cnn international diplomatic correspondent nic robertson in moscow. let's begin with you. secretary of state antony blinken meeting with foreign mini ministers. an effort to project unity among nato allies on the response to russia. what is the plan today? what are they discussing? >> precisely that. we've listened to a number of different foreign ministers going into this meeting. latvian,e estonian, lithuanian and the european union stands alongside the united states, indivisible in terms of european union security. that russia, they're telling russia to deescalate the tensions, absolutely standing by behind ukraine. in fact, the european commission president today announced another $1.35 billion of financial aid for ukraine as it goes through this difficult situation and of course, those baltic nations, particularly concerned with learned in the last few hours that the russian neighbors sending 20 warships plus support vessels into the baltic sea. the danish foreign minister saying denmark sending one of its frigates into the sea as well. and the irish foreign minister talking about russian naval exercises that are being planned just 150 miles off the irish sea, raising that as a level of concern. the russians say this is training. mine sweeping training, and countersubmarine measures training. 150 miles from the irish coast, that's raising questions. >> no surprise though as to why the leaders of these baltic countries in particular, members of nato are welcoming news that the u.s. may increase its troop presence there. let's bring in kylie atwood. i want to delve deeper into the ukrainian response about this reduction in u.s. staff at the embassy in kyiv. of course, it follows a similar move by russia just a week prior. >> yeah, that's right. the ukrainians aren't happy about this. they think this is an overreaction on behalf of the united states and our reporting is that president zelenski told if secretary of state blinken so much before this decision obviously was made but there was an interagency decision on this front and we are told that the totality of the situation with russia continuing to build up its troops along the ukrainian border basically came down to a situation where the united states felt like they needed to get the wheels turning on beginning to pull folks from the u.s. embassy in kyiv. so what they're doing now is allowing some u.s. personnel at the embassy to leave and they are ordering all the families who work at the embassy to leave the country and a number of americans who are in ukraine either visiting or living there and what the state department is telling them is that they should be looking now for commercial options to get out of the country because they said the state department will not be in a position to evacuate them if russia does invade ukraine and of course, we have heard repeated times over the last week or so from biden administration officials that could happen at any point so that's why these preparations are under way right now. we'll see what more happens with regard to the status of the embassy and how many people they keep. it's still up and running but folks are leaving. >> biana, i've got to tell you. u.s. officials in the military do not want to get flat flute fo footed like they were in afghanistan. taking an abundance of caution and saying don't come out too soon because that's a sign of fear and administration got burned on that. >> some comparing zelenski's message last week, nothing to fear here. we've been through this for eight years now similar to the message prior to the taliban taking over last summer as well. nic robertson, kylie atwood, thank you as always. we've seen a major selloff in the russian stock market. u.s. investors also paying close attention. russia is a major supplier of natural gas and in the event of an invasion, multiple officials are telling cnn that the biden administration is putting together a global strategy to increase natural gas production. >> cnn business reporter matt egan is covering this. biden last week noted if there's an energy war with europe, russia loses too. 45% of the national income comes from these sales but biden knows if that's applied to, maejor consequences of that. >> the risk of full scale invasion set off a scramble to ensure natural gas supplies. biden officials telling cnn that the united states has been in discussions with multiple companies and countries in europe, north africa, middle east and asia about stepping up supply of natural gas in the event of an invasion. remember, russia is an energy powerhouse. number two natural gas producer on the planet. more in the year that be the next three countries and not just that, europe is russia's biggest customer. russia provides more than 40% of europe's natural gas and you know, that gives moscow a lot of leverage here. that's why the biden administration is putting together contingency plans to redirect and boost supplies and u.s. officials said talks include both norway and qatar. there's a few ways that we could see supply get threatened here. one, the west could decide to really hit russia where it hurts the most and that would be energy. that would mean putting sanctions on natural gas. the other risk here though is that vladimir putin could weaponize energy by cutting off supply of natural gas. this is not just a european store because americans would actually feel the ripple effects as well. one of the issues here is that if natural gas prices in europe really skyrocket, that's going to drive up demand for oil as factories and power plants in europe switch away from gas to oil, and that, of course, would lift prices at the pump here in the united states and those prices have already been rising. remember, americans are also dealing with home heating sticker shock. if you use natural gas to heat your home, prices are supposed to be up about 32% from last winter. i know i've noticed a difference in my bills. heating, oil and propane up more. we know inflation is a major problem for the u.s. economy. it's a big reason why the stock market is down sharply this morning. jim, biana, the risk is that a conflict between russia and ukraine could make inflation even worse. >> raise those heating prices in the middle of winter. that's also a pressure point. matt egan, thank you. eric adams, mayor of new york, expected to address the rise of violent crime in new york city after the saddest story, the fatal shooting of nypd officer jason riviera just 22 years old. he was killed friday when a suspect opened fire on him and another officer who was severely wounded. the suspect's gun, an illegal block, there it is there, stolen from baltimore 2017. look at the high capacity magazine as well. >> we saw images of his mom crying as well in response. cnn crime and justice correspondent shimon prokupecz is following all of this. what do we expect to hear from mayor adams today? we heard from him practically every day since the shooting. >> reporter: right, he was on with dana bash yesterday on state of the union where he talked about how he wants to bring back this anti-gun unit, plain clothes officers who are going to be patrolling, trying to get guns off the street. so perhaps we'll hear more about that. you know, i think eric adams realizes that he needs to do something. he needs to say something. that is why we are expected to hear from him today, perhaps laying out some kind of plan. the issue for nypd and law enforcement in this city is that there are just too many guns on the streets of this city and a lot of the violent crime we're seeing across the city is as a result of people who are possessing illegal weapons. so perhaps we'll hear something. something from the mayor concerning what he plans to do. >> he was captain of the nypd as well where he served for two decades. clearly, a lot of focus on what steps he will be taking next. shimon prokupecz, thank you so much. joining us to talk about all of this is cnn political commentator and former republican congressman charlie dent. great to have you on. it to focus on what you've written in this surge of crime we've seen throughout the country and you write democratic mayors, councilmen and district attorneys have the power to course correct if they have the courage and political will to do so. if they don't, democrats will pay the price at the polls. this is something that clearly not only mayors of major cities are focused on but the president of the united states as well. i want to play sound from him. >> we shouldn't be cutting funding for police departments. i propose the increasing funding. look, we ask cops to do everything, including be psychologists and social workers. guess what? they need psychologists and social workers. >> this is something we've seen from mayor adams. he's expressed the same and promising to put more police, plain clothes police officers back on the streets and those that are helping mentally unstable people as well in subway stations. do you think this is enough of a response you've heard, not only from the president but from mayors like eric adams? >> well, look, i certainly want mayor adams to be successful. i know he's trying and people of new york spoke loudly when they elected him putting a cop in that job but if people are serious about prosecuting violent crime, i'll take you to the city of philadelphia. i have to tell you something. a former ada there, a district attorney wrote, in 2021, the 6500, nearly 6500 charged violent offenses. 70% of the cases were dropped. 40% of non-fatal shootings were dismissed. i mean, one out of four gun involved murders were withdrawn. i mean, this is what we're dealing with right now. so the police can go out and charge these crimes but if they're not going to be prosecuted, then where are we? that's what we see in the city of philadelphia with murders. philadelphia is about nearly one sixth, one fifth the size of new york city. that's what we're talking about. i mean, we have a real crisis going on in our major urban areas and it needs to be addressed. again, i think adams is trying to do the right things. he's talking about, it makes a lot of sense but got to do more. >> charlie, i've spoken to members of the nypd. they talk about exactly what you're talking about. arrest someone and see the guy out on the street again before they even write up the paperwork. you have a policy issue on that side but they also talk about the prevalence of guns. how easy they come from states with lax gun laws and i just want to show a picture of the gun with the cop killing in new york. not just that it was a semi-automatic pistol but high capacity magazine there. it's like a tommy gun. a factor in how many bullets he was able to get off here. for a credible anti-crime policy, must cities, democrats and republicans approach it from both those sides. the gun issue and the prosecution issue? >> absolutely. and look, i think congress has been negligent in not dealing with universal background checks on all private sales and cleaning up the mental health system to make sure those people are prevented from those who have been involuntarily committed. those are also prohibited from purchasing weapons, but i'll tell you, it's very depressing though to watch the local news in philadelphia these days, just to see the number. just in december, a few days before christmas, a congresswoman is carjacked in south philly and a police officer shot in the shoulder twice, all in the same newscast while there's a high speed chase going on. this is the reality in these cities. i have two kids in philadelphia and a niece there and before the summer of 2020, they felt very safe. but my daughter was assaulted on the street just by some crazed woman, my son shaken down at a gas station by three guys all wanting money, my niece with numerous carjackings. hey, they're all okay, that's the good news butad news, a lotf people are not okay and this is a major issue needs much more attention it needs received. press releases but not so much if you're a random victim of crime. >> i hear you. in new york, stand behind a column, right, when train is approaching. one fatal, pushed in front fatally and one survived more recently but i hear you on those. thank you so much for joining us this morning. >> thank you. still to come this hour, attorney general bill barr is now speaking with house lawmakers investigating the insurrection at the u.s. capitol. what they think he might know. specifically about a draft order to have the military seize voting machines. plus in moments, the federal trial begins for three officers accused of violating george floyd's civil rights. we're going to be live at the courthouse. and a ban on the word gay. the florida house just passed a bill forbidding educators from discussing any lgbtq issues. the latest slew of controversial proposals that has governor ron desantis under 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defying subpoena efforts. cnn law enforcement correspondent whitney wild is following the latest. whitney, do we know the substance of the communications between barr and the january 6 committee? >> we don't yet know the substance but our understanding is that these are casual and informal conversations but what the committee thneeds from bill barr is his assistance in everybody in trump's orbit the election had been stolen through voting fraud was a total lie. he was instrumental to that because he was outfront saying as publicly as possible that there was just no voting fraud that would have overturned the election. it didn't happen. and so he becomes this very crucial part of the puzzle, and further, because he was at the department of justice at this really critical time in the month long period leading up to january 6th when there were people within doj who were questioning whether or not there was voter fraud who were discussing whether or not this should be investigated. again, doj coming to the conclusion that that simply didn't happen. however, his line of sight on what actually happened leading up to the riot is limited because he left about two weeks before the riot actually happened. however, his date of departure is critical here based on this new information we have over the weekend which is this memo you discussed earlier to seize the voting machines, the date of 16th, the week before bill barr left. the committee wants to know, what does he know about that memo, who wrote it, who saw it, did anybody take it seriously and for more information on that, let's hear directly from the chairman of the house select committee, benny thompson. >> to be honest with you, we've had conversations with the former attorney general already. we've talked to the department of defense individuals. we are concerned that our military was part of this big lie on promoting that the election was false. so if you are using the military to potentially seize voting machines even though it's a discussion, the public needs to know. >> ultimately, i think the fact that we know that the former attorney general has had any conversations, multiple conversations with the house select committee furthers this video that this is a legitimate committee that even the former attorney general who did not do anything he doesn't want to do is giving some level of credence to this investigation. back to you. >> no question. whitney wild, good to have you covering it. muinutes from now, federal trial begins for the former three minneapolis cops who stood by to watch as derek chauvin murdered george floyd. accused of violating floyd's civil rights. it's a federal proceeding. >> cnn's omar jiminez in st. paul, minnesota, this morning. what's at stake for these former officers now? >> reporter: well, for starters, this is the first trial that the other three former minneapolis police officers charged in the killing of george floyd are facing and all of them face a charge that they show they violated floyd's civil rights by showing indifference to his serious medical needs back in may of 2020 and two of them, face a charge they failed to intervene and stop derek chauvin. chauvin is not a defendant in this particular trial because he pleaded guilty back last month when all four of them were supposed to be tried together. so because of that, the judge severed his proceedings from these and now what we're left with is all of them pleading not guilty to what they are faced with and when the juror panel was assembled, you've got 18 jurors here. six alternates as the judge indicated. he is concerned about the possibility of a covid outbreak in the courtroom. so he wants a little bit of latitude there but notably, not a single black man or woman selected as part of that jury. separately, some might be wondering why we're in st. paul when the main proceedings or the main crux of this case happened in minneapolis and that's because at the federal level, judges are randomly assigned for these particular cases and this one just so happens to be in st. paul. when the proceedings get under way in just about 30 minutes or so, we're going to hear from these individual attorneys for 30 to 40 minutes in a trial expected to last four weeks. >> you'll be following this closely for us. omar jiminez in a very cold seemingly st. paul, minnesota, for us, thank you. just in to cnn. we closely watch the dow drop over 700 points this morning. the seventh straight day of losses. the s&p also down to start the week. >> down though from that peak around 600 points down, still significant. matt egan has been following that. tell us what's contributing to the fall this morning. >> well, jim and biana, clearly, 2022 off to a really bad start for wall street. and it really is about concerns with inflation and the fabout t federal reserve's plan to fight inflation. this comes after u.s. stocks suffered their worst week since march 2020. the nasdaq sis on track for wort month since 2008 and worst january on record. so this is really about how the fed has telegraphed that they're going to end their bond buying stimulus program. the program was really bullish for the stock market. essentially forced investors to bet on stocks. the fed is also pencilled in three interest rate hikes, possibly starting as soon as march, and a lot of people on wall street think that's not going to be enough, they have to raise interest rates four or five times, maybe six or seven but you have to remember that all the support from the fed has been so positive for the stock market. so as it goes away, it maykes sense for the market to recalibrate but jim and biana, what does it do to consumer sentiment and people worry about inflation and now 401(k) shrinking as well, clearly a negative. >> true, no question. markets go up and down. we'll see if that's consistent. thank you very much. >> thanks. still ahead, dr. fauci says that he's confident the omicron variant will peak in the u.s. within the next few weeks. but some parts of the country are not out of the woods yet. i'll speak to a doctor in nebraska who warns against letting your guard down too soon. it's still the eat fresh refresh™ and subway's refreshing everything like the new honey mustard rotisserie-style chicken. it's sweet, it's tangy, it's tender, it never misses. you could say it's the steph curry of footlongs. you could, but i'm not gonna. subway keeps refreshing and refreshing and re... at carvana, we treat every customer like we would treat our own moms, with care and respect. to us, the little things are the big things. which is why we do everything in our power to make buying a car an unforgettable experience. happy birthday. thank you. we treat every customer like we would treat our own moms. because that's what they deserve. ♪(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 a $0 monthly plan premium. aetna medicare advantage plans call today to learn more. gordan ramsey this is a cold call! nfl teams are turning to cold with tide. will you? that will never work! if it works on nfl jerseys it'll work for you. and it's cold. so you will turn to cold? fine! that guy needs to chill out! some promising news on the pandemic front. leading health experts believe the rise in omicron variant cases has peaked across many parts of the u.s. cases are down in the last week for more than 800,000 per day to more than 600,000. a key metric, hospitalizations, have also started to decrease. down just over 2% in the last seven days. but the picture is not the same across the country. joining me now, dr. james lawler, infectious disease specialist and this is what health sexperts are warning abot with how we measure progress in the united states, a big and diverse country that we have seen many areas where yes, there has been a decrease in the number of cases and hospitalizations. thankfully, but that is not yet what you are seeing in nebraska. tell us what is happening there on the ground. >> well, we're still seeing a high number of cases and hospitalizations in nebraska. i'm hoping that we may have reached our peak. it looks as if perhaps the eastern part of the state where the more urban areas of the state are located may have peaked but there are plenty of areas in our state, especially rural counties in the middle and western parts of the state that probably have not yet peaked, so there's plenty of pieces in the u.s. that still have some growth to grow with the omicron variant wave. >> which is why you were warning people that it is not time yet to become complacent. what are the ramifications if that does happen too soon? >> well, it's clear that not using some of the tools that we have available, non-pharmaceutical interventions, wearing face masks, avoiding large gatherings, it's going to have dire consequences for communities because of the overwhelming number of cases omicron can generate. it's not really true omicron is mild. it certainly has a lower chance of putting an individual in the hospital but when you look at the entirety of a community because of all of the cases that you can generate the impact on the health system and on the community can actually be even more devastating than prior variants. >> i'm just curious to get your take because we have been covering various approaches around the world to omicron and in particular, in the uk, which has just lifted the majority of its restrictions. granted, it's a smaller country. it has highly vaccinated and boosted and they are a couple of weeks ahead of us at least in terms of battling with this variant but government officials and health officials are now saying that the new approach will be to treat omicron and covid like the flu. what is your response to that? do you think that it is timely? and do you think that we, in the u.s., could soon get to that place too? >> well, i think it would be a mistake for us in the u.s. to assume we're going to have a course exactly like the uk. their rates of vaccination and boosting are much higher than what we have in our country, and that's going to make a big difference in terms of impact, especially hospitalization, deaths, and potentially the odds for long covid. one thing that they are seeing in the uk is the highest rates of transmission are occurring in kids, in school age children and it shows, i think, the role that kids in schools will play in propagating the epidemic in communities that don't take significant protective measures in schools. in the u.s., we've already seen with omicron higher rate of hospitalization for school-age children than we've seen in any other time during the pandemic. >> a reminder, we still don't have a vaccine for children 5 and under and those 5 to 11 aren't eligible yet for a booster. so we still have been for mindful of our children, especially when we want to keep schools open. dr. james lawler, thank you so much. >> thanks for having me. florida's governor under scrutiny for a bill that says don't say gay in the classroom. a live report next. but look at what else we're watching today. 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. 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>> really quite dangerous and puts people at harm, puts his fans at harm and someone going to die too. >> reporter: pandemic politics playing out right now in indoor sports like basketball where covid restrictions are stricter than in outdoor arenas. and 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 is occurring across the country, basically, in a blue, red, purple divide. >> reporter: 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. >> listen, jim, gonzaga saying the rules apply to all of us. even hall of famers. >> that's the issue with these stories. aaron rodgers too. his teammates abided by the rules. he did not. it's a, or novak djokovic, players abide by the rules. >> role models not doing the right thing in this instance. television last night, two of the best quarterbacks in the nfl set their playoff game into overtime and that was just one, one of the four epic match-ups we saw. after the break, we'll recap possibly the best weekend ever for football and well worth staying up late too. 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? 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i'm trying to remember how it went down. >> what an epic weekend. first time in playoff history, four games decided on the final play and chiefs and bills last night, i mean, that will go down if not one of the best playoff games ever. in the final moment after exchanging touchdowns in the final two minutes, josh allen here going to find gabriel davis for the score. bills up three with just 13 seconds left. the bills to win the game but patrick mahomes, last to travis kelsey and enough to make it a 49 yard field goal to send this game into overtime. chiefs then won the coin toss and mahomes led them down the fields. kelsey again for a game winning touchdown and people were really wishing the overtime rules were different last night and allen and the bills to get one more chance to match that touchdown but they didn't. chiefs in a thriller. 42-36. after the game. how grim were things looking with just 13 seconds left? >> the grim reaper. go get it. he did that. >> this team and make a play to walk off at arrow head, i'll remember this for the rest of my life. >> just as good, tom brady led another epic comeback after being down 27-3 but matt stafford found down the middle, game winning field goal as the rams won a thriller in that one. brady said he'll take it day by day, no decisions yet but i imagine he doesn't want to go out like that and he'll be back. >> thank you for joining us today. lots of news. i'm jim sciutto. >> i'm bianna golodryga. at this hour with kate bolduan starts right now. hello, everyone. i'm kate bolduan. here's what's we're watching at this hour. drum beat of war. president biden now considering military options to stop a russian invasion of ukraine as europe moves closer to conflict. violent crime. new york's mayor facing a major challenge to make streets safer after a 22-year-old police officer is killed in the line of duty. abigail disney joins me live on her new film that takes on the company her grandfather founded. why it's become her mission