>> do you think it's a great success what's happened so far? >> what happens when he gets out and accuses me of things that are completely untrue is that all of a sudden that kindles the crazies out there, and i have life -- threats upon my life, harassment of my family and my children with obscene phone calls because people are lying about me. so i ask myself, why would senator want to do this? so go to rand paul website and you see "fire dr. fauci" with a little box that says, contribute here. you can do $5, $20, $100. so you are making a catastrophic epidemic for your political gain. >> at that same hearing kansas senator roger moss asked dr. fauci to release his financial records which are already available to the public. >> as the highest paid employee in the federal government, yes or no, would you be willing to submit to congress and the public a financial disclosure that includes your past and current investments? >> i don't understand why you're asking me that question. my financial disclosure is public knowledge and has been so for the last 37 years or so, 35 years. >> where would we find it? >> all you have to do is ask for it. you're so misinformed, it's extraordinary. >> senator marshall, dr. fauci has answered you. it is public information and he's happy to give it to you if you would ask. senator moynihan. >> dr. anthony fauci not holding back with the last words. the health and human services department saying at a time america is seeing rising covid case, it is disappointing and unacceptable the republicans chose to hold leading health experts and lie about dr. fauci rather than how we protect people from covid-19. we will stay on the story for you. america's honduras flight got a surprise while passengers were boarding. the airline said while the miami-bound plane was on the ground, a man opened the flight deck, invaded the flight deck and damaged the plane. he didn't try and jump out of the plane window. eventually crew members intervened to have him arrested, and the flight resumed with a new plane. we'll have more, of course, on this story with aviation correspondent pete muntean on "new day" right here on cnn. now, top tennis star djokovic admitting there was a mistake made on the travel form he submitted to inter australia, at the center of his visa saga. djokovic put out a lengthy statement on instagram as you can see there, also saying he wants to address and clarify what he called misinformation about his activities last month ahead of a positive covid-19 test result. among them, attending this basketball game in belgrade on december 16. he said he took a rapid test two days after that event and it was negative. he later took a pcr test the same day. djokovic said he received the positive result the next day, but still attended a late key interview. the journalist working with l'equip saying they were not aware he tested positive. patrick, good morning. let me start with you. so, now wee're hearing from djokovic admitting to break isolation rules and an administrative mistake on his form, blaming his agent there. does his statement, patrick, answer all the questions and uncertainties that you and i have been asking throughout? >> isa, hi there. yes. we learned a lot. that's for sure this wednesday. you're quite right, there is so much more we need answers to. and wouldn't we just love a few minutes one on one with djokovic to try and get to those answers? let's look at the travel issue first. even though the 20-time grand slam champ said he had not traveled in the 14 days prior to his arrival in australia, this is really important, because photos taken during that period do appear, in fact show him in both spain and his homeland serbia. what does the tennis superstar have to say in response to that? quoted, then, from earlier, the statement on issue, my travel declaration, this was submitted by my support team on my behalf. as i told immigration officials on my arrival, and my agent sincerely apologizes for the administrative mistake in ticking the incorrect box about my previous travel before coming to australia. this was a human error and certainly not deliberate. we are living in challenging times in a global pandemic, and sometimes these mistakes can occur. so, let's get to this covid-19 positive test in december, because it has proved so controversial in recent days. djokovic admitting in that same statement he didn't immediately isolate after testing positive for covid-19 last month, but denied knowing he had the virus when attending public events. saying he attended that basketball game we just referenced in bell grade, that was december 14th. many people tested positive afterwards. he showed no symptoms, though, per his statement. he did get tested on the 16th of december. now, a day later before he receives the official result of his test, he did take a rapid test that came out negative, attended a youth tennis award ceremony, and it was only after that that he received the official positive result according to the statement. but i want to get to december 18th because this date has many questions around it. highly significant indeed. that's when he says at his tennis center in belgrade he conducted that interview and a photo shoot as well with france's l'equip saying he canceled all other events except for that one. why? because he did not want to let the journalist in question down. djokovic saying he was socially distanced. he did wear a mask except for when his photo was being taken. in his statement, this is what leapt out to me from the statement. i went home after the interview to isolate for the required period. on reflection, this was an error of judgment and accept i should have rescheduled this commitment. we have learned a lot, with many, many more questions. >> yeah, and stay with us, patrick. let me get to ben. ben, given what we just heard that patrick outlined from djokovic, do we know how this information may play into the australian government's decision here? any guidance when the decision will be made? >> reporter: i don't think it's going to help the sort of political sentiment here for sure against djokovic which has been pretty strong. a lot of resentment from djokovic the moment he announced he was coming to australia with an exemption from the mandatory vaccination rules that people arriving in the country are supposed to follow. the tide was set against him pretty strongly. now his admission he was knowingly positive with his time line with covid and kept an engagement to do a photo shoot and interview, he disregarded the public health keconcerns th would mandate and telling people around you tested positive, not doing that will definitely not play in his favor. to the extent that's his track record of behavior, and the past statements according to the calculation made by the immigration minister alex hawk who is weighing the decision to, again, revoke djokovic's visa and issue a deportation order. >> we shall wait, of course, for the decision. ben, and patrick for us, thank you, jegents, very much. the u.s. senate could take up voting rights legislation even though democrats don't have enough votes to pass these protections or even to change the rules. this comes right on the heels of the u.s. president going to georgia to push for reforms. georgia, a long-time red state that went blue for joe biden in 2020, is front and center in the voting rights battle. cnn's kaitlan collins now reports. >> reporter: with an uphill battle ahead of him, president biden making a new push for voting rights. >> i will not yield. i will not flinch, i will defend the right to vote our democracy against all enemies, foreign and, yes, domestic. >> reporter: in a georgia, a state that's a become ground zero in the fight for election integrity, biden framed it as a defining moment. >> it's not just here in georgia. last year alone, 19 states not proposed, but enacted 34 laws attacking voting rights. >> reporter: the president upping the pressure on congress to pass voting rights legislation by making an exception to the filibuster, which has allowed republicans to block the bills so far. >> not a single republican has displayed the courage to stand up to a defeated president to protect our democracy. i support changing the senate rules. whichever way they need to be changed to prevent a minority of senators from blocking action on voting rights. >> reporter: biden was flanked by vice president harris, and a slew of civil rights leaders. one of the most prominent voices for voting rights was stacey abrams. >> i spoke with stacey this morning. we got our scheduling mixed up. >> abrams office cited a scheduling conflict. her absence raised eyebrows as others boycotted calling for action, not a photo op. >> gave a very passionate speech in philadelphia in july. literally for seven months, we heard knock else about voting rights from him. >> reporter: the president is taking a gamble he may not be able to deliver on. >> i've been having these quiet conversations with members of congress the last two months. i'm tired of being quiet. >> reporter: changing the filibuster requires the support of all 50 democrats, which right now he doesn't have. >> we need some good rules changes and we can do that together. but you change the rules with two-thirds of the people that are present, so it's democrats, republicans changing the rules to make the place work better, getting rid of filibuster doesn't make it work better. >> reporter: senate majority leader chuck schumer is pushing for rules change if republicans don't get behind voting rights legislation by martin luther king, jr., day. >> if they continue paralyzing this chamber where we're helpless to fight back against the big lie, we must consider the necessary steps we can take so the senate can adapt and act. >> reporter: but senate minority leader mitch mcconnell is vowing a scorched earth response if democrats follow through. >> so what would a post nuclear set up look like? i assure you it would not be more efficient. or more productive. i personally guarantee it. >> reporter: so president biden making his most stenson i. remarks yet on changing the rules of the filibuster when it comes to voting rights. but clearly the president of the naacp who was on hand for the president's visit to atlanta says he wants to see more than just words. he said in a statement, while president biden delivered a stirring speech today, it's time for this administration to match their words with actions and for congress to do its job. of course, we know that job is going to be an uphill battle given the holdouts that remain among senate democrats. kaitlan collins, cnn, the white house. >> thank you, kaitlan. meanwhile, georgia's republican governor is calling the state ground zero for the biden/harris assault on election integrity. ryan kemp fighting off a trump rival accusing the white house of lying about the voting bill which has tighter rules. kept of insists the bill makes it easy to vote and hard to cheat. south dakota's republican governor christie noam says she intends to push for legislation to ban all abortions at six weeks or once a heartbeat can be detected. her pledge for the so-called heartbeat ban came during his state of the state address on tuesday. abortion rights advocates have filled lawsuits over similar laws already in place in other states. now, nato diplomats are coming together in belgium, hoping to avert a new war between russia and ukraine. coming up, live reports from kiev and brussels as critical talks with russian diplomats get underway. then, north korea is touting its latest missile test which the united states said did not pose an immediate threat, and yet the launch prompted a strange response in part of the united states. we have that story next. liz, you nerd, cough if you're in here! shh! i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. what about rob's dry cough? 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(announcer) call now and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. now, we are keeping a close eye on brussels this hour where critical talks between nato and russia are getting underway. it is the second of three meetings this week which we've been showing you all week aimed at preventing a kremlin invasion of ukraine. in monday's talks, the u.s. and russia ended in really a stalemate in geneva. since then russia has announced new military drills and it's still demanding ukraine never join nato. but the u.s. refuses to allow to place it in the alliance. here's what the ambassador to nato said. have a listen. >> no one is suggesting that we altern alter nato policy on enlargement. no one has the right to kick the door shut. any decision about enlargement will continue to rest between the nato alliance and the country in question. >> let's get more from the dip thro -- diplomatic editor nic let me start wh we heard from the u.s. envoy. nato has been pretty unified in its position on ukraine. meanwhile russia sees ukraine joining nato as a red line. given this, nic, is there any ground for optimism here? >> reporter: the russians said after their talks in geneva that there was the potential for optimism, that they would remain optimistic. the kremlin spokesman said in the past couple of days that there was reason to keep going. the indication seems to be that it's a different deputy foreign minister here than the one who was sent to geneva for the talks with the u.s., alexander, the former russian ambassador to nato and he's heading up the delegation here. they brought with him deputy defense minister as well. also part of the russian delegation. it's hard to see the outcome is going to be different. nato has been very joined up, very joined up indeed telegraphing telling the russians on multiple levels they need to de-escalate tensions. nato will not concede to their demands. it is a complete anathema russia could be demanding nato sort of roll back its deployments to pre-1997 levels. so the perception here is that the russians will walk away with the same message that they got in geneva. how they will respond is unclear. how it changes, a microchange since the meeting in geneva. one of the criticisms of wendy sherman who led the u.s. delegation in geneva and leads the nato delegation in the talks as well. if the russian side is serious about not invading ukraine, not using these troops near the border to invade ukraine, they would go back to their barracks. the question the other side raised, if russia is in a training exercise, why haven't they told us about that as they have done in the past? late yesterday the russians announced 3,000 of those troops would be doing a live fire exercise. is that a slight modification of the russian position? is it a positive or is it upping the ante? really not clear. >> and, sam, if the outcome is the same from what we saw in geneva, what is ukraine's position here? what's the biggest fears? >> reporter: well, the biggest fear is a continued expansion of russian-backed rebel territory into ukrainian government territory. they already have a large chunk of the country under effectively russian tutelage. the an enex of crimea. involving 3,000 troops right on their border is clearly saber rattling or gun firing over their heads. i mean, this is a direct threat as far as the ukrainians are concerned. and yesterday, just as the russians were announcing this live fire exercise, the ukrainians said that they had intelligence that inside the dunbas region, two significant units there were also conducting maneuvers. that was being seen as a signal that the russian-backed rebels in the east of the country might also be preparing for some kind of military action. this is all part of the theater behind these talks going on between russia and nato at the moment. much more widely, the ukrainians are also aware that since they drove from power the kremlin-backed president here during the midan rebellions a few years ago, putin has been extremely anxious about his own long-term survival. they're aware that democracy in countries like ukraine, attempts at democracy in nearby belarus again, another authoritarian leader on the border with russia, and, of course, events we've seen in kazakhstan, another pro-kremlin authoritarian leader signals to putin he may be personal vulnerable to the spread of democracy as much as nato. >> very important context. the meeting has started, started some 30 minutes ago. nic robertson for us in brussels, sam kiley in kiev, thank you to you both. well, life is about to get more expensive for certain canadians who refuse the covid vaccine. or as quebec puts it, the unvaccinated have a way to contribute to overwhelmed hospitals. we'll explain. plus, the new poll has boris johnson going from bad to worse. the latest fallout from his party gate scandal just ahead. unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of brain 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u.s. hospital admissions for covid hit record numbers, surging omicron cases are causing staffing as well as supply shortages at hospitals, schools, and grocery stores. meanwhile, people in canada who refuse the covid vaccine are going to pay for their decision. the provincial government says they can expect significant fines in the coming weeks unless they have a medical exemption because they're putting a huge burden on the public health care system. how much they'll be charged is not yet clear. >> it's a question also of fairness for the 90% of the population who made some sacrifices. i think we owe them this kind of measure. >> well, the government says that nearly 90% of eligible quebecans have received a vaccine. they are allowed to buy alcohol and cannabis. vaccine appointments spiked as a result of that requirement. your thought, is it fair for quebec to make the unvaccinated pay? really want your take on this. is it right, or has the government gone too far? reach me on twitter and instagram. let me know your thoughts. i'll share some of them later on here this hour. now, i want to stay with covid. really some alarming news out of europe. the world health organizations europe chief says the omicron variant is sweeping across the region from west to east like a tidal wave. he's warning that more than half of europe could catch the virus in the next two months. new data shows europe more than 7 million new cases in the first week of january. germany is reporting its highest daily covid infection since the start of the pandemic. and france recorded its highest daily case count on tuesday with nearly 30,000 new infections. cnn's jim bittermann is live for us in paris this hour. and, jim, cases are spiraling across europe, but it seems europe may not have hit a peak yet. is that forcing some european governments to rethink some of these restrictions, jim? >> reporter: that certainly is. and it is something that the french health minister said this morning basically. the peak has perhaps not been reached, and even when it is reached, it's going to take a while for it to plateau and then gradually come down. he said he saw that coming in the future. but the w.h.o. report is really dire news i think for most europeans. the french health minister also said, in fact, the true number of infections here could be as much as a half million a day. at that rate, of course, when you look at what the w.h.o. official said, it doesn't take too long, doesn't take too many days before you reach a point where half the population of western europe is infected with covid. so, yes, i think it's forcing governments to rethink what they're doing. the french government is scrambling trying to figure out how to keep the schools open. they changed, according to parents, they changed the protocols three times in a week, something that's confusing both parents and teachers. in fact, it's going to be a strike here by the teachers who are angry at the way the government has been handling the situation. so it's a difficult problem for governments across europe trying to figure out something that works. isa? >> jim bittermann for us in paris this hour. thanks very much, jim. good to see you. now, boris johnson is sure to face some pointed questions in parliament today after new revelations in the party gate scandal. the latest allegation stems from a leaked email from a top downing street official inviting staff to a garden party night in 2020. that was when the country was under strict covid lockdown. now, opposition labor party leader says it's time for mr. johnson to stop lying to the public. meanwhile, a new poll finds two-thirds of british adults think he should resign. let's bring in cnn's salma abdelaziz here in london. salma, we have been here, perhaps many times before. i want to get your thoughts of what the saga really means for the prime minister, because looking at the times newspaper, what people want to here, just bring it out, you won't be able to see it, say sorry -- really, say sorry or -- if he doesn't apologize be the end of boris johnson? >> reporter: isa, to say sorry, you have to start by admitting you did something wrong. and the prime minister has absolutely refused to do that so far. look, for weeks now we have been mired in the scandal headline after headline. first it was christmas parties, now garden parties, now a bring your own booze party. the questions you are asking are questions that will be asked of the prime minister in parliament today. he'll be facing questions, the regularly weekly scheduled event. but this one is going to be tense, isa. because, again, this growing scandal, this spiraling case, this dizzying array of allegations now that appear to show over and over again the prime minister and his administration are accused of violating covid rules. the rules that they put into place themselves. what's the latest one? the latest one is a leaked email just as you mentioned, sent in may of 2020 that appeared to invite up to 100 downing street staff members to socially distanced drinks in the downing street garden. bring your own booze, exclamation point. you can imagine that tone, how it begins to hurt and affect people, particularly those who were separated from their loved ones, particularly those who are ber bereaved family members. to think they were socially enga engaging in activities that were banned for everyone and the population spreading like wildfire. it's the larger question of not just what happened, but how the prime minister handles it. so we're going to see him back in parliament today. you can expect that he's going to point to that investigation and say, i can't comment any further. that's what the prime minister has done so far. but, isa, i don't think that's flying in the court of public opinion any more. >> yeah, i think it's going to be very uncomfortable, and i expect a grilling later today. i know you shall be watching, salma abdelaziz for us. thanks very much, salma. i've got some breaking news coming into cnn. a source says the australian border force is now expanding its investigation into tennis star novak djokovic. we have been told officials are looking into possible inconsistencies in documents related to his december pcr test result as well as his activities after he tested positive for covid-19 in serbia. now, the source says it's not been determined if these issues could impact the validity of his visa. but breaking news, australian border force expanding their investigation into djokovic. of course, we shall stay on top of the stories as more developments, we will of course bring them to you. now, u.s. lawmakers have issued three more subpoenas, and they are closing in on people inside donald trump's inner circle. details on exactly who next. the blendjet 2 portable blender. it packs the power of a big blender on the go, and it crushes right through ice. just drop in your favorite ingredients, even frozen 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privilege. the house panel also issued a new round of subpoenas on tuesday. they are seeking testimony and records from trump's former speech writer as well as two strategists for donald trump, jr. the u.s. justice department says the threat of domestic terrorism has more than doubled in the past two years. cnn's jessica schneider reports the government is creating a new team of lawyers specifically dedicated to the threat. >> reporter: the justice department announcing the formation of a new domestic terrorism unit, and officials are citing the rising threat of domestic violent extremists as the reason. saying the number of dough -- investigations into domestic terrorism has doubled since march 2020. this will be a complement to the work the national security division already does, investigating foreign as well as domestic terrorism cases. but by designating this specific unit, it will mean more attorneys investigating and prosecuting domestic violent extremists. the top official spoke to the senate judiciary committee and outlined exactly how that group is defined. >> we base an elevated threat from domestic, violent extremists. that is, individuals in the united states who seek to commit violent criminal acts in furtherance of domestic, social or political goals. domestic violent extremists are often motivated by a mix of etiologies and personal grievances. we've seen those motivated by racial animus and extreme government and antiauthority ideologies. >> reporter: olsson pointed out what happened january 6 is being investigated as acts of domestic terrorism. and also did stress that this massive effort being put forward by the d.o.j. and fbi is still going on. they're prosecuted or looking to prosecute the more than 700 people they've already charged. and the fbi is still trying to find more than 350 people involved with the capital attack including about 250 who assaulted police officers that day. olsson did stress the u.s. attorneyance office in washington is working with federal prosecutors around the country focused on january 6. but attorneys from main justice here in d.c. are also assisting. and this new domestic terrorism unit, it will help with more robust investigation and prosecution from various other domestic terror threats. jessica schneider, cnn, washington. now, north korea claims it has successfully tested a hypersonic missile with leader kim jong-un on hand to watch as you can see there. this is the third time the regime has claimed to fire a missile and the third time in the past week. the united states and its allies condemned the launch and it did something unusual. cnn's brian todd explains. >> reporter: a provocative move by north korea's 38-year-old dictator causing enough of a security concern in the u.s. to halt air traffic. the faa ordering a ground stop for some pilots along america's west coast. this after norad, the north american defense space command said kim jong-un test fired monday. some were prevented from taking off like at burbank, california. >> stop ground departures right now. it's just until further notice right now. >> reporter: the faa said flights resumed in less than 15 minutes and it is reviewing the ground stop order. norad said it didn't issue any warnings and assessed the north korean launch didn't threaten the continental u.s. they called kim's tests destabilizing, dangerous and missile experts are concerned about what they could mean about security in the region. >> it shows they are making some progress. >> reporter: the suspected ballistic missile according to south korean officials said it reached the speed of sound. kim jong-un attended the launch and calls the projectile a hypersonic missile. south korea's military said this vessel was more advanced than the weapon tested last week which the regime claimed was a hypersonic missile. if that's true, north korea may have tested hypersonic missiles in three months. >> if they are equipped with weapons, they can reach seoul in minutes. >> reporter: the so-called glide vehicles they sendoff is so dangerous, they could fly as fast as 20 times the speed of sound and are more maneuverable in flight than other missiles. >> these missiles would be less vulnerable to missile defenses based in the region and could make conventional forces and bases more vulnerable to attack. >> reporter: he just reached his 10th year after ascent to power. >> their missile program has expanded and they have modernized and they are continuing to do so. and there is not really anyway for us to stop them. >> reporter: while analysts wore i about the north korean weapons program getting more dangerous, they're worried about diplomatic engagement. one analyst points out he believes the biden administration is distracted by the security issues between russia and ukraine, by the pandemic and other issues. it takes a lot of diplomatic energy to engage with russia on weapons, and he said the u.s. doesn't seem to have that right now. brian todd, cnn, washington. still to come, keep your winter coats handy. the forecast is ahead. >> after the coldest air of the season settled around new york city, zero temperatures, sub-zero, we had it all in the past 24 hours. it's far from over. bangor seeing sub-zero wind chills. wait till you see the forecast on that in a few minutes. and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three ps. what are the three ps? the three ps of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80, what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. no 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system. not a block buster event. what is a block buster event is the incredible nature of the next round of air forecast to come in sometime friday into saturday possibly with a southern intrusion. meaning portions of the southern united states get in on this cold air, maybe wintry weather. in minneapolis we climbed back above the average of 23 degrees, but we go right back down above the teens thursday afternoon. chicago to the upper 30s and upper 20s. st. louis from 55 down to 40. so the trend is shifting downward. if you're in buffalo you're certainly freeze it here as they struggle to get out of the next round of arctic air. boston will be 15. portland maine, potential through a high of only 11 degrees. look at this. we're talking about the overnight temperatures getting down close to the single digits even in central park. so a big time cold air outbreak yet again as we head toward this weekend. it looks dry this go around. do you want to snow what's happening in southern weather? a daily record for rainfall for this time of year. and another five to ten possible around the western periphery of washington state. to vancouver island as well with flooding potential still in place. high temperatures range from about 72, room temperature in south florida, all the way into the 30s around boise, idaho. ace? >> thank you, pedram. happy birthday to oreo. one of the best-loved cookies is celebrating, get this, its 110th birthday. the company is unveiling a brand-new flavor, confetti cake. think sprinkles, sprinkles and sprinkles, it seems, inside and out. it will be available for a limited time come january 31st. happy birthday. we offer your thoughts at the top of the show. we can bring up the tweets. we asked what you thought of the new ruling taking place in canada. those who refuse the vaccine are going to have to pay. government there is handing out fines to the unvaccinated if fair or not. you had your vote. 81.5% of you said it is. keep it coming. that does it for me this hour. our coverage continues on "early start" with christine romans and laura jarrett. i shall see you tomorrow. have a wonderful day. bye-bye. highly recommend it! zifans love zicam's unique zinc formula. it shortens colds! zicam. zinc that cold! i don't just play someone brainy on tv - i'm an actual neuroscientist. and i love the science behind neuriva plus. unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of brain performance. more brain performance? yes, please! neuriva. think bigger. tony here, from creditrepair.com. let's talk credit. what are you doing to improve your credit? do i need to improve my credit? well, that depends. do you like saving money? if you had a score of 630, a $300,000 home would cost about this much after a 30-year mortgage. that same loan would instead look like this if your score was just 30 points higher at 660. that's over $60,000 just because of your credit. wow, that's incredible. so don't wait, start 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