Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Biden Makes Appeal for Diplomacy as World Watches Putin's Next Move; 1/6 Panel Digs into Fake Elector Plot, Issues Six More Subpoenas; New York Times Reports, Russian Teen Tests Positive for Three Heart Drugs, Only One is Banned. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired February 16, 2022 - 07:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[07:00:00]

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: So, how many days has it been now since you operation? Do you know?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know it's about two years and about three months. So, it's been a little bit.

GUPTA: sober, all the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It didn't seem reachable at one time. But here we are. It doesn't even seem real.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: I should point out that this research that you just saw there was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. And this institute has basically, look, we are at the point now where we have to try anything and everything. That's why brain surgery is a potential option now to try and treat addiction. They recognize how significant a problem this opioid overdose issue really is.

They also wanted this research done in West Virginia in part because of the expertise of people like Rezai (ph) who was at the Neuroscience Institute but also because this is an area of the country that has been hit so particular hard by this overdose epidemic. So, that is in part what's happening there.

It goes without saying, I think, Brianna and John, that this would not be for everybody. This would be reserved for the worse off, people who are at real risk of dying from an overdose. And in that case, if it works, it would potentially be saving lives. Brianna, John?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEW DAY: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. It is Wednesday, February 16th.

Just moments ago, NATO secretary general said Russia has the capability of launching a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine without any warning time. This is what he said exactly. He said, we have heard signs from Moscow about readiness to continue diplomatic efforts but so far we have not seen any de-escalation on the ground. On the contrary, he says, it appears that Russia continues the military buildup.

Now, this comes as the Ukrainian president has declared today a day of unity despite the threat of imminent invasion. For his part, President Biden is pushing diplomacy. Listen to him take the unusual step of making a direct appeal to the Russian people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're not targeting the people of Russia. We do not seek to destabilize Russia. To the citizens of Russia, you are not our enemy. And I do not believe you want a bloody destructive war against Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN NEW DAY: This morning, the Kremlin is responding to President Biden's comments for the first time, calling them positive, that the president is ready to, quote, start serious negotiations. Putin now claims that some Russian troops are returning to their bases after completing their drills. There is some new video overnight. But consider this, it is from the Russian ministry of defense. And this allegedly shows tanks and troops returning from Crimea on a train after exercises.

Officials in the U.S., though, and Ukraine are skeptical. They insist that they see no evidence on of a drawdown. CNN has been unable to confirm if the video accurately reflects the situation on the ground.

CNN's Clarissa Ward is in Kyiv with the latest developments. Clarissa?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Brianna, it's just so difficult to know based on that video what you're actually seeing. Is it a meaningful reduction? Are they leaving in droves? Are they going to a base nearby the border anyway, in which the whole case kind of becomes redundant?

But what we're hearing now from U.S. officials, from Ukrainian officials, from NATO leaders is that it does not appear as of yet that there has been any meaningful reduction of U.S. -- of Russian forces, rather, any meaningful de-escalation. We heard from the U.K. defense secretary who said no evidence of a withdrawal yet. He went on to say that 60 percent of Russia's entire ground combat forces are still surrounding Ukraine.

So, while we are hearing the promises coming from Moscow, it does not appear that they are being borne out on the ground yet. And that is why people here are still on a state of high alert, although I would also say they are relatively calm for the most part. They see for now as being primarily a war of words. They have been living under the shadow of Russian aggression for eight years.

We mentioned this national day of unity. President Zelensky sort of jokingly referred to the fact that this was supposed to be the day of invasion, and that instead he is going to make it a day of unity, a day defiance. We have seen some gatherings of people across the country flying the Ukrainian flag, singing the anthem. And we do expect later to see President Zelensky traveling to the city of Mariupol in the southeast. This is an important strategic port city of half a million people just over 20 miles from the Russian border.

[07:05:04]

And a lot of people had been looking at it specifically, because if the Russians did try to create some kind of a land corridor connecting Russia to the Crimean Peninsula, Mariupol is one of the first cities that would largely be cut off from the rest of Ukraine.

So, again, a symbolic gesture of defiance by the president, Zelensky, choosing to travel to that city, but what we see on the ground again, here in Kyiv is people getting on with their normal lives, people not yet believing that this could actually happen, but leaders waiting to see some real proof that Russia is committed to diplomacy and de- escalation.

KEILAR: All right. The days will tell. Clarissa, thank you so much for that.

BERMAN: This morning, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is in Brussels for talks with NATO leaders on the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ahead of the high-stakes meeting, Austin is underscoring the U.S. commitment to the alliance, calling it rock solid.

CNN's Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon with what we expect from this, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, good morning. The question now is will NATO come to any new decisions about putting more troops in Eastern Europe and what role could U.S. forces play in that. Those would be the countries that our NATO members along the eastern flank of the alliance think the Baltics, Poland, Romania. These are the countries that are so nervous about Russian potential moves in the coming days.

As you said at the top, the secretary general of NATO warning that a military action could still happen, that they simply do not see verifiable proof that the Russians are significantly withdrawing any forces that would reduce their military capabilities.

So the NATO ministers meeting the next two days in the shadow of all of this, not knowing if Russia could suddenly make a move across the border into Ukraine, even while they are meeting. And that's really the fundamental issue right now.

If you talk to any officials, they will tell you they do not know what Putin will decide. And basically the world watching to see the state of mind of Vladimir Putin, the one man that will be making that decision one way or the other. John?

BERMAN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, keep us posted, Barbara. Thank you. KEILAR: And joining us now, Cybersecurity Expert and CEO of TrustedSec David Kennedy and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and former National Intelligence Officer for Russia and Eurasia Angela Stent. She is also the author of Putin's World, Russia Against the West and with the Rest.

All right, we spoke a couple days ago, Angela. Any day that Putin does not invade, Ukraine is probably a good day. But where are we right now as you see it?

ANGELA STENT, FORMER NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE OFFICER FOR RUSSIA AND EURASIA: Well, I would say we're in a holding pattern. Putin is still keeping us guessing. Yesterday, he made some conciliatory remarks. He said give diplomacy a chance. President Biden, of course, said the same thing in his speech. But as your reporters have said, we have no proof that they are withdrawing any of their troops even though they say they are. So, they could keep this tension up for some time and keep us guessing and keep us off balance, really. So, it's not a great position to be in, but it's better than having an invasion.

BERMAN: But, David, we saw these cyber actions yesterday against some Ukrainian institutions. How would you actually describe the scope and size of them and what would be a significant attack? When would we know or how would we know that the Russians are unleashing the full force of cyber?

DAVID KENNEDY, CEO, TRUSTEDSEC: Yes. This one was more of a warning shot, again, to completely put pressure into Ukraine on all fronts, cyber, military threat, everything else, and so knocked out the defense ministry website and several banks.

In the grand scheme of things, this is a very low attack in consideration of what Russia has previously done in the past in 2015, 2016. They took out their entire energy sector, the energy grid, shut down the country. They also did in 2017 a ransomware attack. Russia's capabilities in the cyber front are very good in comparison to us in the United States as well. We're direct peers. So, this is more of a warning shot to continue pressure, saying, hey, it's not just military, we also have all these other options on the table as well. And, you know, you're basically being warned that if we do go to war, it's going to be very painful for you in every way, not just a military capabilities perspective.

KEILAR: Yes. And, David, the Biden administration is trying to assure Americans that they're ready for this. Of course, we have seen vulnerabilities though here in recent years. Is America ready for deterring a cyberattack?

KENNEDY: We've been making a lot of progress over the past several years. There is recently stood up organization, the Critical Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, that has been working on protecting our critical infrastructure, which is one of the most vulnerable. But we're still definitely not prepared for an all-out cyber warfare with another nation state. Our infrastructure, our grid is ancient. We're trying to kind of retrofit it and bolt it on to get it more secure. [07:10:00]

But if we were to go toe-to-toe with an attack against Russia, it would be painful in the United States. And that is definitely something Russia looks at on the table. How do we create fear here in the United States to put pressure on Ukrainian policies for us to have to pull back?

So, this is definitely another avenue that they have from a bargaining chip perspective that everybody is looking at, not just hitting Ukraine, but also can they hit the global economy, can they hit the United States from a cyber warfare perspective and cause a lot of pain and chaos back here to shift our policies on the Ukrainian side of the house. Those are all things that everybody is looking at from a defensive side as well.

BERMAN: Angela, I want to ask you, there are some analysts looking at this saying that President Biden has successfully, at least until now, flipped the script on Vladimir Putin. And even though he's the one with 150,000 forces surrounding Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is the one having to react right now.

Thomas Friedman writes in The New York Times this morning, if Vladimir Putin opts to back away from invading Ukraine even temporarily, it is because Joe Biden, the guy whose right wing critics suggest is so deep in dementia, we wouldn't know key from Kansas or AARP from NATO, that Biden has matched every Putin chess move with an effective counter of his own. Is the diplomacy so far -- is what Biden so far is doing working?

STENT: I think it is working so far. We haven't seen it an invasion. Of course, we don't know whether there was ever going to be one. I would put this a little differently. We had to react to the Russian agenda. So, in the beginning, we were presented with these ultimatums and we had to respond. We had these meetings with the Russians.

But because we have been so explicit about telling the Russians that we know what you're doing, we know what your plans are, you may be planning a false flag operation, I think that has made the Kremlin sit back, Putin sit back. I don't think they really expected that. Because in 2014, when they annexed Crimea, we were really caught off guard.

So, I think this has been effective. I thought the speech yesterday was effective, offering diplomacy, saying that we have nothing against the Russian population and just warning Putin.

Now, having said that, we don't know yet whether there is going to be an invasion, but it may have made them think twice about taking military action.

KEILAR: We had retired General Spider Marks, Angela, on earlier, who -- he has some experience when you're talking about planning an invasion. And he said this Russian troop buildup may seem large, but if they really wanted a comprehensive, broad invasion, Russia would need several hundred thousand troops, and it's only a fraction of that. So, what do you make of that? STENT: I think that's true. They couldn't occupy Ukraine with that level of troops. What they can do is intimidate. They are trying to get concessions, right? They are trying to get the west to say NATO will never enlarge again. It's going to withdraw to where it was in 1997. But this is not a force that could occupy the country. But they could deliver a blow to the capital, Kyiv.

So, again, this is why a number of people think that an invasion was never really planned but the whole point was to pressure us, to pressure the west, to pressure Ukraine and then get concessions.

KEILAR: Angela, thank you so much. I really appreciate you being with us. And, David Kennedy, thank you so much.

There are six more subpoenas that have been issued by the January 6th committee targeting fake electors from key swing states that former President Trump lost.

Our Whitney Wild is joining us now from Washington. Tell us who is being subpoenaed here, Whitney.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, this fake elector -- these -- people who were engaged in this fake elector conspiracy under scrutiny here include two members of the Trump campaign and four prominent Republicans from battleground states. The Trump campaign officials subpoenaed by the committee are Michael Roman, a man who was in charge of Election Day operations in 2020, and his deputy, Gary Michael Brown.

The House select committee says both men reportedly participated in efforts to promote allegations of fraud in the November 2020 election and encourage state legislators to appoint false alternate electors.

So, this subpoena list also includes Republican state lawmakers from Pennsylvania, a name named Douglas Mastriano, also running for Pennsylvania governor, and Arizona lawmaker named Mark Finchem. Also on the list, a woman named Kelli Ward. She is the chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party, and a woman named Laura Cox, the former chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party.

The core accusations here for these six people surround pressure campaigns on really state officials to appoint fake electors who would claim that Donald Trump won in 2020. The committee is also accusing Kelli Ward of asking an election official to stop the counting in that November 2020 election.

The committee clearly thinks, Brianna, that this is a key element in their investigation into the January 6th riot at the Capitol. This comes on the heels of 14 other subpoenas issued in this effort to try to understand how this bogus elector conspiracy, bogus elector effort came to fruition.

[07:15:05]

So, clearly, you know, at this point, Brianna, 20 subpoenas going out to try to figure out what the back story is behind all of that. KEILAR: Yes, and what appears to be a key part of this campaign to overturn the election. So, it's all very important. Whitney Wild, thank you.

And up next, Tennis Player Novak Djokovic says he's willing to miss Grand Slam tournaments to remain unvaccinated.

Plus, if the omicron surge wanes, how is the federal government readying for the next possible wave? Is there going to be one? We will speak with a senior adviser to the White House COVID-19 response team.

BERMAN: The family of Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins suing Alec Baldwin and the producers of the film Rust. What that lawsuit now alleges.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

KEILAR: This morning, The New York Times is reporting that Russian star figure skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for three heart medications, including, as we've previously reported, one that is banned. The other two not banned but known to enhance performance, potentially.

Even so, the 15-year-old Valieva was back on the ice competing in Tuesday night's program, where she skated her way into the top spot. She did appear shaky, emotional as well at the end of her performance amid all of this drama.

We have CNN Contributor and former professional tennis player Patrick McEnroe who is with us now.

I want to ask you first about these three drugs, just to be clear, one of them not allowed, Patrick. We know that right? Two of them are allowed. But what does that tell you about a program of potential doping or performance enhancement she may have been pursuing or those around her were pursuing?

PATRICK MCENROE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, Brianna, it tells us unequivocally that this program was continuing, that the Russians were behind hits, that the adults around her were systematically trying to help her, because this is a cocktail of three different drugs. As you said, one on the illegal substance list, the other two commonly used to help performance, to help endurance, particularly. So, when you watch ice figure skating, obviously, you know this is a tremendous talent, the incredible grace, incredible elegance. But the endurance needed to perform those long things that she does out there on the ice is where this I think really helps her. And this is what has given her an advantage.

BERMAN: And, Patrick, what do you think it's like for all the athletes competing now, the other ones? I mean, to be a professional athlete or an Olympic athlete, you have to be an animal, right? You have to be so focused. But you are also human at the same time. So, what is going through their head as they take the ice knowing, A, this is happening, B, no matter what I do, I'm not going to get to stand on a podium tonight?

MCENROE: Well, I was struck by your interview earlier with the coach and with Mariah Bell, the figure skater herself, the American figure skater who is not in contention likely to win a medal but has dedicated her life to doing this.

And when you are an athlete of this level, they can come and test you and they will come and test you at any time. I mean, I know as a former tennis player, the top tennis players in the world, when they go around the world on vacation, they can show up at your door at 6:00 in the morning and say you have to take a drug test.

So, you think about all the things you have to think about, the pills you take, even if you're taking something for a cough, if you have a cold, a common cold, you have to go through the list of ingredients that are in that. You have to be aware of everything you're putting in your body. And so it makes me feel, as I've said this to you before, like a shot to the gut for these athletes that are going through all of this and then have to deal with this.

And, obviously, the young Russian skater is not handling it particularly well either. She's very upset, she's very emotional. She has been used and abused by the Russians.

KEILAR: I'm so glad you mentioned that, because it does feel like this is child abuse, and those around her have not served her well.

I do, Patrick, want to ask you about Novak Djokovic, because as we followed sort of extensively how he was deported from Australia, unable to compete in the Australian Open, he is now talking about his future in the next two Grand Slams. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NOVAK DJOKOVIC, PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER: Not being vaccinated today, I -- you know, I'm unable to travel to most of the tournaments at the moment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that's a price you are willing to pay?

DJOKOVIC: That is the price that I'm willing to pay.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you prepared to forego the chance to be the greatest player that ever picked up a racket statistically because you feel so strongly about this jab?

DJOKOVIC: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: What do you think about that, Patrick?

MCENROE: Well, I have to tell you, to be honest, Brianna, the first thing I thought when I saw this interview was, wow, he's really going to the wall with this. And you have to, at some level, admire his principled stand on this. But then you go back to the real issue here, which is, okay, Novak, we get you are a man of principle, this is what's helped you become, in my opinion, the greatest male tennis player of all time because he's committed, he's principled, he goes after what he wanted.

But then you find out, okay, well, why exactly aren't you taking the vaccine? What is it about -- what about it that you don't want to put that in your body? We still have not gotten a clear answer on that? He says, well, I was told it's not good for my body. What exactly does that mean? 99 of the top 100 male tennis players in the world, John, have taken the vaccine. A lot of them didn't want to initially early. It didn't seem to hurt Mr. Rafael Nadal and Daninil Medvedev in that five-set epic final at the Australian Open.

BERMAN: Yes. They all seemed pretty healthy at the end of those five sets.

Look, what does your gut tell you about when we get to the spring and summer in July? Do you think that it will still be an issue? Do you think Wimbledon in London will stick to their guns on this?

MCENROE: Well, I think each tournament is going to be a little bit different based on what the country is saying and what the rules and regulations are.

[07:25:04]

So, at the moment you are hearing from Wimbledon, he could still get in the country if he's tested multiple times.

But Novak, in his interview with the BBC, did say, he did leave a sliver of hope, a little window, and said, well, if I get more information, I'm open to more information.

Now, early in his career he didn't want to have surgery on his elbow. He had a significant elbow issue. And he refused to have surgery for a long time. And finally he had to because he had a real problem in his elbow. Guess what, he had surgery. He fixed his elbow. He fixed his serve. He's on his way of becoming the greatest of all time. He was sprinting past Nadal and Federer over the last five years, the guys he was chasing down. And now he's stuck in the mud.

BERMAN: Amazing what medicine what can do.

KEILAR: And, look, I would say, that is his elbow. I know so much of this is he doesn't want people telling him what to do with his body. But I also remember that he made that choice for other people by apparently testing positive for COVID and then going around people, the very thing that he seems to be rebuffing wanting himself.

MCENROE: There's, without a doubt, Brianna, lots of discrepancies in some of the things Novak Djokovic has said over the years. I happen to like him personally. He's always been very respectful. He has a great feel for the history of the game. But some of his ideas on medicine, on telepathy, I mean, there are a little out there, and this has caught up to him here. And you know what? It's too bad for him and it's too bad for tennis, in general, because we, all in the tennis world, were looking forward to see how this plays out over the course of the next couple years.

KEILAR: Certainly. Patrick, thank you so much.

MCENROE: You got it. Thanks.

KEILAR: There is some good news actually on the COVID front, and that is that cases are down in New York, down 97 percent from the peak that we saw in January. Hospitalizations are down 72 percent and trending downward. But is the country prepared in the event of another surge?

Plus --

BERMAN: Why the CEO of coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons calls himself a Beleiber.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:30:00]