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Republican Civil War?; Winter Storm. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired January 22, 2016 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:03]

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And it was interesting. He said it wasn't until his daughter, who is 19 years old now, said: "Dad, you're here. You're premiering your film" -- this is the New York -- at a New York showing -- and is like, "You did it." It took like 10 years.

So, for most of her life, he was working on that, but a really interesting look at this particular time in Miles Davis' life. It stars Don Cheadle and also Ewan McGregor. And it's just a really interesting movie.

And, Brooke, I have got to tell you, it has got one of my favorite lines of all time from a movie from it. After I saw the film, I can't stop saying it. I'm not going to ruin it for everybody, but...

(CROSSTALK)

ELAM: ... comes out on...

(CROSSTALK)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, what a tease, what a tease, Stephanie Elam. "Kind of Blue," one of my favorite albums of all time. Stephanie, thank you in Sundance.

All right, we continue on. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you for being with me here.

Millions of Americans in this path of this massive winter storm, which is starting to bear down on the South and East Coast. Six states, six states, plus the nation's capital under states of emergency now.

In Washington, D.C., for example, the National Guard is deployed. The deadline to get off the streets is now officially in effect. Washington's mayor asked everyone to be off the block at 3:00 Eastern. She also said that the storm has -- quote -- "life and death implications."

Two feet of snow could fall over the course of next 12 hours. Travelers across five major hubs are hustling for new flights after thousands of cancellations. American Airlines will close its terminals tomorrow in Washington, Philadelphia, New York, and Charlotte. CNN is following the storm with live team coverage. I have Miguel

Marquez, who is live in Baltimore. Rene Marsh is inside Washington's Reagan National Airport, where there are, I'm sure, a lot of red cancellations on that screen.

Meteorologist Karen Maginnis is tracking the models for us in the Weather Center there in Atlanta.

But, Miguel, let me begin with you. I don't see any snow falling just yet. Tell me what they are expecting there.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It has just started. Take a look at this. This is the Baltimore Inner Harbor down here. This probably is the last time this week we're going to see this area, as beautiful as it is, the governor saying -- well, it will be blanketed in snow, so it will still be beautiful -- the governor saying that the entire state of Maryland is now under emergency watch for this storm.

They have some 365,000 tons of salt to start salting the roads. They have already begun some of that. They have 2,700 vehicles at the ready to clear those roads. But he's saying that they are expecting winds up to 55 miles per hour in some areas of the state.

The snow here in Baltimore could get as high as two feet. They are expecting up to 30 inches in some areas outside of Baltimore and over 30 inches in other parts. So, they are very, very concerned about that amount of snow, that blowing snow. It's also going to be very, very heavy, they say, sometimes possibly mixed with rain, which could bring down trees, lots of power lines, warning everybody to get ready, make sure that you can stay indoors for a couple of days, and be prepared for this storm and check on any elderly friends, neighbors, relatives, anyone that may be in a difficult situation -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: All right, Miguel Marquez, thank you.

I'm sure in a couple of hours, your backdrop will drastically change.

(WEATHER UPDATE)

[15:05:40]

BALDWIN: And I can only imagine how this is affecting folks. I know they are supposed to be off the city streets in Washington right now.

What about planes?

Rene Marsh, let's go to you for that. You're at Washington's Reagan Airport. What's the status of folks trying to come or go?

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: So, Brooke, 3:00 on a Friday afternoon, when was the last time you saw a security checkpoint looking like this?

BALDWIN: Never.

MARSH: That kind of sums up the situation. (LAUGHTER)

MARSH: I know. That sums up the situation here at Reagan National Airport.

The snow is coming down. They are hard at work trying to keep those runways cleared for the last bit of flights that are supposed to move out of here. But, really, through the morning, we have seen operations slow hour by hour. Reason for that, we're talking about more than 6,000 cancellations between today and tomorrow already.

So, people are getting the memo. Do not show up here. Your flight isn't going to get its destination. Airlines aren't taking the chance of having their airplanes buried under feet of snow. So the situation is, we're kind of lonely out here. And that's really what it is at this point, Brooke, still seeing a few passengers here and there. But, again, we expect in another three hours or so, probably, we won't see any aircraft on the tarmac at all.

BALDWIN: You never see that picture, as you well know, as you're trying to race through those lines at Reagan, right? Never, ever, ever, of course.

Rene, thank you.

And, of course, our thanks to Karen Maginnis and Miguel Marquez.

This whole winter storm obviously means lots of homeless people are searching for a place to stay safe, to stay warm. Shelters are open. They are already filling up in Washington, D.C.

Joining me on the phone now is Major Gene Hogg with Baltimore command of the Salvation Army.

Major Hogg, thank you so much for taking the time. I understand that your shelter is already full. So, what's your plan B?

MAJ. GENE HOGG, SALVATION ARMY: Yes.

No, we are full. However, we are also supporting the two state shelters, the city shelter and the county shelter. And what we're trying to do is to make sure that everyone gets into a safe place. We're not turning anyone away.

As a matter of fact, we're encouraging individuals to come to us, especially those living on the street. You may or may not know, The Salvation Army in Baltimore, we had a FeedMore program where we fed 90,000 individuals last year that lived on our streets.

Tonight, we will be feeding about 300 people out on the streets and we're encouraging them to go to all these shelters so they will get out of the weather.

BALDWIN: What's the biggest challenge in times like these for you?

HOGG: Well, the biggest challenge is just convincing people who are chronically homeless and living on the streets to get into shelter.

Many of them are mentally ill. Many of them resist coming into any type of formalized shelter because of their advertence to oversight. And so just trying to build that trust factor with them is very difficult.

BALDWIN: And you are in contact with other shelters, sort of helping one another out, because, obviously, this is an issue it's supposed to hit you all in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore area so, so hard.

HOGG: Oh, absolutely.

We are in direct communication with our state EOC, our city government, as well as our county government, making sure that all the efforts are coordinated, that we can take care of our citizens.

BALDWIN: All right, Major Gene Hogg, Salvation Army Baltimore command, thank you so much obviously for all that you do for folks so in need.

HOGG: Well, we sure do appreciate it. And we just want to let you know the Salvation Army is here 365 days. We have 30 canteens ready to be called upon when needed.

But thank you very much for your prayers and your concern. And stay warm.

BALDWIN: Absolutely, to you too, sir. Thank you.

Up next, to politics and this unprecedented move, shaking up the presidential race, a civil war erupting, as Republicans try to take down their two front-runners a week before Iowa votes. One of those candidates, Senator Ted Cruz, coming off of what many would describe a tough week on the campaign, we will talk with his senior adviser next.

And we're continuing to watch the breaking news, this potential for this historic storm under way. We have you covered all up and down the Eastern Seaboard.

You're watching CNN's special live coverage. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:14:15]

BALDWIN: Back to our breaking news, watching this major winter storm. It has intensified, will continue to intensify over the next 36 hours.

Live pictures here, Washington, D.C. The governor of Virginia, in fact, says his state is ready for whatever the storm brings. Thousands of personnel have been called up, including members of the National Guard.

Also at the ready, hundreds of thousands of tons of salt, plus two million gallons of liquid salt. Nick Valencia is in Fairfax, Virginia, where crews are preparing for a

very long weekend.

I see a lot of cars rolling past you there on the highway, but so far so good? What's the story, Nick?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so far, so good.

We have seen a steady snow dusting the last couple of hours. That snow really started to pick up here in the last 15 minutes. You see here on the ground, Brooke, that snow already starting to accumulate a couple of inches. They're expecting well more than that.

[15:15:05]

This is Interstate 66. And if you're familiar with the Virginia-D.C. area, this is a pretty main thoroughfare here. We have seen a couple snowplows make their way. This is the westbound lane here. We will flip around in just a little bit to show you the east side, but want to bring in the man of the hour here, Steve Shannon, Virginia Department of Transportation.

How are these roads looking to you?

STEVE SHANNON, VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: Actually, right now, really well.

You will see the westbound side of 66, the chemicals are working. We have put the salt down. With the cars actually driving on it, it's helping us clear the road there. The eastbound side, not so much right now, but, again, the chemicals are working.

VALENCIA: So, what is the real main concern? We're hearing forecasts anywhere between 13 inches around this area, up to 40 inches around the area. What are you hearing? Any updates you can give our viewers?

SHANNON: Out in the area I'm in charge of, Loudoun County, we're supposed to get -- they are calling for up to 30, 35 inches.

Here in this area, they are calling for up to two feet. So we will see what Mother Nature dumps on us here.

VALENCIA: And I know you have been around a long time. You have been working, I should say, for the Virginia Department of Transportation a long time. How does this storm system that we're seeing and that's predicted to come through this area, who does it stack up against years past?

SHANNON: It's going to be interesting. Snowmageddon, we had here in 2010, was really three storms. And one of them was an ice storm. Ice presents the biggest problem.

This is straight snow. It's going to be easier to manage, but at the same time, it's going to be a lot of snow in a 36- to 40-hour time period. VALENCIA: Well, we know you guys are on top of it, doing so much to

prepare. We see that visually.

Just flip around here real quick, Jeff. You see the interstate here on the eastbound side of things, a little lighter traffic on this area. Folks staying home. Try to bundle up. Take the precautions. We were out in the supermarkets last night. A lot of the bread, milk, eggs, all that stuff has already been scooped up.

So, if you haven't taken the time to prepare already, it may be just a little bit too late. The heavier part of that storm expected to hit this area in the next hour -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Oh, boy, Nick Valencia in Fairfax, Virginia, thank you so much, Nick.

Let's go to Chris Frates now. Chris Frates is in Washington, D.C., with a look at things.

Snow has been falling, what, for the better part of the last hour or so. People are supposed to be off the roads, but I see cars over your shoulder.

CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Brooke.

Officials have said everybody should be off the road by 3:00. And they're warning that as beautiful as this looks, I think you might be able to see the Washington Monument behind me there, they say leave the sled at home, leave the cross-country skis at home and just hunker down.

They are saying that this is a deadly storm. The emergency management director for the city telling everybody that it will be deadly. The mayor saying it's a matter of life and death. You really need to stay put. They have an emergency -- a state of emergency here, Brooke, in Maryland, Virginia and D.C.

And that's so that, if they need federal help, in fact, if you need to bring out the National Guard, for instance, they will be able to do that. The city shut down. City government shut down. The federal government shut down. They got out of here at noon. And that was largely to keep the cars off the road. They want to get everybody home, so all those salt trucks can start pretreating the roads and we won't see the kinds of accident we did just a couple days ago.

We only had about an inch of snow on Wednesday night, and it created havoc here, all kinds of slip-and-slide accidents, hundreds of fender- benders and accidents. They just want people to stay put, hunker down and ride it out, Brooke.

BALDWIN: All right, Chris Frates.

By the way, we cannot see the Washington Monument behind you. That's how sort of nasty it's getting, that and the live picture of the White House, barely able to make it out. Chris Frates, stay warm, my friend. Thank you so much. Of course, we will take you back and talk more about this impending

weekend storm. But, next, we will talk -- there's the White House picture, clear picture there, pretty picture, but, again, stay home.

Coming up next, we are going to talk to Ted Cruz's senior adviser next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:23:02]

BALDWIN: All right, back to our breaking news and just some live pictures for you, Washington, D.C. The snow obviously, as you can see, has started to fall.

Upper left-hand corner, this is kind of cool. This is the view from Capitol Hill. This is Speaker Paul Ryan's balcony there. And, obviously, the snow has started to fall. They are thinking maybe two feet over the weekend. This is huge, huge for people in the Washington, D.C., metro area.

We actually have someone in a car, one of our intrepid CNN correspondents on the streets in Washington, just to give you a better view of what conditions are like at this hour. We will take you there live momentarily.

But let's go to this. Safe to say the already unprecedented presidential race just took a new dramatic turn, as the Republican Party erupts into a civil war. The magazine that many credit for really defining the conservative movement has just dedicated its latest issue to pleading with people not to vote for Donald Trump.

It's called "Against Trump." It features pieces written by 22 different conservative thinkers. Here's one quote from the magazine. "Donald Trump is a menace to American conservatism who would take the work of generations and trample it underfoot on behalf of populism, as heedless and crude as the Donald himself."

Trump, a consistent counterpuncher, has responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, "The National Review" is a dying paper. Its circulation is way down. Not very many people read it anymore. People don't even think about "The National Review." So, I guess they want to get a little publicity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Joining me now is, Alice Stewart. She is senior adviser to Senator Ted Cruz.

Alice, nice to see you.

ALICE STEWART, SENIOR ADVISER TO TED CRUZ CAMPAIGN: Great to be here. Thanks for having me, Brooke. BALDWIN: Got to begin with this "National Review" magazine with the

scathing editorial here totally denouncing Donald Trump.

But here's where I'm curious. Do you think this helps your candidate or perhaps in the end galvanizes the Trump folks and really end up helping Donald Trump?

[15:25:00]

STEWART: Well, look, Brooke, any time you have 22 prominent, well- respected conservatives joining together 10 days out from the caucus to very eloquently outline the case why Donald Trump is not only not the correct choice for conservatives, but for this country, it's going to have an impact and it's going to be harmful to the Trump campaign.

And, sure, we will reap benefits from this, because the overwhelming theme throughout the 22 different posts was, does he walk with us? And the answer is no. Donald Trump has supported Democratic candidates throughout his entire life. He's contributed tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates.

He supports the auto bailout, the bank bailout. He's previously supported gay marriage, abortion, he's pro-choice, and all of a sudden he decides to wants to run for president as Republican. He's a campaign conservative.

BALDWIN: All right.

STEWART: And these 22 conservative leaders say conservatives need to beware.

BALDWIN: So that is 22 conservative writers, and this is how they feel about Donald Trump.

But let me talk about another group of conservatives, Republican lawmakers who want a absolutely nothing to do with your candidate. Not a single senator has said she or he would be supporting him. In fact, they are saying they cannot unite the party behind Ted Cruz. Your reaction to that?

STEWART: Well, what we're seeing in this election, we're seeing an electorate who doesn't want status quo and doesn't want business as usual. And they are standing up against the Washington cartel.

BALDWIN: But what about those senators, Alice?

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: Well, we're seeing the establishment and senators and members of Congress, they're abandoning Marco Rubio, what we're seeing, because he's not a viable candidate. Support for amnesty does not work.

And they are joining forces behind Donald Trump.

(CROSSTALK) BALDWIN: Forgive my interruption, but your candidate is a sitting senator, and his fellow Republican senators will not support him.

STEWART: Well, what Ted Cruz has done, he's gone to Washington to stand up to Washington as usual and business as usual in the Washington cartel.

He has fought hard against Obamacare. He's fought hard against the policies of big government. And, sure, you're going to make some enemies in Washington when you stand up and hold their feet to the fire, absolutely.

But I can tell you what. Any candidate who says they are beloved in Washington, voters in Iowa and New Hampshire and across this country, they are going to not look towards that candidate. They want someone who will stand up to Washington. And when you stand up and take a firm stand on something, you're going to make some enemies.

BALDWIN: Alice, one political columnist writes that Ted Cruz -- quote -- "is a nasty guy and his Senate colleagues would agree with him on that."

But out on the trail, she says, and out on the stump, he's quite likable. Can you just explain that to our viewers. Who is the real Ted Cruz?

STEWART: Well, Ruth Marcus wrote a great column just about that.

BALDWIN: That's exactly who I'm referring to.

STEWART: And, of course, nasty comment came from Donald Trump.

Yes. Right. And Donald Trump actually is the one that called Ted Cruz nasty, because as soon as he saw that Ted Cruz was ahead of him in several polls, your CNN poll, as well as FOX and "The Des Moines Register," he started getting aggressive.

And as Ruth has pointed out really great in her piece is that he has a fire and brimstone image when he's in a debate, when he's in Congress, when he's in a congressional or Senate hearing, but when he gets out there on the trail, he connects with people. He has a great rapport with people. And that's what the people in Iowa and New Hampshire and across the country want.

They want to know that someone listens to them, connects with them. In the last two cycles, we had someone who checked all the boxes and were great leaders and strong on foreign policy and the economy, but they didn't connect with people. Ted has been out there on the ground shaking hands, talking to folks.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: I understand he's connecting, but...

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Forgive me, Alice.

But he has to -- he has to be able to connect and communicate with folks in Washington as well if he's elected president.

STEWART: And that's certainly what's going to happen when he is elected.

BALDWIN: But it hasn't so far.

STEWART: And what we're seeing is that he is -- that's the point of, when you become a true leader, you're able to bring people together.

But what he's going to do, unlike what a lot of those that have gone to Washington, they go along to get along. And he's not going to do that. He's going to there to represent or exactly the reason why people are electing him to bring this country together, and to also do away with Washington politics and business as usual.

And that's what people across Iowa and New Hampshire are seeing. They see him as someone who will go to Washington, stand up to Washington as usual. But he will certainly represent their views and values and get things done.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: On values, I know evangelicals -- in Iowa and evangelicals, huge, huge and very important for Ted Cruz, and then I know, of course, you say your candidate is best for evangelicals.

Why do you think Donald Trump is bad for evangelicals?

STEWART: Well, because, well, take 2 Corinthians, for example.

[15:30:01]

I mean, when you're first coming to church, you should -- you certainly are going to make mistakes when it comes to quoting Bible Scripture. And Donald Trump has proven over and over again he's a campaign conservative.