come as soon as today. and it's official. the g.o.a.t., the greatest of all time is retiring. legendary quarterback tom brady explains why he's walking away after 22 nfl seasons and 7 super bowl wins. we begin with the january 6th investigation where it seems like just about every day there's a major new revolution. today we have two, both cnn exclusives. first we have learned trump advisers drafted two different executive orders to seize voting machines. now, the initial draft that was made public would have directed the pentagon to do it. the second version would have given the task to homeland security, another glimpse at the level of planning behind trump's effort to overturn a free and fair election. also sources tell cnn marc short has testified with the january 6th committee. the former chief of staff to former vp mike pence has been on the committee's radar for months because he was in the room for key moments after trump's loss and on january 6th he was with the vice president. cnn senior legal affairs correspondent paula reid joins us from washington. paula, first, what do we know about this second draft executive order aimed at seizing voting machines? >> we've formerly reported on an executive order tasking the pentagon with seizing voting machines. we know from our reporting lawmakers have been asking witnesses about that document. now multiple sources tell our colleague zack cohen and i that a second version of that same document exists but it instructs dhs to carry out the same task. we've also learned from multiple sources that the idea of using the federal government to access voting machines was the brain child of retired colonel phil waldron and mike flynn. both army veterans were pushing the narrative that the election was stolen from trump. ana, it is not clear who put pen to pencil and drafted the eo itself. trump's former personal attorney, rudy giuliani, was the one spearheading these efforts to challenge the election results. he had a group of trump allies working to brainstorm ideas on how to challenge the election outcome. giuliani approached ken cuccinelli at homeland security and asked about seizing voting machines after the election. cuccinelli told him they didn't have that authority. cuccinelli said his discussions with giuliani never went to the point of drafting an executive order. the house committee is looking into this effort to draft an executive order and how it began. while neither memo was ever issued, this reporting shows the lengths trump advisers were willing to go to as part of their broader effort to undermine the election results. >> we've learned that marc short met with the committee. another top aide to former vice president pence is meeting with that committee. what do we know about all of this? >> the house select committee has nabbed one of its most significant colleagues yet. short provided lengthy testimony to lawmakers last week. it's so significant because short can really provide firsthand testimony of what was happening behind the scenes. it shows the committee has been able to carve out this window through the pence staff into what was happening in the west wing. as you noted, our colleagues up on the hill spotting another pence aide, greg jacob, heading in to talk to lawmakers. all of this sets up a big question for pence himself. will he testify before this panel. >> let's bring in cnn legal and national security analyst, former fbi special analyst, asha r rangappa. so they were weighing their options, talking about seizing voting machines. how significant is this? >> this is just one more front, ana, in this plan to overthrow the election beyond even trying to obstruct congress. this would have literally -- or their plan was literally a federal takeover of elections. i think there are two key takeaways here. one is that this is really showing the extent of trump's direct involvement in these efforts. traditionally he has tried to keep at arm's length and left a lot of dirty work to lackeys and minions, but here he's having his aides reach out to these agencies in an effort to weaponize them and the executive orders would have been coming directly from him. this also goes to his state of mind, ana. in the process of trying to draft these orders and get this plan in motion, you know, he's reportedly being told several times this is not legal. bill barr, the attorney general, tells him doj can't seize these machines. he's told by ken cuccinelli at dhs they can't seize it. even giuliani says he can't do it. when something is beyond the pale for giuliani, i think that you've really hit rock bottom in terms of legality. >> so if trump were directing giuliani, for example, to reach out to dhs as "the new york times" is reporting happened, is that a crime? >> ana, i think that this sort of highlights where there may be limits to criminal law. you know, there may be a conspiracy to interfere in the election. i mean this was not specifically trying to obstruct congress, but it highlights why the impeachment process was so important because what this is, is a classic abuse of power. the attempt to use the power and the authority of the presidency to basically undermine the will of the american people and overturn an election. and the question i have, ana, is why didn't barr come forward with this information when he had it during the impeachment proceeding? because as you know, even though trump left office, one of the penalties had he been convicted, would have been possibly also prohibiting him from holding public office ever again. and so, you know, even if the department of justice isn't able to find a crime to charge him with, that would not necessarily stop him from holding office or running again, which i think all of this just shows that he is completely unfit to do that. >> we have had reporting that barr has met with the committee. our new reporting today in terms of the january 6th committee and who they're meeting with is marc short. he was the former chief of staff to then vice president mike pence. he's super significant because we know he was with then vice president pence at the capitol as, you know, people were invading, calling out "hang mike pence." he was with mike pence as trump was tweeting pence didn't have the courage to overturn the election. he was also with mike pence, we're told, in the oval office on january 4th when trump and lawyer john eastman tried to convince pence that he had the power to overthrow and turn over the election. so what are the implications of short's testimony? >> the implications of short's testimony is that it's giving really firsthand knowledge of the interactions between pence and the president. what was transpiring both in the pressure campaign leading up to the certification of the electoral votes and also possibly what trump or, you know, john eastman were communicating to pence maybe even as the mob was attack. were they still trying to use that? were they intending for that mob to be leverage for pence to try to undo or overturn the certification? i mean pence is ultimately, for the obstruction of congress, really the epicenter of this. he was the one who trump believed held the keys to the kingdom in terms of invalidating many states and their electoral votes for biden and possibly even certifying a fake slate of electors or throwing it back to the house so they could give the election to trump. so i don't think, though, that short is a substitute for pence. i think pence should testify as well, because he is the one who can speak directly to his own communications and state of mind when that was happening. >> well, we will ask representative adam schiff about that specifically when we talk to him coming up. asha rangappa, thank you very much for taking the time. a short time ago, secretary of state antony blinken wrapped up a high-stakes phone call with his russian counterpart, sergey lavrov. this same after russia said this was some kind of mix-up over its written response to u.s. questions about russia's presence along the border with ukraine. biden administration officials say they expressed willingness to work with russia on some key issues. at a press conference this morning, russian president vladimir putin said russia's key security proposals were ignored by the west. cnn national security correspondent kylie atwood joins us. can you walk us through the back and forth and what happened at today's meeting? >> there's a lot going on today, ana. the main thing to look at is the fact that we heard from president putin. he has not talked to the public in weeks and that has left u.s. officials looking at the comments from those who work below him in the kremlin, but ultimately not exactly knowing where president putin stands on all of this. as you said, he came out saying that his security demands were ignored by the united states. that is not -- does not cast the fact that this looks like diplomacy is going somewhere, right? now, we should also note that the u.s. officials have repeatedly said that putin's primary security concerns with regard to the expansion of nato are off the table. that's not something that they are going to discuss. so it's sort of like we're back to square one here. now, diplomacy hasn't completely dead-ended. as you said, secretary of state tony blinken spoke with foreign minister lavrov today. the secretary continued to reiterate the need for russia to de-escalate. but according to a senior state department official, russia gave no indication in that phone call that they plan to de-escalate the situation along the russia/ukrainian border, indicating that escalation is the area that they continue to head in versus de-escalation and diplomacy. >> all right, kylie atwood, thank you for your reporting. i thought we'd have a little sound you were going to throw to. appreciate the update there. up next, we'll talk about all of this with member of january 6 select committee, representative adam schiff. plus, the g.o.a.t. makes it official. nfl legends tom brady announces he is retiring after 22 seasons and 7 super bowl rings. why he says now is the right time to walk away. and covid vaccines for kids under 5 years old could be coming even sooner than we were discussing just yesterday. you're in the cnn newsroom. stay right there. [limu emu squawks] woo! new personal record, limu! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪ with less moderate-to-severe eczema, why hide your skin if you can help heal your skin from within? dupixent helps keep you one step ahead of eczema with clearer skin and less itch. hide my skin? not me. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes, including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your doctor about dupixent. oh hey there! i'm just reading wayfair reviews like it's my job. i love seeing people loving their home. my daughter and i never agree on anything. that's not true! but we did agree this rug was perfect. okay. stop being weird. mom and daughter agreeing on something. wayfair works miracles! ooh! check this one out. this chair is so comfortable. it puts both of my babies to sleep. look at you making a space that works perfectly for all of you! i could use a good nap. okay everyone, our mission is to provide complete balanced nutrition for strength and energy. woo hoo! ensure, complete balanced nutrition with 27 vitamins and minerals. and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. ♪ ♪ right now, congress is contending with two dual threats to democracy. one inside america and one at europe's doorstep. here at home, lawmakers are uncovering stunning new information about the amount of planning behind former president trump's plot to nullify the 2020 election. meanwhile, with ukraine now staring down the barrel of a gun essential ly and russia appearig to have an itchy trigger finger, officials will brief congress this week. let's dive into all of these issues with democratic congresswoman adam schiff. congressman, thank you for being with us. let's start with worries of potential war with russia. the full house will get a classified briefing on ukraine on thursday. what's the top question you want answered? >> well, i've had several briefings already this week. obviously we're watching this very closely to figure out what putin's next move is and if there's anything that we can do to raise the deterrence against a russia invasion. i think the biden administration has done everything conceivable, rallied our allies around a really tough set of sanctions, tougher than we have ever exacted on a country like russia. we have worked with the british, i think, to front some of what we know about their efforts to create a pretext for invasion, about their efforts to create a puppet government in ukraine. we have made it clear to putin we're going to move nato assets closer to russia not further away if they go through with this so it will defeat his objective. i think in every way we can, the administration and now the congress is working to try to deter putin. he still may not be deterred, but we're doing everything possible. >> so right now do you think russia will invade? and has anything changed your assessment one way or the other in recent days? >> you know, i've been skeptical from the very beginning about whether anything we could do would stop putin from invading, if that's his intention. and i think it's very possible that is exactly what he intends to do and nothing will stop him. but we can raise the costs if it comes to that, and we're working on that too, to provide defensive weapons to ukraine where they can make it long and painful of russia tries to occupy further portions of ukraine. so we're doing what we can. i've been skeptical of putin's intentions all along. i think he feels that his last invasion of ukraine did not have its intended effect. it really drove ukraine more into the west. he may feel now he's just got to militarily take over the whole country to prevent it from growing closer to the united states or the west. >> in terms of potential leverage putin could have, we know russia supplies a lot of energy to europe. they brought up the nord stream gas pipeline saying it's a threat to peace in europe and called it a gun in the hands of mr. putin with which he can blackmail the european union. do you agree? >> i do agree. that's always been a concern i've had about that pipeline, which is the more you allow europe to become dependent on russia, the more you make that easy. the more that he can cut off ukraine, through which that fuel would otherwise flow, then you're strengthening his position geopolitically and strategically our allies -- >> so what should be done about that? >> well, i'm glad to see there's strong sentiment in europe, including i would expect this germany, that if russia invades, that's the end of that pipeline, it's gone for good, and that's the way it should be. so i think that is one of the more powerful deterrents we and europe have, but it's got to be crystal clear to the russians that if they do invade, they can kiss that good-bye and not just temporarily, but for good. >> bottom line, help our viewers understand why this matters so much here at home. if russia takes over ukraine, what does that mean for the u.s.? >> well, what that means for the u.s. is that nations can remake their borders, like during world war ii, by denti of military force. maybe today ukraine and then maybe they want to invade a nato ally. china is watching with an eye towards the possible invasion of taiwan. so this is inherently destabilizing and could lead to a broader conflict. but it also undermines democracy, and we as a champion of democracy around the world, we have obviously our own problems here at home, but we have an obligation to live up to that legacy and come to the aid and support of our democratic allies like ukraine. >> so let's talk to the threat of democracy here at home, specifically your investigation being part of the january 6th committee. at the top of the show we mentioned former pence chief of staff marc short, just testified with the committee. can you broadly tell us what was covered and if he provided you with any new leads? >> i can't confirm witness testimony. it's up to the witnesses if they want to confirm that. but i can say that we've gotten a tremendous amount of cooperation from people, you know, throughout the states and throughout the former administration. in all over 400 people that we've been able to interview and tens of thousands of documents. so we're getting a lot of cooperation and filling in a lot of the pieces. you know, the puzzle as we fill it in shows multiple, multiple lines of effort to overturn the election. it wasn't just a violent attack, as heinous as that was on january 6th. but the potential of seizing voting machines, of sending fake slates of electors to the archives, of trying to get the justice department to discourage states from sending any slate of electors and delay the process. so there were multiple lines of effort, all of which we're investigating, and we're getting a lot of cooperation. >> so given all that kwaucoopern you've received, all the information that you already have, do you need testimony from mike pence himself? >> you know, i think mike pence would have very relevant testimony for our committee. things that he may alone be privy to or alone among those who would be willing to testify. any conversations that he had with people in an effort to coerce him to overturn the election, to ignore his constitutional duty, that pressure campaign on him and other issues that he may be aware of. so i think he's a very pertinent witness. i think he could have a lot of insights to share with us. i hope as our chairman has said that he will decide voluntarily to come in, but i'll have to leave it there. >> has he been asked voluntarily to come in? >> i don't know whether the formal request has been made. i know our chairman has publicly invited him to testify or expressed his interest in the vice president testifying, but i don't know if that has been memorialized in writing at this point. >> what are you waiting for? >> well, it will be a decision for the committee when the time is right. we are trying to sequence our interviews so that we -- you know, before we get to central figures like mike pence, we interview all those around that person who may have relevant information so that we can inform the questions that we ask of those other witnesses. it's a pretty standard investigative practice and one i think we've been using very successfully. >> and you would note as a former federal prosecutor yourself. let's move to these draft orders to seize voting machines. as we reported, one plan would use the pentagon, the other homeland security. president trump directed rudy giuliani to put out feelers with homeland security about potentially seizing voting machines from some key swing states. can you confirm this? do you have information showing a direct line to trump on this? >> our committee is not confirming the public reporting, so i can't confirm it at this point. but i can say that if the public reporting is accurate, this wasn't just some intangible idea. it appears that there were some concrete steps being taken or instructions being given by the former president to potentially operationalize this. and, you know, that really ought to take our breath away. the idea of a u.s. president who contemplated when they losing an election contemplated seizing the voting machines, state voting machines, local voting machines. you know, it's third world kind of stuff, not what you'd expect in the united states of america, an established democracy. and so it's pretty startling if these public reports are accurate. >> and quickly, i do want to get your comments and thoughts on this reporting that we have and it's been confirmed by the national archives that some of trump's white house documents were ripped up and had to be taped back together by the national archives. these were documents handed over to your committee after the judicial process said he could not exert executive privilege over these. what were these torn-up documents? >> you know, unfortunately, i can't comment on that. there has been public reporting of the president having a practice of tearing things up. but whether that's the case heres are i'm not able to confirm. but we are getting hundreds of records from the archives. they are coming to us from the archives in whatever form the archives have them. and of course we are scrutinizing them carefully and expect to get a lot more over time from the national archives as well. >> and i know that eventually you're going to make some of these findings if not all of them public through public hearings and other presentations. how soon until there's that first, or next public hearing? >> you know, i think fairly soon. i think the chairman has said in the spring we intend to begin those public hearings, so that's not too far away. we want to sequence them in a way that makes sense for the public watching so that they can see the whole narrative of these multiple lines of effort to overturn the election, when they began, where they began and who was involved. so we're trying to make sure that we do the investigative work first so that anything we disclose in public hearings doesn't impede some of the other investigative work that's still ongoing. >> i understand that. obviously there is a timeline here with the midterm elections also around the corner. congressman adam schiff, really appreciate all of your time. thank you very much. >> thank you. well, it's official. after 22 nfl seasons and 7 super bowl wins, legendary tampa bay quarterback tom brady is retiring. but there was something noticeably absent from his retirement announcement. that's next. wh at you've saved, what you'll need, and help you build a flexible plan for cash flow designed to last. so you can go from saving... to living. do your eyes bother you? my eyes feel like a combo of stressed, dry and sandpaper. strypaper? luckily, there's biotrue hydration boost eye drops. biotrue uses naturally inspired ingredients. and no preservatives. try biotrue! (man 1 vo) i'm living with cll and thanks to imbruvica (man 2 vo) i'm living longer. (vo) imbruvica is a prescription medicine for adults with cll or chronic lymphocytic leukemia. imbruvica is not chemotherapy- it's the #1 prescribed oral therapy for cll, proven to help people live longer. imbruvica can cause serious side effects, which may lead to death. bleeding problems are common and may increase with blood thinners. serious infections with symptoms like fevers, chills, weakness or confusion and severe decrease in blood counts can happen. heart rhythm problems and heart failure may occur especially in people with increased risk of heart disease, infection, or past heart rhythm problems. new or worsening high blood pressure, new cancers, and tumor lysis that can result in kidney failure, irregular heartbeat, and seizure can occur. diarrhea commonly occurs. drink plenty of fluids. tell your doctor if you experience signs of bleeding, infection, heart problems, persistent diarrhea or any other side effects. (man 2 vo) i am living longer with imbruvica. (vo) ask your doctor if it's right for you. learn how we could help you save on imbruvica. i brought in ensure max protein, with thirty grams of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks! (sighs wearily) here i'll take that! (excited yell) woo-hoo! ensure max protein. with thirty grams of protein, one gram of sugar, and nutrients to support immune health. big breaking news in the sports world today. after 22 nfl seasons and 7 super bowl wins, tom brady made it official. he is retiring. the legendary quarterback made his announcement on social media this morning writing in part, i have always believed the sport of football is an all-in proposition. if a 100% competitive commitment isn't there, you won't succeed. success is what i love so much about our game. there is a physical, mental and emotional challenge every single day that has allowed m ed me to maximize my highest potential. there are no shortcuts on the field or in life. this is difficult for me to write but here it depose. i am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. with us now, seth wickersham who has covered brady for years. he's the author of "it's better to be feared." seth, great to have you. first, your reaction to his announcement? >> i was surprised that it happened this morning but i wasn't surprised that it happened. anyone that's close to anybody in the tampa bay buccaneers building or close to brady's inner circle knew that especially the last month and a half, things have been a little bit different. this year was maybe more taxing than he'll ever admit. i think the commitment required to come back next year with a different roster and to a certain extent kind of starting over i think was going to be difficult. and finally i think that he's enjoying -- this year for the first year he really got into a lot of his off-field endeavors. he started the brady brand, his fitness line, and i think that he really likes the potential of what he might be able to do with that. something that michael jordan did, where it might have the kind of global appeal. so i think that that's the reason why this season was his final one. man, he is retiring on top. >> as a diehard bronco fan myself, i always envision brady at the helm with the new england patriots, our fierce rivals, and he didn't even mention the patriots in their original -- that original statement he put out. only later thanking them a short time after on twitter. what do you make of that? >> yeah. i have no insight into that firsthand, but i seriously doubt that it was my accident that he forgot the patriots. but yes, he left them out of his original instagram post and then managed to include them in his instagram story, so who knows. >> he has almost a super human reputation. but you write in your book about how his nfl career was almost over before it even began. that his dad had even prepared a consolation speech for draft day. how could he go on to be that good for that long, and as somebody who has studied this man, perhaps understands him better than most, what do you think is his secret? >> well, number one, he's a more gifted athlete than people realize. he really has an unbelievable throwing arm, and his motivation is really second to none. you know, he -- i think that with him in particular, there's very few people like this, but i think that the game was more than just a game for him. it cut to something essential. i think that so much of his self-identity, maybe even self-esteem was wrapped up in playing every game. it's one of the reasons why -- i mean his wife has been very clear that she wanted him to retire for years now. and after he beat the bucs -- or after he beat the chiefs in the super bowl last year, the very first thing she said to him was what more do you have to prove, and he figured out a way to change the subject. you know, the intensity required to do what he's done and the level of perfectionism and the dark moments you have when you come up just short, all of the sleepless nights. i don't think any of us can understand how much he puts into the game. to a certain extent it's no surprise that after 22 years he's ready to walk away. now, all that said, it's a void. there's a reason why he said in the past that he'll seek therapy when he walks away, because nothing is really going to fill that passion and that -- you know, the feeling that he gets of being alive when he's out there competing. and so while he spans into this brady brand and we see where that takes him, i do wonder longer term just what life is like for him without this game. >> yeah, and he leaves the game on top, as the nfl's all-time leader in passing yards, touchdown passes, completions, regular season wins, playoff wins, super bowl mvps. just to name a few of his records there. seth wickersham, i appreciate your insight. thanks so much for joining us. >> thank you. up next, why parents of kids under the age of 5 may soon be able to breathe a sigh of relief about getting her children vaccinated against covid. #1 for diabetic dry skin #1 for psoriasis symptom relief and #1 for eczema symptom relief. gold bond. champion your skin. we're getting destroyed out there. we need a plan! i have a plan... right now at t-mobile customers on magenta max can get the new iphone 13 and t-mobile will pay for it! upgrade to the iphone 13 on us. with quality that's guaranteed for life, bath fitter doesn't just fit your bath, it fits your high standards. why have over two million people welcomed bath fitter into their homes? it just fits. call now or visit bathfitter.com to book your free consultation. ♪upbeat music♪ transitions™ light under control. ♪upbeat music♪ transitions™ signature gen 8™ available now, in 4 vibrant style colors. transitions™ i didn't know my genetic report could tell me i was prone to harmful blood clots. i travel a ton, so this info was kind of life changing. maybe even lifesaving. ♪do you know what the future holds?♪ ♪(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 dental, vision, and hearing. aetna medicare advantage plans call today to learn more. it's the news millions of families with younger kids have been waiting for. pfizer, as soon as today, is expected to ask the fda to grant emergency use authorization for a two-dose regimen of its covid vaccine for kids as young as 6 years old. meaning shots could be going into the littlest arms by the end of the month. with us is dr. jonathan reiner. pfizer seeking this authorization of two doses as it will continue to test the effectiveness of three doses. is this the right move? >> well, it depends. it's possible that pfizer has data that they have not yet publicly released. but remember in december when pfizer released some interim data on that trial of kids 6 months to 5 years, they found that the group of children between 2 and 4 did not have adequate immunogenicity, meaning a dose of vaccine did not provide the immune response it did for older kids. it did for the littler kids but not the 2 to 4-year-old group. maybe they have data suggesting that even the reduced immunogenicity protects against infection, we don't know. but that's what could prompt pfizer to make that a three-dose vaccine. so it's intriguing and a little unclear why they're doing this now. >> and it's that uncertainty that has fueled some of the vaccine hesitancy for parents. even for kids who are already eligible. right now only 22% of children ages 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated. i wonder what percentage of kids do we need onboard to really make a significant impact here in the overall fight? >> we want everybody onboard. we want the entire country on board. and when i speak to my patients in clinic, the few who are still unvaccinated, i tell them that i know that this vaccine and our vaccines are super effective and super safe. so if we're going to tell our parents of little kids in this country that they need to vaccinate their children, we need to have the same kind of data. we can't go to them with sort of, well, we have some data that supports this. we need to tell them that we have robust data. so i want to make sure that when finally the fda decides on this, that they are evaluating the full set of data that we can go to parents around this country and tell them with complete confidence that the vaccine is not just safe but super effective at preventing illness in their kid. >> and do you believe confidently that if the fda does grant emergency use authorization that all of that is buttoned up, that that is complete confidence that this is safe and effective? >> i believe that if the fda grants an eua for it, that they will demand that data. now, which suggests to me that perhaps pfizer has some data that they have not yet released that would support a two-dose approval strategy. but they haven't released that to the public yet, particularly for the 2 to 4-year-old group. >> we'll be watching carefully on that. thank you so much, dr. jonathan reiner, it's good to see you. >> my pleasure. across the country there is a wave of bomb threats targeting several hbcus. the latest on this string of threats, next. of eczema with clearer skin and less itch. hide my skin? not me. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes, including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your doctor about dupixent. it's your home. and there's no place like wayfair to make the morning chaos, organized chaos. however you make it, make your home a place like no other. your record label is taking off. but so is your sound engineer. 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 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. ♪ ♪ when a truck hit my car, the insurance company wasn't fair. i didn't know what my case was worth. so i called the barnes firm. i was hit by a car and needed help. i called the barnes firm, that was the best call i could've made. i'm rich barnes. it's hard for people to know how much their accident case is worth. let our injury attorneys help you get the best result possible. ♪ the barnes firm injury attorneys ♪ ♪ call one eight hundred, eight million ♪ in an unusual ruling, a federal judge has rejected a plea agreement with one of the men convicted of killing ahmaud arbery in georgia. in a state trial, travis and gregory mcmichael were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility for parole. that was earlier this month. for murdering arbery while he was out jogging. well, this new plea deal was for a federal charge where they are facing hate crime charges. now, the deal would have allowed them to serve time in a federal prison, and after the judge ruled on the deal for travis mcmichael, both men asked for more time to decide exactly how they wanted to proceed. this ruling came after an emotional plea from arbery's mother. to the judge in this case. and elie honig is with us, former assistant district attorney. how rare is this for a judge to reject a plea agreement? >> i did hundreds upon hundreds of plea agreements in my time as a federal prosecutor, never had one rejected by a judge, never heard of that happening to any of my colleagues. here's what's unusual about this case. there's two kinds of federal plea agreements, broadly speaking. the more common type, not the type this was, the more common type is when the prosecution and the defense agree the defendant will plead guilty, the sentencing range will be between a and b, and then it's up to the judge, the judge may sentence within that range, above or below, but the judge cannot accept or reject the plea. this deal here was the less common kind where the prosecution and defense agree the sentence will be x, in this case, 30 years, but in that case, the judge has the power to accept it or reject it. the judge here rejected it. it is extremely rare to see that happen. >> and we know ahmaud arbery's family has a strong reaction to the announcement of the plea deal. how much of an impact do you think that had on the judge's ruling? >> it had to have the largest impact you can think of. i mean, if ahmaud arbery's family said, we're fine with it, the prosecution was fine and the defense was fine, it's safe to assume the judge would have accepted it. as a prosecutor, you have a legal obligation to consult with the victim or the family of a victim in the case of a murder. you have to give great weight to what the victim's family wants but you're not bound by that, and here, there seems to have been a disconnect between the justice department and ahmaud arbery's family. >> and i have just 20 seconds or so, but this could have been the first time we saw an admission in that guilty plea that this was a hate crime, that arbery's killing was araracially motivat. for that to be backtracked, what is the impact? >> there's only a couple ways we can go here. there could be a different plea agreement where the parties will admit there was a racial motive or it will go to trial and a jury will make that decision. those are the two ways this could go. >> okay, we'll watch. thank you so much, elie honig. today, several historically black colleges and universities are dealing with another day of fear and disruption because of bomb threats. the threats have prompted schools to postpone classes. at least 13 hbcus report receiving bomb threats just today. six threats were reported yesterday. let's bring in cnn senior washington correspondent joe johns. joe, what do officials think or who is behind these threats? >> reporter: well, isn't that the million dollar question, ana? second day in a row, third day in about a month. another morning of multiple bomb threats to historically black colleges and universities. at last count, there were something like more than a dozen schools that got bomb threats. they don't know who's going this. most of the events today taking place in the eastern united states, disrupting classes, prompting lockdowns and shelter in place orders as the authorities try to figure out who's responsible. no explosive devices have been found, according to authorities, but the emergency response as well as the campus disruption this creates is the issue. now, the calls apparently started very early this morning, for example, this morning's bomb threat to howard university here in washington, d.c., came around 2:55 a.m. eastern time. it was the second threat to howard in 24 hours, but because it came so early, a spokesman told me they were able to fully investigate and clear campus. for normal operations. but for some of those other schools, in states like maryland, florida, kentucky, georgia, louisiana, the bomb threats did disrupt campus activities this morning. so, today's the third day in a month and it's attracting attention at the highest level. the white house press secretary said yesterday the president is aware, the fbi and the federal bureau of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms are on the case, ana. >> and so do we know what those federal investigators are doing right now? >> we do not. other than they're trying to track down whoever it is that is doing this, and certainly trying to determine whether there's a pattern, whether there's a conspiracy, how many people are involved. >> all right, joe johns, thank you very much. we know you'll stay on this investigation. and that does it for us today. i really appreciate everybody for joining us. see you back here tomorrow. until then, you can always join me on twitter,@anacabrera. the news continues next with alisyn and victor. people with moderate to severe psoriasis, are rethinking the choices they make like the splash they create the entrance they make, the surprises they initiate. otezla. it's a choice you can make. otezla is not a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla, 75% clearer skin is achievable. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. tell your doctor about your medicines, and if you're pregnant or planning to be. otezla. show more of you. okay everyone, our mission is to provide complete balanced nutrition for strength and energy. woo hoo! ensure, complete balanced nutrition with 27 vitamins and minerals. and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. ♪ ♪ (vo) you can be well-dressed. you can be well-mannered. (man) oh, no, no, after you. wahoooo! (vo) you can be well-groomed. or even well-spoken. (man) ooooooo. (vo) but there's just something about being well-adventured. (vo) adventure has a new look. discover more in the all-new subaru forester wilderness. love. it's what makes subaru, subaru. as a business owner, your bottom line is always top of mind. so start saving by switching to the mobile service designed for small business: comcast business mobile. flexible data plans mean you can get unlimited data or pay by the gig. all on the most reliable nationwide network. with no line activation fees or term contracts... saving you up to $500 a year. and it's only available to comcast business internet customers. so boost your bottom line by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities.™ ♪ -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com hi, everyone, welcome to "cnn newsroom." i'm alisyn camerota. >> i'm victor blackwell. it is good to be with you. we are following several developing stories right now. there's new information about the role donald trump played in efforts to seize voting machines in states he lost and how that's impacting the january 6th investigation. and covid vaccines could soon be available for the youngest age group. pfizer is expected to seek emergency use authorization from the fda as soon as today to vaccinate children aged 6 months to 5 years. and kbgood-bye to the g.o.a. after 22 seasons in the nfl, tom brady makes it official, he is retiring. of course, we will get to that. but we're going to start with this meeting between president biden and a bipartisan pair from the senate. he's meeting right now with democratic senator dick durbin, of course, he's chair of the senate judiciary committee, and its ranking republican