>> that's it for "the lead" i'm. i'm jim sciutto. jake tapper will be back on monday. i turn you over to brianna keilar who's filling in for wolf blitzer and she's in "the situation room." happening now, bracing for the weekend, ravaged and exhausted but still tense, the city faces a critical test as it characterize to move toward recovery. and a lone gunman shoots up government buildings in austin, texas, and police block an interstate fearing he had explosives. what was behind the rampage? and north korea power play, is dictator kim jong-un behind a reported paris attempted kidnapping and what's behind the promotion of his little sister to a big new job? and black friday madness, long lines, brawls in the malls and protests, we'll be looking at whether it's worth the bargains. wolf blitzer is off today. i'm brianna keilar. you're in "the situation room."

we're tracking three major stories right now. a gunman fires more than 100 bullets at government buildings in austin, texas. and sends police scrambling to learn if he also planted explosives. new details on a frightening one-man rampage. and they're calling it brown friday. demonstrators blocking businesses, marching through shopping malls in protest tied to the shooting death of michael brown. and in ferguson itself, the battle-scarred main business street reopens briefly before nighttime curfew kicks in as the city braces for its first weekend since the rioting. and the reverend bernice king, the daughter of martin luther king jr. is standing by along with our correspondents, our analysts and newsmakers. we begin in ferguson, where residents and business owners today were allowed back on the street which saw so much rage and violence this week. allowed back for a while, that is. cnn's stephanie elam is there.

tell us what it's been like. >> reporter: brianna, just this afternoon this strip of west florissant has opened back up. so people here are just now getting their first look on the devastation here on this strip. tonight as ferguson braces for its first weekend since the grand jury decision, police say in order to protect the community and prevent looting, they will once again close a portion of west florissant road. for a few hours today, the now iconic street reopened briefly to traffic and business owners, the first time since many of the businesses along it were destroyed by the firestorm that erupted monday evening. >> this is a strong community. there are fantastic people that live here. if they want to rebuild, there will be people and organizations that are going to help support them to rebuild. >> reporter: hours earlier near the justice center in clayton where the grand jury convened, a small group attempted to hold a moment of silence on private property but was asked to leave by st. louis police. >> we're going to take four and

a half minutes for mike brown. >> we're going to start arresting people. >> reporter: in ferguson, even what should be routine is anything but. today the walmart was protected by the national guard as protesters rallied against black friday. at a nearby target, more protests. across the country, supporters of slain teen michael brown held similar events, spreading the word through social media with hashtags like blackout black friday and hands up, don't spend. protesters vowing not to shop or to do so only at black-owned businesses. in downtown st. louis thursday, the annual thanksgiving parade was canceled. in its place, a quickly organized rally against violence followed the traditional parade route. >> the unrest up in ferguson, i don't think, should be a deterrent from family life. so start making a few phone calls and it turned into what it turned into. >> reporter: with the weather

improving and the weekend approaching, the community is looking forward, hoping that the violence is behind them. still there are signs that the wounds have not healed. this photo from michael brown's family highlighting a much more personal loss, showing an empty chair at their thanksgiving dinner table. and back out here on west florissant, you can see that the police presence is here. they're letting people come walk up and down the streets as business owners take a look back at their shops. people have come out, we've seen then praying and cleaning. a different energy out here than there was on monday night. >> definitely is. stephanie, thank you. protesters took their brown friday campaign to a st. louis million. we have some new pictures of that. cnn's ed lavandera is there. ed, tell us about this. >> reporter: these are pictures of the west county center mall which is just a few miles away from where i'm at.

they were here earlier at the galleria mall in st. louis and essentially shut it down for a few hours. the st. louis galleria mall has now reopened. but very tense moments inside as you see protesters changing locations and moving to different areas. here at the galley ya mall, several hundred protesters were marching and chanting through the mall, eventually laying down in various areas. several employees said the crowd started getting bigger and bigger and more agitated -- they were threatening to throw chairs inside the food court. the national guard soldiers and police officers moved in and essentially shut it down. the mall was closed for several hou hours, they were told to close down and hunker down for the protesters to finish and get moved out of the -- after they were left here, we didn't hear any reports of any arrests made

here at the galleria mall. now looks like it's changed locations a few miles away at the west county center mall. brianna? >> and we saw live picture there is. these are live pictures coming to us from near ferguson, missouri. this is not right in ferguson proper. but these are protesters who have been on the move, as you heard ed say, west county center mall is where they are headed to at this moment. ed lavandera, thank you for your report. we'll continue to follow what is really a developing story there near ferguson tonight. as the protests over the grand jury's decision moved beyond violence, the naacp is throwing its weight behind a march. 120 miles from ferguson to the missouri state capital. let's turn now to cnn national correspondent jason carroll. jason, tell us about this event. >> reporter: well, it's going to start at about noon tomorrow, brianna. it's going to start not far from where i'm standing now at the canfield green apartments. you know that name. that is where michael brown was shot and that is where the naacp

protests -- it's called journey for justice. they're calling it a journey because it will be 120 miles, a 120-mile march from here in ferguson to jefferson city, to the governor's residence there. it's expected to take about seven days. and they're doing it for several reasons, not just because of michael brown but they also want to draw attention for the need for the change of leadership. they say there needs to be a change of government leadership, a change in leadership at the ferguson police department as well. but once again, it's going to end at the governor's residence. just a few moments ago, we reached out to the governor's office to get his take on this march. his spokesman says at this point, he has no comment. brianna? >> a lot of dissatisfaction there in ferguson with missouri governor jay nixon. jason carroll, thank you. this black friday boycott in the form of this brown friday as it's being called, the brown friday protests, this has spread across the country today. there were arrests all the way in new york. let's turn to cnn's rosa flores

who's in the middle of a rally or has been following it. give us a sense of the scene there, rosa. >> reporter: hey, brianna. just to give you an update. we just saw an arrest of a protester just moments ago. and that's the situation that we've seen throughout the day, hundreds of people marching on the streets. right now, take a look, it's actually on the sidewalks of new york city. and police very close to the proteste protesters. they're asking protesters not to disrupt traffic or that they will be arrested. now, all of this started, brianna, earlier today in front of the macy's in herald square. and the focus, the organizer told us, was the following. he said that it starts in ferguson, but this has become a national movement, a movement in cities across the nation. and he boiled it down to this -- he said that in order for people to have racial freedom, the

freedom of racism that they need economic freedom. that's why the protests on black friday. but take a look. this protest is still hundreds strong and because they can't march on the streets, they're taking over the sidewalks of new york city. brianna? >> rosa, thank you. joining me now is bernice king, the daughter of martin luther king jr. and she's the ceo of the king center. bernice, thanks so much for being with us. >> thank you. glad to be here. >> you saw the violence erupt on monday. you've seen it sort of slow down over the week in ferguson. buildings burned, a lot of looting. what was your reaction as you watched that? >> well, it's always disappointing to see it. but i want to point out that we have to look at the socioeconomic conditions that create these kind of situations. my father even during the riots

in the '60s said we cannot look at just the looters or the rioters. but we also have to look at what creates situations to bring about that kind of frustration and anger. and we have neglected a lot of the social and economic issues for years now. in fact, in 1968, my father called for a poor people's campaign. in that process, called for mass civil disobedience to address the economic inequities in our society. we're still haunted by that today. >> i think you make a very good point. i look at what happened in ferguson and i think that if people just sort of focus on the death of michael brown, while terrible, they miss the point if they don't look at the broader issues here that this is speaking to, and that the violence is really speaking to. >> and i think also we need to just applaud the fact that the majority of those that have been protesting and demonstrating have been nonviolent.

in fact, we spent -- the king center spent several weeks in ferguson training adults and young people in my father's philosophy, nonviolence. we call it nonviolence 365 because it's a lifestyle. i think it was very helpful and perhaps would have been worse had we not spent that time there. >> i wanted to ask you about that. the thing is, despite that, it seems like when there is looting, when there is violence, that's really what steals the limelight. and you did lead those workshops. why do you think -- is it unavoidable that there's going to be an element of violence and that it's not just all nonviolent? >> oh, definitely. my father and them had it during their movement. but they stayed very focused and determined an committed to nonviolence. and they were also determined to weed out those individuals who could not commit to embracing nonviolence. but i think it is an inevitable aspect of whenever we are facing

and resisting and fighting against injustices that you're going to have those elements. but we have to stay on the higher moral ground and just remember that the majority of individuals, young people today, i applaud them for what they're doing to continue the momentum because america is under arrest right now. and we have to address these pressing issues that so many people are affected by. the racial disparities in our country is appalling, if you ask me, to say the least. i'm so glad to see an alliance of all people in this struggle for racial and economic justice. >> we're seeing that in the protests. stay with me, bernice. we're going to talk more after a quick commercial break. you see on the left side of your screen, that is pictures of a protest in effect obviously, contrasting the violence that we saw on monday night as well. we'll be right back with more from bernice king, the daughter

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our top story, ferguson is bracing for its first weekend since the rioting over the grand jury decision in the michael brown shooting. and we're back now with bernice king, the daughter of martin luther king jr. she's the ceo of the king center and she also helped lead nonviolence workshops in ferguson. bernice, what do you think your father would have said? how would he have reacted to what we're seeing in ferguson, missouri? >> well, first, let me say, i think my father certainly would be saddened by all that occurred in terms of the looting and the burning of buildings. however, he foresaw all of this.

in 1967, he wrote a book "where do we go from here." and he challenged us to have a revolution of values in america, that we had to begin to shift from being a thing-oriented society to a people-oriented society and that we began to embrace this whole notion of the interrelatedness of all life and recognizing the sacredness of human personality. and i think we didn't make those shifts and now we are experiencing a lot of the rage and the frustration and the anger and the bitterness that comes out of not making those changes to address those conditions that lead to this frustration. >> what's your message -- we said that there were a lot of nonviolent protesters. and we heard that. there were people telling people who were throwing things to stop doing it on monday night. but to those people who did and to the looters, what's your message to them? >> well, when people are angry

and are frustrated, i can just tell you through my own personal experience, it's very hard to arrest that energy. but i think you have to try to figure out a way to appeal to them in the sense of giving them outlets of expressing it. and some people are not going to accept that because it's like, we've been dealing with this for so long, nothing is going to ever happen so this is the only thing i know. the hopelessness. so unless we can find a plan of action, especially finding economic opportunities, it's very hard to reach an individual who's already made up their mind. some people already have a made-up mind that they ascribe to violence and there's nothing much you can do but continue in your pathway. >> and you work with the people who are open to that pathway. >> exactly.

>> i'm not sure if you've seen this week's "new yorker" cover, it's powerful. it shows a black and a white division of st. louis there on the arch. you see it right there. more than 50 years after your father's "i have a dream" speech, how racially divided is the city and america as a whole? >> i think we're still very much racially divided. it's not as overt as it once was obviously. but we're dealing with institutionalized and systemic issues here of racism that are not easily uncovered and dealt with. and so, no, while we don't have as many overt racist individuals, we do have racial structures that we have to address. and that's where all of the uprising is coming from. and the hope is that, as i said earlier, we have an alliance of young people who are multicultural, people -- young white individuals who are joining forces with

african-americans, which is very powerful today, and so although we still have these racial disparities, it's my hope that what seems to be a very serious movement on the horizons is going to bring about some fundamental change in the disparities. we cannot forget that there are still great racial disparities across all spectrums in our country. and that's not just accidental. so we have to be very intentional about addressing those. >> we can't forget that. and we've been seeing obviously the frustration with that coming out of what happened in ferguson. bernice king, thank you so much for being with us. we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> these are live pictures after what appears so far to be a nonviolent protest there in new york city this weekend after the grand jury decision in the killing of michael brown. let's turn now to the attorney for the brown family, benjamin crump, he's joining us by the

phone. obviously this is a very tough time, mr. crump, for the family. anytime around the holidays, i think, when you've lost a loved one, it is especially tough. and we certainly saw the photo of the empty chair that his family left for michael. how are they doing? >> they're doing the best they can. they had to explain to their children, his brothers and sisters, why the empty chair was there and why michael wasn't coming back. so obviously it's very emotional for them. >> yeah. and certainly expected for it to be as they honor him at the thanksgiving table. i'm sure you've heard darren wilson's attorneys, they said he's never going to police again. at first it seemed like maybe he wanted to and they told him that if he did, he would essentially be executed. he's decided not to. what's your reaction to that? >> well, i'm still trying to get

through the testimony at the grand jury where he characterized michael brown -- that he had an aggressive look in his eye and that the community is a place that the police officers all hated. so we're saying, if you have that kind of thinking and you're a police officer, then maybe you don't need to be a police officer if you're not going to be able to treat all people as american citizens and you're going to understand that your job is to protect and serve everybody in your police precinct. it doesn't matter if it's a black or hispanic or white or poor community, they're americans. and you've taken an oath. >> his lawyers have also -- they say that he's sorry but they also say that he doesn't plan to specifically apologize to the brown family. i wonder, do they want to hear from him, do they not want to hear from him? >> well, i think they heard loud

and clear in the interview that he said he had a clear conscience. and remember he said he wouldn't change a thing. he would do the same thing again. so i think other than that decision by the grand jury, that was probably the hardest thing for his mother and father to he hear, that he almost has no consideration for the fact that he killed that child. so they're just dealing with it one day at a time. first you have your child killed in this manner and lay out there on the street with blood coming from his head for four hours and then you get this decision which they said was like -- that was a bullet hitting them. and then you hear the guy who shot and killed their son say, i have a clear conscience about it all. so they're just trying now to see what they can do to get justice and preserve the legacy of their unarmed son who was

killed on august 9th. >> you said they're looking into what they can do to get justice. you have the justice department that is investigating. but what are the browns -- the brown family's next steps legally? >> well, obviously they're looking to the justice department to look and investigate if there's any federal charges that can be launched against the killer of their son but also they will explore civil matters and whatever other legal avenues there are for them to get some sense of justice. they wanted the killer of their child to be brought to trial. and as we know from that transcript from the grand jury, nobody has never cross-examined him. and then finally what they really want is to try to make it where this doesn't continue to happen to our children over and over again. i don't know if you saw the reports, they said there were 80

people colored children killed since august 9th by law enforcement across america. it's one of these things we have to look into how can we change it? we think that this proposal for the michael brown law, brianna, this law that requires police officers in every community in america to have video body cameras is a solution and a proper legacy so we can have transparency and we will know what happened the next time the police have any interaction with a citizen. >> we'll be talking about that very proposal a little later in our show. benjamin crump, thanks so much for being with us. >> thank you. >> we're watching live pictures here on the left. you see new york city, this is a protest there. on the right, upper side of your screen, we're monitoring a live protest near ferguson, missouri. coming up in our next hour, i will speak with officer darren wilson's attorney.

coming up, a lone gunman shoots up government buildings in austin, texas, and police block an interstate fearing that he had explosives. what's behind the rampage? and long lines, brawls in the malls and protests, is the black friday madness worth all of the bargains? you're in "the situation room." [ female announcer ] hands were made for talking. feet...tiptoeing. better things than the pain, stiffness, and joint damage of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis.

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we're continuing to follow protests under way right now across the country in the aftermath of the ferguson decision. you're looking at live pictures. this is right now of protesters marching in new york city. we'll be getting back to that

story in just a moment. but first in the texas state capital, austin, a gunman launched a ferocious one-man war against official buildings today firing more than 100 rounds at a federal courthouse. the mexican consulate and austin police headquarters. let's get the latest details now from cnn's victor blackwell. victor, what can you tell us? >> reporter: several new developments within the last hour. we now know the suspect's name, larry mcwilliams. we'll told by austin police department that he's 49 years old, white male who lived there in austin. and this is something that they say happened at a time when the streets of downtown austin were crowded because it was a holiday, just after 2:00 a.m. local, the bars are closed and everyone flushed to the streets there. they started getting the calls around 2:22 of so many shots fired that the callers thought that there was some automatic weapon or there was a machine gun involved. we're told that police believe he fired more than 100 rounds at the mexican consulate, at the

austin police department headquarters, also at that new federal courthouse there. we're told that there were also cylinders inside the van of this suspected shooter, that they thought were explosives. there were no explosives at the home. but the question now is why? well, we heard from the police chief there. and he blames, quite possibly, the political discourse in the country. >> if you look at a person shooting up the mexican consulate and then the federal building, there's a pretty -- this is all speculation. but when you look at the national debate right now about immigration, that certainly comes to mind. and one of the things that's frustration as an american for me and as a police officer and police chief is sometimes our political discourse becomes very heated and sometimes very angry and sometimes the rhetoric is

not healthy. >> reporter: this all ended when a sergeant who was outside the police department who was really securing the horses from the mounted unit at night, in one hand held the reins of the horses, saw the shooter, heard the shots and with his other hand fired a single shot in the direction of mcwilliams. now, the medical examiner will have to determine if it was the officer's shot or a self-inflicted gun wound that killed him. we can also tell you, one other update, the home, the apartment of mcwilliams, was searched. no explosives found there, brianna. >> that is good to know. we've been wondering that all day today. victor blackwell, thank you so much. long lines, fender-benders in the parking lots, brawls inside the malls. are the bargains even worth going through all this black friday madness? cnn's reporter is taking a look and answering the question for us. what do you think? >> reporter: well, depends on how much patience you have. i have to tell you, this mall here in virginia, by the time it

closes later tonight, it will have been open for 27 hours straight. a lot of the retailers, they had modest optimism going into this big holiday weekend. and they have seen some early success. it's likely that 70 million americans will hit the stores today and some of them will even hit each other. from california to indiana, even across the atlantic to london, the fight for black friday deals was, well, a fight. >> a girl socked a guy in the face just to get the bargain. >> reporter: tonight, retailers are saying the holiday season in stores and online is off to a solid start. 22 million hit walmart presales on thursday. target says online sales are up more than 40%. today traffic crashed best buy's website. meantime, this line outside of macy's overnight, 15,000 people long. >> that's a record as far as we know. and they were anxious to buy.

>> reporter: 140 million people are expected to shop in stores or online this weekend. the national retail federation predicts holiday sales to grow 4.1%, reaching more than half a billion dollars. in part thanks to black friday shoppers like cnn's jill chappelle. >> oh, door busters. so excited. >> reporter: and it's no longer just a one-day sprint. black friday's become a multiday marathon. rose ventured into this virginia mall thursday and didn't come out until today. 60 pairs of shoes later. many retailers are eager to stretch this out as much as they can. this is where they make their big profits for the year. they are now pushing hard for cyber monday sales. >> 60 pairs of shoes. thank you so much.

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but the comfort it provides is it's justimmeasurable.ece the america red cross brings hope and help to people in need every 8 minutes, every day. so this season give something that means something. we're continuing to follow protests under way across the country in the aftermath of this week's ferguson decision.

and you're looking now at some live pictures from new york city. that's right now. but first, let's talk about another story. iraqi and kurdish forces are gearing up for a major push to retake the northern city of mosul from isis. and they'll be getting help from the united states. cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr is getting some new details. >> reporter: brianna, this would be the big win the u.s. is looking for to get the iraqi forces back in the game to take back control of their country. a u.s. military official now tells me there is a plan for the possibility of beginning the fight to retake mosul beginning it as soon as january. that's very ambitious. but the u.s. is working with the iraqis to get both iraqi forces and kurdish peshmerga forces back into the mosul area, get them to get some footholds back in mosul and begin the fight to retake the entire city. this would be a huge defeat for isis, a big gain for the u.s., a big gain for the coalition and of course the iraqi people.

mosul, the isis fighters have been posting brazen photos and videos of their control of the city. it's going to take a long time to make it all happen. but they at least have that mark on the wall now. they want to try and get started on this in january. brianna? >> how does all of this, barbara, play into the president's choice for a new defense secretary? something he's hoping to do very soon. >> reporter: you bet. he needs to get a name out there to congress. isis will be a top priority for any new nominee. right now, one of the things we're noticing is the names on the list, what we're mainly seeing is names being taken off the list. senator jack reid, a prominent democrat, from rhode island, has already said he's not interested. the hunt is really on. president obama scrambling for his fourth defense secretary in six years. tonight the short list of

candidates includes homeland security secretary jeh johnson, the former top pentagon lawyer. but his key role in crafting obama's immigration executive action could mean an explosive confirmation hearing. and ashton carter, a former pentagon number two, well regarded but with limited international experience. >> the next secretary of defense is going to have some big shoes to fill. >> reporter: a top priority for whomever is chosen? dealing with the war on isis, caught between president obama's insistence on no combat troops and the senator who will run the confirmation hearing, republican john mccain, a leading voice for a more assertive military strategy against isis. >> there's going to be a gradual escalati escalation. they're going to have to send more over there. they're going to have to have special forces people. we're going to have to have trainers. >> reporter: one advantage for choosing johnson? he is already steeped in isis,

telling cnn in a recent exclusive interview -- >> the new phenomenon that i see that i'm very concerned about is somebody who's never met another member of that terrorist organization, never trained at one of the camps who is simply inspired by the social media, the literature, the propaganda, the message to commit an act of violence in this country. >> reporter: some officials say early front-runner michelle flournoy withdrew her name not wanting to deal with white house micromanagement, the claim complaint raised by hagel's predecessors days before he resigned. >> it was that micromanagement that drove me crazy. >> members of the cabinet and others that oftentimes go to a national security council meeting but by the time you get there, the fact is that the staff has probably already in many ways determined what the

president should or should not do. >> reporter: but gates perhaps the most telling. >> i was touring jasoc headquarters in kabul and discovered a direct line to somebody on the nsc. and i had them tear it out while i was standing there. and i told the commanders, you get a call from the white house, you tell them to go to hell and call me. >> reporter: now, the president could decide to shuffle some pentagon appointee into the top job. but when hagel was essentially fired earlier this week, the white house said it was looking for a new direction at the pentagon. so one thought around here is maybe, does the white house have somebody in mind, a dark horse candidate, that nobody's thought of yet? >> what does that say, though, that this appears to be the job that nobody, certainly maybe some of the top choices the

white house may want, that none of them want it? >> reporter: well, it's extraordinary. they fire hagel. that's exactly what happened. and they don't have somebody lined up to go. michelle flournoy bails. reid says no, thank you. senator carl levin says, no thank you, he's retiring, he's not interested. there's a couple of problems here. by the time they get confirmed, less than two years on the job and the national security council micromanagement. don't underestimate everything you just heard the last two secretaries of defense say. it has been a huge issue here at the pentagon and one that a new secretary is going to have to be willing to tackle. >> barbara starr, thank you. next, north korea power play, kim jong-un's aunt meets a mysterious fate. plus, new details about ferguson police officer darren wilson who's been forced into hiding. i'll speak to his lawyer coming up.

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possible power play involving north korea's leader. a reported kidnap attempt in a european capital and a relative's mysterious fate. this is really unbelievable. >> strange doing, the kim regime, this apparent kidnapping attempt in france may have been an attempt to silence people tied to his uncle. he smiles proudly as he oversees an amphibious assault drill and his photograph visiting an orphanage, suggesting he's a confident and benevolent leader.

in past monld and a half, he's released three americans from custody and opened up to south korea. but behind that, kim jong-un may still be coldy, shrewdly getting rid of his enemies. a north korean student has been missing from a french school for weeks. he was kidnapped by north korean agents in paris but else caped near the paris airport before he could be put on a plane. he reportedly hasn't been seen since and may be in hiding. they say the student is the son of an aide to kim jong-un's once powerful uncle, who he had executed a year ago. the french news agency afp, citing a french judicial source, says paris prosecutors are investigating the student's disappearance. >> i'm not surprised that north koreans are going after him. this is a very typical practice

that north koreans conduct, to go after anyone that's even remotely related to someone they thought was a person who committed treason. >> reporter: cnn has learned of more apart fallout in the kim family. a defector says kim's aunt, who was married to the same executed uncle and was very powerful herself, suffered a fatal stroke while on the phone with the supreme leader last year, arguing about her husband being killed. it's not clear if the story of the stroke is true or another confusing example of what analysts say is a chilling tradition inside the kim's family in north korea. those suspected of turning on the regime rarely survive, having entire generations of their family killed or put in prison. >> kim jong-un, kim jong-il, they've reached ut to the extended families to ensure there would be no repercussions,

there would be no attempts on the part of the extended family to seek revenge. this is how they cleanse it. >> reporter: analysises say the rumor about kim's aunt indicate there is significant tension in kim's inner circle, all stemming from the execution of that uncle almost a year ago. >> and there is, i guess, one particularly notorious example of how the regime has gone after the family of a defector. >> this was in 1997. the highest ranking defector ever to leave north korea. there's a picture of him. he was an aide to kim's father. after he left, they rounded up people who didn't even realize they were related to him. you're his eighth cousin

removed, you're out. >> that's certainly scary. brian todd, thank you. coming up, new details on ferguson police officer darren wilson. he's been forced into hiding. i'll be speaking with his lawyer, next. hello... i'm an idaho potato farmer

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happening now, breaking news. new protests in cities across the u.s. over the michael brown shooting case, many targeting retailers, forcing some stores to close. what will happen tonight in ferguson, missouri? forced into hiding. new details of officer darren wilson and how he fled for his life just days after his

confrontation with michael brown. what does his future hold? mall madness. be there as doors open on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. are these bargains worth the lines? and on the soul train, wolf blitzer plays a special role in the upcoming soul train awards. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. wolf is off today. i'm brianna keilar. you're in "the situation room." and we are following breaking news. black friday shopping overwhelmed and in some cases, shut down by a fresh wave of protests over the michael brown shooting case. there are demonstrations across the u.s., including one that forced the foreclosure of an entire mall near ferguson, missouri, where the unarmed black teenager was shot by white police officer darren wilson, cleared of wrong doing by a

grand jury this week. wilson's attorney is standing by to talk with us, along with our correspondents and other guests this hour. let's begin with cnn national correspondent jason carroll. he's in ferguson for us. jason, what is the latest on protests? >> protesters have targeted several malls in the area of st. louis. they also targeted this walmart here, saying the time has come for their economic voices to be heard. the gallery mall near clayton, missouri shut its doors this afternoon. the national guard showing up as dozens of protesters staged a die-in by lying on the floor. more protesters blocked by police at the west county mall in a suburb of st. louis, the motto of demonstrators, no justice, no profits.

dozens descended on a target in st. louis, calling on shoppers not to buy in support of michael brown. and it wasn't just target. several walmarts saw protests, as well. the national guard showing up at this one in ferguson, blocking the entrance to the parking lot. doors did not open until 8:00 a.m. but when they did, shoppers did show, some saying the idea of a blackout may be misguided. >> it's a lose-win situation, kind of. >> reporter: how so? >> i mean, how is not shopping on black friday going to bring justice to the whole situation? we've got to come up with some better ideas. >> to me, it's disgusting. >> reporter: what part is disgusting? >> the looting, the protesting, you know, it's not peaceful, you know, it's just not right what they're doing.

and everything is boarded up. '9" just looks like a ghost town. >> reporter: protesters here kept their distance from the walmart entrance. one who came from wisconsin talked about the need to retailers. >> black lives matter more than black friday. we give thanks one day, and the next day we'll trample each other for a $50 tv. so all lives matter. black lives matter. >> reporter: michael brown supporters using social media to raise awareness and spread the word under the twitter hash mag blackout black friday. hundreds gathered in front of macy's in new york holding signs that read, out the doors, and time to act. supporters calling it a racial and economic rally. and tomorrow, the demonstrations will take a different form. the naacp is organizing something called the journey for justice. it will start at about noon tomorrow at the canfield green

apartments, not far from where i'm standing. that is where michael brown was shot. and demonstrators will then march 120 miles over the next seven days to the governor's residence in jefferson city. >> we are going to hook now at some live pictures coming to us from new york. these are protesters who are there protesting some of the black friday shopping going on. this has been going on throughout the day. protesters protesting against the decision in the shooting death of michael brown. the decision not to indict officer darren wilson. we're actually learning new details about that officer, how he's been forced into hiding since the death of michael brown. cnn's brian todd has been working this part of the story for us. what are you finding out? >> reporter: learning new details about darren wilson's efforts to protect himself. there have been bounties placed on his head. wilson has been in hiding, always looking over his

shoulder. despite not being indicted by a grand jury or charged with a crime in the shooting of michael brown, tonight, darren wilson is still living a life in hiding. something his lawyers say has now gone on for months. cnn has learned it began just days after the shooting in august, when officer wilson was mowing his lawn. he got a call telling him his home address was circulating online. within three hours, he was packed and gone. >> he had to leave the grass half mowed and go into hiding, because there are death threats out against him. there are bounties placed upon his life. >> reporter: since that day in august, wilson has moved from house to house, even staying for a short time with one of his lawyers. he's changed his appearance, growing a period. when he goes out, he often goes to movies, which offers time cloaked in darkness. in an interview with abc's george stephanopoulos, he talked about his precautions. >> from where you sit in

restaurant to where you drive, everything has to run through your head. all the time you're watching to make sure no one is following you, everything. you see someone look at you and lean over and tell someone a secret. it's like, do they know who i am? >> reporter: "the new york times" published his address online. his lawyers say 3450eimmediatel after the shooting, wilson wanted to return to his job as a police officer. one of his attorneys told him if he did, he could be executed. >> it's not a great leap to think if officer wilson were to start patrolling the streets of ferguson again, that somebody sees what shift he's on, makes a call and pulls him into a bad situation. >> reporter: what about wilson's future? wilson would be prudent to change his name, keep changing

his appearance, put his property into a trust. and he says wilson will have to be sharpening his awareness and alertness, and will be looking over his shoulder for quite a while. cnn has been reporting that wilson is negotiating his negotiation from the ferguson police. >> brian todd, thanks. we want to talk about all this with officer wilson's attorney. neil, thank you for being with us. you just herald brian's report there, saying that officer wilson is negotiating his resignation. where does that stand right now? >> reporter: we're still in talks. we're hoping again we can part ways with the city of ferguson in an amicable question. there's no question he can't go back, but the terms which he leaves are important. nothing is finished at this point. i suspect it will be relatively soon. >> what do you mean the terms under which he leaves? >> again, he's going to have to resign because he can't go back.

i think the city wants to treat him as fairly as they can, but the flip side is, again, we're just sort of figuring out the when, and there are some financial issues that have to be tended to, things like his pension that he will have already earned. we have to make sure we're covering all that. >> tell us about his time in hiding, how afraid has he been, is he for his life? >> well, darren, like any policemen, is trained in a number of different areas. in terms of protecting his life he can do that. darren's fear is for his family. but fortunately, most police officers and darren is one of them, is trained to live life undercover that's something they learn how to do. in terms of doing surveillance, they learn how to do that. they learn how to blend in and be inconspicuous. and that's the theme, how do i remain inconspicuous? >> will he be changing his name?

>> i can't tell you that. >> but the other issues of changing his appearance, he's been doing some of that, i imagine, we've heard with the beard and so forth. >> sure. >> is that what he's doing? >> yes, ma'am. and that's just the idea of remaining inconspicuous, whether it's facial hair on, facial hair off, long hair, short air, hair color. all of those things are things that any police officer would think about. again, it's so many different things. but it's how am i inconspicuous, how do i blend into the crowd? again, when you're leaving the house in the morning or when you're coming home at night, you're getting out of your car, you look around to see who is on the streets. when you're driving, you look to see if people are following you. there's a variety of things that he does simply to make sure that when he gets home, he is, in fact, safe with his family.

>> does he expect that he'll always have to live in hiding hike this, neil? >> i hope not. as we go on and as people look at the facts of this case and examine the facts of this case, i think that those people who have had an open mind, those people who are interested in the facts themselves, those people who said i'm going to withhold judgment until i see something, i think he's hoping that will be the larger world. he's a remarkably poised young man, he's well spoken and articulate. the experiences he's had, the lessons he has learned from this are lessons i think he should share with the world. it will advance the cause of policing and community relationships. these are all things that need to be said. again, i hope some day, i hope some day he can be the spokesman for something like that. i hope he can get back out in the world. >> neil, stay with me.

we're also monitoring live protests that have been going on in new york city and ferguson, missouri today. stick with us. we'll be back in just a moment to talk more with the attorney for officer darren wilson. ♪ ♪ ♪

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instantly share information around the globe. when every millisecond counts, staying competitive begins with the cloud. this is the microsoft cloud. black friday shopping across the country being disrupted by protests over the michael brown shooting case. and the grand jury decision not to charge officer darren wilson. you're looking at live pictures. some of the world's -- some of the largest protests happening right now in new york city. we're also back now with the

attorney for officer wilson. neil, thanks again for joining us. you've talked about how officer wilson has been certainly very concerned about his personal safety. you say he's not going to return to policing. tell me more about that. >> well, the likelihood of him being able to go back is remote to nonexistent. he is concerned if he went back into the department he would be a lightning rod for further activity. he's concerned the first time he went out on the street he would put himself and other officers at risk because of someone that decided to take things into their own hands. whether it's here in ferguson or another place in this area or any place in the country, his vision is that policing is behind me. this was a truly dedicated police officer who wanted to live out his life, as he's said many, many times, i hoped i would never have to pull my weapon. this is a man who liked to serve and he can't do that. we all lose because of that.

>> he's not being charged criminally. is he prepared for the federal investigation and also the potential for a civil suit? >> yes. and keep in mind the federal investigation has been a parallel investigation. much of that has been going on as the state investigation did. so we have already been interviewed by the fbi. it was a very rigorous interview. it's been one of these situation where is the fbi agents have been out talking to witnesses, as well. i would suspect that most of their street investigation is probably done. but yes, he's prepared for it. again, it's a different standard. it's a different type of charge they would be looking at in the federal courts, this civil rights violation has different elements. i think it is a much harder case to prove, a much higher threshold that has to be crossed. again, he's cooperated with everything. everybody that has asked him to come forward and speak, he has

done that. he will continue to cooperate as we go forward. >> i know he's been keeping an eye on the protests going on. what does he think about them? >> it breaks his heart. he has watched these things. monday when the decision came down, there was that brief moment of elation knowing that he was out from under that terrible scrutiny. but then we turned oven the television and we watched as events unfolded in ferguson. the room was just silent. again, as he saw places that he knew, as he saw people that he knew, as he watched these things unfold, it truly did break his heart. it was very hard to watch. >> does he have plans to issue an apology to michael brown's family? >> well, he has, brianna. but keep in mind, what can he say that will assuage their brief? if he says look, i'm terribly

sorry that this has happened, and he has done that, people will say you haven't gone far enough. if he says look, i think i was justified, is that going to make them feel better? how do you find those right words? it's enough that he said listen, i'm sorry for your son's loss of life, i am. and he means that. that's the best we can do. there are no further words that we could offer that would sound since sincere. >> the father of michael brown has called officer wilson a murderer. what is your -- what is officer wilson's reaction to that? >> his reaction is, i'm sorry for your son's loss. that's it, bottom line. i understand that those are words that are born of anger, born of grief. they're born of all of those strong emotions. again, all we can say simply is that what happened that day was a matter of his training, of

darren wilson's training, it was a function of his training. and what he did that day, darren did because darren felt he had to do. so, again, we're sorry for that loss, but under the circumstances, there's nothing more we can say. >> all right. thank you so much, really appreciate you being with us today, taking the time this evening. >> thank you. let's big deeper now. we want to talk to shawn jones, the assistant pass for of mt. zion baptist church in st. louis. and we have former fbi assistant director tom fuentes with us and community activist john gaskin. john, weeks after michael brown's parents testified to the u.n., you have the committee against torture calling the grand jury decision a tragedy. they said they had to respect the decision of authorities not to prosecute officer darren wilson. but how significant do you think it is the u.n. considered this shooting in their report in the first place? >> i think it's quite

significant. it's significant that the u.n. is speaking up regarding this. it's significant that the u.n. would invite michael brown's family to come and allow them to share their story, along with several protest leaders here in st. louis. as we have seen, protests have been across the country. i think that speaks volumes regarding the injustice that we have seen. you know, brianna, many people are disappointed with that decision, that there was no indictment on any type of charges. people here at least, especially african-americans, lost what little confidence they had in the justice system when that announcement was made. and we're very disappointed. and so i'm hoping that the family of michael brown will find some type of justice in the coming months for the death of

their son. >> there is this -- they want a law past. obviously, they would have body cams on officers. they want to take perhaps civil reprisal in this. i wonder what you think, tom, because this u.n. report, it says that there is concern about the militarization of u.s. police departments. this is the u.n. pointing a finger at the u.s. on this. >> first of all, that's absurd. coming from then, it's even more absurd. i was on the board of interpol. i ran fbi international operations for five years. i've met with law enforcement officials from around the world for many years. what they're astounded at is the militarization of the u.s. public. they cannot believe we allow assault rifles in the hands of private citizens, armor piercing shells in the hands of private citizens, body armor that can be purchased by private citizens. many of these countries, even large ones like country, their police officers on the streets don't carry weapons.

so they're looking at our society like it's still wild west, and that's what police face. so that's what the real leadership of law enforcement around the world thinks when they look at the united states. >> what do you think about this proposal that michael brown's family wants? they want officers to wear body cams. would that work? >> i dpreagree with that. years ago i would have probably fought against that. but nowadays, most police officers on the street would welcome it, to show what they're up against. i think until you've seen even the dash cams on some cameras that show how people can become so aggressive with the police officer for no reason, or the degree of intoxication or the public official in texas that was threatening the police officers, the prosecutor who luckily the dash cam proved the officers right in that case. so i think most law enforcement officers now, and if it was on the street now, i would say put

that camera on, i'm not turning it off. i want you to see what i see when someone comes at me. the demon look that officer wilson -- i talked to a number of police officers recently about that comment. and they comment what i say, we have all seen that look. there is a time when a person can become so aggressive, so excited, so amped up, as many police officers call it, it can be drugs, adrenaline. we've seen the look in the eyes of someone who basically that look says, i'm going to kill you. it's just hard to describe, but i don't know a police officer that's been on the street that hasn't seen that look at least once in somebody on the street. >> shawn, you've been urging people to come together in the wake of violent protests this week. also today you tweeted encouragement for this black friday civil disobedience and you said in this tweet black lives don't matter to missouri governor jay nixon. do you really feel that way?

>> we're concerned that our governor has to do a lot to provide justice for our community. when he came down to the night of the announcement, there were not enough support of national guardsman in ferguson to protect the businesses. our concern is that the governor at any moment can offer and put in place a special prosecutor to then put together a real grand jury we find will be transparent and we can have justice for our community. that's the reason why we're having this blackout friday. we're saying if black lives don't matter, maybe green lives, money will matter to create change and transformation for our region. >> so you're feeling sort of the broader issues that all of this has revealed, and obviously there is a need not just in ferguson or missouri, but beyond that for there to be better relations between communities, between black communities and

police departments. and are you feeling like there's just no progress that has really been made in that regard? >> there's been little progress. we are hoping that that will change. there are many persons, community activists, clergy that want to work and have been working in the past with law enforcement. law enforcement, we're not against law enforcement. we want officers to go home, but we also want our black and brown children to also go home and to be safe. so our goal is to create a beloved community, dr. king would say we can all work together, be diverse, represent and understand the differences, but still have one goal in mind, which is we all matter and that the human race matters so we can all come together in one accord. >> to that end, john, the naacp is setting off on this 120-mile, seven-day march tomorrow it starts and it's called journey for justice, ferguson to jefferson city. this is going to go to governor

nixon's residence, i believe, is where it ends. what does this march mean to supporters of michael brown? >> the message should be, if governor jay nixon will not sit down with us, take this, we'll come to you. and so governor nixon has completely -- his lack of leadership is something that needs to be re-evaluated. governor nixon has done very little when it comes to funding for education in african-american communities. he's done very little when it comes to diversity with the missouri highway patrol. he's done very little when it comes to jobs within our communities. i have to agree with the pastor here today. i hope that the message will be sent today that obviously green does matter. because here in america, african-americans spend $1 trillion. that's what their buying power is. but they make less than whites. hopefully the governor will see

that statement made when it comes to sales tax today. i believe the march over the weekend will be successful. and each day there will be some reflection on how many steps will it take physically to get justice for michael brown. >> we will be watching that. cnn will be there covering this march, 120 miles, seven days and it starts tomorrow. john, thank you for being with us. shawn, appreciate it. tom, good to have you here. more breaking news next. the decision is in on ray rice's appeal of his indefinite suspension by the nfl for knocking out his girlfriend. plus, more on the fallout from the michael brown shooting and the special challenge it poses to president obama. ♪ ah, ♪ h it. ♪ push it. ♪ p...push it real good! ♪

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there is breaking news in the case of ray rice, the former baltimore ravens' running back, suspended indefinitely by the nfl for knocking his girlfriend out cold. a disturbing scene that was caught on surveillance tapes. rice appealed his suspension, and has just won his case. cnn's rachel nichols joining us now on the phone with more. rachel, tell us what this means. >> ray rice is now able to sign with any nfl team he wants and he's able to get on the field and play. the big question going forward in terms of his football future is if any team is going to take a chance and sign him. there is also going to be a ripple effect on roger goodell.

this case wasn't a referendum on ray rice whether or not he hit his wife, we know he did. it was a referendum on how roger goodell handled this case. a former federal judge basically said, he screwed up. he screwed up when he only gave ray rice a suspension initially. and the tmz video came out, and roger goodell turned around and suspended ray rice indefinitely. ray's argument the ole while was hey, he had all the information the first time. he was just trying to cover up here, to cover up for his own incompetence, and the arbitrator basically agreed with him. >> he's a very good player, winning is important. do you think there's a chance that a team does decide to take him? >> there's always a chance. michael vick was in prison for

doing some pretty horrible things to dogs. then the philadelphia eagles signed him, now the new york jets. we saw denver brought in richie incognito, who was part of that miami dolphins bullying scandal. the thought is, you could sign a player like that. but here's the thing about the nfl, yes, winning is everything. so if ray rice is a hot commodity, i think there is a team that would take a chance on him. the problem is, he's not a hot commodity anymore. he's 27 years old, he's going to be 28 in january. unfortunately for an nfl running back, 30 is what people think of as the down slope of your career, and his numbers weren't very good last season before this happened. so he'll need to convince a team that not only is he not damaged goods in the public eye and can be rehabilitated but also that he can work out for them on the football field.

but hey, i've seen stranger things happen. >> don't count it out. ray rice released this statement today. he thinks the judge who heard his appeal, the nfl players' association, and his wife. he said, i made a inexcusable mistake and accept full responsibility. i am thankful there was a proper appeals process to address this issue. i will continue to improve myself to be the best father, husband and friend. this isn't the first time he's expressed remorse for his actions, but is this enough is >> we're going to have to see if ray rice can rehabilitate himself in the court of public opinion. americans generally like to forgive and give people second chances. if you had told people that michael vick would be cheered for on the field in the height of his scandal, i think people would have said no way, you're

crazy. but sure enough, he walks into the stadium and people are screaming his name. it can happen, but it's just a question of will it. we're looking at the hearing officer, the honorable barbara jones. she talks about the fact that this indefinitely suspension was arbitrary and was an abuse of the nfl commissioner. >> a lot of people would say it was appropriate, but something he should have done from the get-go. >> absolutely. that's sort of the confusion with all of this. some people today heard that oh, ray rice is reinstated and they're thinking about, is that deserved and the merits of his case. this has nothing to do with did he hit his wife, how bad was that? should he be reinstated? it's really about whether it was fair the way roger goodell

handled this case by giving him such a light penalty the first time and hitting him with a huge penalty the second time, really seemingly for no reason. >> janay rice spoke out for the first time. this was an interview with nbc. let's listen. >> i was furious. we came home, and we didn't talk the entire ride. i didn't speak to him the entire ride home. he tried to speak to me. i didn't want to hear anything. i just knew he hit me, and i was completely over it. i was done. i didn't want to hear anything. i just didn't even want to entertain it, entertain him, anything he had to say, any explanation. of course in the pack of my mind and in my heart, i knew our relationship wouldn't be over. because i know that this was us, it's not him. >> rachel, you've watched this. what is your reaction to that? >> i mean, look, there is a point where the relationship between janay rice and ray rice

is between janay rice and ray rice. and it is not for the american people the decide how their relationship should go forward. however, you would hope that they would -- as they do move forward, they would be perhaps examples in how to reform after being in this kind of incident, and we're just going to have to see how they both do in the days and months ahead. >> do you think there's a desire on their part to do that? >> yeah, i do. i think that they are both -- they have been public about wanting to be a better example. ray rice is a public figure and he is aware of that. i think the reason why a lot of people had a hard time with this whole thing is ray rice has a track record of being very active in the community. we'll have to see if he continues on this front going forward. >> it sure is needed. rachel nichols, thank you so much. just ahead, the u.s. economy is on the rebound. so why is it still posing such a

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peaceful ferguson protests to shoppers flooding the stores on black friday. a new cnn poll finds for the first time in seven years, a majority of americans say things are going well in the country. up 11 points from last year. the reason? a growing number believe the economy is starting to recover from the great recession. >> our businesses aren't just creating jobs at the fastest pace since the '90s. >> reporter: it's a message the president wants to deliver. but he acknowledges the majority of americans don't feel better off. >> i wouldn't feel satisfied as long as i'm meeting somebody that doesn't have a job and wants one. and the american people aren't satisfied. i want to do everything i can to deliver for them. >> reporter: away from the economy, there are critical questions for the president to answer. on isis, senator bob casey released a statement, pressuring

the white house to do more in syria to bring about the end of the violent rule of that country's leader, bashar al assad. >> i've heard you. but you've got to listen to me, too. >> reporter: on the president's executive action on immigration. >> i just took action to change the law. >> reporter: republicans taking cell of congress next year are vowing to attack the policies funding. as for ferguson, civil rights leaders are calling for presidential leadership, as mr. obama decides whether to pay the city a visit. >> i don't know if he should go, but he should speak loudly, strongly, his beliefs, and to all of the american public that it is not just a black problem, it's a problem of all americans. >> reporter: and aides to the president say he's determined as ever not to be a lame duck heading into this new year. but on the most pressing of problem, that is the situation in ferguson, aides to the

president say there will be more details coming out on how the president plans to tackle this subject. the justice department says attorney general eric holder will be heading to atlanta on monday to get that dialogue going. >> jim acosta, thanks. let's talk more about politics with ryan lizza, he's washington correspondent for "the new yorker." we also have cornell belcher here with us. ryan, you've got americans who are taking -- they have a brighter view now of the economy. this is according to a new cnn poll. it says 41% say the economy has stabilize, up five months from last year. they're saying a third of those polled, the economy is starting to recover. this is only up from a quarter of those polled last november. you would think it's good news for the president, but can he just not even capitalize on this pause of the other issues we ease reoccupied with? >> the number one reason driving

that is low gas prices. if you want to think about the number one black friday sale, forget about a tv at best buy. it's that gas prices are down to $2.50 by the end of the year. that's got people feeling more optimistic. eventually, that will start spilling over a little bit to the president and economic confidence usually runs along with presidential approval and he might start feeling that. >> his approval is not great i guess would be an understatement right now. >> that's spot on. as people grow more confident in the economy, the president, whoever the president is, is credited for that. look, most economists will say our economy has been improving, especially when you look at it compared to europe. but i think we still don't quite understand how frightened americans were by the great recession we just had. we changed the economy.

the downturn americans were frightened about it. we are looking at sort of the financial system that is stable now. but people are still very fearful about the future. >> the recession, it is almost a psychic -- a event that i think effects people so much. >> and they have not come out of the fall because they were really frightened. heck, i was frightened by it. >> i certainly was as well. go on, ryan. >> i was going to say, real wages have not gone up. so economic confidence -- people don't necessarily care about 3 or 4% growth or the unemployment rate going down unless it affects them personally, but gas prices affects everyone on a pocket-book level and that is what is driving this. but as cornell points out, there are still a lot of people struggling and the median wages

have not risen but the next candidates need to address that. >> the gas prices are enough, but it feels like maybe one bright spot. thank you to you both, cornell and ryan, and have a good holiday weekend. if you decided to sleep in this morning, weep show you the black friday that you missed. but first the impact your world. >> drew brees knows how to lead others to lead, but now he is encouraging other p proprofessionals, it is called super service challenge. >> no matter what industry, you can always give back. to do that on a service base or a probono level. >> i serve because my skills are in short supply. >> i serve to keep people in school. >> people send in videos of their volunteering. >> we are trying to inspire others to go out and serve.

>> the challenge is you get a group together and you identify a charity and you document it and submit that video and then you might be one of the ones chosen. >> to add a little friendly competition, the super service challenge will make donations to some of the charities featured. >> we have roughly $1.5 million to give out. i don't know if there is anything that makes you feel better than giving. >> impact your world. help us help others. visit voa.org.

there is every day shopping and then there is black friday shopping an the pros know the game starts early. jill chapelle shows us how it is done. >> let's do this. are you looking forward to this? it is friday black friday shopping. this is thursday. but this is what i do every year. i get my shopping done in one night. i start at my first store i start at, old navy. because why? door busters. let's do this. i'm so excited. all right. head into the back. it is 1999 so how much did i end up saving? >> $117.64.

love it. >> these are cute. but these are cute too. i need to stay focused. how much are these? >> these are 60% off. >> this is why. this is why i come here and do this crazy in the middle of the night stuff. >> did you find everything okay? >> yes, i did. this is why i park close. it is time to do a package dump. yes, i made it. >> first round, done. oh, my gosh. here is the problem. you have to really want to go in, because the line is really long. so let's see. this is the end of the line. so my question is, is it worth standing in this long line? it is all about strategy. this store, banana republic. i'm buying men's stuff.

like this. right? oh, my gosh, the line. long. really long line martin. really long. you do it one night and then you are done the rest of the year. hi. >> and she was awake this morning. amazing. wolf blitzer is stepping out of "the situation room" and on to the soul train. >> he is cnn personified, please welcome mr. wolf blitzer. >> he was asked to award tess anchin and can you see it this sunday night on b. e. t. join us in "the situation room" and you can dvr it.

that is it for the situation room. and this is life with lisa ling, starting right now. it is 8 p.m. in midtown manhattan and these 20-somethings are getting ready for a party that could turn their lives around. >> i'm a completely different person when i'm single. >> in an hour they'll be surrounded by wealthy men looking to mingle. but it isn't your average hook-up. >> if you have money, you can have the beautiful girl. that is the american dream. >> this party, it tells you the volume. >> for as long as anyone can remember, money older men have courted attractive younger women. >> we as young