If it's Monday, President Biden arrives in Lithuania for a wartime meeting of NATO nations,

saying now is not the time for Ukraine to join the alliance.

Warning, it could draw the U.S. into a full-blown war with Russia.

Plus, count down to Iowa at the start of the Republican presidential primary contest

is now officially on the calendar, leaving Rhonda Santis in a crowded field of contenders

just six months to try to catch up to frontrunner Donald Trump.

And extreme weather and climate concerns historic rainfall in the Northeast as a brutal and

historic heat wave scorches the southwest with no relief in sight for millions.

Welcome to me, the press now.

I'm Kristen Welker in Washington.

As the White House and much of the world have their sights set on Lithuania where President

Biden arrived today, ahead of a wartime meeting of NATO countries, the summit could have

major implications for the U.S. the West and Ukraine, which is lobbying to join the defensive

pact amid its war against Russia.

Facing international and even some domestic pressure, the President this weekend was clear

that he believes Ukraine should not be allowed into the alliance, at least not yet.

I don't think it's ready for membership in NATO, but here's the deal.

I spent, as you know, a great deal of time trying to hold NATO together, because I believe

has had an overwhelming objective from the time he launched 185,000 troops into Ukraine.

And that was to break NATO.

He was confident, in my view, and many of the intelligence community, he was completely

to break NATO.

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