♪ welcome to all of you watching us here in the united states, canada and around the world. i'm kim brunhuber. and this is "cnn newsroom." covid cases are surging around the globe, but the severity of the omicron variant is up for debate. in a cnn exclusive, the latest in the january 6th investigation drawing scrutiny, a former trump cabinet member who denies sending it. plus, a suspect in the assassination of haiti's president speaks exclusively to

cnn. >> announcer: live from cnn center, this is "cnn newsroom" with kim brunhuber. a study out of the uk is giving new insights on the omicron variant, as the world rushes to build consensus on whether it's more mild than other forms of covid-19. researchers at imperial college london, say they found no evidence the variant is any less severe than delta. they also found the risk of getting infected again was more than five times greater with omicron than with delta. data shows the variant is spreading faster in the uk than it has in south africa, with infections doubling in under 2 1/2 days. this as the uk reported more than 93,000 cases on friday, breaking the record for a third day in a row. and the irish government is trying to stem its own omicron surge. in addition to other measures, restaurants and bars will have to shut their doors starting at

8:00 p.m. on sunday. as omicron cases tick up here in the u.s. as well, health experts are urging people to get vaccinated and get boosted. >> the data rise showed indicated that particularly with omicron that the level of protection goes really rather low in a range that may not be as protective as we'd like. but yet, when you get that boost, it goes right up there. >> the added protection will be crucial for americans as the director of the centers for disease control and prevention predixes the omicron variant will become the dominant strain of the u.s. in the coming weeks. cnn's kyung lah has more. >> reporter: america's long covid testing lines in miami, amid the fears of exposure. >> they're in the house, i'm so entired. so i decided to make an appointment just in case. >> reporter: in new york city, the positivity rate has doubled in just four days.

the city health adviser tweeted we've never seen this before in nyc. a return to holiday tradition is halted once again. radio city music hall announced its christmas spectacular shows are cancelled for the rest of the season due to increasing challenges in the pandemic. in pharmacies, store shelves for rapid tests sit empty. all echoes of the past, people here waiting more than an hour to be tested as omicron reveals its rapid spread. >> and this is after coming yesterday twice. and then not being able to get tested here. >> this is a whole new animal. and we've got to be honest about the fact that it's moving very fast and we have to move faster. >> reporter: the profit is prolog, as new york's mayor considers scaling back the times square new year's eve celebration. a visible return of sports restrictions. hockey in montreal played to empty stands, the nhl shut down

two teams because of covid spread. and the nfl postponed three games this weekend. overall, deaths are increasing, nearly half of u.s. states up sharply in seven. that's an increase of 8% from just last week. >> i think we're really just about to experience a viral blizzard. if you look at what happened in south africa, you look at what's happened in europe. in the lex three to petition weeks we'll see a number of americans infected with the virus. >> you're looking at severe illness and death unvaccinated. >> reporter: as with previous surges, the unvaccinated of filling hospitals as weary doctors warn they are exhausted and losing staff. >> the reality is you can't just arrest humans in order to provide that care. staffing is a challenge everywhere. >> reporter: what makes this winter different. while omicron may be highly, highly transmissible, vaccinations, especially boosters, can protect you from serious illness. but in a setback to parents of 2

to 5-year-olds, pfizer said or two doses of the vaccine did not produce enough immunity, saying they're now testing awe three child-size doses a delay until the second quarter of next year. >> you want to really get the right dose and right regiment for the children. although you don't want a delay, you want to get it right and that's what they're talking about. >> reporter: kyung lah, cnn, los angeles. omicron is now the dominant variant in scotland as covid cases skyrocket across the uk. cnn's scott mclean joins me from london. scott, amid the new cases and new records, you've gained insight about how researchers are learning more about the differences between delta and omicron. so, give us a sense of how bad the situation is right now and what we're learning about the variant. >> sure, kim. so, the surge of this omicron variant across the uk is so severe right now, so concerning that france has actually shut its borders to british tourists

and business travelers, even the vaccinated ones. this country has just set a record for highest number of daily new infections for three straight days. if there is good news, it's that they are also setting a record for how quickly they're rolling out the vaccine. the highest number of vaccines given in a single day was on thursday. almost 1 million. it is a really remarkable pace they're on. there is still plenty of doubt in this country that the current menu will have that much of a restriction and impact. it's mask mandate in england and covid passes for nightclubs and events. wales has closed nightclub altogether. as you mentioned in scotland, scotland, the omicron variant is already dominant there. that is where that team of that researchers at gladville, are trying to figure out why this variant spreads so much quicker. how it reacts in the lab to antibodies from vaccinated people. and if it causes less severe

disease. so they have already found, just in growing the virus sample that they have and have it multiitself that it infects cells much more slowly than other variants. they showed me two slides under the microscope. one was the delta variant infected cells after 24 hours. and then showed me one of the omicron after 48 hours, twice the amount of time, and it had not infected nearly as many cells. on the surface for the average lay person, you say that sounds like good use, right? well, before you get too excited. they went to great pains to explain to me, what happens in the lab doesn't necessarily always replicate itself in the real world, especially when you hear of studies from one like here in imperial college here in the uk. it's not been peer reviewed. that study shows that omicron is any less severe.

and the doctors stress that hospitalization data in the country is still very, very limited. one scary part of that study, though, you are five times, at least five times more likely to be reinfected with omicron than you are with any other strain. so it is going to be a very challenging few weeks ahead for this country, kim. >> yeah, still some time before we get some clarity on those important questions, great reporting there, scott mclean in london. joining me now is dr. peter chin hong, he's a disease specialist at the center in san francisco. thanks for being with us, doctor. we were warned how quickly the omicron variant spreads. i think many of us are surprised by what is happening in the uk. you know, with that variant spreading solely here in the u.s. so far, and the predictions it will take over as the variant. what's happening there in the

uk, is that a precursor for what will happen here? >> well, kim, i think many people are fearful what's happening in the uk will come to the u.s. after all, after alpha in the uk, after delta in the uk, we saw the ripple effects and a still surge in the u.s. several weeks later. given that first incident, many people believe what's happening in the uk comes over here. >> right. but the way that the u.s. and uk sort of dealt with that suggests that there might be some differences this time around. take us through what those might be. >> yes. so, definitely, so, i think in the late spring and early summer, the u.s. and the uk were in very similar positions. but for different reasons. the uk was coming off a delta surge. the u.s. was beginning their delta surge. and they handled it in very different ways. because at some point, the uk was also going up in cases. but then freedom day came and

july and at one point, they were very, very similar. but the u.s. said, hey, you know, i'm seeing these cases go up. even though a large swath of population is vaccinated. i think i'm going to put a break on our reopening. and maybe increase restrictions a little bit. in california, new york, some of the more populated areas, mask mandates, events scaled back. people hunkered down a little bit. there was never any lockdown, but certainly a different response. >> and one of the key differences is sort of the vaccination program. sort of when people were vaccinated and who, in a way the uk was sort of punished for getting ahead of vaccination so early. explain that for us. >> yes, so winning immunity is definitely a factor for the differences and may explain how the u.s. may respond as a

country to the oncoming omicron surge. and the uk was very, very good at vaccinating. very, very quickly and early on. and of course, there were different vaccines used. it was astrazeneca with pfizer in the u.s. and it was mainly mrna in the country with pfizer and moderna and astrazeneca, that was done with a sprinkling and later. and when it comes to springtime, there's a lot of waning and immunity, and the u.s. being gradual in its uptick had such a large portion of its population to delta. so that's an explanation. >> as you kind of referenced how the u.s. handles omicron must depend on where in the u.s. you live. you know, california, new york, they're already reimposing indoor mask mandates in response to part of that threat. so, two years into this pandemic, can we conclusively

say that the mitigation efforts that california uses works that outcomes are measurably better in states that clamp down early and hard? >> well, certainly, there's a big relationship, kim, between vaccination rates and hospitalizations and deaths. but the relationship between the other mitigation factors like masking, et cetera, is much more controversial. and probably only helps to a certain point. but they do sort of temper -- the way i think about it, the vaccine is the cake. and the masking, the social distancing, that's the icing on the cake. but there's so many other factors like immunity, you who you immunize, on a playing field here. if you compare california to florida, for example, florida was open in the same way that possibly the uk was. and california wasn't, but they ended up pretty much in the same place, but if you look at

deaths, there are probably more deaths per hundred thousand in florida compared to the california landscape. sometimes, people refer to florida as the u.s. sweden. you no, think about natural immunity. hasn't really been as successful. >> yeah. well, let's hope this booster campaign helps us weather the oncoming omicron storm. really appreciate your perspective, dr. peter chin-hong. thanks so much for joining us. >> thanks so much, kim. so, for more on how countries in the europe are researched with the double threat of omicron and delta. >> hi, kim, it's a scenario we've seen before, surging cases and attempt by authorities and health authorities, political authorities to impose restrictions and then try to get control of it. now, the surge, you're seeing it

in france and germany, in particular in the last couple of days, each of those countriyies averaging about 50,000 new coronavirus cases daily. in spain, about 17,000 cases, then the restrictions, france imposing its travel restrictions on britain. went into effect just hours ago. britain has its own big problems with omicron. so british travelers to france will need a compelling reason to enter and they'll have to show a negative test within 24 hours for departure to france. in germany, the new minister saying the omicron is a massive challenge for hospitals and icus. the governor there considering imposing restrictions on the unvaccinated. with protests there this week. in denmark, the prime minister announcing on friday, the cinemas, music, theaters, will be closed. restrictions there. in ireland, starting sunday,

tomorrow at 8:00, there will be a curfew, 8:00 curfew for restaurants and bars which has caused a lot of concern among the owners of those establishments. here in spain, the vaccination rate is higher than most other europe people countries. about 80% of the entire population. so the spanish government has not imposed a blanket you there restriction here. some are. but in major hospitals in madrid and across the country, there are concerns about the influx of coronavirus patients and those making to to icus. and the latest restrictions in the netherlands, health ministers advising government ministers at this time about the reasons for imposing new health restrictions. kim. >> thank you, al goodman. still ahead, revelations of the challenge of trump's 2020 loss before the votes were even

counted. those details. plus, exclusive reports on the suspects being held in the assassination of haiti's president. we'll look at what they say are they are victims of a setup. ...that led... ...to this one. celebrate every kiss, with kay. ♪ you pour your heart into everything you do, which is a lot. so take care of that heart with lipton. because sippin' on unsweetened lipton can help support a healthy heart. lipton. stop chuggin'. start sippin'. find your rhythm. your happy place. find your breaking point. then break it. every emergen-c gives you a potent blend of nutrients so you can emerge your best with emergen-c.

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♪ in the investigation into the january 6th insurrection, a text dated the day after the 2020 elections drawing a great deal of scrutiny. the text was recently turned over to the house select committee by a former trump chief of staff mark meadows. the committee believes the author was trump's former officer rick perry, although perry denys it. >> reporter: along with my colleague jake tapper we've learned from three sources that believe that the former governor of texas rick perry sent the following text to then chief of staff mark meadows, november 4th, this was the day after the election, before the votes were counted and election called. let's take a look at the text. it says, quote, here's an

aggressive strategy. why can't the states of georgia, north carolina, pennsylvania and other controlled state houses declare this is b.s. where con234rik9s in election not called that night and just send their own electors to vote and have it go to scotus. a spokesman for rick perry says the former governor denies sending the text. but when asked why it came from perry's phone, the spokesman had no explanation. for the record, jake and i confirmed with multiple people who know rick perry who have his number, that it is in fact his phone number. so, just imagine, it's the day after election day. here comes this text to meadows, don't wait, ignore the voters. big picture, this speaks to the fact that trump loyalists apparently believed he was going to lose. and this is what they were willing to do, subvert the will of the people, overturn the

election. jamie gangel, cnn, washington. the committee also put rog enstone on the hot seat friday. stone appeared for a deposition for this recollection of time around the capitol, ryan nobles reports its appearance didn't involve much talking. >> good morning, gentleman. >> reporter: roger stone, one of former president trump's most prominent and controversial supporters met with the january 6th select committee today. >> i am doing my civic duty. and i am responding as required by law to the subpoena. >> reporter: but he didn't say much. >> i did invoke my fifth amendment rights. to ever question. not because i have done anything wrong, but because i am fully aware of the house democrats' long history of fabricating perjury charges. >> reporter: still used the opportunity in his traditional showman style, presenting himself as a martyr for the maga cause.

with well-worn accusations and not much substance. >> this is witch hunt 3.0. >> reporter: stone was among several high-profile right-wing personalities who stoked false election fraud claims and a fervor among trump supporters. >> help us pay for the staging, the transportation, and most importantly, the security of our peaceful protesters. >> reporter: he raised millions of dollars and was among the speakers in d.c. leading up to january 6th. >> now, they seek nothing less than the heist of the 2020 election, and we say no way. >> reporter: while the interview with stone was short and likely did not yield much information, the committee may have had more luck with caroline rena, another rally organizer who met with the committee for several hours today. multiple sources interviewed by the committee told cnn that

investigators interested in wren. the compmittee wants to hill frm phil waldron, that the committee said mark meadows was in recent of. committee members say they have issued a subpoena because they want to know more about the document. >> who did you talk to, why? who did you get this information from? >> reporter: a heck of a lot of work ahead of the holiday. investigators interviewed dozens of witnesses inclueing high-profile trump ally keith kellogg, the then national security adviser to the president. a former doj official. while most republicans continue to cast doubt on the committee and its work, one very prominent republican seems soap to what they're discovering. >> well, i'm like you, i read the report every day and it will be interesting to see what they conclude. >> while stone did show up for

his deposition at the committee but probably didn't answer too many questions, another right-wing conspiracy theorist is taking abit of a different route. alex jones scheduled to meet saturday has had his deposition postponed. that's because the committee says he is engaging with them at the current moment, this despite his public claims he had no intention of cooperating noun level. ryan nobles, cnn on capitol hill. defense attorneys in the trial of kim potter have rested their case after the former police officer charged in the killing of daunte wright took the stand on friday. potter emotionally recounted the moment she fatally shot the man at a traffic stop in april. the defense maintains that potter mistook her fire am for her taser. and the shooting was a tragic mistake. closing arguments are set to begin on monday. u.s. airports are busy, despite the omicron threat.

after the break, what airlines expect for this year's holiday travel season. also, the rockettes are cancelling their remaining christmas shows, even as broadway theaters try to come back from their own closures this week. stay with us. ain medicines. and improved quality of life. ask your doctor about salonpas. it's good medicine.

♪ you pour your heart into everything you do, which is a lot. so take care of that heart with lipton. because sippin' on unsweetened lipton can help support a healthy heart. lipton. stop chuggin'. start sippin'. ♪ ♪ to all the kisses... ...that led... ...to this one. celebrate every kiss, with kay.

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of up to $50 a month toward your internet service through this program. that's right! you could qualify for a credit of up to $50 a month toward your internet service and equipment. for even more value, switch to xfinity mobile, and you could pay as little as $15 a month for wireless. click, call, or visit a store to learn more. all right. let's take another look at the top story. a new study in the uk gives a fresh look at how omicron stacks up against previous coronavirus variants. researcherses at imperial college found no risk of any less severe than delta. and the rick of getting infected again five times greater with

omicron than delta. data showing the rates are growing faster in south africa, under two days. covid fatigue is becoming a problem after two years the pandemic. and many wonder getting some form of the coronavirus is just a matter of time. cnn's anderson cooper tells dr. francis collins what he'd say to those who just want to get it over with. >> i'd say that's a dangerous approach because omicron maybe is somewhat less severe, although we don't know that and the uk study is questioning that. but just letting it rip here and let everybody get inflected. there are going to be serious casualties as a result. i mean, anderson, we've lost 800,000 americans to this disease. i'm not going to tell you that omicron is not capable of adding to that. so, we just are to double-down on all of those mitigation steps, even though we're all tired of them. >> the omicron outbreak isn't having much of an impact on the

u.s. holiday travel season, at least so far. in fact, it's looking a lot like prepandemic times. many airlines project triple the amount of travelers this time than they had last time. cnn's pete muntean has more. r . >> reporter: united states airlines said we're already in the busy days of the season, its passenger loads 20 times high per. tsa projects 20 to 21 million will pass through security at america's airports between december 23rd and january 3rd. we already saw 2.06 million people on thursday alone, the highest number alone that we've seen since december 5th. a bit of a early kick offfor the holiday season. airlines say they've seen a bit of a waiverering in ticket booking since the omicron variant made headlines.

united airlines ceo scott kirby said, yes, cancellations have gone out but not nearly as bad has when dealt tall hit. here's what he said. >> we're not past it. covid is not over yet. covid is never going to be over. it's still in the pandemic phase, probably endemic phase. the cdc is providing three at hoff home test kits to international travelers at a few select airports, dallas, miami, minneapolis and chicago. they say that could expand to other airports sometime soon. and it's imperative for international travelers coming into the u.s. to get tested within three to five days of arriving. the bottom line for the tsa, wear a mask as you're traveling. that's the federal requirement until march 18th 2022. bring a lot of patience. if you've not booked a ticket yet, you may want to consider

christmas day itself. that's when numbers are projected to be the lowest. pete muntean, reagan national airport. covid cases are playing havoc with the number of sport cases. the national football league is suspendle three games after dozens of players with the browns, rams tested positive. and the montreal canadiens, boston bruins, florida panthers, and calgary flames are rege rescheduled. joining me in hawaii is dr. scott miscovich, he's the ceo of premiere medical group usa. and team usa swimming, gymnastics and thank you, doctor for being here with us. team usa soccer being forced to cancel games from a pro

perspective, it seems worse than ever. i have a broad question for you, but what the hex is going on here? >> number one, it's calling waning immunity. so that's the first thing that's happening is we're seeing, even though many of the leagues as you're well aware have required their players to be vaccinated and the compliance is quite high. we have now 50% at best immunity if you've had two shots. now, we are not seeing a lot of the leagues prior to this pushing boosters which was what was needed to get them to a point dr. they're not infected. second of all, premier league across the uk and europe, is omicron. and we know omicron is just dodging the immunity with two shots where you're down to zero to 20%. that's the very first thing. the second thing is, hey, it's the holidays. i'm sure people are getting together and, you know, that's

going to lead to spread. >> so, i mean, you've been involved in covid protocols, testing for various sports, olympics, professional, college. we've chatted about this subject off and on for the past two years. last time we spoke, wasn't that long ago, we were framing the relative success of the sports league covid good news stories. the testing, the bubbles, everything were working so well. so are the best practices that have been learned over the last two years not being followed? it sounds like it's more complicated than that, based on what you just said. but you know, does it mean that these things need to be radically improved to meet some of the challenges about waning immunity and so on. >> yeah. the first thing that needs to happen is they need to move to at least testing once a day. and that can be with rapid antigen, rapid pcr. i've been giving advice to some sports that i'm associated with that you need to kick your testing up to daily.

this disease is so aggressive. we have doubling time every two to three days. and that's the first thing that needs to happen. the second thing is, if they want to keep playing, come on, these are professionals. they've dedicated their lives to get here. these people need to get a booster. that will provide a whole other level of protection that might give us more tv time in sports that all of us desperately need during covid. >> absolutely. but the key line is if they want to keep playing. some experts argue that pro sports should hit the pause button until things improve and they can get a handle on it. is that a good idea? >> well, i think that, especially in the united states right now, they're not going to have much of a choice because there's going to be such a surge in positivity. as we go through the holidays and we're seeing it as all of the games have been cancelled now the nhl. god forbid, the nfl this weekend.

the positivity is going to go so high, so quickly that i believe we're facing major cancellations, and what's the problem? well, now, we have the battle. owners, league and players association. we all know how that goes in our country. that goes into this long and drawn-out stalemate. they need to come together right now, make a determination, what's safe for everyone. to keep the bubbles. and they need to start testing and testing and testing. and they basically need to let vaccinations do their work. >> now, you know, we're talking pros here. but vaccination rates are lower among young people. and now some schools in u.s. and canada, they're warning they might have to go back to online. what you're seeing in the pro leagues and with omicron threatening, will college sports be able to carry on, sort of undeterred in the next couple of months? or there will have to be changes

to their procedures, schedules, worst case scenario, cancelled seasons? >> yeah, i think we're facing that even more so in college. you know, because you have -- our colleges are facing the whole issue, we all know in the country, we've got red states, we've got blue states. and unfortunately, that translates over into the way they create their policies. and i believe unless we have a solid push for a third vaccination just like in pros, we're going to see major cancellations going on. i think we're going to have bowl games cancelled coming up. march madness may be a wish this year, unless there are dramatic changes. >> listen in the two years that we've been talking, i think this is the most worried i've heard you sound. so let that be a warning. and definitely, people should improve those protocols, as you said, hopefully, they will, because as you said, we really want to see our sports continue

safely is the key. dr. scott miscovich, really appreciate it. >> thank you, kim. ♪ well, the world famous rockettes won't be high kicking for now, as the rest of their christmas spectacular has been cancelled due to the pandemic. it's the latest shutdown in new york after covid cases among cast and crew dimmed the lights in some broadway theaters. but some shows are coming back. tina, the tina turner musical reopens on tuesday. ♪ ♪ yes i will ♪ also back on stage is "ain't too proud" the temptations musical. curtains are rising for moulin rouge tomorrow. and "hamilton" would be reopened after weekend performances were called off. as they say, the show must go on. well, cnn has gone inside the prison where some of the

suspects in the assassination of haiti's president are being held. still ahead, an exclusive report why they say they're innocent and why rights are denied. russia explains what it will take to defuse tensions on the border. we'll have a live report from moscow just ahead. stay with us. because sippin' on unsweetened lipton can help support a healthy heart. lipton. stop chuggin'. start sippin'.

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get $200 off a new eligible 5g phone when you switch to xfinity mobile. talk with our helpful switch squad at your local xfinity store today. 17 members of the u.s.-based missionary group who survived a hostage ordeal in haiti seem to be doing okay, that's the word from the group after the group of hostages flew back to the united states thursday. they were held as haiti's one powerful gangs in weeks. the christian aid group said they held together during captivity, they kept their spirits up by singing, reciting bible investigators. cnn is slerning more about

the assassination of haiti's president in july. sources are talking about the reason behind the killing which is still unresolved. some the suspects tell us they're innocent and being held under brutal conditions. matt rivers has this exclusive report. >> reporter: new information about the investigation into the assassination of haitian president jovenel moyse who was killed inside the presidential residence back in july. a source close to the investigation tells cnn that the night that the assassinations entered that home, one of their top priorities was looking for a document that president moyse himself had been compiling. inside that document, allegedly, the names of some the top drug traffickers in the country, according to president moyse. his plan was then to take that list after being compiled and bring it to u.s. authorities with the hopes that authorities

in the u.s. would help him target some of those drug traffickers and illicit activity here in haiti. that list and the president's plan for that list, now being investigated according to the source as one of the motives that could be behind the killing of president moyse. the source also adding that it was not believed that moyse was able to give that list to the united states where he was ultimately killed. we also have some exclusive new reporting surrounding the suspects in this case. we've been petitioning for months to try to get facts to some of the suspects, of the dozens that have been arrest, as a result of the investigation into the assassination. and ultimately, this week, for the first time, haitian authorities allowed us into the notorious national penitentiary where some of the suspects were being held. we were able to meet with five of the colombian suspects. remember, 26 colombian suspects were arrested as part of this

case. we able to talk to five of them. we weren't able to bring in recording equipment. but they basically say they were victims of a setup. they were brought here under false pretenses and had no idea they were going to be held in an assassination. and they say they are the victims here, in addition to the president himself. basically these men have said from the moment they were arrested they were denied due process. they actually described a scenario, each one of them, said they were forced to sign statements that they couldn't even read what was in the statements because it was written by police in a language that was foreign to them. they only speak spanish, and couldn't read what was in the statements yet under threat they were forced to sign them anyway. a haitian government spokesman said that was not actually true and denied that that happened. beyond that, though, these men still do not have legal representation and still have not been formally charged with any crime under haitian law. and beyond that, they also

describe consistent torture at various times after they were arrested. several of the men describe how members of their group still have scars on their bodies from being tortured from police, either being hit or being stabbed. several of the men still have scars that the men say come directly from police torture. they also say where they're being kept in haiti's notorious national penitentiary the conditions are horrible. we went into the penitentiary and it's one of the worst places i've ever seen. you have multiple people stacked in a cell, we saw raw sewage in a pipe. and these men that we spoke to said they're only given one plate of rice per day. that's the only time they're able to eat. they say their lives are worth nothing. they said the haitian government said they don't single out the

colombians, that everyone in the prison is treated the same. this tells you a latot about ho the prison is run if those are the conditions and the authorities don't deny it. this is the latest out of haiti into the investigation into the assassination of president jove anal moisety. matt rivers, cnn. haiti. as the world and nato watch the growing tension in the buildup at the border with ukraine. sources have identified more than 50 so far battalion tactical groups on the russian side of the border. these are the same units that played a critical role into the incursion into crimea. among the kremlin's demands a guarantee that the ukraine never joineds nato. and a halt of nato activity in former soviet states. cnn's melissa bell joins us from

moscow. melissa, so many demands from moscow. what's been the response from washington and nato? >> so many demands, from moscow, kim, you're quite right. a series of demands that couldn't be considered a pick and choose menu, but the west, the united states, specifically, nato with whom russia is demanding, requesting these negotiations begin on the basis of those requests. that, essentially he's saying you have to take them as a whole. clearly, those demands, whether you look at the request that nato confirm. or announced that it will no longer seek to expand eastward. a nonstarter. it's been made clear by washington and also nato. but also the idea that it would be essentially rolling back what is already the case. what we heard yesterday, is that what moscow is requesting is that essentially the architecture that's been in place for several decades now

for western security be rolled back, so, for instance, nato troops, nato weaponry do longer find themselves in places like poland and nearly to nato that would be unacceptable. and the idea they be considered as a whole makes a nonstarter for basis, already we've been hearing from what will they've been hearing from brussels and russia in response to these negotiations to begin, is that he's disappointed. they don't choose to go through back channel to decide to sit down and have talks that he deems urgent. this is what he had to tell journalists yesterday, kim. >> translator: we urged the american side to take the russian initiative as seriously as possible. on our part, we are ready to fly out for negotiations for united states and a third country immediately, as early as tomorrow, literally tomorrow.

>> kim, you get that sense of urgency from the deputy foreign minister, even as that military buildup, you're quite right to point out, those balance italian tactical group, 15 on that border, 16 on their way. cnn reporting that the rails commerce ones are being diverted to that military buildup, kim. >> that's a disturbing development there, melissa bell in moscow. thanks so much. we're less than a week away from an important galactic event. we'll have a look at the launch of james webb space telescope which will look deep into the universe billions of years into the past. stay with us.

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the world's most advanced telescope is now expected to launch next friday from the european space agency space port in french guyana. the james webb space telescope will then take a month to get into orbit around the sun, a million miles from earth. the telescope's mirrors and sensors are more sensitive than the hubble telescope.

to go far back into time, billions of light years in the past even planets outside of our scholar system, potentially finding one which might sustain life. >> we know that planets of all sizes are out there. and we want to find one that have similar temperatures. and sizes. ever to see if they could ever being anything like earth. >> telescope is named after james webb, nasa's second administrator who oversaw the mercury and gemini programs. that wraps this hour of "cnn newsroom." i'm kim brunhuber if you're in united states or canada, "new day saturday" is next. for everyone else, stay tuned for "marketplace asia."

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good morning. welcome to your new day. i'm paula reid. >> i'm boris sanchez. >> new federal vaccine mandates as omicron is surging. former officer kim porter takes the stand in her own defense. >> i was very distraught