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No Breakthrough in Flurry of High-Stakes Talks about Russia; Russia's Kamila Valieva Doping Hearing Scheduled for Today; Canadian Government Mulls Additional Measures to End Protests; Nicaragua's Ortega Regime Impairs Several Schools; Super Bowl LVI. Aired 1-1:30a ET
Aired February 13, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers from all around the world, I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, world leaders aim for diplomacy while gearing up for war.
Plus the Olympics are on but politics are playing a pivotal role in the games. We will go live to Beijing.
Plus, how the far right is feeding anti-vax movements around the world.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.
KINKADE: Fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine are so high right now that countries around the world are advising its citizens to get out while they can. Even the U.S. is drawing down its embassy staff in Kyiv.
The Ukranian government says it's an overreaction, that security is still intact and that panic only benefits Moscow.
The U.S. and Russian president spoke by phone on Saturday. Yet both Washington and Moscow agreed that the call did not yield any breakthroughs. Here is what the U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said a short time ago.
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: When one country seeks to flout the sovereignty and territorial integrity of another, one seeks to change the borders of another by force, when it seeks to dictate to that country its choices, its policies, with whom it may associate, when it seeks to exert a sphere of influence to subjugate a neighbor to its will, that is profoundly corrosive and undermining of these very rules and norms that underscore our own security.
And again, not just in Europe but around the world. And if we allow that to go unchallenged, if we allow it to proceed with impunity, then we open a Pandora's box, again, not just in Europe but around the world.
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KINKADE: CNN's Arlette Saenz has more from the White House on the hour-long phone call between President Putin and President Biden.
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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The White House says there was no major breakthrough in that one-hour call between President Biden and Russian president Vladimir Putin.
A senior administration official warned that there is still a distinct possibility Russia moves forward with an invasion of Ukraine. The president spoke with Putin while spending the weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David.
And the White House, in a statement, reading out the call, said that the president warned of severe and swift cost that Russia would face if it moves forward with an invasion of Ukraine.
The White House also 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.
The U.S. has crafted sanctions with its allies to implement should Putin move forward with an invasion of Ukraine. And the U.S. has also reiterated its commitment to offer defense support to Ukraine so the country would have means to defend itself in the event of an invasion.
Now the U.S., at this moment, says that they do not believe President Putin has made that final decision to invade Ukraine. But they also note that what they are seeing on the ground and in the area does not tend to show de-escalation, which is what the U.S. is seeking in this moment.
Now the U.S., over the course of the weekend, has drawn down its embassy presence, evacuating most nonemergency personnel from the embassy in Kyiv, and they are also warning Americans to depart the country immediately, saying it is past time for Americans to get out of Ukraine.
The U.S. is warning that they will not be conducting an American military mission to evacuate American citizens if an invasion occurs. Now going forward, President Biden and his team plan to remain in contact with Russia in the coming days, as the threat of an invasion looms. But officials are warning that they also believe, while they are
conducting, while they're trying to stay in contact with Russia, it is still very possible that Putin moves forward with an attack -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House.
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KINKADE: In recent weeks, the U.S. and its allies have publicized its military intelligence, often revealing details about their own troop movements and what they are learning about alleged Russian plots.
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KINKADE: CNN military analyst and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton explains why the U.S. would want to reveal what it knows.
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COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: The reality of the situation right now is that we are in an information war. And being in an information war, that means that we have reveal some of the intelligence that we have in order to counteract the information operations from the Russians.
The Russians are very adept at this. They use lies and other tactics, half truths, to press their point of view. And the only way to defeat those is to tell the truth and to tell people what we know. And this idea, this policy that we have, of revealing some of our intelligence, is, I think, a very good one and it goes in that direction.
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KINKADE: For its part, Russia says the phone call with President Biden failed to address their main concerns. A Putin aide said Americans are heating up hysteria around the so-called planned Russian invasion and they even announced the dates of such an invasion.
At the same time, together with their allies, they are pumping the military muscles of Ukraine.
In Ukraine itself, President Zelensky is downplaying the warnings from Washington. As Alex Marquardt reports, he is telling Ukrainians his own version of keep calm and carry on.
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ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The message that we are hearing from Ukraine's president and his top leadership is one of reassurance and one of defiance, essentially saying, please stay calm. And if the worst comes to worst and this invasion happens, then we will fight.
That is in stark contrast to the alarm that we have heard from the United States and other NATO allies, warning of the prospects of a Russian invasion of Ukraine in the coming days. And that difference was on real display on Saturday, when President
Zelensky was overseeing military exercises by the Ukrainian military.
At the same time, I should note, as Russia military exercises up in Belarus. And President Zelensky responded to the new intelligence about Russia, saying he has his own information and that he still needs to analyze this information, he said. Take a listen.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: We have a lot of information because we are on these borders. It's our borders. It's our territory, you know.
I have to speak with our people like, you know, like a president and say people truths and the truths 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.
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MARQUARDT: As for what's happening on the streets of Ukraine, whether it's in the capital, Kyiv, or here in the city of Zaporizhzhia, it is essentially business as usual. People are going about their lives, few signs of panic or chaos and really no sign of a large-scale military buildup.
When we speak with people, they say it is not something that is on their minds, it is not something that they're worried about. And Ukraine's military is making the point that this is a different country than the one it was in 2014, when it was invaded and Crimea was annexed.
They have built up their military and they have gotten foreign support. Ukraine's defense minister is saying, right now, Ukraine's military and their readiness is completely different -- Alex Marquardt, CNN, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
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KINKADE: We are turning now to Beijing where the Winter Olympics are halfway over. For days now, all eyes have been on the doping scandal involving a 15 year old Russian figure skater. The hearing is set for today to determine whether she can continue to compete at the games. CNN's Steven Jiang has more from Beijing.
Good to see you, Steven. So this hearing is now being fast-tracked.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER, BEIJING BUREAU: That's right; the Court of Arbitration for Sport is going to be holding a virtual hearing in about seven hours via video conference. And they're expected to make a decision by Monday afternoon ahead of the Tuesday figure skating event that Kamila Valieva is expected to appear in next.
Now the International Olympic Committee is still not saying much about this case, citing this ongoing process and legal ramifications.
And also it's a complicating factor here, of course, is because a positive test sample was collected on December 25th, last year before the Olympics. So all of this really falls outside of the jurisdiction of the IOC.
That is also why the Russian Anti-Doping Agency says its decision to lift a temporary ban on Kamila Valieva was because she has been passing doping tests both before and after that collection date, including testing negative since she arrived here in Beijing.
Now the Russian sports authorities have been throwing growing support behind her.
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JIANG: The country's sports minister as well as the head of the country's figure skating federation both say they have no doubts over her honesty, with the sports minister, especially saying that he has talked to her in the past few days.
And he heard a lot of optimism and strength and honesty in her voice. And that that is why he is further convinced of her innocence.
Of course, right now, as we note, the hearing is going to take place very soon. But our focus is really on some of the complicating factors surrounding the test results, including, as the Russians have been pointing out, how long it took the lab in Sweden to analyze the sample.
This is undoubtedly one point that is going to be raised and a lot of people eagerly await the final word from the court.
KINKADE: Yes, a lot of interest in this case. Steven Jiang for us in Beijing, thanks so much.
When the U.S. and its allies announced a diplomatic boycott of the Olympic Games over China's human rights record, Beijing dismissed the move as political posturing and said it undermines the value of the sport and Olympic cooperation.
But as CNN's David Culver reports, it's clear that China is not shying away from inserting its political agenda into the games.
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DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A picture may be worth far more than 1,000 words when it gets beamed onto the JumboTron during the Olympic Games.
IOC president Thomas Bach, with Peng Shuai, watching free skiing superstar Eileen Gu win gold for China, all just one day Peng again retracted a sexual assault allegation aimed at a powerful former Chinese national leader.
Bach appearing to be in line with China's narrative, that Peng is just fine. That narrative strengthened by the success and happiness of Gu, an American athlete, who chose Team China.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Beijing.
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Thomas Bach owns these games. It is his reputation. He made the choice. He has decided to not focus on the #MeToo aspect of the Peng Shuai story.
CULVER (voice-over): Beijing was always going to be a controversial choice to host the Olympics. The seat of power for a country accused of crushing dissent, of threatening neighbors, of genocide against its own Uyghur Muslim minority, claims China has denied.
While the U.S. and like-minded countries politically boycotted the opening ceremony in protest of China's human rights record, China chose a Uyghur athlete to light the Olympic cauldron, a thumbing of the nose to the countries calling out Beijing for alleged genocide.
As state media showed her family cheering from her home in Xinjiang.
SOPHIE RICHARDSON, CHINA DIRECTOR, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: It was a way of saying, we will continue to manipulate this population and put forward our version of reality and deny atrocity crimes, even in the context of the opening ceremonies of the games.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
CULVER (voice-over): "The United States' so-called genocide remarks is a great lie of the century," China's foreign ministry blasted.
But it is not a lie, say multiple governments and scores of Uyghur Muslims interviewed over the years by CNN.
RICHARDSON: Really from the get-go, Xi Jinping has used this as an opportunity to project a particular perception of the Chinese government and its role in the world on the rest of the world and get the rest of the world to buy into that.
CULVER (voice-over): For Beijing, the Olympics is an opportunity for political gain.
CULVER: During the parade of delegations at the opening ceremony, state media announcers introducing the self-governed democracy of Taiwan as China Taipei instead of Chinese Taipei, implying its sovereignty over the island.
CULVER (voice-over): Then during the performance, they used a lost dove reunited with the flock, widely seen as symbolizing China's unification with Taiwan, politicized moments on bold display to the world.
And the question is, who is paying attention?
BRENNAN: There is this really negative aura about these games in the West but in the United States, if the sports doesn't pull you in, the politics has maybe already turned you off. CULVER (voice-over): Whether the West is watching or not, game
broadcasters say no Winter Olympics has been followed this keenly in China. Once again, the audience for much of China's political messaging is at home -- David Culver, CNN, Beijing.
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KINKADE: Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, thousands of police in Paris have deployed a crackdown on a convoy inspired by events in Canada.
Plus, some say Nicaragua's government is putting higher education in the crosshairs. We will explain after the break.
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KINKADE: In Canada, prime minister Justin Trudeau and other officials are discussing additional measures to break up the protests that have been crippling cities and border crossings.
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KINKADE (voice-over): It comes after police in Windsor began an operation to clear a blockade from Ambassador Bridge at the U.S.- Canadian border. Protesters are fighting vaccine mandates and say they want their freedom. A Canadian journalist says they are inspired by far-right rhetoric, not the will of the people.
JUSTIN LING, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: These people see themselves as the majority. We know they are not. There is a real debate going on in this country right now about COVID-19 measures.
Canada's still the one of the most restrictive countries in terms of measures around COVID-19. There are still mask mandates across the country pretty much. There was a curfew in one Canadian province in January. Some restaurants and bars only just started reopening.
There is increasing pressure to start getting rid of those restrictions, the ones that really are impacting the vast majority of the country functionally, everybody.
But even as that pressure increases to drop those restrictions, support for the mandates remains high. People see getting vaccinated as your obligation as a citizen. People support it because they see it as a way to decrease deaths, to decrease pressure on hospitals and to get back to normal.
And these people represent the exact opposite of that.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KINKADE: The Canadian protests are inspiring similar actions in other countries, including France. The so-called freedom convoy descended on Paris Saturday and blocked traffic at various locations around the city. CNN's Jim Bittermann has more.
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JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: France's so-called freedom convoy managed to make it into the center of Paris, Saturday afternoon, despite the mobilization of 7,000 police and gendarmes and some pretty impressive armored vehicles and towing equipment.
Along the famous Avenue Champs-Elysees, where weekend traffic frequently can be a problem, it was made even worse by several hundred demonstrators, trying to block the thoroughfare by parking their vehicles in the middle of the street.
Using tow trucks and tear gas and making arrests, the police were able to gradually get control of the situation. The demonstration was modeled after those taking place in Canada.
But protesters here are not only against the vaccination mandate but also, against the high price of fuel and the increased cost of living. From Paris, some of the demonstrators will try to go on north to Brussels, the home of the European Union.
But authorities there say that they are going to control the convoy at the border -- Jim Bittermann, CNN, just outside Paris.
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KINKADE: In Nicaragua, president Daniel Ortega's government is taking aim at higher education, effectively shutting down several colleges and universities. The government says the schools broke the law. But critics say it's the latest example of Mr. Ortega tightening his grip on power. CNN's Rafael Romo reports.
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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SR. LATIN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice-over): Political rivals and opposition activists were targeted first. Protesting students were next. Soon, not even those who at one point were political allies and comrades in arms were safe.
And now the government of Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega is cracking down on colleges and universities.
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ELTHON RIVERA, FORMER STUDENT: It is the second time that the Nicaragua government has prevented me from finishing my university studies. (INAUDIBLE) arbitrarily (ph) is tell me from the (INAUDIBLE) university 2018 and now they are closing the private university where I was studying.
ROMO (voice-over): Elthon Rivera says he had to flee the country because he was left without options for a higher education after he was expelled for participating in the 2018 anti-government protesters.
Earlier this, month the rubber stamp national effectively shut down at least 12 colleges and universities. Authorities say the government will soon reopen them but the institution will now be under the control of government officials.
The national assembly passed a law, allowing the state to take over at least six of the universities.
ROMO: A Nicaraguan government report alleges these institutions were not transparent in how they handled their finances and also accuses them of not filing financial reports as required by law, as well as changing administrators without notifying authorities.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Spanish).
ROMO (voice-over): A quality higher education is our main commitment as well as stability in lowering tuition, this education government official said, on a state TV channel.
ERNESTO MEDINA, FORMER PRESIDENT, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF MANAGUA: Nicaragua is a country occupied by its own police forces.
ROMO (voice-over): But critics, like Ernesto Medina, a former president of Managua's American University, say this is just another example of a repressive regime trying to silence any remnants of dissent.
MEDINA: No public demonstrations are allowed. The independent press has been almost completely silenced. Many journalists are in jail or forced to go into exile.
ROMO (voice-over): Rivera, the former student, says he's not the only one who felt it was time to leave Nicaragua because he was afraid he would end up in jail or worse for participating in protests.
MEDINA: No less 50 students are in my same situation because they are gen (ph) activists and human rights defenders who disagree with the violence of the government against civil population in Nicaragua.
ROMO (voice-over): Daniel Ortega, who has ruled Nicaragua continuously since 2007, was reelected to a fifth term in office in November in an election called a parody by the government of Canada and a pantomime by U.S. President Joe Biden.
Last year ahead of the election, dozens of opposition leaders, including seven would-be presidential candidates, were detained by his forces, clearing the way for Ortega's victory -- Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
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KINKADE: Still ahead, it's almost game time for this year's Super Bowl. The L.A. Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals hope to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. A preview of the big game is coming up next.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. America's football's biggest day has arrived, the Los Angeles Rams will take on the Cincinnati Bengals just hours from now in Super Bowl LVI. The players will not only have to contend with the pressure of the moment but also with the record high temperatures.
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KINKADE: Thanks so much for tuning in. I'm Lynda Kinkade, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram. I will be back in about half an hour with more news. But for now "AFRICAN VOICES: CHANGEMAKERS" is next.
