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Kyiv Under A Strict Curfew Until Monday; Russia Deploys Fighting Vehicles Near Kharkiv Front Line; U.S. Announces $350 In New Military Assistance To Ukraine; Russia State Media: Kremlin's Web Site Has Been Knocked Offline; Biden Nominates Ketanji Brown Jackson To Supreme Court; Gas Could Average $4 A Gallon Across U.S. Within Weeks; Sunday's SAG Awards Are Fist Major Awards Show Of Season. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired February 26, 2022 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): It's not just about standing in solidarity with Ukrainians, but also with fellow Russians. It's certainly not lost on him that he has seen many men and women back in Moscow arrested for doing just what he's doing here, which is basically standing against President Putin.

It's something that we're not just seeing here in New York City, but throughout the entire country, as we continue to see these demonstrations. But as you -- as we look at these pictures, right, as we get ready to send things back to you, it's certainly no surprise that here in New York City, it is home to what is one of the largest, if not the largest communities, of Ukrainian-Americans that are certainly feeling the events half a world away getting very close to home.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Right. Protests we're seeing unfold around the world against this war all induced by Vladimir Putin. Thank you so much, Pablo Sandoval. I appreciate that. We're going to check back with you there in New York.

Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me on for Fredricka Whitfield. And thank you for joining us for this CNN special coverage. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta.

All right, battles raging on right now across Ukraine. Let's get you up to date. A senior U.S. Defense official saying more than 250 missiles have been launched from Russian positions at Ukraine as of this morning.

CNN cameras were rolling a short time ago as Russian tanks move toward the front lines. Furious fighting is happening in the area of Kharkiv. In eastern Ukraine a sporadic clashes can be seen in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

A security camera catching this moment that a rocket or missile struck an apartment building in the Ukrainian Capitol just hours ago. Kyiv now extending a strict curfew until Monday. And in a posted video, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is vowing to stay and defend the Capitol turning down offers from the U.S. and others -- other countries to evacuate him. President Biden authorizing $350 million in security assistance, anti-armor, anti-aircraft systems to aid Ukraine.

But then there's this growing humanitarian crisis, signs of desperation at Kyiv'strain station as civilians, they're trying to escape the carnage even with that gunfire. And we have new video of long lines. Take a look at that. People are pouring into neighboring Poland in their vehicles, some on foot. The UN saying over 120,000 have fled Ukraine.

Let's begin in Kyiv where the sun has set and a curfew is in place. The Mayor of Kyiv extending a city-wide order until Monday morning as Russian troops are advancing on the Capitol from all directions. CNN's Alex Marquardt is back with me now in Kyiv.

And so, Alex, last hour, you said from the north, south, east, and west that troops are making their way, Russian troops are making their way to Kyiv. Have you been hearing any other kind of activity?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes, we have, Fred. We have indications now that the sun has set that this is probably not going to be a quiet night. Just in the past few moments, we have heard air raid sirens going off here in the capital.

We've also heard those loud now very familiar thuds and, and low rumbles of explosions in the distance coming from the north and from the East. We believe we've also heard gunfire coming from those directions directly behind me as well.

This was essentially right on cue as the sun had set after what had been a relatively quiet day. We are now hearing ominous sounds from the Kremlin and from the Russian Ministry of Defense. They had claimed that they had paused operations because Kyiv had given indications that they plan to negotiate. They said that Kyiv then reneged on that. That is something of course Ukraine is denying.

But the worrying part is the Ministry of Defense now saying that they are going to resume this offensive in all directions. And they have made this accusation that the Ukrainian military is positioning some of their heavy weaponry in civilian areas, an indication possibly, that we may soon see Russia targeting those areas.

They also took issue with the fact that Ukraine has called on everyday civilians to take up arms. We have seen a mass general -- mass mobilization. And essentially any Ukrainian who wants to get a weapon, can get a weapon. Russia is saying that that will inevitably lead to accidents and casualties. So, another worrying sign that we may soon see a civilian casualties on the rise.

But, Fred, as you noted, we are now seeing fighting coming from every direction in the past 24 hours. We have known that the Russians are pushing down from the north. We have seen significant fighting according to the Ukrainians in both the south and the east.

[13:05:13]

And then in the West, perhaps the closest fighting that we have seen yet in the city center within the city limits rather, about three miles about five kilometers from where I'm standing, there were several explosions in the early morning hours. The Ukrainian military is saying that that was an attack by Ukrainian forces against a column of Russian vehicles, including trucks laden with ammunition, and a tank.

Now, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made clear that he has no intention of leaving the city or of leaving his country. He said that he is target number one for the Russians. He has been putting out consistent videos praising the Ukrainian Armed Forces for, he says, managing to repel the Russian aggression.

So, we are seeing some good signs that the Ukrainians are putting up a good fight, that they are managing to keep the Russians at bay, at least for now. Some of the most dire warnings for the capital were that it could fall in 24 to 48 hours. We are past that. But of course, you know, this, by no means is this city out of the woods.

The U.S. prediction is that it could take some days. But the Ukrainians are putting up a significant fight, but at the same time, Fredricka, they are calling for more support. I spoke with a Ukrainian defense official who said that they are happy to see that the U.S. is now allocating another $350 million worth of weaponry. But this official telling me that they need more and they need it now, not tomorrow. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And then, Alex, I can't help but think about the image of that apartment building earlier that you know, got hit. And you had mentioned it wasn't occupied. But then, does this mean that people particularly while the curfew is in place, are they staying in basement units mostly?

MARQUARDT: What is notable about this curfew is that when we think about curfews, normally it's from evening until morning. This one is for 48 hours. Kyiv of officials want the citizens off of the streets. If there are air raid sirens, they say go down into those shelters. There are thousands of shelters all across the city. They're telling people to stay inside their homes, to stay away from windows because of course blast can shatter windows and cause all kinds of injuries.

That incident that you're talking about in that apartment building, of course, is a very worrying sign of what could come, a rocket slamming into the upper floors of that apartment building. We're told by Ukrainian officials that there were somehow no casualties, no deaths, thankfully. But of course, there is great concern that that the Russians could pivot from what has until now appeared to be primarily focusing on military targets to more indiscriminate attacks that could leave many civilians dead. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Alex Marquardt, thank you so much. We'll check back with you. Stay safe.

The Russian Ministry of Defense says its troops have been ordered to resume their offensive in all directions after a suspension was ordered, reportedly, for negotiations with Ukraine. The Ministry spokesman also criticizing the Ukrainian government for arming civilians, saying that will inevitably lead to casualties.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is live for us near the Belgorod region. So, Fred, tell us more about the timing of these remarks, especially as you saw so many tanks rolling by.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes, Fredricka, and certainly, we didn't see any sort of suspension of hostilities from the Russian side so far. In fact, throughout the day, we did hear artillery rocket fire go off. And right now we have a lot of helicopter activity over the position where I am right now.

And if you look to the side here, you can see behind me, there's actually two Russian military vehicles behind us right now. Those are actually pointed in the direction as though they're going away from the front line. It's sort of something that we've also seen Russian seemingly rotating some of their forces in and out of the frontline area.

However, what we've been seeing, especially over the past couple of hours, but really, throughout the entire day is more Russian forces going in, then Russian forces coming out. And of course, just a couple of hours ago here on this program, we saw that large column of Russian tanks going in towards the frontline. That's also something that we've seen similarly throughout the day, although not in the numbers that we saw then as -- when we were here on your show.

But certainly, we haven't seen any sort of lead-up in Russian military activity. And this is of course, the where I'm right now, sort of south of Belgorod in Russia, very close to the frontline in Kharkiv. And as you mentioned, the U.S. believes this is now one of the real focal points of the Russian army. This is some of the most fierce battles are going on currently, as the Russians keep pressing that invasion.

[13:10:07]

And you do see a lot of military activity not just leading up to the front. In fact, behind me, you can see that's the sort of the last checkpoint when you get up to that area towards Kharkiv, but all around here as well. This place is really teeming with Russian military. If you go to some of the towns to the side of here, there's a lot of military vehicles that are parked there.

And you really do get the impression, you can see that if Vladimir Putin wants that he can seriously escalate all of this even further, if there are indications that the Russian military is not advancing as fast as maybe it thought it would be as some belief, certainly there does seem to be a lot of room to further escalate all this with a lot of really heavy equipment in some of these villages and in some of these sort of side areas around here.

So, it really seems to us as though right now, the invasion is still going at full steam, the Russians still moving forward at full steam. Whether or not they're running into more difficulties than they thought really, from here, we can't really tell. One of the things that we have seen and I think it's important to point this out, is at certain times, we have seen ambulances move out of the frontline area.

Now, whether or not that means that the Russians are taking casualties more than they thought, really difficult to say. But that's certainly one of those observations that we've been making as we've been standing here throughout the day, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, very ominous. All right, Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much.

All right, today, U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken authorized $350 million in new U.S. military assistance to Ukraine following instructions from President Biden. Congresswoman Jackie Speier is a Democrat from California, and she's a member of the armed services and Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Congresswoman, it's so good to see you.

REP. JACKIE SPEIER (D-CA): Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: I wonder, how worried are you for the Ukrainian people?

SPEIER: I'm deeply concerned. And I fear that unless we step up additional military aid swiftly, that they're going to be overwhelmed. I mean, if you look at how much more military the Russian have on the ground versus the Ukrainians, they're dwarfed by it. They're dwarfed by the weapon systems that Russia has.

So, this is an onslaught that we have to appreciate is going to be effective if we don't take more significant steps.

WHITFIELD: And when you say more significant steps, getting more arsenal in country is among them, right? I mean, how quickly and what -- of what capacity could you get more arsenal in? Because remember, I mean, their military is relatively small in comparison to what the Russian assets are.

And you've got husbands brothers and sons between the ages of 18 and 60 who are also helping to supplement the fighting, many of whom do not have any training or wherewithal or know how to even use arsenal that might come in.

SPEIER: Well, certainly, we have to do more about training and equipping. Most of that is going to come in through Poland. And the extent to which that area in Ukraine gets overtaken by the Russians is going to put us in a very sensitive situation. I think NATO is doing the right thing. I don't know if it's doing fully what it should and can do.

It's true that Ukraine is not a member of NATO, so Article Five does not get invoked. But we do know that this is not just about Ukraine. This is about the democracies of Europe. This is about all the other satellite countries that were once part of the Soviet Union, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia that will be next. And then is Poland next. So, I think we need to recognize that this is -- this is serious. And

if we are really a country that is embracing democracy around the world, particularly with our European allies and NATO, this is -- this is more than a country that is not a member of NATO. It is -- it's much more serious.

WHITFIELD: Yes. So, I'm hearing a few stages here. I mean, a few layers because we're talking -- you're also talking about how in country in Ukraine more military support is needed. Ukraine has vowed it's going to do this on its own, but of course with us assistance in the form of Arsenal from neighboring countries.

NATO, by way of even the U.S. deploying another 7000 U.S. troops as part of NATO to help protect neighboring European nations. But it sounds like the long-term and the long-term needs versus the immediacy needs, I mean, that's going to be difficult for them to coincide, because the immediate need is right now. Ukraine is in trouble.

And I understand what you're saying about protectively assisting this, you know, growing threat from Russia, but how do you -- how does anyone help Ukraine right now?

[13:15:27]

SPEIER: Well, that's what we're going to have to wrestle within the next week. Because, you know, we've started using this artificiality of NATO as a reason why we can't help Ukraine. We didn't think twice about going into Afghanistan and doing a surge in Afghanistan. And yet, this is so much closer to home, so much closer to our allies.

And I really think that this is -- this is something that Putin wants because he wants to recreate the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was created in 1922. It's -- 100 years later, he has always had a great disappointment that it was broken up. And this is his effort to recreate it. And so, we have to recognize that it's much bigger than just Ukraine, although, God love the people there because they are -- they're showing the courage that so many others have not.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I mean, it's an incredible example of people putting their lives on the line. I mean, ordinary citizens, teachers, you know, doctors, business people, fathers, and sons, and the former president -- if you saw our interview with the former President Poroshenko earlier today, who said, you know, if it's his time, it's his time, but this is what he has to do to protect this country and the culture of that country.

Congresswoman Jackie Speier, thank you so much for being with us. I appreciate it.

SPEIER: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And then just moments ago, Germany's saying it will support restricting Russia from SWIFT. This follows days of debate among E.U. members as to whether to include the global interbank payment system in its next round of sanctions against Russia. The German foreign minister and German economics Minister are calling for a targeted and functional constraint of SWIFT.

President Biden has also just weighed in on SWIFT and we're live from Wilmington in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:20:00]

WHITFIELD: President Biden has wrapped up a call with his national security team as they discuss the latest developments in Ukraine. CNN's Arlette Saenz is with the President in Wilmington, Delaware, where the President is spending the weekend. So, Arlette, what more do we know about this call?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, Fred, President Biden convened that secure call with his national security team here in Wilmington, Delaware via a secure video line this morning. And it comes as a senior U.S. Defense official is saying that Putin's has about more than 50 percent of Russia's troop presence is now in Ukraine.

The U.S. has also been focusing on how exactly to support Ukraine during this attack. Yesterday, President Biden spent about 40 minutes on the phone with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy where the President commended the Ukrainians for standing up to Russia, as well as discussed issues regarding security assistance.

The U.S. has authorized $350 million worth of security assistance to be delivered to Ukraine. Of course, one big question now is when and how exactly that material is transported into the country, as there is currently -- the airspace there is currently contested.

A senior Defense official said that this will be delivered in trenches, but that it also -- one route that they could be looking at is using ground routes in order to deliver that. But this is equipment that the Ukrainians have insisted they needed soon as they're waging this fight against Russia.

WHITFIELD: Arlette, we're also getting a new report at the White House is seriously weighing whether to remove Russia from SWIFT, this international banking transaction system. What more can you tell us about any movement on that?

SAENZ: Well, this would have huge consequences for Russia if the U.S. and allies were moving forward with this decision. Now, U.S. officials and their E.U. counterparts were told had the discussing the possibility of simply targeting sanctions that would remove individual banks and entities instead of the entire Russian network.

Of course, there has been some resistance from European countries who'd rely heavily on Russia for their gas and energy expert forts. But if the U.S. were to come on board and say that they support this, that could add some pressure to other countries who have been resistant.

Notably, just in the last hour, we've learned that Germany is supportive of removing Russia from SWIFT in some limited targeted fashion. So, we will see whether there will be any other coalescing among the U.S. and its E.U. allies on this proposal.

WHITFIELD: Arlette Saenz in Delaware, thanks so much.

Coming up, as the Russian military increases its attacks on Ukraine, technology experts warn of cyberattacks. Is the U.S. a prime target? We'll discuss next.

And take a look at these live pictures from Atlanta Centennial Olympic Park where Ukrainian support rally is happening right now. It's one of several across the U.S. today. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:25:00]

WHITFIELD: Russia trying to dominate and influence the narrative. Russian state media says the Kremlin website is being targeted by cyberattacks. A government spokesman said Russia's Ministry of Defense website has also been down. This is the third day in a row that prominent Russian sites have reportedly gone dark.

Let's bring in now Juliette Kayyem. She's a CNN National Security Adviser and a former Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. Good to see you. Do you believe them?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes, it may be true. Look, there's sort of vigilante groups or groups like anonymous who we're familiar with who may be taken aside of Ukraine, who are doing what they do best, which is to be disruptive and try to infiltrate or disrupt Russian sites.

You know, so that that is that is part of the playing field of this -- of their front. But it does not constitute the kind of attack that we're worried about coming from Russia to either NATO allies or us.

[13:30:00]

So that is still very real, this potential widespread -- or, you know, threats of a potential widespread cyberattack from Russia, whether it be on Ukraine or even allied nations.

How serious is that concern?

KAYYEM: It's very serious. NATO's leadership has been talking about it.

So, basically, Article 5 of the NATO agreement is that an attack on one country is an attack on all countries. This was written before we had the Internet and cyberattacks.

Most people interpret attack to mean that if there's a cyberattack, loosely defined, right, and we don't know what it means, that other countries would have to come assist. What we generally do is try to distinguish between what we call

disruptive attacks, the kind of annoyances that exist, sort of every day, and what President Biden and NATO leadership is warning about, which is destructive attacks.

That's why President Biden is focused on critical infrastructure, on attacks on systems that would -- that if disrupted or if destructed would impact civilian life in the country, whether it's NATO or the U.S.

But we're purposely vague about it, NATO is purposely vague about it because you don't want to set a line and Putin sort of keeps going close to it but not over it.

WHITFIELD: Right.

So the Department of Homeland Security, you know, has also done its part by warning U.S. businesses that they may become targets of cyberattacks from Russian state-sponsored agents.

And so how do they brace themselves without revealing, you know, everybody's vulnerabilities? But what do they --

(CROSSTALK)

KAYYEM: Exactly.

For the last three or four months, the organization in DHS has been reaching out to get to major companies and critical infrastructure owners prepared for potential attacks.

It's not inconsistent with what they're always trying to do. It just makes it seem more immediate, which is to close loopholes, you know, dual authentication, make sure you don't have employees who are careless.

And then make sure, if disrupted, the company or critical infrastructure owner knows how to get back online relatively quickly.

But the concern with cyber warfare is not simply that Russia, as a nation, will attack -- more likely a NATO ally than us.

It is that, given the sort of, I would say, ambiguity of war, that other actors would come in and try to disrupt in ways where a nation would feel or would have to respond. That's the sort of nature of this game.

Because an attack -- for example, a cyberattack in Ukraine will have downstream impact on companies in Europe that have business in Ukraine, organizations and people who are networked with Ukrainian businesses.

And so that's the sort of nebulous nature of it.

So I think it's really significant and important that President Biden has said two important things. One is a cyberattack will constitute an attack like any other.

And second, we're not going to tell you what we think the scope and magnitude of that attack is. I think that's very smart on the White House's part.

WHITFIELD: The threat of any cyberattacks, I mean, that was in existence as a prelude to war, to the conflict going on right now.

Is it your feeling that this will just remain heightened from this point on?

KAYYEM: Yes. Yes. And -- exactly. And governments -- the government here in the United States as well as NATO governments have been working hard with the private sector.

Because you can stop a destructive attack. In other words, you can stop bad things from happening if you're prepared and you recognize that your systems are vulnerable.

I have to say, while I have the floor, any organization or person listening that hasn't gone through and sort of tested their systems, in particular critical infrastructure owners, media, and other organizations, it's really important to do that now.

Because the threat environment is clearly higher. We don't know what to expect from Russia.

But also it's just, in moments like these where everything is so disrupted, mistakes, accidents can happen. And we don't need to exacerbate it any further than the tensions already are.

WHITFIELD: Maybe the simple things we can all be doing is update those passwords and don't click on everything.

KAYYEM: Yes. Exactly.

WHITFIELD: Don't click on everything. Don't be a sucker.

KAYYEM: Yes. Yes. Passwords, CNN1234 isn't working for me anymore.

WHITFIELD: That's right. Make it more complicated.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: All right, Juliette Kayyem, good to see you. Thanks so much.

KAYYEM: Thank you.

[13:34:44]

All right, coming up next, a history-making pick for the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. So, who is she? And will her Senate confirmation be a swift one?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Now that President Biden has nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court, he has set in motion a historic confirmation process for the first black woman to potentially sit on the highest court of the land.

Franita Tolson is a law professor and vice dean for the USC Law School.

Franita, so good to see you.

FRANITA TOLSON, LAW PROFESSOR & VICE DEAN, USC LAW SCHOOL: You, too, Fred.

WHITFIELD: I should say dean. Oh my gosh, that was way too casual.

Dean, how are you?

TOLSON: Great.

WHITFIELD: President Biden followed through on his promise to nominate a black woman to the United States Supreme Court.

[13:40:01]

The president's introduction of her really was a moment. And what did it mean to you?

TOLSON: Oh, my god, the visual, right? President Biden standing between the first black woman to serve as vice president and then, on the other side, it was the first woman nominated to the Supreme Court, Judge Jackson.

It was an incredible moment.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

TOLSON: My heart was full.

WHITFIELD: Oh, I know. It had to be.

I've heard especially from so many people in law who felt that it was like themselves being there.

I mean, that historic moment, you know, was not lost, you know, on Judge Jackson as you, you know, heard in her speech. I mean, it was with such eloquence.

And then, I mean, just listen to her voice now. You know, in this phone call clip that was released today by the White House, you hear surprise from her. She's gracious.

It's all wrapped up in that moment that Biden actually told Judge Jackson that she was his nominee.

Listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KETANJI BROWN JACKSON, D.C. CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE & SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: Hello?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Judge Jackson?

JACKSON: Yes.

BIDEN: This is Joe Biden. How are you?

JACKSON: I am wonderful. How are you, Mr. President?

BIDEN: Well, you're going to be more wonderful. I'd like you to go to the Supreme Court. How about that?

JACKSON: Sir, I would be so honored.

BIDEN: I'm honored to nominate you.

JACKSON: I am just so -- so overwhelmed. Thank you.

BIDEN: Well, you deserve it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: What a special moment to be able to hear that.

I mean, when you heard that, what were your thoughts about what must be going through her mind at that moment? And then what it is for you or I or anybody to be a witness to that call.

TOLSON: I know. You should have warned me.

(LAUGHTER)

TOLSON: I mean, just the emotion in her voice. It's really an incredible moment.

I just think that -- I think your viewers have to understand how this fits within our history. After two centuries, we finally have a black woman who has been nominated to the Supreme Court.

Which is really an institution in which black women have been excluded from, as a matter of law, custom, and practice, as late as the Trump administration.

They never floated any nominees who were black women, potential nominees. So to come to this moment, it defies words.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Yes.

In picking Judge Jackson, President Biden said it's important that the Supreme Court looks like America.

And listen to what CNN senior legal Analyst, Laura Coates, had to say when she, too, was witness to hearing of this nomination.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA COATES, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: When I heard about this particular nominee coming out, in a moment my spine straightened, black lawyers all across this country's spines straightened, because, for us, we know that we are all Supreme Court nominees today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Yes. She said it so succinctly. Very similar to how you described what it meant to you to hear of her nomination.

So, this confirmation process, you know, it's always unpredictable, even though she has impeccable credentials and so many are praising her, you know, with so many accolades.

But at the same time, is there any way in which you can predict or look ahead at what this confirmation process -- what are you bracing yourself for in what this conversation process might be like for her?

TOLSON: Well, I'm bracing myself for the onslaught of unfair criticism likely to come her way.

As you mentioned, her credentials are impeccable, right? Double Harvard graduate, former Breyer clerk. She's nominated to replace her boss.

She's a judge on a D.C. circuit, which is traditionally thought of as a pipeline to Supreme Court.

You have several former justices who were D.C. district judges prior to being elevated, including Justice Scalia and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

So to say that her credentials are impeccable, they fit within the broadest spectrum of the credentials of recent justices.

Nonetheless, she will likely be attacked. Her credentials and some of her legal opinions that she's issued, even opinions that she's signed on to will be subject to critique.

Some of this is part of the normal process. But I do think because of her race and gender there will be more criticism than nominees normally experience.

WHITFIELD: Vice Dean Franita Tolson, always good to see you. Thank you so much.

TOLSON: Nice to see you, too.

WHITFIELD: All right.

We'll be right back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ALVIN LEE SMALLS, OWNER, LEE LEE'S BAKERY: My name is Alvin Lee Smalls, owner of Lee Lee's Baker in Harlem, New York.

I will be 80 in April. I've been baking for at least 57 years.

Fifty years ago, I was going through a newspaper, I found this recipe. I didn't know what I had.

[13:44:59]

The recipe was for rugelach. I knew it was special when I tried it. I didn't even know it was a Jewish pastry.

I changed everything around. I changed the sour cream to a cream cheese, good flour. I cook the raisins in honey to give it a nice flavor. Nice and moist.

A lot of people say that I make it better than their grandmother. Well, I shouldn't say this but people say I'm the bet baker that ever lived. That's what people say now.

We ship nationwide. We had the best bakers back in the '60s and '40s. And all those recipes are gone. Like it's only me and a few others left.

People don't do things like this anymore.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lee Lee's rugelach are a small bite. But I come back to see me Lee because the feelings and energy that I think he has created in all it, as a baker.

SMALLS: Everything from scratch, from sugar to the flour. Danishes, rolls, sweet potato pie, apple pie. Everything is made by hand.

What makes my bakery special is good recipes and me, Alvin. I bake with a lot of love.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:50:51]

WHITFIELD: And this just into CNN. Germany says is it will deliver weapons to Ukraine in a major shift after resisting previous calls for defensive weaponry.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted:

"It is our duty to support Ukraine as much as we can defending himself against Putin's invasion army. Therefore, we will deliver 1,000 anti- tank weapons and 500 stinger missiles to our friends in Ukraine," end quote.

Meantime, $4 a gallon gas will likely become reality for drivers across the U.S. in a matter of weeks, if not sooner. Even before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, gas prices are on the rise,

and this latest geopolitical crisis has created even more shock to the oil market.

Camila Bernal is in Los Angeles for us.

Camila, California is already feeling the pain at the pump, averaging, what, $4.79 a gallon as of yesterday?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and California is leading the nation when it comes to these high oil prices.

And here in downtown Los Angeles, when you are looking at the gas station, people are paying $6.35 for premium. And for cheap or the regular gas, you are paying $6.31.

So prices could get even higher than this. Not just here in California, but across the nation.

And in part, it is because Russia is the second-largest producer and exporter of oil, only second to the U.S. And Ukraine is a major transit hub when it comes to energy.

So with the crisis, you add in a lot of stress to the market. And that is when you are starting to see the $4 average per gallon, possibly, as you mentioned, in a couple of weeks.

Experts predict that my mid-March, that's the kind of prices you're going to be seeing at the pump.

So that is the crisis in Ukraine and Russia is going to be felt here at the pump.

It is important to point out that there are some states that are already at around $4 or ever higher.

There are other states that are going to have relatively lower prices, and while maybe they won't get to $4 per gallon, they are going to be feeling the increase -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: My goodness, Camila, I can't get past that $6-plus per gallon. Boy, you and all of my friends in California, you have to drive a lot. So I'm really feeling for you. I'm sorry about that.

All right, Camila Bernal, thank you so much. We'll check back with you.

And thank you for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

The CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jim Acosta right after this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHEERING)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hollywood's return to the red carpet is finally here.

(on camera): Is it a new pressure to be the first main award show of the season?

KATHY CONNELL, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, SAG AWARDS: It's exciting.

ELAM (voice-over): Kathy Connell and Jon Brockett have been producing the SAG Awards for more than two decades. This year, COVID has been the constant curveball.

CONNELL: In December, they were saying, are we still doing the live show, and we were going, yes, we are.

ELAM: Along with testing and vaccination requirements, the show is moving to an aircraft hangar in Santa Monica.

(on camera): The benefit of moving to a hangar is that they can open up the doors with more ventilation.

And with L.A. County dropping its indoor mask mandate for vaccinated people, it definitely takes the pressure off.

(voice-over): As the Oscars go big with three presenters, the SAG will have none.

CONNELL: We're the tightest show on the air. And we have all of these stars in the room. And wouldn't you like to see as many of them as you possible could?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I have to add this to my Tender profile.

(LAUGHTER)

ELAM: They say the speeches are the big draw.

JON BROCKETT, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, SAG AWARDS: It's where the award comes from. It is actors voting on actors.

ELAM: This year is full of firsts. "Squid Game" is the first foreign- language TV show nominated for best ensemble. And Troy Kotsur is the first deaf actor to be nominated for an individual award.

SCOTT FEINBERG, AWARDS COLUMNIST, "THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER": The veteran of the deaf theater community in L.A. who has a charming part in the movie and is just a Cinderella story as himself.

ELAM: The SAG Awards also differ from the Oscars in nominees.

"House of Gucci" and Lady Gaga were embraced by SAG actors, largely shunned by the Oscars. Jennifer Hudson has Aretha Franklin nominated for a SAG Award but shown no respect by Oscar.

And the "Power of the Dog" is Oscars top dog but that most nominated film not up for SAG's top prize.

[13:55:06] The SAG Awards don't always predict the Oscars, but they have telegraphed some upsets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Parasite."

CHEERING)

FEINBERG: "Parasite" coming out of kind of nowhere, they first won the best ensemble SAG Award.

(CHEERING)

ELAM (on camera): What makes the SAG Awards special.

CONNELL: It's the actor's party in the actor's house. It's fun.

ELAM (voice-over): In Hollywood, I'm Stephanie Elam.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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