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Northeastern Storm Could Bring 30 Inches of Snow; Fired Cop Suspected in 3 Deaths; How Pollution Can Hurt Pregnancy; College Classmate Discusses Dorner.

Aired February 07, 2013 - 13:30   ET

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

ESTUARDO RODRIGUEZ, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I respond the same way about Senator Rubio. He's very eloquent. But the responsibility on real action, along real legislation, you are going to get more mileage out of what Cantor said this week about the Dream Act than you will get out of Rubio's State of the Union response. What is the Republican Party going to do on immigration reform? What will they do on jobs, on the fiscal cliff and the cuts that will happen or are being debated, and, lately, the violence against women? Those are the things that will affect everyone but also the Hispanic community. That's what we are watching.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Estuardo Rodriguez and Ana Navarro, thanks to both of you. I appreciate you joining us.

President Barack Obama will address the nation in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. eastern. Watch it right here on CNN.

30 inches in just 24 hours, that's how much snow could fall on parts of the northeast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Oh, boy, here we go. Massive snowfall, powerful wind gusts -- a major blizzard is going to hit the northeast. Almost 35 years to the day since the storm brought New England to its knees. The storm of 1978 dumped more than 27 inches of snow on the region stranding people in their cars. Its hurricane-force winds damaged or destroyed 10,000 homes.

Chad Myers is here.

Chad, could we see a repeat of 1978 tomorrow? That's a lot of snow.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No question about it. There's certainly enough water in the air to cause that to happen. There's enough liquid that will fall out of the sky to make that happen. Will you change over at least for a little while to some rain and not all snow is dependent on where you live. If you live New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, most of Connecticut, you will get all snow. If you are on Long Island, it will change to rain for a while. Your snow will not pile up. New England and also into New Jersey, a little bit of a different story. The cold air is here, New Jersey you will be warm enough and even D.C., you will only get a rain event. Here's what is going on, Don. There is a storm in the south and one coming across from right now it's in Milwaukee. It will travel across Toronto. This one will travel up from the southeast. They will try to combine here. If that combination works out improperly, which would be to our detriment, 30 inches of snow, just about everywhere.

Now, if it doesn't work out perfectly, we are still talking 15 in this area right through here. A little less for New York City, because New York City will for a while switch to rainfall. If it's only a couple hours -- if it's not raining in New York City tomorrow night at midnight, you are in trouble, or wherever you are, not just the city. I think White Plains, I think you get 20 easy. Down south, you might get two. So that's why it is so difficult. The numbers are wide ranging, depending where you live. It's warm on one side, cold on the other. If you are in the middle, you might get 10. If you are north, you get 20. South, you get two.

Something else that's going to happen here in the blizzard watch, there will be tremendous erosion along the coast here, all the way into Long Island Sound and even possibly as far south as New Jersey. We will have storm surge here, waves -- remember, we talked about surge with Sandy -- three to five feet, and waves three to five feet on top of those surges. So you're going to get coastal erosion, for sure.

Some of the numbers we are talking about, the numbers, they are almost sublime at times. Boston will make a run at 30 inches of snow, 31.8. This is the very latest model that just ran just now. New York City, officially 15.3. But let me show you how that changes on where you are. Eastern Long Island, maybe two to three. Back here to the north and west, that's 20. That's only about 30 miles away. The change, this goes left to right at all, you are going to be in it or out of it depending when it gets here.

We will know as the computer models tell us tonight.

LEMON: Oh, my goodness. We will be watching. And brace yourself.

Thank you very much, Chad Myers.

We are continuing to follow breaking news here on CNN. And the suspect is on the run. He's a former cop and Navy reservist. He's identified as 33-year-old Christopher Jordan Dorner. He was fired from the police force five years ago. And now may be seeking revenge. Dorner is accused of shooting three Los Angeles police officers early this morning, one fatally. He's also the prime suspect in a double killing over the weekend.

He had this to say in a public manifesto posted on line. Quote, "This is my last resort. The LAPD has suppressed the truth and it has led to deadly consequences. The LAPD's actions have cost me my law enforcement career."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Our top story right here on CNN, right now. Right now, in California, police are looking for an ex-cop who has allegedly gone on a rampage, shooting three Los Angeles area police officers this morning. One has died. He's the prime suspect in a double killing over the weekend. Authorities warn that Christopher Jordan Dorner is armed and dangerous. He's had weapons training in the Navy, and he was honorably discharged.

We heard from the LAPD just a short time ago. They said they are worried about the threat, but they will use every means at their disposal to bring this man to justice.

The LAPD says Dorner is 6'0" about 270 pounds and may be driving a blue Nissan Titan pickup truck. Police say Dorner was fired from the force five years ago, and now may be seeking revenge. And according to a lengthy manifesto that's online, it apparently is at least revenge, or he says he is trying to clear his name. Trying to clear his name.

So let's listen to what the LAPD said moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLIE BECK, CHIEF, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: Of course, he knows what he's doing. We trained him. He was also a member of the armed forces.

It is extremely worrisome and scary, especially to the police officers involved. You know, the Riverside officers were cowardly ambushed. They had no opportunity to fight back, no pre-warning. You know, imagine, imagine going about your workday, having to worry about that threat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I want to bring in CNN.com writer, Mallory Simon. She has been going through this letter.

I got it just before air. You've had a chance to go through it a little more than we have. Let's go through the first one where he talks about being a rapper. He says "I'm not an aspiring rapper. I'm not a gang member. I'm not a dope dealer. I don't have multiple babies' mamas. I'm an American by choice. I am a son, a brother. I'm a man who lost complete faith in the system, when the system betrayed, slandered and libeled me. I lived a good life and, though not a religious man, I always stuck to my own personal code of ethics, ethos, and always stuck to my shoreline and true north."

He addresses this letter to America, and the subject is "Last Resort." What do you make of this letter?

MALLORY SIMON, WRITER, CNN.COM: It seems he is trying to send a message of why he's going about doing this, sort of laying out the problems that he sees, allegations that he has against the Los Angeles police, that there is corruption, that he's angry he was fired. And trying to say he's not a regular type of guy who is going to go out and murder people. That he feels, in this letter, he says he has been brought to this point. He's following his moral compass. He's doing what he believes is right here. This is the only way he thinks he can get people to understand what's going on.

LEMON: The interesting thing to me is, if you read this letter, he is an intelligent man. It's very cohesive. And again, he appears to be a smart man. He may not be going about this the right way, he feels -- when I read the next quote, that he's exhausted all means. But what he's doing he's doing it the wrong way. He said, "I exhausted all available means at obtaining my name back. I have attempted all legal court efforts within appeals at the superior courts and California appellate courts. This is my last resort. The LAPD has suppressed the truth and it has now led to deadly consequences. The LAPD's actions have cost me my law enforcement career that began 2/7/05 and ended 1/2/09. They cost me my Naval career, which started on 4/02 and ends on 2/13."

We know the terrible things that he did. The LAPD has had some issues here. He's going about this part the wrong way. The police chief, Charlie Beck, said, listen, this was adjudicated all the way to the top. And this man appears to be someone who is not happy with his lot in life now.

SIMON: Yes. I think one of the things he was saying, in this manifesto, he had lost everything, everything that meant anything to him, from his personal life to his professional career. He felt this was the only thing he could do at this point. Obviously, not going about it the right way. The police have said that. He feels he has no choice. As he said, this letter was titled "Last Resort." He feels this is the only thing he can do.

LEMON: If there is any lesson in this, which is you just can't -- be careful who you mess with. Right? You never know. People are -- people can do the darnedest things. But, again, he says he is going to use every resort available because he was a member of the L.A. Police Department, to --

SIMON: Yes. He has threatened a couple of them very specifically in this manifesto.

LEMON: There's the information about Christopher Dorner. If you are in the area and you see him, police say do not approach him.

Thank you very much, Mallory.

SIMON: Thank you.

LEMON: We appreciate it.

More breaking news into CNN. This is from the White House. On Saturday, we are told, the first lady will travel to Chicago to attend the funeral service of Hydia Pendleton, the 15-year-old honor student gunned down just a week after performing at the president's inauguration. Senior advisor, Valeria Jarrett, and secretary of education, Arne Duncan, will also be in attendance.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Dangerous high blood pressure can cause serious complications, even death, during pregnancy, as fans of the British drama, Downton Abbey, learned in a recent episode of the popular TV series.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: No, no.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: What is happening?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: We don't know.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Sibyl?

She can't hear me.

Sibyl, Sibyl, it's Mary. Can you hear me?

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: This is eclampsia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: As dramatic as that is, a real medical study is linking air pollution to a medical condition known as pre-eclampsia.

Our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is here to talk about it.

For those who don't know, what is pre-eclampsia?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Pre-eclampsia is when a women in her pregnancy, usually the second half of her pregnancy, gets high blood pressure, protein in her urine. And if it is not treated, that is what is going to happen, she will go into eclampsia, which is actual seizures, which would likely kill her. It doesn't happen that often in this country. They catch it. The only treatment is to deliver the baby. It's the leading cause of prematurity in this country.

LEMON: OK. So the link between pollution and pre-eclampsia?

COHEN: Very tenuous. I will say that to start off with. This is a Swedish study of more than 100,000 women. They think -- they conclude that one in 20 cases of pre-eclampsia may be linked to ozone pollution.

LEMON: There has to be a reason for -- I mean, for them to --

(CROSSTALK)

COHEN: Pre-eclampsia is this big mystery. They don't know what causes it. I had it twice. Each time -- two premature babies. Each time, doctors explained, this is, like, we don't know. It's a big mystery. The doctors we talked to said they don't think it's air pollution. In no way shape or form does air pollution cause it. But it is an intriguing finding, that perhaps there may be something going on here. But the doctors we talked to said it's interesting but it doesn't explain why pre-eclampsia happens.

LEMON: Thank you, Elizabeth.

Of course, you wrote the book on being an "Empowered Patient."

So visit CNN.com/empowered patient for five things you need to know about pre-eclampsia.

Again, thanks to our Elizabeth Cohen.

First athletes, now baby boomers are turning to performance-enhancing drugs. Why some doctors are pushing these drugs as a version of the fountain of youth.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We have been reporting to you about the cop killer on the run in California. I want to go to James Usera. He is a college classmate of Christopher Jordan Dorner. He joins me on the phone. A classmate at Southern Utah University. He is calling from Salem, Oregon. And he is a litigation attorney.

And as I understand, he called you four years ago about an employment issue?

JAMES USERA, FORMER CLASSMATE OF DORNER (ph) & LITIGATION ATTORNEY: He didn't call me specifically about employment issues. He wanted to catch up. We hadn't spoken in a number of years. He called me out of the blue. We talked for 10 or 15 minutes about what we were up to in our respective lives. And during that conversation he did mention he was having some issues with his employment as an officer with the LAPD.

LEMON: Did he mention the issue specifically?

USERA: He didn't give details. He may have given me details, but I don't recollect them. The conversation was 10 or 15 minutes and it was several years ago. I don't recall the details. He seemed to be bothered or upset a bit, but certainly nothing that he said struck me as being a concern, other than concern for his employment. There was nothing abnormal about what he said.

LEMON: Is there anything that stuck out in the conversation when you spoke to him?

USERA: Nothing at all.

LEMON: What are did you talk about other than his employment or his employment issues with the L.A. Police Department?

USERA: I shared with him that I had gotten married and was practicing law in Oregon, and talking about experience in the Navy and just, in general, shared what we had been up to over a few years since we had spoken last in college.

LEMON: Tell us about his character. What kind of a person -- knowing him in college, what kind of a person was he, or is he?

USERA: My experience with him was nothing but positive. We enjoyed each other's company for three or four years during college. And as with any friendship, we didn't see eye to eye on everything, but certainly he was perfectly rational, and he was articulate and smart and insightful, and somebody who -- I have a lot respect for him. He was certainly a person with convictions, not convictions like you are thinking, but personal convictions, and a code of ethics he lived by. And I thought he was an upstanding person. Never, anything I experienced in a million years, would lead me to conclude that this horrendous activity which he is engaged in at this point was imminent.

LEMON: That leads to my next question. I want to read a quote to you, part of a quote. He said, "Most of you know me, who personally know me, are in disbelief to hear from media reports that I am accused of committing such horrific murders and have taken drastic and shocking actions in the last couple of days. You are saying to yourself that this is completely out of character from a man you knew, who always wore a smile whenever he was seen. I know I would be vilified by the LAPD and the media." He goes on to talk about unfortunately he had to go to this in order to clear his name.

I'm not sure if you saw the press conference with the LAPD, but they believe was someone unsatisfied with his lot in life. What do you draw from that quote and what the LAPD said?

USERA: That doesn't sound like the Chris Dorner I knew. But what can you say? This kind of activity is completely out off the reservation. It's just absolutely and bizarre and certainly not something I would expect or imagine would happen from the Chris Dorner that I knew.

LEMON: Did you know his family?

USERA: I met his mother once.

LEMON: I'm sorry, say it again.

USERA: I met his mother once, but I didn't know her.

LEMON: No interaction with his family?

USERA: No. Well, it was my understanding that he and his mother -- and I don't think he had siblings. And I don't think his father was in the picture.

LEMON: If he is watching this broadcast or listening, what do you say to your friend?

USERA: Turn yourself in and get this situation rectified as best as possible. Families have been devastated and there is no excuse for this kind of behavior. No good can come out of it. Turn yourself in and get it resolved.

LEMON: All right. Thank you very much.

James Usera went to school with Christopher Jordan Dorner.

We appreciate you joining us and we hope he does what you just asked.

We will be right back after the break. I'm Don Lemon. Thank you so much for watching. Brooke Baldwin will be with you when we come right back.

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