BET Wire: Everybody's Talking About Ferguson

Grand jury decision strikes emotional chords.

In Case You Missed It - Republicans leave President Obama scratching his head; Ben Carson kind of blames the spread of measles on immigrants; one lawmaker thinks it's OK if your food service worker doesn't wash his hands after a bathroom break — and more. — Joyce Jones (@BETpolitichick)

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In Case You Missed It - The Ferguson grand jury decision has struck emotional chords in many leaders; open enrollment for health care is off to a much better start this year; D.C. is planning a send off for Marion Barry that is fit for a king, and more. —Joyce Jones (@BETpolitichick)

Not Likely - New York Rep. Peter King (R-New York) has an idea: the president and Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer cleared by a grand jury in the shooting death of Michael Brown, should have a sit-down: "I think it would be very helpful if President Obama went and met with the police officer, or invited him to the White House and said, ‘You’ve gone through four months of smear and slander, and the least we can do is tell you that it’s unfortunate that it happened and thank you for doing your job,’” the lawmaker said on Fox Business on Tuesday.   (Photo: Fox Business)

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Not Likely - New York Rep. Peter King (R-New York) has an idea: the president and Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer cleared by a grand jury in the shooting death of Michael Brown, should have a sit-down: "I think it would be very helpful if President Obama went and met with the police officer, or invited him to the White House and said, ‘You’ve gone through four months of smear and slander, and the least we can do is tell you that it’s unfortunate that it happened and thank you for doing your job,’” the lawmaker said on Fox Business on Tuesday. (Photo: Fox Business)

An Eye on You - Missouri Reps. Emanuel Cleaver and Lacy Clay will introduce legislation requiring law enforcement officers to wear body cameras when they return to Washington after the Thanksgiving holiday. “We ought to pass national legislation that will create, I think, a positive atmosphere after this thing is over. And that is that police officers, law enforcement officers, must wear cameras and that as we did years ago with the COPS program, we would make federal grants available to small communities that couldn’t afford to have these cameras. And I think it will probably prevent some hoodlums from acting crazy and probably some police officers who might not be psychologically equipped to be police officers," Cleaver said on MSNBC.    (Photo: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)

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An Eye on You - Missouri Reps. Emanuel Cleaver and Lacy Clay will introduce legislation requiring law enforcement officers to wear body cameras when they return to Washington after the Thanksgiving holiday. “We ought to pass national legislation that will create, I think, a positive atmosphere after this thing is over. And that is that police officers, law enforcement officers, must wear cameras and that as we did years ago with the COPS program, we would make federal grants available to small communities that couldn’t afford to have these cameras. And I think it will probably prevent some hoodlums from acting crazy and probably some police officers who might not be psychologically equipped to be police officers," Cleaver said on MSNBC. (Photo: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)

Pointing Fingers - “In the search for culpability for the tragedy in Ferguson, I mostly blame politicians,” Sen. Rand Paul wrote in Time magazine Tuesday. “Three out of four people in jail for drugs are people of color. In the African-American community, folks rightly ask why are our sons disproportionately incarcerated, killed, and maimed?” He also blamed reliance on "government solutions" for ongoing poverty in certain communities. “While a hand-up can be part of the plan, if the plan doesn’t include the self-discovery of education, work, and the self-esteem that comes with work, the cycle of poverty will continue,” the Kentucky Republican added.   (Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)

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Pointing Fingers - “In the search for culpability for the tragedy in Ferguson, I mostly blame politicians,” Sen. Rand Paul wrote in Time magazine Tuesday. “Three out of four people in jail for drugs are people of color. In the African-American community, folks rightly ask why are our sons disproportionately incarcerated, killed, and maimed?” He also blamed reliance on "government solutions" for ongoing poverty in certain communities. “While a hand-up can be part of the plan, if the plan doesn’t include the self-discovery of education, work, and the self-esteem that comes with work, the cycle of poverty will continue,” the Kentucky Republican added. (Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)

Questionable Intentions - Like many critics of Ferguson prosecutor Robert McCulloch, Rep. Gregory Meeks, himself a former prosecutor, has a lot of questions about his handling of the grand jury that cleared officer Wilson. “Generally, you take a case to the grand jury — at the conclusion of the case, the prosecutor asks for an indictment and from [everything] I’ve gotten thus far from the transcripts, this prosecutor never asked for an indictment,” the New York Democrat said on MSNBC. “It seems as though the prosecutor went into the grand jury wanting an outcome, and that outcome being a no true bill.” McCulloch also has been accused of behaving more like Wilson's defense attorney than a prosecutor.   (Photo: MSNBC)

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Questionable Intentions - Like many critics of Ferguson prosecutor Robert McCulloch, Rep. Gregory Meeks, himself a former prosecutor, has a lot of questions about his handling of the grand jury that cleared officer Wilson. “Generally, you take a case to the grand jury — at the conclusion of the case, the prosecutor asks for an indictment and from [everything] I’ve gotten thus far from the transcripts, this prosecutor never asked for an indictment,” the New York Democrat said on MSNBC. “It seems as though the prosecutor went into the grand jury wanting an outcome, and that outcome being a no true bill.” McCulloch also has been accused of behaving more like Wilson's defense attorney than a prosecutor. (Photo: MSNBC)

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The Right Way and the Wrong Way - At the start of a speech in Chicago to tout his immigration proposal, Obama spoke about the anger in Ferguson. "The frustrations that we've seen are not just about a particular incident. They have deep roots in many communities of color who have a sense that our laws are not being enforced uniformly or fairly," he said. The president also noted that "there are productive ways of responding and expressing those frustrations, and there are destructive ways of responding" and there is "no excuse" for the latter.    (Photo: AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

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The Right Way and the Wrong Way - At the start of a speech in Chicago to tout his immigration proposal, Obama spoke about the anger in Ferguson. "The frustrations that we've seen are not just about a particular incident. They have deep roots in many communities of color who have a sense that our laws are not being enforced uniformly or fairly," he said. The president also noted that "there are productive ways of responding and expressing those frustrations, and there are destructive ways of responding" and there is "no excuse" for the latter.  (Photo: AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

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A Slap in the Face - The Congressional Black Caucus denounced the Ferguson grand jury decision as a "miscarriage of justice" and more. “It is a slap in the face to Americans nationwide who continue to hope and believe that justice will prevail. This decision seems to underscore an unwritten rule that Black lives hold no value; that you may kill Black men in this country without consequences or repercussions,” said CBC Chairwoman Marcia Fudge in a statement. “This is a frightening narrative for every parent and guardian of Black and brown children, and another setback for race relations in America.” (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Better Before? - Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson believes that race relations in the U.S. have deteriorated under Obama. "I actually believe that things were better before this president was elected. And I think that things have gotten worse because of his unusual emphasis on race," Carson said on the Hugh Hewitt radio show, citing the president's remarks after the George Zimmerman verdict and the Ferguson grand jury decision. "And then the way, which really irritates me to some degree, the way he and a bunch of progressives manipulate, particularly minority communities, to make them feel that they are victims. And of course if you think you’re a victim, you are a victim."   (Photo: Laura Segall/Getty Images)

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Better Before? - Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson believes that race relations in the U.S. have deteriorated under Obama. "I actually believe that things were better before this president was elected. And I think that things have gotten worse because of his unusual emphasis on race," Carson said on the Hugh Hewitt radio show, citing the president's remarks after the George Zimmerman verdict and the Ferguson grand jury decision. "And then the way, which really irritates me to some degree, the way he and a bunch of progressives manipulate, particularly minority communities, to make them feel that they are victims. And of course if you think you’re a victim, you are a victim."  (Photo: Laura Segall/Getty Images)

A Nation Divided - A new poll from Quinnipiac University shows that a majority of Americans (48 percent) do not believe that the president should take executive action on immigration if Congress fails to act, compared to 45 percent who support his plan. In addition, 48 percent of voters said that undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay in the U.S. with a path to citizenship, down from 57 percent in November 2013.    (Photo: Kevin Hagen/Getty Images) 

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A Nation Divided - A new poll from Quinnipiac University shows that a majority of Americans (48 percent) do not believe that the president should take executive action on immigration if Congress fails to act, compared to 45 percent who support his plan. In addition, 48 percent of voters said that undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay in the U.S. with a path to citizenship, down from 57 percent in November 2013. (Photo: Kevin Hagen/Getty Images) 

Is a Health Care Plan on Your Shopping List? - The Department of Health and Human Services has teamed up with Westfield Shopping Centers, the National Community Pharmacists Association and the XO Group, parent company of websites like The Knot, The Nest and The Bump, to promote Obamacare to shoppers looking for great deals on Black Friday, Small Business Sunday and Cyber Monday. Open enrollment for 2015 began on Nov. 15 and ends on Feb. 15.   (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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Is a Health Care Plan on Your Shopping List? - The Department of Health and Human Services has teamed up with Westfield Shopping Centers, the National Community Pharmacists Association and the XO Group, parent company of websites like The Knot, The Nest and The Bump, to promote Obamacare to shoppers looking for great deals on Black Friday, Small Business Sunday and Cyber Monday. Open enrollment for 2015 began on Nov. 15 and ends on Feb. 15. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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A Solid Start - Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell says open enrollment is "off to a solid start." More than one million people submitted applications during the first week. But, another 8.65 million people are needed to reach HHS's goal of 9.1 in 2015.   (Photo: Healthcare.GOV)

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A Solid Start - Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell says open enrollment is "off to a solid start." More than one million people submitted applications during the first week. But, another 8.65 million people are needed to reach HHS's goal of 9.1 in 2015. (Photo: Healthcare.GOV)

Marion Barry - Four years prior to being sworn in for the second time as the mayor of Washington, D.C., Marion Barry was forced from the mayor's office and later imprisoned for being caught on videotape smoking crack. The politician made the ultimate comeback, now acting as the councilman for Washington, D.C. Can't keep a good man down, can you?(Photo: Andrew Harnik/ The Washington Times /Landov)

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A Fond Farewell - The District of Columbia will celebrate the life of former mayor Marion Barry over a three-day period from Dec. 4-6. After a 24-hour repose in the city council building, on Dec. 5, the casket will travel in a motorcade to each of the city's eight wards, followed by a musical and video tribute and a community memorial service in Barry's Ward 8. On Dec. 6, there will be a public memorial service at the convention center, which Mayor Vincent Gray estimates tens of thousands of people will want to attend. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times/Landov)

Turkey Pardon - First daughters Malia and Sasha were on hand when their father pardoned Mac and Cheese, two 20-week-old, 48-pound turkeys. The pardon is a Thanksgiving tradition that dates back to the Harry Truman administration. “I know some will call this amnesty, but don’t worry, there is plenty of turkey to go around,” he said, taking a jab at his conservative critics who have accused him of acting outside his executive authority on immigration.     (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

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Turkey Pardon - First daughters Malia and Sasha were on hand when their father pardoned Mac and Cheese, two 20-week-old, 48-pound turkeys. The pardon is a Thanksgiving tradition that dates back to the Harry Truman administration. “I know some will call this amnesty, but don’t worry, there is plenty of turkey to go around,” he said, taking a jab at his conservative critics who have accused him of acting outside his executive authority on immigration.   (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)