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Eleven Governors Declare State of Emergency; Dangerous Flooding along New Jersey Shore; Snow Inundates Washington; Norwegians Protest Deportation of Syrian Refugees; Jews Leaving France in Record Numbers; Disagreement Ahead of Syria Peace Talks; New York City Sets One-Day Snowfall; Motorists Stranded Overnight in Kentucky; Djokovic Wins Five-Set Thriller at Australian Open; Abandoned Chinese Boy JiaJia at Home in the U.S.; Sanders Invokes Simon & Garfunkel for TV Spot; Sarah Palin's Snazzy Sweater Sells Out. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired January 24, 2016 - 03:00   ET

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


[03:00:00]

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NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Snow-blanketed roads, buried cars and plenty of stranded drivers. A record-setting winter storm bring travel to a frozen halt across the eastern U.S.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Plus relief for some refugees in Norway after the government suspends deportations to Russia.

ALLEN (voice-over): And later, two U.S. presidential candidates are all smiles on the campaign trail after picking up an influential endorsement in Iowa.

It's all ahead here this hour. Welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world. I'm Natalie Allen.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell. From CNN World Headquarters here in Atlanta, NEWSROOM starts right now.

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HOWELL: And a very good day to you. We start this hour with that massive snowstorm that hit the U.S. East Coast, the first big storm of the year for the region.

ALLEN: And it was a whopper, wasn't it?

From Georgia all the way up to New York, 85 million people feeling the effects of this one; 11 governors have declared states of emergency.

HOWELL: Roadways across the region, they are clogged with snow, ice and stranded drivers. And at airports, not much relief there, either. Almost 7,000 flights have been canceled for Saturday and Sunday. Baltimore Airport in Maryland had record snowfall there, 0.64 centimeters. That's more than two feet.

ALLEN: And there's been tragedy on top of the frustration with at least 14 storm-related deaths. Let's get an update on what's left of the storm because there's a little bit left.

(CROSSTALK)

ALLEN: Derek Van Dam's following that for us.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The bulk of the heavy snowfall now moving away from the New England coast. But there's still the threat of blowing and drifting snow. So that's going to create very hazardous conditions still. The majority of the blizzard warnings have been lifted with the exception of Long Island and right along the coast of Connecticut.

And there's still the threat of minor to moderate coastal flooding because we still have that onshore push of Atlantic moisture that's -- that'll potentially bring some, again, minor flooding. That is particularly in the Middlesex and Monmouth Counties in New Jersey. Those are the areas we're looking at.

This is the wider perspective of the storm system. This is the radar that you're looking at. So this is actual real-time precipitation. And you can see that it is pulling away from the New England coast quickly.

In fact, all the major metropolitans now out of the heaviest snow bands. Washington, Philly, into New York and even Boston. It's really just into Nantucket and the Long Island area as well as the extreme southern sections of Connecticut that has any amounts of measurable snowfall taking place at this moment in time.

Zooming in a little bit closer, you can see perhaps maybe a passing flurry or very light snow shower but that's about it. We now start to focus on the winds that are going to wrap around the storm or that have been wrapping around this storm as it exits the East Coast of the United States.

Here it goes. New Englanders are probably saying goodbye and good riddance.

But the good news is we're finally going to see some sunshine after this system passes through. But that's got a flip side to it as well. It's going to warm those temperatures up and allow for some melting to take place.

Remember, once we lose the daytime heating from the sun then the temperature drops below freezing and we refreeze all that melted snowpack and we have the potential for black ice. That's the next concern as well.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ALLEN: Then, of course, will come the melting --

[03:05:00]

ALLEN: -- angle. We'll talk about that later. all right.

VAN DAM: Thank you.

HOWELL: Thanks.

ALLEN: Well, Derek talked about the sun they're going to see and sunrise in New York is about four hours away. And people there will wake up to a city that is still frozen.

HOWELL: That's right. CNN's Brian Stelter hit the roads to take a look at conditions there tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: We all know New York is a city that never sleeps but it came awfully close to snoozing these past few hours.

We're on the West Side Highway right now, heading toward Lower Manhattan and you can see that we are the only ones out here. The sanitation vehicles have been able to get ahead of this storm, thanks to the travel ban that was put into effect on Saturday afternoon.

That's why we're already seeing blacktop out here, already being able to see that the roads are clearing up as the snowfall starts to calm down.

This storm was much bigger than anticipated for New York City. A couple days ago, the forecast was for four or eight inches, maybe a foot. But we ended up with more than two feet of snow here which is interesting because normally people complain when the weatherman overestimates, overstates or even exaggerates how bad it's going to be.

Well, in this case the storm models were suggesting that Washington would bear the brunt of this storm, that New York would be let off comparatively easy. It turns out in that great D.C. versus New York rivalry, actually New York was dealt the bigger blow, the tougher blow from this storm, ended up with more snow up here than in many areas around Washington.

Of course one of the notable parts about this storm is how widespread it is. We're talking about hundreds of miles that's going to be digging out as this day now gets started here on Sunday.

As people start to recover from the storm and start to head out, maybe enjoy the fresh snow, going sledding, of course, taking their pets out and things like that.

So as we drive around here I can tell you we see almost no one out here. Only a few pedestrians and a few emergency vehicles. This travel ban was maybe surprisingly effective, surprisingly well accepted by New Yorkers. And it's had the benefit of being able to clear these roads as a result -- back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HOWELL: So you know, the story is snow and ice in New York and D.C. Certainly causing problems. But in New Jersey, a different story. It's also the strong winds that are pushing water from the Atlantic Ocean right into some coastal communities.

ALLEN: Yes, it's causing floods across several seaside towns. CNN's Ryan Young has more on the rising waters in New Jersey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The snow continues to fall and the gusts of winter getting stronger and stronger by the hour. You look behind me, the real story here is the flooding and what this town's going to have to deal with with all the water that's invading the area.

We're five blocks away from the water source. And every half hour we see more water coming into this area. In fact, just around this corner, police officers had done a good job blocking off this road to stop people from traveling through this area.

But you can see the amount of water that's just rising here. In fact, this is about knee deep at this level. We're standing on areas to keep our feet dry. And if you look back this direction you can see a trash can. And every 10 minutes we can see it's almost getting to the top of that trash can.

Water has entered some of these business here. We knew this was a potential threat because of the high tide, the full moon and the pushing of the storm water coming in this direction. It's something that everyone was worried about.

What they're hoping is in the next few hours maybe this water will stop but we know high tide and the waters coming from that area can still continue for the next hour or so.

We were told during superstorm Sandy it was waist deep in this area. So they've dealt with this before and now they're getting to face it once again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Our Ryan Young there, reporting from Margate, New Jersey, for us. CNN's Poppy Harlow spoke with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie about the flooding a while back, a few hours ago, and the emergency response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), N.J., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The National Guard has been called in to the southern part of our state. We've sent a number of high-water vehicles there to be able to move people if we need to.

The state police has moved their urban search and rescue and swift water teams there if there are people who need to be moved from their homes and local law enforcement can't handle it.

And so we know that we've got the resources there we need and we know that our National Guardsmen and women are ready at a moment's notice, even more than to be called up and help.

They're some of the true heroes from Hurricane Sandy three years ago and will be able to do it now.

The great thing about this, though, is this. If you other think about the fact that right now we only have about 63,000 people in New Jersey without power at the moment, that's down from over 100,000 earlier today.

So the utilities are working hard to get the power restored quickly. We've lowered it by about a third so far. By tomorrow when the weather is better, Poppy, I think we'll be able to make real headway on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Chris Christie earlier on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: For more on the coastal flooding we're joined now on the line by Vincent Jones. He's the director of the Atlantic County Office of Emergency Preparedness.

Thank you for joining us, Vincent. We're sure you're quite --

[03:10:00]

ALLEN: -- busy. We just heard the governor, talking about whether people might need rescue or help.

What has been the situation since the flooding occurred?

VINCENT JONES, ATLANTIC COUNTY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: Well, that's one of the problems we had this morning with the flooding. We did have, because of the wind, keeping the water in and the back bay areas, we did have some substantial flooding and we did have people that were displaced, not only from their homes but individuals that were out in their vehicles, trying to traverse and drive through it.

They became stranded; they needed rescue. And we were able to do that successfully.

And then right now, we are getting through tonight's high tide and of course looking at tomorrow to see what tomorrow is going to bring.

But we still have some flooding in our back bay area. The snow has started to taper off, which is a good thing. And the winds, we are hoping, throughout the night, are going to turn around and come out of the northwest and help to push some of that water out of the back bays. ALLEN: You talk about the tide tomorrow.

So there could be more flooding tomorrow?

JONES: Yes, there is a good chance that we're going to see some moderate flooding tomorrow. And any water that does not drain off the streets or drains into the back bays, any tide that comes in and any water that we do get, it's just going to add to that.

We don't believe it's going to be as bad as it was today but, nevertheless, we are still not out of the woods with that.

ALLEN: Yes. And this is a region that say -- that got hit by Hurricane Sandy three years ago. This is a different situation. But I know that one area there along the shore built up a wall, a sand dune wall.

Did that help keep the water out?

JONES: The sand dunes absolutely helped. They are basically the first line of defense. They take the brunt or the initial punch, if you will, from the waves. And we had some -- anywhere from 12- to 14- , up as much as 20-foot waves from this storm pushing in.

And those dunes take that initial brunt of the waves; they knock the waves down enough that, you know, any water that does make its way up over on, from the beach onto the street ends is not as bad as it would without the dunes, where the water would just have a clean shot, making its way toward the street.

So they absolutely worked. Unfortunately, we've had some substantial beach erosion and damage to those dunes and that's one of the things that, going into the winter, we are prone up here to get these nor'easters. So we're going to have to build that dune structure back up.

ALLEN: How many towns did get flooded?

And did the water get inside people's homes?

JONES: Almost all of our barrier islands had flooding and they experienced flooding at different level, different heights --

[03:10:00]

JONES: -- depending on where they were and the direction of the winds.

But we did have water that did get into a lot residences, especially in the low-lying areas that did, unfortunately, see flooding during Sandy. They saw and experienced flooding again in this storm. So they had to relive all that.

We did have some commercial buildings, too, some businesses that also were flooded for this event as well and did receive flooding again in Sandy. So you know, three years later and they're having to rebuild and clean out again from the flooding.

ALLEN: It's such a shame. I want to ask you one more question.

How in the world will business owners and residents try and clean up in these frigid, icy conditions?

I mean there were ice chunks going down their street.

JONES: Yes, that's going to be one of the problems. And, as you heard, the temperatures -- tomorrow's supposed to be a nice day. So we have to get out there and we have to start assessing some of the damage. People are going to try to start cleaning up.

But there's really not much they can do until the some of this snow does melt away. There still -- we still could be faced with another storm at any time going into what we refer to as our nor'easter season. So people, it's going to be a slow process but they will bounce back.

They are pretty resilient and we have the support of the governor and others in the state. And we'll get through this just like we did Sandy.

ALLEN: All right. We'll end on that note. Thanks so much for taking the time with us. Vincent Jones with the Atlantic County Emergency Office there in New Jersey. Thank you, sir.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Yes, and George, there were pictures of people walking through that because they just had to. Can you imagine how freezing cold -- my goodness.

HOWELL: You see the ice, like you say, floating right down the street.

ALLEN: Not a good sign.

HOWELL: Yes.

Washington had more than its share of rough weather taking a toll on the capital city. Our Chris Welch was out on the streets for more of the storm and sent this report to us just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS WELCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in D.C., this is the first time we haven't seen snow falling since about 1 o'clock Friday afternoon. And you can finally see the U.S. Capitol glowing behind us. There's that dome. We haven't been able to see that for most of today.

But take a look at my feet.

[03:15:00]

WELCH: This is what has been falling from the sky for the last 36 hours or so. This is about 22 inches here in the D.C. Metro area, wet, heavy snow. That's what we got here.

But Dulles International Airport got about 28 inches of snow. They were thinking for a while that D.C. might break a record here. It doesn't look like that happened. That record was set back in 1922. That was 28 inches for here in the D.C. Metro area. That record has not been broken.

But what's next?

Well, tomorrow, temperatures will pick up a little bit. It will be above freezing, which will give some of this snow a chance to melt just a little bit. It might help the crews as they get out there and try to clear some of these roads and dig out.

But the other thing they're going to be competing with is a lot of people who are going to be out on the roads tomorrow, a lot of people who've been cooped up in their homes, in their hotel rooms, who want to get out and enjoy some of this. So that's the big question.

Will the city be clean enough?

Will the roads be cleaned up enough by tomorrow night to get things fully back to normal by Monday?

That's going to be the big question. But for now, the highlight here, the snow appears to have stopped. There might be an inch, tops, that comes overnight but by and large this storm appears to have moved past D.C. -- Natalie, George.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: That's one of our hardy reporters we've had out there for 24 hours.

HOWELL: Chris Welch, we appreciate it. Thank you.

We're going to turn to other news here in just a moment. We're getting reports that Norway has temporarily suspended the deportation of refugees to Russia following a standoff at a church. We'll have that story for you.

HOWELL: And French Jews are migrating to Israel in record numbers. We will take you to a town where you're likely to hear French as well as Hebrew.

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HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM.

Following pro-refugee protests in Norway, the government there has temporarily suspended the deportation of asylum seekers back to Russia. ALLEN: Russia's state news agency reports the decision followed a

request from Russian officials. Thousands of migrants arrived in Norway over the last year by taking the so-called Arctic route you see here on this map.

Norway is part of the European Free Movement Agreement. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says Russia is simply not a safe country for migrants. And as our Atika Shubert reports, some Norwegians took it on themselves to help refugees who feared deportation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Refugees in Norway's Arctic town of Kirkenes are fighting against deportation to Russia and they're getting some help from Marete Nordhus, a local and a volunteer with the group, Refugees Welcome to the Arctic.

She says, "I did not think to myself at the time that, 'What you're doing now, Marete, is criminal.' My only thought," she says, "was to get this poor family to safety."

On Thursday, Nordhus helped a Syrian family seek asylum in a church. The family was due to be deported to Russia imminently. But when she returned to the deportation center to get another family, police stopped the car. She took these photos of the encounter.

Nordhus was briefly arrested on alleged immigration violations and released with a fine. The refugee family was returned to the center.

[03:20:00]

"The mother was crying, 'No Russia, no Russia,' she said. They cried, I cried, the family cried. It was heartbreaking," she says.

Hundreds of refugees have taken the so-called Arctic route through Russia and into Norway. But this week, Norway's government began to deport any refugee with a valid Russian visa.

In Kirkenes, local residents came to support refugees, protesting and demanding to stay in Norway. Aid groups have warned that refugees could be left stranded without shelter in Russia, with temperatures reaching -34 degrees, prompting locals like Nordhus to take action. And she isn't deterred by the police stop.

One local reporter asks, "Was it worth it?"

She answers, "Yes, absolutely."

Even the Arctic Circle, it seems, is feeling the effects of the refugee crisis -- Atika Shubert, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: And as the migrant crisis just goes on and on and on, 30,000 have crossed so far this year. This week, CNN's bringing Europe's crisis into sharp focus. For months, we've been following the path of thousands upon thousands of people, families fleeing the war in Syria, many of them.

HOWELL: And at first countries like Austria extended a warm welcome but a harsh winter finds attitudes cooling now and we are seeing a backlash.

Our Arwa Damon will report on a controversial vote in Denmark. The measure could result in officials seizing some refugees' possessions to offset the cost of caring for them.

ALLEN: Atika Shubert will look at efforts to assimilate newcomers to Germany. This follows protests sparked by reports of widespread sexual assaults by migrants in Cologne and elsewhere.

We will follow the debate in Norway also, where those deportations are a contentious issue.

HOWELL: And you will hear from Syrian refugees in Jordan, people who are languishing in limbo. That's all a focus on Europe's migrant crisis, all this week, only on CNN.

Cell phone video from the French port of Calais shows hundreds of people breaking into the gates of the port on Friday. About 50 managed to get onto a ship, disrupting ferry traffic temporarily.

ALLEN: Thirty-five people were arrested. Earlier a demonstration denounced living conditions in the nearby refugee camp dubbed as The Jungle.

After the deadly terror attacks in Paris and a rise in anti-Semitic violence some Jews in France say they don't feel safe there anymore.

HOWELL: French Jews are leading the largest migration of Jews from Western Europe to Israel in more than half a century. Our Oren Liebermann reports from a town in Israel that many French Jews now call home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The ages are as varied as the backgrounds in this class. Students in their 20s or 40s, from France or Russia, all learning the same language: Hebrew.

They are new immigrants to Israel, part of the largest wave of Jewish immigration from Western Europe to Israel since 1948.

French Jews are leading that wave.

After the attack on the kosher supermarket in Paris a year ago, where four Jews were killed just days after the Charlie Hebdo attack, many French immigrants say they felt increasingly unsafe. Yoav Krief's friend was killed in that attack.

YOAV KRIEF, FRENCH JEWISH EMIGRE: I was not good, really not good. And talked to my mom. I said, "I must go to Israel." LIEBERMANN: And this is where you will continue your life?

KRIEF: Yes, of course.

LIEBERMANN: This is home for you?

KRIEF: Yes.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Many, like Krief, have made their home in Ashdod, a city in Southern Israel. Here, you are as likely to hear French on the streets as Hebrew.

LIEBERMANN: The cultural center here in the heart of Ashdod, right near city hall, looks an awful lot like The Louvre. And across the street is Cafe Lyons, a popular meeting spot for the French community here in the city.

Sitting here, at this French cafe in Ashdod, it's quite stunning; all the conversations in here around me are in French. The entire menu is in French. And on the window outside, it says, in French, "joie de vivre," the enjoyment of life.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): And that's what French Jews like Charly Dahan say they are looking for, a place to combine their old home with their new one.

"We've tried to preserve our culture here," he says.

"It's very important to hold onto that when you've lived in a different country for 30 or 40 years. We bring our old culture with us and try to combine it with a new one."

Reminders of why they left continue to this day. A Jewish teacher was attacked last week in Marseilles in an ISIS-inspired attack. And the city's chief rabbi told Jews not to the wear religious skullcaps, called kippah, on the French streets.

According to the E.U., the vast majority of French Jews openly identifying as Jewish at least some of the time.

Dov Cohen left Marseilles in July, headed for Ashdod.

[03:25:00]

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): "There's a feeling of security here that no longer exists in France," he says.

"Twenty years ago, maybe there was. Since the year 2000, it's gone."

The idea of Israel has always been that Jews anywhere have a home here, but what of the place these newcomers have left behind?

One French leader expressed the fear that France would no longer be France without a group of its native sons -- Oren Liebermann, CNN, Ashdod.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: This week could be crucial for finding a solution to the years-old war in Syria. Peace talks are set to start on Monday after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with leaders from the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council this weekend.

HOWELL: Mr. Kerry reassured them that the nuclear deal between Iran and the U.S. will not damage diplomatic relations with Gulf allies. He also said that he is, quote, "confident" the Syrian peace talks would proceed.

One of the main disagreements ahead of the peace talks is the question of who will be at the negotiating table. Our Becky Anderson has this look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): It's a war everyone agrees must be stopped. But nobody agrees on how. Twice, international peace talks have failed and already it's not looking like third time lucky.

STAFFAN DE MISTURA, U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY TO SYRIA: There are a lot of work still to be done. What we want to ensure is that this time it will not be like Geneva 2, a serious talk about peace and not talk about talk.

ANDERSON (voice-over): With days to go, the United Nations still hasn't issued invitations, saying it's up to major powers like Russia and the U.S., both supporting different sides, to agree on who is attending.

But despite a last-minute meeting, there's still no clarity. In particular, a new Saudi-backed opposition council says it won't accept any other opposition groups attending.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There will be no negotiation in any way whatsoever if there is any addition. We will not go to negotiate. This thing is settled. And we will not succumb to pressure.

ANDERSON (voice-over): So who might be at the table?

Well, the negotiations are U.N.-mediated, bringing together the Syrian government and the deeply divided opposition that includes political and fighting groups, backed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and France, and veteran secular dissidents who oppose Assad and Islamist rebels.

Major world powers like Russia, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran will also attend.

Everyone agrees that terror groups like ISIS and Al-Nusra have no part to play despite their huge influence on the battlefield. And just to illustrate how complex and delicate this all is, for some, even the presence of one of the strongest rebel militia is problematic. ANDERSON: Having shocked the world by parading prisoners as human

shields last year, the army of Islam is among those that Saudi Arabia wants to send to the talks in a war, where human rights groups say all sides are committing atrocities and war crimes. If a guest list is finally agreed on there are sure to be some difficult compromises involved -- Becky Anderson, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Still ahead, the epic winter storm that turned New York City into a winter wonderland.

The question, did it bring record snowfall?

Find out next.

ALLEN: Also ahead here, we will size up the damage of one of the states hit hardest by the storm.

[03:30:00]

HOWELL: A very warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Good to have you with us. I'm George Howell.

(CROSSTALK)

ALLEN: Sorry about that, George, and I'm Natalie Allen. We're live in Atlanta for you. Here's an update on our top stories.

(HEADLINES)

HOWELL: In just about four hours' time, New Yorkers will find out if a travel ban has been lifted for that snow-covered city.

ALLEN: Roads, bridges and tunnels into Manhattan were closed after near-record snowfall there. Even the so-called Great White Way shuttered. All Broadway performances Saturday were canceled.

HOWELL: Our Chad Myers has been covering this all from Times Square, where there were a few people who ventured out earlier. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we are officially going to break a record here in Central Park or Times Square, all across the city. Manhattan officially going to go above the highest snowfall record on record for as long as they have been keeping records here in New York. And I guess that is kind of a milestone.

But the wind here in Central Park and in Times Square wasn't as bad as we saw down the shore or down in Baltimore and Philadelphia and D.C. So we don't have the drifting like they have down there. It's a little bit better.

Talia (ph) is actually from Florida; she joins me now. You live over in Hell's Kitchen but you said the cars over there are

snowed in?

TALIA (PH), RESIDENT: Everything is snowed in over there and it's freezing. But we are having fun.

MYERS: Now this is the most snow you have seen?

TALIA (PH): Yes. I've lived in Manhattan for 10.5 years and this is definitely the most snow I've ever seen in my life.

MYERS: So how are you going to cope with it?

Are you going to cook?

Are there stores open?

What's it like over there?

TALIA (PH): We found one restaurant over there that's open. It's not as crowded as I thought it would be. We figured it would be packed but it's not and we're just having fun with it.

MYERS: I think that's all you can do. At this point in time, we have gone by the, "oh, my gosh; I'm not going to get to work on Monday," and now we're just going to have fun with it.

So I guess if you can't and you don't want to go out, please don't; maybe Monday and Tuesday is the day to get there. Right now, it's stay in and watch TV or just kind of enjoy it briefly and get back inside.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Oh, get out there and have some fun. Because even in near- record snowfall, New York can't keep some inside. Plenty of people ventured out in the snow earlier, including Aerosmith's lead singer Steven Tyler and his daughter, Mia.

Why not?

HOWELL: Random.

ALLEN: Random.

They were out for a walk when they came across our colleague, Poppy Harlow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVEN TYLER, SINGER AND MUSICIAN: Not playing out anytime soon. I am from New York City. And I'm down here to see my daughters and my grandson, Milo.

How are you doing, Milo?

And Royston.

Decided to go downtown but then decided not to. The weather's terrible.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Where are you guys going next?

The weather is terrible.

You were here promoting your latest single on Colbert last night.

Where are you going next?

I mean you're going to obviously hunker down for this thing.

STEVEN TYLER: I'm going to hunker down. I've got a funny feeling this storm's going to keep us here a couple extra days. Stay home. Two words: hot chocolate.

HARLOW: Hot chocolate. All right.

MIA TYLER, STEVEN'S DAUGHTER: And family hugs.

STEVEN TYLER: Family hugs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:35:00]

ALLEN: Only Poppy Harlow can bump into him, all covered up. Good for her.

HOWELL: Yes.

ALLEN: Officials are trying to get things back to normal in Philadelphia as the winter storm weakens there now.

HOWELL: But there are still stranded drivers to rescue. There are still lights to get back on. CNN's Sara Ganim has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The snow has finally let up in Philadelphia but officials working into the night in Pennsylvania to try and rescue more than 500 drivers and passengers of vehicles that were stranded on a five-mile stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Breezewood, which is an interchange in between Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Cars stuck on the roadway when tractor-trailers could no longer navigate the roads because of the snow, stuck more than 24 hours in some cases. The National Guard being brought in to try and help rescue them.

A couple busloads of parishioners from a Catholic church from Omaha, Nebraska, tried to make light of this by hold in holding mass out in the snow, working to pass the time. We're told many of the stranded passengers participated in that mass while they waited for shelter, waited to be rescued.

In the meantime, here in Philadelphia, this was a record-breaking 24 hours. The Office of Emergency Management recording nearly 30 inches of snow, far beyond the previous record for that amount of time.

Only good news here, no major incidents no, major power outages but I do want to show what you this snow looked like that fell here. This is so telling to us because this is such wet, heavy snow, the kind of snow that really takes a lot of effort to shovel. Quite the workout here.

And the blizzard effect will remain in Philadelphia until 7:00 am this morning, as officials are asking people please to stay inside, not to hit the roads, as you do see some people doing here, because they're really working overnight to try and clean up and get everything back to normal. And they're asking people to stay inside and stay safe while they do that -- back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Sara Ganim there for us, thank you.

Now to the southwest of those stuck in the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the storm caused a traffic backup nearly 37 miles or about 60 kilometers long in Central Kentucky. Hundreds of motorists were stranded, some for as long as 19 hours, until traffic finally started moving again on Saturday.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Me and my dad we keep getting out and kind of walking back and forth. And he's talking to other people in vehicles but very frustrating because you're in a car and you're not comfortable. You're crammed.

We've made multiple phone calls to the Kentucky State Police and we keep getting the same story, like 10 hours ago they told us, oh, we'll have you out in no time. We've not heard anything else. My dad's a diabetic and I have two kids in here, that are 14 and 4 that are hungry. We ran out of stuff a long time ago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have people who have abandoned vehicles in the middle of the roadway. So those vehicles, National Guard is attempting to take those vehicles and move them out of the way so we can get traffic moving. It's just a really treacherous stretch of road. The vehicles are sitting on a solid sheet of ice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Traffic accidents were a big deal in the U.S. state of Virginia, which was one of those places particularly hit hard by the snow. This was the scene in Oakton, not far from Dulles Airport.

ALLEN: More than 70 centimeters or over two feet of snow piled up there, the area's second largest snowfall on record. A short time ago CNN's Nick Valencia spoke with us from Fairfax, Virginia. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Commonwealth of Virginia continues to be pounded by this fatal storm. Of course you can see just how treacherous this is. Let me just give you an example here.

Walking through this, falling nearly ankle deep, knee deep and the further I go, just about up to my waist here. This storm has really lived up to all of the expectations. The biggest issues on the roadways have been disabled vehicles.

Just a little while ago, we actually saw one of those emergency vehicles stuck in the middle of this thoroughfare, this Route 50 here that connects to Interstate 66. The Virginia State Police saying that really is their main concern, those disabled vehicles, including those emergency vehicles that are out, trying to help residents.

The positive news in all of this is that people are really listening to government officials and staying inside.

There is, of course, some unfortunate news to report. At least two people died of hypothermia; the cold weather just really brutal and bone-chilling here. Another person, an individual lost control of his car and ran into a tree, causing him to die at the scene.

This winter weather is expected to last well through the weekend.

[03:40:00]

VALENCIA: More than 85 million Americans up and down the East Coast impacted by this with more sticky, wet weather and this snow continuing to fall and expected to fall well through Sunday -- back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: All right. Our meteorologist Derek Van Dam is with us now.

As a meteorologist you want to be out there, Derek?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You sure do. You know it. And I've got new records for you. I get excited about this. Yes, yes.

(CROSSTALK)

VAN DAM: A lot of people are talking about, well, was New York City record-breaking snowfall or wasn't it?

I'll break the silence in a second. Let's get to where it was record- breaking.

ALLEN: You need a drum roll?

VAN DAM: I need a drum roll, exactly. Baltimore, you did it. Cheers to you. All right, 29.2 inches. That comes in first. Dulles Airport was at 28.3 inches. That is the second largest snowfall ever, behind your February 2010 snowfall event of 32 inches.

All right. Drum roll.

New York City, did you do it?

Oh, you fell short by 0.1 of an inch.

I'm sorry. Probably a lot of upset New Yorkers. You've come this far.

Why can't we just go 0.1 more and break that record?

Well, unfortunately we didn't set the all-time snow event record but we did break one record in New York City. That was a single day snow record that was set back in 2010. So congratulations to you if you're in New York City.

Let's talk about a couple of other places.

How about the nation's capital, where we focus so much attention on? That is where we put the bull's-eye. This is the top three snowstorms ever recorded. Keep in mind, it's Reagan International Airport; that is the location where we determine Washington, D.C.'s, official snow totals.

So did we break it?

Unfortunately, no, we didn't; 17.8 inches, that puts you at number 5. But there were some other impressive totals to talk about.

Take a look at this. Over 40 inches of snow in parts of West Virginia. Maryland -- and West Virginia, really that's where we saw the heaviest of snowfall in the higher elevations. This is what it looks like when you get 30, 40 inches of snowfall.

Where's my car?

Can you imagine sifting through that amount of snowfall, just to find your vehicle?

Unbelievable.

I do have some good and some bad news. The storm is pulling away. In fact, the heaviest bands of snow really exiting. No longer even present across the major metropolitan areas. New York, you're dry.

We do have blizzard conditions, however, along Long Island and the coastal areas of Connecticut. Still very strong winds out there, that means blowing and drifting a concern.

One last thing I want to bring up. That shading of green along the coast of New Jersey into the Nantucket area, that is coastal flood warnings. That's in effect through noon today. So we still have the strong storm just off the coast. There's a lot of waves and it's going to coincide with high tide. There is the potential for moderate coastal erosion in that area. So

something we're going to keep on monitoring very, very closely and I'm sure we'll have some reporters out there as well.

HOWELL: Derek, thank you.

ALLEN: All right.

VAN DAM: Thanks, guys.

ALLEN: Well we've got some sports news to report. This is just in.

The world's top tennis player, Novak Djokovic, has survived a major scare against Frenchman Gilles Simon to reach the quarterfinals of this year's tournament.

Simon is no slouch. He is the 14th seeded player at the Aussie Open. But Djokovic was expected to cruise into the finals after winning the tournament for the last four years.

Bit of a challenging day at the office, though, with Simon. Fans hope he will run back into Roger Federer in the semifinals, a rivalry that's produced plenty of classic matches over the years.

So high drama there on the Australian Open a short time ago. Just ended.

HOWELL: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. An American student remains in North Korean custody. More on his alleged hostile acts in that country. Coming up.

ALLEN: Plus, a boy abandoned as a baby in China is finally adopted and getting to know his new life and new family in the U.S.

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[03:45:00]

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ALLEN: More than 20 days after he was taken, an American college student from Cincinnati, Ohio, is still being held in North Korea.

HOWELL: He went there, despite strong warnings from the U.S. government that Americans stay out of that country. CNN's Paula Hancocks reports from South Korea on how he got into the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another U.S. citizen detained in North Korea, this time a student on a tourist visa, who Pyongyang claims was carrying out a hostile act against the country.

State-run media KCNA says Otto Frederick Warmbier was acting to bring down the regime, quote, "at the tacit connivance of the U.S. government."

Now the U.S. embassy here in Seoul says it is aware of the report. A China-based travel company, Young Pioneer Tours, says that Warmbier had traveled into Pyongyang with them and was detained on January 2nd.

The tour group says that his family has been informed and that they're working with the State Department and North Korea's foreign ministry to try and secure his release.

Now this is not the first incident of this type; earlier this month, CNN in Pyongyang was allowed to visit a Korean American man, who the North says is being held for espionage.

And also a Korean Canadian pastor, who has been sentenced to life hard labor. The North Koreans say that he was trying to overthrow the government through religious means.

Half a dozen U.S. citizens have been detained and then released by North Korea over just the past five years.

The U.S. State Department strongly recommends against all travel by U.S. citizens to North Korea -- Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Now this story about a Chinese boy, who thought he would never be adopted. He's now settling into his new life in the United States. JiaJia arrived in Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday with his new parents. His new American name is Jason Wilson.

ALLEN: Before that, JiaJia spent most of his nine years at a medical orphanage in Beijing. CNN's Will Ripley and producer Serena Dong have more on what it was like covering JiaJia's story, his adoption, in this special report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Serena and I have been working on this story for five months.

And it was really hard for you to find an place, an orphanage that would allow us to even film.

SERENA DONG, CNN PRODUCER: So most were saying, sorry, it's kind of like sensitive topic in China.

Finally I reach out to the Elena's House.

RIPLEY: I don't know what you were expecting but I was kind of expecting this drab, dismal place. And then it was lovely in there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY (voice-over): Hardwood floors; it was bright and kids were playing. But it didn't make up for the fact that all of these kids didn't have parents. There were a lot of kids when we were filming, but JiaJia really stuck out to me.

He was the oldest one at the orphanage. But he just was acting as if he was a big brother for everybody.

DOING (voice-over): He's smart. He's brave. You know, he helps taking care of his little sisters and brothers in the orphanage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come here. Lots of people will see you.

DOING (voice-over): When his parents come to get him, he was telling me that, I don't want to, you know -- my best buddy to be here, because I don't want him to go through what I've been through before.

RIPLEY (voice-over): I got to the know the Wilson family a lot through Facebook and I admire them so much that they, as really working class people, who don't have a lot of money, would be willing to kind of risk it all and come and do this.

DOING (voice-over): That's why I wish our piece could, you know, get more people like touched and get involved.

RIPLEY (voice-over): When we did the story and they raised almost $50,000 in about a day, I -- I didn't expect that kind of a reaction.

DOING (voice-over): I know. I was shocked as well.

RIPLEY (voice-over): It was great. And I just think about the life that JiaJia is going to have now.

UNIDENFIFIED FEMALE: Yeah. They're looking at your shirt.

DONG (voice-over): And also with all his three big sisters in Kansas City, I'm sure they're going to have fun while JiaJia is there.

RIPLEY (voice-over): I think he's just going to be embraced and loved by everybody in his town.

DONG (voice-over): Exactly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: I'm so happy that JiaJia found a family but I'm haunted by the fact that there are so many other kids like him out there. There are hundreds of thousands of orphans here in China and these kids need homes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[03:50:00]

ALLEN: CNN's Will Ripley and Serena Dong. JiaJia has spina bifida. He was abandoned as a baby. To find out more about his story and these other children who have been abandoned just like him, in China, you can read more about it at cnn.com.

HOWELL: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Still ahead, Bernie Sanders sets his sights on a crucial win in Iowa.

ALLEN: And he has folk music legends lending their voice to the cause.

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ALLEN: Well, it's almost time for some vote-taking in the presidential election.

HOWELL: It's coming up.

ALLEN: An influential Iowa newspaper gave its endorsements for Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio got the nod respectively. "The Des Moines Register" interviewed every major candidate on both sides, with the notable exception of both Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

HOWELL: That's right.

And meanwhile, Hillary Clinton's main competitor, Bernie Sanders, has turned to some folk music icons for a final push before the February 1st Iowa primary, very important. Simon & Garfunkel lent their music to the new Sanders ad. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN (voice-over): Yes, this ad has gotten a lot of attention. Art Garfunkel spoke with our Michael Smerconish about why he decided to let Sanders use the classic song.

ART GARFUNKEL, SINGER: I like that Bernie is very upset by the gap between the rich and the poor. I think that's central. The power of money to -- when Bernie says Hillary gave a speech and got $275,000 for that speech, you've got to give a very good speech to earn that money. He's winking at, we know, the power of whoever backed her. And she's beholden to them. And that's how America works until somebody says, not with me.

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN HOST: Does the purpose of the song, if you read the liner notes -- and I'm one who still remembers what liner notes are -- does it match the message of that commercial?

Or is it that we just love seeing the faces and we love hearing "America?"

GARFUNKEL: I think we love hearing "America." I don't think -- you know, so much of news is looking at what happened after the fact and then making a story. But I think -- I just acquiesced and let Bernie use my song that I'm

so proud of. And I don't know if there's a specific thing except we've come to look for the country and we don't really know who we are.

We never knew who we were. We're still working out what Alexander Hamilton was working out.

How do we fuse and become a United States of America and not southern planters who want states' rights?

In the very Constitution, we're working out the fusion of the nation. We're still doing it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Well, a win in Iowa will be a huge breakthrough for Bernie Sanders as he looks to beat Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.

And on the other side, Republican front-runner Donald Trump is exhibiting even more confidence that he will earn his party's nomination. He told a crowd in Iowa about how loyal his supporters are.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The people, my people are so smart.

And you know what else they say about my people?

The polls. They say I have the most loyal people.

Did you ever see that?

Where I could stand in the middle of --

[03:55:00]

TRUMP: -- 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose any voters. OK?

It's like incredible. No, they say Trump -- we love you too, man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Well, yes, you hear it there.

One week before the state of Iowa casts ballots in the nation's first caucus, the Democratic candidates will go face to face with voters there. CNN's Chris Cuomo moderates a Democratic presidential town hall with Martin O'Malley, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. That is Tuesday at 2:00 am in London, 3:00 am Central time, 9:00 pm Eastern only on CNN.

When a familiar face took the stage to endorse Donald Trump, it was hard not to notice what she was wearing.

ALLEN: It may have been mocked by some but Sarah Palin's nearly $700 sweater has sold out. Here's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

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

MOOS (voice-over): There is definitely no pussyfooting around that bolero sweater jacket by Milly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is she wearing?

It looks like she killed a disco porcupine.

What the hell is going on there?

MOOS (voice-over): Go ahead and laugh, but that disco porcupine sells for 695 bucks and it's 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 (voice-over): -- by the fashion police.

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

MOOS (voice-over): "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 (voice-over): But what do you call those shimmery shiny 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 (voice-over): 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 (voice-over): And I can see the "SNL" folks desperately trying to track down one of these sold-out sweaters for Tina Fey.

FEY: You betcha.

MOOS (voice-over): Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: I have a feeling we might see Tina Fey in that sweater in a future skit.

HOWELL: I think we just might here. Very soon.

ALLEN: Thanks for watching this hour. I'm Natalie Allen.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell. We will have more news from around the world right after the break. You're watching CNN.