shame for the league to allow this. >> if that's the case, let us know so we don't show up for the game. just give them the win. it was not fair tonight. this is not happening first time for us. scottie barns is going to be the faces of this league. and what's happening here, i have been calling it back. it's a complete crap. >> probably going to see a fine for that comment. and one fan had a heck of a night. $100,000 for that half-court shot right there. it was only the third time in his life he said he's made a half-court shot. and that's a progressive jackpot. now it goes down to $25,000. i feel bad for the person if they make the next shot because they get $75,000 less. >> that's pretty awesome though. how often? congrats to him. i love it. . >> andy scholes, thank you very much for that.

thanks to all of you as well for joining us. i'm kasie hunt. don't go anywhere. "cnn this morning" starts right now. good morning, everyone. i'm poppy harlow with phil mattingly. in iowa, a make or break moment for nikki haley and ron desantis, the two will face off. will another trump debate move the needle. >> the arguments his lawyers made during the immunity claim hearing in washington, d.c., including the argument that a president could be immune from criminal prosecution even if he had a political rival assassinated. a major storm is moving through the northeast. there are more than 300 storm reports monday and tuesday combined. we're going to look at the damage the system left behind and what it could unleash in the coming hours. "cnn this morning" starts right now.

nikki haley and ron desantis about to get one of their final chances to change the dynamics of this race before the iowa caucuses. for the first time donald trump's two top rivals will be going head to head alone on the debate stage in des moines and it will all be right here tonight on cnn. trump is skipping the debate once again. >> haley is riding a wave of momentum after a new cnn poll showed her gaining serious ground on trump in new hampshire and meanwhile, desantis has been sharpening his attacks against haley on the campaign trail in iowa. last night he highlighted the recent gaffes he said she made, like failing to mention slavery as the cause of the civil war. >> she had a period where media was enoufluffing her. now she's in a period she's getting scrutiny of and it's like almost every day she answers questions, something happens where she's putting her foot in her mouth. she can't handle the scrutiny and can't defend her record, and

that's why she rarely answers questions. i guess he's not even answering voters' questions anymore. >> live from drake university, tonight's debate venue. for people wondering do i need to watch this, trump is up 30, 40 points right now, it is a one-on-one debate, these two going at each other the last several weeks. what's at stake here? >> the stakes are so high, phil and poppy, because this forum gives governor desantis and nikki haley the opportunity to emerge as the clear trump alternative for undecided voters. one thing is for sure, the sense i get on the ground here, is a lot of iowaens will be watching tonight and they, of course, are the most important audience. the final gop presidential debate before the iowa caucus is tonight, and all eyes are on the two leading contenders to

challenge former president donald trump. governor ron desantis and nikki haley. >> i like being under estimated, so, you know, i could sit here and say this, but you know what, i think that being the underdog suit mess better. buckle up. i think it's going to be an interesting ride. >> reporter: this is the first and only time the two will debate one on one before next week's iowa caucus. >> i have done 150-plus town halls, answering every question, shaking every hand, staying until the last person leaves, and it has come to this moment. don't complain about what happens in a general election if you don't play in this caucus. it matters. >> reporter: in the final days of campaigning, iowans dealing with a massive snowstorm and possible below zero temperatures on caucus night. >> it does make it more difficult, particularly for senior citizens. i think if we get a snowstorm on top of those temperatures it will hold down turnout. otherwise i don't thinkful have

much impact. >> reporter: former president trump will be back in iowa tonight, shifting his attacks to his former u.n. ambassador. trump's team reportedly taking her strong showing in some polls seriously. >> if nikki haley got her way, most seniors would work their entire lives right up until the end and not live long enough to receive the benefits they earned and paid for. >> reporter: desantis also taking aim at haley. >> you don't win as a republican when you don't stand for anything. it's like almost every day she answers questions, something happens where she's putting her foot in her mouth. >> reporter: on trump, desantis avoids weighing in on his legal cases. instead, criticizing his recent stance on abortion. >> the former president trump, who said he was pro-life, he attacked pro-life legislation like the heartbeat bill in iowa and said it was a terrible, terrible thing. >> reporter: and in new hampshire, chris christie, facing growing calls for him to drop out and help coalesce

support behind haley. christi is vowing to stay in the race and says haley is already looking ahead to the next presidential election >> she's not trying to beat him. she's hoping that lightning strikes, but how do you beat somebody if you won't say why they don't belong being president? i'll make it clear. he's unfit. she's playing for 2028. >> reporter: now, there are some that dismiss debates as not all that important, but i can tell you that being at nikki haley's town halls when you speak to voters, many say they were attracted to her campaign based on her debate performances, so tonight could prove to be consequential for both of these candidates. phil, poppy? >> for sure. thank you for the preview. everyone looking forward to it tonight. let's bring in senior political commentator and former trump campaign adviser and a political adviser of the 2020

biden-harris campaign. let's start with you, i think this is a fascinating moment in a race up to this point has not looked close at all. nikki haley is surging in new hampshire. ron desantis has put it on iowa. finally they're going one on one against one another. >> yes. if i were them, i would take this opportunity almost to team up and go after trump and say to your point, ron desantis, i'm going to win iowa and nikki haley, and tell republican voters this is what the rest of the primary could look like, two new candidates debating on issues and going up against joe biden. they won't do that because they're really playing for second right now, but when you play for second you aren't the winner, and so i don't understand how they think they're going to, you know, overcome donald trump if they won't go directly at him. this is the last time to do it, you know. >> they won't do that, but nikki haley is within 7 points of donald trump in new hampshire, and as eva just said a lot of people have been attracted to

her ability on the debate stage. is trump nervous? >> i don't think the former president ever gets nervous, right. that's not in his dna. i think tonight will be must-see tv. you're asking does it matter? it matterrs a lot. this is the first time you will see them head to head. ramaswamy is not up there. haley has been going with ramaswamy and duking it out. they get their shots in on the side. the two folks up there, one on one, anything can happen in new hampshire. but iowa, the caucus, the way the caucuses work are very, very different, as you know. we're going to have bad weather as you heard on one of the previous people there on the tv said, you have to drag people to the caucus, vote, it's going to be tough. these caucuses -- you go yet a good caucus captain, twisting people's arms. the outcome can be different than what you expect in new hampshire you have independents and democrats voting so haley will get this bump. if she does well in iowa, she

exceeds expectations and finishes in the mid 20s i will he' say, high to mid 20s, and gets in the 30s or 40s, they could still have a horse race for a while. >> whatever trump's definition of nervous is for him, jittery. >> i've been around the former president a bunch and never seen him nervous. >> maybe that's the problem. >> the charges didn't seem to fluster -- >> i'm not sure he's worried about nikki haley or ron desantis at this point. >> chill given the legal issues he's dealing with. to david's point, why a one-on-one debate is while yes, it's a battle for second, trump is well out ahead, it's a battle for the alternative. can they get a single alternative where voters vote. part of that has been trying to press chris christie to drop out. particularly in new hampshire, his voters in large part, the new cnn poll showed it, head to haley and give her a boost. there's been a back and forth between chris sununu a haley booster and chris christie and it's fascinating.

listen. >> let's say i dropped out of the race right now, and i supported nikki haley, and then three months from now, four months from now, we get ready to go to the convention, she comes out as his vice president. what will i look like? what will all the people who supported her at my behest look like? >> members of his leadership team here in new hampshire are having those discussions with him, and that's the right folks to do it. i think those discussions are happening, i know they are, with folks on his steering committee. a couple have already left. so again, i think that's just kind of the writing is on the wall. >> chris christie's campaign has denied those discussions are happening. chris christie called chris sununu a liar. chris christie and chris sununu used to get along. i think what sununu is doing is making it more likely chris

christie stays in the race out of pure hatred than anything else. >> first i want to say, it wouldn't be a one-on-one matchup if the leading contender and the former president actually showed up to a debate. i mean, he is still in the race, but he refuses to debate, which is telling in and of itself of how serious he's taking this race and the other candidates. to the point on new hampshire, we knew this republican field at some point was going to have to consolidate. i have to be honest f i'm chris christie, i'm not going to drop out before iowa because i made this point before, but i think chris christie is helping nikki haley right now by staying in the race because he's the only one going after donald trump. if you're not going to -- nikki haley won't punch at donald trump, you need someone in the race and i do think chris christie's attacks are landing in some ways with new hampshire voters. do i think nikki haley can win new hampshire without -- with chris christie in the race? makes it a whole lot harder, but in this moment, his presence in the race actually does help

nikki haley. >> do you agree with that? >> look, again, i think this is all kind of academic at some point, right. i don't think that donald trump is going anywhere. i think he's so far ahead in the polls, alison, he doesn't debate because why would you when you're 40 points up. if i was advising him, i would say don't show up. doesn't make any sense. if you're -- there's been enough campaigns. i don't think it's going to change. i don't think this is going to change. the trials, the continued appearance, the former president -- >> helping fund raise. >> helps him fundraise and keeps him in the news and sucks the oxygen out of the room, and he loves it. he will be here in new york today, and he will be front and center in the news everywhere, and the side show is, you know, what's going on in the background and the primaries here in new hampshire and iowa. i don't think he's going to lose either place. i don't think he's going to lose in south carolina. this race could be over by the end of this month when we're done on the 24th the day after

new hampshire. >> it's possible, but it's also reflective of an effective primary strategy, whether or not that plays in the general is an open question. stick around. a lot more to get to on the political front. don't forget tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern, jake tapper and dana bash monitoring the republican debate live from iowa. the morning after for tens of millions of americans, really dangerous storm system bringing heavy rain, flooding, triggering power outages up and down the east coast. many people pulled from their vehicles on flooded streets in maryland. we'll look at that. at last check more than 1300 flights have been canceled. >> all of this is unfolding as storm-ravaged florida begins to clean up from more storm damage. it's believed at least a dozen tornadoes carved a path of destruction. derek van dam is live for us in florida. what kind of damage are you looking at. >> reporter: check this out. the metal on this truck peeled back like a can opener was taken to the side of it.

this home behind me over my right shoulder that used to be a living room. you can see the sofa over my right-hand shoulder. this is part of a very hyper active weather pattern where mother nature threw everything she had at us and the results were horrendous. take a listen. severe winter storms impacted much of the eastern united states on tuesday, bringing power outages, heavy rainfall and high winds to millions. >> is everyone okay? >> reporter: multiple tornados swept through florida's panhandle, leveling homes and businesses. in panama city beach, tornadoes left a trail of destruction, twisted metal, and a reminder how brutal storms can be. this home seen tilting was knocked off its foundation due to the severe winds. florida governor ron desantis declaring a state of emergency for 49 of the state's 67 counties. >> we have the resources needed to help impacted counties and impacted floridians.

>> reporter: in the northeast, widespread rainfall fueling flooding fears. >> i urge all residents to use extreme caution. >> we're preparing for the worst. >> reporter: since monday, heavy rain, high winds, and tornados have been reported across the southern and eastern united states causing various weather impacts. these storms have knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people in the south and northeast. and also caused major disruptions to air travel across the country. on tuesday, flight aware reported more than 2,200 flights were canceled and more than 23,000 flights delayed nationwide. as the storms passed through, the time for cleaning up begins in many of these communities. in bamburg, south carolina, police rope off parts of downtown as emergency crews assess the damage caused by a possible tornado. and in cottonwood, alabama, residents begin to pick up the pieces, neighbor helping neighbor.

>> we have to help each other. i mean, i haven't seen anything like this. >> reporter: and if you're along anywhere throughout the eastern seaboard you know this storm was not just about tornadoes. across the florida panhandle it was about the coastal flooding and inland flooding along with gusty winds in excess of 70 miles per hour. we have had what is called an atmospheric river impact the east coast with a deluge of rain, and that has caused river gauges to spike, 13 river gauges across the northeast at major flood stage. the good news is, the storm is starting to wrap up, but there's still a lot of energy around the system and that means more wind for the day today. washington to new york as well as boston could gust upwards of 50 miles per hour, and i just want to give you a head's up, this is going to be another battleground between two air masses across the southeast from friday into saturday. another round of brutal severe weather expected in the forecast. poppy, phil?

>> quite sight out our window at dinner. thank you, derek. appreciate it. it was a disturbing, to say the least, former president legal's team suggesting that even a president who had a political rival assassinated could be immune from criminal prosecution. much more on the arguments made during trump's immunity hearing. plus -- we're going to approach this, number one, acknowledging our mistake. >> that's significant. the c ceo of boeing speaking to their employees, acknowledging a mistake was made after part of one of their plane blew off on friday. more of the investigation ahead.

i feel that as a president, you have to have immunity, very simple. >> former president trump arguing to a federal appeals court he has sweeping immunity from criminal prosecution for any action taken as president including the efforts to overturn the 2020 election. the judges quite skeptical of trump's lawyers' arguments he cannot be prosecuted unless convicted and impeached in congress first even if that includes selling pardons and

assassinating political rivals. seriously. >> i ask you a yes or no question, could a president who ordered s.e.a.l. team 6 to assassinate a political rival who was not impeached, could he be subject to criminal prosecution? >> if he were impeached and convicted first. >> your answer is no. >> yes. there is a process that has to occur under our constitution. >> trump's lawyer painted a picture of what he calls a pandora's box of indicting former presidents for actions taken while they're in office. listen to that. >> the notion that criminal immunity for a president doesn't exist is a shocking ruling and would authorize the indictment of president biden in the western district of texas after he leaves office for a mismanaging the border allegedly. >> special counsel jack smith's team argued no president is above the law and had this to say about the arguments from the other side. >> if, as i understood my friend

on the other side to say here, a president orders his seal team to assassinate a political rival and resigns, for example, before an impeachment not a criminal act. the president sells a pardon, resigns or not impeached, not a crime. i think that is extraordinarily frightening fewer. >> cnn illegal analyst elie honig is with us. good morning. riveting i thought to listen to the entire thing yesterday. talk to us about the core argument on both sides. >> we got to nerd out. it was glorious. the nation got to see our criminal justice process in action. high level. well done by all the judges and lawyers yesterday. let's talk about the arguments. now, donald trump's team in the written briefs, the memos they submit before the hearing they made this argument, they said donald trump is immune here because what he's charged with doing fell within the outer perimeter of his job as the president. that was what he said going into the argument. that's what i was expecting to

hear yesterday. we got a little bit of a curveball in what he actually featured as his argument. instead, trump's lawyers came up with this sort of new formulation where the only way a president or a former president can be indicted if he is first impeached in the house, then convicted in the senate, and then and only then, according to trump's attorneys, can he be prosecuted. the problem is that led them to the outrageous results where a president could commit murder or sell military secrets, as long as he's not impeached and convicted there's nothing that can be done. let's look at the prosecutor's arguments, the doj arguments. they started with an if or. there's no absolute immunity, it does not exist, but that could lead to problems, right. is it going to lead to this sort of slippery slope where presidents are getting indicted willy flilly. they came up with this other argument they had in their briefs as well, okay, the president's covered for what he does inside that scope, but what trump did here, they're saying, was outside the scope.

those were the competing arguments that judges will now be considering. >> it took about five minutes to go back to the congressional record of the impeachment where trump's own counsel said no, he can be charged after office, but in terms of precedent here, we say there's not a lot. is there anything we can lean on? >> there is. it's interesting. there was talk about ancient cases. marbury versus madison, the first case you learn in law school that goes way back. i want to point to a couple recent examples that may give us an indication here. we've seen other people claim what they did was within the scope of their jobs, not immunity, but mark meadows and jeffery clark, for example, they're both charged in georgia state court in the fulton county case and argued they're entitled to go over to federal court because what they were doing was within the scope of their jobs as chief of staff and at doj. those arguments over too. both rejected. donald trump himself, he's being sued civil valley, not criminally, over january 6th by police officers and the d.c. circuit court of appeals, same court, different judges, same court we heard yesterday, rejected that and said no he was not within the scope.

people who have tried to claim what they were doing was within the scope are 0 for 3 so far. that's telling. >> it is. i wonder what happens next and crucially when? this is all about can jack smith proceed with this case before the election is over? >> we need to look up and down. here's where we were yesterday. let's assume trump loses, whoever loses is going to, of course, try to take this case up to the supreme court. we don't know if they're going to take it or not. really important, jack smith is urging the district court to be given the ball back. he wants the court of appeals to say district court they've been frozen while waiting for the appeals, unfreeze, you can resume prepping for trial. we're going to see potentially the supreme court taking this case and potentially the trial court getting back on track. >> it will be fascinating couple weeks ahead, months as well possibly. elie honig, thank you. defense secretary lloyd austin is now revealing why he was hospitalized. the question remains, why did the people at the top not know? we're going to show you the

moment an armed group of men stormed a tv station in ecuador while the news was live. why violence is breakiking out across thahat country.y. that's a ahead. all citizens.

today there are attacked in keto, everywhere. >> we are deeply saddened to see this reality. what we are seeing now, i know

innocent people have been attacked and we don't know how to react to it. >> this morning, chaos erupting in ecuador after the country's president declares a state of emergency and authorizes the military to neutralize gangs amid a wave of nationwide violence. one of those terrifying incidents included a group of armed men storming a television studio yesterday interrupting a live broadcast, forcing staff on to the ground. police moved in and they arrested 13 gunmen and rescued the employees. overnight, explosion, kidnappings, and prison incidents increased. patrick oppmann following developments and joins us live this morning. stunning what has happened and how rapidly it has increased. >> it's a country on the edge and we've seen now for years ecuador had been largely spared the drug violence that its president and the rest of the region that gangs have taken control of the country. ganges affiliated with powerful international drug cartels and

increasingly trying to challenge the government's authority. when one of the most notorious gang leaders walked out of prison and his escape was announced on sunday, you saw the president of ecuador announce a state of emergency and massive manhunt for this leader known as fito. the gangs responded with this wave of violence that included just the shocking scenes of armed criminals walking in to a tv station, forcing the staff to the ground, pointing guns at them and some of the staff after they were rescued recounted what took place. >> translator: they wanted to enter the studio so that we could say what they wanted, i guess their message. then we settled in a safe place. when they entered they insulted us, but we managed to get in a safe place. >> reporter: and those journalists who were held hostage for the better part of an hour or two said that while

they managed to be rescued, at least one of their colleagues was shot a cameraman, police confirming that ten people throughout ecuador, at least ten people, were killed in the latest wave of violence. the president says he is not backing down, that they will neutralize these gangs, which he labeled as terrorist groups, but, you know, there are curfews taking place, there is a manhunt with over 3,000 officers and military officials looking for this escaped criminal, sort of the pablo escobar of ecuador and a country now fighting for its survival. >> thank you for the report. former president trump warning of bedlam if he's not granted immunity from prosecution. how his use of the courtroom on the campmpaign may be payingng inin the primaries. .

i think they feel this is the way they're going to try to win, and that's not the way it goes. it will be bedlam in the country. it's a very bad thing. it's a very bad precedent as we say. it's the opening of a pandora's box former president trump with an ominous warning if he is not granted immunity from criminal prosecution but did remain silent whether he would do anything to stop any potential

bedlam. >> you used the word bedlam. will you tell your supporters now, no matter what, no violence? >> that silence, which was a decision, comes after he chose to attend a hearing in his federal criminal trial in washington yesterday, rather than campaign in iowa, the iowa caucuses are a few days away, but that choice was also a campaign decision is, not just a legal one. trump has had his two biggest fundraising days when he had criminal proceedings in his cases. he raised a million dollars when he was in a manhattan court when charged with financial fraud, and he did it again in his attempt to overturn the 2020 election. he didn't have to be there yesterday. he chose. let's bring in political commentator former trump campaign adviser david urban and ashley allison, a coalition

director for the 2020 biden-harris campaign. david, to that point and the reason i'm fixated i get where the primary is at, tell me how this matters in the fall. >> if -- this has been effective in fundraising and rallying his people and effective in a primary. are they thinking through how this plays when he's locked in a courtroom as he has to be in a general election? >> i don't think we're there yet. i think they want to make sure he is the nominee and i think they're trying to get it wrapped up sooner rather than later. i think the campaign strategy thus far has been let's get this primary over very quickly so we can pivot to the general election campaign. i don't think that's been high on the list, phil, in terms of trying to expand the voter pool and move past the primary. i think they're going to try -- yesterday went than it did, i don't think it went particularly well. it got sidetracked. some of the questions asked by the court, can you kill somebody and get away with it, the president's lawyers should have

said clearly not. i think they should have stuck to the scope of the presidential duties argument. tfltsds have been a better day for them. the president saw the tape there kind of flat. usually pretty robust in his comments and combative, and he was flat there yesterday. he looked like he knew he didn't have a good day. >> what does this do to what the biden campaign has chosen to focus on, saving democracy? >> yeah. it's interesting, trump gets sdooitsed and able to raise a million dollars, but joe biden after giving his speech in valley forge was also able -- around protecting democracy, was able to raise a million dollars. i think it is an issue that american public will pay attention to if it is a biden-trump runoff and it's exactly what biden campaign wants to run against. donald trump is a threat to our democracy, that is not a fiction, that is not a campaign slogan. it is accurate. we saw what happened on january 6th. we saw the arguments his

attorneys made yesterday -- >> you saw the silence after. will you ensure no violence. >> this is the person that could potentially be the republican nominee and could be re-elected. so the fact that the biden campaign is doubling down on their democracy argument is important. it can't be the only argument that the biden campaign makes. >> worried it is? >> no. i don't. i don't think it is. because what we are going to see coming up in the next supreme court hearings will be -- we have two abortion cases around miff pris stone, we have other issues that are going to be around immigration that will be part of the conversation and, of course, the economy. we've seen cycle after cycle that american voters are no longer one issue voters. they are complex individuals who want a comprehensive individual who wants to talk about issues that affect many parts of their life. >> i was going to say, i know with the -- with the biden

campaign, their democracy is where they're hanging their hat moving forward and the argument has been made and i think they're continuing to be made, but you see poll after poll right now in michigan and, you know, the president is lagging the former president. trump is ahead in all these polls despite these arguments being made. >> he wasn't before -- >> in 2016 and 2020 we've never been ahead in the poll. never one poll not once. not one second. if i were the biden folks i would be terrified at this point. i think it's illustrative that -- you see everybody, cli byrne, saying it's not getting through. we're not breaking through the wall. we have to do something better. pelosi. everyone who is in leadership in the party is kind of shouting at the white house, we have to change. we have to do something. it's not working. >> i agree that, one, i don't think voters are necessarily paying attention to the 2024 election up to this point, and i think the people will start to pivot and pay attention to what the biden campaign and whoever

the republican nominee is doing. i agree with you, i think that -- that's why i don't think it can just be about democracy. >> mark it down. rare moment. >> 6:42 on a wednesday. first and probably last. >> i think that he is going -- the biden campaign, the biden administration and campaign r going to have to present a theory of the case for the future. we want to protect our democracy so that we can improve the quality of your lives in a transformative way for all americans, for black americans, white americans, for young people, for old people. so, you know, i think they're going to begin to start rolling some of those things out. i think you're going to start see things coming from the executive branch. also talk about the lack of effectiveness of congress and that if you give me a trifecta, which is going to be hard, this is what i can do for you. >> still bumping up against the courts for a lot of things he's been trying to do. thank you, guys. moment of agreement. we'll take it. >> big day for us. up next, the new feature

facebook, and its parent company is rolling out to protect younger users. jailed kremlin critic alexei navalny has made his first appearance from the penal colony he was moved to last month. there was concern after his team --. back in a moment. .

big development on the front overnight. meta is adding new safety features for teens on facebook and instagram. these include content restrictions, hiding search results related to self-harm or suicide, and this comes after months of meta facing fierce scrutiny over the impact of their products on teenagers.

meg tirrell with us now. is this a significant change that will help kids? >> it sounds like it is a pretty significant change. meta has had a lot of protections, they say, in place for teen users, but a lot of pressure has been mounting on them recently. what they're doing is adding more protection. around search terms like self-harm and suicides and eating disorders they will hide more content, even among people that teens follow on these platforms. they're not going to show them if somebody posts about those things. they're automatically setting teens in the most restrictive content setting. it's when you sign up they put you in that setting. they're going to do it for all teens automatically and they will be sending notifications to prompt teens to update their privacy settings with a single tap. this comes amid this backdrop that started a couple years ago with the francis hogan facebook papers coming out which blew the whistle including on things like young girls self-image. that was one thing that was really focused on there. of course, in the middle of last year the surgen general put out

an advisory about kids' mental health and social media, states have sued meta alleging harm to children and a second whistleblower at the end of last year saying meta executives alleging that they knew about these kinds of harms and weren't acting on them. there's also federal legislation pending. so these companies are under a lot of pressure. >> one of the elements of what's being announced is they're going to direct teens to more resources. what does that mean? >> yeah. so now, when somebody either posts about these topics or searches for these topic, instead of showing them results they'll see a page, you can see it here, that will direct them to resources. also when somebody posts about something like this, they'll be directed to resources. it's really trying to make sure that kids are seeing things that will help them instead of things that will sort of perpetuate these things to put them in a downward spiral. >> hope it is helpful for a lot of people. thank you, meg. quarterback aaron rodgers given the opportunity to clear the air with talk show host kimmel claiming he was

associated with jeffrey epstein. what he said and did not say. >> it's a make or break night for two white house hopefuls. cnn hosts the republican presidential debate. we are live in des moines, iowa, with a preview.

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with the largest fastest reliable network. give your business a head start in 2024 with this great offer. plus, ask how to get up to $1000 prepaid card with qualifying internet. i said that a lot of people, and i'm quoting myself here, a lot of people, including jimmy kimmel, are really hoping that doesn't come out. end quote. i totally understand how serious an allegation of pedophilia would be. for him to be upset about that, i get it. did you watch the quote?

i'm not stupid enough to accuse you of that with absolutely zero evidence, concrete evidence, that's ridiculous. i think it's impressive that a man who went to arizona state and has ten joke writers can read off a prompter. >> it is the apology that wasn't. new york jets quarterback aaron rodgers went back on the pat mcafee show yesterday. >> it was his chance to clear the air with jimmy kimmel after he clearly and baselessly implied the comedian was associated with jeffrey epstein. instead, rodgers took digs at kimmel, claimed he was being censored, railed on the woke establishments and made disparaging comments about dr. anthony fauci. joining us sara fisher. look, i'm not surprised as somebody who follows aaron rodgers and his appearances on the show. i think what i'm more intrigued by is this was like a half hour deal on a sports show that

people listen to for sports. how is -- like from a business perspective i don't understand how that's something that can work? >> people don't just listen to it for sports, phil. that's the thing. remember, when espn paid pat mcafee to license his show, they were looking to tap into young, internet culture and part of that is taking big sports celebrities and athletes and putting them on your show and getting their opinion about whatever it is in their life. obviously, that presents a problem for espn, and its parent company disney. if the person you're having on is spewing anti-vaccine conspiracies or blaming one of your fellow pieces of talent for something he didn't do, it's not proven he did. at the end of the day this is zits geist for them, bringing more eyeballs for espn at a time when cable is threatened this isn't the world's worst problem they have. >> that's an interesting point. they don't produce the show,

espn, they license it, right? and they -- not held to the same standards as a news show or abc news which is part of the bigger company. because you think this is potentially good for business, do you think we see more of this? >> yes. pat mcafee i don't think is going to fundamentally change. i don't think he's going to stop having aaron rodgers on. if it means they're going to get engagement and eyeballs i don't think this ends. however, disney is a family brand, and so i think that they are going to try to draw the line at some point, most likely with things like vaccine misinformation or, you know, making allegations against someone that could threaten a lawsuit or things like that. they don't want to get into that territory. i don't know how they're going to handle that with pat mcafee. the whole agreement is setup so pat mcafee can remain independent. when he went to espn, his fans were outraged. they didn't want him to be censored or have to bow to corporate media. how do you handle this with pat mcafee without isolating him and putting him in a position where he might not renew his contract.

>> fascinating thing the last couple days the power dynamic between talent, if you want to use that, pat mcafee, and espn. he's calling out the disney executive. the difference between what talent at espn did where they kept everything in-house and they couldn't really say anything about the parent company, couldn't do anything, he's directly attacking one of the longest serving executives at espn right now. it is a different power dynamic at that company than i've ever seen before. >> yes. but phil, they're backed into a corner. i mean, espn is the most expensive channel in the cable bundle and people are cutting the cord at a rate we've never seen. unless espn can tap into a younger audience, more digital audience, they're not going to be able to sell people subscriptions in the digital world. this is a new dynamic but we're in a new landscape and they can't afford to play by the old rules. >> he clearly knows his power, especially in a moment like this. thank you so much for the

analysis. "cnn this morning" continues right now. >> we're going to maximize every opportunity we have between now and caucus night to get the job done. >> cnn hosting the last republican presidential debate. >> don't complain about what happens in a general election if you don't play in this caucus. >> taking his campaign to court makes the polls go up. >> chris christie can't exist anymore if your goal is to get rid of donald trump. flooding, high winds and power outages. tens of millions of americans under the threat of severe weather. >> sustained winds with gusts that will be over 70 miles an hour. when you get over 70, it's a very dangerous situation. >> we're preparing for the worst. as a president, you have to have immunity. simple. >> donald trump making his case in court and not ruling out violence if his cases move ahead. the president orders murder and cannot be prosecuted. they've sort of invented this argument. >> even if trump loses on the merits he may win on the tactics. >> what could stand between him and the prescy