman ambushed deputies who responded to a house fire. one of them was shot dead. now, the gunman took the deputy's gun and then started shooting at other deputies and paramedics there who arrived on the scene. he was eventually killed in a shootout with police. cleveland police shot a

12-year-old boy after mistaking his bb gun for a real semiautomatic pistol. now, please were responding to a 911 call yesterday about a boy pointing a gun at other people. the officers told the boy to raise his hands. he refused and reached into his waistband instead. that incident's been investigated. from china to japan to right here in the u.s. in texas, earthquakes are rattling buildings and a whole lot of nerves. they're all hit within hours of each other yesterday. there are no reports of injuries from last night's 3.3 magnitude quake in dallas in a suburb there, but in china's sichuan province, people ran into the streets in a panic when a 5.9 magnitude quake struck there. four people were killed. dozens were injured. now, in central japan, rescue teams searched crumbled homes looking for anyone trapped inside. the powerful quake there injured dozens of people at a ski resort. cnn's meteorologist jennifer gray joins us now.

is it unusual to have these quakes? >> no, not at all. we've seen earthquakes due to fracking and natural gas drilling. in japan and china, they're located along the ring of fire. that's where 90% of the world's earthquakes happen and 75% to 80% of the large ones. in fact, there's over a million earthquakes every year. not normal at all. of course, unfortunate but it's not unusual to see that in those locations. one thing i do want to get to, though, you asked, we are going to see some rough weather over the next couple of days. in fact, already seeing very heavy rainfall. showers and storms pushing through south louisiana. baton rouge, new orleans. in fact, the severe threat for today is from south louisiana all the way through the carolinas. could see large hail, damaging winds as this system continues to push to the east, impacting the northeast as we go through the early morning hours on monday. fast-moving system will be in and out and then impacting the northeast by tomorrow morning. so the possibility for damaging winds, large hail and even a couple of isolated tornadoes

right there in the florida panhandle and then a smaller risk in the yellow from new orleans all the way through savannah. i want to talk about rainfall totals quickly across portions of the northeast. we've been looking at buffalo still on tap to see less than an inch of rain there. we still have that flood watch in effect tonight through wednesday. higher amounts of rain will be in the southeast where we could see anywhere from three to five inches outside atlanta. one to three in the panhandle. one more thing to mention, we are looking at a possible storm setting up just in time for thanksgiving travel. wednesday into thursday, two different computer models we're looking at not agreeing yet, but the first one bringing it a little closer to shore, could tap into that cold air, could be a snowmaker and could cause some problems anywhere from d.c. all the way to boston wednesday through thursday. the other model that we're looking at takes it a little bit farther offshore. doesn't tap into that cold air as much. doesn't look like it will be quite a snowmaker. so once those agree, we'll have a better idea what's going to happen. if you're traveling to the

northeast, macy's thanksgiving day parade, all that, keep in mind, we could see messy weather. snow possible just in time for thanksgiving. >> all righty. jennifer gray, thank you for the heads up. let's talk sports now. welterweight boxer manny pacquiao put on another explosive performance overnight, dominating to remain his wbo title. 35 years old. boxing great didn't win with a knockout, but pacquiao scored six knockdowns on the way to his unanimous decision. you know, combat missions in afghanistan were supposed to be over in a matter of weeks at this point. >> yes. but president obama is now expanding and extending the u.s. mission in the war-torn country. why and for how long? we'll talk about it.

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20 minutes after the hour. and president obama's decided to extend and expand the u.s. combat mission in afghanistan. in a new policy shift, the u.s. military will now keep troops in the war-torn country to carry out combat missions against the taliban and other militant groups threatening american troops or the afghan government. of course, this comes as a big surprise to a lot of people because back in may, president obama announced that u.s. combat operations in the country would end next month. take a listen here. >> we have agreed that this is the year we will conclude our combat mission in afghanistan. >> lieutenant colonel bob mcginnis joining us now from woodbridge, virginia.

colonel, thank you so much for being with us. why now? what changed? they've been there for, what, 13 years at this point. what prompted this? >> well, a couple of factors here, christi. first of all, the military came and told the president, look, mr. president, we need to keep people there so we can pursue the haqqani network. extremists are. positiving up here and there. and of course, the taliban is a real resilient enemy. and our afghan allies aren't quite ready as yet to fight them. plus there was the presidential election, christi. and the fact is that the new president in afghanistan was far more receptive to us staying and conducting these types of operations. >> does isis have anything to do with this and the new threat that we've seen from them? >> yeah, of course. you know, when we left iraq in 2011 because the iraqi government didn't want to serve any longer, things started to fall apart as we saw this summer against isis.

so the president has reconsidered -- we don't want that to happen to afghanistan. and if we leave a small element to continue assisting, advising, training and also fighting, as the president said the other day, then that may preclude a similar scenario from happening in that country. >> i want to read something from back in may, republican senators john mccain, lindsey graham and kelly ayotte released a statement criticizing obama's move to end combat missions and withdraw troops in afghanistan with this quote. this is a short-sighted decision that will make it harder to end the war in afghanistan responsibly. the president came into office wanting to end the wars he inherited, but wars do not end just because politicians say so. does this give credence to the argument that, you know, the u.s. should not set exit dates? >> yeah, it is difficult. and of course, the taliban was paying very close attention to this. and that was a political factor as well.

in the recent election in that country. so we have to be careful. we have to help our allies. now, we've guaranteed about $12 billion in continued aid, and of course even after the end of next year, we're going to have an element there to continue to advise and assist and train. i think that's something that's necessary. you know, keep in mind, after world war ii, we're still in germany. we're still in japan. so a smaller element each year, of course, but the reality is that these countries needed help. well, afghanistan was far more undeveloped than any of those countries, and they need to continue to have our assistance, perhaps not up-front assistance, but assistance in terms of weaponry and some aid and, of course, some advice. >> the focus has been so -- so narrowed in on iraq and syria as of late with isis. how much does afghanistan need us? >> well, it's probably more so

than iraq did in 2011. afghanistan, of course, is a developing country. it has all sorts of issues in terms of security issues. it lives in a very dangerous neighborhood with pakistan to the south and, of course, iran to the west. and people would like to manipulate that country's future. but the reality is, if we can help them to stabilize their democracy, which is very young and needs all the help it can get, then perhaps we're going to find a very better -- or much better long-term outcome if we just help stabilize and contribute to that future of that country. >> all righty. lieutenant colonel bob ma ginn nice, always good to have your thoughts. thank you for being with us. >> thank you, krissi. >> victor? from civil rights activist to mayor of washington four times, marion barry had a storied career with all the plot points one would expect in a great story.

but this morning friends and family are remembering his life and his legacy. first, this week's "ones to watch" looks at dance music in argentina and new stars. take a look. >> argentina is at the forefront of a latin american boom in dance music. its capital is home to two young men, augustine and mattias who are hot prospects on the deejay scene. >> right now we just made our first album. that was our biggest achievement. we always try to insert a couple of, like, latin american instruments or instruments from argentina, so there is one track specially, that the whole breakdown is a melody. >> a real important part of the track.

so you have created a really high-energy part because after that, you drop the beat. ♪ this is a typical sound. >> reporter: they're preparing to play their new music to fans for the first time during an all-night set in the city. ♪ >> set for four hours, it's a journey. it's like telling a story. it's like we are the captains and everybody is on board. people are following us. >> if i hear a heat beat track, i can hear it from a million tracks. that's a heat beat track. you can hear it in the bass line. the reverb. it's really unique. >> be sure to watch the full show at cnn.com/onestowatch. the holiday season is here,

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it is 30 minutes past the hour on a sunday. and we're so grateful for your company. i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. thanks for being with us. >> yeah, we have some somber news we need to start with. former d.c. mayor marion barry has died. he was 78 years old. we don't know the cause of death. it's still unknown. we know that he struggled with health problems in recent years. >> barry started as a civil rights activist in the 1960s. he was elected as washington's mayor four times and served as a

city councilman as well. >> in 1990, he made headlines after a televised surveillance tape showed him smoking crack in a d.c. hotel room. he was later convicted and served six months in prison for that. >> we return now to our coverage of ferguson, missouri, where the people there are just waiting, waiting for this grand jury to make a decision. >> i mean, they're suppose to reconvene tomorrow, we know, and protesters are hoping that they're finally going to know whether darren wilson will or will not be indicted for michael brown's killing. cnn's stephanie elam is live from ferguson for us. stephanie, do you get a sense there that waiting has heightened the anxiety? >> reporter: i think waiting has been part of the entire game this whole period, christi and victor. folks are used to it. everyone knows that this was not going to be a particular science on exactly when we were going to hear back from the grand jury. technically, they do have until january 7th to come back with their decision. it is expected much faster than

that. what we do know is that protesters are still planning to doing what they're doing no matter what happens. and as far as the grand jury decision, some people i spoke with are happy to see that they didn't come back with a quick decision. they take confidence in the fact that perhaps these 12 people are taking their job very seriously and trying to come up with what they believe is the right decision. >> it may be difficult to know if these protesters are local or are not, but is there any way to decipher how many of these protesters have come into ferguson and how many ferguson residents, how many people who live there are really going out night after night? >> right. and you're right, victor. we are seeing people out here night after night. we are seeing demonstrations. we know that there was some more peaceful demonstrations over this weekend as well. and you're talking about, you know, solid numbers of people some nights. some nights it's just a couple. some night it's 50, 100 people.

but yeah, there are a lot who are not from here. some folks were telling me that they came from chicago, kansas, seattle, even, coming here and have been living here since august when mike brown was killed. so there are a lot of people from other areas. and as far as ferguson is concerned, they're very small -- they're much smaller numbers of people from ferguson, but a lot of the people you will see are from the st. louis area. a lot of people in st. louis that have been out here feeling that they are -- this is something that they needed to address because they've seen it through their own eyes in their parts of the community. but yes, there are a lot of people here from other parts of the country. >> stephanie elam reporting this morning. stephanie, thank you. >> thanks, stephanie. you can imagine what it's like to be inside that grand jury, you know, knowing the implications of its decision here. so with us, cnn legal analyst paul callan and danny cevallos. good morning, gentlemen.

>> good morning. >> first of all, i wonder if you can help us understand the makeup of this jury and how that could impact what we expect to hear. we do have the numbers there being a racial split, men and women on this jury. do you expect that men and women, seven men, five women, that that could have very impact on the perspective looking at what we know, they, of course, know more, but what we know about what happened on august 9th? let's start with paul. >> well, you know, i think when lawyers look at how women as opposed to men react to these situations, i know when i picked juries in murder cases, and there's a child involved, this is not a child, he's a young man, he's 18 years old, the victim, the question is, you know, will a woman be more sympathetic because she's a mother? there's a little bit of that thought that goes into it. but i don't see the gender split as being significant here. i'd be more concerned about the racial split which i'm sure we'll talk about later.

>> go ahead. actually, we wanted to get into that. let me go to danny with that one. the racial split. paul says that he's concerned about it. are you? >> i'm not, and here's why. in all my years of picking a jury, i have learned that i have learned nothing about picking a jury. deciding how people will vote based on their race or gender is like reading tea leaves. it's like phrenology. it's like feeling the bumps on my head to diagnose a mental -- or a medical problem. i think far more concerning really for me is the fact that we even know the makeup of this jury. the entire idea behind the grand jury process is secrecy. and that's to protect grand jurors. increasingly we've heard more and more information released or leaked about these grand jurors. and i think that subverts and threatens the entire grand jury process. it's a dangerous precedent. if we're going to use the grand jury process, we must preserve its secrecy for the protection of grand jurors. and not use it as a political tool.

so while i cannot read too much into the race and gender of the grand jury simply because i do not know that i could guess at how they would vote along those lines, i think far more concerning is the fact that we even know the makeup of this grand jury. >> if i could just jump -- if i could just jump in there. >> tell us what you think there, paul. >> well, you know, it's a 9-3 split. you know, danny's absolutely correct. you can never predict these things along racial lines, but boy, there's the racial split on this case, you know, is pretty significant, i think. now, what's interesting, of course, is that it takes nine votes in order to get an indictment in the case. so if three members of the panel say no and nine say yes, there's -- it's going to go one way or the other. so it could play a part. and the other thing i think we should remember -- and this has been a misconception because i hear a lot of people saying it's not a farrow flexiir reflection

community because ferguson is overwhelmingly black. in truth, it's a reflection of the county. that's how we try cases in the country, on a county-by-county basis. in fact, there are more african-americans on this jury than there are on a percentage basis in st. louis county. so just slightly. i think the population figure is 23% african-american. there are 25% on the jury. so it actually does very fairly represent the demographics of the county, and that's what we like to see in juries so that all groups are represented on grand juries. >> you know, the thing is, we know that there's a state of emergency that's already been, you know, established there. the national guard's been called in. there are s.w.a.t. teams, the atf. people are boarding up their businesses because there is such anticipation of what's going to happen if there is no indictment in terms of protests and backlash. how do you, danny, as somebody -- a member of the grand jury who has not been sequestered and most likely know all of this, how do you not

factor all of that in, knowing that whatever judgment you make is therefore going to be severely judged? >> it's impossible. these people are members of their community. and remember, as much as we try to say that grand juries are secret and the identities are secret, after all, somewhere at a job, someone's saying hey, where's steve been? he's been out of work a lot the last couple weeks. and people can divine or figure out eventually who people are and what people are sitting on this grand jury even if that information is never released. so you can imagine it's far more known in the community or through the hallways, not just the racial makeup, but the actual identity of grand jurors. and they know that other people know who they are or who can figure it out. so it's just an unimaginable amount of pressure, especially for people who typically do not find themselves thrust into the media spotlight. >> paul, the possible charges here, first-degree murder,

second-degree murder, voluntary, involuntary manslaughter as well. what will it take to bring a first-degree murder charge, obviously the most difficult to prove if this moves on to the next phase? >> you know, i think it's a really tough hill to climb for the prosecutors to prove first-degree murder here because first-degree murder required premeditation and planning. and certainly whatever happened in that tragic encounter between michael brown and officer wilson, it happened very, very quickly and sort of almost impulsively. and i don't think they're going to have an easy time proving premeditation. so if you see an indictment, i suspect it's going to be one on the lower counts that are submitted. >> all righty. paul and danny, we appreciate your insight so much. thank you for taking the time for us this morning. >> thank you. >> sure. it was a pretty big weekend for former congresswoman gabrielle giffords. she took part in a biking event. we'll tell you why this event meant so much to her.

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five things you need to know for your new day. up first, police are looking for a gunman who shot and killed four people at a house in cleveland. among the dead, a pregnant woman. the gunman also shot the woman's 9-year-old daughter. she was grazed across the chest. she told police the shooter was wearing a mask. number two, the university of virginia is suspending all fraternities and associated parties until january 9th. this comes after a student described in a "rolling stone" magazine article how she was allegedly gang raped. and they are frustration at just trying to get justice. school officials have also asked

the charlottesville police department to investigate the incident now. number three, a gay rights activist and vocal supporter of president obama has been indicted on sex crimes. 66-year-old terry bean was arrested last week on charges of sexual abuse related to a 15-year-old boy in oregon. bean's attorney denies the charges saying the statement that bean is the victim of an extortion ring. number four, a family in louisiana desperately fighting to keep their beloved dog zeus, a pit bull, seen here. so far 40,000 people have signed their online petition to reverse their town's new ordinance which bans vicious dogs that includes pits. the family has to get rid of zeus by december 1st. and if they don't, authorities will take the dog to the pound where it will be, quote, disposed of. at 8:00 a.m., we're talking to owner joanna owens and her daughter, o'hara, about that. number five, gabby giffords is back on her bike. the former congresswoman

completed the el tour de tucson yesterday. she's still recovering after she was shot in 2011 in a mass shooting in her district. >> so impressive there. all righty. down to the wire, right now world diplomats are trying to hammer out a deal over iran's controversial nuclear program. >> with so much at stake, will they be able to do it before the clock runs out? up next, why secretary of state john kerry says big gaps still remain.

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this morning there are major concerns that a possible deal with iran over its controversial nuclear program may not happen by tomorrow's deadline. an iranian official says because of limited time, it would be, quote, impossible to find uncommon ground. right now secretary of state john kerry is in vienna to address what he calls serious gaps still remaining. let's go straight to cnn's senior international correspondent nic robertson live in vienna with how those talks are going. impossible serious gaps? it doesn't seem like this is going to happen. do we have any indication of what those serious gaps are? >> reporter: we don't. one of the reasons we don't is because the content of these negotiations is being very closely held. we don't have any access into the hotel behind me where the talks are taking place. and every involved in those talks is keeping very, very quiet about what's discussed. and the reason for that, we're

told, is simply that they don't want to undo any possibility, any chance of making an agreement. the state department says it is still focusing on trying to reach an agreement. secretary kerry has just concluded another two-hour meeting with his iranian counterpart, the eu minister, katherine ashton. secretary kerry speaking just yesterday describing how big those gaps that remain are. this is what he said. >> we're working hard. we hope we're making careful progress, but we have big gaps. we still have some serious gaps which we're working to close. the good thing is, the p-5 plus 1 are united and working in concert, and we're simply going to not say anything subsequent about the discussions while they're going on. but a lot of serious work is going on by a lot of people.

>> reporter: now, the same iranian semiofficial state news agency reported that from the iranian side, the gaps are too big to get a deal with the time left available, said that they are now discussing or the options are on the table for an extension. the state department continues to say that they're still trying to get an agreement within the time frame, but they are discussing internally and with international partners their best options for a way forward. but as one state department official told me a little while ago, there are big decisions for the iranians to make at this stage, and they show no signs so far, at least, of making those big decisions. victor? >> and not much time left to make those decisions. nic robertson for us in vienna, thank you very much. christi? you know, fears this morning that isis could take control of iraq's anbar province because the iraqi military and tribal forces have been facing off with extremists in a bloody, deadly battle. this since friday. and local officials are warning cnn that if extremists can take

a central military and government complex, the sunni-dominated province will fall, they say. a top cop in mexico has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of 43 college students back in september. according to officials, cesar gonzalez allegedly helped round up the students and hand them over to a drug gang to be massacred. thousands across mexico continue protesting in the streets, demanding justice for the families of the victims. this morning friends and family are remembering former mayor marion barry, washington mayor, of course. he had a troubled past but barry managed to make a comeback time and time again. and in the next hour, how he turned from a civil rights activist into a symbol of that city. stay close.

thanksgiving is almost here, and here at cnn, we're preparing for our own holiday tradition. "cnn heroes: an all-star tribute," is a celebration of the top ten heroes. >> we do not use that term lightly because the things they have done are spectacular. the star-studded gala was held this week in new york city. it airs sunday, december 7th. and michaela pereira gives us a behind-the-scenes sneak peek. >> reporter: we're in what's called the whale room. you're wondering why, right?

a little hint for you. ♪ the days leading up to the main event are action packed. cameras, lighting, hd video screens and decor are put in place. and no show is complete without the rolling out of the red carpet. before you know it, a transformation. so inside this trailer, my fantastic colleagues are putting the final touches on the show. dare i go in? come on, look alive, people! we're almost at showtime! on this night at the museum, host 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 don't have, you know, 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 out to pay them tribute. recording artist sheryl crow who performed at "cnn heroes" inaugural event is back for another special performance. >> i'm grateful to c nchnn thaty

have started this program because there are so many angels on this planet that are doing god's work. >> reporter: for the honorees who never seek the spotlight, seeing it all for the first time is a moment to remember. >> tune in to see the show featuring anderson cooper and a host of celebrity presenters and performers on an evening that is sure to inspire. that's "cnn heroes: an all-star tribute" sunday december 7th at 8:00 p.m. eastern here on cnn. the next hour of your "new day" starts right now. there's been no grand jury decision in ferguson, and they won't reconvene until tomorrow. but we're going to break down what this could mean for the case and for officer darren wilson. plus, a rape scandal at the university of virginia. new this morning, the school's president suspends all campus

fraternities as allegations of sexual assault and violence on campus grows. and a flood watch right now for residents in buffalo, new york. a new scare as massive amounts of snow start to melt away. take a nice, deep breath as you've made it to sunday. i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. 7:00 here on the east coast. good to be with you, as always. >> yeah. we do need to begin with breaking news this morning. former d.c. mayor marion barry has died. he was 78 years old. and we do not know the cause of death. it's still unknown, but we do know that he struggled with health problems in recent years. >> inside and outside of washington, barry's name became synonymous with the capital city from the start of the civil rights movement, four-time mayor and city councilman, he was often praised with creating jobs and breaking racial boundaries. >> his service wasn't without drama. we do want to bring in cnn's

erin mcpike in washington. wondering what the reaction is there this morning. >> let me first tell you he died overnight at united medical center in washington at 78 years old. we're still waiting for more details on the cause of death, but we are expecting a hospital press conference later this morning to get some more of those details. this past june, he released his autobiography called "mayor for life: the incredible story of marion barry." and he served four terms as mayor of washington. after three terms until the early '90s, he was arrested for that video of him smoking crack in a hotel. and he served six months of jail time thereafter. he also had a number of other run-in with the law including for drugs and taxes over the last few decades, but he was beloved in washington. and he told our fredericka whitfield that his top issue has been trying to get statehood for washington, d.c. here's a little more of that interview. listen. >> i've had a rich life.

not just a 15-second sound bite, but when you say, well, washington, d.c., everybody knows, when i came here in 1965, washington was a sleepy southern town. no high-rises, no anything. no new buildings on pennsylvania avenue except the fbi building. look at washington now. all of downtown. our neighborhoods have been transformed because of my blueprint. i appointed herb miller. he was living downtown. more importantly, i brought hope to the hopeless. in washington, i have worked hard for the people. and i'm beloved by the people. >> reporter: and we do have a statement from the current mayor of washington, vincent gray, who said marion was not just a colleague but also was a friend with whom i shared many fond moments about governing the city. he loved the district of columbia and so many washingtonians loved him. we also have just gotten in a statement from the mayor-elect

of washington, d.c., muriel bowser, and she said he has been a part of my family for decades, and he will continue to be an example to me and so many others. so, of course, we're just getting some reaction in because he died overnight, christi and victor, but i'm sure we will hear much more throughout the day. >> yes, we heard from reverend jesse jackson last hour. i'm sure we'll hear more throughout the next few hours. erin mcpike in washington for us, thank you so much. let's go to ferguson now where the streets are quiet this morning, but the tension -- the tension is simmering beneath the calm there. >> residents are waiting, of course, for the grand jury to reconvene. they will do so tomorrow now in the hope that they're finally going to know whether officer darren wilson will or will not be indicted for michael brown's killing. cnn's stephanie elam is live in ferguson. do you think the waiting has exacerbated some of the anxiety there? >> reporter: i actually think the waiting has been part of the game now for weeks, victor and

christi. i think that folks here knew that they were going to have to wait. everyone knows that it's not an exact science of when we're going to find out. and just to be clear, the grand jury's not late by not telling us what their decision is or not, coming to that decision, simply because they have until january 7th. but we do believe that they're close when they come together monday, we may get a better idea. the question that you hear people talking about is whether or not this is going to happen now before thanksgiving or after. you do hear a lot of people talking about that. >> so if there is an indictment, what is the plan, then? >> reporter: as far as the protesters are concerned, they are going to protest either way. that's what they said. they said that the protesters i spoke to were telling me that this is something that has now become larger than what happened with mike brown, that there is a disconnect between young men of color in the st. louis region and throughout the nation, they told me, and law enforcement. and that is what they want to work toward improving.

so there were protests throughout the weekend leading up to this. there were people out here again last night in ferguson. so they're saying no matter if he's indicted or not, they still plan on protesting. but i've got to tell you, most of the protesters i spoke with -- in fact, not one that i spoke with believes that he's going to be indicted, victor and christi. >> stephanie elam for us live in ferguson this morning, thank you so much. let's bring in "hln" legal anal criminal defense attorney joey jackson now. i read a piece in "the new york times" this weekend about some of the protesters who traveled to ferguson back in august. who say that they're not going to be back because one, obviously the temperature change, it's cold there, and they had some work obligations. do you expect that there will also be som reasons, the difficulty and the exchange with police there is going to keep some people away from these protests? >> good morning, victor. i really don't. remember, we're dealing with a

case that has such inflamed passions, and those passioned extend far over and past ferguson, missouri. in fact, throughout the country. it's international news, even. and so, listen. people are motivated behind this particular issue. we've heard, as you know, and have reported on very well the public service announcements, asking for peace and calm. you have the football team that did it, you know. you have various other people who have come forward and said, look, be peaceful. and it cuts both ways, too, victor, on that issue. what i'm saying by that is that certainly you expect that the protesters, whatever they come from, and i do expect, based upon the inflamed tensions, for them to be there despite the cold weather expressing their views. you also expect the police not to exacerbate, not to intimidate and to certainly have a presence and to protect. so as long as the police do their job and the protesters do their job, i think we could have a peaceful exchange and people could get the message across about this issue, victor. >> let's talk specifically about the grand jury now because there

is so much coverage here and on other networks and all around the world, online and in newspapers. this grand jury was not sequestered. how can they be expected to make a decision based only on what is heard inside that grand jury room on the second floor of that courthouse, considering the inundation of all the other information they're getting about this case? >> it's a wonderful question, victor. it really is. because, you know, there's a lot of, as we talk about, people have opinions about everything related to this case. and you certainly don't want the grand jury, victor, to be influenced by all the reporting that's done. but listen, they're instructed as to the law, and i know that's not foolproof, and they're told, base your decision upon what happens here upon the evidence, upon the circumstances, the police reports, the medical reports, the autopsy reports and so you would just hope and certainly expect that they would focus on that and do their job as it relates to hearing the evidence and making a decision

and not be subjected to the outside pressures, the outside tensions, and that's what we expect. and that's what certainly justice would demand, victor. >> i want to ask you something about the prosecuting attorney here who decided to do this on record and will be releasing hundreds of hours of the testimony and all the evidence. i would imagine that that could cut both ways as well. once all of that information is out, that there could be some danger connected to people knowing all of this and not getting the outcome that they were hoping for or expecting. >> you know, you're right on point with that issue. but i think there's a way to resolve that. and we certainly know that grand jury proceedings, by their very nature, are secretive, and they should be because you want to protect the integrity of the process. you don't want witnesses to be harassed, to be intimidated, and you want them to make a decision that's not, as we talked about before, focused on what everybody else wants me to do, but what i really should do and that's why they're secret. however, on that particular

issue, if you release that information, it could impair that. here's a way to resolve that. you redact, in legal parlance, information from that proceeding. what do i mean? i mean you white out or black out the names of the people who participate to make an effort to at least protect the identity of the witnesses. for you, certainly they'll be digging, and they could be found out in terms of what they said, who those witnesses are, but it could be problematic in the event that the public doesn't like what they said, the way they said it, or even worse, if what they said in the media contradicts what they said under oath when they were in that proceeding testifying before the grand jury. >> grand jury reconvenes at the very earliest tomorrow, and we'll see if we get a decision from that grand jury in clayton, missouri, where they're meeting. joey jackson, thank you so much. >> have a great day, victor. thank you. let's talk about the university of virginia because they are suspending all fraternities and associated parties until january 9th now. this move comes after a student told "rolling stone" magazine

she was gang raped over a three-hour period. and they are frustration, she talked about, at just trying to get some justice. well, now the school's president is asking anyone with information to come forward. she released the statement, quote, there are individuals in our community who know what happened that night, and i'm calling on them to come forward to the police. unquote. now, school officials have also asked the charlottesville police department to investigate this incident. i know you have a lot of questions about it. you know, what's next in this case? are there going to be charges filed? we're going to talk with our legal experts in the next hour of "new day." that's in the 8:00 a.m. hour. so we hope you'll be here for that. first, an epic snowstorm. next, floods, possibly. buffalo is bracing for this big meltdown now. everyone knew it was coming, but maybe not so quickly and all at once. fire crews from across new york and national guard units are on the way. we'll take you live to buffalo. plus, a mother of seven saw a wall of snow push down the

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so first buffalo, new york, was pounded by seven feet of snow in just three days. can you imagine? and while trucks have been busy carting piles of the snow away, buffalo now could face six feet of water as the temperatures warm up and all the snow begins to melt. the entire region is under a flood warning. cnn's alexandra field has been braving the snow and the cold weather in alexandra, hundreds of national guardsmen are in place and

ready. it looks like it's warming up there. >> reporter: yeah, a lot of steps have been taken so that everyone will be ready. 500 national guards men and women are here. the governor has been here for days. he's brought his commissioners up here from albany along with their personnel. we're also seeing emergency responders from other municipalities arrive here. 41 members of a special ops unit from new york city's fire department have also come here. they're all in place as this flood warning remains in place, at least through tomorrow afternoon. that's because those temperatures are rising. the concerns about flooding come from all the snow still on the ground. we know some areas had six, seven feet. that snow has to go somewhere as the temperatures climb. the issue is a lot of storm drains are clogged. this could be the biggest concern for people in urban and residential neighborhoods. they've been told for days now to start clearing their basements, think about that. also shovel off those rooftops because with the rain coming, you don't want the risk of more roofs collapsing. the governor says that this area is just about as prepared as they can be at this point.

over the last few days, there's been a massive operation to bring in not only the manpower and the personnel but also the supplies. 176,000 sandbags, 55 swiftwater rescue boats and crews, high-axle vehicles that could make rescues in several feet of water. just about everything they can have in place in order to respond, should they need to. again, everyone hoping that if the temperature doesn't spike as quickly as it's forecast to, that maybe some of these concerns would diminish. but certainly everyone prepared for the worst-case scenario after they got pummeled by so much snow this week. victor? christi? >> we're hoping for the best there in buffalo. thank you. christie hazard, she, her husband and seven children were trapped inside their home with this storm hit. remember, we're talking about 85 inches of snow. but a thick wall of it broke right through one of the are dos in her home. look at this! can you imagine? she's joining us now by phone

from her home in suburban buffalo. chr chrissy, thank you so much for being with us. you were going to be with us yesterday, i know, but we understand your aunt's house burned down. how is she? >> she's safe. okay. they were able to get out. so that's a good thing. >> and she lives in buffalo as well? did the house burn down because of the snow somehow? >> she's two turns away, and she had an electrical fire which seems to be going on with all the weight of the snow that's holding on to the wires. >> oh, okay. so i'm glad that she's okay. first of all. we're showing some of the pictures that you've sent us. and they're something else. what did you do when that wall of snow came through the door, first of all? >> well, we actually thought it was the roof caving in.

we went back there, and we ended up -- first we had to shovel the snow back outdoors. and then we actually had to set the doors up in the doorjamb for right now until we can actually get somebody here to look at it. >> so are you able -- if you said your aunt lives a couple of towns away, are you -- you're able to get around, then? the streets are clear enough for you to drive? >> it is in my town now. as of yesterday, last night, we were able to get out. i have not been able to reach my parents which is the town over. [ inaudible ] >> i'm afraid she's breaking up with us here. i'm going to keep trying here. chrissy, i'm so sorry -- okay. we've got you there. so we saw another picture that you sent of the store shelves that are completely bare. do you have enough food and water?

>> [ inaudible ] stuck at home. >> chrissy, i'm sorry, our connection with you is not that great. again, glad that you and your family are safe. glad that your aunt's safe and we're just so sorry for everything that you all have been through, but thank you for sharing. the experience with us because we report it on the news, and everybody else is sitting at home and they're watching it. and you don't understand the gravity of what it's like to live in that day in and day out. like she said, it sounded like her roof was caving in. >> i can imagine. and then you've got to shovel it out. but it's an 85-inch wall, so you can't just shovel it out that door. you've got to take it out another door. >> right. >> our best to her family and her aunt. still ahead on "new day," look at this. it looks like the real thing, but it's not. and a 12-year-old boy in cleveland lost his life in part

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waistband instead. the incident is being investigated, and we understand that boy is in surgery. police in tallahassee are investigating why a gunman ambushed deputies who were responding to a house fire. one of them was shot dead. the gunman then took the fallen deputy's gun and used it to shoot another officer and a firefighter. now, the shooter eventually was killed in a shootout with police. a triple threat. earthquakes hitting all around the world within hours of one another. from china to japan, right here in the u.s. in dallas in a suburb yesterday. there are no reports of injuries in irving, texas, where the u.s. earthquake hit, but four people were killed in china. dozens were injured in japan. in sports, welterweight boxer manny pacquiao put on another explosive performance overnight, dominating chrkrystc algieri. pacquiao scored six knockdowns

on his way to that unanimous decision. it may be the weekend, but most of us are looking forward to thanksgiving. it is a great holiday. up next, we'll take you -- tell you, rather, if it's going to rain on your local thanksgiving day parade. stay with us. ♪ ♪ ♪

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good sunday morning to my friends in south louisiana. you are waking up to a lot of rain. lightning, thunder in the area of new orleans, baton rouge, all moving to the east. this is all part of a larger system that could have several severe storms as we go through the afternoon. even the slight possibility of a brief tornado. look, this extends all the way up to the midwest. chicago even getting rain and then possibly pushing some snow in there by the time we get to tomorrow night. this will all push into the northeast as well as we get into the beginning part of the week. fast-moving system. that's where your severe threat is mainly for the south. the gulf coast, we're looking at three to five inches of rain around atlanta. one to three in the panhandle. i also want to move forward because a lot of you are traveling for thanksgiving. we could be looking at a thanksgiving time frame storm wednesday into thursday. could push a lot of rain and even some snow into the northeast in time for thanksgiving. the other scenario, though, we're looking at doesn't have it quite as big, guys. so still a little bit of

uncertainty there, but something to watch out for over the next couple of days. >> all right. jennifer, thank you so much. we'll see you back here at the top of the hour. first, a story about getting the worst news imaginable. finding out your child has a rare disease. >> sanjay gupta m.d. starts right now. there are giant pharmaceutical companies with thousands of employees who spend billions of dollars trying to crack the genetic codes and develop treatments for diseases. the couple you're about to meet is virtually on their own. for nearly four years, the hemples have allowed me to follow along on a journey where the word no is not an option. ♪ twinkle twinkle little star ♪ how i wonder what you are >> reporter: as a dad of three daughters, i can tell you it doesn't get much better than this. >> yea!