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Biden Holds Crucial Hour-Long Call With Ukraine's President; Canadian Police Begin Arresting Trucker Protesters Near Key Bridge; American Olympian Erin Jackson Wins Women's 500-Meter Speed Skating Gold. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired February 13, 2022 - 15:00   ET

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

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: But no one else on the ground or the train was hurt. It's a story that has garnered international attention and praise for a group of officers who went beyond the call, risking their own lives to save another. Many now calling them heroes.

What goes through your mind when I hear that?

SGT. JOSEPH CAVESTANY, LOS ANGELES POLICE: You know, honestly, it's that's not the word that, you know we associate ourselves with. It's part of the job.

OFFICER DAMIEN CASTRO, LOS ANGELES POLICE: Officers around the world do this every day. Maybe not a train coming at them, but they're saving lives all the time putting their lives on the line.

CAMPBELL: Josh Campbell, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:00:42]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, we begin this hour with the crisis in Ukraine. President Biden just a short time ago wrapping up a crucial call with Ukraine's President where he told him the U.S. would respond, quote, "swiftly and decisively" to any further Russian aggression.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned again today that a Russian invasion could come at any time, he made it clear there could be dramatic civilian casualties.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: If there is a military invasion of Ukraine by Russia, it's likely to begin with a significant barrage of missiles and bomb attacks. Those are never as precise as the Army would -- any Army would like them to be, and we don't even know how precise the Russian army would like them to be.

So innocent civilians could be killed regardless of their nationality. It would then be followed by an onslaught of a ground force moving across the Ukrainian frontier.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The U.S. State Department is telling Americans inside Ukraine to leave the country and no rescues will come for anyone trapped there if Russia invades.

We're also seeing new video today of a Russian submarine passing through the Turkish waters on its way to the Black Sea, where other Russian ships are positioned.

Arlette Saenz is at the White House of us, Alex Marquardt is in Ukraine. Arlette, you first. What are we learning about this call between Presidents Biden and Zelensky?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Fred, President Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Zelensky for just under an hour this morning while the President is spending the weekend at Camp David and as that threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to loom.

The White House says that the President reiterated the solidarity of the United States has towards Ukraine and that they also said that the President made clear that the United States would respond swiftly and decisively together with its allies and partners to any further Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The two leaders agreed on the importance of continuing to pursue diplomacy and deterrence in response to Russia's military buildup on Ukraine's borders.

Now, this call with Zelensky comes just one day after President Biden had a secure call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Officials said that there were no major breakthroughs that changed the dynamics of the situation during that phone call, but they stressed that President Biden made clear that there would be severe and swift costs if Russia moves forward with an invasion of Ukraine.

The U.S. has been working with its allies to develop a sanctions package it could implement, and as well, officials have said that they've reiterated their support in a defensive manner to Ukraine if that Russian invasion does proceed.

Now, the President and his top officials have been stressing that they still want to try this diplomatic route even as that window appears to be potentially narrowing.

This morning, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that Russia could decide to attack Ukraine at any moment, and he stressed that what they are seeing on the ground there, the maneuvering of troops and positioning of troops suggests that an attack is very, very possible.

The U.S. has kind of moved up the timeline for the possibility of an attack originally saying that they believed it may not occur until after the Olympics. They are now saying it could occur within the coming weeks, but they have not said if they believe President Putin has made that final decision.

Now, on the diplomatic front. We've learned this afternoon that the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, she canceled a trip to Liberia that was scheduled for tomorrow in order to stay behind to focus on that situation regarding Russia and Ukraine.

Right now, this administration really engaging in a full court press as they are hoping to deter Russia from such an invasion -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Arlette, thanks so much. Alex, last hour, you reported that Ukrainian President asked for more arsenal in that call with the President. Did he also indicate how soon he wants it?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're getting a better picture of what Zelensky made in terms of demands in that phone call, Fred, and he certainly wants as much as he can as soon as he can get it. There were several key demands that Zelensky made of the United States, this is all according to a senior Ukrainian official who spoke with our colleague, Matthew Chance.

[15:05:14]

MARQUARDT: One of the most significant, I think, is this request that President Biden visit Ukraine as soon as possible. That would be really a remarkable show of solidarity by the United States, but it is not going to happen. It's extremely unlikely, according to U.S. officials.

You know, this comes at a time, this request, when the United States is already telling its citizens who live and/or visiting Ukraine to get out of the country when it is moving its diplomats out of the country, and many of them to different parts of the country.

The U.S. is trying to minimize its presence here. Certainly, not looking to send the Commander-in-Chief to Ukraine.

Now, there were two other key demands, one of more military aid, more sophisticated weaponry. We have seen over the course of the past year some $660 million of aid allocated to Ukraine. Many shipments over the past few weeks, including two more just yesterday of ammunition and shoulder mounted grenade launchers.

What Ukraine has essentially said all along is, you know, thank you so much for the weapons that you're sending, but not only do we need more, but we need bigger weapons. Senior officers and Ukrainian military who I've been speaking with say they need more sophisticated anti-aircraft weaponry, for example, because they've been getting things like javelins, which are used against tanks.

They have gotten stingers, which are surface-to-air anti-aircraft weapons, but they do need more. Zelensky, Fred, also asked for more financial aid and that is one of the main reasons we have seen President Zelensky really downplaying this threat from Russia, because not only did he not want to panic his citizens and his population, but he is also worried about what chaos could do to the economy of Ukraine -- Fredricka. WHITFIELD: All right, Alex Marquardt, thank you so much, in Ukraine.

Arlette Saenz at the White House, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

All right, let's talk further now. Let's bring in former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. He's the co-chair and CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, and the CEO and founder of the Energy Futures Initiative.

Mr. Secretary, so good to see you. So you --

ERNEST MONIZ, CO-CHAIR AND CEO, NUCLEAR THREAT INITIATIVE: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: Thank you. So you coauthored an op-ed that says leaders must untie the knot of war in Europe. And in it, you argue that if Russia invades Ukraine, it will also be a loser in any conflict. But wouldn't Putin see himself as a winner? Why do you dispute what he sees would be a winning strategy?

MONIZ: Well, what we said is that there will be losers all around. Ukraine, primarily, of course, bearing the brunt of a Russian military action, but Russia would suffer both in the near and the far term.

In the near term, it is very clear that sanctions that bite a lot more than those in 2014 with the Crimea incursion would come into play, but also, Putin would earn -- we would be essentially a geostrategic pariah in the West, with very, very long term consequences. So our argument is that --

WHITFIELD: But doesn't he know that? Doesn't he know that and he seems to be willing to take a risk, if you want to call it that?

MONIZ: Well, we don't know yet. We will see, although it is clearly very menacing, the assembly of that impressive military force. I think the issues are, if his objectives really are to keep NATO military equipment away from Russia and to have NATO -- to have Ukraine not in NATO, that's going to be a reality for a long time. There is plenty of time and space to negotiate.

On the other hand, if his objective is that is an insistence that somehow Ukraine is quasi-back in the Soviet Union days in terms of being almost an extension of Russia, well, that's a political impossibility. The West will never agree to that. NATO will never agree to close the door to potential membership in the long term.

And if it comes down to these political disagreements, well, we just don't know. It's extremely, extremely dangerous. And again, there will be losers all around, to which I would add the West, because the Russian economy is integrated in the global economy in ways that, for example, those of Iran or North Korea or not, so lots of risk all around and as I say, I believe losers all around.

WHITFIELD: Well, help elaborate on what the consequence would be in terms of world energy if indeed this invasion were to happen, conflict were to happen? [15:10:02]

MONIZ: Well, clearly the most obvious situation is the Russian supply of natural gas to Europe. They supply today, about 40 percent of natural gas to Europe. And if this new pipeline, Nord Stream 2 opens that would even go up further.

Russia, of course, gets most of its energy revenue actually from oil, and the oil market is very global, supplies are very, very fungible. So if Russia has a lot of cooperation from China and other countries, it would probably be difficult to stem the export of oil. But natural gas would be a huge hit on Europe.

United States, the administration is doing all that it can to up LNG exports from the United States and elsewhere to Europe, and that is certainly closing the gap on the risk to Europe. But if it's a cold winter, and this happens in the next few months, it will be difficult.

WHITFIELD: So President Biden has warned Russia that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will not go ahead if he invades Ukraine. How significant is that? I mean, this is the pipeline that brings natural gas to Europe.

MONIZ: Yes, well, clearly, the issue of the great supply that is being projected would not be there. But in addition, there is a lot of sunk costs, the pipeline is built, basically. And also, Russia clearly saw Nord Stream 2 as a way also to avoid a lot of gas, transiting Ukraine and providing substantial fees to the Ukrainian government.

So there's a lot of a lot of geopolitics at play here. But I think one important thing is, even since 2014, Europe has greatly increased its market flexibility -- its internal market, being able to move, for example, gas supplies, around between countries, internally, and there has been construction of LNG import terminals.

So they are somewhat ahead of where they were in 2014. But still, it's a lot of gas, 40 percent of their gas from Russia, and if Russia chooses to use it as a weapon, it will certainly have a deleterious impact.

WHITFIELD: And then how about this? I mean, with this announcement last week from scientists in the U.K. that they have more than doubled, you know generating and sustaining nuclear fusion. I mean, do you see that -- this is a crucial announcement, this further complicates matters.

MONIZ: Well, it is very important. I mean, it doubles the previous record that the same machine called JET and accomplished in 1997. On the other hand, it's not close to producing more energy than is used.

The significance is that, it met its milestones, which suggests that the very major machine being built in France will meet its milestones. However, that's only part of the story. Frankly, I think a more exciting part of the story is what is happening, for example, in the United States, with privately financed companies in fusion.

One is an M.I.T. spinout using a very similar technology to that in the U.K. They had a big demonstration of technology recently. I'm on the Board of another company, I'll declare that called TAE, using a very different technology. We will soon be in our sixth generation machine, and we should be displaying all of the requirements for generating a fusion machine within a few years.

This means going to temperatures, seven times that you see in the center of the sun, because fusion is the driving force for the sun and stars producing energy. So we want to have a star on Earth, and we've already gotten up to about 70 million degrees. Our next machine, as I say our next generation should pass that threshold. So there's a lot going on.

WHITFIELD: Yes, there is. I mean, this is pretty significant breakthrough, especially as it pertains to clean energy. So what does that mean for the ordinary citizen, average person, in their home, how they operate on a day-to-day basis?

MONIZ: It's a game changer. But let me make one more point on these privately funded companies because it's very important. The private sector has put more than $4 billion into these fusion companies. When the private sector does that, it tells you something is happening, and that people can see -- have line of sight to success.

With success, fusion is a game changer. Carbon free energy, high energy density, it is like nuclear fission reactors today except without the problems because a fusion machine would neither pose any risk at all to the public, nor would it have the very, very difficult long term, radioactive waste to manage.

[15:15:20]

MONIZ: So this would be a complete game changer in reaching the goals that so many countries, including ours has put forward of being carbon free in electricity by 2035, and in energy by 2050.

WHITFIELD: Well, Secretary Moniz, we've covered the gamut of this. It is extraordinary from these newest discoveries to the potential for any kind of conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Thank you so much.

MONIZ: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, still to come, police are towing vehicles and making arrests near Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Canada. We will tell you what's taking place when officials say traffic flow will resume at the key border bridge between U.S. and Canada, next.

And later, the doping case involving Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva in the hands of an Olympic Court now. We'll bring you the latest on the emergency hearing that's happening today in Beijing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:20:24]

WHITFIELD: All right today, police in Canada began cracking down on some of those trucker protesters blocking major U.S. border crossings in Windsor, Ontario. Police are seizing vehicles and arresting demonstrators, protesters at the Ambassador Bridge having been going on for days, choking a critical supply route to the U.S.

CNN's Miguel Marquez is there. So Miguel, what is the situation right now? Oh, besides a lot of snow since the last time I saw you. Wow. It's coming down fast.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's just another romantic day here in Windsor. Look, the protest is over essentially. The protest is over, but how authorities are going to keep protesters from coming back and trying to block this area again, so the focus now is trying to get this bridge back open by tomorrow morning. Another business day on Monday morning, they would like to have it open by then.

They have moved all the protesters out early this morning. They finally made their final move. There were a few protesters who stayed. They were arrested. Police saying now, there is about 15 protesters that were arrested. There may be more that are still trying to get in to the area that police have blocked down that may be arrested. They towed a few cars.

But unlike most protests that we see in the U.S. and other places around the world, it was a completely Canadian affair. The police basically waited out the protesters until there were very few of them there and then moved in in force.

They've put up barricades now along this main road. Here on Church Road that goes all the way to the 401, which is a major freeway. That's about three miles from the bridge itself.

So they're going to have to figure out now how to keep protesters from moving back into this area, trying to block the roads in the days and weeks ahead because there are so many protests going across the country now, they have been sort of -- many different sectors have been now motivated by this.

First it was anti-vaccine, then it was anti-mandate. And now it's just sort of an anti-government anger out there that is sort of cropping up at places all across the country.

So, I think the country is going to be dealing with this for quite some time -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right, it looks like you're going to dealing with that snow for quite some time, at least for the next few minutes. So, get yourself a hat so you don't catch a chill.

MARQUEZ: I love it.

WHITFIELD: I know, but it is nice. It's so pretty. All right, Miguel Marquez, thank you so much.

All right, coming up, American speed skater Erin Jackson makes history at the Winter Olympic Games. We'll have the details right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:27:29]

WHITFIELD: All right, Team U.S.A. has added yet another goal to its medal count. Erin Jackson just won the women's 500-meter speed skating in Beijing.

The 29-year-old is the first Black American woman to win an Olympic speed skating medal and the first American since Bonnie Blair's victory back in 1994. Congrats to her.

The total medal count now for the U.S. now stands at 12. CNN's Don Riddell joining me now.

So Don, tell us more about Jackson's journey to the Olympic gold.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, it was quite the journey, and she almost didn't get to make it. When she was in the qualifiers, she actually slipped and even though she was the world top ranked speed skater over this distance, that slip meant that she wasn't going to be going to the Olympics.

Fortunately for her, one of her teammates and friends, Brittany Bowe, who took her place, then gave the place back and basically said to Erin Jackson, "You're the best, you deserve it. You deserve a shot at the gold medal." These two have known each other since they were skating back in Florida when Erin Jackson was 10, and it turns out that Brittany Bowe ended up getting a place in this event anyway. She ended up finishing 16th.

Erin Jackson found her afterwards, she gave her a hug and apparently she just said an awful lot of thank you's, as one can only imagine. An amazing achievement by Erin Jackson and a great story of friendship and camaraderie between these two athletes.

WHITFIELD: Beautiful bond. I love that. All right, also today, the Court of Arbitration for Sport is holding a hearing over 15-year-old Russian figure skater, Kamila Valieva's positive drug test. So when might a decision come?

RIDDELL: Well, it's the middle of the night now. So it can't come any earlier than Monday and that is when we're expecting it to come and it needs to come as soon as possible because Valieva is supposed to be going in the women's short program figure skating on Tuesday. So there really isn't much time left to figure this out.

This is arguably one of the most anticipated events at the Winter Olympics right now, and of course, it is happening behind closed doors. We can't see what's going on, and it is an absolutely massive story.

Valieva came into these games at the age of 15 as the European champion, the best in the world. She already set nine world records in that team event. She justified all of the hype immediately doing things that have never been seen before helping her team to gold. Then it is revealed that she tested positive for this banned heart medicine back in December.

The Russian anti-doping agency overturned her provisional suspension, so the Russians enabled her to compete. And now, you've got multiple organizations lining up and saying, hang on a minute no, she can't.

[15:30:08]

RIDDELL: The world anti-doping agency, the International Skating Union, the International Testing Agency, they are all lobbying the Court of Arbitration for Sport to basically toss her out of the Olympics.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

RIDDELL: It's a fascinating story. It's an awful story when you consider that she is just 15 years of age, and she is now in the eye of this particular storm. And of course, whether she intentionally cheated or not, whether she knew anything about it or not. There's also clean athletes out there in Beijing, who want to know that they're competing in a fair and honest field.

WHITFIELD: Right, to many of them, they are like, that's immaterial.

RIDDELL: Yes.

WHITFIELD: And so again, that whole gold medal team ceremony still hasn't had taken place. Right?

RIDDELL: That's right.

WHITFIELD: That's still suspended.

RIDDELL: We can't think of a time where this has ever happened in the Olympics, where a medal ceremony has just been delayed indefinitely, so we don't know what's going to happen with those metals. We don't know who's going to get them if there's ever a ceremony at all.

WHITFIELD: Yes, keep us posted. Don Riddell, thanks so much.

All right, still ahead, we are just hours away from the kickoff for Super Bowl LVI, and this Super Bowl could be the hottest on record.

What can we expect tonight, right up at the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:35:52]

WHITFIELD: All right, the clock is ticking and we're just about three hours away from the kickoff for Super Bowl LVI. Around 100,000 fans will be in attendance as the Los Angeles Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium.

CNN's Camila Bernal and Andy Scholes are joining me right now, and it is hot out there for a host of reasons. Camila, it's not just because it's the hottest ticket in town, the big dance, but it's literally very hot.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's currently 85 degrees, and the hottest Super Bowl on record was in 1973, it was 84 degrees. But here's the thing, temperatures will likely drop by the time this game starts.

So even though you know we may not break the record, it is great weather especially for all those fans coming from Ohio. A lot of these fans paid on average $10,000.00 for those tickets, according to SeatGeek and StubHub.

And so, of course, what they're hoping to do is get as much as they can from this game and enjoy it. So, a lot of excitement, but also a lot of security already in place.

We're seeing thousands of officers on the ground and in the air. There are security points all over the stadium. We have to go through metal detectors in order to get in here, and in the air, what officials are doing is just trying to look at traffic patterns, because the goal here is to avoid gridlock.

We have not seen any protests yet. But of course, we'll have to wait and see what happens the rest of the afternoon. But as of now things are calm. Everybody is excited for the game. And as for me, I'm looking forward to that halftime show -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes, me too. That's pretty much my motivation for watching most of the games, the halftime show, and then suddenly I realize: Oh, this is a good game.

All right, so Andy, how about you? Who should we be looking at and for besides, you know, halftime show, talking about the players now.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Fred, you know, the matchups to watch in this game, certainly is Joe Burrow's offensive line against Aaron Donald and Von Miller, are they going to be able to keep him back.

But what we're all watching right now is Burrow walking into the stadium. Look at this video from just moments ago, the outfit Joe Burrow was wearing when he arrived. I mean, it's one of the most incredible suits and Super Bowl outfits I've ever seen in my life.

I'm not sure you can lose a Super Bowl if you arrive looking like that. I mean, his hat looks like it is something out of "Breaking Bad." He's like Walter White. That's incredible.

The Bengals being in the Super Bowl is rather incredible, too. You know, they had 120 to one odds of winning it all before this season. They're one of 12 teams that have never won a Super Bowl. You know, all of the players certainly in this game are hoping by the end of the day, they're going to be the ones that realize their dreams of being Super Bowl champions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MATTHEW STAFFORD, QUARTERBACK, LOS ANGELES RAMS: These are

opportunities are what you play the game for, you know. I'm so lucky to be in this situation and being able to go out and battle one more time with this great group of guys that I have is teammates and coaches.

JA'MARR CHASE, WIDE RECEIVER, CINCINNATI BENGALS: It's a dream come true. You know, I've been saying this talking about it, you know, since I was a kid.

AARON DONALD, DEFENSIVE LINEMAN, LOS ANGELES RAMS: In eight years, I accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. And one thing that I feel like I'm lacking is, you know, being a world champion, so it meant a lot to me.

JOE BURROW, QUARTERBACK, CINCINNATI BENGALS: I think as a team, we're excited to put a product on the field that the fans are proud of and that kind of gives them bragging rights. They haven't had that in a while so, you know, I'm excited to give that to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, the Rams four-point favorites in the game and of course, with the Super Bowl, there's all kinds of fun prop bets you can make as well. A common one every year, what color of liquid is going to be poured on the winning coach after Super Bowl LVI? Orange is the favorite, purple pays 10 to one.

Lots of excitement for the halftime show, like we've discussed. Here's a prop bet, will Snoop Dogg smoke on stage? Yes, is the favorite there. There are going to be lots of crypto commercials tonight, Fred? What's going to happen to the price of Bitcoin is actually a prop bet. Price goes up for Bitcoin, the favorite there.

The most popular prop bet every single year, Fred, is actually the coin toss. It's called the most exciting two seconds in betting, and fun fact, the last seven teams to win the coin toss have actually gone on to lose the Super Bowl.

So, you actually don't want to win that.

WHITFIELD: Oh, okay. All right, you do not -- you don't want to win that one. All right, I've got it.

Well, I'd say for you know, Joe Burrow, yes, "Breaking Bad" and I think with the hat, too, that's speaking a whole lot of confidence. It's going to be an interesting game.

[15:40:10]

WHITFIELD: All right, Andy Scholes, Camila Bernal, thanks so much to both of you. Appreciate it.

So with security tightened around today's game, it's easy to focus on what could go wrong rather than what actually goes right. Joining me right now is Juliette Khayyem, a CNN national security analyst, and she is also a former Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security under President Obama.

Juliette, so good to see you. I guess it feels good to be back home, huh?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Good to see you. Yes, I'm here in Los Angeles. That's right.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, it's hot there. But hey, everybody is ready to handle it. So you tweeted, you know, a great example of what actually success, you know, looks like at a Super Bowl is, you know, how it handles a potential catastrophe.

And back in 2013, the power went out at the New Orleans Superdome, that was super weird. And about half of the stadium was lit. But then you actually say that was a good thing? Why?

KAYYEM: Yes. I mean, so basically, look, we're going to -- you know, the security planning, I was down at the facility yesterday, the security planning is, as it always is very serious.

Federal, State and local assets are deployed. They're looking at everything from cyber threats to obviously physical threats, vehicle threats. But they also have been doing a lot of planning around what would happen if something bad happened, and that's what we have to think about in this day and age, what would you wish you had done if half the lights go out?

So the Superdome in New Orleans was a perfect example. Beyonce had just gotten off the halftime and the lights went out, but only half the lights went out. And so because they had planned for the possibility of there being some sort of electrical blackout.

Now imagine a Super Bowl televised which is in complete darkness, like the sort of madness, the mayhem and the crowd fear. So there's a lot of planning around what we call preparedness or response planning. And the most important thing is, of course, crowd control. It is, what are you going to tell people what they need to do if something bad happens?

All of that has been in play and focused on, so that's what people like me worry about while other people are having fun.

WHITFIELD: Boy, that's a messaging that has to happen for that many thousands of people who are going to be filling that stadium. So you just mentioned you were at the stadium yesterday, you got a good look at it. It is a brand new facility, $5 billion built in 2020. I mean, it's beautiful.

So what did stand out to you in terms of your observations from your security hat that you wear about what you like about this construction, or perhaps you know, the things that you think they had in mind when building it.

KAYYEM: So, I mean, part of it is that the pedestrian controls are pretty far back from the stadium, that's what you'd want at this stage. You just want people -- people who have access to the stadium have to show their tickets much earlier than say, like, you know, I'm from Boston and Fenway, when you literally can just like get to Fenway, and then show your tickets.

So everything is pushed back, which is, which is, I think, right at this stage, a lot of let's say, vehicles are around the facility already to make sure that no one does anything with their car, no cars are left behind. There's a whole part of it of the cyber -- potential cyberattacks that is not visible. They need to protect the grid, they need to protect communications.

And obviously, we know that there have been attempts or attacks at large profiles. But the one thing I want to say, which is amazing, and there's sort of no debate about it is there are signs everywhere. People who are attending have to show a PCR test or proof of vaccination. We don't think of COVID as sort of a traditional security issue, but it is. I mean, it's a health security issue.

And so this will be the first Super Bowl in which I think the first in which every attendee has to show either vaccination or PCR proof, and then they can be unmasked. So that's going to be great for everyone. That's the way the world is going to look like in the future.

WHITFIELD: All right. Lots of signs of the times, right? All right, Juliette Kayyem -- yes. Juliette Kayyem, good to see you. Thank you so much. Enjoy LA.

All right, still ahead. We'll hear from Larry Hogan, the moderate Republican Governor from Maryland who has a strong critique for his own political party.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. LARRY HOGAN (R-MD): Speaking out loudly and strongly about this battle for the soul of the party, you know, to say it's legitimate political discourse to attack the seat of our capital and smash windows and attack police officers and threaten to hang the Vice President and threaten to overthrow the election. It's insanity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:49:26]

WHITFIELD: All right, this morning, a sharp critique on the direction of the Republican Party from Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOGAN: I think they're, you know, sometimes focused on the wrong things not just being a roadblock to Biden. I mean, there are certain things that we want to stand up to President Biden. You know, the inflation is out of control and we're talking about billions of more spend -- trillions of more spending.

You know, we want to make sure that we do stand up and speak out, but I'm concerned that they're focusing too much on looking at the past and you know trying to re-litigate the last election and arguing about things instead of having a positive hopeful vision for America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:50:06]

WHITFIELD: All right, the comments from Hogan, a moderate within the Republican Party come just days after he said no to a possible Senate run, which was disappointing to G.O.P. leaders who saw him as a good candidate to oust one of the state's Democratic incumbents.

However, while Hogan stated he was not keen on congressional politics, he did not rule out a shot at the presidency in 2024.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOGAN: I'm going to run through the tape as governor until January of next year. I'm going to try to be the very best governor I can be. I'm going to continue to stand up and be a voice. I'm not going to sit back and not be involved in the issues of the day.

I'm concerned about the direction of the party and the country, and I'll make a decision about 2024 after I finish this job.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: So you are considering it?

HOGAN: Was so we're certainly going to take a look at it after January of 2023.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN polling out this morning shows the 2024 presidential race wide open for both parties. Fewer than half of Democrats want Biden to be the nominee in 2024, and across the aisle, Republican voters are evenly split on Trump. Only 50 percent say they would like Trump to be the nominee and 49 percent say find someone else.

President Biden tells Ukrainian President that the U.S. would respond swiftly and decisively to any further Russian aggression.

Coming up in the next hour of the NEWSROOM, former U.S. Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta will be on to discuss what that swift action could look like.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:56:33]

WHITFIELD: All right, we continue celebrating Black History Month through a special series we're calling inspiring voices. So many Black artists, journalists, and leaders have touched the lives of me and my colleagues.

Congressman Elijah Cummings was a role model for my colleague, Victor Blackwell. It's been more than two years since Representative Cummings passed away, but his lessons and legacy are still going strong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: This is personal for me. Congressman Elijah Cummings, as my mother puts it is one of the people who gives you keys. He has given me keys at different points throughout my life.

For most of my life, he was the representative of my community, home district, Maryland 7. And I first met Congressman Cummings when I was 16 years old.

He had started this new youth program, Elijah Cummings Youth Program in Israel, where a few students were chosen to travel to Israel for close to a month to learn about the culture and religion.

At the airport, he showed up to say goodbye and wish us well, and I remember something he said, he said: "Open yourself up. Make the possibility. Create the possibility of learning meeting someone, thinking of things in a different way."

I've kept that. That's one of those little keys.

Congressman Cummings was also the speaker at my high school graduation, and he told his story of his personal and professional life. And I remember him saying, "Never let anyone define you." He said that so many times.

ELIJAH CUMMINGS, FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: Don't let it take away your hope. I don't care who they are, and let no one define you. No one.

BLACKWELL: Now, I'm sitting there as at that point, a 17-year-old who wanted to be on television, to be a TV journalist. There was nobody on television with my build. I didn't know any openly gay television reporters or anchors, but 20 years into this business now. That key from Congressman Cummings, "never let anyone define you" has led me to this point.

In 2017, I was invited back to be part of a celebration of 20 years of the Elijah Cummings Youth Program. The congressman recorded a video and to hear him speak about us, to speak about me in a way, I knew that this was a personal investment.

CUMMINGS: And Victor, your ears should be burning because there's not a week that goes by that I don't talk about you and how proud I am to know that a young man who grew up in a neighborhood similar to the one I live in now has gone on to be a CNN anchor.

BLACKWELL: In 2019, when the former president tweeted that Congressman Cummings' district, my hometown was a rat infested place where no human would want to live. That was personal, it was offensive. And all of Baltimore was outraged by that.

CUMMINGS: Do not just criticize us, but come to Baltimore and I promise you, you will be welcomed.

BLACKWELL: Another key -- another key from the Congressman in the way that he responded to that vitriol with grace and hospitality.

Congressman Cummings died just a few months after that. Some of those keys that opened a lot of doors and helped me throughout my life are the ones that Congressman Cummings gave me and I think a lot of people have received those keys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That is so sweet. Thank you so much, Victor, for sharing your heart and for helping to profile the late Congressman Elijah Cummings.

And thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

The CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jim Acosta right now.

[16:00:31]