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Weather Might Impact Possible Russian Invasion Of Ukraine; Female Athletes At The 2020 Winter Olympics; Man Creating Career Of Setting New Ones. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired February 14, 2022 - 04:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Happy Valentine`s Day. We love that you`re taking 10 for today`s show, and we hope everything is going well with you. I`m
Carl Azuz. A lot of eyes worldwide our fixed on what`s happening in China and Ukraine, and we`re covering new events from both places today.
As far as things go with eastern Europe, Russian military forces around Ukraine could invade the country by the end of this week. That`s the word
from the White House. The United States is the biggest contributor to NATO, an alliance for American and European countries and they don`t want Russia
to try to take over Ukraine which is on Russia`s western border.
Russia doesn`t want Ukraine to become a member of NATO. It would consider that a threat too close to home. During disagreements over this issue and
others, Russia has built up a huge military force around Ukraine and NATO has threatened to heavily penalize Russia`s economy if it tries to invade
Ukraine.
On Saturday, U.S. President Joe Biden discussed this in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Sunday, President Biden discussed it
in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. American officials say the hope and priority is to resolve the problem
diplomatically so that Russia does not invade Ukraine.
But even though Russia has repeatedly said it`s not planning to, it blames western countries and their media for spreading false information about
that. It also says NATO has failed to address Russia`s main security concerns. So what action the country is planning to take is anyone`s guess.
Over the weekend, the U.S. moved some of its troops out of Ukraine. America does not plan to involve them directly in a war with Russia, and the U.S.
evacuated most of its embassy staff as well. Ukrainian President Zelensky has said he doesn`t think a Russian attack is going to happen anytime soon,
but if and when it does the timing of all things could depend on the weather.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Across much of Ukraine, it`s been a mild winter. Still plenty of snow but much of it turning to slush. The Sea of Azov less icy
than normal for the beginning of February. According to the latest data, temperatures are running between one and three degrees Celsius higher than
the 30-year average, and that just might make a difference to any Russian military offensive.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For them to move and -- and -- and occupy the whole country, particularly from the north from Belarus.
It`s -- he`s going to wait a little bit until the ground`s frozen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The view in Washington is that a Russian offensive needs frozen ground given Ukraine`s landscape.
GENERAL MARK MILLEY, CHAIR OF THE U.S. JOINT CHIEF OF STAFF: Prominent terrain includes flat open plains, and there are abundance and rivers and
lakes and there`s a high water table. And when the high water table freezes, it makes it for optimal conditions for cross country tracked and
wheeled vehicle maneuver.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s not so much that modern tanks get bogged down in wet conditions, but the support they need can do.
JD WILLIAMSON, RAND CORPORATION, SENIOR DEFENSE RESEARCH: More importantly than the track vehicles themselves is what they need to sustain themselves,
which is fuel and ammunition which are very heavy and are generally carried by wheeled vehicles that need good roads.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Even the Russians admit that in some areas wet conditions can be a factor.
VLADIMIR CHIZHOV, RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE EUROPEAN UNION: If you studied geography of the area, actually the southern part of Belarus close to the
Ukrainian border is very swampy area which is hardly fitting for certain active engagement of tanks and other heavy weaponry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s not just the conditions on the ground. It`s the skies as well. Clear skies are important for reconnaissance and
intelligence gathering, and for landing assault troops.
WILLIAMSON: Cloudy weather, rain, snow, all of that would inhibit the reconnaissance measures that you would use to find the targets, and if you
can`t find the targets precisely than -- than the effect that your fires are going to have are going to be diminished.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But in the initial phase of any conflict, some experts say that Russia would likely opt for weapons that can operate in any
weather, long-range artillery, ballistic missiles. They would seek to take out Ukrainian command and control not frontline forces. Satellite imagery
indicates that such weapons have brought forward to positions near the Ukrainian border.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. What was featured for the first time at the 1900 Summer Olympics? A Marathon, Women`s Events, Cycling, or an Asian host
city. Four years after the first modern Olympics in 1896, women were allowed to compete for the first time.
One hundred and twenty-two years later, female competitors are still making Olympic history. Norway`s Marta Olsbu Roiseland became the first woman to
win four biathlon medals at a single Olympics. U.S. snow boarder Chloe Kim became the first woman to win back-to-back gold`s in the half-pipe.
U.S. skater Erin Jackson became the first black American woman to win an Olympic speed skating medal, it was gold, and at age 35 snowboarder Lindsey
Jacobellis became the oldest American woman to win gold and she won two. But a number of other women and men who qualified and made it to Beijing
have been unable to compete or even train. China`s strict COVID containment laws have kept the in isolation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From Olympic dream to quarantine, a nightmare scenario. Athletes who test positive like Norwegian Olympian Jarl
Magnus Ruber, whisked out of the Olympic village in an ambulance into this dystopian reality. Workers in hazmat suits carry his Olympic luggage into
the isolation facility. The overwhelming smell of disinfectant.
They go through paperwork, take his vitals, feeling healthy but making it out to compete he tells me is a slim possibility. The gold medalist in the
Nortic-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 RUBER, NORWEGIAN OLYMPIAN: I hope for a miracle. Yes, it destroys a lot because you have (inaudible) in your shape so much to this
event.
WANG: But for it to end, athletes have to deliver two negative PCR tests with at least 24 hours in between, than 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, UNITED STATES OLYMPIAN: Just the pain of it all is -- is pretty insane.
WANG: More than 400 Olympic personnel have tested positive for COVID, athletes tell me that isolation hotels like that one are getting full, but
they couldn`t feel more isolated and anxious knowing that their Olympic dreams could end in there. American bobsledder, Josh Williamson stuck in
California after testing positive.
JOSH WILLIAMSON, UNITED STATES OLYMPIAN: I had, 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 Maborgs documents her rollercoaster week for CNN.
SOFIA MABORGS, SWEDISH OLYMPIAN: -- can finally start packing my stuff again. I`m, like, all emotional now.
WANG: After agonizing days of positive tests, she finally recovered making her way to the games.
MABORGS: Get the Olympic experience started.
WANG: For theses Olympics, even the little things like embracing friends is a victory.
MABORGS: I get to hug my friends and best teammates ever.
WANG: Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Fifty-two world records in 52 weeks, that was the goal that David Rush set for himself last year. He`s a dude who`s made a career out of
breaking world records and using the publicity to promote STEM education. So let`s get educated on some of his feats.
Putting on T-shirts, setting up chess board with one hand, catching grapes in mouth while juggling, balancing toilet rolls on head, catching ping-pong
balls and shaving foam, whatever this is, fastest time for wrapping a person in cling wrap. It benefits David that Guinness publishes a wide
array of records. The company told NPR news it`s officially recognized 43 of his 52 attempts, with the others under review, but Guinness says it
wants him to break 53 this year.
That`s a lot to "juggle", especially with some up in the "air". But if your job is making records by breaking records, I guess setting records is where
you "beGuinness". And no one who does this weekly is doing so "weakly", recording "record records" requires record setting strength.
I`m Carl Azuz for CNN 10. Today`s shout out takes us to Harlowton, Montana where we`re happy to see the student of Harlowton High School. Thank you
for engineering your request on our You Tube channel.
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