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Millions Bracing For Crippling Winter Storm; 30 Million People Under Blizzard Watches or Warnings; Major Travel Delays Expected For D.C. And Philadelphia; Turkey Has Agreed To Accept 20-Year-Old Woman For Treatment After Her Husband Cut Off Her Nose With A Pocket Knife; EPA's Regional Administrator Admitted Her Department Knew About Risk of Lead In Flint, Michigan's Water But Did Not Alert The Public. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired January 22, 2016 - 00:00   ET

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


[00:00:29] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This is "CNN Newsroom," live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour, tens of millions are bracing for a crippling winter storm in the United States. There's a chill in China not felt in decades. The face of domestic violence in Afghanistan; a husband cut off her nose but instead of going to jail it is believed he joined the Taliban. And, the brown colored drinking water in Flint, Michigan; a closer look at the long-term health impacts for those who have been drinking it.

Hello, everyone; great to have you with us. I'm John Vause; Newsroom L.A. starts right now.

we begin with a major winter storm barreling toward the U.S. East Coast; about 75 million people are in its path, with nearly 30 million under blizzard watches or warnings. Here's a live look at Washington, D.C. where they are expecting close to a meter of snow. More than 4,000 flights have been cancelled for Friday and Saturday. This is the biggest storm so far this winter.

Meanwhile, much of China is dealing with an intense cold front that has blanketed the country with snow and ice. Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai could see their coldest temperatures in 20 years, maybe 30 years. Let's go over to Derek Van Dam with more on the weather

forecast for both the United States as well as China.

So, Derek, a lot going on and it's all really cold.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is, John; winter across the Northern Hemisphere. In fact, Beijing has not experienced temperatures like this since 1991, we are talking 10 to 15 degrees Celsius below average, and that impacts the Korean Peninsula, as well as Mainland Japan, even as far south as Taiwan and into northern Vietnam. Now, that's not the only part of the world experiencing winter

weather. We continue to talk about the blockbuster winter storm that's setting up across the eastern half of the United States. Major travel delays expected for Washington, D.C. in to Philadelphia. We have blizzard warnings in effect, with winter storm watches and warnings stretching far west in to Kentucky, as well as the Carolinas. This storm is a severe weather maker. It's also an ice producer and a heavy snow producer and strong winds that could lead to coastal flooding.

Take a look at this: we've highlighted some areas across the Delmarva Peninsula that we are anticipating moderate coastal flooding and erosion thanks to the timing of this particular storm, that's going to coincide with a full moon by the way on Friday night into Saturday, and also the high tides that will impact that region. So here's the areas. We are looking out for minor to moderate flooding into the Atlantic City and Ocean City region, perhaps Norfolk, Virginia. On top of that, snowfall totals in excess of 24 inches. this has not been something that's been experienced in the nation's capital for several years. On top of that, icing is a concern, as well.

So take a look at your travel plans. If you are traveling out of any of these locations, they will be hampered by this major storm.

Look at the severe weather that's already rolled through Louisiana and Alabama today. That continues to press eastward on Friday, to start off the early weekend for southern Georgia and in to the Florida panhandle.

By the way, John, we are going to be active on social media, #cnnweather. Please send your weather photos of this impending nor'easter.

VAUSE: Yes, but be careful when you do. We don't want anyone hurting themselves or putting themselves in danger when they do it.

Derek, thank you for that.

Now to U.S. politics. A leading conservative voice is taking aim at Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump. The "National Review" magazine is dedicating a special issue to opposing Trump's run for the White House. The cover, you see it right there, it says "Against Trump." Inside, a blistering editorial calls Trump a "menace to American conservativism."

On the campaign trail in Las Vegas, Trump hit back,

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, R-NY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The "National Review" is a dying paper. Its circulation is way down. Not very many people read it anymore. I mean, people don't even think about the "National Review". So, I guess, they want a little publicity but that's a dying paper. It's pretty much - It's pretty much of a dead paper.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Meanwhile, the key state of Iowa but Donald Trump and Bernie [00:05:02] Sanders are holding solid leads. A new CNN/ORC poll shows Trump topping the Republicans with 37-percent of likely caucus voters, Ted Cruz second with 26. On the Democratic side, Sanders has taken the lead from Hillary Clinton in Iowa and up eight points. While talking with our Wolf Blitzer on Thursday, Clinton sought to turn the tables on Sanders. She said certain groups support her only because she is part of the Washington establishment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But are you the establishment?

SEC. HILLARY CLINTON, D-NY, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I just don't understand what that means. He's been in Congress. He's been elected to office a lot longer than I have. I was in the Senate for eight wonderful years representing New York. He's been in the Congress for 25. So I'll let your viewers make their own judgment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Iowa is critical because it is the first to vote for the presidential nominees.

Now, a Russian spy turned whistle-blower killed when a radioactive substance apparently was slipped in to his green tea. On his death bed Aleksander Litvinenko pointed the finger at Russian President Putin and now British inquiry is backing him up, to Moscow's dismay and their anger as well. Jim Sciutto as the latest on what is a remarkable case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a shocking murder of a prominent Russian dissident, seen here dying in his hospital bed; and an act of nuclear terrorism, say British officials in the heart of London, just yards from the U.S. embassy. Now a British investigation has found the two Russian secret agents accused of the murder "probably acted with the approval of Russian President, Vladimir Putin."

ROBERT OWEN, CHAIRMAN, LITVINENKO INQUIRY: The FSB operation to kill Mr. Litvinenko was probably approved by Mr. Petrutchev (ps), then head of the FSB, and also by President Putin.

SCIUTTO: Alexander Litvinenko, who fled Russia from the U.K. to seek asylum, was an outspoken critic of the Kremlin; accusing President Putin of orchestrating the deadly bombings of Russian apartment buildings in 1999 to justify a second Russian invasion of Chechnya. Another potential motive? Report cites an article Litveninko published that accuses Putin of sexual involvement with underaged boys and Russian intelligence had video evidence.

Litveninko blamed Putin for ordering his poisoning and authorized this statement from his death bed: "You may succeed in silencing one man but the howl of protests around the world will reverberate, Mr. Putin, in your ears for the rest of your life."

SCIUTTO: Today Litvinenko's widow, Marina, welcomed the British findings.

MARINA LITVENINKO, WIDOW, ALEKSANDER LITVENINKO: I'm of course very pleased that the words have been spoke on his death bed when he accused Mr. Putin of his murder has been proved.

SCIUTTO: The details of the case seem stolen from a spy novel. Surveillance video show the Russian agents at the London hotel where they allegedly injected a powerful dose of the highly radioactive element Polonium 210 in to Litvinenko's tea during a meeting there.

Litveninko he died a slow, painful death and the radioactive Polonium contaminated dozens of other people who had direct or indirect contact with him.

THERESA MAY, HOME SECRETARY, PARLIAMENT, BRITIAN: This was a blatant and unacceptable breach of the most fundamental tenets of international law and of civilized behavior.

SCIUTTO: Today, one of the accused killers, Andre Lugovoi, now a Russian politician, vehemently denied the accusation.

ANDRE LUGOVOI, ACCUSED KILLER, ALEKSANDER LITVENINKO, via translator: An outrageous lie and I can't find any other word to describe it.

SCIUTTO: Russian officials dismissed the findings as politicized.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This gross provocation of the British authorities cannot help hurting our (inaudible) relations.

Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Well now to a story, and a warning -- it contains some very graphic images. A horrific case of domestic violence and it's putting the spotlight on the abuse of women in Afghanistan. 20-year-old Reza Gul was taken to the hospital a few days ago after her husband cut off her nose. Lynda Kinkade has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 20-year-old Reza Gul lays in a hospital bed. The baby tucked closely by her side. Just days ago her husband of more than five years ago sliced off her nose with a pocket knife, the battered body evidence of prolonged physical abuse.

Women for Afghan Women, a well-known advocacy group supporting victims of violence in Afghanistan, have taken on Reza Gul's case.

[00:10:03] She's severely wounded. She was bleeding profusely a couple of days ago, so she needed blood. The Turkish Embassy agreed that they would take her to Turkey for medical treatment. So we're in the process right now of trying to get her a passport, an emergency passport so she can go to Turkey, you know, to see if they can fix her nose.

KINKADE: The village is located near a Taliban-controlled area in northern Afghanistan. It's believed her husband fled to join the

militant group.

In 2009, the then president Hamid Karzai, passed The Elimination of Violence Against Women law. The issue gained worldwide attention when "Time" featured Aisha Mohammadzai on its cover. The case is similar to Reza Gul's. Aisha has since had her nose reconstructed in the U.S. and started a new life in Maryland, but just how much progress is being made for women in Afghanistan is debatable. In November, 19- year-old, Rokhshana, accused of adultery was stoned to death in a Taliban-controlled area in central Afghanistan. Months earlier, a woman was brought brutally beaten by a mob in Kabul accused of burning a Koran.

Still Women for Afghan Women says the government is trying to implement the 2009 law.

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: They have set up violence against women unit in the attorney general's office, both in Kabul and in the provinces. So whenever there is a violence against women case it is referred to the specific violence against women unit within the attorney general's office.

KINKADE: Reza Gul's case proves there's still much work to be done.

Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Gayle Tzemach Lemmon is with us now to talk about just how dangerous it is to be a woman in Afghanistan, despite the fact that the Coalition forces have been in there so many year and that the country is trying to move ahead. You're a senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations also a Contributing Editor with Atlanta Media Defense One.

Okay, this horrific attack on Reza, it happened in an area under Taliban control and carried out by her husband. What poses the greatest threat to women in Afghanistan, is it the Taliban; is it their families?

GAYLE TZEMACH LEMMON, SR. FELLOW, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: It is actually both; in a culture of impunity that allows violence against women to go unchecked. I think if there is a bright spot it's Women for Afghan women, it's this whole young generation of women activists who have really stood up this past decade and said yes, this is happening and we're going to do something about it.

VAUSE: There are 14 women shelters in all of Afghanistan. Doesn't sound like a lot but I guess it is progress. Unfortunately, there are some lawmakers, and they are male lawmakers, that want to close the shelters down. why?

LEMMON: This is a fight that's been going on for years. You really do see forces that want to take the country back, who want to impugn those the shelters against women. But when you spend time in those shelters what you see is they are offering a lifeline, not just to women but to families who really do want somebody to help to mediate a crisis.

So they are not just sheltering women, they are also trying to help families get through very difficult times and I think that's why they are open is that families have fought for them.

VAUSE: You mentioned that women are standing up and we saw that a year ago. The was that terrible killing of Farkhanda, a mob killing.

LEMMON: Shocking.

VAUSE: It got a lot of headlines and also what got a lot of headlines was the Afghan women who were incredibly brave and acted as pall bearers at her funeral. They risked their lives. Does that give you a sign there is some glimmer of hope that women in Afghanistan are now really trying to stand up, despite all the dangers they face?

LEMMON: Absolutely. You saw young women and older women take to the streets when that happened a year ago. Of the seven journalists just killed in this horrible attack by of the Taliban, three of the seven were with women. There is this whole young generation of Afghans who are journalists and entrepreneurs and teachers and micro- entrepreneurs, who are fighting for their own country and really they've used the past 14 years to build something better, not just for themselves but their families.

VAUSE: We had this presidential decree which was passed by the previous president, Hamid Karzi; how important has that been in trying to change the culture?

LEMMON: It has been important for enforcement, not because families are going to follow the Violence Against Women Act necessarily but because shelters and advocates and lawyers for when they can go to court and actually get a judge to listen to the fact that a child marriage is illegal; this violence against women is punishable by jail time. So even if it is not happening in the first case, they are able to go to judges and say listen, here's the law.

VAUSE: Okay, so, we look at Afghanistan; we know it's ranked the most dangerous country in the world for women. It seems they are stuck in medieval times. Why is that? Why is there not the same level of [00:15:04] progress in Afghanistan that we're seeing in other countries, I guess that have had a similar culture?

LEMMON: Well, I guess it is the classic rural/urban divide. If you look at Kabul, if you look at Hurad, if you look at cities where you have millions of girls in school, you have more than 30-percent of the people in college, in university are young women. You see women who are starting their own companies. So you have that progress alongside places that haven't changed, that hasn't been affected and are in real hotbeds for extremism, for the Taliban, primed for the Taliban to take over once more. I think for a long time we have seen women's rights peripheral to the

conversation about Afghanistan's future. I think the truth is, it is essential to what happens next.

VAUSE: Absolutely crucial to the future of the country. Thanks for coming in.

LEMMON: Thank you.

VAUSE: A short break. When we come, back there's more help on the way for Flint, Michigan, where the water supply has been contaminated with lead. A key federal official has resigned because of this crisis. Also, we'll meet a family dealing with the effects of that dangerous water.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:19:56] VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. A quick check on the markets in the Asia-Pacific region. (MARKETS HEADLINES) (HEADLINES) Now to the lead poison water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

The Environmental Protection Agency's Regional Administrator is resigning. Susan Hedman admitted last week that her department knew last April that Flint residents were at risk for lead poisoning but did not alert the public.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama is making $80 million in new funding available to fix Michigan's water problems.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. BARACK OBAMA: In last month's bipartisan budget agreement we secured funding to help cities like yours to build water infrastructure; and we're going to have that funding available to you by the end of next week and that includes more than $80 million for the state of Michigan. Our children should not have to be worried about the water that they are drinking in American cities. that's not something we should accept.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The contaminated water crisis in Flint is the subject of the latest "Time" magazine cover story. The article entitled "The

Poisoning of an American City: Toxic Water, Sick Kids and the Incompetent Leaders Who Betrayed Flint."

Hundreds of people in Flint say the contaminated water has made them sick. Everything from hair loss to rashes and other unexplained illnesses. CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look at me. Look right at me.

When her son Gavin started to become ill, it was subtle. So subtle Lee Anne Waters wouldn't have been blamed for missing it.

Okay, look right at me. Keep your head straight. How about right here? How many fin -

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: One.

GUPTA: Okay, good job. Look up. Look down. Do you have any -- do your fingers feel numb at all?

One day she looked at Gavin and his twin brother Garrett side by side, the difference was staggering.

LEE ANN WATERS, MOTHER, FLINT MICHIGAN: The size he is right now is pretty much the size he was last February, February 5th of 2015.

GUPTA: So almost a year ago.

WATERS: Almost a year ago, yes.

GUPTA: How much does he way with versus his twin?

WATERS: He's 35.8 pounds and his twin is 58 pounds.

GUPTA: For months they had been drinking the same water, but Gavin was showing the effects of poisoned by lead and such is the nature of lead poisoning. It can affect people differently even twins.

[00:25:09] -- elevated lead levels in the water in 2014. So this doctor started to look at levels in her young patients and what she found was shocking.

DR. MONA HANNA ATTISHA, PEDIATRICIAN, FLINT MICHIGAN: The percentage of children with lead poisoning doubled in the city of Flint, and in some neighborhoods it actually tripled.

GUPTA: She sounded the alarm to state officials as loudly as she could, but no one listened. instead -

ATTISHA: We were attacked, so I was called an unfortunate researcher; that I was causing near hysteria and that the state numbers with were not consistent with our findings.

GUPTA: Maybe denial was so easy because of this: Flint, a city surrounded by some of the largest fresh water lakes in the world was now delivering some of the world's most contaminated water to its citizens.

In October of 2014, General Motors, you say, stopped using the water because it was corroding their parts.

ATTISHA: Right.

GUPTA: That seems like an obvious clue.

ATTISHA: Yes, so red flags, loud alarms should have been going off in people's brains. If it is corroding engine parts, what is it doing to our plumbing that is predominantly lead based.

GUPTA: Water that could corrode engine parts; just imagine what it is doing to the body and brain of Gavin Walters.

ATTISHA: These kids did nothing wrong. They did nothing wrong, except being poor.

GOV. RICK SNYDER, R-MI: In May, Professor Mark Edwards, from Virginia Tech, and Dr. Mona Attisha sounded an alarm about lead in Flint's water.

GUPTA: The Governor says you can have anything you want, anything, Mona.

ATTISHA: I want a rewind button to April of 2014. That's what I want because you can't undo this. You cannot undo this.

GUPTA: If there has ever been a U.S. city in need of a rewind button, it is Flint, Michigan. More than a third of the people here are living in poverty; life expectancy is 10 to 20 years shorter than the rest of the state. There's not a full-scale grocery store anywhere in sight.

ATTISHA: And then we got lead? Like, if you were to think of something to put in a population to keep them down for this generation and generations to come it would be lead. It's just a loss of words.

GUPTA: But they, Dr. Mona, Lee Ann, the 100,000 citizens of Flint, have to believe that clean water will return one day soon.

Do you know why people have been putting you on TV lately?

GAVIN: Yeah.

GUPTA: Why?

GAVIN: Because they wanted to put us on TV; so they could see us.

GUPTA: Because you are handsome.

GAVIN: Yup.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Flint, Michigan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Well, coming up on Newsroom L.A., share the emotional moment when a little boy in China who thought he'd never have a real family meets his new parents for the very first time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:31:14] VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. You are watching "CNN Newsroom" live from Los Angeles; I'm John Vause. the headlines this hour: (HEADLINES) A 9-year-old boy named Jia Jia was once considered unadoptable but now

he will be arriving at his new home on Friday. Jia Jia was born with spina bifida and was abandoned outside a fertility clinic. The surgery he needed back then would have cost the equivalent of two years' salary for the average Chinese worker. The Wilson family, in the United States, started the process months ago to try to adopt him but due to financial issues they weren't sure if this day would every come. But, a report done by our Will Ripley, which was filed earlier this year, went viral and the money started to pour in. Will was there when the Wilsons met their son for the very first time.

And, Will, this is an incredibly emotional story. For our viewers out there; get some Kleenex.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's been emotional for all of us. Even writing and looking at the video again I was tearing up and that doesn't happen very often in our business, where we see so many things. It's really, it's just terrific.

I met Jia Jia just by chance, working about five months ago on a story about China's abandoned children. He really touched my heart and after we showed his story he touched the hearts of so many of our viewers out there, and thanks to your kindness his family was able to make all their dreams happen and they flew here to Beijing and are taking him home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Wilson's have been waiting almost a year to make the 6600-mile journey from Kansas City to Beijing. The boy they are about to meet has been waiting his whole life.

We first met Jia Jia last summer, the oldest orphan in a Chinese foster home for children with disabilities.

You have lived here your whole life, right?

JIA JIA: Yeah.

RIPLEY: Long time, nine years.

Another family broke their promise to adopt him. It's okay. Jia Jia, desperate for parents of his own.

BRIAN WILSON, ADOPTIVE FATHER, UNITED STATES: He's a rock star.

RIPLEY: Brian and Jerry Wilson have been trying for months to adopt him but they need $36,000, money they didn't have.

WILSON: Right after the story aired, I think it was 8:00 that night we met our goal.

RIPLEY: Donations came in from all over the world. The Wilsons raised almost $50,000 in a matter of hours; five more months of paperwork, and today they finally meet their son.

JERRY WILSON, ADOPTIVE MOTHER, UNITED STATES: As soon as he looked at us he smiled.

RIPLEY: Within minutes crucial bonding begins.

[Laughter]

RIPLEY: Jia Jia's three older sisters back in Missouri busy preparing his new room.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can't wait for him to get here.

RIJPLEY: The Wilsons, both 50, say their Christian faith led them to make this life-changing choice.

[00:35:03] WILSON: It is like he's been a part of our family forever.

RIPLEY: Before they can take him home, they must travel to Jia Jia's hometown in central China, continuing the tedious process of finalizing the adoption. The identity of Jia Jia's birth parents' unknown. It's heart-breaking to imagine what his biological parents must have been going through.

Jia Jia was only 3 months old and he desperately needed life-saving surgery that his parents most likely couldn't afford. So they left him, here at this fertility clinic. A place where people go who with want children. Jerry believes Jia Jia's mother did not abandon him, she saved him.

WILSON: I pray for her and thank god for her and I want him to know that she loved him.

RIPLEY: Hundreds of thousands of Chinese kids with disabilities end up in orphanages and many become permanent wards of the state. Their lives spent at institutions, hidden from the prying stares of strangers. For Jia Jia, time was running out. In China, the law says kids can no longer be adopted once they turn 14.

JIA JIA: Watch my hand.

WILSON: I'm watching your hand.

RIPLEY: His future in America about to unfold. Already he's learning more English.

WILSON: 52.

RIPLEY: Learning what it feels like to be spoiled.

WILSON: A lot of spoiling.

RIPLEY: But first, Jia Jia leaves the only family he's ever known. To the other orphans he was like a big brother; to the volunteers who raised him, like a son. Many will never see him again.

WILSON: We know he loves you guys and he's going to miss you.

RIPLEY: It's time to say good-bye. These are happy tears. UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Jia Jia!

RIPLEY: It doesn't make this any easier.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Bye-bye, Jia Jia.

RIPLEY: Soon, he begins his new life in Kansas City, with a new American name, Jason Jia Jia Wilson, as the other orphans wait and hope that someday their parents will come and take them home.

The Wilson family has been posting updates on their blog. We have a link to the blog on CNN.com. They actually posted this picture. They are on the plane. This is just within the last hour and they have taken off, we believe, and they are headed to Chicago. Then they will be headed to Kansas City. They will have their family, church members, all of the people there waiting at the airport to welcome him. I can't wait to see the video. It's just going to be an incredible moment.

People have also been donating to the family's GoFundMe page. Even though they've exceeded their goal, they've raised an additional, about $2,000 just today. They say they will use the excess funds to help other families who are looking to adopt children from China. John?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Will, it's a great story. Obviously a wonderful moment for Jia Jia. But what about as he heads back and begins a new life in the United States, what are his prospects medically? Can he get treatment in the United States he couldn't get in China?

RIPLEY: It's incredible, because obviously there was the botched spina bifida surgery done here in China that caused him to be paralyzed from the waist down. You see he's confined to a wheelchair, but after the first story aired the Wilson family, they were contacted by a number of specialists who have volunteered to examine Jia Jia and see what they can do, and so they actually already have appointments at some offices where it normally takes months to even get in the door. They happen to live near one of the leading spina bifida research centers in the United States. So, if there is a way to fix him up, as Brian Wilson put it, and get him walking or more mobile, doctors will do everything they can. So that will happen shortly after he gets on the ground there. It's really remarkable what his future could hold now as a result of this.

VAUSE: Some days are pretty good, aren't they? Thanks, will. You can read more about Jia Jia's story right now on CNN.com and find out about China's many abandoned children like Jia Jia, desperate for a new home.

A short break here. When we come back, fans, film stars and a whole lot of deal making now happening in Park City, Utah. When we come back, we will preview the Sundance Film Festival.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [00:41:36] VAUSE: The Oscars maybe under fire for lack of diversity but that's not a problem for this year's Sundance Film Festival, from race relations to ISIS to gay rights, nothing is off limits. CNN's Stephanie Elam is there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's that time of the year when Hollywood types leave the palm trees behind, grab parkas and come here, to Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. And, sure, that means the parties, the glitz, the glam, but the real draw is the movies.

MATTHEW BELLONI, EXECUITVE EDITOR, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: It really sets the tone for the year in culture, in film and television.

ELAM: For documentary film makers, this festival is the place to be.

BELLONI: It's really the only place to get a high-profile launch for a non-fiction film, and a lot of these films go on to get bought by television networks and by theatrical distributors and make a big difference.

ELAM: Be it fiction or documentary, this year's slate of films may ruffle some feathers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of the most anticipated films are ones that are not only potentially controversial, but are seeking that controversy. You have documentaries about Anthony Weiner; documentaries about ISIS. You have a film called "Birth of A Nation" which is about a slave uprising, told from the perspective of the slaves.

ELAM: But no matter the topic, every filmmaker comes to Sundance looking to make a deal.

BELLONI: In addition to the theatrical distributors, there are Netflix, amazon, HBO, Showtime, CNN; all of these different venues that are going to Sundance looking for great movies to buy.

ELAM: The ultimate goal, turn Sundance buzz in to Oscar gold.

BELLONI: Let's take "Brooklyn" for example.

ELAM: This film was seen at Sundance last year later. It was bought by Fox Searchlight. Now, a year later, it is in the Oscar race as a Best Picture candidate.

Stars can also get some shine from Sundance. Take "Boyhood" and "whiplash", both debuted at the Festival and went on to be nominated by the Academy in 2015 for best film; and ultimately led to Oscar wins for Patricia Arquette in "Boyhood" and J. K. Simmons in "Whiplash."

BELLONI: Jennifer Lawrence was nothing before she had a movie, a tiny movie at Sundance. That movie got a lot of attention. She got "Hunger Games" and became a huge star. ELAM: A huge star and Oscar winner. So chances are, a few films

debuting here may come to a theater near you.

Stephanie Elam, CNN, Park City, Utah.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Well, before we go here, we'd like to introduce you to Jamie Keaton of Evergreen Park, Illinois. He makes a living sticking things to his head, cans, bottle, iPhones, anything. Keaton says he's not sure why things stick to his head. One doctor told him it is because of his abnormally high body temperature. Keaton says he can make up to $1,000 a day renting out his big head. He says just last week in China he set a world record for sticking the most number of cans to his head. Wow. Everyone has a talent.

Thank you for watching CNN Newsroom", live from Los Angeles; I'm John Vause. "World Sport" is up next with Patrick Snell. What row sticking to your head, Patrick?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: My talent is talking about sports, John. You must be a Leighton Hewitt fan, right? Aussie, Aussie, Aussie?

VAUSE: And it's his last one.