not a retreat for vladimir putin if he doesn't invade ukraine and we avert another european ground war, which is obviously all of our hopes. >> this could be quite a week ahead of us. obviously, we couldn't get the technical difficulties worked out for jeffrey wright but he'll have him later this week. his new dock you seize, "lincoln's dilemma," on apple tv. chris jansing picks up the coverage right now. right now hi, there. i'm chris jansing live at msnbc headquarters in new york city. it is valentine's day, monday, february 14th. we've got a lot to cover. the l.a. rams are champions this morning after winning super bowl lvi over the cincinnati bengals. with game mvp cooper kupp

catching the game-clinching touchdown with just over a minute left in the game. before the players took the field, president biden called out the league over its hiring practices. at the ambassador bridge, that u.s./canada trade route, it's finally open again this morning after authorities cracked down on the truckers protesting the vaccine mandate. and potentially huge news on capitol hill with the january 6th committee saying they fully expect rudy giuliani to cooperate with their investigation. and breaking overnight, a massive decision for the olympics. a 15-year-old russian figure skater given the green light to compete for the gold just days after we learned she tested positive for a banned substance a little over a month ago. what that means for the americans and every other competitor at these games. but we start with tensions sky-high across europe with fears that russian troops could cross the border into ukraine literally at any moment. right now, the chancellor of germany is in ukraine, part of a

last-ditch diplomatic effort to get vut on the stand down. a call between putin and president biden on saturday failed to reach any breakthrough. biden also spoke to the ukrainian leader on sunday to promise solidarity in case of an attack. in recent day, russia has brought more tanks and combat helicopters into belarus. more military vehicles into crimea, and has begun sending thousands of troops from their baraks to the border. as a precaution, airlines have canceled flights to the area and u.s. is pulling most of its diplomatic staff from its embassy in kyiv. at the same time, a new contingent of u.s. troops is set to leave ft. bragg and join fellow soldiers in poland later today. also later today, jake sullivan will brief top lawmakers in the house and senate on these latest developments. on sunday, he warned americans in ukraine to get out before it's too late. >> if there is a military invasion of ukraine by russia,

it's likely to begin with a significant barrage of missiles and bomb attacks. it would then be followed by an onslaught of a ground force moving across the ukrainian frontier, again, where innocent civilians could get caught in the cross fire or get trapped in places they could not move from. >> i want to bring in msnbc's josh letterman at the white house, erin mclaughlin inside ukraine, also with me the former supreme allied commander for nato and retired four-star general barry mccaffrey. good to have all of you. jack, we just spoke about what happened over the weekend. how bad is this looking to you? >> well i think with the public acknowledgment by the russian foreign minister talking to putin about diplomacy taking a front seat, there's been a wave-off in tension. in the longer run, if putin backs down, it's a sizable military force. it makes no sense for him to

conduct an all-out ground invasion. it's 250,000 ukrainian troops that will fight. it's a giant country the size of texas. he will horrify the rest of europe. so he's got to look for a way out or come up with a destabilizing technique to make up for the lack of military power. i don't have a clue how it's going to come out. putin's in a very bad situation. >> how bad do you see it, admiral? and help the american people understand why this is something frankly with inflation here, with everything else that continues to go along with covid, yes, we're not in an america-first administration anymore, but why this is so important. >> well, it's critically important if you believe that there is an international system, if that you believe nations shouldn't be allowed to simply invade their neighbors, change the borders of those

nations, an exchunks of it. by the way, there's bad history here. putin did that in 2008 in georgia, small country, 2014 of course as you're showing on your graphic now. this would be the third time we would have effectively allowed putin to cross the border in anger and carve a chunk out of a neighbor. that is a prescription for global disaster going back 2,500 years to the ancient greeks, athens and sparta, more recently world war ii. you start to here ek rows of the 1930s here. that's the rationale. i see it how general mccaffrey sees it, which is it ain't looking good. i think it's a 3 in 4 chance that putin rolls in there. there's still a 25% chance there could be a backdown, but it's looking more and more likely to me like the guns of february.

>> so, erin, we heard for weeks about ukrainians going about their everyday lives, but that does seem to be changing. our colleague richard engel spoke to a 79-year-old former accountant and great grandmother. listen to what she told him. >> you're about my mother's age. i can't picture my mother laying down on the concrete learning how to fire an assault rifle. do you think you would actually be doing this? >> translator: yes. if putin comes, i should be able to shoot. the threat is very serious and i think every person in our country should be able to shoot from the window or on the street if the enemy comes. >> erin, what's it like on the ground there now? >> reporter: well, people here in kyiv are not panicking. they're remaining calm. some are leaving the city. some are sending their children away. i was speaking to one civic activist a short while ago. she said that while some of her friends had left the city, she is choosing to remain with her

husband, her 11-year-old daughter, and their guinea pig. but they have told their daughter that it is possible they could send her away west and that she would have to leave her guinea pig behind to comfort her parents. that's the kind of conversations that's happening right now in kyiv. and people on the weekends are training militarily. they're participating in first aid exercises, learning how to evacuate the wounded, learning how to fire a weapon. people are preparing for the worst. they're taking these western intelligence assessments very seriously. speaking to ukrainians, you certainly get the sense they do not take their freedom for granted. they've been fighting this russian aggression for the past eight years, and they're willing to continue to fight, they say, and defend their country. >> and josh, after the weekend produced no breakthroughs, what's the president's next move here? what does he do now? >> on that phone call over the weekend with president zelensky,

the ukrainian leader invited president biden to come to ukraine and says he believes that a visit in the coming days by president biden would really go a long way towards showing the u.s. support for ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. now, the white house is not commenting specifically on that invitation, but it's pretty obvious that no visit by president biden is likely to happen in the coming days given that the u.s., as erin pointed out, has been pulling out security forces, pulling out most of its diplomats, the kind of folks that would they would need on the ground to facilitate that presidential visit, and frankly at a time the u.s. is continuing even this morning to tell american citizens in ukraine to get on the next flight out of the country. it would really send a conflicting message for president biden to go there at this time. the president will be returning very shortly from camp david where he was for the weekend. and he is keeping his schedule wide open as they focus on this crisis. the only thing on president

biden's public schedule today is his closed classified intelligence briefing. but we also know that the president's u.n. ambassador, linda thomas greenfield, she was supposed to be on a trip to africa today, but late yesterday e the white house announcing she will stay in new york to deal with diplomacy with ukraine and russia at the united nations. the u.s. is awaiting at this hour a written response from russia to the u.s.' most recent diplomatic offer. putin in that phone call said that such a written response will be coming. but in the meantime, the u.s. really feels like they've laid all their cards on the table, both the diplomatic option that remains open to putin if he wants to de-escalate this, but also the costs the u.s. will impose. u.s. officials pretty openly acknowleding they don't know what president putin will do next. >> we've had a long history of understanding that it's also very hard to figure out what's going on in vladimir putin's brain, which is why it's so

complex to say what's going to happen next. back to your original point, which is what might be the off-ramps, is there anything really in an exterior sense that affectings vladimir putin and his moods? >> i think the biden administration, secretary blinken in particular have done a remarkable job shoring up nato. you know, germany has been a very vacillating ally on the whole issue, but putin is looking at what appears to be an increasingly united face of nato. there are implications of this if he went into ukraine, he might end up with a situation far more dire in terms of threats to russian security than he encountered before, with finland, with sweden. but admiral stavridis points out, he has a history of using military power to grab adjoining lands. he has killed his opponents inside russia and abroad.

this guy is a dangerous thug. so it's not clear to me how this plays out in the coming 90 days. >> admiral, what are you watching for next? >> three things. number one, a massive cyberattack that will go after the ukrainian grid and knock it down, another good reason, you know, that guinea pig could be in real trouble when the electricity goes out. this is going to be significant to command and control the ukrainian troops. two, you know the admiral will say it, i'm watching the sea. watch for what putin does with his navy, his marine corps to try and get it behind ukrainian lines. u.s. could send four additional destroyers to the mediterranean. we have four there already. watch if they come into the black sea. third and finally, watch for a false flag. what that means is russia manufacturing some kind of

incident, grievance, perhaps a russian ship gets mysteriously sunk. perhaps there's explosions in the dambas. those are things that could be the wrong decision, which will only undermine the security of his nation. >> admiral james stavridis, general mccaffrey, erin mclaughlin, thanks to all of you. josh, stick around because i want to turn to the latest on president biden's attempts to narrow down his historic supreme court nomination. the white house is confirming there's a short list of three women under consideration. interviews are set to be held this week. josh, theoretically, politics isn't supposed to play a big role here, but with michelle childs, you have a candidate from the same state as one of the president's biggest democratic supporters, jim clyburn. lindsey graham said he could get it to 60 volts.

does that tip the scale in her favor? >> reporter: it doesn't hurt, right? the president made clear in that interview with lester holt a few days ago that he fully expects he will get some republican support for his ultimate supreme court nominee and that he is looking to name someone in the mold of justice breyer in hopes that republicans will be able to support this person. michelle childs is someone who very clearly is getting some of the early support from released positive comments from a lot of the republicans. in fact, she was the first candidate that the white house publicly confirmed that they are considering. with lindsey graham, the senator from south carolina, as you mentioned, making clear over the weekend she's his favorite. take a look. >> we'll wait and see what president biden does, but i told him and his team that if he nominates michelle childs, she'll be in the liberal camp for sure, but she is a hell of a story and would be somebody, i think, that could bring the senate together and probably get more than 60 votes.

anyone else would be problematic. >> reporter: the fact of the matter is, though, the president doesn't need 60 votes. he only needs 50 votes to confirm the person he'll name, and that will obviously go into his decisionmaking as well. with the white house saying that president biden could start interviewing candidates for job as early as this week, chris. >> josh, thanks so much for that. coming up, the ambassador bridge between the u.s. and canada finally reopened last night after authorities arrested protesters who aren't on board with vaccine mandates. we'll take you live to canada. first, a key member of the january 6th committee said they expect rudy giuliani to show up and testify. is that actually going to happen? we'll have the latest from capitol hill next. capitol hill next.

what happens when we welcome change? we can make emergency medicine possible at 40,000 feet. instead of burning our past for power, we can harness the energy of the tiny electron. we can create new ways to connect. rethinking how we communicate

to be more inclusive than ever. with app, cloud and anywhere workspace solutions, vmware helps companies navigate change. faster. vmware. welcome change. voiceover: riders. wanderers on the road of life. the journey is why they ride. when the road is all you need, there is no destination. uh, i-i'm actually just going to get an iced coffee. well, she may have a destination this one time, but usually -- no, i-i usually have a destination. yeah, but most of the time, her destination is freedom. nope, just the coffee shop. announcer: no matter why you ride, progressive has you covered with protection starting at $79 a year. voiceover: 'cause she's a biker... please don't follow me in. it's time for the ultimate sleep number event on the sleep number 360 smart bed. what if i sleep hot? ...or cold? voiceover: 'cause she's a biker... no problem, the sleep number 360 smart bed is temperature balancing so you both sleep just right. and it senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. so, you can really promise better sleep? yes! you'll know exactly how well you slept, night after night.

we take care of the science. all you have to do is sleep. don't miss our weekend special. save 50% on the sleep number 360 limited edition smart bed. plus, 0% interest for 24 months and free premium delivery when you add a base. ends monday.

a major story developing now in washington. "the new york times" reporting that president trump's former lawyer, rudy giuliani, is in talks to testify before the

january 6th committee. that's a huge break from other trump allies. giuliani was at the fore front of trying to overthrow the results of the 2020 election and was subpoenaed last month. adam kinzinger says he believes giuliani will show up. >> our expectation is he is going to cooperate because that's the requirement, the law. rarmdless of when we hear from rudy or how long that interview is, we're getting a lot of information, and we're looking forward to wrapping this up at some point when that is right, showing it to the american people, but not rushing it. >> i want to bring in nbc's leigh ann caldwell on capitol hill, jake sherman is co-founder of punch bowl news and an nbc news political contributor. good to see you both. leigh ann, what are you hearing? how big would it be for the committee if giuliani cooperates with the subpoena? >> good morning, chris. well, rudy giuliani has been -- has had his hands on lots of

these schemes that were contrived after the election day until january 6t including things like seizing voting machines. there were talks about fake electors, sending those to congress instead of the actual electors that show joe biden won. there were discussions with data officials to get them to overturn the election results. there's been reporting that rudy giuliani has been a part of many of these conversations. if rudy giuliani were actually to come before the committee and actually provide information, it would be extremely crucial for the committee. this would be a very good get. giuliani is theying there will be cooperation with the committee, but we don't know what cooperation means. does that mean he's going to continue to drag on negotiations with the committee? is he actually going to come and be deposed if he were to be te deposed an would he actually

give answers to the committee? there are still a lot of questions afoot on how this will take place and what happens next, chris. >> i think she's making the right point, jake. adam kinzinger said that's our expectation, but what is the meaning of the word cooperation? what are you hearing? >> that's exactly right. cooperating as kinzinger said, he's under subpoena, he must come and talk to the committee, period. that's number one. two, the -- >> but if he says i take the fifth, i take the fifth -- >> right. if he says nothing, it's not that material to the investigation. i do really think that some of the smaller names, people who are not subpoenaed who have been cooperating without a subpoena, been cooperating behind the scenes are much more important, but giuliani also could be -- and i think this is a point "the times" made and it should be emphasized -- he would probably be held in contempt if he does not show up. congress has shown, the house has shown they are willing to do

that. that could come with hefty legal fees. the more he resists, the more it costs him. getting in front of the committee or pleading the fifth costs him little and is the smart thing to do politically. but the reality is, this could be not only out of self-preservation, but it could be a selfish kind of move by giuliani to say he'll cooperate to avoid massive legal fees. >> that sort of helps us to answer the question why. but what are the chances he actually breaks with trump? >> zero, probably. i mean, if we're looking at it -- leigh ann has a different view than i do, but we haven't seen many people close to the former president are willing to break and turn on him, although, again, there are lots of people who have testified to this committee who have cooperate wld this committee, worked for donald trump, who have been very helpful. those are smaller names, not rudy giuliani, but again, we've not seen some of his big allies break with the former president. >> jake sherman, leigh ann

caldwell, thank you. developing this morning, the first voters of the 2022 election cycles are heading to the polls in texas today, early voting under way for their first in the nation primary, which is march 1st. it comes just days after a federal judge blocked part of the state's election overhaul, that which would criminalize voters to get a ballot by mail. and still ahead, breaking news overseas. another member of the royal family has tested positive for coronavirus. just as the biggest u.s. employer drops its mask mental state mandate, the president says it's too soon. and a key bridge reopens but officials are worried protests could happen here. foreign actors are encouraging it online. you'll want to hear about that next. online. you'll want to hear about that next

are you tired of clean clothes that just don't smell clean? downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters keep your laundry smelling fresh way longer than detergent alone. if you want laundry to smell fresh for weeks, make sure you have downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters. i've got moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. now, there's skyrizi. 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months, after just 2 doses. skyrizi may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms such as fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches, or coughs

or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. ♪nothing is everything♪ talk to your dermatologist about skyrizi. learn how abbvie could help you save. how bout sushi? i just had sushi for lunch yesterday. indian? ehh, maybe... how bout seafood? you know i don't like seafood. [collision beeping warning] [silence] how bout tacos? tacos. automatic emergency braking — one of six advanced safety features standard on every 2022 chevy equinox. find new technology. find new roads. chevrolet. hearing is important to living life to the fullest. that's why inside every miracle-ear store, you'll find a better life. it all starts with the most innovative technology. like the new miracle-earmini, available exclusively at miracle-ear. so small that no one will see it, but you'll notice the difference. and now, miracle-ear is offering

a thirty-day risk-free trial. you can experience better hearing with no obligation. call 1-800-miracle right now and experience a better life. i've been making yogurt that is less sweet you can experience better hearing with no obligation. and high in protein since 2005. now we're doing the same for plant based. still rich and creamy. plant-based siggi's: more protein and less sugar than leading yogurt alternatives. if you think you have dupuytren's contracture, there's a simple test you can take—from anywhere. try to lay your hand flat against a surface. if you can't, you may have dupuytren's contracture. talk to a hand specialist about your options, including nonsurgical treatments.

welcome to the eat fresh refresh at subway wait, that's new wait, you're new too nobody told you? subway's refreshing with better ingredients, better footlongs, and better spokespeople. because you gotta you gotta refresh to be fresh this morning the ambassador bridge, that key trade route between the u.s. and canada, is finally open again after anti-vaccine protesters who called themselves the freedom convoy blocked a bridge for nearly a week. but this morning, word the

protesters are heading to brussels after blocking paris' most famous street this weekend, the champs-elysees. now there is an online push for similar protests to be held in the u.s. and we're learning more about who is behind these efforts. nbc's cal perry is on the ground in canada and nbc's ben collins has been digging into the roots of these protests. cal, how are things looking on the ground? >> reporter: well, the bridge is finally open after a week, as you said, of a blockade on what is the busiest land crossing in north america. you can see the road behind me that leads to the bridge, again, finally ohm. what police had to do is lay barricades, parallel to this road, to block any access coming east or west. so if you're a truck driver, you can use this three-kilometer road to get to one of canada's major interstates or to bridge, but that's it. there's no turning off, going to neighborhoods. i don't know if that is sustainable because the bottom line is they took a very small

number of protesters to jam up this bridge. it was a dozen or so yesterday. folks out here on the street as the police said playing this cat-and-mouse game. the hope is they won't have to play that game anymore, that folks will disperse. but what the president calling a fringe minority seems to be growing. >> how that grows is what you've been looking into. tell us about your reporting. who is pushing this online campaign to bring a freedom convoy type of protest here to the u.s.? >> yeah, sure. so it is those -- it's several extremist groups in the united states, anti-vax moments, qanon movements are coalescing around the trucker convoy. what started it, it's unclear if it was entirely organic because there were massive facebook pages from romania, bangladesh, vietnam, with people who

purchased accounts from scammers with massive followers. they would sell t-shirts on there. this was largely for commerce. it's basically foreign interference here. that was up on facebook for a few days. facebook has taken those down. but what remains of these organic protests, they're get log gist cal, talking about what to bring to the convoyings they're planning in california and washington, d.c. >> there had been a lot of talk it would disrupt the super bowl yesterday. that didn't happen. what are you watching for and what are officials looking for online and elsewhere to tell us whether or not there might be a disruptive movement on the streets of the united states? >> reporter: sure. i would say around thursday or friday is when things really shifted. it went from this hypothetical thing, to maybe we can do this at the super bowl, you would hear it on audio chats on telegram, to a real logistical

purpose, people saying what cal said, it only takes a dozen of us at any specific location. they're saying you don't need trucks. you can bring your van. this is a thing that people said, like, maybe you can bring your mom van, your minivan with you. they need numbers at this point. that's what you're seeing. you're seeing groups of tens of thousands of people organizing in the u.s. it doesn't take tens of thousands. it just takes dozen. it doesn't even require a truck anymore. >> ben collins, cal perry, thank you. we have some sad news this morning. iconic movie producer ivan reitman died over the weekend in his sleep in montecito, california. you definitely remember his movies. he turned bill murray into big stars like "animal house,"

"meatballs," and the original ghost busters. he was born in czechoslovakia in 1946 before his family escaped a communist surge when he was 4 years old. his family wound up in toronto, and that's where he got his start. he was 75 years old. he was 75 years old.hs wearily) here i'll take that! (excited yell) woo-hoo! ensure max protein. with thirty grams of protein, one gram of sugar, and nutrients to support immune health. i could've waited to tell my doctor i had leg pain one gram of sugar, just walking the dog... but i didn't wait. i could've put off telling my doctor my leg was red and swollen just doing the crossword... but i didn't wait. they told their doctors. and found out their symptoms... leg pain, swelling and redness -

were deep vein thrombosis. a blood clot which could travel to the lungs and lead to a pulmonary embolism. which could cause chest pain or discomfort, or difficulty breathing - and be deadly. if you have one or more of these symptoms, contact your doctor. this is no time to wait. (vo) you can be well-dressed. you can be well-mannered. (man) oh, no, no, after you. wahoooo! (vo) you can be well-groomed. or even well-spoken. (man) ooooooo. (vo) but there's just something about being well-adventured. (vo) adventure has a new look. discover more in the all-new subaru forester wilderness. love. it's what makes subaru, subaru.

♪ (jazz drum intro) ♪ (how 'bout this?) (typing) ♪ (jazz music) ♪ (waves crashing) (blinds clatter) (thank you. have a nice day.) ♪ (trumpet solo) ♪ (cheering) ♪ ♪ (typing) (bell dings) ♪ ♪ (typing) ♪ ♪ ♪ (trumpet solo) ♪ ♪ ♪ (typing)

(bell dings) ♪ ♪ (cheering) ♪ ♪ (typing) okay. ♪ ♪ (various sounds) ♪ ♪ (typing) ♪ ♪ (typing) ♪ (trumpet solo) ♪ (announcer) are you stressed out? have back pain? (typing) frustrated with belly fat? have no energy? now, there's a simple solution, the aerotrainer! you're supported on a cushion of air for maximum muscle activity. four exercises in less than five minutes is all you need. stretch back, shoulders, and legs, safely do the ultimate crunch, tone and shape your entire body. then, relax, stretch, and melt away the stress. the aerotrainer is only $49.90 and you get free shipping! that's aerotrainer.com.

breaking news out of united kingdom. camilla, the duchess of cornwall, has tested positive for covid-19 and is self-isolating. this comes days after prince charles tested positive. both are triple vaccinated. here in the u.s., good news in the nation's fight against covid, 49 states and washington, d.c., all reporting a decrease in new cases over the last two weeks. a good sign for millions of americans who are desperate to move past the pandemic and towards some sense of normalcy. the president addressed this and the debate over masks in a

sitdown with nbc's lester holt. >> are you afraid, though, that some states and cities are moving too quickly to loosen indoor mask mandates? >> well, you know, it's -- i committed that i would follow the science. the science as put forward by the cdc and the federal people. and i think it's probably premature, but, you know, it's a tough call. >> the president's comments follow a new study that found covid could leave patients at risk for heart problems one year after an infection. joining me now, nbc health and medical reporter erica edwards and dr. kavita patel, nbc news medical contributor. thanks to both of you. erica, tell us a little more about this study. >> hey, chris. this was a huge study. researchers looked at more than 150,000 covid-19 patients, comparing them with more than 10 million others, and they found

that after covid-19 infection, these patients were at increased risk for things like heart failure, heart attack, stroke, even blood clots in the legs and lungs. now, the majority of these patients came from the va health system, so they were generally white men, but the researchers dug a little deeper and accounted for those factors and found that the risks remained despite age, race, or even underlying health problems such as obesity. now, of course, the concern here is, you know, what is this going to do to our health care system? we've already topped 77 million cases here in the u.s. alone. what's more, the pandemic itself also has led to an increase in heart risk overall. people were generally, you know, sedentary, also not following through with their primary care physicians, and doctors have seen a marked increase in things like high blood pressure and out-of-control diabetes regardless of whether you had prior covid-19. the other thing i want to point

out is that the patients who were infected in the study were all sickened before vaccines were available. and doctors i have talked with who screened a lot of these patients for heart problems after covid-19 said the majority are, indeed, unvaccinated. so their message is one of the best things you can do is get vaccinated. also get back into normal health care routine with your doctor. and also, you know, listen to your body. if your recovery from covid-19 is stalling, perhaps, or you're developing new symptoms, chest pain, shortness of breath, that's a sign of emergency and it's time to call 911. >> dr. patel, we talked about this again and again and again, we didn't know what the long-term effects were going to be of covid, right? so you see this study and a lot of people who -- thousands and thousands who got sick before covid vaccines were available, and now of course the people who

are unvaccinated. from a doctor's perspective, what would you tell your patients who were covid positive and particularly had not yet been vaccinated? >> this data just reinforces what we're telling people every day, number one, that you don't know about the long-term risks, and it's not just limited to a certain group of people. i think people want to paint this, it's immunocompromised or people above the age of 50. that's not true. the study reinforces what we're seeing clinically. i would emphasize that and add in the safety of vaccines. when you break it down, i think there's been so much misinformation proliferating about how the vaccines have caused death, the vaccines have caused these exact things that erica touched on, you know, heart disorders, blood clots. the truth is being unvaccinated puts you at a much higher risk as the va study shows relative to people who are vaccinated in that exact same age category. so i do think that this is something we'll have to keep pushing on.

chris, you know, we're seeing immunity from vaccines decreases over time. we expected that. but it brings up, even for vaccinated people, the importance of boosters. i think people feel like i got my first, i'm safe, they are, but having that booster could be an added benefit to keep them out of the hospital as well. >> another great story, a lot of parents talking over the weekend after pfizer said they'll wait to get approval for vaccine out of 5. they say it's out of an abundance of caution for more confidence when it's rolled out. could it have the opposite effect? >> absolutely, yes. my phone was blowing up over the weekend from moms kind of my age with kids under the age of 5 who asked, like, why did this happen? everybody is trying to read into the tea leaves because we don't have a lot of clarity, don't have the data from the fda that made them pause that.

having worked with them myself, it was a botched communication. i do believe that it was because of honestly probably the likely cause was that those first two doses in the 2 to 4 age group were not enough. there were so many cases of omicron in kids, but we didn't see enough of a difference between those who were vaccinated and those who weren't with just two doses, making that third dose even more important. but what i have told parents, you know, it's hard to get a 2-year-old in a mask, so i understand the difficulty with that. i've had to deal with it. they have to be around people who are vaccinated. i'm encouraging parents to try to get their kids back out for social activities and try to find some semblance of normal. hopefully we'll have an answer on vaccines for under 5 in the next few weeks.

>> calling folks like you looking for appointments to get that information. dr. patel, erica edwards, thank you. coming up, huge decision overnight after a 15-year-old russian figure skater was given the green light to compete for gold just days after news broke she tested positive for a banned substance last year. we have the latest details. we have the latest details powe, we can harness the energy of the tiny electron. we can create new ways to connect. rethinking how we communicate to be more inclusive than ever. with app, cloud and anywhere workspace solutions, vmware helps companies navigate change. faster. vmware. welcome change.

♪3, 4♪ ♪ ♪hey♪ ♪ ♪are you ready for me♪

♪are you ready♪ ♪are you ready♪

gee we are following a major development out of if beijing olympics. russian figure skater kamila valiyeva, who tested positive for a banned substance back in december, will be allowed to continue competing in the games. an arbitration decision that will have a domino effect on every other potential medalist. russia argued that she had more recently tested negative, twice, so should be allowed to compete. but that doping case is still under appeal. in an extraordinary ruling, the ioc said until it's settled no one will be awarded medals in events where she qualifies. valiyeva's performance led russia to the gold in team competition and she is the favorite in the women's singles event which begins tomorrow.

explain this decision and how long might it be until this is resolved? >> unfortunately, a lot of people were hoping this would all be resolved before the competition tomorrow, but instead it looks like the waters are going to get a lot more muddy. here's the shock on two different fronts. first, there's a lot of outrage there won't be a medal ceremony in one of the biggest marquee olympic events, nor will there be a medal ceremony for any other that involves valiyeva until all of this is settled. then, chris, there is the outrage that the 15-year-old has been cleared to compete despite testing positive for that banned substance in december. that decision to allow her to continue at the olympics coming from arbitrators with the anti-doping agency and the ioc, it hinges on the court deciding as minor she is technically a protected person, and there seems to be some ambiguity on how anti-doping rules apply. also, because the results from december showed valiyeva had a

banned substance in her system didn't come back in a timely manner, she didn't have enough time to mount a legal defense. we know the labs are saying they were dealing with backlogs because of covid-19. finally, the court also decided that making a decision now could cause irreparable harm. meanwhile, there is so much frustration in the skating world. the u.s. olympic committee saying that they are disappointed and, quote, athletes have the right to know they are competing on a level playing field. unfortunately today, that right is being denied. this appears to be another chapter in the systemic and pervasive disregard for clean sport by russia. chris, meanwhile, the russian olympic committee tweeted out their support of valiyeva with a heart face emoji. tomorrow, valiyeva is set to take the ice again. she's the hands down favorite to win gold. she was the first woman in history to land not one but two quads during olympic competition. if she finishes on the podium again, the ioc says no medal

ceremony until this whole case has been settled, which is likely to wrap up way down the road, much after the olympics have wrapped up. the ioc is also asking that 25 skaters be allowed in the final round just in case valiyeva wins and later stripped of her medal. >> there's that fairness issue. but also, you work your whole life, you finally get a medal, that moment on the podium is denied you because they can't get their act together and make a ruling, i guess. well, we'll see where this goes. gadi schwartz, thank you so much for that. and allow us a moment to cheer for a number of historic performances from team usa athletes at the beijing games. overnight, american athletes kaylee humphreys and elana meyers taylor took home the gold and silver in the first ever monobob event. erin jackson became the first woman to win a gold medal in

speed skating. and usa men's hockey team wrapped up group play with a perfect 3-0 record after a 3-2 win over germany on sunday. on friday, the men's team beat canada for the first time in 12 years. all of that leading to wednesday, when they will be heading to the quarter finals. and staid, we've got to talk about the l.a. rams beating the cincinnati bengals in last night's super bowl nail biter. but the nfl is still facing pressure, including from president biden, after he called out their lack of black head coaches. where the league goes from here, after break. e the league goes f, e the league goes f, after break.ew chapter, its' innovation, organic ingredients, and fermentation. fermentation? yes. formulated to help you body really truly absorb the natural goodness. new chapter. wellness, well done. for people who could use a lift new neutrogena® rapid firming. a triple-lift serum with pure collagen. 92% saw visibly firmer skin in just 4 weeks.

neutrogena® for people with skin. ♪ i see trees of green ♪ ♪ red roses too ♪ ♪ i see them bloom ♪ ♪ for me and you ♪ ♪ and i think to myself ♪ ♪ what a wonderful world ♪ a rich life is about more than just money. that's why at vanguard, you're more than just an investor, you're an owner so you can build a future for those you love. vanguard. become an owner. it's still the eat fresh refresh™ and subway's refreshing everything like the new honey mustard rotisserie-style chicken. it's sweet, it's tangy, it's tender, it never misses. you could say it's the steph curry of footlongs. you could, but i'm not gonna. subway keeps refreshing and refreshing and re...

as a struggling actor, i need all the breaks that i can get. you could, but i'm not gonna. 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. ♪ i know there's conflicting information about dupuytren's contracture. i thought i couldn't get treatment yet? well, people may think that their contracture has to be severe to be treated, but it doesn't. if you can't lay your hand flat on the table, talk to a hand specialist. but what if i don't want surgery? well, then you should find a hand specialist certified to offer nonsurgical treatments.

what's the next step? visit findahandspecialist.com today to get started.

super bowl 56 is in the books. another fantastic game to cap one of the most exciting nfl playoffs in recent memory. once again, it came down to the closing seconds. the rams managing to shut down the bengals' final drive with less than a minute on the clock. the final, 23, rams, bengals, 20. nbc's shaq brewster is in l.a. where they're celebrating their first championship in more than 20 years. also with me, mark meleibovich, staff writer for "the atlantic." good to have both of you with us. shaq, every single playoff game was competitive to the end. this one was no different. >> that's exactly right. we got used to playoffs of high competition this spire season. you talk about the last-minute

field goals, the overtime. this was no exception coming down to the final drive in the final moments. and this was a game of twists and turns. there were drastic shifts in momentum. there were unexpected and insequential injuries. i'm thinking of odell beckham jr. who was taken out in the first quarter after that non-contact injury. and then there was that excitement that you heard from the fans there. in the end, the rams did win and gave the fans here in l.a. exactly what they were looking for. those celebrations spilling out into the streets. i was in one of the bars where there were rams fans gathering last night -- i was assigned there, chris, just to be clear -- but as part of that assignment, i could tell you, they played "we are the champions" at the end of the night about five times in a row. they were excited. this is what they were looking for. we know that in the downtown area, some of those celebrations did get a little bit over the top with some looting and some police getting involved. but in the end, again, they got what they were looking for here in l.a. and that was a rams victory in their home city.

>> you got a key assignment. okay, mark, the nfl saw some of its best ratings in a decade this season. they have a lot going for them. and yet you have this shadow over the league in the form of allegations of racial discrimination, that even president biden weighed in on. let's take a listen. >> the whole idea that a league that is made up of so many athletes of color as well as so diverse, that there's not enough african-american-qualified coaches to manage these nfl teams. it just seems to me that it's a standard that they would want to live up to. i don't know if it's not a requirement law, but it's a requirement of just some generic decency. >> you know, mark, that's just one of multiple controversies facing the nfl. and yet, this game, and i would argue, the entire playoff season would seem to encapsulate what a lot of people around the nfl

already believe what happens on the field trumps literally everything else. do you believe that? >> well, i mean, the ratings certainly prove it. we see this all the time. there's always some kind of shadow cast over the nfl. they're not particularly good at pdr. there's just always some kind of, you know, controversy. they always have, often, a lot of cultural issues around the league. they're always making some group very, very angry. however, they are a juggernaut. their ratings just consistently are off the charts. i'm almost certain that yesterday's game is going to be the top-rated show in america this year or to this point. that's true, usually, the top 50 or so tv programs every year, usually football games. so, look, it has this strangledhold on the american culture. it owns a day of the week, sunday. it's as close as we have to sort of a unified american religion. and super bowl sunday is a holiday. so that becomes very

transcendent of the larger issues, which are obviously very, very important and very, very resonant in our society. but ultimately, people see the nfl as an entertainment entity and that's what they do very well. >> we only have 30 seconds left, i'm afraid. but do you see anything putting pressure on the league to change? >> yeah, i think so. clearly, you have the president of the united states talking about this. there are lawsuits around this. congress is looking at it. so, no, this is a big, big problem for the league. it's been a problem for a long time. it's not getting better. they're not happy about it. i think a lot of people aren't happy about it. but again, we do seem to be able to draw a line at the -- sort of at the end lines and sort of when the game starts, that becomes the religion. >> and there becomes another whole conversation about online sports betting and how that draws even more to leave the games. shaquille brewster, i hope you got a little time to enjoy things yesterday. that's going to wrap up this

hour. i'm chris jansing. jose diaz-balart picks up our news coverage right now. and good morning. it's 10:00 a.m. eastern, 7:00 a.m. pacific. i'm jose diaz-balart. and happening right now, threat of a full-scale russian invasion into ukraine is hanging over diplomatic efforts after a phone call between president biden and vladimir putin produced no change in the tense dynamic. we'll bring you a live report from kyiv and moscow. in washington, donald trump's former lawyer, rudy giuliani, is in talks to testify in front of the house january 6th committee. we'll take a closer look into what this means for the search for answers. and on the pandemic, we're learning new details about the high risk of heart problems for many people who test positive for covid. meanwhile, out west, shocking allegations of racism now facing tesla, as a new lawsuit claims that the company operated a racially segregated workplace at its factory near san francisco. and the crown goes to the golden