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Ukrainian Forces Hold Drills in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone; Minneapolis City Council Reviews No-Knock Warrants After Police Shooting of Amir Locke; Snow, Ice May Cause Headaches for Parts of New England; China Limits Movement of Those Inside Closed Loop. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired February 08, 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. I'm Isa Soares. If you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories at this hour.
Several states are rolling back mask mandates for schools and indoor public places. Officials are making decisions due to high vaccination rates and fewer COVID-19 infections. The roll backs begin in the coming weeks.
And French President Emmanuel Macron has landed in Kyiv where he will meet with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. The diplomatic blitz comes after he met with Vladimir Putin, if you remember, on Monday.
In a meeting with Germany's Chancellor, U.S. President Biden vowed sanctions and cutting off the Nord Stream 2 pipeline if Russia was to invade Ukraine. We'll have much more on both of these stories in "EARLY START" in about 30 minutes or so.
Despite the diplomatic push to prevent a Russian invasion, Ukrainian forces are training for a possible war in an unexpected location, Chernobyl. The abandoned area is now the site of drills more than three decades after the world's worst nuclear disaster. CNN's Melissa Bell has the details for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Through the forests of northern Ukraine, it appears. The Chernobyl nuclear reactor, a monument to humanity's ability to unleash uncontrollable forces.
Suddenly, the apparent calm left behind by the 1986 Soviet-era accident is broken. Ukrainian forces run drills in what remains a radiation exclusion zone, free of any inhabitants.
They're practicing urban combat. Of course, this is also an information and propaganda war. Everyone waits for Russian President Vladimir Putin to decide. Even as Ukraine questions an earlier U.S. assessment of just how imminent a potential invasion is.
OLEKSIY REZNIKOV, UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: So, they have the same facts, but a different perception or different estimation.
BELL: The difference is on the question of intention. You don't believe they intend to invade?
REZNIKOV: I hope that, in Kremlin, they didn't make those decisions still.
BELL (voice-over): But Chernobyl is only ten miles from the border with Belarus, where Russia has been holding joint military exercises. These just some of the 30,000 Russian combat troops that NATO has warned are on their way. Welcomed with bread, and salt, and open arms.
BELL: To the east of Chernobyl lies this neutral zone between Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. It's known as the Three Sisters Crossing in memory of a time when the three countries were all Soviet republics. But more than 30 years on from the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus is a staunch ally of Russia, while Ukraine fears an invasion.
BELL (voice-over): Barely visible through the freezing mist, across the border in Belarus, a Soviet-era monument to the sister nations.
And, at the Three Sisters Cafe on the Ukrainian side, there is more nostalgia for that past than there is worry about war. Masha, a 64- year-old great-grandmother, works here to supplement her state pension, worth the equivalent of just $77 a month, she says.
MASHA, WORKS AT THREE SISTERS CAFE (through translator): Would Putin go to war against civilians? He won't do that. I have brothers and sisters living in Russia, in Belarus. I would dissolve a parliament in Kyiv, kick them out of parliament. Every last one of them. They should give the people proper pensions, so that people won't be beggars.
BELL (voice-over): The nearby village of Saltivka is only a three-hour drive from Kyiv but feels much further.
This man won't tell us his name for fear of being labeled a separatist. He, too, misses the unity of the past and certainly doesn't appreciate visits to Kyiv from the likes of the British Prime Minister.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Boris, the uncombed, comes here only whipping the tensions up. Only a fool would start a war.
BELL (voice-over): Nobody will come out a winner, he says. Nobody.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Saltivka, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: The pandemic's threat on the U.S. economy appears to be fading but two problems do persist, and that's inflation and supply chain shortages. Ford is the latest company to take a hit. The auto manufacturer is suspending or slowing production at several of its factories because of the computer chip shortage. Ford's earnings are also hurting because of that very issue. Meanwhile, U.S. stocks struggled on Monday to raise gains from early
in the day. The Dow, as you can see, pretty flat -- or actually flat, while the S&P and the Nasdaq so moderate losses. If we have a look though and see how Tuesday is expected to open up, green arrows right across the board, and we look at the Dow futures up 3/10 of a percent, expected to open up about 3/10 of a percent of a percent. Similar picture with the NASDAQ and the S&P 500.
Amazon is digging deeper into its pockets to attract and retain talent. The ecommerce giant announced it's more than doubling its salary caps for U.S.-based technology and corporate employees. The new base salary will jump from $160,000 a year to $350,000. It's not clear how many Amazon employees will directly benefit from the increase or when, in fact, it will begin.
Americans were on the move in 2021. A new report from the brokerage site Redfin found Phoenix, Arizona, gained the most residents -- some 85,000 last year. Other top areas, as you can see there on your map, include Dallas, Texas, Orlando, Florida, and Atlanta, Georgia. The so- called Sunbelt was the most popular area of the country. People chose these destinations because of, one, their affordability despite home and rental prices spiking in some areas. Like top Austin, Texas which saw rent increase 40 percent from 2020.
Parts of the Northeastern U.S. are bracing for more winter weather today with snow and ice advisories stretching from Connecticut to Maine. Meanwhile, a far different story in parts of southern California where excessive heat could be a problem. Pedram Javaheri has a closer look at the forecast. Good morning, Pedram.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Isa. Yes, the pattern across the United States generally quiet. But around parts of the Northeast there is a disturbance exiting stage right as it does on the backside of it. Some winter weather elements to be had. Yet again, and again, it's across northern portions of New England. Even the major metro cities, just a little too warm which is just the way we like it. So, we've excluded those areas out of the winter weather alerts.
But you'll notice portions of New Hampshire, into areas of Maine, certainly into portions of Connecticut as well. Getting some of these in Massachusetts, getting some of these winter weather alerts where one to three inches of snow fall are possible into the early morning hours. Boston, work your way south ward. Just about all rain here as temps stay above the freezing mark. In fact, into the early morning hours you will notice Washington, 36, New York, 38, Boston also 38 where interior areas are freezing. The disturbance takes its time gradually pushes on out of here on to say Wednesday morning. And beyond that we do see a dryer trend restored across the region.
Otherwise, here's what's happening elsewhere. Across the portions of the Dakotas. Some gusty winds, these high wind alerts for winds as high as 65 miles per hour. Some fire weather concerns across this region because there's plenty of fuels in place. So, any fires are ignited certainly could see that really take off dramatically with those winds. And the temperature trends in and around Billings from the 50s, climbing up to the 60s before cooler air arrives.
And the other big area we're watching is portions of Southern California. Have the Santa Ana winds in effect, well, with down sloping winds sending those temperatures back up into the middle 80s. In fact, excessive heat watches for temps as warm as 91 degrees. Easily the warmest weather in the country right there into Southern California today. And you'll notice the trend again into the upper 70s and 80s around Los Angeles. Seattle, only 47 degrees. Chicago is into the upper 30s. And down around Tampa, chilly air still filtering to the South. Highs they are right around 56 -- Isa.
SOARES: Thank you very much, Pedram.
Still to come right here on CNN. After the death of their son at the hands of police, the parents are pushing for a big policy change to ensure other parents don't suffer the same heart break. We'll bring you that story next.
[04:40:00]
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SOARES: Police in Washington state say they've arrested the suspect in Monday's deadly shooting at a Fred Meyer supermarket. Authorities in Richland say Aaron Christopher Kelly was taken into custody without incident. He faces charges of murder and attempted murder. He was arrested near Spokane more than 100 miles from where the shooting took place in the Tri-Cities. He was previously described as armed and dangerous. Police say Kelly shot two people killing one and wounding another.
In the coming hours jury selection is set to resume in Georgia in the federal hate crimes trial of three white men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed black man. 30 potential jurors advance after day one. Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael were convicted of murder in November for chasing down and killing Arbery in February 2020 as he was jogging. William Bryan was also convicted in the killing.
The Minneapolis City Council is reviewing policies on serving no knock warrants after the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old black man last week. Amir Locke was sleeping on his couch when a S.W.A.T. team busted in with no warning. Body cam video shows Locke holding a gun. His family says he legally owned. And to make matters worse, police say Locke wasn't named in any of the warrants they were serving. CNN's Omar Jimenez sat down with Locke's parents and their attorney who are demanding a change in the police policy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you blame the officer or the system that put this officer in this position in the first place?
ANDRE LOCKE, AMIR LOCKE'S FATHER: The no-knock warrant is what caused Amir's death.
KAREN WELLS, AMIR LOCKE'S MOTHER: The whole system. He wasn't killed, he wasn't murdered, he was executed.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): The parents of 22-year-old Amir Locke want to end what led to their son's killing, no-knock warrants. Which let police enter a location without first knocking and announcing their presence. As police barged into the apartment where Locke appeared to be sleeping, shouting commands, he started to get upholding a gun his family says he legally owned and police opened fire. His parents see it as a failure in law enforcement.
WELLS: They are professional people that carry guns and are supposed to protect and serve a community. They didn't protect my son that day. They chose not to do that. And they took him from me and I am angry.
[04:45:03]
LOCKE: The love that I have for my boy, my boy, was taken.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): It's an issue that extends beyond Minneapolis and has for years.
In Chicago, in July 2019 officers executed a no-knock warrant based on bad information. Barging in on Anjanette Young who was naked and later handcuffed in her own living room as officers searched her place guns drawn.
In 2021 the city limited no-knock search warrants only on situations where knocking and announcing would be dangerous to the life or safety of the officers serving the warrant or another person. But Young wasn't killed.
In Louisville it was a different story. Breonna Taylor was shot and killed after a botched raid turned into a hail of gunfire. The fallout eventually led to a total ban on no-knock warrants in the city known as Breonna's Law.
In Minneapolis the Locke family and others are fighting for the same. The city updated its policy and 2020 to limit no-knock warrants but not eliminate them.
JEFF STORMS, LOCKE FAMILY ATTORNEY: Even now the mayor has said, OK, there's a moratorium on no-knock warrants except in these situations. We have to challenge them not to put a band aid over no-knock warrants. Why are we not making changes preemptively that stop Amir Locke before Amir Locke ever happens? They need to take the step and completely ban no-knock warrants. It's not safe for either side of the door.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): The city's current moratorium still allows for the warrants if there's an imminent threat and approval from the chief. Separately, Locke's legal gun, his family says, puts him among the roughly 24 percent of black adults who say they own a gun countrywide -- according to Pew Research. It leaves his family wondering what else he could have done in this situation to survive.
LOCKE: I know my son lying on his stomach like he sleeps with the cover over his head. He didn't even see what was coming. He couldn't see who took his life.
STORMS: There's something at the heart, at the root of Minneapolis that has to change.
When you talk about knowing how your son sleeps, I know how my children sleep and I know what's going through their mind at that moment.
LOCKE: Nothing that they can do can bring our son back but the best thing that they can do at this point with no-knock warrants and prosecuting the officer who decided to play God, fire him, prosecute him and just tell the truth. We messed up.
WELLS: This is just sad. I -- my son is a hashtag.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Omar Jimenez, CNN, Minneapolis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[04:50:00]
SOARES: We'll be right back.
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SOARES: With an army of international journalists in town to cover the Winter Games, Beijing is strictly limiting movement inside the Olympic bubble. Not just to control the spread of COVID, of course, but to also control the narrative during the Olympics. CNN's Selina Wang and David Culver show us how hard it is to move around in the city.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been a long time since there were this many foreign journalists in Beijing. But we're strictly controlled under COVID rules. I can't just walk out of the hotel and my driver can't just take me wherever I want to go. We have to stay in our lane, literally.
This is the closest we can get to Beijing residents.
WANG: He said, the police would take me if I were to walk out of the gate. It's really hard to get into China right now as a journalist. But to cover these Olympic games, we can get in without any visa issues. But the catch is we have to stay strictly confined into what the organizers are calling, the closed loop.
WANG (voice-over): Other than our hotel, our only options are the Olympic venues. The authorities know where we are at all times.
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Restrictions, lack of access, a daily occurrence for journalists living in Beijing.
CULVER: I am from the U.S. but I live in Beijing.
CULVER (voice over): CNN has regularly had run-ins with the Chinese police, around Tiananmen Square in secretive Xinjiang and throughout my coverage of the first COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan. Oftentimes, our reports on subjects deemed sensitive by Chinese officials are censored in mainland China.
As the relationship between Chinese and Western leaders has crumbled, so has the International Press Corps based here. Journalists have been forced to leave.
Perhaps, the most chilling case recently, Chinese state news anchor, Cheng Lei, an Australian citizen, detained since 2020 on an accusation of spying. We don't know where she's being held.
CULVER: Now, the Olympic games, a carefully managed opportunity for China to re-introduce itself. Journalist like me who live here, now joined by hundreds of new faces. Albeit, separated by barriers.
WANG: But our sources in China lived with much greater risk. Like human rights activists, Hu Jia, a prominent credit of the Communist Party, speaking to me from house arrest, he says that authorities are frightened and might stage a demonstration during the Olympics while the world is watching.
He tells me he'll be locked in for months. They threatened to stop him from seeing his elderly mother if he doesn't comply. He is used to getting a knock on the door from police. Who he said had visited him four times in the past eight days.
The security of the closed loop, keeping people stay from COVID as more cases are registered among Olympic personnel. But also keeping journalist from telling their stories.
Selina Wang, with David Culver, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[04:55:00]
SOARES: The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is putting its plan for new facial recognition software on hold after objections from lawmakers and privacy groups. The new system would have required taxpayers to take a picture of a photo I.D., like a driver's license or passport to sign on to its website. The software would compare that with a selfie from the user. The IRS now says it's working on other ways to authenticate taxpayers' identities online.
Good news for anyone looking for cheap U.S. flights. Low-cost carriers Spirit and Frontier airlines have announced a merger worth more than $6.5 billion. No details yet on what the brand dual would fly under. But if the deal goes through, it would create the fifth largest airline in the United States. The two budget airlines have both taken significant hits since of course the pandemic began. Both registering hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. Spirit CEO says the plan is to create an aggressive ultra-low fare competitor.
Here in the U.K. a pub that claims to be the oldest in Britain has been forced to close down after more than 1,200 years of business. You're looking at Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, just north of London. The landlord says they've tried everything but could not fix their financial problems from the pandemic. But it may not be the end of the road for this historic watering hole. The owner says they're working to reopen it under new management. I hope they do.
And that does it here for me on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Isa Soares in London. Our coverage of diplomacy blitz to ease tensions over Ukraine continues on "EARLY START" with Christine Romans and Laura Jarrett. I shall see you tomorrow. Have a wonderful day. Bye-bye.
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