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ISIS's New Propaganda Video Shows Paris Attacker's Final Messages; Recovering from the Weekend's Winter Storm; Donald Trump Slamming Rivals One Week Before Iowa Caucuses; Brazilian Olympic Officials Trying to Calm Fears of Zika Virus; Sarah Palin Back in the Spotlight. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired January 25, 2016 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:01]

ERROL BARNETT, CNN HOST: Closed for business. The U.S. capital struggles to dig out after a record-breaking snowstorm paralyzes large parts of the eastern seaboard.

Also, a migrant clampdown, Denmark joins the list of European nations seeking to discourage the seemingly endless flow of migrants.

And running strong, the outsiders' surge to the top in Iowa with just seven days until the first votes in the U.S. Presidential election.

A big welcome to our viewers here in states and those of you watching all around the world, great to have you with me, I am Errol Barnett. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

Washington is at a virtual stand still following a mammoth winter storm over the weekend. Now the snow has stopped falling over the U.S. capitol, but the mayor there is still urging people to stay indoors as crews clear off the roads. Government offices and schools in the city will be closed Monday. Blizzard dumped record snowfall in six states and left at least 15 people dead. There are limited airline flights out of Washington Monday. Both Dulles and Reagan Airports said they'll reopen at least one runway.

And our CNN Meteorologist Jennifer Gray reports, refreezing is likely and it may take a while for Washington to get back on its feet.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: In the nation's capital, it could not be quieter. We have schools closed today, as well as federal government offices closed today. It will stay that way I believe for the next day or so. D.C. is normally a very busy place as you know, but all of this snow coming at once has really got the city at a stand still. We had more than 28 inches of snow around Dulles and Reagan had more 17 -- that brings Dulles to the second snowiest storm on record and Reagan at number four.

We have plows out here all night, clearing the streets, but even some of the downtown streets still haven't really had a chance to get plowed, maybe one lane, but not both, and so why all the schools are closed today as well as those government offices. It's going to take a quite a while. Roads in the downtown area still that need plowed, imagine how the residential streets look. A little bit of melting going on Sunday, temperatures above freezing, and lots of sunshine. So, the roads are going to be very, very sleek this morning.

The Mayor has urged people to stay indoors for yet another day, and unfortunately it looks we're going to have that same melting and refreezing going on many nights throughout the week. It may take some time to get D.C. back on its feet, back to you.

BARNETT: And in New York, life is slowly returning to normal. Take a look at some of the footage from up there, crews working to clear out snow from the roads, for Monday morning's commute. Long Island rail road system which sustained significant damage during the storm will reopen some of its tracks on Monday. People in New Jersey are trying to recover from severe coastal flooding along a shoreline there.

Meantime, many parts of Asia are dealing with a severe cold snap of their own. The fallout has been disastrous in Taiwan where many homes don't even have central heating. At least 85 people have died of hypothermia or heart trouble in the suddenly frigid conditions. Hong Kong wasn't spared either. Sunday was the coldest day there in 59 years, more on the deep chill hitting Asia later this hour.

Now, to Europe's migrant crisis, E.U. ministers will meet on Monday to consider suspending the (Inaudible) system of free movement and reinstate internal borders, if approved, the temporary border controls could be in place for two years. They're vowing to maintain order in Calais after dozens of migrants stormed a ferry bound for the U.K., this happened over the weekend. Police arrested 35 people and removed migrants from the ship. Hundreds of people had protested living conditions in the refugee camp on the outskirts of the city.

[03:05:01]

Lawmakers in Denmark are considering moving migrants into camps outside towns and cities. The Danish government has been criticized for its proposals, including using refugees' valuables to pay for their stay in the country. Switzerland and Germany have similar policies. Our Arwa Damon joins us now from Copenhagen to discuss this. And Arwa, if you look at the big picture, there have been some shifting attitudes toward refugees especially in the wake of Cologne New Year's attacks.

Even before that, some European states struggled with the financial cost of accepting migrants and refugees. They worry new confiscation measures could fuel fear and xenophobia. What are they exactly?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Errol, these appear to be measures that Denmark is highly likely to be undertaking, that bill is going to be voted on tomorrow, but all expectations is that it's going to pass. But the bottom line is this is very much geared towards sending a very clear message to those may be seeking asylum and that message is quite simple, do not come. And now a couple of things in this bill is that Danish authorities will be able to seize money and valuables that do not have sentimental value but are of a cost of around $1500 or above.

But what a lot of aid and humanitarian organizations are saying, beyond humiliations of having your bags searched and valuables is the impact of some other measures, for example, family reunification used to be a process that one could begin after being in Denmark for a year. That now, Errol, is going to be extended to three years. So imagine if you're a Syrian or Iraqi or from Afghanistan, your family is still back home facing the threats of war, you have to wait three years to even begin the process of applying to bring them here.

Another point to bring up that's in this bill is that in the past, the refugee had to prove they would benefit from coming to Denmark. Under this new bill, the refugee is going to have to prove that they have what's being called integration potential. Now all of this of course, is causing a lot of criticism to be directed at Denmark, this current bill to be debated and voted on tomorrow is actually a watered-down version of the original bill, but a lot of humanitarian organizations, the United Nations, Amnesty International is really calling this degrading, a basic violation of individuals, refugees, human rights.

But also, Errol, lawmakers are very well aware of this. Elements of this bill themselves may actually be in violation of E.U. law.

BARNETT: All of that very enlightening, Arwa. I guess -- as I understand, Denmark possibly bending to international and internal pressure. Here's the thing, it and Switzerland enjoy some of the highest GDPs in the world, 13,000 refugees arrived there in 2015, 30,000 in Switzerland. How much of a strain is that really putting on finances on what is a wealthy country?

DAMON: Well, look, those who are trying to push the bill through are basically arguing that Denmark is a welfare state and that those who are coming in to seek asylum should have to abide by the same laws as Danish citizens themselves. If they can afford to pay for their stay, then they should be expected to do so. The issue is that even if an individual has a certain amount of money when they do come here, that tends to be pretty much everything that they have in life, and if you really look into the language of this bill, it's phenomenally convoluted.

It's very difficult to decipher. This isn't necessarily about Denmark's wealth, it's more about -- they don't necessarily want to have to deal with this massive influx of refugees from the Middle East and from various different African states. And Denmark is coming under a lot of criticism for moving from a country that was once known to be very welcoming during the Balkan War, to one that's increasingly seeming to be trying to isolate and protect only itself and not those who are really in need.

BARNETT: Yeah, many commentators saying this is all about Europe's moral compass, and this debate is suggesting its somewhat. Arwa Damon joining us live this morning from Copenhagen. Thanks very much.

[03:10:01]

Now in the past year alone, Germany has become home to more than a million asylum seekers. But as Atika Shubert reports, the New Year's Eve attacks in Cologne have raised tensions and growing fears of a backlash against all migrants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police have described what happened at the Cologne Train Station on New Year's Eve as a new dimension of crime by a mob of North African men. Germany's federal police use an Arabic term. He says this is a new phenomenon for Germany and we are very concerned. We know of this phenomenon from Egypt. Mass sexual assault happening in large crowds, he says. It's not a game. Anybody who commits assaults like this must be arrested and brought to police regardless. This is exactly what Mustafa, 48-year-old Syrian refugee had feared would happen.

Some people were waiting for something like this to happen, he tells us, something that puts refugees in a bad light. We'll do our best to prove to others that most refugees aren't bad. Mustafa and his family were among the one million asylum seekers who came to Germany in the last year. Initially, Germany publicly welcomed refugees. The national polls now show Germans increasingly dissatisfied with Chancellor Merkel's policies, 70 percent believe more crime is coming.

He introduced to Mustafa and his family to understand how the New Year's Eve assaults and the backlash will impact refugees. Mustafa's son-in-law believes the assaults were less about culture but more of the disrespect for law and order brought with them. There's no law in places like Syria, he says, some who came to Germany grew up like this and don't want to know anything in this new place. Refugees must realize there are laws in Germany and have to abide by them.

Everybody has rights here but also responsibility. The assaults have galvanized anti-immigration groups. Mustafa's son is not afraid. No, I am not afraid, definitely not he says, because the people I met within the last four months I have seen in Germany were good people. Small groups of refugees have come to leave messages and leave flowers at the Cologne train station. But the refugee coordinator admits it will take time.

I'm a very positive person, he says, and I think we have reduced people's prejudices against refugees but I can understand people who feel, well, if you invite someone to your home, offer to take care of them, and then this person betrays you, it's natural to be sad and very disappointed. Time to rebuild trust between residents and refugees that are here to stay, Atika Shubert, CNN Cologne.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: And CNN will have special coverage of Europe and its attempts to create new ways to tackle the migrant crisis all week here on CNN. So please do stay tuned for that.

Now, the match up for America's biggest sporting event is now set, the Carolina Panthers will face the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50. Cam Newton and the Panthers trounced the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. It was painful for me to watch that, putting up 49 points on one of the league's top defenses. Hours earlier, the Broncos escaped a nail- biter against the New England Patriots, Quarterback Peyton Manning not only beat his old nemesis Tom Brady, the Super Bowl would be February 7th (Inaudible).

Now a troubling new video from ISIS, what it says about the Paris attacks and who they may be targeting next, also coming up for you this hour, the failed promise of democracy five years after the beginning of Egypt's uprising and later, an election wild card. Former mayor of New York City makes an already-unpredictable race even crazier, more on that after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:19:01]

BARNETT: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden says the United States and Turkey are willing to use their militaries to clear ISIS from Syria, that's if the Damascus government and the rebels can't reach a political settlement. Mr. Biden made those comments over the weekend while meeting with Turkey's leaders. The next round of Syrian peace talks were scheduled to begin today in Geneva but have been delayed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: We do know that it would be better if we could reach a political solution, but we are prepared -- we are prepared if that's not possible to have a military solution in this operation in taking out Daesh.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Syrian government troops and militias are now back in control of (Inaudible), it was the last rebel-held town in the western province of Lattakia. (Inaudible) is about 13 kilometers or 8 miles from the Turkish border and the province has been a stronghold of support for Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

Now, there's a gruesome new video out from ISIS. In it, nine of the terrorists behind the November Paris attacks give their so-called final statements. One speaker claims the attacks were ordered directly by ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. It implies that Great Britain could be next as an ISIS target. And in it, nine terrorists behead and shoot hostages. CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson joins us now from London this morning with more on the video.

Nic, ISIS obviously taking time to produce this video, threatening with what was said. What did we learn about the Paris attackers?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, Errol, we have to say first of all, this was expected. This has become typical of ISIS. They would have a major terror attack and then try to sort of -- if you will, get more P.R. value out of it by pre-shooting interviews with those participants here, the attackers and then releasing it later. That's what they have done here. It's a 17- minute, sleekly-produced video. It uses a lot of news footage of that night. It features all of the nine attackers, three French, four Belgian, and two Iraqi according to the video.

They all give statements on camera, threatening attacks in various different ways, two quite specific to Paris. One of the attackers threatens to attack the foot of the Eiffel Tower. The other one says that soon this on the champs-lessees the brutal executions. The type of brutal executions that with have seen ISIS manufacture and do before, this was particularly bad. The speech is given next to the victims and then the executions.

What they do at the end of the video is then play some video footage of the House of Commons here in Britain, debating whether or not -- whether or not Britain should begin air strikes in Syria and say that all attacks Muslims in Syria, could face a similar fate like Paris. This is if you will a simply coded threat to Britain. They could be next in these lines of attacks.

BARNETT: Nic, what do we know about the hostages beheaded in the video, was there much we learned about who they were exactly?

ROBERTSON: It's horrible. You have to say that looking at this, Errol. Because they seem to be quite simply extras in macabre public relations of propaganda of ISIS, there seems to be no value in these executions, other than to portray these people who would then go on and carry out the attacks in Paris, sort of battle-hardened Jihadists, with these individual hostages brutally executing them. So there's very little that we learned about them.

BARNETT: All right, certainly presenting a skewed view of the world. Nic Robertson, live in London for us this morning, 8:22 there, thanks, Nic.

There have been no direct flights between Iran and the U.S. since the two countries broke diplomatic ties back in 1980. That may be about to change. The head of Iran Air says talks are underway on resuming those flights. Iran Air is buying 114 airbus jets to update its aging fleet, the U.S., the U.N. and the E.U. recently lifted long-standing international sanctions against Tehran.

[03:24:01]

Five years ago today, protesters launched Egypt's uprising in Cairo. But the promise of democracy has faded with ongoing crackdowns on dissents. Ian Lee joins us now live from Cairo with more on this. Ian, the events of five years ago triggered a political and social volatility that continues to this day. People rally to mark such anniversaries. What can we expect to see?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Errol, it's pretty quiet here today. There were some calls for protests by some members of the Muslim brotherhood. Those so far haven't materialized. Other political groups, other opposition groups haven't called for any protests today. Despite that, though, the government has been cracking down.

Arab leaders quaked at the sight of Tahrir, a force for change demanding a better days. That was 18 days in 2011. They returned to do it again in 2013. Shortly after, the new government cracked down. Police arrested him during a protest, threatening national security, he says, we're concealing the university student's identity, he's afraid for his safety.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They electrocuted me with two wires to chest and the back. I was screaming in pain, my torturers said the electricity was weak. Plug it into the A.C., it sent me back a few meters.

LEE: Youssef languished in prison for over a year.

How did you deal with the torture?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I cried hard. I felt extremely weak. I broke a piece of glass and felt I wanted to end all this. I wanted to die.

LEE: CNN can't independently verify his story but Egyptian human rights say his story is not unique.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- torture violations in prison and at police stations it's up on the rise.

LEE: One report detailed police abuse in 2015, and nearly 500 people died in police custody, 700 cases of torture were documented. In the lead-up to the anniversary of the revolution, activists tell us the government is cracking down on any perceived threats, including making arrests as well as raiding cultural centers and private homes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a deliberate attempt to send a message to anyone who would considering protesting that it won't be tolerated this time around.

LEE: Egypt's minister of interior defended his tactics as legal on state TV.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Questions are being raised now about some practices that violate human rights. They're necessary now because of the reality we live in. We are facing a ferocious wave of terrorism that Egypt hasn't witnessed in modern history.

LEE: Among the wave of terrorism, ISIS in Egypt has killed over 1,000 people including hundreds of civilians. But Youssef sees the government's tactics as counterproductive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The government gives the terrorist organizations a kiss of life. The youths join these groups because of the government's oppression and terror.

LEE: Five years on, for in the hope has been replaced by despair. Errol, talking to human rights lawyers, asking them what if -- to compare right now to the days before the revolution and they say this is worst it has ever been, it's the worst than the days under Mubarak.

BARNETT: Ian Lee live in Cairo for us this morning, approaching 10:30 there, Ian, thanks.

Thai and Malaysian officials are investigating a mysterious piece of metal debris, a fisherman found this off the coast of Thailand on Friday. Some officials think it could be from missing Malaysian airlines flight 370. Some say it doesn't look like a part of a plane necessarily. Officials are urging calm as they try and determine exactly what that is.

Major airports in the eastern U.S. are back open following the massive blizzard over the weekend. Hundreds of flights are still canceled. We'll take a look at the travel headaches that may lie ahead for you.

Also, the Iowa caucuses are just days away. We'll show you how some of the candidates are appealing to the voters before the first ballots are cast. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:33:01]

A big welcome back to those of you watching in the states and all around the world, this is CNN NEWSROOM. I am Errol Barnett. It's out last half-hour together. Let's check the headlines.

ISIS has released a propaganda video that claims to show nine members of the men behind the November terror attacks in Paris. It shows the attackers so-called final messages, and some of the terrorists beheading hostages. The video also suggests that Britain may be a future ISIS target.

In a latest effort, (Inaudible) European Union ministers will meet Monday to consider extending border controls within the (Inaudible) free travel zone. The temporary border checks could last up to two years.

Government offices and schools in Washington will be closed Monday as crews dig out snow from a blizzard over the weekend. Water from the melting snow could now refreeze. The storm dumped record snowfalls in six states and left at least 15 people dead.

Thousands of flights were also canceled because of that weather, hundreds more will be grounded on Monday, major airports have resumed flights, but in a limited capacity. CNN's Rene Marsh has the view from Washington.

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good news for people trying to get in or out of the Washington, D.C., area. Flight operations have resumed both at Reagan National as well as Dulles. Although, there will only be a limited number of flights on Monday. We saw Philadelphia, New York City and Baltimore, those airports resumed a limited number of flights as well. I spoke with several of the airlines, they say they were able to rebook many of these passengers but everyone will not be able to get their destination on Monday.

It will take the airlines quite some time before they can get everyone where they need to go from Friday all of the way through now, more than 12,000 cancellations, so it will take some patience on behalf of the passengers, people will get to where they need to get but it will take some time, reporting from Reagan National Airport, Renee Marsh, CNN. BARNETT: Many parts of Asia are dealing with their own rare cold

wave. Taiwan has suffered some of the worst conditions. At least 85 people, most of them elderly have died from the sudden drop in temperatures. Officials are urging people to stay indoors to avoid hypothermia. Our Matt Rivers joins us live from Beijing to discuss this cold weather hitting the region. Matt, where you are, you got lunar New Year celebrations coming up. This weather forecast to stay in place for a few more days. How will transit across the country be impacted?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's already been impacted over this past weekend. It's a huge holiday here in China with millions and millions of Chinese people traditionally going home, now the holiday itself doesn't start until February 8th, but the travel period kind of officially started over this past weekend and so, because of that, you saw a lot of delays due to this cold weather, specifically in the eastern and southern parts of the country. You saw very uncharacteristic snow storms and sleet.

Many people get home by train for lunar New Year. Also, highways were shut down in those regions of the country, traditionally here, most signs the government won't even plow the highways. Because of that, cars get diverted on to side roads that are just not equipped to handle that kind of volume. Then, as you might imagine, airports all across the country were delayed, many, many flights delayed this weekend.

BARNETT: And it seems as if so many places were taken by surprise by this weather. Those 85 deaths in Taiwan are quite staggering, that's attributed to this, why is the number so high?

RIVERS: Well, I think part of the reason is that the region just doesn't typically deal with this kind of weather. Look no further than the fact that most of the homes in Taiwan aren't equipped with central heating. They just have to use electric appliances in order to heat their homes. They so rarely need to use them, and I think many of the people who died over the weekend were perhaps just unprepared for this weather.

This is just not something that Taiwan typically deals with and nor is it equipped to deal with their existing infrastructure.

BARNETT: All right, it's just passed half past four there in Beijing, Matt Rivers live for us, thanks so much. Our Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us now from the international weather center to discuss this, Pedram, where did this cold snap come from and where is it going?

[03:38:01]

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's called the Siberian express, Errol. One of the more remarkable areas of high pressure in a very long time set up shop and typically air flow around this part of the world is clockwise. The air comes right out of portions of Mongolia and Siberia as well. That northerly flow collapses farther south. You see some of the images, impressive to say the least, of course, the way it batters the coastline.

Some of these observations brought snow down to places that we have never seen before. Go down towards in the Japanese city of Nago City, never have they seen snowfall in 115 years. First snowfall in 50 years of recordkeeping, that began in 1966 across that region. Mainland China, Hong Kong coming in at three degrees, lowest temperature on Sunday occurred there. You take a look, record temperatures also set in Seoul. Shanghai, Hong Kong, observation right there. Taipei, also below what's considered normal. Look at Beijing, warmed up to actually above normal before it drops off a little bit and rebounds again.

Hong Kong from that three-degree reading warms up quite rapidly come Wednesday into Thursday. Wet weather comes into the picture but still a mild trend but a far cry from parts across the United States. Some of the scenes across New York City looking like this, Errol, with the melt that's going to be very slow across the northeastern U.S. as well

BARNETT: Folks around the world digging out of a cold situation today. We wish them the best of luck, Pedram, thanks a lot.

Now, if you're watching from California, you'll want to know that the search is on for three fugitive inmates who broke out of a maximum security jail on Friday. You see them here. Authorities described these men as dangerous since they have charges that include torture and murder. Officials say the jailbreak began when the inmates cut through a steel grate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't go into too much detail other than to say that initial breach of security, the photo I provided, got them into the plumbing tunnel, they moved through the plumbing tunnels and ultimately ended up on the roof in an unsecured area of the roof.

BARNETT: Now the fugitives may have been gone for 16 hours before anyone noticed, that gave them a huge head start. Authorities are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to their recapture

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg could have his sights set on the presidency, how some of the other candidates are taking that news is just ahead for you.

Plus, summer Olympics host Brazil announces new measures to keep a dreaded virus from spreading right when athletes and tens of thousands of visitors will be in Rio, details on that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:44:01]

BARNETT: Donald Trump is welcoming a potential challenger and slamming his rivals one week from the Iowa caucuses. After attending church services in the state on Sunday, where the theme was humility, Trump spoke out against a possible Presidential run by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The Republican front-runner also hit one of his favorite targets, Jeb Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'd love the competition, frankly, it would be great if Bloomberg. Jeb Bush, spent close $100 million, the polls coming out this morning, he went down, and he's down at the bottom. It's time to give up, Jeb. It's time to give up.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you all. God bless you!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton also went to church, appealing to voters in Cedar Rapids, and Clinton and her rival Bernie Sanders also reacting to the possibility of Bloomberg running for President as an independent on NBC's meet the press Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: He's a good friend of mine and I'm going to do the best that I can to make sure that I get the nomination and we'll go from there.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My reaction is that there will -- if Donald Trump wins and Mr. Bloomberg gets in, you'll have two multibillionaires running for President of the United States against me, and I think the American people do not want to see our nation move toward an oligarchy where billionaires control the political process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: We'll talk more about the Bloomberg factor in just a moment. Let's bring in Josh Rogen, he is our CNN Political Analyst, he helps us understand what's really going on politically speaking behind the headlines. He joins us today from D.C. Josh, great to have you, I want to start with Donald Trump. He's still the Republican front- runner. He attended church on Sunday and then hit the campaign trail attacking Ted Cruz hard.

There were some protesters demanding to stop hate at one of his rallies, so really more of the same from Trump. But there are some new elements here. The Des Moines Register just endorsed Marco Rubio and Hillary Clinton. Is Trump on the back foot at the moment?

JOSH ROGEN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Trump's numbers continue to be strong. We also have seen Ted Cruz's numbers go up a bit as for Marco Rubio. As we head toward the Iowa caucus, Donald Trump is sticking to his game plan, attacking anything that attacks him and betting that his wealth of support will come out in caucus. That's the big question, whether or not all the people who go to the rallies and who answer pollsters will actually come out and caucus.

That's the question that no one really has the answer to.

BARNETT: The trajectory over these past few months has been no matter what Donald Trump says, he's gain support. There's a new element at play here. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg may be planning an independent Presidential run. Hillary Clinton is not the Democratic nominee. He's toyed with this idea of a White House run before. Where does he exactly see an opening? You're a columnist for Bloomberg View.

ROGEN: Exactly, as it's been reported, Michael Bloomberg is contemplated a run and a decision to make that run some time in March. That will give him ample amount of time to see if both parties fail to nominate someone he believes according to reports is viable. If Bernie Sanders is the Democratic standard bearer and the Donald Trump is the Republican standard bearer, according to the New York Times that's where Michael Bloomberg sees his opportunity, but we won't know that for at least five to six weeks.

BARNETT: These independent Presidential runs, they're unusual, they're very rare and this would be something unexpected in a year of -- of an unexpected campaign.

[03:49:01]

ROGEN: Right, we've seen that very rarely succeed in winning the presidency. They can have an effect on who wins. Let's remember Ross Perot, may have lost the 1992 election, and might have given it to Bill Clinton. Similarly in 2000, Ralph Nader had very low support in terms of poll numbers, but that probably was enough to take the tip support away from Al Gore toward George Bush. The truth is we won't know until it actually happens.

BARNETT: Yeah, just another interesting twist. Now let's look ahead. The Democratic candidates will be on CNN tomorrow taking part in our town hall. Hillary Clinton has been painting herself as the best steward for Obama's legacy, but the enthusiasm level around Sanders is very much like propelled Obama into the presidency in the first. What should we expect to see?

ROGEN: Well, I think we can see as the polls tighten and according to the latest CNN/ORC poll, Bernie Sanders is up by eight in Iowa. Candidates will go after each other more directly. Also, there's an increase distinction between the overall messages that these two candidates are putting out. Bernie Sanders on Thursday there's something grotesquely wrong in America. He's putting forward a broad agenda of really amazing changes, all new health care plans, etcetera.

Hillary Clinton is proposing a "sensible, achievable agenda." She's presenting herself as the pragmatic candidate, the candidate who can win in the general election and she's betting that the Democratic Party won't want to take a big risk on a big unknown.

BARNETT: All right. We'll see them go head to head and see if there are any fireworks. Josh Rogen, CNN Political Analyst, finally out of the snow, joining us from D.C.

ROGEN: Thank you.

BARNETT: And a quick reminder this week, one week before the Iowa caucuses, delegates make their picks. CNN is hosting a Democratic Presidential town hall. CNN's Chris Cuomo will moderate as Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and don't forget about Martin O'Malley -- face to face with the voters. That's Tuesday at 2:00 a.m. in London, 3:00 a.m. central European time, if that's too early for you, DVR it, only here on CNN.

Now, Brazilian Olympic officials are trying to calm fears over a fast- spreading illness with no cure, no treatment and no prevention methods. The Zika virus is spread by mosquitoes and has affected 1.5 million people in Brazil. A Rio 2016 spokesman says venues will be inspected daily during the games. Officials will hunt for stagnant water where the mosquitoes could thrive. Most people who could get the virus never have symptoms but it has been linked to an increase in babies born with microcephaly, abnormally small heads.

El Salvador is urging women to simply not get pregnant for the next two years. Columbia and Jamaica are also recommending that women delay pregnancy. An expert from the Yale School of Public Health talked with my colleagues, Michael Holmes and Amara Walker about how the Zika outbreak likely began.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The virus has been circulating in Africa and Asia for quite some time, it's caused explosive outbreaks. It jumps to Brazil for reasons we don't know. To Brazil, it's spread throughout the Americas, including Central America and the Caribbean, and actually has more recently jumped to Cape Verde, the islands off of Africa. So this virus has a large potential to spread rapidly to areas where the mosquitoes that transmit this virus are abundant.

And that also includes travelers from the U.S. -- from the United States and from Europe and from wealthy countries who visit endemic regions or regions where transmissions are occurring.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: That was Dr. Albert Koa, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at Yale School of Public Health.

Now Sarah Palin's celebrity doppelganger, Tina Fey has made a comeback, and you have to see Fey's version of this moment. Stay tuned.

[03:54:01]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARNETT: Tea Party favorite Sarah Palin is back in the political spotlight after her endorsement of Donald Trump. The former Alaska Governor campaigned with Trump last week in Iowa and Oklahoma after announcing her support. Many found her speech -- let's be kind, rambling, bizarre, sometimes incoherent. But it provided some great material for Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TINA FEY, ACTOR: I am here for all you teachers and teamsters, you

farmers and charmers. Whether you're a mom or two broke girls or three men and a baby, or rock 'n roller, Holy Roller, pushing stroller, pro-bowler with an abscessed molar...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's a fire cracker. She's a real pistol. She's crazy, isn't she?

FEY: It's what the main stream media is spinning. Heads are spinning. They say Trump and his trumpeters are right winging proud clingers of our guns. But he can kick ISIS ass because he commands fire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope nobody's allergic to nuts because we got a big one here. She's two Corinthians short of the bible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:59:01]

BARNETT: That I think was my favorite line from the bit.

Now the weekend blizzard may have done record amounts of snow throughout the eastern U.S., but some took it as the perfect opportunity for a little wintry fun, a mammoth snowstorm calls for a mammoth snowball fight. Plenty of people had ammunition for this powdery melee in Washington's DuPont Circle, and even had a theme, Snow Wars, the snowball strikes back. That's it for me today. I'm Errol Barnett. Remember, you can connect with me on twitter any time. Early Start is next for those of you in the states, for everyone else, Max Foster has CNN NEWSROOM, next.

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