♪ ♪ ♪ president biden says he has decided how to respond to the drone attacks that claimed the lives of you three u.s. service member. throwing to take a closer look at the different options facing the president as he tries to

avoid what he calls a wider war in the middle east. plus, cnn's on the front lines in ukraine, taking you into the trenches as funding in congress remains at a standstill. and ukrainian forces grapple with dwindling supplies and constant russian bombardment. >> and neuralink, elon musk's controversial start-up, says it's planted a chip in the human brain for the first time. we're going to break down what the chip is supposedly does, and implications for modern medicine. we're following these major developments to race and many more, all coming in right here to cnn news central. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> today, president biden spoke to the families of the three soldiers who were killed in a drone attack on a u.s. base in jordan. -- solemn duties as he and his national security team await retaliation. just a short time ago, president biden says he has made a decision on the u.s. response, and now, the world is

waiting to see what that response looks like, and whether it will succeed where prior accidents to damage and adhere militias, have failed. cnn's natasha bertrand is at the pentagon for us. natasha,pecifics at this point of time, but what range of objects have emerged? >> there is a whole menu of options the pentagon has surely presented to president biden for a response to this attack that killed three americans and wounded upwards of 40 other u.s. service members on sunday. e s anfficulty herr cket coitbases inra syth iran the admistraon h tre eyo not want war whirtheyre tg o prlyeslatesion whao, sho oth? string tse in-bamitas iq atse,

anian or in-backed tu theyarget weonpots, ann the red se the ministtionas said 'snot cesn rpons sgl tentially a multi layered, multi level, possibly multi day response, and it's likely to actually be sustained overtime, according to the secretary of state. it remains to be seen how the u.s. is going to respond, but it's safe to say this is going to be likely larger than any kind of response we have seen before, breonna. >> and natasha, as i mentioned, the former president spoke to the family members of these three service members who were killed? >> he did. he spoke to them this morning, and he, according to john kirby,

the national security council spokesperson, he said he was mourning with these families. he said he wanted to emphasize to them how much the u.s. respected their daughter and son's service, and he gauged whether or not they would be okay with him attending the ceremony on friday for the dignified transfer of that remains at dover airport space, and they apparently ascended to. that, so president biden will be attending that dignified transfer on friday. of course, it will be a difficult moment for him, but of course, one that he has traditionally excelled at. right? this is kind of his strength. he has been good at converting families who have lost a loved one. he was expected to be there on friday. it remains to be seen whether the u.s. will have responded by then, so, it will be interesting, given the dynamics of that national security situation, how this plays out, breonna. >> all right, we'll be watching for that. natasha, thank you so much for that report from the pentagon. boris? >> you developments in the

israel-hamas war. hamas says it is studying a new -- for the possible release of hostages, a renewed truce after negotiations imperatives a broar framework for a deal. priority is a complete withdrawal of israeli forces from today, prime minister benjamin netanyahu pushed back, saying israel would not remove troops from the palestinian enclave, and he vowed the country will not release quote, thousands of terrorists as part of a deal with hamas. back here in washington, white house national security adviser jake sullivan met today with the qatari prime minister about getting a hostage deal in place. later, he's expected to meet with the families of americans being held captive by hamas. we do anticipate later on in the day we will hear from them. we turn now to cnn's jeremy diamond, he is live for us in tel aviv. jeremy, what are you learning what the status of this potential deal? >> jim, i think -- it appears that negotiators have agreed to a broad

framework during that key summit in paris that brought together u.s., israeli, qatari, and egyptian intelligence officials altogether. the broad strokes are this. a six-week pause in the fighting that would see the release of civilian hostages from gaza, followed by perhaps a longer pause in the fighting that would also see the release of israeli soldiers, as well as the bodies of hostages who were also being held hostage in gaza. but those were the broad strokes. the details are what make trip things up as we continue down this process. officials who are involved in these talks have been cautioning that even though there is this broad framework, there is, nonetheless, the possibility of details getting in the way as we get forward. a lot of details to resolve, and the main sticking point, of, course is over whether or not this deal will actually lead to the end of the war between israel and hamas. the israeli prime minister today making very clear he will not agree to an end of the war until both objectives of that war have been reached.

that is, the return of all hostages, as well as eliminating hamas's power from the gaza strip. hamas, for its part, is seeking an end to the war. they say they are reviewing this latest proposal, but they are doing so within the context of whether or not it will see the withdrawal of israeli forces from the gaza strip. so certainly, a lot to still be worked out in key meetings still ongoing. >> jeremy diamond, live for us in tel aviv. jeremy, thank you. brianna? >> we're joined by the ranking member of the house arms service committee, congressman adam smith of washington. congressman, thank you sometime for being with us today. president biden saying he has decided on a response for the drone attack in jordan that killed these three service members. do you expect he will come to congress ahead of time? >> well, he won't come to congress -- heads up two key committee chair and ranking members for the leadership about what they are going to do. they may well do that. but no, he won't make a broad statement to congress, because

you certainly don't want to warn iran about or planning on tearing. >> at what point does he need to engage congress more, as you have democrats saying that this is getting to the point where this isn't sort of a one-off thing, this is a more concerted sort of, continued conflict that the president needs to engage congress and more? >> there's two separate questions there. first of all, the president has engaged congress. the president and his national security team has briefed, had conversations with key leaders. certainly, i've had those conversations about what's going on with the houthis in yemen, what's happening with, obviously, the militias, the shia-backed militias, iran-backed militias in iraq and syria. the question you're getting at is, does he need congressional authorization to take military action? in my feet right now, this is still very clearly within self-defense framework. the houthi specifically attack u.s. targets. these militias in iran have

specifically attacked u.s. targets. so, he's in self-defense mode, and i think constitutionally, he has the authority to do that. >> what is the goal, as you see it, of a retaliatory strike? >> the goal is to get iran to change its calculus. iran does not want a wider war. they are on thin ice, sorry, the iranian government is on thin ice with their people right now. anything that further disrupts life in iran just make things worse for iran. but right now, they are getting all the benefits and no cost. they are attacking u.s. forces. they are supporting hezbollah, supporting hamas, with no cost. we have to get them to change that calculation. another key part of this, what iran wants more than anything is they want the u.s. out of the middle east. we have to make clear to them is these sorts of attacks are going to have the opposite effect. we are going to need to be present. our arab partners in the region

like saudi arabia, uae, and bahrain are going to want us there if they continue to see iran as this type of threats. so, they have to change iranian calculus. that's the goal. >> what changes, really, the calculus, if the biden administration efforts so far have not? they have not deterred iran's proxies. when former president trump took out the head of the -- spawned an uptick in proxy retaliation? we saw u.s. service members killed in the wake of. that what could actually stop these attacks on u.s. bases in the region? >> it's a really complicated question. i think he put it really well, in terms of the challenges there. i mean, look. the answer from former president trump and others as we just got to hit them and hit them hard, and that will make them change their mind. and i don't agree with that. because then, they have to defend themselves. there's multiple threats. one, you do have to make it clear there is a cost to the sort of attack. but you also have to make it clear that the middle east is big enough for all of us. if iran feels existentially

threatened, then, they're going to hit back even harder, and another piece of it is the conflict in gaza. if we continue down a path where there is no future for the palestinians, that empowers iran, because they argue the houthis and all of these other proxies are acting to defend the palestinians. that's not true. iran is trying to exercise domination in the middle east. it's why they've been messing in lebanon. the resting in syria. they're messing in yemen. but if they can use the palestinians, that gives them an argument. so, the previous argument about trying to get to a resolution in gaza is crucial, and it's crucial the prime minister netanyahu starts to chart a path where the foulest indians have a future! saying they don't, extends the conflict and extends iran >> i do want to listen to how the administration is describing this conflict. here was deputy prentiss on press secretary, sabrina singh, yesterday. >> no one is disputing the fact

that we are continuing to see the houthis disrupt commercial shipping, our own military ships in that region in the red sea in the gulf of aden. we are seeing skirmishes between hezbollah and the idf. but again, the conflict has remained contained to gaza. >> so, it's a rather siloed explanation. we also saw sort of the siloed explanation when it came to the administration parsing between the seagulls, who died off the coast of somalia, on their mission where they were interdicting iranian-made weapons headed for the houthis and yemen. our biden administration officials being as forthright as they should be about how big and interconnected this conflict is in the middle east has become, so the american people will truly understand that? >> i believe that they are. look, there is no doubt this has become big and interconnected, and has been for a while. but when we talk about whether or not this war spreads, obviously, it has spread in some ways beyond gaza.

with the houthis and others. but understand it could spread a lot more. and what the pentagon and others in the white house are talking about is if hezbollah decides to fall on go to war with israel, or if iran decides to full on go to war with our forces, if iran actually starts launching these attacks instead of having their proxies do it, it could spread a lot wider and become a much bigger war. so, the administration talks about containing, that's what we're talking about. yes, this is a very dangerous situation that has spread beyond gaza already. but it has not spread into the kind of full scale conflict that would be vastly worse than what we're looking at right now. >> congressman adam smith, thank you for sticking with us. we appreciate it. >> thanks -- >> still ahead, republican house speaker mike johnson is pushing back against claims that he is killing the senate border deal to help former president trump's presidential campaign, but he does admit he

has spoken with trump, quote, at length about that border. we have a live report from capitol hill, next. plus, the reporting on chinese leader xi jinping and a promise he made to president biden, when the two leaders met in november. she telling biden that china would not interfere in the 2024 presidential election. we have some more details on that. and elon musk saying his company, neuralink, it's the first to implant a computer chip in a human brain. what kind of life transforming technologies could be on the horizon? we'll talk about that.

right now, house republicans, actually, we have breaking news we want to get. democratic congressman cori bush speaking out after confirming the justice department is reviewing her campaign spending on security service. she claims there is no wrongdoing on her behalf. she is being accused by some in congress of misusing funds to pay for security inappropriately. she's being accused of essentially a higher in her husband. we're expecting she's going to make some remarks. let's listen on capitol hill.

>> all right, so, first and foremost, i hope myself, my campaign, and my position to the highest levels of integrity. i also believe in transparency, which is why i can confirm the g on security services. we are fully cooperating with this investigation, and i would like to take this opportunity to outline the facts and the truth. before i was sworn into office, i have entered relentless threats to my physical safety and life. as a rank and file member of congress, i am not entitled to personal protection by the house, and instead, have used campaign funds as permissible to retain security services. i have not used any federal tax dollars for personal security

services. any reporting that i have used funds for personal security it's simply false. in recent months, right wing organizations have launched baseless complaints against me. peddling notions that i have misused campaign funds to pay for personal security services. that simply is not true. i have complied with all applicable laws and house rules, and will continue to prioritize the rules that govern us as federal elected officials. in particular, the nature of these allegations have been around my husband's role in the campaign. in accordance with all applicable rules, i retained my husband as part of my security team to provide security services because he has had extensive experience in this area, and is able to provide the necessary services at or below fair market rate. these frivolous complaint that resulted in the number of investigations.

some of which are still ongoing. the federal election commission, the house committee on ethics, are currently reviewing the matter, as is the department of justice. we are fully cooperating in all of these pending investigations. in september of last year, 2023, after conducting eight months-long investigation, the office of congressional ethics found no wrongdoing and voted unanimously to dismiss the case. i look forward to the same outcome from all impending investigations. and, i am under no illusion these right-wing organizations will stop politicizing efforts to attack me and the work that the people of st. louis sent me to congress to do. to lead boldly, to legislate -- my constituents can feel, and to save lives. thank. you >> have you gone to a federal grand jury? have you spoken to a federal grand jury? have you spoken to a federal grand jury? >> thank you so much. >> federal grand jury?

>> so, we were just listening to congresswoman cori bush. she essentially just read out a statement that her office published in a short while ago, repeating that no actual federal funds were used to pay for her security. she also made the case that this was political, that people were going after her for her politics and not for actual wrongdoing. we want to go to cnn's manu raju, on the steps of the capital right now. not a lot of direct answers from cori bush, manu. she essentially read the statement her office had put that earlier. and it's, she claims this is politics and that she is complying with the investigation, that she believes will ultimately prove that she has done nothing wrong. >> yeah, and look. she's dodging questions about it, as you saw right there. boris, this is essentially word for word of exactly the statements she just put out, reading off of her phone, not answering any questions and her

aides saying she wouldn't take questions, either. the questions, to, she says she is cooperating. to what extent are they talking? has she spoken to federal prosecutors? has she actually agreed to come testify before a federal grand jury, and where, exactly, does the investigation stand? we do know the house, the judiciary committee has subpoenaed for documents regarding this investigation. that was, of course, announced on the house floor just yesterday. so, what, exactly, does that mean pertaining to this investigation? she is trying to make the case that she has not misuse of taxpayer dollars and this is about campaign funds that were used to retain her husband's security, i suppose he has some security expertise, it appears, to retain his services in regards to threats that she had received. she says he has expertise. it was below market value. it saved money to go this route. but, there's still a lot of questions about the nature of all of this. but as you can hear from the congresswoman, she says she did nothing wrong.

a lot of questions here, just not a lot of answers. >> we know you'll stay on top of the details of this investigation for us. manu raju, thank you for being there. staying on capitol hill now, house republicans on the homeland security committee are preparing to take a major step towards the impeachment of homeland security secretary, alejandro mayorkas. they're claiming he has committed high crimes and misdemeanors for his handling of the southern border. now, this is a rare and controversial move. it is drawing condemnation from legal scholars across the political spectrum, but house republicans are on the third. they are preparing to move ahead to meet with that resolution that would make mayorkas the first cabinet secretary to be impeached in nearly 150 years. let's go to cnn's lauren fox. , lauren, what can you tell us about the hearing? >> yeah, i mean, this markup started four hours ago. it is still ongoing, and the chairman of the homeland security committee, merck, greenfield me just a short time

ago to buckle up, this was going to be a very long evening. the expectation was they could vote tonight to move forward with those two articles of impeachment against mayorkas. what you're seeing right now in that committee markup is really republicans and democrats outlining their respective perspectives on this issue. democrats have said repeatedly in that meeting that a difference of policy opinion is not grounds for impeachment. meanwhile, republicans saying that they feel very strongly that this is the right route. in fact, marc greene told me he feels like this is his duty as the chairman of this committee. now, one of the key questions remains, if the votes will exist to actually impeach mayorkas on the floor. the house of representatives, the republican majority, as the narrowest majority right now. just a two vote margin. that means there's still work to do to convince some republicans who have not said yet whether or not they would

vote to impeach mayorkas on the floor. i asked green about that. he told me, basically, he continues to work on those members to try to impress upon them why this is so important, but he did say in tech knowledge that it's an uphill climb right now. meanwhile, this is all happening as house republicans are projecting out of hand that emerging senate border deal. we still don't have text for that legislation, but republicans saying that if the reports are true of what is in this peak, that they aren't supporting. including some swing districts for republicans like nick followed a, who told me earlier that he hadn't seen the tax -- to judge the bill before he saw it, but he says he's very concerned about the reports he's seen. boris? >> it wouldn't seem wise to take a position on a bill i haven't seen, but if it is what their advertising, that doesn't address remain in mexico. it doesn't address mass parole. it doesn't address boardwalk obstruction. key elements of h.r.2 we know the, public knows, would secure

this border, if it doesn't have those elements, it should be dead. >> and he's not the only republican from a swing district i've talked to today who has that position. obviously, donald trump is looming large here. he has and courage republicans to reject the senate deal, and i think it's important to point out once again, we don't have text of that emerging senate agreement. and yet, house republicans already saying it's dead on arrival in their chamber. for us? >> lauren fox, covered a lot of ground there, lauren. thank you so much for the update. breonna? >> now, to a cnn exclusive. we are learning for the first time about an exchange the president biden and chinese president xi jinping had back in november about the 2024 election. senior seed white house correspondent mj lee has more on this exclusive reporting. so mj, tell us more about this meeting and what was discussed here? >> yeah, breonna. just to set the scene, we are talking about the high stakes

summit between president biden and chinese president xi jinping back in november in california. and sources tell me and my colleague, sondland, guess that president xi told president biden that china does not intend to interfere in the u.s. presidential election in 2024, and it was president biden who initially -- now, that in and of itself would be an important headline, but we are also learning that the same assurance was repeated by china's foreign minister, wang yi, to jake sullivan, the president's national security adviser over the weekend, when the two met in bangkok. so, these are at least two incidents as we now know of where china it's telling the u.s., senior officials, that china is not going to meddle in the u.s. 2024 presidential election. this is a topic we are told that has come up repeatedly in recent months. when u.s. and chinese officials have met, and i think the

context, brianna, affects biden xi meeting showing footage of november when the two met on the screen there, the context is really important, because that summit came at a moment when tensions between the two countries were historically high, and the reason for that summit was to try to sort of ease those tensions and put in place a sort of reset of sorts between the two countries. , now we were told before, that summit that this issue was likely to come up. just a reminder that this has been an ongoing concern for u.s. officials. but just really notable that when the president raised it, that's president biden, president xi responded with the reassurance that china is not going to interfere. rather than giving any kind of, any other kind of confidence he could have, including just dismissing that concern from president biden. >> very interesting. all right, mj, we'll have to see if they make good on that promise. and jay lee, for us at the white house. still ahead, elon musk says his biotech company just implanted the first brain chip in a human

patient. so, how significant is this breakthrough? we're going to ask a brain expert, next.

i think he's having a midlife crisis i'm not. you got us t-mobile home internet lite. after a week of streaming they knocked us down... ...to dial up speeds. like from the 90s. great times. all i can do say is that my life is pre-- i like watching the puddles gather rain. -hey, your mom and i procreated to that song. oh, ew! i think you've said enough. why don't we just switch to xfinity like everyone else? then you would know what year it was. things have gotten better i know what year it is. recently, but too many businesses like mine are still

getting broken into. it's time our police officers have access to 21st century tools to prevent and solve more crimes. allow public safety cameras that other bay area police departments have to discourage crime, catch criminals, and increase prosecutions. prop e is a smart step our city can take right now to keep san francisco moving in the right direction. please join me in voting yes on prop e. tried to wrap your head around this. ivan musk just announced the first successful surgical brain microchip implants on a human. performed by his start-up, known as neuralink, the operation apparently took place on sunday and the patient, according to -- is doing well. the goal of this implanted chip,

musk says, is to return motor functions to people who have lost use of their limbs. joining us now, the president of the british neuroscience association, tara spires jones. tara, think you so much for being with us. we are told this new chip implants will be called telepathy. what is your reaction to this announcement? >> this is very interesting. so, as a neuroscientist in the way, it's great to hear about new and exciting neuroscience research, but this isn't the first time this has been done. there have been brain computer interfaces in the past. so, several companies and several academic centers around the world have implanted brain computer interfaces. one of them, last year, was amazing. a person who was paralyzed because of a neck injury had a pcr, a brain computer interface, installed in his brain, a computer on his back ahead a.i. in it to read the signals, and another stimulator in his spine. that, he can walk. these technologies are amazing. >> yeah, it's fascinating. i do want to ask you about how

musk described the patient. he said, quote, initial results show promising neuron spike detection. now, i don't know what that means and. hoping you do. >> absolutely. so, neuron spike detection, your neurons in your brain, so, the brain cells that are linked off and form a network, they actually send electrical signals. every time a neuron sends a signal down a wire to another neuron, we call it a spike. it's actually electorally detectable. so, these electrodes safe implanted in this person's brain can detect every time a neuron nearby sent a signal to another neuron, called spike. >> so, it's a really good sight. now, neuralink has faced some scrutiny in the past. there was a that died after it was implanted with a chip back in 2022. some employees have argued the company is rushing this to the markets. do you have any concerns about this technology, whether with neuralink or anyone else? >> it's hard to say

specifically for neuralink, because we haven't seen scientists publish any day that we can look at to scrutinize the scientists. in general terms, there will always be a concern with a brain surgery, right? i am not a brain surgeon, i'm neuroscientist. you can imagine anytime you have your head opened, there's a chance of infection. so, that's one risk. there are some more risks that could be longer term, but they would be very far beyond what we are now. so, short term, we would worry just about the dangers of the surgery. >> so, focus here is to help folks regain the use of limbs. musk says he sees a future where we can communicate with technology seamlessly, just with our thoughts. how likely do you think this, and the other big moments you mentioned, how likely are they a step towards those kind of broader implications? we are do you see this going? >> as a sci-fi fan, i love thinking about these things. for now, we are a long way from

what i would call telepathy. but it is clear that in some of these systems are published, and i can read the data, even without implanting chips, just reading the brainwaves from the surface of your head, you can only interpret what language people are thinking about. , so some of the applications of this technology will be people who can't speak can think the words, and, then it will be spoken through a computer. we're not very far at all from people being able to think and move a curtain. that's one of the things that neuralink says they can do with the videos. and that's really achievable, if you can interpret those sprain spikes. with artificial intelligence, or machine learning, so you know the person is thinking. you can move a cursor or use your phone. that kind of think it's possible. it will be a long time before we can have telepathy person-to-person or have your duolingo implanted in your brain for, example. but it's a step in that direction. >> yeah, it is really fascinating. tara spires jones, we're gonna leave the conversation there. we appreciate you joining us this afternoon. >> thank you. >> of course, we going to take you to the pentagon.

because right now, they're giving you an update on the attack on a base in jordan that claimed the life of three u.s. soldiers. let's listen in. >> jennifer, central command is still assessing. but again, we are confident that this attack was sponsored by an iranian-backed proxy. >> so, kataib just put out a message on telegram suggesting that telling its fighters not to attack u.s. bases in iraq and syria suggesting that they will support the fighting in gaza, and other ways to suggest -- the u.s. strikes not to respond. what is your response to that? >> reports, i don't have a specific comment to provide other than actions speak louder than words. >> thank you, first of all, you speak a little bit about the drones that are based at when [inaudible] we saw some reporting yesterday that there was a confucian or

-- interface was friendly or friend or foe, and i know that most of these -- have software enabling that you distinguish between the two. so, i'm just wondering if you could tell me whether those drones to have that software. >> yep, thanks, laura. so, i'm not going to get into the specifics on the kind of capabilities as it relates to intelligence, surveillance reconnaissance capabilities, that we have. in terms of the team -- behind how this one white was able to -- facilities air defenses that something central command of looking at now. and i'm just not going to be able to get into the specifics of that. >> second question, then. actually, a different question. there was another report today saying that u.s. is open to reopening discussiony's y's perspective, where are those discussions? >> i've seen that comment by our state department colleagues in that. i would refer to the state to discuss it, as you know.

right now, with turkey maintaining the as 400, that is currently not something that is on the table. but -- >> just come a tk to us sometime soon for his question? >> again, i don't have a date announced. certainly, we are aware of the question i will keep you updated. >> and on jordan, can you just clarify, are the troops in jordan, at tower 22 and other basis, are they under o.a.r. authority? or are they under some other authority? can you specify that? is it right that there are 3000 troops in georgia? >> missy, it will have to come back to you on the total number of u.s. forces deployed to jordan. so, i will take the question. the forces that were, the three soldiers that were killed, again, as we've highlighted, they were there in support of operations inherent resolve, supporting the defeat i.s.i.s. mission. >> they are under o.a.r. authority? >> operating in support of o.a.r..

>> okay. does that mean they report to the commander of away our? >> i don't want to get to the chain of command process here but if they are they are supporting o.a.r., certainly, oh i our commander can request assistance from those forces. >> and the last question, and i think we asked this yesterday, and it was maybe something you guys are still looking at. just wanted to ask if there have been any new information on any steps that may be taken to protect american forces in the region, in terms of air defense, or steps to make sure something like this doesn't happen again. >> yeah, you know, for operation security reasons, i am not going to be able to go into specifics other than to say that u.s. central command, of course, is taking this very seriously and, that we will take necessary measures and steps to ensure our forces are protected. recognizing as well that this is a dangerous neighborhood. but again,, yes answer your question, we will take steps to ensure our forces are protected.

>> two questions. first, qatar's prime minister expressing concerns yesterday that the u.s. response to the jordan attack could potentially affect the negotiations of running hostage deal. is that part of the pelicans calculus in determining a u.s. response to this? >> so, well i don't have anything specifically in that other than to say, again, it's part of any decision-making decision-making process, we have a wide range of situations to take into account. we have to include or broader regional goals are, which, from the very beginning, has been to prevent the situation in israel and gaza from expanding into a broader conflict. i'll just leave it there. >> second, it's been two days since the attack in jordan. is there concern that that delay in response could give these groups time to prepare to, you know, disperse from high

targets, et cetera? >> again, i'm not going to get into any details about what a potential future operations could look like. you've heard about the president and secretary often say that we will respond in a time, and a manner of choosing three u.s. service members were killed over 40 wounded. by the way, these service members were deployed into the region contributes to the regional security and stability in the international coalition to defeat i.s.i.s.. so, there will be consequences, and they will leave it at that. >> sir, we have been listening to major general path rider, the pentagon press secretary, speaking in response to the deaths of three american service members killed over the weekend in jordan. we just heard him say there will be consequences for those actions. rider was asked whether there was any specifics on whether or not this attack drone was able to penetrate u.s. air defenses. ostensibly coming from a militia groups backed by iran in the region.

he did not give very many specifics. we heard from president biden speaking to reporters earlier in the day that he has decided on a course of action in response to this attack. though no details, no word, get on what exactly that's entails. we will, of course, continue to monitor these remarks from the pentagon and bring you the very latest as we get it. but from this situation in the middle east, we want to take you to the front lines of war in ukraine, because in just moments, we are going to take you where ukrainian troops are fighting for survival, facing intense resistance, and harsh elements as they fight off russian firepower. we'll be right back, in just moments.

cnn goes to the front lines of the war in ukraine, where huge fire fights are underway

in forest trenches. ukrainian soldiers managing to hold the line against russian forces, despite critical shortages of equipment and ammunition. and no help coming from the u.s. as congress fights over funding for the war. cnn's fred pleitgen is in the ukrainian capital, kyiv. fred, you are just back from the front lines. tell us what the situation is? well, certainly, one very difficult for the ukrainians but by and large, they say they are still managing to hang on. you're absolutely right, breonna. the biggest issue they say they face or those ammunition shortages, especially as right now, the russians are trying to push hard. many sectors on the frontline, but especially in one where we were very close to. it's a forest fight that's going on there. there's -- assaults on by the russians, also using tanks. the ukrainians say that thoseas supposed to be a extremely difficult battle.

>> all warfare in unforgiving terrain. forest battles in eastern ukraine facing a near constant russian onslaught. vladimir putin's army trying to break through ukrainian defenses. one of those holding them up. >> translator: the situation is very act of and very tense because the enemy has much more it meant and manpower. every day they try to storm new positions. a dead russian soldier and a destroyed tank show how close the russians have come. it is a fight for survival against the elements. the trench cold, wet and soggy. the only heat coming from candles that the soldiers gather around, gathering strength to face the overwhelming firepower. issued direct fire, they basically have it all, he says you are probably the worst part

tanks. when the fire, you do not hear it. you hear an airplane when it comes over but the tank, you are in god's hands. artillery fire is another threat here as we found out when we came under fire trying to make it to the area. >> this is unfortunately something that when we work here, happens all too often. we were getting ready to film here and then we heard what appeared to be outgoing tillery. we're not trying to make their way out here as safe as possible and put distance between our cars. we also have to keep moving the entire time to make sure we get out of here hopefully safe. we believe the russian drones audit us and directed the artillery fire, but two can play that game. this is a ukrainian drone

pilot. targets russian armory in armored assault permission including battle tanks. has to be extremely precise. it's no secret we are starved of artillery shells, he says. we try to work as efficiently and accurately as possible to get the enemies firepower. trying to fight back anyway the and on one of the toughest data fields of the war. speaking -- >> certainly is very tough out there. ukrainians say they're having some success against the russians there. in the span of a couple of days, they say they have taken out 40 russian tanks and armored vehicles. yet they keep on coming because they have so many weapons at their disposal. as the mo depletes for the indians, it becomes more difficult by the day to hang on. >> and you, fred, for showing us that. we certainly appreciate it. we will be right back.

not just any whiteboard... ...katie porter's whiteboard is one way she's: [news anchor] ...often seen grilling top executives of banks, big pharma, even top administration officials. katie porter. never taken corporate pac money - never will. leading the fight to ban congressional stock trading. and the only democrat who opposed wasteful “earmarks” that fund politicians' pet projects. katie porter. focused on your challenges - from lowering housing costs to fighting climate change. shake up the senate - with democrat katie porter. i'm katie porter and i approve this message.

two years after the 2022 winter olympic games in beijing, the u.s. figure skating team will be awarded the gold medal instead of silver. this announcement comes after russian figure skater was part of the russian team that year, disqualified for doping. let's bring in world enter dawn. what will happen now? will russia appeal this? >> we don't know for sure what the russians are going to do that we have reached out for comment but have not heard back. they have described this as a

politicized decision to ban her for four years. we will see what their next move is. the united states team is celebrating the fact that there are no gold medalist. the host says she cannot see a scenario in which they want the gold medalist. this is a celebration because these out and left beijing with empty boxes. there was no metals. they were not given the middle of any kind. silver, gold, nothing. the american athletes believe they will be getting a gold medal, but it's still far from satisfactory situation. >> without clean sport, the integrity of the sport is diminished. of course, there is nuance to the situation and this decision is a win for teams ward, but that this happened at all -- >> the situation has been in a

dilute fiasco that at least there is some kind of light now at the end of the tunnel. >> kind of confused by this. there was a decision made by the international skating unit to keep them in north plays eric is this likely to get reversed? >> we will see. disappointed would be quite the understatement. essentially they strip russia of a number of points and effectively drop them from 74 down to fifth four. that left canada and fourth place and gave the russians bronze instead of nothing at all. the canadians feel is that they have a very strong case and they are considering their options but i would expect them to appeal this decision and their athletes are helping they can have something. just when we thought it was all over, there is still so much more to be figured out. >> i wish we could do this in other sports and restaurant

played take away championships that were undeserving. thank you so much. strong president biden deciding on how to respond to the strike in jordan that killed three u.s. soldiers.