Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Massive Storm About to Pound Northeast; New Demand for Prisoner Exchange; Obama Talks Terrorism While in India; Latest Attempt to Raise Fuselage Fails; Pope Francis Tells Catholics Don't be Like Rabbits; President Obama Travels to India; Boehner Invites Netanyahu to Address Congress; Next Generation Photography; Middle East Unrest Good for Iran?

Aired January 25, 2015 - 15:00   ET

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


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, and thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

You're about to see some live pictures from Boston. Take a look right now, and New York, it looks so placid and gorgeous, but this just might be the calm before the storm.

Just yesterday a major winter blizzard hit an area from West Virginia all the way to Maine. And now a one-two punch. Authorities are warning another massive storm is on the way. And they're calling it potentially major and destructive.

Fifty million people, in fact, are in the storm's path. Some places could see up to two feet of snow. Hurricane force winds are expected along the coast. Widespread power outages and then there is coastal flooding to deal with.

Airlines are already offering passengers the chance to change their flights for free.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio holding that press conference in about 30 minutes. Of course we're going to be watching that live and monitoring.

CNN's Ivan Cabrera is tracking this new storm for us.

Here we go again, huh?

IVAN CABRERA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Here we go again, but I'd tell you what, if we categorized winter storms the way we do hurricanes, this past weekend storm would have been a cat 1, this one would be a cat 5.

This is the kind of storm -- yes, this is the kind of storm we're talking about here. This is a blizzard, this is not just going to come with heavy snow, but this is going to come with wind. And the snow is going to be measured I think in feet as opposed to inches which is what we had this weekend.

Take a look at the watches already. I think what the next package that comes out in about a half hour, the afternoon advisories, the green you see here from eastern Jersey through Long Island and to New York, some in Connecticut, Rhode Island and into Boston, that green is going to turn orange because that means that our blizzard watch is going to go to a blizzard warning essentially so we had very little time to get ready on to four areas will begin as we head through the day on Monday, into Monday night and into Tuesday.

And when all is said and done, this is the kind of accumulation that we're talking about. Again, not a three to six, or a six to nine inch storm. This is going to be 10 to 12 inches. New York could get as much as a foot plus. Heading into Providence in Rhode Island, and then Boston getting the bull's eye as well, with a couple of feet of snow possible in the next 48 hours.

That is impressive stuff and again you can go through an entire winter and not -- not get this kind of a storm. And we're going to do it. So here it is. 11:00 on Sunday, moving through Philly, not -- D.C., this is not going to be a D.C. storm. You're going to get maybe a couple of inches there, but that's not the big deal. It's Philly and then in New York, getting going by 10:00. This is snowfall onset. That is when the flakes begin to fly.

And then as we take you into Monday evening, it begins for Boston really getting cranked on Monday night for Boston, and continuing into Tuesday, all the while, heavy amounts of snow, two inch of snowfall rates, that's the kind of snowfall that we're we going to be talking. Blinding snow.

So what are we going to be seeing? Well, airport and school delays, certainly, but I think closures as well. So we're going to be looking at potential airport closures in New York, and specifically in Boston, Logan is probably going to be looking at that. Power outages not only because of the heavy snow bringing down power lines with the trees coming down but also because of those gusts, we are going to be seeing the potential for coastal flooding as well.

So Long Island sound, we can see some flooding there. And then coming up the Hudson River, across Battery Park and into Boston as well.

So a big storm, potentially a historic storm, we will be here throughout the entire event, today, tomorrow and into Tuesday.

WHITFIELD: Oh, gosh. All right. Ivan, that is pretty serious especially when you put it in the way of like hurricane standards, with the equivalent of possibly like a five.

CABRERA: Yes, big storm.

WHITFIELD: That's bad.

All right. Thanks so much.

Of course, we're getting warnings and plans put into place by all kinds of leaders in the New England area, and northeast. Governor Cuomo out of New York releasing some information just moments ago.

CNN's Nick Valencia has details on that and of course in 30 minutes or so, maybe less than that. OK, 25 minutes. NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes we'll be joining the

press conference from some other leaders there in the area.

WHITFIELD: Right.

VALENCIA: But something not to be taken lightly, as Ivan was saying, certainly the government of New York already talking about the resources in place for you in the northeast. And let's break down some of those resources. The National Guard already has six dozen personnel and 20 vehicles for 24-hour operations. New York State Police also in play here. They will deploy 50 4 by 4 vehicles, eight all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles in the region.

Port Authority also moving as well, 200 pieces of snow equipment at its airports, thousands of tons of salt and sand, Fred, for airport roads and parking lots. Plow equipped trains, things like that. MTA also says that they're going to store underground tomorrow night to protect their fleet from the elements. And the state DOT, 600 plows, 1300 operators and supervisors working in that Hudson Valley and Long Island area.

The DOT for New York state said they have about 1400 plows and 3600 operators and supervisors.

And of course you at home can take those precautions as well. Get your flashlights ready, make sure your phones are charged and if you are going to be hitting those roads, make sure your tires have chains on them. You also should have that basic first-aid kit, Fred. Be prepare for this. A lot of millions of Americans are in the path of this storm, something to be taken very seriously.

WHITFIELD: Very seriously indeed.

All right. Thanks so much. That information from the governor.

VALENCIA: That's right.

WHITFIELD: And of course in less than 30 minutes or so New York Mayor Bill de Blasio will also be revealing some preparations so the people there know what to do, know how to plan their new work and school week.

All right, Boston could be one of the worst hit areas because of this storm. That's where we find CNN's Sara Ganim.

So, Sara, the weather has been very dicey there. We've seen you in that sideways, very cold rain, now it looks relatively nice, the calm before the storm. How are people getting ready?

SARA GAMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, you can see here in Boston, there's already quite a bit of snow on the ground. That's from earlier this weekend. And then just imagine this plus another two feet. That's what people who are enjoying this relatively nice day here in Boston on the wharf, that's what they're talking about. They're saying, look, you know, this is not something that's foreign to them, blizzard like conditions or a storm that could bring this much snow, but that really means that they know how to prepare for this.

A couple of people who I've talked to said what they're really concerned the most about is losing power, that they're charging up their iPads, they're phones, their devices tonight, because once they lose power they say it could be gone for a while.

I talked to one couple who lives in the New Hampshire area, who came down to visit their son for the day. Their son says -- he said that he doesn't typically lose power. Plus his parents do. So they're getting a generator ready for the coming days because they're concerned about that.

And the son said, also, you know, the city of Boston is pretty good about keeping the streets plowed, but the reason that they ask people to stay off of them is because here in Boston there are a lot of cobblestone roads that even when they're salted and they're plowed, they're still very slippery. Very hard conditions to get around in.

And then, you know, I ran into another father of two little boys, who said look, this is an opportunity to spend some time with the kids inside, that gets a round around and play a little bit. But no one is taking this lightly. This is potentially a very large storm and nowhere really than Boston do they understand what they need to do to make sure they're safe, they're prepared and that they get through this safely -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, we're wishing folks the best there. And you, because you're going to be there a while. Something tells me, Sara.

(LAUGHTER)

All right, Sara Ganim, thank you so much. Hang in there.

All right. Another major story that we're following this hour, a new ultimatum from ISIS and a Japanese hostage's life is hanging in the balance.

An online post from an ISIS supporter is demanding the release of a female terrorist in return for the Kenji Goto's freedom. Goto is seen holding a photograph that appears to show fellow hostage Haruna Yukawa beheaded. Of course you're not seeing it in this image here. It's an image that CNN is now showing. It's too gruesome.

Will Ripley has reaction, though, from Japan.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After hours of analysis by some of the top experts here in Japan and around the world, a tragic conclusion that the videotape posted by an ISIS supporter is believed to be authentic which means that Haruna Yukawa was indeed brutally murdered, decapitated, and the picture of that heinous crime posted on the Internet for the world to see.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke about the investigation and its traffic outcome.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SHINZO ABE, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (Through Translator): A possible image of Mr. Haruna Yukawa's murder has been released. It's a matter of the greatest regret. We have been analyzing the credibility of this image and unfortunately at this point, I must say, it's highly credible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: The father of Haruna Yukawa understandably grief stricken, devastated and still struggling to accept the fact that his son is gone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Translator: I'm wishing it isn't true in my heart. If he returns, I would hold him tight in my arms.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: And for the family of Kenji Goto right now, so much fear, so much uncertainty. On the videotape you hear him pleading with his wife Rinko to talk to the Japanese government and convince them to work out some kind of a deal, a prisoner exchange that would allow him to walk free and back into the arms of his family.

He knows that if that doesn't happen, he too could meet a similar fate to his friend, Haruna Yukawa, and fall victim to the brutality of ISIS.

Will Ripley, CNN, Tokyo.

WHITFIELD: Terribly sad.

All right, thanks so much, Will.

All right. Two Atlanta-bound passenger planes had to be escorted by military fighter jets following a credible bomb threat on Twitter Saturday. Both the Southwest and Delta flights landed safety and were searched by bomb disposal units. Passengers were questioned and their luggage were screen but officials say nothing out of the ordinary was found. The Delta flight had come from Portland, Oregon, and the Southwest flight arriving from Milwaukee.

All right. Now to overseas where President Barack Obama and his counterpart in India are making big news. The two were holding talks in the capital city of New Delhi and have announced progress on a deal allowing U.S. companies to cooperate on civilian nuclear power plants in India.

They also are talking about serious problems including the rise of terrorism near the region including battles in Iraq, Yemen and Syria.

CNN's Erin McPike is in our Washington newsroom.

So, Erin, while in India, President Obama addressed the instability in that region. What more was said? ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the president said he has

absolutely no plans to change the current U.S. counterterrorism strategy in Yemen despite the political chaos that we saw going on there this past week and continuing on. And he explained why in a press conference this morning in India.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yemen has never been a perfect democracy or an island of stability. What I've said is that our efforts to go after terrorist networks inside of Yemen, without an occupying U.S. army, but rather by partnering and intelligence sharing with that local government is the approach that we're going to need to take. And that continues to be the case.

The alternative would be for us to play Whac-A-Mole every time there is a terrorist actor inside of any given country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: But some high-profile lawmakers who work closely on this issue are speaking up and saying that continuing down this same path just isn't working. Senator Dianne Feinstein, she's of course the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, and then also Armed Services Committee chairman, John McCain, joined forces on CBS this morning and they called for U.S. special forces to deploy to Yemen and possibly to other areas in the region.

Now McCain conceded that that could be tough for Americans to swallow. But he said point blank there need to be American boots on the ground. Now maybe not combat troops but that more Americans need to get engaged in Yemen directly.

Now meantime, Feinstein said that what the president said just there isn't enough. That intelligence sharing with regional partners won't cut it and her fix is putting more Americans in Yemen to collect more intelligence from the ground there.

This of course is all happening at the same time that the president wants Congress to authorize the military campaign against ISIS.

So, Fred, he's walking a pretty fine line here.

WHITFIELD: Indeed.

All right, Erin McPike, thanks so much from Washington.

Our Fareed Zakaria is actually sitting down with President Obama this week and you can see his exclusive interview Tuesday on CNN's "NEW DAY" beginning at 6:00 a.m.

All right, still ahead, another setback for crews trying to raise the fuselage of AirAsia Flight 8501. When will they make another attempt?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: We're just hours away from a huge nor'easter that would be barreling down and cities from New York, probably up to Maine, are starting to take precaution. Momentarily New York Mayor Bill de Blasio will be taking to the microphone in this location right here to give New Yorkers an idea what kind of planning is being put in place, information about transportation, et cetera, as we embark upon a new work and school week. Most likely a lot of delays will be taking place and even closures.

We'll bring you the live press conference as it happens.

All right. Meantime, crews are still hoping to lift the submerged fuselage of AirAsia Flight 8501. Earlier efforts to do just that failed just as the wreckage had reached the surface.

Let's get an update now from Sima Mohsin in Jakarta, Indonesia.

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Day two of attempting to raise the fuselage out of the water, and they were incredibly close. A balloon was once again attached to the fuselage by a team of divers in the Java Sea, dealing with choppy waters at the same time. They managed to attach that. They took around four hours yet again to blow it up as the 10-ton balloon and bring it up and this time, the fuselage came out of the water.

They were incredibly close and then a belt snapped and it went back down into the sea. Hopes raising and sinking with the fuselage. So now we understand from officials involved in this operation to raise the larger part of the plane out of the sea that they are going to try to strengthen and reinforce the ropes that tie the balloon to the fuselage. But there are also concerned that the fuselage is damaged, it's fragile.

They're concerned about the walls that they may well be broken apart. So it is an incredibly delicate operation, but they believe that this is the best way to get the victims out of the fuselage, out of the water and return home to their families.

It is, of course, now almost a month to the day since AirAsia Flight 8501 took off on the 28th of December, and just two days later found to be crashed in the Java Sea. Families watching this operation with great hope and great sadness at the same time.

They will try again if weather allows first light Monday.

Saima Mohsin, CNN, Jakarta, Indonesia.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much for that update.

Let's talk further now about the effort to recover the fuselage.

Joining me right now is Mitch Garber, a consultant and former medical officer with the NTSB.

All right, good to see you, again. All right, so we know that, you know, it's got a lot of jagged edges, broken, and there is a lot that perhaps that could cut these tethers or these efforts. But why does it seem like -- that seems to be every effort is futile?

MITCH GARBER, FORMER NTSB MEDICAL OFFICER: Well, they're getting there. And obviously they're making progress. They got it off of the sea bottom here now a couple of times. The real problem is, once they get it up near close to the top of the water from an engineering perspective, that's when things really get difficult. You've got all these jagged pieces and the smith services.

You've got millions of pounds of water in this fuselage that's shifting around as you pull it out of there. All of a sudden things get very difficult to handle.

WHITFIELD: Because of the current?

GARBER: Because of the currents, because of the weather, because of the waves, and because you're pulling it out. Once you get it out, now all that weight is on these straps that you're using to pull it out with.

WHITFIELD: Right.

GARBER: It becomes very, very difficult and very complex trying to get it almost to the surface.

WHITFIELD: So what -- what are going to be the options? Or is it just an issue of you just keep trying it over and over and over again and you keep bringing in more straps that are hearty enough to hold this kind of weight?

GARBER: I think they've decided this is probably their best option is try to take it out as much as possible in one piece. Again, remember, what they're trying to do is to recover the bodies that are still presumably in the fuselage. So they can't really send the divers in there down on the bottom of the sea. It's too dangerous. The edges are too jagged. There's wires, there's entrapment possibilities.

They don't want to make any additional tragedies as they're trying to recover this. And so they've decided this is probably the safest way and the best way to actually get everything out of there at the same time. It's not going to be easy.

WHITFIELD: Is it still going to be important that the recovery of the fuselage is going to help them understand what happened or is it because they've recovered the black boxes, that's going to be the information at this point? It's just an issue of the dignity of the bodies to recover?

GARBER: Well, I think the primary concern for them right now is really getting those bodies out. It's been a month obviously their loved ones really, really would like to have that part of this taken care of and done for them to get on with what they need to do.

There may be some evidence in there that's important or useful to the investigation. They've got a lot of stuff they're looking at right now. It's not just this piece of structure, they have got the information from the flight data and cockpit voice recorders. They're analyzing that now. So they've got a lot of work to do. This would be additional information.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

GARBER: But I think the priority really is getting those bodies out and getting them back to their loved ones.

WHITFIELD: All right, Mitch Garber. Thanks so much. You're reminding me that the information from these black boxes, I know there were alarms that were set off. They're not sure why yet but they have ruled out terrorism.

GARBER: That is correct.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much.

All right, and we'll be right back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. At any moment now, we expect to hear some storm preparedness plans from New York's Mayor Bill de Blasio from this location. As soon as that happens, we'll bring it to you live.

The entire northeast from Philadelphia and further north are expecting a big one-two punch kind of storm which could start descending on those cities as early as tomorrow morning.

All right. We'll take you to that live press conference as it happens.

All right. Pope Francis recently made some comments about parenthood that caught a lot of Catholics off guard. He apparently called for Catholic couples to limit the number of children they have.

On a flight home from the Philippines, the Pope said this. Quote, "God gives you methods to be responsible. Some think that, excuse me if I use that word, that in order to be good Catholics, we have to be like rabbits. No."

(LAUGHTER)

On social media the Pope was criticized by some who said his statement was offensive to Catholics raising large families. Well, later in the week, Pope Francis addressed the matter at his weekly general audience in Rome, saying this, quote, "Healthy families are essential to the life of society. It provides us with consolation and hope to see so many large families who welcome children as a gift from God." End quote.

Pope Francis also reaffirmed the Catholic Church's ban on artificial birth control. So what does all of this mean for the millions of Catholics around the world and what did the Pope really mean?

CNN religion commentator Father Edward Beck joining me now with some context here.

So good to see you.

FATHER EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGION COMMENTATOR: You too.

WHITFIELD: OK. So let's begin with this question about large families. Is the Pope, you know, calling for an end to the traditional large Catholic family? I don't know if it's traditionally large. Is he talking to Catholic families who also happen to have large families or Catholics who are planning large families? Who was he talking to?

BECK: Well, Fredricka, I think what he was talking about is responsible parenthood. It was never a goal that Catholics have large families, it was that they be open to life and not artificially contraceptive. He did talk about this in the context of saying sometimes you need to limit the size of a family for a woman's health, for economic reasons, and even in that very controversial document from 1968, "Humanae Vitae," the so-called birth control document.

It says in there that Catholics have a moral responsibility to limit the size of family, to not have children under certain conditions. So it's kind of like a misunderstanding to say that the church has said have as many children as you can.

WHITFIELD: Well, but when he -- when he talked about bunny rabbits --

(LAUGHTER)

BECK: Yes.

WHITFIELD: You know, not produce like rabbits. I guess the interpretation was, wait a minute, is this -- this very new Pope who has a very modern way of thinking, or at least he's bringing to, you know, the Catholic Church a much more modern way of thinking. Is he advocating that contraception is OK when the Vatican, the Catholic Church for a very long time has said no use of artificial contraception?

BECK: No, because in his explanation he said the church has always said that natural family planning, namely rhythm method, abstinence for certain periods of the month was an acceptable and desirable way to limit the size of a family. He's simply staying that the church teaching gives room for that but a lot of people don't know about it, don't know how to use it, don't think it's realistic, so he's trying to get them to look at it again.

However, he's also saying, that those for whom that does not work, I mean, if a woman's menstrual cycle is not regular, there are different reasons why rhythm and there are instances may not be effective, he's saying that confessors and counselors namely priests, you have to cut them some slack. You've got to give them a way out. So in an individual circumstance, deal with people according to the facts of their lives and don't hold them under these rules that can't apply to them.

WHITFIELD: Did he offer this clarity because he got a little resistance, a few eyebrows were raised in his initial comment? BECK: I think on those plane rides home, he's kind of very loosy

goosy, and he does some things just out of his personality that later may be misinterpreted.

(LAUGHTER)

So yes, sometimes they have to backtrack a bit and say well, this is what he meant to say but I think we have to take the man at his word. He is trying to say we need to give people an open door. We need to give them a way out, if all of the legality cannot apply.

This is the ideal. The church always says the law is the ideal. Now there it is, if you can't get there, how do we apply it to you? How do you live out your good Catholic life and that's why we have individual counseling, you have confession, you deal with people as you meet them.

WHITFIELD: Right. OK. It is a very serious topic, but you know, it only gets funny when you start talking about rabbits and loosy goosy popes.

BECK: Yes. It sure does.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: All right. Father Edward Beck, thanks so much. Always good to see you.

BECK: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. President Obama and India's prime minister have announced progress on a deal allowing U.S. companies to cooperate on civil nuclear power plants in India. While they stop short of announcing a full pledged deal, the two leaders did say they have moved forward on the issue.

Let's go now to New Delhi for an update where CNN White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski is traveling with the president -- Michelle.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We just heard from President Obama and the prime minister of India talk about their bilateral meeting today, covering a range of topics that are so important to the relationship between these two big countries. The world's two largest democracies, a relationship that they now say they are taking to a new level.

Covering areas like trade, export reform, climate change, working toward a climate agreement, they said. Clean energy, defense cooperation, new defense technologies they're working on together. But I think the headline is a civil nuclear agreement. Not exactly signed on the dotted line just yet, but President Obama calls it a breakthrough understanding. And this is something that has been worked on for more than a decade.

It really hit an impasse about six years ago. But they say there is now agreement on things like U.S. companies being able to come and build nuclear reactors without the threat of liability in case there was an accident or problem. That was something that has been important to the Indian government. What's been important to the U.S. is that nuclear material coming into India be trapped by the U.S.

Apparently now, though, without going into any detail, they have ironed out some of those differences, on the way to reaching full implementation of a deal. So that's something that we expect to hear from soon. Something that would be good for the U.S. economy, and good for the Indian economy as well as providing energy to its people.

Michelle Kosinski, CNN, New Delhi.

WHITFIELD: And while President Obama is celebrating the warm relationship with India, quite a different story with another American ally.

The White House is fuming over House Speaker John Boehner inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak before U.S. Congress. But Boehner insists that he's free to make this invitation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: I did not consult with the White House, the Congress, we can make this decision on its own. I don't believe we're poking anyone in the eye. There's a serious threat that exists in the world and the fact is, is that there needs to be more serious conversation in America about how serious the threat is from radical Islamic jihadists and other threats post-9/11.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. So let's discuss further, joining me now, Aaron David Miller, former advisor to several secretaries of state on the Arab-Israeli peace process.

Good to see you.

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER ADVISOR TO SECRETARIES OF STATE: Good to see you, too, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. This is a big one, isn't it? This is much bigger than just the difference between congressional versus White House intervention, isn't it? I mean, you write in the "Wall Street Journal" that there is something to the timing of this as a Republican-controlled Congress steps in.

MILLER: Yes, I mean, it's a perfect storm. You've got a dysfunctional relations between Netanyahu and Obama, and I'm going soap opera, really. This is the latest episode of that. Add in a Republican controlled Congress, the fact that the Iran negotiations are reaching the end game and there are major differences between the way Netanyahu sees the world the way Obama does. And toss in Israeli elections, March 17th, as if you needed any more complications.

And poof, bingo, you get this extraordinary demonstration of miscalculation and misperception on just about everybody's side.

WHITFIELD: Yes. So this is less, you know, perhaps about Netanyahu and his election and more about in the belief of some that the Republicans are trying to undermine the president's agenda specifically on Iran.

MILLER: Well, I think the Republicans want to find an alternative. They're trying to identify an approach on foreign policy generally, not just on Iran. It kind of outflanks the president.

In Iran, there are fundamental divisions of opinion. I'm not sure if the president, frankly, has made his own case very -- much stronger. In the State of the Union, you know, he well rightly welcomed home Alan Gross, and he should have, from Cuba. But not once on his remarks in Iran did he refer to the Americans who were imprisoned there or Iranian behavior in the region.

I think this just feeds some Republicans' notion that the president is a little more willing to cut a deal with the mullocracy in Tehran and they should be. And to that effect that the prime minister believes this is a free campaign stop in it, what, could prove to be a closely contested election. And again you've a perfect storm.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: And you also say, you know, there is something at stake for Netanyahu, his judgment, his competence. In what way do you mean?

MILLER: Well, I mean, you know, Israelis understand their politicians, and particularly Benjamin Netanyahu, who's actually quite skilled. If you combine this with Paris, his visit there in which he was hammered mercilessly by the Israeli press of having pushed himself to the front of the line, and made comments on immigration of French Jews to Israel without understanding the need for a strong French- Jewish community in the Diaspora.

You put that together with what's happening now and what could happen in March 3rd during the visit and Israelis wonder whether or not Netanyahu has the capacity and the judgment to handle one of their most important relationships. That said, he still sits in a pretty strong position perhaps to put together the next Israeli government.

WHITFIELD: All right, fascinating stuff.

Always good to see you, Aaron David Miller. Thanks so much.

MILLER: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. In case you haven't noticed, there's a big old winter storm that's brewing and it is being described as potentially major and destructive headed right for the northeast.

And in a moment we'll hear from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on how that city will be getting ready. I think we're looking at live pictures right now of some of the equipment that's likely to be used during the storm but he'll be talking about other preparations under way.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. Hey, looking at live pictures right now in New York, where at any moment, Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to hold a press conference. He's going to talk about the nasty winter storm that is likely to hit the area within the next 24 hours. This brutal storm is expected to bring up to two feet of snow in some areas and winds up to 60 to 70 miles along the East Coast.

We'll bring it live press conference momentarily.

All right, let's get some more on this storm and what to expect and how it's going to be impacting millions.

Ivan Cabrera with us now.

CABRERA: Yes, and just --

WHITFIELD: It's a big one.

CABRERA: Well, it is a big one and just -- you know, when we had over the weekend, Fred, is basically, well, we just had a winter storm. This is a blizzard, and there is a significant difference here in that when you're talking about a blizzard, you add wind to the equation. And so not only are you getting heavy snow, but you're getting wind gusts, 60 to 70 miles an hour. That --

WHITFIELD: Talking about power lines being brought down.

CABRERA: That is going to be a mess.

WHITFIELD: That kind of stuff.

CABRERA: Absolutely. The power line situations. You're going to get some coastal flooding.

As we talked about the last half hour, this just in now from the National Weather Service in New York City. The blizzard watches have now been essentially upped to winter storm warnings. So we have now -- so we have now, excuse me, blizzard warnings for all of New York metro, Long Island, southern Connecticut, and that we still have the watches which will likely go to warnings in the next couple of hours for Boston and into Rhode Island.

So again, blizzard warnings now impacting New York City, that is now in effect through the next couple of days and we're expecting some significant snow along with the winds as well.

Airport and school delays, no question about it. That's going to be an issue. Power outages with 50 to 70-mile-an-hour wind gusts. Coastal flooding as well. And the snow totals that are going to be anywhere from 12 to 24 inches from New York.

Yes, you heard right. Twelve to 24 inches. In fact, I was reading the National Weather Service reports and they're basically calling for 20 to 30 inches of snowfall.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, that just seems wrong.

CABRERA: In New York City, in Central Park.

WHITFIELD: Really?

CABRERA: We're thinking 12 to 24, I'm not quite ready to say 30, but that is certainly a potential for them there as we head in the next 12 to 24 hours.

There is the -- one of our computer model forecast depicting very heavy snow. And again this is going to be Monday night into Tuesday morning. That is when we're expecting the heaviest of the snow.

The mayor is basically going to be talking about the potential for a state of emergency. What happens is -- I lived in Boston for 11 years so I know the drill there. You get the cars out of the way, there are areas that are snow emergencies, so you cannot park there so that the plows can do their jobs. Of course then the rest of us may not find our cars once the snow hits because that's the kind of snow we're talking about.

WHITFIELD: Because of the mountains of snow.

CABRERA: Absolutely. A couple of feet of snow will bury you car.

WHITFIELD: My goodness.

CABRERA: The snow mountains will. Because then we're going to be dealing with the wind. That's going to be coming in. And that's going to be blowing the snow around heading into Tuesday and into Wednesday.

WHITFIELD: So --

CABRERA: So a long duration of that.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

CABRERA: Very disruptive.

WHITFIELD: So we're really talking about people today, too, getting into those grocery stores, stocking up.

CABRERA: Absolutely. This is it.

WHITFIELD: Because they may not be able to call for takeout.

CABRERA: Yes. Yes.

WHITFIELD: There will be no delivery and all that. It's just not going to happen.

CABRERA: Not going to happen.

WHITFIELD: There'll be no --

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: And for parents, you are going to have your kids with you probably for a couple of days, maybe three days, so plan ahead.

WHITFIELD: Have some indoor games, please.

CABRERA: Absolutely. Indeed. Yes.

WHITFIELD: OK. But it can be really potentially very serious especially for the elderly.

CABRERA: No question. Yes.

WHITFIELD: And the very young. So -- and people's pets, don't leave them outside.

CABRERA: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Ivan, thanks so much. I know you're going to be back with us.

And again we're waiting for that press conference out of New York to start at any moment with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. Live pictures right now. You're looking at one of the types of equipment that is likely to be used in this storm. But when that press conference takes place, when the mayor steps to the microphone, we'll take that live.

We'll be right back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Photographs, they capture that moment in time, and we all cherish them. We share these moments with family and friends, show them a photo album of our favorite holiday pics.

When the digital camera got rid of film, e-mailing photos became the way we shared memories, and we thought it couldn't get any easier. Then came the smartphone with a camera built in.

With the smart phone came the explosion of social media sites. They allowed us to share our photos with the world faster than you can say "cheese." The future could look like this, sharing a different kind of photo, one that's 3D.

JAVID KHAN, CEO, HOLOXICA: Holographic technology works on the principle of diffraction. Diffraction happens when light comes along and bounces off structures that are about the same size as the light. And if you can design these structures very carefully, then you can persuade the light to do fantastic things like forming images in free space.

QUEST: Holoxica is developing technology that could take our snaps at skylines, statues, and even spacemen into the third dimension.

KHAN: I believe that the future of the photo lies in three dimensions rather than two just because the world we live in is in three dimensions, and three dimensional images have far greater impact on our visual system.

QUEST: Our love of taking a snap, a photo, a memory, that will never change. It's the way we share them that certainly will.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, and in less than 24 hours, it's going to be quite the picture in the northeast of a whole lot of snow. Meantime we're keeping a close eye on a news conference out of New York expected to start at any moment now with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. Of course as that happens, we'll take you there live.

It is expected to be a monster of a storm. And of course we'll also check on details about how this storm is forming right now. Take a look from space, this is kind of the bird's eye view, bigger than bird's eye view, you know, from satellite imagery about the storm system that will be moving through the northeast. So this, moving its way from -- from the Gulf and it is likely to do the most damage across New England and the northeast.

More information on this as we get it, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, a big nor'easter is bearing down on the northeast from Philadelphia all the way to Maine. Live pictures right now of one of the piece of equipment that's likely to be used right there in New York City. And at any moment now we expect the mayor, Bill de Blasio, to take to the microphone there in the foregone to talk about the city's preparedness for this big storm.

All right. Meantime, overseas, a new leader in Saudi Arabia and political chaos in Yemen are adding to concern over stability in the Middle East.

And as our Tom Foreman explains the complexity of the situation could end up benefiting Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are good reasons that leaders all around the world are watching the Middle East because the uncertainty there that could affect many nations. And it starts right here with Saudi Arabia.

The death of the king there, the ascension of his half-brother to power, theoretically would mean a continuation of the existing policies, an ally of the U.S., an influencer in the region. But there are questions about exactly how that will proceed. And remember, this is the largest oil exporting nation in the world and their military is a real force to be reckoned with there.

Beyond that, what about Yemen down here? Yemen is in chaos right now. Rebel forces are pushing the government. It's not even clear who is in charge or who will be in charge once the dust settles. We do know, though, that many terrorist elements have been at work in Yemen for years right now. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is down there. Who knows where they wind up?

And what about up here, Syria and Iraq? We put them together here, although they have a lot of different issues. Syria has a civil war for four years, Bashar al-Assad. Iraq is doing its own rebuilding that continues. But we put them together because they have a common problem, and that is ISIS. ISIS is trying to carve its nation, its Islamic caliphate out of the territory that spans that border.

So that's just four of the nations, and there are many more that right now are causing uncertainty in the region. Egypt continues to be an uncertain country in terms of its future. We don't know what's going to go on there as time moves forward. Israel remains a very strong U.S. ally, but it could feel pressure from all of this uncertainty, and relation with the U.S. are not the best right now.

And what about this one over here, Iran? Big influence on the region already. And if this continues, if things are shaky enough there, Iran might be the big winner coming out of this with even more influence in the Middle East.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, Tom Foreman. Thank you so much from Washington.

All right, on the way one of America's bravest athletes has passed. But Ernie Banks left quite the legacy. Overflowing on-the-field heroic and off-the-field class. We'll look back at the life of Mr. Cubs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Live pictures right now. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio walking out for a press conference to discuss the kind of preparedness for this big blizzard that is expected.

As early as tomorrow snowflakes will begin falling from Philadelphia all the way up to Maine. We also understand from our own meteorologists here, snowfall upwards of one feet -- one foot to two feet, and in some places maybe even three feet of snow.

And along with a whole lot of snow we're also talking about very potentially dangerous winds, winds of up to 60 miles per hour. So in some places it's going to feel like a hurricane, but we are also talking about it being blizzard conditions.

Let's listen into the mayor of New York on the kind of preparedness that that city is bracing for.

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK: I want everyone to understand that we are facing most likely one of the largest snowstorms in the history of this city, in the recorded history of this city. The early projections for this storm are that it would easily be as much as two feet of snow, potentially pushing on closer to three feet of snow. So this literally could be one of the top two or three largest storms in the history of this city, and we need to plan accordingly.

So my message to all New Yorkers is prepare for something worse than we have seen before. Prepare to be safe. Take every precaution. Now is the time to get ready for this extreme weather.

It is so important to focus on safety in these next few days. Don't underestimate this storm. Prepare for the worst, and we will all be able to get through this together.

The agencies that are part of this effort, we're here in the Sanitation Garage, and obviously sanitation leads the way in making sure we get through each storm. Sanitation, DOT, Office of Emergency Management, obviously police, fire, all of the agencies will work together. They are already right now in a state of high alert, prepared for what will hit us starting tomorrow.

And I want to remind my fellow New Yorkers that we are blessed with the finest workforce anywhere in this country ready for emergencies, tried and tested and proven many times over. And these agencies are working together to prepare for what's about to hit us.

Here at Sanitation Garage 2, you talk to some of these members of New York's strongest, you can see that they have a winning attitude, that they're ready for the storm, they have faced a lot of tough storms before, and they know what they are capable of doing, and they're ready to do it.

I remind you that the men and women of the Sanitation Department have 6,000 miles of roads they are responsible for clearing. That is as if going from here to Los Angeles and back. That's what they have to deal with and they are up to the task.