Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Democrats Reach 60 Votes Needed for Cloture on Health Care Bill; Severe Snow Storm Hits East Coast; Personal Finance Experts Consulted for Shopping Season Advice

Aired December 19, 2009 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CENTER: Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. You're in the NEWSROOM where the news unfolds this Saturday, the 19th of December.

Two major stories we are covering for you today. A deadly winter storm is bringing the nation's capital to a standstill. At least three storm-related deaths are confirmed in Virginia. Hundreds of flights have been canceled. Thousands of motorists have been stranded.

And it's not over yet. Up to two feet of snow expected in some areas.

And then on Capitol Hill, Senate Democrats work hard on health care reform. In fact, a massive hurdle to health care reform has been cleared so far. CNN's Dan Lothian is live at the White House with more on this -- Dan?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, this was supposed to be a quiet day for the president here at the White House. There were no events on his schedule. And then this event was added after the dramatic turnaround on Capitol Hill, the president making some remarks not only about health care and what happened in Copenhagen on climate change.

But in particular on health care, the president saying that the American people now have the vote they deserve. He says that this is progress, good progress, but a lot of work still needs to be done.

And the president also pointing out that a lot of compromise happened along the way. That's obviously the obvious. We know the president early on wanted a public option. He's not getting it, but he believes that this compromise has made the bill much stronger. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: After a nearly century-long struggle, we are on the cusp of making health care reform a reality in the United States of America.

As with any legislation, compromise is part of the process. But I'm pleased that recently-added amendments made this landmark bill even stronger. Between the time the bill passes and the time when the insurance exchange gets up and running, there will now be penalties for insurance companies that arbitrarily jack up rates on consumers.

And while insurance companies will be prevented from denying coverage on the basis of preexisting conditions once the exchange is open, in the meantime there will be a high-risk pool where people with preexisting conditions can purchase affordable coverage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LOTHIAN: The president also pointing out that this reform will mean that 30 million people who don't have insurance will be able to be insured. It will also hold the insurance companies accountable.

And ultimately the president says that consumers will save money, small businesses will save money, and the reform will bring the federal deficit down -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dan Lothian, thanks so much. Appreciate that.

Of course, Democrats may have the votes, but they don't appear to have the bipartisan support President Obama had once hoped for. CNN's Brianna Keilar is live on Capitol Hill with more on the politics of this deal.

All right, we know majority Democrats are in support of this. What are Republicans saying?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are not onboard with this, Fredericka. A long time ago President Obama, I think, dreamed of having bipartisan support. And It's very clear that in the House, certainly he doesn't have it, and now in the Senate he does not have it. That's the expectation.

He was having enough problems, quite frankly, with his own Democrats. But a deal that was brokered yesterday to get all of the Democrats onboard is really paving the way now to move towards a key vote on the Senate health care reform bill that is going to take place very early in the morning Monday morning.

And because of this, because this hurdle has been cleared, you have Democrats celebrating and Republicans taking aim.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID, (D) MAJORITY LEADER: They feel that this bill doesn't go far enough, and there are others who say why didn't we get a public option? I like the public option. I spoke out loudly and strongly on it.

But this bill, this bill will do so many good things for so many people, and we explained that in some detail to the caucus just a few minutes ago. SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R) MINORITY LEADER: This bill will reshape our nation and our lives. And Democrats are forcing a vote on it, as I indicated over the weekend, counting on the fact that the American people are preoccupied with Christmas and not paying much attention to what they're doing.

And the reason for that, obviously, is that we know from all the survey data that Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to this bill. This bill is the legislative train wreck of historic proportions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Here is how this development all came to be. We've known for days now, even longer than that, that Senator Ben Nelson, a conservative Democrat who is against abortion rights, he's from Nebraska, we've known that he has had issues with this bill on the topic of abortion for some time.

And it became very clear in the last days that he was the key Democratic holdout. So yesterday especially there were negotiations in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office. They involved Senator Reid, liberal Democrats, White House officials, and of course Senator Nelson as they tried to hammer out a lot of issues, including this big one of abortion.

The main concern for Senator Nelson was federal dollars, taxpayer dollars would not be spent on abortion. So basically this deal was struck after they were able to make the language more strict so that he could be happy with that it said -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, so this preliminary victory, but really the vote is tomorrow morning very early, 1:00 a.m. Why that time, by the way?

KEILAR: It's actually Monday at 1:00 a.m., because the Senate has rules. And they're kind of strange, I think, to any lay person. They are very odd.

It says something about there has to be -- you do this thing called filing for cloture, which is, basically, as I like to call it, setting a motion to a countdown a vote you can't turn back the clock on. You set in place this clock that counts down.

And there has to be 30 hours of debate. There are just certain rules they have to follow for how long there has to be debate. And as it turns out the earliest this can be done or really just right in line with that rule is 1:00 a.m. on Monday. It's pretty weird to have a vote at that time.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it is.

KEILAR: There was actually one on Friday at 1:00 a.m. So this is what happens when they're coming up against a deadline. All of this is playing out.

WHITFIELD: So making for a very late Sunday night, very early Monday morning.

Brianna Keilar, thanks so much, appreciate it, on Capitol Hill.

KEILAR: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Back to the other top story. A blast of very dangerous weather, winter weather, hitting the east coast. Three reported deaths in Virginia. Flights are grounded in and out of Reagan National Airport in Washington. An above-ground metro rail service has been halted in D.C.

(WEATHER BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The storm, of course, misery for a lot of folks. Not everyone is grinning about it. Across the state of Virginia, it's a mixed bag. Police have reported more than 300 accidents. And the National Guard has been called in to help stranded drivers actually get to shelters.

At one point 400 cars and trucks were sitting on I-81 southwest of Roanoke, Virginia. Many roads particularly in the western region are considered particularly hazardous.

We are keeping track of all the weather-related travel delays as well. That information is posted at the bottom of your screen. American airlines cancelling flights, Delta airlines as well cancelling flights in and out of D.C. Karen Maginnis is in the Weather Center to give us a bigger picture of all that's taking place. Karen?

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Fred, what we've got is a situation where this is going to go down in the record books for a number of reasons. Some areas have already picked up a foot or more of snowfall. Some of the common amounts with have seen across the state of Virginia have seen 10 to 15 inches of snowfall.

Some of those interstates, 85, Interstate 95, it is just beginning to snow in New York. We have a correspondent there, Susan Candiotti wondering what the forecast was -- five to ten inches of snowfall. We could see up to 15 inches of snow in New York with near blizzard conditions.

I want to zoom in and show you what's going on. Area of low pressure just offshore. You can see where that rain ends, transitions over to an icy mix.

And then you go inland and that's where we start to see the real heavy snowfall. Already in Baltimore we've seen about 11 inches of snowfall. And we are looking at quite a situation there.

Here is our live picture of a neighborhood in Baltimore. You can see the reduced visibility. If you're wondering about the roads, yes, they are extraordinarily treacherous. Interstate 77, Interstate 85, as I mentioned, Interstate 95, these are going to be very dangerous roads to be traveling on. I want to show you one other graphic, and that is how this storm system is developing. This is a classic nor'easter. Could rival the storm system of 1922, the Knickerbockers storm.

In Washington, D.C., they saw 23 to 38 inches of snow. Is Washington, D.C., going to see that? No. We could see about two feet of snowfall. That is going to shut things down.

Take a look at this Baltimore and Washington, D.C., area in this dark purple, 20 plus inches of snowfall. We need to show you very quickly on our flight explorer. Flights going in and out -- can we show you what's going on in D.C. and Reagan? Dulles, we have six flights going into national and Dulles.

They are not closed, but the flights aren't going in or out, essentially.

WHITFIELD: So you said New York, five to ten inches?

MAGINNIS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: That's where we will find our Susan Candiotti. She is in Manhattan where shoppers are die-hards there this last full weekend before the Christmas holiday. It just looks like flurries there. That's nothing, Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I tell you, the cold weather hasn't slowed anything down. And of course, Fredricka, it is always busy here in downtown Manhattan. Macy's over my shoulder, 34th street, Penn Station over there, a lot of people out here bundling up.

And over my shoulder, street vendors hawking, I think it's perfume. I don't know how much they're selling, but we are seeing a lot of shopping bags.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: Will the pre-winter blast of white stuff keep shoppers from laying out the green?

SCOTT KRUGMAN, NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION: This is crunch time for the retail industry.

CANDIOTTI: Shoppers are expected to dive onto their wallets this weekend, even if they have to get out a shovel to do it.

ELLEN DUKES, SHOPPER: We'll be out shopping even in the snow. Yes. Six to ten inches, but we'll be shopping.

LILLY DUKES, SHOPPER: Got to do what you got to do. Wait last minute, I guess.

CANDIOTTI: Weather forecasters suggest using your head before hitting the road.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: In the three or four hours you're shop in some of these spots, you could get six to eight inches of snow on top of the car. Then you can't even get out of the parking lot.

CANDIOTTI: Retailers are counting on last-minute shoppers to help save another year of sinking sales, expected to drop one percent this year, a slight improvement over a three percent decrease last year. Customers may think the longer they wait the better the deal.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Probably after Christmas will be better.

CANDIOTTI: Don't be too sure. To head off drastic price cuts again, retailers say inventories were kept down on purpose.

KRUGMAN: This is not the year to play chicken with the retailer. If you wait too long to purchase your merchandise that striped sweater you wanted might only be available with polka dots.

CANDIOTTI: And if the weather gets too bad to hit the mall, there is an app for that, too. Retailers say you can always go online.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: And right now outside it is cold, 27 degrees. As you heard Karen Maginnis talking about the predictions, they are talking about predictions of up to 16 inches of snow. So nothing on the ground yet, but I have a feeling that will change in the next few hours.

Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Thank goodness for all that pedestrian traffic there. It's not going to stop folks from much, that snowfall. Susan Candiotti, thank you so much.

All right, so what happens after the shopping? What do you do with those dollars, or perhaps debts? We'll find out from the dynamic duo of the Dolans -- all that lovely alliteration.

All right, they're in West Palm, so they're cozied up, and they're ready to answer your financial questions right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Checking our top stories right now.

His personal life may be in shambles, but Tiger Woods is picking up another professional accolade. The PGA voted him player of the year. That award came from his peers, other professional golfers, of course. Woods has remained in seclusion after his minor SUV crash outside his Florida home last month and his admission of infidelity.

And across the pond, train passengers are having a tough time getting between London and Paris today. The Euro Star service was suspended after several trains broke down in the Chunnel. More than 2,000 passengers were actually stranded without heat or light until they were evacuated. Wintry weather is blamed for the service problems there. And "Avatar" director James Cameron's science fiction fantasy may have cold competition this weekend, not from other films, but from a fierce snowstorm blanketing the northeast. The movie picked up $27 million on its opening day, which was yesterday. Bad weather could put a damper on any hopes of setting a new box office record.

Perhaps you're looking for ways to save money. Just ask the Dolans. They have all the answers to your personal finance questions. Ken and Daria Dolan join us now as they do every weekend, reporting for duty this time from West Palm Beach. You guys are always in West Palm Beach. It's a perfect day to not be in the northeast. How are you guys doing this weekend?

KEN DOLAN, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: Happy holidays, Fred. Hi, mom!

DARIA DOLAN, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: Happy holidays.

WHITFIELD: Happy holidays. That's right. Get on the bandwagon of that.

I know we are going to talk about a lot of end of the year and planning first of the year. But this weekend people are thinking about shopping. They want to spend money and they are going to spend money whether they want to or not. Any last-minute tips for folks this holiday weekend if they do get to the stores?

DARIA DOLAN: Big one for people. Right now, Fred. This is the time when most people will get into credit trouble.

KEN DOLAN: It's easy.

DARIA DOLAN: And because it's last minute.

WHITFIELD: They're panicking.

DARIA DOLAN: They don't know what to do, so the first thing they see that might work out for them, they are going to buy it no matter the price is. And this is when people get into credit problems and have problems paying their bill come January.

KEN DOLAN: And it will get even worse up in the northeast, too, because as Daria just said, last minute, I can't get out today or the snow is keeping me in. Now it's Wednesday, it's Thursday. Oh, my heavens. The credit card goes down.

My bottom line, stick to your list, period.

WHITFIELD: Stick to your list. And I think you said a couple of weeks ago stick to cash.

KEN DOLAN: I like the idea.

DARIA DOLAN: If you can at all, try not to put it on a credit card. At the very least, if you have a debit card, use that. WHITFIELD: OK. Let's talk about changing your financial plans for 2010, getting ready for it. What do you need to do? How do you do that, because we are at the end of the year and folks are making plans for 2010? How do you do it?

KEN DOLAN: Fred, I wish a lot of people said that. We talked at the end of 2007 and at the end of 2008. Don't worry about it. It will be fine.

Step number one, open your brokerage statements that have been in the bureau for the last six months and see exactly what you own. Many people, as we travel around America, we ask, what have you got? Well, I'm not exactly sure. You better be sure.

DARIA DOLAN: Exactly. And I tell you, 2010 is going to be a very tricky year.

KEN DOLAN: It's going to be a tough year.

DARIA DOLAN: For everybody that thinks the green shoots are there and the worst of it is over, we are potentially setting ourselves up with a whole host of reasons for another rough economic year next year.

So people really need to -- I know resolutions are not big and we make them and we break them, but this is the year when you really are going to have to resolve to start saving money and not spending.

KEN DOLAN: Take control.

WHITFIELD: And so if do you make that resolution, which everyone does, money resolutions, when you say save money, IRAs is one way.

KEN DOLAN: A good way.

WHITFIELD: And there are a couple of traditional IRAs or perhaps even a Roth. When do you know the right one is for you?

DARIA DOLAN: Right now, it strikes me that anybody, and what I do want to mention is a lot of people are going to have access to a Roth who didn't have it before.

But let me just say this for those of you who don't understand the distinction -- a traditional IRA is one where you put the money in, $5,000 if you're over 50, $6,000 a year, and you get to take that off your income.

But a Roth IRA...

KEN DOLAN: And you pay the taxes when that comes out of a traditional IRA.

DARIA DOLAN: With the Roth, with the Roth --

KEN DOLAN: Is that me?

DARIA DOLAN: That is you cue.

KEN DOLAN: With a Roth basically you pay the taxes now, and it ends up being tax-free for the rest of your life after five years.

Now the problem is when you convert from a traditional IRA, where taxes have not been paid, Fred, that can be really tough. In 2009, there is not much time left where you have to pay the taxes if you go from the old to the new.

However, if you do it in 2010, the government will give you extra time to pay those taxes when you convert. We like Roth IRAs.

DARIA DOLAN: And the bigger part of this gift -- actually, you get to beat the feds at their own game because anybody can do it. It doesn't have an income level. This year if you earned over $100,000 a year you couldn't do a tax-free Roth. Next year anybody will be able to re-characterize that old one and do the new one.

KEN DOLAN: Even fat cat Wall Streeters.

WHITFIELD: Very good. We are going to have 11 ways to find extra money right now when we see you again a little bit later in this hour.

KEN DOLAN: Good, good.

WHITFIELD: Ken and Daria, thank you very much. Actually it's in this next block. We'll take a short break. So you won't have to wait long to get this kind of guidance from the Dolans, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Who doesn't need some extra money these days? Ken and Daria Dolan are back with us from West Palm Beach. They say you don't have to look far. Just look from within. You've got 11 ways in which to find extra money. How?

KEN DOLAN, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: Yes. Fred, they're also pretty easy. As we sort of downsized our whole life this fall because we moved into a smaller -- because we think some difficult times are coming. We did all these things, like go to your credit card company, and if you've got a good track record, ask for a lower rate. If you don't, threaten to go someplace else. It often works.

DARIA DOLAN, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: We joined Netflix.

KEN DOLAN: I love Netflix.

DARIA DOLAN: And for, what is it, $8.99 a month?

KEN DOLAN: $4.99 for one movie per month is better than $7.50.

WHITFIELD: It's cheaper than cable.

KEN DOLAN: Exactly right. DARIA DOLAN: A whole lot. And by the way, there's a whole bunch of channels I would guarantee a lot of people watching us right now never use on their cable that they are paying for extra over and above the monthly minimum payment.

WHITFIELD: But if you cut the cable, you want watch us.

KEN DOLAN: No the premium stuff. The premium movies.

WHITFIELD: OK, just checking.

(LAUGHTER)

KEN DOLAN: We cut out the movies because we didn't watch them.

All right, also, bring the party home. Instead of the restaurant and all this expensive stuff, bring the party home with your friends and save money. I was in a restaurant about a month ago. I asked for a drink. It was $16. It was -- I'm still mad.

DARIA DOLAN: All right. OK, enough of that. Also another way to cut the cost, use your own ATM. Don't use some other bank's. They charge you an arm and a leg. Better yet, plan ahead so you don't need to use an ATM. Go to the bank once or twice.

KEN DOLAN: Quit while you're ahead. Look at some of your losing investments. I think we all had them. It might make sense to take some losses, hopefully, against some gains or to carry them forward.

DARIA DOLAN: And if you have U.S. savings bonds, get them out and take a look at them. There are billions of dollars in savings bonds that have matured a long time ago. They are now earning a big fat nothing and you're sitting on money you might be able to put -- you could put to better use.

KEN DOLAN: And don't be so lazy with your insurance policies. Some of the rates across America are going sky high. There's lots of ways to shop. Review your insurance policies at the end of the year. It's a perfect time.

WHITFIELD: And Josh is going to join in on the equation, too, but I know we are not done. You said sell your gift cards -- huh?

KEN DOLAN: If you are not going to use them, you can sell them on eBay.

DARIA DOLAN: Ken with a Lowe's gift card amounts to absolutely nothing.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: And you said cut up those credit cards. Don't use them, forget it. You're saying, cash, cash and cash.

Josh, what are people asking about in order to save money, make money, find the money? KEN DOLAN: Hey, Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I'm still absorbing the line about the Lowe's gift card. That's great. My wife would say the exact same thing about me.

DARIA DOLAN: He came home with a drill one time, and electric drill. It scared the holy you-know-what out of me.

KEN DOLAN: All right, I'll make the jokes here.

LEVS: Clearly a lot of people watching, because after last week we talked about credit, credit scores, we got a ton of questions.

These first two I want to bring them to you together. This one comes from Suzy. She says "Every time I try to get my credit score they ask for a credit card. How do you get a free credit report without doing that?"

And then this one form Jonathan, talks about a distinction. He says "How do I get my credit score, not my credit report? Most times I find I need to pay. How important is that for me to know and how often should I check it?" So dynamic Dolan duo?

KEN DOLAN: I'll do the first one. Simply everybody -- annualcreditreport.com is a Web site where you can get a free credit report.

DARIA DOLAN: Which you're entitled to by law.

KEN DOLAN: You are taking the second part of the question.

DARIA DOLAN: All right, I'll quiet down.

KEN DOLAN: One of our problems is you had to get through a lot of junk to get to the free report, a lot of ads. We don't like it. It's a government site, but it's a fact of life. Just have patience. You'll get the free one.

DARIA DOLAN: As for getting your score, the best place to go, and this you have to pay for, once a year you really should take a look at it -- MyFICOI.com. It's the Fair Isaac Corporation, the ones whose came up with the credit score. I believe it's $15.95 to get that score.

KEN DOLAN: It's $15.95 for a credit report, a credit score.

WHITFIELD: I wonder if you can get that credit score free.

KEN DOLAN: It's not in the report, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Interesting.

KEN DOLAN: A lot of people say I've got my credit report, I've got my score. No.

DARIA DOLAN: It is a propriety product of the Fair Isaac Corporation.

LEVS: Those are great links.

Skip to the last screen that shows the blog at CNN.com/Josh, and because what I'll do is I'll take everything you guys just said with the specific links and I'll go post them right there. That way everyone can access the links you all were just talking about.

KEN DOLAN: Tremendous.

DARIA DOLAN: Fabulous.

WHITFIELD: And of course, if you want to ask questions directly to the Dolans, you can also go to their website Dolans.com or tune in right here every Saturday and check them out and get your financial questions answered.

Thanks so much, Ken and Daria.

KEN DOLAN: Bye, Fred, bye, Josh.

WHITFIELD: Great to see you.

KEN DOLAN: Merry Christmas, everybody.

WHITFIELD: Have a great holiday.

DARIA DOLAN: You too.

WHITFIELD: Much more right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Most women know about the HPV, the virus that causes cervical cancer. But what they may not know is that doctors are now finding a link between the same virus and oral cancer. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen has our "Health for Her" report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Pat Folsom works in the health care system so she knows the importance of check- ups. But even she was surprised when doctors told her after a routine dental exam that she had oral cancer.

PAT FOLSOM, ORAL CANCER PATIENT: I thought surely this must be a mistake. I never smoke, I never drank heavily. I never had family history of this. How could this be?

COHEN: After months of radiation and hours and hours of rehab, Folsom recovered, but she still wonders about her diagnosis. What doctors told her shocked her.

FOLSOM: They did find some results that were ultimately the reason for it, which was HPV. COHEN: Although oral cancer is usually triggered by tobacco or long-term alcohol abuse, they aren't the only factors. Many doctors are finding patients, especially women, are being diagnosed for oral cancer because of HPV, or the human papillomavirus, which is the main cause of cervical cancer. It can be transferred through sexual activity.

DR. YOUSSEF OBEID, OBEID DENTAL: We are trying to find out what is the reason?

COHEN: Dr. Youssef Obeid says a good dentist should check the cheeks, tongue, the tonsils, and the larynx for possible lesions.

OBEID: I ask the patients simple things to do, move your tongue, move it sideways, stick your tongue out, say "ah."

COHEN: All things Pat Folsom says probably saved her life.

For today's "Health for Her," I'm Elizabeth Cohen.

WHITFIELD: It's a real mess out there, flights canceled, states of emergency being declared. We'll have the latest on the biggest east coast snow storm seen in years.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Some travel advice for the jet set. Call before you go today as a massive storm is making for near blizzard conditions and snarling air traffic nationally.

CNN's Elaine Quijano is at Reagan National Airport. Now you're inside. It was quite blustery when you were outside. We could barely see with you all that snow.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know, and that is exactly the story, Fredricka. It is just a real mess, not only here at Reagan National Airport, but also at the other two Washington area airports, Dulles International in northern Virginia as well as Baltimore Washington International Airport.

It's resulted in delays and cancellations all morning long. That's really been the order of the day here as passengers arrived here at Reagan National. That is exactly what they have been greeted with.

And talking to airport authorities, the reason is obvious. You look outside, very low visibility outside. In fact, sometimes near whiteout conditions. It's difficult to even see a block away in all of this. Their crews have been working around the clock to keep these runways clear.

We understand because of this low visibility, they basically stopped accepting flights here for a period of time. And right now, obviously, as the storm blows through, it doesn't appear that anything is really going to be able to get out. So the best advice is to check those boards or to check with your airlines, their websites, before you even decide to venture out, because it could be some time here before things return to normal, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So adding to the real drag, if you are trying to fly out of Reagan National, you can't get anywhere. And now you can't even really rely on the metro-rail because isn't that one of the above-ground stations that is probably closed now?

QUIJANO: Yes. I'm looking off to my left here. There has not been a metro train coming by on the tracks here for some time. Right around 1:00 eastern time we understand is when metro decided to shut down some of these above-ground stations, if not all of them, because the tracks obviously are very much affected by all of this blowing snow.

The warnings out right now are not just talking about the snow, of course, but also the sleet and ice. So the bottom line is it's making a huge mess of things, whether you are on the roads, whether you're trying to get out at the airport or taking a train. If you can, stay home -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And if you're stuck in the airport, hopefully those food concessions are still open, because you're going to be hungry.

QUIJANO: TGI Friday's is. I can report that.

WHITFIELD: That's good, thanks so much, Elaine.

QUIJANO: Sure.

WHITFIELD: Today's monster storm is having ripple effect for travelers all over the country, not just the Washington area but everywhere. Josh Levs is here to help us out, if you can.

LEVS: Elaine -- great timing. Elaine said check websites before you travel, or if you're watching us from the airport, hi, everyone. You can probably check these from your phone.

I'll talk you through some important websites to help you plan out your trip, whether you're flying or getting road conditions up-to- date online. You don't need to write these down as we go. At the end, I'll show you one place where everything is linked for you.

We'll start off with this. We are linking for the main page of CNN.com. This is from the FAA. This is the government. They provide updated information on airports around the country. Right now you can see the major airports and all these green dots. You just click on one it gives you updated information there.

I also like this from accuweather.com. The colors are good to look at on TV. Where there's yellow, they are expecting delay or some cases cancellations throughout the day. Red part is for at least good part of the day. So we can expect this to grow more and more and more areas are hit. Orbits.com also has a really helpful map where you can click on any one of the airports that you might be traveling though today.

And for road conditions there is this, called the National Traffic and Road Closure Information. All you need to do is click on whatever state you're going to and it will link you to resources in the state that will then get you information about specific roads. You can even type in a neighborhood.

Let's go to my screen, CNN.com/Josh. We've got it going on Facebook and Twitter. So that's the utilitarian stuff we have for you.

At the same time we're also hearing from you. You're sending us your photos and your videos. And Fred, I want to go to these pictures that we got from iReports today. They are very interesting. They are from Sherry Ellis. She's in Daniels, West Virginia. It looks like it's a little bit northwest of Roanoke. This is her frozen winter wonderland.

Look at that. I think that's an SUV.

WHITFIELD: I think you're right.

LEVS: And then look at the last one where she used a ruler. It's a foot and a half. And I was asking Rob Marciano earlier and he said, yes, that is what is expected around there.

And for those who are stuck in the airport, we have something especially entertaining next hour, Fred, with the viral bid next hour.

WHITFIELD: Yes, that's right. Lots of fun, interesting things to watch. All right, thanks a lot, Josh.

All right, where is it snowing right now and where is it headed next? Karen Maginnis is here with the forecast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, a church takes an unusual approach to fill its pews.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: "The Price is Right" meets the pulpit? Go to church, win cash prizes? It's a way to fire up attendance in a time of economic tribulation. And CNN's Christina Romans prepared this report for our special "In God we Trust, Faith and Money in Americas."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PASTOR DAN WILLIS, LIGHTHOUSE CHURCH OF ALL NATIONS.: Father, you get it all. It all belongs to you, in Jesus' name. Whoa, let's go! CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: At the Lighthouse Church of All Nations in suburban Chicago, parishioners are lining up every week hoping to receive more than just the Sunday sermon.

Church pastor Dan Willis recently began giving away money. With the congregation hit hard by the economic down turn, Willis finishes every service with a cash prize, giving away $1,000 every week.

WILLIS: If you are in seat number 365, you just won $500.

Due to the economic recession, I wanted to teach the parallel between faith and finances.

$300, $400, $500 -- how are you feeling right about now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm happy. Thank you so much.

ROMANS: Willis doesn't call the prize a lottery, instead referring to it as a "love gift," a chance to bless a lucky few while also helping fill his pews. He says church attendance has grown from about 1,600 to 2,500 in just a few weeks.

WILLIS: Debt is not a financial condition. Debt is a spiritual condition.

ROMANS: Recent winners say the money couldn't come at a better time.

FRANK CRUZ, PARISHIONER AND $250 WINNER: I went down to Red Lobster and celebrated with my wife and kids. And after that I paid a couple of bills off and did groceries.

CARYN POWELL, PARISHIONER AND $250 WINNER: As I drove out my gas tank was on "E," so I drove straight to the gas station.

WILLIS: Could you imagine what would happen, and I get passionate about this part, if every church did something like this?

ROMANS: That is exactly why some others in the religious community are concerned.

WILLIAM SCHWEIKER, THEOLOGICAL ETHICIST, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: The whole point of the Christian life is to care for others, to love others, to give. And yet this could set up a mindset where the purpose of going to church is to acquire for one's self, which is what Christians usually call sin.

WILLIS: We love you and there is nothing you can do about it.

ROMANS: Still, Willis says it's not just the love he hopes will continue to grow at the White House church, but also the parking lot. He plans on building an additional lot to handle the hundreds more people coming to church every week, praying for a chance to win some cold, hard cash.

WILLIS: Sweetheart, you just won $100! ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Balancing faith and finances -- Christine Romans explores how we worship and how we spend. "In God we Trust, Faith and Money in America" airs tonight at 8:00 eastern only here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)