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No Breakthrough In Flurry Of High-Stakes Talks About Russia; Canadian Government Mulls Additional Measures To End Protests; Russia's Kamila Valieva Doping Hearing Scheduled For Today; More Nations Urging Citizens To Leave Ukraine; CDC Guidance Under Scrutiny As U.S. States Ease Rules; Nicaragua's Ortega Regime Impairs Several Schools; Super Bowl LVI; L.A. Expecting Record Heat. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired February 13, 2022 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to all you watching here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, Ukrainians raise their voices in unison as world leaders turn to diplomacy to end a standoff with Russia. We have reports from Washington, Moscow and Eastern Ukraine.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Police in Canada move in on protesters to clear the blockade on North America's busiest international crossing. We look at whether it's working.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): And we're just hours away from kickoff to Super Bowl LVI, with law enforcement bracing for massive crowds.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: More countries around the world are urging their citizens to leave Ukraine as the threat of a Russian invasion seems to grow by the hour. The U.S. is among nations drawing down embassy staff in Kyiv.
The U.S. says Poland will allow Americans to cross over from Ukraine without advance approval. Dozens of governments are telling their citizens to get out. Others have issued travel advisories not to enter Ukraine. But the Ukrainian government says it's an overreaction, creating a sense of panic that only benefits Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: We are on these borders. It's our borders. It's our territory, you know. 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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BRUNHUBER: CNN's Sam Kiley is standing by live in Eastern Ukraine. And we'll have reporting from Nic Robertson in Moscow later this hour. But let's begin with Arlette Saenz at the White House and Saturday's call between Presidents Biden and Putin.
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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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BRUNHUBER: For more on the situation on the ground in Ukraine, we're joined by CNN's Sam Kiley in the city of Kharkiv near the Russian border.
What's been the reaction to the flurry of diplomacy that doesn't seem to have borne any fruit so far?
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SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Not borne any fruit, as you were saying in your introduction. There has been a flurry of international organizations. But above all, foreign nations withdrawing or downsizing their size of their embassies in Kyiv, moving their embassies from Kyiv to Lviv in the far west, close to the Polish border.
In the case of the United States and Britain, also announcing that they're both going to be withdrawing the training teams that have been working alongside the Ukrainian armed forces, to try to bring them up to NATO standards; also to teach them how to use the recently supplied Javelin and enlo (ph) shoulder-launched anti-armor weapons.
There's 160 Americans from the National Guard being withdrawn; about 100 Britons being withdrawn over this weekend. And that is to make sure that there are no NATO boot footprints on the ground, should the Russians invade, because, of course, that would greatly complicate matters in terms of how NATO were to react.
But here on the ground, just 30 miles from the Russian border, Kim, we know, from satellite imagery, from reports from the United States and indeed from press releases from the Russian armed forces, that there is a massive force gathering just across the border, to the north here some 40 or 50 miles inland, beyond the border, potentially threatening to overrun this city of 1.5 million people, which is 75 percent Russian-speaking.
Now there may have been an assumption in the Kremlin that that would mean that they might receive a popular reception here, being -- having Russian as a mother tongue. I have to say that, after spending a week here, two weeks indeed nearly, talking to people on the ground, there is no love lost for the ambitions of the Kremlin.
There is a great deal of sense of brotherhood and cultural affinity to fellow Russian speakers on the other side of the border. But there is a resolute attitude here that the Ukrainians will fight.
How long they could fight in the face of a Russian blitzkrieg, effectively, is very much in doubt with a number of international military analysts suggesting Kyiv, the capital, could fall within a few days.
In the case of Kharkiv, I see very little efforts being made in terms of entrenchments and other defensive efforts being made to protect the city. The assumption and the hope has to be here that diplomacy, it may be hope against hope, but that diplomacy will somehow win through.
BRUNHUBER: Sam, we've seen demonstrations of solidarity in Kyiv.
Is there any sense that they could grow?
KILEY: There have been demonstrations of solidarity. A week before the one in Kyiv, I attended one here in Kharkiv. The demonstrations are important here, because they did and they were intended to bring together particularly those Russian-speaking elements but also elements of the far right, right through to people from the far left and cultural left, if you like.
Often in the past there have been clashes between those different groups here in Kharkiv. But the demonstrations are all intended to try to send a signal. I have to say, though, that they're relatively small in size, as indeed are the numbers of people I've seen training with citizens, militias and home guard units, reservists that have not yet been called up.
That may indicate also that the government here is continuing to try to downplay this idea that an invasion is imminent. As the president says here, the panic serves only the interests of Ukraine's enemies. And by that, in this context, he means in the Kremlin.
BRUNHUBER: Sam, looking at the bigger picture here, we heard American officials talking about what the consequences of an invasion would be, not just on Ukraine, obviously, but how it would have implications for other regions as well. Walk us through what those might be.
KILEY: Well, if you had a Russian invasion, an unprovoked invasion -- that is an invasion caused by a desire to prevent, technically speaking, publicly, the motivation would be to try to prevent NATO getting a foothold here in Ukraine.
Now Ukraine can't join NATO while it has territory that is disputed. So that means that the Donbas and the illegal seizure of the Crimean Peninsula would prevent, ultimately, until that issue was resolved, Ukraine joining NATO.
But what that would also mean, though, is a Russian invasion here would bring the front line, if you like, of Russian influence right up against the borders with Poland, the Baltics, very close to the Baltic states, to Romania. It would fulfill, to some extent, the Kremlin's stated ambition, to return the European security architecture to pre- 1997 --
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KILEY: -- when so many formerly Eastern Bloc countries joined the European Union, joined NATO and became part of that Western democratic bloc. And it's that Western democratic bloc, I think, that ultimately is the
existential threat seen by Vladimir Putin and, ultimately, covertly, in a sense, his motivation for invading Ukraine.
But it would also mean that the international, rules-based order is ripped up by at least a former superpower, a nuclear power, would demonstrate that it is possible, without a great deal of severe military consequence, to invade a neighbor in an unprovoked, nondefensive action, something that would be catastrophic in terms of the signals it would send, the basis upon which, certainly since the Cold War but even during the Cold War, international relations have been conducted.
It would mean that China would take a look at what was going on and think, well, maybe we'll go into Taiwan. Other countries with territorial disputes and claims on territories elsewhere might feel emboldened to send their tanks across those separation lines. And it would be ultimately catastrophic.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, so much at stake, as you say. Appreciate the reporting, Sam Kiley in Ukraine.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): You're looking at scenes from early Saturday morning in Windsor, Canada, as police began to clear a blockade at the Ambassador Bridge on the U.S.-Canada border. What began as a handful of truckers protesting vaccine mandates has become a broader movement of Canadians unhappy with current restrictions.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ending all mandates. You know, it's been two years of this stuff. Evidently, it's not working. We all need to get back to normal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our freedom's at stake here and they're treating us like something we're not, basically. You know, just trying to do our part. We understand the economy's come to a halt.
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BRUNHUBER: Several border blockades across Canada have taken a toll on the economies of both countries. Prime minister Justin Trudeau and other officials are discussing additional measures to break up the protests. CNN's Lucy Kafanov has more from Windsor.
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LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're here in Windsor, Ontario. You can see the Ambassador Bridge behind me, that critical, vital link between the U.S. and Canada. The bridge remains closed.
But the crowd is significantly thinner since the early hours on Saturday. That's when we saw a heavier police presence. They sort of pushed back the protest line a little bit, a lot of protesters leaving on their own. There's a lot fewer trucks and cars blocking that area.
In terms of the crowd, it's been a lot of families, a lot of people milling about. You hear the occasional honks, like you're hearing right now, shouts of "Freedom." There's been young kids and families, some religious minority groups, walking back and forth with protest signs.
A lot of frustration toward the vaccine mandates but also toward the government of Canada. So a lot of different people joining these protests. But again, the steam, at least here in Windsor, seeming to thin out.
That's in part due to the harsher restrictions that have been imposed, things like up to $100,000 fines, penalties for protesters, a potential year in prison. That may have had an impact in getting some folks to go home. But for now, the stalemate remains -- Lucy Kafanov, CNN, Windsor, Canada.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Those protests are inspiring similar action in France, where police used tear gas to break up demonstrations. The so-called freedom convoy descended on Paris Saturday and blocked traffic at various locations. Over 7,000 police were deployed in advance of the convoy's arrival.
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BRUNHUBER: In the U.S., Republican senator Rand Paul says he's all for trucker blockades similar to the protests in Canada and he hopes they clog up major U.S. cities and disrupt the Super Bowl.
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SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): I'm all for it. Civil disobedience. Civil disobedience is a time honored tradition in our country from slavery to civil rights to you name it. Peaceful protests. Clog things up. Make people think about the mandates. I hope the truckers do come to America. I hope they clog up cities.
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BRUNHUBER: Opponents say it would harm the economy even more. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell represents Michigan, which has already been greatly impacted by the protests and here's what she told CNN.
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REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): I don't believe that people have the right to block a major economic trade route between two countries' cities impacting workers in very real time. I think we really need to look at who is encouraging these protests.
It's not the truckers. It's the Teamsters, the independent truckers. The Canadian truckers have all said they're not supporting this.
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BRUNHUBER: Law enforcement officials across the U.S. and near the site of the Super Bowl in California are already on high alert. They've been warned by DHS a convoy of truckers protesting COVID-19 mandates could pop up at any moment.
Still ahead, we'll go to Beijing, where all eyes are on the doping scandal, overshadowing a much-loved Olympic sport. Details on the hearing that will determine if the 15-year-old Russian athlete can compete.
And Americans are being pulled in two directions on COVID mask mandates. How more states are charting their own pandemic course, leaving the CDC guidance behind.
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BRUNHUBER: To Beijing now, where the Olympic fate of a 15-year-old Russian athlete is still up in the air at the Winter Games. The hearing, just a few hours from now, set to determine whether figure skater Kamila Valieva will be allowed to continue to compete.
She was crucial in the Russian Olympic Committee's gold medal win in Monday's team event.
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BRUNHUBER: That medal ceremony has been put on hold until the controversy is resolved. Officials say a decision should be made by Monday afternoon.
"WORLD SPORT's" Patrick Snell joins us now live from Atlanta but first, CNN's Steven Jiang in Beijing.
On the doping controversy we're in a waiting pattern. Bring us up to speed on what's been happening in the meantime on this story.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER, BEIJING BUREAU: Kim, the latest we have learned is Valieva has been named on the draw for that Tuesday figure skating event, that she is scheduled to appear next.
That's why all eyes are on this virtual hearing, taking place in about four hours by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. And that decision by them Monday afternoon obviously going to be ahead of that Tuesday event. So that decision is really going to determine whether or not she will
go ahead to attend it.
The International Olympic Committee, in the meantime, has still not been saying much about this because of this ongoing process and legal ramifications. A complicating factor here is that positive test sample was collected on December 25th, before the Olympics.
That's why the IOC actually does not have jurisdiction over this. Now the Russians, of course, the Russian sports authorities, including its sports minister and the head of its figure skating federation, they have been throwing growing support behind Valieva, with the sports minister saying he's been talking to her in the past few days and he has no doubts over the honesty of her.
And also the strength and the energy and the optimism he has heard from her voice has further convinced him of her innocence.
The Russians, of course, have been saying she's been testing negative both before and after that collection date, including here in China since she arrived here.
That's why, again, they are -- they have lifted that temporary ban placed on her.
And another thing they've been saying is the circumstances surrounding the test results, saying how unusually long it took the lab in Sweden to analyze the samples. All of this undoubtedly will be raised during the hearing. That's why a lot of people eagerly await that decision, including here in a very snowy Beijing.
BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. We'll stay on top of that story. Thank you so much.
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BRUNHUBER: French and U.S. leaders again try to talk Russia out of invading Ukraine after investing in a massive military buildup.
Is the Kremlin even listening?
We'll have reaction from Moscow after the break.
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BRUNHUBER: Thank you for watching here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
Threat of a Russian invasion in Ukraine has been building for months. But the U.S. and its allies fear it could happen very soon, as diplomacy stalls. Many countries have advised their citizens to leave Ukraine. And the U.S. is one of a number of nations drawing down its embassy staff in Kyiv.
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BRUNHUBER: CNN's Nic Robertson is in Moscow with the latest appeals to the Kremlin to de-escalate.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: From any of these three big phone calls today -- President Biden, President Putin; President Putin, President Macron; Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, with secretary of state Antony Blinken -- really hard to see any diplomatic advancement.
The readout from the phone call, the Kremlin's readout from the phone call with President Biden, was that it was coming from a position of hysteria about this, supposed, Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Russians, pushing back as well to what secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said on that particular issue, saying, this is, really, sort of a propaganda position, that this is allowing the Ukrainians the opportunity to try to start a war in Ukraine, start it with the pro- Russian, Russian-backed separatists, in the east of the country.
So in all of these diplomatic phone calls, talking past each other, it seems to be the case. The Kremlin, in all of these calls as well, making the point that they have not had their core issues addressed; those core issues being denying Ukraine to be able to have membership of NATO and NATO to go back to its 1997 lines and membership position.
So the Kremlin, just staying in their current position. I think one takeaway, certainly, from the phone call with President Macron and the phone call that secretary of state Antony Blinken had as well.
Both trying to get Russia to commit to a track of diplomacy. But by saying to get to that track, de-escalate the forces around Ukraine, show you are committed to moving forward with diplomacy. That is the way to go.
Really, just trying to test and see if Russia has actually an intention to try to talk this through.
Or, really, are they just building up their forces as a threat?
And then as the U.S. assesses, they say Putin hasn't made a decision but it's the U.S. assessment, increasingly looking likely of the possibility of a Russian invasion, very hard to make a determinant read.
President Putin just not conceding any ground or developing a new position at all -- Nic Robertson, CNN, Moscow.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Have a look at this, colorful lights, floats and dancers parade the streets of southern France. They're loudly celebrating the return of the Nice carnival.
The carnival, canceled last year due to COVID, opened on Friday, roaring the theme, King of the Animals. With relaxation of some health restrictions in France, organizers of the event hope to seat 5,000 people and welcome 7,000 standing spectators.
Attendees are mandated to wear face masks and carry proof of vaccination, according to local news reports. The carnival is open for 15 days, closing February 27th.
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BRUNHUBER: There's new scrutiny of federal U.S. COVID guidance as more states move forward with lifting mask mandates. New infections are declining across the country as the Omicron wave subsides.
That drop has led to some states relaxing measures toward a new normal. This, even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn't changed its guidelines. The agency recommends all Americans wear a mask in areas of high or substantial transmission, which is the vast majority of counties nationwide.
CNN's Polo Sandoval has the latest.
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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From coast to coast, governors are rolling back their mask mandate. According to a CNN analysis, only these six states as well as Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., still have such a requirement in place.
However, California, Illinois and Oregon already announcing plans to lift that requirement in the coming weeks. That leaves only Hawaii, New Mexico, Washington State, Puerto Rico and D.C., with no announcement on when they'll end their mask mandate.
Then there's masking up in the classroom. School systems in these eight states have either moved toward ending mask requirements or expected to do so by the end of March. However, local governments and school districts are still free to keep making masks a must even after state requirements are lifted.
DR. JAY VARMA, EPIDEMIOLOGIST, WEILL CORNELL MEDICINE: This is really a decision for elected officials and they've made the decision to remove this, which is their right. So what I would like to see is to make it easier for individuals to protect themselves. And so, what does that mean?
That means basically making high quality masks, like the N95 masks, as widely available as, you know, toilet paper and soap and water are in every facility. SANDOVAL: Governors in states scaling back have pointed to an improvement in COVID metrics when making their decision. That includes lower infection rates and COVID hospitalization numbers that are dropping. Some doctors worry the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could be falling behind.
DR. ALI RAJA, EXECUTIVE VICE CHAIRMAN, MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL: Right now, we've got the state saying one thing and the CDC saying they're looking at this again. And that's just not enough.
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SANDOVAL: Dr. Ali Raja of Massachusetts General Hospital urging the CDC to issue revised masking guidance to help improve confidence in that agency.
RAJA: My patients every day come to me and say, well, I'm hearing this from the federal health agencies, I'm hearing this from our local town health agency, I don't know what to do.
And the confusion between what we're hearing on the federal level and what states around the country are doing is just damaging to the trust and the psyche that the population has in our health officials.
SANDOVAL: Also losing the masks, Amazon. This week, the company announced fully vaccinated warehouse workers can go mask-less in states that have eased off indoor mask wearing. The new policy does not apply to the unvaccinated or those working in the few states where masking indoors remains in place for now -- Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
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BRUNHUBER: Joining us is Dr. Abraar Karan, a physician for Stanford University's Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine.
Thank you so much for being here with us. As we've seen, local and state COVID restrictions are being dismantled while the CDC is saying it's still too soon.
The fact that we're seeing such a disconnect between local authorities and federal health authorities, does that indicate all of this is more about politics than good health policy?
DR. ABRAAR KARAN, DIVISION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND GEOGRAPHIC MEDICINE, STANFORD UNIVERSITY: I do think a lot of this is being dictated by politics at this point. If you look at the public health response, one of the most important things is to have a unified response.
We can't have 50 separate responses, different communications, different messaging. The biggest problem to me is the incidence is still very high. We have hundreds of thousands of new cases. And when you pull back on restrictions at a time like this, really not restrictions but protections for people, you run the risk of having another large surge.
BRUNHUBER: Many jurisdictions have already announced, sort of ahead of time, by this date we're going to drop mask mandates or so on in a week, 10 days, whatever it is.
But when you're looking when to end these restrictions or protections, as you just say, you've argued we should use data, not dates. Explain what you mean, what you think the benchmarks should be.
KARAN: Absolutely. I worked in a state health response for over eight months in Massachusetts during our first surges in 2020. When the epidemic is well controlled, I would say our test positivity rate was below 2 percent, closer to 1 percent.
In California, for instance, that number was closer to 8 percent this week. And that's just far too high. We're dealing with a more transmissible variant now. I think a lot of people are kind of discounting the potential harms that are associated with infection alone.
It's been now over a year and we're starting to get some of the results back, showing that long COVID is a problem, immunologic issues as well with, once you've gotten infected even if you've recovered. I think we need to realize this. I'm a clinician and (INAUDIBLE) patients. I've also worked on the public health side and I realize this is going to be a problem.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, and then there's also the fact that studies are showing that booster protection wanes after some four months.
How does that factor into this decision as well?
KARAN: Absolutely. We've always said that it can't be a vaccines-only strategy; it has to be vaccines plus testing, better ventilation, better masks. These are all protective measures to slow down spread.
And when you are only relying on vaccines or heavily relying on vaccines, people will get confused with the messaging, particularly because some folks, especially those who are anti-vaccination, will say, well, I thought the vaccines worked. It looks like they're not working.
Rather than understanding that the science of the virus and of the complex immune system is one that is constantly shifting. And we have to adjust our public health strategies accordingly.
BRUNHUBER: So one of the debates in that public health strategy is around vaccine mandates; other countries like Canada as well, whether to expand the definition to include the booster or the third shot.
In fact, some experts are arguing, either you should say that you have to have that three-dose vaccine series to be fully vaccinated or you just scrap the vaccine mandate altogether.
What do you think about that? KARAN: I think it's tough to make absolute calls on these things because, if you've been infected, for instance, and you've been vaccinated with two doses, we know that people that have had that combination also have a robust immune response as well.
So I do think that we need to sort of think about the complexities associated with mandates.
With that said, I do think that the more people that are vaccinated -- and especially people that are going to be working with others who are immunocompromised, such as in the health care sector -- there, I think, vaccine mandates make a lot of sense. Obviously there will be exceptions.
And we need to continue to work with people who may have questions or concerns regarding the vaccines. But what we do know is that vaccines do reduce transmission. They definitely do reduce severe disease and death.
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KARAN: And this is important. As we sort of move forward, building up trust in vaccines is an ongoing challenge in public health.
BRUNHUBER: So finally, for the last 30 seconds we have here, I know you're for keeping many of the protections in place.
But right now, are there a few of them that you think could be dropped safely?
KARAN: One thing I'll say is, clinically, as I took care of patients the last two years, we've realized a lot of our patients who are very sick and in the inflammatory phase, many who are near the end of life, may not be transmitting the virus as much as those who are much earlier in the course.
So for those patients, you know, if we can get the testing done for them, to show they have very low to no viral load, then families should be able to visit these patients and relatives of theirs.
If there's any concern, those family members can wear N95 masks. I do think it's very important that we allow family members to get closer to their loved ones, especially when they're near the end of life.
BRUNHUBER: So many families have been haunted by the fact that they haven't been able to have that last chance to say goodbye. So that definitely makes sense. Dr. Abraar Karan, thank you so much for your perspective. Really appreciate it.
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BRUNHUBER: Still ahead, some say Nicaragua's government is putting higher education in the crosshairs. We'll explain after the break.
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BRUNHUBER: In Nicaragua, president Daniel Ortega's government is taking aim at higher education, effectively shutting down several colleges and universities. The government says schools broke the law. But critics say it's the latest example that shows 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.
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ROMO (voice-over): 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.
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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BRUNHUBER: And we'll be right back.
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BRUNHUBER: Football's biggest day is here. The Los Angeles Rams will take on the Cincinnati Bengals just hours from now in Super Bowl LVI. The matchup few would have predicted when the season kicked off five months ago.
As tens of thousands of fans gathered at SoFi Stadium for the big game, security is a top priority. CNN's Camila Bernal looks at the multiple agencies tasked with protecting the biggest game in sports.
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CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a dream come true for so many fans here in L.A. and also for the many businesses around the area, especially the ones that have had a very hard time during the pandemic.
But it is not going to be easy for law enforcement, because we're talking about almost 100,000 people that are expected here for the Super Bowl. And the federal government has been working with local law enforcement
agencies for about a year now to make sure that things run smoothly. We're expecting hundreds and possibly thousands of men and women in law enforcement to both on the ground and in the air.
One of the things they'll specifically be looking at is traffic patterns, especially because we know there is that possibility of these trucker protests here in Los Angeles.
The government also saying that this is, of course, a target for terrorism. But they say that, at the moment, there are no credible threats. They feel like they have everything under control for this Super Bowl weekend.
Now on a much, much lighter note, this could be a record-breaking weekend when it comes to the weather. So many may not be prepared for those high temperatures. The highest temperature ever recorded during a Super Bowl game, 84 degrees. And that was almost 50 years ago, a game also played here in Los Angeles.
We're expecting high temperatures as well for Super Bowl day. So no matter who wins or loses, we expect L.A. to break that record in terms of the heat -- Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.
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BRUNHUBER: As Camila mentioned, heat could be a big factor in the game. Los Angeles is currently under a heat advisory. Game day temperatures will be in the mid-80s.
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BRUNHUBER: I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in just a moment with more CNN NEWSROOM. Please do stay with us.
