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Law Enforcement Continue Removing Canadian Protestors In Ottawa From Blocking Traffic Near Parliament; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Speaks At Munich Security Conference About Continuing Tensions Between Ukraine And Russia; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Discusses Proposed Timing Of International Community's Sanctions Policy Against Russia For Invading Ukraine; President Biden States He Believes Russian President Vladimir Putin Has Already Decided To Invade Ukraine; States Across U.S. Easing Mask Mandates As Coronavirus Hospitalizations Fall. Aired 2-3p ET.

Aired February 19, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Dr. Anthony Fauci saying that getting rid of masks is risky. And there's another concern, the Omicron subvariant BA.2. One lab study showing it may spread faster and may cause more severe disease.

DR. F. PERRY WILSON, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, YALE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: The good news is, though, we're not seeing much BA.2 in the United States at all.

BERNAL: Instead, COVID hospitalizations have dropped to near pre- Omicron levels, a welcome sign for the future.

WILSON: If we're going to life with this thing, let's live with it as safely as we possibly can.

BERNAL: Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We are following breaking news, tense moments today as police crack down on trucker protests in Canada.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guys, guys, guys, guys, we are CTV. OK, OK, OK, we are moving back. We're moving back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Police say demonstrators rallying against COVID health restrictions threw gas canisters at a line of officers protecting government buildings in Ottawa. At least 47 protesters arrested today, and dozens of vehicles were towed as police tried to end the blockade, clogging Ottawa's streets for weeks now. Police say some of those arrested were wearing body armor. Some even had smoke grenades and fireworks in their bags. CNN's Paula Newton is in Ottawa. So, Paula, what are the police doing right now to try to protect the city and its citizens?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, at this hour, that confrontation with protesters continues. But what's significant here, Fred, is that they in fact have cleared most of the street, Wellington Street, directly in front of Parliament. So if you're on Capitol Hill, that would be the road directly in front of Capitol Hill.

And right now, Fred, legislators are inside one of those building actually debating the emergency measures that are allowing this law enforcement operation to continue. Parliament is, right now, as a precaution, on lockdown, and at about two intersections and possibly three, you continue to have small groups of protesters confronting police.

Now, the law enforcement on the ground, Fred, has been absolutely overwhelming, something we have not seen in this city for three weeks. And also, I can tell you, that the trucks, some of them have been moved voluntarily. Others, police are going into them fully armed, trying to get anybody who is out to either move them voluntarily or bringing them under arrest. We have now had 47 arrests today, but about 150 in total.

And another thing that has been disturbing here, Fred, is again police tweeted a little while that some of those protesters have children with them. And we have heard all week from city officials really disturbed by the fact that some of these protestors have brought, in the words of city officials, they've brought their children as human shields. And that again, Fred, tells you something about the complication of trying to get these streets cleared.

Again, we must say, there have been several incidents, but right now only minor injuries. But police do warn us that this will take several days. Protestors, those same protesters that want all COVID-19 measures dropped are saying that they are there to stay, and they will return hour after hour, day after day, to continue to confront those police.

And I have to say, Fred, three states of emergency, three different police -- levels of police out there. We've got everything from riot squads to mounted units out there on the streets. They say they will be methodical, and they will try, in their words, police say, to give the streets back to the residents of Ottawa in the coming days. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Paula Newton, thank you so much.

And now to new developments in the other developing story, the escalating crisis in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelensky earlier today calling for a diplomacy solution to the threat of a Russian Invasion as Moscow continues to amass troops along three sides of Ukraine's border. Zelensky also calling on his allies to publicly reveal their plans for sanctions against Russia should it invade Ukraine. The Ukrainian president is attending a key global security conference in Munich, today, spoke with CNN's Christiane Amanpour. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We are not going to advance on anyone, but we stand ready to respond to everything. We cannot remain passive. We cannot say on a daily basis that war will happen tomorrow. What kind of state is it going to be? What kind of economy is it going to be? How can you live in the state when on a daily basis you are being told tomorrow the war will happen, tomorrow the advance will happen? It means crushing national currency, money is being taken out, business is flying out. Can you live in that kind of country? Can you have stability in that kind of country? No.

And those who want to disbalance our country from within are multiple. And everyone wants Ukraine to be weak, weak economy, weak army.

[14:05:04]

And if there's a weak army, you can just go ahead and invade, and we won't be able to protect our people, not our children or the economy. This is why are response is very calm.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Natasha Bertrand is at the security conference in Munich, German, and Arlette Saenz is at the White House. Natasha, you first. There was some question whether Zelensky should have even left Ukraine to attend this conference, and he answered why he thought it was important to be there.

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right. He has been conveying that message all day to world leaders, essentially telling them that he doesn't want world leaders to be discussing Ukraine behind their back, essentially, that Ukraine wants to be a part of all of the conversations surrounding this Russian aggression on their borders. They don't want any decisions to be made without them being communicated to Ukraine and without them being directly involved.

Part of the tensions that arose today, however, have to with the Ukrainians not being particularly satisfied with how the U.S. and the west more broadly have sought to deter Russia so far on a number of different fronts. They do not like how the White House and the U.S. writ large have communicated the possible threat of a Russian invasion. They say that it has really harmed their economy. Zelensky said today that this is not a situation that the Ukrainians can live under just because of this constant panic they feel, being told that any day now they could invade.

And they're also unhappy with this idea that the U.S. will not impose sanctions on Russia until Russia actually moves to invade. Zelensky says that what is the point if after we come under bombardment, after our economy is already ruined by the Russians invading, what is the point of then imposing sanctions on Russia. They will have no deterrent effect. Take a listen to what he had to say on this earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): But you are telling me that it's 100 percent that the war will start in a couple days. Then what are you waiting for? We don't need your sanctions after the bombardment will happen, and after our country will be fired at, or after we will have no borders, after we will have no economy or part of our countries will be occupied. Why would we need those sanctions then?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERTRAND: Another sticking point between Zelensky and the U.S. and the U.S.'s allies has been the question of NATO. Obviously, Ukraine has been pursuing membership of NATO, and it is written into their constitution. It is something that they are willing to drop even as this threat of a Russian invasion looms. And he said in his discussion today that he wants to know a timeline, he wants to know from NATO when Ukraine is actually going to become a member or whether it's just a pipe dream. Otherwise, he wants security guarantees in its place if NATO is not going to be an option.

They west obviously very reluctant to take NATO membership for Ukraine off the table, even make it part of the discussions, because they see that as a major concession to Russia which has been asking for Ukraine to never join NATO. So this is going to a very interest dynamic to watch in the days ahead as President Biden has said that an invasion, a major attack on Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine, could actually come within days.

WHITFIELD: And then Arlette, from the White House, why is the president saying so confidently now out loud that Vladimir Putin is ready to invade Ukraine?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, this is a significant change in tune from President Biden, who up until yesterday had been saying that he did not know if Putin had made that final decision to invade. But yesterday speaking to the reporters during a question-and-answer session, President Biden revealed that he is now convinced that Putin has made that decision. It is notable that the president didn't include that in his prepared opening remarks. Instead, his assessment was only revealed when he was asked about it.

And sources have told us that that assessment is based on intelligence that has shown that half of Russia's forces around the borders of Ukraine are now in an attack position. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin traveling in Lithuania today, saying that they are prepared to strike.

And what you have also seen the administration really engage in over the course of the past few weeks and most recently in the past few days is that they have been telegraphing what they are seeing Putin, the moves that he's taking, the intentions that they believe that Putin is reaching. You have seen the U.S. really with a sense of clarity put those out into the public.

And President Biden explained some of the thinking behind that yesterday. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are calling out Russia's plans loudly and repeatedly, not because we want a conflict, but because we are doing everything in our power to remove any reason that Russia may give to justify invading Ukraine and prevent them from moving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, even as President Biden and U.S. official have warned that Russia could invade Ukraine in the coming days, President Biden still insists that there is a path for diplomacy.

[14:10:04]

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterpart, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, as set to speak on Thursday, but with a caveat. President Biden said that meeting would only move forward if Russia does not attack Ukraine. Otherwise, if they do move forward with an invasion, that will be Russia shutting the door on diplomacy.

So the White House and President Biden here really hoping that they could have some last-minute diplomatic efforts to avert this crisis, but that window is very, very quickly narrowing, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Right, and those comments coming from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin saying that he does not believe that Russia is bluffing, and that yes, it is poised for what they believe could be a successful invasion, Russia's point of view. All right, thank you so much, Arlette Saenz, Natasha Bertrand, appreciate you both.

California's governor laid out his strategy for moving into the next phase of managing COVID. This as more states have announced plans to roll back masking requirements in the coming weeks, but some health officials warn the move may be risky. We will discuss next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:15:16]

WHITFIELD: A dramatic shift in strategy for the coronavirus pandemic. After two years of strict lockdowns and mandates, California is now the first state to unveil a plan to move away from the pandemic response to an endemic one. The so-called SMARTER plan unveiled by Governor Gavin Newsom this week includes maintaining a stockpile of masks, increasing vaccination and testing, monitoring waste water systems, and responding to surges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM, (D) CALIFORNIA: We stand firm and confident as we lean into the future, moving away from a reactive mindset and a crisis mindset to living with this virus.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: And joining me right now to talk about this, Syra Madad. She is the senior director of the Systemwide Special Pathogens Program for New York City Health and Hospitals, also a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and she was just named to the National Science Advisory Board for National Security. Congratulations on the latest title. Good to see you.

SYRA MADAD, MEMBER, NATIONAL SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD FOR BIOSECURITY: Thank you so much. Great seeing you.

WHITFIELD: So overall, what do you think of Governor Newsom's plan? Iss this time for this?

MADAD: Yes, so it's a great question, and as we are seeing multiple different governors across the United States are obviously looking at lifting mask mandates, whether they have done it already or they're planning on doing so. So I think the first thing is using the term "endemic" as was just mention in that video clip, and I think that is, first a misused word. "Endemic" does not mean that we're not going to see high levels of cases and deaths, and we are still seeing that. But what I would say is an endemic is more of a manageable risk, because we have the tools to help keep people safe.

Now, as we look at what is happening in California, it is not a matter of if these mask mandates and other restrictions are going to be lifted, it's a matter of when. And that's why I have a problem with this. When is this happening? Is it happening during a time when we are having low and moderate levels of community transmission, where hospitalizations are not record high? And so I want to make sure that we are following the data and the science.

So right now in California, things are looking good, but there's still very high levels of community transmission. In fact, they are still seeing about 17,000 new cases per day, and you are still seeing some hospitals being stressed. So I want to make sure that we are making these decisions at the local level.

WHITFIELD: Governor Newsom says California's plan shifts from a crisis mentality to emphasize prevention and adaptability. So is this something that other states might be prepared to emulate right now?

MADAD: Absolutely. I think that that is the right mindset. We want to get out of the acute phase and look at it from a more manageable standpoint. But at the same time, we need to tie those different standpoints to metrics and benchmarks, and unfortunately, as we've seen, CDC is behind the eight-ball on that. And so governors and states are essentially making this decision on their own, looking at what they think is the best way to move forward.

And that's where I think we need to make we have a better national strategy. Are we looking at five or 10 cases per 100,000 as one of our benchmarks? And right now, we are averaging 20 hospitalizations per 100,000. Are we looking at moderate to low levels of community transmission? But right now, over 98 percent of the counties in the U.S. are still at record numbers of high community transmission rates. And so we need to make sure that we are following these benchmarks, and they're more uniform. And unfortunately, that is just not happening.

WHITFIELD: You wrote an op-ed in "The Washington Post" this week talking about states lifting mandates, and essentially when it comes to schools. And you said, I'm quoting it now, "The truth is, it doesn't make sense to lift school mask mandates in most parts of the United States right now when the seven-day national average for cases is more than 400 per 100,000, and multiple states are still experiencing high levels of community transmission." So, what would you advise would be the right time for schools to reconsider wearing masks in schools?

MADAD: I think the biggest part is that these decisions need to look at local context, what's happening in the local community, because even though we are making decisions at the state level, at the local level things may be quite a bit different. There are still many pockets here throughout the United States and even within states, for example, in New York and California, where we have individual that still have barriers to access to various different types of risks, whether it is therapeutics, vaccinations, testing. We want to make sure that we're looking at community transmission rates, hospitalization rates. We're looking at what's happening in the schools, and making those decisions at the local level.

So my biggest is really making sure we're empowering local officials to look at their own data, look at what's happening in their communities, and then making those decisions at the local level. And we need to build that framework for them. And unfortunately, as I mentioned, that's not there. But I think that CDC, as recent announcement have been made, that they are looking at providing some benchmarks.

[14:20:07]

Again, it's a little late for that, but I certainly do hope that that comes out and provides better guidance to state and local officials.

WHITFIELD: And Dr. Fauci said we shouldn't be reckless, but we can start inching towards some kind of normalcy. How quickly do you think things might be able to inch toward normalcy? Are you seeing an end or spring or are you seeing a summer, or are you wailing to even make that kind of commitment?

MADAD: I think if we're just looking at what's happening right now, certainly cases are done by over 50 percent over the last week. You're seeing both hospitalization and ICU down by over 30 percent. So we are on a downward trend across the nation, so these are all really great signs. And so I think we're going to get there in the next couple of weeks where we can say we are at levels of love community transmission, or moderate levels of community transmission. Hospitals are not as stretched. We have more access to therapeutics, and obviously broader vaccination coverage and the like. So I think it's really just a matter of a couple of more weeks of holding out and then making sure we have a gameplan so if we do see another variant that threatens are vaccine induced immunity, threatens are hospital capacity, we can very quickly turn on many of these different measures, and we can contain it in a much more faster fashion.

WHITFIELD: And vaccination rates remain stubbornly low. The U.S. has one of the lowest percentages of fully vaccinated people among industrialized nations, just over 64 percent. So is there anything in your view more that can be done to try to get that number up?

MADAD: I think there's been a lot of the mixed messaging as we are, seeing, for example, just with the booster doses, less than 50 percent of those that are fully vaccinated actually got their booster dose versus other wealthier countries.

And so there is certainly an issue with the communication that's happening in this country. It's been very mixed. It's been very confusing and frustrating. So we first need to do a much better job with messaging, and also sharing what we know and what we don't know. We also need to make sure that we're providing more access, we're doing more on the ground, community-based initiatives. And that is happening. We just need to continue to do more of it and build more trust in the community, and in our elected officials, as well as in our public health agency, because there's a lot of lack of trust. And science, unfortunately, is holding by a very thread right now.

WHITFIELD: Syra Madad, thank you so much, good to see you appreciate it.

MADAD: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:27:01]

WHITFIELD: Today, Ukrainian President Zelensky called for the easing of tensions in areas of Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed rebels. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh looks at the volatile region and the role of Russian disinformation and what role it's playing in the crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Wars come with their own fog. Chaos, phone lines down, panic sowing confusion. But in eastern Ukraine, that fog has long been fanned, amplified with false narratives, critics say, part of Moscow's strategy.

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have reason to believe that they are engaged in a false flag operation to have an excuse to go in. Every indication we have is they are prepared to go into Ukraine, attack Ukraine.

WALSH: Sometimes it is easy to spot. A separatist leader, Denis Pushilin, called on citizens in the separatist Donetsk People's Republic to flee from Friday's escalating violence into Russia. But the video file of this speech, which mentioned Friday's date, was in fact created on Wednesday, according to its metadata. A similar speech from the neighboring separatist area Luhansk had the same timing issue. So unless the same technical fault occurred both times, both leaders seemed to know midweek how bad things would get by Friday, making the call for civilians to flee a lot less spontaneous.

Then an explosion hit the city of Donetsk, separatist media said. They showed this military jeep destroyed. Nobody was harmed. But the apparent blast fed a narrative of violence mounting around the separatists. Then there is the mass exodus of civilians from separatist areas, planned for hundreds of thousands, but so far a lot less, pictures on Russian state T.V. They get $10,000 rubles, or $130, on arrival in Russia. And however many really arrive, it is the sort of the pretext Russia used in the past to justify assisting separatist rebels.

This video is quite dramatic, and separatists said it was of clashes with Polish saboteurs trying to blow up an ammonia storage plant on Friday morning. But the videos' metadata shows it was created about 10 days earlier, another technically fact that doesn't fit the separatist narrative.

A separatist news crew was at hand, too, to capture this, another blast at a pipeline. The cameraman could have miraculous timing, or it could fit into the slow pattern of misinformation, which grows often in advance of the violence in eastern Ukraine, and provides a signal of what is to come, the direction in which the fog of war is being fanned.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

[14:30:02]

WALSH (on camera): Of course, Moscow would say that the U.S.'s constant suggestion attack is imminent is itself disinformation, but that's not really borne out by the facts of what we're seeing. And I have to say it is disturbing to observe what you've seen in that report there how clumsily some of the narrative is being put together by separatists and their Russian backers and that might suggest that a plan, however lacking in art it may be, it already under way.

WHITFIELD: Indeed, it is. Nick Paton Walsh, thank you so much for that.

Ukraine's President Zelensky calling for a diplomacy solution to the threat of a Russian invasion as tensions in the region rise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We want to have diplomatic resolution of the military conflict, exclusively, I would like to emphasize, based on their international law. So what in reality is happening now in Minsk in the peaceful process? Two years ago with the presidents of France and Russia Federation and German chancellor, we agreed about a full-fledged cease-fire, and Ukraine is committed to these agreements. We're observing them. We keep not responding to the provocations. We're submitting proposals to the Normandy Foreign Trilateral Contact groups, and don't we see instead shelling and bullets. Our soldiers are dying. Our peaceful population is dying, civil infrastructure being destroyed. The last two days have become very symbolic. Massive shelling from the armament prohibited by the Minsk agreement. It's important to allow for the observers for the OC to visit. They are being threatened. They're being scared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Joining us now, Brett Bruen, he is the president of the Global Situation Room and a former director of the White House Global Engagement under President Obama. Bret, so good to see you.

BRETT BRUEN, FORMER DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT UNDER OBAMA: And you.

WHITFIELD: So as you heard there, President Zelensky called for a diplomatic solution to this threat of a Russian invasion. At this point, do you see that diplomacy could work?

BRUEN: Well, there is always an option for diplomacy, including when the guns start firing, and I think it is important to keep in mind that diplomacy ultimately one way or another will be necessary. That being said, it is a question of what kind of diplomacy. And President Zelensky also underlined in Munich that the west needs to start taking steps now, including punitive steps against Putin. And I would agree with him. I think we are being too cautious and too reactive.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Just to underscore that point, Zelensky said what's the point of having sanctions if it comes -- sanctions imposed if it comes after Russia has invaded, that it would serve as a better deterrent if you impose the sanctions first. Is that the part you agree with him on?

BRUEN: It is. And one of the things I think that the U.S. and the NATO alliance should be doing is setting some deadlines of its own. We're operating on Putin's timeline and on his terms. We've got to take the initiative. We've got to ensure that Putin isn't able to drag this out as long as he wants or to push it in the direction that he wants. So I would like for President Biden stand up and say you have got to move your troops back by this time and cease with these activities, otherwise those sanctions are going to start.

WHITFIELD: We'll see if he says that. But we know that he has just said that he is convinced that Russian President Vladimir Putin has made the decision to invade Ukraine, and then today, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and he says that he doesn't believe Putin is bluffing. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LLOYD AUSTIN, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I don't believe it's a bluff. I think he has assembled the right kinds of things that you would need to conduct a successful invasion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So if there are these realizations and this administration is saying this out loud, what is that sign pose to Putin? Does he get to say, OK, I've won, I am rattling everybody's cage, or even does he feel like he has to follow up on that, an indeed, invade Ukraine?

BRUEN: Well, Fredricka, when we talk about an invasion, and certainly with the number of troops that Putin has assembled on the border, 190,000 or more, this idea is conjured up of a mass invasion. I think Putin's likeliest move is at least at the beginning a small-scale invasion where he is going to try to test the NATO alliance. And you may have countries like Germany, France saying, well, perhaps we shouldn't sanction him so seriously because he didn't go as far as he could have. So it's important that we understand what kind of invasion he is going to undertake.

[14:35:03]

WHITFIELD: OK, so of these 30 NATO nations, the U.S. has said, or at least Biden has said in the past, he doesn't necessarily believe that Ukraine ought to become a member. It would mean making more military commitments. France and Germany have been among countries who have also said they are not that crazy about the idea. So whose decision will it be? Does it have to be a majority of the 30 NATO nations, or is there some other formula that would either introduce the idea or endorse the idea of Ukraine being a NATO member, because they have applied, right?

BRUEN: I think that the possibility of NATO membership for Ukraine is pretty far off, pretty remote. Nonetheless, there was a very important principle at stake here, the notion that one country cannot simply on a whim invade another country. And this is whether Ukraine is a member of NATO or not is less important than protecting that principle. You will recall, Fredricka, when Kuwait was invaded by Iraq, the United States assembled almost every nation on the planet to push them out. So I think it's important that we understand, American understand what is at stake here. We often talk about NATO membership as though we only an obligation to those countries. I think we have a very sacred and important obligation both for stability and our security to Ukraine.

WHITFIELD: So while this threat is real, and it's present, how do you see this crisis ending?

BRUEN: I think ultimately there will be some sort of negotiated solution. But the question really become is this a negotiated solution on Putin's terms or on ours? Because one of the things, and I was in the White House back in 2014 when Putin invaded Ukraine for the first time. He continues to escalate. And we see it whether it's in Ukraine or in other countries across Russia near or abroad. And so this is not going to be the end of it. Even if we a arrive at some deal with Putin, he is going to continue to push the envelope both literally or figuratively to try and get more concessions from the west. And this is why, again, I think that Biden needs to take a harder line, and we need to start setting some of our own conditions both with it comes to Ukraine, eastern Europe. But let's not forget, Russia continues to meddle in our public debate here in the United States.

WHITFIELD: All right, Brett Bruen, good to see you. Thanks so much.

BRUEN: Thank you. WHITFIELD: The Trump Organization's longtime accounting firm cuts

ties with the former president. More on the implications next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:42:31]

WHITFIELD: Former president Donald Trump was zero for three in high profile legal battles this week. A federal ruling that civil suits seeking to hold him accountable for January 6th can move forward. Democratic members of the House and police officers who defended the capitol on January 6th sued Trump last year, claiming he prompted his supports to attack. Plus, a New York judge ruling that Trump and two of his children, Ivanka and Don Jr., must sit for depositions in the state attorney general's probe into their business practices. Last hour I spoke with former federal prosecutor Michael Zeldin on the significant of these developments. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL ZELDIN, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: He lost all of the cases that he is a party to. He lost his arguments that he's immune from prosecution, that he has a First Amendment right, Letitia James is acting out of a political witch hunt. All of the courts said no, thank you, Mr. President, those are not good arguments. You have to proceed in these cases. So in the words of the child's book, it was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And the former president woes don't stop there. The Trump Organization's longtime accounting firm made a very important announcement. They do not stand behind a decade of the former president's financial information and will no longer be working for him. CNN's Brian Todd has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A body blow for Donald Trump's business empire. The Trump Organization's longtime accounting firm, Mazars, has bailed on Trump's business, cutting ties. Mazars also says it can no longer stand by nearly 10 years worth of financial statements it compiled for the Trump Organization, and told Trump's firm it should not rely on those statements either.

MICHAEL D'ANTONIO, AUTHOR, "THE TRUTH ABOUT TRUMP": I think this is a disaster for Donald Trump and his family. Add the peril that they face from various prosecutors, and this could be the beginning of the end for many of the Trump businesses.

TODD: Mazars says it came to its decision based on filings last month by New York Attorney General Letitia James who office is looking into whether Trump's company manipulated the value of its properties by possibly lowballing the values of those properties to tax officials, while inflating the values of those same properties to curry favor with lenders. Mazars told the Trump Organization that overall, it has not found, quote, material discrepancies with the Trump Organization's statements, but still, the firm didn't trust the information.

[14:45:04]

HARRY LITMAN, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: They are saying we overall, our bottom line was accurate, and we said in our letter, and they surely did, this is only as good as the information you gave us. So guess what, the information you gave us was lousy.

TODD: According to Attorney General James, the Trump Organization valued their Seven Springs Estate in Westchester at 291$ million in 2012, information with Mazars compiles. But the Trump Firm got it appraised at $56 million in 2016. And the Trump Organization told lenders the Manhattan skyscraper 40 Wall Street was worth $550 million in early 2015, but called in $735 million in a statement prepared by Mazars that June.

Trump himself wrote in his book, "The Art of the Deal," that he engaged in what he called truthful hyperbole, playing to people's fantasies when making business deals.

MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT, THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION: It's whatever he thinks that the value of the asset is. It doesn't take into consideration anything such as appraisals. He just makes things up as he goes along.

TODD: A spokesperson for the Trump Organization says the company is disappointed that Mazars has chosen to part ways, but says Mazars work for the Trump Organization was performed, quote, in accordance with all applicable accounting standards and principles and says that Mazars claim that it did not material discrepancies effectively renders the investigations by the New York District Attorney and the State Attorney general Moot.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: Rising influence is costing American families hundreds of extra dollars every month, but in certain cities across the country, people are paying even more. We will bring you their stories next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:51:11]

WHITFIELD: It's not your imagination. Inflation is having an effect on households all across the country. A recent study from Moody's Analytics found that Americans are paying an additional $276 a month. But in Tampa, Florida, families are paying even more than that in this pandemic economy. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich spoke to some people who were having trouble staying afloat.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Across

America, families are spending $276 more per month on average because of inflation, according to Moody's Analytics. But here in Tampa, Florida, they're feeling the squeeze even more.

Does that number sound about right to you?

GINA TULLIO, TAMPA RESIDENT: Yes. I would say in that ballpark is pretty accurate.

YURKEVICH: Do you estimate that you might spend even more some months?

TULLIO: Yes.

YURKEVICH: Gina Tullio and her family of four live just outside Tampa, the metro area with the highest rate of inflation in the country, soaring to 9.6 percent in the last year.

TULLIO: It doesn't seem to be slowing down. That's where the real concern is.

YURKEVICH: She's feeling it with daycare.

TULLIO: It went up by like $30 a week.

YURKEVICH: At the grocery store.

TULLIO: My eggs are a dollar more. And then I looked at the milk, and I was, like, that's $1.50 more for the same gallon.

YURKEVICH: And at the pump.

TULLIO: I'm like, oh my God, four dollars, I paid $4.09 today for gas. So --

YURKEVICH: Is that the highest you paid?

TULLIO: Yes.

YURKEVICH: But the biggest pain is at the Rita's Italian Ice franchise she just opened.

TULLIO: Have you been to Rita's before? Really? Oh, well, you're in for a treat.

YURKEVICH: She's getting ready for her supply costs to go up on everything from paper goods to sugar.

TULLIO: This price is going to go up by 20 percent.

YURKEVICH: She says she doesn't want to raise prices, but in order to do that, she's cut her entire salary.

TULLIO: It's got to come from somewhere. And so I just -- it's a really tough position to be in as a business owner. So, I just -- I'll take it from me.

YURKEVICH: Millennials, like Tullio, and Latinos, have seen the steepest rise in living costs. And the growing Latino population here in Tampa is outpacing the national average.

In December, Catherine Baez says her rent went up by $400. "What did you think?" I asked her. "I can't pay it. I can't," she said. So she moved, and is now picking up odd jobs just to keep up with rising costs. Her one-woman beauty services business isn't covering the bills.

"I've had to clean homes, offices. It's not very comfortable, but it has to be done," she said.

Trying to keep up for her and her son has been hard, she says. I ask her how it's been emotionally.

"There is uncertainty because when the date for paying these bills arrives and you don't have the full amount, you feel anguished. As a sole provider, as a single mother, it is difficult, she said.

Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, Tampa, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And this quick programming note. On this Presidents' Day weekend, CNN is premiering a new original series focused on the life and presidency of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the end of the oath, LBJ tried to embrace Mrs. Kennedy, and he kissed Mrs. Johnson. They wanted us to get out of Dallas, to get back to Washington as soon as possible. So Johnson said, let's get airborne.

[14:55:00]

The Democratic congressmen started to move toward them and they had their hand out to shake his hand. And I saw him, President Johnson had his hands below his belt. You couldn't see them on camera, but he went like this. Everything that he did on that airplane was directed toward Mrs. Kennedy. Lyndon Johnson had many wonderful days, but that day in Dallas, he was magnificent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: "LBJ, Triumph and Tragedy" premieres tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN Newsroom continues with Phil Mattingly after this.

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