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Snow Blankets Midwest, Northeast; Al Qaeda Linked Militants Could Take Over Two Iraqi Cities; Flights Canceled; Weed Marketed in Food and Drinks

Aired January 03, 2014 - 12:30   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: I mean, they deal with the cold, severe cold, winter after winter. Did they expect this?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, yeah, definitely expect it coming. You hope it doesn't. A couple winters ago, we actually had a great winter. There was hardly any days like this, but it happens and you know it's going to happen.

We were down to 10-below here in the Naperville area just west of the city of Chicago this morning. It's starting to warm up now.

It's going to warm up through tonight into tomorrow. Then we are going to get hit with a doozy. It's going to be arctic-blast time. We're talking about temperatures with minus-six being the high during the day, going down to minus-20 in some areas in the Chicago area.

And that's not just in Illinois. It's the Midwest. In Minneapolis, they're talking minus-30 without the wind chill. In fact, the governor of Minnesota has canceled school on Monday for the entire state. We're talking about dangerously cold weather coming starting Sunday night into morning with a little bit of break tomorrow.

So I think people here and around the Midwest are going to be out tomorrow doing everything and huddled up on Monday, sitting by the fire with a nice warm cup of coffee.

MALVEAUX: Yeah, today is a good day to run those errands before the real chill hits. Tell us about O'Hare real quickly here. Are the planes moving?

ROWLANDS: Yeah, getting much better. Midway had a stop going on with Southwest Airlines this morning. That has stopped. They're back flying at Midway, as well. O'Hare has picked up on the backlog.

Much better situation today than it was yesterday at both airports here in Chicago.

MALVEAUX: Last two days, more than 4,000 flights have been canceled because of the storm.

Many highways closed because of the blizzard conditions wreaking havoc on a lot of people trying to get around.

Rene, tell us about what does it look like from Washington.

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here's a snapshot, more than 2,000 cancellations so far today and nearly 3,000 delays. You saw Ted out there. It looks miserable.

If you're traveling it's miserable too, especially if you're going by air and in the problem areas. This is FlightAware's Misery Map, very fitting title. If you look at New York City, large percentage of cancellations and delays, same thing with D.C. same thing in Massachusetts.

This map is only looking at a four-hour block, so at this hour, as I speak to you, in real time, in Chicago, they are seeing the most number of cancellations and delays.

Let's drill down a little bit, 78 delays, 31 cancellations, and this just shows you, the red and orange lines where you're seeing all of the problems, going to Dallas, going to Atlanta, going to New York City.

And if we look at specific airlines again, this is from FlightAware, we can kind of drill down a little bit. We can tell that you Southwest at this hour has roughly 260 cancellations, American Airlines about 152 cancellations.

So this is what the story looks like. It makes a lot of sense because they have to get those runways cleared up and they have to make sure that it is safe for these planes to come in and take off.

Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: Yeah, Rene, I usually travel over the weekend to the D.C. area. Glad I'm staying put this weekend. I know a lot of schools have been canceled in many different cities. Are people still going to work at this point or are people basically hunkered down for the next couple days?

MARSH: We can tell you, New York, we saw a shot there. LIE, that was shut down. The I-87 in New York was shut down. They have since reopened.

However, they are saying just because these roads are open doesn't mean that people should be on them. That blowing snow is still making it tough to see if you're driving.

We did see that New Jersey's governor, he tweeted out, Roads are looking better. In Boston, they're saying they're getting their roads cleaned up. But still they are stressing they do not want people on the roads.

We did a little digging and we saw out there in New York that, when it's this cold, the salt doesn't necessarily work that well, so one county in Philadelphia -- in Pennsylvania, I should say, what they're doing is they're using beet juice with the salt and they say it's actually working. It's helping to make that salt melt the icy roads.

MALVEAUX: Beet juice? Who thought of beet juice?

MARSH: They're testing it. And they say that it is actually working. A chemical in the beet juice mixed with salt is speeding up the action of that salt melting the ice.

So, hey, you've got to get creative when you have a situation like that.

MALVEAUX: It's good for you too, beet juice, good in many different ways, might as well give it a try.

Ted Rowlands, Rene Marsh, thank you very much.

And just a reminder to all of you, just for the very latest weather conditions, check out the bottom of your screen throughout the day, because that has a lot of information about where the nor'easter is headed, the temperatures, the road closings, as well as airports and the like. So you're going to want to keep up with the news throughout the day.

And this might not be a nor'easter, but people in Great Britain, they're hunkering down, as well for some severe weather of their own. A storm system's going to hit the country with heavy rain and strong winds, could batter the island for several days. Forecasters saying that conditions along with high tides are going to trigger serious flooding in towns and villages along the coastline. Now, government officials, they're telling folks and power companies, expect the worst.

2013 was the deadliest year for Iraqi civilians since 2008. That is right. Now we're hearing that militants with al Qaeda ties are threatening to take over two major cities.

Is the government losing control? We're going to talk to the former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: The State Department says that South Sudan has now gotten too dangerous, and it has evacuated more staff from the embassy there. All Americans left in the country are being urged to get out. As of tomorrow, the embassy won't be able to help any U.S. citizens still there.

Fighting between rebel forces and government troops has gotten more intense. The government forces are about to retake a town from the rebels. Peace talks to stop the fighting are under way in Ethiopia. There's a lot of pressure for both sides to figure out how to deal with about 200,000 people who have fled the violence.

There is now some alarming news coming out of Iraq. "The New York Times" is reporting that Sunni militants with ties to al Qaeda could take over two major cities. We are talking about Fallujah and Ramadi.

Now, "The Times" says that the militants set fire to police stations. They've busted inmates out of jail, taken over mosques, and Fallujah, you might recall, is the city where many American troops died trying to defend.

The defense ministry in Baghdad says that Iraq's air force has been carrying out military strikes in the area and killing terrorists.

To sort all of this out, I want to bring in Christopher Hill, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq. And, Chris, thanks for joining us. Really appreciate this.

You and I have talked many times in covering the Bush administration about what on Earth is going on in Iraq. It certainly seems to be a hot mess now. Explain to us how this is related to the civil war in Syria, which is now turning into a regional war that has spilled into not only Lebanon but now Iraq.

CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: You've got it. It has turned into a regional war. It is not to say that there aren't internal issues in Iraq, but I think the prime issue is you have Syria becoming a kind of magnet for every Sunni Islamist to come and fight.

And certainly one of the great struggles for the Sunnis in that region of the Middle East is the fact that the Shia now control Iraq. And a few years ago, the U.S. military did a lot. They, first of all, helped seal the border to prevent foreign fighters or to limit foreign fighters from coming into Iraq.

Secondly, they worked with Sunni Sheikhs in the Anbar area where the two cities are located to turn them and get them to support the government in the Baghdad.

So that is proving much more problematic right now. And many of those Sunni Sheikhs are really afraid to strike out against the al Qaeda elements.

So it's very discouraging news for people who have worked so hard to try to stabilize that country and certainly I think dangerous.

MALVEAUX: Chris, you're talking about Sunni militants.

They're angry the way they're being treated by the Shiite government of Nouri al-Malaki, and now they're aligned with al Qaeda.

How do you stop something like that?

HILL: You know, I mean, I realize there's certainly a body of thought that somehow the Shia-led government under Nouri al-Malaki has not done enough to be inclusive of the Sunnis and that this has led to some frustrations.

But I would encourage the viewers to understand this problem is embedded in a broader region, namely in the sort of metastasized is Syrian crisis.

To be sure, Malaki could do better. I don't deny that for a minute, but I think, right now, to kind of blame the Shia for this kind of level of Sunni violence is to some extent really to blame the victim. So I think al-Malaki is going to have to see what he can do to meet this challenge militarily. He's going to have a challenge keeping Shia groups from reforming into militia from keeping a more radicalized Shia population. It's going to be tough.

MALVEAUX: Chris, I've got to ask you this. It certainly seems this has escalated since American troops pulled out at the end of 2011. President Bush went in there saying this was going to be some place of peace in the Middle East, that this was going to be some sort of model.

Do you see where the U.S. got involved at all? Is there any success here or is this just really ultimately a failure?

HILL: Well, I mean, certainly the question of Iraq and the invasion is something that history books will look at for a long time.

Obviously, a lot of good things have happened. Certainly one can't spend 10 minutes in the country without thinking it was a good thing that Saddam Hussein is gone.

But the notion that the United States, or specifically, the U.S. military, could deal with some of the political -- the underlying sectarian and political issues, those are issues that need to be sorted out by the Iraqis and it's going to take some time.

MALVEAUX: Would you advise the Obama administration to start bringing American troops back into Iraq if things just simply turn into turmoil? I mean, it is the mess that the United States in some ways created.

HILL: Well, first of all, I don't think we created the mess. I think the Sunni/Shia problem has been there for a long time.

We well may have underappreciated thinking the real fault line in Iraq was somehow between those who is believe in democracy and those who is believe in dictatorship.

I think the real fault lines have to do with the fact that Iraq is one of these countries sort of on the edge between the Arab and Persian world, between the Arab and Turkish world. It is one of these countries that will always have these kinds of issues depending how well they're able to deal with it.

Right now with a completely unmitigated situation disaster situation in Syria, I don't think there's a lot of Iraqi government. Even if it were God's gift to governments I don't think they would have an easy time.

MALVEAUX: Do you think it would help to bring back American troops?

HILL: No, I don't think that is a realistic prospect. Certainly I don't think there's a lot of stomach for it in this country.

I don't think it's really what the solution requires. I think it's going to have to involve a lot of political work. And some security work to be sure by the Iraqi government.

MALVEAUX: All right. Ambassador Chris Hill, thank you as always. Good to speak to you.

We'll be following that story as it develops. Certainly a lot of problems taking place and it is very worrisome.

Chris, thanks again. We really appreciate it.

People are scrambling right now at big airports, Midwest to northeast. I want you to take a look at this. This is actually the line at LaGuardia. There is a window of time between major storm part one and part two. That is right. Flights being canceled left and right today.

Travelers, stay with us for an update. We'll have that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Dozens of fans waving Ferrari banners gathered today outside the French hospital where Michael Schumacher lies in a coma. Today is the racing legend's 45th birthday. He injured his head on Sunday in a skiing accident. Today he's being said to be in critical but stable condition. We wish him the very best.

A huge drug bust in China. Authorities say three tons of crystal meth were seized. More than 180 people arrested. Now, the raid took place in a village in southern China's Guangdong province. More than a fifth of the households were suspected of having ties to the production or trafficking of drugs. The operation involves some 3,000 police and paramilitary forces who swooped in using helicopters, speed boats, trucks and vans.

The governor of Minnesota has already said no school on Monday. It is just going to be too cold. This is the first time since the mid-'90s that the weather has closed every school in the state of Minnesota. But that is days away.

Right now, more than 2,000 flights have been canceled all over the country today. You've got deep snow, ice, heavy backlog of flights that just couldn't get out yesterday. They're throwing the travel plans for a lot of folks into chaos, as you can imagine.

Richard Quest, get in here, tell us what kind of mess the winter storm is covering and causing the airline industry. I imagine this is impacting, what, airports all over the world?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and this is Flight Board. You probably can't see it too closely. But this is Flight Board. And this shows you all the cancellations that are currently taking place just at Newark. The ones in red are cancellations. And the delays and the list just goes on and on, particularly to those flights that are going into the Midwest region.

And what you have to understand is what is now happening in aviation. You have conflicting different priorities. First of all, you've got the airlines that want to get some key flights out. Long haul. Hong Kong, London, Singapore. You want to get your big, international flights gone because they will create more problems for you because you haven't got as many frequencies.

Then you've got to get the runways clear. You've got to get the taxiways clear. You've got to insure the safe operation of the airline. But also, you now need to start proactively canceling flights on Saturday, Sunday, maybe even into Monday, so that you can rebuild the schedule as fast as possible when conditions become normal again.

And that's what the airlines are absolutely expert at doing. They've done this many times. It's a sophisticated, complicated operation. Look, Suzanne, no doubt about it, if you're sitting at LaGuardia, O'Hare, Minnesota, Detroit Metro, JFK, it looks chaotic to you. But I promise you, the airlines are playing three dimensional chess at the moment. And that's what they're about, trying to get people as many people to their destinations.

MALVEAUX: And, Richard, I know one of the big things they do, they de- ice the planes. That's a big part of this. I think we have some video. You actually were a part of de-icing a plane at one point? The runway - clearing the runway.

QUEST: All right, that -- absolutely. I went to Oslo to learn how the real experts do it. And I not only got a chance to clear a runway, I got a chance to de-ice a plane. This is another reason why it takes so long because not only do you push back from the gate, before you can take off, the wings, sometimes the fuselage, sometimes the rear of the aircraft has to be de-iced for safe flying. It all takes time. And that is why these delays start to mushroom.

The more they mushroom, then the airline has to create this fire break by saying, all right, we've got to get that plane over there, that crew over there, those passengers over there. Let's cancel 30 flights here so that in three days' time we're in a better position to get ourselves flying again. It's not pretty, I promise you that, but it works.

MALVEAUX: Yes, it works. But I'm telling you, as much as I love you, Richard, I would not fly on that plane after seeing you de-icing it if you were at the controls of the de-icer. I mean you can do a lot of things, but de-icing a plane?

QUEST: Well, here's - I've got news for you, neither would I.

MALVEAUX: I can imagine.

All right, let's see how everybody travels over the weekend here. Richard, good to see you, as always.

QUEST: Safe travels.

MALVEAUX: Marijuana. People can sink their teeth into this one. We are talking about candy, cookies, all sorts of other treats made with something a little extra. We're talking about the growing edible weed industry, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Marijuana for foodies. That's right. Possibilities endless as entrepreneurs look for ways to cash in on the growing weed industry. Business now picking up now that it's legal to buy recreational weed in stores across Colorado. Ana Cabrera takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, Gange (ph) Gourmet.

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Forget about smoking a joint.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, we have all the edibles you can imagine.

CABRERA: And we're not just talking pot brownies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a 70 milligram pumpkin pie.

CABRERA: Today, the world of marijuana edibles is reaching new extremes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of different products.

CABRERA: You're inside Denver's Gange Gourmet, once a medical marijuana restaurant. Now a pot product supermarket of sorts specializing in marijuana infused candy, cookies and crispy treats.

CABRERA (on camera): So if you have a sweet tooth, that is a good way to go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, this is definitely the best way to go.

CABRERA (voice-over): Plus coffee, canabutter (ph) and --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chamomile tea.

CABRERA: There's something here that's sure to make everyone happy.

Want a protein backed pot fix? Try the peanut butter. Gluten free? No problem. Diabetic? How about a sugar free sucker? But why edibles?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the reason why like I choose edibles because I'm not really into like the whole smoking. So I'll do it every once in a while but I (INAUDIBLE) issues, like I cough a lot more.

CABRERA: Easy on the lungs, odor free. Some say it's also easier to control dosing.

CABRERA (on camera): How do you know the dosage is what you say it is?

MORGAN IWERSEN, CANYON CULTIVATION: We make our hash oil. That's the base of all of our products. If the hash oil tests out at this percentage of THC and this percentage of the other cannabinoids, then we can actually do the equations and the math to break down what we want. CABRERA (voice-over): Morgan Iwersen is in the business of making marijuana edibles. Canyon Cultivation uses hash oil to create cannabis infused hard candy, drops, breath strips and olive oils.

CABRERA (on camera): Is this your office? Is this your kitchen? What do you call this place?

IWERSEN: So this is the lab.

CABRERA (voice-over): Iwersens is one of dozens of budding edible businesses that are part of the estimated $1.5 billion marijuana industry, which analysts say could quadruple in just a few years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We like our baklava here.

CABRERA: Love's Oven (ph) is busy baking up baklava, a top seller netting $3,000 a month.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Buttery goodness.

CABRERA: Here it's all about the canabutter (ph). Marijuana trimmings roasted in butter for up to 24 hours. The result? A high potency THC product that is baked into each treat.

CABRERA (on camera): How many different items do you guys make?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have about 44 different products currently.

CABRERA (voice-over): In three years, Love's Oven's customer list has grown from three dispensaries to 40. And that's just for medical marijuana sales.

CABRERA (on camera): What do you anticipate with recreational sale of marijuana?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chaos and craziness.

CABRERA (voice-over): Yet, state and local regulators are working to keep things under control. While marijuana edibles aren't currently regulated by the FDA, Colorado marijuana infused food producers will have to follow new rules in the New Year.

CABRERA (on camera): One of the new rules with marijuana edibles has to do with child resistant packaging. Meaning, it has to come in an opaque package and it has to have a two-step process to opening it.

CABRERA (voice-over): Keeping people safe, especially children, is a high priority for this industry under scrutiny. The world is watching.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we consider ourselves pioneers in the end of prohibition.

CABRERA: As cannabis focused kitchens take a bigger bite out of the marijuana market.

Ana Cabrera, CNN, Denver. (END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Thanks for watching AROUND THE WORLD. Have a safe and good afternoon. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, bitter weather bearing down on 100 million Americans. Look at that, Boston, New York, Washington. The snow is letting up, but high winds and freezing temperatures, they're sticking around. CNN covering every angle.

Right now, it's a balmy six degrees at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The forecast for Sunday's game, eight below zero with windchills down to 30 below. You heard that right. Packer fans and players are bracing for the coldest games since the 1967 ice bowl. Bart Starr was the Packer quarterback during that game and he'll join us today to talk about it.

And right now, U.S. Marines are forced to delay new fitness requirements. More than half of female recruits can't meet the minimum. At stake, the effort to put more women in combat jobs.

Hello, everyone. I'm John Berman. Wolf Blitzer is off today.

And we're going to start with heavy snow.