Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Coldest Temperatures in Two Decades; Congress Returns to Work This Week; New York to Offer Limited Medical Marijuana; Green Bay Packers Keep On Truckin' In Freezing Temperatures; Mitt Romney Accepts Apology From MSNBC Host; "Sole Survivor" Preview; Aspen Crash Highlights Airport's Difficulties
Aired January 05, 2014 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Martin Savidge. And it's good to be with you this evening.
It is bone-chilling cold, the kind of cold you may never have experienced before; the record-breaking weather gripping two thirds of America bringing temperatures that haven't been seen in two decades. One of those places is Green Bay, Wisconsin where believe it or not, they are playing football. And that's where we find our bundled up George Howell.
George, what does it feel like now?
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Martin, three degrees right now and expected to get colder. The wind chill right around maybe negative 10, maybe negative 11. Not necessarily about the temperature as much as it is about the wind and as the wind picks up overnight we understand that we could see wind chills anywhere from negative 20, negative 30. By the time I'm reporting for NEW DAY in the morning, could be negative 30, negative 40.
So it is definitely cold here with -- 7,500 fans here in the stadium watching the football game play out.
Let's talk about the bigger picture though. We're seeing some really major things happening throughout this area, an area that is known for its cold weather and its snow. You are seeing schools closed here in Green Bay, schools closed in Milwaukee, in Minneapolis and in the city of Chicago.
That's a big deal Martin because when you think about Chicago, that's a city that -- a city that works obviously, they know exactly how to plow the streets quickly when they deal with the snow and the cold temperatures. They are getting so much snow today that it has warranted something that is very out of the ordinary to close schools. So I'm sure a lot of kids are surprised but that they will have a day off tomorrow. But this is definitely cold weather up here and it's expected to get colder overnight.
SAVIDGE: Somehow George, I don't think those kids are going to be too disappointed. Thanks very much. You go get warm. Thanks. Moving to Indiana, to the south, where heavy snow has been coming down across that state. Highway assistance teams have been activated to help stranded motorists and people are being warned to stay off the slippery roads.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR GREG BALLARD (R), INDIANAPOLIS: Well people call us if necessary. It is very important because the temperatures that we're talking about are deadly. This is a combination that is unlike anything we've seen in a long, long time. And we want people to be very careful about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: It isn't just driving your car that can be a problem. JFK Airport in New York was closed this morning after a jet skidded into a snow bank while turning on to a taxiway. There have been nearly 3,000 flights nationally that have been cancelled today.
Now that's not the Antarctic, by the way, that is near Green Bay. Lake Michigan frozen over and a freighter is helping to break up large sheets of ice.
Millions of people are feeling this cold and it is being called a polar vortex of icy air. Even parts of the Deep South, some parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin may see wind chills in the 50 to 60 below range. That means you could get frostbite in as little as five minutes. And the worst for many places may be yet to come.
In Missouri, 18-wheelers sit parked off of the icy roads. Parts of that state could see temperatures tomorrow morning hover around 15 below. Wind chill, 40 below. Brittany Noble with CNN affiliate KMOV is in St. Louis.
BRITTANY NOBLE, KMOV REPORTER: It is ugly, if that's a word that I can use. Take a look behind me. This is the scene. This is the highway; we're in midtown St. Louis. And this is -- would be a good view for you to see the arch any other day but today. We are only two minutes away. And there is a major problem with snow and visibility. That's what's going to give crews a really hard time today.
Crews are afraid that this snow and this wind will just blow right back on to the highway. And so right now, they are just urging everybody to stay off the roads. Thankfully today a Sunday, so not too many people are out on the roads today. But this is the scene and this is what we're dealing with in St. Louis and it's going to be the scene for hours to come.
SAVIDGE: Chicago may have closed its schools but St. Louis has closed its -- the city. Heavy snow, sleet and gusty winds have shut down the city of St. Louis, at least through tomorrow -- the city government. On top of the snow people are dealing with some of the lowest temperatures there in decades. The high tomorrow, zero. Add in the wind chill and well, you're talking serious cold. The mayor of St. Louis spoke to me earlier about his biggest fears with this storm. (BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
MAYOR FRANCIS SLAY, ST. LOUIS: We are most concerned about making sure that the streets are as clear as we can get them and making them as safe as possible. And make sure that we look after some of our more vulnerable citizens. We are most concerned about our oldest, our youngest, our homeless residents, some of our lowest income residents and pets.
SAVIDGE: Right.
SLAY: So we are actually out, for example, looking for homeless people on the streets. We do have our over -- overflow emergency shelters open. And those are -- those are really packed. And we are cooperating with the county so we're actually bussing some of these homeless individuals to our St. Louis county emergency shelters.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Thousands of airline travelers got absolutely nowhere today that according to FlightAware. More than 3,300 flights were cancelled in the U.S. today. That is due to the weather and some mechanical issues. Whatever the reasons, the hiccups just don't sit well with passengers in Boston.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just want to go home. Just want to get back, settled in. We've been cooped up for two days. And my family is two hours away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to miss two days of a cruise now because it leaves today. We're not going to get to Florida today. We're going to have to take a flight to the Cayman Island to meet the cruise which is going to cost us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Wow. Here is a look at all the flights that are currently in the air right now. And it may look impressive but it's actually a lot less than usual.
And JetBlue just put out a statement on their blog stating that some of those delays stem from new rules for pilots that started just this week. CNN's Renee Marsh is on the telephone and joins me from Washington, Renee tell us about the new rules and what the impact is.
RENEE MARSH, CNN AVIATION AND GOVERNMENT REGULATION CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Right good evening Martin though we just spoke with JetBlue. And they tell us that you know on top of the weather, on top of the high volume of holiday travelers, you have these new FAA pilot rest rules that just went into effect yesterday. So what are these rules? They essentially govern how much time commercial pilots must have in between their work shifts.
So it specifically says that they need ten-hour minimum rest period before flights and they also have to have eight-hours of uninterrupted sleep. So the question is, so how does that impact the traveler who is now just getting back from their vacation, their holiday and they want to get to their destination, and they are stuck at these airports. The impact of one example is, let's just say, you have a delayed flight. Well that pilot has now reached the end of his or her shift and now they need to look for a new pilot to take over that delayed flight.
So as can you see it's just a domino effect that blew the thing but they are really are working hard to reset the operations. But they want to warn passengers, that this isn't something that they're going to be able to resolve in hours. It essentially, in their own words, will take days -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Although in defense for airline pilots I mean you know the airlines knew this was coming. It shouldn't have surprised them. Do you expect any more rule changes on the horizon?
MARSHAL: Absolutely to your point. They are -- you know I asked JetBlue that very question this evening because we knew about these FAA rules. CNN has been reporting it for -- for years now, actually. And so they all knew that this day was coming. We asked if they planned on, or did they hire, any new pilots to deal with the changes that would come along with these new FAA rules.
This particular person I spoke with didn't know of any new hires, but they say that they've been running multiple scenarios to see how the rest rule would impact them. But they just got caught off guard with this winter weather. And so we have the situation that we have today where lots of frustrated passengers just want to get home -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Yes I know that feeling well. Renee Marsh, thanks very much for checking in with us.
The Arctic blast is forcing closures in several cities. Even in the Deep South. Nashville for instance, public schools there are closed until Wednesday. City and county government offices in St. Louis as we mentioned are closed tomorrow. As our Detroit public schools there is no school anywhere in Minnesota tomorrow -- wise. And within the past hour, Chicago closed its schools for tomorrow.
Of course, everybody is wondering when will this bone-chilling cold be over? Well let's take that question to our weather expert Alexandra Steele -- Alexandra?
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Martin. Obviously cold is the name of the game weather wise and frigid cold. What we've got is a piece of this polar vortex -- coldest air in the northern hemisphere, coming down to the lower 48 really for the first time in two decades for some.
All right -- the wind chill tonight look how incredibly intense these are; 52 below in Fargo is what it's going to feel like; 28 below in Madison. And then as we head toward tomorrow morning, Madison gets to 50 below as the air gets colder and the winds continue to pick up.
So, the air is brutally cold. And watch what happens as we move this air in the next couple of days. It drops south, it drops east it doesn't modify but still nonetheless records for many.
All right so for today, Duluth, 32 degrees colder than where it should be this time of the year. As we head towards tomorrow Indianapolis gets to 50 degrees colder than average with the high of 13 below zero. And then as we head towards Tuesday the air goes even further south, almost 30 degrees below average, 25 degrees for a high in Atlanta; morning temperatures in the single digits in Atlanta which they have not been in since 2003.
So how cold is it? Anchorage, Alaska is 34; colder in Chicago than Anchorage, Alaska on Monday. Colder in St. Louis, it's colder in Atlanta and even almost in New Orleans than Anchorage, Alaska. So it is really record-breaking; 18 below Monday breaking a record from early 1900s.
And places like Chicago and Detroit will break the records for the days that are consistently below zero. So we've got really a historic arctic outbreak in place. We'll be talking about it for years to come.
SAVIDGE: I bet we will, thanks Alexandra very much.
Congress puts in its first day of work in 2014 tomorrow but most of the country saying they don't like what people in that building are doing. Maybe Congress should have some New Year's resolutions. Well if they don't we're going to give them some next.
Plus, New York is poised to become the 21st state to legalize medical marijuana. We'll tell you when.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: One person is dead. Two others were rushed to the hospital after a small private jet crashed and burned today in Aspen, Colorado. NTSB investigators are already on the scene at the Aspen Airport where the pilot of this Bombardier Challenger 600 aborted one landing in high winds and then crashed attempting a second landing. We don't know if the pilot or one of the passengers was killed.
The Aspen Airport is known among pilots as a tricky place to land because of the mountains that surround the runway.
Federal agents are searching an American Airlines jet that made an emergency landing today in Kansas City. The flight from San Francisco to New York was diverted after a suspicious object was found in one of the restrooms. And airport spokesman says that the device appears to have been a flash drive.
President Obama returned to the White House today from Hawaii, eager to test his modest amount of legislative momentum. Here you see the President and his daughters, Sasha and Malia, headed from -- or headed to the White House, that is.
Congress returns to work tomorrow and Sunlen Serfaty reports on the congressional to-do list.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The President's vacation is over. He faces a colder reality now -- Congress.
JIMMY KIMMEL, TALK SHOW HOST: If you're a glass half full kind of person like I am, are the number one most unproductive congress in modern history.
SERFATY: Get ready for possible deja vu.
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), 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.
SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: With regard to unemployment insurance, I've always said, that I'm not opposed to unemployment insurance, I'm opposed to having it without paying for it.
REID: We have never offset emergency spending. This is foolishness. We have people that are desperate. They have 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, NATIONAL ECONOMIC 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-VA), 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 the most recent CNN/ORC poll, two-thirds of Americans called Congress "the worst ever". And the midterm elections will suck up much desire this year to compromise.
THOMAS MANN, CONGRESSIONAL SCHOLAR: These are not likely to be times of large fruitful legislative harvest.
SERFATY: Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Washington.
SAVIDGE: Earlier our political panel offered a New Year's list of resolutions for Congress and President Obama. I spoke with Prince University historian, Julian Zelizer and conservative journalist Amy Holmes. We began with New Year's resolutions for the President.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIAN ZELIZER, HISTORIAN: One was to treat his Democrats well and to form better relations with members of the hill. A second was to sweat the small stuff and focus more on the detail and the implementation of his programs. I also talked about both focus on a certain set of issues during the coming year rather than moving from one to the other and doing more to try to shape the conversation rather than be reactive and defensive.
AMY HOLMES, CONSERVATIVE JOURNALIST: To stop campaigning and start governing. I think that's where he has sort of been falling down on the job. I would also suggest that he should meet with his cabinet at least as often as he golfs. Maybe at the same time he could, you know, able to get both of those tasks done. I would also say to the President, please stop using words "folks" and "bunch of" especially when you're talking about Iran, Syria or North Korea. We do need a little bit more precision from the President.
SAVIDGE: Julian let's go and move now to the Speaker of the House -- John Boehner? What would you suggest?
ZELIZER: Well, his biggest challenge, his biggest resolution, is to try to contain the Tea Party caucus. I think he has spent a year frustrated, feeling that his party is being dragged down by about 30 or 40 members who essentially control what the rest of the caucus does. And I think he needs to try to bring more balance to the GOP and to try to reestablish some control rather than having this part of the caucus control him. I think that's his biggest goal.
And in terms of legislation, it has to be immigration. To try to bring this great question, this big issue facing the nation to some kind of a resolution.
SAVIDGE: Amy you're in the Republican Party? You think that's John's biggest role ahead?
HOLMES: I'm sure he made that resolution to himself to try to keep his coalition together. I don't think however that immigration would be the way to do it. I think the way to do it is to keep the eye on Obamacare and its implementation. And also to start to offer some solutions not just repeal of Obamacare but solutions to the health care crisis in this country.
But I want to go to the Senate because I worked in the senate for the former Senate majority leader Bill Frist and I love the institution and I would ask Harry Reid to please resolve to stop destroying the Senate and turning it into the house. SAVIDGE: All right. Well, I'm glad you brought up the Senate because Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell is facing a pretty tough reelection campaign this year. Julian, New Year's resolution for him?
ZELIZER: End the obstruction. I think now that filibuster has been reformed, move fast and move forward with nominations, judicial nominations and executive nominations.
SAVIDGE: Amy.
HOLMES: For Mitch McConnell, I think he, you know, needs to in that primary. And he has a lot of money, I think about $7 million in the war chest, and to fight it out to keep his job.
But again on the Democratic side, I would like to see Harry Reid also stop attacking his colleagues by name from the Senate floor.
SAVIDGE: It's amazing what good free advice we're giving out here.
All right. House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi? Amy -- you first. What would your suggestions be for her list?
HOLMES: I would suggest that she read legislation before she passed it. There was supposed to be a resolution among our congress people that they would. Hopefully in 2014, they will.
SAVIDGE: Julian?
ZELIZER: I think she moves forward with the theme of inequality, the minimum wage. Stick to the economic issues ice and push them. That's the best strategy for Democrats.
SAVIDGE: All right. Let's go now to house majority leader Eric Cantor. Julian, I'll just start you off there.
ZELIZEWR: I think he needs to start governing at some of the same challenge that President Obama faces. He needs think of himself, not just as an opposition figure but as part of a governing coalition and he has to work with Boehner to get bills moving forward.
SAVIDGE: Amy, you get the last word on this kumbaya chance.
HOLMES: Absolutely. I think the American people want to see Congress working together constructively and productively. Not just obstruction. But hey, we also want it to put the brakes on bad legislation if need be.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: And there you have it.
Moving on, it's been just days since Colorado legalized marijuana. And oh, how the dominos are falling. Coming up, a new state is set to ease its pot laws. We will tell you who, with the details, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SAVIDGE: In Seattle, hundreds of city workers can expect fatter paychecks in a few months. The new mayor there who took office January 1 has already put the wheels in motion to raise the minimum wage to $15 for municipal employees. The pay increase will directly affect about 600 people.
Medical marijuana may soon be legal in New York. Governor Andrew Cuomo is signaling that he will skip the legislature and sign an executive order while allowing limited use of medical marijuana.
So let's bring in correspondent Rosa Flores in New York. Rosa we expect Cuomo to make this big pot announcement in his State of the State address. But what happens after that? How will this go into effect?
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, this is a bold move. And advocates say that tens of thousands of New Yorkers will possibly benefit from this. New York would join 20 other states and the District of Columbia that allow medical marijuana. Take a look at northeast. It's already legal in most states surrounding New York.
So what is this? So the governor pretty much is dusting an old law from the 1980s and shooting an executive order. He would allow the use of medical marijuana in the state where the Senate has on multiple occasions killed comprehensive bills.
So here is how it would work. Under this measure, the Department of Health would create guidelines. 20 hospitals within the state would be chosen to administer this drug. And a panel of hospital doctors would determine what patients qualify for prescriptions. This creates a lot of questions like where would this marijuana come from because cultivating marijuana, we should add, in the state of New York is illegal.
Advocates say it is a great first step, one step, that New Yorkers have been waiting for, for a very long time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GABRIEL SAYEGH, DRUG POLICY ARBITER: There's Nancy out in Albany, who is a cancer survivor, who used marijuana when she was recovering from -- dealing with the cancer treatments. There's people all over our state for whom this is literally a life and death issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: And we should say that critics are not happy about this. Jeffrey Reynolds from the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence had this to say, quote, "The prospect of policy changes that could potentially fuel further drug misuse, diversion and addiction is quite frankly truly frightening to us."
Now optimistic advocates say that the first prescription could be written in three to four months -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Thank you, Rosa, very much. Snow, ice, now the bone-chilling cold -- it is on the way it a thermometer near you. How low will it go? And when will it all just go away? We'll try to answer that one, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: This cold snap we're about to endure is so bad, it needed a special name. So we gave it one. It is called a polar vortex. And it will effect millions of us from Michigan and Minnesota to Mississippi and Georgia. Parts of the Deep South will feel like the North Pole. Atlanta residents getting ready for the freeze, stocking up on heaters and rock salt. Gusty winds in northwest Georgia could mean wind chills of 30 below zero Tuesday afternoon.
The Arctic blast is forcing closures in several cities, even here in the deep south. Several counties in Georgia have closed their schools for tomorrow. Same thing in Nashville, Tennessee. City and county government offices in St. Louis are closed for tomorrow, as are Detroit public schools. There is no school anywhere in Minnesota tomorrow. School is also out in Chicago, Milwaukee and in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Yes, Green Bay. The city where, believe it or not, they are playing football out of doors right now.
That's where we find bundled up, our George Howell. George, we've had you out there hostage almost all day long. How are you doing with the temperature dropping?
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Martin, I'm holding up.
SAVIDGE: Good for you.
HOWELL: It is easy when you come out and you're prepared and have the layers on. I have the hat, I've got the scarf, the gloves. You have to have that in conditions like this. There are 77, 500 fans are in there right now. Five minutes left in the game. Tied at 20 each, 49ers and Packers. And I tell you, for them to sit through the entire game and watch it, they had to come prepared as well.
Also we know that officials here, along with the NFL, officials here took preparations to make sure people were prepared. They told people to come bundled up. Also they are passing out hot chocolate, coffee, things like that just to help people get through it. That's something they did in 2007. Seem to work then. They did it again this game.
But look, when you talk to people who came out here, Packers fans are used to it. Some of the 49ers, they were kind of concerned about it, but they came prepared. Here is a look at what a few people had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're really nice and warm. And it is just about warmth out here. Can't be too cold in this game. We're not nuts enough to go shirtless, but there will be people like that today. HOWELL: Oh, that's crazy, for sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: So, you know, that's the thing, as long as you are prepared for it, martin, you will be okay. But you have to limit your exposure to it. For instance, with these live reports that we are bringing you, I come right out to do the report. About a minute before, I get right back into the warmth, that's the best way to avoid frostbite. That's the biggest concern out here.
As we do expect the temperatures to drop. Right now, it's 3 degrees, Martin. We expect temperatures tonight to get to negative 20, negative 30, wind chills. By the time I report for you tomorrow on CNN's NEW DAY, it will be a different and brand new experience for me. I've never experienced negative 30 or negative 40. So let's see how that plays out. Yes?
SAVIDGE: We will. Let's hope it's the same you though when we see you at that hour at that temperature. George, thanks very much. At least it's not a blow-out of the game. It's a good one.
Earlier, by the way, I talked to CNN.com sports contributor Terrence Moore. He's covered two NFL games that were even colder if you can believe it than today's showdown in Green Bay. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERENCE MOORE, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: When the Oakland Raiders played the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland, for a playoff game. That's your hometown. You probably remember this game. It was 0 degrees right at kickoff. It was so cold, those of us in the front row of the press box, they gave us ice scrapers to scrape ice off the windows every five minutes so everybody could see the field.
But the worst -- and we talked a little bit about this the other day, 1982 freeze bowl Cincinnati against San Diego. They played again today, and it was 40 degrees. But back then, it was minus 9 actual temperature. Minus 59 wind chill factor. The Ohio River froze over. The press box heater broke, and it was also cold back at the hotel. That was the worst and coldest day of my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: So, how long is this winter blast really expected to stick around? CNN meteorologist Tom Sader here. And Tom, please have good news for us. When is it going to warm up?
TOM SADER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good news is they aren't playing the game tomorrow night.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SAVIDGE: All right. Tom, thanks very much. Good advice would be to check on your neighbors. And as you say, don't forget about your pets. Thanks. Coming up, Mitt Romney is speaking out about the MSNBC host who mocked a photo of Romney's new grandson. You will hear Romney's reaction.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: Former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney today accepted an apology from MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry. The host and her panel had mocked a photograph of Romney holding his recently adopted grandson. Earlier I spoke with political commentator LZ Granderson and conservative journalist Amy Holmes about the controversy.
First though, here is what Mitt Romney had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, FORMER GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: People make mistakes, and the folks at MSNBC made a big mistake, and they've apologized for it. And that's all you can ask for. I'm going to move on from that. I'm sure they want to move on from it. Look, I've made plenty of mistakes myself. And they've apologized for this. And I think we can go on from there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: So Amy, the question is, is this the end? Now that we've heard from Mitt Romney; he's accepted the apology? Should it end, or is there more to be done here?
AMY HOLMES, CONSERVATIVE JOURNALIST: Well, I think it is the end of the story in terms of the news cycle in that Mr. Romney, Governor Romney was far more gracious than Melissa Harris-Perry and her guests deserved.
And I watched both the original segment and Melissa Harris-Perry's apology yesterday. And it just seems to me you can't lead a racial witch hunt against a man's family and then pretend as if you didn't light the torch. That's precisely what she did. She took this family photo, she pointed out the black grandson sitting on Mitt Romney's knee. She then invited her panelists to remark on that fact, and when her first panelist started calling the baby a thing, she started laughing uproariously.
That was the point of the segment. So, her apology yesterday, I liked Alec Baldwin's reply, which was, if I cry, will I be forgiven too?
SAVIDGE: Let me ask you, LZ, if it were done, say, in an inverted situation, if say President Obama had adopted a white child, do you think they would have triggered the kind of jokes and controversy this has?
LZ GRANDERSON, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You can't play that game. You know, the history of both races are just too different. And I really don't like when people try to say, well, if they were white, would you have done this. If they're black -- they are just two totally different situations because of the racial complexity in this country.
But with that being said, I'm glad that Governor Romney has taken the step to put this to bed. To be quite honest, it is us in the media that made this more of an uproar than the people. If you followed social media, you saw this being a story very briefly a week-and-half ago when the incident occurred. But since then, the public moved on. It is us in the media that seem to still be fascinated by this --
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: It was the media that even launched It was a host of media, of a show, on MSNBC that even launched the discussion. She put up a family photo, pointed to the black child, then asked her guests to remark upon the fact --
GRANDERSON: Girl, you don't have to point to the black child. Did you see the photo? You don't need to point to the black child. The black child is pretty evident.
HOLMES: I didn't notice actually, LZ. I saw a family photo. I wasn't the person zeroing in and then asking --
GRANDERSON: I didn't say there was anything wrong with it. I'm saying, stop pretending she got a magic marker out.
HOLMES: LZ, it is disgusting. You know this, I know this.
GRANDERSON: All I'm saying is - no, and I called her out on it last week when I was on the air. What I'm saying at this point is, stop pretending as if she got a magic marker out and circle the child's leg --
HOLMES: She did. She did!
GRANDERSON: -- or circled Mitt Romney's lap. No, she did -
(CROSSTALK)
GRANDERSON: No, look, here is the black child. You can see the black child on this lap. I don't have a problem with it. I don't have a problem --
HOLMES: So what is the point of the discussion, LZ? What was the point of the segment? What was the point of the segment?
GRANDERSON: I would tell you, if you would be quiet for a second. The point of the segment is, MSNBC does not like Mitt Romney. And it wanted to find a way to poke fun at Mitt Romney. And it took a disgusting route to do it by mocking the child.
HOLMES: There we are. We agree. Disgusting.
(CROSSTALK)
GRANDERSON: But that is different than -- yes, I said that last week.
SAVIDGE: I think we are in agreement it was all wrong. We know that.
GRANDERSON: But you're trying to pretend that she went out of her way to make us point out something that was obvious. Talking about race doesn't make you a racist. And that's one thing we need to get to in this country. It is okay to notice we look different.
HOLMES: She (INAUDIBLE) the photo and produced a segment and asked people to remark on it. That's on purpose.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: In the grand scheme of travel, air disasters are pretty uncommon. Even more rare, though, being the only person to walk away from one. We look at the remarkable stories of sole survivors, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: If you have cabin fever and can make it out of the house, you might want to check out the new movies that are coming out this week. First up, "The Legend of Hercules." In this film, the son of Zeus battles his way back from exile to reclaim his kingdom.
Next is "The Rocket" in which a boy living in war-torn Laos builds a rocket to win a competition and his family's heart. "The Rocket" has been nominated for several awards.
Then "The Truth About Emmanuel." In this drama, a troubled teen's obsession with her neighbor leads it a startling discovery.
And last but not least "Cold Comes The Night." A dangerous criminal takes a hotel owner and her daughter hostage in order to retrieve his missing cash.
Listen up: if you use the Internet service Yahoo!. Some online security firms say you may have been exposed to a cyber infection. The security companies say that a malware attack they found linked to Yahoo!'s advertising servers. They estimate tens of thousands of computers were exposed or infected in several different countries. Malware can leave your computer vulnerable to hackers. Yahoo! announced last night it is aware of a malware attack and it's monitoring. Yahoo! gets more than a billion-and-a-half visitors everyday.
Road warriors will soon be able share their asphalt adventures through dash cam video. Chevrolet is offering the unique option on its 2015 Corvette Stingray. The built-in device will replay up to 13 hours of your road trip in all its glory. The video includes speedometer readings, what gear the car was in, GPS information and a host of other information that is bound to be downright interesting to your local law enforcement.
All right. Another great film premieres on CNN this week. It examines the lives of those who have survived air disasters. In fact, the film focuses solely on people who were the only survivor of a crash. George Lambson Jr. was a sole survivor of the 1985 crash in Nevada that killed 71 people, including his father. In the film, Lambson talks through an interpreter to a French schoolgirl who survived a crash in the Indian Ocean that killed 152 people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL (through interpreter): Do you have any scares from the accident?
GEORGE LAMBSON, JR., PLANE CRASH SURVIVOR: I have this here. This here is from later on. This is from sunburn. But here, this is the burn here. My face was burned. I had a cut on my forehead.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL (through interpreter): (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
LAMBSON: What was it like being by yourself out there for nine hours? Can you explain that?
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL (through interpreter): (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Last hour, I spoke with clinical psychologist Jeff Gardere about the burden of being a sole survivor and with filmmaker Ky Dickens about her reasons for making this film.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KY DICKENS, DIRECTOR, "SOLE SURVIVOR": In high school, I switched places with a good friend of mine before he got into a car, and about two minutes later, he was dead in a car accident. And at the time, I didn't tell anyone that we had switched places. I really withdrew from my friends my senior year of high school. I was embarrassed. I felt like a fraud because I had lived. I was worried what they'd think if they knew.
So it's nothing I really talked about much. But in my late 20s, I was realizing that I always felt this drive to have to accomplish something great and heal people and make a difference with my life that was a bit more, you know, aggressive than other people in my age group. And that's when I realized that I was feeling guilty, like I needed to do something because I felt as though my life had been spared.
JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: And we know a major portion of being a sole survivor, having the suvivor's guilt, is the PTSD. The nightmare, the anxiety, the depression, that goes along with that. A lot of these people feel like they don't have the permission to go ahead and get help.
And this is what Ky has done in her film. She's actually brought all these people together so they can put words to the feelings that they've been suppressing for so long and now can actually be a support group for one another. And they all talk about the fact that they really needed to get therapy, and if they're unable to do it, they were able to do it through the mechanism that Ky has set up through her film "SOLE SURVIVOR." (END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: "SOLE SURVIVOR" airs this Thursday night, January 9 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time right here on CNN. I've seen an advance on that. And wow, very powerful. Can't wait to hear your thoughts.
And we are, in fact, monitoring the crash of a private plane in Aspen, Colorado. We'll update you on the details there in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: The pope is planning a trip to the Holy Land. Pope Francis today announced to the people attending his Sunday blessing that he will travel to Jerusalem, the West Bank, and also Amman, Jordan. That trip scheduled for three days at the end of May. It's his only trip outside of Italy planned so far for the year.
Now to the new developments in that deadly small jet crash today in the Rocky Mountains. We know now who was killed when that plane hit the runway, flipped over and burst into flames on the second attempt to land in high winds at the Aspen airport. Police tell CNN the co- pilot of the plane died. The pilot and the only passenger were taken to a hospital. We've heard recordings between the pilot and the tower. The pilot reported very high tail winds that forced him to go around and approach the airport again.
A short time ago, I talked with a former Transportation Department official who said the Aspen airport can be a challenge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARY SCHIAVO, FORMER INSPECTOR GENERAL, U.S. DEPT. OF TRANSPORTATION: On a good day, Aspen is tricky. I've been in there. With the tail wind, you have to plant that plane right at the threshold of the runway, right in the touchdown zone. And an eyewitness reported a plane came further down the runway and may have bounced or even tried to take off again. And aspen, particularly in really bad weather, is really unforgiving. So the air traffic control tapes and these two eyewitnesses do give a tremendous amount of information.
SAVIDGE: I know, Mary, we're pretty familiar with how an investigation would move forward if it were a commercial airliner. What will be happening now on the ground for an investigation since it's a private jet?
SCHIAVO: Well, in this case, probably very similar to a commercial airline. The NTSB will dispatch a team to investigate. I worked a previous accident in Aspen. I think it was a Gulf Stream. And the NTSB did send a team out to investigate. Aspen is very tricky to fly and here there was no may day call. There was no mechanical report.
So they will be looking at flying and wind shear, undoubtedly, so they will be looking to see how the pilot performed and whether wind shear will be a factor in this accident. But they will send a team.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SAVIDGE: I talked with Mary Schiavo a short time ago. We do know now that an NTSB team is on the ground in Aspen and on the scene of that deadly crash.
The record-breaking weather that is gripping two-thirds of America, bringing temperatures that haven't been seen in two decades. So who's going to see the worst of it tomorrow and Tuesday? CNN meteorologist Tom Sader is here. And Tom, where is it going to be the worst?
TOM SADER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, all the parents staying home watching the kids, looks like.
(LAUGHTER)
SADER: Take a look at the current numbers. This is no real laughing matter. This is dangerous stuff. These are the current air temperatures. Not including the winds, just to give you an idea, it's minus 20 in Minot. It's minus 13 in Sioux Falls. Kansas City at seven, St. Louis at nine. It's on top of the 10.3 inches of snow.
Now factor in the winds. This is just the leading edge. But notice this, minus 45 in Bismarck. Minus 35 in Minneapolis. Springfield, Illinois, minus 14. Chicago on top of your snow, minus 15 degrees.
It really is something, though, when you talk about what is going to happen here. Let me show you. Minneapolis, tomorrow's high temperature, minus 18. The record is minus 14, goes all the way back to 1909. We're looking at an all-time record minimum high temperature in Chicago at minus 11. That at least (ph) ties the records in 1994. We're looking at six days of temperatures not getting above freezing in Cincinnati. The schools are closed in Detroit. I showed you this moments ago. The extent of the wind chill warnings and advisories for a good 32 states.
This would be a good time to go through maybe a health chart of how much time you can actually spend outdoors when the air temperatures and the wind together create this kind of dangerous cold. Thirty minutes, the exposed skin, before frostbite sets in, at minus 20 to minus 40 degrees. Ten minutes, down to minus 60. Already authorities in parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota are saying five minutes, that's it. And that's for pets as well.
This is the U.S. picture. This is the cold front. Once this leading edge of cold air moves out and the snow moves out, it's the only song and dance in town. Unfortunately, it's so cold, it's a slow two-step. But we are looking for this to come to an end. In fact, I believe that by Friday, every one of the Lower 48s could see temperatures slightly above average, at least that's what some of the computer models are showing.
So we're going to get rid of some of the dangerous wind chills. Madison, minus 45 degrees. We get into Monday it slowly slides not only across the Great Lakes, but slowly heading back to the South as well. The leading edge of the rain changing over to snow now, making its way across northern areas of Ohio, back into north central Indiana, and again, this edge is just going to be more of a nuisance, Martin, I think. Of course, it's a chilly rain, but the bigger story is the cold. Coming to an end in two days.
SAVIDGE: And I will count every hour. Thanks Tom, very much. Appreciate the advice too.
And as this hour ends, let's leave you with some of those who seem not to mind at all the snow and ice. Take a look. I-Reporters took these images of their dogs exploring the frigid outdoors. It is a little something to warm your heart on a cold winter day.
I'm Martin Savidge. "ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN KOREATOWN" begins right now.
