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strikes against an iranian-backed group in iraq after three u.s. service members were wounded in an attack. what we're learning this hour. a county sheriff in texas as law enforcement does not have enough resources to deal with the latest migrant surge. that surge about to increase as another caravan of migrants head to the border. former president trump spent the christmas holiday railing against many legal cases and against president biden. what he said and what he's now asking a federal appeals court to do. this hour of "cnn this morning" starts now. and we begin this morning with the risk of escalation growing in the middle east. overnight, president biden ordering a retaliatory air strike against the iranian-backed militant group kataib hezbollah. it came less than 13 hours after the group took credit for a one-way drone attack that wounded three u.s. troops in northern iraq.

officials say the group is a shia militant aligned organization that, quote, poses a high threat to u.s. personnel in iraq and syria. >> meanwhile, iranian officials are vowing revenge this morning after an israeli air strike in syria killed a high ranking iranian military adviser. this all comes with increasing concern of the war broadening throughout the middle east. these dangerous back and forth strikes all playing out as israeli prime minister netanyahu warns the war is far from over and the military is intense fi its operations in gaza. what are you learning about the president's decision to direct these strikes? >> well, the president was immediately briefed following that attack that wounded three american service members in northern iraq. one of whom was critically injured and he personally authorized these strikes after being presented options by defense secretary lloyd austin yesterday afternoon.

now, according to the white house, they say during that call, the president directed strikes against three locations utilized by kataib hezbollah and affiliated groups focused specifically on unmanned aerial drone activities. the president places no higher priority than the protection of american personnel serving in harm's way. it goes on to say the united states will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing, should these attacks continue. now, u.s. central command has since said that early assessments show that they did -- they likely hit militants and there were no civilian casualties. and the secretary austin also saying that these were, quote, necessary and proportionate, but, again, phil and poppy, these were strikes that were directed by president biden yesterday, just hours after that attack on american service members. >> priscilla alvarez, thank you. this morning, tension is high after iran, hezbollah and

other armed factions vow to retaliate and avenge the death of a top iranian military adviser. this happened on monday following an air strike that reportedly killed him. iran's foreign minister warned israel of future repercussions saying tel aviv should expect a tough countdown. still not clear who was behind the strike. questions remain about whether it was israel. will ripley joins us with much more reporting. this isn't just any adviser. this is a crucial adviser. >> reporter: and this is exactly the kind of development that the u.s. and israel did not want to see, which is the widening of this conflict in gaza to a much more dangerous and serious regional conflict. and yet the signs of that are already popping up right now around the region. we know that iran and iran-linked armed factions are believed by the u.s. and israel to be carrying out attacks already in iraq and syria, targeting u.s. sites and in lebanon and yemen targeting israel. also from yemen, launching

attacks into the red sea targeting commercial shipping which basically has a global impact. so, we now are hearing from iran about this latest accusation that israel, by the way, is not commenting on, that one of their senior military advisers has been killed. let me read you a portion of a statement from the foreign minister in tehran, it says, quote, the islamic republic reserves the right to take necessary measures to respond to his killing at the right time and in the right place. now, we know that iran cannot afford to directly go to war with israel, given the sanctions, the protests and dire economic situation. but what they can do and what they're believed to be doing already is pumping funding, weapons, resources, even training into their proxies across the region. that's why you have israel saying that they're fighting out a war on several fronts. >> it is an important point, it is all happening as we learn a close confidant of prime minister netanyahu is in washington meeting with biden administration officials today. what is israel saying at the

same time its offensive in gaza seems to be intensifying? >> reporter: well, israel is going to make the case to the united states that they need as much support as they can get right now. they need support both militarily, but particularly diplomatically because of the momentum around the world, this u.n. resolution which the u.s. succeeded in having the language softened quite a bit before abstaining from the vote. but a lot of countries when it comes to geopolitics are pressuring israel to have basically do whatever it takes to have a cease-fire right now in gaza, which israel says would be exactly the wrong approach because it would give hamas time to regroup and time to restock and to actually strengthen and israel says that would be a very, very dangerous situation because they point out again to this multifront war they say they're fighting most fiercely now in gaza, but also on the border with lebanon, with hezbollah, in iraq, in yemen, and in iran. the houthi rebels in yemen are not only a problem for israel, they're also a problem for the global economy. shipping companies had to send their ships on different routes,

which is delaying supply chains by up to a month. so this conflict spreading out and the u.s. and israel going to have very serious talks at the white house to figure out what to do to contain this. >> will ripley, thank you for the reporting. new warnings this morning along the u.s./mexico border. it does not have the manpower for the expected surge of migrants trekking as part of a caravan from surge mexico to the u.s. >> this all comes ahead of secretary of state antony blinken's meeting with mexico's president. rosa flores is live in eagle pass, texas, with much more. good morning, rosa. what are you hearing on the ground? >> reporter: well, poppy what i'm hearing is from a senior cvp official who says the scene behind me has improved, you're not seeing thousands of migrants waiting to be transported for processing, the agency is not out of the woods yet. this official saying illicit activity continues, smugglers trying to push migrants to cross illegally, not only here, but in

remote areas of arizona. so the biden administration has been dealing with thin creasing level of migrants who have been crossing into the u.s. illegally and they have been surging resources to the border region and also they closed several ports of entry in several states trying to reassign those personnel to process migrants. they're also using decompression. that means areas at or over capacity like eagle pass was last week, those migrants are being transported to other areas for processing. here in eagle pass, those migrants have been going to the rio grande valley, laredo, del rio. i want to take you to del rio, we were there yesterday, when a group of migrants celebrated mass under an awning. this is at a respite center there. the priest tells us he's been feeding these migrants three times a day, but yesterday he arrived with food for the soul. take a listen. >> we had a few people come to our church to celebrate with us. we knew there was a lot more here. we thought it would be best for

them to have a moment to have mass here. >> reporter: he says that on friday about 200 migrants arrived there. there were about several dozen migrants yesterday. but phil and poppy, look, the biden administration has been trying to impose legal consequences to illegal entry in the united states, but it is really been testing their holding capacity along the u.s./mexico border. the migrants, they had been processed and released as many migrants are in these border communities after being processed by immigration. >> yeah, a critical week ahead, rosa, thank you. donald trump is now urging a federal appeals court to grant him immunity from prosecution. what the latest court filing is revealing. and not nikki, why trump's strongest supporters and even his own son are asking him to avoid picking nikki haley as a running mate.

welcome back. some disturbing news this morning, the fbi working with local law enforcement investigating the threats against justices on the colorado supreme court, the sometimes

violent rhetoric following the court's 4-3 ruling last week that trump was constitutionally ineligible to appear on the state's republican primary ballot. and this is a result of the insurrectionist ban included in the 14th amendment. analysts shared with cnn analysis shares with cnn shows an uptick in the heated online language about the four judges in the majority who voted to disqualify trump and while there are no direct known threats at this time, there are big concerns about what this could cause. trump's team called the ruling undemocratic. his lawyers have vowed to file an appeal to the u.s. supreme court. former president trump taking to truth social over the holiday to wish america a merry christmas and lash out at his rivals. he called special counsel jack smith deranged, on christmas day he falsely accused president biden of presiding over election interference. it comes just three weeks before he takes on his gop rivals on

the iowa caucuses. kristen holmes joins us now. a little hesitant to ask, was there a strategy behind what we saw on social media from the former president in the last couple of days? >> the strategy is keep doing what he's doing. trump and his team have grown increasingly confident, particularly when it comes to iowa, that they are going to win that caucus and they're going to win that state and by a big margin. and you have to remember, what they have been seeing is an increase in poll numbers even as he continues this authoritarian language, as he continues this aggressive antiimmigration rhetoric and even as he continues to paint his legal problems as purely political. now, i will note as you said he did have a prolific time over the last several days on social media, really railing against these legal issues he has, particularly against jack smith, joe biden, one point saying the thugs inside of america should, quote, rot in hell and i do want to make sure to add that right after that he said again, merry christmas, not your typical leader calling for peace on

christmas type of messaging, but, again, this is donald trump. now, while they do feel increasingly confident about iowa, i want to point out they still have a lot of questions about new hampshire. just because he's leading in the polls there, they're not nearly as confident. they have seen nikki haley surging, and they know that a lot of new hampshire voters are still undecided. >> what about big picture, the legal issues. we're starting the new year in about a week and he's got a host of trials waiting for him in '24. >> so, poppy, when it comes to his legal issues, several of them weigh heavier than others. first of all, as we talked about at length, donald trump's lawyer strategy is really just delay, delay, delay. so when you look at all of the cases he's facing, and i believe we have something here, i can pull it up, just for reference, you talk about the manhattan hush money case, you talk about the classified documents case. the doj 2020 election interference case as well as the fulton county interference case and then, of course, the new york attorney general civil fraud trial. he's very fixated on the civil fraud trial. that has wrapped.

we're waiting for a decision in that. when it comes to both of the federal cases, yes, they are worried about the classified documents case as a whole. they do believe that it is likely the dates on that are going to shift until after the election in 2024. now, when it comes to the election interference case, which has been set for march, as we have seen, the judge put a hold on that. now there is speculation that that date is going to shift too. if you look at the calendar that was scheduled to start the day before super tuesday. but we look at this calendar, and you see the dynamics between the political and the legal, you can see why this is weighing on donald trump. he wants to focus on the election, he wants to run for president, not focus on all this legal stuff. >> some of the cases he's going to have to be present for them. kristen holmes, thank you very much for the reporting. a series of reports that donald trump has been asking advisers what they think about nikki haley as he begins to decide potential vice presidential picks. the pushback from trump's allies, the maga crowd, and donald trump jr., has been loud

and it has been forceful. they're telling the former president don't even think about choosing the former south carolina governor. just last week, presidential candidate chris christie called haley out for not explicitly ruling out the possibility of taking a role as trump's number two. >> i'll be honest with you, if i were to drop out and support nikki haley, i have no confidence, no confidence in the fact that she'll make the case against trump. >> joining us now is ron brownstein, senior cnn political analyst. you said chris christie has a point with what he's saying there. why? >> yeah. well, look, nikki haley has gained ground on donald trump, but in many ways as she has become more prominent in the polls, or improved in the polls, she seems even more reluctant to cross the line in making a case against him. and, you know, chris christie's view, i think there are other republicans who think that like perhaps tim scott before her, she may be running to a point,

with one eye on not going too far to alienate trump and his allies, either because she's interested in vice president or secretary of state or she thinks that's a way to be viable for 2028, ultimately, phil, i mean, she -- at this point, she is doing well at consolidating the portions of the party that are the most alienated from trump and have been really in many ways from the outset. if she is going to truly threaten him in any way, she has to make a sharper case about why people should not. and as chris christie points out, she's only go so far in doing that. >> i hear that, but chris christie's goal in all of this, he wants to become the nominee, also for trump not to become the nominee and one of most viable paths to get there, those who are calling for him to drop out, is for him to drop out. so i understand what he's saying about the rhetoric from nikki haley, it doesn't go far enough but also by staying in, the counterargument would be you're preventing anyone from actually

beating him, no? >> well, right. that's the paradox here. you know, the anti-trump wing of the party is probably 25%, 30% on a good day in the right state and that is necessary but not sufficient to win. haley's strategy really has been to run from the center toward the right, consolidating those -- that side of the party as much as she can, and then hoping perhaps momentum itself allows her to grow into the trump coalition. desantis ran from the other side, trying to run a trump from the right, and leave the moderates with no choice. that has proved to be a very problematic road to say the least. but, you know, what you're saying is largely correct, and what chris christie is saying is largely correct. haley ultimately needs to make a case against trump. it doesn't have to be the same

case that chris christie is making, but even if she forums well in new hampshire, the polling shows she is trailing significantly among republicans. she's -- a lot of her strength is among independents who are allowed to participate in the new hampshire primary and ultimately you can't be a party's nominee without winning its partisans. as john mccain learned in the 2000 race. a lot of similarities. so, maybe, you know, most charitable explanation is that christie is focusing on the low hanging fruit for new hampshire, but even if that position started to eclipse desantis, become the principal rival to trump, she has a month before her home state in south carolina and either she's going to make a sharper case against trump or -- and potentially threaten him, or she's not and she's not. >> what do you make of the -- not only the burst of stories about nikki haley being talked about by the former president, rarely are those things just out of the blue, and then the immediate kind of turning of fire from don jr., tucker

carlson, everybody in the maga world, against haley? >> well, you know, historically as you know it has been difficult for people to run against each other to end up on the same ticket. it has happened. but there are always often a lot of bruised feelings. donald trump called her a bird brain. logical politics would say haley has shown she is strongest where he is weakest. that, you know, she has a lot of appeal among center right suburban voters who have never been warm to trump, especially women at the polling. there would be a lot of logic in doing it. the fact that they are attacking her so much in the trump camp i think is reflective of a broader truth that you see in the aggressiveness and extreme nature of much of his agenda. they are feeling very confident. biden's weakness in the polls has them feeling that not only is the primary well within reach, but the general election is well within reach. and by normal political metrics

you say a president, 40% approval is in serious trouble and there is trouble for biden. but trump, i think, responding to all of this is putting forward an agenda that is so polarizing and so extreme from repealing the aca, to his threats about weaponizing the justice department, he's providing biden a potential path even if there is a majority that is not necessarily affirmatively excited about giving biden four more years, there may be a majority that do not want to live under a vision of america that trump is putting forward. i look at that quick denunciation of haley as one more piece of evidence that they feel that they can run this election out on the vanguard of polarization and even extremism, openly and authoritarian racist rhetoric and still win and time will tell if that strategy, if he becomes the nominee simply

was a bridge too far. >> a busy year. ron brownstein, thank you. >> thank you, ron. >> thank you for having me. a big winter storm could make travel more dangerous this holiday week. we'll show you the areas most affected. if you're heading out to return some christmas gifts today, prepare to be frustrated. we'll explain why next.

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well, good-bye free returns. if you're thinking of sending back a disappointing gift you received over the holidays, it may cost you. more and more retailers are charging return fees. joining us is our cnn business reporter. let's start from the top. is this the end of free returns? >> it is looking like it, phil. i hope neither of you got disappointing holiday gifts. >> none. >> none. >> 81% of retailers are now charging for at least one return method. it is typically charging for online returns. so you look at some of the shipping fees that retailers are charging, i'm a j. crew shopper, i like to bring it back to the store, avoid the fee. macy's $9.99, no thank you.

amazon started to charge a $1 fee for customers who are returning items to the u.p.s. store when there is a closer whole foods or kohl's store near them. and online returns, they're more expensive for retailers than bringing it back in the store. and they can get you to buy something if you go back. >> that's a good point. there is a cool machine that whole foods, where you put it in the box and print the label and the whole thing. what else should we be looking out for in terms of trends? >> so some interesting new trends with returns. it is a huge business. so shorter return windows. the retailers are tightening the return windows, you can bring it back without a box and without the label. and then you have companies like staples, they'll offer you a discount if you bring them back your amazon returns and then go shop in the store, 10% off. this one is really interesting. stores just offering you to keep the returns because it is more expensive for them to ship it

back. you look at -- you look at some of the return rates. 8% of all items were returned in 2019, it is doubled in 2022 to 16%. it is because we're buying so much online. much likelier to return something you buy online than in stores. >> or maybe people aren't giving as good of gifts anymore. >> that could be. that's on you. >> we appreciate it. thank you. ahead, reporting from "the new york times" suggesting ron desantis' campaign may be on its last leg. we'll talk about it.

we're now less than three weeks away from the iowa caucuses. we have the clock up for you. it could be do or die time for ron desantis who staked his entire campaign on the state of iowa, investing a significant amount of time and resources there. a "new york times" report released on sunday examining, quote, what went wrong for ron desantis in 2023, not a great headline, three weeks out, suggesting the florida governor's once promising campaign is close to life support. the times reporting that one of desantis' closest advisers has privately said that they are now at the point of the campaign where they need to, quote, make the patient comfortable, suggesting the campaign could be on its last legs. tyson denied making the comments. this comes just days after a pro desantis super pack canceled ads in iowa and new hampshire to focus on the ground game, underscore, the challenges facing the desantis campaign and aligned groups. back with us now, jamaal simmons, and lee carter and

shelby taka. this is like a premortem sort of from "the new york times." it is not great. when you talk to people in the campaign world, do they see any path right now forward for the desantis campaign? >> the desantis campaign publicly is going to be really positive heading into iowa where he staked virtually his entire campaign on. when i talked to people close to the florida governor, people involved in the campaign, people close to the super pac, there is this overwhelming sense of resignation and, well, we're going to just go down with the ship mentality. and i think that's a really bad sign for people close to when donors are saying that, when some of your most ardent supporters are sort of privately saying that. that's a warning sign when we haven't even reached the state where you're supposed to do your best in. and as "the new york times" reported, it is not just one or two issues that ron desantis has

struggled with, it is a multitude of things from when he launched his campaign, he launched a very online campaign, and he tried to bypass much of the media. that ended up being a mistake. he launched his presidential campaign by, you know, hiring 100 plus staffers, that ended up being a mistake. he spent a lot of money on private jets and now he's relying on his super pac. it is all of these different things and if you talk to one person, they'll blame the super pac. if you blame another person, they'll blame the presidential campaign. it is a multitude of issues combined with the fact that he's also running against donald trump. >> is it the candidate or the campaign? >> i think it is the candidate. i don't think -- he didn't run a campaign that was based on anything that people cared about. instead of doing what he could have done, he was really ahead in the polls, it is when he was focused on being florida's governor and focused on freedom, on creating opportunities for people in the state, he stayed open, getting government out of us, out of decision-making. and then he ran for president

and decided to focus on woke wars, a war on disney, mickey mouse, and then putting in a six-week abortion ban. and a lot of people say that's antithetical to who he was and what made him so popular. he was all out freedom getting government out of our decision making, creating a thriving economy and he focused on something different when he ran. it was a little bit of hubris, maybe arrogance, maybe a lack of understanding of what really drove the american people. he promised to be trump without the chaos. and i think it was the opposite. i think he created a whole lot of chaos with some of the positions that he made and i think made republicans less popular. so i think big mistakes and decisions rest with him. >> you said he was trump without the chaos. someone said he was ted cruz without the personality. >> stabs to the heart. just brutal. i've been on these campaigns before when you're, like,

cratering, going into primaries and you just know you're not going to make it and it is a very tough -- my heart goes out to the campaign workers giving everything for this. at the end of the day, it is like the old advertising sauce, sometimes you can change the packaging, but the dogs don't like the food. but it appears that ron desantis is a candidate just isn't working for people. i think what he's done as a candidate, donald trump spent $15 million defining ron desantis in the very beginning and he didn't respond to it and everything we think about him being uncharismatic we know from that $15 million that was spent. number two, why was he debating governor newsom on fox news? what is that about? i want to be heavyweight champ, i'm not going to fight ali, i'm going to fight brown. now we hear he's attacking staff. and i got to tell you, every campaign i've seen, the

candidate knows they have to get their own stuff together, and then they can get back out and get their staff focused and win. barack obama for the record, he made the same speech in 2004 at the john kerry convention that he gave his entire rest of his presidency. he knew who he was, why he was running, and that tends to work over time. and donald trump is the same guy, the same guy from the apprentice, that he is now. >> i will say this, the contrast between the trump campaign and the desantis campaign is what is so striking. the trump campaign, not trump, the message, the truth social post, the trump campaign is locked in. and is a very different campaign apparatus than in 16, than it was in 20, and i heard this from senator lindsey graham, we have the sound from over the weekend, talking about the message that trump needs to follow. take a listen. >> i'm worried about 2024. if president trump puts a vision out and improving security and prosperity for americans he will win. if he looks back, i think he

will lose. >> is that something that trump's advisers can get through to him as they start to move toward a potential general election fight? >> i think that's the ultimate question. and certainly they see the benefit of moving past it. but at the same time, they have to support their candidate. when their candidate continues to harp on the 2020 election, you'll see them publicly back him up, even though it makes their job more difficult. and so i think if you talked to people close to trump, they would argue many of them would argue that, yeah, we should move on from the 2020 election. he does have people who would argue that, no, we should not. and so it -- i think it -- the overwhelming evidence shows that voters are ready to move on from the 2020 election, when i talk to people on the ground, the general thing is, okay, we're tired of hearing about that, we want to hear about what's going forward. but what trump's team has managed to do also is take the 2020 election and even as

they're continuing to harp on that, they try to relate it back to 2024 and i think that's been sort of their strategy and it has been fairly effective. >> replacing jack smith from mueller, right? >> i think people might be tired of the rhetoric, but there is something about him that is tapping into this idea, there is a -- something underneath all of this, which is that there is this unfairness in this country that people aren't treated the same way, that the system is rigged, he's gotten to this two tier system of justice and as much as we're tired of hearing the message, he's tapping into something where a lot of americans agree with him and say we want somebody who is going to fight that. no matter what it is that you might say i'm tired of hearing all of this, it is -- he's got something very emotional, very visceral, that no one else has. there is no one else that is tapping into this sort of cord that is getting so many people rallied. and nikki haley is running a great campaign right now, he's got momentum, you don't have the same feeling of she's going to address one of the things that is most concerning to a huge

voter bloc. >> it is true on left as well. you see this with a lot, particularly with african american voters, african american men, who feel like they were left out of the economy, high unemployment rates, education is tough. they want somebody who is going to buck the system a little bit. and so this is one of the challenges of democrats. we have seen this on the left with the labor unions. one of the most popular people is shawn klann who called them to task and fought for his union and got them benefits. we have seen this in a few different unions. i think people want the elites of the country, the people in charge of everything to respond to the needs of the folks who feel like they're being left out of the bounty that we're all experiencing. >> he got biden the picket line. >> he did. >> thank you very much. good to have you. appreciate it. up next, breaking down the ten biggest crime stories that captured america in 2023. >> also, putin critic alexei navalny has been found.

where the jailed activist is now and what he's saying this morning.

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only from xfinity. home of the xfinity 10g network. welcome back. some truly hair raising moments highlighting the lion's share of notable crime and justice stories over the past year. >> from kidnapping in broad daylight to new twists and high profile cold cases to an

epidemic showing no signs of ending, jean casarez has a look at the top ten. >> reporter: hundreds dead in mass shootings, cold case arrests, and murders on the run. all part of the top ten crime and justice stories from communities around the country in 2023. number ten, a young girl kidnapped and found alive. >> they have found her and we're told she is in good health. >> reporter: the upstate new york elementary school student on a camping trip with her family, taken while riding her bicycle at the campground. >> we are leaving no stone, no branch, no table, no cabin unturned. >> reporter: fingerprints on a ransom note left in her family's mailbox led to her, and the arrest of 46-year-old craig nelson ross jr. he has pleaded not guilty to

kidnapping and other charges. number nine, a daring escape leads to a weeks long manhunt. 34-year-old convicted murderer danilo cavalcante got out by climbing sideways up the walls in the exercise yard. >> i want to reiterate this man is very dangerous. >> reporter: hundreds of law enforcement searched by land and by air while local communities lived in fear. >> he now is armed but is still on the loose. >> reporter: cavalcante on the run, spotted on trail cameras and breaking into homes, before being captured and returned to prison. >> our nightmare is finally over and the good guys won. >> reporter: he now faces 20 new charges. number eight, a 17-year-old las vegas high school student beaten to death by his classmates. authorities call it senseless,

ten students against one, this video is very graphic. >> what you see in the video, though, is approximately ten subjects, kicking, stomping and punching. >> reporter: police think it started as an after school fight over stolen headphones. >> he's on the ground, not defending himself, to the point where he becomes unconscious. >> reporter: eight students arrested, ranging in age from 13 to 17, facing murder charges. number seven, an arrest. after more than a decade, unsolved killings on long island, new york, nearly a dozen sets of remains found including four on gilgo beach. authorities long suspected a serial killer. >> rex heuermann is a deemon tht walks among us. >> reporter: multiple murder counts involving three women. he has pleaded not guilty. number six, a confession in the

death of natalee holloway. 18 years after she disappeared on a high school graduation trip to aruba, the prime suspect in her death, joran van der sloot, admits to killing her. van der sloot, flown by fbi agents to holloway's home state of alabama to face federal extortion and wire fraud charges. >> despite their grief, the holloway family kept fighting for justice for natalee. >> reporter: van der sloot pleaded guilty, sentenced to 20 years for his financial crimes. he will serve his sentence while back in peru where he's already serving a murder sentence for killing a peruvian woman. >> it has been a very long and painfulsearching for all these >> number five, an arrest in the 1996 killing of tupac shakur. the prominent rapper was shot

while leaving a boxing match in las vegas and died six days later. >> for 27 years, the family of tupac shakur has been waiting for justice. >> duane keith davis, aka keffe d, arrested. he is not accused of pulling the trigger but handing the gun to someone else. >> duane davis was the shot caller. >> police say shack u was in a feud. no other suspects in the shooting are still alive. davis pleaded not guilty. are number four. from billionaire christie wizkid to convicted felon. sam bankman-fried found guilty in november of stealing billions of dollars from customers of his crypto exchange company ftx. >> this fraud, this corruption is as old as time. >> before the company imploded,

bankman-fried lived the high life. he could go to prison for life. number three. a disgraced attorney descendant of southern prestige found guilty of murdering his wife and son. alex murdaugh practicing law in south carolina wealthy, a beautiful family, but secretly stealing client settlements and plotting the murder and cover-up of those he should have loved the most. >> we can't bring them back, but we can bring them justice. >> he has filed a motion for a new trial. >> number two. tyre nichols, violently beaten by police. caught on camera, the 29-year-old repeatedly kicked by five memphis police officers after a traffic stop and short foot chase. he died three days later. his death ruled a homicide. >> i know i'll never see him again.

but we have to start this process of justice right now. >> the five officers were charged in state and federal court. all initially pleaded not guilty. however, one later agreed to a plea deal. number one. mass shootings kill hundreds of americans. >> so much loss in this community. >> from the lewiston, maine, shooting, 18 killed in a bowling alley and restaurant. >> such a deep sadness here. >> to the covenant school in nashville will three children and three adults died. >> we have an active shooter. >> a bank employee in louisville killing five of his colleagues. >> clearly this community completely shaken. >> and asian americans celebrating lunar new year in january, 11 shot dead. 2023 was a year of more than 600

mass shootings in this country according to the gun violence archive. >> our thinks to jean casarez for that. >> ahead, breaking news coverage of the biden administration directing airstrikes after three u.s. military service members were wounded in ana tack. those details next.

♪ welcome back. heavy snow, freezing rain, powerful winds hitting the northern and central plains today. >> that winter storm creating dangerous conditions on the road and skies that could impact travel plans. derek van dam joins us to break it down. what are you looking at? >> we had overturned trucks, jackknifed 18-wheelers a and sc cars in ditches on christmas day

when everybody wants to have safe travel conditions heading home from their loved ones. that's not the case. >> this ta part of a storm systm from the southeast to the northern and central plain. the winter weather that is driving the difficult travel conditions, ice storm parts of north dakota, northwestern sections of minnesota and then the snow being blinded by strong winds drifting that snow over the roadways making it very difficult to see, reducing visibilities. check this out in cheyenne, wyom wyoming, over a mile visibility. colorado, along i-80, difficult conditions. the national weather service out of denver saying that travel is discouraged along portions of i-25, i-7 #, a.i. 8 #. stay home. snow through the denver metropolitan area as well could impact travel conditions at the airport. winds don't relax until the second half of the week. the other factor is the heavy

rainfall, particularly across the appalachians, western sections of north carolina. we have into flood watches in place through the course of the day today. rainfall totals could exceed four inches for that area. heavy rain moving along the i-95 corridor, d.c., new york, boston, you're next. this is not a snow maker. this is a rainmaker in time of for wednesday as people try to head home or make their way for new year's eve plans. a wet forecast with even more snow for the mountainous regions for the end of the year. phil, poppy. >> holiday travelers take note. and our coverage continues right now. shz ♪ ♪ good morning. so glad you are with us. hope you had a nice hol. tuesday, december 26, we have a lot to get