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Apartment Building On Fire In Minneapolis; Barbara Bush Hospitalized; Obamacare: Court Backs Church Challenge; Snowstorm Targets Midwest, Northeast; Investigators To Visit Train Crash Site; De Blasio Takes Oath As New York Mayor; "Fast & Furious" Gun Used In Shootout; 13 Injured In Fire At Minneapolis Apartment Building

Aired January 01, 2014 - 10:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: This just into the CNN NEWSROOM. We've got live pictures to show you right of that fire that's raging after a reported explosion at an apartment building in Minneapolis. You are seeing the plumes of smoke. These are live images right now. Fire officials say multiple people have been taken to local hospitals with injuries. We don't know the extent of the injuries.

This is the address of where it took place. We understand reportedly a three-storey building. It's not the high rise that you were seeing in that earlier picture. We know the victims have been taken to University of Minnesota Medical Center and the Hennepin County Medical Center. And of course, we'll update you as we get more information.

Also this hour, a new health scare for former First Lady Barbara Bush, she awakens this morning in a Houston hospital. CNN's Alina Machado is here with the details on this.

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka. The former first lady welcomed the New Year from a hospital bed. She was admitted to Methodist Hospital in Houston on Monday where she's being treated for a respiratory related issue. Now a family spokesperson released a statement saying in part, quote, "She is in great spirits, has already received visits from her husband and family and is receiving fantastic care."

Now this is a fairly recent White House photo of the former first lady. It was taken in July when President George H.W. Bush was honored for his work with the Point of Lights Foundation. President Bush, by the way, has a form of Parkinson's and often uses a wheelchair or scooter to get around.

His 88-year-old wife has had health issues of her own. She was diagnosed with Grave's Disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid gland in 1988. She was hospitalized for a recurrence of that disease in 2010. In 2009, she underwent heart surgery and Fredricka, this is at least the fourth time the former first lady has been hospitalized in recent years.

WHITFIELD: So she is always been a very popular first lady, whether in the White House or otherwise, and she did remain very active in the public. Even starting up a foundation, right? MACHADO: Yes. And she remains very active despite all of these health issues that she's had. And you may remember Barbara Bush is known for her feisty nature. Back in April in an interview she did with the "Today Show," she talked about how the Bush's had been in the political limelight long enough. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY: He's by far the best qualified man, but no, I really don't. It's a great country. There are a lot of great families and it's not just four families or whatever. There are other people out there that are very qualified. We've had enough Bush's.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACHADO: The former first lady definitely not afraid to speak her mind.

WHITFIELD: That's right and I'm sure she's still putting people in place even in the hospital.

MACHADO: I'm sure she is.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Alina. Keep us posted on her condition.

All right, this morning, the first Obamacare reforms are kicking in, but not for some religious groups that legally challenged the contraception coverage for employees. Just last night, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor exempted two Catholic based charities from the contraception mandate. The groups argued that contraception violates its religious and moral beliefs.

Let's look at this latest development from a couple of different angles, John Allen is our Vatican analyst and Jim Acosta is our senior White House correspondent. John, you first, you know, John Allen, what are these Catholic groups specifically taking issue with and what does this reprieve really mean for them?

JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Good morning, Fredricka. Happy New Year to you. Well, what it means, basically, is that the White House has got 48 hours to respond. The stay is in effect only until Friday then we'll see where it goes. There are about 45 faith-based groups, not just Catholics that have claimed that these contraception mandates violate their religious freedom. And they've agreed to hear two of these appeals during its next term.

But in this case, the appeal came from a group of Catholic nuns here in Denver. They run a nursing home for poor elderly people and the leader of this group of nuns basically said, if these mandates go ahead, either they would have to violate their religious freedom or go out of business because they're not going to be able to afford the fines that will be imposed.

And this appeal is being strongly supported by the Catholic Bishops in the United States and other fate-based groups. And as I say, this is something that looks destined to be one of the hot potato issues that the Supreme Court is going to have to deal with.

WHITFIELD: And Jim, the White House has just two days to respond.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Right.

WHITFIELD: What's the likelihood of that to happen and in what way, what form, would the White House want to respond to this?

ACOSTA: We're waiting to find out, Fredricka. I mean, I can tell you that back in November, Jay Carney, the White House press secretary issued a statement when the Supreme Court first agreed to hear some of these cases as John mentioned that basically reaffirmed the administration support for this mandate. Saying that they don't want anything to get in the way of the health choices between a doctor and woman and that applies to these groups.

And so we're going to have to find out what the White House reaction is. We have not heard yet and just how the administration plans to respond and how to deal with this at the Supreme Court. But one thing, this does not threaten the entire law. We're not going back to that exercise when the Supreme Court heard the entire law. It's still intact except for this one element when it comes to contraceptive care in that mandate.

WHITFIELD: And then with enrolment that the White House is celebrating, 2 million people now enrolled, just shy of the 3 million mark that it wanted by the end of the December, nonetheless, many people who did enrol are saying that they're even unsure at this juncture whether they are good to go to go to a doctor or hospital because they haven't received their cards yet. How is the White House dealing with that and any of these last-minute sorts of uncertainties?

ACOSTA: When they did that muscle flex, rolling out the numbers, 2.1 Americans signing up for insurance coverage on federal or state exchanges under Obamacare, they did put out a tip sheet for consumers. That was sort of an acknowledgment on the part of the administration that they know it could be sort of a bumpy rollout in terms of the coverage kicking in.

There are millions of Americans out there who have signed up, some of who may not have received their insurance card or some who have not paid yet and I did talk to a senior administration official yesterday who said that the administration does not have a way to determine whether or not people have actually paid for their insurance. What they're urging consumers to do, they need to call their insurance companies.

If they don't have the ability to call them, they don't know the phone number or whatever, there is a hot line number basically on the web site healthcare.gov that can get them in touch with somebody who can direct them to that insurance company that they believe they signed up with.

We're going to have to wait and see how this plays out. There could be speed bumps over the next several weeks to months, but they're saying at this point, look at all of the people who have signed up. This is a sign that it's working.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jim Acosta, John Allen, thanks to both of you. Happy New Year.

And now back to this breaking news situation we're following out of Minneapolis. We've got new images now to show you of that fire still raging after a reported explosion. You're seeing now the building. We're told this is a three-story apartment building and that multiple people according to fire officials have been taken to local hospitals with injuries. But we don't know the extent of the injuries nor do we know what may have caused that explosion. We know the victims have been taken to the University of Minnesota Medical Center and the Hennepin County Medical Center. We'll keep you posted as we get more details.

Now, turning to weather and bone-chilling temperatures in the Midwest, live pictures of Michigan Avenue, let's take another look in Chicago where there's a little bit of dusting of snow on the ground and temperatures are below freezing with the high in the 20s today. A half foot of snow is expected by the end of today. It's not over yet. And it's so cold in Minnesota, look at this water fall. It's now a big ice sculpture.

And the northeast could also see the first major snow storm of 2014 this week. Alexandra Steele, if no one was convinced that it's winter, they need to look at those images and see that yes, winter is here in a big way.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No wonder why that freezes? You can see why. It's 29 below right now, that's what it feels like with the wind chill in Duluth. We call international falls the icebox of the nation, when this comes down, Fred, with the second coldest December on record this last December, you know this is not just typically cold arctic air. This is really extreme. Extreme air will jump south, drop east. It's modifying.

I mean, right now it feels like 11 in Boston and 8 in Binghamton, New York, now we are going to see these temperatures really go much lower so some very cold air coming. The coldest have seen in almost three years in Boston. So Friday will be the coldest day, 12 in Boston, certainly about 20 to 25 degrees colder than average predominantly here in the northeast.

But really what's more notable is the low temperatures at night, Boston going to 3 below. Boston haven't had a low temperature below zero since January three years ago so the air is cold. That's setting the stage for the snowstorm that's coming in. So certainly it won't be rain that's for sure.

It will be from Washington South. So Washington, this isn't your game. So what's going to happen is we're going to watch this snow come in in phases. Thursday it will come in and again, it will come in on Friday. By Friday afternoon it all clears out because of that, it will accumulate slowly so it will be a little bit easier to deal with.

Boston kind of the biggest winner with this, 6 to 12 inches as cities go, 4 to 8 in New York and 12 plus in Albany, Fred. So right along that New York State freeway, we are going to see an awful lot of snow.

WHITFIELD: My goodness, that is unbearable. Bundle up folks. All right, Alexandra, thank you. Happy New Year.

STEELE: Happy New Year, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, from the famous crystal ball drop in New York City to year-end countdowns that celebrated icons of local culture like the beloved moon pie in Mobile, Alabama. And you're taking a look right now of how all of you were ringing in 2014 coast-to-coast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALL: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Yes!

ALL: Three, two, one! Happy new year from Nashville.

ALL: Happy New Year!

ALL: Three, two, one! Happy New Year!

ALL: Three, two, one! Happy New Year!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy New Year, everyone. That's right. 2014 is going to be our best year yet, I can feel it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Checking our top stories. We've got new pictures to show you of that fire raging in the wake of a reported explosion at an apartment building in Minneapolis. Fire officials say multiple people have been taken to local hospitals with injuries. We don't know yet the extent of the injuries. We know the victims have been taken to the University of Minnesota Medical Center and Hennepin County Medical Center.

Investigators today are due to visit the site of that fiery train derailment in North Dakota and residents are heading back home after fleeing that potentially dangerous smoke. Data already collected from on board reporter shows this train slammed into a car from another train that had derailed. Officials now are looking for derailment marks on the track.

And in Utah, state officials are making their case to the U.S. Supreme Court and they want a decision fast. The state has filed an emergency appeal calling for the court to immediately block a federal ruling that allows same-sex couples to be legally married in that state of Utah. Hundreds have done so since the judge struck down the ban less than two weeks ago. Supporters of gay marriage have until Friday to respond to the state's appeal. And New York has a new mayor. Bill de Blasio took his oath of office at 2 minutes past midnight Eastern Time outside his home in Brooklyn. He is the first Democrat to be elected mayor in two decades. As required by the city, De Blasio paid a $9 filing fee in cash to register his new office. His public inauguration starts in about two hours from now.

A gun from the federal government's disastrous "Fast and Furious" operation was used in a shooting at a Mexican resort near the Arizona border. That's according to federal officials. The shootout left five suspected cartel members dead. Listen to what tourists heard from a nearby building.

If you'll recall, agents lost about 1,400 guns they sold to gun smugglers in an attempt to track them and arrest gun traffickers. Now many of those guns turn up at crime scenes. CNN justice reporter, Evan Perez, who broke the story, is live for us now in Washington now. What's the latest? What's the response about these guns used in this shootout?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, Fred, a U.S. official tells me that at least one gun recovered at the scene of that shootout that you just showed has been traced back to the "Fast and Furious" investigation. Now, the Mexican authorities were engaged in a shootout with cartel members, which is near this resort. And they found a cache of weapons later on.

Now, I'm told that at least one AK-47 style rifle was traced back to this operation. Mexican authorities always try to recover weapons and try to see whether the firearms came from the United States and many of them do -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And the resort town where this occurred, it's very popular with American tourists. What more can you tell us about it?

PEREZ: Well, yes, this is a resort on the Sea of Cortez. It's popular with people from California and from Arizona. There's a big ex-patriot population there. A lot of them took to Twitter and Facebook to post pictures. It was very scary as you can hear from the footage there. There were helicopter gunships that were being used to chase some of the cartel guys as they were trying to get away.

The ATF sent us a statement in relation to this. They said the ATF has accepted the responsibility for the mistakes made in the "Fast and Furious" investigation. And at the attorney general's direction, "We have taken appropriate and decisinve action to ensure that these errors will not be repeated. And we acknowledged that regrettably firearms related to the "Fast and Furious" investigation will likely continued to be recovered at future crime scenes."

Now as you mentioned hundreds of these weapons are still out there and so this is the last time that we are going to be talking about "Fast and Furious" weapons turning up at these scenes -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, what a real nightmare. All right, Evan Perez, thanks so much. And now an update on that fire raging in the wake of a reported explosion at an apartment building in Minneapolis, fire officials say that at least 13 people have been injured, some of them critically. We're told victims have been taken to the University of Minnesota Medical Center and the Hennepin County Medical Center.

In fact joining us right now on the phone is Robert Ball. He's the operation's supervisor with the Hennepin EMS. So Robert, how many people are hurt and what are the extent of the injuries?

ROBERT BALL, HENNEPIN EMS (via telephone): At this time, we don't have a solid answer for you. These patients are still being evaluated at the hospital. Most of the injuries so far are a combination of burns from the fire and trauma from people coming out through the windows. At this time, we're not certain whether they had fallen, jumped or were pushed out due to the fire and explosion.

WHITFIELD: So Robert, is it your understanding that there was an explosion which preceded that fire?

BALL: That is the -- what the initial reports were. A lot of this is still under investigation. Once we get the fire contained. So we probably won't have answers to that for some time to come.

WHITFIELD: So we've reported a number of 13 injured and being transported to hospitals. I understand you're telling me that you're really not sure. There could be a larger number of people who were injured. Is it your understanding that there may be people still in that apartment building?

BALL: It's hard to say at this time. I'm not certain at this point where they're at on an interior search. We have transported 13 patients at this point.

WHITFIELD: Are you able to tell me anything about how they're able to contain or try and control or put out this fire and if those efforts if any way would be standing in the way of any attempted rescues?

BALL: The last -- the last update we've had, they are still on an exterior attack. Based on that, it's difficult or impossible for them, for the firefighters to get inside. But that's something that can change quickly and may change before I ever hear about it.

WHITFIELD: We're only able to see a small portion of the front of what appears to be the three-story apartment building. Would you be able to give me a better description about this property? Roughly, how large or how many people might be residents?

BALL: Unfortunately, I can't at this point. Based -- I'm actually not on site yet. The images that I've seen and knowing the location there, it's -- it is a standard type building that we've seen in many of the larger cities where you have smaller retail spaces down below and then two stories of apartments up above. So as far as exactly how many residents and tenants there could be, I'm not 100 percent certain. It's certainly not the same as dealing with a high rise, but neither is it something as small as a single-family dwelling. WHITFIELD: And of course this being the New Year holiday early there, we're 10:30 Eastern Time, you're roughly 8:30 a.m. your time?

BALL: Let's see. It should be about 9:30 our time now.

WHITFIELD: OK, one hour back. And there are a lot of people after enjoying a New Year's Eve, a lot of folks at home on this holiday morning, the expectation that a lot of people would be home in those apartments?

BALL: You know, that's a -- that's an assumption that could be made. It's also a cold day out here, so not a lot of people trying to get out and about.

WHITFIELD: We've been reporting below freezing temperatures there in the Minneapolis area. How do these cold temperatures and some snow on the ground impact your efforts?

BALL: You know, we deal with this all year, every year. But I can tell you that it does make the job a lot more difficult, particularly for the firefighters working in this because, of course, the best way to put out a fire usually is water. And water and subzero temperatures make ice and all the sudden it's dangerous for personnel working on the fire ground.

Instead of dealing with all the normal hazards that come with this job, you have to also be aware that falling down and getting hurt is part and parcel of your task and something that you have to be aware of as well, and also the potential for heat illness for firefighters when they're working inside the building and once you come out. Again, that combination of wetness and cold temperatures, it's easy to develop issues of hypothermia in the rehab area.

That's something we have to be aware of as well and one of the reasons that we -- after we managed to take care of all of the patients on scene, we'll be maintaining staff to provide safety support for the partners in the fire service.

WHITFIELD: Terrible situation, a combination of things taking place there. Robert Ball, appreciate your time. All the best in your continued efforts to assist those who are initialled and those who still may need to be rescued and all your personnel putting their own lives on the line during this situation. Thank you so much.

BALL: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: We'll continue to keep close watch on the situation. This apartment fire there in Minneapolis. You're looking at live pictures. Those plumes of smoke are still ongoing. Much more after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So it's been 30 years since the last playoff blackout in Green bay. About 11,000 tickets remain for Sunday's wild card game between the Packers and San Francisco 49ers and if it doesn't sell out, that means no game on TV. ANDY SCHOLES, "BLEACHER REPORT": So the NFL has a rule, you got to sell out your games 72 hours before kickoff or it's beyond TV. Now, they've actually extend the deadline to tomorrow at 4:30 Eastern since today is a holiday. This is still really surprising. They've sold out 319 straight games in Green Bay. They have close to 100,000 people on the season ticket waiting list, but the kicker in this deal is the weather.