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Biden Approves U.S. Troops to Europe; Former Coach Sues NFL; Jemele Hill is Interviewed about the Flores Lawsuit; Shooter Kills Two at Bridgewater College. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired February 02, 2022 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:25]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everybody. I'm Bianna Golodryga.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Jim Sciutto.

Nice to be next to you here in Washington this morning.

GOLODRYGA: Finally.

SCIUTTO: We begin this hour with breaking news to CNN.

President Biden has now formally approved additional U.S. military deployments within Europe. It's a significant move, moving these forces closer and inside eastern European allies. We reported last week that this was under consideration. This as Russia continues to add to its forces in and around the Ukraine border.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, this is really building off of your reporting last week with our other CNN colleagues. The Pentagon expected to announce the troop deployment this morning. We, of course, will bring that to you live as it happens.

Joining us now is Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, former Army commanding general of Europe and the Seventh Army.

General, great to have you on.

Just your reaction to this news, specifically regarding its timing, the day after we heard from Russian President Vladimir Putin after a months-long silence from him.

LT. GENERAL MARK HERTLING (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, I think it's a very good call, Bianna. This is something that occurs frequently within Europe. In fact, it's something, when I was the commander in Europe in 2011 and 2012, we set this type of rotational scheduling up. And it's been going on for the last eight or nine years where units flow back to Europe to reinforce for exercises, for engagements with other countries.

And, you know, from what I tell -- from what I can tell in the news reports already, these forces are going to the eastern European countries of Poland and Romania. Those were two of the biggest partners we had when I was in command, and they have continued to be partners. In fact, I could even probably tell you where they're going to go. In Poland, they will likely go to Drawsko Pomorskie and in Romania they will probably go to either Cincu or MK Air Base near Constanta.

So, this is a training environment that we have practiced multiple times. But I think it's a very good move on the part of the president and the administration to move them there now. They are there singly --

SCIUTTO: Part --

HERTLING: I'm sorry.

SCIUTTO: Yes, sorry to interrupt. I was going to say, part of the debate to this point, General Hertling, has been, what you do prior to any additional Russian military action as opposed to afterwards. And as you know, the administration has got some criticism for not doing troop movements or economic sanctions preemptively.

So, here you have a move to shore up those eastern European allies prior to any additional Russian military action inside Ukraine. Do you believe that this amounts to a deterrent?

HERTLING: A shoring up? Yes, I do. Absolutely. And this is what's practiced, Jim. It's continuously practiced. And I would tell you, if -- if it's true that they're going to Romania and Poland, both of those countries will be very welcoming. The other countries that will be extremely welcoming are all of the Baltic nations, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania. They have practiced this before. They are the most concerned. I'd also add potentially Bulgaria to that mix. And there are facilities within Bulgaria to do the same.

But all you have to do is look at a map, and these are all the countries that are the furthest east, they are the ones, when I was commander, we were starting relationships with and doing a lot of relationships with, engagements, and these are the kinds of things we practiced over the years.

So those nations, the militaries and the governments of those various nations, will be very happy because, truthfully, for all of Putin's bluster and all of his comments, those nations are concerned about further expansion by President Putin.

GOLODRYGA: If I could just go back to Putin's comments yesterday, because he spent a great deal of time there as he was giving that press conference in Moscow with the prime minister of Hungary, stressing that, in his view, even though it was a bit absurd, that it was the west and it was the United States that is trying to drag Russia into war.

That having been said, he did sort of set the ground for more conversations, more talks. Some people interpreted that as a sign of diffusing the situation. Could this, in fact, do the opposite now if he sees the U.S. is deploying more troops to the region?

HERTLING: No, I think it will actually give him the understanding that President Biden is treating this very seriously. He is not overlooking what's going on. And he's continuing to stay the course, provide the deterrent, work with allies. I mean this is shoring up the alliance that's part of NATO.

I mean when Putin was saying the things yesterday he was with President Orban of Hungary, that guy's a free-floating electron right now.

[09:05:01]

He has taken Hungary in a very different direction.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HERTLING: And it's -- it was interesting to me to see that conversation because it is, again, Mr. Putin attempting to divide the NATO alliance, by taking the one individual who has a different point of view than the rest of NATO and trying to hone in on that and use that as a messaging tool. So certainly Orban was the guy that Putin would want to say, oh, yes, we don't want this happening in NATO, but the rest of NATO, the majority of NATO, and we're talking about 30 countries there, are agreeing on their approach for deterrence for their expansion by the Russian military.

SCIUTTO: Yes, there's a reason Putin broke out the champagne for Orban there to have a NATO ally there, in effect, side with Russia over its NATO partners on this.

HERTLING: Yes.

SCIUTTO: Barbara Starr is in the Pentagon.

Barbara, tell us about the compositions of these forces that will be moving east or eastward to the eastern flank NATO allies? The majority of them coming from forces already deployed to Europe?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, I don't think we know exactly yet what that mix will be. But this, in fact, as you point out, is going to be in addition, a plus up from the 8,500 troops that the Pentagon announced who were on shortened alert status several days ago. This is a plus up. This is the first move really by those U.S. forces already stationed in Europe.

So, let's take a look at that for a minute. Sixty thousand U.S. forces are routinely in Europe at any one time.

And as General Hertling so correctly points out, they are routinely engaged in exercises and training with European allies, including European allies on that eastern flank. Just yesterday, a brigade began unloading in Poland, routine exercise. A combat brigade is on its way this spring to a routine multinational deployment in Europe. So we have all of that ongoing.

But this we are told will be other forces in Europe that will be moving east. They -- their rules will be they are not intended to engage the Russians at all. They are not intended to go into Ukraine. So I asked an official, I said, so if they're just going to be there, what are they doing? Reassurance and deterrence, yes. But the idea is that their presence is a message to Putin, if he rolls across some border at 3:00 a.m. some morning, he will know that U.S. forces are there.

One of the big needs that we're hearing a lot about is mobility. If you are going to help these European forces -- and General Hertling knows much more about this than I do -- you're going to need helicopters, you're going to need armored vehicles, especially in the winter weather. You need to be able to move people around. That is what provides a credible deterrent, credible reassurance that you can be on the move, that you can go anywhere. And as I say, General Hertling knows much more about this than me. But I think we're likely to hear about some mobility forces, forces that are able to move rapidly being part of this package.

GOLODRYGA: And on that point, General, just for context, when was the last time we've seen NATO forces mobilize in this level on European soil?

HERTLING: Well, there are exercises every year, Bianna. And if you're saying mobilize in terms of a crisis, we have not seen this. The NATO reaction force mobilized during the Afghanistan withdraw. They had forces there, but it was a relatively small package. You're talking about a much bigger potential, even though that NRF has not been called to actually conduct exercises yet.

But, truthfully, these kinds of mobilizations and flow, as Barbara just said, the mobility is a critical issue and I could address that if you want me to. But it's interesting because these things happen all the time. I mean there are -- there were two major exercises going on this month, one Navy, one ground, both with U.S. military and the nations of about -- or the militaries of about 16 other nations.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HERTLING: So, these kinds of things happen a lot. They're under the radar of most American citizens. They don't pay any attention to it. But, you know, a mobilization is not a whole lot different than a training exercise when nations come together.

SCIUTTO: Except, perhaps, when Russia has amassed forces on the border of Ukraine.

HERTLING: Yes. Yes.

SCIUTTO: The timing certainly the Russians are going to notice this.

Retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, knows a thing or two about this, having commanded forces in Europe, and Barbara Starr, thanks so much to both of you.

HERTLING: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: And we do expect that Pentagon announcement in the next hour. We, of course, will bring it to you live when it happens.

We turn now to a shocking story out of the NFL. Fired Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores is suing the league for what he says are racist hiring practices. And he's got the receipts. Flores claims he was forced to sit for a sham interview with the New York Giants only to satisfy the league's diversity rules.

[09:10:03]

SCIUTTO: He makes other allegations here too, including the idea that the Miami owner offered him money to tank -- to lose games, to move their position up for draft picks.

CNN'S Leyla Santiago joins us now from Miami Gardens, Florida.

Leyla, I'm curious how the franchise is responding to these allegations this morning.

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, they're not acknowledging much of what Flores is alleging in this lawsuit. In other words, they're saying that they are doing their best to improve diversity in the league.

But let's talk about what Flores has just said on CNN. He says in this lawsuit that the league has a problem with racial discrimination, even compares it to a plantation. And take a note of the timing. He filed this lawsuit on the first day of Black History Month here.

You know, a lot of times lawsuits start off with legal framework, legal talk. This one started out with the words from a text message from the Patriots Bill Belichick. So let's go ahead and look over that text message that really does have a lot of the framework for what this lawsuit stands on.

He says that Belichick texted him to say, congratulations, he hears that he landed the job. And Flores replies, did you hear something I didn't hear? Belichick responds, well, the Giants? And Flores points out, I interview on Thursday. I think I have a shot at it. Got it. I hear from Buffalo and New York Giants that you are their guy, Belichick replied. Later, Flores sought clarification. He says, coach, are you talking to Brian Flores or Brian Daboll? Just want to make sure. And Belichick responds, sorry, I f-ed up. I double-checked and I misread the text. I think they are naming Daboll. I'm sorry about that. That is one of the points that Flores makes in this lawsuit to say

that he believes he was simply being interviewed by the New York Giants as part of the Rooney Rule. It's a rule that establishes that these teams have to interview external and minority candidates. And he said to us this morning, and CNN, speaking to John Berman, that that made him feel humiliated. He felt disbelief, just having to go through that interview.

He also talks about an exchange with Stephen Ross, right here, Miami owner -- excuse me, the Miami manager, who he says offered to pay him $100,000 per loss so that they could be better positioned for the draft.

You know, Flores is saying that he is filing this lawsuit understanding that his job could be at risk, his career on the line. But he says this is bigger than him.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN FLORES, FORMER MIAMI DOLPHINS HEAD COACH: This is bigger than coaching. This is bigger than me. You know, the numbers speak for themselves as far as the hiring, firing, and the lack of opportunities for minority and black head coaches and executives in the National Football League. And we need to change. We need things to change.

I've got a group of men in that locker room I need to be -- look them in the eye and they need to know that I'm helping them reach their potential. I'm -- we're trying to win games. And I was never going to stand for that. And that -- I would say that strained a lot of the relationships in Miami.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: So, what does he want? Well, he says he wants more transparency in the hiring and firing process. More influence from black individuals, as well as more diversity among ownership.

GOLODRYGA: It was really something to hear him go on to say that he's doing this not only for other athletes, but for his children, right, and his children at home, young children, and having to explain to them what this experience was like that he is living through in 2022 no less.

Leyla Santiago, thank you so much.

Well, joining us now to discuss is Jemele Hill, a contributing writer for "The Atlantic." She also hosts the "Jemele Hill is Unbothered" podcast and co-host of "Cari and Jemele Won't Stick to Sports" on Vice TV.

Jemele, great to have you on.

You say that if people aren't connecting the dots from this story to Colin Kaepernick, then they're missing the entire point. Talk about the significance of this moment for the league, and I would say for the nation as a whole, as we're watching this unfold.

JEMELE HILL, HOST, "JEMELE HILL IS UNBOTHERED" PODCAST: Well, thank you for having me on.

And this is a reckoning that is long overdue in the NFL. And I think it is important that people draw the link between how Colin Kaepernick was ousted from the NFL for protesting against the issues, among them, systemic racism that is very prevalent in the NFL. And it was interesting, because I watched the interview on CNN this morning and heard him, Brian Flores, talk about how humiliated he felt and some of the feelings and why he decided that now was the moment.

[09:15:10]

I mean the Rooney Rule was created in 2003. The Rooney Rule in the NFL being that NFL teams had to interview minority candidates for every head coach position. It was later expanded to then include front office positions as well.

Since the Rooney Rule was instituted, there have been 127 head coaches who have been hired in the NFL. Only 27 of them have been black. Right now the NFL has one black team president, with the Washington Football Team, the first black team president in 100 seasons. A hundred. Just one. And now, despite the presence of the Rooney Rule, you have one black coach in the NFL, that being Mike Tomlin, with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

So, for the NFL to put out a statement in response to Brian Flores' lawsuit to say that his claims are without merit, the numbers speak for itself. If there was no merit to it, why do you have a Rooney Rule?

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HILL: So, we know and have known for a long time this was a persistent problem. The question was, who was going to do what Brian Flores did and make this a legal issue?

SCIUTTO: Right.

HILL: And the reason that I -- that I brought up Colin Kaepernick is because when he took a knee for social injustice, the NFL took away his entire career. And that's obviously what Brian Flores is taking it, and the fact that we say that loudly and with confidence lets you know how badly this situation is in the NFL.

SCIUTTO: Yes. He, Flores, in addition to the Rooney Rule, alleges that the Dolphins broke other rules as well. I mean he said that he was offered $100,000 a game to tank, that is to purposefully lose to improve their draft position and that he was also pressured to meet with a quarterback, potential quarterback hire outside of league rules.

I wonder, the NFL is riding high now. I mean they've got 19 of the 20 top rated TV news casts. They're making billions. It's got to police itself here, right, because the owners, as you know, run the league. Will it police itself on this?

HILL: If we're depending on the NFL to police itself, then this is never going to go anywhere. You're going to get the result that you have right now. And part of the reason why the NFL is so -- is so arrogant about their position and why they don't address these systemic racial issues in their own league is because they are the number one obsession in America. The fans will continue to watch. And they know this. Regardless of the issues that are so right, and right in front of us. And it is going to take this kind of moment to get people to understand just how pervasive the problem is.

It's not just about the coaches. It is about the fact that they have never had a majority black owner. It is about the lack of representation in the c suite level among front office personnel, with black coaches. It's about the fact that just a few months ago the NFL stopped race norming with the head trauma issues that are in the league.

Like, this league has a problem. It's racist. And there is just no other way to say it. And they can deny it all that they want to, but we see it happening and unfolding and have seen it happen for years now.

GOLODRYGA: Is the bar set, in your opinion, to a different standard for the few black coaches that there are out there? Because I ask, you look at Flores' record, and he won eight of the last nine games for the team, right? And yet a lot of people puzzled why he was let go.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: The Texans head coach, he was fired this year. He'd only been working there for one year with the team. Really not given much of an opportunity to turn that team around.

Do you think that there's a different standard in terms of the black coaches that are right now employed in the NFL?

HILL: I mean, I think it's pretty evident. And there was a reason why, in his lawsuit, Brian Flores cited the column that I just wrote for "The Atlantic" about this double standard that you're talking about. David Culley, who was the coach you're referring to in Houston who was fired, he won just as many games as the white coach, Bill O'Brien, that the Texans had last year. But Bill O'Brien had Deshaun Watson, who was a franchise quarterback, one of the elite players in the league. They won the same number of games. And he has one season to turn around a team that lost not only Deshaun Watson, but their best defensive player in J.J. Watt, their best wide receiver in DeAndre Hopkins. What was he supposed to do?

But we see it consistently, Brian Flores coached the Dolphins to back- to-back winning seasons. It's the first time the Dolphins, I believe, have had back-to-back winning seasons since the early 2000s. So, he clearly met the standard of what we're talking about. They were nine NFL head coaching job openings this off season. None of them so far have gone to black coaches.

[09:20:02]

We look at Eric Bieniemy, who's the offensive coordinate with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Kansas City Chiefs are a dynasty and process. I know they lost early in the playoffs, but they have one of the most electric offenses in the NFL because black coaches based off the standard that's been established have been told that you need to be an offensive-minded coach. So why does Eric Bieniemy have a job?

You have Byron Leftwich, he just guided Tom Brady, in his late 40s, to two of his best years in Tampa Bay as his offensive coordinator. The Bucs won a Super Bowl last year. Why does a Byron Leftwich have a job? It's rife with examples of not only double standards, but situations where black coaches and prominent positions who have the criteria that the NFL has set are passed over, looked over, or tokenized. And it's got to stop.

SCIUTTO: Jemele Hill, thanks so much. It's an important story.

We should note, the NFL released a statement responding to the lawsuit vowing to defend against the claims. It says they are meritless. We'll continue to follow the story.

Coming up next, a suspect is in custody in the fatal shooting of two campus police officers in Virginia. The college remembering them this morning, and there they are, as the dynamic duo.

GOLODRYGA: Such a sad story.

Plus, former President Trump attacking Republicans who called him out for dangling pardons to the January 6th rioters.

And later, Whoopi Goldberg suspended from "The View" for two weeks for comments she made about the Holocaust. Hear how she's responding now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:25:51]

SCIUTTO: Turning now to another case of deadly gun violence in this country. Today, flags across the state of Virginia, they're flying at half-staff after two campus police officers were shot and killed at Bridgewater College yesterday, during an active shooter standoff.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, school officials say officers J.J. Jefferson and John Painter were known as the dynamic duo, and were beloved by students and staff.

CNN's Alexandra Field joins us now.

And, Alexandra, we were watching this unfold yesterday afternoon. What more have we learned from this tragedy?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know that these two officers, who have been described as two of the friendliest people on campus, were responding to a call about a suspicious person on that campus that they were there to protect. Law enforcement says it was a quick interaction before the gunshots rang out. Students heard those shots fired. Today, they are grieving the loss of these two familiar special faces on campus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX HULLEMAN, BRIDGEWATER COLLEGE STUDENT: These are great people and no one -- no one -- no one I know would talk (ph) can say a bad word about them. Even some people who get caught with drug or alcohol and got charged by them say, you know, the next week they're back in the cafeteria joking with each other and teasing each other. I mean these are -- these are outstanding individuals and pillars of our community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: Outstanding individuals, pillars of the community. The school also putting out a statement saying that these officers were close friends, known to many of us as the dynamic duo. John was J.J.'s best man in his wedding this year. They were beloved by students, faculty and staff. I hurt for their families and loved ones as I know we all do.

And, Jim and Bianna, we are learning that the suspect fled on foot, that he waded through a river on to an island in that river. That is where he was arrested. He is now facing a slew of felony charges.

This is a 27-year-old Virginia man, Alexander Campbell. Police say that he is associated with several firearms that they have seized.

Of course, this shooting does come after a spate of attacks on law enforcement officers across the country. President Joe Biden weighing in overnight on the devastating news, offering his condolences to the families of these officers, but also making a broader point saying the attacks on law enforcement are sickening and that they must end.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, these two officers, these friends, died together, no doubt, protecting the students who loved them so much as we just heard from that one student. A really tragic story.

Alexandra Field, thank you.

Well, an off-duty NYPD officer is recovering this morning after investigators say he was shot during an attempted carjacking. This happened last night in Queens as the officer was on his way to work. The NYPD tells CNN the officer was not in uniform or in an NYPD vehicle. Detectives say the off-duty officer was at a red light when two men tapped on his window with a gun. When the officer got out, one of the men started shooting, hitting the officer in the shoulder.

SCIUTTO: Goodness.

Nearby, officers rushed to his aid. Three blocks away, investigators say, uniformed public safety team officers spotted the suspects who then started shooting at those officers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHIEF KENNETH COREY, NYPD: The officers exercised great restraint and did not return fire. And I want to emphasize that. These officers are being fired at and did not shoot back. Instead, they chased the suspect on foot and apprehended the two of them a short distance away without further incident, where a firearm was also recovered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: That takes courage.

This comes as the funeral for the second NYPD officer shot and killed during a domestic call last month will begin at 10:00 a.m. We're going to bring it to you live right here on CNN. Expect an enormous turnout once again of uniformed officers from around the country.

Still ahead this hour, a disturbing threat, 19 historically black colleges and universities targeted with bomb threats, notably as Black History Month begins. Who's behind it? What does the FBI know?

GOLODRYGA: And we are just moments away from the opening bell on Wall Street. Stock futures mixed this morning but the Nasdaq pointing up after Google's parent company, Alphabet, turned in better than expected earnings.

[09:30:04]