world, i m u.s. officials are tracking a suspected chinese spy balloon that s moving towards the east coast. we ll hear how beijing is trying to explain how it ended up floating above the united states. thunder, snow, fierce winds and temperatures reaching triple digits below zero. all part of the arctic blast that s hitting the u.s. northeast this weekend, and millions will feel it. meanwhile, in ukraine there are signs that russian troops are preparing for a spring military offensive. this is cnn newsroom, with kim brunhubber. a suspected chinese spy balloon will finally leave u.s. air space in a couple of days or could be sooner. some new weather models show the winds pushing it over the atlantic as early as today. the pentagon has been closely tracking the object and it s carrying a large payload of surveillance gear. military officials are advising against shooting it down now. china that has apologized and said the balloon entered u.s. air space by accident. bei
u.s. officials tell cnn the possibility of shooting down the chinese spy balloon has not been ruled out. this as the secretary of state warns beijing that the balloon s brazen flight over the united states is a clear violation and an irresponsible act. also tonight, president biden is out touting a blockbuster jobs report, proving it claims critics of his policies are wrong. we ll break down the political impact for the president just ahead of the state of union address and the expected launch of his re-election campaign. and a life-threatening arctic blast is bearing down right now on the northeast. stand by for an up-to-the-minute forecast on the bitter cold and dangerous winds, putting tens of millions of americans at risk. welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i m wolf blitzer. you re in the situation room. we begin with the rising tensions right now between the united states and china as that massive spy balloon is still out there
our top story tonight, murder charges in the death of tyre nichols, five former police officers now in custody as prosecutors lay out their case for the public. cnn s don lemon is on the ground for us in memphis. don, each of these men now facing several very, very serious criminal charges including second-degree murder, you re there on the scene talking to a lot of folks. give us the latest. reporter: extremely serious charges, second-degree murder as you said, wolf, aggravated assault. aggravated kidnapping which is an interesting one. official misconduct and official oppression. those are the charges that could land these officers in jail for a very long time if they are found guilty in a court of law. now, the director of the tennessee bureau of investigation, david roush, he held a press conference with the district attorney here saying according to david roush that he found what the officers actions as to what he saw in the videotape sickening. watch this. simply p
biden. abrams battle tanks finally heading to ukraine. cnn s chief white house correspondent phil mattingly has the reporting. we are fully, thoroughly, totally united. reporter: a diplomatic break through with dramatic implications. the united states will be sending 31 abram tanks to ukraine. reporter: the u.s. tanks set to significantly expand ukraine s battlefield capabilities. it makes it possible for germany, but also other european nato allies to provide battle tanks to ukraine and that will significantly strengthen their combat capabilities. reporter: at the same moment europe s largest land war in 80 years is in its most after weeks of u.s. officials say it was untenable. the maintenance and high cost it would take to maintain an abrams doesn t make sense to provide that to the ukrainians at this time. reporter: their inclusion a demand from german officials in order to clear the way for delivery of their own tanks and to sign off on the german-made
happening now, joe biden and house speaker kevin mccarthy can just wrapped up their first high-stakes talks on raising the nation s debt limit. mccarthy telling reporters moments ago that he thinks he and the president can find some common ground. also tonight, mourning in memphis, as tyre nichols is laid to rest three weeks after he was brutally beaten by police. we ll take you inside the emotional funeral and the urgent outcry for police reform. and cnn is in the trenches with ukrainian soldiers on the eastern front, as officials in kyiv warn that russia is gearing up for maximum escalation of the war. welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i m wolf blitzer. you re in the situation room. stories. important developments in the debt limit showdown right now. joe biden and house speaker kevin mccarthy just wrapped up a very high stakes meeting at the white house. their first face-to-face since mccarthy won the gavel. our reporter is on c