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The Beat that Loves to Eat; Mighty Marketing; Taming Your To-Do List; Blizzard Equals Travel Headaches; George Wallace's Christmas List; Major Storm Targets Northeast; Report: South Korea, Chinese Military Chiefs to Meet; Train Drivers on Strike
Aired December 26, 2010 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: So it's anything but a winter wonderland in the northeast today. It's actually a mess for a lot of people. The snow and icy conditions have forced some cities to declare snow emergencies, and it's also caused major disruptions for many of you trying to get home after the holidays. Take a look at these live pictures right there.
You saw TNH that means Connecticut and on the left was LaGuardia. So take a look at these flights and the cancellations. American Airlines canceling 262 flights, Continental 250 flights, Delta a whopping 850 flights from the Carolinas through the northeast. All this being - impacting the northeast and mid-Atlantic states.
Our meteorologist Bonnie Schneider with us now. This is really just the beginning.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is the beginning. We have several inches of snow on the ground, Fredricka, from Connecticut all the way to New Jersey and up into Massachusetts. But since the heaviest snow has yet to come, expect the totals to go up.
How much snow will we see? Well, let's zoom in right here. I want to show you the legends. So we're talking about 10 to 12 inches, a foot or more for any area you see here in purple. Notice D.C. is certainly well out of that. But through the north and right here through central parts of New Jersey and into Delaware, Maryland, pockets of this region could see 20 inches or more of snow. And this is all the way through Tuesday, because we're going to see some residual wrap- around effect even on Monday.
So the worst of it is coming right now. Blizzard warnings in place for New York City, for Boston, for Providence. That's where the wind will be whipping 35 miles per hour or more. Plus, we'll see visibility reduced to less than a quarter of a mile and the snow falling - all of these happening at the same time for three hours or more constitutes a blizzard, and that's what we're going to get. Notice the warnings extend all the way Coastal Maine and they are in effect straight through the evening hours for many of places up till 9:00 into the evening.
Winter weather advisories continue also for areas in the south like Richmond, Virginia and Virginia Beach, and notice - I was mentioning the wrap-around effect of the showers, so we're seeing some accumulating light snow showers in cities like Nashville and Charleston. But down in Atlanta, just a couple of flurries out there.
It's important to note, though, the temperatures are very cold down south. It doesn't matter, you know, where you are. We're seeing really cold temperatures across much of the east. So that means everything that's wet on the roads will freeze tonight so watch out for black ice. It's really a good night to stay in.
The winds are really intense. Here's a closer look at some of the brighter white snow bands and these bands will be coming in one after the - after the other. Imagine a bicycle wheel and each one is a different spoke and it's coming in one after the other. So you may get a break and then suddenly it will become just terrible out there.
The winds are fierce on the coastline at about 26 miles per hour. So we're watching for the worst of the blizzard to really take hold over the next few hours, and these rain and the snow bands rather, will be coming in at a snowfall rate of one to two inches per hour, maybe even more intense than that at times.
And here's a look at the winter weather advisories. Notice how far south they go. Huntsville, Alabama, where you saw a few inches yesterday. And it didn't really accumulate. Birmingham, we thought it might but north where it did. So we still have advisories posted for snow. It seems as far south as Charleston in South Carolina.
All right. I'm going to open up the scope here. I want to talk a little bit about travel since we're getting into that coming up. We have at least about 4,500 planes in the air despite hundreds of cancellations. Aside from everything you're hearing about the cancellations, the latest airport delays is coming to us from Philadelphia where we have a ground stop right now, so we're looking at this snow certainly impacting this area.
See all this white here on our (INAUDIBLE) format? Not only do you see all the planes in the area at this hour, but you also see the snow and how it's impacting in all the way up and down the Eastern Seaboard - Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Bonnie Schneider. We'll check back with you. Thanks so much.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
WHITFIELD: Very busy-looking map there. All right. So we are seeing a lot of travel disruptions. Despite the fact you saw in that map, it looked like a whole lot of planes in the air.
Our senior correspondent Allan Chernoff is at LaGuardia's Airport in New York. Well, they're not in the air over in New York airspace because it looks like a ground stop. It looks completely deserted behind you, in fact.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Fredricka. This is the city that never sleeps. I don't know about that tonight, because this blanket of white certainly seems to be tucking LaGuardia Airport into bed. The boards inside the departure boards and the arrival boards, it's pretty much all cancellations across the boards.
As you see, hardly anybody here at the airport. The people who are inside, well, they are bedding up for the night. They're grabbing nice, comfortable seats. A lot of them unable to find hotels in the area, unwilling to go all the way back into Manhattan where the majority of the hotels are. So it's a tough evening for some travelers.
We spoke to one woman who's trying to get home to Dallas. She had a flight that was supposed to leave at 4:20. Now her plane wouldn't be leaving until tomorrow at 12:30. But she's taking it all in stride.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE (ph): And when you're ready to go home, you're ready to go home. But, you know, there's nothing you can do about it. You know, you just be patient and stay calm and, you know, just hang in there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHERNOFF: Well, Michelle is hanging in there, and she's going to be spending the night at the airport. Hopefully, the port authority folks will be putting some cots out pretty soon so people wouldn't have to sleep in their seats where they are right now, but -
WHITFIELD: Oh, gosh.
CHERNOFF: -- Fredricka, a very, very quiet airport right now.
WHITFIELD: Yes, although, it would be so miserable to have to sleep on the floor there. But, well, it might be good, at least better if there's a cot.
All right. Thanks so much. Allan Chernoff, appreciate that.
All right. The nation's biggest metro area, New York City, could get over a foot of snow. So this really is just the beginning. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is urging travelers who are driving to be extremely careful if they have to get on the roads.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK: I understand that a lot of families need to get home after a weekend away, but please don't get on the roads unless you absolutely have to. And if you drive, exercise extreme caution. If you take your car, you may not get where you want to go. So it would just make more sense to take an extra eight, 12, 24 hours. I know it's inconvenient. Sometimes it can be expensive, but nothing is worth losing your life over this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And you heard our Bonnie Schneider, that the storm is expected to be so powerful in the New York area that the area is actually under a blizzard warning. So just south of there, no real snow, no snow at all, actually Washington, D.C., but then take a look at the boards there. Still cancellations this day after Christmas.
Our Kate Bolduan is at Reagan National Airport. So, because there's no snow, is there expectations that perhaps some of the airlines will say it will be up and running again tomorrow, Kate?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You - you would hope so, Fredricka. But as we know, it's not always what's going on here in Washington that's affecting the flights going in and out of Washington, and that's a bit of the frustration for travelers here.
It's a very similar story inside, as what Allan is talking about, very quiet here at Washington Reagan, but a very different story outside. There's no accumulation on the ground at the moment, so when you come in here, it seems that many passengers, many, many travelers, most I would say really get the early notification from the airlines about the weather delays and the cancellations because very similar look - if you take a look at boards here at Washington Reagan, cancellations across all of the major airlines across the board in all major cities that we've been talking about now. New York to Boston to Raleigh, even to Nashville, many, many cancellations.
And why is that all very surprising today? Well, this, as we know is traditionally one of the busiest travel days of the holiday season, and it seems that for passengers who are coming here to Washington Reagan and maybe even getting out on some of their flights, it's even caught them off guard on how quiet it is here. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got here early because we figured since it was a holiday season there would be a lot of crowds trying to head out. So I just want to make sure. I've been here before when there were lots and lots of people. So we just wanted to make sure that there wasn't.
I'm totally surprised that it's as quiet as it is. I don't know why people decided not to, but we're excited.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: I should say, that family is also very excited because they are flying out on vacation - for a vacation to Florida, and last time we spoke to them, their flight was scheduled to take off on time. So they do have a reason to be excited.
But as we mentioned, Fredricka, when you come - when you look outside, there's really no accumulation on the ground at the moment. It's been off and on very lightly snowing. And that really has been the source of frustration for some passengers. They might be coming here with the expectation there's nothing on the ground here in Washington and at the surrounding airports so why isn't their flight taking off? Well, it seems that Washington Reagan and surrounding airports are really the victims of the trickle-down effect from what we're seeing north and south of us at this point - Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Kate Bolduan at Reagan National Airport. Thanks so much.
And, of course, you can find out more about the travel delays in your area online, go to CNN.com/travel. Click on the link "airport delays" and there you'll find a status update on the busiest U.S. airports, the average delay time, what's causing the delays and whether there are cancellations as well.
All right. Take a look at this. A rocket explodes just moments after take-off. The investigation into what caused it, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The U.S. Embassy in Cairo is working to identify eight Americans killed in a tour bus crash. It happened today near Aswan as the bus was carrying passengers to a populous tourist attraction. More than 100 American tourists were traveling in three tour buses. Egypt's Interior Ministry says the middle bus carrying 37 tourists crashed into a parked dump truck loaded with sand. Several other Americans were injured and taken to hospitals.
Indian officials are trying to figure out what caused a rocket carrying communications equipment to explode. It happened shortly after take-off yesterday. The country's official national news agency says the unmanned rocket strayed from its path before breaking into pieces. The mishap is being called a setback to India's space program.
And it was a roller coaster year for President Obama with highs like passing health care reform and lows like the midterm elections. But many people may just remember the flurry of activity at year's end. CNN's deputy political director Paul Steinhauser takes a look.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, Fred. I think it's fair to say it was a December to remember for President Barack Obama. From a tax cut compromise, to repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", to the Senate's approval of a major weapons reduction treaty with Russia. The White House scored some major victories in Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think it's fair to say that this has been the most productive post-election period we've had in decades and it comes on the heels of the most productive two years that we've had in generations. (END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: And Americans appear to agree - 56 percent of you say you approve of how Mr. Obama handled a lame duck session, that according to a CNN Opinion Research Corporation national poll out a few days ago. That's a lot higher than those who say they give a thumbs-up to how Democrats and Republicans in Congress did during the lame duck. But here's the flipside. How is the president doing overall? His approval rating drops to 48 percent, lower than most of his recent predecessors at the end of their second year on the White House. All of this sets up what could be a very combustible year in 2011 as the Republicans take over the House and increase their power in the Senate - Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Paul.
All right. There are several perks to following the president - like I'm talking about if you're a reporter following the president. Like trips to Europe and Asia and now throw in the vacations like to Hawaii. And then there's fine dining. Yes, that's what our senior White House correspondent Ed Henry said is most memorable about being a White House correspondent.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: When you cover the White House beat and follow the president all around the world to exotic places like here in Hawaii, you learn real fast he loves to eat and so do did the reporters who cover him.
HENRY (voice-over): This president is an adventurous diner despite the First Lady's healthy eating initiative.
OBAMA: And then you put French fries on top of it. So - we can't tell the First Lady. That is a big looking piece of cake.
HENRY: But in fairness, the president usually can't say no, especially on the campaign trail, unless he wants to offend the locals. Reporters have a choice. We could say no, but often say yes, whether it's a gourmet restaurant here in Honolulu like this or a dive into Buick (ph). Just ask veteran correspondent Bill Plante of CBS News, so good at picking wine, we call him our unofficial sommelier.
BILL PLANTE, CBS NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Eating is important because you spend your whole day working. And you need some kind of opportunity to relax. How do you relax? Relax over good food and good wine.
HENRY: So after a series of long days working, yes, that's it, working on the beach -
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You are working, just to be clear, right?
TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He is a White House correspondent, not a fashion reporter. Poor Ed Henry. Our "Random Moment of the Day".
HENRY: It was time to take Bill Plante's advice and get a nice Christmas meal in Honolulu.
PLANTE: There are a couple that are particularly nice where you can sit in the evening breeze, open to the sky and the sea, and sip a fine glass of wine and have wonderful food. Have Ed give me a call.
HENRY: The person to call in Honolulu is Alan Wong, celebrity chef who's hosted the President and First Lady here many times, but is still in awe of the experience.
ALAN WONG, CHEF: It's in Hawaii what we call chicken skin moments, you know?
HENRY (on camera): What does that mean?
WONG: Goose bumps.
HENRY: And you get that?
WONG: Oh, yes, every time.
HENRY (voice-over): Contrary so some of the junk food the president and the press enjoy on the road, this restaurant is known for local vegetables, fresh seafood, like the Tilapia the first lady prefers. That's why the First Couple keeps coming back and so do we.
WONG: And you're in Hawaii so you should be - you should be able to taste Hawaii. A little bit of east, a little bit of west, it's kind of natural.
HENRY: Alan Wong confides that the president just loves the short ribs, although you'd never know it because he's in such great shape. That's a problem with having such a skinny president, it reminds all of us in the media we need to get cracking on those New Year's resolutions.
Ed Henry, CNN, Honolulu.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. And maybe after the big meal, then Ed Henry will just hike up that - that Diamond Head right behind him.
So as the end of the year approaches, you may be looking for ways to perhaps reclaim your career. We'll get some expert advice starting with tips for taming your to-do list.
But first, some innovative product and viral online marketing have made one Brooklyn design company a mighty force to compete with. It's the focus of this weekend's "Turnaround Report."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TERRENCE KELLERMAN, FOUNDER, DYNOMIGHTY DESIGN: Hi. Welcome to Dynomighty.
Dynomighty's actually my company. I started it eight years ago. It was - the whole concept for Dynomighty evolved out of a product, essentially, that I had found by rummaging through the garbage, of all things. But what I was doing was working at the Museum of Modern Art at the time, and I'd stumbled upon - literally stumbled upon the idea for this magnetic bracelet. So it took me a year to invent this product, and then I started selling it at the Museum of Modern Art. And eight years later, here we are.
Based on the success of the jewelry, I did other organizers in magnets. This is actually called the Desktop desk organizer. It's all magnetic beads that hold your business cards together, or you can use it for your pictures or whatever.
And then we had our YouTube success, which really changed and redefined the business entirely. And I did all these tricks and put them on a video on YouTube that lasted about a minute. And within a month, we were a featured video on YouTube, and we had just an enormous response. And within the space of three months, we had sold $130,000 worth of jewelry. Now, we have almost 140 videos on line and YouTube is our number one referrer, beyond all other referrers.
To have a dream from, you know, the point in which I was working on my day job 9:00 to 5:00, to have an idea for a product and to bring that to fruition. And now, eight years later, have a company that our biggest problem is our rapid success - I mean, that's the thing I'm most proud of.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Some important tips for realigning your priorities so that you can reclaim your career in the New Year, but first a check of the headlines.
All right. Blizzard conditions are in place for parts of the northeast. Three states, Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts have already declared states of emergency. Hundreds of flights have been canceled. Up to 20 inches of snow could fall creating dangerous white-out conditions in some areas.
The storm is also affecting Amtrak Train Service in the northeast. With me on the phone from New York, Amtrak's spokesman, Cliff Cole. So give me an idea, Cliff, how bad is it? How much of a disruption?
CLIFF COLE, AMTRAK SPOKESMAN (via telephone): Well, it's impacting our service greatly between New York City and Boston. We've canceled our service between those two points for the remainder of this evening because of the weather conditions and we're in the process of evaluating how much service we can actually hope to run tomorrow morning.
WHITFIELD: Do you end up giving passengers any options or you just inform them that trains are either coming or going and then that's it, the rest is up to them?
COLE: Well, you know, in certain cases where there are options, we give them options to take other trains. But when it's an entire corridor that's closed down, there really isn't any option to give them other than just tell them to wait out the storm like we are. You know, so that at this point the trains we canceled are for the remainder of the evening and the options are, you know, to find a different way to get to - to where you have to go and the roads are obviously not in real prime condition right now. So I don't know if that's a great option, but maybe to wait out the storm and get re- accommodated on another train perhaps tomorrow.
WHITFIELD: Are you expecting any other delays that involve Amtrak south of New York?
COLE: At this point, it doesn't appear that way. And, you know, things can always change with the weather, but it appears once we go south of New York, we're in much better shape than north.
WHITFIELD: All right. Cliff Cole of Amtrak, thanks so much. All the best during the blizzard conditions.
All right. Meantime, more of our top stories now. Documentary filmmaker Bud Greenspan has died from complications of Parkinson's disease. He was 84. The head of the U.S. Olympic committee says the entire Olympic movement is mourning Greenspan's passing. Greenspan won an Emmy for his films about the Olympics and the dedication of the star athletes.
And so sorry, ladies, but Hugh Hefner is no longer available. The 84- year-old founder of "Playboy" is engaged. His fiance, 24-year-old Crystal Harris. She was December playmate of the month a year ago. This will be Hefner's third walk down the aisle. His first was more than a half a century ago.
All right. As we close out 2010, now looking forward to 2011, you might be reflecting on your achievements or perhaps even setbacks as we get ready to ring it all in. Are you worried about what you've accomplished or what you have yet to accomplish?
Valorie Burton is a life coach and author of "How Did I Get So Busy?" She joins me right now with some tips for decluttering your schedule so that you can attain those goals. And usually to help declutter, you start making lists.
VALORIE BURTON, AUTHOR, "HOW DID I GET SO BUSY?": Yes.
WHITFIELD: But you say, wait a minute, there's a formula to all of this.
BURTON: Well, you know, I think a lot of people make really big lists, and sometimes those lists get very overwhelming and most people get to the end of their workday or even the end of a weekend and feel like I haven't really accomplished very much.
So I think the most important thing is that as you're moving towards your goals, that you - you can use a to-do list, but make sure that you keep it to simple tasks, not big, major goals. So, you know, your to-do list shouldn't say lose 10 pounds.
WHITFIELD: So this is - your small stuff is like maybe just for tackling that day -
BURTON: Right.
WHITFIELD: -- or over the next hour, but not the big projects, the major goals, the transformative things that you have planned that span a couple months maybe.
BURTON: It's the action steps, it's making the phone call, not writing the whole marketing plan.
WHITFIELD: Yes. OK. And then you also have to approach this as lists might be optional.
BURTON: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Sometimes you don't want to even, you know, itemize these small, little things.
BURTON: Well, you know what?
WHITFIELD: How do you discern?
BURTON: I - some people completely are attached to their lists in such a way that it actually becomes kind of destructive. So I actually worked with clients that, you know, they just want to go through what do I need to add to my list, because you want to check off stuff and feel a sense of accomplishments when you do something.
(CROSSTALK)
BURTON: -- achievement oriented. Got to check off that list.
WHITFIELD: Yes, I like lists.
BURTON: But sometimes it's good to make the list optional and you will find that either you will become more creative. And for some people if they make the list optional, they live more in the moment and get things done as they come.
WHITFIELD: OK. And if you are going to make a list or at least, you know, mentally or physically, you say don't forget to make time out for yourself.
BURTON: That's right. That's right. Because so often we're doing so much for everyone else, we've got everything else on our list. We have to put ourselves on our to-do list so you may put those little things on your list that, you know, it might be for some people, you know, a working mom, it might be five minutes of nothing.
WHITFIELD: Right.
BURTON: And for some people that is so hard to do.
WHITFIELD: Or a little silence maybe or something, you know?
BURTON: Yes. Put yourself on the list, too. WHITFIELD: And then you want to acknowledge the progress that you have made. Don't beat yourself up that you didn't get too do all 10 things on the list, but maybe there were some things - some achievements -
BURTON: Right.
WHITFIELD: -- you can praise.
BURTON: So, it's at the end of the - at the beginning of the day, it's your to-do list, at the end, maybe it's your to-done list. These are the stuff that I have done, because it makes you feel good to know that think you've accomplished some things and helps you see where you are and what you need to do the next day.
WHITFIELD: Yes. And I'm telling these check marks are all, you know, makes all the difference in the world. I mean, you say be realistic.
BURTON: Yes, yes.
WHITFIELD: You know, sometimes we have lofty goals, you want to reach high.
BURTON: Yes. It is so important to make it.
WHITFIELD: Have stuff within reach, too.
BURTON: Realistic. What can I actually accomplish? I've had people who have a list that's so long there's no way they can actually accomplish it in a day. So I say each thing you've got on your list, actually put time next to it. Add all of that time up. So if you've got eight or 10 hours in your day that you're going to accomplish all of these things, very often if you put time next to it, you'll figure out you've got 15 hours on your list. It makes it a lot easier to start crossing things off when you realize there's way too much on my list to even get done.
WHITFIELD: So that kind of coincides with, you know, aligning these items on the list and prioritizing them?
BURTON: Yes. Because ultimately it really is about living in a really purposeful and really intentional way.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
BURTON: So I think it is very important to make sure you ask you know what, does this align with my priorities? And people will say all day long what their priorities are, but you know what, if I had a video camera and I secretly taped you over the last week, I could tell what you your priorities are by what you actually were doing every day.
WHITFIELD: All right. And then you got to cross it off.
BURTON: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Cross off the list, that little check mark. BURTON: Sometimes you just need to drop some stuff off your list. If you've got something that's been on there for two months and keep rolling it over -
WHITFIELD: Maybe you say, you know, forget about it.
BURTON: -- you know what, you may need to let this go or delegate it.
WHITFIELD: All right. All right. Valorie Burton, thanks so much. Always good to see you. Merry Christmas -
BURTON: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: -- and happy New Year.
BURTON: Happy New Year. Merry Christmas.
WHITFIELD: It's going to be a great 2011, right?
BURTON: That's right.
WHITFIELD: All right. Very good. Thanks, Valorie.
All right. Well, right now it's a bit of a nightmare for a lot of folks as we close out 2010, trying to get around, lots of flights canceled. You heard from Amtrak, some of the rail service also being delayed. We'll tell you what else to expect after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, pretty tough day if you're trying to get around. Take a look, upper left hand corner that's LaGuardia, no traffic and you see a lot of snow there on the ground. No flights going in and out of there either.
And then take a look to the right. That's a very snowy Atlanta. It's a long time since we've seen snow in Atlanta. It's still coming down just a little tad bit, and then just take a look at the radar right here because blizzard conditions are predicted in much of the northeast.
It's slow going because of that snow. Whether you're going by car or air or railway, Bonnie Schneider will be joining us in a moment to talk more about that and what to expect. So New York's LaGuardia Airport, landings are all but shut down as well as take-offs. There are a lot of people who still showed up who are hoping to catch a flight.
Some concessions are made for them. Many will have to actually stick around overnight. We heard from our Allan Chernoff last hour who said cots are being brought out so that some of them could be a little bit more comfortable than sleeping on the ground.
We understand that from New Jersey, Newark, and even not far from LaGuardia at JFK, flights are not going in and out there either. So people are being warned to check with their airlines to find out if there are cancellations because a major ground stoppage taking place in the New York area. Take a listen to what some travelers have to say.
STEVE COLEMAN, SPOKESMAN, PORT AUTHORITY OF NY AND NJ (via telephone): We're see very few stranded passengers at Newark, and we're seeing some at JFK. We're preparing to help them out as best as we can. We're bringing in cots and blankets and things that could make them comfortable and spend the night at JFK.
But I think in the most part people have heeded the warnings and stayed home and stayed put and hopefully they will ride it out until the -- you know, the airports and the air traffic get functioning again.
WHITFIELD: All right, I guess, for bus travel as well, since we know that Amtrak had some disruptions along the northeast corridor, what about the buses operating there out of the New York area?
COLEMAN: Right now, we're seeing a lot of the long haul carriers, the trailways, Peter Pan - those types of carriers are canceling service out of the port authorities. New Jersey Transit is continuing to run at least to my knowledge, but that could change momentarily. I think people shouldn't only call their air carriers, but call their bus carriers as well if they plan to travel anytime tomorrow night or anytime tomorrow morning early.
WHITFIELD: OK, that was the spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. In the meantime, one casualty of this big storm, tonight's football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, it has been postponed.
Home base of Philadelphia, they were to host it, but in a statement the NFL says, quote, "because of the uncertainty of the extent of tonight's storm and its aftermath, the game will be played on Tuesday night, 8:00 p.m. instead." That's according to the NFL.
Let's check in with Bonnie Schneider so lots of snow. I talk with the mayor of Philadelphia earlier, and snow is there. Snow we see taking place in New York, as well as Providence, Rhode Island and Boston and it is crazy, but maybe dodging the bullet, Washington, D.C., but not nearby Maryland.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No, it really is fasting with the nor'easter just the track of the storm can make all the difference in the world. Well, here's an update for you.
In New York City, we have three and a half inches of snow on the ground already in Central Park. We could see 18 inches before this storm is over. Another update, the record snowfall for these days in Islip out in Long Island has been shattered. I can tell you they're going to get a lot more than that so we'll see. It's going to be interesting all the records shattered.
The blizzard warnings are in effect all the way from Maine down through Rhode Island, Massachusetts, certainly New York and New Jersey. A blizzard means you're going to have visibility of less than a quarter of a mile, blowing and drifting snow, winds at least 35 miles per hour and these conditions will lags for a minimum of three hours.
Right now, New York City is in the heart of blizzard. The temperature is 29 degrees, the winds gust over 35 miles per hour, and the visibility right now is less than a quarter of a mile. So we are seeing the full force of this storm hitting much of the northeast right now.
As Fredricka mentioned, Washington, D.C. is out of the weather advisory, and Baltimore as well although parts of your suburbs may see some more wintery weather and what's fascinating enough is if you head further to the south, it may not be snowing as hard in Washington as it is down south, but look at this. More snow showers through Nashville and through Atlanta. This wrap-around effect continues for the region.
Temperatures tonight will be very cold, so watch out for icy conditions. As you zoom into this map, you can really see the difference in the intensity of the snow. The brighter white is the most intense snow, one to two inches of snow per hour. That is really incredible.
There's a little break in the action like you see here through the twin forks of Long Island and then all of a sudden the heavy snow comes back again. So intermittently you may get a breather, you may think OK, it's time to shovel out. No, because the snow will come heavy and hard. You may hear that rumble of thunder with the intensity of this nor'easter.
Thunder snow is a fascinating phenomenon. It's like until the summer when you have a violent thunderstorm and you hear the thunder and the rain is coming down hard. Well, the same thing happens in the winter with an intense snowstorm. You'll hear thunder and you'll see the burst of snow.
The winter weather advisories you see through the south is going to expire very soon within an hour or two, but again, watch out for icy roads throughout much of the evening and especially into the overnight hours. Look how cold it is right now in Tennessee and Alabama.
The temperatures drop down to below freezing and even colder in the mountains of North Carolina where they had substantial snow about 16 degrees at this hour and eight inches of snow on the ground, but four inches on the ground in Charlotte so it's going to be icy and very, very treacherous.
As you could see, the totals are incredible. Up to 18 inches, maybe 20 inches-plus on our legend, and that's for parts of New Jersey into Delaware and Maryland. So wow, the storm is not over yet. It's ramping up overnight tonight, Fredricka and the warnings in the northeast in New England go straight through tomorrow. So we'll be talking about this nor'easter tomorrow, too.
WHITFIELD: Gosh, this threatens to compete with that big storm last year when, you know, the Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, they experienced like upwards of two feet of snow. It could be very well be. Gosh, winters are getting brutal earlier than usual. OK, Bonnie Schneider. Thanks so much. Appreciate that.
OK, this winter storm is not just affecting the air travel, but those traveling by car as well. AAA estimates that 93 million Americans will take to the highways between Christmas and New Year's.
With us right now via Skype from Washington, AAA spokesman, Nancy White. Nancy, glad that you are staying off the roads, even though you haven't been hit too hard there in the Washington, D.C. area. So give me an idea how this storm is impacting travelers. How many travelers do we think are out there on the road?
NANCY WHITE, AAA SPOKESMAN: Well, it could likely be a double whammy depending on what happens and where you're starting and where you're ending up.
We know that about nine out of 10 families are making the trip this holiday season in their cars. So as you said, it spans from just before Christmas to the New Year's holiday. So hopefully people have a little bit of luxury and can take some time and stay grounded and stay warm and safe tonight. Not have to head out and avoid some of that nasty weather.
WHITFIELD: OK, so if they really do have to get on the road, nine out of 10 families hitting the road, what's your best advice on how they need to stay safe?
WHITE: Best advice? Be prepared and plan ahead. You can do that a couple of ways. Keep yourself safe your vehicle by having emergency supplies, bottled water, warm blankets, boots, scarfs and hats and of course, have a charged cell phone, not using it while you're driving, but safely in your glove box. Of course, take advantage of the mobile apps that out there to get a sense of what's going on out on the road.
WHITFIELD: OK, and even if they have all of those supplies and their patience is packed as well, what's your best advice? Are you feeling like people should, in general, stay off the roads if they're in the northeast or in some parts of the mid-Atlantic?
WHITE: If you have the luxury of not heading out and being able to stay put for tonight, we know that 75 percent of these holiday travelers are visiting family and friends, take advantage of the time to stay connected with family and stay connected with friends and stay warm and safe.
WHITFIELD: All right, Nancy White, thanks so much for joining us via Skype there from Washington with AAA. Have a great rest of the holiday as well.
WHITE: You, too. Thanks so much.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much.
All right, some people don't have to worry about anything right now as it pertains to getting around. They're just around, you know, trying to enjoy the scenery as Nancy was explaining, enjoying one another's companies.
Take a look at these images right here. In the south, they've experienced a very rare white Christmas. Folks of I-Reporters like Laura Novak have supplied great pictures like this. These are pictures from her home in Rutherfordton, North Carolina. It looks like somewhere in the northeast like Maine or something, doesn't it? She said it made for a beautiful Christmas great memories.
All right to find out about any travel delays where you are, go to CNN.com/travel, click on the link, airport delays in particular, and you can find a status update on the busiest U.S. airports and the average delay, times and cancelations as well.
What would Christmas be like without a George Wallace in the house? We're going to find out what the George Wallace household was like, how they experienced Christmas and the goodies he brought along to share with us. You know there are funny stories, because it's George Wallace after all. His take on the Christmas holiday. You're ready?
GEORGE WALLACE, COMEDIAN: This is for you.
WHITFIELD: Are you lip syncing? OK.
WALLACE: This is for you.
WHITFIELD: I can't wait to come over.
WALLACE: I bet you can't.
WHITFIELD: We'll see you in a bit.
WALLACE: OK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, comedian George Wallace is in the house. He's going to be joining me in a moment to talk about his Christmas wishes and what came through and all that good stuff. How it compares to your family gatherings, but first a look at the top stories.
All right, a major winter storm is bearing down on the northeast right now. Blizzard warnings are in place in some areas including New York and Boston just to name a few. The storm has slammed parts of the south as well, and it's having a big impact on holiday travel with people trying to get back home, get back to work. Highways have turned quite treacherous and hundreds of flights have been canceled as well.
So at tensions mount on the Korean Peninsula, South Korea today announced its defense minister will meet with his Chinese counterpart early next year in Beijing. A Seoul state media reports the leaders will discuss regional security issues including the continuing standoff between the two Koreas. Relations between Beijing and Seoul have been strained by China's continuing support of the North Korean regime. Travelers in and around London can't seem to get a break. Well, today drivers of London's underground trains went on strike. It's boxing day there, and they wanted triple pay and a day of later for the working of the holiday. Transport officials said no, so the area is digging out from pre-Christmas blizzard so a double-whammy for a lot of folks trying to get around.
What did you find under your tree this Christmas? Video games perhaps, a new cellphone, socks? Well, comedian George Wallace is back with me this holiday weekend, and he's going to share what was on his list and what ended up happening, but the best part of all is you were with friends and family, right?
WALLACE: No. The best part of all is that I'm back here with you. You've been away for two weeks and people all over America were wondering what happened to the beautiful lady.
We had a lady -- she was really good. Diana something and we had Drew last week. Drew didn't understand any of my jokes. We were talking about how cold it was. I told him it was so cold in Minnesota that Baskin Robbins is now selling soup, he didn't get that joke.
He said it's the Rush Limbaugh flavor, it takes like crap and you get a lot of it. I got no socks. I got everything else. There's something wrong with my family.
WHITFIELD: What do you mean?
WALLACE: They're just off.
WHITFIELD: Your family is huge.
WALLACE: My family and huge, and half of them are rich and half of them are like broke. They came to my house with Tupperware, but the one without money had aluminum foil and waxed pair. They're just crazy. My grandson -- he's sitting straight ahead in front of you. There's something wrong with him. He's eating breakfast. Greens and Doritos. What's wrong with him?
WHITFIELD: A little leftover. Yes, he couldn't get enough of the color greens from yesterday.
WALLACE: Spicy Doritos.
WHITFIELD: He's a teenager.
WALLACE: He looks like a teenager, but my whole family is crazy. They bought me crazy gifts. It's just -- before --
WHITFIELD: They brought you something.
WALLACE: Before I go to any gifts, I've been with you here for a few months and I had to bring you a nice gift.
WHITFIELD: No, you didn't.
WALLACE: Yes, I did.
WHITFIELD: Really? That's beautiful wrapping.
WALLACE: This is beautiful wrapping. My daughter did this. This is the first fruitcake ever. This is -- I gave this to Arsenio Hall.
WHITFIELD: It's kind of like a $30,000 bottle of wine we talked about. It's aged and it's one to appreciate.
WALLACE: It's about 40 years old, and it just --
WHITFIELD: Old fruitcake.
WALLACE: It's been dropped many times. I drop it every day.
WHITFIELD: Just don't drop it on the toe.
WALLACE: That's your fruit cake. We'll give it to you, and you give it back to me. I hope I get it back.
WHITFIELD: OK, you can pass it on.
WALLACE: Did your family give you crazy gifts?
WHITFIELD: Not crazy gifts. You know what? The only gift I was looking for was a lot of love. Got that.
WALLACE: God bless you.
WHITFIELD: My brother gave me a pair of jeans. I'm over 50 years old. I'm over 50 years old. Why do I put jeans with Christmas trees. Is that stupid or what?
WHITFIELD: It was a gift. It's the thought that counts.
WALLACE: Well, with this cheap gift he gave me, he didn't think too much around it. I'm an old man. Why would I walk around with Christmas trees on my butt. That's my daughter looking there. I didn't know how to tell her this.
WHITFIELD: Hey, daughter.
WALLACE: She bought me this gift.
WHITFIELD: My goodness. You got quite the stockpile here.
WALLACE: Did you see what I got? A pair of jeans with Christmas trees on it.
WHITFIELD: It's the thought that counts.
WALLACE: She bought me a blanket. She don't want me to use the blanket on airplanes. That's a baby blanket. Can you believe that?
WHITFIELD: Are you a baby brother to her? WALLACE: They call it a throw. Guess what? That's what I'll do. Throw it away. She wrapped it in a pizza box. What the hell is wrong with my hell is wrong with my family?
WHITFIELD: Repurposing.
WALLACE: Repurposing?
WHITFIELD: Yes, being green. Being green.
WALLACE: You'll see what is wrong with my family the next time you come to the house.
WHITFIELD: What are your New Year's plans?
WALLACE: My New Year's plan is go to New York City. I'm going to a New Year 's Eve show at the Flamingo every year. Don't worry about that falling on the floor because I want to throw it away. So I go to New York, do my New Year's eve show and then I get back on the plane and come back here. This time of year I'm relaxing and watching sports.
WHITFIELD: Well, this is the time to indulge, ball games, basketball games, all that. Well you know the Eagles game today is cancelled with the Vikings because of the bad weather. That's all right?
WALLACE: That's OK. I love football. I love everything.
WHITFIELD: There are other things to watch, other games.
WALLACE: We have the NCAA right now. They're up with this -- I don't know what is wrong with the NCAA. I think the hypocritical company. You got the kids over at Ohio State, five kids they have been suspended for selling their own goods.
I mean, people gave them their own jerseys. Now the NCAA can make all of this money selling their shirts, but they can't make money on their own shirts. It's not right. These kids should be able to make money.
They're making billions of dollars for these colleges. I think the kids should get something. Give them something. But that's college sports. Then we get into the professional sports.
WHITFIELD: Maybe propped up in front of the TV. You know, Falcons are playing tomorrow and they're playing the Saints.
WALLACE: You didn't know?
WHITFIELD: My New Orleans crew yelling my ear. Saints come on, who dat.
WALLACE: What is wrong with you?
WHITFIELD: I got it, I got it. WALLACE: Who dat, who dat. Falcons, Falcons are going to beat those Saints. I am so happy for both of these teams, the Saints and the Falcons. Five years ago you wouldn't have paid a dollar to see either one of them.
WHITFIELD: Isn't it tremendous? What a turnaround. Everybody loves a comeback story.
WALLACE: Sure, three years ago Arthur Blank who owns the Home Depot. He volunteered to build a jail on the sidelines so Michael Vick could come out of jail on his lunch break and play.
That's how bad the Saints were and bags on their heads. Remember that? It's going to be a great night and I want them to win and I want Michael Vick to go to the Super Bowl too. I'm very, very confused.
WHITFIELD: This is an exciting NFL season. Lots of nice surprises.
WALLACE: And yesterday we had my son from Cleveland, LeBron James, boo him. Keep booing him. You see what happens? Every time you boo him, he goes crazy.
WHITFIELD: Where is your holiday spirit? OK, George Wallace.
WALLACE: I'm saying that spirit. Keep booing him. The more you boo him, the better he does. Isn't that right?
WHITFIELD: Well, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year.
WALLACE: I'll see you next year. You know what I'm going to bring you next year?
WHITFIELD: What?
WALLACE: Same Fruitcake.
WHITFIELD: We're going to keep talking. We have to go to break right now.
WALLACE: I'll see you at the Flamingo tomorrow night. WHITFIELD: Sometimes fruit cake is not on that bag.
WALLACE: Come to Vegas with me tomorrow night at the Flamingo.
WHITFIELD: I'll work that into my schedule.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Time for a CNN Equals Politics update. Here is what is crossing the Ticker right now.
The Republicans now have a greater responsibility to govern. That's what White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told our Candy Crowley this morning on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION."
He said the Republican midterm gains means they can no longer sit back and say no. Gibbs also said that President Obama's promise to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay won't become reality any time soon. He says legal and legislative issues have contributed to that delay.
And the president and first lady took a break from their vacation to give their best wishes to some American troops. They stopped by during Christmas dinner at the Marine Corps base, Marine Corps base in Hawaii. It's their third straight year stopping in there to say aloha.
I'm Fredricka Whitfield. I'll see you back next weekend. Holly Garoni is up next with more of the day's headlines including a daring art heist at a posh New York City apartment. We'll hear from the man whose business it was to actually recover the art when it was stolen.
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