troops immediately, but obviously, he s chosen not to do that, at least right now. and we know u.s. authorities believe the potential of having more nato forces brought into eastern europe is what makes putin most uncomfortable? this would appear to be part of their ongoing strategy to warn that this, could, in fact be coming. reporter: it is, david. they want to pressure putin, but not provoke him or give him a reason to invade, because despite putting these troops on heightened alert, the white house said today that president biden and the european leaders are still hoping for a diplomatic resolution. david? martha raddatz, thank you. we turn now to the pandemic. authorities are urging caution tonight, but they are optimistic about what they re starting to see in parts of the country where the omicron variant hit first. cases down 10% nationwide. the average in a week. but 19 states tonight are reporting that cases are still rising, at least 10%. and they urge, do not let your