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Buffalo Under Blizzard Warning; Flights Canceled Across U.S.; Wind Chill Warnings in Denver; Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) is Interviewed about Kentucky's Storm Impact; Memphis Faces Plunging Temperatures; Atlanta Plunges Below Freezing; January 6th Committees Recommendations; House Votes on Spending Bill. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired December 23, 2022 - 09:00   ET

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

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[09:00:37]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: A good Friday morning to you. It is Christmas Eve eve. I'm Jim Sciutto.

Let's begin with the massive winter storm slamming the U.S. with dangerously low temperatures, record-breaking wind chills and heavy snow, only becoming stronger today. The storm stretching from the Canadian border to the Mexican border is expected to become what's known as a bomb cyclone as it moves into the Great Lakes today with intense pressures matching that of a category two hurricane.

Right now across the country, hundreds of thousands are without power. Travel plans upended for many going into the holiday weekend. More than 3,100 flights canceled already today. Dozens of governors creating emergency response plans heading into this holiday weekend, including opening temporary warming shelters just to get people out of the cold.

I'm going to speak with one of those governors, Kentucky's Andy Beshear, in just a moment.

First, let's get to our team covering what's being called a once in a generation storm. We begin in upstate New York where a blizzard warning is now in effect for the Buffalo area. The city and neighboring communities forecasted to see feet of snow, major wind gusts approaching 70 miles per hour.

CNN's Polo Sandoval braving the cold there. Tell us what it's like.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Jim, those pictures tell you everything you need to know. I've stood in many hurricanes, many tropical storms where the wind gusts of about 50 miles an hour and rising. We're slowly getting to at least tropical storm force winds here in Buffalo.

Four hours ago, I was standing here in a fleece, zero rain, zero wind. It just speaks to how fast the conditions have been deteriorating here in western New York. The intersection that you see behind me, if you actually follow this

street, it will take you to the lakefront here, close to downtown Buffalo. And that's where a big part of the concern is right now. This isn't going to necessarily be a snow event, this is going to be a wind, a flooding, a freezing event. And that's why authorities here on the ground have been warning people to simply stay put. We're actually sheltered here where we are in downtown Buffalo. But the concern is that many people will choose to brave some of these whiteout conditions and that will make, perhaps, some of those roadside rescues extremely difficult.

And for those that are living in some of those lakefront communities, the warning there has been for people to evacuate if they can because once these complete whiteout conditions really do take over, Jim, then the concern is that they will not be able to be rescued out there. With these winds, as you're about to hear, and I'll have the control room repeat what they just said in my ear -- as these winds begin to kick up, then the concern is also about downed power lines. And that will mean power outages. So, authorities here in Buffalo -- this is just the first act of what will be a very long 30 hours, are hoping that people have everything they need, and it will stay where they are, especially as we approach Christmas Eve. The authorities hoping that folks will resist the urge to get out here.

Back to you.

SCIUTTO: Polo Sandoval, you and your team, please do stay warm. It's tough.

Let's go now to our flight cancellation correspondent, CNN's Pete Muntean. He's at Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

Man, I mean, you know this better than anybody. You've been watching those numbers tick up. What's it look like today and are you expecting more cancellations going into the weekend?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The pace of cancellations is pretty high, Jim. It was only about 3,200 an hour ago. Now we're at 3,298 cancellations nationwide according to Flight Aware. Just keeps going up. And 2,600 was the number yesterday for the whole day. So, we've dwarfed yesterday.

And now that things are really change, it's dynamic, the storm is moving -- was causing cancellations in the Midwest more or less, now it's moving to the east and a lot of new airports are showing up on the list of the top airports for cancellations, LaGuardia, Denver, Detroit, Seattle.

Detroit, by the way, is a huge hub for Delta Airlines. And 42 percent of all flights have been canceled there. Here at O'Hare, this is the biggest hub for United Airlines, also Chicago Midway is seeing a lot of cancellations, but we're also seeing new airports pop up on the list, like Reagan National Airport in D.C., Boston, Philadelphia.

[09:05:02]

We are not through this just yet.

The big issue now is that the airlines are saying that the cold will really keep things slow for the airlines. It's making it really hard for ground crews to work, move airplanes, load bags. The high here in Chicago today is forecasted to be 1 degree Fahrenheit. That's not factoring in the windchill.

And now passengers are really starting to get desperate. Yesterday they were trying to get out ahead of this storm. Today they're having to pivot their plans in a big way. And I talked to one passenger who has changed her flight three times, has had three cancellations. In fact, had to switch airports, take an Uber from Midway here to O'Hare.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE DAWSON, RETURNING HOME TO FLORIDA: It's really frustrating, but I'm just glad that I was able to get here. The Uber ride took me an hour and 45 minutes to get here from Midway to O'Hare. And you've just got to do what you've got to do just to get home for the holidays.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: This is so, so difficult for the airlines. Also so difficult for shipping companies, like UPS, FedEx, the United States Postal Service. They have contingency plans in place, but they're warning us now that some shipments will be delayed. Remember, airplanes are the backbone of these companies. They also have the ground game. But the airplanes are being delayed. And that's what will cause some of your Christmas packages maybe to show up a little late.

Jim.

SCIUTTO: You know, they made a movie about this. They called it "Plains, Trains and Automobiles." I feel like everybody's living through that again.

Pete Muntean, thanks so much.

All right, now to Denver, where it's not just canceled flights. That's one of several cities where Greyhound bus is warning customers their service may be disrupted or canceled all together. The city now on the backside of this storm, but still under chill warnings. It is seeing an incredible 37 degree temperature drop in just one hour when the storm hit. Right now, it is minus 6 degrees. Man.

CNN's Lucy Kafanov joins us now from Denver.

You've been feeling it throughout. So, what's it like now and what have been the repercussions from all this there?

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was no fun yesterday and continues to be no fun even though we are on the backside of the storm, as you point out. The windchill is still incredibly painful. We aren't really seeing folks on the streets.

You know, you and I, Jim, have been doing this little weather back and forth for three days in a row now and the swiftness with which this arctic blast came barreling through Colorado is just remarkable. We went from something like a high of 50 degrees on Wednesday when we spoke to negative 24 Thursday morning. A 75 degree temperature swing that's been impacting travel, quality of life and just creating so much misery and chaos here in Colorado with flights canceled and people struggling to stay warm.

Now, the temperatures have basically remained below zero for nearly 36 consecutive hours since that mercury dropped. It has not gotten back up. We are expecting things to turn around later today. But, of course, the city, the state trying to keep people safe. You know, you and I were talking in front of the Denver Coliseum, which was converted into a 24-hour warming center to give folks a safe place to overnight. There was so much demand for warm beds, Jim, that the city had to open up two more emergency centers just to meet the demand. And we're talking about anyone who needs to get out of the cold, whether it's families, homeless people or that influx of migrants that Denver has seen.

Much of the metro area hunkering down, but we do expect things to slowly get back to normal. In fact, we could be seeing temperatures of around 50 degrees by Christmas, which is great news for us, not so much for the eastern part of the country. I know that storm is barreling your way, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yes, maybe the only good thing about this is that it comes and it goes, right, and fairly quickly.

Lucy Kafanov, thanks so much.

All right, in Kentucky, conditions rapidly deteriorated overnight. Listen to this police officer in Bardstown, located in the central part of the state, describing exactly what he was seeing on the roads.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As of ten minutes ago, the lines on the roadway were actually visible. They are now -- the roads are currently completely covered up with snow. The temperature continues to drop. We highly encourage anybody who can do so, please stay at home, stay indoors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Listen to that. Stay at home, stay indoors. This morning, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear reported more than 20,000 people across his state are without power. At least one person has died as a result of the storm. The governor joins me now.

Governor Beshear, thanks for taking the time this morning.

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): Thanks for having me. SCIUTTO: So, first of all, I wonder what the biggest threat to your

state is right now in the midst of this storm and how are you handling it?

[09:10:05]

BESHEAR: Well, we have two major threats. The first is bitterly cold temperatures. This morning windchill is up to negative 30 and some places across Kentucky, and you can get frostbite very quickly in that type of temperature. And it's going to stay in the, you know, negatives with windchill for the next couple of days.

The second piece is the roads continue to be treacherous. It's not as much of the flash freezing, which we were able to avoid with significant preparation, but we have just enough snow to where gusts of 40 to 50 miles an hour can create blizzard-like conditions very quickly. We have one major interstate, I-71, backed up right now. We have the National Guard, the state police, every resource we can get there assisting, checking on those that are in their cars. Whether they're Kentuckians or not, we want to make sure that you are safe.

Right now we're taking a number of steps. First, we're under a state of emergency. So we pre-deployed National Guard all across the state. We have Fish and Wildlife, and Kentucky State Police pre-staged.

The only good thing about this arctic front is we knew it was coming. So, we've been preparing with our transportation cabinet for about a week. But people need to stay home. People need to stay off the roads. If your travel plans change, listen, your family wants you home for Christmas, but they want you alive a lot more. Just be safe.

SCIUTTO: That's a fair point there, right, because we're talking about this. I keep hearing from local and state leaders like yourself saying, don't travel unless you really have to. But, it's the holidays. People want to see their families. And people are still traveling. I mean, look at the lines in the airports and traffic on the roads.

I just want to give you a chance to highlight that point again. I mean what would you say to folks who have to make a decision right now as to whether to travel?

BESHEAR: Be very safe. Remember your loved ones care more about having you alive and at next Christmas than whether you can make this one. See, to me, as a Christian, this season is all about new life. And we want to make sure that we don't lose anybody, especially trying to get home for a holiday that's about life. So, please, be careful.

And we've got lots of ways to try to be together, even if we can't be in that same room. And I know after this pandemic, and certainly everything we've been through in Kentucky, flooding and tornadoes and the rest, that being together is more important than ever. But staying safe is even more important than that.

And, listen, it happens even when you're a governor. My brother and his family were supposed to be in for this Christmas and had to change their plans.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BESHEAR: And, listen, I'm just excited that they're safe and that I know I'm going to see them soon.

SCIUTTO: Well, you're following your own advice there.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, we wish you and the people of Kentucky good luck through these coming days.

BESHEAR: Be safe. Merry Christmas.

SCIUTTO: All right, CNN affiliate WMC reporter Walter Murphy, he's in Memphis, Tennessee.

Walter, you're there by one of the main roads in town. I wonder what you're seeing and how are folks responding to those warnings about, listen, stay home if you can?

WALTER MURPHY, JOURNALIST, ACTION 5 NEWS MEMPHIS: Well, Jim, you can see behind me there are plenty of people that are out and about this morning, but it's 3 degrees here right now. We're not really used to that here in Memphis. You know, with subzero feels like temperatures. It's very cold out here.

People have been getting out and about, but, again, the Tennessee Department of Transportation is urging everyone that doesn't have to get out to go to work to do anything that's absolutely necessary to stay at home today. You know, there's no need to get out.

We haven't seen that many accidents or anything like that so far. They did do a fairly good job of deicing this road. You know, they did salt it earlier. But there is some black ice. I'm going to let you see that right now right here. And, again, we're in the heart of midtown, in Memphis, one of the main thoroughfares through town. You know, it goes all the way through Shelby County, which is where we are.

But, again, the temperatures are not going to increase anytime soon. It's going to be about subzero temperatures throughout the weekend. So, it's important for everybody to stay safe. But I'm going to send it back to you guys right now.

SCIUTTO: Walter Murphy, thanks to you and your team for braving the weather for us. Appreciate it.

Let's go to CNN's Allison Chinchar in Atlanta.

Allison, you know, it's interesting watching the storm. We've seen it coming. It's virtually national, right? It does seem like it moves quickly, though, but it's still going to be one of the coldest Christmases on record.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I think that's just it. When it comes to temperatures this cold, it can't move fast enough out of some of these areas. We have over 60 percent of the U.S. population under some type of alert.

[09:15:02]

It's very cold here in Atlanta. Now about 16 degrees. When we first started this morning, it was about 20 to 22.

Here's the thing. Take a look at this towel. It is completely frozen solid because of how cold it's been here today. But as you mentioned, take a look at this, again, all across the country you have so many other places that are also dealing with bitter cold temperatures and wind chills. But it's that wind that's also factoring in, not just for the windchill, but taking anyplace where you have snow and blowing it all around.

Look at some of these areas. Wind gusts of 40, 50, even as high as 70 miles per hour. So, you take that snow, you blow it around and you've got that visibility now down to less than a quarter of a mile, making travel even more hazardous than it already was.

Here you can see where a lot of those places are that are still going to anticipate to see some snow showers today, the bulk of them in the northeast, but we do still have a few across areas of the Midwest, mainly focused along the Great Lakes. Overall, most areas likely to pick up about an additional 2 to 4 inches of snow, but there will be some spots, including Buffalo, that will end up picking up feet of snow before we finally see an end to this.

Now, some good news, Jim, cities like Denver, Dallas, New Orleans, they will start to see a rebound in temperatures as soon as tomorrow. But for the rest of the eastern U.S., it's likely going to be next week before those temperatures rebound above freezing.

SCIUTTO: Allison Chinchar, 15 degrees in Atlanta, man, that's crazy. Thanks for joining us.

CHINCHAR: Yes. Thanks.

SCIUTTO: Still to come, temperatures also dangerously low at the southern border. Many migrants are attempting to cross in this country are now being forced to sleep out in the cold.

And consequential new details in the January 6th select committee's full report on the attack on the Capitol. What we learned from that report, that's coming up.

Plus, the House set to vote today on that $1.7 trillion spending bill to keep the government running through next year. When might it hit the president's desk? Stay with us.

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[09:20:33]

SCIUTTO: Former President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election led to the attack on the Capitol and he should be barred from holding office again. Those are the conclusions and recommendations in the January 6th committee's final and full report more than 800 pages released just last night.

CNN's Paula Reid joins us now. She's been going through it.

Listen, we learned a lot prior to the release of this report.

PAULA REID, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

SCIUTTO: But there were some new conclusions and revelations in here.

REID: I was really surprised, Jim, by how much news there was in this report, especially after the hearings this summer, the executive summary earlier this week, and our own reporting. As you noted, the committee has this bold conclusion and then lays out the evidence to support it. That conclusion is that the central cause of January 6th was one man, former President Donald Trump, who many others followed. They conclude that none of the events of January 6th would have happened without him.

And it's interesting because the report takes a few steps back. They're not just focused on the violence on January 6th. They look at everything that happened from even before the election up to January 6th. And they conclude that there were efforts by the former president and his allies spread out across the country to try to overturn the election.

Let's take a look at what they said about the effort to influence state officials. They say that Trump, in an effort to overturn the results in key states, he and his inner circle engaged in at least 200 attempts to pressure state officials. And it also says that Trump was the one spearheading this outreach and that they were mostly focused on states where he lost or where they had a GOP-led legislature. Of course those are states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona.

They also say that the former president's decision to declare victory, even though he lost, that was premeditated.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

REID: And they show emails from conservative groups before the election saying, look, no matter what happens, just declare victory.

Another thing I thought was interesting is some new evidence about conversations he had with his attorneys because his defense attorneys are now arguing that Trump was just getting bad legal advice. But they really undercut that here. In fact, they show, when it comes to John Eastman, his election attorney, who authored that memo, that strategy about how Pence could try to block the counting of electoral votes, the showed on the day that memo was written, Eastman reached out to the White House. He told a Trump aide that he wanted to confer with the president about, quote, our strategy. And the evidence they've gathered showed that he spoke with someone at the White House for 23 minutes. And, clearly, a very concerted effort by the committee here in this report, Jim, to focus on the former president.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And the premeditation part, too. REID: Yes.

SCIUTTO: The committee made some recommendations as well.

REID: Yes, they had a list of recommendations. One of the biggest is that they believe the former president should be barred from ever holding office again. They have, of course, made criminal referrals to the Justice Department. They believe that the lawyers who are giving Trump this advice should be held responsible.

Now, one thing that could actually happen is they're calling on Congress to pass an overhaul of the 1887 Electoral Count Act. That is something that is actually moving forward.

Now, the former president has responded to all of this. Of course, he, not surprisingly -

SCIUTTO: Yes.

REID: Dismisses it as a witch-hunt, which is one of his favorite ways to try to undermine political and criminal investigations. They're going to release more transcripts, though, over the next couple days and weeks. So, we'll probably be back here with more news.

SCIUTTO: Yes, there were also some inaccurate statements in the president's response -

REID: Yes.

SCIUTTO: Claiming once again, without evidence, that he had ordered National Guard troops to respond.

Paula Reid, thanks so much.

SCIUTTO: Well, right now, the House is preparing to vote on that big $1.7 trillion year-long spending bill. The Senate passed the measure yesterday. Now it's up to the House to approve the measure, avert a government shutdown, keep the government funded through next year.

CNN's Lauren Fox joins us now from Capitol Hill.

So, this is pretty much all done and dusted before everyone leaves for the holidays?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the expectation, Jim. It may take a little bit of time up here today in the House of Representatives to get this all moving forward. We expect that House rules will come back into session in about an hour. After that, we expect that it will take a little time to get this ready and a final vote to happen on the floor.

A couple things I want to highlight. This is also a little bit dependent on whether or not Kevin McCarthy, who is expected next year to, you know, be up for speaker, who's trying to win the speakership, we expect that he is going to speak for what is known up here as the magic minute. It can go on for as long as he wants to talk. We are getting some guidance, according to my colleague Kristen Wilson (ph), that that speech could go for a couple of hours potentially.

[09:25:02]

So, we are waiting to see how long that takes. That could impact the decision timing for this vote.

Now, we should also note that the storm is descending across the rest of the country. And up here on Capitol Hill we have more than 200 members who have filed letters to vote by proxy. It's not clear that all of them will utilize those letters, but that is an important factor here. This could be the first time that we have seen in a while just this huge number of members not voting in person today. Of course, we are just two days before that Christmas holiday, Jim.

SCIUTTO: And those proxy rules, they were meant for the pandemic, right?

FOX: That is exactly right.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

FOX: I mean, traditionally, when you file a proxy letter, you are supposed to be saying that you can't be traveling because of a health concern.

SCIUTTO: Well, now it's holiday plans and weather.

Lauren Fox, thanks so much.

Still ahead, a life-threatening cold. How you can keep yourself and others close to you safe. That's coming up.

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