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170+ Million People Facing Frigid Temperatures Across U.S.; 2,800+ Flights Canceled Today, Disrupting Holiday Travel; Committee Concludes Trump Should Be Barred From Office; Zelenskyy Back in Kyiv After Wartime Visit to U.S.; Putin Calls It "War". Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired December 23, 2022 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Max Foster in London. Bianca off this week. But just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Millions of people experiencing to peak of what the weather service is calling a once in a generation type event.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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 added.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our goal is not to spin the flag rule of military conflict, but on the contrary to end this war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.

FOSTER: It is Friday, December 23rd, 9 a.m. here in London, 4 a.m. on the U.S. East Coast. Where millions of Americans are waking up to a once in a generation weather event that's playing out across the country as a frigid and potentially deadly arctic blast sweeps from one coast to the other that shatters cold temperature records. Even President Biden is issuing a warning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP) FOSTER: And more than half of the U.S. population, around 170 million

people, are under winter alerts for snow and icy conditions that are bad and getting even worse. Those hitting the road perhaps to see family for the holidays, you might want to reconsider. Because this is what it's like trying to drive in Cheyenne, Wyoming, zero visibility.

And for those looking to fly, that's an increasing wild card too. Airlines have canceled at least 2,800 flights so far today. On top of that, some 250,000 homes and businesses across the country are without power. That number is also growing.

CNN has reporters all across the U.S. covering this story for you. Meteorologist Britley Ritz is live at the CNN Weather Center in Atlanta for us. CNN's aviation correspondent Pete Muntean is at the airport in Chicago. Lucy Kafanov is in Denver, Colorado. And Omar Jimenez is in Chicago. First though we're going to go to Britley for the very latest on the conditions.

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That arctic air now pushing all the way down into Texas and through the Ohio Valley and Southeast. We have actual temperatures below zero. Des Moines, 9 below -- that's Fahrenheit. And then of course, when we factor in the wind, that's what counts. The wind chill, what it feels like to your skin -- 39 degrees below zero. Wind gusts in Indianapolis, 41 miles per hour. Sustained winds near 30 miles per hour and only expected to get stronger as this low deepens over the Great Lakes.

Hence, the wind chill warnings that are in effect across the northern plains down into Texas right on up through the Ohio Valley, then slowly moving in to New England. As that front moves through, expect many of us to be below freezing for many hours. Jackson, Mississippi, 84 hours.

That's your forecast to be below freezing which means we could wind up with freezing pipes if we're not careful. 65 degrees, that's where your house needs to be set at least, if not a little bit warmer. Open up the doors to the cabinets where the pipes are, that way the air can circulate. And also make sure that you're dripping your faucets. That way the water is moving, that friction helps.

Not only that, but we could be dealing with frostbite dangers. 5 to 10 minutes is all it takes to dealing with frostbite with wind chills that are going to be 35 to 45 degrees below. And that is going to be the case over the next three days for many of us.

Minneapolis, expect wind chills down past 20 below. Same for us in Chicago and Des Moines. Not only the cold but the snow with the winds factored in. And the snow doesn't have to be deep, it's dry air. So, it's a very dry snowflake. Blizzard warnings in effect across the northern plains, back across the Great Lakes and now into parts of New York like Buffalo and Watertown. These are areas have already been dealing with blizzard conditions. Be careful, a 1/4 of a mile. That's it. A 1/4 of a mile down to zero visibility in some of these locations. So, travel just not advised across the Great Lakes. This is where we're expected to be dealing with most of the snowfall, especially on the eastern side of Lake Michigan back on up through Ontario as well as Lake Erie.

[04:05:04]

These are areas that again have picked up numerous amounts of snow and nearly 2 feet expected neared Buffalo once more. That snow is already coming down through the Ohio valley. Heavy bands moving through the Miami Valley up into Columbus and then back on up into the Great Lakes as we speak. So please heed the warning. Don't travel if you don't have to -- Max.

FOSTER: OK, Britley, thank you.

While millions of Americans are bracing for the worst weather still to come, people in the plains and Midwest feeling the frigid impact. CNN's Lucy Kafanov reports from Denver, Colorado.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Millions of people experiencing the peak of what the weather service is calling a once in a generation type event. Others still bracing. The bomb cyclone producing ice and snow is impacting more than 105 million people across the country. Winter alerts from coast to coast for snow and icy conditions. The dangerous cold has over 150 million people or nearly half the U.S. population under wind chill alerts with below zero wind chills as far south as Texas.

In the Midwest, more than a foot of snow and possible blizzard conditions expected. South Dakota's famous Sioux Falls frozen. The in some parts of Kansas the National Weather Service reporting wind chills below negative 30. There and in the plains the cold expected to stick around for Christmas weekend. Likely making it the coldest Christmas there in roughly 40 years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your nose hairs literally freeze.

KAFANOV (voice-over): Even those used to the cold in Wyoming are feeling the arctic blast.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, it's cold but when it's negative 20, it's just another level.

KAFANOV (voice-over): Slick ice and snow, making driving conditions dangerous. Abandoned vehicles, stranded drivers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want people have things in their vehicles, kits ready to be deployed if they get stuck in their vehicles somewhere.

KAFANOV (voice-over): Weather hazards causing road closures in various parts of the country. Zero visibility making it hard for emergency workers to respond.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's hand warmers, some socks, a beanie and like some hygiene products and then some water in a blanket.

KAFANOV (voice-over): In Colorado outreach workers try to provide help and keep people warm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They said it's going to be cold. So, I say get off the streets. If it's a real extreme emergency they really be right on it.

KAFANOV (voice-over): Buses of people seeking shelter at the Denver Coliseum to stay out of the freezing cold.

KAFANOV: And it may look like things are getting back to normal. The sun is out here in Denver finally but looks can be deceiving. It still feels incredibly cold. In fact, the city of Denver is opening up new warming centers. There is some relief on the horizon. We are expecting temperatures to go back up slowly but surely on Friday and by Christmas day we could be seeing highs of 50 degrees. Of course, there is less relief in sight for the rest of the country.

Lucy Kafanov, CNN, Denver.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: What others said earlier, the extreme cold temperatures and bomb cyclone are wreaking havoc for people hoping to travel this holiday weekend. More than 2,800 U.S. flights are canceled today and that number is growing very quickly. That according to the tracking website FlightAware. And many travelers are now left stranded or with few options during one of the busiest times of the year. CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean has more from O'Hare airport in Chicago.

(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 added. Buffalo, Binghamton, New York, L.A., San Francisco. The numbers are in the thousands and will continue on Friday. About 1/4 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 United Airlines network operations 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 to different connecting airports. 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: We left 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 family.

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: Airline's advice is to download their app. That is the best way to get up to the minute information about what flight is delayed or canceled and how to get on a new flight.

Pete Muntean, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[04:10:00]

FOSTER: Now to Washington where the house committee investigating January 6th has released the 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. CNN's justice correspondent Jessica Schneider has our report.

(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 happened occurred before, during, immediately after January 6.

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 constitutional provision should be enforced. And while they don't say it directly, the take away 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. That would make clear that vice presidents do not have the power to overturn elections, of course as Trump pressured 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's a host of new details in the 800 plus page report including about how John Eastman first contacted Donald 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 refused to do that. And also, how a little known attorney named Kenneth Cheeseboro

allegedly came up with that plot to appoint fake electors in battleground states to try to claim that Trump actually won in the states. And 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. And those prosecutor's from the special counsel's office, they have even served subpoenas to election officials in several battleground states as part of its ramped up investigation. So, the committee wrapping up its report but still potentially a long way to go on the criminal side.

Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: I spoke last hour with CNN legal analyst Areva Martin and I asked her about the report's conclusion that the riots on January 6th would not have happened without Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: No doubt about it, Max. This 800 plus page report makes it very clear that there is one person responsible for the January 6th insurrection and that one person is Donald Trump. And they make that very clear without ever really mentioning his name.

And they provide four, you know, referrals to the Department of Justice for criminal charges to be filed against Donald Trump. And in fact, they lay out a roadmap for federal prosecutors giving just insurmountable amounts of evidence that leads to the conclusion that Donald Trump incited the riot that we saw take place, the insurrection we saw on January 6th. That he refused to accept the reality that was told to him over and over again by his closest aides. The reality that he had lost the election and that there wasn't any widespread voter fraud. And what we know now is that he despite that information just kept plowing ahead, trying to overturn the will of the people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, the U.S. Senate has passed a massive $1.7 trillion government spending averting a shutdown for now. It'll 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 today. Many Republicans weren't happy with the results and said they wanted more cooperation with their counterparts in the House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. ROGER MARSHALL (R-KS): I think whenever we're adding a trillion dollars of debt, borrowing money from my grandchildren, of course I'm totally disappointed. I think we could have gotten a much better deal done if we win over at the House side. And then we're 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.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: If you don't like the spending deal, why didn't you object to it?

[04:15:00]

SEN JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO) Well, they get the votes were closer on that. So, it's going to pass. So, what can you do?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now the bill includes about $45 billion in emergency aid to Ukraine and NATO allies, plus another $38 billion to respond to natural disasters within the U.S. It also overhauls the Electoral Count Act of 1887 and bans TikTok on federally issued electronic devices.

Russia's president makes a big statement by saying a three letter world. He calls the war in Ukraine, what it is, a war. We'll explain why that could make a big difference in Russia.

Plus, making a long journey to the U.S. only to be sent back across the border. How some migrants lose a chance for a new life in the U.S. despite an enormous effort to get there.

And after years of harsh lockdowns, China is seeing a new and deadly wave of COVID-19 and that could mean trouble for the rest of the world. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: We're following a developing story this hour as South Korea reports that the North has launched two short range ballistic missiles.

[04:20:00]

Military officials in Seoul say the projectiles landed in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. This marks the 36th day this year that North Korea has launched at least one missile. U.S. and South Korea experts are warning Pyongyang could be preparing for its first nuclear test in more than five years.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is back in Kyiv after his historic visit to the U.S. He posted this video of him in his office a short while ago. Whilst in Washington Mr. Zelenskyy secured a new batch of U.S. military aid including the Patriot Missile Defense System. Earlier he had this to say about his visit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I'm coming back from Washington, coming with good results that will really help. When we say Patriots in Ukraine and in the U.S., it means defense of state and people in both cases. This issue is resolved for Ukraine as well as the financial support. There are other agreements as well. More on them a bit later.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: But the Kremlin was quick to respond to the announcement of U.S. military aid saying Ukraine and its allies are setting themselves up for a long war with Russia. President Putin also claims that Kyiv is getting the Patriot Missile Defense System and it's not really a game changer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Well, as for the Patriots, this is a rather old system and it doesn't work like our RS 300. Well, nevertheless, those who oppose us proceed to say this is a supposedly defensive weapon. OK, well, just keep that in mind and there is always an antidote and be those who are doing this are doing it in vain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Mr. Putin raising some eyebrows by calling his invasion of Ukraine what it really is, and that is a war. That's a change in Russia's insistence on calling it a special military operation. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PUTIN (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)

FOSTER: More on that, Nada Bashir joins us here in the studio. It's really stark hearing him say that because he's been so careful not to say it. The question is, was it intentional or as what you been reporting, it could be a slip of the tongue?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Potentially, but of course, President Putin is very well known for being very careful to choose his words. And as you said, he has been quite careful over the last few months since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began.

He did use the word war, as we confirmed. And of course, there some concern over whether this was a slip of the tongue or whether it was intentional, some debate around that. We've heard from one U.S. official who has told CNN that an early U.S. government assessment is that this may well have been a slip of the tongue. But of course, officials will be watching quite carefully over the coming days, weeks to see whether president Putin uses it again, and whether perhaps this marks a shift in rhetoric from Putin or indeed the Kremlin when it comes to discussing the situation in Ukraine, the war in Ukraine. And whether that translates to any shifts on the situation on the ground.

Of course, we did listen to Putin yesterday addressing reporters. He answered numerous conditions on the situation in Ukraine. And he reiterated what the Kremlin has said before which is that the Kremlin, that Russia remains open to the possibility of future negotiations, at least from Russia's perspective. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PUTIN (through translator): This leadership of Ukraine forbade itself to negotiate. Sooner or later, of course, any parties in a state of conflict will sit down and negotiate. The sooner this realization comes to those who oppose us the better. We never gave up on it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: And of course, the Kremlin has long maintained that it is open to talks with Ukraine. President Putin and the Kremlin have long blamed Ukraine for not being willing to take part of those talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has of course ruled out the possibility of talks directly with President Putin following the annexation of Ukrainian territory.

And following that landmark meeting between President Zelenskyy and President Biden in Washington, we heard from the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, and he said that it was clear that neither leader showed any willingness to listen to Russia's concerns. The likelihood of any direct talks doesn't seem very possible at this stage. But of course, now we've seen that the signing of that new aid deal from the U.S. To Ukraine, that could certainly ramp up tensions. We've seen an intensification of Russia's bombardment in Ukraine, in Kherson yesterday. , So, significant concerns around that as well.

FOSTER: OK, Nada, thank you.

WNBA star Brittney Griner is asking fans to write letters to another American still detained in Russia. Griner wrote a letter to her supporters following her release from Russia. And she posted a photo of the handwritten letter on Instagram. In it she urged her fans to write to Paul Whelan saying in part: I hope you'll join me in writing to Paul Whelan and continuing to advocating for other Americans to be rescued and returned to their families. Whelan a former U.S. Marine has been detained in Russia since 2018.

[04:25:02]

Women in Afghanistan are protesting against the Taliban's latest crackdown on their rights. This time banning women from universities. On Thursday dozens of students and female activists marched in Kabul to protest the Taliban's decision. Organizers of the protests say the Taliban detained several people before releasing them. The Taliban say the ban is because women were violating the strict dress code and other, quote, Islamic values. They also say the interaction between male and female students was another factor. The band has drawn mere universal condemnation with world leaders urging the Taliban to reverse it. The U.S. says the Taliban are hurting their desire for improved relations with the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANTONY BLINKEN, I U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: And the bottom line is that no country is going to be able to succeed, much less thrive if it denies half its population the opportunity to contribute. And to be clear -- and we're engaged with other countries on this right now -- there are going to be costs if this is not reversed, if this is not changed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The dream of coming to a U.S. comes to a screeching halt for some migrants reaching or crossing the border. How one legal rule determines who can stay and who can go.

Snow plows and salt trucks out in force across the U.S. as a huge winter storm blankets much of the nation. We'll have a report from Chicago after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster. If you are just joining us, let me bring you up to date with the top stories this hour. The final report from the January 6th select committee is now public. The 18 month investigation.