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Winter Storm Begins To Slam Northeastern United States; Violence Erupts In Mexico As El Mencho Killed; Protests Erupt As Pressure Increases For Tehran To Curb Nuclear Program; Winter Olympics Come To A Close In Italy. Aired 10-11p ET

Aired February 22, 2026 - 22:00   ET

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

[22:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN HOST: And welcome to our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world. We begin with this live picture looking over Lady Liberty here in New York City, if you can make her out there with that snow, as we continue to watch this massive winter storm that's slamming parts of the northeastern United States with heavy snow, gusty winds, and the potential for blizzard conditions. The Storm Prediction Center is warning that prolonged overnight whiteouts are possible from New York City all the way up to Boston, where snow will likely fall through Monday morning.

Already, some heavy bands have dumped plenty of snow in parts of the country here with some parts expecting a rate of about 2 inches of snow per hour. So, that tells you a lot. More than 40 million people right now across 11 states are under blizzard warnings. And that includes New Jersey, where power outages are already being reported. And some areas have already seen more than a half a foot of snow.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino has been closely following the situation here in New York as we're now an hour into this travel ban. So, there's that, Gloria. And then, of course, if people are heeding the warnings from officials to just stay indoors and wait for tomorrow morning before they go out to enjoy this.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. And part of the reason for this travel ban, Polo, is what you just mentioned, the possibility for complete whiteout conditions on the roads. Part of the reason why the city streets, the highways, the bridges are shutting down to traffic. We've seen traffic slow down here in the last hour or so, but there are still some vehicles on the streets. Public transportation is still operating on a very limited schedule.

And of course, we're seeing the snowplows making their rounds around the city. More than 2,000 pieces of equipment have been deployed by the city of New York along with 2,600 sanitation workers who are working 12-hour shifts from earlier today into tomorrow, when much of the cleanup is going to begin. Now, the travel ban, there are some exemptions for essential workers, emergency workers, but if you do not have to go anywhere right now, the mayor, the governor, asking people to stay indoors, stay off the roads, both for safety reasons and to allow essential workers and emergency crews to get to the people who actually need the help.

I've been out here in front of Central Park all day, Polo, and in the last few hours, things have really sort of deteriorated. It's gotten much colder. The snow is significantly piling up. It is sticking and it gets very windy from time to time. Governor Kathy Hochul, addressing New Yorkers earlier today, deploying the National Guard, for those who might need help getting out, and making sure that equipment is available throughout the state. It's not just New York City. Much of the state is being impacted by this potentially historic storm.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHY HOCHUL, GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK: We have over 100 members, more if necessary, staged across Long Island, New York City and lower Hudson Valley. And they've deployed additional 25 vehicles to help with a downstate response. They're ready to be nimble. They'll go where they're needed. They can do anything from helping individuals be rescued out of their vehicles or helping transport emergency personnel or medical personnel to their jobs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAZMINO: Now, another thing I do want to mention that is, you know, really important as we get into the later hours this evening, the NYPD and other outreach workers are out 24 hours a day making sure that the city's most vulnerable people are brought inside, homeless New Yorkers. The last time we had a storm, which was less than a month ago, there were 19 deaths of people because of the extremely cold temperatures. That's one thing that's different this time around. It is not as cold, but these are still very dangerous conditions.

So, the city is in a code blue, which means that the shelter requirements have been eased so that people who need shelter can come in. The city has also opened up over a dozen warming centers. Warming buses have been deployed around the city. And as I said, outreach workers are out canvassing city streets for anyone who may still be out there tonight.

[22:05:00]

The city has also done some course correcting in the last few weeks because of what happened in the last storm. For example, the city had been asking New Yorkers to report people who are outside to 311. Now they're rerouting those calls to 911 to make sure that emergency workers are sent out right away.

So again, Mayor Zohran Mamdani got some criticism because of that last time around. So, we can see how he's making some changes. Also importantly, going into tomorrow morning, the city's schools will be closed. That's another significant change in the city's response, from the last storm, because last time the city's kids had remote learning. There was also a lot of criticism, not just from kids who wanted a

snow day, but from parents who actually had trouble logging into the system, the remote learning system.

So tomorrow, for the first time in several years, in fact since 2019, New York City kids will get a full blown snow day. I also want to talk about public transportation. Usually that's the best way to get around when there is a bad weather event happening. But a lot of the systems are operating on a limited schedule. The city's ferry has been suspended.

And again, if you do not need to be outdoors tonight and maybe even tomorrow morning, don't do it until the snow stops, which is not expected until potentially the early afternoon tomorrow. Polo.

SANDOVAL: I've said it before, I'll say it again, Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much and your entire team for all your reporting. You're our eyes and ears out there.

And we do want to continue to follow the situation. Right now they're on the ground, not just here in New York City, but other surrounding states as well. I want to go to Chris Gloninger. He's a meteorologist and climate scientist. He joins me now live from Centralville, Massachusetts on Cape Cod, right in the middle of the heart of it all, this blizzard. Tell us, what are you seeing out there?

CHRIS GLONINGER, METEOROLOGIST, CLIMATE SCIENTIST: All of the first few flakes. You may see them floating by the camera right now. And we have 22 hours to go. This could be the snowfall jackpot in Massachusetts. Typically it's up around Route 128, the Western Boston suburbs. But this appears to be the area that could get the most snow with anywhere from 2 to 3 inch per hour snowfall rates by the time this storm winds down tomorrow night at this time, we may see a total of 20 to 25 inches follow.

SANDOVAL: All right, our thanks there to Chris.

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[22:10:00]

SANDOVAL: Welcome back to CNN's breaking news coverage of a massive winter storm that is maintaining a grip on much of the Northeast, affecting millions of people. I want to take us back out live to Chris Gloninger who is a meteorologist and climate scientist. He joins me from Centralville, Massachusetts. Thank you so much for that.

Sorry to leave you hanging. Those tech gremlins, they tend to act up at the worst possible time. But I'm so glad -- I'm so glad we have you with us again Chris. Tell me what you're seeing there and also what makes this storm highly unusual even for winter in Massachusetts?

GLONINGER: You know, Paul, typically the jackpot area when it comes to snowfall is right around Metro West in Boston, the Route 128 corridor. But this time, it's southeastern Massachusetts that will likely see the heaviest snow with this, perhaps 20 to 30 inches. We have 22 hours to go now for these storms to intensify so rapidly.

We call it Bombogenesis. 24 millibars in 24 hours. This thing will drop 30 millibars in 24 hours. So we're just talking about a brutal lashing along the shoreline with 70 mile per hour wind gusts, 20 to 30 inches of snow. And Polo, this could be, as the National Weather Service said, historic and potentially devastating for parts of the shoreline here in Massachusetts.

SANDOVAL: Chris, let's -- let's offer viewers also some hope out there. Let's talk light at the end of the tunnel. What does your assessment tell us about when the situation could improve for so many people?

GLONINGER: At this point, it appears tomorrow afternoon, tomorrow evening. The great news is, unlike the storm we had in late January, where we still have the snow on the ground, which is very atypical for Cape Cod to maintain a snowpack, we'll likely see temperatures back up into the upper 30s and low 40s.

So, the snow that has stuck around now for about a month will likely start to melt by the end of the year -- by the end of the week. Feels like a year, but it should start to melt by the end of the week. And hopefully the next storm system that affects this part of Massachusetts, Polo, will be rain, not snow at that point.

SANDOVAL: Let me tell you, here in New York, I think you were right the first time, it did feel like that snow wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. But Chris Cloninger, thank you so much. Really so -- so happy that we could go back out to you. And do take care and stay warm.

GLONINGER: Thanks, Polo.

SANDOVAL: We now want to go to A.J. Schall. He's the director of Delaware's Emergency Management Agency. A.J., thank you so much for taking the time to check in with us.

A.J. SCHALL, DIRECTOR, DELAWARE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY: No, thank you. Good evening. SANDOVAL: Yeah. And thank you for your patience. Now, I'm wondering if you could bring our viewers up to speed, especially there where you are. What are the areas of concern? What's the most urgently needed information you think?

[22:15:00]

SCHALL: So, I think right now, you know, the forecast is coming together. Right? I think we saw a little bit later of the rain to snow, transition up in northern Delaware. Right now across the state, we have anywhere from really 4 to 8 inches of snow on the ground. A little bit higher down south. Our main concern right now is really the road conditions, and then secondarily the power outages.

We've seen power outages in Sussex County, the coastal community area, jump in just the last about 90 minutes. We're up over about 22,000 people right now across southern Delaware. So, that's very concerning. Working on getting some warming centers and shelters open for them. But it's going to be a while till the system's out of here.

We're thinking it's going to snow till late morning. So really want people to stay off the road, make sure they stay safe at their home. And then, you know, we have about 100 Guard members on duty right now across the state assisting public safety professionals.

SANDOVAL: A.J., for those watching who aren't accustomed to this kind of weather, watching from another part of the country or the world, I mean, what leads to these power outages? Is it the kind of snow that the system is loaded with and the winds, of course?

SCHALL: Yeah, it's -- Yeah, it's the winds and the snow right now. So, it was raining in most of Delaware till late morning, early afternoon down south in (ph) transition (ph). So, the first several hours of this snow, and still continuing now as the temperatures right around freezing, is a very heavy snow. So, if it collects on the wires, it weighs more, they snap. Then on top of that with the wind, with the weight, it will, you know, provide to be very troublesome as well.

The other part of that is it takes a while for the crews to get out. Right? Very treacherous road conditions right now. Very unsafe conditions to work. They're still trying to respond, do the best work they can. But you know, a lot of this stuff that will take a few hours, not only to evaluate it, but then for the restoration as well. So, we need patience. But we're going to, you know, continue to work with our county partners across the state and make sure we support them any way possible.

SANDOVAL: Yeah, patience will certainly be important in the overnight hours and tomorrow morning. And keeping that in mind, A.J., when do you think folks, especially there where you are, could expect some of those roads to be -- to be safe to navigate again when some of these advisories will eventually expire?

SCHALL: Yeah, so I think for, you know, we just, in the last hour, we instituted a travel restriction for -- actually a travel ban for our two southern counties and then some travel restrictions up north. That means unless you're essential personnel, public safety, you know, Department of Transportation, snowplow operators to stay off the road, we expect that to continue through, you know, late morning at the earliest tomorrow.

The wind has picked up just in the last 45 minutes, so you get the blowing snow. So as soon as you clear a road, it's covered back up a few minutes later. So, we expect the snow hopefully to taper off by late morning, early afternoon in the southern part of the state. But that still needs time, you know, several hours, if not days after that, for us to let the crews at the Department of Transportation, as well as municipalities and private contractors, to really get those roads in a safe condition again.

SANDOVAL: How unusual is it for local and state entities to have to institute these kinds of travel advisories for a winter storm in the Northeast?

SCHALL: So, it's not -- it's not uncommon. Right? We did it back in January. It's not as frequent as it used to be. Right? So, it's been a few years. So, there's been the re-education that we've had to do with individuals and companies to make sure they have the right permits in place. But before, earlier this year, it's been, you know, maybe once -- once a year, maybe twice a year. Now it's, you know, two times in less than a month, actually a month on this week that we've seen these.

SANDOVAL: A.J. Schall, thank you so much for that update. Sort (ph) of (ph) thinking about you and everybody else there right now and glad you're staying safe. Appreciate your time.

SCHALL: Thank you. Have a good night.

SANDOVAL: You do as well. And we do continue to track this dangerous winter storm that A.J. was just bringing us up to speed on as the storm slams pretty much the entire Northeast coast. We'll go back out to my colleague Gloria Pazmino here in New York City just after a short break as it continues to come down.

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[22:20:00]

SANDOVAL: Welcome back to CNN. Violence has erupted across Mexico following the killing of the country's most wanted drug leader known as El Mencho. And this was part of a military operation that happened on Sunday. You can see some of the -- some of the smoke billowing from a Mexican resort town of Puerto Vallarta.

A witness says that fires are ongoing and it smelled like burning rubber in the streets. Officials say that suspected members of organized crime groups unleashed the wave of violence after the death of El Mencho. He was a former police officer who was one of the world's most wanted traffickers. He led the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, which the Trump administration declared as a terrorist organization about a year ago. CNN's Valeria Leon with the details from Mexico.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fire, smoke and chaos across several Mexican states. Cities brought to a standstill as criminal groups retaliate after Mexico's most wanted drug leader died following a military operation Sunday. Blocked highways, drivers forced out of their cars at gunpoint, trucks and buses set on fire.

[22:25:00]

Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, a former police officer known to most as El Mencho, was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Wounded during a Mexican military operation and later died while being transported to Mexico City. The U.S. played a role in Sunday's operation, according to U.S. Defense officials, though it's unclear to what extent. As fear spread, many Mexicans spoke out, calling for an end to the violence. EUTILBERTO ROJAS, SINALOA RESIDENT: People are aware of this violence, and what they want is peace, to live in harmony and justice, not in war.

LEON: Blockades were reported across various estates (ph), and classes were suspended in at least three states as officials tried to contain the violence and keep civilians off the streets.

(UNKNOWN): I'm tired of seeing this continue every single day.

LEON: Under El Mencho's command, the cartel expanded rapidly, challenging rivals like the Sinaloa Cartel for control of territory and trafficking routes. According to U.S. and Mexican officials, El Mencho managed to avoid capture for years. His detention and debt is one of the most significant blows to organized crime in recent years and the first high profile operation under President Claudia Sheinbaum.

The fall of El Mencho may mark a major security milestone. But with tourism, foreign investment and security for the 2026 World Cup at stake, the world is watching how Mexico handles what comes next. Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And the violence across Mexico that has left some American tourists who've been asked to remain indoors stranded, wondering when they'll be able to make their way home. One of them is Jim Beck. He joins us -- He joins us now. Jim, thank you so much for taking the time. I'm so sorry that you and certainly the locals there in Puerto Vallarta experience that on Sunday.

JIM BECK, AMERICAN TOURIST: Yeah, it's crazy. We've been stuck here at the hotel all day. Started off our morning with taxis being blown up and buses being blown up and flames and fire everywhere and smoke. So, yeah, pretty crazy. And then they put us in shelter in place at the hotels. And so we've been out on the rooftop kind of watching all the activities all day long, and we're still locked in.

SANDOVAL: And we're sharing with our viewers some of the material that you've sent in, some of those images of what appear to be Black Hawk helicopters, members of the military over a city that is, I've been there. It is quite tranquil. After covering cartel violence for quite some time, we've seen narco violence reach so many communities in Mexico.

But to see a shelter in place order issued in what is a relatively calm and safe resort city in Mexico I'm curious what went through your mind when you woke up to -- to the sound of helicopters and smoke billowing into the air?

BECK: You know, it was really scary. We've been coming down here for almost 20 years, and we've always told people to come down and check it out, because you always feel safe here. We've never, ever not felt safe. And today was the first day as we left the hotel to go have breakfast and saw all the craziness going on and the violence and the smoke, that we were actually terrified. And we saw the people running down the streets, running from the flames and stuff and the fire, and we ran back to the hotel and then that's when they got the shelter in order place.

And we've been here all day and we're staying at Hotel Eloisa, and there's no restaurant or bar or anything here, so we've all been here without anything all day. And the staff has been great running and grabbing stuff and bringing us some snacks and some water and stuff. But it's been pretty scary, as you can see from the videos and pictures I shared, that blocks away is where all of it's happening. And all the Oxxos, they burnt down all of the little Oxxos.

So, there's been little fires and stuff all over the city around us, where it's normally fun and nice and people walking around and all the little local restaurants and all the locals being locked up and hidden with us too. And there's a few homeless people that were brought into this hotel they allowed in so that they had someplace to go too. So, it's been quite surreal, knowing this warm, wonderful place that we come to visit a couple times a year is in lockdown and just terrifying for all the people.

SANDOVAL: It's just incredible. As I hear your description, it sounds less like a vibrant tourist town and more like a war zone, an unlikely war zone. Do you have any sort of sense of when authorities may deem it safe to go outside and when you may actually try to leave Mexico?

BECK: You know, we're supposed to leave on Wednesday, but with all of the activity today, we're going to see how tomorrow goes and see if it's something that is going to happen. We're not sure because they literally blew up taxis and buses. They were good about letting everybody off of them stuff (ph), but they blew them up and blocked all the roads coming in and out of Puerto Vallarta.

So they were saying nobody was getting in and out. They canceled all the flights.

[22:30:00]

People were being rerouted coming into Puerto Vallarta from friends that were coming, and so we had some friends that were going to leave today and they're still here without a hotel room. So of course people are all helping out to give them a place to stay. But yeah, it's been pretty crazy to see this warm (ph), great city being in lockdown and not sure what's happening in the next couple days or not.

SANDOVAL: Perhaps by way of some of the hotel staff there that's keeping you informed. Do you know of any local or state officials have shared information with the public about what they believe may have led to this, what appears to be an outbreak of violence in multiple Mexican states. You may have heard my colleague reporting just now that it was likely retaliatory violence after this joint operation to take down this wanted cartel -- cartel kingpin?

BECK: Yeah, it's all been hearsay, but that's what we've been hearing too, that it's retaliation for that and that a lot of the places that they're destroying I guess are government run or state run. And so they're -- they're showing their distaste for what happened by destroying all of that. So, it's crazy. There's an Oxxo on every other corner here, and to see all of them burning and everything in it destroyed, it's kind of like, okay, we're gonna leave and where do you even go to find water or something? Because they burned them all down.

And so it's just been surreal seeing it. And then, like I said, we're not even sure if the -- they've seen local footage right now. We've been seeing coming in on our phones and all of the cars and stuff that were burnt apart are still sitting in the roads. They haven't moved anything yet because they need to get into the city to move them, I guess.

So, it's just unbelievable to see what we are going to be seeing in the next couple of days. I'm hoping we get out tomorrow morning still locked in, but to walk around and see what's happening and hopefully craziness has dissipated by then.

SANDOVAL: Yeah, we can only hope. And obviously it's important to remind our viewers that, you know, this kind of violence, it is not new in this country that has been struggling to really gain control of this -- of the situation with cartel violence. I'm just curious, Jim, does this perhaps, you said you've been visiting there. It is a wonderful place. Visiting it for decades now. Does this experience change, in any way, your perception of traveling south of the border?

BECK: You know, I don't think it's going to change it for me. I'm hoping this is an isolated incident. I know this kind of stuff pops up and happens all over the place, but like I said, we've always felt safe here, and this place is unbelievable and a great destination to come on vacation. So, I'm hoping that once they get this cleaned up and everything and work things out, that it'll be a safe place to continue to come. I'd hate to not come here.

SANDOVAL: It is a wonderful city and a great state. And -- And we're so happy that you and the rest of your travel party are safe, and do check back with us. We hope you make it home safely and everything turns out okay.

BECK: Sounds great. Thank you.

SANDOVAL: Thank you. That's again, Jim Beck reporting. Or at least with that -- with that account from Mexico. I want to give you now a live look at some of the snow that's falling in New Jersey as we continue to follow this massive winter storm that's slamming into the East Coast. The snow, it's far from over. In fact, it's expected to intensify overnight with the heaviest bands potentially dumping one, perhaps even two inches of snow per hour after midnight.

And the Storm Prediction Center says that prolonged whiteouts are expected as high winds gusting at about 40-70 miles per hour, potentially stir up this blizzard -- these blizzard conditions that millions are experiencing. Over half a foot of snow has already fallen in parts of New Jersey where some power outages are already being reported. And forecasters are saying that some areas could see well over a foot of snowfall overnight, with isolated totals approaching two feet by Monday morning. Let's head back out to my colleague, CNN's Gloria Pazmino. She and her

team has been braving these weather conditions for hours now. Gloria, if there's perhaps some silver lining, at least it's not as cold as it was last month. But that doesn't make these conditions any less difficult to stand in and any less dangerous.

PAZMINO: You're right, Polo. But you know, I was out here for the last storm, for when we had those brutally cold conditions. And even though we're getting a lot of snow right now, a lot of wind, it is not as cold. It's cold. Don't get me wrong. I don't want to make it sound like it's warm out here. But it was brutally cold last time. And so that gives us a little bit, you know, a little bit of a silver lining. It's getting pretty desolate out here in Columbus Circle in front of Central Park, where I'm standing right now, we're still seeing some vehicles on the road.

There is now a travel ban in effect that will not be lifting until noon tomorrow. The mayor, Zohran Mamdani, asking people to stay off the roads. He wants to make sure that sanitation workers, which are out in force tonight into tomorrow morning, can do their jobs. But also emergency workers who need to get to people who actually need help can do so. Of course, also to avoid accidents.

[22:35:00]

We've already seen some throughout the evening, from people being on the roads. So city streets, highways, bridges, all shut down to traffic, until noon tomorrow. I also just want to talk about the conditions because we keep hearing the word blizzard and we actually need very specific conditions in order to have that designation. Part of what you need is sustained winds for up to three hours, and we're seeing that wind right now really pick up.

You can see the snow is just blowing sideways, and it's kind of hard to stay on your feet, especially with, you know, the -- the snow and the ice lining the sidewalks. Into tomorrow morning, we're going to start to see a lot of the cleanup effort get underway. There are more than 2,000 pieces of equipment that are being deployed for this. 2,600 sanitation workers working 12 hour shifts from early on today into tomorrow, and likely for the several -- for several more days into next week as the city begins to dig out.

We're talking about a potential a foot on a -- foot and a half of snow that is going to be debilitating for the city of New York. It's a lot of snow. It's going to make it hard to get around. So a lot of people will likely be staying home. Very importantly, New York City kids will have a full fledged snow day. So, I expect that tomorrow, right here at this very spot in Central Park, when the snow finally stops falling, there's going to be a lot of happy children running around sledding down the hills here in the park.

But for now, if you can help it, stay home, stay off the road. Public transportation is very limited right now, and the plows, they're out making the rounds, making sure that the -- the streets are as clear as possible. But we do expect this snow to continue to pile up into the evening hours and into the morning, and likely not, will -- will not be stopping until at least noon or so. Polo.

SANDOVAL: Yeah, we have heard it from one expert after another, Gloria, that the worst is still ahead for many communities up and down the Northeast. Gloria Pazmino and your entire team, thanks again for braving those conditions. Your eyes are out there. So many people counting on you. So thank you. Want to get to one of those experts actually right now. Steve Decker. He's the director of the meteorology program at Rutgers University. It's great to have you with us. Thank you so much for joining.

STEVE DECKER, DIRECTOR, METEOROLOGY PROGRAM AT RUTGERS UNIVERSIT: Great to be here.

SANDOVAL: Let's talk just the history of this storm. When everything is said and done, I mean, what makes this storm so extraordinary, Steve? DECKER: Well, one of the things that's so extraordinary is just how rapidly it's intensifying. It is one of those so-called bomb cyclones that's happening right now, the winds are really starting to pick up along the coast. Sometimes we get heavy snow in the Northeast without huge winds. But with this storm, especially along the coast, very strong winds are going to happen.

SANDOVAL: And then for folks who are not used to this kind of weather, I mean, how is this -- how are blizzard conditions different when you compare it to maybe what we experienced about a month ago? Is it -- Is it the potential for whiteout conditions? Is it the wind?

DECKER: Right, the wind is a key ingredient, and that's going to be whipping the snow around. Also, we don't have the sleet mixing in like we did with that last storm. So, that's going to blow much easier. That's also going to reduce the visibilities to give us those blizzard conditions this time around.

SANDOVAL: Let's talk about what you (ph) could -- what you expect to happen, obviously the next 12, 24 hours. What will be the biggest areas of concern for you that you're watching?

DECKER: So anywhere along the coast, basically along the I-95 corridor from Philadelphia up to Boston and then east of there, you know, right along the coast, those are the areas that are under the gun for the strongest winds and the heaviest snow. Yes.

SANDOVAL: So, you talk winds, you talk snow. Let's talk the potential for flooding. Seen -- Seen some of your colleagues also express some concern over some of the coastal areas. Where should people stay particularly informed right now as this storm off the coast continues to -- to develop?

DECKER: Right. So, there is some coastal flooding with this storm in the moderate to, in some places, maybe in the major category. So, if you're in a place where you've experienced coastal flooding before, you would definitely want to pay attention to that. It's not going to be an unprecedented coastal flood, but areas that have experienced coastal floods in the last few years are going to be under the gun tonight as well. SANDOVAL: And then just finally, what is this sort of imperfect combination of conditions that made this storm what it eventually became? Folks have been tracking this for quite some time and it seems that it just developed so quickly.

DECKER: Right. It was sort of a Goldilocks scenario where a number of different weather systems came together just right.

[22:40:00]

We had the previous weather system on Friday that gave us rain here in the northeast and that left behind cold front, sort of snaking across the middle of the country. And that was the sort of the boundary on this -- on which this storm could develop. It received some energy from a storm that came ashore in California a few days ago. There was another system diving down out of Canada over the last few days. Everything just came together across the mid Atlantic and northeast, basically right now to make it happen.

SANDOVAL: Sure. Steve Decker checking in with us from New Jersey, one of many states already experiencing some issues, including power outages. Steve, the best to you. Thank you for your time.

DECKER: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: And stay with us. More breaking news coverage continues after a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[22:45:00]

SANDOVAL: Welcome back. 10:45 p.m. here in New York City and a live picture over Lady Liberty courtesy of the folks at Earth Cam shows some of those -- some of that snowfall that's been coming down already four hours. If anything, it's been intensifying for quite some time. All part of this major winter storm that's battering parts of the northeastern United States, is bringing basically travel to a standstill. Over 40 million people are under blizzard warnings across 11 states. Power outages, those are expected to impact thousands of people.

Perhaps, you know, that's one of the biggest concerns, not just in New York, neighboring New Jersey and other states as well. And some of these whiteout conditions that you can kind of see in this Earth Cam shot, that's also expected through the night as the heavy snow and those fears whipping winds exceed 70 miles per hour overnight along the coast. So we're going to continue to follow the situation there and bring you back to the situation that's in some cases deteriorating in parts of the country.

Do want to bring you up to speed though on the Middle East. Iranian students, they launched a new round of protests as Tehran faces mounting pressure from the U.S. to curb its nuclear program. Protesters, they held a march at a university campus in Tehran in honor of students who were killed during the anti government protest just a few weeks ago.

Demonstrators could be heard chanting, quote, We swear by the blood of our friends, we will stand to the end. The U.S Special Envoy told Fox News this weekend that President Trump is wondering why a deal still hasn't happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE WITKOFF, SPECIAL ENOVOY, MIDDLE EAST: He's curious as to why they haven't, I don't want to use the word capitulated, but why they haven't capitulated. Why under this sort of pressure with the amount of sea power, naval power that we have over there, why they haven't come to us and said we profess that we don't want to be -- we don't want a weapon. So, here's what we're prepared to do. And yet it's hard to -- to sort of get them to that place.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: All right, let's get some expert analysis in just a short while. But first, Iranian and U.S. officials, they say that they expect a third round of talks will take place in Geneva on Thursday. Iran's foreign minister says that he's optimistic that a diplomatic solution will be reached on Tehran's nuclear program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: And I believe that when we meet, probably this Thursday in Geneva again, we can work on those elements and prepare a good text and come to a fast deal. This is my understanding. I see it quite possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: All right, to that expert analysis now. Intrida Parsi, an executive vice president of The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He's also the author of Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy. Trito, thank you so much. Welcome back to CNN. Thank you, Vedant.

TRITA PARSI, EXECUTIVE VP, THE QUINCY INSTITUTE FOR RESPONIBLE: Thank you. Thank you for having me again.

SANDOVAL: And it's great to have you with us. There are new talks between the U.S. and Iran that are apparently set for Thursday. Iran pretty much has been slow to make a new offer. Why do you think that is?

PARSI: I don't think they have been that slow to make an offer. In fact, the only offers that have really been made has come from the Iranian side. The U.S. offer, so to say, is exactly what Witkoff said in that interview. It's exact -- a demand for capitulation. And I fear that Trump's understanding of where Iran is a little bit off, to be frank with you. I think he has an exaggerated view of how much Iran has been weakened over the course of the last two years.

It absolutely has been weakened, but not to the extent that Trump thinks. And this has led him to make maximalist demands, essentially expect Iranian surrender. And now he is surprised as to why they're not surrendering. Well, the reason is they're not as weak as Trump thinks they is -- they are. And as a result, we need a much more realistic approach in order to be able to get to a deal, rather than thinking that just simply demanding their surrender eventually will lead to results.

SANDOVAL: In terms of a -- of a, shall we call it this roadmap towards diplomacy, Trita, let me tap into your expert mind here. I mean, what are the sort of ingredients of an ideal sort of negotiation, especially when it comes not only to nuclear enrichment, but also the state of sanctions and the timing of all of this?

PARSI: So, there's many different ways you can go about this. The way the Obama administration did is that they started slowly and they had an interim deal. They built some confidence between the two sides, and then there was an agreement that was reciprocal.

[22:50:00]

The Iranians would take certain steps on curbing their nuclear program, and sanctions would be slowly but surely lifted. And eventually, if the deal had been in place for 10 years, there would have been significant steps that would have been taken by the two sides. But because Trump pulled out of it, of course, that process stopped. Trump doesn't seem to like that approach because it is taking too long.

He wants a fast deal, just a couple of bullet points, a couple of principles, and then they can work out the details afterwards. That's usually not the way the Iranians operate, but it seems to me that the Iranians are not adjusting to the manner that Trump is used to making deals. But again, none of this will work if both sides have completely unrealistic expectations of what they can get out of this negotiation.

SANDOVAL: And no clear sort of laid out goal, too. And when you -- when you look at the exactly where both countries stand, do you think that they both essentially have initiative to let things further escalate? I mean, would it be in their interest to not follow the road to diplomacy?

PARSI: I think it will be an absolutely lose-lose situation if this escalates into war. It will be clearly a lose-lose -- lose situation for the Iranians. The U.S.'s military power, of course, is overwhelming, but it will also be a lose situation for the United States because the Iranians still have significant capability of inflicting damage on the U.S., on the oil markets, on regional stability, as well as U.S. soft targets throughout the region and perhaps beyond. There's nothing good that will come out of this.

I think it also will be a lose situation for the Iranian people who, as you pointed out, are still out there protesting, they're still angry, and as they should be, about the killings that have taken place there by the brutality of the Iranian government over the course of the last couple of weeks, but also the course of the last couple of years and decades. Nothing good will come out of that. So, it's crucial that there is a de-escalation. And there's one card

the Iranians have not played yet, which I think is a mistake. They should be open to talking directly to Trump himself, not just to his negotiators. This needs much bigger efforts at de-escalation. And the Iranians have, in my view, very foolishly rejected that opportunity, that pathway. And I think Trump would have, I don't think we would have seen the escalation we have seen thus far had the Iranians agreed to do this much earlier.

SANDOVAL: Trita Parsi, always grateful for your perspective. Thank you so much.

PARSI: Thank you. Appreciate it.

SANDOVAL: Well, the Olympic flame, it has now been extinguished. And the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina, they have bid farewell to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. That grand finale of Sunday's closing ceremony, it illuminated the historic city of Verona, specifically Verona Arena.

Thousands there in the historic site gathering to celebrate the unity among athletes and nations, as well as the future of the Olympic movement. The next Winter Games are expected to be hosted in the French Alps in 2030. Norway was clearly the leader in this year's medal count with 18 golds. One athlete responsible for quite a few of those.

The U.S came in second with 12 gold medals, marking the country's most successful Winter Games ever. In the Netherlands and host country Italy, they each finished with 10 golds. And the glowing (ph) gold medal for the U.S. that came in a hard fought overtime win over its fierce rival on the ice, Canada, in the men's hockey final. CNN's Coy Wire was there. He's got more on this thrilling showdown.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: For the very last event at these Winter Olympics, we got an overtime classic in the men's hockey gold medal game. Just like the women's final, the USA versus Canada. And just like that women's game, it's the USA coming out in overtime. The Americans withstood a barrage of shots from their neighbors to the north. 42 shots on goal. But Connor Hellebuyck saved 41 of them, setting a new Olympic record for a gold medal game involving NHL players.

And in overtime, it was Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils star, hammering home the game winning goal, laying it all on the line, blood on his face, teeth missing. An American legend is born. First Olympic men's hockey gold for team USA in 46 years. I caught up with some of the fans who were over the moon.

(UNKNOWN): Oh my goodness gracious me, that was incredible. That's all I can say.

WIRE: Who was the star of the game for the U.S.?

(UNKNOWN): I (ph) gotta (ph) say (ph), it was the winner, Jack Hughes. It's got to be Jack Hughes. No one else.

(SHOUTING)

(UNKNOWN): USA. Woo.

(UNKNOWN): Was that not the greatest? First time since 1980. Gold medal, USA all the way. Woo.

WIRE: Man, take me through that golden goal moment.

[22:55:00]

What's going through the mind as you hear the crowd roar?

TAGE THOMPSON, 2026 OLYMPIC HOCKEY TEAM MEMBER: Oh, it's crazy. I think every kid dreams about that moment. Going into intermission after the third there, just looking around the room, just thinking someone's going to be the hero, is a pretty special feeling. Obviously, you know, Jack comes through for us there, you know, makes our dreams become a reality. Being gold medalists.

WIRE: How do you put it into perspective when you think about first gold medal for American men's hockey in 46 years? Did that, like, sink in yet?

THOMPSON: No, it's crazy. Every kid grows up watching Miracle. You know, every USA Hockey player dreams of this moment, and now we're sharing that exact feeling that they had. It's pretty special.

WIRE: So with that and with the closing ceremony also on Sunday in Verona, that's a wrap from the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Our thanks to Coy and his team for all that coverage and thank you so much for joining us. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. The news continues in just a few moments with more CNN Newsroom after a short break.

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