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Airlines Cancel 2,400-Plus Flights Today, 13,000-Plus Since Christmas Eve; Officials: At Least Two People Missing After Colorado Wildfires; Cincinnati In State Of Emergency With Firefighters Out Sick; U.S. Companies Pushing To End Dependence On Imported PPE; Biden To Speak With Ukraine's President Over Russia Threat; Garry Kasparov, Vocal Putin Critic, Discusses Biden & Zelensky Talks, Russian Threat, U.S./Russia Relations. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired January 01, 2022 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:00:00]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And Happy New Year. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All right, a new year. Well, it's not bringing relief to the pandemic's relentless hold on the U.S.
Today, airlines struggling with sickouts or canceling thousands of flights. That's on top of the 13,000 flights canceled since Christmas Eve.
Many American parents are feeling anxious this weekend over their children's return to the classroom sometimes on -- some on Monday that is.
Some school districts facing a spike in child hospitalizations have already announced at least a partial transition to online learning.
The U.S. is in the grips of a record-shattering surge of new infections. The seven-day average of new cases has soared to 386,000 and many experts warn it will only get worse.
The vast majority of the country scene and dark red here is struggling with a surge of 50 percent or more in new infections.
Hospitalizations and deaths are lower than their 2021 peaks, but the avalanche of new cases has the CDC predicting that more than 44,000 people could die of COVID-19 in the next four weeks, pretty sobering numbers.
CNN's Nadia Romero is covering the pediatric surge. But first, let's start with Polo Sandoval on the airline cancellations. What a horrible mess, Polo.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I don't know how I survived my post-Christmas travel just a couple of days ago. Ups -- for so many Americans, they basically ended up stranded at airports as we continue to see these airlines try to mitigate the effects of flight cancellations, some due to weather but many of them also due to this explosive sort of infection rate that we're seeing due to the Omicron variant right now with many airline employees having to call in sick to recover from the virus at home. For example, let's bring viewers up to speed on where the numbers are right now.
Just today alone, about over 2300 flights were canceled that bringing that total to just over 13,000 since Christmas and authorities say that it's likely going to get worse than we've seen.
In Chicago, for example, just over half of the flights there camps -- canceled at Midway, at O'Hare, about 40 percent of them or so. Detroit also, according to authorities there that saying that one in five flights were canceled.
Delta Airlines announcing that passengers should be prepared for potentially up to 300 cancellations a day out of their 4000 departures, but they're doing, obviously everything they can to try to limit those effects.
But when we heard from the FAA, Fred, not so long ago saying it's only going to get worse, especially as the disruptions on daily life continue and potentially continue to worsen.
WHITFIELD: Oh boy, and Nadia, to you now. You're in Atlanta where the children's healthcare system is already overwhelmed so what are health officials saying today?
NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, Fredricka, they are basically saying that we're moving in the absolute wrong direction when it comes to COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
When we're talking about pediatrics, kids, minors who are 17 and younger, we take a look at the numbers of just the sheer amount of cases.
I mean, compare the numbers in less than a month's time, we saw what was a record low in November and now we're reaching up to those peak levels for our seven-day averages for cases among kids, and hospitalizations also moving in the absolute wrong direction with a dramatic increase.
Now, we know that Omicron isn't as severe as Delta, but that doesn't mean that our children are not still ending up in the hospital with some of those intense cases of dealing with COVID-19.
We're seeing this all across Atlanta though with our pediatrics and with adults, some six major hospitals in the Atlanta area, the metro area, all came together and released a joint statement pleading with people to take the precautions necessary to limit the spread of Omicron.
The city's mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, who finished her term just last night on New Year's Eve, she says that basically these hospitals are overrun. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS, MAYOR OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA: We are seeing over 80 percent capacity in our hospitals, over 80 percent ICU capacities, and particularly when it comes to Grady Hospital, which is in the heart of downtown Atlanta.
When you have a major trauma center, you obviously have cards and then you should have people coming in with heart attacks and other issues.
And at the point that we are having to divert ambulance service from Grady Hospital to other hospitals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMERO: And that is such a concern because if you are a gunshot victim if you are a car crash victim if you are a victim of a stabbing, you want to go to Grady, it's our trauma one center in downtown Atlanta, but those ambulances are being turned away because of COVID-19, a really scary situation here.
The city also canceled the peach drop, its annual New Year's Eve celebration, for the second year in a row trying to curb some of these numbers, Fred.
[13:05:00]
WHITFIELD: Wow very sad situation. Too much seems to be sadly normal for us all now. All right, Polo Sandoval, Nadia Romero, thank you so much. All right, let's continue this conversation.
Dr. Jennifer Shu is a pediatrician in Georgia and a CNN Health Contributor. Dr. Shu, so good to see you, I mean, this is Deja Vu all over again.
I mean, really, this is just a terrible situation and seemingly hopeless but maybe it's hopeful. Tell us what you are seeing in pediatric cases.
DR. JENNIFER SHU, CNN HEALTH CONTRIBUTOR: So since the start of the pandemic, we've had 7.5 million children who have tested positive for COVID, with 2.5 million of those happening just in September alone. And that is one in ten children in the United States have tested positive.
In my practice, I would say in the past few weeks, I've seen more COVID infections in this past few weeks than I have the entire pandemic combined. We are testing many patients for COVID and other respiratory viruses. COVID is definitely outweighing flu, RSV, and all the common cold viruses right now.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. And what are you seeing, particularly in these COVID cases? Because, you know, I've heard the description of how Delta is more lower respiratory, and the Omicron strain is more upper respiratory, are you seeing a real distinction in the kind of COVID cases particularly of the young people, the minors?
SHU: We're actually seeing both upper and lower respiratory. So even with Omicron, we are seeing things like pneumonia and croup, sometimes they're severe enough to land kids in the hospital.
Typically, we're seeing the kids under five, who are getting sicker who aren't old enough to be vaccinated yet.
And then there was a statistic from the CDC that said, kids ten -- ages 12 to 17 are 10 times more likely to be hospitalized if they've not been vaccinated. And our vaccine rates for children is unfortunately low, Fredricka.
Right now, only 15 percent of five to 11-year-olds are fully vaccinated and only 53 percent of 12 to 17-year-olds are.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Those numbers are low. So what's it going to take to bring those numbers up?
SHU: You know, I think, really talk to your pediatrician if you have any concerns, there should be plenty of vaccines available.
We're expecting FDA and hopefully CDC to approve vaccine boosters in the 12 to 15-year-old age group, but so many of them still are unvaccinated and still need to get their first dose.
WHITFIELD: And with that, possibly right around the corner, FDA to -- you know, giving the approval to allow the 12 to 15-year-olds to receive the booster shot, do you think that that is the message that a lot of reluctant parents or families need to hear to even become a little bit more comfortable with the kids who are eligible for, you know, two shots right now?
SHU: Yes, I think families just need to see that 8.8 billion doses of COVID vaccines have been given worldwide. So we know it's safe, we know it's effective, we know that you're more likely to become hospitalized if you're not vaccinated.
So that all speaks to itself. Vaccines are also a very important layer and your protection against the virus. And so that includes masking, distancing, good ventilation, good hygiene. Don't go to school if you're sick.
We know a lot of kids are about to go to school next week. And then all of a sudden those germs will be mixing.
WHITFIELD: Two of the big public school districts in the Atlanta area. Fulton and DeKalb counties have announced that classes will be online for the return of school next week. Do you agree with that? Was that wise?
SHU: You know, I think we are in a surge right now so that is one way of trying to minimize infections. I know kids do need school and in- person school is extremely important.
So for those schools who are staying open, really need to mask up and try to do the ventilation and maybe eat lunch outside if the weather permits.
WHITFIELD: Are you seeing that perhaps there'll be an apex by the end of the month and then a drop off in some of these numbers or are you even willing to make any predictions?
SHU: You know, if we follow South Africa and England's patterns, that's probably not going to happen.
Although it seemed like the holiday breaks that up are infections, one of the predictions we had heard was that we weren't going to see a lot of Omicron until mid-January.
Well, we know that's already happened. So that happened faster. So it's really hard to say but if we follow other countries' trends, I'm hoping we will also peak fast and go down fast.
WHITFIELD: All right, I like your optimism. Dr. Jennifer Shu, good to see you. Thank you so much and happy New Year.
SHU: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right, the COVID surge is so bad in one city that its mayor has declared a state of emergency. I'll talk live with the mayor of Cincinnati about the crisis and the impact it's having on residents there.
And wildfires in Colorado turned hundreds of homes into ash in a matter of hours. Now, officials say at least two people are missing. We'll take you there, live.
[13:10:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Colorado officials now say at least two people are missing after wildfires fueled by high winds whipped through the Boulder area.
The fire is leaving hundreds of residents to start the New Year without homes. Officials say at least 500 structures were destroyed. And as the flames moved in, shoppers, as you'll see right here in one store, running for their lives.
Some residents say they had just minutes to escape before the fires rip through their neighborhoods and now, a reprieve of sorts for residents and emergency workers because snow is falling in the area.
CNN's Natasha Chen joining me now from Superior, Colorado and Gene Norman is in the CNN weather center.
But Natasha, let's go to you first. Talk to us about what you're hearing from families and their narrow escapes.
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Fred, right now, there are two missing people in Boulder County.
We don't have a lot of details about which city they're from or any other details surrounding their disappearance at this time.
And authorities were just saying yesterday in a press conference that if it holds that there are no fatalities, this would be a New Year's miracle.
So people are still hoping that is the case. Right over the ridge from where we are yesterday before the fire started and we could see smoke (AUDIO GAP) out whether their homes are still standing or not.
We spoke to one family, the Delaware family from Louisville, who found out yesterday and took some images, took video of the destruction of their home burned to the ground.
They said their neighbors across the street were lucky their houses are still standing. But as for them, they only had minutes to leave with nothing but their cell phones and chargers.
Here's Judy Delaware, telling me about the difficulty of seeing her home no longer there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDY DELAWARE, LOST HOME IN COLORADO WILDFIRES: And it felt like -- I don't even know how to say it.
I don't know how to get it out. I just felt like a punch to the stomach. And this can't be real. It's just so surreal to be able to even fathom everything you own is just gone. Gone.
CHEN: What are you going to miss most about that house?
DELAWARE: My yard -- my yard. And we had just redone our family room and -- I mean, just the -- and the memories, just the memories of being able to be there. Um, it was -- it was a house filled with love.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[13:15:00]
CHEN: She said that they'll rebuild in the same place because they can't imagine being apart from those neighbors they've been next to for 20 plus years.
Louisville is a community where generations have lived in the same place and this New Year will be a time for them to rebuild and renew, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Wow, that's terribly sad. All right, Gene, I want to bring you into this because I mean, this is just another example of just the extremities within such a short amount of time.
I mean, drought and heat one day, and then the next day, you've got snowfall, what's going on with these patterns that we seem to be seeing, you know, replicating itself across the country?
GENE NORMAN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Fred, it's a very active weather pattern to be sure. It was 44 before those fires broke out just in the Boulder area and now, snow is falling as you said.
The good news, at least right now, is on the radar, we're seeing less and less snow. So it should taper off, I'd see in the next hour or two in the Boulder area.
But we can show you how much has fallen in the burn scar of that martial fire highlighted in red here. You see some blue shadings which represent snowfall on the ground as you saw from Natasha's shot, anywhere from six to eight inches.
And those are some of the reports that we have received from the official reporting locations from the National Weather Service, anywhere from five inches down in Denver, to eight inches in the Boulder area.
So the snow should start to become -- should start to come to an L though it's still snowing at a pretty good clip at the Denver Airport.
And as you mentioned, we are seeing a lot of changes in the weather. We've got the battle of the air masses, it's a knockout heavyweight fight, if you will, the warm, humid air coming out of the Gulf of Mexico, record-high temperatures today. I'm here in Atlanta, it's 72, going to hit for a record.
Meanwhile, bitter cold is coming out of the Northern Plains and that could set the stage for 20 to 30 below temperatures in places like North Dakota, South Dakota, all the usual cold spots, even in the Boulder area where they've, of course, still trying to recover from those fires, it's going to be minus four in the morning, it's about nine degrees there now.
Winter storm warnings stretch all across the areas that you see here from the Rockies up into the Great Lakes and that's where the snow is beginning to fall, begin to move into Chicago But now on the other side of that, in the warm part of this storm, tornadoes are possible.
Tornado watches are in effect in the red-shaded areas that you see right now until 6:00, and we do have a couple of active warnings that we're tracking.
So, Fred, it's going to be a busy afternoon here. First day of the New Year, a lot of people are saying stop --
WHITFIELD: Oh, really?
NORMAN: -- I can't get ready for this. It's just day one.
WHITFIELD: Stop it already. Oh my Gosh, brutal, cruel conditions. All right, thank you so much, Gene Norman and Natasha Chen. We'll check back with you.
All right, Ohio has a record number of COVID hospitalizations and now, Cincinnati has declared a state of emergency. The city's mayor joins me live next. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:20:00]
WHITFIELD: Eric Adams, New York City's new mayor was sworn into office just minutes after the Crystal Ball dropped at midnight in Times Square last night. The 110th mayor of New York took his oath of office holding up a framed photograph of his mother, Dorothy and resting his hand on a family Bible.
The 61-year-old retired New York Police Department captain who embraced a public safety message during his campaign will be just the second black mayor in the city's history.
He defeated Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa in the November election. Cincinnati, Ohio is in a state of emergency right now with dozens of firefighters out sick amid a rise in COVID cases.
The pandemic is exacerbating staff shortages at the department as cases continue to steadily climb statewide. Ohio hit a record-high in COVID hospitalizations earlier this week.
Cincinnati Mayor, John Cranley, joining me now. So, Mayor, good to see you, sorry under such circumstances, so what do you do with this situation? As the cases continued to climb, people are out sick, including your firefighters, what can you handle? What can you do?
JOHN CRANLEY, MAYOR OF CINCINNATI, OHIO: Happy New Year, Fedricka, thanks for having me. Look, we obviously heading into the third year of this pandemic. Have got to figure out how to live with the pandemic, live with the virus and continue to provide basic services.
And so I declared a state of emergency so that my Fire Chief could do some unpopular things like mandatory overtime.
And that's how we're managing now. We -- the caseload continues to rise every day among our firefighters and 90 -- over 99 percent of them are vaccinated.
The cases we're seeing are mild but we've got to make sure that the basic services that our citizens depend upon are being serviced every day.
WHITFIELD: So, extending basic services, offering over time, I mean, that also sounds like you're -- a lot of people are going to be very taxed under very stressful situations as it is, which also make may -- make people more susceptible to the dangers that come with public contact and COVID.
Do you have a contingency plan? What is your safety net?
CRANLEY: Well, there's no question that these are not ideal circumstances. These are tough choices that have to be made. But what I -- what I think about is if -- you know we made sure this weekend last night, New Year's Eve, which is a big night for people to go out, that there'd be no brownouts so that if there was a shooting, and there were several after midnight, if there's an overdose, if somebody drinks too much and passes out, if somebody has a heart attack, that there'll be a fire and medical personnel that can get there in the professionally required amount of time.
[13:25:00] CRANLEY: That's what you call avoiding brownouts. Brownouts is when you can't guarantee that people will arrive in a life-saving time period. That is considered the professional standard. And so these are all awful tough calls, but we get paid taxes to provide these services.
We're three years into it. The vast majority of our firefighters are vaccinated and they're doing great work, which is why we need to honor our first responders and thank them for putting their lives at risk as they signed up to do and they do every day extremely well.
WHITFIELD: And that is impressive that you would say 99 percent of the firefighters are vaccinated, but what about the public?
How difficult is it to get residents, adults, all those who are eligible for vaccines to get vaccinated and to be part of the solution to the problem?
CRANLEY: Look, I'm fully vaccinated and my family's fully vaccinated. My wife and I have door knocked in our city in low-income neighborhoods asking people to get vaccinated.
And, of course, it's how people can best protect their health because they're all these breakthrough cases. I got a breakthrough case, it was very mild.
At the end of the day, though, it's a personal responsibility. And we've made the vaccine free, available, we distributed it in churches and rec centers. But ultimately, people have to take accountability for their own lives and for their loved ones.
WHITFIELD: What are your concerns as kids prepare to get back to school?
CRANLEY: Look, I think we -- you know, we've all learned that we have to figure out how to live with this virus.
We -- the data is coming out that kids predominantly low income, who were not in school, you know, are suffering academically and so we need masks, we need safety protocols, we need barriers as appropriate, we need hybrid learning when appropriate.
But fundamentally, we have got to keep going as a society and said the data coming out of South Africa strongly suggests that this Omicron is going to be a huge spike in January and then quickly subside and the cases coming out are mild.
And so the best thing everyone can do is get vaccinated and boosted, wear masks when appropriate, follow safety protocols, and be smart.
WHITFIELD: Mayor, how do you remain hopeful at this juncture?
CRANLEY: I remain hopeful because there are a lot of people who have been vaccinated, a lot of people's cases like my own were very mild. And it looks like this cases -- this Omicron is going to be a quick surge and then, quick fall. And so I think the next two or three weeks are going to be a bit scary but that's why we declared an emergency to put people on high alert to be extra cautious, but also to acknowledge the sacrifice of people missing vacations and mandatory overtime of our -- of our firefighters and the other people who don't have the luxury of working from home.
WHITFIELD: Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, thank you so much for your time, all the best to all those hard-working firefighters and all the public servants in your city trying to keep everyone safe. Appreciate it.
CRANLEY: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right, the pandemic cast an on comfortable spotlight on the U.S. is dependent on foreign imports, relying on overseas suppliers from masks to medical gowns and hospital gloves.
CNN's Scott McLean takes us inside of the Chicago area factory aiming to loosen Asia's chokehold on PPE production.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Literally hot-off the production line, the very first hand-molds being dipped in nitrile, the results, a reliable stream of medical-grade gloves made in America.
This is a big deal because for decades the U.S. has imported these gloves from cheap suppliers almost entirely in Asia, took a pandemic to start to change that. This is man, Dylan Ratigan says he felt compelled to act.
DYLAN RATIGAN, CEO, U.S. MEDICAL GLOVE COMPANY: We've just watched hundreds of thousands more than half a million Americans die and many of them, for no reason.
I think bad decisions have been made in American manufacturing specifically for critical assets like class one medical devices. The decision has been made to make sure that never happens again.
MCLEAN: When the pandemic exploded, the nitrile glove industry was plagued by price gouging, fraud, and scams.
The CNN investigation found counterfeit, substandard, or even dirty used medical gloves being imported to the U.S. by the tens of millions.
MCLEAN (on camera): Pre-pandemic, there was only one nitrile glove producer in the U.S., in Fayette, Alabama but the company says it struggled to get even the U.S. government to buy its gloves because they cost around twice the price.
[13:30:00]
That's because around 10 percent of the world's medical gloves are made in China, 20 percent in Thailand. And 65 percent in Malaysia, where the U.S. government only recently lifted an import ban on the world's largest producer, after finding evidence of forced labor earlier this year.
How do you compete with slave labor?
RATIGAN: The technology allows me to do it in a way that I can compete with even the dirtiest user of slave labor.
You want to be a customer of a slave labor company? I don't.
MCLEAN: And you couldn't do it 30 years ago?
RATIGAN: You could never have done this 30 years ago, because the technology didn't exist.
But the most important thing that you need to see is this.
MCLEAN (voice-over): Ratigan is a former cable news anchor and now CEO of the U.S. Medical Glove Company, committed to paying workers at least $25 per hour, plus health care coverage and plans for free on- site childcare.
There are currently about 100 of them now assembling new lines and ovens using all American-made parts.
RATIGAN: And that is a critical distinction between this company and others.
MCLEAN: The start-up housed in a sprawling former Caterpillar factory is backed by a $63 million advanced purchase order from the U.S. government.
All told, Washington is spending $1.7 billion to help American companies manufacture PPE at home, after the pandemic exposed how dependent the U.S. is on foreign sources, which is a vulnerability in public health emergencies.
Another American start-up, USA Gloves, outside Houston, was created by former importers who found it almost impossible to buy gloves from abroad.
They don't have any government investment yet. But once the machines are finally up and running next month, they hope to turn a profit from private sales, even with higher prices than Asian brands.
ZISHAN MOMIN, CEO, USA GLOVES: And hospitals and clinics and even end users are willing to pay that slight premium, so that we're prepared for a future pandemic.
MCLEAN: It's still early days, but experts say it is essential for the U.S. to make more of its PPE at home.
The question is:
PRASHANT YADAV, CENTER FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT: Whether people will remember this and be willing to pay that premium in the medium term, or is this just a very short-term memory, and soon people will go back to thinking about, who's my lowest-cost supplier?
MCLEAN: That may ultimately be what determines the success or failure of these new enterprises, whether they're expensive experiments or the beginning of a new era that reduces America's dependence on factories on the other side of the world.
Scott McLean, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And as Russia continues its military buildup along the Ukrainian border, President Biden is expected to talk to the Ukrainian president tomorrow to reassure him of U.S. support. We will talk about that next.
And this quick programming note, Carole King and James Taylor in an unforgettable concert film. "JUST CALL OUT MY NAME," tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. on CNN.
Here is a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Friends, collaborators and legends. Their music shaped a generation. They came together for the tour of a lifetime.
(SINGING)
ANNOUNCER: James Taylor.
(SINGING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His songs were amazing and his voice is amazing and his demeanor.
JAMES TAYLOR, SINGER/SONGWRITER: Heehaw.
ANNOUNCER: And Carole King.
(SINGING)
TAYLOR: Carole King, one of the greatest songwriters of all time, asked her to be a part of my band.
(SINGING)
TAYLOR: Forty years have passed since the first time we played.
CAROLE KING, SINGER/SONGWRITER: I've loved every experience we've had together.
(SINGING)
ANNOUNCER: "JUST CALL OUT MY NAME," tomorrow at 9:00 on CNN. (SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:37:02]
WHITFIELD: President Biden is set to speak with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky tomorrow about the growing threat from Russia along the Ukraine border.
This follows a conversation between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the week.
Biden later said he had a clear warning for Putin when they spoke.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I made it clear to the -- President Putin that he -- if he makes any more moves and goes into Ukraine, we will have severe sanctions.
We will increase our -- our presence in Europe with our NATO allies and they'll to be a heavy price to pay for it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Well, Putin issued a warning of his own, saying any sanctions would cause a, quote, "complete rupture" of the already frayed U.S. relationship with Russia.
Let's bring in CNN's senior international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, in Moscow for us now.
Nic, what will Biden's message to Zelensky be when they speak?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's going to be one of reassurance. President Biden has promised to keep the Ukrainians informed every step of the way.
So we can expect him to give Zelensky a brief on the conversation with President Putin that he had on December 30th.
He will tell President Zelensky that, if Russia attacks them, the United States will support Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. This has been repeated many, many times.
I think, you know, Zelensky is likely to ask President Biden to supply more weapons and ammunition. That's certainly been high on the agenda for Ukrainian authorities.
President Biden will probably tell Zelensky, you know, whatever you do, whatever your forces do on the ground, where they're particularly close to Russians forces, as we go into this very delicate period of talks with the Russians beginning January 10th, let's try to avoid any escalation.
Avoid doing anything that could sort of escalate tensions equally reacting to some provocation that the Ukrainians might interpret coming from the Russians.
So, you know, I think that's what's going to be on the table there. It's all about support.
The underlying message, when talking with the Russians, nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. Ukraine has to be in the room if it gets discussed.
WHITFIELD: U.S. trying to offer some reassurances to Ukraine.
Thank you so much. Nic Robertson, appreciate you.
All right. The new year brings new opportunities for workers. Christine Romans explains how to take advantage of the Great Resignation.
[13:39:40]
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. President Biden is set to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tomorrow about the growing threat from Russia along the Ukraine border.
This follows a conversation between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the week.
Let's bring in Garry Kasparov. He's a critic of Vladimir Putin, a former world chess champion, and chairman of the Human Rights Foundation and Renewed Democracy Initiative.
Garry, so good to see you.
Let's begin with this meeting between Biden and Zelensky. Will Zelensky get the assurance that he is looking for from the U.S.?
GARRY KASPAROV, CHAIRMAN, HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION & FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN, RENEWED DEMOCRACY INITIATIVE: I don't know. I am worried because it's Ukraine 2022. But Putin thinks it's Munich, talking about preparing for war. And Biden thinks it's 1995, with old-fashion policy.
Putin hopes that Biden is not a Chamberlain, taking peace for all time. And I'm increasingly worried that he's right, after Biden keeps giving him what he wants.
Putin's main goal in that last call was just to call. He didn't care what they discussed because it showed Putin's gang that Putin is in charge.
He is a big boss negotiating with the biggest boss in the world, the president of the United States.
And I still don't understand, how can you discuss the fate of Ukraine without Ukraine being at the table?
WHITFIELD: So if Ukraine is at the table, so to speak, with the president of the United States tomorrow by way of the phone call, isn't that a start?
KASPAROV: Let's think why Putin is negotiating with Biden the fate of Ukraine, the country he has been invading.
Also I don't understand, you know, why American administration keeps repeating, if Putin invade Ukraine. He has invaded Ukraine. Eight years ago. He still occupies Crimea and part of Eastern Ukraine.
And threatening with sanctions doesn't make any good because White House yet to explain to us what was accomplished in June at the summit and then in another call.
[13:45:08]
They told us in June --
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: What do you think the role --
KASPAROV: And then gave them an ultimatum.
WHITFIELD: Sorry about that.
What do you think the role of the U.S. should be at this juncture with this new threat?
If the administration is not going to be able to address past aggressions involving Russia on the Ukrainian border, what are your expectations about what the U.S. can really do at this juncture with this newest threat?
KASPAROV: Let's start with what you should not do. They should not talk directly to Putin, excluding not only Ukraine, but also European partners, NATO.
So does Biden want Putin to -- the policy because many of the statements have been strong and clear. But Putin is looking for a weak link in the White House.
I'm still amazed, you know, that Biden is playing Putin's game.
WHITFIELD: You think Biden is being used?
KASPAROV: Look, that's how it looks like because that's with the three calls.
Again, they kept -- Biden made demands, ultimatum. If Biden made real threat, why you keep following with new -- new phone calls? And of course, you know, many of the sanctions had to be in place already. And it's not that difficult, you know, just to put Putin in place by imposing real sanctions.
Stop playing lip service and do what America can do because extortion isn't negotiation.
WHITFIELD: So --
KASPAROV: And -- go ahead, yes.
WHITFIELD: I'm wondering, what do you believe is at issue here? Why would Vladimir Putin want to invade Ukraine?
I mean, you wrote this, saying, "Ukraine isn't a threat to Russian national security, of course. A thriving Democratic Ukraine is a threat to Putin's dictatorship model and, thus, to personal power."
KASPAROV: Absolutely. I can repeat it again.
So free, prosperous Ukraine, democratic Ukraine is a threat to Putin because Russian citizens look at Ukraine and wonder, why they can't have free and fair elections and free press?
Putin must destroy. Putin was never ambiguous about his goal to destroy Ukraine. You have to listen to Russian propaganda. And 24/7 they keep talking about it and deny Ukraine's right to exist.
WHITFIELD: What do you believe NATO ought to be doing? You said NATO ought to be at the table. It shouldn't be just the U.S. and Russia and Ukraine, but NATO needs to be more involved.
KASPAROV: I think it's about, you know, Americans talking to Ukraine and NATO allies and to formulate a proper defense strategy.
Because Russia is an invader. Russia is aggressor. And you have to start doing something that will make Putin worried about his grip on power.
Sanctions on Putin's closest oligarch buddies, living in luxury in Europe and the United States. Seize their assets and kick them and their families back to Russia.
And of course, cut Russia, Putin's Russia, out of every international organization they abuse and corrupt, Interpol, the Council of Europe, the debt market, financial market.
It's Putin's Russia. It's painful for me to say. But it's a criminal state making war in Europe and you have to treat them like this.
WHITFIELD: Do you believe it's inevitable that Russia will cross the border into Ukraine?
KASPAROV: Look, I think it's inevitable that Putin will start a war because, with dictators, it's not if, it's when. But he's trying to get some concessions even without -- without
starting a major war because he understands war is a war and invasion of Ukraine will cost him dearly.
I'm not sure about European and American sanctions but Ukrainians will fight back. And there will be body bags going back to Russia.
Right now, Putin is looking for any means to subdue Ukraine without starting the war. And America should not -- must not play this game.
WHITFIELD: Garry Kasparov, a pleasure talking to you. Thank you so much and happy New Year.
KASPAROV: Thank you. Happy New Year.
[13:49:25]
WHITFIELD: All right. COVID and winter storms have combined to make a real mess of holiday travel. Airlines have canceled thousands of flights today. We will have the latest coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. The coronavirus pandemic has forced millions of American workers to prioritize and refocus, balancing their family's health and safety with how they make a living.
Wages are on the rise and the jobless rate is falling and the economy is growing.
CNN chief business correspondent, Christine Romans, has more on what 2022 means for American workers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Fatter paychecks, flexible schedules, more opportunity. Workers have the upper hand in the COVID jobs market.
Employers are scrambling to find the workers they need in the strongest economy in years. By November, there were 11 million open jobs.
At the same time, workers are scrambling to reassess their priorities. To wit, the so-called Great Resignation, millions of workers quitting their jobs for better pay or a more satisfying position.
Several million have retired early, backed by record-high retirement savings accounts and enviable home equity in a red-hot real estate market. Others have left the job market to take care of family.
It means higher pay is needed to attract and retain workers. And 4.8 percent wage growth in November.
Economists expect wages to remain strong in 2022, especially for new hires and for people working in factories or on the front lines in retail and hospitality.
And 2021 saw a war for talent, $3,000 signing bonuses for temporary holiday work. And starting wages in seasonal jobs at companies like Amazon at an average of $18 an hour.
For millions of Americans with office jobs, flexibility is the new mantra. Two daily commutes and 9:00 to 5:00 at the office, that's a decidedly pre-pandemic model.
[13:54:58]
Market research firm, Forrester, estimates, by the end of 2022, 60 percent of U.S. companies will offer hybrid work, where employees can work more than one day a week remotely.
And 10 percent of companies will be fully remote, 30 percent expected to want everyone back at the office.
In New York, I'm Christine Romans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: With 2021 now in the rearview mirror, it's about time to remember all the moments from the year, putting a smile on some of our faces.
From the cat attorney to Rudy Giuliani shaving in public, there were lots of laughs to go around.
CNN's Jeanne Moos looks back at the quirkiest stories of 2021.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How time flies, not to mention seagulls.
We all took it on the chin again in 2021. But no one more literally than this teenager, riding the slingshot on the Jersey Shore.
Still, there was plenty to celebrate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh.
MOOS: And Tom Brady did it by daring not to go deep underwater with the Lombardy Super Bowl trophy.
Another guy also known for his hands was Bernie Sanders, whose mittens at the inauguration became is one of the first big memes of 2021.
In fashion, Balenciaga combined comfort and torture with $625 high- heel Crocs
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fashion is about a double take. You want people to look and look again.
MOOS: A Massachusetts man looked and looked again for his missing AirPods after he fell asleep using them. Eventually an X-ray located it in his esophagus and it was extracted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The audio works perfectly, but, sadly, yes, the microphone is a bit glitchy.
MOOS: At least he didn't glue his eyes shut, like this Michigan woman, who meant to reach for eye drops but used fingernail glue instead. This contact lens may have saved her vision.
Maybe you think you are seeing double. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson fans were rocked by this Alabama patrol lieutenant, who even sounds like The Rock.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you smell?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Rock is cooking.
MOOS: And this Secret Service agent protecting the Bidens went viral just for being hot.
(SCREAMING)
MOOS: A dead ringer for Tom Cruise.
The pope needed no protection from Spider-man, an Italian guy who dresses up to entertain kids in hospitals.
Nicole Richie avoided the hospital, even though she managed --
(SCREAMING)
MOOS: -- to catch her hair on fire. Forget the candles, blow out Nicole.
A Burger King manager and eight staffers blew off steam by quitting very publicly with this sign.
While Rudy Giuliani wouldn't quit shaving in public at Delta's JFK lounge.
The guy who shot the spectacle said:
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was delighted and horrified.
MOOS: The same can be said of combination foods, from Froot Loops pizza to popcorn salad to candy corn bratwurst.
MOOS: Of course, animals stole the show. Noodle, the pug prognosticator, predicted good or bad days by his willingness to get up.
JONATHAN GRAZIANO, PET OWNER: Oh, my gosh, there are bones, there are bones today --
MOOS: Decreeing either bones or no bones days.
GRAZIANO: Oh, a soft collapse. MOOS: Doggy makeover of the year goes to this guy, found wandering in
Kansas City, Missouri. They removed 6.5 pounds of matted fur. He had to re-learn to walk and his new owners say all that hair even affected his tail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It basically wags one way.
MOOS: Then there is the tale --
(CRASHING NOISE)
MOOS: -- of a deer in Virginia that leaped onto a school bus, landing on a sleeping student. They made an unscheduled stop to drop him off.
And 2021 saw some unusual Guinness records: biggest mouth, 5.7 inches; the most M&Ms stacked on each other, a measly five.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got to admit, I did eat them all.
MOOS: The longest dog ears. Lou the coonhound's ears measure 13.38 inches each.
All through our interview, she kept staring off to the side --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She is staring at herself.
MOOS: -- in a glass door.
MOOS (on camera): Of course, the end of the year is a great time for self- reflection.
How do others see me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you hear me, Judge?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can hear you. I think it's a filter.
MOOS (voice-over): A Texas lawyer, using his assistant's computer during a hearing, heard himself coming out of a feline.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm here live. That's not -- I'm not a cat.
MOOS: At least the cat didn't get his tongue.
[13:59:52]
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Hello, again, everyone. And welcome to the new year, 2022. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
