we also have reporters on the ground in australia. we want to go first to our own phil black who's been following all of this from melbourne. the judges a little while ago making that announcement. and i think beyond the actual decision, they really had some interesting things to say about what they were deciding in this case and what they weren't deciding in this case. >> paula, a little over an hour ago novak djokovic and everyone else around the world watching closely discovered his application to the court to overturn the cancelation of his visa was unsuccessful. the judges, before making that point, said that they weren't -- it wasn't their job to essentially rule on the merits of the original decision, it was just they were asked to review that decision based upon particular legal grounds that had been submitted by djokovic's lawyers. and as it turns out, those arguments, those grounds put forward by his lawyers, did not persuade any of the judges sitting at the bench to hear this case. it was a unanimous decision. his applicati

tennis australia really skcrewe up. there is a heavy hand in the detention and now we see what australia's rules are. i mean, that is tough seeing that -- >> let me ask you about that. months ago, the australian decided all the players would have to be vaccinated. djokovic -- everybody who is playing if you're a top seed, you know that. he had plenty of time to get his shot. my question, is he putting h himself above the rules? you don't just cover tennis, you're not just a former tennis champion, you cover all sports. we're seeing this in all sports, the nba and nfl and so on. is he putting himself above the rules? >> i think he puts himself separate from -- you know, people will say he's anti-vax and obviously has not yet been vaccinated but what he says is it's a personal choice. it's not a team sport. you know, but, i mean, this is really screwing things up for him. >> mary, listen, i agree it's a personal choice. if i tell my boss i decided i don't want to get vaccinated and he says you can no longer come into this

a three-ton iceberg suspended over sydney harbor in australia. artists have been performing on top of it for ten hours a day as it melts in the hot sun. the three-day display, called four is part of the sydney festival and highlights the threat of climate change. with northwestern australia recording its highest temperature in 62 years on friday, the display seems rather timely. >>> travelers who want to visit the notre dame cathedral won't have to wait until it reopens in 2024 thanks to virtual reality. a new immersive experience near paris allows visitors wearing 3-d headsets to experience notre dame's history from its construction to the fire that wrecked the landmark in 2019 through its reconstruction. created by the virtual reality startup, the project took two years to complete. it lets visitors dive into a 45-minute trip full of visual sound effects. >> translator: it is quite impressive. i would say that you're a bit anxious at the start, and then you completely forget about the fact that you're in an enclosed space because the environmen

novak djokovic now faces deportation from australia. cnn has this could hvered all o the world. >>> plus an hours long standoff ends with alho

is it novack djokovic, tennis australia, the organizer of the australian open? is it the politics here i? i'm trying to figure out where this is supposed to land. >> phil, check, check, check all the boxes. you've got to get the green tick box to get into australia through your visa application. let's start with djokovic. novack djokovic made a decision, it's his right to make a decision not to be vaccinated. when you do that you're going to run into these types of difficulties, and i predict this will continue throughout the rest of this year as it relates to his tennis career and trying to break the records he currently holds. and then you say tennis australia who runs the tournament sort of acts as a go between between the players and the government, i believe they've overstepped their bounds. they're known as a player friendly tournament over the years. they've done a great job doing that. i believe they took that a little too far. then you can say how come the state government of victoria and the federal government weren't working more closely? if as the fe

novak djokovic now faces deportation from australia. cnn has this could hvered all o the world. >>> plus an hours long standoff ends with all hostages rescued. we're live in london with the international investigation on the suspect. >>> tens of millions of americans brace for a massive winter storm. details from the cnn weather center. >>> and we begin with breaking news. tennis star novak djokovic has lost his bid to stay in australia and defend his title in the australian tennis tournament. he now faces deportation. the hearing was djokovic's last attempt to stay in the country despite having his visa revoked twice. the courtsided with the australian minister. they said his presence could spur a rise in antivaxing sentiment. djokovic released a statement saying i am extremely disappointed with the court ruling to dismiss my application for judicial review, which means i cannot stay in australia and participate in the australian open. he added, this is key here, i respect the court's ruling and i will cooperate with the relevant autho

know, i guess -- but he wants to wait until australia decides on monday, is that correct? >> yeah. he could leave. one of the people that had their visas revoked has since left and the other person who had their visa revoked said she is also going to leave because she is not going to have enough time to train. yes, he could leave. he is not being held against his will. so far there is no official indication on what the judge will rule, but the australian deputy prime minister told our affiliate 7 network in an interview in regards to djokovic being allowed to stay, if he were a betting person, he would not put his house on it. now, it is worth noting that djokovic announced he tested positive for covid-19 back in june. however, the australian government told tennis australia back in november that unvaccinated players with a recent covid-19 infection could not and would not be allowed to enter the country based on public health guidelines. so, again, clearly a disconnect between tennis australia and the australian government. >> appreciate it. joining us with more perspecti

he's become a real political football in australia. he's seen as someone trying to be above and around the rules. there's not a lot of sympathy or time for someone as djokovic who's seen as flaunting his own individual wishes to do his own thing and not be part of the collective effort to get out of this thing together which has been part of the ethos here. >> the federal government made it clear where they stood. then mixed messages from the government and tennis america. who dropped the ball and what will likely the consequences be? >> djokovic dropped the ball by not being vaccinated. he made this much tougher. none of this would have been happening if he got vaccinated like 97% of the tennis peer. it's been a high acceptance and they did do it because they understood vaccination would be required to come play the world's first grand slam in australia. tennis australia not communicating well to him how loaded the landscape would be here. i think he really dug himself a hole by victoriously announcing, hey, i'm coming, australia, wit

tracy holmes, many thanks joining us from sydney, australia. appreciate it. thanks, rosemary. >> we will have much more on the novak djokovic saga just ahead. >>> also, talks between the u.s. and russia over ukraine will soon get under way in switzerland. a live report from geneva coming your way in just a moment. ♪ three times the electorlytes and half the sugar. ♪ pedialyte powder packs. feel better fast. feel stuck with credit card debt? move to sofi and feel what it's like to get your money right. ♪ move your high-interest debt to a sofi personal loan. you could save with low rates and no fees. earn $10 just for viewing your rate and get your money right. ♪ we're getting destroyed out there. we need a plan! i have a plan... right now at t-mobile, customers on magenta max can get the new iphone 13 ...and t-mobile will pay for it! i'm talking new customers! i'm talking existing customers like ronald! the new iphone on t-mobile... let's do it! new and existing t-mobile and sprint customers, can upgrade to the iphone 13 on us. on our most popular max

what a situation in australia. they've got djokovic in what they're calling a hotel, but it sounds like jail. what do you think is going on down under? what do you think the outcome of this hearing is going to be? >> well, phil laid it out very nicely for all of us, jim. there is no doubt that novak djokovic is in a situation he did not expect to be in when he left serbia, when he thought he had gotten the appropriate visa and exemption in order to get into the country and play in the tournament. but the federal government had different ideas. there's been a lot of miscommunication, jim. we're used to this a bit, aren't we, in our country with miscommunication, different rules, goalposts moving when it comes to what exactly are the rules and regulations when it comes to covid. this is exactly what happened here since djokovic released an instagram post saying he had received an exemption, he was on his way to australia. this created a political firestorm in australia. the political crowd got involved. vaccination b

. >>> we could learn soon whether tennis star novak djokovic will be allowed to stay in australia where he's being detained amid a fight over his visa. >>> no red carpet, audience or tv coverage. why the golden globe awards will look very different tonight. >>> sometimes we need a little help here. you're waking up on sunday, jan january 9th. good morning to you. >> great to be with you, christi. >>> we start with the omicron variant surging rapidly across the united states. cases are rising at an alarming rate, as some of the nation's largest school districts fight to get student back into classrooms this week. in chicago, a standoff after the teachers union voted to teach remotely while the city wants in-person learning. chicago's mayor rejected a new proposal from the teachers union had virtual beginning wednesday and in-person classes starting the following week. right now she case kids are safest in the classroom. >> we have a lot of single parent households, moms who cannot afford to miss work. we need our kids back in school. remote learning for any period of time is off the tabl

his travel before he arrived to australia. the document in which he basically said he hadn't traveled anywhere else before he went to australia. now, there is evidence, he says it was a mistake. but why go this route, in order to say he would be a danger? >> yes, why go this route? the minister would have asked mr. djokovic a series of questions. and mr. djokovic would have provided answers to those questions. and some of the answers about visiting places while he knew he was covid positive may or may not form grounds for cancellation of a visa. so, the minister's, i think, clutching at straws is going into a section of the act, which is section 1, subsection -- going right there into the act, found he could cancel the visa if the presence of the visa-holder would jeopardize the health and good governance of australia. i would argue, were ite, there are hundreds of thousands of people with the covid infection in australia. there must be tens of thousands of people who are asymptomatic, undiagnosed, but with the virus. and seco

paula hancocks joins us from melbourne, australia, with the latest. paula, this caused the uproar in a country that suffered through so many lockdowns. >> that's right, brianna. he has won the battle but maybe not the war. we know novak djokovic is a free man. we've been here from a press conference, his family in serbia says he's already gone on to a tennis court to practice, trying to get his mind towards the australian open. what we heard from the judge today was that he ordered him to be released, ordered that the government pay for all his legal costs and said that there was procedural issues with him being refused or canceling that visa, saying that he was not allowed to speak to his lawyer or to tennis australia organizers and that was incorrect. so now he is a free man, but we've already heard from the immigration ministry saying that they reserve the right for the minister himself to actually turn this over once again, and say that he personally will cancel the visa. we do not know if he will do that. we know that the ministry is currently lo

tennis australia has really screwed up. there's been a heavy hand in this putting him in that detention hotel. and now we see what australia's rules are. i mean, that is tough seeing all that draconian rules it seems for -- >> let me ask you about that. because months ago the australian open decided all their players were going to have to be vaccinated. djokovic -- everybody who's playing if you're a top seed you know that. he had plenty of time to get his shots. my question is he putting himself above the rules? because you don't just cover tennis. you're not just a former tennis champion. you cover all sports. we're seeing this in all sports. seeing what's happening in the nba and nfl and so on. is he putting himself above the rules? >> i think he puts himself separate from -- people say he's anti-vax and obviously he's not yet been vaccinated, but what he says is it's a personal choice. i mean, it's not a team sport. but i mean this is really screwing things up for him. >> mary, i agree it is a personal choice. it's a pe

federal government of australia. it's the federal government that makes the final decision as to whether let people into the country or not and on what grounds. tennis australia says for its purposes, allowing him to play into the tournament, he's medically exempt from having to get a vaccination. the victorian at a time government says he's medically exempt from having to quarantine for 14 days. the federal government has said, that's not good enough to get into the country, christie. >> and how is all of this playing out among australians? melbourne, this is a city that's seen a lot. it's been through hundreds of days of lockdowns and has a very high vaccination rate. how does the ordinary australian citizen feel about djokovic and his appeal? >> kristie, right now is a time of extreme anxiety about covid-19 here in the community. here where i am in sydney, as well as in melbourne. tens of thousands of cases a day. the omicron variant fueling a new wave of covid-19. hospitalizations are at record highs. icu admissi

what was his plan to come to australia again without that? what was he going to do? there are some loose ends here? >> yeah, absolutely, there's real questions that need answering for the cohesion of his story. i think this will be a round one victory, because the government made it clear they are ready to appeal it and restart it, and the second phase could lead to checking the veracity of his medical documents and checking his timeline and why did he apply for a visa before he applied for a visa, and he said the covid test happened december 16th, very recently, less than a month ago, so there are questions that need answers and we will see how much satisfaction we get from djokovic himself or the legal proceedings. >> yeah, that timing question is one that i think a lot of people want to know. ben there in melbourne, and i think we will be glued to the tv set when we go to round one. thank you, gentlemen. >>> the omicron variant disrupting children and forcing educators and parents to make important decisions. we'll be right back. trelegy for copd. ♪ birds flyin'

it seems to be a blunder for tennis australia. surely they would have understood the requirements to enter the country at the border. >> reporter: it's all very complicated that's now developing between tennis australia and the federal government. the federal government has several layers of legislation which it uses in order to enforce its strict border policies. it says that nobody that hasn't had two vaccinations can come into australia. it has biased security laws, very broad biased security laws in order to back up that mandate. so tennis australia has done all it could to get its champion ip. jovack djokovic won the 2020 australian open. they want him here to back up that crown. it'll be extremely interesting to see how it plays out when it hits court on monday. that's the federal circuit court on monday not the tennis court, lynda. >> exactly. not where he wants to be at this point in time so close to the start of the australian open. angus watson in sydney, thanks very much. joining me now is sam fillip. sam is a sports re

joining me now cnn producer angus watson live in sydney, australia. hello to you. djokovic may not be able to defend his australian open title. it looks like he could be deported. what happened and where is he now? >> reporter: don, this is the end to quite a saga about will djokovic be able to come to australia to defend his australian open crown or won't he? it all played out in astonishing fashion last night as djokovic arrived at melbourne airport into australia. half way through the night he was kept there by immigration police who wanted to go over all his paperwork. when djokovic arrived, he believed that he had the documentation that said it was okay for him to come into the country unvaccinated. the country has very strict rules saying all people that travel in here need to have two shots of a recognized covid-19 vaccine. we presume now that novak djokovic does not have that proof of being fully vaccinated. instead he tried to show there are other reasons why he should be able to come in and keep the public safe while he is in here. he failed to do that. h

he said that, look, australia likes to preach to us about the rule of law. he found it amazing that you could have a politician overruling the will of a judge. he wasn't upset with the australian judicial system and he said they probably wouldn't have said anything had this simply been a decision for the courts to make. his issue was with the political intervention in this case. and what's even more interesting perhaps a little bit ironic is that actually today, michael, there is a referendum being held here in serbia to change the constitution to make judges more independent, to put them in line with the rest of the eu. so i would be very curious to know if this decision changes that at all given how australia looks in this situation in the eyes of most ordinary serbians. they find it pretty remarkable that you can have a politician overruling the decision by a judge earlier in this case. >> yeah, complicated stuff. yeah. scott mcclain, appreciate it there. and quite separately it's a beautiful scene behind you. scott mcclain in belgrade. we're going to tak

. >>> let's turn to australia now. that's where a standoff over covid is playing out right now in melbourne. the head of tennis australia has issued a video to his staff addressing the controversy surroundi ing novak djokovic. his visa was revoked for not having a valid medical exemption for getting vaccinated as he arrived for the australian open. we'll have more on that what video said in a moment. novak djokovic, the defending men's singles champion made his first public comments friday thanking fans as he remains confined in an immigration center. we've also learned that czech player renata vadachua had her visa revoked, as well. the czech government says she has decided to withdraw from the tournament and leave australia. angus watson is standing by in sydney. no relation. thanks for joining me here. now i understand you've just learned more about the appeal that djokovic's lawyers have filed on his behalf. what can you tell us what from what we're learning about his status and the argument they're trying to make

there's a large serbian community in australia. he's touched a nerve with certain other segments of society as well. the serbian community has been loyal behind him and would turn out for sure. trying to counterbalance what would be a great deal of anger and resentment from the general australian population. 14% said they wanted him to stay and play. the australian contingent is not for him to compete, but it's going to be the judges who ultimately have the say whether or not he can. >> when it comes to the politics of this, politics are always in play, and there is an election not too far off in australia. it could be argued that the government's actions, both the confusion over the visa and the subsequent court actions, have fired things up as well. >> yeah, they really have changed their argument considerably from the first round of appeals when it was all about the paperwork that djokovic had. the right kind of exemption. was he ticking the right boxes? the grounds they're arguing are now ideological that djokovic could be a co

novak djokovic wins his visa battle and can now remain in australia. now the ball is in the australian government's court. will they challenge it or back down? >>> and trying talks. the u.s. and moscow meet this hour in a bid to de-escalate tensions as russian troops build up on ukraine's border. >> announcer: live from london, this is "cnn newsroom" with isa soares. >>> welcome to the show, everyone. it is monday, january 10th. we are following the aftermath of a deadly apartment fire in new york city's bronx neighborhood. now at least 19 people are dead, and that includes 9 children. the fire commissioner says 32 people were also sent to hospitals with life threatening conditions. residents describe the horrifying experience. have a listen. >> usually we always hear the fire alarm going off so it's -- it's something that we're used to. so when you don't know that it's a fire, like you know how was he supposed to know it's a fire if it's always going off. i received a phone call from somebody who's on the third floor and i looked out the back of the w

when djokovic arrived on wednesday he was denied entry into australia and had his visa revoked with australia's health minister saying he failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet these entry requirements required to get into the country. again, whether or not he's going to be able to stay in the country will be decided on monday. so far there's no official indication on what the judge is going to rule, but the australian deputy prime minister told our affiliate seven met two, in an interview in regards to djokovic being allowed to stay, if he were a betting person he would hot put his house on it. fredricka? >> let's talk about the winter weather advisory -- winter olympics. what is china doing to ensure that covid doesn't kill olympic dreams for the athletes? >> reporter: fredricka, 26 days. athletes competing here next month in the beijing winter games are going to be extremely limited in what they're allowed to do. beijing olympic officials talk about a closed loop bubble which limits athletes' movements and will offer organizers a level of control never before seen before at any olymp

in canberra, australia it's at more than 98%. and yet america struggles to get enough shots in arms. and while that happens, of course, hospitals in this country are overburdened. so what more needs to be done to add incentive to those still not vaccinated? how do you convince them that this is the best way to go? >> yeah. this has been the challenge of the last i would say six or so months here in the united states. there is so much vaccine misinformation, so much of a sort of poisoning of the national discourse on vaccines that a lot of people remain confused and remain unconvinced. we know the one thing that works is vaccine mandates. when businesses put in mandates, when towns and states put in mandates, we know that that really moves the needle. and so i'm encouraging more businesses to require vaccines of their employees. it will be good for their employees, good for their customers, and really good for all of the community and society. >> and of course the supreme court decided that that wasn't going to happen, that those

she joins us from melbourne in australia. and, look, i got to say, novak djokovic put out this really long winding statement overnight. but the nugget or the two nuggets in here that are hugely important, number one, he didn't follow covid protocols when he tested positive. and number two, huge implications for where you are, there were lies in his travel documents. your takeaway this morning? >> yeah, i mean, unfortunately novak keeps getting himself into problems from his own volition, really. when he put out the tweet he was coming to australia with a medical exemption, that's when sort of the firestorm started. i think he was probably better off not putting that out originally. now he's put out another statement trying to correct some of the problems which he's been facing over the last few days. and now again he's gotten himself into hot trouble. if you had covid, why would you do an interview and there are so many questions he has to answer over the next couple of days mr. or not he stays in the country or not. >> doing

we're keeping an eye on australia for you. the australian draw postponed last second, no reason given. tennis star novak djokovic, will he play or be kicked out of the country? thanks to the cartridge-free epson ecotank printer. a ridiculous amount of ink! you're mocking me. not again! the epson ecotank. just fill & chill. narrator: on a faraway beach, the generation called "our greatest" saved the world from tyranny. in an office we know as "oval," a new-generation president faced down an imminent threat of nuclear war. on a bridge in selma, alabama, the preacher of his time marched us straight to passing voting rights for every american. at a gate in west berlin, a late-generation american president demanded an enemy superpower tear down a wall and liberate a continent. american generations answering the call of their time with american ideals. freedom. liberty. justice. for today's generation of leaders, the call has come again to protect our freedom to vote, to fortify our democracy by passing the freedom to vote act and t

meantime, serbia's president lashed out at australia's treatment of djokovic. he said australian authorities and the media harassed him and called the actions both a witch hunt against the tennis star and the country himself. here's more from the serbian leader. >> they think they have by this, this miss treatment of ten days humiliated djokovic but they have humiliated themselves. he can return to his home country with his head held high looking everyone in the eye. >> they've called this scandalous and a huge injustice against their champion. >>> now the u.s. surgeon general is warning a national peak in the omicron covid surge likely won't happen in the coming days and the next few weeks will be tough. he spoke to jake tapper on sunday and said testing is still a top priority. >> the president said we certainly have more we need to do on testing. that's a message very clear to him from the public, to his team, that we need to pull every lever possible. that's why you've seen additional spigots open when it comes to testing. >> now globally eight cities in ch

now, being ordered out of australia. it's an incredible story. >>> and space officials today watching part of an out-of-control russian rocket that is hurdling back to earth and the big question right now, where is it? we're carvana, the company who invented car vending machines and buying a car 100% online. now we've created a brand-new way for you to sell your car. whether it's a year old or a few years old. we wanna buy your car. so go to carvana and enter your license plate answer a few questions. and our techno wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds. when you're ready, we'll come to you, pay you on the spot and pick up your car, that's it. so ditch the old way of selling your car, and say hello to the new way at carvana. this is your home. this is your family room slash gym. the guest bedroom slash music studio. the daybed slash dog bed. the living room slash yoga shanti slash regional office slash classroom. and this is the basement slash panic room. maybe what your family needs

now to phil black in melbourne, australia. >> reporter: australia has recorded its highest daily death toll of the pandemic, 74 people. it follows explosive growth in case numbers through december into january, as the omicron variant fuels this country's first pandemic wave. australia had long been successful at suppressing widespread disease and widespread death through lockdowns and shutting its borders. but now with vaccination rates for over 60s at 90%, the government is pushing a policy of living with the virus. but there are concerns because the health system, hospitals are under increasing pressure, and it's still unclear precisely when this wave will peak. christine, laura, back to you. >> all right, phil and everybody, thank you for those reports. to washington now. >>> inflation and a stalled legislative agenda, you can see it in his falling approval ratings. still, in the white house there is hope that a covid recovery could fuel a fast comeback for the president. cnn's john harwood joins us this morning. nice to see you, john. is it reasonable to think the president's appro

by arriving unvaccinated, djokovic always knew he was wading into australia politics. few hold much sympathy with infections at an all-time and hospitals overflowing. but tournament organizer craig tiley says he's confident that the grand slam will be a success. >> there's a lot of finger pointing going on, and a lot of blaming going on, but our team has done an unbelievable job and has done everything they possibly could, according to all of the instructions. >> reporter: djokovic has repeatedly requested to be moved from the park hotel detention facility to somewhere with the court, where he could practice, in case he does beat the deportation and can go for a record 21st grand slam. but his sporting legacy is at now at the mercy of his public reputation. photos show him maskless and surrounded by people at three events in december, on the same day and one day after his exemption vaccination request says he positived positive for covid-19. it's unclear if he was aware of his positive results after appearing at any of these events. what we now know is that he was unva

she joins me now from sydney, australia. thanks for doing. so before we get to what's being done and what's being plan and whether it's enough, just quickly set the scene for people when it comes to australia's koala population. how perilous is it? >> well, thank you for having me, michael. i'm afraid to say that koalas are in real peril. as you said, they're one of the best known and much loved species in the world, and it's hard to believe that they are actually in real risk of losing them. there used to be millions of koalas in australia, and now really in some place you're lucky to see one in the wild. they've been through a lot. 100 years ago, they were hunted to near extinction for their furs. it's so soft and waterproof. we used to make gloves and hats out of them. and millions were slaughtered and their pelts exported to the u.s. and europe. many banned the import stopped that slaughter, literally saving their skins. now we see koala numbers starting to slowly recover, and that's been replaced by a new threat which is habitat loss, i'

djokovic is not being held captive in australia. he is free to leave at any time that he chooses to do so and borders will facilitate that. >> reporter: now, the people novak djokovic is sharing the detention with don't be have so many choices. some have been caught up in the detention for years now as refugees wanting to seek asylum in australia. they can't do so because they arrived by boat. the harsh border policies go way beyond this era of covid-19, isa. >> i know you'll stay on top of story for us. angus watt usson in sydney. thank you, angus. >>> you heard his mother say he was being treated like a captive. they said it is not an accurate description of djokovic's situation. have a listen. >> he volitionally chose to extend his stay after he got his visa improved, he got an injunction against his deportation order. he would have had a flight out of here last night. conditions aren't comfortable for him. not ideal preparation for playing in a tennis tournament if he's successful. but he's in australia still because he has chos

we're keeping an eye on australia for you. the australian draw postponed last second, no reason given. will tennis star novack djokovic play or be kicked out of the country? including the covid-19 virus, on more surfaces than lysol disinfectant spray. lysol. what it takes to protect. do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? now you can sell your policy - even a term policy - for an immediate cash payment. we thought we had planned carefully for our retirement. but we quickly realized we needed a way to supplement our income. if you have $100,000 or more of life insurance, you may qualify to sell your policy. don't cancel or let your policy lapse without finding out what it's worth. visit coventrydirect.com to find out if your policy qualifies. or call the number on your screen. coventry direct, redefining insurance. i don't just play someone brainy on tv - i'm an actual neuroscientist. and i love the science behind neuriva plus. unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of brain p

australia really has a tough lockdown particularly here in melbourne. so a lot of victorians are pretty upset that he was allowed in the country. australians haven't been able to go across state borders to visit family members. borders have been shut down well over a year. it has been a difficult time for australians down here. you can understand the agitation and anger towards allowing any unvaccinated person into the country. now, as a former tennis player, i understand also the rigors and the problems of traveling around the world and all the issues they're going to face. and novak is going to continue to face this throughout the world. but in australia in particular this country is really, really tough on anyone coming into the country at all. >> i just want to remind people that djokovic himself admitted this week that he broke covid protocols. and after he tested positive, after he knowingly tested positive, he sat down for an interview with journalists with covid. he also admitted his travel documents were wrong, that there were lies on his trave

now, people here in australia were very upset, a lot of them, about the possibility that the australia government would even consider allowing an unvaccinated person into the country against what is broadly accepted as the rule. you have to be double vaccinated in order to come into australia. people were so upset because of the amount of anxiety that exists now, particularly in large cities. sydney where i am, and melbourne where the tennis is set to be held in january. tens of thousands of cases per day in those two big cities despite the fact that over 90% of adults are fully vaccinated, and it's the omicron variant which is tearing through the community and putting record numbers of people in hospital. putting strain on those hospital systems. doctors and nurses working in skeleton crews, complaining of burnout. and here you have a situation in which a famous tennis player, although being an amazing talent such as novak djokovic who has won the australian open nine times, going for a 10th, wonderful tennies that could have been played. that all seems it's come to a crashing halt as

the prime minister of australia and serbia spoke by telephone today as well. prime minister scott morrison talking about the nondiscriminatory policy of the border controls here in australia due to covid-19. and he has been very vocal all along saying rules are rules, there are no exceptions. john? >> all the way up to that level. leaders of nations talking about this. it could all still go sideways based on questions of honesty. paula hancocks, thank you very much. >>> breaking overnight, a reprieve for parents in chicago. they're waking up to the news that finally teachers in the city reached a deal amid their dispute over coronavirus safeguards. teachers will be back in the classrooms today. students will return tomorrow after four days off. actually five days after tomorrow. joining me now, to discuss the impact this had on her family is a mother of a 9 and 12-year-old in the chicago area schools. thank you so much for being with us this morning. your reaction to the news that there is a deal that your children will be back in school tomorrow. >> yes. i'm

the tennis star arrived in dubai early monday after losing his bid to stay in australia despite being unvaccinated. it appears unlikely he will be welcomed back any time soon according to the australian minister of home affairs. take a listen. >> that cancellation was upheld by the federal courts. as a result of that, he will be banned from entry for three years into the country. now, there are some compelling reasons that may be able to be looked at, but that's all hypothetical at this point. any application will be reviewed on its merits. >> djokovic was deported sunday hours after an uaustralian federal court upheld a decision to revoke his visa for a second time. the judges saying australia's immigration minister acted lawfully when he canceled djokovic's visa citing concerns the unvaccinated star could stir up anti-vaccine sentiment. djokovic is getting plenty of support back home. belgrade lit up its tallest building in his honor calling him the pride of serbia. the country's prime minister has called the australian court's decision scandalous. >>> cnn world sports patrick snell

. >>> also breaking, the world's number one tennis star is denied entry into australia and is ordered to leave the country after a lengthy standoff with government officials over his covid vaccine exemption. >>> we want to welcome our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you are in "the situation room." ♪ >>> we begin with breaking news in the insurrection investigation. i want to go straight to our senior legal affairs correspondent paula reed. update our viewers. what are you learning? >> moments ago cnn spotted former white house press secretary stephanie grisham arriving on capitol hill to speak with investigators of january 6th. earlier today the attorney general provided a rare update on his department's investigation into the capitol attack and his remarks come amid growing calls for him to do more, and specifically to examine the role of former president trump and his associates in the insurrection. >> good afternoon. >> attorney general merrick garland said today the justice department is committed to holding all 1y6 perpetrators at any

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djokovic is not being held captive in australia. he is afraid to leave at any time that he chooses to do so. >> reporter: fellow tennis stars are weighing in. nick cur yost tweeted, i got vaccinated because of others, and for my mum's health, but how we are handling novak's situation is bad, really bad. america's john isner tweeted, what novak is going through right now is not right. there's no justification for the treatment he's receiving. two more individuals have fallen foul of visa restrictions. one has already left the country. renato of the czech republic is the second held in the same detention center as djokovic. her visa also canceled, but not before she had played in a warm-up tourm, adding, she is leaving australia. djokovic will leave park hotel detention in a few days, but a dozen of asylum seekers and refugee inside the building do not know when they can leave. mehdi tried to enter australia by boat when he was 15, part of a persecuted religious minority from iran, today he turns 24. >> we are suffering from exhaustio

what about the reputation of tennis australia? and i ask that whether tennis as you trail or atp, they bear responsibility for this. if we think about the tennis tournaments upcoming, many countries maybe would have given out exemptions to players, in past months, will not do that anymore, because many of them are toughening their stance on vaccine mandates? >> yeah, the australian tennis open and the organizers of which is tennis as you trail, the governing body of the sport here in australia, they have serious questions to look at. once this tournament is over, there will be a full and thorough review. but let's not forget that they have had teams of people trying to work very closely with all levels of government. and we're dealing with several here. we're dealing with the state government. we're dealing with their own health department. we're dealing with the federal government, with border force, with the department of immigration, home affairs and health again. and they were trying to negotiate across all of the different se

you know a lot about australia, obviously. um, should djokovic be allowed to play in the australian open or not? >> well, he never should have been granted the waiver from the victorian health panel that gave him what he thought was the green light to fly down under. it's been very, very clear that the country of australia -- they have fought covid hard. they have mandated vaccines. all the other players that are there, minus one or two that had a health exemption that was deemed as legitimate, they ever all been double vaxed. and i think it really would have set a bad example for all of australians who have suffered through more lockdowns than virtually any other country. so the federal government and the state government of victoria really got signals across and it's put then tennis and australiian open and novak djokovic in a mess. >> you have got american john isner showing support for djokovic. cure yoes tweeting, at the end of the day, he is human. do better. john isner tweeting he followed the rules, was allowed to sbre

in australia they were pretty frustrated with the fact they've been under these serious lockdowns and one of the greatest athletes of all time who is clearly one of the fittest athletes just says, well, i have my medical exemption and i'm ready to go without any explanation. i know tennis australia got two different types of information, the federal government saying covid in the last six months is okay. the state government saying, no, that's not okay. then not communicating that with the players accurately. because i do believe djokovic got on a plane thinking he had done everything he was supposed to do and he was ready to go. >> he is certainly no stranger to controversy, even though this situation is unique in his career. if he does get to play, how do you think it affects his chances for success from a mental standpoint? because he has, he seems to kind of thrive off, kind of, him against the world. >> yeah. i think he has done so well. there are certain athletes in general that thrive off that and want that me against the world attitude. some really shrivel under that and think

cnn's paula hancocks is in melbourne, australia for us right now. paula, this is stirring up a huge controversy, not just in australia but really around the world, so where do things stand right now? >> reporter: well, fredericka, we're less than four hours until that hearing starts. novak djokovic has had some epic battles other in melbourne. he's won the australian open nine times on the court, but clearly off the court this is very different. now he has spent four nights in this detention facility behind me. certainly not the accommodation he is used to when he comes to play in the australian open. by the end of today he could fine out if he is going to be detoward the or if he can try and defend his title. this is how we got to where we are today. >> novak djokovic's quest to win his 10th australian open title may no longer lie in his hands or even in the power of his rask. instead the men's world tennis number one waits for an australian court to decide whether he can participate. djokovic is trying to enter the country to contest the title wit

australia's immigration minister still has the power to cancel djokovic's visa. as serbia's tennis star fights to play for a record-21st grand slam, his legacy on and off the court hangs in the balance. so, erin, novak djokovic is free. free to prepare for next week's australian open. but he still can't be sure he is going to make it onto the court, not until the australian government confirms that it accepts this court decision because until then, it is possible, at any moment, t country's immigration minister could choose to use his personal power and cancel the visa again. he says he is considering it and if that happens, it will come with an extra penalty. he will not just be deported, he will also be banned from entering and, therefore, playing in australia for the next three years. erin. >> pretty stunning. and the whole decision-making process is pretty stunning. i guess, one thing is sure. nobody, other than him, would be even getting this kind of treatment. you know, being allowed to come in. all right. thanks so much, phil. >>> and out front next. we re

he's now 24 and he's never been outside in australia. it's brought attention to the plight of those refugees. there's a huge backlash from australians who had to deal with lockdowns. they are vaccinated at the percentage of well over 90%. for novak djokovic and others, it's no doubt there's extremes on both sides. my twitter time line literally has one quote saying i'll never watch tennis again. i'll never watch the australian open again and the next one says novak djokovic is stangd up to the australian government. he's the only one with guts to do it. you're getting both sides of this and the people supporting him are being very vocal. he's almost becoming a poster boy for this anti-covid vaccination which can be very, very vocal in this country. >> unbelievable it's making it so distinctly real and happening in realtime kind of in the australian open as we're watching it play out. thank you very much. >>> coming up, the u.s. and russia face-to-face in geneva as vladimir putin continues to amass troops. what will come of today's meetin

novak djokovic is confined to a hotel in melbourne, australia, right now after that country cancelled his visa because he wasn't vaccinated. new evidence appears to show he was granted a medical exemption to play in the open because he tested positive for covid last month and in a newly leaked video, the ceo breaks his silence and praises his staff. >> there's a lot of finger pointing going on, and a lot of blaming going on. i can assure you our team has done an unbelievable job and done everything they possibly could according to all instructions that they have been provided. >> one way to frame things. now, the decision on novak djokovic likely just a couple of days away. cnn's blake essig has more details, blake. >> the men's world tennis number one is waiting for an australian court to decide his fate. that decision is expected monday. and while there's clearly a disconnect between tennis australia and the australian government, it has led to the current situation involving djokovic, there are also a lot of questions regarding the medical exemption he received from tennis australi

he's in australia, hoping to defend his title at the australian open. but the threat of deportation is still looming after admissions that he made some mistakes on his immigration forms and didn't isolate after recently testing positive for covid. we'll take it all on with bob costas, next. yes to new inventions! yes to clean and fresh ingredients! and yes to living life to the flavor-fullest. panera. live your yes. now $1 delivery. ♪ it wasn't me by shaggy ♪ you're never responsible for unauthorized purchases on your discover card. ♪ (peaceful music) ♪ ♪ ♪ (battle sounds from phone) ♪ ♪ (battle sounds stop) ♪ ♪ (dragon roar from phone) ♪ ♪ facing leaks takes strength. so here's to the strong, who trust in our performance and comfortable long-lasting protection. because your strength is supported by ours. depend. the only thing stronger than us, is you. >>> so look, we're awaiting a decision from australia's immigration minister on whether tennis star novak djokovic will be allowed to stay in the country and play in the australia