calling out sick. >> we have the business. we don't have the staff. and so that's really frustrating. and there's new clients that want to come in that we have to turn away. >> and in chicago, families are caught in the middle, trying to plan their lives as the standoff over covid safety protocols heats up between teachers and the country's third largest school district. and it's a showdown between one of tennis' biggest stars and the home of one of its biggest events. all because of covid regulations. as novak djokovic's lawyers try to argue that he should be allowed to play in australia. a hearing just hours away. >> there was a ton of either miscommunication or people being misled purposefully. and at the center of this is the number one tennis player in the world. >> a very good morning to you on this sunday, january 9th. i'm cory coffin in for lindsey reiser. let's break it all down. we're going to begin in this new week with the party that controls the white house in both chambers of commerce, wanting to put the spotlight on your right to vote. it comes as more and more states put new restrictive laws in place, restricting people's access to the ballot. nbc's lauren egan is live at the white house and julie circumstancen live on capitol hill for us this morning. good morning to both of you. lauren, let's begin with you. the president clearly wants to get something done on this, planning an address to the nation this week. >> that's right. the president and the vice president are headed to atlanta georgia on tuesday, where we expect them to outline the administration's broader strategy to get some voting rights legislation passed. this is going to be a big speech for the president. it is a high-stakes moment. we are already in a midterm elections year. some states are going to hold primary voting in just a few weeks from now. the vice president who has been tasked with leading the administration's efforts on voting rights tweeted last week that we must pass the voting rights bill now. she added that we cannot sited on sidelines. the big question for tuesday is how forcefully will president biden come out in favor of reworking the filibuster in order to get voting rights passed. we heard from him recently. he indicated that he is supportive of revisiting the filibuster if it came to that. if that was the last option on the table in order to get voting rights legislation through both chambers of commerce. the president is headed to georgia. we don't know exactly where he's going to be holding this speech, but the decision to go to georgia in the first place is significant. it is a state that he won by just 13,000 votes. it's a state where the republican-controlled legislature has pursued a number of measures in the past year, making it more difficult for people to. and i've spoken with a handful of voting rights advocates in the past few days who have expressed some disappointment with how this administration has handled voting rights. they say that it has not been prioritized enough, and they are looking closely to tuesday to see what the president says on the filibuster and they've told me that anything less than a full -- throwing his full support behind reworking the filibuster, they say, would be viewed as a disappointment. but, cory, what matters perhaps more than what the president is going to say on tuesday are the conversations that he's having back here in washington with lawmakers, because as we've seen with build back better, it only takes that one senate democrat to completely derail the president's agenda. >> i think that's what's on people's minds here, is no matter what the president says, if he cannot get any obstacles to ending the filibuster out of the way, it won't matter. julie, let's bring you in here. it's been a very busy month. in congress, they're trying to deal with the debt limit. they've got infrastructure, build back better that lauren just mentioned. it seems like democrats are ready to put a pause on everything, though, to try to get this done. >> yeah, corey. well, with that one senator who derailed build back better, joe manchin, basically closing the door on that key significant piece of legislation, democrats don't have much time before the midterm elections to gather legislative priorities across the finish line. they turn now to voting rights, which of course democrats see as crucial to potentially keeping their majority in the midterm elections and pressure has been mounting, especially this last week on the solemn anniversary of january 6th. i heard from hundreds of grassroots activists and organizers who are building pressure on congressional leadership to do something to address, to make sure that an attack like january 6th on the capitol doesn't happen again. and we can see some movement here in the upcoming week with majority leader schumer announcing that the freedom to vote act will get a vote on the floor, as early as this upcoming week. and they're also looking at potential rules changes to make that happen. and of course, pressure is also mounting from congressional leaders on both sides of the -- both sides of the capitol, excuse me, with pramila jayapal, the progressive caucus chair, telling tiffany cross yesterday on msnbc what she feels should be done on voting rights. take a listen. >> if we want to say that we are a democracy, we have to preserve that essential right to vote. that so many people fought for and died for. the question to me is, are we going to preserve our democracy? are we going to allow people the right to vote? >> reporter: majority leader schumer has stressed in the beginning of this session in january that they are going to take up a rules change to make this happen on a partisan basis, on a party-line basis here. and senator joe manchin has been involved in countless meetings. they've brought in rule change experts to make sure they understand the significance of not passing voting rights legislation, because of course they can't get those ten republicans to support this effort. and they need 60 votes to make it happen, without a rules change. meanwhile, republicans are embracing what's called reforming the electoral count act. it's a centuries-old law. it basically only applies to the presidential election. and senator warnock told me this week that it's distasteful. that, it's, quote, not sufficient enough, and it's a distraction from what they really need to do to cement voting rights legislation, as, of course, republican state legislatures across the country are looking at ways to make it harder for people to vote, democrats say. >> all right. lauren egan and julie circumstancen, thank you both for starting us off this morning. we want to keep this conversation going with tom malinowski from new jersey. thanks for being with us. passing voting rights is proving to be even more illusive than the infrastructure bill. what can we hope in terms of actionable items on voting rights this week? >> well, i hope it's as elusive as the infrastructure bill, because we passed the infrastructure bill, so that's a good analogy, number one. senator manchin supports voting rights. that's important for all of us to remember. and on top of that, i know that he is concerned that there is a movement afoot in state after state in this country to put in place election officials who will do what trump ordered republican election officials to do on january 6th. and that is to nullify any election that his side loses. that would be the end of democracy in america. and again, i know senator manchin is concerned about that. the obstacle here is the filibuster. but i do think that there is a path forward. because while the filibuster is part of senate tradition, the way it works today is not part of senate tradition. the filibuster for most of our industry did not serve as an absolute block on any piece of legislation that the majority wanted to support. so i do think that there's a path forward, not to eliminate the filibuster, which i would be fine with, but to reform the filibuster so that voting rights legislation can move forward. >> yeah. i think reform is the new conversation now, when it comes to the filibuster. and i want to show you a map and show our viewers a map here. this shows, according to the brennan center for justice, 19 states passing 34 restrictive voting laws last year. as the former assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor under the obama administration, does this have you worried at all? do you think that democrats can turn the tide here? >> well, of course it has me worried. i care about american democracy. i care about america being a good example for the rest of the world. but, again, what worries me the most, there are different levels here. there are efforts that we are trying to make that i think are 100% right to expand access to the ballot box, to make it easier for people to vote by mail, to vote with drop boxes, to vote early. i want to see those things happen. we can probably survive as a democracy if not all of those things happen. we cannot survive as a democracy if we allow pro-trump republicans in these states to basically say, we don't care who got the most votes, we are simply going to certify whoever we want. we are going to pick whoever we want to be in the electoral college to support our chosen candidate. that would be the end of democracy in america. and it has to be our number one priority to make sure that can never, ever happen in this country. >> and turning to last week's anniversary of the january 6th insurrection, what do you hope to learn from the select committee here? as it starts to enter a new, more public phase of its investigation? >> i have tremendous confidence in the leadership of the january 6th commission. they're doing this exactly right. i want to know everything now, but i also want -- i want them to carry on in a smart way, so that the witnesses who are coming before the committee don't necessarily know what other witnesses testify to. but as we do get to a more public phase, eventually, they're going to present their findings. i want to know, not just -- >> and congressman -- i don't mean to interrupt you, i would like to know, do you think it should be televised as well, in addition to the investigators learning as much as they can, do you think the public should also see all of this televised? >> yes, eventually. but i think that the most important thing is to get to the truth. and as much as i want to know everything right now, we all want to know everything right now, i absolutely support the slow, methodical process that the commission has followed, because it keeps the witnesses a bit off balance. they don't know what other witnesses have testified. so they can't prepare in light of that. at the end of the day, we do have to know. because this is not, there are republicans who want to blame january 6th just on the rioters. that's kind of like blaming 9/11 just on the hijackers. we need to know who was responsible for mobilizing, radicalizing, and financing this event, how it was connected to an apparent conspiracy at the white house to steal the election. and then, we need to give this to the justice department so they can take the next steps. >> representative tom malinowski for us this morning, with your very thoughtful opinion here on what's happening and what you would like to see moving forward. we really appreciate it. we would like to check back in with you as this investigation continues. and coming up here on msnbc, terms rejected. the mayor of chicago shoots down a proposal by the teachers' union just moments after it was announced. the latest on the standoff that can keep schools closed for a fourth day. plus, will he stay or will he go? we are just hours away from learning if novak djokovic will play in the australian open or if he'll be sent back to the u.s. and the new controversy he's now facing. the new controy he's now facing. i grow all my own vegetables shingles doesn't care. we've still got the best moves you've ever seen good for you, but shingles doesn't care. because 1 in 3 people will get shingles, you need protection. but, no matter how healthy you feel, your immune system declines as you age increasing your risk for getting shingles. so, what can protect you? shingrix protects. you can protect yourself from shingles with a vaccine proven to be over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. ask your pharmacist or doctor about 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over 121,000 daily hospitalizations due to covid. that's up more than 72% in the last two weeks. nbc's sam brock spoke with health care workers about the challenges they face in this new surge. >> reporter: a year ago or even a month ago, the daily covid infection number might have seemed impossible. roughly 870,000 cases recorded, friday alone. >> this has now been the largest influx of patients that we've ever taken care of. they've been the sickest of the patients we've ever taken care of. >> reporter: a deeper dive into the number of hospitalized patients and deaths reveals trends that certainly don't match the massive case rise daily average. a 265% increase over two weeks compared to a 72% increase for hospitalizations, while deaths have shown little change at about 1,500 a day. >> are you worried that we could see a dramatic rise in the amount of people dying from covid in the near future? >> it's always possible. and i think it really depends upon who gets infected in the next several days and weeks. >> reporter: the emerging portrait of omicron is a variant increasingly making people sick. at the moment, a daily average of nearly 122,000 people are hospitalized with the virus. not far from the country's all-time high of 137,000 in january of last year, with health experts predicting that record could fall in days. at the same time, hospitals nationwide are reporting a dwindling number of available staff. >> every hospital is struggling with a staffing shortage, like they've never experienced. now, because of staff being out due to covid, it's just a gasoline can on the fire. >> i'm here to tell you, we're tired, we're exhausted, and we're literally on the edge. >> reporter: of those in american icus right now, just under 32% of adults are being treated for the virus. the other two-thirds are not. that's a not below where we were during the peak of delta, when 38% of icu patients had covid, but it's also significantly higher than we were just a month ago. there's also a new development in some major cities, like new york and miami, where roughly half the people admitted for care are being treated for something other than covid and then testing positive. >> we are now admitting patients who have incidental infections, who might be earlier in their disease, and who are more contagious. we are seeing people showing up and finding out that they also have coronavirus in addition to the reason that they're there. >> reporter: yet admitted for covid-19 or not, doctors say that there is a common thread. >> most of the patients who are admitted to the hospital are unvaccinated. for those who are being admitted to the hospital who are vaccinated, their severity of illness is less. >> reporter: across new york state, 40 hospitals have tipped there threshold for delaying non-urgent surgeries, as the nation grapples with the still-rising flood of patients. and this morning, talks between the chicago teachers' union and the school district are continuing as they work towards getting kids back in classrooms among this omicron surge. tomorrow, more than 330,000 students will be out of school for a fourth day if the two sides don't come to an agreement on covid protocols. city officials have already rejected most components of the latest proposal. they call for more testing and a return to in-person learning on january 18th. the city says it's already spent enough, about 100 million, on additional covid protection measures. this standoff comes as surging omicron cases pummel chicago. joining me now, sarah carve, an educator reporter for wbjz in chicago. there has been a lot of back and forth on negotiations this weekend. walk us through where we stand with the talks this morning. >> so, yesterday, after the chicago teacher's union sort of took this unusual step of laying out their proposal publicly, then immediately, the mayor turned around and said, you know, we are not for this and, you know, her last line of her statement was, we will not relent. and this was not completely unexpected, because some of the things that the chicago teacher's union continue to demand are things that the mayor and the school district continue to reject. and they're both very staid in their positions, so even though they're still talking, until they kind of break through on a few, you know, major issues, it's sort of at a standstill. >> all right. let's talk about those issues. two of the largest school districts in the country, new york and los angeles, have been able to keep kids in the classroom. one of the big sticking points here that seems to be a problem in chicago is the union proposal includes a metric for closing all schools, when there is a surge in cases. but the district favors a school-by-school approach. do you see this as a compromise the union could make? >> well, you see, there's actually an interesting point here. the chicago public schools for a long time did not think that any school should ever be completely closed for remote learning. this is actually a position that they just started taking maybe a week ago, that they actually came to the point of like, at some point, there's going -- there's some schools that have so many covid cases that an individual school needs to be closed. now, what the union is saying is that last year, there was a metric in place for an entire district closure, but only if cases were really surging. and actually, right now, the city would meet the metric of last year to close the school district and go for remote. but it's such a high metric. we're in an extreme surge right now, that what the union is basically saying is that, you know, god forbid we should get here again. because it's not actually a percentage. it's a rate increase. so it's like the rate has to increase for seven days continually. >> okay. >> so it's a very high metric there. >> and it's a very complicated issue that you've laid out so eloquently. meanwhile, mayor lightfoot says that she is adamant, like you said, it's full stop, no remote learning. do you think, do you see their office budging on that at all? >> well, you know, this is the thing. she keeps talking about how remote learning was very, very bad for kids in chicago. and some of the reporting that we've done has shown that failure rates increased, absenteeism was high. there are some high schools that regularly did not have half the kids log on last year. and you have to understand, last year, chicago public schools mostly stayed completely remote for the entire year. i think the nuance here is that the mayor is saying, i don't want remote learning, but the union is saying, i don't want remote learning, either, but i want it for a short period of time. yesterday, the union was saying, we just want it as a tool when we get into these really extreme periods. whether the major will budge, you know within the problem here is that this has sort of become an ideological issue like remote learning versus in-person learning, when it's also a public safety issue, too, where there's, you know, there are surging cases. so, you know, eventually, people are going to have to compromise, but right now, people are pretty extreme. i mean, we're hearing words like, coming from the mayor's mouth like, never, ever will i go back to remote learning. so i don't know when she might. so it's hard. >> some of these extremes, the nevers on each side of the aisle will hopefully at some point be broken down, somewhere in the middle to at least get kids back in school at some point and safely. sarah carp for wezb in chicago, we appreciate you following this for us and we'll continue to check in with you. >> thank you. after the break, it could be decision day for novak djokovic. could he make history at the australian open or be deported? plus, why this video of him at an event is now sparking even more controversy. we'll break it down more controversy we'll break it dow why does walgreens offer 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(gasps) ♪ did it work? only pay for what you need ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ spider-man no way home in theaters december 17th . it could decision day for one of the world's top tennis stars. a court hearing that starts at 6:00 eastern time tonight will determine whether novak djokovic will be allowed to stay in australia to play the first of this year's grand slam tournaments. the australian open scheduled to start one week from tomorrow. and the controversy all centers around the country's requirement that non-citizens be vaccinated upon entry. djokovic's lawyers claim that he was granted an exemption from those policies because he tested positive for the virus last month, but when he got to australia, his visa was denied. he has since been held in a detention hotel ever since and his fans are, of course, protesting outside. you can see it there. the new twist in this story, though, new pictures showing djokovic at public events without a mask the same day that he tested positive for covid. it's not clear if he knew the diagnosis at the time. we have reached out to his representatives for comment. we have not yet heard back. nbc foreign correspondent raf sanchez has been on top of this story. and raf, this will be a big decision in that australian court in less than ten hours. >> yeah, corey, that's absolutely right. the world's number one has been languishing in that australian hotel detention center since thursday and today, 6:00 p.m. eastern, 10:00 a.m. monday morning, australia time, he finally gets his day in court. now, we are not expecting him to be in court. this is a virtual hearing, but we are expecting his lawyers to argue that the australian state and federal governments have monumentally screwed this up and that they have unjustly canceled his visa and not allowed him into the country. interestingly, the australian government tried to delay this hearing by two days. we don't know exactly why, but the judge said, no, this hearing needs to go ahead as scheduled. but, of course, while this drama plays out in the courtroom, the days are ticking away until the start of the australian open. djokovic going for a 21st grand slam title, trying to break that record held jointly with roger federer, with rafa nadal. this is absolutely not how he wanted to start his australian open campaign, cooped up in a hotel room. i want you to take a listen to what boris becker, another grand slam champion had to say about the impacts this is probably having on a tennis player as precise as djokovic. >> you can imagine, you know, this man's vegan, he doesn't drink normal water, he doesn't sleep in a normal bed. he looks at life in a different way than most other players and he's so successful. so for him to be stationed in the room that he is in for the last couple of days, it's just terrible. >> reporter: now, corey, away from the australian court, there are these questions about these pictures showing djokovic out and about in serbia on december 17th, which is the day after his lawyers say he tested positive for covid. he was seen at a tennis event not wearing a mask. as you said, we don't know if djokovic was aware of his diagnosis at the time. we have reached out to his representatives and we haven't heard back. but there are big questions about why he would be out in public if he tested positive for covid the day before. corey? >> absolutely. and to have it both ways. i didn't know i tested positive, oh, wait, but i want to use that as a way to not have to get vaccinated in order to get into this country. raf sanchez, thank you so much. it does bring up a lot of interesting thoughts here. we want to bring in simon chambers, a freelance sports journalist who regularly covers tennis. thank you for being in with us this morning. how big of a deal is it for djokovic, somebody who's massive in his sport and as precise as he is in this sport to not be able to play in this year's australian open? and potentially for more years, as well, if he's banned from the country for several years km >> yeah, you're right, it's a crazy situation all aroun isn't it? for somebody who takes as seriously as novak djokovic does, as far as the meticulousness that he puts into his training, being locked away in a hotel for four or five days without the ability to train or practice properly is not going to be good for him. not good for his physical state or mental state, i would imagine. it's a very difficult situation for everyone, but obviously, we'll find outside more tomorrow when the court case happens. >> so this isn't the first controversy with covid and this athlete. he, in addition to these latest two headlines that we're talking about, he contracted it in 2020 after a night out clubbing. he has made comments questioning vaccines and mandates. do you see any of this as ultimately affecting his brand? >> that's a good question. he's a difficult personality, in some ways, novak. because he does a lot of good things, a lot of charity work, he's very good with kids. you see him at events and all that sort of stuff. and on the other side of things, you have his equivalence towards vaccines. he hasn't actually said "i'm anti-vaccine," but he certainly hasn't made any efforts to get the vaccine. the ad you're referring to in 2020, he helped to stage that. everyone was sort of let loose of restrictions and that backfired. a lot of things are not looking good. this case keeps changing in terms of how it's being looked at. it seems like it's a federal messup, but tennis australia involved maybe getting too late to even apply for an exemption. it's a very, very strange situation. >> so speaking of that and how serious this particular situation has become, and it's kind of become a bellwether for other athletes, i would like to read you a bit from an opinion piece in "the new york times." quote, beyond the social influence that comes with their platforms, star athletes are symbols of good health, success, and leadership. that's why they're sought after as the public face of performance companies and shoe companies. we've seen some of these athletes bucking these covid restrictions and mandates. does this erode the authority of these sports bodies to be able to enforce these rules of competition? >> i don't know about that. i think it makes these people look worse than anything else they could have done. you can't imagine -- well, we saw roger federer and rafael nadal for example immediately say that they took the vaccine. they explained while they were doing it, it was for reasons to help themselves and others. and yet had djokovic done that, too, it would have set a very good example in serbia, which has very low, relatively low vaccine takeup. with so with these sports stars, yes, they're sports stars, we can't expect them to be perfect, but they are role models to kids and people around the world. it will affect his brand. it is a very difficult situation for governing bodies, who are trying to get players vaccinated. i know on the men's side, it's about 95 of the top 100 have been vaccinated. they've done a good job. only a month or so ago, it was down to 60%. >> simon is a freelance sports journalist and a tennis writer. and i want to also note that he was born in wimbledon. so i think that this is extra lucky that we were able to talk to you this morning, simon. thanks for being up with us and giving us your thoughts. >> thank you. ten hours to go. we'll be watching the djokovic story. up next, covid forcing closures and crippling businesses big and small. experts warning it is expected to et gp v. whop. and the moment a cliff came crashing down on boaters in brazil. we'll have those shocking details, next. brazil we'll have those shocking details, next. welcome to allstate. where auto insurance now costs less. ♪ and savings like that follow you everywhere. ♪ now, save more with allstate. ♪ because better protection costs a whole lot less. you're in good hands with allstate. call a local agent or 1-888-allstate for a quote today. this is the sound of nature breathing. and this is the sound of better breathing. fasenra is a different kind of asthma medication. it's not a steroid or inhaler. fasenra is an add-on treatment for asthma driven by eosinophils. it's one maintenance dose every 8 weeks. it helps prevent asthma attacks, improve breathing, and lower use of oral steroids. nearly 7 out of 10 adults with asthma may have elevated eosinophils. fasenra is designed to target and remove them. fasenra is not a rescue medication or for other eosinophilic conditions. fasenra may cause allergic reactions. get help right away if you have swelling of your face, mouth, and tongue, or trouble breathing. don't stop your asthma treatments unless your doctor tells you to. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection or your asthma worsens. headache and sore throat may occur. this is the sound of fasenra. ask your doctor about fasenra. up at 2:00am again? 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ask your doctor about nurtec to find out! the u.s. is preparing for tomorrow's high-stakes talks with russia during what some officials are calling one of the most perilous moments in europe since the cold war. with tens of thousands of russian troops amassed on ukraine's border, the biden administration is threatening unprecedented sanctions on russia if they invade ukraine. in recent years, russia has faced allegations of attempting to reconstitute the soviet union with invasions of georgia, mall doeva, and ukraine. president putin is demanding that ukraine never be allowed to join the nato alliance, a position both washington and the head of the alliance see as unreasonable. putin is also asking for security guarantees and apart from the threat of sanctions, the biden administration is prepared to warn russia that if they attack ukraine, the u.s. will support ukrainian resistance fighters. and complicating things even further is russia's decision to send troops to neighboring kazakhstan in an attempt to quell deadly anti-government protests there. so for more on all of this, we would like to bring in former deputy assistant, secretary of state, joel ruben. good morning, mr. ruben. we appreciate your being in. and let's begin right here with deputy secretary of state wendy sherman. she is set to meet with her russian counterpart tomorrow in geneva. do you think these talks could result in russia backing down from the ukrainian border? >> it's great to be with you, corey. and these talks are clearly an inflection point for russia. there are two choices for russia. there is one of escalation and confrontation and one of de-escalation and diplomacy. and right now the biden team has done a masterful job of working with our allies to put putin into a box to make this decision. the united states does not want a war, our allies do not want a war with russia, but russia is the aggressor in this moment and we have to be very clear about that. they are mounting troops along the border of a democratic ally, ukraine. and that is a danger not just to ukraine, but also to europe and to the united states. so this diplomacy that we'll see tomorrow led by secretary sherman, that is a key piece in the decision making for vladimir putin and he now knows what the choices are before him. >> the u.s. is set to hold wider talks wider talks with nato. the biden administration working with the allies to assemble a punishing set of financial, technological and military sanctions against russia only after they invade. will the administration get support that we need from allies, from the rest of europe? >> it's a great question. this is really how we are sharpening, we the united states, are sharpening the point for vladimir putin, making it very clear there is a negative outcome if he continues to threaten his neighbor and invades ukraine. these are punishing sanctions, that are not unilateral, they are multilateral. the united states has been working with our european allies and getting them on board. it demonstrates strong american global leadership. that leadership, meaning the united states working with europe, has real tangible impact. it's crucial our allies want to be engaged in these sanctions that means they will get hurt by having the sanctions to work with us to mitigate the risks to the economy. this is a major signal. it's unity. it scares russia. unity is what russia doesn't want between us and the europeans. we see a lot of misinformation being pushed forward by russia to try to undermine that. these are sharp choices. that's why they are being laid out right now. >> the question is, will they be enough to keep russia from invading ukraine rather than having to put those sanctions in place should they invade ukraine. nbc news is reporting the u.s. is working with nato allies to arrange for delivery of anti-aircraft missiles to ukraine. they have prepare aid new military package for the country. do you see this as ever -- the u.s. ever getting involved further, sending financial aid and artillery, boots on the ground on as well? how far could this go is the question? >> yeah, i'm glad you brought that up. russia has to understand that it's not just a risk to their economy and to their global standing to invade ukraine. there will be pain for them and their people if they invade ukraine. the ukrainian people understand what russia has done by inviting crimea. they have been preparing for eight years to defend their homeland. the united states is making it clear we are going to support ukrainian people in such an effort to repel russia if russia invades. that's a painful risk. they need to understand that standing down is in their interest, going forward is not. >> we will leave it there. we will be monitoring the talks and check back with you for the latest updates. joel rubin, we appreciate your time. >> thank you. extreme weather is sweeping the nation. we will tell you how it's impacting travel and if there's any relief in sight. any relief in sight. offer prescription copays as low as zero dollars? ♪ ♪ so you won't have a medicare in the world. ♪ ♪ plus, 90-day refills and same day delivery. larry? 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[girls laugh] -nice smile, brad. -nice! thanks? crest 3d white. 100% stain removal. crest. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. severe weather across the u.s. is causing more travel chaos. almost 3,000 flights are canceled today, according to flight aware. this has more than 30 million americans under winter weather alerts. the national weather service now saying snow accumulations greater than a foot are possible downwind of the great lakes. we turn to michelle grossman. what can we expect in the coming days? >> good morning. so good to see you. we are looking very active. we are looking at ice, severe storms, or a threat for severe weather later today. it's all about the cold. that's the big weather story this week. let's take a look at radar. it shows you what is happening right now. this is the big weather story. a front from new england down through the south central states. you can see lightning strikes on the warm end of the front through louisiana, into arkansas and tennessee. on the cold side, see pink and purple. that's where the freezing rain is falling. that's our immediate concern as you are out and about. we urge you to stay home in these spots if you can. it's difficult to travel with freezing rain falling. hazleton, state college, williamsport, lock haven, places like that. we have snow falling where you see blue. along the great lakes we will see snow falling heavy as we go throughout the day. 32 million people impacted today where you see all the alerts in place, white is winter weather advisory, winter storm watch in blue. an ice stormwarning in purple. that could bring down power lines. we could see outages there. that's a lot of ice. slick travel today. tricky travel. be careful. if you can hold off until this afternoon, that would be better. dangerously cold air in the northern plains. this will make its way to the northeast tomorrow. we are waking up to temperatures 45 degrees below zero. that's the windchill. that's what it feels like. dress for those temperatures. we will see winds gusting at 45 miles per hour. on the warm side of the storm system, we are looking at thunderstorms early this morning. the dynamics are there for the threat for severe weather. this comes from the storm prediction center. they are experts in severe storms. the areas to watch along the gulf coast states. we are looking at the chance for 60 mile per hour winds, large hail, even the chance of a tornado. we will be watching as we go throughout the sunday. heavy rain, that's a big thing. where you see darker colors, yellow, orange, heaviest rain. places like nashville got snow this week. we will see that snow being washed away. we will add to values. they had severe storms last weekend. then it's about this cold blast, the arctic blast. look at these temperatures. looking at this graphic makes me cold. temperatures, 5 degrees in green bay monday afternoon. >> we started to have the warmth. we knew it was just coming, it was going to be here for 2022. we appreciate it. >> it's here. >> yes, it's here. it's just starting. everybody, lock in. stay home if you can. thanks for watching. velshi starts right now. it was important to election officials who formed a firewall. what happens in the next presidential election? if any of the dozens of trump loyalists, big lie pedalers who are running for statewide office win this year? i will be joined by some of the key players who have been watching and fighting this battle. new research on vaccines and the omicron variant. what the white house needs to do to shut down a potentially endless procession of new variants. the stakes could not be higher ahead of the talks between the united states and russia. vladimir putin continues to mass troops along the ukrainian border.

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