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Polar Blast Barrels Across U.S.; NFL Playoffs in Frigid Temps; Bracing for Cold Temperatures; Congress Back to Work; New York Governor to Legalize Medical Marijuana?; GOP Governors Aim to Rescue Their Party; Plane Lands on Bronx Highway; South Won't Escape Bitter Cold; Hawaii Girl Dies after Dental Procedure; Poor Families Struggle to Stay Warm; New Mayor Shovels Out of First Big Snow
Aired January 05, 2014 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We have much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM and it all starts right now.
Hello, again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. These stories topping our news this hour. Get ready because here comes again, this time snow, ice and bone-chilling cold, a polar blast that's sweeping across half the country, creating dangerous conditions on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
And the governor of New York is about to announce a major change to his state's medical marijuana laws. Hear what he's planning to do.
Plus, serious ethical questions are being raised about the case of a 13-year-old girl declared brain dead after getting a tonsillectomy. We will take a hard look at the emotional and legal issues surrounding her fate.
Thirty-five states are about to get hit by an arctic blast so powerful that it is expected to shatter cold temperatures records across the U.S. and many states that are still digging out from last week's monster storm will be getting even more snow and ice.
The nasty winter weather is creating real travel nightmares for people heading home from the holidays. Thousands of flights are being cancelled and delayed. Stranded passengers camped out on the floors of airports around the country. A familiar sight and a couple of scary moments at two of the busiest airports. Two jets slid off icy taxiways, this one at JFK in New York, the other at Chicago O'Hare. No one was hurt in either situation.
Alison Kosik has more on the impact of this new round of nasty winter weather.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Get ready for bone-chilling cold. Behind the snow storm that hit large portions of the Midwest and northeast, an arctic air mass will deliver some of the coldest temperatures we've seen in decades.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is pretty bad. Yes. So it makes a little bit inconvenient to get around.
KOSIK: By Wednesday nearly half the nation, 140 million people will shiver in temperatures of zero or below which is why the Red Cross is warning people to be prepared.
JOSH LOCKWOOD, MANAGING CEO, AMERICAN RED CROSS GREATER NEW YORK: You should have an emergency kit at home and an emergency kit in your car. That's really important if you should find yourself having to either leave your home or to hunker down for a couple of days, or you get stuck on the highway.
KOSIK: And people across the nation are already heeding that advice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I checked out of a different grocery store earlier and that's what they asked me, if I was stocking up for the end of the world.
KOSIK: Bitter cold will greet fans and players at Lambeau Field. Some say the playoffs game against the San Francisco 49ers will go down in the record books as the coldest football game ever played.
Former Green Bay Packer Mark Tauscher says the weather will be a big factor.
MARK TAUSCHER, FORMER GREEN BAY PACKER: It makes it very tough, there's some things that you can't do from, you know, an offensive execution standpoint but both teams have to deal with it and, you know, you just have to figure out a way around it.
KOSIK: And the arctic blast threatens to plunge much of the deep south into the single digits. Forecaster say Anchorage, Alaska, will be warmer Monday than Nashville and Atlanta.
And while a lot of people will struggle with the cold this week, for others it's time to make some money.
JOSE GOMEZ, PLUMBER: The broken pipes keep me in business. You know.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You're going to have a lot of them probably in the next few days when the cold sets in.
GOMEZ: Most certainly. The temperature is going to drop and there is going to be a lot of work for me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And as Alison just mentioned, football fans are piling in to Lambeau Field right now for what will be one of the coldest games in NFL history. The Green Bay Packers taking on the San Francisco 49ers.
George Howell is bundled up and he's there.
And OK, so what are these fans been looking as they've been, you know, heading into the field. Do they look like they are ready to just sit it out in that five-degree temperature? GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, so you find people dressed very much like I am. You've got the gloves on. You're wearing your hat, you're wearing layers. That's a big thing when you deal with the temperatures that we're expecting today.
Right now it's a balmy five degrees. I think, Fred, we may get up to seven, so, you know, it could get a little warmer before the temperatures plummet. We expect the lows anywhere in the mid-teens to 20s, below zero so it could get very cold tonight.
Some 60,000 people coming to watch the 49ers and the Packers play here in Green Bay. This is what they're used to, the Packer fans. Take a look at what a few people had to say about being here for this game.
(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 the question, will some of the players today, will they wear short sleeved shirts? We'll have to see. You know, it's still unclear. We talked to the folks here -- at the Packers. They're not saying yet but we'll find out if they stick to what tends to be a tradition out here.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. I don't get it. Why would you want to wear short sleeves? I mean, it's going to --
HOWELL: Right.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: -- free your movement on throwing or passing, is it?
HOWELL: Well, it's to psych out the opposing team, you know.
WHITFIELD: Is that it? OK. We can handle it, you can't, 49ers?
(CROSSTALK)
HOWELL: Well, no, you see -- yes. Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: All right. OK. All right. All kinds of ways of, you know, talking smack on the field.
All right, George Howell, thanks so much. We'll check back with you.
So it isn't just football fans who have to worry about the effects of the cold. Our Alexandra Field is in New York.
Alexandra, people who were venturing out today may need to bundle up just like you are, too, because you look really toasty and warm.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I didn't think about putting on a short sleeved shirt to head out here. That's for sure.
WHITFIELD: I know.
FIELD: And it's 32 degrees here in New York. But we do know that the temperatures here are about to get a whole lot colder just like half the country will be experiencing in just a couple of days. Those zero degree temperatures, those single digit temperatures. What's important right now is the doctors are stressing is the danger of these temperatures. You don't want to underestimate it. You do want to spend time inside and before you do, you want to make sure that your house can also weather this weather.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
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 do 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 me 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?
LOCKWOOD: 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: And a couple more tips from the Red Cross to pass along. If you're already using a heater or a fire to heat your home, you want to keep an eye on it. The Red Cross says they're already seeing a spike in fires as the temperature drops.
Also if you do happen to find yourself stranded in a car, the safest thing to do, hunker down in it and wait for help. Don't set out in search of help -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Right. They say it's always safe to just stay where you are and stay together if there are many of you.
All right. Thanks so much, Alexandra Field.
Clearly we're in for some pretty nasty weather in the next few days.
Alexandra Steele now has the forecast details.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, 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 we 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 records 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: Yes, we are indeed. We're already feeling it. Thanks so much, Alexandra.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
WHITFIELD: And this breaking story coming out of Aspen, Colorado. Reports of a plane crashing in Aspen. Pitkin County airport. You're looking at some of the images right now. People have tweeted actor and comedian -- Kevin Nealon actually tweeted this. Quote, "Horrible plane crash here at Aspen airport. Exploded into flames as it was landing. I think it was a private jet," end quote.
Of course we don't know whose jet this might be. Singer LeAnn Rimes also in the area tweeting this, "So sad, horrible plane crash we just saw happen at the Aspen airport."
Of course as we get any more information about this plane crash, the circumstances taking place there at Aspen, very popular resort community for skiing and second -- residence for many people, many of the rich and famous right there in Aspen, Colorado.
Of course when we get any more information we'll bring that to you. All right. Two people critically injured after 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 20th floor of a midtown building and smoke still pouring out. A fire department spokesman says there are people inside but it's not clear if they are trapped.
And it's already legal in 20 states so why is New York now joining in on the pot parade? The push to allow medical marijuana coming up.
And polls show people think this Congress is the worst ever. Will it be any different in 2014?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Congress is back in action this week after a holiday break. Closing the door on 2013 meant putting a lot of frustrating politics in the past. But will 2014 be any more productive?
Sunlen Serfaty joining me live now from Washington.
So, Sunlen, one of the first things on the agenda is the unemployment benefits. What action might there be?
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we will see some movement right away, Fred, but it's not clear if there is the will to pass these long-term unemployment benefits. The Senate on Monday will get right to it. They'll hold a preliminary vote on the three-month extension. Now that bill is co-sponsored by a Republican but there's just not a lot of other Republican support there yet because the cost of the extension is not paid for.
Now today a spokesman for the speaker of the House, John Boehner, told CNN that he will insist on offsets before he agrees to any extension. And today we got a little preview of the debate this morning. Let's take a listen to the back and forth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
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.
SEN. HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: It's foolishness. We have people that are desperate. They've been out of work for -- some as much as two years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: And the White House this week will also ramp up pressure on this as well. On Tuesday, President Obama will meet with people who have been unemployed for a while now , and Fred, he'll call them on Congress to act.
WHITFIELD: And what are the other items on the agenda for Congress first thing? SERFATY: Well, they do have a full plate, Fred. Right off the bat, a potential easy one at first, for the Senate to confirm Janet Yellen as the first woman to head the Federal Reserve. But then they've got some big ticket items looming. As early as February Congress has a deadline to raise the debt ceiling again. And both sides they're already dug in on this issue.
They even have your list, they'll take go at immigration, which as you know has escaped Congress for years. Not to mention there's health care and this is an election year, Fred, so don't hold your breath that all of this is going to be crossed off the list.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: OK. I will not hold my breath. Thanks so much, Sunlen.
Medical marijuana could soon be a reality in New York. Supporters of Governor Andrew Cuomo say he will take executive action and allow hospitals to dispense it to some patients.
Rosa Flores is in New York for us.
So, Rosa, the governor seems to be changing his tune a little bit?
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He definitely is, Fred. And advocates are pleasantly surprised. And they're embracing it. They say that tens of thousands of New York patients will benefit from this.
New York joins 20 other states and the District of Columbia that allow medical marijuana. Take a look at your screen. The northeast, take a look, a close look at those states. The northeast most of the states there surrounding New York have already legalized marijuana -- medical marijuana. Now this would be a bold move on behalf of Governor Cuomo.
Through an executive order he would be using his executive pen and would allow the use of medical marijuana in a state where the Senate has on multiple occasions killed comprehensive bills there.
So here is how it would work. Under this new measure the Department of Health would create guidelines. Twenty hospitals in the state would administer the drug and a panel of hospital doctors would determine who qualifies for a prescription.
While this creates a lot of questions like where will this marijuana come from, advocates say this is a great first step.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD GOTTFRIED (D), NEW YORK ASSEMBLY: It's a very good moment for New Yorkers with cancer and glaucoma and severe chronic pain, epilepsy, a variety of conditions that are going to have the opportunity for the first time to benefit legally.
(END VIDEO CLIP) FLORES: Now critics are not happy about this. Jeffrey Reynolds from the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence says the following. "The prospect of policy changes that could potentially feel further drug misuse diversion and addiction is quite frankly truly frightening to us."
So when could we see the first prescription? Optimistic advocates say as early as three to four months from now so, Fred, we're going to have to wait and see.
WHITFIELD: All right, Rosa Flores. Thanks so much. Keep us posted there in New York.
All right. It is the new year. With some of the same old problems. Coming up, find out why some GOP governors are saying, they have answers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: In this new year the states' governors believe they can be more influential than members of Congress in getting things done, from revamping food stamp programs to job creation and reducing government spending.
Candy Crowley is CNN's chief political correspondent and anchor of "STATE OF THE UNION."
So Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker was with you this morning. Why does he say that it's time to look to governors instead of Washington for solutions?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, interestingly it's not just Governor Walker. The Republican Governors Association which is led by -- wait for it -- Chris Christie of New Jersey feels that in fact the best face that the party can put forward as it tries to find itself in this struggle with the party are governors because governors actually do stuff.
I mean, in the states, let's face it, you're going to experiment a whole lot more than you can on Capitol Hill. When one side of Capitol Hill is ruled by Democrats and the other side by the House. So what they have been trying to do for several months now is say look at what Republicans are doing in their states, look at Republican philosophy as it is applied to the state level.
Because they think that what they are doing and what they've been able to do with varying records is show that there is an argument to be made for conservatism and that's -- and something that can be used to bring people into the party rather than repel them away from the party which they think often Washington does.
WHITFIELD: And here's Governor Scott Walker.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R) WISCONSIN: When I look at what we did in Wisconsin, as I mentioned in the book, many of the states across the Midwest where they changed not only governors a couple of years ago in 2010, but they changed the legislative bodies as well, real reform has happened to these battleground states because a whole new team came in. And I think 2014 is incredibly important nationally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Is Governor Walker also saying that governors have real influence on voters and that's how they'll help get more Republicans elected to higher office because in his view Republicans on Capitol Hill are simply hurting the party's image?
CROWLEY: He -- in general, these Republican governors believe that people view -- and polls bear this out. People view the Republican Party and viewing it through the prism of Capitol Hill tend to see Republicans as obstructionists, not getting anything done, whereas the governors have records of getting things done. And that's -- that's basically why they feel governors are sort of better front men for the Republican Party.
Does it help to have a Republican governor in a state where maybe, say, a presidential candidate might want to go? It helps but it's no guarantee that you will win the state but governors have infrastructures that help get them elected, and so they're always looking, you know, ahead to the next election and right now it's the midterms where as you heard Governor Walker say he think it's very important to keep those legislatures and keep those governors in place.
WHITFIELD: Candy Crowley, in Washington, thanks so much and happy new year.
CROWLEY: Hey, happy new year back to you. Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, it's about to get so cold that you won't be able to tell Alabama from Alaska. What they're doing to get ready in the south.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories that we're following for you right now in the NEWSROOM.
So following breaking news now out of Aspen, Colorado. A private plane has crashed at the Aspen Pitkin County airport. The Sheriff's Department says they don't know yet how many people are on board the plane. Actor and comedian Kevin Nealon tweeted this, quote, "Horrible plane crash here at Aspen airport. Exploded into flames as it was landing. I think it was a private jet," end quote.
And singer LeAnn Rimes also tweeting, "So sad, horrible plane crash we just saw happen at the Aspen airport."
We'll keep you posted. All right, a dangerous arctic blast is barreling across the U.S. Right now it's targeting the Midwest with heavy snow, ice and pushing temperatures well below zero in some places. The front is marching east and by Tuesday nearly half the country will be shivering in single-digit or sub-zero temperatures.
Emergency crews evacuated the founder of Amazon.com off the Galapagos Islands after he developed kidney stones. Jeff Bezos was on vacation and was flown out on an Ecuadorian navy helicopter on New Year's Day. The company spokesman said Bezos is feeling well and did not need surgery.
President Obama and his daughters are back at the White House after nearly two weeks in Hawaii. But Mrs. Obama isn't with them. The first lady is staying behind with friends to celebrate her birthday. The White House says it's a birthday present from the president. The first lady turns 50 later this month.
And U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says all sides have very serious homework to do when it comes to a Middle East peace deal. Kerry is briefing leaders in Jordan and Saudi Arabia and last week he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. This is Kerry's ninth trip to the region since taking office.
The winter storm still causing some travel problems in the northeast. This morning a Delta flight skidded into a snow bank at John F. Kennedy Airport. No one was injured. Flights were suspended for several hours.
And a small plane landed in the middle of a busy highway in the Bronx yesterday and it made a lot of people stop and state.
Our affiliate News 12 the Bronx's Magdalena Doris has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my god. Are they OK? Oh my god. They're OK.
MAGDALENA DORIS, NEWS 12 THE BRONX REPORTER: Drivers on the busy expressway shocked after witnessing nothing short of a miracle.
The three people that were in this plane that crashed right here on Major Deegan Expressway due to an emergency landing, well, they only have minor injuries.
The small piper was traveling back to Danbury, Connecticut, after a sightseeing tour around the Statue of Liberty when it's engine failed.
MIGUEL LOPEZ, TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT WORKER: I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
DORIS: Miguel Lopez saw everything. He was working on the expressway filling potholes when all of a sudden --
LOPEZ: The plane hit the ground. They came straight down and hit the tree tops.
DORIS: That's when he and his coworkers sprang into action.
LOPEZ: We started slowing down the traffic so nobody gets hurt and the plane doesn't get hit by the cars.
DORIS: And it worked. The pilot and two passengers walked out of the plane and onto solid ground. Alive and relatively unharmed. Thanks to the quick thinking pilot and the fast acting Department of Transportation workers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: That was Magdalena Doris from our affiliate News 12 the Bronx reporting.
All right. The south won't escape the deep freeze creeping across half the country. By tomorrow, it will be colder in Atlanta than in Anchorage, Alaska.
Duffy Dixon from our affiliate WXIA looks at how people in Atlanta are preparing for the cold weather.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DUFFY DIXON, WXIA REPORTER: People bundled up if they were out and about. Little more than faces showing amid all those layers.
Take a look at this. Just the very top of this fountain in Colony Square was still flowing. The rest of it an icy mass. And well into the night home improvement stores doing brisk business.
JIM NEWBORN, STORE MANAGER: These are huge as far as taking care of it.
DIXON: Manager Jim Newborn helping one customer after another find space heaters, stock up on fire wood and foam insulation. These once packed shelves are thinking out.
NEWBORN: Just check the window sills and just making sure that, you know, the thermostats are set where they need to be. Especially with the water breaking some pipes and stuff like that. We want to make sure that it just stayed about 60 degrees. As long as you have about 65, 66 degrees in a home, you're definitely going to be safe as far as taking care of your pipes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And forecasters say much of the south will see temperatures in the 50s by the end of the week.
All right. A man who slapped a toddler on an airplane now facing justice. Is the punishment enough or too much? The facts just might change your mind.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: A 3-year-old girl is dead after she went in for a dental procedure and now her family is suing the dentist.
More in this report from our affiliate KITV.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: One month after Finley Boyle visited the dentist she died at Hawaii Hospice.
ASHLEY BOYLE, MOTHER: To see her go from a happy, healthy 3-year-old to like what's going through puberty and a diaper, you know, 15 years later, is not the choice I was going to make.
RICHARD FRIED JR., ATTORNEY: She was in a persistent vegetative state and they felt that this is what she would want and as difficult as it was, they felt that was the right choice.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The family's lawyer, Richard Fried, said Dr. Lilly Geyer with Island Dentistry for Children made many wrong choices. When Finley went in for a dentist appointment, she left with permanent brain damage.
FRIED: It's very said. You know, it's her only child. It's totally unnecessary. This was a perfectly normal, healthy, maybe unusually bright full of life child.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: He says Finley was getting 10 different procedures. Four which were a type of root canals and says she was given five drugs in very excessive doses and adding to the problem she wasn't monitored throughout the procedure.
FINLEY: Clearly once we got the second MRI back, it was just devastating. I mean everything except the brain stem, which the brain then tells you to breathe and it gives you blood pressure and it tells you to breath, and that's why she's alive because those only last bit that didn't get the last (INAUDIBLE) the last oxygen.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Lawyers say someone from the office had to run down the hall to get a pedestrian to revive her. By then it was too late.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And that report came now from affiliate KITV.
So turning now to another tragic story of a surgery gone very wrong. 13-year-old Jahi McMath is on a ventilator. Brain dead after a complication from tonsil surgery last month. On Friday in California her family and the hospital came to an agreement on moving her to a different facility. But details of her transfer including where the new facility is have not been revealed.
So this tragedy has turned into a very complex ethical battle. The hospital says brain death is death, the coroner issued a death certificate on Friday. But the child's family says she's alive and they're hoping for a miracle.
I'm joined now by attorneys Mo Ivory, host of the "Mo Ivory Show" and Tanya Miller, defense attorney and former prosecutor.
Good to see both of you. My gosh, this is, you know, just heartbreaking for anyone who is learning about these cases.
So, Mo, does it seem like there's a real mixed message here? If there is a death certificate and if the medical community says she is brain dead, which is tantamount to being dead, then why would another facility agree to a transfer?
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Because that says there's hope. That maybe she's not dead.
MO IVORY, HOST, "THE MO IVORY SHOW": Sure. And Tanya and I both have teenage daughters and we were talking about how sad and tragic this case is. But really where is the public policy in this and sort of the medical embracing of a true definition of death? Is brain dead dead? Or is the loss of circulation versus the brain activity? Where is the bottom line?
I think that's where the problem is. And then the question becomes who has the right to say when she's dead if a family wants to continue to have hope. I think in this -- in my opinion, the fact that the family wants to pay for the expenses of moving her to a facility, of continuing trying to keep her alive, I think they should be allowed to because that should be their decision whether they want to keep her alive.
But it doesn't negate the fact that there's confusion in the arena, in the medical arena about what truly is the definition of death as it relates also to a court battle.
WHITFIELD: Well, is there confusion within the medical community or is there confusion of the general public trying to understand and interpret what the medical community is saying?
TANYA MILLER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes, that's an interesting question. I think most medical professionals will agree that brain dead, the kind of dead that Jahi is, according to these doctors, is dead medically speaking. There are ethicists and other people who weigh in on this debate and say, well listen, you know, there might be other functions that are reasonable, that parents have -- they should have the ultimate say so on whether or not to seize any kind of aid to their child, so ultimately it's -- whether a person is medically dead versus whether or not the family is really ready to let go of hope and whether they're really ready stop all life saving and supporting effort.
WHITFIELD: And in the meantime, does this have all of the hallmarks, the markings of a wrongful death suit, some sort of malpractice?
IVORY: Sure. MILLER: Absolutely. I mean, she brought her daughter in for a routine procedure. You know, she had her tonsils removed. There is no reason why her daughter should be brain dead at this point so I suspect that there will definitely be a wrongful death action.
WHITFIELD: OK. Let's move onto another case. This one involves a man who pleaded guilty to slapping a toddler on an airplane. And then using a racial slur. He's scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow. Joe Rickey Hundley is expected to get six months in prison as part of a plea deal but there's more to the story than meets the eye.
Hundley's attorney said that he was in serious duress flying to see his own son who was in a coma and to take him actually off life support, and that might have helped sparked this reaction that he had, to slap another person's child.
So, Mo, Tanya, let's look at this again. Six months in prison.
Tanya, is this reasonable explanation or is this an issue, you know, or question of does the punishment fit the crime?
MILLER: Honestly, I'm probably not the best person to ask. I personally find his actions to be reprehensible. I mean, he holds off and slaps a crying baby and then calls the baby the N word. I think it was completely inappropriate. It was mean spirited. It was evil and I don't think the fact that he was personally going through some things should justify that behavior. I think the sentence is appropriate, to be frank.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Plea deal gets him six months.
IVORY: Sure. I think the sentence was appropriate. I think when your son is dying and his son in fact died the next day that you are completely out of your sorts. Whether truthfully out of your sorts or not, because probably that slur was something he meant deep down inside, but I don't think that he would have done that probably in any situation about being under such duress. So I do think that the six months is appropriate for the crime.
But I think he also should have to pay something. You know, some --
WHITFIELD: What do you mean?
IVORY: Some damages to the mother for the, you know, duress that she went through with her child and I'm not sure if that happened in the settlement. It may have. But I do think the six months is fine.
WHITFIELD: All right. Mo Ivory, Tanya Miller, thanks so much, ladies. Appreciate it. Happy new year.
MILLER: Happy new year.
IVORY: Happy new year.
WHITFIELD: Good to see you, guys.
MILLER: Thanks, Fred.
IVORY: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Thank you.
All right. He didn't play in the national title game, but Alabama star quarterback may have found something even better.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A sink hole is popping up in the darnest (ph) place is really something else. Take a look at this one in Hawaii triggered by heavy rains they think. You'll see when the camera moves again. Yes, you're seeing a white pickup truck that fell inside that sinkhole. Amazingly the driver actually climbed out, was hospitalized with only minor injuries and she says the road just simply swallowed her up.
After a big NFL weekend get ready for more football Monday night. Number one Florida State battles number two Auburn for the BCS National championship. And unlike the pro games weather will not be a factor. Temperatures will reach a balmy 79 degrees with sunny skies in Pasadena, California.
All right. Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, well, he hoped to play in that national championship game. Well, his season is now over but we're still talking about something that he did during the season but off the field. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AJ MCCARRON, ALABAMA QUARTERBACK: I always remember him watching football through the cracks of our fence just so he can see a glimpse of the team, standing in rain and, you know, cold weather, whatever it was, just because he wanted to be around the game.
We had gotten done with practice and I saw two buses starting to pull away. I saw AJ. I could tell, you know, he had some type of disorder. And tried to, like, raise his hand at the bus -- the two buses and they just pulled off and it started to rain. And so I just felt bad.
AJ STARR, ALABAMA STUDENT: I heard someone say, hey, man, do you need a ride?
MCCARRON: He just had this big smile on his face and was like yes.
STARR: As I got closer, I'm like, it's AJ McCarron.
MCCARRON: And so we're pulling around, I'm taking him home, he lives right down the street and I'm like, I'm AJ McCarron.
STARR: Yes. I know who you are. My name is AJ, also.
MCCARRON: And if that's not a message from above then I don't know what is. So, you know, I was holding tears back just hearing his story and him having cerebral palsy, and how it happened to him, you know, umbilical cord got wrapped around his neck when he was in his mom's stomach and cut off his airway.
STARR: Having cerebral palsy is kind of -- it's kind of hard to go out into the real world and sort of meet people.
MCCARRON: I just started balling crying. I mean I couldn't handle it anymore. I called Joe Pannunzio who's like director of our football operations here. I told him the story and I said, is there any way we can get him a job here? He called me back the next day and he was like, he's going to help in the equipment room. Getting all the stuff ready for the games and doing laundry. He's not going to get paid. And I told AJ, and he's like, I don't even want to get paid. I just, you know, I want to be here and be around the team.
STARR: And I was so excited. I get to be around football players and all those guys. I'm so thankful for AJ and this organization has done for me.
MCCARRON: Here's a kid, you know, who's been through all types of obstacles and I mean, he still wakes up, smiling every day and ready to go to work and I feel like he's, you know, taught me more than I've actually -- or given me more than I've actually given him.
STARR: Every time I come here, I know no matter how bad my day is or what I'm going to go through with my job, when I come here, it goes out the window, you know. I'm probably the happiest man on this planet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Wow, that is some story. So inspiring. McCarron is a senior at Alabama this year and he hopes to continue his football career. Hopefully in the NFL, he says. And as for the other AJ, he is in his second season working with the team. Football players say he is just one of the best guys and one of the guys on the team. And they feel lucky to have him.
All right, a polar blast is sweeping into the south. Many aren't used to such bitter cold. What they're doing to stay warm.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. North Alabama is bracing for snow and below normal temperatures.
Melissa Crabtree from our affiliate WIAT shows how low-income families are struggling to stay warm.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOWANNA GLAZE, TRYING TO STAY WARM: (INAUDIBLE) starting 30 to 40 minutes to keep it going.
MELISSA CRABTREE, WIAT REPORTER: Towanna Glaze has one main concern about these days. Don't let the fire go out.
GLAZE: We heat with wood. And that's about how we heat with, it's wood and kindling to keep warm.
CRABTREE: With no insulation and a large section of their home exposed to the elements, Glaze and her two sons are forced to sleep in the living room next to this wood heater.
GLAZE: But we'll make it. We've got plenty of wood.
CHRIS SIDES, TRYING TO STAY WARM: Just to make this fire going, we're good.
CRABTREE: Nephew Chris Sides who lives next-door neighbor in this tiny trailer. He depends on a propane heater to stay warm.
SIDES: It's a little dangerous but I keep an eye on it all the time. I don't keep it going all the time. I have an electric heater, too, that I use when I'm not using the propane.
CRABTREE: He says for his parents who also go without insulation and essential heating it's tough.
SIDES: It sounds horrible, don't it? It sounds horrible, don't it?
CRABTREE: But Glaze says when you're on a fixed income, you learn to live with these kinds of challenges.
GLAZE: The house is cold.
CRABTREE: There's just no money to fix the property or insulate.
GLAZE: I just got out here and lit firewood and staked it up. Carry some in when needed.
CRABTREE: The problem is, Glaze says, it seems the heater's chimney is starting to cave in her 1940 ceiling. The only home she's ever lived in. For now she says it's just the chance she'll have to take to keep her family from freezing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And those freezing temperatures will continue to impact many states in the south as it sweeps across half of the U.S.
New York City's mayor, well, he shoveled snow from his own driveway. But how did he handle the rest of the city?
Here's CNN's Susan Candiotti.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New York's new populist Mayor Bill de Blasio showing he's no stranger to a shovel, even posting on Twitter, clearing his own Brooklyn sidewalk. MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO, NEW YORK CITY: In my house, it is my responsibility to keep that walk clear. Shoveling is a fine form of exercise. Let me just tell you. I didn't have to go to the gym today.
CANDIOTTI: An obvious contrast in style from his billionaire predecessor who lives on the New York's Tony Upper East Side and got pummeled for a slow snow response three years ago.
DE BLASIO: I'm very proud of the people who work for this city.
CANDIOTTI: In his first test of mayor versus nature, de Blasio heaped praise on road crews and their bosses, holdovers from the Bloomberg years, to clear the streets. Ambulances that were stuck or couldn't get through streets back in 2010 were only delayed by a minute or so this time, according to the mayor. A lot of New Yorkers gave him good reviews so far.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have been down here a number of times with the snowplows, and opened everything up. So it's great.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess he just got his first big assignment, right? From the perspective of this neighborhood, pretty good.
CANDIOTTI: Yet de Blasio is still getting blasted by critics over the stinging criticism leveled at now former Mayor Bloomberg during de Blasio's inauguration, as Bloomberg sat in a front-row seat.
LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC ADVOCATE: Housing developments stand in the neglected shadow of gleaming multimillion- dollar condos.
CANDIOTTI: On Friday, the liberal-leaning "New York Times" weighed in, writing, quote, "Mr. Bloomberg deserved better than pointless and tacky haranguing from speakers eager to parrot Mr. de Blasio's campaign theme."
And progressive Democrats are watching closely, too, even when it comes to handling a snowstorm, for whether de Blasio can prove government, including hardworking sanitation workers, can work efficiently. For some, snow transcends politics.
JOHN DOHERTY, NEW YORK CITY SANITATION COMMISSIONER: And every mayor I have worked for, all they want is that snow to disappear and the people to be able to get out there as quickly as possible.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Susan Candiotti, for that.
And we have a very special program coming up this week only CNN. It's called "SOLE SURVIVORS." Stories of people who were the only survivors of plane crashes. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I couldn't imagine, one, somebody doing this on their own and, two, I just -- I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. I've cried harder than any man has ever cried or should be able to cry. And my wife was there to support me to where I could just put my head on her shoulder and cry.
It's that constant struggle where my inner voice wants to keep going forward and the good voice says yes, come on, you have that inner strength, but the bad voice says, no, stay here, have another shot of liquor.
I was doing the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and her being my caregiver at the time, being with me 24 hours, she would be the one that would have to put up with the intense roller coaster ride, if you will, of my feelings.
So has it gotten better in the five years? Yes. But do I still have the bad days that she still has to put up with? Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: See more of Jim's story and others, Thursday night, 9:00, watch "SOLE SURVIVOR" here on CNN.
