for more news, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connect to tv. i'm it's monday, january 24th, 2022. this is the it's monday, january 24th, 2022. this is the "cbs morning news." americans are told to leave ukraine amid a possible russian invasion. where president biden may send u.s. troops as a standoff intensifies. unsigned order. the alleged proposal to seize voting machines during former president trump's final days in office. to the end zone for the win! he caught it! ball game! >> reporter: one of the most exciting playoff weekends in league history. good morning, and good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. this morning, the u.s. is taking steps to protect americans in

ukraine amid growing fears that russia will invade the country. the state department is ordering families of u.s. embassy employees in kyiv to leave ukraine. it's allowing nonessential staff to get out, as well. and there are reports president biden is considering deploying thousands of troops to nato allies in eastern europe and the baltics. russia has amassed about 100,000 troops on ukraine's border. satellite images show russian forces deployed in locations close to ukraine. yesterday on "face the nation," secretary of state antony blinken was asked why the u.s. is not imposing sanctions on russia now. >> as to the sanctions, the most important thing we can do is to use them as a deterrent, as a means of dissuading russia from engaging in further aggression. once sanctions are triggered you lose the effect. we're putting together a series of actions that would figure into president putin's calculus. >> last month the u.s.

authorized an additional $200 million in aid to help ukraine defend itself. the first shipment of those supplies arrived over the weekend. switching gears a bit now. there may have never been another playoff weekend like the one that you saw this weekend. all four games were decided on last-second plays in the nfl including a back-and-forth thriller on cbs. laura podesta has a recap of the fun, the thrills, the spills. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this weekend was not just exciting but was historical according to nfl research. the bills/chiefs game last night was the first playoff game ever where in the last two minutes there were three go ahead touchdowns, also known as touchdowns where the team that scored became the leader. the kansas city chiefs and buffalo bills capped off one of the wildest weekends of football of all time with all four games decided on the final play.

>> reporter: thehiand lls scored a combid 25 ints over the final two the lead changing three times. >> he might be gone -- he is! >> reporter: buffalo went ahead with 13 seconds remaining after josh allen's fourth touchdown pass of the game. all of them to gabriel davis. >> down the middle to the end zone! and there it is! >> reporter: but patrick mahomes led the chiefs down the field to set up a 49-yard field goal to send the game into overtime. >> when it's grim, be the grim reaper and go get it. >> reporter: kansas city won the coin toss. they marched downfield. mahomes with travis kelce to secure their spot in the afc championship game. >> to the end zone for the win -- he caught it! one of the great games you'll ever see! >> reporter: the chiefs will play the cincinnati bengals in the afc championship. the bengals knocked off the top-seeded tennessee titans on a last-second field goal. >> he's got it! >> reporter: in the nfc, the los angeles rams held off tom brady and the tampa bay buccaneers

with their own game-winning kick. speculation is once again swirling around if the 44-year-old qb will retire. >> i haven't put a lot of thought into it. we'll take it day by day. >> reporter: the rams will face the san francisco 49ers for a trip to the super bowl. the niners beat aaron rodgers on ft-sond elal and e the 20son, anne-marie, that will not feature either brady or aaron rodgers in the championship round. >> wow. hopefully people will still watch. laura podesta in new york. laura, thank you. so the chairman of the house committee investigating the january 6th attack on the u.s. capitol says former attorney general william barr is talking to investigators. congressman bennie thompson says that the committee had conversations with barr about a draft executive order reportedly given to former president trump. the order would have directed the defense secretary to seize voting machines after he lost

the 2020 election. thompson says that they have also talked to dod officials. the draft executive order was never issued. turning to the coronavirus, the midwest may be the next region to see a high number of cases as the variant continues to spread. but health experts are hoping that the virus could level out in just a few weeks. danya bacchus explains. >> reporter: in the nation's capital sunday, demonstrators gathered at the lincoln memorial. many voicing opposition covid-19 vaccine, others protesting vaccine mandates. >> don't shackle our hands. we will not comply with your silliness. >> reporter: among the speakers, robert kennedy jr., son of the late new york senator and attorney general robert f. kennedy. sunday's rally comes as daily covid-19 cases in parts of the northeast are showing signs of leveling off, but some regions are still seeing rising numbers.

>> you're seeing cases come down very rapidly in the east coast. the states that were the early outbreak states, florida, the mid-atlantic, new york city, chicago, los angeles. this virus is spreading to the midwest. you're seeing cases pick up in states like montana, wisconsin, minnesota, wyoming, idaho. so it's not done yet. >> reporter: dr. anthony fauci says in the coming weeks infection levels could get to a low enough level that covid eventually becomes the type of respiratory infectioop pa. >> things are looking good. we don't want to get overconfident, but they look like they're going the right direction right now. >> reporter: but fauci says the u.s. has to be prepared for the possibility another highly infectious variant could come along. meanwhile, covid hospitalizations jumped 30% and deaths 44% in the past two weeks nationwide, with the west and midwest hit especially hard. >> every hospital's full. so trying to find a facility that has an open space with the appropriate care is difficult. >> reporter: the pace of first

vaccinations is slowing with about a third of eligible americans still not fully vaccinated and less than half are boosted. danya bacchus, cbs news. new york city is paying tribute to two police officers shot friday while responding to a domestic dispute. 22-year-old rookie officer jason rivera was killed. hundreds of officers and firefighters lined the streets yesterday as a hearse carrying rivera left the medical examiner's office. he will be buried later this week. another officer, 27-year-old wilbert mora was critically injured. he was accompanied as he was transferred to a different hospital. about 500 people in northern california are under evacuation orders this morning as crews battle a fast-moving wildfire in the mountains near big sur. the colorado fire has burned 700 acres since it started friday, fanned by strong winds. the fire is 35% contained. a stretch of scenic highway 1

which runs along the coast was shut down, and flames came close to the bixby bridge, seen in movies and tv shows. coming up, crime on the high seas. how a luxury cruise ship made an unexpected stop in the bahamas. and tennis protest. the australian open faces backlash over a t-shirt ban. this is the "cbs morning news." news." my asthma felt anything but normal. ♪ ♪ it was time for a nunormal with nucala. nucala reduces asthma attacks it's a once-monthly add-on treatment for severe eosinophilic asthma. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occured. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your asthma specialist about a nunormal with nucala. you founded your kayak company because you love the ocean- not spreadsheets.

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covid is forcing new zealand prime minister jacinda ardern to postpone her upcoming wedding. she made the announcement yesterday after tightening pandemic restrictions on the whole country including mask mandates and limiting gatherings. it came after nine people in a single family tested positive for the omicron variant when they flew auckland to attend another wedding. ardern was planning on getting married next weekend. there's a new controversy at

the australian open, and why a cruise ship was diverted. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." "the miami herald" reports an arrest warrant was issued for a luxury cruise ship bound for miami. crystal cruise's crystal symphony was supposed to dock in miami saturday but was diverted to the bahamas. it came after a u.s. federal judge granted an order to seize the vessel as part of a lawsuit over millions of dollars in unpaid fuel. yesterday passengers on the ship were taken by ferry to ft. lauderdale. >> we were all very scared. we didn't know what was going to happen until this morning. we did not know we were going to get off the ship. >> will i go again, yes. will i make sure they're financially solvent, probably. >> last week crystal cruise's parent company said it was liquidating and suspending all cruises until at least april. "the washington post" says the organizer of the australian open is defending banning where is peng shuai messages at the tennis tournament. fans were asked by security to remove t-shirts with those words.

the chinese tennis player disappeared from public view for nearly three months after she accused a former vice premier of sexually assaulting her. last month she posted a video saying that she had been misunderstood and was free. tennis australia expressed support for peng but said the messages violate rules banning political statements. and "usa today" says all 100 lab monkeys are now accounted for after several escaped from a truck when it crashed on a pennsylvania highway. the truck was towing a trailer with 100 monkeys when it collided with a dump truck on friday. a few monkeys got away. on saturday night, officials said all 100 were accounted for, but three were dead after being euthanized. the monkeys were being taken to a cdc facility at the time of the crash. still ahead, a grandmother turns the tables. how a woman teamed up with the police to catch a scammer. the police to catch a scammer. (computer keys clicking)

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ you're flying out into the darkness to fight ghosts. >> what do you mean? >> the all die fighting spider-man. it's their fate. >> "spider-man: no way home" still has some fight at the weekend box office. it regained the number-one spot earlier earning more than $14 million. the sony film is now the sixth highest grossing movie ever globally. last week's top movie "scream" fell to second place. on the cbs "money watch" now, how you can speed up your tax refund. i like that idea. and a black female artist will be honored on a forever stamp. diane king hall is in new york with those stories and more.

good morning, diane. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. this week investors could get more of an indication about what the federal reserve plans to do with interest rates. the fed's first monetary policy meeting of the new year is set to begin tomorrow. on wednesday, chairman jerome powell holds a news conference. meantime, stock futures are pointing to another lower open this morning. and on friday the dow tumbled some 450 points. the nasdaq skidded 385, and the s&p 500 fell 84 capping its worst week since march of 2020. get your paperwork ready, tax season is officially under way. today's the first day you can start filing your forms. keep in mind the irs is still facing a huge backlog from last year. it's also dealing with a staffing shortage, so there could be extra delays for some people. the agency's best advice -- file early. according to the irs, most taxpayers who file electronically can get their refunds within three weeks if there aren't any issues. general motors is set to make a big announcement this

week. the automaker plans to invest more than $6 billion in two electric vehicle plants in michigan. the move will help create up to 4,000 jobs. electric vehicle sales made up less than 3% of all new car sales in the u.s. last year. forecasters expect big increases over the next decade. gm has set a goal of phasing out tailpipe emissions in new vehicles by 2035. and a nod to the first native and african american sculptor who gained international recognition. the u.s. postal service will issue a forever stamp on wednesday honoring edmonia lewis. she became famous for her 19th century marble sculptures of prominent figures and ancient historical works. one of her most popular pieces is called "the death of cleopatra" which depicts after a snake bite killed her. the smithsonian said the sculpture was presumed lost for almost a century before reappearing at a salvage yard in the 1980s. >> wow. get those stamps while you can

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪

a would-be thief messed with the wrong grandma in new york state. the 73-year-old says that she got a phone call from someone claiming to be her grandson, but the thing is, she doesn't have a grandson so she knew it was a scam. the fake grandson wanted $8,000 to get out of jail. the grandma set up a meeting at her house where police nabbed the guy who posed as the bail bondsman. >> i told him i had the money and i figure he's not going to fall for that. well, he fell for that hook, line, and sinker. so many people fall for this, and you only hear about it on the other end after they've lost $8,000. >> the 28-year-old suspect is now charged with third-degree attempted grand larceny. history in women's college basketball. kansas city's ayoka lee broke the ncaa division-one single-game women's scoring record. she notched 61 points as the wildcats beat oklahoma. the junior made 23 of 30 shots

from the floor and 15 of 17 from the foul line. the previous record was 60 points. and shaken or stirred, robots are serving up drinks at the beijing winter olympics. a robot arm is mixing drinks at the main media center ahead of the games. it's part of the covid bubble journalists will be confined to during the olympics which begin next week. the bartending arm can mix more than a dozen cocktails in 70 to 90 seconds each. human bartenders are also there just in case extra help is needed. coming up on "cbs mornings," ben tracy takes us to a remote part of california that could be the key to powering electric cars of the future. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news."

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-- the u.s. government is taking steps to protect americans in ukraine amid growing fear that russia will invade the country. the state department is ordering families of u.s. embassy employees in kyiv to leave ukraine. the u.s. is warning americans not to travel to russia or ukraine. and the chairman of the house committee investigating the u.s. capitol attack says former attorney general william barr has talked to investigators. congressman bennie thompson says that the committee had conversations about a draft

executive order reportedly given to former president trump. the order would have directed the defense secretary to seize voting machines after he lost the 2020 election, but it was never issued. there's one vegetable that can bring most people to tears, but growers are trying to change that. tearless onions are hitting supermarket shelves in the uk. as ian lee reports, it's an idea that grew out of the u.s. >> reporter: no matter how you slice it, preparing onions can be a tearjerker. >> i want to cry. you cry a lot. >> i've never seen an onion that cannot make me. >> repr:fter dad of cross breeding less pungent varieties, growers produced a new type they say won't make cooks cry. tearless onions first marketed as sunions in the u.s. and are now in europe after one farmer helped bring them here. >> people pay a premium for what

we call premium onions. >> reporter: but hold up, why to onions make us tear up? >> sulfuric acid in the eye and you produce tears to wash it away. >> reporter: the tearless taste is milder because the tearless variety lands on a three while your typical hit a seven or eight. some find them appealing. >> is that true? >> reporter: that's what they say. >> wow. >> reporter: is that a game changer for you? >> that is. it is. it is. >> reporter: but their higher price might make people's eyes water. >> paying three times the cost of of an onion to get rid of the tears, absolutely no way is that worth it to me. >> reporter: you can suffer through the tears? >> i can. sometimes it's nice even. >> reporter: while the new onions may be easier on the eyes, most agree it's the layers of the flavor in the mouth that will matter. ian lee, cbs news, london.

comingor "la are in short supply in stores. anna werner talks with frustrated parents. ben tracy takes us to a part of california that could be the key to electric cars of the future. and meet a businessman who transformed his nightclub into one of the first black-owned grocery stores in the city. that's the "cbs morning news" for this monday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. ♪ ne-marie green. have a great day.