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U.S. Begins First Airdrops Of Humanitarian Aid Into Gaza; Trump Slams Biden In Campaign Rally In North Carolina; CNN Poll Of Poll Continues To Show Tight Race In Trump-Biden Matchup; Possible Spy Balloon Retrieved By Fishermen In Alaska; Icy Storm To Provide Much- Needed Boost To Critical California Snowpack; Georgia Bill Allows For Arrest Of Any Person Suspected Of Being In U.S. Illegally; Dog Sled Race Cancelled Due To Lack Of Snow. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired March 02, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:01:16]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome, everyone. Thanks for joining. I'm Omar Jimenez in today for Fredricka Whitfield. We begin this hour with some breaking news.

As the U.S. begins, humanitarian airdrops today over Gaza, we're now learning that Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with Israeli War Cabinet minister Benny Gantz on Monday in Washington. And it also comes as a senior U.S. official tells CNN that a six-week ceasefire has basically been accepted by Israel. And they're now waiting on a response from Hamas.

Now, earlier today, three C-130 Hercules cargo planes dropped a total of 66 bundles of aid in Gaza. They included mainly food, but no water or medical supplies.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is in Washington.

Now, Priscilla, President Biden weighed in on the airdrops a short time ago. What is he saying?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: He did, and he echoed his remarks from this week, which is that this is still not enough aid. Let me read the tweet you. It says, quote, "The amount of aid flowing to Gaza is not nearly enough. And we will continue to pull out every stop we can to get more aid in."

Now, senior administration officials earlier today did describe these drops as successful and the way they came to that conclusion is that they have been monitoring where they dropped this aid and they have seen civilians approach it and start to distribute it. Now these were locations that were chosen based on assessments that people were sheltering in these areas and that these people were in need of aid.

Now, here's what we know -- you're seeing the images there of what was dropped. It was 66 bundles dropped. This was in combination with the Jordanian Air Force Base, and in total, it was 38,000 meals. Now, those are meals. There was so water or medical supplies that was included in this drop, and administration officials described this as, quote, "flooding the zone." It's sending these humanitarian aid through these drops.

They're also exploring a maritime corridor to get more aid in. But none of it is a substitute for the land crossings. They continue to say that those land crossings need to be opened up as well so that aid could come in through there because as you have seen, Omar, and described, it is a dire situation in Gaza. U.S. officials are keenly aware of that and they are trying to scale up the aid that they provide to people in that region.

And they have maintained that in the coming days we may see more of these humanitarian aid drops, but it all goes to show how desperate the situation has become that they have resorted to this and are still exploring other avenues to get even more in.

JIMENEZ: Yes, these humanitarian needs remain ongoing for people that just went basics at this point. But while that is happening, there are also extensive diplomatic efforts going on. What can you tell us about this meeting between Vice President Kamala Harris in Israeli Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz?

ALVAREZ: Well, this is a meeting that is expected to take place on Monday. It's one of a series of meetings that the vice president has had with Israeli officials, but it does come at a critical juncture. It comes, as you saw there, that aid is going into Gaza and that's something that the vice president is expected to talk to Benny Gantz about. But also on the heels of these talks, these hostage talks.

Now this has been something that has been a work in progress for weeks. And now we're learning from a senior administration official that Israel has, quote, "basically accepted the frameworks of a deal." Now, this is a deal that would include a six-week ceasefire that would allow for the release of hostages of those who are considered vulnerable. That includes women, the elderly, as well as the wounded.

And then it would also allow for a surge of aid into Gaza. And in the course of those six weeks, according to these administration officials, there would be more talks to try to work out some of the sticky points.

[15:05:02]

Like for example the release of hostages who are also IDF members. So all of this is ongoing. These talks, of course, very, very sensitive. But this is a meeting where the vice president can also appeal directly to the Israeli War Cabinet member, and not only talk about the now but also the future. That's something that the vice president has been very involved in when it comes to the day-after planning for Gaza.

And she won't be the only meeting that Benny Gantz has while he's in town. He's also expected to meet with National Security adviser Jake Sullivan.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And look, all of this is happening with at least here in the United States in an election year, which we have seen how that is being handled play out on the campaign trial. And as I understand, you have some details about First Lady Jill Biden, who is -- who has been out on the campaign trail in Arizona. What do you know?

ALVAREZ: She is. She's doing a swing where she's basically galvanizing women to vote for the Biden-Harris ticket this year. But as she was speaking in Arizona, she was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters. This is something that has become a regular occurrence for President Biden. It's happened on occasion with Vice President Kamala Harris. And we saw today that it has now happened also with First Lady Jill Biden.

And it is the reality that this administration faces as they navigate the politics of all of this. They have come under fire for what is playing out in Gaza, for the dire situation, for the ongoing ground the by Israel. And they have faced a lot of pressure from voters in the United States who have been calling for a ceasefire. And so the Biden-Harris campaign knows this. They recognize this and oftentimes they mentioned, when confronted with this, the domestic accomplishments of President Biden and also the fact that he does hear these concerns.

But what today's event really underscores is that this is an issue that isn't going away anytime soon. And as much as this is difficult and challenging for them to grapple with abroad, it still is very much an issue here domestically.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you for all that reporting. Really appreciate it.

A new poll from "The New York Times" and Siena College finds some pretty concerning numbers for President Joe Biden. It finds only 18 percent of voters they surveyed think they personally benefited from his policies. The same poll also shows 40 percent of those surveyed think they have personally benefited from former President Trump's policies.

So joining me now to break down the numbers is CNN reporter Alayna Treene, who's covering -- who's actively covering a Trump rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, where the former president took the stage.

So let's start with that. Alayna, what has the former president been saying?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Omar, despite this visit becoming just before Super Tuesday next week, his main goal is talking about the general election and also attacking Joe Biden. Rather than spending his speech going after Nikki Haley, his lone remaining rival, into this race, he's spending the majority of his attacks going after the president. I think that just underscores how they view his visits both here in North Carolina right now but he'll also be in Virginia later today.

His campaign tells me in my conversations with them that they really view these two states as crucial battlegrounds in a general election. And that's why he chose to come to these states specifically. Now, and part of those attacks on Joe Biden, he's brought up the legal challenges that he is facing an argued that they were created by Joe Biden, something we know there is no evidence of. But he argued that the American people will convict Joe Biden at the

ballot box in November. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Crooked Joe will not succeed with these plans and he will not get away with these crimes. He'll be tried at the ballot boxes November and he will be judged and convicted by the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, Omar, and I apologize, it is quite loud in here. This is a very energetic crowd, a big crowd in here in North Carolina today. But, look, we've also heard a lot of other big themes that we know are core to Donald Trump's election strategy, and general election strategy more specifically, which is talking about immigration, talking about crime, and talking about the economy.

Those are the three issues that they really view Democrats and specifically Joe Biden as being the most vulnerable on in a general election. And he's very much leaning hard into those messages today -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: Alayna Treene, as I've said, is skilled to do that reporting with someone talking behind you. I really appreciate it.

Despite those concerning numbers for Biden, a CNN Poll of Polls shows the race for president is a toss-up at the moment. The most recent numbers in a 2024 general election matchup between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump continued to show no clear leader between the two with Trump at 48 percent and Biden at 46 percent.

[15:10:03]

So I'm joined now by Caitlin Jewitt. She is an associate professor at the Department of Political Science at Virginia Tech University. She's also the author of the book, "The Primary Rules: Parties, Voters and Presidential Nominations."

So, Professor, the general election, still eight months away. But how concerned should the Biden campaign and even Democrats at large be about some of his polling numbers at this point?

CAITLIN JEWITT, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, VIRGINIA TECH UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE: I think, as you mentioned, that's an early poll. We're a long way from November. Democrats will likely rally around President Biden as we get closer to the election. As things hopefully start to get sorted out in Israel and Gaza, things may look different. So it's an early poll, but Democrats are certainly watching it and keeping an eye on things.

JIMENEZ: Yes, and look, people have looked at whether it's poll numbers, concerns about age, that they've looked at that major uncommitted protest vote that happened in Michigan earlier this week, and some of that has raised speculation or there's a thought process out there that maybe Democrats should nominate someone else at the convention. And you just wrote an opinion piece in the "L.A. Times" making the case that Democrats would be making a big mistake by nominating someone else. Why do you feel that way?

JEWITT: I think that the Democrats have done a lot over the past 50 years to move the nomination process out of the hands of party elites, where they used to select the nominee in the so-called smoke-filled rooms. That's what happened in 1968 when Democrats nominated Hubert Humphrey, even though he didn't participate in a single Democratic primary. And following that nomination, the Democratic Party created what was known as the McGovern-Frazier Commission that really pushed the nomination process into the hands of voters, and they tried to make it a more democratic process.

And they've continued to do so since 1968. And I think that having a candidate that is not Biden nominated at the convention when no other candidate participated in the primaries, or at least not a candidate that got any significant support would be a mistake because it would be a move away from democratic values and the will of the people. And that's particularly concerning in the time we are now where democracy is in a fragile state as it is.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And look, some of those names that have been floated have been quick to shoot down the possibility of that even happening at all. And so that is likely a strategy to project that Joe Biden is the person that Democrats are sticking behind.

I want to jump to the Republican side real quick. Donald Trump appears to be on his way to winning the GOP presidential nomination, but Nikki Haley hasn't dropped out and she continued to draw 30 percent to even 40 percent of voters in these primaries. Some of them are Republican races or only Republican voters can vote, but some of these have been open primaries. So in theory, independents or even people who identify as Democrats could vote for Nikki Haley.

All of that said, if those Haley supporters that we have seen to this point stay engaged, is that a concern or warning sign for Trump and the Republicans, as you may try to coalesce Republican support in a general election?

JEWITT: Right, assuming it's a Trump-Biden fight for the general election, which it certainly will be, it looks like, they'll really both be going after those independent voters, right. Those voters who are showing up and voting for Haley may be doing so because there's no real competition on the Democratic side. And so both sides will really try to make sure that those independent voters turn out and vote for their candidate as opposed to just staying home.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Yes. Professor Caitlin Jewitt, thank you so much. Really appreciate the time.

JEWITT: Thanks for having me.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

Meanwhile, a surprise on the shores of Alaska. A possible spy balloon. Who found it? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:18:44]

JIMENEZ: The FBI may soon be taking possession of a suspected spy balloon. It was found off the Alaskan coast by a fishing vessel. And while we're not sure, while it's not certain, I should say, if it's an actual spy balloon, officials felt it looked enough like one to warrant an investigation.

CNN's Katie Bo Lillis has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATIE BO LILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What my colleague Evan Perez and I have learned from our sources is that commercial fishermen off the coast of Alaska found an unknown object that worried them enough that they took pictures of it and contacted law enforcement. When the FBI saw these images, officials determined that whatever this object was bore enough resemblance to a foreign government operated surveillance balloon that they wanted to check it out for themselves.

Now, FBI officials will meet the fishing vessel when it comes into a port expected to be sometime this weekend. The bureau will then take possession of the object, transport it to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, and analyze it as has been done with previous surveillance balloons.

Now, all of our sources emphasized that it wasn't clear exactly what the object was, and that it may not be a surveillance balloon at all. But the concern for officials is that it could be another foreign government operated balloon similar to the Chinese surveillance balloon that blew off course and transited across the Continental U.S. in February of last year before being shot down off the Atlantic Ocean. That balloon entered U.S. territory through Alaskan airspace.

[15:20:07]

After that episode, though, the U.S. widens the aperture of its radar systems so that it could better detect objects traveling above a certain altitude and at certain speeds. Now these more sensitive radar systems have allowed the U.S. Military to spot more unidentified objects in U.S. airspace, not all of which are surveillance balloons. There were three additional shootdowns of unidentified high-altitude objects in the weeks following the Chinese balloon incident.

And just in the last couple of weeks, the North American Aerospace Defense Command or NORAD sent fighter jets to intercept and examine a small balloon spotted floating over the southwest, drifting east. NORAD later said in a statement that the balloon was, quote, "likely a hobby balloon," and that it posed no threat.

We will continue to watch, of course, to see what the FBI is able to learn about this mystery object now bobbing across the ocean on a fishing boat on its way to port. But right now, it's just the mystery catch of the day.

Katie Bo Lillis, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: Thank you.

Just ahead, a rare blizzard is pounding the California mountains with heavy snow. Some areas could get up to 12 feet. The cities in the bull's eye, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:25:40]

JIMENEZ: Breaking news on the West Coast where more than three feet of snow has fallen in a rare blizzard in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Just take a look. Workers at one California resort found snow piled so high it blocked the entire doorway. I don't even know what you do with that.

Forecasters say as much as 12 feet of snow could fall before the weekend is over. Hurricane force wind gusts are creating whiteout conditions as drivers tried to navigate through ice covered roads.

CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa is tracking it all.

So what are you watching at this hour?

ELISA RAFFA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We're watching this snowfall totals just continue to increase. Now, looking at some of these totals approaching 40 inches in spots. Take a look at some of these impacts. In all of these purple shaded areas here along the spine of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, we're looking at hazardous travel, impossible travel in fact, because of the heavy snow and the incredibly gusty winds creating whiteout conditions.

Now, these winds aren't just gusty and blowing around snow. They could be damaging causing downed trees, power lines, and power outages, and the snow has incredibly heavy snowfall rates. We're talking snowfall rates up to four inches per hour. One inch per hour is a lot. Four inches per hour is just mind boggling. And that's how you're getting these snowfall totals to rack up in feet.

We're talking about 27 inches of snow in Homewood Mountain, California, getting even close to 40 inches in Soda Springs, Kingvale 42 inches of snow right now on the ground and continuing to fall, because these blizzard warnings that you see in the orange, they continue through the day today and then going into tomorrow, continuing to find some of the snow just piling up in feet when you get the blizzard conditions, though, when you get the heavy snow combined with the gusty winds.

Now you can see this storm, how intense it is. We'll get the thundersnow over Salt Lake City. You see those lightning strikes, just incredible. It shows the strength and the intensity of the storm. You have the showers, the rain showers coming in along the coast as soon as it hits the spine of the mountains. That's where it's changing over the snow and it's just continuing to pump the radar, hasn't really changed in hours and it won't going into tomorrow.

That's where you get some of these totals. You know, and some of the highest peaks that were 5,000 to 6,000 feet up above sea level. You're getting these totals upwards of 12 feet of snow. Just incredible. And couple that with these winds that have been upwards of 100 miles per hour for those gust. Mammoth Mountain, 114-mile-per-hour gust, Alpine Meadows, 145 miles per hour, and again, that doesn't just blow around snow. That can knock out power, too -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And obviously once power gets threatened that creates an entirely different set of hazards altogether.

Elisa Raffa, thank you so much.

Now, as difficult as these conditions are right now, experts say the storm may also provide a much-needed boost to the critical Sierra snowpack. Now, as that ice melts in the warmer months, that snowpack actually provides millions of people with hydro-power irrigation and drinking water.

Now, California's Department of Water Resources says that it's only at 80 percent of its March average, but there is hope this weekend could help close that gap.

So here with this now the president and CEO of the California Forestry Association, Matt Dias.

So, Matt, what is your take on this storm? Obviously, we hope everyone stays safe and listens to the warnings that public officials are giving out. But how hopeful are you that at least what we're seeing may actually help close this snowpack gap?

MATT DIAS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CALIFORNIA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION: Well, I'll say, first of all, Omar, thank you for the time of being here today. I appreciate the opportunity. And in terms of closing the gap, I would suggest that accumulations that we're seeing right now, both in terms of rain and snow, are going to help that tremendously.

We do encourage everybody to listen to the local and state officials as it relates to being prepared in terms of staying informed, have your emergency kits, stocking up on supplies, be prepared for power outages. We already know that there's 10,000 plus people without power in portions of California. But in terms of closing the gap, we are hopeful for that we will see that gap close and that water accumulations and storage will increase dramatically.

JIMENEZ: And for those who may either have not lived in California or just don't understand what exactly this is, I mean, how important is it for California to have a solid foundation of this snowpack? How much does it actually impact?

DIAS: Well, we look -- you know, we live in a Mediterranean climate and along with a Mediterranean climate comes very oscillating weather patterns where we go through dramatic times of drought, followed by periods of being very wet, if you will.

[15:30:12]

And so during these periods of precipitation, accumulation, it is critical that we capture the water we can and recognize the value of that. But at the same time, there are other levels of preparedness that we need to think about future years as it relates to accumulations of snow and melting of snow, and how does that translate into wildfire risk into the future.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Yes. And look, California does tend to see what ends up being recurring cycles of either extreme rain at points and then drought. And given the storms that we've seen over the last year and this latest blizzard, is the water crisis in California over for now or where would you classify the water crisis that, again, tends to come up with a state like California?

DIAS: Well, in California, you know, water accumulations, storage, transmission, utilization, conservation are all really important, critical factors. I would suggest that all the policymakers in California are very aware of the need that we have in terms of making sure that we are not only conserving, but attaching our water well so that we have robust communities and economies as relates to Ag.

But again, like looking at the water issue from my perspective is one of the many issues as it relates to the impacts from this particular storm or precipitation levels that are elevated. And the wildfire risk that we're going to see that -- is going to result from, you know, the oncoming transition into spring months when we have elevated vegetation, accumulations and the risk associated with those period in promoting wildfire activity is also a serious concern for us.

JIMENEZ: Yes, I mean, as you run the gamut there, of course, transitioning into seasons.

Now, Matt Dias, thank you so much for the time. Really appreciate the perspective.

DIAS: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

All right. Still ahead, after the brutal killing of a college student on the University of Georgia campus nine days ago, the Georgia State House passed a bill that will require local law enforcement to arrest any person suspected of being in the country illegally. Immigrant rights organizations say the bill targets immigrants. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:37:17]

JIMENEZ: A bill passed by the Georgia House will allow police to arrest anyone just on the mere suspicion of being in the country illegally. Now, interest in toughening the state's immigration laws picked up after the killing of nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus nine days ago. The 22-year-old student was laid to rest yesterday.

However, on the politics of it, critics believe the bill -- critics of the bill, I should say, believe it targets immigrants, forcing them to live in fear.

I want to bring in CNN national correspondent Rafael Romo.

So, Rafael, what are you learning about this bill that again has only passed the Georgia House at this point.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, very important to mention that, Omar. It still has to go to the Senate, but immigrant rights organizations say they are shocked and horrified over the death of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley and say that the undocumented Venezuelan immigrant suspected in her killing should face justice.

At the same time, Omar, two Hispanic organizations at the University of Georgia in Athens say their members have been targeted with hate messages on social media and fear anti-immigrant rhetoric may be ramping up. And as reported previously, the Georgia House of Representatives on Thursday passed Bill 1105, which among other things would require state and local law enforcement in Georgia to cooperate with federal authorities in enforcing immigration law.

The bill says that a peace officer acting within the scope of his or her authority or other authorization from the federal government shall have the power to arrest with probable cause any person suspected of being an illegal alien. Latino organization told us they're concerned this may lead to racial profiling and cases were U.S. citizens are mistaken for undocumented immigrants solely because of the color of their skin or their accent.

Pedro Marin, the longest serving Hispanic member of the Georgia House of Representatives, expressed similar concerns while speaking against the bill. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEDRO MARIN (D), GEORGIA STATE HOUSE: It is easy and tempting during an election cycle to target minorities and immigrants in order to score political points. Since taking office in 2003, I have witnessed again and again ambitious representatives and senators pursue fear as they assess the strategy to attain and maintain elected office. Our community cannot and should not be collectively punished for the horrific actions of one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: On the other hand, Omar, Jesse Petrea, the bill's author and one of its sponsors, said this is not about targeting any particular community, but about safety for all.

[15:40:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSE PETREA (R), GEORGIA STATE HOUSE: This issue is not about immigrants. This issue is about people illegally in the country, not immigrants. They're two different things. Individuals illegally in the country who subsequently break laws and come -- and victimize individuals in our communities. This is not about immigrants, and I'm not going to listen to that rhetoric any further.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: HB 1105 was approved by a vote of 97 to 74, passing largely along party lines. And that now moves to the Senate for consideration.

Omar, a lot of people waiting to see what's going to happen there.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Rafael Romo, thank you so much.

Still ahead, lack of snow forcing organizers to cancel the longest sled dog race in the eastern United States. Why they say the weather conditions make the race dangerous for their dogs, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:16]

JIMENEZ: All right, news just into CNN, a Norfolk Southern freight train has derailed along the Lehigh River in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, creating a pretty big mess. No one was injured and first responders say there are currently no leaks from the nearly one dozen containers on their sides now but they did caution people to stay away from the area. Norfolk Southern crews are on the scene helping to develop a cleanup plan.

Now this derailment comes barely a year after the devastating derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that spilled millions of pounds of toxic chemicals displacing resident -- thousands of residents, and it follows recent news of the embattled company CEO's 37 percent pay raise last year, despite Norfolk Southern's well-documented troubles.

Now, as the West gets pummeled with several feet of snow, it's a much different story for the opposite coast. The longest sled dog race in the eastern U.S. has actually been canceled this year because there's not enough snow. Organizers say insufficient snow coverage could make trail conditions dangerous for participants. The Annual Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Race was slated to begin today in Fort Kent, Maine.

Now the area has had roughly four feet of snow since October of last year, which sounds like a lot, but it's around two feet below average according to the National Weather Service.

The president of the Can-Am races, Dennis Cyr, joins me now.

So, Dennis, I just want to start out with, has this ever happened before?

DENNIS CYR, PRESIDENT, CAN-AM CROWN INTERNATIONAL SLED DOG RACES: We had only one year where the river actually was ice covered, but the ice started to move and we had to cancel the race, the last leg of the race, the last 50 miles or so, but we've never had a year where we have to cancel the complete race.

JIMENEZ: And what was the thought process? Walk me when you had to make the call, OK, you know what, we actually can't move forward with this? And what has been the reactions of the participants so far?

CYR: Well, we have outstanding volunteer trail crew. Of course our race is 250 miles. And the trail people were telling us all winter long, well, through the month of February that we just needed snow because it was too many rocks, branches and stubs, and tree stomps sticking out of the snow and we needed snow, we needed at least six to eight inches to cover everything up, and we just weren't getting it the whole month of February.

So a week prior to the race, we had to decide we put this race on or not and the weather just didn't look good so we made the call about six days prior to the restart.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And I know you said this is really -- I guess it's only happened one other time where it actually had to get canceled but based on what you're seeing now, lack of snow, have you all been close to this point in previous years? You know, some places -- some ski resorts, for example, have reported not getting enough snow to sustain a winter ski season. And I'm curious for you, what have you seen over the past few years leading into this?

CYR: Well, we've had good snow coverage for the last -- our race is 30 years old and I've been doing this for 30 years. We've always had plenty of snow coverage on the ground. Three to four feet of snow during race days and this year, we just don't have anything right now.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Yes, and --

CYR: It's sad to see.

JIMENEZ: No, go ahead.

CYR: It's sad to see that, you know, I'm looking out the window right now and I'm looking at bare lawn and it's -- usually where we can see out of our windows of our house because there's so much snow.

JIMENEZ: Yes, and --

CYR: It's a totally different year.

JIMENEZ: And look, I mentioned those, you know, ski resorts. I know obviously skiing is a very different sport than sled dog racing, but a lot of those resorts sometimes they've resorted to making fake snow, you know, to try and bolster some of what they've actually gotten naturally. And I'm curious for you all, have you ever thought about a plan B of sorts or why may that not work for you all? CYR: Well, I mean, we have 250 miles of trail through a wooded

Allagash and its waterway side, there would be no way to make snow for that long of a race. But, you know, we do have a local ski slopes here that makes now and they've got -- I talked to the slope director last night, he has 24 inches still on the slope, beautiful skiing but the woods roads that we have in this area, the snowmobile trails that are all reliant on good snow coverage, just don't have it right now.

[15:50:11]

And we probably marches normally known for a heavy snowfall month, but there's not much in the forecast either for March. Yes.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And look, some might look at what happened this -- in this particular race with the cancellation because of lack of snow, and say, you know, this is in effect of climate change, you could run into this a little bit more in the future. And I'm curious, just for you, when it comes to sports like this where, I mean, it requires snow, do you worry that in the future that traditions like these could be more at risk?

CYR: Well, we've seen warmer winters in the last couple of years, so we've seen that, but northern Maine where we're located right at the top of the state of Maine. I'm right on the Canadian border. We always get good snow coverage off the St. Lawrence River and some of lake- effect snow end up impacting northern Maine. So we've always had really good snow coverage and we've always guaranteed that there'll be a sled dog race, and this is the only year.

And if I was a betting man, I would put money on in that next year we're going to have plenty of snow and everyone will be screaming that they're tired of seeing snowstorm after snowstorm like it's been in the past.

JIMENEZ: Yes, well, you need to borrow some of that snow from the West Coast right now. They need to send some your way.

CYR: Yes. Exactly.

(LAUGHTER)

JIMENEZ: Appreciate you, Dennis Cyr. Thank you for joining us.

CYR: And also the weather pattern -- most of the weather pattern in states, southern New England, in the Boston area, in the New York area, just hasn't hit northern Maine.

JIMENEZ: Well, we will see. I'm sure you'll be eating your word soon. You'll get more than you can ask for.

Dennis, thank you so much. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:56:38]

JIMENEZ: It's the hottest ticket in town. I always guard Caitlin Clark is on the brink of breaking the all-time NCAA scoring record.

CNN's Andy Scholes has more.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Omar, according to TickPick, Caitlin Clark's last regular season home game tomorrow against Ohio State is the most expensive women's basketball ticket ever. The cheapest ticket to get in right now for a seat is going for about 550 bucks.

All those Hawkeye fans, they want to see Clark on senior day and they want to see some history as well. Clark needs just 18 points to pass Pete Maravich's all-time college scoring record. She's averaging over 32 points a game so she should easily get it.

Now, on Thursday, Clark announced that this will be her final season at Iowa and she will enter next month's WNBA draft where she's expected to be the first overall pick by the Indiana Fever. And Clark told reporters on Friday that she wanted to get the speculation about her future out of the way before tomorrow's game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAITLIN CLARK, IOWA GUARD: I think just going into senior night having that decision clear, not only for myself, but our fans, my teammates, I think that was super important and honestly, I just -- I don't know, getting the weight of the world off my shoulders and being able to enjoy this last, these last, this last month with my teammates, I think is the biggest thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: And Clark certainly has raised the profile of women's college basketball more than any other player. The Hawkeye star has played in the most watched women's college basketball games ever for six different networks.

Iowa and Ohio State, they tip at 1:00 Eastern tomorrow.

All right. Elsewhere, Thomas Detre had a hole to forget at the Cognizant Classic in Florida. Detre putting for par, he missed that, then he missed the next put, and in the floodgates just opened. The ball just keeps slipping out. He ends up five putting from six feet away for a quadruple bogey. That was sixth hole which just torpedoed his tournament. Detre went from fighting to make the cut to finishing dead last.

And, Omar, you know, we've all been there, right? Either on the course or just playing putt-putt, the ball just sometimes will not go in.

JIMENEZ: Oh, my gosh. When it rains, it pours. I felt that frustration through the screen. I was covering my face like that.

Andy Scholes, thank you so much.

Now, on this week's episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER," CNN commentator Van Jones returns to his home state of Tennessee to unpack how the volunteer state's politics have dramatically changed ahead of Super Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Democrats become Republicans, counties that had gone blue for Obama suddenly become red.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, absolutely. That's 2010.

JONES: That's the worst year for you all to get whooped because then they got a chance to redistrict. That gave Republicans the power to gerrymander everything, correct?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's correct.

JONES: Did they use that power?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They used it.

JONES: Do they abuse it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They abused it with surgical precision.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tuesday night's results were decidedly Republican.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a paradigm shift in our state.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Republicans now have a super two-thirds majority in the House and Senate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And in this moment, they start taking increasingly conservative policy changes around all sorts of policy areas. Guns, health care, abortion. But especially when it comes to democratic institutions like voting rights and districting. What happens in Tennessee is going to happen in nearly any red-controlled state after this time period. But Tennessee is really leading the charge in many ways.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: All right. An all-new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER," one whole hour, one whole story, airs tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.

Thank you all for joining me today. I had fun. Hope you had fun. Hope you learned something. I'll be back with you tomorrow, though. Tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 Eastern.