moments ago, we heard from president biden as he's meeting with ukrainian president vladimir zelensky. zelensky visiting washington, d.c. pushing for more aid to ukraine, which biden supports. he wants to send another $61 billion to kyiv. >> the problem is that biden can't do it without congress. and congress doesn't seem like they want to budge here. republicans on the hill are demanding concessions on border security before they agree to anymore money for ukraine.

biden said this about the holdup. take a listen. >> congress needs to pass a supplemental funding to ukraine before they break holiday recess. before they give putin the greatest christmas gift they could possibly give him. because we've seen what happens when dictators don't pay the price for the damage and the debt and destruction they cause and they keep going when no price is paid. threats to america, europe and the world will only keep rising if we don't act. >> all right. let's go to cnn nick payton walsh. he's in ukraine. nick, we heard from biden. what are we hearing from zelensky about all of this? >> reporter: yeah. in his conversations with lawmakers, speaker johnson, he essentially touted ukraine's successes on the battlefield. the way ukraine used longer range weapons, it's fair to say they pushed a lot of russia's

fleet there. strategically important towards the black sea russian coast. so far away from nato territory. strategic victory. he talked to speaker johnson about reforming ukraine. touching on a sensitive issue about corruption in ukraine. most wars see some form of corruption because this theme continues to dog ukraine and trying to get the billions it's become used to in announcement ifs the pentagon and white house to keep the war afloat. zelensky is facing a complex time here. his defense minister frankly joking that the chief of the army, the chief of staff of the armed forces hadn't, in fact, been fired. there's clearly a public dispute between the ukraine president and commander and chief that's being talked about a lot over the past months because of how the counteroffense didn't really work. combined with that, the crisis and funding they're now seeing.

the fact that russia has been waiting for this western unity and support to begin to crumble and looking for a bleak winter ahead here. there are suggestions that if congress doesn't put something on the table that ukraine can start to increase the funding before the end of the week when they potentially go away for the holidays, they could, according to one lawmaker, have trouble to pay salaries for doctors and first responders in january. today we got a taste of what it would look like if russia gets more on the front foot. losses reported in the town of the east. u.s. intelligence suggested 13,000 russians have become casualties as russia tryes to push for that eastern town. one of a number they may be able to take by slowly grinding their way through. a slow cyber attack damaged cell phones and impeding the work on air raid alerts on

phones. civilians are worried they'll see a bleak winter and potentially front lines starved with the defense that's kept ukraine's defense alive. >> nick payton-walsh live for us. thank you so much for the update. let's expand the conversation with cnn political and national security analyst david sanger. david, i'm curious about your reflections about the objections of providing ukraine with aid. republicans say there needs to be more accountability and the white house says there's no evidence the funds are being misused in a widespread way and the question of what victory looks like. a clear objective. the white house said it's for ukraine to define. where do you see the objections coming from? >> reporter: there are three separate things going on here. number one is the about the border. and the president decided to link these issues together to get some political advantage. that some people would vote on

israel. some people would because of ukraine, he could get the border through. that's looking like a worse and worse bet. then there are the ukraine specific issues you brought up. as you say, we haven't heard a huge amount. i'm sure there's some corruption going on. let's face it. we've been sending them mostly arms made in the united states or brought out from the allies. there's not a lot to steal in the way of actual cash except for the support for the ukrainian government. not a lot of evidence there. the biggest problem they're facing is the war is beginning to turn on them. the russians, as we discovered, screwed up a lot of things in the first 18 months, but they have now got more manpower coming in. they have more artillery coming in. they're using the electronic war fair better and it's coming at the very moment that putin may believe we're beginning to crack in our own support, our own willingness to do this. if the u.s. cracks, europe will be next. >> let me ask.

we got declassified information that putin feels like amidst the cracks they can wait it out and play the waiting game. but also that russia has lost 87% of the ground troops since this war began and we're entering year three here. 87% is staggering. >> reporter: yeah. >> put that in context for us. >> reporter: it is staggering. and it's a little bit hard to be able to measure that number. but what we're hearing from various intelligent sources, they've had over 300,000 casualties. that is a huge, huge number. the fact that putin has been able to sort of hold on without big protests and all is remarkable in that regard. that said, he has always betted, taken the bet. if he can simply hold on through next year, if donald trump or somebody whose view of the war is similar to donald trump gets elected, his

problems are pretty much over. at that point, former president trump said he'll solve this war in 24 hours. the only way you solve this in 24 hours is saying vladimir putin, you can have what you've taken, which would send a pretty stark message to a lot of people, include it is chinese as they're thinking about taiwan. >> also, it's a chilling message to nato allies as well. right? european support for this war has been critical. as you noted, if the u.s. starts to pull away, this could be a catastrophy. >> nato has held together and it has a purpose and cause greater than it has in 30 years. the europeans are stepping up and spending more and more on aid. not as much as we would like, but they're doing quite well. and if the u.s. comes out of this, it's like the plug comes out of the drain here. that's what zelensky is most

worried about. it was interesting he couldn't seem to persuade opponents on the hill today. >> david sanger, appreciate the analyst. we want to turn to the middle east and increasing signs of a disconnect between washington and israel as their war against hamas and gaza rages on. president benjamin netanyahu admitted he and president biden disagree on the future of gaza. biden said netanyahu needs to change his tactics as support for israel's military response wanes. it's difficult for netanyahu, according to president biden, because of the hard lined government. we're joined by a senior adviser, mark ragiv. thank you for spending part of your afternoon with us. i want you to react to a specific remark from president biden. he says this is the most conservative government in israel's history. adding that the israeli government does not want a two

state solution. mark, is president biden wrong? >> well, the position of my prime minister is that the palestinians should have all the power to rule themselves and none of the power to hurt israel. and that second part is also very important. as you saw israelis are still in shock from what happened to us on october 7th. when palestinians crossed the border from gaza and butchered our people. it's important that we put this disagreement with the americans into context. we agree on the need to defeat hamas. that israel is within its right and obligation to our people. to destroy hamas, we have to see a new situation in the gaza strip. it's not impossible that when we work together that we can find a way to move ahead in a post hamas gaza scenario. >> to that point, though, biden's comments seem to reflect the idea that netanyahu

has to change his approach but that his government is making it very difficult for him. do you think that benjamin netanyahu feels constrained? >> boris, israel as of two months ago has a wider government now. one of the large center parties joined the coalition to pursue the war against hamas. it's part of the national unity we have now in israel because there's really no left and right in israel when it comes to defeating hamas. everyone understands we cannot have this terror on the southern border. that we have to end that. that israeli families shouldn't have to live in fear of terrorists crossing the frontier in the middle of the night and butchering their children. no one in the country wants to go through october 7th ever again. so, we have a wider government now. that government is helping us achieve unity to defeat hamas. and i think it'll also help us

when we have to start dealing with a post hamas scenarios and what arrangements we'll have. a post hamas gaza will be demill terrorized and deradicallized. >> the question of what happens to gaza after hamas, there are divergent views in the israeli government. who do you think should oversee gaza after hamas? u.s. officials are pushing forward the palestinian authority should have a significant role. it doesn't appear benjamin netanyahu supports. >> so we say the following. we don't want to reoccupy gaza. we don't want to govern the people of gaza. obviously in the initial post war period, we'll have to have overriding security control because we can't see a resurgent terrorist element come and take away the benefits the war will bring. we want to see, a de

militarized. it's good for israel and gaza. it's only brought them hardship, misery and poverty. they, too, deserve better. >> so on the question of biden suggesting that israel is losing global support, does that influence the thinking of the israeli government in any way? i think it's become clear given what the u.n. security counsel tried to push forward and the u.s. blocked that the world is not okay with the 18,000 plus people reported killed. many of them women and children in gaza. does this, in any way, alter what israel is trying to accomplish or the way it approaches the war with hamas? >> well, first of all, the u.n. is a strange place and there's an automatic, as you know, boris, there's an automatic antiisrael majority there at

the united nations. and we thank the united states. we're very appreciative of their veto. we had america's diplomatic protection. it's appreciated here in israel. as we move forward in this, it's crucial that we win this war. it's crucial that we defeat hamas. in doing so, in parallel, we have to do everything we can to safeguard gaza civilians, and we have to do everything we can to make sure they get the aid they need. that war needs to be won. for israel, there's no choice. we have to defeat hamas. >> are you concerned that if israel doesn't move closer to the u.s.' expectations, specifically when it comes to civilians and a post hamas gaza, that support for israel from the united states may start to wane? >> we've seen amazing support from the united states. we've just said it was expressed by the american support of the united nations and expressed by the american

ammunition that's arrived. we really do appreciate it. we share the same goals here. hamas has to be defeated. there has to be a new reality in gaza where hamas is no longer in power there controlling the gaza strip, turning it into a base of terror. i think it's possible to achieve understandings o on what it is post hamas gaza. ultimately, israel, the united states want to see a gaza that works for the people of gaza. we agree on the principles of demillization and deradicallization. there might be differences on how to achieve that after the war is won. i think we've worked together well, i think today the u.s., israel cooperation on all levels is almost unprecedented in its positive cooperation. yes, we're working very closely together, and we can work

closely together on the post hamas scenarios. >> mark, we have to leave the conversation there. thank you so much for the time, sir. >> thank you for having me. >> of course. let's go to capitol hill. that's where the house rules' committee reconvened as they prepare to vote on an impeachment resolution for joe biden. if it gets through, it would open the door to vote on the issue. he's facing scrutiny over his son's foreign business dealings. let's bring in cnn melanie. she's on capitol hill. melanie, the holiday recess now just days away. meaning that whatever potentially happens next could happen very soon. what more are you learn something. >> reporter: the house is expected to vote on the impeachment resolution as soon as tomorrow. we're told that it is expected to pass. after nearly the entire house republican conference has lined up behind this resolution. now, this inquiry has been going on for several months

after kevin mccarthy, the former speaker opened this inquiry back in september. now, republicans really want to strengthen their hand in court as they try to enforce their remaining subpoenas as they look to wrap up the rest of the probe. this doesn't mean that impeachment is inevitable. they're urging caution saying they're going to follow the facts where they lead and make a decision sometime in early next year. perhaps end of january, sometime in february. meanwhile, there are moderate key swing district republicans who are casting doubt they'll find any impeachable offenses. just listen. >> i think it's more important to have this information for the elections. let's let the voters decide. i don't know that you'll see a high crime or misdemeanor, but the voters deserve to know what did the bidens do with $25 million? where did it come in from and where did it go? >> is there a chance there won't be articles of impeachment? >> i think that's probably more likely than not. >> reporter: this vote tomorrow

comes on the same day that hunter biden was subpoenaed to appear for a closed door deposition. however, he says he'll testify in public. and republicans are threatening to hold him in contempt of congress if he doesn't show. all eyes on whether hunter biden shows up tomorrow. our colleagues are reported he'll be in d.c. tomorrow that's one to watch, rahel. >> we have reporting he is physically in d.c. melanie, thank you. still to come on news central, new hampshire governor expected to endorse former south carolina governor nikki haley. will this be enough to slow down donald trump? the u.s. pressuring israel to allow more humanitarian aid into the enclave. that and much more coming up in just a few minutes.

in just a few hours, the race for the white house will veer towards grand view university in des moines where ron desantis will be front and center at a cnn town hall. the pressure is on. in 34 days, the iowa caucuses are set to take place. the first official test to show which candidates republicans favor. >> the latest des moines register poll shows donald trump is very much ahead with the majority of likely caucus gastroers. we have scott jenings here. he served to special assistant to george w. bush. scott, let's start with desantis. it wasn't that long ago that he was a rising star. it seemed like he had so much momentum. what happened and what could he do tonight to change that? >> two things happened.

donald trump. let's be honest. donald trump has momentum right now in this race. nothing has really dented him. and a lot of things seem to have propelled him along that you might have assumed before they happened it would hurt the average candidate. it hasn't hurt him. desantis needs to keep the game going longer than iowa. that's the issue here. if you look at the polling, he wins this by 20 plus, it'll feel like the race is over before we even get to new hampshire or south carolina or other states. and so, that's the challenge. is your organizational strength if you're desantis. he has some. he has the governor of iowa, and they've been working that. is it enough to muscle you to within single digits. it feels like the ball is bouncing. if everybody loses by 20 in iowa, it will feel deflated. >> maria, to scott's point, desantis has dedicated himself to going to iowa expo then usually more than donald trump.

he has the governor and evangelical leaders and pulled the all 99 counties. if he loses iowa, is it over? >> i think it's over for him now, boris. i think another thing happened to ron desantis. that's ron desantis. he completely melted and was just mad when he got to the national stage. he might have done great in florida. when the focus was on cultural issues in florida completely took everything out of his campaign. he also, and this is an important attribute to have, whether you like them or hate them, they have to be likable. for the people that like them, they have to be likable. everything i've heard from people who know ron desantis well. even the people who served with him on the hill was that he was absolutely unlikable. he did not have any way to have a personal relationship with somebody. it was not something he was

ever really interested in. so it's interesting in iowa they're focusing on this. in iowa and new hampshire, there's a lot of that personal relationship. i think that's one of the reason why he has the percentages he has in iowa and new hampshire. by the way, i don't think haley is going to do anything better either. and it's because donald trump has such a prohibitive advantage in both of those states that these, i think both of these states and the primary, the debates, the town halls, it's all going to be more either vice president, a cabinet position if donald trump were to win or, you know, i don't know, maybe a gig on fox news. >> it doesn't seem like scott agrees with you. >> i don't agree on the vice president. i don't personally believe any of these people are running for vice president. i don't know what donald trump is going to do. >> do you think they'll say no if you're offered it?

>> you mentioned the likability problem for desantis. nikki haley doesn't have that issue. she may pick up an endorsement from the governor of new hampshire and you mentioned desantis getting the endorsement from kim reynolds in iowa. they're both popular governors, it seems. how much does it matter? >> if you have the endorsement, there's organizational qualities that come along with that and people they're part of the governor's organization that can help you. as it relates to moving polling, not very much. i do think it's always good to have someone popular vouching for you. it's better than a sharp stick in the eye. if you're someone who believes, if you're a republican in iowa or new hampshire right now who believes that donald trump was wrong in deed 2020 and that vindication is at hand and he's finally going to vanquish the bidens, is an endorsement going to pull you off that when you're looking at national polling showing donald trump beating joe biden and biden

struggling? of course not. it may have organizationally. but wholesale movement, unlikely. >> the polling that scott is talking about has undercut the argument from the other republican rivals in the race that aren't donald trump. that they're more electable than the former president. there's more polling that shows biden going head to head with florida governor desantis and as well former u.n. ambassador nikki haley. you see it there. it appears that if it's ron desantis running, he's raiser thin major tied with joe biden. nikki haley has a substantial advantage. this coincides with other polling that shows that right now the president is not in great standing. is it only likely that biden wins against trump? >> no. i think it's likely biden wins no matter what. you know why? the election won't be held today, tomorrow or next week. it's a good that i think that

the election is going to be a less than a year from now. there is time. the democratic coalition will come home. that is what we've seen and presidential election after presidential election. there also doesn't seem to be a focus on the joe biden donald trump contrast yet. why? because donald trump still isn't the official nominee of the republican party. once that happens, and i believe it will happen, then that contrast between joe biden, the massive accomplishments he has done in the years he's been the last three years, versus donald trump by his own words will be a dictator on day one and the incredible threat that he is to our democracy, plus everything else in terms of the things he will take away that the american people now enjoy, i think will be a contrast that joe biden will win on election day. >> i'm sad to learn that the president of the united states has been toiling for the last

three years. the american people are feeling the affects of the biden presidency right now. i'm not as interested in the head to head right now. it's a year out. next summer ask me about the head to heads. the underlying fundamentals, economic policies and people's memories about how they felt about the economy under trump and biden, that's real. that's hard to unwind that. it's part of people's lived experience. i agree with you there's a lot of time and the heads to heads could change. there's a fundamental weakness in the president's candy city that if you're trump or desantis or anybody else, you got to be licking your chops. >> it's more malaise in terms of where the economy is. that is real. i think again, once the campaign continues to remind people, by the way, under trump it wasn't all rosy. a million americans died because he ignored the science and the economy completely collapsed.

>> the market has warred back. that's not necessarily a trump sort of thing. i mean, i think that's what people remember. they remember stimulus checks and being employed. >> they remember being able to afford a car and a house and you can't do because of interest rates. >> roaring back. if you look at the numbers on the economics, they are really good. the focus and the challenge is going to be for the campaign and this president to connect those dots with what americans are feeling now. >> so much more to discuss. great to see you both. thank you. >> thank you so much. >> be sure to watch as governor desantis joins jake tapper live from iowa to take questions from voters. it airs tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern. still coming up, the world health organization says that diseases, such as chickenpox and meningitis are spreading in gaza as living conditions continue to deteriorate. we'll be right back.

welcome back. right now, the united nations general assembly is holding an emergency session on the catastrophic situation in gaza. they plan to hold a vote demanding a cease fire. a similar solution failed in the u.n. security counsel because of a u.s. veto. this comes as the world health organization warns that chickenpox, meningitis and respiratory illnesses are spreading rapidly in the

enclave. unicef declared gaza the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. here to talk more about the conditions on the ground, unicef community specialist joe english. joe, good to have you. what are you hearing from your colleagues on the ground right now about the conditions there in gaza? >> hi, good to be with you. it's been another relentless day for families. we see continued attacks. bombardment. in many of these areas where the fighting is most severe, civilians have been ordered from their homes. when that happens, those who remain are often the most vulnerable. those who cannot leave. often this is elderly individuals, family with elderly parents, with young children or children with disabilities. when we speak to parents, they are exhausted. mentally, physically, just absolutely shattered by the exertion of trying to keep their children alive on a day-

to-day basis. it is hard to imagine the sheer level of terror, of pain, of misery that families are going through. do you stay? do you take the risk of moving when we've seen the fighting move around the territory? even basics, like water, is now potentially a death threat for children. we know there's not enough. the water that is there could make children sick. it's impossible choices for parents. and at the moment, sadly, no end in sight. >> with the need being so great, what more are you learning and can you share with us about the status of the additional crossings? there were questions about one of them had opened. any more detail you can share about those? >> i mean, at the moment, there is a trickle of humanitarian aid going in. and it is clearly not enough. i mean, ultimately in order for us to be able to respond at

scale, given the need, knowing the according to our colleagues at wfp, almost half of the population is on the verge of starvation. from our colleagues at who, a third of the hospitals are operational. children are dying, being killed in the fighting and the spectrum of disease is looming. for us to be able to get in with anywhere near the level of humanitarian assistance needed, we need a cease fire and an end to the fight. otherwise, it's going to be a sticking faster. >> is it possible to quantify the type of need that you guys have? i mean, what would that look like? israeli officials say today they screened 280 trucks at israeli crossings. they'll go to gaza. how far will that actually go in helping civilians in gaza? >> look, every truck that gets in is critical. and will provide a small level

of hope to children and families. but, you know, you see the images. i was in turkey after the earthquake. the level of destruction and damage is comparable. when a cease fire comes and really we hope it is soon as feasibly possible, the level of response is going to be akin to a natural disaster. we need to be able to get in there and provide safe drinking water to families. we need to be able to provide food items and shelter. we know that over half the homes in the northern country have been damaged and destroyed. so for parents, it's going to provide a brief respite. so much of this becomes abstract. when you think about being a parent right now in gaza trying to soothe your child who is exhausted and likely hasn't slept properly for days. many of us know what it's like to soothe a child who is

exhausted and terrified, it is impossible in the best of times. with this level of terror, parents are on their knees and praying and calling for the world to do everything it can to bring about a cease fire. that is the most important thing. until that, we're doing all we can to keep the children who have survived so far alive. we will see many more killed unless there's an end to the fire. >> i read that parents and children are too exhausted to even cry, which is striking. joe english, thank you. >> thanks very much. they say that the coast guard failed to protect them. four women testified at a senate hearing about how they were victims of sexual harassment and assault while at the coast guard academy. their emotional testimony, straight ahead.

there was an emotional today on capitol hill. four victims testified before a senate subcommittee. lawmakers blasted the coast guard for mishandling and covering up years of sexual abuse, especially at the coast guard academy. that is until cnn started reporting on it. >> nothing. until cnn disclosed it. if cnn hadn't disclosed it, we might still not know about it.

>> cnn chief investigative correspondent pamela brown and her team have been digging in on the story for months. walk us through what happened. >> reporter: this is the cullment nation of our team's reporting. as you know, it is rare to get by partisan agreement in washington. both the democrat and republican senators said this was the most powerful testimony they have heard. that is because four brave women agreed to tell their stories of sexual assault, including a current cadet at the coast guard academy. cnn uncovered a long history of rape and sexual assaults that were mishandled or hidden. they kept the results a secret. that meant the coast guard didn't fix the issues and raised awareness about them. the current coast guard has ordered sweeping changes since our first reporting, five months ago. the women who testified today represent decades of service in the coast guard. most of them faulted coast

guard leadership, which in the past made it difficult to report sexual assaults. many times they were punished if alcohol was involved. they were promoted in some cases. kiara grace was raped by a fellow cadet on campus. the reporting process has improved and she was given a counselor, she had difficulty with leadership. >> and then i got to talk to a chaplain. and when i went to talk to the chaplain, he asked me who assaulted me and i told him. and he said oh, no. he's such a good guy. >> reporter: that cadet you just heard from and others, they have recommendations for changes to the coast guard that should include curbing alcohol use at the academy and other steps to prevent assaults from happening in the first place, boris. >> pamela, what happens next? >> reporter: that's a big

question. the committee has requested internal coast guard e-mail communications, but so far it is saying it hasn't gotten those e-mails despite the repeated request. most of the women agree that although the coast guard is apologizing and releasing the 90 day review looking at the future, they want accountability for the past. i just actually sat down and did an interview with these three women after their testimony. one of them said she felt like today testifying publicly gave her a sense of empowerment. she heard from the senators, which she had been wanting to hear from the coast guard all these decades. >> wow. a really powerful reporting. pam, keep us up to speed on what comes next if there's accountability, eventually. >> reporter: absolutely, we will. >> pamela brown, thank you so much. a mother said she waited more than a year to find out what happened to her missing son. only to learn he had been died and his body was buried in the popper cemetery in mississippi. how she's dedemanding accountability. when w we come back.k.

welcome back. third family has come forward claiming they're missing loved ones was buried in the mississippi cemetery without their knowledge. >> the mom claims that she reported her son missing two months before he was actually buried but didn't find out that he was deceased until this year after she was contacted by a reporter. she said that she never heard a word from authorities on his whereabouts. cnn national correspondent brian young joins us now with more. what if the family sang? this is tough. we talked to gretchen hankins yesterday and she told us how heartbroken she was and she's going through this all over

again and she feels like her son was treated like trash. she reported him missing back in may of 2022 in the jackson police department found him three days later but no one ever told her. she didn't find out until december that her son, who she has been thinking about and missing all this entire time was buried in one of those grades and she wants to know exactly how this happened. she reported it to the rankin county sheriff's department and no one ever reached out to her even though there was a database that was put out there for a missing person. he was found dead in a hotel and there is another family that's in mississippi in the jackson area that's upset that their loved ones was basically discarded in an unmarked grave. she wants his body exhumed and his dna tested to make sure they have the right body. you understand all these families are coming forward asking questions the how many other families may have experienced this? they were asking questions to push this forward and there have been changes made and they are going to be forward to getting family now and as you

can understand, this family is torn apart by this. they want an apology. so far, that hasn't happened. >> of our questions. we know you have been following it from the very beginning. ryan, thank you. >> vicki for joining us this afternoon. come back anytime. >> i think i might. >> the leak with jim tapper start right after the break.

first time i connected with kim, she told me that her husband had passed. and that he took care of all of the internet connected devices in the home. i told her, “i'm here to take care of you.” connecting with kim... made me reconnect with my mom. it's very important to keep loved ones close. we know that creating memories with loved ones brings so much joy to your life. a family trip to the team usa training facility. i don't know how to thank you. i'm here to thank you. ukraine once more usa to fight russia republican say the u.s. has its own problems. how's this going to play out? the leader starts