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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Biden: Could Consider Personal Sanctions Against Putin; Interview With Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ); Pfizer Begins Clinical Trials For Omicron-Specific Vaccine; Deputy AG: Prosecutors Looking At Elector Scheme That Falsely Declared Donald Trump The Winner In 2020 Election; Conspiracy Theorist Alex Jones Sat Down With 1/6 Committee Monday; Anti-Semitic Flyers Delivered To Homes In South Florida. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired January 25, 2022 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:03]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: That sounds good. It holds two people. It can go more than 100 miles per hour.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Oh, that's good.

CAMEROTA: A scientist involved in developing it says it is taking us into the next dimension where road meets sky.

I've been waiting for this since after school reruns of "The Jetsons".

BLACKWELL: I have my talking watch. I want my flying car.

CAMEROTA: And "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER" starts right now.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: President Biden says if Vladimir Putin gives the order to invade, it could get personal.

THE LEAD starts right now.

President Biden today saying he's willing to order sanctions directly on the Russian president if Russia enters the Ukraine, as CNN teams witness more U.S. military aid arriving in Ukraine.

Plus, we've got vaccines, we've got boosters. Now, one company is testing a fourth shot which will be aimed just at the omicron variant.

Then the one test that could derail Olympic dreams. Athletes in Beijing take us through the intense COVID protection process that one doctor calls a public health extreme.

(MUSIC)

TAPPER: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

And we start with the world lead today. President Joe Biden today saying he would consider leveling personal sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin if Putin gives the order for Russia to invade Ukraine. Sanctions directly on Putin himself, he means. This as the Kremlin maintains some 100,000 Russian troops

strategically positioned near its border with Ukraine. The White House says a Russian invasion appears imminent. In the meantime, Russia is accusing the U.S. of escalating tensions by putting 8,500 U.S. service members on heightened alert. They're on stand by, though. Not ordered to deploy. Though the Biden administration says two factors could quickly change that. One, if NATO decides those U.S. service members are needed in the Eastern Europe, and two, the actions, of course, of Vladimir Putin himself.

Here's the Pentagon press secretary earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: If there's another incursion into Ukraine, I would believe that could drive NATO and some of our allies to make other forced posture decisions that they haven't made yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Today, CNN's Clarissa Ward spoke exclusively with Ukraine's foreign minister, who said Russia has very little to gain from the current situation.

Let's bring Clarissa in right now from Kyiv, Ukraine.

And, Clarissa, the foreign minister was also sensitive about potential deals in diplomacy being made for Ukraine without Ukraine's input.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jake. I mean, I think what you're seeing here, a classic case of Ukraine not being sat at the negotiating table and understandably feeling a little bit vulnerable as a result. There have been some differences. It is no secret between Ukraine's leadership and some of the actions and rhetoric that we've seen coming from the U.S. and the White House specifically.

But the foreign minister told us, they are in lock step from now on. They just want to make sure that the U.S. continues to keep up this strong rhetoric and robust response. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARD (voice-over): The latest tranche of U.S. weapons arrives in Ukraine. On board, 79 tons of lethal aid, including nearly 300 tank armor piercing javelin missiles, as the U.S. doubles down on its support of Ukraine. As many as 8,500 U.S. troops are now on high alert to be deployed to Eastern Europe to join NATO forces.

A decision Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says he welcomes.

DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I think it's a message to Putin that, listen, whatever you're trying to achieve, you get the opposite. If you want us to withdraw from Central Europe, to withdraw a NATO infrastructure from Central Europe, our response to your escalation is reinforcing the eastern flank of NATO.

WARD: Some have suggested thought that this shift might actually anger Putin and escalate the crisis further. Are you concerned about that?

KULEBA: Well, if we learned anything since 2014, is that it's a flawed logic to handle President Putin from the perspective that, let's do nothing in order not to make him angry. No. This is not how it works -- strength, resolve, deterrence. These are the three elements that work with Putin.

WARD: On the other side of the border, yet another show of force from Russia's military, with the Iskander missile systems on display. The Russian defense ministry says the exercises are, quote, to check the troops' battle readiness. Few here have any doubt that Russia is ready to go to war. But the question remains whether that is its intention.

So do you believe there will be a military escalation here in Ukraine?

KULEBA: This depends. I cannot read President Putin's mind, frankly.

[16:05:01]

WARD: Can anyone?

KULEBA: No. I don't think anyone can do that. We are literally in a situation where anything can happen.

WARD: How does Putin at this stage de-escalate without losing face?

KULEBA: We shouldn't really care how President Putin will save his face, for one simple reason, because he himself, he put himself in this situation. If Russia is willing to act in good faith, there is a possibility to walk out from the negotiating room and say, we made a deal.

WARD: But Kuleba warns that they will not be pushed into concessions.

KULEBA: We will not be in a position of a country that speaks on the phone, here's the instruction of the big power and follows it. No. We paid a lot, including 15,000 lives of our citizens, to secure the right to decide our own future, our own destiny. And we will not allow anyone to impose any concessions on us.

WARD: With all sides dug in, the prospects for a diplomatic solution are dim. But Ukraine's leadership says the cost of failure would extend far beyond these front lines.

KULEBA: If the United States leadership fails here, it will be a clear message to the contesters of the United States, that America is a different country now. And they can push.

And in the end, if they push, I'm afraid that it will be the people of America who will feel the repercussions of that push.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WARD: Mr. Kuleba went on to say if someone does come here demanding concessions from the Ukraine, and they feel, by the way, that Ukraine has already given much in terms of dealing with the Russians in previous diplomatic agreements and discussions that have been had. And he said simply, if someone comes is that demands those concessions, he will call the protocol officer and have them accompanied back to the airport, Jake. So not mincing words and not pulling any punches here.

TAPPER: All right. Clarissa Ward in Kyiv, Ukraine, thank you so much for that report.

Here to discuss, Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego of Arizona. He's on the House Armed Services Committee. He also served as a marine in the Iraq war.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

Let's start with Clarissa's exclusive conversation with Ukraine's foreign minister. He does not want to see any deals made behind Ukraine's back. Given that, if Russia were to invade, do you think the U.S. and NATO need to consult Ukraine before they decide on any kind of response?

REP. RUBEN GALLEGO (D-AZ): Absolutely. Look, you cannot override a country's sovereignty in order to gain peace with an aggressor nation like Russia, especially considering that Russia is the person that has been the provocateur this whole time.

And so, our job is to really help, you know, Ukraine deter Russia. Make sure that Russia understands there will be some really costly -- you know, some really costly consequences. Whether it is kinetic in the sense of, you know, Russians themselves -- troops dying, and/or economic sanctions, and we should be doing that, you know, in conjunction with the country of Ukraine.

TAPPER: You served in war. It is not an abstraction to you. When you hear that 8,500 service members are on stand by, possibly heading to Eastern Europe and who knows where else, do you think that's an appropriate decision right now from President Biden to put them on stand by?

GALLEGO: I think it is important. Look, I've had to -- done some of those standbys back in my younger days. But more importantly, we're doing it not to just deter Russia but we're also doing to really bring confidence on our allies, especially our allies on the eastern front. They're severely worried about what's going to happen. Whether Russia is going to roll through Ukraine and move into a lot of former Soviet bloc nations.

This is why as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Special Operations and Intel, I authored the Baltic Security Initiative that gave $150 million to our Baltic countries so they could defend themselves because they are right now on the front lines and they are worried. They're worried that Russia will not stop at Ukraine. That they will continue with their aggressive actions all through Eastern Europe. TAPPER: What do you say when a constituent says to you, why are we

even involved in this? Ukraine is not a NATO country. We don't have any economic interests in that region in terms of economic interests. This is Russia's business. Why are we even talking about deploying American service members to that area? What do you say?

GALLEGO: Well, number one, we already have men and women deployed to that area. But number two, stability in Europe is entirely important depending on what happens in Ukraine. Having a country of 200 million attacked a country of 60 million is not going to end well.

[16:10:02]

And we've seen in history, especially in the last century, that a land war, especially massive land wars in Europe will always somehow involve us. So, it's the best that we could do for its stability, for economic well being, that we actually deter Russia instead of findings ourselves in a war that later on we may have to, you know, be more seriously involved in.

Number two, you know, our standing in the world does matter. We cannot let a democratically elected government in Ukraine be overrun by an autocratic government without any consequences. It would send a very strong message to all autocratic nations in the world that it's a free game. That they can basically break all the rules-based government - rules base that we have established over the last, you know, 150 years and just start rolling through other countries.

Specifically, I guarantee you, China will be looking directly at what happens in Ukraine and trying to take example to what they should or should not do in Taiwan.

TAPPER: We know the Department of Homeland Security here is monitoring possible Russian cyberattacks, perhaps on large U.S. banks or an American utility company, in case that there is a military escalation. How easily could Russia cripple American infrastructure if it wanted to?

GALLEGO: Look, I think at any point, you know, our infrastructure, our cyber infrastructure could be attacked, the most important thing you can do besides the safety measures is for Russia to understand that that -- those types of actions will have severe consequences. There needs to be deterrence in every aspect, especially when it comes to the cyber world where Russia thinks it can act -- act without any -- with impunity.

So any time of aggression should be met with consequences. That's the only thing Russia understands. They're not the victim here. They're the aggressor here.

In order for us to really keep them in line, they have to understand that, you know, aggressive actions will have aggressive consequences.

TAPPER: Before you go, Congressman, you told CNN that fellow Democrats had been encouraging you to launch a primary challenge against Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema in 2024. And today, "Punchbowl News" reported that you met with some of her donors last weekend in New York City. You haven't ruled out a primary run. So, at this point, what's stopping you?

GALLEGO: Well, number one, we need to focus on 2022, especially here in Arizona. We're a swing state. We have a great senator, Senator Kelly, that gets reelected. I have a big legislative agenda that I want to continue working on.

But 2023 is around the corner. When '23 arrives, I'll be making a decision and publicly making an announcement. In the meantime, I'm going to continue making sure Arizona keeps trending the right way, and I'll have meetings to anybody that's interested in talking to me about that race.

It hasn't just been donors. It's been everyday Arizonans. It's been labor unions. It's been, you know, a lot of the groups that have helped turned Arizona a blue state.

So, those conversations will be ongoing and then that decision will come in 2023.

TAPPER: Did those donors in New York City say that they would support you if you challenge her?

GALLEGO: Yes. To be honest, I've gotten a lot of that assurances. I've gotten assurances not just from New York City, but from all over the country, here in Arizona, you know?

But again, the determination is going to be based everything on, number one, actually what the voters of Arizona want. And number two, really, you know, talking to my family and making that decision in 2023.

TAPPER: Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego, thank you so much. Really appreciate it, sir.

Boris Johnson had his cake and ate it, too. And now, he's paying the price. Could a birthday party bring down the British prime minister.

Then, he's still standing, but Elton John is being forced to cancel his concerts. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:17:37]

TAPPER: In our healthy today, Pfizer announcing it has started clinical trials for its omicron specific coronavirus vaccine. The company says it has already started manufacturing the shot, and as CNN's Alexandra Field reports, the vaccine could be available as soon as March if it gets the correct signoff.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I don't think there's a chance that we're going to eradicate this.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But Dr. Fauci says a national turnaround could be a week or two away when it comes to the omicron surge. And the World Health Organization is hoping the emergency phase of the pandemic will end this year.

DR. COLLEEN KRAFT, ASSOCIATE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, EMORY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: I think normal will look like many of these peaks and valleys of surges.

FIELD: Nationwide, hospitals are now lower than a week ago. But deaths are higher than a week ago. While omicron cases are often mild or without symptoms for most vaccinated adults, the country is now averaging more than 2,000 deaths daily. That's above the delta peak last September.

DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: I think most of us would like to see the number of deaths drop to about 100 deaths per day. . In case, it will put you at par with approximately the number of deaths we see from the flu on a yearly basis.

FIELD: Israel's COVID-19 advisory board is now recommending a fourth COVID shot for all adults, citing the effectiveness of boosters while Pfizer announces its omicron specific vaccine is in clinical trials. Public health officials continue to say a universal vaccine able to target future variants will bring us the closest to normal.

Until then --

KRAFT: We need to develop an idea about how we sort of go back and forth between protecting ourselves, protecting others, and kind of keeping those good habits going if we want to have sort of a new normal.

FIELD: What that looks like is sparking everything from debates to court battles. In New York City, Sarah Palin allegedly flouting COVID- 19 restrictions by dining inside a restaurant while unvaccinated on Saturday, and then testing positive on Monday, delaying her defamation trial against "The New York Times." An attorney for Palin declined to comment.

In New York state, a state judge blocking the governor's mask mandate. The department of education rejecting the ruling saying, schools must still follow the mask rule.

And another stage goes dark. Sir Elton John testing positive for COVID, delaying two concerts in Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (on camera): And, Jake, when it comes to vaccine mandates for big businesses, the Biden administration announcing they are withdrawing the regulation that was targeting businesses of 100 or more employees.

[16:20:10] That move, of course, after the Supreme Court blocked the rule earlier this month in a closely watched decision -- Jake.

TAPPER: Alexandra Field, thanks so much.

Joining to us discuss, CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Sanjay, why would we need an omicron-specific vaccine if we're starting to see cases and hospitalizations fall off and it seems likely that there will be another variant that comes after that?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's a good question. I mean, we're often finding ourselves in these positions where we're working on developing these things but they don't really arrive at the time that we need them. We've seen them with therapeutics. We've seen them with the testing, and now with this omicron specific booster.

A couple things. You know, each time there's been a new variant, they've worked on specific boosters for that. We really haven't needed them because the existing shots have provided a lot of benefit. That's good. The numbers may drop off by March or April when this booster may be available.

But we've seen evidence of the shots waning in terms of their effectiveness. So, could you potentially have some resurgences later on in the spring or early summer? Perhaps, probably not, but perhaps. So, I think those are two reasons they sort of want to keep this in the back pocket.

We don't know even at this point whether the trial will demonstrate that an omicron specific booster is of any more benefit either. But hose are the two main reasons. Might there be a resurgence? Might be vaccines wane in terms of effectiveness.

TAPPER: The U.S. has followed Israel in a lot of ways in terms of how we respond and deal with this virus. Today, Israel's COVID advisory group recommended a fourth vaccine dose for all adults.

Do you think that will ultimately happen here? If you do, how soon?

GUPTA: Well, I think this dove tails on what we were talking about. I think they do want to see if a fourth shot is necessary, what kind of shot should it be? Should it be a shot of the existing vaccine? Or should it be specific?

I can tell you, we've been following Israel's data pretty carefully. The early data on fourth shots was -- did not paint a very compelling picture to actually recommend that across the board. They did have this advisory group which has recommended this fourth shot. But we have to hear from the ministry of health on that.

I think it's going to just sort of depend. Can you make a case that the fourth shot is definitively decreasing infections? Decreasing symptomatic illness? We know right now, people who have the booster, they tend to have pretty good -- pretty good protection against those things as it is.

TAPPER: Let's talk about boosters. There is this new preprint lab study that shows that omicron neutralizing antibodies last for at least several months after a booster. This comes on the heels of other studies showing how effective booster shots are.

What's your main takeaway from this new study?

GUPTA: Well, I find this really interesting, if we can show the data looking first at cases and then looking at symptomatic illness. And what they did is they compared unvaccinated, which is the far left, to fully vaccinated, two people who have been boosted. So the middle column is two shots.

The big discrepancy here, Jake, is clearly between the unvaccinated and the vaccinated, period. So we talk about boosters and you can understand why, because there is an incremental benefit from getting the booster. But really, this is still a story about the unvaccinated versus the vaccinated.

But to your specific question, if you look at the time frame now and you look at, okay, it has been at least six months since I've had my shots, versus within six months, and then add a booster. So, if you got your shot six months ago, more than six months ago, look at your protection, 57 percent. That's against hospitalization. Fully vaccinated, less than six months ago, 81 percent. So, a significant jump. If you add the boosted, it gets to 90 percent.

So what this is saying is yes, the vaccine effectiveness does wane. The booster does make an impact, especially if you've gotten your first shots more than six months ago.

TAPPER: So shockingly, average daily deaths have now surpassed the peak of the delta surge. The U.S. is averaging nearly 2,200 deaths every day because of the virus. How much worse do you think this is going to get before we see that turn-around?

GUPTA: Well, it's tough to think about. The cases, as we've seen in many parts of the country, have started to decline. A little bit of a mixed picture in the United States. You got different areas of the country that are behaving differently. You can see on the map of the United States where hospitalizations are still going up. And, you know, that's obviously a concern in those orange areas.

One thing I will say quickly, Jake, if I can show you how omicron sort of behave, if someone ends up getting sick from omicron, there's a lot of people getting infected and a lot of people ending up in the hospital. But overall, the chance of being admitted to the ICU or dying is still lower with omicron.

[16:25:03]

The reason the number are so high is because this is such a contagious virus and so many people are getting infected. So less lethal but more contagious. That's the problem.

TAPPER: All right. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much.

What happens when the January 6th Committee talks to one of the country's most prominent deranged conspiracy theorists? Well, we'll tell you what happens. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:30:05]

TAPPER: Just in, in our politics lead, in an exclusive interview, the Justice Department is giving the first indication that the individuals behind the effort to push so-called alternate electors, fraudulent electors that erroneously would have declared Donald Trump the winner in states that he decidedly lost, these individuals are under federal scrutiny.

CNN senior justice correspondent Evan Perez joins us now live for this story.

Evan, you just spoke with the deputy attorney general, Lisa Monaco, for an exclusive interview. What did she have to say?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, we know that a number of state have been looking at these fake electors, those bogus electors that were sent out by people associated with Donald Trump. For the first time, we're hearing from the deputy attorney general what the Justice Department is doing about that. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEREZ: We've now learned that there was a big effort by the former administration -- senior people in the former administration to interfere with the vote counts on the state level. Voters want to know whether, you know, enough has been done to deter partisan interference in election results.

What can you say to assure people? Because there's very little that we've seen publicly said by this department on this issue.

LISA MONACO, DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: Well, first, on the issue you raised in terms of fraudulent elector certifications has been reportedly received, those referrals. Our prosecutors are looking at those and I can't say anything more on ongoing investigations. But more broadly, look, the attorney general has been very, very clear. We are going to follow the facts and the law wherever they lead to address conduct of any kind and at any level. That is part of an assault on our democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREZ: And, Jake, part of what is going on beyond what happened in 2020, we know there are a lot of people driven by those falsehoods about election fraud who are making threats against election workers. We talked a little about that and one of the things that the deputy attorney general said is that, you know, we saw one indictment against someone last week. She says to expect several more.

TAPPER: All right. Accountability. Evan Perez, thanks so much.

PEREZ: All right.

TAPPER: Appreciate it.

Also on our politics lead, right wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is the latest person to meet with the House Select Committee investigating the deadly January 6th insurrection. Jones telling listeners on his podcast that he pleaded the Fifth Amendment almost 100 times.

Let's get right to CNN's Paula Reid.

Paula, tell us what happened.

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, Jones met virtually Monday with the committee. And he spoke about his experience on his podcast where he described the interview as intense and said he did indeed take the fifth nearly 100 times on the advice of counsel.

Now, why would he do that? Well, he said the questions were reasonable but he didn't want to answer all of them for fear of perjuring himself. Let's take a listen how he explained it.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ALEX JONES, RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY THEORIST: I'm the type that tries to answer things correctly, even if I don't know all the answers. And they can then claim that's perjury, because about half the questions, I didn't know the answer to and a bunch of more emails I've never seen and planning things I'd never seen, at least from memory.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

REID: He said the panel asked him repeatedly who his White House contact was to help with the planning and organizing rallies in the days leading to January 6th and he denounced any suggestion that he was involved in planning violence during the insurrection -- Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Paula Reid, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Coming up next, the extreme COVID protection measures which could cost some athletes who have been training for their lifetimes the chance at realizing their Olympic dreams.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:38:14]

TAPPER: In our national lead, police in Miami Beach, Florida, are investigating after anti-Semitic flyers were found throughout multiple neighborhoods over the last few days. And after the attack at the Texas synagogue earlier this month, the city's mayor is saying they cannot just sit by and assume it's an act of, quote, harmless stupidity.

As CNN's Leyla Santiago reports for us now, the mayor is taking new steps to try to protect all faith communities while the investigation heats up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what hate looks like. A flyer delivered in the middle of the night to more than 200 Miami Beach homes, according to city officials, targeting Jews, falsely claiming the public health response to COVID is being original orchestrated by Jewish people.

RONNIE ISSENBERG, RECEIVED FLYER: At first I thought it was targeted to me. I started looking around and seeing it on every house. So, this has kind of like shocked a lot of people that have lived on the island for over 50 years.

SANTIAGO: The mayor of Miami Beach, a city with a large Jewish community called it pure garbage, a display of hate yet again.

MAYOR DAN GELBER, MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA: We're not going to pretend like it doesn't exist. We're going to stand up and say, you know, screw you. You know, it's garbage what this -- what this guy or these people did. And we have to say that, because if right thinking people don't speak out against this kind of stuff, then people begin to think that it's okay and it's normalized.

JONATHAN GREENBLATT, CEO & NATIONAL DIRECTOR, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: We're already living in a moment where we've seen a remarkable rise in anti-Semitic incidents. We have about double the number of acts of harassment, vandals and violence today that we did just a few years ago. And this weekend, we had these anti-Semitic fliers dropped in six different states.

SANTIAGO: Over the weekend in San Francisco, police officers collective flyers with some of that same anti-Semitic language. In Colorado, flyers now under investigation, distributed in Denver.

[16:40:02]

The ADL also reports flyer distribution in Wisconsin, Maryland, and Texas over the weekend.

Meanwhile, at a rally in D.C., anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. --

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., ANTI-VACCINE ACTIVIST: Even in Hitler, Germany, you could cross the Alps into Switzerland. You can hide in an attic like Anne Frank did.

SANTIAGO: He has cynic apologized. Even his wife tweeted: My husband's reference to Anne Frank at a mandate rally in D.C. was reprehensible and insensitive. The atrocities that millions endured during the holocaust should never be compared to anyone or anything. His opinions are not a reflection of my own.

The Anti-Defamation League reports a sharp increase over the last decade in anti-Semitic incidents. The dangerous rhetoric concerning city leaders.

GELBER: When any group that has hate thrown against them, prejudice thrown against them, vile falsehoods thrown against them, have a reason to be concerned, because it's just one part of a continuum, as somebody who is willing to put flyers in front of over 200 homes in the dead of night.

Well, are they willing to throw a rock through a window? Are they willing to use a weapon?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANTIAGO (on camera): And, you know, Jake, as I've spent time in this community today. I talked to the mayor, talked to a local rabbi, the neighbors here, there is definitely a sense of fear and vulnerability but also a need to call this out for what it is, to call this out as hate.

Police tell me that they are working with the FBI now. They have located the rental car they believe to be associated with it. The mayor says that they have some pretty solid leads here and feels confident they will get to the bottom of who is responsible -- Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Leyla Santiago in Miami Beach, Florida, for us today. Thank you so much.

Also in our national lead, some sad and awful news out of New York City. Wilbert Mora, the second NYPD officer shot while responding to a domestic incident on Friday has died. Officer Mora was only 27 years old. He and fellow Officer Jason Rivera, who also killed during the incident, both were shot when a suspected gunman opened fire at a Harlem apartment.

A third officer on the scene shot the suspect who later died. New York's mayor calls Mora a hero and says, quote, our hearts are heavy. Our city is in mourning.

Coming up next, a police investigation now underway involving the British prime minister's birthday party. We'll explain why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:47:12]

TAPPER: Topping our world lead. It's my birthday and I'll party if I want to? CNN affiliate ITV reporting that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson celebrated his own birthday with two parties during the strict COVID lockdown in 2020. Now, London's Metropolitan Police announced that it is investigating allegations of his attendance at lockdown parties. CNN's Bianca Nobilo joins us now live from London.

Bianca, how is the prime minister responding to just this latest new round of accusations?

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's had some practice now, Jake, of responding to allegations of parties in Downing Street during strict lockdowns for the rest of the country. He said that he welcomes the investigation because he wants clarity for the British people and he hopes this will draw a line under it.

I think he's backed into a corner in terms of what he can say because from what I understand, Downing Street obviously not welcoming this investigation. Although I must say as a sign of the severity of the political danger that Boris Johnson is in, I was speaking to some allies of his this morning. And they actually thought this news of a police investigation into the prime minister on Downing Street might provide them with a slight reprieve from the other investigation, which looking into whether or not Boris Johnson broke his own COVID rules. They thought it might delay the preliminary investigation they were concerned about.

Then it dawned on them that the look of having the police investigate Downing Street probably wasn't very good or electorally advantageous, and now, they're concerned about it. But the head of the Metropolitan Police that she would only be investigating such historical allegations, because, of course, these parties that we're discussing occurred in 2020, 2021 if they were serious flagrant breaches of the coronavirus guidelines and she thought it might undermine faith or trust in the law or be committed by people fully aware that they were committing offense.

TAPPER: And more broadly, how is this playing out for Prime Minister Johnson politically?

NOBILO: Well, it has been said many times that the prime minister has a number of political lives. I like to think of him as somewhat of a political vampire because he's defied convention and expectations before. But I think this could be sounding the death knell of his premiership.

He's on the precipice of a vote of no confidence, which in the United Kingdom, in the conservative party, is triggered by a certain number of letters being sent by his own MPs into a certain committee. If that happens, there is a vote of no confidence in the prime minister. At this stage, most people I speak to say they're very close to that threshold being met and the jury is out as to whether or not Boris Johnson would survive that vote of no confidence.

But, Jake, where this particular scandal to a prime minister who has been beleaguered by so many strikes me as different, is the fact the key aspects of his political brand that made him an historic election winner and as a charismatic politician, the frivolity, his mischief, his rule-breaking have become the very architects of his own deepest political danger.

[16:50:14]

TAPPER: And just a reminder to our viewers, he was going to these parties allegedly at the same time his protocols were not letting people to go funerals for their own loved ones, et cetera.

Bianca Nobilo in London, thank you so much. Appreciate the reporting.

In our sports lead, the COVID impact on the upcoming Olympic Games in China. Athletes and team officials are getting a jarring greeting as they arrive in Beijing. Security personnel at airports and train stations in full protective gear, then a rigorous process to protect Olympians which CNN Selina Wang reports can take quite a toll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Winter Olympic athletes, just getting to Beijing is as nerve racking as competing for gold. Nearly 3,000 athletes will be gathering under the strictest counter measures. They trained their entire careers for this moment. But a positive COVID test could derail it all.

HANNAH SOAR, U.S. OLYMPIC FREESTYLE SKIER: One positive test will do us in at this point. It is super stressful. I didn't know that I really struggle with anxiety to be dealing on this until the last couple months.

WANG: The U.S. mogul skier Hannah Soar and her teammates have been isolating in Utah for the past month. They live in separate homes. Socially distanced on the mountains or the groceries for delivery.

SOAR: No one has looked each other in the eyes. I have not been anywhere other than inside this house for the past month.

WANG: Soar even wears a KN-95 mask under her neck warmer on the slopes.

SOAR: And so, I just treat everyone like they have COVID. And it creates a lot of anxiety in my life but hopefully gets me to China.

WANG: Athletes have to test negative for COVID twice before boarding a plane. One within 96 hours and another within 72 hours before departure. Then daily tests in Beijing.

Organizers are relying on sensitive PCR tests, which mean recently recovered but healthy athletes could potentially be isolated or barred from competing.

WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, PROFESSOR, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: They've gone to the public health extreme. That test is so sensitive. It is picking up remnants of the virus. You are not contagious to anyone else.

WANG: Organizers aren't taking any chances. The host country is sticking to its zero COVID policy where just one case can trigger lockdowns and mass testing. During the Tokyo Summer Olympics here, 41 athletes tested positive for

COVID. At least two dozen had to withdraw from competition. Now, with omicron, an even stricter rules at the Beijing Games, it's inevitable. Some athletes are going to lose their chance to compete.

A positive test could send an athlete into isolation at a facility in China until they get two consecutive negative tests which experts say could take weeks.

Olympians will be completely separate from the rest of China, part of what organizers are calling a closed loop system, multiple bubbles connected by dedicated shuttles. Then, there's the mountainous venues, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, north of Beijing, all connected by high speed rails.

British skeleton racer Laura Deas was in Yanqing last fall for training.

LAURA DEAS, BRITISH OLYMPIC SKELETON RACER: Everything we did, training, eating, sleeping was all within this bubble. But it felt incredibly organized.

WANG: Ahead of the game, she's self-isolating in the U.K. and getting created training without a gym. While Deas knows what to expect in the Beijing, it is the next few days that are the most intense.

DEAS: I've jumped all these hurdles and I'm trying really hard to do all the right things now so that I can get to Beijing safely without COVID.

WANG: For athletes this year, just stepping foot into the Olympic bubble will be a victory.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WANG: And, Jake, American skier Hannah Soar tells me, even when she gets into Beijing, she's still staying on guard, socially distanced, away from parties. Even as a journalist traveling to Beijing, the past few weeks have been full of careful and sometime stressful separation. But for Beijing, this is all part of the plan to keep COVID out no matter the cost, Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Selina Wang in Beijing, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

We're going to go inside the never-issued Trump executive order that could have theoretically delayed Joe Biden's inauguration and perhaps upended American democracy and who knows what else. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:59:12]

TAPPER: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

This hour, not tough enough? L.A.'s new district attorney being criticized for policy changes he says make the criminal justice system fairer but some of his own prosecutors say is making city life more dangerous.

Plus, the Mitch pitch. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell talking with CNN about his plan to win seats in November's midterm elections. And this comes with a caveat that Donald Trump might not like.

But leading this hour, imminent invasion. The White House today saying Russia may be on the cusp of sending troops into Ukraine again, as the Ukrainian foreign minister exclusively sits down with CNN and admits, quote, anything can happen.

We're covering this story from every city at the center of the standoff. Matthew Chance in Kiev Ukraine, Nic Robertson in Moscow, Russia. But let's start in Washington, D.C. with CNN's M.J. Lee at the White House, with new insight into President Biden's thinking on whether he should send U.S. forces into Eastern Europe.