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tv   Early Start With John Berman and Christine Romans  CNN  January 27, 2015 1:00am-2:01am PST

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>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >> breaking news this morning. the northeast crippled by historic monster blizzard. 58 million people buried by feet of snow and hit with hurricane-force winds. flights canceled. schools closed. driving banned. people told stay at home or else. we are breaking down the latest. live team coverage starts right now. good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm christine romans. >> and i'm just outside the time warner center in new york city. it is tuesday, january 27th. it is 4:00 a.m. in the east. it is snowing and snowing hard.
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this huge dangerous historic blizzard of 2015 is fully underway across the northeast. freezing temperatures snowfall amounts over 2 feet in some areas. winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour. here where i'm standing about 7 inches of snow so far. the wind gusts bad. very uncomfortable. the roads, no one is out. the roads are empty. the plows are doing their jobs. a few lonely people on the sidewalks. as many as 58 million people in a dozen states affected by this storm. widespread travel bans with public transportation shutdown. only emergency vehicles allowed on streets in places. airlines have canceled close to 8,000 flights. hundreds more canceled tomorrow. students will have a snow day. many if not most public schools
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shutdown today. in new york city boston philadelphia many other cities. mayors and governors across the area are warning people to stay off the roads. stay at home no matter what. >> safety first. your life matters the most and your health and safety matters the most. so the smart thing is to stay back. any employer who is treating employees the wrong way will have something to say about that. this is not a time for employers to be cheapskates. >> it will make driving extremely dangerous. i can't stress this part enough. please stay off the roads. >> we have a few hours of the blizzard behind us. it is not over yet. standing with me in the red uniforms here is meteorologist derek van dam. >> trying to stay warm. >> at the end of the day, what will this be? >> in terms of new york city
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the snow bands are dissipating before reaching the city proper. outside of new york long island that's where the heaviest snow is currently located. hartsfield connecticut and massachusetts and rhode island. >> the winds. the wind gusts have been as bad? >> nantucket at 62 miles per hour. we are just under gusts of hurricane-force winds. you can imagine what that does to the snow. whips it up and causing drifts of 2 to 3 feet. >> i saw snow totals on long island close to 15 inches. it shows how little distance can create a big discrepancy. >> it is similar to the lake-effect snow event in buffalo, new york a couple of months ago. we are getting ocean-effect snow. it is putting the heavy band. new york is on the outer
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periphery. >> how long? >> it will be another six hours and tapering from the west to the east before it pulls up the new england coastline and end wednesday. >> if you are on the coast, you have a long several hours. >> the kids will enjoy it considering they have school off. >> snow days everywhere in the major cities. boston providence new york city. that is a good thing. i just got out here. i had a little bit of sleep. there are no cars out. granted it is 4:00 a.m. no one is driving except for the emergency vehicles. >> the driving ban started at 11:00 p.m. i was walking down broadway earlier today. no vehicles. for a city of this size that is rare. >> it will make it easier for the emergency vehicles but going forward, look whatever it
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wants to know is when will we get back out. probably a lot sooner than otherwise would have because vehicles are able to clear the roads. >> it is important you listen to emergency personnel. we want to make sure we pay attention to the weather forecast and wait for the all clear. the plows need to get on the roads and they need them cleared to take care of the snow. >> derek van dam, i appreciate it. >> sure. >> new york state may have dodged the worst of the storm. long island hit hard. it is having an impact. governor andrew cuomo declared a state of emergency for the southern counties. thousands of flights canceled. all of the flights at laguardia. non essential travel. new york city schools are closed today. as many other school systems in the state. let's get more on the conditions on the ground here. i want to bring in brian stelter.
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brian, where are you and how are things? >> reporter: they're cold john. i'm on eighth avenue. i'll step out on the street. normally at 4:00 a.m. would be busy. i covered a couple of hurricanes and they often times put in the bans on travel like we have in new york right now. i haven't seen them taken as seriously in hurricanes as i have in this snowstorm. the only people i see outside are the ones plowing and a few people of course coming out with selfies and taking pictures in the snow. i'll walk over and show you the most interesting thing about what the state has done for the storm. i'll show you the subway. this is -- as derek was saying the first time in the snowstorm, the subway system closed off. some tape up here. there have been hard workers out actually blowing and shoveling
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the sidewalks. there you go. closed off new york city subway. >> we lost brian's signal. you hear the wind blowing and it may not be the storm people thought it would be here in new york city but the damage it can do to communications equipment. massachusetts is bearing the brunt of this nor'easter. the new governor there, charlie baker declared a state of emergency. boston's logan airport is shutdown. it is not open until wednesday. a statewide ban on all motor vehicle travel. a statewide ban of getting on the roads with a $500 fine for violators. hundreds of school systems canceled classes today. a snow plow drove behind me there. no mail today in boston. the postal service has canceled delivery and closed offices.
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i want to go to nick valencia in boston with the conditions up there. hey, nick. >> reporter: greatest city in the country. you are not bias at all, berman. the conditions are really bad on the roads. thankfully the majority of the residents here the bostonians were told to stay off the road. the majority of the vehicles we have seen on the roads are emergency vehicles. people doing jobs trying to clear the roads here. trying to make it more navigatble. our engineer has been carefully driving inching his way through the roads here. i would say in the past 30 minutes, you talk about the wind an issue in new york. in the past 30 minutes, the wind has picked up in boston as well. we see that has created issues
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for us as well. outside, it is 18 or 19 degrees. it feels more like 2 degrees. very cold and chilly outside. we have also seen some people who decided to come out in the streets anyway although the travel ban was in place. when you talk to those people john, they say they want to be part of something historic. they felt this is the quietest time to come out to see the city of boston. that encouraged them to come out here. for the most part these roads are clear. the vehicles we see on the roads are emergency vehicles. some media vehicles as well have been granted exceptions to cruise the streets to check out conditions. john. >> nick valencia on the streets of boston. i suspect on the north shore and cape things are serious. i have reports from people talking about high winds and high waves and a lot of snow. it is not over yet. what about rhode island? rhode island in some ways catching the worst part of the
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storm. state of emergency declared by the governor. all flights canceled in providence. the governor ordering a strictly enforced travel ban. classes are canceled of public schools in providence and university of rhode island and brown not having school. joining us from providence is cnn's sarah. >> reporter: you see the snow here. when you are standing out here like i am, it is the wind that becomes the story. we see gusts up to 45 miles an hour. the worst is expected to come in two hours. that is when the wind will pick up. so far we have been protected here because the winds are coming from the north over land over providence instead of the south or coastal winds that come
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up from the water. another important thing that the people in rhode island need to know this morning is high tide this morning for many of the coastal -- really the whole state. this is a coastal state, rhode island. every one of the coastal community is under a flood watch. high tide coincides with the storm. the snow is falling. it is the light fluffy stuff. not the heavy, wet freezing rain that we normally see. the wind here is what you notice john. >> you are noticing it for several more hours. sara ganim, thank you. if you are in new york or connecticut or rhode island or massachusetts, stay inside for now. this is going on for some time. wait until it is all over. it is very dangerous. a big impact all over the
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northeast. christine romans you are covering the entire region. >> that is right, john. six hours to go here. we are in the middle of this thing. this is not over. new jersey let's talk about what is happening there. it is getting walloped. governor christie declaring a statewide travel ban. mass transit shutdown. newark airport is open. cancellations. many schools are closed. governor christie says they have been here before. >> we had hurricane irene, we had hurricane sandy. for better or worse, we know how to deal with these situations. i feel completely confident that the folks behind me and all the people that work for them are prepared. you never know how bad the conditions are going to be. >> pennsylvania operating under state of emergency this morning. hundreds of flights to
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philadelphia's international airport have been canceled. there is limited public transportation in the city. pennsylvania's governor says stay off the roads if you can. >> there will be snow on the roads. big heavy equipment out there. so be careful. if you have to drive. >> no flights are moving right now at major airports in the northeast. newark and jfk and laguardia at a standstill. more than 4,500 flights canceled today. more than 2,000 canceled yesterday. american and united decided to ground all flights today. airlines are hoping to resume service tomorrow. they are letting passengers rebook flights for free. flight cancellations affecting 58,000 travels. that is expecting to make travel a nightmare. 13 minutes past the hour. we were following breaking news
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all morning long. the blizzard pounding the northeast. we have new developments happening from overnight right after the break.
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across the region. most of you will be home. hopefully all of you are safe and warm. the question is how long is this all going to last? meteorologist derek van dam. you have been out here all night. give us a sense of what is to come. >> new york city and central park 7 to 8 inches so far. we have another 7 to go. let's call it 14. not enough to break the 2006 snowfall record at 26.9 inches. we are shy of that. we are on the outer periphery here in new york. it is boston and connecticut and parts of rhode island where we see the very intense heavy snow bands set up. 2 to 4 inches per hour. those guys will likely see the 2 to 3 feet that we have been talking about before the storm pulls out across the northeast by midday tuesday. >> rhode island massachusetts, that's the bull's-eye. that will be several more hours. >> absolutely.
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through tuesday afternoon. >> derek van dam, thanks. christine. >> you can see the plows out in full force, john. thanks for that. we will follow the latest on the blizzard all morning long. breaking overnight. president obama on the way to saudi arabia. a visit that could be incredibly important to the u.s. war on terror. we are live after the break. when it comes to medicare, everyone talks about what happens when you turn sixty-five. but, really, it's what you do before that counts. see, medicare doesn't cover everything. only about eighty percent of part b medical costs. the rest is on you.
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welcome back. breaking overnight. president obama ending a visit
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to india this morning pledging $4 billion in loans and investments to release what he calls the untapped potential of the world's two largest democracies. the president is in the air right now on the way to saudi arabia where he will pay respects to the late king abdullah and to reinforce america's alliance to saudi arabia and newly appointed king. we have michelle kosinski joining us with the latest. >> reporter: this is another key partnership. a lot on the agenda. you can tell just how significant this is when you look at the delegation the president is bringing with him to saudi arabia. secretary of state john kerry, various advisers even bush-era administration. including condoleezza rice and james baker. all significant in the building and forging the relationship with saudi arabia. we know they will have a meal
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together and a bilateral meeting. we know the important topics will come up. isis and yemen and iran. it was asked if he would bring up human rights. what about the blogger sentenced to lashings and persecuted of what he wrote online. the white house was a bit hesitant about that. human rights is something they bring up frequently with saudi arabia but didn't sound like that would come up on this trip. >> michelle kosinski traveling with the president. thank you. japan now looking to jordan to help gain a freelance journalist freedom from isis. the japanese envoy says he is determined to coordinate with amman to negotiate kenji goto and a pilot home. talks in jordan showed no signs of progress. the pilot has been held by isis
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since crashing in december. it is not clear when the pilot's possible release entered the picture. kurdish forces gain the control of kobani. isis fighters controlled much of the city. kobani has been the focus of u.s. air strikes for the last four months. defeat deprives isis of a border crossing into turkey. a story right out of a spy movie here in new york where the fbi arrested one russian national and indicting two others for deep undercover agents for moscow. all tried to recruit new york city residents. one of the suspects appeared in court before the blizzard. the other two have fled to russia. breaking news this morning. historic blizzard shutting down cities. the northeast blanketed with
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>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >> breaking news this morning, the northeast biggest cities shutdown. crippled by historic monster blizzard. 58 million people in its path. thousands of flights canceled. schools are closed. driving banned. people warned stay at home today. we are tracking latest on the storm. live team coverage starting now. welcome back to "early start."
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i'm christine romans. 29 minutes past the hour. this morning, the dangerous and historic blizzard of 2015 underway across the northeast with freezing temperatures and snowfall amounts over 2 feet in some areas and wind gusts up to 70 miles an hour. as many as 58 million people in a dozen states affected by the storm. widespread travel ban was transport shutdown and emergency vehicles allowed on the road in many places. airlines canceled 8,000 flights today and hundreds more canceled tomorrow. huge numbers of students get a snow day. public schools shutdown in new york city, boston philadelphia and many other cities. mayors and governors warning people to stay off the roads, stay home even if it upsets the boss. >> safety first. your life matters the most. your health and safety matters the most. the smart thing is to stay back.
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any employer whose treating employees the wrong way will have something to say about that. this is not a time for employers to be cheapskates. >> whiteout conditions and treacherous roads will make driving anywhere extremely dangerous. i can't stress this part enough. please stay off the roads. >> new york state may have dodged the worst of the storm. it is still having a big impact here. governor cuomo has declared a state of emergency for the southern counties. thousands of flights canceled at new york airports. all flights at laguardia. non emergency travel is banned on new york city is streets with subway and rail and bus service suspended. for more on conditions on the streets of new york i want to bring in cnn's chris welsh. we should be clear this thing is not over. it is too soon to have any kind of a damage assessment here.
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the snow is still falling and winds pick up later in the morning. >> reporter: that's absolutely correct, christine. i want to point out the governor certainly did not mince words yesterday when he urged people to be cautious. take a look at the front of the vehicle. we are in the cnn roving coverage vehicle here. we are in midtown manhattan, on the west side near the west side highway. we have been driving throughout the night. we have not seen the heavy accumulation that many people were predicting would happen would be on the ground by now. 4:30 in the morning now. you can see the plows have been going through here pretty regularly. you have lines of taxis here. we're turning on to tenth avenue and pulling on the west side of
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manhattan. the taxis are plowed in. the snow bank that was created by the plow could have been bigger at this point. it is very fair to say that this snow system is not over. we have not seen the end of it yet. you can see it is tough to see the flurries and fine snow. it comes and goes in bands. here in new york city we have been on the edge of the brunt of the storm. so far, managed to avoid a lot of it. it has opinionbeen windy. the latest check in central park christine, 5.5 inches of snow. again, this is not over yet. >> mayor bill de blasio was preparing and warning about the worst and preparing for the worst. we have seen the plows out all night. chris welch, crazy to see that in new york city. thanks chris.
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john, i have been looking at the power companies. psg & e, connecticut light and power, 17 homes in the state without power. on the edge of this storm, it has not been to this point, not been the devastating impact that many people feared. >> maybe with the preparation time christine, they were able to get the situation exactly where they wanted it. we have seen that certainly on the roads here. empty and people normally out driving right now. it is just emergency personnel. you heard chris say 5.5 inches in central park. it is up to 7 now. it is still accumulating and a lot still to come. how much? we have meteorologist derek van dam with me. >> i think a lot of people have forgotten to talk about how strong the winds have been. 70-mile-an-hour wind gusts in nantucket about an hour ago.
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on top of that, you have the blinding snow that reduces visibility under a quarter of an hour. john if that happens for a sustained three-hour period, it is hurricane-force winds from massachusetts to rhode island and connecticut and parts of long island. here in new york city we are on the outer periphery of the heavy bands of snow. we have gotten several inches on the ground with another potential 6 to 7 to go. totaling upwards of a foot of snow. it will not break the record set back in 2006. >> new york in the area around here, a foot plus of snow which is nothing to scoff at. rhode island and massachusetts and the coast, they may get 2 to 3 feet. that is where the blizzard is right now and continuing until when? >> full force right through the middle of today. we will see it start to pull away. just because the snow has come to an end, doesn't mean the
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storm is done. the winds are powerful around this. regardless of the plows moving through the city streets, the snow drifts will bring the snow right back on the roads and create tricky travel. >> with the snow one thing that is noticeable and even here where it is not as bad, it is falling, and just spreading. >> we are protected by the buildings here. think about the shoreline. compounding for the wind to pick up in nantucket with 70-mile-an-hour winds. >> powerful stuff. derek, thank you. nantucket in massachusetts. massachusetts is bearing the brunt of the storm. governor charlie baker declaring a state of emergency. boston's logan airport is shutdown until tomorrow. a statewide ban in place for the state. imagine a statewide ban of driving.
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hundreds of school systems have canceled classes. no mail in boston. a lot of the post offices are closed across the state. national reporter nick valencia is live in boston with the latest from there. good morning, nick. >> reporter: good morning, john. you can see the wind is starting to pick up as you toss to me. that has been the problem in the last hour. 4:00 a.m. according to massachusetts state governor this is supposed to be the height of the storm. potentially high tide was supposed to happen at 4:00 a.m. we have seen here where they are trying to clear out the snow. those plows dumping the excess snow they want to move off the streets with the containers. in the last hour we have seen
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it -- >> nick sorry. the storm causing issues with the communications gear. sometimes it jams things up. that's the situation in boston. nick was saying it is bad and they are working hard to clear off the roads up there. they will see several more hours of the pounding snow in the heavy, heavy winds. what about rhode island? the ocean state. that has been hit very hard as well. state of emergency there declared by the new governor. all of the flights canceled. the governor there ordered a strictly enforced travel ban across the state. strictly enforced. classes canceled of public schools in providence and university of rhode island and brown university. joining us with the latest from providence is cnn's sara ganim. >> reporter: good morning, john. what makes this storm different is the wind. the gusts of wind that comes every few seconds.
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between 30 and 45 miles an hour. that is what you notice when you are standing outside in the storm. now so far, we have not seen a lot of power outages here in the state of rhode island. we have not seen a lot of the power outages yet. that could be partly because right now providence rhode island this area is protected because the winds are coming in from the north. over land. not from the south. those coastal winds that can be absolutely brutal. something that rhode islanders need to know this is a coastal state. as you mentioned every one of the coastal communities is under a flood watch because high tide is coinciding with the worst of the storm which is expecting to start now and going to go through. we expect the peak winds in about two hours. john. >> sara ganim for us in rhode island. a serious situation.
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everyone to stay inside says the governor. that is the story across the northeast. massachusetts, new york and connecticut. christine, you are getting a sense of how wide spread this weather event really is. >> it is a big system and it is affecting a lot of states. new jersey. we have checked on new jersey. also getting walloped here. the governor there, governor christie declaring a state of emergency. a travel ban in the state of new jersey. newark airport is open but cancellations are outnumbering departures. many schools are closed around the state. governor christie says they have been here before. >> we had hurricane irene. we had hurricane sandy. for better or worse, we know how to deal with these situations and i feel completely confident that the people behind me and people that work for them are prepared. you never know how bad the conditions are going to be.
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>> the state of pennsylvania are operating under a state of emergency. hundreds of flights have been canceled. limited public transportation. pennsylvania's governor says stay off the roads if you can. >> there will be snow on the roads. big heavy equipment out there. so be careful. if you have to drive. if you don't have to drive, don't drive. >> and don't fly. no flights are moving at major airports in the northeast. newark jfk and philadelphia and boston and laguardia. another 3,200 flights canceled yesterday and 4,500 canceled today. american and united have canceled flights across the northeast. they are letting passengers rebook flights for free. flight cancellations effecting 250,000 travels. the backlog expected to make traveling a nightmare more probably through the end of the week.
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41 minutes past the hour. we are tracking the storm all morning long. we have new video and new developments overnight. we come back live right after the break. [ male announcer ] eligible for medicare? that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans they could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs.
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this is the blizzard of 2015 hitting the northeastern united states right now. the wind just died down. it is nice. it has been swirling. 58 million people in 12 states
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hit by heavy snowfall. more than 2 feet of snow in some areas. the winds gusting up more than 70 miles per hour in places. widespread travel bans. non emergency vehicles told to stay off the roads. public transportation shutdown. thousands of flights canceled. airports pretty much shutdown. schools and universities closed for the day. that is across the region. it is a day just to stay home. stay safe. stay warm. you know the question is how long is this all going to last? meteorologist derek van dam is with me. >> you want me to say it is about to stop. >> i'm about done. >> not yet john. a few more hours in new york city. through lunchtime, snow will taper off. the heavy snow bands on the tv screens, that is stretching from eastern long island through parts of massachusetts. they still have an additional 12 inches plus to go.
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they will see roughly the 2 to 3 foot snows we have been talking about. the new york city area has been on the outer periphery of the heavy snowfall. >> the winds up there. gusts up in massachusetts up to 70 miles an hour. >> just because the snow ends doesn't mean the storm is done. the wind will continue to be a factor through wednesday. that means windchill conditions and dangerous visibility. it will blow the snow back on the roads. >> be careful. derek van dam, thank you. crews are doing what they can to stay ahead of what the governor charlie baker expects to be a top five blizzard. this is a familiar scene. people shoveling sidewalks. as much as 3 feet of snow expected and some of the bands hitting that part of massachusetts. tow trucks removing cars. plows removes snow on the streets. one woman says she expects
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bostonians to heed the warning. >> boston does a great job of keeping streets clean and everybody does a good job of staying off the roads. i think we are ready for this. >> here in new york city the snow plows have been out in force all night. they are trying to stay ahead of this storm in new york. this is a scene you don't see too often. times square. the crossroads of the world. looking like a ghost town. new yorkers are heeding it. no cars out there. grocery store shelves have essentially been empty before the brunt of the storm hit. they are hunkering down right now. it could be several more hours or a day before they are back out again. christine, one interesting thing, we are in columbus circle. the plows have been coming through clearing. you cannot get them completely clear of snow. although they plow there is still 5 or 6 inches of gunk on the road.
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i would not want to be a regular car driving out this morning. probably not for some time. much later today, i think, christine, before it is safe to get back out. >> it looks like the forecast shows snow until 1:00 for new york city. snow will continue much of the day further north. looking at the video of seven people walking through times square. the city that never sleeps is sound asleep this morning. thank you, john. we will track this historic snowstorm all morning long. first, president obama on the way to saudi arabia. the u.s. largest ally in the war on terror. we are live after the break. technology gives you control and now technology gives you home security and control in a new and revolutionary way. introducing plug & protect from livewatch security, an easy to use wireless security system customized just for your home. control from any smartphone, tablet, or computer and monitored by professionals 24/7. go to livewatch.com
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breaking overnight, president obama in the air right now on his way to saudi arabia to pay respects to the late king abdullah and reinforce the alliance with saudi arabia and the newly appointed king. the president had to cut short a trip to india. we have cnn's michelle kosinski with more. >> reporter: he is cutting it short by a few hours. he doesn't get to go to the taj mahal yet again. i think he can check off some things on the list that were accomplishments. what is interesting, there were goals and a broad range of topics that the u.s. wanted to
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discuss with india and try to make progress and breakdown barriers that caused impasses in the past. nothing has really been signed and completed on the dotted line. the big take aways are commitment to more investment here and commitment to breaking down barriers of trade and renewal of the defense agreement to lead to sharing and military technology. civil nuclear agreement. meaning that u.s. companies now will have some more freedom to invest and build nuclear reactors in india. the u.s. would love that investment and india needs more power. on the environment. the u.s. china agreement, the u.s. hasn't gotten india to burn back old fossil fuels. it did get india to agree to expand clean energy. especially solar and wind. a couple of big topics they say
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they made some breakthrough understandings on. we can expect more progress to come down the road. christine. >> an important relationship. the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest democracy. thank you. fidel castro breaking his silence with the ties to the u.s. castro says in part, quote, i don't trust the policy of the united states nor have i exchanged a word with them. that doesn't mean i eject a pacific solution to the conflicts. a drone that crash landed on the white house grounds leaves concerns about security. a hobbiest was behind the quad copter. the man came forward to say he lost control of the device in
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flight. breaking news. an historic blizzard shutting down major northeast cities. live team coverage ahead. i know... this third shift is rough... it's just a few more weeks max! what are you doing up? it's late. i just wanted to have breakast wih you.
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>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >> breaking news this morning. the northeast stopped in its tracks by an historic monster blizzard. 58 million people buried by feet of snow. hit with hurricane-force winds in spots. flights canceled. schools closed. driving banned. people told stay at home. we are breaking down the latest from all over the northeast. live team coverage starts now.
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welcome to "early start." i'm christine romans. >> i'm john berman out in the snow outside cnn headquarters here in new york. it is tuesday, january 27th. it is 5:00 a.m. in the east. this morning, this is the blizzard of 2015. we are in the middle of it right now across the northeast. freezing temperatures. snowfall amounts 2 feet or more in some areas. the wind has been bad. 70-mile-an-hour wind gusts in areas. you see the plows here in new york out in force. 58 million people in a dozen states are being hit by this storm. there have been widespread travel bans. public transit shutdown. only emergency vehicles allowed on the roads in so many places. airlines have canceled a lot of flights. close to 8,000 flights today and yesterday. hundreds more canceled for tomorrow. students most of you at home, snow days in most of

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