the u.s. striking back, president biden ordering

airstrikes on iranian-backed groups in iraq after american troops are targeted in critically wounded. i had, how this impacts when it's already incredibly tense moment in the u.s.. the fbi says it's working with law enforcement officials in colorado to investigate threats made against state supreme court justices. those threats, of course, coming after the justices ruled last week that former president trump should be removed from the state's 2024 presidential ballot. and, timeout, apple says it's no longer selling the newest apple watch in the u.s.. this, after the white house declined the emergency action to keep the watch on store shelves. we're going to have the reason behind the ban, coming up. we are following these major developing stories and many more, it's all coming in right here, to cnn newsroom. ♪ ♪ ♪ i'm brianna keilar, here with jessica dean. hello, great to have you.

boris is off today. we begin with america hitting back. president biden, ordering military strikes on a militant group known as kataib hezbollah. it is backed by iran, but the u.s. strikes taking place in iraq on monday night, at 8:45 eastern, this assault was in response to a drone attack hours before on u.s. forces at the erbil airbase in northern iraq. three service members wounded according to the defense secretary. >> he also noted, one of them is in critical condition. u.s. central command, saying the strikes likely killed a number of militants. these images you are looking at show the funeral today of one kataib hezbollah member who died. iraq's government is condemning the u.s. strikes calling them, quote, hostile acts that are unacceptable. let's turn now to cnn's natasha bertrand with the latest. the u.s. military targeted three facilities that were used by these militants. >> yet, that's right, just. this is not the first time that the u.s. has actually struck facilities linked to kataib

hezbollah in iraq over the last month. this is a serious escalation though, because while there have been over 100 attacks by these iran-backed militias in iraq and syria, over the last two plus months or so, the injuries they've caused u.s. service members have typically been very minor. they have largely returned to duty in a couple of days. but this attack, carried out yesterday by this group, apparently caused at least one service member to suffer a critical injury. that is very serious. clearly, it made the u.s. believe that they had to respond in a very serious way. they launched these airstrikes against these facilities. the ultimate goal being to try to degrade the infrastructure that they use, right, to launch the drones, launch the rockets that they were using to carry out these attacks. according to central command, a couple of those hezbollah members are believed to have been killed. they say at this point, they don't believe any civilians were injured in this. but the iraqi government, as you mentioned there, is not happy about this. especially because this is the second time in just over a month that the u.s. has launched these kinds of

airstrikes in iraq. they say it's a violation of their sovereignty. but if you ask the pentagon, they will say, look, we're going to do everything we can to protect service members. we're going to retaliate. we're not going to just let this slide. and it raises a lot of questions about whether they're the iraqi government is doing enough to try to prevent service members who are in the country right now. clearly the department -- >> natasha bertrand, thanks so much for that reporting. also today, one of israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu's closest advisers is expected to meet with the biden administration officials and also members of congress. >> that's right, a source telling cnn that ron dermer, who served four years as israel's ambassador to the u.s., under netanyahu, is in washington, to talk about the next phase of the war. in gaza. let's go now to cnn's priscilla alvarez, at the white house, for this, priscilla, what are you learning about today's meetings? >> well, breonna, this meeting comes at a critical time, as the u.s. looks to israel to move away from its high intensity war as the death toll

grows in gaza. now, ron durham or will be here in washington, meeting with secretary of state, antony blinken, as well as national security adviser, jake sullivan, this afternoon. now, he is a member of the war cabinet, and a close confidant of israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu. again, a big part of this discussion is going to be what the next phase of the war looks like. u.s. officials have said that israel has assured them that they are going to move to a lower intensity of war, more targeted, more precise, as they seek out hamas leadership. but they don't have a timeline to share of when that would happen. previously, u.s. officials have said that localized operation could happen by january, but again, in terms of publicly sharing what the timeline is, it's still unclear. up until this point, the u.s. and israel have described their conversations as good. a senior israeli officials saying that while they may have their differences, they are on the same side. >> we can have different

discussions on this tactical issue or that technical issue, we listened very attentively to whatever washington says. i believe they listen very carefully to whatever we say to them. but ultimately, we are on the same side of this. we want to see hamas destroyed. >> now, president biden has warned that israel, our support of israel could weigh in if they do not contain the casualties that they have seen in gaza. there are back channel communications to try to make sure that the results of their military operation don't grow the death toll in gaza. but this is a complicated landscape for president biden to navigate as pressure grows domestically, and on the international stage. so all of this, going to be a big part of the discussion, in addition, of course, brianna and just to, to the release of hostages as those talks remain stalled. >> priscilla alvarez, live for us at the white house, we are joined now by christopher leary. he served as the u.s. government's director for

hostage rescue and recovery. he spent over two decades with the fbi on counterterrorism investigations and operations. christopher, as priscilla reported there, the netanyahu's confidant, ron dermer, meeting with white house officials. let's set the scene for this. there is a chasm, even as these two parties try to stress that they are united, you have, as priscilla mentioned there, the u.s. saying, israel has promised they're going to move to lower intensity fighting. but over the weekend, you have bibi talking about a long fight. sometime till the end, in intensifying the fight in gaza over the weekend. tell us about what they needed to get passed here in this divide. >> well, the white house is in a very difficult position. they want to be supportive of israel, one of our closest allies in the middle east, who were the recipients of a horrific terrorist attack on october 7th. but the same time, the way they've prosecuted this war, is

not effective at countering terrorism, for anybody who has worked these matters before, we are perplexed and frustrated. it's also not effective at finding and recovering hostages. so the white house has got to wrestle with that, but also with the families, the american families have been very supported by the white house, and this administration, and previous administrations. here those families, all the time. but at a certain point, they want to action. these families are saying, the way this war is being prosecuted, and they're being frustrated as well. >> christopher, i want to talk a little bit about the drone attack and the u.s. response to that that natasha was just reporting on. obviously, there's been such an effort by the biden administration to keep this conflict from spreading throughout the middle east, but we've seen things happening in the region around where the key conflict is going on between israel and hamas. in your opinion, is it to the israel-hamas war that motivated this attack on the troops in iraq?

is this something greater than that? what are you seeing? >> well, the israel-hamas war is part of the grandeurs game from the axis of resistance. the iran controlled strategy to get regional influence and power through groups -- surrogate groups like hamas, like palestinian islamic jihad, hezbollah, for kataib hezbollah, and the houthis. and although there has been sustained attacks, they've been measured to a point, including houthi attacks in ships on the red sea. but these are warnings for -- what could possibly come if iran actually takes the gloves off and takes lose these surrogate forces with all their might, we are having a real regional problem against the u.s. troops stationed in iraq and syria. that is a real concern. i've been on ground there quite a bit myself. i know the threat is real. but also, if you look at the regional impact, the red sea

and the suez canal, yes, the uss carney and other ships can protect u.s. interest, but a third of all container ships transit that waterway. if you go back to some other historical global crisis, the 1956 suez crisis, it actually took western allies, the british and french, parachuting troops in to take back the canal. it's important to global stability to maintain a regional stability there. >> does it change anything, chris, that there's a u.s. service member seriously injured? should it change things more? >> it does. listen, i've had friends and teammates wounded and worse. i will tell you, the commander, general corolla that i served within afghanistan, the number one priority that he has his protection of his soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines,

who are deployed out there. but, to be a professional in this business, you have to understand that this is a dangerous space you're working and. if you're going to deploy to erbil, if you're going to go into syria, you have to expect some level of violence and take the best measures to protect yourself and your troops. >> what kind of response do you think the u.s. should expect for this strike on law kataib hezbollah? >> my assessment is i don't think it's going to -- this will escalate well beyond what's happening right now. this is what's in the rules of the game right now. this level of violence. if the u.s. was to strike iranian interests in iran or ships in the gulf, that might escalate things for sure. but i think limited scale strikes, calculated by the u.s. leadership, on to specific targets in syria and iraq, i think that's within, again, the rules of the game. >> all right, christopher

o'leary. thanks so much for walking us through that, we appreciate it. still to come, the fbi now watching an investigation after multiple threats are made against the colorado judges who ruled donald trump is disqualified from appearing on that states primary ballot. plus, president trump, spending the christmas holiday unleashing a barrage of fury and bitterness online. largely over his many legal cases. what he said and how this type of messaging could impact the upcoming election year. stay with cnn news central.

we're following some new and very real concerns today about disturbing and violent threats that are being made

against colorado state supreme court justices, who ruled last week to remove donald trump from the state's 2024 primary ballot. >> the fbi saying it has now joined with local law enforcement in the investigation, federal and local officials have also been monitoring rhetoric on an online extremist forum in the wake of that ruling. cnn's katelyn polantz is joining us now. caitlin, tell us more about what you're learning about these threats, what the fbi is saying. this is really chilling stuff. >> it is, and it's been going on for sometime. but then in the situation in colorado it really arose after that ruling a week ago. it was a hotly contested question of whether donald trump is an insurrectionist under the law, and can be on the ballot in the 2024 election. four of the seven justices in colorado ruled against trump. and then within two days, the denver police had to respond to what they said was a hutch report, but a threat towards one of the justices going to that justice is home in response there as line for smith.

then, we also are learning that law enforcement are picking up a lot of discussion in extremist forms, pro-trump forums online. talking about these justices by name. those threats, at this time, are nonspecific, not saying i have plans to kill x, but instead, they are more generally very violent language. that is something that we have seen across the country, especially in response to political cases like this. it's something that law enforcement has watched very closely. there's been threats against many judges involved in cases related to the john trump, including someone who was arrested for a threat to judge tanya chutkan, who is overseeing his criminal case. the supreme court justices receiving kids, in the situation in colorado, the fbi gets involved. they say now, they're aware of the situation and working with law enforcement. we will vigorously pursue investigations of any threat or use of violence committed by someone who uses extremist views to justify their actions

regardless of motivation. but there are thousands of threats in here that are coming into public officials. it's something very much on law enforcement's top of mind right now. >> yeah, it's so significant. katelyn, thank you for taking us through that. we appreciate it. let's bring in juliette kayyem now, she's a cnn senior national security analyst, she's also a former assistant secretary at the department of homeland security. i guess the good news here, juliet, is this is on the radar of line forsman. but what worries you here? >> well, it is one of the threats themselves against the judges, so that part of what the goal here is is to make people in authority feel nervous about how they are going to roll, how they're going to prosecute, what decisions they're going to make, and the extent to which they, themselves, and of course their family and children, might be exposed to violence. or even the threat of violence. that's the first, these

particular justices, and of course, the entire legal system that is view as fared game in terms of either threats or real violence. i think the second is it's about to be 2024. we are running into an election period. in which, violence and the threat of violence are sort of viewed as an extension of our normal democratic differences. this is one of the successes of what donald trump has been able to do, is to sort of be kind of casual about violence. that's the bigger fear there. >> to that point, with so many jurists involved in trump cases, facing threats, where is there an issue where there is not a specific threat, and, yet they could still be in danger? how do you address that? >> yeah, partially, the judiciary is obviously -- that would be a federal crime.

the u.s. marshals protect the judiciary. i know this personally, i'm married to a judge. you have a sense of what that security apparatus is. they take any threat, even if they're vague, pretty seriously, at this stage. partially because the century of the courtroom actually has to be protected when you think about all the cases that are going on right now. but these generic threats are very hard to not only find out who's doing them or who might be responsible for them, but they are very hard to prosecute. people have a first amendment right to say we don't like these judges, these judges shouldn't be judges anymore. it's when it gets to specific violence against named individuals, or even against just the supreme court itself in colorado, that an investigation can be started. but part of this also, i have to say, is incitement for others. so when you see all of this sort of stuff on social media, that we've been seeing.

personally, the fear for line force meant is who else is getting radicalized by this? it's not the people that you're following, it's somebody who's reading it. a politician, or someone in a leadership position. they're sort of throwing out, as i say, just being very casual about the violence. which we shouldn't be. and then someone who might be more inclined to take two arms or violence or threats. that's the bigger fear there. >> what do you worry about, when it comes to the noise actually becoming more than that? especially, i would say, in the context of -- you saw these donald trump ranch on christmas eve and christmas. he spent so much time on truth social, all caps, going after the colorado decision, going after the agencies who would protect against those kind of violence as well. >> there's two things. i don't know how to say it

louder, just like everyone needs to brace for this year, 2024 is going to be here -- a year in which elections and the threat of violence overhangs this election. for two reasons. one is trump's and hiding it, and i don't need to pretend both sides here. potentially, the lead candidate for the gop, who's going to get the nomination, is utilizing language and violence in the threat of violence as a way to rally his people, get support, and his party is sort of ignoring it. they're not condemning it. i think that, then, creates an atmosphere in which violence becomes more permissive. that's what's happening here, this permissive structure. the second is if you guess a nomination, he could win. and then, if there's a win at the end of 2024, that's when -- i don't know how to --

i tend not to have my hair on fire. i don't know how to explain or curb how the violence unfolds with donald trump because president. that's what i'm seeing, there would be no check on it. in both cases, we need to monitor it, we need to call it out in the media. and hopefully, people, members of the voting public, we'll see the potential and can damage in the way that the public can, which is through their votes. >> all right, juliet, thank you so much for that. we appreciate it. a huge explosion in crimea, the ukrainian military, saying it has destroyed a russian navy ship. we're going to have some new details on why this particular ship, which you see here, was targeted. plus, after two weeks of no contact, alexei navalny's team says they have made contact with him, and that he's in a russian prison, 2000 miles away from moscow. and now, the kremlin critic is

speaking out for the first time since his arrival therere. wewe will tellll you what t he , nextxt.

the power goes out and we still have wifi to do our homework. and that's a good thing? great in my book! who are you? no power? no problem. introducing storm-ready wifi. now you can stay reliably connected through power outages with unlimited cellular data and up to 4 hours of battery back-up to keep you online. only from xfinity.

home of the xfinity 10g network. the ukrainian air force says that it has destroyed a russian warship carrying attack drones in crimea. this is video, apparently, of the blast that was shared by the ukrainian air force commander. but cnn, mind you, cannot independently verify its authenticity. >> state media reporting russia's defense ministry says its navy ship has been damaged in that strike. let's bring in cnn reporter, nada bashir, who's been monitoring that situation for us. nada, what do you know right now? >> this is definitely been

taken and we'll come to as a sign of progress in ukraine's counteroffensive. this special, this russian vessel, was said to have been carrying iranian-made attack drones at the time of the reported strike. these drones have been heavily relied upon by the russian armed forces throughout the war in ukraine. of course, this is one of the key drone factors behind you carry-ons continued pressure for the support when it comes to bolstering its air defense system. according to the u.s. military, typically carries a crew of about 87, can transport more than 200 troops. now, the ukrainian military and armed forces as well, as president volodymyr zelenskyy has welcome to this as a sign of progress for the ukrainian military. zelenskyy, congratulated his troops on the strike earlier today, and we received this statement, or rather had this statement issued by a spokesperson for the ukrainian air force. take a listen. >> [speaking in a non-english language] >> translator: this is such a

powerful event for us. in fact, we destroyed both the ship and the occupiers, through well coordinated actions. >> now, earlier today, the kremlin issued a statement saying that russia's defense minister, sergei shoigu, had reported the incident to president vladimir putin. according to show you, the attack took place overnight. he acknowledged this attempt was carried out by the ukrainian armed forces, he says using guided missiles, for that attack. and of course, as we've heard from president zelenskyy, he has reiterated that ukraine will continue to push back and push forward with its counteroffensive, in a message earlier today, he said there will be no place of peace for occupying forces in ukraine. >> all right, nada, thank you for that report. i want to bring in retired air force colonel, cedric leighton. to talk a little bit more about this. certainly symbolic, anytime you see ukraine take on these ships near crimea, which they've done time and again.

now, cedric, how strategic is this in terms of the value this provides in the war? >> yeah brianna, this is a significant propaganda victory for the ukrainians and from a strategic standpoint, what it does is it at least puts at risk the supply chains that the russians have. so, in this particular case, if the reports are accurate, that drones were on board the ship, then it not only to get the ship, but it also took out a number of drones. not sure exactly how many drones yet. but the capacity of this ship is around ten battle tanks. that's a pretty significant number of drones that could fit in a similar space. given that particular fact it is certainly a strategic importance that the ukrainians were able to do this. and it also makes it very clear that the russians are basically in a dangerous zone all over crimea at this point. >> and cedric, do you think --

just knowing what's going on here in america with the aid on the hill, how it's all hung up there, there's this great debate over will there be any more aid to ukraine, and if so, how much, do you think commanders on the ground hat feel and added pressure on this to show some gains on the field in light of that? >> definitely, jessica. i think if you are a ukrainian commander, if you want to have as many successes under your belt as you possibly can, at this point in time, you want to basically make it very clear to the u.s., lawmakers, and to western europe, to their counterparts in western europe, that this is a good investment for them to make. not only is it going to box up the russian military, if the ukrainians are able to attack using western weapons, but it is also going to prove that the ukrainian forces are capable of using these weapons in a highly effective manner. they've certainly proved that in this particular case. >> what do you think about this

new york times report that putin may be open to a cease-fire, but one that would preserve russian gains, and very importantly, allow him to declare victory? >> yeah, breonna, i don't think that president zelenskyy on the ukrainian side is going to entertain such an offer at this point in time. it could be something that the russians are doing to, in essence, say, hey, let's pause everything where we are right now. because it does give the russians certain advantages. they would control about 20% of ukraine's territory, if things were frozen in place. and it would also allow them to regroup and resupply, do the kinds of things that they would need to do in order to not only maintain that territory but also to use that territory as a potential staging area for future operations. i don't think it would be an offer of a permanent cease-fire at this particular point in time. but it does it also potentially show there's some weaknesses in

the russian military strategy right now and that could be the reason that vladimir putin wants a pause. if these reports are accurate. >> i guess time will tell. colonel, cedric leighton, thanks so much. always good to see you. let's turn now to some of the other headlines that we are watching this hour. jailed russian opposition leader, alexei navalny, is speaking out for the first time since he disappeared. moved to a remote persian outpost in siberia known as the polar wolf. in a social media post, navalny describing the 20-day journey from the jail near moscow as exhausting, but he says he's fine. a spokesperson for navalny says his health is not worse than it was before the transfer, he's serving a 19 year sentence on charges of extremism, charges that he denies, and the u.s. government has called baseless. back here in the u.s., home prices continue to rise in october, hitting a new record high. and marking the ninth consecutive month of increases. all of it happening, even as those mortgage rates linger above 7%, part of the reason

prices have climbed is because of stubbornly low inventory. the midwest and the northeast regions are said to be the fastest growing markets in the country. and, it's something to celebrate, i did zoo atlanta. a baby southern white rhino, look at that. born on christmas eve. the first of its kind to be born at the zoo. the species is considered near threatened, and its population is declining. but we're told that the calf is healthy and being well cared for by its mother, -- we don't know the baby's name just yet. >> so cute. >> i, know so little and cute. but the pressure is mounting at harvard university after its president was accused of plagiarism, while also being criticized over her handling of antisemitism on campus. some faculty members just had a meeting with top school officials and we are going to tell you what they discussed. >> plus, rapper ye, also known as kanye west, issuing an apology to the jewish community. this comes more than a year after his antisemitic grants on social media. we'll have much more on his

apology, ahead, on cnn news central.

the pressure is mounting

against harvard's first black female president and the growing crises surrounding her that include anger over clogging handling of antisemitism on campus. and now an ongoing plagiarism scandal where she is caught in the middle. the school has until this friday to respond to a request from the house of representatives for several documents concerning the latter. this as harbored has seen a decrease in early admission applications this year. >> faculty members have even appealed the board to address their concerns about all of this. cnn's danny freeman is here now for more on the behind the scenes maneuvering. i'm sure there's a lot of that here, danny. did the appeal include discussions about removing the president? >> reporter: jessica, according to faculty members who were at the meeting who spoke to cnn, there were no overt calls or discussions about president gate resigning. this headline from the new york times, from the harvard crimson, and now from cnn, really just

underscores another challenging week to add on to a number of challenging weeks that have faced not only the university, but also president. this latest chapter actually concerns a meeting that happened back last tuesday. just as those plagiarism allegations were continuing to rise to the forefront. as far as we understand, a meeting between harvard faculty members and members of the harvard corporation, which is the main governing board for the university. the new york times characterized the meeting as a grilling of the corporation members, but one faculty member who was actually at the meeting told cnn that it was cordial and frank. jeff flier is the former dean of the harvard medical school. he told cnn that he said to the members you need to be more out front of this, meaning recent controversies. and he continued telling cnn, he said if people are saying the university is making mistakes, they are talking about you. he was referring to the harvard corporation members. the other notable headline to

come out is that one corporation member allegedly said that the university needed generational change. people who were at the meeting were told that it was a bit out of context. jeff flier, the member, or that faculty member we quoted earlier, he said the corporation members said addressing ongoing concerns at harvard university could take a generation. again, as of now there's still no movement publicly when it comes to any sign that the school will not stand by president gave. at the moment she has the support of the board, but again up challenging few weeks for sure. >> the new york times reporting cordial at frank. i will harken back to you describing what can be cordial at fright here? the new york times reporting the board members experienced tension between them despite be cordial and frank nature of the meeting. >> that's right, breonna. the times reported that behind the scenes there are signs of

tension between those members of the all powerful and rather secretive board. saying that some have conceded there is a need to quell the, quote, billowing storms. notably, this has not really spilled out into the public light at this point. that is why we reiterate publicly that the university is still standing behind president gay, and i will say that i was on campus last week and it does still seem at this point that the bulk of the criticism facing gay is still centered on that congressional testimony earlier in the month. not so much at this point the plagiarism allegations. >> danny freeman for us, thank you so much for walking us through that. yay, the rapper also known as kanye west, made a profile high -- apology to the jewish community online to date. saying he did not need to cause offense. >> the post was written in hebrew notably on instagram. unclear what prompted this though. kanye west has a long history of antisemitic statements, which is probably why you are familiar with some of them. that includes openly praising

hitler during an interview last year. we have cnn's elizabeth wagmeister joining on -- joining us for this. elizabeth, we've heard apologies from ye before, which is probably why so many people are skeptical. what makes this one different? >> reporter: i think it's too soon to tell what makes this apology different. this is certainly the most outward apology that we've seen from kanye in the past he said things such as, i say antisemitic things but adidas can't drop me. of course, we all know that adidas did ultimately drop him. as you know, kanye has a long history of well-documented antisemitic commentary. as you said he openly praised hitler. here at cnn, it had reporting that kanye has a long history of praising hitler in his business. so i think it's too soon to tell, but we do need to point out that just a few weeks ago at a listening party for

kanye's upcoming album, he went on an antisemitic tirade there. so this is definitely in stark contrast to the past, and i think it's too soon to tell. >> interesting that he has an upcoming album. >> you don't say? >> worth noting. what's the reaction been to the apology so far, elizabeth? >> reporter: the reaction is exactly what you just said. it is very interesting that there is an album coming up. as i said, there have been various listening parties for this upcoming album. so kanye has been promoting this music. it will be the first album since all the fallout with his career due to his antisemitic behavior. we also do have a statement today from the atl. so that is some strong reaction there. let me read part of it to you. they say, quote, after causing untold damage by using his fast influence and platform to poison countless minds with vicious antisemitism and hate,

an apology in hebrew might be the first step on a long journey towards making amends to the jewish community, and all those who he has hurt. they don't want to say that ultimately actions speak louder than words. as i said, but that they do welcome this and initial post. we also have to point out that kanye's words have caused a lot of damage. last year after he first posted that he was going to go death con three on the jewish community, we then saw there were posters hung on the 405 freeway in los angeles that said kanye was right about the jews. a lot of the damage is already been done. we have to keep an eye on kanye to see what happens from here. >> elizabeth, thank you for the report. still ahead, apple watches pulled from store shelves after a government ban takes effect. we will take -- tell you what is behind it after a quick break.

if you did not get a new apple watch for christmas, maybe you wanted to buy one today, you are probably out of luck. apple is now banned from selling them and that's because

of a ruling by the u.s. international trade commission over a patent disagreement. president biden could have overruled the decision but did not. so apple is now taking matters into its own hands with an appeal. we have cnn's rahel solomon joining us now for this. apple filed an appeal not too long ago, we will have more on that in a moment, what which watches are impacted and tell us why this is happening? >> reporter: good afternoon, ladies. this is the series nine and alter two, the newer models of the apple watch. if you go to an apple store, you will likely not sit there. you certainly will not see it online. i checked myself not too long ago. it's as currently unavailable. what this really focuses on the technology that apple uses in its watches, its newer watches, to read blood oxygen levels. it is a light-based technology and it's a technology that maximal, a california-based company, says is rightfully theirs. it is covered by their patent. so this is an issue that the company and apple have sort of been in dispute over the last few years. that's where we're too october

and that is when the u.s. international trade commission essentially sided with masimo. it gave sort of 60 days of review period, which is standard, which technically the biden administration could have sort of intervened. could have vetoed the ruling, but it did not. so it takes effect today. again, it will affect those two watch models, the series nine and the ultra to. apple cannot sell those models were import those models. if you are looking for them, if you are a consumer and looking for them and you have your heart set on them, you are not completely out of luck. you can perhaps find them at a retailer that sells apple watch products because it away toler has them on the shelves, already in inventory, then they can actually sell it. they just can't really stop it. they can't sort of imported again. so that is the sort of issue here. as you said, guys, apple said this isn't over until it's over and we are appealing. >> what more are they saying about the appeal, rahel? >> reporter: yeah. their case is basically they disagree with the whole premise of the ruling. they put out in a statement

that they spent years, the team spent years, they outlined the different groups researching and developing different features for the apple watch. they are saying they will now take every legal measure they can to try to get the issue remedied. i should say the u.s. trade rep put out a statement today saying they had carefully considered it and consulted with different entities. then they decided to not intervene here. the decision became final december 26th 2023. today. so whether this is truly final like the u.s. trade rep office says, or whether it is pending the appeal like apple says it's going to do, then there might be a different outcome there. only time will tell. >> we will see. >> i saw what you did there. clever. rahel solomon forest. she's got joked to! thank you so much. [laughter] coming up we will take you live to the southern border well -- where the surging migrant crisis there is overwhelming resources. what is being done about it. that is ahead on cnn news

central.

the u.s. strikes back after an attack by a militant group in iraq, leaves three americans injured. president biden orders air strikes on that group, monday night. one of the top allies to israel's prime minister, visits

washington. can he bridge the divide between the two nations over how israel is prosecuting a war? as outrage over the death toll in gaza grows. and no end in sight, that's how our relief agency describes the crisis at the u.s. mexico border, as they struggle to cope with thousands of migrants crossing, and congress can't agree on a plan. we are following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in, right here to cnn news central. ♪ ♪ ♪ hi everyone, i'm just getting, along with breonna peeler, in for boris sanchez. the one of the top confidence of benjamin netanyahu is expected to meet with senior white house and state department officials. >> this comes at a critical time when the u.s. is urging israel to scale down its war in gaza. let's go to cnn's, priscilla alvarez, who's at the white house for us. priscilla, what