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Blizzard Moving Across Northeast U.S.; 30 Million Affected by Blizzard Warnings and Watch; A Deadline for an Answer on Wiretapping Allegations; New Evidence Surfaces in Michael Brown Shooting. Aired 3- 4a ET
Aired March 14, 2017 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:00:00] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States, and of course all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church here in Central Park in New York city.
It is very cold here. And the reason we're here is to witness what could very well be an historic blizzard that's moving across the northeast of the United States.
Now some 30 million people or so are being affected by blizzard warnings and watches. Let's bring up information we've got on the state of emergency. Because we know at this point state of emergencies have been declared in New York, New Jersey, and in Virginia.
And the New York Mayor, Bill de Blasio, called up 2,000 members of the National Guard. So this is critical. This is something that they're watching very closely. And the emergency began about three hours ago also.
So this is something that is critical for people now. The snow is a little slow coming. In fact, I came in at about 5 o'clock this afternoon and the sun was shining. It was very much a case of the calm before the storm. But here we are, expecting this blizzard to affect so many millions of people.
I want to listen to what Mayor de Blasio had to say when he talked in terms of what people can expect. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL DE BLASIO, MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: New Yorkers should stay off the roads. It's a very important point. For your own safety, given the frigid temperatures, the huge amount of snow in a short period of time, the wind which I'll talk about in a moment. Stay off the streets. For your own good, for your own safety, but also to help the sanitation department to keep the streets clear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: All right. So you heard there from Mayor de Blasio talking in terms of 20 inches of snow. Possibly two feet in fact. And that's the case as well in parts of Massachusetts. In D.C., they're expecting maybe 5 to 10 inches. Similar recordings expected in Chicago as well.
Let's find out too about the situation with flights. Because it's whether has impacted flights very early in the day on Monday. Now we're going of course into Tuesday. It's just after 3 o'clock in the morning here as we stand in front of Central Park.
Some three and a half thousand -- six and a half thousand, I should say, flights have been canceled so far. Now earlier we saw long lines at the Washington National Airport. Hundreds of flight delays are expected all day Tuesday. And public schools closed in Philadelphia, in Boston, and in New York.
And we understand at this point Washington, D.C. is making a determination about two hours from now. That's at 5 a.m. They will decide whether or not they will close the schools. So it hasn't been as bad as people expected as early. But this is expected to come through very fast, very quickly.
I want to get some live pictures now from Philadelphia. That's where they're expecting 8 to 12 inches of snow. And sad news too in Wisconsin. Two people died while removing snow. And you might be wondering at this stage when it doesn't look like there is a lot of snow here.
The reason why they think this may be historic is because it's March. It's supposed to be winter winding down. It's supposed to be the beginning or coming up to spring. But that is not the case so far. And it wasn't until back in 1888 in March, on March 12th, in fact, they recorded 16.5 inches of the snow.
So, if they do get the 20 inches or so, that's what makes this historic here in New York City. The weather forecasters are saying there is a possibility that the rain may dampen that snow level, but we will see. And we've been, as I said, about 3 o'clock in the morning. But we're seeing people walking in the streets here in New York City.
You know New York City. And I've got a fellow here, Anthony Wallace. He is joining me. Thank you, Anthony. Anthony, actually, you've grown up in New York City, right?
ANTHONY WALLACE, NEW YORK CITY RESIDENT: Yes.
CHURCH: So talk to us about you were saying your friends and yourself, you went to buy some things from the store. What was the situation?
WALLACE: Well, basically, it was a lot of people going out to get food and stuff, trying to get last-minute things. And I don't know. Coming from the city, I'm not used to that. Just because like I don't know. We never take that serious or whatever.
But currently I'm residing in P.A. So it's a little different out there. But yes, I seen it was little panicked. But I'm not, I don't know. It's nothing to me.
CHURCH: So, Anthony, why are you out in the snow at 3 a.m.?
[03:04:57] WALLACE: So actually, I don't have a state of emergency with my family at the moment to where I'm going to see my grandmother. Something is wrong with my nana right now. So I need to make it out here. I came out to see her and to see my daughter.
CHURCH: Really. We don't want to hold you up. So you need to get going on that.
WALLACE: Yes.
CHURCH: But thank you so much for talking with us. And of course, at this stage we understand that the subway, which you'll be going on the subway, right?
WALLACE: Yes.
CHURCH: It's going to close at around 4 a.m. so you need to get cracking.
WALLACE: Definitely.
CHURCH: All right. Thank you so much, Anthony. I appreciate it. You too. OK. So let's go to Pedram Javaheri now, our meteorologist there at the International World Weather Center.
So Pedram, talk to us about the situation here. Of course it was slow to start. We were expecting the snow to come at midnight. It's now 3 a.m., and it's starting to come. It is pretty cold. It's around 30 degrees or so. How it is going to look in the next few hours?
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, Rosemary, for where you are in New York City, I think the next couple of hours between now and say 4 into 5 and 6 a.m., that's when we see some of the heaviest snowfall coming in. As we go into 8, 9, and 10 a.m., we'll see that transition and maybe begin to mixed in with some rain.
The perspective of what it looks like right now are track of the storm system that is going to bring in that moisture from the south actually parked off the coast of North Carolina. So you're seeing some of that moisture surge its way to the north. Again, inside the next three to four hours, we begin to see this pick up in intensity.
The winds will be very strong as well as on the radar imagery look likes this right now where it's just a wintry mix down around Norfolk. And this is the perspective. You go for a closer look around Philly. That's where the snowfall has been falling in earnest the last couple of hours.
Again, New York City, you're beginning to see the action there. but just north and just west of town. That's where the bulls-eye is going to be for the heaviest snow. Boston right now finally seeing some flakes push in as well. But the winter weather advisories, the alerts, the blizzard warnings
they've been issued for a pretty expansive area just because of the significance of the storm, not just for the month of March. But even if this were to happen in January, this would be a pretty significant snow.
So, you take a look, the i-95 corridor, that's where this cutoff line is going to be for where we think the heaviest snowfall could come down. And within just a matter of several miles, this could really dictate who gets how much snow. I often say storms do not travel in a straight line.
So if this storm, as it wobbles up and down the coast this morning, if it wobbles closer towards land, you'll begin to see a lot more warm air associated with this and potentially mixed in some rain for the major cities.
But it will wobble a little farther offshore and it will continue to do this. If it does that, then we're talking about potentially greater snow amounts for the major city. So we're watching at this point. I'm taking maybe 8 to say, 12, 13, 14 inches for New York City. Less than the 20 inches potentially that we were seeing earlier in the day.
But again, things will shift over the next couple of hours as the storm moves up the coast. Rosemary?
CHURCH: So Pedram, you're saying then this may not be as historic as we thought it might be?
JAVAHERI: Rosemary, it only takes 10 inches for New York City in March, 10 inches would put you in the top five snowiest Marche's on record. So even if you get up to 15 inches, 16 inches, now you're talking about top two snowiest storms there for the month of March.
So it certainly would still be historic. But again, the 20 inches that initially some of the models were suggesting, it looks like it will vary slightly south of that and come out a little less than that. But parts of New York State could see over 20 inches and that would be up around the Catskills. So we'll watch that.
CHURCH: All right, Pedram Javaheri, our meteorologist there in Atlanta. Many thanks to you. And of course authorities are saying to people in the neighborhood, watch out, particularly for the elderly. They are the most vulnerable at this time.
So any family members, any friends, neighbors, do check in on them and make sure they have enough food and that they're warm enough through these hours ahead. That is from me at Central Park.
For now we'll be coming back in just a moment after we warmed our hands a little bit. But for now I want to toss to Max Foster in London.
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: We'll let you warm up for a moment, Rosemary. Thank you very much indeed. We're going to head down the East Coast from where rosemary is,
though, to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office in Washington, which has mixed reviews to the proposed republican health care plan. That on part, some groups saying younger people will eventually pay less for coverage. But millions of Americans will lose or decline coverage.
CNN's Sunlen Serfaty reports.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tonight, the White House and republican leaders are assessing the impact of the explosive report from the congressional Budget Office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM PRICE, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF HUMAN AND HEALTH SERVICES: The CBO looked at a portion of our plan, but not the entire plan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: The new analysis from a nonpartisan CBO estimates that in 2018, 14 million more people would be uninsured under the legislation then under current law. The increase in the number of uninsured people would rise to 21 million in 2020. And then to a staggering 24 million in 2026.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRICE: We disagree strenuously with the report that was put out. We believe that our plan will cover more individuals at a lower cost and give them the choices that they want for the coverage that they want for themselves and for their family. Not that the government forces them to buy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:10:04] SERFATY: The CBO also predicts the legislation would reduce federal deficits by $337 billion over a decade. House Speaker Paul Ryan is trying to highlight those positive aspects of the bill tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL RYAN, UNITED STATES SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I'm excited about this analysis. And yes, I think they sort of overestimate the uninsured number, they just like they overestimated who would be ensured by Obamacare.
But I do believe that if we're not going to force people to buy something they don't want to buy, they won't buy it. And that's kind of obvious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: But democrats are already pouncing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NANCY PELOSI, UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MINORITY LEADER:
They're torn. Some of them are trying to pin a rose on this report and make it sound like it's a good thing. And the others of them are trying to discredit the CBO.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: This morning the White House was scrambling to get ahead of the report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So the press is making it look so wonderful so that if we ended, everyone is going to say oh, remember how great Obamacare used to.
SEAN SPICER, UNITED STATES WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The system is failing on its own. It makes it seem like it's all rainbows and puppies. At the end of the day if you have a card and you're getting a subsidy but you're not getting care you have nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: Republican leadership on Capitol Hill already being hit by a rebellion within their own party.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not prepared to vote for it right now, and I think we can do better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: Who are really readying for this additional blow. Acknowledging the CBO would likely report back that millions under their plan would lose their coverage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN: The one thing I'm certain will happen is CBO will say well, gosh, not as many people get coverage. You know why? Because this isn't a government mandate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: As backers of the plan fired pre-emptive shock at the nonpartisan CBO for doing its job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the past the CBO score has really been meaningless.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love the folks at the CBO, they work really hard, they do. But sometimes we ask them to do stuff they're not capable of doing. And estimating the impact of a bill of this size probably isn't the best use of their time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: Sunlen Serfaty, CNN.
FOSTER: Let's take a look then at Congressional Budget Office projections for Obamacare versus the actual numbers. The CBO estimated more than 21 million people would gain coverage through health care exchanges in 2016.
Only 10.4 million people did. The CBO projected between 89 and 92 percent of non-elderly adult would have coverage in 2016. And they were much closer on that count, 89.7 percent of Americans under 65 had insurance last year.
Well you can see just how high the tensions are over health care. At town halls across the U.S., just hours ago in Kansas the U.S. Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins was booed when she tried to defend the republicans' health care plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYNN JENKINS, 9R) UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE: The CBO scores are rarely if ever right. They were -- they were.
(CROWD BOOING)
I don't think what they have factored in is that the cost of health care is going to come down.
(CROWD BOOING)
That means premiums are going to come down. And that means people will be able to afford health care. And that is not factored in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So if you have any sway with Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell who think they know better than we do, tell them people in Kansas are damn mad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, former economic adviser to the Trump campaign, CNN senior economics analyst, Stephen Moore and former Clinton administration labor Secretary Robert Reich faced off over the republican health care plan on CNN with Anderson Cooper a little earlier on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN MOORE, CNN ECONOMICS ANALYST: I don't believe this report. I think it's hocus-pocus. Remember, the republican plan on health care throughout the campaign and what they're saying today was two features. Repeal Obamacare. That's what CBO has scored. What they haven't scored is replace Obamacare.
So it's going to be replaced with something else that will reduce costs, that will provide more competition, and will make it more economical for people to buy insurance. You can have a system -- I talked to the republicans where they say for the first two or three years people who are in the system are not going to lose their health insurance as the CBO reports.
One other thing, Anderson. I thought this report was a little bit exaggerated because under the current system, if we don't change things, tens of millions of people are going to lose their insurance because these costs are escalating so much.
I was just in Arizona two or three weeks ago, Bob Reich, they are -- the premiums for health insurance have doubled. Well, people can't afford it. They're going to drop their health insurance.
So this idea that everybody is going to have health insurance under Obamacare and nobody is going to visit under the republican plan I think is fatuous.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Secretary Reich?
ROBERT REICH, FORMER UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR SECRETARY: Well, look. It's obviously a blow to the republicans who were supporting this repeal and replace. And it was a replacement. I mean, that's what they advertised it as. It was supposed to replace Obamacare.
And Donald Trump said over and over again during the campaign, and he said again after he was president that nobody would lose coverage. Well, here you have the Congressional Budget Office of who whose director was appointed by the republican Congress saying in effect that you've got huge losses.
[03:15:08] I mean, 14 million people the first year? Twenty four million people over ten years? Look, if I were a republican member of Congress right now, I would be worried that possibly this bill could be enacted. Because then I'd have to run for Congress again and again. Or I'd have to run for the Senate when people were losing their health care and their health insurance.
COOPER: But Secretary Reich, is that, is it people losing their health insurance or it is people choosing not to do it? I mean, it's not.
REICH: Well, that's mincing words. I mean, what kind of choice do you have if you can't afford it? I mean, that's when the republicans are using these words. Like well you don't lose access. Of course you lose access if you don't have anywhere with all.
I mean, 80 percent of the people under the Affordable Care Act had subsidies, and they could afford to get the Affordable Care Act. Steve, when you see that premiums are going up, and yes, overall with regard to American health care, premiums and co-payments and deductibles are going up.
But if you have subsidies, if you are in the Obamacare Affordable Care Act, you are being subsidized. You are not actually suffering that kind of a loss.
MOORE: The republicans have to make a guarantee that people are not -- who are currently ensured they're not going to lose their health insurance through Medicaid or whether it's through the exchanges and so on.
So I think that's necessary, Bob Reich, that people will not lose their insurance for the first two or three or four years until we adjust to this new system.
(CROSSTALK)
REICH: Well, but Steve, how do you square what with you just said with what the OMB said? I mean, do you think the OMB was completely out to lunch? That Keith Hall, a republican conservative economist. You know him. I know him. He was appointed by the republican Congress. You think that he is wrong?
MOORE: No. I think he is not scoring the plan that republicans are talking about. What he scored is what happens if you totally repeal Obamacare. What he is not taking into account, there is going to be a new system that reduces the costs of health care, brings premiums down.
And Anderson, I think the point that I would make and I think Donald Trump would make at this point is when you reduce the cost of the insurance, more people can afford it. I mean, the problem we have right now is we're going off this cliff, Bob Reich, where people -- average increase in the premiums across the country was almost 25 percent last year.
(CROSSTALK)
REICH: Steve, I don't know...
MOORE: Middle class families cannot afford the current system.
REICH: Can you just help me for a second? You say that he scored the repeal. He didn't score the replacement. Now where is the replacement if it wasn't in the republican bill?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Such a hot topic right now. Now some harsh audio surfacing of U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan slamming Donald Trump less than a month before the U.S. presidential election. Ryan was speaking to House republicans on October 10, just days after Trump's vulgar comments to Access Hollywood's Billy Bush about groping women who made public.
The video was released by Breitbart, the same far right media outlet formally headed by the president's top adviser Steve Bannon. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN: These comments are not anywhere in keeping with our party's principles and values there are basically two things I want to make really clear.
As myself as your speaker, I am not going to defend Donald Trump. Not now, not in the future. You probably heard I just invited him from my first congressional district GOP event this weekend, a thing I do every year. And I'm not going to be campaigning with him over the next 30 days.
Look, you guys know I had real concerns with the nominee. I hope that you appreciate that I'm doing what I think is best for you, the members and what's best for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, the release of the audio comes as hammering Ryan on his republican health care overall. CNN reported on the speaker's comments about Mr. Trump last October. But this is the first time the public is actually hearing that audio.
Now for days White House officials ducked questions about an exclusive claim from President Trump. Coming up, we've got a new spin on it. Plus, we'll go back to the northeastern U.S. where millions of people are bracing for a massive winter storm. Just how much snow could fall across the area, coming up.
[03:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Hey, I'm Don Riddell with your CNN World Sport headlines.
Monday's FA quarter cup final between Chelsea and Manchester United had an intriguing narrative. United manager Jose Mourinho returning to the club with whom he enjoyed so much success. And it got pretty feisty with Chelsea's manager Antonio Conte in the touch line.
The flash point came in the 35th minute when United's midfielder Ander Herrera was controversially sent off for a second yellow card. In the aftermath, Mourinho kicked the ball in frustration. Conte reacted. The pair had to be physically kept apart. In the end it took a special finish from the brilliant N'Golo Kante to win it for Chelsea 1-nil the final score there is the goal.
Now Israel's baseball team have been the unlikely success story of the baseball classic. But their extraordinary winning streak came to an end on Monday. Having already beaten The Netherlands earlier in the tournament, the Dutch were ready for Israel this time and pummeled them by 12 runs to 2. Israel can still make to it the semis. But a lot now rests on their next game against Japan.
And finally to Sunday's NASCAR race in Las Vegas where drivers Kyle Busch and Joey Logano had a rather frank exchange of views in the pit lane. Things got just a bit little heated after their cars came together in the final round.
And that is a quick look at your sports headlines. I'm Don Riddell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARTY WALSH, MAYOR OF BOSTON: The storm is coming. We're going to get hit with significant amounts of snow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: A warm welcome back to a very cold New York City. And we are here because we are witnessing what could very well be an historic massive winter storm and blizzard moving across the northeast of the United States.
So this point we know there has been a declaration and emergency, declaration for the states of New York, for Virginia, and New Jersey. And there is a travel ban in place for parts of Connecticut.
Now, if we just look at some sad news here because we understand the two people in Wisconsin died trying to remove snow in their area. We know at this point too that 6,500 flights have been canceled. Amtrak has basically moderated some of its schedule. We understand too that the New York subway will close at 4 a.m.
So hundreds of flight throughout the day will be added to that 6,500 that have already been canceled. This is going to be big. And they're comparing, they're going back to 1888 on March 12th. That is when 16.5 inches fell.
And of course the reason why they're saying this is historic is this is March. It is supposed to be the end of winter. We're in mid-March, and we want the see some warm weather. That's not what we're seeing right now. But we're going to go back to Max Foster in London. Max, back to you.
FOSTER: Rosie, taking you to a political storm over President Donald Trump's claim that former President Barack Obama ordered his phones tapped last year. The Justice Department is asking for more time to deliver any evidence it finds to Congress.
In the meantime, White House officials are recasting ting the accusation in more general terms.
Jeff Zeleny reports.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump had his predecessor on his mind again today at the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:24:57] Trump: It's a little bit like President Obama. When he left, people liked him. When he was here, people didn't like him so much. That's the way life goes. That's human nature. The fact is, Obamacare is a disaster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: He was talking health care, not his explosive allegation of President Obama spying on Trump Tower. Asked about that, Mr. Trump fell silent. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will the Justice Department comply with the intelligence committee's request?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, guys.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: The Department of Justice had until today to turn over any evidence, if any exists, to the House and Senate intelligence committees for their investigation into any contacts between Russian operatives and the Trump campaign.
The White House would not say whether any evidence would be produced. Yet the explanation has evolved over the last nine days and did so again today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPICER: I think there is two things that are important about what he said. I think recognizing that it's the Obama -- he doesn't really think that President Obama went up and tapped his phone personally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: After saying last week the president tweets about the extraordinary allegations spoke for themselves, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said this today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPICER: There were actions about surveillance and other activities that occurred in the 2016 election that is a widely reported activity that occurred back then. The president used the word "wiretapped" in quotes to mean broadly surveillance and over activities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: But that's not true. It was not widely reported surveillance took place in the campaign. And the president stated the wiretapping allegation as fact in this tweet that started it all.
How low has President Obama gone to tap my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad or sick guy."
At his fist cabinet meeting today the president again brushed aside questions. But one of his top adviser, Kellyanne Conway muddied the already confusing waters over surveillance. During a weekend interview in her New Jersey living room.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLYANNE CONWAY, DONALD TRUMP SENIOR ADVISER: What I can say is there are many ways to surveil each other now unfortunately.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you believe that?
(CROSSTALK)
CONWAY: There was an article this week that talked about how you can surveil someone through their phones, through their -- certainly through their television sets. Any number of different ways and microwaves that turn into cameras, and et cetera.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: On CNN's New Day she tried clarifying her remarks to Chris Cuomo, saying she didn't have any evidence the president was being spied on, through a microwave or any other device.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONWAY: I'm not an inspector gadget. I don't believe people are using the microwave to spy in the Trump campaign. However, I have -- I'm not in the job of having evidence. That's what investigations are for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: Senator John McCain on CNN's State of the Union said the president owes Americans an explanation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MCCAIN, (R) UNITED STATES SENATOR: The president has one of two choices. Either retract or to provide the information that the American people deserve. Because if his predecessor violated the law, President Obama violated the law, we've got a serious issue here, to say the least.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: Facing the deadline of turning over any evidence by late Monday, the Justice Department asked the House intelligence committee for more time, saying that they would need more time to collect any evidence.
Now it's an open question if they were evidence, or if they're simply dragging their feet. But that first congressional hearing looking into the whole Russia matter starts next Monday on Capitol Hill.
Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House.
FOSTER: Now coming up, just it looked like spring was right around the corner. Check out this live image coming into us from New York. Winter back with a vengeance in parts of the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just feel like this is what always happens in New England. We feel like we got through the winter without any
[03:30:00] (END VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MURIEL BOWSER, MAYOR OF COLUMBIA: We are hoping for the best, but as you can see, with all the people behind me are planning for whatever Mother Nature sends our way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And that is what we are dealing with. Welcome back to our viewer here is in the United States, and of course all around the world. We are live at Central Park in New York City.
Mother nature is bringing in a massive nor'easter across the northeastern part of the United States. It well could be very well an historic storm as we gauge this here. We hear it is 29 degrees here right now. It took a little while for the snow to come in.
But we're in the 3 a.m. hour near the United States. And it is very cold there is no one on the streets. Always saying there is car moving slowly here just checking us out. But apart from that, this is just taxis on the road.
So there have been state of emergency declared in New York, as well as New Jersey and in Virginia. New York mayor Bill de Blasio has actually called 2,000 members of the National Guard. This is serious stuff. Public schools have been closed. Certainly, in Philadelphia, in Boston and in New York City.
And Washington, D.C. is going to make that decision, that determination at about 5 o'clock in the morning. They will decide whether they think the schools need to be closed. They're expecting about 5 to 10 inches of snow.
As far as transport goes, well, the flight is about 6,500 flights have been canceled right across the northeastern area. And of course more are expected to be delayed if not canceled across Tuesday.
And earlier, we did see long lines at the Washington National Airport. Hundreds of flight delays still expected the course of the day. Now as far as grocery shopping, people actually went up. They lined up. There were lots of lines. People waited sometimes 45 minutes, an hour just to get a grocery basket.
And then they got all that they needed. Shelves were emptied. Bread, milk, and other things, other goods.
[03:34:57] And we wanted to show you this. We got this photo from a viewer here in New York. He said he waited 45 minutes or so. Mostly in the line, as I mentioned. And he told CNN that he prepared with essentials, food, and wine. And he plans to watch Netflix.
So that is man who just knows how to prepare for a storm like this. So there is a few people walking around now. A few people just got out of this car. Let's go over the Pedram Javaheri now at the International Weather
Center to get more information. Because Pedram, we're certainly starting to feel now that you can feel the winds whipping up. We've got the lights here. Worried they're going to take off at some point.
But talk us to about how bad this is likely to be. Because we thought 20 inches of snow, you were saying just a little while ago when we chatted, it's not maybe going to be 20. But it could be around the historic levels nonetheless. Right?
JAVAHERI: Yes. For this time of the year, it certainly doesn't take much. You know, get 10 inches. You're talking top 5 historic snowstorms for the month of March. And you take a look. The impact is already significant, right. Some 6,500 flights canceled.
You take a look at the cancellations by volume. The percentages of flight out of Newark canceled this morning so far almost 9 percent% of their flights. That accounts for about 500 flights canceled. Baltimore, almost 80 percent. Same story out of La Guardia, Boston, into Philly where half of the flights there have been cancelled as well.
And you get talking about the snow storm and what it comes to of course it was 129 years ago this week, that's a historic snowstorm that everyone talks about in recent day, at least, comparisons to this where 16.5 inches came down in New York. That impacted the infrastructure so significantly.
It's believed that this storm led to the development of the underground transit system and the subway system because we had two- story high snowdrifts in place where tens of thousands of people were trapped inside some of the transportation systems across this region.
So, that led to the development of getting beneath the surface because the vulnerabilities exposing this region of the United States. But here comes the storm system we're talking about. The snow showers now beginning to come down north of Philly into New York and Boston beginning to see some of the light snow accumulate as well.
The forecast with this, as challenging as it comes. And I often talk about the track of storm systems. Storms want to wobble. They don't track in a state line. So as this wobble happen, Rosemary, you'll have heavier amounts come in one area and then transition back to be potentially lighter amounts in other spots.
Just with a few miles. And at this point we'll stop this at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday. The pink indicates some sleet, some rain, some snow mixing in. That could be around the Philly area, south into Baltimore potentially into Washington. Even some rain at that hour.
So these cities could see far lesser accumulations than cities to the north. New York City and points northward could see anywhere from a foot potentially 13, 14 inches on the higher end. I think for New York City and Central Park.
And then you take this into the afternoon, late morning hours. Notice some of that sleet wants to filter right into New York City as well. This is what could really play a role here in cutting down the significant amounts for New York City.
And by the afternoon hours, again, we think sleet could take shape and stay put across parts of New York City. So here's the forecast indication the best estimates we have right now would take eastern portions of Pennsylvania into north of the mountains there, it's north of Allentown.
We're talking about up to maybe 20, 25 inches. That's the possibility. Northern New Jersey, certainly the case. Work your way into the Catskills, similar story, you could see two feet of snow.
But notice just a few miles to the south, Rosemary, we're talking maybe a foot. So that variation could play a role in how much snow you get within just a few miles. And snow forecasting, as any meteorologist will tell you, snow forecasting and the number given to each particular location is as hard as it gets to narrow that down. Just because of that wobble we talk about with storms as they move over a certain spot. Rosemary?
CHURCH: And Pedram, for anyone asking if there is sort of tuning in and thinking why are they out live when there is really not a lot of snow. But talk to us about the historic nature of this. Because it is mid-March.
JAVAHERI: Correct.
CHURCH: And we are witnessing this. What is going on with the weather?
JAVAHERI: You know, the incredible nature of what has happened, right, a lot of people wrote off winter this season, thinking that we're not going to see much of it. Of course, one of the warmest Januarys on record. One of the warmest Februarys on record.
We touched on the 9,300 record high temperature set in 2017 versus 1,300 temperature low record set in the heart of the cold season. There has been over 200 tornadoes versus 60, which is what is normal for this time of year. So it has all resembled a warm season pattern, Rosemary.
And now of course the last couple of days of winter, it only takes one storm system to make or break a season. And this particular one certainly could enter the books. It could be a historic warm year yet again, but we could at least have this mark on it with an impressive snowstorm embedded in between all that warmth. And this is it right now.
CHURCH: Absolutely. All right, Pedram Javaheri, always a pleasure to chat with you. So happy to see you nice and warm there in the studio.
JAVAHERI: Thank you.
[03:40:00] CHURCH: And another person nice and snug -- yes, absolutely. Another person very snug and warm is our Max Foster in London. I'll hand it back to you.
FOSTER: Rosie, thank you very much. You look snuggle warm at least in your hat.
Now the other big talking point is President Trump's wiretapping accusation. The latest in a series of online assertions he has made without any evidence to back them up. Opponents accuse Mr. Trump of using the outrageous segments to distract from a real issues or real set of issues and administration problems.
CNN's Jake Tapper unpacks the president's claims and the White House defense of them.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: The house intelligence committee requested that the Justice Department provide them today with any proof at all backing up President Trump's tweets from earlier this month. Some of them you'll recall terrible.
"I just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism. Is it legal for a sitting president to be wiretapping a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A new low."
"How low has President Obama gone to tap my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad or sick guy."
Now to recap, since those tweets nine days ago, this charge by the president has been called false by the director of the FBI. False by the former director of national intelligence. And not one credible informed source that we can find in Washington has said that the president's accusation is true.
And I'm including Vice President Pence in that group. To say that members of the House intelligence committee are expecting reams of paper to prove this charge coming their way today or that would be doing a disservice to members of that select committee.
And we, as a nation we have had to live in this farce for the last nine days where defenders of the president have twisted themselves into pretzels to try to suggest the possibility that tweets weren't preposterous, by rejiggering the facts of the tweet to try to make this wild and unfounded claim by the president seem to live somewhere in the vicinity of the neighborhood of possible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPICER: I think there is a no question that the Obama administration, that there were actions about surveillance and other activities that occurred in the 2016 election that is a widely reported activity that occurred back then. The president used the word "wiretapping," quote, to mean broadly surveillance and other activities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: So to break out White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer's Trump to English dictionary, by Obama, President Trump meant the Obama administration. By wiretap he meant any kind of surveillance.
And by surveillance of Trump phones at Trump Tower, he meant apparently surveillance of anyone who may have had any conversation with anyone who was part of the 2016 election.
Sometimes revisionism is so blatant, it's not revisionism, it's just a complete rewrite. He didn't mean Obama had his wires tapped at Trump Tower. He meant the Obama administration may have conducted surveillance during the election of some people, including some who may have spoken to people on campaigns or having communications with those campaigns.
Those are two completely different things. One is false and one is true. But other than the word "Obama," they have little in common. As with so many of these unfounded charges. Three to five illegal votes, the highest murder rate in half a century and on and on.
The White House is now spending its energy and your tax dollars trying to change demonstrably false assertion into perfectly understandable beliefs tangentially related to the original.
And while doing so, they're squandering their own credibility and they're wasting time defending the indefensible. Instead of devoting time to say, improving your lives.
FOSTER: Jake Tapper.
Now New York City is under a state of emergency as the northeastern U.S. gets hit with what could turn into a paralyzing winter storm. Just how much snow is expected and where would it fall, coming up.
[03:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Now a new surveillance video of Michael Brown has been released to the public. It shows the teenager in a Ferguson, Missouri store hours before a police officer shot and killed him.
CNN's Sara Sidner explains why it's raising new questions about that fatal shooting.
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tension rising again in Ferguson, Missouri. A reaction to a new documentary which shows surveillance video of Michael Brown that has never been seen publicly before. Taken just hours before he was killed by police.
In the film "Stranger Fruit," Brown is seen inside the Ferguson market around 1.13 in the morning. According to the filmmaker, Brown hands a bag of marijuana to the store clerks to exchange for cigarillos.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON POLLOCK, FILMMAKER: The weed hits the counter. It's taken. It's never comes back on the counter again. What comes back on the counter is you see the guy take two boxes of cigarillos. The clerk puts them into the bag himself. Hands a bag with product to Michael Brown, over the counter. So don't tell me that he stole from the store if they handed him a bag.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: Ferguson police say Brown did rob the store. Ten hours later he returned and police say this video that was released shows him shoving the store clerk out of the way and taking the cigarillos. The filmmaker says this new video shows brown was simply returning to pick up the cigarillos he paid for with pot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POLLOCK: The St. Louis County police wanted us to see that made it look like there was some altercation that looked like Michael robbed, when in fact Michael had a close relationship with the store. And regardless of what the store says, that video shows that.
JAY KANZLER, ATTORNEY: I think the filmmaker, I've never met the man. But if the filmmaker is saying that an exchange took place here, marijuana for merchandise, the filmmaker is a liar, OK. Because it didn't happen. You can see it here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: The attorney for the store released the entire video going frame by frame for us, showing Brown coming in, taking sodas off the shelf, throwing the baggie of what is thought to be marijuana on to the table.
[03:50:03] Then one clerk sniffs it. A second clerk does the same and then puts it back on the counter. There appears to be a discussion. Then one clerk appears to wave Brown out of the store. The clerk who last touched the pots removes his hands and folds his hand behind his back.
Brown attempts to leave with the cigarillos but returns them. The attorney says that's because there was no deal. It's unclear who took the small bag, but the store's attorney says Michael Brown clearly had it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KANZLER: He has picked up the pot off the counter. And now right there in his left hand is the pot. And in his right hand is the piece of paper.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: The prosecuting attorney who sent the case to the grand jury says this is not new video, nor relevant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT MCCULLOCH, ST. LOUIS COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY: The suggestion that he is coming back to pick up what he bartered for is just stupid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: The filmmaker is sticking with his version of events, saying that his film shows the true story. Now when it comes to the clerks themselves, we talked to one of them who told us that he now fears for his life as renewed protests are now aimed directly at the store.
Sara Sidner, CNN, Ferguson, Missouri.
FOSTER: Now we're keeping an eye on the weather. Things really picking up you can see from our live camera in New York. Thousands of flights have been canceled ahead of that brutal winter storm making its way across the northeastern U.S. A live report from New York, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JAVAHERI: Ready or not, here comes winter, the final couple of days going out with a bang around the eastern United States. And the cold air certainly locked in place. The moisture coming in, in place. A very blustery weather as well going into the overnight hours of today.
And notice, this will begin to taper off sometime late into the morning hours and become a lot of rain mixed in with snow around parts of New York City. And that will reduce the significant accumulations.
But if you work your way towards Boston, it could be a different story. But either way it's about 6,500 flights have already been canceled across the eastern United States. And that's certainly going to be a large story going into the afternoon hours as well.
Notice the heaviest amounts out of the major metro cities. So you're talking about the Poconos into the Catskills that area could see up to 60 centimeters of snowfall. And the forecast across some of these areas does want to quickly revert back into a spring regime.
So in Charlotte, the teens come back in Washington. Temps closing in on the double digits. Marking even in New York City a minus 3 goes to a plus 4 in just a couple of days' time. So at least some hope if you're not a fan of the cold.
In Chicago 4 below, snow showers in the forecast. Look at San Francisco, summer in parts of California, at least to the southern portion of California.
[03:55:00] But look at the 20s around San Francisco and the wet weather will want to stay north of this region. So good news certainly if you're ready for some dryer conditions. Wet weather into Portland and Seattle over the next several days. Take care.
CHURCH: Welcome back to Central Park here in New York City where it's about 29 degrees. We're here because we are witnessing what could very well be an historic, massive blizzard coming across the northeast.
At this point, there is a state of emergency declared in New York, in New Jersey, in Virginia. Schools have been closed. Determinations are being made as to whether other schools need to be closed. At this stage, I say goodbye, Rosemary Church here at Central Park in
New York City. Early Start picks it up from here with more on the blizzard. And Max Foster for our audience outside of the United States will join you in London.
[04:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
