she would speak with more authority than a lot of other people, including chwhose job i was to speak for the president. >> whether you agree or disagree, sarah sanders is dead right saying she gets the president. she does get the president. all right. we'll keep an eye on that one as well. thanks for joining us today on "inside politics. don't go anywhere. more breaking news with wolf, who starts right now. hello, i'm wolf blitzer. it's 1:00 p.m. here in washington. wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us. the ball is in robert mueller's court this hour because it appears the trump legal team isn't budging. according to them, mueller either avoids certain questions on obstruction of justice, or he doesn't get to talk to the president at all. listen to this. >> the reality is he doesn't need to ask a single question on obstruction. he has all the answers. they're not going to change. the president's not going to change his testimony. so stop the nonsense. you are trying to trap him into

perjury because you don't have a case. >> those condition also come with a warning from the president's personal lawyer, rudy giuliani, and the investigation by september or else. >> i think if it isn't over by september, then we have a very, very serious violation of the justice department rules. they shouldn't be conducting one of these investigations in the 60-day period. >> we should note, there is no such rule or custom that requires robert mueller to end the investigation completely before the midterm elections. in fact, other investigations similar to this one have happened during both midterms and presidential election years. for example, the iran contra and white water investigations lasted some 80 months, almost seven years each. let's go to our white house correspondent kaitlan collins, joining us in new jersey where the president is spending his summer break.

rudy giuliani warning robert moo mueller to wrap all this up by september. how worried is the white house right now that this investigation could hurt republicans in the midterm elections in november? >> reporter: well, wolf, in one hand, rudy giuliani is making the argument that robert mueller needs to wrap this up in less than a month, but also, he's making the argument he believe if this investigation does go on through the midterms, it could actually rally republican voters, something that the white house has been concerned about for this fall. rudy giuliani telling my colleague dana bash, when i first got involved, i would have told you not testifying would be the right legal strategy, but then hurt politically. rudy giuliani is now thinking the continuance of the investigation would help because people are getting tired of it, and the president needs something to energize his voters because the democrats look like they're energized. nothing would energize republicans more than let's save the president. that's certainly a thinking that some republican operatives have had, that maybe this could

actually help the base, get them out there. the president has been making this public case that this is all a witch hunt based on nothing. but also, there's another side to that coin, that it could raise the question for midterm voters and why the president wouldn't just sit down with this special counsel and be interviewed by him if he has nothing to hide. so certainly two sides of that. this comes as they have responded to the special counsel's latest request for an interview with the president, saying they would be willing to limit the number of questions about on struk bstruction of ju. they don't want there to be any questions about obstruction of justice because they say the president has already answered those questions, like why he fired james comey. of course, wolf, the president answered that question to a cable news host and not a federal investigator, but that is the argument that the president's legal team is making. now, wolf, all of this comes as the president is also tweeting about this. once again, his typical rhetoric we're seeing in just the last hour or so. the president writing on twitter that this is an illegally

brought, rigged witch hunt run by people who are totally corrupt and/or conflicted. the president says it was started and paid for by the crooked hillary and the democrats, the phony dossier, fisa disgrace. wolf, it's those last two words that caught everyone's attention, when the president sent this tweet out, kind of an ominous warning. it's coming one week after the president directed his attorney general jeff sessions, who has recused himself from all of this, to bring the investigation to an end. the president raising more questions on twitter today, wolf. >> yeah, stay tuned. ominous words indeed. we'll see what the president has in mind. kaitlan collins, thank you very much. meanwhile, republican congressman devin nunes tells republican donors that a gop majority in the midterm elections is necessary to protect president trump. in secretly recorded audio from a republican fundraiser, nunes

draws a direct connection between the russia investigation and the upcoming midterm elections. this is from the recordings provided to msnbc. our senior congressional correspondent manu raju is here. he's been a strong protector of the president, devin nunes. how likely is all of this -- how is this likely to play out up on capitol hill, these words that we just heard him utter?

>> undoubtedly, he's going to confirm all the suspicions mounting for the past year that he's been using his chairmanship to protect the president. we recall last year when he viewed some things he viewed as problematic in those intelligence reports. he rushed to the white house, briefed the president about it before even briefing his committee. he was forced to step aside from the russia investigation on his committee last year, but he still wielded considerable influence from the outside. he stopped democratic attempts to subpoena witnesses, to get more records, to schedule witness interviews. behind the scenes, he mounted his own investigation to try to sew doubt on the fbi, the russia investigation, the mueller probe. that led to the release of the nunes memo from earlier this year, criticizing how that fisa warrant was obtained to monitor carter page. democrats say this is all part of this effort by devin nunes to try to protect the president, and this is the first time we're hearing nunes' own words making

the direct connection himself. undoubtedly, it's going to spark these concerns from democrats. i reached out to both the speaker's office and kathy mcmorris rogers, who attended that fundraiser with devin nunes. no comment. we have not heard back from either office. >> and he also spoke about impeaching the deputy attorney general rod rosenstein, who oversees the mueller probe. >> yeah, and this has been a big push from conservatives in the house. they've got an lot of documents but not enough to the satisfaction of people like devin nunes. yesterday when this recording came out and he was discussing the impeachment, he said let's wait until after the senate confirms brett kavanaugh.

>> now, wolf, i'll note that chances of impeachment of rod rosenstein are very slim. the house republicans are divided on this. senate republicans are overwhelmingly opposed to convicting him and removing him from office. but people like nunes are pushing this very hard. this is going to be an issue of debate for the house republicans when they return for that fall session right before the elections, wolf. >> manu, very interesting stuff. thank you very much. let's discuss this and more, the new reporting we're getting. congressman ryan costello of pennsylvania is joining us. let's get to the questions right away. after hearing that tape of your colleague devin nunes saying it's his job, it's other republicans' jobs to protect the president, that's the job of members of congress, to protect the president, do you agree? is that your job? >> what i interpreted devin saying there was that democrats

would go about seeking impeachment against president trump. that was to me what he was implicated. so thereby what we need to protect is the integrity of the investigation. where i disagree with devin is on the issue of impeaching rosenstein. i don't think he should be impeached. i think the investigation that mueller has undertaken is legitimate. again, this is broader than any russian interference or collusion as it's been alleged with the trump campaign. this is about russian election interference in america writ large. so i disagree with devin a little bit, but on the initial point, the other takeaway i took from that was i don't think he said anything in that fund raiser that he hasn't said to the press. i could be wrong, but he's been pretty outspoken in terms of what he thinks. there's a part of me that thinks because it was behind closed doors and secretly recorded that some are making it to be a bigger deal than it may actually

be. >> what sort of jumped out at me, and i'm anxious to get your reaction, is when he said it's the role of republicans in congress, members of the house of representatives, members of the senate republicans, to, quote, protect the president. it's your role. you're a co-equal branch of the federal government. it's your role to engage in oversight to make sure that the executive branch, including the president of the united states, is doing the right thing, right? >> i agree with you totally, and i felt that the one hearing that we had that was a joint judiciary oversight hearing where i believe rosenstein testified, we did not -- i don't think we conducted ourselves properly because i think that there is at least the appearance that at times we are not acting as a co-equal branch and are not providing that check and balance, that oversight, and instead we're just defending anything or everything that the president may say or two do. your point is well taken. i totally agree with you. >> and i want to get your reaction to this tweet from the president within the past hour

or so. you heard kaitlan collins read it. i'm not going to read it again. he's basically saying that the whole mueller investigation is rigged, it's kruptd, it's conflicted. then he ends with the words stay tuned. what is he threatening, do you think? >> i have no idea. i think the tweets are ad nauseam at this point. we know what he thinks. it is a legitimate investigation. i'll repeat that once again. i don't understand what he means by stay tuned. he obviously likes to suck all the oxygen out of the room. whether or not he has something additional coming by way of tweet or any sort of action, i simply don't know. it could very well be something mark meadows and jim jordan may propose. they seem to be his chief defenders and mueller's chief protagonists in the house. your guess is as good as mine. probably better than mine. >> i mean, those words jumped out at all of us. final question, congressman, before i let you go. your colleague, republican

congressman chris collins of new york, he's now been arrested. he's now been indicted on charges of insider trading and lying to the fbi. here's what he said about those charges. listen to this. >> the charges that have been levied against me are meritless. i will mount a vigorous defense in court to clear my name. i look forward to being fully vindicated and exonerated. >> so you've seen the evidence that the u.s. attorney for the southern district and the fbi in new york have put out. do you think the charges against him are meritless? >> two things. one, i sit two seats down from him on the energy and commerce committee. speaker ryan did temporarily remove him from the committee. i think that was the appropriate action. he has the right to a trial. he's presumed innocent. this i would really put in the same category as senator menendez in the sense that while you have an indictment, they have the right to defend

themselves. i do think it creates a complication for him politically. i know him quite well. i don't want to go too far. i did read portions of the indictment, but it says what it says. they're serious charges. i don't want to make light of that either. that's probably the best answer i could give you right now, wolf. >> that's a good answer because he is, of course, innocent until proven guilty. he certainly has a right to defend himself. he is going to seek re-election in november. we'll see what happens in that district outside of my hometown of buffalo, new york. congressman costello, thanks so much for joining us. >> good to be with you, wolf. thank you. >> thank you. coming up, a.the former whi house adviser reportedly taped the president of the united states in the white house and makes claims about ivanka trump and anthony scaramucci in her new book that's about to be released. anthony scaramucci is standing by live. that's next. plus, fox news host laura

ingraham is under fire for blaming illegal migrants of america not existing anymore because of, quote, demographic changes. and a truly horrific scene an air strike hits a school bus, skilling dozens, mostly children. we'll have that story and so much more. stay with us. ballpark. is more than juste stadium pa : all military members stand and be recognized. sometimes fans cheer for those who wear a different uniform. no matter where or when you served, t-mobile stands ready to serve you. that's why we're providing half off family lines to all military. a single tap offerss to peace of mind.y, uber is giving you new ways

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president trump promised to drain the swamp here in washington, but more and more people in the president's orbit are getting bogged down in that swamp. the former campaign chairman paul manafort on trial right now for tax violations. his deputy campaign chairman

rick gates also pleaded guilty and testified against paul manafort. don't forget about george papadopoulos. now the first congressman to endorse president trump, republican chris collins of new york, indicted for insider trading and lying to the fbi. joining us to discuss that, former white house communications director anthony scaramucci. thanks so much for joining us. >> great to be here. thanks, wolf. >> all right. let's talk about the swamp. it seems to be getting deeper and deeper. what's your analysis? what's going on here? >> well, listen, i actually did read through the indictment like the congressman that was just on. it's a lot of compelling evidence there. you have to give chris the opportunity to prove that stuff is not true. but i do think if there is nefarious activity -- as you know, you remember the stock act from 2012 as they were trying to repeal some of the insider trading nonsense that takes place in the congress. the american people are just fed

up with this sort of stuff. i hope chris is innocent, but if he's not innocent for some reason, i do expect there to be more cases like this. there will be more cases like this either way, but i just don't like the activity at all. it's one of the reasons why i've never had a trading account. >> one of the things that they point out, the u.s. attorney for the southern district of new york, in the charges against him is that once he got word that pharmaceutical, that biotech company, that the clinical tr s trials on ms had failed, he was actually at the white house congressional picnic with the president and made that phone call, according to this indictment, to his son from the white house lawn. that was awkward, right? >> well, but that's another reason why you don't have trading accounts and you try to stay above the fray. what happens is you have all these human impulses, wolf. if you get information like that -- and he's saying this call was false, but let's say it wasn't for a second.

you get information like that, your human impulse is to save yourself some money. it was a lot of money, probably $750,000, according to the indictment. if you don't want to drink, you got to stay out of a bar. if you don't want to get tagged with insider trading when you're loaded up with all that information that you get in the congress, just don't have a personal trading account. >> yeah, all right. let's discuss rudy giuliani while i have you, anthony. the back and forth that's been going on and whether the president will eventually agree to a sit-down interview with the special counsel, robert mueller. giuliani says he wants the negotiations all wrapped up by september. he also says republicans could benefit if things drag on during the midterm elections in november. what do you think it is? >> well, i think he's saying if it drags on, it'll galvanize the base and it'll increase the participatory turnout of the people who like the president, sort of be a vote for him in those congressional districts. i'm personally not in love with that strategy. i would like to see this thing

completely wrapped up. it seems unlikely, frankly, that this will get wrapped up before the midterm elections. what jay sekulow and rudy giuliani are working on is a very narrow testimony for the president so that he doesn't get boxed into a potential perjury situation. so i was trained in law school, i don't like the idea of the president even going before the prosecutor, frankly, and so i hope it doesn't happen. but if it does come to pass, it would seem unlikely to come to pass given the narrowness of what both jay and rudy are suggesting. >> it's a simple concept -- >> i don't think robert mueller will go for that basically. >> i suspect he won't either. but it's a simple concept. explain to our viewers why you presumably disagree with the concept. they say to the president of the united states, you know what, if you have nothing to hide, if you've done nothing wrong, just tell the truth and get it over with. what do you say to that? >> well, what i would say to

th that, if you understand the president's communication style, and this has gone back from 45 years, he's prone to some levels of hyperbole and prone to some levels of what my grandfather would say, we sometimes remember things the way we would like to remember them as opposed to how they actually happened. so what would be at risk there is you put him in that room, he believes in his heart and in his brain that he's done absolutely nothing wrong. he wears everything on his sleeve. and he misstates a few things and gets nailed for perjury as opposed to obstruction of justice or collusion. so i think that's the worry that the legal team would have in a situation like that with somebody like the president and with his personality. so i would do everything i can to avoid that sort of situation, if you will. >> so what you're saying is the legal team, the president's advisers, they're really afraid that given the president's history, he could wind up committing perjury or lying during the course of this kind of interview. >> not intentionally, not

sitting there, you know, saying things like what the definition of "is" is and things like that, but his personality is such where he likes to embellish stories. i'm a friend of his. i want to see him do well. the economy is humming along fantastically. so many good things are happening around the world. this is like a mill stone on the white house and the west wing. so we'd like to see it pass. but you sometimes have to protect your principal from things you know about their personalities. >> all right. let's move on to some other sensitive issues. it's causing a bit of a stir right now. the fog news host laura inn grah -- ingraham is facing a lot of blowback about a comment she made about immigration and how it's changing the united states. listen to this. >> in some parts of the country, it does seem like the america that we know and love doesn't exist anymore. massive demographic changes have been foisted upon the american people, and they're changes that

none of us ever voted for and most of us don't like. from virginia to california, we see stark examples of how radically in some ways the country has changed. now, much of this is related to both illegal and in some cases legal immigration that, of course, progressives love. >> all right. so what's your reaction to that? >> you know, i'm super not not happy with that. i like her as a person, but if you remember father tom coughlin in the 1930s, my grandparents certainly remember him, it's the same rhetoric. it's the same sentence structure. it's the same level of xenophobia that my immigrant grandparents faced as italian-americans a short 70, 80 years ago. i'm not in love with it. i love the concept of america, the idea of america, and the experiment of our great republic. we really are the last best hope for mankind. we have our diversity.

we get our strength from that diversity. one last point, once said about america, we have such a competitive advantage around the world because you can come to the united states as a chinese or a german and become a german-american or a chinese-american, but that's not true going to those other countries. so that's a huge competitive advantage that we have versus the rest of the world in terms of the intellectual capital. i really wish she wouldn't talk like that because it sounds ignorant, and it's unfortunate particularly if you know your grandparents' immigration story or you yourself are an immigrant. i hope she walks it back. i hope she realizes that what she said is just not -- it's against the american values that she's supposedly touting. >> but does that rev up that base that clearly so supports the president, that kind of language? >> yeah, you see, i sort of disagree about that. i'm writing a book about this. i'm writing a book called "the blue collar president" about my

experiences with the campaign and going into those markets and having grown up in a blue-collar family where neither one of my parents went to college. the identification that these people have with the president, they're not nativists. they're not xenophobes. it's a very small population of those people that are like that. if anything, each of these people have an immigration story, and they just want what we all want in the united states, an aspirational economy and an aspirational opportunity for their children. so it may tweak and it may get a lot of media attention for a small group of people, wolf, but i really think it's un-american. by and large, most americans are great people and they don't like that sort of nonsense. >> and almost all of us are children of immigrants, to be sure, as you correctly pointed out. before i let you go, quickly, a once loyal trump aide now admits to secretly recording the president of the united states. we're not talking about michael

cohen, the president's former lawyer. we're talking about the former "apprentice" star omarosa. she says she has secret recordings. do you have any knowledge of any of this? and what do you make of the president of the united states being secretly recorded inside the white house? >> listen, i don't like the notion these people are taping the president. having said that, i like omarosa a great deal. my guess is there's probably nothing on those tapes. even though she's writing a book, which i think she's really trying to be objective in the book, i think she's still very loyal to the president. i talked to omarosa yesterday. she loves the president and the president's family. and i don't think there's anything in those tapes that are going to be explosive or nefarious. but i don't like the notion if it is true. i didn't ask her if it is or it isn't. i don't like the notion people are taping him.

certainly i got taped by somebody who still comes on your air. i thought he was a friend. i obviously made a mistake makes that presumption. that's my fault. i have to own it. when you're a good person, you don't think people are going to do that sort of activity. but that's nooaivety on my part. i'm sure the president is miffed that people are taping him without permission, even though they're in a quote/unquote one-party consent situation. i don't like it at all. i personally would never do it. >> i'm sure he's very upset about it. these are individuals who have worked with him, supported him, and secretly recording the president. obviously that's very, very awkward. anthony, thank you so much for joining us. >> great to be here. there's more news we're following. the kremlin right now firing back after the u.s. imposes a fresh round of sanctions. why now and what russia is facing. and a horrific scene unfolds when an air strike hits a school bus full of children going to a summer camp in yemen.

dozens are killed. we have details. ♪ lean on me, when you're not strong ♪ ♪ and i'll be your friend ♪ ♪ i'll help you carry on ♪ ♪ lean on me.

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on their way to summer camps. this child still wearing a little backpack when he arrived at the hospital. the strike came from a saudi-led coalition, which called the air strike, and i'm quoting now, a legitimate military action. our senior international correspondent is joining us now. what's the latest? >> reporter: the death toll, wolf, sadly, has crept up throughout the day. it currently stands at 50 killed and 70 injured. the majority of those are children. as you said, most of them are children under the age of 10. i think it's really important to let our viewers know that footage that you showed actually isn't the worst of it. much of the footage, much of what we saw of the aftermath of this attack is too graphic to show on air. some of those images that i watched show dismembered limbs of children piled up in the back of pickup trucks. it showed children who had been

burnt so badly that their facial features were indistinguishable. it showed children trying to crawl to safety. this attack, eyewitnesses tell us, wolf, happened in the middle of a marketplace. they say it was a direct hit. as you just read there, the saudi-led coalition is not denying that this strike happened. they're saying that this was a legitimate targeting of terrorist assets that their intelligence told them were responsible for the ballistic missile strikes that had been targeting civilian areas. so far all we have seen is condemnation from a variety of international agencies. but what we haven't seen is condemnations from government. we haven't seen any condemnations coming out of the white house. that, unfortunately, is par for the course, wolf. just in june when humanitarian organizations were trying to negotiate a cease-fire in the last remaining functioning port in yemen, really the only outlet

yemenese have to get in much-needed supplies, the u.s. and uk blocked even just a statement calling for a cease-fire. that, of course, goes back to really how much has been bought from both the u.s. and the uk. the hope inside yemen from those we're speaking to is that this horror could prove to be a turning point, but frankly, wolf, they're not that hopeful. >> yeah, and when we report that the saudi-led coalition air strike was responsible, do we know if it was a saudi war plane or another coalition partner's war plane? >> reporter: that still hasn't been confirmed, but the saudis have come back with a variety of different explanations. they called this dynamic targeting, wolf, which is not a military term that i personally am familiar with, nor many of the contacts i've reached out to in other militaries are familiar with. but that's their current explanation for how this could come to pass. >> truly awful, awful situation.

nima, thank you for updating our viewers. we'll certainly stay on top of this situation. more news we're following here in the united states, florida senator bill nelson now says russian operatives have penetrated some of his state's voting systems. the only problem, the state of florida, the secretary of state there says it has zero information to back up the senator's claim. ovascular death for adults who have type 2 diabetes and heart disease... ...and lower a1c, with diet and exercise. jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration. this may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, or lightheaded, or weak upon standing. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, and trouble breathing. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of ketoacidosis or an allergic reaction. symptoms of an allergic reaction include rash, swelling, and difficulty breathing or swallowing.

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the united sanctions of america. that's what russia is now calling the u.s. after the imposition of new sanctions. the russian president vladimir putin's spokesperson says the sanctions are unacceptable and called the usa, and i'm quoting now, an unpredictable participant in international affairs. the new sanctions were ordered in response to the february poison attack in britain of a former russian spy and his daughter. both survived the attack. russia denies any involvement. the sanctions are actually mandated by a 1991 chemical weapons law. here with us to discuss, susan glasser, cnn global affairs analyst and write for "the new yorker." you spent a lot of time in russia. the russians, presumably, insist they will retaliate. what, if anything, do you think is going to happen? >> well, you know, we've seen this tit-for-tat before with diplomatic expulsions, the closing of the consulates and the like. what's extraordinary about this

is first of all, it represents a pretty belated response to this astonishing use of deadly nerve agent on british soil months ago. actually, the trump administration is required by international biological chemical weapons conventions to do something about it if a state is accused of being in violation of it. they spent months not doing anything, belatedly made this action. of course, it comes after the president's very friendly helsinki summit with vladimir putin. to me, it actually underscores just how sort of double headed the trump administration policy is. you have donald trump's policy toward russia, which is very conciliatory and very different from the often tough policy of his own administration. and this is another example of that. >> they did, the administration, expel about 60 russian diplomats but did not impose the sanctions, which were required as part of this 1991 chemical weapons law. and it was only after the chairman of the house foreign affairs committee, ed royce, in

late july wrote a letter to the president saying, you know what, you've missed the deadline. the law says 60 days. you're beyond that. you got to do this. >> all the sudden the administration was made aware of it and were forced to act, which is the pattern here, right. you have a president who is almost obsequious in his relationship with vladimir putin, but you still have a lot of republicans in congress and even a few in the administration who want to pursue a tougher line. so you can't blame the kremlin for saying the united states is a little unpredictable, right. they have a president who is pursuing one agenda with russia, and we have republicans in congress and some in the administration who are pushing other issues. the government is divided. so it's not surprising that the kremlin is trying to figure out where this relationship is actually going. >> what do you make of senator bill nelson of florida? he's up for re-election. now suggesting, claiming there's evidence that the russians are actually hacking into electoral

systems, election systems in the state of florida. the secretary of state there says they don't have any evidence of that. what do you think? >> well, you know, first of all, we have heard increasing warnings, including from some inside trump's administration, that russians are poised to attack once again using cyber means in advance of the 2018 elections. yet, the real story there, right, has been this has become a partisan issue in u.s. politics. so you have republican state election officials saying that the very endangered democratic incumbent bill nelson is somehow making a charge that they haven't substantiated. just the other day up on capitol hill in washington, you have republicans voting down a measure to give more money to election security in the states, presumably to combat russian hacking. so, you know, part of the story is because president trump has so adamantly denied that russia intervened on his behalf in 2016, we're still pointing fingers rather than having a

concerted government response to the very real threats according to u.s. intelligence to american election systems. >> all right. everybody stick around. there's more news we're following, including a sharp escalation in the middle east as israel and hamas exchange fire for more than 24 hours. what's behind this flare-up? will it continue to escalate? we'll go live to the scene. day k is more than just a day at the ballpark. stadium pa : all military members stand and be recognized. sometimes fans cheer for those who wear a different uniform. no matter where or when you served, t-mobile stands ready to serve you. that's why we're providing half off family lines to all military. it only takes a second for an everyday item to become dangerous. tide pods child-guard pac. helps keep your laundry pacs safe, and your child safer.

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and accessoriesphones for your mobile phone. like this device to increase volume on your cell phone. - ( phone ringing ) - get details on this state program call or visit a sharp escalation between israel and hamas, the two sides exchanging fire now for more than 24 hours, disrupting attempts to secure a long-term cease fire.

[ gun fire ] >> the israeli air force sending air strikes inside gaza, as gaza militants fire back. israel says at least 180 rockets and mortars were launched at them from gaza. what led up to the flare, what's the latest? what are you learning? >> reporter: well, this started on tuesday afternoon when israeli military targeted a hamas military post with tank fire killing two hamas militants. hamas and islamic jihad led a response and we saw that response up until today. the israeli air force targeted a multicultural center in gaza. just before that, militants in

gaza had fired a rocket at the southern israeli city of al sheeba, indicating it may have been a larger more powerful rocket. that immediately dashed hopes of an immediate cease fire. that all started wednesday night. israel says hamas fired -- according to the palestinian ministry of health, three palestinians have been killed including a young mother and her 18-month-old daughter. wolf? >> bad situation indeed, are we seeing that yet, is there anything going on? >> reporter: absolutely. united nations leaders here as well as egypt have been working with israel talking to israel and to hamas, essentially mediating between the two sides because they won't talk to each other, trying to find some sort

of common ground for a cease fire. those efforts have been ongoing since last night and are ongoing at the moment. meanwhile ma'hmoud abbas tweetig hamas regime is launching rockets at israeli communities. this is the hamas regime's chaschas choice. it's now the u.n. and egypt trying to get all the sides here to back down. >> yeah, let's hope this quiets down very, very quickly. oren liebermann, thank you very much. the first lady's parents, now officially u.s. citizens. we have details.

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parents had been living here in the united states as permanent residents with green cards. congratulations to the family on this very important day, new u.s. citizens for the parents of the first lady. that's it for me. thanks for watching. i'll be in "the situation room," amanpour is next. newsroom with brook baldwin starts right now. all right, wolf, thank you so much. high, everyone, i'm brook baldwin, you're watching cnn on this thursday, count with me, 889 days until election day, get ready for a showdown, not only at the polls, but with special counsel robert mueller. rudy giuliani is the one setting up the stakes here negotiating if the president will do an interview with mueller. and giuliani on both