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Arctic Storm Weakens, Millions Still Under Wind Chill Alerts; Dozen of Migrants Spend Christmas in Texas Shelter; Putin Says He's Ready to Negotiate Over Ukraine; Raskin: Electoral College is a Danger to Democracy; Four Aid Organization in Afghanistan Halt Work After Female Staff Banned. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired December 26, 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]

RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: A very warm good morning to you. Those joining in the United States and indeed wherever you are joining me from around the world. I'm Richard Quest, I'm in London and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

The extreme winter weather threat is most certainly not over yet for millions of Americans. Relief is around the corner eventually.

Vladimir Putin says he is ready to negotiate over Ukraine so long as Russia gets what it wants. You will hear Ukraine's response to that ultimatum.

And China is downplaying the rapidly spreading COVID-19 outbreak. The country's overwhelmed health care system tells a very different story to the official numbers.

It is Monday, it's December 26. If you are in a commonwealth country, then it's Boxing Day. A very happy Boxing Day to you. Don't worry if you don't understand Boxing Day. Most of us don't. It's 9:00 in the morning in London, 4:00 in the morning on the East Coast of the United States.

By the end of the brutal temperatures is in sight. There is relief finally for millions of Americans after this historic winter storm that's left at least 37 people dead. Now, conditions did begin to improve on Sunday, and that meant emergency workers were able to get out, survey the extent of the damage and offer assistance.

At least 17 deaths in New York alone where officials say many of those who died were either homeless or stranded in their cars in the below freezing temperatures. The state's governor is requesting an emergency disaster declaration from the federal government that will help it cover the costs of the storm.

So, these were the scenes as officials were able to get out and start trying to put things right. You will notice many of the streets were blocked by snow and emergency vehicles which themselves became stranded. Near Hamburg -- that's the New York -- it gives you an idea of how cold it is across much of the northeastern United States. And a warning for residents from the governor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHY HOCHUL, (D) NEW YORK GOVERNOR: You need to stay off the roads. We've been begging, we've been asking you, and the vast majority of you have. And I'm grateful for that. But those of you who violate the driving bans, you may think that you can go to the store for that six pack, but you are endangering over people and it's frustrating because our state and county plows have been out there nonstop giving up time and putting themselves in danger driving through blinding snowstorms to clear the roads, they clear them and now all of a sudden because someone wanted to go out to the store or just run and visit a friend or take pictures of the snow, they are now stranded and we have to expand our emergency operations a rescue to them as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: CNN's Polo Sandoval spent the weekend in Buffalo, one of the worst affected areas. Now as he tells us, things are finally getting a bit better.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It has been a just wicked winter weekend for so many people here in the city of Buffalo as folks are in the process of basically digging themselves out. Want to give you an idea of the situation looks like here in the heart of the city of Buffalo. Many of the streets look kind of like this. Finally on Sunday when the situation improved, when conditions improved and visibility was restored, we saw these plow trucks that have been out in full force making sure that the streets are drivable.

All weekend long there has been restrictions in place including a travel and a driving ban, basically encouraging people to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at home. And it is really out of safety. Over the weekend they confirmed -- authorities here in Erie County, confirmed at least seven weather-related deaths, just four alone that were confirmed on Sunday morning. Some of them were homeless individuals, some of the most vulnerable, while others according to New York Governor Kathy Hochul were individuals that were found dead in their vehicles stranded on roads and highways.

[04:05:00]

So that is why all weekend long crews have been out in full force, in large high profile vehicles, even on snowmobiles trying to get to individuals who have spent all of Christmas weekend stranded on the side of the road. They certainly hope that that number of people who have lost their lives as a result of this massive storm does not go up anymore.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, Buffalo, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Now where Polo was reporting from, Buffalo, recorded 43 inches of snow over the weekend. The city's airport is closed until at least Tuesday morning. You can see the dreadful conditions.

On Monday across the U.S., hundreds of flights were canceled to, from and within the country according to FlightAware. There are more than a dozen impacted airports on Sunday. For instance, the world's busiest, which is Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson International -- let not get into a dispute over how we get to that number but it is the busiest -- travelers prepared to hunger down in the city.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were supposed to fly to Denver this morning on Frontier, the flight was canceled. Now we're trying to go to every airline counter possible to see if we can get out. Today is supposed to be an easy travel day. Turned out not to be so.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your backup plan?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay in Atlanta. Unfortunately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: Now the relief, there is the map for you. Temperatures are going to warm up a bit by Wednesday in the Central U.S. and to the East by the end of the week as it moves across the country.

That arctic blast has made things more dangerous for migrants entering the U.S. from the southern border with sleeping on streets in El Paso, Texas. They say the freezing temperatures has been particularly difficult. Communities and local residents are coming to their aid and that's making a border town a sanctuary during the holidays. CNN's Camila Bernal is in El Paso, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Despite very difficult circumstances a lot of happy children thanks to the generosity of the people of El Paso. Santa Claus came to this shelter where the migrants are sleeping and spending the night and many other locals bringing toys, bringing gifts for so many of the children that are here with their parents. I spoke to one mother who told me this present would have been completely impossible in my native Venezuela. And this is inexpensive gifts that are making these children and families really grateful on Christmas day.

Look, a lot of the people here cannot go to the city-run shelters. The city of El Paso has opened the convention center, but only about 300 people are sleeping there. Because in order to go to that location, you need to have the proper documentation. So, the only option they have is a nonprofit shelter like this one run by Sacred Heart Church in El Paso. But they are completely at capacity. Their capacity is for about 130 people and they are sleeping about 200 of them every day when the temperature is about 20 degrees.

But the problem is because they don't fit, a lot of these migrants have to sleep outside that's why you are seeing so many blankets. That's why you're seeing one next to each other because they're always trying to keep warm.

So many of help telling me I don't necessarily want to be here, but it is the necessity from my country that have forced us to come here. I talked to one father who told me that he saw Santa Claus here and he took a picture with him, sent it to his 7-year-old son in Venezuela and told him, look, Santa is in the U.S., so the bike that you so desperately want is going to be delayed because Santa is still here in the U.S. He says that when he finds a job here in the U.S., he will be able to send his son that bike.

Camila Bernal, CNN, El Paso, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: In Ukraine a military spokesperson is warning about a possible missile strike following the death of three Russia service men inside Russian. State media is quoting the Russian defense ministry reporting that they were killed after Ukrainian drone was shot down as it approached a military airfield in western Russia.

President Vladimir Putin says he's ready to negotiate over the war in Ukraine according to an interview on state TV. Mr. Putin says he's ready to talk about acceptable solutions but claims Ukraine is refusing to negotiate.

Ukraine says it's actually Russia who doesn't want negotiations. In a tweet the presidential adviser in Ukraine says Putin needs to come back to reality. And if all that wasn't enough, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister suggests his country is prepared to resume gas supplies to Europe by the Yamal-Europe pipeline.

[04:10:00]

The state media is reporting that the European market remains relevant amid a gas shortage.

Nada Bashir is following the events is with me with more. You know that famous line it takes two to tango, so Russia says they want negotiations. Ukraine says well, we're open to negotiations. Why are they not negotiating?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Look, I mean, it's all very much focused on the key phrase that Putin used, as you mentioned, acceptable solutions. What is it exactly that President Putin is willing to discuss when it comes to getting the two parties to the negotiating table because of course it is not straightforward. We've seen attempts in the past may have failed in this is now 10 months on. President Zelenskyy has repeatedly said he's not going to negotiate with President Putin while Putin's troops are still on the ground in Ukrainian territory. And of course, that bombardment is still continuing. And of course, when it comes to the question of territory, how far is President Putin willing to compromise on that? We've seen the annexation of four key regions on the southern and eastern parts of Ukraine. President Zelenskyy will not accept that.

QUEST: OK, but how far apart are the two sides? Because if you are waiting for Crimea or if you are putting Crimea into the equation, as being a pre-condition, if we're going to discuss Crimea, if Putin is going to put other things into it as well, how far apart are they?

BASHIR: At this stage it feels very vast. The dividing line is quite clear because President Zelenskyy says he will not move on Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk and Luhansk. Those four key regions which President Putin says were legitimately annexed. That it was the will of the Ukrainian people. That simply is unacceptable to President Zelenskyy and indeed much of the international community.

And then there's the question of whether Putin's words can actually be trusted. We've heard repeatedly from Ukrainian officials and indeed U.S. officials saying that President Putin has up until this point shown no interest in bringing about any sort of mediated resolution, in taking part in any sort of diplomatic efforts to negotiate a resolution to this conflict. Can his word be trusted? That is the question particularly as we are still see the bombardment continue and concerns over intensification within the year.

QUEST: Thank you.

Republicans will retake control of the U.S. House in January. In a moment, how this could reshape Washington and American politics.

And we'll also discuss the global condemnation on the Taliban ban of women, employees and NGOs, in a moment.

[04:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: With Christmas now firmly in the rearview mirror, all eyes are on the new year and a new Republican-controlled House of Representatives in Washington. It is divided U.S. government that will arrive in January. And it means Democrats may find it harder to pass legislation. As we wait to see what happens, the House Democrat Jamie Raskin is speaking up saying the next step is to save our democracy by reforming the Electoral College. Americans don't select the U.S. president directly, is the strange construct called the Electoral College. They vote for their state electors who in turn are expected to carry out the will of the voters when they meet and vote for the president. Let's not get too detailed on the Electoral College. Most Americans have difficulty understanding the full ramifications anyway. Raskin says it is time to revamp the system.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): The Electoral College now, which has given us five popular vote losers as president in our history twice in this century alone, has become a danger not just to democracy, but to the American people. It was a danger on January 6, there are so many curving byways and nooks and crannies in the electoral college that there are opportunities for loot of strategic mischief. We should elect the president the way we elect governors, senators, mayors, representatives, everybody else. Whoever gets the most votes wins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: Raskin's comments come only days after the House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot and Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, that committee has now wrapped up. In a symbolic move, it referred Donald Trump to the Justice Department on four criminal charges.

Richard Johnson joins me now, lecturer in U.S. politics at Queen Mary University in London. He joins me in London. Now this is really straightforward, isn't it? Let's deal with this call for the Electoral College -- as I'm sure as long as you can remember, people have been saying, well, popular vote versus electoral vote, doesn't really work, but nobody can find a way to change it.

RICHARD JOHNSON, LECTURER IN U.S. POLITICS, QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON: That's right. The last time that the Constitution was amended to try to fix some elements of the Electoral College was in the early 19th century with the 12th amendment. We've heard, you know, talk about amending the Constitution which is what you would need to do to change the Electoral College after the 2000 election, after 2016 and nothing came of it.

There is one way around it though, which is that the state legislatures could actually pass legislation that says that they will cast their Electoral College votes to the popular vote winner. And if you can get states to add up to 270 electoral votes which is the majority, you could actually kind of bypass the Electoral College. And there is some effort do that in the States. We are not at 270 yet. But that probably is the most likely way that you can get around the Electoral College.

QUEST: The January 6 was two aspects to this again. Firstly, it's going to be disbanded by the new Republican controlled House. And I guess, you know, what's left for it to do on that. And then you've got a whole slew of new inquiries and investigations, investigations galore. How brutal is it going to get?

JOHNSON: Well, there's going to be a big change now with the House going over to the Republicans. And you know, I think we should brace ourselves and expect a series of investigations now into the Biden presidency.

[04:20:00]

And I think that this will be a big challenge for President Biden as to how to navigate those. You know, quite rightly there was a lot of criticism against Donald Trump for not really engaging with the January 6 committee. You know, Biden now is going to have to navigate how he deals with what he may view as fairly spurious investigations into his own presidency in the months to come.

QUEST: If the new emboldened Republicans in the House decide to press forward with impeachment proceedings against even just on a tit for tat basis, they'll go nowhere of course because the Senate has now been held by -- the Senate is he court of hearing -- has now been held by the Democrats. So, an enormous amount of what we are going to hear is literally bluster.

JOHNSON: I think that's right. And I think that we have to now -- you know, this is a process that has been happening, you know, when there has been divided government for a number of decades now. We saw it during the Bill Clinton presidency. We saw it a little bit in the tail end of the George W. Bush presidency. We saw it through most of Obama's presidency.

But it has become much more intense now. Which is that parties -- when the opposition party is in control of one of the chambers in Congress, they use that position to undermine the presidential administration of the day and that seems to be much more the focus than trying to build some kind of bipartisan legislative coalition.

QUEST: So, as we look forward, has the 2024 -- get my dates right -- has the 2024 presidential election de facto begun?

JOHNSON: Yes, I think it has. You know, I often say after the midterm elections, we're already in presidential campaign mode. And I think that you can already see that obviously with Donald Trump declaring his presidency. But also, from significant Republican governors like Ron DeSantis or Greg Abbott who are now engaging in kind of the high profile stunts to raise their national profile and their profile within the Republican Party.

Good I will say I think Joe Biden is in a fairly strong position in the sense of his ability to hold on to the Democratic nomination. I think earlier in his presidency there was some doubt whether he'd face a significant challenge in a Democratic primary. I think that that is less likely now. I think that he's had a good year. He's had a legislatively productive year and I think he's probably put off some of the naysayers against his presidency.

QUEST: This is always a tricky one. How does he get over the fact that he looks old? I sort of was watching him, the president -- I mean, regardless of his mental acuity, I was watching him with President Zelenskyy. And the words that keep just coming back to me, are like Kennedy's -- the torch has been passed to a new generation born in this century tempered by war. And you know, but then you see President Biden who you almost want to offer a chair to.

JOHNSON: Yes, you know, it's something he can escape. You know, Joe Biden was born before Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, he's older than all of his -- those four predecessors. You know, he first entered national politics when Richard Nixon was president. I would say that, you know, that's going to be something that will be a challenge against him. I think that he has not demonstrated any particular incident where he's been unable to fulfill the duties of the presidency because of his age, not at least not in any ways that we've seen.

But yes, he does look old and he is old. And I think, you know, I think that's going to be something that he will probably have to carefully manage. He probably won't be campaigning quite in the same vigorous fashion as a younger candidate. And that could be to his detriment in a general election against perhaps a younger Republican nominee.

QUEST: Good to see you, sir, I'm grateful. Thank you.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

QUEST: Still ahead, major aid organizations are setting up operations in Afghanistan after the Taliban imposed a new ban. An official from one of those organizations will join me after the break.

[04:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: Here in the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Richard Quest. If you are joining us at the moment, just starting your day, allow me to bring you up-to- date with the hour's top stories.

At least 37 people are dead in the historic winter storm that's brought freezing temperatures to across most of the U.S. Warmer weather is expected to move east this week and that will bring much needed relief for Americans who will feel the chill until at least Wednesday.

Vladimir Putin says he is ready to negotiate on Ukraine but will continue to fight until all of Russia's goals are accomplished.

Several countries are condemning the Taliban's decision to ban female employees of aid organizations from working. Four major international aid agencies have announced that they are temporarily suspending operations in the country. They say that they cannot effectively reach women and other women in desperate need in Afghanistan without their female staff. The Red Cross and the EU says the move will severely restrict the aid and delivery of aid in the region. And the EU is urging the Taliban to reverse its decision. Qatar has expressed deep concern over the ban.

However, in a tweet a Taliban spokesperson has lashed out at a U.S. official asking her not to interfere in Afghanistan's internal issues. David Wright is with me, chief operating officer for Save the Children International. The aid group has temporarily suspended its operations in Afghanistan. David, thank you, I realize it is complicated and difficult. There are even some suggestions from other Taliban that are saying that the aid workers, the female aid workers, should still turn up to work. What is your latest understanding?

DAVID WRIGHT, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, SAVE THE CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL: Well, our latest understanding is that the situation remains very grave. The position of the Taliban officially hasn't changed at all. And essentially that means we can't reach tens of thousands of vulnerable mothers and children right across the country.

QUEST: The issue here is also the Taliban is not going to be moved. I mean, they are already under the most tremendous sanctions. They've got funds locked up outside the country. The population.