bad weather in short staffing in air traffic control towers has left some airlines asking for help in preventing delays. in a letter to the faa, the department of transportation, airlines for america and the airline industry group representing major carriers like american, united and southwest, rights, continued atc staffing challenges have driven increased delays and cancellations over the holiday period. and, if you think it is crowded in the, air try hitting the road. aaa says nearly 104 million people are driving to their holiday destinations this year. the good news is that gas prices are lower than last year. the national average is around $3.12 a gallon. experts warn that the downward trend could become to stop. >> alex, for people watching and who are preparing to hit the, roads here's something important to, know aaa says that the busiest time today is going to be between five pm and eight pm. so if you are watching, trying

to determine when to get on the road, there is your. guidance probably sooner rather than later. because the roads will be packed starting around 5:00 this evening. alex? >> i agree, just wait one more hour until the show is over and then hit the road. blaine alexander, thank you so much. moments, the alarm bells are ringing but former trump white house insiders are saying his possible return to power -- how political battles are intensifying in the keep -- to keep donald trump off the primary ballot in several states. the new warning from the doj to texas. texas. good day to all of you from msnbc world headquarters in new york. welcome to alex witt reports. we begin this hour with new reporting in a new warning that the new york times has donald trump's lawyers plan to file challenges as early as tuesday to ongoing efforts to disqualify the former president from the ballot in maine and colorado.

this as three former trump insiders are sounding a new alarm, a potential second trump presidential term. >> he still doubles down on the fact that he thinks that the election was stolen and fraudulent. and then his rhetoric has just gotten increasingly erratic. i, mean he's literally calling for things like doing away with parts of the constitution. wanting to weaponize the doj, to an act revenge on his political enemies. >> the fact that he feels that he needs to lean into being a dictator alone shows that he is a weak and feeble man who has no sense of character and integrity and no sense of leadership. >> fundamentally, a second trump term could mean the end of american democracy as we know. it i don't say that lightly. we all witnessed him trying to steal a democratic election before. >> each of them cooperated with the january six committee. this is the first time they have sat together for an interview. meanwhile, also new today, secretary of state says that she has received death threats after her decision to keep

donald trump off of her states ballot. joining me right now from kittery, maine, anna barnett. emma, welcome, back i want to tell our viewers who may have ct when or go not being able to continue with your reporting that you're safe and. sound it's all good. let's get to what you have to tell. us i'm curious how voters in maine are feeling about this decision to take former president off of their primary ballot. >> hey, alex thank you so much, yes, i'm safe. always good. let's jump in and talk about section three, amendment 14 of the constitution. what that means is that it basically says that anyone who has incited and interaction cannot hold public office. back in september, my colleague and i called all 50 after election officials and the one to d.c. to see what they were going to do about these challenges that were popping up across the country. all of them, most of them i should say, had a similar sentiment which is wait and see what the fourth -- courts decide. in maine, the secretary of state on thursday made the

decision that she wants to keep trump off the ballot. the reasoning for that is section three, amendment 14. she believes that trump's actions on january 6th make him ineligible to run for president. as he mentioned, she has received threats for doing so. and trump and his legal team are appealing the cases both in maine and colorado. take a listen to what some maine locals had to say about what she did. >> i have mixed feelings about it. he certainly is not qualified to be president. at the same, time there's a lot of people that support him. i think it causes more distrust in the voting process to take him off the ballot. >> it's unconstitutional because she is charging him with insurrection. and it has not been proven, he hasn't pled guilty to insurrection, he hasn't been charged properly with insurrection. so she has stepped over her boundary. >> i think it is justified.

i'm glad to see now that finally we're getting more publicity around the fact that we do actually have constitutional amendments that talk about insurrectionists not holding office is such a good idea. >> reporter: alex, as he could, see a lot of mixed opinions here in maine. it is highly anticipated that supreme court is going to take up this issue because of how consequential it is. alex? >> excellent job getting a good cross section of how people are feeling. thank you so much, emma burnett in maine for us. joining me now, deputy chief of sdny criminal edition. christy greenwood. give me a sense of how different this is from colorado. they are the state supreme court that made this ruling. yet, in maine, a legislature -- elect secretary of state, not a public official, is making interpretive and unilateral decision. from a legal standpoint, does it matter?

>> each state is different in terms of where the authority sits to be able to decide who is qualified to be on a ballot. the main secretary of state makes a compelling argument in this decision that the authority by the maine legislator is resting with the secretary of state. again, this is going to vary state by state. and i think that this issue about whether or not maine law is the appropriate process to adjudicate whether a candidate is qualified under section three of the 14th amendment, i think that is the issue the supreme court is really going to hone in on for all of these states. typically, when you see these kinds of challenges to a ballot, it is on something that is more straightforward. like age or residency, ability of signatures. and that kind of process is contemplated by the shorter timeline to be able to deal with those kinds of evidentiary

issues. and so one argument that the maine decision deals with and that the colorado dissent took on is whether or not the complexity here is simply too much for the states to deal. with the complexity of these questions of whether or not a former president engaged in an insurrection. i suspect that that will be the key issue the supreme court is going to take up when i expect it will take up the appeal for the colorado supremcourt. >> let me give you and viewers an excerp of bellows decision, here's what she said. i do not reach this conclusion lightly. democracy is sacred. i am mindful that no secretary of state has ever deprived a presidential candidate of ballot access based on section three of the 14th amendment. i have also been mindful that no presidential candidate has ever before engaged in insurrection. and she says she was duty bound to disqualify trump. listening to what she said,

there did bellows just pretty succinctly lay out the issue? both of the angles of the unprecedented nature of this issue? >> absolutely. it is unprecedented. and you know, the secretary of state goes on in her opinion. she takes pains to talk about the due process that was afforded to donald trump. you know, that -- he didn't call one what. is the only witness that was called was from the electors making this challenge for a law professor from the university of indiana. and even the exhibits that donald trump put forth in his briefing after the hearing, he never even moved to have them admitted into evidence. so you, know this argument, which, again i expect is the one that the supreme court will take up, that these issues are just too complex. the main secretary of state notes that these were undisputed. donald trump didn't --

he had full opportunity to cross witness these witnesses. he did not move to put these into evidence. he had various opportunities to challenge the complexity of the case. and really, the facts are undisputed. it allowed her to make the finding that he engaged in insurrection. okay, let's get to michigan. that state supreme court rejected an effort to keep trumpoff the ballot. california secretary of state said that they would keep trump's name on the ballot. does it matter, christy, that these decisions are not uniform. or is that exactly how it should work, allowing states to interpret their differing election laws? >> that's exactly how it should work. each state has its own comprehensive election code that is going to regulate this election in qualification of candidates for higher office. the a supreme court opinion that says that. each state has different requirements and procedures for ballot access.

even with respect to presidential candidates. each state has a process to exclude the candidates who don't meet the qualifications. and, you know, now with justice gorsuch, when he was on the court of appeals in the tenth circuit in colorado. he's held in a case that each state has a legitimate interest in protecting the integrity in -- of the political processing. as it relates to permitting political candidates to be on the ballot. so, i do think this is an issue of each states rights. this is how it is set forth. the fact we are seeing different results from different states shouldn't be alarming. it shouldn't set off any alarm bells that this is a partisan process. each state is following their own sets of procedures. that's the way that it set up. >> you think the supreme court's gonna take this up how fun tuned they need to take this off to offer some uniformity and prevent any chaos. any further than might happen

anyway on its own during this election year coming up? >> so, in colorado, the republican party is already filed an appeal. so, the colorado secretary of state has said, with that appeal, donald trump is going to be included as a candidate on colorado's 2024 presidential primary ballot. when that certification occurs on january 5th now, that will change if the supreme court does not take up the case. or if the supreme court takes up the case and affirms that colorado supreme court ruling. i expect that when the supreme court, the first conference day of the new year for them is january 5th, i expect that supreme court may issue its own's day of the color supreme court decision. and take that up. colorado post its first primary on march 5th. so in order for the supreme court to deal with this. they would have to move very quickly in order to have a decision before then. clearly weather not they do, but i do think they'll at least

take it up and stay the decision on january 5th. >> it's gonna keep you so busy, my friend you can, after come back on a lot and explain everything that's happening. thank, you christy happy new year to you. coming up next, israel faces new pressure in its war with hamas. and how -- fighting could start getting your wallet. back in 60 seconds. seconds save 35% off your first autoship order. at chewy. right now get a free footlong at subway. like the new deli heroes. buy one footlong in the app, get one free. it's a pretty big deal. kinda like me. order in the subway app today. we are back with breaking news

on israel-hamas war. new today, the white house agreeing to send israel 147 point $5 million worth of weapons for sale. this is including via an executive order. let's go to nbc's jay gray, in tel aviv for us. what do you tell us about this sale deal, jay? i understand a member of the administration is gonna be visiting there again soon. >> yeah, that would appear to be the case. look, alex, this is the second time this month that an emergency declaration has been used to send equipment to israel. this shipment, we're told, includes a lot of gear that will help to activate ammunition already on the

ground here, sent from the u.s.. a lot of uses, a lot of connectors and things like that. we do know that there's additional ammunition, included in the shipment as well. the state department says they have told israel, despite not going through congress, that they must, quote, comply with international humanitarian law. and must take every feasible step to avoid harm to civilians. the shipment agreed on and sent out of emergency declaration with the idea that secretary of state antony blinken is expected to make his fifth visit to this region next week, expected to be here in tel aviv to conduct talks with israeli leaders. clearly, the focus as he gets here we'll be that support. but also the hostages in trying to find a way to bring both sides back to the table for negotiations on a release. perhaps a pause in fighting as well. and then discussions will be ongoing as they were in washington about really honing the work of the israeli

military in gaza, and trying to be more specific with their targeting. alex? >> okay, jay gray, thank you so much for the latest from tel aviv. we look for dusting again tomorrow. in the meantime, joining me right now and connecticut congressman jim himes, ranking member of the house intel committee. good to see you, my friend. let's get to what's happening in retaliation for israel's war on gaza. as you know, the iran-backed houthi rebels have launched rocket enjoin attacks on cargo ships in the red sea. cargo carriers are seeking safer passage, that could be longer time to get to the ports, longer to unload, and then put prices higher likely on goods. first, how concerning is this? in direct conflict with iran. is there a danger of a more direct incident? >> well, alex, thanks for having me. it's very, very serious. in as much as free navigation and freedom at sees is absolutely a core united states interest. it is a core global interest. it is not tenable for a group

like the houthis to be radically altering the system of trade in this country. i understand why the administration is coming from here. they don't want this conflict to widen. so, far they've been enormously successful at keeping hezbollah from jumping into this conflict in a really comprehensive way. that has been a success. where i would break with the administration is the houthis themselves that are actually expanding the conflict. i think the united states should jump in right now and say, guys, if you want to go after israel, you can see that war, that's one thing. but freedom of navigation is a core u.s. interest. you know, there's concerns that the houthis are stronger. the saudis have attacked him for a long time. you know? what were militarily considerably more effective than the saudis. i do think the time is now to send a message to the houthis, if you attack international shipping, we will find the site from which you are doing that and we will end them. if that doesn't happen, lots of people learn lessons about being able to get away with

this sort of thg in the future. >> you mentioned iranian-backed hezbollah, the escalating fighting there between the idf, all these fighting exchanges along the northern border of israel. it's been happening for weeks. how worried are you about the more expanding and what that can mean for the u.s.? >> i'm very worried, and i think we all should be. i'm concerned by the saber-rattling that i hear from some israeli leaders about a desire to make this a two front war with hezbollah. look, what's happening in gaza is already a horrendous, horrendous thing. israelis have lost a lot of people. there have been enormous numbers of civilian deaths. hamas, a relative to the forces in lebanon, are girl scouts. i hate to put it that way. hezbollah is a deadly, deeply serious entity. and would, i fear, consume a great deal of the idf's capabilities in the north.

it's not just what happens along the northern border that concerns me, what is iran going to do when they realize that the idf and israeli national security assets are fully engaged in a two front war. what are they gonna do? are they gonna pick that moment to sort of make a break out with respect to nuclear weapons? i think to pick that moment to get particularly aggressive in the persian gulf? so, anyway, i understand the israelis desire to protect their northern communities, they absolutely should do that. the idea of opening this up into a two front war, i think, is a profoundly dangerous idea. >> look, congress has yet to make a decision on funding for israel or ukraine. -- it returns in january, i'm concerned on -- providing aid on both those fronts. are you confident gonna happen? when might it happen? and let me just quickly address the distinction of the executive order for the 100 47.5 million dollar sale to israel of military supplies. the reason that went through, executive order, it's because

it was a sale. is that the distinction between that than just providing aid? >> well, the president has a lot of discretionary authority over time to provide aid. all sorts of emergency authorities, all sorts of weapons the that are in the pipeline. i don't worry that the president is breaking the rules here. by providing 1:55 artillery shells to the israelis. especially since this is the congress's fault. this is the congress's fault. in a sane world, and which we stood up meaningfully against people like hamas and later putin, and in a sane world when the congress recognized that neither hamas nor vladimir putin can win the conflicts they've engaged, the congress would've said, we're passing aid for ukraine ukraine, repressing aid for israel. instead, the new speaker mike johnson said, yeah, we'll put 15 billion out there for, israel put conditions on it. they're gonna be domestic conditions. we're going to reverse president biden's augmenting on an irs's resources. so of course that didn't work. now, of course, the speaker

saying, unless we get a good border deal, and i can only imagine what speaker jotted thinks and a good border deal, is ukraine get it in the head. at what point the united states decided that that was the way we were going to exert international leadership? my point, obviously, in the same world, we could've provided aid to israel and ukraine six weeks ago. but congressional republicans decided that that wasn't gonna happen. we will be paying the price for that for years to come. >> look, this is a huge sticking point. it's a critical one. first of, all is it not possible to separate funding for those wars from the issues on the border with immigration? do republicans not want to fund israel and ukraine? is the border just a bargaining chip they're using? >> i think they see leverage. this is just an expansion of, we're going to shut down the government if we don't get what we want. we are going to not raise the country's debt ceiling if we don't get what we want. every time they see something catastrophic, instead of saying what we ought to do is fix this

catastrophe, they, say let's use this as leverage. now, to the specific answer to your question, i will tell you, i think -- the republicans aren't completely united around bag to israel. i think they're split in the house about 50/50 on aid to ukraine. look, if you wanna talk about those things in separate baits, that's fine. but the idea of saying that we're not getting israel aid unless we can gut irs funding amr not giving ukraine aid unless you produce a border bill, by the way, let me tell you, i'm all for immigration and border reform, clearly, we have to do something. but americans really need to think about whether national security, and if anybody doesn't take an attack of hamas on israel and attack of putin on ukraine's core u.s. national security, they need to rethink that. if all of a sudden we're gonna start using key national security interests as bargaining chips against president biden and the irs an immigration policy, we are going to be a much less safe country in the future. >> your assessment of republicans in the way they're looking at these two wars, you think uniformly backing israel,

but split in the house with regard to ukraine, what's happened? have you heard why someone who says i'm done supplying money to ukraine. what's that about? >> i'm a little puzzled on israel thing. i've heard for years, it's unacceptable to provide -- put any conditions at all on israel aid. of course, that the debate we're having right now as we see the situation in gaza continue to unfold. the idea that out of nowhere they would put a domestic policy priority as a condition for israel aid, that's just stupefying. i think i understand ukraine a little better. alex, look around the world. who really is supporting vladimir putin. it is the world's authoritarians. it is the leader of belarus. it is narendra modi in india. it is erdogan in turkey. it is urban in hungary. it is the world authoritarians. and the truth is that there is a portion of the republican

house conference who are dedicated to authoritarianism. they've given up on democracy. we saw this -- because they challenge the legitimate outcome of the 2020 election. and they just have a cold like thing for authoritarianism. that's why, despite putin's demonstration of how catastrophic awful's military is, despite the fact that ukraine is fighting for democracy and wants to join the eu, they're like, well, we can all like that reporting. they would say that, of course. but that's what's happening. >> that is downright scary. it's one thing to say they've put all their fealty towards donald trump. but when you say it's really downright authoritarianism that they're supporting, i just say a big yikes to. that >> remember, those aren't different things. those are the same thing. where do you think they get these authoritarian ideas. yes, they're angry that they can't succeed with republican policy priorities like cutting taxes massively for rich people and removing women's reproductive choices. that makes them angry. but those are exactly the same thing. donald trump is fundamentally

an authoritarian. and i won't tell you that every republican necessarily feels like an authoritarian. but they know that if they support ukraine aid and imposed on a trump on this issue. one tweet and it's game over for them. they're done in a primary. that's the dynamic that occurring in the republican conference and house right now. >> jim himes, always good to hear from you. thank you for telling it like it is. appreciate you, happy new year to you. thank you. >> thank you, alex. >> there is one more reason to worry about the security in america's biggest party of the year. what's being done to keep everybody safe? next. next ♪upset stomach, diarrhea♪ pepto bismol coats and soothes for fast relief when you need it most. narrator: time is running out to give a year-end gift like no other, a gift that can help st. jude children's research hospital save lives. ava: it is my first time having cancer, and it's the very worst. woman: you just have to give. you have to give someone that hope. because of st. jude, she has a chance at life.

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and doesn't spy on your searchs and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooi and creepy ads that follow youa from google and other companie. and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. new details in the increased security measures nationwide ahead of new year's eve celebrations. the fbi has warned placed apartments about potential threats including lone actor is motivated by the israel-hamas war. and in times, where thousands are expected, the nypd is prepping significant safety precautions and we find them in

the heart of things of where the ball drop will be. he has the latest for. us welcome, george. what are new york authorities ramping up this year? >> hey, alex happy new years eve eve. authorities are making sure that their presence is known. here you can see the barricades around may. that is just a small taste of some of what we're gonna be seeing out here. we know there's gonna be drones, there is going to be uniforms and police officers on the straits. things that we can even see or described. that's obviously by designed to make sure that they are safe. mayor adams had multiple briefings leading up to tomorrow's big event. making it known that every resource will be here on the ground. they are expecting millions here in times square to participate in the annual tradition. of course, because of those tensions in the middle east, you know that there is going to be stepped up security, stepped up police presence here. many agencies here on the ground. take a listen to what mayor adams had to say about some of the tension and the security

threats here in and why see. >> we will be out of here without -- with our canines, horseback,'s drones, helicopters, boats, full complement of our public safety apparatus will be on public display. >> you can see, they are not messing around here, with good reason. there is going to be lots of strategic entrances into times square. those that actually want to come down here and brave all of the hours up until the ball. drops clear to say that security is going to be very tight here. no credible threats in the city or the sea at this time. things are being monitored leading up to the ball drop and even after the ball drops to make sure people can get home safely as well, alex. >> reporter: okay, george soliz, thank you for that report from times square. first came colorado, now there is maine, next, new questions about what the supreme court might do in the donald trump

battled -- ballot battle.

politil and legal battles are intensifying over the 2024 republican primary as we inch closer to the first votes being cast. main secretary of state deciding to barr donald trump from the primary ballot. the ruling now joining colorado in disqualifying trump based on the 14th amendment insurrection clause. joining me now is former spokesperson for the house january six committee, hannah

muldavin, good to see you, hannah. let's take a listen to some of what may insectarium state said on msnbc just after the decision came out on thursday night. here it is. >> the weight of the evidence all of the evidence made clear that mr. trump was aware of the tinder laid by a multi month effort to de-legitimize a democratic election. the election of 2020. and then it to light a match on january 6th. >> reporter: what is your understanding, hannah, of whether and how much the findings of the house six investigations -- as well as the one in colorado. >> reporter: alex, we are clearly in unprecedented times. this whole thing that we are talking about is wild and it is because of the work that i believe of the january six committee to get a lot of this

evidence and information out to the public to people like the main secretary of state, like you just showed. it is funny, even the analogy that she used this is something i use talking to folks and reporters who were working on the story and covering the select committee. the idea that donald trump acted not only on january 6th to direct his supporters to stop the counting of the electoral votes in the joint session, but that over the course of the year he was almost putting kindling and trying to make sure that he won the 2020 election and it sort of erupted on january 6th when we saw the riot and those infamous images on the capitol. i think the work that the january six committee did throughout the year and in the 20 hours, over 20 hours of public hearings we had of evidence and testimony really is fueling a lot of these efforts. because the public knows that the actions donald trump took to overturn the election. look, some of these positions

are coming through state, courts others by secretaries of state. ultimately it comes down to whether trump engaged in interaction and if that makes him ineligible to run. it is putting tremendous pressure on the supreme court to weigh in. do you have any expectation on how the high court will respond to this cascade of decisions? >> when i go back to in this case,, alex is looking at the facts. that is what we had to do on the january six committee for our investigation. what we did is we recommended four counts to the doj of what we believe donald trump did. one of those is inciting an insurrection, obstructing an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the united states and conspiracy to make a full statement. we are looking at two issues. we're looking at those facts and then there is this question of what the supreme court will do. i am definitely not a lawyer and not an expert in what is going on in the minds of the supreme court, but what is true here is, like i just, said these are unprecedented times. we are here because of what donald trump did. and i think, as we're looking

towards the 2024 election, whatever the supreme court decides, and i think president biden has actually made some really great speeches about this, our democracy is at stake. we don't want to be here as americans. as we wait for what the supreme court will, decide we need to remember that the facts of what donald trump actually did hear. >> facts, aside some say that efforts to bar trump from primary ballots feed this narrative that he has been politically persecuted. i want to play for you what some of three women who served in the trump white house said recently about what a second trump term could mean for this country. here it is. >> he still doubles down on the fact that he thinks that the election was stolen and fraudulent. and then his rhetoric has just gotten increasingly erratic. he is literally calling for things like doing away with parts of the constitution. wanting to weaponize the doj to enact revenge on his political enemies. >> the fact that he feels that he needs to lean into being a dictator alone shows that he is

a weak and feeble man who has no sense of character and integrity and no sense of leadership. >> fundamentally, a second trump term could meet the end of american democracy as we know. it i don't say that lightly. we all witnessed him trying to steal a democratic election before. >> look, i want to know -- you know all these. folks you helped cassidy hutchison through her testimony. how deeply do they know the danger of the second term? could the ballot moves motivate trump voters? >> everyone who watched the january six committee hearings knows how close cassidy hutchison was to donald trump. and what he did. i would take the words of these women, liz cheney, very seriously. and it can't certain's me working on the committee, listening to these women who know what a second term could mean. it is really tough, right? it's, what do we do? do we make sure he doesn't get elected again? do we ignore the facts? i think repeating the facts and understanding them, making sure

people get, that and then doing everything we can to make sure joe biden is reelected is all we can do here. i will say that, when i work on the january six committee, a lot of people said to me, why are you even trying? trump supporters will always support him. i think that there is a lot of truth to the fact that he has some supporters who will do a lot for him. but that doesn't mean we have to stop trying. we have to keep trying to make sure that these facts are at their, that people understand what a second trump term means, and i really respect these women and those that worked with them to speak out and against the dangers of that. >> reporter: we always respect you coming on the show and speaking with such clarity to your experience and how you see things. anna, thank you so much, my friend. we will see a lot of you in 24 as well. thanks. >> it might not have been 2020 but it sure wasn't. pouring next, the highs and lows of 2023.

one more day until we wrap up 2023. what a year it has been from

donald trump's legal battles to the coronation of the king, to the box office phenomenon that was barbenheimer. nbc's joe fryer takes a look at all that has happened. >> how do you define a year like 2023? was it the year of the strike? or the year of the swift. >> did it offer a glimpse of the future with the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and the weight loss drug, ozempic? or a blast from the past? >> i barbie. >> hi. can >> with the pig coated resurgence of a classic dull. was it the year a speaker was muted or simply a political prelude to 2024? the campaign trail line with pit stops in the courtroom. 2023 can be defined in so many ways. much of the world, it was a year headlined by war in the middle east. >> major breaking news tonight. war erupts in the middle east.

a stunning surprise attack by palestinian militants. >> it started on october 7th. many now call it israel's 9/11. a surprise attack hamas militants stormed into israeli towns and military bases. >> they were just all around me. they were going to three by three, shooting. israel's foreign ministry says about 1200 people were killed, more than 200 taken hostage, including young children. >> it is something no parent can ever imagine. to see a child in the hands of terrorists. >> it's real's response was swift and relentless. with thousands of palestinians killed in a humanitarian crisis where israel faced mounting criticism. >> free palestine! >> the tensions seen on american streets. the college campuses, with reports of antisemitism and islamophobia spiking across the country. >> it's the middle east war

waged on the one between ukraine and russia trudged on. ukraine's long awaited counteroffensive stalling in american support waning. one of many issues highlighting americans stark divisions. >> in january took 15 ballots. >> a speaker has not been elected. >> has not been elected. >> has not been elected. >> to elect kevin mccarthy as speaker, a position he held just nine months before he was ousted. >> i fought for what i believed in. i believe in this country of america. >> reporter: like a reality tv show, new contenders came and went. >> we are a ship that is never. rudder >> before louisiana, mike johnson, got the gavel. >> the house will be an order. >> reporter: an election followed by an expulsion. scandal plagued representative, george santos, became the first -- third congressman since the civil war to be ejected from

the chamber. >> but no controversy could shake the gop support for former president, donald trump, who in april made history to. >> it was a legal spectacle never seen before in america. the former president was fingerprinted and charged with 34 felonies. >> mr. trump's appearance in a new york courtroom created a media circus that was repeated with indictments in florida, then washington, then georgia. where he mugged for this shot. >> we did nothing. wrong i did nothing wrong. >> he pleaded not guilty to all charges while preserving a vastly for his party's presidential nomination. skipping debates, donald trump is a lot different guy than he was in 2016. he owes it to you to be on this stage. >> leaving the rest of the field to squabble for seconds. >> do you want a leader from a different generation is gonna put this country first? where do you want dick cheney and three inch heels?

>> they're five inch heels and i don't wear them unless you can run in them. >> on the democratic side, joe biden announced his reelection bid in. april >> are you saying that you would be taking part in our upcoming election? >> i plan on running. >> inflation dropped in 2023. so that the president's approval ratings. hitting an all-time low. now, voters are bracing for a potential 2020 rematch. it is leaving many disenchanted. >> we are the future. >> a wave of labor discontent swept the country in 2023, pushing unions to the picket line. the united auto workers went on strike against detroit's big three, eventually winning record pay hikes. hollywood was effectively shut down with rioters striking and then actors, before reaching deals with studios. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> this is the best day ever.

>> it is the best day ever. >> amid the strikes, the box office got a boost from unlike a couple, barbie and oppenheimer. >> we are in the race against the not seize. >> both movies opened at the same time sparking a cultural phenomenon called barbenheimer. now the films are hoping to follow in the footsteps of this year's big oscar winner, everything, everywhere, all at once. sci-fi flick won best picture and star, michelle, you became the first asian woman to win the academy award for best actress. >> they were first that were far less desirable than 2023. the united nations declared in late november that this was virtually certain to be the planets warmest year on record. a year with the most billion dollar disasters in u.s. history. including hurricane adalja. >> some wind gusts are starting to pound. us we just lost power here

right now. >> a fire storm that ravaged the island of maui. >> local people have lost everything. they have lost their house, they have lost their animals, and it is devastating. >> it was the deadliest u.s. wildfire in more than a century with more than 100 people killed. gun violence plagued the country again, with cities like lewiston, maine, joining the long list of communities linked to mass shootings. >> why would he do this? why lewiston, maine? >> 18 people were killed there, while six were gunned down at a private elementary school in nashville. three of them children. >> how are our children still dying and why are we filling them? >> tragedy also reached the depths of the ocean. >> let's get right to the story. the whole world is watching the urgent search for a missing submersible. >> in june, ocean gate's titan summer summit finished on a sightseeing tour of the titanic's record. a -- desperate search hoping that the five people on board could be rescued. the crews determined a

catastrophic an implosion killed everyone on the ill-fated voyage. in the, sky the u.s. military shot down a chinese spy balloon flying over american airspace. heightening tensions between the two countries. the crisis at the border widened in 2023, with places like new york in chicago running out of room to house migrants who were bussed to their cities. >> [crowd chanting] send those killer cops to jail. >> in january, protesters took to the street following the death of tyre nichols. the 29 year old black man was kicked and punched during a traffic stop in memphis, dying three days later. five police officers were fired and charged with state and federal crimes. one has since pleaded guilty. the others not guilty. and of the courts, the supreme court handed down a historic decision in june, getting affirmative action, effectively ending race conscious college admissions. >> this is a really

disappointing decision. >> perhaps no court case generated more attention in 2023 that the trial of alec murdaugh. the disgraced attorney from south carolina. accused of killing his wife and son. he took the stand in his own defense. >> take this gun, any gun like, it blow your son's brains out. >> no, i did not. >> the jury deliberated only three hours before finding murdaugh guilty. >> king charles iii was officially coronated in may. prince harry was there for the event, his wife, meghan markle, was notably not. in a year where the royal rift between the couple in palace spared no one. harry's memoir. >> we want privacy! >> the south park parity. >> thanks for having us on the show. >> for many, of the year 2023 was the one we lost a friend. >> hi, it's chandler.

>> after matthew perry died in october at the age of 54. >> ♪ ♪ ♪ >> the music world said goodbye to an icon, tina turner. the mayor of margaritaville, jimmy buffett. tributes also poured in for a trail blazer women in politics, senator diane feinstein, the first female supreme court justice, sandra day o'connor, the former first lady, rosalynn carter. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> it was a huge year for women and entertainment. stadiums were ruled by queen bee, beyoncé, who also won a 32nd grammy. >> by taylor swift, who became a billionaire and times person of the year. the artist even crossed over into football, showing up at chiefs games to support her new beau, travis kelce.

>> speaking of sports, simone biles returned to gymnastics, bolting to her sixth world title. a come back on the mat, matched by one off the field. buffalo bills safety, damar hamlin, suffered a cardiac arrest and medics restarted his heart. >> this event was life-changing. it is not the end of my story. >> hamlin did not just recover but he returned to the game he loves. a symbol of resilience and strength, that just might be the best way to defy 2023. what a, year that does it for me on this edition of alex witt reports. we see you tomorrow one pm eastern. my friend, steven romo, continues the coverage after the break. continues the coverage after the break. the break. yes! the right drinks delivered for any party. drizly. (dad) it's our phone bill... the right drinks delivered for any party. we pay for things that we don't need. (mom) that's a bit dramatic. (dad) we must tighten our belts!

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