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The January 6 Committee Releases Its Final Report; Extreme Winter Weather Blasts The United States; Putin Utters Word "War" In Reference To Ukraine; 170+ Million People Facing Frigid Temperatures Across U.S.; Experts Warn China Outbreak Could Spread Globally; Pele To Spend Christmas In Hospital Amid Worsening Health; Chatbot Creates Human-Like Replies With Artificial Intelligence. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired December 23, 2022 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to all of our viewers watching in the United States and all around the world. I'm Alison Kosik.

Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, nightmare before Christmas. Snow, ice, and a dangerous winter blast sweeping across the U.S. as thousands of flights are canceled. We are live in the CNN Weather Center with what is coming next.

Plus, the January 6 Committee releases its final report on the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, laying out the case against former President Donald Trump.

And for the first time, Vladimir Putin uses the word "war" to describe his invasion of Ukraine.

We begin this hour in Washington where the House committee investigating January 6th has released its final report. Without specifically mentioning Donald Trump, the panel concludes that anyone responsible for an insurrection should be barred from holding public office.

The report goes on to detail a concerted effort by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election. Chapter titles include the big lie, I just want to find 11,780 votes, and a coup in search of a legal theory.

The committee outlines a scheme to submit fake electors from states that Trump lost, and at least 200 attempts by Trump and his inner circle to pressure state election officials.

The report includes testimony that Trump wanted to walk from the White House to the Capitol on January 6th, and it says, the White House should have canceled Trump's rally at the Ellipse because of the risk of violence.

More now from CNN's justice correspondent Jessica Schneider.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Nearly two years after the January 6th attack on the Capitol, the committee tasked with investigating all aspects of that attack has finally released its report. It comes nearly two days after the committee expected to release it, all because of typographical errors and printing issues, but it is nearly 900 pages with a comprehensive narrative of what occurred before, during, and immediately after January 6th.

Most importantly here, it also lays out 11 specific recommendations from the committee about how various agencies and even Congress can move forward. And key among those recommendations is the committee is pointing to a section of the Constitution, the 14th Amendment, Section 3, that clearly states that anyone who is engaged in an insurrection can be disqualified from holding office.

The committee says that that constitutional provision should be enforced, and while they don't say it directly, the takeaway here is that they believe that Donald Trump should be barred from holding office again, especially because he has now announced his plan to run in 2024.

The committee, separately, is also pushing for passage of the presidential Election Reform Act. This would make clear that vice presidents do not have the power to overturn elections, of course, as Trump assured Pence to do.

And the committee is also recommending that federal intelligence and security agencies really take a much closer look at the dangers of violent extremism, especially since members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were at the forefront of the Capitol attack.

Plus, there is a host of new details in this 800-plus page report, including about how John Eastman first contacted all Trump at the White House on December 23rd, 2020, almost exactly two years ago, to fill Trump in on his plan to get Pence to overturn the election. Of course, Pence refusing to do that.

And, also, how a little-known attorney named Kenneth Chesebro allegedly came up with that plot to appoint fake electors in battleground states to try to claim that Trump actually won in those states. Crucially here, that fake elector plot is exactly what is now being investigated by state prosecutors, including in Georgia, also federal prosecutors from the special counsel's office.

Those prosecutors from the special counsel' office, they have even served subpoenas to election officials in several battleground states as part of its ramped-up investigation. So, the committee wrapping its report, but still potentially a long way to go on the criminal side.

[02:05:01]

Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: Areva Martin is a civil rights attorney and CNN legal analyst. She joins me now from Los Angeles. Thanks for being here.

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hi, Alison.

KOSIK: All right. So, this is an 845-page report, but I'm curious what stands out to you, you know, having all of these interviews and all of these documents now turned into a narrative. You know, that takes us through everything that happened before, during, and after January 6th.

MARTIN: Alison, what I think is so revealing about this 845-page report is the magnitude of what this committee did, over 1,200 interviews, and throughout the report, it is very clear that the conclusion is it is one person who is responsible for the January 6th insurrection, and that one person is former President Donald Trump.

They leave no doubt about his involvement, you know, he being a central figure in the January 6th insurrection. So, any doubts or any questions about his role are answered in this report.

KOSIK: Okay. You talk about his huge role, obviously, in this. There is all of this rich detail. Now, it goes off to the Department of Justice to consider criminal charges against former President Trump. And there are series of recommendations in this report. What do you think is the heaviest evidence against Trump, and is it likely he could ultimately be criminally charged?

MARTIN: I think, Alison, the thing that stands out to me is that it is very clear that all of the people around Donald Trump at this time, including some of his most loyal aides and supporters, made it quite clear to him, that he had lost the election. There was no doubt in their minds.

In fact, there is some evidence in the report that he was -- that the team was going to work on his presidential library. They were getting ready for the aftermath of his presidency. And so, any notion that he did not know or he had any doubts about there being this massive election fraud is really put to rest.

The people closest to him let him know, told him, in no uncertain terms, that he had lost the election, that there was no massive election fraud, and despite his efforts to go -- file the many cases that he filed in court, he lost in the court. His efforts to revamp the Department of Justice, that failed. And despite all of those efforts, he continued to persist with the big lie.

So, there has been this question about what he knew, what he should have known, what he was acting intentionally, and this report puts to rest any of those concerns.

KOSIK: If he is charged, what charge or charges, do you think, most likely would stick here?

MARTIN: I think there are several. Obviously, there are four criminal charges that have been made by the committee. For me, I think the obstruction charge is very -- the evidence, there is amount of evidence, overwhelming evidence to support the obstruction charge.

We know that Trump hired lawyers and those lawyers counseled some of the key witnesses, Cassidy Hutchison being one of them. In the report, they detailed how the lawyer basically walked her through this process. Later, we know that she will be stuck with the team if she said the right things, that she remained the team player, that she would be rewarded for giving some kind of testimony.

She pushed back from that lawyer. She ultimately fired that lawyer and move forward to give the testimony that has been very critical to the destination.

So, we heard from this committee early on that there were witnesses who have been in many ways intimidating, coerced. And so, now, we know the details of that, we know that Cassidy Hutchinson was one of those witnesses.

KOSIK: About the recommendation looking to bar Trump from holding office again, I'm curious what the likelihood of that is of becoming reality.

MARTIN: We know, Alison, that there are 11 or so recommendations made in this 800-plus page report in terms of things that -- recommendations that the Congress will do, including changing the Electoral College Act so that it is clear that the vice president doesn't have the authority to overturn the will of the people and, as you said, even preventing someone who is involved in insurrection like Donald Trump from running from office.

It is not clear that this Congress, particularly this Congress that now is controlled by the Republicans, will take seriously any of these recommendations or will act on any of these recommendations, but it calls into question whether Donald Trump can continue to move forward with his candidacy and whether he will be indicted by the special counsel that has been selected by the Department of Justice.

[02:10:05]

MARTIN: We know that Georgia, in particular, continues a robust investigation of his actions to pressure those officials, to find those 11,000 plus votes.

KOSIK: Yeah. All right, the Department of Justice picks up the ball from here. Areva Martin, thank you so much for joining us.

MARTIN: Thank you, Alison.

KOSIK: A huge -- you got it. A huge winter storm is bearing down on much of the U.S. right now. Those bitterly cold winds combined with dangerous frigid temperatures, snow and ice, making for treacherous travel conditions just as we head into the Christmas holiday weekend.

More than half of the population, that is about 170 million people, are under wind chill and winter weather alerts across the country. The storm is expected to become a bomb cyclone with air pressure dropping to a point equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane.

Airlines have already canceled more than 2,600 flights scheduled for Friday after canceling a similar number on Thursday. President Joe Biden is encouraging people to listen to warnings from their local officials and stay safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is not like a snow day, you know, when you are a kid. This was serious stuff. Please, take this storm extremely seriously.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Britley Ritz. I tell you what, it is a pretty lousy timing for this storm to come just days before Christmas. I know people are still looking to buy those gifts, but it is going to be tough.

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It really is. Travel is already treacherous out there through the overnight hours across the Ohio Valley. And as we wake up in the morning with this flash freeze, Alison, our temperatures are going to be near record.

Look at this, 39, that is what it feels like, 39 below zero in Des Moines. Actual temperature? Nine degrees. What counts is what the wind has factored in. We have wind gusts. In Cleveland, 26 miles per hour. Thirty-nine miles per hour in Indianapolis. That is enough to cause wideout condition which, by the way, likely happening at this moment with the snow coming down.

Wind chill warnings from the northern plains to Texas, on up into the mid-Atlantic. Other areas are dealing with advisories. Regardless, this could be potentially deadly if we are not heeding the warnings themselves.

Eighty-four hours, Jackson, Mississippi is expected to be below freezing. This can lead to your pipes starting to freeze up. So, one of the things that you can do is keep your temperature at your house around 65 degrees Fahrenheit, open the doors where the pipes may be so that warmer air can circulate, and make sure that you're allowing your faucets to drip, keep that water moving.

Another thing is frostbite. If you're exposed to 35, to 45 below zero wind chills, it only takes five to 10 minutes for frostbite to hit. Speaking of, we have wind chill values that are going to be below zero for the next three days.

Alison was talking about this. This is travel time to see grandma and grandpa, mom and dad, or to finish your Christmas shopping. You need to make sure you're bundled up, all the extremities, the gloves, the scarves, everything you can do to protect your skin from this kind of weather.

Blizzard warnings, by the way, still in effect across the northern plains and the Great Lakes, now pushing into parts of New York, like there in Buffalo, water town, where visibilities are expected to be down near a quarter of a mile with temperatures, of course, feeling much colder and snowfall reaching near two feet in some of these locations. Alison?

KOSIK: I think I was just going to say wrap it by blanket on the couch. I think that is what I am going to do.

(LAUGHTER)

RITZ: (INAUDIBLE) studio here, yeah, absolutely.

KOSIK: I know. I hear you. All right, Britley Ritz in the CNN Weather Center, thanks.

For more, I'd like to bring in Linda LaCloche, the director of communications with the city of Naperville, Illinois, a suburb just west of Chicago. Thanks for joining us.

LINDA LACLOCHE, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, CITY OF NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS: Thanks, Alison.

KOSIK: You are in the fourth biggest city in Illinois. Talk us through what the weather conditions have been like and what the conditions are expected to be overnight.

LACLOCHE: Yeah, I mean, it has been just like they thought it would. We have had snow starting around noon, and then the temperatures plummeted greatly and the winds picked up. Snow stopped around 6:00 p.m., but the frigid conditions and the high winds have really, you know, caused the roadways to still stay snow-covered and very slick.

KOSIK: Yeah. I think the biggest concern, I'm assuming for you, is not so much the snow but now what comes after the snow, and that is those frigid temperatures. Also, the timing of the storm, right? We are just days away from Christmas and people feel obligated to go out and shop. What are you telling people to do at this point to stay safe?

[02:15:00]

LACLOCHE: We have asked them, if they don't have to travel, to please stay home. That is first and foremost. I think a lot of people are heeding our advice, to be honest. We were able to get out starting at 7:00 a.m. this morning and treat our roadways with salt, and then we were able to treat all of them again with some more salt.

So, we feel very confident that we are, you know, getting on to our roads. We have asked people, if they don't have to travel, please stay home.

KOSIK: What about people who have to travel to get to the airport?

LACLOCHE: Yeah, I mean, obviously, this is that season. Lots of people are traveling. Obviously, they should check with their airline first because both O'Hare and Midway were experiencing a lot of delays and cancellations. So, with tomorrow's predicted, you know, only negative one for the high, you know, best thing to do would be to check with airlines. But if you have to go out and get on the roadways to, one, take it very slow. You know, leave a lot of space between you and the next car.

And, you know, have things in your car just in case of a stall. Have a blanket, have an extra charger for your phone, have flashlights, have flares. So, those are kind of necessary things in this type of blizzard.

KOSIK: Any word yet if any power outages, any concerns as the storm continues to sort of wreak havoc on those temperatures in the next 24 to 48 hours? What about preparations for those power outages?

LACLOCHE: Yeah. Naperville, actually, we have our own electric utility and 90% of our lines are underground. So, we are very lucky in that we don't have a lot of power outages. But our crews are on standby and they're ready just in case something happens with the transformer or something, you know, that would cause a power outage.

Also, our water crews are ready because we know when temperatures plummet like this, water main breaks happen and we have to get out there and repair right away.

KOSIK: Okay. Linda LaCloche with the city of Naperville, Illinois, thanks so much for joining us.

LACLOCHE: Thank you, Alison. Have a great night.

KOSIK: You, too. Russia's president makes a big statement by only saying a three-letter word. He calls the war in Ukraine what it is, a war. We will explain why that could make a big difference in Russia.

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[02:20:00]

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KOSIK: Russia's president has raised some eyebrows by how he described his invasion of Ukraine. On Thursday, Vladimir Putin called it what it really is, a war. It's the first time that we know of, that he has used the word publicly to describe the conflict. Russia has instead insisted on using the phrase, special military operation.

Critics say calling the invasion a war is effectively illegal in Russia and can lead to up to 15 years behind bars. But that didn't stop Mr. Putin for saying this. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): Our goal is not to spin the flywheel of military conflict, but on the contrary, to end this war. We have been and will continue to strive for this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: In the meantime, we're waiting for confirmation that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is back home after a visit to the U.S. on Wednesday. He addressed U.S. lawmakers and secured a new batch of U.S. weapons, including Patriot missile defense systems.

Nada Bashir joins us now from London with more. Nada, I can't help but think that Vladimir Putin's use of the word "war" is strategic. What can you tell us behind it?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Look, Alison, President Putin has long been known to choose his words very, very carefully, so he certainly did raise some eyebrows. Of course, this is the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began that President Putin has publicly described this as a war, not a special military operation. He has been very careful -- the Kremlin has been very careful to maintain that terminology throughout since the invasion began.

But we have heard, since those comments were made, from one U.S. official, who has said that an early assessment from the U.S. government is that this may well have been a slip of the tongue. But, of course, officials will be watching to see over the coming days and weeks whether this was in fact an accident or perhaps whether we might start to see a shift in rhetoric from President Putin and from the Kremlin over the coming days and weeks.

Of course, this comes off the back of that landmark meeting between President Zelenskyy and President Biden in Washington. We've already heard from the Kremlin and President Putin, they say that neither leader, according to the Kremlin, showed any willingness to listen to Russia's concerns.

Of course, Russia is now concerned given the fact that President Biden and the U.S. government has signed that landmark aid package to Ukraine, including crucially the transfer for the first time to Ukraine of the Patriot air missile defense system, which is something that Ukraine has been pushing for some time now. Take a listen to what President Putin had to say about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PUTIN (through translator): Well, as for the Patriots, this is a rather old system and it doesn't work like (INAUDIBLE) 300. Well, nevertheless, those who oppose us proceed to state that this is supposedly a defensive weapon. Okay, we'll just keep that in mind and there's always an antidote. And those who are doing this are doing it in vain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: We have also heard from the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, who said that this would go no way towards bringing about a settlement to the ongoing war in Ukraine, but rather, this would, in his words, prolong the suffering of the Ukrainian people despite Putin's comments there.

Of course, we've also heard from Russia's chief of general staff. He said in a comment that Ukraine has turned into a hostile nation with the backing of western states.

[02:25:01]

BASHIR: Of course, this has raised concerns. President Putin, however, in those remarks that he made to reporters, did suggest that negotiations could still be on the cards, from the Kremlin's perspective. He said that all wars and so many others end with talks and negotiations. But, of course, at this stage, that seems a long way off for now. Alison?

KOSIK: All right, Nada Bashir live for us in London, thank you.

CNN is pouring over all 845 pages of the January 6 Committee's final report. We'll have the main conclusions and a key recommendation aimed directly at Donald Trump. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: Welcome back. I'm Alison Kosik. let's get you caught up on our top story this hour. The House January 6 Committee has released its final report. It concludes the central cause of the insurrection was one man, former President Donald Trump, that none of the events of January 6th would have happened without him.

[02:29:57]

It says Trump and his allies orchestrated an effort to overturn the 2020 election, including submitting fake electors in the states he lost. The report recommends ending --

[02:30:00]

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Orchestrated an effort to overturn the 2020 election, including submitting fake electors in the states he lost. The report recommends anyone who incited insurrection should be disqualified from holding public office.

An unprecedented winter storm is moving across much of the U.S. right now. Dangerous frigid temperatures, bitterly cold winds, and snow and ice making for treacherous travel conditions ahead of the Christmas holiday weekend. More than half of the U.S. population, about 170 million people are under wind chill and winter weather alerts across the country.

The storm is expected to become a bomb cyclone, with air pressure dropping to a point equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane. And as you can imagine, all this is bringing havoc to the nation's airports. More than 2700 flights have already been canceled for Friday leaving travelers with few options during one of the busiest times of the year. CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean filed this report from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: The delays and cancellations here at Chicago O'Hare International Airport keep piling up. Look at the cancellation board. More and more flights just keep getting in. Buffalo, (INAUDIBLE) New York, LA, San Francisco. The numbers are in the thousands and will continue on Friday. About a quarter of all flights have been canceled here at Chicago O'Hare which is a crucial airport for connections. It is a major hub for American Airlines. It is the biggest hub for United Airlines.

I got to go behind the scenes with the United Airlines Network Operation Center. It is working around the clock meeting every hour with meteorologists to try and make it so that passengers make their connections, putting them on different flights, did different connecting airports. I want you to listen now to some of the passengers who heeded the advice of airlines to try and change their trips to earlier departures.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Leave like extra time, you know, because there's so much the lines are huge. So, you know leave a lot of time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Be patient, plan ahead. They're doing the best they can. Honestly, so far so good for us. We came early enough to hopefully make it. And hopefully, our plane will take off today before and we'll get out and get to Orlando to see our families so.

MUNTEAN: Did you change your plans at all?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We pushed our flight up a little bit and we left the house at least an hour earlier than usual.

MUNTEAN: Airlines' best advice is to download their app. That is the best way to get up-to-the-minute information about whether your flight is delayed or canceled and how to get on a new flight.

Pete Muntean, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: An unprecedented wave of COVID is spreading across China with people filling hospitals, and crematoriums overwhelmed by bodies. Why experts warned this could mean new trouble for the U.S. and the rest of the world.

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[02:37:12]

KOSIK: After nearly three years of stringent COVID lockdown, China relaxes its zero-COVID strategy. And health experts warn that the rest of the world should brace for the arrival of new variants that could prove more dangerous than previous ones. The warning comes as hundreds of health professionals from across China are traveling to Beijing to assist medical centers as an unprecedented wave of infections ripples across the country.

Let's go live now to Hong Kong and CNN's Kristie Lu Stout. Kristie, you know, knowing how unreliable the figures are that often come out of China officially, are you even able to get a true understanding of the number of COVID infections there?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. At this moment, we don't have that. And that's my concern is rising, Alison, about the true scale of the COVID-19 infection across China. As you pointed out, official figures are unreliable for a number of reasons, especially right now they're unreliable because China is carrying out less testing than before as it unwinds from years of its zero-COVID policy. And not only that, you -- we also know that China has recently narrowed its definition of what constitutes a COVID-related death.

Now, according to the official figures for this month, for December, China's only officially reported eight COVID-related deaths which is in surprisingly low number, you know, given the evidence has been mounting showing just surging infections and even deaths across the country. For example, in the capital of Beijing, a CNN team there has filmed evidence of a packed and completely overwhelmed crematorium. We also know hospitals in the city are also overwhelmed. In fact, medical workers from other cities and other provinces are now going to Beijing in order to pitch in and to help.

There are also reports of pharmacies saying that they are running out of fever and cold medicines. People are getting scared. Many people feel desperate. I want to share with you one response from a resident in Beijing who told CNN this. Her name is Fairy Zang. She said in the past five days, I had many symptoms, but couldn't buy any medication to treat sore throat, coughing, or fever. None of the medicines are available. She tells us.

The U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is now calling on China as well as other nations to offer up information about their COVID-19 outbreaks. He cites a number of concerns. Public health concerns, obviously, economic concerns, but also deep concerns about the possibility of another variant emerging. We have this statement from what the U.S. Secretary of State said in a press conference overnight.

He said anytime the virus is spreading or is moving around, there is the possibility that a new variant develops, that variant spreads even further and it comes and hits us or other countries around the world. Secretary Blinken, Alison, also spoke to the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the phone emphasizing the need for transparency. Back to you.

[02:40:03]

KOSIK: All right, Kristie Lu Stout, in Hong Kong, thanks very much.

Brazilian football legend Pele will spend Christmas in Sao Paulo in a hospital there due to his worsening health. His daughter said in a message on Instagram that it's best for him to continue receiving care with doctors nearby instead of spending Christmas at home. The Albert Einstein Jewish hospital said Wednesday that Pele's cancer is progressing and he is experiencing kidney and cardiac dysfunctions, which require greater care.

Time for a quick break. For our viewers in North America, I'll have more news in just a moment. For our international viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is next. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.

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[02:45:21]

KOSIK: Welcome back. I'm Alison Kosik, and you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

A dangerous winter storm is moving across the U.S. right now, bringing biting cold winds, frigid temperatures, and snow and ice to some 170 million people, more than half of the population. More than 2700 flights scheduled for Friday have been canceled adding to the chaos from Thursday, which saw a similar number of cancellations. The storm is expected to become a bomb cyclone, with air pressure dropping to a point equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane. Governors in several states have declared states of emergencies for what's being called a once-in-a-generation storm. CNN's Omar Jimenez reports from Chicago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): It's not just snow, it's wind and cold as part of a huge winter system descending onto the U.S. just days before Christmas. Over this week, more than 80 percent of the country's population will see at or below-freezing temperatures. Some places way below like Denver, where the temperature dropped nearly 40 degrees in just an hour, hitting negative 15 by Thursday morning, or Wyoming where a state trooper took this video, zero visibility, and temperatures 60 degrees below zero. Elsewhere, parts of the Midwest are doing what they can to keep up.

One of the biggest concerns in a winter system like this is the roads. And this dome is part of what it takes in a city like Chicago. You're looking at 50,000 tons of salt inside that, crews come in and out of over the course of the day to try and help keep these roads somewhat manageable. The city has about 400,000 tons of salt and more than 300 vehicles in its arsenal to fight back on this second official day of winter.

COLE STALLARD, COMMISSIONER, CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF STREETS AND SANITATION: The goal is to keep up with it but we're going to be fighting that wind. If you can have a conversation with those young drivers, you know every of those first-time drivers, kids coming home from college trying to get home, just have that conversation with those young drivers because this is a little different type of event.

JIMENEZ: Cold temperatures and snow are nothing new to places like Chicago, Minneapolis, and Buffalo.

BYRON BROWN, MAYOR OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK: Some meteorologists are calling this a once-in-a-generation event.

JIMENEZ: Even Atlanta is forecast to have wind chill in the negatives Friday.

GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): Communities across the state are about to see temperatures that they haven't experienced in a decade or more. JIMENEZ: The message is the same even for places used to dealing with bad winters, it's the combination of snow, wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour, and the demand to get home for Christmas. That could mean disaster, especially on the roads where AAA estimates the majority of those traveling this holiday week will be driving.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's not like a snow day you know when you're a kid. It's dangerous and threatening. This is a really very serious weather alert here.

JIMENEZ: Now, you can see the snow, but you can also see me. The fear for officials here is that as this snow subsides in the overnight hours and basically just lays on the ground looking very pretty like it does behind me, the wind is going to turn things ugly, pretty quick, whipping around in winds that are supposed to pick up in the overnight hours and through Friday, that again, officials here could reduce visibility significantly, especially on the roads that people might be taking to try and get home for Christmas.

Omar Jimenez, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: The extreme winter weather and life-threatening conditions are reaching all the way to America's southern border. U.S. border officials are warning migrants to stay away. Below-freezing temperatures are expected in the region throughout the next several days. Authorities stress no one should risk their life or that of their loved ones by being exposed to the elements.

This, as many migrants are sleeping out in the cold and camps along the border as they wait to find out the future of Title 42, the Trump- era policy allows the U.S. to expel migrants in the name of COVID prevention. The policy was set to end this week, but the Supreme Court has put that on hold for now.

The U.S. Senate has passed a massive $1.7 trillion government spending bill averting a shutdown for now. It will keep critical operations going across several federal agencies, but the House still has to sign off before funding runs out at the end of the day on Friday.

[02:50:07]

The bill includes about $45 billion in emergency aid to Ukraine and NATO allies, plus another 40 billion to respond to natural disasters in the U.S. Republicans were not happy with the results.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ROGER MARSHALL (R-KS): I think whenever we're adding a trillion dollars of debt, borrowing money for my grandchildren, of course, I'm horribly disappointed. I think that we could have gotten a much better deal done if we went over the House side and then we went back to a situation where we address one bucket at a time.

SEN. MIKE BRAUN (R-IN): McCarthy was clear publicly, and he was -- at our lunch yesterday that he would welcome the opportunity to do some real work in the House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: The Senate has now officially wrapped up its business for the 117th Congress. The chamber will reconvene January 3.

The U.S. economy grew much faster in the third quarter than exports previously thought. The Commerce Department released its final reading Thursday. It found that U.S. gross domestic product grew at an annual pace of 3.2 percent between July and September. The previous estimate was 2.9 percent. The stronger-than-expected reading was due to increases in exports and consumer spending.

U.S. stocks took a dip due in part to Thursday's GDP report. Investors are concerned that the stronger-than-expected showing could prompt the Federal Reserve to raise rates more than expected in the new year. The main three indices fell with the Dow dropping more than 700 points before rebounding to end the day about 350 points in the red.

The former CEO of the bankrupt crypto company FTX is now free on a $250 million bond. Sam Bankman-Fried appeared before a judge in New York on Thursday. The judge agreed to a bail proposal presented by prosecutors and lawyers. The terms include bond and electronic monitoring bracelet and being on house arrest at his parents' home in California. It's Bankman-Fried's first appearance on U.S. soil since his arrest last week in the Bahamas. He's accused of stealing billions of dollars from customers of his defunct crypto trading platform. Arraignment for those charges will happen at a later date.

The next generation of artificial intelligence is here. It's called ChatGPT. It's a chatbot that can provide thoughtful and human-like if sometimes inaccurate responses to questions. It already has more than a million users after debuting just a few weeks ago, Tom Foreman has more.

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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Allowing cars to drive themselves, composing songs that mimic popular artists, and producing this digital painting that took the top award at a Colorado art show. This is all the work of artificial intelligence, computers that don't just do what they're told, but in a sense, think, learn, and create. And right now, ChatGPT is rattling the AI world turning out stunningly humanoid writing. Just ask Douglas Rushkoff, a renowned author, and professor of Media culture.

DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF, MEDIA THEORIST: It is writing better than most of my students write at this point. I'm going to college freshmen. So, yes, I am impressed with that.

FOREMAN: How does it work? ChatGPT has been filled in a sense with a massive amount of information. Imagine the biggest library you can then be programmed and trained by humans to process and spit it out in conversational phrases. So, ask for 1000 words on the early days of automobiles, and in seconds, it responds. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, automobiles were relatively primitive by today's standards and were primarily used by wealthy individuals or businesses. Ask you to write a sonnet in the style of Jerry Seinfeld. I'm just a stand-up comic telling jokes on stage. I make them laugh and that's all I do. But sometimes life's a joke. It hits me low. And then I take the mic and say who knew it's not perfect, but it can debate, compose essays, solve math problems.

RUSHKOFF: Well, that looks right.

FOREMAN: Write computer code, answer follow-up questions even admit mistakes. And all that means ChatGPT or more advanced AI like it could replace people in all sorts of positions.

RUSHKOFF: This could potentially save time and resources, but it could also lead to a loss of personal connections and a decline in the quality of these types of interactions.

FOREMAN: We know that because everything Rushkoff said just there was written by ChatGPT. When asked about potential problems with itself.

[02:55:09]

RUSHKOFF: The answer it gave me about the dangers of GPT, that sounded like a pretty good television guest to me.

FOREMAN: Sometimes, it makes mistakes and just gets things wrong and its knowledge so far only goes up to 2021. So, if you ask it something from six months ago, it has no idea what you're talking about. But as it continues to update and improve, this is very likely to change our world in a very dramatic way.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

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KOSIK: Thanks for joining us. I'm Alison Kosik. Follow me at Alison Kosik on Instagram and Twitter. My colleague Max foster will be back after the break with more CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us.

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