>> i can't even understand what happened this weekend, but, yes, all of us were losing our minds. we were looking her in the eyes. you could tell she hated the situation. i don't speak for everyone. i forgive her. it's just money. that was an experience of a lifetime that surpassed any financial meaning. >> you got invited to this popup, it seenls like someone from her staff holding this message up to you or maybe a few other people. it seems kind of wild. could you make out what she was saying? >> not really. all i really heard -- i was checking out at the time. i was so bombarded, trying to figure out what was happening. i was so shook. all i heard was, this is not how i wanted it to be. it was more about the look on her face. you can tell she was hurting so much than any of us were. i forgive her. i'll be back in vegas once she reschedules, just vibing. >> just vibing. i love it. i love it, james. you have such a good attitude about all of this. we really appreciate you talking with us and sharing that moment. you're one of the few that got it. >> thank you for having me. >> james mason fox. "new day" continues right now. good morning to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. it is monday, january 24th. i'm john berman with brianna keilar. major developments this morning in the russia/ukraine crisis. cnn has learned that the biden administration is considering sending several thousand u.s. troops along with warships and aircraft to nato allies in the baltic states and eastern europe. it comes amid widening concerns of a russian incursion into ukraine. nato allies also putting forces on standby. >> the state department announcing it's reducing embassy levels in kiev. officials say the decision was made out of an abundance of caution. ukraine is not pleased here, calling this decision premature and a display of excessive caution. cnn's clarissa ward is on the ground in kiev, ukraine. what is the situation right now clarissa? >> reporter: i think understandably, brianna, the ukrainians don't want to contribute in any way, shape or form to panic. they're worried the local population here will get nervous if they see that the u.s. is starting to evacuate some non-essential personnel and family members. they're worried that projects an image potentially that there really is russian aggression expe expected imminently. while they're waiting for the process to play out, there's no question that very real preparation are being made on all sides for possibility of a military conflict. you mentioned there that nato has just announced that will it be sending additional resource, ships, fighter jets to deployments of nato in eastern europe. that has already been greeted by the kremlin with a negative tone saying this is increasing tensions. the kremlin also grousing about what they call informational hysteria and accusing the ukrainians of building up military personnel and hardware along the border with the donbas region which is where the pro-russian separatists are based. it would come as no sur proo ts prize to many that the ukrainians are building up their presence along the border there because that is exactly where many fear some type of incursion may occur if and when it does so. i think it's a sense of people still hoping that the diplomatic efforts might bear some fruit, but preparing in the meantime for a worst as well. >> clarissa, thank you. we'll also bring in cnn anchor and chief national security correspondent jim sciutto. you're part of the team that broke the reporting of this new possible u.s. troop deployment being discussed with the president which would include thousands of u.s. troops to the baltic states and eastern europe. what's truly interesting about this, jim, this is the very thing, as president biden likes to point out, that russia has been trying to avoid or stave off with its machinations around ukraine. >> that's exactly right. i'm told this is one of several options briefed to the president this weekend, the idea of deploying 1,000 to 5,000 u.s. troops to the east of nato, east -- within nato's eastern partners here with two objectives. one, to bolster the defenses of the eastern nato allies who have been very nervous about russia's buildup of forces. they see themselves on the front line and most vulnerable to any future russian aggression. i'm also told this is, in part, to put u.s. forces in place in case the situation deteriorates further in ukraine and the u.s. is in a position where it has to evacuate american citizens from ukraine. keep in mind, john and brianna, the u.s. burned to some degree by its experience in afghanistan, does not want to see a similar situation again. they want to be prepared if it comes to that. to your point, john, this is exactly part of the administration's messaging here with getting this out there to communicate to russia, if you escalate, you're going to get a worse situation than you have today, not better. in other words, as you said, more nato and western troops close to its borders rather than fewer, which is what russia is demanding. >> clarissa, in terms of the escalation of tension here, in the various relationships at play, our audience need to know for some the united states has an ironclad security commitment but it does not exist with ukraine. still, how much does it raise tension in the region? >> it raises a huge amount of tension here. this is about defending the idea of sovereignty, as secretary of state antony blinken put it on friday, defending the right to the yietd of self-determination. the idea is, if you don't defend those ideals, they quickly erode and disappear and what happens in ukraine can quickly be seen to play out in other countries as jim was just articulating or that was the fear. that's why the ukrainians have been privately shouting from the rooftops here. it doesn't matter, essentially, that ukraine is not officially a member of nato at this point. this has become a hugely symbolic inflection point or tension point, and the way the west responds to this will ultimately dictate the way other nations can anticipate or not anticipate russian aggression in the future but mrs. nato's ability to defend. what's interesting in all of this, if president putin's calculation was to weaken nato or expose the weakness that exists, the lack of unity, the germans not sure how they would like to respond as opposed to other nations, that it's actually had the reverse effect, it's had a unifying consolidating effect. we're seeing stronger more unified nato coming out with much stronger language. >> one criticism, john, to that point is you do hear some, including former ambassadors to ukraine and others, and by the way, republican and democratic representatives saying move the forces now. invariably in situations like this you have folks who want to push more aggressively, the same for economic sanctions. do they take place preemptively or after the fact. >> everyone is going to watch every movement that takes place very, very carefully. clarissa ward, thank you for being there for us. jim, i know you'll be picking this up at the top of the hour. we'll see you then. we're shifting gears here now in a big way. a lot of us were up very late last night watching football. maybe one of the better football playoff weekends ever. it all ended with really one of the most amazing games i've ever seen. you're not supposed to be able to go the length of the football field in 13 seconds which is what the chiefs did. basically impossible or supposed to be. this is how the chiefs game ended. it's one of the best games played i have ever, ever seen. this was it, chiefs quarterback patrick mahomes hitting travis kelce in the end zone. that's what won the game in over time. to even get there, though, was an odyssey. it's going to be controversial because it happened in overtime, but the bills never got to touch the ball there. it capped a weekend of almost ridiculous football games. joining us now, damion woody, two dr time super bowl champion with the new england patriots. we'll ignore the entire jets episode. damion, an honor to meet you. i'm a huge fan from your days in college. this is a ridiculous thing that's not supposed to happen. the chiefs/bills game, 25 points in the last 25 minutes. all ending with patrick mahomes doing something that i think defies the laws office six. >> john, good morning. this was the best weekend of football i've ever witnessed. what you saw from patrick mahomes actually was typical patrick mahomes, the magic he's able to bring out in these type of situations. with 13 seconds, i'm thinking the game is already over. i think the critical error in that game was the way buffalo kicked off giving the chiefs the opportunity to even allow patrick mahomes to march down in 13 seconds to kick the game-tieing field goal to send it into overtime. it's just ridiculous. >> damien, of course, there's going to be no. 11th super bowl appearance for tom brady. i almost wondered if there was going to be, it was so close there. he came back aim amazingly from being down 27-3 in the third quarter. it wasn't enough, though. the l.a. rams defeated the defending champion with the field goal as time ran out. it was amazing. >> yeah, absolutely. brianna, i sent out a text right before half-time saying that game was over. boy, if tom brady had came back in that game, i think i would have deleted my twitter account. what tom brady did in that game yesterday, we've seen it before. we've it in the super bowl against the atlanta falcons where he came back with 1: 78 8 3. that was tom brady being tom brady putting the tampa bay buccaneers on its back. >> we'll see him five years from now, ten years from now. back to the bills/chiefs. what's your view of the overtime rules? i know they've been changed that you can't win in a field goal. the idea that josh allen never got to touch if football in over time, doesn't this have to change? >> john, i'm going to sound like a "get off my lawn" type of guy here. the defensive side of the ball gets paid, too. you're talking about a buffalo bills defense ranked number one in the league in several categories. i'm a big believer in, you know what? you get paid, too, big boys. stop them. that's what it's all about. we have three phases to the game, offense, defense and special teams. you have to stop them. they couldn't do it. >> spoken like a guy who smacked around a lot of defensive linemen in his day. damien woody, i think you're in the minority there. i think you can still have good defenses and maybe make it a fair way to end the game. you know more about it than i do. let's be honest. >> i've been fighting off people all night. >> no doubt. well, you're good at that. damien woody, thank you so much. >> yep. fallen nypd officer jason rivera in his own words. hear the reason he chose to become a police officer and the noble mission he set for himself. nba hall of famer john stockton, spreader of delusional vaccine misinformation, just outer-space-like stuff, now suspended from his alma mater. we'll tell you why. peloton just can't catch a break. the latest tv character other than mr. big to suffer a heart attack while or after, in mr. big's case, biking. we discover exciciting new technologies. redefine who w we are and how e want to lead our lives. basically, choosose what we wat our future to look like. so what's yours going to be? when you're looking for answers, it's good to have help. because the right information, at the right time, may make all the difference. at humana, we know that's especially true when you're looking for a medicare supplement insurance plan. that's why we're offering "seven things every medicare supplement should have". it's yours free, just for calling the number on your screen. and when you call, a knowledgeable licensed agent-producer can answer any questions you have, and help you choose the plan that's right for you. the call is free, and there's no obligation. you see, medicare covers only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you! that's why so many people purchase medicare supplement insurance plans like those offered by humana. they're designed to help you save money and pay some of the costs medicare doesn't. depending on the medicare supplement plan you select, you could have no deductibles or copayments for doctor visits, hospital stays, emergency care and more! you can keep the doctors you have now, ones you know and trust, with no referrals needed. plus you can get medical care anywhere in the country, even when you're traveling. with humana, you get a competitive monthly premium and personalized service from a healthcare partner working to make healthcare simpler and easier for you. you can choose from a wide range of standardized plans. each one is designed to work seamlessly with medicare, and help save you money. so how do you find the plan that's right for you? one that fits your needs and your budget? call humana now at the number on your screen for this free guide! it's just one of the ways that humana is making healthcare simpler. and when you call, a knowledgeable licensed agent-producer can answer any questions you have, and help you choose the plan that's right for you. the call is free and there's no obligation. you know medicare won't cover all your medical costs. so call now, and see why a medicare supplement plan from a company like humana just might be the answer. my asthma felt anything but normal. ♪ ♪ it was time for a nunormal with nucala. nucala reduces asthma attacks it's a once-monthly add-on treatment for severe eosinophilic asthma. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occured. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your asthma specialist about a nunormal with nucala. ben isn't worried about retirement his personalized plan is backed by the team at fidelity. his ira is professionally managed, and he gets one-on-one coaching when he needs it. so ben is feeling pretty zen. that's the planning effect from fidelity this morning tributes are pouring in for 22-year-old nypd officer jason rivera who was shot and killed responding to a dispute. he wrote a letter to his commanding officer. he wrote, quote, when i applied to become a police officer, i knew this was the career for me. i would be the first person in my family to become a police officer. coming from an immigrant family i will fw the first to say i am a member of the nypd, the greatest police force in the world. growing up i realized how impactful my role as a police officer would be in this chaotic city. i knew something as small as helping a tourist with directions or helping a couple resolve an issue would put a smile on someone's face. >> he continued, growing up in manhattan, the community's relationship between the community and police were not great. i remember witnessing my brother being stopped and frisked. i asked why were we were being pulled over in the taxi. my perspective on police and the way they police really bothered me. as time went on, i saw the nypd pushing hard changing the relationship between the police and the community. this is when i realized i wanted to be part of the men in blue, better the relationship between the community and the police. joining me are jason rivera's high school english teachers from washington heights expeditionary school where he graduated in to 17, anthony and samantha, thank you for being with us to talk about your former student. anthony, to you first, can you tell us a little bit about him and how the community is reacting? >> sure. one of the biggest memories i have of jason is his smile. every day he would come in and say how is it going mr. v. he just radiated this kind of positivity to everyone around him. he was an eternal optimist. that ranged from everyone, from his peers, his friends, his teachers, principals at our school and even out in the community of washington heights. he was this positive force which makes it all the more difficult that we lost him. he was just a positive force for this community. >> you can see it in the pictures, samantha. you can just see it, the light that comes from him, the smile that is always on his face. >> yeah. a number of us in the school community have been compiling pictures, and i'm sure you see some of them and you see it in the pride in his nypd portrait. out can't find a picture of him not smiling when we went back and were reviewing our memories with him. he was one-of-a-kind. >> i love listening to a video of him and reading that letter where you get to see that he cares so much about other people. anthony, i know you wanted to read a part of jason's college application essay he wrote in 2016, if you would go ahead for us. >> sure. he says, sometimes i sit in my room alone and think to myself that life is not easy. sometimes you're thrown a ball and you have to learn how to dodge that ball. you either stay hard for the ball thrown at you or work hard and heal again. that is my mentality. i'm very blessed to be the person i am today. you see, i have two legs to walk, two eyes to see, two hands to touch. i have an education which i don't have to take a dime out of my pockets. i work. my parents work. my brother is finishing college. why wouldn't i work hard when i have everything i need to be successful? it speaks for itself, but jason was the kind of person who was literally appreciative, grateful for everything he had. he was self-aware, mature beyond his years as a 17-year-old, just cared so much about others, appreciated what he had and just exuded this positivity that was such a force in our community. >> he so clearly was. samantha and anthony, we really appreciate you sharing some of him with us this morning. thank you so much. we're keeping you in our thoughts and prayers. we'll be right back. >> thank you. >> thanks. but i'm not chasing my dream anymore. i made a financial plan to live it every day. ♪ at northwestern mutual, our version of financial planning helps you live your dreams today. find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com what happens when we welcome change? we can transform our workforce overnight out of convenience, or necessity. we can explore uncharted waters, and not only make new discoveries, but get there faster, with better outcomes. with app, cloud and anywhere workspace solutions, vmware helps companies navigate change-- meeting them where they are, and getting them where they want to be. faster. vmware. welcome change. this is a warrior. midnight to morning, she's in command. all-day comfort. all-night shift. head nurse. heart on her sleeve. so, when leaks show up, our protection helps keep them dry. depend. the only thing stronger than us, is you.™ ♪ baby got back by sir mix-a-lot ♪ unlimited cashback match... only from discover. liz, you nerd, cough if you're in here! shh! i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. what about rob's dry cough? works on that too, and lasts 12 hours. 12 hours?! who studies that long? mucinex dm relieves wet and dry coughs. it's been nearly two years since the pandemic started. our students and teachers tried their best, but as a parent, i can tell you that nearly 18 months of remote learning was really hard. i'm so angry that instead of helping our kids get back in the classroom, the school board focused on renaming schools schools that weren't even open . please recall all three school board members now. for the sake of our kids, we can't wait one more day, never mind a whole year for a fresh start. in a new development, former drum adviser boris epshteyn admits to his involvement in challenging the results of the 2020 election with a group of alternate electors. listen. >> yes, i was part of the process to make sure there were alternate electors for when, as we hoped, the challenge to the seated electors would be selected. >> you would support putting in these alternate or others call them fraudulent electors. you support that. you don't see any chance that that could be against the law, boris. >> it is not against the law. it is actually according to the law. >> joining me, former chief of the department of justice' counterintelligence selection, david lofton. david, in the law business you call this an admission against interest. what do you mean? >> what that means is mr. boris epshteyn made admissions that he participated in a plot to overturn a free and fair election, whether that's part of other criminal acts, potential criminal acts, conspiracies would be the fodder for a justice department investigation which is now completely appropriate to undertake. >> what he's admitting to is this scheme to submit these alternate electoral slates in at least seven states here, actually submitted them and said, hey, these are the actual electors. in other words, donald trump won these states even though he didn't win these states and these electors will vote for him in the electoral college. is it clear exactly what law might have been broken there? >> it's not clear exactly, but here is what we know. think about this in the broader context of what we recently learned about this draft presidential order. in one respect, that order is comical, like an executive order version of the infamous rudy giuliani press conference at four seasons landscaping. in other respects it's chilling. it reflects an intent by the president or the people around him to use united states military forces to seize voting machines, to federalize the national guard. it relies on legal authorities commonly applied against our foreign adversaries. whether the department of justice investigation leads to criminal liability remains to be seen, but hypothetically there could be evidence adduced that would lead to another seditious conspiracy charge, to a conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, and there could be even violations with respect to the transmittal of classified information, the national security memoranda cited in the order. did somebody disclose classified information to someone not authorized to receive it? it's a law school exam of potential issues that the department of justice needs to investigate. >> you're talking about the first story that came out in politico, a draft on an executive order to literally seize the voting machines, the dod, to seize the voting machines. but it didn't happen. again, the exact legal culpability would be very much in question. you say you want doj to investigate that and, i imagine, this alternate slate of electors. investigate what exactly? >> well, we have a fact pattern now where the people around the president of the united states were seeking to bring to bear yiets military forces to seize voting machines. that's the fact pattern i used to see as a young cia analyst reading intel about foreign countries. ultimately what they're going to do is to write a report and potentially make refers to the department of justice. i cited some of the statutes the department of justice could use as a predicate to undertake a criminal investigation. that's what investigations are for. >> you say the dodge and committee should be investigating this. i'm going to play something that newt gingrich said on tv. i want to preface this so our viewers don't think here is newt gingrich, react to that. what gingrich says is absurd, patently absurd. here is gingrich. >> these are the people who are literally running over the law, pursuing innocent people, causing them to spend thousands and thousands in legal fees for no justification, and it's basically a lynch mob. i think when you have a republican congress, this is all going to come crashing down and the wolves are going to find out that they're now sheep and they're the ones who, in fact, are going to face a real risk of jail for the kind of laws they're breaking. >> so gingrich says the january 6th committee itself is going to be thrown in jail if the republicans take over. there's no legal basis to that. it's something much more nefarious. >> i mean what kind of regime, dystopian united states of america is the former speaker of the house talking about? it's just lunacy. he's talking about some kind of political retribution using the criminal justice system to punish people carrying out the rule of law as they should today. that's exactly a preview of what we can expect if trump and his minions ever hold power again. >> look, everyone should think about that every time they hear newt gingrich ever make another argument about anything. david laufman, thank you for being with us this morning. >> thanks for having me. here is what else to watch today. we have breaking news out of germany. getting word of a huge police operation after a shooting at a university. stand by for breaking details. an nba legend getting the boot from his alma mater's games, but then john stockton goes down a delusional rabbit hole on vaccines. kareem abdul-jabbar joins us live. the other tv premier that peloton probably hopes you missed. >> doing a peloton class so i don't have a heart attack keeping up with my girlfriend. n and stopped the growth of tumor cells. there's a place that's making one advanced cancer discovery after another for 75 years. i am here... i am here.... because of dana-farber. what we do here changes lives everywhere. i am here. i lost 26 pounds and i feel incredible. with the new personalpoints program, i answer questions about my goals and the foods i love. i like that the ww personalpoints plan is built just for me. download the ww app today for a 14-day free trial. this is the new world of work. each day looks different than the last. but whatever work becomes, the servicenow platform will make it just, flow. whether it's finding new ways to help you serve your customers, orchestrating a safe return to the office... wait. an office? what's an office? ...or solving a workplace challenge that's yet to come. wherever the new world of work takes your business, the world works with servicenow. with panera's you pick 2, every meal is made fantastic. you can be fresh and fun. bold and classic. cozy and precocious. with 465 fresh, clean, craveable pairings, find a you pick 2 for any mood. panera, the familiar made fantastic. everyone needs health insurance. covered california is making sure more people can get it. new federal funding of $3 billion is available to help more californians get covered. julie and bob are paying $700 less every month. dee now gets comprehensive coverage with no monthly premium. and the novarros are paying under $100 per month. check coveredca.com to see your new lower price. covered california. this way to health insurance. enrollment ends january 31st. time now for five things to know for your "new day." the state department is reducing staff levels at the u.s. embassy in kooef as president biden is considering sending several thousand u.s. troops to nato allies in the baltic states and eastern europe amid growing fears of a russian invasion. a gunman is dead after a shooting inside an auditorium at the university of heidelberg in southwest germany. police say the lone perpetrator described only as a young man injured several people using a long gun. the motive has not yet been determined. pope benedict xvi admits he was present at a 1980 meeting when an abuser priest was discussed. he blamed his earlier denial on an editing error. last month results of an investigation where benedict was afrp bishop from 1977 to 1982 showed he was there. today the federal trial begins for three former minneapolis police officers on the scene of george floyd's deadly arrest. they are accused of violating floyd's civil rights by failing to provide medical care as derek chauvin kneeled on floyd's neck for more than nine minutes. character mike wagner suffering a heart attack in the season six premier, giving peloton yet another poor portrayal in the tv show. peloton said it didn't agree for its brand of intellectual property to be used on the show. >> those are the five things to know for your "new day." more on cnn and cnn.com and don't forget to download the 5 things podcast. go to ccc.com/5things. gonzaga university boxing out nba legend john stockton from attending any more home games from his refusal to wear a mask. that's just the beginning of it when it gets to john stockton. the great kareem abdul-jabbar will join us to react. boris johnson ends all restrictions saying it's time to start treating covid like the flu. will the u.s. take note? we're carvana, the company who invented car vending machines and buying a car 100% online. now we've created a brand-new way for you to sell your car. whether it's a year old or a few years old. we wanna buy your car. so go to carvana and enter your license plate answer a few questions. and our techno wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds. when you're ready, we'll come to you, pay you on the spot and pick up your car, that's it. so ditch the old way of selling your car, and say hello to the new way at carvana. >> 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. ♪ my asthma felt anything but normal. ♪ ♪ it was time for a nunormal with nucala. nucala reduces asthma attacks it's a once-monthly add-on treatment for severe eosinophilic asthma. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occured. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your asthma specialist about a nunormal with nucala. for people who could use a lift new neutrogena® rapid firming. a triple-lift serum with pure collagen. 92% saw visibly firmer skin in just 4 weeks. neutrogena® for people with skin. ♪ got my hair ♪ ♪ got my head ♪ ♪ got my brains ♪ ♪ got my ears ♪ ♪ got my heart ♪ ♪ got my soul ♪ ♪ got my mouth ♪ ♪ i got life ♪ for investors who can navigate this landscape, leveraging gold, a strategic and sustainable asset... the path is gilded with the potential for rich returns. ♪ calum scott's "you are the reason" ♪ celebrate every kiss... that led... ...to this one. get 20 to 40% off engagement, wedding and anniversary rings at kay. it's time for sleep number's january sale on the sleep number 360 smart bed. what if i sleep hot? ...or cold? no problem, the sleep number 360 smart bed is temperature balancing so you both sleep just right. and it senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. so, you can really promise better sleep? yes! you'll know exactly how well you slept, night after night. we take care of the science. all you have to do is sleep. and now, save $1,000 on the sleep number 360 special edition smart bed, queen now $1,999. plus, 0% interest for 36 months. only for a limited time. nba legend john stockton can no longer attend basketball games at gonzaga university. his alma mater suspending his season tickets after he refused to comply with the school's mask mandate. this comes after the hall of fame point guard has repeatedly spread misinformation about the pandemic and vaccines. cnn's natasha chen has more. >> reporter: hall of fame nba player john stockton may be the most recognizable basketball player to come out of gonzaga university in eastern washington, but the nation's top-ranked college men's team is now booting its own hero from its home court. the 59-year-old stockton, who went on to become the nba all-time leader in assists and steals told "the spokesman review" that the school said it was going to have to, quote, ask me to wear a mask or they were going to suspend my tickets. >> gonzaga, it's come a long way. i'm very proud to be a zag. >> reporter: as omicron surged, gonzaga stopped serving food and drinks at games in the new year. >> there was no excuse to drop your mask. >> reporter: turner sports and ncaa.com reporter andy katz says that's when an unmasked stockton stood out, refusing to put a mask on. >> the new athletic director at gonzaga spoke with john stockton and laid it out for him. this is our policy. you can either mask or not attend. >> reporter: gonzaga university also requires people 12 and up to show proof of vaccination or a negative covid test to enter athletic events, the school follows washington state's mask mandate, a requirement for all at teen dees 5 and up regardless of vaccination status. the university gave cnn this statement saying it continues to work hard to implement health and safety protocols and would not speak to specific actions taken with any specific individuals. cnn has tried to reach stockton but las not heard back. this standoff on masks follows stockton's appearance last year in a nine-part conspiracy theory driven series. >> this isn't a virus cheating us of the opportunities. it's the guys making decisions saying, no, no, we're too scared. we're going to shut everything down. sit in your house and be careful. my kids and grandkids hearing these things and accepting them as true when i know by my significant amount of research it isn't. >> reporter: he told "the spokesman rsh review" that he believes it's, quote, over 100 professional athletes dead, professional athletes, the prime of their life, dropping dead that are vaccinated, right on the pitch, right on the field, right on the court. >> if something like that were to happen, we would know of that already. >> reporter: professor richard carppiano says restrictions are in place for adverse reactions. report adverse reactions even if it's not clear whether the vaccine was the cause. the cdc says reports of serious issues are rare. so stockton's claim. >> it's really quite dangerous. it puts people at harm, puts his fans at harm. it's going to get people sick and unfortunately someone is going to die, too. >> pandemic politics are playing out right now especially in indoor sports like basketball where covid restrictions are stricter than in outdoor arenas. the ncaa does not regulate policies for regular season games leaving schools to play covid protocol referee. >> it's not just by conference. it is by state. this has been occurring across the country basically in a blue-red-purple divide. >> reporter: a divide even as the pandemic marches on. >> this is the boat we're all in together, including john stockton. >> reporter: natasha chen, cnn, los angeles. >> joining me now nba hall of famer kareem abdul-jabbar. it's an honor to have you on this morning. what do you do, when you hear john stockton, one of the great basketball players of all time, say something clearly from outer space. 150 athletes have dropped dead on the floor and the pitch. what are you supposed to do with that? >> john, i'm having a very hard time hearing you. my audio is not coming through. >> if you can hear me, i hope you can hear me. what -- >> now i can hear you. >> i was asking you about john stockton. what do you do with him? what do you do with something, a claim that is just from outer space that 150 athletes have dropped dead, professional athletes on the kocourt? >> i think statements like that make the public look upon athletes as basically dumb jocks for trying to explain away something that is obviously a pandemic. and the best way to fight pandemics is through vaccination and testing. those are the means by which we identify the problem and do our best to mitigate it. i don't understand anyone saying anything else that makes sense -- it doesn't make sense what he is saying. this is a preventative measure that has been useful in many different circumstances. i remember when i was a kid and we had to go get polio vaccinated. some of the kids were, like, it's the -- they were all scared. the polio vaccine did a great job in reducing and mitigating the effect of polio on the nation's youth and was very effective that way. so we have to use common sense and approach this in a way that gets the results that we want. >> one thing i struggle with is what he says, what stockton said is clearly so just outrageous. like i said, it's one thing to say vaccines have side effects. he's going so far beyond that, that sometimes i wonder if we shouldn't even play something like that. what do you think the right way to treat it is? >> i think john's reaction to the vaccine is extreme and not based on reality or facts. if john could just check the facts out, he would understand this vac sign is saving lives and preventing people from getting serious -- having serious reactions to the virus. it won't eliminate the virus overnight, but it will stop people from dying, and it will stop people from becoming seriously ill. this is a great benefit to us and we have to make use of it. >> you've written extensively over the responsibility that you feel that athletes have right now. you criticized aaron rodgers for lying about -- well, he said he was immunized, instead of saying vaccinated. people thought he was misleading the public. you've been very critical of him. what role do you think athletes have to play here? >> i think athletes have a great role to play. kids that are in high school, 73% of them see athletes as effective role models and respect what they're doing and listen to what they're saying about various issues. so i think athletes can do a great amount of good by letting young people know that, hey, go get vaccinated. this is how you protect yourself and your families and the people that you care about. this is how you're able to go to football practice next year, because everybody will be immunized and ready to participate. there are a lot of benefits to this that these people are just ignoring and coming up with this hysterical reaction that has no basis in fact. that's a big problem. >> the old charles barkley commercial, which is outdated, that said "i'm not a role model." you can't live like that. >> we can't. there's too many of us live together. if i want to have a reaction to the covid situation that is based on ignorance and misinformation, i'm harming myself, my family and the people that i care about, that i work with every day. these things reach out and touch a lot of people, and it's not fun. i've seen some of my friends deal with this, and it's definitely not fun. >> i want to ask you about a project you're working on which i'm super excited about because it deals with one of my favorite subjects. called "black patriots," heroes of the evolution, the first patriot to die in the american revolution. what is this about? >> well, i will take an in-depth look at all the black americans that made it possible for the revolution to succeed. there were soldiers, spies, people who helped people escape via the underground railroad. all of these people had information that helped george washington and the revolutionary army. alexander hamilton kept urging him to say, look, offer freedom to the blacks that aren't fighting right now, and we will solve our manpower shortage pro problems. washington was of two minds throughout the war on this issue. i get into all that. i talk about how the british did the same thing and it was a little bit more successful for the british because they had some place for the freed slaves to go, the west indies where they could be employed and not enslaved. pretty soon after the revolutionary war, the british eliminated slavery. >> kareem abdul-jabbar. i loved watching you play. i love reading what you're writing these days even more. thank you so much for what you're doing. >> yeah, and anybody wants to read what i'm writing, it's kareem.substat.com. >> thanks so much, sir. >> thank you. the january 6th committee saying members already spoke with bill barr. three big trials beginning today. michael avenatti versus stormy daniels, slal versus "the new york times" and the throw other officers in the murder of joyed. stand by for all of that. our past for power, we can harness the energy of the tiny electron. we can create new ways to connect. rethinking how we communicate to be more inclusive than ever. with app, cloud and anywhere workspace solutions, vmware helps companies navigate change. faster. vmware. welcome change. (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. 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 a very good monday morning to you. i'm jiem sciutto. >> i'm bianna golodryga. the u.s. and western allies taking major steps ahead a russian invasion of yu crane. allied forces on standby. it comes as the state department announced it will reduce staff at the u.s. embassy in kiev, ordering some family members to leave. soon, secretary of state antony blinken will meet with foreign ministers this as cnn reported overnight that president biden is now considering a series of