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CNN NEWSROOM

Ray Rice Wins NFL Suspension Appeal; Protest March Planned for Ferguson; Community Meets on Gun Violence After Boy's Death; Pope Francis in Turkey; Austin Police Department Shooting; Interview with Yamma Brown; Who Will Replace Chuck Hagel?; Black Friday Sales Extended; Darren Wilson in Hiding over Shooting; Confiscated Criminal Goods Auctioned Online

Aired November 29, 2014 - 14:00   ET

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


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Meantime, the next hour of the NEWSROOM starts right now.

Allowed to play again. Ray Rice wins an appeal of the suspension that he received after being caught on camera beating his then fiancee, this as Janay Rice now, his wife, pours her heart out about that night.

Then his own son was gunned down and killed by police during a traffic stop. Now he is pushing for change in Ferguson, Missouri. That father joins us live.

And two boys trapped under several feet of snow for seven hours.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was thinking me and my cousin was going to die.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We started screaming and telling him to stop, but he hit us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: How they survived, next.

Hello again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Welcome to the Newsroom. We begin with major news from the NFL. Ray Rice has won his appeal and is eligible to play again as soon as a team signs him. That's the ruling of an arbitrator who determined Commissioner Roger Goodell should never have increased Rice's original two-game suspension to indefinite because Rice didn't lie about hitting his then fiance Janay in an Atlantic City elevator. And as the ruling comes down, Janay is now speaking openly about what happened that night in February.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANAY RICE, WIFE OF FORMER RAVENS PLAYER RAY RICE: I was furious. We came home and we didn't talk the entire ride. Well, I didn't speak to him the entire ride home. He tried to speak to me. I didn't want to hear any of it. I just knew he hit me and I was completely over it. I was done, didn't want to hear anything. I just didn't even want to entertain it, entertain him, anything he had to say, any explanation. Of course in the back of my mind and my heart I knew that our relationship wouldn't be over, because I know that this isn't us and it's not him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The NFL says it respects the arbitrator's decision and released this statement, saying, quote, "Judge Jones's ruling underscores the urgency of our work to develop and implement a clear, fair, and comprehensive new personal conduct policy," end quote. "We expect this policy to be completed and announced in the weeks ahead. Our focus is on consistently enforcing an improved policy going forward," all of that from their statement.

All right, there's been no shortage of opinion on the Ray Rice incident. The attack on Janay last February was universally criticized, but so was the way it was handled by the NFL. Here's how some Baltimore Ravens fans reacted after the arbitrator's ruling last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was suspended two games. He should have did the two games and then been reinstated in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know that what he did is wrong. But the penalty is what they gave him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think he'll play again?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, absolutely. Somebody will pick him up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not sure if I was the owner if I would.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: After backlash from the original suspension for Rice, the NFL announced new domestic violence sanctions -- a six-game suspension for the first offense, lifetime ban for a second.

All right, to Cleveland now, where a viewing will take place tomorrow for a 12-year-old boy who was shot and killed by police. Last Saturday an officer thought Tamir Rice had been waving a real gun at people outside a park. But it turned out to be a toy pellet gun. Now people from his community are having tough conversations about gun violence and relationships with police. I want to bring in CNN's Rosa Flores. So Rosa, take us inside these conversations. How are people feeling?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a really tough time, Fredricka. This is not an easy time for the family. Imagine watching video of your son getting shot by police. And so they've asked the community to have a dialogue of sorts with authorities, and the community is actually honoring that request. Take a look at this church gathering where supporters shared their grief and applaud police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If a black person reaches for something, their kneejerk response now is to shoot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can we tolerate a world where the lives of black people mean nothing? It's that basic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've owned a gun almost 30 years and I've never had to shoot anybody. And I've been out there.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot and killed by police last week. Surveillance video and a 911 call were released. Here's a snippet from that 911 call. Listen closely because the caller says that the weapon could be fake.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sitting in the park at West Boulevard by the West Boulevard position. And there's a guy with a pistol. It's probably fake but he's like pointed it at everybody. The guy keeps pulling it out. It's probably fake, but you know what, it scaring the --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: Now, it's important to note that the dispatcher doesn't relay that the gun could be fake to the responding police officers. We now know the boy was shot by police. He died a day later. It turns out the gun he was brandishing was a fake. The orange tip that indicates that it was a fake was pulled off, however. All of this, Fredricka, of course under investigation.

WHITFIELD: And so, Rosa, all of this taking place while there was a separate investigation involving Cleveland police. What's that all about?

FLORES: You know, we've been digging into this. And we've learned that the Department of Justice has been looking into police practices there over a year. A spokesperson telling CNN via email today that the investigation is ongoing and that several incidents triggered the scrutiny.

And we check online as well at a press release there saying that the investigation focuses on the use of force, including unreasonably deadly force, and on adequacy of training, supervision, and accountability. So we're going to keep an eye on it, Fred, to see what is the outcome of this investigation, but of course everybody looking at it in light of what happened most recently with Tamir Rice.

WHITFIELD: Indeed. All right, very sad situation. Rosa Flores, thank you so much.

FLORES: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: And a new protest march is just about to get under way in Ferguson, Missouri. It is a march to the state capital in Jefferson City and will wind up a week from now. The NAACP says it wants a new police chief in Ferguson, among other changes.

Ed Lavandera joining me now from Ferguson. So this march is scheduled to kick off at any moment now. I already see a lot of people assembling or at least walking behind you. Set the stage for us.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, I'm going to set the scene a little bit for you here. This is Canfield Street. And there in the middle of the street, that's where the altercation between Darren Wilson and Michael Brown took place where he was shot and killed. And over the course of the last three months it has remained as a memorial where people have come and still gathered over the course of the last three months.

And that is where this NAACP march to the state capital of Missouri will be kicking off here in a little while. Here at the church service they were kicking off events just a little while ago. They're in the process of getting on buses and coming over to this location and kicking off the march that will probably go about 10 miles or so.

As you can see, this is kind of a scene that you see from time to time here on Canfield Street. It's just up this way, Fredricka, where you hit Florissant Road, which has been the site of some of the worst and most violent nights that have occurred here in the last three months. But these organizers want this peaceful, nonviolent march to send a stronger message and to try to take over those images of the violence and the looting and the rioting and the burning of buildings and businesses that we have seen. And they hope what they see here and what they do here over the course of the next seven days sends a clearer and a much different message. And they want this march to overshadow all the negative things that we have seen over the course of the last week here in Ferguson. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And then, Ed, is there any way of knowing who is making up the marchers, the protesters today?

LAVANDERA: You know, it's interesting. It is spearheaded by the national office of the NAACP. So we spoke with some folks this morning who had come in from Michigan and from Texas to participate in this march. You have a lot of, you know, people here locally. What I witnessed at least so far in the church service this morning, a lot of older people, but a good number of younger people as well, which I found to be pretty interesting.

And one of the things that some of those folks had talked to us about is that they hoped over the course of the next seven days all of this builds momentum. You know, we talked in the last hour, Fredricka, about how this is done deliberately to kind of be reminiscent of the 1960s civil rights marches. That's the reason why they are doing this. And the head of the NAACP told me in the marches that went from Selma to Montgomery, that those grew exponentially in numbers as the days went on and they hope to see something similar to that here with this march that starts today.

WHITFIELD: Ed Lavandera, thank you so much, appreciate that, from Ferguson.

LAVANDERA: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Pope Francis is reaching out to Muslims during his three- day trip to Turkey. The Pope led a mass that assembled earlier today and also towards two important religious sites, including a 17th century mosque. The Pope's visit comes amid heightened tensions between Christians and Muslims. His goal is to help increase interfaith dialogue. Francis is the fourth Pope to visit Turkey.

Thinner clouds showing up for black Friday sales across the country, but in spite of that shoppers are expected to increase their spending by four percent over last year. The National Retail Federation says Americans will spend $616.9 billion in November and December. And 140 million of us are expected to shop in stores online this holiday weekend alone.

And as a Ferguson protest march gets under way, we'll talk to a man whose son was also killed in a police shooting. How his determination changed the way shootings are investigated in his hometown.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: And 21-year-old Michael Bell Jr. was shot and killed by police during a traffic stop 10 years ago. Here's part of a report from CNN's Kyung Lah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The officer and Bell walked out of the view of the police dash-cam, but you can still hear what's happening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know my rights.

LAH: As the scuffle escalates, Bell is handcuffed but still fighting. Then in front of his mother and sister, a distinct sound.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That was in Wisconsin. Within 48 hours of that shooting, the Kenosha Police Department cleared themselves of any wrongdoing. They ruled the killing was justifiable. Michael's father, retired air force lieutenant colonel Michael Bell, Sr., joining me from Milwaukee. Good to see you. You were actually very instrumental in changing a law in Wisconsin so that now all police shootings are investigated by an independent panel. Tell me how you were able to do that.

MICHAEL BELL, POLICE REVIEW PROCESS ADVOCATE: Well, it took us 10 years. We weren't able to protest, but what we did is we publicly challenged law enforcement. We put billboards up around the state. At one time our family had 43 billboards up in Milwaukee on the interstates and we had 12.5 million people driving by them each week. Essentially we called outlaw enforcement. We said when police kill, should they judge themselves?

But more important we knew that a high ranking official had to be called out. We called out the mayor of the city of Milwaukee at the time. When we continued to put on this pressure, finally the executive director of the largest police union in the state of Wisconsin met with me. He said essentially if you take down your billboards we will work with you and help you craft the legislation that you seek.

WHITFIELD: Do you think this kind of legislation should be crafted for the state of Missouri?

BELL: Absolutely, because right now there is a broken bond of trust between law enforcement and the community. And I know that not only black people are killed with impunity but white people are killed with impunity too because of the fact the system is broken. Our own research showed in the state of Wisconsin in 129 years we could not find an unjustified shooting by a police officer when it was reviewed by police and fire commission or department or an inquest jury.

WHITFIELD: And the Michael Brown family is pushing for a law, something different, one that would require all police officers to wear body cameras. So they have not necessarily laid the groundwork for it, but given that you have also tried to institute a new law and you did that successfully over a 10-year period, what would your advice be to the Michael Brown family as to how they would proceed, what the expectation should be in terms of how long it might take them?

BELL: Well, the legislator I work with, Garey Bies, he came in and he said this. He said "We need to sit down at the table and establish great dialogue." And that's what we did. And every time there was a point or a counterpoint, we came to the table and we talked about it and we worked it out. And in the end our law was supported by five of the largest police unions in the state of Wisconsin. And I urge the Brown family to do the same, talk about this. Remember that police officers are human beings. They have a very difficult job. And also the families are hurting badly. But when you come to the table and sit down and work on it, that's when magic happens.

WHITFIELD: And whenever there is a police-involved shooting that you learn of, how much of that makes you think about your son and what you as a family went through?

BELL: All the time. When I was looking at the Tamir Rice shooting in Cleveland, I was sickened by it because I know it happened in November. I know that family is sitting down at its Thanksgiving table and that child is not here. It's an empty feeling. You look around and you don't even know how to categorize it. You don't even know what to say at that table. It's a tremendous amount of pain. WHITFIELD: And clearly this grief really will be forever that you

have lost your son. So what advice would you have for the Michael Brown family? How do you get through it? How do you carry on at the same time of course never forgetting the memory of your son?

BELL: Well, a couple of things. You need great therapy. You need to go out and you need to be able to talk about this because you need to be able to understand your grief. Don't disregard it. The second thing that we did is we tried to find families that had greater pain than our own. We found families that had lost 11 children in a tsunami or four children in a fire. And when you look at your own pain it hurts a lot, but when you look at what other people have endured, it kind of makes yours not so terrible to endure.

WHITFIELD: Of course that advice would also be applicable to the family of Tamir Rice as you just brought up, the Cleveland family. Thanks so much. Michael Bell, appreciate your time.

BELL: Fredricka, thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

All right, two boys buried in snow for seven hours. Now they are speaking out about their terrifying ordeal.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, two little boys buried in snow for seven hours are now recounting how they survived their life-threatening ordeal. Our affiliate News 12 Westchester has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got scared.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We started screaming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We couldn't feel part of our bodies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was thinking that me and my cousin were going to die.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Me too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And nine-year-old Jason Rivera recounting the terrifying seven hours he spent trapped with his 11-year-old cousin Elijah Martinez under several feet of snow before being rescued by Newberg police early Thanksgiving morning. The boys who were being treated at Westchester medical center say they were building a snow igloo when a plow driver clearing this parking lot unknowingly began sealing them in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We started screaming and telling them to stop, but he didn't hear us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As hour after hour passed the boys became increasingly desperate and cold, the space so tight they say they could only move their legs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My throat was hurting. I was gasping for air. And I punched up towards the hole and made a little tiny space.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When 10:00 hit and the boys still hadn't returned home, the parents began canvassing the neighborhood for them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Finally I said we have to call the cops. Something is wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That launched a massive search effort by Newberg police and over 30 people from the community. The search finally ending just after 2:00 in the morning Thanksgiving Day when an officer spotted a shovel out of a snow bank and started digging. Underneath, two very cold but relieved boys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel so happy. Everything that we went through fell right off my back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow. That is a remarkable story. So when asked what they wanted to do as soon as they got home from the hospital, both boys answered at the same time, Jason saying eat and Elijah proclaiming go to Disneyworld. Hopefully they both get their wish.

All right, coming up, fuel prices, they might be falling, but that doesn't mean your plane ticket will be any cheaper this holiday season. Why airfares are actually on the rise.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories crossing the CNN News Desk right now.

Ray Rice can play again in the NFL if a team signs him. An arbitrator ruled the league had no basis for increasing the penalty on Rice from a two-game suspension to indefinite for punching his then fiance Janay. Commissioner Roger Goodell changed his original penalty on Rice after seeing a video of the incident which happened last February in Atlantic City.

A protest march will get under way soon in Ferguson, Missouri. It is the start of a seven-day walk to the state capital. Protesters are demanding changes in the Ferguson police department. And overnight hundreds of protesters gathered outside the police station, some of them clashing with police and the National Guard. Sixteen people were arrested. Nearly all of them were from out of state.

And a community meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, focused on gun violence after a police officer fatally shot a 12-year-old boy carrying a toy pellet gun. The tragic incident happened last weekend. And 911 tapes revealed police thought the boy was a 20-year-old man. The dispatcher also failed to relay to police that the original 911 caller said twice that the gun was probably fake. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And overseas that was the scene in a Cairo courtroom earlier today after a judge dropped charges against Hosni Mubarak. The former Egyptian president was acquitted of conspiracy in the deaths of hundreds of protesters in the 2011 uprising against him. Corruption charges were also dismissed. But Mubarak won't walk free just yet. He is still serving a three-year sentence for embezzlement.

And we are in the middle of one of the busiest travel times of the year. And if you haven't booked your December holiday plane tickets, well, you might be in for a little sticker shock. One would imagine with falling oil prices fares would be dropping as well, but CNN Money's Cristina Alesci explains why that is not the case

CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Oil prices have been plunging. You're seeing it at the gas pump, in your heating bill. But it's not showing up in your airfare. Ticket prices keep rising, up three percent even though jet fuel is down 18 percent since August. And that's the biggest expense for any airline.

So why do ticket prices keep going up? Because people keep traveling. So why lower prices when demand is high? About 85 percent of seats have been filled so far this year. That's a record. So essentially you're paying for a more crowded plane.

Now, passengers aren't happy with that but investors are loving this dynamic. Southwest is the best performing stock in the S&P 500 so far this year. It's more than doubled. Delta, American Airlines, and United Continental also very big winners on Wall Street. So for now those guys are pocketing the profit and watching shares soar. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Cristina, Thank you so much. And as you prepare to either fly or drive home from your Thanksgiving destination we've got ways to help you avoid some travel problems and ease some of the stress. That is next.

But first, one sure sign of the holidays are going up in New York City, the original Macy's in Herald Square revealing their holiday window display. Our Vanessa Yurkevich goes behind the scenes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Twenty sculptors, 10 painters, five graphic artists, and one elaborate story, that's Macy's recipe for their six holiday windows.

ROYA SULLIVAN: Our windows are a combination of old school artistry, basically sculptors creating these beautiful scenes, plus digital and mechanical artistry. YURKEVICH: It takes a village to create one of Macy's windows. The

design team starts working a year in advance. And they've gotten good because they basically invented window dressing back in 1870. They were the first retailer to do it in New York City, and it has been bringing shoppers through the door ever since.

What kind of investment is this?

SULLIVAN: For us it's a gift of the city. And we feel that you really don't put a price on a gift.

YURKEVICH: But it's a pretty pricey gift. Analysts suggest it can cost up to $150,000 each. And that's not including labor. But once you see what goes into it that may not seem so crazy. At a warehouse in Brooklyn, dozens of Santa's helpers paint, sculpt, and drill around the clock.

So this is where all the magic happens?

SULLIVAN: This is where the magic happens.

YURKEVICH: Reindeer are made from 3D printers, the displays from Styrofoam, and there are 1,000 LED lights. They even let me in on the fun.

I have so many dreams of going to the moon so this is such a thrill for me.

When the windows are complete, they are taken apart, boxed up, and transported to Herald Square where they fit into this small door and into this 12.5 by 7.5 foot space. After each is piece loaded in one by one, this is what it's like to be standing in one of these windows. And millions and millions of tourists and New Yorkers will get to see exactly this.

How can you measure whether or not these windows are a success or a hit?

SULLIVAN: We are looking at the way the children react to our windows. And many of us have seen the children coming right up to the glass and putting their faces against our glass. And then that's how we know this was a success.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, millions of people jamming the airports and highways at the same time. Well, that's exactly what might happen tomorrow as the Thanksgiving holiday winds down. We want to help you get through it all. So joining me right now from New York is Mark Murphy. He's the author of "Travel Unscripted" and founder of TravelPulse.com. Good to see you. Happy holiday weekend.

MARK MURPHY, AUTHOR, "TRAVEL UNSCRIPTED": You, too.

WHITFIELD: All right, so you have tips for us. And the first is leave after morning rush hour on Monday.

MURPHY: Yes. You know what, I don't understand why people want to drive back on Sunday night. I don't get it, because you're going to be stuck in traffic. I used to travel between New York and New Jersey and it could take five hours to get back from my folks' house. I just skipped it and came into late work on Monday, and the bosses be, you know what.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Good advice for next year, plan on taking that Monday off.

MURPHY: Definitely.

WHITFIELD: If you are flying, here's some advice you give. See if you can change your flight to the first or second one leaving of the day because there are bound to be delays.

MURPHY: Yes. So first off, when you go to book your flight, book the first flight out in the morning. It's always a great rule of thumb especially on holiday weekends. Secondly, if you're already booked for a later flight, check the flights with the airlines and see if any seats are open. And then go stand by if there are open seats for that first flight. But remember, standby is on a first come, first serve basis. You may stand around at the airport all day as well.

WHITFIELD: Oh, gosh, that's the worst. And there wouldn't be a change fee when you do that?

MURPHY: Yes, and that's the key -- no change fee. No human standby fee in most airlines, and no difference if fares. So you get the benefit of getting out early. Hopefully you'll get a seat, but as you saw from your earlier segment, 85 percent of the seats are filled, almost 100 percent this weekend, so your chances are slim to none.

WHITFIELD: All right, and then some airports are destinations in and of it themselves because there's shopping and there are things to do. And so you say give yourself a little extra time to enjoy that. How?

MURPHY: Well, you know what, let's face it, the airlines and airports, do they collude here to come up with a way to keep us happy when we're delayed? Possibly. They have literally like little shopping malls and some high-end shops, great restaurants these days. It depends on the airport. And literary you can get there a little bit early, kickback, have low stress, and maybe do a little cyber airport shopping if you would this Sunday.

WHITFIELD: All right. And if your flight is canceled or delayed, heaven forbid, you say there is actually an app that might be a able to increase your chances of get a refund. What?

MURPHY: All right, so here's the catch. It's a little known European Union law that says if your flights are delayed or canceled, you could be entitled to compensation depending on the delay and the price of your ticket and a few other factors up to 600 euros, and that's only for flights originating out of a European Union country or within those countries. So if you're flying on a domestic U.S. carrier that's coming from Frankfurt and it's delayed, you are entitled to compensation based on that EU law.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, that's really good, because oftentimes delays, cancellations usually weather related, and the airline is quick to tell you, sorry, if it's weather related, you're getting nothing out of us.

MURPHY: All right, so here's the number. A year ago, $1 billion worth of claims could have been made by U.S. travelers based on that existing law.

WHITFIELD: OK, I'm going to remember that app. Mark Murphy, thanks so much. I love that holiday advice. Good to see.

MURPHY: You, too.

WHITFIELD: And this holiday weekend some places in the nation are going to warm up a little bit, but for how long? Meteorologist Jennifer Gray joins us with that. Jennifer?

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Fred, over the next couple of days people will be traveling back after Thanksgiving holiday. And the conditions are actually pretty nice. We do have high pressure in the southeast, warmer temperatures making their way into the mid-Atlantic and the northeast ahead of the next cold front. Cold air, however, will stay in place across the northern plains in the Midwest.

A little bit of rain expected in the south on Monday, but Saturday and Sunday looking good across the south. Cold temperatures, like we said, teens and single digits Sunday and Monday in Minneapolis, unfortunately, even cold in Chicago. We warm up to the mid-40s though before the cool-down. In Atlanta, look at this. Temperatures close to 70 degrees. By Sunday and Monday, even Dallas, mid-70s today and tomorrow. New York City even warms up into the 50s before you drop down into the 30s by midweek.

Another big story, the rain in the west. California could see rain in a big way, some areas six inches or more. So good news for state. Even Oregon picking up on some of that. And snow pushing into the Rockies over the next couple of days as well.

We're looking at snowfall totals. Up to a foot or more possibly. Jackson Hole. We're also looking at rain, two to four inches across much of northern California, up to six in isolated locations. Southern portion of the state, not quite as much.

But if you are traveling back on Sunday, aside from California and the west coast, the rest of the country, travel should be great. We're looking at quiet conditions. We're seeing maybe a few showers as we work our way to the east. But sunshine across D.C., New York, a little bit of snow possible in Detroit. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Not bad at all. Thanks so much, Jennifer, appreciate it.

All right, now our weekly look into the future. Today we go to the bank that is now in your hands. Here's Richard Quest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There was a time when handling your money meant popping down to your local branch to do a bit of banking. Today much of that bank fits into the palm of our hands. The future of banking might take us back into our local branches as traditional banks look for ways to make their physical space as enticing as the virtual one.

EVE CALLAHAN, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS, UMPQUA BANK: The branch model is outdated and not relevant any longer. We are look to go create a different kind of bank, one that offers all the products and services of a large bank but delivers them with real community engagement and the service of a great retailer or hospitality company.

QUEST: Oregon-based Umpqua Bank has adopted what they call store concept with their 364 branches. It's modeled after retailers like the Gap and the Apple store. The goal is to attract customers with a more comfortable, a more welcoming experience.

CALLAHAN: We still do our banking online. But we come here because of the community, because of meeting the people that we see when we come here.

QUEST: And that's the key. Bankers rely heavily on face-to-face relationships to offer financial products and services. So they are offering new enticements to lure Internet and mobile customers back into the branch. Banks like Barclays, Chase, and Citibank have all created these new branches with that very thought in mind, trying to capture the new banking consumer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, one of the nation's most prestigious universities is facing widespread criticism after a shocking report about rape on its campus. "Rolling Stone" magazine first reported on the many alleged sexual assaults happening at the University of Virginia. Even more disturbing, the magazine said far too many rape claims were never properly investigated. And Joe Johns picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CROWD: Not one more!

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Protests and angry accusations at university leadership, the fallout from an explosive article in "Rolling Stone" recounting in graphic detail the alleged game rape at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house two years ago of a female student named Jackie.

NICOLE ERAMO, ASSOCIATE DEAN OF STUDENTS: I can tell you that I spoke to 38 sexual assault survivors last year.

JOHNS: This is Dean Nicole Eramo who heads UVA's board that investigates sexual misconduct allegations. A few weeks before the "Rolling Stone" article, Eramo in an interview with a student reporter defended the fact that no student has been expelled for rape or sexual assault since 1998, not even the ones she says have admitted their guilt to her in informal sessions.

ERAMO: I feel like if a person is willing to come forward in that setting and admit that they violated the policy when there's absolutely no advantage to do so, that that deserves some consideration, that they are willing to say I've done something wrong and I recognize that and I'm willing to the take my licks and deal with it, that's very important to me.

JOHNS: Dean Eramo also put the responsibility of filing a formal complaint on the victim.

ERAMO: They're not looking for expulsion. They are not looking for that type of distinction. They are looking to be able to look into the eyes of that other person and say you wronged me in some way, and they are generally feeling quite satisfied that the person has admitted that they have done something wrong.

JOHNS: Listen to the student reporter press Eramo.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you not think that it's damaging for sexual assault victims to see the person to see who sexually assaulted or raped them?

ERAMO: I think it absolutely can be.

JOHNS: So why are they allowed back on campus?

ERAMO: Because I think we are trying to balance the rights of the individual who is being accused as well as the rights of the complainant. And sometimes that's very difficult.

JOHNS: Scores of current and former students have written letters supporting Dean Eramo. And despite the way her case was handled, Jackie, the woman at the center of the storm, has stepped back into the spotlight again to show her support as well, writing "Dean Eramo has truly saved my life. If it were not for her, I do not know if I could be alive today."

We reached out to Dean Eramo on Tuesday. She works in this building behind on the UVA campus. We were told by an aide she would not make herself available for comment. The aide would not take our telephone number and said that the Dean would not call us later for a conversation on the phone.

Joe Johns, CNN, Charlottesville, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And in a just few hours a marathon of CNN's original series "The Hunt" with John Walsh begins. Here's a preview coming up at 7:00 eastern time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My son sat me down and he said, mom, I have something to tell you. And I said, well, what is it? He said I don't know if I should because he promised me I wouldn't say anything. And at that moment my heart just sunk. And he proceeded to tell me that Charlie had touched him inappropriately and how he did it. When he finished telling me, I was physically sick. And I called his father and said he needed to come home right now. We needed to talk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even though Melissa was in the same bed, not only in the same house or in the same room, but in the same king-sized bed, he pulled back the sheets and proceeded to play with our son's private parts. And tried to explain to our son that it was normal what he was doing to him, that his parents were going to be upset with him if he told them, but it was normal for, you know, friends to do that. That it was normal for him to know about how to masturbate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We both listened to the story and we both wanted to make be sure that we weren't accusing one of our best friends of something so horrible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: This episode and more. The marathon begins tonight at 7:00 eastern time right here on CNN.

And still ahead in the CNN newsroom, a man who thought he'd have to the spend another Thanksgiving in a homeless shelter instead gets a wonderful surprise. It's a heartwarming story you don't want to miss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia went shopping for books today. The day after Black Friday has come to be known as small business Saturday. And so they jumped right in. The president did his part by pulling out a credit card. This time it worked, buying 17 books at this D.C. bookstore. He also took a moment to shake the hands of a few customers that you saw there. What a great moment I'm sure that was for all the customers there. That's fun.

All right, a family in Virginia put real meaning into the Thanksgiving holiday by inviting a homeless man to dinner. But in giving they got so much in return. Beverly Kidd with our affiliate KTKR has the full story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEVERLY KIDD, KTKR REPORTER: They were strangers until today.

NEAL SHYTLES, INVITED TO THANKSGIVING DINNER: Thank you so much.

KIDD: But Neal Shytles and Ashley and Cory McLemore bonded right away. SHYTLES: Oh, I love them. I love them. Me and Cory connect canned

as soon as I met him.

CORY MCLEMORE, INVITED HOMELESS MAN TO DINNER: I would say I almost felt like I knew him when I first pulled in. He was standing outside and just instantly connected. I reached out to shake his hand and he pulled me in for a hug.

SHYTLES: That's all I was looking for, was a family to share, you know, because I used to do it with my family. And I miss that. I miss -- it's just not the same at the mission. I went through it last year and I just didn't want to go through it again.

KIDD: this year Neal wouldn't have to spend Thanksgiving at the shelter. The McLemore's were one of the first to respond to Neal's request to have Thanksgiving dinner with a family.

ASHLEY MCLEMORE, INVITED HOMELESS MAN TO DINNER: I made some mashed potatoes and some English peas. We already have a ham and a turkey. I love my grandmother's southern recipes.

KIDD: But today was more than just about sharing a meal. It was about sharing a life.

ASHLEY MCLEMORE A lot of people could capitalize off of this themselves. And every post that I have seen him post is the shelter needs this. The people in the shelter are hurting. It's never about Neal.

KIDD: And now the shelter, the Union Mission, is getting much needed donation because Neal had the courage to reach out.

SHYTLES: I could sit there and cry because people are doing so much for the homeless now.

KIDD: And people also wanted to help Neal. Cory's coworkers pulled their money to help this stranger.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have actually donated $400 directly to you. And this is done in two days, so they really put forward and did everything they could to help you out.

SHYTLES: You didn't have to do this. I just wanted a meal.

I hope people learn that the homeless are not what sometimes you picture the homeless to be.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, and that's a great Thanksgiving wish granted.

All right, thanks so much for joining me today, this Saturday. Our news coverage continues with Suzanne Malveaux.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Here in the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Suzanne Malveaux.