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At This Hour

Kamila Valieva Finishes Fourth After Multiple Falls; Blinken: I Am Here Not To Start A War, But To Prevent One; An Inside Look At NYC's Supervised Drug-Injection Sites. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired February 17, 2022 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: Developing this morning, a dramatic and emotional end for Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva's Olympic run in Beijing. She finished in fourth place after falling multiple times during the free skate. There will now be -- because of this, there will now be a medal ceremony for the top three women in that competition tomorrow. Valieva's doping scandal has dominated figure skating throughout the Olympic Games and really hung over the entire game.

Joining me now live from Beijing is CNN Sports Analyst Christine Brennan. She's also a sports columnist for USA Today, and also here with us a CNN Contributor Patrick McEnroe. He coached the 2004 Olympic Men's Tennis Team. Christine, you call this performance a disaster for Valieva. What did you see happening out on the ice?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Kate, it was heartbreaking. I was in the arena, Patrick, of course, good to see you again. And it was unexpected. It was shocking. It was heartbreaking. And you couldn't help but think you are watching the results of the abuse of a child right there on that ice, Olympic ice, the world's greatest stage.

Obviously, the weight of the world is on her shoulders. She had a little trouble in the short program. This was just awful. Four mistakes, the first four jumps all mistakes including one fall, then a good jump, and then another fall. This is the greatest skater in the world. This is one of the greatest talents we have ever seen in figure skating, reduced to just a kid in trouble.

Yes, you know, it was -- it's something that I think people who watched it or will watch it later in the United States will never forget. It was unsettling, troubling, awful, just awful and shame on Russia, shame on those coaches for putting her in this position. That's -- you just can't help but think just how is -- how is she going to recover? Is she going to be OK? So many questions and one of the more troubling days and evenings I have seen in my sports career.

[11:35:00]

BOLDUAN: Patrick, I just want to get your take on what happened today, but also how this entire thing, this entire saga truly sad has played out.

PATRICK MCENROE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, first of all, we've been very lucky to have Christine over there because her reporting on this has been unbelievable, so thank you, Christine, for all you've been doing. But this to me is, you know, here's my first reaction, Kate. Are you happy now? Russians, are you happy that this is the way this has gone down?

Not only did she come in fourth place, and as you see her there in tears, devastated, distraught, she's 15 years old, OK? And then the IOC had said when they made their decision here, or the CIS, I should say, when they made the decision said oh, well, we're worried about the repercussions for her. Well, what about the repercussions now of what she's had to go through? And the other --

BOLDUAN: That's kind I have in my mind too.

MCENROE: Yes. And the two Russians finished one, two, and Trusova, who finished second who got the silver was in tears herself. And in fact, she was heard saying to a Russian media outlet, I don't want to skate ever again. So are they happy? Are they going to just move on now? And I hope that this is a wake-up call for everyone in the figure skating world, and particularly, what's going on within these Olympic Games, an absolute disgrace.

BOLDUAN: So what does it mean now, Christine, for the medal ceremony, you know, the -- another Russian skater run gold and you've noted that they actually would train under the same coach.

BRENNAN: That's correct. All three of the Russians in this competition are coached by the same woman, Eteri Tutberidze. She also had the two top, the gold, and silver four years ago, and she had one of the stars of the 2014 games. So now, you know, she's cornered the market on this and it's so troubling. She's now under investigation.

The really good news here is she's already assured of being under investigation because of the doping scandal. So that's a positive. But this is her stable, and they go far from home, these girls at a very young age, parents can't be there, they train hard. There's basically interchangeable. You know, you've kind of figured that this is it for these three because, in four more years, the 11 and 12-year-olds right now will be the ones that are coming along.

And to Patrick's point, the IOC and others, I'm not sure the Russians can govern themselves, someone has to step in and say enough is enough, and shut down this coach, shut down this -- the doping, and also just basically kick Russia out of -- out of an Olympics or two to make the point here how serious this is. So we've watched this develop over the last week, and maybe this is the awful but fitting conclusion that this needed to have to wake everyone up to say, OK, there's a child, and look at what you've just done to her.

BOLDUAN: Christine, thank you, Patrick, it's great to see you. Thanks for being here.

MCENROE: You too. Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Thank you very much.

Also breaking news, just into CNN we need to get through. The House committee investigating Donald Trump is asking the government now to cancel the lease on his DC hotel after new documents in a court case are casting doubt on the accuracy of the former President's financial statements. CNN's Paula Reid, she's got these breaking details. Paula, throw us in.

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kate. The Democratic-led House Oversight Committee is asking the General Services Administration aka GSA to terminate the hotel's lease before the Trump organization can sell it for a profit of $100 million. Now, the committee says that it has concerns the Trump organization may have submitted inaccurate financial information, which would be a violation of the lease.

Now, this hotel, you can see pictures of it right there, it's located in downtown DC in a historic government-owned building. And these concerns about possibly submitting inaccurate financial information come as the Trump organization's longtime accounting firm, it came out and said that about 10 years' worth of financial statements from the Trump organization can no longer be relied upon.

Now, the former President has denied any wrongdoing. And, Kate, I will note. The financial information at issue here, it's a 2010 submission. That actually falls outside of the timeline that was given by Trump's accounting firm. The Trump Organization has also not responded to this request. Several of those lawyers are currently in another ongoing hearing, trying to quash a subpoena for testimony from the former President and two of his adult children.

Now, the GSA is currently undertaking a review of the sale of this hotel, which goes on for about 45 days. They have not responded to this request so far.

BOLDUAN: Paula, thank you so much for that.

I want to turn now to this. A video of a fight between two teenagers in a New Jersey mall ends with police throwing one to the ground and sitting the other on a couch. One teen was black and the other was white -- is white. Watch for yourself as we talk through this. The two teens are trading punches. But when the police show up, you can see the reaction and the way the cops responded. Now, as the police department, they're facing some very serious.

[11:40:00]

CNN's Athena Johns is tracking all of this. There has been a lot of response to this. The governor of New Jersey is talking about this. Walk us through what happened and what is happening now.

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I tell you what's happening now. This is now under investigation, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office is going their internal affairs unit, is going to be working closely with the New Jersey Attorney General's office to investigate the situation, what led up to the fight, what happened with the fight, and how the police responded.

We're also hearing from the NAACP saying, this is a sign of bias. And a lot of folks watching this, they're upset by it because they believe that this is yet another sign as if one is needed that there's racial bias embedded in policing nationwide. This idea is that the black man -- especially black men and boys are dangerous, they're the aggressors, they're suspicious. They look at this video, even the young teenage girl who was filming this, you hear her exclaimed this is -- this is because he's black.

The reason that he's been thrown to the ground, handcuffed, restrained by two officers, even though he was not -- there's no sign that he was resisting. And this other kid, the white kid was allowed to just sit on the couch, not even handcuffed, at one point even stands up. So very disparate treatment, that's what we hear from New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy as well. So an investigation is underway.

But listen to how the boy's mother, his name is Z'kye. Z'kye and his mother, Ebone, spoke with Don Lemon tonight -- last night. Watch what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EBONE HUSAIN, SON PINNED TO GROUND, HANDCUFFED BY POLICE AFTER FIGHT IN MALL: I keep trying to wrap my mind around it and in no possible scenario, does it make sense to me um, if -- I hate to say this, but if it wasn't raised, and what is it? What made them tackle my son? Not the other kid. What made them be so aggressive with my son, not the other kid? Why is the other kid sitting down looking at my son be humiliated and put into those? It just doesn't make sense. It makes me angry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And she's not the only one who's angry. As I said the NAACP in New Jersey State Conference says these officers should be removed pending an investigation. And that -- like I said, despite all of this talk of bias about training and accountability, this sort of thing still happens where police arrive, they immediately treat the black child as an aggressor and the white child as a victim.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you, Athena. Thank you for bringing that here. Coming up for us, the Biden administration laying out exactly how they think Russia could create a reason -- manufacture a reason to invade Ukraine again. We'll discuss this dangerous escalating situation next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:45:00]

BOLDUAN: Breaking news, Secretary of State Tony Blinken delivering a dire warning at the top of this hour to world leaders at the United Nations. America's top diplomat, face-to-face with Russia in the room saying that he is trying to prevent war by laying out Russia's plans to start one. Blinken, also, laying out in detail how he says Russia could manufacture a pretext for an invasion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, STATE SECRETARY, UNITED STATES: First, Russia plans to manufacture a pretext for its attack. This could be a violent event that Russia will bring on Ukraine or an outrageous accusation that Russia will level against the Ukrainian government. We don't know exactly the form it would take. It could be a fabricated so-called terrorist bombing inside Russia, the invented discovery of the mass grave, a stage drone strike against civilians, or a fake even a real attack using chemical weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Joining me now for some more on this, former California Congresswoman Jane Harman. She was a ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee. And Graham Brookie, former Advisor for Strategic Communications for Obama's National Security Council. Congresswoman, it's great to see you. Thank you for coming in today.

JANE HARMAN, FORMER CALIFORNIA CONGRESSWOMAN: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: How significant was this speech from Secretary Blinken today?

HARMAN: Well, I thought it was terrific. And he clearly squeezed it into a packed day. I'm guessing he's on the plane right now to Munich, where I'm headed too, for the Munich Security Conference, which the Vice President will also attend and which is going to be the next stage to discuss this topic.

By the way, the Russians are boycotting it for the first time, at least in my memory, which goes over two decades. I've been there 22 times. What was different today was not just a diplomat speaking, but specifics about how a Russian attack could be waged. I'm guessing I have no inside info that we have their playbook.

Our intelligence is excellent. And let's understand we do this with our partners and allies, it's not the just U.S. only. Our intelligence is excellent. And by telegraphing all these things that might happen, if Russia does these things, it will look pretty foolish. I've been saying for a long time that Vladimir Putin is playing a weak hand badly and I think it just got worse today.

BOLDUAN: And Graham, let me bring him in on this because the Biden administration is taking -- it's a new approach to this entire crisis, putting the intelligence that they have, as the Congresswoman was talking about, putting the intelligence out there really for everyone to see and it almost seems almost in real-time, it's deliberate and Tony Blinken seem to address this today. Let me play this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLINKEN: And here today, we are laying it out in great detail, with a hope that by sharing what we know with the world, we can influence Russia to abandon the path of war and choose a different path while there's still time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Graham, what do you make of this strategy? Do you see any signs that it's working?

GRAHAM BROOKIE, FORMER ADVISOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: Well, it's extraordinarily difficult to measure, but there is no alternative or the strategy of being extraordinarily granular about what the options are. And what they're seeing in terms of influence operations that include this information from Russia is extremely effective. And what it does is limit the ability of the Kremlin to use this information to justify an attack that we are seeing at the scale every single day.

BOLDUAN: Congresswoman, Tony Blinken is headed to the Munich Security Conference now. The Vice President is headed there as well. It's a meeting of allies. The Russians aren't even going to be there. What should -- what do you think they can actually accomplish?

HARMAN: Well, Vladimir Putin has pulled off a miracle. He has united Europe against him. He's now the pariah. And that will be demonstrated by many people at the conference. It used to be back in the day I was saying this earlier, you know, and I've attended 22 of these that Sergey Lavrov would come to each one, Vladimir Putin himself spoke in 2007. I was there.

And it was a stage where Russia could engage, where the OSCE which Russia belongs to, along with all of Europe could engage, and where individual leaders would have a chance to talk to each other but also to the ever-growing larger congressional delegations.

[11:50:00]

HARMAN: This year will be 40 plus members of Congress, the largest ever. And so I think this is another blown opportunity for Russia, not only to miss this but to be engaging in these provocative actions right now. I mean, people are now saying the attack will come the day after the Olympics and in deference to Xi, but I think if they come and if they, which I'm guessing, look anything like what Tony Blinken is predicting, it will be a very foolish move on the part of Russia.

BOLDUAN: Congressman, thank you. Graham, it's great to see you. Thanks for coming in. Coming up next for us, is a controversial new way to prevent overdose deaths, creating spaces for people to take illegal drugs safely. That story, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:55:00] BOLDUAN: At first glance, it may seem like a questionable idea, providing space for people to take illegal drugs. But now, the nation's first two Drug Injection sites are reporting that in just two months, they've saved dozens of lives. But critics of these sites, they're not sold, saying that these sites encourage drug use and also hurt the communities around them. CNN's Jason Carroll takes a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): For Monica Diaz, every day is a struggle. She's homeless and much of what she owns, she carries with her but she says it is the weight of her addiction that at times is too much to bear. Have you overdosed in the past?

MONICA DIAZ, SUPERVISED CONSUMPTION SITE PARTICIPANT: Oh, and that's not here but in the past, I have.

CARROLL: This is the place Diaz credits with helping her cope. It's a supervised drug consumption site, the first of two to open in the country. How often do you come?

DIAZ: Um, often, five days a week. I mean, every day.

CARROLL: On the days that they're not open, what do you do?

DIAZ: Um, improvise.

CARROLL: Both locations are in New York City. This one is in Harlem, the other, in Washington Heights. Here, users take illegal drugs with clean supplies without risk of arrest. To be clear, they are not given illegal drugs here, it's where they use drugs already in their possession.

PIA MARCUS, DIRECTOR OF SYRINGE ACCESS & PROGRAM INNOVATION, ONPOINT, NYC: When somebody first comes through the door, we're going to ask them what they're using and how they're using it.

CARROLL: In the East Harlem location, it's all done under the supervision of these medical professionals.

MARCUS: This is all of our injection and sniffing equipment as well as our smoking equipment up here so people can take anything that they need.

CLARA CORDELL, STAFF, ONPOINT, NYC: Are you guys OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're great.

CARROLL: In Washington Heights, the same protection protocols are in place, but here, many of the train staff are also recovering addicts like Clara Cordell.

CORDELL: I see you need water. CARROLL: Sam Rivera is the executive director of the program. He says they have averted more than 130 overdoses since the site's opened in November. So far, Rivera says no one has died under the staffs' watch.

SAM RIVERA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ONPOINT, NYC: This wouldn't be happening if you don't show up the way you guys show up, man. The goal is you want to keep people alive. And if we want people to recover and get a better life, if they're dead, they can't.

CORDELL: Are you OK sweetie?

MARCUS: We're checking on people constantly. If we start to see eyelid drooping or any kind of slouching, we're going right over and we're going to agitate them with a sternum rise. If we're seeing more serious overdoses or the overdoses is starting to progress, we're going to be going over to the crash cart. Our crash cart has oral airways Ambu bags, two different kinds of Narcan.

CARROLL: When you look at a facility like this, your immediate thought is, what are you doing to get these people off drugs?

RIVERA: We're giving them every opportunity possible to stop. Once someone says they're interested, we get picked up right into detox.

JOSHUA CLENNON, MEMBER, GREATER HARLEM COALITION: Around this corner, you'll find the supervised injection site.

CARROLL: Joshua Clennon is a member of the Greater Harlem Coalition. His organization is concerned that the neighborhood is already too saturated with over a dozen drug-related facilities.

CLENNON: We really need other communities to take on some of this burden.

CARROLL: Clennon says he's not surprised an attempt to open a similar type of facility in Philadelphia failed after community backlash there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't want this in my neighborhood or anybody else's.

CARROLL: These centers remain illegal under a federal law that states you cannot operate, own, or rent a space for use of illegal substances.

RIVERA: De Blasio.

CARROLL: But when these New York City locations opened, the city's former mayor Bill DeBlasio, penned this letter of support.

RIVERA: To the agency, stand ready to ensure a successful launch, which includes a commitment to not take enforcement action against their operation.

CARROLL: And recently, the Department of Justice announced they're evaluating whether sites like these could be opened nationwide. Do you have concerns that the federal government will look and say we saw what you did and we don't approve?

RIVERA: I don't because this is a health intervention that's working.

CARROLL: For now, people such as Monica Diaz are glad there's a new safer place to use as for the day when she doesn't have to. Do you have thoughts about getting clean?

DIAZ: They seem distant but --

CARROLL: OK.

DIAZ: Yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (on camera): Now, people on both sides of this issue are wondering, what is the exact future of these sites going to be? New York City's current mayor says that he's actually behind the idea of having these sites in the city. But again, it's going to be up to the Department of Justice to ultimately decide on this. The Department of Justice already reaching out to state and local regulators about this seeing the guardrails that can be put in there, but it rests with the DOJ on this.