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. tonight on three 60, the former presidents leading challenger in a state that lacks 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. we have breaking news on a similar case, a trump defeat in colorado. later, the remarkable story of how to maine's fishing day ended with him saving another man's life. a man trapped and lost to the world for nearly a week inside a wrecked truck with deadly weather closing in. good afternoon everyone, john berman here in for anderson. what christmas break? that's what that republican presidential candidates must be asking. tonight there is virtually no time left before the first contest. and happening now, live pictures of former south carolina governor nikki haley. she's in the middle of an event and 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 and politics. momentum. now it is a relative term with donald trump lumen over everything. but momentum nonetheless. especially with the new york

times also writing a campaign obituary for florida governor ron desantis including the -- coach trump advisers make and reference to hospice care, just wanting to make the patient comfortable. the question for haley tonight, and the next few weeks, can she make that momentum not just relative but real. cnn's eva mckend joins us now from that heavy event in berlin, new hampshire. even, what is governor haley talking about to not? >> john, first and foremost, she thanked folks for sticking around. she was a bit delayed tonight due to the hockey weather in the state. she emphasized to her supporters here that the north country 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 that

necessary executive leadership experience to be president. she talked about her time at that 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 fight trump in this primary, 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, to, if not central, not new hampshire or bust, for new jersey governor chris christie. what's he been saying, even, about called for him to drop out?

>> john, 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 he felt that need in a direct to camera at to address these concerns. but that really speaks to the anxieties among some republicans to coalesce around a single trump alternative. but untrue christy fashion, you know his style well, he's saying he's not going anywhere. he's going the distance here. i don't know -- okay, i think haley's little bit mad at us right now that we are being a little bit too loud. so i'm going to wrap up here, john. but christie says he's not going to go anywhere. he's going to be campaigning aggressively in the state as, well this week. >> eva mccann, whispering at that nikki haley event in berlin, new hampshire. we'll let you get back to covering that event quietly. thanks so much, eva. we do appreciate it. will cut back to republican politics in a moment. meanwhile, president and mrs. bottom left washington for the virgin islands. their last vacation before the campaign kits go up next year. senators who've left hand will be meeting virtually trying to hammer out newport lay. shan i want you to take a look at this. we have pictures from eagle

pass, texas, part of a border patrol sector were the number of migrants apprehended, still down somewhat, but running in the thousand per day. secretary of state antony blinken and dhs secretary alejandro mayorkas traveled to mexico city today, to try to get more help from the mexican counterparts, including current to move migrants south from border areas. cnn's kevin liptak is following president biden. give us a sense of what happened in the meetings in mexico city today. >> we do know these officials and hurt these talks with a sort of very specific asks for the mexican government, as they look to pull every lever they possibly can to curb the flow of migrants. at the southern border. one of them was trying to move these migrants for the 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 migrants take from central and south america through mexico, to the u.s. southern border. the third d thing was trying to come up with some incentives, like visas, that w would allow some of these migrants to remain in mexico before crossing into the united states. i think when you look at the makeup of this delegation, these are cabinet level officials. secretary of state blinken, homeland security secretary. it really does go to show just how urgently the biden administration is looking for some solution to this problem. they do feel there is more and there can be more to be done on the diplomatic front. certainly, president biden's aides are highly aware that this will be a central issue and next presidential election, john. >> kevin, what does the mexican president say about all this? >> this is so interesting. because when you talk to the biden administration officials, they do feel they have a good partner and president lopez

obrador. there have been some differences with bottom but on this issue they do feel they have an understanding. interesting, before blinken arrived in mexico city, the mexican president came out and said the real thing that could help was more american assistance to latin america. instead of, as he put, it putting up barriers, for a player offenses, or thinking about building walls. the other interesting thing i thought he said, was he made a reference to next year's election. he said the interest and this immigration issue will intensify and i think that shows you, john, he understands he has some leverage here with president biden, who is dealing with both that lift and that right as he is kind of and a squeeze on this most and tried to pickable issue and american politics. i think when you talked about, started a general agreement the only way these scenes at the border or going to the result as if congress actually changed the rules, what president biden wants to do in the coming years, apply pressure on republicans to get some office rose

changed. he's under pressure from progressives as well, who worry about what he might agree to, whether some of those rule changes could amount to the most restrictive policies booster under president trump. but certainly it's an issue not going away anytime soon. >> kevin liptak, thank you very much. and a moment, more on the campaign awaiting the president, including the h factor. we'll get to the end moments. first, the republican primary, force votes not less than three weeks. away with us now, axios senior contributor -- also from the right and left respectively, political commanders scott jennings and james carville, co-host of the politics war room podcast. margaret, i want to start with you. looking at nikki haley, at an event in berlin, new hampshire. over the last few months, this has been a battle to be a trump cult on that. if that battle over the last weeks and months has been really a two person race between ron desantis and nikki haley. to what extent is it still a true percent raise to be the

trump alternative? or has it turned into just highly robust? >> right now it's a three person race. it's a race to see whether nikki haley can eclipse ron desantis and moved him out of the way, and whether she can come close enough to trump, before above expectations, and a way that makes a difference and change the fundamental dynamics of what will the polling tells us this. races and john, when you look at iowa of course, this will be the first contest. those are caucuses. there are different. you can persuade up to the and in a much more direct fashion. but even so, history certainly suggest it's all but impossible to stop trump and iowa. he's been 30 points or more ahead in the polling. but nikki haley has been very close to catching rhonda santas. there is no history that shows a candidate 13 point hit can't and 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 coming in second in new hampshire. but the second place finish really surpassed expectations for him and gave him you. life and also weaker than expected showing in new hampshire. you've got to go back some decades, but has really impacted perceived, presumptive nominees or front runners. in the case of harry truman and lyndon johnson. i know it seems like ancient history, but very poor showings and new hampshire showed that we're in trouble. and donald trump did so well in new hampshire in the last two primary contests. again, with gop primary voters that a week or chilling in hampshire and a strong showing panicky haley may be the only hope she has, but is a strategy worth her pursuant right now. that's what you see her doing. >> james carville, have to ask you, i say the smirk on your face. you might remember 1992, when bill clinton finished second -- in the new hampshire primary. you and others said at night bill clinton the comeback. it can you hampshire do that for anyone in that republican race this time? >> first of all, -- 42 years later, you have to remember, new hampshire is not

that relevant. what 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 within governor bush and center mccain. nikki haley is going to have her based not and new hampshire. south carolina, close, on republicans can vote. scott what kind of better than i do. i think michigan is open. she'll do better and open primaries then closed primaries, but you can't, win of don't think you can win that nomination without doing really well in the closed primaries. but i would defer to scott's opinion on that. >> scott? >> i think he's exactly right. at this point, haley and chrystia new hampshire erbacon independents and democrats to cross over into the republican primary. obviously, can't do that and i. lakonta in a lot of states. some are open but not very many. so i think mr. careful is absolutely correct.

and i think if you level set here. trump sitting at 60%, plus, nationally in the pullen averages. he looks like he's ramping in iowa. if he does, and ron desantis has a portnight and i, about what is he doing? my drop out. if he does, those people, some of them are given to donald trump. even consolidation from the field coming out of iowa might actually help trump, even in new hampshire. where he's facing down nikki haley. of course, they head on to nevada. trump's very strong pair. they go to south carolina. nikki haley will have some choices to make at that point about facing down donald trump in her home estate, where he's dominant in the polls. one of, say if somebody totally bait expectations. let's say desantis get within

five points and i. what he'll jump over expectations. or of highly bait the scientists in eilat, or of haley get close to trump or pre-trump in new hampshire. that can create almost immediate shift in the polling. moving forward. but if trump were to win by significant margins in the first two states, i think this thing is academic at that point. >> scott, since she portrait. up report lebron desantis. i think a lot of jobs are still on the floor after the new york times piece over the weekend, which had quotes from advisers talk about hospice care with ron desantis. keeping the patient comfortable in the last few days. you talk about him beating

expectations. but what numbers do you think in iowa mount forest him from that race? mike get him to quit before even new hampshire? >> well, given trump's polling lead, i would think of somebody got within single digits of trump, that would be a pretty pick not. that would be beating expectations participated. lee if donald trump wins by double digits, that's a big night for him. it was just by margaret, he's so far ahead in iowa that history would tell us nobody's effort lost at this point, being as for a hit in the polls. it's possible that donald trump can scored the biggest competitive iowa caucus victory ever in the republican party's history. coming up in january, that's going to be huge news not for him and provide him with some momentum coming out of it. but for the scientists, it's always been i'll or bust. that's where the voters are most likely to buy into his kind of politics. at least in the early states. tonight's worth of invisible time off the ground game. they think they're well organized. so for him, keep the ball balance, in single digits is for i'm in. on >> marco, it quickly. if trump is to win both iowa and new hampshire, is that? it came over? >> i mean, it's hard to see how the momentum breaks for any other candidate, north of the. case to scott and changes

points, earlier, new hampshire is the best chance to, kind of, bright conventional wisdom for a breakthrough candidate. if someone like nikki haley couldn't do it, it's hard to see how it could happen. >> james, eva mccann was talking about chris christie. this new seven cigarette by, which is hard to believe in new hampshire, where he's basically saying he's mad that people are asking him to drop out. let's take a quick look at that. >> 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? >> i don't know. governor kristi, you don't get elected republican governor of

new jersey two times without having some kind of straight smarts. i think he just hates trump. i think as long as he can get a microphone and attack him, i think this is cathartic advice. i think he views this as some level of political hygiene, as much as him want him to be president. but important thoughts and another person's mom, but i think i'm pretty close to the polls i hear. he's going to chase this guy around as well -- >> since we're talking about smith trucks, james, i'm going to shift to the democratic side, here. pennsylvania senator john fetterman did an interview with politico who talked about you. he said that you need to shut that blank up. and what he's talking about is you have been warned democrats about president biden's chances for reelection. four time it went on to say of know why you police it's helpful to say these things

about an incredibly difficult circumstance with an incredibly strong, decent, excellent president. i think he also went on to question how you have been -- what's your reaction to senator fetterman? >> i think the guy is just trying to be relevant. but josh perot -- authentic much confined to. it the law of the swamp is next to not full in cotton mouthed. but heavy wants to get on tv by saying stuff about me, he ought to tell all the democrats who came in to fund-raise for him, call me, i'll give him the names and he can sit at the fundraising himself and we'll see how well he does. >> what about the substance of what he said? >> all sites of 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? go out and say he's got an

insurmountable lead? again, i just think the guys trying to get his name and the paperwork. that's okay. i can deal with that. it's not a major thing. but i think that's what he's up to. i don't know what he did have me too. go on the program and tell him were ten points? up of one quite understand where he's coming from. if he wants to explain himself further, let him go ahead and explain himself for the. >> anything that president putin and the bottom campaign has done recently, this week, make you change your mind about the prospects? >> the economic numbers continue to get better. michigan consumer confidence numbers up. i don't know if president biden's age is an opaque factor, peop are not going to look beyond that. but right now, the numbers aren't very impressive. i'm sorry, they're just not. i don't know what else i can say about it. i guess the hope is trump gets and illegal melas and the economy get some momentum and we pull it right out. but the pullen has not been impressive for the past year, at least. it's not. >> james carville, tank you very much. margaret talev, scott jennings, thanks to you as well. the point changes making. new polling breaking down president biden's job approval by age group -- shows president biden's quickest among jen alex. americans born but went nonentity five and 1980. just 44% approval offense. he does best, 54%, approve it with baby boomers. and nearly as well with the older democratic, foreign prior to or after the second world war. gary tuchman today spoke with members of that group.

some are as old as the president. some are older. some are way older. the question he asked, gary, was about age. about 1300 people live in the dirt seashore. and most everyone knows francis haugen. >> i'm the mayor. >> the 91 year old mayor who just won reelection since he feels a sharp and competent as he ever has as so he's literally. 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 aged from 72 to 100. all republicans except one democrat. but opinion to very about joe biden. >> i've seen him on tv or he's talking, and all of a sudden he just wonders off into something else. >> reporter: bill willem is 100 years old and agrees with his mere. >> he's done an awful lot of things and public. made an awful lot of mistakes. has been in the news as often. i don't think the man is capable of to win the job. >> reporter: but suzanne

gilbert feels differently. she's the same age as the president. >> is he mentally capable of another trump and the white house? >> yes. >> why do you think that? >> because i'm 81 and i think i am. >> reporter: democrat stanley luhrmann is 82. he's very comfortable with joe biden's competence. >> i think he has a world of experience. he said behind obama. he's been around for a long time and he knows how to pick a staff. >> reporter: barbara russell is 18 not and fields joe biden is too old to be president again. but there is also this. do you think donald trump is too old to be president? >> yes. >> reporter: tell me why? >> because i think he has issues, health issues, and mental health issues. they preclude him. >> reporter: barbara's husband jump is not to a surf city

councilman for about two decades. regarding president biden -- >> he should realize the fact he's, i'm going to say, losing it. i think he has the capabilities to do the job the president requires. >> reporter: do you feel the same way about donald trump? >> three mantra so. >> reporter: but the youngest senior in our group, 72 year old john friends only disagrees with those trump sentiments. >> i think the guy is near the top of his game, regardless of age. >> reporter: republicans dominated surf city. but 100 miles north in new york city, that certainly not the case. do you think joe biden's up to offer 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: this person is 89. >> his experience surpasses anybody else's. that even is considering running for president. >> reporter: but this democrat, 87 years old, has a different take on joe biden. >> i think at some point you don't think it's clearly, and you don't speak as clearly.

and you are 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 competence texts for politicians over 75. 100-year-old bill willem's opinion shared by many we talk with. >> it wouldn't be a bad idea at any age, really. honestly. i made, judging from what we're getting anymore. we're getting anymore. we're getting anymore. we're getting anymore. we're getting anymore. for 91 year old mayor, who thinks that president biden is too old. the 91 year old mayor. how long does he plan to stay and office? >> firstly, all tell you, he was just of the. another for your term. kate's foreign and next week. he's been mayor, city councilman, and other jobs within the city government for 60 years, since 1963. what i asked him what his plans are in the future, the next mayoral election, four years from now, he's 95 years old, he told me, if i feel good, no reason why i was running. can >> seems to be a selective

issue for him, the whole age thing. gary tuchman, thanks a. next, match against top election official on today's court ruling that says unlike and colorado, the former presidents name stays on the 2024 primary ballot. and speaking of colorado, breaking news, minutes ago on that. later, a cnn investigation investigate stop fighting which may be forgotten but is sadly very far from gone.

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wireless that works for you. it's not just possible, it's happening. no holiday this week in the almost countless several criminal and constitutional cases involving the former president. and breaking, news colorado's republican primary moments ago asked the supreme court to overturn the state supreme

court ruling that remove trump from the ballot. capps a day, which also include at michigan supreme court keeping trump on the pillow there. and a new filing by special counsel jack smith. cnn's jessica schneider joins us now with much more on all of this. first, tell us about what the colorado republican party just did. >> reporter: john, the colorado area, pete they're a party in this case. they said to just appeal to the u.s. supreme court. we do expect donald trump's legal team to follow suit soon. probably in the coming days. what is falling guarantees in the short term is that guarantees that donald trump's name wilton effect on the primary ballot in colorado. because remember, the state supreme court he wrote he should be taken off the ballot for engaging in insurrection. but they paused their decision, their role in, to give time to the u.s. supreme court to consider whether to hurt this case. the supreme court will likely hear this case. but since primary ballots have to be certified generally fit next friday, this appeal basically guarantees that ballots will have to be printed with trump's name on it. now, john, the question becomes, does that 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 the duke or the case, will they end up dodging the. ultimate issue here about how to interpret the 14th amendment. some are saying they might decide on procedural issues, something like the michigan supreme court did. just saying maybe this isn't for the courts to decide. and is instant a political question. so a lot still hangs in the balance when it comes to the 14th minute and trump on the ballot. >> we'll get to the constitutional issue in just a second, with the michigan secretary of state. meantime, special counsel jack smith has filed a motion seeking to block donald trump from making certain comments and cortez upcoming elections aversion trial. what's in that filing? >> jack smith and his team trying to get ahead of what seems to be trump ancient for making comments about in a

court case. those involved -- they're asking the court to prohibit donald trump from saying a number of things that they believe could prejudice the jury once they go to trial. that includes, they want to borrow trump's repeated claims that biden administration somewhat direct with this case against him for political reasons. jack smith and his team are putting this into the filing. there are saying the courts will permit the defendant to turn the courtroom into a form in which he propagates relevant disinformation and should reject his untamed to inject politics into the proceeding. and really, john, this filing from jack smith's team is also notable. because the proceedings right now are on hold, on polls, while the d. c. circuit court of appeals considers the immunity argument. through hill the case on january nine. despite the poll, smith's team

is continuing to file with a lower court, the trial court. because jack smith's team is trying to preserve that march 4th trial start date. it looks like they probably won't start on march 4th, but jack smith is doing all he can, he and his team, can to keep that on track. >> jessica, quickly. did mention the michigan case. supreme court they're made a decision to keep donald trump on the states republican primary ballot. what exactly did the court take into account and how to differ from that colorado case? >> that michigan decision wasn't as monumental as the supreme court case. because in colorado, the justices there really weighed in on that meat off the issue. the 14th amendment, what it means, why it excludes trump from the ballot in the rough. instead, what the michigan supreme court did today, they wrote a really short order analysts faced by what the lower courts had done in dismissing the case. they concluded this was really

just a political question about whether the 14th amendment mp, it should be distorted by political bodies, by congress. and as i mentioned before, that's a lot of what legal scholars are saying. as what the u.s. supreme court actually might. do they might not roll on the ultimate issue here. they might 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. that's what we saw from the michigan supreme court. but we're seeing all these courts weigh in. so that 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 a benson. secretary benson, i want to ask your reaction to this decision by that michigan supreme court today. >> thanks for having me. i actually agree with a decision. it's what i've said for months now. the authority, of my office, is-limited in this moment to ensuring individuals who are generally advocated by the national news media to be potential presidential candidates are on the ballot. that's what our state law says. and ultimately, this 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 it the primary too soon? should i if and when he's known

in the general elections? all of those are squirrelly in the periphery of the courts to decide. and ultimately i believe will be decided by the u.s. supreme court. so if supreme court that does weigh in here, and you have robin, i think, basically you hope that they do, what do you want them to answer? what questions to 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 merits 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. ottawa them to kick this in the line. voters need clarity. election administrators need clarity. and that republican party eight

clarity as we move for political action here. >> that will depend if that were to do on what you ask, on whether or not that supreme court donald trump engaged in or aided those who engaged in insurrection. and you will know, some critics of the colorado supreme court decision to note that donald trump has never been explicitly charged with insurrection, as part of these criminal cases. how much on that matter? >> i say this now is just the chief election officer of the state of michigan, but as the former dean of law school and election law professor. and someone who was a witness and michigan to the actual attempts to subvert the will of the voters in our state and in other pentagon states. all of this, it are not as 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 fact of trump's involvement and all those things. when you have that much ambiguity, the u.s. supreme court's job is to resulted for the country. that the direction we're headed

in. that's where we should be hated. and what we need to u.s. supreme court to do is to enter those questions, to do their jobs in the record. so all of us can have appropriate clarity and prostate appropriately. >> in the michigan, case kind of left the door open, really dealt with the prime rate, right? it left the door open to future legal action, if he becomes the republican nominee for the general election ballot. do you expect another suit in the general election of trump is the nominee? >> to look, the u.s. supreme court does not make a decision on the merits, prior to that general nomination process and the summer, if they do not make a decision on the merits by, that we should expect, as justice welch is descending upon suggests, litigants will bring forth another action if donald trump receives his party 's nomination or friends as an

independent candidate. it's why to me it's all the more important the supreme court settle this sooner rather than utter, so we can see another round of this uncertainty as we go into the fourth general election. >> of voters saying anything about this? >> yes. voters hold very strong opinions on both sides on this. and 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. either donald trump should or

should not be on the ballot. a, lot of try to be clear. my job is the referee in this process is to say the proper determining body under this state law and michigan is our supreme court. and that's what will the court said, also affirmed. while, as an elected official, you always want to be able to serve and provide clarity for citizens. here, our clarity comes from the law.w. and d it does memean we willll forwrward, probabably make e eve upset.t. but t ultimatelyly i hope, v vo, citizensns take seririously ther rorole in thisis 2024 elecection cycle. to channnnel their o opinions at this and o other matteters and t the e ballot boxox and how t thy vote. >> no onone cheers f for the referee,e, which as s i'm sure t you know a at this poioint. point michchigan secreretary of state,e, joscelyn n benson, thts for being g with us. >> thahanks for hahaving me. cocoming up, a a cnn investigatation into t the ununderground d world of dogfigighting. an accouount of how w this viscs urban pracactice, thouought to e in d decline, isis now thrivivi.

we have a cnn investigation until the brutal, bloody, practice of dogfighting. thought to have been on the ab after it became a federal felony back in 2007.

it's back. now in the shadows, but growing, thanks to the internet, where hundreds of thousands of dollars may change hands and as mingle match. isabelle rosalis rode with officials estimate one of the biggest single day busts ever. we want to warn you, some of the images of the dogs are about to see, they're disturbing. disturbing. >> reporter: it's pitch black, outside a south carolina. church at the ready, are dozens of law enforcement officers. today, they're seizing fighting dogs. behind them -- >> i'm definitely anxious, always anxious to see the logs. >> reporter: we ride along with the federal prosecutor overseeing the case. >> it's heartbreaking. i get emotional. >> reporter: emotional because of health vicious dog fighting. is made all the more clear and court documents. dogs who have fought may have potential wounds, swollen faces, or medical errors. and one case, prosecutors say

owner killed his dog by hanging it. authorities found us contraption made from jumper cables, allegedly used to electrocute dogs inside the home of a pentagon employee. this cnn exclusive video, evidence from a closed, case shows two dogs getting ready to fight. the illegal sport has spiked federal interest. last year, officials seized roughly 400 dogs from suspected fighting rinks. more than any other years and 2007. according to a cnn review of the civil for teachers. jane taylor tells me she was a lifelong narcotics prosecutor until she first saw the injuries of fight and 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 arrive 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 any sort of scarring, any fresh wounds. i'm also looking for what i call dogfight in paraphernalia. >> reporter: like these treadmills to make the dogs stronger and faster. >> and something called spring poles were at the dog jump up. it's supposed to strengthen their jaws. >> reporter: experts photography taught them a heavy chains and waited collars to increase their strength. some dog fighters inject their animals will throughout your vitamins to increase aggression. and before a big fight, some flight and dogs or starved to keep them in their weight class, like a boxer. tucked away in this wooded area, federal agents found the first of roughly 120 pitbulls that would be seized. and what will turn out to be south carolina's second largest single day seizure of five in dogs ever, say investigators. they are photographed and loaded into trailers to get medical care and shelter. >> when we go on a property,

they'll wag their tail, they haven't had any friendly interaction. >> reporter: major frank o'neill with the south carolina state law enforcement deficient. >> they have been abused -- >> reporter: people are making a lot of money off. this my opinion, even $1 is too much to be making money off this. >> reporter: and there are plenty of ways to get paid. according to court documents, south carolina, participants paid $200,000 to have their animals fight against the top dog. another fight him dog over a $50,000. the owner of a champion dog could make even more money. on seamen, stud fees, and puppies. >> many -- have to find gambling of these dogs. these dogs are very expensive. they're going to have weapons. and if we have not already arrested van, 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 there is about 12 dogs. >> reporter: dog fighting became a felony at the federal level back in 2007. the maximum sentence a suspect can face is five years in federal prison. meanwhile for the animals, experts say some dogs are too aggressive to rehabilitate. but others can be adopted and get a second chance at life. isabelle rosales, cnn, atlanta. >> just ahead, story we 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 la quinta fishermen happened to randomly spot bodies car in the distance. the story of this incredible rescscue, next..

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tonight, a miraculous story of survival. a man was trapped in his truck for nearly a week, unable to move after an accident. he was on the brink of death. no one could see or hear him. then, a phenomenal thing happened. cnn's athena jones has the story. >> quite frankly, it's a miracle that he's alive. >> reporter: a christmas miracle in porter county, indiana. matt ream, found alive in his mangled truck six days after a crash-- under a bridge of interstate 94 a mile east of the town of portage, was not visible from the road. fortunately for ream, 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 airbag, and there was a body in their. and i want to touch it, and he turned around. and that just --

it almost killed me there, because it was kind of shocking. but he was alive, and he was very happy to see us. >> the injured man later told authorities he had not been able to reach his cell phone to call for help. >> he mentioned he'd been there since last wednesday. so he's been there for a while. and he says he tried yelling and screaming, but nobody would hear him. it was just quiet just the sound of the water. >> reporter: authorities closed the westbound lanes of i-94 tuesday afternoon we'll crews worked to free ream. he was transported to the hospital by helicopter. it's not clear what caused the crash, but it appears ream was driving westbound, and ran off the road, travelling along the grass shoulder, before going airborne down into the creek, where authorities believe his car rolled over several times and landed under the bridge,

where it was partially submerged. >> i don't see any way someone could've seen him. it was just a very fortunate that we saw him through the cracks of the woods, the shining of the wreck. curiosity took us over there. >> this is a miracle that this gentleman is alive today and that these two gentlemen just happened to be on that creek today. >> reporter: another lucky break, relatively mild weather. temperatures since december 21st ran from a high of 59 degrees to a low of 29. >> we've been lucky enough to get this christmas season that our temperatures have been, as you know, above normal. so that was working in this individual's favor. it's cold tonight, and i don't believe that he would've made it through the night tonight. >> reporter: ream has several broken bones and injuries to his legs that could require surgery, according to his labor union, and a gofundme page set up to help with the cost of his recovery. >> we're glad we got him the help he needed. >> reporter: a happy ending made possible by two men who were in the right place at the right time. >> for me, it was my first time going back. we were put there for a reason. >> a miracle. anita jones is with me now.

how is the men doing tonight? >> he's in critical condition in the hospital, he's asking for privacy for himself and his family and friends wait he processes everything he went through since last wednesday, nearly a week, as we pointed out. he says he knows he has the story to tell, but he's not ready to tell it yet. when he is -- until then, he wanted to share this message. the message is, no matter how tough things are, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. sometimes, in the least expected way. >> wow. all right, well wishing the best to him. thank you so much. still ahead, the detroit pistons made nba history last night, just not the way they hoped. details next.

so, it's difficult for a two-win season to get much worse, but the nba is this detroit pistons are now owners of the longest single season losing streak in league history. after their 1:18 to 1:12 defeat by the nets last night, that losing streak is now at 27 straight games. frankly, it could get worse. one more loss, and they tie the nba's overall record losing streak, which was over two seasons, 28 games. the next game, tomorrow night, against the boston celtics, the best team in history, and in

nba now. the game is in boston. all right. our favorite senior data reporter is with me now to talk about just how bad this all is. i feel badly for the pistons right now. but the fact of the matter is, detroit's got some experience with record losing. >> they absolutely do. beyond the pistons, think about the lions who a few years ago won exactly zero games in a season. or talk about the detroit tigers, who about 20 years ago, lost an american league record amount of games. so this has been essentially that could be -- during that intro, bless their hearts. >> the pistons, historically, are a pretty good team. -- fifth or sixth in the all-time list of titles. but, it's gotten so bad for them in terms of streaks with teams who never win. where did they fall? >> if you are a cardinal fan, if you've been following the

arizona cardinals, they haven't won an nfl title since 1947. -- only player to ever pumped for a touchdown anna -- think about the cleveland guardians who haven't won a world series since 1948. or how about the sacramento kings? the last time they won an nba title in the 1950s, they were known as the rochester royals. if -- you know we're talking about a really long time. >>obscure stuff right there. i'm a red sox fan. they had an incredible draft. not lately, they won four world series the century. and your bills, man, not doing well. >> no. the buffalo bills have never won a super bowl, but i swear this is going to be the year, john. the bills have never won a super bowl. i have real faith. and you mention the boston red sox. when i had a kid -- world series title between 1908 and 2003. they finally broke it in 2004.

so we're used to losing, our hearts go out to those fine folks in detroit, and maybe they will win a game sooner enough. maybe. he's pulling for detroit. >> all right. that's a tough start here. one of the worst sports stories of the. but we can't on the program like that, so here are some of the best sports stories of the. here is tom. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> the best nfl team was the kansas city chiefs, who edged out the philadelphia eagles in a barn burner. >> this was just two points shy of tying the highest scoring super bowl ever. >> and the rihanna halftime show. are you kidding me? she did it pregnant? >> i think this game represented the takeover. with tom brady retiring, this was now patrick mahomes lead. >> breaking news right now. i say century on the field during the cincinnati bengals game.

>> the best comeback from the worst moment? give that to buffalo's damar hamlin, who suffered a terrifying cardiac arrest at the start of the year, but was back on the field this fall. >> i didn't think it was possible. >> -- the arizona diamondbacks ringgold into the world series only to be run over by the texas rangers and five games. >> the texas rangers are really, really good. >> when it's not a competitive world series, it's not as much fun. >> in the nba, laker lebron james made the best basket. the one that took him past kareem, carl, colby, and michael to grab the all-time scoring record. >> the oldest player in the league, he's in his 21st season. that's crazy. >> but the best team was the denver nuggets, who cooled off the miami heat to take home the mile high city's first nba trophy. >> -- star of the show. he became the final mvp.

>> and in the nhl, at the vegas golden knights slayed the florida panthers to seize the holy grail of hockey. the stanley cup. >> makes you think about all those kids who grew up skating on the frozen ponds around las vegas and in florida. >> -- undefeated georgia bulldogs grab a second straight football championship. >> go dogs. >> the frozen pause in las vegas -- >> how many times were we in that segment? >> not nearly enough. they cut out some of my best there. thankfully, tom foreman will have much more. thank you very much. you can catch all the best, all the way this friday at ten pm eastern, and pacific with tom foreman right here on cnn. the news continues with the source with kaitlan collins starting now.