bringing extreme cold. the likes of which we have not seen in decades. we have reporters live on the ground across the region. we're going to bring you the latest forecast on where the wind chills could plunge to 50 below zero. >> also a suspected chinese spy balloon is hovering over the united states this morning. what is it doing here? and why the pentagon is not shooting it down. plus this -- >> consistency, there is nothing consistent with republican party's continued attack except for the racism and violence against women of color in this body. >> democrats accusing house republicans of racism for kicking congresswoman omar off of a key committee. we begin this morning with the extreme arctic blast. the northeast could see some of the coldest weather in decades. forecasters are warning it could be epic and not in a good way. once in a generation potentially with wind chills plunging to 50 degrees below zero and some parts of new england. look at some of the wind chills

in the forecast. here in new york city, minus seven degrees. that is not a typo. the wind chill could reach minus 100 degrees on top of mt. washington in new hampshire because of the hurricane-force winds. the arctic blast in the northeast comes after a deadly ice storm reeked havoc across the south leaving eight people dead. we'll check in on the latest forecast in a moment. first, we have our cnn affiliate reporter live on the ground in burlington, vermont. it's close to zero degrees where you are. how are officials in the area bracing for this? how bad are we expecting it to get? >> good morning. we're no stranger to the cold. this wind chill is really the kicker. as you said, we're teetering on zero to 1 degrees. 200 schools have been closed already. multiple ski resorts is cloeg

wh closing because they love the cold. some are staying open with some lifts in and some not. but now this is severe with the wind chill. temperatures here in vermont have dropped 30 degrees since the night. i'm going to show you something. i've been freezing a pair of jeans all morning. this is rock solid. this only took 15 minutes to freeze. that is how cold it is here in vermont. at the waterfront center, we saw people swimming. for now, we also know that this has been a warmer january. it's unique because the winter has been the fourth warmest january on record. right now we're seeing the negative temperatures for the first time all winter that is unique. even more so, we're going to get even warmer next week. we're going to be in the 30s and the 40s. so the this is just a temporary cold snap. you're right, folks in the area are bracing for the cold. some we spoke to say they are not going to leave their house.

others, you know, vermonters like to be in the wilderness. so for now, we're live in burlington. >> not when the jeans are frozen like that. >> melissa, thank you very much. it is beautiful, i have to say. >> let's go to our meteorologist chad meyers. good morning, chad. so this is like really extreme. >> it really is. you talk about the numbers minus 50, minus 60, mt. washington, minus 100. at 15 degrees below zero that, is 150 degrees colder than your skin. and that's how quickly your skin is going to feel this cold. pets feel it, cars don't. homes don't. but it's the wind that will blow through every single crack in your home that will try to cool the inside from the out. winds are going to be 50 miles per hour. 83 miles per hour right now. and that number could go up.

tomorrow morning, it will be the coldest part of this. this is a quick hitting storm. it does leave by sunday. but look at the wind chill forecast here from now moving you ahead into the 20s and 30s. so saratoga to the spa all the way up to vermont and burlington. those are the areas that said, hey, don't even travel. do not go out. these are dangerous numbers. yes, they look silly at 34 degrees below zero. but you don't think about how much colder that is than freezing. freezing at 32. here is 66 degrees below freezing. those are real numbers. of montreal and quebec city. you're already feeling it right now. that is our neighbors to the north on up into canada, ontario and quebec. they're feeling it at this point. new york city, you go from 8 to 56 in just the next few days. buffalo, you're going to get cold. not as cold as new england. temperatures will be warming back up. a quick hitter.

pets cannot be out long either. >> yeah. >> good to know. >> keep the dogs inside. chad, thank you very much. >> all right. also this morning, the pentagon is tracking a suspected chinese spy balloon that is over the northern united states. yes, you heard that right. it is believed to be roughly the size of three buses. it is floating well above commercial airplanes. three flights were delayed in montana on wednesday because of the balloon's presence. it's unclear what china is looking for in montana. officials are not speculating publicly on that. but we should note as you know, montana is home to one of three american air force bases that operates and maintains intercontinentally ballistic missiles. to two days ago the pentagon sent fighter jets to track the balloon. they decided against shooting it down per a senior defense official because of a safety risk that it posed to people and buildings on the ground. china responded overnight. >> china is a responsible country and always abide

strictly by international law. we have no intention of violating the territory or airspace of any sovereign country. we hope that both sides will handle it with mutual calm and prudence. >> staff for the gang of eight, the lawmakers briefed on intelligence matters have been briefed. this comes after speaker kevin mccarthy tweeted, quote, china's brazen zis regard for u.s. sovereign is a destabilizing action that must be addressed and president biden cannot be silent. joining us now is cnn's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst john miller. we should note biden is briefed on this. he made the ultimate decision not to shoot it down the white house said yesterday. o what are the main questions you have about this? >> first of all, what is it doing here? we've seen this before. and we know these are collection platforms. you know, they fly at 65,000 feet. this is far and above where commercial air traffic are flying. so they're in the stratosphere. but that kind of height gives them really a wide view of

territory that they're flying over. there is a payload on there, a vehicle that contains electronics, photographic video. there may even be communications gear that can intercept certain audio. so, you know, the question kaitlan is what are they looking for? they're flying over key military institutions -- inste lagss. -- insta elations. it went straight over montana and they're still following it. >> we were talking that a republican senator who is a ranking member on the senate arms services committee is worried that public and congress was not briefed soon other on this. he believes the data and information they have now is that the dod in his words failed to act with urgency. do you think there is merit to that? >> i think when you're making intelligence decisions about a chinese surveillance balloon

over the united states, you might not want to advertise it to congress. if you're going to shoot it down over some remote area and there is a chance it's not going to hurt might be or crash into anything and can you collect that surveillance equipment and see what's inside it. there were a lot of reasons not to run out shouting this at the beginning. >> what about shooting it down though? granted they're concerned about people on the ground. but if they could have done it in a safe way? >> that's a safety decision. the stuff that is carrying weighs a lot and comes in hardware. and i don't know. i just picture montana as a place where you can shoot a lot of things down and not hit anything. you know, they also have the ground stop add billings airport where they scramble jets. so it's over populated areas. i think the real question we have to struggle with here is this is a big fat conspicuous thing in the intelligence world when you fly a giant balloon the size of three buses over the

continental united states. it's provocative. so why? you have the secretary of defense who is in the philippines saying we're going to beef up our military presence here in case we need to respond to taiwan. you have the secretary of state heading to china to meet with detained americans, chemicals to make fentanyl being shipped from china to mexican cartels. so tensions are very high. this may be a simple as a chinese saying we have a big spy balloon and we're flying it over your country and looking at things that may be able to shoot at us and we want you to know it. >> two days ago we were talking about that memo that came out from one of the generals saying we -- in his gut, he feels like we could be at war in china in just two years. there was a lot of pushback on that. i will say i talked to a source last night. they said they have taken the mitigation measures. they don't expect the spy balloon to get anything significan significant. this is a violation of international airspace. john miller, thank you for your

perspective on it. the former defense secretary is going to join us next hour. we have a lot of questions for him on this matter as well. >> this morning, mike pence is consenting to an fbi search of his home and his office in indiana to see if there are potentially any more classified documents there. there comes after pence handed over a small number of government papers, classified documents that a source says were lower level classification. paula reid joins us now. good morning. you know when this is going to happen? is the fbi expecting to find anything classified? >> we expect this to happen sometime soon. it's unclear when. the pence team says they're confident. they've done their own searches. they don't believe there is going to be any additional classified documents. but they're trying to be as coop cooperate you have as they can. right now the justice department is reviewing this case. that is the first step they took with the biden case. but as we reported, there is tension between the justice department and the biden team. there were decisions made in the course of that review.

the result is appointment of a special counsel. in addition he is the president of the united states. so here, there is no decision so far on whether a special counsel will be appointed. but the pence team is trying to cooperate to the greatest extent possible. >> it feels like -- every day, every other day now, there is a search, right? we just saw the beach house of president biden. they didn't come up with anything. do you think this the beginning of a whole lot more on the horizon for more for the presidents and vice presidents? >> yeah. i do. let's just say trump, biden and pe pence. we know there are additional developmentes in the cases. not additional searches. but with biden, for example, the special counsel, he just started a few days ago. it's expected he'll use a grand jury and conduct additional interviews. he could potentially do additional searches. we see and we report on additional witnesses going before the grand jury of the trump case and here with the pence matter, we know they're

conducting review. they have this decision on a special counsel and we're standing by waiting for a search. so, poppy, you kaitlan don and i will be talking a lot about the latest developments. >> as if you didn't have enough on your plate. paula reid, thank you. kaitlan? >> a lot on their plate also at capitol hill, house republicans ousted omar from the powerful foreign affairs committee. this is in a 218-211 party line vote that happened citing anti-semitic remarks she made and clarified in the past. omar is a black woman and a muslim. she says she believes she was targeted because of her race and her religion. lauren fox is on capitol hill. we knew this was coming and building for several days. took longer than republicans thought. but it got incredibly tense on the house floor yesterday over this matter. >> absolutely. and i do think it's important to point out it was a hard fought battle for republican leaders who struggled initially to get the votes to pass this

resolution to oust her from her committee assignment on foreign affairs. but they did eventually succeed. republicans and democrats united on each of the sides in this matter. >> my leadership and voice is not diminished. if i am not on this committee for one term. >> reporter: representative omar speaking out before the house passed a resolution along party lines removing her from the foreign affairs committee. >> the resolution is adopted. >> reporter: omar is one of the first elected muslim members of congress. and was a refugee from somalia. >> is anyone surprised that i'm being targeted? >> reporter: in 2019, omar received condemnation after suggesting republican support of is czys israel is supported by a pro

israel group. >> she brought dishonor to the house of representatives. >> this vote to remove her was long promised by the newly elected house speaker kevin mccarthy. >> we're not removing her from other committees. but every single member of congress has a responsibility to how they carry themselves. >> reporter: democrats are now crying foul. accusing republicans of targeting omar in retaliation for when the democratic controlled house voted to remove republicans marjorie taylor green and paul gosar from their committee assignmentes in response to their violent rhetoric and social media posts. both green and gosar received key committee assignments since republicans took back control of the house. >> this type of poisonous, toxic, double standard is going to complicate the relationship moving forward between house democrats and house republicans. >> reporter: the house minority leader is now vowing to place omar on the budget committee. the resolution to block omar has

left even some republicans who voted for it weary. >> if we start -- we go down this road and we start kicking people off for x, y, z, where does it stop? >> reporter: mccarthy also removed democratic representative adam schiff and eric swawell from the intelligence committee. >> in the case of all three, there is political revenge or there is the absolute agenda of racist targeting. >> reporter: representative cortez defending omar and calling out republicans for not voting to expel gosar from his committee assignments after he posted a video appearing to depict him killing the new york congresswoman. >> this is about targeting women of color in the united states of america. don't tell me because i didn't get a single apology when my life was threatened. thank you. >> and tensions are really escalating.

you had the first oversight hearings this week. there is going to be more investigations into the biden administration all as law makes have to work together at some point to increase the country's debt ceiling. >> yeah. another deadline for them. lauren fox, thank you. so what happens as lauren referenced there if the government does default on the trillions of dollars of debt? we have an actor and economic commentator here to break it down for you. >> also ahead, we'll speak with the veteran who says congressman george santos scammed him out of thousands of dollars. his reaction to the fbi now investigating those claims. in. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks. uhhhh... here, i'll take that. [woo hoo!] ensure max proteinin, with 30 grams of protein, one gramam of sugar and nutrients for immune health. hi, susan. honey. yeah. i respect that. but that cough looks pretty bad. try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love,

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no way. look who's back. you're a little far from eight mile. >> luke. >> what are you, a spokesperson for geeks of america or something? you know what i like about rich kids? nothing. >> well, that was one my favorite -- that was appointment

television monday nights i think while in college. the oc's ryan atwood never shying away from a fight. neither does the actor who plays him, ben mckenzie. he is an outspoken economic commentator. and now he's got a new concern -- the debt ceiling. government reached the $31.4 trillion debt limit last month. they have to do something while we're going to default. they have to raise or suspend the limit. failing to do so could lead to a catastrophic economic calamity and default. joining us now to discuss all of this is the author of easy money cryptocurrency casino capitalism and the golden age of fraud, ben mckenzie. great to have you here. janet yellen says in her letter, the last sentence is essentially do your job. because the -- >> good advice. >> they're not raising the debt ceiling in her words are

devastating and catastrophic. what does it mean for main street? >> think of the debt ceiling as the nation's credit card bill. we already spent the money. we already bought the things. now we have to pay for them. if you don't pay for them who has a ball onance on the creditd bill goes crazy. that is that for all of us. imagine $350 million people defaulting on their credit card bill at the same time. it would be catastrophic. this is a silly exercise and of our own making. i mean, we created the debt ceiling. we're one of two countries in the world that even have this sort of bizarre -- >> what is the other one? >> denmark. interestingly enough. republicans are using it for leverage with the biden white house trying to exact concessions of undetermined nature, not even sure what the republicans want. >> denmark doesn't have this republican house majority that

just went 15 rounds to elect a house speaker. i think this is a real concern even for republicans in washington. i was there yesterday talking to them about this. you happened in 2011. i think the concern is this is they don't know what it is that republicans want. republicans don't even know fully exactly where they're willing to make these cuts. >> it's like negotiating with a, you know, a kidnapper or hostage taker and they don't have demands. you're not sure what you're supposed to give them. i thought biden's move was prudent to just say okay, what do you want? so which apparently the answer is -- um, let me get back to you. we'll see. >> okay. so the argument now, you think it sounds like it's a good idea to get rid of the debt ceiling. >> i think at some point we need to recognize the consequences of defaulting is so catastrophic that, you know, it's unfortunately a lesson we learn after the fact. i don't think it will happen this time.

i think the probability is low. the low probability of such a massive, you know, event is still to be taken seriously. >> do republicans have a point though when they say that spending is out of control? i mean, i think there has been rightfully pointed out that it's a bit hypocritical given how many times they raised the debt ceiling. when trump was in office, they could have had more sway arguably, but do they have a point about what spending looks like in washington? the debt goes up and up and up no matter who is in office. they passed the debt ceiling no problem. >> exactly. >> exactly. there is not a single easy answer to this. but i think it's major problem. >> i can follow up on so your position is probably better to not have congress control the

debt ceiling? >> yeah. >> that's the position that secretary yellen is taking now. but the president back in october, they said it would be irresponsible. it is somewhat of a check on or accountability for what we're going to spend. it doesn't check. it just gets raised. >> yeah. the congress has to pass this budget whatever the president poe proposes. this is supposed to be a give and take. we're seeing that break down. we're seeing how one branch of government got fairly extreme, i would argue, in terms of republican house caucus. >> they raised it 80 times since the 070. >> mckenzie, we really enjoy having you on. >> plushure. thank you. >> we get another oc, like --

>> can you play that clip every time, please? >> i mean the hill came back. >> oh, another oc? i'll work on that. i'll work on some economics there. >> breaks news there. all right. next we're going to get reaction to the fbi. they are now investigating george santos from the man who says that congressman scammed him out of thousands of dollars. the navy veteran will join us live next. ♪ inner voice (kombucha brewer): if i just stare at these payroll forms... my business' payroll taxes will calculate themselves. right?t? uhh...nope. intuit quickbooks helps yoyou manage your payroll taxes, cheers! with 100% accurate tax calculations guaranteed. this valentine's day, give the gift of shine. ♪ ♪ at zales, the diamd store.

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george santos is under investigation by the fbi for allegedly stealing $3,000 from a dying dog's gofundme. the dog's owner and navy veteran said that fbi investigated him and they're elated that they're investigating. santos is not worried as he dodged questions though about the federal investigation. >> are you concerned about the fbi investigation? >> i am not. >> have you spoken to him? >> mr. santos? you're facing a federal investigation here. this is very serious.

can you explain to your voters and your constituents what happened with this veteran? the conversations that you had with him? mr. santos? >> santos not answering questions there. but the dog's owner did speak to don last month about the incident and what happened. >> this guy, he doesn't deserve to be where he's at. he doesn't deserve a government pension. but when i saw him on the news, i put two and two together. it ripped the scab off and felt like my dad died yesterday. it hurt me that much again. i don't want you to hurt anybody like you hurt me again, george. nobody should have to go through that. i almost killed myself when that dog died. that's why i'm here. i don't want him to be able to do this again. >> and he joins us now with the founder of the new jersey veterans network that tried to intervene and help get the money there. thank you both for joining us back again. that was such a powerful interview that you had with don

and so much happened since then including the fbi reaching out to you. what were the questions for you? >> i can't really get into the exact details about the questions they asked. i did, however, provide them every piece of evidence that they needed. i don't have anything to hide from them. i want them to pursue this. he didn't just break the law. he broke my heart when he did this. i don't usually like to go after people and have them get in trouble or anything like that. but you break the law, and you break my heart, and you put me through something like this where i thought that i was going to have my dog taken care of and then i just had to sit there and watch her die and i couldn't do anything about it. >> and from being there, are you surprised from being many that moment when she did pass away, are you surprised it came from there to now the fbi is actually looking into this? are you glad? >> i contacted my local law enforcement when it first happened. they didn't have a clue who he was, where he was at or anything. so now the feds picked it up. i know it is still prosecutable

at this point. i was so relieved. and just speaking to the fbi the little bit that i did was cathartic. i mean just to get my emotions out there and know this is going somewhere. >> did they want text messages, phone calls? >> text messages. they wanted screen shots of anything i had from the gofundme campaign and off of my facebook. >> yeah. the former deputy director said given that it is $3,000 is not typically something the fbi would look into, he means there say broader scope of activity that santos is involved in. is that your suspicion as well? >> i would put money on it. i'm not the only one he's done this to. it was so well lubricated and smoothed the way he did everything and the talk he had. it came out so smooth and readily -- didn't -- it was rehearsed. and as far as the $3,000 is concerned, too, i'm not really looking to get that back from him. i don't really think even if he

had a judgement against him to pay it, i don't think i'd ever see it anyway. george santos screwed me over but i've been getting a lot of positive feedback from people and america is making it right. >> george santos was asked about not just this incident but all of the broader lies that have been uncovered since he ran for office. >> i know a lot of people want to create this narrative that i faked my twi congress. that is false. i worked hard. i built ground up a career through experience and through knowledge and through self education. and, you know, i think it's amazing i have to sit here and being spoken down to on a regular basis yet again by the media. >> what do you make of those comments? >> i'm amazed that he's actually in a position that he got into.

i don't understand how he wasn't vetted out properly. i mean, thing dozen happen. i understand that. it's crazy that this person is at the position he is right now. and he has the possibility of passing legislation. i'm shocked. and once i found out who he was, it's hurtful to know that. this is the person who representing our country. >> he still a lawmaker. he did step down from the committees. he is still in congress. what do you make of him saying that he's worked hard. he built up this career and talking about being spoken down to by the media. >> he should have had a career as staa stand up comic. he needs to get out of the spotlight. step down and get out right now. he's just being a distraction. everything that he's doing -- everything that he's done, it's a circus. it's a media circus behind him. and it's making our government look bad. it really is. he needs to go.

and that's probably the way he can say he's sorry better than any other way. >> what does it say to you that he's not answering questions about any of these allegations? >> he's heartless and has no moral come pass and no shame. no remorse. he's like a super villain. >> does he owe you a public apology? >> i believe so. i believe so. at least acknowledgement that he remembers me and remembers that this happened. >> thank you, michael. i know this is painful thing for you to talk about and to bring up over and over again. but i know you say you feel validated that the fbi is looking into this. i'm glad you both joined us this morning. >> thank you for having us. >> thank you. >> great conversation. >> from wisconsin to knflorida. schools are being forced to cancel classes because of a teacher shortage. we'll talk about it. it is national, as you can see, me and kaitlan, whear red day. we're here to talk about it.

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that's how big this chicken sandwich is. they put the sandwich full screen and put the hurricane down in the corner. that's right. get that hurricane out of the way. >> that is very funny. that is comedian roy wood jr. well known for daily show appearances. he will be hosting this year's white house correspondent's dinner for president biden, high members of the media get roasted. has a degree in broadcast journalism and said it will be great night and will go down in the history books, or not, depending on which state you live in. it is april 29th. >> it will be so great. i'm glad they picked him. >> it's tough to pick a cheech

comedian. >> you always go. >> yes. >> and you were also elected the head of the white house correspondents's dinner and then you came to us. i've never been because i'm always here anchoring the coverage of it. >> it's really fun. it's like kind of one of the things you can watch on tv. its just as good. you should totally come. we'll go this year. >> okay. this morning a nationwide teacher shortage leaving thousands of students without educators. this shortage is so critical, some schools have been forced to cancel class. renee marsh is us with. i'm so glad did you this reporting. why is this happening? >> you know, to combat this problem what we're seeing is that administrators are stepping into the classrooms to teach. schools are moving to four day school weeks. most extreme case that we found was in wisconsin where a chart hire school was actually forced to shut down completely due to a lack of teachers. >> it's lala's first day at a new school.

>> hey. >> how are you? >> first day. >> yeah. >> the tenth grader started fall classes at one prep academy, a new charter school in madison, wisconsin. but on january 13th, the school says a teacher shortage forced it to shut down classes for ninth and tenth graders. >> teachers were dropping like flies. >> i often hear from young people. >> the school's ceo tells cnn the school lost five core academic teachers dins the beginning of the school year. despite a national recruitment effort, he could not fill the positions. >> disabling. and right there. >> the school helped lala and 61 other students scramble to find new schools mid semester. after a week of missed classes, her mother enrolled her at a local public high school. cnn was there for the first day. >> we have a spot for you. >> over there? >> right over there. >> what is playing out in madison, wisconsin, is the worst case scenario of a national teacher shortage gone unchecked. department of education data

shows 47 stantes have reported teacher shortage this is school year with a problem most acute in urban and rural areas. meanwhile, some state legislators are passing laws making it easier to become a public schoolteacher. >> raise your hand. >> the national council on teacher equality, 23 states have lowered teacher qualification requirements. from lowering or removing assessment test that's determine whether teachers grasp the subject they will teach to creating emergency teacher's certificates to expedite candidates without a teaching degree in classrooms. arizona, oklahoma, and florida have created new path waiways f people without a bachelor's degree to teach. >> when they reduce standards rather than by increasing salaries and improving working conditions, what they're doing is creating a vicious cycle. they get people underprepared. they have two to three times the rates of those who have come in

with preparation. >> reporter: back in madison, wisconsin, the superintendent school district will absorb most students' transferring from one city charter school despite his district dealing with its own teacher shortage. >> i know our staff is, like, amazing. they do magical type work. it's still a challenge. eventually it brings stress on the staff. and the incoming students may already be behind. >> when i didn't have enough teachers, it is very hard. we didn't really learn anything. >> they had so many great opportunities and to hear that was no longer being afforded to her, it broke my heart. and brought me to tears. >> and that student that you saw n. the piece there, she lost her math, chest stri and history teachers within the first few months of this school year. now these teachers are leaving for a variety of reasons, from teacher pay to the pressure in classrooms because of the post pandemic learning laws to the culture wars that we're seeing play out in classrooms.

poppy and kaitlan? >> so glad you did that reporting, renee. thank you. >> sure. all right. it is american heart month if you can't tell from mine and poppy's outfits. 28 days dedicated to spreading awareness about cardiovascular disease. it is the leading cause of death in the united states for both men and women. today specifically is national wear red day, a day that focuses on women's heart health. heart disease kills more women than all forms of cancer combined. there is good news though. many cases can be prevented. so here to tell us about that is cnn's medical correspondent and also with us is a journalist and tv personal star jones. she had open heart surgery to fix a volume of in this 2010. i want to talk about that experience. doctor doctor, what are the numbers and what is the data and how concerning this should be for women anticipate men would are watching? >> you said it in the intro. we say it every year. it is the leading cause of death

for women in this country. it kills more women than all forms of cancer. one woman every minute and every year we come on tv and talk about the statistics. i think what has to start happening is this has to become personal for women. they have to understand that this is their sister, their mother, their best friend, their co-worker. we have to realize that there is no face of what cardiovascular disease can look like. it can look like you or you or me. i had a woman in my office yesterday shocked at 50 years old she was the picture of health. she runs, she eats well. she was shacked to find out she had heart disease. and we had a conversation about how you know what? this is a life changing diagnosis. but now we can get you on the road to prevention and treatment. 80% of cardiovascular disease is preventable. >> wow. >> 80%. >> so let's talk about -- >> simple lifestyle changes can make a difference. >> and when it became personal for new 2010. >> i had really weird symptoms, you know from watching me on television i used to be severely

ow obese. then i lost weight. >> you look amazing. >> better now -- >> i feel better than i felt before. but i knew something was weird. i couldn't attribute the fact that i would get lightheaded if i went from seat to standing or i had intense heart palpatationses. i felt like someone was punching me in my chest. koint get out of bed. i new something was wrong and it didn't have to do with weight. tw i went to see my cardiologists they found i actually had a malfun malfunctioning aortic valve. i can get it repaired now or six months from now i would need a replacement and if i didn't do something quickly within two years, i would need a heart transplant. i said, whoa. could you imagine being told that at 47 years old? >> you never had a heart attack? >> no, i never had a heart incident. i had elective open heart

surgery to stave off a major attack. and 12 years later i sit here. the picture of heart health. because i paid attention to my body. i need other women to do the same thing. i am not here because the heart association said please come. i'm here because it saved my life. it's imperative. don't smoke. know your numbers. know your blood pressure. know your bmi. know your body mass index and your blood sugars and your blood pressure. and then eat less and move more. i had to learn that the hard way. and we want to impart that to everybody out there. >> wow. >> you made a call after you had surgery. who was that call to? >> i called the american heart association and i said there is a new face of heart disease. i said it's not an old white guy's disease. that's what we all saw. we saw larry king, the brilliant and we saw david letterman, we saw bill clinton. we didn't see, you know, the black girl in red boots thinking

that this was a heart disease issue. i said well we're going to start making it relevant to everyone. so that you can see yourself. and you can't change if you can't see yourself in it. and it really impacts on african american women tremendously. and all women. i don't want you to put your own help n health on the back burner anymore. if momma ain't healthy, nobody is healthy. >> they tell you to put your mask on first for a reason on the airplane. and that's what we're saying to you now. my dear friend susan loouucci, yourself as a priority. >> thank yousigns women can be about? star was 47. >> yes, this is a really about understanding your risk factors, your numbers, recognizing symptoms and prioritizing yourself so when you reng niez symptoms you see a doctor. warning signs for women can look

like chest pressure, pain, discomfort. can look like jaw pain, arm pain, back pain, shortness of death, decreased exercise tolerance, fatigue, palpitations, lightheaded news or breaking out into a cold sweat or nausea. a lot of times we hear i thought it was anxiety or acid reflux. let's make sure it's not your heart first and foremost. then we can plolook at everythi else. if you feel it, seek care. put your health on the top of your priority list. women tend to do that all the time, work comes first, kids come first, and not their health. you can't do that when it comes to carbo cardiovascular disease. >> and do cpr training. >> i have done it before, but it's good to get a refresher. >> you can go to heart spog and

see a 90-second video and you can change a life, okay? >> thank you so much for joining us with that incredibly personal story, and dr. tara, happy birthday to you. >> happy birthday! >> thank you. >> thank you both so much. ahead, we have more on what we have been talking about all morning, that story that captivated the white house certainly. the suspected chinese spy balloon that is currently floating over montana. what we are hearing from defense officials and the chinese government. mark esper is going to join us live next.

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all across the country, people are working hard to build a better future. so we're hard at work, helping them achieve financial freedom. we're investing for our clients in the projects that power our economy. from the plains to the coasts, we help americans invest for their future. and help communities thrive. welcome back to "cnn this morning." if you wondered whether aliens exist, our very own chris wallace is trying to get to the bottom of it. a recent report says the u.s. government has received over 350 reports of ufos since march of 2021 and half of them remain

unexplained. so wallace asked astrophysicist neil degrasse tyson what he thinks about the possibility of life in outer space. >> do you believe that there is life out there somewhere? >> i would say that if there weren't life, it would be astonishing given how common our ingredients are and how quickly life took place here and how many planets are orbiting host stars. it would be astonishing if that were the case. >> what about ail yeps and ufos? >> like with antennas and ray guns? >> something with more than a cell. >> something in a spaceship? could be out there. there is no evidence that would convince an authentic skeptic that we have been visited. i can tell you this. these fuzzy monochromatic tic tacs that show up in the navy, restricted airspace in our own

atmosphere, by the way, you have seen the high-resolution images from a telescope we parked a million miles from earth called the james webb space telescope look at the edge of the universe and the best you have is a fuzzy tic tac? you have to do better than that if you want to convince a astrophysicist. >> you want to see the interview 7:00 p.m. sunday here on cnn. good morning. it is called epic. a once in a generation arctic blast impacting millions. we will take you to the coldest places live. as an american general warns of a potential war with china and the united states builds up presence in the region. a chinese spy balloon is flying over the united states. what the pentagon is saying this morning. >> the russians continuing to fire with direct fire from tanks across the river which is just a few hundred meters that direction. >> there were just two massive

missile strikes in our vicinity. it's just a couple of yards away where we are. we are not exactly sure what kind of missiles it was, but this is a residential area. we are right in the middle of town. a close call with cnn reporters on the front lines in ukraine as vladimir putin is evoking world war ii to promise victory ahead of the one-year anniversary. a short time from now the highly anticipated january jobs report comes out as you the u.s. economy comes to a crossroads. we will break it all down. don't tell me because i didn't get a single -- my life was threatened. thank you. >> tension on the house floor yesterday after house republicans voted to remove congresswoman ilhan omar off a key committee. one of those republicans is going to join us live to respond. cnn this morning starts right now. ♪ ♪

we are so glad to have you with us. a chinese spy balloon is hovering evover the united stat high above montana where the u.s. military has a u.s. nuclear siel le. the pentagon says it does not pose a military or physical threat. we are told the balloon is the size of three buses. a senior defense official says president biden has been advised to not shoot it down because the falling debris could hurt people on the ground. the discovery is rattling capitol hill. we are learning that staff members for the gang of eight are have received a briefing. joining us is our chief national security correspondent jim sciutto. good morning. wow. >> listen, slow moving chinese surveillance balloon floating over the continental u.s. is disturbing. last night it hadn't left u.s. airspace. so far, first of all, this is an image from the ground. it was visible with the naked eye, flyin