i'm alex marquardt. >> nice to see you. i'm christine romans. wednesday, february 21st. 5:00 a.m. here in the east, noon in damascus, 7:00 p.m. in pyeongchang. in just a few hours, students from marjory stoneman douglas high school will lion lawmakers in tallahassee to -- will lobby lawmakers in tallahassee to tighten gun laws. activists and parkland students and teachers will rally on the front lawn of the skate ctate c. the students already getting a quick lesson that demanding change is easier than persuading someone to vote for it. >> last night florida's republican-led state housejected a ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. the bill was defeated 37-71. of the 71 voting against it, all but four had strong ratings from the nra. the florida house vote came as some stoneman douglas students watched from the gallery, emotions ran high during the vote and after. >> the next death of someone with an assault rifle here in florida is going to be on them.

it's going to be on them, and it's going to be their fault that those people are dead and that those people aren't going to go home to their families. and that there's going to be an empty space in people's lives. and it's going to be their fault. >> so disappointed. still heartbroken. instead of guns, lawmakers will begin debate on a bill to declare pornography a public health risk. despite the setback, students vowing to march on with their message. planned meetings include the attorney general and governor rick scott. now ahead of the governor's sit down with the students, he is laying out a new timeline but not many details for getting something done quickly on gun violence. >> my goal is friday i'm going to come up with a proposal. my goal is to come up with something that is going to move the needle and make parents feel comfortable that their kid's going to go to a safe school.

that's the goal. these kids have got to go to safe schools. got two weeks left -- these two weeks after friday, we're going to get something done. >> last week scott told cnn that everything is on the table in the effort to solve the gun violence problem. joining us here, cnn political analyst julienne zeletzer, historian and professor at princeton. good morning. >> good morning. >> yesterday a couple of signals from the white house. the president saying that he's going to sign a memorandum of understanding telling jeff sessions, attorney general, to find proposals about bump stocks. and he's indicated on the ar-15 maybe he would be open it an age limit to buying an ar-15. listen to how sarah huckabee sanders says the president's positions are evolving. >> background checks are something that the president accep's supportive of making more efficient and looking batter ways to improve the process. the president supports not having the use of bump stocks and that we expect further

action on that in the coming days. >> does the president believe there should be an age limit for those who buy an ar-15? >> i think that's on the table for us to discuss and that we expect to come up the next couple of weeks. >> are we expecting true white house leadership on the gun violence issue? >> i'm still skeptical. obviously there's some opening now where we're hear something positive remarks in terms of doing something. but in is going to get tough. the nra is going to fight very hard against any kind of regulation. and that will be the real test of whether this president will go through. so far he hasn't followed through on a lot of tough issues. we have skeptical as this unfolds. >> how does the nra get away with it? how do they have so much power in this debate? when you look at the incredible numbers, a recent quinnipiac poll saying that 97% of all americans support background checks for gun buyers, a

majority support an assault weapons ban, are they that much more powerful than the voters? >> they're not, but they are organized, mobilized, and they have money and political savvy. so when these issues come before congress, they are ready to put the pressure on members so they stay away from restrictions in a way that the general public is not. they can be countered. it's going to take a lot of organization. >> showing republican members who voted against the assault weapons ban there. you see the nra rating. many a, a-plus. some of the students were so disappointed. do you think that this generation, these students somehow are going to have a voice that's going to rally voters to do something? >> they could. look, we've had moments in american history where young people can change the course of american history. we saw that with the civil rights movement, the antiwar movement, even the conservative movement in the 1970s. they are the key, more than president trump right now.

this will be about them. can they create something bigger out of this outrage? can they go to washington, can they go to districts and become the counterweight to the nra? that's the big question right now. >> switching gears, we've heard reporting from "the new york times" that there's this feud allegedly between john kelly and jared kushner in the wake of his new restrictions on clearances. how will that impact the day-to-day business of people in the white house? how will that impact someone like jared kushner who has this massive portfolio, both domestically and in foreign policy? >> we'll see how effective kelly can be. this is the ongoing story of john kelly. he calls for order, demands some tight rules. but then members of the administration including the president circumvent him. jared kushner is a key player, i think he's going to resist any effort to curtail his access. he has a big portfolio including the leaf that the president is depend -- the middle east that the president is depending on.

i'm not sure kelly will win out on this. >> where you would arguably need security clearance. >> exactly. >> julian, come back in a few minutes. lots to talk about. tonight, jake tapper hosts "stands up: the students of stoneman douglas demand action." officials including senator marco rubio will be taking questions. that's tonight at 9:00 eastern on cnn. this morning, moscow is not ruling out what they're calling tit-for-tat measures in response to friday's indictment of 13 russians in special counsel robert mueller's investigation. a russian officials says the u.s. is just trying to interfere in russia's upcoming election. this comes after the white house stood behind president trump's claim that he has been tougher on russia than his predecessor, barack obama. >> he has been tougher on russia in the first year than obama was in eight years combined. he's imposed sanctions. he's taken away properties. he's rebuilt our military. he's done a number of things to put pressure on russia and to be tough on russia. just last week, there was an incident that will be reported

in the coming days. >> she didn't elaborate on what that might be. the president has frequently refused to condemn russia for its interference in the election. a european lawyer meanwhile pleaded guilty to lying to investigators in the mueller investigation. he admitted to covering up his communications with former trump campaign aide rick gates. his passport has been seized. stay tuned on that. the deadly strikes in syria ramping up. more next.

oh, that's lovely... so graceful. the corkscrew spin, flawless... ...his signature move, the flying dutchman.

poetry in motion. and there it is, the "baby bird". breathtaking. a sumo wrestler figure skating? surprising. what's not surprising? how much money heather saved by switching to geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. dial your binge-watching up to eleven. join the un-carrier right now, and get four unlimited lines for only thirty-five bucks each. woah. plus, netflix for the whole family. on us. prrrrrrr... so, they get their shows... let's go, girl! you're gonna love this bit! and you get yours. watch however you want. on your phone, tablet, or tv. for a limited time, get 4 lines for just thirty-five bucks per line, with no extra charges. it's showtime! all on america's best unlimited network, t-mobile. thisreally passionate about- i really want to help. i was on my way out of this life. there are patients out there that don't have a lot of time. finally, it was like the sun rose again and i was going to start

fighting back now. when those patients come to me and say, "you saved my life...." my life was saved by a two week old targeted therapy drug. that's what really drives me to- to save lives. it was love at first touch met and all you wanted to do was surround them in comfort and protection that's why only pampers swaddlers is the #1 choice of hospitals to wrap your baby in blanket-like softness and premium protection mom: "oh hi baby" so all they feel is love wishing you love, sleep and play. pampers i hate to ask but is there any chance of an upgrade? upgrade? pretty please? look into my eyes. could be twins.

have you thought about being a model? don't upgrade your seat. upgrade your airline. fly emirates. the best economy class in the world. syrian regime forces are targeting one of the last remaining rebel strongholds. at least 250 civilians killed by shelling in air strikes over the past few days. this is in syria's eastern region outside damascus. the pictures are -- i've got to warn you -- hard to watch here.

this is according to the uk-based syrian observatory for human rights. cnn chief international correspondent christiane amanpour is live for us from london. and unicef, the children's charity, the u.n. children's charity, actually releasing a statement with no words on this piece of paper. it has literally no words for the destruction happening to civilians there. >> reporter: which speaks in itself a thousand words. i've never seen that before. just to say that we simply have nothing more to say and nothing more to appeal to the world. if they can't understand and see the pictures of this suffering, what else are we to do? i mean, the u.n. has come under criticism, and they keep saying, look, we're unarmed diplomats. we are begging the syrian regime. we're talking to every one of the outside powers that is involved in a proxy war, whether it's iran, the government of russia, the government of certainly the united states, and all the others who have activities in syria to stop the

bombardments there in the domestic as cuss -- domestic as cuss suburb. and we've been reporting this the last 24 to 48 hours that they use a strong term. it's like a holocaust is unfolding there now. and it is the last remaining rebel-held stronghold close to damascus. you see what assad's trying to do. he believes that with iran, hezbollah, and with russia behind him he's won the war. and he just wants to clean it up, mop it up as quick as he can and figure out what if any contiguous land he can hold on to to call himself head of state. it looks like it's headed for an aleppo-style ending which the russians themselves have said which involves mask bombardment -- massive bombardment, massive slaughter of civilians, although they are denying they're slaughtering civilian, and potentially a surrender and evacuation. that's -- looks like what's on the cards. and the cost in blood, of men, women, and children there, is just extreme now.

>> and gutta is the same area where in 2013 there were chemical weapons attack, people killed. looking up north, there's a conflict unfolding, a potential flashpoint unfolding between turkish forces that have invaded syria and the pro-assad side, the syrians, hezbollah, as you mentioned. how much. a risk is there was that escalating to something much bigger? >> reporter: look, it's pretty bad up there. on one hand, you've got assad and his enablers doing what they're doing around damascus to try to remain and retain control of the last holdouts there. on the other hand, all the way up to the turkish border, the syrian regime has decided to ally itself with the kurds there and basically try to do what it can to bolster that sort of area. the turks which are obviously a nato ally, an ally of the united states, challenging the united

states for their support of these kurds in that region. so it is literally more complicated than you can imagine. just by listening to me, you see there is no real understanding or threat or coherence about how to end this. you've got two nato allies, the united states and turkey, at loggerheads and fortunateliy in military confrontation if this gets out of hand over the kurds. you've got the syrian regime which has decided to go up there and try their luck and solidify land up there, and you've got turkey that has come into the syrian border area to try to bolster its border there because they're terrified of the kurds and accuse the kurds of being aligned with terrorist organizations that want to overthrow the turkish regime. it's an unholy mess right. there and the problem is that the united states hasn't articulated what the vision of the future is. and the others, they know what

they want to achieve. the iranians, the russians and the assad and hezbollah and that lot, they're just trying to hang on to power for as long as they can there. >> let's talk about north korea and reporting that the vice president mike pence was set to meet with north koreans, and a few hours before the meeting they north koreans canceled it. what do you make of this thwarted attempt to talk? >> reporter: look, again, this is confusing. if you remember, the narrative around the opening ceremonies which were around february 10th was that vice president mike pence had refused to turn around and shake the hand of kim jong-un's personal envoy, his sister. now we're hearing it is potentially the other way around. it's difficult to confirm since we're not in the room. we understand what the vice president's office says. i spoke face to face four days before the alleged meeting was meant to happen with the top national security and foreign policy adviser to the south

korean president. his name is chong in-moon. he told me it would be wonderful if north korea gave a positive sign and there was some kind of meeting with the vice president during what they call the peace olympics there in pyeongchang. he said to me, the south korean national security adviser, that the north koreans would have to demonstrate at least some willingness to understand the united states and the west's concerns, the global concerns, that it needs to denuclearize, it needs to have respect for human rights and this and that. there was an opportunity to have some handshake or deciding whether to carry this further because a top senior adviser to kim jong-un was there. the number two in the north korean regime. >> thank you very much for that. now there's a new health insurance alternative officials hope will make it easier to obtain coverage.

we'll explain these short-term plans in about ten minutes. ch cameras and radar, contemporary cockpit, 360 degree network of driver-assist technologies, and sporty performance, what's most impressive about the glc? all depends on your point of view. lease the glc300 for just $449 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. mercedes-benz. the best or nothing. adult 7+ promotes alertness and mental sharpness in dogs 7 and older. (ray) the difference has been incredible. she is much more aware. she wants to learn things. (vo) purina pro plan bright mind. nutrition that performs.

don't we need that cable box to watch tv? nope. don't we need to run? nope. it just explodes in a high pitched 'yeahhh.' yeahhh! try directv now for $10 a month for 3 months. no satellite needed. was a success for lastchoicehotels.comign

badda book. badda boom. this year, we're taking it up a notch. so in this commercial we see two travelers at a comfort inn with a glow around them, so people watching will be like, "wow, maybe i'll glow too if i book direct at choicehotels.com". who glows? just say, badda book. badda boom. nobody glows. he gets it. always the lowest price, guaranteed. book now at choicehotels.com and when youod sugar is a replace one meal... choices. ...or snack a day with glucerna... ...made with carbsteady... ...to help minimize blood sugar spikes... ...you can really feel it. now with 30% less carbs and sugars. glucerna.

one of the women accusing the president, president trump, of sexual misconduct says swheeshe won't be bullied into silence. rachel crooks claims trump forcibly kissed her when she worked as a receptionist in trump tower in 2006. her story landed on the front page of the "washington post" on tuesday. that prompted a twitter denial from the president. crooks responded to that on cnn last night. >> not surprised that he called me a liar. that's not the first time. it is the first time i guess

he's attacked me personally on twitter. i would think as our president he would have more important things to do than to tweet at me and try to discredit my story. i know what's true. he knows what's true. i think he should be afraid of that. >> the aggressive behavior she alleges is almost exactly what the president was overheard saying on that infamous 2005 "access hollywood" tape. rachel crooks is now running for the ohio house of representatives as a democrat. federal courts will now begin tracking and releasing data on sexual harassment complaints against judges. as it stands, the u.s. court system is closely controlled and cloaked in secrecy. some investigations are even ended if a judge retires. most times with a full pension. a cnn investigation learned that of nearly 5,000 judicial misconduct cases over the past 11 years, very few are investigated, and judges are rarely punished. that pennsylvania groundhog

has no idea what he's talking about. it's so warm here in new york. >> unbelievable. >> you'll never -- you would never know that it's february with these record highs in the east. pedram javaheri joins us with the forecast. yes, the big heat is the big story. record warmth widespread across the eastern seaboard today. behind it, as interesting as it gets when it comes to a weather pattern for this time of year, more on that momentarily. over 0 records possible on this -- 60 records possible on this wednesday. stretches over a 1,000-mile stretch from central florida toward portions of new england. you'll notice this -- talking about temperatures shattering all-time records for the date there. 68 in new york city. we're going to get up to 71, i think, by this afternoon. boston, 68 is what we're expecting, 63 is the record high temperature. we talked about texas and the significance of the weather here. a big-time ice storm in progress across the northern and central tier of the state. generally a quarter to half inch. notice that stretches into parts of st. louis, into the midwest,

as well. that's enough ice to not be a crippling event but could be disruptive when it comes to being on the roadways or heading to the airport, as well. just east of that line, tremendous rainfall, a lot of moisture source available there courtesy of the gulf of mexico. a flooding risk in place. thousands under a threat. >> wow, 45,000 people under flood threat. be careful. >> we deserve it. we've had a rough winter. it's been cold. we need to thaw out. >> today's going to be a good day for a run in central park. president trump offering few specifics but looking for new ideas on guns. >> we cannot merely take actions that make us feel like we are making a difference. we must actually make a difference. >> anxious students want to know exactly how. they're meeting with florida lawmakers today, a day after those lawmakers voted down a bill to ban assault weapons. hey, need fast heartburn relief?

try cool mint zantac. it releases a cooling sensation in your mouth and throat. zantac works in as little as 30 minutes. nexium can take 24 hours. try cool mint zantac. no pill relieves heartburn faster.

new aveeno® positively radiant it's timbody lotion...glow on! with the moisture-rich power of soy. it transforms dull, dry skin to leave you glowing. new positively radiant® body collection from aveeno®. (avo) if yand constipation,ling and you're overwhelmed by everything you've tried-- all those laxatives, daily probiotics, endless fiber-- it could be wearing on you.

tell your doctor what you've tried, and how long you've been at it. linzess works differently from laxatives. linzess treats adults with ibs with constipation or chronic constipation. it can help relieve your belly pain and lets you have more frequent and complete bowel movements that are easier to pass. do not give linzess to children less than six and it should not be given to children six to less than eighteen. it may harm them. don't take linzess if you have a bowel blockage. get immediate help if you develop unusual or severe stomach pain, especially with bloody or black stools. the most common side effect is diarrhea, sometimes severe. if it's severe, stop taking linzess and call your doctor right away. other side effects include gas, stomach-area pain and swelling. ask your doctor if 90 days of linzess may be right for you.

we are here to ask yes or no questions. are you for, or are you against the killing of students? it's a yes or no question, there is no between. there is flow gray area. it's a black-and-white statement. >> florida students take their gun violence message to the state capitol this morning a day after the republican-led state house voted down any restrictions. now the president weighs in, but without a concrete plan. and a new report this morning says that jared kushner is resisting changes to his

security clearance. he thinks that john kelly, the chief of staff, is targeting him with new changes. and team usa disappoint at the olympics. figure skaters struggle, men's ice hockey is done, lindsey vonn very emotional after her final olympic downhill. we've got coy wire. welcome back to "early start," i'm christine romans. >> i'm alex marquardt. great to be with you again. almost 31 minutes past the hour. in just a few hours, students from stoneman douglas high school will lobby lawmakers in tallahassee to tighten florida's gun laws. activists and parkland students and teachers will also rally in front of the state capitol. the students are already getting a quick lesson that demanding change is far easier than persuading someone to vote for it. >> that's right. last night republican's republican-led state house rejected a ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. that bill was defeated by a vote of 36-71. of the 71, all but four had strong ratings from the nra. the florida house vote came as

some stoneplan douglas students watch -- stoneman douglas students watched from the gallery. emotions ran high during that vote and after. >> the next death of someone with an assault rifle here in florida is going to be on them. it's going to be on them, and it's going to be their fault that those people are dead and that those people aren't going to go home to their families. and that there's going to be an empty space in people avenues live's -- people's lives, and it's going to be their fault. >> instead of guns, lawmakers will begin debate on a bill to declare pornography a public health risk. despite the setback, students are vowing to march on with the message. planned meetings include the attorney general and governor rick scott. >> ahead of governor scott's sit down with the students, he's playing out a new timeline for getting something done quickly gun violence. >> my goal is friday i'm going to come up with a proposal. my goal is to come up with something that is going to move the needle and make parents feel

more comfortable that their kid's going to go to a safe school. that's the goal. these kids have got to go to safe schools. we have two weeks left in session. those two weeks after friday we're going to get something done. >> last week scott told cnn, "everything is on the table in the effort to solve the problem of gun violence." joining us is cnn political analyst julian zelizer, professor at harvard university. >> welcome back. >> thank you. >> we've heard everyone talk about how this is an aproach us on tragedy -- aproatrocious tra. one thing that's been talked about are bump stocks, becoming well known after the vegas massacre. let's listen to what the president said yesterday -- >> background checks are something that the president's support of making more efficient and looking at better ways to improve that process.

the president supports not having the use of bump stocks, and that we expect further action on that in the coming days. >> does the president believe there should be an age limit for those who buy an ar-15? >> i think that's something on the table for us to discuss and that we expect to come up over the next couple of weeks. >> that was sarah huckabee sanders and not the president. bump stocks seems like the one thing that everyone can kind of agree on doing away with. the nra even has mentioned support. is there anything to indicate that any sort of new legislation or activity can go beyond that? >> the only thing that indicates that is the anger of the students. and their willingness at least right now to go beyond the initial outrage to political mobilization. if they don't, i think this is the top limit of what we're going to get. we have to remember just the bump stocks is a pretty small reform given the crisis we face. and we're not even talking about legislation. we're talking about doing it through regulation which in itself is much weaker than doing

it through a bill. >> you know, the president saying yesterday he designed a memorandum of understanding to the attorney general to find out what kind of policies on bump stocks are likely. what kind of leadership are you seeing here? is he really diving in and saying, all right, i'm going to be the presidential leader on this, or is he kind of dip toeing in? >> i think he's almost backing into this after the anger was so great to do something about this. if there's really going to be legislation, it will both require grassroots pressure, but it will also require forceful presidential leadership. that's what we saw in '94 with bill clinton and the assault weapons ban. it's unclear if president trump is willing to do that. >> you write that in the clinton case, there are prior president who's also supported him. he had the -- another leaders -- >> ronald reagan helped push the brady bill and wrote op-eds saying to stop this and do something. it takes topdown leadership and

will be beyond a few days. it can't be trump timing, meaning just a few days of interest and moving on. this will be a sustained battle maybe over months to outflank the nra. >> a lot of people have thrown -- threw up their hands after sandy hook say figure this many children can be massacred and nothing changes, then this will never change. it does feel like some things are changing. is that because these young adults, young -- children from parkland are so eloquent and have been speaking out so much? >> it could be. people felt that way about civil rights in the 1960s saying nothing would happen, and it happened. some of it was about young african-americans going to the streets and demanding some kind of change. let's also remember, though, in 2000 we had a million moms march for gun control. 700,000 people i think came to washington, and nothing happened. we don't know which part of history we're on.

that's why we're watching young people eagerly to see what they can make of this. >> 20 years of mass shootings in schools, they've -- maybe they're going to have, you know, think that we all failed them, and they'll try to fix it themselves. let's talk about donald trump j jr. he's in india doing family business. it looks like geopolitical business. >> same time. >> there's a debate over whether he's blurring the lines between business and government. i'm not sure there's a line there. what do you see that is so unique about the donald trump selling the family business in india right now? >> look, it goes back to day one of this administration. you have a massive business empire, the trump business empire, and you have the presidency. there are no clear lines that separate them. this has always been a problem. the president has given control of the business to his sons. but as you see, the sons are very close to their father. and they're also very close to geopolitical -- >> do you think it's a conflict of interest? >> it's a total conflict of interest and a major problem

that we face. we don't talk about it enough. the lines between the trump presidency and the trump business i think are either not there, or they're so blurry they're impossible to see. this is not what we can have in a healthy democracy. >> julian zelizer, nice to see you. thank you very much. so much to get to today. tonight, jake tapper hosts a cnn town hall on guns. it's calmed "stand up: the students of stoneman douglas demand action." officials joining jake tapper include senator marco rubio. he will be taking questions. that's at 9:00 eastern tonight only on cnn. "the new york times" reporting overnight that jared kushner and white house chief of staff john kelly are feuding over the presidential son-in-law's access to classified info. kushner has held a interim security clearance for more than a year in his role as a senior white house adviser. now the "times" says kushner doesn't want to give up that access. he's concerned he's a specific target of kelly's overhaufling the clearance -- overhauling the clearance system.

>> top-level clearances will be canceled this week for any top-level staffer whose clearance has been pending since june. this after staff secretary rob porter was forced to resign after both of his ex-wives accused him of domestic abuse. in a statement last night, chief of staff john kelly expressed confidence in kushner's ability to continue performing his very wide-ranging foreign policy-related duties. >> vice president mike pence came close to meeting secretly with the north korean delegation at the wildcanter olympics. he was set to meet with north korean officials including kim jong-un's sister, but the north koreans pulled out of the planned meeting two hours before it was to start. officials believe that abrupt cancelation was a sign that attempts by the u.s. to exert pressure on the regime were working. president trump had signed off on the pence meeting with the caveat that he would not back down from the u.s. demand that pyongyang abandon its nuclear weapons. >> would have been a heck of a picture.

moscow is not ruling out tit-for-tat measures in response to last friday's indictment of 13 russians in special counsel robert mueller's investigation. a russian official says the u.s. is just trying to interfere in russia's upcoming election. this comes after the white house stood behind president trump's claim that he's been tougher on russia than his predecessor, barack obama. >> he has been tougher on russia in the first year than obama was in eight years combined. he's imposed sanction, he's taken away properties, rebuilt our military. he's done a number of things to put pressure on russia and to be tough on russia. just last week there was an incident that will be reported in the coming days. >> no idea what that incident might be. the president has frequently refused to condemn russia for its interference in the election. meantime, a european lawyer, alex vaderzwan pleaded guilty,

admitting to covering up communications with former trump campaign aide rick gates. the trump administration unveiling an alternative to obamacare -- proposing regulations that make it easier to get short-term health plans. the white house says these offer americans more choice and lower premiums. short-term plans are cheaper than obamacare, they cost as little as 20% of the cheapest obamacare plans. that's because it excludes americans with pre-existing conditions. it doesn't offer comprehensive coverage like maternity care, prescription drug coverage, or mental health benefits. insurers can limit how much they pay out meaning costly medical emergencies could leave consumers paying out of pocket. advocates and industry groups worry that this move will hurt obamacare, claiming the cheaper plans will attract the younger, healthier consumers. that drives up obamacare premiums and premiums, frankly, for everyone else. the administration pushed back on that concern. the white house says estimates show only 200,000 healthy enr l enrollees will make the switch. the policies they say are designed to fill a temporary gap in coverage. a new breaking point for the

humanitarian crisis in the syrian war. hundreds killed in the latest regime shelling, leaving the u.n. literally at a loss for words. i just want to find a used car without getting ripped off. start at the new carfax.com show me used trucks with one owner. pretty cool. [laughs] ah... ahem... show me the carfax. start your used car search at the all-new carfax.com.

pepsoriasis does that. it was tough getting out there on stage. i wanted to be clear. i wanted it to last. so i kept on fighting. i found something that worked. and keeps on working. now? they see me. see me. see if cosentyx could make a difference for you- cosentyx is proven to help people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...find clear skin that can last. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting cosentyx, you should be checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms. or if you have received a vaccine or plan to. if you have inflammatory bowel disease, tell your doctor if symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. never give up. see me. see me. clear skin can last. don't hold back... ...ask your dermatologist if cosentyx can help you find clear skin that lasts.

oh hi sweetie, i just want to show you something. xfinity mobile: find my phone. [ phone rings ] look at you. this tech stuff is easy. [ whirring sound ] you want a cookie? it's a drone! i know. find your phone easily with the xfinity voice remote. one more way comcast is working to fit into your life, not the other way around.

breaking news overnight. a police officer in mobile, alabama, was shot and killed. the officer was responding to a call of a woman found dead in a residential area. officials say the officer was shot at when he tried to speak with what they're calling a person of interest. police say the shooting suspect is also dead, but it is unclear whether officers shot him or he killed himself. neither has been identified. tension between the u.s. and palestinians on full display at the u.n. security council. u.n. ambassador to the united nations, nikki haley, saying the trump administration will not change its decision to move the u.s. embassy to jerusalem. haley responding ing ting to c this month by the top palestinian negotiator who said haley should shut one her criticism of palestinian president mahmoud abbas. >> i will decline the advice i was recently given by your top

negotiator. i will not shut up. rather, i will respectfully speak some hard truths. the united states stands ready to work with the palestinian leadership. we will not chase after you. >> she says she won't chase after anyone because abbas left the room before she spoke. there's been a major escalation by syrian regime strongholds near the capital of damascus. at least 250 civilians killed by shelling and air strikes over the past few days in a suburb. that's according to the uk-based syrian observatory for human rights. the situation so desperate that the uni-- that unicef, the u.n.'s children's fund, responded literally in a statement with no words. in that statement, it issued on the bloody siege, it was blank. now we worn you that some of the video you're seeing here is disturbing. let's go to cnn's reporter from

amman. jomana, so much of the coverage of the war has been about defeating isis. this is just a reminder of the continuing unbelievable brutality in syria and that this war is far from over. >> reporter: absolutely. and as you mentioned there, unicef yesterday saying that they've run out of words to describe the horrors that are unfolding in the area. a short time ago we were speaking to a medical worker in the enclave. and as our producer was speaking to him, you could hear the air strike in the background. really no end in sight for this latest offensive by the regime that began on sunday where activists now are reporting for a fourth consecutive day air strikes are taking place and barrel bombs are raining down on different parts of the city. more than 250 people killed since sunday. about 100 only killed on

tuesday. and hundreds more wounded. and of course it is very difficult to treat the wound ed because according to different organizations including the united nations, hospital after hospital have been hit in this bombardment of the city. according to the syrian medical society, at least 13 medical facilities have been hit since sunday, four hospitals completely destroyed. these are medical facilities that were already struggling to provide care for patients there because, as you mentioned, the area has been under siege since 2012. and it's a very dire humanitarian situation. people are running out of almost everything there. now they are absolutely terrified of a possible, they fear, ground invasion of the city. they are drawing similarities to what we saw in eastern aleppo at the end of 2016 saying that this

is not going to end until the regime recaptures this rebel enclave. >> we should remind our viewers that this is where there was a chemical weapons attack in 2013 that left almost 1,400 people dead. thank you. 50 minutes past the hour. wall street's winning streak is over. partly to blame, bond yields, too. cnn "money" next. woah. plus, netflix for the whole family. on us. prrrrrrr... so, they get their shows... let's go, girl! you're gonna love this bit! and you get yours. watch however you want. on your phone, tablet, or tv. for a limited time, get 4 lines for just thirty-five bucks per line, with no extra charges. it's showtime! all on america's best unlimited network, t-mobile. i hate to ask but is there any chance of an upgrade? upgrade? pretty please? look into my eyes. could be twins.

have you thought about being a model? don't upgrade your seat. upgrade your airline. fly emirates. the best economy class in the world. if you have moderate to severe or psoriatic arthritis, little things can be a big deal. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats differently. for psoriasis, 75% clearer skin is achievable with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. and for psoriatic arthritis, otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. and the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. otezla may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. tell your doctor if these occur. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop.

some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. other side effects include upper respiratory tract infection and headache. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you're pregnant or planning to be. ♪ otezla. show more of you.

♪ [vo]it doesn't matter if you're from a small town... [mom] it's time to go watch the race, ok? [vo]a big town... [broadcaster] welcome back to the winter olympics. [vo]a nowhere town... [tv broadcaster] this is jessie diggins on the right! [loud cheering] [vo]we all call the same place home. i love you, afton! [vo]comcast is proud to bring the olympic winter games 2018 home to afton and every other hometown in america. hello. - hi. how's it going? - alright, how ya doing? - welcome! so, this is the all-new chevy traverse. what do ya think? this looks better than 99% of the suvs out there. it's very modern... sleek. maybe the most impressive part of the all-new traverse... is what's on the inside. surprise! what are you doing here? i've missed you guys. i haven't seen you guys in so long!

what's happening? we flew her out. it's a family car, we had to put your family in it! yeah, it gets 7 thumbs up! ♪ the smoother the skin the more comfortable you are in it and now there's a new way to smooth. introducing new venus platinum. a premium metal handle boosts control so you can reveal up to 100% smooth skin. venus.

skiing superstar lindsey vonn brings home the bronze in what will likely be her final olympic downhill run. >> coy wire has more from pyeongchang. coy, she's got one more chance to medal end of this week, right? >> reporter: one more chance, that is the good news. good morning to you. frustrating, indeed. there was so much energy and excitement before this race. american flags were flying there at the venue. lindsey vonn had already missed out on her meddling completely in her first event here. downhill her best event. and likely her best shot at gold. when she posted that time, americans fell silent. this was her last run as an olympian in a downhill. this isn't the nfl where she has a game next week or even next season. she will still, though, compete in the alpine combined later tonight. the emotions afterwards, they hit her. >> you know, it's been really hard for me not to get emotional for so many reasons. especially because of my

grandfather. and i wanted to win so much because of him. but i still think i made him proud. and our family never gives up. and i never gave up. i kept working hard, and i am proud of this medal, and i know he is, too. >> reporter: she should be proud. at 33 years old, vonn became the oldest woman ever to medal in olympic alpine skiing. what in the world happened to american women figure skaters? a spill face on the ice in the short program. the three americans sitting at 9th, 10th, and 11th, after the short program. nagasu and tennell fell. chen had to put her hand down to keep from falling. and then it's elena zagitava, one of the olympic athletes from russia. she's leading the way, set a

world record in the short program. medal count for -- norway way out in front with it 1. germany in second -- with 31. germany in second with 23. canada in third with 20. this just in, the u.s. tied for fourth with netherlands, 14th medal. finally good news for the u.s. a first-ever gold medal in women's cross-country skiing. congrats to the winners of the team sprint event. there you go. good news for team usa. >> all right. moving up the count. thank you very much. nice to see you, coy wire. let's check on cnn "money." wall street's six-day winning streak is over. now you could see the drop again at the opening bell. global stocks and u.s. futures are down now. the dow and s&p 500 fell yesterday. the dow dragged lower by walmart's worst day in 30 years. walmart's stock fell 10% on disappointing online sales chamweighed on stocks -- sales. that weighed on stocks overall. bond yields hit a four-year high. that makes investors nervous. a rapid rise could signal faster

interest rate hikes from the federal reserve. we may get a clue go about timing. the central bank will release the january meeting minutes this afternoon. 3m will pay $850 million to settle claims it contaminated water in minnesota for decades. 3m is based in st. paul. minnesota's attorney general alleges it polluted water in the twin cities dumping chemicals used to make scotch guard from 1950 to the early 2000s. officials say 3m should have known it posed a risk to the environment and residents' health. 3m says it will work with the state. but 3m doesn't believe there's any risk to public health. $ 50 million. -- $850 million. the co-founder of guess stepping aside amid harassment claims from supermodel kate upton. paul marciano will give up his day-to-day responsibilities during the investigation. upton said he verbally harassed and groped her including at a photo shoot in 2010.

marciano denies the allegations, but it's affecting business. guess' stock has dropped 20% since upton spoke out. that's right. thanks for joining us this wednesday. i'm the next step is going to be on them. it's going to be their fault. >> we're going to get something done. >> he may have an a plus rating from the nra but not from us. >> school safety is a top priority. >> our message from the politicians, if you aren't with us, you're against us. >> a new report says jared kushner fighting back against the chief of staff's security clearance crackdown. >> i don't know how this gets resolved. >> there is already tension. it's going to be worse. >> this president has been tougher on russia in the first year than obama was in eight years combined. >> the assertion is laughable. the obama administration was tough on