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Border Patrol Fatally Shoots Minneapolis Man; Monster Winter Storm Hits Two-Thirds of Americans. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired January 25, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to special breaking news edition of "CNN Newsroom." I'm Jessica Dean here in New York. I am joined by Sara Sidner who is there in Minneapolis. Tonight, we are following the fallout from the deadly shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis resident and ICU nurse. He was shot and killed by a border patrol agent yesterday. So many major questions remain. This is the third shooting, the second fatal shooting by a federal officer in the city this month.

Let's go now right to Sara, who has been on the ground in Minneapolis with more. Sara?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jessica, we are here right next to the memorial behind me for Alex Pretti, this 37-year-old ICU nurse, who worked at the Veterans Hospital, who was shot and killed by border patrol agents in this very spot behind me, and that's why you're seeing a memorial grow around it.

I do want to let people see the videos, all of the videos that we have been able to gather. And we put them all together and looked at them frame by frame. And we walk you through it. And what we see does not in any way match what we are hearing from DHS officials. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX PRETTI, SHOOTING VICTIM: Today, we remember that freedom is not free.

SIDNER (voice-over): This is Alex Pretti doing his duty as a nurse at the Veterans Hospital, saying a final goodbye to a soldier. Pretti, at 37, is now dead, killed by border patrol agents. He's the third person shot by federal agents here in less than a month.

CHRIS GRAY, ALEX PRETTI'S NEIGHBOR: He was an ICU nurse. He was a worker like myself. He was part of the fabric of my community.

SIDNER (voice-over): He says Pretti was also a volunteer observer documenting what ICE was doing in his city. His death, like Minneapolis resident Renee Good --

RENEE GOOD, SHOOTING VICTIM: That's fine dude. I'm not mad at you.

SIDNER (voice-over): -- was caught in chilling clarity on cellphone video from several angles with several witnesses.

NILSON BARAHO, SHOOTING WITNESS: It wasn't just the physical sound of it. It was like trying to break our spirit, you know?

SIDNER (voice-over): A warning. What you are about to see is what Nilson Baraho saw outside the donut shop. This is the clearest angle of the shooting as it happened. That is Alex Pretti recording on his cellphone as border patrol agents arrive outside the donut shop. He goes into the street waving cars through. Now, here is how the Department of Homeland Security described how Pretti approached federal agents.

KRISTI NOEM, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: An individual approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun.

SIDNER (voice-over): That's not what video shows. It shows federal agents approached Pretti. All he has in his hand is a cellphone, not a gun. Then you see him moving one protester away from agents while agents shove another to the ground. As he tries to help the protester they shoved, agents deploy pepper spray. Three rustle him to the ground. More joining in.

From another angle, you see one agent punching him in the face with a canister of pepper spray in his hand. Pretti is on the ground under them. Nothing appears in his hands. You can see an officer in a gray jacket walk into frame. Seconds later, agents shout, he's got a gun. One agent removes a gun from Pretti's belt. He steps away from the scene carrying a firearm seen here in his right hand. Turns out, state authorities say Pretti has a license to legally carry a gun. But you never see him draw it. Instead, an agent draws his gun while standing above Pretti and fires the first shot.

(SHOOTING)

Pretti survives, somehow rising up to his knees.

(SHOOTING)

Then agents fired at least 10 more times. Pretti's body slumps face down in the street, lifeless. But federal authorities weren't done with their accusations against him.

GREG BOVINO, COMMANDER-AT-LARGE, U.S. BORDER PATROL: This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement. SIDNER (voice-over): Pretti's neighbor, Chris Gray, says that couldn't

be farther from the truth.

GRAY: Well, everything they say about my neighbor is a lie.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER (on camera): His neighbor, Chris Gray, says he was simply here to protect his community. He was out here to document what was happening at the hands of law enforcement, particularly of federal law enforcement. And he says he was out here doing two things. He was exercising his First Amendment and his Second Amendment right, and was ultimately killed for it.

[17:05:02]

Jessica?

DEAN: All right, Sara, thank you so much for all of that reporting. We really appreciate it. I want to go now to Shimon Prokupecz, who is standing by. And Shimon, you can walk us through how law enforcement has been responding to all of these. Sara laying out, you know, what we know from this video and what has been said to us by the administration and then what we are hearing from eyewitnesses. What more can you tell us?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, I think the most interesting thing among many here and how we are in really -- you know, we keep hearing this. This is an unprecedented moment, a remarkable time, especially considering how law enforcement agencies, you have the federal law enforcement agencies and then you have the local law enforcement agencies, how they are just on a continuous collision course. Both are not agreeing on anything.

In fact, one of those people who has been so outspoken about over concerns over what the federal authorities have been doing here is the police chief of Minneapolis, Brian O'Hara. He is raising all kinds of concerns over tactics and training. He spoke to our Anderson Cooper today. Take a listen to how he describes what -- how he describes what he has been seeing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF BRIAN O'HARA, CHIEF, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT: It looks very untrained. It looks unprofessional. It looks very chaotic. It doesn't look like there's clear teamwork tactically to achieve the same objective. And it's just -- it is absolutely not how we train law enforcement in Minnesota. And I think the greater issue, the greater concern is, you know, people should be able to have an expectation that the federal government can enforce federal immigration law without these, you know, core tactics and really unconstitutional practices.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PROKUPECZ: Look, that, Jessica, is so significant for the police chief here, to come out and speak out against other law enforcement partners that should be working together, that should be somehow trying to get to a place where they can de-escalate the situation here.

I want to show you here outside this area. We're also here outside where this happened yesterday. One of the things that I have found so significant also is that the Minneapolis police have been here. They are sitting here, they are watching. We're seeing community members here like this man in orange come up and talk to them. There has been no escalation. People are not angry at the Minneapolis police. They are here. They are part of this. They are allowing people to stand out here, to get together.

Just people right now in this moment, in this community, this is a remarkable community, I've covered sadly many sad stories here, they just want some time to be together and to heal. And right now, it appears at least, in terms of the Minneapolis Police Department, they're all getting along. It is the concern over the federal authorities and what could happen here yet again.

DEAN: Yes, and good context there for everyone watching and who isn't on the ground, Shimon, to give them some insight into that relationship. Thank you so much for that. And as this tense situation plays out in Minneapolis, there are signs of a backlash within the Department of Homeland Security to the ICE operation there. Multiple Homeland Security officials telling CNN there is anger, concern, frustration among officials who have seen the videos that are coming out of Minneapolis.

And joining us now, CNN correspondent Priscilla Alvarez, who has done extensive reporting on this. Priscilla, you have new reporting on what's going on behind the scenes. What did you learn?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, Jessica. In talking with my sources over the course of the day and even yesterday, there is a mixed bag of emotions. But the one that comes across more than any other is this feeling of frustration and concern over the shooting incident in Minneapolis.

But in addition to that, the public response from the administration. These are officials who are keenly aware of the reputational harm that is happening right now for the agency and for the officers on the ground and what that does when they continue to enforce immigration law, when they're on operations, and the long-term consequences that they may have to grapple with moving forward.

But they also can't square what they have been seeing in the videos that have been circulating online and what the administration is saying. I'm told that over the course of last 24 hours, that is what officials have been doing. They've been sharing these videos, they've been absorbing it just like the American public has, and they did see the secretary come out in defense of the agent and talk about the heated tensions that these officers are operating within.

And there is agreement on that among Homeland Security officials, but that doesn't absolve the department and what the secretary has said and how all of these has fueled the tensions on the ground.

[17:10:04]

And some officials believe the secretary is doing them a disservice. I had one official who told me -- quote -- "The department needs a law enforcement leader, not a sycophant." So, that tells you just how furious some officials are at the fact that shooting happened, but also the way it has been handled by the administration up until this point, Jessica.

DEAN: Certainly. Some really insightful reporting there. Priscilla Alvarez with the latest, thank you so much for that. And here to talk with us about this more, CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams. He's a former federal prosecutor and former assistant director for legislative affairs with ICE.

Elliot, it's good to have you here because there are so many questions around all of these. But let's start first with this. Minnesota's attorney general, Keith Ellison, is going to be in federal court tomorrow, he says, arguing for a restraining order against the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operation in that state. Do they have a valid legal argument there?

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: They have an argument. It's going to be tough to win that on that specific point, that because of -- you know, it would appear that the attorney general's argument, that because of the extent of the immigration enforcement operation, you know, they have a legal basis for getting ICE out. The problem that they're confronting is that the administration has broad authority to conduct immigration enforcement wherever they feel or demonstrated some need.

Now, look, we've all seen the videos and are well aware of some of what appear to be abuses by ICE, but I think it's an uphill climb for the attorney general to think that on account of that, they can get a court to kick ICE out of the state.

DEAN: In particular or specifically about the shooting of Alex Pretti, Minneapolis police say that Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit. Again, just for everyone at home, there have been no videos so far that have shown him brandishing that weapon at authorities. They claimed that he did do so. Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino made this claim earlier. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOVINO: We respect that Second Amendment right, but those rights don't -- those rights don't count when you riot and assault, delay, obstruct, and impede law enforcement officers and most especially when you mean to do that beforehand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: So, Elliot, what does the law say? Walk us through what he's trying to say there and what the law says.

WILLIAMS: He's absolutely correct about the law. When an individual is rioting or impeding or obstructing, absolutely, their Second Amendment rights go away to some extent. Show the video where that's happening. I would -- I and many other citizens of the United States would welcome such a video. But there's no evidence, at least in what we have seen publicly, that there was a riot happening at the time that would sort of necessitate the kind of action that the commander is talking about.

There is -- there is not, again, based on what we've seen in that video, some indication that this individual was impeding law enforcement or getting in the way of law enforcement or obstructing their work or any such thing that would have required the use of deadly force.

So, absolutely, if that evidence exists by all means, it would be wonderful for the public to see it. But based on what's publicly available, Jessica, it's really hard to square what the commander is saying there with the actions that you and I and many Americans, particularly non-Americans, have seen at this point.

DEAN: Yes. And Bovino was repeatedly asked about providing that evidence. What evidence do you have? And he just would not give any and didn't -- leaning on the investigation, which we know now, you know, local law enforcement wants to be involved in that investigation. There are questions about if they will be. There's a lot of questions about that investigation in and of itself. What other outstanding questions do you have as we -- as we try to sort through all of these?

WILLIAMS: Yes. I mean, who's in charge and who's calling the shots here? I just think it is -- the statements that are coming out of the secretary and the commander do not square with what is publicly available. And I think we ought to recognize that yes, law enforcement certainly has broader authority than you or I, Jess, would have to use deadly force on the street. That's the way the country works.

However, when the statements coming out of government do not square or do not match with what is publicly available, either they got to change their message or produce the evidence both for the public or courts when the time comes that sort of justifies the statements they're making.

So, I am just scratching my head at the fact that they can look into the cameras right now and debunk what is plainly available or at least questionable in terms of the public video -- the videos that are coming out in public.

[17:15:03]

And so, I think they have a little more explaining and a little more evidence to produce to really build the trust of the American people which, to some extent, they seem to be losing or have lost with many.

DEAN: Yes. Well, I think a lot of Americans feel exactly as you do, which is they're perplexed by this, by what they're seeing and then by what they're hearing and how those square together. Elliot Williams, thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

WILLIAMS: Of course. Thanks.

DEAN: We have a lot more on Minnesota still ahead. Plus, we are tracking this monster winter storm that's impacting more than 240 million Americans as many are already dealing with frozen power lines and widespread power outages. We are live from Louisville with an update on that. And later, a look at how this extreme weather is impacting thousands of flights across the nation. The short of it, it's not great. Stay with us. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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[17:20:00]

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DEAN: Our other breaking news this evening is this massive winter storm stretching from Texas to New England. Snow and sleet hitting areas across the United States today. And in the South, those dangerously high ice totals are being recorded with one inch of solid ice in Mississippi, Louisiana, and South Carolina. At least seven people have died in these frigid temperatures.

And across the U.S., almost a million homes and businesses are now without power. The state of Tennessee, you see there, facing the worst of it with more than 300,000 outages. And this could last for days for them, especially in places that are really hard hit like Nashville and beyond.

Let's go to meteorologist Derek Van Dam who joins us now live from Louisville, Kentucky. Derek, that's another place that we just typically don't see that much snow on the ground in Louisville, Kentucky where it is 16 degrees feels like four. What should people be expecting as we go into this -- into the evening?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, the dichotomy across the state is quite amazing. We had the snow towards the north where I am, in the Louisville region. But to the central and southern portions of the state, quickly an ice storm just like in Tennessee.

And that's what I want to highlight first because we came across this image, and I'm hoping the newsroom can bring this up for me because this is coming out of the Nashville area that -- look at this tree that splintered in what looks like almost four equal parts under the weight of the freezing rain and the ice that accumulated on its branches. I mean, it's really mind-boggling to see that perspective, that aerial perspective of a tree that looks like it just snapped in half, but in that perfect symmetry like that.

I looked it up. There is a -- for about a half an inch of ice, which that region of Tennessee received, it can add up to 7,000 pounds of extra weight to the branches of a 30-foot tall tree. So, that gives you some perspective. Also, a typical power line, it can add roughly about a thousand extra pounds of weight. So, that is why we are experiencing these spikes in the power outages.

Here in the state of Kentucky, we've got over 65,000 customers without power right now due to the ice that is plastered across the central and southern portions of the state.

Here in Louisville, it's a little bit of a different story. I'm going to get my yardstick. I haven't done this just yet. And this is by no means an accurate representation of how much snow has fallen here. It just is to give you an idea that we did not break the record territory.

So, back in 1998, there was a three-day snowfall total that brought 22 inches of snow to Louisville where I'm standing now. Excuse me, this is the wrong way to do that, my bad. You can see that it's about that high, right? We're only measuring here about five inches on the ground. A lot of that has to do with the type of snow that we actually saw fall from the sky and continue to see. We had a lot of sleet that held down the snowfall totals here within Louisville but nowhere near that record-breaking territory.

And so, people are just kind of getting out and about and shoveling their driveways, but the sleet is kind of an extra added weight to the snow that they have to shovel.

These businesses across Main Street where we're located right now, all closed. There are signs up on the sides of these buildings that say, hey, look, we're closed because of the winter weather, the inclement weather.

Just a few minutes ago, there were plows plowing this parking here. And you could just see Bourbon City is quiet. It's Sunday afternoon, Sunday evening. Usually, these restaurants and shops would have activity in them as people end up the weekend.

But here, Jessica, the thing that's really -- that I'm most concerned about is how this what is called a flash freeze will overtake much of the south. So, the freezing rain that's in place now will be held in place because the mercury in the thermometer won't go above the freezing mark for several days in many, many locations.

DEAN: I know. It's just going to be so cold for so long. Derek Van Dam, thanks for standing out in the snow for us. We certainly appreciate it. Still to come here, we're going to have more on the breaking news out of Minnesota as the community there wrestles with yet another deadly shooting involving federal agents. We've got an update from the White House coming your way next.

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[17:25:00]

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): This family has gone through enough. And to have the most powerful man in the world drag their dead son with absolutely no evidence and gaslight the entire country, this is enough. And I would say, President Trump, you can end this today. Pull these folks back.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SIDNER: The governor telling ICE to leave pretty bluntly there. We are at the memorial for Alex Pretti, the man he said that ICE agents are dragging through the mud. And we're seeing new signs show up here at the memorial to him. The one behind me is unfurled across both streets, saying, how many more will ICE murder? That is how people feel about what happened here in the street. And then you're seeing the result of the killing at the hands of federal agents, although it's border patrol agents.

[17:29:58]

You're seeing the result of the way people feel about Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old ICU nurse who worked at the Veterans Hospital and was killed as he was trying to observe and show with his cellphone what was happening here, someone who was part of, according to his neighbor, the protest that happened the day before where some 50,000 people showed up in the streets to ask ICE or demand that ICE leave this community because many here feel that they have just been simply not only disruptive but deadly, in a way that nobody could have fathomed.

And the surge of ICE agents tripling the number of local police officials and local police officers here is also having a profound effect on this community.

I want to go now -- after all that we've heard from DHS, after all that we've heard from the commander, Greg Bovino, we are hearing from communities here that they have dispelled every single thing just about that he said, and they see this as more lies, that they absolutely are just not willing to swallow, and so they are coming out here showing their solidarity with Alex Pretti and his family and the community at large.

But let's go now to Betsy Klein, who has reaction from the White House from all of these, who, as you mentioned, Betsy, has been sending out the leaders in different agencies to all of the media outlets, trying to get their message out as quickly and as forcefully as possible, as everyone is watching these videos showing what happened here very plainly and clearly.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right, there's certainly a disconnect there. But this is following a very familiar pattern for this White House, and that is that President Trump and his team are doubling down on their hardline immigration policies, even as we are starting to see some cracks in the president's coalition.

As you mentioned, they deployed a number of top officials to the Sunday morning news programs where they actively defended the officers involved in that shooting of Alex Pretti. They said they defended the administration's immigration enforcement tactics more broadly. They have been very heavy-handed on the streets of Minneapolis, as we have witnessed.

They also shifted blame to state and local officials, particularly Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who they say are not doing enough to support federal law enforcement. We also heard a press conference today from Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino. He described Renee Good, who was killed by ICE on January 7th, as well as Pretti as -- quote -- "suspects." He said that they made choices that had consequences.

And I also want to call your attention to reporting from our colleague, Alayna Treene. She says that privately, there are deepening concerns about the scenes that are playing out on the ground over at the Department of Homeland Security. We are hearing concerns that Kristi Noem, the secretary's handling of this situation, is putting federal law enforcement at risk of reputational damage. But for now, there are no plans to change the policy posture. ICE will remain in Minnesota, Sara.

SIDNER: Their reputation not damaged (INAUDIBLE), according to the people in the streets here. Whether or not the rest of the country sees it that way remains to be seen. Thank you so much. Betsy Klein there live for us from the White House.

Let's go now to Juliette Kayyem, CNN senior national security analyst. Juliette, we talked throughout the day about what you've been seeing, but I just want to go over it again. We have heard some very, very strong statements from DHS, from Kristi Noem, then from Commander Greg Bovino, and others who are going after the person who was shot here, Alex Pretti, making him the perpetrator as opposed to the victim in all these and sort of blaming him for what happened. When you look at the video and when you hear what you are hearing from DHS, does any of it match?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: No. I mean, this is what you'll see online as being called the kill and slander campaign by DHS and the White House, which is there is a death, another killing of a U.S. citizen. And the department, first, Bovino, and then the White House, and then other Cabinet secretaries, including the Treasury secretary today, come out and malign the victim, and this is part of a consistent way that they're dealing with the fact that not all Americans agree with them.

Look, what we see is legitimate protest against a very controversial mission by ICE and by DHS, a mission that the White House has changed over time. You could support tough immigration enforcement, interior enforcement, including against the worst of the worst, which is where this all began, and then wonder why they're just randomly roaming streets and trying to pick up people that had or had not been in jail.

[17:35:07]

Their information is not accurate. The White House and DHS now want it both ways. They want to malign the victim, and then say we're having an investigation, of course, which they control and which the state is now having to go to judicial remedies to ensure that that investigation is legitimate.

I want to say what I heard from Bovino. What I heard was a person who views criticism as domestic terrorism. That's what I heard because at no stage in any of that did he talk about, you know, the legitimate right of people to be out on the street and criticized. He bemoaned the fact that people are angry at his agents. Of course, they're angry. People don't like this mission.

And he kind of threatened with these words, you know, people -- I forgot the exact words but, you know, that people make bad choices. Well, the bad choice was criticizing ICE without an accurate investigation. And honestly, some notion that there'll be culpability for this kind of activity by ICE. I don't know what the limiting principle is for Bovino, for the department nor the White House, and I think people are coming to that realization.

SIDNER: Betsy Klein, thank you so much for your reporting there. And let's be very clear, just to reiterate what she said, criticism is not terrorism. That can't be said more.

Let's go to Juliette. Sorry, that was Juliette. Juliette, I'm so sorry. I am -- I am -- I cannot see you, but thank you. I do recognize your voice, and I did talk to you earlier. Juliette, thank you so much. Those are really strong words coming from you, someone who knows how these things work and are supposed to work, how investigations are supposed to go and how different this is, how absolutely different this is, where you're seeing lies first, investigate later.

We're going to go to break. We'll have much more breaking news ahead.

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[17:40:00]

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DEAN: Tonight, a deadly winter storm slowing more than half the country with heavy snow and ice. And right now, Washington, D.C. is seeing a mixture of snow and sleet. That is a dangerous combination that makes roads far more slick. It's the same case for Philadelphia. Snow plows out in full force. They're working to clear the roads as the city of Philadelphia has officially declared a snow emergency.

We have Danny Freeman there in Philly. We have Michael Yoshida standing by in DC. Danny, it has gotten darker there in Philadelphia since we last saw you. What's the situation now?

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, darker here in Philadelphia. Basically, the city is saying that they're looking ahead to these overnight hours and cautioning of freezing rain coming in the next couple of hours. At the moment, it's still very, very cold out here. It's still a mixture of sleet at the moment, but it isn't the gross, slushy feeling on the ground.

That being said, as you can see, this is Market Street behind me, Jessica, I know you know it well, road is still not 100 percent clear. We've been watching cars come around this bend right here, around city hall, and slip and slide, frankly, as they've been coming around here. So, still plenty of risk for those drivers out there.

That is what the city of Philadelphia is concerned about. But they said they're ready. They've had a thousand workers out here, more than 600 pieces of equipment that includes plows. We've seen pickup trucks, even the city's own ATVs.

Last thing I'll say, Jessica, though is that I was in the last hour with you not wearing a hat. My mom got phone calls that Danny is too cold to not be wearing a hat out here since it is so cold. I've rectified that for the moms out there. Philadelphia, okay for now, but again, concerned about the overnight hours to come.

DEAN: Yes. Don't worry, Mrs. Freeman and friends. Danny now has a hat on. He is safe. He is OK.

FREEMAN: Yes.

DEAN: We do want you to take care of yourself. Michael Yoshida, what do you see in there in D.C.?

MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Jessica. I can tell you one thing. All of us, we have our hats on here in D.S. So, we've got that taken care of. But man, we've seen the conditions change from when we first got out here four, five, six this morning. We had that winter snow globe look, big flakes. Now, you can see these little pebbles just basically melting as soon as they hit us. That sleet continuing to fall here.

And also, as we're seeing those wetter conditions and this cooling down into the evening hours, this is the first time we're really -- where you walk, we're seeing -- you can hear the snow crunching beneath you, whereas, earlier today, it was that very soft, fluffy snow.

And as you heard Danny talking about, that's the big concern here in D.C. as well. We head into these overnight hours. Everything that's on the ground is going to start freezing. Crew is going to be out throughout the evening hours. Some 300 pieces of equipment working on salting, plowing the snow, trying to make sure it's safe for everyone once they do want people to start getting back out onto the roadways. So, all right for now. But, again, if you don't have to be out here, stay home. Jessica?

DEAN: For sure. We can certainly hear the pelts hitting, like, your jacket, I think. Michael and Danny, our thanks to both of you. We really appreciate you standing out in the cold.

The winter storm hitting much of the country right now is responsible for more than 10,000 flight cancellations today alone. So, what might that mean tomorrow and the next day? We're going talk about when we come back. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

[17:45:00]

DEAN: More than 17,000 flights have been canceled from yesterday through tomorrow due to the severe weather conditions all across the country. Over 11,000 flights have been canceled so far today, 3,000 delayed. Several airports have closed as all flights have been canceled there like Reagan National Airport. New York's LaGuardia Airport closed until 8 p.m. Eastern time for crews to clear runways. That's according to multiple alerts from the FAA. And the weather report from that area shows low visibility and heavy blowing snow.

Let's bring in CNN correspondent Randi Kaye, who's joining us now from Newark International Airport in New Jersey.

[17:50:00]

Randi, what are you finding there? It looks pretty empty behind you.

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I feel like, Jessica, I'm the only person here. If only I was traveling today, it would be so easy to cruise right through security because just take a look at that. I have the whole place to myself here. I could get right through. But if you look at the board here, the departures board, it really tells the story. Most of the flights here at Newark Airport have been canceled. According to Port Authority, which runs this airport, 87 percent of the flights in and out of Newark Airport have been canceled. You still see some up there that say on time, but I'm told they're really not going to go anywhere.

But we have some video of us arriving today at the departures area. If you take a look, it's really like a ghost town. I mean, normally, you're jockeying from position to try and get out of your car with your luggage. We had the whole place to ourselves. And I talked to a couple who had just arrived here earlier. They were hoping to get home to Arizona. They had just come off a cruise ship. Now, they're stuck. They can't get home. They have to spend the night in the airport. Here's what they told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Its' quite an experience, is what it has been. So, I'm just trying to make the best of it, you know. Like you said, it's eerie around here, but it's ghost town. And so, it is pretty scary. You know, we don't know anybody here. We're, you know, West Coast people. So, this is completely different. And we overheard somebody saying on the tram here, he was like, I haven't seen this in over 40 years.

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KAYE: And that couple did bring with them a heated vest and some gloves, and they're going to be using a blanket and they're going to stay here in the airport tonight.

But the airlines, of course, are trying to reset as quickly as they can. We got some video of people around the cruise, around the airport earlier trying to clean up, get some of that snow off the runways, away from the gate areas, try and make this a little more manageable. Maybe even come tomorrow morning, some flights will be able to depart from here. But they are trying to do that. They're going to have to, obviously, wait for the weather to get a little better because it's so cold. So, the temperatures are just too frigid for the ramp crews and the luggage handlers even to be outside, let alone deicing those planes, Jessica. DEAN: Yes, no kidding. All right, Randi Kaye at a nearly empty airport there, thank you so much for that. The mayor of Little Rock joins us next, talking about the impact of this winter storm on his city. Stay with us.

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DEAN: And we're back. We're following this massive winter storm that is impacting so much of the United States right now. As of this morning, Gibson, Arkansas, which is just north of the capital city of Little Rock, had already seen eight inches of snow and sleet. Conditions have been dangerous on the roads with several car accidents already. This morning, six people trapped in their houseboats were rescued after the dock roof collapsed at the Little Rock Yacht Club Marina. Twenty-two others had to be evacuated. The local fire department there says they were all able to get out without injury. Of course, that's great news.

We're joined now by Little Rock mayor, Frank Scott, Jr. Mayor Scott, thank you so much for being here with us. We really appreciate it. My hometown of Little Rock, I know that ice and snowy weather are not something that we see often. How are conditions there right now? How are you guys handling it?

MAYOR FRANK SCOTT, JR., LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS: We are navigating literally through the sleet and the snow at this very moment. I want to give a shout out to our men and women, our Little Rock public works team, our public safety first responders, as well as our emergency center operations. We've experienced somewhere around 7 to 10 inches of sleet and snow. A lot of that.

As we plow through that snow and sleet yesterday, it got recovered again late last night and early this morning. So, our teams are back out retracing the major thoroughfares of the city alongside our partners with Arkansas Department of Transportation that are handling the many interstates that we have in the state's capital city.

So, a lot of great work is going on. We're not used to this type of weather. However, one thing about Arkansas's weather is consistently inconsistent, as you are aware of, being a Little Rocker yourself.

DEAN: Yes.

SCOTT: So, we see the snow, the sleet, and the ice. It just depends on the season. But we're ready for it and prepared. We've got so many people out working this 24-hour operation now, 24-hour operation.

DEAN: Yes. We talked with Governor Sanders in one of our last hours. She was saying that there was a little bit of good news, that you haven't had a very high number of power outages. There are some power outages there in the state. How is it going there in Little Rock? And obviously, that's a big one, especially when these temperatures are so low.

SCOTT: Yes, we are extremely grateful to Energy Arkansas as well as MISO and SPP, which are air traffic controllers for our energy operations here in Little Rock and Arkansas. And we've seen minimal outages. And so, we're very grateful for that.

But we also have to brace for the continuation of more weather as relates to the known numbers that we're seeing right now. I think we've even seen some times where it may be between 10 to 13 degrees in the next few days coming up. And so, we're grateful for all the line men and line women who are out there keeping our power as safe and secure as possible so we can keep the lights on and the heat on at this very time.

But in that same instance, I want to make certain that you know here in Little Rock, we know in other places in Arkansas, that we have emergency shelter for our unhoused brothers and sisters who are seeking a safe, warm place to be fed and taken care of during these times, and we're doing that.

DEAN: Yes, you got to be inside right now for sure. What about schools for tomorrow? How are things looking for those kids out there? I know everybody anxiously awaits whether there's a snow day or not.

SCOTT: Yes. Our superintendent, Dr. Jermall Wright, has already declared snow days for Monday and Tuesday. We've closed our city facilities except for our public safety and emergency operation centers for tomorrow. And so, there'll be some snow days for the kids to play out in snow and sled.

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DEAN: Well, that is good news. And hopefully, they get to enjoy it and that everybody stays safe. I know a lot of people are working really hard to make sure that is the case. Mayor Frank Scott, Jr., thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.

SCOTT: Thank you so much.

DEAN: Good to see you. A new hour of "CNN Newsroom" starts right now.