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New Day Saturday

State Department Non-Emergency Staff to Leave U.S. Embassy in Kiev; U.S. Says Russia Could Launch Invasion During The Olympics; National Archives Threatened To Go To Congress, Justice Department To Get Trump To Turn Over Records; Oath Keepers Leader Says He Was Cooperating With FBI Before Arrest; COVID Vaccine Authorization For Younger Children Delayed As FDA Seeks More Data; Protesters Remain At Bridge To U.S. Despite Deadline Set by Judge; Pressure Mounts Federal Reserve as Inflation Skyrockets. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired February 12, 2022 - 07:00   ET

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

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[07:00:00]

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to your NEW DAY. I'm Phil Mattingly in for Boris Sanchez.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Christi Paul, a diplomatic standoff unfolding between the U.S. and Russia right now. During the Russian true build up on the Ukrainian border with U.S. officials warning now, Vladimir Putin could decide to invade anytime in high stakes, stakes talk that are set for this morning amid the rising tensions we're watching.

MATTINGLY: And disappearing mandates. Governors across the country are ending school and indoor mask mandates the data behind the decision which states are keeping for now.

PAUL: Also, not backing down. Canadian protesters are blocking a critical supply route to the U.S. now defying a judge's order and could be forcibly removed.

MATTINGLY: And a dream quarantined. The athletes who finally made it all the way to the Olympics, only to be taken out of competition by the Coronavirus.

Good morning, welcome to your NEW DAY. It's Saturday, February 12th. And Christi there is a lot going on.

PAUL: Certainly, is. Let's talk about first of all, the major new development in the Ukraine crisis, Phil.

MATTINGLY: Yes, the State Department has now ordered all non-emergency staff to leave the U.S. Embassy in Kiev. U.S. officials were already urging all Americans in Ukraine to get out of the country. President Biden underscored the call for all U.S. citizens to leave.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: American citizens should

leave, should leave now. We're dealing with one of the largest armies in the world. It's a very different situation and things could go crazy quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Secretary of State Antony Blinken warning that a Russian invasion "could begin at any time," while the Winter Olympics, of course, still going on as well. Now, as Secretary Blinken speaks with his Russian counterpart today, this is a head of a call between President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

MATTINGLY: Now, we are covering the story as only CNN can, our International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson joins us from Moscow. Our Senior International Correspondent Sam Kiley is with us from Ukraine. And Sam, I want to start with you, the State Department now pulling non-essential staff out of the embassy in Kiev. Other countries who've been following suit over the course of the last couple of days and even hours, the U.S. says Russia could launch an invasion at any time. How is Ukraine reacting to these developments?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Ukrainian government has issued now almost customary statement saying today that they whilst they recognize and respect the analysis of their allies, they believe that there is still great more, much more opportunity for diplomacy to succeed. In terms of talks, of course, there is going to be bilateral communications between President Biden and Vladimir Putin and President Macron, France and Putin later on today as part of that ongoing diplomatic effort, but at the same time, there isn't a great deal of sign here on the ground.

We're only 30 miles after all, to the Russian border where the very substantial Russian forces have been building up not very far away, potentially threatening this one of the most important industrial cities in the whole country, a city of one and a half million people, 75 percent of them speaking Russian as a mother tongue, but I think unified mostly in support of the Ukrainian nation as such.

In the capital, though, Phil and Christi the, the mayor has been reassuring the population saying that there are evacuation power supply communications systems in place if they do get attacked. And of course, they're opening up those soviet era bunkers that were built during the Cold War, some of them dating back to the 1950s. So, there is a level of preparation going on whilst there remains this dissonance between the internal assessment of the threat to this country and the external threat that is being analyzed by this country's allies. Phil and Christi.

PAUL: Sam, thank you for that. Nic, I want to talk to you about this conversation that's going to happen a little later this morning with President Biden and Vladimir Putin. I'm speaking by phone but that's happening after Secretary of State Blinken speaks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Bring us to the reality of you know what could possibly be done at this point from a diplomatic level in these phone calls. NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, if I just give you a little bit of a scene setter. We heard from the Kremlin late last night responding to the instructions for US citizens to leave. The, the assessment given by, by the National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and the response from the Kremlin was what we've heard in the past which is we've repeatedly said we have no intention to invade Ukraine.

But we think what is happening is sort of a cover of provocation and that from Russia's perspective, they expect Ukrainian forces to attack the pro-Russian Russian backed separatists in the east of Ukraine, the Donbass region. So, that's how the Kremlin is sort of facing this particular point. And it sounds familiar, because it is because this is not a change of narrative on their part.

[07:05:36]

And it's, it's it sort of comports precisely with what Secretary of State Antony Blinken, has said in the past 24 hours, which is that President Putin has yet to respond to formally respond to the United States and NATO getting back to his demands, writing back to him specifically on his demands that NATO not be allowed -- NATO deny Ukraine membership and go back to 1997 levels.

So, there's a real stasis on the diplomatic track and the efforts by President Macron, who's believed right around about now to be talking by phone to President Putin, that that track of diplomacy and diplomatic efforts that began in the week have really run their course that there's nothing there. So, Secretary State Anthony Blinken expected to tell Sergei Lavrov, very clearly, you know, there's a diplomatic track, there are things we can do.

There's an invasion of Ukraine, and your -- there'll be severe economic pain for Russia, if that's the option, and it's not clear that Sergei Lavrov really has influence over, over President Putin at the moment.

PAUL: Very good point. Nic Robertson, Sam Kiley, we are so grateful for both of you, you, you bring us such insight. Thank you so much.

So, as investigations in the final days of the Trump administration are proceeding the former president is under some new scrutiny this morning. This time it's over how he handled documents during his time in the White House.

MATTINGLY: New reporting reveals former President Trump often ripped up pages or even -- we're reading this, flush this down the toilet, flush them down the toilet when he was done reading them. Now, other classified documents ended up at Trump's Florida residents. CNN has learned the National Archives was so concerned in their efforts to get a hold of all the records that they threatened to ask Congress and the Justice Department for help. CNN's Pamela Brown has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: White House aides began the process of collecting documents that needed to be turned over to the National Archives soon after Trump lost the November election. But while Trump was trying to figure out how to remain in power, the one standard process seems to have gone awry. Multiple sources tell CNN it was chaotic, with no one ensuring protocols were followed at the end.

DONALD TRUMP, 45TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They rigged an election, they rigged it like they've never rigged it election before.

BROWN: It wasn't until May of last year that the archives noticed several items were missing from their catalogue of Trump White House Records. Significant items like letters he exchanged with North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un, and did infamous Sharpie altered map of Hurricane Dorian. Longtime National Archives lawyer Gary Stern first reached out to a former Trump White House Counsel attorney hoping to locate the missing items and initiate their swift transfer, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Sources say Stern, frustrated by the pace of the turnover, sought the intervention of another Trump attorney in October. Also, last fall, a top official in Trump's orbit was concerned that classified documents have been brought to Mar-A-Lago and warn people not to touch the boxes out of fear that sensitive material could be exposed to those without the proper clearance.

This situation becoming so tense that Sources tell CNN the archives warn Trump's team, it plans to notify Congress and the Justice Department if this wasn't resolved quickly, Trump says something different, claiming the boxes taken to Mar-A-Lago contain letters records, newspapers, magazines, and various articles that are to be featured in his presidential library someday. The papers were given easily and without conflict and on a very friendly basis, he said.

The Archives has since asked Justice Department officials to investigate Trump's handling of White House Records, including whether he violated the Presidential Records Act. Separately, the House Oversight Committee is launching an investigation, critics crying hypocrisy, especially since Trump attacked Hillary Clinton over her handling of e-mails.

TRUMP: People who have nothing to hide don't smash phones with hammers, they don't. People who have nothing to hide, don't bleach. Nobody's ever heard of it. Don't bleach their e-mails or destroy evidence to keep it from being publicly archived. as required under federal law.

BROWN: The Mar-A-Lago documents only the latest revelation about record keeping. CNN has reported Trump repeatedly ripped up documents and:

MAGGIE HABERMAN, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, NEW YORK TIMES: Staff at in the White House residents where the President lived you know we're discovering that the toilets were clogged and when engineers went in to go see what was happening, there were, you know, clumped up wads of paper, you know, apparently, notes or documents.

[07:10:17] BROWN: Former White House National Security Adviser HR McMaster told CNN that when he was in the White House, his staff had a foolproof system for their own record keeping.

H.R. MCMASTER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The staff is running it well. Everything that goes in to the Oval Office should, is logged in; everything the President sees should be logged in. I can't speak about what happened after I left.

BROWN: The Justice Department has not said whether it is investigating this. A spokesperson for Donald Trump did not return CNN's request for a comment. Donald Trump though has denied the toilet flushing episodes. Now, I do want to note, I spoke to a source familiar with all of this who said this has not been resolved fully and the National Archives alluded to that in a recent statement when it said that Trump representatives are still tracking down documents to turnover. Phil and Christi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: CNN Legal Analyst and Former Federal Prosecutor Elliott Williams is here now to help me understand what any or all of this means, not going to ask you about the bathroom stuff. But I think what was interesting and Pamela's piece right now particularly given not just how these investigations are going on, but also to have a sense historically of what the Trump administration was doing over time.

What role does the Justice Department have to play here in terms of both securing all the White House documents to the extent there's any involvement at all, but also perhaps investigating the former president related to the Presidential Record Records Act violations?

ELLIOTT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Look, the Justice Department does have a role here because there are several possible crimes that were committed now. Again, people shouldn't be alarmed by that or think that people are immediately going to jail. But Phil, number one, for the mishandling of records under, under the Presidential Records Act.

Number two about the potential destruction of evidence that's a big crime. But if people knew there were investigations, and we're destroying evidence so as to not have that evidence turned over that that's a quite serious crime. And then, number three, the mishandling of classified information, also can carry criminal penalties. And it falls to the Justice Department to make a decision as to whether these weren't criminal prosecution.

MATTINGLY: I'm not going to ask you to get inside Merrick Garland head, the Attorney General, but I will ask you to be him for a moment. Congrats on the promotion. But the idea some of these are some of them, particularly in presidential records, difficult cases to bring and prove to some degree. What do you think the willingness is of this Justice Department to pursue these particularly against a former president United States?

WILLIAMS: You know, Phil, an important thing for people to know is that every prosecutor every investigator has to make political determinations. Congress is confronting this with the January 6th committee and the Justice Department will as well that people have committed or possibly may have committed crimes, but they have to the authorities have to assess is this in the public interest to pursue something that will ultimately turn into a big political fight?

You know, whether you're knocking off a gas station, crystal meth ring, or talking about subpoenaing the President of the United States, these are these are determinations that prosecutors have to make. Now look, these are quite serious when you're talking about the possible mishandling of classified or sensitive top-secret information. And so, it is a challenging call for the attorney general for me to make as Attorney General since I got my commercial here. But um, but you know, it, there's possibly there, there felt like, you know, when you look at the offenses, they are hard to prove, but, but it's not frivolous on its face to try to bring these.

MATTINGLY: Yes, more, more complicated decisions for the attorney general, not you, the actual one, at least currently, to make. One of the things I've been interested in, you've waited on this a couple times this week, we learned this week that the White House call records from the January 6th committee has received this thus far don't show any calls made to or by the former president as the insurrection was happening. We knew we use cell phones his other people's as well, but how can investigators actually piece together the timeline if they don't have that information?

WILLIAMS: This is one of the this is like a textbook case almost have a law school class, Phil, of how you build an investigation based on documents and records and live testimony. And here's why, you don't have records of the President's phone calls from, from the phone companies. But you know, at least from Keith Kellogg, who was the former White House Security Adviser, National Security Adviser, he testified to the committee that the President Mike Pence spoke at least once that morning, the documents don't reflect it. But the testimony did. And you put those two things together.

Now, of course, having those phone records will be valuable. And this gets back to that question of is it politically wise to issue a subpoena for the President's phone records? They would be immensely valuable here and the Justice Department and Congress have a great basis for going after them. But you still have the evidence from other places from witnesses who have testified as to what they saw or heard in real time.

[07:15:00]

MATTINGLY: Yes, and hundreds of witnesses at that. Last one before I let you go. Stuart Rhoades the Oath Keepers Leader who's facing seditious conspiracy charges related to January 6th said in a court filing yesterday he was talking to the FBI and giving them information in the months leading up to his arrest as lawyers are trying to get him out of jail as he awaits trial. Do you think that's likely? And what does cooperation from someone like Rhodes mean for federal investigators?

So, I would say getting out of jail is unlikely because there are two reasons why you put someone in jail before trial number one, if they're risk to the community. Number two, if they're a risk of flight to sort of run away, he's both of those things. And I think prosecutors be very hard pressed to let him out.

It all comes down to what could he provide on people either above him or around him that would be valuable. As the head of the Oathkeepers, he himself is kind of a big fish. So, I have a really hard time seeing how he really gets much of a benefit here, but he might have really valuable testimony and we'll just have to see.

MATTINGLY: Yes, all part of the process. Elliot Williams, I'm afraid to have to rescind your promotion to Attorney General, but very appreciative as always, for your time it's expected.

WILLIAMS: Take care, Phil.

PAUL: Still ahead, back down from blocking the US-Canada border or else that is the message from a judge to Trump on inspired protesters who are refusing to comply with that judge's orders. We'll have a live update for you next.

And listen, I know you feel it. You flew to the grocery store the gas at the pump. Everything feels so heavy and pricey. Right? How long is this going to last? We're going to talk to an expert next, hope to get you some answers.

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[07:20:35]

MATTINGLY: A growing number of states are planning to lift indoor and school mask mandates as more areas emerge from the worst of the Omicron ware, but the move has drawn attention to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, who has yet to change the agency's masking guidance for Americans. The CDC says we should continue wearing masks in areas of high or substantial transmission.

Look at that map, it includes about 99 percent of US counties and parents will have to continue waiting to vaccinate their youngest children. That banging you heard is all the things being thrown against the wall, parents of young kids. The FDA announced Friday that it's delaying review of Pfizer's COVID vaccines for children under five. It says because of newly available data on the effectiveness of its two-dose regimen.

They're waiting for more data on an ongoing trial of a third dose and young kids before moving forward. Just hours, after a judge ordered them to clear out protesters are still blocking traffic at the busiest international crossing in North America. Now, cities along the US Canada border are bracing for even more disruptions.

PAUL: The border blockage is putting more stress on the supply chain as you can imagine, which is causing millions of dollars in lost business. The so-called Freedom Convoy started as a trucker protest by drivers who are fighting vaccine mandates in both Canada and the U.S. It's since become a protest of all COVID-19 Health restrictions. CNN's Miguel Marquez live for us in Windsor, Ontario. So, Miguel, I

know it's freezing there. We're trying to see what, what is happening behind you there. We know that the judge ordered protesters out by 7:00 p.m. last night. What is happening at the moment, are they listening?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, it is cold. It is going to get much colder this weekend. So, Mother Nature might have something to do with protesters saying here are not though Canadians are very hardy, and they say this is like a spring day. But look overnight, about 25 maybe 30 cars have left the area here that's blocking the Ambassador Bridge.

So, I'll show you what the protest was doing right now, when that injunction went into effect last night at 7:00 p.m., people from around the city and around the area came down here to show their support and it felt very much like a party down here. Everybody, they were they were singing the national anthem. There were fireworks going off. It is much reduced now. There are fewer cars blocking the way this morning.

And I suspect in the hours and couple of days ahead, police are going to continue to continue to ratchet up the pressure. There is an injunction here in Windsor. There is also an emergency order across the entire province or state of Ontario. Toronto's mayor is expecting protests there, as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN TARY, MAYOR OF TORONTO: There are many sets of rights that have to be taken into account here. Yes, there are the rights of people to peaceful and hopefully respectful protests. And the words peaceful and respectful are an important part of that. But those have to be, you know, weighed against.

And it's part of the difficulty that police have to engage in day in and day out. The rights of other people to go about their business, to go to work to go to the hospital without harassment. To go to work at the hospital without harassment to just move about their city to live in peace and quiet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: So, I spoke to several protesters this morning. They say, look, we are on the right side of history. We are fighting tyranny. The, the mayor here, the provincial premier in Ontario says, look, your concerns have been heard, but it is time to go. It's a clicking talk, clock now. I think we're going to see more activity as the weekend goes on. Back to you guys.

PAUL: Well, Canadians may be hardy but my friend Miguel, we know you are as well. Thank you so much for bringing this latest. Take good care there.

There has been -- yes, I know, doing, doing the best you can and you're doing it well. So, there's this steady rise in US inflation. We've all been watching and we've all felt it, haven't we? You feel it when you go to the grocery store when you go to get gas. I don't know if you even realize rent is also in that category.

Consumer prices rose by 7.5 percent in January, that is the fastest 12-month gain in the last 40 years. And it's a big difference for families because according to Moody's, the average American household is paying roughly $275 a month more right now for the same goods compared to prior to pandemic.

So, Ryan Sweet is with us, he's a Senior Economist at Moody's Analytics, also heads their Monetary Policy Research. Ryan, so good to have you with us here. So, I mean, that's a lot of money for families. What are some of the other sectors that we might be feeling this or should we be paying attention to other than what we see at the gas pump in the grocery store?

[07:25:26]

RYAN SWEET, SENIOR ECONOMIST, MOODY'S ANALYTICS: And the inflation is costly, and unfortunately, no households are bearing the brunt of it. The good news is that wage growth has picked up, it's just not keeping pace with inflation. What we're seeing a lot of inflationary pressures, it's not just at the pump, not just at the grocery store.

It's pretty much broad based across the economy, particularly in new and used vehicle prices. And I think the good news is that's attributed to supply chain issues. And hopefully, as these bottlenecks begin to ease through the course of this year, we'll start to see inflation moderate, quite quickly.

PAUL: So, talk to us about the timeline there for that, what is the trajectory of inflation? And what is the timeline as to when might we see a little bit of relief?

SWEET: Well, as economist, we have to be humble in forecasting inflation, it's, it's quite difficult, particularly in post pin, we're in the pandemic still. But given all the uncertainty around supply chain issues, that's really the key. We assume that supply chain issues don't necessarily get resolved immediately, it's going to improve over the course of the next several months.

So, I think the worst is here, I think we're in the midst of the worst inflationary pressures that we're going to experience, at least in the US. And through the rest of this year and into next, we'll see inflation begin to moderate. So, we're 7.5 percent right now, hopefully, by the end of the year, we're close to three or four percent.

PAUL: OK, so a lot of people sold their house because this housing boom, this housing market boom of what's happening, and now they have to go find a place to rent, you do not realize how much rent has gone up until you have to find a house. In fact, in your latest economic roundup, you write, growth in rents will accelerate over the next several months and likely peak this summer around six percent on a year ago basis. So, you expect rent to keep rising? What is the driver of rents specifically? SWEET: It's supply and demand. There's a boatload of demand that you mentioned. People are starting new households, the labor market improving job growth is very, very strong, the unemployment rates come down quite quickly. And that's enticing people to go. Start new households, there's a lot of demand for apartments, rental housing.

The good news on the rental side is the supply side is responding, homebuilders are picking up, housing starts for multi units is increasing noticeably, and that should alleviate some pressure, and not necessarily in the next few months. By the second half of this year and into next we should start to see rental inflation moderate.

PAUL: So, I want to ask you about the Federal Reserve with the expectation is they're going to meet again in March, there's going to be a hike. How much so do you believe, and again, I know that this is all hard to predict, but we trust you and your expertise on this. How much of a hike do you expect there will be on interest rates specifically in March and then throughout the rest of the year of 2022?

SWEET: We're assuming a 25-basis point increase at the March meeting. The Fed usually likes to start tightening cycle gradually. But this is unlike any tightening cycle that we've seen over the last several cycles. Because the Feds chasing inflation lower, the economy is barreling towards full employment.

So, I do think the Feds going to be much more aggressive in normalizing or tightening monetary policy this time around than it was after the Great Recession. So, in our forecast we're assuming 100 basis points of rate increases this year, and 100 basis points next year. But I think the risks are that the Fed is much more aggressive than what we're at right now.

PAUL: All right. Good to know. Ryan Sweet, thank you so much for taking time to talk to us on a Saturday morning.

SWEET: Thanks for having me.

PAUL: Of course.

[07:29:14]

MATTINGLY: Bipartisanship. It's not exactly a word you hear very often in that building on Capitol Hill, but there are some signs of progress lately. We'll tell you how Democrats are trying to get some of their big legislative goals over the finish line.

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[07:33:38]

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): With President Biden's sweeping Build Back Better proposals stalled on Capitol Hill, Democrats in Congress are shifting their focus to a list of other bipartisan proposals. CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Yes, from protections for women to improving mail service, addressing tensions with Russia, Congress is trying to build up this list of accomplishments.

CNN's Daniella Diaz is with us live from Capitol Hill right now. Talk to us, Daniella about what's behind this new push for bipartisanship.

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER (on camera): Christi, Phil, remember, it's a very delicate split in the Senate. That 50-50 split Democrats and Republicans. And that is why Democrats need Republican support to try to pass any legislation through the Senate.

You know, flashback to last December when Senator Joe Manchin was a no on the Build Back Better Act. that bill that would have expanded to the nation's social safety net was nearly $2 trillion.

And Democrats were trying to pass that along party lines. So, because that ultimately did not end up happening because Manchin was a no, they are now shifting their attention to trying to pass a batch of smaller bipartisan bills that they can get Republicans behind.

Now, I want to talk a little bit about what those bills are. You mentioned a couple of them.

DIAZ (voice-over): The first, of course, being the Violence Against Women Act, which lapsed three years ago. They're also working on reforming the Electoral Count Act, following, of course what happened at the January 6th -- during the January 6th insurrection.

And a bipartisan group is also working on Russian sanctions. You know we've been talking about that all week, and especially the last 24 hours in the case if Russia invades Ukraine.

[07:35:09]

DIAZ: Democrats, Republicans are currently working on sanctions. And, of course, a massive Postal reform bill that lawmakers have been trying to get over the finish line for years.

DIAZ (on camera): But really the bigger picture here is Democrats are realizing that they have, of course, that 50-50 split, but they were made aware of that delicate split earlier this year when Senator Ben Ray Lujan suffered a stroke, and as a result has been out of his work in the Senate.

And they only have 49 votes. So, that split is very delicate, and they're very aware that they need Republican support, at least, 10 Republicans to break that 60 vote threshold for the filibuster to be able to pass any legislation.

And, of course, their goal is to try to reach some of these legislation -- legislative items that they want to pass ahead of the 2022 midterms. Christi, Phil?

PAUL: Daniella Diaz, thank you so much. We appreciate it. So, just ahead, calls for reform are getting louder after police shoot and kill Amir Locke while serving a no-knock warrant. We have a latest on that investigation for you. Stay close.

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[07:40:49]

PAUL: 40 minutes past the hour right now, and the parents of Amir Locke are calling on President Biden now to end the use of no-knock warrants across the U.S.

MATTINGLY: Now, an officer shot and killed Locke while serving and no- knock warrant during a homicide investigation. But police were looking for his cousin. CNN's Omar Jimenez reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They were looking in the right apartment, but they found the wrong person. When Amir Locke was shot and killed by police.

They were looking for his cousin, 17-year-old Mekhi Speed, who was charged Tuesday in the murder of a man named Otis Elder in nearby St. Paul about a month earlier, court documents show.

They also show Investigators tracked the allegedly stolen car they say was used as a getaway vehicle from the shooting to a Minneapolis apartment complex. The St. Paul and Minneapolis Police Departments had search warrants that authorize the search of three apartments at the Bolero Flats. In one of them was Locke, asleep on the couch.

As he appeared to wake up, he's seen with a gun and police shoot. Locke was killed. His name wasn't listed on the search warrant, police and his attorney say.

JEFF STORMS, ATTORNEY TO LOCKE FAMILY: Everyone from top to bottom, it has blamed there. The decision not to actually implement a ban on no- knock warrants.

The decisions of the Minneapolis Police officials and officers involved in continuing to seek no-knock warrants.

JIMENEZ: In 2020, Minneapolis Police were executing roughly 139 no- knock warrants per year, according to the city. In November of that year, the city updated its No-Knock Policy, saying, "MPD officers will be required to announce their presence and purpose prior to entry, outside of exigent circumstances like a hostage situation or other imminent threats."

In the following months leading up to an election, Mayor Jacob Frey was criticized as giving the impression he completely banned the practice. He acknowledged there could have been more nuance. JACOB FREY, MAYOR OF MINNEAPOLIS: As more and more people and outside groups began weighing in, language became more casual, including my own, which did not reflect the necessary precision or nuance, and I own that.

My language and what we're -- what we're saying in certainly in longer form honor the spirit of this policy changed and, but there were instances when it did not.

JIMENEZ: Recently, Frey moved the city to a temporary moratorium of no-knock warrants, though they're still allowed in situations of imminent risk and with the approval of the chief. But Locke's family wants a permanent ban, and their attorneys saying that's the only thing that's going to solve this.

JIMENEZ (on camera): What do you feel needs to be implemented to prevent this from happening ever again?

STORMS: We need a flat out moratorium and ban on no-knock warrants in real life when exigent circumstances arise. The law already provides for that. This concept of a no-knock warrant under even emergency situations still seems ridiculous.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): The no-knock policy also has some gun advocacy groups concern, including the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, especially as Locke's family and attorneys say he was in legal possession of his gun.

Shortly, after the shooting, the caucus called his death completely avoidable. And Mr. Locke did what many of us might do in the same confusing circumstances. He reached for a legal means of self-defense, while he sought to understand what was happening.

AMERICAN CROWD: This is what the unity looks like.

JIMENEZ: Protests are now calling for the familiar chance of justice in the Twin Cities for more than just a prosecution of an officer, for the change in policy.

Omar Jimenez, CNN, Minneapolis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Thanks to Omar for that reporting.

And from Olympic dreams to quarantine. For athletes who got COVID, it's a nightmare after training their whole lives for the games.

[07:44:38]

MATTINGLY: Next, we'll show you how some of them are coping.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Well, victims of the September 11 terror attacks and humanitarian organizations in Afghanistan will split $7 billion in frozen assets from Afghanistan Central Bank,

MATTINGLY: That's happening because President Biden signed an executive order on Friday, releasing that money which technically belongs to Afghanistan. Now, it had been frozen since the fall of the U.S.-back government to the Taliban last August.

PAUL: CNN White House reporter Kevin Liptak has more on that executive order and exactly where the money will go.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER (on camera): Yes, good morning, Christi and Phil. This is an executive order that President Biden signed yesterday.

LIPTAK (voice-over): And what it does is unfreeze $7 billion from the Afghan Central Bank that had been frozen over the summer when the Taliban took over the country and splits it into two buckets.

[07:50:09]

$3-1/2 billion of that money will go into a trust fund that will eventually be distributed as humanitarian aid in Afghanistan. And, of course, that funding is desperately needed as the country endures mass starvation and poverty.

And then the other half, the other $3-1/2 billion will be set aside to fund potential litigation for families of 9/11 victims, who have been seeking this compensation for years and has sued the Taliban for their role in harboring the attacks' mastermind Osama bin Laden.

Now, none of this money will be released right away. In the case of the humanitarian aid, a judge will need to first grant permission for the new trust fund to be created. And from there, it will be distributed to Afghans.

And U.S. officials say they are taking steps to ensure that money doesn't end up back in the hands of the Taliban. But it's not really clear yet how they plan to accomplish that.

And in the case of the money for the 9/11, families, officials expect it will take a long time for this their cases to make it through court and ultimately a judge will have to rule on whether the families can make a legitimate claim to the funds.

But in the meantime, there has been some criticism of these moves. People are pointing out that this frozen money belongs to the Afghan people who did not play a role in perpetrating that 9/11 attacks.

And what the White House says is that as long as these families were in court, seeking the compensation from the fund, they had to take these steps to put aside this money as the case makes its way through the system, saying that's their legal right.

But what is really important to note here, guys is this is coming in amid a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Their economy is in a tailspin. Before the Taliban took over, 80 percent of the government's budget came from international funding. After the government fell, that money really dried up as groups and foreign governments were wary of sending dollars to the Taliban, and the United Nation says that nearly 23 million people that's more than half the population is facing extreme hunger, at least a million children under 5 are at risk of starvation.

Christi and Phil.

MATTINGLY: Now, I want to turn to the Winter Olympics in Beijing. I've been turning to them quite often the last couple of days. The competition is about halfway over right now.

PAUL: Yes, here is the thing. And I cannot imagine what this is like for some Olympians that dream, right, of competing, it's slipping away because of COVID.

Dozens of athletes have been forced into quarantine after they tested positive for the virus.

MATTINGLY: Our CNN's Selina Wang shows us how some of those athletes are coping with this brutal new reality.

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From Olympic dream to quarantine. The nightmare scenario. Athletes who test positive like Norwegian Olympian Jarl Magnus Riiber whisked out of the Olympic Village in an ambulance into this dystopian reality.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just like at the audio.

WANG: Workers in hazmat suits carry his Olympic luggage into the isolation facility. The overwhelming smell --

TEXT

Yes, it definitely smells of chlorine.

WANG: Of disinfectant.

TEXT

Damn.

WANG: They go through paperwork, take his vitals. Feeling healthy, but making it out in time to compete, he tells me, is a slim possibility.

The gold medalist in the Nordic combined skiing event trapped in this room for more than a week, running back and forth over and over again just to stay in shape.

His happiest day here, getting his bike delivered. The confinement, ruining years of preparation.

JARL MAGNUS RIIBER, NORWEGIAN NORDIC COMBINED SKIER: Now, I hope for a miracle. Yes, it destroys a lot because you have tuned your shape so much into this event.

WANG: But for it to end, athletes have to deliver two negative PCR tests with at least 24 hours in between. Then after that, seven more days of isolation at the Olympic Village.

For some athletes, it's already too late.

American ice skating star Vincent Zhou telling fans he's out of the games because of COVID, even though he's taken every precaution possible. In a heart wrenching video, he shares what he would tell his younger self.

VINCENT ZHOU, AMERICAN FIGURE SKATER: The -- just pain of it all is pretty insane.

WANG (on camera): More than 400 Olympic personnel have tested positive for COVID. And athletes telling me that isolation hotels like that one are getting full, but they couldn't feel more isolated or anxious, knowing that their Olympic dreams could end in there.

WANG (voice-over): American bobsledder Josh Williamson stuck in California after testing positive.

JOSH WILLIAMSON, TEAM USA BOBSLEDDER: I kind of done everything I can. And that's one of those things where it's a hard pill to swallow when it's something that might be out of your control.

WANG: Swedish curler Sofia Mabergs documents her rollercoaster week for CNN.

SOFIA MABERGS, SWEDISH CURLER: And I can finally start packing my stuff again. I'm like all emotional right now.

WANG: After agonizing days of positive tests, she finally recovered making her way to the games.

[07:55:04]

MABERGS: Like, get the Olympic experience started.

WANG: For these Olympics, even the little thing like embracing friends is a victory.

MABERGS: Free to hug my friends and best teammates ever.

Hi, guys.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WANG: But now, all of the athletes who've tested positive can be as lucky as Swedish curler Sophia Mabergs. Also spoke to an Estonian athlete in isolation, he tells me he's lost hope that even if he makes it out of the facility in time, given the current quarantine conditions, he's already out of peak physical shape. These athletes, they've trained their entire careers for this moment, they've done everything to avoid getting COVID, and the situation they're in. It's absolutely heartbreaking.

But Beijing organizers say these rules are successfully keeping people safe during these games, because the priority for China where there is zero tolerance for COVID is to have no transmission of COVID inside the Olympic bubble. Christi, Phil?

PAUL: Yes, I cannot imagine what it's like for them. And I wonder too, if those who tested positive could have some effect on their performance as you -- as you said, some are just they haven't been able to train let alone what the virus might actually do to them.

Selina Wang, we appreciate it. Thank you.

We'll be right back.

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