ago. cnn films takes a look at her incredible life and legacy. "dionne warwick: don't make me over." it premieres on new year's day. take a look at this. >> dionne warwick, one of the great female singers of all time. >> dionne was a first african american woman to win a grammy in the pop category. ♪ >> the music i was singing was nothing like anything that any of them were singing. the legacy of my family, music, pure and simple. music. >> "dionne warwick: don't make me over" premieres thursday on cnn at 9:00 p.m. >> thanks for joining us. "ac 360" begins now. for the first time since russia invaded his country, tried to take the capital, topple his government, and reportedly try to take his life, ukraine's president is leaving his country, and according to

two sources, already on his way here. john berman here for anderson. to say that volodymyr zelenskyy's journey could be risky is no overstatement. then again, so was his visit to bakhmut on the front line to award combat medals to the troops. and to say his expected visit to the white house and address to congress tomorrow would be moments of the highest significance and drama is no understatement. it certainly has echoes of winston churchill's christmastime visit to washington in 1941, just two weeks after japan's attack on pearl harbor and america's entry into the second world war. he made that crossing on the royal navy battleship duke of york. the crossing took ten days. president zelenskyy's journey will be a lot shorter, but the stakes could not be higher. cnn's phil mattingly at the white house starts us off tonight. phil, what do we know about this visit, which is already beginning? >> yeah, president zelenskyy already on his way to the united states, according to two sources. and while the history and

symbolism are undoubtedly very obvious here, the substance here too is also critical. john, keep in mind president biden and president zelenskyy have spoken by phone more than a dozen times. spoken by videoconference several times as well, but have not met in person since the invasion of ukraine. and president biden has been explicit that the u.s. support which has now total in order than $20 billion in defense and security assistance over the course of the last nine months would last for, quote, as long as it takes, and that will be on vivid display when the two leaders are standing right next to each other tomorrow here on these white house grounds. now there is two elements of this. one is the actual interactions between president biden and zelenskyy and their two teams. there are expected according to sources significant substantive interactions between the two on how things should be moving forward going forward. but there is also the critical element, and that is the new addition of -- new defense aid that is going to be coming ukraine's way with the president

expected to announce an additional $1.8 billion in u.s. assistance. that's on top of $20 billion already in place. president zelenskyy is also tentatively scheduled to gave a joint address to congress at the same time lawmakers are considering an additional $45 billion in ukraine aid, underscoring the relationship and the scale of the ongoing war. >> the united states is the first country zelenskyy is choosing to visit since the invasion began. that tells you everything to begin with. this $1.8 billion, this new round of assistance, what exactly does ukraine get out of that? >> this is the biggest component here, obviously the face-to-face is nothing to scoff at. but what's inside this 1.8 billion is as significant as it gets. in fact, it is as far as the united states has gone when it comes to the types of weapons systems. this will include the patriot missile systems that president zelenskyy for months banged on the table and asked the united states to agree to send their way.

it's something for months the biden administration was not willing to consider, given concerns about escalation or just the pure scale of time it takes to train up on those systems. that will now change. it's been a process over the course of the last several weeks. president biden will make that announcement that $1.8 billion includes patriot missile systems. it's become critical over the course of the last several weeks, something president zelenskyy said personally to president biden by phone a couple of weeks ago, given the russian ramping up of those attacks on civilian infrastructure. president biden now willing to go that route. also will include precision bomb kits to include as well. $1.8 billion. the number is big. the scale overall of u.s. assistance has been enormous. but the scale of what this specific weapons system actually brings to the table, it simply has no precedent up to this point, john. >> phil mattingly, chief white house correspondent, fast-moving developments. please keep us posted, phil. let's go to oren liebermann at the pentagon with more on these patriot missiles and the difference they might make, oren. so talk to us about the patriot

missiles, which many of us first learned about in the first gulf war. we're talking 30 years ago. >> and they've only grown more capable since then and more able to do their mission, and that is a long-range aerial defense mission. this would sit almost like an extended dome on top of the systems the u.s. has already provided. a more advanced, more capable and longer range system to protect ukraine's air defenses, to protect ukraine on the ground, its civilians and perhaps more importantly its infrastructure and air and water that has become the target repeatedly of russian barrages we've seen the past couple of weeks. patriot would offer a long-range option for ukraine to better defend its skies. it's would sit on top of the nasams and the shorter systems, the stingers already provided not only by the u.s., but other countries as well. as phil pointed out, these are complex systems. they take dozens of soldiers to operate. the training, the maintenance,

the sustainment, all of that will take time. the u.s. will try to get that done as quickly as possible. crucially, as phil pointed out, it's not just the patriots. there is also precision bombing kits known as jdams, joint attack missions that will also be provided to ukraine. that fills another needed capability, the ability to strike russian fortifications, russian positions at range and with precision. we've seen other systems the u.s. has provided fill this role. for example, the himars, perhaps the most critical system provided to this point. the excalibur precision artillery rounds. this will give them more of that capability that has made such a difference on the battlefield. it comes with its own challenges. the ukrainians will have to figure out to adapt these kids to soviet-era fighter jets that they have. but we've seen them do it once, and we'll see them do it again with the jdams and crucially the patriots that will help defend the skies. >> oren liebermann at the pentagon tonight, thank you. joining me now, cnn military

analyst retired army general and former nato supreme allied commander questionsly clark. and ruben gallego. and recently led a congressional delegation to kyiv. congressman, i have to say, when we first heard the news of zelenskyy coming here to the united states, i sat up straight. this is a big deal for a guy who hasn't stepped foot outside his country since the russian invasion. what's the significance in your mind? >> the significance in my mind is what he is trying to do is draw a direct correlation between our support and the survival and support and future victory of ukraine. we have been very, very tactical and smart in how we've provided weapons to ukraine. it has been extremely helpful. it clearly has been put to their advantage. they have put russia on its back heels. but there needs to be more done. when i was there just about a week and a half ago, what i heard from ukraine military, ukraine civil government is that they can defeat russia on the

battlefield, and russia knows that. so now what russia is trying to do is trying to punish the economy, trying to punish everyday ukrainian citizens to try to destroy their will to fight and destroy their ability to even arm themselves through actually economic activity. and that's the next step that we need to do is give them the weaponry to number one defend their energy grid, their water grid. and number two, give them the capability to really reach out and touch the russians to the point where it makes them v very -- especially if they're trying to do a counter sbent int intensive. >> president zelenskyy was in b bakhmut today. what kind of risk is he taking, the personal risk for him, and also the risk being gone from his country for any period of time? >> well, i think it's going to be a very quick trip for president zelenskyy, and i think the risk is actually minimal.

he's got a battle-tested chain of command there. he's got really hard fighting troops. they're doing their best. this is a window of opportunity for ukraine, and a window of danger as well, because russia's weak. russia will be stronger. this is a period where the united states needs to pour in the support. and i'm really pleased about the patriots and the jdams and the other things. but ukraine also needs more artillery ammunition at least, longer range systems. they have to be able to win the counter battery fire. they're not winning that right now. there is a lot. this is the window. president zelenskyy knows it. he's going to defeat with u.s. support the russian aggression in ukraine, he's got to have that support over the next 90 days. wait until the summer. it will be an entirely different battlefield. >> congressman, we had to reach back to world war ii.

you conjure up images of winston churchill coming to the united states in december of 1941 to find historical comparison here. what do you think it might be like for those sitting in the chamber with him tomorrow? >> i think number one, and i hope president zelenskyy talks about everything they've been able to accomplish with the support of the united states. and number two, the share of interests that we have. for the first time in quite a while, we can be very proud of the fact that we're leading the free world in a good cause, the cause of what i would say good versus evil, autocracy versus democracy. look, the ukrainians aren't naive. they understand they're not a perfect nation, but they want to be a perfect nation. they want to keep striving on that. even when i there was, when i was talking to them about the future weapon systems, they were also talking about what they need to do in terms of reforms in the future to make sure they can root out corruption. this is a country that wants to be western-aligned with western values, and wants to defeat

autocracy both inside and outside of ukraine. >> general clark, very quickly, the patriot missile, what could that change on the battlefield? >> well, i don't think it's going to change anything on the battlefield, because they're not going to be used that way. it could provide greater protection for kyiv, and certainly it is a deterrent against the russians bringing in iranian ballistic missiles. and really, that's its most important contribution. if the russians bring these ballistic missiles in, this patriot system is what is going to be use toad knto knock them down. thank you very much for being with us. thank you for your time. more breaking news, starting with our first chance coming shortly to finally see years' worth of donald trump's tax returns. and later a cnn exclusive. cnn has learned who in the trump white house, or who from the trump white house tried to sway the testimony of star witness cassidy hutchinson. the man's title a bit of a

shocker, and you'll only see the story here. listen, i'm done settling. because this is my secret. i put it on once, no more touch ups! secret had ph balancing minerals; and it helps eliminate odor, instead of just masking it. so pull it in close. secret works. vo: ferrari knows racing. palantir knows data. bonded by engineering excellence. palantir. data driven enterprise accelerator.

get refunds.com powered by innovation refunds can help your business get a payroll tax refund, even if you got ppp and it only takes eight minutes to qualify. i went on their website, uploaded everything, and i was blown away by what they could do. getrefunds.com has helped businesses get over a billion dollars and we can help your business too. qualify your business for a big refund in eight minutes. go to getrefunds.com to get started. powered by innovation refunds. 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. wow! what'd you get, ryan? it's customized home insurance from liberty mutual!!! what does it do, bud? it customizes our home insurance

so we only pay for what we need! and what did you get, mike? i got a bike. ♪ only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ we have more breaking news tonight. after four years and a debate, the democrat house ways and means committee voted to release the president's 2015 through 2020 tax return. details on what and when and the implications in just a moment. republicans on the committee objected, saying it sets a bad

precedent. and while the former president set a precedent of his own being the first in decades not to voluntarily release his taxes and fighting it through the courts, the idea of either party making someone's 1040 a public record raises questions. what is beyond question is when it comes to voluntarily releasing his taxes the way every president and most presidential candidates have done since president nixon, donald trump gave voters in the 2016 campaign the bait and switch. kind of a modified version, because even as he was promising to release his taxes, he still managed to sprinkle in a few escape clauses here and there. in addition, some of his problems is the release of his returns overlapped with his excuses for not releasing them. it's all a bit of a mess. that said, here's the promise. >> if i decide to run for office, i'll produce my tax returns, absolutely. and i would love to do that. >> but i would certainly show tax returns if it was necessary. >> i'm very honest in my tax returns. >> i have very big returns as you know. and i have everything all

approved and very beautiful and we'll be working on it. >> my returns are extremely complex, and i'll make a determination at the right time. i have a very complex system of taxes. >> 33,000 emails have been deleted. as soon as she releases them, i will release. i will release my tax returns. >> so that was the promise, until it wasn't. >> i'm under audit. when you're under audit, you don't do it. but i'm under audit. >> i would love to give them, but i'm not going to do it while i'm under audit. it's very simple. >> i'm under a routine audit, and it will be released. as soon as the audit is finished, it will be released. >> i'm not really releasing tax returns because as you know they're under audit. >> actually, i paid tax. you'll see that as soon as my tax returns. it's under audit. they been under audit for a long time. the irs does not treat me well. >> which brings us to tonight. cnn's lauren fox joins us now

with the breaking news. lauren, it's a little bit complicated, but what did the house ways and means committee just vote moments ago to release? >> well, we expect that any minute, we are going to get a report from the house ways and means committee that is going to summarize a couple of things. but this committee voted first to release a report as well as the underlying tax returns that they had requested. that, of course, extremely significant, john, for all the reasons you just reminded viewers about. the former president had promised repeatedly to release those returns, never did on the campaign trail some point with some heavy redactions. now first off, we expect that report any minute from the house ways and means committee. it will summarize their findings. it will also include a report from the joint committee on taxation. that's the official tax committee up here on capitol hill. that will include a report as well. and then they're going to be working to redact personal

information from the tax returns, and then at some point in the next hours or days, we will start to see those. so very, very significant tonight this development up here on capitol hill. the committee voting along party lines to release this information. and we should note, this is a years' long court battle from the chairman of the ways and means committee richard neal. he said just moments ago in a press conference that this clearly showed that a mandatory audit program that requires every president and vice president's tax returns to be reviewed by irs was not working properly. that was the whole crux of why he requested these tax returns to begin with. he is arguing that they did not do the kind of scrutiny that they should have, and therefore the ways and means committee also is going to move forward with some kind of legislation. but we should note, republicans take control of the house in just a couple of weeks, john. there is just not that much time. in fact, there is really no time to pass legislation up here. this is really going to be

symbolic. >> so the documents and the timeline you just laid out, is that everything that the ways and means committee has in their hands? are they holding anything back? >> well, that is what i was just told from dan kilde, who is a member on the committee. he said it's everything that neal requested. they have to do some heavy redactions because obviously there is personal information included in someone's tax returns. so that's why it might take a little additional time. but it is underlying documents. wonder we should note, it is also work files about any ongoing audits that were happening. that might really include a treasure trove of information beyond just looking at someone's tax returns. >> and asking now for a friend of the control room and assignment desks across america, lauren, literally any minute now they're going to release this sum summary? >> they're going to release the summary any minute, john. and of course any minute could mean right now. it could mean 30 minutes from now. but they are planning to release that today. >> a congressional committee can last a long time.

but it could be a busy night for forensic reporting. lauren fox on capitol hill, thank you very much for helping us understand what we can expect. joining us now is trump biographer michael d'antonio, author of "high crimes: impeach corruption and immunity." and host of the assignment podcast. michael, you've been covering this type of thing for years when it comes to donald trump. you just heard lauren fox report what we're going to see. what's your reaction? >> well, the first thing i can think of trump is probably regretting resisting turning over the tax returns earlier, because i think he motivated the committee. he motivated them to pursue him all the way to the supreme court to get these documents. and now i think they feel that the american public has a right to them. he's also forced various institutions, including the courts and congress to make

efforts to normalize his behavior, or to make his behavior normal. so here is a person who said he was going to release the taxes, as all presidential have since nixon. he didn't do it. he said well, come catch me if you can. and they caught him. so it's going to be torture for him going forward as everyone with an ax to grind or a forensic reporting bent is going to be ferreting out his secrets. >> so house republicans have complained this sets a bad precedent if house ways and means can release a private citizen's tax returns. the issue of whether or not candidates should release their tax returns, i think there is wide agreement among many people that candidates and perhaps president should. but whether they can be compelled to is a separate issue. republicans perhaps threatening about here. do you think we can expect them when they take control of the house in weeks to release private citizens' tax returns?

president biden has released 24 years of tax returns. nothing they're going to do there. >> this is not a random person. this request came when this person was running for office, later was in office. there is a specific process for audits of presidents. and there in fact the point of it is to show that no one is above the law. and here is a special process to handle this person who is in a very particular position. i mean, there is some irony here that all these years later, as he has launched his second run, here this issue is facing him again. and the supreme court did not step in to save him. he has also lost on the issue of a special master for reviewing the documents coming out of mar-a-lago. now there are the criminal referrals that have come out of the house select committee. i mean, for a person who has just launched another campaign for president, it's kind of been hit after hit for the last couple of weeks. >> so michael, the former president thought this, as addi was saying. he fought it for a long, long

time. do you think it's more of a concern about legal exposure or more he just didn't want people to know how much or little he had? >> well, we all know that his ego depends on his wealth. so it's a story i've told before that in the mid 2010s, he gave a deposition where he claimed that his net worth went up and down depending on his mood. so if he felt good when he got up in the morning, his net worth was $3 billion more. now that was a ridiculous statement, but i think applied to his self-image, it explains a lot. so that's a big part of it. but he's also exposed interestingly enough with this potential fraud suit being brought by his niece mary who lost and won round 1 in the

courts, but may get more information to power her appeal. and then imagine how many people who he has done business with who are going to pore over these documents and determine hey, this loss that he claimed when he dealt with me wasn't really a loss, and now i have a fraud claim too. so this is a very bad circumstance for donald trump. >> i'm glad you brought this up, because debt is an issue, right. one of the reasons why we care as americans about whether our president has foreign investments that can be leveraged against him, whether there are conflicts of interest. there is a kind of public interest in seeing what candidates and what presidents have in terms of their finances. i think where the republicans will have a point is that originally, democrats said look, this is just about this audit process. we only want to know about this audit process. i don't think anyone ever really believed that. and now they definitely won't believe that, because in the last couple of weeks, it's just like okay, the house is about to

change hands, here it all. and i do think that sort of undermines the original claims from the chair. >> look, it's happening. it's happening in a few minutes, according to lauren fox on capitol hill, at least the summary. so we may know a lot more very soon. audi cornish, thanks very much. michael, thanks to you. we'll go straight back to capitol hill when that happens. just ahead, a cnn exclusive and an answer to an important allegation raised yesterday by the january 6th committee pertaining to cassidy hutchinson and her system. the committee has said an attorney and associate of former president trump had urged her to mislead the committee. we didn't know the name of that committee until just a short time ago. his name and the rather surprising position he once held at the white house, when "360" returns.

subject 1: on christmas day, we were in the hospital. it was her first christmas. it was our first christmas being parents. i didn't know a lot about brain tumors, and wh i had heard wasn't good. i certainly never dreamed that i would be fighting for her life. narrator: families never receive a bill from st. jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. you can make a difference. please become a st jude partner in hope right now. subject 1: my dreams are to watch her grow up. subject 2: you going to do that one all by yourself? good job. subject 1: go!

if we didn't come to st jude, i really feel that felicity wouldn't be with us. narrator: please go online right now and become a st jude partner in hope today. ♪ what will you do? ♪ what will you change? ♪ will you make something better? ♪ will you create something entirely new? ♪ our dell technologies advisors provide you with the tools and expertise you need to do incredible things. because we believe there's an innovator in all of us.

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. millions have made the switch from the big three to the best kept secret in wireless: xfinity mobile that means millions are saving hundreds a year with the fastest mobile service. and now, introducing, the best price for two lines of unlimited. just $30 per line there are millions of happy campers out there. and this is the perfect time to join them... save hundreds a year over t-mobile, verizon, and at&t with xfinity mobile, and for a limited time get $400 off a new eligible 5g phone. switch today.

and we are waiting for a report from the house ways and means committee on the former president's taxes. right now, though, a cnn exclusive that comes a day after the january 6th committee teased a rather explosive allegation that had evidence an attorney, an associate of the former president urged a key witness to mislead the committee. the committee said it involved the damning testimony in late june by former white house aide cassidy hutchinson, and that according to committee member zoe lofgren, she was revised to say she didn't recall something when she did. tonight we know the name of the former trump associate. someone if the allegation is true was once in a position to know better. katelyn polantz joins us now. katelyn you helped break this

reporting. who is the person at the center of all this? >> this comes from myself, pamela brown, jamie gangel. this is about a lawyer his work for cassidy hutchinson passantino was an ethics lawyer in donald trump's white house. then he started a political law firm. that firm has been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars this year alone by donald trump's political fundraising groups. and that included, we were able to confirm, payments for passantino repliresent cassidy hutchinson. she got a new lawyer, but became the star witness. now the house is publicly raising concerns about that entire setup. they have other concerns too, john, this lawyer, and it's a long list. this lawyer was telling her not to recall facts she did recall, not to clarify testimony that she believed was inaccurate. and on something that would cast a bad light on donald trump, he

told her we don't want to go there. we don't want to talk about that. that is all according to the committee which spoke to cassidy hutchinson many times. they never reached out to passantino. he has also not been charged with any crime. but he did provide us with a statement today, pushing back on. this he was saying he represented cassidy hutchinson ethically, that she was truthful with the committee whenever he was shepherding her through testimony. he also said he is taking a leave of absence from a corporate law firm where he is a partner. but all of this matters now, john, because the committee flagged this instance, among other things for the justice department when they release that summary yesterday, and previously. and we do know now, we can confirm that cassidy hutchinson spoke to criminal investigators about this episode. and of course maybe an important witness for federal investigators that continue to look into january 6th. >> and this is just one of several instances in which the committee has accused members of the former president's orbit of trying to obstruct the panel's investigation. do we have any more information about the other examples?

>> john, not just in the orbit, but potentially donald trump himself. the house in their report or their summary yesterday, they said that they had received a range of evidence suggesting specific efforts to obstruct the committee's investigation. this cassidy hutchinson example, that's one of them. other examples they give is they say they believe donald trump was trying to contact some witnesses in the investigation. that's something the justice department knows at least about one witness already. they also mentioned that secret service agents and other employees decided to hire private lawyers, that they would presumably pay for themselves or have another entity pay for when they had the ability to just use the agency's own lawyers for free to represent them in the house investigations. so that is all in that summary yesterday. we're expecting a final report, more fulsome report tomorrow. but this is something that is clearly of concern to the house, and may as well become something very much of concern to the

justice department investigation too. >> right. very soon. kaitlan polantz, thank you so much. fascinating reporting. perspective now from cnn legal analyst carrie cordero, former counsel t counsel. and homeland security adviser to vice president pence. lay this out for people. part of this has to do with simple lawyering. can a lawyer tell a client not to -- to say they didn't recall something that they say they do recall? >> right, john. i think it's important for us distinguish between the ethical obligations of the lawyer and then conduct that might potentially be considered criminal. so telling a client -- so if what the lawyer did is he told his client to lie, which is one way that i think could interpret this reporting, then that is clearly unethical as a lawyer

representing someone before congress or before any government entity in any proceeding, to direct a client to lie, if that's in fact what happened. and then there is the issue of was his conduct potential obstruction of the congressional inquiry? but this is where the way that it happened, what the words were that were used, whether or not what is being reported is actually what transpired, because it doesn't sound like we have the other side of the story yet. so there is a lot of gray space here, john, between what could potentially be a disagreement among people about what happened versus unethical conduct versus criminal conduct. >> right. but basically, a lawyer can't tell a client to lie. and if a client does recall something and tells the lawyer that she recalls something, if the lawyer then says, yeah, just say you don't recall it, that's where it tilts from maybe more than just ethical, correct?

>> that's a problem. so in the law, in terms of obstructing congress, or obstructing any proceeding, if a person corruptly tries to impede the conduct of a congressional inquiry, that is obstruction, and that is something that potentially can be investigated and prosecuted for. so i think they're definitely based on what's being reported, and what the committee is apparently saying, there is the potential this person has criminal exposure. but i do think there is an issue here, john, with respect to the way the committee is doing its work. because the question that has raised for me, is the committee going to make a criminal referral for this lawyer having obstructed their inquiry? because if they're not going to do that, then we have this space where you have an individual who is being publicly maligned, and they're not making a criminal referral. and so then that leaves sort of this open area as to whether or not they really think his conduct, or they really have the evidence suggesting that he potentially committed a crime.

>> they haven't made one as far as we know yet. but we do know the doj spoke to cassidy hutchinson we believe about this. olivia, you know, given your experience with the past administration, this guy was an ethics lawyer inside the white house. does this comport with your experience about their adhering to truth? >> yeah, look, it certainly does. i have actually been concerned for people like cassidy and others who may have wanted to come forward and tell the truth, to testify under oath and really comply with congress along the way, because this is kind of the dynamics that people, individuals who want to tell the truth and comply face. and, look, i lived the first impeachment in the white house internally firsthand. i saw what the witnesses that were going to go before congress went through. i personally actually advised a colleague that they should retain a lawyer outside of the

circle because they were being advised that they would be fine. i said no, you won't be fine, because these people all work for the man in the oval office, and it's like the mob boss. it's the mob boss mentality. at the end of the day, they're going to do his bidding. and that's exactly what this entire inner circle does. it doesn't surprise me that cassidy faced this dynamic possibly. and, look, i believe her, because this isn't the one-off situation here. this is something that i've seen happen personally. it turns out that in that situation, i was 100% correct, right? and that person did retain their own council because they wanted to comply and testify about what they had witnessed. when i look at mar-a-lago, to be honest, with witnesses that may be compliant and coming forward, i think about them too. not only do i worry about the intimidation tactics that trump uses and the people around him, but i worry about their safety as well. >> very quickly, carrie, olivia brings up a good point, which is the split loyalties that this lawyer might have. junior employees, it's nice to

have a lawyer paid for. but if that lawyer is looking out for someone else instead of you, there is a potential conflict there. >> at least right. and it speaks to cassidy hutchinson's wisdom that she decided to switch lawyers, whether she was in fact being pressured or whether she felt like she was being pressured and that her interests weren't being represented. clearly when there is payment going on and someone is being paid by other than who their client, then you worry about the influence that the person who is paying the bills is perhaps influencing the conduct of the lawyer. that's not the way that it should work, but as a practical matter, i think we all know that it can. and so it speaks to her strength in having the wisdom as it sounds like olivia also advised some other folks. if you want to truly be independent and get legal advice that is specific to them and in their best interests, and in the interests of the truth, then they needed to retain their own

council. >> carrie cordero, olivia troye, thanks so much for helping us understand that. ahead, as we wait to hear from the house ways and means committee with their report on the former president's taxes, we'll go live to el paso, texas and ed lavandera for the latest on the surge of migrants a the border as the biden administration asks the supreme court to end enforcement of a covid era restriction on migrants, but with one caveat. we'll explain, next. over the l, lincoln's witnessed a good bit of histstory. even made some themselves. makes you wonder... what will they do for an encore? ♪

merry christmas to each and every one. as we celebrate christmas you may wonder if jesus christ can make a difference in your life. you bet he can. that's why he came, to save us from our sins. he came to this earth as a baby, took our sins to the cross 33-years later, and he shed his blood on that cross, and he died for you and for me. but on the third day, god raised him to life. he's not dead. he's alive. if you have never invited him into your heart. if you've never trusted him as your savior, you can do that right now. just pray this prayer with me, just say, "dear god, "i'm a sinner. "i'm sorry for my sins. "forgive me.

"i believe that jesus is your son. "i believe that he took my sins to the cross, "that he died in my place, "and i believe that you raised him to life. "i want to trust him now as my savior, "and follow him as my lord. "i pray this in jesus' name, "amen." if you prayed that prayer, call that number. tide pods ultra oxi one ups the cleaning power of liquid. can it one up whatever they're doing? for sure. seriously? one up the power of liquid, one up the toughest stains. any further questions? uh uh! one up the power of liquid with tide pods ultra oxi.

we have more breaking news. the biden administration tonight has asked the supreme court to allow a covid era policy restricting migrants to end. but it also asked the court to delay ending enforcement of the public health policy known as title 42 for at least a week. the request comes as border states are facing a huge influx of migrants in el paso, texas. federal officials have moved more than 9,000 migrants out of the city in just the last week, though they also report that the daily number of migrants there has recently begun to decrease. cnn's ed lavandera joins us from the boarder in el paso. ed, give us a sense of what you're seeing there. >> hi, john. here in el paso, as officials await the fate of title 42 as it remains in legal limbo at the u.s. supreme court, what we're seeing here in el paso is political gamesmanship.

just hours before sunrise, texas national guard soldiers and texas state troopers constructed a nearly mile-long fence covered in razor wire along the rio grande in the very spot where border patrol agents started processing thousands of migrants in the last week. the texas military department says the national guard did not alert the border patrol or local officials that this fence would be constructed. on monday, el paso officials said national guard soldiers would primarily focus on humanitarian efforts and with security of migrants who are already in the city, not with deterrent efforts. >> the state is preparing resources. they are relocating them to el paso. they're not activated other than security. so at this time, it's for the what ifs. >> reporter: el paso county judge ricardo says the newly installed fence and razor wire is a political stunt and a misuse of resources at a critical time. >> standing on the border, putting barbed wire and fences is not what we need.

with the epicenter right now of migration, and you've got the governor not calling the mayor and myself. >> reporter: but this is the kind of optics and strategy that texas governor greg abbott has long supported. the republican governor has repeatedly criticized the biden administration for not doing enough to secure the border. but the newly installed fence isn't stopping migrants. cnn captured these images just a few hours after the fence went up of a group of four migrants crawling through the razor wire despite warnings from border agents. they were taken into custody. >> who's got the keys to that? >> reporter: as the uncertainty of what will happen with title 42 looms over this border city, local officials and migrant advocates say they will continue preparing as if the public health rule that was used during the pandemic to block migrants from entering the u.s. some 2.5 million times will be lifted. but those leading the humidity efforts like ruben garcia are

frus frustrated. garcia runses the migrant shelter annunciation house. >> the federal and the state government are fighting with each other. they're not working together. one of the reasons we face moments like this is because our political leadership does not sit down to work out comprehensive reform. that takes into account the phenomena of refugees. >> so ed, el paso's mayor said a few days ago that governor abbott wouldn't do anything along the border without telling him first. what does the mayor think of these latest developments? >> well, the mayor says that the governor's office did tell him that this fence was going to go up, but the mayor says he was told that this was part of a three-hour training mission for the texas national guard that is now here in el paso. those three hours have long passed, so now the mayor, who we spoke with just a short while ago, says he wants to speak with

the governor's office and the texas department of public safety to exactly understand why this fence is needed because it's clearly not doing much to deter migrants from crossing the river. and it is definitely not the way local officials here expected these resources to be used. john? >> ed lavandera, a terrific report at the border. thank you very much. next, an astonishing look at what's now happening inside china as that country continues its battle against covid. a report you will only see on cnn. at booking.com, finding perfect isn't rocket science.

kitchen? sorted. t tub, why not? and of course, puppy-friendly. we don't like to say perfect, but it's pretty perfect. if you still have symptoms of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis or active psoriatic arthritis after a tnf blocker like humira or enbrel, rinvoq is different and may help. stand up to your symptoms with rinvoq. rinvoq is a once-daily pill that tackles pain, stiffness, swelling.

for some, rinvoq significantly reduces ra and psa fatigue. it can stop further irreversible joint damage. and rinvoq can leave skin clear or almost clear in psa. that's rinvoq relief. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal; cancers, including lymphoma and skin cancer; death, heart attack, stroke, and tears in the stomach or intestines occurred. people 50 and older with at least one heart disease risk factor have higher risks. don't take if allergic to rinvoq as serious reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant. ask your rheumatologist for rinvoq. rinvoq. make it your mission. learn how abbvie could help you save. listen, i'm done settling. because this is my secret. i put it on once, no more touch ups! secret had ph balancing minerals; and it helps eliminate odor, instead of just masking it. so pull it in close. secret works.

the eat fresh® refresh just won't stop! now, subway® is refreshing their catering with easy-order platters and lunchboxes perfect for any party. pool parties... tailgates... holiday parties... even retirement parties. man, i love parties. subway keeps refreshing and refreshing beijing is facing its worst covid outbreak after the government eased strict containment measures nearly two weeks ago. what's surprising is the government isn't reporting many deaths, yet at the same time the death business seems to be surging. here's cnn's salina wang reporting from beijing.

>> reporter: china has only reported a few covid deaths since abandoning its zero covid policy, but what we see on the ground tells a different story. >> there is a long line of cars that snakes across this entire area of cars waiting to get into that cremation area. and in the parking lot right now it's completely full of cars. i'm speaking here because there are many, many security guards patrolling this entire area. and i spoke to a man earlier who said that his close friend passed away from a fever, that the hospital didn't say why. he said he's been waiting here for hours, and he still has no idea if his friend's body can even get cremated today. and it's not just in beijing. social media shows crematoriums and funeral homes around the country overwhelmed. in this funeral home the man is saying it's going insane. here it is packed with cars, and vans carrying bodies stretch all

the way into the distance in front of this crematorium, and families wait and stand in their mourning clothes at this funeral home with no idea how long they have to wait before their beloved ones can be cremated. a new study by hong kong researchers estimates nearly 1 million people in china could die from covid if the country doesn't take necessary public health measures like increased vaccinations. long lines like these are forming across the country outside of hospitals. people wait for hours outside in the cold rain, crowds form outside hospitals in wuhan, ground zero of the original outbreak. this is a covid outbreak hospital ipbeijing. there's been a steady stream of elderly patients in wheelchairs being led into this hospital. i spoke to an mawho was waiting outside for his elderly family member who he says is very sick with a high fever from covid, but he says this hospital is

running out of bed space. are you busy i ask the covid worker outside this hospital. yes, extremely busy, he tells me. we even work into the evenings. did a lot of people die here, i ask. yes, every day, he says. is it all because of covid? yes, he says, people with underlying conditions. the country's covid strategy has suddenly swung from one extreme to another. this is what china's metropolis looked like a month ago during a mass covid lockdown, a ghost city. but now not only has it lifted its lock down, the government announced on prime time television that people who have covid as long as they're only mildly sick or a symptomatic, well, they can return to work. but people are still scared to go out. restaurants and shopping malls in the city barely have any customers. subways across major cities are eerily empty, but none of this is stopping chinese state media as hailing the country's covid

strategy as victory after victory as the chinese people feel they are suddenly left to fend for themselves. and, john, if we're already seeing this major strain on the hospital system in beijing, the capitol of china that's well-resourced, well, you can imagine the devastation we might see in other parts of china. the country's chief epidemiologists said the worst is still yet to come and the country is going through the first of three expected waves. that second wave is expected today be triggered by the mass travel ahead of the lunar new year holiday which could lead to covid sweeping through the country side. >> stunning picture. salina wang, thank you so much. we'll be right back. our dell technologies s advisors can provide you with the tools and expertise you need to bring out the innovator in you. when a cold comes on strong, knock it out with vicks dayquil severe.

just one dose starts to relieve 9 your worst cold and flu sympto. to help take you from 9 to none. power through with vicks dayquil severe. aubree: i'm aubree. i went to st. jude because i had a cancerous tumor. casey: these kids, they don't deserve to have to go through this. my beautiful little redheaded girl has cancer. you don't know what's going to happen. narrator: please call or go online and become a st. jude partner in hope for only $19 a month. christen: i think it's the most worthwhile place to put your money, when it comes to childhood cancer. vo: palantir software. empowers scuderia ferrari to make critical decisions a split second faster. palantir. data driven enterprise accelerator.

♪ ♪ mercedes-benz is turning electric... completely on its head. bringing legendary design... and state-of-the-art technology... to a fully-electric suv. the all-new, all-electric eqb from mercedes-benz. see your dealer for exceptional offers on mercedes-benz electric vehicles. not flossing well? then add the whoa! of listerine to your routine. new science shows it gets in between teeth to destroy 5x more plaque above the gumline than floss. for a cleaner, healthier mouth. listerine. feel the whoa! get refunds.com powered by innovation refunds can help your business get a payroll tax refund,

even if you got ppp and it only takes eight minutes to qualify. i went on their website, uploaded everything, and i was blown away by what they could do. getrefunds.com has helped businesses get over a billion dollars and we can help your business too. qualify your business for a big refund in eight minutes. go to getrefunds.com to get started. powered by innovation refunds. ♪

♪ a cyber-attack can grind everything to a halt. cisco security keeps your company moving forward. because if it's connected, it's protected. cisco. a busy night of breaking news. as we've been reporting the house ways and means committee expected to continue that trend when it releases its first summary after voting to make public years of the former president's tax returns. we can say the news continues, so let's hand it over to laura coates and "cnn tonight.