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North Carolina Declares State of Emergency; Weiner Documentary at Sundance Film Festival; Clinton Appeal Lagging with Younger Women; Rezaian, Wife and Mom Now Returning to U.S.; Palin's Jacket Nearly Outshines Endorsement. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired January 22, 2016 - 10:30   ET

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


[10:29:45] RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: When does it get better? Well, it usually takes about 48-72 hours for them to start getting service back, but it's hard to say when things will actually be back to normal -- Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Rene Marsh, reporting live from Reagan National.

Six states have already declared states of emergency, including North Carolina -- conditions worsening there right now. We're awaiting a press conference, actually, any moment now from Governor Pat McCrory from Raleigh; the governor urging residents to stay off the roads this morning. And from the looks of it, at least in North Carolina, people are listening -- snow and ice falling across the state. There you can see the roads are empty in North Carolina.

With me now on the phone is the mayor of Charlotte, Jennifer Roberts. Welcome, Mayor.

MAYOR JENNIFER ROBERTS (D), CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA (via telephone): Good to be here. And I'm glad people are staying in because it's very treacherous here.

COSTELLO: What did you say that was so effective?

ROBERTS: Well, I tell you, we watched closely and we had a press conference yesterday afternoon. Our school system made the decision to close schools yesterday evening. We really watched that front coming in and we told people, please, you know, go get your groceries now and stay in tomorrow because it's going to be treacherous. I'm really thankful that a lot of people listened.

I drove in. I only live a mile and a half from our government center and I didn't see hardly anyone on the road, which is great.

COSTELLO: That is great. What's your biggest worry this morning?

ROBERTS: Our biggest worry is traffic safety and pedestrian safety, because there are some people who do have to go to work or have some urgent things that have to take place. And we had some accidents. You know, icy road conditions and bridge conditions, so that's our biggest concern. I've heard from medics, there haven't been, you know, too many medical emergencies, which is great. But we do really worry about our drivers and we hope that as many folks as possible are staying put.

We also know that more ice is coming and that can lead to power line -- you know, power lines falling and outages. We want to make sure that people keep a watch on their neighbors and find out who does still have electricity and make sure that we're all staying warm as well.

COSTELLO: It's been such a strange winter, at least here in New York because it's been so warm. Now we're expecting a blizzard. It's just strange, isn't it?

ROBERTS: Well, we are seeing more extreme weather in a lot of parts of our country. And you know, we are working better in our emergency preparedness to make sure all of our teams are in communication. And we just have to, you know, take it as it comes and try our best to, you know, be ready.

COSTELLO: All right. Mayor Roberts, thanks for taking time out of your busy day to join us this morning. I do appreciate it.

All right. The governor of North Carolina is now speaking. We're going to continue to monitor -- actually, that's not the governor speaking right now, but he's standing there. We'll keep you posted as we monitor this news conference.

Still to come in the newsroom -- a new movie could prove damaging to the Clinton campaign. It's not the movie about Benghazi. It's called "Weiner".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:37:24] COSTELLO: Politics is overshadowing Hollywood at this year's Sundance Film Festival with the documentary "Weiner" making its debut on Sunday. Filmmakers were following the former congressman, Anthony Weiner as his political career fell apart following a 2011 sex scandal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY WEINER (D), FORMER NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN: This behavior that I did was problematic, to say the least; destructive, to say the most. It caused many stresses and strains in my marriage. But I'm pleased and blessed that she has given me a second chance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But the real story may be the woman next to Weiner. That would be his wife, Huma -- a long-time top aide for Hillary Clinton and the possible damage the documentary could do to Clinton's presidential campaign.

Stephanie Elam is live in Park City, Utah with more on this. Hi -- Stephanie. STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning -- Carol.

Let me just set the scene for you where we are. We're in the CNN Films lounge here right on Main Street in beautiful Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. This is where people can stop by. Maybe have a little beverage, warm up, have some great food and also learn about movies.

This is where CNN acquired "Blackfish". This is where we got "Fresh Dress". This is where we got "The Hunting Ground". So this is important to know why we're here.

But you are right. When you take a look at this year's selection of films, there is one overarching theme for a lot of them and that is controversy. This is the place to be if you have a documentary. This is where you can come and get a lot of eyeballs and potentially get that film sold.

And one that everyone is very, very intrigued by is the one on Anthony Weiner. And this one specifically, we understand, focuses on the time that he was running for mayor of New York in 2013. It was supposed to be his big comeback and then there was this second sexting scandal where we learned about Carlos Danger.

This is what we understand. They're being very tight-lipped about this. Practically no one has seen it. They won't send out clips for it. They're not showing us anything about it so people really, really want to see that film because it does delve in. They had access into the relationship between Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin and their relationship in New York as he was supposed to be making his great comeback.

So people want to know more about how this couple was interacting during that time. And you're right, this is an election year. A lot of people want to know whether or not this is going to play into it since Huma has such a deep connection with the Clinton clan, specifically as being a big adviser to Hillary -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Stephanie Elam reporting live from Park City, Utah this morning.

[10:39:56] Sex scandals aside, Hillary Clinton is banking on women voters. Among Iowa women who are likely to caucus, she leads Bernie Sanders 56 percent to 38 percent. Older women are solidly behind Clinton, but younger women seem to be feeling the Bern. So, Clinton is trying to coax them back.

Check out her campaign store. There's a "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun- damental rights" tote bag and a throw pillow that says "A woman's place is in the White House." And then there's the millennial superstar stumping for Clinton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEMI LOVATO, SINGER: I'm voting for her because I truly believe that there is nobody more qualified to run this country, our country, than our secretary of state, Hillary Clinton.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: That's Demi Lovato. Amy Schumer is along for the ride, so is Katy Perry, Lena Dunham and more -- all influential millennial women -- all declaring, I'm with her. So why isn't it working?

Here to talk about this is Joanna Rothkopf, she's a staff writer at Jezebel; and Keli Goff is a columnist for the "Daily Beast". Welcome to both of you.

KELI GOFF, "DAILY BEAST": Thank you -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Thank you for being here. These liberal feminist stars are lining up behind Hillary Clinton. So, Keli, why isn't Hillary Clinton resonating more with young women?

GOFF: I think in some ways Hillary Clinton is a victim of her own success. And here's what I mean, Carol. Of the 278 women who have ever served in American Congress in our history, more than half of them have been elected since 1992.

So, just think about that for a moment. That was not only the year that a lot of these millennial women were actually born, but it was also the year when Hillary Clinton really burst into the national stage. So the problem, in a sense, is that 73 percent of Americans believe they will see a woman elected president in their lifetime. That's across party lines, that's across gender lines.

But that's a reality that's much more tangible to a lot of these younger women because they don't really know a pre-Hillary Clinton era when a woman didn't have the right to choose and when women were struggling just to get into the halls of Congress. So I think for a lot of them, they don't see it as if it's not Hillary, we'll never see a woman elected president.

Do you see that --

COSTELLO: I totally understand that. But Joanna, I ask you this. You have Jennifer Lawrence coming out and talking about, you know, the disparity in wages in Hollywood. Doesn't that resonate with young women? Because Hillary Clinton, you know, she talks about equal pay all the time.

JOANNA ROTHKOPF, JEZEBEL: I don't know. I think that that kind of celebrity stumping for me is reading a little bit false because Hillary Clinton is a woman of second-wave feminism. She's largely an advocate for well-off white women. And I think that the generation of young feminists who are voting now want to see someone who is more of an advocate for intersectional feminine. That doesn't just mean feminism for wealthy, successful celebrities.

COSTELLO: That's harsh.

ROTHKOPF: No, Hillary has done so much good stuff for women's reproductive rights, for women around the world. But I do think that her first campaign was largely focused on that kind of second-wave feminism. And she does have -- she has been altering her platform in this second campaign.

COSTELLO: Ok. Let me run this by you. Clinton called Monica Lewinsky. You all know who that is.

GOFF: Who? Sorry.

COSTELLO: Actually --

GOFF: But this could be part of --

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: I know.

GOFF: You never know.

COSTELLO: But I'm sure people have heard -- even young women have herd of Monica Lewinsky and what happened there. So Clinton called Monica Lewinsky a narcissistic loony toon. She worked behind the scenes to discredit the women who accused her husband of infidelity or worse. So how can young feminists reconcile this with Clinton's talk of, you know, like, every woman deserves to be heard.

GOFF: But I think this goes back to kind of the larger point I was making which is her being a victim of her own success. The point that Joanna made I thought very eloquently is that a lot of younger women don't see feminism as wrapped in one package, which is another woman who has proclaimed herself a feminist for decades.

A lot of these women, you know, when you hear why they're supporting Bernie Sanders, they actually think that he's better on specific on issues. One young woman in fact said I thought very well, which is if I were to vote for Clinton primarily because of her gender, that's just as bad someone else voting against her because of her gender.

So for a lot of these women, they're comparing exactly what you said and saying, for me, I think Bernie Sanders is better.

COSTELLO: And see, for those older white women you talk to, they should like cheer that because that was the goal. So, I'll ask you, too, what do young women see in Bernie Sanders that they don't in Hillary Clinton?

ROTHKOPF: I mean Hillary Clinton is of a political dynasty in a way that Bernie Sanders isn't. Bernie Sanders is much better on income inequality and wage inequality. He's speaking on racial issues in a much more, I think, eloquent way. And more believable way, I'd say. But, I mean he is --

COSTELLO: Does it matter he's a 74-year-old white guy?

[10:45:02] ROTHKOPF: I mean I would never have expected that to be the face of these issues that concern younger people. I mean that Hillary has been better in a number of different areas that also apply to women like reproductive health and things like that.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Thanks to both of you for stopping by. It was very interesting.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, freed from an Iranian prison -- an American journalist is finally on his way home to the United States. A live report out of Iran next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We are now learning an American college student has been detained in North Korea. North Korean media identifies him as University of Virginia student, Otto Fredrick Warmbier. He was detained January 2 as he prepared to leave North Korea for a flight to China. The tour group that he was traveling with is working with the State Department to try to secure his release.

[10:50:09] Freed journalist Jason Rezaian is on his way back to the United States right now and he's getting the VIP treatment to bring him home. The "Washington Post" reporter who spent a year and a half in prison in Iran, well he flew out of Germany this morning. Also with him: his wife and his mother.

He did release a statement saying he was planning to enjoy home cooked meals, sports and movies. And I hope he does.

CNN senior media correspondent Brian Stelter is here with more. Good morning.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. The "Post" source -- our source from the "Washington Post" telling me that actually Jeff Bezos, the owner of the newspaper personally flew to Germany yesterday to bring Jason Rezaian home.

COSTELLO: Wow.

STELTER: I just spoke to the "Post" spokeswoman. She confirms this. We can put her statement on screen. They say that Jeff Bezos, also the CEO of Amazon, of course, "had dinner with the Rezaians last night at the Army base in Germany and then flew them back home. Like all of us, he's incredibly happy they are safe and sound."

I think it's just an example, Carol, of the extensive efforts the "Post" undertook for many months first to secure Rezaian's release and now to support him as he comes home.

The other prisoners in that prisoner swap over the weekend have already arrived back in the U.S. So Jason is the last person who will be arriving later today. He said he wanted to watch his beloved Warriors, the NBA team. There's actually a game tonight. So by then, he should be home in California able to watch with his family.

COSTELLO: Not only that -- but plenty of football this weekend and exciting football at that. So, I don't know --

STELTER: And he said he wants to see "Star Wars". I'm sure Disney is making arrangements for that, but if not, he can go to the movies just like everybody else this weekend in the theater now.

COSTELLO: Brian Stelter -- thanks for stopping by.

STELTER: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Coming up in the NEWSROOM, her name might be Palin, but there's nothing pale about her flashy wardrobe. What exactly was Sarah Palin wearing anyway? Let's talk about that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:56:01] COSTELLO: Checking on some top stories for you at 55 minutes past.

A father turned in his son for accidentally shooting a woman inside of a movie theater. The shooting happened during the screening of "13 Hours, the Secret Soldiers of Benghazi". Witnesses told police the man seemed intoxicated and was fumbling with his gun when it went off in the theater, hitting the person sitting right in front of him. The victim was hit in the chest. The victim is in stable condition this morning.

Check your medicine cabinets. The company Master Herbs is recalling its licorice cough syrup because it contains morphine. The bottles were sold in Chinese grocery stores in at least six different states.

The Environmental Protection Agency is slamming city and state officials for the water crisis playing out in Flint, Michigan. In an emergency order, the EPA says both levels are responsible for the lead contamination, calling their responses, quote, "inadequate to protect public health".

A defamation lawsuit against Bill Cosby has been thrown out of court. Accuser Ranita Hill filed the suit back in October but a judge in Pennsylvania has now ruled that none of the facts in that case meet the legal definition of defamation under state law. Cosby still faces numerous other lawsuits of alleged sexual assault involving more than 50 women.

Sarah Palin's endorsement of Donald Trump generated an avalanche of commentary. Yes, her unique oratory skills were scrutinized and dissected but what really sent the Internet over the edge was Palin's shiny attire.

Here's CNN's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sarah Palin didn't just appear. She razzle-dazzled.

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No more pussyfooting around.

MOOS: There is definitely no pussyfooting around that bolero sweater jacket by Milly. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is she wearing? And it looks like she killed a disco porcupine. What the hell is going on there?

MOOS: Go ahead and laugh, but that disco porcupine sells for $695 and is now sold out everywhere we looked.

We call it the endorsement sweater but it hasn't exactly been endorsed --

PHILIP BLOCH, CELEBRITY STYLIST: What was she thinking?

MOOS: -- by the fashion police.

BLOCH: A little tassels. I could have seen Ginger wearing that on Gilligan's Island before I see Sarah Palin wearing it at a campaign rally.

"The Washington Post" suggested it was intentionally inappropriate for a political event. Did you notice Sarah Palin's sweater? Good, you were supposed to.

BLOCH: I am here to sparkle and shine.

MOOS: But what do you call those shimmering shining things?

Descriptions range from a "spangle-laden shrug" to "glistening stalactites".

"Is that chain mail on Sarah Palin?"

But a defender wrote, "The sweater is delightful, more power to her."

She wore the same woven silk sweater a couple of months ago for a network TV interview.

PALIN: Absolutely.

MOOS: Palin started shimmering long ago. Check out her gown the time she came in third for Miss Alaska when she was 20.

Some may say, "Seems sexist to me, we never discuss men's suits". But we did pick on Marco Rubio's high heeled booties.

Last year, Sarah wore what seemed to be her daughter's Bristol dress to SNL's 40th anniversary, joking prophetically --

PALIN: What if I were to choose Donald Trump as my running mate?

TINA FEY, COMEDIAN: And I can see Russia from my house.

MOOS: And I can see the "SNL" folks desperately trying to track down one of these sold out sweaters for Tina Fey.

PALIN: You betcha.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York. (END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: We'll just have to see on Saturday -- right.

And a warning about the weather: there is a blizzard approaching and the snow has started to fall in Nashville, Tennessee. Visibility in Nashville is terrible right now. Oh, actually, this is a different shot and the visibility looks better.

But as you can see, people are having trouble on the roadways in Nashville. They're starting to tow people off the roadways. People did not listen to stay off the roads. They're slick. A lot of people are stuck. A lot of people are out of their cars so be very, very careful. It's so dangerous when you get out of your vehicle. Please, wait for help.

Thank you so much for watching me today. I'm Carol Costello.

"AT THIS HOUR" with Berman and Bolduan starts now.