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Major Storm Covers Midwest, Mid-Atlantic With Snow and Ice; Interview With Kentucky Mayor Craig Greenberg About Winter Storm; Interview With Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) About Trump Agenda; Ukraine Launches Counterattack In Russian Border Region; Grim Conditions Take Heavy Toll On Gaza's Youngest Residents; Assailant Visited New Orleans Twice Before The Attack; Bill Nye Awarded Presidential Medal Of Freedom; "K-Pop: A Star Is Made." Aired 7-8p ET

Aired January 05, 2025 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:03:06]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean in New York.

And we begin with breaking news tonight. Right now 60 million people in the U.S. are under winter weather alerts, with a major storm hitting at least a dozen states as it moves toward the mid-Atlantic, bringing with it heavy snow and ice. At least 150,000 customers are currently without power. More than 6,000 flights have been delayed, more than 1500 flights have been outright canceled.

Look at this. Feet of snow in Kansas forcing people to stay inside. And the full impact of this storm is yet to be seen. As the system continues moving east throughout the evening.

Meteorologist Elisa Raffa is tracking it all for us from the CNN Weather Center.

Elisa, where is this storm hitting now?

ELISA RAFFA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We are still looking at impacting Kentucky with some significant freezing rain and sleet. Still some thunder sleet in there. We are still looking at the line of storms stretching down to the Gulf Coast, and we still have some heavy snow from parts of Cincinnati, St. Louis, and then still wrapping into Kansas City. That just keeps tacking on to its snow total.

The system has been so potent. We are looking at thunder sleet right now over parts of Kentucky there. Thunder sleet, some thunder mixing in with freezing rain. Just incredible to see that. It just shows you how powerful this storm is. Heavy snow from Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Again, still snow wrapping around Missouri. And then you've got the line of storms stretching south.

We've already had snow totals over a foot in parts of Kansas, 14 -- more than 14 inches in Manhattan, Kansas, 18 inches in North Chapman. And we've also already had ice reports over a half an inch in parts of Kansas and Missouri. This is incredibly important to monitor because when ice gets over a

quarter of an inch, it really weighs down those tree limbs and power lines and could cause a problem with power. And we are already starting to see that.

[19:05:01]

We have some power problems for parts of Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and even for the severe weather side in Texas, amounting to nearing 180,000 customers in the dark. This will be a problem as we get really cold air that comes in. We'll need people to have access to heat. We've got the alerts stretching more than a thousand miles. Still, with some blizzard warnings in effect for Kansas City.

You still have an ice storm warning for parts of Missouri and Illinois, and the winter storm warnings now stretch to the East Coast, including D.C. waking up to some pretty significant snow for them for the first time in a couple of years. Tornado watches continue as well. The line of severe storms just continues to push in damaging winds. We've had multiple tornado warnings along this line through the day today.

You can see one tornado warning there in Mississippi. We have video of a tornado that was on the ground in Arkansas. So again multifaceted. You've got snow, ice hazards, the severe weather hazards as well with this storm. It continues to charge east on the overnight. By tomorrow morning you're waking up to a messy, snowy commute in D.C. And all of that pushes out as we go into the afternoon.

Snow totals could be six to 12 inches. We could be looking at some totals over six or eight inches in the D.C. area as we wake up. Ice could continue to be over half an inch to three quarters of an inch. Again, this is the type of ice that would weigh down your tree limbs and power lines and cause some problems with power on the overnight. So something to watch, especially as it gets very cold and people will need access to electricity so they can pump that heat -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right, Elisa Raffa, thank you so much for that.

Kentucky has been among the hardest hit states in this storm. And to talk about the conditions in the state's biggest city, Louisville, we're joined by its mayor, Craig Greenberg.

Mayor, thanks so much for being here with us. I know you all have been preparing for this storm. What have you been seeing so far? What's the response look like?

MAYOR CRAIG GREENBERG, LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY: Well, this has been a significant storm for us. We haven't seen this much snow in about a decade in Louisville, and it still continues. We've had seven inches over throughout this day. It's now turned to freezing rain right now. I just got back inside for this interview. We're expecting snow tomorrow morning, so our main focus is two areas.

One, the roads, making sure we continue to work through the night to keep the roads clear. We're encouraging people to stay home, to stay warm, to stay informed. And also power outages, as you were just hearing that freezing rain, it started now here in Louisville, and we're going to be monitoring that throughout the night, hoping for as little freezing rain as possible to have as few power outages as possible.

DEAN: Yes, it's that ice that can really present a threat and be really difficult to get out and fix the power lines if you do indeed lose power. How are you all specifically preparing for the ice?

GREENBERG: So our local electricity company here, LG&E, they've got 1,000 people on standby that are ready. With respect to the roads, we've been plowing and salting the roads all day. We have over 200 people that are working hard on our snow team across the entire city.

I rode with one of them, DeShaun, earlier today. They're out there working hard, seven-hour shifts. They're getting ready to start. And actually right now they've just started a new shift at 7:00 to work through the night. We're going to keep at it with the freezing temperatures that are projected for the entire week. This is a particularly challenging storm, but we're going to stay at it.

DEAN: All right. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, good luck to you, guys. Stay safe. Stay warm. Thank you so much for stopping by. We appreciate it.

GREENBERG: Thank you so much, Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Tomorrow is a big day on Capitol Hill. Congress is set to certify the election results with Vice President Kamala Harris presiding over that process just months after losing the election to President-elect Donald Trump.

Tomorrow, also marking four years since the January 6th insurrection on the nation's capital. Authorities have ramped up security. They've put up fencing, saying this is the first time the election certification has been designated as a special security event.

All of this happening as Republican leaders in Congress detail their plans for getting Trump's agenda passed within his first 100 days in office. House Speaker Mike Johnson saying Congress will be tackling border security, energy and tax policies all in one big bill.

Joining us now, Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis of New York.

Congresswoman, thanks so much for being here with us. Happy New Year to you. I just want to ask you, first off, about this plan to do one big bill and try to get everything into it. How confident are you that you all can get that done in a timely manner?

REP. NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS (R-NY): Well, obviously it's going to be a big task and it is challenging considering we have a majority of one in the House. But I do believe that we made significant progress this past week. We were able to elect Speaker Johnson united in just one round of voting, and we had a very good meeting yesterday where we went over the game plan. We went over the procedures of what is allowed and what's not allowed in a budget reconciliation bill. And we have a framework right now which we are beginning to hash out the details.

[19:10:00]

And so I think that as long as we have good communication in our conference, the speaker keeps us informed of what he wants to do, what his goals are, as does the president, and we get buy in and consensus, we can do these things that you mentioned, which is securing the border, getting our energy really to be jumpstarted here so we are energy dominant again with American produced energy, that will bring down prices because that will bring down energy costs and bring down food costs, deal with the inflation issue.

And then the tax extenders that, as you know, created millions of jobs. It brought middle class families wages up. It lifted millions of Americans out of poverty. And it brought unemployment to record lows, particularly among minorities and women. And so we want to extend those cuts, but we also want to see some enhancements, particularly states like mine, New York, we want to see some type of state and local tax relief. And we would like to see that child tax credit increase.

And so we'll have to go through these motions and see what we can get done, what we can agree on. That's the most important thing. We're all going to have to give a little. We're not going to get everything we want, but I think we can come up with a very good product for the American people.

DEAN: Yes. And I hear you on that last part talking about the tax piece of all of this because some of this would be extending the tax cuts that were put in place in 2017 when President Trump was in office and those got passed. But as you noted, there could be additional tax features built into that legislation. And there are some of your colleagues who are deeply concerned about adding to the national debt.

How -- are you concerned about that? And how do you think that conversation will go?

MALLIOTAKIS: Well, look, we're focused on pro-growth, pro-jobs policies. You know, the last round of these tax cuts actually brought in about $1.5 million more in revenue that was actually projected -- $1.5 trillion in revenue that was projected by the Congressional Budget Office. And so we're looking to see how can we repatriate manufacturing in this country, what kind of incentives need to be provided to make sure we're producing our pharmaceuticals here and not relying on Communist China and foreign nations, where currently 80 percent of our active pharmaceutical ingredients come from. That is one of my big priorities for this package.

The state and local tax relief. It's going to have to be limited. We're not going to be able to just completely lift that cap. And I think there's a consensus there that we're not looking to provide more tax relief for the richest Americans, but really focus on the middle class. So what kind of increase in the deduction can we give that will really help people like the ones I represent in Staten Island, Brooklyn, working middle class families.

So I think that there also has to be some offsets, absolutely. And if we change some regulations that have been costly and burdensome, we can save a lot of money there. We can save money by making government more efficient, reducing bureaucracy, and making sure these programs that are administered are being done in the right way, meaning you don't have a big, bloated bureaucracy behind it, but that the money is actually going toward the benefits for people.

One of the other big issues that we've talked about is lowering the tax burden that seniors pay right now when they receive their Social Security checks. We want them to keep more of their money because they're suffering and really struggling, living paycheck to paycheck. So reducing that tax burden on seniors is another big issue that's come up and is a priority of mine.

DEAN: And I hear what you're saying about some of the things that can be done. Am I understanding you right, though, that you do want -- you would want some sort of offsets and pay-fors for additional tax cuts?

MALLIOTAKIS: Yes. Look, we have to find a way to pay for this stuff. We can't keep adding to the debt. I think the big focus right now is what were the best parts of the tax cut and jobs act? What needs to be changed? What needs to be tweaked? What can we eliminate? And then figure out how we will make those adjustments to pay for the things that we do want at the end of the day.

So it is a little bit of a shifting, but I also do believe that we can find a significant savings by just looking at what's being done right now in terms of burdensome regulations that are costly, looking to right size government so it is efficient and effective, and then taking the bloat and the fraud and the abuse out of some of these programs and making sure that the benefits are actually getting to the American citizens who are entitled to it.

I mean, I think that's a big correction that needs to be made that could save the taxpayers a lot of money in the long run.

DEAN: And before I let you go, tomorrow will be four years since the January 6th insurrection on the Capitol. The president-elect says he plans to pardon some of those convicted for their role in the attack on that day. And a recent "Washington Post" poll found two-thirds of Americans oppose that. I'm curious if you support the president-elect in that decision.

[19:15:07]

MALLIOTAKIS: Yes, I think some of those pardons should be made. I think the other thing is the right to a speedy trial. All of these Americans are entitled to that, and some of them four years. And I don't think that they've had their due process. What I would say also is, look, we can have this -- some people will be upset because the current president pardoned Hunter Biden and some murderers and serial killers and child rapists and murderers.

If those individuals can be pardoned, then I think the president- elect, who will be the next president, has the right to pardon those that he wishes as well, who certainly did not commit the type of heinous crimes that we've seen pardoned over the last couple of weeks.

DEAN: All right, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.

MALLIOTAKIS: Thank you.

DEAN: Still ahead, one top Ukrainian official saying Russia is, quote, "getting what it deserves" after they launch a counterattack inside Russia. What could happen next as President Trump gets ready to move back into the White House?

Plus, officials in New Orleans are revealing new details in the Bourbon Street terrorist attack. What we're learning about the driver's prior trips to the city.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: Ukraine is right now launching a counterattack against Russian forces in the border region of Kursk, while one top Ukrainian official says Russia is getting, quote, "what it deserves."

[19:20:03]

Ukraine first moved in on the Russian territory in a surprise incursion in August, managing to hold much of the area despite Russian efforts aided by North Korea to drive forces back over the border.

Joining us now to discuss Cedric Leighton, retired U.S. Air Force colonel and CNN military analyst.

Great to have you here. Good to see you. Let's just start first generally with your take on the situation as it stands today between Russia and Ukraine.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes. Jessica. Well, good to be with you. There are a lot of different aspects to this, but the main thing is that the Ukrainians are still consistently moving forward in certain areas, but in other areas they're kind of giving ground in the east, especially to the Russians. So a lot of the gains that the Russians are making in the east are incremental.

But when it comes to what's happening in Kursk, the Russians have not dislodged the Ukrainians from there. And in fact, as you noted, the Ukrainians are engaging in a counteroffensive, which is basically aimed at cleaning out some of the Russian areas and the North Korean areas around the area of Sudzha, which is the town that they occupied in that district in Russia, right across the border from them.

DEAN: And Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says the Russian army lost up to a battalion of North Korean soldiers who've now joined Moscow's fight and some Russian paratroopers. If that's in fact accurate, how impactful is that sort of defeat? LEIGHTON: Well, it could be up to a thousand soldiers that would be

lost in a situation like that. Normal battalion size in the Russian military is somewhere between 600 and 800 soldiers, depending on the type of battalion. So let's cut it in half and say about 500 were lost. That's still somewhat significant in a specific operation.

Now it's not going to change the course of the war by itself. It's also not going to change exactly, you know, what the Russian goals are. But it could have a momentum of its own. And actions like this, if the Russians were in fact and the North Koreans were in fact, in a situation where they lost that many people, that could have a significant impact on their ability to carry forth operations in the Kursk area.

DEAN: And of course, President-elect Trump returning to the White House in just about two weeks. He said many times he plans to end the war on day one. I think it's becoming pretty, you know, clear that that's going to be almost impossible. But President Zelenskyy says that Trump's, quote, "strength and unpredictability" could help bring an end to the war. Where do you think this is going to go?

LEIGHTON: Well, I think what will happen, Jessica, is that there are going to be efforts made by the new Trump administration to actually end the conflict, at least the hot phase of the conflict. Now, whether or not Russia plays ball is another question. If Russia does not agree to some kind of a ceasefire, or at least a cessation of hostilities, then I could see the potential for the Trump administration to actually ramp up aid to the Ukrainians.

In fact, Lieutenant General Kellogg, the special representative for Ukraine, has made such a statement. So if that does in fact happen, it could actually put more pressure on the Russians to end the war, or at least end their participation at the level that they're currently at. So if that happens, that could potentially end things where they are. I don't think Ukraine will be able to regain the territory that it has lost about 20 percent or so of its country to the Russians since, you know, since the February 2022 invasion.

But if that is in fact, you know, the course of events where there is a bit of a ceasefire, we may see a situation kind of like what we're seeing in -- on the Korean Peninsula, where there is a de facto peace but it is in fact still a state of war. That could be one possible outcome of this. There's a type of ceasefire or at least an armistice, but no real resolution to the issue and no movement of troops beyond what we see today.

DEAN: All right. Colonel Cedric Leighton, as always, thanks so much. Good to see you.

LEIGHTON: Good to see you, too, Jessica. Thank you.

DEAN: From one major conflict to another, Israel's ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza, where the arrival of winter weather is making an already dire humanitarian situation even worse for those who have been driven from their homes. That grim reality is taking the heaviest toll on the youngest of Gaza's residents. And CNN's Paula Hancocks has more. We want to warn you her report

contains some images that viewers may find disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I did everything I could, my son. I swear I did. A father seeks forgiveness from his 20- day-old baby.

[19:25:03]

Jumaa froze to death in a tent in Gaza. His twin, Ali, is fighting for his life in intensive care. His father says, I came from the north, from Beit Lahia, because of the Israeli bombing, only to come here and watch them die from cold and hunger.

Jumaa is one of at least five babies to have died from hypothermia in Gaza in recent days. As funeral prayers are recited above two tiny bodies, children look on, trauma buried in eyes that have seen almost 15 months of horror.

Ali is fighting sepsis. His doctor says he is in critical condition. They live in a tent, the doctor says, in this freezing winter weather. Even adults suffer from the cold. So imagine the severe threat to young children.

Jumaa's mother folds up clothes he will never again wear. She shows a heating device given by a U.N. agency the day before he died. She never had the chance to wrap him in it.

Since Jumaa's death, conditions in Gaza have only worsened. Storms and torrential rain making surviving in makeshift tents almost impossible.

This man from Jabalia camp stands outside his flooded tent. He says it collapsed under the weight of the rain. His family's bedding is soaked. As children walk by, he says, more water comes in.

This barefooted boy tries to dig a mud defense for his family's tent, but the sheer volume of water makes most barricades worthless.

Despite the heavy rains transforming streets into rivers, drinking water remains scarce, causing chaos at the stations when the water trucks arrive.

Some try to see the fun side of the rain. Shoeless children run in between the waterlogged tents but the misery is acute. This newborn baby, Salam Ahmed Alfasi (PH), froze to death on Christmas Day. The cruel irony, she died in a tent in Al-Mawasi, an area Israel has designated a humanitarian zone.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:30:50]

DEAN: New details tonight out of New Orleans, where officials say the New Year's Day attacker visited that city twice in recent months leading up to the terrorist attack. In a press briefing earlier today, the FBI laid out a detailed timeline of those events leading up to that moment.

They also say the attacker used smart glasses to record and case Bourbon Street in advance of the attack.

CNN's Rafael Romo joining us now. Rafael, what more can you tell us about these new details?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jessica, for the first time since the New Year's Day terrorist attack, were getting a glimpse into what the assailant was up to months before he used a pickup truck to kill innocent people.

We know now, according to the FBI, that Shamsud-Din Jabbar used Meta Glasses to record a video on October 31st, riding a bicycle here in the streets of the French Quarter.

He used Meta Glasses which allow you to record video, and apparently he was trying to familiarize himself because he was planning already to commit the attack.

We have also learned that he traveled internationally, Jessica, going to places like Cairo, Egypt. in the summer of 2023 and a few days later to Ontario, Canada.

Now, we asked the FBI whether this means that he was trying to connect with the terrorist organization. And this is what a top FBI official said earlier today. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER RAIA, FBI DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, COUNTERTERRORISM DIVISION: All investigative details and evidence that we have now still support that Jabbar acted alone here in New Orleans. We have not seen any indications of an accomplice in the United States, but we are still looking into potential associates in the US and outside of our borders. The case is still very early on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was at the same press conference, and she said that her city is doing everything possible to make her city a safer for everybody. She said that she's asking the federal government, the White House, specifically for a tactical expert to determine whether installing new bollards here on Bourbon Street would stop a terrorist.

And also, let's remember, Jessica, the city of New Orleans is going to host the Super Bowl next month, and its already getting ready to celebrate Mardi Gras in March. Now, back to you.

DEAN: Rafael Romo, thank you so much for that reporting.

And still ahead, Bill Nye the Science Guy awarded the presidential Medal of Freedom. He's going to join us next live to talk about his career as a beloved science educator and what's next.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:37:17]

DEAN: President Biden held one last Medal of Freedom ceremony, awarding the nation's highest civilian honor to 19 people and recognizing a broad group of influential Americans across politics, culture and the arts.

Bill Nye "The Science Guy" was among the recipients, and he joins us now live.

Bill, it's so wonderful to have you here. Congratulations on what is just an incredible honor. Just tell us first how it feels to be recognized with this award.

BILL NYE, "THE SCIENCE GUY": Oh, it's fantastic. It's amazing. Now, you know, I was born in the United States. My parents are both veterans of World War Two. I consider myself patriotic, but this is extraordinary and it really was a thrill.

The effect of it perhaps hasn't fully soaked in, but I'm very excited and of course, I'm very excited about what I believe the crew and I accomplished over the years and I'm very excited about the future.

DEAN: Yes, and just take us back to yesterday when you were getting the award, when it was placed on you and standing up there with your fellow recipients looking on. I'm sure your family was there as well and people who have been with you all along the way.

What stood out to you? I know it's still sinking in as kind of the biggest moment and most important.

NYE: Well, a big moment for me was sitting next to Magic Johnson.

DEAN: Yes.

NYE: No, I mean, of course he's a big person, but you just think about the way, first of all, he was a very extraordinary player because he was so competitive. And of course, he was born a big guy and he learned to control his body very well, an excellent shooter and all that stuff.

But the way he approached his infection with HIV-AIDS changed the world. You can you can deal with this. You can live with this. You can carry on. And that really was an extraordinary thing to be sitting there with him and Bono and Ralph Lauren. Oh my goodness. It was Jane Goodall, I was like, what am I doing here? It was very exciting. It was really great.

DEAN: That's great.

NYE: But I'll just tell you the high -- a high point for me was taking pictures with the many, many military people who guard or work in the White House. And these would be people considerably younger than I am -- yes, there we go -- who grew up watching the show, "The Science Guy" show, and clearly were deeply affected by it. It was very moving. It was extraordinary.

DEAN: Listen, you've impacted just generations of people with teaching us all. I include myself in that a lot about the world around us and what's going on. And I hope that that you're able to kind of absorb all of that. What was your reaction when you were told that you were getting this?

[19:40:09]

NYE: Well, of course, the reaction at first is you're incredulous, like it's a hoax. Like, who is this guy who claims to be from the White House staff and so on. But I looked into it and it was authentic and the other interesting thing that was supposed to be kept secret, except family and friends, and so, we managed to keep it secret. But that also added to, frankly, the thrill when you can finally tell people, wow, check me out.

So, it's really something, you guys. And so, when you have a medal like this, I mean, what am I, some kind of ambassador or something? And perhaps I am an ambassador for science. And you guys, we are living in an extraordinary time.

You know, we are talking about the snowstorm that's sweeping across North America, how it's going to affect all these people. Power is going to go out. There's going to be shortages of food and water. People certainly are going to have a lot of difficulties.

And the incoming administration, so far, is planning to do virtually nothing about to address climate change. So, I think about the last 30 plus years and go, wow, I've hardly affected anything. But clearly there are a great many people who are concerned about climate change, and we are going to continue to chip away at this problem. And I, as a patriot, born in the US, I mean, look at me. I've had every opportunity from a family that that celebrated academic achievement.

My parents were both veterans and so on and so on. This is -- it's a time to really work hard everybody and make changes. I want the United States to lead.

And on a separate thing, Jessica, I am looking forward to working with the new NASA administrator, whoever he or she turns out to be, because this is really the most exciting time in space exploration. While all this other stuff is going on, this really is an extraordinary time. We may find evidence of life on another world. We may send people to the South Pole, the moon and beyond. It's really an amazing time.

DEAN: It's amazing, I do want to ask you, we have to go very soon. But listen, we've entered this moment where a lot of people have lost faith and trust in science or doctors or scientists. What do we do? How do we restore that for people?

NYE: Well, I believe, we tell the truth. We celebrate facts and everybody, I think it's very important. You know, there's this talk about school vouchers. I don't want to get too far down the road, but, people, there is substantial evidence that home schooling does not teach science.

The students who are home schooled often come away with an inadequate understanding of science. The process of science especially, and how we have this technology that enables us to have CNN and all of these other things.

So, we've got to work on this, and you all, as part of the mainstream or legacy media, you're a big part of this. So, thanks for having me on. Science is in the US Constitution. And so, science is how the United States got to be a world leader, both technically and culturally.

And so, everybody, let's work together. We can do this. The best is yet ahead. Thanks for having me on.

DEAN: We'll look ahead, congratulations, Bill Nye, thank you so much for being here.

NYE: Thank you.

DEAN: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:47:54]

DEAN: It's the last day of the NFL's regular season and at the 11th hour, the playoff teams are finally set. Just moments ago, the Denver Broncos secured the final wild card spot in the playoffs, and they got in by shutting out the Kansas City Chiefs.

CNN's sports analyst Christine Brennan is joining us now. How did they do it, Christine? And what are their chances postseason?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: You know, Jessica, this is a really interesting day in football. Of course, our national pastime. It's also a quirky day because Kansas City of course, knowing they've already got the number one seed in the AFC, they rested a lot of players. Patrick Mahomes, of course, their quarterback didn't play, so it made it easier theoretically for Denver to make it in.

You also had a scenario where the Cincinnati Bengals were sitting around. Joe Burrow, their great quarterback, they have won five in a row after winning yesterday, they had to have other things happen. They had to have Denver lose. They had to have the Jets beat Miami, which did happen. But they are, you know, waiting and hoping to see if the right kind of combination of events happened to get them in the playoffs. Turns out Cincinnati disappointed. They don't make it after that last five game run that they had but Denver does.

You know, I think some of these teams that are coming in kind of on a wing and a prayer probably don't have a lot of, you know, chance moving forward. But just to make it just to say you're a wild card team, you're in the playoffs, whatever it might be is something that obviously every team works for. So, it's a success, even as the next stage might be a little bit more difficult for some of these teams.

DEAN: That makes sense. Also happening this week, the semifinals of the college football playoffs. Notre Dame is going to take on Penn State after beating Georgia in the delayed Sugar Bowl. With a win like that, it was under heavy circumstances, of course, but how do you think that they're going to fare against the Nittany Lions?

BRENNAN: You know, Penn State has got has a great run. They've had basically the easiest or one of the best paths to go all the way. And of course if they beat Notre Dame they then will play in the championship game on January 20th, Inauguration Day, it will be the finishing act of the inaugural -- the inauguration will be, of course, the college football championship, the first one ever.

And, you know, Penn State lost the Big Ten championship game. But it turned out to be a great thing for them moving forward.

Notre Dame beat Indiana in South Bend, and Notre Dame has been playing terrifically as well. So these are two big broad shouldered behemoths from the Midwest, and they're joined by Ohio State also in, in this case they're playing Texas in the Cotton Bowl. And Ohio State might be playing the best football of any of these four teams right now.

[19:50:33]

So two Big Ten teams, another from the Midwest and then Texas, it should shape up, I think is exactly what the organizers and what the committee wanted, which was to get these four really strong teams with about what hundreds of thousands of alums and fans.

And I think it shows that the system is working, even though, interestingly, all four of the teams that won the conference championship had a bye, in other words, didn't play that first week. All four of them lost to the four teams we've just mentioned. So a little bit of a surprise there that that didn't work out quite as planned.

DEAN: And how effective do you think this restructuring of the championship, you know, for college football. How successful do you think that's been so far?

BRENNAN: You know, Jessica, you know, I'm old enough to remember the days when we wanted to make sure that all the student athletes, so to speak, got back into the classroom to, to study and go to class. And, you know, those days are long gone. I mean, I'm not saying they don't. They of course do. But the fact that I just said it's going till January 20th, I mean that's, you know, that's extraordinary. The Super Bowl used to be about that time period. Now it's in February. But I think it shows the, you know, the incredible, immense interest in this game.

Americans can't get enough of it. College and pro, and here we are, they are kind of, you know, colliding right now in a wonderful way. And I do think it's been a success when you've got these great teams with this great, great blueblood fan base and great pedigrees and years and years of terrific resumes and performances. I think it shows that it is truly a success as we see it move now into this coming week, and we'll see what happens Thursday and Friday.

DEAN: All right, Christine Brennan, as always, thanks so much. Good to see you.

BRENNAN: You too, thank you.

DEAN: Yes, we'll be right back.

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[19:56:26]

DEAN: K-Pop is exploding in popularity inside the US and is the focus of this week's "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper.

CNN's Kyung Lah traveled to South Korea and discovered how these pop bands are chosen and trained.

Kyung is joining us now with more on this. It's quite a process. Tell us what you found out.

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Well, music is absolutely the core. If you've come across any K-Pop, usually in your social media feed though, Jessica, you also know that it is just as much about the fashion, the dance moves, but also critically, the appearance and trying to get that flawless appearance can sometimes be excruciating.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAH (voice over): While talking with MZ emcees trainees, dieting comes up a lot.

(AH-IN LEE, K-POP RISING STAR speaking foreign language)

TRANSLATION: I have to eat while lessening amount of food and calculating the nutritional value and calories. That's a bit difficult. I've grown a bit tired of it, and there are times I want to eat a lot.

LAH (on camera): What do you want to eat?

AH-IN LEE: I really like pizza and bakery.

LAH (on camera): The diet, is it some set rule that you help them with or how does that work?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The diet is meant to develop their visual aesthetic that will show up well on camera. Music video cameras can really alter the way you look. We provide them with roasted chicken and boiled eggs and things like that.

LAH (on camera): There's not a lot of food that they're eating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're eating enough. And so that's where I think the K-Pop thing is interesting because now that it has more recognition in the West, the West tries to like, impose their ideals of like what life should be like.

And it's like, why? This is Korea. And I'm not saying that Korea doesn't have its own issues, But Korea is going to function the way Korea functions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH (on camera): It's not a lot of food, I have to tell you, I felt so bad eating in front of these girls because they are so rigorous in keeping to this diet and trying to get that perfect appearance -- Jessica.

DEAN: Yes, no, that was striking. You were very honest. You're like, it's not a lot of food. He's like, well, they're eating plenty. It's fine.

What happens, Kyung, they train, they do all of this. What happens to the people who don't make the cut, ultimately?

LAH: It depends on how old they are. That's the short answer.

If you are 13, 14 or 15, you probably could leave and try again or stay with that company. But if you're 19 or 20, that's considered awfully late to try to become a K-Pop idol.

So when we talk about it, being a star is made in part. The system starts by picking somebody who's very young. Some of these girls start from academies as young as 10 or 11, so it's truly a system.

It's similar to the Motown system, the old Motown system, but it is super-sized. It is accepted across the country, and this is how K-Pop is created.

DEAN: Yes, and we're watching them do what I think is a workout while you're talking there. It seems quite rigorous.

LAH: So much working out. So much working out.

DEAN: All right, Kyung Lah, this is fascinating stuff. Thank you so much. We're all going to watch.

Be sure to tune in to "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper. It is next at 8:00 Eastern only on CNN.

And thank you so much for joining me this evening. I'm Jessica Dean. We're going to see you right back here again next weekend. We're going to leave you tonight with a view of snowy St. Louis, as this massive storm makes its way across a big old portion of the United States.

Stay warm and stay safe out there. Have a good night, everyone.

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