the president of venezuela vowing to block aid from getting past his border. opposition supporters aren't listening as they prepare to face the blockade head on. plus, an american r & b singer, r kelly denied accusations of sexual abuse for years. now, he faces multiple charges as victims wonder if justice will be served. also ahead, the owner of new england patriots facing charges of prostitution and a trafficking crackdown in the state of florida. live from cnn in atlanta, we

want to welcome our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm george howell. "cnn newsroom" starts right now. 4:00 a.m. on the u.s. east coast. we start with venezuela's humanitarian crisis. in a few hours time, the opposition will try to bring food and medicine from neighboring countries into venezuela. the president, maduro is vowing to stop it. he says the aid is not needed. the vice president says it's poisoned in carcinogen. aid is being stacked, ready for delivery. the stand off near brazil's border has become deadly. officials say at least two people were killed there and 17 hurt when venezuela troops opened fire.

the u.n. secretary general called on venezuela not to use lethal force. two concerts were held. a pro-opposition event. in columbia on the right side and a pro-madiuro one. >> juan guaido -- >> we are hoping the army is standing on that bridge will hear the music and that tomorrow, when people bring white roses to those people on the bridge, they will let the much needed supplies in. >> a million people inside, potentially as many here. they say they will prevent aid

from getting across. there's a lot that could go wrong. >> there's always things that could go wrong in life. nobody is going to try to force the bridge and -- >> would you oppose that, if they did? >> juan guaido is handling that side of things. we are handling the humanitarian aid. juan guaido will take over tomorrow and try to get aid into his country. that's something we are not part of. >> after this, are you done with venezuela? >> no. if the bridge doesn't open tomorrow, you'll get fed up seeing us until humanitarian aid gets into the country. >> richard branson speaking there. we'll talk about that and more

with rory carol. rory is a correspondent for the guardian newspaper and wrote a book on venezuelan leader, hugo c chavez. thank you for your time. >> good morning. thank you for having me. >> as people from the columbian side of the border, the military on that side, the guards standing by watch, what do you expect to happen? what do you expect to see as opposition tries to bring across this aid to venezuela? >> what we are seeing is a combustible game of chicken, where the two sides raise the stakes to fever pitch. we have to see who blinks first. clearly, it's a test of strength of both sides and we need to see whether the military, everything hinges on the venezuelan military and what they are going to do to fracture and defections

and cascade of defections to the opposition. we have not seen that yet. so, at the moment, it looks to be in favor of maduro and the government. they lost the public relations battle. they retain the guns and the power in venezuela. so, this game of chicken at the time, seems to be favoring the government. >> will there be sharp resistance, do you think, or openings in the strategy? >> it's a fluid situation. really, anything can happen. i mean, we have seen the past few days, people have died and this could swiftly escalate. the government is an threat.

the opposition feels that the clock, in some ways, is against them. they have brought this deadline on themselves to try to reach a crunch point, in which case it will be a cascade of events in their favor. that's why they are putting all their eggs in this basket. the question is, the opposition and backers in the united states and elsewhere, is there a plan "b." what happens if they don't change sides? we could then enter if the opposition, a dangerous phase where they would lose momentum. the opposition doesn't want to lose momentum. they are hoping there will be a breakthrough of sorts in the next few days. the question is, if that happens, will there be violence and if so, how much? >> of course, we have to see

what this means. if the aid is able to get into venezuela, what will that mean for maduro? if it's not able to get in, what will it mean for juan guaido? thank you for your time. now, to the russia investigation. we are still waiting for an important part of robert mueller's probe, a key deadline, regarding the sentencing deadline for paul manafort came and went several hours ago. that filing, concerning donald trump's former campaign chair is set to outline facts the judge should consider when sentencing manafort next month. it deals with charges including conspiracy to defraud the u.s. and conspiracy to obstruct justice. in the meantime, the justice department says special counsel robert mueller will not release his final report as previously

was indicated. u.s. attorney general, william barr will get the first look at the report, then decide how to release it. democrats want that report made public. when and if it is made public, it will be one of the most pored over documents in washington, d.c. and this nation in years. tom foreman checks out what might be in it. >> reporter: did donald trump's campaign collude with the russians to help him win the 2016 presidential election? that has been the key question all along for the mueller probe. if we get to see mueller's report, it could shed a lot of light on that topic. u.s. intelligence agencies long believed the russian government was behind the effort to hack democratic e-mail servers to pass that information on to wikileaks and have it published with the aim of hurting hillary clinton's campaign. the mueller report could tell us

details of how that happened and whether or not members of the president's team were involved in that process. it could tell us more, too, about the general contact between trump associates and the russians. we know about the trump tower meeting and several others. we know from his former attorney, michael cohen, who has been working with the special prosecutor, that trump was working on business dealings in moscow, late into the campaign. we know numerous trump associates lied about their contact with the russians, initially. this could tell us more about what was going on and who was involved. that could bring up other names out there that lawmakers and analysts talked about for a long time. were they involved in anything? the report could completely clear them or drag them deeper. we have to find out. lastly, what about donald trump, himself? he said all along, this is a

witch hunt, a hoax, there was no collusion. if the mueller report says something was happening, lawmakers are going to want to know, what did he know, when did he know it and were any laws broken? all of that could be revealed by the mueller report, maybe some of it, maybe none of it. we have to see if and when that report is made public. >> all right, tom foreman, we have to wait and see. another key trump player, michael cohen is reportedly giving federal prosecutors new information about the trump family's business. president trump's former attorney offered information on possible irregularities in the trump organization. michael cohen is set to start a three-year prison sentence in may for breaking campaign finance laws. first, he will appear before congress next week.

president trump says he is not concerned with cohen's testimony. let's talk about it. natasha, a professor of government at the university of essex goingi essex joining us at this hour. >> thanks for having me. >> how do you see this playing out with democrats who will push to make the report as public as possible? >> they have already talked about this. they have made it very clear. if there is any indication the attorney general has not published the full report and is hiding things, they think that is, you know, their duty to make it clear to the american public. they are going to try to subpoena this. this could get in a political battle that may end up in the courts. they are hoping all the report is communicated to the public so everybody has all the information. >> look, through court filings, we have been getting key insights into mueller's

investigation. it's as if he has been writing this report in public. do you think we can expect surprises when that report is finally released? >> well, it's hard to say. i think people are still wondering whether or not there's going to be more indictments that may take place. there was constant talk about there could be an indictment of jared kushner or don jr. there could be surprises whether or not donald trump was involved himself. we have to wait to see what happens. the heart of the investigation is whether or not the trump campaign had been working in and cooperating with the russians to undermine the election. it's about which players were involved in this and the level of involvement of the president. the question is, was he not involved at all, unwittingly or

acting to undermine and defraud the u.s. government? >> i want to ask you, regarding michael cohen, the u.s. president said he's not concerned what cohen says on capitol hill. could cohen's comments cause complications? >> trump is doing a great job pretending not to be concerned about what he is going to say. he should be incredibly worried. this is his most trusted adviser with lots of dirt on him. michael cohen had been working to pay hush money to individuals to silence them. what he's going to reveal in more detail are some of the activities of trump's businesses that could be very suspicious. the suspicious activity during the inaugural campaign and with his charities. he could unload a heap of information that will be, you

know, very public that could be incredibly damaging to the president. maybe not legally, but definitely politically. >> natasha, the latest reporting on cohen. it touches on several other investigation that is are currently in play, even one report that this president could be dogged with investigations for many, many years to come. >> yeah. i'm impressed by how well he deflects and says everything is fine, if the report is truthful, everything is fine. 17 ongoing investigations. you know, if he doesn't get re-elected in 2020, he is going to be in serious trouble. >> i see. natasha, thank you, again, for your time. >> thanks for having me. still ahead on "cnn newsroom." the patriots charged for vous.

the serious charges against robert kraft. ♪ t-mobile will do the math for you. right now, when you join t-mobile, you get two lines of unlimited with two of the latest phones included for just one hundred bucks a month. (client's voice) remember that degree you got in taxation? (danny) of course you don't because you didn't! your job isn't understanding tax code... it's understanding why that... will get him a body like that... move! ...that. your job isn't doing hard work... here. ...it's making her do hard work... ...and getting paid for it. (vo) snap and sort your expenses to save over $4,600 at tax time. (danny) jody... ...it's time to get yours! (vo) quickbooks. backing you.

we were paying an arm and a leg for postage. i remember setting up shipstation. one or two clicks and everything was up and running. i was printing out labels and saving money. shipstation saves us so much time. it makes it really easy and seamless. pick an order, print everything you need, slap the label onto the box, and it's ready to go. our costs for shipping were cut in half. just like that. shipstation. the #1 choice of online sellers. go to shipstation.com/save and get 2 months free. shipstation. the #1 choice of online sellers. ♪

she's doing it again. no cover up spray here... it's the irresistibly fresh scent of febreze air effects. cheaper aerosols can cover up odors, burying the smell in a flowery fog. switch to febreze air effects! febreze eliminates even the toughest odors from the air. and it uses an all-natural propellant to leave behind a pleasant scent you'll love. use anywhere odors can spread. freshen up, don't cover up. febreze air effects. i couldn't catch my breath. it was the last song of the night. it felt like my heart was skipping beats. they said i had afib. what's afib? i knew that meant i was at a greater risk of stroke. i needed answers. my doctor and i chose xarelto® to help keep me protected from a stroke. once-daily xarelto®, a latest-generation blood thinner significantly lowers the risk of stroke in people with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. warfarin interferes with at least 6

of your body's natural blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective, targeting just one critical factor. for afib patients well managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® compares in reducing the risk of stroke. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily, or take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. get help right away for unexpected bleeding or unusual bruising. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. before starting, tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures and any kidney or liver problems. learn all you can to help protect yourself from a stroke. talk to your doctor about xarelto®. welcome back toe "cnn newsroom," i'm george howell. the current ambassador to canada is expected to represent the

united states at the united nations. kelli kraft has made a fortune in the coal industry. hailey offered her congratulations here and said craft would be a strong voice for america at the united nations. now to the u.s. singer r. kelly is facing charges for sexual abuse after years of rumors. he turned himself into chicago police friday night, hours after he was indicted. if convicted, kelly could be facing up to 70 years in prison. cnn's sarah sidner had the latest for you from chicago. >> reporter: stunning developments here in chicago. r. kelly is now in police custody. we know the state's attorney has a warrant that was put out for his arrest, a no bail warrant, which means if the judge agrees to it, he will not be let out of

jail until his trial. we should mention the counts brought against him. the charges, there are ten of them. they are ten counts of aggravated sexual abuse against four women. the state's attorney detailing what they were by using the women's initials. three of the women in those counts were under the age of 17, so sexual abuse of a minor and one that was later on the person was of age. what we can tell you is that r. kelly left his studio on friday night. we were there and captured that. he came straight here to central booking and chicago. photographers captured the moment when he walked into custody. this has been -- there have been decades, deck kaades and decade women coming forwards saying r. kelly abused them. some were minors at the time. some of the cases went to court and were settled out of court.

fast forward to 2019 and you see these indictments. the indictments come 11 years after he was in trial on 14 charges of child pornography. now, he was acquitted in that case. that case involved a video tape. a video tape prosecutors said had a girl on it who was underage and r. kelly engaged in sex acts with the girl. they lost that case because, partly the jury did not and was not able to believe it was actually r. kelly on the tape nor the girl on the tape. they were unable to positively identify either of them. that is why he was acquitted in the tape. there was another tape, handed over to the state's attorney's office. we know a grand jury was convened. now, we are here today and r. kelly is in police custody. a very big development here in

chicago. certainly, he was a top r & b singer. now, that singer is in police custody, waiting his bail. sarah sidner, cnn, chicago. >> thank you. r. kelly's attorney says everyone is trying to profit off his client. the alleged victims were lying and kelly would vindicated. listen. >> unfortunately, the state's attorney succumbed to public pressure from grand standers like michael avenatti and gloria allred and brought the charges. mr. kelly is strong and has a lot of support and is going to be vindicated on the charges, one by one, if it has to be. >> do you think these women are lying? >> yes. >> all of them? >> i think all the women are lying. now, to the billionaire owner of the new england patriots football team is charged with two counts of

soliciting prostitution. he paid for sex acts twice at a massage parlor in florida. it stems from a month's long sting operation and what police are calling an investigation. jason carroll has the story. >> we are as equally stunned as everyone else. >> reporter: police in jupiter, florida shocked that robert kraft was caught in their sting operation at the orchids of daja. >> much of our evidence comes directly from the businesses, also from body worn cameras of our officers and also surveillance that we had been conducting. >> reporter: police say kraft visits the spa on two occasions and have videos receiving what detectives characterize as paid

acts. their investigation into human trafficking in the spa lasted several months. two dozen men, including kraft, are charged for receiving illegal services. >> he's charged with the same offense as the others. >> reporter: kraft, whose team won the super bowl three weeks ago is the chairman and ceo of the kraft group. he's worth more than $6 billion and he is a friend of the president and a frequent visitor to trump's club, mar-a-lago. >> very sad. i was surprised to see it. he's proclaimed his innocence, totally. i'm very surprised to see it. >> reporter: a spokesman for the 77-year-old billionaire says we deny that mr. kraft engaged in illegal activity. because it is a judicial matter, we will not be commenting further. the kraft family has been active over the years, but police now

say they will be issuing a warrant for his arrest. jason carroll, cnn, new york. >> thanks. the american actor accused of staging an attack on himself is being cut from "empire" final two shows. he returned to the set thursdays. after posting bail, he apologized for any embarrassment, but maintains innocence. police have overwhelming evidence smollett paid two men to attack him in hopes of bolstering his career. a week later than planned, but the polls are open in nigeria. what is at stake for africa's largest economy? plus, the u.s. and russia and a war of words. russia is not afraid to escalate to a full-on missile crisis. scary story, but we have the details. stay with us.

so, the fairy queen found the best spot next to the river... and we all rushed down to meet her... and we all became the rulers of the fairydom... nana?... we have the best adventures together. at country inn & suites by radisson, we're on the way to wherever you're going.

tremfya® is for adults with remoderate. to severe plaque psoriasis. with tremfya®, you can get clearer. and stay clearer. in fact, most patients who saw 90% clearer skin at 28 weeks stayed clearer through 48 weeks. tremfya® works better than humira® at providing clearer skin and more patients were symptom free with tremfya®. tremfya® may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or have symptoms such as: fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough. before starting tremfya® tell your doctor if you plan to or have recently received a vaccine. ask your doctor about tremfya®. tremfya®. because you deserve to stay clearer. janssen wants to help you explore cost support options.

all of you. how you live, what you love. that's what inspired us to create america's most advanced internet. internet that puts you in charge. that protects what's important. it handles everything,

and reaches everywhere. this is beyond wifi, this is xfi. simple. easy. awesome. xfinity, the future of awesome. welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and around the world, you are watching "cnn newsroom," live from atlanta. i'm george howell with the headlines. in a few hour's time, venezuela's opposition will try to bring food and medicine in from neighboring countries. they are closed columbia and brazil's border. near the brazilian border, two people were killed in a squirmish with venezuelan troops. no word on robert mueller's sentencing for paul manafort.

the former campaign chief is due to be sentenced for conspiracy to defraud the united states and con spearty to obstruct justice. the filing was due several hours ago. i's expected to give us a revealing look into mueller's investigation. in the u.s., singer r. kelly turned himself into chicago police. you can see the video there, after he was indicted on ten counts of sexual abuse. the case involves four victims andesites incidents from 1998 to 2010. kelly previously denied similar accusations. he is expected to be in court saturday. now, to nigeria where the polls are open this hour, but there have been problems. today's voting comes after a week's long delay. the presidential and parliamentary election was suddenly postponed last saturday. they cited lodgist cal reasons but many are skeptical.

they are pointing fingers at each other and they are blaming low voter turnout. let's get the latest from david mckenzie. david is in johannesburg. we start with you, stephanie. what are you seeing at the polls? what is the feeling, the mood, as people, i guess return to vote after not being able to do so a week ago? >> yes, so, what we are seeing here is more delays this morning. you know, people have been here for hours, two hours after the voting was supposed to start. election officials haven't turned up. you know, it's just a disappointment for many. they were telling us they were hoping after the delay last week, things would have -- they would have expected things to start on time. what is obvious, the sense we are getting here at the polling stations, we have been to

several. nigerians are determined for their votes and voices to be heard. i spoke to one young lady that came off a night shift straight to a polling station. she was waiting patiently. she expressed her disappointment, but determined to cast a vote. the president voted. several thousand citizens have not had a chance. here, behind me, at this polling station, voting started. there's a sense of relief. people are smiling. they are happy to finally, africa's largest voting is under way. >> stephanie, stand by. we will bring in david. david, there are delays, as stephanie pointed out. after a week-long delay, talk to us about that and what has been the reaction to that delay? is there a sense it may play into the low voter turnout? >> reporter: well, it's unclear

at this stage. certainly, it's more important how an election ends than how it begins. certainly, there will be frustration against nigerians, many who were at the polls last week to vote only to find out when they arrived at the polling station, they couldn't vote. the last two elections, there were delays. some cases days, in other cases weeks. the disturbing news is there were more security issues at the capitol. though those details are sketchy, it points to the overall security situation northeast of the country. across nigeria, more than 2 million people are displaced. they will be, if they can, trying to vote today. the fear of being targeted because of voting shows how high the stakes are, not just for nigerians, but the region. this country is yearning for

stability and end to the corruption and these elections are obviously a critical point, a possible flash point. the world will be watching this election closely. george? >> following this story in johannesburg and lagos. thank you both very much. in syria, the president agreed to keep 400 troops on the ground even after most will return home in a few months. president trump says he is not reversing course, baa small force of american soldiers will, quote, stop it from starting again. the troops will be part of a multinational force to keep the peace and target isis remnants and prevent the terror groups resurgence. 200 were scheduled to stay in syria, at a base in syria near the border with iraq. russia's president says he is ready for a cuban

missile-style crisis, if that's what the u.s. wants. that's after the u.s. president suspended the cold war era nuclear arms treaty. they have been warning russia will respond in kind. fred has the latest. >> reporter: vladimir putin ratcheting up the rhetoric against the u.s. the russian leader saying if there was a nuclear stand off between moscow and washington, he wouldn't back down. >> translator: this is no reason to escalate to the levels of the cuban missile crisis of the 1960s. we do not want this. if somebody else wants this, okay, go ahead. i have said what will happen then. let them do their math. >> reporter: a factor in putin's calculation, his growing missile arsenal. if the u.s. deploys nukes in europe, russia will place hypersonic missiles flying at nine times the speed of sound,

off the u.s. coast. >> translator: nobody can prohib it warships and submarines from navigating in neutral waters, plus, they will not be stationary. they will be on the go, making it more difficult to detect them. >> reporter: despite his friendly relationship with president trump, he vastly accelerating the missile programs. it gives moscow the edge over america. >> translator: how long would it take to reach the decision making centers that threaten us? the calculation is not in their favor, at least not today. this is obvious. >> reporter: russia, north korea and iran, american adversaries with limited defense budgets, looking to neutralize american military dominance with long range missile capabilities. a former iran guard telling cnn the rockets are used as bargaining chips. >> translator: one of our

policies is to expand the missile program. this is exactly the path we are following. the more they increase the sanctions, the more we will boost our missile capabilities. >> reporter: russia, too, had to cut military spending because of u.s. sanctions. the missile program, vladimir putin says, continues to move forward, full speed ahead. cnn, moscow. >> fred, thank you. catholic leaders are gathered in the vatican to confront the scandalous behavior of priests with children. we take you live to rome for the three-day summit taking place there. also, battering cold in parts of the united states. the forecast for the midwest. it's already buried in snow.

audible members know listening has the power to change us, make us better people. with audible, you get more. two audible originals- exclusive titles you can't find anywhere else.

plus a credit good for any audiobook and exclusive fitness and wellness programs. all with our commitment free guarantee and always ad free. the most inspiring minds. the most compelling stories. the best place to listen. download audible and start your free trial today. this is charlie not coughing because he took delsym 12-hour. and this is charlie still not coughing while trying his hardest not to wake zeus. delsym 12-hour. nothing lasts longer for powerful cough relief.

it is day three of the vatican summit on the clergy sex

awe bus. the theme around the talks, the theme is transparency. church leaders have come together around the world and the goal is to tackle a scandal that rocked the church for many decades. it comes at a time the church is facing increased scrutiny from law enforcement. a dozen states are conducting their own investigation into alleged misconduct by priests. rosa is joining us live from rome. good to have you. the focus, obviously transparency. how is the vatican framing that proposal and what are some of the differences it would mean for the catholic church? >> reporter: hi, george. you know, we are already seeing some of the transparency in action in some of the small things we are seeing that the vatican is doing differently. this summit, for example, is completely live streamed on the internet for the public to see. they have a website, as well,

with all the information, the presentations, videos of the bishops reacting to different parts of this summit, which we had not seen before. so, it has been very, very transparent in that sense and holding press conferences every day where journalists can ask the speakers questions. right now, we are hearing a speech by cardinal archbishop of munich, talking about transparency at the moment. this is live and we are able to see it from our office. anyone around the world can do the same. he mentioned for him transparency means actions, decisions, processes, procedures are understandable and also traceable. we'll learn more as we continue watching his speech. before him, there was a very dynamic and eloquent and down to earth nun from nigeria that also

expressed what she meant by transparency and what the church could do to be transparent. this is a nun from nigeria and the church is in a state of crisis and shame and in preparation for this summit, she watched the movie "spotlight" and she came to tears at the very end when she started seeing all of the names and all of the cases that were coming out of the united states. so, she was asking for courageous transparency so the church could move beyond this and could also heal and also all of the catholics. so, george, there is a lot of dynamic discussion going on, survivors have been participating, some in video testimonies and, of course, there have been survivors on the sidelines holding events,

holding demonstrations. as a matter of fact, in 15 minutes or so, there will be a demonstration of survivors. they are trying to march. we are not clear if that is going to happen. we are monitoring and will bring it to you, if that's the case. then i leave you with this, george, as you probably heard pope francis released 21 reflection points he gave to bishops. survivors are going to release their own 21 reflection points. we are waiting to hear from them on that to see what they have to say. >> it will be interesting to see the differences between what the vatican is putting forward and what the survivors had to say as well. rosa florez is on that story. a powerful storm system threatening the central part of the united states with heavy snow and tornadoes. meteorologist derek van dam is here to tell us about it. a very busy day across the

u.s., keep an eye in the sky. you mentioned tornadoes. i want to talk about the evolution of the storm, where it began. let me take you to flagstaff, arizona. an incredible time lapse video of 40 inches of snow, a daily record for the city of flagstaff, all right before your eyes. what? pretty incredible to see that amount of snow accumulate that quickly. of course it's sped up, the power of tv, right? amazing amounts of snowfall. this eclipse the previous record in 2019. 30 inches of snow, just yesterday, they had officially 36 inches in a 24-hour period. that wasn't the entire storm total they saw over 40 inches of snow at the flagstaff international airport. higher amounts in other locations as well. you get the gist. several feet of snow across

arizona, utah as well. that's where we have the winter storm warnings. that shade of red, i tried to highlight it with two words, it is full-on blizzard conditions stretching from nebraska through iowa into wisconsin and parts of minnesota and the upper peninsula of michigan. there's a lot of wind associated with this system. the potential to bring down trees, take out electricity is real today. the warm sector of the storm, as the cold front undercuts that, potential for severe weather exists. the storm center issued a moderate risk of severe storms, some could create large track tornadoes, hail, damaging winds. we are focusing our attention east of memphis, outside tuscaloosa and jackson. right in the southern portion of the u.s. is where we expect an outbreak of severe storms today. on top of that threat, ongoing rainfall and potential for more flooding. look at the national weather

service warning and watch page. it's stretching from arkansas through the ohio river valley. we have several million americans under threat and that is ongoing with the rainfall in the forecast. nashville, tennessee, this is the second rainiest february on record. you have clocked in 11 inches of rain. in fact, the entire southeastern u.s. is above average. we have had a very wet winter to say the least. it continues to pile up with additional rainfall expected today and through the weekend. boy, we were talking about that with my friend george here. we have not seen the sun here in atlanta, georgia. it has to have been five days now. i want to see sun. >> it's like we are socked in. >> it is. true. >> derek, thank you. >> all right. the u.s. senator clashed with a group of children while discussing the issue of climate change policy. california democrat, diane

finestein met with a youth advocate group. they asked her to vote yes on a green deal, a ten-year plan to mitigate climate change. finestein said it is unworkable. they say she was disrespectful to them. watch. >> is there something to get turned around in ten years? you are looking at the faces of those living with it. >> the government is supposed to be working for the people, by the people -- >> you know what's interesting about this group is i have been doing this for 30 years. i know what i'm doing. you come in here and you say it has to be my way or the highway. i don't respond to that. i've gotten elected. i just ran. i was elected by almost a million votes. i know what i'm doing. so, you know, maybe people should listen a little bit.

>> i hear what you are saying, but we are the people who voted you. you are supposed to listen. >> how old are you? >> i'm 16. >> you didn't vote for me. >> finestein says the children were heard loud and clear and it remains a top priority. >> one of the oscar nominated films might terrify you, if you are afraid of heights. it's a documentary about a man's incredible fete, planning, ability and raw nerves. the details ahead. ♪ ♪ and everywhere i go ♪ there's always something to remind me ♪ ♪ of another place and time ♪

♪

♪ of another place and time ♪ okay, i never thought i'd say this, but i found bladder leak underwear that's actually pretty. surprised? it's called always discreet boutique. it looks and fits like my underwear. i know what you're thinking. how can something this pretty protect? hidden inside is a super absorbent core that quickly turns liquid to gel for incredible protection. so i feel protected and pretty.

always discreet boutique. new color. new size. hollywood's biggest awards night, the oscars. it's a day away, sunday. one of the film's nominated is the documentary "free solo" about a stunning climb up a sheer cliff that is so high, it dwarfs the eiffel tower in paris, new york umpire state building. national geographic is behind the film and will show it on their network come march 3rd. hold your breath for this one. we have the report. >> reporter: no ropes, no harness, nothing between alex

and the ground, hundreds of meters below. >> i get afraid, just like anybody does. i know some things are scary. when i know what i'm doing and fell well, it's medicating. if i start to hesitate and get scared, it's a nightmare. >> reporter: at yosemite national park, he was the first to climb this with no gear. it's called free soloing. one slip could be the difference between life and death. >> the day i free soloed it, i was scared. it's early morning and i felt tired. whoa! look at that wall. at the same time, everything was pointing toward that moment. when that moment arrived, it happened. >> reporter: the dream, turned real life challenge is the subject of a documentary called "free solo." it captures hair raising moments of the day he climbed el

capitan. >> it's definitely a bigger mental challenge than physical. people see the film and think it is terrifying. it would be if you weren't prepared for it. >> reporter: careful choreography of every move, practicing protection before the climb. one section, called sleepless nights, nicknamed the boulder problem. it required a series of intricate moves. >> you have half your thumb on the hold. >> it took 3:56 to finish. the scale sinking in as he approached the summit. >> every time i see the end of the film, it puts me in the mood of what it felt like to get to the top. when i came over the summit, this is awesome. incredible. >> reporter: despite global recognition for the climb, he

says this achievement will always be a personal one. >> regardless of the media, i can have a picnic with the family and say it's deeply satisfying. >> cnn is partnering with people around the world for a student led day of action against modern day slavery march 14th. ahead of my freedom day, we asked an actor, nominated for an oscar, for best actor and supporting role for his role in "green book." we asked him, what makes you feel free? >> i believe what makes me feel free is being able to go for exactly what i want. to work to be the person i want to be and be enfranchised and support supported along the way. bringing things about my life.

>> you can tell the world what makes you feel free #myfreedomday. thank you for being with us. i'm george howell at the "cnn newsroom" in atlanta. stay with us. is time you make for yourself. aveeno® daily moisturizing lotion improves skin hydration in just one day. and for twice the moisture, try the body wash too. aveeno®. naturally beautiful results®.

12 hours? 20 dogs? where's your belly rubs? after a day of chasing dogs you shouldn't have to chase down payments. (vo) send invoices and accept payments to get paid twice as fast. (danny) it's time to get yours! (vo) quickbooks. backing you. unpredictable crohn's symptoms following you? for adults with moderately to severely active crohn's disease, stelara® works differently. studies showed relief and remission, with dosing every 8 weeks. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection or flu-like symptoms or sores, have had cancer, or develop new skin growths, or if anyone in your house needs or recently had a vaccine. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems. these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. some serious allergic reactions and lung inflammation can occur. talk to your doctor today, and learn how janssen can help you explore cost support options. remission can start with stelara®.

a deepening power struggle in venezuela, the guaido-led rally for humanitarian aid and the maduro military pushes back. in syria, thousands of civilians flee the last patch of land still under the terrorist group's control. despite significant