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Severe Weather Causing Travel Delays on East Coast; China Steals U.S. Navy Drone; Donald Trump to Hold Final Rally on Thank You Tour in Mobile, Alabama; Donald Trump and Family's Possible Conflicts of Interests Examined; University of Minnesota Football Team Ends Boycott over Suspension of Players; North Carolina Legislature Passes Controversial Bills Limiting Incoming Democratic Governor's Powers; Woman in Berlin Covers Over Neo-Nazi Graffiti. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired December 17, 2016 - 10:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:01:24] CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: It's 10:01 and so grateful to see you. I'm Christi Paul.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good morning to you. CNN Newsroom begins right now.

A severe winter weather wreaking havoc on the D.C. metro area. Fire officials in Baltimore are responding to a 55 car pileup on I-95. The road there iced over. So far, two people have died in this incident. Dozens have been transported to local hospitals.

PAUL: And the D.C. metro system has suspended bus service. Dulles Airport just closed all their runways due to the freezing rain. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar following the story. Allison, you said earlier this morning, if we start seeing freezing rain, that's when we get into some trouble.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. I said it earlier, I don't care if you have four wheel drive, I don't care if you've livered in Alaska for years, do not drive on the ice. You can't. You simply cannot drive on ice. It's just not possible. That's why we're seeing the car accidents and that's why they're closing runways down. According to Flight Aware, right now over a thousand cancellation and delays across the country.

And here's why. Look at all of the weather. We still have freezing rain coming into cities like Washington, D.C., Baltimore, even into Philadelphia. And we're now starting to see that transition. It had been snow in New York City. We're now starting to see that transition into the freezing rain.

So again, keep that in mind. This is a live look at some of the icy roads there and you're seeing that on the radar here. Again, this purple color indicates the freezing rain that is coming down in and around Baltimore. If you don't have to be out, don't. If you still have holiday shopping to do, do it online today. That's your best option in these cities. All the runways again are closed at Dulles due to the ice. And I

foresee that being the case in other airports. Look at Philadelphia right now, one-and-a-half to two hour delays. We're looking at 60 to 90 minute delays for New York, Boston, even into Denver where they're dealing with a similar scenario of snow.

Now, looking at some of the ice accumulation. These are pretty significant. We're talking over a quarter of an inch in Oakland, Maryland, just north of Washington, D.C. The Ohio State Airport in Columbus, Ohio, picking up three-tenths of an inch, same thing with New Township, Pennsylvania. Victor and Christi, we talked about three-tenths of an inch is enough to bring power lines down and also tree branches in addition to obviously making travel conditions very hazardous.

PAUL: All right, and what you're seeing there, just so you know -- here it is, the picture in full. This is a Department of Transportation camera. But that is the very back end of this 55 car pileup. Obviously, the initial wreck is much further down the line. And look at how slow these cars are going, because when you're on ice, if you've ever tried to drive in something like this, you know it is indeed treacherous. It doesn't matter what you do with your car, you don't feel like you have any control.

BLACKWELL: They shouldn't be out there at all. We know conditions can change quickly and you find yourself sometimes having to navigate those roads. But if you don't have to go out, do not go out.

PAUL: Do take good care out there. Allison, thank you, we appreciate it.

We want to move on here to some of the growing tensions we're hearing about this morning in the South China Sea. China seizing a U.S. Navy drone and the Pentagon saying we want it back.

BLACKWELL: Just moments ago, China's defense ministry released this statement, "China and the United States have been communicating about this process. It is inappropriate and unhelpful for resolution that the U.S. has unilaterally hyped this issue." China took the drone inside international waters which means they stole it.

PAUL: And keep in mind, these are the same waters where, you know, that chain of disputed manmade islands exist. China reportedly installed heavy weaponry there just this week.

[10:05:04] CNN's Matt Rivers is live in Beijing with more. We just read part of that statement there, Matt. Are you hearing anything more this hour?

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These kind of close up encounters between the Chinese and U.S. navies are rare, and the fact that China actually seized U.S. military equipment is even rarer, still. And in that statement that you just mentioned they also say the reason why, the Chinese say the reason they took the device was to prevent it from harming navigational and personnel safety of passing ships. And while that might sound innocuous enough, the fact is that this move made by the Chinese Navy makes the relationship between China and the United States that much more tense.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: The USNS Bowditch, an unarmed military research ship, was about 50 miles off the Filipino coast Thursday where the Navy says it was conducting research using two underwater drones called ocean gliders. Officials say the research was legal under international law. It was set to bring them back on board when officials say a Chinese naval ship trailing the Bowditch launched a small boat which swooped in and stole one of the ocean gliders. The Defense Department says the Bowditch immediately made contact to ask for it back but the Chinese ship simply sailed away.

Friday Pentagon officials asked again. Spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporter, quote, "It is ours and we would like it back. And we would like this not to happen again." China's ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement Saturday that, quote, "China and the United States are using military channels to appropriately handle this issue."

A Chinese state run newspaper, "The Global Times," citing a Chinese military source, said the naval ship took it to prevent any navigational safety issues. The paper went on to say the source told them, quote, "This issue will be smoothly resolved."

The seizure comes at the time of heightened U.S.-Chinese military tensions in the South China Sea. China has built and militarized artificial islands in disputed territory, action the U.S. calls illegal, and President-elect Trump has made Beijing angry twice in the last two weeks, first taking a call from Taiwan's president and then questioning the legitimacy of the one-China policy, a decades old diplomatic staple of U.S. China relations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS: Now China's ministry of defense also said that when it first encountered the drone it didn't know what it was until it lifted it out of the water, then it figured out it was a U.S. drone, and then it said it would determine how to give it back to the United States in the best way possible.

But the other thing I want to talk about in this statement is the ministry of defense says the United States frequently deploys ships and aircraft to conduct close surveillance and military surveys in waters facing China. It has accused the United States of using these kind of research ships to spy on Chinese activities in the South China Sea. And so I think what most experts will tell you is when the Chinese lifted the drone out of the water they knew the message they would be sending to the U.S.

PAUL: All right, Matt Rivers, we appreciate it this morning, thank you.

BLACKWELL: President elect Donald Trump embarking on the final stop of his thank you tour, that's today. He's ending it where many saw the first rumblings of the strength of his political campaign. Mr. Trump will hold a rally in Mobile, Alabama. Remember this, 30,000 people there at a stadium last August.

PAUL: This morning he continues to build out his cabinet as well. The team naming a South Carolina Congressman Mick Mulvaney as Trump's next budget director. He cofounded the conservative House trading caucus and has pushed for federal budget constraint.

BLACKWELL: Meantime President Obama and the first family have arrived in Hawaii where they'll spend their final Christmas vacation while he's in office. The president is leaving Washington with the promise of retaliation against Russia over their hacking and interference in the election. The president all but named Russian President Vladimir Putin as the man behind the hacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Not much happens in Russia without Vladimir Putin. This is a pretty hierarchical operation. Last I checked, there's not a lot of debate and democratic deliberation, particularly when it comes to policies directed at the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Here with us now, senior international correspondent Clarissa Ward, CNN intelligence and security analyst and former CIA operative Bob Baer, and CNN political commentator and assistant editor at "The Washington Post" David Swerdlick. Good morning to all of you.

Bob, I want to start with you. Can we get Bob's audio? I didn't hear Bob there. Your reaction first. I want to start with China and what we're hearing from officials there, the Chinese defense ministry saying that they have decided to handle this in an appropriate manner. And the U.S. is hyping up this issue and it's unhelpful for resolution. Your thoughts?

[10:10:03] BOB BAER, FORMER CIA OPERATIVE: I don't care this was accidental, grabbing this drone. The Chinese are so sensitive about Taiwan. And if we step back from that one China policy, the Chinese are going to make it known from North Korea to naval over flights to expanding military bases in the South China Sea. This wasn't an accident. They can play it that way, but this is their way of sending us a diplomatic warning.

BLACKWELL: And David, we saw our first comments from the president- elect Donald Trump on Twitter about this, the capture of this actually theft because it was international waters of this drone. He says "China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters, rips it out of water and takes it into China in unprecedented act." This was first tweeted and it was spelled incorrectly, but he changed it moments later. This approach to foreign policy through twitter at this hour could be a problem when he becomes president?

DAVID SWERDLICK, ASSISTANT EDITOR, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, I mean, this is the way that president-elect Trump has communicated to the public to send a signal to people around the world. So I think he's trying to use this tool that's worked well for him to express his position on this incident. These are almost like his presidential or president-elect press releases.

That being said, he's on very sort of tender ground here. I defer to bob in terms of assessing the intelligence aspects of this. But in terms of the politics, it doesn't seem like it would be a coincidence just a couple weeks after president-elect Trump took that call from Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen and sort of threw into question the idea of his views on the one China policy, that this happened and the timing works out well if you're the Chinese government in the sense that you have an incoming administration and outgoing administration, and one is speaking on it and other is actually negotiating with the Chinese government.

BLACKWELL: Control room, ready Sat-3 where the president talks about Russia and the response. Clarissa, I want to come to you on the issue of Russia and retaliation. The president yesterday talked about how the U.S. would respond and has responded. And he made it clear that naming and shaming does not work against Vladimir Putin, does not work against Russia. Let's watch what the president said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know there have been folks out there who suggest somehow that if we went out there and big announcements and thumped our chests about a bunch of stuff that somehow that would potentially spook the Russians, and so how we approach an appropriate response that increases costs for them for behavior like this in the future but does not create problems for us is something that's worth taking the time to think through and figure out, and that's exactly what we've done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Think through and figure out, but there are some in the president's party, and there are some Republicans who are asking for crippling response to Russia, using the word "crippling" in response to their interference to the election.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Victor. And I think what we heard from President Obama yesterday didn't really give us a clear sense of how exactly the president has tackled this issue. Essentially he really has three primary options at his disposal. He could elect to impose further sanctions. There are already U.S. sanctions against Russia, but they could be deeper and they could be more targeted to Russia's banking industry. But so far from what we have seen Russia has not curtailed any of its aggressions in response to those sanctions.

The second option would be more of a tit-for-tat option, leaking personal information, embarrassing information potentially about Russia's leaders, leaking financial information, we saw with the Panama Papers, leaks about where some of the top people connected to Vladimir Putin have been storing large quantities of money. But again, as you said, Russia doesn't really respond at least on the surface to naming or shaming. And then the third option would really signify a more -- a bigger

escalation. And that would be some kind of a direct cyber-attack, the equivalent of turning the lights out in Moscow or something to that effect.

While you may get your point across by doing something bold like that, by doing something decisive, while you may mitigate the risk of future attacks from the Russians, not just on the U.S., but on European elections, France and Germany both have elections next year, you do definitely run a major risk of escalating this situation even further. So a lot of different options at the president's disposal and I don't think we really got a sense of which one, if any of them, he is, in fact, going to go for.

[10:15:04] BLACKWELL: And how plausible any of those proposals would be if it has to be sustained for more than five weeks, the entirety of the rest of his term, and if president-elect Trump would continue those policies. Clarissa, Bob, David, thank you all.

PAUL: Well, you know, the president-elect says his supporters were vicious during a campaign, sometimes filled would some pretty tense moments at his rallies. Why is Donald Trump now telling people, look, just mellow out?

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BLACKWELL: The president-elect is headed to Mobile, Alabama, today for the final leg of what's being called his thank you tour. It's being held in the same stadium where he drew 30,000 people last August.

PAUL: CNN's Ryan Nobles joins us now live from Mobile, Alabama. Good morning, to you, Ryan. What do you hear is on the itinerary today?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christi and Victor, it's going to be interesting to see what type of crowd shows up here tonight in Mobile, Alabama. As you guys mentioned, this was the site of one of his biggest rallies during the campaign, and it was a rally that took place before any votes were cast.

And when Trump came here to Alabama back in August of 2015 it raised a lot of questions. Why is he spending so much time in a deeply red state, a state where the primary was still months away. But when he drew that big crowd here, one of his first huge crowds, as you mentioned, 30,000 people, it gave us an indication of that passionate support that was starting to grow for his campaign, particularly with working class voters.

And, you know, over the course of this thank you tour that Trump's been on across the country, he's trying to take a different tone, talking more about what he's going to do when he gets in office. And he's tried to not be as tough on his political opponents as he was during the campaign. And last night in Florida, he asked his supporters to do the same, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT-ELECT: You people were vicious, violent, screaming "Where's the wall? We want the wall!" Screaming, "prison, prison, lock her up." I mean you were going crazy. I mean, you were nasty and mean and vicious, and you wanted to win, right. But now you're mellow and you're cool and you're not nearly as vicious or violent, right? Because we won.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: So the question is will we see a mellow crowd here in Mobile tonight. There are already people ling up hours ahead of this event taking place. The weather could be an issue. We have seen a few raindrops already today. About the time this rally takes place, there is the chance of some thunderstorms. So that could tamp down the crowd a bit. But it's pretty appropriate that Trump's going to round out his thank you tour here in Mobile because, as we mentioned, that first big rally that took place here almost a year-and-a-half ago really gave us that first indication of just how serious a candidate that he turned out to be. Christi and Victor?

[10:20:02] PAUL: No doubt about it. And he's tweeting, you know, Mobile, Alabama, today at 3:00, last rally of the year. Being that it's the last rally, any indication we're going to see something different?

NOBLES: Well, it's going to be different because there's going to be somewhat of a holiday theme. There's Christmas trees already on display. So from that perspective, as well, it's going to be different. But, you know, the message I think is going to be the same, very similar to what he said in the previous thank you rallies, thanking these people for being with him from the beginning and talking about what type of president he will be when he takes office.

PAUL: Ryan Nobles, we appreciate it so much, thank you.

BLACKWELL: Still to come, there are questions, of course, that are swirling in the role of Donald Trump's children as the president-elect takes close familial ties to the center of his upcoming administration.

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PAUL: It's 24 minutes past the hour right now. A CNN review of federal reports shows Donald Trump paid $12.5 million to his own businesses and family members during his presidential campaign. The president-elect has also included his children in official meetings with heads of state in places such as China and Russia. This isn't anything new. The children of political leaders use their connections to enrich themselves. So will there be a changing of the guard in American politics given Trump's close familial ties. CNN Money correspondent Cristina Alesci joining us now live from New York. What have you found? I know you've done some research on this.

CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: I talked to ethics experts who are essentially comparing Trump's family's behavior to corrupt regimes around the world. Look, we'll have to see what happens when Trump actually takes office in January. But the involvement of the president-elect's kids are -- is raising some red flags. Experts say when Trump's children are sitting beside him at the table or on a phone call with a leader, that relays a signal, intentional or not, that they are as important as he is.

[10:25:09] One of Trump's biggest critics on this, Norman Eisen, who worked on government ethics for President Obama, he's warning that this undermines democracy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NORMAN EISEN: The problem with it is it sends a message that if you want to have influence in the administration, do it through the kids. And there's a tradition. This is not the first time it's happened. I'm just shocked it's happened in the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALESCI: Now, Eisen says the U.S. really wants to avoid anything close to what happened in China with the children of ruling communist party officials who are called "princelings." Corporations in the U.S. and abroad have hired these princelings in hopes of currying favor with Chinese government officials. For example, JP Morgan, a major U.S. bank with extensive business in China, recently agreed to pay a $264 million fine for hiring these princelings in what regulators called a systemic bribery scheme, Christi.

PAUL: But is the Trump family's involvement in official government business really comparable to some of these other regimes?

ALESCI: Well, it could be. And of course we have to see what happens and how they behave when Trump takes office in January. But so far lawyers and ethics experts, people who study corruption around the world, are alarmed because of the pattern that they are seeing. Not only is Trump including his children in official transition meetings, but he's also telling the American public that two of them will run his company. This clearly mixes the office of the president with family business.

And, look, the real question is, why should Americans care? It's primarily because corruption thrives in countries where the lines are blurred between family and government. They're either blurred or indistinct, really. And Eisen notes that this often results in wasteful overpriced government projects and contract being rewarded to friends and cronies of the family, people who are looking to ingratiate themselves. And when that happens, Christi, it ends up costing taxpayers billions.

PAUL: All right, Cristina Alesci, thank you so much. Good to see you.

ALESCI: Of course.

BLACKWELL: We're following a major developing story, severe winter weather wreaking havoc on the D.C. metro area over this busy holiday travel season. We have live updates and live pictures here. We'll have those for you after the break.

There's a ride sharing service called Open Ride offering long distance travel at pretty low prices. In this week's Wander Musts, check out how this new form of travel is going the distance Uber style.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The commonalties between open ride and Lyft or Uber really extends so far as a shared transportation experience in a personal car. But beyond that it's sort of where it ends. We really focus on 50 and 500 miles of travel for a price range that anyone can afford. The process is simply looking for a destination that you need to reach to be presented with all the results. You can view information about the driver, details about the trip, even message the driver and book online.

What open ride offers beyond the more traditional alternatives in the buses and train companies you're dealing with another person, someone you're going to spend time with who is able to be flexible and accommodating. The other really big benefit that you're sharing a car ride with somebody and that can be a very intimate and a very rewarding experience that you don't get sitting next to strangers on a bus or a train.

The thing I love most about these road trips, especially sharing them with someone new, is that feeling of possibility that you get, the experience can go many ways. But reaching that common destination together is very powerful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:32:14] BLACKWELL: Welcome back. We are following developing news out of the D.C. metro area right now. Fire officials in Baltimore are responding to a 55 car pileup. This is on I-95 because the road there is just iced over. Live pictures here of just behind the backend of that multicar crash. So far, two people have died in this accident. Dozens have been taken to local hospitals.

PAUL: The D.C. metro system has suspended bus service because of those hazardous conditions. Dulles airport just closed all their runways due to the freezing rain that we're seeing. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is following the story. And Alison, as we said earlier, the minute you say freezing rain you know you're in trouble.

CHINCHAR: Absolutely yes. Don't go out on the roads if you don't have to, please. Not only there are already accidents in place but there could be more that could be coming later on throughout the day. We've got bad weather stretching up and down the east coast. We still have freezing rain coming down in cities like Washington, D.C., Baltimore into Philadelphia. New York was snow. We have now seen that change over into freezing rain. So we're getting the icy conditions in New York City as well.

Boston right now is heavy snow, but it's heavy enough that we have visibility of less than a quarter of a mile. So not necessarily any better conditions there. In and around Baltimore, again, we've got a lot of freezing rain. So in and around Interstate 97 and 695, avoid travel on any of those because they're just very dicey, icy conditions. And also, the airports, everywhere from D.C. to Philadelphia to New York to Boston looking at extensive delays, Victor and Christi.

PAUL: All right, Allison, thank you so much.

I want to bring in Baltimore City Fire Chief Roman Clark with us now. Chief, thank you for being with us. I know that it's a busy morning for you, but tell me what the situation is right now and what you're most concerned about this hour.

ROMAN CLARK, BALTIMORE CITY FIRE CHIEF: Currently we have a situation where we had approximately 55 cars - vehicles, I'm sorry, piled up on I-95 north in between Cape Avenue and Washington Boulevard. We did have two fatalities at the scene of this particular incident. Right now we transported approximately 15 people from the scene to area hospitals. At this time, the cause of this entire situation is under investigation at this time.

PAUL: You believe it to be the condition of the roads, though?

CLARK: Unable to say that, but, however, the conditions of the roads are very slippery though.

PAUL: Are people still trapped in that pileup? Are cars moving at all?

CLARK: Transportation is working on it, the southbound side is moving. It has one lane moving forward at this time. They're looking to reverse the traffic on the northbound lane to get those people off of 95.

PAUL: OK, and could people inadvertently get stuck in this mess? Because I know when the weather gets like that, people are advised to stay inside. Do you think they were surprised by what happened when they were already on the road?

[10:35:07] CLARK: I'm not sure. I can't speak to that at this time.

PAUL: So how would you advise people in that area at this hour?

CLARK: If you don't have to go out on the roads, we ask that you just stay in at this time until the temperatures rise and things change on the roads.

PAUL: Do you have any indication as to how long it will take to clear that --

CLARK: I do not at this time.

PAUL: And what are the conditions of the road right now, sir? Are they still --

CLARK: They're still slippery. They're still icy at this time.

PAUL: They're still icy at this time. Ok, what are you most in need of at the moment from your end?

CLARK: I'm sorry?

PAUL: What are you most in need of to keep people safe on your end?

CLARK: We're needing to if they don't need to go on the roads is to stay off the roads is what really we need. Let the emergency crews and also the salt trucks and all those other crews can do their job.

PAUL: Can do their job. All right, thank you so much for letting us know what's happening there. We appreciate it. And best of luck to you and the crews there because I know it is a tough job to work through. So thank you.

BLACKWELL: The president-elect Donald Trump, he's going to be busy today. He'll be in Mobile, Alabama, the final stop of his thank you tour. Then he's off to Palm Beach, Florida where he'll spend time at his resort, Mar-a-Lago.

PAUL: While he says thank you, President Obama is saying be warned. He's nearly naming Russian President Vladimir Putin as the man behind Russia's hacking and influence in the election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: In early September when I saw president Putin in China, I felt that the most effective way to insure that that didn't happen was to talk to him directly and tell him to cut it out and there were going to be serious consequences if he didn't. In fact, we did not see further tampering of the election process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: And Russia has a message in return to the U.S. They say prove it.

BLACKWELL: Let's bring in Liz Wahl, former RT America anchor, RT being the Russian television network there. Liz, hello to you.

LIZ WAHL, FORMER RT AMERICAN ANCHOR: Good morning.

BLACKWELL: I want to start with what we heard from some members of Congress talking about what should be the response to Russia, to Vladimir Putin. We have a tweet from Senator Lindsey Graham where he says "If you don't go after Russia for hacking during 2016 election you're inviting other bad actors, China, North Korea, Iran, et cetera, to do the same." This response that is being called for, I wonder what is from your perspective, understanding the Russian government, what threads that needle between the proportional response that President Obama has discussed and the crippling response that some in Congress are calling for?

WAHL: Right. Yes, well, the debate now is what exactly is a proportional response, what exactly will serve as a deterrent in the future. There's a lot of talk and taking more cyber actions. Another possibility is sanctions. We know that the sanctions that were in place, that were put in place after the annexation of Crimea has severely crippled the Russian economy. So upping those sanctions could have a more of a devastating effect on Russia.

So it remains to be seen what exactly what actions will be taken. We're seeing a lot of calls for actions to be taken now. We are seeing some criticism that there wasn't more done before the election at the time that this hacking was happening, despite not taking action but also making it very clear to the American people the gravity of the situation that there was a foreign adversary actively meddling in our election.

BLACKWELL: And you surprised that we haven't heard from Putin himself? We've heard from officials saying simply prove it, but we've not heard from him.

WAHL: Yes, well, with my experience, this is not normal. This is the way that they operate. Denial is a form of -- it's a political strategy for the Kremlin to deny it. They denied the little green men were in Ukraine when they were clearly there. They deny the backing of separatists in eastern Ukraine. And they deny that they have hit hospital after hospital and the humanitarian aid convoy and other civilian targets. Denial is what they do.

And so now they're denying that they are not involved in this hacking despite the vast, you know, 17 of our intelligence agencies. And now, by the way, the FBI has joined in with the CIA in saying that, yes, Russia did hack with the intent to get Donald Trump elected.

[10:40:00] So -- and I think one thing that's important is to understand why does Russia want Putin in power? Why did they meddle --

BLACKWELL: Trump, you mean.

WAHL: OK. Well, there are some key things, there's a lot going on here. I'm going to try to sum it up very quickly. There are key things that Russia wants. First and foremost is to divide American society. Check. It's to weaken institutions, weaken faith in our own institutions like our intelligence agencies, like the State Department. They have been targets in Russian disinformation operations in the past. And to undermine faith in the western media and the mainstream media. We have our president-elect himself saying don't trust the media. So that has been a success for disinformation.

Also, NATO. NATO is seen as an enemy in Russia's eyes. We heard from the president-elect himself he is not necessarily committed to NATO, which has kept America safe and our allies since world war three. And another is to get those sanctions lifted, those sanctions that I had mentioned previously that has been crippling to the Russian economy. And now we have a secretary of state, or an upcoming secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, who has done business with Russia, and those sanctions has hurt him and his business ties. So there's a lot going on there.

BLACKWELL: He's on the record of not being a fan of the sanctions. And this is happening as there are members of Congress who are calling for new san sanctions related to this interference in the 2016 election. Liz Wahl, always good to have your input.

WAHL: Thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: Thank you.

PAUL: There is new hope for people trying to get out of Aleppo this morning. According to news agency run by Hezbollah, the Syrian government and the rebel group in eastern Aleppo have reached a new agreement and that evacuations in that city will resume now. The announcement comes, of course, after the evacuation of thousands of refugees from that city had stopped.

BLACKWELL: It's an unprecedented power grab that some are saying, outgoing Republican governor Pat McCrory strips way power from his Democratic successor. And now the state is in chaos as Governor-elect Roy Cooper vows to fight back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: There is outrage in North Carolina, and that's the right term for it. After the outgoing Republican governor signs a bill into law that will strip away powers from the incoming Democratic successor.

[10:45:05] PAUL: Dozens of protestors descended on the state capital yesterday. GOP lawmakers passing pieces of legislation, one of which removes state and county election boards from Democratic control. Republicans maintain they're enacting checks and balances. Democrats are calling it a brazen power grab. Polo Sandoval joins us now. So walk us through how this happened.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And that's important to keep in mind, exactly how we got here. Remember, this has been just a bitter, a very highly contested gubernatorial race that took place there in North Carolina. And now the outgoing governor signing into law what is expected to be crippling to the powers that the incoming governor should have. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: The latest legislative session closing with growing outrage and crowds in North Carolina's capital.

(CHANTING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very difficult to hear because of the disruptive noise outside the chamber.

SANDOVAL: Demonstrators are angry over a series of bills rolled out during a hastily called special legislative session this week where lawmakers in the Republican controlled legislature want to limit incoming Democratic Governor Roy Cooper's powers.

ROY COOPER, (D) GOVERNOR-ELECT, NORTH CAROLINA: What is happening now is unprecedented. What's happening now is going to affect the issues that make a difference to every day working families. SANDOVAL: Among the restrictions, requiring the Republican controlled

Senate to approve all of governor-elect Cooper's cabinet appointees, also significantly decreasing the number of appointments allowed by the new administration from 1,500 to 300. Additionally, Cooper would be blocked from appointing some members of the state board of education and all members of the board of trusties for the University of North Carolina system.

Cooper beat out conservative Republican incumbent Pat McCrory by only about 10,000 votes. McCrory claimed fraud and challenged the outcome before conceding about four weeks later.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is majority rule. We have elections.

SANDOVAL: Despite large Republican majorities, leaders say they are going to continue to be relevant in the state, but Democrats call it a power grab. It makes for what will be an even more turbulent transition for McCrory's Democratic successor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: All right, so here is where we are now. There were two bills that were discussed yesterday that we're tracking. One of them has actually been signed into law now. That one would essentially change and reshape the way that the elections board there for the state of North Carolina is chosen. That responsibility would be split between lawmakers and the governor. The one that has not been signed yet, though, Victor and Christi, is the one that we just discussed a few moments ago in that piece that would essentially require that lawmakers weigh in and approve any of the choices for the governor's cabinet.

PAUL: All right, Polo Sandoval, we appreciate it so much. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: New developments just in on the University of Minnesota football team's boycott. Andy Scholes has the new information for us. That's next.

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BLACKWELL: Well, that was quick. The players for the Minnesota football team have ended their boycott and will play in their bowl game.

PAUL: Andy Scholes joins us with these new developments. Last hour, we were at a completely different place.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Last hour we were talking about how Minnesota might not play in the holiday bowl because of this boycott. Their players were boycotting all football activities until their 10 teammates were reinstated. Those players have not been reinstated, but according to multiple reports, the Gophers have ended their boycott.

For some background, earlier this week the University of Minnesota indefinitely suspended 10 players without giving a reason. The attorney for those players says they're being suspended for their alleged roles in a sexual assault on a female student that happened in September. Now, the players were suspended even though none of them were criminally charged.

Members from the team met with the school president late last night and he made it clear that their teammates were not going to be reinstated before this bowl game. And after announcing that they would end this boycott, the players did release a statement that read in part, "We now and that you, the members of the media, our fans, and the general public hold all of us accountable for ensuring that our teammates are treated fairly along with any and all victims of sexual assault. We also ask that the public dialogue related to the apparent lack of due process in the University system is openly discussed and evaluated." Minnesota, they're going to be playing Washington State in the Holiday Bowl on December 27th. Guys, it looks like what the team took -- what they were not happy about is how the players were suspended and no reason was given for that suspension.

PAUL: Andy, thank you.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Andy.

We continue to follow the severe weather that's hitting the D.C. metro area over this busy holiday travel season. Three people now, three are dead in this 55 mile crash. New video now of cars and tractor trailers and the SUV's all crumpled up on I-95 on those icy roads. Only two runways at Dulles airport open right now because of the ice. We have a live update for you at the top of the hour.

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[10:56:35] ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Anderson Cooper. Each of this year's top ten CNN heroes proves one person really can make a difference. And again, this year, we're making it easy for you to support their great work. Just go to CNNheroes.com and click "donate" beneath any 2016 top ten CNN hero to make a direct contribution to that heroes fundraiser on Crowd Rise. You'll receive an e-mail confirming your donation, which is tax deductible in the United States.

No matter how small, it can make a big difference in helping the person who inspires you to continue their life changing work. CNN is proud to celebrate all these everyday people changing the world, and through December 31st to offer you this simple way to support their causes. Right now your donations will be matched dollar to dollar up to $50,000 for each of this year's honorees. You can donate from your laptop, your tablet, or your phone. Just go to CNNheroes.com. Your donation in any amount will help them help others. Thanks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: You're never too old to fight a war. In this case it's a 70- year-old woman fighting racist propaganda in her city.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Atika Shubert reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Seventy-year-old Irmela Schramm scours the streets of Berlin armed with a scraper, a can of spray paint, and nail polish remover. Then she sees it, a Nazi swastika amid the street graffiti. She gets to work.

Schramm calls herself a political cleaner of neo Nazi and racist graffiti. And every week Schramm spends up to 17 hours scraping off racist stickers and painting over swastikas with hearts.

IRMELA SCHRAMM, GRAFFITI ACTIVIST (via translator): I could like at that swastika and say, oh, that's awful and walk by she says. No one would dare to do anything. I don't want to wait for someone else to do something about it she says.

At home, Schramm shows us her catalog of work. It started 30 years ago when she spotted a flyer supporting convicted Nazi war criminal Rudolph Hess. Disgusted, she took the house keys and scratched the flyer off.

SCHRAMM (via translator): I just scrubbed the hate away until it was all gone, she says. It was a fantastic feeling afterwards. The mind pollution was gone.

SHUBERT: It has become a personal mission that has taken her across Germany and six other countries. She says she has cleaned more than 130,000 neo Nazi symbols and racist graffiti. And the amount she sees on the street is increasing, she says, especially against refugees.

SCHRAMM (via translator): People tell me I am intolerant, that I don't respect the far right's freedom of speech. But I say freedom of speech has limits. It ends where hatred and contempt for humanity begins.

SHUBERT: Neo Nazi groups have sent her death threats. Police have warned that her work is too provocative and she could face thousands of dollars in fines for defacing public property. On the day we tagged along a Berlin cleaning crew was simply annoyed.

"I like what you're doing," says this cleaner, "but not the way you're doing it." Well, Shramm dismisses the cleaners with a laugh as she does to most of her critics.

Just as she's about to call it a day, Schramm spots a big one across the street, "Nazi neighborhood." She whips out her can of red spray paint and gets to work.