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U.K., U.S. Pulling OSCE Monitors Out Of Ukraine; No Breakthrough In Flurry Of High-Stakes Talks About Russia; Canadian Government Mulls Additional Measures To End Protests; Coronavirus Pandemic Is Not Over, More Variants Expected; Russia's Kamila Valieva Doping Hearing Scheduled For Today; Super Bowl LVI; L.A. Expecting Record Heat. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired February 13, 2022 - 05:00   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 of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, Ukrainians raise their voices in unison as world leaders urge diplomatic to end the standoff with Russia. We have reports from Washington, Moscow and Eastern Ukraine.

Plus, a third weekend of demonstrations in Canada, as truckers protest vaccine mandates by blocking vital trade routes into and out of their own country. We'll have a report from Ottawa.

And we're live at the CNN Weather Center on the record heat expected for Super Bowl Sunday in Los Angeles.

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

BRUNHUBER: Fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine are so high right now that countries around the world are advising their citizens to get out while they can. The U.S. is one of a number of nations drawing down its embassy staff in Kyiv. The Ukrainian government calls those moves an overreaction.

But the U.K. has also withdrawn staff at its embassy and it's telling British citizens to leave. And Britain pulling out its observers with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. The U.S. is doing the same.

In much of Ukraine, there's no sense of imminent danger. Large crowds again marched through the capital on Saturday to show their defiance of the Russian threat. But both Washington and Moscow agree, Saturday's call between their two leaders didn't yield any progress in ending the dangerous standoff.

CNN's Sam Kiley is live from Ukraine, Nic Robertson is in Moscow and Kylie Atwood is at the State Department.

Let's start with Sam Kiley, who joins us from Ukraine and he is near the Russian border.

So Sam, let's start with the latest there.

What's been the reaction to this flurry of diplomacy, that doesn't seem to have borne any fruit?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It hasn't borne any fruit at all and, as a consequence of that, as you say in the intro there, there has been a very substantial number of companies asking their citizens to leave Ukraine.

A number of countries are either closing their embassies in Kyiv or moving them to the far west to Lviv. KLM, the Dutch international air carrier, has canceled flights into Ukraine.

And all of this coming at a time when President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who on a visit yesterday to military exercises in the south of the country, where the Russians are conducting live firing exercises themselves in the Azov Sea and elsewhere in the Black Sea, is saying that the danger is that this kind of panic actually serves the interests of what he calls the enemy.

This is how he put it.

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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 president and say people truth and the truth that we have different information. And now the best friend for enemies, that is panic in our country. And all this information, that helps only for panic, doesn't help us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KILEY: Here on a sleepy noon, here in Kharkiv, again, you wouldn't know that we're only 30 or so miles to the border with Russia and, just beyond that border is more than division of heavy armor, of Russian tanks, multiple rocket-launching systems, surface-to-surface missiles that is capable of devastating levels of destruction.

And very little sign here that local people are even particularly anxious, Kim. It's a very strange situation.

BRUNHUBER: That's really surprising, Sam. Earlier, I mentioned those demonstrations of solidarity in Kyiv.

Is there any sense that they could grow?

KILEY: I think the demonstrations are important. We've seen similar demonstrations here in Kharkiv; 75 percent of the population here speak Russian as the mother tongue, 1.5 million people here at the center of industrial energy for a lot of Ukraine.

[05:05:00]

KILEY: And in both the Ukrainian capital, there's a strong effort being made to express unity and contempt for the Kremlin's efforts to prevent Ukraine from making its own decisions about joining NATO and acting as an independent country.

But at the same time, I don't think we're likely to see mass demonstrations if the predictions of U.S. and other Western intelligence agencies are in any way accurate and an invasion is imminent, in their words.

Then I think that the switch will be by Ukrainians to some kind of resistance.

But given the might of the Russian machine and the relatively low levels of technological capability of the Ukrainians, nobody is making any serious bets that the Ukrainians would do anything other than have to run an insurgency campaign against a Russian invasion, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, thanks so much, Sam Kiley in northeastern Ukraine, appreciate it.

As the crisis along Ukraine's border with Russia has escalated, the White House has held briefings for Congress members. California Democratic representative Sara Jacobs sits on both the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees.

And earlier, she spoke with CNN about U.S. diplomatic efforts and the possibility of sanctions on Russia. Here she is.

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REP. SARA JACOBS (D-CA), MEMBER, PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS: I think that President Biden is taking exactly the right approach and doubling down on what we need to do, which is making sure that Vladimir Putin understands the severe consequences if he decides to invade, while also offering a diplomatic off-ramp and trying to de-escalate the situation so that it doesn't come to that.

I think it's important to note that almost all of the sanctions being discussed, most legal scholars believe the administration has the authorities they need, sans action from Congress. This would really be about a show of unity and a show from Congress that this is the approach that the entire United States is united behind.

I am confident we'll be able to get to an agreement. One of the sticking points is whether or not we should have preemptive sanctions, which I think is exactly the wrong approach and I think might be a little bit moot by the time we come back and vote on this.

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BRUNHUBER: That was House Democrat Sara Jacobs from California. CNN military analyst and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric

Leighton says Putin could order any number of potential attacks on Ukraine and it may not look like a typical ground invasion. Here he is.

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COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Based on everything that's out there -- now, that invasion may look a little bit different than what we think it will look like.

For example, we are focused on the tanks and the missiles and the aircraft that are arrayed around Ukraine. It could involve other things as well, including cyberattacks, unconventional attacks, special operations forces being brought into various parts of the country.

But one thing where I do agree current with the U.S. administration's assessment is that one of the big things that could happen is a lightning strike, a lightning attack on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. And I think that is, very much, a possibility right now.

The big thing here is we're showing, it's basically a show of force. We're showing the flag. We're also buttressing the neighbors of our military partners; in this case, Poland, Romania are the two big ones that are getting U.S. deployments to their countries.

And of course, the countries that are neighboring that area, the NATO countries like the Baltic states, even Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Germany, all those countries benefit from these deployments.

So it's in essence a speed bump, should Putin, by some really strange mechanism, decide to go into a NATO country, I don't think he will do that.

But it still would be a speed bump for his forces. And that would then trigger a far greater conflagration, which, of course, I don't think any of the parties in this would want. But nonetheless, it is a signal to Putin that we are not only watching him but that we are prepared to act if he goes too far.

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BRUNHUBER: That was retired Colonel Cedric Leighton.

U.S. State Department is withdrawing most of its embassy staff in Kyiv and urging Americans and Ukraine to get out as soon as possible. CNN's Kylie Atwood has that.

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KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The State Department said that it is withdrawing most of the U.S. diplomats in Ukraine, because the department has to prepare for the worst possible case scenario, which would be Russian aggression toward Ukraine and specifically aimed at Kyiv, the capital city, where the U.S. embassy is located.

Now a small number of U.S. diplomats will stay at the embassy. A small number will also go to a city on the western side of Ukraine, of course, bringing them further away from the borders, where there could be potential aggression from Russia into Ukraine.

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ATWOOD: And of course, the White House saying, after a call between President Biden and President Putin today, that it is still a distinct possibility that Russia invades Ukraine, even though the State Department, President Biden, all Biden administration officials have been continuing to say that they want to seek a diplomatic path out here.

Now the Biden administration is also telling Americans who are in Ukraine that it is past time to leave. They have been telling them to leave the country for some months now.

And a senior State Department official explaining very explicitly that, if a war zone were to become the situation that the Ukrainians face, they don't want Americans to be there as well because Russia could carry out aerial bombings and missile attacks to begin its aggression toward Ukraine.

And that means that it would kill many civilians. That could include Americans, if they choose to remain in the country. And that's why the State Department is telling them to leave now -- Kylie Atwood, CNN, the State Department.

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BRUNHUBER: Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, thousands of police in Paris deployed to crack down on a convoy inspired by events in Canada. We'll have the latest from Paris.

Plus, hear from some Canadians, who say they won't stop protesting until COVID restrictions are lifted. Stay with us.

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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.-Canadian border.

What began as a handful of truckers protesting vaccine mandates has become a broader movement of Canadians unhappy with current restrictions. Several border blockades are taking a toll on the already beleaguered supply chain of goods coming into the U.S.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other officials are discussing additional measures to break up the protests.

Here 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 disrupts 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: Meanwhile, 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 that a convoy of truckers protesting COVID-19 mandates could pop up at any moment.

In the Canadian capital, CNN's Donie O'Sullivan is hearing firsthand from demonstrators, who say they won't stop protesting until COVID mandates are lifted. Have a listen.

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DYLAN FRIESEN, PROTESTING VACCINE MANDATES IN CANADA: I want all these mandates gone and I'm not leaving until all the mandates are gone.

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What is the stuff that you can't do right now as a non-vaccinated person?

SAMUEL GAUTHIER, SUPPORTING TRUCKERS PROTESTING IN CANADA: I live in Quebec, so it's a bit more intense than other places in Canada. But look, I can't go skiing, I can't go to Wal-Mart. I can't go to Canadian Tire. I can't go to Home Depot. I can't go to restaurants. I can't go to bars. I can't go to the gym.

O'SULLIVAN: Truckers here in Canada have brought part of the country's capital to a standstill right outside the national Parliament.

FRIESEN: I was hired on at a job not too long ago for a transport company out of Whitby, Ontario. And I was let go due to not willing to get the vaccines for my job. And I mean, that's not right for companies to be able to decide that and take away our right to earn money and support our livelihood.

O'SULLIVAN: Now this is all happening despite these protesters representing a small minority of Canadians. More than 80 percent of eligible Canadians are fully vaccinated. And the Canadian Trucking Alliance, the primary advocacy group for Canadian truckers, which has condemned these protests, has said about 85 percent of Canadian truckers who regularly cross the U.S. border are vaccinated.

And for you, why is it important for you to be here today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, because --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fake news. No, don't talk to them because they're fake news.

O'SULLIVAN: But despite the fact that these people may be part of a minority in Canada, they are receiving a lot of support from conservatives and other right-wing figures in the United States.

CHIEF PETER SLOLY, OTTAWA POLICE SERVICE: We are now aware of a significant element from the United States that have been involved in the funding, the organizing and the demonstrating.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): The Canadian truckers are heroes, they are patriots and they are marching for your freedom and for my freedom.

O'SULLIVAN: This is very much a 21st century protest playing out as much on the internet as it is on the streets. Viral memes and sometimes false and highly offensive historical comparisons that circulate online are being repeated verbatim here, like this.

And because you're not vaccinated, have you -- is there business, is there stuff you can't do in Canada now?

LAURIE BUNCH, SUPPORTING TRUCKERS PROTESTING IN CANADA: Yes, I'm like -- well, basically, if you want to compare Canada to anything, it's like Hitler's Germany and we're like the Jews. One of the goals is to simply -- is to get a group of people you can get -- you're angry with. And this case is the vax -- unvaccinated.

O'SULLIVAN: There's a lot of people here streaming live online.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just going to follow you guys and make sure you tell the truth.

O'SULLIVAN: Documenting every moment on social media. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You take those cans off of that truck.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that your property?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is now.

O'SULLIVAN: In an effort to clear the protesters, police have begun confiscating gas canisters, resulting in encounters like this, that clock up thousands of views online.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Jim Kerr and I give a shit of opinions. How do you feel?

Hi, my name is Jim Kerr. And I care about human beings, especially once who are trying to keep themselves warm in a truck while fighting for the freedoms of Canadians. How do you feel?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The main problem I have is all the censorship that's going on. That's the main problem that I have. There is censorship everywhere. Yes, people's accounts get taken down and even Facebook, if you don't say the right thing -- even this convoy, a lot of groups started and people are even live streaming and all of a sudden, I heard yesterday in the restaurant, my feed was cut -- my feed was cut.

O'SULLIVAN: Facebook shut down some groups on its platform supporting the truckers after the online outlet Grid News found that they were being administered by a hacked account that had belonged to a woman in Missouri. So whoever was really running the groups wanted to hide their identity and GoFundMe shut down a fundraiser for the truckers after police told them the protests had become an occupation.

But organizers here have still been able to raise millions of through an alternative service, a self-described Christian fundraising platform. Organizers say the money will help keep the truckers on the streets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The last time I saw my wife was on January 28. I have not seen her since. I am here of my own volition, 100 percent. There are some groups with resources trying to help us, sending us money, helping us so we don't go bankrupt.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We want those great Canadian truckers to know that we are with them all the way. O'SULLIVAN: Trump indicating he is supportive of truckers descending on Washington, D.C., other American right-wing figures goading their audiences to act.

TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: The question is how long before protests like this come here?

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: Will we need our own trucker rally to end all of this insanity once and for all?

O'SULLIVAN: What is the main goal, the main objective of the truckers here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom.

O'SULLIVAN: Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, Ottawa.

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BRUNHUBER: And those protests are inspiring similar action in France. The so-called freedom convoy descended on Paris on Saturday and blocked traffic at various locations around the city.

You're looking at live pictures coming to us, as many of those protesters make their way toward Brussels, taking their frustration to the heart of the European Union. CNN's Jim Bittermann has more on how the protests played out in the French capital.

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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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BRUNHUBER: Well, now some other COVID developments around the world.

Hong Kong reported over 1,500 new COVID cases on Saturday, the highest daily case load recorded to date. A top health official says he's not ruling out the possibility of placing Hong Kong into a citywide lockdown as cases surge.

Iceland's prime minister tested positive for COVID-19 after contracting the virus from a family member. She'll have to isolate for five days, according to Iceland's rules.

And in Frankfurt, Germany, Reuters reports that hundreds gathered on Saturday to protest against COVID regulations and potential mandatory vaccinations. 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 a number of states relaxing measures toward a new normal.

And even retailers are making the change. Walmart is lifting its mask mandate, effective immediately for fully vaccinated employees. The chain also said it's ending the required daily health screenings for employees by the end of the month, except for those working in states where it's still required.

Now the evolving guidance at the local level has drawn attention to the federal health standards at the CDC, which has yet to change its recommendations. Plus, the World Health Organization warns, the pandemic isn't over.

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DR. SOUMYA SWAMINATHAN, CHIEF SCIENTIST, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: We have seen the virus evolve, mutate and, in fact, the Omicron variant was detected here in South Africa.

The whole world came to know about it because of the scientists here. So we know that there will be more variants, more variants of concern. And so we're not at the end of the pandemic.

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BRUNHUBER: French and U.S. leaders again try to talk Russia out of invading Ukraine.

But after investing in a massive military buildup, is the Kremlin even listening?

We'll have reaction from Moscow, just ahead.

Plus, why one Ukrainian lawmaker believes her nation is being kept out of the diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

The threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine has been building for months. But the U.S. and its allies fear it could happen very soon as diplomatic efforts stall. The U.K. foreign office says British observers with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe are being withdrawn from Ukraine for their own safety. U.S. observers have also been told to leave. Both countries are among

the dozens telling their citizen to get out of Ukraine. And the U.S. is drawing down its embassy staff. Heavily armed Russian forces surround Ukraine on three sides. The U.S. says Poland will allow Americans to cross Ukraine's western border into Poland without prior approval.

Russian president Vladimir Putin spoke with President Biden on Saturday and, separately, with French president Emmanuel Macron. The top diplomats from Russia and U.S. also had a call.

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BRUNHUBER: CNN's Nic Robertson explains what came out of the flurry of high-stakes diplomacy.

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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: As diplomacy shifts into high gear, one Ukrainian lawmaker says her nation is being kept out of high-level talks. Earlier, I spoke with parliament member Lesia Vasylenko. Here she is.

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LESIA VASYLENKO, MEMBER, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT: Right now, we are all witnessing an escalation of Russian aggression toward Ukraine.

Russian aggression, which has started back in 2014, it will be eight years on February 22nd. We Ukrainians have learned to live with this fact in our lives and to constantly be prepared for the worst, although hoping for the best.

BRUNHUBER: In terms of trying to find a solution, much of the focus has been on the high-level diplomacy between Russia and the U.S. and other Western countries like France, where you are right now.

Do you feel that Ukraine is being cut out of the discussion.

Is your nation having enough say here?

VASYLENKO: I feel that Ukraine needs to be more involved in the negotiations, which are happening about and around Ukraine. It cannot be just a discussion between Putin and Biden or between Macron and Putin. It really needs to be all the time with Ukraine at the table and involved in the process.

What the world cannot afford is for this escalation to turn into Cold War II, which will then lead to World War III. And this is what is going to happen if countries continue to think in terms of spheres of influence.

And if the race for domination over international affairs continues between France, the U.S., the U.K. or whatever other nation. What is at stake here is the independence of a sovereign state. And what is at stake here is people's lives and the lives of people who chose to live in a democratic country and who choose to defend their homes, their territories, their families and the lives of their children.

BRUNHUBER: You say -- obviously don't want another world war just now. But I saw you tweeted this, for every American diplomat and citizen out of Ukraine, the USA should send in a soldier now.

I'm wondering how that would help.

Wouldn't that just escalate the conflict and increase the chances of a catastrophic military confrontation between the U.S. and Russia?

VASYLENKO: You know, appeasement for sure didn't work. [05:35:00]

VASYLENKO: And eight years of Russian soldiers being stationed in Donetsk and Lugansk and for eight years of Crimea, a Ukrainian territory being annexed by Russia.

It's the result of that appeasement toward Putin and trying to talk to him and look into his eyes and find some kind of solution there. Whenever the aggressor or a bully is being appeased, they just go on the offensive even more.

And the world has been witnessing that for the last eight years. So the only way out is to actually stand up and to stand strong together, with all allied parties behind Ukraine and also, within Ukraine, ready to fight back Putin and sending him a strong signal, that this fight is going to happen and there's no way out of it for him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: She also said Ukraine's Western allies have now woken up to the consequences of a possible Russian aggression.

Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, the Beijing Olympics are halfway over and all eyes are on the doping scandal -- Steven.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER, BEIJING BUREAU: Kim, a lot of people around the world, including many here in a snowy Beijing, eagerly awaiting that virtual hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Their decision would determine the future of a Russian skating star and her team's Olympic gold medal.

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BRUNHUBER: The Olympic fate of a 15-year-old Russian athlete is still up in the air at the Beijing Winter Games. A hearing will take place in the coming hours to determine whether figure skater Kamala 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. That medal ceremony has been put on hold until the controversy is resolved. Officials say a decision should be made by Monday afternoon.

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BRUNHUBER: CNN's Coy Wire joins us from Jiangsu, China, but first let's bring in Steven Jiang live in Beijing.

We're still kind of on a holding pattern on that doping scandal story. But bring us up to speed on what's happened so far?

We now know that Valieva's name has been on the roster for Tuesday's figure skating event, which is adding suspense and urgency to that virtual hearing held by the court of arbitration for sport, because their decision will obviously determine whether or not she can indeed compete in that event. The International Olympic Committee is not saying much about this case, citing an ongoing process. But a complicate factor is that positive sample was calculated on December 25th, well before the Winter Olympics. That's why this actually falls outside of the jurisdiction of the IOC. That's why the Russian doping agency says she's been passing her doping tests both before and after that date, including testing negative since she arrived here in Beijing and the Russian Federation both saying they have no doubts over her honesty, pointing to the circumstances surrounding the positive test results, saying how unusually long it took the lab in Sweden to analyze her sample. Obviously, some reports saying that was due to a wave of COVID sweeping Sweden at the time. But that was going to be a point raised during this virtual hearing. That's why a lot of people around the world, including many here in a very snowy Beijing eagerly awaiting the decision made by that body on Monday. And that, obviously, is exactly why everybody is very much waiting for that virtual hearing taking place in about a few hours from now.

We'll be following that for sure. Steven Jiang, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

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BRUNHUBER: All right, still ahead, today is the day for Super Bowl LVI. The L.A. Rams and Cincinnati Bengals hope to hoist the Lombardi Trophy but the heat could play a pivotal role in the outcome. We'll have a forecast for the big game. Stay with us.

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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. It's 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.

[05:50:00]

BERNAL: 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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(WEATHER REPORT)

[05:55:00]

BRUNHUBER: I'm Kim Brunhuber. Thanks for watching. For viewers in North America, "NEW DAY" is next. For the rest of the world, it's "AFRICA AVANT-GARDE."