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soon, we will see president biden fulfill perhaps his most solemn of duties as commander- in-chief, receiving troops who made the ultimate sacrifice to the country as they return home. he and the first lady will attend a dignified transfer of the bodies of three soldiers killed sunday by a drone attack in jordan. sergeant william rivers, sergeant kennedy sanders, and sergeant breonna moffitt. the plane transporting the fallen will land at dover air force base where, in a process of ritual and precision, they will be taken to the mortuary to prepare them for burial. the soldiers are the first u.s. troops killed by iranian-backed militias, who launched scores of attacks against american forces protesting the war in gaza. we should note that today, one militia groups that strikes against the united states would continue, but iran's president also stressed today that his country, quote, will not start any war.

let's turn now to cnn's mj lee who's tracking this from the white house. mj, the president is meeting now as we speak with these families. >> reporter: yeah. boris, this is one of the hardest and most gut wrenching things that the president can do in his role as commander-in-chief, and that is to bear witness to and honor these three american soldiers returning home after they were killed in the line of duty, and consoling and comforting their families. this is sergeant william rivers, sergeant kennedy sanders, and sergeant breonna moffitt as you mentioned. they were killed in that drone attack in jordan last weekend, and they were the first americans that were killed since the beginning of the israel-hamas war. earlier this, week we actually got to see how the president speaks in private with some of these gold star families. there was a moment where he was speaking with the family members of sergeant kennedy

sanders, and this was when they actually learn for the first time that she had been posthumously promoted to sergeant, and we saw how the president, as he so often does, referencing his own grief around the death of his son beau to try to comfort and grieve with these parents. take a listen. >> by the way, we are promoting her posthumously to sergeant. >> oh wow, that is the best news i've heard today. thank you so much. you don't know how much that means to us. >> oh. well, i will tell you what, it means a lot to me. my son spent a year in iraq until i lost him and, you know, 1%, 1% of all these kids protect 99% of us. >> so the president arrived at

dover air force base around an hour ago. and there was about an hour that is built into the schedule this afternoon, precisely to meet with some of these family members in person, and of course , boris and breonna, he has attended these dignified transfers in the past as president, as senator, and once before as president back in 2021 when those 13 u.s. service members were killed at an attack outside of kabul airport in afghanistan. of course, at this moment we are also just waiting to learn exactly how the u.s. retaliates in response to these three american soldiers being killed, but putting that aside this afternoon the president is very much focused on honoring their lives, and really trying to comfort their families. boris? >> a process that, as you noted mj, he is familiar with. mj lee from the white house. thank you so much. we want to turn to natasha bertrand now, she's at the pentagon for us.

natasha, we know that the president has decided on a u.s. response to this drone attack. officials saying that it's going to be multi tiered. do we have any more details on what we should expect? >> reporter: we don't, boris. we reported earlier in the week that we do believe that possible response options could be four strikes in iraq and syria, where those iran-backed militias have been operating, that could include non-kinetic responses. in other words, a cyberattack that could attempt to cripple some iranian-backed infrastructure. what is clear at this point is if it's going to target people or facilities or even both. the point is that the administration really wants to make a really strong message, to send a very strong message here, after these iran-backed groups killed those three u.s. service members on sunday. they have emphasized here that this is going to be a broader and larger response than we have seen them take in the past when these iran-backed groups have launched attacks on u.s. and coalition bases in iraq and

syria. previous attacks that have not killed u.s. service members. this is the first time u.s. service members have died, so they feel the need to take a much more forceful response. we are expecting some kind of response soon. the clock is ticking here as defense officials have told us, but we still do not have real guidance on timing just yet. the question now is how do you calibrate the response by attacking these iran-backed groups, but not sparking regional war? we have also reported that the administration is very reluctant to take any kind of action against iran directly by striking inside iran itself. but iran's president is preemptively responding to this and saying that iran is prepared to strike back even though it is not at this moment of course wanted to start a war. they are prepared to respond if necessary. here's what he said. >> >> translator: we have said many times we will not initiate anymore. but if anyone wants to bully,

iran will respond firmly. >> reporter: so this alliance with what cnn reported earlier in the week, which is that iran does not necessarily want to engage in a direct confrontation war with the united states. they were kind of taken aback and surprised that their iranian proxy groups managed to killed three service members in a way that could spark an escalation that they perhaps have been trying to avoid. so what remains to be seen i was just how far the administration is going to take this response, more. >> natasha bertrand live from the pentagon press. thank you so much. breonna? we are now joined by democratic congressman jason crow of colorado. he is a former army ranger who served in iraq and afghanistan. congressman, of course this is a solemn day today. we are awaiting the dignified transfer of the remains of these three service members. how are you reflecting on this moment? >> it is a solemn date, and i joined the country in mourning the loss of the service members speak, and the president is doing exactly the right thing

by reaching out to the families and participating in the dignified transfer ceremony. this is just another example that this is not -- when you are a military commander, either military commander or the commander-in-chief as the cases with president biden, you have to look at the very real impacts of what is going on here. it is not okay to be one of these armchair generals in d.c. and talk tough on twitter or social media, because there are very real consequences to this. so we have to respond and deter, but we also have to de- escalate at the same time. >> and the president had stressed that the attack would be coming in a place and a time of america's choosing. is there a risk of waiting too long? why or why not in your opinion? >> well, that is exactly right. we will do this in a time and place and manner that were choosing, because we are in the position of strength. and we should always lead in a position of strength. we should not allow, or let our

allies or adversaries, no one else but us decide how we are going to respond to this, and do so in our own interests. so we are not provoked into responding before we are ready. we will do so in a way that sends a very strong message, and impose costs on iran and its proxies for doing this, but also de-escalating as well. and we should not be forecasting also the details of this but nobody has, about how we are going to respond, because that would obviously put our service members at greater risk. >> cnn is reporting the u.s. officials believe iranian officials were caught off guard by this drone attack that killed soldiers. it's unclear though. it's not as if there hasn't been any -- many other attacks that could have been just as deadly if the opportunity had allowed. u.s. officials from the biden administration have been very clear about that. iran was also caught by some surprise over hamas's attacks. at what point does their surprise not fly, as the u.s. is considering iran's culpability here?

>> surprised is not fly right now, because they have actually created the conditions for this. iran gauges and what is called defense in-depth. they have created these proxies, these unofficial militia groups and others, that do these things on their behalf. they train these proxy forces. they equip them and then they have plausible deniability when they do things. so they try to create this defense in depth, but they know what these folks are trying to do generally. they might not know specifically about attacks, but they know generally what these proxy forces do. so they obviously bear some responsibility for it. so, yeah, they might be surprised, but they should be held accountable for the actions of these groups that they have trained, that they have equipped, and that they have enabled, when they conduct these operations. that is exactly what the administration is going to do, to impose costs, but in a manner that does not escalate or put our service members in the region at risk. >> the biden administration keeps insisting that the conflict is contained to gaza,

and yet, as you mentioned here, we are about to witness this very, this reality. right? this dignified transfer of these three service members killed by an iranian proxy, that has stepped up its attacks considerably in the wake of the israel-hamas war. and that is coming after two navy seals died intercepting iranian weapons bound for the houthis in yemen, who have endangered the global economy with attacks on the red sea. can the administration keep insisting that this conflict is contained to gaza when we are seeing the reality of what it is , you know, the effects of it on service members far beyond? >> i think this is a really important reminder to the american people that we live in a very dangerous and very unstable world. that we have hundreds of thousands of service members stationed throughout the world. you know, 100,000 in europe. we have seen -- service members in africa and the middle east, throughout the pacific, south america, everywhere. they are keeping a safe,

sometimes under very dangerous conditions. so we can never let our guard down and be complacent, because we have seen over 100 attacks actually against shipping, against our service members, against our outposts, our forward operating bases, since the october 7th attack. but we have seen a lot of attacks before that also. so we can never be complacent and never let our guard down. that's what we are seeing right now. >> why do you see an emphasis on insisting that this is a conflict that is contained to gaza? we are seeing attacks on u.s. troops were there before this conflict, yes, but that have become heightened in a way that, you know, arguably they would not have if it were not for this conflict. >> yeah. i absolutely agree with you here. we certainly have a national interest in making sure that this conflict is done the right way, and that is why i've been very vocal actually the last couple of months and pushing prime minister netanyahu and the israelis, to shift the nature

of their offensive, because what we are seeing, as a result of the very large number of civilian casualties, a rise in extremism, a rise in sympathies with terrorist organizations, and a rise in attacks against u.s. facilities and interests and personnel as a result of that. so we are involved in this also will, and we have an interest in making sure that our national interests are served, and we are protecting our troops by shifting policy in a more appropriate direction in the battle between israel and hamas right now. >> congressman jason crow, thank you so much for joining us as we do await this dignified transfer. we really appreciate your time today. breaking news from fulton county georgia, district attorney fani willis, who is spearheading the georgia subversion case against former president donald trump, has now -- attempt have heard disqualified. cnn's zak cohen is joining us

now. zak, hear fani willis is responding to this attempt to have her disqualified over allegations that she has had inappropriate relationship with a top prosecutor, one of the top prosecutors, that she hired to take on this case. walk us through her response. >> reporter: yeah, boris. we just got this motion minutes ago. and this opposition to this disqualification effort, she calls the allegations salacious and acknowledges that they garnered a lot of media attention honest to -- couple of days. she goes into a point by point rebuttal, rebutting that legal arguments for why she should not be disqualified. i will go through a few of them. she says, district attorney willis has no financial conflict of interest that constitutes a legal basis for disqualification. she says there is no personal conflict or interest, or of interest, that justifies her disqualification personally, or that of the fulton county district attorney's office. she says the attacks on special prosecutor nathan wade, that is who she has alleged to have an

affair with, the attacks on his qualifications are factually inaccurate, unsupported, and malicious. in addition to providing no basis whatsoever to dismiss the indictment or his qualified -- it goes on to say that she has made no public statements that warrant disqualification or judicial inquiry, and the criticism of the process utilized to a point in compensate the special prosecutors in this case, demonstrates basic misunderstandings of rudimentary county and state regulations, and provides no basis for the dismissal of the indictment, or disqualification of any members of the prosecution team. so obviously she is disputing point-by-point the legal arguments raised by trump's attorneys, and the attorneys for two other of trump's codefendants in the case. we are obviously still going through the motions, but it's clear that fani willis said there is no legal basis for me to be disqualified from this case, or for the indictment itself to be turned down. >> she and the defendants team or two in front of a judge on february 15th to make this

argument in person. we know you will be watching alongside us. zak cohen, thank you very much for the report. there is a lot of news we are covering this afternoon including closing arguments underway in the trial of jennifer crumbley. remember, she is the mother of the michigan school shooter. we have the latest from inside the courtroom at some very powerful testimony when we come back.

the involuntary manslaughter trial of michigan mom jennifer crumbley could soon be in the hands of the jury . happening right now, the prosecution is presenting their closing arguments in this case. the defense rested late this morning after calling the defendant as it's only witness. crumbleys attorney appeared to whisper in her clients ear moments after deciding not to call any other potential witnesses. the states cross examination of crumbly was also

relatively brief, focusing on her son's mental health, and how he got the weapon that he used in the oxford high school shooting. let's check in with cnn's jeanne casarez who's been following all of the details in this case. jeanne, what did you make of the earlier testimony, deciding not to call additional witnesses to the defense? >> reporter: they just put on who they believe is their star witness and they deliberated. we heard yesterday at the end of court, shannon smith, the defense attorney, who really just sort of speaks. she said my client and i have a differing of opinion of who to call following jennifer crumbley. so my guess is that jennifer crumbley one, that she did not want those other witnesses. do we know who they are? we know her parents are on the witness list. we know that. we do not know anymore, but the cross today was short, very short. i think most bill believed it would be extensive.

it was aggressive, but people thought it would go into nooks and crannies and just really focus on things. in their closing arguments that are beginning now, they will focus and tie it all together. they will take the cross- examination and make the most of it to this jury because they have the burden. one thing, we know there's two theories they are proceeding on for involuntary manslaughter. gross negligence, as we have been talking about, but failure to perform a legal duty. the parents had eight legal duty to their child, to the community, and that was failure because of close negligence to perform that duty. two theories going to the jury for that one count. no lesser includeds at all. just involuntary manslaughter. >> and you don't deny that the handgun was in fact the murder weapon? >> i do not deny that. >> you also do not deny that the gun was gifted by you and your husband to your son on

november 26th? >> describe gifted. >> how about when you posted on instagram, his new christmas gift. >> correct. i explained yesterday that it was for him to use at the shooting range. we did not just hand him a gun like, here you go, son. it was something he could use when we went to the range as a family together. >> reporter: bring 14 to the prosecution's case. place the issue of the gun and blame on her, that she was there at the range, she bought all the bullets on saturday when they went to test out the brand new gun, and it was those bullets that killed those four students. causing the death is an element they have to show beyond a reasonable doubt, that jennifer crumbley it cost the death of those students. >> an important fact to remember . jeanne, we will let you get back to watching the closing arguments. thank you so much for the update. we want to bring in cnn legal analyst and criminal defense attorney joey jackson. joey, you've obviously watched a lot more cross-examination

and testimony deniable have, but it seems short to me. i'm wondering if you think that is because both sides felt confident that they got what they wanted out of her? >> reporter: yeah. what happens, boris, is that these things are strategic in nature. what things? meaning your strategy and what you are going to do. every attorney does things differently. as jeanne casarez noted, we were anticipating that the prosecution would poke holes through everything she was talking about. the foreseeability with respect to how this could have occurred. her specific negligence, specific instances of that, going into number two, the notice she would've had regarding her son's mental disability, or what have you. number three, talking about the reasonableness. you know, instead they are talking about the fact that she is a swinger and other things, that i think our appealable. i'm surprised the judge allowed that to come in. so no, look, i maybe would have

handled it differently. many of my colleagues would have, but this is something that the prosecution perhaps believed that they needed to do, and they would really go to the closing argument to make the case that the mother was so grossly negligent and, with respect to what she did and what she did not do, and the jury would then have to conclude based on the facts presented whether that was enough beyond a reasonable doubt to prove her guilty. but i think the cross- examination could have been a lot more meticulous. >> when it comes to her defense, is one of the things that you perhaps would've done differently having harvey only witness? >> reporter: i certainly don't quibble with that. let me explain why, boris. what happens is that the defense attorney and the defendant, the defendant has no burden of proof. a defendant can sit there and not even cross-examined witnesses at all. it is the state, the government, that really has to bring forward the issue. and i think what the defense

really wanted to do from the outset, we saw in the closing argument, excuse me, the opening statement. it is very unusual to make the commitment that my client will testify. they did that, and they delivered with respect to having her testify, given context with regard to the blame issue. the husband being the person who purchased the gun. giving context of the meeting they had with the school, saying it was not abrupt. it was a matter of fact and there was no basis or reason to believe that their son represented any danger. giving context to the notion that they had any information, that is jennifer and her husband, that he had these mental health melodies. giving context to the information that the school had information about the sun that they did not give to her. right? so how was she to know that her son would behave in this way? no behavioral issues to speak up in the school. nothing that they could point to that he did wrong in a violent nature to anyone else. so how was she to know? so with regard to having her testify, i don't quibble with that, i thought she helped

herself significantly in doing so. now it will be up to a jury to assess her credibility and to ultimately determine whether she is guilty of this involuntary manslaughter. >> i want to zoom in on the question of credibility, specifically with a piece of testimony you mentioned. she talked about the meeting that took place at the school before the shooting and said that it did not end abruptly. that she was invested in conversation. earlier in the trial, a counselor testified that she was disengaged, that she seemed inconvenienced by having to go to school to talk about her son, and that also the meeting ended abruptly. how does a jury go about determining which is more credible, which testimony is more credible? >> reporter: yeah. so, boris, usually with credibility assessment, it's based upon corroboration. i think the way that this needs to be addressed, what is this? this meaning the context of that meeting. your son apparently wrote on that piece of paper, you know,

in terms of if he needed help, putting tape gun there, putting blood there. that is a big deal. so now the defense is saying that it was really a nothing meeting. they were just bringing it to their attention. they would've gladly taken their child. what is the corroboration? the corroboration is the school had a duty also to do something about it, right? the school could have checked the backpack if they thought that eaton was such a danger. they didn't do it. the school could have looked within it. the school could have demanded that she take him home. the school could have removed him from class. the school could have gone -- done any number of things which they did not do. the school could have said, you know what? your child says that his life is a mistake. did you know that? that he was having a rough time. did you know that? that he was sleeping in class. did you know that? so in terms of your question in assessing credibility, assisted by the outside circumstances. and it was such a big deal to the school, meaning ethan crumbley's behavior, why wasn't the mother put on notice of it, and if the sun was such a danger, why didn't they insist he come home?

so these are the arguments that will be made from a defense perspective, whether the jury buys the argument is going to be up to those 12 people who are deliberating ultimately beyond a reasonable doubt, unanimously, as to guilt. for innocence. >> joey jackson, always appreciate the perspective. if i ever get charged with anything i'm calling joey jackson. thank you so much, joey. so we are waiting for the dignified transfer of those three u.s. soldiers who were killed in jordan at dover air force base. president biden is there now to receive them with the secretary of defense, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, at other officials. we are going to bring that moment to you as we get it. stay with cnn news central.

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a number of senior house republicans are going skeptical that their months long investigation into the president will actually lead to impeachment. the republican conference is not expected to make an official statement on whether to pursue articles of impeachment until after the deposition of the president's son, hunter, and his brother james later this month. >> but one gop lawmakers telling cnn that there are around 20 house republicans that are not convinced there is enough evidence, and with a razor-thin majority, republicans can only afford to lose two votes here. we have cnn's andy breyer with all the details on this. it's seeming like quite a long shot there, andy. >> reporter: that's right,

republicans told me there are serious deaths that their investigation into president joe biden is actually going to turn into impeachment. first, you have a vote issue. republicans have a very narrow majority and they can only lose two votes on any given vote. i am told from sources that there aren't as many as 20 republicans who don't see evidence of an impeachable offense. they just don't feel like the investigation has really broken through. then you have a calendar issue. this investigation has been going on for quite a while and some republicans say, look, let's just wait for voters to decide in november, in the 2024 presidential election, about the fate of president joe biden. then there's a momentum issue. the southern border has been a huge focus for congress and for house republicans that has meant focusing on impeaching alejandro mayorkas, the department of homeland security secretary. but supporters of this inquiry say, look, it's too soon to make a final decision about where this ends up. we do not want to prejudge the information, and we have two big

interviews coming up this month with the president's brother, james, and his son, hunter biden. they are both coming up at the end of february. they say decisions will be coming around then. after talking to around a dozen republican lawmakers, it's just becoming more and more clear that there are serious concerns about how the investigation has been going, and doubts about how it's going to end up. >> all right, panic. thank you so much for sharing your reporting with us. we appreciate. it annie grayer on the hill for us. former trump cfo allen weisselberg is reportedly considering pleading guilty for a second time, for allegedly lying on the witness stand in former president trump's new york civil fraud trial. we will have those details. plus, when we could hear a verdict in the case. just ahead.

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some new guidance today. cortical suggesting a predict and former presidents new york civil fraud case could come in the next few weeks. a judge is deciding how much trump and his codefendants oh in the case, and whether the former president can still do business in the state of new york. we are also learning that allen weisselberg, who spent decades as trump's chief financial officer for his real estate empire, is on the verge of pleading guilty for the second time. cnn's kara scannell is joining us now from new york. kara, give us the details on this. >> reporter: yeah, rihanna. sources tell me allen weisselberg is in negotiations about a possible plea deal where it would relate to a perjury charge in connection with some testimony he has given in the new york attorney general civil fraud investigation and trial. he is in talks with the manhattan district attorney's

office, which prosecutes those types of cases, and these talks are early untold. it's possible a deal is not reached, but what is important is that, as they are negotiating over this, that allen weisselberg is not expected to cooperate against his boss, former boss, former president donald trump. that is not a condition of this deal. so he is not expected to be testifying against trump in the criminal trial that is currently scheduled to begin in new york next month. and that case, trump -- falsifying business records to cover up a payment to stormy daniels, just days before the 2016 presidential election. trump has pleaded not guilty to those charges. that trial currently looks like it could be the first one that we see of these multiple trials that trump is facing from these tragedies. so it's important that weisselberg, who has been this lieutenant puppet trump, who has worked with him in florida years, will not be a key witness in that case.

if the -- he does plead guilty, it will be the second time weisselberg will have pleaded guilty. he previously pleaded guilty to tax charges and did testify in a case against a trump organization entities. those entities were convicted and fined. it's not exactly clear what testimony weisselberg may end up saying was false, but it does come, the timing here is interesting, with the judge set to rule soon with a verdict in this case. you said we expect the decision to come down this month. breonna? >> all right, kara scannell. we will be looking for that. thank you. boris? now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour. a gas explosion in nairobi, kenya has killed at least three people and injured hundreds of others. officials say the fire spread overnight to a warehouse and homes. officials also say the company behind the explosion is going to be shut down, calling it illegal and unlicensed. in the meantime here in the united states, another recall from tesla, this time over font

size that is affecting 2.2 million vehicles. federal regulators say the font size for the warning lights is too small. this issue is going to be fixed via and over-the- air software update. so far there have been no reports of any crashes or injuries. and the fda is looking to improve health readings for patients with darker skin tones. pulse oximeter's use like meters to gauge blood oxygen levels, and paul straight through your finger, but the pigmentation in darker skin tones can actually lead to an accurate results. a study published in 2022 found that readings for asian, black or hispanic patients showed higher oxygen levels than white patients, likely leading to delay treatment or no treatment at all. the fda committees meeting later today to discuss the matter. still ahead on cnn news central. >> the most pressing crisis in america today is what happened to kids during covid. >> a historic new lawsuit

settlement that will see california spend two billion dollars to help students who have fallen behind in school catch up with their classmates. to duckduckgo on all your devie

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schools accountable for not doing enough to help students that behind during remote learning as school shut down across the state. cnn's nick watt explains how this will help thousands of family. >> reporter: with this settlement, no one is getting you a check. >> no. >> reporter: you are not getting any money? >> i am not. i am hoping that the kids will benefit, all kids will benefit from this. >> reporter: some are struggling to help her kids catch up in math. among the parents, teachers, kids, and community groups that sued california and won the southern. at the state just agreed to spend two billion dollars on tutors, extended school days, mental health support, and more for kids who suffered most during remote learning, predominantly low income black and latino kids who are now not bouncing back as fast as kids in wider more affluent districts. >> the most pressing crisis in america today is what happened to the kids during covid.

hopefully this settlement will be a model for 49 other states. >> reporter: during covid, kelly's parents had those who try their best and some. internet >> the computer glitch-y. i would have to try to go over some of their lessons with them, while i was working from home. >> reporter: in california, around 10,000 schools were closed. >> they were between 800,000 and 1 million kids with no digital access whatsoever. what does that mean? does it mean to get a bad education. it means they got no education. >> reporter: school age kids are among those at lowest risk of serious illness from covid- 19 but suffered a lot from the restrictions to stem the spread. >> we are asking for kids to pay for the public health measures that were meant to benefit us all. >> reporter: professor thomas cain and colleagues at harvard, stanford, and dartmouth found many more affluent kids have already regained a lot of the learning they lost during covid. >> in some places, like here in

massachusetts, the high poverty districts did the opposite of catching up last year. they actually lost additional ground. >> reporter: someday fear might never catch up. given what was lost during covid and the systemic educational inequities that existed long before we had ever heard of covid-19. >> as a white guy, i have always assumed, possibly rightly, that my kids were going to get a fair shake. as a black parent, do you feel differently? that you are at a disadvantage? >> we are. and that is one of the major reasons why i felt like this was important. we cannot continue to let things like this happen. to let our kids fall short. i'm hopeful that this will make a huge impact. >> you say you are hopeful -- >> yes. >> i sense the slight tinge of doubt. >> it hasn't happened yet. i just have to be hopeful until it happens. >> nic walsh, cnn, los angeles.

>> our thanks to nick for that report. the cnn original series, the many lives of martha stewart, returns this sunday with its final two episodes. this week, we look at the legal battle that nearly brought down with us empire. how she orchestrated a powerful come back and how she, to this day, remains a relevant cultural force. here is a preview. today is a shameful day. it is shameful for me, and for my family, and for my beloved company. for all of its employees and partners. >> this case had all the makings of a greek tragedy. here you have the goddess of perfection, martha stewart. all of a sudden revealed to be a mere mortal who had a fatal flaw. hubris. >> if she had simply told the truth none of this will be remembered. >> there would be no criminal

prosecution at all. >> what was a small personal matter came over the last two years and almost fatal circus event of unprecedented proportion. >> instead, she digs in her heels. the hubris and the volatile personality says, i will not be taken down. i did nothing wrong. >> be sure to tune in. the final two on episodes of the many lives of martha stewart air sunday at 9 am eastern and pacific right here on cnn. coming up, a new cnn poll giving a snapshot of how americans are feeling about the economy. what it could mean for president biden and the 2024 presidential race. we will be right back.

a stronger than expected jobs report shows 2024 kicked off with a bang. in the meantime, when it comes to american's use of the economy, new polling shows an uptick in optimism. there's still a lot of pessimism out. there we will tell you why. dealing with a new reality on the front lines. ukraine's embattled army chief says the country must adapt to a reduction in military aid from key allies and focus more

strongly on technology if it wants to win the war against russia. we have the cnn exclusive just. ahead >> plus fawning fires back. the district a lick in donald trump now responding to what she calls as salacious allegations against her. hear what more what fani willis has to say in the new court filing she's had that she has had a proper relationship with their lead prosecutor. following these major developing stories, and many more, all coming in right here to cnn news central. >> thank you so much for joining us this afternoon. at any moment we will see president biden fulfilled one of his most solemn duties as commander and chief. he is receiving troops that made the ultimate sacrifice for the country as they return home. he, and first lady jill biden, are attending the dignif