dyou include hearing benefits? how about a plan with dental, vision and hearing benefits? i sure like the sound of that! then how does a $0 monthly plan premium sound? ooooooooh! [laughs] if you're new to medicare, call 1-888-65-aetna. we'll walk you through all your coverage and benefit options to help find the right plan for you. graceland suffering a tragic loss after the death of lisa

marie presley. a look back at her life. >> another president, another special counsel. the white house facing a major investigation after more classified documents are found at president biden's home and office. >> the south is waking up to destruction this morning after tornadoes and storms hit several states. >> look at where i'm standing. you can see the size of this box truck that was turned over. there's siding all around the area that's been blown off from roofs across the area, and of course as we've been able to go through this area this morning, it's still dark, you can see the destruction that's been left behind. >> cnn's ryan young in selma where a tornado traveled over 50 miles and at least seven people have been killed. >> a haunting revelation in the disappearance of ana walshe, telling police that her husband threatened to kill her, as cnn traces the key locations in the search. >> and vladimir putin publicly berating one of his officials

for acting too slow on warplanes, as cnn is near the city that russia is claiming to have captured this morning. >> we're about two and a half miles fromin a trench. ukrainian forces are holding steady in these positions and they seem to be going back and forth, perhaps taking troops out of soledad in what looks like a fairly organized pullback. it's friday, but it is a very big news day and we're going to begin with the growing crisis at the white house. the attorney general, merrick garland, appointing a special counsel to take the reins of the investigation of classified documents found at his home and office. this brings us to a unique moment in american history, with

special counsels looking into a president and his immediate predecessor. some went out of their way to downplay trump's mishandling of classified records. >> what i've seen that the national archives was concerned about trump having in his possession didn't amount to a hill of beans. >> i don't know what documents were at mar-a-lago. >> is it fair to say that investigation will be a priority? >> that will not be a priority. >> this is very concerning. this is now the second location that the president was in possession of classified documents. look, what's the vice president doing with classified documents? >> this is so outrageous that this has to rise to the level of this better not be a clerical issue between the archivist and the former president. >> i've been in the oval office with the president, and i would be very surprised if he has actual documents that rise to a national security threat. >> these facts and circumstances

are absolutely outrageous. this is mishandling of classified information. >> when did he get them? did he get them when he was vice president and then take them with him? >> are you going to hold hearings? >> it is possible that we will hold hearings. >> if they try to prosecute trump for hois handling classified information after hillary clinton set up a server in her basement, there literally will be riots in the street. >> if there's not a special counsel appointed to find out how this happened with president biden regarding classified information, there is going to be a lot of -- it will hurt the country. >> that was republicans. now a look at what democrats said then and now. >> the fact that they were in an unsecured place guarded with nothing more than a padlock or whatever security they had at a hotel is deeply alarming. >> i think whenever classified

documents are somewhere they shouldn't be, but they see no intent of deliberate obstruction of justice as we saw in mar-a-lago. >> if i take documents out, i have committed a felony. if a president takes them out of a facility, he, too, has broken the law. >> classified information needs to stay in secure spaces. we'll wait to see the facts. but classified information needs to be in secure spaces. >> this is likely criminal what has happened at mar-a-lago and you have to wonder, why was he hiding these documents even when they were requested. but you also have to wonder with someone who you cannot trust like donald trump, what else is there? >> of course i'm concerned, i think the president is concerned. that is obviously, you know, unintentional and outside of the requirements of our intelligence laws, classified information must remain in secured compe

partments, and there's zero cooperation from donald trump. >> the senate majority leader, chuck schumer, joined cnn this morning and also weighed in. >> there's a special prosecutor in each situation. i think president biden has handled this krcorrectly, he's fully cooperated with the prosecutors, when the documents were found he notified archives. it's a total contrast to president trump when stonewalled for a whole year. the point is we now have special prosecutors for both of these situations, very serious people. we should let it play out. we don't have to push them in any direction or try to influence them. that's all i'm going to say. let the special prosecutors do their job. >> notice he said special prosecutors. yes, there are two of them now. there's the other documents investigation and there are developments in that this morning, as sources are telling me and my colleague that the justice department wants to talk to the two people who were hired to search former president

trump's properties in november. obviously federal investigators are still questioning whether after months the former president has fully complied with the subpoena that he got to return all classified documents. katelyn polantz is with me this morning. we've been talking to our sources, trying to get a check of what's happening in the other special counsel investigation as we're learning about the new special counsel appointed yesterday. when it comes to the investigation with trump, what's notable is what we heard from sources that they want to talk to the people that trump's team hired to go and look and make sure there were no classified documents at any other trump properties. >> right. so we know that this justice department investigation is continuing on, they're still making moves to try and talk to people that were working with donald trump's legal team. we have confirmation the justice department wants to talk to two people that donald trump's legal team hired in november to search

multiple properties of his, about four properties, and that they had found two classified records in a storage unit in florida. and so this is the latest step of an investigation that is going on for a year now that we know of, and it is an investigation that differs from the investigation we've been talking about this morning related to joe biden because there are questions that the justice department has on whether justice is being obstructed here by the trump team, and also they clearly may not believe all of the records that are classified are asserted to be back in the hands of the federal government. that is something the justice department clearly is still trying to make sure that they have everything back. now, we did speak to one of donald trump's attorneys on the record, who was telling us that his team is trying to be very cooperative with the justice department at this stage. they did searches, they hired their people, they're trying to negotiate now, potentially, to

talk to the justice department team. his quote to us on the record was that president trump did nothing wrong and a proper investigation would have concluded months ago amicably, but our understanding is that the justice department wants to do an interview with these people that were hired by the trump team pretty soon. >> if this is borne out that they do want to talk to these people, what's the sense of what that looks like with attorney-client privilege or trump's team trying to limit some of the questions that they can ask them? >> well, i think that is where the negotiation comes in. so these people are not lawyers as far as i can gather from the sources i've been talking to. but they are people who were hired to work as part of the legal team, and everything that they would have done donald trump's team is going to want to try and potentially keep covered so that the justice department may not be able to ask them all

of the questions that they want. >> katelyn polantz, great teamwork. we'll check back with you on this. thank you. let's talk about the big picture here and all that has transpired in the last 24 hours. who's talking to chris wallace. >> how are you doing, poppy? >> here we have two back-to-back presidents with two special counsels. this has never happened before, as jamie gangel said last night, in a word, never. and two people that might face off in the 2024 election. >> well, it's why we all got into the news business because we know that no hollywood script writer could have come up with this. you know, it's just so astonishing and those clips you showed before of republicans making excuses for trump and piling on biden, democrats doing exactly the opposite, that does remind me of a hollywood script,

"cassablanca" where the inspector says i'm shocked to find out there's gambling in the back room. it's all politics and it's quite extraordinary. yes, they're going to be investigating, they're continuing to investigate trump and whether he still has documents. but given the fact that we just found out yesterday there was a third batch of documents, or at least one document, a third group coming from biden, you've got to assume that the new special prosecutor will be investigating that and whether we have found all of the biden documents. >> if you're explaining, you're losing. and so, listen, i think the viewers at home are very smart because when i said people at home are going to see these and see them as very similar situations, and the criticism was people, you're saying that the viewers are dumb. i know people aren't dumb, but people aren't paying attention to every single nuance. when they say biden had documents and trump had documents, and the biden people

are going to have to explain how this is different every single time. if they're explaining, are they losing, at least politically? >> absolutely. there may be legal differences, and i think there are, obviously, in the case of trump. there was a year fight with a grand jury subpoena, and ve eventually they had to raid. at this point we have no evidence of that with biden, that everything they've found, we have no evidence that if we found something they didn't immediately turn it over. in the political sense, you're exactly right. one guy had documents, and remember how biden went after trump back in september on "60 minutes", how is this possible, it's unimaginable, and then it turns out he's got three sets of documents. and for all of the talk from the white house yesterday about how transparent they were, remember, the first batch of documents they found before the midterm election in november, we didn't find out about it until there was a response to a media break of this story this week. so this biden white house was

anything but transparent about the fact that they had classified documents. >> just real quick, when you say three batches, are you separating the difference between the garage and the room off the garage? >> yeah, because you have early november, you have the batch that was found in the penn biden center, then december 20th you have the stuff found in the garage, and then we heard from the attorney general garland yesterday that they had found at least one more document, it appears to be in biden's private library in wilmington. but that was a third document. so, again, it just makes you wonder what more is out there? and as long as you're wondering what more is out there, it's not good for joe biden and this white house. >> i just think the document found in the garage they're considering the second batch. this kind of raises the question, is there a double standard for our leaders on this? because we've been talking about classified information. there are lower level people who have been prosecuted for taking

classified information with them, obviously each case is different. >> and put in jail. >> yeah, so i think that's a question. if you're looking at what biden did, what trump did, obviously they have their differences, but the fact that they can do this and other people get prosecuted for taking classified information. >> that's right. and, you know, as you say, there have been a bunch of people, john deutsche, david petraeus took classified documents. they both were prosecuted for it. obviously it's a little more complicated. it's even more complicated with biden because, as we saw during the trump term, once you're the president you can't be criminally prosecuted according to justice department rules, so he would seem protected there. but if you're merrick garland and you're a very careful, judicious -- he was a judge -- attorney general, you have to make a decision at some point and it's going to be him, not the special counsel, do you

bring charges against donald trump. you've got to know that he's going to figure into that, factor into that. we've also got a special prosecutor looking at joe biden. the circumstances are different, the cooperation is different, but it does make it awfully hard to do one and not the other. >> before we move on, and you know we've got to go quickly because we have a time issue, but how do you think -- what do you think of the handling, how the biden administration is handling this and karine jean-pierre, and earlier someone was on who said they thought it was unfair by putting karine jean-pierre out there. >> michael smerconish. >> michael smerconish. my memory. >> i've got you. >> thank you very much. they thought it was unfair to put her out there. the president should be out front on this. what do you think? >> look, they pay press secretaries to do this kind of thing. it is unfair in the sense that there was a lot of stuff she couldn't and shouldn't say. but joe biden absolutely should not come out at this point,

among other things, as we say, yesterday they found another document. they don't know what they don't know at this point. i'm sure they're searching every place that joe biden was since he left the vice presidency. before you put the president of the united states out there, who is the target of this investigation, you've got to be pretty sure you know all the facts. >> chris, this is something we've been talking about, your interviews. you interviewed andy cohen and he had some really interesting comments that he made to you just about his role, and also his perspective on things we've seen play out lately when it comes to harry and meaghan and everything happening. >> yeah. you know, he's been called the ringmaster of pop culture, and we talk at great length. he's got 11 properties on bravo and two stations on sirius/xm. we talked to him about real housewives and watch what happens live, and get an

interesting take. i think he had seen enough, but as he says, it is expensive to live in montecito, so you've got to tell that story as much as you can. >> thanks, chris. appreciate it. you can watch chris' entire interview with andy cohen and ina gartner in "who's talking to chris wallace". sad news this morning, lisa marie presley, dead at the age of 54 after an apparent cardiac arrest. the morning we don't know many details about the cause of death. on tuesday, lisa marie was seen at the golden globes as a man who played her father won best actor. two days later, she was gone. chloe, wow, what a sad story. >> last night it was her mother that announced this terrible news, just a few hours after asking fans for support and prayers and love on social.

this was a touch-and-go situation. many thinking that she might pull through. here's a look back at her life. >> singer lisa marie presley, the only daughter of the late elvis presley and priscilla presley, died thursday at 54. her mother confirmed the death in a statement to cnn. the statement read in part, the presley family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved lisa marie. they are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time. lisa marie presley had been hospitalized thursday morning after suffering an apparent cardiac arrest. presley was born in 1968 at the height of her father's fame. he died in 1977 when she was just 9 years old. she had a troubled childhood that led with her acting out and experimenting with drugs. it resulted in her mother sending her to a series of private schools. she told the "l.a. times," i

never really fit into school. i didn't really have any direction. the sole heir on her father's fortune, leading a colorful life. >> the tabloids have been rough. >> she married four times, including high-profile marriages with actor nicholas cage and a wedding with the king of pop, michael jackson, that grabbed all the headlines. they divorced in january of 1996. later, in a 2003 interview with diane sawyer, presley said this about jackson -- >> when he wants to lock into you and intrigue you or capture you or whatever he wants to do, he can do it. >> presley had four kids from two of her four marriages. she recorded three studio albums of her own. in 2003, her debut album "to whom it may concern" reached number five on the billboard 200

and was certified gold that summer. she said this about taking on the same career as her legendary father -- >> i think i was a little more naive on that front than one would expect. i've been a huge music lover, i want to write, i want to sing, i want to do the same thing for others, have my music hopefully do that for others one day. not realizing, you know, what i sort of had to climb. i had an idea, but i think i underestimated. >> tragedy followed presley in 2020 when her john, benjamin died of suicide. last september she opened up about the grief of that loss in an essay for a national grief awareness day. presley was most recently seen on tuesday night at the golden globe awards which she attended with her mother to support the film "elvis" about her late father. lisa was asked about the film on the carpet. >> i was mind blown, truly. i had to take five days to

process it. it was so spot-on and authentic. >> austin butler, who played elvis in the film, spoke about meeting lisa marie. >> it hit home when i first met her because i didn't meet her until after the film and she hugged me with tears in her eyes, and she just said thank you. >> you know, austin butler, who you see talking right there at the end of my piece, he is poised to potentially be nominated for an oscar coming up when nominations come out, is what many are saying after his golden globe win. and the family really supported and helped austin tell elvis' story. this was a happy time, a celebratory time for the family with leeisa marie and her mothe at the globes. i walked right past their table. i noticed she did not look her normal self, but so unexpected and so many tributes this morning. >> now it's just priscilla. >> and lisa marie's three children.

>> thinking of them. >> thank you. new details in the disappearance of a mother in massachusetts, telling police in 2014 that her husband threatened to kill her. more on the disappearance of ana walshe ahead. (kathryn) now, after this year's event, subaru and our retailers a are proud to have donated over two hundred and fifty million dollllars to charity. (brent) justst tremendously satisfying o know that we're doing something that's helping other people. every car company wants to sell you a car, but none of them give back like subaru. when a cold comes on strong, knock it out with vicks dayquil severe. just one dose starts to relieve 9 of your worst cold and flu symptoms. to help ke you from 9, none. power through with vicks dayquilevere. the daytime, coughing, aching, fever, sore thro, nine to none, medicine.

well, this morning new developments as the search for missing massachusetts mother of three, ana walshe, intensifies. cnn obtaining an incident report that shows ana walshe told police her husband, bryan walshe, threatened to kill her and her friend. we're live in cohasset, massachusetts, with more. when did ana walshe make this

report against her husband? >> well, this is back in 2014 before they were married, but, don, you can add this to the list of points that prosecutors will be using to help build their case against bryan walshe. >> more disturbing details are emerging surrounding ana walshe's disappearance and her husband's troubled past. in 2014, before the couple was married, she told police in washington, d.c. that bryan walshe made a statement over the telephone that he was going to kill her and her friend. although he was not named in the public incident report, police say the alleged threat was made by bryan walshe. he was never charged because the victim refused to cooperate in the prosecution. the case was closed and later they ended up marrying. walshe remains behind bars, charged with misleading investigators surrounding his wife's suspicious disappearance, her whereabouts and condition

unknown. this, as investigators are seeking answers, major clues could come from the items law enforcement sources say were found in a trash facility monday evening, a hacksaw and apparent blood stains on cloth materials. forensic tests are under way. the question now, how long could it take to get the results? >> you're talking days. >> forensic experts say dna testing involves several crucial steps. >> it's not an overnight process and you want the lab to go slowly and carefully through the process. >> reporter: first, they test to determine if blood is present. if it is, they extract dna from the items. then another test to see if there's a match with ana walshe's dna. >> what they would do is obtain her dna profile for the comparison. they can do that in a variety of ways. they have her three boys, they could take cheek swabs, which is noninvasive, doesn't hurt or

anything, or they could get a toothbrush or a hairbrush or a cup she drank out of. >> reporter: prosecutors still focused on walshe's whereabouts following his wife's disappearance. he claimed he last saw her new year's day, saying she left home to catch a flight to washington, d.c. but the 39-year-old mother of three wasn't reported missing until january 4th, when her workplace in washington said she didn't show up. investigators say surveillance cameras captured walshe at this h home depot on january 2nd where he bought about $450 worth of cleaning supplies, including masks, buckets and drop cloths. sources also tell cnn investigators discovered searches on bryan walshe's internet records, including how to dispose of a 115-pound woman's body and how to dismember a body. >> we pray tonight for our whole community profoundly affected.

>> reporter: thursday night this small community in cohasset, massachusetts, came together to pray for ana walshe and her three children. >> i think we're all clinging to some little bit of hope, but as days go by, it's such a sad situation. we're still hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. >> we have a farmers market every thursday in the summer and i remember seeing him down here with his children. i hope they're at peace, i hope they have somebody helping them get through this, the children. the mother is gone, the father is gone. i'm very concerned about them. >> reporter: and you heard right there, don, in speaking to some of those who came out last night at the vigil, the concern, so much concern for the children and the hope that the state -- they're in the custody of the state, the hope is that the state in no way separates them. those who care for ana walshe say it's important to keep the

boys together. >> jason carroll, thank you very much. also this morning, steve bannon's attorney and a judge got into a heated back and forth in a courtroom yesterday after the lawyer said he wanted to withdraw from the fraud case. he's going to tell us why next.

as a business owner,

your bottom line is always top of mind. so start saving by switching to the mobile service designed for small business: comcast business mobile. flexible data plans mean you can get unlimited data or pay by the gig. all on the most reliable 5g network. with no line activation fees or term contracts. saving you up to 60% a year. and it's only available to comcast business internet customers. so boost your bottom line by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities. business can happen anytime, anywhere. so help yours thrive and stay connected with the comcast business complete connectivity solution. it's the largest, fastest, reliable network. advanced gig speed wifi. and cyberthreat protection. starting at just $49.99 a month. plus, you can save up to 60% a year when you add comcast business mobile. or, ask how to get up to a $750 prepaid card. complete connectivity. one solution, for wherever business takes you. comcast business. powering possibilities.

there was a remarkable moment in a new york courtroom yesterday, as steve bannon's attorney pleaded with a manhattan judge to relieve him from representing bannon in his charity fraud case. as you know, that is bannon facing charges for allegedly defrauding donors who gave money to a nonprofit that said it wanted to build a wall on a southern border. prosecutors say bannon pocketed the money. he has pleaded not guilty. he may now be without an attorney. david shone told the judge there was a breakdown of communication and he can no longer defend him, saying that they have irreconcilable differences. the judge has granted bannon until january 28th to find an

attorney and told shone once a lawyer is found, you never need to come back. here to discuss this remarkable movie is david schoen. good morning, david, and thanks for being here. i guess the first question i have for you, is when was the last time that you and steve bannon spoke? >> we spoke, we just don't speak about this case. i concluded that we had irreconcilable differences about the approach to the case, the defense of the case, the strategy in the case, the resources for the case. so the best policy was not to talk about it anymore. i talked to him through a third-party lawyer. i still represent him in the case in d.c. and i speak to him. >> so you still talk to him about other cases, but when it comes to this border wall case he's facing, you speak through a third-party attorney to talk to steve bannon? >> yeah, there's no point any further in discussing issues surrounding this case. we have very different views of

how it should be handled. when i take on a case, i need to be able to handle it in the way i see appropriate. frankly, there was a bit of a breakdown in the d.c. trial. i disagreed with the trial strategy in the case. when the trial came, i refused to participate in the examination of witnesses and argument. i just handled the legal issues in that case, even though i had been hired to be the lead lawyer. but i have to be -- sort of follow what i believe to be the appropriate defense and a lawyer has to be in sync with the client for it to work effectively. that's part of the rules of professional conduct as well. >> you mentioned resources as an issue and oftentimes through my reporting i've seen relationships like this break down, it's over that, that is part of the issue, lawyers getting paid. is that part of the problem here? >> no, first of all, if it were, i wouldn't say so. but it's not in this case. when i say resources, i mean the resources surrounding how the case is to be prepared, experts, that sort of thing. very specific approach to the

case. but i can't go into those details, as i know you know, and steve bannon may well be right and i may be wrong. but it's his case and his life and he deserves to be able to proceed with a defense he thinks is appropriate. >> the judge seemed to think this was part of a delay tactic because now bannon has until the end of february to come up with a new attorney. is this a delay tactic? what would you say to that? >> no, that's where the thing blew up yesterday, frankly. the prosecutor in this case, they investigated the case for two years. they had by their own account, 47 employees working on the case. they told us -- we set a schedule based on representations they made in september and october, then in november they produced a 20 terabyte hard drive under a protective order without ever having reviewed it and they characterized it as twice the print collection of the library of congress so they asked for an

extension. yesterday they stood up and said this is a delay tactic, we already gave them 90 days. that's when i went emotional. they asked for the 90-day extension and you know what you told them when they asked for it, you said, you need 90 days, you've got it. that's what set the judge off. he called us to the bench and said i don't approve of this conduct in my courtroom and you've insinuated i'm unfair. i said let me say it frankly, i think you're unfair. i said there was no point in dragging us up here. all you did was have us restate what i said in my letters. that was the problem going into the hearing. he issued an order saying he needed details showing good cause for the withdrawal. he's just wrong on the law. i saw in the newspaper they quoted him as saying i was wrong. he was mimicking what i said. i've litigated right to counsel of choice cases for many years in different courts around the country. there's not a lot i know about many issues, that's an issue i've just done a lot of work on and he wasn't correct on the

law. anyway -- >> i don't think any judge likes being told that. we now know bannon has until the end of next month to find a new attorney. thank you for joining us on that remarkable showdown in court. >> thank you very much. >> so interesting and so rare, and they're still talking through a third-party attorney. >> basically they use someone else to communicate. >> can you tell her something? >> oh, sorry, someone was talking to me. this morning's number is zero, we'll tell you why ahead. >> the producers are saying go to the tease.

so the nfl playoffs begin this weekend, and if the bills go the distance, the afc championship game will look very different. here to explain, harry enten, our senior data reporter. i guess it has to do with this morning's numbers. >> yeah, so this morning's number is zero. that's the number of nfl conference championship games at neutral sites in years past

before a possible chiefs versus bills in two weeks in atlanta. it wouldn't take place in kansas city or buffalo. why is that? why would a chiefs/bills game take place at a neutral site? they held the tie breaker, but the chiefs have one more win and the same number of losses and the bills couldn't lie because of the canceled games a few weeks ago between the bengals and the bills. so essentially we're in unknown territory. this is very unique. the question i have, is the neutral site of atlanta truly neutral? i think the answer is yes. why is that? because both teams' home cities are 11 to 13 hours away by car so the fans could drive to atlanta. both cities have airports that have flights directly to atlanta, southwest, i believe, flies from kansas city, delta flies from buffalo. the fans can get to the game. but i think is real question is what's the chance that this

actually happens? it's about a 52% chance of happening, so there's a better chance than not that we could actually have history. the bills have to win their two next games, the chiefs must win their next game. they have a bye this week, the bills are playing miami. i love history, i love football, the two of those have come together here and we're maybe making history. maybe you and i can go down to atlanta. >> it's exciting. you're blowing my eardrums out. >> we need a little wake-up call in the morning, a little cup of morning harry. >> thank you, harry. >> i've got no comment on that. russian president putin has lashed out over a lack of warplanes and the wife of alexi novalny is pleading for help.

the director of the award winning film is going to join us next. can help you grow and protect your wealth, even when you'rere not workin. they'll look at your full financial picture and help you create a flexible stratategy designed to balance growth potential and guaranteed income. so you can stop worrying about the future and enjoy the life you've created. that's the planning effect. from fidelity.

this is going to be great. taking the shawl off. is he looking at my hairline? is plaque psoriasis making you rethink your everyday choices? otezla is a pill, not a cream or injection that can help people with plaque psoriasis achieve clearer skin. and no routine blood tests required. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. otezla can cause serious allergic reactions. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. tell your doctor about your medicines and if you're pregnant or planning to be. doctors have been prescribing otezla for over 8 years. don't hesitate. ask your doctor about otezla today.

morning. new this morning, russian president vladimir putin losing his temper and publicly berating a senior minister in a televised meeting, scoldling him for not completing orders to build military and civilian aircraft fast enough. >> translator: you say everything is ready to go, but there are no contracts. this is what i am telling you, let's discuss this after the meeting. there is no point in our splitting hairs at this point. i know no contracts have been signed with the enterprises. the directors have told me so. why are you fooling around? >> this all comes as alexei navalny, russia's most well-known political prisoner is sick, very sick, according to his wife behind bars.

she is begging for medical treatment that she says he is not getting. she posted on instagram that navalny is being kept in a 2 by 3 meter cell just like what you're looking at there, possibly with someone sicker than him in the same cell to infect him. you see those dimensions taped on our studio floor. it's tiny. his daughter says navalny is 6'3", his wife also says he is not allowed to lie down during the day mess might a high fever. in the cnn film airing tomorrow you can watch the story of how navalny ended up in a russian jail after surviving an assassination attempt and then tracked down his own would be killers. it is a remarkable film. if you haven't seen t here is a preview. >> when you come to room of a pat patient, telling him his story. alexei, don't worry, you were poisoned, there was a murder attempt. putin tried to kill you using

nova chock. and he opened his blue eyes wide and looked at me and said very clear [ speaking non-english ] . >> come on, poisoned? i don't believe it. like he's back. this is alexei. putin is supposed to be not so stupid to use this nova chock. his wording, his expletives, his intonation. if you want to accuse someone just shoot him. jesus christ. >> real alexei. >> impossible to believe it. it's kind of stupid. the whole idea of poisoning with a chemical weapon, this is why this is so smart because even reasonable people they refuse to believe like what? come on. poisoned? seriously. >> the kremlin, russian security services, of course, deny that they played any role in navalny's poisoning. with us is the director of the film dwgs navasal "nasal -- in

da." david roar. >> it's not good, the situation is very bleak. navalny as we know as you illustrated op your studio floors is in a very small cell. he doesn't have access to medical care. we know he's very sick. it's very challenging and we are all worried to say the least. >> wow. >> but at the end of the day we know that the man's resolve is extraordinarily strong, he is a courageous guy, his spine is made of iron, his character is the last i was able to communicate with him was intact and his sense of humor was intact. >> what do you worry about most? physical or mental? both? >> he is in a gulag, it's cold, it's winter, they don't provide him with winter clothing. it took him four days to get hot water as a small remedy for his illness. so this is what i worry about.

it almost seems as though the regime is trying to murder him slowly and i think it's the responsibility of the international community and people with influence to speak out against this. i was actually heartened to see yesterday 200 russian physicians actually signed a public letter demanding that the regime provide him with medical care and that was unprecedented in its own way an act of dissent and that was encouraging to see. >> and germany is part of that. they're saying that he needs to get that medical care. they're speaking out publicly this morning. one thick that's fascinating as we talk about him being sick in this small cell and what he's going through he's speaking out when he can. you talked about the contact, he is not able to make phone calls but when he does have access he's speaking out against the war in ukraine and being critical of the kremlin even though he is being held here. >> if there's one message that i could get across to the world this is the most critical headline, alexei navalny is in solitary confinement, he is

languishing because he is the number one outspoken critic of this war. he is the number one anti-war advocate in the country. he has no concern for his own i don't think jeft, he has no concern for his own survival, his concern is with the people of ukraine and ending this egregious war and it's stunning to see because if he stopped speaking out, if his organization stopped publishing their investigations, i'm sure that he would be released back into the general prison population, he would be taken out of solitary confinement. >> he had -- has a huge amount of support within russia which is a part of the reason, right, for the attack on him. you still hold out hope which i find to be fascinating that perhaps one day he will be on the ticket or become the president of russia. >> absolutely. i think navalny's cornerstone value is hope. this is his orientation is to have hope. and something that was really inspiring for me as i was taking this film around the world is the dozens and dozens -- the

hundreds of young russian people, newly exiled from their nation, who are despondent and sad about the state of affairs, but what's going on in their country, about this egregious war who come to the screenings, who approach me after the screenings crying because for the first time in a long time in our film they were able to see a glimmer of light, a little bit of hope, something to be optimistic about for the future of their own nation. that's what i think of when i think of navalny. he is a flicker of light in a very, very dark context and i think for millions and millions of russians that sense of hope is really inspiring and very meaningful. >> and standing for something at all costs. >> absolutely. >> the work you've done, you and your team, with bellingcat has been extraordinary. >> amazing. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> i hope all of you who have not seen this film tune in cnn 9:00 tomorrow night right here on cnn and watch "navalny." we will be right back. treat it that way with aveeno® daily moisture.

formulated with nourishing, prprebiotic oat. it's's clinically proven to moisturize dry skin for 24 hours. aveeno®

hi, susan. honey. yeah. i respect that. but that cough looks pretty bad. try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love, plus the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash? robitussin. the only brand with real honeyand elderberry.

good frida