this is coming six months after officer darren wilson shot and killed michael brown, an unarmed black you know, this spawned massive protests. it discriminated against minorities and low income residents arresting minorities for minor violations imposing excessive fines and sending minorities to jail when they couldn't pay those fines. joining me to talk about this benjamin crump, the attorney for michael brown's family and represented trayvon martin's family. also sunni hostin. welcome to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> mr. crump, the justice department will not charge officer darren wilson in the shooting death of michael brown but will outline allegations of discriminatory ferguson police tactics. does that make sense to you? >> well we don't know anything that they're going to do. we have no confirmation whatsoever that the justice department is going to do anything. we haven't heard from them neither myself nor any of michael brown's parents. so you know, we hear tale that they're going to sue the ferguson police department if they don't address

>> well, they are never going to with be bringing charges against darren wilson.this kind of too little too late threat of we may file i don't know, if i were on the ground in ferguson, i would say real really? this is what you are going do after the attorney general came here to promise us justice, this is justice? this is almost a joke. if they wanted to do the justice, why didn't they initiate the investigation of why the attorney general was committing perjury there, and if i had done that and put witnesses that were lying up on the stand, i guarantee you that some law enforcement would have indicted me or indicted o'marra if he tried that but the d.a. gets a pass on that and all of the people who get pulled over, thrown into jail for bogus traffic violations and then they have to sit in jail? we outlawed debtor's prison 200 years ago, but apparently, alive and well there. this whole thing to my mind is completely window dressing and a joke. >> and mark o'mara, you are shaking your head in agreement here and why? >> well ferguson is the up to of the day. two y

months after brown's death there are three officer openings including the one who shot brown, darren wilson. >> we're in the fishes stages of the hiring. we are setting up the testing date, we have a really good contractor that's given us a test to use which looks at a number of different factors including the tendency of being bieftd. >> the department remains under the like row scope. refined their ticketing and court procedures. >> we just had to recognize what the problems are and try to address them. six months is the time we've had so far and i think we have done a lot. >> today conversations about how to improve policing and race relations in the community are frequently ignored. effort to cultivate relationships early on. be there have been a number of initiatives, plans and meetings hoping to dell with the issue presented but here along west florison afternoon is itch for depaid. >> they have stopped harassing medium so many but at the same time it's like you're still rookd look add like you are a suspects. >> some people can move forward some won't. i think it start with us, i thi

federal charges are not expected against officer darren wilson in the fatal shooting of michael brown last year. >> the search for a pair of bank robbers that targeted a bb&t bank this afternoon, then the wells fargo in sterling. during that incident, one suspects threaten the teller with a gun. the fbi is investigating if they are tied with other bank robberies. if you have information, contact the authorities. >> a prince george's county man is accused of soliciting a 12-year-old girl for sex. investigators say that 21-year-old vincent hill sent explicit messages to the girl using a messaging app called kik. she went to the police and an undercover officer stepped into her place. over the next couple days, they received messages and photos leading them to hill's location. >> this is a good reminder for parents that while we may not all be personally familiar with each of these apps are kids are using, we need to educate ourselves. >> phil was charged and released on $75,000 bond. >> coming up, the first look at gift bags for oscar nominees, worth a record-breaking amount of money. y

six months after brown's death, there are three openings, including one of darren wilson. >> how along are you in terms of hiring? >> we are in the first stages we are setting up a testing date. we have a good contractor that gave us a test to use. including a sendensy to be bias. >> with an investigation into the policing practices, the department is under the microscope. they introduced more diversity. they informed their ticketing and court procedures. >> we had to recognise the prosecution and try to address them. six months is a time we had so far. we have done a lot. >> we are able to take it in. >> today, conversations on how to improve policing and race relations are discussed at public meetings. ferguson schools embrace teams in an effort to cultivate relationships. there has been a number of plans and meetings but here along west florence avenue the sentiment of how much has changed since the michael brown shooting is up for debate. >> they have stopped harassing people so much. at the same time you are looked at like you are a suspect. >> do you think things will get better

they have deep pain just from the hurt and loss and just knowing that darren wilson will never be heldfor what happened. that causes deep pain for them to know that the person took the life of their child is walking freely and has not had to account for what he did to michael brown jr. >> what is the current thought process among you and your clients about a civil lawsuit against officer wilson? >> that's something we're actively working on right now with our legal team and something you'll learn about very shortly. certainly something we are working towards. >> darryl parks, thank you very much. >> thank you so much. >>> coming up there's cold and then there's cold and then there's john berman type of bone-chilling cold that you just can't deal with it anymore. it's hitting the entire eastern half of the united states. john berman is wearing thermal understood wear right now. >> it's not speedo weather. >> first, giving sight to the blind. it's another way smartphones are helping people live fully lives. >> >> please identify some of the items in this vending machine. >> she's blind a

protests over a grand jury decision not to indict darren wilson, a white officer who shot and killed teen. conflictingconflicting images of peace and protest that make up the fabric of what its it means to be black in america. fires after the assassination of martin luther king. gathered in the capitol to hear dr. king's iconic speech. >> i have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed, we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. >> the long march towards desegregation in america, often one step forward, two steps back. >> you are not effective for segregation. >> october ordered immediate desegregation in mississippi. >> different than the children today and with it the notion of black history month has changed as well. >> people hope to gain by pressing the desegregation movement, what hopes are you hoping to achieve? >> we hope to achieve equal rights to any human being. >> how long do you think it will take? >> i have no idea. >> a modern debate who should succeed america's first black president? >> i have

. >> reporter: and on the rioting that followed the grand jury decision not to indict officer darren wilson. >> we were just overwhelmed. >> reporter: did you get enough help from the national guard? >> on that night? no, we got no help from the national guard on that night? >> reporter: is that a sore point? >> it certainly is. >> reporter: chief jackson said he has no plans to retire, scott, and while he acknowledges there are some who would like to see him go, he says he feels his position here in ferguson is solid. >> pelley: dean reynolds with the news-making enterview tonight. dean, thanks very much. in america's war against isis overnight u.s. fighters and bombers and allied aircraft hit fire targets in syria 10 in iraq. the u.s. military says the targets included an isis oil rig in syria and in iraq, three isis boats, several fighting positions, and armored vehicles. we're told that all americans returned safely to their bases or their ships. the u.s. also has a stake in ukraine where a cease-fire has failed before it ever got started. russia is backing rebels who are fighting to ca

are three officer openings including the one vacated by the man who shot brown former officer darren wilsonalong are you in terms of that hiring process? >> we are in the first stages and we will set up the testing date and have a real good contractor that has given us a test to use which looks at a lot of different factors including a tendency to be biased. >> reporter: with the ongoing department of justice investigation into their policing practices, the department remains under the microscope, they have instituted more intense diversity training focused on racial bias and formed the tightening and court procedures procedures. >> we had to recognize what the problems are and try to dress them so six months is a time we had so far and think we have done a lot. >> we took it in. >> reporter: how to improve policing and race relations in the community are frequently discussed at public meetings. and in ferguson schools police continue to engage with teens in an effort to cultivate relationships early on. there have been a number of initiatives, plans and meetings hoping to address the month

. >>> and a grand jury did not indict officer darren wilson. but attorney general eric holder said yesterday he expects the department to release its findings before he leaves office in the next few weeks. >>> and here's a live look at 30th station in philadelphia where a lot of people will be passing through when the pope visits and the dnc comes to town in 2016. and pennsylvania's senior senator wants the station to be ready. senator bob casey will be there this morning to expect to call for amtrak to speed up its upgrade to the station's infrastructure. his office said finishing the work will boost services and economic activity in the area. >>> and christians here in this area and around the world will mark the beginning of lent today with ash wednesday. thousands of worshippers in the philippines attended mass and lined up to have their heads marked with ash. this is a 40-day period of penance and fasting before easter. >>> and a frigid start this morning. watch out for slip rippery spots. if it melted yesterday, it is now frozen again. we

and that involved the shooting death of that took place in ferguson missouri involving officer darren wilsond the unarmed teen in that case. and there are again one investigation that is very similar in nature to the one involving trayvon martin that will be very difficult to prove, but there is a second investigation by the department of justice that many feel might lead to some of then co collusions that they are looking for. and that is involving the policing practices of the ferguson police department, and whether or not they were in some ways deliberately discriminatory. we are expecting those two decisions could come down before his departure. while many may end foo this, into trayvon martin very disappointing there are still two other very closely watched cases that we are following. the commuters have been advised to stay off the roads. the cold weather is expected to last another day. >> a commuter train has collided with a truck in southern california injurying at least 28 people, the truck smashed apart and burst into flames three carriages of the double decker came off the track

avenue damage after what happened in november, no indictment that came down against police officer darren wilson and there was still a lot of healing to go on in that community tony. >> ash-har you just mentioned reforms to the ticketing procedures there. a group of civil rights lawyers have filed suit against ferguson of the way people are jailed if they don't pay traffic fines and other offenses. how has the city responded? >> that's right. 15 residents filed a collaboration lawsuit in federal court today alleging the city has engaged in unfair targeting of residents. they say they've generated more revenue than they should based on missouri state law. the city came out with a statement responding, saying acknowledge the city disputes, that any individuals this were targeted that jail detain east were ever detained longer than three consecutive days or the physical conditions in the jail were unsanitary or unconstitutionally improper. so still a lot has to be sorted out and a lot has to be gotten through with these residents and the police to address those with the residents too. >> ash-har qu

the death of michael brown in ferguson missouri, who died at the hands of officer darren wilson the murder burden of proof will be very difficult to prove that civil rights were violated in this case. however, the policing practices of ferguson, missouri, are also under the microscope, and in this respect that investigation many who had protested both of these shootings are hopeful that they will see a federal prosecution. this is looking into whether or not the policing practices were discriminatory and could result in further action at the federal level. those outcome--the scout come of those prosecutions could be announce: we're told that they will be announceed before attorney general departs and we expect his detar hour to come very soon. >> u.s. president barack obama has vetoed a bill on the keystone xl pipeline. butthe president would say no from the running of oil from the gulf coast. >> after protests, millions spent lobbying and debateing congress, a bill forcing program's. >> our national interest will only be served if this does not contribute to carbon pollution. now the envi

this has been in a lot of reports -- that there will be no finding of wrongdoing against officer darren wilsonnow, that has been out in the news for a while, although the final report isn't out yet. and yet i didn't hear a peep from anybody. but if the locals said or did anything, they were looting and committing arson and stealing. how do you read that? how do you read the difference? >> well, you know, the report, as you indicated, isn't out yet. i think one of the best things that loretta lynch can do is sign off on that quickly, if there's no finding of probable cause and any civil rights violations have taken place. i think the grand jury in ferguson, missouri, got it right. >> well, yeah, and they went crazy, but they didn't go craze where when they heard the justice department is probably going to agree. and that's what i think is strange. anyway, sheriff david clark, we're going to continue to have you on as you monitor the situation. thank you. >> thank you, judge. >> all right. >>> and now for some news on american sniper, chris kyle. yesterday texas governor greg abbott announced th

. >> and darren wilson. >> not some untrained alleged idiot carrying a gun who when he called the police police said don't follow him. he does it anyway. they get into this altercation and ultimately trayvon martin is shot and killed. but he wasn't killed by a police officer. this is just again, an alleged idiot with a gun. >> and the justice department decided apparently that they are not filing civil rights charges against darren wilson. what about in the eric garner case the nypd police officer daniel pantileo? >> exactly. wolf we always talk about the high bar these cases have. well this case actually might end up being a bit of a surprise to everyone. >> in new york? >> in new york. simply because what i'm told the fbi is looking at this very seriously, not that they don't always do it but in this case they are looking at all of the video evidence that they have and what they are honing in on is whether or not the video of the evidence that they have indicates whether this officer's life was in danger whether he had a reasonable -- it was reasonable for him to act the way he did. an

i sad down with officer darren wilson telling his side of the story for the first time you are convinceds. michael brown this would go down exactly the same way. no. no question. he is a consummate professional absolute best and george has been on assignment in afghanistan. good morning robin. we will exam initial the tour here afghanistan. he will tell from my interviews from the two presidents what do you say to the americans that are on sun adversary. time and playing you. he called secretary state clinton. enemy of iran. to consider president obama an enemy of iran as well? we are interrupting the program. we learn that had abc news learned that osama bin laden has been killed breaking news situation that george stephanopoulos. the boston marathon. explosions right by the finish line george is fully in control. the terrorist attack this morning. three gunmen on the loose. he is calm. collected there. is no one better for abc news to lead us through this extraordinary time such a sad morning here in the newitt connecticut just stattered the stereotypes. you always knew that you were d

the justice department is also expected to announce that it will not charge officer darren wilson foryear's shooting -- the shooting death rather of michael brown, a black man. the incident thrust ferguson into the center of a nationwide debate over police tactics and race relations, as well. in response to the justice department the police chief thomas jackson says "i have received nothing new. everything they suggested in the past has been reasonable and we have tried to comply." >>> coming up here on cnn newsroom dramatic testimony in the american sniper murder trial as the defendant's sister reveals the conversation she had with her brother. >>> a popular u.s. rapper turned tv star is in a bit of legal trouble. what he's accused of stealing. that's coming up. next. ♪ expected wait time: 55 minutes. your call is important to us. thank you for your patience. waiter! vo: in the nation, we know how it feels when you aren't treated like a priority. we do things differently. we'll take care of it. vo: we put members first... join the nation. thank you. ♪ nationwide is on your side ♪ >>>

a grand jury did not indict officer darren wilson but the justice department has been investigating potentialcivil rights investigations. attorney general eric holder expects the department to release its findings before he leaves office in the next few weeks. >>> and the eagles' safety nate allen speaks out after being detained by police in his home state of florida. allen says he was falsely accused of exposing himself on monday in his hometown of ft. myers. he was questioned by police four-and-a-half hours before being released from custody due a lack of evidence. allen said he did nothing wrong. >> even just having this type of accusation tagged to your name something this disgusting and repulsive, that's what bothers me at the end of the day. >> allen says he wants to let his accusers know he forgives them. >>> and it's 6:18 and is very cold outside. mostly clear skies overnight. you can see a few clouds in the distance. nothing falling from it. just temperatures have been falling. right now it's is a degrees in philadelphia. now the flip side is it's nice and calm. that's part of why it

one is criminal investigation of the civil rights violation against darren wilson.e was not going to be enough there to bring criminal charges against him. separately this is a separate investigation by a different entity in doj that looks at patterns and practices. we expected that they would find some issue to bring up in that case. >> what about the mayor of ferguson the police chief, what's the impact on them? >> you know wolf he is still on the job. this is something that has been a bit of a problem between both ferguson and the state and the county and justice department. he is probably going to be under pressure to either make the changes himself or step aside so that these changes can be made at the ferguson police department. >> as you say, a lawsuit against the ferguson -- do they have to pay a settlement? what do they have to do to resolve this? >> well, that's up to the justice department. it's an actual civil lawsuit. and then there will be negotiations about what is satisfactory to the department of justice that will address the problems. as i said it

with ferguson it's unlikely the department of justice will bring civil rights charges against darren wilson the officer who shot and killed brown. there's also that other ongoing investigation into the ferguson police department. we reported last week that the justice department could sue the police department unless they make certain changes. so we are awaiting to find out the results of those cases, of course. as you point out, eric holder will be leaving soon sometime this spring. we expect to find out those findings once he leaves office or before then. >> all right. pamela brown, our thanks to you. we are also following a developing story overseas. an american woman working as a missionary in nigeria is now the victim of a brazen kidnapping. her attackers demanding a ransom. we'll have a live report from that region. also ahead, under pressure. we are expecting the secretary of veterans affairs to soon address the media and the nation after admitting he embellished his military service. we'll bring that to you live here on cnn. plus a mystery in the sky over paris. what was spotted lat

and this is in the protests after the michael brown grand jury decision not to indict officer darren wilsonyou make of this before we talk about it? >> well this is a monstrous crime. what these folks did to the businesspeople and what they did to the community, and the danger they put individuals in, and i think that it is very good that people are being prosecuted, and we will see if they are guilty obviously down the line. but these were serious crimes, and very serious from the legitimate protests that went on in ferguson. >> and you say this is one reason that we have the fbi, right? >> absolutely. these are dangerous crimes, and they should be investigated and prosecuted prosecuted. >> and we heard from the fbi director james comey on the sensitive issue of police and race e relations. we will talk after this statement. >> after years of police work officers can't help but be influenced by the cynicism they feel. a mental shortcut is in some instances rational and the two young black men on one side of the street looks like so many others that they locked up a twond white men on the s

the criminal prosecution of darren wilson which was possible under federal charges -- >> the officerms to be off the table. those cases are very hard to make. but a civil lawsuit aimed at broader reform, that has always seemed to be in the cards. >> tom, let me ask you. i'm certainly curious how this might impact other police departments nationwide when you have a police department or possibly even two facing a federal lawsuit here. >> well, the other police departments across the country should be watching and learning from what's already happened. these lawsuits have been brought or consent decrees agreed to in a number of other cities. those cities had to change what they were doing and abide by the agreement to make the kind of changes that the government asked mofor. so the idea that there are departments out there that don't think they need to change or abide by those kind of decisions are fooling themselves and stand the chance of this kind of event happening. now the case of ferguson, the attention brought on ferguson because of the shooting of michael brown, obviously led to

that black lives matter and then leading a walkout the day after they're was know indictment of darren wilson and becoming leaders not just at the school but for the entire city in the firing wire. i think it is all part of this growing struggle and i just want to say one last thing about the transformative nature of collective -- of the struggles. i want to end by reading a quick passage, if i can. there is a chapter in hear you should not miss by a young woman named andrew to have amber kudlow and went to school hear in new york state, and she was the school's valedictorian. and she because because she has the best grades and the highest test scores she was told by the principle that she had to give the graduation speech for the school. and she and she said absolutely not. i have nothing to say. i'm not a good public speaker. the principal said, it's not that you don't have to. it is just that you will be bringing shame to your family and the whole school for breaking our tradition of having the valedictorian. he basically forces her to give the speech at the graduation. and so i printed he

the justice department's also expected to announce it will not charge officer darren wilson a white manfor the shooting death of michael brown who was black. that incident made ferguson the center of nationwide debates over police tactics and race relations. police chief jackson answered the justice department saying "i have received nothing new. everything they suggest in the past has been reasonable, and we have tried to comply." >>> california health officials are contacting nearly 200 patients who may have been exposed to a dead leely bacteria during tests at ucla medical center. seven patients are confirmed to have been infected with the drug-resistant superbug. two of them died. the problem came during testing for digestive system illnesses. a hospital spokeswoman says a scope used in the procedure was contaminated despite having been sterilized according to the manufacturers instructions. the bacteria in question can kill up half of the patients infected. >>> still to to come on cnn, a man claimed he was beaten up by police and demanded his release. surveillance footage from his

it just happens to be enforced by the legal system in which, you know, darren wilson is empowered byel brown and then leave his body in the street for 4 1/2 hours. same thing with stanley jones, killed in detroit, and the police officers breaking into her home and getting the wrong house and shooting and killing her while she slept in the bed. all of these things have to do with the fact that we have a legal system set up whereby we criminalize the actions or behaviors of young black people and people whether vigilantes or police officers, are emboldened and empowered to take their lives. >> one of the things i think has happened is we've made this renewed fe kous on the lives of young black men, but there are young back women finding themselves in the same positions. i'm wondering what you expect to hear today from the president. he did touch the third rail twice when it came to trayvon martin saying if he had a son, he would look like trayvon, which seemed self-evident enough, but it ignited this huge conflagration. now we come to this third anniversary. he's making remarks later t

demanding that black lives matter and then leading a walkout the day after there was no indictment of darren wilson. and they are becoming leaders, not just for the school but for the entire city. indefinable black lives matter means that i think it's all part of this growing struggle and i just want to say one last thing about the transformed the nature of these struggles. i want to just end by reading a quick passage if i can. there's a chapter in here you should not miss which is by a young woman named amber the went to a school here in new york state. and she was the school's valedictorian, and because she had the best grades and the highest test scores she was told by the principle she had to give a graduation speech for the school. she said absently not. i don't have anything to say. i am not a good public speaker. on a pretty good test. and the principle said, it's not that you don't have to, just that you would be bringing shame to your family and the whole school for breaking our tradition of having the valedictorian but if i basically forces for to give a speech at a graduation. and so i

officer darren wilson acted reasonably in defending his life against mike brown.was a tragedy, we all know that. but eric holder early on before that investigation had started said we'll get this right and the fact that the grand jury ruled not the way he thought they should have, he's still going to try to extract his pound of flesh. but brian these investigations are costly and not only the investigation but when they put you under consent decree this is nothing more than an exercise in writing reports for law enforcement officers. that takes up time. valuable time that takes them away from the street. driving in high crime communities and servicing the people of the city of ferguson missouri. >> the word is that the feds are not going to sue darren wilson. they're going to sue the department and make changes. do you find it odd that besides the first few days when they talked to the sheriff's department, the police department, they have not really discussed anything with them since and this becomes public prior to them even knowing about it? >> it's a typical p

. >> i sat down with the man in the middle of it officer darren wilson telling his side of the story. >> you're convinced were white this would go down the same way? >> no. >> you can tell from my interviews what do you say to russians that america is an unfriendly adversary? he called secretary of state clinton and enemy of iran? we have learned abc abc news has learned that osama bin laden has been killed. >> george is fully in control. >> three gunmen on the loose. >> he is calm and collected. >> such a sad morning in newtown, connecticut. that announcement from jason collins. did you always know you were gay? several senators wrote a letter encouraging hillary clinton to run. >> george is the best interviewer on television. >> would you recommend putting american boots on the ground? who is the most consistent conservative candidate and the best able to defeat president obama? when you said you loved him and think he is awesome -- ♪ >> let's check in with george on traffic. bumper to bumper. >> george is exactly the same person off-camera as he is on camera. >> he is brilliant eve

the justice department also expected to announce that it won't -- won't charge darren wilson the former and killed michael brown. let's bring in the st. louis alderman antonio french don lemon, tom fuentes and jeffrey toobin. jeffrey, legally, explain what it means for the ferguson police department to be complying with the justice department? cot justice department still sue? what's going on? >> certainly, the threat of a lawsuit is what's hanging over this whole situation. clearly, the justice department believes that there are certain policies in place in ferguson that are racially discriminatory. we don't know all the details, because the suit hasn't been filed. but there's been a lot of investigation. and in these situations which happen with some regularity cincinnati new orleans have all been sued for these sorts of issues. is the training racially discriminatory? are there policies about whom to arrest and when that are discriminatory? are any of the people at the top -- should they be removed? all of these issues are up for debate and possibly settlement in advance of a lawsuit

justice, even though the grand jury out in ferguson missouri did not indict that police officer, darren wilsonly sue the ferguson police department for racial discrimination, unless they make some changes. >> it sounds strange because we've had two complete investigations in which the police officer has been exonerated. we've now had a chance to read the grand jury testimony and he can see the police officer was clearly acting in self-defense. seven witnesses support that in detail. that wasn't even a close case, by the way. that's a case of out and out self-defense textbook variety under criminal law. he then had a chance to investigate it himself, two three months came to the conclusion, couldn't bring criminal charges. so i don't know. maybe he has something else i don't know. if he's basing it on the garner case, it would be a big mistake. there are other incidents that he has that we don't know about well then he's -- >> the atmospherics back then people in that community were like, this is unjust! somebody's got to help us. you had eric holder said we're going to do something. >> you got

convenience store, the convenience store where michael brown was shortly before being shot and killed by darren wilsonember after the grand jury declined to indict wilson. >>> we want to warn you the next video is difficult to watch. an alabama police officer slamming a grandfather to the ground. the force leaving the man partially paralyzed. the 57-year-old victim from india. he was in madison visiting his son. he speaks little english and says he was just walking down the street when the police officer attacked him. police were reportedly responding to a suspicious person in the area. the officer has been arrested on assault charge. >>> all right. we have an opportunity to speak to the man who rains inside politics. john king here with us onset in new york which is such a treat for us. >> thank you. it's nice to be here. >> we can reach out and -- >> i ran into this guy wandering the streets. >> he does that. >> talk to the people. >> appreciated the loose change. >> very giving. >> we've got a lot of nuggets we want to talk to you about. 2016 republican candidate potentially governor of wisconsin,