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New York Breaks Record; Temps Below Normal; Kerry's Tough Sell; Missing in Nevada; Newlywed on Trial

Aired December 10, 2013 - 14:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there. I'm Brooke Baldwin, here in New York. Thank you for being with me on a snowy Tuesday.

The weather may look bad where you are, but the storms are far from over. In fact, snow and ice blanketing cities all the way from Arkansas to Maine. These are live pictures of New York, which along with Washington and Philadelphia could see six inches of snow today. And you can already see the snow piling up on Lady Liberty's crown. Actually, you can't see a darn thing now that I'm looking at these live pictures. There is snow falling, but this is a bunch of nothing. It's such a white-out in parts of New York from Ellis Island from Earth Cam.

The weather has even forced federal offices and schools in Washington, D.C., to be closed. Road conditions are nothing short of treacherous. Fifteen people have died in weather-related incidents in the past couple of days, mostly in wrecks on roads like these. One of the scenes - look at this video -- watch all these cars. This is a Wisconsin traffic camera. One after another after another, cars are careening out of control, crashing into one another. A police officer on the scene compared it to a crash he said to the Daytona 500, saying there was no one there to wave the yellow caution flag, clearly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OFFICER TIM MILLER, GERMANTOWN POLICE DEPT.: And I'd see them go southbound and I'd see their taillights disappear into the snow. And then all of a sudden I'd see their bright lights come on and I'd see the brake lights jump up or go off to the side or spin and you knew it was just happening. And I'm watching these other people come southbound and I just knew they were getting into an accident. You know, I was just praying to God that nobody was going to die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: From the roads, to the skies, a little better news for those of you hoping to hop on airplanes today. More than 1,000 have been canceled nationwide, but that is down. Just to put this in context for you, that is down from 1,900 yesterday. So let's talk about what things look like outside. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is live outside in - right around Columbus Circle here in New York, and Chad Myers is nice and warm in the CNN Weather Center.

So, Fred Pleitgen, let's just begin with you. And I saw the alert from the National Weather Service. We are talking, what, record snowfall for today?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, record snowfalls forecasted today and already coming down, Brooke, at JFK Airport, at Newark Airport, and also here in Central Park. So certainly a day to remember.

There was a little snow, a lot of snow earlier today, especially around lunchtime. It has died down a little bit. However, there is still precipitation coming down. Also, New York City seems to be quite well prepared for all this. There have been salt-spreading vehicles on the road spreading that pumpkin-colored salt. So traffic here is still moving quite normally.

But as you said, the airports have been the major issue throughout the better part of the day, especially Newark, which saw over 100 cancellations at that airport alone. Also some pretty big delays at that airport as well as at LaGuardia and JFK also. But really Newark here in this area is the one that has been hit the most.

Right now it seems as though the precipitation is getting to be a little bit less. There is still a severe weather warning that is in effect for the New York area, supposed to be in effect until about 5:00 p.m. So for a lot of New Yorkers here, the commute to work was actually OK because the snow really didn't set in until after the morning commute. But it's going to be the commute home that could be a big issue, especially for the folks that are living in the suburb. A lot of schools are closed there as well, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Fred, thank you so much, in New York.

And, Chad, you know, this is so much bigger than just a New York story. St. Louis, I saw, is actually colder than Anchorage, Alaska, today. Is that normal?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No. The cold that should be in Alaska has released and just ended up all the way down here in the lower 48 states, in North America. So, no, of course not. But the good news is, for D.C., all this has turned into a shopping day. If you can find a mall where people actually went to work, it's a beautiful day. The sun is out. It's over. Philadelphia, the sun is out. It's over. New York City, the sun will be out in an hour. It's done. There will be maybe another inch of snow in Boston, but this is done.

This was a quick hitter. It started about 4:00 this morning. It made ugly roads this morning, if you didn't wake up and look at them. That's why so many things were canceled.

Now, I tried to find some big numbers for snow and I found four inches in Baltimore, three in D.C. You know, Middleton, up in Fredrick County, got five inches. And this is exactly what we think and thought was going to happen because it happened so fast that it didn't have time to really pile up a foot deep. The storm came and it went.

So we're still seeing airport delays, some of them over an hour, Newark, LaGuardia, JFK and so on. But there's the animating radar. It is done. D.C., a beautiful day for you. Get out and play in it if you can. There's Boston, some snow coming in still for the next hour and a half. Still a couple of heavier showers over the Berkshires right now. The snow going to about -- just about done there. Two to four inches.

The issue tonight is that when the sunsets, Brooke, if the road is still wet, then that's when it's going to freeze up. With the sun out now, a lot of it's going to melt and go away, but there still will be bridges that will have ice or water on them at 5:00 or 6:00 tonight. It's going to get dark. That's when things freeze up.

BALDWIN: Yes. Go slowly, go slowly. But this morning I did walk out and about in Central Park. People were out taking pictures. First big snowfall. It was beautiful.

MYERS: It was.

BALDWIN: Chad Myers, thank you very much.

MYERS: You're welcome.

BALDWIN: New details are emerging today about that scuffle that investigators say forced a campus police officer to shoot and kill a Texas college student. Authorities say 23-year-old Robert Redus turned belligerent during this traffic stop near his school, the University of the Incarnate Word. The officer here, Corporal Christopher Carter, says Redus was drunk and that when he tried to handcuff him, Redus fought him, even grabbing Carter's police baton and hit him with it. The local police chief said Redus refused to obey the officer's orders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF RICHARD PRUITT, ALAMO HEIGHTS POLICE DEPT.: Officer Carter instructed Robert Redus 14 times to place his hands behind his back and informed him three time he was under arrest and to stop resisting 56 times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Redus was shot five times after the officer claimed the 23- year-old raised his arms as if he was going to throw another punch. Here's the thing. There is no dash cam video of this shooting because the camera mount on the patrol car was broken. Officer Carter is now currently on administrative leave.

And happening this moment here, a tough sell on Iran. Secretary of State John Kerry on Capitol Hill. Live pictures of the secretary of state defending the interim deal on Iran's nuclear program. Skepticism coming not just from Republicans here but also Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ELIOT ENGEL (D), NEW YORK: That Iran remains the top state sponsor of terrorism in the world, continues to support Hezbollah and the brutal Assad regime in Syria, continues to engage in systematic violations of human rights, continues its efforts to destabilize a number of Persian Gulf states and continues to imprison innocent Americans. All of this under the so-called moderate Rouhani government.

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: I hope you'll leave here today with a sense of confidence that we know what we're doing. Our eyes are open. We have no illusions. It's a tough road. I don't come here with any guarantees whatsoever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So Kerry says he has no illusions about Iran, but he says this interim nuclear deal will force Tehran to prove it's not cheating. And Secretary Kerry restated that Iran will not, I repeat, will not acquire a nuclear weapon, period. Jim Sciutto with me now from Washington.

And so, Jim, our chief national security correspondent, let me just ask you this, in terms of a challenge for the secretary, how big of a challenge is this for him?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It's a big challenge. You just heard the secretary there talk about the members of Congress leaving with a sense of confidence. That's what's lacking here. They have no confidence that the Iranian side will live up to their commitments in the deal. They make the argument, the only way to make that happen is keep their feet to the fire, in effect, by adding even more sanctions than there are today. And as you say, they're getting that from both the Republican and the Democrat side.

It's interesting, actually, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ed Royce, even invoked the name of Nelson Mandela to make his case, citing the success of economic sanctions in ending apartheid in South Africa, as he made his case for adding sanctions here to Iran. Now, of course, the administration's point of view is, listen, we already have stiff sanctions in place. This deal has only relaxed them very modestly. And if you impose new sanctions now, that's really going to destroy the diplomatic path.

And, you know, they've been making that same argument for two weeks, Secretary Kerry and the administration. It's fallen on deaf ears so far. I don't know how many people they're going to convince up on The Hill today.

BALDWIN: So then in terms of convincing, how reluctant will Congress be to actually trust Iran?

SCIUTTO: Extremely reluctant. That's the problem. Now they say that, listen, if they impose new sanctions, they wouldn't come into effect for six months. The trouble is, this interim deal that the U.S. and the European powers signed with Iran said, we will impose no sanctions for the life of this deal. This would in effect break that commitment from the American and the European side.

The administration will say, this doesn't only damage our credibility with the Iranians, the administration keeps making the point it damages our credibility with our European partners who we brought to the table with this deal. You're going to hear Secretary Kerry making that point again today. You know, we'll see if that's enough to convince the members of the House. And there's already a legislative effort underway in the Senate to bring new sanctions to the floor as well. So they're getting it from both sides.

BALDWIN: We know you're keeping a close eye on it. We saw those live pictures of Secretary Kerry testifying there as this committee hearing is underway there in Washington.

Jim Sciutto, thank you very much.

SCIUTTO: Thank you.

BALDWIN: And coming up - coming up here, a family, including four young children, they go out to play in the snow but have yet to return. And now a massive search is on in the brutal, brutal cold.

Plus, this Saturday, on the first anniversary of the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, a Republican congressman decides to hold an event involving guns and kids. You'll hear those details.

And during the biggest gathering of world leaders in decades, this moment right here has everybody talking today. Find out how this handshake between Raul Castro and President Obama is playing back here at home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Right now, in a remote part of Nevada, where the daytime temperature has just dipped to 6 degrees below zero, a desperate search is underway. James Glanton and Christina McIntee disappeared Sunday, and along with them Glanton's two children and McIntee's young niece and nephew. The ages of these children, between 10 and three years of age. Investigators say the six of them went out to just play in the snow and they haven't been seen since.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF RICHARD MACHADO, PERSHING COUNTY, NEVADA, SHERIFF'S OFFICE: The temperatures out here are very cold. And we'd like to bring a successful end to this. We'd like to find them just as soon as we can.

JOAN WEAGANT, VOLUNTEER, FAMILY FRIEND: We just got to find them. We've known them forever, you know, and those are little tiny kids. They can't be out there. None of them can be out there in the cold like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: With us now, our own Amy La Porte, who has done some serious back country climbing, skiing in Tahoe, not very far from this area that we're talking about, Amy.

AMY LA PORTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, it's not.

BALDWIN: So - and also your dad is an expert in cold-climate survival. LA PORTE: Yes.

BALDWIN: You learned a lot from him. So talk to me about this family's best chance of survival out there. What is the terrain like?

LA PORTE: Well, right now, it's really cold. This is a really remote, isolated area. I think it's really important to remember that there's not a lot of cell phone reception. So their chances of running into anyone, really slim. Hunters do frequent this area, but not at this time of year. It's just - it's just too cold for them. And there really is only -- that road you're seeing right now is the only road in and out. The rest are ATV tracks.

BALDWIN: Wow.

LA PORTE: So if they found themselves bogged somewhere, you know, their best bet is to just stay still.

BALDWIN: Stay still as in, if they are in their car -

LA PORTE: Right.

BALDWIN: Bundle up all six of them in this car together. Is that their best chance of surviving just the sheer cold?

LA PORTE: Best case scenario, they're with their car. That's what we're really hoping for. If they are in their car, obviously resist the temptation to go out and find help. Stay where you are. Don't leave your vehicle. Run the car for short periods of time infrequently. Obviously, you don't want to run out of gas. You've got to conserve the warmth in that car. You've got to do that by covering the windows, because a lot of the heat that you're producing in the car is going to be going straight out the window. Contrary to logic, sometimes it's a good idea to actually remove your own clothes and put them on the window to kind of insulate yourself inside the car.

Make sure, of course, we know that there are search teams out there looking for them right now. You know, in the sky we've got helicopters, we've got planes. So put something visible, a colorful item of clothing on top of the car, hang it from the side of the car, preferably blue. That really stands out in the snow.

Not so great is if they're away from their car. If you find yourself trapped away from your car, stranded somewhere, obviously lighting a fire is a great idea. But obviously we don't know what supplies they had. We don't know if they had matches. So building a snow cave. Actually, the snow is the best way to insulate yourself against the cold. So if they can do that, that's great. Unfortunately, I had a look at the snow. It doesn't really look deep enough for them. In any situation, they want to stay hydrated. Resist the temptation to just eat the snow. You've got to melt it first. If you don't have a fire, strap it to -- put it in a canister and actually strap it to your body so your body will do a slow melt.

BALDWIN: Yes, I'm thinking of that car and it's got to be covered in snow. So hopefully they have some kind of, you know, signal, some kind of bright article of clothing that they can place out there -

LA PORTE: Yes, that's what we're hoping for.

BALDWIN: Because we know people are out there and they're looking for them.

LA PORTE: Yes, they are.

BALDWIN: Amy La Porte, thank you very much.

Coming up, President Obama delivers a moving speech at the memorial for Nelson Mandela, but it's this moment that has many people talking. What does the president's handshake with Raul Castro mean for U.S.- Cuba relations going forward, if anything? We'll talk about that.

Also, the woman accused of shoving her husband off a cliff all of eight days after they said their I dos, her trial is just getting underway. The bride admits to pushing her husband to his death. She calls it self-defense. His friends, though, say something very different. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Saturday marks the one-year anniversary since that tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. But now it is also when a congressman will host an event involving guns and kids. Yep, Florida Republican Ted Yoho says he will focus on gun safety and responsible ownership and the event will teach kids the basics. This is a family affair, according to this invite. Yoho says his thoughts are with the grieving families of Newtown, and he absolutely says he did not choose the date to purposely coincide with that first anniversary.

Was it murder, was it a tragic accident? Day two here of this newlywed murder trial for Jordan Linn Graham now underway in this Montana courtroom. This is the story. This bride is accused of pushing her husband of all of eight days over this cliff in Glacier National Park. She says it was an accident that happened after she tried to defend herself during some kind of argument, but friends of 25-year-old Cody Johnson paint a much different picture. Prosecutors say Graham desperately wanted out of her new marriage and lied about what really happened. And so now this jury of eight men and six women must decide if Graham is telling the truth.

So let's talk about this with HLN host Jane Velez-Mitchell.

Great to see you in person.

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HLN HOST: Great to see you, Brooke. Yes.

BALDWIN: Let's begin with just mapping out both sides. So let's start with the defense. They say that this is this frightened newlywed, right, who just maybe wasn't happy.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. They were having an argument in a very bad place to have an argument.

BALDWIN: Just happened to be by a cliff.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: A cliff. A cliff with a 200-foot drop. And she says, well, you know, they were arguing and he grabs her arm and instinctively, because they're on a cliff, she goes, oh, pushes his arm off. In one sweeping motion, pushes him off -

BALDWIN: He goes over.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And it's a total accident, self-defense/accident. The prosecution says, no way. That they have many, many texts that she was very, very unhappy about her marriage, that she was deeply depressed, she was crying. She said, "I'd rather be dead." And so they say she gets him to this cliff and then, boop (ph), intentionally pushes him face first to his death.

Now, it's a tough case because there are no witnesses. But the most incriminating evidence against her, her own actions after this. She denies being there. She tells friends and the cops, oh, some buddies from out of town --

BALDWIN: She's setting up this alibi. This is what prosecutors --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: yes, picked my husband up and they take off with him. They went for a drive. I have no idea where he is. She's sending -

BALDWIN: How does the defense counter that?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, they say, and this is a quote, that she was a scared little rabbit, a naive woman who was afraid that if she told the truth, nobody would believe her.

BALDWIN: OK.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: She wouldn't be able to get her story out.

BALDWIN: OK.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But, I mean, this is quite a cover-up that she constructed and ultimately she did lead authorities to the body, but she said, well, I figured he might be here because he always wanted to visit this spot.

BALDWIN: What about the FBI interrogation? Because I read about that and I read, a, that they were rolling on, what, the first 80 or 90 minutes of the interrogation and the defense is saying, hey, you were asking leading questions.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, the defense -

BALDWIN: Validity?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Actually wanted the whole trial thrown out because of the way that this FBI interrogator questioned and grilled this young woman. And essentially what they did was they talked to her for a long time without pressing play, even though they had the recording equipment right there according to the defense. And then, according to the defense, they massaged her, twisted her, manipulated her, and then she says some incriminating things that they get on tape.

Now, ultimately, she told the FBI that she could have walked away, but she was so angry she pushed him. And that's what they're hanging their hat on. And, unfortunately, the way they did it for the prosecution will present some problems.

BALDWIN: OK. Jane Velez-Mitchell, quite a different tale of two sides of this case. We'll follow it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: The lesson, if you're going to have an argument -

BALDWIN: Don't do it near a cliff.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Do not do it at the edge of a cliff.

BALDWIN: JVM, thank you very much. We're watching every night on HLN.

Let me move on. You have heard of hoarders. These are people who obsessively collect things. But here's a story. One woman recorded every single second in television news since 1975. And I will talk to her son about what they're doing now with this footage, right?

Plus, I'll show you the fascinating moments from today's Nelson Mandela memorial, including the meeting of these two famous families and President Obama's handshake seen around the world.

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