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President Biden Holds Phone Call With Russian President Vladimir Putin On Continued Possibility Of Russian Invasion Of Ukraine; Police In Canada Begin Removing Protestors From Bridge Who Blocked Traffic Over COVID Mandates; Chicago Hospital Using Same Treatment Given To Soldiers Experiencing PTSD To Help Nurses Cope With Pandemic Trauma; Hearing To Be Held For Russian Olympic Ice Skater Who Tested Positive For Performance Enhancing Drug. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired February 12, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:01:25]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right, hello, again, everyone. Thank you for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin with this breaking news. The White House a short time ago releasing details of the call that took place today between President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. This is the White House image of the president during that call. Officials saying Biden made clear to Putin that while the United States remains prepared to engage in diplomacy, it will impose severe consequences should Russia invade Ukraine.

Russia continues its troop buildup, and now surrounds Ukraine on three sides. And today, the U.S. is ordering all nonemergency personnel out of the embassy in Kyiv. And the Pentagon is removing about 160 U.S. soldiers who had been in Ukraine on a training mission. Arlette Saenz is at the White House for us. Alex Marquardt is in Ukraine. Arlette, you first. What more are you learning about this call?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, a senior administration official says that there is no fundamental change in the dynamic that has been brewing between Russia and Ukraine after that phone call between President Biden and Russia's President Vladimir Putin. And they acknowledge that it is still possible Russia may decide to take military action in the country.

This comes as there has been heightened concern over the course of the past 36 hours about Russia's intentions and actions when it comes to Ukraine. The president spoke with Putin for roughly an hour from the presidential retreat at Camp David, and the White House released a readout of that meeting, saying that the president stressed there will be severe costs and consequences Russia would face from the U.S. and allies if it moves forward with the invasion.

I want to read another portion of the statement that said, "President Biden reiterated that a further Russian invasion of Ukraine would produce widespread human suffering and diminish Russia's standing. President Biden was clear with President Putin that while the United States remains prepared to engage in diplomacy in full coordination with our allies and partners, we are equally prepared for other scenarios."

Yesterday, President Biden spoke with his European counterparts and NATO allies about the evolving situation regarding Russia and Ukraine. We know that the U.S. has been working with allies on sanctions it might impose on Russia should it move forward the invasion.

The U.S. is also taking steps to protect American interests, drawing down most of its staff, nonemergency staff at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine as well as warning American citizens to depart from the country this weekend as the security situation could devolve very rapidly. Yesterday, we heard National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan really issue a stern warning from the White House podium, urging Americans to leave the country.

This all comes as the U.S. says that they're trying to approach this in a diplomacy way to achieve de-escalation. But a senior administration official also said they are very clear-eyed about what Russia is doing militarily. They say that they do not know if President Putin has ultimately decided to invade Ukraine, but they are viewing what is occurring on the ground, the military buildup around Ukraine, as a very clear warning sign about what could come.

And a senior administration official said that they believe Russia may decide to proceed with military action anyway. Indeed, that is a distinct possibility even as President Biden said he and the team will continue to talk to Russia in the coming days. Fred?

[14:05:00]

WHITFIELD: All right, Arlette.

Alex, are Ukrainians, and I'm talking about the general citizens, demonstrating or showing in any way that they are concerned or worried?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Not on a wide scale, Fred. This is something that the Ukrainians have stayed relative calm about, and that certainly has been the goal of the Russian president and his top leadership. They have tried to project calm and to prevent panic for all sorts of reasons, not least of which is try to protect the economy.

There has been this real divide between the alarmism, which is what the Ukrainians are saying about the message that we have heard from the west, from NATO and the United States. The State Department has said they are not alarmists, they are just talking the about the facts on the ground.

And so we are continuing to see from President Zelensky on down with this message of please stay calm, but if the worst comes to worst, we are ready to fight. That has been the case over the course of the past few week, and it is now still the course after the White House last night issued this dire warning. We heard from the President Zelensky today who was down in the south

of the country joining the Ukrainian military exercises which are happening at the exact same time as Russian military exercises, and President Zelensky said that panic is the enemy of -- sorry, panic is the friend's enemy. Take a listen.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: We have a lot of information, because we are on these borders. It is our borders. It is our territory. I have to speak with our people like president and say people the truth. And the truth is 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)

MARQUARDT: Panic is the friend of the enemy there. He also was saying that if there is evidence that Russia is 100 percent going to invade Ukraine, that he would like to see that.

But Fred, on the streets of Ukraine, we are not seeing widespread panic, we are and not seeing massive preparations. We are not seeing runs on the grocery stores, or massive Ukrainian military buildups. We have been driving around this country for the past few days here in the east and in the center of the country, and we really haven't seen that. But preparations are under way.

The mayor of Kyiv has told citizens that they are ready to protect critical infrastructure, that there are bomb shelters in place, that there are evacuation plans ready to go, that they have electric generators in place as well. So they are not dismissing it. But for the time being, the Ukrainian leadership very much is trying to keep the population calm. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Alex Marquardt, Arlette Saenz, thanks to both of you, appreciate it.

Right now, COVID mandates are ignited protests around the world. In Paris today, police clashed with the demonstrators who were blocking traffic on the Champs-Elysees. The protest inspired by the trucker protests happening in Canada. And this morning, police in Windsor, Canada, began to clear away for protesters who have blocking a key border bridge with the U.S. The so-called freedom convoy has been suffocating supply chains across the Canadian border. CNN's Lucy Kavanaugh is in Windsor. So Lucy, what is the situation? Are people being cleared out without any problems?

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, we have seen several of the trucks and the cars that were obstructing this critical trade route between Canada and the U.S. moved away this morning. That's the Ambassador Bridge behind me. The protestors have been camped out here now into the sixth is day. And there was a court order injunction served by a Canadian judge yesterday that gave more ability for police to clear the demonstrators. But you can see and hear behind me the crowd is still here despite the freezing temperatures. We've seen people strolling back and forth between that cutoff point there and another police line down that way, shouts of freedom, folks have been honking airhorns, almost a festive atmosphere. There's a lot of kids are here. Some folks have been walking around picking up trash. So it's a fairly calm situation.

But in terms of clearing the crowds, the crowds have been growing. The major of Windsor, Ontario, threatening to start towing cars away if protestors didn't leave. Some, or at least one vehicle was towed, some people left voluntarily.

The premier of Ontario on Friday declaring a state of emergency, promising severe consequences for people who remain on the scene. Some of those consequences include up to $100,000 in penalties, up to a year in prison. That has led some people to leave voluntarily. But again, in the early hour of this morning we saw the crowd grow a little bit.

[14:10:03]

But a lot of young families, a lot of children, the more aggressive protesters closer to the police line in front, but the police did emerge in force today. They have pushed back the police line a little bit. But in terms of a swift police response, that's not something we have seen. We have not seen police officers arrest anyone as of yet. So for now, Fred, the stalemate remains.

WHITFIELD: Lucy, thank you for that update. We'll check back with you, Lucy Kafanov.

Still ahead, how a Chicago hospital is using the same treatment given to soldiers experiencing grief and PTSD to help nurses cope with pandemic trauma.

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WHITFIELD: All right, and this is just in to CNN. Effective immediately, Walmart is ending its mask requirement for fully vaccinated employees. In a memo the retailer also said it is ending the required daily health screenings for employees by the end of the month, except for those working in California, New York, and Virginia, citing the state requirements.

In Chicago, a pilot program to help nurses cope with pandemic trauma could be a model for hospitals all across the country. Here now is CNN's Adrian Broaddus.

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MELISSA GERONA, NURSE, RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: I have seen more tears shed on this unit, and of my own, ever, and I've been here for 26 years.

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Melissa Gerona and other nurses on this COVID wing at a Rush University Medical Center live with pandemic trauma.

[14:15:04]

GERONA: My co-workers and I have been through something, and there are things that only we know about it. It would be hard to explain everything to my family that I need to.

DAVID BRACHO, NURSE, RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: And the PTSD, that's the other thing that we're not talking about here is that there is a huge about PTSD.

BROADDUS: Since the pandemic started, more than 3,800 people have been sent to the hospital with COVID at Rush.

GERONA: I couldn't tell patients that you're going to get better, because at that point early on, we didn't know who was going to get better.

BROADDUS: Across the country, staffing is a challenge -- 92 percent of more than 6,500 critical care nurses responding to the survey about the health care survey say the pandemic has depleted nurses. About 66 percent have considered leaving. Rush is now supplementing care teams with temporary staff. Prior to the pandemic Rush had not used nurses in 20 years. Rush nurses report leaving for more money or jobs with less stress.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is your shift going?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not too bad.

BROADDUS: But Mark Schimmelpfennig, a combat veteran, is helping nurses cope with the trauma by using the same treatment given to soldiers experiencing grief and PTSD.

MARK SCHIMMELPFENNIG, RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: When I was able to say, hey, you are fighting a war against an enemy that you can't see, feel, tough, hear or taste, and it's kicking our butts. Yes, they got it.

BROADDUS: The pilot program, called "Growing Forward," is similar to group therapy. Six sessions, 30 minutes, and about 24 nurses plus occasional wellness checks like this.

SCHIMMELPFENNIG: One of the things I tell them is step, step, breathe. Just that delay, and step, step, breathe, can take you from a 10 maybe to a seven. And seven is still not very good, but you can get your job done.

BROADDUS: They also journal, acknowledge what they feel, and learn healthy ways to decompress.

SCHIMMELPFENNIG: The cumulative trauma of dealing with that day after day after day through surge after surge, there is going to be a cost, just like when a combat soldier goes outside the wire.

BROADDUS: David Bracho recognizes the parallels. BRACHO: I served in the military Army Reserves for 18-and-a-half

years. I have been deployed twice. Afghanistan was a good example of what I saw compared to what I saw here.

BROADDUS: He also sees differences.

BRACHO: When the military is deployed for nine months to a year, we have a relief, like there is someone who is going to relieve us from our duties and go back home.

BROADDUS: Here, there is no relief.

BRACHO: Sixteen-hour shifts, extra shifts on top of other shifts, just to keep the patients safe and alive.

BROADDUS: Nurses relentless in the pursuit to save lives.

GERONA: My fear is that we're going to have to do this again. Every time there is a surge and I'm putting on my scrubs in the morning, I am always kind of in disbelief.

BROADDUS: While fighting an invisible battle.

GERONA: I do feel like it is like a war.

BROADDUS: A war they vow to keep fighting.

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WHITFIELD: A hearing will be held tomorrow for a Russian ice skater who tested positive for a performance enhancing drug. CNN's Don Riddell joining us now. So Don, what is at stake at this hearing?

DON RIDDELL, CNN HOST, WORLD SPORT: Everything, Fred. Arguably the most anticipated event of the Olympics so far set to go down at 8:30 p.m. Sunday evening in Beijing. That's 7:30 in the morning eastern time here. But it is not on the snow or the ice. It will be at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which will determine the fate of the young Russian skater Kamila Valieva.

The 15-year-old is kind of state of limbo at these games, having helped her Russian team to gold in the team figure skating event. We then all learn that she had tested positive for a banned heart drug, trimetazidine, in December. Between then and now, the Russia anti- doping agency Olympic skating federation allowed her to compete in Beijing, but three bodies the international testing agency, the world anti-doping agency overturned her provisional suspension which enabled her to compete in Beijing.

But three separate bodies are now challenging the decision, that's the International Testing Agency, the World Anti-Doping Agency, and the International Skating Union. They all want her out of the games. There still has not been a medal ceremony for that team figure skating event, and the clock is tick, because Valieva is due to skate in the women's short program on Tuesday. With the hearing getting underway on Sunday night, and a decision therefore not expected until sometime on Monday, there really is not much time to get it all done.

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MATTIEU REEB, CAS SECRETARY GENERAL: We know that the pressure is strong, because the time is very short, so we guarantee normally our decisions within 24 hours, so we need to stick to it, because the games are so intense, the program is so tight that we need to deliver the decisions on time. Some cases are more complex than others, but we try to stick to the rule, so that the medal can be delivered during the games and not later. But we know it is not always possible. That is our mission, and we try to do our best for that.

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RIDDELL: Fred, the Russian Sports Ministry and the Russian Figure Skating Federation have conveyed their support for Valieva, but she does seem to be all alone out there. She was practicing yesterday. She fell multiple times. She was left to walk on her own through the mixed media zone. Remember, at the heart of all of this is a 15-year-old kid, and one can only imagine what she is dealing with right now. She was on top of the world just a few days ago, and now she's in the middle of this.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, the impact is great. Don Riddell, thank you so much.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "Kick Off in Los Angeles, A CNN Bleacher Report Special" starts in a moment. But first, this week's "The Human Factor."

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MARCELA MARANON, ACCESSIBILITY ADVOCATE: When I was 20 years old, I was involved in a car accident that left me paralyzed from the waist down and an amputee. After I became disabled, I needed to enter buildings, and they weren't wheelchair accessible. I felt embarrassed, and I felt like I was being rejected for having a disability.

[14:25:05]

And this is why I decided to do something about it. So I started a social media account to bring awareness about my struggles as a disabled person and inspire and empower people to live their life to the fullest.

We're going to stay healthy by going to the gym and work out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.

MARANON: Or riding a hand cycle. When I feel like if I share that on social media, they can also see that it doesn't matter if am disabled or not disabled, you can see accomplish what you want in life. This is why I travel. This is why I climb mountains. This is why I do stream my sports, because I want to experience that as a disabled person. So my story can make a difference. Your story can make a difference. We just need to speak up.

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