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New Day Saturday
Blizzard Gives Way for Arctic Blast; New Details on Paul Walker's Death; Jahi McMath Death Certificate Issued; Bleacher Report; Blizzard's Outcome: Delays in Airports and Canceled Flights; Preventing Hypothermia; Record Low Temperatures in Parts of the Country; New Year Resolutions for Healthy Body and Finances: How to Keep Them; Terror Attacks in Russia Preparing for the Winter Olympics
Aired January 04, 2014 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. DANNEL MALLOY, CONNECTICUT: We'll have wind chills as low as 25 below it is anticipated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: The governor of Connecticut sounding the alarm about the deep freeze on the way. And if you think you might avoid this, consider this, 140 million Americans are going to feel some subzero temperatures.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Brrr. It's a crowning achievement of many young athlete's lives, but the Winter Olympics next month have already been tainted by security fears and the U.S. delegation could be at risk.
BLACKWELL: And if you missed the 1967 ice bowl, oh, we've got good news for you. You're about to get a second chance. Tomorrow's playoff game at Lambeau Field is expected to be the coldest pro football game ever. And that begs the question, is it really even safe to go and watch it?
KOSIK: Good morning. I'm Alison Kosik.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. It's a pleasure to have you this morning now 6:00 here on the East Coast. This is NEW DAY SATURDAY.
And it is cold.
KOSIK: Cold!
BLACKWELL: Yes.
KOSIK: It seems like it's cold everywhere. And lots of people are digging out this morning. That really is the story this morning for tens of millions of you who got walloped by that deadly winter storm.
BLACKWELL: And from the Midwest to Maine, the monster storm dumped as much as 2 feet of snow and ushered in bitter cold temperatures as low as 23 below. That's in New Hampshire. KOSIK: Oh, brrr. The storm also is being blamed for seven deaths, including an elderly woman in Pennsylvania who wandered away from home.
BLACKWELL: For travelers, major headaches. Cars frozen in their tracks and thousands of flights canceled, including more than 500 so far today.
KOSIK: And, yes, it's not over yet. In the next few days, almost half the country is expected to plunge into bone-chilling cold like we haven't seen in more than a decade. Pedram Javaheri is keeping an eye on the arctic blast with the CNN Severe Weather Center. But first, we get the latest from Alexandra Field.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The massive storm that pummeled New York is followed now by a massive response. But plummeting temperatures have officials warning that some of the most dangerous conditions are still ahead of us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The best option today is to stay close to home. The best option is to not be outside too long.
FIELD: New York's City mayor, Bill de Blasio, shoveled his own driveway, despite the bitter wind chill that prompted city leaders to keep schools closed Friday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Incoming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it's nasty out here. Very nasty. If I could have stayed home, I would have stayed home. Stay home. If you don't have to come out, stay home. That's it.
FIELD: New York City saw almost eight inches of snow. A foot of snow fell on Long Island. During the worst of the storm Thursday night into Friday morning, a driving ban kept cars off of some of New York's busiest interstates. The Long Island Expressway shut down for eight hours because of blizzard conditions.
Holiday travelers were stopped in their tracks. Passengers were grounded in New York City's airports.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The other day when I talked to them, they said it's going to be a couple of days before the next flight to Toronto. So I just booked myself a bus ticket.
FIELD: That might be one option for people fight to get out. But what to do if you're stuck at home waiting for that snow to clear.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My plan is to wake up early tomorrow, look out the window, see what it looks like, get the snow blower out, try to get to work.
FIELD: If that's the case, Connecticut's governor has some advice for you, too. GOV. DANNEL MALLOY, CONNECTICUT: If you want some tips on how to deal with the cold, first of all, I'll give you mine, don't put your tongue on a flag pole.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FIELD: All right, making light of the situation there. Obviously, a good piece of advice, though. But the truth here, we have to underscore this point, is that it is going to be dangerously cold. The mercury fell close to zero degrees in New York City last night. That's the coldest temperature they've seen since January of 1994. We'll get a little warm-up apparently coming today, but then it's back to those bitterly cold temperatures.
Alison. Victor.
BLACKWELL: All right, Alexandra Field out there. Stay warm. Thank you.
KOSIK: Not looking - not looking forward to it when I go back to New York.
BLACKWELL: Oh, well, it's still cold here in Atlanta. So you don't have to wait until you get back to New York for the cold.
KOSIK: Good point.
BLACKWELL: Hey, this weather is causing all kinds of problems. Causing problems for buses. Look at this, a bus crash in Patterson. This is in New Jersey. The transit bus apparently hit a patch of ice on a hill, slid backward and just right into that store. Now, the driver was the only one on board and was just hurt a bit -- slightly hurt, but he'll be OK.
KOSIK: Airports are struggling to get travelers on their way after thousands of flights will canceled this week. More than 3,100 flights were canceled yesterday. More than 500 already today. Airlines are adjusting their policies to help people get to where they need to go. And if you're flying today, plan on checking with your airline before heading out to the airport.
And it's not over yet. More snow could mean more delays, more headaches for people across the country. Subzero temperatures are expected to slam into the Midwest this weekend. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri is in the CNN Severe Weather Center.
Is there any end in sight?
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, not any time soon. Yes, you know, Alison, it looks like the temperatures that we're seeing right now, the wind chills that we're seeing right now, going to feel downright spring-like here in the next couple of days.
This is what we have at this hour across Concord, across portions of New Hampshire, 12 below. That's what it feels like. Out in Boston, same score at 12 below. New York feeling like nine degrees. But give it a couple of days. By Monday afternoon, especially Tuesday afternoon, temperatures that warm are going to feel rather nice because a major, major arctic outbreak heading our way. But, initially, we'll have a ban of snow showers.
The storm system move across the southern plains over the next say 24 or so hours and it is going to bring a fair amount of snow showers across portions of say Indianapolis, Cleveland, all the way through Chicago. Expect up to seven to 10 inches of snowfall through Monday morning before all of this tapers off. Flint could get upwards of a foot of snow, while Detroit could get about 10 inches.
Now, once this is all past and we're talking about, again, Monday morning into Monday night, some of the coldest temperatures we've seen in the 21st century, going back to the mid 1990s, really the last time we saw temperatures this cold. Look at Buffalo, going down to the 20s. That kind of seems rather warm right there. But, Detroit, seven is your high temperature. Washington getting up to about 43.
And notice there is an initial warming trend here as we head into say Sunday and Monday across the northeast. So in New York, you go from the 30s, up to the 40s, even 49 by Monday. But we think by Tuesday and Wednesday, that's when the coldest air is going to move in towards this region. And there comes the culprit right there out of Canada. A severe plunge of arctic air moving as far south as the deep south here. And the high temperatures, the best we can do is Chicago, nine on Sunday. Ten below is the high temperature on Monday.
In fact, across Chicago, some forecasts indicate we could go 60 consecutive hours of temperatures failing to reach above zero degrees. That would be the third longest stretch of cold weather in Chicago weather history. And, of course, when you look at these sort of temperatures, it is going to be very, very dangerous when you're talking about the third largest city by population across the country there in Chicago.
And again, when we have warnings and issues for schools being closed, guys, across say Minneapolis, Madison, Wisconsin, Milwaukee, for the first time in about 20 years because of cold temperatures, you know this is a serious situation.
KOSIK: So many of us have to get used to it. The cold the next many, many days.
JAVAHERI: Yes.
KOSIK: Pedram Javaheri, thank you.
The CDC says the number of states reporting widespread flu activity jumped from 10 to 25 last week. Widespread means that more than half of the state's geographic regions, like counties (ph), are reporting activity. The most common strain has been H1N1, formally known as swine flu. The CDC says six children have died since the end of September and some states have also reported adult deaths.
BLACKWELL: A top secret federal court has reauthorized the NSA's mass phone records collection program. If you've heard people talk about the FISA court, well, it's the first time the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Board has ruled since two courts issued rulings on the legality of the program. The one court deemed it likely unconstitutional. The other upheld it. Now, both rulings have be appealed, so the issue could eventually head to the Supreme Court. The program first came to light through documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
Republican Senator Rand Paul is now leading a class action lawsuit against the Obama administration for the NSA's policies. He claims it violates the Fourth Amendment, which protects people from unreasonable search and seizure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: We now have several hundred thousand people who want to be part of this suit to say to the government and to the NSA, no, you can't have our records without our permission or without a warrant specific to an individual. So it's kind of an unusual class action suit in the sense that we think everybody in America who has a cell phone would be eligible for this class action suit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Now, Paul has a page on his website for people to sign up to join the lawsuit and it also asks for a $25 donation. One federal judge said last week the NSA's program, as we just spoke about, it's valid under the Patriot Act, which was approved by Congress.
KOSIK: Rock 'n' roll legend Phil Everly has passed away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVERLY BROTHERS (singing): Wake up little Suzie, wake up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Who doesn't remember that classic from the Everly Brothers?
BLACKWELL: Yes, Phil Everly and his brother Don soared to the top of the music world in the late '60s - or actually the late '50s and early '60s. The ground-breaking harmonies set a vocal duel record of 35 top 100 songs. Of course, they influenced the likes of The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel.
KOSIK: And Phil Everly's wife told "The L.A. Times" he died Friday in California of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 74 years old.
BLACKWELL: And, of course, the music lives on.
KOSIK: Lives on.
BLACKWELL: New details we have this morning about the crash that killed Paul Walker. We knew the Porsche was going fast, but now we're finding out just how fast. KOSIK: A judge has ruled that the family of a young girl declared brain-dead can move her to a different facility. But the details of 13-year-old Jahi McMath's possible transfer are far from complete.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: Good morning, Sayville, New York. We have a live look now from the town of Sayville. You can see, there's snow there. They have some lights still there on the street.
KOSIK: I don't think the picture tells the wore story about how it feels to be out there.
BLACKWELL: Oh, yes, it doesn't because it's pretty. You know, the snow's always nice when you're just looking at it. But when you're out in it and driving through it, not as much fun.
KOSIK: No.
BLACKWELL: Hey, if you thought the worst was behind us, wait until you hear what's coming our way. We've got the forecast. P.J.'s here. We're going to get that for you in just a moment.
Paul Walker and his friend were traveling faster than 100 miles per hour before the Porsche they were riding in crashed.
KOSIK: And that new information is from the final coroner's report that was just released. And it describes in detail how the "Fast & Furious" star and his friend died. Here's CNN's Alan Duke with more.
Alan.
ALAN DUKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Alison, this autopsy report answers several key questions about how "Fast & Furious" star Paul Walker died. First of all, we find it was a quick death. Soon after the Porsche slammed into a light post and then a tree, bursting into flames, Walker and the driver, his friend, Roger Rodas, were dead. The autopsy revealed that because there were, as they say, scant traces of soot in their trachea.
Also, these men suffered severe injuries that killed them. In fact, Rodas' head injury was very severe. So graphically described in the autopsy that I won't repeat it. And far as Walker, he died in a defensive position. A pugilistic stance, as if he were bracing for a crash, which suggested that it wasn't long after that crash that he was dead.
Paul Walker, Roger Rodas, they were traveling in a car going over 100 miles per hour. That is another key question that we asked, was it speed that caused this? Obviously it was. But they don't know why Rodas lost control of this Porsche. It was a car he was familiar with driving as a race team member, along with Walker. But for some reason, it spun out of control and crashed. They don't really know why that happened.
Alison. Victor. BLACKWELL: All right, Alan Duke reporting for us this morning. Thank you, Alan.
KOSIK: A dark deadline is approaching for the family of a California girl declared brain-dead by doctors. The judge ruled Friday that relatives of 13-year-old Jahi McMath have until 5:00 p.m. Tuesday to move her from Children's Hospital of Oakland to another facility.
BLACKWELL: That ruling came the same day that the county corner's office issued the young girl's death certificate and it was dated December 12th. CNN's Dan Simon has the story for us.
Good morning, Dan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There were a few court hearings Friday. The most important one in Alameda County Court where this tragic case originated. You had the judge and the two sides come up with an agreement that would allow an outside medical team to remove Jahi McMath's body. Now, that may sound like a simple issue, but, in fact, it's complicated because according to the hospital, you're talking about a dead person. And they believe that certain protocols need to be met in order to remove a body from the hospital. But, of course, the family believes she is very much alive and wants to move her to a long-term nursing facility. This is what the family lawyer had to say outside of court.
CHRISTOPHER DOLAN, MCMATH FAMILY ATTORNEY: What we needed to know is that when all the balls are in line that we could move quickly and not have to then have any impediments so that we all understood what the protocol was and there would be no argument about how it would proceed or no unpleasantries at the hospital. So this is a victory in terms of getting us one step closer to move.
SIMON: Now, there's a very big problem here as far as the family's concerned because to move her to a long-term medical facility, you would have to have a couple of surgical procedures done in advance, including a tracheotomy and putting in a feeding tube. But the hospital says it is unwilling to perform those procedures on what it calls a deceased person. And it's unclear if the family will be able to line up some kind of outside doctor.
As for the hospital's attorney, this is what he had to say. He said he has one wish for the family.
DOUGLAS STRAUSS, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OAKLAND ATTORNEY: Personally, it's horrible that this child has died. It's also hobble that it's so difficult for her family to accept that death. And I wish, and I constantly think that wouldn't it be great if they were able to come to terms with the terrible tragic event and that I didn't have to stand here in front of you all time after time.
SIMON: That was the hospital lawyer getting choked up at the end. So this is a very complicated and emotional case here. You have the hospital, they say they have numerous doctors who have said Jahi McMath is brain-dead, which they say is synonymous with death itself. On the other hand, you have a family which has no intention of letting go.
Dan Simon, CNN, Oakland, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: Thanks, Dan Simon.
BLACKWELL: Such a difficult story and difficult case. All the legal issues and the ethical issues.
KOSIK: And the emotional issues.
BLACKWELL: Indeed. Now, we're going to continue to talk about this for the next few days, at least until that deadline comes. And we'll continue to talk about it throughout the morning as well.
Up next though, what's the definition of a true fan? Face paint? Cheese hats? How about rooting for your team at temperatures that feel like 40 below? I call that dedication, yes.
KOSIK: I say that, yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Need help, and we're going to give it to them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you got to believe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got to believe!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Get ready for the ice bowl take two.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOSIK: Good morning, Chicago. A live look outside Wrigley Field. Chicago, just one of the cities that received a big, big blast of cold winter weather. But there's a high of 32 degrees. Snow showers expected here in the windy city today. That's pretty high. That 32 degrees, that's -
BLACKWELL: That's actually kind of balmy for the -
KOSIK: Yes, considering.
BLACKWELL: It has been cold in Green Bay. And, listen, I'm talking real cold.
KOSIK: Oh, yes. The brave Packers fans and anybody looking to make a few extra bucks showed up at Lambeau Field to help clear ice and snow off the frozen tundra before this weekend's big playoff game. It's a popular tradition for the cheese heads. And those who helped were paid $10 an hour for their efforts. I think they should have gotten more.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
KOSIK: Hazard pay.
BLACKWELL: Yes. You know, time and a half at least. Come on.
Hey, two of college football's best quarterbacks lit up the sky over Miami last night.
KOSIK: And Clemson and Ohio State provided plenty of offensive fireworks in the Orange Bowl. Jared Greenberg is here with more in this morning's "Bleacher Report."
Tell me more.
JARED GREENBERG, BLEACHER REPORT: Well, if you stayed up late to watch, it was a game that lived up to the hype. A game that Clemson won in an upset. Clemson's Tajh Boyd outdueled Ohio State's Braxton Miller. If you're a college football fan, you know about them. If you're an NFL fan, get ready to watch these guys on Sunday. Boyd threw for 378 yards and five touchdowns while also running for 127 yards and another TD. His favorite target, Sammy Watkins. He was just a beast. But it was Clemson's defense that had to seal the deal after Boyd got the job done on the offensive end. Ohio State had the chance to take the lead late in the game. Braxton Miller gets hit. And an interception comes up for Stephone Anthony late in the contest. Teams combined for 75 points. Clemson gets the big "w" in the Orange Bowl.
Philadelphia Eagles fans should be courteous hosts to the New Orleans Saints fans tonight. Do you hear that? I said Philadelphia fans should be courteous. They should be courteous to everybody including security guards at the game because they're going under cover in Philly dressed as Saints fans. The police chief says unruly, rude and threatening behavior simply will not be tolerated in Philadelphia. Are you listening to me? During the last Eagles home game, 15 fans were arrested and 68 were ejected. Just the percentage, you know, when you got tens of thousands of fans, that's not that many.
It could go down as the coldest game in NFL history and that's exactly why it's trending right now on bleacherreport.com. The fourth half for tomorrow's playoff game at Green Bay calls for minus 20 degrees for the wind chill, somewhere around 40 below. Fans braving, and I say braving in quotes, the elements, will be rewarded, rewarded, I said, with free coffee and hot chocolate.
KOSIK: Can they bring space heaters?
GREENBERG: I don't know if they're really going to plug them in. A local store will also give out 70,000 hand warmers. So the hand warmers will make up for the space heaters. Those choosing to stay home, aka the smart ones, they will be able to watch the Packers game because Green Bay was able to sell all of the tickets, meaning the game won't be blacked out in Wisconsin. There was a big fear that one of the most historic teams in all of football, all of all sports really, the home team fans wouldn't be able to watch because the NFL rule is you have to sell 100 percent of your tickets in order for the home market to be able to watch the game. So they will be able to.
BLACKWELL: There were a couple of teams - a couple of games that actually were up against that deadline.
GREENBERG: Cincinnati Bengals and the Indianapolis Colts, all the tickets have been sold, nobody gets blacked out.
BLACKWELL: And you know there are going to be people at that game at Green Bay who are shirtless tomorrow just to prove a point.
KOSIK: I know. And they'll be on TV.
GREENBERG: Any chance - any chance, Victor?
BLACKWELL: No. No. Not me. No. I'm going to be in studio, 68 degrees.
KOSIK: Wimp.
GREENBERG: Slight wind sometimes in the northeast.
KOSIK: All right, let's move on to the pope, shall we?
GREENBERG: Sure.
KOSIK: Pope Francis has been known to cold call the faithful and he usually stuns believers who find themselves on the other end of the line with the leader of the Catholic Church.
BLACKWELL: Yes, well, it happened again. And this time, it happened to five nuns in Spain. But when Francis called on New Year's Day, the sisters were not home so, of course he left a voice mail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE FRANCIS (through translator) (voice-over): What are the nuns doing that they can't answer? I am Pope Francis. I wish to greet you on this end of the year. I will see if I can call you later. May God bless you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Do you think that was him? Experts say - experts say that's actually the pope's voice. That's -- when the nuns got the message, they decided they'd just - they'd just wait for the pope to call back. And sure enough, a few hours later, they say he did.
BLACKWELL: I don't know if you have a choice because what's the number to the Vatican? Like, who has that number just in the speed dial in the phone?
KOSIK: Good point.
GREENBERG: Wow. You better call back.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
KOSIK: You think? What would happen if he didn't?
GREENBERG: A higher power. You know it's a funny sports related story here to this. Back in the early '90s, one of the great football players of all time, Reggie White, says he's going to sign a free agent contract with what God tells him to go to. So Mike Holmgren, then the coach of the Green Bay Packers, supposedly calls him up, leaves a voice mail and says, this is God. Sign with the Packers. And guess where he signed?
BLACKWELL: With the Packers.
GREENBERG: With the Packers.
BLACKWELL: Yes. Sometimes all you need is a call.
KOSIK: I see the link.
BLACKWELL: Hey, much of the country is stuck in this deep freeze.
KOSIK: And we're going to let you know how this massive blizzard could affect your travel plans this weekend from the roads to the skies. All that coming up after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOSIK: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back. I'm Alison Kosik.
BLACKWELL: A pleasure to be with you. I'm Victor Blackwell.
Let's start this half with the five things you need to know for your new day.
Number one, a psychiatric patient suspected of killing his parents was caught by police in Tennessee. This is one day after escaping from a South Carolina hospital. Now, listen, in 2006, a court found Jason Mark Carter not guilty by reason of insanity for the murder of his mother and stepfather. The South Carolina Department of Mental Health says Carter was not supervised when he escaped, in violation of rules.
KOSIK: Number two, members of an honor guard from Fort Bragg were seriously hurt when their van hit a tractor trailer loaded with logs. Rescue teams had to cut away part of the van to save some of the soldiers. Five are now in critical condition. Police cited the van's driver for failure to yield. The driver of the log truck was slightly hurt but refused medical treatment.
BLACKWELL: Number three, a Medicaid problem in North Carolina. Now the state's Department of Health and Human Services mailed almost 49,000 Medicaid cards to the wrong people. According to our affiliate WRAL, officials were trying to issue new cards to about 70,000 children being switched from state health coverage to Medicaid, but more than half of the cards went to incorrect addresses. Health officials say the mix-up will not affect coverage for any of the children.
KOSIK: Number four, total whiteout, that's the story across the eastern half of the country where 100 million people are still feeling the effect of the blizzard that dumped two feet of snow in some places and pushed temperatures in New England to more than 20 below. The storm is being blamed for seven deaths, including a Wisconsin man who's succumbed to hypothermia.
BLACKWELL: Number five, listen, if you're heading to the airport this morning, check the status of your flight before you leave home. Because this morning, almost 600 flights have been canceled. More than 500 have been delayed. And officials warning could take airlines more than 48 hours to get back on track. And more snow could mean more headaches for people across the country. Subzero temperatures are expected to slam into the Midwest this weekend. P.J.'s is in for us. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri is in the CNN weather center. What are we looking at?
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, you know guys, once every one to two decades do we see a cold spell, a cold outbreak this expansive, this much coverage and this is we're looking at across this region. But quickly, I want to show you the satellite imagery courtesy of NASA taking on Friday when our first storm system exited the region. And you take a look. That's all snow. The clouds pushing offshore. But the entire portion of northeast as much as a foot, of course, came down, the Pocono there across portions of Pennsylvania seeing the vast coverage of snowfall. But this is the big story - big arctic blast, what we call a polar vortex, essentially a piece of polar cold energy dropping right south where it doesn't belong. And as this comes in south, notice the temperature trend about 30 to 40 below average for the north. Well above average in parts of South Florida, actually, as we are getting to say Tuesday, a temperature variance across the Midwestern United States were looking like a minus 31 for a high there in Duluth, guys, it could be 113 degrees warmer in South Florida. Pretty incredible stuff.
BLACKWELL: All right, Pedram, thank you very much. We'll check back.
All right. So, it's the Fourth -- that's the day, right? The Fourth of January?
KOSIK: I think.
BLACKWELL: OK. I don't wear a watch. My cell phone's over there. But, you know, making a new year's resolution, it's easy. Keeping it is the hard part. Probably some of you have dropped off and it's only four days.
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: Now, from pledging to work out, to promising to pay off your debt, many of us know what it feels like to fall off the wagon halfway through the year or even the week.
KOSIK: I hear you. You know, the big question is how can you set yourself up for success in 2014. So let's bring in fitness expert Desiree Nathanson and certified financial planner Karen Lee. Let's first go to you, Desiree. You know, some of the best way that people can stay on target, just getting in shape. I mean, you know, the first of the year comes, we say I'm going to become the best I can be. How do you keep up with it?
DESIREE NATHANSON, DIETETIC TECHNICIAN AND FITNESS EXPERT: Well, you want to start small. My - I have five little tips that I want everyone to take to heart. First one, you have to be patient. You've got to be patient with yourself. You didn't become the sedentary couch potato overnight. Be patient. Give yourself time. Next thing I want - I need make - need you to make realistic goals. They have to be small, they have to be achievable. So, you can't set huge goals like I want to be the best I can be or I want to lose 20 pounds in two weeks. They need to be small. Say, for instance, I want to go to the gym twice this week. Something small. Something you know you can do. Stay away from making resolutions around the scale.
BLACKWELL: So tough to do it.
NATHANSON: You have no idea what your ideal body weight is. So, saying oh, I want to get down to 120 pounds. You have no idea what you're going to look like that way. So, just don't even say numbers.
BLACKWELL: Yeah.
NATHANSON: I also want people not to resolve to look like someone else. Celebrities ...
KOSIK: You don't pin up that picture of who you want to be ...
NATHANSON: No, you can do that, but use it for inspiration and motivation. These celebrities have these chefs, they have personal trainers. They have people that are standing there, don't eat that.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
NATHANSON: OK. You need to do that.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
NATHANSON: You know what I mean. So you can't do that. You can't resolve to look like someone else.
BLACKWELL: And airbrushing.
(CROSSTALK)
BLACKWELL: And airbrushing.
NATHANSON: And a lot of fitness professionals, a lot of fitness professionals and celebrities are lying to people about what they do to get in shape. We don't see what's behind the scenes.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
NATHANSON: So stay away from that. And then finally, you need to ask for support. You need a support system around you. You need people telling you, good job, keep going, you can do it.
KOSIK: A workout buddy? NATHANSON: Exactly. An accountability buddy.
BLACKWELL: So, that's - let's talk about money. Because, you know, while some people are trying to drop the pounds, or trying to drop some of the debt, too. Pay off a credit card, student loans. Whatever it is. How do they do that considering they are trying also to pay off debt, they just accrued during the holiday season?
KAREN LEE, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER: I love that you put us together.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
LEE: Because my tips are almost identical to Desiree's. So, first of all, the top two financial tips are save more money, pay down debt. And I don't know if you all know - less than eight percent of resolutions are actually kept. So my tips are, first of all, we've got to take a step back and look at our underlying behavior that got us to this place first.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
LEE: Because I think when people go over and over again breaking the same resolution, it's because something else is going on. They're getting something out of overspending. So let's assume you have looked deeply and you know what your motivations are. So the first thing is set an achievable goal. It can't - if it took you five years to build that debt, you can't kill it in one year.
BLACKWELL: Yeah. It could be tough.
LEE: Right? So set it, make it achievable and calculate how long it's going to take you to pay it off. And then the second thing, is break it into smaller goals. One credit card at a time perhaps. And lastly, just like you said, don't go it alone. You are going to have to confess your sins to somebody. And be accountable. It is so easy to lie to ourselves. And we have a lot of shame around our money life.
KOSIK: Let me ask you, every year comes, people make resolutions. I personally don't make resolutions. Because I find it kind of silly. I mean what's the point when most of us really just don't keep them? I mean how do you keep that going? How do you keep that momentum going that you feel when the calendar turns?
LEE: I think it's better to have new month and new week resolutions. Why do we focus on the year?
KOSIK: Exactly.
LEE: What are you going to do this week to change your life, to make yourself healthier, to make yourself financially healthier?
KOSIK: Sounds good.
LEE: Yeah, you have to take it one day at a time. BLACKWELL: Small bites.
LEE: It's the baby steps along the way. It's the changing your lifestyle. It's the changing behavior. Eventually it will catch up and you'll reach your goals.
BLACKWELL: And you can't do it a year at a time. You have to do it a day at a time.
LEE: No.
BLACKWELL: Desiree, Karen, thank you both.
NATHANSON: Thank you.
LEE: Thank you as well.
KOSIK: And working out, saving money sounds easier than it's done, that's for sure.
BLACKWELL: So, why is it so hard to stick to your new year's resolution? Let's talk more about this and bring in "New York Times" best-selling author and reinvention expert Steve Olsher. He joins us via Skype from Chicago. Steve, good to have you. Why do so many people fail so early on, and I'm not talking February, I'm talking January Third.
STEVE OLSHER, REINVENTION EXPERT: No, I mean there's really good reason why this happens. And number one, if you think about what Homer Simpson once said, you know, if something is too hard to do, it's just probably not worth doing.
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: First time Homer's been quoted on the show.
OLSHER: Hey, you know, I'll take that.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
OLSHER: But you know, reality is that, you know, man, most people set these goals and then they realize, oh, my God, it's like hard work to actually do it. So, you know, you don't just go - like what I talk about is reinvention a lot. And what people, you know, need to understand is that reinvention is really a process, right? I mean it's not just like a switch that someone can simply turn on and off. And so, it's just -- you know, and we can talk about the unrealistic expectations as well. And your other guests have already chatted about that. But what I know, to that end, what I really like also is just the thought of milestones, right, which are just small victories, small celebrations. And I think that's really important as well. But, you know, lastly, it's just -- I think there's a big confusion around, like, what someone believes that they want. And what it is that they actually need. And so it's so important to understand, you know, is this just some sort of far-fetched, you know, fantasy. And is it what I really need in order to be successful or to get to a certain point.
KOSIK: Well, let's talk about steps for a minute. You know, after you commit to a new year's resolution. Is there a good way to organize your time or your thought processes in order to go ahead and achieve those goals?
OLSHER: Yeah, and again, I think it's really about a mindset shift, right? And so, from my perspective, the idea here is, as far as time is concerned, there's only two ways to use your time. You can invest your time. Or you can spend your time. And so one of the key shifts is really understanding where your time goes. And are you investing that time or are you spending that time. And clearly, if you want to achieve these goals and objectives, you know, then you really got to be looking at investing over that time.
BLACKWELL: Well I've learned a lot. The two things, the two major points I'm going to take from this. Investing time versus spending time. Steve Olsher, thank you in Chicago. And from Karen and Desiree here in studio. The new week resolution, take it in small bites. Thank you, everyone, for helping us stay on track. You know, with the Winter Olympics in Russia, you know, it's just beginning in just over a month.
KOSIK: Russian President Vladimir Putin is testing out the slopes.
BLACKWELL: All right. We'll check that out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: All right. So let's go to Alison to find out what's going on around the world. Good morning, Alison.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Victor. To Grenoble, France, where fans honored Formula 1 racer Michael Schumacher on his 45th- birthday. Schumacher remains in a coma in critical, but stable condition after a skiing accident that happened last weekend. CNN's Jim Boulden is in France with more. Jim?
JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As Michael Schumacher remains in a medically induced coma, many of his fans, some from Italy, traveled to the hospital on Friday, which is his 45th birthday. Many of the fans have remained in the some - visual - they are fans who see Ferrari and Michael Schumacher interlinked. He was, of course, the world champion five times when he drove for Ferrari. Back to you, Alison.
KOSIK: OK, Jim, thank you. Now to Germany where one person is dead after a bomb believed to be from World War II detonated at a rubble storage site. CNN's Erin McLaughlin reports from Rome. Erin?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alison, this explosion was so big it registered a 0 .6 magnitude earthquake in the area. It happened in Western Germany at a rubble recycling plant. Officials say a bulldozer struck what they suspect was a World War II era bomb that went off killing the bulldozer driver and critically injuring two other people in the area. This explosion so big that it could be heard and felt in nearby town. Now, these kinds of bombs are not all that uncommon in Germany, although they're generally safely detonated. As we've seen, they can go off to deadly effect. Alison.
MCLAUGHLIN: Erin McLaughlin, thank you. Now to an update on a rescue mission in Antarctica and a new dilemma, CNN's Matthew Chance reports from London.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alison, this Antarctic rescue separation just got even more complicated because the Chinese vessel that helped rescue the 52 passengers stranded on that research ship since Christmas well it has itself now become trapped in the thick pack ice and isn't able to move. The Chinese ship known the "Snow Dragon" has requested assistance. And it's now being helped by the same vessel, which was supposed to be taking the rescued passengers to dry land. None of the ships is in any immediate danger, but they're all getting a much, much-whiter Christmas than any of them had bargained for, Alison.
KOSIK: OK. Matthew Chance, thanks. And Victor, I'll throw it back to you.
BLACKWELL: Alison, thanks. I want to get more for you now on deadly fighting that's happening in a volatile area of Iraq. This is near Fallujah. Now, the fighting is between al-Qaeda-backed militants and the Iraqi government security forces. But in an unusual partnership, Sunni tribesmen are joining the Iraqi forces in fighting the militants, many of whom are Sunnis. Officials say at least 80 people have been killed. 60 were part of al Qaeda. And this latest fighting started last week after Iraqi security forces raided the home of a Sunni lawmaker who was organizing anti-government protests.
KOSIK: Russia is battling its own problems with terrorists. Just days after bombings in a city a few hundred miles from the site of the Winter Olympics. Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to prove that Sochi will be safe. CNN's Diane Magnay is in Moscow with more.
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alison, President Putin is touring the Olympic sites of Sochi. On Friday, he went for a test. Ran down the slopes and then enjoyed a glass of mild wine with his Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Meanwhile, in the city of Volgograd, security forces have detained at least 700 people, there's all part of Operation Whirlwind, to try to find out who was responsible for deadly terror attacks this week, which killed 34 people. Security around Sochi now, of course, have made a concern. Russia says the measures that it is taking will be sufficient to keep the games safe, Alison.
KOSIK: OK. Thanks, Diana. Did you know that NFL teams are literally giving away tickets to this weekend's games?
BLACKWELL: They are. And there's a reason for that, because the games are going to be bone-chilling cold. It's going to be so cold at some of these stadiums. Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us why these games, especially, are so dangerous.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOSIK: Yep. You're looking at it. That's a shark made out of snow. Boys in Minnesota made that thing, you know. When you hear that a huge snowstorm is coming, you know school's out.
BLACKWELL: Yes, and kids across Minnesota and kids in Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin they get an extra day to play in the snow.
KOSIK: Yes. So officials have canceled school because of a potentially dangerous blast of cold weather that's expected to lash the Midwest beginning today. And some places could feel the coldest temperatures in more than a decade.
BLACKWELL: There was a close call in Lexington, Kentucky. A 12-year- old boy fell into a frozen pond. And an off-duty firefighter, he heard that call for help on his scanner while he was on his way to the movies yesterday.
KOSIK: And that's when he jumped into action. And when he gotten out to the scene, he realized the child was beginning to lose consciousness and he jumped in to save him.
BLACKWELL: Now, this child was trapped for about ten minutes, but he was taken to a hospital and later released. Hopefully, that kid is doing much better.
KOSIK: Really scary.
BLACKWELL: Yeah, this weekend, you know, bitter cold temperatures could mean life or death for the nation's homeless. In Connecticut, officials have set up warming centers with fold-out beds to help people escape the cold.
KOSIK: And the centers are also keeping their doors open to the elderly and residents who could be experiencing power outages. Across the Midwest, warming shelters are also being set up in preparation for record-breaking temperatures.
BLACKWELL: Thousands of football fans, tens of thousands of them, will do something this weekend that sounds crazy.
KOSIK: Yes, they're going to throw on coats and hats, sweaters, long underwear, anything they can find to put on to trudge out to their local stadiums - and just sit there and watch playoff football in subzero weather for hours.
BLACKWELL: Hours and hours. And no one is questioning their passion. Of course, not. But this weather could actually be dangerous, seriously. Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta told me why.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It can happen very quickly. And oftentimes, when you are starting to get there, when you yourself may not recognize it. We're talking about frostbite and hypothermia. With frostbites, the fingers, toes, the ears and the nose. Those are the particularly susceptible areas. They're going to turn red. It's when they start to turn white, and someone else may notice this in you. You worry about this. There is also the thing that people call the umbles. The stumbles, the mumbles, the grumbles and the fumbles. When you are starting to act disoriented in anyway, that might be a sign you're just starting to develop some hypothermia as well. And also, we shiver, when we are cold. We stop shivering, that's a problem. I mean the body's mechanism for actually starting to warm ourselves has started to shut down. So those are some general rules, but again, it varies person to person in every situation.
BLACKWELL: You know, when people go to these games, it's almost a tradition, almost a necessity to have a beer or maybe two or four. Does that make it more dangerous with alcohol?
GUPTA: Yeah, it does. You know, no one likes to hear this, especially during football season. Eating a big meal, helpful, your body creates thermogenesis. Starts to heat itself more as a result of food. Drinking, the opposite effect. Blood vessels dilate, they start to actually just give off body heat. You don't want to give it off. You want to retain it within yourself. Your judgment may also be impaired a little bit. So, you may start doing things that even worse in the situation. So, again, you know, I get the idea, but the alcohol here, especially too much of it can be a huge problem.
BLACKWELL: So what are the tips for what to wear?
GUPTA: You know, the materials are so much better than they were during the ice bowl. Gortex and things like that. Dress in layers. And even another key that - is make sure the layers are loose. The reason layers work, is because you're trapping hot air in between each layer, if they're too tight, you can't do that. A hat, 20 percent of your body heat is lost through the head. So wear a hat even if it's a ridiculous looking one. And cover up as much of your body as possible. Just the windshields, obviously, a big factor here. And again, you know, the eating and the drinking, you got to sort of monitor that as well.
BLACKWELL: All right. Thank you, Sanjay.
GUPTA: You got it. Thank you. Stay warm.
KOSIK: You know, I don't know how they're going to do it? How are they going to sit out there?
BLACKWELL: I don't know if there's any team or artist or performer ...
KOSIK: That could get you out there.
BLACKWELL: I would sit outside when it's feeling like 35 below.
KOSIK: I'll tell you. I'll try to work out in these conditions.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
KOSIK: I'd have to work out in those conditions, grin and bear it. But.
BLACKWELL: Yeah, that's the job. I've got to do that to pay my bills, but to just go out and watch it?
KOSIK: I know. I'm with you. BLACKWELL: Not going to happen.
Hey, still to come on "NEW DAY," a remote-controlled snow blower.
KOSIK: This is real. This is cool. And I'll bet you, you may even need or want one. More about it, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: If you've ever had to dig out of snow, dig your car out, yeah, it's bad. But imagine having to dig out of thick ice.
KOSIK: Oh, yes. Cars in Canada were, believe it or not, they were frozen solid. But not just frozen solid. They are frozen solid to the ground. First, only a little ice held cars down.
BLACKWELL: But after just three days of freezing temperatures, the ice rose covering the tires. Look at this. Even the doors of some cars. This is a parking lot in Winnipeg.
KOSIK: It's just amazing. But how is this for cool? A man built his own remote-controlled snow blower. Yes. That's real. Aaron Macon says he built it so he could clear his driveway without leaving the comfort of his own home.
BLACKWELL: And he was lucky to have it this weekend, of course, Ft. Wayne, Indiana got upwards of seven inches of snow. And I wonder if the signal works through the window. Because if I could stay inside and operate it, we're golden.
KOSIK: I'm with you. I would buy that.
BLACKWELL: Yeah. But if I've got to go outside, then I might as well just pick up the shovel.
KOSIK: OK.
BLACKWELL: That's just me.
KOSIK: Come over to my house.
(LAUGHTER)
KOSIK: You know, this is one of those must see moments that it just came down to the right person watching at the right time.
And the family headed to Miami for the holidays. Big brother Anthony wanted to surprise his family with tickets to see the Heat play. He worked two jobs to save up the cash for the tickets. Finally he shelled out $1,000 for tickets he found from a guy on craigslist.
Now, you can probably figure out where this is going. It turns out the tickets were bogus, they weren't real. A local news station did a story and an anonymous season ticket holder saw it, donated four center court tickets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY AMADILE, RECOVERED HEAT TICKETS FROM GOOD SAMARITAN: We've got on emotional rollercoaster. It's like been up, down, up, down, mainly the most part of it was down so far. Thank you very much for whoever that is and if I can ever do anything for you I would do it in a heartbeat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: That's really nice.
BLACKWELL: Yeah, and to work so hard to get the money.
KOSIK: Yeah. And then be ripped off, come on.
BLACKWELL: Well, thanks to that person who donated the tickets?
KOSIK: All right, what started out as a really crumby day for Samanta Perez turned into utter shock and surprise?
BLACKWELL: She was doing her thing, serving burgers and fries at a restaurant in Virginia when out of the blue, she got a $1,000 tip. The money was partly from a man giving big tips in the name of his deceased brother and partly from the company, was SnagAJob.com. But for Samantha, understandably, this was overwhelming.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMANTA PEREZ, WAITRESS WHO RECEIVED $1,000 TIP: It means so much. The most amazing thing that's ever happened to me in my life. Oh, my god, I can't stop crying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: You'd cry, too.
KOSIK: I know. But the only problem with that is, do I pay the bills with that, or do I go shopping?
BLACKWELL: Well, hopefully, she has that option now.
KOSIK: That's right.
BLACKWELL: A thousand bucks comes out of nowhere. Congratulation.
KOSIK: Not a bad choice. And thanks for starting your morning with us.
BLACKWELL: We've got a lot more coming up on the next hour of your "NEW DAY" Saturday. It starts right now.
