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Blizzard Conditions Across U.S.; Congress Meets Today to Certify 2024 Election Results; Republican Leaders Plan to Pass Trump Agenda in Big Bill; Late President Jimmy Carter in Repose at Carter Center in Atlanta. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired January 06, 2025 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Treacherous driving conditions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With this scale of a storm, it's hard to really feel fully prepared with obviously as much snow and ice as we've been getting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Members of Congress will meet on Capitol Hill to officially certify the election of Donald Trump. It takes on added significance this year because of what happened four years ago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the first time I've ever won anything as an actor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess it's prosthetics from here on out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can still make art that is a radical act of optimism.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the young actors and creators in the world, please be yourself. Believe yourself and never give up. Good luck.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Christina Macfarlane.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from the U.S. and around the world. I'm Max Foster back with --

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Christina Macfarlane. And it's Monday, January the 6th, 9 a.m. here in London, 4 a.m. in Washington, D.C. where one of many places just bracing for a powerful winter storm system sweeping across the U.S. The district's mayor has declared a snow emergency ahead of the storm and all public schools there will be closed today.

FOSTER: It's framed, doesn't it, Capitol, in the snow. Federal government offices will also be closed. The snowfall in the capital is expected to ramp up, peaking over the next few hours.

The worsening conditions could hinder some major events this week, including the funeral for the former President Jimmy Carter.

MACFARLANE: In the central U.S., roads remain closed in much of Kansas where blizzard warnings have been in effect. Interstate 70 is already covered in snow and ice in Warren County, Missouri, which is dealing with near whiteout conditions.

FOSTER: Lexington and Louisville in Kentucky getting hit hard as well as the storm continues to move to the east. Many remain under winter weather alerts across the region.

MACFARLANE: For more what's in store, let's bring in William Churchill. He's a forecaster with the National Weather Service joining us from College Park, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. So how are things looking? It's pretty treacherous.

WILLIAM CHURCHILL, FORECASTER, WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER: Yes, absolutely. This has been quite a winter storm already with widespread 12 to 18 inch totals from central Kansas to the Kansas City metro area of Missouri. And that's the heaviest in decades and travel, as you were saying, remains hazardous there.

And we're really just getting going here in the D.C. region. So we've, you know, already picked up two to three inches of snow and we'll probably see six to 12 inches by the end of it and possibly even higher amounts locally.

FOSTER: How do you think this is going to affect the funeral? Because obviously there will be movement. And in terms of that area, is that going to be particularly bad?

CHURCHILL: Well, hopefully, you know, the shutdowns that you mentioned will alleviate it a little bit. But, yes, certainly people are going to have to be much slower going around here. Already, there's, you know, issues on the roads in the area.

So it's just a matter of if you don't need to travel, don't. And if you do need to travel, take it slow and cautiously.

MACFARLANE: How long are we expecting this storm system to remain in place? You know, how many more days, weeks ahead have we got of this?

CHURCHILL: Well, with this system, it'll really be coming to an end later tonight. In fact, it'll be peaking this morning. But it looks like there could be another round of a bit lesser totals this evening in the D.C. area. And that's why we could rack up the totals that we're predicting, because just from this first round, we could be talking about six to eight inches and then another few inches on top of that this evening. But by then, it'll be mostly wrapping up. And then we start to focus on the dangerously cold temperatures that come in behind this, especially across the central plains and into the Ohio Valley, where temperatures can be as low as zero degrees Fahrenheit.

So and then looking beyond that, we're already seeing indications of the next winter storm system that could also be a moderate to major winter storm beginning a little bit farther south into the southern plains. And that could affect Texas more. We're seeing odds of the snow and ice increase there.

So we're already looking ahead towards that. And that could begin as early as Thursday morning into Friday for those regions.

FOSTER: OK, William Churchill in Maryland really appreciate that. It looks nice, but it does cause a lot of pressure.

MACFARLANE: It is pretty but it's pretty bad. Yes.

[04:05:00]

FOSTER: Now, the snow emergency in Washington, definitely bad timing for the nation's capital. Police already on heightened alert as Congress is meeting just hours from now to certify the results of the 2024 election. House Speaker Mike Johnson said no matter how hard it snows, the results will be certified today.

MACFARLANE: And that formality will mark a striking political turnaround for Donald Trump, who was widely condemned for his actions on this day four years ago when a mob of supporters stormed the Capitol. Vice President Harris, who lost Trump to Trump in November, will fulfill her duties as president of the Senate and preside over the counting of electoral votes from each state.

FOSTER: All 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 tackle border security, energy and tax cuts all in one bill.

MACFARLANE: Our Steve Contorno is in West Palm Beach near Mar-a-Lago with the latest on how the Republicans are planning for their return to the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Members of Congress will meet on Capitol Hill on Monday to officially certify the election of Donald Trump. It's a typically mundane process, but it takes on added significance this year because of what happened four years ago when supporters of Donald Trump tried to halt the certification of Joe Biden's electoral victory. The date also marks two weeks until Donald Trump is officially sworn in during his inauguration, and Republicans are already planning how to push through an aggressive agenda in his first 100 days.

That includes sweeping tax cuts, border security enhancements and raising the debt limit. However, there is already some differences among Republican leaders on how exactly that can be accomplished.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: I think at the end of the day, President Trump is going to prefer, as he likes to say, one big beautiful bill. And there's a lot of merit to that because we can put it all together. One big up or down vote, which can save the country quite literally because there are so many elements to it.

And it'll give us a little bit more time to negotiate that and get it right.

SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD), U.S. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: We have the same set of objectives. We want to get to the same destination. But I think at times there will be differences in how we get there. And understanding the unique aspects of how the Senate operates is something that I'm going to have to be able to share and convey to the president. And help him understand, I think, what the, you know, what contours are of what we can accomplish here in the Senate and what's realistic.

CONTORNO: Trump's transition team is already looking ahead to his inauguration with a rally planned for the night before in Washington, D.C., as Trump tries to keep his supporters engaged and energized heading into his next term.

Steve Contorno, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Joining us, Leslie Vinjamuri, head of the U.S. and America's program at Chatham House Royal Institute of International Affairs. I don't need to tell you that, but she joins us from here in London. What are you looking at, Leslie?

I mean, there's so much for you to look at, I know, over the next month. But what is key for you?

LESLIE VINJAMURI, U.S. AND THE AMERICAS PROGRAMME, CHATHAM HOUSE: I think the first thing is, will this Republican majority, slim as it is, historically slim in the House, will it hold together? And Friday's confirmation of Speaker Johnson was one indication of the divisions that exist within that party. Donald Trump, you know, has come in with those majorities across the Senate to the House and, of course, in the White House.

And we know what the president-elect wishes to accomplish both domestically and in his foreign policy. But the nominees that he has announced and his own party within Congress indicate that there are very marked divisions. So we are, you know, I am going to look to see, does that party hold together?

And on the foreign policy side, which is really critical for those of us here in Europe, in the UK and certainly at Chatham House. What will President Trump once he after that January 20th inauguration, what will he do when it comes to the threat of tariffs on Europe? Linking that to questions of security and especially to the question of Ukraine and Russia, will he push hard for a deal?

And what will that mean? Does that mean putting pressure on President Putin? Does it mean withdrawing support from Zelenskyy or accelerating support in order to persuade Russia's leader that he must come to the table? So everybody here in Europe is really looking out for what will Trump do on the economic policy side on that threat of tariffs? And on the question of Ukraine and Russia couldn't be more vital.

But in the U.S., I think the real question is, you know, that the Republican Congress is saying that it will push forward with an omnibus bill to put all of the president's priorities in and get a vote the first week, first week of April.

[04:10:00]

That is extraordinarily ambitious and for any party, but especially for a party that seems already to be very deeply divided and very much around the question of spending inflation. And, you know, this is a president elect whose broader policy agenda is inflationary from deportations to tariffs to tax cuts. So these are critical, vital issues for the American public, for the rest of the world.

And we are on tenterhooks. Everybody is waiting to see which Donald Trump and which comes to the fore.

MACFARLANE: Yes, and as you say, Leslie, I mean, this is a president who's made so many promises before entering office on so many levels. One of those big promises, at least domestically, is that he has vowed to pardon the January 6th rioters on day one of his presidency. Now we're talking about something like fifteen hundred, sixteen hundred criminal convicts here.

How will he go about this? I mean, presumably he will have the support from Senate Republicans for such a move.

VINJAMURI: Yes, I think he will. Obviously, January 6th is something that is very deeply divisive. It's very fresh in the memory of most Americans.

We are now, you know, at the four year mark. It was a day that should have gone unremarkable. I just thought as an afterthought to go up and watch it on my own TV.

We were all horrified. It was shocking, not something that we could have ever anticipated. And I think many Americans will wish to see accountability and others really think that it's been overblown and would like to move on.

I think the pardons will go ahead. And, you know, pardons are not unusual. The bigger question is the broader process surrounding that, whether you also seek to erase the memory and the history.

That January 6 commission that we saw on our television screens has ensured and the report has ensured that it will be in the history books. I think in the short term there will be an attempt to rewrite history and to move on. But I think in the longer term, it's there and it will be remembered by, you know, Americans in many generations to come.

FOSTER: It's going to be an interesting object today, don't you think, or this week rather, where we see Kamala Harris. We haven't seen much of her since she lost the election. And we're going to see her presiding over the counting of the electoral votes formally.

It's a big sort of constitutional moment in the U.S., isn't it? But a big personal moment for her as well.

VINJAMURI: A very significant personal moment. And, you know, what we've seen just in recent days, President Biden, Kamala Harris to a degree. But really, President Biden, his national security team, his government really is shoring up their legacy.

President Biden is set to make, I think, two speeches. Many -- Jake Sullivan is in India today. That's a policy trip. But there are also a number of efforts that are being undertaken in these last two weeks until the inauguration of President Trump to really put a stamp on Biden, Harris and their legacy.

The Presidential Medal of Freedoms. Those were, of course, awarded in recent days, including to Liz Cheney, who co-led that commission on January 6th, George Soros, many others, Hillary Clinton. And we've seen on Twitter, Elon Musk and others really criticizing those announcements. So that legacy is one that is partisan in the short term.

The incoming Trump administration is really not letting go of their antipathy towards President Biden and his team. And again, President Biden is seeking really in a last minute effort to really shore up and tell the world, and especially to tell Americans what he's accomplished, what he has aimed to do and what he wishes to see for the U.S. going forward.

And I would also note, of course, this is an extraordinary day, but just tomorrow, America is going to turn the page and really look back at President Carter as he as he will be in Washington. His body remains to be honored and to that funeral in the days ahead.

MACFARLANE: And as we heard President Biden as well speaking, urging people not to forget what happened on this day four years ago. When we take a step back and look at the symbolism of this moment, I mean, after the storming of the Capitol four years ago, many thought that Donald Trump's political career was done. And yet here we are, obviously, with a complete turnaround of fortunes for him.

Why is it that American memories are so short? You know, when we think about the time frame of this and where we have arrived on January 6th once again?

[04:15:02]

VINJAMURI: You know, look, this is a very complicated question. People are very aware of what happened, but they don't all attribute the blame to President Trump. Many people think that the rioters, many of the rioters did not use violence. Those who did, they don't all believe that it was directed by President Trump.

But I think in many ways, you know, Americans are very pragmatic. They're very forward looking. They're very driven and determined to get ahead and move. And when it came to voting, we know that people made their decisions for a deep variety of reasons. And part of it was, you know, it was a very slim majority.

You know, we point to the fact that President Trump has these majorities in the House and the Senate and the White House. They're slim majorities that the overall outcome was very much less than it appeared on that first night. But Americans who voted for Donald Trump voted for very different reasons.

And we know that there's a group of those who supported Donald Trump, probably despite what happened on January 6th, because they think he's the better leader for the U.S. economy, for delivering a deregulated return to neoliberalism, tax cuts, and really charging the U.S. economy. And they didn't like what President Biden was trying to do with Bidenomics.

Others are just deeply committed to President Trump, the MAGA wing of the party. And others just vote Republican because that's what they and their families have done forever. And then, of course, there were many people who simply didn't want Kamala Harris.

So it's a complicated picture. I don't think that, you know, none of the polling suggested that January 6th ranked at the top of people's reasons for voting on either side of the ledger. It was really, you know, about complex factors, obviously inflation, obviously the economy, but who they identified with as a leader. And Americans are very divided.

It's a divided country. The legacy of January 6th is a legacy which people carry very different interpretations. It was a dangerous, sad, traumatic, deeply disturbing day for so many of us, something that we never could have imagined seeing.

The good news of the story of that day was that the legislators, that joint session of Congress, everybody returned. They voted. They certified the outcome of the U.S. election as they were mandated to do. And we, after an extraordinarily disruptive assault on the U.S. Capitol, we saw a smooth transition to President Biden.

So, again, people move on. They look forward. It's not a country that spends a lot of time looking backwards. It's a hard-charging, forward- looking, deeply pragmatic country.

MACFARLANE: It is a complex picture, as you say, and a complicated day with many, many mixed emotions. We appreciate you trying to break it down for us, Leslie. Thank you.

FOSTER: Now, in South Korea, the country's anti-corruption agency plans to seek an extension of the arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, set to expire at midnight local time today.

MACFARLANE: Yoon is accused of abuse of power and leading an insurrection over his brief, botched attempt to impose martial law last month. The country's corruption investigation office is now delegating the execution of the warrant to the police, who are said to be reviewing the request.

FOSTER: Video from Seoul shows barbed wire along some areas of the presidential compound, and entrances have also been blocked by vehicles. Police and protesters, both in support of and against Yoon, have gathered near his official residence in Seoul. Investigators tried to arrest him on Friday, but were prevented by Yoon's security detail.

It's baffling, really. We tried to get some explanation earlier, and the feeling is the system's working, but no one seems to really want to bite the bullet and go ahead without a warrant.

MACFARLANE: I mean, what day is it now? After five days after the initial arrest warrant went out? So they'll have to extend it again, won't they, in order to try again?

Well, in the meantime, America's top diplomat is reiterating U.S. support for South Korea's democracy as the country grapples with its ongoing political crisis.

FOSTER: During his visit to Seoul, Secretary of State Antony Blinken sat down with South Korea's acting president and reaffirmed U.S. confidence in the, quote, enduring strength of the U.S. and South Korean alliance.

MACFARLANE: Blinken is actually the first high-level U.S. official to visit the country since the political turmoil began last month.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, US. SECRETARY OF STATE: We had serious concerns about some of the actions that President Yoon took. We communicated those directly to the government. At the same time, we have tremendous confidence in the resilience of South Korea's democracy, in the strength of its institutions, and in the efforts that it's making to work through those institutions, pursuant to the constitution and the rule of law, to resolve the issue peacefully.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:20:00]

FOSTER: Well, still to come, Joe Biden will visit New Orleans days after the terrorist attack on Bourbon Street.

MACFARLANE: And there's a sign of possible progress in the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas. Ahead, how it could lead to more hostages being released.

FOSTER: Also ahead, Liverpool and Manchester United take to the pitch despite heavy snowfall blanketing the stadium. We'll have the latest on the winter weather across the U.K. and other parts of Europe.

MACFARLANE: Time to build a snowman, though, didn't they?

FOSTER: They can play football, but they can't run the trains or planes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Today is the last day for the public to pay their respects to the 39th president of the United States in Atlanta, the city where he once served as governor of Georgia. Jimmy Carter's body will remain there in the Carter Center until Tuesday morning. An Air Force plane will fly the casket to Washington, where he'll lie in state at the U.S. Capitol, until his funeral on Thursday.

FOSTER: Over the weekend, the Carter family's hometown church in Plains, Georgia, held its first Sunday service since his death. President Carter's niece led the Sunday school session, a responsibility that the former president carried out for decades.

In the coming hours, U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to attend a vigil in New Orleans for the 14 people killed in the New Year's Day terror attack.

MACFARLANE: Officials have now released a timeline detailing the events leading up to the attack and shedding light on the extensive planning involved. CNN's Rafael Romo reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[04:25:00]

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A crucial question here in New Orleans after the New Year's Day terrorist attack is how long in advance did the attacker know what he was going to do, what he was planning to do? And we have gotten information from the FBI saying that perhaps it was weeks, if not years, before he knew that he was going to do that. And that's because we now know that he came to New Orleans at least twice in the months preceding the attack.

Once in October, where he was here for several days. At one point, he was riding a bicycle and recording video here in the streets around the French Quarter. And then he returned in November.

And we have also learned that he traveled internationally. According to the FBI, Jabbar went to Cairo, Egypt in the summer of 2023. And a few days later, he also traveled to Ontario, Canada.

I asked the special agent in charge of the FBI here in New Orleans whether they know at this point if the attacker was financed by a terrorist organization. And this is what he had to say.

LYONEL MYRTHIL, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, FBI NEW ORLEANS: At this time, we're still trying to determine the answers to that. That is exactly what our priority is for those international trips. Essentially, we're looking at who has he encountered during those trips, who has he meeting with, where has he traveled while in those specific countries, and whether or not any visits to those countries may or may not have any indication as to the reasons behind this attack in our city. ROMO: All 14 fatal victims have now been identified. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry earlier said that the final victim identified was Latasha Polk, a certified nursing assistant and a mother of a 14-year- old.

Rafael Ramos, CNN, New Orleans, Louisiana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Ukraine's president hoping to win the support of Donald Trump ahead. What Vladimir Zelenskyy has to say about the next U.S. president.