work with its allies again after four years of donald trump's america first policies. this happening as the u.s. officially rejoins the paris climate agreement and just one day after the state department said that the u.s. is ready to restart nuclear talks with iran. we'll bring back of these events to you live when they happen. but we start this hour with a crisis in texas. we're nearly 200,000 people are still without power after this week's epic winter storm. and while that number is a major improvement, millions of texans are still dealing with food and water shortages in the aftermath. 13 million residents are under boil water advisories. that is nearly half of the state's population. the conditions catastrophic for families who have been suffering for days. >> it's like one of your worst nightmares. like you never, ever imagine that this is going to happen to you. so for me to walk in there and just see everything that we have just being destroyed when it could have been prevented, it was so heartbreaking. because how am i going to explain there to my children. that our whole house is gone. we have in clue where we're going to be able to leave or where we're even going to go after this. >> millions of texans suffering the same as that woman. omar jimenez is live in austin at a home where the owners have just had power turned on but still having water issues like much of the rest of the state. omar, what are you hearing? >> reporter: that is right, bianna. those that have power are maybe more thankful than they've ever been to have power here in the austin area. and many of those that just got it back were still having to huddle together for what was another night of freezing temperatures here in the austin, area. and this is what has turned into the bedroom for not just this home but many places across the texas area where every single night they were burning fire wood, this family here, trying to stay warm, huddled together in this living room. they told us this is basically a day's worth of fire woodment they don't have an ax so they were going through this with a hammer outside trying to get pieces of wood to keep themselves warm in the state of texas. now you mentioned what is probably going to be the longer term issue and that comes down to the water. this family still doesn't have water as so many others across the state. here in austin, we're in a boil water advisory. and just to give you a perspective, officials told us it was 325 million gallons of water that was lost and typically they need to produce around 140 million gallons per day to kind of get them to a at least safe level and they are still not there yet. it is a long process and people are being told to think in terms of days, not hours. now i want to bring in the residents here, jen studebaker. and tell me, you weren't just burning wood to stay warm. what kind of measures were you taking in the beginning. >> well it was a learning process for sure. so we started with some chairs, and have i some ---y ikea chairs that we booked first and then we realized the power wasn't going to come on but we tried to find wood and the stores were close and we dragged pallets from the black of a grocery store and then we scavenged wood from the creek beds which was frozen and we had to thaw it out and then we emptied out green bean cans to make warm water. luckily we we have water and now we don't so we're melting snow in the bathtub. but we have power to melt it. it takes four spots of snow to fill a toilet sink. so it is been constant. i almost brokepy finger the other day and we are just exhausted honestly. >> and every morning you didn't know how exactly you were going to keep your family warm at night. >> yeah. we eventually moved all of the blankets on to the wall, closed everything down that we could, luckily we just kind of made it work. it is like we got up every morning and started over. like we just assumed we weren't going to have power and were going to lose water and we kept the bathtubs full of water and that is how we're living. we spent five hours in line to get some basics and that is just -- it is been -- >> well, jen, we appreciate how hard you have to work. you shouldn't have had to work this hard but it is you're reality. so thank you so much. and i'm glad you're family is safe. but look, her reality is like so many others across the state and what it has been over the week. power was the first frontier and not everyone has it back yet, water is the next frontier for getting people back to some semblance of normalcy. bianna. >> it is unmanageable. i am a texan and i lived in austin for many years and tell jan that we are with her and you couldn't see her because sheer wearing a mask and i know she was smiling and laughing through that and that shows how resilient and strong texans are throughout this nightmare. thank you so much. well joining me now is texas state lawmaker jeff leach, a republican representing an area north of dallas. congressman, thank you so much for joining us. i know you heard jen and their plight there having to burn their own furniture for heat. and the power is coming back on and the issue now is lack of water. fema have arrived in fort worth near where you are. what are you doing to make sure that your constituents have what they need right now? >> well thanks for having me on. jen's story is the story of millions of texans including thousands in my own district north of dallas. what happened here in texas was unacceptable. the storm was unprecedented. it touched and impacted all of texas, 254 counties. but like i said, what happened was unacceptable. we are addressing the situation and working with folks just like jen to make sure the power gets back on, and make sure they have clean water and they don't have boil water for much longer and as we look forward, figure out a way and have tough conversations but necessary conversations to make sure that this never happens in the great state of texas again. >> and we also know there is a food crisis. and i'm from texas, i'm from houston, my mother still lives there and she went to the grocery store and one store was closed and the other store was open but i want to show you pictures of the produce section here. there was nothing that she could take. luckily they have food at home. so many houstonians are orking. >> we're working with our counterparts to do just that. in my grocery store a mile away from the house we're experiencing the same issues and the same challenges. one of the things that the people of texas always do so well in times of crisis, whether it is a hurricane, a tornado, any sort of natural disaster and yes, this unprecedented winter storm, as we come together and roll up our sleeves and care for one another and you're seeing that across the state. the government has a very important role and we're working hard to fulfill that role but also our nonprofits, our churches, just the good-hearted, kind, loving people of texas are doing everything they could to one another and that is getting food to people who don't have a warm meal. >> it is times of crisis that makes it proud to be a texan. but your right, we need accountability as well. the search for what went wrong has begun. you filed legislation that would require all ercot officers to be texas residents. surprising that they weren't. but it does seem that the bigger issue is what is going to happen next in terms of infrastructure overhaul. winterizing equipment cost money. are you prepared to support that investment and to tell your constituents that perhaps they will start to have to pay a bit more to make sure this doesn't happen as well again. >> well make no mistake, we're going to make the investments that we need to make sure this never happens again. the buck stops with us as legislators. we're going to look at ercot and what happened with the grid and we're going to hold those responsible accountable, no question about it. and i'm on the front lines in that important fight. but at the end of the day the buck stops with us as legislators, elected policymakers, we're directly responsible to the people and i'm angry and i'm frustrated and i'm concerned for my constituents. they have a right to be frustrated and angry at their elected officials and decision-makers and now is the time to look at what happened and make sure it never happens again and if we don't do that, we'll have failed in our important responsibilities but i'm confident here in the state of texas we'll come through and make sure this doesn't happen again. >> so i would assume you say they have the right to be angry at their senator as well. ted cruz and i don't want to get into his trip to cancun and what his family is doing. the fact of the matter is it doesn't matter where he went, but he wasn't on the ground there. and a few say it is an optics scandal, because what more could he do. there is a lot to do. on the a bipartisan level, you were reaching out to your kroentss and i'm hearing from my friends in houston that they're legislature and their congress men and women are emailing them saying i'm without power as well but here is what i'm doing. i'm calling leadership and calling fema and here is where you go to get supplies and he did none of that and he represents that state as a senator, what is your response so what has been happening? >> well i'm not happy about if. i wasn't happy about it and it was a mistake on his part and i'm grad to hear that he admitted last night that it was a mistake when he returned. i'll tell you this, in this here in the state of texas, we have a lot of challenges. it is no surprise to anyone. we have the ongoing fight with covid, just the ongoing division in our country but the biggest problem for our country is the lack of trust that the people have in their elected officials and their policymakers at all level. and it is important for us to show up and be present. such a big part of leadership is being present and as state represents for over 200,000 people north of dallas, i'm here and present and i'm on the ground and available. i work for the people, not the other way around. they're the boss and not the other way around and it is important for us to show up for work and do our jobs. >> well i like hearing that. it may not be sexy to work on infrastructure and grid, people may want to turn to twitter and tweet about something going on in washington, but at the end of the day, it is what keeps people safe and it is what your constituents want to you be doing. i'm glad you're doing that for our state. thank you so much, jeff leach. >> thank you for having me on. god bless you. >> take care. and a major impact on the state's children. the storm forced schools to closed including houston. and it is not just the loss of in person education that is impacting kids. many students, many depend on schools for their meals. especially when food is scares. and joining me now is greta layton. so great to see you and we go way back and in covering this crisis and getting kids back into the classroom. i wish it was under better circumstances. but let me ask you, how many students have not received their meals this week because of distribution having to be halted? >> well we have over -- first of all good to see you. thank you for having me today. we have over 196,000 students in our district and daily 86,000 attend class face-to-face. so average that out to about 200,000 students when you include siblings and families that we've been feeding. our last meal distribution was last saturday, february 13th. very concerning that we have not been able to feed our students and families this week. >> and what do you know about that the condition of your nearly 300 school buildings and when will you resume in person classes? >> we have over 130 of our facilities that lost power, water and so we're going through that including our administration building and our nutrition services building where we keep our food. so we're completely our assessments, hope to have a final report this afternoon. and be able to send out communications to our staff and our families as it relates to district operations next week. very concerned that now that most of the citizens in houston and harris county now have power, but we're still experiencing issues with water. so that is a worry of bringing staff members and students back into our buildings next week if the water issue has not been resolved. we can't do it. >> the water issue, ventilation, all of that has to be looked at again after this crisis. you're schools, as we mentioned, taf been open for in-person classes with safety protocol in place while at the same time hundreds or maybe thousands at this point of staff have been vaccinated as well. the positivity rate in harris county is nearly 14%. but in los angeles county where it is near 6%, the superintendent of the l.a. unified school district said he's not going to open schools until teachers and staff are vaccinated. i want to you listen to what he told kate bolduan on this show yesterday. >> we've committed to reopen schools as soon as all three pieces are in place. if we could get on with the vaccination we'll have children back in school as possible and in the safest way as possible. >> so schools could be open for in-person learningine even without all of the teachers being vaccinated. so what is your message to other districts, to union pushes not to return until all teachers are vaccinated. >> i could only speak for houston. every community, every school district, every school board superintendent, they have to do what is best for their school community and in houston we came together with the support of a board of education and we put the additional funding to have technology for make sure our utilities were ready and we formed a committee comprised of staff members, medical professionals an developed a plan to safely reopen. but i'll continue to say, every school district has to do what is best for their school community. we have proven in houston independent school district that we can reopen safely and protect our staff and our students. but i have to commend our principals and our teachers. they have done a phenomenal job and every member of all of our campus wellness teams, all of the campuses have a wellness team and our staff members came together and we know how important it is for our students to receive face-to-face instruction and also to support families that are requesting to learn virtually. and we've done a great job. we still have a lot of work to do. i want all 196,000 students back in schools by august. and so i'm praying that we can continue to get more of our staff members, our parents vaccinated. but so we're ready to receive them in august. >> i could attest to, i'm bias but i could attest to the quality of teachers and they are still there and were my teachers and principals as well. when i spoke over the summer and we were addressing the crisis and you said we've been through harvey and it was a huge challenge and how does that rate in terms of what you have head of you and the work you have to do to get students back into the classroom compared to harvey? >> you know, it is a another hit. i'll be very honest with you. harvey was emotionally draining for all of us. covid has been emotionally draining and then this week. like i said, i experienced power outages, water outages, internet outages, everything, or every citizen in the state of texas all experienced it. but here is the difference. i knew that when this was over, whatever repairs that needed i need to make to my home, whatever we needed of as a family, it would be taken care of. >> doctor we're hearing that the president is addressing the munich security conference. thank you so much for your time and good luck getting kids back into the classroom. and let's go straight to the president right now. >> but i want to say hello to everyone and thanks. the munich conference for hosting this special session. for decades as you pointed out i've participated in the munich security conference as a u.s. senator joining my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to affirm the importance of the transatlantic partnership. three times as vice president of the united states including delivering the first international foreign policy address of the obama/biden administration and the first months we were in office. and two years ago as you pointed out, when i last spoke i was a private citizen. i was professor, not an elected official. bup i said at that time, we will be back. and i'm a man of my word. america is back. i speak to you today as president of the united states. at the very start of my administration, and i'm sending a clear message to the world, america is back. the transatlantic alliance is back. and we are not looking backward. we're looking forward together. it comes down to this, the transatlantic alliance is a strong foundation. the strong foundation. i want our collective security and our shared prosperity are built. the partnership between europe and the united states in my view is and must retain the cornerstone of all that we hope to accomplish in the 21st century. just as we did in the 20th century. the challenge that we face today are different. we're at an inflection point. when i spoke as a senator and as vice president. the global dynamics have shifted. new crises demand our attention. and we cannot focus only on the competition among countries, that threaten to divide the world or only on global challenges that threaten to sink us altogether if we fail to cooperate. we must do both. working in lockstep with our allies and partners. so let me reace any lingering doubt, the united states will work close will with our european union partners and capitals across the couldn't innocent, from rome to regia, to meet the shared challenges we face. we continue to support the goal of a europe whole and free and at peace. the united states is fully committed to our nato alliance. and i welcome european's growing investment in the military capabilities that enable our shared defense. you know, to me and to the united states and to us, we'll keep article -- keep faith with article five. it is a guarantee, an attack on one, is an attack on all. that is our unshakeable vow. and the only time article five has been invoked was after the united states was attacked on 9/11. you, our allies joins us to fight al qaeda and we worked closely on the way forward in afghanistan. biden administration strongly supports a diplomatic process that is underway and to bring an end to this war that is closing out 20 years. we remain committed to ensuring that afghanistan never again provides a base for terrorist attacks against the united states and our partners and our interests. our european partners have also stood us with to counter isis. just this week, nato defense endorsed significant expanding training and advisory mission in iraq. which will be vital to the ongoing fight against isis. we cannot allow isis to reopen and regroup and threaten people in the middle east and europe and the united states and elsewhere. and while the united states is undergoing a thorough review of our own forced posture around the world, i've ordered the halting of withdrawal of american troops from germany. i'm also lifting a cap imposed by the previous administration on the number of u.s. forces able to be based in germany. i know, i know the past few years have strained and tested our transatlantic relationship. but the united states is determined, determined to reengage in europe. to consult with you, to earn back our position of trusted leadership. earlier today, as was referenced, i participated in the first meeting of the g-7 leaders where i spoke about the dire need to coordinate multi-lateral action to address covid-19, the global economic crisis and the accelerating climate crisis and so much else. achieving these goals is going to depend on a core strategic proposition and that is the united states must renew america's enduring advantages so that we could meet today's challenges from a position of strength. that means building back better our economic foundations, reclaiming our place in international institutions, lifting up our values at home and speaking out to defend them around the world. modernizing military capabilities while leading with diplomacy. revitalizing america's network of alliances and partnerships that have made the world safer for all people. you know, i hope our fellow democracies are going to join us in this vital work. our partnerships have endured and grown through the years because they are rooted in the richness of our shared democratic values. they're not transactional, they're not extractive. they're built on a vision of a future where every voice matters. where the rights of all are protected. and the rule of law is upheld. none of this has fully succeeded in this, none of us has fully succeeded in this division. we continue to work toward it. and in so many places, including in europe and the united states, democratic progress is under assault. i've known for -- i've known many of you for a long, long time and you know that i speak my mind. so let me be very straightforward with you all. we are in the midst of a fundamental debate about the future and direction of our world. we're at an inflection point. because those who argue that given all of the challenges that wee face from the fourth industrial revolution, to a global pandemic, the autocracy is the best way forward they argue. and those who understand that democracy is essential, essential to meeting these challenges, historians are going to examine and write about this moment as an inflection point as i said. and i believe that every ounce of my being that democracy will and must prevail. we must demonstrate that democracy could still deliver for our people and in this changed world. that in my view is our galvanizing mission. democracy doesn't happen by accident. we have to defend it. fight for it. strengthen it. renew it. we have to prove that our model isn't a relic of history. it is the single best way to revitalize the promise of our future. and if we work together with our democratic partners, with strength and confidence, i know we'll meet every challenge and outpace every challenger. you know, we must prepare together. for a long term strategic competition with china. how the united states, europe and asia work together to secure the peace and defend our shared values and advance our prosperity across the pacific will be among the most consequential efforts we undertake. competition with china is going to be stiff. that is what i expect. and that is what i welcome. because i believe in the global system, europe and the united states together, with our allies, in the endo pacific worked so hard to build over the last 70 years. we can own the race of the future. but to do so, we have to be clear eyed by the historic investments and partnerships that this will require. we have to protect, we have to protect for space, for innovation for intellectual property and the creative genius that thrives with free exchanges of ideas and open democratic societies. we have to be sure that the benefits of growth are shared broadly and equitably, not just by a few. we have to push back against the chinese government economic abuses coercion that undercut the foundations of the international economic system. everyone, everyone must play by the same rules. the u.s. and european companies are required to publicly disclose corporate government structures and abide by rules to deter corruption and monopoly practices. we will shape the rules that will govern the advantage of technology and the norms of behavior in cyberspace, artificial intelligence and bio technology to used to lift people up, not used to pin them down. one must stand up for the democratic values that make it possible for us to accomplish any of this. pushing back against those who would monopolize and normalize repression. now, this is also, this is also how we're going to be able to meet the threat from russia. the kremlin attacks our democracies and weaponized corruption to try to undermine our system of governance. russian leaders want people to think that our system is more corrupt or as corrupt as theirs. but the world knows that isn't true. including russians -- russia's own citizens. putin seeks to weaken the european project and our nato alliance. he wants to undermine the transatlantic unity and our resolve. because it is so much easier for the kremlin to bully and threaten individual states than to negotiate with a strong, closely united transatlantic community. that is why, that's why i'm standing up for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ukraine is a vital concern for europe and the united states. that is why addressing recklessness, russian recklessness and hacking into computer networks in the united states and across europe and the world has become critical to protecting our collective security. the challenges with russia may be different than the ones with china. but they're just as real. it is not about pitting east against west. it is not about we want a conflict. we want a future where all nations are able to freely determine their own path without a threat of violence or coercion. we cannot and must not return to the reflective opposition and rigid blocks of the cold war. competition must not lock out cooperation on issues that affect us all. for example, we must cooperate if we're going to defeat covid-19 everywhere. my first presidential security memorandum focused on surging health and humanitarian responses to defeat covid-19. and to better prevent and prepare for the next pandemic. today i'm announcing that the united states is making a $2 billion pledge to covax with the promise of additional $2 billion to urge others to step up as well. even if we fight to get out of the teeth of the pandemic and the resurgence of ebola in africa is a stark reminder that we must work to finally finance health security, strengthen global health systems and create early warning systems to prevent, detect and respond to future biological threats because they will keep coming. we have to work together to strengthen and reform the world health organization. we need a u.n. system focused on biological threats that could move quickly to trigger action. similarly, we can no longer delay or do the bare minimum to address climate change. this is a global existential crisis. and we'll all suffer, we'll all suffer the consequences if we fail. we have to rapidly accelerate our commitments to acurb our emissions and hold others accountable for meeting goals and increasing ambitions. that is why as president i immediately rejoined the paris agreement. and as of today, the united states is officially once again a party to the paris agreement which we helped put together. on earth day, i will host a leaders summit to help drive a more ambitious actions among the top emitters, including domestic climate action here in the united states. i'm grateful, i'm grateful for europe's continued leadership on climate issues over the last four years. together we need to invest in the technological innovations that will power our clean energy futures and enable us to build a clean energy solutions to global markets. the threat of nuclear proliferation also continues to require careful diplomacy and cooperation among us. we need transparency and communication to minimize the risk of strategic misunderstanding or mistakes. that is why the united states and russia, notwithstanding other competition, extended the new start treaty for an additional four years once i was sworn in. that is why we're prepared to reengage in negotiations with the p-5 plus one on iran nuclear program. we must also address iran destabilizing activities across the middle east. and we're going to work in close cooperation with our european and other partners as we proceed. we'll also work together to lockdown radio logical material to prevent terrorist groups from acquiring and using them. look, the range of challenges europe and the united states must take on together is broad and complex. and i'm eager to hear, you'll hear next from my good friends and outstanding leaders, merkel on her thoughts on the way forward together. so let me conclude with this. we cannot allow self doubt to hinder or ability engage each other or the larger world. the last four years have been hard. but europe and the united states have to lead with confidence one more. with faith in our capacities and a commitment to our own renewal, with trust in one another and the ability of europe and the united states to meet any challenge to secure our futures together. i know we can do that. we've done it before. just yesterday, after a seven month, 300 million mile journey, nasa successfully landed the perseverance rover on mars. it is on a mission of skporation. with elements contributed by our european partners, to seek evidence of the possibility that life beyond our planet and the mysteries of the universe. over the next few years, perseverance will range and collect samples from the red planet. and pile them up so another mission and rover envisioned as a joint effort between nas and at european space agency will retrieve this trove of scientistic wonders and bring it home to all of us. that is what we can do together. and for unbound capacities to carry us to mars and back, don't tell us anything else, they tell us we could meet any challenge. we can face on earth. we have everything we need. and i want you to know the united states will do our part. we'll stand with you. we'll fight for our shared values. we'll meet the challenges of this new moment in history. america's back. so let's get together and demonstrate to our great, great grandchildren when they read about us that, democracy, democracy -- democracy functions and works and together there is nothing we can't do. so let's get working. thank you all very much. >> and there we just heard from president biden in his first major speech to world leaders. a wide range of topics were mentioned. first and the one that he ended with, being that america is back. reassuring our allies that we could be trusted after four years of a relationship where america seemed to fray from our initial commitments to our world allies and european allies in particular. i want to bring in cnn white house correspondent john harwood and international diplomatic editor nic robertson. so john and nick, i lot was covered here from china to russia to climate to covid. but what stood out was what the president said, our partnerships have endured and grown through the years because they're rooted in the richness of our shared democratic values. they are not transactional, they are not extractive, that seems to be to directly say, i am not donald trump, and our policies are going to dibe different and going back to where they were before. was that enough and is that what you heard? >> that is exactly what i heard. and in that message, i'm not donald trump, was shot through the extent of those remarks it was a variant of the message he's given to americans which is that our shared values should bring us together. he said the same thing to america's allies, many of whom have have felt bruised by the trump experience. very pointed in that way with respect to nato and europe and russia. he talked about how europe -- excuse me, russia had sought to weaken the european project. he firmly embraced the article five commitment to the common defense of the nato partners. that is something that donald trump had pointedly called into question. i remember an interview with tucker carlson on fox when he said why should american troops defend montenegro if they were to be attacked by a nonnato power and the president trump said i've asked the same question and donald trump no, we're committed to that common defense, a way of saying to european allies, we are standing together with you and in the same way he said america alone doesn't get the job done on china, it doesn't get the job done on iran. doesn't get the job done on north korea and he's going to commit to working collaboratively with u.s. allies, with whom we have shared values to address security threats to covid to the economy as well. >> and in a sign, he said le halt sending u.s. troops back from german which is something that president trump said he wanted to do. they will be staying put in germany, areassurance to our nato allies but with president biden is wanting to be a bit more hawkish in aterms of our poa -- our approach on issues and hacking, europe seems to be caught in the middle and not necessarily wanting to go the same route. talk about some of the challenges that are going to be ahead for this president, this administration as they say we can do both without having to enter another cold war. >> i think to get to that point, we heard from president biden essentially calling this an inflection point in history. so his saying, you've got a choice. you could follow the autocracy, some people say that is the better way to go, or you could follow the democracy, and he was appealing to allies and partyers as fellow democracy. so that is his big appeal. and that is his big pitch. and we've heard that laid out before. but this is where, you know, the rhetoric is going to meet the reality. we've got a briefing from european union officials yesterday, and they spoke about the e.u.'s decision to go ahead just before president biden came into office and strike a trade deal with china. they say they want to be free to do those sort of things. president biden would far rather have the european union work closely on a economic relationship with china that could potentially provide leverage for the commonalities that we all share and the democracies of our nations, how could we stop and prevent china being an autocracy that damages the human rights of its population, that tries to steal data and information from the united states and its allies companies and undermine their economic interests. how could they do that? well part of that is going to be, you know, in the way that we have a relationship with china. so the europe is not in lockstep with president biden on this. they know where he wanted to go. but they were ready to strike this deal and china was ready to make concessions on that deal to get it in ahead of president biden coming into office. so it is not plain sailing. so this is an emotional pitch and a real pitch of what is it we have in common. what are our stakes in this. and it is democracy. we are all -- we all live in democracies and share those values. so i think we're going to hear a lot more of that coming from president biden. and let's see if the european union will bend to that message. >> from china and russia in midst of everything going on with navalny and hacking and you still have germany continuing forward with a major gas pipeline from russia that many in the west including in the u.s. are frowning upon and suggesting that may not be the best route. also, however, we talked about iran. we heard the president say that he is willing to enter -- re-enter negotiations with the p-5 plus 1 and making our european allies very happy but at home that may not sit as well. >> that is right. and we've seen a sensitivity at the white house to the choreography of this. what does iran need to say before the negotiations resume. we've gotten a statement from iran in the last 24 hours that they were willing to cease uranium enrichment if they could revive u.s. participation in the deal and that is what our european partners want and so the president saying he is willing to negotiate and they are willing to halt enrichment and that is setting the table for that to happen. and interesting contrast, with respect to china, one of the first things president trump did with china was pull out of the trans-pacific partnership was an al yid counter weight and president biden has rejoined the paris climate agreement, he has not signaled that he's going to rejoin the trans-pacific partnership. that has domestic political sensitivity, some union opposition and some opposition from the left wing of the president's party. that is going to be an interesting bit of dynamic to watch play out, as to what extent does he normally engage with u.s. allies to confront china as a opposed to talking to them about the trans-pacific partnership. >> it is a tight rope to say i'm the same joe but this is a different administration, not the obama administration and the world has changed in the last four years. john harwood, thank you so much. we appreciate it. welcome coming up, the white house covid-19 response briefing is moments away and we'll bring that to you when it begins. plus brutal winter storms are holding up brutal distribution across the country and what the big shipping companies are doing now to catch up. we'll be right back. this is hal. this is hal's heart. it's been broken. and put back together. this is hal's relief, knowing he's covered by medicare from blue cross blue shield. and with coverage you can trust, backed by over 80 years of healthcare expertise, we'll be there when it matters most. this is medicare from blue cross blue shield. this is the benefit of blue. ♪ ♪ this is medicare from blue cross blue shield. - [narrator] if you're thinking about going to school online, southern new hampshire university is where you belong. we've been online for more than 25 years and have helped thousands of students reach their goals. as a nonprofit university, we believe access to high 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of life. the journey is why they ride. when the road is all you need, there is no destination. uh, i-i'm actually just going to get an iced coffee. well, she may have a destination this one time, but usually -- no, i-i usually have a destination. yeah, but most of the time, her destination is freedom. nope, just the coffee shop. announcer: no matter why you ride, progressive has you covered with protection starting at $79 a year. voiceover: 'cause she's a biker... please don't follow me in. hi, i'm a new customer and i want your best new smartphone deal.: 'cause she's a biker... well i'm an existing customer and i'd like your best new smartphone deal. oh do ya? actually it's for both new and existing customers. i feel silly. but i do want the fastest 5g network. oh i want the fastest 5g network. are we actually doing this again? it's not complicated. only at&t gives everyone the same great deal. like the samsung galaxy s21 5g for free when you trade in. and we're moments away from the latest covid briefing from the white house. we will bring that to you as soon as it begins. meantime, later today president biden will be heading to michigan. he'll visit a manufacturing plant that makes pfizer covid-19 vaccine as the distribution efforts endured weather related shipping delays. a senior white house official said adviser said officials need to work double time next week to watch up. but the weather, while it may still be a problem. fema said more than 2,000 vaccination sites are suffering from power outages. joining me now is pete muntean and kristin holmes. pete, let's begin with you. you've been tracking this distribution challenges. what are companies like fedex and ups doing to >> brianna, the bad weather is really having a big impact on this vaccination distribution network that's so massive. two companies are so critical, fedex and ups, and fedex says the bad weather has now caused it to bypass its main memphis hub, instead trying to funnel its deliveries through smaller regional hubs. ups says it's still able to make deliveries where the roads are passable -- >> i'm sorry, pete, we're going to the covid briefing right now. first, fedex, ups and mckessen, our logistics distribution teams, have all faced challenges as workers have been snowed in and unable to get to work to deliver the vaccines, kits and required supplies. weather has held up the distribution process from manufacturing sites to distribution to hubs. more than 13 vaccine sites are in areas with power outages so are currently unable to receive doses. first to the team is to ensure safety of personnel, preservation of the vaccines and supplies and conversation with the states. because of 72-hour coal chain c -- cold chain restraints, we don't want to ship doses to those sites and have them sit and expire. so the vaccines are sitting safe and sound in our factories and hubs, ready to be shipped out as soon as weather allows. as weather conditions improve, we're already working to clear this backlog. 1.4 million doses are already in transit today, and we anticipate that all the backlogged doses will be delivered within the next week with most being delivered within the next several days. and we expect we'll be able to manage both this backlog and the new production coming online next week. with everybody's hard work and collective effort, we will be able to catch up, but we understand this will mean asking more of people. ups and fedex both will support saturday deliveries tomorrow. we are working with the jurisdictions to see which ones are able to take saturday deliveries. the packaging plant for moderna vaccines is just now coming online. roads are being cleared for the work force to leave their homes. they are working today through sunday to package the backlogged orders and will put the vaccines and ancillary supplies on aircraft on sunday night for monday through wednesday delivery. as we get back on track, we're asking states, sites and vaccinators to help us catch up and to get americans vaccinated. we know many americans are awaiting their second dose, and many more their first dose. we're asking vaccine administration sites to extend their hours even further and offer additional appointments and to try to reschedule their vaccinations over the coming days and weeks as significantly more supply arrives. states and vaccination sites are going to want to be prepared for the additional volume. whatever reduction we see in our 7-day average this week in vaccinations from the weather, if we all work together from the factory all the way to the vaccinators, we will make up for it in the coming week. i want to personally thank the men and women who have continued to keep our operations up and running throughout this storm and have been working 24x7 with the states and vaccination sites and my thoughts remain with all of those impacted. i'll be happy to answer any questions about this topic. but before we turn it over to dr. walensky and dr. fauci, i do briefly want to touch on our work to reach more federally run sites. even as we watch the weather on one hand, we are pushing forward with plans to get vaccines to more places to get more americans vaccinated. today i'm pleased to announce we'll be opening five additional vaccination centers, one in pennsylvania and four in florida. in florida, we'll stand up four major vaccination centers in partnership with the state in orlando, miami, jacksonville and tampa. these sites will have the capacity to vaccinate a total of 12,000 individuals per day in total. in pennsylvania we're announcing a major new community vaccination center at the pennsylvania convention center in philadelphia. this site will have the capacity to deliver 6,000 doses per day. selection of all of these sites is based on a cdc/fema framework that has been developed to target vaccinations to those who are most vulnerable. the goal is to launch vaccination sites that use processes and are in locations that promote equity and deploy the cdc's social vulnerability index. the federal government will be deploying teams immediately to work hand in hand with state and local jurisdictions to get these sites set up, and we expect them all to be up and running in the next two weeks. so that's a brief status from the white house covid response team. here we'll have more announcements to come next week. now, with that, i will turn it over to dr. walensky to overview the state of the pandemic and public health. dr. walensky. >> thank you so much. i'm glad to be back with you today. i have new information to share from cdc regarding ongoing safety monitoring of the covid-19 vaccines. but before i go into those findings, i want to provide a brief overview of the latest data on the pandemic. we continue to see a foive-week decline in covid cases with cases decreasing 69% in the 7-day average since hitting a peak on january 11. the current 7-day average of approximately 77,000 cases is the lowest reported since the end of october but still higher than the height of last summer's peak. like new covid-19 cases, the number of new hospital admissions continues to drop. the 7-day average of new admissions on february 16th, approximately 7200, represents a 56% decline since the january 9 p peak. as i reported on wednesday, the number of deaths continues to fluctuate. the latest data indicate deaths have declined modestly in the last week to an amount of approximately 1,700 per day. these numbers are a stark reminder of the thousands of lives lost to this pandemic. another reminder of the devastating impact the pandemic has had on our country was brought into clear view yesterday in a report by the cdc of the provisional life expectancy in the first half of 2020. the report found that life expectancy was at its lowest level in 15 years, dropping by a full year compared to the life expectancy in 2019. this represents a substantial decline in life expectancy in our nation. importantly, like the populations most heavily affected by this pandemic, the declines in life expectancy were, again, most pronounced in certain racial and ethnic minority groups. the largest declines in life expectancy occurred in non-hispanic black persons dropping 2.7 years, levels not seen since 2001. and hispanic persons had lost the second largest life expectancy, dropping 1.9 years. these findings, though not surprising, are sobering and representative of the continued need to take this pandemic and actions to stop the spread of covid-19 seriously. now more than ever with continued spread of variants that stand to threaten the progress we are making, we must reconnect to doing our part to protecting one another. wear a well-fitting mask, social distance, avoid traveling in crowds, practice good hygiene and get vaccinated when the vaccine is available to you. i also want to spend a minute talking about vaccine safety. to date more than 41 million people in the united states have received at least one dose of the covid-19 vaccine. but we continue to hear that people might be reluctant to roll up their sleeve because they are worried about adverse effects. i will reiterate the cdc is committed to monitoring vaccine safety and frequently reporting on what we know. today cdc is releasing a study in the morbidity and mortality weekly report that discusses findings of our covid-19 safety monitoring in the united states from december 14 through january 13, 2021. during the first month of vaccinations, approximately 1.6 million enrolled in v-safe, covid-19's safety monitoring system. among those enrolled, 71% reported pain where the shot was given, 34% reported fatigue, and 32% reported a headache. these are common with most vaccines and they typically resolve within a day or two of vaccination. it's important to know that about half the people don't feel very well after getting their second dose. this should not deter you from getting your second dose, but you need to have a light day of activity after getting vaccinated. there were also rare reports of severe allergic reactions, like anophylaxis. there were 1.4reports of anophylaxis in about half the vaccines. a thorough review of the available data says deaths were not related to the covid-19 vaccine, and the deaths in this population, though truly sad and unfortunate, was consistent with the expected death rate in this demographic. i want to emphasize we have implemented the most comprehensive vaccine safety monitoring system in our history, and the data released from the cdc today are reflective of this effort. we will continue to closely monitor these events and report back as more data emerge. i want to be sure you know the facts and not the myths about the vaccine's safety -- about vaccine safety. the fact is they are safe and they will save lives. and that is why we are committed to working with state and local public health partners as well as partners in the private sector to support getting people vaccinated