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U.S Intelligence Indicates Russia Potentially Invading Ukraine; Interview With Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA); U.S Deaths From Coronavirus At 900,000; Joe Rogan Gets Support From Rep. Dan Crenshaw; Fox News Ignored Pence's Admonition Of Trump; Queen Elizabeth II Celebrates 70 Years Of Reign; Jobs Report, Jobless Rate And Wages. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired February 06, 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]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. Growing fears of a catastrophe in Ukraine as two U.S. officials warn Russian President Vladimir Putin now has 70 percent of the troops and weapons in place for a full-scale invasion. These new satellite images show a massive troop buildup in Belarus just 20 miles from the Ukraine's border.

Also near Ukraine's border, U.S. airborne infantry troops that arrived in Poland earlier today. They are the first elements of a 3,000-strong deployment sent to support NATO allies, Poland and Romania. This afternoon, President Biden was asked if war troops could soon be on the way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Are you willing to send more troops to Poland and other NATO countries if Putin does not deescalate?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not going to speculate on that.

UNKNOWN: Do you think there's any particular thing that Vladimir Putin is looking for, sir, in order to make this decision?

BIDEN: I think thing he cannot get.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: U.S. intelligence estimates paint a bleak picture of what could happen if Russia invades. One estimate says Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv might fall in 48 hours if Putin were to unleash his full military power and a human cost could be in the tens of thousands of civilian casualties and up to 5 million refugees.

Ukraine however is not convinced an invasion will happen urging its citizens not to believe these apocalyptic predictions as they're being called. But Putin has all the building blocks to conduct what officials say could be the largest military operation on land in Europe since World War II. CNN's senior international correspondent Sam Kiley is in Ukraine.

CNN's Isabel Rosales joins me from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Sam, let me start with you first. Ukraine doesn't seem very concerned with these dire warnings about what the Russians are up to. Why not?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think there are two reasons for that, Jim. The first is that -- as they regularly point out at government level here, the country has already been invaded. It's got a large chunk of its eastern territory occupied by Russia and the Crimean Peninsula. There has been annexed to Russia so they consider it a done deal effectively in terms of an invasion.

And then the other aspect of this is that the hybrid warfare that Vladimir Putin and his generals wave so effectively worldwide effectively includes economic costs. So the more they say that there is talk of immense of war, the more they see these sorts of briefings coming out, the danger is that the economy here would start to suffer and that could cause political instability.

And its political instability that in the end might collapse the center and do part of Vladimir Putin's job for him, if that's what indeed he's planning to do. So the foreign minister today, Dmytro Kuleba coming out with those statements saying, you know, don't believe these apocalyptic analysis that are coming particularly out of the United States.

And they've been complaining in public, really, about the tone being struck by the U.S., Jim, now for two and a half weeks as these troop continue to build up, though, both in Belarus now as well as in Ukraine, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. And, Isabel, you have talked to troops at Fort Bragg. What are they telling you right now?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Jim, for some of the soldiers I spoke with, this is their first time deploying and others are much, much more seasoned. So there are varying degrees of nerves happening here about this deployment, but they all shared a sense of duty, a desire to serve and to help out NATO allies.

We know that 2,000 troops will be deployed from here from Fort Bragg over to Eastern Europe. We know that from the 18th Airborne, 300 of them, they're done. They're already there in Germany. But 1,700 from the 82nd Airborne, they are still working on deploying them, and we even saw a fresh wave of them being sent off late last night.

They loaded up a C-17 with soldiers with equipment, with Humvees and they arrived into Poland this morning. I am also learning that these soldiers will be conducting military drills with their polish counterparts. That's according to a spokesperson from the 82nd Airborne.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRETT LEA, 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION: So, we're there to assure our allies and to reinforce or ironclad commitment to our European allies we cannot really anticipate the future. We hope that our presence will assure our allies that we're committed to a safe and stable Europe.

[17:05:05

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And these soldiers hopped on to those flights without a timeline in hand. They do not know how long they're going to be serving there in Europe and the Pentagon has not ruled out that they could in fact send even more troops. We know 8,500 of them besides these 2,000 sent out from Fort Bragg and another 1,000 sent over from Germany to Romania. Another 8,500 of them are on heightened alert. Jim?

ACOSTA: All right, Isabel Rosales from the big Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina. Thanks very much. We appreciate that.

Joining me now is a member of the House Armed House Services Committee and the Intelligence Committee. Democratic Congresswoman Jackie Speier of California. Congresswoman, you heard some of that set up at the top of the CNN reporting, 70 percent of the forces in place for a full- scale Russian invasion and that Kyiv could fall in 48 hours. Does that track with what you are learning and what is your level of concern right now that we might actually see the largest military operation since World War II take place in Europe?

REP. JACKIE SPEIER (D-CA): Jim, I think that we should be very concerned that the likelihood of Kyiv falling within 48 hours I think is pretty accurate. I've heard figures as high as 100,000 civilians could be killed as a result. This is a provocative heinous vanity project by Putin who, I think, has every indication that he wants to reconstitute the Soviet Union.

It's 100 years ago this year that the Soviet Union came into being. I think he has been, for many years now, wanting to re-establish that Soviet Union, and this is a step in that direction. So we have a very delicate dance to step around in right now because I think we want to save these lives. Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but there's an interest of wanting to protect it, and we are preparing to be there to assist them if necessary.

ACOSTA: And Ukrainian officials are almost treating this like run of the mill Russian posturing or something that they've been accustomed to after the invasion and annexation of Crimea and so on. Is this a tactic on their part to try to cool things off? Do you think Ukraine might be underprepared, that they're not stealing their own citizens for what may be about to take place?

SPEIER: Well, I do think President Zelensky is, you know, trying to maintain an economic viability in the country right now and trying to calm fears, but I think people recognize that this is an incredible buildup of Russian troops surrounding them both in Belarus and right outside of Donbass.

So, he may be doing this for domestic reasons, but clearly the rest of the world recognizes what Putin is doing. And I will say that our intelligence community has done an excellent job of making intelligence public that will foil some of these efforts by Russia to create a scenario that somehow this red flag where the Ukrainians attack is really going to be filmed and they were going to use cadavers and actors to be mourning at the site.

So, calling them out and pulling back the curtain is really very important to prevent them from moving forward with their propaganda efforts.

ACOSTA: Do the Russians -- are the Russians, do they think that the rest of the world is stupid enough to believe some fake video of the Ukrainians pulling off some kind of invasion, I mean, where military attack on the Russians? I mean, that just sounds so ridiculous that I can't believe that the Russians would think that the rest of us would believe that?

SPEIER: Well, you've got to remember that Crimea was taken over by Putin with not -- basically a squirmish, not a blood was dropped, not a bullet really shot, and we were pretty silent. And I think we learned a very important lesson. That if you don't push back, he will push forward.

ACOSTA: And let's switch gears and talk about the NFL and its investigation of sexual misconduct inside the Washington football team now called the Washington Commanders organization. You say there was a cover-up and you tweeted about this saying the legal agreement between the NFL and the Commanders proves the NFL never intended for accountability for owner Dan Snyder's dastardly deeds as you described it. Roger Goodell, the commissioner, must be brought in by oversight Dems and answer for this cover-up.

[17:10:02]

An attorney for the Commanders' owner says the allegations are false and that Dan Snyder denies them. The NFL says the league is cooperating. What about having Roger Goodell come in and testify? Talk about --

SPEIER: I think it's very important that Roger Goodell come in and testify. I think the number of questions that need to be asked, I mean, this is a, you know, $12 to 16-billion-dollar industry a year. Up until very recently had a tax exempt status. They're still eligible for tax exempt municipal bonds when they build these stadiums.

I think Congress has got to take a very hard look at the preferential treatment that the NFL has been given. And the fact that Goodell had a deal with Snyder before the investigation even began that they would not even release documents unless they both agreed to it shows what a sham it was.

And then after he paid a $10 million fine he was able to have his wife take over the franchise. I mean that would be like a member of Congress being charged with sexual harassment and the penalty was that his spouse could take over as the member of Congress. It is preposterous and laughable.

ACOSTA: And on Thursday the former Commander employees that you spoke with, they spoke to the committee and you asked each of the women how many times they were sexually harassed on the job. Pretty disturbing responses. Here's what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Too many to count. I was there 14 years. And it's too many to count.

SPEIER: Is it more than 100?

UNKNOWN: It's more than 100.

SPEIER: More than 200.

UNKNOWN: If I had to guess, yes.

UNKNOWN: At least 50 to 100. And it wasn't even just the comments. It was the situations of being tossed in the air with a skirt on and me having to convince myself, keep your legs closed to avoid an uncomfortable situation in front of the potential client.

UNKNOWN: Over 100.

SPEIER: Ms. Applegate.

UNKNOWN: I worked there a year and a half. So, mathematically that would be roughly 515 times because it happened on a daily basis and that was seven-day a week job.

UNKNOWN: It happened every single day that you were on site. It didn't matter where you were. It was a pervasive culture that happened and I worked there for eight years so, multiply that 500 times by eight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Do you think we need to see a criminal investigation?

SPEIER: Oh, I absolutely think we need a criminal investigation. There is apparently a video that was made without the consent of these cheerleaders of them undressing, getting ready for shoots for their calendar. They were treated like pieces of meat. And this video evidently has some, you know, very revealing photographs or video of these women, not with their consent.

It was prepared for Dan Snyder himself for his personal viewing and for -- and delight, I suppose, but it is a criminal act. It was a criminal act to put his hand on one of the cheerleader's thighs and leave it there until she removed it. He should not have a franchise in the NFL. It has been treated like a frat party and everyone has just turned the other cheek and allowed it to continue.

ACOSTA: Well, I can tell you having grown up in this area and being a Washington football team fan many years, there are so many people in this area who are just so tired of Dan Snyder being the owner of that football team. And what you're talking about, Congresswoman, I mean, it should be part of the evidence that should lead to his departure. No question about it. All right, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it.

SPEIER: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: As the U.S. passes 900,000 deaths from COVID-19, one writer says we should be looking more than 100 years into the past to the 1918 pandemic for lessons. More on that next. You're live in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:15:00]

ACOSTA: 900,000 Americans are now dead from COVID. Every single day, an average of 2,400 Americans are dying from the disease. That's more than at the height of the delta peak in this country back in the fall of 2021. So clearly COVID isn't done with America, but there more and more signs that Americans are just done with COVID. And it's not just from the usual suspects from the anti-vax far right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAN WEISS, JOURNALIST AND WRITER: I'm done with COVID. I'm done. It's like I went so hard on COVID. I --

BILL MAHER, HOST, REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER: Yes, I remember.

WEISS: I sprayed the Pringles cans that I bought at the grocery store, strip my clothes off because I thought COVID would be on my clothes. Like, I did it all. And then we were told you get the vaccine. You get the vaccine and you get back to normal. And we haven't gotten back to normal, and it's ridiculous at this point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And a new op-ed in "The New York Times" author John Barry points lessons that the U.S. can learn from the way it reacted to subsequent waves of the 1918 pandemic and warns we should not repeat that mistake. And John Barry joins me now.

John, you wrote about this in your brilliant book about the 1918 influenza pandemic. You specifically referenced a variant that emerged in 1920 of the flu in comparisons to what is happening today with COVID. How did the U.S. react to that variant? I read your book. I just thought it was marvelous. And it's so amazing to see some of the parallels between then and now.

JOHN BARRY, AUTHOR, RISING TIDE AND THE GREAT INFLUENZA: Well, first, thanks for the kind words. People are people. We haven't changed. And back then after a couple of years, they were tired of it just as we are.

[1719:59]

The problem is the virus wasn't tired with them and it isn't tired with us. So what happened in 1920 is another wave, which in some places was the deadliest wave of all and, you know, we are -- the same thing happened not only after that pandemic, the big one in 1918, but similar minor pandemics in 1957, 1968 and 2009.

Again, several years after the initial outbreak, you got a variant that came back and bit you and in some ways was the most dangerous yet. I hope that doesn't happen. There are a lot of reasons for optimism right now, but it's -- you know, we have to remain wary.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. Let's talk about this Monmouth poll that just came out recently, found that while Americans continue to be concerned about the spread of COVID, the vast majority say it's time to accept it as a part of life. You say that is dangerous. It's going to be tough to get that message across because there are just so many folks who have COVID fatigue.

BARRY: Well, I've got it myself. You know, you can live reasonably close to pre-pandemic normal without -- it will become, you know, endemic. You know, we have some very powerful drugs that are already in line, unfortunately, we don't have them in large quantities. The vaccines are very effective in protecting you against serious disease, but just to continue to use common sense measures, you know.

The Japanese have what they call the three C's. Avoid close contact, crowded spaces poor ventilation, that and masks and Japan has fewer than 20,000 deaths of 135 million population. That's one of the main reasons they've been successful. So, we can still live reasonably normal lives, but do not entirely forget about the virus. You need to take some precautions.

ACOSTA: Yes. I mean, I'm just wondering what you think and I'm sure you hear this in your conversations with friends and family members and so on. I hear the same thing that, you know, for those of us who are vaccinated and boosted and take precautions and so on, you know, a lot of us are ready to move on and get back to normal life.

And I suppose there is the thought that for those of us in society who decided against getting vaccinated, the unvaccinated, that they've made their decision and that's just how it's going to be. And we all sort of have to move together as a society and the unvaccinated, stubborn as they are, now just have to deal with those consequences. What do you make of that? I suppose you hear that as well?

BARRY: I do hear it. Sure. I mean, unfortunately the vast, vast majority of people dying are unvaccinated. You know, we are almost at the point, and pretty soon we will be at point where essentially the entire population is either vaccinated or has some immune protection because they were infected, you know. That's going to be a good spot to get to. We are almost there.

That does raise questions, again, about waning immunity, how long the immunity lasts and so forth. You know, whether or not we will need another annual shot, really, as we do in flu. Possibly combining the flu vaccine with the vaccine against COVID.

There are a lot of ways we can get out of this. And along with the drugs that I mentioned a minute ago, but -- and we are almost there, but I am simply asking people to recognize that we are all tired, but we're not there yet. ACOSTA: All right. Very interesting. And if you read John's book,

you'll see that there can be some very serious consequences to just throwing caution to the wind and saying, okay, let her rip all at once. That is certainly going to lead to a lot more hospitalizations and deaths in this country. John Barry, thanks very much for those insights. We appreciate it.

BARRY: Thank you.

ACOSTA: Good talking to you. Up ahead, a shocking video of podcaster Joe Rogan using the "N" word over and over again and one member of Congress reacts by throwing a support behind him.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:25:00]

ACOSTA: Spotify has quietly removed more than 70 episodes of Joe Rogan's podcast as video circulate on social media of Rogan using the "N" word more than 20 times over the years. In response, Rogan put out this apology.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE ROGAN, PODCASTER: I'm making this video to talk about the most regretful and shameful thing that I've ever have to talk about publicly. There's a video that's out that's a compilation of me saying the "N" word. It's a video that's made of clips taken out of context of me of 12 years of conversations on my podcast and it's all smooshed together and it looks [BLEEP] horrible, even to me.

Now, I know that to most people there's no context where a white person is ever allowed to say that word.

[17:30:00]

Never mind publicly on a podcast. And I agree with that now. I haven't said it in years, but for a long time, when I would bring that word up, like if it would come up in conversation and instead of saying the "N" word I would just say the word.

I never used it to be racist because I'm not racist, but whenever you're in a situation when you have to say I'm not racist, you [BLEEP] up. And I clearly have [BLEEP] up.

(END VIDEO CLIIP)

ACOSTA: Sounds like he's racist. Just a few hours after the news broke, Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw of Texas put out this tweet. I'm with Joe Rogan. That was the tweet.

Joining me now is CNN senior political analyst John Avlon and CNN political commentator and host of PBS "Firing Line" Margaret Hoover. Guys, great to see you. I mean, are we really at the point a podcaster can say that word more than 20 times and that is the reaction from a Republican member of Congress? I mean, what? I don't get it. JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think given all of

the oppo (ph) dumps that have been done on Joe Reagan recently, it's hard to say exactly what Crenshaw was defending. I'm not -- I'm guessing it wasn't the "N" word. And look, there are always are issues where people say things a long time ago, but the problem is the pattern that's emerging around Joe Rogan.

Folks really shouldn't be shocked because this has always been part of his appeal. And the question is, what's the next shoe to drop, the third, fourth and fifth? You want to support free speech, but not, you know, folks got to realize who they're aligning themselves with, lest you get burned. And I think that's what happened to Dan Crenshaw, I'm guessing.

ACOSTA: What do you think, Margaret?

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I agree that -- I mean, well, look, I -- you know, he -- there was just -- all he said is I'm with Joe Rogan so I don't -- that was -- and it was 23 hours ago as of, you know, 10 minutes ago. Was that he was affirming his apology? Was that that he was affirming his racist remarks? One doesn't know.

All you can do is sort of inquire for more information. I will say, you know, Rogan spoke pretty contritely there in his Instagram video and I do think we're a country that doesn't tolerate racism. We're also a country that tolerates people who ask for sincere forgiveness. And I think that's up to the viewer to decide whether Joe Rogan is sincere or not. But I don't want to -- I wouldn't lean in to calling him a racist after he's explicitly apologized for using the word.

AVLON: Yeah, and I do think --

ACOSTA: I don't know guys. I mean, you know, he said it more than 20 times and now he's apologizing because the video has surfaced. The apology didn't come before the video surfaced. It came after.

HOOVER: That's fair and he acknowledges that.

ACOSTA: And you know, and for congressman to tweet that out, "I'm with Joe Rogan" after this has been in the news for hours and hours on a Saturday, to me, I just -- I think that's unacceptable, but --

AVLON: Look, (inaudible) unacceptable. You're responsible for what you say when you have the microphone. I think one of the crucial context here is that Joe Rogan's got a lot of influence now where his misinformation on certain issues has a massive downstream effect. A decade ago that wasn't remotely true.

People should judge him and understand the totality of who he is and how he got to where he is, and realize that when you're tying yourself at the hip to somebody, it may be somebody who hadn't been holding himself to the highest standards over the course of his career and now you're reaping the whirlwind for a little bit for those to past statements.

ACOSTA: Let's turn the page to what Mike Pence had to say on Friday. This pretty remarkable public rebuke from the former vice president, no question about it, finally saying the accurate part out loud that Trump was wrong about him having the power to overturn the election.

Our own Oliver Darcy made this very fascinating point yesterday that I picked up on. It says, "Per transcripts, Fox did not cover the Pence event all day yesterday, meaning Friday, and the channel's primetime shows didn't cover it Friday night either." Is Fox just terrified at this point that if they cover Pence, Trump is going to blow a gasket and tell people to watch Newsmax again? What's going on?

HOOVER: It's like they're terrified to tell the truth to their own audience.

AVLON: Bingo.

HOOVER: And that's what's so extraordinary. I mean, fair and balanced is so far gone. I mean, it's made a mockery of itself. But the truth is, the former vice president of the United States absolutely called out the big lie, said it wasn't true. Said they lost fair and square. Drew a line in the sand. Put himself on the other side of Donald Trump and Fox News couldn't bother to report that to their viewers.

AVLON: It says everything, Jim. Right? It says it's not a news organization.

ACOSTA: It's the whole ball game, yes.

AVLON: It's the whole ball game. They're riding from the truth. They don't want to report the news because they're afraid it might offend some portion of their audience. They're going to pretend something objectively newsworthy didn't happen.

[17:35:02]

And of course, fair and balanced was alive from day one but it shows how deeply invested into being basically a propaganda arm of the Republican Party, is that they're just going to ignore objective news because it interrupts with their narrative. Stunning what all for (inaudible) and it's deeply telling.

ACOSTA: Yes, I know. And I think it jives with the notion that they're not necessarily a propaganda arm of the Republican Party which they are but a propaganda arm of the former president. And that they, you know, that he has an iron grip around them and that they're just sort of working in a symbiotic fashion, but let's --

HOOVER: And it's a business model.

ACOSTA: Yes.

HOOVER: It's a business model, right? And they can't afford to lose those viewers so they can't afford to tell them the truth.

ACOSTA: And I also found this to be deeply disturbing. Another reaction to Mike Pence came from Steve Bannon. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE BANNON, TRUMP'S FORMOR WHITE HOUSE CHIEF STRATEGIST: And you're going to carry this thing eventually to your grave, okay? Because it is a mark of shame and you are a stone-cold coward. A stone-cold coward, Boris Epshteyn, where you're going to start with numbers and analysis and then this thing broke this afternoon. My head's blown up. So Boris, you got to help me out here, brother. I can't take -- I can't take Pence and I can't take Pence and Marc Short and all this Koch guys up there ratting out Trump up on Capitol Hill right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOOVER: Because they're telling the truth to the January 6th Committee.

AVLON: Yes.

ACOSTA: Right.

AVLON: That's just -- that's what you call projection, right? The first half of his answer, about how they're cowards, about how, you know -- but the really telling also is they're ratting out Trump. That's what mob bosses say when people tell the truth during investigations and criminal inquires.

And it sounds once again like Steve Bannon's got a lot to hide that he doesn't want to come out with because he's so deeply invested in the cult that he can't confront the truth. So he's just going to project out, we're going to accuse everyone of what he's done because that's the game.

ACOSTA: And I've got to get your take on this. Rudy Giuliani apparently caused two judges to walk off the set of the "Masked Singer." We've been waiting to talk about this one with you guys. It was revealed that he was one of the secret contestants. America's mayor, no less.

We don't know what costume he was going wear on the show only that the theme of the series is the good, the bad and the cuddly. I'm not sure Rudy Giuliani fits the description of being cuddly. Certainly wasn't in that Borat movie, but anyway, you know, your thoughts on this fall from grace to the "Masked Singer"?

AVLON: Well, so Rudy has always loved attention and on one level, I'm not surprised to see him singing or dancing in the "Masked Singer." On the other hand, you shouldn't underestimate the fall from grace as you say, from America's mayor to being a contestant on the "Masked Singer" despite the fact that Sarah Palin did it before. That's not a precedent you want to follow people.

But the fact that the -- that the judges stormed off because he's under investigation for so many things right now and I think it mugs (ph) again, indicates how much Rudy's judgment is off, how his desire for attention overwhelms anything resembling judgment, and that there's been a real decline and it's sad to see. ACOSTA: Yes. Perhaps, you know, whatever that costume is, that could

be the mascot for Four Seasons Landscaping, but I digress. John and Margaret, thanks very much.

AVLON: Well, you just throw it -- just throwing it out there into the universe, yes.

ACOSTA: Had to get that in there one last time. All right. Maybe not the last.

HOOVER: Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: Thanks, guys. Appreciate it. Take care.

Coming up, Britain's Queen Elizabeth celebrates 70 years on the throne with a major announcement. Plus, a look back at her historic reign.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:00]

ACOSTA: Queen Elizabeth celebrating a historic milestone today. It's her platinum jubilee marking 70 years on the throne. Not only is she Britain's longest reigning monarch. She is the longest serving female head of state in history and the queen is using the moment to define the future of the monarchy.

CNN's Max Foster joins us now from Buckingham Palace. Max, a big day for the queen. The queen kicked off her year of celebrations with a major nod to Prince Charles's wife, her daughter-in-law Camilla. What else can we expect from this jubilee year?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Prince Charles really leaving tributes today though coming from all over the world. World leaders all saying similar things about speaking to that, you know, that is seen, a head of state status, which is so admired around the world. Prince Charles saying she had this remarkable 70-year reign and he also said that he was honored that the queen had used her jubilee message to say that she wanted Camilla to be known as queen consort when Prince Charles becomes king.

It's seen as a real nod to how Camilla has committed herself to (inaudible) service. How the queen is really endorsing Charles' future reign. And it is extraordinary, Jim, when you consider that just a few years ago the queen was refusing even to meet Camilla. So, this is massive progress.

We didn't see the queen today, though. Whilst this is a very significant day because it marks beginning of her reign, it also marks the end of her father's reign and his death. So, we're looking back in her absence, really and there'll be celebrations later in the year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER (voice-over): During her reign, Queen Elizabeth has celebrated three landmark jubilees. [17:45:00]

Silver in 1977, golden in 2002, and her diamond jubilee in 2012. This year having already surpassed the record-breaking reign of Queen Victoria, Elizabeth becomes the first British monarch to mark a platinum jubilee. That's an unprecedented seven decades of service. During her historic reign, she's appointed 14 prime ministers and met 12 U.S. presidents.

QUEEN ELZABETH II, QUEEN OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: I have been privileged to witness some of that history.

FOSTER (voice-over): She's been a beacon of continuity through an unprecedented period of change not least the media revolution. Her greatest achievement, perhaps has been her ability to remain relevant and popular.

Approaching her 96th birthday, for almost everyone living she is the only British monarch they've ever known. With no plans to retire, a series of celebrations will take place throughout the year culminating in a four-day public holiday weekend in June, when the public can join the jubilee themed festivities. Expect blockbuster pomp and pageantry. Street parties and parades. A concert with some of the world's biggest stars slated to attend.

KATE WILLIAMS, ROYAL EXPERT: There's going to be some surprises up their sleeve. Really the palace are aware just as much as everybody as this has been a long time coming. No one's really been able to party for quite a long time. So hopefully this is going to be a big party, COVID will be behind us, and people can celebrate outdoors and indoors in the way they'd like.

FOSTER (voice-over): After one of the most tumultuous years in modern royal history, the queen will be hoping to put the focus back on the future of the monarchy. The family have been engulfed by a series of rifts and scandals, but the institution still appears to project strength through its unwavering and revered figurehead.

WILLIAMS: Significantly, we do have to remember that when she came to the throne in 1952, it was really not a very enlightened time in terms of working women. A lot of people thought that a woman wasn't up to the job despite the fact that Queen Victoria and all the queens before her had been great queens on the throne. And she proved them all wrong and really has proved over and over again that a woman can do the job of constitutional monarch just as well as if not better than a man.

FOSTER (voice-over): For the first time this year, Elizabeth will be without Prince Philip at a major royal celebration, the man who was by her side personally and professionally throughout her reign. Prince Charles will step in to play a major role. As will Camilla, William and Kate.

They are the future and will be front and center alongside the queen. Perhaps we'll also be looking ahead to the next jubilee when the queen surpasses France's Louis 14th to become the longest serving reigning monarch in world history. (END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER (on camera): We do expect, Jim, the queen to reach that milestone as well because within that jubilee message, she talked about this being a job for life. No plans for retirement for the queen. So, in just a couple of years, she will be the longest serving monarch in world history.

ACOSTA: Amazing. Max Foster, our best to the queen. Thanks so much for that report. We appreciate it.

And President Biden just set a record for jobs added during his first year in office. CNN's Christine Romans has your "Before the Bell" report.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Him Jim. The job market is red hot despite the omicron variant. The U.S. economy added back 467,000 jobs in January, almost half a million crushing expectations. The jobless rate rose slightly as more people searched for work.

And wages jumped up 5.7 percent from a year ago. The strong job market puts more pressure on the Federal Reserve to keep the economy from overheating. This week, we get the latest evidence of rising prices when the January consumer price index is released. It's expected to hit a fresh pandemic high.

In December, consumer prices rose 7 percent from a year ago. That's the steepest climb since June 1982. To cool the economy, the Federal Reserve is expected to start raising interest rates in March. That looming shift to higher rates powered a monster sell-off in the stock market in January.

Stocks suffered their worst start to a year since 2009. February started a little better but investors are still on edge. In New York, I'm Christine Romans.

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ACOSTA: Guys, take a look at this. The quick action of a police crossing guard captured on dramatic new video. It happened in Maryland. Watch, wow, look at that right there as a student follows a crossing guard's hand signals and starts crossing the street when a car comes speeding into the cross walk.

The guard as you saw there, quickly pushed the student out of the way. Both were knocked to the ground. The crossing guard, a police department corporal, suffered some minor injuries but, wow, the bravery on display there just incredible in Maryland. The driver, we should note, was cited for negligent driving.

And talk about a nerve-racking shot, take a look at this. This is the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am where Jordan Spieth hit the ball dangerously close to a nearly 70-foot cliff. He courageously decided to take the shot just inches from the drop-off but had to quickly run backwards as you there to keep from falling off the cliff.

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Watch your step there, Jordan. Spieth later said this about the terrifying moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JORDAN SPIETH, PRO GOLFER: I'm glad I finished the round and didn't fall off that cliff on 8th, to be honest. It was by far the most nerve-racking shot I've ever hit. It was like Michael said afterwards, he's like I should have grabbed the ball and thrown it in the water because he was trying to get me to not hit it and I was like, Michael, please don't walk up there because then he would have seen definitely not to hit it. And I thought, the biggest thing there was I had to make the par putt because if I didn't make the par putt, it wasn't worth it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: I'm not sure any of that was worth it. But Spieth is currently sitting in first place at 18 under par. Good for him. I'm glad that worked out. It certainly did. And that's the news for tonight. Reporting from Washington, I'm Jim Acosta. I'll see you back here next Saturday at 3:00 p.m. eastern. Pamela Brown takes over the CNN NEWSROOM live after a quick break. Good night everybody.

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