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Temperatures Plummet in Michigan; Highest Risk for Cold-Related Illnesses; Inflation Shows Prices Continue to Moderate; Migrants Brace Dangerous Cold; Thousands wait at Southern Border. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired December 23, 2022 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:30:25]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Right now a giant winter storm is blowing through the Midwest. Temperatures plummeting as the storm crawls eastward. These are live pictures of downtown Milwaukee on the left, Chicago on the right. Both cities have subzero wind chills. In Memphis, a dangerous amount of ice blanketing roads, stranding vehicles.

CNN affiliate reporter WHBQ reporter Jeremy Pierre has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY PIERRE, WHBQ REPORTER: It's definitely not a typical day here in the city of Memphis and sure - with the drivers for sure. We're on Walnut Grove, which is very popular for people to get to and from work. And already this morning we have seen people be defeated by this hill here in front of Hope Church on Walnut Grove in the city of Memphis.

On our way to this area, we actually saw about ten cars -- ten cars that either had been abandoned or wrecked. you can see it right here. Already this morning, in this section, we have seen four cars spin out of control. That car right there, that vehicle, that SUV, is the lone one that is just stuck and it can't move because of the ice.

Not only is this ice on this road hard to drive on, but it's absolutely impossible to walk on. I got a chance myself to see for myself that it is ice. Ice for sure. And for the most part, people are having trouble going up the hill, also down the hill, as you see this crashed out car right here. Also, with people coming down this hill right here, people are ending up, up that hill.

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SCIUTTO: Goodness. I mean that's why they're saying, don't get on the roads. I mean it's dangerous when they ice up.

Let's go now to northern Michigan where some areas are expecting up to 8 inches of snow. CNN affiliate WLUC reporter Andrew LaCombe is in Negaunee, Michigan, where the blizzard warning is now going into effect there.

Andrew, just the beginning, from what we understand, of the worst conditions. What does it look like? What does it feel like where you are?

ANDREW LACOMBE, WLUC REPORTER: That's -- that's right, Jim. It feels cold. I've been in and outside throughout the day and it takes about five minutes until you can't feel your fingertips even through these Stormy Kromer gloves here.

But it's cold. And we actually have a break in our fresh snow. We got 6.5 inches of snow here yesterday just off the Lake Superior shore. They expect maybe one or two feet more snow by the end of this system tomorrow on Christmas Eve. Should be winding down in the evening.

But, it's cold. No fresh snow falling right now, but the winds are picking up. Temperatures are dropping and it has the makings of a blizzard.

The good news right now for people here is that many are staying off the roads and heeding the warnings.

SCIUTTO: Glad to hear. You stay warm, too. Best to you and your team. Thanks so much, Andrew LaCombe.

Well, this storm is bringing life-threatening cold to big swaths of the country, those most at risk, the elderly and very young children.

CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins me now with more.

Listen, I wonder how you can make sure you and your loved ones stay safe. I mean some of it's simple advice, right, stay at home, don't travel unless absolutely necessary. But what else should people watch out for?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Jim, that's a good piece of advice. And another one is, think about who is the most vulnerable. So, let's take a look at that. Infants under the age of one, they don't always maintain their body heat as well as older people do, as well as adults do or older children, so keep them dressed warmly, especially while they're sleeping.

Also, the elderly are most at risk. And also we should know that people who have heart disease, cold weather puts stress on the heart. So, keep that in mind as well. Also, cold weather can aggravate asthma or other lung diseases. So, there may be -- you may have asthma or some other lung disease and you're usually fine, but in the cold, it may make it much worse. So, where are your rescue meds? Where's your inhaler? Think about all those things as the weather gets colder.

Jim.

SCIUTTO: All right. Any other tips to stay safe and healthy for the young and the old, but others as well? COHEN: Yes, for sure. So, as we mentioned before, it's the young and

the old. So, dress infants warmly. Check on the elderly. If you have elderly neighbors, make sure that they're OK. Also, avoid alcohol and caffeine. I know it's very tempting to drink some hot alcoholic beverages, you know, a little bit of mulled wine, down some coffee.

[09:35:04]

But, in fact, the caffeine and the alcohol can really hurt you in the cold. So, think about that before you start drinking large quantities.

Jim.

SCIUTTO: All right, final question. I thought this question was already answered, but maybe not. A recent study helps explain why the cold gives us colds. What have we learned?

COHEN: Yes, this is a study that you and I talked about, Jim, a couple of weeks ago. This is so fascinating. That, you know, it seems like maybe it's been a myth that you get a cold in the cold, but it actually seems to be really true. There were researchers who looked at what happens to our nose that are responsible for keeping germs out, they don't work so well. They just don't function so well in the cold. So, there really is a reason why people tend to get colds more when the weather is cold. There's other reasons, too. But that seems to be a big reason because those cells in your nose, they are the first line of defense for keeping germs out.

So, it's not just a myth, it's true.

SCIUTTO: So basically our grandparents have always been right, you'll catch a cold. It was - you know, keep your hats on, you'll catch a cold.

COHEN: That's right. They were.

SCIUTTO: They knew it.

Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much.

Well, still ahead, fresh indicators this morning that inflation is coming down, headed in the right direction. What we're seeing from what is the Federal Reserve's favorite gauge of prices. We'll have an update coming up.

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[09:40:45]

SCIUTTO: All right, want some good news as we're all freezing? Prices seem to be slowing. This morning, a new report offering a glimpse of where consumer spending and other household finances stand as we wind down a year filled with major inflation. The Federal Reserve's preferred measurement of inflation continued to cool off in November, providing yet another welcome indication that this period of painfully high prices may have peaked. It comes as White House officials are projecting confidence about the economy's ability to bounce back in 2023.

CNN chief business correspondent Christine Romans joins me now.

The trend is your friend. You're our official the trend is your friend correspondent, Christine. These latest numbers, part of a downward trend in prices. Should we be confident that's a continuing trend?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: They are part of a trend. A trend that grows ever more noticeable with each passing economic report about inflation. You have inflation of PCE, this is the Fed's favorite gauge, 5.5 percent in November. In normal times that would sound still too hot, but it's coming down from 7 percent, 6.5 percent, 6 percent, now 5.5 percent. Month over month up 0.1 percent.

That year over year number is the slowest since October 2021 when this inflation nightmare began. So that is a good sign here overall.

There's some core numbers inside this data that also showed signs of cooling. So, when you look at the trend, it does feel like the worst of the inflation drama is behind us, with still some more work to go.

Look, inflation is peaking. Gas prices are down 50 cents over the past month. That might be one reason why consumer sentiment rebounded this week. And, Jim, we talked about this yesterday, GDP grew 3.2 percent in the third quarter. So, heading into the end of the year on a solid footing for the economy.

SCIUTTO: So, you've got prices cooling. I mean, granted, they're still high.

ROMANS: Yes.

SCIUTTO: We don't want to minimize that.

ROMANS: Yes. Exactly.

SCIUTTO: But they're coming down from those peaks. So prices cooling and you've got some good economic data. You mentioned GOP growth. The job market seems to be strong. I mean, is it too early to talk about soft landing or is this still sort of precarious territory?

ROMANS: There's - there's - there's still a path for a soft landing most economists tell me. But I want to be real clear, we don't know what's going to happen next year. And here's why. We have a wall of federal interest rate hikes that have a lag, right, Federal Reserve interest rate hikes that have a lag time for when they work in the economy. We have a wall of unprecedented tightening that's going to come in some time next year and start to be felt in the economy.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

ROMANS: We are feeling it now in the housing market. Home sales slowed ten months in a row. And, Jim, I can show you, we're feeling it already in the stock market. The stock market is a forward-looking indicator, of course. SCIUTTO: Yes.

ROMANS: The stock market this year, the S&P 500, on track for 19 percent lower for the year. It will be the first down year since 2008. You can see the worst since - or first down year since 2018. The worst since 2008. That's an ugly, ugly performance for your 401(k) this year. But, some perspective, you're still up 45 percent over the past five years. That's darn good.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

ROMANS: And we're back now to maybe early 2021 levels for the stock market. So, we've wiped away a couple years of gains. But - but, still, I've got to tell you, that's where you see the Fed's expectations in the housing market and in the stock market.

SCIUTTO: Understood. And then the question, do they overtighten, right? I mean still an open one.

Christine Romans, thanks so much.

ROMANS: Nice to see you.

SCIUTTO: Still ahead, it's already a dangerous journey. Now, migrants are also battling bitter cold, limited shelter space as they attempt to cross the U.S./Mexico border. We're going to take you there once again coming up.

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[09:48:56]

SCIUTTO: They have journeyed hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to get to the U.S. southern border and now state and federal officials are warning migrants against traveling any further because of dangerously cold temperatures now long the border.

CNN's Camila Bernal is in El Paso, Texas, where remarkably, and, boy, I've been there before, I can't imagine 18 degrees there, but that's what it is.

Camila, what are you hearing about shelter space there, because I know they set up shelters, warming centers, but are they getting overwhelmed?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They absolutely are, Jim. They are at full capacity. The shelter where I'm at now, they have capacity for 130. They tried to fit about 200 people. And more people want to be inside. But it is impossible. So, what they're doing is sleeping on the floor.

I want to show you, because this is what they're doing. Anything they can, sticking close together, getting any blanket that they can. They're even using cardboard boxes to stop the wind because it's not only 17, 18 degrees, it's very windy. And that makes the situation even worse. [09:50:01]

So, you have people all along this side of the street, you have even more across the street. Overnight, there was a bus that was parked here and they told me, look, we are trying to go to the bus to warm up just a little tiny bit because it is so cold.

I also want to show you one other thing, and it is the people of El Paso who are seeing what is happening here and are bringing these migrants food. Just a normal resident here who made tamales and brought pan dulce. So it's the traditional sweet bread and the traditional tamales that you get for Christmas. They decided that they wanted to be here to help these people.

So, you're seeing humanity. You're seeing people come together. But you're seeing migrants who just will do anything to stay in this country. They don't mind being in freezing temperatures because their hope, their dream is to stay in this country for their future and for their children. So they will tell you, look, we've already gone through so many hardships, we will do everything we can to be in this country.

Unfortunately, they can't go to the city run shelters because in those shelters you need to have the proper documentation from Border Patrol. And Border Patrol is the area where they don't want to go in many cases. And so they're having to come that these shelters, the non- profits, because that really is their only option, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Camila Bernal, in El Paso, thanks so much.

Well, as you've been hearing, asylum-seekers being told by authorities to get inside or to go home. But for those waiting in line, this is the final step in a very long and dangerous ordeal. They don't want to go home.

CNN's David Culver spoke to Venezuela migrants who are now stuck at the southern border.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): There are those who cross illegally, streams of people, every day, every hour. And then there are those who watch, wait, and face the unknown. Here in Ciudad Juarez, this is what the U.S. looks like for Ulexi Fernandez (ph) and Lucy Bastilaz (ph).

We're not criminals. We're good people, they stress.

The two met while serving in the Venezuela military. In October they started their trek north, fleeing political turmoil, hiking through jungles, rafting murky waters, riding a train from on top. So close to their final destination until policy and this halt their journey.

Before sunrise Tuesday, we watch as Texas law enforcement mobilize, sealing off this popular access point to American soil. One of the state's efforts to stop the flow of migrants. But it only reroutes them a short distance down river, creating a new bottleneck for illegal crossings, and a tense standoff.

The setting sun ushers in freezing temperatures. By nightfall, migrants settle in on the U.S. side of the river, building campfires to keep warm. Hours later, some rush another border entry point about a mile away. Under Title 42, they can still be immediately expelled on the grounds of Covid prevention. Lucy and Ulexi determined to enter legally.

She wants to do it the right way, she tells me, and knows exactly where she wants to go. Far from their big apple dreams, unable to return home, stuck in international purgatory.

I'm here with my partner, she says. Discriminated against, they say, because they're migrants, they're women and they're a couple. To be safe, they avoid public displays of affection and travel in groups.

Another reason they want to get to the other side -- when we're there, we're going to help all of our families, she says. The very mention of family triggers emotions Lucy's carried since leaving Venezuela. Lucy, missing her mom and siblings. Ulexi, her 10-year-old daughter.

We hurry across traffic, about a half mile from where we first met the couple, and arrive at this local shelter. With nowhere else to go, families line up, hoping to escape the freezing cold.

Lucy and Ulexi among the fortunate. This is home, at least for now. We meet some of their new friends, fellow migrants from all backgrounds.

ON SCREEN TEXT: Venezuelans. Nicaraguans, Haitians.

CULVER (on camera): And how many people altogether are usually in here at night?

ELIAS RODRIGUEZ, DIRECTOR, HOPE CENTER SHELTER: Altogether, 135 has been our greatest number. We don't have the capacity for the demand.

CULVER (voice over): The church group that runs this shelter, bolstered by locals donating their time and food. And much like border cities in the U.S., Ciudad Juarez is feeling the strain from this migration surge.

The city has always been very generous to migrants, but in this case, with so many people, it's difficult. The city isn't prepared for this influx, he says.

Back in the shelter, Ulexi struggles with having left her daughter behind, telling me, I don't know when I can give her my love again because right now I'm just trying to provide for her.

[09:55:10]

Lucy saying, the hardest part in this moment right now is being so close and not being able to cross. But echoing from their phone, a familiar song that chronicles a migrant's journey brings back smiles and hope.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Singing) (through translator): Here I come. After a dream that I haven't achieved yet. That I haven't achieved yet.

CULVER: We're going to make it. We're going to make it, she says.

CULVER (on camera): And it's precisely because of Title 42 that Ulexi and Lucy want to avoid doing what the migrants you see behind me are doing, thousands of them, turning themselves into U.S. Customs and Border Patrol so as to seek asylum officially. But the problem that they would face under Title 42 is that as soon as they enter, they risk being deported to places much farther and much more dangerous.

David Culver, CNN, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Good reporting there.

Still ahead, the brutal winter storm bearing down on the nation. You might be feeling it. Blizzard warnings in some states. Subzero windchills in others. Live pictures there, wow, Grand Rapids, Michigan, where it is just six degrees. We're going to be at the front of the storm coming up.

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