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11 Million+ People Under Blizzard Warnings Across 10 States; New York City Could Get Up To A Foot Of Snow With 40 MPG Gusts; New Jersey Under State Of Emergency As State Hit With Blizzard Conditions; 11 Million Plus People Under Blizzard Warnings Across 10 States; Houston Man Charged After Injuring 3 Officers In Shootout; Biden Vows To Choose First Black Woman To Fill Court Vacancy. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired January 29, 2022 - 12:00   ET

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

[11:59:56]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Right now, a powerful and potentially historic winter storm is slamming the East Coast from Virginia to Maine. 10 states are under a blizzard warning. Some areas could see more than two feet of snow.

Hurricane force wind gusts are possible, creating coast -- coastal flooding and power outages. Rhode Island and Massachusetts were seeing the worst of it. Massachusetts already reporting more than 110,000 customers without power.

CNN has teams covering this nor'easter are Tyler Mauldin is keeping an eye on the latest forecast from the CNN Weather Center.

Tyler, you first. What are the latest storm advisories?

TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): Yes, so this winter storm has rapidly intensified a.k.a. it is officially a bomb cyclone, as it pushes up the eastern seaboard spreading all this snowfall.

It has dropped a lot of snowfall too, more than a foot across the Delmarva and going on into the Northeast. So, you can see parts of New Jersey encroaching on a foot and a half of snow.

In addition, we have that northeast wind. Nantucket, a 3-foot storm surge here. Boston, 2 and 1/2 foot. Atlantic City a little more than two feet of storm surge there. So, that's leading to some coastal flooding. The snow continues too, and we also have this wind.

The wind is fierce in areas. You got a -- in Montauk, you got 31-mile per hour wind with gust up to 48. Nantucket 45 with gust up to 62. And in Nantucket, we have seen wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour, and that is possible in this region.

Let's take a tour of the radar here. We'll zoom into -- let's go from Atlantic City in area south. The snow continues. But you can see that there is a drying trend from west to east. So, eventually, Brian Todd, we will see the snow lead up here in the coming hours. Providence going on into Hartford, you're seeing a heavy, heavy band of snowfall push through right now.

And then we're seeing another band of heavy snow push through Boston. And that is going to push to the north and eventually it will be impacting us in New Hampshire and Maine as we go through the day.

You take the coastal flooding, you take some wind, you take all that snowfall, and that is a recipe for disaster when it comes to travel, and also, power outages we're seeing right now.

And mainly, there across eastern Massachusetts, more than 100,000 people, customers currently without power.

WHITFIELD: Oh, it's tremendous. A huge impact already. And like you said, it's not over yet.

All right. Thank you so much, Tyler.

Polo Sandoval live for us in Boston. Oh my goodness, it's pretty treacherous looking. How are you doing? And how's everybody else doing?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I promise you, Fred, that's me under here.

WHITFIELD: Now, I see.

SANDOVAL: And I'm actually pretty warm. And you know, it really is like being in a snow globe, because one second, the snow is gently falling. And then the next second with those bands. It's all of a sudden getting whipped up against your face.

So, it really does speak to those winds that kick up from one second to another. We're feeling it this very second and then a little bit it's going to come down again.

Now, in terms of what we're seeing on the roads, if you can see through the blizzard here, you can actually see just a few -- that's one car there. There are very few folks have actually been braving this weather conditions. Those are those folks that either want to or have to be out in these conditions.

But authorities here in Massachusetts, including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, trying to get ahead of this, and declaring a snow emergency. Encouraging people to stay indoors.

Also, there are some travel restrictions on the highway with the bigger higher profile vehicles. They want to make sure that those are kept off the road the rest of today. And those plough trucks, about 900 pieces of equipment here in Boston alone have been working just constantly to keep these roads as clear as possible.

But here is the thing, snowdrifts, that's the biggest issue. Not only is it presenting a challenge for crews that are trying to clear these roads and the highways, but also for those experts out there that are trying to measure the snow, because it's nearly impossible to do so when the wind, as you can see here, kind of coming in horizontally.

But look, in terms of what we expect to happen in the coming hours, we're not even had at halftime yet in terms of what we're seeing here in Boston. Meteorologist expecting possibly up to a couple of feet of snow. But, of course, that forecast would potentially be revised as we get on to the days. But for now again, a lot of folks hunkering down here in Boston since the worst is potentially not over yet.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, and so, Polo, yes, we saw a vehicle that was riding behind you but where are you standing exactly? Are you are on what would be a sidewalk? Or are you in the middle of the road?

SANDOVAL: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Or in a park because, you know, everything is snow-covered?

SANDOVAL: Yes. So, basically be standing -- if this snow wasn't here, you'd see -- you'd see some grass.

We're in a park that's right next to a hotel. This is a sidewalk and some tow truck some trucks I've actually been driving through here hoping to make sure that they're clear as possible.

And then, of course, as you see another example here. There's some vehicles that are out and about, that's one of the main streets that cut through the downtown Boston area. So, just kind of gives you a sense and there are plenty of people not only on the roads but also on the sidewalks as well. And also plenty of dogs. We've seen winter storm after winter storm.

Look, here in Boston, they are a hardy bunch.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SANDOVAL: These kinds of storms are not unusual, but the level of snow that they're getting today may be something that they don't see every year.

WHITFIELD: All right, hardy folks out and about and the four-legged friends of ours too.

SANDOVAL: Yes.

[12:05:01]

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Polo. Check back with you.

All right, Brynn Gingras in New York City where constantly foot traffic whether you got snow or nothing. And you still have a lot of people behind you.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes, there's a lot of people behind me, Fred, enjoying the snow. They got -- I'm thanking my bosses right now, I'm not where Polo is because it's really not so bad. It's tapering off here in New York City. And you can see we're at Central Park, and people are enjoying this snowfall.

We've seen people coming out to go sledding, we've seen tourists who say this is their first snowfall that they have seen in their lives. We've seen people taking photos, running, jogging, and of course, as Polo seeing as well, we're seeing those dogs out.

If you look at the roads in this area of the middle of Manhattan, they don't look so bad. We've actually seen a number of plows coming through this area to make sure they can see that blacktop, allowing any cars that are out able to pass through safely.

Again, though, as Polo mentioned, as well, officials are saying, please just stay off the roads today as best as you can, especially since it's a Saturday so that they can continue to plow these streets.

Of course, this is one of the first tests for the Adams administration, the new mayor of New York City. This is his big -- first big snowstorm, of course, it's happening on a Saturday, not during the week, so, not so much of a test. But he is out and about, we've seen on his Instagram and Twitter, hitting every single borough in the city to make sure the job is being done. Which, of course, a lot of New Yorkers are appreciating right now.

But again, we are not so bad here in the city proper, But, of course, as you're seeing with Polo, it's a lot worse in Long Island, heading out towards the coast in New Jersey and in up north where Paulo is as well.

So, we are definitely being spared the worst, and people here enjoying it so far.

WHITFIELD: OK, that's good. Enjoying it and what seems to be a pretty significant accumulation and it's still not over.

GINGRAS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much, Brynn.

All right. Brian Todd. Oh, I don't know if you're enjoying it. You are really in the throes of some serious snow flurries and snowfall there in Atlantic City, New Jersey. So, how is it going?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, Fredricka, the National Weather Service has just confirmed that Atlantic City has met the criteria for Blizzard and that means three or more hours of visibility. That's less than a quarter of a mile or a quarter of a mile or less and three or more hours of sustained winds of at least 35 miles an hour.

Those criteria, according to the National Weather Service have been met now in the Atlantic City area. Governor Phil Murphy a short time ago gave an update on the storm at least in this region. He said that Jersey shore is getting clobbered and we can attest to that.

He also said that the wind is right now a bigger issue than anything else. We can attest to that. You can see that on the screen because you can see where this wind is blowing the snow. It is completely horizontal. We've been saying all day, and even last night, this is like being in a hurricane, except snow is replacing heavy rain.

Now, talking about the dangers that Atlantic City has faced. This bay right behind me. We are on the west side of the barrier island that Atlantic City is situated on.

This bay right here presented a danger earlier today with high tide and possible storm surge and flooding. There was some flooding in the spot where I am now, and we're going to pan over to show you where that occurred. That is Route 40. We're at the corner of West End Avenue and North Albany Avenue.

North Albany Avenue turns into Route 40. This whole area where you see that snowplow going over there. And this snowplow coming in over here. This was shut down earlier today.

It has since reopened. It was shut down because if you see right where that truck is turning in, coming toward us. This whole intersection this whole area was flooded. And so, that was because of high tide at 4:30 a.m. It was flooded for a few hours after that. They had to shut down this road. This is a main artery into Atlantic City.

The good news is, this has since reopened. So, you see -- you see the plows at work even though we're in the throes of the blizzard and the snow is not going to end for a couple more hours. They are still working to get these streets plowed.

What they're worried about now, Fredricka is there is still some residual floodwater in that intersection. We just crossed over it. And what the mayor of Atlantic City Marty Small told us is what he is worried about, some of that floodwater from high tide earlier in the coming hours is going to freeze. It's going to present a lot of treacherous conditions, a lot of just a lot of dangerous for motorists. We're seeing an inordinate amount of people still on the roads and vehicles.

The governor and the mayor are saying, folks, just stop that. Get -- just -- get back home, stay home, ride this out for a few more hours. They are seeing the downside. You know, this is starting to taper off a little bit, but the snow is going to continue for at least a couple of more hours, Fredricka. So, still a lot of danger. A lot of potential problems for people who try to venture out in this stuff.

WHITFIELD: Right, and venturing out only puts those first responders and, you know, those crews in even more danger. All right, I am feeling the chill from where you are. Brian Todd, thank you so much there in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

All right, let's head back to New York. This time, Long Island. And I'm feeling the chill there too.

[12:10:02]

WHITFIELD: Alison Kosik, Long Island is expecting upwards of what? Two feet of snowfall? Does it look like that's going to happen?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes, that's what we're hearing what's expected to happen for the East End of Suffolk County. Up to two feet of snow on the West End. About 18 inches expected.

Yes, I'm feeling the chill here as well. We've still got the snow falling. We are in the middle of a blizzard warning that is effective until 7:00 p.m. tonight. And as much as this is a snow story where we are seeing these accumulations happen that we just talked about. This is also really turning into a story about the gusty winds.

You can see them blowing around me, the flagpole there gives you an idea, and so does the Long Island Sound. I want you to take a look at the water here, really being whipped around by these strong winds that we are feeling.

Certainly, not deterring people from walking out. Walking outside and giving the dog a walk, getting some fresh air. There is plenty of that fresh air. But once again, the accumulations are expected to be more than initially thought.

In fact, the county executive for Suffolk County says this is going to be one of those big storms. Listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE BELLONE, COUNTY EXECUTIVE, SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK: Not only significant storm, it's one of the more significant storms that we have seen in my time here and we have seen many, many significant storms.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Yes. And I want to show you the roads over here. We're in Northport, which is the central part of Suffolk County. And that the plows have been out, I want to take a look down the street here.

I mean, this is a pretty view. Yes, we've got the wind's blowing, but some people are venturing out to take a look. The snow is a bit treacherous here. But the snowplows are certainly making it, you know, fun for people to come out and take a look at what's happening.

I don't know about the snow -- making a snowman. I'm hearing, Fredricka that you can't make a snowman with the snow because it's too powdery.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it's too powdery.

KOSIK: I'm from Miami. I thought that you could still make a snowman with this, but I guess you can't, is it?

WHITFIELD: No, you -- maybe tomorrow.

KOSIK: That kind of blows away.

WHITFIELD: Maybe tomorrow, when you've got a little bit of melting and then it freezes again, and then it's like perfect for packing. I know you've been in New York long enough to know by now.

(CROSSTALK)

KOSIK: That's the tip.

WHITFIELD: By now, a really good you know, snowball fight.

Alright, thanks so much, Alison Kosik.

KOSIK: Thanks for the tip.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I'm here for you. I got tips.

All right, we've got so much more straight ahead. But let's look at Massachusetts right now. It's being hit really hard. Especially hard from this nor'easter. Officials in coastal towns that are getting lashed by storm surge, they thankfully -- their sea walls are holding up so far.

Joining me right now, Michael Maresco. He is the town administrator for Marshfield, Massachusetts. Michael, so glad you could be with us. Describe what you are seeing and feeling from your location.

MICHAEL MARESCO, TOWN ADMINISTRATOR, MARSHFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS (via telephone): Sure, right now Fredricka, what we're feeling is a combination of snow, wind, and water. We're expecting about two feet of snow. We had a high tide this morning at about 8:00.

And Brant Rock section which is prone to flooding, it's below sea level. And they had about four-feet of water that came over the sea walls. So, not only are we dealing with the snow, we're dealing with the water.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.

MARESCO: We're dealing with the frigid temperatures. Winds are about 55 to 65 miles per hour. We're preparing to open up a warming shelter. At noontime, our warming shelter is open for those people that need to be evacuated. We have about 20 percent of the community, about 2,500 people without electricity at the moment.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. Thank goodness you have those shelters at the ready. These are really unbearable miserable conditions for people, especially with power outages.

So, what kind of preparations if at all are you able to make to brace for this storm surge? I mean -- and this two-feet of snow particularly for, you know, folks who are hunkered down at home whether they have power or not?

MARESCO: We started planning about three days ago for this. We started putting out alerts to folks, people, especially by the ocean, would up the houses, put the storm shutters up, make preparations to get out of your homes, go to some friends or other family, because we don't want to have to rescue people at the height of the storm. It puts my public safety officials and team in harm's way.

Right now, if you're out there driving before I did this call, you could barely see snows coming down sideways. We're getting probably two to three inches per hour.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

MARESCO: And, you know, we're asking people to stay home stay off the roads so that our DPW can plough and make the roads accessible.

Have you received any emergency calls from anyone thus far?

MARESCO: We've gotten -- we've gotten some calls. You know, we've had a couple of elderly people that are in their home, they lost their power and that they need electricity to generate oxygen.

So, the fire department went out there and help them and got them situated somewhere where they could get that. And we do have like, I said, yes, we get about 2,500 people without power, we've asked them to go to friends and relatives.

[12:15:05]

MARESCO: And the ones that don't have any place to go, they're being directed to a senior center where, you know, it's heated, and we have staff there. And, of course, we'll be doing COVID testing and, you know, getting people in there, and keeping them warm. They could charge their cell phones and let the family members know that they are safe.

WHITFIELD: And, you know, obviously you're no stranger to nor'easters. You know where you're located. But how does this compare to what you've experienced before?

MARESCO: I would have to say that this would compare to its worse than the storms we had in '18. Right now, at least the amount of snow not the amount of water we have more water in '18, and probably like the blizzard. Although the blizzard, it was warmer.

This is a more powdery snow. It did start off as a heavy wet pasty snow, it's now powdery, you know, temperatures down in the teens. Were concerned about the roads, freezing and stuff like that. So, that's why we want people to stay at home. It's a good time to hunker down. You know if they need emergency assistance, you know, we ask them to call a local -- a local police department on 911

WHITFIELD: All right. Michael Maresco, town administrator for Marshfield, Massachusetts. Stay warm all the best there to you and everyone, all your neighbors. MARESCO: Great. Thank you, Fredricka. Bye-bye.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

All right, still ahead. Attentions intensified between Russia and Ukraine. President Biden says he will move U.S. troops into Eastern Europe. We will talk to a former CIA chief of Russia operations next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:20:36]

WHITFIELD (voice-over): All right, welcome back. Take a look at these pictures out of Scituate, Massachusetts as we continue to follow breaking news of this bomb cyclone nor'easter hitting the East Coast.

And you can see the waves that are hammering the shoreline there it's happening, you know, all up and down the East Coast in the Northeast in New England. In fact, 10 states are under blizzard warnings. More than 50 million people are under winter weather alerts as dangerous snow and at times hurricane-force wind gusts batter the country from Virginia to Maine. We'll have more on the storm as it develops.

WHITFIELD (on camera): But first, President Biden says he is ready to send us troops to Eastern Europe in the near term, marking a new phase in the U.S. response to Russia's military buildups on Ukraine's border.

As many as 8,500 US troops had been placed on heightened alert earlier this week to prepare to deploy to NATO allies in the region.

And it comes as a top U.S. general is warning a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be horrific and result in significant casualties.

Joining us now is Steve Hall. He is a former CIA chief of Russia operations. Good to see you, Steve.

So, let's begin, you know, with these new troops that will be heading to Eastern Europe. Does it change the equation for Vladimir Putin at all?

STEVE HALL, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST (on camera): I don't really think it changes the equation. These are relatively small number of troops compared to the number of troops that NATO as a unit has, or as an organization has.

So, this is more just sort of, I think pre-positioning in case the worst, meaning an invasion by Russia of Ukraine were to occur. So, it's, you know, it's just more preparations, it's more lead up. It's sort of in the same category, I think, is the United States sending -- another NATO Allies sending additional weaponry to Ukraine, again, in the event of, of the invasion, which at this point, we're just not sure what Vladimir Putin is thinking.

And so, I think -- I think to paraphrase, probably George Washington, it's best to be prepared for war if you want to try to prevent it. WHITFIELD: President Biden and Ukraine's President Zelensky seemed to be at odds, you know, about how urgent this situation is, or perhaps, you know, what to say, publicly.

I mean, a president Zelensky of Ukraine said, you know, listen to me, you know, don't listen to everybody else about what the threat is, or even talk about war. What is he saying, perhaps, directly or indirectly to President Biden?

HALL: Well, I think it's clear that the United States and our NATO allies almost certainly have the best intelligence with regard to what Russia is up to, specifically, in military planning, vis-a-vis Ukraine.

That said, the Ukrainians, of course, are collecting their own intelligence. And I don't envy President Zelensky in his position, because he's got to worry not just about a potential invasion of his country. But he's got to worry about the collapse of his country for other reasons as well, political pressures, internal to Ukraine, they have very Byzantine sort of political situation.

I think there's a lot of people in Ukraine who would like Zelensky's job and he's aware of that. There's economic pressures, anytime another country is threatening war against yours. It kind of puts a damper on the local economy. And then you've got, you know, the panic of the populace.

He doesn't want people just fleeing the country and having it look like, you know, the country is essentially falling apart before there is even an invasion if one is going to happen.

So, he's got a lot on his mind. His views, I think, and concerns are very local. I think NATO was taking sort of a 30,000 strategic foot view of the situation and President Zelensky is you know, right up there against the bear and his view might be a little bit different than the NATO allies.

WHITFIELD: And then have a listen to this. You know what U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said about Vladimir Putin's strategy with Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. LLOYD AUSTIN (RET), UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: And there are multiple options available to him, including the seizure of cities and significant territories, but also coercive acts or provocative political acts like the recognition of breakaway territories.

Indeed, we're seeing Russian state media spouting off now about alleged activities in eastern Ukraine. This is straight out of the Russian playbook and they're not fooling us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:25:05]

WHITFIELD: You agree? I mean, this is straight out of Russia's playbook of, you know, undermining a country from within?

HALL: Yes, absolutely. I think one of the things that Vladimir Putin has learned, certainly since the Georgian War of 2008, is that there's a lot more than just hard power, just sending in tanks and troops and boots on the ground, into a -- into a neighboring country.

You know, what he's learned is you have to really prepare the battlefield, which he did it in -- he's done it before in Georgian -- he did it in his previous invasions of Ukraine, where he use a lot of cyber warfare tactics.

You also do things which the Russians consider to be active measures. So, you say things like he did -- well, we're -- you know, we're seeing bad things in Donbas in the eastern area of Ukraine, where there's lots of Russians.

So, maybe we got to go in, and, you know, stop a genocide against our fellow Russians that live in the eastern part of the country. So, there is a lot of speculation, valid speculation. If he's not going to do a full-on invasion of the country, might he instead try to lop off another part of it recall, of course, that he already lopped off Crimea, but maybe he wants to try to do the same with Donbas. So, not committing himself fully, militarily, but still causing a lot of trouble on the ground in Ukraine, and of course, with Ukraine's partners.

WHITFIELD: All right, Steve Hall, thanks so much. Good to see you.

HALL: Sure.

WHITFIELD: Oh, I forgot to ask you. How does it look outside? You're joining us from Connecticut, right?

HALL: I am. And it looks like Siberia. I've been to Siberia, so, it's kind of scary. But yes, it's very white in (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. All right. Well, be safe. I'm glad that you're inside. Hopefully, you have no reason to go out.

HALL: Me too. No, I do not.

WHITFIELD: All right, stay warm. Stay safe. Thank you so much, Steve Hall. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:31:10]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right, welcome back. This bomb cyclone nor'easter is hammering the northeast and New England. In Connecticut, the big concern is going to be wind. Take a look right now of some images of a very snowy Boston. With me right now is Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont. Governor, thanks so much for being with me. I know you all have been at the ready since at least yesterday with 600 snow plows. You got 100,000 tons of salt. And you've got 600 crews at the ready. I don't know if you heard our previous guest, Steve Hall. He's there in Connecticut. And he says, if he looks out the window, it looks like Siberia and he's been to Siberia before. So what's it like for you, Governor? What's it look like out there?

GOV. NED LAMONT (D-CT): Hey, Fredricka. Well, it's not like Atlanta. I can tell you that. It's not the gateway to New England. We are getting hit hard, especially the eastern part of the state where they have probably a foot of snow accumulating. As you point out, you got to be ready. That's 100,000 tons of salt, hundreds of snowplows out there. These guys are going around the clock. We got reserves and backup ready to go.

We have another 600 utility vehicles standing by in case of wind, in case of power outages. But this is New England. We're prepared for this. And it's going to go on for the rest of the day. And the only thing I have to ask everybody is stay off the roads.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LAMONT: We shut down for tractor trailer trucks and keep the cars off the road. The plows can get through and the emergency vehicles can get through.

WHITFIELD: Right, because I know folks are fascinating when they see snowstorms like this. Of course we're looking at images from Boston, but we're talking to you while you're in Connecticut. But very similarly while it's snowing, people are fascinated they want to get out in their vehicles. They want to, you know, test out their SUVs and see how powerful they are against the elements. But, you know, help remind people how it really does put your first responders in danger. It hampers the efforts of your crews that are at the ready.

LAMONT: Exactly. Fredricka, I mean we shut down said, no tractor trailers for reasons you can understand. But earlier before that, a few had terrible accidents. And the few cars that have been on the road, they've had some accidents and that means you actually shut down the road, snowplows have to stop, emergency vehicles can't get through for the period of time it takes to correct that so. But, you know, Boston, New England, Rhode Island, Connecticut, we're ready for this.

WHITFIELD: Connecticut could be seeing anywhere between one and two feet of snow. And I read earlier from your Department of Transportation that, you know, staffing is down some 30 percent obviously because, you know, of COVID, so how does that, you know, presents an even bigger challenge for you all?

LAMONT: That's a stretch. You're absolutely right. If this snowstorm goes on longer than anticipated, that's a problem. But in the meantime, we've got hundreds of contractors on the ready. So we have backups as needed. But you have to, you know, prepare for the worst, and that's what we've done.

WHITFIELD: All right, Governor, thank you so much and all the best to you. I think that's a picture of New Haven, Connecticut. Hey, that's one of my last stomping grounds. I worked there at WTNH, many, many years ago. And I love that New Haven. But look how quiet and placid it's looking right now. I know you're really grateful that most people are staying off the road, Governor.

LAMONT: Come home. We miss you.

WHITFIELD: I think I need to do that. It's been a while. It's time for me to make my way back up there after the nor'easter passes through. All right, Connecticut Governor Lamont, thank you so much, all the best to you. Hopefully see you soon.

[12:34:51]

All right, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. Three people in Atlanta are facing arson charges today after being indicted by a grand jury for setting fire to the restaurant where Rayshard Brooks was killed. The Atlanta area, Wendy's, burned down during city wide protests in June of 2020 after police shot and killed Brooks in the parking lot there. And now the three defendants are charged with two counts of first degree arson and one count of conspiracy to commit arson. A lawyer for one of the defendants called the charges disappointing.

Meanwhile, Texas police have charged a man with three counts of attempted capital murder after he injured three Houston officers during a chaotic chase and shootout, the shooting just one of several recent incidents where police were injured or killed in the line of duty. CNN's Isabel Rosales is live for us in Atlanta. Isabel, it has been a very dangerous week for police in America. Bring us up to date.

[12:40:23]

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: But incredibly dangerous. It's got communities mayors, police chiefs, and sheriffs deeply concerned about what is going on here. And I do want to give you another close look at that video out of Houston, surveillance video, that captured the moment a suspect crashed his car and then started shooting at police officers there in broad daylight. He managed to injure three of them but luckily they're in that situation. Those officers are expected to be OK. Two of them have left the hospital.

Another late shooting there happening in Harlem, where yesterday we saw a sea of police officers just walking through Fifth Avenue showing their respect, incredible images, showing their final respects to Detective Jason Rivera. Rivera and his partner Wilbert Mora were shot and killed in a 911 domestic call. His widow, Rivera's widow, delivered just an emotional eulogy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOMINIQUE LUZURIAGA, WIDOW OF OFFICER JASON RIVERA: Seeing you in a hospital bed wrapped up in sheets, not hearing you when I was talking to you broke me. I asked why. I said to you, wake up baby. I'm here. The little bit of hope I had that you will come back to live just to say goodbye or say I love you one more time had left. I was lost.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And that is just heart wrenching to listen to. And it's not just New York. It's not just Texas. This is happening all over the U.S. And this week alone, we've seen shootings injuring or killing officers deputies in Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin, Texas, and Georgia. And you can understand looking at that list there, Fred, why so many people are so worried.

WHITFIELD: Isabel Rosales, thank you so much.

And this quick programming note, join CNN's Sara Sidner as she rides along to find out why driving while black in America is deadly serious. This new CNN special report Traffic Stop begins tomorrow at 9:00 p.m.

All right, still to come, a convoy of truck drivers is in Canada and they're expected to reach the Capitol after a cross country drive in protest of the country's vaccine mandates. We're live in Ottawa, next.

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[12:47:19]

WHITFIELD: All right, we continue to follow this powerful winter storm currently pummeling the East Coast. This is Newport Harbor, Rhode Island, very difficult to see near whiteout conditions. That's actually a sailboat. You can see the mast, you know, it's rocking around in the waves there, right now kind of leaning left. And several states are now seeing flooding as well as near hurricane force winds pound the coastline along with all that snow.

In Massachusetts more than 100,000 people are currently without power. Officials are warning residents to stay home avoid travel as this storm moves through. So it's not just the East Coast getting hammered with winter weather. In Chicago, a storm dumped 10 inches of heavy lake effect snow on Friday. According to the National Weather Service, the snow was falling at nearly 2.5 inches per hour, leading to very dangerous travel conditions there as well. The state and city deployed more than 500 snow vehicles to clear the roads. Except, some folks are finding ways to have fun there.

All right, sources now tell CNN that the White House is considering a wider list of potential nominees for the U.S. Supreme Court than has been reported thus far. We now know at least one of the people President Biden is considering is South Carolina District Judge J. Michelle Childs. She was nominated last month to the U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C. Childs is one of several potential candidates who could replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. President Biden says he will reveal his choice by the end of February and says that the nominee will be a black woman as he promised on the campaign trail. Erica Armstrong Dunbar is a professor of history at Rutgers University and the National Director of the Association of Black Women Historians. Professor, it's so good to see you.

ERICA ARMSTRONG DUNBAR, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY: Thanks so much for having me today.

WHITFIELD: So let me first start by getting your reaction to the news that Judge J. Michelle Childs of South Carolina is the first confirmed candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court.

DUNBAR: Yes, you know, I think that for many of us right now, it's just sort of important to note that this is more than just a sort of prideful moment for citizens and in particular for black women. The thoughts were hopeful, that it's more than a hopeful moment that a black woman will be nominated for the United States Supreme Court. And in many ways, it allows us I think, to maintain faith in the legitimacy of the highest court.

WHITFIELD: So let's elaborate that on that, that it's particularly significant and at this moment because in the 232 year history of the U.S. Supreme Court, there have been 115 justices over the years, 108 have been white men, two black men, four justices have been white women, one Latina, and no black women until now. And the President promises, as he promised, on the campaign trail, that his nominee will be a black woman. What kind of influence do you see that having on the court as a whole?

[12:50:38]

DUNBAR: Yes, I think that what many of us know is that if a black woman is nominated by President Biden, that she will come from a space that understands the intersectionality of race and gender in ways that are deeply meaningful. And when we think about black women, they have been at the center of just about every progressive movement in this nation, from abolition, to suffrage, to civil rights. And in many ways this nomination, I believe, will best represent democracy in action. It will test it. It will keep it stronger, for a changing nation. So I think there's a great deal to think about, and to look forward to as well.

WHITFIELD: And in all of the women whose names have been mentioned publicly, I mean, have incredible credentials. And all of them come, of course, like you said, with their life experiences that also are particularly important when on the bench. How do you see the considerations of cases not only being tested because of the legal qualifications of any number of these nominees or potential nominees, but with that life experience that also comes to help influence their judgment and the way in which they look at cases?

DUNBAR: You know, I think that we know that any of the candidates that are put forward, they're going to have sort of sterling reputations and an experience as well, which hasn't always been the case recently. And I do think, however, that we all sort of know that this specific nominee will likely be scrutinized in ways that don't compare to other Supreme Court Justice nominees. I think that we're all sort of waiting and watching as things unfold. And I think in many ways, we, once again, we understand that it is simply time, we, it's been 40 some odd years since the first woman came on to the highest bench and it's time.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and just to underscore your point on anticipated scrutiny that will be disproportionate to these women. We've already seen it and heard it with just some of their names being mentioned as potential nominees. Professor Erica Armstrong Dunbar, so good to see you, I look forward to talking to you further, particularly as we get more confirmations of names that are being thrown into the hat. Thank you so much.

DUNBAR: Goodbye.

[12:53:23]

WHITFIELD: All right, straight ahead, much more on the powerful winter storms slamming the Northeast. Take a look at this, pictures of a very devoted mailman in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, braving the nor'easter this morning. And you can see he is enduring the conditions as if it's just like you know, an everyday thing. All ready folks up in the Northeast. Stay tuned. We'll have much more straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: All right, protesters are arriving in Ottawa for what's expected to be a major anti vaccine rally in Canada's capital. Dozens of trucks lining up along city streets right now after driving cross country in their so called Freedom Convoy to rally against the country's vaccine mandates. CNN's Paula Newton, sorry, is in Ottawa with more. So Paula, what's expected? Is it likely to be a peaceful protest as build?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think at this point, everything so far. It looks like it will be peaceful instead of dozens of trucks. Fred, there are actually hundreds out there. This is complete bed -- read, pardon me, gridlock here in Ottawa at this moment, with thousands of people. And again, hundreds of those tractor trailers out there.

And yes, this started out as actually a protest that truckers were doing against a vaccine mandate. But it really just touched a nerve here, Fred, so many people have now held on to this. And they've gotten really some high profile support to Elon Musk, the head of Tesla, tweeting out his support saying Canadian truckers rule. But more than that, this was actually a certain very minority for sure, Fred, but vocal groups saying that they were protesting those public health measures here in Canada.

The fear now though, Fred, is that organizations like Canada's anti- hate network point out that they are afraid that this could tip over into violence. They have been certainly monitoring things online. I want you to listen to one thing that they posted in the last few days. Take a listen.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would like to see our own January 6th event, see some of those truckers plow right through that 16 foot wall, none of us of course, I just like see it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) [13:00:10]

NEWTON: Fred, I want to point out, right now no signs of trouble whatsoever. I can tell you from the traffic cameras here, those trucks are gridlock in Ottawa. As I said, we'll continue to keep an eye on it. But for right now, a very peaceful and vocal protest here in Ottawa against those public health restrictions.

WHITFIELD: Paula Newton in Ottawa, thanks so much.