Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Eastern U.S. Digs Out from Blizzard; Blizzard Buries Washington; Snow Emergency Lifted in Philadelphia; Democrats' Final Sprint to Iowa; Donald Trump Talks Church at Iowa Rally. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired January 25, 2016 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:26] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The big clean-up begins. Cities along the East Coast this morning struggling to return to normal after the monster winter storm. A lot of people this morning expecting a messy commute. We will tell you what you need to know ahead.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: One week to Iowa. The candidates out in force trying to sway voters with just seven days until the first real test. Tonight, the Democrats sound off on a CNN town hall event. How will it shake up the race?
Good morning. And welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
BERMAN: I'm John Berman. Nice to see you. It is Monday, January 25th, 4:00 a.m. in the East. And millions of Americans digging out this morning from one of the biggest snow storms the eastern U.S. has ever seen. A whole lot of people facing a daunting commute with officials warning of icy roads, not to mention reduced bus, train and plane service.
This morning about 1200 flights have been canceled so far. At least 16 people have died due to the storm and that figure is likely to rise. The snowfall totals came in at record levels or close up and down the East Coast.
Glengarry, West Virginia, got the worst of it with 42 inches. New York, 26.8 inches. And you know what, New York wasn't even expecting nearly that much.
ROMANS: No.
BERMAN: The second biggest snowstorm in the city's history. Washington about 22.4 inches. Commuters in the New York are looking at a tough morning. This morning the MTA says it will have service restored only on the seven busiest branches of the Long Island railroad.
CNN's Ryan Young is at Penn Station with more on the New York cleanup.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, 26.8 inches fell here in New York City. And you look all around the city, you can see the big burns of snow every single where. In fact, one of the places we're standing is here outside Penn Station. That's where the Long Island rail was shut down for some time. We do know 80 percent of the service will resume Monday morning for
those commuters. 300,000 people use that rail line. It's all a part of the city getting itself back to normal.
Now we drove in from New Jersey. One of the things that we noticed is, most of the roadways were clear. And in fact, it was very easy to get around most of the major intersections of the city. But all along the side streets, people were dealing with what you know that they were dealing with, which is that heavy inches of snow all over the place. It's going to be a long cleanup effort all up and down throughout New York City. That's something that we'll be watching and paying attention to -- John and Christine.
BERMAN: All right, Ryan. What about the nation's capital? Hit very hard. Roads still being plowed in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland. Federal government offices and schools in the region all closed today. The D.C. Metro system will be running but on a reduced schedule.
For the latest from Washington, let's bring in CNN's Jennifer Gray.
JENNIFER GRAY, AMS CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, day two of the big dig is beginning today and we have a lot of snow still to clean up. The crews have been out all night long on the roads trying to get them clear and I can tell you, Pennsylvania Avenue even has a stack of snow on top of it. However, some of the major roads, a lot of the major arteries are getting plowed, are getting cleared, but even in the downtown area, some of these roads are still not.
So that's part of the reason school was canceled again today. City of D.C., government office as well as the federal government closed down today as well. It's just going to take time to get the city back up and running. On top of that, we had a beautiful day on Sunday. Blue skies, temperatures got above freezing. We had a little bit of melting going on so it is going to be very dangerous, the morning commute.
We're going to have a lot of black ice and so again that's another reason why they cancelled school as well as those government offices. So it is going to take a while to get the city back up and running. We've been talking about these incredible snowfall totals. Dulles ranked number two as the snowiest snowstorm ever. Reagan ranked number four and so the storm definitely lived up to the hype.
This was epic here across the nation's capital. Still a quiet scene in D.C. for the next couple of days -- John and Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Thanks so much for that.
Philadelphia lifted its snow emergency overnight giving drivers a few more options with their cars once they clear off the nearly two feet of snow. Still public schools are closed which the mayor says will give the city the chance to restore roads to a blacktop. And traffic is moving along the Pennsylvania turnpike this morning after a collision between two tractor-trailers brought the roadway and about 500 vehicles to a standstill over the weekend. CNN's Sara Ganim is in Philadelphia for us and have more.
SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, the Pennsylvania Turnpike director apologizing after what he calls a tragic situation. Motorists struck for more than 20 hours on the Pennsylvania Turnpike during a seven-mile backlog caused by tractor-trailers that got stuck in the snow. A review underway.
[04:05:04] Meanwhile in York, Pennsylvania, an airplane hangar collapsed under the weight of the snow after the state got somewhere between 20 and 30 inches in some areas. Here in Philadelphia, where they got 20 inches of snow, the fourth largest storm on record, schools will remain closed today as city officials clean up, hauling away snow into dump trucks then bringing it to snowmelters to get rid of it.
And as you can see students and kids who have been cooped up all weekend inside because of the blizzard, releasing some of that buildup energy here on the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Sliding down the rocky steps, enjoying the storm now that it is over, enjoying what is left as city officials continue that clean up here in Philadelphia -- John and Christine.
BERMAN: Oh, man. That looks like a lot of fun actually right there.
ROMANS: Having fun, right?
BERMAN: All right. So what is in store for today? When will this all melt? Let's bring in meteorologist Pedram Javaheri.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, John and Christine.
(WEATHER REPORT)
JAVAHERI: Let's send it back to you.
BERMAN: All right, Pedram. So it's not going anywhere.
We want to take a look at it from outer space or at least as a drone flies over it.
ROMANS: Gorgeous.
BERMAN: Technology. This is a drone flying over -- I don't know. Is this Staten Island?
ROMANS: Staten Island, I guess.
BERMAN: Staten Island, very, very pretty. It looks so nice when it's not getting in the way of your commute or your walk where you don't have to shovel it.
ROMANS: It's beautiful when it's not at the end of your shovel. You're right.
BERMAN: Exactly. ROMANS: Gorgeous. All right. Be safe out there, everybody.
Time for an EARLY START on your money this morning. The weekend's blizzard is going to be a costly one. Early estimates for the cost between $350 million and $700 million. That includes lost spending as people hunkered down at home, lost wages, restaurants missed out on revenue, and snow cleanup costs money. For example, cleaning up snow in New York City costs an estimated $1.8 million per inch. So that adds up.
Some good news, though, this is the first big snowstorm of the year. A whole season of wild weather -- wild winter weather is what really could make a dent in the economy. Experts say this isn't even close to the economic damage we saw during that cold wave. Remember in 2014, the cost of that up to $15 billion and first quarter GDP, actually it hit GDP, remember that, because of the storm? Because the cold weather lasted much longer and affected a larger area.
This is very late in the season. The first big snowstorm for the northeast. Very late in the season. But $1.8 million an inch in New York City. Think of that.
(LAUGHTER)
BERMAN: That's a lot of money.
ROMANS: Sure is.
ROMANS: All right. A pivotal day in Iowa. The CNN town hall. Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, on the same stage for the last time before Iowans cast their votes in just one week. We are in Des Moines in just moments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:12:36] ROMANS: One week from today, Iowa voters go to the caucuses to vote. The Democratic candidates for president kick off that final countdown with a town hall tonight right here on CNN following a day of campaigning around the state.
Hillary Clinton has one advantage starting the week. Two major endorsements from "The Boston Globe" and the "Des Moines Register."
CNN's Jeff Zeleny has the latest on the final sprint to Iowa.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, one week until the Iowa caucuses and the Democratic race is deadlocked. You could hear it in the voices of the candidates over the weekend as they traveled across the state urging voters to listen to their campaigns.
Now Hillary Clinton is making a pitch for urgency. She's saying that voters need to be with her, embrace her experience. This is what she said on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Why the stakes in this election are so high and we have to start to move toward nominating and electing a president and commander-in-chief who will continue the progress we've made, make sure it is not ripped away forcing us to once again be disappointed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: Now Bernie Sanders is asking his supporters to believe, believe in their ideals, believe in the possibility. He made a slightly different argument as he campaigned on Sunday. He reminded his supporters that it's close, he can win if they come out and support him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Today, we are locked in a very, very close race right here in Iowa and if we have the kind of turnout that I hope we can, we're going to win here in Iowa.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: And if we win here in Iowa, I think we're going to do very, very well in New Hampshire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: Now Clinton, Sanders, and former Maryland governor, Martin O'Malley will be on campus here at Drake University in Des Moines, making their pitch to voters at the CNN town hall meeting tonight. After that, the campaigns are getting into overdrive, mobilizing their supporters that they've spent months and months cultivating.
The question here is this, is it the inspiration from the Bernie Sanders campaign against the organization from the Clinton campaign that's actually going to win out here? The turnout is always important, but in this case in particular, will there be a big turnout like there was in 2008 for Barack Obama or a slightly smaller turnout as in previous years?
[04:15:05] That is going to determine who wins the Iowa caucuses and how long this Democratic presidential race goes on -- John and Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Jeff Zeleny, thank you for that.
You know, tonight exactly one week before the Iowa caucuses Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley, they will go face-to- face with the voters in a CNN town hall live from Des Moines. Chris Cuomo will moderate. The candidates will appear for 30 minutes each and take questions from Chris and a large audience of Iowa voters. Sanders will go first, then O'Malley, then Clinton. That's tonight at 9:00 Eastern live only on CNN.
BERMAN: On the Republican side, Donald Trump enters the week with a reason to smile. Beside the fact that he's a billionaire. A brand new FOX News poll now puts him in the lead in Iowa by a double-digit margin. Just two weeks ago, he was four points behind Ted Cruz in the same poll.
Today is a busy day for Donald Trump. He heads from Iowa to an afternoon interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer at Trump Tower here in New York then an evening rally in New Hampshire then back to Iowa for more campaigning tomorrow. Good thing he's got his own private jet.
More now on Trump's final dash to the caucuses from CNN's Jeremy Diamond.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Good morning, John and Christine. Donald Trump on Sunday delivering his typical stump speech here in Muscatine, Iowa, with just eight days to go before the Iowa caucuses. Before heading over to the rally here, he did attend church services Sunday morning. Obviously important here in the state of Iowa where evangelical voters are a key portion of the Republican primary electorate.
He attended those services for about an hour and then headed over here where he did remark upon the fact that he attended those services, talked about how during the services they were discussing humility, and wondering whether that was directed at him.
Of course, also, Donald Trump hitting his rivals and talking about Ted Cruz being backed by oil money and talking about his position on phasing out the ethanol mandate. Talking about how that will be unfavorable for the economy here in Iowa. And of course going after Jeb Bush as he typically does. He talked about how Jeb Bush should just get out of the race.
And a week out from the Iowa caucuses, it still remains to be seen exactly whether Donald Trump can turn out supporters in the droves that are needed for him to secure a victory next Monday. But of course, he has a strong team in place here in Iowa. They have been pretty hush-hush, though, about the strategy that they are using to make sure that they get that victory and they are relying on a lot of first-time caucus voters.
So it remains to be seen if they can actually turn those people out, but they're certainly putting in their best effort and a week from now we'll have those results -- John and Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Jeremy, thank you for that.
Trump may not end up the only billionaire in that race. Former New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg, is drawing up plans for a third party run especially if Trump gets the Republican nomination and Bernie Sanders runs for the Democrats.
Trump says he'd relish the competition and Sanders says he is confident he would win against two men who he says prove his point about the ultra wealthy taking control of the country.
BERMAN: All right. Sarah Palin back on "Saturday Night Live." Well, actually it's Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin this weekend. Fey returned after the former Alaska governor endorsed Donald Trump. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TINA FEY, ACTRESS: They stomp on our necks and say, what's the big deal? Take a chill pill, Jill. But we are mad. We've been had and we're not so glad. Quote the Lorax.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: It was --
BERMAN: You can't stay up late enough to see it. It's awfully nice to see it here. And there's Donald Trump. So you can't go wrong.
ROMANS: He called her a firecracker. She's a real firecracker, I think he said. All right. It was very, very entertaining. Thanks for that.
Eighteen minutes past the hour. A desperate search underway right now this morning for three dangerous inmates on the run. How did they pull off such a brazen escape and where were they last seen? Ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:22:46] BERMAN: ISIS has released a gruesome new propaganda video containing what it claims are the final words of the nine Paris attackers including suspected ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud. The tape seems to confirm that the Paris attacks which killed 130 people were ordered by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. It also shows the names and the faces of the nine Paris terrorists. Six of the nine are also seen executing people after giving their statements.
ROMANS: This morning authorities are intensifying the manhunt for three inmates who escaped from a jail in Southern California. The FBI released a wanted poster and asked for the public's help offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to their capture. Officials say the escape was well thought-out, possibly planned for months. They say all three of these men are dangerous. They were jailed for felonies, including murder and attempted murder.
BERMAN: Investigators from Malaysia and Thailand are being dispatched to the southern Thai coast to try and determine if debris that washed ashore could be from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. A large piece of curb metal was found by fisherman on Friday. Malaysia 370 vanished back in March 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.
ROMANS: Severe turbulence forcing an American Airlines flight to make an emergency landing in St. John's Newfoundland Sunday.
Seven people -- four passengers and three flight attendants were taken to a local hospital with injuries. The official -- an official says the American flight headed from Miami to Milan, Italy briefly encountered heavy turbulence and forced that diversion. Terrifying.
BERMAN: Crazy video. All right. Super Bowl 50, the matchup is set, sadly. The Denver
Broncos, they are going to the Super Bowl with a 20-18 win over the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game. Peyton Manning is going to the Super Bowl for the fourth time.
This game was not over until like the very end.
ROMANS: Unreal.
BERMAN: The Patriots just would not give up, they fought and fought and fought and fought. Of course we showed the bad, but there was so much good. They showed so much grit. Struggling back and scoring after two fourth and tenth plays in the last ride.
ROMANS: Look at those two quarterbacks.
BERMAN: And Tom Brady is still so much better looking than Peyton Manning. Meantime --
ROMANS: I can't confirm this, but my 7-year-old says that he -- that Peyton Manning will be the oldest quarterback to play in the Super Bowl. Is that true?
BERMAN: If your son says it, then it must be true.
[04:25:01] ROMANS: OK. I haven't fact-check that.
BERMAN: It makes sense. I think he's like 39 or 40.
All right. The Carolina Panthers. They look unreal. That was Cam Newton there. And there is Cam throwing -- it's so good. He passed for more than 300 yards, he threw one touchdown, he ran for two more. The Panthers and Broncos both number one seed. They will meet in the big game that is February 7th in Santa Clara, California.
I think, what, the Panthers are already four-point favorites? Four- point favorite. Well, actually it seems to me like actually a small spread given how good they are, although the Broncos' defense is really good.
ROMANS: All right. It's going to be a great match up. I'm sorry for you that it's not the Patriots.
BERMAN: It's all right. It frees up a lot of time for me in the next two weeks. I can concentrate on like the news and stuff.
ROMANS: The elections.
BERMAN: Yes.
ROMANS: Thank goodness for you.
All right. Look like a rough commute this morning after this weekend's intense snowfall. Expect messy roads, limited trains and flights. Details in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: The East Coast digging out this morning after a deadly winter storm paralyzed major cities and the headache is not over for many. You're hitting the road this morning.
BERMAN: Getting down to the wire for the presidential candidates. Just one week until the Iowa caucuses. And you know what happens today? A CNN Democratic town hall. The candidates on the same stage for the very last time before voters cast actual votes.
Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman.
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It is 30 minutes past the hour. Millions of Americans, though, digging out this morning from one of the biggest snowstorms the eastern United States has ever seen. Many face a daunting commute.
