not just possible, it's happening. and good to be with you. israel's prime minister netanyahu saying a military victory is not enough. only a cultural transformation

in gaza can end the war. the latest on the israel leader's prerequisites for peace. plus, the u.s. firing back after u.s. soldiers are hit by a christmas day drone strike in iraq even as a new attack is reported in syria. what the biden administration is doing to punish those responsible and stop more attacks from coming. then to politics. volunteers for desantis, they're going door to door more than two million times as they try to build support for the governor in early voting states. what's at stake? particularly in iowa. and with christmas rush coming to end, it's been so far so good weather wise. we've got tips for holiday travelers who still have places to go and people to see, but we're going to start in d.c. u.s. and israel officials holding new meetings to grapple with war strategy even as israel

strikes close to multiple refugee camps. palestinian authorities say at least 70 people were killed in those attacks. the w.h.o. reporting the main hospital in the area has been overwhelmed by the wounded. it comes a day after prime minister netanyahu seemed to dismiss calls to deescalate the tensity of israel's offensive tein soldiers in northern gaza, quote, don't stop, the war continues until the end. he also laid out what the end might look like, writing in a "wall streetoual" op-ed quote, hamas must be destroyed. gaza must be demilitarized and palestinian society must be deradicalized. these are the three prerequisites. all this setting the stage for what will no doubt be intense conversations when one of netanyahu's closest advisers meeting with secretary of state blinken and jake sullivan today. we're going to bring in nbc's aaron gillcrist at the white

house covering that for us. jay gray is in tell achieve. aaron, the president as you know speaking with netanyahu just before christmas. why then this meeting with former ambassador dermer? >> we know president biden spoke with the prime minister on saturday morning before he left for camp david for christmas. the president saying that was a long phone call that they had but we know these sorts of meetings like we're seeing today here in washington between the national security adviser, secretary of state, and the minister of strategic affairs for israel is consistent with what this administration has been trying to do really from the beginning of the war with israel and hamas. that is trying to make sure there are constant lines of communication that are open between israel and the united states. secretary blinken we know has made several trips to israel. jake sullivan made a trip just this month to israel to have these face-to-face conversations likely to be expected this

afternoon in d.c. we've been told the point of these conversations is twofold. to talk about what's happening on the ground in gaza. what the israelis are planning to do. talking about the u.s.'s desire for the israelis to move from a high intensity operation on the ground to one that is intel driven and precise to leaders of hamas. the other part of the conversation we expect is going to be about hostages and how to get more hostages out of gaza. potentially a cease fire in that area as well. and this former ambassador to the united states from israel, we know he's a top adviser, a close confidant of the prime minister. so him coming to the u.s. to have these conversations with the national security adviser and the secretary of state who have been deeply involved in all of the conversations, negotiations from the beginning, is something that is consistent with what they've been doing and something that could potentially move the needle in terms of the activities that are happening on the ground in gaza.

richard? >> jay, to what aaron's talking about. you were reporting yesterday that the war cabinet in israel was going to be meeting last night. so this may be fuelling dermer's conversation with administration officials. what do we know about what happened in that meeting? >> reporter: well, a couple of things. the egyptian diplomats were floating some type of peace agreement. some time of pause in the fighting. release of hostages. it was flatly and roundly pushed out during that war cabinet meeting. they said they would not even really discuss the idea of the egyptian plan. hamas has said the same thing by the way. hamas leaders have seen the same plan and said no to that. then they started to focus on what's going on now and likely sending dermer to washington with a strong message for the white house that they are going to continue with the attacks that are going on in gaza right now. and to that end, over the last

48 hours, we've seen some of the deadliest attacks since the war began. we know they are targeting from the air a lot of the command and control centers they believe hamas is working out of. you talked about them targeting some of the hamas senior leadership. they said one of those air strikes did kill one of those leaders although they haven't said who. on the ground, and really this is in central gaza just outside of gaza city, those troops are focusing on exposing and destroying the tunnel network there. so it's been a very intense 48 hours and no signs that it's going to let up, richard. >> so, jay, not letting up and as you were reporting over the weekend, we had seen those 2,000 pound bombs being used consistently until over the weekend, which aaron is reporting they're trying to move away from that high intensity move to more intel driven strategy. how is that being read on the ground especially given the families of the hostages were

quite active over the last three days? >> reporter: the families say there's got to be a pause and the rest of those hostages, 129, need to come home now. that pressure has been building and building and it is reaching a very high level at this point. you talked about the meeting with israeli's parliament. the prime minister interrupted multiple times when he talked about bringing the hostages home. booing, heckling him. he said the only way the hostages that have been released and come home is by military pressure. he says the rest of them coming home will rely on even more pressure from the israeli army. >> thank you so much. i want to bring in ambassador pinkus, former council general of israel in new york who worked in the israeli government and

took part in the israel syria peace talks in 2000. good to speak with you again, ambassador. the war cabinet meeting. dermer coming to meet with senior officials in washington, d.c.. put that together for us. >> don't make too much of it. this is far from being a drama. mr. dermer's trip is meant to stall. to create the impression, the aura, as if there's some kind of coordination and high level consultation in now israel is responsive to american requests. if you listen to what the prime minister said today, to what the idf, the israel force's chief general staff lieutenant said today, you know that this is not the case. so honestly, i wouldn't make too much of it. oordinating with that, the op-ed that i brought up in the introduction to the segment in

"the wall street journal" again reading part of what the prime minister said -- those three are the prerequisites. those are short sentences but very difficult to do. what do you make of his op-ed? >> okay, let's zoom out for a second with your permission. this is mr. netanyahu on brand. he's using language that was used in 1945 in germany. deindustrialized, demilitarized, denazify. he's doing it to create the impression that this is a civilization, cultural conflict, and absolve himself rather than take responsibility for the worst debacle in israel's

history which he was responsible for on october 7th. now, if you're an alien who just landed here and you read through the middle east conflict and you're reading mr. netanyahu's op-ed in the "wall street journal," it makes sense. this is exactly the prerequisites that are needed, but as you correctly said, richard, this is easier written in "the wall street journal" than done in practical guides. it just cannot happen. not saying it shouldn't. it should. but it won't. >> so if these particular objectives, these prerequisites he has put out, are long game objectives, then we could see this go on for many, many years. at least based on what he is writing here in this op-ed. is he really looking for something more short-term though? >> no. because when he says deradicalized or deterrorize

gaza, he's referring to the palestinian authority. the same one he deliberately weakened in the last 15 years and strengthened hamas in order to then claim rolling his eyes, well, we got no partner. so when he's saying what he is saying, when he's writing what he's writing in "the wall street journal," again, if you read it and you're a novice, it makes perfect sense. it really does. expect that it does really relate to the day after. gaza's aftermath. these are all euphemisms. in the short-term, he's promising the war to continue but as i told you in a previous conversation, there is a distinction that needs to be made, richard, between war and fighting. the fighting will continue. the war as we see it now and you commented on that earlier, will change the way it looks.

it's dynamics. >> ambassador, let's skip back to the people on the ground. the families o the hostages. israelis that are there in the middle east. i want to read a part of "the new york times" article for you. it says quote israelis have rallied around each other through a shared belief in the military company that mr. netanyahu leads but they have not rallied around the prime minister. what are the implications here, ambassador, of that opposites colliding here? >> look, again, i'm zooming in for a second, richard. the war began following or on the heels of nine months, almost ten months, of mass demonstrations against mr. netanyahu on the issue of the constitutional semiauthoritarian coup he tried to install. so what you see now since the war is the consolidation of both

issues. the an tag niz m. resentment. anger with mr. netanyahu is going to blow up at some point. whether this happens in two weeks, four months, i don't know. if i knew, i'd go to vegas with you. >> before we go, i would be remiss if i didn't bring up the activity with iran fueled hezbollah activity. not only in northern israel but we have that reporting which we'll get to later, in iraq. what does this mean in the decisions that are going to be made by netanyahu and also the united states? >> obviously, you know, no one's going to, the fact this guy was involved in nasty things and deserved the fate he met is one thing. but on the political and the policy side, i think that we need to be very careful here. because this is exactly what the united states has been warning

against and trying to stave off and that is escalation. this, this involves the u.s. and for israel to do that indirectly could drag the u.s., i'm not saying that was the intention. but that could very well be the outcome. >> ambassador, i can't thank you enough for joining us. appreciate your time. speaking of which, we were just talking about, you bet. the biden administration retaliating for the latest drone attack on u.s. troops in iraq launched targeted strikes. the initial attack leaving three u.s. service members wounded, including one critically. militants also launched a new rocket attack on u.s. troops in syria. all told, u.s. forces in iraq and syria have been targeted 10 5 times since mid october? who are these militants and what are they trying to do? >> well, u.s. military's attacks

on iran-backed militant groups in iraq, as you mentioned, u.s. personnel were injured after a drone strike. now, the focus of these u.s. strikes were three sites used by a group called -- hezbollah in response to attacks they carried out on u.s. forces. not only in iraq, but syria. who are they? they're financed and owned by iran and they've been one of the most prominent groups involved in attacks on u.s. targets in iraq for quite some time now. they were created back in 2007. they're based in iraq. they also have a very strong foothold in syria. they surface in bahrain and lebanon in time to time depending on where iran needs them and how they want to deploy them. they've formed something part of an umbrella group of militias under iran's patronage that have been incorporated into the iraqi

army. their purpose is to expel u.s. troops in the region and put israel under as much pressure as they can. their attacks can escalate depending on the regional situation and it's usually determined by tehran who feel at any given time it's in their interest either to ratchet up tensions or bring them down depending on what the mood is. richard? >> has there been any response in iran? >> there hasn't been a response on the attack on hezbollah but interestingly and worth noting, yesterday, a senior, and you mentioned this in the last report, a senior iranian commander was killed in what we suspect was an israeli strike in syria. now, they claim this commander had finished the meeting at the iranian embassy in damascus. he was then returning home and was targeted with three missiles by the israeli military that killed him. now, the iranian say that he was

the most senior operative in syria and is said to have been a very close aide to the irgc commander who was killed by the u.s. in 2020. iran's president and revolutionary guard vowed revenge saying israel would pay for this crime. and richard, the iranians make little distinction. >> still ahead, security preparations underway ahead of new year's celebrations this weekend in times square. we're going to bring you the latest with a live report in the show. plus, heading home after millions hit the road for the holiday week. what your return trip might look like, but first, florida governor and presidential candy san tis comes up with a new ground strategy. it's in the millions. we'll explain after the break in 60 seconds. e millions we'll explain after the break in 60 seconds

- hi, i'm steve. - i'm lea. and we live in north pole, alaska. - as i got older, my hearing was not so good so i got hearing aids. my vision was not as good as it used to be, got a change in prescription. but the thing missing was my memory. i saw a prevagen commercial and i thought, "that makes sense." - i observed the changes in steve's memory and i thought i should try that too. - after taking prevage, i just didn't have to work so hard to remember things. prevagen. at stores everywhere without a prescription. the iowa caucus is now less

than three weeks away could prove pivotal for ron desantis and some formidable advantages for president trump. the desantis campaign went all on on its ground operation in iowa. staking his hopes on ringing doorbells and lots of them. the superpac never backed down says they visited 812,000 homes in iowa. more than half of the households in the state. they knocked on another 968,000 doors in south carolina and some 385,000 in new hampshire. so far, at least through polls, has not moved the dial and his hold on second place seems fragile in the final stretch with trump leading the pack by roughly 30 points. joining us now, sam stein, politico's managing editor and msnbc news contributor. david jolly, former republican

congressman from florida and msnbc political analyst. sam. that's a lot of knocks and not a lot of movement on them. what are you making of the strategy? >> just because you knock on a lot of doors doesn't mean you're going to persuade those people. in fact, we've moved on a couple of cycles now from the idea that it's just a sheer amount of doors. bernie sanders did something similar. it's troubling when you're relying on a superpac. the key is to find people to help we are suede people they know. go to church. yeah, social networks where you can spread your message because those are people voters will trust. they're not going to trust some random person probably from outside the state. what is never back down? it's not even desantis. that's where the problem really had. that and the lack of a singular

message. >> over to david jolly, you ran against desantis on the ground in florida. what is he thinking here? what is his strategy based on being behind, losing ground in iowa and even worse in new hampshire. what is he doing? >> well, recall how it started. they were on the air, raising money, knocking doors. they got the endorsement of tim reynolds, popular faith leader. so this was a juggernaut of a campaign that did everything wrong but i think to sam's point, it doesn't matter how loud you amplify the message. if the message is wrong and i think what desantis has learned is america doesn't want to be florida and perhaps iowa doesn't want to be florida either. the problem for desantis strategically is he has staked everything now on iowa. and iowa rarely picks the ultimate winner. i mean, he's basically hoping if he can overperform in iowa, it will slingshot him with momentum

through new hampshire and south carolina but the numbers just don't suggest that. this is nikki haley's race now. we expect ron desantis to underperform. who knows. iowa is one of the places that sam said you grab your neighbor, your pew mate in church and take them to vote. perhaps desantis, but it's not looking like it. >> how is this working? you used to think that would work. why isn't this working for desantis yet they are doubling down on this old fashioned technique. >> they're using the ted cruz strategy from 2015 and 2024. i think it's really hard to try to come up against donald trump with traditional political tactics like door knocking. he's not a cult leader and every time trump is indicted and trump has a boost with politically essentially in this last

colorado you know colorado's decision to ban him from the ballots, that was another politically boosting moment for trump. how can desantis compete. also, ron desantis had to endure seven months of attacks from donald trump who announced his candidacy back in november. december, november. and desantis announced his in june and had already been sustaining so many attacks from donald trump and he hasn't answered any of them and still really hasn't. that's another part of it. he hasn't actually taken donald trump head on. none of these candidates have so they've been trounced by them. they just don't have the same sort of political skills trump has or a real strong following that trump has. a lot of these people say yeah, we like him, he seems great, but we want trump. and i think it's going to be hard to convince them in the last month to change their miepd mind. >> does desantis know who he's up against? with nikki haley ascending.

he made a very interesting comment the other day where he said if he could do one thing over, what he would do, he really couldn't do it, that donald trump would not have been indicted and i think that was telling in the sense that in normal times if you get indicted, you probably would think that's a good thing but in the context of the republican primary, all the data has shown the republican base has rallied behind trump. we don't know what we don't know. maybe in the end, people will say we don't want that drama. we actually do. maybe nikki haley will be -- they're committed, they want him to be the prosecutor nominee and desantis never made a case. what he did was wrong.

he felt like he had to be the second. >> he's not going to fade away. i want to get back to this. you ran against desantis in florida. you've been in the ring before. sam, used to be just trump that maybe he was in the ring with so he thought but now he's got nikki haley, potentially others but those two have divided his message potentially. >> ron desantis for a decade has been a practitioner of hard right politics. a little inconsistent to kind of a big government conservative. but he launched to a re-election win in florida on covid and culture wars and he tried to take those on the campaign trial and honestly, he did okay with those but i think to tara's point as well as sam's, we can talk about the limitations of

the candidates' strategic decisions. i think what every candidate would think is that somehow the party was ready to move past donald trump and the party's just not ready to move past donald trump. if anything, they want to keep him around for another four to six years. ron desantis, nikki haley, whatever their message is, it's coming up against a very popular donald trump and the party likes the front-runner right now. >> tara, february 1st likely ron desantis, we're still talking about him. >> i don't think so. it's going to be hard to have that momentum. to keep going. i mean, once you run out of cash, hard to argue that you should stay in the game. also, you need delegates to prove that you can actually win this. and trump's team has really changed the game to make sure the races, it's take all for the delegates. winner takes all. so i just think there's already a lack of momentum and sort of narrative around desantis that

he's not the golden boy anymore. he's actually a disappointment. probably a terrible narrative to start from the top then go down whereas all the stories about nikki haley, oh, she's surging because she started at seven points and desantis was pulling ahead of trump this time last year. that's not the narrative you want so i think february 1, we're not going to hear much from desantis anymore but i would be interested to see if he endorses trump when he drops out. i think he will. >> appreciate all three of you. coming up, what we're expecting for the post holiday travel rush. a live report from chicago after the break then later, ukraine celebrates a cultural break from russia amid the ongoing war there as aid talks in washington remain stalled. you're watching msnbc reports. remain stalled you're watching msnbc reports. as verizon! (vo) that's right! plans start at $25 per line guaranteed for 3 years. only on verizon. a mystery! jessie loves playing detective.

but the real mystery was her irritated skin. so, we switched to tide pods free & gentle. it cleans better, and doesn't leave behind irritating residues. and it's gentle on her skin. tide free & gentle is epa safer choice certified. it's got to be tide. ♪ students... students of any age, from anywhere. students in a new kind of classroom. ♪ using our technology to power different ways of learning. ♪ harnessing ai to plant new beginnings. ♪ so when minds grow, opportunities follow.

♪ my name is josh sanabria and i am the owner at isla veterinary boutique hospital. i was 5...6 years of age and i knew i was going to be a vet. once alexandra called me to let me know that bank of america had approved my loan... it was important to me. we not only just provide the financing piece,

we do everything that we can to surround them with the right people. all you need is a perfect, amazing team that will guide you through the right steps to be successful. and that's what bank of america was for me. (dad) it's our phone bill... through the right steps to be successful. we pay for things that we don't need. (mom) that's a bit dramatic. (dad) we must tighten our belts! (mom) a better plan to save is verizon! (vo) that's right! plans start at $25 per line guaranteed for 3 years. only on verizon. i'll be home for christmas. you can count on me. right now, all over the country,

kids at shriners hospitals for children® are able to go home and be with their families for the holidays. and it's only possible because of the monthly support of people just like you. with your gift of just $19 a month, only $0.63 a day. we'll send you this adorable love to the rescue® blanket as a thank you and a reminder of the care you'll be providing so kids can be with their families. thanks to a generous donor, your gift will go twice as far and help more kids like me. thank you for giving! please call the number on your screen or go online right now with your monthly gift. and when you do, your gift will have two times the impact.

millions are set to head home today in what is anticipated to be one of the busiest holiday travel season ever. while most of the nation actually dreamed of a white christmas, a storm hammering the plains is a wild card for travelers certainly. canceling nearly 100 flights and causing more than 3700 flight delays so far. joining us now from chicago o'hare airport where things are a lot calmer than usual, mara

barrett. how are things looking at the airport today? i know there were some ten snowstorm warnings yesterday. >> yeah, richard. i think this is definitely appreciated here. as someone who lives in chicago and is here at least once a week, i've never seen the airport this calm. it's a little weird. the screen line for general boarding says a five-minute wait and this was a big question mark for a lot of travelers coming into today after the christmas holiday because we did see hundreds of cancellations by southwest over the weekend because chicago experienced a severe fog so dense that pilots weren't able to see. southwest said their operations have since stabilized. they haven't experienced any severe delays or cancellations today. i spoke with some travelers who got here way ahead of time for their flight because they were nervous and said they were pleasantly surprised. >> are you surprised?

>> is there a reason for that? something weird happen? >> usually the day after christmas, it's crazy. >> i thought it would be busier. >> it's a much different scene. >> right. especially the day after christmas. >> that's okay. i'll deal with no delays. this is perfect holiday travel. >> now, there is some blizzard warnings over colorado, out in the west and freezing rain on the roads as well as some rain out on the east coast as well. so with chicago being a central hub, some of those flights coming in, we're seeing a few arrive about ten to 15 minutes late. nothing too crazy. the bulk of the delays and cancellations are around denver, atlanta, and boston. that's where the big kind of hold up is. but it's not here yet. >> people just don't want to go home. they're just enjoying themselves so much. they're staying wherever they want, right? thank you so much.

right? okay. at chicago o'hare airport. thank you. brian kelly joins us now. i guess people, could be it, right? you went home, went on your destination, i'm not coming back. i'm going to stretch this out. but in reality, what goes in must comes out. so we had tens of millions of folks heading out for the christmas holiday. they're going to have to get back home. what are you thinking about right now as the points guy on how to handle those delays and cancellations? >> the tsa's done a great job this year. thanksgiving, we had 2.9 million passengers in a day with few pick up. so i think the airlines have staffed up. there are certainly some issues outstanding like staffing for air traffic, but overall, things are flowing smoothly. what i'll recommend to every traveler is always track your flight on flight aware and also make sure you opt in for the airlines' updates in the app.

often, you have to like in the united app, you have to click a button for updates so always stay ahead of the curve. see where your plane that you're about to board, where that's coming from because it may be sunny where you are but you know, where your plane is coming from, say denver, there might be delays. so always want to get ahead of things. this week i think things are looking pretty good. >> driving the same? because we're talking about lots of folks. >> driving, i think thursday's going to be the busiest day for driving. of course, throughout the midwest with those severe weather patterns, you want to make sure. aaa is anticipating 115 million people traveling this holiday season. gas prices are down so i would recommend trying to leave early in the day when possible. especially when you're flying. the latest in the day the higher chance of your flight getting delayed or canceled. >> talking about end of the year and because you're the points

guy here, brian, what if i'm short from that status level like a lot of us are and we're trying to get there. we've got just scant days left in the year. what can we do to maintain or get to that next level? they set up the game the airlines have for us and we're playing it. >> these programs are no longer frequent flier programs. they're frequent buyer programs. they're making more money on their credit cards than they are flying planes. they're encouraging their travelers to spend on those cards. not all elite status ends the 21st. american airlines goes through february. i don't really recommend doing mileage runs just for the sake of it but if you are on the cusp of that top tier status, it might make sense. but the name of the game is getting the right credit card. going into next year, you might want to get one of those premium

cards. not only will it give you status, but lounge access and companion tickets. >> between you and me, why did they change the rules of the game for next year? it seems almost impossible to be where you were at today compared to a year ago. why, just a money grab? will it ever go back to the way it was before? >> it won't, unfortunately. you know, the airlines are, they make a huge amount of money from their elite programs and they know travelers who have a taste of that elite status will spend. so they're trying to extract as much spend on the airline itself but also spend on the cobrand credit card. think about it. you may only fly an airline a couple times a year but if you've got their credit card every day buying grocery, they make a cut of every one of those purchases. the game is evolving for sure. you can still win at it but you have to be savvier and it's really about having the right credit cards. >> yeah, we have to rethink what we did before. thank you so much.

next, ukrainian forces strike a russian warship as the war approach it is two-year mark. that's after the break. you're watching msnbc reports. mark that's after the break you're watching msnbc reports. [dog barks] no it's just a bunny! only pay for what you need. ♪liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty.♪ the subway series is taking your favorite to the next level! like the #20. the elite chicken and bacon ranch. built with rotisserie-style chicken and double cheese. i love what i'm seeing here. that's some well-coached chicken. you done, peyton? the subway series just keeps gettin' better. dad and i finally had that talk. no, not that talk. about what the future looks like. for me. i may have trouble getting around, but i want to live in my home where i'm comfortable and my friends are nearby. i can do it with the help of a barber, personal shopper and exercise buddy. someone who can help me live right at home. life's good. when you have a plan. ♪ ♪

while i am a paid actor, and this is not a real company, there is no way to fake how upwork can help your business. upwork is half the cost of our old recruiter and they have top-tier talent and everything from pr to project management because this is how we work now. a force to be reckon with. no, not you saquon. hm? you! your business bank account with quickbooks money, now earns 5% apy. 5% apy? that's new! yup, that's how you business differently.

for the first time in 100 years, ukrainians broke with the russian orthodox church calendar to celebrate christmas on monday but holiday observe was not met

with a break in fighting. there was an attack overnight killing at least one person. this is the latest move in ukraine's counteroffensive which is trying to gain traction against a deeply entrenched russian military. molly hunter has more. >> for the second christmas, ukrainians are spending the holiday hunkered down as russian drone strikes continue to menace the capital. russian strikes are raining down on cities across the country. he said i woke up my daughter and we went to the corridor. the window flew right over there, the house burnt down completely. the fierce winter conditions already entrenched as russia hits critical infrastructure like last christmas. millions across the country struggle to meet basic needs and troops on the icy battlefield remain stalled. the attention in western capitals president zelenskyy commanded in 2022 has given way to budget concerns and political infighting in 2023.

zelenskyy swept into washington early this month in a bid to secure a pledge for more aid but returned home empty handed. despite president biden's support, congress has kicked any vote on an estimated $64 billion in aid into the new year and republicans have tied it to domestic immigration policies. >> putin is banking on the united states failing to deliver for ukraine. we must prove him wrong. >> ukraine is running low on western weapons and soldiers. in the new year, western officials former u.s. intelligence officers and regional analysts expect ukraine will likely ramp up its drone strikes as russian troops hold positions in the south and east. . but zelenskyy remains defiant.

and remarkably, ukrainian resilience still shines through at christmas. for people here, there's no other option but to keep fighting. >> molly hunter, thank you for that report. next, preparations underway for the ball drop in times square in new york city. with millions in attendance on new year's eve, what law enforcement is concerned about this year. that's after the break. this year. that's after the break (dog bark) it's just smarter, healthier pet food. it's amazing what real food can do.

the subway series is getting an upgrade. the new #33. the teriyaki blitz. with double cheese and teriyaki-marinated meat. it's like a perfect steak spiral in the double cheese coverage. if you say so, peyton. who knew the subway series could get even better? i'm going to sell my life insurance cuz i don't need

it anymore. my kids are grown, my wife is great, let's settle up the score. it's time to travel to paree, spend retirement happy. call 877-sell-easy. 877-sell-easy. 877-sell-easy, and sell your policy. you can sell all or part, live your life and play it smart. 877-sell-easy, and sell your policy. if you've had a change in health, or you're over 65, and paying for $100,000 or more in a life insurance policy you don't need, get paid for it instead. then take the money that you get, go to live it up, you bet. call 877-sell-easy. 877-sell-easy. 877-sell-easy, and sell your policy.

interviewer: time is running out to give a year-end gift like no other, a gift that can help st. jude children's

research hospital save lives. subject 1: i think it's the most worthwhile place to put your money when it comes to childhood cancer. subject 2: if it weren't for st. jude, i wouldn't be sitting here today. subject 3: if it weren't for st. jude, a lot of kids wouldn't be with their families every day. interviewer: let's come together to help the children of st. jude fight childhood cancer. visit this website, call this number, or scan the qr code with your $19 monthly donation. join with your debit or credit card right now and we'll send you this st. jude t-shirt you can proudly wear to show your support. today, you can help st. jude save lives. subject 4: it takes a heart for somebody to say i have this extra that i'm willing to give to st. jude so that they can help save more lives.

from new year's eve and law enforcement is already taking steps ahead of the celebration. times square is an attractive target on new year's leave due to the celebrations, media coverage and high attendance. there is no specific -- but law enforcement have been targeted the most in the past several years. for more on that, stephanie gosk. a very good afternoon to you. s law enforcement preparing from what you've heard? >> well, let's look at the headline and talk about what a specific threat is. they say there's no specific threat. that means there's no place in time or threat, but there has been an increased level of

concern about attacks in this country even though the war in gaza is thousands of miles away and just recently, the department of homeland security as well as the fbi sent out a bulletin to law enforcement agencies nationwide telling them to be on the alert for potential increased threat of lone wolves and lone wolf attacks are those that are perpetrated by just one person as opposed to a group. sometimes that person is inspired by an organization but not assisted by them. and they may target large gatherings and what are we talking about this time of year? of course large gatherings. here in times square, up to a million people, but also in places like d.c. and chicago where they're going to have large groups of people. here in times square, they've been securing this event at its utmost every single year for years. so will you see anything remarkably different in terms of security presence here? not necessarily. but certainly in the back of their minds they are going to be thinking an that increased potential for an attack.

richard? >> the new york board of tourism saying this could be a record year for tourists. are people concerned with the amount of security that is out there in new york ahead of the celebrations? >> you know, this season, you still really feel that bounce back from the pandemic, that enthusiasm of being out and about during the holiday season. people are in new york city in droves and even with these security concerns, they don't seem to be that daunted although they are paying attention. listen to what a few people told me today. >> i saw a lot of security around the tree but yeah, i felt fine. felt comfortable bringing my kids. it's not nothing -- abnormal. i commute to the city on a regular basis. it's always in the back of your mind, the safety. but it's nothing that's going to scare me. you can't let anybody let you down and have the spirit of the christmas season slow you down.

>> city officials are telling people please come to our events but law enforcement also asking people to stay vigilant and if they see something that doesn't look right, to report it, richard. >> thank you so much there on the new york's new year's eve celebration there at times square. coming up for you in the next hour, how potential criminal conviction of former president trump could change the course of the 2024 race. plus, record migrant crossings push border patrol past capacity with another caravan of thousands on the way. pacity with another caravan of thousands on the way so when minds grow, opportunities follow. ♪

when people come, they say they've tried lots of diets, nothing's worked so when minds grow, opportunities follow. or they've lost the same 10, 20, 50 pounds over and over again. they need a real solution. i've always fought with 5-10 pounds all the time. eating all these different things and nothing's ever working. i've done the diets, all the diets. before golo, i was barely eating but the weight wasn't going anywhere. the secret to losing weight and keeping it off is managing insulin and glucose. golo takes a systematic approach to eating that focuses on optimizing insulin levels.

we tackle the cause of weight gain, not just the symptom. when you have good metabolic health, weight loss is easy. i always thought it would be so difficult to lose weight, but with golo, it wasn't. the weight just fell off. i have people come up to me all the time and ask me, "does it really work?" and all i have to say is, "here i am. it works." my advice for everyone is to go with golo. it will release your fat and it will release you.

and great to be with you. i'm richard lui back with you for another hour. we're following developing news out of syria where rockets have been launched. no injuries but plenty of concern after what's now the 105th attack in just the past ten weeks. what will it take to stop them? plus, closed door conversations in washington today potentially shaping the next stage of the war in gaza. the latest on those talks. israel's stepped up offensive and the new pressure coming from hostage families who want a pause in the fighting. plus, donald trump is doing everything he can to drag out his legal cases so he does not have to risk a trial or a

conviction before election day. there's new evidence showing he's got a good reason to be concerned. the latest coming up. but we're going to start with the u.s. trying to navigate increasingly difficult military and diplomatic challenges in the middle east. this afternoon, two of the biden administration's top officials, secretary of state blinken and jake sullivan are meeting with own of israel prime minister netanyahu's closest advisers as the two sides work to find common ground when it comes to war strategy and what could come next. but as the u.s. has been pushing israel to lower the intensity of the war, the prime minister has been publicly proclaiming the opposite. insisting the war is not anywhere close to being over and directing new bombing attacks in central gaz meanwhile, terrorist groups say new strikes against u.s. forces tt region are directly tied to america's support for israel's military operations. three u.s. troops were injured in a christmas day attack by iranian backed militants