Transcripts For CNNW CNN Newsroom Live 20190202

Newsroom starts right now. And we begin with breaking news that russia is suspending its inf missile treaty. This comes one day after the u. S. Says it would withdrawal from the agreement unless russia complied within 180 days. The russian president Vladimir Putin said this, quote, we have a tit for tat response, American Partners have announced they are suspending their participation in the treaty, so we are suspending ours as well. They announced they are engaged in research and Technological Development work and we will do the same. We get more now. Reporter the United States announcing today it is suspending one of the last Nuclear Arms Treaties between the u. S. And russia. We provided russia an ample time to mend its ways and for russia to honor its commitment. Tomorrow that time runs out. Reporter the intermediate range Nuclear Forces treaty or inf was signed by president reagan and Mikhail Gorbechev in 1987. For the past years, the u. S. Accused russia of violating the treaty and deploying nuclearrange missiles. We cant be put at the disadvantage of going by a treaty, limiting what we do when somebody else doesnt go by that treaty. Okay . Reporter the Trump Administration says trump replaced ba talions of missiles near the border of europe, not aloud by the terms. The missile is 9 m 729. Russia showed it off to journalists and claims it does abide by the inf. Russia had implemented and continues to meticulously implement the requirements of the treaty, this russian general said and does not allow for any violations to happen. The goal of the treaty was to prevent the two side from developing landbased medium range nuclear weapons. Nato, whose members are most threatened by the moves expressed full support of the u. S. Pulling out, while some experts, including general colon powell told on the state of the union it is the wrong thing to do. There are a lot of people saying we got to get out of this treaty, that treaty, bad, terrible mistakes, which we will regret. They dont make sense. Reporter todays move could spark an arms race by china it has grown exponentially more powerful. China is developing these capabilities, you got the north koreans and the russians have not only been developing these intermediate range missiles, but super sonic and more Strategic Missiles as well. So we are already in a bit of an arms race now. Interesting, u. S. Official versus indicated russia has wanted to dissolve that treaty for some time. So really kind of playing the fence some would say, saying that you know the United States is backing out certainly zrupth International Order but at the same time Officials Say this is something they may have wanted. So it is a story that well have to continue to watch. Well continue to get analysis on whats going on with it. Here in the United States, there are calls for the governor of virginia, Ralph Northum to resign after a racist yearbook photo came to light. You see one in black face, one dressed as a clansman. He admits he is one of them. He hasnt said which one. Now the democratic caucuses in both house of Virginia Legislature are among those demanding he resign. In a statement the democratic said quote, after seeing the yearbook pictures that surfaced today, we were shocked, saddened and offend. Virginia has a controversial history and past. Black face was used to ridicule African Americans and the klan was a source of terror and interim days ago. We are beyond disappointed. We are on the first day of black History Month in the u. S. Nartham has criticized. Reporter Ralph Northam has calls for him to step down after this 1984 yearbook page that shows a person in a black face and another in a klansman hood. Northam confirmed he was one of the people in the picture, declined to say which. He apologized and vowed to show virginians he had changed and would do so for the reneighborhooder of the term. That photo and the racist and offensive attitudes it represents does not reflect that person i am today or the way that i have conducted myself as a soldier, a doctor, and a public servant. I am deeply sorry. I cannot change the decisions i made, nor can i undo the harm my behavior caused then and today. The no to is from 1984 when northam was 25 years old at the time from the eastern virginia medical school. Under the no to it lists Virginia Military institute, his interests preddiate tricks and quote saying there are more old drunks and doctors in this world so i think ill have another beer. His yearbook from the Virginia Military institute in 1981 revealed that he had two nicknames, goose and koonman. The reaction from Many Political corners has been fast and furious. It was first reported by big league politi politic followed virginia caucus following his resignation. Many powerful allies are calling for him to step down, naacp says the black face in always racist and never okay. No matter the party affiliation, we cannot stand for that behavior. Pro choice america vocal in support of virginia democrats early in the week during the abortion controversy now saying that hes got to go, along with planned parenthood and the mayor of richmond, virginia. Several democratic president ial candidates as well. This from senator Kamela Harris saying leaders are called to a higher standard and the state of racism should have no place in the halls of government. This from the Richmond Times dispatch editorial. Quote, he is by all accounts a decent and considerate man. And yet, his poor judgment has undermined his standing with virginians. Holding off, however, virginias two powerful senators, mark warner and tim kaine calling for northam to reflect on how to move forward, giving it more time. The big question, of course, will northam heed these calls if this chorus grows louder over the next 24 hours . Will he survive . Sus susan malvo, cnn, walk. The virginia legislative black caucus in a statement they said this, we just finished meeting with the governor. We fully appreciate all that he has contributed to our commonwealth. But given what was revealed today, it is clear he can no longer effectively serve as governor. It is time for him to resign so that virginia can begin the process of healing. And the former Virginia Governor Terry Mcauliffe governor when northam was lt. Gov. Tweeted this, he has put himself and the commonwealth of virginia in his untenable. It is time for ralph to step down and the commonwealth to move forward. Stay with cnn. We will continue with the developments and any more responses. We are following the developments around President Donald Trump and the border wall he wants. He is sending a strong signal, he will declare a National Emergency to get his border wall, he is hinting he may do it around the state of the Union Address. That is despite word of caution from some republicans, including Senate Majority leader mitch mcconnell. Reporter President Trump venting his frustrations as democrats stonewall his border wall. Trump once again dangling the process he will go around kongs and build it anyway, even if a Bipartisan Group dont fun it. We will be looking at a National Emergency. I dont think anything will happen. I think the democrats dont want Border Security. Reporter teasing a potential announcement during the state of the Union Address next week. Now you expect to declare a national i dont want to say. Youll hear the state of the union and then you will see what happens right after the state of the union. Okay. Reporter as Democratic Candidates jump into the 2020 race to defeat him, trump is accusing the party of playing politics. Theyre only doing it for one simple reason, it couldnt be simpler, because they think its good politics for 2020. Because they say, maybe we can beat trump because there is a big issue. Reporter trump also slamming House Speaker Nancy Pelosis criticism of the administrations decision to suspend an arms deal they claim russia has been violating for years. Honestly, i dont think she has a clue. I really dont. I dont think nancy has a clue. Reporter secretary of state mike pompeo announcing the suspension today. Russia has jeopardized the United States security interest and we can no longer be restricted by the treaty while russia shamelessly violates it. Reporter though trump, keeping the door opened for negotiations on a new pact with putin. I hope that were able to get everybody in a very big and beautiful room and do a new treaty that would be much better. Because certainly i would like to see that. Reporter all this after the president sat down with the New York Times for a wide ranging interview, where he downplayed any potential risk in special counsel Robert Muellers probe, claiming, he got private assurances from Deputy Attorney general rod rosenstein. He told attorneys im not a subject, a target of, yeah, oh, yeah. Narc narc. Reporter the president saying he advised roger stone about wikileaks. Did you ever talk to him . No. Reporter you never had a conversation with him . No. Reporter contradicting his attorney rudy guiliani, trump telling the New York Times he was wrong, rudy has been wroong little bit. President trump who normally denounces the media as being fake news is also citing cnns exclusive reporting three phone calls his son don donald trump, jr. Made after the 2016 tower meetings with russians promising dirt on Hillary Clinton were not made to him. Trump tweeting, the big deal, a very miss tur yes, sir don, jr. Tell le phone calls the media said were made to his father, me, were conclusively found not to be made to me. They were made to friends and Business Associates of don. Really sad. White house officials wont say much in detail about what President Trump might say on his state of the Union Address next week. But they have said hes going to call on law makers to break decades of stalemate on various issues. He will also strike an optimistic tone and as for that announcement the president seemed to tease on the government shutdown, the official said he is going to offer a way forward. But what seems clear is that the way forward is unlikely to be through that Bipartisan Group of negotiators, who have been working for weeks to end the stalemate. Abby philips, cnn the white house. In an interview that airs sunday on cbs, President Trump doubled down on his justification to shut down the government over the wall. And he had more sharp words for the House Speaker nancy pelosi. Listen. You had quite the showdown with speaker pelosi. What did you learn about negotiating with her . Well, i think that she was very rigid, which i would expect, but i think shes very bad for our country. She knows that you need a barrier. She knows we need Border Security. She wanted to win a political point. I happen to think its very bad politics. Basically, she wants open borders. She doesnt mind Human Trafficking or she wouldnt do this. She offered over a billion dollars for Border Security . She doesnt want the wall . Shes costing the country hundreds of billions of dollars because whats happening is when you have a porous border and when you have drugs pouring in and when have you people dying all over the country because of people like nancy pelosi who dont want to give proper Border Security for political reasons, shes doing a terrible disservice to our country. Lets talk about that story with richard johnson, a lecturer in u. S. Politics and International Relations at lancaster university. He joins us now from devon, england. Thank you for joining us. Always good to see you. Thank you very much. First question for you, President Trumps resolve on the wall, it is steadfast. He says hell get it built by emergency degree and the impasse of democrats wont be resolved by negotiating with democrats. Hes a selfdescribed deal maker. Where is his deal maker on this . I think its possibly a narrow path on some sort of border fencing. Thats the only thing that democrats are willing to talk about something normandy fencing, a particular type of structure. Trump would then call it a wall. But i think it seems that the increasingly likely path the president will take is to declare a National Emergency to embark on this on his own behalf. I think actually from a political standpoint its a bit of a winwin for him, in terms of how his base will interpret this. They will be happy he will take action. Even if the courts strike it down, a lot of people said it could be a real possibility, then hes able to blame the courts rather than take responsible for himself for the failure to get the deal through. It is sounding more and more like that is an option he may take, just go around the democrats and get it done. Well have to wait and see on that interesting tidbit, though, on the wall i want to talk to you 00 it was the idea of the selfdescribed dirty trickster georgeer stone we know has been indicted, a former trump adviser. We know it was an analysis of the illegal immigration. Candidate trump played it. He stuck with the roger stone wall for political purposes. So thats kind of an interesting side note on this, now hes properly boxed in on the wall since it was such a big part of his campaign. So that how you see it . I think the politics of it are very important. Its become a titanic issue in a republican party. Were talking Something Like nine in ten republicans believe that significant border wall needs to be built and you know the constant mantra i have throughout the Trump Presidency this is a president focused on his base. He sees it as a way of staying in office, of protecting himself from Congressional Republicans who might otherwise team up with democrats against him on the investigations that are with him. I think he feels as long as he can secure say nine in ten Republican Voters at the next president ial election, thats a reasonable path for him to be reelected. So i think its right to say that this isnt particularly about an analysis of whats the most effective way of keeping people in or out of the country, but it speaks to an issue which is very important to Republican Voters whom at the end of the day, i think he is most interested in. Well, lets talk about whats next, the election in 2020. A new person wants to face off with President Trump. Senator corey booker is the latest among a growing field of candidates. Lets listen to booker and then what President Trump had to say about mr. Booker getting in the race. Im proud of not only who i am and my conviction, but this is a time where too many people i think are trying to pit people against each other. Where the democratic party, i dont want it to be defined what we are against, but what we are for. If you are tired of that bitterness, trash talking, the trolling the politics that is just a race to the bottom in our country, then dont support me. Because im not in this race to tear people down. Im in this race to try to build our nation up. I want to ask you about 2020, quickly. Okay. Senator corey booker announced today that hes also running, there are a lot of democrats on the field. Hes got no chance. No chance, why . Because i know him. I dont think he has a chance. Who has a chance . So far i isnt seen anybody, im not impressed with their group. Hes not impressed. What is the note the lineup so far, two blacks in the race, five women and a hispanic candidate. So what do you think of bookers opening message to keep it positive . Still the most diverse lineup ever . This is a very consistent page from corey booker. Ive spent some time researching corey booker. I wrote a chapter in my ph. D. On booker. I spent time in newark, new jersey interviewing people who have known car corey booker, that message of unity is a message hes had throughout his life in state wide politics. Hes faced in the past opponents who have actually had very negative and divisive campaigns against him. Hes not always been successful in it the first time he went for mayor in 2002. He had a very hostile opponent and the opponent was successive. This unity message is not always the winning message. I think that, though, the next democratic nominee the africanamerican vote will be vushl as we saw if 2016 and in 2008. The candidate who secures support from the majority of the africanamerican democratic primary electorate wins the nomination. Thats because in some states, africanamerican voters are a majority. And so i think that obviously Kamela Harris and corey booker probably are the most likely to try and make appeals to that electorate. I dont think any candidate can afford to ignore this very significant democratic electorate. We always appreciate your insights. Richard johnson for us. Thank you, richard. Thank you. We are following the situation in venezuela, the protests amount for the president to step aside. Nicholas maduro remains firm. We will hear more on his efforts to claim power. An emergency due to an arctic blast and this weekends erratic temperatures could make it worse. Well have the forecast for you next. Ok, heres the deal. Green book is now nominated for five academy awards. Including. [ cheering ] its also the winner of. Youre unbelievable. Oh, that was a good time. Im all in. When i believe in something, so if im gonna be blonde, its got to be great. Superior preference from loreal. Translucent, liquid gel formula. Luminous, fade defying color that lasts. With incredible dimension. Preference from loreal paris. Stunning new video from that deadly dam in brazil, its hard to look at when you see this, how just huge this was. Yeah. Take a look. This is the very moment that that dam failed. You are seeing it. The destructive wave of mining waste and mud that buried houses, cars and many people. Yeah, at least 115 people are confirmed dead from this more than 240 are still missing and there is growing public anythingner brazil at the company that owns that mine. Following the situation in venezuela, in just a few hours time protesters around the world are set to hit the streets to march against the president nicholas maduro. They are a part of the latest effort to drive him out of power out of office. Reporter as cnn Nick Peyton Walsh reports from the region, mr. Maduro continues to reject all calls for him to step allied. Reporter our beleaguered president maduro, an appearance the third time in a week alongside military commanders, a bit to shore up i think or at least show vis ply the support he says he still has from the military elite. He also presented a list of smaller countries, laos, benef. It will be seen on the streets where hundreds of thousands of civilians hit the streets. We heard from mike pence saying it is time for venezuela to be freed of the grip of cuba. It is close to that of nicholas maduro. But all eyes are on exactly what juan guaido, the interim president , self declared Opposition Leader what he can practically do in order to try and show he has some kind of control over the levers of government. He said he is in talk with the military. We havent seen the military crumble in support of the maduro government. He has in fact this day said he wanted to see some sort of humanitarian aid coming into the country to appeal to the military to assist that. The key test is whether the demonstrations pass peacefully. I suspect they probably will. We heard also from the Supreme Court of venezuela, two of those judges tweeting they believe some of the restriction against juan guaido, freezing his bank accounts, giving him a travel ban, they are against those. Not sure what legal force that necessarily has. So far, a relatively moderate and restrained reaction from the maduro government. Well have to see if that is sustained through the protest and whether that move is vial in terms of who supports the maduro government going forward. Nick peyton walsh, cnn, bogetaw. Now to tell you this deadly cold weather thats gripped the u. S. Is moderating. Now, two poi powerful storms are taking place on the west coast. Karen mcginnis is here. I was in minnesota, north minnesota, it was so brutal. Those readings will be quite mild for the month of fevl. But for the west coast, it is a whole different story. Weve got two backtoback systems. This first one is going to urker in that rainfall. Heavy rainfall, right around the San Francisco bay area. It is going to strengthen and move further south and produce heavy rainfall in southern california. Lets see where that rainfall is located right now, San Francisco, are you in and out of the rain, but its going to be fairly ms. Rabble, southern california, we heard about all of the fires this past fire season and in venture ra and Santa Barbara counties where those burn areas are located. It is the potential for mud and landslides there. All right, so maybe are you a skier, you are thinking, wow, are we going to get a lot of snow . Yes, you will. This is a storm system moving out of the gulf of alaska. And thats going to lower the temperatures. So much more mounting snowfall. How much more . It looks like lake tahoe could expect as much as ten feet of snow or over 3 meters for international viewers. All right. This is a high res forecast radar. They can see where that white starts to show up. Thats where that snowfall is really going to materialize, lots of mounting snowfall, already down freeze the mudslides, the landslide, a heavy surf advisory. We could see that localized flooding, natalie, george. This really is not necessarily a unique pattern. We havent seen anything quite ferocious as these next two storms. We have been seeing a lot of that lately, havent we . All right. Thank you. Roger stone, well, he lovers the camera. But a federal judge says its time to stop talking or else. Well have that coming up. Plus a republican who might challenge the u. S. President in 2020. Who actually thought it would be the governor of maryland . Im a veteran and the army taught me a lot about commitment. Which i apply to my life and my work. At comcast were commited to delivering the best experience possible, by being on time everytime. And if we are ever late, well give you a automatic twenty dollar credit. My name is antonio and im a technician at comcast. Were working to make things simple, easy and awesome. From wherever you are watching here in the United States or all around the world, thank you for being with us, from cnn newsroom, im george howell. Im natalie allen. Fears are growing now of a new arms race as russian president Vladimir Putin announces that moscow is suspending its participation in the inf Nuclear Missile treaty. This comes one day after the United States said it would withdraw from the agreement unless russia complies with the treaty within 180 days. In just a few hours around the world, people are planning to join the venezuelans protesting against the president there, nicholas maduro. They are the latest rallies in support of the Opposition Leader juan guaido, who declared himself president with the support of most western nations. He rejected an offer to negotiate with mr. Maduro. Calls for Virginia Governor Ralph Northam grow louder after a racist yearbook of him surfaced. The picture in 1984 shows people dressed in a black face and the Klu Klux Klan robe. Northam did not specify which person he was in this photo. The u. S. President is sending strong signals. He will declare a National Emergency in order to get his border wall. In the oval office on friday, he thesed the announcement could come during next weeks state of the Union Address saying, quote, you will find it very interesting. Russia announcing it will no longer be a part of the inf Nuclear Missile treaty. List provide in Orrin Lieberman following this in moscow. What more are you hearing from russia . Reporter george the announcement came just a short while agoose, readout from russian president Vladimir Putin, who had a morning meeting with his defense minister and foreign minister. He promised a tit for tat right back at the United States after the United States announcement from yesterday. He says russia will be withdrawing from the int treaty as well in response to the United States decision. He also said i think were having audio issues with orrin. Well continue to reach out to him to bring you more information. Again, we understand russia has indicated it will no longer take part in the inf treaty. The United States indicated first it will be backing out of this agreement. We spoke with experts who say that russia has been indicating that it wanted to back out of this for some time now with concerns about china. So saying on the one hand they are upset the United States is backing out. At the same time this is something u. S. Officials say russia has wanted to do for some time. Lets bring back in Orrin Lieberman, orrin following the story for us in moscow. You are saying the latest readout came a short time ago report. Correct. George, it was a readout from the meeting between president Vladimir Putin and his defense minister and foreign minister. They said first we are withdrawing from this as a tit for tat response from the u. S. Yesterday and following it up saying there should be no arms race and there will be no arms race f. That same statement, russia announced it was further developing what is known as a caliber missile. A sea based Hypersonic Missile does not or would not have violated the terms of the inf treaty. He said he is further developing towards a ground based version of that same missile, which would be a blatant violation of that treaty. The treaty is in tatters. The u. S. Has been looking to withdraw from this. Even though the accusations are right saying show us the everyday russia violated the treaty and second there were allegations it was in fact the u. S. That violated the treaty in terms of its drones and systems. The russians say the u. S. Has deployed in europe. Russia is saying it is u. S. Treaty and tit for tat right back saying we will violate, in terms of we will develop these missiles that would have been in violation of a treaty no you in tatters at this point. It seems like this came down to all or nothing, all sides comply with it or nothing at all. The question is, does this lead to an arms war . Beyond that, we heard that russia is opened to the concept of renegotiating, of considering a new option, are you hearing anything on that end . Reporter well the statement here didnt address what options there are available for the cell len or what options there are available in terms of u. S. Russia diplomacy for a treat think thats now no more. Russia made it clear with the treaty no longer in tact, with the treaty gone at this point, russia will develop missiles that are no longer in compliance with the treaty thats no longer at this point in existence here. Orrin lieberman, following the details for us live in mistak moscow. Thank you very much. Well be right back. Stay with us. Wed love some help with laundry. Heres how you do it. Spray and scrub anything with a stain. Soak your nasty jersey. It stinks wash the really dirty clothes separately. Remember hard work builds character new tide pods with upgraded 4in1 technology unleash a foolproof clean in one step. Aww, you did the laundry but you didnt fold it. Oh, that wasnt in the note. Should have sent a text. 1 stain and odor fighter, 1 trusted. Its got to be tide. You should be mad they gave this guy a promotion. You should be mad at forced camaraderie. And you should be mad at tech that makes things worse. But youre not mad, because you have e trade, whos tech makes life easier by automatically adding technical patterns on charts and helping you understand what they mean. Dont get mad. Get e trades simplified technical analysis. Unstopand its strengthenedting place, the by xfi pods,gateway. Which plug in to extend the wifi even farther, past anything that stands in its way. Well almost anything. Leave no room behind with xfi pods. Simple. Easy. Awesome. Click or visit a retail store today. The field of democrats seeking the presidency of 2020 is growing larger by the day. It will be interesting to see who catches fire in the primary. But would a republican challenge the president . There is a topic that seems taboo. There may be one possible exception. Jessica dean explains who he is and why he might do the unthinkable. Lets keep changing maryland for the better and continue setting an example for washington. Reporter fresh off his 2018 reelection victory in deep blue maryland, republican governor larry hogan has some of the party wonder figure he should challenge President Trump in 2020. Im flattered that people are saying that and including me in those discussions. My plan right now is to stay here for four years and do the best job i can in maryland. Ive said you never say never. Who know what is will happen. Reporter you are listening . Im listening. Reporter and are you thinking about it . I would say im listening, i would sigh i havent closed the door. My thoughts about donald trump was clear. I believe i whereas the first republican in the nation to say i wouldnt support trump. Im not protesting every issue. I stand up and certainly let someone know that is going on i dont think is right. Im surprised there havent been tweets yet, but im glad. Reporter opposing a sitting president if his own party is something hogan shares in common with his beloved late father representative lawrence hogan, sr. It isnt easy for me to align myself against the president. Reporter the first republican on the House Judiciary Committee to call for president Richard Nixons impeachment. Especially i want to thank my dad. Reporter hogan, jr. , credits his success working with the Democratic Legislature to a bipartisan approach, signing new gun control measuressh pushing low Health Insurance rates and addressing climate change. Its not easy. Its not easy to overcome differences and partisanship, but you can. And its what people Rhode Island Hospital just into his first term, doctors diagnosed him with an aggressive form of cancer. He continued to work and ultimately beat it. Formal rival jeb bush replaced him. Jeb is at the top of a list of leaders, whats happening here in annapolis is the antithesis of whats happening in washington, d. C. These days. Reporter if he challenges the president , its a long shot, trumps approval stand at 81 among republicans, he has raised 131 million for his reelection bid and the Republican National committee recently committed its undivided support to the president. As who began to keeps an eye on trumps numbers. I think the latest approval of the president is in the 30s. So you cant win a National Election being in the 30s. Reporter his eyes remain wide opened about the odds and the possibility. I wouldnt be on some fools erapid to run some suicide mission. I would only run it if i thought that i could actually win. Reporter jessica dean, cnn, walk. In the meantime, as the trump confidante roger stone faces criminal charges, hes making the round on talk shows. But the judge in the case warns that needs to stop. Heres sarah murray. Reporter roger stones postiraq media blitz may soon be coming to an end. In court on friday, judge jackson announced she is considering a gag order on the case. The judge saying quote this is a criminal proceeding not a Public Relations campaign. The trump warned President Trumps longtime political adviser the runup to trial wasnt like a quote book tour and kauxd him an inconsistencies in his Public Statement could be used as evidence in trial. Under a gag order, stone could comment on other news, like foreign relations, or tom brady, he is charged with seven charges. Sporting a pin striped soon and occasional frown, stone got a certain warning not to contact potential witnesses or victims, via email, whats app, intermediaries or any other mode. When asked if he understand, he replied, yes, your honor. The government said theyre angling for fall or october. The judge is hoping for a trial in july or august. Both side are due pack in court in march. Sarah murray, cnn, washington. A top african announced this week the u. S. And the taliban made progress in talks to end u. S. Involvement in the war there. But still there is no deal and the head of Afghanistans High Peace Council told our Nic Robertson a pullout fouled backfire. One of the concerns of the african government that the United States might try i to withdraw its troops would see President Trump do this in syria, if it happened in a matter thats not orderly, and if it happens in a way that the placement is not talked about, if it happens that it leaves a vacuum behind, then, obviously, the blood shed would increase. Is there a concern under this president the possibility of having all the troops pulled out quickly, is that a feeling that that really could happen . I might, i would say, yes, there is that feeling that that might happen. So it must be a very big concern now . But we judge the relationship on the ground. So we dont see any practical consequences yet. But in terms of like pressure from President Trump that im going to withdraw, im going to reduce the costs. I mean, that pressure in a way is creating concern. But its also creating opportunity. The United States has about 14,000 troops in afghanistan, mostly hoping to train to advise and to assist afghan forces. Now to an incredible sight out of the india, millions celebrating the hindu frefl of kumbh mella. Reporter welcome to the largest religious festival in the world. The kumbh mella is celebrated 12 tiles, alt nateing fw between alternating between four cities. It attracts 1 Million International visitors. Devotees will bathe if sacred rivers to cleanse them of vices, coming one step closer to salvation. Kumbl mela translates to a guy battling over next ar with demons nectar with demons. It fell to the earth on the sites that host the festival. A number of ceremonies take place at the kumbh mela. Its say cintron my, spirituality and ritual. Will you see conventional practitioners of hinduism and hermites that trade seclusion for civilization. Its an unusual sight for many, people sporting dread locks in ash. It feels all this time you pray about them, they are like fictional characters, then i meet them. Reporter also in attendance, hindu priests like this man who has been helping generations of pilgrims at the kumbh mela. People have been coming here from prayers to departing souls to emerging ashes of their dead. Reporter this spect cam of faith is as mesmerizing as it is spiritual for the devout who travel from afar for Worlds Largest congregation. Translator faith compensates for everything. You dont feel cold nor hot. Neither do you get annoyed with the crowd, nor do you feel hungry. All problems disappear by taking the holy dip here. Reporter the kumbh mela is expected to take a peak with some 30 million taking a dip. Thousands of people are here in atlanta for the biggest sporting event of the year. We will tell you how security is working to keep it afloat next. Are you a christian author with a book that youre ready to share with the world . Get published now, call for your free publisher kit today . All right. Live pictures there in punxsutawney, pennsylvania, we are about to hear from a famous weather profit, he is the most famous of ground hoggs, you probably heard his name, pennsylvanias punxsutawney phil. Every february 2nd he wakes up from hibernation to predict the weather. If he sees his shadow, guess what . Six more weeks of winter. Im going out on a limb here saying he is probably the only famous ground hog. Heres the thing, spring will arrive soon, lets see if that happens. A little more than an hour to go before we see him. You see the crowds getting excited. His owners say he is 100 accurate. But the National Atmospheric Organization Says he has no skill for the last few years. Well wait to see. Probably the goofiest prediction we have in america. All right, we are a day away from the biggest u. S. Sporting event in america of the year, the super bowl right here on cnn, are the Los Angeles Rams and the new England Patriots pairing off. They continue throughout the weekend. There is the Mercedes Benz studio. Cnns cayley hartung has more. Rovenlt this is an aerial team of Mercedes Benz stadium. The home of super bowl liii. The same officials known to patrol the u. S. Border. We consider the super bowl to be a National Security special event. This is a level 1 event. Reporter that means more than 50 local agencies are working together in careful coordination. Each with a specific role to play. The Marine Division of customs protection are effecting a radius of 100 feet on sunday. Reporter if any aircraft should breach the nofly zone this blackhawk along with six other will work to spot it and intercept it. Fighter jets are on a stand by. Its one we are familiar with, steering aircraft away from sensitive areas. This is what we do day in and day out. Reporter last week that blackhawk helicopter i was on was doing a drug intermission. Next week they say its likely they could be back patrolling the border. Its a different mission, but those officers say, its the same job every day of dealing with people and vehicles. At this time, we are told no Credible Threats have been brought to officials attention, cayley hartung, cnn, atlanta. We will see you on super bowl sunday. Thanks for watching. Thanks for being with us. Im a veteran and the army taught me a lot about commitment. Which i apply to my life and my work. At comcast were commited to delivering the best experience possible, by being on time everytime. And if we are ever late, well give you a automatic twenty dollar credit. My name is antonio and im a technician at comcast. Were working to make things simple, easy and awesome. Virginias democratic governor Ralph Northam is facing growing criticism and calls to step down after this racist photograph from his 1974 yearbook. That photo and racist attitudes it represent zs not reflect that person i am today. We dont know he is the one in black face, we dont know if hes the one wearing the kkk garb. Ive accepted my responsibility for my past actions and im ready to do the hard work for your trust. Hes planning on continuing his term and not resigning