bumps and grand promises of u.s. support. on wednesday, secretary of state blinken visits kiev, but earlier this week a congressional delegation was here. >> i think vladimir putin has made the biggest mistake of his career. >> reporter: vowing more tough action in washington against russian aggression. >> we will impose crippling economic sanctions, but more important, we will give the people of ukraine the arms, lethal arms, they need to defend their lives and livelihoods. >> reporter: it certainly doesn't look deterred. these are the latest images of russia's live-fire military exercises near its border. where the latest ukrainian defense intelligence assessment obtained exclusively by cnn says russia has almost completed its military build up. the assessment says there are now more than 127,000 russian troops poised to invade. including russian infantry units seen here practicing urban warfare. the kind that may play a major role if any potentially messy incursion into ukraine is ever ordered. sources in rebel-controlled eastern areas of the country tell cnn training has also been ramped up there. with a significant increase of rebel fighters and heavy weaponry on the front lines. the new ukrainian intelligence assessment says russia supports more than 35,000 rebels. and has about 3,000 of his own military based in rebel territory. moscow denies having any forces there and continues to insist it has no plans either to invade. >> translator: we do not threaten anyone, but we hear threats against us. i hope all of this only reflects emotions within the western countries. we'll be guided by concrete steps and deeds. >> reporter: but those deeds and steps seem to point to escalation. these are new images showing troops from russia and its ally belarus preparing for joint exercises near ukraine's northern border. it may be just a distraction, but as russia continues to mass forces, ukrainian intelligence says it now sees this region as a full-fledged russian theater of operation. in other words, another dangerous potential front line. jake, that stark warning from ukrainian intelligence coming as u.s. secretary of state antony blinken arrives in kiev to show u.s. support for the country and to meet the leadership. but frankly, the ukrainians want more than just words from washington. they want military support to help them fight what they regard as an impending russian threat. >> matthew chance in ukraine, thank you. i want to bring in white house reporter natasha bertrand. a source tells you the biden administration is considering maybe sending ukraine more military equipment in case russia invades. how extensive would that aid be? how close is the president to a decision on whether or not to send it? >> these conversations are still at the relatively preliminary level. it's coming as the administration becomes pessimistic about vladimir putin's intentions here. they see an invasion as increasingly likely as jen psaki said earlier today. they are at a moment closer than they have been really to being able to launch an attack at virtually any time. and so what the administration is thinking about now is the less how to deter an invasion by bolstering ukrainian military forces there and more how to sustain a resistance campaign essentially if russia were to invade and were to occupy large swaths of territory of ukraine. they essentially want to raise the costs to make it very difficult for vladimir putin to make a decision about whether to invade because of how hard it will be for him to hold offto the country. now it remains to be seen whether or not president biden's commitment to not putting u.s. forces on the ground there in the event that war erupts holds. special operations forces are circling in and out of ukraine and the cia may actually be instrumental in maintaining that kind of resistance force, helping the ukrainians put up that fight essentially if a war does erupt. >> natasha bertrand, thank you. let's turn to garry kasparov, the chess master and a critic of vladimir putin. let's play what we heard from press secretary jen psaki. >> we believe we're now at a stage where russia could at any point launch an attack on ukraine. i would say that's more stark than we have been. >> this wasn't an off-the-cuff remark. she's reading from a document. this wasn't a gaff. it wasn't a mistake. psaki made that comment twice today. what do you make of that coming from the white house? >> i just want to say that, you know, i'm not a recent critic of vladimir putin. my first article pointing at a danger coming from kgb guy running russia was dated january 4th, 2001. and actually 15 years ago in february 2007, putin himself told what his plans. to return to scales of power to control the former soviet republic. and four u.s. administrations read this message because now he's massing up troops. it's more than serious. what we are discussing now, i heard this, crippling sanctions. it's too little. i hope it's not too late. president biden had three talks with vladimir putin. one in person and two on video, on zoom. and every time we were told that he made an ultimatum. he warned putin. putin didn't hear the message. or it was not the right message to deter putin. and right now, too many wars. and speaking of ukraine receiving american nuclear assistance after invasion, it sounds -- russian troops enter, who cares what u.s. is going to send. >> fair enough. i only meant more recently in terms of since you became world famous as a chess master. that's all, but i take your point. you've been criticizing him for a generation. from natasha's reporting we're hearing that the u.s. might send ukraine's army some military equipment including ammunitions, mortars, javelin, anti-tank missiles. will that help? do you think this all signals an invasion is definitely imminent? >> look, everything will help but let's not forget the day before yesterday, the foreign minister was in kiev and repeated the position not to sell lethal weapon to ukraine. and germany is one of the largest arm sales country in the world. so again, words, promises, crippling sanctions, but i do not see any document that will tell vladimir putin beyond any doubt that the cost of invasion will be too high. and if he doesn't believe that the cost will be too high, so his experience tells him that it's only lip service mean invaded republic of georgia in 2008. he helped bashar al assad and invaded ukraine in 2014. so far nothing happened. y why does he believe these words today? >> secretary of state antony blinken is headed to ukraine to meet with the ukraine president. just yesterday a bipartisan delegation of seven u.s. senators also met with ukrainian president zelensky. the senators say they stressed the u.s. is standing with ukraine and its sovereignty. how effective can all these meetings and support be if ultimately what happens next comes down to ukraine and its standoff with russia? >> it's better than it used to be, but let's not forget, the russian propaganda for years has been steadily denying -- ukraine is a failed state. it doesn't have rights to exist. in the last few days, they stepped up their attacks in ukraine talking about even using nukes if anybody interferes with russia's sacred try to take control of this territory. yes, of course it's talk. hot air. but propaganda machine in russia under full control of kremlin and stepping up not only military preparation but also propaganda campaign to back up the forthcoming invasion. i'm not sure this decision has been made yet but it's very, very serious and unless putin recognizes that this time the response will be too costly for him to bear, i am waiting -- i would expect the worst. >> and what would that be? what would be too costly for him to bear that the u.s. and nato could warn putin about that would actually have an effect? >> crippling economic sanctions that would include basically cutting russian gas supply to europe. and going after putin's money, after russian oligarchs that -- immense fortune all over the free world from baltic states to san francisco. so also you have to put it on paper. it has to be some form of law, just supported by congress, by sent. the administration has to make it clear that it will push european allies. because there's very little appetite. germany is still hesitant about its position in case of all-out war regarding -- because for 20 years, european did absolutely nothing to diminish its dependence on russian gas. and even after crimea's annexation, germany almost doubled the amount of russian gas that they buy. >> garry kasparov, thank you. are we turning a covid corner? dr. sanjay gupta is here to help diagnose how we can live with covid. then a massive volcanic eruption launches a tsunami that wipes out all of the houses on one island. stay with us. some of my best memories growing up were cooking with mom. so when she moved in with us, a new kitchen became part of our financial plan. ♪ ♪ find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com >> vo: my car is my after-work decompression zone. ♪ music ♪ >> vo: so when my windshield broke... i found the experts at safelite autoglass. they have exclusive technology and service i can trust. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ (vo) t-mobile for business wants to make this the best year for your business yet. when you switch and bring your own device, we'll pay off your phone up to $800. you can keep your phone. and keep your number. visit your local t-mobile store today. (ringing) - hey kaleb, what's up? how you doing? - hey, i'm good, guess what, i just had my 13th surgery. - really? i just had my 17th surgery. - well, you beat me. - well, i am a little bit older than you. - yeah it's true. how are you doing? - i'm doing good. i'm encouraged by seeing how people are coming together to help each other during times like these. - kind of like how shriners hospitals for children is there for us. imagine if i couldn't get my surgery. who knows what would have happened. - same for me. i know my shriners hospitals family will continue to take care kids like us who need them most all because of caring people like you. - like me? - no, the people watching us right now at home. - oh, those people. hi people. - kaleb and i know not everyone can help right now, but for those of you who can, we hope you'll this special number on your screen right now. - you'll be making sure our amazing doctors and nurses can keep helping kids like us, who need them now and in the days to come. - your gift will make a huge difference for kids like us. - ooh, ooh, show them them the thank you gift. - okay, okay, hold on a second. with your gift of $19 a month we'll send you this adorable, love to the rescue blanket as a thank you and a reminder of the kids you're helping with your monthly support. - so what are you waiting for? you can use your phone and call, or go to loveshriners.org to give and join with thousands of other generous people who change lives with their gifts every day. - i think that's about it buddy, good job. - my pleasure captain. please call now. if operators are busy with all the other caring people, please wait patiently, or you can go to loveshriners.org to give right away. - [alec] big or small, your gift helps us all. - [both] thank you. (giggling) ♪(music)♪ at aetna® we're shifting medicare coverage into high gear with benefits you may be eligible for when you turn 65. benefits that may include rewards for select healthy activities. aetna medicare advantage plans call today to learn more. got lingering odors? grab febreze small spaces. press firmly to activate... and small spaces continuously eliminates and prevents odors... ...to freshen up any small room... ...for up to 45 days. febreze. ♪la la la♪ in our health lead, a desperate plea from four of the biggest hospital systems in the state of oklahoma. writing an open letter to the public saying there are zero icu beds left. they're short hundreds of hospital staff and on top of all of that, violence against health care workers is at a, quote, all-time high. the hospital is warning, quote, soon you or a loved one may need us for life-saving care whether for a stroke, emergency appendectomy or trauma from a car accident and we may not be able to help, unquote. let's bring in chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta. as of monday, there were more than 100 patients in the state of oklahoma in need of a hospital bed that could not get one. we're starting to see cases come down in places like new york. when will places like oklahoma start to feel some relief? >> well, you know, what typically happens is you see these waves around the country. so you are seeing cases come down in new york and d.c. and other places as well. and that reflects what's even been seen around the world in the uk and south africa. let me show you when it comes to hospitalizations in particular, in oklahoma, and look what's happening in the united states. typically oklahoma sort of preceded the united states' sort of waves. here you see it's just chasing the united states a little bit. and it's still on its way up. if you look at the models specifically, they say probably end of the end before you have sort of a peak when it comes to hospitalizations in places like oklahoma. it's a bit of a moving target. then, obviously, it's a few weeks after that before the numbers really come down to a more manageable level. i should also point out, just vaccination rates. you look at vaccination rates in new york and you see where the numbers have come down. versus oklahoma. 73% versus 54% in oklahoma. the country as a whole is almost right in the middle there, around 63%, 64%. so we'll see. but it sounds like a few more weeks it will be pretty tough there. >> the white house website for ordering free at-home tests is up. i have ordered one. what should people know? >> this was a bit of a surprise because the website was supposed to go up tomorrow. but what we've heard is that this is sort of the beta phase. they wanted to put it up a day early and see if they could work out some kinks. you were able to order them. a lot of people have. some people have run into problems and they're getting an email that says check in tomorrow when we're fully up to work out some of those kinks. i don't know what your message but typically what people are hearing is that by the end of january, these tests should start going out. and you put your email in and you can sort of track it along. a lot of people ordering, jake. this is half of the -- this is half of the internet traffic for the government in total right now is the ordering of these tests. a lot of people in on it. 500 million of these are expected to go out over the next 60 days. so we'll see how that goes. but this is obviously a big endeavor. >> do you recommend that everyone order the test now just to have them on hand even if they're not feeling any symptoms right now? do these tests expire? >> some of them do expire. they have a shelf life and it's different for different tests. certainly look at he box. but it's usually months to a year in terms of shelf life. yes is the answer to the question. i think people should order them now. you can get a sense of how hard they may be when you need them. hopefully, you know, the numbers continue to go down as we're talking about and the demand eases up a bit. but having them on hand, even if there's another surge or something, would certainly be helpful. and if you've had an exposure to somebody, to be able to test yourself and know if you in fact, are contagious as well, is important to slowing down the spread of this pandemic. >> a compilation of 36 studies across 11 different countries showed the impact of closing schools on children. finding increased anxiety, depression, higher screen time, not as much exercise. in the u.s., kids account for less than 0.2%. 0.2% of the coronavirus deaths. what would you say to a school administrator thinking about going back to remote learning? >> i would say we've learned a lot over the last couple of years. in the beginning when we weren't sure exactly how this virus would behave, who would be most likely affected by this, i think there was a lot of confusion. if you add in that we were flying blind because there wasn't enough testing, it was tough to make the case that kids should be in school at that point. but by the fall of 2020, jake, certainly by the end of 2020, it was pretty clear. you and i did a town hall on this. big studies came out from not just around the world but even here in the united states showing that schools could open safely if you did a few things, including masking, improving ventilation. having testing. those things make a big difference. we obviously have the vaccines now as well. so i can understand the concern, but i think we're basically close to two years or a year and a half of knowledge that schools can open safely. i realize it's still frightening for some people and, you know, 0.2% is still a small number, but of a huge overall number. if this was something that just affected kids and i told you close to 5,000 kids are in the hospital, hundreds of kids have died as a country we would have done everything we could to drop those numbers. now we know how to keep kids safe. even as we discussed in the town hall more than a year ago, schools can be some of the safest places in a society in terms of transmission. >> especially if those kids are vaccinated. dr. sanjay gupta, thank you. appreciate it. a house divided cannot stand, but one year in, president biden and his vision of bridging political divides faces the reality of his own party broken into factions. stay with us. strypaper? luckily, there's biotrue hydration boost eye drops. biotrue uses naturally inspired ingredients. and no preservatives. try biotrue! we have to be able to repair the enamel on a daily basis. with pronamel repair toothpaste, we can help actively repair enamel in its weakened state. it's innovative. my go to toothpaste is going to be pronamel repair. the pandemic made teaching and learning really hard. but instead of working to help students safely return to the classroom, the san francisco school board focused on renaming schools and playing politics. and they've even saddled our district with a $125 million deficit. our children can't wait for new leadership. here's our chance for a fresh start. on february 15th, please recall school board members collins, lópez and moliga before our kids fall even further behind. this is cnn breaking news. >> we have this breaking news for you now. the house select committee investigating the january 6th capitol insurrection has just subpoenaed four close allies of donald trump including rudy giuliani. let's get right to paula reid. walk us through who is on this list. >> the house select committee just firing off four subpoenas to trump allies who helped push the big lie. as you noted, the biggest name on this list, rudy giuliani. the longtime personal attorney to former president trump who helped spearhead efforts to try to uncover evidence of election fraud and undermine the results of the 2020 election. they're also targeting two other individuals who once served as attorneys to former president trump. the first is jenna ellis. she circulated two memos purporting to analyze how former vice president mike pence could either delay or stop the counting of electoral votes. the committee also firing off a subpoena to sydney powell who was once part of the trump legal team. she was eventually pushed out. one of the loudest voices pushing the big lie. also a subpoena for trump adviser boris epshteyn. he attended meetings at the willard hotel, the location of the so-called war room for many trump allies trying to brainstorm ways to stop the certification of the electoral results. according to the committee, he also spoke with former president trump on january 6th about their options to make that happen. we know from our sources that as recently as late last week, lawmakers were asking witnesses about giuliani and about powell. specifically with rudy giuliani, they were asking witnesses. of his close associates, including former new york police commissioner bernard kerik, they were asking how rudy giuliani's work was funded, what he was doing, who was directing him. they also asked about the comments he made at the rally on january 6th calling for, quote, trial by combat. interestingly, jake, they also asked specifically when it came to sidney powell, how she came to be removed from the trump legal team. so clearly these are big targets for the committee. >> paula reid, thanks. appreciate it. let's bring in senior legal analyst laura coates. what do you make of these subpoenas for giuliani, sidney powell, boris epshteyn and jenna ellis. >> these were people that were prominent in the media for their role in promoting the big lie which, in part, developed into the january 6th insurrection. but the timing of it is so critical here because it's the end of the investigation, toward the end of more than 300 witnesses at this point in time by the committee. i'm assuming they've had all those people to lay the foundational bricks to corroborate in anticipation of their testimony. and as a prosecutor, why you do that is because you want to have all of your is dotted and ts crossed to compare their statements against other statements and build enough evidence to decipher truth from fiction. that these people, the most prominent of all and up to, of course, the president of the united states, the former president, having them at this juncture is really telling me that they were building in many respects a lot of corroborating evidence that could support and substantiate early witnesses and now they're going to compare what they say now. and i note sidney powell for one has civil lawsuits already in terms of defamation and her statements on dominion, as does giuliani. so they have that worth -- that wealth of evidence as well. >> they have those civil cases against those companies, those election companies, they say that they defamed them and hurt their business model. but as a general note, even though these four are notorious liars about the election, that's not a crime, right? so what is the committee hoping to get? >> well, you're right. again, the civil case versus what the doj might come up with, criminal context, this is a congressional committee who has legislative and oversight function. they're trying to figure out what led up to the event to try to fortify certain laws or to fill in the gaps when what was legal and what ought to be illegal. and try to figure out who contributed to what they saw that day and afterwards and before. and so these are the jigsaw puzzle pieces in terms of figuring out what are the missing links here. was there somebody else they were answering to? were they answering to somebody else's directives? is there somebody who even above them it has played a role in all of these things? of course, it doesn't take rocket science to realize the orbit of the former president of the united states. i can't tell if they're circling around as vultures at this point or they themselves are going to be the top fish that they'll look to say, all right, the buck stopped here and we have all that we need to now have to conclude what transpired, provided to the american people. they've talked about having public hearings. i'm wondering if these will be the people they look to to provide the public hearings and statements or will there be other people. i'm wondering what these individuals will say knowing what they've sned their civil lawsuits, what they've said publicly on air waves on podcasts and in writing, at their own press conferences. how twilwill it compare and wha will say they under a congressional subpoena. >> they with me. i'm going to talk to you about your amazing new legal memoir that's out today. a real page turner. stay right there. coming up next, call it a political flashback. the shift shown by one poll. a shift that's not happened since 1995. stay with us. ♪ i think to myself ♪ ♪ what a wonderful world ♪ your skin isn't just skin. it's a beautiful reflection of everything you've been through. dove body wash, with 5 skin conditioning ingredients, boosts skin's ceramides renewal for hydrated, visibly moisturized skin. renew the love with dove body wash. it's still the eat fresh refresh™ and subway's refreshing everything like the new baja turkey avocado with smashed avocado, oven-roasted turkey, and baja chipotle sauce. it's three great things together. wait! who else is known for nailing threes? hmm. can't think of anyone! subway keeps refreshing and re... ♪"don't ya leave" by squeak e clean♪ [doorbell] ♪ [doorbell] ♪ [doorbell] all the delivery. no delivery fees. dashpass. in our politics lead, president biden is set to hold a news conference tomorrow as he prepares to start his second year in office. despite some major accomplishments, including a bipartisan trillion-dollar infrastructure law and a major ramp up of vaccine production and availability, president biden is also facing a slew of horrific domestic headlines and growing global threats. in some polls, astoundingly low approval ratings. jeff zeleny takes a closer look at the highs and lows of biden's first year as commander in chief. >> this is our historic moment of crisis in challenge. and unity is the path forward. >> reporter: as president biden enters his second year in office, that unity is elusive. with the very same crisis and challenge still burning red hot and complicating his path forward. the optimism from biden's inaugural address -- >> bringing america together -- >> reporter: -- tempered by the reality of a nation divided and a president scrambling to find his footing. from an unrelenting pandemic to stubborn inflation to dangerous threats to democracy at home and across the globe, the white house is trying to reset and restore a floundering presidency. tonight, election reform on the cusp of failing in the senate. the latest example of the limits of presidential power in today's washington. where republicans are loathed to cooperate and democrats with a razor-thin majority struggle to compromise. >> there's been a lot of progress made. we need to build on that. the work is not done. the job is not done. and we are certainly not conveying it is. >> reporter: still in march, biden signed a $1.9 trillion american rescue plan to ease the economic fallout from covid-19. and months later, a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan. a landmark accomplishment that's eluded presidents of both parties. >> democrats and republicans can come together and deliver results. >> reporter: but that bipartisan bridge did not extend to the second part of his economic agenda. the build back better plan. stalled in the senate and facing an uphill road in this midterm election year. but above all, top white house officials concede the first year of the biden presidency has been complicated and consumed by coronavirus. remarkable gains were made on vaccines, but the president's summertime declaration of success proved utterly premature. >> it no longer controls our lives and no longer paralyzes our nation. and it's within our power to make sure it never does again. >> reporter: a fall wave of the delta variant followed by a winter surge of omicron laid bare the failures in covid testing. and eroded confidence once again in the administration's grasp of the crisis. >> clearly not enough, if i had -- if we'd known, we would have gone harder, quicker if we could have. >> reporter: on the world stage, biden reassured allies after the whiplack of the trump era. >> america is back. >> reporter: yet the prospect of a new cold war is now an urgent fear. that was not apparent during biden's summit with vladimir putin in june which focused on cyberattacks. a threat overshadowed by russia's aggression toward ukraine. >> look ahead in three to six months and say, did the things we agreed to sit down and try to work out, did it work? >> reporter: biden sought to reset the russian relationship. now putin is testing biden and western allies. for all the challenges outside any president's control, one of the most devastating periods of biden's first year was a decision that he made and stands behind. >> i was not going to extend this forever war. and i was not extending a forever exit. >> reporter: the swift fall of the afghan government and the chaotic evacuation that followed, including 13 americans killed in a suicide bombing, raised critical questions about competence that biden and his team still struggle to shake six months later. >> i take responsibility for the decision. >> reporter: yet taking responsibility marks a noted change between biden and his predecessor. who looms even larger one year out of office. that point was clear on the anniversary of the capitol attack. >> he's not just the former president. he's a defeated former president. >> reporter: and that advisers say is a glimpse into biden's current mindset. he's no longer ignoring trump and his assault on democracy. the outcome of the second year will help shape how biden answers the biggest question of all, likely by this time next year, will he run again? now there's been no president who entered this office with as much experience as biden. accomplishments, yes, but the string of recent setbacks have eroded that sense of competence that once was biden's calling card. jake, at the news conference here tomorrow, look for the president to tout his accomplishments, as well as, i'm told, acknowledge those shortcomings as he tries to turn the page and chart a course for his second year. >> jeff zeleny at the white house, thanks. also in our politics lead, 1995 was the last time this many americans identified as republicans, according to a new gallup poll. that was when the gop had just taken control of the house of representatives for the first time in 40 years. cnn's senior data reporter harry enten is here. you see gallup shift and political identification is possibly part of a trend? >> yeah, i do. look, simply what gallup is asking, are you a democrat, republican or independent and among independents, which way do you lean, toward democrats or republicans? there are a lot of numbers on the screen that you'll see but here's the key takeaway. look, back in the beginning of 2021, a lot more people identified as democrats and republicans. democrats had a 9-point advantage. the end of the year, october in december. that now more people are identifying as republicans than democrats by five points. now the question i had was whether or not this poll was an outlier. so i looked at the kaiser family foundation polling as well. what do you see there? you see basically the exact same trend line. go back to january, march of 2021, you see the democrats had this large 14-point lead. jump ahead to october and december and now that democratic advantage has smushed considerably down to just three points. the same trend on gallup and kaiser family foundation. >> and you're seeing this shift in party identification trending along the same lines as president biden's approval numbers. >> exactly right. why are more people identifying now as republicans than democrats? or at least more -- at least in the gallup poll and overall the shift toward republicans? i would make the argument it's because folks really just dont like the job that joe biden is doing as president. so if you look at joe biden's net job approval rating, what you see is in the beginning of 2021, plus 16 points. many more people approved than disapproved. jump ahead to october and december, what do you see? minus 10. many more people disapproved than approved. that's occurring at the same time where that large democratic advantage on party affiliation which was 12 points in january and march actually switched to a gop advantage of plus 1 in the passenger of the kaiser and gallup polling. >> what about independent voters? >> yeah, if you ask independent voters which way do you clean, this i think is the key nugget. which is, they are the swing voters. what you see now is in october to december, they are more likely to lean republican than democratic by plus 5 percentage points from january to march. the democrats had a nine-point advantage. very clearly independents moving towards the republican party. >> so should we expect something of a republican romp in the midterm elections this november? >> historically speaking what we see over the last four cycles if you look at 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018, when democrats have a clear advantage on the generic ballot, they win in both 2006 and 2018. look at 2010, 2014, looks a lot like the polling now the gop want. and here's the other thing to keep in mind. if you ask voters if they're democrats or republicans, which they will they vote in the midterms. the fact more are identifying as republican now is key because people basically vote along the lines of how they affiliate themselves. >> all right. harry enten, thanks so much. true crime that is hard to believe and a revealing window into the american legal system. a renowned prosecutor makes her case, next. t career? >> safelite is now hiring. >> you will love your job. >> there's room to grow... >> ...and lots of opportunities. >> so, what are you waiting for? >> apply now... >> ...and make a difference. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ >> man, i love that song! (vo) t-mobile for business wants to make this the best year for your business yet. when you switch and bring your own device, we'll pay off your phone up to $800. you can keep your phone. and keep your number. visit your local t-mobile store today. in the national lead, a unique look into legal system in america. the legal system. it's not really a justice system, is it? my next guest spent years in the courtroom, in private practice and at the u.s. department of justice, voting rights violations and violent felony offenses, drug trafficking, child abuse and sexual assault. she is giving us a glimpse into the process. laura coates, her book is out today, just pursuit, a black prosecutor's fight for fairness. i cannot recommend it highly enough. it is a compelling read. it's about incredibly important issues and also a page turner. very crisp writing. you really open the curtain into life as a federal prosecutor. the book opens with you saying you thought the job would be an uncomplicated act of patriotism and justice was when a person was tried and fiairly convicted for a crime and it's, obviously, more complicated that that? >> it is. i really do try to pull back that curtain, jake. it's not a book people thought i would write. they thought i would write a supreme court oriented text of a law school classroom. instead i really wanted to make it a narrative memoir that personified the issues of today that are so important. if we are speaking truth to power, shouldn't we first know the truth? i think we should. >> you were a prosecutor in d.c. you give the testimony of a 73-year-old woman. she had her car stolen and in his victim impact statement she says, quote, of the person who stole it, he is a child, he made a mistake. white children get to joyride but this black boy is chained on the other side of a table and you are asking me to help keep him that way. she says, i know what this so-called justice system does when it gets its claws into black boys, unquote. a really compelling thing for a victim of a crime to say. how often did you see this theme repeated, young black men convicted of a crime and then they never leave the legal system? >> i mean, more often than not. once you are within it, it's a hampster wheel. and you really cannot get off because they have parole, they've got the absence, the second chances. that chapter talks about the poin yens and moments of real humanity and expression of second chances and knowing the justice system f there is one, has to do with redemption as much as retribution. someone who understood the innerconnectivity between sociology and politics and the history of race in america and the evolution since the 13th amendment to be a champion for somebody. when i was saying lara coates on behalf of the people of the united states, i knew that had to include the defendant as well as one of those people. but to have a victim of a crime who you would think would be at odds with, understood the nuance of decency and second chances, it's a rare glimpse into how humanity has played a part in the system as well. >> >> the book has amazing and horrific stories. chapter 10, the jaw-dropping, enraging scene involving a woman judge who is distracted during the testimony of a teenage girl allegedly raped by her essentially her stepfather. when asked to approach the bench, you were there for a separate case, you write, quote, the angle revealed what was on her screen. a shoe shopping website while a child had poured her heart out relaying the trauma of serial rape without the benefit of her mother as a protector and champion. the judge was trying to find a boot that fit an extra wide calf, unquote. again, that was the judge who ultimately completely discarded and discounted what this young victim testified about. how often do you think the judges are part of the problem? >> you know, i have to tell you, jake, that chapter is so harmful and hurtful for so many reasons. here's why. we assume, thicklparticularly i "me too" movement when the mantra is believe women, how it looks in the court of law is something that is such a perverse notion. and we expect as women, i believe, that another woman would at least have the decency of the benefit of the doubt or give somebody the open-mindedness, a judge, when we know, when we have a delayed case of sexual assault reporting, the cosby cases are a prime example, the weinstein era cases, the moent recent in germs of ghislaine maxwell, the reason people have delayed in their reports we often don't want it a jury because we know about the preconserved negotiations. we are afraid of the bias. the assumption was a judge and a woman at that might be better positioned to give the impartiality and yet and still we see even in those instances that bias has a role in our justice system and i tried to expose it, so people realize what is at stake. it's not just a verdict or a policy reform. it's a comprehensive system. >> the judge criticized the victim for what she wore in court. you couldn't -- i mean, you can't believe it. lara, congratulations on the new book. i really highly recommend it for everybody watching right now. just pursuit, a black prosecutor's fight for fairness. good to see you again. thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. appreciate it. under the sea, a volcanic eruption causing a tsunami. you are not going to want to miss these focuses next. stay with us. downloading a movie up to 10 times faster than before. oh, is that the one where the mom becomes a... (mindy) yep! (vo) i knew it! and claire in hd clarity. steve, is that jelly? this place is packed! you couldn't even send a text in a crowd before. now look at david with the connection. posting like crazy! (david) it's wild. (vo) 5g ultra wideband is now in more and more places. verizon is going ultra, so you can too. ♪ limu emu ♪ and doug. we gotta tell people that liberty mutual customizes car insurance so you only pay for what you need, and we gotta do it fast. [limu emu squawks] woo! thirty-four miles per hour! new personal record, limu! [limu emu squawks] he'll be back. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪ if you wake up thinking about the market and want to make the right moves fast... get decision tech. for insights on when to buy and sell. and proactive alerts on market events. that's decision tech. only from fidelity. i know there's conflicting information about dupuytren's contracture. i thought i couldn't get treatment yet? well, people may think that their contracture has to be severe to be treated, but it doesn't. if you can't lay your hand flat on the table, talk to a hand specialist. but what if i don't want surgery? well, then you should find a hand specialist certified to offer nonsurgical treatments. what's the next step? visit findahandspecialist.com today to get started. ordinary tissues burn when theo blows. so puffs plus lotion rescued his nose. with up to 50% more lotion, puffs bring soothing relief. a nose in need deserves puffs indeed. america's #1 lotion tissue. as a business owner, your bottom line is always top of mind. so start saving by switching to the mobile service designed for small business: comcast business mobile. flexible data plans mean you can get unlimited data or pay by the gig. all on the most reliable nationwide network. with no line activation fees or term contracts... saving you up to $500 a year. and it's only available to comcast business internet customers. so boost your bottom line by switching today. comcast business: powering possibilities. states and around the world, welcome to the "situation room." >> finally in our world lead today, you may have seen the satellite pictures of this past weekend's undersea volcanic eruption near tonga. the eruption caused tsunami warnings all around the pacific rim, including the u.s. west coast. now we are getting our first good look at tonga itself. these are before and after satellite images. all you see now is gray. gray volcanic ash coating everything. tongan officials call it an unprecedented disaster. three deaths, drinking water shortage. follow me on facebook, instagram, twitter or tiktok. our coverage continues now with one mr. wolf blitzer. i think he is next door in the situation room. happening now, breaking news. cnn has exclusively learned of new steps taken by the january 6th select committee that reach deep into former president trump's inner circle. the committee obtaining phone records from two people extremely close to donald trump. also tonight, the lomming threat of russian aggression setting off alarm bells inside the white house. the biden administration weighing additional military support for ukraine. and a british official tells cnn that texas g