glaringly different approaches heading into the first caucuses of the nation. donald trump using xenophobic and fearmongering and a new low talking about immigrants. >> and then nikki haley setting her sights on a different target, joe biden. could this be a closer fight than potentially the polls are showing nikki haley surging. defense secretary lloyd austin is speaking right now after the meetings with the israel top officials, and the rough rajing he is from election

officials about the war in israel. secretary lloyd austin is holding a press conference with the israeli defense minister galov. and so, today, we had great discussion about the goals of the campaign and how to reduce harm to civilians in the battle space. and the need to ensure a sustained flow of humanitarian

assistance into gaza. you know, we can offer insight based upon our own experience fighting terrorist groups, and that enabled to us have great discussions. we also have some great thoughts about how to transition from the higher operations to lower intensity and surgical operations. we have great discussions on all of those issues. in lebanon, we want to make sure that we don't expa and this into a larger or regional war in lebanon, and so we are going to call upon hezbollah to make sure they don't do things to provoke a wider conflict. >> this is to the first question. let me be more precise. it took 70 days before we

exposed this tunnel to the public. it was discovered a longer period before that, after a month or so, but we had a lot of operations to be done inside the tunnel before we exposed it. the war can take time, and i will assure you one issue, that eventually, we will reach out goals. first of all to destroy hamas, second, to rose cescue the host and both of them equally. this a war of national determination and national -- all right. you are listening to lloyd austin first speak about his commitment to israel and the concern about this being a more regional war.

let's talk about all of this with the cnn foreign military analyst, and so we have been listening to minister galant and secretary of defense lloyd austin, when you are lis ebbing to -- listening to things being said, it is clear they will stand behind israel monetarily and with arms, but there is a shift of the tone that we are hearing lately when it is coming to the biden administration, and the warnings to israel telling them to be more careful when it is coming to the civilians in gaza. how is this going be playing out with lloyd austin now? >> the israeli's first question is that there is a gap between the united states and israel. and so the rhetoric on both sides is shifting, but the

reality on the ground really for both sides is not shifting that much. and so, i think that the israelis are making some changes and like opening up the second entry for humanitarian aid, but the united states is shipping arms and aid and if that is the time line, things are going to be worse before it turns to a more tactical and precise campaign. >> you have heard from minister galant that was parroting what netanyahu said, they will be continuing until the job is done. but is the white house acting privately, and in public, they are listing all of the support, and all of the reasons they will stand by israel, but in private

are these conversations tougher now? >> well, i am thinking they are tougher, but the arms are flowing, and so there is this difficult imperative here. a lot of the israeli citizens cannot return to their homes and won't unless this hamas threat is taken care of and israel has not gotten close, because they have not gotten to any of the senior leaders for example, and sod this is a difficult period, because the reality on the ground meanings the israelis have to do more, but the reality philosophically and morally is that it is causing enormous, enormous pain and casualties that make as lloyd austin has said that israel could lose this

war strategically. >> when it is coming to the strategy, what kind of influence does the united states have on israel knowing that the support so far from the biden administration has been unconditional, and he says it continues to be unconditional. >> part of that is that they are not going to listen. they will listen to a point, and if you lay down the red line, and you know that israelis are going to cross it, you look feckless, so there is not really anything that united states can do while maintaining the strategic relationship with israel, and understanding the imperative about hamas, and little leverage around the small moves which are important on the ground like opening up the second humanitarian opening, but i don't think that there is going to be a time line that

israel is on. >> beth, we will listen in to the secretary of defense right now. hold on. >> this is a international problem and deserves an international response, and that why i am convening a ministerial meeting for ministers in the region and beyond to address this threat, and it is a virtual meeting, and i will look forward to that discussion and more importantly, i am looking to working together with members of that group to address the threat in a meaningful way in the future. we will have more details on this soon. we are going to make sure that we are going to ensure freedom of navigation in the area, and the straits are pretty important as you know, and large amount of commerce flows through there,

and international commence flows through there on a daily basis. all right. so you have heard from the secretary there talking about the straits. there is a major issue with the shipping companies deciding that, oil companies deciding not the go through for example the red sea because of the houthi attacks of the iranian-backed militia. beth san ner, thank you for the analysis on this. kate? 28 days to the countdown to iowa caucuses, and 52 to new hampshire. are we in the final days? yes. and the frontrunner is campaigning like nazi germany. this is the opening and the same as the closing argument. >> they are poisoning the blood of the country. they have poisoned mental institution, and prisons all

over the world and not just south america or three or four countries that we talk about, but all over the world they are coming in from all over, africa, asia, and pouring into our country. >> donald trump's take on migrants, comments that president biden's campaign quickly came out to call as quote parroting adoff hitler, and other republicans like chris christie is going far beyond dog whistling, but others like nikki haley are not focusing on donald trump at all, and celebrating a surge in new hampshire right now. she is in clear second place behind trump in the first of the nation primary it state. and now on the heels of those numbers, she is launching a new ad not at her republican competitors, but right at biden. >> biden is too old, and

washington is failing, because politicians of yesterday can't lead us into tomorrow. we need term limits and mental competency tests and a plan to restore safety with china. >> and now, there it is. we have new numbers looking at iowa and new hampshire. harry, how are we looking at her? >> well, new hampshire, are the top choiceses for the gop nominee, and going back to september, donald trump was at 50%, and a nearly 40-point lead with desantis at 13 and haley at 11. but now, trump is dropping down at 44%, and nikki haley is second place, and this is the best percentage for a non-trump candidate which is the best for

any candidate in any state of the nation. now, looking at the fourth person in this poll, which is chris christie at 10%. why am i pointing him out, because looking at the unh/cnn poll. and christie is getting 10% of them, and trump only 44%. so if he does drop out, his lion's share of the voters would go nikki haley and not trump, and this is unique. >> new hampshire is unique and proudly independent, but where haley is doing so well in new hampshire, and not yet we will see it translate to other places. >> new hampshire is very weird, i went to college up there, and very interesting state, and i enjoyed my time up there though. and the moderate gop primary electorate, and this is the group that trump does the woorst with, and haley the best.

moderate gop electorate, and in new hampshire 3, 3%3%, and now nationally, where she is behind donald trump, it is 37%, so this is custom-made for the k57bd date that nikki haley has become. but this is the key nugget, can she just take new hampshire and run with it? well, historically speaking, trump well ahead in national polls and iowa. and those who won national and iowa and won is two, bob dole, and george bush, and i will note that both of them went on to win the nomination. it is good, but it is not enough for haley. maybe she can win in south carolina where she is the former governor, but for now, good news for nikki haley in new hampshire, and we will see if it is going to translate into more success down the road. >> and the job she has done

previously has helped her as well. and now, joining in is rob brownstein, and looking into how nikki haley is performing in new hampshire is the best that any republican has done against donald trump has done in any state since june, and what you think of this nikki haley surge? >> what he is doing in new hampshire is consolidating the parts of the party that are intrinsically inherit to trump which is not to be a genuine threat to trump. she is running well with the independent voters and not only moderates and graduates, but the coalition resistant to trump, and that is going to allow her after the first two states she will be on a track to eclipse ron desantis as the most viable alternative to trump. but ultimately to truly threaten

trump, she going to have to peel away more of his core supporters and this is more of the argument than she is willing to do. and that new ad today is remarkable for what it doesn't say for what it does. and criticizing biden and in the most oblique way she makes the look at the guy running against her in the polls. >> and the guy she is running against, and it is something that you are writing about, and nikki haley's new ad, and so also new interesting insight on biden's new polling. and this is that right before thanksgiving he gathered the closest aides together, and this is the reporting. we will lead it together. he delivered stern words for the poll numbers below, and he sthad t -- he said that the numbers were too low, and he complained

that the economic message has done little to move the ball as the economy is growing and the economy is strengthening, and so what is happening here? >> well, there is a tactical question if he is gearing up in the states that matter, and that is obviously a small part of the overall issue facing biden. the problem is that inflation is like this big cloud over all of the other legitimate economic accomplishments that he has, robust job growth, and this big investment tied to rebuilds that he has pushed for $600 billion in private investment, but as long as people cannot make ends meet, he is comparing poorly compared to trump on who can

manage the economy, and there is a point of view in the democratic point of view that there has to be more weapons. and they are passed and implementing significantly constraints on the prescription drugs costs and which continue which is one of the most underreported trends in the polls, and he is doing well with the older voter, and that are a lot of democrats who feel they need a recalibration and simply out thing the achievements of bidenomics so that people have money at the end of the week while working, and now the wages are rising higher than prices, and the fed may cut the interest rates three times next year, and that may help, but it is not to likely get us to the point where more voters trust him on the economy than trump. >> and where the economy is

going to head, we don't know, but we know it is critical to how biden is going to be going to be running up against whomever it is. >> and the '22 precedent is that those who were dissatisfied with the economy voted for the democrats regardless, because they felt that the policies were too extreme, and it could happen again, because they feel that biden is not as good for the bottom line as trump, but they are continuing to vote for him because of the policies they can't agree with. >> thank you, ron brownstein. and now, we are learning

that catholic priests can now offer vows to same-sex couples. and now, also, kamala harris, the first female vice president going to the supreme court to pay her respects to another first, the first woman on the supreme court. we discuss her life and legacy with one of her former clerks next.

living on the east coast, be prepared for a mess -- heavy rain, strong winds and flooding. strong conditions are being created from north carolina to maine. 58 million people are dealing with the nor'easter, and some of the worst apparently is yet to come. flooded road waters turned into rivers, and crews were out to rescue people in new jersey. this is a scene for many people this morning, the heavy winds ripping the trees from the roots and crashing into the homes and cars. straight to cnn's polo sandoval in new brunswick, new jersey. polo, i see it, and it is looking lie it isis -- like it still going to be raining there? >> yes, it is moving north and some portion ss of new england have not felt the brunt of it.

the pesky drizzle seems to be over in terms of the flooding and the rain, but now comes the recovery of it. we have hundreds of individuals in the dark throughout the region, and because of that, utility workers are out trying to get people back online, and overnight, some dramatic scenes that played out here in the garden state including paterson, new jersey, where the first responders had to work to get to a woman who was stranded when she evacuated her vehicle. forced to leave it behind and it is a situation that played out not only there, but in newark with this soaking situation out here, but at this point in time, it is more about getting online in northeast, but this is not compared to what we saw play out in the overnight areas with the torrential winds and rain here. >> polo sandoval, thank you so much for you and your crew stuck

out there in the rain. appreciate it. kate. $140 million is how much southwest airlines is ordered to pay for last year's travel metdown that stranded over 2 million people. this is the largest fine that the u.s. department of transportation has ever levied against an airline. cnn's pete muntean has more on this, and now, pete, what is the message that the department of transportation is trying to send here with this huge number? >> the message is that airlines have to stay on their game, especially as we go into this huge holiday travel rush. we will break down this $140 million fine levied by the department of transportation on southwest airlines, and $90 million will go into a fund to protect future southwest airline passenger and if they arrive more than three hours later, they will have a $75 voucher from the fund, and $1 million

goes to the federal government. now, stepping back, to a year ago, december 21, 2022, when southwest started this period of people being stranded. the d.o.t. said it is because of massive incursions on the consumers' protections and not keeping them inform and not giving them proper customer service, and not giving the money back quickly enough though they did reimburse people to the tune of 2$2.6 billion. and now, this is what secretary of transportation said pete

buttigieg. >> it is about the entire airline industry understanding that this administration and this department is going to hold them accountable if they do not take proper care of the passengers. >> reporter: they are calling this a consumer-friendly settlement from the rhetoric of the department of transportation who are calling this an order that southwest must pay. kate. >> let's have a consumer-friendly holiday season all of the way around. good to have you, pete. thank you [ laughter ] >> all right. coming up for us, the u.s. look agent a surge in border crossings that is now affecting the train operation, because the u.s. is suspending the rail operations in eagle pass and el paso, texas, and how the white house is trying to address this crisis. after years of research, the scientists say they may now

understand what causes morning sickness. we will have that ahead.

new this morning, an important shift to the vatican and pope francis has signed off on a ruling to offer the catholic priests to offer blessings to same sex couples. and so what is this policy shift

and what does this new ruling mean? >> it is significant ruling, because for the first time the vatican has authorized priests who have offered same sex blessings that before could not be in the churches or confuse the church's teachings of marriage between a man and a woman, but it is var big development, because it is changing the approach of the ministry to the lgbtq catholics. in the past, the vatican has said that same sex individuals cannot be blessed, because the church cannot bless sin. but now there is a possibility, because those who seek blessings should be given them. of course, it is also stating at the same time that the church's teaching on marriage still holds. but i think that it is a significant development given

the past rulings by the vatican against the same sex couples, and of course, pope francis has tried throughout the papalcy to have a different approach to try and welcome gay people. >> it definitely seems like a real opening here for sure. christopher lamb, thank you very much. >> thank you. as you well know, time is running out for the lawmakers to craft a border feel for ukraine, and hanging in the balance, and the white house is involved in the negotiations that is too little or too late, and anything can be done before the senators go home before the holiday, and despite the meetings or the talks, there are no frameworks in place. and arlette saenz has more about this, and so what are we hearing from the biden administration as we have less than two weeks here to go before tend of the end of

year. >> the administration has been on the phone to talk about what can be done with additional security border changes. the negotiators are set to return to the negotiation table again after three hours of negotiations. but even as they say they are making progress on this front, it is still unclear if they will be able to act fast enough to actually reach an agreement by the end of the week. immigration policy has long vexed the lawmake hers up on capitol hill. it is a challenging topic that has very specific details that need to be run through. there's the need to one, get an agreement, but then they have to write the legislation, and sell it to their members and then vote on it. so it is a steep climb from this period to when the lawmakers are set to leave from res.e.c., and they have been warning for quite

some time before they leave before providing ukraine and israel with the assistance they need. ukraine says they need the assistance on the battlefield, and so the white house is hoping to advance border security, and one thing that zienst has said that some of the proposals that the white house might sign on the may be harsh when it comes to immigration, but it is speaking to some of the political challenges facing president biden at this moment, and he does not want to alienate his base, but the team recognizes a political liability heading into 2024 as people are saying that more needs to be done on to southern border. people are hopeful that progress continues to be made, but it remains unclear if at this point they can reach that agreement in this short time frame they have.

>> it is a lot to ask at this point since the house is already at home. arlette saenz, thank you. kate? and quaker oates is recalling 40 types of granola bars and cereal products over a possible contamination. we have an update on this. and honoring supreme court justice sandra day o'connor as respects are paid to her before her funeral tomorrow. joining us is one of her former clerks as our guest.

right now, honoring a trailblazer and a first among

firsts. the public is getting the chance to pay respects to the late supreme court justice sandra day o'connor lying in repose at the supreme court. she passed away at the age of 93 and became the first female justice to serve the court in 1981. her funeral will be tomorrow at washington national cathedral and those closest to the justice were able to take part of a private memorial at the high court to honor her. and joining us now is one of justice o'connor's former clerk, tracy lovett, and you just came over from one of the memorials at the court, and what was your thoughts? >> it was sad and joyous for the great honor for the justice. thank you for the segment.

the justice retired 18 years ago and it is important to recognize her legacy and everything that she did and achieved. >> i have to say that i absolutely loved piece that you wrote for cnn.com after she passed away calling her the ultimate ceiling crasher, and the way you wrote about your time working with her and what she meant to you before you were able to clerk for her is an important message for women and girls everywhere. i wanted to read a little bit for everyone. you wrote "on the day that justice sandra day o'connor was sworn, little girls, including me, were wondering if she can succeed in the legal field, why can't i." and then you went on the clerk for justice o'connor, and talk to me about that relationship and what you carry still today from that time. it is still always so special to hear the relationship between the clerks and the justices.

>> well, i carry so much, and on a professional level, she taught me how to be a lawyer. i thought that i could think through the legal issues coming out law school, but being trained by one of the greats sticks with you and has made me a much better lawyer today, and only the personal level, you cannot imagine what a wonderful mentor she was to me. she made a better person in a lot of ways. she was full of life. i mean, did not like to sit at her desk for very long, and was, just a joy to be around, and i used the word gracious a lot to describe her, and she was very confident in legal abilities, but gracious with those around her h and we have pictures of her time at the court. and she loved outdoor adventures, and loved see the cherry blossoms and kayaking, and notorious, she had a step

aerobics class at 6:00 a.m., and we attended. >> and we have to let everyone in that not a small thing is that the justice takes credit for introducing you to your husband as well? >> she did. he was hanging around the chambers a lot, and perhaps i was slower than everybody else but on the day of the kayaking trip at the end of the year, i was the only unmarried clerk, and i was not dating or engaged or married and she picked up, and that is him in the photo on kay yak day, she invited him as my kayaking partner and nothing like the two-hour trip down the potomac to learn about somebody. >> sink or swim is where that

relationship was going. >> and she did go away from public life with her failing health, and with that comes the presence of the public conversation or even sort of being a mentor continuing on for girls. so what do you hope that young girls today might not know and they should take from o'c o'connor? >> i want the young girls to know her legacy and what she did. she graduated in the top 10% of her law class in stanford, and she had one job offer in the private sector as a legal secretary. and she could not get an attorney job, and that is why she went to government, and it is the sort of perseverance when the odds are seeming against you and the odds seem to have you down, dig in and try harder, and that is what she did. she proved to a whole generation that there is no ceiling for women in the law.

we can do whatever we want, and i hope that young girls watching today who have not thought about themselves as a legal career give it a nod. you can do it, and she can do it, and she blazed the trail. you are a living example of that as well. traci, thank you for taking the time to speak to us on a very personal day for you and professionally as well. thank you. >> thank you. we will be right back.

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authorities have announced they caught the inmate that explained -- escaped prison, his name is robert yancey for child sexual abuse. they say he recaptured just miles from the prison in neighboring county. new fennelly charges -- felony charges for leaving, another man has been arrested and will be charged with helping him pull off the escape. quaker oats has recalled its granola bars and cereal, siding possible salmonella. you can find a full list on cnn.com. the recalled products have been best by date's that go through october 2024. according to the fda, they have yet to receive reports of illness related, covered by this recall. scientists may have discovered

the cause of morning sickness, it's a common condition that it affects 70 to 80% of pregnant women despite the name can hit at any time, sometimes it is so severe that women have had to be hospitalized, meg correll is following the new discovery. we are on our way towards it. your few years, scientists have been homing in on a gene called gdf 15. what they have found is this is something that circulates normally during on pregnancy but during pregnancy, higher levels of this hormone are associated with greater experiences of nausea and vomiting you get. they have found that of pete all had a high exposure before pregnancy, they are desensitized and don't actually get that same level of nausea and vomiting as other people do,

a couple different approaches for treatment include. during the brain during pregnancy, could you even in people. give them ways to increase that and give them their tolerance before the next pregnancy. it has to be researched, but potential new avenues. you can get extremely sick from morning sick this make it sound like something cute. you're so right about that, it's important to emphasize because researchers point out this has been ignored by a lot of people in the medical community. that's that really severe form that affects about 2% of people with pregnancy that overall nausea and vomiting can affect 70 to 80% of people, widely

experience in full forms of it causing dehydration, weight loss, miscarriage, all kinds of problems the system that needs more attention and is exciting to see certain scientific discoveries here. >> when i say princess kate, i did not mean queen kate. >> she did suffer from morning sickness. thank you all so much for joining us, this is cnn news central, inside politics up next.

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