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Tsunami Warning Center Says First Waves Are Hitting U.S. Mainland; CDC Updates Mask Guidance, Now Recommends Wearing N95 And KN9; Parents Of Kids Under Five Being Pushed To The Brink; Oath Keepers Founder, 10 Others, Charged with Seditious Conspiracy; "Reframed, Marilyn Monroe" Premieres Sunday At 9:00 p.m.; 65 Plus Million Under Winter Weather Alerts; New Virginia Governor Youngkin Inaugurated. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired January 15, 2022 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:00]
JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean in for Fredricka Whitfield this afternoon. And we continue to follow breaking news. As tsunami advisory is in effect for the entire U.S. West Coast and Alaska. And we're now seeing the first waves arriving on the mainland of the U.S. This right here is video of waves arriving a short time ago in Santa Cruz, California.
More and potentially larger waves are expected but not -- for over the next several hours. The tsunami was triggered by an underwater volcanic eruption overnight in the South Pacific. And you see those satellite images. They're incredible. They show a massive ash cloud and shockwaves. The eruption happening near the island nation of Tonga. As tsunami has already hit the largest island there sending waves flooding into the capital.
The Tsunami Warning Center says the first waves now hitting the mainland of the West Coast here in the U.S. That means numerous beaches, marinas and boardwalks on the California Coast are temporarily closing as a precaution. Our Natasha Chen is at the Santa Monica Pier in California. Natasha, what are you seeing?
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Alison there -- sorry, Jessica. There are a lot of people walking past here very curious about the situation. We did talk to the L.A. County Fire Department lifeguard division, they said they've been warning people that this is not something where you want to get too close or get in the water just out of your curiosity. Here is actually some bullet points from the National Weather Service talking about not going to the shore to observe this.
The first wave may not be the largest. So later waves may be larger. Waves and currents can drown or injure people who are in the water. Some impacts might continue for many hours, even days after the arrival of the first wave. So, you want to move out of the water off the beach away from the harbors and marinas and be alert to follow the instructions of people in the area. Right now, Los Angeles County has not closed beaches at this moment. But Orange County beaches south of us are closed. We talked to one person who is here in Santa Monica every Saturday morning very early. And he told us what he saw this morning that was different from other weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This morning, was different than a regular Saturday morning, because the waves are normally just coming in and sets and it's no bother. Well, today, it seemed very disturbed. At one point, the waves I tried to take with my cell phone pictures. It didn't capture it, but the waves are kind of going backwards. And everything seemed disturbed. It wasn't the normal rhythm of the ocean on a Saturday morning. So, the waves were kind of going a little -- I want to say sideways backwards, a little disturbed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN: And so we've also been talking to the lifeguard division of L.A. County Fire Department saying that -- they said that the concern is perhaps less so the people right along this beach coastline, and more so the low lying harbors where those boats may be docked. They've been telling boat owners to secure their boats to not be on those boats because of the potential tidal swing this morning.
They had someone down at the Redondo Beach Harbor measuring about 1.5 foot tidal swing, so not too bad. But when they experienced the effects of the Japanese tsunami, for example, a decade or so ago, that title swing was much larger and that's so that's something that they watch out for in those harbors. Jessica?
DEAN: All right. Natasha Chen for us in Santa Monica. Thanks so much. And let's turn now to the uphill battle against the coronavirus. The CDC updating its guidance on masks. Now saying N95 or KN95 masks are the best option. But testing shortages continue to cause trouble across the country. States like Georgia are opening up mega testing sites to keep up with the high demand.
And starting today Americans can get free at-home test by using their private insurance. Starting next week, Americans will be able to order free-at-home tests from the government. This comes as members of President Biden's own party are questioning the rollout and how quickly those tests could actually turn the tide on infections.
[13:05:06]
DEAN: The tests coming in an already desperate moment. Look at that graphic right there. Hospitalizations now at an all-time high during this pandemic at more than 155,000. That means ICUs are quickly filling up. And more than a dozen states reporting less than 15 percent, less than 15 percent remaining capacity in those ICUs. More now on the CDC updated mask guidance. CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta looking at which masks are best and why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In the United States, we are being drenched with Omicron a varying so contagious that it is caused daily cases to double in the past two weeks. Now, just like you would put on a better raincoat in a bad storm, we need better masks more than ever. Our best bet, an N95 mask.
AARON COLLINS, MECHANICAL ENGINEER: You got to wear a mask. Wear the best masks possible.
GUPTA: Aaron Collins, a self-proclaimed mask nerd is a mechanical engineer with a background in aerosol science.
COLLINS: There are significant improvement in the amount of aerosol that you're going to be exposed to when everyone's wearing a N95 and you're wearing an N95. That's why there's such a powerful tool.
GUPTA (on camera): I think it's worth reminding people why exactly they work so well. It has to do with the actual material, there are electrostatically charged fibers in here. So it's not just filtering particles, it's actually attracting particles, kind of like a blanket that attract your socks in the dryer. Also, it works well not just for air that's potentially coming in, but also for air that's potentially going out.
Now, one key thing about the N95 masks is you got to make sure that actually fit really well. Having these two bands around the back of your head, and then making sure no air is escaping around your eyes, or your cheeks or your chin.
(voice over): Studies have shown that cloth masks can have about 75 perecnt leakage. A surgical mask 50 percent. But with an N95 it can go down to as low as one percent. Even with the CDC's updated mask guidance, there is still no explicit recommendation to wear an N95.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know that for some --
GUPTA: However, on Thursday, President Joe Biden announced a step in the right direction.
BIDEN: Next week we'll announce how we're making high quality masks available to American people for free.
GUPTA: If you buy your own, the average cost of an N95 is just under $2.00. That's according to project N95, a nonprofit dedicated to educating people about high filtration masks. But how to pick the right one can be bewildering. There are more than 6000 different models of NIOSH-approved respirators. NIOSH being the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. A federal agency that evaluates safety equipment like masks.
KELLY CARRUTHERS, DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AND SUSTAINABILITY, PROJECT 95: It's an incredibly difficult market for consumers to to navigate. And unfortunately, in this -- in this circumstance, bad information could cost someone their life. Kelly Carruthers is the director of Government Affairs at Project 95. The problem she says is that counterfeits have infiltrated the market. You can find a list of NIOSH-approved products on the CDC's Web site. But here's some of the things to look for. Remember those head straps? NIOSH-approved N95 are always going to have head straps instead of ear loops. And the mask itself will say NIOSH along with the manufacturer name and an identifying number starting with T.C.
ANTHONY FAUCI, CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: If you can tolerate an N95, do it. If you want to get a KN95, fine. Wearing any mask is better than no mask at all. But there is a gradation of capability of preventing you from getting infected and from you transmitting it to someone else. So we shouldn't be wearing the best possible mask that we can get
GUPTA: The KN95 Dr. Fauci just mentioned, there another type of high filtration mask, but finding the right one of these can be even trickier. That's because KN95 is a Chinese standard, meaning none of these are currently approved in the United States. Even worse, the CDC says about 60 percent of these masks are fakes. Yes, even the ones you buy online.
CARRUTHERS: There's no way to tell if the manufacturer has met those qualifications or not. It is -- it is very difficult for for someone to discern whether or not it's a - it's a safe mask.
GUPTA: Now, that doesn't mean all KN95s are bad, but it does mean you're going to have to do more homework, such as checking to see if the manufacturer has a valid lab report.
COLLINS: We need to recommend better hyperfiltration masks and we need a mask standard, a general public mask standard so that we can cover all of the range of maths that people want to use. We can go back to pretty much normal "life" if we all had really good respirators.
[13:10:05]
GUPTA: Something so simple that could help us slow the pandemic. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.
DEAN: All right. Dr. Sanjay Gupta for us. Thanks so much. Agonizing, excruciating, devastating. These are words being used by the parents of children under five years old to describe their current situation when it comes to the pandemic, as they wait for their kids to be eligible for COVID vaccinations. The Omicron surge has many again facing a childcare crisis and forcing some to make impossible choices.
I want to bring in Dr. Elizabeth Clayborne, she's an emergency physician at the University of Maryland's Capital Region Medical Center. Dr. Clayborne, as always, lovely to see you. Thanks for being with us. We know you're the mother of two young daughters, and this probably hits home for you. Walk us through how the current situation has impacted you and your family.
DR. ELIZABETH CLAYBORNE, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CAPITAL REGION MEDICAL CENTER: Yesh, Jessica. I'm really pleased that I was able to come on today, my entire family tested COVID positive last week. Fortunately, we all had mild symptoms. But still, as a mom who's been working on the frontlines, and even was pregnant at the beginning of the pandemic, and now has a 19-month-old and a three- year-old at home, I've been terrified for months that I was going to bring home COVID.
And I did finally. That's what happened. And so, I had to stay home over the last week with my two small children. And I am taking time off from work. But actually going back tonight. And I think that this puts a lot of parents like myself in a difficult position because my kids are better, unfortunately did not need to be hospitalized or seen by a medical provider. But that's probably because I'm a doctor and I understood how to care for them.
A lot of people are not in that position. And now I am returning to work. But, you know, that means that my kids are not 100 percent well. And it would be nice if I had the time and support to do that. But we are just so devastated by the Omicron surge in the hospital settings. And every health care worker really is needed on deck. And so, I do need to return to work. And I think that that makes it difficult to decide, you know, what I need to do as a doctor versus what I need to do as a mother.
And it's really just, as you said, devastating to have to make these kinds of decisions. And know that I'm the one who probably got my kids sick and now have to go back to work and not really be there as they're continuing to recover.
DEAN: I know that's hard. Our hearts go out to you. I'm glad you guys had just mild symptoms, but it's still like you said your kids are still sick, you're still sick, it's still not a situation you want to be in. Walk us through what the latest timeline is for eligibility for children under five to be able to get that vaccine.
CLAYBORNE: Yes. Many of us were hoping that we were going to have actual, you know, approval of a vaccine for children or five by the holidays. And obviously that time has come and gone. They did have an preliminary data showing that this is going to need to be a series that was -- is requiring potentially more than two shots. And that is why we have not yet heard when the children under five will be eligible.
And so, we're not exactly sure when that's expected. But obviously, I think this is something that hasn't gotten as much attention as it needs. You know, parents that have kids under five, they're not the same kind of kids that can stay home and be occupied doing, you know, online lessons. Like my three-year-old is not going to watch anything online. My 19-month-old needs constant supervision.
So if you're a parent that doesn't have help at home, and and you're trying to juggle working with having kids at home, that is impossible. And then you have to make a decision if you are going to send them to, you know, daycare or preschool, the risks associated with that, because they are not vaccinated. So I think that, you know, we are all really looking forward to when we can expect this vaccine to roll out to those under five. But we expect it to be several more weeks and potentially longer than that. And in the meantime, I would encourage everyone to support people in your community that may be dealing with this childcare issue or these concerns, and especially those who are working on the frontlines that have been putting themselves at risk, and potentially now making their family six -- their family sick because, you know, of their willingness to serve.
DEAN: It's such a great reminder because I think this is such a universal situation for people with children under the age of five right now who are trying to deal with child care issues and at-home school and work and all of it. So it's a wonderful reminder to be supportive of those in your community, especially those health care workers. Especially now that we're two years pretty much into this pandemic.
And and obviously so many healthcare professionals like yourself who have been going to work and been on the frontlines for two years are dealing with physical, mental fatigue. What more can be done to support you and your colleagues? So obviously supporting these families, but also you and your colleagues who are on these front lines?
CLAYBORNE: Yes. I'd like to, again, remind everyone that those who are working in healthcare right now are extremely burnt out. We've not only been at this for, you know, some time, but the entire environment that we're working with, kind of went from, you know, a place where we were being praised as frontline heroes to now really just being in, you know, a setting where we're not getting the support we need because we're so severely understaffed and dealing with the surge of, you know, Omicron patients.
[13:15:04]
CLAYBORNE: And so a couple of things I think people can do. Number one, if you're not vaccinated please be vaccinated. I know that people think because Omicron is less severe, that's not as dangerous but you are still 20 times more likely to die, 17 times more likely to be hospitalized, and 10 times more likely to pass that infection. And that puts pressure on people like me because I have to take care of sick patients and we do not have the staff or resources to do that.
Number two, I would encourage all of you guys to, you know, put pressure on the government to better support our frontline workers. You know, it would be nice if we had hazard pay. I did not get any specific additional sick pay, although my organization is looking into that. And, you know, something like student loan forgiveness will be helpful for us. A lot of us have been feeling kind of used and abused over the last several months and dealing with, you know, patients that sometimes get frustrated and take those frustrations out on us.
And so, I would encourage everyone to be patient, be mindful and supportive of people who are doing their best to care for you. And encourage, you know, our government and our, you know, our structures that are supporting health care workers to make sure that they're being particularly diligent and finding unique ways that they can support, you know, people who are going out there and doing their best to take care of sick individuals.
DEAN: Yes. We all owe you all so, so much. Dr. Elizabeth Clayborne, thanks so much. Good luck going back to work and we hope you all are well very soon.
CLAYBORNE: Thank you.
DEAN: Still ahead. Some strong words from the U.K. opposition leader to Boris Johnson, "He's got to go, he's unable to lead." Will the Prime Minister be able to survive this moment? We're going to talk about that next.
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[13:20:41]
DEAN: U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now under intense pressure to step down following a series of scandals. They involve parties that took place at Downing Street while COVID lockdown rules were in effect. U.K. tabloids notorious for their savage coverage of politicians and celebrities have gone on the attack. The left-leaning Daily Mirror saying "The party's over Boris." The country's opposition leader also calling for Johnson to step down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, U.K. LABOUR LEADER: We've got a prime minister, who is absent is literally in hiding at the moment and unable to lead. And so that's why I've concluded that he's got to go. And of course there's a party advantage in him going but actually it's now in the national interest that he goes. So it's very important now that Tory Party does what it needs to do and gets rid of him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is in London for us. Salma, Boris Johnson is also coming under fire from within his own party.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Jessica, it seems like every single day now there is a new report about a new party. A new allegation about more fun during lockdown inside 10 Downing Street, inside essentially the White House of Britain. The latest allegation comes at a time when the Prime Minister had to apologize to the Queen herself. That's because the allegation is is that two parties were held at 10 Downing Street the night before Prince Philip's funeral.
And I'll tell you why that's important. There's this iconic image we we have it to show to our viewers here of the Queen, sitting alone by herself, observing social distancing rules even on one of the most difficult days of her life. Even as she said goodbye to her husband of seven decades. And seemingly, Downing Street itself was breaking those rules the night before. And the newspapers here are full of details about these parties, Jessica.
One of them, I'm going to give it to you just so you understand how salacious this is, is that one of the attendees at this party in April of last year was sent out with an empty suitcase to fill it with bottles of booze and bring back that suitcase full of booze to this party. Look, quite simply, this is not how you expect a government to conduct itself. This is not how you expect those who are running the country to behave particularly at a time of pandemic.
And it's not over for Prime Minister Boris Johnson. There's an investigation into all of these parties now, which span from the summer of 2020. The height of the pandemic into the spring of 2021. In the concern for the Prime Minister is that he might be directly implicated here, Jessica, and the question over him now, no matter what this investigation results in, his reputation here is absolutely damaged. There's questions as to whether he is fit to lead. Jessica?
DEAN: Salma Abdelaziz, thank you for your reporting out of London. We appreciate it. Coming up. A CNN investigation inside the Oath Keepers. One of the groups that was part of the Capitol siege.
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[13:28:13]
DEAN: For the first time in the investigation into the January 6 riot, the Department of Justice is unveiling seditious conspiracy charges. 11 defendants have now been charged including the leader of the Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes who pleaded not guilty in court yesterday. Prosecutors say Rhodes and others uses -- used encrypted communications to coordinate leading up to January 6.
CNN's Drew Griffin has more on these significant new charges and the man accused of leading this far-right group.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Oath Keeper leader and founder Stewart Rhodes has spent nearly a year publicly denying he had anything to do with the violence on January 6.
STEWART RHODES, FOUNDER, OATH KEEPERS: There were no plans by the leadership, us, me and -- me and the team leader whip to enter the Capitol. No instructions by us to do so. And we didn't even know that any of our guys had done it until afterwards.
GRIFFIN: But this indictment tells a different story, accusing Rhodes of seditious conspiracy a complex months-long plan for a massively bloody revolution if Joe Biden took office. Prosecutors allege Oath Keepers prepared for battle at Rhodes direction. Rhodes purchasing thousands of dollars in guns and tactical equipment. Others setting up an armed quick reaction force and communicated as they stormed the Capitol.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are executing Citizens Arrest arrest this assembly. We have probable cause to acts of treason, election fraud.
GRIFFIN: A promoter of The Big Lie, Rhodes constantly and publicly called for Donald Trump to invoke the insurrection act over the November 2020 election or else. RHODES: If he does not do it, we will have to fight a bloody civil war or bloody revolution.
GRIFFIN: That fiery language about revolution isn't new for Rhodes.
[13:30:03]
GRIFFIN: He has been obsessed with fears of a Deep State government for over a dozen years.
Rhodes formed the Oath Keepers in 2009 --
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, Barack Hussein Obama --
GRIFFIN: -- after America elected its first black President.
His loose military-based group swears allegiance, they claim, to the Constitution and nothing else.
STEWART RHODES, FOUNDER, OATH KEEPERS: I will not obey orders to impose Martial Law.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will not obey --
GRIFFIN: Rhodes started out with an Oath Keeper blog, but his messages were soon spread to millions of people by conspiracy theorist and Stop the Steal organizer, Alex Jones.
Rhodes has been a regular on Jones' "Info Wars" show for more than a dozen years.
ALEX JONES, HOST "INFO WARS": Why did you start Oath Keepers?
GRIFFIN: Together, Jones and Rhodes would whip up conspiracy theories and talk about government internment camps and plots to confiscate ammunition.
JONES: The Homeland Security Department is buying and has bought 1.6 billion rounds of ammo.
RHODES: They're buying it because they think they might have to use it pretty soon. And so they believe -- almost every gunner I spoke to is very concerned that this is for all the marbles and we're heading for civil war.
GRIFFIN: Armed Oath Keepers, acting as vigilantes, began showing up at civil disturbances, marches, protests.
All while Rhodes pushed the idea that a real war would need to be fought to preserve the U.S. from so-called elites and leftists.
RHODES: Unless we can deactivate that brainwashing, we're going to eventually have to fight them. But when we do, it'll be a different ballgame because they don't have the military skills we do.
GRIFFIN: Just days before Election Night 2020, Rhodes told "Info Wars" viewers the time he'd been predicting was coming.
RHODES: This is civil war because you have sitting politicians who are part of the enemy's ranks.
But it's good news for us though, as we have 14 million veterans, I believe, at least, a massive pool of combat veterans who are awake and aware.
GRIFFIN: After Trump lost the election, the Oath Keepers acted as security at Stop the Steal rallies. And Rhodes talked about providing protection for Alex Jones and others.
He also broadcasted to Donald Trump his shadowy army was in position.
RHODES: We have men already stationed outside D.C. as a nuclear option. In case they attempt to remove the president illegally, we will step in and stop it. Armed and prepared to go in if the President calls us.
GRIFFIN: And as the plans for January 6th started in motion, according to Rhodes's attorney, the Oath Keepers were asked by January 6th rally organizers to provide security.
JONATHON MOSELY, ATTORNEY FOR STEWART RHODES AND KELLY MEGGS: They were coming to the capitol for a permitted demonstration on Lot Eight that Alex Jones and Ali Alexander were going to have. That went off the rails and didn't happen.
GRIFFIN: Two days before the insurrection, Rhodes posted an alert bulletin on the Oath Keepers' website: "All patriots who can get to D.C. need to be in D.C. Stand now," he wrote, "or kneel forever."
They came armed in battle fatigues. And, according to prosecutors, began executing their plan to stop the lawful transfer of presidential power, including multiple ways to deploy force.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Took over the capitol. Overran the capitol.
GRIFFIN (on camera): The big question now, is this only the beginning?
Are federal prosecutors now taking a much broader view of the insurrection and targeting those who planned and encouraged it, up to and potentially including members of Congress and even a former president?
Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: Drew, thank you.
Right now, more than 65 million people are under winter weather alerts. A dangerous storm marching across the country with the threat of ice, sleet and freezing rain. We will tell you where that storm is headed now when we come back.
And in a new CNN original series, "REFRAMED," discover the life and legacy of the true Marilyn Monroe. It premieres Sunday at 9:00 p.m.
Here is a quick preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Marilyn Monroe knew that she was more than just a pretty face.
(SINGING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She wanted control of her own destiny.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's frustrating that people can't think about her in terms of her intellect.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Marilyn challenges what it means to have agency as a woman.
(SINGING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To see a woman that is so in charge of her sexuality is extremely empowering.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This woman is so comfortable in her skin.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was rolling the dice with her career in very real terms.
(SINGING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Marilyn would have been the biggest influencer of all time, creating her own production company, getting films made.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Marilyn Monroe is a mirror for people's ideas about women's sexuality and women's power.
(SINGING)
MARILYN MONROE, FORMER ACTRESS: It's hard to know where to start if you don't start with the truth.
[13:34:54]
ANNOUNCER: "REFRAMED, MARILYN MONROE," tomorrow at 9:00 on CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEAN: Take a look. These are live pictures as a huge winter storm system makes its way across the central United States. Parts of the southeast now bracing for potentially dangerous conditions.
What will start as rain could then transition into sleet, freezing rain, snow and ice.
CNN's Allison Chinchar joining us from the CNN Weather Center.
Allison, a lot of states will feel the impact of this storm. It's a really big storm.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You're right, Jessica. You're talking dozens of states likely to have some type of impact.
[13:40:02]
Here is a look at the current radar. We're seeing that transition from rain over into snow for states like Missouri and Arkansas. That's going to be the case for a lot of other states as the storm continues to slide to the east.
It's going to be doing it very slowly, which gives it a lot of time to dump a tremendous amount of precipitation.
But all in all, these are all the areas that are likely to have some impact from this system. You have winter storm warnings, winter weather advisories and an ice storm warning across portions the Carolinas and Georgia.
This system will slowly meander across the southeast before taking off back into the mid-Atlantic and northeast Sunday into Monday.
By far, the ice will be the biggest component with this system. Widespread, about quarter-inch of ice accumulation.
But some areas where you see blue and purple, you're talking a half an inch, up to three quarters of an inch. That causes dangerous road conditions.
But we're also talking widespread power outages. You also have a wind component that will be hard on a lot of trees and likely bringing some of those down.
Heavy rain to the south in Florida and Georgia. But the heaviest snowfall in the southeast is going to extend between Nashville and Charlotte.
Especially the southern Appalachians. When you start to get high into those elevations, now you are talking one to two feet of accumulation there.
On Sunday, the low begins to slide up the eastern seaboard. Now we start to see impacts to the mid-Atlantic by the later portion of the day Sunday and eventually into the northeast, Jessica, by the time we get to Monday.
DEAN: All right. A long 48 hours ahead.
Allison Chinchar, thanks so much for the update.
Still to come, Republican Glenn Youngkin was sworn in as governor of Virginia today, the first GOP governor in that state in nearly 12 years. Why his campaign could prove a model for Republicans as we head into the midterms.
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[13:46:10]
DEAN: Today, Republican Glenn Youngkin was sworn in as Virginia's 74th governor. He is a former CEO who has never before held elected office.
His campaign could prove a model for future contests all around the country as we head into the 2022 midterms.
Joining me now to discuss is Larry Sabato, the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
Larry, it's great to see you.
We know that this was just one state's governor's race. And I know a lot of people are like what's the big deal.
But Glenn Youngkin was able to win this a state that President Biden won 10 points not one year before.
Walk people through why this was so significant on a national level.
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Well, Virginia always gets disproportionate attention, Jessica, simply because Virginia and New Jersey are the only contests for political junkies to chew on in the year after the presidential election.
But I think so this one was particularly interesting because Donald Trump is a great advantage for Republican candidates in red states, Republican states.
And he is a significant disadvantage for Republicans in blue states like Virginia. Virginia is purple-ish blue or bluish purple, or whatever you want to call it.
The fact that Youngkin could do this, while having many of the position that is Trump has, is significant.
Part of it is that he has a completely different personality. He's as sunny as Trump is often dark. And those sorts of things matter in terms of motivating the vote and also keeping your opponents at bay.
DEAN: Right.
And, you know, the day after that election it was all the buzz among so many GOP aides who maybe their bosses are up for reelection in this cycle and all they wanted to talk about was how this unfolded, how it happened.
Youngkin obviously appealed to moderates. After that primary, he did distance himself from the former president. What do you think are any lessons, if there are any, that Republicans
running in 2022 in some of these places, states and districts that are more purple, what do you think they can take away from this?
SABATO: Probably do the minimum that you have to do to keep Trump happy or at least not unhappy, which is what the Youngkin people did.
They had a number of intermediaries, including some around Youngkin, who worked with Trump and kept him out of the state. He appeared virtually from time to time but he never made a personal appearance.
And the Youngkin people certainly didn't want Trump in persons during the campaign. That is significant if you are running in a blue area or a purplish competitive area.
If you are running in a red area, Trump probably helps you.
So that is one lesson.
The other lesson is -- and both parties know this. When you nominate somebody who has never run for public office, never served in public office, has no voting record, really has no record at all, they have a tremendous advantage.
They can define themselves in any way they any way they want to. They're a blank slate and they write on that slate whatever appeals to the people in their constituency.
DEAN: Right. And that is so key.
I want to turn to Youngkin's speech today. The governor brining up a key issue in his campaign.
We can take a listen here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GLENN YOUNGKIN (D-VA): We will remove politics from the classroom.
(CHEERING)
YOUNGKIN: And we will focus on essential math, science and reading. And we will teach all of our history, the good and the bad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: So was he talking about education that was an absolute key issue in this race. But we hear him say no politics but all of our history, the good and the bad.
Do you think this represents a shift at all in Critical Race Theory, which has been such a critical issue in this race?
[13:50:04]
SABATO: We'll the words are nice. And I support what he said there.
You know, the problem is that he has already hired the top people in education. And they are strongly opposed to what is called Critical Race Theory, which he wants to get out of the Virgina classrooms.
Which I'm going to predict, Jessica, will happen, because we don't teach it in Virginia. So it would be easy to get it outside the classroom.
Look, we'll see what he does. It's one thing to campaign, it's another thing to govern.
I hope he follows up on that. I hope he doesn't suppress the unfortunate parts of America, and in this case Virginia history because they need to be taught, too. So it's a question of balance.
And it's his inauguration day and it's a day for hope. All inauguration days are.
So we give people the benefit of the doubt until they don't earn it anymore.
DEAN: And we will see what now Governor Youngkin does.
Larry Sabato, thank you so much. We appreciate it.
SABATO: Thank you, Jessica.
DEAN: Still to come today, NFL playoffs begin today. And the GOAT, Tom Brady, is going after an incredible eighth Super Bowl ring. We're going to talk to the filmmaker that's taking an intimate look at the quarterback's notoriously private life.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:56:00]
DEAN: The NFL playoffs start today with wildcard games, including defending champions, the Tampa Bay Bucs, who take on the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday.
And it will be Tampa quarterback and future Hall of Famer Tom Brady shot at an incredible eighth Super Bowl win.
A new documentary series, called "Man in the Arena," takes a look at the notoriously private Brady.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM BRADY, QUARTERBACK, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: When the chance came, we outwilled you. I just had that mindset right from the beginning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They sat me beside Tom Brady's locker. I want to know what he knows.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ain't nothing like having Tom Brady. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We would go after each other with 2 by 4s.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The expectation was to win every game.
BRADY: We can do better than that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Gotham Copra is the director and executive producer of "Man in the Arena, ."
Great to have you with us.
There is a lot of intensity in that preview. He's an intense guy. Tell us what this series revealed to you about Brady.
GOTHAM CHOPRA, DIRECTOR & EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Well, thanks for having me, Jessica.
It's interesting, I was listening to your introduction, and it is a very intimate look at a guy who has been very private the last 20 years or so. But it's an intimate look in his head.
And Tom is many things. He plays with joy. He loves the game. But there's an intensity.
That clip you showed he talks about being an edger and he and his teammates really pushed each other. They built a culture of just pushing each other to the edge, and occasionally over the edge.
And I think he still has that. I think the culture in Tampa is very different than New England.
But he always says, as long as he still can perform at a high level and he loves it, he's going to keep on doing it.
Here we are. Maybe another episode, who knows.
DEAN: Right, there could be more.
He's 44 years old. There were a lot of skeptics who said years ago that he couldn't play past 40. We don't see that a lot, much less be as successful as he's been.
Here's what he said about going into unprecedented territory.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRADY: All right, I'll go prove them wrong again. They didn't learn their lesson last year, obviously, or they didn't learn their lesson the year before that or the year before that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: And so you just -- as you say, we get a peek into his head.
What is it, in your opinion, that makes him so great? Is it the determination, the drive, the way he psychologically deals with this?
We know physically he's tried -- he's done a lot to stay in the shape that he's in.
But what about in his head is pushing him forward at this age?
CHOPRA: Look, that's a great distillation. People have heard about the hydration and sleep and all the things he does physically at 44, which is a lot to still perform at a high level.
Tom talks about both his mental game and emotional game. And I think he puts as much attention and focus on those aspects.
One thing that's a recurring -- as the clip began, you showed, that idea of age. Age is a thing now. Tom has always been -- and a lot of great athletes I've worked with do this. They find a psychological edge.
For him, for a long time, he was the sixth-round pick. I think he still in his mind is the sixth-round pick, the 199th selection in the draft 20-plus years ago.
I think it's always finding that edge, that thing to sort of defy, you know, the prognosticators. And he's really good at that, like finding that thing.
Because I think objectively most people feel like he's sort of cemented his legacy. But he has an ability to keep on finding that next thing.
And then I think the other thing is he plays for his teammates at this point. And I think if you really got him in an honest moment, he would admit his legacy is intact.
[13:59:51]
But he derives a lot of joy from a whole new generation of players that are his teammates for whom this is all new. And he loves being a part of that sort of culture.
DEAN: It is so fascinating. I could talk to you about it all day. I think sports psychology and getting in these athletes' brains is so interesting.
But we have to leave it there.
. Aired 12:30-1p ET>
[12:30:00]
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You are absolutely right. And even the President of Serbia has made no secret about his support for Novak Djokovic. And he said that he's proud to have advocated on his behalf with the Australian authorities. But he has been relatively restrained in his criticism for the Australian Government. That is until now.
Yesterday, he put out a video statement and in it he explains that he felt compelled to speak out because the attacks on Djokovic have reached a kind of fever pitch. And he really left nothing unsaid. He frames this as a moral question for Australia, if they didn't want him to come in the country because he's unvaccinated, why did they give him a visa in the first place? The President's issue is not with the Australian judicial system. His issue is with the political intervention, listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. ALEKSANDAR VUCIC, SERBIA (through translator): I am amazed at the fact that such decisions can be made by the executive and after the valid decisions of the judiciary. They often preach to us about what the rule of law is. Why do you mistreat him and make fun of him? Not only him, but also his family, and an entire nation that is free and proud? Do you need it to win some elections? Do you need it to please your public?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: And yesterday the prime minister's office told us that it believes that Australian Border Force has been in touch with the Serbian Public Health Institute to try to get some clarification on some outstanding questions about Djokovic's positive PCR test. One of those questions is the fact that the I.D. number on that test they're chronologically, it appears that I.D. number appears to match up better with tests that were actually done 10 days later on December 26th, rather than December 16th.
The government says well, it's simply because it was done in a different lab. But there were also questions about the QR code because earlier this week, for a brief period, it was actually showing when you scan that code, that the result was negative rather than positive. They say that one was because of an overwhelmed server. But even if you take those at face value, there is still questions for Djokovic himself. And that's because he claims that he didn't receive notification of that positive result until the day after the test was taken after he attended an event maskless with children.
Well, the Serbian government says that there are simply no way that he didn't receive the notification. The system is automated. He would have received an email mere minutes after the result was generated. We actually earlier this week, tested the system we had a producer take a PCR test. And literally two minutes after the timestamp said that the result was generated, she got an e-mail saying that she was negative.
In Djokovic case, obviously, it was positive. The only outstanding question here is whether he actually checked his text messages or checked his e-mails. Of course, only Novak Djokovic knows the answer to that, Jessica.
JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: That's right. Scott McLean in Belgrade for us, thanks so much for that update. We appreciate it.
After the break, the complicated relationship between West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and the coal industry and the role it could play in the fight against climate change.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:37:44]
DEAN: We are falling breaking news right now, a tsunami advisory is in effect for the entire U.S. West Coast and Alaska and we're seeing the first waves arriving on the mainland of the U.S. This is video of waves arriving moments ago in Santa Cruz, California, more in potentially larger waves are expected and we've also just learned in Southern California, Orange County is now close to all of its beaches, harbors, and piers as a precaution. We'll continue to keep our eye on that situation.
In the meantime, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who has been at the center of much of the delays in President Biden's economic and social agenda said he could get behind the climate change and clean energy portions of Build Back Better. But despite his support, Senate Democrats don't appear to be interested in creating right now a standalone bill. CNN's Rene Marsh traveled to Manchin's home state in October to see how West Virginia is grappling with the effects of the climate crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our house is about ready to fall and there's a set of babies and one, two, three, four, five adults. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're in a car, and the car's flooding full of water.
RENE MARSH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Floodwaters submerged people, cars and homes in what was dubbed the 1,000-year flood. The town of Clendenin, West Virginia almost wiped off the map in 2016. And this past summer, parts of the state saw more flooding. From raging deadly floods to widespread drought, West Virginians over the past few years have faced weather whiplash, and scientists predict it will get worse.
JIMMY RADER, ELKVIEW RESIDENT: It was rising about a foot an hour.
MARSH (voice-over): Jimmy Rader, a retired Iraq war veteran survived the deadly 2016 West Virginia flooding, but his home did not. Five years later, he's still rebuilding. In the meantime, he, his wife and three dogs called this camper home.
RADER: It's really tough with my PTSD being in such tight quarters.
MARSH (voice-over): Look around the small West Virginia town of Clendenin and it's still without a grocery store, bank, and elementary school. Yet Senator Joe Manchin is blocking the most aggressive climate change legislation in U.S. history.
[12:40:00]
This neighborhood lost safe access to their homes after the 2016 flood weakened the foundation of this bridge and rested it out.
MARSH (on camera): If someone dials 911, could not come across this bridge.
TRIP SHOWEN, WEST VIRGINIA VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS ACTIVE IN DISASTER: Yes, they'd be afraid that they wouldn't make it, that the bridge might collapse.
MARSH (voice-over): This bridge is Connie Richards lifeline to everyday life, including medical care.
CONNIE RICHARD, CLENDENIN RESIDENT: You just keep moving along and praying you get to the other side.
MARSH (voice-over): But even in the face of severe weather and its costly destruction, neither Rader nor Richard blame climate change.
RADER: I'm not buying into the whole climate change thing.
MARSH (on camera): So, if somebody said in order to make sure a flood like this never hit your community again, we need to get rid of coal. What would you say?
RICHARD: Let it flood again.
MARSH (voice-over): In the second largest coal producing state in the nation, climate change is a complicated issue. Senator Joe Manchin, one of the key lawmakers blocking the most aggressive parts of climate legislation that would drastically curb greenhouse emissions linked to climate change is currently ranked the top congressional recipient of campaign donations from the coal mining and fossil fuel industry. Manchin's personal investment in Enersystems, a coal brokerage company he founded and later put in a blind trust, is valued between $1 and $5 million.
(on camera): Will you be OK knowing that West Virginia could continue to get hit by severe flooding because we, as a country, failed to curb greenhouse gases?
CHRIS HAMILTON, PRESIDENT, WEST VIRGINIA COAL ASSOCIATION: I think the premise is filled with malarkey. I really do. Now, again, you know, we're sensitive to the fact that if we're contributing towards climate change, but you can't blame every undesirable weather event on West Virginia coal.
MARSH: But it truly --
HAMILTON: We don't have serious droughts here. We don't have serious fires here.
MARSH: You do.
HAMILTON: We have a little bit of flooding --
MARSH: Your governor ordered a state of emergency because there were multiple counties going through droughts, and almost every county in West Virginia has seen massive flooding.
HAMILTON: None. But it's very, very difficult to blame that on coal. Because, again, we've cleaned up every airborne constituent.
MARSH (voice-over): Senator Manchin echoed this Monday.
SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): They want to make sure we have reliable power. We have basically cleaned up the environment more than any other time in the history of this world.
MARSH (voice-over): West Virginia University Professor Nicolas Zegre has studied the state and climate change for 11 years. He says, breaking through the complexity of the issue feels impossible.
NICOLAS ZEGRE, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY: Climate change is so complicated here in West Virginia because West Virginians perceive it as a direct attack on their livelihoods. But it's also interesting too, that inaction of our business leaders and inaction of our decision makers is also a direct attack on livelihoods.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARSH: Well, there are cheaper energy sources and coal has become quite expensive. This means extremely high electric bills for people in West Virginia. Now the woman in the piece who said let it flood, well, that is an example of the commitment to coal in the face of climate change. She says because historically coal has been a reliable job source. But the reality is, the industry itself has been shedding jobs due to automation. It's a dying industry. And we reached out to Senator Manchin's office but received no comment.
Rene marsh, CNN, Washington.
DEAN: Rene, thank you.
And let's talk more about this with Jeff Goodell. He's a contributing editor for Rolling Stone. He's also the author of "The Water Will Come." Jeff, great to have you. In your lengthy piece this week titled "Manchin's Coal Corruption Is So Much Worse Than You Knew," you write, quote, the truth is Manchin is best understood as a grifter from the ancestral home of King Coal. He is a man with coal dust in his veins who has used his political skills to enrich himself, not the people of his state.
So given what you're writing there, and what you say, Senator Manchin's motives are, do you think any of this climate change legislation stands a chance of getting to the President's desk, there's been talk from some Democrats about trying to break it off since they can't get Build Back Better in its current form through. Do you think that there's any chance that that that he comes around any part of it?
JEFF GOODELL, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, ROLLING STONE: Well, I don't know. I mean, I would certainly hope so if they can break it loose. And Manchin has indicated that, you know, he would get behind some of the climate aspects of it. But, you know, I take that with a grain of salt. I mean, you know, this is a man whose entire political history, political power and personal wealth is based on coal.
And there's no question that taking action on climate means, you know, getting rid of coal, it is the most carbon intensive fossil fuel to be serious about climate change. We have to be serious about shutting down coal plants. And the thing is, is that right now Manchin has a great opportunity to kind of reimagine the West Virginia economy and if and, you know, there's $300 million in the Build Back Better legislation now to help coal communities transition and, you know, he's not taking advantage of that.
[12:45:09]
DEAN: And when it comes to West Virginia politics, I mean Manchin is all over it. He's served as governor. He has been Senator since 2010. And as of late his opposition to President Biden's Build Back Better bill brought it to a screeching halt in the Senate. We saw that. Here he is on December 19th. Let's listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): And I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can't. I've tried everything humanly possible. I can't get there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're done. This is a no.
MANCHIN: This is a no on this legislation. I have tried everything I know to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: And that was such a key moment in those negotiations that have gone on for months and months. We know that the bill included $555 billion for climate and clean energy provisions. It was actually the biggest part of the bill. What do you believe is behind Senator Manchin's, no decision, obviously he was saying no to the whole bill. And when we've talked to him on Capitol Hill, he said a lot of this he doesn't believe should go through the process they were trying to use. But in terms of the climate part of it, where do you think he's getting hung up?
GOODELL: Well, you know, I can't speak to his sort of personal psychological motivations. But, you know, the man makes a half a million dollars a year, brokering waste coal for one power plant in West Virginia. His entire political power is based upon the coal industry. He's -- he works with very closely with sort of coal barons that are left in the state.
But look, the big point is that coal is gone anyway. It's a goner. And the industry is dying. It will die. It's going to die. And Manchin has this amazing opportunity right now to speed the transition to a new economy to the new jobs, you know, there should be electric vehicle manufacturing and all kinds of, you know, West Virginia has workers there have amazing skills in all kinds of sort of industrial aspects.
And Manchin has an opportunity to do something about that right now. One of the political observers in West Virginia that I talked to said that, if this were Senator Byrd, whose seat mentioned took, who was a well-known West Virginia Senator for many decades, that he would be taking advantage of this in the streets of West Virginia would be paved in gold. And instead you have Senator Manchin walking away from this.
DEAN: And on a on a recent trip to West Virginia, you visited a closed down mind that you first went to some 20 years ago. And I want to read an excerpt again from your piece, you said quote, there are 6 million acres of abandoned mine sites in the U.S., solar panels have popped up on a few, and not far from where I stood, a 35-acre lavender farm employs a handful of former coal miners. Hopeful as these projects may be, they are just lipstick on the coal country cadaver that Manchin pretense is still alive. Like the dissembled mountain itself. Manchin is a scar from a time when blasting the earth to mine coal to burn for energy that cooked the climate was a profitable thing to do.
So, you know, I'm listening to this and I'm hearing what you're writing. We also just listened to Rene Marsh's story where that woman was given the option, you know, more climate change and the effects of climate change are continuing to burn coal. And she said, let it flood again. Is this a sense -- is this more of Senator Manchin just the voters aren't there yet? They're not understanding what you're laying out and they -- and he's just doing what his voters want? Is that where the tension is, do you think?
GOODELL: Well look for, you know, 100 years or more in West Virginia, it has been politicians and power brokers in this state have said, prosperity equals coal and the coal industry has done a very good job for the last 100 years keeping out all kinds of other industry. So it's not surprising that a lot of people in West Virginia still think that if you the only path to prosperity is through coal, but that is over. And it's not just because of climate change.
The reason, one of the things that's happening with Virginia right now, I talked to people who were paying 500, $1,000 a month for electricity on their electricity bills, because coal power has become so expensive, and the political apparatus in West Virginia has kept out cleaner, cheaper forms of electricity. So in a way, this is a kamikaze mission for the economy of West Virginia to continue with this dependence on coal.
DEAN: All right, Jeff Goodell, we have to leave it there. Thanks so much for your insight. We appreciate it.
GOODELL: Thanks for having me.
[12:49:46]
DEAN: Yes. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEAN: And you're looking at live pictures as a massive storm system dump several inches of snow and ice across the central United States. This system is now making its way toward the southeast. And CNN's Allison Chinchar is back now with the latest track. Allison, these can be really dangerous conditions especially with that ice.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And even freezing rains. You've got a lot of different aspects to the storm and it's a pretty wide- reaching storm as well, a lot of states likely to be impacted. Here's a look at the current radar. You can see we've got that transition into snow about to take place in Little Rock, still rain at the moment but you can see the snow slowly starting to transition there. And that's going to be the case for a lot of other cities here, Nashville, Atlanta, eventually into Charlotte as well as we go through the next 24 hours.
But look at how many areas you have under winter weather advisories, winter storm warnings, and even an ice storm warning across portions of the Carolinas and even Georgia too. The storm system itself, the low pressure is going to slide south as it deepens a little bit slowly and I mean ever so slowly creeping across the southeast before then finally taking off and heading back up towards the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast as we go Sunday into Monday.
[12:55:23]
Ice is going to be hands down the biggest concern we have with this particular storm, widespread about quarter of an inch but some places could even be as high as three quarters of an inch and obviously that causes dangerous conditions on the roadways. But you're also talking widespread power outages for a lot of these locations. DEAN: Right. No question about that. Hope everyone stay safe. Allison Chinchar, thanks for the update. We appreciate it.
The world knows Marilyn Monroe as the movie star, the blonde bombshell, the cultural icon, but now it's time to look at Maryland through a new more modern feminist lens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARILYN MONROE, AMERICAN ACTRESS: I went to 20th Century Fox where it's Ben Lion was head of casting. And they say, who is this girl?
BEN LYON, HEAD OF CASTING 20TH CENTURY FOX: And walked the most gorgeous young girl, 20 years old. And I said, what's your ambition? She said to be a film star.
MONROE: And then they made a technicolor test, which was unusual. OK, I think they had high hopes for me.
CINDY DE LA HOZ-SIPALA: She was to come in, walk across the room, sit down and light a cigarette and smile. As soon as that camera started rolling something magical happened.
CHRISTINA NEWLAND, AUTHOR AND FILM CRITIC: She has this kind of fresh faced beauty that is kind of luminous prettiness on the screen.
ELLEN BURSTYN, CO-PRESIDENT, ACTORS STUDIO: She could manifest the kind of magic she came into the world with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: You can watch the new CNN Original Series Reframed: Marilyn Monroe tomorrow at 9:00 p.m.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
