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New Day Sunday
Nelson Mandela Laid to Rest; Winter Storm Smothers New England; School Shooters Intent; Bleacher Report; Winter Storm Smothers New England; South Africa Says Farewell to Mandela; Pope Francis: I'm Not Marxist
Aired December 15, 2013 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning, everyone. Great to have you along with us on this Sunday morning. I'm Pamela Brown.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: It's a pleasure to be with you. I'm Victor Blackwell. This is NEW DAY SUNDAY.
First this morning, we're going to take you to South Africa's farewell to the man that many called the greatest son, Nelson Mandela. South Africa's first black president and icon of democracy has been laid to rest in the ancestral village of Qunu. That's where he grew up. About 430 of Mr. Mandela's family and friends have been walking to the grave site. And according to tradition, the burial takes place at midday, where the sun is at its brightest. At his family's request, the burial was private.
And earlier, thousands gathered in a huge tent set up for a state funeral. In attendance, of course, Mr. Mandela's family, African heads of state - several of them spoke during the program - Britain's Prince Charles, Jesse Jackson, also Oprah Winfrey. On the stage there, there were 95 candles that glowed, one for every year of Mr. Mandela's life.
BROWN: (INAUDIBLE) video there, Mr. Mandela's casket was draped with the South African flag. A military escort carried it to the burial site and soldiers lined the way as the mourners walked the there.
BLACKWELL: CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour joins us now from the bureau in London, and former managing editor of "Time" magazine and author of "Mandela's Way," Rick Stengel, joins us from New York.
Christiane, I want to start with you. Today, one of the speakers said that, it is impossible to sum up Nelson Mandela's life and achievements, those things that we can see on paper and those things that people just feel.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Indeed. And perhaps today the state funeral, the internment, and all this week sum it up, how it is something that has garnered the attention of the whole world, not just all the foreign dignitaries and others who have come to pay their respects throughout the last 10 days, but also the people of South Africa, who lined up for days, three days, to come and view his body lying in state at the union buildings, and then to see all through these days the symbols which are so important. So much ceremonial military honor given to Mr. Mandela, as you can imagine, as a former commander in chief, as the founding father of this nation.
But when you watch elderly black and white military together and you remember that even not a generation ago they were fighting each other, and now they're standing united to pay their final respects and give the full state honors to their first black president, it is truly an amazing scene. To watch that armored vehicle, which for so many had been a symbol of oppression in the townships, Soweto and elsewhere, to watch people coming up to the funeral in a ceremonial role, but with all their guns and their rifles, and you remember these had been used in the struggle against apartheid, to see the South African air force do an honor flyby and dip its wings, to watch the helicopters fly with the South African flag, it was all very, very moving.
And I spoke just after his death to Cyril Ramaphosa, who now is the deputy ANC leader, but also then, during the apartheid struggle, was a union leader and played a very crucial role and was the chief negotiator during the antiapartheid period. He told me that what Nelson Mandela is, is the example for this country's future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, DEPUTY PRESIDENT, AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS: The legacy that he leaves us overall is transformation. And this is the moment when, as we put him to rest, all of us as South Africans will be saying, let us reconcile, let us transform our country to properly build it into the South Africa of Nelson Mandela's dreams. That is the route that we are now going to walk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: And very, very, very big shoes, indeed, as you can imagine. But even at the state funeral today, President Zuma made a lot of outreach to this very point, because, you know, people were booing him, in fact, at the state commemoration in Johannesburg, at the soccer stadium, and I think he knows that for the future of this country, there needs to be some more reconciliation in the Mandela spirit. He spoke to it quite strongly during his speech at the state funeral today.
BLACKWELL: Rick, you worked with President Mandela on his autobiography, "A Long Walk to Freedom." And in the book, you write and he writes that when Mandela was a child in this community of Qunu, that Africans weren't afforded the privilege of having the title of land and owning that land. They had to pay rent to the government, annually. Talk about what it meant to go back and his decision to be buried in Qunu, and now to runner as the first black president, and with a state funeral and all the pomp and circumstance there in Qunu?
RICK STENGEL, FORMER MANAGING EDITOR, "TIME" MAGAZINE: It is very significant and lovely. I mean he loved those hills around where he was born. He never talked about religion much or western religion at all, and he talked about the ancestors. He talked about his people.
He was, when his father died, when he was eight or nine years old, and his father had been a counselor to the king of the Tembu, he was brought to the -- what was known as the great place, Mquikizani (ph), and he became a charge, became another son, as it were, of the king, where he was imbued with all of the transitions of the Tembu tribe and the larger Hosa (ph) clan and he loved the those things. He loved their style of leadership. He loved listening to the stories of the Hosa (ph) battles against the British, against the Zulu. And he was imbued with a feeling of African aristocracy, African history, African greatness. And, in a way, the fact that he was so far from where white settlements were, so far from cities, preserved that sense of confidence that he had by living in a royal village and being educated by a king and having these kingly and royal responsibilities that were devolved upon him.
And what happened when he eventually ran away, because the king tried to arrange a marriage for him, and the king's real son, Justice (ph), he ran away to Johannesburg, that was where he first experienced prejudice and racial injustice. And that is what turned him into a revolutionary. And -- but the inheritance that he got as a young man gave him confidence, gave him confidence in himself, gave him confidence in the long chain of African leadership that had proceed him.
And when he first joined the ANC, this was something that people noticed, that Walter Sulu (ph), who became his mentor in the ANC, noticed. They noticed that this young man, with his aristocratic bearing, had great confidence, great confidence in himself, great belief in the African destiny. That was less true of many young men who were raised in the townships and raised in the cities.
And yet when he became a leader of the ANC, and certainly when he was imprisoned and when he became state president, one of the other things that he did that was contra, the accepted wisdom of the ANC, was he embraced that traditional leadership that he came from. Many in the ANC felt that the - that the white government and the apartheid powers had tried to play black tribes against each other, and that - and people in the ANC would say, we are not - we are not Hosa (ph), we are not Tembu, we are not Pondos (ph), we are not Zulus, we are blacks. And Mandela would say, no, this - the traditional tribal culture is something that's important to the people of South Africa and we cannot reject it, we must reach out to those people.
And it's come full circle, really, when you think, here he is buried in Qunu, you know, adjacent to the village where he was born, in the solemn ceremony that blends east and west, that he's finally come back to his resting place. He's come full circle. And it's a beautiful circle that we see. And to echo Christiane and Cyril, it is, I believe, sets the stage for this extraordinary transformation in South Africa that he has ushered in.
BLACKWELL: Rick Stengel and Christiane Amanpour, thank you so much for putting this into context for us and giving us a look into not just the symbolism of Nelson Mandela, but the actual accomplishments. We'll continue to have this conversation throughout the morning. Thank you both.
Also tonight on CNN, Christiane Amanpour hosts part one of her documentary, "Back to the Beginning: Retracing Biblical Tales." That's tonight at 9:00 Eastern.
BROWN: And shifting our focus. Check the calendar. Hard to believe, but winter is still six days away. You wouldn't really believe that when you look outside and look at this. The third big storm in recent weeks is smothering upstate New York and New England in snow this morning. The Boston area may wind up with more than a foot before the day is done. This system left a thousand-mile trail of snow across the Midwest and places like Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland have several inches of powder that need to be shoveled off driveways today. CNN's Alexander Field looks at winter's early blast.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The sights and sounds of a fierce winter storm. Overnight, the large swath of snow and ice moved into the northeast, packing a punch that has many in the region digging in for a long winter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got plenty of salt, but the back roads are starting to stick a little bit. It looks like it's coming down pretty good now, though. They might get a little worse, especially the back roads.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to stay in for this and get out of the way.
FIELD: Boston's mayor, Tom Menino, cautioning everyone this holiday season before the worst hits his city.
MAYOR TOM MENINO, BOSTON: Be very careful as you come back from those parties this evening. The roadways, there'll be snow on them, and just ask you, just when you celebrate, and celebrate responsibly. This is a snowstorm that is not a (INAUDIBLE) proportion and the (INAUDIBLE) sites should be able to handle it.
FIELD: The 1,000-mile path of this system has put states from Kansas to Maine in the bull's-eye, with winter storm warnings and watches across the board. Airport delays caused by the storm are forcing many flights to be canceled with a ripple effect being felt coast-to-coast. Dangerous conditions on the roads are also a major factor. At least one person was killed when a car slid off a Missouri interstate. But in New England, the Massachusetts DOT says they're ready.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): We have almost 4,000 pieces of equipment. We have both salt spreaders and plows and heavy -- really heavy pieces of equipment, as well as some specialized live (ph) snow blowing equipment.
FIELD: And yet despite the blizzard-like conditions, not everything came to a halt. The annual Army game went on as planned. The Navy midshipman beat Army for the 12th straight year in a row, 34-7. And Erin Flanagan (ph) got her wish of a white wedding. The Pottstown, Pennsylvania, bride and her groom said their "i dos" in the middle of the storm.
ERIN FLANAGAN, BRIDE: I just wanted a white wedding, and I wanted it to snow, and I think snow is beautiful, because I'm from Massachusetts, so it works for me and I got it.
FIELD (on camera): You hit the jackpot.
FLANAGAN: Yes, I did!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: No coat or anything.
BROWN: Wow. Nope. They are braving it!
BLACKWELL: I mean like a little shawl or something. Well, congratulations.
BROWN: Yes. And, by the way, that was CNN's Alexander Field reporting.
BLACKWELL: Hey, if you're planning to travel today, you know, maybe think twice, and that's why.
BROWN: And I'm one of those -
BLACKWELL: Yes. Yes.
BROWN: Possible travelers. We'll see if I get out. That massive snowstorm is already being blamed for more than 1,000 canceled flights. Coming up, we're going to tell you how much snow could be headed your way. Stick around. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Welcome back, everyone.
A Colorado sheriff brands school shooter Karl Pierson's intent as evil, saying the 18-year-old student was out to hurt a lot of people.
BLACKWELL: Pearson shot one girl, 17 years old, her name was Claire Davis, at point-blank range, left her critically wounded with severe head trauma.
BROWN: CNN's Ana Cabrera is live in Centennial, Colorado. That's just outside of Denver.
And, Ana, you're learning some new details about the shooter and his intentions. Tell us about that.
ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pamela and Victor, we now know it took just one minute and 20 seconds for the shooter to victimize this entire community with his actions. We've learned that he bought the gun and the ammunition that he used in this shooting legally from a local retailer here in Colorado. It was December 6th that 18-year-old Karl Pierson purchased the gun used in this shooting and he bought the ammunition on his way to school, on the day of the shooting.
Now, he fired a total of five shots, we've learned. One of those shots, of course, hit 17-year-old Claire Davis. She's the girl who was shot in the head, in critical condition. The sheriff still believes she was not his intended target, but investigators do believe he intended to cause a lot of harm here at the school. Not only did he bring that gun and all that ammunition, he also had a machete and he had a backpack full of three Molotov cocktails. He set off one of those devices inside the school's library. That's also where he took his own life. And the sheriff says he believes it was the quick actions of the school resource officer that may have saved even more lives in this particular case, as the shooter knew he didn't have a lot of time to carry out his plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF GRAYSON ROBINSON, APACHE COUNTY, COLORADO: And I know that Claire Davis is a young woman of principle, she's a young woman of purpose, she is an innocent young lady, and she was an innocent victim of an evil act of violence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know how much she loves all you guys and I know how much this would mean to her, and I can't thank you guys enough for being here for her. And I know Chris (ph) is doing the donations for Claire and her family and some other things that I told him I'd help them out with. So I just - I want to thank you guys so much for everything you guys are doing for her and her family. I know they appreciate it. I told them they appreciate it a lot. So, thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Now, that last girl you just heard is a friend of Claire Davis, the victim. That was a prayer vigil they held for the victim last night, asking everybody to continue to keep Claire Davis in their thoughts and prayers.
Pamela and Victor.
BROWN: Ana Cabrera with the very latest on the Colorado school shooting. Thank you for that.
BLACKWELL: Now, still to come, the big announcement that college football fans have been waiting for.
BROWN: That's right. We're going to tell you who ran away this year's Heisman trophy. Why it made history. And, get this, why some winners of the game's top prize end up being busts in the NFL. No big so there for big football fans. We're going to have more on this.
BLACKWELL: Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: All right. Let's take a look at this here. It was supposed to be the Army versus Navy, but it was more like both teams versus the snow. This was the scene of the game out in Philadelphia yesterday. Despite that blowing snow, Navy beat Army, 34-7. Wow. Didn't really hold back the fans, either, did it?
BLACKWELL: What was the snowblower supposed to do? I mean he's in a corner just with this, you know, one foot squared place. BROWN: He's trying. He's trying, OK?
BLACKWELL: Well, he tried.
BROWN: All right, well, move over Johnny Football, there is a new Heisman trophy winner.
BLACKWELL: Yes, Florida State's quarterback, Jameis Winston was awarded college football's most prestigious prize. The freshman came in with the win, the top player in the game. Joe Carter's here with this morning's "Bleacher Report." And not -- it wasn't close.
JOE CARTER, BLEACHER REPORT: Oh, this was a landslide.
BROWN: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
CARTER: Yes, he won easily. But, yes, here we are again, second year in a row that a freshman quarterback wins the award. Obviously, Johnny Manziel won it last year. Jameis Winston wins it this year. But he is the youngest player to ever win the award, 19 years old. As a matter of fact, he'll turn 20 when Florida State plays Auburn the day of the national championship game. A little extra incentive there, but no surprise last night when he heard Jameis Winston's name called.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the winner is, Jameis Winston, Florida State University.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARTER: All right, so, obviously, like I said, Winston was the landslide this year, won by the seventh largest margin ever, 87 percent of voters put Jameis Winston on the ballot. And how it works really is you put him down as one, two, or three. You don't have to check a box. You just put who you think are the top three players. They get points according to how they're placed.
Now, 115 voters left Winston off their ballot altogether, which obviously points to some people having doubts in the sexual allegations - sexual assault allegations that surround him right now. Obviously, no charges -
BROWN: Which he was never charged for, right?
BLACKWELL: Yes.
CARTER: No charges were filed, but the accuser and the accuser's attorney continue to push on. They want to see this thing either go to a retrial, the case reopened, or they'd like to see it go to a civil suit.
But, you know, Jameis Winston, obviously, has had a very successful season on the field, but clearly a very trying one off the field. And you could hear that in his emotional acceptance speech last night and also he addressed it in the, you know, the post-game - or the post- Heisman comments when he sort of mentioned how his parents have kind of gone through a lot too as well. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMEIS WINSTON, FLORIDA STATE: When I look down in the stands, when I was giving my speech, I seen my mom's and my dad's eyes and they felt so proud. And I ain't seen that - I ain't seen that look in their eyes in a long time. And it's not that I feel complete, because I'm still hungry, because we've got a national championship that we've got to win. But when you see your mom and you see your dad like -- when they've been struggling through this whole process, and now you see a smile on their face, it comforted me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARTER: All right, so Jameis Winston's clearly the favorite to win it next year because he's a freshman - he's a freshman, so he has to come back to play at Florida State for at least one more season before he can go on to the NFL.
And, you know, winning a Heisman trophy doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to have success at the next level because -
BLACKWELL: It sure doesn't.
CARTER: We've definitely seen a number of quarterbacks - because that's who typically wins the Heisman, a number of quarterbacks not succeed at that next level. And so we've put together a list of some of the more famous flops over the last 10 years. Jason White tops the that list. Yes, there you go. Jason White tops that list, came from Oklahoma. Obviously never got a chance to do anything in the NFL because of his bad knees. Next on the list is Matt Leinart. One of the prettiest clipboard holder's you'll ever see in the NFL. Obviously a great quarterback at USC, didn't materialize to much in the NFL. Troy Smith, a total bust. Great at Ohio State. Didn't do anything in the NFL.
BROWN: Yes.
CARTER: As a matter of fact, he plays in the Canadian Football League. And then Tim Tebow, obviously one of the most -
BROWN: Yes, I was going to say -
CARTER: One of the most polarizing figures. One of the most popular backup quarterbacks ever. But, clearly, his career is over. Probably going to have a very successful broadcasting career.
BLACKWELL: Yes. All right, Joe Carter, thank you very much.
BROWN: Thank you much. Appreciate it.
BLACKWELL: Here's something you don't see every day, a camera shot from the moon. We're going to take you there, next. Here it is! Hey, Jen.
JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Victor! And we are continuing to track this storm system that has pushed across the East Coast, caused a foot of snow in some places. We'll have the full wrap-up when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Mortgage rates ended the week higher. Take a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back, everyone. We appreciate you being here with us on this Sunday morning. I'm Pamela Brown.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell.
Let's start this half with five things you need to know for your new day.
Number one, South Africa singing in celebration of Nelson Mandela today at his state funeral. Now, just a short time ago, the revered statesmen was laid to rest at his family's grave site that's in his childhood village of Qunu. A military escort carried Mandela's flag- draped casket to its final resting place.
BROWN: And at number four, the Obama administration says about 15,000 signup forms that were completed on healthcare.gov never reached insurance companies. Most of the failures happened shortly after the site launched back in October. Officials say that since major site fixes took place December 1st, enrollment errors have been, quote, "close to zero."
BLACKWELL: Number three, China has successfully landed its newest spacecraft on the moon. It's the first lunar landing in more than 30 years. And it makes China the third country to ever touch down on the moon's surface. This six-wheeled rover named "Jade Rabbit," which the people of China decided that would be the name, it's expected to study the lunar environment for at least three months.
BROWN: And at number four, a heads-up here. If you use FedEx to send a gift this holiday season, you might want to check its status.
BLACKWELL: Watch out.
BROWN: Yeah, the company says this weekend's snow and strong winds have caused major disruptions at its Memphis hub. FedEx is urging customers to visit fedex.com for updates.
BLACKWELL: And number five, let's talk about that snow. The northeast is getting walloped by winter weather this weekend. Buffalo, in Upstate New York, seven inches of snow Saturday. Central Park got five inches there in Manhattan. And before we head back to work, New England could see 18 inches. Wow.
Jennifer Gray is here with the forecast. Jennifer, how much and when is this going to end?
JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, the good news is, it is pushing out as we speak. I guess the timing was good. It happened on a weekend, so we didn't have to worry about people trying to get to work and things like that, but you can see, Boston just starting to get that changeover from snow back to rain. And as this continues to push offshore for today, we'll continue to dry out for the most part. So tracking this today, 6:00 this morning, there's the storm, and then it pushes out. You can see by 11:00 this morning, Boston should be in the clear. We'll just be dealing with some snow across portions of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and places like that. But then clearing out as we get into the afternoon hours today and especially the overnight. Snow totals were impressive, guys, though. Look at that. Upstate New York, a foot of snow. And North Haven, Connecticut, seven inches. Boston had six, Central Park, five, and Chicago, just over four inches of snow. So, this was quite the beast of a storm. Luckily it's pushing out and we'll get a little bit of a breather going through the next couple of days.
BLACKWELL: All right. Jennifer Gray, thank you very much. Folks need that breather.
BROWN: And to think, it's not even winter yet officially.
BLACKWELL: Right. Can we at least get there on the calendar first?
BROWN: It's mean.
BLACKWELL: Hey, if you're dreaming of a white Christmas, you know, you're going to get it, and probably a white Christmas Eve and the week leading into it.
BROWN: Yeah, that's right. A thousand-mile-long-winter storm is now pushing its way from Midwest to New England and that means millions are waking up this morning to more snow, ice, and freezing temperatures.
BLACKWELL: Yeah, but for drivers, this is no winter wonderland. Roads are already treacherous and cities like Boston are expecting, as we heard, eight to 14 more inches of snow.
BROWN: That's right. Frank DePaola joins us now on the phone from Brockton, Massachusetts. He's the highway division administrator at the state's Department of Transportation.
Thanks so much for being here. First off, just tell us, how are the conditions now where you are?
FRANK DEPAOLA, HIGHWAY DIVISION ADMINISTRATOR, MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: Good morning, Pamela, good morning, Victor. Right now, where I am, it's beginning to change over to rain, to mix a little bit with the six inches of snow that we've already gotten. But we've been at it all night, working on the roads to get them clear.
BLACKWELL: So, you know, one thing that we noticed last weekend when we had that blast of winter weather, that it was going through places that people typically aren't prepared for this. You're in Massachusetts, where snow is not a novelty. And we're looking, we've got live pictures out now courtesy of WCVB, we've got those mountains there. What about the accidents and what's going on on the roads? Are people staying off the roads?
DEPAOLA: The traffic volumes are down. We had a few tractor-trailers jack knife overnight, but we were able to get those clear and get the roads back open very quickly. You're right, we're pretty used to this, so we have this system down. We know what to do when it snows.
BROWN: And tell us, you know, obviously, the concern is for the commute tomorrow morning. What have you all been doing to prepare for that
DEPAOLA: We've been working on getting the roads clear. We also treat them with deicing, salt and other chemicals to make sure that they're not icy. So our goal is to not only have the roads in good condition today, but have them clear and ready for the Monday morning commute.
BROWN: All right. Frank DePaola, thank you so much. We appreciate it.
BLACKWELL: Good luck!
BROWN: Yeah. Good luck!
DEPAOLA: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: And new this morning, a Japanese diplomat was wounded earlier today and this was not just a fall or something, it was a failed kidnapping attempt. It happened in Yemen.
BROWN: Interior ministry officials say the kidnapping took place outside the diplomat's home in the capital of Sana'a. When the diplomat resisted that attack, he was stabbed by assailants who then fled the scene.
BLACKWELL: Yeah, that diplomat is being treated at a local hospital. We're told the injuries, fortunately, are minor.
Still to come, winter has blown in early, as we've said, in a really big way. Back in the U.S., northeast -- OK, we're skipping that.
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: Changes happen on live television!
BROWN: I know. This is the beauty of live television.
BLACKWELL: We aren't talking about the snow?
BROWN: We're going to talk about that massive thousand miles snowstorm that's plowing into New England, as we just spoke to the head administrator there in Boston for that. We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Welcome back, everyone. Well, if you're like me and heading to the airport today, you better check the status of your flight. The snowstorm is already being blamed for more than a thousand flight cancellations. 150 flights were canceled yesterday out of Newark Liberty International alone, and today is not expected to be any better. Boston's Logan Airport has already canceled 38 flights. Overall, more than 500 have been delayed. Not a great situation.
BLACKWELL: A northeast Florida community, it's cleaning up this morning from an apparent tornado. Authorities say a twister may have touched down in four spots in the city of Palm Coast. No one was hurt, but several homes were damaged and more than 2,000 customers lost power. Officials are expected to determine today if a tornado really did form there.
BROWN: All right. And shifting our focus from the weather now, Pope Francis says, nope, I'm not a Marxist. In an interview with an Italian newspaper, the pope says Marxist ideology is, quote, "wrong," but Francis says that he knows many Marxists who are, quote, "good people." The pope's blunt criticism of capitalism and his focus on the poor led Rush Limbaugh to call the pontiff's views pure Marxism.
BLACKWELL: We're going to have that extended conversation about the pope a little later in the show. President Obama's appearance at Nelson Mandela's memorial service several days ago had, let's say if you miss cues, we can put it that way ...
BROWN: Yeah, we could call it that. We could call it that. Of course, they are including now infamous selfie Obama took with the Danish prime minister and then how could we forget the sign language interpreter many called a fake. And as you would imagine, "Saturday Night Live" just couldn't and well, they really shouldn't resist the stumbles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, first, I got roped into taking a selfie with the blond female Danish prime minister.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some people said Michelle was angry at me for that. But I talked to her afterwards and I can assure you, she was furious.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then I got caught shaking hands with Raul Castro. In my defense, he told me he was Edward James Omos.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And finally, there was a sign language interpreter who clearly had no idea what he was doing. (LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But those were merely distractions and tonight, I would like to focus instead on health care.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, I have been listening ...
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: to what Americans are saying. And some very valid concerns are being raised.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But this is not a battle that will be won overnight. And without a doubt, we've seen huge improvements on our website.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've had our best people working on it. Our very best people and those who claim we're moving in the wrong direction, well, that's just nonsense. I mean, some folks are bound to be frustrated, but many are more -- many more are excited, you know? And ...
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: You know, you look back actually at the original footage, the guy looks like he's throwing baseball cues out.
BROWN: Oh, my god. Well, the funny thing is, too, I was watching that - the actual interpreter had no facial expressions.
BLACKWELL: Yeah.
BROWN: He was stoic. So (inaudible), they are obviously a little bit exaggerated there. And, of course, the man, the interpreter blames his bogus hand gestures on a schizophrenic episode. But that was really what everyone was talking about, and I thought, because I actually covered that story this week. And I thought, what are the odds? This is definitely going to end up as an "SNL" skit.
BLACKWELL: And, you know, we were waiting for it.
BROWN: We were waiting. I think, everyone.
BLACKWELL: I was wondering if they were going with the interpreter or with the selifes, but they went with the interpreter.
BROWN: Yeah.
BLACKWELL: Good choice, "SNL."
BROWN: Yeah.
BLACKWELL: All right, we've got a question for you. What do you consider to be the biggest -- think back over the year, the biggest story of 2013?
BROWN: And there has been a lot of big stories this year. Starting tonight at 6:00 p.m. Eastern time, we hope you'll tell us. All you have to do is go to cnn.com and there you'll see a list of some of the most covered stories of the past 12 months.
BLACKWELL: Yeah, from our list of 20, we want you to choose the top ten. Voting for the top stories of 2013 will continue until the end of the month, the end of 2013, and then on December 30 at 9:00 eastern, online and on television, we will reveal your top ten stories of 2013. This should be fun.
BROWN: Yeah.
BLACKWELL: And we want you to vote, of course, and then we'll go in and talk about the stories that everyone ...
BROWN: Yeah, curious to know what you think.
BLACKWELL: I've got to think about it.
BROWN: Yeah, I know.
BLACKWELL: There's a lot going on over the year.
BROWN: I know.
BLACKWELL: Stay classy, San Diego. I'm Ron Burgundy? We've got to go up to make ...
BROWN: Yeah, you have to. You have to. You got that down.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: If there's one thing we've learned from everyone's favorite anchorman, don't always trust the prompter. I think I've learned it twice this hour.
BROWN: This morning.
BLACKWELL: Yeah, I think we're being put to the test here.
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: And coming up, we're going to take you behind the scenes of "Anchorman II" as Ron Burgundy prepares to get back in front of the camera. You won't want to miss this, we'll be right back!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: Good morning, Woburn, Massachusetts. Ain't this pretty? I mean you've got the lights on the tree and the snow there. They're dealing with a lot of snow, but it becomes a little less pretty when you think they have got inches more on the way. The roads are treacherous, and tomorrow, people have to go back to work. Again, I hope you enjoy Sunday and bundle up if you've got to go out today and prepare for the week ahead. Pamela?
BROWN: All right. Way to be a Debbie Downer there, Victor.
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: All right, well, this isn't really much more uplifting. We want to get you up to date here with what's going on this week. On Monday, hearing in Dubai for "Shez" Cassim. Of course, he's the American who's been imprisoned for making a parody video and posting it online. His family says he's been charged with endangering national security.
And then on Tuesday, Tennis star Jennifer Capriati has a court date of her own. She's accused of stalking and later punching her ex- boyfriend. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve announces new interest rates. We're going to be keeping a close eye on Wall Street, of course. And, of course, it's going to affect markets, investments and loans.
And then time to stay classy. Will Ferrell fans, the comedy "Anchorman 2" hits theaters. A lot of people looking forward to that, including myself. And then let's take a look at Friday here. Let's see. There we go, Friday, the beginning of two plus weeks of fun and sun for the first family. President Obama and his family travel to Honolulu to enjoy a Christmas and New Year holiday vacation. All right, Victor, back to you.
BLACKWELL: You know, Pamela, you know this that I'm not a fan of that board either.
BROWN: I know. Every single time - I think I'm cursed every year. Every time I do it, I have issues.
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: There simply someone back there who could press a button.
BROWN: Yeah.
BLACKWELL: but they want us to press the button or the screen, so it works.
BROWN: There you go.
BLACKWELL: I guess.
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: Hey, you talked a moment about the Fed's decision this week, well, now it might be a good time to rebalance that 401(K), because after the Dow's record run this year, the Fed will decide this week whether or not to pull back on its massive stimulus program, and that could cause stocks to drop. Alison Kosik is here with more on Wall Street's week ahead. Hey, Alison.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Pamela and Victor. This week, it's all about the Federal Reserve. Wall Street has been wondering, what policy makers will do about its massive stimulus program and Wednesday we could get some clues. The Fed has been throwing $85 billion a month into the economy and that's pushed stocks to record highs. But recent reports on jobs, GDP, housing, and auto sales have been improving, leading some to believe the economy is strong enough to stand on its own and that the Fed will taper sooner rather than later. But a survey by the NABE shows two-thirds of economists don't think tapering will begin until early next year. About a third say this second quarter of next year. That coming week also brings some big economic reports on GDP, existing home sales, and manufacturing. And finally, we'll learn this week if minimum wage in Washington, D.C. will jump to $11.50 an hour by 2016. The City Council is set to vote on the initiative. If passed, and then signed by the mayor, D.C.'s minimum wage will be the highest in the country. Pamela and Victor, that's what's coming up on Wall Street.
Alison, thank you so much.
BLACKWELL: Hey, if you're up for a little light reading this morning, you might want to check this out. And it is light.
BROWN: Yeah, really light, let me tell you.
BLACKWELL: Oxford University has digitized a 550-year-old Guttenberg Bible and put the whole thing online.
BROWN: That's right. If you really want to read it, you'll need to know Latin, just a minor thing there, you know what I mean? The book is translated in vulgate, putting the Guttenberg Bible as part of a project by the Polonsky Foundation. It's also digitizing the Vatican's Bible collection.
BLACKWELL: We're expecting Arizona Senator John McCain to take the stage any minute in opposition to a rally in the Ukraine. We're seeing here this rally live right now. A protest began when the Ukrainian president changed his stance on a trade pact with the European Union. Now, he refused to sign the agreement, which would have strengthened cooperation with the E.U. Now, instead, he opted for a closer ties with neighboring Russia. McCain's move, likely, will not sit well with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Senator McCain says that he expects that other U.S. senators will join him in these sanctions. He's backed personal sanctions against those involved and police crackdowns on oppositions, also protesters in Kiev, Ukrainian, he said during a statement as well. He says that we are on the side of the Ukrainian people. That is what's being attributed to him. Again, we're expected to see the senator -- there he is on the stage now.
BROWN: Here he is, right here in the middle.
BLACKWELL: We'll get the highlights of these comments and then bring them to you.
Flights, a lowlight for a lot of people ...
BROWN: Yeah.
BLACKWELL: ... who are waiting to go somewhere are delayed, a lot of them have been canceled.
BROWN: That's right. And some roads are just not safe to travel this morning. Isn't that right, Alexandra?
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. There's rain, there's sleet, there's snow. It is a mess outside of Boston. I'm Alexandra Field. I'll have a live report, coming up. Pamela, Victor?
BLACKWELL: All right. And a much-anticipated "Anchorman 2" comes out this week.
BROWN: Yeah, it turns out Ron Burgundy and CNN's Wolf Blitzer are sworn enemies. Who knew?
(LAUGHTER)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wolf is Ron's mortal enemy. Wolf took Ron's mustache and grew it into a beard. Let's not forget that that beard started with a mustache.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: How dare you, Wolf?! Special behind-the-scenes look at "Anchorman 2," this is coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: You want to play the best part of the song? When it goes off to that "Maybe all I need?" I mean yeah, it is Sunday morning. That's why we play this. Welcome to your "NEW DAY." And we're coming up on 7:00 now. And this man might have the most legendary facial hair of a television newsman of all time. I know you're thinking, he must mean Wolf. He must mean Wolf with the beard.
BROWN: No, no, no.
BLACKWELL: Ron Burgundy with that mustache is getting back behind the anchor desk.
BROWN: And that hair! Look at that hair.
BLACKWELL: Yeah. He loves his hair. And the highly anticipated movie, "Anchorman 2" comes out this week.
BROWN: CNN had a chance to go behind the scenes with the famous - who - journalist ...
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: as he prepares to get back in front of the camera. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The great ones always return. Jesus, McArthur, Jay-Z. We haven't seen you in a while, America. You haven't changed a bit.
WILL FERRELL, ACTOR: My name is Will Ferrell and I'm playing the character of Ron Burgundy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FERRELL: Someone, put this (inaudible) in all capital letters and I thought I was supposed to yell it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FERRELL: The movie is now set in 1980. We pick up with Ron and his crew, they have been asked to come and be a part of 24 hour news.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is, without a doubt, the dumbest thing I've ever heard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This station is state of the art and we've called the very best anchors from all around the country.
FERRELL: And everybody's betting against him. No one thinks that this concept is going to work. And I think we're the news team to prove them wrong.
This isn't right. The news team is back!
They end up kind of mistakenly and through their own resourcefulness and bad journalistic impulses to create a new type of news form that leads the network to great heights.
Let's take a look at the big map. Where's the map?
Look at the monitor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Ron, where's my legs? I don't have any legs, Ron!
FERRELL: Ah!
DAVID KOECHNER,M "CHAMP" KIND: And we find a way to light it up. That's all I can say.
FERRELL: Tonight's top story is -- crack. You feel that right away. It's just refreshing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just lime. Look at him. He's a prince. He's not that great.
FERRELL: What'd you say?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said you're not that great!
JAMES MARSDEN, JACK LIME: The nemesis for Ron is the younger, smarter, funnier, more attractive anchor. He's the face, he's the lead anchor of GNM.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, chief, what's feeding time for that mustache of yours?
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's wrong with him?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On me!
FERRELL: Here's the cameos I can confirm with you. The recently retired pope, we just got him, Ted Turner. Ted Turner's brother, Rob. Rob Turner, Rob, Rob Turner and Miss Teen USA from six years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's watch 50 home runs in a row! Whammy, whammy, and whammy!
KOECHNER: I should say lower your expectations, then you're going to be blown away. But I would say it's going to be a party, and you're going to love it.
FERRELL: I'm going to do what got put Ron Burgundy on this earth to do. Have salon-quality hair and read the news.
You stay classy.
BROWN: Good morning, everyone. I'm Pamela Brown.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. I can't wait to see that.
BROWN: Yes.
BLACKWELL: It's 7:00 on the East Coast, 4:00 a.m. out west. This is "NEW DAY SUNDAY."
BROWN: And hard to believe, it's not even officially winter yet, but the third big storm of recent weeks is beating up on upstate New York and New England this morning. Massachusetts may see more than a foot before the day is done.
BLACKWELL: Yes, the system left a thousand-mile trail of snow across the Midwest. Places like Chicago and Detroit and Cleveland, they got several inches of snow that need to be shoveled off driveways today.
BROWN: Causing a headache for a lot of people. CNN's Alexandra Field is out in all this cold, yucky weather this morning.
You really got the lucky assignment there, Alexandra.
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: Tell us how bad is it?
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Pamela, it looks good right now. We're all waking up to this beautiful blanket of snow. We're in Woburn, Massachusetts, where about half a foot of snow has fallen. This is nine miles outside of Boston.
So, that gives you an idea of what the region is seeing. But to enjoy this, you have to wake up now and get outside, because take a look at this. You can see the snow here. It's already starting to melt. This is that thick, really wet, moist, heavy snow, and it's going to be a mess here soon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FIELD (voice-over): The sights and sounds of a fierce winter storm. Overnight, the large swath of snow and ice moved into the Northeast, packing a punch that has many in the region digging in for a long winter.
LARS NELSON, POTTSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA RESIDENT: We've got plenty of salt, the back roads are starting to stick a little bit. It looks like it's coming down pretty good now, though. They might get a little worse, especially the back roads.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to stay in for this and get out of the way.
FIELD: Boston's mayor, Tom Menino, cautioning everyone this holiday season before the worst hits his city.
MAYOR THOMAS MENINO, BOSTON: Be very careful. The roadways, there'll be snow on them. And I ask you, when you celebrate, celebrate responsibly. This is a snowstorm that is a major proportion.
FIELD: The 1,000-mile path of this system has put states from Kansas to Maine in the bull's-eye, with winter storm warnings and watches across the board. Airport delays caused by the storm are forcing many flights to be canceled with a ripple effect being felt coast to coast.
Dangerous conditions on the roads are also a major factor. At least one person was killed when a car slid off a Missouri interstate. But in New England, the Massachusetts DOT says they're ready.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have almost 4,000 pieces of equipment. We have both salt spreaders and plows and really heavy pieces of equipment, as well as some specialized snow-blowing equipment.
FIELD: And yet, despite the blizzard-like conditions, not everything came to a halt. The annual army game went on as planned. The Navy midshipman beat Army for the 12th straight year in a row, 34-7.
And Erin Flanagan got her wish of a white wedding. The Pottstown, Pennsylvania, bride and her groom said their "I dos" in the middle of a storm.
ERIN FLANAGAN, POTTSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA RESIDENT: I wanted to snow and I think snow is beautiful because I'm from Massachusetts. So, it works for me, and I got it.
FIELD: You hit the jackpot.
FLANAGAN: Yes, I did.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FIELD: Beautiful until you have to clean it up. You can see that the plows have been out here in the square all morning. Massachusetts was prepping for a big storm. They put 2,000 pieces of equipment out on the road. And you can see they're already starting to build up these snow banks, but this snow is already starting to change over to rain. It means the roads out here are just going to get slushier -- Pamela, Victor.
BROWN: This is not their first radio with --
BLACKWELL: True. Be careful out in the street, Alexandra.
(CROSSTALK)
BLACKWELL: All right. Thank you.
FIELD: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: All right. Hey, that wedding you just saw, it was not the only fun people had this weekend in this massive storm. Skiers at Bolton Valley in Vermont, they got 6 inches of some fresh powder on the slopes and they could see another 5 by tonight, so that's something.
FIELD: Yes, I guess so. And, you know, not so fun, though, outside the King of Prussia Mall right near Philadelphia. Snowplows, as you see right here, working hard, trying to keep those roads clear for all those holiday shoppers.
So big question, what can we expect today? And, of course, tomorrow, when a lot of people have been hitting the roads for the morning commute.
Jennifer Gray has your forecast.
Hi, Jennifer.
JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi.
Yes. We're going to see this to continue to push out as we go through the afternoon today, already looking much, much better across the East Coast. D.C., quiet, New York, quiet, and Boston, you are clearing out. It is changing over to rain as we speak. We'll zoom down on the Boston area. And you can see that snow pushing out. Changing over to rain and now in the next hour or two, you will be completely clear as well, still pulling in some lake-effect snow in the Great Lakes region.
So most of the snow today, aside from the lake-effect, will be up in Maine, portions of northern Vermont, New Hampshire. But this is going to push on out, even in those areas. This is noon today, and you can see the system, already starting to race up the Northeast and then, Maine, looking clear by 9:00 tonight. So we will be able to have a little bit of a breather as we go through the overnight hours tonight into tomorrow.
Just keep in mind, a lot of areas will get below freezing tonight and so a lot of this stuff could refreeze. So, you'll have to look out for that black ice, things like that as we go through the morning hours.
Two to four inches of snow for northern portions of Virginia, Vermont, and Maine could see up to a foot as we go through the afternoon. Temperatures are going to stay very, very cold, though. Look at this, Monday afternoon, Boston, you will be at 23 degrees. Your normal high is in the low 40s. New York City, 37 today, 27 on Monday.
So, even though the snow is gone, the chill is definitely going to stick around.
BLACKWELL: All right, Jennifer. We'll get ready for it.
BROWN: We will.
BLACKWELL: Thank you.
GRAY: All right.
BLACKWELL: Now to South Africa. The nation is saying farewell to Nelson Mandela and it's doing so with ceremony and songs and lots of emotion. The man who did so much to bring his country together at the end of apartheid has now been laid to rest.
The ceremony was a private one for family and just close friends. A military escort carried Mandela's casket, you see here, draped with the South African flag, to the burial site in his childhood village of Qunu.
And keeping with tradition, he was buried when the sun was at its brightest. Jets flew above in tribute to South Africa's first black president. Earlier today, thousands of mourners, heads of state, Britain's Prince Charles, Oprah Winfrey, you can see her there in this image, Jesse Jackson was there as well, they were all at the state funeral for Nelson Mandela, and 95 candles that glowed in the funeral tent, one for each year of his remarkable life.
BROWN: Very emotional. Well, Pope Francis says he's not a Marxist. In an interview with an Italian newspaper, he says the Marxist ideology is wrong. But Francis says he knows many Marxists. They were good people. The pope's blunt criticism of capitalism and his focus on the poor led Rush Limbaugh to call the pontiff's views pure Marxism.
BLACKWELL: We're going to Colorado next, new information on that school shooting.
Plus, a candlelight vigil for Claire Davis. She was the Arapahoe High School student who was shot in the head.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: A Colorado sheriff branded school shooter Karl Pierson's intent was evil, saying the 18-year-old student was out to hurt a lot of people. Pierson shot one girl, 17-year-old Claire Davis at point- blank range, leaving her critically wounded with severe head trauma.
CNN's Ana Cabrera is live in Centennial, Colorado. That's just outside of Denver.
And, Ana, this terrifying event took just 80 seconds. Do we know why that is?
ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was just a short crime spree, Pamela and Victor. But a lot of damage and terrifying moments for this community. In fact, we've learned that the suspect, the shooter who eventually took his own life, came to this school armed with a pump action shotgun. He had a machete. He had three Molotov cocktails and several rounds of ammunition that were strapped to his body. He bought that ammunition the day of the shooting, on his way to the school.
And shockingly, the gun and the ammunition were purchased legally the from a local dealer here in Colorado. Because the suspect is 18 years old, it was legal for him to purchase those weapons.
Now, we're learning more about the motive this morning. The sheriff telling us that they believe that the debate coach was, indeed, the intended target. Apparently, the suspect in the debate coach had an argument of some sort, back in September. There was a disciplinary action taken against Karl Pierson, the shooter in this case, and at that time in September, he apparently threatened, verbally, against that debate coach.
So, again, he came here, he entered the school, next to the library, where he believed the debate coach was probably standing. He's also a school librarian.
Now, we've also learned that why they don't believe that the 17-year- old was his intended target, the 17-year-old who was critically injured, they do believe that he came here with the intention to injure multiple people. But the sheriff says that Claire Davis, the young lady who's now fighting for her life, just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when Pierson entered the build building.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF GRAYSON ROBINSON, ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO: And I know that Claire Davis is a young woman of principle, she's a young woman of purpose. She is an innocent young lady, and she was an innocent victim of an evil act of violence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know how much she loves all you guys and I know how much this would mean to her and I can't thank you guys enough for being here for you are. I know Chris is doing the donations for Claire and her family and some other things that I told them I'd help them out with.
So I want to thank you guys so much for everything you guys are doing for her and her family. I know they appreciate it. I told them they appreciate it a lot, so thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PERINO: That last sound that you heard there was from a prayer vigil held for the victim last night. The victim, Claire Davis' father, tells us that his daughter has severe head trauma for being hit at point-blank range with the gun and he's asking for everybody to keep his daughter in their thoughts and prayers. We do know that grief counselors are helping the students and this entire community cope with this tragic news -- Victor and Pamela.
BLACKWELL: Really quickly, Ana, is school open tomorrow? Is this still an active investigation at this school?
CABRERA: It is still an active investigation. The sheriff believes they'll be doing detailing and processing this school some time today and they'll hand that over to the school district. We do know school is closed tomorrow. No school here tomorrow.
In fact, the superintendent of schools for Littleton public school district said that it is unlikely that classes will resume as normal this week. However, they may have some modified schedules. We're waiting to learn that schedule as the week progresses, but, again, no classes tomorrow -- Victor, Pamela.
BROWN: The students have a lot of healing to do.
CNN's Ana Cabrera, live in Centennial, Colorado, this morning, and a lot of thoughts and prayers with the victim, Claire Davis.
BROWN: And in other news this morning, the Coast Guard is responding to a gasoline spill in Alaska, after a pipe spilled an estimated 7,000 gallons of gasoline. It was severed during tidal changes overnight. Officials have removed all vessels from the water and the fire department is using vapor mists to try to drive away fumes there.
BLACKWELL: A fast-moving snowstorm is hitting the Northeast. Coming up, we'll tell you how much snow is heading your way.
BROWN: Plus, what would you do if you won the lottery? A lot of us have thought about this.
BLACKWELL: Oh, I have a list.
BROWN: I have lists as well.
I even bought a ticket, but I wasn't one of the winner, because nobody was one of the in Friday night's draw welcome which means you still have a shot at the jackpot. That's right, I'm telling you there's a chance. We're going to tell you how much is up for grabs after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's my pleasure to announce the 2013 Heisman memorial trophy winner. And the winner is Jameis Winston, Florida State University.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: And he is the youngest Heisman winner ever, after leading his team to an undefeated regular season, 13-0. Star quarterback and red shirt freshman, Jameis Winston, was named the best player in the game.
BROWN: Only 19 years old, unbelievable.
And joining us now for more Heisman talk, former NFL star Jamal Anderson.
Great to have you with us, Jamal.
JAMAL ANDERSON, FORMER NFL STAR: Thank you. It's good to be here.
BROWN: I guess this was no big surprise, but what do you think of the pick?
ANDERSON: You know, it was -- Jameis Winton had an outstanding season. Last year, Johnny Manziel set president being the first freshman to get the Heisman trophy. And this year, Jameis came out of nowhere, the great energy, the great story leading Florida state, and the way he played was outstanding, and 19 years old.
A lot of people thought he was going to be the runaway winner, and obviously, the controversy with the accusations down in Florida state somewhat derailed, but what people talked about most was how composed this player was and how well he continued to lead Florida state in light of the investigation.
BLACKWELL: So, there was talk about the investigation and the sexual assault allegation. But what role do you believe it played? Because 115 voters left him off the ballot altogether.
ANDERSON: And you have that number, but you also have to understand that he had -- he won by the seventh largest margin in history. So for some people, obviously, it was a factor. Some people, they clearly looked at the investigation and didn't like anything they saw, or the way the outcome, even though there are no charges against Jameis Winston.
And I think that's what the majority of the voters looked at. When they decided there weren't going to be charges, people clearly said, he's been the most outstanding football player in college football and he deserves our vote.
BROWN: And, of course, we've seen other players who have been under those kind of allegations, Roethlisberger with the Steelers, went on to have successful careers. I think it's important, you emphasize, no charges. He's a freshman, as we said. How long do you think it would be until he goes pro? Having a Heisman trophy is a pretty big deal.
ANDERSON: He has to wait at least another season. He's a red shirt freshman. He's got to wait until after his sophomore season. Usually you have to be, the rules used to be you have to be a junior, but you have to be 20 years old. So, you have to wait one more year.
He'll play another season at Florida State. I don't know if the rest of the SEC is happy to hear about that, but I'm sure by the end of next season, Jameis Winston is going to be taking off.
BLACKWELL: Let's make sure all things stay as they are and no charges are filed. But there is this cloud around Jameis Winston with the allegations. Do you think that will play any role going into the draft if he decides, I'm done after my sophomore year?
ANDERSON: I really don't think so. You looked last fight, and the thing about him, you looked at the interviews last night and you saw his presence, the way he spoke, for a 19-year-old guy, the youngest person to win the most prestigious award in college football, he handled himself so well in all those interviews.
And I think that's what a lot of people going to focus on. There are no charges, he's an outstanding player. And everything else you've heard and read and know from people who know this kid, they say nothing but outstanding things. So, I do not think this going to effect them as long as everything from here on out is just about the best person he can be moving forward.
BROWN: And I think that's important to know, because there is a pretty rigorous sort of interview process.
ANDERSON: There's no question, the NFL quarterback, you know, it's a quarterback-driven league now. You're looking at the quarterbacks being the top names in the marquee players and, you know, for defensive players, the most protected guys on the football field, they don't like that. But the fact remains, you know, quarterbacks lead the majority of the teams in the NFL.
BLACKWELL: And 12 out of the last 14 to take on the Heisman trophy.
BROWN: I've got to ask really quickly. I know they're wrapping us.
You look at some other Heisman trophy winners, Matt Leinart, Tim Tebow, they have not gone on to have successful careers in the NFL.
All right. Let's take out your crystal ball. What do you think about him?
ANDERSON: He's just a different player. He's really a different player. The only player who was drafted in the first round on the quarterbacks last year was from Florida State.
OK. Look at what Jameis Winston has come in and done with that cast of characters. He's a different type of player. He's a two-sport athlete. He's actually an outstanding baseball player as well.
This guy is different, this guy is different. I would be surprised if he wouldn't with able to have success on the next level.
BLACKWELL: We'll see if he can top off a great year with a BCS national championship on his 20th birthday. Thank you very much!
All right. Still to come on NEW DAY, no matter how much snow falls, it just can't stop some people. We'll tell you what's next for the rest of the weekend and your Monday morning commute. That's coming up next.
BROWN: But first, let's check in with Dr. Sanjay Gupta for a look at what's coming up on "SGMD", at 7:30 Eastern Time.
Good morning, Sanjay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Pamela, we're devoting a lot of time today to the issue of mental health, something people often talking about only in the wake of a big tragedy. But what is daily life like few you live with someone who has a mental illness? We'll talk about that.
Also, how might you survive as that family in Nevada did if you finally find yourself stranded in this wintry weather?
We've got that and much more at the bottom of hour.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: Hey, if you live in the Northeast, look at this. Some of this could be on your way. This is Laurel, Massachusetts. It could be on the way to you. You can see they're working hard to keep the roads clear or to get them clear.
There might be a lot of this today, trying to clean up. Millions are digging out this morning of all this snow.
We've got our Jennifer Gray standing by to tell us just how much is on the way. GRAY: Yes, the good news is, the worst of it's over. All of it is really now pushing out into portions of Maine and even northern portions of New Hampshire and Vermont.
As for Boston, you are really clear right now. Changed over to rain quickly and then now it is continuing to push on out. As for the forecast path, this is 8:00 this morning, and you can see, New York, Washington, all of you looking good for today. The snow does push out of Maine, as we go through the afternoon today, into the overnight. This is 9:00 p.m. and all of New England looking good.
Aside from a little bit of lake-effect snow in Upstate New York and right around Buffalo, we could see some of that snow accumulate again today.
Lake-effect has been a pain across portions of the Northeast lately. Wind gusts to 27 miles per hour, though, in Boston, 48 in Portland. So it is going to be a very windy day across the Northeast and even though the snow has moved out, still going to deal with that wind across portions of the Northeast.
So, guys, we are going to be cold in the Northeast, but luckily, most of the snow has already pushed out.
BLACKWELL: All right. We'll get ready for all the snow. Thanks, Jennifer.
GRAY: All right.
BLACKWELL: What would you do with $550 million?
BROWN: I could think of a few things.
BLACKWELL: I've got a few that's how much is up for grabs in Tuesday night's mega millions drawing. The prize drew from $425 million, after officials say no winning ticket was sold there.
BROWN: That's right, the jackpot, now the second biggest many mega millions history. Hey, but don't quit your job just yet. Experts say you have a better chance of getting killed by an asteroid or a comet than hitting all six numbers.
Yes, I love all those analogies.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
BROWN: You have a better chance of being eaten by a shark.
BLACKWELL: Yes, and nobody wants any of that.
BROWN: No.
BLACKWELL: Hey, thanks for joining us this hour. "SGMD" starts now.
We'll be back at the top of the hour.
BROWN: We'll see you then.
