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Snow Emergency Declared in Boston; Snow Storm Pounds Cleveland; Chicago Slammed by Historic Blizzard; Storm Creating Treacherous Roads; Snow Causing Thousands of Flight Cancellations; Patriots Beat Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl

Aired February 2, 2015 - 07:00   ET

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


ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota and Michaela Pereira.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning and welcome back to NEW DAY.

Apparently, I have drawn the short straw. I'm coming to you outside the CNN studios in Midtown Manhattan, where it is icy cold and wet.

Chris and Alisyn, Alisyn, it's your turn next.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: I know. Oh, I know. I'm not warm for long. I'll be out there, Michaela, with you. How's it feeling?

PEREIRA: It's actually -- it is bitterly cold but it is wet. And what's the problem Chad has been telling me is that this wet is going to turn to ice. What we know is 65 million people in 18 states, they're staring down the barrel of another brutal winter storm. Right now the northeast is getting hit. Many are still trying to clean up from last week's enormous blizzard that we remember all too well. The system has already hammered the Midwest. We know there have been two deaths in Nebraska being blamed on this storm.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Icy roads, terrible, obviously, for commuters. People trying to get to work. It's not shut down the way it was with the blizzard. And this storm is obviously going to create just all kind of drama up in the air. Airlines have cancelled thousands of flights. We'll keep track of that for you. Schools are being shut down from Michigan to Massachusetts. No surprise there.

CAMEROTA: And, of course, it is Groundhog Day all over again. This is a live look at the home of Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania. We're going to take you there right now. Look, they're happy. His forecast for spring is expected in the next half an hour. But it's not clear how the snow will affect his shadow. So a lot to watch there. Right, Michaela?

PEREIRA: Well, the biggest concern is does Punxsutawney Phil have a shovel?

All right. Our team coverage right now begins with Alexandra Field. She's in Boston. A snow emergency has been declared there. How are things looking today?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michaela, I think you can probably get a sense from around me that the snow is really coming down, and they're trying to keep up with that cleanup. Of course, this is going to be a really big task, because at some point this morning, the snow will be falling at a rate of one-to-three inches per hour. And when all is said and done, this city could see another ten, 14 inches of snow in this area.

And I know you're thinking this is deja vu all over again. Yes, that's because they had about 24 inches of snow just last week. These snow banks are still piled up. Now they've got this fresh coating of snow coming in over them.

The big concern for everyone, rightly so, if we take a look at this intersection, has been the problems that they would have here at rush hour this morning. A very slow commute for people. They know they've just got to try and take this in stride.

The other big issue, the fact that you've got the snow coming down now, but temperatures expected to plummet later today.

Also concerns about with this added snow and the snow that's already in place, the probability of roofs collapsing. So they are keeping their eye on a number of different issues. Out here in Boston this morning, schools were cancelled. So Michaela, what do you do if you're a kid waking up in Boston this morning? You don't have to go to school? Well, I think gloating and basking in the glory of last night's game are probably at the top of the list.

PEREIRA: Best kind of snow day ever in Boston is what I'm thinking. Alexander, we see some buses moving behind you, but obviously, it's going to be slow going there. We've leave you in Boston.

Heading now to Cleveland, getting the biggest snowfall it's seen all winter. Our Ohio boy, Martin Savidge, got sent home. Well, because he's fit for it. You grew up with this. These latest conditions, though, are just brutal, Martin.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, they are, absolutely so. You know, I have to say, I feel like I'm trying out for Disney's "Frozen" at this particular point.

We're standing just off of Public Square. You can see we've got plenty of snow. Nothing that the city can't handle. I've got to block my face from the wind. It's like needles out here. And the microphone, too. So that's why I have this unusual posture.

But you know, they've got about eight to ten inches. They're dealing with that fine. It is the wind right now that is proving to be the real problem. Snowdrifts on Public Square. Streets, they're passable. They are snow packed.

Let me show you one of the hazards here. And that is this. Power lines. This is not a power line. It is something else. But I won't tempt fate by getting any closer. But this is an issue you're having. That's what the high winds are doing, in addition to, of course, piling up the snow in snowdrifts that now really become almost impassable. This is going to freeze and freeze solid.

So it is a tough day; not too many commuters above. A few brave souls besides me. But the wind chills here are easily at zero or below. The wind gusts are 30-to-35. The airport is open, but if you're going to fly, well, it is tough to get in or out. Let's just say a lot of people are staying home, and that is the wise thing to do today. It's going to be brutal at least through midday. The snow will stop, but the cold, that's just digging in -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: Weather fit for snowplows and snowmen, neither of which you are, my friend. Get thee to a warm truck and stat. We hear it's minus 6 with wind chill there in Cleveland.

Let's go to Chicago, where a historic blizzard is slamming that beautiful city. More than 17 inches of snow fell at O'Hare International Airport. Those hazardous conditions forcing schools and businesses to shut down. And it's where we find my colleague, our brand-new colleague to CNN, Ryan Young. And we sent you right to the thick of it, my friend.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Michaela.

Look, it is cold here. I almost feel like I'm in a snow globe. One of the things I want to show you is all the ice and stuff that is starting to accumulate as they try to get this stuff off the sidewalks.

We're standing right outside a coffee shop, and everybody has been walking by. We've been talking to them about the morning commute. So far so good, they say.

But if you look here, this has been some of the treacherous areas. People have been slipping and falling. The wind chill here below zero. There's more than 350 trucks out there on the road, trying to get all this stuff off the road. Their transit system is working, but kids here, they have the day off, as well. Because, obviously, this snow keeps falling.

And if you look up here, you can see that the wind is just blowing. It's been a cold, cold morning. Much colder than yesterday.

But everyone in Chicago is taking this in stride. They say they know they got 17 inches, but it's something that won't stop them from getting around. As you can see, people are moving; the buses are running; and everybody seems to be OK with what's going on so far.

PEREIRA: Yes, hardy folks there in Chicago. They're used to this kind of thing, but obviously, they want to take extra care today if they're out on roads. It seems as though the word "treacherous" is the word of today. The roads are treacherous all across the northeast, especially for the morning commute.

Our Miguel Marquez is braving I-95. He's in Stamford, Connecticut. We drove through there last week, Miguel, and it was pretty horrendous. How are conditions looking right now?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, we do a lot of silly live shots sometimes during these weather hits. And this is absolutely life-threatening. We have seen cars spun out on the roads. We've seen people out of their cars on this road.

The southbound lanes are pretty heavy, if you look outside there. And the roads are just packed with snow and ice. We are in that area of the storm. It is 24 degrees out right now. We're in that area of the storm where it turns from mixed ice and rain into snow. And for the last three, four, five miles, just outside of New York City, the snow, the roads have been packed with snow and ice. We're expecting up to 13 inches in this area and about a tenth of an inch of ice.

Miserable, miserable life-threatening conditions. If you can, stay home. Don't come out here -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: Yes, and that's the thing. People think that the authorities are trying to just, you know, keep you from getting around. It's for your own good. These roads are closed. Travel bans are put into place, if they are. We don't know if they will be put into place today. But heed those warnings. You heard Miguel Marquez; it is treacherous and dangerous and potentially life-threatening.

All right. Let's turn to the man who knows what is coming and what's in store for us. Meteorologist Chad Myers is here.

This storm, it's warmer, yet it's also creating much more dangerous situations for us. How bad is it going to get today?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, for New York City, now we're at 31 and raining. There's nothing worse than 31 and rain. You can't get worse it than that. I mean, you're going to be icing up the airplanes; you're going to be icing up the roadways. And we are going to see that snow continue from Boston to Hartford, all across Connecticut, getting slammed right now with that rain-snow mix right through New York City.

To the north of New York City, Westchester County, a lot more snow. And then look at this next graphic. The purple area, the darkest purple is 12-to-24 additional inches on top of what you already have now.

Now, if you look at New York City, very little additional, because it's going to be in the form of rain. Rain and 31, and that's not going to be any fun, because this road here, here in Columbus Circle, could be much worse tomorrow than it was a week ago on Tuesday after the big snow here, because it's going to be 11 degrees here in New York City tomorrow morning. Everything that looks just like a slushy chunk will be a big ice chunk.

And although there's been snow in Chicago, the brand-new total just given to me, 19.3. The winner in Chicago, or the loser, depending on your point of view.

This was a widespread snowstorm from Nebraska through Chicago all the way to New England, where last week's was really New England, a little bit of New York City. This affected so many more people, 70 million by last count, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Seventy million people. That's incredible. Chad in the freezing rain. It is just such a bummer.

So this wicked snowstorm is taking a toll, as Chad just said, on air travel, as well as creating a flight nightmare with thousands of cancellations and delays. Let's get right to CNN's Jean Casarez. She's live at New York's LaGuardia Airport. How is it looking at this hour?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alisyn, they're not de-icing the planes here at LaGuardia, because the flights are cancelled. Now nationwide, and the numbers keep increasing, 2,300 flights have been canceled at this point, and it continues to grow.

Here at LaGuardia, it's actually getting busier, but it's the employees that are showing up. Look at security. There's absolutely no one going through security.

We want to show you the board over here that really -- really typifies what's happening. Look at the departures. They are cancelled, these flights. There might be one that, at this point, is still on time, but it is early in the day. And the arrivals, flights are not coming here, because they are cancelled.

And we want to show everybody the airports that are really impacted, which can impact the rest of the country. But first of all, Chicago-O'Hare, at this point right now, 200 -- 328 flights are cancelled. Newark Liberty, 296 flights are cancelled. Boston Logan, 195. New York LaGuardia, where I am, 187. And JFK 90 flights. And the majority of the airlines are giving passes to passengers, waivers so they will not pay for any cancellations and the fees -- Chris.

CUOMO: All right, Jean. Thank you very much. We'll keep monitoring that situation.

The other big story today, the Patriots beating the Seahawks 28- 24. And you don't need the hype. It is the truth. You see that? The game came down to one play, 2nd down on the one-yard line and then -- that face. Andy Scholes live in Greendale, Arizona, right outside the stadium with the dramatic details. What happened, my brother?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Chris. I mean, we rarely get a Super Bowl come down to one play to decide it all. Well, we had that last night. And it's got everyone -- it blew up Twitter. Everyone is talking about it this morning. Let's take a look at what happened here.

The Seahawks got down to the one-yard line and were on the brink of scoring a winning touchdown. But they decided to throw the ball. Why not run it with Marshawn Lynch? Beast Mode always gets a yard. Well, in the Seahawks' defense, Marshawn Lynch carried the ball five times from the one-yard line this year. He only scored once. And no quarterback threw an interception from the one-yard line all season until that play.

So, that being said, he still probably should have ran the ball. Because Marshawn Lynch would have scored a winning touchdown. They'd be Super Bowl champions this morning. But hey, that's why we play the game. Right, Chris?

But let's talk about Tom Brady. He kept his cool through this whole thing. He's been dealing with all kinds of distractions with deflate-gate. He even threw two interceptions in this game. But throughout the whole thing, kept his cool, led the Patriots on two touchdown drives in the 4th quarter. He's now the all-time leader in touchdown passes in the Super Bowl, passing his childhood idol, Joe Montana. Brady got four Super Bowl championships now. That ties Montana and Terry Bradshaw for the most all-time amongst quarterbacks. There's no question when you talk about the greatest players to ever play the game, Brady is going to be at the top of that list.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM BRADY, QUARTERBACK, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: We've been on the other end of this twice now, and being ahead late, and not being able to make the plays to win. And you know, this time we made the play to win. So it's just awesome.

BILL BELICHICK, COACH, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: These guys, they get counted out many times during the course of the year by a lot of people. But they always believed in themselves. We just kept fighting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: And while this was the fourth Super Bowl for Brady and Belichick, this was the first for many Patriots, including tight end Rob Gronkowski. Loud Gronk celebrating the big win while CNN's Rachel Nichols asked him about his plans last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROB GRONKOWSKI, PLAYER, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: I'm going to celebrate with my team, my family, my coaches. It's just unbelievable. And the Patriot Nation, all the fans. So this is excellent, and we appreciate all the support from everyone.

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How long is the party going to go on for?

GRONKOWSKI: I don't know. Until we go to bed, which we may not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: I tell you what, Chris, Malcolm Butler did look a little tired earlier when he was in an interview with us, talking about this big game-winning play right here.

And the Patriots, they're probably still celebrating right now. They're going to be celebrating for quite a while. We don't really know if they're going to be able to get back to Boston, though, today with that big snowstorm hitting the Northeast.

CUOMO: Oh, boy. Well, great for you to be out there. One for the ages. It will be remembered.

And I'll tell you, one of the big reasons is we love sports, because it's life writ large. Right? And you look at it today, Tom Brady, four Super Bowls, now with the best. If he had lost, he would have lost three of six trips to the Super Bowl. Everybody would be talking about that.

This kid, Butler, Malcolm Butler, two plays earlier, he tips the ball, he misses it. This guy Kearse catches it, almost scores. They thought the game was over on that. Now he's the hero.

CAMEROTA: I know. It can turn on a dime.

CUOMO: One minute I was eating steak, and I was feeling good, and I was (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Now I'm hating myself.

CAMEROTA: I know, that's so great.

CUOMO: That's not really that unusual.

CAMEROTA: That's right. That's right. Well, more on that later in the show.

But meanwhile, Japan is mourning the beheading of veteran war reporter Kenji Goto at the hands of ISIS, Japan's prime minister promising revenge for the deaths of two Japanese hostages, vowing to make the terrorists, quote, "pay the price."

The fate of a Jordanian military pilot being held captive remains unclear this morning. Jordan renewing its offer to swap the pilot for a prisoner on Death Row. But no proof of life has been provided.

CUOMO: The Ukraine, facing full-scale warfare, and now the U.S. is considering getting involved. Secretary of State John Kerry will be in the region Thursday. Both he and NATO's military commander are on board with providing defensive military weapons and other equipment to the government in Kiev.

Sunday, peace talks were replaced by heavily armed separatists pounding government forces. Rebels are now launching a campaign to recruit more volunteers, and Russia is believed by Ukraine officials to be behind it all.

CAMEROTA: It was the furry fury on the field Sunday. And no, I'm not talking about the Super Bowl. Watch these cuties as they take part in Animal Planet's 11th annual Puppy Bowl. Oh, my gosh, this is so cute. The competition was fierce, puppies struggling with doggy toys, trying in vain to get a touchdown. But in the end, Team Ruff beat out Team Fluff with a final score of 87-49.

CUOMO: I like the way he scored. It was like he's been there before. It wasn't like, you know.

CAMEROTA: Confidence. I saw there. Right.

Mitt Romney gone, so now what? Well, for the dozen or so Republican presidential hopefuls, it's time to seize the moment and the money. Who stands to benefit the most? John King will tell us on "Inside Politics."

CUOMO: Big question this morning: did the Seahawks snatch defeat from the jaws of victory? Second down on the one-yard line, and you throw it and get picked? Super Bowl XLIX, one play, all the talk. We discuss the implications.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: All right it is the play everybody is talking about this morning. The final two minutes of Super Bowl XLIX, it seemed at but certain the Seattle Seahawks had clinched victory then. Then, the pass intercepted at the goal line seals the game for the Patriots.

I want to talk about it all with Kavitha Davidson. She's a sports columnist for "Bloomberg View." George Martin is here, co- captain of the Super Bowl XXI-winning New York Giants, former president of the NFL Players Association.

Neither of you look bleary-eyed, so you must have gotten some sleep after that tremendous Sunday event. First of all, what are your thoughts, Kavitha, on this ending? Did you anticipate that? Were you surprised? Did you scream at the TV like everybody else did?

KAVITHA DAVIDSON, SPORTS COLUMNIST, "BLOOMBERG VIEW": Everybody screamed at the TV, everybody that was around me. I think that, you know, four apartments over we could hear people screaming at the television.

You know, this is one of those cases, I think. It's classic overthinking things. Right? You hear Pete Carroll's explanation after the game, and he basically says, you know, if you throw on 2nd down, then you have a chance to run it on 3rd. If you throw on 3rd, then you have to take a timeout. Just overthinking it. Go with your best player. You never want to end a game not going with your best player.

CUOMO: Hindsight's always 20-20.

Gorgeous George, what do you think about that play, them going with the throw on 2nd down instead of handing it to the Beast?

GEORGE MARTIN, FORMER NFL PLAYER: Well, first of all, guys, congratulations to the New England Patriots. But I think the call was absolutely abysmal. It was the worst call that I've ever seen in my life. And walking out of the stadium yesterday, I was surrounded by Seahawk fans. And all of them concurred that it was the absolutely worst call that they'd ever seen or experienced.

CAMEROTA: So really, so you think that this is going down in the history books as the worst call? I mean, but wasn't it too predictable to just hand it off to Marshawn? MARTIN: Michaela, they hadn't stopped Marshawn Lynch, Beast

Mode, all day. I mean, they had not held him to negative yardage. It was the logical play.

And I've got to tell you, Pete Carroll is anything but unintelligent. But that was not a smart play. Under those circumstances, you run with the person that brought you, and Marshawn Lynch had a great day. He was over 100 yard rushing. Why not use that guy and steal the game instead of, as Chris said, snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?

PEREIRA: I wish I could know what was going on in Carroll's head in that moment when he made the decision. And I want to ask you, do you think that's going to be something that's going to be hard for him to shake?

DAVIDSON: I mean, absolutely. You know, we have to remember there's actually precedent here. In 2006 when USC was in the BCS title game...

CUOMO: Texas.

DAVIDSON: ... he didn't -- he didn't run Reggie Bush. And I think people are really remembering that...

CUOMO: He lost that, too.

DAVIDSON: ... this is kind of a little bit of a pattern, not going to the running back.

CUOMO: The last five times -- well, you know, stats matter.

PEREIRA: Right.

CUOMO: Marshawn Lynch gets the ball on the one-yard line five times.

DAVIDSON: Right.

CUOMO: Only scored one touchdown. No team threw a pass and was intercepted from the one-yard line all season long.

DAVIDSON: And you have a rookie cornerback who's never had a career interception, and you know, what a time to get your first career NFL interception.

You know, again, hindsight is 20-20. And this is one of those things about sports. But -- but I think that also Bill Belichick clearly anticipated that they were going with that throw, because...

CUOMO: He did put in three quarterbacks.

PEREIRA: He put in three quarterbacks.

DAVIDSON: Exactly.

CUOMO: Genius on display.

CAMEROTA: George, what about those stats Chris is touting?

CUOMO: You can't handle the truth, George.

MARTIN: Well, Chris, you looked at the season stats. And I think you have to throw those out. You've got to look at the game stats for this Sunday. And I think when you look at the fact that they hadn't stopped Marshawn, that he was on a roll and to pick up the single yard to go into the victory and immortality. Everybody, all 90,000 people in that stadium anticipated that Marshawn would get the ball and would be successful at it. So why not go with the odds?

And in this case, Pete decided to roll the dice. And by the way, Bill Sims has famous said that when you throw a football, there are three possibilities, and two of them are not good.

PEREIRA: Well, that's a good point. I like that.

OK, so we are literally armchair quarterbacking today, which is kind of awesome. I want to talk about the quarterback. And George, I'm curious, you know, MVP. He has, what, now six...

CUOMO: He's been there six times. Four times he won.

PEREIRA: So can we talk about this? Is he the greatest of all time, the greatest of recent memory, greatest of the decade? The greatest quarterback, what?

MARTIN: Well, I think it's a bit premature, because his career is still going. I think if it continues to blossom as it has, I think unequivocally is going to be the greatest quarterback that ever put on a uniform. But his performance yesterday was not Brady-esque. I thought it was a little bit not up to par, and he threw two interceptions. But I thought that he had a great supporting cast. And I think that Bill Belichick obviously crowned him himself as being one of the greatest coaches in the NFL.

CAMEROTA: Do you agree with the Tom Brady assessment, Kavitha?

DAVIDSON: Well, you know, I don't think he actually really needed this win to be considered among the greatest of all time. And, you know, frankly, you see how things can kind of turn on a dime, right. Because if that interception isn't made, we're talking about the two interceptions he threw in the first half and not the two touchdowns he threw in the fourth quarter.

CUOMO: If he loses, he's lost three out of six trips to the Super Bowl. And then all of a sudden maybe he's just mediocre. That's the way sports is.

The ads, let's talk about the ads for a second. I think it's the first Super Bowl I ever remember where I was -- I remember the ads that made me feel as opposed to laugh. I don't know if you got to watch them, George, but there was one about caring makes a man. You know, I think it was a soap commercial. That got me. Then there was the dad who was sending his daughter off, obviously joining the military. He was crying. That got me. And then there was like a girl. And you saw all these people impersonating the stereotype of what it's like to fight like a girl and run as a girl. And then it said that girls, their self-confidence crashes in puberty. Were you surprised by those?

DAVIDSON: Well, you know, I think this is a part of the concerted effort the NFL is making right now to kind of combat this hyper masculine image. Absolutely. That has contributed to the domestic violence issues in all of this right now.

You know, I think that we still need to see actual results on paper, with how they handle future domestic violence cases, to see how much of this isn't just messaging. But it was a nice start.

PEREIRA: George, we know you love Katy Perry. Thumbs up on her halftime show?

MARTIN: Fantastic performance. I thought it was absolutely off the chart. I mean, her entrance alone was -- to me was mind-boggling.

PEREIRA: Right. Any time you can come in on a lion.

CUOMO: Was it a lion or a tiger?

PEREIRA: Well, we'll discuss that on break.

Look, we've got to end it here. Let us know what you think at home. Tweet us if you think it was a lion or a tiger. Go to NEW DAY -- or go to our Facebook page: Facebook.com/NewDay.

George, Kavitha, always a pleasure. Thanks so much for joining us.

CUOMO: Right. Both lion and tiger are in the song. That's why I say it.

CAMEROTA: I knew that.

CUOMO: The big story this morning, obviously, the storm. Whiteout conditions, literally. That's Cleveland. You'll see Martin Savidge just taking the beating out there for us. We're going to tell you what you need to know before you step out the door.

Plus, you would think New Jersey Governor Chris Christie recognized everywhere he goes. Right? Everybody knows Chris Christie. Not the case. Especially when he shows up at a premiere league soccer match in London on Super Bowl Sunday. What was he doing there? John King is going to explain on "Inside Politics." Soccer boon (ph)?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: All right. I've got Punxsutawney Phil news for you. If the rodent sees his shadow, it's six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't, then it's less. So we don't want him to see it. But you know what?

PEREIRA: What?

CUOMO: He seent (ph) it.

PEREIRA: Wah, wah, wah.

CUOMO: He saw his shadow. Six more weeks to go.