army/navy may be brothers on the battlefield but they are not on the football field as kaitlan will find out this weekend. the cadets and midshipmen face off for the 123rd time in philadelphia tomorrow afternoon renewing one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports. >> both schools want to win in the worst way, the players want to win in the worst way, they're going to give everything they have. when they graduate they'll be one team and protecting our freedoms as a country. >> it's amazing this one game can represent so many people. it's a great feeling and i'm honored to be able to be part of it. >> you get presidents, all these celebrities that come. america is truly watching this game and i'm so excited i get to be part of it. >> each team will be wearing special uniforms, army will honor soldiers from world war ii

and navy wearing soldiers honoring those mid shipmen who became astronauts. cnn this morning starts right now. removing myself from the partisan structure not only is it true to who i am and how i operate, i also think it'll provide a place of belonging for many folks across the state and the country who also are tired of the partisanship. >> that's arizona senator, kyrsten sinema, declaring that she has left the democratic party. good morning, everyone. we are live in washington d.c. this morning, don is off. senator sinema said she's registered now as an independent. we'll tell what you the shift means for the democratic majority in the senate. breaking news this morning and good news to share with you, brittney griner has landed on american soil after ten months of russian detention. in a moment we'll be joined by

the commissioner of the wnba to get her reaction. this morning, major questions about potential new legal jeopardy for former president trump. a federal judge is going to consider the justice department's request this afternoon to hold the president in contempt of court for failing to comply with a subpoena for all classified documents. and hawaii's erupting mauna loa volcano is drawing crowds and officials are warning people to not get to close but people can't help it, they're addicted to the flow. >> a lava junki e, it's our fix it gives us our excitement for the day. but first brittney griner is home. she's back on u.s. soil a day after she was released from russian detention in a one for one prisoner swap that involved arms dealer viktor bout.

let's get to san antonio with rosa flores. what a day, a moment to be there. >> reporter: absolutely. there was no big public spec spectacle, no fanfare to welcome brittney griner to the united states. what we could see from the ground is her plane land here at kelly field in san antonio and then she walked off the plane and into a hangar, those were her first steps as a free american on u.s. soil. brittney griner is finally home. the wnba star landed in san antonio early this morning after nearly 10 months detained in russia. >> the most important emotion i have is sincere gratitude. >> griner is returning home to her family, teammates and a legion of supportive fans. >> we love you and we are here for you. we know that the journey that has she has just experienced was a difficult one but we're here to walk with her step by step.

>> reporter: the biden administration secured griner's release in a high stakes prisoner swap for arms dealer viktor bout after months of negotiations. >> i'm proud we've made one more family whole again. >> reporter: griner seen here boarding a plane, given a passport and realizing she is headed home. >> are you ready for flight? >> reporter: the swap took place in abu dhabi, where the two were seen passing each other on the tarmac. the wnba star was detained in russia in february after cannabis oil was found in her suitcase in the moscow region. she was sentenced to nine years in prison in early august and moved to a penal colony after losing her appeal. paul whelan, another american detained in russia, was left out of the exchange. the biden administration has come under fire for not securing his release. >> this was not a choice of

which american bring home. the choice was one or none. >> reporter: a senior official tells cnn the biden administration has an idea for new forms of offers they're going to try to russia in an effort to bring paul whelan home. >> there are a lot of people moaning and groaning about viktor bout going back to russia. i have to say, it's an amazing thing to be able to get brittney griner back so i would urge everyone to keep their partisan sniping out of it. >> cnn spoke with paul whelan by phone. >> i would think if a message could go to biden this is a precarious situation that needs to be resolved quickly. >> reporter: and back to brittney griner. u.s. officials not saying exactly what will happen once she is on the ground now that she is here on u.s. soil but they say she will be transferred

to a medical facility for an valuation. and i should mention moments ago, our colleague, mj lee, learning from officials who spoke to brittney griner saying she is in good spirits and incredibly gracious. >> that is great to hear. thank you for being there. the wnba, the nba, their players never gave up, they kept brittney griner in the public eye during ten months of detention in russia, highlighted their initials on their courts, wore her number at the all-star game and continued to push on her case, the phoenix mercury tweeted each day counting how many days she was detained. yesterday this is what they tweeted, no more days. she is coming home. joining us for her first television interview since the release is the wnba commissioner. thank you for joining us. i wonder what your thoughts are

this morning. >> what a day yesterday. obviously we knew for a couple days that negotiations were intensifying, this has been a ten month process and the brave men and women of the state department, administration, that's why you heard so much gratitude, it's an amazing outcome for brittney and her families, her parents, her wife, and i can't imagine what's going on in texas in a reunited situation. so much joy and brittney deserved to be home, she was wrongfully detained we're happy she's reunited with her family today. >> can you give us an idea of the past few days. you said you had been working with the wnba and the state department to get her home and you couldn't say anything while you were working on it. but what can you share now? >> when the state department deemed her wrongfully detained

we've been working with a special envoy for hostage affairs knowing how complex the moment was and the situation and how hard these men and women of the state department are working. you know, they would say we're all brittney all the time and obviously working on all wrongfully detained americans around the globe. really just the courage they showed, the resilience that brittney showed. this was not an easy ten months and we're anxious to get to talk to her. we're anxious to talk to her, the wnba players kept her front and center and they're rock stars as well. >> she wrote you letters from there. i know she wrote you a few months ago. i wonder what you wrote to her and what you'll say to her when you get to talk to her? >> i will say her letter handwritten before she got moved further outside of moscow was inspiring. she was hanging in there. she ended the letter with

thankfulness, gratefulness to me personally and the wnba for support. there were various strategies over how to best put brittney in the limelight, stay behind the scenes, work with the state department we knew we didn't have a lot of options so really the prisoner to prisoner exchange was the only option. that became very clear early on. so, you know, we were writing her about every six weeks. remember, she was not there for the entire season. so she was very missed by the players during the season. they had kind of a heavy burden to play without her, especially in phoenix, at the phoenix mercury. i can't wait to talk to her and tell her how much we were thinking of her the whole time. it was very hard, we couldn't call her, she couldn't call us. just how much we thought about her and how much, you know, we'll give time and space and whatever she needs, but i know the players are very anxious to fly anywhere to see her right now, as am i. >> i want to take this moment to

highlight an issue you and i have talked about for many years now since you became commissioner. that is disparity in pay for wnba players and lack of equality. the reason brittney griner went and "the new york times" reports half of the wnba players go abroad to play in the off season, is because of financial reasons, because of pay disparity. could you speak to that in this moment she wouldn't have been in russia were it not for them -- were not for that. >> right. one of the things we're chipping away at, trying to transform the business economic of this league and women's sports. women's sports are under invested in, less than 1% of corporate sponsorship dollars goes to women's sports. so we're trying to move the needle on those numbers. and we're chipping away at that. we have our change makers, big

corporate markers that have tripled the pay, players can make about 700,000 for the season rerun. we're chipping away but we're transforming this organization and we hope we put up a half million dollar prize pool for our inseason, i understand the frustration and i think as a former college athlete, wnba wasn't around when i came out. but i think players want to play, this is their craft, they are professional working women, and they want to play. some of them don't get a lot of playing time in the wnba, we're never going to say they can't play in other leagues but we're focused on driving higher pay for sure, driving opportunities to pay the players and get them better benefits. but we need the sports ecosystem to step up and help value the league. >> i was going to say. this is a moment for big corporations, media companies you're talking about to step up. quickly before you go, does this

experience mean that you will advise wnba players against playing abroad, at least obviously they can't go to russia right now but other countries with similar geopolitical concerns, china and others? >> what we do is -- players are going to make the best decisions for themselves, especially younger players who need to improve their game and they're going to play year round, train year round but we're providing more opportunities here at home, internships, marketing agreements, we'll have ten players under marketing agreements this season, spent about $1.5 million on that this season. we're chipping away at it. rome wasn't built in a day. we're not going to prevent them from doing it. the average tenure of a player in our league is five years so they want to get the most play. we're never going to say no. we advise them of a security

risk. we have players in turkey. there was an explosion in istanbul. we're advising players of the geopolitical risk and mostly the security risk of playing where they play. but we're not going to prevent them from doing that. but we want to provide a better wholistic player experience here at home during the wnba season. >> thank you for your time this morning. we are elated to say the least for the wnba and thank you for fighting for equality on all those fronts. >> thank you, poppy. thanks so much. a great day for brittney landing in texas. thank you. breaking news this morning when it comes to washington. arizona senator kyrsten sinema is no longer a democrat. she has now registered as an independent. that's an announcement that could bring down the mood of democrats. just celebrating their brand new 51 seat majority. the questions are, what does this mean? we'll talk about the big political implications of what it looks like on capitol hill in

just a moment. first we want to show you more of what she told cnn's jake tapper about this move. >> you're here to make a significant announcement. >> i've registered as an arizona independent. i know some people might be a little bit surprised by this, but actually i think it makes a lot of sense. a growing number of arizonans and people like me just don't feel like we fit neatly into one party's box or the other. so, like many, across the state and the nation i decided to leave that partisan process. and really just focus on the work i think matters to arizona and our country, which is solving problems and getting things done. >> so your voting record is pretty capital d democratic. your views are generally that of a moderate, centrist democrat. how does leaving the party change how you do your job? >> i don't think anything will

change about how i do my job. arizonans sent me to the united states senate to be an independent voice for our state. and i'll continue doing that. what i think is important about this decision and this move is that i'll be able to show up to work every day as an independent. and not be, you know, stuck into one party's demands of following without thinking. and as we've seen in recent years, both parties have created this kind of requirement or a pull towards the edges that you just unthinkingly support all of one party's viewpoints. it's made it difficult to find folks who are willing to work together and solve problems. >> ever since raphael warnock, senator warnock, was re-elected earlier this week, the balance of power is 51 votes for the democratic party, that includes two independents, bernie sanders and angus king, but that's

51-49. what you're doing doesn't change that? >> i know you have to ask that. that's a d.c. thing to worry about. what i have to focus on is making sure i do what comports with my values and the values of arizonans so when i come to work each day it'll be the same. still come to work and hopefully serve on the same committees i've been serving on and continue to work well with my colleagues of both political parties and not spending much time about what the mechanics look like for washington d.c. and to be honest, jake, i don't think anyone in arizona is caring about that either. >> we'll find out. so joining us now to talk about that amazing interview that jake had with senator sinema is melanie zanona and van jones. what she said was so interesting. jake said does this change the

makeup of the senate? the new senate they got after the georgia win on tuesday night. she said that's a d.c. thing to worry about. but it's a big question. >> it's a big question, a valid question. it's unclear at this point. i would point out there are two independents who caucus with democrats, bernie sanders and angus king. she didn't say whether she was going to caucus with democrats but she said she was going to keep her committee assignments. if that promise holds democrats still control the committees that was a big deal, they have control over committees. so theoretically that won't change. but when it comes to the floor, democrats aren't going to have the neat and tidy 51-49 senate they participated. this potentially gives joe manchin outsized influence again. and so the question is whether sinema feels more emboldened to

vote freely and does joe manchin follow suit? >> i was wondering that. >> he said before he is not going to become a republican but it could put pressure on him to do the same. however, i think because this takes some of the pressure off sinema to do this, it might make it harder for joe manchin to do that. >> van jones, i wonder what you make of this? >> it could be a difference without -- a decision without a difference. three questions you have to ask. who is she going to caucus with, who is she going to support in leadership, and who is she going to vote with? if those three things don't change, the structure of the senate doesn't change that much. but here's the thing, the other independents you have an understanding about who they are and a what they're about. she's more of an enigma. the challenge with democrats with her in the middle of the

biggest negotiations for the most important parts of biden's agenda you didn't know what she wanted. you knew what she didn't want. she was a confounding political presence. and i don't think that actually is what people in arizona are looking for, or anybody is looking for. the reason that you have someone like bernie sanders as an independent, he has a consistent world view that doesn't quite fit and can tell you what that is. with kyrsten sinema, you just never knew, what do you want? you say you're representing arizonans, which ones and what do they want? it was just confounding. so in some ways it's more truth in advertising when she says she's not a democrat. but it would be helpful for us to know what do you stand for and what do you stand against besides being a contrarian that gums up the democratic party's processes. >> i want to get your reaction, let's just play what senator tom cotton just said about this.

here he was. >> it's a reflection on the democratic party and how extreme and left wing it's become in recent years. they've essentially drummed kyrsten sinema out of their party. we don't agree on many issues. but i told her over the last few years if she wanted to dip a toe in the republican party's pool we'd be happy to have her jump in with us as well. >> a lot of republican love for kyrsten sinema this morning. van, you're shaking your head but it was a few months ago that mitch mcconnell called her the most effective first term senator i've seen my entire time in the senate. >> when you're getting praised by tom cotton, who's horrible on lgbtq rights, justice issues, horrible on every issue. i don't think that's great for people in arizona to hear her being praised in that way. look, i think that fundamentally what you see now, rubin is going to almost certainly now challenge her for that senate seat. there's been a lot of pressure on him, a younger progressive

latino in her state. i think he probably steps up. you have to watch what he does. i agree, this puts manchin in an interesting position. everyone is worried about the 2024 calendar where you have a lot of vulnerable democrats. and in some ways this can seem like it's above partisanship et cetera it could also be her reading tea leaves in her state. i agree with her, these parties are difficult to navigate. but i would have more confidence she means what she said if she were consistent in what her values were, priorities were. she's not an independent. she's an enigma. that's different. if she caucuses with democrats supports democratic leadership, supports democrats it doesn't change joe biden's hand as much as you might think. >> that's what we're hearing from the white house, look at the times she has voted with us. what van said about reuben said

is important. he said he would primary her. but the question is could she have won if she does run for re-election as a democrat in that primary? >> i think that was part of her calculation. this would have been an ugly primary, i think reuben would have challenged her. now this eliminates that threat. whether she can make it as an independent in arizona we're in uncharted territory. there are a lot of split tickets in the last election. and some of it makes sense. she's always had an independent streak. i think she likes being called an enigma to van's branding. she likes the praise from mitch mcconnell. and a lot of people don't remember but she got her political start running as a member of the green party so it makes sense politically for her and practically as well. >> thank you both. have a good weekend. we appreciate it. later we'll talk to jake tapper about the interview and what his takeaways were when it

comes to her decision to step away from the democratic party and what it means for her party on capitol hill. we have new cnn polling this morning on how all of you are feeling about president biden and the economy following the midterms. also this morning what we are learning about the justice department's attempt to actually hold former president trump in contempt of court. we could see movement on that as soon as today. i just always s thought, “dog food is dog food” i i didn't really piece together that dogs eat food. as s soon as we brought the farmer's dog in, her skin was better, she was more active. if i can invest in her health and be proactive, i think it's worth it. visit betterforthem.com the first time your les reached 100k was also the fir time you hit this note...

( screams in joy) and keep more of what you make. with a partner that always puts you first. godaddy. tools and support for every small business first. there's a different way to treat hiv. it's every-other-month, injectable cabenuva. for adults who are undetectable, cabenuva is the only complete, long-acting hiv treatment you can get every other month. cabenuva helps keep me undetectable. it's two injections, given by my healthcare provider, every other month. it's one less thing to think about while traveling. hiv pills aren't on my mind. a quick change in my plans is no big deal. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking certain medicines, which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include allergic reactions post-injection reactions, liver problems, and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have liver problems or mental health concerns, and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. some of the most common side effects include injection-site reactions,

fever, and tiredness. if you switch to cabenuva, attend all treatment appointments. every other month, and i'm good to go. ask your doctor about every-other-month cabenuva. ♪ what will you do? will you make something better? create something new? our dell technologies advisors can provide you with the tools and expertise you need to bring out the innovator in you. so it takes the right tool for the job...

to keep it together. now there's new theraflu flu relief with a max strength fever fighting formula. the right tool for long lasting flu symptom relief. hot beats flu. you want to see something cool? xfinity rewards is how we go beyond saying thanks. so we're going to spread the joy this holiday season, the xfinity way. take your trusty sidekick to see puss in boots: the last wish what's a puss in boots? he is me. with buy-1-get-1 movie tickets, on us. in theaters christmas. join for free on the xfinity app. xfinity rewards. our thanks. your rewards.

welcome back to "cnn this morning." coming up for us, cnn is live in hawaii, speaking to people who are choosing to get close to the lava. wait until you hear what they call themselves by the way. another key measure of

inflation, we will get that coming up. key indicator of the u.s. committee. and brittney griner is home, finally free and back on u.s. soil. ahead this morning we'll speak to the white house's john kirby about all of this. this morning we start, a new cnn poll shows president biden's job approval rating stands at 46%. that's after it drifted as low as 38% back in june and july of this year. the vast majority of americans do not like the direction the country is moving in right now. only 35% say that things are going well in the united states today. with surging inflation expected to continue into next year and the concerns about a recession still present, still mounting, today 53% of americans say the economy is still in a downturn. and only 43% say it's starting to recover. 63% of americans say they're very concerned about the cost of living. followed by 42% who say they're worried about the rising interest rates.

another 15% who say they fear losing their job. >> the pressure on donald trump is intensifying. the justice department asked a federal judge to hold him in contempt. it's remarkable. it's over his failure to comply with a subpoena over classified documents. recently a team hired by his lawyers found two more classified documents at a storage facility. am i right that it's sort of remarkable for this ask to be made and the obvious question is, is a judge going to do this? >> reporter: yeah, poppy, exactly. this is an indetense escalationf where things stand in this long-running fight over whether or not donald trump has given back all the federal records in his possession. the justice department has wanted to make sure that any national security secrets he may be keeping anywhere in any of

the places he lives or works that all of that is back in their hands and as of right now, almost two years after the end of the trump presidency, the justice department is still not satisfied. they believe there is the possibility that donald trump could have classifiied records r records with classified markings on them they need to get back. so today we do believe, this is kaitlan's reporting and mine as well, that in this courthouse there's going to be a federal judge holding the hearing. the hearing is going to be under seal. we may see the lawyers walk in and walk out, but that's it. but what the judge may be considering today is whether or not to hold donald trump and the office of the former president in contempt of court for not satisfying this long running subpoena to get the documents back. one of the possible consequences here is that he could be fined we have seen that in the past related to the trump organization.

>> comes after the searches to his properties. amazing. as we're watching to see what happens in the courthouse behind you today we're learning more from the january 6th committee. they're staring down the deadline, have to make a decision about referrals to the justice department. now we're learning they may be considering more people than initially believed. what have you learned on that snr. >> the count right now is they may be looking to a referral for donald trump but there are four others they may be considering making confidential referrals on. this is the wind down face of the house select committee investigation into january 6th and this is the handoff they're trying to make to the justice department as the justice department criminal investigation continues around the 2020 election. the four people, mark meadows, john eastman, jeffrey clark, rudy giuliani, so it's the closest advisers around donald trump wanting to block the

turnover of the presidency. now they haven't decided yet and, of course, the justice department doesn't actually need congress to tell them who to investigate. kaitlan and poppy. >> no, but it could put pressure on them. thank you. brittney griner is home at last. but another american, former u.s. marine, paul whelan was not part of the prisoner swap. we're going to talk about why and what could possibly get him out with mark esper, he is here in studio. it's the subway series m menu. 12 irresistible subs. the most epic sandwich roster ever created. ♪ it's subway's biggest refresh yet! this is the planning effect. nina's got a lot of ideas r the future...

a lot of ideas. so when she wants a plan based on what matters most, she turns to fidelity. at fidelity, anyone can create a free plan. a plan that can change as your priorities do. and nina's free plan? it leaves her free to focus on what's important right now. that's the planning effect. from fidelity. sam! hey little brother! make this december one to remember. happy holidays from lexus. ...years faster than our initial projections. when you see things differently, you can be the difference. capella university sees education differently. our flexpath learning format lets you earn your bachelor's degree at your pace. you definitely know. when he wants your attention,

he makes it clear. when he wants to be left alone, he makes it obvious. but if your cat has oa pain, also known as osteoarthritis pain, he may be saying “ow” in different ways. it's a long-lasting condition that makes it painful for your cat to move like they once did, like when walking or climbing. red flags are everywhere. but cats are really good at hiding their pain, so you just need to know what to look for. visit catredflags.com to learn about the signs of oa pain and how your vet can help. research shows people remember commercials with nostalgia. so to help you remember that liberty mutual customizes your home insurance, here's one that'll really take you back. it's customized home insurance from liberty mutual!!! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

♪ brittney griner now back in the united states. touching down earlier this morning after 10 months of wrongful detention in russia. the biden administration is now facing questions, though, as she returns as to whether or not the trade was lop sided, a compromise here, an athlete convicted for having less than half a gram of hash oil in exchange for an arms dealer convicted of conspireing to kill americans. paul whelan, an american who has

been in russian control for four years, remained out of the deal. he doesn't understand. we'll talk about whether or not russia got the better end of the deal with mark esper, the defense secretary under president trump. that's the question here, how big of a compromise the u.s. was willing to make to get brittney griner back home. what is your sense of it? >> first of all, kaitlan, it's great she's home. i'm happy for her and her family but you can't help but be disappointed and sad for paul whelan and his family. when you add, as you did in the lead up here, viktor bout versus griner it seems like a lop sided deal. the win feels hollow here. and you have to wonder when and how do we get paul whelan back, he's been in custody now for four years. >> and he's a former u.s. marine. we don't leave ours behind. >> no, we do not leave our people behind and that cuts hard against some of us.

>> if viktor bout was not enough to get paul whelan home, and that's what we heard secretary blinken saying yesterday, there was not a choice of which american to bring home, and we heard the president say it yesterday. he said for some reason -- i'm paraphrasing here -- they are holding paul whelan to a different standard here than griner. >> i saw reports a year ago they were willing to give up paul whelan for bout. i think there needs to be digging about this deal and how it came about and people who know how to negotiate from the russians. right now it feels bittersweet. >> that's the question here, and also the implications of this. returning viktor bout to russia. we saw him, he already did an interview there. he is a notorious arms dealer. he's convicted by a new york jury of conspireing to kill americans. is there a threat to americans, to other countries now that he is back in russia and a free man?

>> that was the second question that came to mind yesterday, the first being why not paul whelan. and why now? does he need to appease his far right bringing home one of their own, bring viktor bout back out to finds arms and ammunition for the russian military? i don't know. but i think i have a lot of curiosity about what's happening as well. >> there is concern from senators on both sides of the aisle, both senator coops and senator rubio over more broadly what we're doing here. let's play that and i wonder if you agree with them. here it is. >> the more we engage in such exchanges, the more americans are at risk of being scooped up and held as leverage to try to secure the release of folks who we would rather not have to release. >> we have to recognize even as we're happy an american is coming home it doesn't

incentivize the taking of more americans. >> you put a higher value, premium on americans. the last ten years nearly three do dozen americans being held by other countries and state sponsored so china, russia, iran, venezuela, other. the concern is the more you do the swaps, the more you cite the issue, the more you put a premium on american's heads. it's an issue to be concerned about. if you're in that situation, your loved one being held, you want the deal cut. i have to give a shout out to the whelan family, they've been extraordinarily gracious in all of this seeing paul still live in russia. >> we couldn't agree more. >> trevor reed was the same way when he came home. brittney griner's wife was so gracious speaking from the white house yesterday. on the larger picture of what's happening here, though, if you're looking at this from the war in ukraine and watching

putin use his leverage when it came to viktor bout, someone they tried to get home, you talked about what he means to them, rumors he's tied to russian intelligence services, what is your takeaway of watching how putin handled this situation to what he is thinking when it comes to the war in ukraine? >> it's the issues. is it a way for putin to take home a victory to russia to show he's still in charge, a great statesman if you will. he's facing multiple strategic failures with regard to the war in ukraine, now fighting a war on two fronts, one in ukraine and one at home. we're entering a tough winter period coming up. if i were ukraine i'd push the offensive because the russians are on their back heels and now is the time to move forward. the ukrainians can and should win this fight and we need to do everything we can to help them. >> you were defense secretary under the trump administration. there were significant efforts to get paul whelan home over multiple years, they failed.

i know you weren't involved directly you're on the back end getting them physically here after the deal is made. why do you think those failed? >> i don't know. mike pompeo put a lot of effort in this. sometimes the timing is right, sometimes it's not. like you said, my -- dod's role was the back end or hostage rescue and we had a hostage rescue we conducted in the fall of 2020. >> you're in the rooms. >> actually, not always. >> to putin's mindset, different than now in the middle of this war. >> look, he's looking for what benefits him, not his country. but what benefits him. that's why i wonder why did he do this now? what did he need to deliver back home to the russian people or his inner circle or to appeal his far right. again he's getting criticism not just the liberals, the left in russia but the far right. and it's more intense from the far right. maybe he's questioning his own

hold on power. i don't know. it's just interesting. >> it comes as he faced the embarrassing setbacks on the field. >> absolutely. >> thank you for joining us on such an important topic. >> thank you, both. this morning pope francis breaking down in tears after talking about the suffering of ukrainians. the pontiff was delivering a traditional prayer in central rome saying i would have liked to have brought to you the thanksgiving of the ukrainian people for the peace we've long been asking the lord for when suddenly he was overcome with emotion and unable to speak. >> his voice continued to crack as he resumed his prayer saying instead i still have to present you the people in the tormented

land -- of that tormented land which is suffering so much. says a lot. >> it does. >> also this morning an emotional signoff from trevor noah. he hosted his last episode. you have to watch this. who he credits for his incredible success. >> some people watching i don't like when you do this, but i watch. i want to say i appreciate those people. even the people who hate watch you still up the ratings, thank you. i'm eternally grateful to you. also ahead this morning, i promise you there is an erupting volcano biehind me here on hawaii's big island. but that's part of the story the changing weather. and major changes in the status of the eruption. some are saying it's a good thing, others are saying wait, there's more to come.

hi, susan. honey. yeah. i respect that. but that cough looks pretty bad. try this robitusn honey. the real honey you love, plus the perful cough relief you need. mind if i ro through your trash? robitussin. the only brand with real honeyand elderberry. i brought in ensure max protein with 30 grams of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks. uhhhh... here, i'll take that. [woo hoo!] ensure max protein, with 30 grams of protein, one gram of sugar and nutrients for immune health. psoriasis really messes with you. try. hope. fail. no one should suffer like that. i started cosentyx®. five years clear. real people with psoriasis look and feel better with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infection, some serious and a lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. tell your doctor if your crohn's disease symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reaction may occur.

best move i've ever made. ask your dermatologist about cosentyx®. my name is tonya, i am 42. as mother of nine kids, i think i waited this long to get botox® cosmetic because i take like no time for myself. my kids are sports kids. we're always running from one activity to another. i'm still tonya, and i got botox® cosmetic, and this is like the first thing i've done for me in a really, really long time. my life is still crazy, it's just as full as it was before. just with less lines. botox® cosmetic is fda approved to temporarily make frown lines, crow's feet, and forehead lines look better. the effects of botox® cosmetic may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness may be a sign of a life-threatening condition. do not receive botox® cosmetic if you have a skin infection. side effects may include allergic reactions, injection site pain, headache, eyebrow, eyelid drooping, and eyelid swelling. tell your doctor about your medical history. muscle or nerve conditions, and medications including botulinum toxins. as these may increase the risk of serious side effects.

see for yourself at botoxcosmetic.com vo: ferrari knows racing. palantir knows data. bonded by engineering excellence. palantir. data driven enterprise accelerator. two new ihop lunch and dinner menu items for twice the goodness, twice the flavor, and twice the choice. sirloin salisbury steak and all-natural salmon. perfect for lunch or dinner. only at ihop. download the app and earn free food with every purchase. as a business owner, your bottom line is always top of mind. so start saving by switching to the mobile service designed for small business: comcast business mobile. flexible data plans mean you can get unlimited data

or pay by the gig. all on the most reliable 5g network. with no line activation fees or term contracts. saving you up to 60% a year. and it's only available to comcast business internet customers. so boost your bottom line by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities.

this morning a crisis averted, at least for now, as officials say lava spewing from the world 's largest active v volcano is no longer. and dave carver, with the best assignment in television has that now. >> reporter: there is a striking beauty to the eruption, especially as captured by photographer c.j. cale. >> every single time you go, it's always different. >> reporter: c.j. driving us to his picture perfect spot. the best view, he believes, the rising sun greeting the glowing

lava. >> yeah, that is super. >> reporter: we step out into the cold rain hoping it will burn off. c.j. admits to us he is a particular kind of thrill seeker. >> a lava junkie. kind of the term out here we all call ourselves lava junkie. it's kind of our fix. it's what gives us our excitement, it's what gives us our adrenaline for the day. >> reporter: this lava junkie has even gone swimming with it. is there a rang, though, of lava junkie, those that get too close, too extreme? >> my group of friends is the far outer limits of that range. >> i wouldn't recommend pushing it far for everybody. >> reporter: but some are still pushing it. if you count our live report monday, you might have noticed this person, head lamp on, returning from a trek to the lava's edge. officials have warned folks of

the dangers getting that close to the flow, not to mention it's trespassing. >> you can live caged up and live a boring live or you can go and take a chance. >> reporter: they hiked five hours on unstable lava rock out to the edge of the flow. they recorded this video about 50 yards from the crawling lava. then there were those going to the source of the lava, the expert lava junkies, if you will, usgs scientists in protective gear collecting samples of the lava and bringing them here. >> so we put them in the drying oven. >> reporter: the university of hawaii is helping run the rapid response lab for the eruption. we got a look inside. these samples collected since the lava started spewing. >> it was thrown up in the air and landed and they scooped it up while it was still molten and quenched it. if you look at it, you'll see

it's very, very bubbly, soft. you can break it in your hand. >> carbon and oxygen. >> reporter: researchers quickly turning out data to help chart where the lava flow might be heading, especially as it's inching closer to crossing saddle road, a major highway crossing the big island. they warn the pace is slow at times. >> all of a sudden the front breaks off and lava comes spewing out. >> reporter: dangerous perhaps but an eruption is never destructive. at what point does it become destructive? >> when you put a house in the way. my mom lost a house, friends lost a house. we don't view it as lost. we view it as borrowed time. >> reporter: speaking of time, sun's up and our view, still

this. does it feel like a washout when you get to this point and suddenly there's nothing? do you feel disappointment? >> you know, it's always part of the journey. if every single time we turned up it was absolutely amazing, it wouldn't be as special as it is on the days it is amazing. >> i wish we could see that picture perfect view at this hour, poppy, but we have cold rain. it has stalled meaning it's no longer an imminent threat to the highway but scientists warn, poppy, this could change over a matter of hours and the eruption is still going. >> might have to open the hawaii bureau, david culver. lava watch. a huge shake-up in the senate just as democrats were celebrating gaining nor seat. ahead r.j. tapper joins us with his exclusive interview with senator kirsten sinema. d fuel tt comes next.

so...what are you waiting for?

that music making it even harder to wait till sunday night. >> i'm just getting on board. >> we have converted poppy to be a "white lotus" watcher. poppy, don and i had the chance

to sit down with theo james. if you're watching, you know it's cameron, the wealthy businessman who lets loose on vacation in sicily. here's what he told us. we love this show. we have been talking about it, the whole show team talks about it regularly. >> it's going to be a little weird because he has an accent but not on the show. >> that clip we just watched, i was thinking of getting that tattooed on my chest. >> it's a little lengthy. >> this show is so -- it's like a cult favorite after season one. season two is already everyone's favorite. it's so interesting because of the undertones in it. i wonder what stuck out to as you were shooting it. >> mike is such a genius as comedy underlaid with social commentary. as you know, he's seen it. he's done that really well. this is a little different from the first season. it's still about privilege and

how that morphs people and how they make mistakes as a result of it, their skewed reality. what i found interesting about this season was the sexual poll tubs and gender politics of it. >> people will think your character's an ass, right? i actually like your character. >> oh, go on. >> no, i think people judge your character from what they saw from the beginning of the series. i don't know if that character is going to end up being that at the end of the series. >> exactly. >> i really doesn'tn't know. >> i kind of like your character and your wife on the show. it works for you and i'm not going to judge it. >> that's an interesting question that the show poses. and for me as an actor as well, i had to find things in cameron that i liked. as i say, i based him on people i knew, people i met but i had to find bits i really liked about him. he's warm, fun loving, he also loves his wife, all those things. at the same time as we saw from

that clip, he's a bit of a scumbag. but you have to warm to him in some way to make it as real as possible. >> are you going to tell us who dies? >> yes, so -- i can't tell you. all i can tell you is it gets bigger and wilder and the person you might think it is is not that person. >> so what is it like? is it jennifer? what is it like working with jennifer? she's so eccentric. she has the most unusual, i don't know, way, method of acting. >> yes, she does. it was interesting as an actor, it's great to be able to see performers, especially ones that you like but watching her as a comedian, it's very fascinating because, as you say, she has a very particular way of delivering lines but she also is a consummate comedian. so she knows how to adjust

lines. >> when they're on the yacht and she's like, oh, did you knit that little hat? i busted out laughing. my uber driver is like is everything okay? >> i want to switch gears. i've obviously only seen one season of "white lotus," one episode, even more embarrassing. then you was looking into more of what you do. when you're not acting, you do a lot of work with the u.n. and a lot of work with refugees. >> yes. >> and there's a syrian refugee you've been working with for a long time. what does that mean to you and how is it tied to your family's experience? >> it began with the syrian civil war, that huge displacement of people who then needed help. particularly with the u.k. and here at the time, lots of other

place, there was a xenophobia and a lot of people shut their borders. that's frustrating. but my grandfather is greek and during the second world war when the nazis invaded athens, he escaped on a boat and ended up safe harbor in damascus. so he went the other way. and that's very recent for us. i guess i was trying to use that story to remind even myself that, you know, you immigration, it happens all the time and it's important for culture but it's also remember how recently your own ancestors were faced with those problems. >> we enjoy having you and enjoy watching such a great series. i was just in sicily this past summer and it's a very sexy place, lots of wine. and this is, as you said, in your voice a naughty, sexy series. it's very good. thank you very much.