you are looking at live pictures. queens, new york, christ tabernacle church. this is where he was a member of the church for 14 years. serving as an usher, someone who administered those who were getting married. described by many in the community as the person of faith. who put that first and foremost as well as his family and felt that his policing was a duty. a duty that was one that was religious in some ways to serve the community. and you are looking at those live pictures of all the police officers and many of them strangers who have come to pay their respects to this man and to acknowledge and recognize his family as well. >> let's take a look inside the sanctuary here at christ tabernacle church in queens, where i'm sure it is full to capacity. we know that in attendance -- this is the signal that is actually being sent out by the

church. so as they switch that from the family photos. we see here inside. to a larger shot where you can see the people who are there to mourn with this family. it is full to capacity. mayor bill de blasio there. the police commissioner william bratton. governor cuomo, former mayor rudy giuliani. vice president biden and dr. jill biden are there. >> and these are photos that the church is streaming here live. these are pictures of ramos and his wife. he is a father of two young ones, justin and jaden. one is a sophomore in college. the other one is now 13 years old. and just very moving. very touching to see all the family photos. a lot of people talk about how important his family has been to him throughout the years.

and just beautiful. this is what they are broadcasting to all of us. we're just seeing this for the first time as you are. >> i want to read part of the official statement from the church. they lovingly call him raf. it says raf was definitely a family man and always talked about his kids and how well they were doing. he loved his family and church. he had an infectious and disarming smile. and it goes on on their website, which to be honest has crashed several times because there are so many people going to read these statements. and there is a link on the website to watch this ceremony live from christ tabernacle church. we'll bring it to you here an cnn. we've got our miguel marquez standing outside there. miguel, tell us about some of the conversations you have had with some of the people. not just the officers but the people who live there in queens

across the city of new york. and maybe some who've come from outside the city to pay tribute to this fallen officer. >> reporter: well new yorkers are not known as shrinken violets. and certainly the people in this neighborhood are not. i had several people come up to me in the last couple of days saying, you know, we just want the world to know this is not a disruption to our neighborhood. all of this is perfectly fine. it is something we're willing to live with because with we love the police and we want people to know this is welcome. i can tell you that they have tried, with great effort, to keep this part of myrtle avenue empty. but it has filled up and filled up and filled up as the service gets closer to starting. it is a breathless seen to look down cyprus hill street where the funeral will go to the

cemetery. and to see the number of police officers and the hats and badges and uniforms all the way down the street. to see then the front of the church with the pictures and this -- the part of the funeral cortege, the flowers piled on top of a car in front of the hearse. it is hard to take in all of this. and on top of that the vice president of the united states to walk by you just five feet away. and give you a sense of how big the context for this funeral is. the shock of the way these two men died, i think has hit nypd, it has hit this nation like few other officer deaths ever has. and for new york and for the nypd this is the first of two. bill bratton, the commissioner here tweeting today our hearts are heavy as we lay to rest one

of our finest, police officer ramos. we will never forget. there is a great sense they want to remember this episode. and they want to remember what is possible in the circumstances and in the conditions that this has happened. >> and miguel. i want us to remind our viewers too this is something that has been a national conversation. and it also hatz has had a tremendous impact on rafael ramos's family as well. you just can't imagine losing someone, in particular his father. on his 13-year-old's facebook page, i just want to read this. he says that everyone says they hate cops but they are the people that they call for help. i will always love you. and i will never forget you. rest in peace, dad. that is from his 13-year-old jaden. we talk about this in a removed way. but that is a 13-year-old who just lost his father and recognizes what this means, the

big picture. that this is about what his dade dad did. but for him he was there to help. and, you know, this is someone so close to him that he just doesn't have anymore. >> reporter: it is hard to balance the too two. it is hard to see this scene p. it is hard to see the number of players in the media here and all the live trucks and the vice president and all this and then to remember that this is about this family that deeply, deeply loved their father. jaden and his facebook post as you mentioned was absolutely beautiful what he said about his father. his son justin spoke at the precinct. an incredibly tough time, in addition to because it is the christmas holiday. but to hear justin speak about how his father was a hero to him. how they just -- they cannot reconcile how this happened. they were on overtime. they were sitting in their police car.

they were looking forward to the christmas holiday. probably talking about what they were going to get, you know, friends and family for christmas, when someone would walk up behind them and literally assassinate. the idea that the family has to reconcile all of that in in the compressed period of time is a unfathomab unfathomable. we cover it as that story but what they are going through must be other worldly. >> we saw a few minute of both the police commissioner bratton and the arrival of mayor bill de blasio. we were wee saw signs that were quite critical of the mayor. what was the response from some of those thousands of officers standing there miguel. >> reporter: a lot of response.

a couple booed quite loudlies. others turned and then it subsided very quickly. i think that that is still under the surface. i they that this today is for some officers for some members of the public, they blame it squarely on bill de blasio. on the mayor here. it is hard to reconcile. while this family will bury that you are father today. other families out there have buried their kids for what they say is systemic racism or racism within their own police forces. this is something that's become an issue here in new york prior to all of this. and this is not going away. i think the mayor has gone to great lengths to try to bring down the level of rhetoric, the patrolman's benevolent association, one of several unions the ones that looks after

the beat cops or the street cops, the ones who do the grunt work or the heavy lifting of the police department. their president has some some very tough things about the mayor laying this on his feet and riling upbeat cops here. so it's created an atmosphere of extraordinary tension which i think today certainly will be one of those periods where it will begin to subside to some degree and then we'll also have the funeral of officer lao down the way. but my sense the is things are moving towards that better place at least today. >> and we should know it was eric gardner's daughter who a also went out this week to place flowers memorialize the officers saying that this is not something that should have been done to avenge her father's

death. i want to bring in rosa flores whose long the procession line and give us a sense of what people are saying to you. why are they there? why is this an important moment for them? >> all right it appears or sounds like they are in the middle of a prayer there. if we can take the shot -- well this is an amazing shot here to see all of these uniforms. but if someone who is watching the ceremony inside, if you can let us know as soon as that service begins, we'll get right to that. until then let's get to erin mcpike. we saw just moments a ago the vice president and dr. jill biden walk through the crowd and into the service. that presence, although the vice

president will officer words of support and sympathy today. that presence in many ways says what the white house is hoping to say. >> victor, that is right. and they are trying to smooth things over just a bit. because there has been some criticism of the administration coming from law enforcement throughout the last four months. yesterday we spoke with jim pasco, the executive director of the nation's largest union of police chiefs and he says they would give this administration a grade of incomplete. they have been helpful at times, not at other times. but they say that joe biden has been helpful and lent a supportive ear and they are looking for more support from the administration. some of the languages come interesting the administration has been tough from president obama and attorney general eric holder when they said that african american children have to express some more caution. and some of the language is seen

as deviivisive by some law enforcement victor. >> erin, thank you so much. >> we are listening in and watching as the church. s the national anthem. let's just listen in. >>. ♪ oh say can you see ♪ by the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight ♪

♪ o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? ♪ ♪ and the rockets' red glare the bombs bursting in air ♪ ♪ gave proof through the night that our flag was still there ♪ ♪ oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪

♪ o'er the land of the free ♪ ♪ and the home of the brave? ♪ ♪ oh come let us adore him ♪ oh come let us adore him ♪ oh come let us adore him ♪ christ the lord

♪ oh come let us adore him ♪ oh come let us adore him ♪ oh comb let us adore him ♪ christ the lord >> we'll give him all the glory. ♪ we'll give him all the glory ♪ we'll give him all the glory ♪ we'll give him all the glory ♪ christ the lord

>> father god we stand in your presence and we invite you to be here. you are the god who brings peace. you are emanuel, you are god with us. and even at this moment in our deepest sorrow in the midst of horrible tragedy, you are still sovereign god who sits on the thrown of heaven and stoops low to hear the cry of his people. you bottle up their tears. you know our prayers even when they are silent and cannot be articulated. and so we thank you in this moment that you are here with us. abide with us through the service. bring comfort to this families, bring healing to our city. strengthen police, law enforcement, the sea of officers that are standing all around

outside our building. would you strengthen those men and women that lay their lives day in day out for the city and across this country and this great land that you have given us. we believe you for it in the matchless name of our lord and savior, jesus the christ. we all say amen. and amen. you may be seated. >> all right you have been watching the service for the fallen officer rafael ramos. we'll take a break. 24/7, but there are no branches? 24/7 it's just i'm a little reluctant to try new things. what's wrong with trying new things? feel that in your muscles? yeah... i do... try a new way to bank, where no branches equals great rates.

vice president biden inside the christ tabernacle church. >> governor cuomo, mayor de blasio, commissioner bratton, pastor thank you for allowing me to be here today and according me the privilege of expressing the condolences of jill and my whole family to the ramos family. what handsome boys.

i remember a similar occasion a long time ago. and mom, i assure you, those boys will get you through all of this. i'm sure i speak for the whole nation when i say to you that our hearts ache for you. i know from personal experience that there is little anyone can say or do at this moment to ease the pain, that sense of loss, that sense of loneliness. but i do hope you take some s solace in the fact that some 25,000 members in the same fraternity and sorority as you husband who will stand and will stand with you the rest of your

life. and they will. it is an uncommon fraternity. justin and jaden, you have shown tremendous courage and character in these past few days. you are your father's sons. and he was -- he was so so very proud of you from everything that i have heard. and just know, as hard as it is to believe, he will be part of your life the entirety of your life. mom, no child should predecease a parent. my heart aches for you. and i know from experience there are no words that i can offer to ease that profound sense of loneliness and loss you are feeling right now. but i also know from experience that the time will come. the time will come when rafael's memory will bring a smile to

your lips before it brings a tear to your eyes. that is when you know it is going to be okay. i know it is hard to believe it will happen. but i promise you. i promise you it will happen. and my prayer for you is that it will come sooner rather than later. there is a head stone in ireland that reads "death leaves a heart ache no one can heal. love leaves a memory that no one can steal." just sitting here for a few moments looking at the screens, no one had to know your husband to not know how desperately he cared about his family, how close he was to all of you. you know, i didn't know your husband. and i didn't know his partner.

who were keeping watch at myrtle and tompkins avenue on that terrible afternoon. but i do know why they were there. they were there to protect can defend, as they always are. sometimes fearful, but always watchful. i knew them. they are the guy i grew up with in scranton and claymont, delaware. the boy with the most courage and the most compassion. the man with the brave heart and the generous soul. a brother who always looked out for his sister. a father whose words were always encouraging to you boys, with a touch that can soothe away the fear. and a son who made his mother proud every time he turned and smiled at her. and a husband with a gentle hand who could soothe away the

concerns, who you knew would always be there. a former school safety officer became a cop at age 37. an active member of his church studying to become a chaplain. a father, a husband, a son, a seven year veteran on the force. a son of a chinese immigrant, his partner, conversant in several dialects. a newlywed. both confident, committed, passionate and vigilant. being a cop was not what they did. it was who they were. like every man and woman in uniform here today. it is who you are. and they, like every one of you in uniform inside this church and outside, you all joined for essentially the same reason.

there was something about you that made you think you could help, that you should serve, that you had a duty. i've spoken at too many funerals for too many peace officers. too many funerals for brave women and men who kept us safe. and watched their families grieve. and i've observed one thing, that unfortunately it is only when a tragedy like this occurs that all their friends, neighbors and people who didn't even know them become aware of and reminded of the sacrifices they make every single solitary day to make our lives better. today we pay tribute to officer rafael ramos and when january

liu. and we pay tribute to their families. the fear of that call at 3:00 a.m. in the morning, the relief of hearing the voice of the door open says i'm home. there is a line from the english poet john milton. he said, "they also serve who only stand and wait." thousands upon thousands upon thousands of american families stand and wait till their husbands and wives, fathers and sons can serve the rest of us. police officers and police families are a different breed.

thank god for them. thank god for them. and your husband and his partner, they were part of new york's finest. and this is probably the finest police department in the world. the finest police department in the world [ applause ] they earned that praise. there is a sacred trust they took on when they kiss their children's forehead as they sleep and head out for the night shift to watch over all the great children of this city treating and protecting each of them as if they were their own.

when you patrol the streets of new york, you circle the earth. six story walk up apartment towers. aromas of millions of kitchens, continuing thousands of traditions. streets full of silence. streets bursting with hundreds of languages. whispering, laughing, shouting. an intimidating city. a city of others. a city of labels and borders. and seemingly unbridgeable gaps. a city constantly grappling with the issues as old as the nation and as new at the morning head lines. yet in every neighborhood in this great city, this most alive of all cities, this chaotic miracle stands as a beacon to the world in no small part because of the sacrifices that the new york police department makes every single day.

so when an assassins bullet targeted two officers, it targeted this city. and it touched the soul of the entire nation. a city where the son of a chinese immigrant shared a patrol with hispanic minister in training. a city where a single ride on a subway brings you into contact with more people, more lives than many people in this country will encounter in an entire lifetime. a city that educated a young college student with a mother from kansas and a father from kenya who would one day stand before the nation and declare this is not a black america or a white america or a latino america or an asian america. this is the united states of america. [ applause ]

and for those of us who are not new yorkers, we look at you in awe. because this is the united city of new york as well. a city that rose as one to confront two of the greatest disasters of this century. one from the evils of terrorism on 9/11. and one from the fury of nature in super storm sandy. this is a city of courage and character, having faced and overcome the toughest challenges. and i'm absolutely confident as you are that spirit is still alive and well in this city. and i'm absolutely confident it will guide you in the days and weeks ahead. i believe that this great police force and this incredibly diverse city can and will show the nation how to bridge any

divide. you have done it before. and you will do it again. because to paraphrase the words of william allen white:"you are not afraid of tomorrow, because you have seen yesterday, and because you love today." to the ramos family, we are all lucky to have rafael. he didn't just have a bible in his locker. he lived it in his heart. he was a cop for all -- all the right reasons. mom we owe you for nurturing him and mauricia we owe you for supporting him. justin and jaden know that although your father is gone, you have inherited an entire family. the men and women of the new

york police department will always be there as long as you are alive. they never, they never, never forget. there is a community hymn in my church that has a stanza that goes like this. may he raise you up on eagles wings and bear you on the breath of dawn and make the sun to shine on you. that is what your father wished for for both you boys. that is what your father wished for for this city. and it will happen. may god bless your family and the family of his partner. and may god protect the 84th precinct and every police officer throughout this great country and keep them safe while they stand watch for us. god bless you all.

[ applause ] >> vice president joe biden there speaking at the funeral for officer raffle ramos. really relying on some personal experience, his own losses of his wife and daughter and that car accident in 1972. >> and the vice president acknowledging the uniqueness of the city itself and recognizing its resilience and the police department, calling it the finest that there could be. he touched on so many levels, on the local level, very personal level as you had mentioned victor. and also bringing it to the national level, talking about this is a country that the president believes in, that eventually will get through and work on its racial divide at times. not a black country, not a white country, but the united states of america. and we are expected that the governor now will take the

stand. >> good morning to all of you. first to senior pastor michael, thank you for the celebration and the honor of being able to address you today. to vice president biden, you honor us, sir, with your presence. we know how busy you are. we know how much is going on right now. and from the bottom of our hearts, we appreciate your being here. it means a great deal. thank you very much. vice president biden [ applause ] to mayor de blasio, to senator. to mauricia, justin, jaden. we want you to know we honor your sacrifice. and we want you to know as vice

president biden said we will be here not just in the hectic aftermath but even more in the quiet times. for the rest of your life. for officer rafael ramos being a police officer was more than just a job. it has to be. it was a calling. it was his life's ministry and he was preparing to be a chaplain. you can tell a lot about a man by the children that he raises. rafael and mauricia raced two beautiful young men. justin is on winter break and will be going back to boden college, which is a very good school in the state of maine. of course it would be a better school if it was in the state of new york, but [ laughter ] -- nonetheless, it is a good school. jaden is 13. and he'll be at home with his

mom. jaden's writings have been profound. over these days despite all the chatter, jaden found the essential truth when he reminded people that police officers are the people you call when you need help. and they always show up. truer words were never spoken. [ applause ] justin and jaden are mets fans. which tells us a lot about them. it means they are really tough. and really committed and really, really, really loyal. [ applause ]

mauricia will be working in healthcare where she tends to the needs of others. to the ramos family, i say we thank you and we honor you. we watch the way that you have managed yourself during these difficult days. and you have represented yourself, your father, your husband with pride and dignity. and we were all proud to watch your actions and hear your words. please join me in giving the ramos family a round of applause. [ applause ]

thank you. to the nypd family, which lost two brothers. i say you are a force of true professionals who protect our people with the highest electrophile of skill and dedication. as the vice president said, you are new york's finest. and you are probably the finest nationwide. the nypd has done an especially extraordinary job these past few weeks. i watched on television the scenes of people hurling physical objects and verbal insults at the nypd. and i frankly was amazed at the discipline and professionalism that the nypd demonstrated. the nypd protected the right of freedom of speech even though they themselves were the target of false and abusive chants and tirades by some.

what a beautiful testament to their professionprofessionalism. [ applause ] to the nypd -- [ applause ] -- and we want every nypd officer to know that they were not alone. when the nypd sterood in formation, every new yorker stood with them. and every new yorker stands with you today. remember as individual, members of the nypd deserve respect and support. but there is also something more. when you put on that badge as a

police officer, you are no longer just a man and a woman and a citizen of new york. you represent public safety and law and order. and an attack on the nypd is an attack on all of us. it is an attack on our system of justice. we are a nation of laws. we are a state of laws. we are a city of laws. and you represent those laws. and no one, no group is above the law. and no intimidation, no threats, and no politics will ever change that. the threats against new york, the threats against new york's police are an insult to the law-abiding new yorkers. and they will not be tolerated. they will be investigated, and they will be prosecuted. and i want you to know that

75,000 police officers and national guardsmen statewide have your back every step of the way. and mr. vice president thank you for being here today. this is a difficult time for nation as we deal with questions about our criminal justice system and racial and ethnic tensions that seem to go from coast to coast. now, new york knows these topics too well. new york has long been the entry point for our country welcoming people from across the globe. the statue of liberty stands in our harbor lighting the path. we know the difficulties of the dealing with different races and ethnicities. but we also know the joy and the success and the richness that it has brought to new york. while some states feared

diversity, we celebrated. yes we have questions that have arisen from recent cases. we will study and reflect and we will restore the justice system and we will resolve the differences among us as we have many, many times before. because that is what we do as new yorkers. you hand us adverse, and we turn it into opportunity. and we will grow the stronger for it. we live and breathe the founding principle of e pluribus unum, out of many one. in new york mr. vice president, the knife of division breaks on the rock of unity. mr. vice president, new yorkers know that we are all immigrants from different places. and we don't forget where we come from. we bring our own language, our

own traditions, our own cuisine, our own customs. but we have all joined the same family, the family of new york. so police officer ramos, a latino, sat in a patrol car with his brother officer liu, an asian. members with officers of over 50 different countries who speak 64 different languages who protect a city literally with people from every country on the globe living in it. nothing will ever defeat or divide our new york family. 9/11 couldn't do it. the response of the nypd proves that and the outpouring of love from people across the state proves that. and with a name of police officer -- when the name of

police officer ramos is uttered. let's remember the principles he died for. we respect the rule of law and we protect each other. because at the end of the day we are one. we are one people. one city, one state, one community, one family. the family of new york. [speaking foreign language] god bless you and keep you and you will be forever in our prayers. thank you. [ applause ] >> you have been listening to governor cuomo. very strong statement in support of the police department. saying they reserve the respect of the community.

saying they preserve public safety law and order and a attack on one is a attack on all of of them. and also tackling the play of national justice and racial and ethnic tensions and a time for healing saying this is a city with difficulty as well as joy, success and in the richness of diversity in new york city that they are in fact resilient. here is the mayor, bill de blasio. >> pastor, to you and your father pastor, thank you for this extraordinary congregation which has meant so much to the ramos family. and thank you for the love here today. vice president, it is so important to the people of new york city and to the ramos family and others that you are here. thank you for helping us to heal at this painful moment.

governor, senator, commissioner, thank you all. our hearts are aching today. you can feel it physically. you feel it deeply. new york city has lost a hero. a remarkable man because of the depth of his commitment to all around him. on behalf of all 8.4 million new yorkers, on behalf of all of us, i extend my condolences to mauricia, justin and jaden, julia, to cindy. to the entire family, the wonderful, beautiful extended family that we've all come to know in these days and to all their friends, all who love them. extend my condolences to another

family, the family of the nypd that is hurting so deeply right now. men and women feeling this loss so personally, so deeply as their families feel the loss as well. and i want to thank the law enforcement officers from all over this nation who have come here to honor officer ramos. and i especially want to thank the family of officer liu who are here in solidarity and in shared grief. two families we will remember together always. all of this city is grieving. and grieving for so many reasons. but the most personal is that we've lost such a good man and the family is in such pain.

officer rafael ramos was a man so filled with commitment, faith, belief. you can see in his family. you can see what it meant to all of us, as a family so strong. to mauricia, the love of his life and partner in all things. we honor you. he honor his two sons who he adored. justin, we thank you for feeling the same calling to public service that motivated your father. jaden, we thank you for what you have already said to this world.

even at your young age. and it meant so much to so many people. and we thank you for what you said simply about your dad. you said, quote, he was the best father i could ask for. and every child should be so blessed as to be able to say that. and every parent should be so blessed as to be able to hear that from their child. it's well known that officer ramos loved his family so deeply and cherished the moments with them. and yes, they are mets fans. god bless them. and he loved playing basketball with his sons in highland park. he loved blasting spanish gospel music from his car. he lived life so deeply. this family has shown us so much in these last days and has given us so much hope, even amidst the

pain. because epitomize the family of new york. you epitomize all we aspire to be. you have been there together from the most difficult painful moment and those moments in the hospital to now filled with strength, filled with connection, filled with devotion to each other. it is something we all need to remember. and officer ramos was profoundly a man of faith. and so much of his life centered on this beautiful church. this church family. he embraced the idea if your way

isn't working, try god's day. and he set to become a chaplain and was taken from us on the day he was to graduate. he was already serving in so many ways and yet he felt deeply called to serve spiritually as well. and he was thinking about that service, even in the years after he would leave the force that he would continue to serve as a spiritual mentor and leader. and he was so committed to the nypd. it meant so much to him to be a member of the finest police force in country. he always wanted to join the nypd. it wasn't his first career. he started as a school safety officer protect our kids and he was much loved in that rule. he had the dream that he would one day be a police officer.

and he worked for that dream, as a police officer. and he worked for that dream. and he lived it and he became it. he couldn't wait to take that test. he couldn't wait to put on that uniform. he believed in protecting others. and those who are called to protect others are a special breed. those who stare down danger, those who sacrifice for all of us, that is what he wanted to be. he wanted to be someone who gave more. someone who took risks others would find unimaginable. he wanted to reach higher and serve others. all of us, all of his brothers and sisters in nypd feel his

loss. because they too followed that journey to serve others. they too accepted those risks and they persevere despite the pain. and for that we are eternally thankful. one of the most beautiful passages in the bible is also one of the simplest from the sermon on the mount. blessed are the peacemakers. that could have been said with officer ramos in mind. he was a peacemaker in every sense. throughout his life he was a man of peace. a man of love. he was a peacemaker in his large family. always bringing people together. he was a peacemaker in his church. working every day to spread a message of faith and love. helping others through their challenges. helping other families through their struggles.

and he was a peacemaker for new york. police officers are called peace officers. because that is what they do. they keep the peace. they help make a place that otherwise would be torn with strife a place of peace. officer ramos put his life on the line every day so other new yorkers could live in piece. so they could live in safety. that is what he believed in. his life was tragically cut short. but his memory will live on in the hearts of his family, his congregation. his brothers and sisters of the nypd. and literally millions of new yorkers. we will not forget. just want to say a very few words in spanish.

[speaking foreign language] we will always remember him. may he rest in peace. god bless you all. >> that's new york mayor bill de blasio there speaking about delivering the eulogy of the rafael ramos.

his narrowed scope speaking specifically about the officer, his commitment to the force and his family. but on the right side of your screen what you likely saw was so many of the officers turn their back to christ tabernacle church as mayor de blasio eulogyized officer ramos. the same thing we saw, a sign of disrespect. a intended sign and that we saw a week ago when the mayor went to visit officers ramos and liu. we have commissioner bill bratton. let's listen. >> vice president biden. governor cuomo. mayor de blasio. on behalf of the 50,000 members of the nypd, in the tens of thousands of our colleagues who have come from all over this

country and canada to be here today, thank you for your words of grace, compassion, understanding and inspiration. and to senior pastor michael, thank you sir for your words of encouragements and your words of solace. every time i attend a police officer's funeral -- and i have attended way too many -- i always pray that it will be the last. but i know it won't. as i watch the casket carried past all those salutes i wish it weren't real. but it is. and as i look into the faces of the loved ones left behind whose worst fear has been so suddenly realized, i silently hope never again. but here we are. my first police funeral was 44

years ago, september 24, 1970. boston police department patrolman walter schroeder was ambushed by a violent group of antiwar extremists, shot in the back as he responded to a bank hold up. in 1970 boston, like america was a tumultuous place. protests for civil rights, antiwar demonstrations. antigovernment demonstrations. antipolice demonstrations. divisive politics polarized the city and the country. maybe that sounds familiar. the murder of officer schroeder shook the foundations of city hall and the boston police department. it instilled doubt and fear among officers and citizens alike. we mourned. we vowed never to forget. and we moved forward.

and here we are. here we are to celebrate the life of police officer rafael ramos and to honor him. to memorialize the sacrifice he made with his partner that day. with his partner now for all time. officer wenjian liu. here we are to remember. remember what it means to take the job. those of us who are privileged to call ourselves cops. no other profession will give you as much or sometimes take as much. the job can reward you like no other but one day might demand from you everything in return. for the ramos family today is that day. and here we are. we are in a city struggling to define itself, where people are

searching for what they stand from for and why. where claim know best what it's like to be everybody else. but we know who we are. the men in blue who wear that badge. because we know who rafael ramos was. he was a father, a son, a brother and a husband. he was a new yorker. he was a new york city police officer. and he was, he a hero. [ applause ] at the family home the other day, mayor de blasio and i visited. when he was an infant because his father died he took on the family role as he grew.

people could see that in the way he worked. justin jaden, he got the chance to know his dad the way you didn't get to know yours. he got to learn from him the way he taught others. the aunt said your dad knew a little bit of everything and he was willing to let you know it. your mom said he was the type of man who if he set his mind on something, he went for it. and he did it. other cops said the same thing. he came on the job older, a family man. street smart. worldly. he knew how to handle people. and the younger cops looked up to him. he never shirked a task and he never complained. you should be so proud of him, as we all are. and i know you are. but over the last week you have seen the memorials and this funeral have been about more than just your dad. i know how strange it is.

so comforting on the one hand to have the whole department, the whole city indeed the whole nation in mourning with you. to feel that solidarity so know that we'll never let you be alone again. that we are your family now. just as we were your dads. but a burden too, having something so private for you to be so public at the same time. because here we are. we are here because your dad was assassinated. that is a different word than murdered. which is awful enough. it speaks of the prominence of the person killed. it makes the crime intentional and symbolic. your dad was assassinated because he represented something. and that is true. he did. he represented the men and women of the new york city police department. he was the embodiment of our

model [speaking foreign language] faithful unto death. he represented the blue thread that holds our city together when disorder might pull it apart. he represented the public safety that is the foundation of all our democracy. he represented the best of our values, as anyone can see by looking at your and at your family. but he was also your dad. a good man who tried hard and sacrificed and had a desire to serve, to serve his department, his city, his family and certainly his god. when dhl closed one employment door years ago, that desire led him to a new door, with our school safety division. and aren't we lucky that he did. where he was assigned to the rocco lorie intermediate school named for another police officer

assassinated nearly 43 years ago. those officers were killed for their color. they were killed because they were blue. and that desire to serve led him to the police academy at 33 years of age. your mom said he'd come home tired going through it. but he came home with a pass. and that desire to serve led him to desire to become a chaplain. and i'm privileged to today that i'm appointing him an an honorary department chaplain of the 84th precinct. [ applause ]

a posthumous member of the family within a family, administers to us in you are a time of need. he was assassinated because he represented all of us. even though he was a good man. and he was your dad. maybe that is our challenge. maybe that is the reason for the struggle we are now in as a city, as a nation. maybe it is because we all come to see only what we represent instead of who we are. we don't see each other, the police. the people are angry at the police. the people who support us but

want us to be better. even a madman who assassinated two men because all he could see was two uniforms even though they were so much more. we don't see each other. if we can. if we can learn to see each other. to see our cops are people like officer ramos, like officer liu. the see our communities are filled with people just like them too. if we can learn to see each other, when we see each other we'll heal, as a department, as a city, as a country. and wouldn't that be the ultimate, the ultimate honor of the officers ramos and liu, that their deaths helped us to all heal. but e clees tease teaches today is a time for us to mourn rafael

ramos, it is time for us to remember him. and in a few days we'll be here again in a different place that is the same to celebrate the life of officer liu, many of whose family members are here today. that will be a time for sadness too. but some day the tears will end. the memories will not. we never have and we never will forget. last week cardinal dolan spoke to police. and he asked me to tell my officers, thank them so much. we need them. we mourn them. we respect them. and we're proud of them. and as police commissioner for the city of new york i am so proud of each and every one of them and the stories they give me to tell.

[ applause ] and prouder of none more than the stories of the police officers ramos and liu, both of whom i promote today to detective first grade. [ applause ] thank you for that applause for them. applause so thunderous that they will hear it at the gates of

heaven that officers ramos and liu are now standing guard at. mauricio, justin, jaden. here we are today. our families will always be with yours. we don't forget. here we are and here we always will be. for you and for the city. and god bless the new york city police department. and god bless you, all of you who are here today. and certainly god bless rafael. in life he and liu guarded had schools and streets of the city. in death he guards the heavenly gaits with the michael the arc angel patron saint of police officers standing with them. may god grand him rest. may got grant him peace.

[ applause ] >> one of the customs we have here is when we play often times as a symbol of unity we join hands. so join hands the approximapers >> this is martin savage now

joining the live coverage of the funeral for officer ramos the officer along with officer liu who was assassinated just one week ago. you just listened to the police commissioner bratton. and lift those to the detective first grade. we're watching now as the service is beginning to conclude and the members fall out as the last prayers are being said. >> given this level of value to this family, to this police officer and all of the law enforcement officers that are here. the governor, mayor, commissioner, my condolences to

y you. 20,000 police officers have died in the line of duty since the inception of law enforcement in this country. over the past five decades an average of 180 police officers a year have lost their lives in the line of duty. last year 2001 w13 was the lowen five decades, 100. but i would say to you one police officer life lost is a tragedy. and when that individual walked up to that police car and assassinated those two officers, he didn't even know their names. but it is what they stood for. because they stood for protecting the freedoms that we enjoy in this nation.

i've been asked to pray for the law enforcement officers. and i sat there and just wondered how do you pray? what do you say? what stirs the heart of an individual who willingly puts on a shield and a uniform knowing that the moment they put it on, they put their life in jeopardy? someone who's willing to live in danger so that others can live in peace. how do you pray for a person like that? because it takes a special kind of person. what stirs in their imagination? i can't answer that. but i do know that officer ramos was a man of faith who believed in something higher.

and maybe it is not a job. maybe it is a calling that moves them. i'm going to try. let's bow our heads. our god, our father, god of justice, god of mercy, god of love, god of righteousness. a god so concerned about humanity that you sent your own sent to participate in this humanity. to be one with us, to feel what we feel. to cry with us. to be hungry with us. to be pained with us. there is only one word to describe what you did. for you so loved the world that

you gave. and these officers so love their communities that they are willing to give. officer ramos, officer liu, they paid the ultimate price. they gave the ultimate gift. and that is the gift of their life. oh father, strengthen this family in a way that only you can. it takes something to divine -- something divine to walk them through the grieving process and to let them know that greater than the loss is a gain of a legacy that will remain in the hearts of our nation forever.

symbolized by the thousands of officers standing outside this building right now, showing solidarity, showing support, expressing brotherhood. father, walk them through it. surround them with the support and the comfort of friends and their pastor and family. give them encouragement that only you can give. and we pray for the law enforcement officers not just here in new york city, across this country. but in this moment especially fo for our nypd. men and women who believe something, and they believe it enough to put on that uniform and that shield. we pray your protection for

them. we pray wisdom and sensitivity for them. we pray understanding for them. because in so many instances it is because of a lack of understanding that communities don't cooperate with them. we pray that they will be united more than before. oh father, keep them, secure them, love them, elevate them, lift them, encourage them. strengthen their families. as they wait every day for them to come home. and we know that at the end of the day that is what they begin

the day with, just wanting to make it back home. and end the day with gratitude because they made it back home. we pray for them, father. we lift them up before you. and we pray for a city that's broken. a city that needs to be healed. a city where we as leaders take the responsibility for that healing. and is sit at the table of conversation and negotiation and compromise. because we realize that it is about something greater than ourselves. we pray, father, that you will bring a special light and a special anointing upon new york

ci city. that you walk us through this. and that we come out greater than we were before. yes, we pray. as humbly as we can. knowing that it is going to take something greater than ourselves, someone greater than ourselves to bring us together and give us peace. thank you for the privilege of prayer. thank you for grace to pray. and thank you for a god who not only hears but acts on our behalf. we bless you, and we thank you. in your precious name. amen.

[ applause ] >> and there you hear the closing prayer now for the funeral of fallen new york police officer rafael ramos. the tributes are also being paid to his partner wenjian liu. and inside the church was that congregation. but outside the remarkable images of such a massive gathering of those showing support. many of them police officers, men and women from across the country. more than 25,000 police officers are all there to say goodbye to this new york police officer. those two officers were slain one week ago today. and miguel marquez is outside of this church. and miguel is scene is just astounding from here. >> reporter: it -- it is breathtaking to see the nypd remember the life of one of its own officers who fell.

this particular case happens in a context unlike any other that we have seen for the family, his wife and two children and their extended family who is here. it is a very personal affair. but for much of new york and for a lot of people around the country, this is -- they are also taking this personally because it happens a time of racial tension. the only person speaking today that even touched on that was the governor of new york, andrew cuomo, when he talked about other cases out there that we know are a concern. and they will look at those. they will examine those and they will take everything in they can with those cases in order to try to get to the bottom of what happened there and try to bridge the differences. talking about how new york is a city of so many 8.4 million

people. and that they want to know that this city is united. mayor de blasio for his part got up and talked about extending his heartfelt condolences on behalf of the 8.4 million new yorkers out there. i can tell you outside here in an episode of just how tough a job the mayor has in the weeks ahead, hundreds of police officers turned their backs on the screens, on the church as he spoke. some in ones and twos right behind us. another big contingent over here. a big contingent down cypress hill street on the cortege where the protecession will go amount very large number of officers turning their backs on the mayor. just in front of us is a sign that says god bless the nypd. another sign below it saying

dump de blasio. all of this happening at a difficult time for city. >> miguel marquez just outside the church in queens where the funeral is coming to conclusion. he makes reference to of course the divide between the new york city police department and the mayor. there are other divides actually that stretch well beyond new york city and as if referencing to that it was the police commissioner of new york who said that to heal as a city could be the ultimate honor to these two fallen officers. i want to bring in the founder and president of the new york state chaplain task force. and cnn comment commentator. what is your gut reaction erral. >> it's ashame. it shows the depth of discontent and division within the city

frankly. we've had protests over the last few days although the mayor specifically asked proteprotest to hold off until the funerals were completed. that didn't happen. there are protests scheduled for this afternoon actual in brooklyn. and i don't think anybody can ever recall seeing anything remotely like this, so publicly showing disrespect or at least division with the mayor whose the head of the city at a solemn moment like that. is mayor is going to have his hands full. he was hoping for a small break from trying to heal very deep divisions but apparent live that is not going to happen. it will be the talk of the town. it will be something that the mayor going to have his hands full dealing with. but it also suggests martin that the breech may be irreparable. that there isn't going to be a

way to sort of reign in the level of discontent and between the police and the area they serve. >> right. you know officer ramos personally. so what would you like us to know about him? >> he was an amazing man. he was a kind man. took our course and passed it. he excelled in every aspect of it. it was a great honor not only to see that the commissioner went ahead and bestowed upon the honor of being an nypd chaplain to him posthumously but it is an honor for all of us here. we were blessed. >> and i want to bring back miguel marquez outside of the service and remind you that we are waiting as the casket will be brought out and we'll continue to follow the solemn ceremony. we look at this miguel and e i can't help but remark that when

you see these images from everywhere you look, men and women in blue or uniforms of service. and what was the attitude when the service was going on? >> reporter: very doctor -- in large part very respectful. officers in their uniforms from massachusetts, from canada canada, from around the world gather. also the ceremonial guard from nypd here in their finest. with the ostrich feather hats and the bag pipes. and we keep seeing the helicopters, about 12 from the new york police department and other agencies circling waiting to make a fly over here shortly before the casket comes out. of the thousands of police officers gathered here, for the most part they were polite. the governor speaking, you know, was in full politician mode.

he was joking with the family saying that, you know, you can tell the quality of a man by his family. saying that the kids are mets fans so they have to be -- you know, they got have to love and be really, really, really loyal. which got a big laugh out of everybody out here and in the service as well. the vice president speaking very personally to the family. both of them got applause as they spoke. when the mayor spoke, there was -- it was crickets. there was no applause. some officers turned their backs in the hundreds here in the area i am but it may have been many thousands more down cypress hill street where the funeral cortege will go down. it is symbolic of just how tough an environment new york is and just how far this mayor has to go in order to bridge the gap now between his administration and this police department.

>> errol, we touched on this a minute ago but i what abowanted talk about it more. the funeral service was thought to be a moment to pause and reflect and to consider how maybe the city and the nation moves forward when it comes to the issue of police work and police in a community. but now it seems that it has almost rays raised tensioned rather than reduces them. >> new york city doesn't do pause now. you can't get 8 million people to all be on the same page. and frankly that wasn't true even after 9/11. we'd like to think that we can be unified around certain things that there are certain bottom lines we all see agreement on and yeah that's true but when talking about the police force as large as the nypd there are going to be those who just not going to be controlled. they are not going to sort of run with the pack. there is a serious problem here.

the mayor just the other day chastised the new york city media saying this we were presenting divisions that we were dividing the city. and, you know -- you know this martin. i mean, you know, the response of course from the speed medea was look we're just the messages here. we're just telling you what's going on out there in the streets. and the mayor said well we know a very difficult reality. i don't know what it takes to get through to some of the politicians. that theres a real division. i eeps mysterious because we've never had a safer year. we've never had so few homicides. all major crimes are down. so policing is supposed to be -- you know, really this is supposed to be a moment of celebration as we end this our safest year and yet there are all these divisions over how it's done, what it means. it is probably the slow emergence of a new type of policing for a much safer city.

and some good can come of all this but the politicians, the police, the protesters, everybody has to figure that out together. and the turmoil you are seeing is really that new style emerging, whatever it is going to look like. >> the vice president jody bijo biden was there speaking and delivered some very personable remarks. let's listen. >> i'm sure i speak to the whole nation mauricia when i say that to that our hearts ache for you. i know from personal experience that there is little anyone can say or do at this moment to ease the pain, that sense of loss, that sense of loneliness. but i do hope you take some solace in the fact that as afforded by the press is over

25,000 -- 25,000 members of the same fraternity and vsorority a your husband that stand and who will stand with you the rest of your life. and they will. it is an uncommon fraternity. >> i want to bring in cnn political analyst and national editorial director of the journal. ron brownsteen. i thought the comments were extremely strong. i guess i'll get your insights. >> i agree. if you look through the upper ranks of the obama administration you see why vice president biden was not only the best but maybe the only senior representative they could have sent to this. the personal connection that at the age of 29, his wife and young child were killed in a car accident. there was that kind of personal empathy. also the long history of the law enforcement issues during the bill clinton administration.

he was the author of the legislation that delivered funds to hire a hundred thousand new cops and the reality that he is in effect this administration's ambassador to working blue collar america. and i thought he was very -- it was striking however that he really avoided any political message at all, as did mayor de blasio. and i thought it was equally striking how strong governor cuomo was in identifying with the police. and ultimately it was the police commissioner bill bratton who gave the most nuanced and in many ways profound mentssage th those who criticize the police need to see the police as individuals and the police need to see the communities as individuals. and i think that was the most powerful thing said during that memorial. >> right. with the vice president certainly knowing his past and personal loss and how he could very much say i feel your pain, to borrow a line. and then also too, referencing

the police commissioner, he made -- and i'm talking about william bratton. another powerful line. these officers too were killed for their color, that color was blue. ron brownsteen, thank you very much. we're going to take a short break and be back in just a moment. [ male announcer ] this is the cat that drank the milk... [ meows ] ...and let in the dog that woke the man who drove to the control room [ woman ] driverless mode engaged. find parking space. [ woman ] parking space found. [ male announcer ] ...that secured the data that directed the turbines that powered the farm that made the milk that went to the store that reminded the man to buy the milk that was poured by the girl who loved the cat. [ meows ]

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you are looking live at queens, new york, where the funeral for officer rafael ramos is under way. services coming one week after he and his partner were ambushed and gunned down in their patrol car. that was in brooklyn. tens of thousands of officers now from around the country. new york governor andrew cuomo and mayor bill de blasio among others who delivered very poumpl

statements inside the christ tabernacle church in queens will officer ramos was a member. there you see the mayor bill de blasio leaving with his wife. you may remember during his rema remarks, the eulogy. officers outside at least some turned their backs as the sign of does pleasure. this goes back a main way but mainly do with the protests in new york city that those who were antipolice and the mayor tacitly seemed to give support to those protests. miguel marquez is standing by and viewing all of this. what about the public. you see of course police officers here in large number. i'm wondering of course whether the public present as well. >> there are members of the public present but they are

pushed back farther: the area here here is where all the police officers are filled in. and i can tell you yesterday during the wake and today the public is several blocks away in different areas here. we're in a supermarket parking lot where some members of the public have been resourcefully able to to get to and they have been coming up here to see what is going on and to take pictures as well. there is a great well of interest and support in showing the world that new york is not just protesting against nypd. that there is great support for the nypd here. and for police in general. and that is why in part you see the grand turnout that you do with the number of police from different agencies across the country and from other countries as well. a very, very impressive show here. and when the casket comes out and the bag pipes begin to play and this cortege makes its way to the cemetery, about a mile

away from here. i will be a sight to behold. >> i was in new york last weekend when this all tragically unfolded and the shooting took place on saturday. sunday morning i went to the intersection where this took place. and there was a very small memorial that had started. there was some candles, some flowers and a few notes that had been laid otherwise out on a pretty ordinary sidewalk. and now it is quite amazing to see how that memorial has grown significantly. and has become a place that people almost make a pilgrimage to, to either offer their own addition, their signs and notes or to simply officer a silent prayer for the healing of their city. it is a place people continue to go and now has needed a shelter over head it's grown to large to try to protect it. we continue to watch as the

mourners come out of this church. there is former new york mayor rudy giuliani. and we can't to listen to the words. we'll go back once more now to the governor of new york and listen to some of what he had to say inside of the service. >> when you put on that badge as a police officer, you are no longer just a man and a woman and a citizen of new york. you represent public safety. and law and order. and an attack on the nypd is an attack on all of us. it is an attack on our system of justice. we are a nation of laws. we are a state of laws. we are a city of laws. and you represent those laws. and no one, no group is above the law. and no intimidation, no threats, and and no politics will ever

change that. >> new york governor andrew cuomo speaking inside of the service today for fallen officer rafael ramos. i'm going to bring in rosa flores. he is also following this for us and is looking from a different vantage point. what are you seeing and hearing? >> reporter: well martin, i'm along the street with a lot of police officers from around the country and even canada. and i can tell you that there are a lot of heavy hearts here. there is a lot of pain. i've talked to several of the police officers here. and they tell me that it was important for them to be here in solidarity with a family of rafael ramos. now, i want you to take a moment. because if you have ever been to new york city you know that there is is really no moment of silence. and i want to give you a piece of that silence today. because i think it's important to share that silence that we

are feeling and listening here on the street. because there are really no words to describe it. i'm going to ask my photographer to just pan over and just take a moment to breathe in this moment. you can see there are police officers, like i said, from around the country. and i want to read you do something that was posted on facebook by the son of rafael ramos. because it was very, very moving, martin. and he said and i'm going to quote. this is him talking about his father. e says he was there for me every day of my life. he was the best father i could ask for. it is horrible that someone gets shot dead just for being a police officer. everyone says they hate cops. but they are the people that they call for help. i will always love you. and i will never forget you.

r.i.p. dad. >>ky tell you from talking to a l lot of the police officers here martin, they feel the exact same way. they say we don't wake up in the morning thinking that we're going to go out and kill somebody. that is not their intention. that is what these police officers are telling me. they say they wake up knowing that they are going to serve their community and knowing that they leave a family behind. and they don't know if they are going to come back for that family. and so those are the emotions that we can feel here out on the street today because so many of these officers of course are brothers, sisters, mothers, daughters. and they know that when they serve out on the street they don't know if they are going to come back home. now, we're expecting the funeral procession to come down this street and up to the cemetery. so we'll be here, we'll be waiting martin and we'll bring

you everything we can as it happens. >> all right rosa. thank you very much. a very powerful scene even with just silence. so remarkable to see such a large city that can be collectively holding its breath and praying. >> i want to bring in the reverend marcus miranda. and let me say this. we're waiting for the casket so maybe we'll stop our conversation at that moment to take that in. but as a friend, as a person i was struck by your comments earlier. and i was also struck by the fact that officer ramos was studying to be a chaplain. and would have graduated the day he died. and that is so poignant. >> it is. i was actually at the graduation. it was a two-parter. a 12:00 p.m. graduation and a 4:00 p.m. we have 13 sites where these chaplain candidates take their courses and officer ramos's site was scheduled for 4:00 p.m.

graduation. as i was on the pulpit and received the news two police officers had been assassinated. tears came to my eyes, not even knowing that it was one of ours. >> wow. his dedication to the church. his faith was incredibly strong and well known. >> absolutely. his dedication and as the god head of his home, instructing his family in the ways of the lord jesus christ, as a christian that he was. he was an extremely faithful and he felt that in doing the work with nypd he was serving his community as well and doing gods work. >> thank you very much reverend. let's listen now.

>> and we've been following the final moments of the funeral for new york police officer, raphael ramos. what you've been watching there is that very poignant moment when the flag that draped upon his casket was then folded ceremonial by the honor guard and then offered and handed to officer ramos' family. you didn't need any words to describe what they were feeling. their emotions and their desire

to touch that flag as a last reminder, especially of the two boys there, of their father, who died in the line of duty. to new york, it's been an extremely powerful and moving funeral service. miguel marquez has been watching outside of christ tabernacle church there in queens. and it has to be even more moving to be there in person, miguel. >> reporter: to watch that casket come out, to see the people kind of piling into the parking lot, where we are, to see the police officers trying to capture a picture or to remember this moment is, it's very moving, to hear the trumpeters playing "taps" as that casket came out of christ tabernacle church, you could hear, i mean, you could only hear them. everything else was absolute silence, and then you had this enormous roar of helicopters, a dozen helicopters from the nypd,

from new york state police, from new jersey police, from different law enforcement agencies, pass over myrtle avenue and then right down the cortez route, the way that they will go to the final resting place for officer ramos is amazing. they are now moving individuals back now so that they can make room for the cortez to make its way down cypress hill street, so they can take him to his final resting place. all eyes now on that casket. whatever divisions may be within this city, whatever divisions may have seen here, those are all gone. all eyes now on this casket and with that family. martin? >> we'll continue to follow this. we'll take a break. be back with more in a moment.

hello. i'm martin savage in for fredricka whitfield. we have been following the funeral for new york city police officer, rafael ramos. he and his partner, officer went ge gene liu were ambushed and ki killed aed as they sat in their police car. police commissioner bill bratton and vice president joe biden were among those who spoke at the service this morning. >> i'm sure i speak for the whole nation when i say to you that our hearts ache for you. i know from personal experience that there is little anyone can

say or do at this moment to ease the pain, that sense of loss, that sense of loneliness. but i do hope you take some solace in the fact that as afforded by the press, over 25,000, 25,000 members of the same fraternity and sorority as your husband who stand and will stand with you the rest of your life, and they will, it's an uncommon fraternity. >> and echoing an incident last week, some police officers turned their backs while standing outside the church, as new york mayor the bill de blasio spoke, expressing their frustration with how the mayor they believe has answered anti-police protests in the city. cnn's miguel marquez and rosa flores are in queens where this funeral is taking place. rosa, you're along the

procession route, so what are you seeing now? >> reporter: yes, martin. and what you're taking a look at right now is the beginning of this procession. we're looking at nypd officers in their motorcycles, leading the way, leading the pack to the cemetery this morning. i can tell you that hearts are very heavy and there are a lot of police officers from around the country and canada. i've talked to a lot of them. they feel a duty to be here in solidarity, with officer ramos and with his family they tell me that first and foremost, police officers are human beings. they have families that they always hope to go back to at the end of the day. but as we take a look at this, we should talk a little about officer rafael ramos, 40 years old, a husband and a father of two. his wife, teresa, his sons, justin and jake. and a man that we hear was a man

of god, a man of faith. he took the streets of new york in his duty as a police officer, as a way to give back to his community. he used to help people in his church, that he would help mothers with carriages, the elderly to seek into church. so he was very, very active in the community. and again, you're taking a look at the beginning of the procession of the funeral for officer rafael ramos. martin? >> rosa flores, thank you very much. as we look at this just incredible scene of all of those police motorcycles, their lights flashing, the rumble as they go by. just the start of the procession that leads. let's listen. >> reporter: yes, again. all of these police officers

leading the way for officer ramos. you know, this will be --

>> again, laooking at the scene of the motorcycle procession that proceeds the casket of officer rafael ramos and noting how many different communities, you can see the names stamped on the front of most of those

motorcycles, coming from all over to be a party of this, just a part of the contingent of some 25,000 or more police officers from the united states and canada and beyond, who are there to pay their respects to the deaths of two new york city police officers. this, remember, is a funeral for one, officer ramos. there was also officer wenjian liu. those funeral arrangements have not been finalized yet. both men were remembered today in a very moving service, but, again, the procession just goes on and on.

>> now i want to turn to tom fuentes and jeff gardere. i was with both of you gentleman, talking last weekend when news of this terrible tragedy broke. tom, it's amazing to see how the brotherhood, sisterhood of those in law enforcement feel that it's so important they be present. why is it that they need to be present for this moment? >> because, martin, they want to show that they're family. they want to show that, you know, that the occupation of being a law enforcement officer is so, it involves you and your family and the people you work with and the people that do the same job, all over the country, all over the world. and it is a brotherhood and sisterhood that's just hard to describe if you're not in it. i thought that the vice president really struck the right tone and hit it positively enwhen he said, it's not what you do, it's who you are. and anybody that's been in law enforcement, at any level, federal, state, local, city, knows that for you and your

entire family, it's not a job, it's an entire way of life, and it's a way of life you live every day of the year. you miss holidays, you miss birthdays, graduations of your children and other family members, even weddings. you know, that there's so many things that you miss because you're serving. and you're on duty. and you really have to be in the profession to really feel it and i think the vice president was exactly right. >> jeff, you counseled the new york police department officers before. you've given them training on stress reduction. what kind of psychological impact do these events have on officers on the street? >> well, tom is absolutely correct. i was honored to be asked to do a one-time training with the nypd on how do they take care of themselves? how do they take care of their relationships at home? and it is these types of situations that remind us and remind them, specifically, each and every day, that they have the hardest job in the world.

bill bratton was absolutely correct. so much is offered to members of the nypd and police in general, as far as benefits and a way of life and excitement, but so much is asked of them. and today, what we saw was one of those situations where everything had to be given back. a life had to be given. two lives, in fact, as we know. and so, we see these are the things that are the major stressors in being a police officer. one, having to face life and death challenges, their own, and of course, not, perhaps, having the sympathy or understanding of the general community, as to how difficult, how difficult their job truly is. so, therefore, they rely on one another, and why we see the fraternity of policemen and women. >> and because of what you described, jeff, does that mean that the mourning, the grieving of police is perhaps somewhat different than for the rest of us? >> i think it's very different

for them. of course, when we lose a life, we all grieve together. there's no major change in that. but only are the police officers and those affiliated with them, their family members and so on, truly understand the sacrifice that ultimately sometimes that they have to make. they don't want that day to happen, but when it happens, it happens in a very, very tragic way. and to be assassinated in the way that these two police officers were, that shooter didn't even know who these individuals were. they were slaughtered in this way. it makes it that much harder to grieve for that person, who puts their life on the line, each and every day. >> vice president joe biden, as tom fuentes mention, had some very powerful things to say inside of the church. let's listen. all right. i'm sorry, we don't have that sound. there you see the vice president

now, as he is standing outside. he's talking to former mayor, rudy giuliani, there. a collection of leaders past and present, that have come to pay their respects. you saw that mayor bill de blasio also delivered the eulogy inside of that church. and then there was the reaction from some law enforcement outside as they turned their backs on the mayor. that, in part, a sign of disrespect, to show the displeasure that the department have, some have, over what they believe is the lack of the mayor having their back, when it comes to police work and tensions that are within the community. we continue to follow, now, this service that is taking place for officer ramos, the procession will now make its way to the cemetery. miguel marquez, are you still there and can you hear me and just describe some of what you're seeing from where you are? >> reporter: i am here. i am here with you, there, marty. we are seeing a very long line

of police vehicles now, following what was a just shocking, unbelievable number of motorcycles. it must have been about 400 motorcycles, i lost count at about 150 as i was doing the live shot. to hear that rumble all the way down. the vice president is actually coming by here again, our position. i have seen him twice today. i see the vice president everywhere i go, all of a sudden. he's coming back, leaving the church here shortly. the procession has started its way down, a very, very somber drum core from the nypd. this is the ceremonial unit of nypd that is on hand here, in all the full ceremonial regalia and they have, after the motorcycles, they then went down the processional route, to see that and hear and feel the thunder of 12 helicopters flying

above 200 feet over the processional route as well. it's an incredibly impressive day and if you can look, if you can look out across here, just to see the number of police officers in those blue hats. this has been sort of my view all day. and the number of them here, who are watching, in support. they know how important it is for each and every one of them to be here today. it is an impressive sight to see. i've never seen anything like it. typically, they have the bag pipes play. today, they had two trumpets, who first, they play eed "taps" and then "america the beautiful." and it was very, very moving. that was the only thing you could hear around here. it's a very densely populated area of queens, there are a lot of people out here, thousands of people out here, as the trumpets are right across the way here were crystal clear.

and we believe the vice president may be coming along here shortly, at least his entourage has started to exit. he may have gone with others to the grave site. we did not hear from a lot of the family in the funeral itself, so i'm guessing that they will have a more personal moment at the grave site coming up. martin? >> and what you're looking at now is the beginning of the foot procession, the honor guard that miguel was making reference to. you see the colors, the flags, that will lead that procession, and behind that will be the bagpipes and the drums. if you've never heard this, it is quite a very powerful presentation. and an ultimate show of respect and regard for the fallen officers. and you see that on both sides of this procession, it is lined with borders of blue. and these are men and women who have come from across the country in salute now.

their hands covered with white gloves, as they pay their respects. so let's listen. so i can reach ally bank 24/7, but there are no branches?

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our hearts are aching today. i feel it physically, feel it deeply. new york city has lost a hero, a remarkable man because of the depth of his commitment to all around him. upon behalf of all 8.4 million new yorkers, on behalf of all of us, i extend my condolences to justin and jayden, to julia, to

cindy, to the entire family, the wonderful, beautiful extended family that we've all come to know in these days and to all their friends, all who love them. i extend my condolences to another family, the family of the nypd that is hurting so deeply right now. men and women feeling this loss so personally, so deeply, as their families feel the loss as well. and i want to thank the officers, the law enforcement officers from all over this nation who have come here to honor officer ramos. i especially want to thank the family of officer liu, who are here in solidarity and in shared grief. two families we will remember together, always. >> it has been an extremely

painful week in new york, as they mourn the loss of two new york police officers who were gunned down last weekend as they sat in their patrol car. that was new york mayor bill de blasio. it's been a tough week for him as well, as this tragedy has exposed to the nation a very deep divide between himself and the police force, which he oversees is. retired new york detective harry howatt join s me again. we were speaking to each other shortly last weekend after this tragedy occurred. so let me get your thoughts on watching this somber ceremony as it took place today. >> well, it's heartbreaking to watch with the family. you know, i've attended many of these funerals, and to me, the worst part for me is watching the family accept the flag, as his family did. you can see where his wife was clutching it, not wanting it to go further away from her.

that is probably one of the hardest parts of a funeral like this, watching what the family is going through. and i can only imagine what they're going through. i mean, i can feel the pain i'm feeling when i'm sitting there and i'm watching her. and i can only imagine the pain that she's going through. and she's got to be so thankful that some of the officers from all over the country have come down there to show respect to this officer and the other officer in unity of this, of the new york city police department and all police departments around the world, that were a brotherhood and that will always be there for each other. >> i agree with you, that watching that handing over the flag is extremely emotional and was a very difficult moment to watch. it's almost like you're eavesdropping on a family's grief at that particular moment. but there was also that other moment, of course, when the mayor was speaking, that we saw

some of the officers outside turn their backs, similar to what we saw the night in which the officers were murdered, and the mayor had gone to the hospital to talk to the families. is that the right show of disrespect at a time like this, harry? >> well, you know, i don't think there should be any disrespect toward the mayor on a day like today. i think that, you know, we should all act accordingly, just to show respect out of the officer that's being buried today. i think all that stuff should be left aside until these officers are buried and then from there, we'll continue the conversation. >> and how should that conversation continue, once the funerals are complete? >> well, you know, the mayor gave a very nice eulogy today. you know, so i'm pretty happy with that. but, you know, talk is cheap.

let's see how the mayor reacts now after this is over. let's see if he reaches out to the police department further. let's just see if this is just something he's doing because the officers are now being buried. you know, time will tell, and his actions will tell me whether or not he's going to allow both the police department to heal and if it's going to come closer. >> there have been some, and you have heard them ask for a public apology from the mayor. are you one of those? >> yeah, i asked for that the first time i was on. i mean, i think he should definitely give a public apology to the city and especially to the police department. and i think that will be the first step in healing the, the rift between the police department and the mayor himself. >> and there have been some protests that have continued, despite the mayor asking for

them to at least take a break. were you surprised by that? >> well, i'll tell you, i'm glad that the mayor, you know, did speak about that and tell people that they should stop protesting until after the funerals, but then you've got that certain percentage of people on the fringe on the left that they're going to do it anyway, because they have no feelings about what's really happening to these police officers, they care about their own opinions and that is it and have no respect for the police. >> that is retired police detective, harry houck from the new york police department. harry, our condolences to the loss to your department over the murder of these two officers. thank you for joining us. we're going to take a break and be back with more in a moment. i take prilosec otc each morning for my frequent heartburn. because it gives me... zero heartburn! prilosec otc.

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we're continuing to watch live pictures now from queens, new york. that's where funeral services for officer rafael ramos took place in a sea of blue. more than 25,000 police officers from around the country said good-bye to one of their own. new york's police commissioner spoke at the service. >> we know who we are. the men and women who wear that blue and wear that badge.

because we know who rafael ramos was. he was a father, he was a son, a brother, and a husband. he was a new yorker. he was a new york city police officer. and he was, he is, a hero. >> the casket is now being taken to the cemetery. and as that procession continues, we are joined by former new york congressman, thank you for joining us on this very sorrowful day. much has been said about healing, and specifically in the city of new york. so how does the city heal? >> well, i think in this tragedy, and it's a tragedy not just for the ramos family, i think it's a tragedy for all of new york city, and by extension, the country, because an attack on a police officer is not just an attack on an individual. it's an attack on free society.

and all folks who want a law-abiding community, who want innocent people to be protected and they're protected by the brave men and women in the police department in new york and throughout the country. it's also a crisis to a degree, because there is a, i think, a terrible breach right now between and among the police department and the mayor's office and other folks in leadership. i think and i hope that many cooler heads will prevail and come together in this time of crisis, to seek a common ground, that all sides understand where everybody should be going and that people want to be in a safe community, they want their families to be safe. whether you're in manhattan, as i say, or minnesota, for that matter, people want the same fundamental things. and i would hope that the leadership, whether it be the mayor, all the way up to the president of the united states, would understand that this crisis, these deaths, this tragedy, these executions,

should be a foundation for positive good and a positive force for all people throughout this city. >> and, so, the next step, as far as the mayor and the police force, which he overseas, bringing them together or trying to bridge this divide we talk about. how should that be done? and i'm not saying it's all the mayor's fault. >> nor am i. i think in times of this, you have fringes who just speak without understanding the consequences of what they're saying. and there are real consequences. and we see it today in this funeral. there are real consequences to the hot rhetoric and when things get out of control. so i think, since -- in fairness, since the mayor is the leader of this city, that he should surround himself, perhaps, with people who understand where the police officers and others who are concerned about these protests that just seem to get out of control from time to time, the notion that an individual can target police officers. we had a report, read a report earlier today that the company,

jetblue, flying police officers -- whether it's true or not, i don't know, but they think may blow up the plane. so it takes a high degree of understanding. and i think if the mayor started walking down the line to meet police officers, meet the heads of the unions, let's say, and have a real genuine conversation and begin the process to sort of say, how are you going to make this thing better. if the reforms are necessary, so be it. but we cannot live in a city where there is such a breach between the police department and the mayor. because who will ultimately suffer is -- are the people, the innocent people of this city and the millions who come here. and i can tell you from personal experience, i know many police officers retired, active, they are willing to give their life for people every day. and in this case, it happened, and i just don't want to see another police officer die in the line of duty for no unjust reason. >> and i would bet that no one does, including all of us.

congressman vito fossella, former congressman from new york, thank you very much for joining us. we'll be right back. vo: this year, santa left his sleigh at home and booked his trip around the world on expedia. because now the points you earn traveling for the holidays can be donated to help the kids at

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place against sony. but there is increasing doubt that the hackers working for north korea were really responsible for the sony hack. so, if they didn't do it, who did? cnn's brian todd investigates. >> reporter: the forensic trail of the sony hack, it's mysterious, difficult to follow, and now is sparking increasing doubt over the fbi's belief that hackers working for north korea are responsible. >> it's clear to us, based on both forensic and other evidence that we've collected that unequivocabl unequivocably, they are not response for orchestrating or initiating the attack on sony. >> reporter: sam glines firm, no, sir, did an evaluation of the hack. sam's firm and others raised serious questions that the malware used in the sony attack is similar to malware used in other attacks by north korea. these firms say that malware was

leaked a long time ago, and could have been used by hackers anywhere in the world. previously, u.s. investigators said they had evidence hackers stole the computer credentials of a sony insiders, but no, sir believes it was given out and they tracked the hack to one potential suspect, a woman code named lina, a former sony employee whoing glines says wor for them for several years. she says lina was a security staffer with sony, who had what he calls super user access to the company's cybersecrets, user names and passwords to critical systems. he says lina had two motives for the hack. >> first of all, how sony treated its employees, layoffs that were going on in the department, but also, a bigger issue around piracy and how sony was treating those, who had pirated music and movies and other content, and how they had been prosecuted in the u.s., other countries.

>> reporter: experts have lingering doubts about north korea's ability to carry out such a sophisticated attack. >> this is beyond the skill level that we've been able to observe. >> reporter: but if north korea did commit the sony hack, analysts say it would have been done by a shadowy unit of the government called the reconnaissance general bureau, which they say conducted cyberwarfare. it's commanded by general kim jong-chul, a bodyguard. >> so they have someone who's an intimate to the kim family, who's also a very effective manager, supervising this. and that shows the importance that north korea's national security apparatus places on electronic and cybercapabilities. >> reporter: north korea has emphatically denied hacking sony. as to the tracking of the hack to a former sony employee called lina, sam glines says his firm has shared that information with the fbi. we reached out to the fbi and to sony regarding the findings on

lina and asked the fbi on the overall doubt that sony did this. neither would comment on anything. at today's funeral, andrew cuomo paid respect and tribute to a force known as new york's finest. >> to the nypd, who lost two brothers, i would say you are a force of true professionals, who protect our people with the h h highest level of skill and dedication. you are new york's finest and you are probably the finest nationwide. the nypd has done an especially extraordinary job these past few weeks. i watched on television the scenes of people hurling physical objects and verbal insults at the nypd, and i, frankly, was amazed at the discipline and professionalism

that the nypd demonstrated. the nypd protected the right of freedom of speech, even though they, themselves, were the target of false and abusive chance and tirades by some. what a beautiful testament to their professionalism. to the nypd -- [ applause ] and we want every nypd officer to know that they were not alone. when the nypd stood in formation, every new yorker

stood with them. and every new yorker stands with you today. >> new york governor andrew cuomo. we're watching live pictures now from queens, new york. that's where the funeral services for officer rafael ramos took place at christ the tabernacle church. miguel marquez is outside of that church in queens, where the funeral happened. and miguel, what are you hearing from the people outside now? >> reporter: it's starting to clear out. we have part of the cortez coming back up to the area where they just marched down to, to deliver the casket to the cemetery. now they're back here and starting to break up. we're seeing police forces from across the country here, starting to leave. members of the police force getting together, chatting, having information discussions about everything under the sun. also seeing a lot of individuals from the fire department here. clearly, this was something that brought people out from the entire city, you know, to

underscore the point, just how much support they have for the two officers who died. this is the first of two funerals, a very difficult time for the city and for the mayor here, who spoke to the families of officer ramos, saying that he is offered his heartfelt apology for all new yorkers. i'm positive that some of those new yorkers are not going to be happy with the mayor's comments. we have to see where all of these goes. there are protests later this afternoon for another part of new york, regarding police brutality. we will have to see what the next chapter is in this very difficult and intense situation. martin? >> and of course, the church here outside is also where the wake was held yesterday, and you were there as well then. the lines seem to be exceedingly long, for those who want to pay their respects. >> reporter: enormous lines to say good-bye to officer ramos. they started forming about two

or three hours before the doors actually opened. by the time they did, there were several hundred, maybe thousands. i couldn't see how far it snaked back, actually, all the way down cypress hills avenue or street. and, that wake went on from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and then there was a pre-scheduled mass from 7:00 to 9:00, they turned that into memorial mass for officer ramos. so it took much of the day or the evening last night, for the wake and then this funeral today, with the realization that all of this will have to happen again in the coming days. martin? >> miguel marquez, thank you very much for your reporting, there. the tributes are pouring in for the fallen officers on social media. a look at the online memorial, just ahead. and quit a lot,ot but ended up nowhere. now...i use this. the nicoderm cq patch with

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in on social media. nick valencia joins me now for a look at how both of the ambushed officers are being honored. nick? >> martin, we've been hearing from you, the viewers, all morning long. throughout the afternoon, your reaction to the funeral of rafael ramos, the fallen nypd officers, and the views have varied. we'll start with phillip floyd, who started with an existential question wa question, asking, who's worse? the cop killer or the killer cops? we must condemn the cop killers and killer cops alike. and another saying, paying respect to my brothers who are now resting in peace, #nypd. these are flowers and candles at the memorial where wenjian liu and rafael ramos were gunned down. mr. integrity saying, it is an insult for de blasio to speak at ramos' funeral. of course, you saw some of those officers in taebz, turning their back towards the new york mayor.

and the last coming from sam rodriguez saying -- this is a tweet in portuguese -- saying, may god give strength and fortitude to the family of rafael ramos. if you want to join the conversation at home, tweet us, tweet martin savage or myself. using #nycpray and #nypdofficers and #bluelivesmatters. in other news, gamers were going nuts when playstation and xbox networks went down. it's the latest cyberattack. we'll tell you how they're faring, next. first, though, fareed zakaria with a special look at president obama's special initiative that examines the human brain. >> president obama announced the brain initiative in 2013. it's an effort to show how the brain's neural circuits work together in realtime. >> it won't be easy, but think

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more than 25,000 police officers turned out today for the funeral of officer ramos. let me bring in hln legal analyst, joey jackson, as well as jeff gardere, psychologist and professor of behavioral medicine. and jeff, you've counseled nypd officers before and gave them training on stress reduction. what is the impact that these officers are going through? because now they go back on the street and pick up patrol. >> that's right. well, they have been severely impacted by this.

this is their brother or brothers who were killed and therefore this hits them in a way that only they can understand. and for them, they translate that as being not just an assault on these other officers, but an assault on who they represent and the hard jobs that they do each and every day. i just do hope that when they go back out on the street, they don't see the community as being their enemies. of course, they are going to be on heightened awareness, heightened arousal, and they have to be extremely careful now. but, at the same time, this is a time where we need to understand that people on both sides, from the community, from the nypd and in between, everyone has suffered, everyone is crying, everyone is upset as to where we have gotten to today with the deaths of these officers and still some of the issues we see with regard to the relationship, fraying relationship to some extent between the nypd and some of the communities around the united states.

i'm sorry, with police departments and some of the communities around the united states. >> right. jeff, i was out there on the street, watching at the memorial, the street memorial, i'm talking about, and there were many instances where the public did come up and begin a conversation with law enforcement that perhaps they might not have had prior to this tragedy. loss is something terrible that people have to deal with. joey, i'm just wondering your insights now, as you work in law enforcement, you cover law enforcement, your thoughts, as you saw all of this. because it really strikes at the fabric of an issue not just in new york, but across our nation. >> it really does, martin. and these are absolutely trying times. and i think they're defining moments in our city. and certainly, the repercussions are felt throughout the country. i mean, you have to look at this not in isolation, martin, but in the backdrop and upon the backdrop of ferguson, missouri, and you have to look at it upon the backdrop, you know, certainly of staten island. and you know, there are two separate issues, obviously, and of course, protesters have a right, certainly to protest and to do so peacefully and to express their grievances and concerns about building up a

police department where there's mutual trust, mutual respect and understanding. at the same time, there can be no place for violence, there can be no place for losing lives and targeting people because they're in blue, because they're in green, because they're in orange, or because they're in anything else. so i think today was an incredible show of mourning and support by fellow brother officers and coming together. but i think, martin, the city needs to come together, because certainly, you know, social media, just briefly, has taken things into a new dimension. you saw nick valencia giving the tweeting report and other things. people are weighing in instantaneously. and what we're seeing through social media are people expressing outrage. and as long as the outrage doesn't cross the line of becoming threats, then they become criminal. it's one thing to impress yourself and depress your views, it's another thing to threaten. and so let us not be a community that threatens, let us be a community that expresses our views peacefully and lawfully and hopefully we can bring that gap and we can have mutual understanding, respect, and no loss of life.

>> joey jackson, jeff gardere, thank you very much for joining us. we have much more, just ahead in the newsroom. and it will all start right after this. creeping up on you... fight back with relief so smooth... ...it's fast. tums smoothies starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue ...and neutralizes stomach acid at the source. ♪ tum, tum tum tum... smoothies! only from tums. vo: this year, santa left his sleigh at home and booked his trip around the world on expedia. because now the points you earn traveling for the holidays can be donated to help the kids at st. jude children's research hospital. make your holiday travel mean even more. donate your expedia+ points at expedia.com/santa.

i'm sure i speak for the whole nation when i say to you that our hearts ache for you. i know from personal experience, there is little anyone can say or do at this moment to ease the pain, that sense of loss, that sense of loneliness. >> we know who we are, the men and women who wear that blue and wear that badge, because we know who rafael ramos was. he was a father, a son, a brother and a husband. he was a new yorker. he was a new york city police

officer. and he was, he is, a hero. >> i'm martin savage in for fredricka whitfield. that was officers speaking at the funeral of rafael ramos this afternoon. miguel marquez was outside the church in queens this morning and rosa flores was nearby among the thousands of mourners. miguel, let me start with you. officer ramos' casket now is on the way to the seminary. >> reporter: it is, indeed. and the scene here at the church is really clearing out. we did have a chance encounter with patrick lynch. he's the head of the pba or the patrolman's benevolence association. one of several unions connected to nypd. this is the individual who earlier in the week said that the blood on the hands was -- led all the way to city hall and to the mayor. he is one of those individuals

who has put himself very much at the center of the frustration and anger in this city, over these two killings of these two police officers, blaming it on the protesters, blaming it on the mayor. he said earlier, that one, he had never seen, such a turnout. he's still an active police officer. he's been in the force 31 years. he's never seen such a turnout for a police officer and it was very, very impressive. but also said that with regard to the police officers turning the their backs on the mayor, as he spoke in the church there, that the feeling was real, that this was not something that was being faked, this was not something for politics, this is not something that they were doing just to drive some bargains. there was real frustration and anger at this administration by some in the police department. he then said, but we don't want to go all into that. we have another funeral to go. and we want to honor both of these men before we begin to

have a discussion about how we move forward from all of this. didn't want to talk beyond that. very interesting that they made the point to come over and at least begin that dialogue for putting nypd and the mayor back together and beginning to address each other in more civil terms, and a little more mellow, and hopefully getting to a place where people feel a little better about the relationship between this mayor and his own police force. martin? >> an interesting question, miguel. thank you very much. vice president joe biden also spoke at the funeral. he was there on behalf of president obama and the nation. erin mcpike is at the white house and the president made some very emotion nal comments. >> reporter: he did. i went back and read the transcript and it's almost hard to read. it's almost provocative, it's so personal, even though he didn't know rafael ramos. but i want to play for you part of what he said. because not only was it personal, but it was so sincere. listen here. >> mom, no child should

pre-decease a parent. my heart aches for you. i know from experience, there are no words that i can offer to ease that profound sense of loneliness and loss you're feeling right now. but i also know from experience that the time will come, the time will come when rafael's memory will bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eyes. that's when you know, it's going to be okay. i know it's hard to believe it will happen, but i promise you, i promise you, it will happen. >> the experience that he was talking about was that when he was 29 years old and had just been elected to the senate, he also experienced a tragedy. his first wife and his first daughter -- he had two older sons, but his daughter and first wife were killed in a car accident and he found out on a phone call with his sister.

now, he also spoke to the new york police department, to new york, and law enforcement generally and gave them a much-needed pat on the back. we were talking earlier about how he was there to be supportive and show some solidarity. and that's really what he did in his remarks today. not a policy speech at all, martin. >> i thought his comments were some of the most comforting, particularly for the family. sometimes a vice president can be perceived as over the top, but you forget that he is a man who truly has suffered personal loss. erin mcpike, thank you very much for that bringing that to us. tributes are pouring in for the fallen officers on social media. we'll have a look at the online memorial, just ahead.

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you're looking at the procession of motorcycles that proceeded the casket after the funeral service for rafael ramos, the fallen police officer today, just a staggering site of so many of these bikes from so many different departments, their names emblazoned across the front and their lights flashing. cnn's randi kaye gives us a look now at the life of fallen here, rafael ramos. >> reporter: officer ramos worked as a school officer and

he reportedly loved the mets. his 13-year-old son, he was the best father i could ask for. it's horrible that someone gets shot dead, just for being a police officer. i will always love you and i will never forget you, rest in peace, dad. >> the heart he had is compared to other people's heart. >> ramos' cousin told "the wall street journal" that god was a priority in ramos' life. the 40-year-old officer in recent years grew more passionate about his church. on his facebook page, a quote reads, if your way isn't working, try god's way. the same page said officer ramos had been married since 1993 and once studieded a a seminary. before his death, ramos was studying to become a chaplain. in fact, later that saturday afternoon, the day he was killed, he was scheduled to graduate from a chaplain

program. the pastor at his church told us ramos hadden inf an infectious and loved his wife and two boys, justin and jayden. >> i would like to thank all those who have shared their sympathy and support for our beloved family member, rafael ramos, who will always be loved and missed we many. >> our thanks to cnn's randi kaye with a look back there. funeral arrangements have not been announced yesterday for officer wenjian liu. he was a seven-year veteran of the force. he had been married for just a couple of months. his wife and family cheerfully remembered him in a news conference on wednesday and expressed their condolences to his partner's family. people all around the world watched this morning's funeral service for officer rafael ramos and the tributes are pouring in on social media. nick valencia joins me now with a look at what people are saying. nick? >> we have been hearing from so many of you guys, who are

watching our coverage of the funeral of rafael ramos. we thought we would give you the perspective of some of the demonstrators of the i can't breathe demonstrators in new york. here's one of the lead demonstrators and his take on the fall of those officers. he said, i will not mourn the death of two cops, i will mourn the death of two fellow human beings. another one of the new york demonstrators says she supports wenjian liu. she held a sign up saying i am wenji wenjian liu and i am eric garner. a staggering image of all of those police officers coming from across the country and other countries. just look at those picture there. r.i.p., nypd p.o. ramos. another saying, everyone wears blue today and feels blue. prayers for the family of fallen officers, r.i.p. #nycpray. and lastly from another twitter

user, who is giving his condolences to both ramos and liu, saying he's deeply saddened by the brutal massacre of two innocent officers, using this #bluelivesmatter. and if you want to join the conversation at home, please tweet martin savage or myself at cnn valencia. you can use the #nycpray or #bluelivesmatter and we'll try to get some of your comments on the air next hour. more coverage of this morning's funeral when we come back. it's more than the driver. it's more than the car. for lotus f1 team, the competitive edge is the cloud. powered by microsoft dynamics, azure, and office 365, the team can gain real time insights and instantly share information around the globe. when every millisecond counts, staying competitive begins with the cloud.

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. let's check in on some of the other stories crossing the cnn news desk. cybersecurity experts now tell cnn that they doubt that north korea was responsible for the sony pictures hack. those experts say the evidence cited by the fbi is not enough to pin the blame on north korea. they say any hackers could have used the code that was instrumental in the sony attack. the fbi has not responded to a cnn request for comment. north korea, though, is still fuming about the release of the sony movie, "the interview." the country's national defense commission released a statement blaming president obama, calling him the chief culprit who forced sony to distribute the film. another statement by the north korean's state-run news agency says american political affairs

will face, quote, inescapable deadly blows, unquote, if the u.s. continues its arrogant practices. up to five detainees in guantanamo bay may get transferred in the next few days. the obama administration hopes to transfer dozens more in the coming months. the president wants to shut down guantanamo, calling it an inspiration for terrorists and wildly expensive. well, it looks like the school day will be a little longer for some kids in boston. "the boston globe" is reporting an agreement between the city and the boston teacher's union will extend the school day by 40 minutes for middle and elementary students. high schools will not be affected. the teacher's union will vote on the plan next month and teachers will get a $4,000 stipend for the extra time. all right. let's shift now to the holiday forecast. an arctic blast that is on its way to the east coast. meteorologist karen m maginnis at the cnn weather center. when's the chill expected? >> over the next three to five days, but starts tonight right along the northern tier. this arctic blast makes its way

across the northern tier states, all the way down through texas, where in el paso, we saw a few frontal flurries. but the frontal system that sweeps from the great lakes down towards texas moves towards the east. that will allow a secondary shot of cold air to filter in behind it. it's going to be dramatically colder. some areas through the interior west looking at temperatures 20 to 30 degrees below average. but a good portion of the country will see temperatures that are a good 10 to 20 degrees below average, where they have been fairly mild over the last few weeks or so. here's that frontal system and the secondary big problem wlt weather, aside from this arctic blast is the wet weather along the west coast. some areas, all the way from houston to new orleans expect several inches of rainfall. this is low-lying territory. we do have some flood watches and advisories issued all the way to louisiana and into mississippi. then you can see some of the snow falling from missouri into

oklahoma. we'll see a little arctic clipper system move across the upper mississippi river valley, in through the midwest. and chicago will enjoy those temperatures while they last. they are going to drop dramatically, as we go into the middle of the workweek. temperatures that were 50 degrees yesterday afternoon will only make it to the upper teens to low 20s by about tuesday. here's that little clipper system, moving across the great lakes region, sandwiched in between these two fronts. that's where we've got some showers. occasionally, a couple of thunderstorms have erupted today, all the way from eastern texas into the lower mississippi river valley. and there's the forecast for minneapolis, partly cloudy skies, temperatures around 30, but only around 12 degrees for a high coming up on tuesday. keep the rain gear and the arctic coats handy. >> dramatic change. karen maginnis, thank you very much for that. coming up in just a bit, we'll have more on our coverage of the funeral for new york

police officer rafael ramos, held today with the striking numbers of men and women from the police forces showing their respect. get two lines of unlimited 4g lte data for just 100 bucks a month. that'll get your holiday bell ringing. oh what fun it is to ride. get the mercedes-benz on your wish list at the winter event going on now - but hurry, the offer ends december 31st. [ho, ho, ho!] lease the 2015 c300 4matic for $419 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer.

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and now to the battle against isis and the coalition a pilot from jordan who is still in the hands of isis militants, three days after being captured. his family pleading with isis extremist to show mercy on their

son and release him. cnn's pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, has the story. >> reporter: isis militants seized the terrified jordanian pilot, claiming they shot down his f-16 over ar stronghold. his capture, a frightening reminder that even after more than 1,300 air strikes without incident over iraq and syria, troops very much at risk over the combat zone. rescuing the pilot may be tough, even for jordan's highly regarded counterterrorism forces. it's a propaganda coup for the terrorist group. >> these are very motivated people who believe that they are holy warriors and that this is their destiny to create this islamic state, in the heart of the arab world. and they'll fight to the death

to protect that. >> reporter: isis claims their heat-seeking missiles brought down the jet, publishing these images on social media to make their case. but a senior u.s. defense official tells cnn, for now, there are no indications the plane was shot down. coalition and jordanian authorities continue investigating what might have happened. >> isis claimed that it was shot down by a heat-seeking missile, which fits the pattern with what they have. but if the pilots are operating above that, then there must have been some other reason for this aircraft to go down. >> reporter: the jordanian government warned against harming the airmen, saying jordan holds the terror organization and those who support it responsible for the safety of the pilot and the preservation of his life. a senior retired jordanian commander believes there may be a solution. >> i'm sure that our government is in touch with whoever could do the mediation, with isis, and

isis is known from previous occasions to ask for payments, a lot of money, and in that case, or an exchange of prisoners, like there is somebody of concern to isis. then they might ask for an exchange, or they might not accept anything, which would be really the disaster, if they decided to do something otherwise. >> reporter: but shoot down or mechanical failure, isis now has a coalition pilot as a hostage. military officials are not saying yet how they know the plane was not likely shot down. the pilot's family now appealing for his release, saying he is just a soldier following orders. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >> joining me now is lieutenant colonel james reese, delta force

army officer, retired. colonel reese, nice to see you. thank you for joining us. jordan is negotiating with isis right now. what might isis want. do you think it's going to be money? do you think it's possible for a prisoner swap? >> reporter: yeah, martin, good afternoon. i think both. i think first and foremost, isis has some of their members that have been captured by the jordanian special forces and their intelligence services. so that would be a great opportunity to do a prisoner swap. and isis is always looking for more money and right now, isis is having some grave economic aspects within raqqa and syria, so they're looking for more funding, which could be a two-part aspect for a prisoner exchange. >> how much pressure is the jordainijo jordani jordanian people under after this capture? >> in jordan, there are two sides to every story. there are some who are very supportive of the jordanian government and what the jordanian military is doing.

especially since the jordanian military is a gem for the jordanian people. they're very proud of their military. but on the same side, this is a, you know, mostly sunni-on-sunni fight and a muslim-on-muslim with islam. so there is, unfortunately, there is a distractions within the government. so right now, you've got, you know, a teeter totter effect that king abdullah is working with. but being a part of the coalition, it's an aspect that the whole coalition has to look forward to. >> u.s. central command has said that it will support any efforts to recover the pilot. what might that support be? >> you know, martin, you know this as well as i do. wherever there are air strikes going on, the coalition has, you know, combat search and rescue teams that have to be prepared to go in wherever there's a downed pilot. and very candidly, you know, after several months now of operations, i'm surprised that this is the first technical maintenance issue that we've had

with all these stories that have flown. the problem gets to be is, where is this pilot being held, and unfortunately, because this was close to raqqa, this is deep in heavy enemy territory. and, you know, with the coalition commanders have to be going through right now is the cause and effect of what happens to get, you know, a combat search and rescue team in. it would be a very dangerous mission, but they will always be looking for an opportunity to get the lieutenant out, because that's what we do. the entire coalition, you know, doesn't leave anyone wnd, but it will be a difficult mission to go in right now on a combat search and rescue. >> right, they've tried before in other instances, from some hostages and it has not worked out well. do you suspect that the pilot has already perhaps been moved out of raqqa? >> i do, martin. right now, if i was isis, i'm using this gem that we've captured now, unfortunately, probably as a human shield.

knowing that the intelligence is pretty darned good on what isis is talking about, they'll move him around, probably close to some senior leadership and use that as a human shield to prevent some type of either drone strike or, you know, drop from aircraft. but at the same time, all these pilots are right to hang in there and stay with the fight, stay mentally stable. and if there's a chance for them to escape, they will, and they will go through their protocols. and that's what all our great pilots, and especially the coalition, are trained to do. and if there's an opportunity to rescue him, we will. >> lieutenant colonel james reese, thanks very much. >> thanks, martin pmp. up next, the words of police commissioner bill bratton and the special honor he bestowed on ramos and his partner. could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. everybody knows that. well, did you know you that former pro football player ickey woods

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that was the scene at the funeral of slain nypd police officer, rafael ramos, as his casket was carried out of a queens new york church following the service. an estimated 25,000 police officers from around the country bid a somber farewell. is service included tributes from vice president biden, the governor of new york, and the police department commissioner. mayor bill de blasio, he also spoke, addressing part of his comments directly to the family of officer ramos. here's some of what he said. >> he lived life so deep ly. this family has shown us so much in these last days and given us so much hope, even amidst the pain, because you epitomize the

family of new york. you epitomize everything we aspire to be. you've been there through the most difficult, painful moment, those moments in the hospital to now filled with strength, filled with connection, filled with devotion to each other. it's something we all need to remember. and officer ramos was profoundly a man of faith. so much of his life centered on this beautiful church, this church family he embraced the powerful idea, if your way isn't working, try god's way. he spent last ten weeks of his life studying to be a chaplain and he was taken from us on the day he was to graduate.

it says so much that he wanted to serve people spiritually. he was already serving in so many ways, and yet he felt deeply called to serve spiritually as well. and he wanted to serve as a spiritual mentor and leader, even after he left the force. >> as the mayor was speaking, some of the officers outside the church turned their backs. it was reminiscent of an officer last week. officers turned their backs on the mayor after he left the hospital after the shooting. they are expressing their frustration with how the mayor has handled any police protests in the city. we have miguel marquez and rosa flores covering the funeral for us. tell us more about what the officers seem to be feeling when the mayor spoke? >> well, it was a difficult moment.

to set the scene, there were jumobtrons across the street, so the officers gave their backs to the jumbotrons, which was showing a live picture of what was going on inside the church. now, right now, what you can see is just a regular traffic, because they've opened up the streets here in new york, but, i mean, moments ago, there were police officers here everywhere, martin. there were police officers are around the country and canada, as well. i talked to a lot of them, and i can tell you that hair hearts were very heavy. i talked to a lot of police officers who said that it was their duty to come to new york city, to pay their respects, to show their solidarity with the nypd and also with the family of officer rafael ramos. one of the things that they mentioned is that they know that this country is divided and that there is this division between the community and the police.

and they told me, rosa, we wake up in the morning, hoping to serve these communities and we're hoping that at the end of the day, we get to go back home. and that's what really hits home for all of these police officers, from all of those various communities around the country, is that they are brothers, sisters, daughters, fathers and that was felt on these streets earlier today. you could feel that their hearts were heavy. when i was talking to some of these police officers, you could hear that their voice would crack, their voice would break, because they feel so strongly about being here and that they know that it's important for them to show their solidarity. now, the other thing that they mentioned was that it was -- this show of support, that was so important to send this message out to the world and to everyone around this country, that these police officers are

still doing their jobs, day in and day out, regardless of what's going on. so marty, i know that you were watching everything as it was unfolding, and there was also this silence, martin, when we were waiting for the procession to start, where you could just hear and feel that there was a lot of pain on the streets, as they were waiting for the last ride of officer rafael ramos down a new york street. marty? >> you're right. sometimes it is the silence that conveys the strongest message. rosa flores, thanks very much. now let's turn to miguel marquez. miguel, you just talked to the union rep or one of them for the police officers who's been pretty outspoken. what was he saying today? >> yeah, this is perhaps a sign that things are -- the ice is beginning to melt, that is separating the mayor from his police force. after those police officers turned their back on the mayor in the hospital, a man named patrick lynch, patty lynch, as

he's known here, a member of the police force, and the president of the pva, the patrolman's benevolent association, one of several unions that represent the new york city police department. he is the one that earlier last week said that there was blood on the hands of city hall and of the mayor for the death of officer ramos and of officer liu. he spoke to us, made a point of coming out of the crowd over here, coming over to us, to speak to us a little while ago and had this to say. >> it was overwhelming, a show of support not only the good citizens of new york and the residents of glendale, but from across the country. and especially 25,000 fellow police officers, of all ranks, of all departments that came out and showed respect and bowed their head in respect for this family today. although our uniforms may be different colors, our shields different shape, the dedication and sorrow felt today was overwhelming ining for this he

family. we also remind our good citizens that we have one more hero to shoulder, police officer liu and we ask for that same respect and ask for those same departments to come out to a street like this again and bow their head in respect as we shoulder another brother police officer. >> even by new york city standards and nypd standards, this was an unbelievable show. >> i have 31 years on the job and i've never seen such a show of support. >> you know how tough things are, and i know your words earlier in the week kicked off quite a bit here. a lot of police officers, hundreds if not thousands of them, turned their back as the mayor spoke. do you think that's okay? >> the feeling is real, but today is about mourning, tomorrow is about debate. >> what would you tell those police officers? >> we have to understand the betrayal that they feel. but today we also come to bow our head in mourning and tomorrow we'll debate. >> and how does the city get going? >> now, that betrayal, he says, borne out of the protests that took place here over many days

and several weeks. protests that took over the city in some parts. protests in which rank and file police officers, the very individuals that he represents, were shouted at by protesters, very nasty things, a lot of the times, that they didn't like to hear, but they kept their cool, they kept their professionalism, blocked traffic for them, made sure that the protesters were fine. that was one point that the governor brought up today during his eulogy, after speaking to the family, he said, that was when he was proudest of the nypd. despite taking those personal attacks, while the protesters were exercising their first amendment rights, the police continued to protect the very people who were at least verbally attacking them. martin? >> did a good job on the follow-up questions, miguel. i'm wondering if there's any indication, perhaps, from that union leader that he feels that he may have misspoke when he said the blood is essentially all the way to city hall? >> reporter: my feeling is, is that he wanted to come over, he wanted to chat with us, he wants to start that conversation, at least publicly.

my guess is that there is more going on privately. my sense is, is that they came down very hard on him. all the other unions came down hard on him. i mean, that was a very deviivie and incendiary thing for him to say. it kicked the conversation up to another level. i think today, and as the days go forward, that the heat will start to abate. martin? >> let's hope so. miguel marquez and rosa flores, thank you both for joining us today. we'll have more on the funeral of rafael ramos, coming up a little bit later. hey matt, what's up?

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where researchers are studying the virus. our joe johns explains. >> reporter: it's a potentially deadly mistake at the u.s. institution that handles some of the world's most dangerous biological materials. the center for disease control prevention said that a small amount of material, possibly containing live ebola virus, was mistakenly transferred from one of the facility's most secure labs to a lab not equipped to handle the virus. so far, the technician has no symptoms of the illness, no quarantine, but the lab tech will be watched for the standard 21 days as a precaution. it's the kind of mistake that cnn d.c. director tom frieden said he was determined to avoid repeating earlier this year. >> what we're seeing is a pattern that we missed. and the pattern is an insufficient culture of safety. >> reporter: at that time, he was on the hot seat. cdc put tough new controls in place. >> these were unacceptable

events. they should never have happened. >> reporter: in line with the new procedures, following the latest incident, the lab was closed pending review and decontaminated. the material was destroyed. an investigation was launched. the incident was reported to health and human services secretary, sylvia burwell, and others up and down the chain of command. as for the possibility of anyone else coming into contact with the material, cdc says a handful of others who entered the lab have been contacted. they will be assessed for possible exposure, but only the one technician is being monitored. the cdc does not bereave anyone outside the lab could have been exposed. joe johns, cnn, washington. turning now to the latest on that massive hack at sony pictures. doubts are growing that north korea was actually behind it. and now two leading cybersecurity firms are raising serious questions about that. the fbi claims that the malware used in the sony attack is similar to malware used by other attacks by north korea.

but security experts tell cnn that the same malware was leaked a long time ago, and could have been used by hackers anywhere in the world. now, at least, one potential suspect has emerged. a woman code named as lina, who according to one cyberspexpert, worked for sony for several years. north korea says it has nothing to do with the hacking, but no uh now is fuming over the release of the movie "the interview," and they're blaming president obama, saying he forced sony to release it. >> reporter: we knew pyongyang was going to be furious about the release of "the interview" movie and sure enough, they haven't disappointed. we have a statement this saturday from the all-powerful national defense commission. the fact that it's come from such a powerful institution within north korea shows how seriously the regime is taking this issue. now, they're not just blaming sony pictures for releasing the movie. they're also blaming personally

the u.s. president barack obama. let's read a little bit of a statement. and it says, u.s. president obama is the chief culprit, who forced the sony pictures entertainment to indiscriminately distribute the movie and took the lead in apee appeasing and blackmailing cinema. and they have some personal insults for president obama, saying that he's reckless in words and deeds, like a monkey in a tropical forest. it's not the first time that they have insulted the u.s. president personally, they've insulted many leaders around the world, in particular, the south korean president. but once again, they are holding him personally responsible for the fact that "the interview" was allowed to go ahead and be distributed. once again, pyongyang has said they have nothing to do with the hacking of sony pictures. this was claimed by a group called guardians of peace. and they're effectively saying to washington, show us the proof, show us the evidence that you have that makes us believe that north korea was involved. now, the fbi has said that they

believe that north korea was involved because of the malware used in the attack was similar to other alleged cyberattacks that they believe north korea was involved in. pyongyang also saying that they've had internet trouble of their own over the past five days. it's not clear whether or not they have been hacked, but they believe that washington is behind that. we're not hearing any comment from washington at this point. and of course, all this controversy, all this news, the fact this is in the headlines is pr gold for this movie. we are seeing hundreds of thousands of downloads around the world, especially here in south korea, where most people probably wouldn't have even gone to see the movie, as it didn't have a distributor before this controversy started. but certainly, this is helping sales somewhat. the question now, though, is, is that it? has it run its course, this controversy? "the interview" is out and north korea has reacted. or will we be seeing more cyberattacks in the future? paula hancocks, cnn, seoul. >> thank you, paula, very much

for that. well, do you want the government watching your weight? it is happening to citizens of one of our closest allies. that's next. plus, what was the number one health story in 2014? stay here. ♪ they are a glowing example of what it means to be the best. and at this special time of year, they shine even brighter. come to the winter event and get the mercedes-benz you've always wished for,

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britain's working to battle the bulge. the country has an obesity rate of about 25%. that according to the health and social care information center. now it's doing something about that problem. here's cnn's christina mcfarland. >> reporter: the national health service in britain has announced new plans to fight the battle of the bulge. under a new national program, family doctors will be asked to identify any patients who have gained weight and are at risk for diabetes. patients will be offered tests for the disease and be given healthy lifestyle advice along with close monitoring to make sure they're eating better and exercising more. the announcement comes following a landmark decision by the eu last week ruling that in severe cases diabetes can be treated as

a disability. it is the second most obese nation in europe. but simon stevens said that this was daft saying it was more important to take action now to prevent the country sleepwalking into the worst public health emergency in the last three decades. christina mcfarland, cnn, london. 2014's been a huge year for health news. and here are the top ten stories that have impacted the world and stirred up a whole lot of debate. >> if you are what you eat, then what you probably are is confused. 2014 finally brought some transparency to our food. in february the food and drug administration announced proposed changes to nutrition labels. it was the first overhaul in more than two decades. >> families deserve more and better information about the food they eat. >> reporter: in late november, the fbi ruled that they had 20

or more location that have to post calorie counts clearly and conspicuously on their menus, their menu boards and displays. companies will have until november of 2015 to comply. >> i will die upstairs in my bedroom that i share with my husband with my mother and my husband by my side. >> reporter: in october 29-year-old brittany maynard became the face of the controversial right to die movement when she was diagnosed with ab aggressive form of brain cancer and given just six months to live. she didn't want her family to watch her die in pain, so she moved to oregon to take advantage of the state's death with dignity law. this is not a third world country. this is a major city in west virginia. on january 9th, the emkiccal spill at freedom industries released thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals into the elk river and from there into charleston's water supply. >> don't wash with it, don't

shower with it, don't drink it. >> reporter: hospitals in the area told cnn they didn't know of any illnesses related to the contamination, but the economic impact was real. >> heroin made a mig comeback as many used this as an alternative to pain killers. the drug is called narcan. you're watching it in action right now. it is now distributed to addicts, their friends and family as well as first responders across the country. 2014 may go down as the year cigarettes went up in smoke. on february 5th, cvs announced it would stop selling tobacco products in all of its 7800 locations, doing all of this by 2015. the company made good on its promise early. on september 3rd, pulled all tobacco products from its shelves. cvs said this would cost the

company $2 billion a year but said that tobacco was against its moral principles as a health care company. >> we've been reporting on these delays. >> cnn has spent more than a year investigating delays in care at veteran affairs hospitals. they exposed systematic problems throughout the v.a. and cnn's reporting found that thousands of veterans across the country were waiting months, even years to see a doctor. cnn's reporting also uncovered v.a. workers cooking the books to cover up long wait times. congressional hearings were held and v.a. secretary eric shinseki was forced to resign. president obama brought in a new secretary bob mcdonald who has vowed to clean up the v.a. 7.1 million more people had health nshts this year under the patient protection and affordable care act. as you probably know, obama care mandates that americans be covered by an insurance plan or pay a penalty.

>> last year i had somewhat of an epiphany about weed. this plant can have some real medicinal benefits. >> marijuana is better than all those pills for you? >> yeah. >> we saw families pack up and move across the country to get access to the only medicine that seemed to work for their children in states where medical marijuana is legal. two states also legalized all forms including recreational use. >> on september 24th, the new jersey 4-year-old died in his sleep. tass the first death health officials could link to enterovirus which can cause severe respiratory symptoms. by the time the scare settled down it had sickened hundreds of children in nearly all 50 states. without a doubt, the biggest health headline of the year -- ebola. >> ebola. >> ebola. >> ebola. >> had been exposed to ebola while in liberia. >> what began as a single case in guinea has grown into an

epidemic. two aid workers, dr. kent brantley and nancy writebol were medevacked back to the united states from liberia. they survived, followed by others, thanks in part to the work of health care workers who literally put their own lives on the line. as 2014 come to a close, the world health organization tallied more than 6,000 deaths. the outbreak in west africa is far from over. but early stage vaccine trials are under way. and they do look promising. catch the top ten of 2014 special on cnn hosted by brooke baldwin tomorrow night at 6:30 eastern. ♪