cleared up rumors. download the cbs it's tuesday, february 1st, 2022. this is the "cbs morning news." diplomatic clash. the u.s. and russia face off at the u.n. over ukraine. the scathing accusations about lies and promoting fear. plea deal rejected. the new twist for two men convicted of killing ahmaud arbery. convicted expanding eligibility, why the u.s. could be weeks away from approving a covid vaccine for children under 5. good morning and good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. top diplomats from the u.s. and russia continue talks today amid the ukraine crisis. the russian government, which has mobilized about 100,000 troops around ukraine, delivered

a rinne response to the u.s. as negotiations continue to de-escalate around the situation, but it's unclear what they told u.s. officials. both countries sparred yesterday at a u.n. security council meeting. russia accused the west of stirring up tensions, while the u.s. warned of severe punishment if russia invades. elise preston is following the latest from new york. elise, good morning. >> good morning, anne-marie. in regard to the crisis at the ukrainian border, president biden says the u.s. is, quote, ready, no matter what happens. today u.s. secretary of state antony blinken and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov will speak over the phone. the two nations willl try to col the rising tension in eastern europe. >> it is our goal in all of this to attempt to influence moscow's decision-making. >> reporter: the call comes as roughly 100,000 russian troops surround ukraine on three sides. >> it's urgent and dangerous.

>> reporter: and u.n. representatives for russia and the u.s. trade allegations. >> if russia further invades ukraine, none of us will be able to say we didn't see it coming. >> we fully understand the desire of our american colleagues to whip up hysterics. >> reporter: at the white house, president biden said he hopes to see a diplomatic de-escalation. >> but with russia continuing its buildup of its forces around ukraine, we are ready no matter what happens. >> reporter: in ukraine, the threat has prompted thousands of citizens to join local defense units, some practicing with just plywood rifles. >> if you want peace, you should prepare to war. >> reporter: but the ukraine military also released these photos of u.s. instructors training soldiers to wield missile launchers. cbs news has learned the pentagon is close to announcing u.s. troops based in europe will move closer to the front lines. now nato secretary-general warns russia may use joint training

exercises with belarus set to begin in ten days as a disguise to attack ukraine. anne-marie? >> all right. elise preston in new york. elise, thank you so much. a federal judge has rejected a plea deal that would have averted a hate crime for travis mcmichael, one of the men convicted of murdering ahmaud arbery. both he and gregory mcmichael offering a plea deal. they would have gone back to a state prison in georgia to serve the rest of their life sentences. arbery's family rejected the deal partly because they wanto r time in a state facility where condititions are tough. >> looking forward to trial. today was a very, very -- this morning was very, very stressful knowing that we have a judge's -- a plea on yesterday and they was going forward with it.

>> the mcmichaels were convicted of murdering ahmaud arbery while he was jogging. the judge will give them until the end of the week to see if they stick with their guilty pleas or stand trial on the charges. >> at least six historic black universities in five states and washington, d.c., received bomb threats yesterday, forcing them to lock down their campuses. at bowie state university in maryland, students were told to stay in place. by late afternoon the schools received all clear notices. it is the second time in recent weeks that bomb threats were made at historically black universities. and we could be one step closer to a vaccine shot for children as young as 6 months. pfizer is expected to apply for emergency authorization as soon as today for the two-dose regime for children under the age of 5 years old. early research shows that the covid vaccine is safe for younger children at a much lower dose compared to adults. the biden administration hopes

that the shots can go out later on this month. meantime, governors from across the country gather at the white house telling president biden that they're ready to move from a pandemic to an endemic. danya bacchus has more. >> your voice has been important. >> reporter: governors for more than half the states in the country met with president biden at the white house monday. the chair of the national governors association asa hutchinson said state leaders want to move away from the pandemic. >> we ask the president to help give us clear guidelines on how we can return to a greater state of normality. >> a lot of good discussion about what does the road from pandemic to endemic look like, and how do we keep score? >> reporter: nationwide the number of daily covid cases is on a decline, down by more than half since the peak of the omicron surge, but some states are still seeing increases. >> right now we still need to keep our heads down and stay at it and fight at what is still surging in parts of the country, but we do have the tools to get

to a point where it does not destruct our daily lives. >> reporter: health experts say the country should be in a much better place come spring. >> i think toward the end of february and march, we'll have significantly lower cases in this country, and hopefully in march we can vaccinate those under 5 and our shoulders can come down. >> reporter: moderna announced monday that federal health regulators gave full approval to its two-dose shot. danya bacchus, cbs news, los angeles. president biden will hold discussions today about his nomination for the supreme court. he's scheduled to meet with judiciary chairman dick durbin and ranking minority member chuck grassley. the white house said mr. biden will consult with them and hear their advice. last week justice stephen breyer announced that he will retire at the end of the term. he's served for nearly three decades. mr. biden has pledged to nominate a black woman to the high court. investigators in california

are trying to find a motive after a firefighter was shot and killed while responding to dumpster fire. 47-year-old captain max fortuna was shot before dawn yesterday in the city of stockton. police say a 67-year-old man was detained at the scene and they found a gun. the fire chief said fortuna's death was his worst nightmare. the mayor called him a hero. >> this is a sobering reminder of the many sacrifices our firefighters make day in and day out in service to our community. >> fortuna had been a firefighter for more than two decades. and all federal prisons in the u.s. were placed on a nationwide lockdown after two inmates were killed at a federal penitentiary in texas. the "associated press" said the inmates were killed during a fight at a prison in belmont in involving members of the violent ms-13 street gang. two other inmates were hurt. the lockdown was ordered due to fears of potential retaliation and the possibility that violence could spread to other facilities.

coming up, partygate probe. britain's prime minister responds to an investigation of social events held during strict lockdowns. and buffet brawl. dozens of people get into a fight after a restaurant reportedly runs out of a dinnertime staple. this is the "cbs morning news." reportedly runs out of a dinnertime staple. this is the "cbs morning news." sanitized, u if the surface was touched again, bacteria could be left behind. not anymore. with microban 24, just one spray, fights bacteria all day. it forms a defensive shield that keeps killing 99.9% of bacteria for up to 24 hours. these leading disinfectants do not. so surfaces stay sanitized, touch after touch. microban 24. don't just sanitize it, microban it. imagine getting $150,000 dollars... for one year of epic adventures... in a new dodge hellcat... and you don't even have to quit your day job. you just need to show you've got real drive.

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♪♪ you pour your heart into everything you do, which is a lot. so take care of that heart with lipton. because sippin' on unsweetened lipton can help support a healthy heart. lipton. stop chuggin'. start sippin'. a kansas woman accused of joining isis and leading an all-female battalion in syria made her first court appearance in the u.s. 42-year-old allison ekren was in a federal court in virginia to face charges of providing materiel support to a terrorist organization. prosecutors say she wanted to recruit operatives to attack a campus in the u.s. and had discussed the idea of attacking a shopping mall. she was ordered to remain in jail pending another hearing on thursday. and there was a massive brawl at a restaurant buffet. and britain's leader responds to the partygate probe.

those are some of the headlines on the morning newsstand. "the wall street journal" reports british prime minister boris johnson apologized to parliament after the government reported that there were parties held at 10 downing street. it outlined 16 social events that took place in government offices and johnson's home in the last two years when british citizens were ordered to reduce socializing. johnson vowed to make changes in the government, but some members of his own conservative party said that they can no longer support johnson. cbs philadelphia says a massive brawl broke out at a golden corral over an alleged steak shortage. video shows punches being thrown and chairs being thrown during the melee. a restaurant employee said he was told the fight may have started when the restaurant may have run out of steak and a customer cut in line.

>> my friend was in the video trying to break it up. she said she got hit by a table and her ankle got bruised up. it's scary stuff. >> the police say the brawl may have involved ho people and took place after an argument between customers. and "usa today" says a glove thrown from antonio after he left said the former tampa bay buccaneers wide receiver took parts of his uniform off and then tossed some of it into the stands as he left the field shirtless. one of the items was husband glove which had a starting bid of $81 on the auction site. it's up to $1,700. still to come, a deal from domino's. why the pizza chain wants to give you a tip on your next order.

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

on the "cbs moneywatch," the latest billion dollar video game deal and why domino's is offering customers a tip. diane king hall is in new york with those stories and more. good morning, diane. >> good morning, anne-marie. exxon, google, and alphabet among the companies reporting fourth quarter results. yesterday the dow jumped 406 points. the nasdaq rallied the s&p gained 84. the gaming wars are heating up. sony is buying bungee games video for $600 million. it's an independent game company. it makes the popular game destiny. sony is one of the world's biggest video game companies, but it's facing competition from

microsoft, which bought activision blizzard last month. sticking with games, "the new york times" bought wordle. the publishing giant spent a low seven figures for the game. it's become an online phenomenon since it launched in october. if you haven't played, you get six chances to find a word. it will remain free to new and existing players. forget delivery. domino's will pay you to pick up your order. the pizza chain will pay you $3 if you pick up your order after ordering online instead of a delivery. this money would go toward a future order. the promotion runs through may 22nd. it comes as the industry faces a labor shortage especially right before the super bowl, one of the busiest days for pizza restaurants. i want to quickly remind to wordle. i had to do a check on the word of the day to make sure it's not m-o-n-e-y.

it's not a spoiler, people. >> okay, it's not a spoiler? because, you know, people are serious about this. >> i know. they would be upset. wait, did she just -- i did not gi it aw it's not money. >> i want the wordle fans to know i had nothing to do with this. whatever diane just did to upset the universe, i had nothing to do with it. >> starting trouble on a tuesday. >> exactly. diane king hall in new york. diane, thank you so much. >> thank you. all right. up next, tom brady's latest play. what the quarterback said on his podcast amid rumors about his retirement.

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. country. a new mexico state lawmaker wants actors and other film

workers to undergo gun safety training following last year's deadly shooting on the set of the movie "rust." republican state senator cliff pirtle introduced a bill yesterday that would require all acting and production crews to complete a staff safety course. a cinematographer was shot and killed in october when a prop gun held by actor alec baldwin was fired. baldwin said he did not know it contained a live round. legendary nfl football quarterback tom braid ya said he doesn't know whether he'll retire. he said during a podcast, quote, i think when the time is right, i'll be ready to make a decision one way or the other. over the weekend espn and the nfl network reported that the 44-year-old tampa bay buccaneers quarterback had decided to retire after 22 seasons in the league. brady is coming off one of his best seasons ever. and people across the world are celebrating today's start of the chinese lunar new year.

in northern china they held a colorful dragon dance to usher in the year of the tiger. the skylines of several chinese cities including the capital of beijing were lit up with colorful lights and images. beijing is also celebrating the start of the winter olympics this week. and astronauts aboard the china space station decorated its core module in honor of the holiday. they plan to eat traditional dumplings to mark new year's day. coming up first on "cbs mornings," country music star faith hill stops by the times square studio to talk about starring in the "yellowstone" prequel, "1883." i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." "

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our top stories this morning, secretary of state antony blinken will speak with russia's foreign minister over the phone today to discuss the ukraine crisis. will ak the russian government delivered a written response yesterday to a u.s. proposal aimed at de-escalating the situation. it's unclear what they told u.s. officials though. and pfizer is expected to apply for emergency authorization as soon as today for covid vaccine shots for children under the age of 5. early data shows the vaccine is safe for younger children at a much lower dose than adults get. the biden administration hopes the shots can go out no later than this month. and one of the most pressing issues facing families today is the soaring cost of child care.

a recent analysis found the annual cost of child care now rivals the cost of college in many states. mark strassmann reports. >> can you show everyone how you wash your hands? >> reporter: for cassandra d'alesandro, a squeeze softens of a broken system, the cost of day care, taking almost half of this architect's after-tax income. >> i feel like i could scream, cry, and vomit all at the same time. you have this repetitive question, is it worth it? >> reporter: except for washington, d.c., massachusetts child care. for a 4-year-old, that cost averages $15,000 a year. an infant, almost $21,000. by government standards, only 5% of massachusetts's families can afford infant care. >> it doesn't work for anybody. nobody wins. >> reporter: lauren cook runs the ellis early learning center. this nationally accredited

nonprofit looks after 270 kids. tuition, as high as $30,000. but without donations the center would close. >> we lose money virtually on every child we serve. >> reporter: these parents should be paying more than they are. >> which is impossible. i mean, we would break families. >> reporter: for years advocates have pleaded for government to invest in early learning. at ellis, two-thirds of the kids have subsidized tuition based on lower family incomes. without that help, aleathia graham's day care for aryelle would cost more than her rent. >> when you're pouring that much money into day care, then what am i going to have saved up? how am i going to afford a house one day? >> reporter: and yet aleathia graham knows she's lucky to have it. mark strassmann, cbs news, boston. coming up first on cbs

mornings, countrsi hi stops by the times sq sabouring in the "yellow stone" prequel, "1883." generatif black ts > and actor charlie day tells us about his new romantic comedy, "i want you back." that's the "cbs morning news" for this tuesday. i'm anne-marie green. thanks for watching. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com