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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Ukrainian SPOX: 150,000 Troops Is Not Enough For Full-Scale Invasion; Sen. Bob Menendez, (D-NJ), Is Interviewed About Ukraine, Russia, Cyberattack, Sanctions; U.S. & NATO: No Proof Of Russian Pullback Despite Kremlin Claims; Senate Negotiators In A Stalemate Over Russia Sanctions Bill; T.X. Early Voting Begins As New Restrictive Voting Law Takes Effect; SF Voters Oust School Board Members Over COVID Frustration; Chinese Government Jails Journalist Reporting On Reality Of Pandemic; FAA Refers 80 Unruly Passenger Cases To DOJ For Criminal Prosecution; CNN's Look Inside NYC's Supervised Drug-Injection Sites; Older Cell Phones & Home Security Systems May Not Work When AT&T Shuts Down 3G Network Next Week. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired February 16, 2022 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is reporting coming to CNN saying that there have been satellite images and we've seen these images, of course, of what appears to be a temporary or pontoon bridge that sprung up in the past couple of weeks over the Pripyat river, which is a big long river about 400 miles or so long, that runs largely through Belarus and just a short distance from the Ukrainian border. And that bridge is sprung up in an area whether a Russian and Belarusian tanks and other armored forces that have been concentrated raising the possibility that it could be if you're looking for evidence that, you know, the Russians are poised to come into Ukraine, something of course, they deny their planning, then that's a bridge they could use that. I think there are other bridges across the Pripyat River as well.

But I think what it does is this very interesting thing, it's like with all of these exercises and all these maneuvers we've seen from Russia, it leaves us in no doubt about the capability of Russian forces. They can build bridges, they can assemble their forces in the region close to Ukraine's border. It doesn't tell us very much, unfortunately, about what Vladimir Putin intends to do the 59th minute and the 11th hour, Jake.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: All right, Matthew Chance in Kyiv, Ukraine, thank you so much.

East of Kyiv and about 25 miles from the border with Russia, CNN's Sam Kiley has been speaking to Ukrainians in Kharkiv, about how they feel about a possible Russian invasion on a day that the Ukrainian president has marked the National Day of Unity.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The chorus of Kharkiv opera house singing in defiance of this, Russia amassing what the U.S. says are 150,000 troops on three sides of Ukraine's border.

In Kharkiv, 25 miles from the frontier, a Day of National Unity is quickly marked amid dire warnings from Washington.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: An invasion remains distinctly possible.

KILEY (voice-over): Here though, a message of calm.

(on camera): Do you expect an invasion?

(voice-over): No, we don't expect it, he says. I think we should be ready for anything. But I'm also sure everything is going to be fine.

If the Russians did attack, they'd have a short run to Kharkiv.

(on camera): We're driving north towards the border with Russia, which is now about 15 or 20 minutes away. About half an hour and beyond that is the City of Belgorod (ph).

Now around Belgorod, according to Russian reports, there is the first Guards Tank Army. On paper they're capable of mastering 50,000 or so infantry, 600 to 800 tanks. They have a scanner surface to surface missiles. But there isn't a single sign on this road, North of Kharkiv, a city of 1.5 million, people of any kind of Ukrainian military activity.

(voice-over): Just trucks waiting for routine crossing into Russia. And business as usual at the border crossing here. Russia is on the other side of that fence. The locals here relaxed.

Lyudmila (ph) says, how is it that we're forced to quarrel with our brothers? I just can't comprehend it. On the contrary, we should not have borders at all.

There is no will to fight with Russia and we don't see the will of the Russians to fight with us. There are no armed forces not even a hint, says Alexander (ph).

In case Russia does send tanks into this vast landscape, Ukrainians insist that they recall the words of their national anthem. Our enemies will die as the Judas in the sunshine, and we brothers will live happily in our land.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

KILEY: Now, Jake, the NATO Secretary General speaking at a major meeting of foreign ministers of NATO, said today that this kind of thing, the massing of Russian troops, the exercise of military muscle in order to achieve political ends are causing of stability of the sort mentioned in Matthew's exclusive intelligence report there is now part of the new normal. And for that reason, looking into the future, he's suggesting that whatever else comes out of this the NATO will be reinforcing its eastern flank, Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Sam Kiley in Kharkiv, Ukraine, thank you so much. Joining us now live to discuss, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Mr. Chairman, good to see you.

The Ukrainian government believes that the current Russian troop level is not enough for a full scale invasion. Do you agree?

SEN. BOB MENENDEZ (D-NJ), CHAIRMAN, FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: Well, I respect the analysis of our intelligence and military and they believe it is sufficient for a full scale invasion. Now, you know, we agree that there's about 150,000 troops, Russian troops, at the end of the day I think that that can cause -- surrounded by three sides that Ukraine being, I think that can cause an enormous consequence to Ukraine if Putin decides to invade.

[17:05:10]

Maybe they think that, you know, the spirit of Ukrainians would be a bigger match for Russians in terms of a decision to invade, but that seems to be more than enough for them to have a full scale invasion.

TAPPER: U.S. officials have been saying that military action by Russia in Ukraine could happen as soon as this week. It's now Wednesday. Do you think Ukraine is possibly at less risk today than it was a week ago?

MENENDEZ: No, I don't. I don't, why? You don't have cyberattacks against Ukrainian central banks and the Department of Defense if you're intending to find a pathway to diplomacy. You don't amass more troops if your purpose is a pathway to diplomacy. You don't talk about a genocide in the Donbass, as Putin has been talking about, which doesn't exist, totally false, but as possibly a pretextual reason to invade Ukraine. Those are all among many other actions that just speak to not a pathway to diplomacy, but a pathway to conflict.

TAPPER: The Government of Ukraine has not yet said that they think, for sure, the Russians were responsible for the cyberattacks on the Ministry of Defense and those two prominent banks. Do you have information that says the Russians were in fact responsible?

MENENDEZ: Well, I can just say that all the indications lead to it being the Russians. And, you know, it just is common sense at this point that that is part of the modus operandi of Russia. It finds destabilizing ways before it might very well create an attack.

And we're going to know, Jake, because these maneuvers that have been taking place, supposedly were maneuvers that they do annually including with Belarus are supposed to end on Sunday. So, if it ends on Sunday, then we would expect a significant withdrawals of Russian troops from the area because the maneuvers are over. But if they don't, then this is just a constant challenge to Ukraine and asphyxiation of the country as it tries to move forward, you know, to a better day.

TAPPER: You've called Russia and claims that they're open to more diplomatic talks, a dog and pony show. But beyond diplomacy, what other options does the West have?

MENENDEZ: Well, what I specifically claimed was a dog and pony show was that session he had with the Foreign Minister Lavrov in public, they never have discussions like that in public. It was all -- that was a dog and pony show.

Look, I hope that the intense diplomacy that is being waged by the United States and our allies, the very clear message that President Biden put out there that NATO and the United States are not a threat to Russia, and that there is a diplomatic pathway forward. And the threats of, you know, a crushing sanctions on the Russian economy and people as well as the lethal ability of the Ukrainian army today much different than in in 2014 is ultimately making Putin recalculate and finding a diplomatic pathway. But everything he does belies his words. We need to see verifiable actions that move us in a different direction towards a diplomatic offering.

TAPPER: You and your Republican counterpart on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee were working on a bipartisan sanctions bill against Russia. It now appears that that bill is no longer operative after weeks of negotiations. Now, you voicing -- you have been voicing your disappointment with Senate Republicans for introducing their own sanctions package. It appears the biggest difference is that the Republicans want sanctions now, Democrats want to wait until when or if Russia invades. Is that how you see it?

MENENDEZ: No. Look, we worked in good faith, I believe, for several weeks. You know, when Senator McConnell, the Republican leader last week said, well, I don't really think we need a sanctions packet because the President has all the authorities he needs to put sort of like, you know, some cold water on the effort.

And then, you know, I offered some more opportunities to move in Republicans directions, in addition to everything I had already accepted to a bill that I call the mother of all sanctions in the first place. And yet it's still -- first of all, they didn't respond to that, then they dropped their own bill. So, I regret that we haven't achieved that.

I'm glad that both the Democratic and Republican leaders, along with the 10 national security committees chair and ranking members put out a strong bipartisan statement yesterday. Senator Shaheen and Senator Portman are working on one that I support and will cosponsor for the Senate as a whole to express themselves in support of Ukraine.

[17:10:03]

And the one thing that should be clear, Jake, is that we're all agree on two major things. Number one, we support Ukraine unequivocally. And support means both lethal and nonlethal. And number two, we all believe that there must be swift and punishing sanctions against Putin if he invades Ukraine. On that, there is consensus. Maybe the details of how you do that is another question.

TAPPER: In the last hour, I spoke with your colleague Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. He says his bill, their sanctions bill comes down harder in Russia. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. PAT TOOMEY (R-PA): The big difference between our two approaches is in our bill, we impose secondary sanctions on Russian banks. And what that does, that has the effect of really shutting down the Russian economy probably crashes the ruble, makes it very difficult for them to sell even oil and gas anywhere in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Could you get on board with that if Russia were to invade?

MENENDEZ: Well, my legislation had removal from SWIFT, which was the sanctions that bought Iran to the negotiating table, and I think is far more powerful than secondary sanctions. And secondly, what SWIFT doesn't do, removing Russia from the SWIFT system, is break the alliance with Europe. Secondary sanctions on a series of European companies and financial institutions breaks the alliance. And we need an alliance to have multilateral sanctions on Russia and Putin if he makes the mistake of invading.

TAPPER: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez in New Jersey, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

Just across the Ukrainian border, American forces are getting ready. CNN is there as more U.S. troops land in Poland.

And then, should passengers who assault flight attendants or refuse to wear masks on board, should they be put on a no fly list? That debate is ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:16:07]

TAPPER: Staying with the world lead, the U.S. is open what it calls a welcome center near Poland's border with Ukraine to help Americans crossing that border and get away from a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. And as those American citizens arrive in Poland, so are U.S. forces with more large military planes landing today packed with service members heavy equipment and truck.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is in Poland as the U.S. military makes its presence known.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice-over): They don't really want you to see this, but it's hard to hide. These are U.S. troops landing near the Polish border with Ukraine. High end Blackhawks C17 cargo planes dozens in the past days. Media haven't been given official access but they're pretty hard to miss.

Trucks, pallets signs these 82nd airborne from Fort Bragg are not here, an hour's drive from Ukraine just overnight. They even came this day with a Cessna light aircraft, which seems to be innocently carrying top brass who get onto a nearby helicopter. Moscow may point to these scenes as NATO massing troops on Ukraine's border. But these are here with the approval of Poland, a NATO member.

(on camera): And a standoff that's all about messaging. These American troops are about ensuring U.S. allies feel their presence.

(voice-over): The unit we saw decamped to a nearby conference center. They're here just in case to help stranded Americans in Ukraine if the need arises.

These sorts of movements in NATO war games and drills have been practiced for years. They don't really want us to see this, but larger base where they are.

(on camera): Are the Americans over here? This is their main base, yes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't talk about this.

WALSH (on camera): I understand. Can we talk to somebody about this or?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

WALSH (voice-over): They walk right by us.

(on camera): Don't be afraid. It's all right.

(voice-over): And the size of the operation, these are a lot of tents over a wide area is both what you might expect to support that many soldiers, but also something that is almost definitely not for show and portrays a lot of readiness, even if you hope they all stay bored and cold on the canvas in the weeks ahead.

The border with Ukraine an hour away is normally busy. But Sasha (ph) is on his way back in as his visa has run out.

Ukraine is my country. I have to stay, he says, yes in the army if needs be, but no running away.

But another crossing, Ukrainians returning a pretty blunt. He won't get as far as Kyiv. We won't let him, Juan (ph) says. We will raise a resistance, fight him in the woods. It'll be like stealing (ph), his own people will kill him.

Bravado (ph) running hot, far, far away from a frontline that is still mostly cold.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WALSH: Now, Jake, it's important to point out the Polish side of the Polish Ukrainian border behind me here is quiet no signs of anyone fleeing. The conflict that hasn't started yet. In fact, we've seen mostly Ukrainians headed back the vehicle checkpoint over there very busy even at night here. But the scenes we saw earlier today, so many U.S. troops coming here into Poland, so close to a country that's some signs suggest could be in severe danger in the weeks ahead is remarkable to see. NATO's drill this, they practice these sorts of movements around Europe's east for years. But it's remarkable to see this happening what seems like because of a real actual possible imminent threat, Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Nick Paton Walsh in Poland for us, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

The condition of an American contained in Russia may be deteriorating quickly today. The spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow tweeted quote, "In December Trevor Reed had prolonged exposure to another prisoner with active tuberculosis. Trevor now reports he's coughing up blood and has not received medical care for medical care for it. Russia give Trevor proper medical treatment, better yet, release him," unquote.

[17:20:17]

A Reed family spokesman says the 30-year-old has complained of chest pain and Russian authorities have refused medical care. Reed, of course, is a former U.S. Marine who was arrested in Moscow in 2019. He was sentenced to nine years in prison after a Russian judge said that he endangered the life and health of the arresting officers. Reed had said he was drunk and does not remember the incident. He's one of two former Marines detained in Russia right now, Paul Whelan is also behind bars in a separate prison.

Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told me Sunday the U.S. is actively trying to bring both men home and the Russians have been willing to engage in those discussions.

Three tries that's how many attempts it took for one woman to vote in Texas after the state passed a new restrictive voting law and she is hardly alone. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:25:27]

TAPPER: In our politics lead right now early voting is underway in Texas for their March 1 primary election. It's the first test for the state's new restrictive voting law. And we're seeing early signs that the Lone Star State is not succeeding in addition to already restrictive mail-in ballot requirements. The new law requires voters to remember information potentially from decades ago. And CNN's Dianne Gallagher reports that has resulted in a slew of rejected ballots, including that of a World War II veteran.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

PAM GASKIN, TEXAS VOTER: Well, I'm angry. I am -- I'm righteously angry

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After decades of helping others make a plan to vote, a controversial new election law landed 74-year-old Pam Gaskin in unfamiliar territory. Her mail ballot application was denied not once, but twice.

GASKIN: I am Pam Gaskin, you know, super voter. How could this happen?

GALLAGHER (voice-over): First, Fort Bend County had yet to update applications under the new law, which now requires voters to add their Texas driver's license or partial social security number to the application, which is what Gaskin did in her second attempt. But there's a catch.

GASKIN: The law says it has to be the number that was on your application when you registered to vote.

GALLAGHER (on camera): When did you register to vote?

GASKIN: Forty-six years ago in this county.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): Because she wrote her valid license number but had registered with her social, the application was rejected.

KENNETH THOMPSON, TEXAS VOTER: People not going to vote.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): Ninety-five-year-old World War II veteran Kenneth Thompson's (ph) valid application was also denied twice. In 1940s Harris County, he didn't use either number to register, so no match.

In Texas, only a person who has over 65, disabled or out of the county can vote by mail. But days before the application deadline, there are 1000s of rejections across the entire state, all political parties. And this isn't the only problem.

ISABEL LONGORIA, HARRIS COUNTY ELECTION ADMINISTRATOR: That's 5000 cuts.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): A tight timeline to implement changes means less training and voter education. Says Harris County Election administrator Isabel Longoria, 14 percent of mail ballot applications there have been rejected over I.D. issues so far.

LONGORIA: We're still getting e-mails on all these tweaks in the laws.

And what we're leading to now is a higher than usual, most double rejection of mail ballot applications.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): But now the actual ballots are also being flagged and returned across the state. Nearly 40 percent so far in Harris County, overwhelmingly due to the new I.D. requirements which voters need to write again in a space under the flap on the external ballot return envelope. There's so much confusion, she's doubled staffing at phone banks.

LONGORIA: We got 8,000 calls in January alone, 5,000 of which were about mail ballot voting.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): Texas is one of 19 states that passed restrictive voting legislation in 2021.

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): Now let's make this panel.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): But before Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 1 into law late last year, activist warned lawmakers about potential snares like I.D. match and complicated envelopes.

SARAH LABOWITZ, POLICY & ADVOCACY DIRECTOR, ACLU OF TEXAS: The challenges that we're seeing now are a feature of SB 1 of the voting law not a bug.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): The Secretary of State's office telling CNN in a statement, "Our office has been working as quickly and diligently as possible within a compressed timeframe to provide guidance to both election officials and voters on changes to the voting process in Texas.

For Gaskin, the long journey is almost complete. An online ballot tracker now required under the new law says hers has been received.

GASKIN: Twenty-eight days, three attempts success. What worries me is that everybody is not as tenacious as I am. They're not going to stick with it.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

GALLAGHER: Now, there is a lot of attention on the male ballot part of this. But early in person voting started this week in Texas, Jake, and activist are watching another component of that new law. That's the further empowerment and access for those partisan poll watchers. It's something else that they testify leading up to the lobbying past, saying they were concerned about intimidation, especially in this exceptionally charged climate that we've been living in the past few years.

TAPPER: All right, Dianne Gallagher in Houston, Texas for us, thanks so much.

Let's bring in our panel. CNN Political Commentators S.E. Cupp and Bakari Sellers.

S.E., you just heard Dianne's report. Three attempts to send in a ballot, 28 days. I would say the law doesn't appear to be working but maybe it is working exactly as they intended.

S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, this is by design. This is not complicated. This is what -- the point was for Republicans who wanted to gum up the system and make voting harder. When you want to make voting harder, it's because you don't want people to vote. You don't want people to vote because you don't want them to vote for the other guy.

You know, I don't want to sound dramatic, but fascism has the same goal. Fascism bands opposition parties to achieve the same kind of outcome. Obviously, we're not a fascist government. But this is kind of a workaround to make it impossible for a lot of people to vote. And that's, frankly, what happens when you're out of ideas. When, you know, limiting democracy and access to voting is all you're bringing to the table as the Republican Party, you're just out of ideas.

TAPPER: Bakari, you're in South Carolina, where you must have seen a lot of that, people trying to make a tougher to vote.

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I mean, throughout the south, and I don't think we have to go to fascism, although S.E. is right about what it is. I mean, you can just go to age old racism. And this hasn't been that long ago where we had laws that were passed, which prevented people of color, the elderly, the impoverished, from having access to the ballot box. We're talking about the 40s, 50s in the early part of the 60s. And that's why you had things such as the Voting Rights Act and preclearance, things that John Roberts began to get. And then the Republican Party, this new age Republican Party just set a flame to the remaining part of the Voting Rights Act.

But look, this is not a bug, this is a feature. This is what the Republican Party, particularly southern legislatures want to do. It is racist on its face. It is anti-democratic, and it's un-American, and we have to call it out as such. And the frustrating part for me, Jake, sitting before you is that these are the same battles my father fought. And here I am again, 30 years younger than my dad still fighting those battles.

And we have individuals -- you couple that with individuals like Kyrsten Sinema, and Joe Manchin, who simply don't give a damn, then you find yourself in a position right now, where a lot of black voters are going to suffer from exhaustion, throw their hands up and say I'm tired of jumping over these these hurdles.

TAPPER: S.E., let's turn to the political fights surrounding schools. CNN projects at three San Francisco School board members have been pushed down by voters on Tuesday after that nasty recall fight that pitted Democrats against Democrats. Parents at the board was too focused on renaming schools instead of reopening schools. S.E., do you think this should serve as a wakeup call to Democrats about the most important issue facing so many parents and that is can their kids get an education?

CUPP: Yes, and excuse me. I have a tickle. COVID really did break on party lines in a lot of ways, especially on masks and vaccines. But in one way, it really was a bridge between the parties and that's where schools were concerned. And I think a lot of parents woke up because of COVID.

And when it came to whether, you know, Virginia or San Francisco, I mean, these weren't Trump voters and Fox News viewers coming for suddenly school boards and teachers unions, and Democrats. I mean, this was Northern Virginia deciding that Terry McAuliffe didn't get it. And this was radical San Francisco where there are more dogs than kids, frankly, you know, telling progressives in San Francisco, we don't care about the murals and the building names, we want our kids back in school safely and getting a good education.

So I think parents have really woken up. And I think that needs to wake Democrats up. I think Democrats long felt as if they were the party of parents, and I think took a lot of voters for granted on those lines. And I think parents are taking back sort of the autonomy and the control that I think they surrendered for a very long time to politics.

TAPPER: Bakari, your response?

SELLERS: No, S.E. is right. And, Jake, if you recall on State of the Union on Sunday, Hilary Rosen use the term parental exhaustion. And the fact -- and that's exactly what it is. And Democrats haven't tapped into that angst, that frustration. It seems as if we don't understand or don't get that parental exhaustion that's come along with COVID.

And so, whether or not you're in Northern Virginia, it's a lesson that Terry McAuliffe had to learn or you're in San Francisco, this is actually something that Republicans have gotten right. They've actually I don't want to say listen to parents, but they've actually gotten out of the way of parents and they've mobilized and parents are mobilized more than they have done in the past.

And so, yes, Democrats have to stop talking as much on COVID and begin to listen. I understand and believe and following the science, don't get me wrong, I understand the necessity of vaccines and mandates but I also know that there's a human component and we have to begin to listen to parents as well, something that elected officials are going to have to begin to ascribe to us. They're going to find themselves out of a job.

[17:35:16]

TAPPER: Bakari Sellers and S.E. Cupp, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

In China, people who tell the truth about the COVID pandemic tend to never be heard from again. We're going to go behind China's wall, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Now our behind China's wall series in which we go behind the fanfare and the glamour of the Olympic Games, the Chinese government obviously hoping to use the games to distract the world from its crackdowns on freedoms and its crimes against humanity and its genocide. Today we're going to take a look at how the Chinese Communist Party brutally cracks down on its own people who try to report the truth especially when it comes to the COVID outbreak.

For example, journalists Zhang Zhan has been in prison since May 2020 for reporting on the initial COVID outbreak in Wuhan, China. The government sentenced her to four years in prison for, quote, picking quarrels and provoking trouble, unquote.

[17:40:09]

CNN's David Culver joins us now live from Beijing. And David, Zhang Zhan story really illustrates the Chinese government's suppression of Chinese journalists and just facts.

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It does, Jake. And, you know, this is often overlooked that among the first reporting the truth about what was then this mystery illness were Chinese journalists before they got shut down and punished and some disappeared. Zhang Zhan, it was in Wuhan early on. She was trying to sound the alarm based on what she was seeing. And as you point out, in May 2020, authorities charged her with picking quarrels and provoking trouble. That is charged often used to silence government critics here.

But Zhang remain defiant, even in prison. She went on a hunger strike for months, nearly dying, that terrified officials so they actually ended up forcing a feeding tube into her to keep her alive. Now my team has been in touch with Zhang's lawyer. Her mom was able to briefly video chat with her in late January and says she appears to be in better health. She's eating again, slowly gaining some strength. She's also now starting to walk by herself again. But that tells you just how close to death she came.

Zhang Zhan is, by no means, an isolated case. The Chinese government has targeted a number of citizen journalists who tried to document and uncover the reality of the pandemic. We can show you some of them here. Some were detained, some punished, some simply disappeared. And we're not only talking about journalists, healthcare workers also tried to sound the alarm.

Healthcare workers like Dr. Li Wenliang, he was among -- one of the first to warn people about the virus. He got in trouble with police. And Jake, he eventually died from the virus.

TAPPER: And David, it's not only cracking down on whistleblowers, right, there's a coordinated government propaganda campaign about COVID underway. Tell us about that.

CULVER: Yes, so it's coordinated, it's also relentless, and it's this propaganda push that is still ongoing. On top of silencing the whistleblowers, the Chinese government also creating this surge of conspiracy theories. The apparent goal is to deflect blame on the virus origins and sow doubt, baselessly alleging at times that the virus is an imported threat that started elsewhere, like the U.S.

Now this is all part of this effort to reclaim the narrative of the pandemic, especially as China prepared to host these -- the Winter Games, something that are incredibly important to them. And the COVID containment measures that we've seen being put in place, they further allowed the central government here to keep physical control of things too.

We've covered the endless lockdown, the arbitrary quarantine, the strict contact tracing. Effective in stopping the spread of the virus, sure, but the central government is using state media here to press the continued need for these strict measures. And we can show you a recent snapshot of Chinese state media headlines. They continue, Jake, to point this bleak and horrifying picture of COVID situations overseas in places like the U.S. All of that allows them to justify their actions right here at home, Jake. TAPPER: David Culver with the latest installment of behind China's wall. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Do you know someone who has refused to wear a mask on a plane or started throwing punches or started attacking flight attendants? Well, if so, the Justice Department might want to hear from you. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:47:43]

TAPPER: In our national lead today, 80 cases of violent unruly passengers on commercial airplanes are now in the hands of the U.S. Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution, that's according to the FAA. Let's get right to CNN Aviation Correspondent Pete Muntean. Pete, this is more than double since November?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jake. And the FAA says these are the most extreme cases that it's now referring to the Justice Department for these passengers to face possible criminal prosecution. We're talking about assaults on fellow passengers, on members of the flight crew. The FAA says, in some instances, these involve cases of sexual assault.

Those 43 new cases now bring that total to 80 cases referred to the Justice Department since the FAA and acted a zero tolerance policy against unruly passengers early last year. But consider that that represents really only about 1 percent of the 6,480 reports by flight crews to the FAA about unruly passengers, the FAA underscores that it is a pretty high bar to clear in order to pass one of these cases on to the Justice Department. And simply not every report clears that big threshold.

The FAA does note that it can only assess civil fines against unruly passengers. It does not have the power to bring criminal charges. And that's why this latest announcement is really so key, Jake.

TAPPER: So let's talk about that because the Justice Department's considering whether unruly passengers should be put on a no-fly list. There is a group of Republican senators who are voicing opposition to this no-fly list.

MUNTEAN: Well, the issue here, Jake, is that one passenger could get banned from flying on one airline and then conceivably fly in a different airline completely unnoticed that they're involved in an unruly passenger incident. So these eight Republican senators have now written the Attorney General Merrick Garland to say that a federal no- fly list, adding unruly passengers to that, would essentially acquit them to terrorists, especially when so many of these cases involve the federal transportation mask mandate that's still in place until March 18th.

Sarah Nelson of the Association of Flight Attendants says this letter is simply political brinksmanship. The Department of Justice has not moved on this. It says it's still consulting with relevant agencies, Jake.

TAPPER: Pete Muntean, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

[17:50:06]

Turning now to our health lead news, CDC data released today finds that the number of lethal drug overdoses in the United States has more than doubled in the past six years. From 52,000 overdose deaths in 2015 to nearly 105,000 last year. And that's the focus of our series, "United States of Addiction" where we look at the toll of the opioid epidemic on the American people.

Today, CNN's Jason Carroll takes a look at New York City's controversial safe injection sites.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

(on-camera): Have you overdosed in the past?

MONICA DIAZ, SUPERVISED CONSUMPTION SITE PARTICIPANT: In the past, not here.

CARROLL (on-camera): OK.

DIAZ: But in the past, I am.

CARROLL (voice-over): This is the place Diaz credits with helping her cope. It's a supervised drug consumption site, the first of two to open in the country.

(on-camera): How often do you come?

DIAZ: They're open five days a week. I mean, every day.

CARROLL (on-camera): And the days that they're not open, what do you do?

DIAZ: Improvise.

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

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When somebody first comes through the door, we're going to ask them what they're using and how they're using it.

CARROLL (voice-over): In the East Harlem location, it's all done under the supervision of these medical professionals. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is all of our injection and sniffing equipment, as well as our smoking equipment up here so people can take anything that they need.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you guys OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're great.

CARROLL (voice-over): In Washington Heights, the same protective protocols are in place but here, many of the train staff are also recovering addicts like Clara Cordell (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I see you need a water.

CARROLL (voice-over): Sam Rivera is the executive director of the program. He says they have averted more than 130 overdoses since the sites opened in November. So far, Rivera says, no one has died under the staffs watch.

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

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You OK, sweetie?

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

CARROLL (on-camera): When you look at a facility like this, your immediate thought is what are you doing to get these people off drug?

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

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

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

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

CARROLL (voice-over): Clennon says he's not surprised and attempt to open a similar type of facility in Philadelphia failed after community backlash there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't want this in my neighborhood or anybody else's. CARROLL (voice-over): These centers remain illegal under a federal law that states you cannot operate own or rent a space for use of illegal substances.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: de Blasio.

But when these New York City locations opened, the city's former Mayor Bill de Blasio, penned this letter of support.

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

CARROLL (voice-over): And recently, the Department of Justice announced they're evaluating whether sites like these could be opened nationwide.

CARROLL (on-camera): Do you have concerns that the federal government will look and say we saw what you did and we don't approve?

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

CARROLL (voice-over): For now, people such as Monica Diaz are glad there's a new safer place to use. As for the day when she doesn't have to --

CARROLL (on-camera): Do you have thoughts about getting clean or?

DIAZ: They seem distant but --

CARROLL (on-camera): OK.

DIAZ: Yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: And, Jake, the question that people on both sides of this issue have is what is the future of these so-called supervised injection sites. I mean, you've got New York City's current mayor. He says he supports having sites like this in the city. But again, ultimately what this all comes down to is the Department of Justice and what it ends up deciding. Jake?

TAPPER: Thoughtful report about a very complicated issue. Jason Carroll, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

We're sorry at this time your call cannot be completed as dialed. Why your cell phone might not work next week. Stay with us.

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[17:59:33]

TAPPER: And in our tech lead today, if you have an older smartphone, it might no longer work starting next week. AT&T which owns our parent company is shutting down its 3G network on February 22nd. And that shutdown could also mean older home security systems stop working as well as built-in car alert systems such as OnStar. They might no longer be able to alert first responders during a crash. Now some car companies are now offering software upgrades and many home security cameras have already switched users over to 4G and 5G networks.

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter at JakeTapper. You can tweet the show at TheLeadCNN. If you ever miss an episode of THE LEAD, no worries. You can listen to THE LEAD wherever you get your podcasts.

Our coverage now continues with Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM."