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U.S. Warns Again Russian Invasion Possible "At Any Time"; ITA Confirms Russian Olympic Skater Failed Drug Test; Ontario Premier Declares State Of Emergency; FDA Postpones Review of Pfizer Vaccine For Kids Under 5; Investigation into Kabul Airport Bombing; Examining the Effects Of Long COVID-19; California Under Rare Winter Heat Advisory; Eagles Player Anthony Harris Escorts Girl To Dance. Aired 4- 5a ET

Aired February 12, 2022 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM:

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JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: If you stay, you are assuming risk, with no guarantee there will be any other opportunity to leave.

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): The White House is urging Americans in Ukraine to get out while they can. We're live in Ukraine with the latest.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Plus it's now up to a court to decide whether a Russian ice skater could compete further in the Olympics amid a doping controversy.

And COVID long haulers aren't just living with debilitating syndromes; many are struggling to get back to work. We talk with one researcher, who's experiencing this first-hand.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. and other countries have a dire warning for their citizens still inside Ukraine: leave the country immediately. This comes as the U.S. military directs 3,000 additional forces to Poland to assist American evacuations from Ukraine.

U.S. National Social Security advisor Jake Sullivan says the latest intelligence suggests a Russian invasion is more likely than ever. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SULLIVAN: We are not saying a that a decision has been taken, a final decision has been taken by President Putin.

What we are saying is that we have a sufficient level of concern, based on what we're seeing on the ground and what our intelligence analysts have picked up, that we're sending this clear message.

Yes, it is an urgent message because we are in an urgent situation. Russia has all the forces it needs to conduct a major military action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Russia has deployed about 30,000 troops in Belarus along Ukraine's northern border. The U.S. fears they could launch a rapid assault on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, which is relatively close to Belarus.

U.S. President Joe Biden spoke about the crisis on Friday with NATO and European leaders. He and President Putin are expected to speak by phone later today.

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken says he'll be speaking with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov ahead of that call and, again, warning any Russian aggression on Ukraine will lead to more support for Kyiv and harsh sanctions on Russia.

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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: If President Putin decides to take military action, we will swiftly impose severe economic sanctions in coordination with allies and partners around the globe.

We'll bolster Ukraine's ability to defend itself. We will reinforce our allies on the eastern flank.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: We have CNN correspondents covering this story from across the region. Sam Kiley is live from, Kharkiv, Ukraine. MJ Lee is at the White House. And Fred Pleitgen is in Bucharest, Romania.

It was generally thought that Moscow wouldn't launch an invasion of Ukraine until the Winter Olympics were over. But U.S. officials now fear it could happen much sooner. CNN's MJ Lee has more from the White House.

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SULLIVAN: We are in the window when an invasion could begin at any time, should Vladimir Putin decide to order it.

MJ LEE, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Growing urgency at the White House, the looming threat of a Russia invasion of Ukraine.

SULLIVAN: We continue to see signs of Russian escalation, including new forces arriving at the Ukrainian border.

LEE (voice-over): National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan appearing at this afternoon's White House press briefing, confirming that Vladimir Putin could launch an attack even sooner than, previously, anticipated.

SULLIVAN: There is a credible prospect that a Russian military action would take place even before the end of the Olympics.

LEE (voice-over): This, a contrast from prior assessments that Russia was unlikely to invade before the conclusion of the Olympics. The U.S. now making this chilling prediction about what a Russian invasion would look like.

SULLIVAN: If a Russian attack on Ukraine proceeds, it is likely to begin with aerial bombing and missile attacks that could obviously kill civilians without regard to their nationality. A subsequent ground invasion would involve the onslaught of a massive force.

LEE (voice-over): Sullivan warning in no uncertain terms American citizens in Ukraine must leave now.

SULLIVAN: Any American in Ukraine should leave as soon as possible and in any event in the next 24 to 48 hours. If you stay, you are assuming risk with no guarantee that there will be any other opportunity to leave and there's no prospect of a U.S. military evacuation in the event of a Russian invasion.

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LEE (voice-over): The past 24 hours, filled with a frenzy of activity at the highest levels of the U.S. government. President Biden convening a call with world leaders earlier today to discuss the escalating situation on the Russia-Ukraine border.

Biden joining his top national security advisers in the Situation Room Thursday night in an abruptly scheduled meeting. The president spending the weekend at Camp David.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president will be at Camp David, which is fully equipped to have engagements of all sorts, including with his national security team or European counterparts.

LEE (voice-over): And expected to speak with Putin on the phone on Saturday.

LEE: Now that phone call with Vladimir Putin is the latest sign that the U.S. is still trying to go the route of diplomacy.

The last time that President Biden spoke with Vladimir Putin was in December. But we have heard so often from the president and others around him that they do believe Vladimir Putin is basically unpredictable and that it is virtually impossible to try to get in his head -- MJ Lee, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: All right, let's turn now to Sam Kiley in Kharkiv.

Sam, the tensions which were already high seem to be intensifying.

What's the latest?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there has been intensifying responses to these very worrying signals coming from the West in the form of the mayor of Kyiv, now saying to his population, trying to reassure them that there are evacuation plans, that there are capabilities for emergency energy generation communications if the communications get cut in the Ukrainian capital.

And, of course, they've been reopening and dusting off those Soviet era bunkers designed originally to protect against a potential war with NATO. Now of course, being used to protect against potential war with Russia, once the dominant force within the Soviet Union.

So a twist in that. But there isn't a mass call-up of reserves or the home guard. Here, 30 miles from the Ukrainian border, effectively the head of what is effectively the national security council was here yesterday, saying Kharkiv will be protected at all costs. It's very important both in terms of industry but also academia.

A number of very famous universities here and medical institutions and so on. So the Ukrainians are beginning to dig in. They are beginning to respond to some of the more energetic signals coming, shall we say, from the West, which include plans to -- instructions to many Western and as well as Korean and Japanese, New Zealanders, being told to get out of the country by their national governments.

And, of course, there is now -- we're waiting to hear later on today more details on the status of the U.S. embassy here, whilst, of course, the United States increasing the numbers of troops being sent to Poland to deal partly with a possible evacuation of American citizens, who don't heed that order or request to leave the country, should there be an invasion.

But I have to say here on the streets, Kim, things still feel fairly normal.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. All right, Sam Kiley in Eastern Ukraine, thank you so much.

Meanwhile, a former top NATO commander says diplomacy shouldn't be blamed for failing to lower the military tensions. Retired General Wesley Clark, who's also a CNN military analyst, spoke about that on Friday.

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GEN. WESLEY CLARK, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: This is not a failure of Western diplomacy. It is not. The Biden administration has done a brilliant job pulling NATO nations together. We've met with Putin.

There's been nothing like this for NATO in 20 years in terms of consultation with the West and trying to be reasonable with Mr. Putin. He's built up this force. He's had this option all along. He's going to play it for all it's worth. We don't know if he's made the decision. But let's don't blame ourselves. This is all in his hands.

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BRUNHUBER: So as the military tensions grow, questions about when a possible invasion could come. I spoke about that with the director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative.

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PETER ZALMAYEV, DIRECTOR, EURASIA DEMOCRACY INITIATIVE: Obviously, Vladimir Putin wants to continue making a credible threat. So everything that is happening could be interpreted as either a sign of an imminent invasion or Putin's bluffing.

But part of his bluff is once again to make it seem like an invasion can happen at any moment. This is done by negotiations are happening, just took place in Berlin, as part of the Normandy talks, to try to renegotiate the Minsk agreements, et cetera.

And I think Vladimir Putin believes this brinkmanship will finally produce fruit.

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ZALMAYEV: He is already seeing what he thinks are cracks in the resolve of Western countries, to be a united front against Vladimir Putin.

President Macron's personal initiative to negotiate with Putin, it can be taken as a sign like that. There is a precedent for French mediation, in 2008, with the war between Russia and Georgia, where the French side helped the Russian side cement some of its gains, at the expense of Georgia.

So Vladimir Putin, definitely, wants to achieve his goals, the main goal, and that is, to keep Ukraine on a short leash, to keep it from drifting ever closer to NATO and the European Union.

He would rather choose less painful measures, such as a full blown invasion. And I think, he is still hoping that this kind of show of force will bring him what he needs.

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BRUNHUBER: Zalmayev also said both Russia and NATO seem to be waiting for the other side to blink in that standoff.

Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is delaying its meeting on a COVID shot for kids under 5 and what parents have to say about it.

Plus a Russian figure skater's Olympic future is up in the air after testing positive for a banned substance. Latest on the doping scandal next. Stay with us.

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[04:15:00]

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BRUNHUBER: It is the eighth day of competition at the Beijing Olympics. And there are several key events we're keeping our eyes on. The mixed team snowboard cross event made its debut at the Winter Games today and it was a clash of the giants when U.S. took on Canada in men's ice hockey. More on all of that coming up.

But first, all eyes are on a Russian figure skating in the doping scandal overshadowing competition on the ice. The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency says the United States could prosecute any Russian individuals allegedly involved in the case of 15-year old Kamila Valieva.

Officials expect to have a resolution to the controversy by Tuesday. Meanwhile, the figure skating federation of Russia says, "We do not doubt the honesty of our athlete." "WORLD SPORT's" Patrick Snell will join us from Atlanta. But first let's go to Kristie Lu Stout, live from Hong Kong.

As we wait for a ruling on the doping controversy, any more clarity on this story?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, clarity from the International Olympic Committee. There was a press conference that took place earlier today in Beijing.

And we heard from an IOC spokesman who said there will be a resolution by February 15th, Tuesday. I should also point out February 15th is the day that she is scheduled to compete.

Now all this coming forward after that big revelation on Friday, according to the International Testing Agency, saying that the Russian figure skater had failed a drug test in December. She tested positive for a banned heart medicine that could be used to enhance performance.

And the result of that test only came to light during Olympic competition in Beijing in this last week.

A number of open ended questions, what is going to happen to team ROC?

Valieva and her teammates who won the gold figure skating on Monday, will that gold medal be taken away?

And also what's going to happen to Valieva herself?

Will she be allowed to compete on Tuesday?

She's emerged as this incredible breakout star at the Games, Russia's skating sensation. She was able, for the first time ever, for a woman female athlete competing at the games, to land those quadruple jumps. She's only 15 years old.

And now we're seeing her Olympic dream turned into this Olympic nightmare. And it's drawn anger and ire all over the world, including from a number of athletes and athlete-led organizations.

Global Athlete, a movement, in this statement, we'll bring it up for you, they write this, quote, "Valieva's positive test shows the severe ramifications of the international community's failure to hold Russia accountable, a 15-year-old athlete testing positive for a potentially harmful prohibited substance," unquote. And she's one of the youngest Olympians ever to test positive for a banned substance. Back to you.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, really unusual story. Thank you so much for that.

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BRUNHUBER: Police in Windsor, Canada, warn they could start making arrests after demonstrators appear to be ignoring a judge's order to stop blocking a bridge that's a critical link between the U.S. and Canada.

The Friday injunction was issued in hopes of ending a blockade at the Ambassador Bridge, the busiest international crossing in North America. Canadian officials say it's time for the border blocking demonstrations to stop.

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DOUG FORD, ONTARIO PREMIER: It is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure.

DOMINIC LEBLANC, CANADIAN MINISTER OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS: I think that that will help remove the illegal blockades at border crossings that have threatened not only the Canadian economy but thousands of jobs, that depend on that very active cross-border trade.

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BRUNHUBER: The protests have been so disruptive, a state of emergency for Ontario was issued on Friday. The mayor of Ottawa says he expects to see more demonstrators in the Canadian capital this weekend.

And do stay with us. In the next hour, I'll be speaking with an expert about how extreme right-wing politics are playing a part in the Canadian trucker protests and spilling into other countries.

Parents in the U.S. will now have to wait a few months longer to get their youngest children vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The Food and Drug Administration is postponing an advisory panel meeting on authorizing the Pfizer COVID vaccine for children under 5. It had been scheduled for next Tuesday. Pfizer says it needs more time to gather data on whether three doses of its vaccine may be better than two doses and it's hoping to have results by early April.

Child vaccinations for age groups already authorized have been slowing in the U.S. And vaccinating those under 5 could help raise overall numbers. And there are about 18 million children aged 6 months through 4 years. CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen is both a physician and a mom and here was her reaction to the FDA announcement.

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DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I feel like I just got gut- punched. I mean, this is really difficult because, our children, kids under the age of 5, are the only group still not eligible to be vaccinated and to be protected at this point.

And so it's extremely frustrating, especially as we look at the timeline. If now the data are not going to be available until April, that means our kids may not be able to be fully vaccinated until June. That's a really long time to wait.

That said, I still think the FDA came to the right decision, because their job is to make sure, make absolutely sure, that the vaccines they authorize are safe and effective. And I never thought it made that much sense to approve two doses, expecting that a third is going to work.

You either have the data or you don't. In this case, if we have to wait until April to get the data for three doses, let's wait until then to be absolutely sure.

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BRUNHUBER: All right, here's a look at some COVID-19 headlines making news around the world.

South Korea reported a record high number of COVID cases Saturday. Officials recorded nearly 55,000 cases. This is the third day in a row more than 50,000 cases have been reported.

Hong Kong also reported a all-time record number of cases. On Friday, 1,325 were reported, all but two locally transmitted. Hong Kong's previous pandemic high came on Wednesday.

And France is loosening some of its mask rules. Starting February 28th, masks will no longer be required in establishments where a vaccine pass is necessary for entry. But masks will still be mandatory on public transportation and spaces where the vaccine pass isn't required.

U.S. and Russian leaders are set to speak later today as tensions ramp up over Ukraine. But while the two presidents prepare to talk, U.S. troops work to send a message to their allies in the region. That's ahead. Plus a very important update to the CNN investigative report on the

deadly Kabul airport bombing. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all you watching us in the United States, Canada and around the world. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

The U.S. and other countries are urging their citizens in Ukraine to leave immediately because a Russian invasion could happen at any time. The warning comes as the U.S. military directs 3,000 additional forces to Poland to assist American evacuations from Ukraine.

The White House has confirmed U.S. President Joe Biden will speak with the Russian leader later today.

[04:30:00]

BRUNHUBER: U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken says he'll speak with his Russian counterpart ahead of that call.

So as a possible invasion hangs over Ukraine, the U.S. is moving to reassure its NATO allies. As we just mentioned, Washington has been sending thousands of troops to Europe, including to Romania. As Fred Pleitgen reports, their goal is to send a message to both U.S. allies and Moscow.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): As Russia has just kicked off massive military drills with Belarus right on the border with Ukraine, the U.S. is not backing down, sending an additional 1,000 troops from the Second Cavalry Regiment to Romania.

LT. COL. BENJAMIN NAGY, U.S. ARMY: Our mission is to reassure the allies and show faith that we're here to support and deter aggression.

PLEITGEN: The reinforcements are only part of a larger deployment of thousands of troops ordered by President Biden.

That also includes additional combat aircraft, both for air policing and for deterrence.

With the deployment of forces here to Romania, the U.S. says it wants to send a clear message to allies and adversaries, that the U.S. remains fully committed to collective defense on NATO's eastern flank.

U.S. troops will be training with allied NATO forces, to make sure the alliance can operate as a single, coherent force, in case of aggression from Russia.

LT. COL. DANIEL HILL, U.S. ARMY: If the time were to ever come, they know they can trust us and we know we can trust them.

PLEITGEN: The U.S. says Russia has over 100,000 troops at the border of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin could order an attack at any time, though Russia claims it would not.

The next few days could be critical. NATO's secretary general told me in an exclusive interview.

JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Russia is increasing both the number of troops but also their readiness and the capability to act and to conduct aggressive actions on very short notice. So the number of troops is going up while the warning time is going down.

PLEITGEN: And the secretary general tells me that's exactly why additional U.S. support is so important.

STOLTENBERG: I strongly welcome the deployment of more U.S. forces borrowed partly because the United States is by far the biggest ally and they contribute thousands of troops but also because it's, of course, sends a very strong message of the Iran - commitment of the United States to NATO and to European security.

PLEITGEN: Both the U.S. and NATO say they hope diplomacy can prevail but they are stepping up preparations in case it fails -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Bucharest, Romania.

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BRUNHUBER: CNN has learned at least eight Westerners are being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Sources say at least one American and seven British citizens have been arrested by Taliban forces over the last two months. No formal charges appear to have been lodged.

Meanwhile U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order releasing $7 billion in frozen assets from Afghanistan's central bank. Half will go to provide humanitarian relief inside the country and half will go to victims of the 9/11 terror attacks, who've been fighting in court for access to the funds for years.

Now a follow up to a CNN investigation into U.S. military findings that no one was hit by gunfire during a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport amid the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan last August; 13 U.S. service members and at least 170 Afghan civilians died in the attack.

Newly released documents are raising alarming questions about the military probe. CNN international security editor Nick Paton Walsh has our report. And we just want to warn you, some video there might be disturbing.

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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice-over): The U.S. military insists nobody was shot after a bomb, detonated here at the Abbey Gate of Kabul airport in August.

The Pentagon says all the casualties -- more than 180 -- were killed by the lone suicide bomber.

They have disputed the findings of a CNN investigation, based on medical records, doctors at several Afghan hospitals and 19 survivors, who saw people shot or were shot themselves, that raise serious questions about the military's findings and whether gunfire hit Afghan civilians.

The military maintains U.S. Marines and U.K. troops fired on just three occasions, all harmless warning shots over the heads of the crowd.

JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: We respect the reporting of CNN clearly. But our -- our -- we -- we are going to stand by the investigation, which did not find any conclusive evidence that there was gunfire of any kind by American troops on -- on Afghan citizens.

WALSH (voice-over): But more evidence has emerged in nearly 2,000 pages of documents from the U.S. investigation released over the weekend. While military investigators admit not speaking to any Afghan civilians, the papers reveal what the U.S. military survivors of the blast told them --

[04:35:00]

WALSH (voice-over): -- what they heard and saw.

Firstly, one Marine said she joined other Marines, opening fire in the aftermath but did not know what she shot at.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I went in and saw a lot of Marines, shooting by the jersey barrier. There was a lot of smoke. I couldn't see where they were firing. They grabbed me and I started firing my weapon as well. I don't know what I was firing at.

WALSH (voice-over): Other Marines who were at the blast site reported seeing rounds impact around them. One said --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw Marines return fire. I heard three distinct shots hit the back windows of the tower. The third round impacted right in front of my face, as I was closing the ballistic glass window.

WALSH (voice-over): Another quote read --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I could hear sporadic rounds snapping overhead for about five minutes. I didn't see any traces but I saw sparks when bullets would impact things.

WALSH (voice-over): Another --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I was applying tourniquets, I saw ricochets. Never saw a shooter.

WALSH (voice-over): Another read --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw the shots hitting around us. WALSH (voice-over): Some interviews are done in a group and, with the names redacted, it is hard to determine how many troops are talking in each group or their rank.

Within the documents, some U.S. military personnel say they did not fire at all, despite the chaos and possibility they were under attack. Others report not hearing gunfire.

Much of the testimony is consistent with the conclusions of the investigators. But some interviewees do describe the impact of bullets near them, while the U.S. investigators said the only shots fired went over people's heads.

A U.S. military spokesman said the above Marines' statements were, quote, "deemed less credible, partly as a result of their junior rank and inexperience of some, coupled with the likely impact of the blast on their recollections."

He added, "Investigators had contradictory information from several credible sources" and that "there are conflicting statements as well as inconsistent evidence," saying, "the investigators drew conclusions based on a preponderance of all the evidence collected."

U.S. military investigators have also said no bullets were pulled from patients treated in the aftermath.

A person with U.S. combat medic experience, on duty that night, recalled differently.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Originally, a lot of the wounds were classified as gunshot wounds. But they were actually because of shrapnel. But there were some gunshot wounds. There was a non-U.S. patient that had a bullet inside the back of his head after small arms fire.

WALSH (voice-over): A U.S. military spokesman told CNN that this medic was not in the operating theater and that surgeons who were did not report removing bullets from patients.

Yet the documents show U.S. personnel, at times, describing scenes similarly to Afghan survivors and raise yet further questions as to whether the U.S. military has fully investigated -- Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

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BRUNHUBER: Researchers are trying to understand why some people who catch COVID don't fully recover. After the break, we'll talk about long haul COVID with a scientist investigating the syndrome after developing it herself.

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BRUNHUBER: We know COVID-19 can cause serious illness. And some sufferers are still reporting symptoms weeks and months after they tested positive for the disease. Symptoms can include brain fog, dizziness, depression, shortness of breath, fatigue, hair loss, a distorted sense of smell, headaches -- and that's not a complete list.

In Canada, an estimated 20 percent to 50 percent of those who contract the virus will experience long-term symptoms, according to the CDC.

My next guest is a researcher with a unique perspective on long COVID. Her interest in the condition is more than just academic; she sufferers from long COVID herself. Now she's using her expertise to learn more. She hopes to follow 120 long haulers and answer these questions: whether the severity of long haul COVID is related to rheumatological complications triggered by the illness; why some patients develop auto immune-like conditions and who's at risk most of developing them; whether vaccination plays a role in the severity of long haul symptoms and whether most people see a change in their symptoms over time.

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BRUNHUBER: Manali Mukherjee is an assistant professor of medicine at McMaster University, she's a lead researcher into a study on long COVID and joins me now from Toronto.

Thank you so much for being here with us. You've been affected by long COVID for more than a year now.

What sort of effects have you been experiencing?

MANALI MUKHERJEE, MCMASTER UNIVERSITY: I've been going through some fatigue, headaches that keeps on coming in and going out and mostly fatigue. That's just been the worst of everything.

There's some of blood pressure issues. And what's really worrying is you never know when you're going to get hit again. So some weeks are good, some weeks are bad. And all you have to do is just listen to your body and wait it out.

BRUNHUBER: You've used the word worried, even though you're a scientist. When these things hit you, maybe part of your brain is able to see it from a dispassionate, scientific, removed but you're also experiencing it viscerally, emotionally.

How has that been, trying to balance those two?

MUKHERJEE: You know, it's a conflict. Being trained in immunology, you do know that viruses are notorious for leaving a little bit of a remnant of these inflammatory issues that can be dysregulation in your immune system, which can have these after effects and general feeling of unwell.

But when that stays for longer and when that keeps on knocking you around, because you do take your health for granted, especially when you're young, it leads to anxiety. And there would be one part of me, telling me, you know what this is; just rest it out; it will be fine.

But then there's this other side and it's worrying because, after all, it's your health, right?

BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. So you put together a team to study long COVID and study a group patients who have it.

What's the biggest question you're hoping to solve here?

[04:45:00]

MUKHERJEE: We're particularly interested -- and the team we have together with the doctors with me -- we're trying to understand there's a subset of long COVID patients who may have immune dysregulation in the form of rogue antibodies that gets generated within our body as a response to the virus when you were initially infected.

And whether that would be something that accumulates with time or if that actually ends up with clinical symptoms and becomes a diagnosis for life. I don't believe every long COVID patient will become sick throughout their entire life.

I do believe -- and, of course, there's a big factor of hope, that we'll all get better. But there might be an unfortunate subset that ends up with the diagnosis for life and requires medical intervention.

BRUNHUBER: I want to ask you, so many people will be affected with this. We do have long haul COVID treatment centers but there's often a year-long waiting list and even then many people have written to me saying, doctors are telling them right now there's not much they can do for them.

It must be so frustrating. But you're confident there will one day be a treatment or many different treatments, depending on the symptoms or underlying causes, I guess.

But in the meantime, what is needed to deal with this backlog of so many people who need help?

MUKHERJEE: Look, Kim, I don't believe there's going to be a one size fits all kind of therapeutic intervention because, if you look at the way long COVID is showing, it's showing as a constellation of symptoms.

Some people come up with neurocognitive issues and some people come up with lung issues -- shortness of breath. Some people come up with even gastrointestinal problems.

So essentially what the long COVID-19 clinics are doing is sending the right people to the right specialists. And the specialists, they are dealing with it. So even the research going on, the different researchers are also have the specific questions they're trying to answer.

So I believe, as a society, we are all part of this pandemic and I think, as a society, we'll get out of it together. We have faith (ph).

BRUNHUBER: We'll leave it on that hopeful note. Best of luck with your research and recovery. Manali Mukherjee, thank you so much.

MUKHERJEE: Thank you so much, Kim.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And for more information on her research on long COVID-19, you can head to her team's page on McMaster University's website. And you'll find a link to the study on long COVID.

Well, Super Bowl is almost here and, with it, record hot weather. After the break, we'll go to the CNN Weather Center for details on this rare wintertime heat. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Europe's highest and most active volcano erupted in spectacular fashion late on Thursday. Have a look here.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): This was the scene from Mount Etna in Italy. Plumes of smoke rose to 8 kilometers over Sicily. Lava flowed from the crater nearly 3,000 feet above sea level.

But geologists in the area said activity had ceased by evening and there were no reports of injuries. Mount Etna last had a major eruption in 1992.

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BRUNHUBER: This Super Bowl Sunday could go down as the hottest Super Bowl on record -- we're talking about the actual temperature, not the game.

Nearly 20 million people in southern California are under heat advisories this weekend. Experts say the temperatures will be 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit above normal in some areas. We could see new record hot weather set the next couple of days.

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[04:00:00]

BRUNHUBER: Well, speaking of football, from the NFL, a feel-good story from one of Philly's finest, who made good on a promise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER (voice-over): That's Philadelphia Eagles safety Anthony Harris, taking 11-year-old Audrey Soape to her father-daughter dance. Now she lost her father and grandfather last year.

And when the dance came up at church, Audrey's mom reached out to Anthony Harris to take her. The Eagles safety told TMZ Sports, loss in his own family inspired him to say yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY HARRIS, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES SAFETY: When COVID really hit, you know, I lost a loved one. And I shared a photo of me, you know, going to the game and I had cleats in memory of my grandfather, who passed away.

When I got the message about potentially, you know, being able to take her to the dance, I thought it would be a great way to, you know, uplift her, you know, and utilize my platform that I've been blessed with to try and, you know, brighten people's day and be a blessing to others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Harris traveled all the way to Austin, Texas, to escort Audrey and even told "The Washington Post" he put Audrey's hair and make-up on his own tab. A great story.

Before we go, Wordle is one of the fastest growing online puzzles. But for one Illinois woman, it might have saved her life.

Listen to this, 80-year-old Denise Holt shares her results from the word puzzle with her daughter every day. Last Sunday, she didn't send her score. So her daughter was surprised. She texted her mom, got no response.

So she called the local police and asked them to do a wellness check. When cops showed up, they discovered Holt had been held hostage in her own home for nearly 24 hours by a naked intruder, armed with knives. Remarkably and thankfully, she was physically unhurt. And the intruder is now facing felony charges.

All right, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in just a moment with more news. Please do stay with us.