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The Lead with Jake Tapper

U.S. Closing Embassy In Kyiv Amid Fears Of Russian Invasion; How A Russian Invasion Of Ukraine Could Affect The U.S. Economy; January 6 Committee Expects Giuliani To "Cooperate Fully" With Subpoena; FDA Wants More Data Before Considering Shots For Younger Kids; L.A. To D.C. Flight Diverted After Passenger Tries To Open Plane Door; Southern California Drought Continues Despite Recent Heavy Rains. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired February 14, 2022 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:08]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Oh, I'm a big observer of Valentine's Day. I already got from my husband this morning a box of chocolates and flowers.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: That's nice.

CAMEROTA: Which is great. And I also gave him chocolate and we gave the kids chocolate. So, we like all that.

BLACKWELL: Everybody gets chocolate.

THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER starts right now.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: The U.S. is temporarily shutting down its embassy in Ukraine.

THE LEAD starts right now.

And this moment, Senate leaders are getting briefed about Russia being able to launch an attack on Ukraine any day now. This as CNN learns from CNN intel sources what they think an invasion might look like.

And even though the possible invasion is thousands of miles away, you could soon be feeling it at your corner gas station and the grocery store. We'll explain.

Then, rain, rain, please don't go away. Southern California experiences the worst drought in 1,200 years. The state is trying new ways to battle this climate crisis.

(MUSIC)

Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

We start today with breaking news in our world lead. The United States is temporarily closing its embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, and moving its diplomats west amid growing fears that Russia will invade Ukraine in the coming days. There are now an estimated 130,000 or so Russian forces stretching across three fronts of Ukraine's border, according to two sources familiar with intelligence.

And U.S. officials are now warning about what they think this attack could look like. Any invasion might start with air and missile attacks on Ukraine's key military infrastructure. Then a barrage of bombs and missiles directed at airfield and early warning systems, followed possibly by an onslaught of Russian troops moving across the border and circling the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv within one to two days. That is according to a senior government official who has been briefed. An untold number of civilians could be caught in any crossfire. This is what U.S. officials say they fear.

Meanwhile, today, the Ukrainian president, a former comedian, he seemed to be making fun of fears of a pending invasion. A U.S. official told "The Associated Press" that Wednesday could be the precise day of the invasion. President Zelensky on Facebook cited that day mockingly as a knew holiday of some sort of a day of unity.

CNN's Phil Mattingly starts off our coverage from White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Biden returned to the White House, faced with a world on edge.

JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We are in the window. An invasion could begin. A major military action could begin by Russia in Ukraine any day now. That includes this coming week before the end of the Olympics.

MATTINGLY: And a world in wait for Russian President Vladimir Putin's next move.

JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: It is entirely possible that he could move with little to no warning.

MATTINGLY: Biden's top advisers engaged in a flurry of calls and meetings. The administration's national security team gathered at the White House with the world engross in an urgent effort to find an elusive off-ramp as massive Russian military drills continue in close proximity to Ukraine's border. Biden spoke by phone with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson this afternoon. His national security adviser briefed top lawmakers about the current state of play.

SULLIVAN: We are prepared to continue to work on diplomacy but we are also prepared to respond in a united and decisive way with our allies and partners, should Russia proceed.

MATTINGLY: Biden speaking to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, just one day after an hour-long phone call with Putin. Though officials said there was no breakthrough or ship in dynamics as more than 100,000 Russian troops ring the borders with Russian leaders closely monitoring every word and statement.

CNN reporting any Russian military action would center on air strikes targeting military installations. In a carefully scripted exchange between Putin and Sergey Lavrov, one

potential signal.

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): If we are ready to listen to counterproposals, it seems to me that its possibilities are far from being exhausted.

MATTINGLY: A statement coming after a top Ukrainian official hinted that a push for NATO membership, a key Russian red line, may be negotiable.

VADYM PRYSTAIKO, UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED KINGDOM: What I'm saying here that we are flexible, trying to find the best way out. If we have to go through some serious, I know, concessions. That's something we might do.

MATTINGLY: It's an idea quietly floated by U.S. officials who privately acknowledge there is no near term path for Ukraine's membership but it is also Ukrainian officials quickly move to walk back.

PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINE (through translator): Yes, we would like to join NATO and it will protect our integrity.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: And, Jake, the addition to close the at least temporarily, the U.S. embassy in Kyiv followed significant actions over the weekend by the State Department to relocate the vast majority of staff from that embassy. The State Department said it was viewed as an absolute necessity because of the, quote, distinct possibility of a Russian invasion sooner rather than later -- Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Phil Mattingly at the White House, thanks so much.

Let's bring in CNN's Clarissa Ward who is live for us in Kyiv, Ukraine. Also, CNN's Nic Robertson who's in Moscow.

Clarissa, we hear this language from the Pentagon that a Russian invasion could happen with little to no notice. We know that U.S. intelligence claims that they anticipated if Russia attacks, the soldiers, the Russian soldiers could encircle Kyiv where you are, in just one or two days. Of course, U.S. intelligence is hardly infallible.

Today on Facebook, Ukrainian, President Zelensky seemed to be making fun of predictions that this invasion could come on Wednesday.

So, are people in Ukraine not worried?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it is fair to say that the atmosphere here. I mean, it's almost like a bizarre split screen between what we're hearing coming from Washington and what we're seeing and hearing here on the ground. People feel that they've been living under the threat of Russian aggression for eight years. It is something they have become accustomed to. If you go out on the streets during the day, it's very calm. It is

Valentine's Day here. There is a big party going on in our very hotel full of red heart balloons and young couples. And it feels like any other European capital.

But when you listen to some of the things that President Zelensky said today, quips aside about tomorrow now being a national unity public holiday as opposed to a day of invasion, there are also some signs that preparations are underway. We know that he issued a decree, for example, talking about how they're going on prepare some kind of a singular information site so that Ukrainians can get ahold of vetted information that he is going to work to improve territorial defenses, that the armed forces are going to get a 30 percent pay raise.

And we also heard today, Jake, from the mayor of Kyiv who said, again, no need to panic but we are looking at making sure that we have enough shelters, should there be some kind of bombing attack. We are looking at planning how we would go about trying to do evacuations if that were to happen.

And so, what you see on the one hand is an effort to calm people down, but on the other hand also, to make sure that they are prepared and they do acknowledge that a threat does exist. No one is pretending it's not. It's just a question of what the scale is.

TAPPER: And, Nick, Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov met with Vladimir Putin today. He told the Russian leader we're told that he still sees a chance for diplomacy. Tell us what you know about their conversation.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, look. It was very well choreographed. It was on state television so it was clearly intended to send a message to the people and an international message as well, which it did. I think it is too soon to interpret the entirety of the message. The simple part is that it is open for diplomacy. What strings are attached and how long does he want to keep his troops training on the borders of Ukraine and keep the threat of that military force and that military pressure up. That's not clear.

I think, you know, we can -- we can over sort of emphasize the angle that this looked very theatrical. Very staged at a long table, that they could have had this behind closed doors and it could have been an announcement on television. But, you know -- and maybe what seems a hand-fisted way to us, they are, President Putin and his team, really do seem to want to communicate this message.

That for them, diplomacy is still something they want. They would point out that they began this whole process back in December by putting forward written demands of security guarantees, their security proposals. So their point underneath all of this, we always wanted to talk about it. You've been misreading with us the troops. But we're still ready to engage.

TAPPER: And, Clarissa, I mean, one of the things on that Russian list of demands included a guarantee that Ukraine never be allowed to join NATO, a commitment about that. Today, we heard the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Adam Smith, suggests that as a possible off-ramp. Not that NATO would make the pledge but he wanted the Ukrainian government to announce that they will not join NATO, at least for some period of time.

What do Ukrainian leaders have to say about ideas like that?

WARD: It's interesting because you saw in Phil's piece that there was some concern when the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.K. over the weekend seemed to imply that perhaps that would be something they would be willing to make a concession with regard to trying to push for NATO membership.

That was brought back very quickly. We flared we heard from the foreign minister who again said we are definitely going forward with NATO membership.

[16:10:01]

We heard also of just in recent hours from President Volodymyr Zelensky himself who again reaffirmed that commitment to try to push for NATO membership.

But behind the scenes, and in private conversations, it does seem that there are many people pushing to have some kind of a concession made, some kind of an extraction that the Russians can claim as a victory that will allow an off-ramp for everybody to de-escalate. And the issue of NATO membership for Ukraine could be a win for all sides, because as we've heard before, the reality is Ukraine is not going to get NATO membership any time soon.

And so, this would be something easy. But symbolically, for Zelensky's government, very, very tricky to pull off.

TAPPER: And, Nic, I think there's a question about whether or not such a move would deter President Putin. And I can already hear people, and think tanks in Washington, D.C. saying you can't reward this kind of behavior by taking NATO membership from Ukraine off the table.

ROBERTSON: Yeah, we heard from President Putin's spokesman this morning saying, look, that would go some way to helping Russia. That they would want this formalized. They've talked about, you know, wanting these things in a legally binding, long lasting, you know, guarantee. That's the sort of language that we heard earlier on today.

But, you know, part of a formulation. And I think the underlying part, the spokesman is getting at here, is that they see Ukraine as a problem. But it's only part of the bigger problem. And that is what they see is NATO's expansion.

So this would go some way. It would have to be legally guaranteed with over a long time period. But there are other things Russia is going to want. So, those think tanks on that point are right. That's not the end of the road for them.

TAPPER: All right. Clarissa Ward in Kyiv, Ukraine. Nic Robertson in Moscow, Russia, thanks to both of you.

Let's talk about this with Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut. He's on the CNN foreign relations committee. He traveled to Ukraine in January with the bipartisan group of lawmakers.

Senator, you said this afternoon that you are seeing signs that Putin may be finally starting to understand the costs of an invasion. What do you mean?

SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): Well, I just take from that very scripted meeting with Lavrov that he's trying to send a signal that there's possibly still an off-ramp here. The problem is I agree with your correspondent. It is likely that he wants that commitment that Ukraine not join NATO in some kind of legally binding document. That is just simply not going to happen. We're not going to end 70 years of NATO's open door policy because Vladimir Putin is throwing a fit.

He also may be getting new information now that he's come out of his bunker. He was sitting in Sochi for a while, by himself, listening to only a handful of people, being told that he was going to be greeted as a liberator when he entered Ukraine.

That is obviously not the case. This is going to be a bloody long term insurgency. There will be body bags returning to Russia on a regular basis. It may be that as he gets closer to the day to decide if he's going in, he is getting a better idea on exactly how bloody this is going to be for his own country.

TAPPER: I don't know if you read the piece, but Anne Applebaum wrote a piece in "The Atlantic" over the weekend, in which she talked about how the West needs to completely rethink the way it engages with Vladimir Putin who does not respect borders. He does not respect prior commitments that his country has made in treaties.

And it just needs to be far more punitive, first of all, ending the West's and Europe's dependence on the country for fuel, for power, punishing him in terms of just eliminating his ability to launder money, not allowing Russian oligarchs to purchase property in Miami, et cetera, that it just needs to be a much more -- he needs to be treated as a pariah.

What do you make of that? Because it certainly seems like nothing else works.

MURPHY: Yeah. I mean, listen, this is obviously an incredibly complicated relationship, in large part because this is still the nation that has more nuclear weapons than any other in the world besides the United States. You cannot have no ability to talk with a country that commands 40 percent of the world's nuclear arsenal.

At the same time, Anne is right. The whole world has become dependent on Russian petrol money. Much of Europe runs on these oligarchs buying up real estate, gas still powers 40 percent of some European countries. We're all going to have to have a fundamental rethink of whether or not the price is worth it to be so dependent on Russian money. There's still plenty of money to buy real estate in the Gulf, if you

want to turn your backs on the Russians for a decade or so. That in the end is maybe one of the most important things could you do to alter Putin's calculus.

He sort of thinks that he can get it all. He thinks he can invade Ukraine, still be able to sell gas and oil to Europe, and still be able to have his oligarchs travel the world.

[16:15:01]

We're going to have to make clear to him that's not the case and we're going to convince our European friends to go along with us.

TAPPER: Your Republican colleague Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said yesterday, that Congress is not doing enough to deter Putin. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): He's got 100,000 troops massed on the Ukrainian border and he's paying no price at all. So, I'd like to hit him now for the provocation and have sanctions spelled out very clearly. What happens to ruble and his oil and gas economy? I think that's what's missing. We're talking way too much and we're doing too little.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: I mean, I've heard that argument a lot and it is hard to -- it is hard to argue that the Biden administration's deterrence, at least as of now, has been proven effective.

MURPHY: So, listen, what the Biden administration is doing is pretty exceptional. I mean, this set of transatlantic and global sanctions being readied against Russia is going to be without precedent in world history and it is going on deal a significant blow to the Russian economy. It is, I think, still factoring into Putin's decision making.

It may be that we don't have deterrent power. Senator Graham's suggestion that we put a small handful of sanctions on Russia today for its provocative actions, I mean, that would certainly bring some satisfaction but I don't think we should overstate the impact of small number of immediate sanctions on Putin's ultimate decision.

I would rather have us back load the sanctions. Make clear to Putin, if he steps any further into Ukraine, it's all going to come crashing down on him. I think that's what the Biden administration is doing.

Listen, it may not be enough to change Putin's mind. There is only so much we can do. But I can't imagine what else the Biden administration could be doing than what they already have.

TAPPER: Senator Chris Murphy, thank you so much for your time today. Appreciate it, sir. With Russia on the tipping point, you can forget about already high

gas prices dropping any time soon. So what can we expect at the pump? That's next.

Plus, an irate passenger comes face to face with a coffee pot after he tries to bust in to the cockpit and open the plane's door. That story next.

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[16:21:11]

TAPPER: And we're back with our money lead.

A possible Russian invasion of Ukraine while thousands of miles away from the United States could have a real impact on the U.S. economy. One way that might happen, high gas prices becoming much higher. Right now, the U.S. is averaging $3.49 a gallon. That's up 18 cents a gallon since last month.

Let's bring in CNN's Matt Egan.

And, Matt, we're already seeing the potential impact of this. Oil just hit its highest price since 2014.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: That's right, Jake.

You know, American consumers could be caught in the middle of this potential conflict. That's because Russia is an energy superpower. It's the number two producer of oil in the world. It produces more oil than Iraq and Canada combined. JPMorgan warned any disruption of oil flows from Russia to the rest of the world could easily send oil to $120 a barrel.

Remember, supply is already failing to keep one demand. That's why we're seeing it rapidly approach $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014. Already up 27 percent this year and we're not even two months into this year.

Any further gains in energy prices will drive up prices at the pump for consumers, the national average, up 6 cents in the past week. I want to caution, there are a lot of unknowns here. We don't know if there will be an invasion and if so, we don't know if energy supplies will be threatened.

But, Jake, for now, nervous investors are buying oil first and asking questions later.

TAPPER: Yeah, we've seen the stock market, Matt, become really volatile over these invasion fears. While the stock market is not the economy, this could affect people's retirement and investment accounts.

EGAN: Yeah, Jake, that's right. Wall Street has already been rattled by this Russia-Ukraine situation. We've seen the stock market retreat for three days in a row. I think the big concern here is what does this potential conflict do to the biggest problem in the economy? That's high inflation. Consumer prices rising at the fastest pace in nearly 40 years, the cost of living is going almost straight up.

In January, we saw record price gains for new cars and trucks, fresh fish and seafood, restaurant meals, appliances, higher energy prices would only drive up the cost to ship goods and to transport it via air, even more.

So, Jake, it is hard to see how this potential war helps inflation. In fact, it could make it even worse.

TAPPER: All right. Matt, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Rudy Giuliani is never one to disappoint. But is Donald Trump's former personal attorney really getting ready to cooperate with the House January 6th Committee? That story, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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TAPPER: In the politics lead today, something, something has Rudy Giuliani changing his tone toward the House committee investigating the January 6th insurrection. Donald Trump's former attorney indicated last month that he would not comply with the subpoena from the committee.

Then, Giuliani cited executive privilege and attorney-client privilege, but now committee aides say they expect Giuliani to, quote, cooperate fully with a subpoena.

Let's bring in CNN's Paula Reid.

Paula, how much is Giuliani engaging with the committee?

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Over the past few weeks, Jake, Giuliani's attorney and the committee, they've been in early talks about ways Giuliani could potentially cooperate. Look, any engagement here is notable, because as you just said, Giuliani's legal team said they wouldn't engage with the committee at all citing privilege.

But over the past few weeks, Giuliani's lawyer asked for a postponement of the subpoena date. He was granted that. And we've learned that one potential area where Giuliani might be willing to engage, he's not going to waive any privilege. He says it's not his to waive executive privilege or attorney-client privilege.

But he said on this issue of potential of election fraud, that is an area where a source familiar with these negotiations said Giuliani could potentially be able to cooperate and we know from our previous reporting that over a dozen of the first requests on this subpoena have to do with allegations of election fraud.

But at this point, Jake, there is absolutely no date for Giuliani to come in and testify. There is no agreement. He has not provided any documents.

[16:30:02]

But these talks continue. They're in the early stages. As you noted, the committee has said they expect him to fully comply.

Of course they do because to say anything different would undermine the legitimacy, the power of the subpoena and any potential contempt case to bring against him.

TAPPER: And, Paula, new this hour, in a separate investigation, the Trump organization's accounting firm has announced that ten years of the financial statements they made about the Trump organization are unreliable. What does that mean?

REID: That's right. Breaking just a short time ago, the Trump Organization and former President Trump's long time accounting firm Mazars says that ten years of accounting statements are no longer reliable. They came to this conclusion after investigations by the New York attorney general as well as some external information that they received. They've also notified Trump that they are dropping him as a client.

Again, this is just breaking news. So far, there is no reaction to this from the Trump organization. But of course, they've been at the center of many legal controversies involving the president and his accounting practices.

TAPPER: All right. Paula Reid, thank you so much.

New information says you may need a second COVID booster shot sooner than you thought. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:35:44]

TAPPER: In our health lead, the message today to parents from the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, Xavier Becerra, quote, just be safe, is obviously easier said than done for many families as school mask mandates rapidly disappear across the country. And the average number of children hospitalized with COVID is still around 2,500.

As CNN's Alexandra Field reports, this all comes as parents are very eager to get their toddlers vaccinated are being told they may have to wait months.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The wait for those who want a vaccine for the youngest children drags on, fueling frustration among parents.

DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER FDA COMMISSIONER: They're going to continue to have to remind vigilant if they're concerned about the risk of infection.

FIELD: The FDA announcing it will wait for more data before consideration emergency use authorization for vaccines for children under 5. Pfizer and BioNTech say they expect to have data on a three- dose regimen in early April. That as more cities and states announced plans to abandon more pandemic-related precautions -- though the CDC still has yet to issue new guidance on lifting restrictions.

GOTTLIEB: I think what you're going to see the CDC do, though, is come out with guidance that is more specific to communities that is based on what the local prevalence is. That's probably where they should have been all along.

FIELD: New COVID cases are the lowest they've been since December, averaging 200,000 daily. But with an average of more than 2,300 Americans still dying daily, the federal government is pumping money into COVID therapies. The army striking $855 million deal for the antibody cocktail which has seemed to work well against omicron for people who are immuno-compromised or can't be vaccinated. The Biden administration also working the deliver where needed other treatments that are still in short supply.

XAVIER BECERRA, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: We continue to encourage to do everything they can to make sure their citizens don't get sick and need these treatments. And the more they use all the preventive measures, vaccinations, masking, testing, the more they can assure themselves that they won't need these treatments later on as dramatically.

FIELD: The only surviving portion of a federal masking mandate takes effect today, requiring the first shot of a vaccine by medical workers. The Supreme Court upholding the mandate which applies to facilities that receive federal funding in a ruling last month.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD: And, Jake, as states look to the federal government to issue guidance on rolling back COVID restrictions, Senator Joe Manchin again relaying that he will oppose the nomination of Dr. Robert Califf to lead the FDA. This, of course, means that the vote will be tight and it will rely on GOP support -- Jake.

TAPPER: That's right. Manchin doesn't think he did enough to prevent the opioid crisis.

Alexandra Field, thanks so much.

Let's bring in Dr. Megan Ranney, a professor of emergency medicine and an associate dean at Brown University School of Public Health.

Dr. Ranney, good to see you again.

As you heard in Alexandra's report, parents who wanted to get their toddlers vaccinated as soon as possible are very frustrated. Is it possible that the FDA is being overly cautious here? DR. MEGAN RANNEY, PROFESSOR OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, BROWN UNIVERSITY:

It is tough to know without seeing the data what the truth is. Here is what I and most other medical and public health experts believe. That the FDA is waiting until we know both safety and efficacy of these vaccines. So although this week is unbelievably frustrating, as a parent myself, I get how tough and annoying and anger-filled parents must feel of those under 5.

At the same time, this week allows us to be sure that these vaccines once approved are both safe and that they work. That's just the most important thing. You don't want put to your kids through getting shots if you're not sure it's going to make a difference.

TAPPER: We also heard the former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said that the rollback of mask mandates means policymakers are shifting the responsibility from the community to individuals.

Do you think this means, the whole idea of we're in this together is officially over?

[16:40:01]

RANNEY: I don't know. I feel like the idea that we were in this together disappeared about a year ago, if not earlier. We've seen a split in policies between different states for quite a while now. This is just another place where Americans are saying that we care largely about ourselves.

Now, here's the good news, Jake. Honestly, by the time that most of these school mask mandates do get lifted, which is in most states, two to four weeks from now, I think the pieces are going to be quite low. We've seen a dramatic case in pediatric and adult cases in the last week. By the time the school mask mandates get lifted, even in schools with low vaccination rates with kids, I think it will be safe for kids to be in school without masks at that point.

I do wish we were showing up to take care of each other but would require all of us getting vaccinated as well and we know that's not what's happening right now.

TAPPER: A CDC study published on Friday shows booster shots two months after the dose, around 87 percent effective in preventing trips to the hospital. But protection did drop off substantially to 66 percent after four months, and just 31 percent after five months. Do you think it might be time for people over the age of 65 to get their fourth shot? A second booster?

RANNEY: The only group that at this point I would recommend a fourth shot for are the immuno-suppressed, those folks who are unlikely to have manufactured antibodies after their first, second or third shots. For those over 65, please mask up when out in public, particularly in those states which are most of them, where cases are still relatively high. It is too soon to go out and get another booster.

A, there are other boosters on the horizon, potentially omicron, specific, and other types. And secondly, we don't know that a fourth booster will make that big of a difference. So, at this point, with cases dropping, you can wait unless you are immuno-suppressed.

TAPPER: Dr. Ranney, good to see you again. Thank you so much.

A decaf defense? How a coffee pot helped stop an unruly passenger who tried to open a plane's door while the flight was in midair.

Then the Western part of U.S. has not seen a drought this bad since, well, since before the United States existed.

That's next.

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[16:47:04]

TAPPER: In our national lead, a cross country flight turned into midair chaos involving an unruly passenger, the door to the plane, and a coffee pot. The American Airlines flight headed from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. ended up landing in Kansas City after the passenger tried to open the plane's door in midair, only to be met with the coffee pot wielding flight attendant.

Tom Foreman is here now.

Tom, what in the world led up to this?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they don't know what started it. According to the affidavit which we just received from the Department of Justice, there was some disturbance in the back of the plane.

There's a 50-year-old guy, 6'3", 240 pounds. His name is Juan Humberto Rivas. He comes to the front of the plane according to the affidavit, where he is muttering these strange things, which they don't understand. He picks up some plastic utensils, which he's wielding like a sheave, threatening people. He starts shoving a service cart into them and kicking at it.

Then while that's happening, he then grabs the boarding door and swings the handle open as if to open the plane up like this. The flight attendant grabs a coffee pot and clocks him on the head.

And then some of the passengers decide, they need help, one including a cop, some possibly Air Force people or military people. They rush up, grab the guy, punch him, grab him by the neck, taken to the ground and restrain him with zip ties and with duct tape. He is now charged with one count of assaulting and a flight attendant and, of course, the flight had to land in Kansas City to get him off and have him taken into custody.

TAPPER: Last year, we saw nearly 6,000 of these kinds of air disturbance cases, all of them different of course. The vast majority blamed on masking and people having problems with the mask. Is the rate the same this year?

FOREMAN: The rate at the moment looks a little bit lower. If you look at the numbers, a little lower across the board. We're only 45 days into the year. That's a small sample out of 365. So, we don't know how it will be for the year.

I will say the mask issue continues to be a concern in part because they're retreating from masks in so many places on land. People get on planes and they're still being told, you must mask here. There's some concern that is a flash point for some people.

Also, authorities are finding more guns coming through security. They're intercepting more guns. So people are concerned that if you put those two together, not a good combination. We don't really know why it is all happening. We know it does keep happening.

TAPPER: All right. Tom Foreman, thank you so much.

Neither weather forecasters nor Cincinnati Bengals fans got what they were predicting yesterday when it came to the Super Bowl. The Bengals, of course, lost to the Los Angeles Rams, 23-20. And weather forecasters looking for the hottest ever Super Bowl, well, they missed the mark as well. Sunday's game time at that was 82 degrees.

[16:50:02]

Not 90 as had been forecasted and not the record 84 degrees for 1973's Miami-Washington Super Bowl at the L.A. coliseum. Which in a convenient segue brings us to our earth matters series.

As CNN's Stephanie Elam reports, not only does the Cincinnati Super Bowl drought continue. So does the very real physical drought, wreaking havoc on southern California.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the song goes --

(MUSIC)

ELAM: It never rains in southern California. Okay. Sometimes it does, but not reliably.

DAVID FELDMAN, PROFESSOR OF URBAN PLANNING AND PUBLIC POLICY, UC IRVINE: We're going for periods of a long time without rainfall and then bang. We'll get periods of very intense rainfall and flooding.

ELAM: Those swings can be drastic. In December, almost ten inches of rain fell in Los Angeles, making it the second wettest December on record, according to NOAA. That was followed by the eighth driest January ever. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain fell. As Los Angeles is once again in a drought, this one stretching into its third year, every drop counts.

ANSELMO COLLINS, SR. ASST. GENERAL MANAGER, LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER & POWER: The priority in getting water is the one that's falling directly from the sky. With the county, for example, it has storm control dams where they can actually store the water. ELAM: Then some of the water is released to spreading grounds. Open

dirt basins that absorb the water, recharging the underground aquifers.

COLLINS: So it is actually cleaning the water as well. Now, when we pump it later on, we treat it again and then it goes into our water distribution system. But obviously, when you talk about water, something very personal to people. It is something that you put into your body.

ELAM: Water saved for those dry days. With as much as 90 percent of L.A.'s water imported from northern California, the Sierra Nevada mountains, and the Colorado River basin, these storm water capture programs aren't nearly enough to meet demand. The plan in progress is for 70 percent of L.A.'s water to be locally sourced by 2035.

TRACI MINAMIDE, COO, LOS ANGELES SANITATION & ENVIRONMENT: One of our major focuses is on recycled water. This is a goal the city of Los Angeles has to recycle 100 percent of all the waste water we have, and that will help us provide a local source of water that is sustainable and consistent.

ELAM: Where is that water coming from?

MINAMIDE: The recycled water is coming through the waste water collection system across our whole network, 6,500 miles of sewer.

ELAM: Yeah. Waste water, but it gets treated a lot.

MINAMIDE: Advance treated, very high purity water, better than distilled water, and then supply it for a source of ground water infiltration.

ELAM: Other projects look to beautify while capturing storm water for irrigation in communities throughout the city.

MINAMIDE: We're pulling out water that we otherwise go to the storm drains and we're reusing it locally.

ELAM: What is also just as important, these experts say, is for Angelinos to stay committed to conserving water.

FELDMAN: Water isn't free. It is more valuable than any other resources we have.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM: And just like we were so excited in December about the rain, it is just a different story so far this year, through today. According to NOAA, we have only received .09 inches of rain so far.

But this is not a problem limited to just Los Angeles. Across the West, a new study today says that for the period of 2000 to 2021, it was the driest period in 1,200 years. And they're saying that this mega drought is being made worse because of the human forces here in climate change. All of that keeping people really in their minds about how they need

to focus this drought. Of course, we're supposed to get some rain tomorrow, Jake, but it is just the idea of rain. Nothing will change.

TAPPER: All right. Stephanie Elam, thanks so much.

She's already on thin ice, but the Russian figure skater who had the positive doping test will be allowed to skate tomorrow but she will not be allowed to take the podium if she wins a medal. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:58:52]

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

This hour, doping scandal outrage. Olympic athletes react to the news that a Russian skater who failed a doping test will be allowed to compete anyway. Former bronze medalist Adam Rippon joins us live.

Plus, progressive pushback, one of the most liberal cities starting to revolt against COVID restrictions. We're taking a deep dive in what appears to be a growing trend on the left now as well.

And leading this hour, breaking news. Moments ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said Putin is, quote, willing to negotiate. This come hours after the U.S. announced it is temporarily closing the U.S. embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine. And U.S. intelligence sources tell CNN, Russia's attack, if it happens, could start to anticipate with airstrikes and end up with Russian troops in the Ukrainian capital within two days.

Now, as CNN's Matthew Chance reports for us from Kyiv, U.S. officials are preparing for an onslaught of Russian troops moving across the Ukrainian border and fearing that innocent civilians could get caught in the cross fire.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voce-over): A first strike on Ukraine may start with a barrage of air and missile attacks.