that s the same type of aircraft and missile that shot down the chinese balloon off the coast of south carolina. one of the questions we asked at the pentagon briefing was if there was so much intelligence to gain by letting the previous balloon fly across the united states and being able to observe it, why was this one shot down so quickly especially when the senators were furious it wasn t shot down earlier. was the pentagon wbowing to political pressure. the decision to shoot it down before it entered into u.s. airspace, the pentagon bowing to pressure from the hill? we re going to judge each of these objects on its own merits. it entered into u.s. airspace on february 9th. we sent up aircraft to assess what it was. the decision was made that it posed a reasonable threat to civilian air traffic. the president gave the order to take it down and we took it down. in the end this was shot down just a few miles over the water. that water frozen so it did essentially fall
breaking news tops the hour. turns out the former president is not the only one of the classified documents problem. the president has one as well, stemming from his time as vice president. they were discovered last fall in a private office in washington, and used as part of his relationship with university of pennsylvania, where he was an honorary professor for 2017 to 2019. attorney general garland has asked the u.s. attorney to investigate. republicans are reacting. so far the former president and the democratic former chairman of the house intelligence committee has called this, quote, a problem, and a deep concern, and quote. cnn s evan perez shares the timing of the story. he joins us now. so, what more do you know about the documents that were found? well, anderson, we know that at least some of the documents or classified at a level as ts/sci, which is sensitive compartmented information. and this is sensitive information that comes from intelligence sources, and
some leopard tanks to ukraine while holding back the american-made abrams model. what s the difference, and can ukraine get some tanks before russia ramps up its war in the spring? plus, a new investigation opened in new mexico into a republican candidate s campaign possibly being laced with money from fentanyl sales just days after his arrest accused of plotting to shoot the homes of his democratic rivals. and julia roberts made her a household name. coming up, the real erin brockovich is here on a mission to help military families. welcome to the lead. i m jake tapper and we start with the world lead in what appears to be a standoff between the united states and germany when it comes to giving more heavy weapons to ukraine. more than 50 countries and organizations met at ramstein air base in germany led by top military leaders but the group failed to come to an agreement on one of ukraine s most pressing request, whether or not germany will send the leopard tanks to i
reset. good morning. parts of america s largest state under water as millions face a flooding disaster in california. dramatic rescues under way now as roads buckle, cars submerge and downtown l.a. at risk. we ll take you there live. more classified documents and another investigation, this time it is a different president. the current one. what president biden s team has discovered in his private office, but also why his case is different than the one playing out at mar-a-lago. rudy giuliani subpoenaed as the special counsel follows the money. chilling discoveries in the search for a missing mother. what her husband searched online and what he bought after her disappearance. deborah norville will join us live. and new twist in russia s war, why the united states is making a significant change involving the weapons it is sending to ukraine. we have new reporting just moments away. cnn this morning starts right now. and thank you for joining us, everyone. we re goi
hundreds of thousands without power, more than 4,000 flights canceled. winds so treacherous the airport in buffalo, new york, had to shut down. cnn is live with the havoc being wreaked nationwide. and the january 6th committee out with its final report spelling out why donald trump, in their view, was the one solely responsible for the riot and should be discaqualifi from holding office ever again. new transcripts from the committee. why cassidy hutchinson said she was disappointed and disgusted with her first round of testimony under oath. welcome to the lead. i m jake tapper. we start with the national lead and this nightmare weather scenario before christmas crippling conditions stretching coast to coast with snow and ice in cities such as seattle and portland, oregon to the massive bomb cyclone system moving east. nearly 180 million in the u.s. are in areas with temperatures below freezing. 70 million are in areas below zero. this system is so powerful meteorologist