a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the united states and right around the world. i'm isa soares in london. just ahead right here on "cnn newsroom" -- >> it is corrupting our democratic institutions. >> each of these efforts to overturn the election is independently serious. each deserves attention. >> i do not want to be a winner by cheating. >> why wouldn't you want to find the right answer, brad? >> i had to be faithful to the constitution. >> i've lost my name and i've lost higmy reputation.

i've lost my sense of security. >> this has turned my life upside down. >> live from london, this is "cnn newsroom" with isa soares. >> welcome to the show. it is wednesday, june 22. 9:00 oom ha.m. here in london, a.m. in washington where u.s. lawmakers heard dramatic testimony about the donald trump pressure campaign to overturn the 2020 election and with that came threats of violence from his supporters against people who refused to go along. two of the most moving accounts came from georgia election worker shaye moss and ruby freeman, they were falsely accused by president trump and some of his aides of fixing the vote for joe biden. both women say the threats and harassments they received after the election made their lives miserable. >> i've lost my name and i've

lost my reputation. i've lost my sense of security. all because a group of people starting with number 45 and his ally rudy giuliani decided to scapegoat me and my daughter shaye to push their own lies about how the presidential election was stolen. >> this has turned my life upside down. i no longer give out my business card. i don't transfer calls. i don't want anyone know my name. i don't want to go anywhere with my mom because i don't want her to yell out my name in the grocery aisle or something. i don't go anywhere.

i've gained about 60 pounds. i don't want to do nothing. i don't want to go anywhere. i second guess everything that i do. it has affected my life in a major way. in every way. all because of lies. >> just in case you are wondering, here are some of the unsubstantiated that trump and rudy giuliani made against the women. have a listen to this. >> ruby freeman and shaye moss and one other gentleman surreptitiously passing around usb ports as if they were vials of heroin and cocaine. >> we had at least 18,000 that is on tape, we had them counted very painstakingly, 18,000 voters having to do with ruby freeman. she is a vote scammer. a professional vote scammer.

and hustler. >> and it wasn't just poll workers that were targeted by trump and his aides. the committee also heard from two top election officials the threats they received for not helping trump overturn the election. >> there was one gentleman that had the three bars on his chest and he had a pistol and was threatening of my neighbor. not with the pistol, but just vocally. when i saw the gun, i knew i had to guess close. >> eventually my wife started getting the texts and hers typically came in as sexualized which were disgusting. some people broke into my daughter-in-law's home. and my son has passed and she's a widow, and has two kids. so we're very concerned about her safety also. >> the committee heard testimony about the pressure campaign on those state officials, trump and

his attorneys asking them to break the law, overturn the election and keep him in the white house. the most striking example came in a january 2021 phone call from trump to the head of georgia's elections. >> why wouldn't you want to find the right answer, brad, instead of keep saying that the numbers are right? so look, can you get together tomorrow -- brad, we just want the truth. it is simple. working after christmas to keep it going fast because we have that date ahead of us which is a very important date. >> the push back against trump's schemes from state officials in georgia and arizona was unequivocal. remember these three men you are about to hear from are all republicans. >> i do not want to be a winner by cheating. >> our job is to get the facts out, do our job, follow the

constitution, follow the law and defend the institutions. and the institutions held. >> we just followed the law and followed the constitution. and at the end of the day, president trump came up short. but i had to be faithful to the constitution. and that is what i swore an oath to do. >> and the committee plans to speak with a british fill much maker who was documenting the final weeks of the trump presidency. a source says that ivanka trump told the filmmaker that her father should pursue every avenue to overturn the election. and that is in sharp contrast to when she said in her deposition that she believed bill barr that there was no evidence of fraud. here is vice chair liz cheney. >> the american people have not yet heard from mr. trump's former white house counsel pat

cipollone. our committee is certain that donald trump doesn't want mr. cipollone to testify here. we think the american people deserve to hear from mr. sip lenny personally. he should appear before this committee and we are working to secure his testimony. >> the next public hearing is set for thursday when the committee says that it plans to show how donald trump tried to use the justice department to back his election misinformation. a primary runoff in alabama shows enduring power of donald trump's influence in some corners of the country. cnn projects that katie britt will secure the republican nomination for the senate. trump initially endorsed mo brooks but changed his mind mind when brooks urged republican voters to move past the 2020 election. in deep red alabama, britt is

now the strong favorite against democrat bill boyd in november. and in the state of georgia, cnn is projecting that democrat bee wynn will win her party nomination for secretary of state and that means that she will face off against brad raffensperger that november. a key vote in the u.s. senate has now advanced a bipartisan gun safety bill. that step pushing the measure forward after a group of senators released the legislative text. jessica dean has the details from capitol hill. >> reporter: a significant step forward for bipartisan gun legislation in the senate on tuesday. we got texts of the actual bill and once we got that text, we heard from senate minority leader mitch mcconnell who says that he supports the legislation, and we also heard from mitt romney one of ten republicans who had pledged to support the previous frame work, now he said that he and he heard the others support that bill.

it does look like it is moving ahead steadily here in the senate. let's go through some of what the bill actually does. it would close the so-called boyfriend loophole. and what that means is that anyone convicted of domestic violence would not be allowed to purchase a gun. there would be an ability for people convicted of miss demeanors to get their right back after a period of time and no additional offenses.missdemet back after a period of time and no additional offenses. it it will also increase funding to mental health facilities, increase funding for programs within schools to help any student that is in need of that sort of counseling and help. it will fund crisis intervention programs in states across the country that could include incentivizing the red flag laws. and it could also enhance background checks for younger gun purchasers. and give more time for

authorities to go through their background and also incentivize putting juvenile records into a national database. so hoping that they can get the vote before the july 4th recess although it is a short amount of time. chuck schumer saying he wants to get it done before that deadline as well, so again, we watch now to see how it plays out and if it can hold the support of enough republican senators to help it clear the hurdle in the senate. jessica dean, cnn, washington. the senate's progress on gun safety comes nearly a month after a gunman opened fire inside an elementary school in uvalde, texas killing 19 students and two teachers. now a new time line is heightening frustration and as well as anger. the mayor of uvalde says that he is tired of being kept in the dark about evidence that is

being uncovered during the investigation. have a listen. >> i'm just as frustrated, maybe not as frustrated as the families that lost their loved ones, but it pisses me off that i can't get you answers. so like i said, i don't know owe any allegiance to anybody. i don't want to see political office again so i don't owe any of these elected officials not a [ bleep ] thing. so i'm not covering up for anybody. >> the mayor directed his criticism at the texas department of public safety and its leader colonel mccraw on the same day that mccraw testified before a senate texas committee. it was then mccraw shared new details of how the tragedy unfolded and the police response which he blasted as a failure. >> we do know this, there is compelling evidence that the law enforcement response to the attack at robb elementary was an abject failure and antithetical

to everything we've learned over the last two decades since the columbine massacre. >> mccraw was also highly critical of the on scene commander police chief peter arredondo for decisions he made on the day of the shooting. the uvalde city council has voted to dennard oig a leave of absence from future meetings. some would rather see him removed from office. >> plain speak like we speak, who was in charge? we still don't know. or at least nobody wants to claim the honor. but it is the consensus of the citizens of uvalde that pete arredondo was in charge that day and his failure do his job resulted in the deaths of 19 children and two of their teachers. >> you do what you have to do, but get him out of our faces. no, he does not deserve an administrative leave with pay by all means because half these families are taking fmla without

pay. >> i'm hoping that you can get rid of mr. arredondo and everybody else that is involved with this, that let us down. because why are you here? why did i vote for you if you are not doing a damn thing? i'm going to make it short and sweet. do your job, mayor, please. afghan state media is reporting that up to 280 people have been killed by a massive earthquake. the u.s. geological survey says the 5.9 magnitude quake hit an area southwest of the city in the early hours of the morning. a taliban spokesperson has called on aid groups to send teams to the impacted areas. what more are you learning this hour about the situation on the ground and critically the casualties? >> reporter: let's start with what we know for sure.

we know that people lost their lives, we know more than 600 people have been wounded. this quake took place near the pakistan border at 1:24 local time. that is when everybody, mostly everybody out will would be asleep. we have spoken to an expert in water resources and who knows the area well, and he has said that what added to the issue and what made the casualty figure even higher is the fact that this area was witnessing the indian monsoon because of which the mud houses were already vulnerable. and the depth of the quake which was about 10 kilometers made the impact even worse. if you look at the videos and images that we have collected and putting out, you can see panic amongst the residents of that area. most of these houses like i mentioned are mud houses. there is very little concrete. you see a lot of rocks, a lot of stones around the area.

and hence this could lead to more people being wounded. the state media has put out the casualty figures and they have also said that they have been speaking to local officials and residents of the area who say that number could definitely go up. now, as far as the u.s. geological survey is concerned, they had issued a yellow alert for this region, which means that there could be casualties but the impact should be quite limited to the region and to that locality. but we're seeing that the casualty figures have really gone up at this point. we know that there are four areas in particular which have been affected and also some neighboring regions. so as of now recent due efforts are on to make sure that the survivors are moved away from the impacted areas.due efforts are on to make sure that the survivors are moved away from the impacted areas. w.h.o. said that the crews are on the spot and trying to provide any medical or other assistance that at tthey can on

spot. >> absolutely terrifying of course given the fact that so many people were sleeping, majority were sleeping, 1:00 in the morning. how are officials responding to this? >> reporter: we've got a comment coming in from a taliban spokesperson who has said that there was an emergency meeting held at the presidential palace after which they have decided to make sure that every possible rescue relief reaches the areas. and they said that they are sending choppers and medical teams will be reaching the spot. we also know from taliban spokesperson that they are sending out cash aid for the survivors and victims of this very powerful earthquake that has caused -- like i said, this is close to the pakistan border and also there is a tweet from the pakistan prime minister

where he expressed draegrief ov the quake and he said that every possible medical assistance will also be sent across the border 3. >> keep us posted on the developments. very important story. thanks. after months of high gas prices and mulling over what if anything joe biden can do about it, he may have made a decision on a possible gas tax holiday. we'll have the details ahead. and plus the summer heat is creating problems across the united states including some with deadly consequences. we'll have the latest forecast from yoour weather center. and later, why a botched landing could have been much worse in miami after a plane's landing gear stopped working.

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here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three ps. what are the three ps? the three ps of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80, what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. no medical exam, no health questions.

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u.s. federal reserve chair jerome powell is set to testify before a senate committee today just days after the fed announced the biggest interest rate hike since 1994. powell is expected to present his twice yearly report on monetary policy to the senate

banking committee today and the house financial services committee on thursday. so we'll stay on top of that. a major investment bank warns the odds of the u.s. going into recession are getting worse. goldman sachs had been pre predicting a 15% chance of a recession over two years. now they are predicting 30% over the next year. the bank also says that it is downgrading its forecast for the gdp the rest of the year and 2023. so not a great picture. and the u.s. stock market bounced back tuesday. the dow closed up 600 points, the nasdaq and s&p were up around 2.5%. last week of course was the market's worst week since the early days of the pandemic in march 2020. if we look at u.s. futures, what a difference a day makes. red arrows right across the board with really nasdaq perhaps seeing the biggest losses when it opens later today.

u.s. president biden is ramping up efforts to combat high prices at the gas pump. phil mattingly has the details from the white house. >> reporter: with gas prices soaring across the country, the white house has been working furiously to try to find some kind of policy option to provide some ease to the pain at the pump. well, president biden will officially throw his support behind one of those options, an option that white house officials have been considering for several months. a federal gas tax holiday. the 18.4 crent per gallon gas tx the president will support suspending it for a period of time according to people briefed on the matter. this is something that several democrats have pushed for, this is something internally the administration has debated for several months. but they have not supported it up to this point. there have been concerns about the policy itself, whether or not it would actually reach consumers, whether or not it would take away valuable funding from the highway trust fund.

but however the president seeing the very prices that are driving consumers pretty crazy at this point in time deciding to officially support the measure. he was asked about the process leading to this point earlier on tuesday. take a listen. >> it will have some impact. but it is not going to have an impact on major road construction and major repairs. >> sounds like you've made a decision? >> well, let me put this way. i'll have a decision before the week is out. >> the president seemed to lean into where he was going to end up in that moment and underscoring that he would make the decision this week, he would make the decision wednesday. publicly announce it according to these people. again, an administration right now that is looking for anyway that they possibly can to try to bring down gas prices. here is the rub on this specific issue. some democrats including house speaker nancy pelosi have been very cool to the idea, they also don't have republican support or at least enough republican support in the u.s. senate to be able to advance the measure at all. where does that leave the white house? well, clearly grasping for policy issues, clearly grasping for a political message.

at least on wednesday, landing on one message. that is a federal gas tax holiday. phil mattingly, cnn, the white house. evacuations are in place for several neighborhoods south of san francisco after two fires were reported. according to a local fire official, the smaller fire has been contained but the larger fire which covers 25 acres has not. one firefighter has been injured. investigators are looking into the cause of the fire. officials say it is likely that high temperatures contributed to that. meanwhile extreme conditions in the u.s. southeast are turning deadly. georgia is reporting four people were killed from heat-related causes. and in louisiana, the city of new orleans is warning its residents to stay indoors during the peak hours. temperatures there are expected to climb to as high as 115 degrees fahrenheit. let's go to pedram javaheri. i remember you and i talking earlier this week about some cities, but now the heat seems to be on pretty much very

widespread, right? >> it is, yes, record temperatures across at least parts of a dozen states across the southern u.s. we'll touch on that momentarily. want to show you the western u.s., drought conditions here have been expansive. you noted the heat conditions even into the western united states. central valley region into parts of northern california, as warm as 109 degrees here. of course the offshore winds across the area sent san francisco up to about 90 degrees in the past 24 hours. which certainly exacerbated the fire weather conditions across that region. and notice it remains about 10 degrees above average here the next several days. do want to touch on what is happening across the four corners region because nearly the entirety of the states of arizona and new mexico are experiencing drought. but we are getting decent amounts of rainfall into areas of new mexico and arizona and a lot of these areas still dealing with significant fire issues. and you notice nearly the entirety of the state of new mexico underneath flood alerts where portions of northern new

mexico of course, the black fire, hermit's peak, cap canyon fire, these are the one and two largest fires in state history. still burning al this hour. so getting the rainfall will be beneficial, but some will lead to flooding with the burn scars. but how about these records. notice again widespread around the southern tier of the united states. the concern with the heat advisories as isa noted, we're talking about temps approaching 115 degrees in a few spots when you factor in the humidity. so a dangerous setup to usher in the first official few days of the summer season. and here is what we saw as far as records in the past 24 hours with 100 degree category yet again tying or breaking records across a few areas around portions of the eastern u.s. when it comes to watching the active pattern, there is a severe weather threat around portions of the ohio valley, watching strong storms that could bring with it damaging winds and large hail in the afternoon hours. temperatures 98 in st. louis, 90

in chicago and century mark across portions of the southern u.s. atlanta will get very close to it with highs right around 100 degrees. so we'll watch it carefully here as the week progresses. >> and how long are they supposed to last? next week is it supposed to ease? >> it will last at least over the weekend and potentially a little bit of a break going into next week. >> stay safe, everyone. thanks, pedram. hanging on by a thread. ukraine says that its soldiers are struggling to hold the in the east. we're live from kyiv after the break. plus outrage and fear after the kremlin refuses to allow for death penalty for two americans captured in ukraine.

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welcome back to "cnn newsroom." if you are just joining us, let me bring you up-to-date with the top stories. aid groups are working to get much needed relief to people in southwest afghanistan after a 9.9 magnitude quake hit the area. up to 280 people have been killed. we'll stay on top of that story for you. and in a key vote on capitol hill, the u.s. senate has voted to push through gun safety legislation. the legislation faces two more votes before being passed. this is sending an unmistakable message. there is no place to hide. we and our partners will pursue every avenue available to make sure that those who are responsible for these atrocities are held accountccountable.

>> attorney general merrick garland there, he is the latest high ranking american official to visit ukraine. he met with his ukraine counter part to discuss efforts by the u.s. and others to hold those committee war crimes accountable for their actions. garland also announced the organization of a team of u.s. experts to help identify as well as prosecute anyone committing war crimes in ukraine. nine whimeanwhile ukrainian are trying to hold the lines in the east despite russian gains, they have seized another village on the outskirts of severdonetsk and ukraine may be losing ground near its sister city according to the regional governor. brutal fighting has raged for weeks as russian forces push to topple one of the last ukrainian strongholds in the region. part of the campaign to seize control of the wider donbas. in the north russia is intensifying its attacks near

kharkiv. ukrainian officials say tuesday at least 15 people were killed and 16 wounded in shelling around the city. they say an 8-year-old girl is among the victims. ukraine's president accused russian troops of attacking kharkiv for no reason just to show that they are doing something. have a listen. >> translator: in the kharkiv region, there is brutal shelling. it will not give anything to the occupiers that the russian army simply destroys, simply kills. in this way it shows its command that it is not standing still. >> and while allies continue to funnel aid and equipment into ukraine, troops remain vastly outgunned compared to the russian military. but more supplies have started arriving. ukraine's defense ministry tweeted tuesday a shipment of powerful german howitzers have now arrived in ukraine. let's put more perspective on this. salma abdelaziz is joining me live from kyiv.

i know in the last few hours we've been hearing from ukrainian officials who have acknowledged the loss of several communities. what does that tell you now that you've been here several weeks about the wider battle here donbas? >> reporter: absolutely, ukrainian officials are saying that ukrainian defenders are becoming to succumb to the shear power of russia. air defense is being used trying to force back on the ukrainian positions. ukrainians are outgunned and outmanned, 100 to 200 people are dying on the front lines every single day according to ukrainian officials. that city looks very close to falling. there are residents of course still trapped inside. and then in severdonetsk the all-important city the one that has been used almost as a regional capital in recent years by ukrainians there, the three bridges that connect that city to the city that is being

heavily shelled, those three bridges are now impassable, heavily damaged again by shelling. ukrainian officials saying multiple launch rocket systems are being used by russian forces, that there are three tactical battalions that are standing by for russian forces meaning that they are able to launch every larger scale offensive on what is already an outmanned and outgunned crew. so the situation is extremely worrying and it is all centered around this chemical plant where there is hundreds of civilians sheltering and also ukrainian forces trying to fight that last stand, trying to hold the line. but it is hard to imagine how much longer it can continue. and president zelenskyy did allude to that in his nightly address, but he also said that he is pushing on the diplomatic front. he has always said repeatedly that there is a fight not just for ukraine, it is a fight for europe at large. he has been an a ever present leader, consistently holding the feet of european leaders to the fire, pushing them to not just

speak about helping ukraine but actually act to help ukraine. and he has been particularly pushing on the issue of sanctions. he wants to see that new surround moscow ever tighten. take a listen to what he said last night. >> translator: in all negotiations, i always emphasize that the seventh package of the european union sanctions is needed as soon as possible. russia must feel a constant increase in pressure for the war and for its aggressive anti-european policy. another russian threat to lithuania, another wave of energy pressure, another batch of lies from russian officials about the food crisis are all arguments to agree on the seventh package of sanctions. >> reporter: so there he is calling for more sanctions. and this comes on a very important week, the european union will be considering the candidacy status for ukraine. if that happens, during his

speech president zelenskyy said that he was doing everything he can to push that through, that it is one step closer for ukraine for it to join the european community. but important to note that it could take years if not decades before ukraine ascends to the eu if it does. so right now on the front lines, president zelenskyy is pleading for the immediate help that he needs. >> no doubt that the sanctions would rattle the kremlin. salma abdelaziz for us in kyiv, thanks very much. now fears are growing about the fate of two americans held by russian or pro-russian forces in ukraine. the kremlin has suggested that the men could face the death penalty, a threat the white house calls appalling. have a listen. >> it is appalling that public official in russia would even suggest the death penalty for two american citizens that were in ukraine. >> cnn's kylie atwood takes a

closer look at the flight plight of the americans being held by russia. >> reporter: a dire new threat to the lives of two americans captured in ukraine. the kremlin spokesperson claiming alexander and andy are soldiers of fortune and not protected by the rules governing prisoners of war. dimitry peskov saying this -- >> i cannot guarantee anything. it depends on the investigation. >> reporter: their families tell cnn both men were fighting in the ukrainian army. >> andy and alex with nare not mercenaries, they are not soldiers of fortune, they are a part of the ukrainian military. and they are a part of the military meaning that they are prisoners of war and they should be treated as such under the geneva convention. >> we have both publicly as well as privately called on the russian government and its proxies to live up to their international obligations in

their treatment of all individuals, including those captured fighting in ukraine. >> reporter: one american still wrongfully detained in russian prison is w nba star brittney griner. this week her wife expressed deep frustration with the biden administration after she unsuccessfully tried to call her 11 times on their anniversary on saturday. the call had been planned for almost two weeks she said. quote, i find it unacceptable and i have zero trust in our government right now. if i can't trust you to catch a saturday call outside of business hours, how can i trust you to actually be negotiating on my wife's behalf to come home? because that is a much bigger ask than to catch a saturday call. state department spokesperson ned price expressed regret and said that the call has been rescheduled. >> it was a mistake. >> reporter: today in an open letter to the president, the families of more than a dozen

americans wrongfully detained around the world are demanding a face-to-face with the commander in chief. mr. president, we need you. we need your clear leadership to prioritize the expeditious resolution of these cases, they wrote. this describing themselves as exhausted, traumatized and beleaguered. and the family of matthew heath who is being held in venezuela voiced dire concerns after he tried to take his own life this week. now urgently asking the white house to act before it is too late. >> we do not think that he is out of the woods. this particular suicide attempt was not successful thank goodness. we have ever confidence that he will three again. >> reporter: secretary of state antony blinken will have a virtual conversation with the families of american hostages and of americans wrongfully detained abroad on wednesday. that is according to a senior state department official. and we know that matthew heath's family is going to be a part of that conversation. that is what his aunt told cnn. and it will be interesting to see how this conversation goes

given the circumstances that have happened, the situations that have happened over the last few days and weeks. and particularly because these families, many of them, have been demanding to meet with president biden, not to have a meeting with the secretary of state. kylie atwood, cnn, the state department. still to come here, a jury has ruled in a civil suit against bill cosby over sexual assault allegations. the details of the verdict, that is next. plus officials are opening an investigation into a plane landing gone wrong. we'll have more on that incident.

three people have been hospitalized after a commercial plane's landing gear collapse the flying in to miami. more than 120 people were on board the flight which was coming from the dominican republic. a spokesperson from the local

fire rescue crew says firefighters jumped in to action as soon as they arrived on the scene. >> when our fire crews arrived, they saw the wing of the aircraft was on fire. they quickly began working on putting out the fire, utilizing specialized foam trucks. >> both u.s. and dominican officials are investigating the incident. red air airline has released few sdi details saying that the plane had, quote, technical difficulties. a jury in los angeles has found bill cosby liable in a civil trial ruling that he sexually assaulted huth when she was just 16. cosby iss dordered to pay $500,0 in damages. he continues to denny allegations against him. huth says that she was elated. have a listen. >> it has been torture, it has, just to be ripped apart, thrown under the bus, backed over and

this to me is a victory, it really is. to all victims. >> today our client judy huth won real change because she fought bill cosby one step at a time for over 7 1/2 years. >> cosby spokesman claimed it wasn't a victory because no punitive damages were awarded and insisted that cosby is happy with the verdict. major food company. >> caller: kellogg is splitting into three different companies. the first will focus on cereal, the second on snack foods and a third will be a plant based food brand. the snacking business said to be the largest of the three. kelloggs says that that raked more than $11 billion in sales last year. spinoffs are expected to be completed by the end of next year. and uber is now letting

customers again after the hiatus. uber x share is now available in nine major cities like new york and l.a. with plans to expand to more cities this summer. the company is limiting the number of people in a car pool at once and in a nod to pandemic concerns, for now customers can only request one seat and will share the ride with only one other passenger at a time. still to come here, turkey's president is set to welcome saudi arabia's crown prince. how the two nations plan to mend relations after journalist jamal khashoggi's murder. that story just ahead.

i'm jonathan lawson here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget,

remember the three ps. what are the three ps? the three ps of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80, what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock so your rate can never go up for any reason.

so call now for free information and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. and it's yours free just for calling. so call now for free information.

saudi crown prince mohammad bin salman is expect this had turkey in the coming hours with talks with erdogan. the visit is nearly four years after the murder of jamal khashoggi at the saudi consulate. let's get more, gjomana karedshh is live for us. i expect a few years ago this meeting would have been

unthi unthinkable. so has all been for given and forgotten or for the interests of economic interests here? >> reporter: truly unthinkable if you look back at 2018 and that brutal murder of jamal khashoggi here at the saudi consulate in istanbul. this was seen as an attack on turkey. and if you think back to the statements that were made by the turkish president and officials who were vowing to bring those responsible to just advice, president erdogan blaming the highest leaders involved in the killing. and then you look back to april of this year and thi180-degree shift and suspending the trial taking place here for those accused of being responsible for the killing of jamal khashoggi,

that death squad that was sent here to its stand bull, transferring the case to saudi arabia, that was seen as a prerequisite for any normalization in ties between the two countries. if you remember seeing erdogan kissing the saudi crown prince signaling the end of a very turbulent phase in saudi and turkish relations and the beginning of a new one. and so this has really been a shift in turkish foreign policy in general over the past year or so trying to mend ties with former rivals and goes in this region, whether it is israel, united arab emirates, now saudi arabia and perhaps also egypt. and analysts and experts here would tell you that this is very much about the state of the turkish economy, right now this economic and currency crisis, inflation that hit more than 70%

in may. and president erdogan is under a lot of pressure right now to turn the economy around before the june 2023 elections, or that is going to cost him dearly at the polls. and it seems one of the kill pillars of the strategy to try to turn the economy around is attracting investments from rich gulf arab states hoping to bring in billions of dollars into this country. but while the day might be a significant one potentially for the turkish economy, it is quite a sad day for those who have been fighting for justice for jamal khashoggi for years, including his turkish fiance, and they will now see the man that the cia concluded was responsible for ordering the killing of khashoggi arriving in their country where the murder took place. >> such important context there from jomana karedsheh. thanks very much. one of the most colorful characters in the nfl is calling it a career again.

tampa bay buccaneers tight end gronkowski retired once again. his quarterback and good friend tom brady asked him to join him on the buccaneers where they won another super bowl together. and gronkowski's agent said he wouldn't be surprised if he decides to make another comeback. and speaking of comebacks, after missing nearly four years, serena williams made a victorious return to tennis it us in a doubles match in england. the pair won the match in a deciding set tie breaker. williams using this as much needed practice before returning to singles next week of course at wimbledon. she hadn't played since suffering a leg injury last year. and that does it for me. thank you very much for your company. do stay in touch.

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welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. it is wednesday, june 22. i'm laura jarrett. >> and i'm chris tetine romans. 2k3w7 good morning. today president biden plans to announce his support for a federal gas tax holiday. right now the national average for a gallon of regular, $4.96. of that,cents is a federal tax that you would potentially save in a gas tax