celebrating this morning. we love her, she is the greatest songwriter who ever lived and we wish her a happy birthday. >> she is so great. incredible songwriter, incredible artist. >> environmentalist. >> and you talk about a woman who was a trailblazer in rock 'n' roll from the start and she just continues as a songwriter, a performer. and she would tell you the most important work she does is fighting for the environment every single day. we love you, carole. happy birthday. >> that does it for us this morning. chris jansing picks up the coverage right now. hi there, i'm chris jansing in for stephanie ruhle. its wednesday, february 9 and we have a lot to cover. breaking news, later this morning new york governor kathy

hochul is expected to announce an end to the state's indoor mask mandate though not for kids in school. plus speaker nancy pelosi's drastic shift on banning lawmakers from buying stocks. senator elizabeth warren will be here to discuss her brand new bipartisan plan. but we have to start with the growing number of high profile republicans who are pushing back against former president trump and his political allies. tuesday mitch mcconnell very forcefully breaking with the rnc slamming them for censuring adam kinzinger and liz cheney and for describing the insurrection as legitimate political discourse. >> it was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election from one administration to the next. that is what it was. the issue is whether or not the

rnc should be sort of singling out members of our party who may have different views from the majority. that is not the job of the rnc. >> the rnc is defending the resolution arguing that it represents the view of grass roots republicans, not those in, quote, the dc bubble. the resolution also represents the views of donald trump. just the latest example of the former president pushing the envelope forcing his supporters to take difficult positions on everything from mike pence's power to overturn the election to pardons for january 6th rioters. all of which for some republicans have finally proved to be a bridge too far. leigh ann caldwell is on capitol hill for us this morning. and ben collins investigates disinformation and extremism. and phil rucker is deputy national editor for the "washington post" and co-author of "i alone can fix it." and geoff bennett is correspondent for the pbs news

hour. a lot to talk about. few people know the machinations of politics and the republican party better than mitch mcconnell. is he statement a statement of principle that there is a red line, or is it a statement of political reality as in this does not help me take back control of the senate? or both? and does it prove there is growing discontent under the surface in the republican party? >> good morning. as far as mcconnell is concerned and his motivations for those forceful statements, i think it is both. we know that the leader has not spoken with the former president since december of last year, so it has been over a year. he called january 6th yesterday a violent insurrection, some things that many members of his party refuse to do. but he also knows the politics like you said better than anyone else within the republican party. he knows how to win. he knows that he wants to take

back the majority in 2022 and he knows the way to do that is not by talking becoming about january 6th, not by showing divisions within the party, but by focusing on joe biden, focusing on inflation and the economy. those are the things that he thinks are political winners. and so his statement yesterday was the strongest rebuke we've seen from a republican. and you have to contrast that with gop leader kevin mccarthy over in the house who had avoided questions from reporters all day yesterday, refused to talk about this, refused to answer it. he is not holding his weekly press conference this week like he normally does. so he is going to be very hard to get more questions to him again this week. >> i think it is worth punctuating this. this is the top republican in congress, somebody who we've known for literally decades saying to the rnc you are wrong about this. phil, do you think that this

resolution from the rnc could be the straw that ultimately breaks trump's stranglehold on the party or are the vocal few who are willing to stand up and say we were there, this was an insurrection truly that, just a few? >> we just don't know how representative the rebukes from some of these elective leaders are among the voter. and of course that determines the direction of the party. remember there are all of these republican primaries that will begin taking place this spring and summer and into the fall to determine who the republican nominees will be in key senate races, gubernatorial races, house races. and i think that that will be a real test of how much of a hold trump has on this party. certainly mcconnell and other leaders in washington are very uncomfortable with this rnc resolution. but we just don't know yet how reflective that resolution is of the will of the people who

elected those republicans to office in the first place. >> yeah, i think that's right, give oig. geoff, it seems like a lot of republicans are saying it might not be a great strategy to spend 2022 and maybe 2024 talking about 2020, yet the rnc vote might indicate that is where they think the majority of grass root republicans want the focus to be. >> reporter: it is such a great point that you make and i think that that really shine as light on the conundrum that mitch mcconnell is facing. he knows the bulk of the republican party is with donald trump. every major poll taken since 2020 has shown that majorities of republicans believe all of the lies that donald trump is telling about the election that he lost. and donald trump has an 80 plus percent approval rating in the republican party. so mitch mcconnell has tried to walk this tightrope. just last weekend that he did not think that it would be appropriate and he would object

to a lesser sentencing for folks who pleaded guilty in connection to january 6th after former president trump dangled the prospects of pardons. so i think that you can see the differing strategies that mcconnell has for the midterms and for 2024 versus what mccarthy has in mind. mccarthy's view is to bear hug trump, stick as closely as possible to him because he sees his path to being speaker if republicans take the house directly through donald trump. and by energizing the core of the gop. and this resolution from the rnc i think shine as bright light on this. >> and so let's talk about that flip side with house republican leader kevin mccarthy who defended the rnc's ruling. he was asked about it multiple times yesterday. take a look. >> was it legitimate political discourse on january 6? >> everybody knows there was. it was the broken side. what they were talking about is the six rnc members who january

6th has subpoenaed who weren't even here who were in florida that day. >> so phil, i've read the rnc censure many times. it mentions socialism, border security, it mentions stealing the american dream from our children. where does it talk about six rnc members who the january 6th committee had subpoenaed? is mccarthy's explanation an example of the box that the rnc has created for a lot of republicans? >> i think that is certainly right. i think what you are seeing from mccarthy there is just an effort to grab on to something, anything, that he thinks can try to validate this resolution because he knows politically he's got to be with this resolution because that is where so many of the republican members of the house of representatives are. and if mccarthy wants to become speaker after these november midterm elections, he will need

the support of all of his members in the republican conference and they are, most of them, are very solidly with trump in leaving not only in that resolution but believing, frankly, in a lot of the falsehoods and lies and conspiracy theories that the former president has been spreading about the election. >> and ben, i want to get an update from you on the january 6th committee. there was a fascinating report from reuters that said in a garage in washington, d.c. the day before january 6th that leaders of some extremist groups were meeting. you have new reporting about the investigation into protests and demonstrations that may have planted the seeds for january 6th. tell us about that and how investigators are making sure that they don't end up fueling critics who say that they are investigating people who were just exercising their first amendment rights. >> yeah, a half dozen investigators on the committee and they told me they are looking into these events in the year before january 6th to see

where this nexus came from, to see how all they seemed to work in tandem that day to storm the capitol. and that one specific meeting between the proud boys and oathkeepers that happened, it has been known about for a while, they were trying to figure out something a little -- if something else happened there as well. but they say their mandate is bigger and broader than the doj's which has been serving indictments to the oath keepers and the proud boys. so they are trying to get to the bottom of these rallies that were ostensibly about other stuff. covid lockdowns or, you know, counter protests to the racial justice protests from last summer. but they may have served as recruiting vehicles for january 6th. >> rudy giuliani had a deposition scheduled for yesterday. didn't show. what is next? >> yeah, that is up to the committee to see if they are going to move forward with any contempt charges. it is more difficult because he was counsel to the former

president and we're still waiting on the department of justice to move forward on mark meadows' contempt level from congress which hasn't happened yet. so chair of the committee said that they are considering what to do with rudy giuliani. but getting to what ben reported today and yesterday, there are two members of america first, a far right white nationalist group, who are supposed to show for depositions today. we'll see if they show up and provide the committee with any of this information. >> yeah, a fascinating read. people can go to nbc.com and see that. geoff, i want to get your take on another big development. maybe even a minor miracle when we talk bipartisanship. the u.s. postal service getting a huge financial bailout from congress nearly 3:1 vote, how did they do it? >> and i'd call it a big miracle in part because it will legislation was 15 years in the making. as you mentioned, it was a

landslide bipartisan vote. and so this legislation relieves billions of dollars of liabilities that the postal service agency leaders had pointed to and they said this is why we can't provide on-time and efficient service. so that is gone. the house also removed this requirement that existed since 2006 that says that the postal service had to pre-fund health benefits and retirement benefits for postal service employees 75 years into the future. so that meant that the postal service was paying into a fund for potential employees who weren't even born yet. so that is now gone. so this is a big deal. senator schumer, leader schumer in the senate, has said that he expects the upper chamber to take this up and it is likely to pass because it has republican support, there were republican co-sponsors on the senate version and so that is expected to pass next week. but this is a big deal for the postal service and one of the questions that i always get whenever i report on the postal service, what does it mean for

postmaster general louis dejoy. he is not really expected to go anywhere anytime soon and it is because he enjoys the support of the board of governors. president biden doesn't have the authority to remove him directly. that is the prerogative of the board of governors. and right now the folks that president biden has appointed to serve on that board, not all of them have been fully approved yet. so on the one hand you have a lot of folks who point to dejoy and his policy changes and they want to see changes there, but this overhaul passed by the house which is expected to be passed by the senate is certainly a boon and life line that the postal service neednee. >> thanks to all of you. geoff, especially you, i don't know if you want to share, but you found yourself in the middle of a great coffee crisis this morning. >> i did. and yeah, i was at a pet's and as i was pumping what i thought was simple syrup, no it was hand

sanitizer. luckily i noticed before i took a sip and my iced coffee has been replaced. >> i needed a laugh. sounds like something that i would do. glad all is well. coming up, more serious stuff. we'll go inside ukraine as russia prepares for more military exercises. and exclusive reporting about what president biden really thinks about other world leaders as the west works to stop an all-out war. and the new push to ban lawmakers from trading stocks. we'll talk to senator elizabeth warren about her brand new plan, ahead. ahead. has skin-strengthening nutrients and moisturizers that help rebuild your skin. dove men+care. smoother, healthier skin with every shower. as a struggling actor,

i need all the breaks that i can get. dove men+care. at liberty butchemel... cut. liberty mu... line? cut. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. cut. liberty m... am i allowed to riff? what if i come out of the water? liberty biberty... cut. we'll dub it. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ inner voice (furniture maker): i'm constantly nodding... ...because i know everything about furniture ...but with the business side... ...i'm feeling a little lost. quickbooks can help. an easy way to get paid, pay your staff, and know where your business stands. new business? no problem. success starts with intuit quickbooks. i'm always up for what's next, even with higher stroke risk due to afib not caused by a heart valve problem. so if there's a better treatment than warfarin i'll go after that. eliquis. eliquis reduces stroke risk better than warfarin and has less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis has both. don't stop taking eliquis

without talking to your doctor as this may increase your risk of stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking, you may bruise more easily or take longer for bleeding to stop. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, or unusual bruising. it may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. the number one cardiologist-prescribed blood thinner. ask your doctor about eliquis. power e*trade gives you an award-winning mobile app

with powerful, easy-to-use tools, and interactive charts to give you an edge. 24/7 support when you need it the most. plus, zero-dollar commissions for online listed u.s. stocks. [ding] get e*trade and start trading today.

several fast moving developments this morning in the ukraine crisis. moscow denying reports that vladimir putin told french president macron that russia would not escalate tensions after the two leaders held that high stakes meeting for hours on monday. russia now suggesting only the u.s. can address its concerns. all of this as the kremlin continues its military buildup. the russian defense ministry just releasing this footage showing what it says are s-400 missile systems arriving in belarus ahead of military exercises. the move is after six russian warships sailed to black sea

yesterday. joining us now is mike memoli, erin mclaughlin, and peter baker. peter, let's start with since russia is now suggesting only the u.s. can make a deal with moscow, are there any plans for president biden to meet with him, to talk to him again? where does that put us, anyplace different than we really were before that conversation with macron? >> just a way of putin of course dissing his french counterpart who showed him the respect of coming to moscow and then got the back of the hand as a result of it. macron thought he was successful in at least freezing to allow for more negotiations but i don't hear anything at this point about president biden making another call to president putin. he's done that couple times already in the last month or so so it hasn't led to a breakthrough. at this point you have basically a waiting game with one man,

that is vladimir putin, deciding what he is going to do. the west has already made it clear what it will do. putin knows that, he has factored that into his equation and everybody is guessing what his real intentions are, even including any russians who don't know where he is going with this. >> so erin, if it is a waiting game, you are on the ground in kyiv who talk about much more can be done. like what? >> reporter: yeah, that's right. ukranian officials would like to see more lethal aid having just received the latest shipment of lethal aid from the united states, today part of a $200 million package, they would like to see more of that. they would also like to see sanctions imposed sooner rather than later. i was speaking to a corruption fighter here in kyiv, she says that she believes that the massive amount of wealth that has been accumulated by russian president vladimir putin's inner circle is his achilles' heel.

take a listen to what she had to say. >> his money through his trusted oligarchs in nato, nato member states. and these are billions, billions of dollars. so this is wealth of vladimir putin and his system. and if this weak point of the system will be targeted by the west, then the regime will be starting collapsing. and then they will need actually to think about restoring or repairing democracy inside. >> reporter: now, we know u.s. legislators are preparing the so-called mother of all sanction packages, the u account has prepared its own legislation. and she is pushing for european allies do more, namely france and germany. and we saw the german chancellor earlier this week refused to be drawn on the future of the nord stream 2 project, president

biden making it clear that that project won't go ahead in the event of a russian invasion. >> and mike, there is new reporting on president biden's assessment of the situation specifically his view of key u.s. allies. what can you tell us about that? >> reporter: yeah, you remember the 2020 campaign president biden running in so many ways on his foreign policy experience, his ability to restore america's alliance. and he would often talk about the relationship that he is built with other world leaders over his decades as vice president and the like. but one of the interesting dynamics as we've watched this ukraine situation unfold is the fact that the other key players here on the side of our allies, boris johnson for instance, the uk, macron from france, and the new chancellor of germany, are relatively new to biden. he didn't have these relationships with them until he took officehimself. and he has been frustrated trying to get them behind a

package. macron he said is trying to be charles dugall. and also a pretty blunt assessment of vladimir putin as well calling him as somebody with no friends but nukes which i think is a fair assessment. the white house emphasizing though despite whatever the president might be saying behind closed doors, alliances are strong and we've seen that as he is facing the toughest test of his presidency trying to detain that solidarity and deter putin from invasion. >> do these leaks have any implications at all, are they a reflexion of frustration or just frankly normal conversations that happen behind closed doors? >> well, look, if you are the president of the united states, wrangling nato is like wrangling cats. it has always been nuts. and i think that basically any president would feel sympathetic to biden's frustrations at this

particular moment. probably doesn't help to have them come out obviously at this point he is trying to keep them heading in the same direction and having people read comments like that, i'm sure in europe it may frustrate them. but also maybe it has a way of spurring them on a little bit. here is the thing. nato does have disagreements on this, significant disagreements on this, but the one thing that is in fire unifying nato is putin. one thing that they all see as a threat is putin. and while they may take different tactical approaches at this moment, if he were to send in troops, he would be pulling the alliance together in a way nobody has done in years. he is achieving the exact opposite of what he says his goals are. so that is the unintended consequence i think of what he's done here. >> peter, erin, mike, thanks to all of you. coming up, inside the growing push to ban lawmakers from trading stocks as nancy

pelosi appears to be changing course on that. we'll talk to senator elizabeth warren who is out with a brand new bipartisan plan, next. brand w bipartisan plan, next. ♪♪♪ my name is austin james. as a musician living with diabetes, fingersticks can be a real challenge. that's why i use the freestyle libre 2 system. with a painless, one-second scan i know my glucose numbers without fingersticks. now i'm managing my diabetes better and i've lowered my a1c from 8.2 to 6.7. take the mystery out of managing your diabetes and lower your a1c. now you know. try it for free at freestylelibre.us

these are the faces of listerine. the face of millions of germs zapped in seconds. the face of clean. the face of whoa! some are of intensity, others joy. all are of... various: ahhh... listerine. feel the whoa! get help managing your money for the life -- and years -- ahead. with fidelity income planning, we'll look at what you've saved, what you'll need, and build a straightforward plan to generate income, even when you're not working. a plan that gives you the chance to grow your savings and create cash flow that lasts. along the way, we'll give you ways to be tax efficient. and you can start, stop or adjust your plan

at any time without the unnecessary fees. we'll help you go from saving... to living. ♪ play all day ♪ (vo) america's most reliable network is going ultra! with verizon 5g ultra wideband now in many more cities. hey, it's mindy! downloading a movie up to 10 times faster than before. whoa! is that done? (mindy) yep! (vo) verizon is going ultra, so you can too.

men put their skin through a lot. day-in, day-out that's why dove men body wash has skin-strengthening nutrients and moisturizers that help rebuild your skin. dove men+care. smoother, healthier skin with every shower.

. it is time now for money power politics and this morning the push to ban members of congress from trading stocks is picking up big time with punch bowl news reporting that house speaker nancy pelosi wants to make it happen despite saying that she was against it, and this is after chuck schumer is on board and says several proposals should be combined in to one. we told you democrats republicans alike are rolling out bills and new this morning is the senate's first bipartisan bill. senator warren is joining me now. it is not often that twice in one show in one morning i get to talk about bipartisanship. but look, you've pushed this issue before. why now and tell our viewers why you think that this is so important. >> look, people across this country need to have complete confidence that when members of congress are making decisions,

that those decisions are based on what those members believe is best for the public and not what is best for them financially. and so this is a bill that is just very straightforward. it is the bipartisan ban on congressional stock ownership. no owning the stock, no trading the stock for the member, for the member's spouse. this means if you want to be in public service, the public never has to doubt on whose behalf you are working. >> my understanding is that your bill goes further than this, but a lot of folks have been talking about simply requiring stocks to be put in a blind trust which some people argue, you know, would just make it harder for oversight to find when things are going on that shouldn't be happening. talk to us about this whole issue about a blind trust. >> well, what senator daines and i talked about from the very beginning is doing something that is simple, that is straightforward, and that is

transparent. so we will just say if you want to be in congress, if you want to be a representative, if you want to be a senator, then you're held to the highest standard. and the highest standard is you don't own this stuff, you don't trade in this stuff, you are done. you can be in mutual funds, index funds that is broadly held funds across the whole market. that is fine. but you can't be out there owning and trading individual stocks. we think that it is the simplest, easiest to understand and we have a bipartisan group and starting to get some real traction behind it. >> so the penalty for members who don't disclose their trades rarely goes above, what, a few hundred bucks, a slap on the wrist prepared to millions that you can make in trades. if you want to ban members from trading, is there also talk of including in that harsher penalties?

>> in fact that is what our bill has. penalties in our bill are up to $50,000 for every violation. we're serious about this. this is not hard. this is the nice pardon. nobody can say i accidentally owned and traded individual stocks. it says nope, this is the deal. you want to be in congress, you and your spouse, you've got to get rid of them all together. a little transition period to get rid of it and then that is where you stand. and you know what, that is easy. public can see it, everybody can see it. and now we're ready as congress to get back to doing the work we need to do. this is something as you said at the beginning, i've worked on for a long time. and put together a big anti-corruption bill. this is a part of that. that was with congresswoman paul in the house. but this is an important beginning. and i'm very enthusiastic about

the fact that we started this bipartisan, we're trying to keep it bipartisan. the american public has a right to count on us in congress to be acting on their behalf, not on our own financial behalf. >> i want to make sure i understand it because when you say it is a beginning, is that an acknowledgement that even though there does seem to be growing momentum to do something there is differing opinions about how far it should go, what should be included? how much for lack of a better phrase wiggle room is there and how confident are you that in the end it will look something like what you are proposing? >> what we've proposed is simple and sharp. when i said a beginning, what i mean -- >> that is not usually what congress does best. simple and sharp. >> that is what i love about this. it is clear, it is clean, it is sharp. i would also like, and i have proposed, the legislation to ban ownership and trading for federal judges, for members of the federal reserve board, for

high ranking members in the administration like cabinet officials. so there is a lot -- >> is that part of this bill? >> no. this bill starts and it says it is about congress. but do understand, i have a bill with another congresswoman that covers all these other areas. its time for us in congress to recognize the conflicts of interests. not only for ourselves but for others who are in positions of authority in this government. and i hope that this is just the first step in rooting out those conflicts where individual stock trading currently can occur. >> please come back on and keep us posted on how this is going. we really appreciate you taking the time, senator warren. good to see you. thanks. >> good to see you. and coming up, a turning point in the pandemic with the number of states easing covid restrictions but the cdc says

that its too soon to drop mask mandates in schools. so what now? so what now? so, your message said you wanted to talk about insurance? i said, "i want you to talk about insurance." well, most people know that bundling home and auto -saves you money. -keep saying your words. but did you know that new customers who bundle and save with progressive can save an average of $800? shh. sleeping baby. i love you, too. at intra-cellular therapies, we're inspired by our circle. a circle that includes our researchers, driven by our award-winning science, who uncover new medicines to treat mental illness. it includes the compassionate healthcare professionals, the dedicated social workers, and the supportive peer counselors we work with to help improve - and even change - people's lives. moving from mental illness to mental wellness starts in our circle.

this is intra-cellular therapies. like pulsing, electric shocks, sharp, stabbing pains, or an intense burning sensation. what is this nightmare? it's how some people describe... shingles. a painful, blistering rash that could interrupt your life for weeks. forget social events and weekend getaways. if you've had chickenpox, the virus that causes shingles is already inside of you. if you're 50 years or older ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingles.

what happens when we welcome change? if ywe can transform ourder workforce overnight out of convenience, or necessity. we can explore uncharted waters, and not only make new discoveries, but get there faster, with better outcomes. with app, cloud and anywhere workspace solutions, vmware helps companies navigate change-- meeting them where they are, and getting them where they want to be. faster. vmware. welcome change.

ever wonder what everyone's doing on their phones? they're banking, with bank of america. the groom's parents? they just found out they can redeem rewards for a second honeymoon. romance is in the air. like these two. he's realizing he's in love. and that his dating app just went up. must be fate. and phil. he forgot a gift, so he's sending the happy couple some money. digital tools so impressive, you just can't stop banking. what would you like the power to do?

this morning more states are dropping mask mandates as covid cases continue to decline. new york expected to join a growing list of states ending indoor mask mandates. in massachusetts, the governor also set to make an announcement in his state later this morning with the boston herald reporting a potential end to school mask requirements there. in virginia, democratic lawmakers have joined republicans in supporting an amendment to allow parents to opt out of school mask mandates. at the same time, omicron has infected so many people, it has driven the number of daily deaths beyond where it was last spring before vaccines were widely available. the seven day death toll average now above 2500. omicron has been particularly

lethal to people over 75, the unvaccinated and the medically vulnerable. joining us now, dr. peter hotez, and emily, let's begin with you. what are we expecting to hear from new york's governor shortly? >> reporter: so we can expect governor hochul to weigh in on two big things here. first the mask mandate for businesses and then also for schools. they met yesterday with people on the ground, superintendents, teachers, to see how they can keep student in the classroom safely. and she will likely let the business mandate expire this week, but probably extend the mask mandate for people in the classroom. again, we'll get a definitive answer in just two short hours. this comes as nearby states and

governors are announcing plans to roll back covid-19 restrictions, including new jersey, delaware, connecticut and oregon as well. and those governors are pointing specifically to the case numbers that are dropping and hospitalizations. cases are plunging more than 60% across the country. but the cdc i should note is telling reuters this week that this is not the moment to roll back masking requirements specifically in public spaces and schools as well. so some conflicting information here. 99% of counties according to the cdc are still considered to be seeing high levels of transmission. so there is a lot to consider moving forward here and it is certainly stirring up a bit of confusion and frustration for families trying to keep their loved ones safe. >> dr. hotez, here we are again back at the confusion part of this story. you look at a place like california, okay, let's lift it, but in places like l.a. county, they are saying no, we're not ready. rochelle walensky saying not the

moment to drop the mandates in schools and businesses. what say you? >> well, here is why there is confusion, because the next two weeks will telling us what the 2r5 trajectory of covid-19 will hook like in america. there are two paths that i see .best case scenario is the numbers are declining pretty steeply as pointed out, 60% decline over the last two weeks, it is decelerating fast and going down as fast as it went up, and that is really good news. and in two weeks, if that continues, we'll bottom out and i think that it will be safe to lift mask mandates and mask restrictions. that is the best case scenario. but there is this thing called ba.2, a sub variant of the omicron variant that rose around the same time out of south africa. believe it or not, it is 30% to 50% more transmissible than omicron. so this thing is up there with measles. now 3.6% of the virus isolates

are this ba.2. and the question is, is it going to accelerate quickly like it did in denmark and parts of the uk, or like other countries will it not be a big factor. and the only way to know is to know. and we'll know that over the next two weeks. so i think that the prudent thing would have been to wait the two weeks, we'll know where we're headed, and then lift mask mandates. i think otherwise it will create a lot of confusion if ba.2 starts to really accelerate and then we've got to reverse course. >> just listening to you, people will say okay, i can wear a mask for two more weeks. but let's talk vaccines. pfizer's ceo believes that the fda will approve its advantage vaccine under 5 under the fast track process. your reaction. >> the pfizer ceo has one advantage over me, which is he has access to the data which i haven't seen. so that will come before the

advisory committee on february 15th. and i think that there will be two things that drives this decision whether to release for emergency use authorization now or wait, because ultimately this is likely going to be a three dose vaccine. the question before them is should we release for emergency use authorization after two weeks. so the two driving factors will be, one, if the data is compelling that there is an efficacy signal, that there is evidence that the vaccine has -- offers a significant level of protection after two doses. and the other will be the ba.2. if ba.2 is screaming and accelerating, then that may press the advisory committee to do it now. if it is not and the cases have vanished, there will be less pressure and we can ache wait -- we can wait for the data for the third dose. >> patients on all fronts. and doctor, congratulations,

recipient of the scientific achievement award. i think that you will have to build another room for all the awards that you are getting. but well done and well deserved. congratulations. >> thank you, that is kind. appreciate it. and now to the latest from beijing. overnight, snowboarder lindsay jacobellis won gold, redeeming herself in snowboard cross 16 years after a fall in the same race cost her a gold. staying on the slopes, mikaela shiffrin in tears after she wases can disqualified for the second time this week, skidding out of control just five seconds in her best event. shiffrin has three more races left if she decides to compete in them. and controversy on the ice where the medal ceremony for the team figure skating competition has been delayed after the

international olympic committee spokesman said a situation arose that requires legal consultation. the russian olympic committee athletes won gold, u.s. took silver, but we don't have any details. we'll bring you an update about what is going on as soon as we get those details. up next, trouble for peloton, the company laying off nearly 3,000 employees, the ceo stepping down. what is really going on with the fitness giant? we're digging into that on the other side of the break. other side of the break.hening nutrients and moisturizers that help rebuild your skin. dove men+care. smoother, healthier skin with every shower. there's a different way to treat hiv. it's once-monthly injectable cabenuva. cabenuva is the only once-a-month, complete hiv treatment for adults who are undetectable. cabenuva helps keep me undetectable. it's two injections, given by a healthcare provider once a month.

hiv pills aren't on my mind. i love being able to pick up and go. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking certain medicines, which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include allergic reactions post-injection reactions, liver problems,...and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have liver problems or mental health concerns, and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. some of the most common side effects include injection site reactions, fever, and tiredness. if you switch to cabenuva, attend all treatment appointments. with once-a-month cabenuva, i'm good to go. ask your doctor about once-monthly cabenuva. throughout history with once-a-month cabenuva, i'm good to go. i've observed markets shaped by the intentional and unforeseeable. for investors who can navigate this landscape,

leveraging gold, a strategic and sustainable asset... the path is gilded with the potential for rich returns. why hide your skin if dupixent has your moderate-to-severe eczema or atopic dermatitis under control? hide our skin? not us. because dupixent targets a root cause of eczema, it helps heal your skin from within keeping you one step ahead of it. and for kids ages 6 and up that means clearer skin, and noticeably less itch. hide my skin? not me. by helping to control eczema with dupixent, you can change how their skin looks and feels. and that's the kind of change you notice. hide my skin? not me. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes, including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines

without talking to your doctor. when you help heal your skin from within, you can show more with less eczema. talk to your child's eczema specialist about dupixent, a breakthrough eczema treatment.

this morning, more trouble for peloton. the company's ceo, john foley, will be stepping down in and the company is cutting 2,800 jobs. it comes after peloton slashed its revenue outlook for fiscal 2022. they now expect to make about $1 billion less than they thought and it comes weeks after we learn peloton is hitting pause on producing bikes as they try to cut costs. so what are you hearing from inside the company and what does it mean for riders? >> sure. thank you for having me.

i think the important thing to know here, especially if you have a peloton bike or treadmill, you shouldn't really notice any difference with the product, with the experience. again, if you are an existing customer. as you mentioned, peloton announced yesterday, it plans to lay off about 2,800 people within its workforce. that is not going to impact its instructors or people that help create content. so, again, if you're a current peloton user, you should not really expect that experience that you love and enjoy to be impacted at all. and that's really important, right? because i think at the core of the brand and what's really helped peloton build such a massive base of loyal riders is the affinity that these people draw to certain instructors within the peloton community. and i think that you just can't really discount the vital role that these people really serve within that business. >> you know, it is interesting, when you have a business that seems to be in trouble, i don't want to make it overly dramatic.

sometimes you can tell how much trouble they're in by who might be interested in taking them over. and that certainly is the case, a couple of big names, very successful names who maybe wouldn't mind acquiring peloton, right? >> yeah, and i think it's important to point out, too, the timing of all of this. these rumors really began to circulate ahead of peloton's flurry of announcements yesterday. again, like, amazon, nike, apple, disney. those were some potential takeover targets that had been floated in recent days. but i think with what we saw yesterday, we got a new ceo now coming into the business. barry mccarthy, and he actually sent a memo to employees last night that i was able to get my hands on. it really laid the groundwork for how he plans to turn this business around. and i think to me, and certainly other sources that i've been communicating with, that was really a sign of his confidence and really his anticipation of staying there for the long haul. so i think, at least in the near

term, the likelihood of a deal going through is not very high. again, with this new ceo, barry mccarthy at the helm, you know, he said in this memo that he plans to work closely with john foley. he's trying to rally support among employees that peloton could be the great comeback story, is how he phrased it, post-pandemic. so we'll have to wait and see just exactly how that pans out. but certainly, it seems as if peloton really wants to work through this on its own. >> it is a fascinating story, still being written. lauren thomas, thank you so much. and coming up, this is what farmers told us in 2018, in the middle of trump's trade war with china. i feel like it was a kick in the stomach. >> right now, it's a lot of pain that we're going through. >> so, how are they feeling four years later? that's next. g four years later? that's next. st making spaghetti. but i didn't wait. i could've delayed telling my doctor i was short of breath just reading a book... but i didn't wait.

they told their doctors. and found out they had... atrial fibrillation. a condition which makes it about five times more likely to have a stroke. if you have one or more of these symptoms irregular heartbeat, heart racing, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue or lightheadedness, contact your doctor. this is no time to wait. ♪ my name is monique, i'm 41, and i'm a federal contract investigator. as a single parent, i would run from football games to work and trying to balance it all. so, what do you see when you look at yourself? i see a person that's caring. sometimes i care too much, and that's when i had to learn to put myself first, because i would care about everyone all the time but i'm just as important as they are. botox® cosmetic is fda approved to temporarily make frown line, crow's feet and forehead lines look better. the effects of botox® cosmetic may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness

may be a sign of a life-threatening condition. do not receive botox® cosmetic if you have a skin infection. side effects may include allergic reactions, injection site pain, headache, eyebrow, eyelid drooping, and eyelid swelling. tell your doctor about your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions, and medications including botulinum toxins as these may increase the risk of serious side effects see for yourself at botoxcosmetic.com ♪♪♪ my name is austin james. as a musician living with diabetes, fingersticks can be a real challenge. that's why i use the freestyle libre 2 system. with a painless, one-second scan i know my glucose numbers without fingersticks. now i'm managing my diabetes better and i've lowered my a1c from 8.2 to 6.7. take the mystery out of managing your diabetes and lower your a1c. now you know. try it for free at freestylelibre.us

[♪♪] now you know. if you have diabetes, it's important to have confidence in the nutritional drink you choose. try boost glucose control®. it's clinically shown to help manage blood sugar levels and contains high quality protein to help manage hunger and support muscle health. try boost® today. this morning, we've got some new data that's shedding light on the u.s.'s trade struggles with china. with the u.s. trade deficit widening by 15.5% in 2021, to more than $355 billion. now, despite those new numbers, many farmers who were one of the groups hardest hit by trump's trade wars are more optimistic than ever, as they see crop prices on the rise. joining me now, nbc's vaughn hillyard, just back from iowa, speaking one on one with farmers, talking corn, talking cotton. what did they tell you? >> i think all of these things

can exist at once. we can get this data that shows that the u.s. is in the midst of its biggest trade deficit ever. but when you go and talk to these farmers, they're saying, look, our markets are pretty good right now compared to what we saw during the trade wars, not just with china, but with must have our own allies. you saw the number of exports drop. since then, we have seen the price of corn double over the last several years, the price of cotton increased by 150%. you're looking at the price of wheat jumping back up and catapulting. the exports of pork is also on the rise here. and that is in large part because there's been good weather, big yields, our relations have been nurtured with some of our allies again. take a listen to a little bit of my conversation with a few of those farmers. >> farming morale is pretty high right now. i think 2022, we're excited about the potential. i think it's going to be a very good year. >> did you support the trump administration's negotiations with china? >> yes, it needed to be done. china is not a fair player. >> will they ever be a fair player? >> no. >> but you need them to be a

fair player? >> yeah, we need them, and a fair player would help. >> farmer bob taylor, 13th generation farmer. he was saying, we need china. that's because they're still our third biggest exporter. this is where it all comes to a head for the biden administration, because china is that x-factor. new data released yesterday by the federal government shows that from that phase i of the trade agreement that was struck by the trump administration two years ago, they essentially committed to buy more than $200 billion worth of u.s. goods and services over the course of the two years. we just got that new data in yesterday. they fell about $200 billion short of what they said they were going to buy over on top of the 2017 base value here. what does that mean? china has essentially not come through to the commitments that they told the administration they would. and phase i wasn't even getting at the issues of ip theft. i actually talked with the spokesman of the ustr yesterday about what this means, about their own negotiations with

china going forward. and in part, he told me, the data released today confirms that china has fallen well short of the purchase commitments they made under the phase i agreement. we have engaged the prc on its shortfalls for months, but have not seen any real signs towards making good on the purchase commitments and our patience is wearing thin. the biden administration has actually held on to most of those tariffs against china. the question is, clearly, those haven't worked well enough. now where does it go from here? >> vaughn, i know you're going to stay on top of this. it's fascinating and really important right now. thank you so much for coming on. that's going to wrap up this hour. i'm chris jansing in for stephanie ruhle. jose diaz-balart picks up our coverage right now. >> and good morning. it's 10:00 a.m. ian, 7:00 a.m. pacific. i'm jose diaz-balart. and happening this morning, moscow is sending war ships towards the black sea, a stunning move as the west continues to ramp up diplomatic efforts. we'll get a live report from moscow and kyiv. in afghanistan, the