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Seven-Time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady Retiring; FBI Urges U.S. Athletes to Use Burner Phones at Games; FBI Baffled on Who Planted Pipe Bombs in Washington; Denmark is the First EU Country to Lift All Covid Restriction; COVID Restrictions are Being Eased in Europe. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired February 02, 2022 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Isa Soares. If you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is pointing the finger at the U.S. saying America is using Ukraine as a tool into trying to draw Russia into armed conflict. The Biden administration denies those claims saying it wants to keep working towards diplomatic solutions.
And Brian Flores, the former head coach of the Miami Dolphins is suing the National Football League and three NFL teams for racial discrimination. The league and teams are denying his accusations. We'll of course have much more on those two stories in about 30 minutes with "EARLY START."
Him In the world of football, a legion of fans is heartbroken today now that NFL icon Tom Brady has put really all of the speculation to rest. The seven-time Super Bowl champion and probably the greatest quarterback ever to play the game is retiring, but his announcement, like his career, came with a little bit of controversy as CNN's Andy Scholes reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR (voice-over): Just like he did so many times in 22 seasons, Tom Brady's retirement kept us on the edge of our seats, but Brady ending the drama Tuesday morning making it official. In a lengthy Instagram post, the seven-time Super Bowl champion saying in part, this is difficult for me to write, but here it goes. I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now, it is time to focus my time and energy and other things that require my attention.
After so many years, his components must have longed to see the back of him, but now that he's gone, they'll certainly missing him. The tributes started flooding in. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell saying Brady inspired fans in New England, Tampa, and around the world with one of the greatest careers in NFL history, it has been a pleasure to watch him compete and have him in the NFL. Bucs head coach Bruce Arians saying, Tom joined us as the greatest football player of all time and he quickly showed everyone in the organization what that meant.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft adding: Words cannot describe the feelings I have for Tom Brady, nor adequately describe the gratitude my family, the New England Patriots and our fans have for Tom for all he did during his career.
[04:35:02]
And while the Patriots and Kraft thanked Brady for all he did, Brady failed to mention the team or Patriots fans in his lengthy retirement post, despite thanking everyone in Tampa.
BEN VOLIN, SENIOR NFL WRITER, THE BOSTON GLOBE: This is all the talk right now in Boston. Not to be, you know, whiney New England guy, but he released a nine-page, you know, retirement statement on Instagram thanking the Bucs, the trainers, his teammates, from the city of Tampa, his agent, his trainer. Not one mention of the Patriots or Bill Belichick or Robert Kraft and everyone up here is like, what the heck? What's with the snub?
SCHOLES (voice-over): Brady later posted on Twitter: Thank you, Patriots Nation. I'm beyond grateful. Love you all.
And nobody noticed when Brady entered the league as a sixth-round draft back in 2000. But through his extraordinary work ethic, he retires as the most decorated champion of all time. He holds many record including most passing yards and passing touchdowns. There were some bumps along the way, most notably deflate-gate when the Patriots were accused of taking air out of the footballs during the 2014 AFC title game.
Brady eventually served a four-game suspension in 2016 for violating NFL policy on the integrity of the game. Brady though ended that system with the greatest come back in Super Bowl history, beating the Falcons to win the fifth of his record seven Super Bowl titles.
In sports, we celebrate our champions and cherish our underdogs. No athlete in history has personified both more than Tom Brady.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And I'm sure he'll succeed in whatever else he does in the future.
Now in the coming hours, the big reveal from Washington DC NFL franchise. The team is set to announce its new name as well as logo. But a local news station may have just gotten the scoop. CNN affiliation WSA flew a helicopter over the stadium on Tuesday and captured images of the sign -- but you can see it spotlighted there. It reads Washington Commanders. Many will find that a massive improvement over the Redskins, a name the team owner vowed he would never change despite decades of criticisms from Native American groups who consider it an ethnic slur. The FBI is making cybersecurity a top priority at the Olympics asking
U.S. athletes to use temporary burner phones while in Beijing. While no specific threat has been presented, officials warn prominent Americans who travel to China face the risk of having their personal devices hacked.
Meantime, the official countdown to the opening ceremonies has kicked off with the start, of course, of the Olympic torch relay, as you see there. But only a select few will get to see it the relay in person due to COVID precautions. Just one of course, of many Beijing, as we've been reporting, has in place.
CNN's Steven Jiang joins me with more. And Steven, let me ask you about this warning from the FBI. I'm guessing it's because they're worried about malicious cyber activity. Do we know whether athletes are heeding this call? And has there been any reaction from Beijing?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: You know, Isa, even before this FBI warning, several national Olympic committees had been telling their athletes and team to bring a burner phone or personal device to China and also be mindful of the pervasive high-tech surveillance, actually both online but also in the real world while in Beijing.
So, this is not some shocking or new revelation per se. And you know, for travelers coming into China regularly, at least before the pandemic, this is something that's been long known. It's also been a practice a lot of people have adopted for quite some time. And for, you know, those of us who've based here, this is just -- you kind of factor this in as part of the reality of living and working here and to plan and act accordingly.
Now of course the high-profile nature of the Olympics is now placing this issue under an intense global spotlight. And actually, just a few days ago the FBI director Christopher Wray said in a speech in Washington that also in China that China is actually posing the greatest threat to the U.S. in terms of its economic security and innovation. Also, part of this broader theme. And all of this, of course, is a reason between -- is the reason for the growing tensions between the two countries and that, of course, is something really dogging and over shadowing these games.
And I think the Chinese, of course, have been in past pushing back very forcefully and very angrily and saying all of this is part of a U.S. orchestrated smear campaign aimed at not only disrupting these games but also to contain China's rise. So, this kind of clash are definitely not going to stop or even subside during the upcoming games -- Isa.
SOARES: Steven Jiang for us in Beijing this hour. Thanks very much, Steven.
Up next right here on CNN NEWSROOM, an exclusive report on the pipe bomb planted in Washington in January 2021 and the VIP who came dangerously close to one of them. That is next.
[04:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: A New York police officer killed in the line of duty will be laid to rest today. Wilbert Mora received a hero's escort -- as you can see there -- to St. Patrick's Cathedral on Tuesday where thousands pay their respects. The 27-year-old was one of two officers killed while responding to a domestic dispute in Harlem, if you remember, last month. Mora is being remembered as a hero in both life as well as death. His organs were donated to several patients in need of transplants.
Well, the House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot is speaking with another top aide to former Vice President Mike Pence. Brad Jacob and Mark Short played critical roles in countering efforts to have Pence overturn the 2020 results. The committee is looking at ways former President Donald Trump and his advisers pressured Pence in the lead up to January 6. CNN has confirmed that an attorney for Trump sent Jacob email during the riot blaming Pence for the violence.
It's been almost 13 months since that attack on the Capitol and it's still not known who placed pipe bombs outside the Washington headquarters of both major political parties. Exclusive reporting by CNN reveals one of those bombs came dangerously close to the vice president as CNN's Tom Foreman now reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Who is this person, caught on security cameras, just blocks, from the Capitol, on the evening of January 5, 2021? Federal investigators believe this individual left a pair of pipe bombs, outside Democratic and Republican Party headquarters, bombs that were not discovered, until early, the next afternoon, as the Capitol erupted.
STEVEN D'ANTUONO, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, FBI'S WASHINGTON FIELD OFFICE: In this area, where the bombs were placed, if they did go off, they could have caused some serious harm or death.
[04:45:00]
FOREMAN (voice-over): Even crude pipe bombs can be enormously powerful, flinging fragments, in all directions, at more than 1,000 miles an hour.
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: On that day, I was not only Vice President-elect. I was also a United States Senator.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Sources have now told CNN, the incoming Vice President, Kamala Harris, drove within yards, of one of these bombs, on January 6, and was inside the DNC office, with that bomb outside for nearly two hours before the device was found.
But it's been more than a year since that incident and it seems the trail has gone cold. So, what do we know? The FBI says their suspect carried a backpack, or a gray hoodie, a mask, and Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers. Authorities say, the suspect's meandering paths suggest he or she was not from the area. And the bombs were made from galvanized pipe, kitchen timers, and homemade black powder.
Beyond that, according to "The Atlantic," the FBI has scoured hundreds of hours of video, and interviewed more than 900 people, even studying the way, the person walks, in the camera footage, hoping to find a suspect match, through gait analysis.
D'ANTUONO: I'm coming to you today, to once again ask, for your help with our pipe bomb investigation.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Still, the call from investigators, for help, remains unchanged.
D'ANTUONO: We still believe, there is someone out there, who has information that they may not have realized was significant, until now.
FOREMAN: It is impossible to say at this point what if any connection existed between this suspect and the attack on the Capitol or what the real goal was. All we know with certainty is someone managed to descend on a city bristling with security and police forces, plant two bombs and all this time later is still on the run.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Still to come right here on the show, no more masks. No more lockdowns. No more social distancing. We'll take you live to Denmark. Now the first country in the EU to lift all COVID restrictions. That is next.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. VIVEK MURTHY, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: As we think about the future and getting back to normal, I just want to say I know you look at the numbers in terms of how many people are getting sick with Omicron. And it can be easy to just feel frustrated and tired. And those are absolutely understandable feelings at this point starting year three of this pandemic but I actually feel more optimistic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: That was the U.S. Surgeon General saying he's optimistic the end of the pandemic is within reach. Dr. Vivek Murthy said there are more medicines to treat COVID-19 than ever before. And he says masks and COVID test productions has picked up. Meantime, the head of the American Public Health Association says now is the time for the Biden administration to release guidance and how best to transition out of the pandemic. He's calling on the White House COVID-19 task force to help lead, of course, the charge here. In Europe we are seeing more evidence of pre-pandemic life. Denmark is
now the first EU country to lift all of its COVID-19 restrictions. The government says it's no longer considers the virus a socially critical illness.
And just hours ago, France lifted some of its COVID restrictions. All sports and cultural venues are now permitted to operate both indoors and outdoors at maximum capacity as long as masks are worn.
Well, for more on the rollback of COVID restrictions, let's bring in CNN's Scott McLean. He's in in Copenhagen and Ben Wedeman in Rome. Scott, good morning, let me start with you. Explain to our viewers around the world why Denmark is deciding now is the time to lift all of these restrictions.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bottom line, Isa, they say they don't need them anymore. So, there's no mask mandate anymore. There is no curfew on bars and restaurants. In fact, you don't even have to legally self-isolate if you test positive. Of course, what makes the timing of this very bizarre is the simple fact that Denmark right now has the second highest infection rate on planet earth. And the infection rate is much higher than even the worst-case scenario predicted less than two months ago.
But the Danish health authorities are not so concerned with the infection rate. What they're worried about is hospitalizations and deaths and pressure on the health care system. And they say at this point they've not seen that. In a country of 6 million people there are only about 30 COVID patients in the ICU right now. Whether it stays that way, well, that they can't be sure of.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCLEAN: Late last year you also lifted almost all restrictions in this country and yet in December they came back. Is it really the end this time?
MAGNUS HEUNICKE, DANISH HEALTH MINISTER: Well, we hope so but no one can know what will happen next December. But we promised the citizens of Denmark that we will only have restrictions if they are truly necessary and we'll lift them as soon as we can and that's what's happening right now.
MCLEAN: So, what would make them truly necessary?
HEUNICKE: Well, a new variant that is more infectious and also causes more disease.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCLEAN (on camera): I also asked the health minister about countries that were moving towards mandating vaccines. Austria's already done it. Germany is look to go do it. The health minister says that those countries are desperate.
Denmark's top doctor, I spoke to him as well, he said, look, if you push them too far on vaccines, they'll push back. He says the countries need have to remember that this is a pharmaceutical intervention with possible side effects. It's certainly not nothing.
Instead, the Danish approach to vaccinations -- and they have more than 81 percent of the population double -- it's been to be honest about the pros and cons of vaccination. In fact, they said that when they stopped giving the AstraZeneca vaccine last year because of extremely rare side effects, that actually didn't hurt vaccine confidence. They say it helped -- Isa.
SOARES: Scott do stay with us. I'm going to go to Ben. And Ben, is Denmark the exception in Europe here? Because yesterday you and I were talking about tightening restrictions in Italy.
[04:55:00]
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Denmark is obviously well ahead of the rest of Europe in terms of simply lifting all restrictions, but we are seeing that gradually in other countries some of these restrictions have been eased. England, for instance.
France today as you mentioned before is easing its restrictions. Now it's no longer mandatory to wear a mask outside. Sports and cultural venues can take maximum capacity as long as people inside are wearing masks on the 16th of February in France. Nightclubs will reopen. But they're not going quite as far as Denmark.
In Italy, for instance, we are expecting some slight easing of restrictions. But basically, what is going on is I think the authorities are becoming accustom to the fact that there is a high percentage of the population that's now doubly vaccinated. France is 76 percent. Italy is 77 percent and the Omicron variety is clearly more mild than previous far more deadly of varieties.
The problem is that because of disparity between the developed countries where you have vaccination rates in the 70s and 80 percent range and other countries where it's in the single digit, you can very easily see the emergence of a new deadly variant and the developed countries clearly are doing little to address that gap between those two situations -- Isa.
SOARES: Ben Wedeman for us in Rome. Scott McLean in Copenhagen, thank you very much.
And that does it for me, thanks very much for watching. "EARLY START" is next.
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