an update now on a story we brought you last night. if you're still in the market for that latest apple watch, you're in luck. a federal court has temporarily blocked the sweeping import ban on the series 9 and the ultra 2 models, which the international trade commission found violated another company's technology patent. important the onote, this isn't the end. stay tuned for further updates. thanks so much for joining us tonight. tonight. "ac 360" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com tonight on "360," the former president's leading challenger in a state that likes challengers looking to set the stage for an upset.

we are live in new hampshire. also tonight, a trump court victory keeping him on michigan's primary ballot. but will the same be true in november? and we have breaking news on a similar case, a trump defeat in colorado. later, the remarkable story of how two men's fishing day ended with them saving another man's life. a man trapped and lost to the world for near i will a week inside a wrecked truck, with deadly weather closing in. john berman in for anderson. what christmas break? that's what the republican presidential candidates must be asking tonight. there was virtually no time left before the first contest. and happening now, live pictures of former south carolina governor nikki haley. she is in the middle of an event in new hampshire. she's armed with the governor's endorsement there, a fresh infusion of cash, and possibly, she hopes at least, one of the most precious commodities in politics, momentum. it is a relative term, with donald trump looming over everything, but momentum

nonetheless, especially with "the new york times" all but writing a campaign obituary for florida governor ron desantis, including making reference to hospice care just wanting to make the patient comfortable. the question for haley tonight, can she make the momentum not just relative, but real. eva, what is governor haley talking about tonight? >> reporter: well, john, first and foremost, she thanked folks for sticking around. she was a bit delayed tonight due to the foggy weather in this state. she emphasized to her supporters here that the north country in new hampshire, here in northern new hampshire, very important to her and her campaign. she then launched into talking about her time as governor of south carolina, talking about how she has the necessary executive leadership experience to be president. she talked about her time at the u.n. but really central to her

campaign is that she is part of this new generation of conservative leadership and that not only can she confront trump in this primary, that she can go on to beat president biden in a general election. you mentioned that chris sununu endorsement. that is really pivotal here, the governor extremely popular. he is not with her this evening, but he is going to be with her during a slew of stops in the state tomorrow. >> so, important for nikki haley is the new hampshire primary. important, too, if not central, not new hampshire or bust for new jersey governor chris christie. what's he been saying, eva, about calls for him to drop out? >> reporter: yeah, john, out just this evening, a new ad from chris christie, where he is telling folks that he is not going to drop out of this race. i think it's really telling that he felt the need in a direct-to-camera ad to address these concerns. but that really speaks to the

anxieties among some republicans to coalesce around a single trump alternative. but in true christie fashion -- you know his style well -- he's saying he's not going anywhere. he is going the distance here. i don't know if -- i don't know if -- i think haley's a little bit mad at us right now that we're being a little bit too loud. so, i'm going to wrap up, john. christie says he's not going to be going anywhere. he's going to be campaigning aggressive. >> we'll let you get back to covering that event quietly. thanks so much, eva. we do appreciate it. we'll get back to republican politics in just a minute. in the meantime, president and mrs. biden left washington today for the virgin islands, their last vacation before their campaign really gets going after new yore's. while they're gone, senators who are have also left town, will be

meeting virtually to hammer out border legislation. we have picture from eagle pass, texas, where the number of migrants apprehended is down somewhat but still running in the thousands a day. -- travelled to mexico city today to try to get more help from their mexican counterparts, including try to move migrants south from border areas. cnn's kevin liptak following president biden, is in st. croix for us tonight. kevin, why don't you give us a sense of what happened in the meetings in mexico city today. >> reporter: we do know that these officials entered these talks with a set of very specific asks for the mexican government, as they look to, kind of, pull every lever that they possibly can to curb the flow of migrants at the southern border. one of them was trying to move these migrants further south, in an effort to, kind of, decongest the u.s. southern border. another step they were looking for is trying to have better control over the railways in mexico.

these are the lines that migrants take from central and south america through mexico to the u.s. southern border. the third thing was trying to come up with incentives, like visas, that would allow some of these migrants to remain in mexico, before crossing into the united states. and i think when you look at the make-up of this delegation, these are cabinet-level officials, secretary of state blinken, the homeland security secretary. it does go to show just how urgently the biden administration is looking for solutions to this problem. they do feel that there is more and there can be more to be done on the diplomatic front. and certainly president biden is highly aware this will be a central issue in next year's presidential election, john. >> ken, what has the mexican president been saying about all this? >> reporter: yeah, this is so interesting because when you talk to biden administration officials, they do feel like they have a good partner in president lopez obrador. there have been differences with biden, but on this issue they do feel like they have an

understanding. it was interesting, before blinken arrived in mexico city, the mexican president came out and said that the real thing that could help is more american assistance to latin america, instead of putting up barriers, barbed wire fences, or thinking about building walls. and the other interesting thing i thought he said was he made a reference to next year's election. he said that the interest in this immigration issue will intensify. i think that shows you, john, he understands he has some leverage here with president biden, who is dealing with both the left and the right, as he is, kind of, in a squeeze on this most untractable issue in american politics. i think when you talk to both sides, there is a general agreement that the only way these scenes at the border are going to be resolved is if congress actually changes the rules. what president biden wants to do in the coming year is apply pressure on republicans to get those rules changed. of course he is under pressure from progressives as well who are worry what he might agree to, whether it may lead to

restrictive policies. >> kevin liptak in st. croix, keep us posted. thank you very much. in a moment, more on the campaign that awaits the president, including the age factor. we're going to get to that in the most unusual way. first on the republican primary, where the first votes are less than three weeks away. with us now -- from the right and left cnn political commentator scott jennings, and cohost of the politics war room podcast. margaret, i want to start with you. we were looking at nikki haley at an event in berlin, new hampshire. over the last few months, this has been a battle to be the trump alternative. that battle over the last weeks and months has been a two-person race between ron desantis and nikki haley. to what extent is it still a two-person race to be the trump alternative? or has it turned into just haley or bust? >> well, right now it's a three-person race, and it's a race to see whether nikki haley can eclipse ron desantis and move him out of the way and then whether she can come close

enough to trump, perform above expectations in a way that makes a difference and changes the fundamental dynamics of what all the polling tells us this race is. and, you know, john, when you look at iowa, of course that will be the first contest. those are caucuses. so, they're a little bit different. you can persuade right up until the end in a much more direct fashion. but even so, history certainly suggests that it's all but impossible to stop trump in iowa. he's been 30 points or more ahead in the polling, but nikki haley has been very close to catching ron desantis. there's no history that shows that a candidate who's 30 points ahead can then go on to lose the iowa caucuses. new hampshire is different. new hampshire has been this, kind of, second chance state. think about bill clinton. he wore that mantle of the comeback kid after actually coming in second in new hampshire. but that second place finish really surpassed expectations

for him and gave him new life. and also a weaker than expected showing in new hampshire. you've got to go back some decades, but has really impacted perceived, presumptive nominees in front runners in the case of harry truman and larry johnson. new hampshire showed they were in trouble. donald trump did so well in new hampshire in the last two primary contests, again, with gop primary voters that a weaker showing in new hampshire and a strong showing by nikki haley may be the only hope she has, but is a strategy worth her pursuing right now. that's what you see her doing. >> james carville, i have to ask you. i see the smirk on your face right there. you might remember 1992 when bill clinton finished second in the new hampshire primary and you said it, others said it made bill clinton the comeback kid.

can new hampshire do that for anyone in the republican race this time? >> you know, first of all, think about -- 32 years later, the fatigue and freezing, most dominant emotion i went through. you have to remember new hampshire is not that relevant. why do i say that? it's an open primary. independents can vote. it produces an entirely different result than when only republicans can vote. you need to look at the 2000 primaries, with then-governor bush and senator mccain. so, nikki haley is going to have her best night in new hampshire. once she gets to south carolina, it's closed. only republicans can vote. scott would know this better than i do. i think michigan is open. she'll do better in open primaries and closed primaries. but you can't win. i don't think you can win that nomination without doing really well in closed primaries. i would defer to scott's opinion on that. >> scott? >> yeah, i think he's exactly right. at this point, haley and

christie in new hampshire are begging independents and democrats to cross over into the republican primary. obviously you can't do that in iowa. you can't do that in a lot of states. some are open, but not very many. i think mr. carville is absolutely correct. i think if you level set here, trump sitting at 60% plus nationally in the polling averages, he looks like he's romping in iowa. if he does and ron desantis has a poor night in iowa, what does he do? he might drop out. if he does, those people, some of them are going to donald trump. so, even consolidation from the field coming out of iowa might actually help trump, even in new hampshire, where he's facing down nikki haley. and of course they head to nevada, trump's very strong there. they go to south carolina, nikki haley will have some choices to make at that point about facing down donald trump in her home state, where he is dominant in the polling. one thing i would say, if somebody totally beats expectations -- let's say ron desantis gets within five points in iowa. he will jump over expectations.

or if haley beats desantis in iowa, or if haley beats trump in new hampshire, that could create almost immediate shifts in the polling moving forward. if trump were to win by significant margins in the first two states, i think this thing is academic at that point. >> scott, since you brought it up, you brought up ron desantis. i think a lot of jaws are still on the floor after"new york times" piece over the weekend, which had quotes from advisers talking about hospice care, keeping the patient comfortable in these last few days. you talk about him beating expectations. what number do you think, in iowa, might force him from the race, might get him to quit even before new hampshire. >> given trump's polling lead, if someone got within single digits of trump, that would be a big night. that would be beating expectations pretty significantly. if donald trump wins by double digits, that's a big night for him. and as was suggested by margaret, he's so far ahead, history would tell us nobody's

ever lost being this far ahead in the polling. it's possible donald trump could score the biggest victory ever in the republican party's history coming up in january. that's going to be a huge news night for him and provide him with momentum coming out. for desantis, it's always been iowa or bust. that's where the voters are most likely to buy into his politics. that's where they've invested a ton in the ground game. they think they're well organized. for him, keep the ball bouncing. single digits is where i'm at on it. >> if trump manages to win both iowa and new hampshire, is that it, game over? >> i mean, it's hard to see how the momentum breaks for any other candidate, were that the case. and to scott and james' points earlier, new hampshire is the best chance to, kind of, break conventional wisdom for a break through candidate. if someone like a nikki haley couldn't do it there, it's hard to see how it could happen.

>> and james, eva was talking about chris christie, this new, i guess, a 7-figure ad buy, which is hard to believe in new hampshire, which is he's basically mad people are asking him to drop out. >> some people say i should drop out of this race. really? i'm the only one saying donald trump is a liar. >> what do you think of that, james? >> well, i know governor christie. you don't get elected republican governor of new jersey two times without having some kind of street smarts. i think he just hates trump. i think as long as he can get a microphone and attack him, i think this is a cathartic advice. i think he views this as some level of political hygiene as much as him running for president. but i'm putting thoughts in another person's mind. but i think i'm pretty close to the bull's eye here. he's going to chase this guy around as long as he can, i think. >> since you talk about street smarts, i want to shift gears.

pennsylvania senator john fetterman did an interview with politico, where he talked about you. he said that you need to shut the blank up. and what he's talking about is you've been warning democrats about president biden's chances for re-election. fetterman went on to say, i don't know why he, you, believes it's helpful to say these kinds of things about an incredibly difficult circumstance with an incredibly strong and decent and excellent president. i think he also went on to question how relevant you've been since grunge. those were his exact words there. what's your reaction to senator fetterman? >> i think the guy is just trying to be relevant. i mean, josh shapiro drug him across the finish line. i don't take much offense to it. i would remind him the law of the swamp is gnats do not fool with cotton mouths. he ought to tell all his democrats that asked me to come in and campaign for him and send out fundraising appeals, i'll be glad -- have his staff call me.

he can set out to fundraising appeals instead of me and see how well he does. >> what about the substance of what he said? >> well, i'm -- i say the polls are not very good for president biden. it's like saying it's raining outside. if it's raining, it's raining. what does he expect me to do? to go on and to say we built an insurmountable lead? again, i just think the guy is trying to get his name in the paper. and that's okay. i can deal with that too. it's not a -- it's not a major thing. but i think that's what he's up to. but i don't know what he'd have me do, go on this program and lie to you and tell you that we're ten points up when we're not? i don't quite understand what -- where he's coming from. but if he wants to explain himself further, let him go ahead and explain himself further. >> anything that president biden and the biden campaign has done recently that's made you change your mind about their prospects? >> if the economic numbers continue to get better, michigan

consumer confidence numbers up. but i don't know if president biden's age he just has an opaque people people are not going to look beyond that. right now the numbers are not very impressive. i'm sorry. they're just not. i don't know what else i can say about them. i guess the hope is that trump gets an illegal and economy takes the momentum and somehow we pull this out. as of right now, the polling has not been impressive for the last year at least. it's not. >> james carville, thank you very much. margaret toll lis, scott jennings, thanks to both of you as well. the point that james was making right there, some new polling that breaks down president biden's job approval by age group is from npr, pbs, and her rhys college, and knows that president biden is weakest among gen xers. he does best, 50% approval with baby boomers, and nearly as well with the oldest demographic, born prior to or just after the

second world war. our gary tuchman today spoke with members of that group. some are as old as the president. some are older. some are way older. and the question he asked, gary did, was about age. >> about 1,300 people live in -- city, new jersey, and the jersey shore. and most everyone knows the 91-year-old mayor. he says he feels as sharp and confident as he ever has. but -- >> do you think joe biden is mentally competent enough to serve another term? >> no. >> reporter: we spent time with the republican mayor and six other residents who range in ages from 67 to 102. all are republicans except this one democrat. but opinions do vary about joe biden. >> i see him on tv where he's talking and all of a sudden he just wanders off into something else or skips it. >> reporter: bill is 100 years old and agrees with his mayor.

>> he's done an awful lot of things in public, made an awful lot of mistakes. and it's been in the news often. no, i don't think the man is capable of doing the job. >> reporter: but suzanne gilbert feels differently. she's the same age as the president. >> is he mentally capable of another term in the white house? >> yes. >> are and why do you think that? >> because i'm 81 and i think i am. >> reporter: democrat stanley lurman is 82 and is very comfortable with joe biden's competency. >> i think he has experience. he set behind obama. he's been around for a long time and he knows how to pick a staff. >> barbara russell is 89 and feels joe biden is too old to be president again. but there's also this. >> do you think donald trump is too old to be president? >> yes. >> tell me why. >> because i think he has issues health issues and mental health

issues that precludes him. >> reporter: barbara's husband jim is 92. regarding president biden. >> he should realize the fact that he's -- you know, he's -- i'm not going to stay "losing it," but don't think he has the capabilities of doing the job that the president requires. >> do you feel the same way about donald trump? >> very much so. >> reporter: but the youngest senior in our group disagrees with those trump sentiments. >> i think the guy's near the top of his game, regardless of his gauge. >> reporter: 100 miles north in new york city, that's certainly not the case. pat still is 78. >> do you think joe biden might be too old for a second term because of cognition issues? >> i certainly don't think cognition is a problem for joe biden. it's a problem for donald trump. >> reporter: evan is 89. >> his experience surpasses anybody els that is even considering running for

president. >> reporter: but this 87-year-old has a different take on joe biden. >> at some point you don't think as clearly and you don't speak as clearly and you're not as sharp as you were. i know it with myself, although i'm older than him. >> reporter: back in surf city, we asked about presidential candidate nikki haley's proposal to have mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75. this man's opinion was shared by many. >> it wouldn't be a bad idea at any age really, honestly. i mean, judging from what we're getting anymore. >> and very young gary tuchman is here with me tonight. gary, so, the 91-year-old mayor, who thinks that president biden is too old, the 91-year-old mayor, how long does he plan to stay in office? >> firstly i'll tell you he was just re-elected to another term, another four-year term, gets sworn in next week.

he's been mayor, city councilman, and other jobs within the city government for 60 years since 1963. when i asked him what his plans are in the future, the next mayoral election when he's 95 years old, he told me, if i feel good, no reason i won't run again. >> seems to be a selective issue for him, the age thing. michigan's top election official on today's court ruling that says, unlike in colorado, the former president's name stays on the 2024 primary ballot. and speaking of colorado, we have breaking news just minutes ago on that. and later a cnn investigation investigates dogfighting, which may be forgotten but is sadly very far from g gone.

loving this pay bump in our allowance. wonder where mom and dad got the extra money? maybe they won the lottery? maybe they inherited a fortune? maybe buried treasure? maybe it fell off a truck? maybe they heard that xfinity customers can save hundreds when they buy one unlimted line and get one free. now i can buy that electric scooter! i'm starting a private-equity fund that specializes in midcap. you do you. visit xfinitymobile.com today. no holiday this week in the almost countless civil, criminal, and constitutional cases involving the former president. and breaking news to prove it, colorado's republican primary

just moments ago asked the supreme court to overturn the state supreme court ruling that removed trump from the ballot, caps the day, which also included michigan supreme court keeping trump on the ballot there, and a new filing from special counsel jack smith. jessica schneider joins us with more on all of this. tell us more about what the colorado republican party just did, this appeal. >> reporter: the colorado gop, they're a party in this case, so they say they just appealed to the u.s. supreme court. we do expect donald trump's legal team to follow suit soon, probably in the coming days. what this filing guarantees in the short-term is it guarantees that donald trump's name will, in fact, be on the primary ballot in colorado. because, remember, the state supreme court here ruled that he should be taken off the ballot for the engaging in insurrection, but they paused their ruling to give time to the u.s. supreme court to consider whether to hear this case. the supreme court will likely

hear this case. but since primary ballots have to be certified january 5th, next friday, this appeal guarantees the ballots will have to be printed with trump's name on it. now the question becomes, does the supreme court hear this case? they likely will because of this major constitutional question. but how quickly, also, will they hear the case? and when they hear the case, will they end up dodging the ultimate issue here, how to interpret the 14th amendment. some are saying they might decide on a procedural issue, just saying that maybe this isn't for the courts to decide and is, instead, a political question. a lot still hangs in the balance when it comes to the 14th amendment and trump on the ballot. >> we'll get to the constitutional issue in just a second with the michigan secretary of state. special counsel jack smith has filed a motion seeking to block donald trump from making certain comments in court in the election subversion trial. what's in that filing? >> jack smith and his team trying to get ahead of trump's

penchant for making comments about any court case he's involved with. what they're asking the courts to do is to prohibit donald trump from saying a number of things they believe could prejudice the jury once they go to trial. that includes they want to bar trump's repeated claims that the biden administration somehow directed this case against him for political reasons. jack smith and his team are putting this into the filing. they're saying the court should not permit the defendant to turn the courtroom into a forum in which he propagates irrelevant disinformation and should reject his attempt to inject politics into this proceeding. and really, john, this filing from jack smith's team is also notable because all of the proceedings right now, they're on hold. they're on pause, while the d.c. circuit court of appeals considers this immunity argument. they'll hear the case on january 9th. despite it being on pause, smith's team is continuing to file with the lower court, the trial court. jack smith's team is trying to preserve that march 4 trial

start date. it looks like they probably won't start on march 4th, but jack smith is doing all he can to keep that on traek. >> the supreme court made the decision to keep trump on the state's republican primary ballot. what exactly did the court take into account, and how did it differ from the colorado case? >> the michigan decision, it really wasn't as monumental as the colorado supreme court case because in colorado the justices there really weighed in on the meat of the issue. you know, the 14th amendment, what it means, why it excludes trump from the ballot, in their view. instead, what the michigan supreme court did today, they wrote a really short order and they said they stood by what the lower courts had done in dismissing the case. they concluded that this was really just a political question about whether the 14th amendment applies to trump. it should be decided by political bodies, by congress. and, you know, as i mentioned before, that's a lot of of what legal scholars are saying, what the u.s. supreme court might do.

they might not rule on the ultimate issue here. they might just dismiss this, saying it isn't the job for the courts to decide if trump violated this 14th amendment. instead it's a political decision. we're seeing all these courts weigh in. so, the u.s. supreme court will likely have to weigh in before the general election here. >> jessica schneider, no holiday for you. a very busy night. thank you so much for all of that. with us now, michigan's top election official, secretary of state jocelyn benson. secretary benson, i want to ask your reaction to this decision by the michigan supreme court today. >> well, thanks for having me. i agree with the decision. it's what i've said for months now. the authority of my office is ensuring that individuals add investigating by the general news media to be potential presidential candidates are on the ballot. that's what our state law says. and ultimately that is coming down to not just a question on the merits of whether or not donald trump is qualified under

the constitution to serve but also who should decide and when should that decision be made. is the primary too soon? should it be if and when he's nominated in the general election? so, all of those are squarely in the purview of the court set aside and ultimately i believe will be decided by the u.s. supreme court. >> so, if the supreme court does weigh in here -- and you've written i think basically that you hope that they do -- what do you want them to answer? what questions do you want them to answer, specifically with regards to the 14th amendment and the issue of insurrection? >> i want them to deliver a substantive decision on the merit sooner rather than later that clearly sets the expectation as to whether or not under the 14th amendment donald trump is qualified to serve as president. again, i don't want them to kick this to congress. i don't want them to kick this down the line because voters need clarity. election officials and administrators need clarity and the republican party needs

clarity. >> that will depend on if they do what you ask on whether or not the supreme court thinks that donald trump engaged in or aided those who engaged in insurrection. and you well know that some critics of the colorado supreme court decision do note that donald trump has never been explicitly charged with insurrection as part of these criminal cases. how much does that matter? >> as the former dean of a law school and election law professor and someone who was a witness in michigan to the attempts to subvert the will of the voters in our state and other battleground states, all of that said, i recognize there are a lot of nuances and facts yet to be determined in how we define, legally define, insurrection and aiding and abetting, and the facts of trump's involvement in all those things. when you have that much ambiguity, the u.s. supreme court's job is to resolve that for the country. so, that's the direction we are headed in. that's where we should be headed. and what we need the u.s.

supreme court to do is to answer those questions, to do their jobs in that regard so all of us can have appropriate clarity. >> in an opinion in the michigan case, kind of, left the door open, really dealt with the primary. it left the door open to future legal action, if it becomes the republican nominee for the general election ballot, do you expect another suit in the general election, if trump is the nominee? >> i do. look at the u.s. supreme court does not make a decision on the merits prior to the general -- the nomination process in the summer. if they do not make a decision on the merits by then, we do suggest litigants with bring forward another ballot -- that's why to me it's all the more important that the supreme court settle this sooner rather than later so that we don't see another round of this uncertainty, as we go into the fall's general election. >> are voters saying anything about this? do you hear from them at all?

>> yes. voters hold very strong opinions on both sides on this. in the months since this has been injected into our conversation and legal theories have been weighed, our office has received threats on both sides, frankly, from people who feel very strongly about whether donald trump should be or should not be on the ballot. all along, i've tried to be clear, my job as the referee in this process is to say the proper determining body under state law in michigan is our supreme court. and that's what all the courts have also affirmed. as an elected official, you always want to be able to serve and provide clarity for citizens. here our clarity comes from the law. and it does mean we move forward probably making everyone upset. but ultimately i hope as voters, citizens take seriously their role in this 2024 election cycle to channel their opinions into the ballot box and how they vote. >> no one cheers for the referee, which i'm sure you know

at point. thank you very much for being with us. >> thanks for having me. coming up, a cnn investigation into the underground world of dogfighting, how a vicious, disturbing practice thought to be in decline is now thrhriving.

we have a cnn investigation into the brutal, bloody practice of dogfighting, that was thought

on on the ebb after it became a federal felony in 2007. it's back now. in the shadows, but growing, thanks to the internet, where hundreds of thousands of dollars may change hands in a single match. isabella rosales rode along with officials as they made one of the biggest single day busts ever. >> reporter: it's pitch black outside a south carolina church. at the ready are dozens of armed law enforcement officers. today they're seizing fighting dogs. behind them -- >> i'm definitely anxious. i'm always anxious to see the dogs. >> reporter: -- we ride along with the federal prosecutor overseeing the case. >> i get very emotional. >> reporter: emotional because of how vicious dogfighting is, made all the more clear in court documents. doing who is have been fought may have scars, puncture wounds, swollen faces, or a mangled

face. authorities found this contraption made from jumper cables, allegedly used to electrocute dogs inside the home of a pentagon employ. this cnn exclusive video shows two dogs getting ready to fight. last year, officials seized roughly 400 dogs from suspected fighting rings. many r than in any other year since last 2007. according to a cnn review. jane taylor tells me she was a life long narcotics prosecutor until she first saw the injuries on fighting dogs. >> i had a case where we had a wiretap, and we were listening to the calls of the individuals involved in drugs. and we started hearing a lot of conversations about dogs and dogfighting. >> reporter: we arrived at the first of five homes. >> what sort of things are you on the lookout for when you

enter a property? >> i'm looking at the conditions of the dogs themselves. i'm looking for scarring, fresh wounds. then i'm also looking for dogfighting paraphernalia. >> like these treadmills to make the dogs stronger and faster. and -- >> something called spring poles. it strengthens their jaws. >> reporter: dogs are often tied down with heavy chains and weighted collars to increase their strength. before a big fight, some fighting dogs are starved to keep them in their weight class, like a boxer. tucked away in this wooded area, federal agents find the first of roughly 120 pit bulls that would be seized in what will turn out to be south carolina's second largest single day seizure of fighting dogs ever, say investigators. they're photographed and loaded into trailers to get medical care and shelter. >> when we go onto a property, they'll wag their tail because

they haven't had any friendly interaction. >> reporter: major frank o'neal. >> they've been abused by the owner and a fighting dog. it breaks your heart. >> people are making a lot of money off of this. my opinion, even a dollar is too much to be making money off of this. >> reporter: there are plenty of ways to get paid. according to court documents, p participants paid $200,000 to have their animals fight against a top dog. the owner of a champion dog can make even more money on semen, stud fees. >> many are drug traffickers because they have to fund the dogs. if we haven't already arrested them, the chances are we will arrest them in another arena. >> reporter: inside this home, officers find several guns. the homeowner declined to speak with cnn. federal agents pack up and head to the next house. >> we're about 20 minutes out.

they say it's about 12 dogs. >> reporter: dogfighting became a felony at the federal level back in 2007. the maximum sentence a suspect can face is five years in federal prison. for the animals, some dogs are too aggressive to rehabilitate, but others can be adopted and get a second chance at life. isabelle rosales, cnn, atlanta. >> amazing story. just ahead, a story that can't be called anything else but a miracle, a man trapped in his car for almost a week unable to move or call for help, was rescued by sheer luck, when two fishermen happened to randomoml spotot his car i in the diststa. the ststory of hisis incrediblb rescueue next.

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tonight a miraculous story of survival. a man was trapped in his truck for near i willy a week, unable move after the accident. he was on the brink of death, then a phenomenal thing happened. >> quite frankly it's a miracle he's alive. >> reporter: a christmas miracle in porter county, indiana. matt rein found alive in his mangled truck, six days after a crash. fortunately, mario garcia and his son-in-law were out scouting locations for fishing near a creek tuesday, when they spotted something shiny. >> it caught our curiosity. i looked inside and moved the white air bag, and he -- there was a body in there. and i went to touch it, and he

turned around. and that just -- it almost killed me there because it was, kind of, shocking. he was alive and he was very happy to see us. >> the badly injured man later telling authorities he had not been able to reach his cell phone to call for help. >> he mentioned he had been there since last wednesday. he says he tried yelling and screaming, but nobody could hear him. >> reporter: authorities closed the westbound lanes of i-94 tuesday afternoon while crews worked to free him. he was transported to the hospital by helicopter. it is not clear what caused the crash, but it appears ream was driving westbound and ran off the road, traveling along the grass shoulder, before going airborne into the creek, where his car rolled over several times and landed under the bridge, where it was partially submerged. >> i don't see any way somebody could have seen him. it was just very fortunate that we saw through the cracks of the

woods the shiny of the wreck and curiosity that took us over there. >> this is a miracle this gentleman is alive today. >> reporter: another lucky break, relatively mild weather. temperatures in porter county since december 21st ran from a high of 59 degrees to a low of 29. >> we've been lucky enough here this christmas season that our temperatures have been, as y'all know, above normal. so, that was working in this individual's favor. it's cold tonight, and i don't believe that he'd have made it through the night tonight. >> ream has several broken bones and injuries to his legs that could require surgery, according to his labor union and a >> reporter: a happy ending made possible by two men in the right place at the right time. >> it was the first time going there. it was just -- we were put there for a reason. >> a miracle. how is the man doing? >> reporter: he is in critical condition in the hospital. he is asking for privacy for

himself, his family, his friends while he processes everything he went through since last wednesday, nearly a week, as we pointed out. he knows he has a story to tell. he is not ready to tell it yet. when he is, he will. until then, he wanted to share this. no matter how tough things are, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. sometimes, in the least expected way. >> wow. wishing the best of luck to him. thank you so much. still ahead, the detroit pistons made nba history last night, just not the way they hoped. details next.

it's difficult for a two win season to get worse. but the detroit pistons are owners of the longer single season losing streak in league history. after their 118 to 112 defeat last night, their losing streak is now 27 straight games. one more loss and they tie the nba's overall record losing streak, which was over two seasons, 28 games. that next game tomorrow night, against the boston celtics, the best team in history and the best team in the nba right now.

the game is in boston. our favorite senior data reporter is with me to talk about how bad this all is. i feel badly for the pistons right now. but the fact of the matter is, detroit has some experience with record losing. >> they absolutely do. beyond the pistons, think about the lions who a few years ago won zero games in a season. talk about the detroit tigers, who 20 years ago lost an american league record amount of games. this has been a century that has been awful for detroit. as i said during that intro, bless their hearts. >> one thing that's interesting is the hpistons have three nba titles, ranks them fifth or sixth in the list of titles. but it's gotten so bad for them. where do they fall? >> look, if you were a cardinal fan, if you have been following the arizona cardinals since they

were the st. louis and chicago cardinals, they haven't won since 1947. a punt was return ed for a touchdown. the guardians haven't won a world series since 1948. the kings, the last time they won an nba title in the early 1950s, they were the rochester royals. you know we are talking about a really long time ago. >> i am a red sox fan. they had an incredible drought. not lately. your bills, not doing well. >> no, no. the buffalo bills have manufacture won a super bowl. i swear this is the year. the bills have never won a super bowl, but i have faith. you mentioned your boston red sox. when i was a kid, it was the red sox, the curse of the bambino. they didn't win between 1908 and 2003. they finally broke it in 2004.

we are used to losing. our heart goes out to the folks in detroit. maybe they will win a game. maybe even tomorrow night. >> maybe. here is pulling for detroit. that is a tough story. one of the worst sports stories of the year. we can't end like that. here are some of the best sports stories of the year. here is tom foreman. ♪ >> reporter: in sports, the best nfl team was the cankansas city chiefs. >> this was two points shy of tieing the highest scoring super bowl ever. >> the rihanna halftime show, she did it pregnant. >> this game, it represented a takeover. with tom brady retiring, it was patrick maholmes league. >> a serious injury on the field.

>> the best comeback from the worst moment, damar hamlin who suffered a cardiac arrest but was back on the field this fall. >> i didn't think it was possible. >> reporter: in baseball, the s world series. >> the texas rangers were really good. >> when it's not a competitive world series, it's not as much fun. >> reporter: in the nba, lebron james made the best basket. the one that took him past kareem, carl, kobe and michael to grab the all-time scoring record. >> the oldest player in the league, he is in his 21st season. that's crazy. >> reporter: the best team was the denver nuggets, who cooled off the miami heat to take home the mile high city's first nba trophy. >> the finals mvp, star of the

show. > >> reporter: the golden knights seized the holy grail of hockey. >> think about all the kids who grew up skating on the frozen ponds around las vegas and in florida. >> reporter: college sports saw the georgia bulldogs grab a second straight football championship. >> go dogs. >> the froze n ponds of los angeles -- >> was that your segment or tom's? >> tom will have more. thank you very much. catch all the best, all the worst, this friday at 10:00 p.m. eastern and pacific with tom foreman right here on cnn. the news continues. "the source with kaitlan collins" starts right now. >> straight from the source, a trump victory in michigan. a demand for a recusal