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Harassment Lawsuit against Cuomo; Ex-Cop to be Sentenced for Wright Killing; Skating Scandal at the Olympics; Indiana Drivers Stranded in Overnight Snowstorm. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired February 18, 2022 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:30:55]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: A New York state trooper, who says former Governor Andrew Cuomo harassed and touched her inappropriately, has now filed a lawsuit. That trooper, who remains anonymous, claims she felt violated and that Cuomo's longtime aide, Melissa DeRosa, helped cover it up.

CNN reporter Sonia Moghe joins me now with more.

Sonia, what exactly is this trooper seeking?

SONIA MOGHE, CNN REPORTER: So, this trooper is saying that the governor discriminated against her based on her sex. She's asking for monetary damages for emotional harm.

And, look, I spoke to her attorney last night. He says that she is, you know, incredibly upset. This is humiliating. She's seeking therapy right now for this. He says this in her lawsuit. And he's asking for her privacy right now. He's also fighting for her to stay anonymous in this lawsuit.

And, you know, what's interesting about this suit is that for the first time we're hear something details about, you know, what her supervisors knew. She is alleging in this lawsuit that the head of the governor's protective detail that she was on sent her a text message saying, quote, stays in truck, which the attorney for this woman says means to, you know, stay -- to keep this information between us. He's saying that, you know, that that's -- that he knew about this information, that he knew that the governor was making comments and that she should keep it to herself.

Now, here's some of the allegations she details in the lawsuit. Back in 2019 she alleges Cuomo slid his palm across her waist to where her gun was holstered. And as recently as 2021, he repeatedly asked her for a kiss, even kissing her on the cheek.

Now, her lawsuit also accuses Cuomo's longtime aide, secretary to the governor, Melissa DeRosa, of concealing Cuomo's harassment.

Now, we heard from the New York State Police, who she has also named in this lawsuit. They're not commenting on this litigation. But former Governor Cuomo did release a statement last night. And he said that if, quote, if kissing someone on the cheek or on the back or stomach or waving hello at a public event on New Year's Eve is actionable, then we are all in trouble. Governor Cuomo will fight every attempt at cheap cash extortions and is anxious to have the dirty politics stop. We look forward to justice in a court of law.

We also heard from former secretary to the governor, Melissa DeRosa, through her attorney. His statement also said that Melissa, you know, barely knew this trooper, saying that according to the trooper's own testimony, Melissa's only interaction with her was to say hello and good-bye. He says it's not a viable case anywhere in America and is beyond frivolous.

So, you know, it will be interesting to see where this suit goes. But, again, this suit has lots of indications that there are witnesses to this behavior, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Sonia, I know you'll continue to cover this story for us. Thank you so much.

MOGHE: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, in the next hour, the former Minnesota police officer convicted in the death of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop will be sentenced. Kim Potter was found guilty on two counts of manslaughter after she said she confused her handgun for her Taser.

CNN's Adrienne Broaddus joins me now.

Adrienne, explain the amount of prison time that Potter is now facing.

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bianna, good morning.

The former Brooklyn Center police officer who spent 26 years with that department could spend at least 86 months in prison. That's a little more than seven years.

Earlier this week, the attorney general's office requested that the judge follow the sentencing guidelines. So, this sentence of seven years is essentially right in the middle. You may remember initially the state argued for more time.

Now, prosecutors initially filed that motion asking Judge Regina Chu to go higher than the guidelines, and a lot of folks have been questioning why the change. We don't know. Perhaps the attorney general had a change of heart. It could be from pressure from the community. Leading up to today, there have been folks protesting outside of the jail where Potter has been held since she was convicted, showing their support for her.

Now, by contrast, Potter's defense team wants probation.

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But prosecutors have said, if Judge Regina Chu goes with this lower sentence, they want Potter to spend at minimum at least one year in prison, along with an extensive probation period.

Her fate will be determined later this morning. It's likely in that courtroom in Hennepin County we will hear from the former police officer in Brooklyn Center and we will also hear from Daunte Wright's family members.

Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: And, of course, we will be bringing you that sentencing live as it takes place.

Adrienne Broaddus, thank you. We appreciate it.

Well, a bitter back and forth between the top sports court and the World Anti-Doping Agency after Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was allowed to compete at the Olympics after failing a drug test. Ahead, we speak to a current Team USA member about her own experience at being kept from competing after a banned substance was found in her makeup of all places.

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GOLODRYGA: The World Anti-Doping Agency is now accusing a top sports court of ignoring anti-doping codes when it allowed Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva to compete at the Beijing Olympics. Now, this comes after the court published a 41 page report blaming the Anti- Doping Agency for the controversy.

Valieva tested positive for a heart medication back in December, but that was only revealed ten days ago. The Court of Arbitration for Sports, or CAS, cleared Valieva to skate, citing her protected status as a minor.

Joining me now is "USA Today" sports columnist and CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan, and Team USA pairs figure skater Jessica Calalang.

Welcome, both of you.

Jessica, thank you for joining us.

And I want you to tell our viewers your story in just a moment and why this is indeed so personal for you and your own experience having been accused of doping.

But, Christine, let's begin with you.

And just set the scene for us about what happens next after that horrible night last night. I don't care if people were supporting Valieva or not, that was just brutal to watch. What are the consequences and what comes next?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Yes. Bianna, Jessica, of course, great to be with both of you. That was a tough one. It was as sad and difficult a night as I've had

as a journalist covering the Olympic games. And moving forward, as you asked, what happens next is the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which you were referring to, is going to take another look at this, a much longer look. It's the investigation that just couldn't happen in a couple of days here at the Olympic games. They will look at the -- her b sample, which is the other sample of the test that was positive. They will give her a chance to explain it. They'll look at documents. This could take weeks and months. And sometimes in the spring or summer, we would expect that a ruling that would impact now only the team medal competition, because she finished fourth, wasn't in the medals, it would be the question of whether the Russians keep the gold in the team competition from two weeks ago, or if the Americans move up to -- from the silver to the gold.

And that's where this is. And then, will she be banned? And, of course, also her coaches -- the entourage around her, the adults around her, who clearly have failed her, the question there is, will they be banned. And there's already two investigations of that group of adults looking into this case.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, and her coach is known to be one of the strictest, most brutal tactics she's taken, but also one of the most powerful coaches in the sport as well.

And a lot of concern about whether this was indeed, you know, child abuse. This girl is just 15 years old. And that's led to a vote that's upcoming for the International Figure Skating Union to see if they can raise the age up to 17.

Now, there are some downsides to that for those of us who love to watch the sport because what I've heard from experts is that we're probably no longer going to be seeing any quad jumps, right, just because of how young girls develop into women in those crucial ages. But do you think that that is an appropriate step to take and perhaps can ensure that this never happens again?

BRENNAN: Certainly good that everyone's talking about this, Bianna. That's a very positive step out of a very difficult week and a half.

The age limit is interesting because. as you said, if the juniors are doing tougher jumps than the Olympians, well, that's not what the Olympics want. They want the best, right?

GOLODRYGA: Yes.

BRENNAN: That's why the NBA players and WNBA players and the professional golfers, professional tennis players are in the Olympics. So, that could be a problem unless the judges start to mark accordingly and, actually, if it's a young girl skating, she wouldn't get those artistic marks that a, say, a 20 or 25-year-old would get. So, they can control this if they want to in terms of how they let the little girls and the young women develop in this sport.

But, absolutely, the quad jumps, if you're tiny, if you're young, if you're thin, it's obviously very -- it's a lot easier to turn in the air four times than it is when you are 25 or 20 and more developed as a woman.

GOLODRYGA: Jessica, let me bring you in now because this was really a triggering week for you, an emotional roller coaster. I believe you said you couldn't even watch last night because this really hit close to home. You and your skating partner could very well have been at the Olympics there in Beijing today were it not for a drug test that you failed and had to wait for months in limbo until you figured out what it was exactly that led to that positive result that ended up just being in your makeup, as bizarre as that may sound.

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Talk about that process and how it differs from what happened with Valieva.

JESSICA CALALANG, TEAM USA PAIRS FIGURE SKATER: I mean, I was completely shocked when I got the notification that my urine sample that I provided was positive. I was immediately suspended from all competition. I wasn't allowed to receive any sort of funding or stipend. And it was so frustrating in those six to eight months because, like, I had no idea where my positive test came from. I knew that I was a clean athlete. I knew I did my due diligence to make sure what -- I was very aware of what I put in my body. So, to have this -- this situation that I had no control over, or thought I didn't have any control over, was really a very hard time for me and my team to go through.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, you and your partner had to withdraw as you went through this process of appeals. You had to lawyer up. I mean this is very costly, both financially and just emotionally.

And you said in this case, as you watched Kamila, you had a sense of, you were treated guilty until proven innocent, and it was innocent until proven guilty in her case.

This factor of double standards, do you think that it is fair and what can be done to change it in your opinion?

CALALANG: Just, the rules just need to be consistent across the board. That is just what makes competition fair. You know, just the approach to each individual situation, it needs to be fair and equitable environment for all athletes.

GOLODRYGA: So what's next for you, Jessica?

CALALANG: Right now my partner and I, we are alternates for the Olympic team and then also for the world championships. So, we're just continuing to, you know, train as if we were -- might get called upon because in a time like this anything can happen.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And we, of course, are all rooting for you.

Christine, going forward, how lasting of an impact does this have, not only for the Olympics, but this sport in particular, which arguably is the most popular and most viewed during the winter Olympics? BRENNAN: You know, we'll see. We'll see if sponsors, Bianna, start to

talk about this and say, you know, they're the ones writing the checks. Maybe they get to the point where they -- they're -- they were upset with what they saw yesterday. And maybe they say enough is enough. Because that would, of course, be a huge development.

The International Olympic Committee has basically just kicked the can down the road with the Russians over the last eight years. Are they going to be tough and finally kick them out of the Olympics?

And Jessica's story is a cautionary tale and it's so sad because, of course, she did everything right, and she also accepted her suspension, because the United States and U.S. Figure Skating, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency played by the rules. And you're looking at a young woman here who played by the rules. And I have been around for the last two weeks, all of these athletes, these Russians, who don't play by the rules. And it can sound like, oh, I'm an American journalist. I'm from the U.S. and I'm biased. Those are the facts. And that's the state sponsored doping of Russia versus a wonderful person like Jessica, who is, of course, now back, but had to fight for her reputation because, of course, the United States is playing fair.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, rules are rules and they should be followed by all. And if the punishment is just changing your name from Russian Federation to the Russian Olympic Committee, that seems, well, like a joke. And here we are in this devastating crisis now unfolding last night that the world had to watch.

Christine Brennan, Jessica Calalang, thank you. Thank you, especially, Jessica, for telling your story. I know it was impactful to so many people.

CALALANG: Thank you.

BRENNAN: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, be prepared to be stranded. That's the warning Indiana officials are giving travelers after a huge snowstorm slammed the state.

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GOLODRYGA: Drivers in northwest Indiana are now digging out after a winter snowstorm left them stranded overnight. CNN affiliate WLS reports some drivers were stuck along Interstate 65 for hours, all with single digit temperatures and windchills well below zero.

CNN meteorologist Chad Myers joins me live from the CNN Weather Center.

So, Chad, how dangerous is it for these stranded drivers out there as we see them out on the roads?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Even right now, Bianna, the temperature is 11 and the windchill is 2. And I'm sure some are running out of fuel. Obviously and probably ran out of food. Running out of water as well. The truck drivers are probably doing OK. They have those big, giant diesel trucks that can idle all night and stay warm. But I'm sure there are some very cold individuals out there.

And the looks that I took of this live, when this video was coming in, there are thousands of trucks. We're not talking a hundred or 50. Thousands. And maybe even five digits worth of thousands. I'm not sure. But this line went on for miles and miles and miles. Right there, it's about five to nine inches of snow right where that pile-up was. Obviously, there was a pile-up in front. That was just the back- up.

Kansas City, 7 inches of snow. Peoria at 6.6. There were higher numbers than this. But, really, for the most part, they're not in big cities.

This number here in New York City, it's 46 degrees right now. When I came on the air at 6:00 this morning, that number was 62. So things have gone down and they're going to continue to go down by the afternoon. We're only going to be in the 30s. And by tonight, colder than that. The cold front came through, obviously, changed all of that nice warm air to something, well, more crisp.

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Blizzard warnings across parts of the Dakotas this afternoon now because the next storm is on its way. It's a clipper storm. It's not going to be a major event. Most of the snow will likely be on up into Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. But south of the border here, we'll see between two and four inches, other than some lake-effect snow bands could be higher than that. So kind of a minor little system coming on by.

Here's the snow amounts. Everywhere that's white will get two to four. Some spots it may be four to eight, but that's about it. Temperatures, though, not warming up. In my opinion, going in the wrong direction for New York. You were in the 60s yesterday. By the weekend, you're at 37. That's the high.

Bianna.

KEILAR: Yes, that's not just your opinion. It's my opinion too. It's cold here now.

Chad Myers, thank you so much.

Well, U.S. officials increasingly are concerned that Russia is not interested in diplomacy when it comes to Ukraine. We have new reporting for you. We're live in Ukraine, up next.

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