Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

China Asked Russia To Delay Invasion Until After Olympics; January 6th Panel Lays Out Potential Criminal Charges Against Trump; Florida Gov. DeSantis Scolds Students For Wearing Masks. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired March 03, 2022 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Now, we expect Secretary of State Blinken to come here to Brussels, meeting with his NATO allies and European counterparts to discuss a broader coordination of sending lethal defense equipment to Ukraine amid this Russian onslaught and, of course, increased humanitarian assistance to Ukraine as they face this Russian aggression.

But Blinken made very clear in his press conference yesterday that the U.S. and NATO are going to defend every inch of NATO territory as Russia does continue its onslaught in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: And as President Biden has said, we will defend every inch of NATO territory against any aggression from Russia or otherwise. This is a threat to stability in Europe and to the entire rules-based order, which has been the foundation of security and prosperity for people around the world for nearly 80 years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERTRAND: So Blinken making clear, though, that this is not only a threat that Russia is posing to Ukraine but also to Europe -- the broader Europe -- and the entire international order that it threatens peace and stability around the world.

And, of course, the U.S. has been seeking to reassure those eastern flank NATO allies who feel very threatened by Russia's aggression that the U.S. and NATO will send additional reinforcements there to protect them in the event that Russia chooses to escalate further and if anything kind of spirals out of control and there is an escalation there along that eastern flank -- John. JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Natasha Bertrand in Brussels for us.

Natasha, thank you very much.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: A Western intelligence report claims that China asked Russia to wait until the Beijing Olympics were over before invading Ukraine.

CNN's Katie Bo Lillis is here with this. So, Katie, U.S. officials say this actually happened in early February right around the time that Vladimir Putin was in Beijing for the opening ceremony, meeting with the Chinese president.

KATIE BO LILLIS, CNN REPORTER: Yes, precisely so, Brianna. Our U.S. source is telling us that this Western intelligence report indicates that this request came from senior Chinese officials to senior Russian officials, as you say, just around the time that Putin is in Beijing meeting with Xi during the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

Now, our sources do tell us that this report is a little bit open to interpretation. It's not entirely clear that this conversation took place directly in between Putin and Xi. In fact, it's possible if not more likely that it took place kind of at the working level -- you know, some staff members, senior officials below the level of the presidency.

It's also not totally clear how the Western intelligence service that produced this report obtained the information. Is this something that they were told by a source, or was this something that they were able to substantiate through intercepted communications, which would obviously be a little bit more concrete?

But at the end of the day, Brianna, what we do know is that literally, the day after the closing ceremony of the Olympics, Russia moves to invade Ukraine. And broadly, our sources tell us that there's no reason to doubt the basic thrust of this report.

You know, intelligence officials had kind of, from the beginning, assessed that look, it's likely Putin is going to want to wait until after the Olympics because he's not going to want to anger Xi and he's going to -- because he's going to know that he's going to need some level of Chinese support on the international stage in the event that he takes the step that he did go on and take.

KEILAR: Yes, don't steal that spotlight, right? But is this also a tacit approval by the Chinese government? Go ahead, do it -- just don't do it now. Wait a beat.

LILLIS: Yes. I mean, look, certainly, intelligence officials are closely tracking this kind of burgeoning partnership in between China and Russia. You know, Xi and Putin have met some 37-38 times -- something like that -- as world leaders since they have been in the top spot in their respective countries.

And, of course, at the same time that this -- that this report was produced -- that this report said this conversation happened, we also saw this sort of extraordinary statement -- this joint statement from the Chinese and the Russians saying that they have a relationship that is quote "without limits." We have started to see China kind of condemning NATO expansion publicly, which is obviously a big concern for Russia.

So I think this relationship, in the long run, is something that intel officials are closely watching.

KEILAR: All right. Katie Bo, great reporting. Thank you so much for that.

A large explosion overnight in Kyiv. This followed a day of heavy shelling. Ukraine's capital bracing for more Russian attacks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:39:05]

BERMAN: Welcome back. This is CNN's special live coverage.

And this is video of a huge blast that lit up the night sky over Kyiv overnight. Residents of the Ukrainian capital are bracing for what could be a brutal Russian assault in the coming days.

Joining us now is political reporter for The Kyiv Independent, Asami Terajima. Asami, thank you so much for being with us this morning.

We saw the video of that blast. Just tell us what it's been like overnight in the last few hours in the city.

ASAMI TERAJIMA, POLITICAL REPORTER, THE KYIV INDEPENDENT (via Skype): So, there's been lots of explosions in the city. Some of my colleagues have their windows shake as well. So it's -- and we've also heard gunshots and lots of air raid sirens. So it's been a difficult night.

And we also know that the main body of the Russian column that is 60 miles long is approaching and I believe that it's about 20 kilometers -- 20 miles away, so like about 30 kilometers away from the capital.

[05:40:01]

So it's -- the tensions are rising and we are all worried for what may happen. But at the same time, the streets outside in Kyiv are pretty quiet right now because many people have left. But there are also people who have stayed -- who stayed in their apartments or in nearby shelters at metro stations. And these people are -- they know what's going -- what could happen but they are rather calm. And, of course, they're worried for what may happen but they're just trying to do the best that they can in the situation that they're put in.

BERMAN: Yes. People can see up here on the screen that I have here this 40-mile-long convoy still about 20 miles or so from the Kyiv City Center.

You mentioned people sleeping in the subway station -- the tube station. I heard as many as 15,000 people are spending the nights there. Do you have a sense of what it's like for the civilians who have decided to stay?

TERAJIMA: So, I spent -- I spent only two hours there and I could tell you that it's not comfortable. I tried to work underground. The connection -- I didn't have -- the Wi-Fi was not very great because I was trying to connect to the (INAUDIBLE). And obviously, like Kyiv has very deep metro stations and it has one of -- it has the world's deepest metro station as well. So it's difficult to get a signal underneath.

And I understand that there is also -- they also provide bathrooms and food and, like, water as well. But still, like spending days at metro station is not something that people want to do. But people -- we have to do it because we want to survive this war.

BERMAN: What happens -- and we can see on this map here the Russians are moving closer. All the area in red here is them with a troop presence encroaching on Kyiv. What happens if the Russians do get inside the city?

TERAJIMA: Well, yes, the military -- Ukraine military is doing really well over the past few days. And they've -- what they're doing is heroic, fighting against a much larger and much stronger enemy. But yes, that's possible -- it's likely that Russians will get into the city and we will most likely see very hard -- a hard fight in the capital -- in the very central part of Kyiv.

And we've -- the population of the Ukraine people who have stayed in -- who have stayed in the capital, we've already taken precautions like, first of all, like if we are apartments then we are already packed so that we can leave to a nearby shelter if we fear that there's a need. Our people are already spending days in the -- in the shelters so that they don't have to worry about waking up in the middle of the night hearing the sirens and go head into the shelter.

BERMAN: Asami Terajima with The Kyiv Independent. I've been glued to the work that you and your organization are doing. Thank you so much for your efforts. Please stay safe.

TERAJIMA: Thank you so much, too.

BERMAN: So, a major new court filing against former President Donald Trump. The House January 6 Committee says it has evidence that he broke the law.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:47:12]

KEILAR: Our special coverage of the intensifying war in Ukraine continues in just a moment.

First, though, new this morning, the House Select Committee is investigating the January sixth attack on the Capitol and alleging now that former President Trump broke several laws in an effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The panel is asking a judge for access to emails from right-wing lawyer John Eastman, who they say helped orchestrate the plot.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz is joining us now. OK, what are they looking for here?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, here, they're looking for emails from John Eastman and theoretically, in communication with Donald Trump directly or with the Trump campaign.

So, in this court filing -- this is a big court filing -- it has a lot of evidence that the House says that they have collected so far. And the House is really laying it all out here. They are saying that they believe there was some sort of planning of a crime happening between Trump and Eastman in either conspiracy to defraud the United States government as a whole with a false result of the election or to try to obstruct Congress from certifying the vote.

So, the one thing that I should back up is those are legal charges that could be brought in court. They have been brought against people in the January 6th investigation. But at this time, and forever -- I mean, the House is -- they are not prosecutors. They can't actually bring a case.

And so, the reason that this is coming up now is that they are making this argument as a way to try and get access. There's a way that John Eastman, Trump's lawyer, can block access to his emails that they are still seeking as part of this ongoing investigation. And in this situation, they are saying to this judge we believe that you should take a look at this and make a ruling as a federal court on whether there was planning of a crime here to see if we can get access to these.

But this is a big thing for the House to do right now and it really is the most substantial thing we've seen so far publicly from the House Select Committee.

KEILAR: So what happens next here?

POLANTZ: It's a great question. So this ongoing court activity keeps going on and the House investigation -- they also are continuing to pursue information. But the House has promised a full report at some point for the American public. They have also talked about public hearings.

And then we also know, Brianna, that out there, there are House members who have said that they are potentially looking at making criminal referrals to the Justice Department. This major document -- this is essentially the roadmap of how they would make that case if they want to make that argument to Merrick Garland at the Justice Department where they would be the people in the federal government who could charge crimes.

KEILAR: Katelyn Polantz, great reporting. Thank you.

BERMAN: All right. A curious political moment in Florida. Governor Ron DeSantis confronted children -- admonished them for wearing masks. These are high school students. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R), FLORIDA: You do not have to wear those masks. I mean, please take them off. Honestly, it's not doing anything and we've got to stop with this COVID theater. So, if you want to wear it, fine. But this is -- this is ridiculous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:50:08]

BERMAN: "Please take them off," he said.

Joining us, CNN's Steve Contorno in St. Petersburg, Florida. Look, DeSantis clearly an opponent of masks but it was striking to see him basically ask the kids to take them off.

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Yes, John and the reaction to this video online was swift. It blew up immediately and you had Democratic candidates and politicians all across the state criticizing the governor. Nikki Fried, the agriculture commissioner who is running for governor, likened DeSantis to a, quote, "bully."

And then, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, another candidate for governor -- he wrote on Twitter criticizing the governor. He said, "Young people in our state deserve to be treated with respect, not dunked on by a heartless, egotistical governor with a political agenda."

You know, the governor has been, like you said, a big proponent of mask freedom and he has been one of the leading opponents of mask mandates. But that was built around choice for people and a lot of people are saying that DeSantis was trying to take away people's choice in this situation.

You know, there's a lot of reasons why someone might wear a mask right now. And in Hillsborough County, the CDC still recommends people wear masks indoors because this is -- this is -- there is still a high risk of transmission here.

But the governor has been increasingly not just mask choice but anti- mask. Last week, his office gave guidance to businesses all across the state that said that they should no longer require their employees to wear masks, saying that this -- that masks don't work.

And last night, his office defended him on Twitter, saying that the governor was just giving these students -- letting them know that this was, quote, "theater" and that they had an option.

So, there's going to be a lot more blowback to this today John, I'm sure, and we'll be -- we'll be watching it.

BERMAN: All right, Steve Contorno, thank you very much.

KEILAR: More now on the breaking news out of Ukraine. Just in, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaking just moments ago to his citizens as the Russians are attacking his country. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): You are leaving people without food. You are leaving us without medication. You are shelling evacuation routes.

There is no weapon you wouldn't use against us -- against free citizens of Ukraine. And now, you go out and tell your propagandists that you are going to send so-called humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Please remember you God-less people when people curse you, you have no right to hide.

We don't have nuclear arms. We don't have oil and gas to fill the world with but we have our people, we have our land. And for us, that is our gold. That's what we're fighting for.

We have nothing to lose other than our freedom, our dignity. This is our greatest treasure.

And if anybody thinks that having come through this we somehow -- the Ukrainians -- will be scared and will give up, he knows nothing about us. He knows nothing about Ukraine. He has nothing to do here. He has nothing to do among us. He is an alien. Go home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Yes, that spirit and that defiance there, John -- I think that we've seen that almost singlehandedly change the equation in Ukraine. He knows that the longer they are able to withhold this Russian advance the more help they'll get. The more international support will come through, as we've seen it come through so far.

BERMAN: Yes. Look, and another message he was sending in that same speech, even though the Russians have troops now in Kherson and may have taken control of that city, and even though they are laying siege to Mariupol right now -- we spoke to the deputy mayor there -- President Zelensky made clear he thinks that they won't be able to stay. He's saying the Russians may be in certain places now but they won't be able to stay. A clear message of defiance.

So as we said, the key Ukrainian port city of Mariupol surrounded right now, coming under more than 26 hours of shelling by Russian forces. One official says the people there are facing a humanitarian catastrophe.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:59:20]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

KEILAR: Good morning to viewers here in the United States and around the world. It is Thursday, March third, and I'm Brianna Keilar with John Berman.

We're beginning with breaking news. The first major Ukrainian city seized by Russian forces. Kherson is a strategically critical port city of about 300,000 people near the Black Sea. And the mayor confirming that Russian soldiers have entered city hall to begin installing a new administration. He urged his people to follow their orders.

And new images just coming in showing how the Russians are intensifying the air war. A shell hit an oil depot in Chernihiv, about 50 miles north of Kyiv. So far, no word on victims or injuries there.

Also, new satellite images from Maxar Technologies of the region showing that --