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New Day

Biden Agrees "In Principle" To Summit With Putin; Michigan's Juwan Howard Strikes Opposing Coach, Sparks Brawl; Queen Elizabeth Tests Positive For COVID-19; Helicopter Crashes Into The Ocean Near Miami Beach. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired February 21, 2022 - 07:30   ET

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

REP. STEPHEN LYNCH (D-MA): is that the tactical commanders have been given instructions to put the invasion into action. So they're mobilized. I'm not sure if this last back and forth is meaningful. I know that President Macron of France was trying to encourage this meeting, but I'm not sure that under the circumstances that this was really going to happen.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Is it all just theater on Russia's part in your view?

LYNCH: I think that there's indications of that. If you look at what happened in Crimea, you know, they denied what they were doing right till it happened. So there's very little trust there. That seems to be the way Putin operates.

KEILAR: Is there any diplomatic way forward, anything that can begin diplomatically here in the coming days?

LYNCH: Well, if Putin relented, yes. I do think that that's possible. I think that certainly, the EU and NATO are willing partners in any type of dialogue. Anything short of war, right? So -- but ultimately, I think, you know, the decision lies with Mr. Putin. I think that it's his troops that are mobilized. He seems to have 75% to 80% of his conventional forces in position. He seems very deliberate in what he's trying to do here.

KEILAR: There seemed weeks ago to be an appetite, potentially, I guess, holding its nose, that the administration went out for a limited incursion into Ukraine. It doesn't really seem that way anymore. You have Senator Chris Coons, who obviously has a pretty good ear to what's going on at the White House with President Biden. He said that a lesser invasion doesn't result in lesser penalty. Really that proportionality is no longer part of the response here. Do you agree with that?

LYNCH: There's a danger in negotiating ourselves into an invasion here. And I don't want to engage in that. I don't think it's proper for us to, you know, subdivide the nation of Ukraine. You know, that's just not a good position.

I think all along, you know, NATO has tried to in a coalition, put a united front forward against Russia. And I think propositions like that, that maybe if you invade a little, we won't do anything. I think that's self-defeating and I think it's undermining the support for Ukraine and President Zelenskyy.

KEILAR: It's really not in the US's interest for there to be an invasion of Ukraine, certainly not a full scale one. There are estimates that inflation will go up significantly. Obviously, there would be a lot of political blame for the Biden administration whether or not you think that there should be. In that, with that in mind, what concessions do you think the US should give to avoid this war?

LYNCH: Look, I don't think we should give away the freedoms of the Ukrainian people. There's 44 million people there. That is that is not, you know, that is not something we should be doing. And I think that type of conduct will ensure that we will have more situations like this. I think there are actions we can take that make war less likely, and I think that's a -- you have to deal from a position of strength.

KEILAR: So, I guess my question then specifically, I hear what you're saying about the Ukrainian people but what about what Putin considers NATO encroachment, right? In countries, not just obviously Ukraine, but other NATO countries that he considers to be a threat to Russia, what about something with that?

LYNCH: That is called freewill. So since 1997, 14 countries that were in the form of sphere of influence of the Soviet Union have come into NATO and they have done so because they voted for freedom. They voted for individual rights. They voted against, you know, Russia and, you know, which is a criminal enterprise, basically. They voted with their feet. And because NATO has an open door policy, we've had 14 countries come into NATO. Most of them right in that area.

KEILAR: Sorry, I don't mean -- I think maybe my question wasn't particularly clear there. What about defense positions in some of those NATO countries?

LYNCH: Well, those are those details that can be worked out, certainly. I understand if -- look, Russians concerns of (inaudible) an invasion by Ukraine into Russia is bogus. So we don't want to get into that. We don't want to go down that road. That's just -- that's just false.

[07:35:14]

So this is about the integrity of these individual nations. This is about their sovereignty. And this is about Putin's ideology of wanting to recreate some iteration of the former Soviet Union. He did that in Georgia. He's done that in other areas as well. So -- and I understand that that may not be in Russia's interest but now we've come to 150,000 or 175,000 troops on Ukraine's border because they're exercising free will. And that, you know, and we should, along with NATO, along with the EU, support Ukraine in their own democratic decision.

KEILAR: Yes. And certainly in no way am I implying that, you know, Vladimir Putin appears to be operating fully in good faith there. I think that it's very clear that he's not. Just trying to look, obviously, as a, you know, there's this attempt to perhaps avoid war diplomatically that the US wants, sort of what can be dialed around here. I think it's such a difficult, difficult conundrum. But, congressman, I really appreciate you being -- sorry, go on real quick.

LYNCH: I think our position has to be that Putin needs to back down, that's the position. He's invading a neighboring country by force and we should be firm in that. We should be firm in that.

KEILAR: All right. Look, a lot happening here in the coming days, I think. Congressman, we really appreciate you being with us.

LYNCH: Thank you, Brianna. Thank you for having me.

KEILAR: A big 10 rivalry boiling over with Michigan's coach taking a swipe at a Wisconsin assistant after a blowout loss. So what precipitated all of this?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Wait, Elizabeth test positive for COVID, just as England is set to relax restrictions. Look, she's 95 years old. What is the latest on her health and her treatment?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Huge controversy in college basketball after Michigan men's basketball coach Juwan Howard struck Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft in the handshake line. The University of Michigan athletic director has since apologized, calling the behavior totally unacceptable. Joining me now ESPN college basketball reporter Jeff Borzello. Jeff, thanks so much for being with us. What happened in the handshake line?

: Well, John, the basics are Wisconsin was up by about 14 with 15 seconds left. They had their walk-ons on their non-scholarship players. Michigan continued to full court press Wisconsin. So Wisconsin coach Greg Gard called the timeout, wanted his walk-ons to be able to kind of gather themselves and break the press and run out the clock.

So that goes back to a couple of unwritten rules, so to say, in college basketball. I've talked to a few coaches about this and some say, you know, you don't call a timeout when you're up by 15 in the final 15 seconds. Others say that you don't full court press walk-ons when you're in the final seconds of a blowout.

And so, those unwritten rules kind of led to this the exchange in the handshake line where Juwan Howard wants to walk past Wisconsin coach Greg Gard. Gard grabs him to stop to talk to him. Juwan Howard did not like that. They exchanged words. Howard, you know, has his finger in Gard's face. And then, you know, Krabbenhoft, as you mentioned, comes over. Howard does not like that, reacts poorly, and then reaches out and strikes Krabbenhoft in the face. And then, it's just a full on. Melee punches are thrown, players with their own punches.

So a lot of it stems back from some of these unwritten rules and a little bit of a miscommunication or misunderstanding between some of the late game protocols of college basketball.

BERMAN: Yes. Whatever the unwritten rules are there, there's no wiggle room for one coach hitting another, right? I mean, there will be repercussions for this.

BORZELLO: Yes. And that's the -- and Juwan Howard the one thing you can't do. I mean, as you mentioned, you can talk about unwritten rules, you can talk about the grabbing in the handshake line, you know, the exchanging of words, the scrum, before the strike, not a punch, but you know, you just can't grab another coach's face. You can't swipe another coach's face. He kind of did the one thing you can do and that's why I believe Juwan Howard is going to get the biggest punishment, the most severe punishment of all.

You notice, as you mentioned, Warde Manuel apologize that it was completely inappropriate. Juwan Howard then apologized in his postgame press conference. He said he was protecting himself. And, you know, he said he was grabbed first and that's why he reacted the way he did. But I think Warde Manuel was correct. I mean, he apologized, said it was inappropriate, inexcusable, and Howard is going to get the stiffest punishment I would imagine.

BERMAN: Yes. With a Big Ten can do two games, right? But Michigan could do its own thing. Could they, I mean, will there be a punishment from the school itself do you think?

BORZELLO: Yes. I think the Big Ten of Michigan will probably announce the suspension together. Meaning that it'll very likely been more than two games. And I've talked to some people, I think it'd be the rest of the regular season, which would be five games. Some people think it'll be the rest of the regular season and the postseason. I think it's more likely that it'll just be the rest of the regular season, which would be five more games. And then he comes back for the Big Ten tournament and potentially the NCAA Tournament if Michigan makes it.

BERMAN: Look, I mean, you're a coach, you've got kids playing for you. You got to behave better than this. Thank you so much for being with us. Appreciate it.

BORZELLO: Thanks for having me on, John.

KEILAR:: Britain's Queen Elizabeth is battling. COVID-19. Buckingham Palace says the 95-year-old monarch tested positive and is experiencing symptoms, mild cold like symptoms they say. CNN's Max Foster is live for us in Windsor, England with the very latest maximum. Max, good morning.

[07:45:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Yes, there's been some sort of outbreak within the castle. They've done incredibly well protecting the Queen over the last couple of years with a very tight bubble, but that's been loosening recently as the regulations loosened up here in the UK. And that appears to be why the Queen has now got COVID. She is nearly 96 years old. She does have symptoms. She has been looked after medically, we're told. So they are aware of the concerns here. But also bear in mind, Brianna, that just last week, the Queen was meeting some senior members of the military here at Windsor and she was unable to move.

I'm told by a royal source she's not injured but she does feel very stiff. So if she is meeting the current regulations, she will be in self-isolation right now with cold symptoms feeling very stiff. So an uncomfortable position for her to be in. But they're also emphasizing that she is well enough to work, she's carrying out like duties at a desk when, you know, she sent her note out to the British Olympic team yesterday afternoon, for example.

She's also do a for a weekly audience with the Prime Minister today. We don't expect Boris Johnson's come here but she is expected to carry out a phone call or a virtual call of some form. If that goes ahead then we can assume that she's carrying on with those light duties, and they're not too concerned, but always a concern for a 95-year-old, of course, who catch COVID

KEILAR: Yes, certainly. Max, thank you so much for that.

It was a terrifying helicopter crash at a busy beach, busy Miami Beach beach. Onlookers, lifeguards springing into action to save the people trapped inside. It really came down to them. And we're going to speak to one of those first responders next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN (voice-over): Justin Bieber's world tour apparently was already off to a shaky start. Why the superstar had to postpone his last concert next.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:51:20]

BERMAN: All right. It is time of Morning Pop. Joining us, CNN entertainment reporter Chloe Melas. Chloe?

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Hey, John. Nearly a year-and- a-half after suffering a heartbreaking stillbirth., Chrissy Teigen and John Legend have resumed their IVF journey. The star share to Instagram that she started another IVF cycle to save as many eggos as I they possibly can, and hopefully have some strong healthy embryos. Good luck to the Legend family.

Just two days after Justin Bieber kicked off his Justice World Tour, the pop star has tested positive for COVID-19. A representative for Justin Bieber told me that the pop star has a mild case of COVID and that his shows have been postponed. Now, according to the statement, "Justin is, of course, hugely disappointed but the health and safety of his crew and fans is always his number one priority." No other tour dates have been pushed back just yet.

And Tom Holland, he's done it again. Holland's new film "Uncharted," which also stars Mark Wahlberg, brought in an estimated $44.1 million at the North American box office this weekend, a number that has far exceeded industry expectations. Now, this follows the huge success of Tom Holland's other film, one that you might have heard of, "Spider- Man: No Way Home," which was one of the biggest blockbusters in film history, notching nearly $2 billion worldwide since December. John, have you seen that one yet?

BERMAN: Not yet, but I intend to soon.

MELAS: It is so good, I can tell you, and I hadn't even seen the other Spider-Man movies, which I know, oh my gosh. But it was so good, edge of my seat good.

BERMAN: All right. Thanks so much, Chloe. Appreciate it. Brianna?

KEILAR: So, a helicopter carrying three people crash just outside of the sandbar area of the Miami Beach Shore. Bystanders and lifeguards rushed the chopper to keep the aircraft above water so that the victims didn't drown before rescuers got to them.

Let's talk about what happened there with a first responder to this accident, Lieutenant Lucas Bocanegra. Lieutenant, thank you so much for being with us. I understand that you were just a half mile down the beach doing a patrol when this happened. Can you describe the scene when you arrived?

LUCAS BOCANEGRA, LIEUTENANT, MIAMI BEACH OCEAN RESCUE: Yes, absolutely. Good morning. Thank you for having me. It was a regular Saturday that we have here on Miami Beach. It was sunny. It was nice and calm, the wind. It was a beautiful beach day. We have thousands of people in the water and on the beach. We've have different events going on here on Miami Beach. We had a boat show. We're setting up for the Food and Wine Festival. It's a holiday weekend. So everybody's enjoying the beach.

When I arrived at the scene, you know the call comes over the radio regarding helicopter that crashed just in front of the lifeguard tower at (inaudible), right here by our headquarters. And there was several people and bystanders in the water at the time. And our first initial lifeguard went in the water to try to assist, and the bystanders all rushed to the helicopter also to try to help with whatever situation we had. It took us a little bit to figure out how big of an aircraft we were dealing with or how many people were in the aircraft at the time.

KEILAR: So you get there. I know there's a lot of bystanders, which isn't always ideal, but in this case they were keeping the chopper afloat. Is that right?

BOCANEGRA: That's correct. We don't really encourage people to jump in and help us, especially with any water related emergency, but in this case, the location of the crash site, which was just outside the sandbar, which was about chest to waist deep water, the bystanders were actually, you know, and I thank, we like to thank them also, the bystanders that were around there helped keep up the helicopter above the water, just enough for the two other occupants that were strapped into their seats to have their heads above the water, so our rescuers could then try to release them.

[07:55:25]

The bystanders did play a huge role in keeping that helicopter above the water to assist those people that were trapped inside the helicopter.

KEILAR: I mean, it's really amazing that everyone survived here and that -- where it crashed allowed bystanders to help keep those heads above water so they wouldn't drowned. What has happened to the victims here? I understand, you mentioned the last two people who are in the chopper, I know that those were two women, one of whom had to be cut out of her seat belt straps. How are they doing, do you know?

BOCANEGRA: As of right now, I don't know how they're doing. They were talking to us when we took them out of the water. The third person, the male did walk on his own, concerned for his wife. So I know there were a couple, and they were taken out to the hospital.

I believe they're in stable condition at this time. However, you know, they probably have extensive injuries regarding their back and possible any spinal injury that might occur from a crash this severe.

KEILAR: So what were they saying? I mean, if they were talking to you, what were they telling you?

BOCANEGRA: Well, the woman that I spoke to, you know, she was very confused. She didn't know what actually happened that she was involved in a crash. So we're just trying to comfort her. There was complaints of back pain but this is obvious in a situation like this. So our lifeguards, and with the help of bystanders, we made sure to hold her C-spine and make sure, you know, to strap her down properly so that way, you know we didn't cause any further damage, especially getting out of the helicopter and making sure we transport her to the fire rescue individuals that are awaiting the beach. So then they could provide other care, providing sea callers and doing what they can to take them to the hospital.

KEILAR: Yes. Look, it is truly amazing and a huge testament to you and to the lifeguards, and also those bystanders giving you the manpower you needed in order to help those people survive until you could get to them. Lieutenant, it's wonderful to have you on and to have you on for such good news. Thank you for being with us.

BOCANEGRA: Thank you for having me. You have a wonderful day.

KEILAR: All right, you too. Our "New Day" continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP) BERMAN: Good morning to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. It is Monday, February 21st. It is Presidents Day. I'm John Berman with Brianna Keilar. New questions this morning about whether there was a real path to diplomacy at this point to prevent a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Overnight, President Biden agreed in principle to meet with the Russian leader Vladimir Putin. This was in response to a proposal from the French President Emmanuel Macron, unclear how real of a possibility this is. The White House says, in theory, the President would do it but only if Putin holds off on invading Ukraine.

New Satellite images show activity intensified among Russian units close to Ukraine's northeastern border, and the US says it has intelligence indicating orders have already been sent to Russian commanders to proceed with an attempt.

KEILAR: A White House official says Secretary of State Tony Blinken and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov will discuss a possible Biden Putin summit when they meet on Thursday. There are though concerns an invasion could begin before that. Russia now has close to 75% of its conventional forces position there, ready to attack Ukraine.

KEILAR: Sam Kiley joins us live from Kharkiv in Ukraine near the front lines. Sam, give us a sense of what's going on there this morning.

SAM KILEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John and Brianna, yesterday we were down on the frontline in a small town called, of all things, New York. I'm not joking. This is a town that has been trapped by war for some time, and in a sense gives us some foretaste of what might come following very dire warnings indeed, coming out of the United States, in particular with Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser and others, talking of catastrophic levels of potential civilian losses if there is indeed a Russian invasion. But this is what life looks like mid war already.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KILEY (voice-over): In a small town called New York in Eastern Ukraine, at a short flight for a mortar bomb from rebel territory, lies Sloviansk Street. After eight years of war so close to the frontline, homes here are almost worthless. These houses haven't been smashed by war they've been destroyed by the poverty conflict brings.

[08:00:00]