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FAA Proposes Drone Rules; Winter Hits Again as Storms Targets the South; CNN Quiz Show: President's Edition Preview

Aired February 16, 2015 - 08:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Here we go with the five things you need to know for your NEW DAY. At No. 1, Egypt retaliating against ISIS with airstrikes on terror targets in Libya. This after the terrorists beheaded more than a dozen Christians on a Libyan beach.

Two men have been charged with helping hide the gunmen after this weekend's fatal attacks in Denmark. Authorities say the shooter had links to gangs, but was not on their radar for extremism.

The hunt is on for whoever defaced at least 400 graves at a Jewish cemetery in France. The country's prime minister said every effort will be made to catch the perpetrators.

No rest for the winter weary. Another major storm that's icing the south is expected to hit the northeast next. That means more snow is likely for Boston, which has already seen its snowiest month ever.

A star studded lineup helped celebrate 40 years of "Saturday Night Live." Cast members new and old reunited to recreate some of the sketch comedy show's most memorable moments.

We update those five things to know, so be sure to visit newdaycnn.com for the latest. Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK.

Well, the FAA proposing long awaited rules for the use of commercial drones. Let's get right to CNN's aviation correspondent Rene Marsh with the latest.

What are the new rules?

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is huge. It's a huge step towards changeling what's allowed to fly overhead. We're talking about thousands of drones that would share the sky with commercial passenger planes. The FAA just proposed these drone rules to integrate the technology into the airspace. They are responsible for making sure it happens safely. So here's how it would work.

The drones would have to weigh less than 55 pounds, fly no faster than 100 miles per hour, they can only fly during daylight and they must remain in the operator's line of sight. It cannot fly higher than 500 feet. Adding onto that, they would not be allowed to fly over people or near airports.

Of course realtors, TV producers, farmers, bridge inspectors, those are the kinds of companies that would want to use drones for business. Of course, as you know, commercial use has been almost entirely banned here in the United States. Companies like Amazon, they have been itching to start deliveries by drone, but this proposed rule still would not allow that.

Back to you, Michaela.

PEREIRA: I'm actually really glad they put the clause in there for not flying over humans. I feel a little relief there. I don't know about you, Rene.

MARSH: You can breathe easy now, right?

PEREIRA: Oh, my goodness. Sometimes we forget those common sense things. I'm glad to know they didn't this time.

All right, three weeks, four storms, nearly five feet of snow this month alone. Boston, once again, getting hit as the hard -- the hardest hit, rather, as a cold snap freezes more than a dozen states. How much more can we take? That's the big question. We'll have your cold forecast next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Much of the East Coast is under the grip of blistering cold. Snow keeps burying New England. Boston is enduring the snowiest month in that city's recorded history. We're following extreme weather for you across the nation. We'll begin with CNN's Ryan Young. He's live in Boston.

I was giving you some grief last hour about not being able to talk in the cold because your mouth is frozen. Is this the coldest temperature you've had to report live from?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I've never experienced negative 25 windchill. In fact it's one of those things that you just want to mark down on a book and say, I did that. It's very cold. But we're seeing people starting to walk to work. And you look where I'm sitting right now. and one of the reasons why we did this is because, look, this is a park. This park is full of snow. There's no way anybody can kind of walk through certain sections of this. When we first arrived, people were walking their dogs in this park. Now, that is hard to do.

Now, look up there at the roofs. That was one of the things they were worried about is all the snowfall that's been impacting this area. We've had some roof collapse, but mostly people have been clearing that out. And, look, the sun is out. It's actually warming up. It actually reached 1 degree so far.

Something else they've been trying to do, is make sure streets are clear. They've been doing a good job of that, spending more than $30 million to make sure there was snow removal throughout this city. And, look, everybody's been asked to dig out the fire hydrants. That's something that's very critical. They want to make sure emergency management can get around and get to those fire hydrants. But, once again, it is very cold and people have been telling us they did the best they can to make sure they get inside as quick as possible. Yesterday, when the snow was dropping 16 inches, it was hard to see in front of your face. A lot better conditions, but I can tell you, people are tired of this winter so far.

PEREIRA: Oh, no, everybody is what we're saying #snowverit because it's just been incessant. Here's the question, last time around, they were doing what they could to get that snow out of there. They got waivers to put some of it into the bay. They had the snow melters going. Are they still using the snow melters because there's really nowhere else to put those piles of snow.

CAMEROTA: Or have they given up?

PEREIRA: Or have they just given up? Good point.

YOUNG: Well, you know what, five states are helping out so far to try to get rid of some of this snow. But what do you do when you have snowbanks the size of buses out here in the city? You just kind of have to put it to the side as much as possible and hope that Mother Nature turns on the natural heater and just starts knocking some of this out. But can you imagine what that's going to be like on some of these roofs when it starts to melt and the ice starts to drop.

PEREIRA: Yes. Yes.

YOUNG: It's going to be something to see.

CAMEROTA: Ryan, where are you from?

YOUNG: I'm from Miami originally.

PEREIRA: Oh, baby.

YOUNG: I spent the last two years in Atlanta.

CAMEROTA: Oh.

YOUNG: So I'm -- I've never seen this or felt this, so it's quite different.

PEREIRA: Yes, Miami is not 1 degree.

YOUNG: But I've got a great crew.

PEREIRA: You do have a great crew and we give props to your photoj (ph) that's working there with you because he's out in this carrying a heavy camera on his shoulders in those icy, cold conditions as well. It's team work. We get that. But this is not Miami, son, nope, nope, nope.

YOUNG: No, no. No, no, no. When the sun started to come out, I was like, yes, but it never got any warmer.

PEREIRA: And it doesn't heat up.

YOUNG: So what do you do at this point?

PEREIRA: There's not much to do but pray.

YOUNG: You know, so, it's OK. We're doing a lot of that.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

PEREIRA: All right, Ryan Young, we appreciate you. Go in the truck, get warm. Thanks so much for that report.

CAMEROTA: Thanks, Ryan.

All right, we're laughing, but this weather is not to be taken lightly. A father-son duo found that out the hard way and they can now thank the Coast Guard for saving their lives. Check out this video. The pair set sail for some reason during this weekend's storm, this was south of Nantucket, but their boat lost power and the wind tore their sails. They then sent out a distress call on Sunday and they had to be airlifted to safety through low visibility and near hurricane force winds. The Coast Guard does yeomen's duty during this stuff.

PEREIRA: They really do.

CAMEROTA: I mean they risk their lives going out in these conditions like this and they're always having to save people.

PEREIRA: And each situation is a little bit different. But the fact that these people went out, that's a question that begs to be asked, why. Why did they feel the need to go out when the weather was so inclement?

CAMEROTA: Well, thank goodness they are safe we're happy to report there. They are getting --

PEREIRA: Great video.

CAMEROTA: Yes, it is, wow, getting into the Coast Guard's helicopter. Wow.

All right, parts of the Midwest and the south are not immune from this either. They are getting socked with snow, ice and freezing rain today. CNN's Nick Valencia is live in Nashville, where people are being told to stay put.

Nick, what's going on, on the streets behind you?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Alisyn.

It's not quite as bad as what we're seeing those video -- that video and those pictures there where Ryan Young is, but it's still pretty bad here, especially when you consider what part of the country this is happening in. This freezing rain is nonstop since about 3:00 a.m. this morning. And you just check a look right here, take a look at the ground. All this ice. It's about a quarter inch of ice covering the streets already.

This is Broadway. This is the main drag in Nashville. The sort of entertainment district, if you will, of the city. And we have seen surprisingly cars still out on the roads despite those warnings by the mayor to stay off the roads today.

Over the weekend, they did the best that they could to prep these roads for the conditions that they were expecting. About three to seven inches of snow predicted over the next course -- course of the next 24 hours here in Nashville. Already you can see that that freezing rain is starting to stick now. We have heard reports of some minor accidents on the interstate. The Department of Transportation really stressing those drivers to be safe on the roads.

But they did a lot of prepping, as I mentioned, over the weekend, salting and brining these roads. And the buses are still out as well. so public transportation still moving along. And a handful of cars right now on the roads. But if you are watching us in this area, best to stay indoors today.

Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely. I mean Nashville is not used to three to seven inches of snow.

VALENCIA: No, not at all.

CAMEROTA: So do they have all of their snow removal and ice removal set to go?

VALENCIA: Absolutely. They had 28 pieces of equipment moving throughout the weekend and they had a press conference yesterday, the office of emergency management, in coordination with the local metro public works here. So they were definitely prepared for this.

We've been talking to residents in the street and a lot of them, this morning anyway, came out because they said it was so peaceful and quiet out here. They hadn't seen the city like this in so long. Last year they had a similar event, but this really is a lot more -- you know, it's sort of notch up, a scale up from what they saw last year. Thankfully, though, this is a holiday, so perhaps we'll see less people trying to go out and bear these conditions, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Right, it is peaceful. That's the silver lining.

OK, Nick, thanks so much for that update.

PEREIRA: So, from there, the next stop for that storm is the snow weary northeast. Warnings and advisories are in effect, we're told, from Virginia up to Michigan and Maine. That's 70 million people that are going to be affected. Let's turn to CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam. He is braving the elements outside our studio. It is brutal out there.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is. Good morning, Michaela. I'm actually having to remind myself that I actually volunteered to do this today outside of Columbus Circle here in lower Manhattan. Listen, you know, temperatures are actually 4 degrees. I can actually count that on my hand. We should be 42 this time of year.

And I just went down the road to get some coffee. And just because, if you've ever stepped foot in Manhattan, you know how densely packed together the buildings are here. They create that natural wind tunnel. I've got this little device to help measure windchills and it is well below freezing. So it is exposed skin. That is a concern. People will, obviously, need to bundle up. But I don't need to tell you that because we all know how brutally cold the eastern half of the United States currently is.

And the reason for this is the clear weather that is coming behind this storm system. We have the blizzard conditions across the New England coast, but behind it we've had this high pressure settle in, clear out the skies. Think of it like this. If I can use an analogy. When we bundle up at nighttime in our nice blankets, keeping ourselves warm, rip that blanket off and then all of a sudden that heat that you had escapes right back into the atmosphere. That's exactly what's happening over the eastern half of the U.S. We don't have any cloud cover to keep us warm. The blanket, per say, it's just not there.

PEREIRA: No blanket, very cold. All right, so we've been giving our correspondents a little bit of grief. We found out that Ryan Young's from Miami. He's not necessarily raised in this kind of cold weather. I did some research. Your CNN biography tells me that you're from Michigan.

VAN DAM: I'm from Michigan.

PEREIRA: So you can do just fine in this weather. But I want to test your meteorological knowledge.

VAN DAM: OK.

PEREIRA: When was the last time New York got this cold?

VAN DAM: Good question. Do you remember the quote/unquote polar vortex last January.

PEREIRA: Oh, yes, that polar vortex.

VAN DAM: Yes, that infamous polar vortex. That was the last time it got to 4 degrees here in Central Park. And, yes, today, we have reached those temperatures. By the way, temperatures tonight will drop into the single digits here as well. So another round of cold air. Winter gripping hard here on the East Coast.

PEREIRA: No blanket for us, says Michigan.

CAMEROTA: No.

VAN DAM: No blankets for us.

CAMEROTA: That's great. That's great. Thanks, (INAUDIBLE). He took your pop quiz and answered it like that. PEREIRA: (INAUDIBLE). Nailed it, in fact.

CAMEROTA: Bingo. Yes.

PEREIRA: Yes, impressive.

CAMEROTA: So we know the question that you have right now. How long will all of this last across the country? Let's get right to meteorologist Chad Myers. Chad, what is the answer?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, if you're asking Punxsutawney Phil, he thinks it's already over, but it's not, clearly. We are right in the middle of this thing. At least another 15 days of very cold air, and that's that Memphis, Nashville ice storm going on right now, Little Rock as well. 54 million people in a winter storm warning right now from Cincinnati through Louisville, back to Charleston and Richmond. Ice on the south side of it, snow on the north side of it. Over a foot in many areas across parts of Kentucky and West Virginia. Then it finally lingers and moves away with 2-4 maybe for New York City, and less than that probably up into New Hampshire and into Maine. There's the low. It will make a rain event. It's supposed to be a sleet (INAUDIBLE) in Atlanta, but it just -- I think it's going to be 34. The snow is north of there, Bowling Green, there is the snow into D.C. tomorrow. There could be 4 inches of snow on the ground tomorrow morning in D.C. And it snows all day, could see 6 to 8. That will certainly slow that city down. Then finally by tomorrow night, it moves away from Boston, thank goodness. The cold air is already in place. The wind chill factors are everywhere, including where Derek is there, at 11 below. It's 17 below in Boston. If you're out with the pets, not too long. Out with the kids, make sure they get inside, and check on the elderly, too, because this is a very cold event. If you missed it over the weekend, another snowstorm hit Boston. They're up to 95 inches of snow for the year! Even for buffalo. I was born in Buffalo. None of this is on my bucket list, by the way. But 95 is too much.

CAMEROTA: I think we can all agree with that. So 15 more days of this bitter cold. Chad, thanks. I stopped listening at that point.

PEREIRA: Really? You're okay with 15 more days?

CAMEROTA: No, I stopped listening. That's where I just checked out.

PEREIRA: Because I'm done. It can just carry on.

CAMEROTA: Chad, thank you. All right, CNN anchors battling for supremacy in a new quiz show that premiers tonight.

PEREIRA: I cannot wait to see this, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Which one of us do you think did the best, and which one of us, Michaela, would you want on your trivia team? We're going to have a look behind the scenes at the quiz show next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PEREIRA: I just have to do that because this music makes me happy, as does what's happening tonight. You know, today is Presidents Day. Tonight, we are treating you all to a celebration. It is a no-holds bar quiz on everything presidential. The "CNN QUIZ SHOW: PRESIDENT'S EDITION." I want you to take a look at some of the strategy behind the scenes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I think the team that gets the most right will win.

CAMEROTA: Jake Tapper, he asks me the most obscure random questions.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Cuomo was trying to physically intimidate me.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Stratergery (ph) -- come strategery (ph) at the end.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Who said strategery?

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: I say the biggest threat is Don and Chris.

LEMON: I'm a good guesser.

BURNETT: They have combination of smarts and gut. (INAUDIBLE).

CUOMO: I have been doing this everyday, 1,000 times a day.

CAMEROTA: He asks me, which president had 15 children? I said, I don't know.

LEMON: I want Tapper to go down. I'm in the middle of my show and he's sending stupid questions about presidents.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: What makes us a good team is that we - unlike the other guys -- We actually really like each other.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA: So cute. Is it true? Is it true? I want to know all the dirt behind the scenes.

CAMEROTA: Oh, yes. I will reveal some secrets for you. It was a barrel of monkeys. I mean, it was so much fun

PEREIRA: Poor Anderson Cooper having to wrangle you all.

CAMEROTA: I know. I do feel bad about that. But there are surprises, there is suspense -

PEREIRA: Drama.

CAMEROTA: Lots of drama.

PEREIRA: Intimidation. I noticed that our guy was using intimidation factor, Chris.

CAMEROTA: Not only Chris using intimidation, so was my partner, Jake Tapper. We were supposed to be partners, but every day he realized that I was the weak link in our partnership because he would try to quiz me and I didn't know any of the answers. So every day he would grab me by the shoulders and say, you are studying, right? You are going to read the books that they sent us, right?

PEREIRA: You did, right?

CAMEROTA: Well, I had to because I realized that I was going to be publicly humiliated and also it was so important to Jake. Because at first I thought, I'll just go heavier on the personality.

PEREIRA: The charm offensive.

CAMEROTA: I'll just use quips. He was like, what did he say? You need to study.

PEREIRA: Ok. So hosted by Anderson Cooper and then all of you had a team charity that you played for. Who was the charity that you guys played for?

CAMEROTA: We did Homes For Our Troops, which is a great charity because they especially design homes for severely injured vets who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. They are mortgage-free homes. It's just a great charity. And if we win tonight, they get a chunk of change.

PEREIRA: Do we know how much?

CAMEROTA: I think $40,000.

PEREIRA: Oh my. Oh, now the extra stress.

CAMEROTA: Yes. So everybody had great charities. There were some for homeless, there were some for save the children. The stakes are high.

PEREIRA: How badly competitive did it get?

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh, you get a bunch of Type A people in one room together and it's for bragging rights and, of course, it's also for charity, so it was very competitive.

PEREIRA: I actually find it interesting that you can get all of those CNN anchors into one room because that rarely happens, we all work such different schedules, we rarely see each other, but all of you in one room, Erin Burnett, John Berman of "EARLY START." It's going to be fantastic. So it airs tonight, guys. You can watch Alisyn, Chris, Don, Anderson, Jake. I can name them all. They're going to duke it out on the "CNN QUIZ SHOW: PRESIDENTS EDITION." Watch it 9:00 p.m. Eastern, conveniently, on CNN.

CAMEROTA: Should be pretty great!

Meanwhile, do you have unfinished business to take care of? So did one Rhode Island man whose high school diploma was delayed for seven decades. Why and how did he get that fixed? It's the Good Stuff. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: I love that song.

PEREIRA: I do, too. And it's perfect for our Good Stuff today. We're going to tell you the story of a high school graduation over 70 years in the making. Meet 92-year-old Dominic Giarrusso. He's an army veteran who is sharing his inspiring story with students at Cranston High School in west -- in Rhode Island, when he made a revelation to the students: he never got his diploma. He didn't get it because World War II broke out when he was 17 and he joined the Army. The principal at Cranston West was so touched by Giarrusso, he rallied his staff and local officials to make things right. So guess what? Last week, Giarrusso. donned a cap and gown and received an honorary diploma. The importance of his community's efforts summed up in his own words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOMINIC GIARRUSSO, 92-YEAR-OLD VETERAN RECEIVING HIS HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA: Education is something I always said everyone should get. There's no reason why they shouldn't. It's the gateway to the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: It is all of that. But, sir, we thank you for your service at 17, going off to serve your country and then come back and get this honor. 70 years later, you deserve that and so much more.

CAMEROTA: That handsome man is in his 90s? What is he eating?

PEREIRA: Easy, you're married.

CAMEROTA: Wow! That's incredible.

All right, time now for "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello. Hey, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR, "NEWSROOM": Hey, have a great day.

"NEWSROOM" starts now.