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Manhunt For Accused Cop Killer; U.S. Navy Installations On High Security; State Island: First Sandy, Now This; Almost 3,600 Flights Already Canceled; Jesse Jackson Jr. Signs Plea Deal; Hugh Grant Phone Hacking Settlement; Bush Family E-mail Hacked; Super Bowl Problem Solved

Aired February 08, 2013 - 14:30   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Live pictures, Andover, Massachusetts, not quite sure what I'm looking at. Maybe it's the side of a sign, you see a snow shovel there, people are getting ready as the storm is really going to hit in a matter of hours. We're going to talk to Chad Myers more about what you need to know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a yardstick.

BALDWIN: It is a yardstick, my gosh, I need glasses. It is a yardstick. So that yardstick will clearly be much of it hidden once the snow really starts to fall. We're going to come back to that here in just a minute.

But right now, we have to talk about Big Bear, California, for any sign. They're searching, any sign of this former police officer who is clearly has some kind of vendetta against the force, seeking revenge. Snow is falling on Big Bear.

Schools are closed today. Families warned to stay inside. Police found Christopher Dorner's burnt out truck in the area. Now they want to find him. He is the man who vowed war on the L.A. Police Department.

Former LAPD SWAT team Sergeant Andy Lamprey joins me in Los Angeles. Andy, welcome. But before we go to you, if I may, I'd like to go to Nick Valencia, our reporter, who is also covering the story for us in Los Angeles, just outside of LAPD. Nick, tell me what you're learning at this hour.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brooke, some new information just in to us a short time ago. This is coming to us from Steve Whitmore with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. He tells us that the Twin Towers Jail, which is just right around the corner from our downtown LAPD Headquarters location.

Here at Town Towers Jail is now on lockdown. A civilian employee on their way into work believed they spotted Dorner in the area. It is worth mentioning as well, Brooke, our producer, Sarah Wisepell just confirmed with media relations that the tactical alert is now back on as of about 1:5 p.m. Eastern Time.

That's because there are multiple sightings of Christopher Dorner in the area. The tactical alert means a couple of police officers from different divisions will be on 12-hour shifts. We have been speaking to police officers all throughout the morning here, but that's the latest with the investigation -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Nick Valencia, thank you. Let me get the reaction to your news from Andy Lamprey, who is a former LAPD. Andy, when you hear this, when you hear about people in and around the L.A. area thinking they see -- this person could have seen Dorner near this jail, you know, places are on lockdown. Obviously, the fear is palpable. How do you move forward?

ANDREW LAMPREY, FORMER SERGEANT, LAPD SWAT TEAM: Well, first of all, Brooke, with these kinds of events and particularly this one, which is so high profile and all across the news wires across the nation, lots of people have lots of reports of sightings and each one has to be considered.

Some considered more serious than others, but it is a very hard to tell what's inside his mind. I'm not sure that he would come that close to downtown Los Angeles near the jail with so many law enforcement officers around.

BALDWIN: What about Big Bear? I mean, that's really the last tangible clues is this torched truck of his, and the footprints which, you know, were covered over now because they're getting all this snow in Big Bear. Take me inside the mind-set of these officers and these tactical teams who are trying to find him. Perhaps it is a trap.

LAMPREY: Well, I think that -- I'm sure that consideration has been given by the officers on the ground, the command staff that are running the operation that this could be in fact the diversionary tactic on the part of the subject -- suspect, to lead them in a direction where they're tying up assets.

He could have in fact, had a car waiting for him up there or in fact, commandeered another vehicle to make his way off the mountain. So there is a number of possibilities. There is a lot that comes into play, obviously. The law enforcement is dealing with inclement weather.

And that offers -- that presents a whole set of new challenges. They're dealing in a rural environment, most law enforcement in Southern California dealing -- working in urban environment.

And although a number of these officers that patrol that particular area are familiar with it, it still presents some real challenges coupled with the inclement weather as I said.

BALDWIN: He knows that. Chris Dorner knows that, having been in the military and, of course, working on the force. Andy Lamprey, thank you so much. I actually need to move to the Pentagon as we're getting some news on this story in California. Barbara Starr, tell me what you're learning about servicemen and women being on alert now.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely Brooke, resonating here at the Pentagon, this man, of course, was a former Navy lieutenant in the Naval reserves and now we are told that U.S. Navy bases in California and Nevada are on, quote, "maintaining a heightened security posture," a heightened state of alert as they too are on the lookout for this man.

And they do have some reason to know that he has approached the U.S. military in the last few days. A couple of days ago, they learned -- they discovered that he had stayed at a Navy motel facility in San Diego, and on Wednesday, he approached two Navy sailors at his old unit when he was in the reserves, had a conversation with them, they did not realize they had been talking to Dorner until they saw all the news reports.

So a lot of concern now, in fact, a day ago, the Point Loma Naval Base shut down briefly while they thought he might be there. So now overnight the admiral in charge of the southwest region of the United States for the U.S. Navy has ordered this heightened security posture.

They're not talking exactly about what they're doing. I think we can well understand that they're going to check everybody's passes, everybody's access, as they come in and out of the many military facilities in California.

The big question for the military now, Brooke, is does this man still have a military I.D. card. He has uniforms, could he possibly try and sneak on to a military base -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: To think that he's talking to these people, these members of the military, it is almost like he's hiding in plain sight. Barbara Starr with the news on the heightened security posture in both California and Nevada, Barbara, thank you so much.

We're juggling that story. We're also talking about this inclement weather, this blizzard here that is happening in New England. Forty million people in the storm's path. We're going to take you to Staten Island coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, let's look at these pictures together. This is our roving crew, this is the Boston area. And clearly people are out and about as we are still a couple of hours away from the worst of this blizzard.

But reminder again, from Duvall Patrick, the governor of Massachusetts that you have to be off the road, anywhere in the state of Massachusetts, by 4:00 Eastern today.

Chad Myers with me here, in the cube, this is where our weather teams work. And you have quite the day cut out for you.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: This is where the pizza boxes are.

BALDWIN: You know, this is a serious news story. There are a lot of pizza boxes at CNN. But seriously, how much snow is on the ground right now? MYERS: Look at this, already, Milton, Vermont, 8 inches. Now I know the people around Niagara Falls and Buffalo and up in Toronto and Barry got more than this already. But this is just from the storm that's developing so Scarborough, Maine, 7 inches because we talk about that ocean effect.

How the moisture comes off the ocean and dumped itself in the form of snow. There is the low now about 4:00 and moves a little bit further to the northeast. This is the closest approach, about 10:00 tonight, that's when the winds get the strongest, that's when the snow gets the heaviest. That's when it is a blinding event out there.

BALDWIN: Zero visibility.

MYERS: I don't even want the police officers to be out there. I know they have to be, but that's what it is going to be, visibility less than an eighth of a mile, blowing, drifting, and blinding snow. If you're stuck on the road, you'll be stuck there for hours because the National Guard will have to come get you.

By the time this is over, there will be 20 inches of snow, Boston down into Hartford even into Providence. Here's the numbers right here. This is kind of what I'm worried about. Every little mountain area here will get more here, not so much in the Valley of the Hudson.

But 6 to 10 in New York City, more to the north, there you see that's a foot of snow right there. All of Connecticut, less to the south, because that's New Jersey, and then right here, this bull's eye right here, Boston, Providence, Hartford, almost out to the Berkshires. We're going to see some places that has 40 inches of snow, we will.

BALDWIN: We will? We'll talk about it here through the night. I want to talk -- we're focusing on Boston here, but we have to talk about New York, Staten Island specifically so no doubt that the warnings here about the weather, deja vu for a lot of you in the northeast.

You just lived through Superstorm Sandy, pummelled the region. That was back in the end of October. And one of the hardest hit areas, Staten Island, New York, that's where Mary Snow is today. Mary, tell me how people are doing, how they're feeling today.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Brooke, the thing that people keep saying is here we go again. This is a punch in the gut, and the last thing people here need. Look around me. Get a sense of how much work still needs to be done.

If we can just pan over, right near us is a tent where volunteers provide meals every day to people here on Staten Island, in this section that was so badly damaged. That's where we met Steve Chati.

He's displaced with his family. He says he comes here every day for his meals. He says he can't believe that he's still living this way and is in disbelief that another major storm is headed here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) STEVE CHATI, STATEN ISLAND RESIDENT: To be honest with you, becoming numb as far as any weather related, you know, issues. We don't have anything left to lose anymore. I mean, we lost everything. So I couldn't worry more about it. It is not going to help with anything. Just trying to stay strong and, you know, hopefully better days will come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: And, Brooke, people are just hoping that the worst of this storm will skip Staten Island. You know, wind is one of the worries here and already Con Ed says more than 800 people have lost power. The big worry is flooding and high tide is expected between 6:30 and 7:00 tonight -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: It's like they can't catch a break, Mary Snow. Thank you. Talking to the good people of Staten Island, appreciate that.

As we talk about the storm here, big picture, thousands of flights canceled. Passengers stranded. Weekend plans out the window. We're going to take you live to the airport next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I know a lot of you are frustrated and home today as you are looking out your windows at this. Live pictures of streets of Boston here thanks to Julian Cummings and crew driving around again.

We're going to be talking to the mayor of Boston, Mayor Manino in just a little bit and he'll talk about the priorities now, because this is a snow emergency that means you can't have your car parked on the streets. You know the deal.

Folks in Boston, you're going to get towed. And again, heads up, an hour from now, you cannot drive anywhere in the state of Massachusetts according to the governor. If you do, you could go to jail for a year. That was according to Susan Candiotti.

A lot of frustration again in the northeast. This massive storm is coming, means one thing, if you're traveling in the region, you could be stuck. Listen to this man we talked to in D.C. at Reagan National Airport.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They canceled the flight and since we're at the airport, we're trying to find a cheap flight to anywhere else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: I want to bring in Rene Marsh who is at Reagan now, a very quiet Reagan. A lot of cancellations, I know. Tell me what it looks like there.

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, you know what, Brooke? People are frustrated. However, they are still in good spirits. So let's look at the boards here. We are seeing a bit of a ripple effect. We are seeing the flights are taking off, but then if you look at the northeast flights, canceled.

New York canceled. Hartford canceled. Rhode Island canceled. So there are some cancellations. As far as DCA goes, we're talking about 130 arrivals and departures canceled here. So bad news if you're heading to the northeast.

Earlier, I would say just about two hours or so ago, they had a line here. The workers here were working really hard to rebook passengers who were on a Boston flight. Take a listen to this.

This woman, she was seated, she had her seat belt on, her baggage was already in the overhead bin. Then came the announcement, the flight was canceled. Here's what's next for her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wanted to get to Boston. I have to get to Boston, first flight available is Sunday at 6:30.

MARSH: Today is Friday.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, today is Friday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARSH: All right, well this is the line here at Reagan National Airport so a bit of a line. Again, there are flights going out of Reagan, but it really just depends on where you are going.

Big picture, we're seeing some problems in the northeast as you would imagine. So airlines already ceasing operations at airports like New York and Boston and that started at around noon. We'll see that continue as the afternoon goes on -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Rene Marsh, thank you so much. We'll be live all night tonight. We'll be keeping, of course, an eye on the airports as well.

The night the lights went out at the Super Bowl. Guess what, we now know what caused it. Details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Breaking news now, a source close to Jesse Jackson Jr., to the family here, they're confirming to CNN that the former congressman has signed a plea deal with prosecutors.

A law enforcement official previously told CNN the FBI and prosecutors in D.C., that they were investigating Jackson for possible financial impropriety. Lawyers representing Jackson have not returned CNN's phone calls. The U.S. attorney's office in Washington had no comment when asked earlier.

Back to the special coverage of the blizzard and the urgent manhunt in California here in just a moment, but first, other news developing right now. Roll it.

Actor Hugh Grant among those receiving phone hacking settlements today from Rupert Murdoch's company, News International, settled 144 lawsuits, seven other cases will go to trial. Lawyers said Grant received, quote/unquote, "substantial damages." The suit stemmed from that widespread scandal involving the hacking of celebrities and politicians and others by Murdoch tabloids.

Private e-mails and photographs belonging to not just one, but two American presidents hacked and published online for the world to see. The Secret Service is investigating the hacking and publication of the correspondence. The accounts held private e-mails of the Bush family including former presidents George H.W. and George W. Bush.

And perhaps somewhere Beyonce is saying, I told you so. Her electrifying Super Bowl performance was not the cause of that embarrassing power outage during Sunday's game as some people had speculated. Here is what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES RICE, PRESIDENT AND CEO, ENTERGY NEW ORLEANS, INC.: Through our own investigation we have traced the cause of Sunday's outage to an electrical relay device. The device was specifically installed to protect the Mercedes-Benz Superdome equipment in the event of a cable failure between the switch gear and the stadium. The device has since been removed from service and new replacement equipment is being evaluated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: With that said, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said he plans to bid for the 2018 Superbowl.

With that, we go to more live pictures here, from Boston, as we help to talk about this blizzard. It could be record-breaking. Team coverage top of the hour, back in a moment.

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