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Shakeup In Saudi Arabian Ministry Positions; Jordanian Government Willing To Deal For Hostage; Apple Posts Record Profit; What are Smart Drugs?

Aired January 28, 2015 - 8:00   ET

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

KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream where news and technology meet.

Now as the deadline looms for a Japanese ISIS hostage, reports that a deal could be in the works to free another hostages: a Jordanian pilot.

And the iPhone helps Apple post the biggest quarterly profit ever by any company.

We begin this hour with major developments out of Jordan where state- run TV is reporting that the government is ready to make a prisoner swap with ISIS. It says officials are prepared to free a convicted terrorist in

Jordan in exchange for the release of a Jordanian air force pilot held by ISIS.

Now it is not clear right now what that would mean for the Japanese hostage Kenji Goto.

This video of Goto was posted online on Tuesday. Now the speaker reported to be Goto himself said ISIS would kill him and the Jordanian

pilot within 24 hours unless Jordan released the female prisoner jailed for her role in the series of bombings back in 2005.

Now, we are covering the latest developments from both Jordan and Japan. Will Ripley is live in Tokyo. Jomana Karadsheh joins us now live

from Amman. Let's go to her now.

Jomana, is there a deal in the works to free the Jordanian hostage?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, very little information coming from the Jordanian government. In fact, the only

statement we have is coming through state media quoting the government spokesman a couple of hours ago. And for the first time the Jordanian

government says it is willing to release that convicted would-be suicide bomber Sajida Rishawi if the Jordanian pilot is released unharmed.

Now, this really is the first time we are hearing the government bring up Sajida Rishawi and actually mention it as an option here.

But the issue with it is the ISIS demands that we know of that came out yesterday was a swap for Sajida Rishawi with Kenji Goto. There was

absolutely no mention of an exchange with the Jordanian pilot. The only thing that ISIS did yesterday was raise the stakes here, put more pressure

on the Jordanians saying that unless Sajida Rishawi was released, both the Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kassasbeh and Kenji Goto will both be killed within

24 hours.

Now the Jordanian government has really been under a lot of pressure to try and secure the release of the Jordanian hostage, but we have not

heard any public demands made since his capture in December of what the terms are, what ISIS might be demanding for his release -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: And Jomana, what do the people of Jordan want? Do they want to see the pilot return home no matter what it takes? Or do they

refuse to give in to ISIS?

KARADSHEH: The majority of people that we have spoken to, Kristie, want to see the pilot returned home. And this is not just -- this is also

coming from the family of Moad al-Kassasbeh.

The pilot comes from a prominent Jordanian tribe from southern Jordan. The tribes in this country are very critical, they're very important, the

backbone of the monarchy in Jordan. And we are seeing anger yesterday on the streets with about a couple of hundred protesters, including many

members of al-Kassasbeh's tribe including his father also taking to the streets calling for the release of their son.

Here is what his father told CNN last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAFI AL-KASSASBEH, FATHER OF JORDANIAN PILOT HELD BY ISIS (through translator): I'm firmly ask whomever has sent Moaz to fight outside the

borders of Jordan on a mission unrelated to us to make strong efforts to bring back Moaz and liberate him starting with his majesty the king and

going down to anyone or any official who has a role to play in this matter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KARADSHEH: And his family says they will be holding the Jordanian government and the kind also personally responsible if Moaz al-Kassasbeh

were to be executed. There has been a split in opinion in this country since Jordan joined that U.S.-led coalition against ISIS back in September.

Many here feel that this is not Jordan's war, that the country should not have taken part in these airstrikes. And they feel that this is what led

to Jordan being in this position in this very difficult situation right now -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, CNN's Jomana Karadsheh joining us live from Amman, Jordan. Thank you.

Now let's head to Tokyo now where Will Ripley is standing by. And Will, is the Japanese hostage Kenji Goto part of this apparent deal between

Jordan and ISIS?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He doesn't appear to be, Kristie, at least not according to that statement through Jordanian government -- the

ministry of information. And that's very troubling to the government here in Tokyo, because as Jordan's concern is for their captured pilot, here in

Tokyo the concern is for Kenji Goto, the journalist who was captured in late October.

There was a candlelight vigil held outside of the prime minister's residence tonight. This follows protests earlier this week where hundreds

of people came basically demanding that the prime minister Shinzo Abe do whatever it takes to secure the safe release of Kenji Goto.

But public sentiment and sentiment among some lawmakers here in Tokyo is mixed with some saying that Japan should listen to the advice of its

closest ally the United States and not negotiate with a terror group like ISIS.

Kenji Goto's mother, who has been in front of the cameras many times over this hostage crisis in the last week, spoke again today after seeing

this third ISIS video which shows her son visibly exhausted, his mother also looking very, very tired as she spoke about the video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUNKO ISHIDO, MOTHER OF ISIS CAPTIVE KENJI GOTO (through translator): Look at his face I think we are pressed for time. His eyes are telling the

danger that is imminent. His face intense.

Kenji has no malicious feeling towards ISIS.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Kristie, Japan doesn't have a whole lot of leverage in this situation because after Japan refused to pay hat $200 million deadline and

Haruni Yukawa, the other Japanese hostage was beheaded over the weekend, essentially Japan was told to pressure the Jordanian government to release

Sajida Rishawi, the convicted terrorist in exchange for Kenji Goto's life. And then when ISIS upped the stakes and brought Moaz al-Kassasbeh the pilot

into the mix they never said that they would turn the pilot over, they only said they would not kill him if ISIS complied.

So what Japan is doing right now would have to be all behind the scenes. If they had anything else that they could offer, if they're

willing to offer anything else to try to secure Kenji Goto's life with less than an hour until that apparent ISIS deadline, Kristie.

LU STOUT: You know, especially in the wake of what happened last week and a lot of fear, a lot of concern in Japan over the fate of Kenji Goto.

We heard that emotional appeal from his mother. You mentioned a vigil of Kenji Goto supporters outside the residence of the prime minister. I mean,

just how much pressure is on the government of Japan to make a deal with ISIS for Goto's safe return?

RIPLEY: They're getting pressure from both sides of the spectrum, Kristie, because again you know there's a pipeline, an informal pipeline,

an informal communication pipeline with Washington where the United States has made it very clear that negotiating with a terror group like ISIS,

elevating them to almost a state level where they're speaking with a world power with Japan, a regional power like Jordan, and ISIS as well, that

alone gives them a propaganda boost that the United States and its coalition that's fighting ISIS doesn't want to give them.

But here, you know, domestically, there are a lot of people who feel that Prime Minister Abe played a part in this situation of getting Kenji

Goto live in peril because he announced very publicly Japan's $200 million pledge to support the coalition knowing all the while that there were two

Japanese hostages in the hands of ISIS.

So for Shinzo Abe, it is critical to balance that. And he has said that the Japanese government will do whatever possible, within limits, of

course, without sacrificing, you know, their beliefs, their stance against terrorism, to try to bring Kenji Goto home.

LU STOUT: Now do whatever is possible, but we are less than an hour away from this apparent ISIS deadline. CNN's Will Ripley reporting live

for us from Tokyo. Thank you, Will.

Now turning now to Libya. An ISIS affiliate has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's deadly attack on a hotel in Tripoli.

Now the group says these two men were the gunmen who stormed the Corinthia killing at least 10 people.

Now the militants detonated a car bomb outside the building and then started shooting their way inside before being killed.

Now this five star hotel is popular with international visitors and serves as a residence for several local officials.

Now five of those killed were foreigners, including an American, a French citizen and three people from Tajikistan.

Let's get more now from our senior international correspondent Nima Elbagir. She's following developments from our London bureau. She joins

us now.

And Nima, who is this ISIS affiliate and why did they carry out this attack?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they've posted the pictures of the men that they claim were the gunmen responsible for

this highly coordinated, extraordinarily well executed attack.

We've been used to seeing the violence in other parts of Libya, sometimes directed at foreigners, often between the rival factions. But

something carried out at this scale in the heart of the capital and one of the few remaining safe havens. This is new, Kristie, and the group behind

this are saying it's in retaliation for the death of Abu Anas al-Libi. Al- Libi, you remember, was the alleged al Qaeda bomb maker who was extracted from Libya by U.S. special forces. He was supposed to be standing trial in

the U.S., but he died this month in hospital. This attack, they say, is payback for that.

Libyan officials say that they are now in control of the hotel. They're beginning their own investigation. U.S. officials tell us that the

expectation is that the FBI will also launch an investigation into this attack, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And what does this attack say about the overall state of security in Libya today?

ELBAGIR: Absolutely. That is one of the key questions. And what this ISIS affiliate hope, it says, is that even the capital Tripoli isn't

safe, that the violence cannot just be sequestered out into the regions.

This comes against the backdrop of the second round of talks between the Libyan factions in Geneva.

Now key figures are not taking part in that. So already there were going to be some doubts cast on the legitimacy of any deals reached in

Libya. But what this attack has done is it's reminded the international community what has been allowed to happen inside Libya, how far Libya has

been allowed to fall in security terms and how much pressure needs to be exerted on those factions for all of them to sit at the table and try and

solve this instability.

LU STOUT: CNN's Nima Elbagir reporting. Thank you.

Now when it comes to corporate earnings, Apple now has some serious bragging rights. We've got some details on its very impressive new profit

numbers and the product and market that are driving it. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now Apple recorded the biggest quarterly net profit by any company ever. Let's think about that for just a minute. Now Exxon, Disney,

General Electric, Coca-Cola, none of those corporate titans ever made as much as Apple's $18 billion profit in the last three months.

So what's driving Apple's record numbers? Well, I can tell you what's not: iPads. Apple actually sold fewer iPads this year than the year

before. Most of their growth came from the iPhone.

Now Apple sold more than 74 million iPhones in the last three months. That's not just significantly more than they've ever sold. This one

product sold more than some entire categories.

Now there were more iPhones sold in the last quarter than tablets or televisions. The number of iPhones sold even approaches the total number

of PCs sold by every computer maker combined.

Now the other standout here is China. Apple's sales in China were up 70 percent from the year before, far ahead of any other region.

Now CNN's David McKenzie finds out why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: China has shown how crucial it is to the U.S. technology giant Apple. And analysts say there

are two main reasons that Apple is doing so well in China with its iPhone.

First, they finally managed to do a deal with China Mobile, the world's biggest cellphone carrier. And also it's the immense popularity of

the iPhone 6.

Chinese customers are still willing to pay premium prices for their smartphones.

"The performance of the iPhone is worth the price," he says.

"By now we are all used to the operating system. So we don't switch brands."

"My dad bought me the iPhone," he says. "I like it."

Apple is aggressively expanding its storefronts in China, opening a new massive store in Hangzhou, China this week to much fanfare.

Despite its rockstar status, Apple still faces challenges in China from government regulations and competitors like Xiaomi, an upstart company

that is selling incredibly well in China.

Still, with more than 800 million smartphone users in the country the sense is there are plenty of profits to go around.

David McKenzie, CNN, Beijing, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now one of the most significant technology stories of the day is one you might not even notice. YouTube says it will stop using

Adobe's Flash as the default option to play video.

Now YouTube was revolutionary when it started almost 10 years ago and flash was part of the reason allowing people to watch video in their web

browser on any desktop computer or laptop.

Now flash made it easy to produce animation on the web. Just see how that box, there it is, it popped up on the screen next to me. This was all

built in Flash. But it's become less relevant because of this man, Steve Jobs. He decided not to put Flash on the iPhone or iPad claiming that it

would drain the battery, among other complaints.

Now that forced people to rebuild websites without Flash to work properly on Apple's mobile devices, including YouTube.

Now YouTube is switching away from Flash to HTML 5, which can mark the end for a technology that transformed the look and feel of the web.

Now still to come right here on News Stream, the U.S. president returns home from a visit with Saudi Arabia's new king. We'll tell you the

impact the new monarch is already having on the royal court ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream.

Now Israel has fired back after Hezbollah claimed responsibility for an attack on Wednesday on a military convoy near the Golan Heights.

Now the IDF confirms aerial and ground strikes took place a short time ago. CNN's Elise Labott joins me now live from the Israeli-Lebanon border.

And Elise, tell us more about how Israel is responding to this convoy attack.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically this is the continuation of some fighting from yesterday when Israel says that

Hezbollah fired some rockets into Israel. Israel responded over night with air strikes into the Golan Heights and now fighting erupting on the

Lebanese border with Israel had not only that anti-tank missile that hit an Israeli military vehicle, also mortar fire hit a home -- an Israeli home in

a village nearby.

And Israel now is responding with punishing airstrikes and artillery fire against Lebanese targets.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu saying that fire will be met with more fire, really blaming Iran for this. You know, there's been a lot of

talk by Prime Minister Netanyahu about nuclear negotiations with Iran now. Prime Minister Netanyahu in effect saying this is proof that Iran's terror

could not have a nuclear umbrella

LU STOUT: Analysts are getting reports of casualties, of civilian injuries.

LABOTT: Well, we understand that there are casualties. There are various reports of how many ranging from one IDF soldier who was killed,

another wounded, to as many as four. All the Israelis will say that there have been casualties, but they haven't seen how many yet.

And we just have to wait and see if this is going to escalate. Of course this all started about a week ago when something that Israel hasn't

even you know coped to, which is that attack against Hezbollah and Iranian operatives in Syria. That was when the retaliatory fire from Syria, from

Hezbollah started. And now this is back and forth and it remains to be seen whether now that each side made its point whether they will start to

de-escalate the situation or escalate. I don't think either side really wants to open up a new front in this war, especially given what's going on

in the region and the civil war in neighboring Syria.

But certainly we've seen in Israel, it can be one bomb, one act by one soldier or one terrorist on the other side that could really see the

situation spiraling out of control.

LU STOUT: Yeah, a lot of concern about tension rising and escalating there in the border region.

Elise Labott joining us on the line. Thank you very much indeed for that update.

Now the U.S. President Barack Obama, he is back at the White House after a short visit to Saudi Arabia. Now Mr. Obama flew to Riyadh from

India to offer condolences on King Abdullah's death. Now he also held meetings for the new monarch, King Salman, to establish ties with him.

Now before President Obama arrived in Riyadh, there had been some shuffling in the kingdom's corridors of power. Now Becky Anderson examines

the consequences.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Before the late Saudi King was even buried, six royal decrees issued, a slew of new appointments that grabbed the attention

of the kingdom, orchestrated by the new King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud.

Chief among his appointments, Prime Mohammed bin Naif, the king's nephew now second in line as deputy crown prince.

And Salman's son, 34-year-old Mohammed, took the key positions of defense minister and head of the royal court, replacing Khalid al Touashuri

(ph), once the most influential adviser and gatekeeper to the late king.

THEODORE KARASIK, SAUDI ARABIA ANALYST: Youth is an important part of Saudi Arabia's future and by appointing these leaders, it gives hope to

young Saudis that this country will move in a positive direction.

ANDERSON: But there is more than youth at stake. The House of Saud, the powerful clan that founded and rules the kingdom, is by no means

monolithic. The succession invigorated a conflict between two of the most powerful branches of the family. The al Sudairi's of the ruling monarch

Salman and al-Shuraims, the lineage of the late King Abdullah.

Analysts say many of the new posts intended to secure the next generation of the so-called Sudairi seven, an alliance of brothers whose

mother was one of the founding king's favorite wives.

The move sidelines central figures in the court of the late monarch, particularly Abdullah's son, Prince Mutaib, minister of the national guard.

So, what does this mean for the politics of the conservative state?

UNIDNETIFIED MALE: Between the branches within the Saudi ruling elite, there is always some kind of dispute or argument or -- and then an

agreement appears. I think that what we should be looking for are changes in policy both internal and in foreign affairs that reflects the more

conservative side of the al Sudairi branch.

LU STOUT: In his maiden speech as king, Salman stressed continuity and called for, quote, unity and solidarity among Muslims.

Indeed, the public transition has been swift and peaceful. But questions remain if this Saudi house is divided.

Becky Anderson, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And coming up next, it might sound like a plot from the movie Limitless, but when we come back we'll

show you how some who work at Silicon Valley keep their edge.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream. And these are your world headlines.

Now Jordanian state-run TV is reporting that the government is ready to make a prisoner swap with ISIS. It says officials are prepared to free

a convicted terrorist in Jordan in exchange for the release of a Jordanian air force pilot held by ISIS. Now it is not clear right now what that

would mean for the Japanese hostage Kenji Goto who ISIS is also holding.

Indonesian police tell CNN two more bodies believed to be victims of AirAsia flight 8501 have been found. Now they were discovered separately

by fisherman almost 1,000 kilometers from the plane's wreckage. Indonesian police say identity cards are found on one body, but the other has yet to

be identified.

Now the new prime minister of Greece held his first cabinet meeting in Athens today. Alexis Tsipras pledged that he will pursue what he called a

fair and mutually beneficial debt renegotiation deal with international creditors. Now he is scheduled to meet with the head of the EuroZone

finance ministers in Athens on Friday.

now the Portuguese football star Luis Figo says he is running for FIFA president. In an exclusive interview with CNN he says he has letters of

support from five FIFA member associations. That's enough to allow him to officially enter the race to challenge Sepp Blatter. We hear more from

Luis Figo himself on World Sport in about 15 minutes from now.

Now, you know the stories about athletes and how some will turn to steroids or other PEDs to get faster or to get stronger. But get this,

there's something similar that's happening in the tech world where so- called click to buy drug cocktails are available for those striving to get ahead.

Now CNN's Laurie Segall met a man who makes them, takes them and swears they are completely safe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY: Harder, better, faster, stronger: it's not just a Kanye West song, it's also an ethos in the tech world.

DAVE ASPREY, ENTREPRENEUR: Beneracitab (ph), phenyl baracitam (ph), methyl cobamine (ph), zathinin (ph), gabba wave (ph). I'll warn you, it

doesn't taste great, but it's worth it.

SEGALL: You take all of these put them in your hand and then you just take them. Is that safe to do?

ASPREY: It's totally safe to do that. I look back to my college days where we had beer bongs. It's exactly the same technique.

I have some of the most expensive pee on the planet.

SEGALL: I know what you're thinking: this dude seems crazy. Honestly, I thought so, too.

His name is Dave Asprey. He's the CEO of Bullet Proof. He's an entrepreneur. And he's also known for experimenting with drugs, the smart

ones.

ASPREY: What I'm trying to do is age less quickly, but most importantly I'm working on having the most energy and having a brain that

works really, really well, because when I weighed 300 pounds I was having really bad problems with brain fog. And as an entrepreneur that's a

problem.

SEGALL: That combo he's downing, that's what's referred to as a stack, a collection of smart drugs also called nootropics. They're aimed

at enhancing your brain. They could be anything from a stimulant like coffee to a prescription drug.

Nootropics, smart drugs, whatever you choose to call them, users say they enhance your brain and subsequently your body's performance. They've

become a thing in the tech world, in part because of the high level of competition, in part because of the long hours. But it all boils down to

this way of life called bio-hacking, this idea that we can control our own biology and we can program it to maximize results.

But it's hard to know how safe they are.

People using these enhancers can suffer from side effects: headaches, insomnia, nausea, and many haven't been studied.

TIM FERRISS, ENTREPRENEUR: I've used very class of drug you can imagine. I've used, you know, the medaphinols (ph) of the world, the

aracitams (ph), hydrogene (ph), the list goes on and on.

SEGALL: Tim's body is essentially a living lab. He also practices bio-hacking, anything that can control or improve any part of his body

he'll try.

There are no limits.

You're in Silicon Valley. You are your own athlete. You're only as good as your mind. And smart drugs are a way that entrepreneurs are

helping achieve that marathon.

FERRISS: Just like an Olympic athlete who is willing to do almost anything even if it shortens their life by five years to get a gold medal.

You're going to think about what pills and potions you can take because of the difference between making a million dollars and making a billion

dollars is right here.

SEGALL: Let's look at 10, 15 years if you do have some horrific side effects will it have been worth it?

ASPREY: I've had some side effects. When I was developing a Bulger diet (ph) I tried an extreme form of ketosis and it gave me some food

allergies I didn't have before. And I'm still working to reverse those. So things happen. But I had food allergies before that, just to different

foods. So it was a relatively small risk.

If I do find out down the road that there are some side effects, will it have been worth it? Yes, it will have been worth it. The quality of my

life every day is so much higher now than it was 10 years ago that it's priceless.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: I'm not quite buying their message there.

OK, now avid Twitter users you might have noticed some new features in the popular app. The social networking service is now offering group

direct messaging.

Now this new group function, it lets you chat with groups of up to 20. And once you're invited, you can add anyone to join the conversation.

Now another new tool let's users capture, edit and share 30 second videos directly from Twitter's core app.

Now Twitter isn't the first social media service to turn to group messaging. Now Facebook's group chat has been around for awhile. In fact,

WhatsApp, Tango, WeChat all have various versions of mass texting where users can send photos and video to dozens of users. And some of the more

popular texting services boast hundreds of millions of regular visitors.

Now people in New York and New Jersey, they were told to prepare for a winter storm of epic proportions, but in the end more jokes than snow have

piled up. Our Jeanne Moos has her special take straight ahead.

(COMMERCAIL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now it seems like every major snowstorm brings with it a tale of a birth and the blizzard that just walloped the northeast U.S. is no

different. While the rest of island of Nantucket was without power and riding out the storm, little Kade and Keith Moore (ph) came into the world

all thanks to a backup generator and a dedicated team of doctors and nurses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MARGARET KOEHM, NANTUCKET COTTAGE HOSPITAL: With the weather being so bad we encouraged her to stay and she took us up on that and it

was a good thing because all of a sudden labor really kicked in. You see that sometimes happen when the barometric pressure drops here on Nantucket.

And so a little after midnight I think it was our power went out and so we were on generator for about four hours before Danielle delivered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now Danielle says she was a little nervous about having her baby while the hospital was running on generator power. But the staff

calmed her fears.

Now, further down the coast many New Yorkers can't seem to shake the feeling of being strangely left out and let down. Now school was canceled,

businesses closed, public transit shut down all in preparation of the epic blizzard that wasn't.

We'll leave it to our Jeanne Moos to find a very light silver lining.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amazing grace how sweet the sound --

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Actually, it was the lack of sound that was amazing with New York City streets shut down. One guy laid down in

Times Square. NBC's Matt Lauer was able to get down in the middle of Fifth Avenue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And do snow angels.

MOOS: But reporters, beware, not of snowdrifts but of idiots in a car drifting ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Only time will tell. Reporting live from Nassau County...

MOOS: Or snowplow...

UNIDENTIIFIED FEMALE: Sixteen miles an hour gusts here in Stony Brook.

MOOS: Crashing your live shot doing donuts. Storms don't deter dumb criminals.

New York City police arrested a suspect who broke rule number one. Don't break into cars during snowstorm leaving your tracks.

There was no trace left behind of this garden gnome. A reporter for the Salem News posted this 12-hour time lapse video.

In New York and New Jersey, the blizzard that fizzled was mocked. A trace of snow on the lawn, we will rebuild. God help us all.

A few meteorologists even apologized one saying this forecast is deflated as much as New England Patriots footballs.

But there was nothing deflated about the tourists.

(on camera): Where are you, guys, from?

CROWD: Uruguay?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We never see snow.

MOOS: Ever?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ever.

MOOS (voice-over): No wonder they were impressed with our blizzard.

But even a few inches can be treacherous as CNN's Brian Stelter discovered entering the subway.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN: Hurricane most recently...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whoa. Careful, careful, Brian.

MOOS: He managed to right himself. But --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brian, your shot is upside down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thought you were walking on the roof.

MOOS: Maybe we should let dogs give the forecast.

Check out this Bernice (ph) mountain dog forecasting icy conditions even before the storm hit.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: That was all nice in slo-mo. Always good.

Now who are you going to call if you want to cast a reboot of one of the most awesome movies of all time: Ghostbusters? Well, Paul Feig, who is

directing the new comedy seems to have the answer. Now he tweeted a picture of these four comediennes, clockwise from the top left. You've got

Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Saturday Night Live's Lesley Jones, plus Kate McKinnon.

Now, the director did not say why he is tweeting the photo, but he had said before that the new Ghostbusters will have an all-female cast.

So, it's likely that the four will play the quartet of memorable phantom catchers from the original series.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. And World Sport is up next with an exclusive interview with the latest challenger to run for FIFA

president. Keep it here.

END