people are asked to evacuate. these are the same areas that got hit with atmospheric river about a month ago. so the ground is saturated. in the mountains it will be snow. below about 7,000 feet, it will be rain on snow. so that is actually going to be melting the snow. and so therefore you have rain melting snow all running off, all running down into the valley. and there is no place for all this to go. it has to go out through the gol golden gate, all of that in california. >> unbelievable. chad myers, thank you so much. and thanks for joining me. have a great rest of your day and a wonderful weekend. "cnn this morning" starts right now. good morning. you know what? it is friday! happy friday, everyone! poppy, smart one, took the day off. there is a lot going on, though, including this.

storm clouds for donald trump. a new report says the manhattan da may file criminal charges against the former president. what prosecutors are offering before making their move. . then bracing for the jobs report. new numbers coming just hours from now. that could sway the fed's fight on inflation. >> a rampage in germany. a gunman opening fire inside of a church that leaves seven killed. we have the latest on the on going investigation. also, heading to iowa. governor ron desantis is making his first trip to the state today in what could be a major step towards a possible white house run. we're live in des moines. >> are you ready? folks in hollywood are. red carpet ready for the oscars. who will take home holy wlywood biggest prize?

"cnn this morning" starts right now. everything we just said doesn't feel like a friday, right? >> very busy friday. >> we've been talking about what is going to happen with the former president. but there are a lot of people throwing their hats into the ring unofficially, officially, unofficially. >> yeah. you know, his hat is in the ring. he has all the investigations facing him which makes his run all the more unusual. and now we're learning new developments about what is happening with his legal case, potentially here in new york. this is something that is a big question about whether or not he is about to potentially be criminally indicted. "the new york times" is reporting the manhattan district attorney's office signaled to trump's lawyers he'll face criminal charges for hush money payments to the adult film actress stormy daniels. quote, prosecutors offered trump the chance to testify next week before the grand jury that has been hearing evidence in the potential case. such offers almost always indicate that an indictment is

close. all of this, as you remember, goes back to 2016, days before the election. trump's long time attorney and fixer said that trump directed him to pay stormy daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged affair they h trump denied authorizing pa authorizing the payoff and having an affair with daniels, we should note. >> did you know about the $130,000 payment to stormy daniels? >> no. no. >> why did michael cohen make that payment? >> you have to ask michael cohen. michael's my -- an attorney. you have to ask michael cohen. >> do you know where he got the money to make that payment? >> i don't know, no. >> one of most significant questions of his presidency that he answered there, michael cohen said he has the receipts, personal checks that were signed by trump. our senior legal affairs correspondent paula reid is following this closely. what we're learning is the manhattan d.a. wants to hear

from trump. it seems maybe unlikely he would do so, that an attorney would advise a client to go in. what could happen? >> seems highly unlikely he'll join the parade of high profile witnesses we've seen over the past few weeks testify ing befoe this grand jury who is hearing evidence about whether they falsified business records when paying cohen back for that hush money. now the fact that this invitation to possibly appear before the grand jury is coming now, certainly signal that's it's likely. their investigation could be wrapping up and an indictment could be coming. but there is it no guarantee. now in a statement last night, trump spokesman dismissed any suggestion of an indictment as, quote, insane, and called the whole investigation a, quote, witchunt. >> this is a big development, of course, paula. i think it's important to keep it in perspective. it is kind of this complicated theory here. a lot of it hinges on michael cohen. he has gone to prison.

he is a convicted felon. he admitted to lying. i mean, the question to be realistic, is this a strong case? >> it's the question, indicate l -- kaitlan. there are other case that's could be brought against the former president. take a look. we're talking about conduct that occurred seven years ago. at the core this is a paperwork crime that relies on a novel legal theory. like you said, at the center of the case is michael cohen. he is a convicted liar. he appeared fixated on the former president and on the idea of him being charged. even some of cohen's close associates told me they think it's best if this case is not brought and cohen moved on with his life. but there are also questions about well why would a prosecutor bring a case like this if it's not strong, such a long shot? well, the district attorney, he is facing a lot of political pressure here. political pressure should not be

a basis to bring charges. the former president, he dismisses every investigation that he faces as politically motivated. if you bring a case like this, you know this indictment against a former president and you're not successful that, really could undermine legitimacy of all these other cases. that are much stronger and have a diverse array of witnesses and more evidence. >> big challenge for prosecutors. paula reid, thank you. let's continue discussing this. cnn's senior anchor and analyst, political analyst john avalon is here and senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor elie honey. let's pick wrup they left off. michael cohen going in on monday to speak to the grand jury. he has been in, what, 19 times to talk to brad's office or in the correctional facilty. you don't typically have someone

going in that many times if something is not afoot here. >> that's correct. this is an unusual feature. if you are close to indicting someone, you have to give that person a chance to come into the grand jury and testify. that is certainly not the way it works federally. but, yes, this tells us that they're close to the end and it's highly likely that they will seek an indictment from a grand jury. >> everyone asks when they read the reporting, the cnn reporting, "the new york times" reporting, then what does that mean? >> yeah. >> what does that mean? >> let's put it in perspective. if there is an indictment of the president, it will be a first. it will be historic. it will be monumental. we need to keep perspective here. this will be a state charge brought by a local elected county district attorney. this is not the feds. this is not the justice department. the laws that they will be charging here, the new york state laws are going to be a misdemoaner. and just for comparison, shoplifting under $1,000 in new york state is a misdemeanor. no one is going to jail for a misdemeanor or the lowest level of felony, class e, a-e.

i see you getting ready. these are facts. we're looking at a case that is going to be best case scenario, lowest level felony. could result in no prison time. >> which is insane. and here's why. first of all, this is an accusation that an alleged crime, if they do indict, with he need to say this hasn't occurred yet, that already sent somebody to jail, michael cohen. he was lying on trump's behalf had and had a history of doing so. the reason this hasn't been brought is that trump said he couldn't be charged as president. this is a payoff used as hush money that could have swung the outcome of an election. this is not shoplifting. this isn't in the same world universe as shoplifting. there was an impulse to hide this because it could have impacted the outcome of an american election. so all those reasons are why it matters.

>> it does matter. we have a candidate that says i'm not dropping out even if i'm indicted. could it not potentially help him though? if you're looking through a political lens, someone who he likes to portray himself -- >> i'm the most investigated president ever, or political figure ever. this is a witchunt by the democrats. >> so that, i would argue, would be politics affecting the outcome. equal justice under law. now elie will tell you that people can run for office if they're indicted or even in prison. including president. james michael curly, yes. i'm going to drop that.

14th amendment, section three. otherwise, can you run for office. can you run from prison. the. >> i want to sashgy, he did notg wrong, it's a witchunt. to your point. that will play very well with, as you know, the maga folks. you covered the administration. >> it's not a new story. >> right. >> i find that trump is not getting as much traction as he was at large. the maga folks, yes. but will that play with a larger crowd? >> that's a good question. i don't think we know. i also am will curious if you think he would go sit down with them. i mean, that seems incredibly -- i talk to some of the people in the trump legal world. seems -- his attorneys went and met with the da's office this week. the idea he would go in, seems unlikely. >> very common for attorneys in this situation to go in and meet with prosecutors, dissuade them at the last minute from bringing a charge. the chances of donald trump taking them up on the offer and

going to the grand jury are very, very close to zero. there have been many times impeachment proceeding he said i want to testify. but he never actually has. it will be completely self destructive. >> especially donald trump. >> it would be fascinating. >> what would you say -- you know, michael cohen is going in on monday according to sources. will kellyanne conway has been in a couple times. there have been other folks in the trump, you know, orbit who have been n i. i think eight or nine people. if there is an indictment, if there is an indictment, would it be next week? end of the month? >> it will be soon. you are in end game when you're at the point of inviting the potential defendant to come in. i think we're a matter of weeks, not months. >> what are the legal problems with this case?

this is old conduct. the payments were 6 1/2 years ago. that's going to matter in terms of a jury. feels like ancient history. >> even though he's shielded by prosecutor. >> that's two years and two months ago. >> a lot of agreements. a lot of disagreements in the office. >> let me add this, the feds across the street, famously aggressive, they took a pass on this. i read about. this i report on this. finally, let's not be sort of overly optimistic or, you know, overly glib about michael cohen as a witness. michael he could sen a deeply flawed witness. he is convicted of muperjury. his entire public identity is based on how much he personally despises donald trump.

everything he said to congress has come through. everything he said in news accounts, it has all come true about what donald trump said. >> we do not find him credible to use. they put that in a filing to a federal judge. >> he was first known for being the most loyal, you know, person who would act as an enforcer. i don't know that -- that doesn't mean he doesn't know where the bodies are buried. look, we will see. correct. >> and other investigations. we have a lot to talk about. >> we do.

cutting people loose. >> we've been released. >> that's right. >> appreciate it. >> all right. also new this morning. we have news on the deadly kidnapping of americans in mexico. the cartel that is believed to be responsible has issued an alleged -- alleged apology letter. we're going to tell you what it says. >> plus, xi ping awarded a third term as china's president. we're live in beijing. she's feeling the power of listerine. he's feeling it. yep, them too. it's an invigorating rush... ...zapping millionons of germs in seconds. for that one-of-a-kind whoaoa... ...which leaves you feeling... ahhhhhhh listerine. feel the whoa! are you tired of clean clothes that just don't smell clean? what if your clothes could stay fresh for weeks? now they can. downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters keep your laundry smelling fsh waaaay longer pour a cap of downy unstopables into your washing machine before each load. and enjoy fresher smelling laundry.

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there's an update to the armed kidnapping of four americans in mexico. the cartel that is responsible issued an apology and handed over five members to local authorities. cnn obtained a version of the so-called apology letter which reads, in part - - >> the official that confirmed the letter say it was after the attack and brought considerable attention and scrutiny on to the actions of the car legal. >> also this morning, chinese

leader xi ping secured an unprecedented third term as president after being essentially rubber stamped by the nation's political elite. china's one party parliament reappointed him president for five years. our reporter is covering this live. the vote was 2,952-0. i don't think this was a surprise to anyone given this. the fact i secured this third term, what this level of power looks like for him, this power grab, he is still facing a host of challenges though. >> yeah. kaitlan, this certainly expected. in china, that role of president, it is largely ceremonial. it is still symbolic, important, reminder he has an iron grip over the country. it solid fuse his control and makes him the longest serving head of state of communist china since the founding in 1949. now back in 2018, xi ping scrapped the two term limit on

the presidency meaning he could stay on as head of state for life. but his true power comes from being the head of the party in the military. those are roles he was already reappointed to at the communist party congress back in october. so really what we staw today wa political theater. unanimous votes, as you said, from the rubber stamp legislature. then a standing ovation. now at this on going big political event, we'll also being seeing reshuffles in leadership roles, state organizations, all of these changes will further increase xi ping's power. in the next term, he has a lot of challenges at home to face including the economy, still recovering from harsh years of zero covid policies, we'll see continued communist party control at home. beijing thinks the actions are restoring the rightful standing in the world as great power. it is very clear. we're not going see an off ramp in u.s.-china tensions any time soon. xi ping's view of the relationship is turning more

pessimistic. earlier this week he made a rare move by directly calling out the u.s., accusing america of leading a campaign to contain and suppress china. the message to the people here is very much that the u.s. is trying to choke china off. kaitlan? >> yeah. meanwhile, putin is congratulating xi on his third term. thank you for your coverage. german authorities are investigating the motive of a shooting in hamburg that left seven people dead. witnesses describe what they saw. >> translator: we heard gun shots. there were 12 continuous shots. we saw people being taken away in black bags. >> translator: i also heard 12 shots. i saw seriously injured people. >> police say they believe there was only -- was also found dead inside the building. also this morning, brand new cnn reporting for you. sources telling cnn that russia

has been sending u.s. weapons that are captured in ukraine to iran. cnn's natasha bertrand has this reporting. obviously, the u.s. is sending a lot of weaponry to ukraine since russia invaded. what exactly are the russian forces doing here? >> yeah, kaitlan, what we're told by four different sources is that the russians have been capturing u.s.-made, u.s.-provided equipment on the battlefield in certain instances and sending that equipment to iran. these are smaller items. these are things like shoulder fired missiles, javelin anti-tank missiles and stinger anti-aircraft systems. and also the nato equivalent. nato is also providing some of the similar equipment. they're taking this equipment that they're forced to leave behind on the battlefield because they're overrun or simply need to withdraw quickly. and they're sending that equipment in many instances to iran likely so that iran can then reverse engineer that equipment so they can potentially reproduce it and

make their own kind of version. now the russians are doing this because they want iran to continue to help them in their war in ukraine. it really intensefied over the last year with them providing hundreds of drones to ukraine. they're looking to pay that back to iran by providing them with the western types of equipment so that the iranians can basically take them apart and try to reverse engineer them. >> have they done this before, reverse engineer western weapons? >> yes. the iranians are very adept at this. one of the top weapons and their inventory is an anti-tank guided missile that they actually reproduced from a -- an american anti-tank missile in the 1970s. it really is key part of the inventory now. they also were able to reproduce an american made drone that they intercepted in 2011 making their own version of that which then crossed into israeli airspace

before being shot down in 2018. they have proven very capable of doing this and this one expert told me that could prove very dangerous to, of course, israel and other allies in the region who are, of course, very concerned about the threat that iran also poses. kaitlan? >> absolutely. we're seeing that partnership with iran and russia getting closer. natasha bertrand, great reporting. thank you. also this morning, new york state is asking major pharmacies to commit to dispensing that abortion pill that comes after what you saw happened in california. we'll tell you how they're pressuring them. >> and governor desantis says that djokovic should be allowed to play in miami despite being vaccinated. and effortlessly responds to o both of you. our smart sleepepers get 28 minutes more restful sleep per night. proven quality sleep. only from sleep number. that run with the champ was magical.

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now cell phone users have priority over us. and your marriage survived that? you can almost feel the drag when people walk by with their phones. oh i can't hear you... you're froze-- ladies, please! you put it on airplane mode when you pass our house. i was trying to work. we're workin' it too. yeah! work it girl! woo! i want to hear you say it out loud. well, i could switch us to xfinity. those smiles. that's why i do what i do. that and the paycheck. you see beautiful new york there this morning. >> already? >> i know. we like coming in when the sun is not up. it is always confusing to me when it's bright when we leave. anyway. there is a lot happening in new york. new york's governor and the attorney general are now calling on major pharmacy chains to commit to dispensing prescription abortion pills in

the state both in store and through mail. of course, this comes after we saw what happened in california where governor gavin newsome announced his state is going to be ending a $54 million contract with walgreens after they agreed to stop mailing abortion pills to 21-republican led states. joining us to talk about this is christine romans and cnn anchor and senior political analyst john avalon back at the desk with us. this has become a really complicated issue. it is all stemming from the supreme court decision and now it is going to be on the states. >> it's a political mess and legal mess. >> open a can of worms. >> the yeah. it's a real mess here. you have the companies who now are authorized to go through the certification process and be able to dispense this medication. the now they're threatened by republican-led states and threatened by blue states as well for how they're going to handle. this let me read to you what the new york governor said to the pharmacies, even access to the medication is under threat elsewhere for political reasons,

we remind that you new york's law is simple. abortion is legal and protected as a fundamental right under state law and no legal barriers to dispensing this drug in new york pharmacies. so they're trying to put the political pressure on the companies that are feeling political procedure from 21 states. attorney generals here said it's illegal to mail this medications. there are a lot of challenges to it. we encourage you not to be sending this medication through the mail or dispensing it in your pharmacy. it's a big mess. >> so where does this lead? >> so where it leads, these drug companies, these pharmacies is going through the certification process with the fda, slowly at this point, right? and trying to figure out what the legal teams, what they can do where. it's a state by state basis. it's a patchwork because of the overturning roe v. wade. >> i will remind people the pills that they're discussing is

typically outside traditional abortion debate about first trimester, second trimester, et cetera. this is a more ideological approach by those states. i will also say that folks who criticize ron desantis, for example, for punishing private companies for political stands he didn't like play through the same lens with liberal governors doing against walgreens. >> is this different because this is a health care thing? >> that would be the argument. i think broader principle stands. >> that's first thing i thought about. well this is -- didn't people get upset because ron desantis did something similar. >> apply the same standards and we'll be a lot clearer as a country. >> how does the electorate feel? >> the electorate is very clear. you saw a major backlash against republicans because of the overturning of roe. that was clear in the exit polls. kentucky and montana rejected restrictions on abortion. and then most recent poll this year shows 69% of americans, 69%

say their dissatisfied with u.s. abortion policy. that's a super majority. so this issue isn't going away. and politically, it's already cost republicans. >> it's only at the forefront. i think we should note that walgreens do intend to become certified and dispense this pill where they can. this may not be an issue for them anymore. >> exactly. nor california where it is legal as well. or you look at states like iowa and kansas, for example, two states where abortion is legal, right? where this medication is legal. but those attorney generals asked the companies not to dispense the medication. i think there are a lot of legal challenges coming. there is also a case in texas that is challenging whether the fda can even authorize these two drugs. that is a separate case that these legal teams are also watching. it's a fraught legal background. >> one of the reasons it's not fraught legally but politically is that, you know, at the end of the day americans politics are usually based on ideas of

freedom. this is something that republicans claimed effectively. but when it comes to questions of reproductive freedom and being tibl reach out beyond the base, there is poor contradiction here that people are confronting now that the roe has been removed by the court. >> overturning row was the beginning of something. >> that's right. >> not the end of something here. i think you're going to see a lot of trouble, especially for companies like this who have to figure out how to thread that needle. >> very personal issue. >> it is. >> about religion and politics -- >> yep. >> and then freedom. we haven't discussed that. that's really the elephant in the room. >> yeah. complicated issue. >> it is. john, christine, thank you for trying to make it less complicated. we're going to discuss more of this with new york's governor. she is going to join us live in the 8:00 hour. and ron desantis heading to iowa today. hmmmm. things are -- >> nice time in iowa. >> he's on the ground talking to

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. all right. you see ron desantis there. he is making a step closer to running a bid for the white house. today he is making his first appearance in iowa, of course, republicans' first nominating state. meeting with state legislator and attending events in it des moines. before he heads to nevada tomorrow. desantis, we should note, has not made a formal announcement. he's not expected to do so until may or june. that is it after florida's legislature finishes the 60-day session and comes to an end.

>> governor desantis is inserting himself to bring serbian tennis star novak djokovic to miami for the tournament. he is not vaccinated. we have more from miami. >> i would run a boat from the bahamas here for him. i would do that. 100%. the. >> reporter: florida governor serbing to serbian tennis star no novak djokovic allowing him to travel to the u.s. for a tournament even though he is not vaccinated against covid, a requirement. now calling on president joe biden -- >> i ask him to recind the policy and get with the times here. but we think there may be even in his policy an ability to bring djokovic in by boat. >> reporter: on a question of regarding the vaccination requirement, i refer you to the cdc. they're the ones who deal with that. >> reporter: according to the cdc, proof of covid vaccination is required for nonu.s.

citizens, nonimmigrant passengers arriving from another country by air. though that applies to other forms of travel. djokovic has already missed the chance to play at indian wells, organizers announcing on sunday that he had withdrawn from that tournament. on twitter, the miami open hoping for a different fate, saying, novak djokovic is one of the greatest tennis players of all time and six time champion of the miami open. we hope he is allowed entry into the country so floridians have the opportunity to see him compete once again. >> look, last year i did miss both miami and all the u.s. open swing. so it wouldn't be the first time if it happens. >> reporter: it's certainly not first time that desantis fought mandates on covid vaccines. >> we're not doing vaccine passports in florida. it's no the necessary. look, florida has to lead on all this stuff. i think we figured that out. >> reporter: touting his response to the pandemic in speeches. zblcht when common sense finally became an uncommon virtue, florida was a refuge of sanity.

>> reporter: and now book tour appearances. >> i think that florida came in and put the ax down on the passports early really, really killed the ideas. >> reporter: that could all be part of the pitch to republican primary voters for a possible presidential campaign. cnn, miami. well, tiktok ceo on the offense ahead of a highly anticipated hearing on capitol hill. we have new details about the behind the scenes conversations with lawmakers. >> can't wait to hear. that. march madness is right around the corner. we're talking brackets and selection sunday ahead. >> gives me anxiety every year. >> why? >> i don't know how to do and always lose.

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all right. we're just one week away from the first round of the men's ncaa tournament. the march madness is under way in several of the conference tournaments. reaching last year's national championship game, north carolina was ranked number one going into this season. now the tar heels may not make it into the big dance. they lost in the quarter finals last night. the tar heels now look like they'll become the first

preseason number one ever, ever to miss the tournament. we're going to find out for sure on selection sunday. the entire 68-team field is going to be announced. >> i want to make sure, ever? >> ever. >> crazy. number one going in, now not going to make the tournament. >> let's talk about tiktok and the ceo going on the offensive as threats of a potential ban grow more real. according to forbes, the ceo is busy on capitol hill meeting with lawmakers ahead of highly anticipated testimony before the house energy and commerce committee in two weeks. one of the lawmakers was congre congresswoman lori tranof massachusetts. she told forbes, quote, there were frank conversations around the harms he knows exists and described the meeting as, quote, a more honest exchange than any i've had with other american ceos. joining us now is sarah fitcher

from axios. >> gook. >> -- good morning. >> what are they hoping to accomplish with these head of these hearings? >> so you have part of the government, the committee for foreign investment in the u.s., talking to tiktok about a deal, national security deal, to let them remain here in the u.s. either through an ipo one day or from selling. but lawmakers feel like that's not happening soon enough. so what they're trying to do is possibly introduce legislation that would empower either the congress department or take action on tiktok sooner if that doesn't happen in time. they want to understand how tick to being is using user data where it is being stored and if there is anything that they're doing to advance the ccp's goals, for example, are they limiting hash tagors videos being distributed that might be negative about china? or are they meddling in our u.s. politics by elevating certain content? that is type of things that law machers want to know. >> what are the chances of this becoming law, getting traction?

there is so much skepticism on capitol hill. this feels like a charm offensive essentially before he is going to go before them. i think it's on march 23rd. and obviously, they're going to grill him. this is a politically sensitive issue. it's becoming more at the forefront of all of the issues. >> great question. i think his washington campaign is effective. if you listen to him, he's charming. he's not a chinese ceo with a thick heavy accent. he went to harvard. he understands u.s. politics. he understands capitol hill. it's working when he's going and talking to lawmakers. to your point, i think that lawmakers go pretty hard on him because politics loves to get on big tech f you show you're tough on china, these lawmakers will take it. >> do they actually do so? a lot to rail on. not necessarily love to do something about it. >> we never passed a national privacy law in the u.s. like we have zero. and that's because lawmakers should be so easy to do cannot get on the same page to point. >> i want to talk about what is

happening at fox. we have the ceo, the fox corporation ceo dismissing the rev haitians from dominion. he is calling them, and i quote, noise. this was during the morgan stanley technology media and telecom conference. he said, quote -- he said this after we learned his dad acknowledged during his deposition that some fox news anchors endorse fols alse claim. he said this is noise. what do you make of it? is it noise to him? >> he has a lot on his plate. he is a chairman at news corp, ceo of fox corp. think of all the things he is controlling everything under it, world cup rights and big 10 and signing tom brady and hundreds of newspapers around the world and a real estate position. yes, to him what is happening with fox news is like a tiny part of this empire. but this is his playbook, don. i have an interview with him last year. that's what he said when i asked him about pushback. he said it was just politics. >> even $1.6 billion, that's

noise? the reputation of the network? >> that is problematic. the other thing that is problematic, again, think about him, shareholder of two public companies, he controls a lot of them. he definitely wants investors to be happy with his company. if they're shelling out $1.6 billion or more on a defamation suit, when they could use that money towards hiring ten more tom bradys, of course that, is wearing on the company. but, of course, from a reputation perspective, i can't say this isn't damaging. >> yeah. we don't know that $1.6 billion will actually happen. we'll be watching it though. the sarah fisher. thank you. >> thank you. >> okay. also this morning, we're talking about starbucks. drinking some right now. they just won a major legal victory against their employer. cnn actually spoke to several of them as they returned to work. we'll tell you what they said. and the manhattan district attorney's office signalling that the former president could soon face criminal charges over hush money payments thankfully, we also have tide ultra-oxi with odor eliminators.s.

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egregious misconduct for employees simply trying to unionize. we spoke with some of the workers who were impacted. watch. >> how is it for you being here today? >> every time i come to this store and it's only been about four times since i've been fired, it's been very emotional. >> reporter: on april 1st last year, angel was fired from her job at this starbucks in buffalo, new york. starbucks says she was fired for violating the company's policies. she says it was retaliation. why do you think you were fired? >> i think that they illegally fired me because i was leading the union effort at this store. >> reporter: last week a judge agreed in, a 218-page ruling, a national labor relations board judge said starbucks displayed, quote, egregious and widespread misconduct to employees unionizing at 21 locations in the buffalo area. several workers including this lady must be reinstated

according to the judge's order. do you want to go back here and work again? >> i would havlove to. >> starbucks said the order is inappropriate and considering all options to obtain further legal review. since the success of the first union in buffalo in 2021, there are now 280 unionized stores across the u.s. to date, starbucks workers united says it's filed 600 charges against the coffee giant for alleged federal labor violations and illegal firings. and starbucks has filed nearly 100 unfair labor practice charges against the union for failing to bargain in good faith. howard shultz who is leading the company until he steps down in april spoke to poppy harlow last month. >> it's a group of people which now is about 300 stores file for a petition to be unionized, they have a right to do so. but we as a company have a right also to say we have a different vision that is better, more

dynamic, and we have a history to prove it. >> reporter: but these workers disagreed. they were some of the first employees to organize, calling for a seat at the table to have a say in health and safety policies, seniors pay, and staffing levels. >> i do think it was the only way to make our voice heard. >> reporter: both women say they were retaliated against for union organizing. >> i remember days of just nonstop surveillance on the floor. retaliation where i'm no longer given shift supervisor positions? >> why stay? >> i was presented of working inside to make this company a better place. to make a part of building the policies and safety procedures that would protect me. >> reporter: and now starbucks must compensate them for lost wages according to the judge's order. >> it's a very turbulent thing. >> reporter: for this woman, she was out of a job for six months after fired by the company. she says she almost lost her

home and went into debt. a return to starbucks, the highest paying job she's had, would help her get back on her feet. how will you feel if you get that opportunity to step back in there, put on your apron and start being a starbucks employee again? >> my aprons are still hanging in the same spot that they were left in on april 1st of last year and i'm ready to take it off the hook and put it back on and walk in and just smile at my co-workers and be like, i'm back. i'm here. we did it. >> and another win for the union. howard shultz agreed to testify in fraont of the senate about te issues. he's expected to be grilled about everything you just heard right there. and what the workers want to hear from him is some accountability. they want him to admit that they were union busting and they want them ultimately to bargain and negotiate with these unions. another thing they talked about was howard shultz's legacy. it is starbucks and success of

the company. but they believe that by coming to the table, working with the unions, that would only make his legacy greater. of course, howard shultz not a fan of unions. this is all going to play out in the next couple months. there is a new ceo stepping in. that could change the game. howard shultz, one of the last acts is testifying before the senate before he leaves his job as ceo about the very issue that has been really important to the workers for a year and a half now. >> and we'll be watching and you'll be covering. poppy is very interesting in this. she interviewed him. >> yeah. exactly. >> if you have not said he would show up for this and they would subpoena him. >> there would be a subpoena coming, for sure. >> thank you. "cnn this morning" continues right now. the president of the united states thus wrote a personal check for the payment of hush money as part of a criminal

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