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Arctic Weather Sweeps Across U.S.; Popular Catholic Priest Murdered in Eureka, California; U.S. Marine Corps Delays Deadline for New Physical Requirements; Final Coroner's Rreport on Paul Walker's Death; Rock'n'Roll Legend Phil Everly Passes Away; Al-Qaeda Rises in Iraq
Aired January 04, 2014 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Martin Savidge. I'm very glad to be with you.
This is one of those weekends where the weather becomes the news. And before you say hey, it's January, it's supposed to be cold, hold on a moment because this cold snap is like none we have seen in a long time. That deep freezing is going to affect nearly half of the nation. It is exceptionally cold and even cold weather veterans say in the polar bear states that haven't seen conditions as brutal as this in many years.
In parts of Minnesota, famous for the tough winters, the temperature will not get above 20 below in the coming days. The wind chill, that's 65 degrees below zero. Chicago, more lake-effect snow and plunging temperatures.
Sunday night into Monday, it shoots temperatures to 15 below zero with plenty of the famous wind Chicago is known for. And then even in the normally mild deep south, Atlanta, where the giant peach dropped to wash around the New year, the next few days will be colder than, get this, a anchorage, Alaska. That is almost unbelievable.
Soft freezing temperatures can be, of course, extremely dangerous, 21 who was caught outside without adequate protection. Frostbite can set in, in just 15 minutes. Please be aware.
CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has some life- saving advice on how to protect yourself in extreme cold.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOCTOR SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you expect, I think most doctor and most people would say try to stay indoors as much as possible. The fans that are going to the games certainly don't want to hear that. But maybe trying to get inside to a heated if you can every now and then just to warm up, that helps.
Some of the basics apply here. And I'll preface by saying the materials that we have to keep warm are much better than they had, for example, during the ice bowl back in 1967, Gore Tex clothing, for example, can make a difference. Dressing in layers makes a big difference. And I'll add this additional tip, make sure you are doing it loosely. Don't put those layers on very tightly. You want to let warm sort of air get trapped between the various layers of clothing.
Wear a hat, you lose 20 percent of your body heat through your head. And try and cover exposed skin to try and prevent frostbite, fingers, toes, ears and nose. Those are the area that are susceptible. I throw the cheeks in there as well. They turn red. That is to be expected. But if someone says those areas are starting to turn white, then, you are really running the risk of frostbite.
Hypothermia, the other big concern. A couple tidbits, besides the ones you just heard. And eating a big meal ahead of time can actually help because it causes something known as thermo genesis. It start to create more body heat. That can be helpful. Whereas, drinking alcohol can have the opposite effect. It dilates blood vessels and you start to lose heat more rapidly than you otherwise would.
Here is the general rule of thumb. Have 15 minutes outside in the conditions that we are talking about, up to 30 degrees below zero, 15 minutes and you can start to develop frostbite. It is kind of very person to person, young and old. But make sure that if you are doing this, that you get inside as much as you can and keep the areas covered up. Back to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: You are so right. I spent a lot of time covering those areas. And that cold will affect you in ways you have not been feeling it before. January, of course, is typically cold, but not like this.
CNN meteorologist Alexandra Steele explain what is behind the frigid temperatures.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Martin, it is cold. About the coldest in two decades for some. So, this is really legitimately cold. What this is a piece of the polar vortex, which is the coldest air in the northern hemisphere. That's what's coming our way.
All right, so here is the forecast wind chills for tomorrow. You can see, this is noon. Of course the game, if you are going to be out there, 14 below is what it's going to feel like. The key number, what it feels like, maybe that old 1967 game. Five is what it's going to feel like in Green Bay. Flint, Detroit, you can see how cold it gets. Topping it all, Duluth feeling like 53 below zero.
So, this really is historic cold. Minneapolis on Monday, 18 below. The record 14 but dating from 1909. So, this is historic on so many fronts. Not only the wind chill dropping to 60 below, perhaps. In Chicago, all-time coldest daily high. And then in Cincinnati and Detroit, potentially the coldest subzero stretch we have ever seen.
So, take a look at these numbers. Chicago a high temperature, these aren't wind chills, 13 below dropping to 20 below, rebounding to two and then to 18. But Monday and Tuesday is the heart of this arctic cold. And look what happens in New York. Fifty degrees on Monday with rain. See moisture is moving in. And it's going to be quite a snowstorm for the Midwest, Chicago, and Detroit and Indianapolis. But, for the northeast, it's not going to be a snowstorm. It's going to be rain because the moisture comes before the cold air gets there. So, the timing is being missed. So, the rain and warm air, cold air, 14 in New York. Dramatic temperature drop and similar to Nashville as well -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: All right, thanks very much.
When, just a few major airports get shut down by that weather, we all know this, it sends the whole travel system into chaos. More than 3,000 flights were canceled yesterday. Nothing arrived or took off from Chicago, New York, or Boston for several hours. And that means, of course, long lines, bag logs and frustrated passengers going nowhere.
As of a couple hours ago, we were told more than 1100 commercial flights have been canceled today, within, into and out of the United States. OK.
CNN viewers have been sending us amazing photos of their nor'easter and the blizzard and even the cold. And what's happening in their very own neighborhoods and we love those.
Jennifer Mayerle is digging through them all. She's found real gems including some close to her heart.
JENNIFER MAYERLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And you know, people love to post on social media what they are doing and what they are seeing at that time. And this is like any other time right now.
SAVIDGE: Shared experience.
MAYERLE: Absolutely. And we love those i-reports that are coming in. Take a look at this one from Pennsylvania. This, Alice sent this one in of her balcony. She calls it a winter wonderland. She said there were icicles coming off the trees out there. She took the picture from inside, not because she wanted to be inside to warmth, but because her balcony door was frozen shut. That is something that you can run into that with these cold temperatures like that. But great picture there.
And if you want to get some exercise, why not go out cross country skiing before it's get too definitely cold. This is an ocean city beach, New Jersey. Thanks Adam for sending in that photo. You can see the waves are crashing there, but there is a man who was just out there cross country skiing, getting exercise in and good to see that.
SAVIDGE: Beautiful, that imagery there. There are the water there.
MAYERLE: Isn't it gorgeous? Probably tomorrow will be colder out there so. Over in Glen Head, New York, take a look at Milo. This is Milo's first of snowfall. It's a golden doodle. And looks like he likes it. look at that. I just kind of getting his nose wet in the snow there. Very sweet.
And I can't get enough of Borris. Check out this next photo that Liza sent in from Chicago. She caught him midair chasing squirrels. And I love the red booties. You have to keep his paws warm, right?
SAVIDGE: Yes. Sure.
MAYERLE: All right. Well, Borris is a rescue mix and very cute there hanging out in the air.
SAVIDGE: Looks like superman.
MAYERLE: Absolutely. And this next one, well, it is, as we say, closer to home. My dad took a picture in our neighborhood, found a snow man with a sign that kind of go hand in hand with what is happening with the weather right now. Take a look at that. It says, yes! No school on Monday. Too cold. And as we know, Governor Dayton closed schools in Minnesota because the temperatures are expected below zero in the double digits and so, to keep everyone safe. But, it's a fun way to put it. And you know, we know a lot of parents and kids of fall will have a snow day, a day inside on Monday.
SAVIDGE: I love photos like that because it does show how it affect you even in your own backyard or with your fence or in your neighborhood.
MAYERLE: I love seeing my neighborhood on there.
SAVIDGE: Tell your dad thanks for sending them in. Keep them coming.
MAYERLE: Absolutely. Thanks, Martin.
SAVIDGE: Thank you.
To another more serious subject, "Fast and Furious" actor Paul Walker died within minutes after a terrible car crash. That is according to the coroner's final report. We'll tell you what doctors found.
And then just ahead, they have been looking into your data, but what if the NSA got o supercomputer? We are hearing reports they could be close. That also, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: He inspired so many musicians, Phil Everly died of the legendary Everly Brothers has died at a California hospital.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)
SAVIDGE: That's Phil there on the left and his brother, Don. They recorded more than 35 hits during their career including that one, "wake up little Suzy," "bye bye love," "Kathy's clown," and "all I have to do is dream." The brothers quit performance together in the 1980s, but then they reunite and Phil was 74-years-old.
High speeds played a huge role in Paul Walker's films. And now an autopsy of the 'fast and Furious" star confirms triple digit speeds played a part in his death.
CNN's Casey Wian had the details on the final moments of Walker and his friend who drove the car they both died in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Millions of fans of Paul Walker's "fast and Furious" movie series were shocked in November when a real-life car crash killed the 40-year-old actor. The Los Angeles county coroner's final autopsy report shows Walker's death was gruesome and swift. Walker was a passenger in an ultrahigh performance car driven by his friend, Roger Rodas on November 30th. The autopsy states the driver was driving a red Porsche at an unsafe speed, 100 plus-mile-per-hour.
JIM TORP, WALKER'S FRIEND: When they passed us, there were no other cars around them at all.
WIAN: The driver lost control, spun, struck a sidewalk, tree and a light post. Exclusive video obtained by CNN shows the moment of impact and a full minute later, the car bursting into flames.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's nothing, we tried. We went through five extinguishers.
WIAN: Concerned in walker and Rodas may have been alive that entire time, not supported by the autopsy. It says both bodies were found in pugilistic stance like a boxer, perhaps raising for impact. Walker was burn so badly, only his lower back, buttocks and feet were un- charred. He had multiple bone fractures. Only a scant amount of soot was found in his throat, indicating he wasn't breathing for long. The body of Rodas was in even more gruesome condition. He died instantly.
JULIAN MANUELOS (ph), WALKER'S FAN: In Hollywood, they never get hurt. They are always driving fast. In reality, we do have to be concerned. We have to be concerned, this could happen to any of us. We have to follow the rules, follow the speed. We can't be too fast or furious.
WIAN: The final autopsy confirms that coroner's initial ruling on the cause of death, an accident. Walker lives on on film. A seventh installment of the "Fast and Furious" franchise, which was partially shot at the time of walker's death is scheduled to be released next year.
Casey Wian, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Still to come, taking the NSA to task for collecting cell phone records of Americans. Senator Paul, Rand Paul that is, thinks a massive class action lawsuit is one way to get the NSA to stop.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: And we want to say a welcome home to former first lady, Barbara Bush because that's where she is after spending as many as six days in the hospital. The doctors released her from the Houston Methodist hospital today. They have been treating the 88-year-old Bush family matriarch for pneumonia. Mrs. Bush thanked the doctors and nurses in the statement saying quote "for making sure I got the best treatment to get back to George and our dogs as quickly as possible."
You know, all of us rely on some level of encryption to keep our online bank and medical records safe from prying eyes. But encryption is a dirty word for the NSA.
CNN's Brian Todd says the agency is working on a new generation of supercomputer that could break even the strongest security codes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Encryption, those scrambled codes that protection our most sensitive information online shield the most top secret crucial data that governments possess from hackers and cyber spots. Now, the NSA is reportedly developing what is called a quantum computer, when it is complete, will be able to break just about any encryption in the world.
When NSA get the quantum computer, what will people be able to do?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Quantum computer will be a game changer. It will make a lot easier for NSA to break the codes that foreign governments use and foreign criminal groups use.
TODD: But NSA will also be able to break encryption codes that we all use to protect our bank accounts, e-mails, medical records. A privacy advocate says that may lead to a world with no secrets where it would be almost pointless trying to protect anything.
MARC ROTHENBERG, ELECTRONIC PRIVACY INFORMATION CENTER: We don't know for the most part, in fact, what the capabilities are, what steps are being taken to undermine the types of encryption that you and I might rely on, for example, when we go online to purchase a book or download some music.
TODD: The quantum computer programmers has revealed in documents provided by NSA leaker, Edward Snowden and reported by "the Washington Post." How would this super computer work? When a regular computer tries to solve a problem, it has to go through each possible solution one by one by one until it arrives at the correct answer. What makes a quantum computer so special is that it simultaneously tries every possibility, arriving at the correct answer much quicker.
According to the documents, the computer is being developed at this lab in College Park, Maryland.
How close is NSA to finishing this computer? Experts say it could be anywhere from five years away to a decade or more. Contacted by CNN, the NSA wouldn't comment on the project.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Thanks, Brian.
Republicans senator Rand Paul has announced a class action lawsuit aimed in stopping the NSA surveillance of cell phone used by Americans. He says the goal so to uphold the fourth amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures. Paul says the NSA's data collection program is so widespread and indiscriminative that nearly everybody in the country could be affected.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: We now have several hundred thousand people who want to be part of this suit to say to the government and to the NSA, no, you can't have our records without our permission or without warrant to a specific individual. So, it's kind of an unusual class action suit in the sense that we think everybody in America who has a cell phone would be eligible for this class action suit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: The NSA denies that its actions violate the privacy of U.S. citizens.
The U.S. marines are postponing a mandatory requirement for recruits to do pull-ups. More than half the woman who tried to do three pull- ups failed.
Correspondent Chris Lawrence has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Military training can be excruciating at its highest levels. But at the bare minimum, a marine's got to be able to do three pull-ups.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to ensure that every marine is successful at maxing out their pull-ups on their PSD (ph).
LAWRENCE: But more than half the female recruits couldn't do it. So the marines are pushing back the day when it becomes mandatory.
ELAINE DONNELLY, PRESIDENT, CENTER FOR MILITARY READINESS: If you have a failure rate of 55 percent and 99 percent of the men are succeeding, obviously this is not going to work.
LAWRENCE: Men have to do three pull-ups minimum to pass the marines fitness test. It takes 20 to earn a perfect score. Women had to meet the same minimum. But only need eight pull-ups to score perfect. Because so few passed, the marines will let them choose to hang on the bar for 15 seconds and pass without doing any pull-ups.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wide grip stance that works best for you.
LAWRENCE: Marine Corps officials admit pull-ups are better and the flexed arm hang elicits little muscular strength adaptations necessary for a common military task such as pulling oneself over obstacles or carrying equipment. ZOE BEDELL, FORMER MARINE CORPS OFFICER: Generally, I (INAUDIBLE) any standards.
LAWRENCE: Zoe Bedell was a former Marine Corps officer who commanded troops in Afghanistan.
Could you do three pull-ups?
BEDELL: I was at one point able to do five pull-ups, but it was probably that first one that probably took me the longest to get.
LAWRENCE: Bedell says women have to learn how to do pull-ups, something many have never done.
BEDELL: You sort of experiment with different techniques. You know, figure out what other exercises to do.
LAWRENCE: Critics say the big push over pull-ups is part of a bigger problem, pressure from the White House to make the military gender neutral.
DONNELLY: Something is wrong here and it's not the women's fault. It's the policy that the marines are pursuing.
LAWRENCE: Still, some women are clearly ready. Thirteen female marines have just passed the grueling 60-day infantry training course. But this postponement, it's a setback for the plan to move thousands of women into combat roles by 2016.
The marines could impose the three-pull-up standard next year, but there's no guarantee.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Thank you, Chris.
The rise of al-Qaeda in Iraq is prompting a finger pointing response from two senators against President Obama. Hear their case on the other side of the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: More than two years ago, actually, just over that, the final U.S. troops left Iraq. I remember it because I was riding in the last convoy as we made our way in to Kuwait. Now, according to the Middle East analysts there say that the violence is at a turning point.
For the first time, militants linked to al-Qaeda are now holding down territory against the Iraqi government, which of course, the United States backs. Members of the radical group known as the Islamic state of Iraq have taken control of parts of Felucca (ph). And that development has triggered a harsh, I told you so, from two senators today. They partially blame President Obama for Iraq's new violence which is so far killed nearly 90 people in the last two days. I'm going to turn now to CNN's Sunlen Serfaty.
Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, they released a statement today, Sunlen. So, what, specifically, did they say?
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Martin, you are absolutely right. This does amount to an, I told you so, to the administration. These senators say the violence this week is as tragic as it is predictable. And they blame the administration for not listening to their warnings for this region three years ago. They say, quote, "the administration cannot escape its share of the blame when President Obama withdrew all U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011. Both were the objections of our military leaders and commanders on the ground, many of us predicted that the vacuum would be filled by American enemies and would emerged as not threat to U.S. national security interests.
Now, the administration has dismissed this sort of criticism before. Let's take a listen now to what the state department spokesperson said Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIE HARP, SPOKESWOMAN, STATE DEPARTMENT: Obviously, we condemned the violence in the absolute strongest terms. But let's be clear who is responsible for the violence. It is the terrorists who are behind it. That's why we are partnering with the Iraqi government very closely to fight the shared threat because at the end of the day, we can certainly help them fight it but we also want to help them build their own capability to do so themselves. Because ultimately, that's the best way forward for Iraq. So, I don't think we need to re- litigate policy decisions that were made, you know, however many months ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: Now, Congress is back to work here on Monday.
Martin, I do suspect we will hear a lot more from this, especially these two Republicans and as the violence continues.
SAVIDGE: Right. Sunlen, thanks very much.
And in fact, you are going to hear more right now because our next guest asks with Iraq, Syria and Lebanon burning, why is John Kerry then talking to Israelis and Palestinians? We'll talk about that very issue next with Fouad Ajami and our Fred Pleitgen.
And then later, more on the winter storm and the coldest, snowiest, iciest football game ever.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: Secretary of state, John Kerry says progress has been made in making peace in the Middle East. Today, Kerry met for the second time with Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, and then flew back to Jerusalem for a third meeting with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in as many days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: A pathway has to be laid down in which the parties have confidence that they know what is happening and that the road ahead is real not illusory.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Kerry shell the diplomacy is aimed at setting up a framework to end the conflict between Israel and Palestine. It would define boarders and address other issues like security and the refugee problems.
Now, we are going to dive into the two stories that we have been talking about. Kerry's progress in the Middle East and this bloody upswing of violence in Iraq.
My next guest says that John Kerry's focus is in the wrong place while he in Israel and the West Bank today. Critics can't understand why Kerry isn't instead concentrating on what we reported earlier, a turning point in Iraq as al-Qaeda linked roots, for the first time now, are taking control of parts of the city of Fallujah.
With me now is senior fellow at Sanford's Hoovers Institution, Fouad Ajami, and also joining the conversation is CNN's Fredrik Pleitgen who has reported extensively in all the areas that we are discussing.
Fouad, thanks for being with us. Explain, first of all, what is wrong with the secretary of state trying to move forward with the peace process in Israel?
FOUAD AJAMI, SENIOR FELLOW, STANFORD UNIVERSITY'S HOOVER INSTITUTION: Well, you know, Martin, there's nothing wrong with it per se. But there is something wrong with the secretary of state who left the war in Syria raging and who basically advocated that fight. And as the fight for Syria and in cities spills into western Iraq and about to engulf Lebanon, it's odd that the secretary of state heads for the tenth time, the tenth time this year to Israel and Palestine.
There's no urgency to Israel and Palestine and there's really no room for settlement. Because the Israelis are really now concerned with Iran and they are not concern with the Palestinians. And the Palestinians are not ready for a settlement. So, there's a peculiar kind of concentration by Secretary Kerry on. This is really a Palestinian question.
SAVIDGE: And Fred, you know, while we sort of broaden what is happening in the region now and what's happening in Iraq today, for example, remind us just how serious this is. In another word, is it just a resumption of this kind of fighting we saw before or is this something new?
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is, in parts, something of a resumption, but it is also something new where you are seeing these al-Qaeda linked groups of the (INAUDIBLE) especially going back and becoming strong in Iraq again. I mean, if you look back to Iraq in 2003, 2004 and 2005, al-Qaeda and Iraq owned parts of Fallujah and parts of Ramani (ph) and in some cases, even all of Ramani (ph). And now, it seems these groups are seeping back in.
Of course, all of that has to do, Martin, with the conflict in Syria. Because that conflict is what allowed these group to become strong again. They have taken a lot of territory in the north of the country. And now it seems as though they are just shuttling back and forth across the border. Because I mean, let's face it, the border between Iraq and Syria and the dessert, really doesn't exist. It's fairly easy for these groups to move around. It's the Sunni heartland and they now it appears as though they are gaining strength in that part of Iraq again.
One of the things that I will say Martin, that I do think is not good but at least something of a glimmer of hope, if you will, is that some of the Sunni tribes in those areas are now saying, they want to work together with the Iraqi government to try to come to terms with al- Qaeda and Iraq. Because one of the things that I think everybody can agree with is that while the Sunni tribes don't trust the central government in Baghdad, they certainly don't want to live under the rule of al-Qaeda because they have seen that before and certainly didn't suit it very well.
SAVIDGE: They have been down that road.
Fouad though, you know, this is, of course, what we didn't want to see, the regionalization of this kind of war in Syria. What do you think that John Kerry should be doing now?
AJAMI: Well, I think this illusion, he said, he himself, that secretary Kerry said he goes to the region one more time. He goes to Israeli Palestinians negotiations one more time without illusions. But let's face it, his time is not unlimited. He can't just simply say well, you know, we are going to focus on Israel/Palestine while we lead the fight in Syria and we leave the fight in Syria.
Let's -- you know, the truth is the Arab world is invested totally in the issue of Syria. The fight for Syria has become a Sunni Shiite war in the region. And I think my colleague has explained very well the leaky borders between Syria and western Iraq. And then, we also don't treat Iraq well. We are now on the side of Malachi who has antagonized the Sunnis of Iraq. He treats them like a concords population. So, we must read the region right of whom as leave the Israeli/Palestinian issue to itself now and we must focus on Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
SAVIDGE: Let me ask you this, Fouad. What do you make of, you know, is it right by these senators, Lindsey Graham and John McCain to blame the violence in Iraq on President Obama? Do you agree with that?
PLEITGEN: No. I think the violence in Iraq -- I'll let Fouad go first, if you want.
AJAMI: No, go ahead, please. PLEITGEN: I think it's definitely unfair to blame it on President Obama. I mean, the things that are happening in Iraq right now are things that have, their essence in all the policies from the past couple of years. I mean, first of all, starting with the invasion of Iraq and how that was handled. The fact that all these militias were able to come up afterward. And then the fact that the U.S. left Iraq while all of it was still a patch work. It's not like the fires in Iraq were ever put out.
The U.S. put additional troops out to quench the violence for awhile. But of course, with (INAUDIBLE) is absolutely right. He does treat the Sunni as though they are conquered population. And the security forces in Iraq don't work well enough to actually come to terms of all this. And at the same time, there's not a political consensus in Iraq. And the social fabric at this point just simply isn't there because the political class in that country has not done enough for reconciliation.
So, this is really a problem that was made by the Iraqis. It's has an essence or its beginnings at least in part in the way the occupation was handled in 2004, 2005, 2006. But again, this is something that the Iraqis are going to have to settle themselves.
But I do agree with Fouad as well. The U.S. does need to show more of an interest in the Syrian conflict and also work more closely with countries like Russia to try to get that and come to terms with that, to try and find some sort of political solution, any sort of solution that would stop the bloodshed there because that really is the key of the region.
SAVIDGE: And Fouad, the same thing. I mean, were those senators correct?
AJAMI: Yes. I think well -- I should own up to my own bias here. John McCain is one of my heroes. I mean, John McCain has read this region right and John McCain has cared about Syria and has cared about Iraq when so many politicians and so many leaders in Washington were ready to look the other way.
We quit Iraq in 2011 the wrong way. We quit Iraq, we declared it a great success. We declared a great success when he was repressing the Sunnis at the time. So now, Maliki comes to us and guess what, he wants hell fire missiles, we have given him. He wants drones and he will not use them in the war on terror. These will ne instruments of choice in his war against the Sunnis and the Kurds.
SAVIDGE: You make it sound like he is a dictator and that he will just stay in power, thanks to the help of weaponry from the U.S.
AJAMI: Well, you know, Martin, there is something very interesting about Nuri al-Maliki. I have known this man. It's an interesting thing. Like all of a sudden, you see the unmaking, you see the emergence of a dictator.
Right now, Nuri al-Maliki has something good going for him. He is now running for third term as prime minister. When the rules in Iraq precluded that, he amended those and shredded those rules. So now, he's running for third term as the prime minister as the candidate of supreme leader in Iran and of President Obama. And guess what, Bashar al-Assad in Damascus.
SAVIDGE: Fouad Ajami, as always, we appreciate your insight. Fred Pleitgen, certainly we appreciate your reporting from dangerous places.
Thank you both.
AJAMI: Thank you.
SAVIDGE: Now, a U.S. citizen held hostage by al-Qaeda in Pakistan says he feels abandoned. And in a video message, he is asking the U.S. government to help him come home. What does his family say? Hear what they told our Anderson Cooper, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: The family of an American kidnapped by al-Qaeda keeps hoping that he will get his freedom. Warren Weinstein was captured in 2011 while in Pakistan. A recent video released by the terror group shows him looking frail and asking the U.S. government to bring him home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN WEINSTEIN, KIDNAPPED BY AL-QAEDA: And therefore, appealing to you, on a humanitarian basis, if nothing else, and asking that you take the necessary actions to expedite my release and my return to my family and to my country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Our Anderson Cooper spoke to his family on how they are holding up as they wait for his return.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, AC360: First of all, Elaine, I'm so sorry for what you and your family are going through. How are you holding up and how do you deal with this day-to-day?
ELAINE WEINSTEIN, WARREN WEINSTEIN'S WIFE: I find if I'm busy, I can at least function. I try to find a place to go, a friend to be with. And if all else fails, I go visit my grandchildren.
COOPER: In the video, seeing your husband, I mean this was the first time in how long you had seen him?
E. WEINSTEIN: Over a year.
COOPER: How did he look to you? What do you see when you look at him?
E. WEINSTEIN: He looked pale. He looked sick. He looked troubled. He just looked like he was in stress. It was terrible to see him that way.
COOPER: And in the video, he says that he feels like he's been forgotten. For you and for all of you, that must be -- it's not true and for him to not know that has to be heart breaking.
E. WEINSTEIN: I think he said that I'm not sure he meant that. I think that words were put in his mouth.
COOPER: To see the video, is it -- I mean it's horrific in one sense. Is it comforting in another to see a visual of him?
ALISA WEINSTEIN, WARREN EINSTEIN'S DAUGHTER: Yes. You know, it was so nice to hear his voice again. There's something comforting about that and seeing his face, you know, knowing he's a live is amazing, too. It's an amazing feeling.
COOPER: What happens in this sort of the situation? I mean, I think people try to imagine what you are going through. Is there anything for you to actually do?
E. WEINSTEIN: Not really. We ask if anything is being done. We are told everything possible is being done and that's what we have to settle for.
COOPER: What do you want people to know about your dad?
JENNIFER COAKLEY, WARREN EINSTEIN'S DAUGHTER: He's an amazing man who has dedicated his life to, you know, helping other people and doing everything he can to help family and friends. And you know, just he's an amazing person who doesn't deserve this to happen to him. He deserves to be home with his family, and you know, to be able to enjoy life and not be missing everything and, you know, not allowed to do things that he wants to do. He needs to come home.
A. WEINSTEIN: Also, just what an incredible father and husband and grandfather he is. I mean, even though he was across the world from us, we all spoke to him every day, sometimes more than once a day. He was always connected. He was online or calling us using Skype or Vonage. Just being with us constantly.
COOPER: I understand your grand kids learned how to use Skype at the very early age like 2-years-old or something?
COAKLEY: He was in my office at two. I thought, you know, my dad was just -- we call and just left him sitting there. But in reality, he hit the button. He wanted to talk to grandpa and he knew how to do it.
COOPER: And Jennifer, you had to tell your 7-year-old daughter, you had to kind of explain this to your kids. How do you explain something like this?
COAKLEY: I mean, how do you explain something like that? That is not something you want to have to tell a child, you know. We sat her down and basically, you know, used the most child appropriate way to try and explain the situation to her. She asked some very smart questions. She's, you know, she's dealing with it. But it's been really hard on her.
COOPER: This is, obviously, a broadcast which is seen internationally. If he could hear this or somebody involved holding him could hear this, what do you want him to know? What is your message?
E. WEINSTEIN: Well, if he's listening, we want him to know we love him. We want him to know we miss him terribly. That we think about him almost every moment of every single day. We would do anything in our power to get him home. And he shouldn't lose heart. He shouldn't lose faith. He should just worry about taking care of himself, trying to stay healthy, trying to stay strong and know that we are fighting for him.
COOPER: I hope this helps. And I hope he gets this message and the people holding him get the message as well.
Thank you very much.
E. WEINSTEIN: Thank you for having us. We truly appreciate it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: That, of course, was Anderson Cooper talking with Warren Weinstein's family.
Coming up, the sugar bowl comes to a bitter end for an Alabama fan, yes, we are not talking about the lopsided score, either.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: Australia is getting the ice breaking might of the U.S. coast guard to help the stranded ships in the Antarctic. This is now become a four nation operation, Australia leading the effort and now got the U.S. ice breaker named "the polar star" to join the mission. The two ships stuck are a Russian research ship and a Chinese ice breaker which became stranded trying to help the Russian vessel. Fifty-two passengers on the Russian ship were flown off earlier in the week with 22 crew members remained on board.
Tomorrow's NFL playoff between the Green Bay Packers and the san Francisco 49ers could go down as the coldest NFL game in history. Might, anyway. Temperatures in Green Bay are to nose dive tonight to minus two degrees.
In a short time ago, I talked with CNN.com's sports contributor Terrence Moore. Terrence covered three of six of the coldest games in history, and still shivering, including a 1982 game where the wind chill was 59 degrees below zero.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TERRENCE MOORE, CNN.COM SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: When you talk Lambeau field, they are talking minus three by kick off, and by at the end, minus ten. I mean, that's bad. I mean, here is the thing. People think they would gives the Packers the advantage. But you know what their record is when the temperature is six degrees or lower at Lambeau Filed?
SAVIDGE: No.
MOORE: Three and four. So, it's cold for everybody. That's just for the Packers and the other team.
SAVIDGE: The temperature is the great equalizer here. We mentioned the fans, OK, they do have the option. They don't have to go, they can stay home. But of course, the players can't.
MOORE: Right.
SAVIDGE: So, what do they do? How do they stay warm and is it a danger potential?
MOORE: Well, you have these NFL history stories back then in the old days, Minnesota when they played outdoors, Grant, who was the coach of the Minnesota Vikings used to put the heater on his side of the sidelines and the visiting team would just have to fill for themselves. So, you have these little tricks that take place.
But really, there's not a good way to do this. And then you have mind games that take place and we can talk about this at some point. But I covered the 1982 freezer bowl in Cincinnati AFC championship between the Chargers and the Bengals. And that was the coldest game wind chill, in fact, it was minus 59 below zero at Cincinnati. And the actual temperature was minus nine. I bring that up because the Bengals offensive lineman came out in short sleeved shirts to try to intimidate the Chargers and it worked because the Bengals won.
SAVIDGE: Right. (INAUDIBLE). With athletes though, you know, I worry, your muscles tighten up, do you see greater injuries? Do you see a different type of injury?
MOORE: Well, there's no question about that. And then, you know, people talk about the '67 ice bowl between the Packers and the Cowboys in Lambeau Field when it was minus 13 below zero minus 37 wind chill. I can't believe I know all the numbers for coldness. But Dan Reese played in the game. And Dan Reese was a famous NFL coach in later years. If you talk to Dan Reese today, he still has a scar above his lip where he bit through his lip during that frigid day and just still hasn't healed probably after all the years. So, there's repercussions playing in those temperatures.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Absolutely, there are.
By the way, Oklahoma's stunning upset at the sugar bowl didn't go down too well with one die hard Alabama fan. The woman had already been pulled away from a group of Rowdy Oklahoma fans and it looked like it was over. Then one of them supposedly said well, something unkind. And that set her off. She circled back and dove head first into the group. She managed to land a few kicks before security escorted her out of the stadium.
"The New York Times" is reporting that New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, is said to announce an executive order this week allowing limited use of marijuana for those with serious illnesses. Governor Cuomo recently changed his position on legalization of medical marijuana. This comes just days after the recreational use of the drug became legal in Colorado. That after sending thousands of people there flocking to buy the drug.
Joining me now on the telephone is Sue Craig. She is the Albany bureau chief for "the New York Times" and the reporter who broke the story.
And Sue, walk us through this kind of executive order that is said to be announced.
SUSANNE CRAIG, ALBANY BUREAU, NEW YORK TIMES (via phone): Well, it's interesting because he's not going through the legislature in New York, which is has done several times. But he found a provision in New York law that allows him to do it on a limited level and to see how it goes. It's very interesting and will be up and running probably, I would say sometime in the late next year, early into the next year. There's a lot of things they have to iron out, but it is on its way.
SAVIDGE: It seems to be, you know, obviously, quite an about face here. What is behind the decision, do you think?
CRAIG: Well, I think he's had a progression of views on this. It is going to against this. And I think it's interesting why he sort of came out now. I think his concerns before were rooted, I think, in the legal aspects, former attorney general. He's been worried about how to police it and control it. And I think over time, I think there's been a lot of lobbying going on of, you know, groups that want this. And I think he's seeing over time that there can be benefits if it's done in a very limited way to be sure on this it's going to be done in a limited way.
Only 20 hospitals in the state will be chosen to distribute it. And the diseases that can be used for, the patients can use it for are going to be very limited. It's going to cancer, glaucoma and anything past that has to be approved by the department of health.
So, it think he is saying look, this is very limited. We are not doing what Colorado does. It's going to be a very limited look at this, and then let's see how it goes.
SAVIDGE: Do you think at any way that Colorado has no influenced, I mean, just following another state?
CRAIG: I don't think so. I mean, this has been, it's you know, it is interesting, I guess the common denominator here is simply marijuana. I mean, this is a very limited use. I think though, there's a sort of a move in terms of he's known to be a firmly liberal governor, Andrew Cuomo, on various issues, gay marriage is another one. So, I think this is sort of up his alley in terms of issues that he would move on in terms of social issues.
SAVIDGE: All right, Susanne Craig, joining us on the telephone. She is with "the New York Times" from Albany breaking the story of medical marijuana and Governor Cuomo of New York.
Well, it's already legal, pot I'm talking about, in Colorado. I mentioned that. And it means, of course, that you can go into a store and you can legally buy marijuana in that state or you can even grow your own at home and give it away. But it doesn't mean you get a free ride if you are caught with too much in your system.
CNN's Miguel Marquez reports on the ups and downs of the new pot law from the mile high city.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Out of the cannabist closet and into a new era of legal recreational marijuana, the great Colorado smoke-out is on.
Weed, a powerful draw coming from across the country to partake.
You were able to walk into a store and buy marijuana today. What did that feel like?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is overjoying, like, to not have to hide it and be able to use what makes me feel better.
MARQUEZ: So, I take it you guys are excited about this.
At medicine man Denver, one of the largest dispensaries, driving snow, wind or cold didn't deter the faithful. The line, in the hundreds, all day long.
What does today feel like?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom.
MARQUEZ: With new freedom comes new responsibility. Signs are everywhere, the dos and don'ts of pot, illegal for under 21 to light up. Public health officials fear abuse. At greatest risk, kids.
DR. JEFFRY GALINKIN, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Over half the admissions for addiction in this state, in kids under 15 and teenagers for marijuana.
MARQUEZ: And drivers can get busted. The legal limit, five nano grams of THC in your blood.
I don't smoke, but if I had pun puff of marijuana cigarette, will that put me over to five nano gram limit?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MARQUEZ: One puff?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MARQUEZ: For how long?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really unknown. By two hours it will probably be gone.
MARQUEZ: THC dissipates to lower levels relatively fast even in habitual users.
LT. MARK DRAJEN (ph), SUPERVISOR: If they fail a roadside test, we take them to a dui room and do a series of tests that take up to two hours to complete.
MARQUEZ: It is possible to be pulled over high and hours later, get a pass on the blood test. For now, pot aficionados, law enforcements and policy makers are settling in with the long ride.
Miguel Marquez, CNN, Denver.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
