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inside a vault in the cia, a binder filled with highly classified intelligence went missing in the final hours of the trump white house, and it's still missing three years later. verdict watch for rudy giuliani. how much is a jury going to tell him that he finally needs to pay for the lies that he told about two georgia election workers?

we may soon find out. and breaking news in what could be a one of its kind debate in the republican presidential race. this is "cnn news central." ♪ we begin with exclusive new cnn reporting about highly classified intelligence that went missing at the end of the trump administration. the information relates to russian election interference. information that was deemed so sensitive it could only be accessed as the cia and the people working with the intel had to keep their notes locked in a safe at cia headquarters. yet, in the final weeks of the trump administration, a binder of this intel was brought to the white house at the request of the president as part of an effort to declassify documents. and in the final chaotic hours of his presidency, that binder

disa disappeared. kailey is part of the team that broke this story. this is remarkable reporting. what can you tell us? >> so, sara, this binder that was brought to the white house contained raw intelligence that the u.s. and its nato allies had collected on russia's efforts to meddle in the 2016 election, including critically sources and methods, which is the most sensitive information in the intelligence world. what we're talking about is the underlying intelligence that forms the basis of the u.s. government's assessment that russian president vladimir putin sought to help trump win the 2016 election. the disappearance of this binder was so alarming to intelligence officials that, according to our officials, they briefed senate intelligence leadership about this last year. we are told by one u.s. official familiar with the matter that this was not among the classified items found in last year's search of trump's

mar-a-lago resort and it wasn't why the fbi searched trump's residence. but for more than two years after it went missing, this intelligence does not appear to have been found. >> it is fascinating almost three years later that this highly -- high bit of intelligence is still out there some somewhere. but how did it end up at the white house in the first place? >> so trump had spent years trying to declassify material that he said would prove his claims that the russia investigation was a hoax. this intelligence was part of a massive collection of documents that he ordered brought to the white house, and there was a frantic scramble in the final days of the administration to redact the documents so they could be declassified and released publicly. on his last full day as president, trump did issue a declassification order for these materials. but they didn't get released before he left office. and there is actually a trump ally who has filed suit over this, hoping to force the federal government's hand here. although, the fbi says that the

majority of the contents of the binder have now been posted publicly on its website. so we, in reporting this story, my colleagues and myself spoke to more than a dozen sources who described to us how this intelligence was brought to the white house in the final weeks of trump's presidency and then how it went missing. >> is there any sense from your reporting as to where exactly this missing intelligence is or what actually happened to it and who may have taken it? >> it's a great question. we don't know what happened to the binder that went missing. there is one theory that emerged from testimony from cassidy hutchenson, the former top aid to mark meadows. she told the january 6th committee that she was, quote, almost positive it went home with mr. meadows. she also wrote about this in her new book claiming that on january 19th, which was the final night of the trump presidency, that she saw meadows

leave the white house with an unredacted binder, quote, tucked under his arm. now, mark meadows' attorney strongly denies this. he said mr. meadows was keenly aware of and adhered to proper handling of classified material. any such material he handled or was in his possession has been treated accordingly. and any suggestion that he is responsible for any missing binder or any other classified information is flat wrong. cnn also reached out to officials with the cia, the office of the director of national intelligence and the justice department, all whom declined to comment. all to say, sara, that the mystery of this missing binder remains just that, a mystery. >> it is really good reporting and really disturbing that this is missing and out there somewhere. katie, thank you.

we are waiting for the final word right now. a jury deliberating and rudy giuliani waiting to see how much he will have to pay for his lies. potentially $48 million for defaming and attacking two georgia election workers. cnn is outside court in washington for us. kaitlyn, we saw giuliani walk into court earlier this morning. what's happening inside? >> reporter: everybody is in the building, and they are just waiting for that jury to come back. it's been more than five hours that the jury has been deli deliberating. so three half hours yesterday, two hour this is morning already. and they're looking at the numbers. exactly how much should they fine rudy giuliani for what he was saying about these two women, two georgia election workers and everything that they had suffered. so that $48 million, at least $48 million, that's what an expert witness in their case says would take to repair their reputation alone for the

defamation that they have suffered, the slanderous things that rudy giuliani said and then spread across the country to many people who were listening to him. on top of that, they are also asking for an award of emotional distress. their attorneys did not put a number on it, so that is entirely up to the jury. it could become quite a significant figure because that emotional distress was on full display in the courtroom when both of these women testified. even on top of that, there is a third number that the jury has to come up with, and that is called punitive damages. the amount that rudy giuliani should be punished. whenever we listened to the lawyer for ruby freeman and shea moss in his closing arguments speak about this, he spoke extensively about how this should be a moment where this jury sends a message. he said send a message. send it to any other powerful figure with a platform or an audience. people like rudy giuliani, truth

is truth, and you will be held accountable. that is the message they're asking the jury to come back with when they assess a number here. >> standing by for that. it could come at any moment. kaitlyn, thank you. john? with me now is former trump white house lawyer as we wait to hear from this jury to announce what they will award as damages. just talk about this journey for rudy giuliani. from what he was so where he is at this minute, poised to be ordered to pay tens of billions of dollars to election workers. >> look, they talked about punitive damages. i think that's where the risk really lies for him. this jury may want to send a message that it's not okay to do this, right? and we're going to punish powerful people that make those types of statements. he didn't help himself going out to the news media and doubling down on it during the trial. those types of things, look, in the confines of that case, you have the compensatory damages

and the punitive damages. that $48 million number, you know, they may evaluate that one way or another, but if they're looking to send a message, they will do it by way of punitive damages. >> is this a new low for giuliani, or has he already hit bottom? >> this is just the continual descent of what was america's mayor. after 9/11 and all the good things he had done after 9/11. and now to be here today, you know, being accused of and being found having to defamed two public servants who were there just working on election day and doing their jobs is really sad. >> do you ever wonder what happened? >> i don't know what happened with him. obviously there was this dissent that found its way to where it is today. it's sad that that's where we are in politics today. the fact that he did that, i think that the jury in this case

is going to hold him accountable. i don't know what the number is going to be. it is a crap shoot as to what that number will be, but it will be a real number. >> we keep on getting told that he has no money, that he's struggling to find funds to pay this lawyer or that lawyer, so the jury may come back with a huge number. he's going to say he can't pay it. but what will life be like then for giuliani? >> he has mounting legal costs. he will have a judgment against him here that he will have to pay something on. you know, i'm sure that there will be bankruptcies heading -- going -- he'll be heading towards bankruptcies at some point in time because you have all of these debts that are accumulating against him. so life is not going to be good for the former mayor. >> great to have you here. thanks so much. have a merry christmas. >> thank you. you too. >> kate? coming up for us, a race against him. republican candidates descending on new hampshire to try to win over key voters there. and a new puig research poll

signaling it may be too late for the republicans who aren't donald trump to make it on the ticket. the new numbers from republican voters. we have more coming up.

new this morning, nikki haley accepted to take part in

the debate. it will happen just daying before the iowa caucuses. that is definitely not lost on nikki haley herself as she's challenging donald trump to show up and face-off in one of these debates. from iowa to new hampshire, all of the candidates are heading out, hitting the trail in a big pre-holiday campaign blitz. steve, you are following ron desantis today. what is his strategy as they sprint into this final stretch before iowa? >> well, kate, he's going to have an event in new hampshire. they will speak in about an hour. his message to voters here essentially is pay attention to iowa because that is where he has put most of his campaign's energy and resources into. and it is a state where they believe they can manufacture a surprise in the iowa caucus. but that has been somewhat frustrating for his new

hampshire supporters here. this is a state that demands the candidates gives them a lot of face time and he hasn't put that much focus here as he has put into iowa. that will create some trouble for him going forward because this is a state that donald trump won in 2016 on the path to the nomination. and it is a state where nikki hailly just secured the endorsement of the state's popular governor. so a lot of headwinds for him in new hampshire. now, he is far from the only candidate that will be on the campaign trail this weekend. it will be an all-out blitz by these candidates. as you mentioned, we have nikki haley who will spend sunday through much of next week in iowa, a state where she is turning her momentum into some support and put a surprise strong showing in that state that could carry her into new hampshire. and then we have vivek who will be all over iowa in the next two days. and, of course, trump will be in new hampshire tomorrow, nevada on sunday and then back to iowa

on tuesday. this is more of a pickup of campaign events for him. we have not seen the former president on the campaign trail at this sort of pace, but just stressing the urgency that we're seeing here, and he's out there trying to remind his voters, yes, we are in the lead, but you have to vote, kate. >> absolutely. thank you. john? >> i wonder if they will play "free bird". >> i demand it! >> i do want to know that new hampshire is not alabama and ron desantis is not from alabama. it is an interesting choice of music. i will just say that. beyond that, we're talking about these candidates trying to run against donald trump. there is a new poll from puig that shows 7 in 10 republican voters say they would be satisfied with trump as the nominee. this is actually a new position for him to be in. with us now, cnn senior data reporter harry. >> it's a big change. i just want to note how much

this race has changed from the end of last year because sometimes i think it gets lost a little bit. so this is a top choice of the gop nominee. the voters weren't given a ballot list of candidates. they said, what do you want to be the nominee? and they throw out a name. he's up now to 52% on this particular metric. if you go back a year ago when mammoth university asked the same question, look at this, ron desantis was leading trump. desantis has fallen 25 points. trump has gone up the same. haley is up as well. when you have someone at 52% and the next two competitors are at 14% and 11%, that guy at 52% is doing well. >> one of the things donald trump has been saying about nikki haley is where is this surge that's getting reported out there? is there evidence that haley has hit a ceiling? >> i think so. so these are views of nikki haley, september, december,

favorable/unfavorable. if you look here, haley is going back backwards, right? more than that, john, more than that, the thing i think is so worrisome, take a look at the unfavorable ratings. now up to 30%. so, yeah, she's been seeing some sort of jump in the polls in the horse race, but underneath that hood, there are a lot more republicans who are becoming haley skepticals. >> that's what happens when you start going up in the polls, people attack you. she has received some key endorsements. the governor of new hampshire, that caught a lot of focus. but on the endorsement issue, it is not like trump is suffering. >> no, it's not. take a look here. endorsements from governors and members of congress, haley, congratulations, you are now up to two. look at donald trump. 98, 98 endorsements from members of congress and governors. desantis is just 7. do you know where donald trump was back at this point in the 2016 cycle, john?

zero. he was at a grand total of zero endorsements. he is doing so much better now than he was back then. he's doing better across the board. >> i didn't know the answer, but it felt like a trick question that zero was going to be the right answer there. you don't think endorsements matter much anyway? >> no. take a look here. did the endorsement lead erwin t the primary? reagan in '80, bush in '88, mccain in 2008, romney in 2012. at this particular point, it does look like the endorsement leader will win the primary, which is what usually happens. trump has been an exception on so many things. >> a lot of times the endorsement comes after the people realize that so and so is going to win the nomination. >> correlation, causation. >> thank you so much. we're watching a d.c. courtroom right now. a jury is deciding how much rudy giuliani will have to pay for

defaming and attacking two georgia election workers. the number would be as high as $48 million. and the house is gone for the holidays, but chuck schumer is determined to strike a deal to get aid to ukraine and israel. so what's the hold up? a battle over the border. we'll break down what's on the line coming up.

the high stakes battles on capitol hill, when it comes to the fight over whether or not to keep sending aid to ukraine, try this one on for size. look at this quote. they are certain to fail without us. that is what a senior u.s. military official is now telling our colleague jim sciutto. now that we have established that in this case, when it comes to ukraine, the stakes are very high. here is where things are standing now and stuck on capitol hill. the house has already left town, so you can leave that as a factor in this moment. here is what the democratic majority leader said on the house floor. if we believe something is important and urgent, we should stay and get the job done. so he's keeping them in washington, promising to hold another vote on an aid proposal next week no matter what. but senate republicans say they are still way too far apart on the key sticking point border

security for that timing to be realistic really at all. here's senator lindsey graham. >> they haven't written anything down. we have been doing this for 90 days. there is no legislative texts. the white house just got involved three days ago. you expect to, you know, to run out the clock and get it done? well, i think the best thing to do is to keep talking, try to find a deal that we can all live with that will get through the house, come back in january and we'll do it. >> a bill that he can all live with. what they can all live with is still a mystery or tbd at best. here's the basics of what this is all kind of centering around at the moment. to start it is $60 billion in aid towards ukraine's defenses against russia. the key sticking point with regard to that package is the u.s. border. the initial ask from the white house, the proposal was to include $14 billion to bolster u.s. border security to go for things like thousands of new hires for border patrol, customs

agents, asylum officers and much needed immigration judges. house republicans pushed back hard saying they already have a border plan. it's called hr-2 that they wanted included. it passed the house in may but notably with only republican votes and zero democratic support. even senate republicans suggested that the house republican position on here isn't helpful. sources say a major point of contention now in these bipartisan talks is eliminating on the question of eliminating humanitarian parole, which allows the u.s. government to let people into the country by bypassing the regular immigration process on a case-by-case basis. it has been used for years by democratic and republican administrations. now president biden is signaling he's willing to negotiate further on all of this like increasing deportations, expanding detentions and increasing really kind of raising the bar that asylum seekers need to meet.

all of that is frustrating biden's progressive left. it is unclear how much that would do to get the republican right any closer to yes. so we are where we are. sara? >> you can say that again, kate. victoria is joining us now. congresswoman, you also sit on the house judiciary committee. i want to talk to you about president biden and his signaling that he's open to making major concessions on bill security to get a bill passed that would secure funding for ukraine and israel, raising the standards, for example, that migrants must meet for asylum, considering a policy that would allow the rapid expulsion of migrants at the border and the expansion of the tension capacity. if they agree to those concessions, would you vote for a bill? what concessions would you be willing to make? >> well, i think of two major items. and i think we have a serious situation on the border

security. i think over 90% of asylum claims are actually legitimate. to raising the standard at the border and give more tools for border patrol. but another item that i think is important, and that is where the sticking point is. we're not trying to eliminate it, but it was never meant to be used on a rule basis. it can be used on an individual basis. the president will still have it, but they need to look at individual cases. there are some other parts, but i think this is where the sticking point is. and i think if a president is willing to work on that and senate democrats, i think we'll get much closer. but this is the big issues because it is very important for us also to understand that, you know, what we're sending to ukraine also have to have strategy. i have been very critical of low walking the aid.

and now we're in a difficult situation, but ukraine has to hold the ground and win the war. >> you say ukraine has to hold the ground and win the war. we're hearing from senior u.s. military officials who are saying if it does not get aid from the united states in particular and in the eu, in the worst case scenario that ukraine could lose to russia by this summer. why does it seem that there are some members of your party that no matter what, regardless of whether it is paired with favorable border policies are saying they might not -- still might not vote for it. what are your thoughts? >> well, they have people with different ideas. there is a lot of frustration in my party, you know, with this president and a lot of different reasons. but i wish senior military officials would have been more vocal last year when we dealt with ukraine and providing security assistance. that created the situation where there is a stalemate.

i think it is a very difficult situation. it cost us a lot of money and it also cost a lot of lives to ukrainians. we need to be much more tougher and more proactive with how we deal with sanctions. russia has been avoiding sanctions. we created a lot of loopholes and we need to stay dealing with that because they're playing with this war with a lot of blood money and not reinforcing them as well as we should and organizing europe to do better with that, too. >> all right. i do want to go back to the debate over the border because you didn't vote for your party's secure border act. in section 801, it requires all american workers to -- whether they're going to start a job or they're going to change their jobs, to get approval from the federal government via a database in order to make sure that they are eligible to be working in this country. that, to anyone that looks at it, looks like government at its biggest. how do you square that with the republican talking points that

have been there for decades that they want smaller government? >> well, actually, there was some other members from the committee that had amendments on this issue. i supported the amendment. but the agreement was to move the bill forward and if we want to adjust something, we are going to go to fix it eventually when we have a debate with the senate. unfortunately, debate with the senate never happened. senate really doesn't want to deal with border security. and i think that was just kind of a consensus that came with the majority of people. and sometimes the language can be worked out, too, but i actually was supportive of adjusting some of the language because i'm concerned with databases and i'm concerned how these databases are used in some ways. there is probably more that would be done. as i said, republicans are not saying 100% should be taken. we understand it's negotiation. but there are two material issues that now create enormous

border security, enormous risks that now where our border patrol is overcrowded. they're killing american lives, you know, with drug traffic and human trafficking and really getting a lot of these asylum seekers, you know, in slavery. >> thank you so much for coming on and talking through these issues with me. >> thank you. >> john? >> so a major win for prince harry. a judge rules that a british tabloid group packed his phones. we are getting fresh reaction from the prince.

all right. very shortly, the mother of a six-year-old who shot his teacher in virginia will be sentenced on state charges of child negligent. she had already been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison. she pled guilty in june. tailor's six-year-old son used her gun to shoot his first grade teacher in the classroom, injuring her hand and chest. brian todd has been covering this story from the very beginning, joins us with the details of what we're going to see here. >> right, john. in just moments looking at the possibility of getting six more months in jail. that's the recommendation from prosecutors. it will be clarified at this hearing whether whatever sentence he gets today will be tacked on to the federal charges or run concurrently. a representative for the teacher told me a short time ago that she will be at this state hearing today at noon and will give a victim impact statement similar to the one that she tay.

21 months in federal prison on the charges of unlawful use of a controlled substance while possessing a firearm and making a false statement while purchasing the firearm, which she had pled guilty to. at that sentencing last month, the judge ordered taylor to report to jail immediately because she had failed several drug tests while going through pretrial services. that's according to her attorney. we also have an update on the young man, the six-year-old who was then six-years-old. the attorney told us the boy is now living with his grandfather in newport news, virginia. the grandfather has custody of the boy. that appears to be an indefinite arrangement. john, quickly, the victim impact statement, i have the text here from the statement she read, abigail zwerner read last month. she said, quote, i lost myself

following the shooting. i could barely communicate with my friends and my family. the shooting instilled many fears in me that will remain with me forever. my life and once cherished career have been turned upside down. i feel as if i lost my purpose. i love children and now i'm scared to have a job involving them. she said, sadly, my life will never be close to the same again. we are told she will give a statement similar to that in just moments. >> okay. brian todd, keep us posted when that does happen. thank you very much. sara? a great day for truth as well as accountability. that's prince harry describing his legal victory today over mirror group newspapers in the u.k. a judge ruled the company illegally intercepted his voice mails for years, playing what the prince called a destructive role in his youth. max foster explains how the prince's fight for free and honest press isn't over yet. >> a clear victory in 15 cases

of shocking invasions into prince harry's privacy, which he says blighted his younger years and left him paranoid and depressed. the court ruled voice mails intercepted and personal information tostolen through deception. his lawyer gave a statement. >> today's ruling is vindicating and affirming. i have been told that slaying dragons will get you burned, but in light of today's victory and the importance of what is doing what is needed for a free and honest press, it is a worthwhile price to pay. the mission continues. >> that's the mission now, by prince harry's team, to encourage the british authorities to press charges as harry continues with his cases against other british tabloids. this is one battle in his wider war against the so-called red tops. this case hinged on stories published in the 1990s and 2000s

by mgm. mgm responded today by saying, quote, where historical wrongdoing took place, we apologize unreservedly, have taken full responsibility and paid appropriate compensation. harry became the first british royal in about 130 years to give evidence in a n t he faced two days of questioning by the high court in june. he said he was targeting by mgm for 15 years. though, the judge said friday he only found evidence of phone hacking for the period 2003 to 2009. the judge awarded harry damages of around $180,000. not a big financial win, but a hugely symbolic victory. >> it is a major victory, a major battle he has won. there was a trial where he gave evidence and his claim is largely upheld. >> in harry's words, a great day for truth and accountability. max foster, cnn london.

>> our thanks to max foster. kate? coming up for us, maternal mortality rates in the united states are getting not better but worse. the u.s. stands out among high-income nations for its alarming incident of maternal death. and for black women, the situation is especially dire. abbey phillip takes a hard look at why and what women are doing about it. we'll be back.

in the united states, black

women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications, according to the cdc. in light of that, many black women are choosing to opt out on hospital births. they understand why they are afraid to go to hospitals and looking for it to alter. >> i was scared. i i was crying. >> angel is in labor with her sixth child. >> what were you afraid of? >> coming in and not coming out. >> ashly is having her second child in one month. >> moms have this wonderful moment. she gave birth two years ago. >> we're preparing for the worst at the best time in our lives. >> three women, three

pregnancies, one journey to understand exactly what scares them about hospitals and why some black women, like me, are now redefining the oldest act in human history, childbirth. a few years ago, i was pregnant with with my first daughter.l mortality statistics, and i didn't want to take any chances. so i decided to skip the doctor and the hospital and with the help of a midwife, i gave birth in my own home. it may sound crazy, but it felt so much safer. and honestly, since then, i've been surprised to meet a number of black women who decided to go down the same path that i did. >> joining us now is abbi phillip. i'm awing. let's start there.

for you, it's a really important story. how did you decide, hey, i'm going to do a home birth. i'm not going to do this in a hospital. >> first of all, it start ed wih just simplying to be and feel safe. i thought it was important for me to have -- as someone who had a low risk pregnancy to have a low intervention birth. i started looking around. how can i do this? and it got harder and harder to see myself being a able to do that in a hospital. and one of the interesting things that happened was i started asking my friends, what did you do. i learned that some of them ended up having home births. i had no idea. and i went down that path, but for me, and i want to emphasize that. this is not for every woman. not every woman wants what you want, but for me, it was something that met my needs, gave me the support i was

looking for. i'm not someone who ever thought that i would have a home birth. trust me. but i did. and it was one of the best experience of my life. >> one thing that every woman is up against are the horrible statistics. the facts that the united states has such a horrible status for maternal mortality, and for black women, it's even more dire. it's been like this and it's not getting better. it's getting worse, which i'm curious as to how the statistics on home births and midwife births are showing now. >> it is so surprising to people. everyone thinks the united states, we're the best the a everything in the world. not in thisway. those bad statistics are being driven by the really terrible numbers in specific communities, particularly among black women. but for women, it should be safer. and one of the things, as we

talked to doctors and mid-wives about this, it takes wholistic solutions, looking at the hospital and not just saying, the hospital is safe, but how can we make it safer for women and how can we draw from pra practices of other parts of the world where mid-wives in other parts of the world are more common, uncolluding in europe, to make it more safe. that's where i i think the documentary sheds some interesting light. >> thank you for sharing this with us.s. it airs sunday night. thank yoyou for joinining usus. ins"inside politics" is up next.