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Anchored by Jake Tapper, The Lead airs at 4 p.m. ET on CNN.
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national lead
Who wants to be Secretary of Defense?
Washington (CNN) – One of the big guessing games around Washington, D.C., this holiday weekend is who is in, and who is out for the job of Secretary of Defense.
Since learning the White House pushed out Sec. Chuck Hagel last week, a growing list of possible replacements has emerged, with some candidates immediately taking themselves out of the running.
One prominent front runner, Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, has already said, 'No, thanks.'
And now the scramble is on for a nominee.
CNN's Barbara Starr reports.
politics lead
CNN Poll: Majority of Americans say things are going well
Washington (CNN) - For the first time since 2007, a majority of Americans think things are going well in the nation, a new CNN/ORC International poll found.
It's a slim majority — just 52 percent of Americans said things are going well, while 48 percent said things are going badly — but it's the most positive appraisal of the state of the nation that the poll has found since January of 2007.
And it marks consistent improvement in the mood of the nation over the past few months, despite a series of national security crises and continued gridlock in Washington. In September, 50 percent of respondents said things were going well.
national lead
Thanksgiving rescue: Two boys buried alive under 5 feet of snow in New York
(CNN) - Two little boys have something to be thankful for this year following their rescue after spending hours buried under a pile of snow in New York.
The boys, ages 9 and 7, were building a fort Wednesday evening when a snow plow came through a parking lot near their homes in Newburgh.
It pushed even more of the white stuff into the snowbank in which they were playing, leaving them trapped underneath the snow for several hours, according to police.
national lead
Businesses shut down by Ferguson violence reopen
(CNN) – Business owners were allowed to open their shops along West Florissant Avenue Friday, but not for long.
CNN's Stephanie Elam reports.
world lead
Ferguson shooting a tragedy, U.N. torture panel member says
(CNN) - The events in Ferguson, Missouri, are a "tragedy," but the United Nations Committee Against Torture "has to respect the decision" of authorities not to prosecute Officer Darren Wilson for shooting Michael Brown, committee member Alessio Bruni said Friday.
Bruni made his comments at a news conference about the release of a committee report that criticizes racial profiling and excessive use of force by U.S. police.
While the report does not specifically mention the Ferguson case, it does express concern about the militarization of U.S. police departments.
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