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Two Major Storms in U.S. to Collide on East Coast; Storms Affecting Travel; Tracking the Storm Paths; Two Newspapers Support Clemency for Edward Snowden; Priest Murdered in California; More Controversy for "Duck Dynasty's" Phil Robertson.

Aired January 02, 2014 - 13:30   ET

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

MARGARET CONLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But here in Boston, you can see not many people out on the streets. We have the postmen. They've been out here. But right now, emergency people are saying that if you're out here, prepare to have an emergency kit available. Have extra blankets, extra food, flashlights for those -- batteries for your flashlights.

Last thing that we're keeping track of here, John, the number of snowplows that are out. This morning there were 1100. Now up to 1900 snowplows in the state of Massachusetts. They have capacity of 4,000. So that is how this storm is creeping up and there's more and more snow expected -- John?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Margaret's having her hat blown off already. This is nowhere near the worst of it. Winds will get much, much stronger.

Margaret, thanks so you.

I want to go now to Sunlen Serfaty who is at Reagan National Airport, across the Potomac from Washington.

Sunlen, this is a holiday week. Millions are traveling. At least millions will try to travel. How much of an impact is this storm going to have for people who want to go off in the air?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, it's already having a major travel impact. So many people trying to get home from their holiday plans. We're here outside Washington, D.C., at Reagan National Airport. Look at this board, spots of red, they're canceled flights. They're seeing many canceled flights here at national airport. This isn't the worst of it. Across the country, they're seeing worse. 1600 U.S. flight cancellations so far today. 3400 delays. Most of those cancellations and delays at Chicago's airport, O'Hare. And as Margaret said, in Boston Logan Airport, already canceling putting flights down for overnight between 8:30 p.m. and noon tomorrow, no flights in the air from Boston Logan.

We spoke with Rob Yingling, a spokesman for the D.C.-area airports here. Here what happens, he said, how they're ready for the domino effect of air travel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ROB YINGLING, SPOKESMAN, REAGAN AND DULLES AIRPORTS: Because so much of the traffic goes to places like Boston and New York, we do expect some effects as we go into the evening into the cities.

It seems like the character of this storm is not so much the amount of snow that's coming in, it's the intensity and the wins that will be associated with that it will make air travel difficult to Boston and New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: Here at D.C., they know this storm will wreak a lot of havoc. They have maintenance staff on standby here through the night, waiting for the storm to hit in the area and helping with delays.

One thing is for sure, John for travel, it is going to be a hard 24 hours for travelers are and certainly for the airlines as well.

Back to you.

BERMAN: This is going to be a mess. So many people, I think, waiting until Thursday, Friday, Saturday to come home from vacations. It will not be easy.

Our thanks to you at the airport.

Meteorologist Alexandra Steele is tracking the storm's path.

Alexandra, who is going to get hit hardest?

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: All right. Sunlen, where she is, Washington, as cities go, they will see the best of it. Boston seeing the worst as big cities go.

Let me show you. This is the end game. This is the total in terms of snow. We'll see eight to 14 in Boston; the cape, six to eight; eight in 12 in Providence; six to eight in central Mass; eight to 12 in Hartford, Connecticut; and six to eight in New York. But this is not just a snow game. This has other elements. It has dangerously cold temperatures, the coldest in three years for some. And also it has those really robust winds, thus the blizzard warnings from late today until tomorrow at 1:00 for the cape and also Long Island.

Here are the wind speeds. Watch these. This is why we'll have troubles at airports. 48 gusts, 11:00 tonight. 30 in New York City. We get up into the 50s overnight tonight into tomorrow. The worst of it, kind of the bull's-eye time wise, 8:00 tonight until 8:00 tomorrow morning and things improve.

Morning low temperatures, Friday morning, Friday night into Saturday morning, temperatures, straight air temperature, three below. Boston has not been there in three years. It will feel like 12 below. Albany, New York, will feel like 18 below. New York City, it will feel like 5 below. That will be early morning on Saturday.

So here's the time line of the storm. Again, 8:00 to 8:00, that's the worst. 9:00, you can see the big cities ensconced in snow. As we head to the overnight, the morning still -- here's the backside of the snow, but still have the snow 7:00, so morning flights certainly preempted, I'm sure. But the afternoon, the snow departs around noon, but it's very cold Arctic air with incredibly strong winds on the backside of this nor'easter that will give this a bite. Bigger picture, Philly, four to seven inches. Washington, two to four inches. The winds won't be as strong down there as they will be. Bull's-eye for wins right here, the cape and also Long Island.

The problem with this, of course, blizzard warnings aren't just about the snow, John. They're about the winds gusting. And the snow that's falling doesn't have a lot of water content. So it's very light and fluffy, thus blowing around. Visible's down to a quarter mile. That's the biggest problem here.

BERMAN: This wind, those temperatures, dropping below zero --

STEELE: That's right.

BERMAN: -- can be very dangerous.

Alexandra Steele, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

Of course, we will update you on the storm all day long, all night long, as well.

We do have a special treat, a programming note. Tonight, huddled up inside your warm houses, turning to CNN, 9:00 eastern, for "March of the Penguins." Oscar-winning, heart melting documentary film. You will not want to miss this. Talk about dudes who know how to deal with snow, watch this tonight at 9:00.

Coming up, is he a whistle-blower or a traitor or something in between? Two major newspapers are calling for clemency for Edward Snowden. We'll examine the legal and political implications of this, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Looking at live pictures of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of dozens and dozens of cities and towns from the Midwest to the east coast that will be slammed over the next 24 hours by a major winter storm system. More than a foot of snow in some places. Temperatures below zero in many places. Stay with CNN for latest on the storm. We'll bring you the information all night and all morning as well.

Another big story that hit the newsstands this morning. We're talking about opinions about NSA leaker, Edward Snowden. They fall into two categories, those who think he deserves a parade and those who think he should be thrown in jail. "The New York Times" and "The Guardian" newspapers came out in favor of clemency for Snowden or some plea deal. "The Times" editorial board says, quote, "When someone reveals government officials have routinely and deliberately broken the law, that person should not face life in prison at hands of the same government. President Obama should tell his aides to begin finding a way to end Mr. Snowden's vilification and give him incentive to return home."

I want to bring in our senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin; with presidential historian and Reagan biographer, Craig Shirley.

Jeff, I want to start with you.

"The Times" says that Snowden "has done a great service to the country." Those are "The Times'" words. Do you disagree with that?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: I do disagree with that. Look, I'm not going to pretend that this hasn't been a healthy conversation for the country. It has been. But Edward Snowden went about it the wrong way. He broke the law. Dramatically, flagrantly broke the law. Instead of doing the right thing, going to Congress, going to the inspector general, he fled to China, Hong Kong, then Russia, two countries where freedom of speech is nonexistent compared to the United States. And I don't think that's something that deserves celebration. I think it deserves prosecution.

Should there be a plea bargain, that's fine with me. I don't think he needs to spend decades in prison. But when you break the law like this, you deserve to pay a price.

BERMAN: Craig, you agree with "The Times" editorial board, and I assume you disagree with Jeffrey Toobin. How do you respond to what Jeffrey is saying? Also, to critics who say Snowden has damaged important relationships between the United States and some of our key allies.

CRAIG SHIRLEY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN & AUTHOR: Well, there's no evidence that he's done those types of things, John. This is a very important conversation that he's started with the beginning of the American Republic that has gone through with anti-sedition acts of the time of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the sedition acts of the early 20th century. And again, 100 years later, we're revisiting the role of the individual in relationship to the state. The founders very explicitly said that power should reside with the individual and not with government. We've seen, George Bush and now under Barack Obama, and the Washington bureaucracy, the aggregation of power away from the individual and state, and it's a dangerous trend we're on now. Snowden, to my mind, has added greatly and mightily to the national debate, and made something -- done something very important that hasn't been done in the last 10, 15 years.

BERMAN: Jeff, you have a keen sense of history. Any precedent for granting him some form of clemency or a plea deal?

TOOBIN: Not that I'm aware of it. Certainly, the closest parallel, the one that Snowden supporters always use is Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers, who was then prosecuted. But that prosecution was thrown out because of various kinds of government misconduct.

I think the precedent that this would set is very troubling. Because Snowden was so successful and stole so much material that he was not entitled to do, the government is so panicked that they want to try to get it all back. That creates an incentive to steal more rather than steal less. Notwithstanding this important debate we're having, this is not the way we're supposed to do it, and his behavior is not something the government should reward.

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: Go ahead.

SHIRLEY: The debate seems to be on the wrong side of the equation. It's on Snowden rather than on James Clapper and the NSA. Repeatedly, the NSA has come forward and have been caught with their hand in the cookie jar over the last year, saying, no, we weren't doing things. Now, yes, we were doing these things. Clapper testifies before Congress and says the NSA is not spying on private citizens, then later, it is revealed it is. Yet, there's no call for a contempt of Congress citation against him. Lying before Congress is a federal offense, last I checked. It's that the NSA is panicked, to Jeffrey's point, I think because Snowden represents a threat because they've engaged in so much walking the line of law breaking, and maybe even breaking the 4th Amendment repeatedly, by illegal search and seizure of private American citizens in their places of home and in their papers and in their private activities.

BERMAN: Jeffrey, what about that? What about what Craig is bringing up. A major administration official lying or telling a whole lot less than the total truth before Congress?

TOOBIN: Well, that's very troubling. And I am not here to defend James Clapper at all. But that is an entirely separate question than whether Edward Snowden should be prosecuted.

You know, there's a lot of loose talk about Snowden revealed illegalities, he's a whistle-blower. There's exactly one judge who has found the NSA metadata, its big program, unconstitutional. Every other judge, every other member of Congress, every other member of the administration has approved this program. So the idea that he has revealed rampant illegality is not true, I think.

SHIRLEY: Let me say, first of all, FISA is an administrative -- it's not really a court, per se. It's a rubber-stamp administrative procedure. And as far as the courts, also, look at the court of public opinion. The majority of the American people see Snowden as a whistle-blower, and not a law breaker. The second poll that came out recently was that 72 percent of the American people, in a Gallup poll two weeks ago, said their government is their enemy. Those are very disturbing numbers in the current context of this debate and the context in the 20th century about the role and how much power government should have over the private lives of private American citizens.

BERMAN: Guys, I want to ask you this quickly. President Obama was asked about this issue of clemency or a possibly plea deal in his last news conference before the holidays. He really dodged the question. Do you think he will have to deal with this issue head on in the coming weeks, especially as he addresses recommendations from hand- picked intelligence committee? (CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: Go ahead, Craig.

SHIRLEY: No, Jeffrey.

I agree with Jeffrey. I think the president is going to have to deal with it. There's too much sunlight on Snowden and there continues to be too much sunlight on Snowden. And really the acceleration of fact and information and public opinion is working for him and against the government. And if the president wants to stanch the bleeding wound, he's going to have to deal with it.

BERMAN: All right, guys --

(CROSSTALK)

TOOBIN: As the commander-in-chief of the military, he's not going to give Snowden a break, although he may make some very appropriate changes in the NSA program.

BERMAN: He did say he was expecting to make major statements on this relatively soon. I expect them before this month or before, or in the State of the Union.

Jeffrey Toobin, Craig Shirley, thank you. Really appreciate it. Happy New Year to you both.

SHIRLEY: Happy New Year.

BERMAN: Moving on, shock and grief in California. A beloved priest is found dead inside his church residence. Now police have opened a murder investigation. We'll have details when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: You're looking at live pictures from Albany, New York, right now. Does that look cold to you? It's very, very cold. It's actually tape. Still looks just as cold. It's three degrees there right now. That's three. With the wind-chill, it feels like minus 12. That is very, very cold. They're going to get temperatures like this over a huge swath of this country from the Midwest all the way to the northeast. A major, major storm system affecting millions of people. There will be more than a foot of snow in some places. Wind speeds upwards of 50 miles per hour in other places and these cold, cold temperatures. Stay with us all day and all night. We'll bring you the latest on the major storm system.

We do have some other news right now. Authorities in Eureka, California, have opened a murder investigation after a priest was found dead in his church residence. Friends describe the Reverend Eric Freed as a kind and warm and tremendous person. While those who knew him deal with grief, investigators are looking for answers.

Our Martin Savidge is following developments for us.

Martin, we're talking about a beloved priest and a mysterious death. Do authorities have leads?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We believe they have leads, but they're closed-mouthed about what they're learning. We may have an anticipation of how much progress in a few minutes because it's anticipated in the unit of eureka, California, they're geld to hold a news conference. It's a small city, about 3,000 people 300 miles to the north of San Francisco. That's why the death in this town is so striking, not only that it's a religious figure, but it's a town where almost everyone knew each other. And this priest had only been there for two years, but in that time, had grown deeply loved by parishioners.

Yesterday morning, there they are gathered for the 9:00 mass, and the priest doesn't show. Someone gets worried and said maybe they should go next door and find the rectory, which a person did, and came back with the horrible news that the priest's body had been discovered. The police were called. Police have not said anything about a cause of death. Clearly, they do say it's a homicide. And that's as much as we know.

One other thing, John, I'll point out to you, they're trying to locate the priest' automobile, a dark gray Nissan Ultima Hybrid. But authorities won't say if it was stolen or they just want to find it.

And there was one other break-in at a Catholic Church yesterday afternoon, after the priest's body was found. Police aren't sure if it's connected, but it could be.

BERMAN: Be very interesting to hear what they say when they make their statements later today. This has to be such a blow for the community. As you said, the priest had only been there for three years, but he made such close bonds with so many people there. How are people responding right now to his death?

SAVIDGE: They're in shock. And not only are they in shock because they lost a member of their community, but New Year's day, the last time the priest was seen was New Year's eve, about 6:20 in the evening local tame. I spoke to the mayor. The mayor is clearly shaken, not only that he lost a member of his community, that's his church, his priest, and he was deeply impacted -- you could still tell this morning -- over the death of his friend. We hope -- we can only hope that they're making great progress in the investigation.

BERMAN: We're hoping they'll all able to find peace there.

Martin Savidge following the story for us. Thanks so much.

SAVIDGE: You're welcome.

BERMAN: His words caused so many problems before, and now the star of "Duck Dynasty," Phil Robertson, is doing it again but, this time, it's something he said about four years ago. We'll have the details on this coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BERMAN: "Marry girls when they're just 15 or 16 years old," those words belong to one of the stars of "Duck Dynasty," Phil Robertson. And the revelation of this 2009 quote is just the latest spark in the firestorm over the star of A&E's number-one show.

Our Pamela Brown has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SHOUTING)

(GUNFIRE)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Phil Robertson, patriarch of "Duck Dynasty," starting off the New Year with a new controversy. A video surfaced from Robertson from 2009 in which he advise is men to marry women at a very young age.

PHIL ROBERTSON, "DUCK DYNASTY: You wait until they get to be 20, the only picking that's going to take place is your pocket.

(LAUGHTER)

You got to marry these girls 15, 16 so they'll pick your ducks.

(LAUGHTER)

BROWN: Robertson married his own wife, Kay, when she was 16, and he was 20.

MIKE PAUL, PRESIDENT, MGP & ASSOCIATES P.R.: What is the tipping point to get it kicked off the air? The answer, thus far, is nothing. There are more and more people watching the show, and more and more people who are buying their products to show support.

BROWN: The family has been the center of a media firestorm since comments Robertson made in an interview with "GQ" magazine in which he discussed his opinions on African-Americans and gays, describing homosexual as against nature, saying, "It not logical, my man. It's just not logical."

ROBERTSON: Pain's a good thing.

BROWN: A&E suspended Robertson from filming and Robertson issued an apology. After a flurry of online support, the network reinstated him to the show, saying they "decided to resume filming "Duck Dynasty" later this spring with the entire Robertson family."

Phil Robertson's son, Willie, addressed the issue of his father's official comments on FOX News during its New Year's Eve coverage.

WILLIE ROBERTSON, SON OF PHIL ROBERTSON: I think we all learned a lot and we're ready to move on. And our family's happy and ready to go.

BROWN: A lot of this may have come down to money. With 14 million viewers per episode, "Duck Dynasty" is A&E's top-rated show, and "Forbes" magazine estimates their endorsements in merchandise brought in $400 million in 2013.

PAUL: Ultimately, it comes down to audience, because the advertisers and the interest groups are all going to follow what the audience says. And what the audience has said, thus far, is we like the guy.

BROWN: Pamela Brown, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: We should say, CNN's attempts to get comments from A&E and the Robertsons about the latest video were unsuccessful. New episodes of the show are scheduled to air starting January 15th.

If a plain pair of socks weren't enough to raise your eyebrows on Christmas Day, how is this? A gift from the Obama family. Problem is, it was meant for someone else. You have to see this. Elaine Church was expecting a Christmas package. It was delayed because of damages. When it arrived this week, there was an additional package. Right there inside -- you can read that -- "To Mama Kaye and Papa Wellington, from Barack, Michelle, and the girls." That's astounding, folks. Church found the woman it was meant for, the Obama girls' godmother, and she's putting the package back in the mail today.

And here is a big sister with some serious bragging rights. The little girl was born in a D.C. hospital just before New Year's Eve 2013. Her twin brother, Dylan, was born a few minutes later, but a whole year later. He, of course, was born after midnight in 2014. That's going to be a problem for them going forward.

That's it for me this afternoon.

NEWSROOM continues right now with the fabulous Brooke Baldwin.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, my fabulous friend.