shifting blame. the u.s. government shuts down. it enters its second day. no sign of a resolution yet. out in force. women across the united states mark donald trump's one-year anniversary, calling for change. and a new front in syria's war as turkish airstrikes hit an area in northern syria. welcome to our viewers in the united states, and around the world, these stories are all ahead here on cnn "newsroom." we're live in atlanta, i'm natalie allen. >> and i'm george howell from cnn world headquarters. "newsroom" starts right now.

4:00 a.m. on the u.s. east coast. around the world, good day to you. day number two of this u.s. government shutdown and in washington, d.c., it's all about the blame game, and pretty stiff finger pointing. >> while across the country, the real effects of the shutdown are starting to be felt. the statue of liberty and ellis island, now closed. some national parks are accessible but services like rest rooms and trash collection are not. the senate will convene at 1:00 p.m. the house at 2:00 p.m. in air sunday sessions. and yes, congress is still getting paid. while thousands of other federal workers are not. >> all right. before all of this, though, the president of the united states, he planned to be at his resort in florida. he was scheduled to celebrate the anniversary of his first year in office with high dollar donors. instead, the president canceled those plans and is at the white house. >> we have not seen the

president in public since the shutdown began. the white house did release a photo of him, along with smiling senior staff members. and his re-election campaign released an ad, lambasting democrats. >> and that is just part of the finger pointing. as our jim akwost to explains. >> conceding they don't know how long the shutdown will last, aides to prime minister are shaming democrats for closing down the government. >> it's like a 2-year-old temper tantrum to say i'm going to take my toys and go home because i'm upset about something else. >> my favorite is still the schumer shutdown. it's got that nice little ring to it. >> but privately cnn has learned president trump has confided to aides and allies he worries he will ultimately take the blame as the shutdown is happening exactly one year after he was sworn in to office. >> this is the one-year anniversary of the president being sworn into office. how does this white house feel to have a shutdown one year after the president was sworn in? >> well, jim, i think it's

disappointing that congress has chosen to shut down the government, and particularly senate democrats have, at the one-year anniversary. but i -- >> no reflection at all of the leadership coming out of the white house? >> i think it's a reflection, candidly, of the position that many in the democrat party find themselves in. >> reporter: on the other end of pennsylvania avenue -- >> negotiating with president trump is like negotiating with jell-o. >> reporter: senate minority leader chuck shumer is complaining mr. trump rejected his offer to start paying for the wall as a last-ditch gesture to prevent a shutdown during their friday meeting at the white house. >> next to impossible to strike a deal with the president because he can't stick to the terms. i have found this out. leader mcconnell has found this out. speaker ryan has found this out. >> what do we want? >> reporter: democrats have dug in their heels insisting on an agreement to protect the young, undocumented immigrants known as the d.r.e.a.m.ers. in exchange for their help in reopening the government. outraging republicans. >> there is no reason for this

shutdown. we have been, and we continue to be, willing to work together in good faith on immigration. but that deadline, that deadline is weeks away. >> reporter: the president stayed behind closed doors making calls to republicans while using his phone to blast away at democrats, tweeting democrats are holding our military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration. can't let that happen. the president is escalating his rhetoric on the d.r.e.a.m.ers, a far cry from the compassionate tone he used earlier this month. >> this should be a bipartisan bill. this should be a bill of love. truly, should be a bill of love. >> reporter: but democrats are constantly reminding the president of his past comments on shutdowns. >> he said what this country needs is a good shutdown. we don't agree. >> reporter: especially when barack obama was president. >> who's going to bear the brunt of the responsibility if there is a shutdown of our government? >> let me say who gets fired? it always has to be the top. i mean problems start from the top and they have to get solved

from the top. and the president's the leader. >> reporter: the president was supposed to be at mar-a-lago this weekend celebrating the one-year anniversary of being sworn in to office. instead, he can hear the protests from the women's march in washington right outside the white house. it was one year ago when the president promised fundamental changes for the u.s. >> this american carnage stops right here, and stops right now. >> reporter: that combative tone from that january weekend has lasted throughout the president's first year in office. in ways the nation won't soon forget. >> this was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe. >> reporter: the president was supposed to celebrate his one-year in office at a fund-raiser at mar-a-lago, but instead he's spending the night here at the white house and sending a video message, instead. a video he uses once again to blame democrats for the shutdown. 33 jim acosta, cnn, the white house. more now on the women's

march that jim referenced on saturday. huge crowds of women in the u.s. marked mr. trump's first year in office with protests and a clear message to the president that it's time to take women's rights seriously. mr. trump tweeted out an attempt to redirect the conversation. >> he encouraged women to celebrate the, quote, economic success and wealth creation that happened during the first year of his presidency. cnn's alex marqrardt say mr. trump is far off the mark. >> reporter: hundreds of thousands protesting for the second year of donald trump's presidency. mostly women and girls, but also men and boys, marching not just for gender equality, but for issues ranging from gay rights to immigration, and religious freedom. across the country, and around the world, they took to the streets. >> i think that it's important to show congress and the president that we need to be heard. >> reporter: the demonstrators trying to keep the momentum of the movement going.

many of them hoping to turn this enthusiasm into electoral victories. in new york crowds gathered near a trump hotel. almost them, a refugee from cuba. >> to be accepted and welcome when you have nowhere else to go, and no other recourse in this world is a very big thing. and for now to say, you're not welcome here is, is against everything this country stands for. >> reporter: in philadelphia, women drummed their message. ♪ chicago members of the cast of "hamilton" sang to hundreds of thousands. and in los angeles, celebrities like natalie portman and viola davis were among the protesters. >> i am speaking today, not just for the me toos, because i was a me too, but when i raise my hand, i am aware of all the women who are still in silence. >> reporter: in washington, d.c., crowds marched to the

white house. house minority leader nancy pelosi pushing for more women to get involved. >> nothing is more wholesome to a government, to a country, to a society, than the increased participation of women. >> well in just a few hours we're expecting to see more women's marches. they're going global in cities like london, and paris. well the government shutdown was just one of the things that marchers in u.s. cities were upset about. let's take a closer look at the shutdown, and at president trump's first year in office with steven earlinger in brussels, the chief diplomatic conversation at the "new york times." steven, good to see you. thanks for being with us. >> thanks, natalie. >> well, after a year of upheavals, and tumult inside the white house, the first year wraps up with the shutting down of the federal government. it is a tad surreal. what do you make of it? >> well, we've been here before. and we will be here again, i

suspect. we have a very divided country, which everybody knows. washington's a very partisan place, which everybody knows. the president has spent his first year basically living on partisanship. i mean, he has been very, very strong in trying, as he keeps saying, to drain the swamp. but a government shutdown is kind of like the definition of the swamp. this is washington politics. and each party is trying to use the pressure of the shutdown to get some things that it wants, and it's also a test of president trump's self-styled image as the great negotiator. this is a negotiation that obviously hasn't been perfectly for either side. chuck schumer, who knows trump pretty well, says it's like negotiating with jell-o. views change. but, this is -- this is basically politics. it looks not good from the outside. but the world has seen it before, and you know, one of

these days it may be today, it may be tomorrow, it may be the next day, some deal will be done. >> well, with republicans controlling the house, the senate, and the white house, can -- can mr. trump be successful in blaming democrats for the shutdown? >> well, people have to decide that. i mean, usually it's the president who gets blamed. certainly, when there was a shutdown under president trump, trump himself blamed the president. as everyone, you know, he talked about leadership. but, to be honest, he is doing what you'd expect. he's blaming the other side. the democrats are blaming him. i'm not inside the room. and from what i've read of people who've been inside the room, who are talking, there's no question there's frustration, because deals seem to be done, seem to fade away, and hard to know. i mean, the fact is that the democrats are using their power

on this issue, as they don't have power on every other issue, to try to get some things done for themselves. and that's okay. that's how politics works. >> as far as donald trump and his negotiating skills. republican and democratic leaders have both complained that he doesn't stick to his guns, he waffles, he greeagreesh something, then he has a meeting with something else, he walks away from that something, he sends out tweets based on something he sees on fox news even if it goes counter to something his party agreed on. it seems like neither party knows how to work with this president. how can they fix that moving forward? >> well i think it would take a sort of character change to fix it. but it also, you know, trump would argue this is the best way to negotiate. surprising to the, you know, to keep your real aims behind your

back, to change your mind from time to time, to put the other side off. i mean, i'm certainly willing to give the president that degree of doubt. but it is also true his own staff is frustrated. because, they would present a proposal. he says actually that's not what i meant. it's not clear, he's always read these proposals in advance. so you have these two competing narratives. one is the master negotiator putting the other side off its game. and on the other hand is the man who isn't quite sure of what he's negotiating. >> right. and i know you say that we've been here before with government shutdowns, and this is the way washington works sometimes to try to get things done. but mr. trump did come in to power in part because his supporters were sick of politics as usual, and they thought that this guy, who was mr. anti-establishment, that it would be different. but it doesn't look like it's

different. and it doesn't look like year two is going to change politics as usual. >> well, this is right. i mean, the fact is, you know, trump ran against what obama people called the blob. which is basically washington. but the blob is very powerful. it is really pow the way the u.s. government works. and it is very difficult for a president, which, you know, who's very powerful, but not nearly as powerful as i think trump thought the presidency was, to do a different kind of politics. jimmy carter found that out. other presidents have found that out. the presidents often who seem to do best are the ones who either have a big majority in both houses, like obama's first term, or people like lyndon johnson, who simply negotiate very, very carefully with each congressman and take congress very seriously. i don't think trump took congress very seriously. i mean his first year he's had wars with his own party's

leaders in both the house and senate. paul ryan, mitch mcconnell. he's embarrassed them at different times. so this is not the best way to get things done, or actually to get things changed. he's talked about a revolution. washington tends to absorb revolutions and spit them out the other end. i mean the washington process is a long process, it's a digestive process, and if i could say this, what comes out, is not the same as what goes in. trump is finding this out. >> yes. the blob is alive and well. in washington. >> it is indeed. >> all right, steven, we thank you. thanks for joining us. >> thanks. and steven's talk of digestion, how about that. "newsroom" pushes on. the hotel seize that we've been following in the afghan capital. we know that it's ended after more than 12 hours. some people there, they used bed sheets to try to escape. next, who's behind it. also ahead here, one u.s.

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we continue to follow a developing story out of the afghan capital siege of an international hotel there. an eyewitness is now telling cnn he has heard more explosions at the intercontinental hotel in kabul. government officials said earlier they had retaken control of the hotel. they say six people were killed, including a foreigner, and more than 100 others were rescued. >> just look at the image there. you see people. you see this fire that took place there in the building, and people used bed sheets to try to escape. very desperate situation. officials say all four attackers, though, have been killed. the taliban had claimed responsibility for this attack. let's now bring in our senior international correspondent sam kiley, following the story from abu dhabi. let's talk more about this. earlier we heard that the siege was over. but we're hearing some conflicting reports. what can you tell us? >> well, that just conflicting

reports have been eyewitnesses and local media have reported that there have been some follow-up explosions, following the government announcement that the afghan special forces had killed the four attackers. now, the government put this attack down to the haqqani network, which is different from the taliban. the taliban have since claimed responsibility, and saying that they sent five attackers in to the hotel intercontinental to conduct this attack more than 12 hours ago. the seen went on for 12 hours. there now have been eyewitnesses have told cnn that there have been more explosions. it's not clear what those explosions may relate to. but there is this discrepancy not only between who is being blamed or claiming responsibility for the attack, but also the number of attackers involved. earlier on this week, the state department had issued a warning against attacks that could follow on particularly western occupied hotels. and sure enough that has come through. and that was also based on

intelligence from the afghans blaming the haqqani network back then. the two are closely allied but they are separate organizations. >> it is important to point that context out, sam. thank you so much. also, just for our viewers, we looked at these images of this building. i don't know if we can show the images again, because again it was just a very desperate situation for the people involved, sam, tell us about what was happening. this fire that took place on the top floor of this building that we see, and then people just trying to get out. >> yeah. 153 people were evacuated. among them 41 foreigners. that is pretty good going from the intercontinental. it's an isolated on top of a hill. it has been attacked before back in 2011 when a gunman did a very similar thing. they came in and began shooting and killed more than a dozen. i think over 20 people back then. so, it could have been a great deal worse. these gunmen are reported to have come in through the kitchens.

and very quickly moved on the attack. but because the level of security in kabul is at a very high level of threat, there are special forces on standby at all times, not only afghan, but foreign. there are british and american special forces. new zealanders are often involved in these counterterrorism operations. special forces move very, very quickly, and we're able, it would seem, at least to isolate, or to close down this attack fairly rapidly. the first three, according to afghan spokesmen, government spokesmen, the first three attackers were killed fairly quickly and the fourth earlier on today, just two or three hours ago. but, and this is the big but, is it really over? we are hearing these reports of more explosions, and the taliban seemed to indicate there could be one more gunman on the loose. but i have to say, in afghanistan, whilst the taliban do have a reputation, actually, of telling the truth about these sorts of things, so-called

islamic state does not, for example, and the haqqani network are also quite prone to claiming responsibility for things they haven't done. >> a lot to keep up with here. but again, the important point that we're hearing, possibly, that this may still be ongoing. i know that you're in touch with your sources, sam. we'll stay in touch with you. sam kiley following the story in abu dhabi. well turkey says rockets fired from syria have hit inside its territory. it's not clear who fired the rockets, but the attack came one day after turkey launched airstrikes on syria's kurdish held afrin region. >> the turkish operation appears to be aimed at ousting the ypg. turkey says it's also targeting isis. the ypg are a key u.s. ally against isis and turkey says they are terrorists. >> cnn's ben wedeman is following the story for us. he joins us from cairo. this issue highlights one of the

many complexities of the syrian conflict. and turkey had also threatened to maybe send in ground forces and it looks like that might be happening. what are you hearing? >> yes, according to the state-run turkish news agency, turkish ground forces have entered the afrin region, which is just north of aleppo. and we understand this operation actually began at about 5:00 p.m. yesterday. the turks have dubbed it operation olive branch. something of an orwellian twist to call a military operation by that name. the entry of their ground forces was preceded by, according to both the kurdish forces on the ground, as well as the turkish authorities, more than 100 airstrikes on targets, including one on according to the turkish media, one on a tunnel being

used by these ypg fighters. also this morning as you mentioned earlier, a rocket landed in the town of kilis which is near turkish town near the syrian border leaving one person injured. now of course the turks have launched this operation because this area, which is predominantly kurdish, is controlled by the ypg which the kurds -- or rather the turks claim is affiliated with the kurdish workers party, the pkk, based in turkey, which has been fighting a war against the turkish state since 1984. and certainly what has raised tensions dramatically in recent weeks, natalie, was the announcement by the united states that it would be training a 30,000 strong force from the ypg to act as some sort of border security force. president erdogan of turkey

calling this a terrorist army and vowing that they would crush it before it went into action. now, the afrin area is very mountainous, very woody, and so it's questionable that the turks are really going to go dramatically inside the afrin area. but certainly, this does complicate a situation whereby you have the turkey, which is a member of nato, an ally at least in word, of the united states, fight i fighting the american backed and trained and armed ypg. so complication upon complication when it comes to syria. natalie? >> absolutely. ben wedeman, thank you. coast to coast here, in the united states and around the world limp you're watching "newsroom." still ahead, finger pointing and name calling and not talking about the other guy. is there any end in sight to the u.s. government shutdown? also the u.s. vice president

is in the middle east trying to shore up relations with key allies in the wake of president trump declaring jerusalem the capital of israel. we'll a live report from jordan as we push on. you know what's awesome? gig-speed internet.

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when only certain people can get it. let's fix that. let's give this guy gig- really? and these kids, and these guys, him, ah. oh hello. that lady, these houses! yes, yes and yes. and don't forget about them. uh huh, sure. still yes! xfinity delivers gig speed to more homes than anyone. now you can get it, too. welcome to the party. welcome back. you're watching cnn "newsroom" live from atlanta, i'm natalie allen. >> and i'm george howell with headlines. we are now in day two of the u.s. government shutdown. the u.s. senate and house will both be in session on sunday. day one was all about finger pointing and blaming one another. there were no talks between

republican and democratic leaders and no talks between the white house and democrats. hundreds of thousands of women in the u.s. are demanding stronger rights for women. on saturday huge crowds marched in cities across the country on the anniversary of president trump's first year in office. they promised their voices will be heard at the polls in upcoming elections. the taliban are claiming responsibility for a siege of the intercontinental hotel in the afghan capital. government officials say they now have control of the hotel. they say six people were killed, including a foreigner. turkish state media report turkish ground forces have now entered syria's kurdish controlled afrin region. the offensive comes one day after turkey launched airstrikes in the area, and rockets launched from syria hit a turkish border city. the offensive appears to be aimed at ousting the kurdish ypg militia. returning to the u.s.

government shutdown, both sides digging in their heels. both sides blaming one another for this impasse. no end in sight at this point. president trump says democrats are holding the military hostage. senator tammy duckworth, though, who lost both her legs serving in iraq, calls the president a five deferment draft dodger. >> our phil mattingly has this story for us. >> reporter: well day one of the government shutdown was defined much more by what didn't happen than what did. most notably, negotiations. this was the day that was defined by lawmakers more or less settling in to their positions. the on the house floor, on the senate floor, more partisan talking points, blame to be passed around. here's the reality as it currently stands, republicans, they have a house passed bill. it's a four week stopgap funding bill and they're very comfortable in that position. you talk to aides in both the house and senate side and they say look we've done something. something is out there for democrats to consider. it's time for them to consider that. democrats they've made very clear this isn't about the four

week resolution, this isn't about shortening that from four weeks to three weeks. they want some type of firm commitment on the daca issue that will get them to a resolution. there is a trust deficit on the democratic side and that is driving their position at this point. as to this partisan talking points, if you want a flavor of them, take a listen to what senate democratic leader chuck schumer had to say on the floor. >> negotiating with president trump is like negotiating with jell-o. that's why this compromise will be called the trump shutdown. >> the big question is how is this going to play out going forward. is there an actual end game? well if saturday defines things it doesn't look like things are going to be ending any time soon. senate majority leader mitch mcdonnell and chuck schumer didn't speak today. president trump and chuck schumer didn't speak either. lawmakers more talking past one another than anything else. here's where something might be triggered. the government shutdown really starts to bite on monday morning. when hundreds of thousands of federal workers won't be allowed to go in to work.

they will be furloughed. that's when the pressure will pick up. because of that aides on both sides say if there is a deal to be made in the near term, it would happen on sunday. however, at this point there's still no senate vote scheduled on sunday. talks still at the preliminary stage at best. so if something's going to happen, it's going to have to happen pretty quickly. phil mattingly, cnn, capitol hill. >> just seems cuckoo when you shut down the government doesn't it? >> a lot of people affected. >> just think of the people working to figure out who is supposed to be furloughed. all of that. well as we mentioned the women's march took place in cities across the united states on saturday. large crowds filling the streets, marching, protesting, and having a lot to say about the current administration. >> a lot of people came together for this. they were joined by men, by children, by celebritiecelebrit raising their voices for women's rights. here's some of what they had to say. >> the women of america, you said you know what? we going to march. on january 21st, we're going to

inspire this country, we're going to get people rising up, organizing, and getting out there and changing this situation. >> the only way that we are going to make a change is if we commit to change. >> nothing is more wholesome to a government, to a country, to a society, than the increased participation of women. >> it's important to show congress and the president that we need to be heard. >> this year how do you feel, one year later, how are things different for you, your cause, and what brought you out here? >> this feels like a protest today. last year it felt more like a funeral. we were all in mourning, we all got together. this feels like anger, and resistance. >> we need to keep fighting. we need to keep working. we need to keep marching so that

we can uphold what makes america truly great. >> i am speaking today not just for the me toos, because i was a me too, but when i raise my hand, i am aware of all the women who are still in silence. >> is our work done? >> no! >> we've got one more year, two more years, three more years, in fact we have our children's future in front of us. ♪ >> we stand here because of all the mothers and the sisters and the daughters. the world would be nothing without a woman. thank you, ladies.

>> they also had a government shutdown to talk about in protest, as well, when they took to the streets. of course as we mentioned, it is in now the second day. u.s. vice president mike pence, he's out of the country. he's not shut down at all. in fact he's now in jordan, the second part of his trip to the middle east. mr. pence is expected to meet with king abdullah at any moment. and later sunday, he nice to israel. >> the vice president's first stop was in cairo, egypt, during his meeting with the egyptian leader el sisi mr. pence said he raised the issue of two americans jailed in egypt. let's talk more about this live in the jordanian capital. good to have you with us jumana. let's talk about this trip. it can be viewed by two perspectives, right? the people that the vice president is meeting with, and the people that he is not meeting with.

let's start with that given the very divisive decision by this administration to recognize jerusalem as the capital of israel. what's the plus/minus of this visit by the u.s. vice president? well, as you mentioned, george, there were people he was supposed to meet with when this trip was scheduled to take place last month, and that was delayed. he did not meet with religious leaders in cairo like he was supposed to. he's not meeting with the palestinian leadership, who have refused to meet with him following the u.s.' declaration announcing jerusalem as the capital of israel. then you have jordan as a stop added to this trip. a meeting with king abdullah. while yes you do have the issue of jerusalem and the israel/palestinian issue is the most contentious part probably of this visit, there are also issues of mutual interest when it comes to counterterrorism. the situation in syria. there are also on the agenda when it comes to talks with king abdullah here, and also

president sisi, yesterday, when it comes to the issue of jerusalem, the issue of the israel/palestinian peace process we've heard from senior white house officials and from the vice president saying that he is going to, during this visit, and from this region, also reaffirm yet again the u.s.' position that jerusalem is the capital of israel. that is likely to be welcomed by the israelis, and you're going to see probably statements and angry statements by arab leaders, and also by others here. we've seen george, some protests taking place. you know, it's worth noting since president trump's announcement last month we've seen near daily protests here outside the u.s. embassy for more than 40 days against the decision. they've really dwindled recently. but in the past few days we've seen some coming out saying that the vice president is not welcome, and saying that he should go home. another thing that white house officials say that he will be doing is, you know, reaffirming the u.s.' commitment to a peace

process and wanting to move beyond the declaration. what happens next. it's something really hard to see how the u.s. is going to play a role. you've heard from palestinians saying that the united states can no longer be a mutual broker when it comes to israeli/palestinian negotiations, and then you have arab countries, including jordan, who have been, you know, leading this diplomatic push and offensive to try and gather support for the palestinians, looking at alternatives to the u.s. >> it is a thorny issue, especially for some allies there in the region. jomana, thank you for reporting. 29 years after romania's revolution, protesters are again filling the streets of the capital city. coming up, what's fuelling that anger there. ? plus, she's a notoriously private person, and one of the most public positions in the world.

how melania trump handled her first year as first lady. we'll take a look.

welcome back. thousands of romanians took to the streets of bucharest to protest government corruption. >> in this video, some 50,000 people marched toward university square. that's where all major protests have taken place since the 1989 revolution. they're angry about the governing coalition's attempt to overhaul parliament, weaken jaw dushl oversight. romania's president as well as european commission and the united states state department have criticized that move. in honduras military and police clashed with anti-government protesters in several cities across the central american country on saturday. security forces fired tear gas on demonstrators who blocked roads and lit tires on fire. u.n. officials in honduras say

at least one man was killed. the demonstrators are protesting the upcoming swearing-in of president hernandez. he was declared the winner of november's election, despite widespread fraud allegations. saturday was the first day of a week of planned nationwide protests. >> we continued following pope francis headed back to rome sunday after his week long trip to south america. throughout the tour the pope has drawn attention to violence against women. >> while visiting the peruvian coastal town of trujillo he called for a culture that repudiates every form of violence. another pierce winter storm will track across the central u.s. sunday. derek van dam following that. >> yes, derek. >> good winter news. >> that's just great. >> it's not going to impact us here in atlanta. that's the best news. >> okay. >> listen, they just hoisted blizzard warnings across parts of kansas and eastern colorado.

technically blizzard warnings -- look at that. this was just updated on my map. parts of minnesota and into northwestern iowa, also, getting in on a blizzard warning this morning as the national weather service starts to update their latest advisories and warnings. by the way, winter storm warnings for denver. in order for a blizzard to occur you actually have to have snow falling from the sky, winds us is continued at 35 miles per hour reducing visibilities to under a quarter of a mile, and that has to happen for three continuous hours. so you can imagine just how difficult travel is going to be across central parts of the united states over the next 12 to 24 hours. we anticipate up to a foot of snow from colorado right to kansas, into southern minnesota. including minneapolis. so definitely some flight delays or cancellations to look out there. other stories to talk about across the u.s. ahead of this system that's drawing in very dry air from the south, and a lot of heat over western texas, that has allowed the fire danger to go up. now taking you to europe, where they had a fierce wind storm that caused havoc across parts

of the netherlands, into belgium and germany as well as france and now another low pressure system lining up to wry in more wind, rain and high elevation. snowfall. you can see the radar lighting up like a christmas tree across this region. specifically across the uk right now. we have a wet day for london. but high elevation snowfall as you head a little further north towards scotland. look at the wind gusts within the next 24 to 48 hours. easily exceeding 60 to 80 kilometers per hour. that could take down a few of those trees, or branches, or even electricity poles that were impacted by the storm earlier in the work week. snowfall totals are seriously impressive across switzerland, the french and italian alps. over 120 centimeters of snow. convert that to feet, well that's about four feet of snow. can you imagine that? australia also experiencing some wild weather. hot conditions across many of the eastern states. in fact, temperatures running 5

to 10 degrees celsius above where they should be. that's brought in a high fire danger threat. just south of sydney they're battling a brushfire in the royal national park, which was closed on saturday, because of fire you see they're trying to put out. they're water bombing that with helicopters and aircraft. >> okay. derek -- >> hot, hot, hot. >> thank you. all right. athletes from north and south korea will march under a single flag at the olympic opening ceremony on february 9th. >> this after the international olympic committee approved the addition of north korean athletes. north and south korea will form a unified women's ice hockey team for the games. 22 north korean athletes will compete in ice skating, skiing, and ice hockey. >> meantime an advance team from the north arrived in seoul saturday to begin work. the olympic competition begins in south korea on february 8th with curling. everyone's favorite. and ski jumping. >> it's good to see cooperation,

though, isn't it? >> yes, it is. coming up she is an immigrant, a former fashion model, and first lady of the united states. >> we look back at the first year of melania trump's time in the white house. stay with us.

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we're doing a great deal of reporting on the first year of the trump presidency. the focus on the president. but now we're also looking at the first lady's time in the white house. >> melania trump has remained in the serious figure in the trump orbit and relatively independent from some of what we have seen swirling around the white house. cnn's kate bennett takes a look at her first year as first lady. >> reporter: one year in donald trump's presidency, and melania trump is settling in as first lady. >> welcome to the white house. >> reporter: mrs. trump didn't officially move into the white house until june of last year, opting to stay in new york until son barron could finish out the school year. that unprecedented decision only served to enhance the mystery of the new first lady. >> in actual modern terms she is the most reluctant first lady that we've had. i don't think she's shy. and she's talked about not being shy.

but i think she's private. >> reporter: once melania trump made the move to washington, her transition from fashion model, wife and mother to full-time first lady began in earnest. >> it's very exciting life, and it's a lot of things that you need to take care of, a lot of responsibilities, and it's part of being a first lady. >> reporter: it was on her first overseas trip in may, accompanying her husband, that the world saw melania trump in the spotlight. winning over the foreign press with her fashion sense, and a show of confidence on the global stage. back at home, mrs. trump decided that helping children would be the backbone of the first lady's platform, a point she made in a rare public speech last fall. >> no children should ever feel hungry, frightened, terrorized, bullied, isolated, or afraid.

with nowhere to turn. >> reporter: with a husband prone to frequent twitter outbursts, the year for melania trump meant focusing on being the compassionate voice of the family. >> how are you? >> reporter: connecting with kids. and at the white house, from the easter egg roll, to the annual turkey pardon, and her very first white house christmas. one thing missing from the first lady's first year, a signature cause. in the coming months, that will change. mrs. trump will champion issues affecting children, including bullying, drug abuse, and helping kids succeed. in china last november, i asked the first lady about that. and she provided some hints. how are you feeling one year in to this role as first lady? how has it been for you? >> well, it's my honor to be a first lady. of the united states.

and it was very busy year. and we love to live in washington. we have very busy life. it's exciting, as well. and i'm looking forward to work on behalf of the children. >> hmm. >> mrs. trump took a page out of her husband's book marking her first year in the white house with a tweet. >> here's what she said. this has been a year filled with many wonderful moments. i've enjoyed the people i've been lucky enough to meet throughout our great country and the world. >> that's a good one to end on this hour. thanks for watching, i'm natalie allen >> and i'm george howell. we'll be right back after the break with the next hour of cnn "newsroom."

deadlock on capitol hill. it is day two of the u.s. government shutdown, and there are no signs of compromise. call for change. hundreds of thousands of women take to the streets across the united states, as the trump administration marks its one-year anniversary. and a deadly terror attack on a kabul hotel sparks a 12-hour siege as security forces hunt the attackers from floor to floor. >> we're still following that. there may be more happening. we'll tell you about it. live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta we want to welcome our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. i'm george howell. >> i'm natalie allen. "newsroom" starts right now. 5:00 a.m. on the u.s. east coast. this is day number two of this u.s. government shutdown and there is no breakthrough, no end in sight. and a lot of finger pointing. name calling.