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WOLF

Wild Weather All Over East Coast; The Dow is Up; CEO: More Money, More Votes; Cutting Risk of Heart Disease

Aired February 14, 2014 - 13:30   ET

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


BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Snow, sleet and ice, a bad combination that's covering much of the East Coast right now, creating travel nightmares across the region.

More than 8,400 flights have been canceled over the last two days, and many of those passengers could be stranded for several days.

That powerful snowstorm that barreled up the East Coast brought down trees and power lines. And nearly 400,000 people still don't have electricity.

More misery is on the way. That is what's even worse here, a storm hitting the Midwest today, and it will bring more snow to the Northeast tomorrow.

Chad Myers is tracking the new storm.

I mean, Chad, it just seems like one after another after another here.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is. But this is a little one.

KEILAR: OK, good.

(CROSSTALK)

MYERS: Yes, to use the word storm, we're stretching a little bit here.

KEILAR: All right.

MYERS: Two to four inches for New York City. And I think after 12.5 yesterday, I think that's a dusting for those people.

KEILAR: Yes, it is.

MYERS: Although six to 10 probably for Boston, because this storm gets its act together when it gets east of Long Island, and it will dump snow on the cape, and dump snow on up even into Maine as well.

There is the low right now. This is this afternoon, bringing snow to Indiana, Illinois. This is Kentucky right through here. We will see that low move to the east, swoop through, almost in clipper-type form, not in the clipper direction, but it's going to be moving so quickly, because it's embedded in the jet stream.

And then, by late tomorrow night, 10:00, that's when it gets its act together. So it slides by New York, maybe four hours of snow. So if you get half-an-inch an hour, or even an inch an hour, that's two to four. So, that's where my number came from. And then for Boston, this is when the heaviest snow comes down and it snows pretty much all night Saturday night into Sunday morning.

It's not a major event, honestly. And we're going to see the three to six. There you see the cape could pick up a foot. But as you get over to Atlantic Canada, into parts of down east Maine, Newfoundland, back over into toward Nova Scotia, that's when the storm really does pick up some significant, I guess, direction and also some moisture.

Here is another graphic, too, because I want to -- we have focused so much on the east and now we're kind of -- we're late enough in the day, I can talk about the West. The big story is coming into the West. There will be feet of snow in the Cascades. There will be two to four inches around Seattle, six to nine in Northern California. They need the rain. Need it farther south. We will take it going to when they can get. Even Jackson Hole, Wyoming, gets two feet of snow. And Sochi gets sunshine.

KEILAR: I know. And you know what is cracking me up about your map? Seattle has two to four inches of snow. And I predict that they will probably struggle with it more than any of the places getting 12 to 20.

MYERS: Well, yes. I mean, it's down to about 1,000 feet. You have to get up a little bit in Seattle. It won't be right down to the ocean, but, still, yes. You're right.

KEILAR: It's harder when you're not used to getting it.

All right, Chad Myers, thanks so much.

MYERS: You're welcome.

KEILAR: And you heard Chad. It's been a wild winter, for sure.

Brian Todd, we have put him out in the elements. At least the sun is shining, right?

We're not totally mean to you, Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right.

KEILAR: There really just seems to be mild weather everywhere.

TODD: That's right, Brianna, wild weather that has made the top of our newscasts and our headlines for weeks now.

You're talking about the piles of snow that have been dumped on the East Coast, in the Southeast, Northeast in the last few days. You were talking about the rain that has afflicted Great Britain. And also the same system that has dumped a pile of snow here is responsible for the Great Lakes; 80-some percent of the Great Lakes frozen over now for the first time in more than 20 years, all part of the same system.

You heard Chad talk about the jet stream and how it's all pushing all these systems all over the place. And that's -- and that is what it is doing. I just spoke to someone at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction.

It is all interconnected. What they say is that there is a ridge of stable air that has formed first really off the coast of California and the West Coast. And nothing can penetrate. That's why it's right there. It's preventing some of the precipitation from the Pacific Ocean from getting into California. That's why they have a drought.

But it's also pushing that air up into Canada, up in a ridge, and then there's a deep trough where it pushes back down after it catches the cold air into the Southeast, deep into the Southeast, and then up, all of it, Brianna, connected, according to my colleague Chad and these experts at NOAA who we have been talking with today.

KEILAR: All right, Brian Todd, we will keep following that along with you. Thank you so much.

Now, up next, a venture capitalist with an idea on reforming elections -- why he says the rich who pay more taxes should get more votes.

And, later, Hillary Clinton shares advice from another first lady on dealing with critics: Grow skin like a rhinoceros. That's what she said. Will she need that advice coming up in 2016?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Now a live look at the New York Stock Exchange. Right now, the Dow is up. In fact, it's been creeping up here in the last couple minutes, up 107. The markets, they have just been on a tear this month, the S&P 500 gaining 3 percent just this week, and now less than 1 percent from an all-time high.

Well, a wealthy venture capitalist has a big idea about money and the ballot box. He says rich people who pay higher taxes should get more votes.

CNN business correspondent Alison Kosik joining us now from the stock exchange to explain all of this to us -- Alison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ah, yes.

So his name is Tom Perkins, and he says he wanted to make outrageous comments, so he did. It's something that he seems to be getting used to doing. This is the same guy, just to remind you, who compared what he calls the assault on the wealthy to the Nazis' attack on Jews. He later apologized for making that comparison.

But, this time, Perkins spoke at an event called War on the 1 Percent. Now, he was asked to name one idea that would change the world. And here is his answer. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM PERKINS, VENTURE CAPITALIST: The Tom Perkins system is, you don't get to vote unless you pay $1 of taxes. But what I really think is, it should be like a corporation. If you pay $1 million in taxes, you should get a million votes. How is that?

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Ah, yes, so a lot of laughter there as a reaction, but it's not really clear if he meant this as a joke or not.

Now, Perkins has been outspoken on this topic. Specifically, he's taken issue with higher taxes on the wealthy and saying the 1 percent pays more taxes than the 90 percent. And he's not alone with this thinking. Billionaire Sam Zell said last week that the 1 percent work harder and the 99 percent should try to emulate them.

Now, at the same time, what we have got going on are the fast food workers. They have been striking for a higher wage, so there's a huge dichotomy going on -- Brianna.

KEILAR: And I bet some of the 99 percent would argue about whether they're working very hard, Alison, but OK.

KOSIK: I think so.

KEILAR: But, OK, so when I'm looking at Perkins there, it kind of sounds -- I mean, we clearly know he's all about hyperbole. He sounded a little flip, like he didn't quite necessarily, you know, mean it or it wasn't really all that well-thought-out or it was just sort of like some joke or something.

But let's take him at his word, and discuss this issue. Doesn't it miss out, really, I think, that -- on the fact that a lot of people don't actually make enough money to even pay income tax? So they just wouldn't get to vote, right?

KOSIK: So you're making a really good point. It's actually 43 percent of Americans. That's 70 million households. They don't pay federal taxes. And here's why. It's because most don't make enough. They don't make enough salary. They don't make enough in what they earn to pay taxes.

And turns out millions of them are actually elderly people, and their voices wouldn't be heard if Perkins got his way. So I don't know how realistic his idea would be. But you know what this really shows? Just each time he speaks about this kind of thing, it shows how much of a hot-button issue that income inequality has become these days. We're in this time of discontent, where, you know, there is you -- have got the wealthy, and then you have got those making minimum wage who are crying for -- you know, for a fairer minimum wage at this point -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, it is a big issue and we will be covering it along with you.

Alison Kosik, thank you.

Hillary Clinton certainly has her share of critics. So how does she deal with them? Well, Clinton says that she follows the advice of another former first lady. We will be hearing those words of wisdom next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: If Hillary Clinton does run for president in 2016, she will certainly get some criticism from Republicans.

Well, some advice from a fellow first lady could come in handy during a White House run. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: One of the best pieces of advice that I have ever heard from anyone is Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1920s, who said that, you know, women in politics or in public roles should grow skin like a rhinoceros.

I think there is some truth to that, just as I believe, if you look at the challenges of being a change-maker and being willing to buck the establishment, which obviously is what change-making requires, it's important to learn how to take criticism seriously, but not personally.

And to do that, you have to be willing to hear what others who are your critics are saying, and to evaluate where they're coming from. What is their basis for that? And some, you will dismiss, because there's another agenda that has nothing to do with you or promoting the cause you're attached to.

But some will be giving you good advice. I mean, there is that old, you know, saying that your critics can be your best friends, if you listen to them and learn from them, but don't get dragged down by them. And that, again, is hard for anybody. But it is particularly hard for young women just starting out.

I think that it is true that, in the whole leadership arena, there are different styles. And we have celebrated the different styles of men for a very long time. Franklin Roosevelt had a different style than Churchill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: That was Clinton speaking at a forum called Women and Girls Count. This was an event that marks the launch of a joint venture between the Clinton Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Speaking of some words of wisdom, Pope Francis took time out this Valentine's Day for some spiritual affairs of the heart. He spoke in a packed St. Peter's Square to thousands of couples engaged to be married. And he gave them some advice on love and matrimony.

The pope even took some questions, and he told the young couples not to be afraid of marriage and to let their love build and grow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE FRANCIS, LEADER OF CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): This is a secret. In order to preserve love, to be in peace with each other, you don't need to come up with a beautiful speech. It could be just a tiny tap on the face.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Oh, so cute, right? Well, that is the first time ever that a pope has openly ministered to couples on Valentine's Day.

February is American Heart Month, a good time to be thinking about your heart and how to keep it healthy.

And over the next few weeks, our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is looking at ways that you can keep your heart fit. We will call them "Heart Beat" tips, and, this week, a look at foods that are great for your circulation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's no secret one of the best ways to keep your heart healthy is to eat right.

Cut out saturated fats. Look for natural foods that can cut your risk of heart disease. So, we decided to give you five that you should put on your grocery list. Think green, yes, veggies, especially cruciferous vegetables like broccoli. That's they because they contain a lot of nutrients that have been shown to strengthen the heart muscles.

And broccoli also seems to boost levels of heart-protective proteins at the same time. Drink green. Green tea, it has been shown to lower cholesterol and also improve blood flow.

Go fishing. In fact, look for oily fish like salmon, tuna, sardines. Oily fish are filled with these omega-3 fatty acids that actually help counteract the negative effects mental stress put on the heart.

Feeling nutty? Well, have a handful of nuts. Researchers say people who eat nuts can lower their bad cholesterol levels in their blood, which is one of the primary causes of heart disease.

And, finally, it's OK to indulge your sweet tooth a little bit. Dark chocolate is full of flavonols, which have been found to reduce dangerous inflammation and also cut down atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.

The key to all of this, as you know, moderation and eating smart. Replace the red meat with oily fish. Snack on walnuts instead of chips. Eat a small piece of dark chocolate, then sit down to a glass of iced green tea, instead of a soda. Small changes, and your heart will thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Well, this week's winter storm, as you can imagine, sparked a big run on snowplows, from the most basic to the heavy-duty. But nobody probably had one of these puppies.

Coming up, Jeanne Moos takes a right on some plows that wow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: With the winter -- well, the winter that we're having, wouldn't you just love to shovel your driveway without ever leaving your living room? Well, now you can with a remote-controlled snowplow.

Only one catch: scraping together the bundle that it costs.

Here's CNN's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You can shovel or use a snow blower, but wouldn't you rather make heads spin with your very own remote controlled snowplow?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't really have a fancy name.

MOOS: Let's call it the plow that wows.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at that, doing 360s.

MOOS: It made its debut this week not on the Home Shopping Channel but on the Weather Channel. It's sort of like a Roomba that plows instead of vacuums. It hasn't make on YouTube with a cat on top dressed as a shark. The remote controlled snowplow lets you plow inside from your toasty warm house. Its six-wheel drive, runs for two hours on two car batteries, an air compressor lowers and raises the blade with a pneumatic hiss.

Charlie Payne's company, SuperDroid Robots, made it as a novelty product. Usually they build search-and-rescue robots or SWAT team robots for police and fire department. To prove the plow's strength it performs feats like pushing pallets or pulling up a pickup truck. The meteorologists on the Weather Channel seemed smitten.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's beyond awesome.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know what I'm asking for Christmas next year.

MOOS: You need some income to afford one. The price tag is $8,500. But like Charlie's wife says what's $8,500 bucks compared to a hospital bill for a wrenched back or a heart attack. In a big storm you have to use it a few times every three or four inches. Actually the remote controlled snowplow isn't their weirdest creation. This is. SuperDroid created the remote controlled golf cart as a prank.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were racing the golf cart around and lost control of it a couple of times and went through the chain link fence.

MOOS: So they are not actually selling it. As for the snowplow, imagine what the dog would make of it and what it would make. Probably walk all over it.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Well, that's it for me. I will be back at 5:00 Eastern on "THE SITUATION ROOM." Virginia's attorney general will join me to talk about the same-sex marriage ruling in that state.

And NEWSROOM continues right now Kyra Phillips.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And good afternoon, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips.

Breaking news right now: Making money from legal more than just got a whole lot easier, thanks to the federal government.