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Interview with French Ambassador to the U.S., Philippe Etienne; All 3 Arbery Killers Found Guilty of Federal Hate Crimes; Women's National Team & U.S. Soccer Reach $24 Million Settlement; Soon, Biden to Speak on Ukraine Crisis. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired February 22, 2022 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

PHILIPPE ETIENNE, FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES: Well, if we mean it seriously, these sanctions -- if we mean seriously, we want to -- we want to be able to decide on a package of massive sanctions. Of course, they will have consequences.

But we have also coordinated with our allies, with Europeans, U.K., United States, Canada, and other allies and partners, so that those sanctions will be efficient through their effect on the Russian economy.

But we'll mitigate as much as possible the effects on our economies. It was part -- it has been part -- it is part of the coordination.

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: That makes sense.

Mr. Ambassador, Philippe Etienne, thank you so much for joining me. I assume that we'll be touching base as this situation continues, unfortunately, likely escalates.

Thank you for your time.

And as we wait for the president, we want to go to another story here in the U.S. The three men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery now found guilty of hate crimes. We'll go to Georgia next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:36:03]

BASH: Three white men chased Ahmaud Arbery down because he was black. And almost two years to the day Arbery was murdered in south Georgia, a jury found his convicted killers guilty of federal hate crimes.

CNN's Nadia Romero is outside the courthouse in Brunswick, Georgia.

Nadia, cameras weren't allowed inside. You were there. Walk us through what happened as this verdict was read.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Dana, it was an emotional morning for sure for everyone involved. Guilty on all charges that the three defendants were facing.

And that wasn't a guarantee. So there was a lot of angst from Ahmaud Arbery's family who was wondering how this would play out.

When the verdict was read, you saw the jury's foreman, the lone black male juror, who was weeping when the verdict was read, so emotional.

Ahmaud Arbery's family, the Department of Justice, the supporters all hugging one another, celebrating the verdict.

On the other side of the courtroom was Leigh McMichael. She saw her husband and son yet again be convicted on charges. Travis and Gregory McMichael. She sat in the courtroom long after many other people had left the courthouse.

Outside the courthouse, we saw Ahmaud Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper- Jones, saying she was happy about the verdict, that justice was served.

But she took the time to make sure to criticize the Department of Justice. She said that they did not want to try this case. Instead, they wanted to take a plea deal.

Attorney General Merrick Garland was asked about Wanda Cooper-Jones' criticism of the D.A.

Listen to how it all played out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WANDA COOPER-JONES, MOTHER OF AHMAUD ARBERY: I, as a mom, will never heal.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER-JONES: I want to go back to the DOJ. I told the DOJ that, yes, they were prosecutors. But one thing they didn't have, they didn't have a son that was lying in a cold grave.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER-JONES: And they still didn't hear my cry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I cannot imagine the pain that a mother feels to have her son run down and then gunned down while taking a jog on a public street.

My heart goes out to her and to the family. That's really all I can say about this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: So you heard the A.G. there getting emotional but not directly answering back to the criticism from Ahmaud Arbery's mother.

Dana, this isn't over. The family says they'll be watching the case of the former district attorney.

We saw Jackie Johnson facing charges now because she decided not to move forward with an investigation and charge the three men originally when Ahmaud Arbery was initially killed -- Dana?

BASH: Nadia Romero, I heard Ben Crump, the attorney, say this is the first time the federal hate crimes law has been used where you are in Georgia. A small piece of justice for Ahmaud Arbery.

Thank you so much for that report.

[13:39:02]

Next, a six-year fight for equal pay ends in victory for key members of the U.S. women's soccer team. More on the landmark settlement, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: We are still waiting for President Biden to speak at the White House, making what we are told is a significant announcement about the U.S. response and potential actions given what Vladimir Putin is doing in Ukraine.

While we wait for that, I want to get to a story about the U.S. women's national soccer team. They know how to win on the pitch. And they have now scored a massive victory in court.

U.S. Soccer has agreed to pay more than $20 million to dozens of past and current players to settle a legal fight over equal pay.

CNN's Don Riddell joins us now.

Don, boy, this was a long time coming.

DON RIDDELL, CNN "WORLD SPORT" ANCHOR: Yes, absolutely, Dana. Almost three years since they filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer.

But the inequality and injustice has been going on so much more than that.

This is a story that many women will be able to relate to, excelling in the workplace but having to go above and beyond and fight for the recognition to be fairly compensated for that. [13:45:02]

Let's just break down what this award today means.

It was a $24 million settlement. So $22 million going to the players who have been involved in this, $2 million going towards setting up a charitable fund, which will help with growth of the game for women and girls.

And crucially, the commitment to pay the American men and the American women the same going forward.

Megan Rapinoe is one of the most high-profile players involved in this campaign. This is how she summed it up earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEGAN RAPINOE, U.S. WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYER: I am just so proud, to be honest. I'm so proud of, you know, all the hard work that all of us did to get us here.

Obviously, the players on the team and players this lawsuit represent and our extended team that has helped us.

But it's a really amazing day. I think we're going to look back on this day and say this is the moment that, you know, U.S. Soccer changed for the better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: Dana, you say this is a long time coming, for sure.

The American women won their first World Cup all the way back in 1991. They've since won four of them. They've won four Olympic gold medals. They've won eight CONCACAF gold cups.

If you compare that to the men, no World Cups, no Olympic victories, seven CONCACAF gold cups.

So this is a hugely successful and very, very popular women's team. They make a lot of money for U.S. Soccer. This is a big win for them.

But not just for themselves, for women generally, and certainly for the growth of women's football and women's sport globally because they're ambassadors and they are world famous for it.

BASH: So well said.

Don Riddell, thank you so much for that important report.

We are still waiting for President Biden to speak on the crisis in Ukraine. Will he unveil new sanctions? What will those sanctions look like, if so? And will they stop Vladimir Putin from further invading Ukraine?

Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:51:23]

BASH: We're waiting to hear from President Biden. He's expected to speak any minute now.

The first time we will hear him talk about the U.S. response since Russia escalated tensions by sending additional troops into eastern Ukraine in the last 24 hours.

A Western official tells CNN that combat indicators are only getting worse.

A short time ago, Russia announced it is pulling all of its diplomats out of Ukraine, a troubling sign of what may be to come.

I want to go back to CNN's Jim Sciutto, who is in Lviv, Ukraine.

Jim, what are you hearing from diplomatic officials about what Biden will say about what he should day?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Biden administration, it seems, is going to issue its chapter, right, in which has been a day of multiple steps by the allies.

It began with a really remarkable up with, right, that is Germany saying that it was suspending Nord Stream 2.

That is no small thing. It has geopolitical implications and economic implications for Germany. Germany, that's a step that they've resisted.

That's a big step. And it's a big loss for Vladimir Putin and Russia.

It was followed by Boris Johnson announcing sanctions against several Russian banks and individuals, five Russian banks.

Then you had the E.U., all 27 countries, issue their own sanctions, including sanctioning all the members of the Russian Duma, or parliament, who voted to recognize these supposedly breakaway republics in Ukraine.

And now here comes the U.S. piece of this.

It's not insignificant to have the allies acting in concert here on a whole range of sanctions.

Particularly when you might have argued that there could have been some division within the ranks.

Given that Putin's first step, at least, has not been the full-scale invasion, but this move in the eastern part of the country recognizing these supposedly pro-Russian districts there and now it seems moving Russian forces in there.

That unity is, to some degree, against the odds.

Now the question is, of course, does Putin stop there? Because as you mentioned, Dana, he still maintains an enormous military capability around the country to carry out a more full-scale invasion.

And then the question becomes, how does the West respond to that?

BASH: It's such an important point about the coordinated response. We've seen it. But actually saying it and putting it together.

I spoke with the French ambassador to the U.S. earlier in the hour. And any chance he got, he made clear this is being coordinated.

That was one of Vladimir Putin's goals was to splinter the West. And it seems as though, so far, he's done just the opposite, which is what the allies and the U.S. -- the allies including the U.S. are trying to show.

Jim Sciutto, thank you so much.

Stay with us. Because we are waiting for President Biden to speak.

I'm going to -- that's it for me this hour. I will be back here tomorrow.

[13:54:28]

The news continues after a quick break with Alisyn and Victor.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Alisyn Camerota. Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you.

In moments, President Biden will speak on camera for the first time since Russian President Vladimir Putin declared parts of the Donbass region in Ukraine independent and ordered troops in.

The Kremlin has called Putin's orders a peacekeeping mission.

President Biden's deputy national security adviser called it the beginning of the latest invasion.

Now the president is expected to lay out new sanctions against Russia.

CAMEROTA: The U.S. joins multiple Western nations in condemning Putin's aggression.

And that includes Germany, which today halted its approval of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will have huge implications for Germany's economy and for Russia's.

We're covering this story from all angles.

We have CNN's Erin Burnett. She is in Lviv, Ukraine for us. Also CNN international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, in Moscow.

CNN White House correspondent, John Harwood is in Washington. CNN chief international correspondent, Clarissa Ward in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Also here, we have retired Brigadier General Peter Zwack, and Michael Bociukiw, former spokesman for the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe. He is in Lviv.

So let's begin with CNN's John Harwood.

John, what do we expect the president to say?

[13:59:47]

JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we expect is the president to lay out some sanctions going well beyond what the administration announced last night, which was sanctions targeted at those two break-away regions of Ukraine.

We've had a remarkable shift in tone from last night. Last night, senior administration officials were not labeling what had happened an invasion.

That might have reflected the inability to figure out exactly --