i'm jane pauley, "face the nation" is next. please join us when our trumpet sou nds again >> brennan: i'm margaret brennan, and today on "face the nation," a winter withoutout in parts of new england as a blizzard with hurricane-force winds ortheastrocks. plus, we'll talk with former f.d.a. commissioner dr. scott gottlieb about the new omicron variant. how concerned should you be? then, president biden vows he'll make good on his hispromise for an historic pick for the supreme court. we'll talk with lindsey graham and democrat jim clyburn will be with us. overseas, ukraine's president insists a showdown with russia isn't

as dire as the u.s. and europe warns. we'll check in with oksana markarova. and one of the biden administration's top diplomats, ambassador victoria nuland. it is all just ahead on "face the nation." ♪♪ >> brennan: good morning, and welcome to "face the nation." there is a lot to get to today, but we begin with that massive winter storm that wallopped the northeast, bringing with it as least two feet of snow, hurricane-force winds and coastal flooding. our mola lenghi reports from boston. >> reporter: good morning, margaret. it was a relentless and historic single-day snowstorm here in boston. there was more snow here yesterday than the city averages the entire month of january. throughout massachusetts, plows faced whiteout

conditions and it made it a challenge for the cleanup crews to keep up. it also whipped of waves, battering the entire english coastline. images from space showed it dumping more than two feet of snow. winds gusted as high of 83 mile-an-hour on cape cod and massachusetts. a couple thousand homes and businesses lost power in the state, and tens of thousands are still without power. a majority of flights, thousands of them were canceled at major airports in the mid-atlantic and the northeast. this morning the snow has finally lit up, but we're not yet in the clear, with much of the region digging out. the entire eastern seaboard was somehow, some way impacted by this storm system. as far south as florida, which felt freezing temperatures. the plows are working on the roads again this morning. they continue to do that to clear not only for the utility crews, but also getting them ready for the

monday morning work and school commutes. margaret? >> brennan: mola lenghi in boston, thank you. we turn now to the covid-19 pandemic, where despite a decline in hospitalizations and new cases, deaths are still rising and the virus is still highly transmissible. community spread is in the high range across the country, and a new variant of omicron has raised new concerns. mark strassmann reports. ♪♪ >> reporter: finally, a covid update not steeped in dread. >> we continue to move towards a time when covid won't disrupt our daily lives, a time when covid is no longer a crisis. >> reporter: new covid cases down sharply. hospitalizations down encouragingly. but omicron's over all milder im comes with a qualifier. >> we cannot look past the strain on our health systems and substantial number of deaths. >> reporter: we're now averaging 2300 covid

deaths a day, many preventable. >> we've been trying to scream at the top of our loungs to say how bad it is. >> reporter: roughly 100 million americans have yet to get fully vaccinated. >> the decision does come back down to the individual, what choice they want to motorcycle. >> reporter: after two months of run-away infections, omicron is generally relaxing its head lock on american life. only nine states, washington, d.c. and puerto rico still require indoor masking, regardless of vaccination status. san francisco will ease its mask mandate starting on tuesday. and in roanoke, virginia, the school board agrees masking is optional starting next month. but daycare centers remain worrisome. the c.d.c.'s new guidance: providers should get boosted and tested at least once a week.

something to keep an eye on, a new sub variant named stealth omicron. this truly is the virus that wouldn't leave. margaret? >> brennan: mark strassmann, thank you. we go now to former f.d.a. commissioner and pfizer board member dr. scott gottlieb, who played it out of the storm and down here to d.c. this morning. that is dedication. thank you, doctor. >> doctor: thank you. >> brennan: there is a new variant of concern, ba2. and the c.d.c. says it is already here in the united states. how concerned should we be? >> doctor: the question is: does this change the decision space? i don't really think it does. it perhaps extends the tale on the decline we're seeing across the country. is it more contagious? it appears to be more contagious. data out of denmark suggests it is 1.5 times more contagious. does it evade our immune

system or the immunity we have attained from the vaccines? so far it suggests it doesn't. a fully boosted person may be more protected against this new variant than the original strain of omicron. the final question: is it more virulent? more dangerous? and basically from the denmark, it doesn't appear to be a more virulent strain. >> brennan: if you have had omicron, are you protected? >> doctor: you should be protected. it is not the receptive on the spike protein. that neutralizes the virus. most of the mutations are on a separate part of the spike protein called the end terminal domain. so if you have omicron protection, you should have protection against this new variant. that's why i don't think this will create a huge wave of infection. what is likely to happen, as we're coming down, and we're coming down quite sharply in parts of the

northeast, florida and the mid-atlantic, you might see as this new strain starts to pick up, we start to slow down in that decline, but the decline will happen nonetheless. we have so much omicron immunity, it will probably be a backstop against this really taking off. >> brennan: when we talked about it there, every time there is an infection, the child care centers have to shut down. that creates practical problems for parents, who want to go out and participate in the economy, and they want to show up for work. the c.d.c. issued new guidance to child care centers. it recommended toddlers remain masked, and lower the isolation post-infection to about five days. is this good health policy? >> doctor: i think they're doing all they can do. the guidance focuses on trying to prevent spread in the daycare center. i think we should focus on try to prevent introduction into those settings. because once you have

infection that that setting, it is hard to control. it is hard to ask a 2-year-old or 3-year-old to wear a mask. i think we should be focusing more on trying to keep the infection out in the first place. >> brennan: to that point, and you know because i ask you almost every week because my own kids can't get vaccinated, that is just going to continue to be a risk, right, until the youngest children, four and under, can get a vaccine. so this portion of the puzzle, if the vaccine is green lit for the youngest american, does it unlock everything else? does it start to move us back to normal? >> doctor: i don't think it unlocks everything else for a couple of reasons. number one, we're seeing a lot of parents with young kids aren't getting their kids vaccinated. only about 25% of kids five to 11 are vaccinated. we can't fully explain that. and while the vaccines prevent infection, so a

fully boosted adult has a 50% lower chance of get ing fected in the first place with that vaccine, they're not 90% protected. and probably in the younger kids, they'll be a little less infected against infection. what the vaccine is going to do is protect them from bad outcomes. and there is some indication, if you listen to federal health officials, they may be rethinking the vaccine in six months to four years old. i'm hopeful you could see some movement in trying to entertain that application earlier. ultimately, the decision resides with the f.d.a. but there is some indication there may be an earlier action on that application. >> brennan: dr. fauci said it would be a three-dose regimen for the youngest. you said the best case would be march. are you sticking with that? >> doctor: if they decide to authorize this onthe basis of two doses, it could be out much sooner. and i think the vaccine

has changed in six months to 4-year-olds. previously we had data showing that the child vaccine six months to four years wasn't as is good in protection as the adult vaccine, so that's why they pushed it out and asked for that third dose. but if the goal of the vaccine is to get base line immunity, and you're not really using the vaccine to prevent infection in the first place, two doses could do that. it could p provide base line immunity that protects them from hospitalizations. if they decide to authorize this for two doses, it could be out as early as march. >> brennan: that could be a big development. mamark strassmann was reporting on san francisco being the first city to rollbarollback mask mandate.

>> doctor: this will be a real challenge. it says these measures should be lifted when there is low prevalence. the c.d.c. defines low pretzels at 10,000 cases per day. in the case of omicron and the fact that the population has a lot of immunity, we may need to rethink that. we may need to think once weigh get to 20 cases per 100,000, that could be the same. washington, d.c. is at 50 and new york is at 75. with this new omicron variant, it may stall out at 20 and that may be the point where we have to consider withdrawing a lot of these measures. >> brennan: dr. scott gottlieb, nice to see you in person. and "face the nation" will be back in one minute.

and our doctors teach at harvard medical school, and where the physicians doing the world-changing research are the ones providing care. there's only one mass general brigham. >> brennan: president biden has promised to name a black woman to replace supreme court justice

stephen breyer. ketanji brown jackson, leandra reid kruger of california, and michelle child's of south carolina. the only potential nominee that the white house has publicly acknowledged being under consideration is childs. south carolina senator lindsey graham joins us from clemson, south carolina this morning. good morning to you, senator. >> good morning. >> brennan: as you know, coming up on this program, congressman jim clyburn has said repeatedly in interviews that south carolina federal district judge, michelle childs is not only someone he likes, but that both south carolina senators will support her. so he is talking about you. did you tell him you're a yes vote on childs? >> here is what i will tell him and the nation: i can't think of a better person for president biden to consider for the supreme court than

michelle childs. she is considered to be a fair-minded, highly-gifted jurist. she is one of the most decent people i have ever met. it would be good for the court to have somebody who is not at harvard or yale. she is a graduate of the university of south california. a public education background. she has been a workers compensation judge. she is of good character. i cannot say anything bad about michelle childs. she is an awesome person. >> brennan: that sounds like pretty close to yes? you're a yes vote? >> well, look, i don't know if she is going to be nominated. if she is nominated, she will not be treated like judge kavanaugh. but i think i made it pretty clear i'm a big admirer of judge childs. >> brennan: yes, you did. >> and i would like to see the court have a little more balance. everybody has to be from

harvard or yale. it is okay to go to a public university and get your law degree. >> brennan: you have been growing in your descriptions, but your colleagues, senator roger witker says picking a blackblack female judge is prejudice. and n nikki haley also tweeted the president sould have a litmus test. president reagan -- >> put me in the camp that the court and other institutions look like america. we recruit women and people of color to look more like america. affirmative action is picking somebody not as well qualified for past wrongs. michelle childs is

incredibly qualified. there is no affirmative action component if you pick her. she is highly qualified. and president reagan said running for office he wanted to put the first female on the court. whether you like it or not, joe biden said i want to pick an african-american woman to serve on the court. there are plenty who are qualified. i don't see michelle childs as an act of affirmative action. i do see putting a black woman on the court, making the court more like america. in the history of the country, we've only had five women serve and two african-american men. so let's make the court look more like america. but qualifications has to be a big conration and ashelle childs, she is qualified by every measure. >> brennan: i want to move on to ukraine.

senator menendez said they're nearing bipartisan agreement on a packet of sanctions, some of which would put sanctions on russia now. what exactly are you pushing for? >> more against russia and more for ukraine. there is bipartisan support to sanction russia now. they're dismembering the u.k. by the threat of invasion. it is 2022, for god's sake. you can't get your way by punishing putin. the ukrainian economy says they can deal with the threat of invasion and more troops. i support president biden's decision to send more troops in to reinforce nato. he is trying to destroy a neighboring democracy -- he hates democracy, putin. i would just say this to

president putin: if you invade the ukraine, you will destroy the future presidents from treating you like normal because every president in the future will pound you, and every congress in the future will pound you if you dismantle this democracy. so be careful what you wish for, my friend. >> brennan: strong words there. we know president biden is already looking at sanctions after an invasion. he is looking at sovereign debt sales, hitting oligarchs close to vladimir putin, on top of export/in port restrictions. is this enough or are you saying you're pushing president biden further? >> the bipartisan working group will submit sanctions now. >> brennan: on what specifically? >> on an array of pre-invasion sanctions.

the nordstream 2 pipeline, which is a cash cow for putin, that will probably be after the invasion, knocking them out of financial systems they will need to conduct business normally. the the swift program -- >> brennan: european allies don't support that. >> the congress has a different view here. i want sanctions on putin's behavior now. what is he did? he is warning to get his way by threatening countries. that's not the way to resolve this dispute. i think there will be bipartisan support for sanctions now and for more lethal aid now to the ukraine, and more economic assistance to the government now, and i think there is bipartisan support to reinforce nato. >> brennan: in your version of the bill, what would trigger innovation. is a cyber attack -- does

that trigger sanctions? >> a eyber attack against the united states would be an act of war, which we'll respond in kind. i'm tired of china and north korea attacking us. shutting it d it down through a cyber attack is the same thing. any attack on the sovereignty of a nation, any attack on their critical structure, any attack on their ability to do business -- but he needs to be sanctioned now. he is using the threat of force of arms to get his way. that should be outlawed and 2022. i want to support president biden to the full extent possible, but the congress is ready to sanction putin now. ut but there will be more sanctions if he invades. if russia invades the ukraine, no future president or future congress will give you a pass. it will change the relationship forever. >> brennan: senator,

more than 730 people have been charged for their role on the attack on the capitol and january 6. last night president trump at a rally said this: >> president trump: if i run and if i win, we will treat those people from january 6 fairly. and if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons because they are being treated so unfairly. >> brennan: pardons? do you agree? >> yes -- no. i don't want to send any signal that was okay to defile a capitol. there are other groups with causes that may want to go down the violent path -- >> brennan: isn't that a dangerous thing to say? >> yes -- well, i think it is inappropriate. i don't want to reinforce that defiling the capitol is okay. i don't want to do anything that would make this more likely in the future. let me finish my thought

here: when kamala harris and her associates raised money to bail out the rorioters who hit cops in the head and tore down stores, i didn't think that was right either. it will make violence more likely. i want to deter what people did on january 6, and those who did it, i hope they go to jail and get the book thrown aterve it. >> brennan: that's clear. before i let you go, i want to ask you, the district attorney in georgia wants to investigate president trump. she wants to talk to you about the phone call you made to the secretary of state 10 days after the election. are you going to cooperate? >> yeah. give me a call. i asked how the system worked when it came to (indiscernable). the january 6 committee was not the 9/11

committee. after 9/11, we came together -- >> brennan: i was talking about georgia, though. >> what is going on in georgia -- yeah, i know, but there is an effort here to use the law, i think inappropriately. i don't know what they're going to do in f fulton county will do or the january 6 committee will do. there is a political movement trying to knock trump out of running and i don't particularly like it or appreciate it. >> brennan: senator, thank you for joining us today. >> thank you. >> brennan: we will be right back with congressman james clyburn. toelce your risk proli t youre from fracture with 1 st 6 months. take prolia® if you have low blood calcium, youre are pregnant, are allergic to it, or take xgeva®. serious allergic reactions like low blood pressure, trouble breathing, throat tightness, face, lip

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>> brennan: we go now to democratic whip congressman james clyburn of south carolina. good morning to you, congressman. you have been vocal in your endorsement of michelle childs. senator graham just gave her a glowing recommendation. have you spoken to president biden about her? >> yes, i did, several

months ago. i have not spoken to him recently about her. i sent the white house a letter 13 months ago, and he and i have been talking about her for several months. >> brennan: you and i are going to talk about her, and the whole process more, but i have to hit this commercial break and we'll have an extended conversation on the other side of it. so stay with us. new skin growt, have had cancer, or if you need a vaccine. pres, a rare, potentially fatal brain condition, may be possible. some serious allergic reactions and lung inflammation can occur. lasting remission can start

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