created by opening windows will and there. it faces the television on the angle that isn't direct so he can still talk to everybody but not so wide that the picture looks distorted. >> perhaps there is hope for you after all. title changes. harry and meghan reach an agreement with the queen over their change in royal status. we'll have a live report about that. also u.s. president donald trump's lawyers officially respond to the impeachment charges against him. also -- ♪ >> women against donald trump take to the streets in several american cities yet again. it's all ahead here this hour. welcome to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world coming to you live from atlanta, ga, i'm natalie

allen. "newsroom" starts right now. 4:00 a.m. in atlanta on the u.s. east coast. thank you for joining us. the top story the house of windsor has decided the fate of the duke and duchess of sussex. harry and meghan will no longer be working members of the royal family. the couple will no longer represent the queen. use the title his or her royal highness or receive funds for royal duties. big changes. in the statement the queen wished them well saying this, harry, meghan and archie will always be much loved members of the family, but many questions remain surrounding what is next for the couple. let's talk about that with our

royal correspondent max foster up early for us there in london. good morning to you, max, outside buckingham palace. so, big changes. how do you characterize in the larger scheme of things with this royal family what harry and meghan are nowing to? >> he's given up his royal roles and so has she. they were arguing to have a half in half out sort of model. a hybrid model where they continue serving in the monarchy and they outlined that all on the that website. they have not been allowed that. they have to remain as they are or leave and the couple have chosen to leave. so, they are now private citizens and the monarchy is even more slimmed down than was the plan and it leaves prince william in a situation where he holds the whole generation.

>> i wanted to ask you about that, max. we've seen william and harry side by side growing up together. >> there is and there has been for a while and speaking to some people behind palace walls who say this shouldn't have got to this point, this was a crisis and burst out into the public. there has been tension between the two and that has got worse and worse over time. what the queen was doing speaking so fondly of harry and meghan. this was drawing a line under that. and osn a personal level, they won't have the source of conflicts that caused all the tension up until now, but they are still members of the family. they will come and appear on the balcony behind me at family events and the queen will invite

them along to things and they won't have the role that comes with that and that's a big question going forward. >> but they are still using the sussex royal brand, are they not? and how will they use that? how much independence will they have and just anyone talking about how they will support themselves. >> we're actually waiting for an update on that. we did ask the question yesterday about sussex royal because a lot of this debate would have been around on how they capitalize on the royal brand and commercialize it effectively. one discussion is that they take the royal out of all their future branding. we are told that sussex royal remaining, there will be an update on that. just how they message this out. the website is still up and running and it's already out of date and inaccurate. the whole thing needs to be updated anyway. presumably they'll tell us at the same time and how they will be known in the future and

perhaps from the statement from the queen, i'm sure the sussexes looked at it before they went out and the world knows them as meghan and harry. they'll be meghan and harry or harry and meghan. they won't use the royal highness titles that go ahead of that. but they are more informal than other royals. they always have. they'll opt for harry and meghan over duke and duchess anyway. >> thank you, max. all right. so, now what? the couple has said they wanted to live part-time in north america adding they have a strong connection to canada. cnn's paula newton takes a look at how canadians are reacting. she's in ought waw. >> really taking this news in their stride. they believe, look, if harry and meghan want to live in canada,

so be it. that changes dramatically if they access funds for anything like security. the issue is many canadians sympathize with this couple in terms of the kind of scrutiny they are under and proud to provide some kind of privacy for them. they had an incident on the west coast when they were in british colombia over christmas. the couple did not take a picture of meghan and harry, they did not intrude on that life. it is that kind of life that they want to try to get to. but the issue of security is still a sticky one and the palace themselves and the statement is public funded security is what is in place. the prime minister's office here officially has no comment. they say these things remain under discussion. that's when the prime minister himself. what's interesting in stepping back from their roles as royal, canada's obligation is not the same to them as if they were

working royals. it means that perhaps they won't be spending as much time in canada. that they might actually be freer now to move, as well, to the united states. paula newton, cnn, ottawa. all right. we turn now to the impeachment of u.s. president donald trump. the seven house members who will manage that are expectsed to return to washington in the hours ahead. they'll begin preparing for the senate trial that is set to start tuesday. both congressional democrats and the white house have filed their perspective legal arguments and we have two reports about it. boris sanchez is traveling with the president in florida and we begin our coverage with cnn joe yawn johns in the u.s. capitol. >> laying out the chronology and the facts and give senators a view as to what the framers of

the united states constitution might say about the president indicating, in their view, the president's conduct is the framers' worst nightmare. a lot of this is information we all heard before during the hearings up here on capitol hill leading to the impeachment of the president. however, there were some references, a few references to newer information that has come out recently. even that report just last week from the government accountability office indicating that the president in the view of the watchdog organization, in fact, violated the law. democrats see the gao report as an important rebuttal to claims by the president's legal team that no crimes were committed or laws violated. joe johns, cnn, capitol hill. >> president trump's legal team filing its formal response to a senate summons on saturday night. the president's team saying that these articles of impeachment are completely invalid and an

attack on americans. we're learning that they plan to defend the president in three ways. first on the substance of the accusations saying that his call with president zelensky of ukraine was perfect as the president suggested and no quid pro quo between the two leaders. secondly on the actual articles of impeachment themselves suggesting what he is accused of is not an impeachable act and the process in the house of representatives arguing that president trump was not afforded due process. look at what the white house writes. quote, president trump denies each and every allegation and both articles of impeachment. they go on to write about his phone call with president zelensky of ukraine that it was completely legal and taken in furtherance of our national interest. now, sources close to the president spending the weekend

with him in mara largo is in good spirits but apparently asking people around him, why are they doing this to me? boris sanchez, cnn, traveling with the president in west palm beach, florida. let's talk about all of this with natasha, a professor of government at england's university and frequent guest here. good morning to you, natasha. >> good morning. nice to see you. >> same here. i want to begin before we dig in to what we expect from the trump side and the democrats with the comment that we heard that mr. trump made at his resort this weekend. he said, why are they doing this to me? do you think he really doesn' understand why this is happen g happening? >> i mean, that's a great question. part of president trump's personal persona, he likes to be a victim. he talks about the fact that no president in history has been attacked or criticized as much

as he has. the miller velgz was a complete witch-hunt. that this impeachment investigation and trial is going to be a hoax, another witch-hunt. so, i think he enjoys some way in relishes in being a victim because this is something he can take on the campaign trail with him. and in front of adoring audiences he can talk about the fact that he is this victim and he can rile up the republican base to come out to vote in 2020. the democrats are so extreme that they're willing to go to, to do anything in order to get rid of him. >> we should be hearing from him during the trial. senators are not allowed to have their phones in there, but he should be able to tweet. that is something new certainly in in peachment in the united states. let's look at what his lawyers are saying. they're rejecting the case against him as ilegitimate and

describe theeft to remove as dangerous. this is all driven by an effort to hurt mr. trump in the 2020 election. does that argument have merit? >> it's interesting. they didn't dispute the facts and didn't provide a long defense, although i guess they could provide more on monday. but what they're trying to say is that trump didn't break any laws. now, on that fact, we have to point to this question about whether or not he violated a campaign financial law in trying to solicit valuable information from a foreign country. and there are legal scholars that think that may have also taken place. but you also have to remember that the framers of the constitution didn't say that an impeachable offense had to rise to a crime. it doesn't necessarily have to be an indictable offense that has taken place. what the framers have in mind is to use impeachment for a remedy

for misconduct or abuse of power. and that's where trump's legal team seems to be disagreeing with let's just say the democrats in the house who are trying to try this particular case. the trump team is also trying to say that the democrats are so focused on removing trump from power and in doing the 2016 election that that is exactly what istriving this. so, we're getting into a battle about what constitutes an impeachable offense and we got a little bit of a hint of what the trump team was going to say earlier when his lawyer stated that abuse of power is not an impeachable offense. we will have a lot of disputes of what that is. as far as i'm concerned if soliciting help from a foreign country on your political opponent is not an impeachable offense, i honestly don't know what is. this is exactly what these new

reports of autocracy are doing. they're trying to get dirt on the political opponents to make the playing field unlevel. >> we have to leave it there because we have breaking news. natasha, we always appreciate you coming in. >> thanks for having me. >> sure thing. we want to take you to kiev international airport in ukraine. live pictures of a somber ceremony taking place as the bodies of the ukrainian victims of a downed ukrainian passenger jet are being repatriated. all 176 people onboard were killed after the iranian military mistakenly shot down the passenger plane just outside tehran earlier this month. this comes as iran says it plans to send the black boxes to kiev for analysis. our senior international correspondent sam kylie joins us live from ukraine with more about what is happening. hello, sam. >> well, natalie, this is as you

say this somber moment of the repatriation of the 11 victims from ukraine. nine air crew, two passengers who were killed when that ukrainian airline, passenger airliner was shot down by the iranian revolutionary guard call during that period of extreme tension between the united states and iran just in the hours after iran had fired a number of ballistic missiles, two dozen into iraqi territory and towards u.s. forces in north and western iraq. now, during that period in the hours just after that, this aircraft was downed by a surface to air missile, fired by and some reporting that there may have been two missiles. after initially denying it, the iranians have admitted it and

cooperating now with ukrainian authorities in sending the blang box, the flight recording equipment from iran back to ukraine to be analyzed here. if they fail to establish what happened in the final moments of that aircraft here, then those pieces of equipment will be sent on to france, united states and else where for even greater expert analysis. but, really, for ukraine, this is coming at a time when they were at the center of a storm. another one they are very uncomfortable with and that is, of course, the impeachment trial or impending impeachment trial of donald trump, the u.s. president, who isaccused of tryg to bring pressure to bear on this country against russian-backed rebels in the east through the suspension of military aid to ukraine in an effort it is alleged to try to put pressure on the administration here to

investigate the role of hunter biden and joe biden, the former u.s. president, presidential candidate in the potential presidential candidate this year in the presidential election. so, so,ed a mist all of this international, the nation now on a sunday morning facing a much more mundane and sad reality, which is the morning of their 11 dead. >> right, sam, as you're speaking. we are seeing the first body carried off the airplane being placed now into a hearse. presumably that of the captain of the downed airliner. it's a very sad thing to see that row of hearses there as they bring out the other victims from this plane crash. this must be a painful moment for the families, but, however, some comfort that their loved ones are coming home. overall, has ukraine, how have they felt about the cooperation

from iran on helping heal from this tragedy and the investigation that will be ongoing. ? >> natalie, in the early stages and the immediate aftermath of this tragedy when the aircraft had simply been described as having gone down, there was deep frustration. there was a sense that it was possible to discern from social media that it had been shot down after there was the publication of missiles or what appeared to be missiles striking. what appeared to be the aircraft and that created friction between ukraine and, indeed, the nations of the others on that aircraft who were killed and iran. but actually the iranians moved pretty quickly relative for example to that other aircraft that was shot down over iranian, sorry, ukrainian air space and malaysian airliner and no

responsibility from anybody and we're not withstanding the evidence coming out of holland, in particular, that describes responsibility of that. no responsibility there. the iranians did admit responsibility. and i think very significantly now sending the black boxes to ukraine as the home country of the aircraft for analysis. the flight deck, of course, with communications on that flight deck would have been in ukrainian and the iranians are doing their best to appear to be highly cooperative with the international community over this tragedy, which has overshadowed to some extent the tensions that they were feeling between iran and the united states. and at the same time, of course, on the streets of iran, there have been widespread demonstrations continuing against the government and against the government's

handling of this tragedy. so, they are trying to play catch up. but as far as the ukrainians are concerned, there is a sense of relief, not gratitude, but relief that the iranians are playing ball and allowing international experts access to those black boxes. >> sam, thank you. as we take a break here. we want to give a moment to show this very somber homecoming for the victims of the downed airliner. but they are certainly being treated one by one with tremendous dignity. so, as we go to break, we'll continue to look at this video. ♪

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big protests here in lebanon, again, taking a violent turn as demonstrators flood the

streets of beirut. the lebanese red cross says at least 200 people have been injured. for months now, protesters have been furious over the government's failure to appoint a new cabinet and the lack of economic stability. well derrick is with me now because residents are digging out while the u.s. are dealing with their own winter headaches. >> you should see this video coming out of newfoundland the east coast of canada. this snow storm actually occurred two days ago. the residents now are now just starting to get out of their homes because six-foot high drifts that, as you can see, completely buried vehicles. the storm was friday to saturday. but, i mean these visuals are amazing. a state of emergency has been declared and continues right into the day today being sunday. the federal government in ottawa

sending in military to help. the prime minister justin trudeau pledging his support on twitter, as well. i mean this, folks, this is crazy. this is what literally three feet of snow in a 48-hour period looks like. and then you factor in the winds and that's when things really start to drift up and start to get extremely deep. these are the snow totals coming out of newfoundland and st. johns international airport with 30 inches of snow from this snow. all-time record for that area. yes, this place is prone to snowfall and they get a lot of snow storms, but not of this magnitude. i had to show you those elements because just incredible to see that amount of white gold on the ground. i have to show you this forecast because, guess what. nova scotia and newfoundland and they're getting new snow today.

just as they are unburying themselves out of that deep snow pack, there is more coming to them making matters worse and very challenging especially for the people who call that area home. let's talk about the u.s. winter weather. a lot of snow taking place across the downward areas of lake huron and this is where we have winter storm warnings in effect and four to eight inches in some of those snow belts and this all has to do with how much ice covers or doesn't cover the great lakes. we have 11.5% coverage on the great lakes right now. the average just over 20%. with the minimal amount of ice coverage it allows for the lakes to enhance the snowfall activity and this is why we see this well into the second half of winter. there are the delays today that will be because of the ongoing storm that is exiting the east coast. you have to see this, too, natalie. if you think it's chilly in atlanta.

think of what they're doing in the midwest. negative 20 to 30 wind chills this morning from fargo to sioux falls and minneapolis and chicago. >> we have to just shut our mouth. >> we have no right to speak about cold days, do we. >> all right, thanks. next here, peace could be possible for two of the major factions in libya. what to expect from a major peace conference. we'll have that ahead here. women's marches across the u.s. have a much sharper focus and a new message for the white house. one they hope will show their power at the polls. we'll get into that as we push on, you're watching "cnn newsroom." did you really need the caps lock? mucinex cold and flu all-in-one.

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welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. you're watching cnn news room live from atlanta, ga. i'm natalie allen with the headlines. the duke and duchess of sussex are no longer working members of the royal family. the couple announced they wanted to step back from royal duty. in a statement, the queen said this, harry, meghan and archie will always be much loved members of her family. both the white house and the democrats have submitted outlines of their legal argument ahead of tuesday's impeachment trial. the u.s. house brief calls president trump a threat to america's national security who

should be removed from office. his attorney's counter two articles of impeachment are, quote, constitutionally invalid. right now the remains of 11 ukrainians killed enthe passenger jet are being repatriated. iranian media report the black boxes will be sent to kiev for analysis. all 176 people onboard were killed when the iranian military accidentally shot the passenger plane down earlier this month. sad day there in kiev. world leaders are meeting in germany this weekend. their aim, a lasting cease-fire in war-torn libya. u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo arrives saturday for the berlin peace conference. recognized prime minister is set to be there, as well. so is his enemy, renegade

general. they are set to be joined by angela merkel and the presidents of russia, france and turkey. what is happening in libya is often described as a civil war. but there are plenty of foreign powers involved. cnn's becky anderson looks at what is driving the conflict. >> reporter: it had been hailed a moment of hope. the fall of long-time dictator gadhafi, but nearly a decade on, this is what march of libya looks like today. the strewn wreckage of a country splintered by conflict between two warring sides. the government of national accord or gna runs the capital and much of the country's northwest. in the east, a parallel government controlling nearly two-thirds of the country. led by the national libyan army. neither side is acting in

isolation and battle-filled libya has many hands at work. generally backed by the uae and egypt who view political islam as a threat and see hafta as the country's last line of defense. they are joined by russia and france while the gna sees support from turkey, qatar and a handful of u.s. states such as italy. but importantly, it has the rubber stamp of u.n. legitimacy. despite that, it only survives through outside friends of its own and mostly turkey who have gotten involved directly. president erdogan receiving authorization from his parliament to have troops there. >> translator: we will never refrain from teaching him the lesson he deserves. >> reporter: being there is crucial to president erdogan's

strategic interest beyond the middle east. burnishing his reputation as a power player. haftar, they say, is up for the fight. >> translator: we anticipate the challenge and announcing the mass mobilization of our troops. we call for a holy fight. >> reporter: meanwhile, russia has been bolstering its presence around the mediterranean. there has been a rising number of reported russian mercenaries supporting half those troops on the ground in libya. moscow claims they don't represent the russian state as they also claimed in ukraine. from syria to libya, president putin's strategy remains clear. the united states, on the other hand, is being more capricious. it launched air strikes targeting isis and al qaeda in 2015 and then pulled its troops amid the surging political violence. its position now isn't quite clear. and in the vacuum of war, chaos.

hundreds of thousands of migrants using libya as a dangerous spring board into europe. the continent, for the most part, calling for a political solution to the bloody conflict. becky anderson, cnn, abu dhabi. >> grand pictures there in libya, but world leaders are only now arriving and already we're getting a glimpse of what the final communique from this summit might say. a draft calls for all parties to refrain from hostilities against oil facilities. well, let's look at the prospects for peace in libya and what peace there might look like with our guest reannan smith. in that capacity, she regularly delivers high-level briefings to international corporations.

you seem like the right person to talk to yoiright now. various countries are in libya putting a stake in the ground and aligning with the two different leaders. talk with us about who is there that might be helping or hurting the conflict. can know that is a big question to tackle. >> yeah, the key thing tonight here is the international sort of atmosphere and supporters of the two sides are a key element drive in the conflict and the u.n. envoy to libya who kind of led this process and the event taking place today. the main aim of that has always been to try to curtail these international drivers to try to enforce the arms embargo in libya, that has been in place but hasn't been enforced at all. on one side you have countries like the uaea enforcing and particularly in providing drone and air support, which is a key factor in allowing the forces to move forward in tripoli and they

want to see stability but on their terms and the sort of a i anti-political islam in power. on the other side of the conflict on the ground, they have turkey and they want to see the political islam established and also ensure that wheeroeverd up in power they should support the contracts in the country. the interesting part then on the european side is traditionally countries such as france and italy have played a significant role in libya, but we've seen since the latest conflict started back in april that their role and the broader role of the eu and other countries have been undermined and they have not been big players in this which is why we've seen countries such as turkey and russia come because they are able to influence events on the ground. >> well, certainly, libya has been mired in conflict since the

downing and killing of khaddifi. we just saw that the communique has already been written and they want everyone to support the oil facilities in libya and leave them alone. what is most needed in the country as far as structure to help libyans get on with a normal life and feel safe? >> well, so the reason the initial statement is related to the oil installation specifically is because as our friday night/saturday morning, almost all of the oil ports in libya say that is nearly 800,000 bottles of oil which is three-quarters of libya's oil output by groups aligned to the national army. the tribal groups involved have polls for more fair distribution of oil wealth and this gets to the crucial point of how a piece

can be built in libya. the reason they have launched their attack on libya and trying to take control is not necessarily for the land or territory itself, that is where the central bank of libya and national corporation and they control all of libya, as well. really, that is what this conflict comes down to and really has been since 2011. how the libyan state divvies up the country's quite vast oil resources and a huge amount of corruption in the country and a lot of militias in tripoli influence where those funds go and although this move has been very controversial and quite a big spoiler in the lead up to this conflict, real grievances there and any peace process to be successful, this economic element and this idea of who will actually be able to control libya politically and ecnumically going forward is crucial to any sort of longer term stability and peace in the country. >> so often comes down to protecting the oil.

we really appreciate your insights. rhiannion smith, thanks so much. that really helped. >> thanks for having me. for the fourth year in a row, thousands attended women's marches across the united states. coming up hear their latest message to the white house regarding the upcoming presidential election. plus, how a change in u.s. federal guidelines could make school lunches much less healthy. ♪

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you're listening to the rhythm of resistance. thousands of women and their allies marching in cities across the u.s. images from the fourth annual women's march. many voices with one overarching aim, empowerment against an administration they see as a threat to women's right.

the women's march began in response to u.s. president donald trump's election. saturday's march drew smaller crowds, but their rebutte for the president has renewed focus to influence voters at the ballot box in the upcoming presidential election. our kyung lah has more. >> reporter: armed at a target date, november. >> donald trump has got to go. >> reporter: from los angeles to denver. thousands packed pavement at more than 250 events, including the nation's capital and new york. some of the people who are marching have been marching for four years in a row. but this year, what's different, is it's 2020 and a chance to make a difference in national

politics. >> we did the march in washington, d.c., the day after trump's inauguration. >> reporter: since then audrey marked each year's march with a family picture in the crowd. are you not tired of doing this? >>m i i'm fired up. i'm ready to vote him out. >> reporter: a determination in d.c. where freezing rain failed to stop marchers. >> i think the most important thing is to get out the vote and make it very clear that voting is important. and whatever you do, vote. of course, vote the right way. >> reporter: jumping on that get out the vote call bernie sanders in portsmith, new hampshire. >> together we will make donald trump, at best, a one-term president. >> reporter: the women's marches may have started because of president trump's election but

highlighted climate change, reproductive rights and immigration. >> for our mothers and our daughters. >> reporter: 2020 candidate evelyn yang support, new york. >> we need to roar against sexual violence and the culture of cover up that so often follows. >> reporter: and while lydia feels a difference in the size of this year's los angeles crowd compared to 2017 -- >> i'm guessing they don't feel mobilized, but hopefully they will at least vote. if they can't get on the streets, you know, we all have to vote. >> reporter: progress for these women making this the last year targeting trump. >> anybody besides trump, honestly, is a win for the world and for women. >> reporter: kyung lah, los

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the trump administration is taking aim at another obama era policy. they want to roll back school nutrition guidelines that were championed by former first lady michelle obama. they say the change is needed to give schools more flexibility and reduce waste. our report from cnn's amber walker. >> reporter: the department of agriculture tells "new york times" it was just a coincidence and did not intend to propose this roll back of michelle obama's roll back on her birthday on friday. these proposed changes are all about reducing food waste but by giving students school meal options that are more appealing to them that could mean less fruits and vegetables and more burgers and fries. when former first lady michelle obama announced her let's move initiative in 2010, her goal was

to fight childhood obesity. >> we have to improve the quality of food in our schools. that's where kids are eating many of their meals and we have to do a better job making sure that food is quality. >> reporter: she often promoted the white house vegetable garden and played a key role in bringing healthier food to the 30 million students who get their meals through the national school lunch program. the hunger food kid act required more fruits and vegetables to be served while cutting sugar and saturated fat out of meals. now the trump administration wants to roll back these standards. announced proposals that would reduce the amount of fruit and vegetables in school meals. giving the schools the flexibility to decide which meals would be appealing to their students. the usda says it's about reducing food waste, especially if students are throwing out what is being offered.

in a statement, agriculture sunny purdue said school and school districts tell us that there is too much food waste and we listened and now we're getting to work. under the current standards, schools that participate in the school breakfast program must provide have a half to one cup of fruit during breakfast for preschool through high school. the new rule would allow meal providers to change the amount of fruit that is served and customize meal patterns. it would also allow schools to offer lunch entrees a s s ala ct could mean children eating less fruits and vegetables and getting foods that are greasier and higher in saturated fat and calories. mrs. obama hoped the vegetable garden she planted at the white house would live on as a symbol of a healthier nation for the children. that remains for now.

now a harvard study in 2014 reported under obama's lunch program kids ate 16% more ve vegetables and 23% more fruit. this would be the second move by the trump administration to cut back on standards. low fat chocolate milk and lowered the amount of whole grains that had to be served. amara walker, cnn, atlanta. this in a country with an obesity record. go figure. well, thanks for watching this hour. i'm natalie allen and i'll be right back with more news. "cnn newsroom" continues right after this. ♪

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moving on. harry and meghan reach an agreement with the queen over their change in royal status. u.s. president donald trump's lawyers officially respond to the impeachment charges against him. also this hour -- ♪ making noise. women against donald trump take to the streets in several american cities. hear what they had to say. these stories all ahead this hour. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. we're coming to you live from atlanta. 5:00 a.m. here. i'm natalie allen. this is "cnn newsroom." than