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>> live from cnn center, this "cnn newsroom" with michael holmes. >> welcome, everyone. in just a matter of hours, the u.n. security council will gather for an urgent meeting as tensions along the border between ukraine and russia show little sign of easing. the meeting, the latest push for a diplomatic solution to the crisis amid fears russia is planning to invade ukraine. the american ambassador to the u.n. says the u.s. is ready to listen but will not be distracted by what she calls russian propaganda. and while efforts to stop further escalation push on, the british foreign secretary offered this stark assessment. >> we think it's highly likely that he is looking to invade ukraine. that is why we're do doing what we can to urge him to desist. >> ukraine's foreign minister also pushing diplomacy, saying it's the only responsible way. in a tweet, he says if russia is serious about not wanting a new war, it must continue with diplomatic talks and pull back its troops. more than 100,000 russian forces amassed near ukraine. russia has been demanding ukraine never be allowed to join nato. and now russian foreign minister sergey lavrov is questioning the framing of nato as a defensive alliance. >> translator: each time it turns out that the line they have to defend is shifting to the east. now it has come close to ukraine. they also want to drag this country there. although it is clear to everyone that ukraine is not ready and will not make any contribution to strengthening nato's security. this will really undermine relations with the russian federation since it will be a flagrant violation of the official --. >> now with the threat of a possible invasion looming, even ukrainians outside the military are preparing to fight. cnn's sam kiley with more from kyiv. >> reporter: an abandoned asphalt factory near kyiv is now a training ground for civilians who volunteer to fight off the possible russian invasion. they're outnumbered here by journalists and armed at best with pellet guns. they know they'll be outmatched by moscow's military machine. but they are keen. >> a crucial moment for our country. we have really big risk that russian invasion might occur pretty soon. so this way even civilians have to be ready. >> reporter: these men believe that it's their country's democracy that vladimir putin fears more than a threat posed by european union or nato membership. >> in putin's russia, all russian citizens are completely slaves. he feels it's a threat because ukrainians gave to russians bad example. we show to our neighbors how each seeking a free will must defend his social and national rights. >> reporter: you wouldn't know that ukraine's government says that russia has at least 127,000 troops massed on three sides of the country here in the capital, where there are no signs of impending war. and in the poorer dribs where people hawk whatever they can to get by, the mood is similar. >> translator: people are relaxed, although would say not. it depends on the circumstance. s you communicate in. if someone in your family is from the military or the police, it's a completely different mood. >> reporter: but ancient air raid shelters are being opened, just in case. the ukrainian government is appealing to its population for calm, but at the same time dusting off these soviet-era bunkers, because there is a threat to a young country's democracy. this shelter can house about 300 people. it even has a hand-cranked air filtration system. kyiv has the capacity to shelter 2.8 million of the estimated 3 million residents in 5,000 bunkers and in the metro system. it's an irony lost on no one here that this shelter was built in 1956 to protect against nato striking russia and the soviet union. now it's offering shelter against a possible attack by russia. sam kiley, cnn, kyiv. in washington, u.s. senators say they're close to reaching a bipartisan deal on russian sanctions. senator bob menendez, who chairs the foreign relations committee tells cnn some sanctions could happen up-front while harsher measures would take effect if russia invades ukraine. but he says lawmakers are united on sending a clear message to moscow. >> we are committed jointly in a bipartisan way to defend ukraine and to send putin a message. it will be bloody and consequential. >> mennendez says he is hopeful the senate can reach a deal later this week. as u.s. lawmakers get closer to a deal on sanctions, there are mounting concerns moscow could hit back by slashing fuel supplies to the west. in particular europe especially worrisome for eu countries. they get about 40% from their natural gas from russia. also, key pipelines run through ukraine. a russian invasion would threaten the country's energy infrastructure, while europe would be hardest hit, experts say disruptions would ripple around the world, sending prices higher globally. megan o'sullivan joins me now from harvard kennedy school where she is a professional of international affairs and director of the geopolitics energy. let's start with. this when we look at the defense of european nations on russian energy, germany, which has of course pushed the pipeline, it gets 32% of its pipeline gas from russia, 34% of crude oil, 53% of hard coal. how reliant is europe on russian energy? >> well, the numbers you use for germany are at a very broad scale indicative of the overall continent. i'd say if we look at natural gas as a whole, the continent or the eu is dependent on 40% of its natural gas coming from russia. and about 30% on the whole when we look at it for oil. but there is some very important distinctions. oil is much more easily substitutable. so if russia were to stop sending oil to europe, that's not a big deal. oil is easy to transport you. put it in a barrel, you put it on a ship, it can come from anywhere. it's the natural gas that really gives russia leverage because it's that pipeline, those pipelines, that infrastructure that can't be easily replicated overnight. so all that -- not all, but almost all of that gas from russia is coming by pipeline. and if russia were to curtail that, that is the real short-term or immediate term vulnerability of europe to russian energy. >> and of course russia using its energy supplies as a weapon, it's a weapon that can backfire, because selling that stuff is central to its own economy. >> that's very true. that, of course, and this has been the mutually assured destruction dynamic that europeans have really relied on for decades. up until very recently, most europeans, especially germans and west europeans say russia is a better reliable supplier. for decades it's 134supplied us these energy sources. if they were to curtail it, this would have a devastating effect on the russian economy. this has been true. and the question now becomes one of which to what extent is putin willing to make calculations that may not make economic sense, but do make strategic sense from his perspective. >> yeah, yeah. something else you've written about, which is fascinating. how important is it for countries like germany and others to reduce that dependence and the renewable solar, wind, wave power. clearly good for the planet. but the current tensions clearly illustrate that not moving towards them has national security implications. >> it's a very good point, michael. i would say to answer your question, how important is it, it's very important in the context of european priorities and really global priorities in the sense the world needs to move to have net zero emissions by 2050. and europe is the most forward-leaning region of the world. however, what we're seeing today is that, you know, you can't plan for a few decades out without keeping at least one eye on the ball of the immediate term, because in the short-term and even in the medium term, meaning another decade or two, these redependancies on fossil fuel producers are going to remain in the interim. so really, what has happened here is that much of europe has really tried to live in the future where its reality is actually still very much grounded in fossil fuels. and that reality can't be ignored unless europe wants to open itself up to these national security problems, potentially over and over again during this actual transition to net zero. >> absolutely. and more broadly, outside of the current tensions, in a political sense, how much power do major national suppliers, the so-called petro states have over their customers? >> well, i think this really depends on whether we're talking about natural gas or we're talking about oil, and it depends on the state of the market. if we look at the oil market, as you know, for decades, consumers have been concerned about an overreliance on opec. and those are those oil -- big oil producing countries that work together in a cartel that has saudi arabia, the uae, iraq, iran, and now russia has been working very closely with this cartel. now if we look at different points over the last decades, some time this group of countries has had enormous power to set price, and at other times, it's had very little power. and that just depends on how many other producers are in the market. the u.s. has become a huge producer of oil over the last few years, and it also depends on what the demand is. and the real vulnerability here for the world going forward is that over the next couple of decades, what we don't want to see is supply be reduced before demand is reduced. and it is this tension that we have to prepare ourselves for that demand for these energy sources of oil and natural gas may not go down as quickly as supply. and it's in that kind of market that these traditional big largely state-owned companies will have the most influence. >> and even at net zero, there is still going to be a need for oil and gas, even in that scenario. it's a fascinating aspect of all of this. and great analysis. meghan o'sullivan, thank you so much. >> thank you, michael. pleasure to be with you. north korea test-fired its most powerful ballistic missile in years on sunday. the seventh missile test this month alone. it is, of course, raising anxieties in south korea and also in washington. the biden administration says it would like to return to diplomatic talks with pyongyang, but they're still waiting for an official response. one senior biden official says north korea could be using the tests to force the u.s. into a weaker negotiating position. for more on all of this, let's bring in ivan watson in hong kong. good to see you, ivan. first of all, tell us what we're learning about that missile launch and what north korea says it was. >> yeah, it's described as an intermediate range ballistic missile that flew a distance of about 800 kilometers at an altitude of about 2,000 kilometers. it was launched sunday morning, and it's part of this missile launching blitz that the north koreans have been on for the last month. this is the seventh round of missile launches, missile tests in just one month. and the most activity that we've really seen from north korea on this front in years. it was detected by south korea, by the u.s. military, by japan, all of these governments have come out effectively condemning the launch. take a listen to what a top official in japan had to say about this. i believe we have sound of him speaking. >> translator: the series of actions by north korea, including the repeated launches of ballistic missiles threaten the peace and security of our country, the region and the international community. such intense ballistic missile launches are in violation of relevant security council resolutions. and our country has made a strong protest to north korea through the embassy route in beijing. >> the north koreans, according to state media say they were testing the accuracy, safety, and operational effectiveness of this hwasong-12 type missile, one we don't believe has been launched really since 2017. michael? >> all right, ivan watson, we'll leave it there in hong kong for us. appreciate it. all right. now to the middle east, where the united arab emirates says it has destroyed a houthi ballistic missile. they show the launch site was destroyed after their forces intercepted and destroyed another ballistic missile targeting the uae. all this happening while israel's president was visiting the country. and this comes after a series of attacks initiated by the iran-backed houthis against the uae this month. tennis star rafael nadal now the all-time leader in men's grand slam titles. how the spaniard battled back to win in epic fashion at the australian open. also, still to come, will beijing's closed loop system keep athletes safe from covid as infections continue the rise in the city? we'll have a live report. i was unable to eat. it was very hard. kimberly came to clearchoice with a bunch of missing teeth, struggling with pain, with dental disease. clearchoice dental implants 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[ kimberly ] i feel so much better. i feel energized to go outside and play with my daughter. i can ate anything. like, i don't have to worry. clearchoice changed my life. you're a one-man stitchwork master. but your staffing plan needs to go up a size. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire 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. it was an australian open final for the ages as spanish superstar rafael nadal rallied back from two sets down to win the men's singles silent. that never happens. the win put nadal's name in the record books with his 21st grand slam title, the most ever by a men's tennis player. the 35-year-old beat russia's daniil medvedev in five sets a the rod laver arena. for our international viewers, we'll have much more in "world sport" in about 25 minutes. there is yet another new mutation of the coronavirus that's actually a version of the omicron variant called ba.2. it was first identified back in early december, and it's already infecting people in at least 49 countries, including the u.s. here's what the former commissioner of america's food and drug administration had to say about it. >> it appears to be more contagious data out of denmark suggests it's about 1.5 times more contagious than the strain of omicron that has made it around the u.s. >> which is already so transmissible. >> exactly. does it avoid the immunity we've acquired? most of the evidence so far, and it's preliminary suggests it does. there is data that a fully boosted person may be more protected against this new variant than the original strain of omicron. and the final question, is it more virulent? is it more dangerous? so far based on what we have seen out of denmark and uk, it doesn't appear to be a more virulent strain. >> covid infections are surging around the world. new daily cases in iran nearly doubled over 24 hours while russia registered more than 121,000 new cases on sunday alone. have a look at this chart, which shows a massive spike in the seven-day average of new cases. over the weekend, russia surpassing more than 100,000 daily infections for the first time. and thousands turned out in the czech republic to protest covid restrictions as case there's hover around record highs as well. all eyes are on china this week as the country gears up for two big events in the midst of the pandemic. the lunar new year and of course the winter olympics. with just over four days to go before the option ceremony in beijing, the chair of international olympic committee's athletes commission has now tested positive for covid-19. this as china just reported 37 more infections among olympic personnel. cnn's steven jang joins me live from beijing with more. i guess if the olympic bubble isn't bursting, it's at least under strain. or was this kind of expected in some way that there was always going to be some infections on the inside? >> that's the assumption most people have had for quite some time. and now even chinese officials have acknowledged this inevitable reality publicly. now they of course have been expressing that the number of positive cases inside this closed loop is only a tiny minority of all the number of personnel, and also state media reporting that so far there has been no community spread of the covid virus within those bubbles. so obviously they are saying this is a testament to how well and effective their system has been working, and they're determined to keep it that way. and obviously, as time goes on and with more events kicking off, this is an increasingly daunting task, especially given how contagious the omicron con the age yant is. michael, most of our cnn colleagues covering the games have now arrived here in beijing with some of them telling me their first impression was of course the greeting by personnel and officials in full hazmat suits at the airport as well as the high walls and fences around their hotel. and those walls and fences in a way are really a metaphor of this sense of disconnect many ordinary chinese people seem to feel about the winter olympics this time around, because not only there's not a single ticket available for sale to the general population because of the pandemic, a lot of the people have seen their travel plans rounded or disrupted because of the increasingly tightened travel restrictions, especially in and out of beijing. and as you've mentioned, this is really the lunar new year period, the most important holiday on the chinese calendar. so instead of being able to go home to see their loved ones during their only time off in the year, many of them now are unfortunately stuck. so i think for those of us who have covered the 2008 summer games, that difference is quite stark. back then that sense of excitement and anticipation very much palpable in the air, not only throughout beijing, but across the country. this time around by talking to people here or reading social media feeds, you have that feeling of frustration, annoyance, and also sometimes growing tensions and even hostility towards the west, especially the united states because of geopolitical tensions. as you know, there is that u.s.-led diplomatic boy caught of these games because of china's human rights record. there is the whole saga surrounding chinese tennis star peng sheng. a lot to walk out for and digest, even outside the competition venues. michael? >> nothing complex than situation. steven, thanks. steven jiang there in beijing. well, portugal center left socialists have pulled off a stunner, winning an outright sunday majority in sunday's snap election. the socialists took more than 41% of the vote and will have at least 117 of the 230 seats in parliament. the incumbent prime minister antonio costa called the result a vote of confidence in his government and his party. he said an outright majority is not absolute power, and he vowed not to govern alone. well, they are an iconic symbol of australia, but koalas' numbers are dropping off for a number of reasons. coming up, what the government is doing to try to protect them. we'll be right back. finding your new favorite spot? piece of no-you-really-have-to-try-this cake. get exclusive access to sought after restaurants. one of the many reasons you're with amex platinum. 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(announcer) aerotrainer's ergodynamic design and four patented air chambers create maximum muscle activation for better results in less time. it allows for over 20 exercises. do the aerotrainer super crunch, push ups, aero squat. it inflates in 30 seconds. aerotrainer is tested to support over 500 pounds. lose weight, look great, and be healthy. go to aerotrainer.com. that's a-e-r-o trainer.com. and welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. i'm michael holmes. you're watching "cnn newsroom." now australia's government is making a multimillion-dollar investment to protect its beloved koalas. the animals face challenges on two major fronts, destruction of habitat and disease. but some conservationists warn the infusion of money might not be enough. they're cute, cuddly, and could one day be extinct. but the koala, one of australia's iconic animals may have just been thrown a lifeline by the australian government. the prime minister scott morrison pledging $35 million in the next four years to protect the species after the number of koalas plummeted in the last few years. >> we're investing in the world leading science in looking after our koala population. we are also investing heavily in education so ensure not only the public can understand how they can care, but also importantly veterinarians right across the country. >> reporter: one of the biggest threats to koalas bush fires. in 2019 and 2020, the world wildlife fund estimates more than 60,000 koalas were impacted in one of the country's worst fire seasons. that's a dramatic loss since estimates of their total numbers range from nearly half a million to fewer than 100,000 in the wild. during that time, the world watched in horror as unforgettable images emerged from the fires like this woman using her shirt to try to save a badly burned koala. or the apocalyptic looking terrain of kangaroo island, a habitat for koalas and many others where little was left unscathed. disease is also taking a toll on the species. in. so areas, chlamydia has affected half the koala population. wildlife conservationist robert irwin says the funds are coming at a critical time for koalas. >> they are on the thin edge of the wedge. so any kind of support we can get is greatly, greatly appreciated and very, very needed. our environment is suffering at the moment and so any steps that we can make toward a brighter future to make positive change. >> reporter: some conservationists say money isn't enough. some environmental groups say the government needs to pass stronger laws about deforestation and climate change to protect koalas habitats from being bulldozed, logged, or burned. the australian koala foundation says their conservation status should be upgraded from vulnerable to critically endangered. many agree the money for now is helpful, but without addressing the larger issues, australia could one day lose what many people say is a national treasure. josie sherad is the wildlife campaign manager for the international fund for animal welfare. she joins me now from sydney, australia. thanks for doing. so before we get to what's being done and what's being plan and whether it's enough, just quickly set the scene for people when it comes to australia's koala population. how perilous is it? >> well, thank you for having me, michael. i'm afraid to say that koalas are in real peril. as you said, they're one of the best known and much loved species in the world, and it's hard to believe that they are actually in real risk of losing them. there used to be millions of koalas in australia, and now really in some place you're lucky to see one in the wild. they've been through a lot. 100 years ago, they were hunted to near extinction for their furs. it's so soft and waterproof. we used to make gloves and hats out of them. and millions were slaughtered and their pelts exported to the u.s. and europe. many banned the import stopped that slaughter, literally saving their skins. now we see koala numbers starting to slowly recover, and that's been replaced by a new threat which is habitat loss, i'm afraid. >> so the government is going to spend $50 million over four years to try to help the population recover. for a start, is that nearly enough of an investment? and as you were talking about there, how effective are these plans going to be? there is some fundamental things that need to change. >> yeah. the international fund animal welfare, any funding towards the protection and recovery of the species. but i'm afraid all the money in the world won't save koalas, unless we address the root cause of habitat change and climate change. stop cutting down their trees and stop trashing the place they call home. anything else is an expensive band-aid, i'm afraid. >> to that point, one of the biggest issues for koalas, there is drought. there has been the fires and so on. but it's this loss of habitat from human development. humans taking habitat for their own use, cutting off corridors that koalas need. there a compromise that would work when it comes to that human aspect? >> i think there is always a solution. i think that humans can co-exist with koalas and wildlife. koalas can survive and thrive alongside humans. they just need trees, safe spaces and corridors to move freely, just like we do. there is such a thing as koala friendly development. we just need to consider them in our planning. and try and save the trees that they need to survive. >> and the other important issue too, climate change. i did want to say, ask you about this too, because it is an important thing. koalas face that health challenge we mentioned too in recent years. tell us about the impact of chlamydia. >> well, chlamydia is a really serious issue for koalas. it's a painful, often fatal disease that's leading to population declines. like with so many diseases, it's linked to stress. we know from research that land clearing is the number one cause of stress in koalas. again, it all really leads back to the root cause which is habitat loss. >> and real quickly opposition leader said if the federal government really wanted to protect koalas, it would take greater action on climate change. climate change also can't be forgotten in this. you can give money, but if you don't change the fundamentals of how the planet is changing, then they could be doomed. >> absolutely. and sadly, koala is one of the most vulnerable species to climate change. they don't do well with heat. we're seeing an increase in drought, heatwaves and bush fires and koala is particularly vulnerable to bush fires. they're slow-moving. they live in highly combustible eucalyptus trees. we've had a frequency. often koalas can survive fires, but these are unprecedented. they've been what we call crown fires and they go right up to the top of the trees and stop the chance of ecaping. when the koala is in trouble, it's a sign that other species are in trouble. they're almost like the canary in the coal mine, so to speak. they're our flagship species. in protecting them, we're protecting thousands of other species and plants and as well. >> such an important issue. and thanks for taking the time, josey sherrad, thank you. >> pleasure. thank you. still to come here on the program, a massive black diamond shrouded in mystery is about to go up for sale. details on the stone dubbed the en enigma. that's when we come e back. lit. who wants a cupcake? 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the selection process from washington. >> reporter: democrats would love to see bipartisan support of whomever president biden picks as his supreme court nominee, but quite frankly, they say they don't need it. they are confident that they have the support, the 48 democrats, the two independents that caucus with them to make up a simple majority to push this through for the president. we heard from the chair of the senate judiciary committee dick durbin over the weekend saying they are ready to go as soon as that pick is known, that they have the paperwork, the staff, the records, they'll hold hearings in march, april, and move this along very quickly. having said that, they would love to see some republicans join them, those who have previously approved of obama's nominees, those being senator lisa murkowski, susan collins, and yes, senator lindsey graham. senator graham making news over the weekend because of his departure from some of his colleagues, republican colleagues like senator roger wicker, who have made the rather offensive suggestion here that any of these candidates would be beneficiaries of affirmative action policy. the not so veiled implication here that these black female candidates would not be qualified for the supreme court position. well, lindsey graham saying that in fact he supports u.s. district judge michelle childs. she is also of his home state, south carolina, and he says that she is imminently qualified. >> i can't think of a better person for president biden to consider for the supreme court than michelle childs. she has wide support in our state. she is considered to be a fair-minded highly gifted jurist. she's one of the most decent people i've ever met. it would be good for the court to have somebody who is not at harvard or yale. >> house majority whip james clyburn who is also the highest ranking african american in congress also backs childs. he is also from south carolina. he has made it very clear to biden, save biden's campaign essentially he wanted a black female nominee for this particular position, and that childs is the person that he is backing, who he is rooting for. he makes a case she is diverse within this diverse group, that she is from the south, that she doesn't have an ivy league background. but we don't want to get ahead of ourselves here. there are still a number of nominees that the president is considering on the short list. reportedly, u.s. appeals court judge ketanji brown jackson, california supreme court judge leondra kruger, and u.s. district judge leslie abrams gardner. this will all play out in the months ahead. suzanne malveaux, cnn, at the u.s. capitol. hundreds of cubans could face up to 30 years in prison following mass trials by the communist government. it all stems from anti-government protests held last july. cnn's patrick oppmann has the story of one woman who doesn't know when or even if she'll see her husband again. >> reporter: after anti-government protests swept across cuba in july, police arrested hundreds of the people who had taken to the streets denouncing chronic shortages and lack of basic freedoms. teams of special forces units went house by house, searching for the protesters. two davis the disturbances first broke out, police and special forces troops raided the home of protester danielle cardenas diaz. his wife who managed to film some of the violent altercation says police fired multiple shots, one she said grazed her husband's head and beat him, leaving a pool of blood on the bedroom floor. six months after the police came for her husband, maribella shows me a cartridge from one of the bullets she says police fired and her husband's blood-stained shirt. she says she shielded their two young children as police took her husband away. >> translator: when i saw him on the floor and they were hitting him with a baton, he was on the floor covered in blood, in a huge pool of blood. i thought he was dead. >> reporter: following cardenas' arrest in that he was gravely injured. >> according to to his wife was convicted of sabotage. and public disorder. for damage the government says he caused this gas station during the protests and now faces a 15 year sentence in jail. >> from her home on a dirt street, she says many cubans are fed up. with a never ending economic hardship. >> there has been no medicine. nothing. on top of that they sell everything in the currency most cubans don't have. i lived next to a store where they sell things in that hard currency. i can't even buy a lollipop for my kids. >> despite calls for amnesty. the government is holding mass trials. and handing down long prison sentences. according to cuban prosecutors nearly 800 people have been charged with allegedly taking part in the protests. more than 170 have already been convicted of crimes like vandalism. and disruption of public order. what are shaping up to be the largest mass trials in cuba. in decades. >> she lies to her two year-old twins when they ask where they father is. and knows he night not be with them again for years. >> these people didn't kill anyone. they didn't put bombs. they threw rocks and asked for liberty. that was all. and they're sentenced to more than 20 years in prison. >> she plans to appeal her husband's conviction. and despite whatever obstacles she faces, she is not backing down. >> this weekend's powerful winter storm on east coast has left behind bone chilling temperatures of record snowfall in some areas. a view from space showing extensive snow from north carolina all the way to maine. thousands without power due to strong winds from this bomb cyclone. the bitter cold stretches down to florida. where millions are under a freeze alert. meteorologist joins me now. it was quite a it was cold enough here in atlanta. thank you very much. >> it was plenty cold. and pretty impressive storm system. when you consider the height of it we had 5,000 flights cancelled. around the u.s. the vast majority of course around the north eastern u.s. you noted the satellite image and we're looking at 22,000 miles from space up to the north eastern u.s. and typically what you find is a greenish or brownish landscape. almost the entirety of the north eastern u.s. covered by snow. cloud cover offshore. and behind it clear skies. of course you look and see the snow at the surface. look at the snowfall amounts. these are state maximum. with almost 31 inches saturday and sunday. and new york picking up two feet. boston picking up nearly two feet. connecticut state max at 22 inches. no matter how you look at this as impressive as a snow event gets. some larger locations. atlantic city. central park. philadelphia. all the areas shattering the daily records by almost factor of ten. in some cases. really an incredible run of winter weather. if you think it's been snowing atlantic city. 33 inches so far in january. previous record 1987. 20 inches fell in the month. it gets very interesting over the next several days. another winter weather system develops across the portions of the central united states. notice snowfall. also a potential for significant amounts of ice so accumulate tuesday into thursday. certainly a story worth following. >> great. all right. thank you. with the latest. this weekend storm didn't stop one rhode island couple from tieing the knot. >> the happy couple said they had the wedding date set for a year. so despite the warnings of a historic blizzard they said their i do's on saturday. outside the library. surrounded by family and friends. >> it feels amazing to have all the people we love around us. here to share this day with us. and celebrate. and have a snowball fight. >> for the record providence got half a meert. two feet of snow. and if you have ever wondered what would happen if a plane taxied too close to a baggage cart. you're in luck. a plane crashed into a baggage cart at chicago o'hare. it happened friday while the city was being pummelled of course by blizzard conditions. no prize the engine badly damaged. and assume the luggage good luck with that. >> still waiting. a space x launch delayed after a cruise ship ventured too close to the no go zone. they were supposed to send an italy satellite sunday. the company says the cruise ship couldn't get clear of the flight path in time. to make the launch happen. bad weather around florida cape already delayed the launch three times. space x says they will try again in the coming hours. >> spotfy says it will add a content advisory to all pod casts that mention covid-19. the advisory are leave listeners to a central hub for information on the virus from reliable sources. spotfy ceo said the company has an obligation to do more. the moou comes after several artists said they will leave the platform if it continues to host joe rogen. who spread misleading and false claims about covid-19. the latest to join neil young exiting spotfy. >> they will up load more music if nothing is done. thanks for spending part of your day with him. follow me on twitter and instagram. stick around i'll be back with more news in a moment. with endless views of snow-covered peaks. 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