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Black Friday Madness Arrives; Black Friday Concerns in Ferguson; Pope Francis Visits Turkey; CNN/ORC Poll Shows American Optimism

Aired November 28, 2014 - 06:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, the two of you, as well. And now that your bellies are full, maybe you're thinking of, you know, giving your wallet a bit of a workout. Today is, of course, the biggest shopping day of the year, at least at brick-and-mortar stores. At least, today is known as Black Friday.

Stores nationwide are seeing some big, big crowds. Some of them rushing through those doors as early as 5 on Thanksgiving afternoon.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Retailers are hoping to see a boost. Gas prices are so low and there are signs of improvement in the economy. A lot of bargain hunters carving out time on Thanksgiving night to get in on the big deals.

PEREIRA: Yes.

BERMAN: And as we see every year, that push for hot items can turn into mayhem. Our Deborah Feyerick, the brave Deborah Feyerick, out in the middle of that mayhem, joins us now live from Jersey City, where the doors are now open once again.

Good morning, Deb.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, everybody.

Now I'm feeling the gravitational pull to go into a store and buy something. I'm trying to fight the urge right now. Because everything is 50 percent off. How it became 50 percent off, who knows? But that's what the sales are.

Let's take a look. This is the mall at Newport Center. It actually has gotten a little bit more busy in the last couple of minutes. The doors opened at 6, even though some stores did stay open overnight. You've got the big retail chains, Macy's and Kohl's, they're staying open more than 25 hours, both of them.

Here it's been rather calm. We saw a couple of high school -- a couple of college kids who did sort of do the thing, and stayed up all night buying things for themselves. But for the most part, it's been rather civil.

Across the country, however, a little bit of a different story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) FEYERICK (voice-over): Overnight, the hunt for bargains across the nation -- becoming a contact sport. Police prying these shoppers off the floor at this Wal-Mart in Houston, Texas, refusing to let go of a discounted TV. One police officer even grabbing this shopper by the face and throwing him to the ground.

Tempers flare at this Wal-Mart in Michigan City, Indiana. With shoppers clamoring for a bargain on Sony speakers.

And in Los Angeles, police were called to another Wal-Mart after a brawl broke out over a $5 Barbie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was obviously a fight between a guy and a girl over a Barbie doll. And the girl socked the guy in the face. Just to get the Barbie.

FEYERICK: The stampede through the front doors -- a welcome sight for retailers, hoping to cash in on the holiday frenzy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't be doing this if the demand was not there.

FEYERICK: The National Retail Federation projected this holiday season spending will total nearly $617 billion, growing 4.1 percent over last year.

ANGELA RODRIGUEZ, MIAMI, FLORIDA, SHOPPER: I rushed over here to be one of the first ones to just get everything that I need and then go home.

FEYERICK: Some shoppers camping outside for days.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I brought my TV, my generator, my little tent, chairs. I let everybody have a good time.

FEYERICK: Strumming the guitar to pass the time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Got in my car and drove like a (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

FEYERICK: All in an effort to nab great deals like this flat-screen TV, marked down $400.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's one more 55-inch.

FEYERICK: A convenient alternative to all the mayhem...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The lady in the green jacket is fighting.

FEYERICK: ... Cyber Monday, when retailers are set to offer steep discounts online so you can avoid crushing crowds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, hey! Hey!

(END VIDEOTAPE) FEYERICK: Now, I do have to tell you, being a small-town girl from Manhattan, I really don't go to malls very often. So the fact that I'm here and I was here at 5 a.m. in the morning, is really almost a surreal experience, that people actually come and shop at malls that early.

But a lot of them really were looking for the big discounts, and they got it. People buying electronics, people buying sheets.

Some of the smaller stores, like this one -- take a look right here. This hat store, OK, they made the decision at the last minute to stay open. And it actually paid off. One of the people inside telling us that they made, really, a full day's worth of extra sales, which is good.

But then I saw another small store here in the mall, and they said it wasn't worth it. They stayed open late, but the problem is after midnight, the folks went home, and nobody came. So basically, they had -- they were doing good business until 12, but then, really, it closed down. You got to think that those workers are being paid time and a half. So whether, in fact, that decision will pay off in the long run, you know, obviously, we'll get those numbers in a couple of days -- John and Michaela.

PEREIRA: Yes. The owners have to crunch the numbers and see if it makes sense for them to be -- to pay their staff to be there. If they're going to get the kind of sales they're hoping for.

Deb, you're a brave woman to brave the mall on Black Friday.

BERMAN: It is working at the haberdashery, you know, the modern-day hat store. I just like saying haberdashery.

PEREIRA: I know you do.

BERMAN: Right next to Deborah Feyerick there, making good money.

FEYERICK: And some people call them Lids. You may call them a haberdashery.

PEREIRA: Exactly, exactly. The make or the model (ph).

FEYERICK: I've got some presents for you guys, so you know, don't -- don't get discouraged.

BERMAN: All right, then. Thanks so much.

We're going to turn now to Ferguson, Missouri, where they are giving thanks for another night of calm. But there is new concern this morning about the calls for Black Friday protests. Police and National Guard troops on alert at shopping malls in and around Ferguson. That amid these growing calls on social media for action following the grand jury decision in the Michael Brown case. We want to bring in CNN's Ana Cabrera, live in Ferguson.

Good morning, Ana. ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, John. It is

quiet and peaceful here this morning on this Black Friday. There were, in fact, no arrests overnight involving protesters. So that is good news.

We are at a Target just outside of Ferguson. You can see very empty parking lot here this morning. The doors don't open for a couple of more hours. We're not seeing any big crowds.

But we are seeing a number of law enforcement here on scene. You can you see the police vehicle just over my shoulder here. We've seen a number of Missouri state troopers, National Guard, as well as St. Louis County police, so they are here just in case. With more protests expected today, this region remains ready.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA (voice-over): Overnight, this Wal-Mart in Ferguson shut its doors ahead of Black Friday, law enforcement and the National Guard at the entrance as they turn away potential customers.

In response to the grand jury's decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson, plans for a nationwide retail boycott on the biggest shopping day of the year are flooding social media. Using hash tags like #BlackOutBlackFriday, and #HandsUpDontSpend, protesters showing solidarity, vowing not to shop at all during the holiday weekend or shop only at black-owned businesses.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that economic power is just as powerful as political power and the power to vote.

CABRERA: In a heartfelt Facebook post about the Ferguson decision and the aftermath, New Orleans Saints player Benjamin Watson said he was "sympathetic, confused and embarrassed." Without taking sides, the post went viral.

In downtown St. Louis, their annual parade canceled. In its place, a fleet of cars, demonstrating against violent protests.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wanted it to be a peaceful. I don't want the protesting. I don't want the rioting. I don't want the violence.

CABRERA: and this chaotic scene played out during Macy's signature Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hands up!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hands up!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hands up!

CABRERA: NYPD holds off a group of angry protesters pushing past barricades. The group had organized on social media under the hash tag #StopTheParade. Seven people were arrested.

And on Twitter, this painful photo circulated of Michael Brown's family sharing their first holiday without him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: So we will be watching for any protests, any Black Friday boycott that happens here today. The whole premise of this is, that money equals power. And these minority communities, the demonstrators who are part of that, that larger community, are hoping that in their absence, their presence will be felt -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: Very interesting part of a conversation that we want to have right now. Thanks so much, Ana.

We want to bring in Lizz Brown. She is a columnist at the "St. Louis American," which is the leading African-American paper in St. Louis. Also joining us this morning to sort of grandeur discussion about what is going on, Pastor White. He's a familiar face to us here, at CNN. He's with the Peace of Mind Church of Happiness and Clergy United.

Lizz, a pleasure always to have you with us.

Pastor, thank you so much.

LIZZ BROWN, "ST. LOUIS AMERICA": Thank you, Michaela.

PEREIRA: Both of you getting up early on the day after Thanksgiving. Please know that I appreciate you both for doing this.

L. BROWN: Yes.

PEREIRA: But this is such an important discussion to be having.

Lizz, I'll start with you. Obviously, we've been seeing sort of a shift in the protests and demonstrations over the past few days. More calm. We see the protests spreading across the United States, however. For Ferguson, do you expect that to continue?

L. BROWN: The protests to continue?

REV. ROBERT WHITE, PEACE OF MIND CHURCH OF HAPPINESS: Well, we definitely need...

L. BROWN: Or the calm to continue?

PEREIRA: The calm to continue, Lizz.

L. BROWN: I think that the -- I think that people are refocusing, reshifting. They're getting energy from not only the -- the actions of people across the country, but actions across the world. It is Thanksgiving, after all. So I think it's an opportunity for those that have been in the forefront of the actions and the protests, are regrouping to proceed in another way.

PEREIRA: Regrouping and reassessing, as you say.

Pastor, I'm curious what you're getting a sense of as we wait for these probes, the federal investigations that are going on, both into the police department, their handling of the shooting, and into the police officer himself.

Do you get a sense that the community believes that there will be, there will be justice? Do you get the sense that they believe they will see that Officer Wilson violated Michael Brown's civil rights? Do they believe that?

WHITE: Well we've had some incidents all over the country where officers have been able to get off on criminal charges but have been brought up on civil charges. So we're spreading the word out to the community at large to let them know.

One of the things that we've discussed over the last few days is will the DOJ come in to investigate what happened in our city?

As you mentioned, this Target lot behind me is empty. As much as there seems to be calm, imagine the mental stress that goes on to the folks in this community, where now what normally is a rush-rush situation, where folks are out in lines at 3 a.m., this parking lot is empty. And so as much as we talk about what the looters have done, what the protesters have done, what about what Governor Nixon has done on Monday when they did not protect this community? These are the results of this. Where now we can't celebrate our Thanksgiving holiday and our shopping season, but we're out. We can't come to the parking lots, can't go to the stores to shop the way we want to do.

PEREIRA: Well, and it's interesting, that result of something that we're seeing happen from the protests on Monday. But what the effort has turned to today, Lizz, Black Friday, it's been interesting to see this movement on social media, the idea of boycotting Black Friday. There's been all of these various hash tags that have surfaced.

Interesting, because there seems to be a movement of wanting to try and harness, as Ana Cabrera was telling us, harnessing the buying power of the African-American community and sort of denying that buying power to make a point.

L. BROWN: Well, if -- there's a long history of economic boycotts in this country. We've seen it in the civil rights movement. It is -- it is a very effective way to -- to get your point across and to bring people's attention to a very serious and compelling issue.

So it makes sense that the national progression, if you will, of this movement would be moving into, OK, we're going to get your -- we've gotten your attention this way, and we will continue to do that. But we're also going to get your attention in the pocketbooks. I mean, that's why we're talking about it right now, right?

PEREIRA: Right, right.

L. BROWN: Because it is such a huge buying season for stores. So why not engage in an action that would get their attention in a very effective way?

PEREIRA: And using the 2014 method of using social media and these hashtags, et cetera.

L. BROWN: Absolutely. So it's a brave new world.

PEREIRA: Pastor, is -- it is a brave new world. And I'm struggling to catch up to it.

Pastor, I'm curious. You probably saw the results of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and other -- you were talking about the traditions we have around this time of year, a big tradition being held in New York City yesterday. We understand there were a few arrests. Some people tried to interrupt the Thanksgiving day parade.

When you see that, does it make you feel that the message of what you're trying to accomplish in Ferguson is -- is being spread correctly? Or does it feel like a change or a shift in the message?

WHITE: Well, first of all, I mean one of the things that we missed here in Ferguson, we were planning a Thanksgiving day parade even here to help feed some of the families; and that had to be postponed until this Sunday afternoon.

And so when we see the national protests, the Macy's parade and L.A. and Philadelphia, it excites us to know that those of us who are out here protesting against the injustice, that we have brothers and sisters of all walks of life, all colors, all throughout this country. Because one of the things we've been saying is this is not just a Ferguson issue.

PEREIRA: Right.

WHITE: This is a national issue. And we are excited to see that those throughout this country have taken up arms and taken up a stance against the injustices that are going against all minorities of this country.

PEREIRA: Pastor, Lizz, thank you so much for joining us today.

L. BROWN: Thank you.

PEREIRA: We'll be talking to you in the coming days and weeks. I know we will. Thank you so much, today -- John.

BERMAN: All right. Thanks, Michaela.

Just moments ago, Pope Francis arrived in Turkey for an historic visit. This three-day trip really could be one of the most challenging of his papacy. It's a mix of religious and political meetings, with the pope addressing a number of topics, including the influx of refugees from the conflict in Syria.

Arwa Damon live in Ankara this morning. Good morning, Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is going to be a very challenging backdrop for Pope Francis' visit. Having just landed in Ankara, his first stop is going to be to the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and from there to the presidential palace to meet with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the first of the government officials with whom he will be meeting. This visit comes at a time when many will tell you Christianity has

not been this threatened in, say, about the last century or so in the region, the region of its very birthplace. And this threat to Christianity really began with the effects of the U.S.-led invasion in Iraq of 2003 that then saw the rise of al Qaeda, deliberately targeting the Christian population there, with horrific acts, from storming -- storming churches, to laying explosives outside of Christian homes.

And then, of course, we had the more recent emergence of ISIS, even deadlier than its predecessor, al Qaeda, targeting not just Christians in Iraq, but Christians across Syria, adding to this massive exodus from both countries.

Those Christians who do choose to stay in Iraq or Syria say that they do so because they believe in God, and their faith is all that they have. Or because they have agreed to pay the terrorist organization something of a protection tax.

One of the key objectives of Pope Francis's visit to Turkey is to try to build [SIC] that ever-growing divide between Muslims and Christians. The other objective of this visit is to build upon the already-growing solidification of the bridge between the two sister churches -- John.

BERMAN: Right. Arwa Damon, a big trip just getting under way. Thanks for being there for us. Appreciate it.

We want to get to Pamela Brown now for some of today's top stories.

Good morning, Pamela.

PEREIRA: Good morning.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Great to see both of you and happy Friday. Let's take a look at some of the headlines.

Breaking just in the last hour, a series of shootings of buildings in downtown Austin, Texas. Police say a gunman was targeting several buildings, including their headquarters. The cops apparently managed to shoot the suspect before he got them. Taking a live look here at pictures. The city's police headquarters remains evacuated, and police are being urged to stay away from the downtown area. More on this story as details come in.

Meantime, Ruth Bader Ginsburg home for the holiday, the 81-year-old Supreme Court justice released from a Washington hospital Thursday after undergoing heart surgery. She needed a stent implanted to clear a blocked artery. Officials say Ginsburg is planning to return to work on Monday when the court begins hearing a new round of arguments. Incredible.

Mexico's president pushing police reforms he hopes will help combat widespread crime and corruption. He wants to give the state control over local police to stop collusion between officials and gangs. He's also trying to defuse anger over the disappearance of 43 students in September. Eleven partially burned bodies were found Thursday. That's about an hour's drive from the students' school. It's unclear if they're linked to the missing students case.

And Bill Cosby fallen out of favor with two Massachusetts schools after a string of sexual assault allegations. Cosby agreed to resign as honorary chairman of the capital campaign at the University of Massachusetts, at Amherst. He received a master's and doctorate there. And also Berkeley College of Music in Boston ending its affiliation with Cosby. They had an online scholarship in his name. Cosby has an honorary degree from Berkeley.

Well, with Thanksgiving now in the rear-view, the White House is already gearing up for Christmas. The White House Christmas tree is due to arrive this morning. First lady Michelle Obama will be on hand for a welcoming ceremony.

And the first family spent the holiday feasting on a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at the White House. President Obama took time out to call and thank troops, offering his gratitude for their service to the country.

BERMAN: The tree arrives at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.

P. BROWN: All right.

BERMAN: And we will cover it here live. That is a promise to you.

PEREIRA: That will be so great.

P. BROWN: Yes, we will. So much anticipation.

PEREIRA: Now I have to think about getting my tree. I just sort of managed Thanksgiving.

P. BROWN: Switch gears.

PEREIRA: I know. And here we go.

All right. Let's talk about weather. Meteorologist Jennifer Gray is in for Indra Petersons, keeping track of the forecast. Interesting: we saw a lot of power outages in Maine yesterday due to all that heavy, heavy snow causing some problems there. A little bitter forecast for folks in the weekend?

JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Getting better and better by the weekend. In fact, a warming trend expected for the weekend, if you can believe it or not.

Cold air, though, still in place across much of the east, even though most of the snow is pushing out. We are going to see a little bit of lake-effect snow for the next day or so, but otherwise, we are going to see quiet conditions across portions of the East.

The South, very quiet, warmer temperatures starting to usher in. That's going to impact the mid-Atlantic, the Northeast. We do have a cold front on its way by the end of Sunday. And that's going to affect areas to the North. So those areas will still remain cold. The Northern Plains, but the South, the East, will stay a little bit warmer in the days ahead.

So cold air for today in place in the North. Sunny in the Rockies. We do have rain and some snow in the Pacific Northwest. And even portions of California getting big-time rains as we go into the weekend.

Current temperatures very cold in the North: 11 in Minneapolis this morning, guys. But that warming trend is just days away. Atlanta will be about 70 degrees by Monday, Michaela.

PEREIRA: Oh, my goodness. That is quite a change. All right, Jennifer, thanks so much. We'll check back in with you a little later.

So a thumb's up for the economy in a new CNN/ORC poll. We're going to tell you what has Americans feeling so good. And how that could have retailers seeing some green just in time for the holiday shopping season.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Here's some big economic news today. In a really surprising new poll from CNN and ORC shows a renewed degree of optimism among Americans. This poll shows that 52 percent of Americans think that things are going well. Now this is the first time in nearly eight years that a majority has shared that opinion.

So what is behind this shift? Will retailers benefit? And will people start feeling a difference in their lives?

I want to speak with CNN global economic analyst Rana Foroohar. She is also assistant managing editor at "TIME."

And when we say 52 percent of Americans think that things are going well, that may not seem like a great number at first, but compare it to last year at this time. We have a graphic that shows that. And I think last year at this time, it was just 41 percent. That is, you know, an 11 percent shift in just one year.

RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: That's a huge shift. And I think what it really reflects is we've had several months now of strong job growth. People are really expecting things to get better. Consumer spending is up. I think that we're going to see a really great Black Friday today. My hopes are high for that. And economic growth overall is up. You're finally seeing a recovery that feels like a recovery to more people.

BERMAN: Are they feeling it at home? That's the big question here. When you break it down. We asked people, do they think things are improving, just stabilized or getting worse? Let's look at that number right here. You know, 32 percent think things starting to recover. That means really getting better. Forty-one percent say things have stabilized, 26 percent saying things worse. Again, this is much better numbers than before. But still, there's that middle group of 41 percent...

FOROOHAR: Right.

BERMAN: ... who really feel, to a certain extent, stagnant.

FOROOHAR: Well, it's interesting. The middle has been the problem in this recovery. So, you know, all along, for the past six years, we've had the job growth at the top, and we've had job growth in lower-wage jobs. But we haven't had those good jobs in the middle. And unless people feel that they have secure employment and higher wages, they're really not going to be spending, and you're not going to see that sort of uptick in expectations.

BERMAN: No, you need to feel like you're getting paid more.

FOROOHAR: More money in your pocket.

BERMAN: You need to get paid more.

FOROOHAR: Yes.

BERMAN: And wage growth has been very, very slow.

FOROOHAR: It has. And that's another thing that, though, we're seeing hopeful signs on. In the last couple of months, you've started to see just a little bit of wage growth, which you know, this is six years into a recovery. So that's a long time for that to happen. But it is finally happening, and I think that that's why you're seeing that big swing in expectations.

BERMAN: I want to talk about something that happened yesterday while many people were having their turkey and watching football, which is a huge economic development. Which is that OPEC met, and they decided that they are not going to cut back on production. The effect there is that oil prices are really, really low, and they dropped even more yesterday.

FOROOHAR: Yes.

BERMAN: And the United States, you know, teetering around, you know, $70 or below, which means your gas prices right now are averaging $2.2 -- what...

FOROOHAR: Oh, huge.

BERMAN: ... $2.80 a gallon, $2.79 a gallon, which is the lowest in four years? That's big.

FOROOHAR: Yes. Oh, it's really big. I mean, they're down $30 a barrel since -- since the summer. So that's a huge amount of stimulus, really, for the economy. People really feel that right away.

You know, I talked to people in the street, and they say, "Hey, it's costing $20, $30 to fill up now instead of $50 or $60." That's big.

BERMAN: And it really affects consumer spending fairly directly.

FOROOHAR: Yes. Absolutely.

BERMAN: I mean, there is a correlation between when gas prices drop, people tend to spend more.

FOROOHAR: That's right. And particularly for lower-income people. Gas, heating prices, that's really big, and that will increase spending on the holiday season, I think.

BERMAN: I want to talk a little bit of macroeconomics here in terms of oil production. One of the reasons that oil prices are so low is this huge boom in production in the United States.

FOROOHAR: Right.

BERMAN: The shale production here. Now, they could start to be hurt a little bit, these big producers in North Dakota, in Texas. As these prices drop, it's getting perilously close to the break-even point for them.

FOROOHAR: It's true. You need about $70, $80, in some cases, in order to make that kind of production economically viable. So if prices start to go down lower, then yes, you could see some of that production come offline. That's something we wouldn't want to see. Because this energy independence that we've been feeling over the last few years is really great economically and politically for the U.S.

BERMAN: You want to strike a balance. As a consumer, it's awfully hard to get worried when gas prices are dropping.

FOROOHAR: Sure.

BERMAN: It's good, no matter what.

FOROOHAR: Right.

BERMAN: But at a certain point, it could start to have an impact on the U.S. economy.

FOROOHAR: That's true. You know, it's a tricky balance between -- between oil. Because you feel it immediately in your wallet. But as you say, we don't want to derail our own energy boom. So I think we're OK at the moment, though; $70 is -- is not a bad thing.

BERMAN; So it is interesting. As we start to see these signs of economic improvement, and not just signs of improvement but signs of people feeling the economic improvement...

FOROOHAR: Yes.

BERMAN: ... you start to wonder whether it will have a political impact.

FOROOHAR: Yes. BERMAN: President Obama and the Democrats just faced a really, really bad mid-term election for them. But, you know, as the economy improves, you start to see, generally speaking, approval rates continue for presidents.

FOROOHAR: Yes, absolutely. And I think it also makes people feel less polarized. I mean, I'm hopeful, in a way, that if people are feeling more optimistic about the economy, that there will not be this kind of gridlock, this sort of, you know, wrangling over details that you've seen in Washington the last few years. You might see more of a coming together around things like tax reform and immigration. You know, we can hope.

BERMAN: Yes. Yes, we can hope. I don't know. All right. Rana Foroohar, great to have you with us this morning. Really appreciate it.

FOROOHAR: Thank you.

BERMAN: Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right, John. Thanks so much.

Another quiet night in Ferguson, Missouri, but anger still simmers over the grand jury decision to clear Officer Wilson in the Michael Brown shooting. What could the legal system hold for Officer Wilson? Our legal panel is here. We have so many things to discuss with them this morning.

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