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Connect the World
"Unadoptable" Chinese Orphan Adopted; U.S. East Coast Digs Out Of Massive Snow Storm; Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova Face in Quarterfinals of Australian Open; Mosquitos Force CDC to Issue Travel Warning for Pregnant Women To Latin America. Aired 11:00a-12:00p ET
Aired January 24, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:12] LYNDA KINKADE, HOST: It may be the end of the massive winter storm, but its impact will linger much longer. We'll get the
latest to get the latest as major crews scramble to get major U.S. cities back on their feet.
Also ahead, no longer feeling safe in France. We'll tell you why many Jews are choosing to move to another country to find a new home in Israel.
And the sweater that has sold out everywhere. How Sarah Palin's fashion statement got as much attention as her political one.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is Correct the World.
KINKADE: Hello, I'm Lynda Kinkade and welcome to Connect the World. We begin this hour a massive storm that dumped record snow from New York to
Washington. The clean-up is now underway in the hope that roads and airports will be ready for the workweek to begin on Monday.
At least 14 deaths have been blamed on the storm that buried major cities in 70 centimeters or more of snow.
It also iced over major highways in several states, leaving thousands of people stranded.
Now a travel ban imposed for all of New York City has been lifted. Our Jason Carroll has the latest from Central Park. And Jason, this travel
ban was lifted only a few hours ago. How is it looking now?
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you could tell for -- how it's looking now, It's a very good question, Lynda.
It's looking great from our perspective here in Central Park. Such a different story, though, out on the roads where people are slowly getting
into their cars and getting back to normal since that travel ban was lifted.
You know, it was put into effect yesterday at about 2:30. We spoke to a number of people last night and this morning about how effective they
thought it was. They thought it was very effective. Most of the people we talked to said that travel ban in all likelihood saved a lot of lives.
So, what's the story this morning today, here, in Central Park? Well, digging out of the snow -- we broke a record here in Central Park in terms
of amount of snow that fell out here. So everyone is taking advantage of every inch, including Mallory and her friend here. They have got their
sled, they're about to go down the slopes that you see there. There are hundreds of people who have come out to enjoy the sunlight.
So, you guys have your sled. Are you ready to go for the ride?
GIRL: Yeah.
CARROLL: Yes. And what'd you think of the storm? What did you do to ride out the storm? Did you stay at home? What did you do?
GIRL: I had a sleepover.
GIRL: I stayed at home.
CARROLL: You stayed at home, and you had a sleepover? I think that's really the way to go.
Well, you guys go have fun, get on the hill, be safe.
Because, Lynda, I don't know if you can see, but what you do is you start the top of the hill and then you just sort of go. My photographer
Ken said it was sort of like being on the Long Island Expressway during rush hour. You
just sort of line up and go and kind of hope for the best -- Lynda.
KINKADE: That was so much fun. Certainly the kids are making the most of that record snowfall.
But of course for travelers it's been a bit difficult. Thousands of flights were canceled. Do you know when the airports will reopen and begin
flights?
CARROLL: It's very good question.
And in fact, American (inaudible) saying...
KINKADE: I think we've just lost our connection there with Jason Carroll. We will -- I'll give you an update on that a little bit later.
Well now to the U.S. capitol and airport crews have been working to clear runways since well before the snow finally stopped. There has been
progress, but plenty of work remains to be done.
Chris Frates has the latest from Washington, D.C.
CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Lynda.
And you can see here in Washington, it is a bluebird day, much better than what we saw yesterday in that blizzard of a storm, which you left
about 17.5 inches at Washington Reagan International Airport.
Let me show you the live location. We're clocking about 13 inches, much, much different, a beautiful day as you can see the Capitol behind me.
But if you're trying to get around the capital region today, planes, trains, automobiles are going to be a little bit tough.
Let's start be the planes in Reagan Washington National Airport and Dulles, those are likely closed all day today. They need to remove the
snow from the runways and they figured that will take all day to do.
BWI, Baltimore, Washington International Airport between Washington and Baltimore is open. But they saw record-setting snow there, 29.2 inches
of snow. And the flights have not yet resumed in full.
So you're going to have to talk with your airlines and see when we might get back online there.
And just for perspective here. 8,500 flights were canceled on Saturday and Sunday. So that's a whole lot of people who need to get on
flights and it will be a couple days, we believe, until those things start to get going.
So you say okay, what about a train? Could I get out by train? That's also going to be tough. Amtrak is running a modified schedule from
Washington to Boston, but if you've got, if you need to go from Washington south, that's
a no-go. No trains headed that way.
And if you want to move around the city by train, well, MATA, the metro, the subway here, is closed as well.
So that leaves you with a car, still slippery around here. It's not advisable yet to get out. They have got 200 snowplows out working the
streets, 150 dump trucks, 50 loaders, all trying to move 35,000 tons of salt the city has prepared to try to get things up and running again.
But it's still early here. They're advising everybody to just stay hunkerd down, maybe take a sled out, go cross country skiing, but as for
moving around the region, it's still going to be pretty difficult, Lynda.
KINKADE: OK, Chris Fraits reporting there.
Now flooding is not what you might expect during a blizzard, but that's exactly what happened in the coastal state of New Jersey. Sanchez
spoke with our Martin Savidge from Margate City.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: there's really nowhere for THIS water to go, and so it's just going to continue rising as we get closer to
high tide. And the wind has been on and off this morning, not nearly as strong as it was yesterday. There's obviously no precipitation today, but
this water's just got nowhere to go. So, it's going to keep going into this neighborhood.
It's not expected to be as extensive as it was yesterday when we saw up to a foot, if not more, in some spots of water. But again, the real
shift here is going to be as we get closer to noon, the winds are expected to shift. A lot of these flood watches are set to expire. And then we'll
get a real look at the extent of the damage of this flooding.
Fortunately, so far, at least on this street, it has not been too bad. We spoke to a man that works at a bar here. He told us there were about
three inches inside his bar. He was able to mop it all out.
So, again, the damage not extensive, but as you can see behind me, it's
still not over and, and may see more flooding as we get to high tide, Martin.
SAVIDGE: Why is it happening again? This storm is a thousand miles off the coast. Why are we worried about this or what is triggering it again?
SANCHEZ: This is just an area that is prone to flooding. Part of it has to do with the fact that we are in a bay, at an inlet. As the storm
surge pushed all of these waves toward the coast and it came in here, like I said there is nowhere for the water to go. So, it continues to rise and
rise and rise.
Unfortunately, for a lot of these neighbors, they have gotten used to this kind of flooding. It's not nearly as bad as it's been before with a
storm like Superstorm Sandy, but it is kind after nuisance, one that they hope will be resolved by this afternoon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well live Cnn Center, this is Connect the World. Coming up, we hear why Jews from France are the leading the biggest migration from
Europe to Israel in over half a century.
Also, we'll have the latest on the American university student detained in North Korea and the allegations against him. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:10:10] KINKADE: You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World with me, Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.
Well, just a day before a new round of Syria peace talks is scheduled to begin, the Syrian government appears to have made a big gain on the
ground. State media and the UK-based monitoring group say the Syrian army and pro-Assad militia have recaptured the western town of Rabia. It's the
last major rebel-held town in Latakia Province.
Now pro-government forces are said to be closing in on rebels supply routes through Turkey.
Meanwhile U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Saudi Arabia this Sunday meeting with
America's Gulf allies ahead of those talks slated for the coming week. The Saudi regime wants President Bashar al Assad to step down and has provided
certain rebel groups with funding and weapons.
Kerry also reassured Saudi Arabia of the strong relationship between the two countries. Despite the lifting of sanctions against Riyadh's
rival, Iran.
Well, now to one of the rare success stories of the Arab Spring uprisings, but one that's struggling nonetheless. Tunisia vowed to protect
its young democracy this weekend after angry and sometimes violent protests against the government's handling of rising
unemployment.
Now, after days of unrest and a curfew, security is tight in the capital and elsewhere. The interior ministry says affected areas are now
calm.
The question is for how long? Even the country's prime minister says he understands the frustration that young people have.
Now for more, CNN's Ian Lee joins us from Cairo.
Ian, obviously, this curfew was put in place on Friday because of the violence. How long will that remain in place? And what sort of affect has
it had?
IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Lynda, as you mentioned, Tunisia was touted as a success story. They even won a Nobel Peace Prize for the labor
unions, the lawyers, the human rights organization, businesses that were able to keep it from the brink of going down the same road as neighboring
Libya into complete chaos.
But this is the worst social unrest that we've seen since the initial revolution back in 2011.
Now this curfew is for 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. It is indefinite, until calm can be restored. But we have seen looting and a lot of this anger is
around poverty, unemployment, and the lack of what they say is social justice.
KINKADE: And Ian, the prime minister and the president have both responded to the ongoing unrest. How are they going to address this
problem going forward?
LEE: Well, they have admitted that they have fallen short of the goals of the revolution. They say that there needs to be more development
and more progress. When you look at Tunisia, there are pockets, areas that are underdeveloped, where a lot of this protesting is taking place.
Kesarin (ph) is a poor agricultural area, it doesn't have the wealth and development like the coastal and northern regions.
And so, you do see a lot of this inequality, which is spurring this. And the government is
recognizing this, the prime minister made these comments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HABIB ESSID, TUNISIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): There are pressures and problems on a national and regional level. And the
government has moved on this. But what we have done is not enough and we must do more. And this is our duty, and we have no other way to calm the
tensions, especially among our young people who have waited for so long.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEE: Oh, and Lynda, you know, they got a lot to work with here. Unemployment has risen since the revolution. Again, they're talking about
this inequality for the different regions. There are still a lot of poverty. These are real serious things. There's also talks of corruption
sthat these protesters are demanding be solved.
So there is a lot on the plate for the government to deal with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: OK. Ian Lee in Cairo, Egypt, thank you very much.
Well hundreds of people have turned out for the funeral of a Palestinian girl who was killed
by an Israeli security guard. Police say the 13-year-old ran at the man with a knife at a West Bank settlement. Israel and the West Bank have seen
a spate of attacks since October, many by Palestinian teenagers. Reuters news agencies reports that at least 149 Palestinians have been killed, 95
of them assailants, while 25 Israelis and one American have also been killed.
Now despite the rise in such attacks, many European Jews now see Israel as their safest option. French Jews, in particular, are leaving in
droves.
For more Oren Liebermann joins us from Jerusalem.
And Oren, this is the largest migration of Jews from western Europe to Israel in more than half a century. Why are we seeing this?
[11:15:11] OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda part of this is because of major attacks that have made international
headlines, the attacks on the Kosher supermarket in Paris about a year ago, the attack on a synagogue in Toulouse. But it's also just a general sense
of unrest, a general feeling that French Jews say they face of anti- Semitism on the streets, and that is all feeding into this wave of immigration, not just from France, but from other
countries as well.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIEBERMANN: The ages are as varied as the backgrounds in this class. Students in their 20s or 40s, from France or Russia, all learning the same
language: Hebrew.
They are new immigrants to Israel, part of the largest wave of Jewish immigration from western Europe to Israel, since 1948.
French Jews are leading that wave.
After the attack on the kosher supermarket in Paris a year ago where four Jews were killed, just days after the Charlie Hebdo attack, many
French immigrants say they felt increasingly unsafe. Joab Crief's (ph) friend was killed in that attack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was not good, really not good, and talked to my mom. I said, I must go to Israel.
LIEBERMANN: And this is where you will continue your life?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, of course.
LIEBERMANN: This is home for you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
LIEBERMANN: Many, like Crief (ph), have made their home in Ashdod (ph(, a city
in southern Israel. Here, you are as likely to hear French on the streets as Hebrew.
The cultural center here in the heart of Ashdod (ph) right near city hall looks an awful lot like the Louvre. And across the street is Cafe
Lyons, a popular meeting spot for the French community here in the city.
Sitting here, at this French cafe in Ashdod (ph) it's quite stunning, all the conversations around me are in French. The entire menu is in
French. And on the window outside it says in French, the joie de vivre, the enjoyment of life.
And that's what French Jews like Charlie Dajan (ph) say they are looking for, a place to combine their old home with their new one.
"We've tried to per serve our culture here," he says. "It's very important to hold on to that when you've lived in a different country for
30 or 40 years, we bring our old culture with us and try to combine a new one."
Reminders of why they left continue to this day. A Jewish teacher was attacked last week in Marseilles in an ISIS-inspired attack. And the
city's chief rabbi told Jews not to the wear religious skull caps, called akipah (ph) on the French streets.
According to to the EU, the vast majority of French Jews openly identifying as Jewish, at least some of the time.
Doug Cohen (ph) left Marseilles in July, headed for Ashdod (ph).
"There's a feeling of security here that no longer exists in France," he says. "20 years ago, maybe there was. Since the year 2000, it's gone."
The idea of Israel has always been that Jews anywhere have a home here, but what of the place
these newcomers have left behind? One French leader expressed the fear that France would no longer
be France without a group of its native sons.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIEBERMANN: In terms of numbers, about 8,000 French Jews moved from France to Israel last year, that's a number that has in recent years
doubled and doubled again, it's about 2 percent of the French Jewish population -- Lynda.
KINADE: Absolutely huge numbers, Oren.
Just explain what France is doing to reassure the Jewish community that they're safe to stay in
France?
LIEBERMANN: France has beefed up security, adding security guards outside of Jewish schools and synagogues. I has worked, but only to an
extent. In talking to the french Jews here, I asked them they are attacks here as well? What's the difference? Do you feel safer here? And
unequivocally they say absolutely, yes. And it's something perhaps that they would describe as intangible. Just simply a feeling of safety on the
streets.
So, even if France is adding the security to make french Jews feel more at home in the places where they're from, it hasn't completely given
them a feeling of security there.
KINKADE: OK.
Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem, thank you very much.
Well an American student who entered North Korea is being investigated by authorities there. State media saying he was detained for committing a,
quote, hostile act, approved by the U.S. government. Paula Hancocks picks up the story from Seoul, South Korea.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS: Another U.S. citizen detained in North Korea. This time, a student on a
tourist visa who Pyongyang claims was carrying out a hostile act against the country.
State-run media KCNA says Otto Frederick Warmbier was acting to bring down the regime,
quote, :at the tacit connivance of the U.S. government."
Now the U.S. embassy here in Seoul says it is aware of the report. A China-based travel company, Young Pioneer Tours says that Warmbier had
traveled into Pyongyang with them and was detained on January 2.
The tour group says that his family has been informed and that they're working with the State Department and North Korea's foreign ministry to try
and secure his release.
Now this is not the first incident of this type earlier this month, CNN in Pyongyang was allowed to visit a Korean-American man who the north
says is being held for espionage.
And also a Korean-Canadian pastor who has been sentenced to life hard labor. The North Koreans say that he was trying to overthrow the
government through religious means.
Half a dozen U.S. citizens have been detained and then released by North Korea over just the past five years.
The U.S. State Department strongly recommends against all travel by U.S. citizens to North Korea.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:20:42] KINKADE: Live from CNN's world headquarters, this is Connect the World. Coming up, we'll meet JiaJia. He was once one of more
than 500,000 orphans in China. But now he has a new family.
First, though, things are heating up at the Australian Open. We'll have the latest from this season's first grand slam.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World with me, Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back
Well, tennis and the Australian Open is entering the business end of the competition, and we now know some of the quarterfinal lineups.
The pick of the bunch so far involves some of tennis's biggest names. Defending champion Serena Williams will take on Maria Sharapova.
For more, I'm joined by World Sport's Patrick Snell.
Patrick, this of course is one of the greatest rivalries. Serena Williams has won 21 grand slams, including last year's Australian Open
against Sharapova. Will she win another?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORREPSONDENT: She looks a good bet, doesn't she? You know, in terms of rivalry between these two players, it's fairly one-
sided in favor of Serena. I'll get do that in just a moment.
But, yeah, this is really a mouth-watering occasion of place in the semifinals up for grabs. But, Lynda, Serena Williams just looking
imperious at the moment. All this talk about potentially suspect knee. Well, that doesn't appear to be causing her any problems at all. She
warmed up for this in style. She beat the Belarussian Margarita Gasparyan, dropping just three games in the process, winning in two very
comfortable sets.
So, she did her side of the bargain.
Maria Sharapova was given a sterner workout against the Swiss teen player Belinda Bencic. She was given a really good workout, in fact, 7-5,
7-5. So she wins that one in straight sets, but she's tested to the limits.
So, these two meet again.
And when I spoke about that head-to-head rivalry, we're looking at the stats. Head-to-head, they played 20 times, but the Russian player has only
won twice. So, that is not encouraging. And that last victory came in 2004, as well. So it doesn't bode too well for Maria.
KINKADE: Well, I'm sure she's hoping it will be her year.
Now, looking at the men's. Novak Djokovic had a little bit of a scare, but he has secured a spot in the quarterfinals.
SNELL: He really did. But, you know, in a way it just shows his remarkable powers of recovery as well.
Taken to five sets against the French player Gilles Simon. And this was over four hours, 32 minutes. This at the height of the Australian
summer, of course, in Melbourne. He probably didn't to want go five sets, but he'll be relieved to be through. And credit Simon. He pushed him all
the way, a really fine, fine match.
But this is what's concerning for the Serbian world number one, Lynda, he made 100 unforced errors. So he's through, but he's got work to do.
Now in stark contract nemesis and great rival Roger Federer, breezing through himself with minimal, minimal fuss, wisely conserving energy
against the Belgian player David Goffin, winning comfortably in three sets.
So he's looking good. As I say, the wise old statesmen just saving up all that energy.
[11:25:23] KINKADE: Federer is just cruising.
And you're also looking looking at the Premier League today. Manchester United, of course, under fire.
SNELL: Big fallout. Yeah, it's been a really interesting weekend in the English Premier League. We had that nine-goal thriller, of course,
between Norwich and Liverpool.
But Manchester United and the Dutch head coach, Louis van Gaal, really intense scrutiny now on Britain's biggest club. They've won only five of
11 at home this season. Their home form, Old Trattford, in northwest England where they play their homegames, is normally a fortress for the 13-
time Premier League champions, but they lost 1-0 at home to Southampton. Southampton winning at Old Trattford, for the seventh straight season.
And this is an incredible step, you know, Lynda, for 11 straight games now in all competitions,
United roared on by that 75,000 plus home fans, they haven't scored a single goal in the first half of 11 straight games.
But what is Louis van Gaal saying about it all? Let's hear now from the Dutch head coach.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOUIS VAN GAAL, MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER: It was a poor performance, of course, because football is not only defending, but also creating
chances, and we didn't create any chance. Our opponent neither, I think, so it was a poor game for the fans. I can imagine that. I can only work
hard with my players to improve our game. And that is what I'm doing. And of course, I'm disappointed, and I can imagine that, but I have to think
and already I put to question, how we can change this because we have to change this. And that's my job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: So, he's not exactly taking the blame.
SNELL: He's not. He's under a lot of pressure, there's no question about that. This is a 64-year-old coach in the latter stages of his
career. This is not how it was meant to be for Louis van Gaal. He signed a three-year contract at Manchester United. He's only sort of one and a
half seasons into that speculation is rife.
What's probably saving him for now is that United won last weekend at the home of their
biggest rivals, Liverpool, I think one more slip-up, as we've been saying for a number of weeks now, he could well be on the brink. There's no
question about that. Who would be his successor? Well, we're not even going to go there, because he's still in the job.
But he's clinging on tenaciously. But United's style of play has been so disappointing this season, Lynda. They're famed for free-flowing
attacking football. Goals aplenty. You think of the Sir Alex Ferguson era, and it's just a far, far removed scenario from that situation. Louis
van Gaal, can he turn it around? He spent something like $380 million since he took over. He's made poor choices on that front.
So, we'll see. He's been given time for now by the club, but patience will not run forever.
KINKADE: We will see. Patrick Snell, good to have you on the set, thank you.
You're watching Connect the World. Still to come, two U.s. presidential candidates get a
big endorsement as Iowa prepares to being the process of choosing the party nominee.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
[11:34:42] KINKADE: Well, Brazil is promising to minimize the risk of mosquitos bites during this year's Olympic games as several nations
struggle to control the Zika virus. Now, the spread of Zika has led U.S. health officials to warn pregnant women against traveling to Brazil along
with 21 other countries.
The virus has been linked to a potentially fatal birth defect.
Let's bring in now Shasta Darlington. She joins us on the line from Rio de Janeiro.
Shasta, this virus, as I mentioned, has now affected 22 countries. We know women have traveled back to the U.S. and Britain have been diagnosed
with the virus.
Tell us what the symptoms are, and how does it really affect unborn babies?
DARLINGTON: Well, Lynda, you can imagine while they're issuing this warning for pregnant women traveling to Brazil, imagine the women living
here. You know, in Brazil alone, we have the virus crop up in the first half of last year. The Zika virus, not many people had heard of it, and
frankly they weren't too worried about it because the symptoms are so mild. It's carried by mosquitos, and yet it's not nearly as severe as some other
mosquito born diseases.
But a few months later, doctors here started noticing a huge surge in birth defects and specifically microcephaly. So, these babies are born
with small craniums and underdeveloped brains, which lead to serious developmental issues later in life. And in many cases, early death or
miscarriage.
So, in Brazil, since that virus was been detected a little less than a year ago, nearly had 4,000 babies have been born with microcephaly. And
just to give you a point of comparison, in a normal year around 140 or 150 babies are born with microcephaly in Brazil.
So this is, of course, a cause of concern for visitors coming to these countries, but for the people living in them, it's causing outright panic
in some areas where the Zika virus is most prevalent.
You know, they're still trying to establish a real cause and effect relationship. They have not established that. What they have found is
that these babies with microcephaly were born after the mothers had Zika during pregnancy. So they're still establishing what kind
of relationship there is.
Nonetheless, you have doctors here in Brazil and then other countries throughout Latin America, telling pregnant women, if you can put off
getting pregnant, do so. So, you could imagine the kind of situation this is setting up here and the kind of panic, Lynda.
KINKADE: And Shasta, just quickly, what are authorities in Brazil doing with regards to the Olympics just ahead?
DARLINGTON: Well, basically in response, more in response to all of these concerns, they've come out with this sort of set of guidelines. The
Olympics will actually take place in the winters months, which tend to be cooler, there are fewer mosquitos, but they say what they're going to do is
starting four months out, before the Olympics even kick off, they are going to be visiting all of the Olympic locations in Rio de Janeiro, making sure
there's no standing water, treating any water to kill can the larva. Fumigating will only a last resource. They're hoping not to have to do
that.
And to be fair, up until now, Rio is not one of the main focal points of Zika in Brazil. It's really a much bigger problem in the northeast,
ironically because it has had a problem with drought. And so when you don't have enough rain water, people stockpile water. So, in that
stockpiled water, you get mosquitos breeding. And that's been the big problem.
There have been cases in the state of Rio de Janeiro and end in the city of Rio de janeiro, but really fairly small compared to what we're
looking at on a grand scale throughout the rest of teh country here in Brazil, Lynda.
Yeah, major concern there. Shasta Darlington, thank you very much.
Well, a former mayor of New York is threatening to shake up the race for the White House. Sources close to Michael Bloomberg tell CNN the media
mogul is considering an independent presidential run.
He's expected to make a decision in March. The New York Times reports that Bloomberg is willing to spend at least $1 billion of his own fortune
to fund a campaign.
Sources say the increasingly polarized race has spurred his decision to enter.
The major Iowa newspaper is giving its endorsement of two presidential candidates a little more than a week before a critical vote. The Des
Moines Register picked Hillary Clinton, the Democratic side, and Marco Rubio from the Republican field.
Caucus goers in the state will vote February 1 to begin the process of selecting each party's nominee. Our Jeff Zeleny explains the impact of
those endorsements.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Both Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio on their respective sides are the choice of the establishment. But this is
a non-establishment election cycle. So, that's why endorsements have to be viewed in that lens.
If you look at both of the endorsements, Hillary Clinton is exactly the argument she's making. She's the establishment candidate. She's the
experienced candidate. She knows exactly how to do the job.
And Marco Rubio is the future face of this Republican Party. He represents a different brand of Republican. But the question is, are voters
going to be in the mood for this type of establishment plays on both sides? But without question, everyone usually wants an endorsement but they have
limited value. And in this cycle, I think they probably have even less value than in previous cycles.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Jeff Zeleny reporting there. And the Des Moines Register interviewed
every major candidate on both sides with the exception of Republican candidates Donald Trump
and Ted Cruz who declined the invitation.
And speaking of Trump, the Republican frontrunner is making a bold claim about his campaign. He says his supporters would stay loyal even if
he shot someone in a crowded street.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[11:40:13] DONALD TRUMP, 2016 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My people are so smart. And you know what, and you know what else they say
about my people, the polls, I have the most loyal people. Did you ever see that? Where I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody
and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK? It's like incredible.
No, they say, Trump -- we love you too, man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: One week before Iowa casts ballots in the nation's first caucus, the Democratic
candidates will go face to face with voters there. CNN's Chris Cuomo moderates the Democratic presidential town hall with Martin O'Malley,
Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders. That's Tuesday, 2:00 a.m. London or 3:00 a.m. Central European Time.
Live from the CNN Center, this is Connect the World. Coming up, you may recognize JiaJia. He was featured in a report last year about orphans
in China. But we'll have an update for you now on his life right ahead just after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: You're watching CNN, this is Connect the World. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.
A 9-year-old Chinese boy with spina bifida was considered by some to be unadoptable. Well, now he's starting a new life in the United States.
A Kansas City family has raised enough money to adopt JiaJia after a CNN report led to a flood of donations.
Will Fipley follows the family on its emotional journey.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Wilsons have been waiting almost a year to make the 6,600-mile journey from Kansas City to
Beijing. The boy they are about to meet has been waiting his whole life.
We first met JiaJia last summer, the oldest orphan in a Chinese foster home for kids with disabilities.
(on camera): You've lived here all your life, right?
JIAJIA, BOY LIVING IN ORPHAN: Yeah.
RIPLEY: A long time. Nine years.
(voice-over): Another family broke their promise to adopt him.
(CRYING)
(on camera): It's OK.
RIPLEY (voice-over): JiaJia, desperate for parents of his own.
BRIAN WILSON, ADOPTIVE FATHER OF JIAJIA: He's a rock star.
RIPLEY: Brian and Jeri Wilson have been trying for months to adopt him, but they needed $36,000, money they didn't have.
BRIAN WILSON: Right after the story aired, about 8:00 that night, we met our goal.
RIPLEY: Donations came in from all over the world. The Wilsons raised almost $50,000 in a matter of hours. Five more months of paperwork, and
today they finally meet their son.
JERI WILSON, ADOPTIVE MOTHER OF JIAJIA: As soon as he looked at us, he smiled.
RIPLEY: Within minutes, crucial bonding begins.
(LAUGHTER)
JiaJia's three older sisters back in Missouri busy preparing his new room.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: We can't wait for him to get here.
RIPLEY: The Wilsons, both 50, say their Christian faith led them to make this life-changing choice.
JERI WILSON: It's like he's already been a part of our family forever.
RIPLEY: Before they can take him home, they must travel to JiaJia's hometown in central China, continuing the tedious process of finalizing the
adoption.
The identity of JiaJia's birth parents unknown.
(on camera): It's heartbreaking to imagine what his biological parents must have been going through. JiaJia was only 3 months old and he
desperately needed life-saving surgery that his parents most likely couldn't afford. So they left him here at this fertility clinic.
(voice-over): A place where people go who want children.
Jeri believes JiaJia's mother did not abandon him, she saved him.
[11:45:47] JERI WILSON: I pray for her and I thank God for her. And I want him to know that she loved him.
RIPLEY: Hundreds of thousands of Chinese kids with disabilities end up in orphanages, and many become permanent wards of the state, their lives
spent in institutions, hidden from the prying stares of strangers.
For JiaJia, time was running out. In China, the law says kids can no longer be adopted once they turn 14.
His future in America, about to unfold.
(SHOUTING)
RIPLEY: Already, he's learning more English.
BRIAN WILSON: 52.
RIPLEY: Learning what it feels like to be spoiled.
JERI WILSON: A lot of spoiling.
BRIAN WILSON: Yeah.
RIPLEY: But first, JiaJia leaves the only family he's ever known.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: JiaJia!
RIPLEY: To the other orphans, he was like a big brother.
(SINGING)
RIPLEY: To the volunteers who raised him, like a son. Many will never see him again.
BRIAN WILSON: We know he loves you guys. And he's going to miss you.
RIPLEY: It's time to say goodbye. These are happy tears.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: JiaJia! JiaJia!
RIPLEY: It doesn't make this any easier.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bye-bye.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Bye-bye, JiaJia!
RIPLEY: Soon, JiaJia begins his new life in Kansas City with a new American name, Jason JiaJia Wilson.
As the other orphans wait and hope that some day their parents will come and take them home.
Will Ripley, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: So after almost a decade in the orphanage, JiaJia finally has parents.
Now, our CNN correspondent Will Ripley and producer Serena Deng (ph) have the back story on what it was like covering the long road of adoption
for JiaJia and the Wilson family.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: We have been working on this story for five months. And it was really hard for you
to find a place, an orphanage, that would allow us to even film.
SERENA DONG, CNN PRODUCER: So, most of them were saying, sorry, it's kind of like sensitive topic in China.
Finally, I reached out to the Elena's House.
RIPLEY: I don't know what you were expecting, but I was kind of expecting this drab, dismal
place, and then it was lovely in there. Hardwood floors. It was bright and kids were playing.
But, it didn't make up for the fact that all of these kids didn't have parents. There were a lot of kids when we were filming, but JiaJia really
stuck out to me.
He was the oldest one at the orphanage, but he just was acting as if he was a big brother for everybody.
DONG: He's smart. He's brave. You know, he helps taking care of his little sisters and brothers in the orphanage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lots of people will see you.
DONG: When his parents came to get him, he was telling me that I don't want, you know -- my best buddy to be here, because I don't want him
to go through what I've been through before.
RIPLEY: I got to the know the Wilson family a lot through Facebook, And I admire them so much that they, as really working class people who
don't have a lot of money, would be will be to kind of risk it all and come and do this.
DONG: That's why I wish our piece could, you know, get more people like touched and get involved.
RIPLEY: When we did the story and they raised almost $50,000 in about a day, I -- I didn't expect that kind of a reaction.
DONG: I know. I was shocked as well.
RIPLEY: It was great. And I just think about the life that JiaJia is going to have now.
UNIDENFIFIED FEMALE: Yeah. They're looking at your shirt.
DONG: And also with all his three big sisters in Kansas City, I'm sure they're going to have fun while JiaJia is there.
RIPLEY: I think he's just going to be embraced and loved by everybody in his town.
DONG: Exactly.
RIPLEY: I'm so happy that JiaJia found a family, but I'm haunted by the fact that there are so many other kids like him out there. There are
hundreds of thousands of orphans here in China, and these kids need homes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: It's a great story. And fantastic work by our reporter Will Ripley and producer Serena Dong.
And to read more about JiaJia and the children he calls his little brothers and sisters still at
the orphanage, you can head to our website, CNN.com. This is Hai Kong (ph), he was born in southern China without the closure of the external ear
canal. He uses hearing aids and has been living at Elena's Home since 2014.
And this is Kei Wan (ph). He is unable to hear. His caregivers say that although he is shy he opens up after a bit of time.
Now these are just a few of China's orphans. According to Chinese authorities, the country has more than half a million orphans. Child
welfare groups estimate the number could be higher.
Well live from CNN Center, this is Connect the World. Coming up, last week you may have seen Sarah Palin endorse Donald Trump. So, what exactly
what she wearing? We'll look at her sparkly outfit, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Washington may have been hampered by a winter storm, but one resident had a lot of fun. Check out giant panda TianTian (ph). The
Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington posted this adorable video of him rolling around in the snow.
The zoo tweeted that TianTian walked up to the snow and was pretty excited about it.
You're watching CNN, this is Connect the World, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.
Former U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was in the news this past week for endorsing Donald Trump. But some people were paying
much more attention to what she was wearing than what she was saying.
CNN's Jeanne Moos takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sarah Palin didn't just appear. She razzle-dazzled.
SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No more pussyfooting around.
MOOS: There is definitely no pussyfooting around that bolero sweater jacket by Milly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is she wearing? And it looks like she killed a disco porcupine. What the hell is going on there?
MOOS: Go ahead and laugh, but that disco porcupine sells for $695 and is now sold out everywhere we looked.
We call it the endorsement sweater but it hasn't exactly been endorsed --
PHILIP BLOCH, CELEBRITY STYLIST: What was she thinking?
MOOS: ...by the fashion police.
BLOCH: A little tassels. I could have seen Ginger wearing that on Gilligan's Island before I see Sarah Palin wearing it at a campaign rally.
"The Washington Post" suggested it was intentionally inappropriate for a political event. Did you notice Sarah Palin's sweater? Good, you were
supposed to.
BLOCH: I am here to sparkle and shine.
MOOS: But what do you call those shimmering shining things?
Descriptions range from a "spangle-laden shrug" to "glistening stalactites".
"Is that chain mail on Sarah Palin?"
But a defender wrote, "The sweater is delightful, more power to her."
She wore the same woven silk sweater a couple of months ago for a network TV interview.
PALIN: Absolutely.
MOOS: Palin started shimmering long ago. Check out her gown the time she came in third for Miss Alaska when she was 20.
Some may say, "Seems sexist to me, we never discuss men's suits". But we did pick on Marco Rubio's high heeled booties.
Last year, Sarah wore what seemed to be her daughter's Bristol dress to SNL's 40th anniversary, joking prophetically --
PALIN: What if I were to choose Donald Trump as my running mate?
TINA FEY, COMEDIAN: And I can see Russia from my house.
MOOS: And I can see the "SNL" folks desperately trying to track down one of these sold out sweaters for Tina Fey.
PALIN: You betcha.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:55:07] KINKADE: And apparently the Saturday Night Live folks did find the sweater, because Tina Fey was back on the show last night and wore
it.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FEY: I'm here because we Americans are struggling. So many of us have lost our jobs at the factory or our reality shows about Alaska, and
we've seen our own children targeted by the police for no reason other than they committed some crimes.
We turn on the news every morning and are shocked to see we're not even on it, because we've been replaced by immigrants like Geraldo Rivera.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's fun. She just says whatever she wants. It's like her mouth starts driving before her brain gets in the car.
(END VIDOE CLIP)
KINKADE: And that was Tina Fey back at her old stomping grounds on Saturday Night Live.
And you can, of course, follow our stories the team is working on throughout the day by going to our Facebook page. That's
Facebook.com/CNNConnect. And you can get in touch with me and tweet me at Lynda Kinkade.
Well, before we leave you, whiteout the White House and the city of Washington are blanketed in snow.
The blizzard dumped more than 70 centimeters in parts of the U.S. capital. In tonight's Parting Shots we have a timelapse of the White House
and Capitol Hill from clear skies to a sea of white.
(MUSIC)
KINKADE: I'm Lynda Kinkade, and that was Connect the World. Thanks for watching.
END
