>> fani willis under fire about to be subpoenaed. >> trump officially joining the push to get fani willis dismissed. this is more than just about an alleged romance, this is about the potential of a misuse of funds. >> good friday morning. it is top of the hour. and there he goes again. donald trump dropping a bomb on a bipartisan border deal, not everyone trying to hide why. posting "a border deal now would be another gift to radical left democrats. they need it politically but don't care about our border." >> and the former president trying to crush a border deal because it might help democrats. republican senator mitt romney echoing disappointment and anger felt by many of his fellow republicans in the senate. >> he doesn't want us to solve the border problem because he wants to blame biden for it is

really appalling. >> trump is interested in using his sway in that way and also calling on all willing states to deploy their national guards to then propel migrants at the border backing governor abbott and his escalating battle with the biden administration over the border. abbott is defying a supreme court ruling that allows officials to remove razor wire from what texas placed. >> and we start off with lauren fox in washington. you have been talking to senate republicans, house republicans, to aides. many who worked on this issue for years. what are they saying right now? >> reporter: yeah, it is so important to remind people that we do not have text of this legislation at this point. and yet donald trump is out there as sailing it making it incredibly difficult to clinch this final agreement and get the votes even in the united states senate to actually get it across the finish line. yesterday you had a number of republicans who have work order this issue or have been on

capitol hill a long time arguing that donald trumporder this issue or have been on capitol hill a long time arguing that donald trump is not helping. one senate said without donald trump, this deal likely would have passed with near unanimous republican support. that is how conservative so many republicans who work order this issue for a long time believe that this legislation ultimately will be. and they are arguing that this is so many gains that republicans have been fighting for for years and that this looks so different than past immigration proposals. this is not about daca or legalization, this is simply a border deal. and yet they are arguing that donald trump is attacking it for political reasons. senator thom tillis who has been talking closely with senator james lankford, he told me this moment will require a lot of republicans to have courage to stand up against the former

president. >> i think this is when members of the senate have to show some courage and do something that at the end of the day will be very helpful to president trump. i hope that we have the tools available so that he can do what he demonstrated in 2017 he couldn't when he was expressing frustration over the lack of the very provisions we're trying to get into law. >> reporter: there may not be enough republican votes ultimately for this proposal. but one thing i did notice yesterday is the number of republicans who are willing to at least create some daylight between themselves and the former president. you know, tillis said i'm going to do everything i can to assume the eventual nominee. and if that is donald trump i'll be working hard for him, but we have a difference of opinion on this issue. and i do think that is a moment worth noting given for the fact a long time a lot of the members simply were falling in line when donald trump put down the marker. >> also a moment that just regular policy disagreements.

it is not some objection or rejection of donald trump. it is normal in politics or used to be at least. lauren fox, thank you. this morning donald trump is again turning the courtroom into a campaign event. in just over an hour, he is expected to head back to his defini defamation trial. >> the jury will decide how much the former president needs to pay in damages. trump was strictly limited on how much he could say on the stand. he testified for only a few minutes telling the court he was trying to defend himself and the presidency. but overnight he unloaded in a short video he posted on social media. >> i have no idea who she is, where she came from. this is another scam, it is a political witch hunt. and somehow we're going to have to fight this stuff. we cannot let our country go into this abyss. this is disgraceful. you have somebody running for office. the whole thing is a scam and it is a shame and it is a disgrace

to our country. >> less turn to elie honig. how did we get to this point? >> important to remember the trial happening now is the second trial involving e. jean carroll and donald trump. the first trial happened last year, april and may of 2023. same courthouse, same judge. in that case a jury found donald trump liable, a civil case, not a criminal case, liable for sexual abuse, not rape. liable for defamation. and they returned a verdict totaling $5 million. now, this case involves certain defamatory statements donald trump made after he was president. the trial happening now involves similar defamatory statements made while he was president. the reason it was delayed is trump claimed he had immunity because he was president at the time. took time to appeal that. he lost. but that is why we're having a

second trial now. in this case, the judge, same judge, said because of the first jury's verdict, sexual abuse not contested. that is established. he sexually abused e. jean carroll. defamation not in dispute. he defamed ef jean carroll. the only question in this trial is how much does donald trump have to pay her in damages. >> so trump chose to take the stand yesterday, it was very short his testimony. what was the significance of it and any legal impact? >> i think it was a world record. three minutes for someone -- >> and he was cross examined. >> and so donald trump really only said a couple things. he was asked to do you stand by your deposition. that could have meant anything because he said a lot of things. i think the point is his claim that he believed e. jean carroll's accusations were false. and that is a great sketch right there. good work there.

and donald trump also testified that he only made statements about e. jean carroll after he accused him of sexual assault. that wasn't not disputed. most important thing he t. testified to is he intended not harm e. jean carroll but to protect himself and his family and the presidency. that is what the jury will have to weigh. do they believe that. and if so, how much credit do they give it. >> and so what are we watching today? >> we'll hear closing arguments from the lawyers. they say it should take about an hour each. and then the judge will give the jury legal instructions. and then they will deliberate. i've seen juries take 45 minutes or two weeks. jury in the first trial took about three hours. and the question they will have is again, how much damages. think of it in two different categories. compensatory, think of it in terms of e. jean carroll. how much is she owed for her economic damage, for her mental and psychological suffering. and then separately, punitive damages. how much of a message does the jury want to send to punish

donald trump. we don't know where they will come out po. so up to the jury. republican national committee withdrawing a draft resolution that would have formally declared donald trump the presumptive nominee. the decision behind that withdrawal, next. also the international court of justice about to hand down a ruling on a genocide case brought against israel. the world is watching the hague. cnn is there live.

i'm looking at the math and the path going forward. and i don't see it for nikki haley. i think she's run a great campaign. but i do think there is a message that is coming out from the voters which is very clear, we need to unite around our eventual nominee which will be donald trump. >> the math and the path. the buzz words just after two primary contests. ronna mcdaniel pushing for the gop race to be over already.

and for donald trump to be declared the nominee even after just two states voted and they got pretty close yesterday. david bossie eventually withdrew a resolution that would have declared trump the presumptive nominee. trump himself now says he wants to win the nomination the old fashion the way. joining us now former rnc chair jim gilmore. governor, appreciate your time this morning. can you explain to people -- i was stunned when i saw this idea start to percolate, trying to think back to what would have happened had hillary clinton done this to bernie sanders back in 2016. as somebody who has worked on the committee, worked within the republican infrastructure, were you surprised? >> the rnc is a great group of people and there are people from all the 50 states elected by their respective states. so it is a good voice for the republican party. but it is clear at this point that donald trump is winning.

is probably almost certainly going to be our nominee. and i think that the committee wants to move on and begin to run directly against president biden as soon as possible. and i think that that was what was motivating david bossie. but i think donald trump was wise. i don't think that he wants to look like he is manipulating this, let the people vote in the primaries. nikki haley should be very thoughtful. she will lose never and the next spot is south carolina. and if she loses big there, which the governors and senators are all against her there, then i think that she looks bad. i think president trump made the right decision. >> but i think to your point, we all kind of know the math here. we know how the next month is likely to play out. what is the harm in waiting?

>> what is the harm? there is no harm in waiting. i think that is why president trump decided to urge that the resolution being withdrawn. once again there is a case to be made for moving on, but really nikki haley should decide whether she will allow the party to move on and begin to run against president biden. but from her point of view if she loses big in south carolina, it really is damaging to her presently and in the future. but it doesn't damage are president trump. he was demonstrate his strength in south carolina and when he does, it will be perfectly obvious what is going on and i think that he will move forward to run against president biden because it is urgent, urgent that the republican party win this next election. urgent that we do so. >> to that point, one of the reasons why republicans have made clear they feel that it is urgent is because of what has been happening on the border. there are negotiations ongoing, bipartisan negotiations not led by moderates or squishes or r.i.n.o.s or however you want to

call republicans. james language fork fford is no. but it moved in a direction i've never seen before in terms of a bipartisan negotiation for conservative wins or at least what appears to be conservative wins. the former president calling allies telling them to sink the deal. if this is an urgent crisis, why do you have to wait for a year? >> look, i think that the polling that we saw out of iowa made it very clear that the people of the united states are very worried about this border issue and about president biden's lack of leadership on the border issue. so it does have to be addressed. but it may very well be that the proposal that was in the congress was not satisfactory. >> it doesn't -- i'm intrigued by you don't think it is satisfactory at this moment? >> it allows 5,000 people to

come in i believe i believe it was every month. and that really is just sort of a luke warm effort to try to reform the situation. and that may not be satisfactory. the real issue here though that your viewers need to watch is the linkage to the ukrainian and israeli money. that is really a deep concern as you probably know, i'm a strong advocate for the support of ukraine. i think it is the hinge of the future. >> a lot at stake in the negotiations. appreciate your time, sir. >> donald trump's legal team is calling for the district attorney in georgia, fani willis, to be roof mood from that state's election subversion case. the possibility of their filings moving forward? we'll dig into that. and a controversial executionoff night, alabama has carried out the first known execution with nitrogen gas. more on this method ahead.

we have breaking news out of the hague. the international court of justice says it does have jurisdiction over the genocide case against israel. and it says some acts could fall within the provisions of the genocide convention this is not a ruling on whether they committed genocide but instead focuses on whether emergency measures are needed to restrain the israelis.

hamas run health ministry says more than 26,000 palestinians have been killed. melissa bell is live for us following all of this from the hague. what is the response you've seen, what does it all mean going forward? >> reporter: this is the very beginning of the ruling. what you are seeing is the president of the international court of justice reading out the preliminary ruling. but what you just mentioned a moment ago is pretty significant. israel had asked this be then out entirely, that south ever a c africa's case was a san bernardi bernardino -- was a subversion of the genocide act. the court says this is a will j legit in the dispute between two nations and there is evidence that some acts of genocide may have been committed.

what we'll hear from her about is whether or not as a result of the fact the court believes there is a case to answer and investigate there is emergency orders that south africa has requested essentially that israel suspend its operations in gaza while this case can be considered here at the icj. they are calling for aid to be allowed in, and any evidence that may be considered by this court as it considers the substantive genocide allegations. or whether the court's president will go on to stop just short of that announcing for instance the court would like to see more aid getting into gaza. and then of course will come the question of what israel does with the ruling.

still so far the fact that the court has accepted that it has jurisdiction, that there could be evidence of genocide that is worthy of consideration is significant and does not go in israel's sense. >> it is very significant. so people understand, the loud speaker behind you that they are hearing is this court reading out its findings thus far. this defending itself in this case, israel's attorney said essentially because we have been warning the civilian population in gaza before strikes and telling them where to move, a measure they say meant to mitigate harm to the civilian population, they argue that is the opposite of genocide. what do we expect israel's response to be now to this? >> reporter: that's right. we've already seen from israel a 400 page document in defense of its position not only the idea of the case is subversion of the 1948 genocide act that the south

africans in bringing it are corrupting the sense of the word genocide, that it is in fact israel trying to prevent genocide against its own people, that was the substance of the arguments when israel presented its case for three hours. what we'll hear shortly once we get an idea of the provisional measures is what israel will did about it. for instance if the court order stops short of a suspension, orders that israel for instance take certain actions allowing more aid in, how seriously, how quickly is israel going to hear those, will it disregard them entirely. so far what analysts watching this have been telling me, the fact that easy really has chosen to defend itself does suggest that it takes seriously not just the jurisdiction of this particular court, but also likely what its rulings will mean for global public opinion and what further weight that might bring on it as it continues with its offensive in gaza. >> and that is such a critical point. melissa bell, keep us posted.

in georgia donald trump's attorneys are joining calls to dismiss fani willis in the election subversion case there. they have a new court filing and trump's legal team is arguing the alleged, quote, improper relationship between willis and her lead prosecutor on the case nathan wade should disqualify her from prosecuting trump and his co-defendants. >> trump's team also claims remarks willis made earlier this month where she defended her team of prosecutors injected racial animus into the case. this comes as defense attorneys are looking to subpoena willis, wade and several others in the february 15 hearing on the affair allegations. joining us now, professor of law clark cunningham. he wrote an essay titled "why fani willis should step aside in the trump case in georgia." appreciate your time. it was and i will lum naturing piece to read. but i want to start with what we're seeing from trump's effort here and allies to get fan any

willis off the case. do you think that will work? >> if you are talking about the motion filed yesterday by former president's lawyer here in georgia, the main significance of that motion, he severally says he is joining the existing motion to have the district attorney disqualified. so that means if that motion is granted next month, it would not only apply to the original person who filed it, michael roman a, but also apply to donald trump. so that is the major significance of what was filed yesterday. >> one thing i find so interesting about your piece, that you say fani willis stepping aside would be a public virs but also protect the integrity of the case. and you layout reasons why given prior cases and what has happened when d.a.s including her in a prior case have not stepped aside and they really get slowed down a lot.

>> slowed down is exactly the word. about 18 months ago, district attorney willis was disqualified from pursuing burt jones during the special grand jury before indictment. he is now the lieutenant governor. he filed the motion to disqualify her because she had hosted a fundraiser for someone who became his political opponent. she was disqualified by the judge at that time. there is a process where state agencies then supposed to appoint a special prosecutor to take over the case. 18 months later, still no special prosecutor. at all. so we could be looking at a very long delay if that motion to disqualify is granted. >> the subpoenas that we've seen over the alleged misconduct for both willis and wade, what effect will they have in kind of how this all plays out? >> well, you know, i believe i said in my "new york times" piece i think that she should

consider taking a personal leave, not admitting wrong doing, but just taking a personal leave before february 2 which is when her response is due. definitely before february 15th when those subpoenas would require her and mr. wade to appear and testify under oath. i don't think that that is going to go well for the district attorney's position, though we can only speculate at this point. and if the best thing for the case really, and i think for the public, is for her to step aside and mr. wade to step aside, hand it over to career prosecutor, do it now. don't do it later. >> clark cunningham, appreciate your time. >> glad to talk with you. after years of calling for major policy changes to deal with the border crisis, why are some republicans trying to sink any border deal? we'll break it down. and just ahead, head coach of the minnesota vikings kevin o'connell talks with "cnn this morning" about things much bigger than football.

>> there is times where i'm tired. i'm all i want to do is sit down and not think about football. but then it is time to go play football in the basementnt. that i is their susuper bowl.. it is ththeir time w with dad.

there has never been a border like this. >> the republican frontrunner, the democratic president, there is little policy wise the two agree on when it comes to the accelerating crisis at the southern border, but there is no

avoiding the crisis itself. between december 1 and december 28, u.s. border patrol took more than 225,000 migrants who unlawfully crossed the border into custody. for much of the month officials were wrestling with more than 10,000 crossing as day. those numbers capture a system that is completely yoefoverwhel and seems to lay credence on the issue on the biden administration. >> crisis is direct cause of dangerous and intentional policies. >> right now america is being invaded. >> why is the border so broken is this because the policy choices of president biden are not working. >> the biden regime actually has blood on its hands for their failure to secure our border. >> it is a direct result of joe biden's failed policies. >> republicans, democrats all across america pleading with president biden to address this problem and he refuses.

>> that surge also comes with a devastating human toll. the u.n. named it the deadliest land migration route after and it has a cost for pleading for federal funding as they say the money will only continue to increase into the billions. >> we are dealing with fundamentally a broken immigration system. and one that has been in dire need of repair for more than three decades. >> that from homeland security alejandro mayorkas is a very important element here. for decades lawmakers have tried completely and failed repeated throw clinch any kind of wide ranging agreement on what has become the most intractable issue in u.s. politics. in 2005, in 2013, in 2018, each

time they went up in flames, victim to hard right fury. and that is what makes this moment in the current negotiations under way between a bipartisan group of senators so incredibly unique. >> do you feel like where democrats are on the policy, the willingness to make deals on specific issues, has shifted dramatically over the course of the last several months because of the issues at the border you are talking about? >> yeah, i think it has shifted dramatically and it should have shifted dramatically because of what has happened at the border. >> that is michael bennet, key flare past talks acknowledging just how far democrats have moved on the policy. they have dropped key priorities like a pathway to citizenship or protections for undocumented immigrants brought to the u.s. as children. same question i opposed to

democratic senator chris coons. >> yes, i think that there is a willingness to reconsider the initial screening standard for asylum for example because so many people are now using the asylum process who ultimately years later after a court review will be deemed ineligible for asylum. that is one of the biggest changes in recent years. >> and that is also an issue never on the table before. democrats now acknowledge there is a crisis at the border and they also say they have shifted significantly on the policy. which means republicans appear on the brink of the most significant border wins they have had in probably a generation. that is not my assessment, that is the assessment of the senate republican leader. >> this week senator lankford and several colleagues continue their work to finalize the most substantial border security policy in 30 years. this agreement would do not a moment too soon. >> the senator lankford

mcconnell is referring to is jim langford. he is a conservative republican who given the urgency expressed by his own party said this -- >> there is an expectation that congress will actually do something and that we're not going to just wait around and be able to hope things get better but we'll take the action to actually make things better. >> now, that expectation to the extent americans expect anything from their lawmakers at this point in time is on the verge of being proven wrong. because of things like this, quote, a border deal now would be another gift to radical left democrats. they need it politically, but they don't care about our border. that is trump. not currently the president or even the actual republican nominee yet. publicly undercutting langford's efforts. and he went even further in private. and republicans, same republicans who have made clear over and over and over again in hearings, in news conferences, in border visits, in political

ads, just how much of a crisis this is, they are listening. >> i'm encouraging president biden to oppose the contours of the senate deal such that i've seen it. >> which has led to very sharp intra-party divide for the gop. in large part because at trump's behest, many want to kill a deal that hasn't actually been reached yet. a deal almost all of them haven't actually seen yet. and a deal that democrats involved acknowledge move further in the gop direction than any ever has. all to maintain trump's political advantage in the general election. to be clear, not all are in this camp. >> this would be a very significant achievement of this republican minority in the u.s. senate of forcing the issue. so i hope no one is trying to take this away for campaign purposes. >> when you have an opportunity to make this country safer, you

take it. you don't play politics. >> i think the question is do you want to get something that will help us stem the tide of humanity coming across the border in drugs or do you want to get nothing. >> those types of stapts are even harder to find in the republican controlled house where republicans have been repeatedly told their preferred legislation is a nonstarter, they have to negotiate. this was speaker mike johnson. >> the border is a catastrophe and it has to be addressed. and you will see house republicans standing and fighting on that hill because it is important for the country. >> well, senators are on the verge of clinching a deal to address the border. certainly won't be everything republicans want. to be clear policy disputes are unquestionably legitimate and worth having. but working to sink the effort sight unseen solely because trump demands it, crist kyrsten sinema captured it best. >> look, we're at a place where this package is almost done and

when the text comes out, senators will be able to review it and make their own decision. do they want to secure the border. it is a choice. >> it is a choice. so is politics over policy, crisis over just wanting to have one to win an election. >> do you think having all the year you had on the hill this is different than 2005, 2013, 2018? >> on policy? >> no that will they can eek this one out. >> i'm very skeptical because of what we've seen in the last 24 hours. >> thank you. great. so ahead for us, the mother of the mitch high school shooter gee than crumb bleyey set t to testifify.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ testimony has begun in the landmark trial of jennifer crumbley in michigan, she and her husband are the first parents of a mass shooter to be charged for their son's crimes. ethan is already severing life serving life in prison. and in opening statements the defense for the mother said that she will take the stand. also blamed the gun purchase on her husband. >> gun store employee said it was james who bought the weapon in front of ethan. and prosecutors say both parents

ignored warning signs and made a gun accessible to him. jean casarez is joining us. the prosecution's case, how strong is it? >> we've just gotten through opening statements first few witnesses, but they really have a basic case that this was gross negligence of a parent's violation of a legal duty to their child, that they saw things, they didn't act, they didn't help them. we learned yesterday they had three guns in the home and it appears as though the cases weren't locked, that some of the guns were just out and about. but the prosecutor yesterday, assistant oakland county attorney, gave prosecutor's opening statement. listen to him in his own words. >> despite her knowledge of his deteriorating mental crisis despite her knowledge of his growing social isolation, despite the fact it is illegal for a 15-year-old to walk into a gun store and walk out with a handgun by himself, this gun was

gifted. >> the defense attorney shannon smith in her opening said it is not that simple because the prosecution will give you little tidbits in time versus their life as an entirety as a family. and she said that her client jennifer crumbley will take the stand. take a listen. >> she did not have it on her radar in any way that there was any mental disturbance that her son would ever take a gun into a sc school, that her son would ever shoot people. >> the prosecution says they will have 20 to 25 witnesses and 400 exhibits. there will be so many texts and emails and facebook as they are communicating. instagram. it goes on and on. so there will be a lot of communications to show the state of mind. >> and this case as we said at the top is the first time you've seen parents charged for the crime of their child. >> first time in this country. >> and so it will be precedent

setting. i wonder is it correct when jennifer takes the stand also wants her son to testify in her defense? >> the defense has said from the beginning they want ethan to take the stand because they wam to testify for the jury. prosecution has texts coming in where ethan did so much in his bedroom, he had a journal, he was texting, watching videos of mass shootings and parents knew nothing about it. but he texted his friend saying i have mental issues and i went to my dad and said take me to a doctor and my dad said take a pill and suck it up. my mother laughed. and he told a psychiatrist in jail, he said i lied to my friend. my dad at any tididn't say that. the defense needs that. but appealate attorneys say no, appealing this, you you won't g it.

>> keep us posted. donald trump is taking his presidential campaign back to the courtroom again. he will be at his defamation trial for closing arguments here in new york city. >> we have breaking news this morning out of the hague. international court of justice says that it does have jurisdiction over the genocide case that was brought against israel. more on those breaking developments ahead.

it is championship weekend in the nfl. the san francisco 49ers are set to take on the cinderella-story detroit lions and the kansas city chiefs head to baltimore in a battle with the ravens. my team, sadly, the minnesota vikings, as you know, will not be there. but you do know my love runs deep for the land of 10,000

lakes. and i certainly bleed purple for the vikings. this was not the second season that head coach kevin o'connell envisioned for his team after leading them to a division title last year. they fell short of the playoffs, losing their last four games of the season. but this year had plenty of highs for the purple and gold, including a heartwarming story when they traded for quarterback josh dobbs. just days into being a viking, dobbs was forced into emergency action because of quarterback injuries. he led them to a comeback victory and then another win. >> let's make sure we let him hear it. all right? >> yeah! >> helping dobbs through that chaos, a former nfl quarterback turned vikings head coach kevin o'connell himself. >> i felt it was the right moment to walk over and just let him know, no matter what happens these next 2 1/2 hours, i'm going to be with you every step of the way. >> and he was. we go to the north star state.

>> our path to where we get to doesn't always go the way we think. if you would have said what would your path be? i'm going to play 15 years in the nfl as a quarterback, i might win maybe one or two super bowls and ride off into the sunset. there's a distinct line there, that white chalk line they make me stand on this side of now with the headset and a polo shirt on. >> kevin o'connell dreamed of winning super bowls, but for the coach, that dream started on the field, not on the sidelines. >> kevin o'connell. you study this guy, he is an outstanding passer. >> reporter: before landing 1 of only 32 head coaching jobs in the nfl, o'connell was a backup quarterback for five teams in the league. >> i used to say adversity is an opportunity. >> reporter: wru doesv where do that come from? did you struggle with adversity? >> i experienced a lot of it. the quarterback.

you come into the nfl as a third-round pick with so many hopes and dreams and things out in front of you. you get drafted in a place with the greatest quarterback in the history of the nfl in the quarterback room already, which was a blessing. >> reporter: tom brady. >> and has made me a better coach and leader, even having been around him for a short amount of time. then the adversity of being cut, being traded, being told you are not good enough, being told multiple times. >> reporter: who said that to you? >> i got told a lot of times. the beauty of it, it normally coincided with a compliment, we think you'll be a heck of a coach. >> reporter: backing up brady and being coached by bill belichick would become a gift for o'connell in a very different way. >> tom brady is already a super bowl champion, an mvp. there's nobody better in the league playing the position. and now i'm in the room with him. the more and more you're around him and get to know him, you see

such a unique leader. the dynamic traits, everybody around him was better because they were around him. he sure was a part of learning and creating my beliefs in what matters. >> reporter: isn't that interesting that you thought tom brady might make you a better quarterback, but tom brady actually made you a better coach. >> yeah. it's unique example. i've shared that with your players. never underestimate whoever you're around having an impact on you. >> i'd like to officially welcome kevin and his family to minnesota. >> there's nothing better than an nfl locker room after winning a football game. if you're going to ascend as a coach, you better have foundational beliefs that have been impacted by, in my case, some of the greatest football minds, whether it's tom brady, bill belichick, sean mcvay -- the list goes on and on. >> what about bill belichick? i mean, learning from him, just a great coach. and now you're competing with him. >> doing a great job. >> this is the greatest coach in nfl history, a former coach of

mine. i've always thought back on the moment where is his presence in front of the team was always something that i just marvelled at. >> reporter: winning a super bowl title with the los angeles rams was part of kevin o'connell's meteoric rise through the coaching ranks before taking over the minnesota vikings in 2022. he proved to be more than than offensive mastermind in his first season while leading the team to a division title, focusing on compassion and optimism. is it right to say that this is a team you're trying to lead with love and empathy? >> it's more than right. it's really the -- what i view as the standard. the first thing first is you have to have a world where you speak it. and you have to be willing to be vulnerable enough to say the word love. >> reporter: what it's it like to talk to a room of nfl players about being vulnerable? >> yeah. they probably look at me crazy sometimes, but i think you earn the moments to speak like that to the team. >> reporter: yeah. >> you have to be a resource of just love and support for them,

or some tough love sometimes. >> reporter: sure. >> that's where a i think, number one, these guy will respect you if they're getting the real you, you're authentically yourself. this team is built of the right stuff because of you guys, your leadership. >> reporter: you're building them as leaders. >> reporter: i think that's the best way to empower this organization is to build leaders upon leaders and empower them. >> reporter: and to explain the why, always. >> i learned that, as a really good coach, you provide clarity, not of just what you're asking them to do but teach them why, and then if you say you're going to try to make them the best version of themselves, you sure as heck better be able to make them understand that they can be better players by just listening and watching and experiencing things. >> reporter: that's why we can't tell our kids "just because." you can't have that candy just because. we have to explain to them why. >> exactly right. >> reporter: frustrating sometimes. >> the "why" is exhausting, and

if you have one, that can be a very powerful thing. my number one most important thing is my family at home. my wife is an absolute rock star. >> you know her job is way harder than yours. >> i do. she's not allowed to walk away. >> reporter: wanted to make sure we were clear on that. dads often don't feel like they can. i wonder what you say about prioritizing kids. >> that's a great, great question. there will always be time down the road to make up for your personal time lost, but there's not going to be time to make up for their time with you. there's times when i am tired, am exhausted, and all i want to do is just sit down and not think about football or anything like i it, but then it's time to play football in the basement. that's their super bowl. that's what matters. it's their time with dad. i don't ever want to get to a place -- the moment i ever get to where i don't have the energy and the focus to give them everything that they need, i won't he