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Packers Faces 49ers in Cold Weather; Millions Brace for Bitter Cold; Congress Back to Work; Millions Unemployed with No Check; Vote Monday for New Fed Reserve Chair; New York Could Make Medical Pot Legal; NSA Unit Can Watch All Your Online Movies; Playing on a Frozen Field

Aired January 05, 2014 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories we're following this hour in the NEWSROOM.

Half the U.S. is getting hit by a polar blast so intense it's expected to shatter cold temperatures across the country. What you need to know to stay safe during the deep freeze.

The governor of New York is about to announce a major change to his state's medical marijuana laws. Hear what he's planning.

And it's an anxious waiting game for more than a million of Americans who are now going without their unemployment benefits. Should Congress extend those checks? It's a heated question. Remember that Congress face off this hour.

Two people are critically injured after a three-alarm fire broke out in a New York high rise. Crews are still trying to get control of the fire which started on the 28th floor of a midtown building. Smoke is still pouring out. A fire department spokesman says there are people inside but it's not clear if they're trapped.

We'll bring you more details on this story as we get them.

And a powerful arctic blast is taking aim at 140 million people in 35 states. Temperatures will be plummeting to unbelievable lows and many states that are still digging out from last week's monster storm will be getting even more snow and ice. The nasty snow winter weather is creating real travel nightmares for people heading home after the holidays.

Two jets slid off icy taxiways. One at Chicago O'Hare, the other at JFK in New York. No one was hurt. Thousands of flights, however, are still being canceled because of the weather mostly in Chicago and in the Windy City today's high just 13 degrees. And tomorrow negative 12 with wind chills of more than 40 below zero.

Brutal stuff.

And then there is Green Bay, Wisconsin. It's even colder. And in just a few hours football fans will be piling into Lambeau Field for what will be one of the coldest games in NFL history. It's the Green Bay Packers versus the San Francisco 49ers.

Our George Howell is there roughing it for us. Oh my gosh, and all bundled up. I can't wait to see what a lot of the fans are looking like.

How are they going to stay warm in that field?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, absolutely, you have to come out here bundled up because look, you know, we're not talking 80 degrees and balmy out here. Right now it's right around five degrees. Here in the next couple of hours we expect the temperature to plummet. Getting down anywhere to the negative teens and negative 20s when it comes to wind chill.

But the question, you know, will this be the Ice Bowl? That game back in 1967 against the Dallas Cowboys. Right now it's not looking like that will be the case, but again we're talking some 60,000 people coming into this stadium to watch the Packers play the 49ers. It will be a cold game. It's unclear whether, you know, the linemen will wear short sleeves or not. We'll find out right when the game starts but definitely a cold place to watch a football game today.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And so is there anything the NFL or the stadium is doing to help keep you warm?

HOWELL: When fans get here, Fred, and this is the good thing for fans. They did this before back in 2007. They're passing out hot chocolate, they're passing out coffee.

WHITFIELD: Right.

HOWELL: You know, things to keep people warm as they watch this football game. And, you know, they did put out that warning to people to make sure that you come out bundled up, wear the hat, have the gloves on, and layers, layers help. But when you talk to fans out here, especially the guys from Green Bay, you know, they're used to this.

Take a look at what they have to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can prepare for it but you can't really prepare for it. You know, we've been doing this our whole life up here. So it's what Green Bay is all about. It's called leather and hard hitting football.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know about the people from California. I don't know if you can be ready for this kind of cool.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: So, can you be ready for this? Keep this in mind, overnight, into tomorrow, we're expecting wind chills to be get to extreme cold. Anywhere from negative 20, 30, 40 below zero. So we'll have to just see what that feels like. It'll be new to me, Fred. I'm a Texas guy so.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. So this is going to be quite the Christening for you. Good luck. But looks like you've got a good start there. You look like you're wearing all the right gear and I'm glad that your extremities are covered up because that's really how people get in trouble.

HOWELL: Hope so.

WHITFIELD: Frost bite and all.

HOWELL: Right.

WHITFIELD: All right. George, we'll check back with you. Thanks so much. Five degrees and counting.

(LAUGHTER)

All right. Well, you don't have to be outside at a football game to feel the effects of the deep freeze.

Our Alexandra Field is in New York.

So, Alexandra, we've got temperatures dropping into the negative 40s and 50s in some places which seems so wrong. So what do folks in general need to do to try to keep safe whether they are at home or they're out driving perhaps?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, free hot chocolate, that's a good start. I'm sure those football fans will appreciate it. But we are talking about dangerous temperatures in a lot of places so you certainly need to do more than that. And a lot of people still have a little bit of time right now to prepare their cards and to prepare their homes so that they can stay safer when the temperature falls and so they can also feel a little bit more comfortable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD (on camera): We're not just talking about cold, we're talking about very cold. What are the issues that people might start to see in the next couple of days.

ROBERT LEOPOLDI, LEOPOLDI HARDWARE: Well, we've been dealing with frozen pipes. That's always an issue. This morning a lady called saying her pipes was frozen.

FIELD (voice-over): Below freezing temperatures can lead to big problems.

LEOPOLDI: So this is insulation you can put around the pipe just to keep the cold out.

FIELD: So a little planning, Robert Leopoldi at Leopoldi Hardware in Brooklyn suggests running your water frequently as temperatures fall and protecting pipes beforehand. LEOPOLDI: We have these, these electric cables that you plug in, and you run it along the pipe and then you can insulate the pipe and what it does is it keeps the heat right on the pipe.

FIELD: Electric heaters are being scooped up at hardware stores in New York City. They can add some warmth to your house without overworking your furnace.

(On camera): Give your best insider tip. What's the thing that we're not thinking to do that could really help?

LEOPOLDI: Well, the best thing to do is insulation. Insulation is the best thing. That'll save energy, save money.

FIELD (voice-over): Spray foams get the job done quickly.

LEOPOLDI: This is just to fill up any gap. They could go in doorways, around molding, around pipes just to fill up any little space.

FIELD: And plastic sheets for drafty windows come in all sizes.

(On camera): We're looking at 140 million people who will be in sub- zero temperatures. How big of a concern this is?

JOSH LOCKWOOD, AMERICAN RED CROSS OF GREATER NEW YORK: Well, the Red Cross has activated our -- tens of thousands of volunteers across the country to be ready for this event. And we're working really hard to get out messaging about how people can stay safe during this cold stuff.

FIELD (voice-over): With historic lows setting in in the Midwest and sub-zero temperatures forecast for the south and northeast, the Red Cross is focused on the dangers of driving. A few tips, pack a shovel to dig yourself out. Also have sand on hand, bring a blanket and avoid driving without a fully charged cell phone.

Don't forget extra anti-freeze and to get your driveway fit for record lows, Leopoldi says skip the rock salt. Calcium Chloride is worth paying more for.

LEOPOLDI: It melted at lower temperatures and it doesn't crack the sidewalk. Doesn't leave white marks all over it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD: Now if you do find yourself stranded in your car the Red Cross is reminding people that the safest thing to do is to just hunker down in that car and wait for help. It's a lot more dangerous to get out of your car and search for help.

The Red Cross is also saying, Fred, that as the temperatures fall they're already seeing a spike in fires. So it's a good reminder to people if you pull out one of those space heaters or if you have a fire going in your home, you really do to keep an eye that. WHITFIELD: Right. And right there in Midtown there's a big fire going on. Still unclear what the source of that fire is but we have been noticing an inexorbitant number of fires just in the past couple of days now.

Thanks so much, Alexandra Field. Thank you so much.

All right. Clearly Mother Nature is not messing around this week. Alexandra Steele now has a look at who is in for the worst of it.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Fred. Well, obviously, cold air continues to be the name of the game weather wise. And here it comes. This arctic invasion. It's actually a piece of the polar puzzle, believe it or not. It's a piece of the polar vortex that's coming down. It's the coldest air in North America and it will be ours here in the lower 48. And we're going to watch it spread south and eastward.

Take a look at these temperatures. Highs today, 15 below will be the high temperature in Duluth. That's 32 degrees below average. High in Minnesota today, in Minneapolis, seven below will be the high. Marquette to Chicago, you see those temperatures, too, well below zero.

Well, as head toward Monday look at Indianapolis, 50 degrees, close to 50. Colder than where we should be. A high of only 13 below in Indianapolis. So we are going to shatter here from the north to the south and really for different reasons. As we head toward Tuesday 27 degrees below average. Atlanta, Georgia, will be with the high of only 25. Low temperatures in Atlanta single digits probably for the first time since 2003.

So how cold is it? Let's get perspective. Of course you know where Anchorage is, how cold it usually is, 34 will be the high temperature on Monday. International Falls in Minnesota will have a high of 16 below. Chicago will be colder than Anchorage as well on Monday with the high of only 12 below. St. Louis Missouri will be -- will be colder than Anchorage as will Atlanta, Georgia. Colder than Anchorage, Alaska, on Monday with the high of only 24.

So you kind of get the sense of the breadth and depth of this cold and of course records being shattered from 1909 with the high in Minneapolis of 19 below.

Wind chills on Monday dropping to 60 below potentially in Minneapolis. Chicago all-time daily high. So breaking records from Sin City to Detroit for the kind of the consistent number of days sub-zero.

All right. So let's take it in Boston. Boston, the story is a little bit different. Of course it's going to be cold. But Monday it's going to be cloudy with rain and 50 degrees. And then that arctic air hits Boston. And look at the temperature drop from 50 to 19 in one day.

Similar scenario in New York, we drop from almost 50 to 13 for a high on Tuesday, Fred. So the cold air is in place and we're all going to feel it.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Alexandra. Unfortunately we all will feel it.

All right. In Jerusalem this morning Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. will help Iraq in its fight against an al Qaeda -- an al-Qaeda-linked group, that is. But it will not send in troops.

Iraq has recently been rocked by violence and today was no exception. At least 18 people died in five different bombings today across Baghdad. Dozens of others were wounded.

Pope Francis will be in the holy land in May. He announced his plans for the trip this morning. He will visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the West Bank and the Jordanian capital of Amman. It will be his first trip to the holy land as pontiff.

Medical marijuana is already legal in 20 U.S. states and D.C. Now one governor could soon make it a reality in his state. Why the people of New York won't even get a say in the decision. That's a little bit later.

And next people are at the end of their rope and hoping lawmakers will throw them a lifeline in the form of unemployment benefits. That debate next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Not everyone likes the idea of clemency for NSA leaker Edward Snowden. On NBC's "Meet the Press," former Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano said the contractor-turned-whistleblower damaged the infrastructure of U.S. intelligence. And on ABC's "This Week" Senator Rand Paul also came out against clemency for Snowden saying he should get a fair trial and a reasonable sentence.

The "New York Times" and the British newspaper "The Guardian" both called for the government -- the U.S. government to give Snowden clemency.

Snowden admits leaking details of how the NSA collects data on phone calls and e-mails of nearly all Americans.

U.S. Congress is back in action this week after the holiday break. Closing the door on 2013 meant putting a lot of frustrating politics in the past but will 2014 be any more productive?

Correspondent Sunlen Serfaty examines that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president's vacation is over. He faces the colder reality now -- Congress.

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": If you're a glass half full kind of person like I am, they're the number one most unproductive Congress in modern history. SERFATY: Get ready for possible deja vu.

SEN. HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: I wish I had a magic wand to say I know things will be better.

SERFATY: This year Congress has a full plate. Right off the bat a potentially easy one for the Senate. Confirming Janet Yellen as the first woman to head the Federal Reserve. But next a real battle over long-term unemployment benefits. Both sides arguing Sunday.

Even before vacation was over President Obama pressed this weekend to extend the payments.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: With regard to unemployment insurance, I've always said that I'm not opposed to unemployment insurance. I am opposed to having it without paying for it.

REID: We have never offset emergency spending. It's foolishness. We have people that are desperate. They've been out of work for -- some as much as two years.

SERFATY: On January 15th, a major deadline to fund the government. A deal was reached last year but it needs to be finalized. As early as February, a deadline to raise the debt ceiling again with both sides already dug in.

GENE SPERLING, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMICS COUNCIL: I think that it will be harmful not just for the economy, but I think it will be harmful politically. If Republicans use 2014 as a year to threaten default again on the debt limit.

SERFATY: And an even heavier lift for a deal on immigration reform, which has escaped Congress for years.

REP. ERIC CANTOR (R) MAJORITY LEADER: It can't be my way or the highway on such a big issue.

SERFATY: Not to mention continued attempts by Republicans to change Obamacare.

REP. DARRELL ISSA (R), CALIFORNIA: This has been a failed launch, a flawed law and it needs real change.

SERFATY: Don't hold your breath for all of this to be crossed off the list. According to a CNN/ORC Poll released last year two-thirds of Americans called Congress the worst ever. And the midterm elections will suck up much desire this year to compromise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are not likely to be times of large fruitful legislative harvest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So Sunlen joining me live now from Washington.

So, Sunlen, adding something else to the list, you know, won't Congress also have to address the NSA data collection program at some point? I know the president is going to be weighing in on it next month. But might Congress weigh in sooner than that?

SERFATY: That's absolutely right, Fred. This is a big ticket item they have to be worked on. And they've already been working on legislation to put limits on the NSA. But as you said, we will hear definitively from President Obama on what reforms he'll propose to the program. That likely will also be a big topic in his State of the Union address before Congress.

Fred, this just sets up another fierce debate for them as they work through their big to-do list this year.

WHITFIELD: All right. Sunlen, thank you so much. It is a big to-do list. We're going to talk more about what's on that list.

So it is the second week that more than one million Americans may have to go without buying groceries or heating their home or paying their rent. And for many of them who have been receiving unemployment checks, that's how they would pay for those necessities.

The U.S. Senate is bringing up a vote to extend those benefits tomorrow. Majority leader Harry Reid says he's confident it will pass the Senate. But it's unclear what could happen once it makes it to the House -- if it makes it to the House.

President Obama's economic director Gene Sperling says it is a crucial issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPERLING: People have to remember that long-term -- that emergency unemployment benefits only go to people who are actively looking for a job. For a lot of people that keeps them -- encourages them to keep looking when they are getting discouraged. And I have to point out that tomorrow is actually the day that 1.3 Americans will go to their mailbox and find that check missing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Joining us now are two House members, Democrat Jerry Nadler of New York. He is for extending the benefits. And Republican Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, she is against the extension.

Good to see both of you and Happy New Year. However, it's not a happy new year for a lot of folks who are counting on those checks.

So, Congresswoman Blackburn, let me begin with you. Why wouldn't you want to extend unemployment benefits?

REP. MARSHA BLACKBURN (R), TENNESSEE: You know, Fred, what we would love to see happen is for the president and Mr. Sperling to say let's look at what is at the root of this problem. Why has the Obama economy been so unkind to American workers over the past five years and what can we do right now to create the environment for jobs growth to take place?

And as I am talking to employees and employers and to individuals that are looking for work, repeatedly I hear that the uncertainty that is coming from Washington, what is happening with the some of the new 40,000 regulations, 40,000 pages of regulations that are coming out. People want to see a little bit more certainty, a little bit less government over reach, and they would like to have Washington out of the way and get back to creating jobs and getting back to work.

WHITFIELD: But then what do you say directly to the person who is going to be going into their mailbox looking for the check, it's not going to be there? They don't want to hear about the politics behind what is or isn't happening with job creation. They want to know how do I and what can I count on to try and pay that rent, to try and put food on the table, to try to keep the heat going in these near- freezing and sub-zero temperatures?

BLACKBURN: Correct.

WHITFIELD: What do you say to that person or those people?

BLACKBURN: You're exactly right.

WHITFIELD: Right now.

BLACKBURN: And what we need -- yes, what you need to be doing right now is in Washington, the policies need to be what do we do to make it a priority to help individuals get back to work so they are in charge of that paycheck and they have a job that they like?

I was talking to a guy last week and he said I'm looking forward to going back to work, getting that job, getting their everyday, and he said, and then I want to be complaining about how hard I'm working and looking forward to having a day off every once in a while.

And, Fred, people want to be productive. And what we need to do is get government out of the way, figure out what has not been working in this economy. Help people get back to work.

WHITFIELD: OK, so, Congresswoman Nadler, you know, an argument that many who are against the extension have said, as they said, you know, continuing to extend benefits really means that it's removing the incentive for people to go to work. But you heard from Gene Sperling, who said, you can't get the benefits unless you prove that you are actively looking for work.

But for those White House are arguing against this who say it's simply too costly, that this nation can't afford to continue to pay for this by the tune of, you know, $26 million, what do you say to them?

REP. JERROLD NADLER (D), NEW YORK: Well, first of all, notice that Congresswoman Blackburn refused to answer your question. She gave a long speech about a Republican take on economic policy which I totally disagree with. I think that the way to get the economy moving again frankly is to spend money on infrastructure even if you have to borrow that money to spend that money on infrastructure. Put people to work, building highways, bridges, roads, broadband, et cetera. Give states money to hire teachers and cops and firefighters and so forth, and pay people unemployment insurance.

Now to get unemployment insurance, you have to have been working for years, then you have to have been laid off, and then you have to be still actively working. And for those who say that if you give people unemployment insurance for more than 26 weeks they don't look for work, it's less of an incentive, there's absolutely zero evidence for that.

And the fact of the matter is, in an economy in which there are three applicants for every single job, even if it were true, it would simply mean that they -- that someone discouraged and not getting unemployment check if they work harder to get a job, which is ridiculous. But if they did and they got the job, someone else wouldn't get the job because there's a limited supply of jobs. There are three applicants for every job.

There is no evidence for that whatsoever. In every previous recovery from a recession, we have extended on a bipartisan basis unemployment insurance until the unemployment rate got down to a more reasonable level so people had a chance to find jobs.

The second thing is when people get -- when people get unemployment insurance they spend money. They spend every nickel of it. They spend it to buy food, they spend it on the rent, they spend it and other people are hired to make the food to market it, to spend it, et cetera.

WHITFIELD: So then I -- then I guess --

(CROSSTALK)

NADLER: It helps the economy.

BLACKBURN: Fred, if I can say something.

WHITFIELD: Quickly then, Congresswoman --

NADLER: And that's why the congressional --

BLACKBURN: Let me say something.

NADLER: And that's why the Congressional Budget Office --

WHITFIELD: It sounds like he's saying, Congresswoman --

NADLER: -- says that this cessation will kill 200,000 jobs.

WHITFIELD: OK. So is it in your view, Congresswoman, more costly not to extend the benefits than it is to extend them --

BLACKBURN: Yes, sure. And --

WHITFIELD: -- as we're talking about the, you know, ripple effect here?

BLACKBURN: Yes. And I -- it's unfortunate that Jerry says it's a partisan issue. I would direct you to some of the writings of Alan Krueger who is the former Council of Economic Advisors' chair who has talked about the negative effects of the long-term unemployment insurance. And I think you have to take that into effect and look at that.

That's why you need to have the president and Gene Sperling say OK, how do we address this long-term systemic problem? Over the past five years we've spent over $520 billion on unemployment insurance and the collective benefits. And this is not working. We have people that are hurting, that are saying we want to go back to work.

So therefore some of the policies that are in effect right now are having a negative effect.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: OK. All right.

BLACKBURN: That's where we need leadership.

NADLER: We --

BLACKBURN: And we've got 2.6 percent of the nation's 7.3 percent unemployment that are the long-term unemployed.

NADLER: These certainly have to follow policies to get --

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll have to leave it there.

BLACKBURN: So let's focus on solving this problem.

NADLER: We certainly have to follow policies to get people back to work. But while they're out of work we can't let them starve and we can't starve the economy by not giving them unemployment checks.

WHITFIELD: OK. We'll leave it right there.

Congressman Jerry Nadler and Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, thank you so much.

BLACKBURN: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: Harry Reid saying today that he believes he has the 60 votes in order to get this passed in the Senate. But it looks like the work in the House, this might kind of, you know, symbolize how difficult it just might be to get through the House.

Thanks so much to both of you. Appreciate it.

NADLER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Dangerously cold weather, well, it's moving across the country. But that won't stop the NFL playoffs. A former player tells us what it's like to play in the frozen tundra coming up.

But next, there's about to be a changing of the guard at the U.S. Central Bank and it comes at a critical time as a fragile economy regains its footing. So will President Obama's pick get the job?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. A big vote set for tomorrow to confirm the next Federal Reserve chair. Janet Yellen is President Obama's pick for the job to replace Ben Bernanke. If the U.S. Senate confirms her in tomorrow's vote, she'd take over February 1st and she'd be the first woman in that job.

CNN's senior political analyst Ron Brownstein joins me now from Washington.

Good to see you and happy new year.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Happy new year, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, Ron, why will she likely be confirmed?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, because the president usually -- two reasons. Presidents usually gets their way on this sort of appointment and secondly she is very well respected, has long experience at the Fed. Drew three Republican votes in the Senate Finance Committee so even if they had not changed the Senate rules to require only 51 votes on presidential appointments, she probably would have cleared the 60 vote threshold, but certainly with the rule change and the 51 vote requirement she is going to be the next fed chairperson.

WHITFIELD: So how might she tackle things like interest rates, bank bail outs, the unemployment rate differently from her predecessor, Bernanke?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think it's more continuity than change, but clearly she is someone who has been the left side of these debates about fed policy. Really there are two big areas of policy, two big choices one is monetary policy and one is regulatory policy. On monetary policy, as you know, the fed for the last few years has had this stimulus program known as quantitative easing where they have been buying large amount of treasury bonds and mortgage back securities to try to stimulate the economy.

She has been very supportive of that. It's been controversial among many on the right and among some on the left, but she is a big supporter of it. The fed is tapering it back. That's the word they are using. They are tapering it back but slowly and I think she is someone who is very in that base, going to continue along the track that Mr. Bernanke has set out.

On the regulatory side, she is someone who has been a proponent of an aggressive posture by the fed in regulation and clearly, you know, post the crash and too big to fail issue, the implementing of the Dodd-Frank law. There are a lot of decisions to be made and she is going to have a lot of influence on the way banks operate in the coming years.

WHITFIELD: So there is a lot of influence. There is a lot of impact. This is not necessarily, you know, a job with simply a title, but as chair or chief monetary policy-maker. There can be some oweness on redirecting the economy.

BROWNSTEIN: Right and especially when you consider that we are largely gridlocked here in Washington as you know, as people painfully watch the last years. That means there isn't going to be any big jolt to the economy one way or the other. The most we are going to do is avoid catastrophe around the edges. The idea of a big grand bargain that might have, for example, lower tax rates in return for eliminating loopholes or reduce the deficit or provide stimulus in the short-term.

That's not likely to happen, which means that the fed is a really significant player here in terms of the way the levers Washington has to influence the economy. Certainly this policy of quantitative easing has been controversial. There are those who argue it is fuelling another bubble with the stock markets and the housing markets rising. It tends to reward investors and borrowers.

But that is the principle means that Washington really has had to kind of influence the way things go. As I said, all indications are that she is on track with the way Bernanke has structured it to continue it, but to scale it back slowly.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ron Brownstein, thanks so much. Happy new year to you.

BROWNSTEIN: Happy new year to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, medical marijuana is legal in nearly half the states. How New York's governor is now marching forward on the issue and why it might not be easy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Medical marijuana could soon be a reality in New York. Governor Andrew Cuomo say he will take executive action and allow select hospitals to dispense it to some patients. Rosa Flores is in New York. So Rosa, isn't this an about face for this governor?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, it is a very bold move by this governor because if you really think about it. He is not going through the legislature. He is going directly to his executive pin and exercising his executive power and advocates are pleasantly surprised by this because they are saying tens of thousands of New York patients will benefit.

So why now, of course, is the question and I'll get to the timing in just a moment. Let's start with what we know right now. New York will join 20 other states around the country that allow medical marijuana with Washington and Colorado going a step further and legalizing recreational marijuana. If you look at the northeast, you'll see that most of the states surrounding New York allow the use medical marijuana already. This is a bold move by the governor through an executive order he would allow the use of medical marijuana in a state where the Senate has killed a comprehensive bill there.

How is this going to work? Here is what we know. The measure would activate the Department of Health to create guidelines 20 hospitals in the state would determine who qualifies for a prescription. Advocates say it is a great first step.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD GOTTFRIED (D), NEW YORK ASSEMBLY: It is a very good moment for New Yorkers with answer and glaucoma and a variety of conditions that are going to have the opportunity for the first time to benefit legally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: Critics are not happy about this. Here is a quote from Jeffrey Reynolds from the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency says, the prospect of policy changes that could potentially fuel further drug misuse, diversion and addiction is quite frankly truly frightening to us. So let's talk about timing.

I would like to talk about timing on two fronts. I have to say the two advocates say it is not driven by politics. We'll have to wait and see if three or four months you will see prescriptions in the state of New York.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much. Keep us posted on that. As mentioned moments ago they are getting ready for the big NFL playoff game in the bitter cold city of Green Bay. The Packers are taking on the San Franciso 49ers, but it will be record cold might supersede the actual game. Alexandra Steele has the game forecast.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It will be a cold game any way you slice it. We'll see high temperatures at kick off. This is what it feels like. It will feel like ten to 15 degrees below zero, four of the top ten coldest games ever. Arctic winds are in place. Tonight at game, you're going to see 17 below what it will feel like. But look at further north, this incredibly cold air, 39 degrees below zero is the wind chill. Tomorrow the coldest air drops south feeling like 50 below in Madison, Wisconsin. People coming home from the game still will feel that cold plunge.

WHITFIELD: Burr. Thank you so much, Alexandra Steele. Crews at Lambeau Field have been busy thawing out Green Bay's frozen tundra for the big green. Jared Greenberg has more in its "Bleacher Report."

JARED BREENBERG, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: red, they know what they are doing. Four of the top ten colder games have been played in green bay. Workers have been attempting to defrost the field for the game. Off the field one of the biggest concerns is keeping the beer taps from freezing. They are keeping the doors closed. You see where their minds are at. The warmest spot might be in the bathrooms. Scheduled kick off at 4:40. It was balmy 25 degrees in Philly last night, 4th quarter eagles down 6, Philadelphia that is a one point advantage. They left two much time on the clock for New Orleans.

Shane graham says you bet you. That gives the saints their first road off win in team history. Next Saturday. It was 36 degrees outdoors yesterday in Indianapolis. And the fans got treated to a historic performance, 35-13 in the second half. Look the Andrew Luck. He threw for 443 yards. Colts win it 35-44 completing the second largest come from behind victory in NFL playoff history. Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much.

OK so what is it like playing football in these cold conditions? Former Green Bay Packers will tell us coming up. And I unit within the NSA may be washing you online right now. How are they hacking into computers?

An elite group of NSA hackers could be watching everything you do online. How are they hacking computers our Brian Todd explains.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A typical error from Microsoft. For some that may be a way into their computer for the NSA. This is their hacking organization, 106,000 men and women average age, mid 20s, early 30s, very young, very tech savvy organization. The unit is called tailored access operations or TAO. Magazine cites internal NSA documents. It says some of the hackers are based in this building in San Antonio.

It says they can access cookies, the tags that pop up showing a computer's web site. It looks like a real page but it is a fake one controlled by the NSA

(on camera): What does the NSA want to find out?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One would be to intercept and sniff your traffic. They have my user name and password. But what they want to do in effect my machine. The unit doesn't just do hacking. They intercept computers being delivered. They plant their own monitored cables and USB plugs onto computers.

They were concerned about the connecting cables on Edward Snowden's computers that they removed them after he leaked from an eve's dropping perspective this is a gold mine. If I can gain access to your computer I have access to all of your secrets.

TODD: In response to the report, the NSA said tailored access operations is a unique national asset that is on the front lines of enabling NSA to defend nation and its allies. TAO's work is in support of foreign intelligence collection said. Drew Spigel says the NSA hackers work with the CIA and FBI to fly some places and use operatives to physically place spyware on computers and other apparatus. The CIA wouldn't comment. The FBI would only say any tools that uses in investigations. Brian Todd, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, that bitter cold outside could make for a historic game in Green Bay and how do the players do this? Former Green Bay Packer Mark Howsher tells us.

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WHITFIELD: Today's playoff game between Green Bay and San Francisco could be historic. It's going to be really cold. Temperatures near zero and winds will make it feel like 20 and below. What is it like to play in conditions like that? Former NFL player and Green Bay Packer Mark Tauscher came on CNN's "NEW DAY" and explained.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK TAUSCHER, FORMER NFL Player: Well, I think everybody assumes that there is a home field advantage. Nobody really wants to be in a negative 30 and 40 degree weather, but it stinks, but once you get playing and you get a couple of snaps and you get moving around and I think that is what happens until you get off to the sideline

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Does it hurt more, but is it more painful to get hit in those temperatures?

TAUSCHER: You know I think in the beginning maybe a little bit? Once you are playing, after the game when you are trying to unthaw you don't feel it as the game is going on, but it hurts more when you get into the locker room and you start warming up and the nicks come up and you feel them.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: So what do you think is worse? Standing on the sidelines or getting in there and running?

TAUSCHER: I give the fans a lot of credit. To sit out in the temperatures it has to make for a long day. When you are standing on the stand sitting in the seats you have to work hard to stay warm.

BLACKWELL: You know some of these pictures you were not wearing sleeves and I know all of these photos were not during games that were not 20 below. There is a tough guy image, that the players didn't wear sleeves or didn't wear the longer sleeves. How about now?

TAUSCHER: This is the weird part. You kind of scout and think can I wear sleeves that aren't partly down. You come up with putting balms onto try to keep your arms warm now that I'm out of it a few years I would probably go back and wear sleeves. With that mentality guys think it is a psychological advantage to not wear sleeves.

KOSIK: Does the league put safety measures into effect to make sure the players are safe?

TAUSCHER: You know, once the ball is snapped, I don't think there are a lot of things that the league can put in place. I have never heard that happen. Both teams have the same temperatures. There are things that you have to alter probably because there are things that you have to do. Once the game starts it is things as usual.

BLACKWELL: I got to imagine that you got a team coming in from San Francisco to play in Wisconsin. There has to be some home field advantage. What do you expect to see this weekend?

TAUSCHER: I think the fact that you live in the conditions is an advantage. I don't think anybody likes being outside. With Green Bay they throw the football out. They have a running game and it is easier to run in these conditions. This weather is going to be brutal for both these teams. Whoever adjusts the best is going to be the best.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, the cold brutal truth. Thanks so much, Mark and guess what right now it is 5 degrees as fans and players get ready for the Green Bay playing against the 49ers. We will take you there live in the next hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: The chants ended months ago, but Andy Murray is still being honored for being the first champion in 77 years. The tennis star received his Officer of the Order of the British Empire medal from Prince William.

ANDY MURRAY: That going into the palace is a pretty cool experience. Not many people are able to do that. So, to do this, away from the court is great.

ANNOUNCER: Now Murray will focus on getting fit in time for the Australian open, but where will he sore his latest award? This prize pooch may already have the answer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: In the CNN film, "Soul Survivor," we learn the stories of four people who were the only survivors of commercial airline crashes and one of those profiled is George Lamsen Jr., who walked away from a crash that killed 70 people including his own father. Lamsen now lives in Reno, Nevada, the city where this life instantly changed forever.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the airport where we took off. I didn't move here to be near the crash scene. It was more of a -- I don't know. You think really deep about what you are doing to your life and all the people that were involved with this accident that may have done more with your life and you feel guilty that --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He always talks about it. He's sometimes always depressed about it. He's like why am I still here? Like I made like a fool out of myself. I'm not even doing anything with my life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He always talked about it. He was depressed about it. And he's like why am I still here. Like I made, like, a fool out of myself, like I'm not even doing anything with my life. That makes me sad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: During the course of my life the last 25 years, I have been curious to know what makes a person feel from a situation that happened to me. I've never been able to find out or talk to anybody that has been through what I've been through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Wow. Extraordinary personal accounts. You can follow Lamson's journey to healing when "SOLE SURVIVOR" airs Thursday on CNN at 6:00 p.m. Eastern and tonight in the NEWSROOM at 6:00 p.m. KY Dickens, the award-winning filmmaker who director "SOLE SURVIVOR" joins Martin Savidge to talk about the survivors' profile.