wrongfully detained americans, paul whelan and evan gershkovich. a "wall street journal" reporter arrested on espionage charges which he vehemently denies. he has been held in a russian prison now for more than 250 days awaiting trial. paul whelan was arrested in december of 2018, also on espionage charges that he denies. cnn's jennifer hassler spoke exclusively with paul whelan on the phone from a russian prison where he's currently serving a 16-year sentence. listen to this. >> i never thought it would come to this. i really thought that the u.s. government would have this worked out years ago. i don't know if the policy has failed in this case, but i can tell you that it's going awfully slow, and it's disappointing that there have been few periods that went ahead without me. i think the u.s. government should have said, no, we're not going to do trades unless paul is included and made sure all of us got home, not just two.

>> let's hope they're both home soon. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. "outfront" next, house-to-house combat, the fighting in gaza's second largest city ramping up tonight and civilian casualties are mounting. and president biden revealing he wouldn't be running for reelection, except for one thing, this as voters open up about why they are giving desantis another look at trump. and george santos's second act, making new cameos, the price has gone up. that's the old supply, demand, and people are paying up. let's go "outfront." and good evening, i'm erin burnett. out front tonight, surrounded. israel says its forces have encircled gaza's second largest city. there's fierce fighting inside khan younis.

that's where the civilian population has ballooned, as people are told to go from northern gaza south towards khan younis, and now reports of house-to-house battles, according to an israeli km commander, quote, we are in the most intense day-to-day since the beginning of the ground operations in terms of terrorists killed, the number of fire fights in the land and air, and this ground operation posing a serious threat to displaced palestinian civilians, as i said, so many had come from further north here, many of them now lining the narrow streets after being forced from their homes. and just north of khan younis, new video appears to show artillery fire near two red crescent ambulances. again, appears, but you can see this playing out on your screen right now. and earlier, i spoke to a spokesperson for the red cross who is in gaza. spoken to him many times over these past couple of months. i asked him today what he's actually experiencing in these

past hours that the idf says are the most intense. here's what he said. >> it's chaotic, it's panic, it's constant fear, and it's this self-entrapment that is prevailing now. >> chaos, entrapment, and he's choosing to be there. choosing to be there to continue with his job. his wife has left. he has not met his newborn son. israel claims it's trying to ease all of those fears by dropping leaflets like what you're looking at on the screen with the qr code that directs people where to go to the safe areas. i asked mana if it's working and he had seen the leaflets, and he said, yes, he absolutely has seen them, and the reality is that they are not working because there's no 3g or 4g cell service as he has seen. there's barely 2g, which means it's impossible to actually scan the qr code in those cases, and even if people can open the link to the idf evacuation map, the map doesn't show a person, where

they are on the map, how to get anywhere near the evacuation area, just literally shows this. of course this puts more lives at risk, and i asked a spokesperson for the idf about a report that two civilians have been killed for every hamas militant. the idf later tried to clarify saying it's likely less than two civilians for every hamas militant. they didn't elaborate on the details here, though, but i asked about this report and what level of civilian suffering he is seeing right now. >> we still have two of our own staff members who were killed in air strikes with members of their families weeks ago, and they have not yet been found, buried. so i would not be so sure about this equation 2-1. this is not acceptable by all means when we address and respect the rules of war.

>> a war that the united states now says may end in a few weeks time. officials telling cnn that the gaza ground operation could end by january and that is where alex marquardt, our coverage tonight outside tel aviv. the fight inside khan younis, the second biggest city in gaza, escalating tonight, fierce, house-to-house battles. so many civilians fled there. what more are you learning? >> well, erin, israel's top general says that the country has now entered the third phase of this conflict. israel's military trying to secure the gains that they have made in the north before moving on to the south. prime minister netanyahu was also very blunt in comments that he made. he said that tonight the ground shook in khan younis and jabalya. khan younis, the biggest city in the south. jabalya, a refugee camp that israel says has been a holdout for hamas.

meanwhile, we are hearing pointed criticism from the biden administration, from the state department, a spokesperson for the state department saying they do not believe that israel is doing enough to help get aid into gaza, aid like fuel, food and water. so desperately needed as people are fleeing even farther south. israeli strikes tonight in southern gaza as israel expands its campaign. new satellite images show dozens of israel's armored vehicles near the main road heading to southern gaza's biggest city, khan younis. israel's top general said tuesday that the military's operating, quote, in the heart of khan younis where hamas's top leadership has dug in. according to a journalist who filmed this video. idf troops moving south fired on civilians and journalists. air strikes have been seen near the city. chaos as the wounded are rushed to the hospital, and the dead are counted. amid the renewed fighting,

hospitals continue to overflow. we are facing a huge problem this dr. in khan younis says. god forbid if we get more patients, there's no space for them at all. many in khan younis have gone there from northern gaza after israel told more than 1 million people to evacuate. now they're being told to move again, to so-called safe zones, though humanitarian officials and civilians say nowhere is safe. >> and we need the war to stop, cease fire. i wish because nobody would win in this war. >> a senior u.n. official says the civilian death toll is rapidly increasing. overall, according to the hamas controlled ministry of health, almost 16,000 people in gaza have been killed since october 7th. in an interview with "outfront," an idf spokesperson conceded that the majority of deaths could be civilians saying that if two palestinian civilians are killed for every hamas militant,

that ratio would be, quote, tremendously positive. >> if you compare that ratio to any other conflict in urban terrain, between a military and a terrorist organization using civilians as their human shields and embedded in the civilian population, you will find that that ratio is tremendous, tremendously positive and perhaps unique in the world. >> spokesperson said he should have chosen his words more carefully. amid the onslaught in gaza, hamas claimed a barrage of rockets fired at tel aviv. the large black smoke of an impact was seen north of the city, and shrapnel plunged to the ground, here, narrowly missing two people walking on the sidewalk. and, erin, a major question is how much longer can these israeli military operations last

at the scale and level we're seeing now around khan younis. officials tell my colleagues and me that they do expect high intensity operations will continue for several more weeks before there's a transition to what they call low intensity operations. those more low intensity, more tactical operations could happen on a very localized scale, for example, going after specific hamas commanders. what that means for the time frame is we could see high intensity operations lasting through the end of the calendar year before that transition happens in january, but that sort of more and low intensity phase, erin, could last for quite some time. there has been private pressure from the united states on israel to scale back their military operations, the u.s. is also telling that they cannot replicate in the south what they did in the north, and frankly, telling israel that they are quickly losing international support. now, in terms of what israel's response was to this message, a senior administration official

tells my colleague, mj lee, they wouldn't call it receptive, erin. >> all right. thank you very much, alex marquardt, i want to go to barak ravid now, our global and political affairs analyst. you just heard alex say that the u.s. expects the ground war to end by january, and he's also talking about the pressure that they have been putting on israel and that the response as mj lee was reporting was not receptive from the israeli side. what are you learning? >> hi, erin, i think that what i heard from several u.s. officials in recently days was that, again, they would want to see this high intensity phase end as soon as possible, but they admit at the same time that they do not see joe biden telling the israelis that they need to stop now immediately or call for a cease fire anytime soon. so i think what is left for the biden administration to do, if

that's the case, is to basically try and influence what israel is doing on the ground and actually, they managed to do some things quite successfully. >> all right. so your focus tonight, i know, very specifically on something that didn't get a lot of attention, and it's important for people watching to understand. an announcement from the biden administration that you believe says a lot about where the u.s. stands on israel right now, a very powerful message, and one that we haven't seen maybe forever, if not in decades. what is it? >> well, erin, one of the things that happened today, and not a lot of people noticed, is that the biden administration imposed sanctions today on israeli settlers in the west bank. and this is sanctions that were focused on israeli settlers who were involved or are involved in attacks against palestinian civilians in the west bank. the sanctions are mostly travel

bans against those people, at first stage, this is several dozen people, so while this might be or might sound small, this is the first time any u.s. administration is doing this since the mid-'90s when the clinton administration did a similar thing. when you have an israeli government, that parts of it are basically the political wing of those people who attack palestinians in the west bank, that's quite significant message by the biden administration. >> and crucial that you raise it, because as you point out, it seems small. many wouldn't notice it. sometimes it is the small things that matter so much. in khan younis right now, where you have had so many palestinian civilians, right, initially flee, and now the israeli military said they encircled khan younis, a known base for the military wing of hamas, the hometown of the hamas leader, yahya sinwar, who is known to be the master mind of october 7th, does israel believe that sinwar

is actually there now, that he's still there? >> everything i hear from israeli officials in recently weeks is they believe botha ya sin -- both yahya sinwar, and the second master mind of the october 7th attacks, both of them and several other officials are in khan younis, basically since the beginning of the war, and this is the aim of this operation. if there's one thing israel wants to achieve during this operation in khan younis is to capture sinwar, and mohammed, dead or alive. and israel wants to do it not only because they are the master finds of october 7th but because they believe that once they take them out, it will be much easier to destroy hamas. >> all right. barak, thank you very much. as always, appreciate your incredible reporting. "outfront" now, the democratic

congressman, seth moulton, a veteran who served in iraq. so i appreciate your time congressman. so the u.s. expects, and you heard kind of the context around this from both barak and alex, they expect this heavy ground operation to end in january. there's a lot of desire from the u.s. for that to happen. have you been briefed at all about the time line? >> not specifically. i mean, let's be clear. we want israel to succeed in eradicating hamas. neither palestinians nor israelis can be safe and secure if hamas still exists, but our concern is that israel's tactics right now risks not just failing to eradicate hamas, but actually strengthening its base of support, and this is a fundamental principle of counter insurgency that you can not create more terrorists than you kill. and that's what israel risks doing when they have such high civilian casualty numbers.

>> all right. and to that front, i spoke last night with the idf spokesperson, lieutenant colonel and i asked about the ap reporting that israel has killed two civilians for every hamas fighter. and he said if that ratio is confirmed, and the way he laid it out last night, and he seemed to think it would be, but he characterized that ratio as tremendously positive, two civilians dead for every hamas militant. do you agree that that is a tremendously positive ratio? >> no, i think it's dead wrong. i think it's dead wrong based on our experience. look, we looked at this very carefully when we recognized in iraq and afghanistan that we were not in a traditional force on force battle, we were fighting a insurgency. and he determined for every one civilian you kill it serves to recruit about ten terroists. i mean, by that number, israel so far has killed about 5,000

hamas terrorists, but in the process, they've recruited about 100,000 new adherents, and this is really bad news for israel. it's bad news just in terms of their potential for military success here, which we do want them to achieve. you know, we're talking about 10,000 negligent civilians so far are killed right now, and that just, i mean, that's a bad situation in a place that actually when the war began, there was a poll just before october 7th that showed that 6 out of 10 residents of the gaza strip did not support hamas. israel was actually going eintoa favorable situation where most of the palestinians were against hamas as well. and the concern is that they have actually turned most of the palestinians against israel. >> that would be unbelievable. thank you very much, congressman. i appreciate your time. and next a shouting match in the senate. there was a briefing about u.s. aid to ukraine, which is hanging by a thread as i speak, and then

the ukrainian president zelenskyy mysteriously cancels briefing congress at the very last minute, suddenly didn't happen, even though it was drafted and ready to go, we understand. live tonight "outfront" in ukraine and on capitol hill. and our voters out front series, you'll hear from iowa voters who once were solidly for trump with a huge lead, now taking a look at the other candidates. >> i like what nikki haley is doing. i like desantis too. >> and tonight, kim jong un, breaking down in tears, you'll see, and we'll tell you why.

. new tonight, a shouting match in the senate as american support for ukraine is hanging by a thread. it was a classified briefing on ukraine, and it just completely went off the rails. senators started shouting at each other, shouting about border security. republicans are demanding aid to ukraine be tied to border security on the southern border. as the shouting match goes down, president zelenskyy of ukraine, who was scheduled to make an appeal, had everything prepared, mysteriously cancels due to a quote last minute matter. no further explanation was given. we're covering the story from washington and ukraine tonight,

so let's begin first with manu out front on capitol hill. you have the shouting match over this aid. it completely devolves, we understand people are yelling and screaming, and zelenskyy cancels his appearance all of a sudden. i'm not saying those two things don't appear to be related. this is what happened. a lot of intrigue, ahead of what is a crucial vote tomorrow. >> reporter: yeah, look, this briefing was meant to convince senators that it was time to move on aid to ukraine or risk seeing russia take over ukraine, seeing ukraine collapse, if u.s. aid does not continue, but the debate over immigration and tightening border security really has been taking front and center this whole fight, publicly. also took place privately. republicans say there need to be changes, tighter restrictions on border policies at the southern border before they agree to moving forward on aid to ukraine, as well as aid to israel. that's why things broke down

behind closed doors, as chuck schumer said it was mitch mcconnell who initially hi jacked the briefing when he kicked it over to a republican senator who laid out their border concerns. >> it was immediately hijacked by leader mcconnell. one of them was disrespectful and started screaming at one of the generals, and challenging him why he didn't go to the board. >> we've got to have the democrats recognize that the trade here, the deal is we stop the open border. they don't want to do that. so republicans are just walking out of the briefing because the people there are not willing to actually discuss what it takes to get a deal done. >> reporter: and tomorrow, senate democrats are teeing up a key procedural vote to try to move ahead on a package, but since there's no deal on border security, republicans expected to block it, which means israel and ukraine aid continues to hang in the balance at this critical time. >> and of course the pentagon warning today that without more

funding allocated, they could have to really stop providing ukraine what it needs. thank you very much, manu, and is this crucial aid to ukraine as hangs in the balance at this hour, the head of in eastern ukraine, where some of the fiercest fighting is happening, says russian forces have opened up two new fronts in their ongoing assault in the town that has become the epicenter of the battle in the east, and a quorum is "outfront." >> reporter: at a warehouse stocked with humanitarian aid, 23-year-old police officer dmytro solavi picks up supplies. food, water, hygiene products and a generator are on the list. he's part of the white angels unit, and they're heading to his hometown in the donetsk region on the eastern front where one of the most fierce and bloody battles is being waged in the war in ukraine. i was born in this town, he tells me. my neighbors are there. my relatives, my friends. it's my duty to help them.

we are their hope. but getting to abdivka is a death trap. shortly after leaving us with his go pro rolling, he spots russian shelling. look, the bomb has hand, report incoming of an ugly bastard, and there's another one, he tells his colleague. russian artillery, mortars and drones target the road, and yesterday dmytro remains calm. this perilous journey has become routine despite multiple close calls. driving past the sign that proudly states avdiivka is ukraine. now deserted, devoid of the living. almost every single building has been shelled. surprisingly, some people still live here, including d dr. vitally, head of the local hospital. diagnosed with terminal cancer, he's decided he's not going

anywhere. we have a job and we do it, he complains. he called the white angels to evacuate a man who had just been injured from shrapnel. as they load him into the van, the idle chatter is interrupted. incoming, it's a mortar, explains the doctor. sometimes it rustles and then bang, that would be a tank. as the explosions get louder, it's time to go. this is the road, there is one way in, one way out. we are not allowed to travel to the town, which is 17 kilometers away. the military has banned all media, saying it's just too dangerous. but for the white an shgels, th travel on this road multiple times a week, risking their lives to support the less than

1,300 people still living in the town. as the white angels begin the dangerous drive out, dmytro reflects. it's very sad what's happening to my town, but one day we'll rebuild, and i will live there with my grandchildren. we just need to believe. a belief that keeps this community among the ruins alive. erin, this war is approaching the end of its second year, and u.s. aid is absolutely critical. it cannot be underestimated, and yet people here in ukraine know that that's under threat. if it dries up, it will be absolutely devastating. president zelenskyy, as you mentioned, was supposed to hold a last ditch appeal with the house and the senate. that was cancelled at the very last minute, which seemed very strange considering what is at stake. we contacted the president's office and got no response. what we can tell you, erin, is

we spent time with soldiers on the eastern front, fighting that battle. they say this is difficult. sacrifices are being made. blood and treasure is being spent, but they are willing to fight. they skjust need the weapons. >> thank you very much. and of course president zelenskyy cancelling that speech, hugely significant, and as i said, we just simply don't know the reason for it. but it is very unexpected move to say the least. thank you so much. next, president biden making a stunning admission. he says if it weren't for one thing, he wouldn't be running for president this time around. will he regret those words? plus disgraced former congressman george santos is now charging even more and successfully charging more for videos like this. >>. ♪ i know you were trouble when you walked in ♪ that's me, bye. >> and people are paying.

tonight, president biden saying this, and this is the first time that he has said this publicly, quote, if trump wasn't running, i'm not sure i'd be running, but we cannot let him win. it comes as trump is making his second visit to iowa in less than a week. here he is in davenport, iowa, and the real question here is whether the voters are still with him. are they giving the other candidates a second look ahead of voting which begins now in just weeks. jeff zeleny reports from iowa, in our series "outfront." >> sally hoffman has been

thinking and praying about the republican presidential race. >> i pray for the direction this country is going, and i pray for the candidates. >> as candidates have descended on iowa, hoffman has watched with an open mind. when we first met earlier this year, she had high praise for donald trump and curiosity for two of his rivals. >> i like what trump has done. to me, it's huge to have three u.s. supreme court justices during his term, and that, i'm a big pro life proponent. i like what nikki haley is doing, desantis, too. kind of in that range. >> reporter: as republican hopefuls scramble for support, six weeks before the iowa caucuses in the 2024 campaign, huffman is among those looking for a fresh start. >> i'm thankful for what trump did while he was in office. but i've been a little bit disappointed in trump lately. i'm just veering away from him, and leaning towards desantis. he seems like a man, who when he

believes something, he'll stand by it. that's what i appreciate about him. >> reporter: as fall turns to winter in iowa, it's a season of choosing. >> are you iowa or illinois residents? >> iowa. >> perfect, have you filled out one of our commit to caucus cards? >> a critical moment for ron desantis and nikki haley to show that the republican primary is still a contest, not a coronation. >> i'm very impressed with nikki haley, and i just hope she gets the nomination. >> roger dvorak voted for trump, but believes his criminal cases are adistraction. >> whether he's guilty or not, we'll have to wait and see, i just don't think he can be effect effective as leader of the country. >> reporter: there's no doubt trump remains a driving force for the campaign. he's in iowa again tonight, the second time in four days, to try and maintain his dominance. yet exhaustion with the former

president once whispered easily comes alive in conversations with republicans like karen hannah who also voted for trump and is weighing an alternative. >> what is it that gives you pause about president trump? >> i think all that's going on and i think ron desantis is a little bit more solid and less drama. and just all the things that trump's going through the courts, so unsure about that. but, no, i like rion desantis, what he stands for. >> how many iowans are inclined to go against the grain of the trump gop as they make their final decisions. >> i'm looking at nikki haley, and of course desantis, and vivek and trump if -- >> reporter: her laughter underscores the impressions of other republicans, a reluctance to be with trump now but a

pledge to be with him in the end. >> if he's the nominee, i'll vote for him. >> reporter: that sentiment resonates on the cedar farm, where sally says she will support trump if he's the party's choice, and he's not her choice, and hopes iowa can spark a new direction for the country. >> i think it's more of a wide open race. it won't surprise me if trump gets it. it won't surprise me if he isn't the nominee. i'm hoping that desantis might be the one. but i think it's more wide open. >> reporter: so the former president is in iowa tonight and he just responded to those comments that president biden made earlier this evening saying he wouldn't be running if trump wasn't in the race. trump, we are told, said i doubt that. they don't want me to be running. but, erin, the interesting thing is trump still in iowa, he really is trying to hold on to his lead there, but there are many voters who have many open

minds and our days of conversations there, but they are turning their attention here to alabama. and that is where the republican presidential debate is tomorrow night. all of trump's rivals coming here, of course, to voters in iowa, new hampshire, other early voting states, watching this debate very carefully, erin. >> and he's not there, thank you very much, jeff zeleny. harry enten is here to go beyond the numbers. trump right now in terms of the polls, a 20 point lead, gigantic. >> huge. >> as some might say, without an h, over the florida governor ron desantis, over south carolina governor nikki haley, you know both of whom have had momentum. they are the closest for second in iowa. how many candidates have come back from that sort of a deficit to actually succeed? >> only two at this point since 1980, george h.w. bush in 1988.

t so at this particular point, there's a chance that either desantis or haley could come back but it's a long shot based on history. >> and of course there is this whole thing that right now, the thing that might cause that to happen is something we don't know, right. >> unknown, unknown. >> it's the black swan, a black swan event. so how important is winning iowa? >> yeah, i mean, look, on the republican side, there have only been two nominees who actually won iowa. bob dole in '96. george w. bush in 2000. on the democratic side, a slew, most rencently, hillary clinton in 2016. it's more predictive on the democratic side than the republican side. we're looking at a republican caucus in this particular case. >> if desantis comes from behind and wins, and obviously if the polls don't change dramatically, that would also cause a real shaking of confidence in what some of the predictive numbers are in states that are further out. >> sure. >> but how much of an up hill climb would he have in some of

those earlier states where frankly he has struggled. >> he has definitely struggled in new hampshire, 4th place. behind nikki haley in both states. behind creasehris christie in t state of iowa. looking at the data, if nikki haley outperforms in iowa, she's in much better position to challenge trump for the ultimate position. >> harry, thank you very much. and next, taking on ted cruz, i'm going to speak to a reporter who just confronted the republican senator because of comments like this. >> i condemn nothing that the israeli government is doing. plus, george santos getting so many requests for personalized videos that he is jacking up the price, and guess what, people are paying it.

tonight, ted cruz called out, the republican senator coming under fire over his unequivocal support of israel's actions in its war against hamas. here's part of his exchange with journalist ryan grimm. >> members of the squad have

tweeted out from the river to the sea, but the answer, i'd allow them to say it but i wouldn't sit there quietly, i would point out that you are calling for once again the extermination of millions of jews. >> the platform it says from the river to the sea there would only be israeli sovereignty. are they suggesting genocide of all palestinians. >> of course not. >> exactly. if they're not why is the other suggesting genocide? >> because that's what hamas supports. >> we've had defense minister gallant, we will eliminate everything, an idf spokesperson, our focus is on damage, not on precision. former knesset member, there's one solution, to completely destroy gaza before invading, it i mean destruction like dresden and hiroshima, would you join us in condemning that as well. >> i condemn nothing the israeli government is doing. i stand with the people of

israel. >> ryan grim is out front, the washington bureau chief for the intercept, and the author of the quad, aoc and a hope for a political revolution, a new book out today. i want to ask you about something crucial you say in there, but first, that interview with senator cruz, and i hope people watch the whole thing. it's really a fascinating exchange. at the end, you heard his une equivalent -- unequivocal support, he refused to condemn any acts of israel. talk to me about that moment. what did that say to you what you were having that exchange with him? >> i thought at least he would condemn some of the things that the israel government would condemn. the minister who floated the idea of nuking gaza, was roundly like rebuked by other members of the netanyahu cabinet, so it was striking to me that cruz

couldn't even go as far as members of the very far right netanyahu cabinet, and i was just trying to, in that interview, find some common moral plane because, you know, anytime you have anybody on who's remotely critical of israel, the interview starts with, you know, will you condemn what hamas did on october 7. today is december 5th. we're still having news cycles organized around that question from two months ago. it follows that let's also get on the same moral level and condemn the kind of collective punishment of palestinians as well. and then we can talk about a way forward, but he wouldn't go there, and that was kind of, once he didn't, you're like, okay, well, if you condemn nothing, there's nothing i can tell you that's going to move you. >> i hope everyone will watch it. it was a fascinating exchange. part of the issue with october 7th, there has been a hesitancy among some unwillingness to condemn what happened on that

day. and it's interesting, just a short time ago, i don't know if you saw it, ryan, but the democratic congresswoman, pramila jayapal put out a statement, and it says in part, quote, let me be completely clear that i unequivocally condemn hamas's use of rape and sexual violence as an act of war. this is horrific, we must stand with our sisters, families, and survivors of rape and sexual assault everywhere to condemn this violence and hold perpetrators accountable. ryan, the reason she's making the statement as you know is because she faced criticism for these remarks on sunday, and it harkens back to october 7th to to dana bash. >> i have condemned what hamas has done. >> specifically against women? >> absolutely, the rape, of course, but i think we have to remember that israel is a democracy, that is why they are a strong ally of ours, and if they do not comply with international humanitarian law, they are bringing themselves to

a place that makes it much more difficult strategically for them to be able to build the kinds of allies, to keep public opinion with them, and frankly, morally, i think we cannot say that one war crime deserves another. that is not what international humanitarian law says. >> okay. with respect, i was just asking about the women and you turned it back to israel. i'm asking you about hamas, in fact -- >> i already answered your question, dana. i said it's horrific, and i think that rape is horrific, sexual assault is horrific. i think that it happens in war situations. terrorist organizations like hamas obviously are using these as tools. however, i think we have to be balanced about bringing in the outrages against palestinians. >> so then, subsequent to that, she had come under a lot of criticism. she has now put out that statement. i'm wondering, that statement she has put out may indicate

she's under pressure and may put her at odds with progressive medical examiner. you say 2024 could be a do or die moment for their political futures, and you know, when you talk about the squad and jamal bowman, and aoc, rashida tlaib, cori bush, why is this such a crucial moment? >> well, i think this will be one of the key moments that we look back on, you know, years from now, and say, remember when representative pramila jayapal, the chair of the congressional progressive caucus was made to put out multiple statements reaffirming the fact that she condemns sexual violence? i think that will be a window into how warped this has gotten. like i said, december 5th. we're talking about october 7th, and what has happened between october 7th and december 5th is, i think, what history is really going to remember from this time, and will look at moments like this as ways that it was rationalized and allowed to

continue. i don't actually think she's going to face any criticism from the squad. there's nobody in the squad, you know, or i hope anywhere in the world who wouldn't also just unequivocally condemn sexual violence by anybody at any time. >> but you do think at this moment, this is a turning point for the squad itself? >> for sure. so you've seen as i write about in 2022, aipac and democratic majority for israel spent between 40 and $50 million, kind of purging critics of israel from the party, trying to kind of minimize the size of the squad and also get squad-like members to kind of moderate their position on israel and in direct response to the rest of the squad being sworn into congress. not in response to anything necessarily said. just the mere fact there are

going to be two muslim women serving in congress. now apac is saying there might be up to $100 million. so we're going to, this is the question is being called whether, which direction they take will be determined i think by this upcoming clash with apac. >> amazing to put it down into the frames of this event, israel and what has become a powerful part of the democratic party. the squad, aoc and the hope of a political revolution, ryan's book is out today. next, new details on how much george santos is now charging for personalized videos. ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ and kim jong-un tonight crying. breaking down in front of thousands of women.

tonight, george santos'

second act. "outfront" is learning the disgraced former congressman is receives hundreds and hundreds of requests to record videos on the website, cameo. his fee is up from 250 this morning and he's loving it. he's recording his latest videos, including one of him singing his favorite taylor swift song for a customer. >> my favorite ts song is definitely going to be trouble. ♪ i know you were trouble when you walked in ♪ that's me. bye! >> happy, happy birthday or i can just do the -- ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ >> former congressman, george santos, basking in the glow of the spotlight. >> merry christmas, have a fantastic new year. love you all. >> wearing his new status like a badge of honor. >> i was a whole congressman up

until last friday. >> as he amplifies and cashes in on his expulsion from congress. >> hey, look. it is what it is. i'm no longer a congressman. >> santos becoming an overnight star on cameo, leading to a private lunch with the ceo of the celebrity video message platform today in new york. demand for a personalized video from santos so great, his latest fee was $350. nearly four times what it was just two days ago. >> let's talk about best dressed worst dressed, right? look, glenn rothman from the state of wisconsin and you'll understand what i'm saying when i talk about worst dressed in congress. >> even as he actively solicits more, a source with knowledge tells cnn that santos is receiving hundreds and hundreds of requests a day including from his former colleague, senator john fetterman, purchasing a video to troll senator menendez, who is also under federal indictment.

>> hey, bobby. look, i don't think i need to tell you, but these people that want to make you get in trouble and want to kick you out and make you run away, you make them put up or shut up. >> santos is quest to blaze his own path, ripping a page out of trump's own playbook. >> you have haters. let them hate. but just do you, girl. screw the haters. >> brazen. >> the hell with the -- >> defiant. >> i'm going to make a funny post about roasting mr. i am former principal and i thought fire alarms opened doors, jamal bowman, which i think should be expelled from congress next. >> and bitter. threatening to name names. >> if the house wants to start different precedent and expel me, that is going to be the undoing of a lot of members of this body because this will haunt them in the future. >> santos going after four house members since his departure from

congress, threatening to file ethics complaints against him. all this as he leans into the mockery. >> everyone, stop assaulting me. i'm being assaulted. this entire country has been bullying me just because i'm a proud, gay thief. >> and santos now as a former congressman, is no longer subject to campaign finance laws and a source tells me he is making a great deal of money off cameo and he's trying to capitalize it. he was up until 2:00 a.m. last night taping video messages of himself trying to meet the big demand. >> it's actually amazing sometimes you know we do feel like we're living in some sort of a weird world. thank you very much. and next, kim jong-un, talk about a weird world, caught crying in public. making a desperate plea to the women in his country.

goli, taste your goals.

so kim jong-un publicly in tears. the north korea dictator caught crying as he pleaded with women in his country to have more children. at one point, dabbing his eye with a white hankerchief. as for kim himself, south korean intelligence says he has three chdren including a reported 10-year-old daughter he found out from