>> two different things. >> rachel nichols, thank you so much. really appreciate it. everyone, thank you so much for watching. wolf blitzer starts right now. in just under a minute, calls for a nationwide walkout. protesters are calling for students to walk out of class, for employees to walk off their jobs. it's all being done to protest the ruling in the michael brown shooting case. we're live with all of the details. hello. i'm wolf blitzer. it's 1:00 p.m. in washington, noon in ferguson, missouri, 6:00 p.m. in london. wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us. developing right now, activists here in the united states calling for a nationwide walkout of students and workers to protest police violence.

it's called for 1:00 p.m. each time. we're looking at live pictures right now. this is happening in new york city. today marks one week since the ferguson, missouri, grand jury decided not to indict darren wilson in the killing of michael brown. over the weekend darren wilson resigned from the police force saying he feared more problems for the police department and also against himself. we'll have much more on this moment. jason carroll is standing by. he's got information on a planned protest also in front of the department of justice here in washington. the white house, meanwhile, is also putting the focus on ferguson in the michael brown case today. the president is spending much of the day in ferguson. he has a meetings stemming from the unrest in the last couple of days. jim acosta is our senior white house correspondent joining us from the white house. you have breaking news on a major review of community policing that the white house is announcing right now?

>> reporter: that's right, wolf. the president ordered this review back in august when the unrest in ferguson first broke out and now the review is in. it really calls for, according to senior administration officials, tighter controls on local law enforcement use of military equipment. and wolf, some of the findings in this report are pretty damming and scathing stuff. take a listen to some of these numbers, wolf, over the last several years when the administration reviewed this program. they found that 92,442 small arms, 44,275 night vision goggles, over 5,000 humvees and ambushed protection vehicles were all doled out to these local law enforcement agencies through this excess equipment

military program so that is why the obama administration wants tighter controls on that and the president is drafting an executive order. the president is aippointing wht he's calling a task force on 21st century police chiefing. charles ramsey, who is the police chief in philadelphia and lori robinson, they will be co-chairing this task force on that. and then one final part of this, $263 million investment package being announced by the white house is going to be going towards the use and increased use of body-worn cameras. wolf, as you know, there's been a lot of calls for more police agencies to have these body-worn cameras because they might reveal in more cases when there might be excessive force used by

police departments or when appropriate force is used by police departments. in addition to all of that, wolf, the president wrapped up a meeting with cabinet officials about these topics and the situation in ferguson and then in about an hour he'll be meeting with local civil rights leaders, young civil rights leaders in the oval office and then a much bigger meeting that will taking place. the president and vice president, law enforcement officials, church groups will be meeting in the executive office building for a discussion on this issue, this big issue that's cropped up since all of that unrest in ferguson, that lack of faith in law enforcement that exists in many minority communities around the country. wolf? >> the president devoting much of this day to the fallout from the ferguson grand jury decision. jim acosta, we'll stay in close touch with you. violent protests here in the united states have subsided but tensions remain high over the decision not to indict police officer darren wilson in the

killing of the unarmed teenager michael brown. five st. louis rams football players put their hands up as they ran onto the field drawing criticism from the st. louis police association. one player said that they were showing respect to the protests. the nfl says that they will not be disciplined. you're taking a look, by the way, at union square in new york city. take a look at these. these are live pictures. jason carroll is on the scene for us. what is going on, jason, not only in new york but nationwide students, employees, they want to go out on this walkout right now to protest this situation in ferguson. >> reporter: that's correct, wolf. what they are doing is it a walkout to mark the time that michael brown was shot at 12:01 central time, 1:01 eastern time.

they began chanting again and more than 100 people showing up chanting that familiar chant, hands up, don't shoot. they are here not only for michael brown but also for eric garner. that was the case here in new york city of a man who was arrested in july for illegally selling cigarettes. he was taken to the ground by officers, put in a choke hold and eric garner died. a grand jury is meeting to decide whether or not the officer involved in that case should be charged. the folks are here for air rec garner and are here to speak out against police brutality. so far this protests have been peaceful. not like the tense protests that i saw in ferguson a few days ago. in terms of police presence, let me show you across the street, members of the new york city police department are here as well but once again so far

things have been peaceful. i spock to one of the organizers. he said they plan to stay here all day chanting for what they believe in. >> i know there have been protests here in washington, d.c., the nation's capital. these are happening all over the country right now. modest, i guess the numbers where you are. you said about 100 protesters right now? >> reporter: yeah. it's modest so are far. the organizer was calling out on his bull horn to try to encourage more people to come down and support the cause. again, somewhat of a modest crowd and they may not have the numbers right now but their feelings are very strong for what they believe in. >> jason carroll, thank you reporting from new york. up next, does president obama need to go to ferguson?

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we heard from demonstrators a while ago. jason carroll reporting there are about 100 protesters in new york city. we are monitoring protesters around the country. people upset about the grand jury decision in ferguson, missouri. this is the issue that's front and center at the white house

today as well. president obama's basically devoting almost all of his day today in an effort to ease the tension across the country and build more trust between the african-american community and law enforcement. the president has met with his cabinet over programs and funding that provided military-style equipment to local police forces around the country. up next, a meeting that the president will have with civil rights leaders and then the conversation continues with elected officials and faith leaders. let's talk about all of this with cnn's chief political analyst gloria borger and our political commentator paul begala. ana navaro will be joining us shortly. paul, the president has to make decisions in the aftermath of this grand jury decision. does he go to ferguson, missouri? if he goes to nerg, missouri, does he meet with the family of michael brown? >> you don't want to be a lightning rod but, then again, dr. king said a riot is the

voice of the voiceless. and if this president can listen to those voices, i think he can do a lot of good. president bush sr. with riots in l.a. 22 years ago, it was a good thing. it did not inflame riots. i think it's better for the president to go places and to listen. it's so important now that the justice system in the eyes of many americans have failed michael brown's family, it's really important that at least people be able to express themselves without violence and to salute those trying to keep the peace there. >> and if he goes, which i assume at some point he meets with the family of meek kell brown. >> absolutely. i do. again, it doesn't mean that he's trying to overrule the grand jury. there is still a federal investigation and no president should ever try to sway a federal investigation. but, of course you want comfort a grieving family. they lost their son.

you can certainly do that. >> i think it's a question of timing. at some point you'll see the president in ferguson. it's just a matter of, when is the right moment to pick when he won't further inflame the situation. of course, he's going to meet with the family. right now, as you pointed out, wolf, he's got his entire day taken up with the policing issues, dealing with this cabinet, for example. those are issues that he needs to let his department justice do his work. he sent his attorney general. at some point i would argue that he does need to go to ferguson. >> these are live picture us outside of the u.s. justice department in washington. the people have been coming out just after 1:00 p.m. here on the east coast to protest the decision. very peaceful situation outside the department of justice. >> and i bet when he meets with local and national and civil rights leaders today that he

will say to them, when should i go? what is the right moment? what would be the right opportunity for me? i think this is something that the president needs to do with national leaders and law enforcement in ferguson because, again, he doesn't want to create more of a problem there. >> and you raised an interesting legal issue, paul, because there are two separate justice department investigations. >> right. >> under way right now, whether michael brown's civil rights were violated, a separate investigation into the ferguson police department, whether they were doing the right thing over the years to begin with. as the president goes there as the leader of the country, does he seem to be weighing in on what the justice department ought to be doing? is it appropriate while those investigations are still under way legally for the president to get involved? >> i think he can go and listen and try to bring some healing. he is a unifying force. he's the only president we have

in his whole career that's been built on unity and racial unity. maybe the best speech of his life is in the 2008 campaign in philadelphia. so yes he can. he is a lawyer and he is the chief executive of the executive branch. you're right, he must say nothing that is going to prejudice a case. i hope we bring charges or don't bring charges. >> that's why he fell flat after the grand jury decided and then he spoke, a lot of people were listening to him saying, gee, he was sort of flat but had he to be flat because he's president of the united states, right? >> and he's a lawyer and he gets criticized for acting by his head more than his heart. >> you can't win. >> no. >> he's a unifying symbol and he's got a really remarkable gift to bring people together. we're going to have a lot more coming up in ferguson.

right now, the fallout continues, these demonstrations in new york, here in washington, d.c., and elsewhere. we'll update you on what is going on. also, a very different story, the first family, the daughters normally off limits but that didn't stop one republican operative from taking a direct shot at the young girls. we'll take a closer look at the fallout. and later, the line between free speech and threats. the supreme court is hearing a landmark case. we'll take you through the details. so we gave people the power of the review. and now angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. you can easily buy and schedule services from top-rated providers. conveniently stay up to date on progress. and effortlessly turn your photos into finished projects with our snapfix app. visit angieslist.com today. ♪

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all right. these are live pictures outside the department of justice in washington, d.c.. protesters are lining up on the sidewalks right there in front of the justice department. they are protesting the grand jury decision in ferguson, missouri. these kinds of demonstrations have occurred over the past several minutes, not only here in washington, d.c., but in new york city, not a huge crowd outside the department of justice but you see these people are peacefully protesting the grand jury decision, similar protests under way in new york city right now. you saw jason carroll reporting from union square in manhattan. we're going to monitor these protests from across the country. a lot of people are angry with that decision earlier today in washington there were people lying on the streets in some of the major bridges crossing from virginia into washington snarling traffic. let's move on to other news. let's get back to ferguson in a few moments.

a staffer up on capitol hill is now stepping down after posting comments, highly critical of the two obama daughters. elizabeth lauten, the communications director, tells cnn she will resign today over the kocontroversy. it began when she blasted malia and sasha for their outfits and bored looks. here's part of her post. "act like dress leak you deserve respect not a spot at the bar." joining us is paul begala and gloria borger. joining us from miami is ana navaro. what went through your mind when you read this? >> i thought somebody had too

much wine and not taking their medication. it was inappropriate and beyond the pale. one, let's keep the kids off limits. let's -- you know, they are not the ones that ran for an elected office. let's respect the families, really. and, two, things that you say in social media have an effect and do matter. sometimes it amazes me. i've seen perfectly normal people go off and become monsters on social media. let's not do that. let's have a little restraint. it's a lesson for all of us about how we treat families and deal with social media. >> well said, indeed. gloria, i assume you agree? >> i think people ought to have a ten-second delay so before you post something, before you send something, maybe you can reread it and self-edit. what stuns me about this is that this woman is a communications director. she should know a lot better if

communications is her life's work and, you know, i totally agree with ana. i'm sure paul would say the same thing. the kids are off limits. it's ridiculous to do that to them. these poor kids spend their lights in the spotlight many times when they don't want it. they didn't run for office. their father did. >> she had posted all sorts of things over the years, including for a cnn ireport at the republican convention. she's been very much involved in the social media process. gloria is right, you would think that somebody involved in communications should have known better. >> even the mafia leaves the kids out of it. the bush daughters being raised at the white house, they several times were treated terribly and disrespectfully. i remember when chelsea clinton was called the white house dog.

certainly in the last several presidencies, it's awful. maybe this is a chance for everybody to take a breath and, boy, we'll go after the politicians but family should be left out. and by the way, as a damage-control expert, when you apologize, actually apologize. she didn't apologize to the first family. secondly, follow up with a note. >> these are children. i'm sorry. they are kids. >> she actually said something -- she said i've prayed about this for hours. hours? it took her hours? love thy neighbor as thy self. >> nobody has died here. nobody has been physically hurt. she's apologized. she's now lost her job and we're all talking about her and frankly saying that she's got no judgment. she's made a mistake. plenty of people have made a mistake on both sides of the party and i think it's important that we take this as a lesson for all of us to take a deep

breath and figure out what we are going to say and the meaning of that before we say it. listen, we just saw ray rice's weekend who clocked his now wife get a second chance. frac frankly, i don't think we need to stone this woman to death in a public square. she made a mistake and is paying the consequences and we can all learn from her actions. >> well said again, ana navarro, paul begala and gloria borger. when we come back, activists calling for a walk out. we'll go live to ferguson, missouri. these are live pictures. this is outside of the u.s. department of justice. people there, they were lying on the sidewalk. now they are having a little conversation. we'll continue our coverage right after this. we give you relief from your

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welcome back to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer reporting from washington. we're watching a developing story. activists have called for a nationwide walkout to protest police violence. you're looking at live pictures

coming in from chicago right now. we've got pictures from new york as well. people have been protesting not only in chicago and new york but here in washington, d.c., as -- at the same time, over at the department of justice. moments ago, protesters were lying on the ground outside of the department of justice in a peaceful, silent protest. out in california, by the way, dozens of students at stanford university walked out of their classes to show their support for the michael brown family. this call for a walkout comes one week after the ferguson, missouri, grand jury decided not to indict the police officer darren wilson in the killing of the teenager michael brown. over the weekend, wilson resigned from the ferguson police force saying he feared for more violence directed at the police department there. let's gauge the reaction in ferguson itself to darren wilson's resignation calling for a nationwide walkout. ed lavandera is live.

what is going on in ferguson? >> reporter: the good news is, wolf, for the last couple of nights it's been quiet in terms of protests and the number of arrests and that kind of news in terms of the worse of what was seen here last week, that that seems to be in the past here at least and a lot of talk about people looking ahead as to what happens next. and some of the areas hardest hit by the protests monday night and tuesday night as well, people have been painting murals on these pieces of plywood to kind of leave inspirational messages and messages of hope that turned plywood into something more beautiful to look at. wolf? >> ed, sunday at the st. louis

rams nfl football game, five players raised their hands up, a sign of the protests to the ferguson decision. the nfl says there will be no discipline for the players. how was this gesture received in ferguson? >> well, you know, you speak with with a lot of people and they very much support what people on the st. louis rams football team did. you heard the strong words and criticism that came from the st. louis police officers association basically saying that these players were siding with the, quote, thugs burning down buildings. so very explosive comments coming from that association as well. even the mayor of ferguson was critical of what the players did as well. when you talk to folks on the street and many people who have been involved in these protests and tryinged to show their solidarity with michael brown's family, it was something that was very much appreciated.

>> ed, thanks very much. ed lavandera is on the streets of ferguson, missouri. we're going to stay in close touch with him. once again, we're monitoring the other protests developing across the country right now, whether here in washington, d.c., or the justice department in new york city over at union square in chicago, stanford university and elsewhere as well. the fallout from ferguson has sparked a national walkout to protest the police violence. the president of the united states is spending most of the day working with experts creating a task force on what is described as 21 century policing tactics across the country. everyone is talking about what happened in ferguson and what can be done to avoid the disaster that followed that decision. let's discuss all of that. i'm joined by pastor robert

white. he's in ferguson. pastor, thanks very much for joining us. what's the most important lesson, do you believe, that our viewers in the united states and all over the world should learn from what happened in ferguson? >> thanks for having me, wolf. i think the most important lesson that needs to be talked about throughout the world is that this grand jury was a joke. we have heard and seen testimony that has happened since then and we have seen the failure of our government to protect our citizens and taxpayers of the city as ed was talking about on this particular location, there's color, there's festivities going on but on the other side in ferguson, there was fire. there was brimstone laid out because the governor who said he had a plan, said he was going to protect the citizens, they sat back and allowed buildings to burn, businesses to go out of business.

and right now we have state troopers, we have national guardsmen guarding buildings that is are burned down. where were they the first night? as much as we're talking about the rams players have who supported us and we're grateful for them for that, we're calling on all of the professional players, lawmakers, anyone who is against injustice against anyone, not just because it was an officer against a young, black man, but an injustice that continues to happen when we finally prosecute an attorney who goes in and gives false evidence and a system that has failed to protect the protesters. >> this is live in washington, d.c., right now. what do you make of these protests that are developing not just in ferguson but all over the country right now, pastor? >> well, the thing we have to understand, wolf, the department of justice was in portland, cincinnati, they have been in new york, new jersey and they

are here in st. louis. but what does it matter if this continues to happen throughout the country? so i'm hoping when president obama calls for his meetings today that he allows persons like myself or others to come to the white house to speak about the continual police state that this country is in. what good is it for the justice department to be in various places but this continues to happen? we're calling for community policing. we're asking for officer friendly once again and for the president of the united states, department of justice and all lawmakers to take a closer look at what's happening throughout this country. >> do you have confidence in president obama and eric holder, the attorney general of the united states? >> well, what we have confidence as a pastor is i have confidence in the holy spirit. i have confidence that the good people of this country will come together and force those that we have elected to do the right thing, whether it's president obama or the next president, because we understand that this

wasn't broken in one day and it won't be fixed in one day. but if we can start the dialogue, the conversation and force eric holder, president obama, governor nixon and all of those folks in authority to take a closer look at to what is happening to the citizens of this country. >> pastor, thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having us. up next, fears over isis attacks now has the u.s. military rethinking social media posts. we'll take a closer look at the possible threat. and there's a new warning for u.s. military personnel right here in the united states.

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no idea what that individual was arrested for when we saw him taken away. you can see live pictures coming in from new york. people are angry over the ferguson, missouri, grand jury decision not to indict the police officer darren wilson who has since resigned from the ferguson police department. other demonstrations are going on here in washington outside the justice department in chicago, stanford, elsewhere as well. small in number, relatively speaking, but people clearly are upset. we'll have more on this story coming up a little while. i want to move on to other important news we're monitoring right now at the same time. a new warning, in fact, for u.s. military troops right here at home. a warning about possible terrorist attacks by isis sympathizers and social media. our pamela brown is here with me. she's looking at what is going on and this is potentially significant developments. it's not every day that they issue these kinds of alerts. >> it is.

basically this warning is being sent out to u.s. military members telling them that isis is assessing and spotting like-minded individuals, si sympathizers who could carry out an attack of the u.s. military. this shows that isis members are putting forth more effort to find people online and encourage them even more to carry out attacks. a more specific effort here. in this bulletin it says -- it urges caution with members of the military not to put any identifiable information online because that can be a treasurer trove of information for someone who wants to cause harm. also, this warning is coming at a time when members of the military may be wearing their uniform and so that is also pointed out in this new warning. >> are they being urged not to wear their military clothing or civilian clothing when walking around? >> i think that is sort of what

they are trying to say here is, look, don't draw attention to yourself. don't publicize, advertise that you're a member of the u.s. military because that could catch the attention of someone, an isis sympathizer, a lone wolf who may want to cause harm to you. that's the message they are trying to get across to members of the u.s. military and this is following the attacks in canada targeting members of the military there and similar bulletins have been sent out for law enforcement personnel, members of the military. this is the latest one based on new information coming in to law enforcement. >> so there's specific information that caused this concern, caused this alarm, it's not just being issued as a result of an abundance of caution? >> i think an abundance of caution is the driver of this but there's continual online chatter. law enforcement is seeing an increase in efforts by isis to find individuals living in the u.s. who could carry out a lone

wolf attack. that sense is that that is what that information revolves around. >> pamela brown, thank you very much. let's hope that it doesn't materialize but certainly a worrisome development. coming up, we'll show you more of what is going around around the country. the protests that have developed not huge in number but they are continuing. these are live pictures from knew krork city right now several hundred people protests in a walkout to protest the grand jury decision. we'll update you on all of this when we come back. by the way, these are people outside the u.s. department of justice. they were on the ground lying down. they are continuing to express their anger over what is going on. there are also protests in chicago right now. once again, not large numbers but people simply expressing their anger over the ferguson, missouri, grand jury decision.

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these kinds of issues the nature of the relationship between law enforcement agencies and the communities they are sworn to serve and protect is something

that a lot of communities across the country are dealing with. cities large and small. and the president thinks it's important for to us have a broader discussion on these issues, and, you know, some of the announcements we've made today in terms of community policing initiative that has been rolled out and the task force on policing that will be led by the philadelphia chief of police and former doj official with the civil rights background, that some of these initiatives are meant to try to address those underlying concerns that are evident not just in ferguson but in communities all across the country. the white house press secretary josh earnest moments ago speak offering there at the white house press briefing announcing southeast steps the president is taking right now to deal with the serious issues, long standing issues not simply resulting from the ferguson, missouri grand jury decision. much more on this story coming up as we monitor the protests

across the country right now. elsewhere here in washington, on the docket of the u.s. supreme court today is what could be a landmark freedom of speech case. it's the first free speech case that the justices have heard since social media became such a major part of every day life. at issue is the conviction of anthony ilonas over a facebook post to his estranged wife. a lower court ruled there were threats and not protected by the first amendment. here are a couple of those quotes. i'm not going to rest until your body is a mess. soaked in blood and dying from all the little cuts. then he posted this after his wife got a protestive order. quote, fold up your pfa and put it in your pocket. is it thick enough to stop a bullet? let's bring in our senior legal analyst jeffrey toobin. talk about the arguments that were heard by the justices today. anthony's attorney said he was

simply blowing off steam and had a right to do so. what's the issue here as far as protected speech? >> wolf, this is a very hard case. and the legal issue in this case is what's the standard to be applied when these cases are arise? the department of justice has said is that the standard should be an objective standard. what would a reasonable person think on reading these facebook posts. would a reasonable person say that these were specific threats of violence. what the lawyer is saying that's the wrong standards. that the standard should be, did the defendant, did he himself intend that these threats be taken seriously and literally. the jury was instructed under the department of justice formulation that's why he's in prison for seven years, the defendant wants a new trial with

a different legal standard applied. >> his lawyers were arguing what he was writing in these posts is similar to what artists would be using in their songs. is that a good argument? >> it is a good argument because these are words, languages, feelings, that are familiar in a pretty coarse, the pretty coarse world we live in. so it is true that a lot of people in public life use this kind of language. the department of justice answer is look, let's let the jury decide. if you want to argue to the jury that this is just blowing off steam, this is just like eminen, fine, argue that to the jury but the jury as the voice of the community can sort out whether this is speech, exaggeration, blowing off steam or a threat to do violence.

>> these nine justices and you know them well, they are all in their what 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s right now. what impact does that age have on an issue like this involving social media and as we point out this is the first real social media case that has come before the u.s. supreme court? >> it has a big impact. there are justices on there that i assure you have never been on facebook and had to have it explained to them by their law clerks. a couple of years ago they dealt with what they called a new technology, which was pagers. pagers were old even then. this is an example of trying to bring the bedrock concept of the first amendment which, after all, was written in the 18th century in trying to apply them in the 21st. in fairness to the justices they usually get it right i don't know if it's from their law clerks or from their reading.

when you look at how they have dealt with technology they have actually applied it in a pretty sensible way. i think this case is a hard one. i don't know how it will come out. but it is -- i do trust that the justices will figure out what facebook is. >> i assume if they rule against this defendant and say, yes, these were real threats he deserved to spend time in jail for making these threats against his estranged wife that potentially could have a huge chilling effect on what people post on these social media sites? >> it will have a chilling effect. and the answer of the department of justice is good. it should have a chilling effect. you should not be threatening people with bodily harm on facebook. or any other place. that's why these laws exist. i'll tell you another thing, wolf, that i think has played into the background of this case. look at the school shootings we've seen in recent years. look at how everyone has said why didn't we see the signs.

where didn't we act on whether it was facebook posts or other kind of social media or internet posts. and i think the justices are very likely to have that in mind and that may well be a finger on the scale in favor of upholding the conviction in this case. >> i was happy that justice ruth bader ginsberg had a heart procedure last week she was back on the court today. >> tough woman. >> we wish her a speedy recovery. jeffrey, thank you very much. that's it for me. i'll be back at 5:00 p.m. for our international viewers christiane amanpour is coming up. for our viewers in north america "newsroom" with brooke baldwin starts right at the top of the hour.

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here we go top of the hour i'm brooke baldwin. thank you for being with me on this monday. right now from the highest levels of government to street level demonstrations by studio audience the nation is seeking answers with regard to what happened in ferguson, missouri. right now you're looking at these pictures here in new york where folks -- let me be clear this is across the country. protests under way in more than 50 high schools and colleges from middletown, delaware to missoula, montana. students united under the