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Snowstorm Moves East; Looking Back at Paul Harvey's Life; Forced Rooomates?

Aired March 01, 2009 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITIFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: This is not what Southerners are used to. A heavy snowfall blanketing the ground from Memphis to Atlanta. And those of you in the Northeast, well get ready. You're about to get a pounding as well.

And a developing story off the coast of Florida. The search for four boaters. We're told two of the missing are NFL players.

And three women, three continents, hoping to change lives worldwide. Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

All right, fair warning. Our weather team told us that March is coming in like a lion. Just look at the radar right there, a big snow dumping starting in the South today. But winter storm warnings stretch all the way up to New England where 15 inches of snow is predicted. And not at all what you are used to seeing right here in middle Tennessee. Getting up to 10 inches of snow, bringing traffic to a standstill along Interstate 40 outside Jackson.

Both a mess and a blast. I-reporter George Brown snapped this photo of his 2 1/2-year-old son playing in the snow in Memphis. CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is getting a firsthand look at the storm. And I know, Jacqui you were so excited about this day. And yes, I know, you want me to eat crow because I said no way we're going to see this kind of snowfall in Atlanta particularly. So today you got to pull out your snow boots, good for you.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm waiting for my apology, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: I'm so sorry I doubted you. But I am a believer now.

JERAS: Oh good, I'm so glad, you won't question me again then, hopefully.

WHITFIELD: Never again.

JERAS: Can I tell you how beautiful this is?

WHITFIELD: It is beautiful.

JERAS: There are huge, big, fat flakes coming down. It took a couple of hours to start getting the accumulation, but that's been happening. You can see it's mostly on elevated surfaces. Most of the roadways are doing OK unless they are bridges or overpasses. But look at all this snow. We've got well over an inch of snow on the ground already. And this is the good packing snow. It's almost a little too hard because it's still really, really wet. But you could make a snowball, which I'd throw at you if you came out here.

WHITFIELD: Hey now, wait a minute.

JERAS: Just saying. It wouldn't hurt.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, right.

(CROSSTALK)

JERAS: But it is slick on some of the roadways. You know, and they are certainly wet. And people need to take a lot of precautions. I already saw a big accident on the I-75/I-85 connector into Atlanta on my way into work this morning. And as temperatures continue to plummet, everything is going to be icing up. Again, especially on the elevated surfaces.

Go ahead and take a look at the radar and show you where the storm is. You know, the heaviest of snow is in parts of Alabama and Georgia. We'll zoom in and show you right where that is, especially on the west side of the ATL down towards Montgomery. There you can see it into Columbus, accumulations of maybe as much of a half an inch an hour.

And again, that's going to kind of dwindle down just a little bit because so much of it is melting because the ground temperature is so very warm. All right, the snow is going to be sticking around through the evening hours. But as we head into later tonight, we'll watch it move into the Carolinas, places like Columbia. Charlotte could be seeing four to eight inches of snowfall.

All right, let's go ahead and so you what we're expecting now with those temperatures tonight. Yeah, 23 in Atlanta, 21 in Nashville. So even though we're getting a lot of melting now, watch the ice and maybe even black ice late tonight.

So once that sun goes down, we'll start to see those troubles. And then the commute tomorrow morning could be problematic because of it as well.

The northeast, we're just seeing a little bit of moisture pulling into there now. But the big show doesn't take place until late tonight. After midnight, and then through the day tomorrow. This is our computer model forecast showing you the accumulated snowfall in the next 48 hours. Everywhere you see that dark purple band, that's the potential for well over eight inches of snow. In fact, maybe even up to a foot. We're talking New York City, Hartford, Boston, expecting anywhere between eight and 15 inches of snowfall. Philly will see a little bit less. Head down to D.C., and we're looking at probably more like four to seven inches of snowfall. But a little heavier east of I-95.

If you have travel plans, Fredricka, today in the south.

WHITFIELD: Cancel them.

JERAS: You've got problems. Tomorrow in the Northeast, it is very, very likely that your flight will be delayed, if not canceled. In fact, our very own Rob Marciano is having trouble getting back from Miami. He can't get to Atlanta, he can't get to New York. So you might see me tomorrow morning.

WHITFIELD: Yes, of all places to be stuck. Not a bad place to be stuck.

JERAS: This is true, 80s is not bad.

WHITFIELD: OK, well to make up for me doubting you, Jacqui, I'll come out and we'll play in the snow and hey, we'll make little snow angels or something. How about that?

JERAS: I'm in.

WHITFIELD: OK, no snowballs, though.

All right, thanks a lot, Jacqui, appreciate it.

Well the storm certainly has already dumped up to six inches of snow as you heard from Jacqui in parts of Arkansas and Tennessee. Traffic on Interstate 40 was a mess. Julie Oaks is public information officer for the Tennessee Department of Transportation joining us right now by phone from Nashville. I know, Julie, folks in Tennessee see snow every now and then. But give me an idea what this commute has been like on this Sunday.

JULIE OAKS, PIO, TENNESSEE DOT (on phone): It has been a very interesting commute, particularly in western Tennessee, to say the least overnight and this morning. Yes, we are used to getting snow every now and then. However, talking with our regional maintenance director, which is Hazel Rig (ph) overnight, he has worked for the state for a number of years and said he's never seen snow like this in west Tennessee before, so it's been a real challenge for our crews.

WHITFIELD: OK so it also means, yes, there are going to be a few fender benders because if you're not used to driving in this kind of weather, it's likely to happen. But tell me about the perhaps salt or dirt. What are you -- or shoveling -- what do you have in terms of equipment? What are you prepared to do to clear up the roads?

OAKS: We have had somewhere around 260 people out all night just in west Tennessee working to salt and plow the roadways. We've had particularly difficult time on I-40 in west Tennessee, right around the 41 mile marker, which is Haywood County, Brownsville. We have, I think at some point, close to 45 cars and a few semi trailers off in the median and on the shoulder. That makes it difficult for our crews to get through there and actually get the roads salted and cleared. Fortunately, that area is open. It's still very slow going through there. But we have gotten that section of road. All of our interstates are now open which we're very happy about.

WHITFIELD: Oh, well that's good news. Julie Oaks with the Tennessee Department of Transportation, thanks so much and all the best on what sounds to be like a pretty nasty day weather wise for you as well.

All right, well as you might expect, CNN i-Reporters are closely following the storm's progress. So take a look at what Mark Roberts captured here. He took these photos this morning. He lives in Homewood, Alabama. Not too far from Birmingham. He says it started snowing in his neighborhood around 3:00 this morning. And, wow, he got some pretty nice images there.

And CNN i-Reporter Kirsten Cox sends us these pictures from Caledonia, Mississippi. Isn't that pretty, the snow on those trees? She says she woke up to six -- or at 6:00 this morning to this beautiful sight to find about a half inch of snow on the ground. She says two hours later, however it was still snowing. Cox says they passed on going to church this morning because they simply don't trust the other drivers on the roads.

So snow today in Alabama. Just yesterday it was wind. Poor Alabama getting hit hard two days in a row. Three possible tornadoes were reported in east central Alabama. Trees were downed. A church destroyed and a school and several homes were damaged. And an 18- wheeler truck simply flipped over. But remarkably enough, there were no reports of any injuries.

Jacqui of course is joining us again at the bottom of the hour to bring us the latest on the weather conditions as this storm tracks the entire East Coast apparently. We'll continue to monitor the storm. Also, 2:30 Eastern, parts of Georgia in whiteout conditions. As you saw Jacqui there, ready to play in the snow. A big challenge for the Georgia Department of Transportation. We'll find out what's happening or perhaps not happening on the roads here.

We're also following this developing story off the coast of Florida. The Coast Guard is searching the Gulf of Mexico for four missing boaters who did not return from a fishing trip yesterday. According to CNN affiliate WFTS, two of the missing boaters are pro football players who started their careers with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Oakland Raiders linebacker Victor Marquis Cooper and Detroit Lions defensive end Corey Smith are believed to be among the passengers who are still missing. We will, of course, bring you details as they come in.

To international news right now, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has kicked off a week-long tour of the Middle East. Her plane landed in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh just a short time ago. And tomorrow, Clinton plans to attend an international donors conference on rebuilding Gaza. She's expected to announce a pledge of up to $900 million. Clinton also plans to hold talks with Palestinian and Israeli leaders in the West Bank.

Meantime, in Israel, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert threatens a painful, strong response if Palestinian militants don't stop rocket attacks against Israel. Gaza militants fired nine rockets into southern Israel this weekend. One slammed into an empty school. There were no injuries. Israel says more than 110 rockets have been fired into the country since Israel ended its Gaza offensive six weeks ago.

In Iraq, civilian deaths have risen sharply. The Iraqi interior ministry says at least 211 civilians were killed last month. That's up from 138 in January. A low since the U.S. invasion, 16 U.S. troops were killed last month, the same as in January.

All right, some 9,000 conservatives gathering in Washington this week trying to figure out a way out of the political wilderness. It was the Conservative Political Action Conference. That's what they called it, CPAC, the nation's largest annual gathering of conservative activists taking place in Washington. And for a third year in the row, this guy right here, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, won the CPAC straw poll as their favorite potential presidential candidate. But the main event actually was Rush Limbaugh's fiery speech yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Ronald Reagan used to speak of a shining city on a hall. Barack Obama portrays America as a soup kitchen and some dark night in a corner of America that's very obscure. President Obama is so busy trying to foment and create anger in a created atmosphere of crisis. He is so busy fueling the emotions of class envy that he has forgotten it's not his money he's spending. President Obama, your agenda is not new. It's not change and it's not hope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Limbaugh also dismissed calls for bipartisanship saying it means Democrats want Republicans to sacrifice their core principles. Democratic consultant Edward Espinoza says elected officials need to move beyond that attitude in this time of national crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDWARD ESPINOZA, DEMOCRATIC CONSULTANT: The whole idea of bipartisanship doesn't have to do with Democrat or Republican. It has to do with leaders doing their job to pull this country out of the troubled waters that we're in right now. And it's not about bipartisanship or Democrat or Republican. It's about leadership. And we need to stop the gamesmanship and move forward and that starts with the Republican leaders we've got in Congress right now, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner working to implement this plan that we've just passed to stimulate the economy and get things rolling again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, tough times in politics. Tough times for the economy and tough times for families which brings me to this. For most couples, this is unthinkable. Getting divorced, but still living together in the same house. Blame the bad economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My husband lives in the guest room and he comes home on Wednesday nights early to have dinner with the kids. And the other nights, he comes home late to give me my space. So it's not perfect, it's been difficult.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: For decades if you wanted to know the rest of the story, there was one man you could count on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL HARVEY, DECEASED: Hello Americans, this is Paul Harvey. Stand by for news.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, Paul Harvey's voice has now been silenced. He has died. We'll look back at the pioneer broadcaster's life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Radio legend Paul Harvey had an unmistakable voice, a quirky style and used some pretty dramatic pauses. And he always managed to tell the rest of the story. Yesterday, his voice was silenced. He died at the age of 90 surrounded by family in Arizona. CNN's Brooke Anderson has a look at his life and legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARVEY: Hello, Americans. This is Paul Harvey. Stand by for news.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Paul Harvey's distinctive sound and delivery style made him a broadcasting icon.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Americans like the sound of his voice. His friend Danny Thomas once said to him, "You'd better be right, because you sound like God."

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: He had one of the most listened to voices in radio history. His news and views aired on some 1,200 radio stations across America. It was a career that started at an early age.

HARVEY: Since I was 14, that voice has been my vocation, my avocation.

ANDERSON: Suburban Chicago was Harvey's home base for most of his professional life. The Windy City honored him with his own street in 1988.

But Paul Harvey Aurandt grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His father, a Tulsa police officer, was killed by gunman firing from a car when Harvey was a toddler. Harvey entered radio at the suggestion of a teacher in 1933. It was the start of a lifelong love affair with broadcasting.

Another lifelong love, wife Angel. He was so smitten with Lynne "Angel" Cooper on their first date, he proposed.

HARVEY: And now, with your indulgence, the rest of the story.

ANDERSON: Despite vocal cord problems in his early '80s, which temporarily sidelined his talents, the Peabody winner loved working -- loved it so much that in 2000, he inked an ambitious 10-year deal with ABC Radio Network for $100 million. ABC had been home for the conservative commentator for more than half a century.

HARVEY: It's not the fame, not the money, maybe a comment, kind and sunny. The heart and warm approval of a friend, that's what gives to life its savor and makes one stronger and braver and gives one's heart and spirit to the end.

ANDERSON: Fans say Harvey's golden voice echoed the virtues of small town America.

HARVEY: Paul Harvey -- good day.

ANDERSON: Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: We'd like you to share your memories of Paul Harvey with us. Just click on to CNN.com and hit i-Report and tell us your story.

All right, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's top staff is coming under fire today for reportedly traveling on the taxpayers' dime. The governor has been quite vocal about the budget crisis that the state is wrestling with. He even banned nonessential travel. But a new report in the "Los Angeles Times" says high-ranking members of Schwarzenegger's team have racked up tens of thousands of dollars for airfare, hotel and meals. Schwarzenegger's office says those expense reports will be reviewed.

The end of a marriage is certainly never pleasant. But in this recession with housing sales down, job worries and money tight, some divorcing couples are actually staying together. Not reuniting, but essentially becoming uncomfortable roommates, sharing the house that they simply cannot sell. Our Christine Romans reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Breaking up is hard to do. Just ask Sallie Frederick. She's getting a divorce, but she and her husband of 15 years still live together, and not because they want to.

SALLIE FREDERICK, DIVORCE IMPACTED BY ECONOMY: My husband lives in the guest room. And he comes home on Wednesday nights early to have dinner with the kids. And the other nights he comes home late to give me my space. So it's -- it's not perfect. It's been difficult. ROMANS: While her husband didn't want to appear on camera, she describes the divorce as an already painful personal experience made more difficult by the recession.

FREDERICK: I really depend on my friends and family for emotional support. And I don't - I can't talk on the phone. I don't have privacy. My computer's in the kitchen, so I don't write things on the computer that I don't want someone looking over my shoulder and seeing.

ROMANS: Celebrity divorce attorney Raoul Felder says they Fredericks made the right choice.

RAOUL FELDER, MATRIMONIAL ATTORNEY: As far as the house is concerned, it's very sticky. People have to decide how much they hate each other, because if they can still live with each other, and the house or apartment is big enough, they ought stay together and wait for a rising market.

ROMANS: Add divorce to the list of casualties of the rising recession. The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers says 37 percent of attorneys polled reported fewer divorces in a bad economy.

GABRIELLE CLEMENS, DIVORCE FINANCIAL PLANNER: Now, things have gotten so bad that because they can't sell their houses, because their assets are down so much and because their debt is so high, they can't afford to get divorced. Now we've reached the next level of they can't even afford to break up if they wanted to.

ROMANS: As for Sallie Frederick she says after legal bills for two divorce attorneys, the couple switched to a less expensive mediator. She hopes the divorce is complete next month, but the couple plans to remain under the same roof.

FREDERICK: Right now there are 20 houses on the market in town that are in our price range, and there are no buyers. So my broker has pretty much prepared me that the house is going to sit for quite a while.

ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well imagine rowing 10 hours a day for 60 days. We'll tell you about a 3,000-mile journey that one man is doing in the spirit of his mom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Usually it's around the holidays that we're talking about Butterball turkeys. Well this time, it's pretty untimely for them. Butterball is shrinking its labor force. The country's largest producer of turkey products is cutting about 150 jobs from its plant in Huntsville, Arkansas. Butterball says many of the layoffs will be made through attrition with minimal impact to its full-time staff. The company says the recession and high energy and grain costs have increased their operating expenses and contributed to this latest decision.

All right, President Barack Obama's rise to the oval office is inspiring so many people. Among them, young African-Americans who are eager to make their own impact on history. Our Kara Finnstrom introduces us to one of these leaders of tomorrow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LATISHA CAMPBELL, AGENT OF CHANGE: I am tired of seeing you going through life and something happened and they go down the wrong road and nobody is stepping in to stop it. So I want to be that person.

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Latisha Campbell is just 19.

CAMPBELL: I first heard Barack Obama speak in 2004.

FINNSTROM: But already, she feels the weight of helping change history.

CAMPBELL: I remember it so clearly. I was visiting family in Chicago.

FINNSTROM: Campbell is part of what analysts call one of the greatest political mobilizations of American youth. The freshman at Yale University organized phone banks for the Obama campaign and helped drive voters to polls. She says her father, a reverend from Michigan, and mother, a community volunteer, inspired her activism.

CAMPBELL: What the Constitution promises us all as American citizens. All we want is life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And so I think it's all about making sure America comes through on that for everybody. For the least of these, for the forgotten, for the oppressed.

TAVIS SMILEY, TALK SHOW HOST: When young people get this excited and this enthused and this energized about something, you don't want to see that go to waste.

FINNSTROM: This weekend, TV host Tavis Smiley is holding his 10th annual state of the black union event which seeks solutions for economic and social disparity. This year, in a testament to the power of Campbell's generation, the whole thing got kicked off for the first time with a youth event.

SMILEY: The biggest challenge is apathy. You aren't stuck on stupid. They aren't lazy. They know the government is dysfunctional. They know the government doesn't do what it's going to do. My hope is in this Obama era, these young people are starting to see something different.

CAMPBELL: I think my generation is tired of the stereotype of us being apathetic and not caring and ignorant. I think we've always had this in us but finally people are starting to listen. FINNSTROM: Listening to a generation whose voices have unprecedented reach through social networking Web sites like Facebook. Campbell says her activism won' end with President Obama's election. Her passion? Improving public education.

SMILEY: We all need to invest in children and do it now.

FINNSTROM: Campbell's accomplishments and that drive make her no ordinary undergrad. The question, whether the larger youth movement can sustain its energy beyond one extraordinary presidential campaign. Kara Finnstrom for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And of course, we'll have the latest on weather conditions. That's the top story today throughout the southeast and then as well in the Northeast. You are looking at a live picture right now from Atlanta. I know, this is not something you are used to seeing. But get used to it today.

And then later, two women who were doing their part in the fight against poverty with a powerful noise.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, here's what's happening right now. Slow going in the Southeast, where a snowstorm is causing huge travel headaches. This is interstate 40 outside Jackson, Tennessee. There are winter storm warnings all the way up to New England, where snowfall could top 15 inches in some parts.

Well, it's been snowing here in Atlanta, as well, for several hours now. And David Spear of the Georgia Department of Transportation is joining us by phone because, David, you and I both know well that people in Georgia are not particularly used to driving in the snow. We know that a lot of accidents could result. So give me an idea what you're seeing right now, at least in the Atlanta metro area because that's kind of where most of the heaviest traffic would be. What are we seeing on the roads in terms of accumulation, accidents and snow plows or even salt?

DAVID SPEAR, GEORGIA DEPT. OF TRANSPORTATION: Well, we do have some crews out, Fredricka, as you noted. People end to get a little animated around here at the sight of snow, so...

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Animated. I like that.

SPEAR: It's fun. We've got some slushy conditions. There was actually a little accumulation to our southwest around LaGrange and Columbus, Georgia, but primarily, the issue is slush, certainly here in the metro area and north of here. Our concern is going to be, as we move into the evening hours and the temperature drops, that that slush becomes ice, and then we have a real situation in our morning commute tomorrow. WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. And our Jacqui Jeras reported earlier -- and she's going to join us again -- that as the temperatures drop, we are going to be possibly enduring some kind of black ice situations. You know, earlier, we spoke with the Tennessee Department of Transportation. They talked about 200 trucks of salt and plow machinery out on the roadways. But part of their obstacle was the drivers who are not used to the snow pulled off into the median, so that makes it difficult for the trucks. How about here? Are you seeing a similar situation?

SPEAR: Well, we haven't gotten the levels of snowfall or ice that perhaps Tennessee has. We've got trucks out, roughly about 200, as well, about 1,000 people. Our issue primarily is going to be people who are unfamiliar with those trucks, they try to pass them. By definition, the area ahead of those trucks hasn't been treated, so it's not a wise idea to try and get in front of them.

And then the black ice, which is very difficult. It's difficult to spot until you're on it. And by then, it's often too late. So we're just asking people to, A, stay home, if they can, and B, if they have to go out, be very slow and extremely cautious.

WHITFIELD: Right. And don't be so animated, as you put it...

SPEAR: Exactly.

(CROSSTALK)

SPEAR: Don't be animated. Stay home.

WHITFIELD: Stay home. All right, David Spear of the Georgia Department of Transportation, thanks so much. Appreciate it. And good luck throughout the day and the next 24 hours.

As a matter of fact, CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras got a firsthand look at the snowstorm. She's still out there. You are such a snow bunny!

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I know.

WHITFIELD: You love being out there.

JERAS: I do! It's awesome. Can I tell you how beautiful it is, Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: It is beautiful.

JERAS: If you look up, it's just amazing because there are big, fat, huge snowflakes, and you know, just something you don't get very often in the Atlanta area, especially this much of it.

Now, you know, accumulation is kind of difficult to be able to tell how much we've had. And if you take a look at this table over here, you'll kind of see it. You know, we've gotten maybe about an inch-and-a-half of snow on the table. But if you look at the bottom layer of it, it's so slushy and so much of it has melted on contact, so it's going to be tough to tell just how much. It's a pretty wet snow to make snowballs or snowmen. But if you're desperate, I think you could definitely take care of that. And I can attest to our earlier report about the road conditions that they're very slushy.

And my funny story for the day is, as I was driving in to work, everybody was driving along, you know, 60-ish, around the speed limit, and then all of a sudden, everybody slows down because one car was driving, like, 40. And I'm laughing because it was an Iowa license plate.

(LAUGHTER)

JERAS: I'll tell you, from living there, we know how to drive in the snow!

But anyway, let's go ahead and show you some of the snowfall totals that we've had here from the past 24 hours across the deep South. Germantown, that's a suburb of the Memphis area, 5.3 inches. Beauregard, Alabama, four inches. Columbus, Mississippi, three. Three in Memphis. That's a record for you. And one in Huntsville, and I haven't seen any numbers yet from the National Weather Service in Atlanta.

There you can see those heavy accumulations, especially from the Atlanta metro on the southwest side of town down towards Columbus. That's where the heavier bands are going to be over the next couple of hours. We'll watch the snow push, then, into the Carolinas this evening. And then overnight, as we show you the wider view of that, we're expecting anywhere between 4 and 8 inches of snow in Charlotte. That's a big deal for you folks. And then the system moves into the mid-Atlantic and the Northeastern states.

Now, if you're trying to travel, boy, you are going to see a lot of problems on the roadways because, like we were talking, that slush is going to be turning to ice. Look at your overnight temperature in Atlanta, in Nashville, down into the upper teens to lower 20s. So bridges and overpasses, in particular, are going to be very problematic. And if the roads have not been treated, it is going to be extremely dangerous. So if you have to go out, use a lot of caution tonight and tomorrow.

If you're traveling by air, a ground stop in effect. That means you can't get into Atlanta right now until 2:45. We've got delays already in Boston, in Newark. San Francisco, low clouds and fog, over an hour there. And Houston has some minor delays.

But if you're going to try and travel in the Northeast tomorrow, expect cancellations and expect major delays. Not much happening in that neighborhood now, but we're expecting the heavy snow to pick up overnight tonight and into tomorrow, and the forecast accumulations are going to be over a foot for some people. The worst of it, we think, will be in the corridor from Jersey on through Long Island, into Hartford and Boston. You're maybe looking at probably 4 to 8 inches of snow in the interior. But New York City itself, we think, could see as much as 8 to 14 inches overall.

So this is just getting started in the South. The people in the Northeast are laughing at us...

(CROSSTALK)

JERAS: ... for two inches of snow, but they're going to have a hard time with as much as they're going to be getting tomorrow, as well. And you asked about schools yesterday, by the way, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

JERAS: Potential delays, I think, here, across parts of the South tomorrow morning. But in the Northeast, I think there are going to be lots of kids having a good snow day.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I mean, it really can be a very potentially dangerous situation. Uncomfortable, but it's, oh, so fun, too. Have you had your Charlie Brown moment, you know, sticking the tongue out and catching the flakes that way?

JERAS: I didn't stick my tongue out, but I did kind of one of these.

WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. That's cut. That's cute. All right, well, when the camera's off, you can do the Charlie Brown thing.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Jacqui. Appreciate it. We'll check back with you.

All right, more snow, snow and snow. Residents are pretty wary, however, and the snow is certainly coming down heavy in many areas of Tennessee. One resident has some sage advice for drivers who are unsure about venturing out in it all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY MAYBERRY, HICKMAN COUNTY RESIDENT: You don't want to drive -- I mean, if you don't want to drive on it, don't get on it, you know what I mean? It's not safe, so...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, simple as that. With temperatures across the East Coast dipping tonight, traveling is likely to get even more treacherous, as Jacqui has been warning us. All right, the system is moving to the Northeast, as Jacqui said, and it will likely create quite the mess. We'll bring you the latest information as it develops with continuing updates throughout the day.

All right, here is a statistic that should give all of us pause. More than a billion people right now are living in absolute poverty across the globe, and 70 percent of them are women and girls.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These women are changing the world. Their stories will inspire you to join them. "A Powerful Noise" live, featuring a town hall discussion with women's advocates, Christy Turlington Burns, Nicholas Kristof, Dr. Helene Gayle and more, a powerful one-night event live in movie theaters March 5th.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, pretty powerful line-up. We've got a pretty powerful panel right here, too. Sheila Johnson and Dr. Helene Gayle -- tongue twisters here -- are two of the women behind the March 5th event, Johnson joining us from Washington and Dr. Gayle is in Chicago. Good to see both of you.

DR. HELENE GAYLE, PRES. & CEO, CARE USA: Hi.

SHEILA JOHNSON, EXEC. PRODUCER, "A POWERFUL NOISE": Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, this is an incredible prelude to the women's day, International Women's Day. It's being commemorated in so many different ways, but this is how you all have chosen to do this. So Ms. Johnson, give me an idea first. Why is this so powerful, and why do you hope this will help get people's attention?

JOHNSON: Well, I think the important thing is whenever you're dealing with the media, the best way to get anything across is visually. There are so many people that really are able to understand what a cause is about through movies, to be able to see exactly what's going on. I've very excited about this documentary. I put it together. I've been working on it for a long time. And it's been amazing, the awareness that we have been able to bring to the general public as to the problems of global poverty among women.

WHITFIELD: And so Dr. Gayle, give me an idea. We're talking about three women who were profiled in this documentary, three different continents but one common goal, and that's to end poverty. And as we mentioned, you know, I guess the women and children reach the greatest depths of poverty worldwide. But this is unique because it's not just the unveiling of this documentary, but you're going to have some live dialogue following the documentary. Explain how this is going to happen.

GAYLE: Well, this is an incredible event because working along with our partners, one, and the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, and NCM Fathom, it's the production company that's putting this on, we're going to be able to broadcast this film, that talks about these incredible women and their lives and how they overcame obstacles -- we're going to be able to broadcast this in 450-plus theaters around the United States and have this panel discussion afterwards that will include people like, as you mentioned, Nicholas Kristof, Christy Turlington Burns, former secretary of state Madeleine Albright, actress Natalie Portman and myself to then discuss this issue of why it's so important to invest in girls and women as a way of bringing about change and long-lasting change for communities, ending poverty and also what people can do because we want this movie to be able to activate people and recognize that there's something that all of us can do to have an impact on the poorest of the poor around the world. WHITFIELD: OK. And you know, Ms. Johnson, you know, people know you from being a leader at BET. And maybe what a lot of people don't know is that you have extensive philanthropic efforts to particularly reach out to young women in this country and around the world. And it would see that a common goal would be for everyone to end poverty around the world. But why is it this is one that still needs this kind of campaign to get everyone on board?

JOHNSON: I think it's important. If anyone can get anything away from this movie and especially the focus on the work that I've been doing with Dr. Gayle and CARE is that it doesn't take a lot to be able to reach out to change the lives of a lot of these young women and older women alike.

I think that through the film, "A Powerful Noise," you're going to see three women. They're three ordinary women who've been able to take the problems within their communities and solve them. It's nothing extraordinary, you know, by what they are doing, but what they have done is they've been able to reach out and become innovative in the way they can solve problems within their communities.

And I would like to have every one of our viewers to be able to watch this film and say, You know, I can go back and change my community. Not only in this country, but they can do it all over the world. So I mean, there's a common denominator here.

WHITFIELD: OK. And again, it's March 5th, right, Dr. Gayle, that this will be in theaters across the country?

GAYLE: Right. And if people go to Apowerfulnoise.org, they can see what theaters it's playing in in their own neighborhood. Bring friends. Come out. Watch the movie. But also stay for the panel because I think it's going to be a great opportunity to talk about these issues, and again, talk about ways that everyday people can contribute to helping make our world more peaceful, more equitable and help to eradicate extreme poverty around the world.

WHITFIELD: All right, "A Powerful Noise" is the documentary, and a powerful dialogue, too, to follow. Dr. Helene Gayle, CEO of CARE, Sheila Johnson of BET, as well, thanks so much to you ladies for joining us.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Iraqi leaders are applauding President Barack Obama's plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq by August 2010. But what do his top military officials say about the president's strategy? We'll hear from the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says he is comfortable with President Obama's plan to pull U.S. forces out of Iraq by the end of 2011. Admiral Mike Mullen was a guest on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION WITH JOHN KING" this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. MIKE MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: I'm very comfortable with the decision and strongly support the decision. And the president listened to all of us who were involved in this, General Odierno on the ground in Iraq, General Petraeus, who's responsible for the Central Command area, as well as all the Joint Chiefs, myself and Secretary Gates. And in that listening, we had a very thorough review, discussion, debate, and it was the cumulative discussion that got us to the point where we made a recommendation for the 19-month withdrawal plan, and the president accepted that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Mullen also said he thinks Iran now has enough material to make a nuclear weapon. And he warns that it will be very, very bad -- it would be a very, very bad outcome for the region and for the world if Iran did acquire a nuclear weapon. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

All right, well, perhaps you can't stand the recession. Well, get out of the kitchen. Coming up at 4:00 o'clock Eastern, we'll show you what some restaurant owners are doing to keep the customers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What am I cutting from my budget? Something sad -- I'm sad about, my -- car. I'm trying to sell it for a couple of reasons. One, I can't find a new job, so I can't afford the car payments anymore. Mr. Obama, this is where you're supposed to come in and get me a job, please.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, well, Paul Ridley is a man with a mission. On January 1st, he set out alone from the Canary Islands on a 19-foot boat, rowing nearly 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. Why? To raise $1 million for cancer research. He's currently 950 miles east of Antigua. The catalyst for this trip, Ridley lost his mother to cancer back in 2001.

I talked with Paul Ridley by phone just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, well, how are you doing? How are you feeling, and about where are you right now?

PAUL RIDLEY, ROWFORHOPE.COM, SOLOROW.BLOGSPOT.COM: Oh, I'm doing well, feeling well. I's 60 days out to sea and am just under 1,000 miles east of the Caribbean.

WHITFIELD: Well, tell me a little bit more about this expedition because you're doing this alone out at sea. It's got to be very lonely and very uncomfortable. Give me an idea what your greatest challenges have been.

RIDLEY: Yes, well, you know, everything from getting used to life at sea in a 19-foot boat, that includes five straight days of seasickness, which was not too much fun, you know, eating nothing but freeze-dried foods for a few months now, and you know, most importantly, rowing for 10 to 12 hours a day every single day.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And you trained for this quite extensively, right, I mean, something like three years, and heavy training. You put on a lot of weight because you knew that you'd be eating that astronaut food and probably losing a lot of weight with all this rowing?

RIDLEY: Yes, absolutely. I trained for almost three years, and you know, the training paid off. I can row for a really long time now. And yes, as expected, I've probably lost about 20 pounds since I've left. But you know, still holding up well and think I have the fuel to make it all the way here.

WHITFIELD: And while I mentioned it must be very lonely out there, at the same time, you kind of are keeping some dialogue going. At least you're talking with all those friends that have been reading your blog on Solorow.blogspot.com. What have you been talking about in your journey? And how does this kind of keep your head in check, your sanity in check and make up for all the time that you are spending alone rowing?

RIDLEY: Oh, yes. The blog is really a great way for me to connect to the outside world. You know, in addition to being a way for me to get my thoughts out to people, I also get all of their comments sent back to me (INAUDIBLE)

WHITFIELD: What are they saying to you?

RIDLEY: Oh, lots of encouragement, as you could expect. You know, I've got kindergarten classes following me every day and asking questions about whether I've seen sharks or not (INAUDIBLE)

WHITFIELD: And the answer? Have you?

RIDLEY: I haven't seen sharks. I think I've seen just about everything else, lots of fish, dolphins, whales, you know, all sorts of birds. You know, lots going on out here.

WHITFIELD: You're calling this Row for Hope, is the project you and your sister founded together, really in memory of your mom, who died of skin cancer back in 2001. How much are you thinking about your mom along this journey?

RIDLEY: Oh, every day, but you know, that's just like when I'm back on land. You know, one thing about this trip is that we crossed the eight-year anniversary of losing my mom back on February 5th. And you know, you're right, this is really one great, big tribute to her.

WHITFIELD: Well, that's a colossal feat, a huge tribute. And she's looking down on you and smiling, as well. All right, Paul Ridley, thanks so much. All the best to you. Incredible journey and what a colossal feat that you are carrying out. All the best to you. Stay safe, and we look forward to talking to you along the next three weeks to see how it all ends up. Paul Ridley, thanks so much.

RIDLEY: Sounds good. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And he's just 25, and he would be only the third American to actually accomplish this, if, indeed, he meets his destination. And you can check into his blog by going to Rowforhope.com.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: You know, I just talked to the rower a bit ago, Paul Ridley, about his cross-Atlantic journey. I gave you the wrong Web site. You need to check into his Solorow.blogspot.com to read his daily blogs as he continues on his cancer research fund-raising journey.

Also something to look forward to late on this evening, at 9:00 PM Eastern, "LARRY KING LIVE" will be focusing on radio legend Paul Harvey. As you know by now, he died at the age of 90, and "LARRY KING LIVE" will be focusing on him this evening.

And we'll continue to follow the weather situation sweeping the entire Southeast and Northeastern part of the country throughout the day. "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.