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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Pfizer Could See Emergency Authorization For Vaccine For Children Ages 6 Months-5 Years Old As Soon As Today; Ukrainian President Hosts British And Polish Leaders Amid Border Stand-Off; Biden Hosts Key Senators To Discuss Supreme Court Vacancy; Biden Hosts Key Senators To Discuss Supreme Court Vacancy; National Archives: Some Trump White House Record Given To January 6 Committee Had Been Ripped Up And Taped Together; FBI Investigating Rash Of Bomb Threats Targeting Black Colleges; 7-Time Super Bowl Champ Tom Brady Retiring After 22 Seasons. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired February 01, 2022 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:01]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Also, they're offering a $3 credit to online customers who pick up their food. The offer runs until May. I'm not into it.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: I feel like domino's doesn't taste as good if I have to pick it up.

BLACKWELL: Yeah. And as high as a good is, you might as well walk. Three dollars? That doesn't cover much.

CAMEROTA: There you go.

BLACKWELL: All right. THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER starts right now.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Maybe Tom Brady can get a job at CNN's brand new streaming service, CNN plus.

THE LEAD starts right now.

Big vaccine news that cannot come fast enough for parents of young kids -- Pfizer expected to ask for FDA authorization as soon as today for its COVID vaccine for children under 5.

And CNN on the front lines. We're live in Ukraine near the Russian border. The U.S. again saying that they're trying to ease tensions as the Kremlin gives no promises of backing off.

Plus, one of the GOATs calls it quits. After 22 seasons, 7 Super Bowl rings, Tom Brady bows out. His message to his no-doubt deflated fans as he announces his retirement his way.

(MUSIC)

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

We start today in the health lead.

Pfizer expected to ask the FDA to authorize its two-dose COVID vaccine regimen for kids as young as 6 months, as early as today. If authorized, the lower dose option could be available to kids younger than 5 years old within weeks. Right now, nearly 64 percent of the total U.S. population is fully vaccinated, but vaccination rates are lowest amongst children, according to the CDC. About 56 percent of children ages 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated, a number that drops to about 22 percent when you look at kids between 5 and 11 years old.

Now, as CNN's Nick Watt reports, health experts are hoping the FDA authorization for toddlers will help convince parents who might still be on the fence and move things a little closer back to normal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vaccines are coming for the preschool crowd. Pfizer expected to request an FDA green light for its vaccine for kids under 5 as soon as today.

DR. PAUL OFFIT, MEMBER, FDA VACCINE ADVISORY COMMITTEE: We all need to see the data. My understanding is that the FDA's Vaccine Advisory Committee will be looking at this data on February 15th.

WATT: Shots could be going into those little arms before the end of this month.

DR. MEGAN RANNEY, ASSOCIATE DEAN OF PUBLIC HEALTH, BROWN UNIVERSITY: I can't overstate how awaited this news has been by parents and families of those kids who are under 5. Getting those vaccines in arms is a critical part of helping both to prevent COVID among little kids and helping us to move us all a little closer back to normal.

WATT: Big picture, only in Maine are new COVID case counts climbing. Nationwide, falling fast, although still averaging more than 450,000 a day.

MAYOR MICHAEL HANCOCK (D), DENVER: It's time for us to begin to manage the sustained presence of this virus amongst us.

WATT: So Denver's indoor mask mandate ends in just three days. Why? Hospital numbers are stable and so many Denverites now have immunity from vaccination or previous infection.

HANCOCK: Science is telling us, it is okay to drop the mask but make sure you're managing the situation going forward.

WATT: Just over 60 percent of Americans are now fully vaccinated. Many places, vaccine mandates are a big part of that ongoing management. A first for a big school district, starting today in New Orleans, all kids 5 and up will be fully vaccinated.

TIFFANY DELCOUR, CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER, NOLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Or claim their exemption if for any reason the family chooses not to get their child vaccinated.

WATT: In New York City, public employees now have just ten days to be fully vaccinated or they'll be fired.

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D), NEW YORK: We look forward to finding the day we get through this. Get to the other side of this and just feels like spring is around the corner. It feels like the COVID winter is starting to melt away.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATT (on camera): So if and when the FDA green lights the Pfizer vaccine for kids under 5, how many of those kids will actually get the shots? Well, a Kaiser Family Foundation poll of parents found that only 3 in 10 of parents with kids in that age group say they will get those kids the shot right away. Not great but at least those parents could soon have the option -- Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Nick Watt, thanks so much.

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

Sanjay, how is the vaccine dosage for kids 6 months to 4-year-olds different than what's available for 5-year-olds to 12-year-olds right now?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we'll see what they end up with. But it looks like it's going to be a lower dose. We can show you the overall numbers.

But in adults, it was basically 30 micrograms. That was the dose, at least with the Pfizer vaccine of all three shots.

[16:05:04]

Five to 11-year-olds, they took it down to a third. And now, for less than 5, 3 micrograms. So, basically, one tenth of what an adult gets.

You want to give the smallest possible dose and get the same immune response. And so for younger kids, A, they're smaller, but also, they generate a pretty significant immune response to these vaccines. So, it sounds like three micrograms is going to be the dose they land on, but again, we have to see this data.

TAPPER: So, we also know that Pfizer was encouraged to seek authorization for two doses instead of three doses by federal regulators. Why? And why not wait for more data?

GUPTA: Yeah. I mean, that is the question, I think, really. We've been reporting on these types of stories for a couple years now. And oftentimes it comes out like this. We haven't seen any data. We've just heard the pharmaceutical company is likely to apply for authorization.

There was an added layer here, as you mentioned, which is that they were encouraged to apply for authorization which gives a sense that the regulators have seen something encouraging in the date. A the only thing we heard until today, late last night, was that the two doses in children between the ages of 2 and 5 did not seem to be generating a strong immune response.

So I don't know if the regulators are saying, hey, we're very encouraged that a third dose will be enough to generate that immune response but we don't want to wait for the third dose data. We think it is time get moving and hopefully get two doses out there. We don't know. But hopefully, when the FDA looks at this data, they release it, we'll get a better sense of what's going on.

TAPPER: Are there any risks at all to kids this small, 6 months to 5 years old, getting the vaccine?

GUPTA: Well, again, according to the company, that's the only data, the only sort of sense we have of things because we haven't seen the data. But they say there really has not been adverse safety events in this population.

Now, I will say, you know, that the big concern that comes up among kids, myocarditis, that does tend to be something that's more likely to affect adolescents than kids this young. We didn't really see it in the 5 to 11-year-old age range either.

So it is less likely to be a concern here in people under the age of 5. But according to the pharma company only at this point, no real concerns about safety.

TAPPER: Children have the lowest vaccination rates out of any in the United States. Why do you think that is? Do you expect parents of kids between the ages of 6 months and 4 years to be more open to COVID vaccines than the parents of kids 5 to 11?

GUPTA: Well, with the first point, I think the general sense people have had is this isn't something that little kids need to worry about. I mean, that seems to be the message a lot of people are hearing. And it is true that they are far less likely to get seriously ill.

But a lot of parents of children that young are concerned about this. So, I think, you know, it will be welcomed news for a certain segment of the population. If we look overall, Jake, just to give you some context, between August 2020 and now, about 100,000 kids, 100,000 under the age of 18 have been hospitalized with COVID. That's a lot.

I mean, you know, it's a far smaller number than what we saw with adults. If we were just talking about this, the novo, and we just said this was just the thing affecting kids and 100,000 have been hospitalized during the time period, that would raise a lot of concern.

So, we'll see in terms of the uptake. I can tell you that as Nick was just mentioning, I think 31 percent say right now, according to a survey, that they would immediately go out and get it, and about 29 percent are wait and see. And the rest sort of follow along this only if required and about a quarter definitely not. That definitely not is a little bit higher than we saw among adults. That was closer to 15 to 16 percent definitely not.

So we'll see what the numbers actually are. We do know that among 5 to 11-year-olds for whom it is authorized, about 22 percent have received the vaccine. So maybe more, to your question, Jake, will get it in this age range. We'll have to wait and see.

TAPPER: What is your message to parents who say, as you note, look the risk to the kids seems low so I don't see a need to get my kid vaccinated, whether it's one of these kids that are 6 months to 4 years and this new batch or the ones who are 5 to 12. Why should they get their kid vaccinated?

GUPTA: I think once you have an authorization. Once the FDA has basically said, look, it is a risk-reward like with everything in life. The risk, as we're hearing, again, we'll see if the data pans, is there really was no safety events with this age range. The benefit, again, while they're less likely to get sick, 100,000 kids have been hospitalized since August of 2020.

And there is also this, this is a strange virus, Jake. Something we've talked about a long time. A virus that causes isolated loss of smell, something that affects neurological system way that it does, what are the real concerns about long COVID?

[16:10:06]

I'm still in the camp that you don't want this. If you can avoid getting sick from this, that is your best bet. A vaccine if it is authorized, proven to be safe and effective, is a very effective way of doing that.

TAPPER: And we should note, we have five kids among us and all of our kids are vaccinated. This isn't just something that we talk about. We practice it.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Coming up next, the drumbeat of war. How people in Ukraine feel about Russian troops right in their doorstep. CNN is live in one border city.

Plus, upsetting and worrisome alerts on the first day of black history month, bomb threats called into historically black colleges and universities. What are investigators saying about who might be behind the bomb threats?

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Topping our world lead today, Russian President Vladimir Putin today accused the United States of trying to draw Russia into an armed conflict at its Ukrainian border.

[16:15:05]

Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is trying to deter further Russian aggression. Remember, Putin already invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014. Zelensky is today hosting the leaders of the U.K. and Poland in Kyiv, Ukraine, to announce a nebulously defined trilateral alignment. Zelensky saying that Ukraine needs safety and security now, that it cannot afford to wait until it is part of the E.U. or NATO, and offering few specifics of this new pact beyond that.

But on the front line, CNN's Clarissa Ward reports, there are very few signs that Ukraine is prepared for any large scale invasion.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Ukraine's first line of defense if Russia decides to invade. And it is basic. Half a dozen soldiers in snow-covered trenches, no sign of heavy weapons. Russian backed separatists are just half a mile away.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: Every day?

He's saying every night, there's fighting once it gets dark. These front lines have been frozen for years. A Russian offensive would change that in an instant.

But the alarm in Washington is not shared here.

What is amazing to see is that despite the build-up of tanks and heavy weaponry on the Russian side of the border, which is less than 20 miles from here, here on the Ukrainian side, there's no sense at all that anyone is preparing for an invasion.

The sergeant here asked we not give his name. He said he doesn't expect conflict but he is prepared.

Our commanders told us that we must be alert, he tell us. We are ready to meet guests from Russia.

What kind of weapons do you have any position? Do you have any heavy weaponry? I don't see any but I just want to make sure.

You don't need to see and the enemy doesn't need to see, he says, but we have everything.

What they don't have here are many layers of defense. Driving from the front, we see just a handful of check point. If the Ukrainian army can't hold this area, Russian forces could reach Mariupol, a port city of half a million, in hours.

Despite the threat, life here goes on much as normal. At the local markets, stores are open and the shelves are full.

I would love to know if you think there would be a war.

We don't want war. We have children and grandchildren, Natalia says, and there won't be war. We believe that.

Some like Arjan (ph) say that America is exaggerating the threat. No, there will not be a war, he says. It is only Biden who thinks

this.

It is interesting, talking to people here. Nobody seems to be remotely concerned about the prospect of an imminent invasion. These people are no strangers to war. All around, the hollowed out remnants of villages destroyed and abandoned by fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro- Russian separatists.

But whether moved by denial or disbelief, these soldiers and the people they're protecting don't expect history to repeat itself. For now, they wait and they watch and they hope.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WARD (on camera): Now, Jake, the U.S. has been delivering weapons. The most coveted are these tank armor piercing javelin missiles. But one of the conditions of the existing ceasefire or truce, even though it is regularly breached, on the frontlines is that those javelins cannot be moved to those front line positions. That could present a problem for those Ukrainian soldiers that you saw in the sort of, if there was a lighting offensive, and it's worth underscoring just again so that our viewers understand, the overwhelming odds these Ukrainian forces will be facing both on the ground and also in the air -- Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Clarissa Ward reporting live from Ukraine for us -- thanks so much.

Let's discuss all this with retired General Wesley Clark. He was the NATO supreme allied commander from 1997 to 2000.

General Clark, good to see you as always.

I want to start with your reaction to Clarissa's reporting from the border there where she saw very little evidence that Ukrainian forces are preparing for the invasion, or even that they have the weaponry that they would need to beat back such an attack. Does that surprise you? Are you concerned?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: No, not surprised because actually, those forces up there are under the Minsk agreement and they're being told to keep the heavy weapons back and supposedly, the separatists on the other side are being told the same thing. So if you bring the weapons forward, you're actually creating the kind of provocation that Russia might like.

But from a larger strategic perspective, if you were President Zelensky, you wouldn't want everyone running every which way, businesses shuttering, people running out of food, roads jammed with refugees. It would be crazy to do this and you'd be destroying your own economy which is something that Putin is trying to do to Ukraine for eight years now.

So he's got -- he is sort of balanced on a knife edge. He's got his intelligence operations. He's got that his military that are there. They say they're ready to go. He is building civilian forces that could provide counter insurgents,

or insurgency, insurrection against the Russian occupiers, especially in Kharkiv and Kyiv. But, and he's getting U.S. intelligence. But it's a balancing act.

I mean, what if he --

TAPPER: Because he doesn't want his people to panic.

CLARK: What if he'd mobilize this thing in the middle of winter, four weeks ago or before Christmas when we first said there could be 170,000 soldiers?

TAPPER: Right.

CLARK: I mean, you can't put a nation like that on war footing like that.

TAPPER: So everything depends on what Putin decides to do next I guess. He spoke in public today for the first time in more than a month. He said the West is ignoring Russia's security concerns and goading Russia into attacking. He views obviously being surrounded by so many NATO allies as encroachment, being surrounded by the west.

What do you think he might do next?

CLARK: You know, it's unpredictable. I mean, that statement was an answer to what happened in the U.N. yesterday where Russia was just bleeding and bleeding as a result of all of its provocations being showed in front of the world. What could he do next? He could do a bolt attack but that's not the way they usually operate. They usually try to go in on the basis of a provocation.

We found a false flag provocation being formed, but I'm sure he has a couple more up his sleeve. How about, you know, 40 Russian soldiers dressed as Ukrainians attacking into Belarus, killed 20 Belarusians and then you can say, Ukraine can't control its armed forces, they're provoking us. We have to go in.

Or a big demonstration in Kyiv, false blood thrown everywhere, it is out of control. Somebody stands up and says the president has been assassinated. Zelensky says no, I'm not. The media shuts down and the Ukrainian armed forces are told stay in your barracks, and then we're keeping in as the peacekeepers, we're your brothers. And there's confusion and outside, we're just looking and said, what is this?

It's like a large scale repeat of the little green men that we had in 2014 where the world can't quite see what is happening until it's over. That's the best thing for him.

Now, if you think it's beyond Ukraine, then he wants to use that military muscle and get some shock-and-awe.

TAPPER: Right.

CLARK: Frighten the Europeans, so he would like a big air offensive. He'd like to blow up some things. He'd like to show those caliber missiles and those hypersonics and scare the West.

Then you see governments trembling in Western Europe, and people seeing certain parties, opposition parties saying, we told you. You made a big mistake.

Jake, the truth is NATO has never had a plan to attack anyone anywhere until after 9/11, we were in Afghanistan. This is a defensive alliance. He's under absolutely no threat from NATO. He knows it.

This is a game that Putin is playing to try to restore the Soviet Empire.

TAPPER: So the Ukrainian President Zelensky met with both the British and Polish prime minister in Kyiv today. One that was offering tangible help was Germany, which of course wants to benefit from the natural gas pipeline from Russia.

Is that pipeline more important to Germany than even whatever happens to Ukraine?

CLARK: Well, it shouldn't be because Germany is heavily engaged in this. If the chancellor believes that pipeline is more important, he's going to end up with 4 to 6 million Ukrainians as a result of a Russian fake are refugees inside Germany. That's not a pleasant situation. So, that will cost a lot more than the $10.8 billion that that pipeline costs.

The U.S. is working with allies to try to get more natural gas in there to provide a fallback position. And who knows what's going to happen, really?

But here's the thing. Germany's position is with the West. They know it. They have some domestic political issues. They're always sort of fumbling with these things. When you're in NATO, you have to be a democracy.

When you're the United States, you have to respect the internal politics of every NATO country. Germany, no less than France, no less than Britain. Everybody has domestic politics and we do, too.

TAPPER: General Wesley Clark, thanks so much. We really appreciate you being here today.

Coming up next, a strategy session at the White House as President Biden gets toward decide his choice for a Supreme Court nominee.

[16:25:03]

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: In our politics lead, President Biden meeting this afternoon with the top Republican and the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee as the president decides whom he will pick as his first Supreme Court nominee. The judiciary committee will be in charge of holding hearings for the president's eventual pick.

[16:30:00]

CNN's Kaitlan Collins is live for us at the White House right now.

Kaitlan, President Biden just gave some insight into what kind of person he wants to fill this role.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Jake. This is the first formal meeting that we've seen President Biden have since this vacancy was confirmed by Justice Breyer last week. This was, of course, with the top Democrat, the top Republican on this committee.

And while they were talking with reporters in the room, President Biden's own Senate Judiciary chairman came out as he was talking about which kind of nominee he's looking for.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm looking for a candidate of character with the qualities of a judge in terms of being courteous to folks before them and treating people with respect; as well as a judicial philosophy that is more of one that suggests that there are unenumerated rights in the Constitution, and all the amendments mean something, including the Ninth amendment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Now, after leaving, he said he is in the process of picking someone. He even asked for names from Grassley and from Durbin. So, that's suggesting that short list that we've been talking about, Jake, of potential nominees could grow even further. And he said that President Biden told him once they have selected someone, which he plans to do by the end of this month, they are eyeing a kind of 40-day timeline for that confirmation process to happen up on Capitol Hill.

And one other conversation President Biden had with another lawmaker that we were told came at the request of the White House was with Senator Mitch McConnell talking about what Mitch McConnell is looking for when it comes to this process. Of course, we haven't gotten the White House readout of the call of those two yet. That's according to McConnell's office, Jake.

TAPPER: And, Kaitlan, every White House picks somebody they call informally a Sherpa to guide the nominee through the nomination and confirmation process. You've just learned who the White House has picked for this eventual nominee.

COLLINS: Yes, it is actually someone from my home state of Alabama, Doug Jones, who, of course, was the senator who beat Roy Moore in that Senate race. He was the first to be elected in Alabama in three decades. He was also, of course, on the short list for President Biden's attorney general when he was first in office and picking an attorney general. And now, we are told he will be the person who leads that woman,

whoever it is President Biden picks, through the confirmation process on Capitol Hill. As you know, Jake, that is a process that involves a lot of meetings with senators, talking to them about their concerns, what they're looking for in the nominee as the hearings are going on on Capitol. The White House hasn't confirmed it, but we are told by sources that it will be former Senator Doug Jones.

TAPPER: All right. Kaitlan Collins at the White House for us, thanks so much.

On Capitol Hill, another top aide to former President Mike Pence met with the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol insurrection.

Let's get straight to CNN's Ryan Nobles on Capitol Hill.

And, Ryan, tell us about this testimony and how it might fit into the investigation.

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. That's right, Jake. We saw Greg Jacob enter into the room where the 1/6 Select Committee is interviewing people as part of their investigation.

And Jacob is important because he is the former chief counsel to the vice president, Mike Pence. And he was there as Pence was getting this intense pressure from the former President Donald Trump and his conservative lawyers to try to use this power that they believe he had to decertify the election results on January 6th. It was ultimately something that Pence chose not to do and in part, Jacobs was part of that group that advised him against this.

And we know that Jacob had strong feelings about this effort because he wrote an op-ed where he was very critical of the right wing lawyers, John Eastman and Sidney Powell who were trying to convince Pence to do this. Now, this op-ed never got published but the "Washington Post" obtained a copy and published it.

And this is part of what Jacob wrote. He said, quote, the vice president never wavered under the barrage of bankrupt legal theories just as he never left the Capitol building when the assault began. Now that the moment of immediate crisis has passed, the legal profession should dispassionately examine whether the attorneys involved should be disciplined for using their credentials to sell a stream of snake oil to the most powerful office in the world, wrapped in the guise of a lawyer's advice.

And the fact that he is just so critical of these legal theories is important because Jake, as we know, the former president continues to peddle this as an option that Vice President Pence had on January 6th, even as recently as this morning, suggesting that Pence was wrong in not taking that advice and standing in the way of the duly elected president and vice president in Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

TAPPER: Yeah, I'm not sure it's fair to even describe Eastman and Sidney Powell as right wing. I would just call them untethered to reality, to -- derange. I mean, these theories are crazy.

Ryan, we know hundreds of pages of documents from the Trump administration have been turned over. And you're learning some of them have been ripped up.

NOBLES: Yeah, that's right. This is something we knew President Trump did during his time in office, which is in direct violence of the Presidential Records Act, and we're told some of these records that the January 6th Select Committee ultimately had in their possession were ripped up by President Trump according to the National Archives.

[16:35:07]

The Archives actually had to repair them themselves before they were handed over to the January 6th Committee. We don't know what these documents are. We just know at this point it is part of their investigation -- Jake.

TAPPER: Ryan Nobles, thanks so much.

Coming up next, treat of explosion. The scramble to evacuate homes and keep people safe as a dangerous chemical compound burns right now at a fertilizer plant.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: In our national lead today, terror on this first day of Black History Month after bomb threats were called into more than a dozen historically black colleges and universities today.

[16:40:04]

For some, it is the second day in a row for these threats. Many campuses are on lockdown with in-person classes canceled.

Joe Johns is live at Howard University in Washington, D.C. for us, where one of those threats came in.

And, Joe, is the investigation into these threats being handled now at the federal level, given how many there are across the country?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, we know that federal authorities are involved, including the FBI as well as the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. But also important to say, there are so many different law enforcement agencies involved in this, including state as well as local, and campus authorities, too. That's because these threats have occurred in such a large swath of the eastern United States, including here at Howard University, in Maryland, all the way down through North Carolina to Georgia to Louisiana and even Florida. Some other states there as well.

So, a huge swath that they're dealing with. One of the big questions, of course, is motive. Some speculation that this is coinciding intentionally with the beginning of black history month, and we got this tweet today from Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, who said the bomb threats against HCBUs are deeply disturbing.

Today, Congressman Andre Carson and I requested a briefing from the FBI to ensure steps are taken to apprehend the culprits. We must do all that we can to combat the scourge of white supremacist violence and terrorism.

But also important to say, there is reason for at least a little bit of skepticism about the black history month angle simply because the first spate of these threats occurred the very first week of January. And of course, Jake, that was not Black History Month.

TAPPER: And, Joe, these bomb threats are impacting every day operations at many of these schools.

JOHNS: Absolutely. And that's probably the most important thing. They are very much affecting the operations. You have lockdowns from campus to campus. You have stay in place orders.

Here at Howard, for example, the call went out at the first time today around 3:00 a.m. and it is our understanding that they were able to get everything cleaned up and get an all-clear sign out around 7:30 a.m. but many of these other universities around the country were pretty much locked down for the better part of morning, if not all day.

TAPPER: All right. Joe Johns at Howard University for us today. Thank you so much.

In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a large fire and the potential of a massive explosion is forcing authorities and residents to scramble. Six thousand people are being urged to evacuate as officials try to clear out everyone within a 1-mile radius of a fertilizer plant, warning of a potential for a dangerous ammonium nitrate explosion. It's the same compound that killed 15 people in 2013 when a plant in West Texas blew up.

Ammonium nitrate is also commonly used in the improvised explosives such as the one used in the Oklahoma City bombing.

CNN's Dianne Gallagher joins us now live from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Dianne, what are authorities saying about the risk that this plant could explode?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Jake, the risk remains high. And to give you context into how precarious the situation is Winston-Salem, there is three times the amount of ammonium nitrate in this plant in North Carolina than there was in the West Texas plant that exploded, which is why the fire chief says they have gone ahead and try to continue convincing anybody within a one- mile radius to evacuate their home. They went door to door over night, trying to get people to leave, about 2,500 homes. 6,000 people live in the area, including students in a housing area at Wake Forest University.

There was also an evacuation of 220 people who are incarcerated at the Forsyth County Correctional Institute. They were taken to a different prison, a few counties over. They said they're not going to bring them back until they kind of get the all-clear, because in addition to the fear and the potential for an explosion, there's also the air quality situation of the Greater Winston-Salem area.

They do have officials from the EPA and state hazard teams testing air quality around the city right now. But for the fire officials, who have not been on scene actually for about 20 hours at this point because it's simply too dangerous, they say they don't expect to get to their, Jake, to that plan again after leaving until some time tomorrow evening when they believe the risk of explosion may pass.

TAPPER: Dianne, are officials saying what they think caused this fire?

GALLAGHER: At this point, the fire officials, Jake, say they're not sure because they haven't had a chance to get there into the plant to look at it because of the risk of explosion. The facility itself collapsed, and so they removed their firefighters, got them off, and they're going to wait until tomorrow.

[16:45:14]

There was a statement from a staff member there of the Weaver Fertilizer Company who said that they were going to cooperate with any investigation, and at this point, nobody has injured or killed. They are again urging people to stay away from that location because of the fumes but also the danger potential of a potential explosion.

TAPPER: All right. Dianne Gallagher, thanks so much.

Wouldn't be a Tom Brady story I guess without some controversy. This time, was it shade at the patriots or a simple oversight? The scrutiny of Brady's retirement message. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:50:24]

TAPPER: In our sports lead today, a man some herald as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time officially throwing in the towel. Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady announced he's retiring after an incredible 22 NFL seasons. The 44-year-old rose from sixth-round draft pick to one of the most celebrated players in the history of the game, crushing the NFL's records on passing yards, touchdown passes, regular season wins and playoff wins.

But CNN's Andy Scholes reports the statement from the former New England Patriot-turned-Tampa Bay Buccaneer left some Boston die-hards throwing a play on Brady's final play.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just like he did so many times in 22 seasons, Tom Brady's retirement kept us on the edge of our seats, but Brady ending the drama Tuesday morning making it official. In a lengthy Instagram post, the seven-time Super Bowl champion saying in part, this is difficult for me to write, but here it goes. I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now, it is time to focus my time and energy and other things that require my attention.

For so many years, his components must have longed to see the back of him, but now that he's gone, certainly missing him. Tributes started flooding and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell saying Brady inspired fans in New England, Tampa, and around the world with one of the greatest careers in NFL history, it's been a pleasure to watch him compete and have him in the NFL.

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians saying, Tom joined us as the greatest football player of all time and he quickly showed everyone in the organization what that meant.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft adding: Words cannot describe the feelings I have for Tom Brady, nor adequately describe the gratitude my family, the New England Patriots and our fans have for Tom for all he did during his career. And while the Patriots and Kraft thanked Brady for all he did, Brady failed to mention the team or Patriots fans in his lengthy retirement post, despite thanking everyone in Tampa.

BEN VOLIN, NFL WRITER, THE BOSTON GLOBE: This is all the talk right now in Boston. Not to be whiney New England guy, but he released a nine-page retirement statement on Instagram thanking the Bucs, the trainers, his teammates, the city of Tampa, his agent, his trainer. Not one mention of the Patriots or Bill Belichick or Robert Kraft or everyone up here. It's like, what the heck? What's with the snub?

SCHOLES: Brady later posted on Twitter: Thank you, Patriots Nation. I'm beyond grateful. Love you all.

And nobody noticed when Brady entered the league as a sixth round draft in 2000. But through his extraordinary work ethic, he retires as the most extraordinary of all time. He holds many record including most passing yards and passing touchdowns. There were some bumps along the way, most notably deflate-gate when the Patriots were accused of taking air out of the footballs in the NFC title game.

Brady eventually served a four-game suspension in 2016 for violating NFL policy on the integrity of the game. Brady though ended that system with the greatest come back in Super Bowl history, beating the Falcons to win the fifth of his record seven Super Bowl titles.

In sports, we celebrate our champions and cherish our underdogs. No athlete in history has personified both more than Tom Brady.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHOLES (on camera): Yeah. And Brady has been such a huge part of our football lives for the past 22 years. He gave us so many great moments. Jake, you know, even when he lost to your Eagles in the Super Bowl, he threw for a record 505 yards. It is safe to say, there would never be another Tom Brady.

TAPPER: Yeah, that loss was my favorite Tom Brady memory though. Andy Scholes, thank you so much.

Ahead, why authorities in one country decided to lift all COVID restrictions despite a drastic surge in COVID cases.

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[16:58:37]

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

This hour, a rare opportunity in Congress right now. Democrats and Republicans signaling possible cooperation on some modest election reform. I'm going to talk live with one of the senators in the middle of discussions.

Plus, synagogues vandalized, swastikas on buildings, intimidating flyers sent to homes. The alarming incidents of anti-Semitism happening across the country.

And leading this hour, Vladimir Putin today offering no indication that he is willing to de-escalate, keeping a heavy presence along the Russian border with Ukraine. The Kremlin ignoring the U.S. of -- accusing the U.S. of ignoring its concerns as Ukraine tries to keep the peace while lining up key allies.

As CNN's Kylie Atwood reports for us now, Putin's explosive comments come as Ukraine's president seemingly works every diplomatic angle he can find.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the world waits to see if Russia will start a war with Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin says the United States isn't giving the Kremlin what it wants.

PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIA (through translator): The fundamental Russian concerns were ignored. We have not seen adequate consideration of our three key demands.

ATWOOD: His comments, the first in over a month, watched intensely by U.S. officials, reiterating a top demand, that Ukraine not join NATO which the United States has repeatedly called a nonstarter.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: NATO's door is open, remains open.

ATWOOD: State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the U.S. would wait for a formal response from Russia instead of reading into what Putin said today.