and fourth ranked michigan state goes down at home to james madison in overtime. spartans first to lose opener to an unrank raranked opponent sin did it back in 2005. and back to the women. the newest star freshman a human highlight reel. she goes coast to coast finishing with the lay-up there. 17 points for her as carolina blows out number 10 notre dame by 29. and finally if you need a laugh, on the left 7'4" purdue big man zach eddie. and on the right stanford guard at 5'8". and as you imagine, eddie would win the tip. i think that they were just going for the old david

if they're not going to win it, have some fun. andy, thank you very much for that. i will see you tomorrow, my friend. and thanks to all of you for joining us, i'm kasie hunt. don't go anywhere, "cnn this morning" starts right now. ♪ good morning, everyone. glad you're with us, it is election day. there's a lot of news to get to. let's start with five things to know, tuesday, november 7 th. polls are open in virginia and par parts of kentucky. two governorships and abortion access measures. >> and donald trump brings his campaign bomb a campaign bombass to the wind stance. and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu says his country needs to oversee security in the gaza strip for, quote, an indefinitely period of time after the ongoing war. this comes as the health

ministry says 10,000 people have been killed in gaza. >> a man is dead after suffering a head injury in southern california. the medical examiner ruling this a homicide. wework has filed for bankruptcy after struggling. "cnn this morning" starts right now. ♪ well, it's election day in america. glad you're with us. we're about to get a crucial preview of where voters stand on critical issues ahead of the 2024 election. kentucky governor andy beshear is fighting for reelection in a red state that voted overwhelmingly for trump in 2020. tate reeves facing a tougher than expected challenge from elvis presley's cousin. in ohio, abortion is on the ballot, deciding if it's a right under the state constitution,

and in virginia, the legislature is up for grabs. if republicans flip the senate, they would have full control of the state government as glenn youngkin pushes for a 15-week abortion ban. jessica dean is live for us in virginia. abortion has been a dominant issue. what are you watching for today as the results come in? >> reporter: good morning, phil, and poppy, often when we're covering politics, we don't say we have a krystal ball. we have to wait until voters go to the poll. today we don't have a crystal ball. we have some data points after this election. you don't live in virginia and say why do we care what happens in the virginia legislature? these are valuable data points. so often what happens in the virginia legislature in these off year elections correlates with what happens in the next year in these federal elections. just to give you a couple of examples. in 2019, democrats flipped the house and senate in virginia,

and of course in 2020, joe biden won nationally. he also won virginia by ten points. then in 2021, republicans took back the house here in virginia. in 2022, republicans took back the house of representatives in congress in washington, d.c. so that is why we like to keep our eye on virginia to kind of see how things go here looking ahead to the next year. and, phil, you mentioned the issue of abortion. of course last year in the midterms that drove so much of what we saw that was such a key issue. and so the question remains, how key of an issue is that for voters. virginia is the only state in the south that has not pushed forward further restrictions on abortion since roe v. wade was overturned in 2022. the state's governor, glenn youngkin had pushed for a 15-week ban. currently it sits at about 26 weeks here in virginia, and that was stopped by the democrats in the senate. to give everyone the state of play, democrats hold the state senate here. republicans hold the house. of course, republicans want to

flip the senate and keep the house and get full control over all of the state government. and it would really be a stamp of approval for governor glenn youngkin and his brand of politics, which is conservative, and not full maga. that is what a lot of people in the country are looking to. can he get that done. democrats hoping to vote on the senate and flipping the house. that's what they hope to do today. >> jessica dean, thank you so much for the reporting. joining us cnn senior political analyst, john avlon. d.c. folks, ooui'm not one of t anymore. >> i don't think you get to shed that so quickly. >> they are laser focused on virginia, and the state legislature and what happens there. they will extrapolate based on tonight's results about any number of things and what it means for 2024. what are you watching today? there's a lot more than just the virginia legislature. >> just because it's the beltway backyard, it's getting a lot of attention. i'm paying attention to ohio.

there's a thing happening there. two referendums for the ballot initiatives, one, legalizing marijuana, and more on a bid to preserve abortion rights in the state constitution. this is a huge deal, a rebuke in many ways to dobbs. we have seen seven states put forward attempts to restrict abortion, even in deep red states. there's a lot of eyes on this. republicans trying to say this goes too far. democrats focusing on turnout, and really saying the people should determine what's in the state constitution. ohio, big race today. >> in ohio, it's interesting, "the times" says the abortion issue defines it or you can define in your campaign. that's what youngkin is doing in virginia. not 26 weeks, 15. not 6, like florida, the question is what are voters going to say. the polling shows a majority of americans are not in line with a 15-week ban. >> look, originally roe was about preserving first

trimester. youngkin is trying to thread the needle. but most republicans have been trying to go draconian in terms of strong restrictions, a la ron desantis's six week restriction. so this is where there's a really fundamental fight going on in the country. there is probably a middle ground to be found. you know i can believe that. what's interesting is that republicans in this race, and you're seeing it in glenn youngkin is trying to say the democrats position is extreme. not us. >> do democrats have a problem, those democratic lawmakers who will not say what the limit is because there are some? >> there should be. reasonable restrictions for the vast number of americans. the ohio bill says open the door to restrictions. they're reasonable restrictions. this is demonization and creating an extreme optionality to fear monger doesn't fit. it's in the just ohio. i know time is tight, but we've got big governor's races in kentucky and mississippi that i wouldn't sleep on.

kentucky, you know, bucks the national trend, deep red state, voted for donald trump, but a democrat incumbent governor fighting against daniel cameron, the attorney general of the state who would not only be potentially the first black governor in kentucky's history but the first black governor who is a republican in the nation's history. so this is a very high stakes fight. andy beshear, the incumbent is trying to preserve the tradition of red state democrats, rural democrats, something they need to tap into going forward. >> in a moment of nationalization of every single race, b race, it's been fascinating to watch. john avlon, we appreciate you. a combative scene, that's an understatement, in court yesterday, as trump testified for nearly four hours. we've got the key takeaways for you this morning. and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu rang in on who should control gaza one month afafter the war in gazaza bebegan. stayay with us.

speaking of trump, today he testified in his new york civil fraud trial and blew up on the witness stand arguing with the judge and attacking the new york attorney general. trump spent the entire day in court arguing and calling people names, so it's basic just another monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday, sunday, for him. >> that was, of course, jimmy fallon talking about donald trump's bombastic testimony monday in his high stakes civil fraud trial. it was tense, so tense, judge

engoron had to tell trump's lawyer to control your client. at times it seemed trump was bringing his campaign to the courtroom as he used his time to attack the judge and the new york attorney general who brought the case. the judge threatened to have trump used. cnn's kara scannell joins us now. to the best of your ability break down all four hours and what it means going forward. what did you see yesterday in the courtroom? >> it was remarkable seeing the former president on the stand defending his business reputation, and in typical trump fashion, he answered some questions directly, went on tangents but became most heated when he was asked if he was a fraud, and that is when he brought politics into the courtroom. donald trump publicly blasting a new york judge and the state's attorney general capping off a marathon day of testimony at the civil fraud trial centered around his sprawling global business empire. >> this is a case that should have never been brought. it's a case that should be

dismissed immediately. it's a fraud brought on behalf of the court. >> reporter: trump answered questions under oath for just under four hours, repeatedly sparring with judge arthur engoron on the stand, testifying he ruled against him and said i was a fraud before he knew anything about me. at one point leaning into the microphone and saying this is a very unfair trial, very very, and i hope the public is watching. the judge held firm, threatening to end his testimony, speaking directly to trump's attorney, chris kise. mr. kise, that was a simple yes-or-no question. we got a speech. control him if you can. if you can't, i will. do you understand that? >> the second they started to talking about his finances, his net worth, and they put, you know, put him into a corner, the only thing he knows how to do is to lash out, and that's exactly what he did. he knows he lost this matter already. it's just a matter of how much.

>> despite trump's combative and long winded speeches, he did admit to some crucial facts. he testified he did look over the financial statements and acknowledge some property values on them were incorrect, agreeing that his apartment at trump tower was over valued one year. others were under valued, including mar-a-lago. engoron cited a tax assessment valuing mar-a-lago at $18 million. trump responded it's much more valuable, i think between a billion and billion five. trump said the statements were not important and had worthless clauses, warning bankers not to rely on them. it was the responsibility of internal and external accountants to put together the statements, but he did acknowledge that the banks reviewed them. trump's attorney argues new york attorney general letitia james has no case. >> when we get a chance to speak, the truth is not pretty for them. it's honest, it's fair. they're a great company. it's not good for her politics,

and great for his, and that's the truth, the truth hurts. >> james responding to those claims directly. >> you continue to persistently engage in fraud. the numbers don't lie. i will not be bullied. i will not be harassed. >> there's no court today for election day. tomorrow, ivanka trump will be on the stand. once her testimony is completed, the new york attorney general will rest their case. trump's lawyer is expected to begin their defense on monday. their case could go into mid december. joining us now, former federal prosecutor chrkristy greenberg. you went, you thought it was important to be there. you heard a lot. we only get a transcript of it. what do you think trump did for this case yesterday? >> well, i mean, he did a lot of the standard, deny, deny, deny. he denied that there were any real major inaccuracies. he said some were high. some were low in valuations, but overall, you know, this is

really not inaccurate, if anything he was worth more than the net worth that was reflected on his statements, and he said, regardless, he denied that the statements really meant anything because he said the bankers and insurance companies didn't really rely on them, which isn't really what those disclaimers say at all. the disclaimers say the accountants didn't do a full audit. they didn't review everything and actually the responsibility is on the trump organization. the last thing that he did was really seek to blame the cfo, the controller, you know, really his outside accountants, anybody that didn't have the last name trump for any inaccuracies there were in the statements. >> when you listen, trump's lawyer said wait until you hear our side of this. his lawyers didn't cross examine the former president. i think there's some expectation they will cross examine ivanka trump when she testifies on wednesday. what is their side on this? >> a couple of things. in terms of trump's testimony,

he's a disrupter, we know that, but, you know, there's a difference between campaigning and actually testifying, and we have to remember there's no jury here, and so the narrative, switching to your question, is going to be interesting. what is that narrative? if you have a jury trial, poppy and phil, it's a witch hunt, everyone is out to get me. this is unfair. it's incredibly ridiculous. they mentioned in the campaign, the attorney general was going to get me, and here we are. that may connect with a jury. there's no jury to be had here. you're playing with a judge making a factual determination. what's the narrative you have here? if the narrative was, look, we run a company. it's a major company. we have properties everywhere, we do our best, and sometimes when you act in good faith, there are mistakes that are made. these are not mistakes that are fraudulent. perfection alludes us all. i don't think we're going to have that narrative. i think we'll have the narrative that we have been having that the judge has rejected. that is that, look, there is

subjectivity to an extent. there is subjectivity as it relates to branding and properties. is it 30,000 in terms of the square footage or 11,000. are the units rent controlled such that you're limited by charging them for rent controlled rent or is it fair market? there's a distinction. are the units constructed such that you can charge for them and build them in or are they not constructed? what is of interest to me is whether or not, what's the narrative going to be, the good faith narrative, is it we're subjec subjective, we did the best we can, i don't think he's disciplined enough. i don't think the president takes anybody's counsel. i think he really tells his lawyers what to do, and the reason i say that is because look at all of his lawyers that are in trouble, right? they're in trouble because they have decided to follow his direction as opposed to the client following your direction, and that's problematic. >> do you think there were some doors left open on appeal here that could be helpful for

trump's defense if he doesn't prevail in this case? >> look, they were laying the record for an appeal with a lot of defenses. these weren't material misstatements. nobody relied on the misstatements. again, i think, legally they're not on solid ground there. again, this idea of good faith, we acted in good faith. that will be something else that they raise on appeal. the problem is, as you said, a lot of these examples are egregious. this isn't a matter of, well, there's some wiggle room here. if anybody were to go in and seek a loan from their bank and say, well, my house or my apartment is three times the size of what it is, and 400% valued higher than what it is, like, that's fraud. that's not, oh, we got some of the accounting principles wrong. that's just plain fraud, and so i don't think he really is going to have much room to succeed on appeal. >> i will say, the bank sends, we all know this, someone to

your house for an appraisal so there is onus on the banks, too, which is one of the core arguments, no? >> the banks do their own due diligence, and that's true. however, at the end of the day, that doesn't absolve you from any liability for making knowingly false statements on the statements you're making to the bank. >> fair enough. thank you, kristy. israeli forces claim to have taken control of a hamas military stronghold in northern gaza. >> a man dies after palestinian and israeli demonstrations in california, and his death this morning ruled a homicide. those details ahead.

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. take a look, this is new video into cnn, showing explosions near the al jazeera offices in gaza city. this is during a live broadcast. watch. see the proximity there. this comes as the idf claims overnight it took control of a hamas military stronghold in northern gaza. >> today marks the one month

anniversary since hamas militants attacked israel, taking 240 hostages. since october 7th, 10,000 people have been killed in gaza. that's according to the hamas controlled ministry of health in ramallah, and the head of the u.n. warns gaza is becoming a graveyard for children. in a new interview, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu asked who should control gaza after the war is over. here's what he said? >> i think israel will for an indefinite period have the overall security responsibility because we've seen what happens when we don't have it. >> cnn's jim sciutto joins us live. what does indefinite mean in terms of time line? >> reporter: we don't know. i mean, that's one of the many unanswered questions, and it's not clear exactly how they would maintain security.

an israeli force on the ground inside gaza in numbers, for what length of time you've had other ideas floated. secretary blinken and others have at least floated the idea of an international presence over time. even that has not been defined by who would take part in what way and what length of time. that is one of the many unanswered questions right now, and the more immediate ones being things that folks inside this country and outside this country are currently negotiating the possibility of a pause, what is a pause, how long does it last. does it mean an end to all israeli military operations during the pause or just air vehicles? there's a clear difference on that, and there's also a difference on what is required before any pause. you've heard the israeli prime minister talk about the release of all hostages prior, and that's just not something that is seen as a realistic possibility in the near term. there have been discussions of releasing women and children, but all hostages, if that's what's necessary to deliver on

any sort of pause in military action that, again, it's another issue where there remains a very wide gap between the players here in israel and outside the country. >> it's a great point. i think that's what david mouir was trying to get into the interview with netanyahu last night. let's get to the part where david keeps asking about what about a cease fire or a pause. here it is. >> there will be no general cease fire in gaza without the release of our hostages. as far as tactical little pauses, an hour here, an hour there, we have had them before. we'll check the circumstances in order to enable the goods, humanitarian goods to come in or hostages, individual hostages to leave. but i don't think there's going to be a general cease fire. >> he said, jim, unless, you know, it's to let all of those hostages out. >> reporter: listen, there's just such a wide chasm right now, so it shows why progress has been so slow.

blinken came here this weekend. he came from israel, he went to oman, he went to turkey looking to get progress on at least some hostages being released and while there have been some hopeful comments in recent days and weeks, we just haven't seen that happen, except for the very small number we saw early on in this. and i'll tell you, poppy and phil as you noted coming into this. it's one month to the day since the october 7th attacks. the feeling inside this country is very different from what you might encounter outside this country. there was another memorial in downtown tel aviv, when i speak to israelis, while there is enormous criticism outside the country of the conduct of the military operations and the number of civilian casualties, and listen, there are certainly people who are sympathetic to that. they felt deeply attacked on october 7th which requires from their perspective military operations that we haven't seen before, and one more measure because i spent a good deal of

the last couple of weeks on the northern border, after military action is finished in gaza, you have many israeli soldiers, members of the public, officials who say, well, the next step is going to be military action in southern lebanon against hezbollah, so one month out from the october 7th attacks, you have a great deal of resolve here about what's necessary to make israel safe, and a great difference between what is acceptable inside this country, and outside this country, even with some of israel's close allies. that shows the difficulty of progress going forward. >> it's a great point, jim, because prior to a month ago, this was a nation divided politically, and now look how united they are on this. thank you, jim, for the reporting from tel aviv. the rnc revealed the five presidential candidates who will take the debate stage in miami, who qualified, who missed the cut and who won't be there -- it's donald trump. >> minutes from now, polls open in ohio where abortion access is

on the ballot. more of our election day coverarage ahead.

. we've had a really good two years, but i think we can have a fantastic next two years if we can hold the house, flip the senate. come out today, please vote, and send me folks to work with me, not against me. >> that was virginia's governor urging state residents to come out and vote for republican candidates. the whole legislature is up for election today. also voters in kentucky, ohio and mississippi headed to the polls. very big races, big initiatives throughout the country. joining us now, cnn chief national affairs analyst, kasie hunt. back with us, john avlon. particularly in the 24 hours of sheer panic and doom in the democratic party after, i guess it was 46 hours, after "the new york times" polling which was by all accounts not great for the current president, you look at the map today, and you look at

the races that are up, the initiatives that are up, and you say this could be a day that when it's over, people might exhale a little bit. what do you think is going to happen there? >> i don't know if anything will stop democrats from fretting, as you know, phil, because there's always going to be a lot of hand wringing behind the scenes. this is going to be a key test for democrats of whether abortion still carries the potency it has in the last couple of election cycles. are voters focused on it. are they afraid of losing rights they have historically had when roe v. wade still stood. is it still the motivating factor? i was looking at comments that abigail spanberger, a democrat from a swing district, richmond suburbs, in an area where you get a lot of swing voters. she has been making the argument that voters are tired of being afraid, and this plays into democrats who spent a lot of years being afraid of trump, now being afraid of abortion rights issues. she was trying to raise a flag.

maybe they're tired of this. maybe this isn't going to work. i think this is going to be a key test for them, though. >> there's certainly a lot of fear and loathing around politics. i think you make a really important point. for all the bad news in the poll and the fretting around election day, which is normal, democrats have been on a good streak. you look at special elections. you look at attempts in the wake of dobbs to restrict abortion rights in red states and the pro choice forces have been winning, pushing back on that. today's map, a lot of races are in red states, states trump won handily, not just ohio, but kentucky, mississippi, of course virginia being a swing state trending democrat. we will see, to your point, there's a democrat incumbent in kentucky. if democrats hold on to that, there could be a very different feeling if things swing back the other way, you can over index this. the key point is it's game day, election day, and proving time. democrats, whether they're in

despair or feeling a little bit of hope will turn out a lot of close races. >> tomorrow is debate night. you've got five republican candidates who are going to be on the stage. i wonder how much of this will be about i'm the one who can beat biden, even though trump is far and away polling that he can do the best, given what some democrats are saying about biden like what tim ryan just told you about the president, quote, it would be the right thing to do for the president not to run? >> yeah, i mean, tim ryan, democrat in ohio who, you know, sees how and feels how the midwest is feeling, and that's likely where the presidential election is going to be won or lost, with tough words for the white house when i interviewed him. look, the debate stage, the test all the way along was can anybody rise to the point where they are a serious threat to donald trump and the republican nominating contest, and so far the answer has been a resounding no.

this is obviously going to be a key night for nikki haley, people are going to be watching her. she and ron desantis are going after each other. desantis has been the number one, number two, i guess, is how you would put it until basically now and she's giving him a run for his money. but, you know, i got to say, guys, to tie the two stories we're talking about together. glenn youngkin who you just showed talking there, i think the conversation on wednesday has just as much of a chance to be about him as it does about the republicans on the debate stage. again, this fundamental reality, none of the people that are taking the stage tonight have so far shown that they can realistically challenge donald trump for the nomination, and there is an enormous appetite among donors in the republican party. there's a significant chunk of them who want someone else, anyone else, because they don't think trump can beat biden. he's got four criminal trials. all the things we know about donald trump, right, and if virginia elects republicans to the legislature, and they sweep,

just look for that. people are going to be talking about glenn youngkin as much as nikki haley, ron desantis. >> she's right, if republicans get unified control in virginia, that will be an index for '24, and that will be a new boast of the boosterism. that said, there are still folks on the debate stage, and if the argument is electability, ron desantis picking up a key endorsement from iowa governor kim reynolds, but iowa republicans saying they want someone who can beat biden. one thing all the polls show, including "the new york times" poll, if you want electability, nikki haley beats everybody head and shoulders. that's consistent across every poll. do you want to lean to electability, look for that. >> i understand you're keeping the faith, in our long running bet that another republican will rise, and perhaps the number one, number two that has changed

from the number three to the number two. >> yes, number one, number two, worst t-shirt ever. i just like elections when people vote. >> i understand. and that's why today is a very big day and matters. john avlon, kasie hunt, we appreciate you, thank you. the supreme court set to hear arguments in a key second amendment case today. that decision could impact every gun law in this country. we'll explain. >> and voters in ohio are heading to the polls where abortion access and recreational marijuana are on the ballot. more of our election coverage, that's ahead. stay with us.

we are following a ton of news this morning. it's election day with key races in ohio, mississippi, kentucky and virginia, and king charles, as you can see to your right, is also giving his first speech to parliament, and we're watching smoke continue to rise over gaza. we're keeping an eye on all of it. stay with us. all eyes on the supreme court nrds this morning, the jus

about to hear oral arguments about gun rights, involving a texas man, challenging his conviction under a federal law that right now bars people who are subject to domestic violence restraining orders from possessing guns. rahimi is currently in jail on separate charges from those in the supreme court case. cnn returned a letter, in which rahimi wrote asking for a lighter sentence, and wrote, quote, i will make sure to stay away from firearms and weapons. let's bring in our senior supreme court analyst. it was an issue, domestic in a parking lot, he took out a gun, fired a shot. the real question is whether the court is going to clarify where we are on the second amendment, and if there are any limits now to gun ownership and the second amendment. >> that's right, poppy, the most important part about the case that will be heard today is it's going to revisit the 2022 case in which the justices greatly

expanded second amendment gun rights by saying that when lower courts look at whether gun regulation is constitutional, they have to go back to the 1790s and see if there was a historic analog. and in this case, when lower federal court looked at the prohibition on gun possession for anyone who's subject to a domestic violence restraining order, it said there's no comparison back in the 18th century, and said our ancestors would consider this an outlier, and, you know, that really has shaken governments and all sorts of lower court judges who wonder how to interpret the 2022 case without just wiping many gun regulations off the books. >> her argument is before, during and after the founding

area, the government was allowed to disarm individuals who are dangerous. >> that's exactly right. what she's saying, and what the supreme court did leave the door open to, it depends how it's going to clarify things here, poppy, you don't need an exact match. when the court write the decision in 2022 it didn't say it had to be a twin. what the solicitor general is saying is look at cases, situations in which the government prohibited anyone who was deemed dangerous or who was not law-abiding, who was not a responsible citizen from owning a firearm back in that era. one last thing, as you know, society did not recognize domestic violence as a problem back then. so it's virtually impossible to find the kind of match that the lower court was looking for. >> there were a lot of things

that didn't exist back then, like ar-15s, and i could go on and on and on. joan will watch the court closely today. thank you for the reporting as always. >> thank you. governor races in kentucky and mississippi. the issues that could sway voters and what it could mean for the 2024 presidential race. plus, it has been one month since hamas's terror attack, and their kidnapping of some 240 people from israel. cnn has been following the story of a father who just learned his 8-year-old daughter who he thought had been killed may actually be a hostage. >> it's her birthday. there will be no birthday cake, no party, no friends. she'll just be petrified in a tunnel under gaza, and that's her birthdayay.

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. it's a heart wrenching story cnn has been following, the father of an 8-year-old girl said he was relieved when he was told his daughter was killed because he believed being held hostage would be a worse fate than death. israeli officials tell him his daughter was most likely kidnapped and is still alive in gaza. ed lavandera joins us. my heart sank when i saw this update. what are you hearing from the father right now? >> reporter: well, thomas hand says that family and friends can only console him with a hug and the words, there are no words. but thomas hand found the words when he spoke with us. >> from the morning of the 7th

until now is a nightmare roller coaster, tragedy. >> the anguished thomas hand has left him trembling for weeks, the journey of death and a hope of resurrection, he says is impossible to imagine. >> on the day it was russian roulette whether you made it or not. >> reporter: on october 7th hamas fighters stormed the kibbutz be'eri. his 8-year-old daughter emily was sleeping at a friend's house. thomas could not reach her as hamas fighters took over the kibbutz. days after the attack, the irish-born father spoke with cnn's clarissa ward about the moment he was told his daughter had been killed. >> thomas waited two agonizing days before getting the news. >> they just said we found

emily. she's dead. and i went, yes. i went, yes. and smiled. because that is the best news of the possibilities that i knew she'd be in a darkroom filled with christ knows how many people, and terrified every minute, hour, day, and possible years to come. so death was a blessing. an absolute blessing. >> thomas says leaders of the be'eri's kibbutz told him the body was seen in the aftermath. a month after the massacre, thomas was given the news that almost made him collapse. the israeli army told him it's highly probable that emily is alive and a hamas hostage. >> how were you told the news that emily might be alive?

>> that was official from the army. with all the information that they have, the intelligence that they have, it's very likely that she's been taken to gaza. >> thomas says her body is not with the remains of the victims, and there's no blood inside the home where she slept the night before. >> when you spoke with clarissa ward a few weeks ago, you said death would be a blessing in this situation. >> that's how i felt at the time, yeah. >> reporter: how do you describe where you are now? >> extremely worried about her, obviously. what conditions she's been held in. she's, you know, more than likely in a tunnel somewhere under gaza. your imagination is horrible. and it's her birthday on the

17th of this month. she'll be 9. she won't even know what day it is. she won't know it's her birthday. there will be no birthday cake, no party, no friends. just be petrified in a tunnel under gaza. that's her birthday. >> reporter: thomas is now flooded with the hope and the despair of what his daughter might be enduring. he prays she can somehow hear these words to her. >> if emily is watching, just to let her know that we love her, all of us. we're all waiting for her to come back safely. >> reporter: the survivors of the kibbutz are temporarily living in a hotel. in the lobby, there's a vigil to all the kidnapped hostages. now emily's family says the young girl's photo will be

placed next to the others. >> reporter: you described as being a hostage as worse than death. >> i believe so. the unknown is awful. the waiting is awful. but that's what we got to do now. pray and hope that she comes back in some broken state, but we can fix her. we'll fix her somehow. >> reporter: do you allow yourself now to think about holding emily again? >> in my head, i can see, you know, like a beach scene, her running to me, and me running to her, just picking her up, never letting her go. >> reporter: remarkably thomas hand says he feels no anger about this roller coaster of emotions he's been on. he believes the leaders of the

kibbutz were doing their best in the harrowing early days of the attack. he harbors no ill will. he's not angry. his focus is solely on getting his daughter back. he is grateful for the outpouring of love and support he's getting from countless people here in this country and around the love. >> ed lavandera, not the update we wanted but hopes and prayers for sure. thank you very much. wow. and "cnn this morning" continues right now. what happens on election day could say much about how voters will see key issues next year. >> abortion and guns, those are two big things, i don't believe they're going in the way that i believe in. >> i have never been this torn . this whole political atmosphere that we have right now. >> under oath, and off the rails, the judge said to trump's attorney, if you can't rein him in, i will. adding this is not a political