judge in tennessee deeming the states adult entertainment act, a law that will criminalize some dry performances, and unconstitutional restriction. >> as the high court today reaffirm the key part of the voting rights act, aimed at preventing race discrimination. >> people standing up stand back marching voting. >> abortion access is the law of the land in ohio. >> fighting for freedom for power. for respect >> former tennessee lawmakers justin jones back to the state house just days after his expulsion. >> this is what justin democracy looks like. >> we've got a lot more coming up for you, you're watching msnbc, second hour starts right now. >> good afternoon to you.

i'm richard louis, in for yasmin o'sullivan. canceled on christmas eve -- travelers scrambling after a wave of flight cancellations, backing those in a rush to get home for the holidays. we are live at one of the airport to the hardest. we are following the breaking news out of gaza. five hostages in hamas tunnels have been found. we will go to tel aviv for the latest on that. this whole election interference case should be stopped in its tracks. this comes after the supreme court refused to hear an expedited appeal in this case and awaits a potential appeal of a colorado state supreme court decision kicking trump off the ballot there. >> i agree with the colorado supreme court. i said, gosh, for quite some time that donald trump has

incited the insurrection. there should not be a loophole for inciting insurrection for the presidency. >> this colorado supreme court made a political decision. in my view, there is no constitutional basis for the decision they rendered. i think it will be a slam dunked in the supreme court. donald trump will eventually be on the ballot in colorado. >> whatever issues the supreme court is faced with in the weeks and months ahead, there are growing questions about whether clarence thomas should recuse himself from any election related cases or decisions. we will look at that ahead. a huge court victory for democrats in a crucial swing state as was constant state supreme court tosses our republican a drawn maps in what could be a game-changer in that swing state. i will get reactions from the state's house minority leader on that straight ahead of this hour. we are going to start with a christmas eve nightmare for some travelers with flight cancellations in the midwest causing a major headache as people try to make it home for the holidays to see family and

friends. in chicago, a thick blanket of fog this morning canceling more than 50 flights. it has sent passengers scrambling to find alternatives at midway airport. travelers are dealing with long lines and frustration as they try to make it out of chicago. that is where we will find nbc's shaka brewster. he joins us now. how are the conditions this hour? how are folks trying to get home? >> definitely less fog here in the chicago area. you see things at the airport starting to get back on track. those images and reports of long lines that we saw here at midway because of the ground stop, those have now gone away. you're still seeing a lot of delayed flights. midway has the most delayed flights out of any airport in the country currently. about 40% of flights leaving midway right now are delayed and about 15% of those flights have been canceled. as you can imagine, as i have been talking with passengers, there is some frustration there. one person told me he was

supposed to be in florida. he is bringing his family to florida now. that vacation is costing an extra $2,000. i want you to listen to what another passenger told me. >> we try to leave yesterday. we had an evening flight. it was delayed, delay because of the fog, and then eventually canceled. we were told that we would be leaving today at 1:20. we are here. there is no one at the desk to check us. none >> this fog is impacting other cities and other hubs as well. we know that 42 million people are under a fog advisory. you are also seeing the weather impacts in other cities like denver, a snowstorm in that area impacting some flights. you are seeing that travel impact. when you talk to experts, people who do this all the time, they tell you if you are traveling right now on christmas eve, make sure you

get here early. another tip is to download the app of the airline that you are flying with. you get that instant notification if your flight is delayed or canceled. you can quickly be rebooked. remember those regulations. keep everything under the 3.4 ounces which includes any gifts that you are waiting or -- things were bad earlier, but it looks like things are looking a little better at midway. >> shaq, you missed one thing on that list. a required of you and before you travel is to watch the movie planes, trains, and automobiles. you are all set emotionally to get where you need to go. [laughter] shaq i, thank you so much. >> it's required. >> now to the breaking news overnight, former president trump's legal team made its new filing to the d.c. court of appeals to drop the federal election interference on

presidential immunity grounds. it comes after the supreme court declined a fast-track decision on that very issue. trump's legal team is riding in this response over the weekend. quote, under our system of separated powers, the judicial branch cannot sit in judgment over the presidents official acts. the indictment against president trump is unlawful and unconstitutional. it must be dismissed. joining us now is senior writer at slate mark joseph stern. mark, we have not necessarily heard anything different from the trump legal team in response to what was just filed overnight. as we know, that was a very last minute deadline saturday evening. what do you make of this argument and their response? anything different? >> the trump legal team is sticking to the basic outline of their arguments the whole time. as you said, the president is immune from any kind of prosecution due to illegal

activities that he may have engaged in while in the white house. i will say this filing does move the focus a little bit more toward this question of the president engaging in official acts. originally, this whole argument was centered around the president being the president. when trump is president, he gets to do what he wants without judicial second guessing. the district judge in this case, tanya chutkan, really sharply rejected that argument. look, he might have been president then, but he's not president now. there is no divine right of former presidents to maintain the immunity that they may or may not hold in the white house. i think the trump legal team is reacting to that very strong rejoinder and shifting this to, hey, the president was just trying to make sure this election was run a fairly. he was engaged in basic executive actions, what the filing calls bold, fearless executive leadership, trying to protect the sanctity of this

race and a vote counting and a president or former president, either one, cannot be prosecuted for those official actions. that argument also has serious flaws, most obviously a real question mark as to whether, the centrally, interfering in the count of ballots and trying to prevent the certification of an election could ever be an official act by a president. the 11th circuit recently rejected that argument in a similar case. i expect the d.c. circuit to reject it as well. these are the two best arguments that the team has put forth so far. i don't think they are going to see a win at the d.c. circuit. >> supreme court, right. that is what the special counsel tried to get that expedited decision upon. you have tweeted about this very case here. you venture to guess that the d.c. circuit panel majority is already drafting an opinion which will be ready to go shortly after arguments on

january 9th at which point trump goes back to scotus. a martyr trial is still a feasible but certainly more difficult to pull off now. talk to us about that and what you are thinking. >> yeah, the d.c. circuit panel that will be deciding this case has to biden appointees on, joe chiles and judge pan. both are left leaning judges. i think very practical, reasonable judges, not known as firebrands. they are very likely to shoot down the argument i just outlined and to do so quickly. it is not unusual when a case is expedited like this when there is a tight timeline for the majority to begin working on the opinion before oral arguments have been heard. i strongly suggest that the judges will spend much of this holiday working on any opinion, shooting down this argument of presidential immunity. the other judge will probably write a -- the d.c. circuit will probably put out a majority opinion before the dissent is finished when there is a time crunch. i expect that this decision will come down january 10th or

11th, really shortly after the deadline. this time, the justices will feel obligated to take on the case. >> when and if he goes back to scotus, will he wait? will he wait 45 days? will he wait 90 days, therefore pushing this off, getting past the target date to start the trial? >> i think that will be the one tool left in his toolkitto try to push this as close to the 24 election as possible. the supreme court will hopefully say, well, we are so close to be the race. it would be unfair to decide the case. i think jack smith can weigh in there again and try to push the justices along. it's clear that the majority don't really want to look like they are meddling in this case. they don't want to look like they are weighing in on either side. there's a case there could be serious delay after the circuit when it comes down. >> a 63 court, conservative to liberal, and we are looking at judge clarence thomas. he is certainly being discussed right now. should he recuse himself?

what are the arguments around this? >> well, you know, this is a case about january 6th, about donald trump's effort to overturn the election. we know that clarence thomas's wife was closely involved in the efforts to overturn the election. she lobbied state legislators to reject the outcome. she was actually at the rally at january 6th which fomented the attack on the capitol. under federal law, not just the nonbinding ethics code that the court has put out, but actual federal law, a justice must recuse himself when there is a legitimate reason to believe that he is biased in the case, including a close personal relative who has some kind of vested interest in the outcome. this case is fundamentally about whether the president committed a criminal act. ginni thomas was part of the movement to achieve the act. i think there is an extraordinarily strong argument that justice thomas should recuse. however, he has not recused from any previous cases involving january 6th. i really don't think he will

start now. >> mark joseph stern from slate, thank you, sir. have a good afternoon. >> thank you. let's turn to the middle east now where israel's military announced that it has discovered the bodies of five more hostages in gaza. the idf sent soldiers found the bodies searching tunnels beneath gaza. the bodies are on their way back to israel now. also today, the military group hezbollah said it fired a number of missiles into northern israel. the idf is hitting back with airstrikes, artillery, and tank fire directed at the source of the missile launch. joining us now, jay gray live in tel aviv. let's start with the breaking news which came in with the last couple of hours, the five hostages, those military hostages whose bodies were found. has this happened before? what do we know about what happened? >> yeah, not to this extent, richard. we know that there were five israeli military personnel who were found under the ground into that tunnel system.

they were discovered, their bodies were discovered while fighting to take control of the underground command center. that's something they had been focused on over the last couple of days. they've been returned to israel at this point by the idf. their work continues in khan yunis and to the south. it has been a focus over the last 24 to 48 hours. they have said they expect to find not only commanding control centers with some of those hostages who were taken on october 7th as well. >> talk about the christmas celebrations in the holy land. they were scrawled back or even canceled because of the war there. >> we have spent most of our days here in bethlehem. it normally sees thousands of

tourists during christmas eve and christmas day. there are lights, ornaments, music, a massive christmas tree. there is none of that this year. in essence, what people there are saying is that christmas is canceled. in fact, one of the nativity scenes features baby jesus framed by rubble. >> if jesus were to be born today, he would be born under the rubble. this is our message to the world. this message, we want to draw attention to what is happening in gaza right now, to our children and families. >> really a very somber time right now in bethlehem. it is clear that their hearts and minds are with their friends and loved ones 50 miles away in gaza. >> nbc's jay gray, thank you so much, jay. up next, the new wisconsin state supreme court tossing out

republican drawn a legislative maps. i will ask the democrats leader in the state assembly what it means for her party in 2024 and the election. back in 60 seconds with that. later, the air revolution, how 2023 was the year artificial intelligence became part of your day to day lives. did we know it? rt o your day to day lives. did we know it is 12-hour cough relief. and the giggles. the family that takes delsym together, feels better together. i got this $1,000 camera for only $41 on dealdash. dealdash.com, online auctions since 2009. this playstation 5 sold for only 50 cents. this ipad pro sold for less than $34. and this nintendo switch, sold for less than $20. i got this kitchenaid stand mixer for only $56. i got this bbq smoker for 26 bucks. and shipping is always free. go to dealdash.com right now and see how much you can save. febreze! your bathroom...

needs febreze small spaces... the always-on, odor-fighting air freshener you set and forget. no outlets used, no batteries needed, no effort required. so your bathroom stays continuously fresh for 45 days. that's the power of febreze small spaces. in 2024, wisconsin democrats have a chance to retake the majority and the state assembly for the first time in more than a decade. that's because the state supreme court ruled on friday that the current republican drawn a legislative maps are unconstitutional. experts say wisconsin is one of the most gerrymandered states in the country. right now, republicans control 64 of the 99 state assembly seats, one shy of a super majority. each of the last two presidential races in the state were decided by less than a percentage point. joining me now, wisconsin state

representative greta neubauer, the democratic minority leader of the assembly. thank you for being with us, representative. for our viewers who are necessarily closely following wisconsin politics, how significant was the ruling to redraw the maps? what does it mean statewide and nationally? >> thank you, richard. that is a great question. for many years, over a decade, our legislative maps have been extremely gerrymandered. as you pointed out, statewide elections typically have about 50% of the votes going to democrats. in the last cycle, about third of the seats, just about, going to democrats. people in wisconsin know that that is wrong. it has meant that there will is simply not reflected in the legislature. that's really important because policies that are widely popular in the state are not even being considered. things like gun safety, proper investment in our public schools, legalizing marijuana, and our democracy.

everyone knows how important wisconsin is in deciding presidential elections and it is critically important that we have a state legislature which respect our democracy and the votes of -- >> how might that change in this new map? >> wisconsin is a purple state. if we have fair maps, democrats should absolutely be able to get the majority in the state assembly and soon after in the state senate. we know that our values resonate with the people of wisconsin. we get out and we knock on doors and we talk to voters and we are excited to be competing for a majority. >> you are saying 50/50 or greater for democrats if this new map comes to pass? the wisconsin supreme court flipped through a majority this year. this ruling came down along party lines. talk about how important the supreme court election was not

just on this issue but for others in your state. >> it was very important that we have a court here in wisconsin which fairly looks at the issues and considers the rule of law. justice janis for the say with talked about the issue is people from wisconsin care about and she won by 11 percentage points. that's no question a landslide in wisconsin. we hope to see important cases come in front of the court in the coming months. we know that the decision is critically important for us to have a democracy which is functional in wisconsin. it provides the opportunities for a fair representation in the legislature. >> when and if it should change balance where it is now a republican-led, might we just see the maps go back the other way? therefore, we are just seeing a ping-pong effect based on what the party that is representing making the decision on these very maps is. >> you know, the people of wisconsin have been incredibly

clear that they want pheromones, that they know it is wrong, and that our democracy is distorted under the gop's gerrymander. they have been organizing for years and years. this is a very important victory. i think they are going to continue to hold their elected officials accountable. people want their democracy to be real. they want their voices to be represented. we are going to continue to see the people of wisconsin make that very clear. >> wisconsin state representative greta neubauer, thank you, ma'am. thank you for your time. >> thanks for having me. >> you got it. next, from chatgpt to digital replicas, artificial intelligence making its way into so many aspects of our day today lives. how has it revolutionized our world? later today, only one presidential hopeful is on the trail this weekend in iowa with just weeks until the first in the nation caucus. we're going to bring you our report from des moines straight ahead. report from des moines straigh ahead. ahead. ead of just masking it.

and hours later, i still smell fresh. secret works! ohhh yesss. ♪♪

my daughter and i finally had that conversation. oh, no, not about that. about what comes next in life. for her. i may not be in perfect health, but i want to stay in my home, where my family visits often and where my memories are. i can do it with help from a prep cook, wardrobe assistant and stylist, someone to help me live right at home. life's good. when you have a plan. >> welcome back. ♪ ♪

police are still looking for the gunman behind a deadly shooting in ocala, florida. one man was killed and one woman was injured in a shooting at a shopping mall yesterday. ocala police chief mike bulk and said the attack was likely a targeted act of violence against the men. the suspect fled the scene and left the firearm behind. this morning, though, ocala police posted images of a person of interest which shows a male with a red cap and our

clothing. authorities are asking the public for any help with that investigation. in many ways, 2023 became the year artificial intelligence went viral, turning from pure science fiction to our everyday reality. with its breakthroughs came new fears about how that tech could change news, politics, health, labor, and jobs as we know them. with that, there are new questions over the need for regulations around a.i. and how to enforce them. nbc's correspondent jake ward has more on how a.i. is changing the world. >> artificial intelligence -- >> artificial intelligence -- >> reporter: could soon transform hollywood. 2023 was when a i went from a nerdy jar gone to a daily part of politics, entertainment -- >> chatgpt, dude. >> reporter: even school work. >> how many of you use the a.i. in this discussion? >> reporter: it has come out as very fast. openai now has 100 million

weekly users just since its launch last year with 92% of fortune 500 companies using the technology, according to the company. beyond chatgpt, the stuff i did this year is amazing. it got a glimpse of our thoughts. >> as long as i have seen it and you know the patterns of my brain, the a.i. will read that out of my brain. >> exactly. >> reporter: spotted mental health risks in children. >> an output will say this is a patient at high risk. this is a patient at low risk. >> reporter: and created tons and tons of weird art. >> that is the fun part. >> reporter: as 2024 approaches, a.i.'s ability to trick anyone's eyes could be the end of trust. >> deepfake, face swap, unbelievably easy to do. >> reporter: in just the time it took us to set up our cameras, uc berkeley professor hany fareed made me look like i had starred in dr. strange. >> this is on your laptop in half an hour, an hour, ten minutes. >> reporter: that same tech in our politics can be dangerous.

the republican national committee already aired one a.i. generated ad full of fake imagery. >> close to the city of san francisco this morning. >> go to slovakia right now. go to sudan where we are seeing fake audio trying to stoke civil unrest. >> reporter: david holt, founder of midjourney, said earlier this year that the risk of misuse is not worth giving up on a.i.. >> it's better to trust people. you are always going to get some edge case. that's what having an effect on the world is like. >> reporter: a.i. investors like former google ceo eric schmidt say companies should morales regulate themselves. >> there's no one in the government who can get it right. the industry can roughly get it right and then the government can put a regulatory structure around it. ♪ ♪ ♪ that argument has mostly one out. europe and china have both moved forward on broadway regulations. as 2023 winds down, the u.s. remains the wild west for a.i.. a world changing technology moving so fast. it has little sign of slowing

down. jake ward, nbc news. >> next, as 2024 inches closer, the countdown to the iowa caucus begins. we will go live to that state. plus, most unproductive congress in modern history? this year's house got little to nothing done. what does that mean for 2024? nothing done what does that mean for 2024 what does that mean for 2024 berty. he doesn't even have a mustache. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ i got this $1,000 camera for only $41 on dealdash. dealdash.com, online auctions since 2009. this playstation 5 sold for only 50 cents. this ipad pro sold for less than $34. and this nintendo switch, sold for less than $20. i got this kitchenaid stand mixer for only $56. i got this bbq smoker for 26 bucks. and shipping is always free. go to dealdash.com right now and see how much you can save.

whenever you're hungry, there's a deal on the subway app.

buy one footlong, get one 50% off in the subway app today. now that's a deal worth celebrating. man, what are you doing?! get it before it's gone on the subway app. ♪♪ it■s beginning to look alot like savings! blendjets holiday sale is on now! give the gift of convenience the blendjet 2 portable blender is perfect for everyone on your list. even that picky relative who hates everything. and dont forget the accessories! theyre all on sale! dont wait! our most popular colors and patterns will sell out! go to blendjet.com and take advantage of our holiday sale now. >> this holiday weekend does

have some politics involved in it. vivek ramaswamy was the only candidate campaigning and iowa yesterday with just a few weeks left before the january 15th iowa caucuses, he's doing something no other candidate has done before, nbc's emma barnett is in des moines, iowa for us. emma, what is he doing? >> hi richard, yeah, he is doing something that no other presidential candidate has ever done before and it is called a double grasp leap. he is going to have visited all 99 counties in iowa, twice. which is a pretty big feat. this past weekend, friday and saturday, he had a combined 15 town halls. i just want to pull up the map here so the audience can see where these town halls were. iowa is a pretty big state and on friday night's last town hall was all the way in the southwest portion of the state. and on saturday night, it was in the complete opposite direction all the way on the northeast portion of this state. in this upcoming week he is going to continue to power through.

he's home for the holidays now. but he'll be back next week with 33 different town hall schedules. i spoke to a lot of different people who attended these town halls over the past couple days. i want you to take a listen to what some of them had to say. >> i like what he had to say. especially about -- i am so sick and tired of politicians lying to us. i just want something better. i think we deserve something better. >> i like everything he says, i really do, i am nothing against him. i'm going to vote for trump, but i want him involved somewhere, because i really like him. >> as you heard cindy say in that last one, the sentiment is very familiar here in iowa where a lot of caucus goers like ramaswamy, they like what he has to say, but they are trump loyalists and planned to caucus for trump. and we see that reflected in the polls, in the latest nbc news des moines registered poll,

trump is at 51% compared to ramaswamy who is currently sitting at around 5%. >> all right, emma, vivek ramaswamy is potentially up to his ankles in water and where you are at right now trying to make him cross the state. having's primary, january 3rd not too four after, trump is still leading in that state. nikki haley is gaining on him. >> that is right, richard. just 22 days until the iowa caucus and 30 days until the new hampshire primary. it is coming right up. the latest cbs poll we see trump once again leading in new hampshire with 44% and nikki haley's, as she likes to say, striking distance behind 29%. it is very different than the iowa, and we see that in the way that voters talk about who they are planning to vote for. that is because a lot of the voters in new hampshire are what they call undeclared

voters. they are independent leaning and get to choose whether to vote in the republican or the democratic primary. more moderate voters are attracted to a candidate like nikki haley who recently got the governor's endorsement here. a very popular governor so it's very fair to say that she does have momentum in the state. i did speak to a lot of people in new hampshire who are excited to vote for her. >> with ron desantis, ju a third of what hailie has right now inhe latest one. emma barnett, thank you, live in des moines, iowa. as 2023 comes to an end, so does a unexpected year for congress. they took 724 votes passg 27 bills that became law. a very, very historical low yield. more voting less lawmaking that at any other time in the last decade. it is also significantly less

productive than last year. in 2022 the chamber held 549 votes and passed 248 bills about a 50% yield there that were in the end signed into law. the most unproductive one had a busy start to 2024. the policy plan in israel, fun parts of the government and more and more. this reporter, micah, will it get any better in 2024? and for that matter, it does more mean better? >> thank you for having me on. moore does not always mean better. you just have to see the strategy by mike johnson in his first few months taking over the speakership. his entire speakership was to kick the can down the road. that leaves a bunch to deal

with, by the end of january and early february, so he's going to have to deal with that. key intelligence, a law that expires at the end of the year as well as the faa reauthorization so there's a lot to deal with, not to mention these negotiations on border security, ukraine aid, and israel aid all tied up in this as well. >> with him now as speaker, might those particular issues and votes broad to the floor have a higher yield? i mean, at 3% yield, that is in terms of getting towards what they are voting on being a productive move forward. >> yeah. i mean, i think that we are seeing a lot of challenges that johnson has already faced a speaker i think that he thought he was going to be issuing with house conservatives given that he is more aligned with him and he trusted him. the reality is that mike

johnson was the only person that this very fractured republican conference could agree on to get the gavel and it is very clear that he was underestimated in his skills and his leadership ability before he was able to take this position. we are going to see a lot of frustration with him especially how he handles the appropriations process so i would watch for that and see how those tensions flare in the next month or so. >> as he's been kicking it down the road has he been using this time wisely what we were talking about within the last week because of the migrants situation in many states now that is really kicked up a lot of dander on both sides of the aisle as to what are they going to do to fix things both to congress and to the white house? also foreign aid to israel and ukraine, is it using this time to try to put together some sort of caucus that will, if it is bipartisan, move legislation forward? >> yeah. what we've seen with johnson's

team is that by buying him more time against it, it gives some more time to negotiate on issues that are complicated, especially things like immigration or support. the reality is, the more deadlines it is going to facing more pressure that lawmakers are going to deal with in getting a short term solution to a lot of this stuff. i know that house republicans at least had to be very adamant that they only want to see their immigration and more security bill that they passed this year. any kind of ukraine aid package given the fact that also many house republicans are also saying that they will pass anything with ukraine aid. this is a huge slip or meng house republicans. a huge split among the house and senate. we are seeing a very fractured congress and we are going to continue to see this in 2024 as well. >> yeah. i bet that the press corps taking bets on how many more speakers we might have in 2024. you don't have to tell me, over under on that, but that's only a possibility. the congressional reporter thank you so much.

>> and if you want to find out more you can stay with us and can continue to watch what we are doing right here on msnbc on what your favorite msnbc anchor thought. the top political moment of the year was. we have just the spot for you. go to msnbc.com slash 2023 and you will find a special video where you can hear from yasmin, jen psaki, chris hayes, and a lot more. up next, president biden is using the prime minister netanyahu to protect civilians and gaza. that's international pressure for a cease-fire grows and what we know about discussions between the two leaders. plus, operation angel tree, the program giving incarcerated parents a chance for them to buy gifts for their kids and what it means this holiday season. nd what it means this holiday season season yup, that's how you business differently.

hi! need new glasses? season get more from your benefits at visionworks. how can you see me squinting? i can't! i'm just telling everyone! ...hey! use your vision benefits before they expire. visionworks. see the difference. nexium 24hr prevents heartburn acid for twice as long as pepcid. get all-day and all-night heartburn acid prevention with just one pill a day. choose acid prevention. choose nexium. whenever you're hungry, there's a deal on the subway app. buy one footlong, get one 50% off in the subway app today. now that's a deal worth celebrating. man, what are you doing?! get it before it's gone on the subway app. ♪♪ ( ♪ ♪ )

start your day with nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. >> welcome back, president biden underscoring the need to protect civilian lives as israel pushes forward with its israel campaign against gaza. the president also stressed the need to allow civilians to safely move away from ongoing fighting. this call comes after the u.n. security council adopted a heavily negotiated resolution on friday to send aid into gaza. joining us now, aaron david miller as a senior fellow at the endowment for international peace and a former middle east analyst for the state department. erin, thank you for joining us. this is the 16th call between the president, president biden,

as well as netanyahu. where would you say their relationship is today relevant to what they are trying to get done in gaza today? is the social capital, the political capital, hasn't been spent in terms of the goodwill that the united states may have had against israel? >> i think that it may be about to. joe biden among other american presidents has this love for israel. not for the netanyahu government, but for the israeli security and he has demonstrated that now as we enter the third month already in the third month. at the same time you have two clocks taking him at different speeds. the administration wants a fundamental change in israeli military tactics in order to create time and space for humanitarian assistance to surge into gaza. and he's talking about the end of january. the prime minister and the idf in the defense forces is

talking months. i think january will be a critical moment to see whether or not the brief phase out they are putting up that they are in harmony actually may in fact lead to greater tension. >> remember we started talking about this at the beginning of the israel-hamas war that any other time those two would not necessarily be seeing eye to eye, they wouldn't be seen as close friends politically based on the way that they run their respective countries, who has given more since those 16 calls that we've just been talking about since the beginning of this israel and hamas war? who do you think has gotten closer more than the other? >> i think the president has tethered himself to israeli warnings and in doing so he created some challenge for the united states. how to prosecute a war against an enemy that is below the population without reaching a jury us havoc. which the israelis have done and thousands of palestinians

have been killed on the issue of humanitarian instances where the administration has acquired an enormous amount of trust and confidence and political cap the real question is the united states to use that leverage. i think that we may see sooner rather than later in january. >> what do you make of the latest security council and the latest one vote where we saw the united states as well as russia both abstain from this latest vote. >> for different reasons i think that basically the administration did not want this resolution. and they have been right to a certain extent but the only way that we are going to get humanitarian aid into gaza if it were closer than the israeli, they control what goes in and they control what goes out. i think the administration has pressed hard i don't think that there will be the system since the beginning of this war they've went into gaza without

u.s. pressure on the israeli government because it is bad politics for netanyahu. frankly some of his coalition partners want a total blockade. i think that the president speaks hard on this and i think he's going to continue to press hard. it's not going to take the united states off of the hook. people lost a norm is a month of credibility and i think that a significant reputational hit to say the least as a consequence of what is happening in gaza it can be regained and restored and a lot of that is going to depend on what happens the day after and the day after. >> we will talk about the day after when we look at what is next how do we get to hostilities how do we get to a truce if that is the incremental progress that we all might hope for that these two leaders are potentially hoping for? >> i think that i would be misleading you if i said that i had an answer to that question

and be that my answer does not tend to be president, i think that israel and hamas have until now and i don't see how that's going to change. two-way reconciled. the israelis want to degrade hamas's military structure and hamas wants to survive. we are hoping that survival will be victory because the international community in israel's inability to achieve its goals will ultimately result in huge pressure to stop. >> all right, former state department negotiator aaron david miller, thank you. >> thank you for having me. >> up next, helping children with a parent behind bars feel like they are a little bit closer this christmas we've got that. >>e go that that >> the subway series is taking your favorite to the next level! like the #20. the elite chicken and bacon ranch. built with rotisserie-style chicken and double cheese.

i love what i'm seeing here. that's some well-coached chicken. you done, peyton? the subway series just keeps gettin' better. dad and i finally had that talk. no, not that talk. about what the future looks like. for me. i may have trouble getting around, but i want to live in my home where i'm comfortable and my friends are nearby. i can do it with the help of a barber, personal shopper and exercise buddy. someone who can help me live right at home. life's good. when you have a plan. ♪ ♪ ♪♪ i was looking at my ancestry traits the other day. i figured it out why i never actually made the football team. yeah, because you're 5'8”. wait robbie, go look at the sprinter gene. i wonder if you have it or that's why you didn't make the team. let me see. let me pull it up. don't have it. yup, i knew it. what else does it tell you? no, hold on, i'm going to find some athletic gene in here. endurance, no.

speed, average. i would say below average. give the gift of family heritage with ancestry. i got this $1,000 camera for only $41 on dealdash. dealdash.com, online auctions since 2009. this playstation 5 sold for only 50 cents. this ipad pro sold for less than $34. and this nintendo switch, sold for less than $20. i got this kitchenaid stand mixer for only $56. i got this bbq smoker for 26 bucks. and shipping is always free. go to dealdash.com right now and see how much you can save.

the all-in-one and done symptom relief of mucinex is delivered fast with doordash to the comfort of your couch. slow down!... i mean (coughs) slow down! ahh! watch it! ♪♪ come on! a hero will answer the call... (laughs) you just have to answer the door. oof! that was fast. ♪♪ mucinex available on doordash. ahh! it's comeback season. loving this pay bump in our allowance. ahh! wonder where mom and dad got the extra money? maybe they won the lottery? maybe they inherited a fortune? maybe buried treasure? maybe it fell off a truck? maybe they heard that xfinity customers can save hundreds when they buy one unlimted line and get one free. now i can buy that electric scooter! i'm starting a private-equity fund that specializes in midcap.

you do you. visit xfinitymobile.com today. >> christmas can be tough for some incarcerated parents who are away from their kids but there's a national program into

giving their children gifts at the holidays and reminding them that they are not alone. and bca shaquille brewster has more on this heartwarming story. >> for a ten year old liz, it is a good day. >> reporter: a brand-new art site for christmas. >> i never had this many paint colors. >> it gift from her dad who is not there in person but for her, he's there in spirit. >> i can't believe he remembered that i liked that. it's been so long. >> reporter: like hundreds of other children gathered for this angel tree christmas party in waterloo, iowa, liz and her brother jackson have a parent who is incarcerated. in the lids and jackson's case, their father has been in prison for six years. there is an estimated 1.5 million children in the u.s. who have a parent serving time. inmates with children typically struggled to give christmas

presents, sometimes shopping for gifts at the prison commerce airy. >> we've seen parents that have held on and saved toothpaste, toothbrush is, here combs. >> reporter: that is why angel tree was launched. operated by a prison fellowship, it is a national holiday themed program that pairs prisoners who are parents with local volunteers who helped fulfill their parents -- for many families, the program is a critical source of connection at an often difficult time of the year. >> the kids need this like they have not seen their dad in a long time. >> reporter: this pastor is a co organizer of the annual angel tree party in waterloo. he knows firsthand what incarceration can do to a family. at 19 years old, he robbed the store and was sentenced to seven years in prison. he left behind a girlfriend, and a three year old daughter. he says that angel treated nibbled him to stay connected with his daughter during the holidays. >> when a person goes to prison

in many ways, their family goes to prison with them. there is a loss of income, a loss of stability. >> reporter: now he's working to pay it forward. throwing the annual christmas party for hundreds who shared the common bond of an incarcerated loved one. it is a party with pancakes, face painting, and an opportunity for kids to write notes to their incarcerated parents. florence edwards brought her grandkids. the grandfather is serving a 50 year sentence. now, florence is helping to raise eight grandchildren and says she is grateful that angel tree helps lighten the load of sourcing christmas gifts. >> angel tree is the best way to get out and give to your loved ones when they are incarcerated. >> reporter: gathered for christmas, the families are reminded that they are not alone. >> they could be a kid, they are not just a kid without a parent in the house, there are a kid who received a present from their parent. >> reporter: shaquille brewster, nbc news. >> our thanks to him for that great report.

you know, it is christmas eve. of course, that means that santa is on his way to wherever you are at. he's already delivered three billion gifts to millions worldwide. but he's still got a way to go before he reaches the united states. so stick around. according to the norad santa tracker, his most recent location put some soaring above central africa right now. we hope that he makes it to your house before too long. or you'll have to wait a bit longer. that wraps it up for us this hour, i am richard louis, you can catch yachtsman tomorrow on msnbc. a very merry christmas to slow those of you who celebrated symone starts right now.