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Ukrainian President Zelensky Warns Panic Is Enemy's "Best Friend"; Now: Biden Holding Critical Call With Putin Over Ukraine Crisis; Is Macron The West's New Putin-Whisperer?; Buffalo Braces For Trucker Protests Over COVID Mandates Today; Fifteen Law Enforcement Officials Shot In The U.S. In The Last 24 Hours; White Father & Son Charged For Shooting At Black FedEx Driver. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired February 12, 2022 - 12:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST (on camera): All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

A critical call taking place right now between President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the escalating crisis in Ukraine.

[12:00:03]

WHITFIELD (voice-over): The two leaders holding this called just hours after Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron talked by phone for more than an hour and a half.

Satellite photos now showing Russia continues its troop build-up. And now surrounds Ukraine on three sides.

Today, the U.S. is ordering all non-emergency personnel out of the embassy in Kiev, and the Pentagon is removing about 160 U.S. soldiers who have been in Ukraine on a training mission, as Ukraine's president is urging calm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): We have a lot of information because we are on these borders. It's our borders, it's our territory.

You know, I have to speak with our people like, you know, like, president and say people truth and the truth that we have different information. And now, the best friend for enemies that is panic in our country.

And all this information that helps only for panic doesn't help us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD (on camera): CNN's team of reporters covering all of this from around the world. Arlette Saenz is at the White House. Nic Robertson in Moscow. Alex Marquardt is in Kiev, Ukraine.

Alex, let me begin with you. So, we heard the Ukrainian president there say, you know, everyone needs to remain calm and it's everyone outside of this country who was panicking Ukrainians.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes, that's right, Fredricka. What we're hearing from the Ukrainian government today after that dire assessment from the White House is a strong message of reassurance and of defiance.

Essentially, please stay calm. But if the worst comes to the worst, we are ready and we will fight.

Fred, that is a similar message that we have heard over the course of the past few weeks from Ukrainian leaders as the U.S. and other NATO countries have made increasingly pessimistic predictions, and that is the same message that we are now hearing from President Zelensky on down, as the U.S. has issued its most dire warning yet.

Now, President Zelensky in that clip that you just played, he was down south in the southern part of the country, observing Ukrainian military exercises that not at all, coincidentally are taking place at exactly the same time, as Russian military exercises are taking place. In Belarus.

President Zelensky saying he still needs to analyze all of the information and casting some doubt about the certainty of the prospect of a Russian invasion. Fred, at the same time, we are hearing a more rousing statement from Ukraine's defense minister who said that this is a different country. This is a different military than the one in 2014 when Ukraine was invaded and Crimea was annexed without firing a single shot.

I want to read you part of the defense minister's statement.

He says, "Everyone who has looked into the eyes of our soldiers at least once is sure that there will be no repeat of 2014, the aggressor will not capture either Kyiv, Odessa, Kharkiv, or any other city. Do not doubt that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are absolutely ready to fight back and will not give up Ukrainian lands."

That is the Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.

At the same time, Fred, we've also been hearing some frustration with all these travel advisories from countries saying don't come to Ukraine and embassies that are drawing down. The spokesman for President Zelensky is saying, the security situation has not yet risen to that critical level. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Alex. And Nic, to you.

So, Putin is willingly having these conversations, whether it be with Macron and now with President Joe Biden. So, what is this say that he is willing to have the phone calls, he knows the message is going to be, you know, pro diplomacy.

What are his expectation? I mean, what is he doing here? I mean, why is he even taking the phone calls if he's going to be so obstinate about continuing with the buildups? Or is it his intention that he really wouldn't invade anyway? NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (on camera): You know, I think part of what is happening here is all the interlocutors, whether it's President Biden on the phone call where President Putin right now, or President Macron, who spoke to him for an hour and 40 minutes a couple of hours ago, or Secretary of State Anthony Blinken talking to the minister of foreign affairs here, Sergey Lavrov.

All these conversations are focused on trying to get Russia to agree to be serious about diplomacy. So, it's all about trying to figure out are they actually serious about diplomacy, because all the military indications are -- very serious military indications are that there is an intention to invade.

They keep denying it. So, we've heard from President Macron telling President Putin that if you're serious about diplomacy, then you need to scale down your forces deescalate. That's the path to take.

[12:04:58]

ROBERTSON: Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, saying that with the foreign minister as well. If you are serious about the path to diplomacy, the way to get onto that is to deescalate your forces.

And there was another thing that Secretary Blinken asked Sergey Lavrov for. And again, this is very instructive to understand that the United States, France, and other nations are really beginning to question whether or not Russia has any intention of truly going down a diplomatic track here.

And Secretary Blinken on this specific issue, said to Sergei Lavrov, you know, where is your formal response to these written responses that United States and NATO gave you, at your demand, at your insistence -- your insistence that it happened quickly, several weeks ago.

But where is now your formal response? Because a formal response would be a process of diplomacy, and Russia hasn't done that.

So, I think what we're seeing now is these diplomatic engagements are essentially trying to call Russia out. Either you're on a diplomatic track, deescalate, or you're not. And that's where we seem to be.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's fascinating, Nic.

So, then, Arlette, from the White House point of view, how far is it willing to go If there's some real doubt here? Universal doubt that Putin really, you know, is genuine about engaging in these diplomatic calls?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, right now, Fred, you are seeing the Biden administration and President Biden really engage in this full-court press to try to deter Russia from invading Ukraine.

And at this very moment, President Biden is on that secure call with Russia's President Vladimir Putin to try to reach some type of diplomatic agreement to prevent an invasion.

That call has been going on for about an hour. It started at 11:04 a.m. Eastern Time. The president is holding that call from Camp David, where he has all of the technology and secure video conferencing to be able to conduct calls with foreign leaders.

And it follows a morning call that Secretary of State Antony Blinken had with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Now, the White House said that Russia initially wanted this call to be held on Monday, but the U.S. countered saying they wanted to have that conversation between the two presidents today, pointing to the urgency which with they are trying to address this situation.

And I want to read you a quote from a senior state department official this morning that really encapsulates the thinking about Russia's intentions right now regarding Ukraine.

SAENZ (voice-over): That official said, "We fervently hope and continue to work intensively to try to ensure that Ukraine does not become a warzone. However, it appears increasingly likely that this is where the situation is headed, towards some kind of active conflict."

SAENZ (on camera): You have seen the administration over the course of the past 36 hours are really have this flurry of activity and warning that Russia could invade Ukraine at any moment. They ultimately believe that Putin has not made that final decision yet. That they are still preparing many contingencies in case this does happen.

Including warning American companies about the possibility. Telling them to remain vigilant against possible Russian hacking threats. They say there is no direct impact or threat to the homeland at this moment. But that is something that they are mindful of going forward, as well as the safety of Americans currently in Ukraine, urging them to get out of the country this weekend.

WHITFIELD: All right. Arlette Saenz, Nic Robertson, Alex Marquardt, thanks to all of you. Appreciate it. We'll check back with you.

All right, for now, let's talk further with David Andelman. He is the former New York Times Southeast Asia bureau chief and the executive director of the Red Lines Project. And he's also the author of A Red Line in the Sand: Diplomacy Strategy and the History of Wars That Might Still Happen.

Also joining us, Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. He is a CNN military analyst and a former Army Commanding General, Europe, and 7th Army. Good to see all of -- good to see you both, I should say.

General, you first. I mean, clearly, the tone seems more urgent coming from the White House in the last 24 hours. Yes, at the same time, you heard Nic Robertson's report, saying, you know, diplomats are saying where is the formal agreement coming for Russia -- from Russia? So, how genuine is Putin in this kind of ongoing dialogue?

What's your assessment about where things stand? Are we on the precipice or of some sort of imminent invasion in your view?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Question, my ask, if you don't mind, Fredricka, and just say, what I think is Russia is failing in an attempt to control the dialogue as they attempt to usurp Ukraine's sovereignty.

You know, Fredricka, we've talked about this before, there are four elements of national power, diplomacy, information, economy, and military. And you should use them in that order.

The West is not divided in terms of diplomacy, they are pushing the envelope. They continue to assault Mr. Putin saying, hey, we're trying to do this diplomatically, we don't want to go to war. And they are doing a good job of it as Nic Robertson said it's a continual effort.

[12:10:05]

HERTLING: You know, and many -- not only the U.S. but many of the French nations, the U.K., France, German, Italian, Romanians, have all approached Putin and said, we are unified in this approach and Russia is trying to deny it.

Secondly, information. Russia has failed to control the information environment, which they have attempted to do so many times in the past. They are on their back foot, we are delivering information to the world about what they are doing to counter Ukraine sovereignty.

Economic, the third area. There is resolving unity between the U.S. and the NATO counterparts in terms of what we will do from a sanctions perspective, which will be extremely damning against the Russian oligarchs. And I think Putin realized that will hurt him badly.

I'm sure, Mr. -- the president, our president is making that point very well known. At the same time, the NATO alliance is coming together as a military alliance for the first time in many years. And as you know, I've served with NATO, and know how dysfunctional they can be at times. But they are together on this issue.

So, I'm pretty sure that we're presenting a very solid force against Mr. Putin. And it's going to be interesting to see how he continues to react.

WHITFIELD: So, David, you agree. You know, NATO is in agreement, you know, with pushing for diplomacy first, and no one wants to be pushed around by Putin. But Putin is kind of pushing everybody around, because, you know, he -- while he is open to these phone calls, these conversations, he continues to build up.

So, do you believe that he is really bluffing the diplomatic, you know, the pro-diplomatic community out there about having these talks, but his intentions are otherwise?

DAVID ANDELMAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (on camera): Oh, I don't necessarily think that he's being disingenuous. Look, that no one in the West understands Putin better than Macron. They've spent a huge amount of time together. Six hours last week in the Kremlin. Macron this morning, with Putin on the phone for an hour and 40 minutes.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: And what is it about those two being able to connect?

ANDELMAN: I'm sorry, I just -- I just got off the phone after an hour briefing with one of the-- one of Macron's top aides. He said that Macron told Putin, a sincere dialogue is incompatible with escalation.

Putin can turn responded saying that I have no offensive intentions. And Macron's aides said a military manoeuvers don't necessarily foreshadow an invasion.

The point is Macron does not want to wind-up like Chamberlain, like Neville Chamberlain in Munich. You know, suggesting that, that peace is possible. And then, a week or a month later, there's an invasion and war breaks out.

But he does say one interesting thing that came out of this, this morning that I found very important. And with respect to NATO, and what our military colleague I just said.

On Ukraine, joining NATO, Macron said, look, this is the choice of the people of Ukraine and of Europe. And frankly, there are not a lot of countries in Europe that really want to see Ukraine join NATO, simply because they might conceivably then be called on to defend Ukraine in case of eventual attack by Russia.

So -- and frankly, the French papers aren't lining up particularly on Biden's side. Lamont this morning said the U.S. is increasingly alarmist about the crisis in Ukraine.

This is their big stakes here for all side. But particularly for Macron, Macron, eight weeks from now, is going to be running for re- election as president of France. This is not something he wants to see collapse around him.

He is facing an election in eight weeks, his second final five-year term as president. He understands the media that Putin inhabits. And perhaps, this is -- he is now a guy to type talk him off the ledge. I think that is entirely possible. So, let's see.

WHITFIELD: So, so, a couple of things that you just said, A. it's really -- Putin, who has been planting the seed about the whole NATO thing because Ukraine is not really interested in the first place. That's fascinating.

And then second, the power of Maron. I mean, if anyone is able to, I guess, talk Putin out of this or convince him that another route is better. I'm hearing you say that it really is Macron.

He would be the only one who could, in any way, influence Putin here?

ANDELMAN: Well, you know, at one time, it was Angular Merkel, the chancellor of Germany. For many years, they had a great understanding together. Merkel spokes Russian, Putin spokes German from his time in the KGB, and in East Germany.

But now, Putin is now become -- Macron has become Putin's -- shall we say, Putin whisperer for Europe. No one understands him better. So, and I wrote this for CNN this past week, at my column.

Macron has become the Putin whisperer for the West, and this is very important. Putin needs to have someone in the West to whom he can speak and to whom he can convey himself authoritatively.

If he undercuts -- if he undercuts Macron by going to war, this is going to be bad for everybody, but it's certainly going to be particularly bad for Putin.

[12:15:00]

ANDELMAN: He will never have another interlocutor in the West who can speak to the world as he would like to have to speak to him from the west.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And David, thank you for writing that, The Putin Whisperer and folks can read it on cnn.com. Thank you so much for that.

And General, I wonder, you know, what are you hoping or anticipating the Biden administration can do, because, you know, sanctions doesn't really seem to rattle, you know, Putin's cage at all.

And the president seemed more direct than ever this week that an invasion nearly seemed eminent, and you said, you know, and crazy things could happen. And when you hear the Ukrainian president who says, everybody else is making the Ukrainians panic, you know, we don't have a reason to panic. We've got everything under control.

What does this signpost in your view to you about how Ukraine is really positioning itself for the potential of what Putin can do?

HERTLING: Well, they're -- they are positioned very well, in my view, Fredricka. First of all, their military has drastically improved over the last 20 years. I know I saw them for about 15 years of that when I was commanding in Europe. They have got a much greater sense of patriotism after fighting the Russians for the last eight years.

Their population, according to polls, is ready to conduct insurgencies across the board. And as Nic Robinson reported earlier, they are prepared to do actions in the major cities like Kharkiv and Kyiv itself.

So, all of those things point to a Ukraine that is willing to fight for its sovereignty. I'm not sure I agree with Mr. Andelman about the French being -- Mr. Macron being the Putin whisperer.

I read his article. I'm not sure I agree quite that way, in fact, I quote something that Angela Merkel said when she was in -- the leader of Germany. She once turned to Macron and said, you know, Emmanuel, you continue to break things and I have to walk behind you to fix them after you've done so.

I certainly want to -- wouldn't want to put my face in President Macron doing the diplomatic effort. Good thing that he's doing it, no doubt about it. But it's going to be a whole lot more disappointment if Mr. Putin goes across any borders than just on embarrassing Mr. Macron.

There is going to be about 30 NATO nations who are going to be extremely upset and make Mr. Putin a pariah not only in Europe but on the world scene. That's his concern.

The last point I'd make yes, the question on sanctions. Correct. Sanctions on the past have -- in the past, excuse me, had been very devastating to Putin, but he has survived now.

They have never been focused on his oligarchs, which is his key to power. Russia is now an authoritarian kleptocracy. It's more like a criminal mafia bureau than it is any government.

So, when you start hitting all those who support Putin, because they are being rich off of them, to include his Foreign Minister Lavrov, who has a mistress in the U.K., you will see some things occur that will influence Putin not to do this attack.

The last thing I'll say, Fredricka, and then I'll stop. I'm really concerned for the Russian military. They don't know what they're getting into. And from a military perspective, when you do troop to task analysis of how many soldiers do they have? Yes, it seems like a lot, a 100 plus thousand. But Ukraine is an extremely big country with a population of 40 million, and an army over 250,000.

So, those things could be very dangerous to Mr. Putin as well.

WHITFIELD: Oh, I am learning a lot from both of you. General and David, last but I definitely heard what you were saying to on with Merkel out, Macron has kind of made his way in as someone who, perhaps, may be able to make some, some real progress with Putin since others are failing at that.

ANDELMAN: Well, not only that, but he does have the -- he has the institutional advantage of being now the head of Europe for six months. There's a six-month rotation, where each country gets to be the head of the European Union.

France happens to have drawn these six months as the leader of Europe. So, but Macron really does have the standing -- really the standing to serve as the leader of Europe during this very important critical period.

Incidentally, the last time the French held that was in 2008, when Sarkozy, one of the predecessors of the Macron, for president of France, and he was the one who actually brought a truce in Georgia when Russia invaded Georgia.

So, we have hope of -- make available or what -- I'm not saying that the general is wrong. But I think if there's anybody who can help really bring this to an important conclusion, I think it's probably Macron right now.

WHITFIELD: I understand.

And so, that call between President Biden and Putin has just ended, we understand.

[12:20:03]

WHITFIELD: And when we all want to know exactly what was said, what was promised, you know, what were the parameters of the conversation? Our Arlette Saenz is at the White House. And soon she's going to be able to fill us in on what the White House is willing to share with us.

But I wonder, you know, David, how encouraging it is, even though it hasn't really moved the needle, seemingly very much. How encouraging it is, however, that Putin has shown a willingness, has participated in these calls, you know, at least to now, with the U.S. President. What does that signpost to you at a minimum?

I mean, if he was going to be completely defiant and doing his own thing, he wouldn't even entertain the phone calls? Or is that part of also the mind games that go on with a former KGB agent?

ANDELMAN: Oh, it certainly could be. Look, there's no question as if there are a lot of mind games going on here? I'm just -- there's no doubt about that. But you know, it's interesting that the question is whether -- what exactly Putin has in mind?

And I'm calling it something that's very interesting. And the fact that Biden thinks Putin having gone thus far must go no further, it doesn't mean that Putin agrees, Putin does come from a political culture. That's very -- unlike Biden's when we're in negotiations often start with threats rather than attempts and understanding, and he's accountable of course, to no one.

Macron is somewhere in the middle. He is facing an election in eight weeks for his -- for his terms, powers as presidents, so just -- he understands all the media that Putin inhabits. And perhaps, how to talk him off the ledge. And that's very important is to understand what makes Putin tick? What makes an autocrat like this do what he's doing right now, even making use of his vast military operations, to reach some kind of a political end that may work for him?

And that makes -- incidentally, the oligarchs are, in fact, fueling a lot of print -- a lot of pain right now. As -- I think there's no doubt about that. And more pain will not be very -- they will not be very happy about. And Putin does rely on his oligarchs to maintain power.

WHITFIELD: Arlette Saenz is at the White House, and she's joining us right now. So, Arlette, what do we know about this phone call? What is the White House wants us to know?

SAENZ: Well, Fred, the White House said that this call ended at 12:06 p.m. Eastern Time. That call between President Biden and Russia's President Vladimir Putin clocking in at one hour and two minutes.

The president held this call via secure means while he is up at Camp David. He has some of his staff, and national security team, who has been on hands there with him this weekend.

We are still awaiting a readout or details of what exactly occurred in this call. But it comes as we've seen this fresh wave of urgency from President Biden and top administration officials as they are trying to deter a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

We know that the Russians -- the White House has told us that the Russians had wanted to hold this call on Monday. But ultimately, the White House pushed back, saying they wanted to hold that call today, Saturday, really pointing to their urgency which they are addressing this situation.

We have seen over the past 36 hours, top administration officials really ramp up their warnings about Russia possibly acting when it comes to an invasion of Ukraine at any day.

Originally, they had cited the Olympics, thinking that the -- thinking was that Putin would not act while the Olympics were ongoing. That assessment has changed in recent days. And you've heard top administration officials warning of Putin and -- of potentially addressing and reaching a decision when it comes to a potential invasion.

And the U.S., of course, tape -- taking those measures to try to protect some American interests, including drawing down most of the embassy personnel from Ukraine, as well as urging all American citizens to evacuate from the country.

So, right now, we are waiting to hear whether the president has gotten any more insight as to whether Putin has made a decision about invading Ukraine or if the U.S. has any other successful diplomatic route they can take to try to prevent this from happening. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Arlette Saenz, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it. And David Andelman and General Mark Hertling also for helping us get through this entire conversation. Appreciate it.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): All right. Still ahead, police have begun removing protesters from a key bridge at the U.S. Canadian border. We'll go live to Windsor, Ontario next.

[12:24:39]

WHITFIELD: And later, at least 15 law enforcement officials have been injured in shootings in the past 24 hours across the U.S. We'll have details on that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD (on camera): All right, welcome back. Right now, protesters in Windsor, Canada are being cleared off a critical border bridge to the U.S. which they've been blocking for days now. The so-called Freedom convoy has been suffocating supply chains across the Canadian border as they fight against COVID mandates.

Well, today, another convoy is planning to stage demonstrations in Buffalo, New York. We have reporters on both sides of the border. Let's begin with CNN'S Miguel Marquez in Windsor.

Miguel, what's happening right there? What does it mean that they're being cleared off the bridge?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I want to get you really quick -- I want to get you really quick sense of what was going on here. Just come over here Ken, I want to show you -- so, police have been moving up toward protesters and moved out most of the vehicles that were here.

It is about three hours that they've started moving in, but I want to show you the crowd here. The crowd has grown rather than grown smaller since police started moving in here.

There is been a single-car towed so far, and no arrests amazingly enough. But the crowd has grown larger, shouting freedom, singing the national anthem.

[12:30:02]

MARQUEZ: Police from several different agencies including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are also on the scene here. It's getting more boisterous as the day goes on as police are sort of holding the line. That's the area beyond the police lines there that protesters had taken over the bridge. The Ambassador Bridge is just behind that. And it looks like by the end of today, they will have it this area completely cleared out. But the longer this goes on clearly, the more difficult it will be for police to control a crowd that is only growing. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, so efforts being made to clear out but instead the crowds are growing. Miguel, we're going to check back with you there in Canada. Meantime, in Buffalo, New York CNN's Evan McMorris- Santoro is there. And so Evan, I spoke with the Buffalo Mayor earlier who said, people were expected to make their way from Tonawanda, New York to Buffalo. But what are you seeing right now in terms of that movement in what it's going to grow into or become?

EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the situation in Buffalo is a bit fluid. I want to start, actually, I'm on the American side of the Peace Bridge behind me, it's bridge between the United States and Canada. I want to start on the Canadian side of that bridge. I have a drone up, so you can see what's happening on that side of the bridge. Police there have shut down a major highway that leads into Fort Erie, Canada, which is the town where their side of the bridge is located.

Police has shut that down in anticipation of a convoy heading that direction. They haven't yet seen it yet. It hasn't tried to shut down that part of the bridge yet. But the police stressed, the bridges currently open. But they are closing that highway anticipation of that. Meanwhile, back here on the American side of the bridge, what we're seeing is two things happening. One, we're waiting for that convoy that could be coming from Tennessee, other parts of the country to come here. We're not sure what will happen when it gets here.

Meanwhile, where I'm standing here at the foot of that bridge is a local protest of people who live here in Buffalo and have been concerned about vaccine mandates and don't want them, don't want them to be a part of border crossing or having kind of a protest of their own that supports the truckers but is not really involved in the bridge in any real way. So it sounds a little complicated but it really isn't that complicated. People here are hurrying up and waiting to see what happens next. And as you said, you talk to the mayor last hour. He gave us some information about what he's doing to prepare for what might come next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BYRON BROWN (D), BUFFALO, NEW YORK: The Governor certainly is very involved with this. So we do have a good plan in Buffalo, New York. We're ready for these trucks. But our goal is to keep our roadways open. And to make sure that residents and visitors are safe and healthy. We don't want to have neighborhoods blocked. We don't want it to be impossible for emergency vehicles to get in and out of communities if necessary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: So Fred, waiting on that big news of what happened with those convoys on both sides of this Peace Bridge, a key way that commerce gets between the United States and Canada. That's what we're doing right now. And we're going to see what happens next. But for now, it's really just waiting and seeing what happens. Fred?

WHITFIELD: And it looks windy and a little blustery as Buffalo often is especially right there on the water. All right, Evan McMorris- Santoro, thank you so much and Miguel Marquez appreciate you both.

[12:33:39]

All right, still to come, a black FedEx driver says he was shot at by a white father and son while delivering packages. Why he says his case is so similar to that of Ahmaud Arbery's, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Arizona say a woman was killed a nine police officers injured in a shooting outside Phoenix. They described the attack as an ambush after an officer responded to a report of shots fired. The nine officers are among at least 15 law enforcement officers injured in separate shootings across the U.S. in just the last 24 hours.

CNN's Polo Sandoval joining us right now with more on this. So polo, what more can you tell us about, you know, this string of police related shootings? POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are many, Fred. And you're talking between Washington State and Philadelphia just many of these incidents unfortunately we're told that all the officers involved did pull through survived and are going to be OK according to investigators. But let's just go through this list. It really is just quite extensive in just the last 24 hours, so separate incidents that have left at least 15 officers injured, one of the one that's certainly getting a lot of attention is that one that you just mentioned a short while ago in Phoenix, Arizona, suburb actually there in Phoenix.

According to investigators, as we show you some scene video there, an officer that was responding to a call of a woman who was shot was initially invited into a home by a suspect who, according to investigators, then ambushed the officer with gunfire. That officer was struck but he managed to escape and called for backup and that's what triggered this hours long standoff. It was a man from inside the home who then came out holding an infant, place the baby on the ground and as officers were making their way in not only to apprehend this individual, but also take this child to safety.

That's when investigators say the suspect inside the house still open fire on these officers. Five were shot, the rest of them hit with shrapnel. An officer were told, or at least a suspect and the girlfriend who were inside the home were found dead after the shooting. This is still part of an ongoing investigation, still no idea on what potentially was a motive here. But the mayor of Phoenix really can't recall an incident in which so many officers were injured at one particular case here.

[12:40:11]

Now in New Mexico, there is a hunt that is currently ongoing for a couple who according to investigators, shot and wounded a state police officer yesterday. That officer is set to be stable. And then in Western Maryland, two police officers shot and wounded responding to a suspicious firearm call yesterday afternoon. The suspect was also shot according to the Frederick Police Chief who's calling this incident just disheartening. The suspect currently recovering from a surgery and is going to face charges. Now the officers, fortunately, did pull through from their surgeries as well and are stable.

And finally just to fortress round things off here, Washington State and Philadelphia left with a total of three more officers injured, all expected to pull through. And when you hear from the National Fraternal Order of Police president saying basically that enough is enough and noting that last year was perhaps according to their organization, one of the most dangerous years for law enforcement since their organization began to keep records.

So it certainly speaks to what we're currently seeing, obviously, for many law enforcement agencies throughout the country, and the heads of these police organizations that were involved in these separate incidents, basically just filled with outrage and certainly speaking out against the violence that targeted their officers just in the last 24 hours. WHITFIELD: All right, Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.

SANDOVAL: Thanks Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, two white men that have been charged for chasing and shooting at a black FedEx driver. The 24-year-old was delivering packages in his FedEx uniform when he says the men opened fire on the van that he was driving. CNN's Nadia Romero joining us with more on this, so Nadia, what more can you tell us about this?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, right now there's a protests in March ongoing and Brookhaven, Mississippi. I spoke with the D'Monterrio Gibson's mother this morning and she says she wants to bring more awareness about what happened to her son. And she wants people to realize that this shouldn't happen anymore. So you mentioned it, Fred, D'Monterrio Gibson about 24 years old was working as a FedEx driver, delivering packages. He was in a rental or Hertz Rental van, but he was in full uniform and he says that Brandon and Gregory Case accosted him.

They tried to get him to pull over. Brandon Case, the son of that father son duo, waved his gun around and D'Monterrio says, well, I'm not going to stop if someone's showing a gun and waving a gun at me. So he sped off to get away from them. And that's when he discovered five bullet holes in his van. Now what made matters worse is D'Monterrio says he called police dispatch and they didn't take him seriously. He says he then called and went down to the Brookhaven Police Department, but it took them eight days for the father and son, Brandon and Gregory Case to come into the police department and be criminally charged.

He says it's quite simple. He was a black man in a neighborhood where these two white men didn't think he belong. And that is why he believes they shot at him. He also says that this reminds him of a similar case in Brunswick, Georgia. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

D'MONTERRIO GIBSON, FEDEX DRIVER: Honestly, in my humble opinion, I think they were because after they fired the initial shots, they continue to chase me out of the city again, I say so. If he did succeed, the first time then that is only made what they was going to do when they had called me. I can definitely see the similarities. And this walkthrough is my responsibility to speak up because Ahmaud Arbery didn't survive to speak up for his self, so I want to take it upon myself to do that for me and him as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: So he's speaking out now and hoping that the charges that Brandon and Gregory Case will be up to attempted murder, the grand jury will convene in April. So it's up to them about those charges. We did reach out for Common to all the parties involved, including the case of lawyers, their defense team, we've yet to hear back from them. But, Fredricka, this is a case that we've heard about, right? He just mentioned Ahmaud and what happened to him in Brunswick, Georgia. D'Monterrio says I'm alive, I can tell my story. I can stand up for what it's like to be black in certain places in America and have this happen to me. That's why they have this march and protest that's ongoing right now as well. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Right and just says we're in the beginning stages of the federal trial now involving those who were convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery. All right, Nadia Romero, thank you so much.

[12:44:22]

All right, after the break, law enforcement officials are warning that a convoy of truckers protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates could affect Sunday's Super Bowl in the Los Angeles area. More on that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Oh, we're all getting ready at more than 100,000 visitors and temporary workers are expected in the L.A. area for the Super Bowl, so they are getting ready as well. Law enforcement has been making security preparations for the last year with thousands of officers now deployed on the ground and in the air.

And it comes as the Feds also warn about this, a convoy similar to trucker inspired protests that we've seen in Canada could begin in the U.S. and potentially disrupt Sunday's game. Camila Bernal is following this story from SoFi Stadium. So is it a real threat? Are people worried about it?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is possible. And authorities are paying attention. But they're also saying that because they've been working the federal government and local agencies for over a year together, they feel like things will be calm and things will be safe. But if this does happen there are some concerns because it could have huge implications not just for people coming here to the Super Bowl, but really for the entire Los Angeles area.

[12:50:14]

And that's because of two different things. The first one being traffic. I mean, everybody knows that traffic in Los Angeles is horrible. So you add in all the visitors that are here for the Super Bowl and a possible convoy of truckers. And of course, it could become dangerous, the gridlock. Because for example, things like emergency services could be impacted.

The other aspect of all of this is counter protests. This is something that people are extremely passionate about. It all started because of vaccine mandates. So you're going to have people on both sides of this issue. And there is the fear of escalation. So authorities say that those are the two things that could be concerning over the next couple of days. But they say that they have things under control. And remember, we still have to wait and see if this actually happens.

So we'll be monitoring the situation and seeing if this develops. I do want to turn to something a lot lighter. Because one thing that people may not be prepared for is the weather. We could see the hottest Super Bowl, ever. The record at the moment is 84 degrees. And that was also here in Los Angeles in 1973.

And so we'll have to wait to see what happens tomorrow. But I'm already taking bets. I'm saying 85 degrees, keeping it safe, just one degree higher than the record. Producer Anna-Maja says 91. Photo journalist Greg Kane says 87. So Fred, we'll wait for your number and wait to see what happens tomorrow.

WHITFIELD: Well, you're already ready because you got your sleeveless going on trying to stay cool because it's not going to get any cooler within the next 24 hours of anything. It's going to get even hotter, especially with all the folks there for the big game as well. All right, Camila Bernal, thank you so much.

All right, still ahead, President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin having a phone call discussing the escalating crisis in Ukraine, we'll bring you the very latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:56:43]

WHITFIELD: All right, we continue to celebrate Black History Month through a special series that we're calling Inspiring Voices. So many black artists, journalists, and leaders have touched the lives of myself and my colleagues. Here's a woman who has always been an inspiration to me, the great dancer, choreographer, and producer, the list is actually much longer than that, Debbie Allen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: How are you?

DEBBIE ALLEN, EMMY AWARD-WINNING PRODUCER: I'm great.

WHITFIELD: So can I take out my mask? Happy New Year --

Ms. Allen, I mean, she is graceful. She is talented. She's versatile. Here she is a dancer, a choreographer, an actress, a director, a producer, and the list goes on and on.

ALLEN: It's interesting at this point in my life, I feel as motivated as I was 30 years ago.

WHITFIELD: First time I saw her, she just popped off the screen. That was "Fame." I just always felt like I wanted to be in her studio.

Everybody knows the line.

ALLEN: You want fame, fame costs.

And right here is where you start paying in sweat.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): She would win a Golden Globe for that role. ALLEN: And when you think about the legacy of "Fame," how it inspired the whole world to have performing arts schools, a different world, "Grey's Anatomy," they've learned about medicine on our show, not just enjoying the story. I remember being a young girl and always loving the Academy Awards, waiting to see this big production numbers but never seeing anybody that looked like me, not one. Time changed and choreographed the show. And I changed the whole complexion of the dance company. I changed it.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): I mean, she has bragging rights, she has five Emmys.

(on camera): I remember how inspirational you were to me and so many of my classmates before I became a Howard University student, and that's your alma mater as well. So when you look at all of these incredible accomplishments, from Broadway, "West Side Story," "Pearly," "Sweet Charity," in television, "Good Times," "Fresh Prince," "Family Ties," you have a Governor's Award Kennedy Center Honors just last year.

ALLEN: That was grand, that was grand.

You know, what I love is when I put all the different levels mix you up together.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): She's really enthusiastic about DADA, the Debbie Allen Dance Academy.

(on camera): You are constantly creating what motivates you to keep doing?

ALLEN: The kids, the young people is given a real purpose to my life.

WHITFIELD: And what do you think you felt when you were a kid and you dance for the first time.

ALLEN: Oh, my God, are you kidding? I was in the backyard dancing to the birds in the trees. They were my audience. The art is a great way to come through and fight because it takes a lot of discipline. It takes a lot of stamina. It takes a lot of heart because you take a lot of criticism. You're working towards perfection all the time. You know, I grew up in Houston, Texas at a time where there just wasn't that much opportunity.

WHITFIELD: At 12, you were denied an opportunity to be in a dance company. How did you endure that and not let go of your dream to be a dancer?

[13:00:03]

ALLEN: It was mama who continuously make us believe. She found a teacher to come to the house, a retired ballet master. She found opportunity for her children. Every mother is not so resourceful, which is why I am here to help. I am here with these kids.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: She's amazing. I mean, she's a mother, a mentor, a producer, creator, you name it. T.V. producer, screenwriter Shonda Rhimes says people often credit her for putting people of color on television. But then Shonda Rhimes says, no, she owes that to Debbie Allen, as should everyone else who continues to do just that on television, in film, and on stage, Ms. Debbie Allen.