as the crisis in ukraine ramps up, the united states is wlaun. ing a strike aimed at russia's economy. we've got a live report from washington. and the supreme court guessing game. who will the president pick to serve on the nation's highest court. new this morning joe rogan breaks his silence after his podcast qaas backlash for spotify. and spotify with a new way to handle the covid misinformation. and the bengalss return to

the big game for the first time since 1989. and the incredible generosity of strangers who reached out to fill a bucket list for one father and daughter monday, january 31st "early today" starts right now. thank you for being with us and good morning i'm cori coffin. >> and i'm frances rivera. the u.s. is ramping up the pressure on russia they're looking at strict new sanctions against russia as they continue to amass troops along the ukrainian border brie jackson is in d.c. with the latest good morning this is a high-wire act for lawmakers. >> reporter: good morning, fra frances. there's no doubt about that. they hope to have a sanctions package by the end of this week. chairman bob menendez told cnn the bill is at the one yard

line it would target the country's banks and southern everybody debt as well as provide more military for ukraine it will leave a lasting mark on russia. >> i would just say this to president putin. if you invade the ukraine, you will destroy the ability of future presidents to treat you and russia as normal you will long for the good old days of the cold war because every president in the future will pound you and every congress in the future will pound you if you dismantle this democracy. be careful what you wish for, my friend. >> strong words from lindsey graham there the u.s. is sending more troops, though, they won't be sent directly to ukraine. right now they have about 100,000 troops surrounding the border there's hope cooler heads will prevail. the u.n. security council is

expected to meet later today to give russia a chance to explain itself. >> hopefully na will increase the hope to resolve itself. the possible list of co contenders is growing. the president has vowed to choose a balm woman to fill justice stephen breyer's seat. nbc's josh lederman has the latest. >> reporter: the supreme court guessing game in high gear who will president biden pick to fulfill his historic pledge? >> it's long overdue. >> reporter: and will any republican back her. one republican opening his door to give a vote, lavishing praise on a candidate. >> i can't think of a better person for president biden to consider for the supreme court than michelle childs. >> reporter: she's already nominated for the d.c. district appeals court.

president biden's list is growing. they want to move quickly but not so quickly republicans will say it was rushed. but a new abc ipsos poll finds three in four americans wants the president biden to consider all options, not just black women. some republicans are questioning president biden's race and gender litmus test. >> it adds to the support. >> there's another candidate on president biden's list, judge ketanji brown jackson. those republicans now the focus of democrats' hopes that the vote to confirm the court's first black woman will be bipartisan. >> i don't see justice childs an affirmative action i do see putting a black american on the vote to make it more like an american.

>> he will look atd candidates g with senators about his top picks. joe rogan is defending his podcast as spotify is facing backlash overnight joe rogan said he would try to balance out views and supports spotify's plan to add editors to discuss the plan. >> reporter: the pressure building on spotify. their ceo now speaking out it is important to me that we don't take on the position of being content censure while also making sure there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them for days now music artists have been ramping up pressure, accusing the technology giant of giving a large platform to joe rogan who often has guests on his program who question the covid science. >> rogan has gotten in trouble

many, many times before and they tend to blow over. >> reporter: music legend neil young protesting the podcast and asking his [ music ] to be pulled from spotify. joni mitchell threatening to do the same prince harry and meghan markle adding to the growing list the couple has an exclusive multi-year podcast deal with the company. pod fog phi say -- spotify says the working on information with an information hub about data-driven fabcts about the guidelines. >> it's going create a platform that is safe for people, but it's not going to punish its biggest star. >> spotify waiting to see if the auc actions taken will be enough.

super bowl lvi is set. >> down on 31, got it, touchdown, rams. >> the rams erased a ten-point deficit and took the late lead a last chance for the 49ers, but jimmy gropp lohse pass was picked off the rams win, 20-17. for 13-year veteran quarterback matthew stafford, a super bowl appearance was a long time coming. >> i feel blessed to be able to play in this league for as long as i have, but i sure am happy for this opportunity not only for myself but so many guys in the locker room that deserve this too. >> and the defending afc champion chiefs had the lead but the bengals tied it up by the 4th quarter. heading into yoeshtime, the chiefs had it first only for patrick mahomes to throw a

costly ball. that gave them the opportunity to end the game on any score. >> 31 yards. mick mcphearson. and cincinnati is going to the super bowl. >> it prevented the chiefs from going to a third straight super bowl a and, of course, the bengals fans partied like it was 1989 it will be a showdown at sofi stadium for super bowl lvi. math you stafford and the rams battle joba rhone and the bengals right here on nbc. this weekend was the worst winter storm to hit the east coast in years at least four people were killed some towns in the northeast were buried in more than 2 feet of snow, and after the snow, freezing temperatures settled in nbc's chris pollone has more

from boston. >> reporter: boston, massachusetts, apparently no worse for the wear after a record-setting day of snow nearly 2 feet falls in 24 hours. >> we have not only survived a historic storm, but really seen the incredible teamwork and collaboration to have the roads mostly clear at this point already. >> reporter: after several hours of blizzard whiteout conditions, it caused even the hardiest new englanders to give pause to the sheer light of it all. the classic nor'easter dropped snow from the carolinas to canada, followed by bitter cold. tens of thousands are still without power in massachusetts, mostly on cape code and the south shore. cleanup could take days. >> it's pretty bad it's not too heavy but it's a lot. >> reporter: the region's airport full after most flights got wiped out saturday. >> i would not travel in this type of weather, but due to a

family member having a party for my niece, i got out just to risk it if it wasn't for that, i would have still been in alabama. >> reporter: the wild weather stretching all the way to florida where the cold tells caused a unique phenomena captured by this bright 7-year-old with the news. >> if you want to know if they fall out of trees when it's cold, yes, they do. >> reporter: back in boston, school will be open on monday after a long cold day of digging out. let's bring in nbc meteorologist janessa webb for a look at this final day in january and where we're headed for the rest of the week good morning, janessa. >> hi, good morning. yes, people want to be outside if you're across the east coast, still digging out. we're going to to see a bit of a relief with warmer temperatures. all in the pacific northwest that's going to be impacting that area. up to 15 inches for the cascades

today. that's why winter weather alerts continue to stretch across this area i am expecting potentially some flash flood watches for washington state for this afternoon. now, some of these winter storm watches, they're starting to extend into the upper midwest to the southern plains because that storm i just showed you makes its way across the plains to the southern plains. as we go into tuesday evening, even for wednesday, that's when the storm really starts to rev upn the low 40s in some spots in the upper midwest. slightly above average another winter storm on the way. with'll take a look at that forecast coming up. >> that's all important.

janessa, thank you. beloved comedian and emmy-nominated actor howard hessman has died he was known as rock deejay johnny fever he passed away following a surgery saturday afternoon his manager said the actor will be sorely missed and always treasured. howard hessman was 81 years old. coming up, the latest on a police investigation and a las vegas traffic accident that took nine lives. and we'll go to ijbeing for a preview of the winter games that are starting in just four days its superior formula breaks down and removes up to 99% of tough grease and food residue faster. so you can scrub less. dawn platinum is also a go-to grease cleaner for your sink, your kitchen and to pre-treat grease on laundry. dawn's even gentle enough to clean wildlife. tackle grease wherever it shows up. dawn platinum. scrub less. save more. with dawn.

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former miss usa has died falling from a high-rise in an apparent suicide, according to police she was 30 years old she won in 2019. she was a lawyer who worked pro bono to reduce prison sentences for drug offenders she could be seen as a correspondent on the tv show "ex "extra." >> if you know of someone who is considered suicide, we urge you to call -- two of the three men who killed ahmaud arbery have agreed to a plea deal they faced hate crime charges and attempted kidnapping, but

federal prosecutors have asked a judge to approve the plea agreements the family says they sri he meantly oppose the deals >> still ahead, the toughest competition at the winter olympics might just be covid the fight to prevent an outbreak before the games begin. and rafael nadal takes tennis to the next step, making history. you. deserve. to save. ha — heard that before. you. deserve. to save. i know. i need you to hear me. you deserve to save. i deserve to save! i mean he has a way of making you feel...seen. bundle car and motorcycle insurance and save at geico.com. sweet pillows of softness! this is soft! bundle car and motorcycle insurance and save holy charmin! excuse me! roll it back everybody! charmin ultra soft is so cushiony soft, you'll want more!

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it was a comeback for the ages down under. 35-year-old rafael nadal outleaded daniil medvedev. his 21st grand slam title. and it was a bardy party ashley barty defielded ashley collins, becoming the first australian woman to win it since

1978. there are extreme covid cautions in beijing including workers wearing hazmat suits and robot waiters. >> reporter: with the olympics just days away, athletes arriving in beijing under the shadow of covid. at least 39 competitors and team officials now testing positive among them, pole live skating star natalia others hit with covid before even leading the stage bobsledder josh williamson tested positive and announced it on instagram it's still very hopeful the entire team will be healthy and able to compete. >> i think what's important to remember is you must control what you can and disregard what you cannot. >> reporter: beijing on high

alert ahead of the games under a strict zero covid olicy, locking down several residential neighborhoods after two more cases were detected. athletes and journalists alike subjected to intense testing on arrival as nbc steve's patterson found out. >> we're going to need to get through this you see some of the hazmat suits up there. >> reporter: a ghostly welcome to these straifrmgest of games inside the closed loop of the olympic village, a look at some high-tech additions. cafeteria workers are out and robot cooks and servers are in so don't expect any long chats with the bartender as he mixes your martini and a first for the winter olympic games, all the snow is manmade raising questions about safety an unprecedented olympics for an unprecedented time raf sanchez, cbs news. experts say this is going to

be the most complex olympics yet. >> for us, it's very different for our announcers to stay in stamford, connecticut. you have to focus on the competition in its purest form. coming up, janessa is going to be back with a look at your weekend weather and your week weather as well. and cher tells betty white, anyou thk for being a friend and a tribute to the golden girl anda (man 2 vo) i'm living longer. (vo) imbruvica is a prescription medicine for adults with cll or chronic lymphocytic leukemia. imbruvica is not chemotherapy- it's the #1 prescribed oral therapy for cll, proven to help people live longer. imbruvica can cause serious side effects, which may lead to death. bleeding problems are common and may increase with blood thinners. serious infections with symptoms like fevers, chills, weakness or confusion and severe decrease in blood counts can happen. heart rhythm problems and heart failure may occur especially in people with increased risk of heart disease, infection, or past heart rhythm problems. new or worsening high blood pressure, new cancers,

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febreze. now to the touching story of a daughter who used the power of social media to help write her dad's final chapter after he was diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer. >> reporter: these are the moments of joy, adventure, and love that helped write the final chapter of a life well lived vance vanessa, tell me a little bit about your dad. >> my dad lived his life in color. he had this amazing ability to see someone's a greatness before

they could see it in themselves. >> reporter: patrick was a family man who climbed mountains, loved the beatles, and was a lifelong educator from san diego. so after the granddad of three was diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer, she turned to social media to ask for a list. >> it took me by surprise how many people offered suggestions. >> it was more than a hundred, right? >> hundreds, yes. >> reporter: but they didn't just get ideas people were so moved by the story, they offered unforgettable experiences that carried the family through patrick's passing earlier this month including a trip to las vegas and tickets to a ufc matchup, a private backyard violin concert performed by a local musician the pair even got a private tour of an aircraft carrier

julie wright and her husband arranged a behind-the-scenes adventure with the u.s. navy helicopter scad ron. >> just having been through cancer with my mother last year, i kind of had a sense of what vanessa may be feeling. >> reporter: the families, one of many who have since become close friends, helping celebrate patrick's life with a lasting legacy of support. >> to speak to the hundreds of people that unilaterally reached out to you, what would you say to them? >> first, i would say thank you. helping other people feel not alone in this world is very important. even a smile can save someone's life you just never know how you're going to impact someone's life. >> thanks to jose for that report so wonderful to see her smile. you know her dad is smiling from up above. >> absolutely. the power of the human spirit. cher is paying tribute to america's beloved betty white.

♪ thank you for being a friend traveled down the road and back again ♪ >> it is all part of a special celebrating betty white, amica'er

cher tells betty white. >> right now at 4:30, ouch, a tough loss for the 49ers faithful as the rams make a very late comeback. reaction to the nfc championship loss and whether this marks the end for jimmy g as a 9er. >> back to class. and another sign of a rebound from the latest covid surge. college students set to return to campus this morning. >> and it is shaping up to be a beautiful morning. unfortunately, still with no rain in sight. meteorologist kari hall has a break down on the rest of the week,