♪♪ >> brennan: welcome back to "face the nation." we continue our conversation now with democratic whip congressman james clyburn of south carolina. good morning to you, again. thank you for sticking with us through that break. >> oh, thank you. >> brennan: you had just shared you had spoken to president biden months ago with michelle childs a candidate we know for a potential spot on the supreme court. more broadly, you were the man who exacted this promise during the campaign from president biden. what do you think putting this kind of diversity on the court, the first black woman, does for the

country? >> well, it says to every little child out there growing up under moderate circumstances, needing the entire community to help raise it, getting scholarships to go off to school because they couldn't afford to go otherwise, going to public schools because you didn't get an offer from one of the big private schools -- it says to them that you've got just as much of a chance to benefit from the greatness of this country as everybody else. as you probably know, i have made it the moto of my service: making america's greatness accessible and affordable for all americans. and that is what this will do. that's the kind of conversation i had with candidate biden way back when he was running for president. in fact, we had those conversations when he was serving as vice president, that he came up under modest circumstances in

scrant ton, pennsylvania, there in delaware, and he had as much opportunity as anybody else. >> brennan: we know that the president said he would make his pick known by the end of february, and that fits with that march state of the union address. as whip, what else are you going to be able to deliver to the president to sort of announce that day. can you provide any portion of build back better bu, which is completely stalled at the moment? >> i hope we can. it is possible. the opponents of the big packets have talked about things they can support. the child tax credit. joe manchin has said if it was tested, he could agree to it. so that's the means testing. he already has said he agrees with us closing the so-called coverage gap. so that those people who

are eligible for medicaid or who are in states that cannot or did not expand the medicaid, that they will have health care. so if we can do those things, let's do them. >> brennan: by march 1st? >> i i'm sorry? >> brennan: by march 1st? >> yes, we could do it byitee whatalki cooneral days, ot sever watching for that. i want to ask you about something -- >> i didn't say it was going to be done. it can be done. [laughter] >> brennan: we will watch you to see if it actually will be done, sir. you've repeatedly said that black women are the backbone of the democratic party. and you've talked about this supreme court nomination as the kind of things that democrats may need. you know, the failure to

get voting rights legislation passed, the failure to agree on a police reform bill -- do you feel that democrats need this nomination, that it will make a difference going into the mid-terms given these other promises that were not delivered on? >> i certainly do agree with that. i believed it two years ago. it is why i advised then candidate biden to put that into his campaign. do you recall the first time he ever said that was at the south carolina debate the 25th of february -- >> brennan: i remember. i was there. >> okay. i advised that. a lot of people told him not to do it. but his guts told him, as he told me, when you grow up with the kind of experiences the two of us have had, your gut tells you some things that sometimes people who didn't have those experiences would not feel, so he did it. and it made all of the difference in the world. and it is still a big difference. >> brennan: talking about those mid-terms and

the need for a win here, i want to ask you about jamie harrison, the head of the democratic party right now. i know he worked for you for years on capitol hill. you're close to him, you're a mentor. he is reportedly considering leaving that job ahead of of the mid-term races because of disagreement with the white house. do you think that the d.n.c. needs new leadership? >> i do not. i think he is exactly what we need for this party at this particular junction. i also note he, like all of us in this business -- he has his detractors. i have mine. it doesn't mean that he is wrong or they are wrong. it means that people have different approaches to doing things. so jim harrison is there. he will never run. he believes in fighting rather than switching. >> brennan: you are being very diplomatic in your answer there.

back in november, you told the a.p., jamie harrison knows how to do the job. i fear he may not be allowed to do the job. he is being hamstrung by people who never ran for anything. who are those people? who is standing in his way? >> i'm not going to name those people. >> brennan: is it the white house? >> i'm not saying who it is. i am saying that all of us -- ie problem. every time i run for election -- i was talking to my grandson just yesterday, about what he thought i ought to do, and i said when was the last time he was out asking anybody for a vote? jim harrison ran a very bruising race with the gentleman you just had on here. he knows what it is to run. he knows what it is to lose. and i'm saying i lost three times before i got elected.

so i know what it is to lose an election, and i know what it is to come back from an election. jamie harrison is just what we need. >> brennan: all right. congressman, thank you for your time today. >> thank you very much for having me. >> brennan: we'll be back in a moment. when you need some of the brightest minds in medicine, this is the only healthcare system in the country with five nationally ranked hospitals, including two world-renowned academic medical centers, in boston, where biotech innovates daily 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. [sfx: buzz! buzz! buzz!] what is... an overpass? come on!

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>> brennan: turning now to the tensions in ukraine. the diplomatic back and forth continues, and nato allies are considering sending more troops to region. this as moscow continues to ship weapons and equipment. holly williams is near denas, close to the front line. >> reporter: good morning. here in eastern ukraine, people do not seem to be panicking, and perhaps that is because they've been living with russian aggression for years. but they are making preparations for a possible russian invasion. more russian fighter jets arrived in belarus this week on ukraine's northern border. moscow says for military exercises next month. that's when president biden believes there is a

distinct possibility russia could invade. the secretary of defense warned of unconventional tactics, like staged incidents, that russia could use as a pretext to move in. >> this is straight out of the russian playbook. and they're not fooling us. >> reporter: with tensions reaching a crescendo, russia's president vladimir putin laid a wreath for the fallen during the second world war. russia still maintains it has no plains to invade its neighbor, but that doesn't explain the roughly 100,000 russian troops amassed on ukraine's border, while russia military drills on land and sea hav >>utin c do the right easothat is evolve into conflict. he can choose to de-escalate. >> reporter: there are 8500 american troops on heightened alert. nato says it is sending

more fighter jets and ships to reinforce eastern europe. and plane loads of military equipment have been arriving in kyiv. the country's president, volodymyr zelensky accused other presidents are sowing panic and putting ukraine's economy at risk. margaret? >> brennan: holly williams, thank you. we're now joined by oksana markarova, ukraine's sol'sambassador to the united states. good morning. >> good morning. >> br >> brennan: artillery, ground air forces -- but president zelensky said russia may simply be

supplying ps psychological pressure. why is your president downplaying the situation? >> he is not downplaying the situation. we also know what russia is capable of because they have attacked us already. for 18 years we are at war and we're defending our country. at the same time, in order to defend owb country, we cannot afford to panic. we have to get ready, all of us, not only aur military, our very capable military and veterans, but also all citizens. we know and see what is going on. this is a reality of which we lived for eight years. this is the reality of the recent escalation since april. so we monitor it, we assess it, we share the information with our friends and allies. we're very grateful for the united states, for the strong relations -- >> brennan: but your president said ukraine is

grateful for support, but i can't be like other politicians who are grateful to the united states just for being the united states. what does he mean by that? it sounds a lot like thri aa lot likethere is some frictin here. >> there is no friction here. the united states is our strategic partner, and i would even say strategic friend, number one. our relations, especially during the last year, has been at the highest level ever, i would say in 30 years -- >> brennan: but the white house says -- they issued a statement, at the same time president zelensky is downplaying a russian invasion, he is asking for hundreds of thousands of dollars in weapons. we think it is responsible to be open and candid. >> we're open and candid. as i said, we know what

russians are capable of here. let's be very clear here: we know who the aggressor is here, everyone knows who the aggressor is here, it is russia. with the united states or other allies, we may have difference of opinions on when to introduce sanctions, we may have difference of opinions on some other issues, but those are friendly and candid, open discussions. >> brennan: i want to understand what you need now? what have you asking the white house for? >> it is the same that we have been asking for eight years, but especially this year. strong three levels of deterrence, political, economic, and military differences. so strong political deterrence -- >> brennan: but in terms of what you're asking u.s. taxpayers for, the chairman of your parliament wrote asking for air defense,

anti-ship, flexible loans -- is this a formal request for your government? is what the white house giving you not sufficient? >> when you look at the statements from our presidents when they met at the white house, you will see a number of these issues in the joint statement and in the agreement we signed. we are merely discussing what we already agreed with the united states and we're discussing how to implement it. >> brennan: to be very clear, you're asking congress and the white house to put sanctions on russia right now, not to wait for an invasion? is that right? >> we ask both. russia is there. russia illegally occupied ukraine, and they didn't change their behavior during the eight years. so yes, we believe the basis for sanctions is there -- >> brennan: you told me before you think a cyber attack will exceed any military action. what exactly are you

preparing for t? because the u.s. is warning this could have global effect? >> especially now russia engages in cyber-attacks and all kinds of hybrid works. cyber misinformation and all kinds of misinformation -- recently, a couple of weeks ago, a number of ukrainian ministers have been attacked and defaced. the attack has been wider than that, and our security sources, together with our partners from the u.s., are looking at that particular attack. but it is one of many. we are under constant attack, especially in the cyber-space, and we're trying everything possible and doing everything possible to strengthen ourpabres ll. >> bren you are saying that thear has already started? >> in the south of -- in crimea. when it has been annexed,

that has been the start of the war. >> brennan: if vladimir putin launches a further attack on ukraine, do you believe he will stop there? >> well, the reasons why putin attacks us is not because he wants ukraine or only ukraine. the reason he attacks us is because we have chosen to be a democracy, and with have the europe (indiscernable). so it is an attack on democracy. and i believe nobody is safe if ukraine will be attacked. we do not want to be part of the soviet union or the russian empire or the russian federation. we want to be sovereign, and we are sovereign, and we're fighting for our independence. and if ukraine will be further attacked by russia, of course they will not stop after ukraine. so that is why it is in the interest of europe ando defend ourselves, but also to show that the international rule of law still works.

>> brennan: all right. ambassador, thank you very much for your time today. >> thank you, and thank you to all of your viewers and all american people for support. >> brennan: we'll be back in a moment. when you humble yourself under the mighty hand of god, in due time he will exalt you. hi, i'm joel osteen. i'm excited about being with you every week. i hope you'll tune in. you'll be inspired, you'll be encouraged. i'm looking forward to seeing you right here. you are fully loaded and completely equipped for the race that's been designed for you.

>> brennan: we go now to victoria nuland, the state department undersecretary for political affairs. good morning to you, ambassador. >> good morning, margaret. good to be with you. >> brennan: we heard from the chairman of the joint chiefs this week that russia has given itself the capability, if it wanted, for a full invasion, not just an incursion. what is the u.s.'s settassessment at this point? has vladimir putin made a decision on what to do next? >> margaret, don't believe he has yet made a decision. but as he has done in the past, he has given himself every option, including, as the chairman said, a massive potential invasion of all of ukraine, including cyber-attacks, including incursion from belarus, where he is moving up to 30,000 troops there as well. so we have to be prepared for all options. >> brennan: so there is no sign yet of any kind of

de-escalation? >> on the contrary, he has moved more forces since we've been encouraging him to de-escalate. that said, margaret, as you know, we sent our diplomatic agent to russia, as we did to nato. we heard some signs that the russians are interested in engaging on that proposal, including the fact that secretary blinken and navros will probably speak this week. we want to settle these issues from diplomacy, through arms control, and putin has given himself that option and also the option of major in game. >> brennan: how significant is it that russia may deploy tactical weapons to the border -- is there any indication of that type of buildup? >> we have not seen nuclear weapons move. there has been some loose

talk from folks in russia. but as you know, russia already has tactical nuclear weapons in colin and grad and elsewhere that can range europe. >> brennan: i think that is an important point to make to show the potential of this kind of conflict. can you sort of put in perspective what the strategy is here? because president biden has said he is not sending combat troops to ukraine. he is talking about moving potentially a small number of troops into allied countries in the russia. is this about containing the threat from becoming a regional war? >> well, first of all, margaret, with regard to the diplomatic proposal, you know, putin puts forward publicly all of the things he is interested in, our response and nato's response agrees to engage him on many of these things that you have talked about. we have said, let's talk about the medium and

short-range missiles. the threat you feel from us; the threat we feel from you. let's talk about how we can de-escalate with regard to exercises and military deployments. let's have that conversation oe a reciprocal basis. but we also have to prepare, as i said. so what we've been doing is first giving ukraine the kinds of defensive lethal equipment that they need in order to be able to make this -- if russia makes that big mistake and moves in, a very bloody fight. so equipment like anti tanti-tank and anti-air. and we worked with our allies on a massive pack of economic sanctions, so if he does move on ukraine, he will feel it acutely, as will the russian people, in terms of their economy. it will have a crushing blow on them. and we're also preparing

within nato territory, because obviously we have a sacred and sovereign responsibility to protect our nato allies. and with the kinds of forces he is moving, they're coming closer to the borders of our baltic allies, poland, so we have to be ready. ukrainian president said on friday they are aware of the risks but they don't want panic. have you resolved those kind of restrictions with the allies? >> panic is not a policy. what we need to do is prudent planning. that's what we are doing and our nato allies are doing and we're encouraging ukraine to do as well. given that putin has made these moves before, even as we encourage diplomacy, we have to be ready for the worst. >> brennan: it appears that the senate is nearing a bipartisan agreement on

a packet of sanctions. the administration has wanted to wait and hold on to sanctions as leverage. will the president veto this bill? what will the impact be? >> we are working intensively with the congress on this piece of legislation. we expect it will be very well-aligned with what we are building with our nato allies and partners. i would say that one of the strengths of u.s. policy, vis-aà-vis ukraine, going back some 30 years, but particularly in this instance, we had a very strong bipartisan approach to members of ukraine. but with regard to this package of sanctions, you know, deterrence is best when there is a little bit of strategic ambiguity around exactly what we are going to do. so wnancial measures. we have seed export controls.

we have said new expansions on -- if we put them on the table now, russia will be able to start mitigating, and that doesn't make any sense to you. >> brennan: ambassador, thank you for your time. and we'll be right back.

>> brennan: that's it for us today. thank you for watching. until next week, for "face the nation," i'm margaret brennan. ♪♪ captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

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this is the cbs "overnight news." good evening. the sun was thankfully shining today across much of the east coast. but for millions of people, the weekend was a whiteout. a powerful nor'easter swept from virginia to maine, bringing blizzard conditions to many areas, and leaving a trail of power outages. fortunately, the damage is not extreme. but massachusetts bore the brunt of the storm's fury. boston is now recovering from one of the biggest snowstorms in its history. that's where we find our reporter tonight. good evening. >> reporter: well, good evening. the relentless all-day storm