but in the meantime, let's bring in jeff zeleny. jeff, when you think about first ladies, and you think about the modern kind of -- calling it the modern day first lady but the ones in office over the last several terms, rosalynn carter really set the standard and really made the mold for this modern office of the first ladies of the united states. >> reporter: she definitely did. and in fact her push for this was the recognition of the first lady as a federal position in the government. she would have an office in the east wing and would have a staff. she was the first lady who formally asked congress for that. so she definitely modernized the role of the first lady. she of course championed issuesissue near and dear to her. and as wolf's report said, she was an essential figure in her husband's administration. think about a first lady attending a national security council meeting or a cabinet meeting. she did that with regularity. and i recall being at the carter center over the years and looking at the exhibits and it is indeed as

let's discuss all the happenings on capitol hill with cnn chief national affairs correspondent jeff zelenyff, obviously we'll get to israel aid, speaker johnson, et cetera, but there is some breaking news. republican congressman ken buck of colorado announcing he's not going to run for re-election. perhaps not surprising given some of his recent rhetoric. >> he certainly has been going against the grain of the republican party. but he's from a very conservative district here. and he's been a very conservative member of congress. but it's one of those examples of some senior members here who seem to be just frustrated with the lack of action and progress in the house. and shortly before that this morning kay granger, who's the chair of the house appropriations committee from texas, she also said she was not going to run again for re-election. so now there are 21 members in all, seven republicans who are not running. that's about on average of what it was in the last time at this cycle. but just an example of ken buck, he likes to be in the spotlight. we've seen him on our air a lot. >> many

>> jeff zeleny for us, thank you. >>> cnn this morning has challenges accounting for the nine americans in gaza. >> next. >>> enemies of anyone. should the children be used as bargaining chips? no, they shouldn't. this is the simple answer. they shouldn't be used as bargaining chips. no justification for this. we just want them back, really. >>> in just a few hours we expect to see what could be final transfer of hostages from hamas under the current terms of the truce agreement with israel negotiated on both sides are racing against the clock to extend that truce even as they do, though, there's fair amount of uncertainty lingering about the hostages themselves including exactly how many they are, how and where they're being held, who's holding them, phil has some brand-new reporting on the behind the scenes efforts at the white house to freer more hostages. >> you're hitting on critical points here on why this has been so complicated over the course of the last several days. it's not as simple as just putting lists together and taking people out in exchange for palestinian prisoners,

jeff zeleny, cnn, miami. >> earlier, i spoke with lindy li, a political strand gist and woman's co-chairt the democratic national committee, and i asked her about ohio voters saying yes to issue 1. >> issue 1 enshrines the right to abortion, not only abortion, though, but to contraception, to all sorts of reproductive decisions, and it keeps these very vital and very important intimate decisions between a woman and her doctor, which where it should be. and it's incredible, because we also have to keep in mind that this is the very state that forced a 10-year-old rape victim to travel to indiana to get abortion care. she was denied care in her own home state. and then she was attacked by representative jim jordan, who denied her story and then refused to apologize once he was exposed, and then representative gene snit of ohio called her rape an opportunity. for everyone who agrees in a girl's right to have control over their own bodies. >> lindy, in the last couple of days, we have seen some pretty tough polling numbers for president joe biden, putting him behind donald trump on a range o

five of his rivals sharpening their attacks on him and on each other, as jeff zeleny reports. >> reportertonight the republican primary is heading toward a boiling point. >> i disagree with nikki haley. >> you have ron and trump joining biden and pelosi. >> reporter: one day after it highlighted deep divisions on a range of hot button issues. >> i would challenge both nikki and ron to join me at a 15-week limit. >> reporter: senator tim scott pushing his rivals to support a 15-week abortion ban, despite voters rejecting a similar call in virginia. >> let's find consensus. let's agree on how we ban late-term abortions, let's make sure we encourage adoption. >> reporter: even an governor desantis criticized the movement for repeating to make its case. >> you got to do a better job on these referrenda. >> reporter: scott seized on the criticism, telling cnn's dana bash, he disagreed. >> i don't understand why he said what he said. there's no reason to insult a pro-life voter. >> reporter: the sparring among challengers reached a new level. even as the far and away front-runner donald trump w

. >> jeff zeleny was at the debate and has the report. >> reporter: at the third presidential debate in miami, the race to beat donald trump was more furious and louder than ever. ron desantis took aim at the former president for the republican losses on tuesday night. >> he said republicans were going to get tired of winning. we saw last night, i'm sick of republicans losing. >> reporter: former south carolina governor nikki haley who has served as u.n. ambassador in the trump administration, said it's time to move on from donald trump. >> everybody wants to talk about president trump. i can tell you i think he was the right president at the right time. i don't think he's the right president now. i think he put us $8 trillion in debt and our kids are never going to forgive us. he used to radio right on ukraine and foreign issues, and now is trying to be friendly again. >> reporter: haley is gaining moment m in the polls because of herp debate performance. she and governor desantis sparred on china, on the environment, on the handling of their governorships. they are going after one

jeff zeleny, you have been out on the campaign trail.e been talking to voters and you have been on the trail even this week with nikki haley. it seems a as though our friend david chalian said we wish we had a week like nikki haley is having this week. she's certainly feeling the wind at her back. the question is what she going to do with it? this is one of the first answers. >> she will be happy to have a good week in january, not november. that's the whole point of this. what does it matter. but it matters in the sense that she is certainly getting hot at the right moment, when people are paying attention. we're sitting around here thinking, how can this be her first tv ad. it's almost december. but she has struggled throughout the here. they have been very careful spending money. now is the time when voters in iowa and new hampshire are paying attention. she's introducing herself. i'm struck by one thing. she asks people in her rooms and rallies how many of you are seeing me for the fist time. more than half of the crowd raised their

in georgia, jeff zeleny asked why some of them are less inclined to support biden this time. >>> people may not vote because they say, well, this happened under the biden/harris administration. >> reporter: as kerry singleton looks ahead to the next presidential election, he's thinking back to the promises he heard president biden and vice president harris deliver on a visit to atlanta. >> pass the freedom to vote act. pass it now! >> reporter: on that winter day, the president was closing in on his first year in office. hopes were high for singleton and other students on the grounds of clark-atlanta university and morehouse college. since then voting rights legislation stalled. the supreme court rejected a student loan forgiveness plan and high prices from food to housing are fueling economic anxieties. >> i do think that everyone is willing to hold the administration accountable for some of those promises that were made, and if they don't happen, i think it will be a scary election. >> reporter: for all the warning signs facing the president a year before the election, the skepticism

jeff zeleny, cnn, atlanta. >>> a new u.n. report says the world is widely off track in its goals at reducing carbon emissions and climate change. we'll have details on that coming up. >>> new u.n. report says the world is not doing nearly enough or moving quickly enough to keep a life threatening level of climate change at bay. report finds that even if countries stick to their climate pledges, in 2030 we'll still see 9% more planet heating pollution than in 2010. current goals are not nearly enough to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels. the u.s. has given its own assessment, a sweeping new report warns that even though the u.s. is slowly decreasing, it is not happening quickly enough to meet the country's targets and the effects of climate change are advisable in every parts of the country. >> this assessment shows us in clear scientific terms that climate change is impacting all regions, all sectors of the united states, not just some, all. it shows that communities across america are ta

jeff zeleny, alena treene and david chalian is now back at the table. jeff zeleny, you were outen the campaign trail a lot, including and especially in new hampshire. does what we're seeing here match with the kind of sentiment you're seeing on the ground? >> it does. i was in new hampshire just a little over a week ago with nikki haley. you can feel the excitementen surrounding her. you can see her in her crowd size. they have not had a trajectory of the race. there's an excitement level that kind of fits the state's electorate. we have covered new hampshire far long time. it's a state where there's a lot of independent minds. so she's been much softer in her views on abortion. she's call ed for a consensus. so yes, it definitely fits that. it also fits the overall picture that donald trump is still in the driver's seat here. and also chris christie. he has a special connection to those independent voters as well. when you add christie and haley up, you're getting close to a challenge there. but that's not how this works. he benefits from the division

jeff zeleny has now reporting, next. in order for small businesses to thrive, they need to be smart, efficient, savvy. making the most of every opportunity. that's why comcast business is introducing the small business bonus. for a limited time you can get up to a $1000 prepaid card with qualifying internet. yep, $1000. so switch to business internet from the company with the largest fastest reliable network and that powers more businesses than anyone else. learn how you can get $1000 back for your business today. comcast business. powering possibilities. >>> president biden is sailing president trump for comparing political enemies to vermin. at a private fundraiser, biden said the rhetoric sounds like something out of nazi germany. he also took aim at the assertion that undocumented immigrants are poison ing the blood of our country. cnn's jeff zeleny is following this story and more. >> reporter: it's clear that president biden is no longer ignoring the words of former president trump. it's also clear that biden campa

>> one year to go, jeff zeleny, thank you very much for that report. kate? from fbi director chris wray that the israel-hamas war has in his words, raised the threat of an attack against americans in the united states to a whole other level. what he's still telling congress this morning about the potential new terror threats to the united states and also what the fbi is monitoring in terms of investigations as this war continues. we'll be right back. >>> as we speak, fbi director christopher wray is testifying about the heightened threat here in the united states because of the ongoing war between israel and hamas. wray says the fbi is conducting multiple investigations into individuals affiliated with hamas. listen. >> since october 7th we've seen a rogue gallery foreign terrorist organizations call for attacks against americans and our allies. hezbollah expressed its support and praise for hamas and threatened to attack u.s. interests in the middle east. given those calls for action our most individual concern is that individuals or small groups will draw

jeff zeleny, scnn, miami. >>> and in the sunshine state donald trump promised to terminate president biden's border policies if he is elected. >> day one we will restore the trump travel ban on entry from terror plagued countries. and we will implement district vetting and screening for all new entrants into our country. we don't do that at all now. >> donald trump is the likely nominee, but he is also facing numerous charges which make his ability to hold office unclear if he is convicted. >> and with us now is richard johnson, queen mary university of london. lovely to have you with us this morning. given these debates are descending in to plenty of red on red attacks and nobody is coming off particularly well, i think, and donald trump is staying away from all of it, how do you think that that is playing? do you think that he is just gaining in popularity and status by keeping off that stage? >> trump has been vindicated in his decision not to participate in the debates. his polling now is stronger than it has been at any point in the last 18 months. cnn had a poll this week showi

jake. >> jeff zeleny in miami. thank you so much. >>> coming up next, donald trump's daughter ivanka trump in court today. her testimony in the civil fraud case against her dad and the family business. >>> plus, the current president's son, a new subpoena today for hunter biden. what is thatat about? that is comiming up. >>> in our law and justice lead, ivanka trump, donald trump's daughter, is still on the stand right now testifying in the new york civil fraud trial against her father, her brothers and the family business. cnn's kara scannell is outside of the courthouse in manhattan. we know she's not a defendant in this case. she was required to testify as a witness. she's being cross-examined by trump defense attorneys. so what did new york attorneys press her on earlier today? >> reporter: well, jake, that is right. she's no longer a defendant in this case and she lost her effort to block her subpoena to be here today and so now she's on the stand all day long and the state attorneys have been pressing about h

jeff zeleny, cnn, miami. >> and joining us is professor of government in cambridge. thank you so much. obviously trump always a theme in these elections. biden also a theme. perhaps his age. but abortion rights as well. how do you think that this will play into national elections next year? >> clearly democrats and republicans both were looking at this as some sort of proxy vote for the national party platforms next year. and perhaps as a harbinger of how a trump biden rematch might play out, you know, if you are the democrats obviously you're pretty happy. as you reported, democrats did well across the board on abortion where that was on the ballot directly or even a proxy vote, not just in kentucky and virginia, but pennsylvania perhaps. you saw the pro-choice position do very well indeed. and that has been a consistent theme since the dobbs decision last year. so if you are the democrats, you are looking at joe biden's pretty poor recent polling results and thinking, well, but we can reshape this election around perhaps more popular social agenda. as you noted, fo

cnn's jeff zeleny is live for us in miami ahead of the debate. jeff, what should we watch for tomorrow? >> boris, this debate may be the most important one yet, and here is why. we are just about two months before the voting begins in the 2024 republican primary. and quite frankly time is running out for some of these candidates to make their moves in this race. so what we are looking for first and foremost, there are five candidates on stage at the debate tomorrow evening, the smallest we have seen so far. it started in august with eight candidates. it's slowly been whittling down. and we are seeing a consolidation here. but the two candidates at the center of the stage, florida governor ron desantis and nikki haley, the former south carolina governor and former u.n. ambassador, have been on a collision course for several weeks if not months. and look for that to continue tomorrow. there is no doubt that these candidates are trying to win the race, if you will, for second place. of course the former governor of new jersey chris christie has been

jeff zeleny in nashua, new hampshire for us. jeff, thank you very much. >>> meanwhile, college campuses have become a flashpoint for antisemitic and islamophobic hate incidents, which have also been rising across the united states since the start of the israel-hamas war. brian todd is monitoring these very disturbing developments for us. what's the latest, brian? >> reporter: wolf, tensions are boiling tonight at some of america's best-known elite universities, many of which are really struggling to bring antisemitism and islamophobia on campus under control. at cornell university classes canceled friday in the wake of the arrest of a student for making disturbing antisemitic threats. while students say they're breathing a sigh of relief -- >> we're still scared. we're glad he's in custody. but there's still certainly a fearful environment. >> reporter: a 21-year-old junior at cornell, patrick dai is in custody and has not yet entered a plea. prosecutors say in online posts he threatened to kill jewish students at cornell and to

cnn's jeff zeleny explains. >> for the next year, as republicans try to win the senate, keep their narrowajority in the house, and when mike the white house, abortion will be front and center in their strategy. the lessons of tuesday night's elections in virginia, ohio, and in kentucky certainly serve as a reminder that abortion is still a very potent issue and has not become a motivating factor for democrats. of course since the supreme court overturned roe v. wade within dobbs decision in little more than a year ago, there are so many examples now election after election where republicans are largely on the losing side of this argument. we are going to see much of this discussion at a republican presidential debate here in miami on wednesday. there has been a difference of view point to some degree about the way forward on abortion. nikki haley for example, former south carolina governor has tried to strike someone of a middle ground. now donald trump for his part will not be participating in the debate, but he has tried to not dwell on abortion. he believes it is a losing issue in the

jeff zeleny has more. >> reporter: the inflammatory rhetoric that's gotten donald trump into hot water in the courtroom -- >> this judge is very partisan judge. >> reporter: is the fuel of his political campaign. >> you have to get out and you have to fight like hell because he ithese are dirty players. >> reporter: the former president is waging a campaign of vengeance. attacking judges, going after prosecutors, and raising the spector of violence. >> we will immediately stop all of the pillaging and theft. very simply, if you rob a store, you can fully expect to be shot as you are leaving that store. shot. >> reporter: in his third presidential bid, retribution has become a far louder rallying cry. he suggested mark milley, the former chairman. joint chiefs of staff, should be executed for treason. he joked about the attack on former speaker nancy pelosi's husband. implored supporters to drive away his enemies. >> 2024 is our final battle. we will demolish the deep state. expel the war mongers, get them all out of our government. >> reporter: while the legal challenges are linked wit

>> jeff zeleny live in miami, good morning, jeff. great to have you. the candidates spent a lot of time on substance. i thought it was an important debate on substance, on key issues, but also attacking each other. >> reporter: good morning, phil and poppy. of course it was a deeply substantiative conversation. this was the first debate since the october 7th attack in israel. of course it changed the shape of foreign policy which really had not been discussed much in the campaign up until now. but the question is in this furious race for second place, is an academic exercise or are voters open to changing their minds. on a raucous debate night in miami. >> change your mind, that's allowed but don't lie to the people. >> reporter: florida governor ron desantis and former south carolina governor nikki haley scrambling to become the leading alternative to donald trump. desantis blaming the former president for presiding over a party that endured major defeats tuesday in virginia, kentucky and ohio. >> he said republicans were going to get tired of winning

. >> re >> jeff zeleny is "outfront." this is not the day that republicans expected really on the defensive today after last night's significant wins for democrats. what are you hearing? >> reporter: well, erin, it's become a familiar story for republicans in the era of donald trump. think back to 2018, 2020, 2022. now add abortion into the mix, which has been front and center for more than a year. that's what led to some of the results last evening. talking to republicans throughout the day, they are not despondent necessarily but certainly disappointed. now, this does not change the overall trajectory of the next year-long campaign ahead of us. there's no doubt that president biden still faces significant headwinds. but one thing now is clear. abortion is a motivating factor for democrats, and it certainly has been hurting republicans. now, democrats were spending the day trying to think of what states they are trying to put these abortion referendums on for next year. arizona comes to mind. some want to try and adhere

cnn's jeff zeleny was at the debate and has a report. >> at the third republican presidential debate, here in miami, the race to become the leading alternative to donald trump was more furious and louder than ever. florida governor ron desantis took immediate aim at the former president for those republican losses on tuesday night. and he said, republicans were going to get tired of winning. well, we saw last night, i'm sick of republicans losing. >> former south carolina governor, nikki haley, who is also served as human invested are in the trump administration also said it's time to move on from donald trump. >> everybody wants to talk about president trump. well i could talk about president trump. i can tell you that i think it was the right president at the right time. i don't think he's the right president now. i think he put us a trillion dollars in debt, and our kids are never gonna forgive us in that. i think the fact that he used to be right on, ukrainian foreign issues, now he's getting weak in the knees and trying to be friendly again. >> italy has been gaining momentum in

jeff zeleny, when president biden takes questions, as he is expected to do in just a few moments here, they are going to be all sorts of things. they are going to be about israel and gaza. no question about that. young voters, he is doing very poorly with right now in polls. he needs to turn that around. his team knows that. a big part of the reason why, according to some of the reporting, you have done and some of your team is because of israel gaza. people like this. >> i think that young voters recognize you can't bomb your way to peace and security. and, so, we do feel uncomfortable with that. >> i voted for biden. >> and are you going to vote for him again in 2024? >> i mean, if you would have asked me a month ago, i would have said absolutely 100% no doubt about it. but honestly the past few weeks have changed everything and i don't know anymore. >> okay, jeff, this is a crucial moment. how does he walk the line tonight? because he is going to have to. and it's not going to be just one question. i'd be shocked, right, if it was one question. continuing his steadfast support for

thank you very much, jeff zeleny in atlanta tonight. and when you take all of this into account, you've got to take into account that there is something else at play. right now there is, and that's rfk jr. because he's really hoping to make a play here in 2024 tonight telling a crowd in south carolina that he is counting on young people to do it. here he is moments ago. >> i'm the only one who's talking about what's happening to you think people in this consultant. somehow, in the terms of the last two presidents, the young people of this country have completely lost faith in the united states of america and lost any hope for their own futures. and that to me is the most heartbreaking data point that i've seen since i began running in this campaign. >> all right. well, kennedy is picking up momentum. so that message and other things he says is working for plenty of people. a poll from "new york times" and siena college shows him polling at 22%. that's higher than any independent or third party candidate this late in the race since ross

cnn's jeff zeleny has more on the important story for us. jeff, in court and on the campaign trail, trump is clearly on the attack. >> reporter: wolf, there's no question this has become a campaign of vengeance, much more sharper and violent language and rhetoric than we saw during his first presidential campaigns. it may be costing him in the courtroom, but on the campaign trail, it's anything but. the inflammatory rhetoric that's gotten donald trump into hot water in the courtroom -- >> this judge is a very partisan judge. >> reporter: -- is the fuel of his political campaign. >> you have to get out, and you have to fight like hell, because these are dirty players. >> reporter: more than ever before, the former president is waging a campaign of vengeance, attacking judges, going after prosecutors, and raising the specter of violence. >> we will immediately stop all of the pillaging and theft, very simply, if you rob a store, you can fully expect to be shot as you are leaving that store. shot. >> reporter: in his third presidential bid, retr

and so jeff zeleny is not far away. what is going to happen this time, jeff? >> well, it is maybe not the biggest event of their lives, kate, but of the presidential campaign, it is. time is running out, and 69 days by my count until the iowa caucuses open up the campaign on january 15th. so this is a key moment for some candidates to make the move. now, the debates have changed the structure of the race at least below the trump level if you will. the first debate had eight and the next was seven and tomorrow has five. nikki haley has been benefiting from the debates more than any other candidate. so she is coming into the debate tomorrow night with the momentum, but more of a target on her back. the highest stakes without a doubt are for ron desantis. he is flying here later today from iowa where he picked up the key endorsement from the iowa republican governor kim reynolds, and she is traveling to iowa with him, and how will he hold up on the stage, as chris christie and tim scott, and the entrepreneur vivek ramaswamy. will they go after one another or dona

jeff zeleny is there. what are you hearing from sources from the campaigns who are showing up tonight? >> we know that with five candidates on the stage, there are going to be more of an opportunity to engage with one another. and this debate is not happening in a vacuum. the results of last night's election, which you have been talking about throughout the broadcast, are certainly going to come front and center in tonight's debate. what i mean by that first and foremost is abortion . we have heard nikki haley trying to find a consensus. last night chris christie talked about how republicans need to find a new way. right here in florida, ron desantis has signed a six-week abortion ban. so there are real differences between these republican cand candidates. so that's one thing that we can expect them to engage on. also foreign policy. this is the first debate that has happened since the war with israel and hamas. so look for the differences in policy view points on that to also come front and center. but th

jeff zeleny has been following haley and her climbing poll numbers in early primary states. you are in one of those primary states. the first primary state of new hampshire. what are you hearing? >> there is no doubt we are really seeing a tale of two republican races. donald trump, of course, is leading this field in every metric. but nikki haley is also coming on very strong. that endorsement from the koch brothers network because they are spending millions of dollars on television. they have an army of conservative activists. there's no doubt seeing seeing bigger crowds. she's trying to win the race for second place, if if you will. of course, from there, even if she would go head to head against donald trump, she faces many on bstacles, which she's wl aware of. that's getting ahead of ourself. she's holding two more events this afternoon in new hampshire. she's trying to appeal to independent voters, trying to appeal to some of the republican voters who want to move on from donald trump. the question is can she is win over some of those trump voters who are still somewha

more from jeff zeleny on what for any republican hopeful is a very big endorsement. >> reporter: nikkin the move tonight hoping to capitalize on a golden endorsement in the republican presidential race. >> trump is pretty much even with biden. on a good day he might be 2 points up. in every poll we beat biden by 10 to 13 points. >> reporter: one of the nation's most powerful conservative grass roots organizations finance bible-in air charles koch. >> joe biden and donald trump had their chance. they can't fix what's broken. >> reporter: the question for haley is whether she'll ever get the chance and move beyond the race for first place. today's endorsement is the latest attempt by some gop heavy hitters to urge voters to coalesce around a trump alternative. the group is pledging to spend millions on television ads and more. yet it's far from certain how many republicans are actually looking for one. >> right now trump has my vote. >> reporter: we met wayne walking into a haley rally on monday in south carolina. her rise intrigues him, and he's open to her candidacy yet far from sold.

cnn's jeff zeleny traveled to georgia to find out why some of them are less inclined to support bidens time around. >> reporter: as keri singleton looks to the next presidential election, he's thinking back to the promises he heard president biden deliver on a visit to atlanta. >> pass the freedom to vote act! pass it now! >> reporter: on that winter day, the president was closing in on his first year in office. hopes were high for singleton and other students. since then, voting rights legislation stalled. the supreme court rejects a student loan forgiveness plan, and high prices from food to housing are fuelling economic ang exiet anxieties. >> i think everyone is willing to hold the administration accountable for some of those promises made, and if they don't happen, i think it's going to be a scary election. >> reporter: the skepticism and apathy of young voters rank high. >> folks are poorer now than they were two years ago. there's going to have to be a lot of conversations about how we feel our issues are being home. >> reporter: this is the youngest woman to win a seat in the

>> jeff zeleny, thank you very much, always great to see you. kate?ext for us, cnn speaks to a group of jewish high school students amid what is believed to be the historic anti-semitism reaching historic levels in the united states according to the fbi director. >>> so very shortly, a cornell university student will appear in court after he was arrested and charged with threatening to kill and injure jewish students. >> according to court documents, the suspect posted at least one threat from the area where the university is located and also admitted to posting the threats in an interview with the fbi. cnn's athena jones is on this and she sat down with a group of jewish high school students about this terrifying and dangerous rise in antisemitism. a china, now that first and foremost after the arrest at cornell, what is the latest that you're hearing? >> we know that the suspect patrick is scheduled to appear in court and they'll discuss whether he'll be able to be released on bail or not, but this all comes as jewish people all across america are c

let's talk about this with jeff zeleny and cnn flnational political writer, fredricka scouten. take us through this point here. >> it confirms what we know, former president donald trump is still in the driver's seat of this race, in new hampshire as well. this is our new poll from the university of new hampshire and cnn, and let's look at these numbers. donald trump at 42%, up slightly from 39% just in september. also, nikki haley, 20%. that's up eight points from september. so she has the most movement, the most change in this race. we have seen that, of course, as her debate performance has really been one of thecandidacy. chris christie up a bit, up to 14%. and desantis at 9%. that explains why the florida governor is now putting essentially all of his campaign efforts into iowa, because new hampshire has stalled a bit. this is where we are a little more than two months before the new hampshire primary. they set the date of it yesterday. it will be on january 23rd. again, nikki haley having a good moment, but it's still donald trump's race to lose by a mile. >> definitely.

jeff zeleny, julie davis, and eva mcend. happy friday one and all for those who celebrate. >> what's a friday? >> this is so fascinating on so many levels what we saw happen with joe manchin. let's just you and i walked around those hallways many years ago together. we understand how seismic this is. we all do. for what they are hoping to do in the senate, which is keep control. >> they have a very small margin of control right now. this is already going to be a pretty hard year for them. they have competitive races in a lot of competitive states and other red states like montana. and some swing states like arizona and nevada and pennsylvania, ohio, these are all going to be hard races. and he was the last sort of foot to fall. everyone else decided what they were going to do and it was a real coup that sherrod brown decided he wasn't going to run again. this is something that joe manchin has been flirting with for six years of this term. and so this is something that democrats were thinking was a possibility, but were reall

jeff zeleny joins us now. you got a look at how things would play out on the campaign trail from the witness stand yesterday. i know you're already in miami ahead of tomorrow's debate. he will not be there, but he's going to be doing his own thing. >> reporter: he is. the witness stand is going to become a familiar place for donald trump, as is the defense table. we did get a glimpse yesterday of what we really have seen for several months. he was under oath, which he sell dom is, but he was as defined as ever. what has become clear is something we have been saying for so many months. his political strategy is intertwined. we saw that playing out yesterday in the courtroom, him being defiant and going out immediately is and using those same talking points to try to portray himself as the victim. that is his strategy going for forward, and it has worked. right now he has consolidated the base behind him and look for him to continue to do that tomorrow evening at a rally he will be having here in florida. he wil

jeff zeleny looks at how the former president is using his 2024 presidential campaign to lash out at his mountaining legal problems. >> the inflammatory rhetoric that has gotten donald trump into hot water in the courtroom -- >> this is judge is a very partisan judge. >> it the fuel of the his political campaign. >> you have to get out and you have to fight like hell. because these are dirty players. >> more than ever before, the former president is waging a campaign of vengeance. attacking judges, going after prosecutors, and raising the spector of violence. >> we will immediately stop all of the pillages and theft. very simply, if a rob a store, you could fully expect to be shot as you are leaving that store. shot. >> in his third presidential bid, retribution is a far louder rallying cry. he suggested mark milley, the former chair of the joint chiefs staff should be executed for treason and joked about the brutal attack on nancy pelosi's husband, he's implored supporters to drive away his enemies. >> 2024 is our final battle. with you add my side, we're expel the warmongers and ge

. >> and jeff zeleny, thanks so much.just ahead, former first lady rosalynn carter, and the memories of those who knew and loved her. >>> former first lady rosalynn carter will be laid to rest in her family's residence. the public was allowed to say goodbye, in a series of remembrance as this week, culminating in today's tribute services at glenn memorial church at -- university in atlanta. the service was attended by her devoted husband of 77 years, the former president jimmy carter, who is currently in hospice care. also there, the president joe biden, first lady jill biden, former president clinton, and all living former first lady including melania trump. it was a moving service -- primary speakers for his family, including daughter amy who you will see read the words of her father, the former president who is unable to speak. >> ♪ ♪ ♪ my mother was the group glue that held our family together. through the ups and downs and thick and thins of our families politics. my mother, rosalynn carter, was the most beautiful wo

jeff zeleny is "outfront." >> reporter: nikki haley is having a moment in the republican presidential race. >> who has decided who they're going to be with? >> reporter: the question is whether she can turn it into a winning one. that's precisely what haley was trying to do today in new hampshire, working to solidify herself as the leading alternative to donald trump. handshake by handshake, table by table, the former south carolina governor is making her case in increasingly urgent terms. >> we're right there. so it's just about getting as much support as we can. we have a country to save. >> yes. >> we have a country to save. >> reporter: with the former president still dominating the republican primary, haley is focused for now on the race for second place, rising through the ranks in the narrow lane of anyone but trump. she has settled into a solid second in south carolina, is battling for runner-up in new hampshire, and is locked in a tie in iowa with florida governor ron desantis with trump holding a commanding lead in all three early voting states. >> her numbers are moving, su

>> jeff zeleny is live for us in miami. to that point from the former president, not showing up has not seemed to hurt him at all. the candidates seemed to be attacking one another rather than trump. why. >> reporter: look, they're attacking one another because they're in furious scramble for second place, trying to emerge as the leading alternative to donald trump. it was clear that time is running out, and tensions nearly reached a boiling point. on a raucous debate night in miami. >> don't lie to the people. >> reporter: florida governor ron desantis and former south carolina governor nikki haley scrambling to become the leading alternative to donald trump. desantis blaming the former president for presiding over a party that endured major defeats tuesday in virginia, kentucky and ohio. >> he said republicans were going get tired of winning. we saw last night, i'm sick of republicans losing. >> haley imploring republicans to turn the page. >> i think he was the right president at the right time. i don't think he's the ri

. >> jeff zeleny and "the washington post" marianna sotomayor and so nice of you to join us. this is an interesting week. and in politics and trying to figure out what this means for 2024. maybe a lot. but there are a lot of key signs. amy, what is your takeaway, yes they've done well in the elections but things are looking bad for biden, how do they reconcile these? >> well you reconcile this when saying there is a choice in front of voters, they have to -- it is no longer theoretical and they have to decide do we want to take this candidate or this ideology, or this person or that person and that is why the white house does feel more confident about 2024 than the polls suggest because we're focusing on biden, because he's the president of the united states. once it is a clear contrast with donald trump, voters are going to get that same sort of choice like we saw in this -- not just this last election, last week, but in special elections and in off year elections, throughout the year democrats have overperformed. one thing i will be really weary about the issue of abortion,

jeff zeleny and david chalian join us. it seems like a more aggressive tone from the white house. >> it definitely is a more aggressive tone. he's trying toshow he's in the game. that he's not only president but also a candidate for president, and he wants to show a little bit of bravado here. it's clear that he has been sort of disheartened and angered by just this narrative that is setting in that he's in a head-to-head matchup with the former president and that he's down in all these polls. he's been through many elections and he's been down in many elections. he's lost a few elections. but he's won a key election as well. just trying to show she's he's a candidate for president as well and taking jabs at donald trump. he seemed to relish in that. all of this is to show it's a choice between the two of them. it's not just all on him. >> to that point, does the president have a point, hey, we're still really far out in the election? and sort of to that point, it's sort of what jim clyburn is saying. people are not in syn

let's go to miami, cnn's jeff zeleny is there.hat are you learning about why trump is holding this counterprogramming rally in high l hialeah? >> reporter: kate, we know that the former president does not want to be on the debate stage, we know that he does not want to be questioned on challenged so he is going to hold another rally in hialeah, florida. of course, he is trying to focus on what he believes is a growing advantage for him and perhaps other republican candidates as well, that is, the broader umbrella of the hispanic voters, particularly men. we've seen in poll after poll, survey after survey including our latest cnn poll looking at a head to head hypothetical matchup with president biden and former president donald trump. hispanic men in particular are one area where democrats are struggling with. we are told that is one of the things that former president donald trump will be focusing on tonight. talking about socialism, talking about other things he believes that democrats represent. of course, you will remember bac

let's discuss with jeff zeleny. what else did he have to say about the polls? >> it feels like general election time. we're not there yet. what president biden is clearly trying to do is show a little muscle and a little aggression here, going directly after the former president who's his likely opponent, but we don't know that yet. the republican primary hasn't started. he drilled down into these tuesday night election defeats in virginia. in a -- kentucky obviously and in ohio. he was talking about the jobs record under the former president, as well. he kind of coined a bit of a new nickname. he called him donald hoover trump, referring to president hoover who was presiding in office during the great depression, never mind the pandemic, i'm not sure that is going to stick. it reality is this is what president biden is trying to do. he's trying to remind people there's a choice, he won't be running alone. they're trying to make this a referendum, not a choice between -- between him and trump, not a referendum on his presidency. the bottom line this all this is

let us go to cnn's jeff zeleny right now. he's in miami. is the site of tomorrow's republican presidential debate, the third. jeff, how closely are the republican candidates for following tonight's results in, especially on this contentious issue of abortion rights? yes well, jake, the republican candidates and in fact, leaders across the republican party are watching these results very carefully on abortion, particularly in virginia and ohio. >> even a supreme court race in pennsylvania and here is why they are mindful of the landmines that abortion created for the republican party in the 2022 midterm elections. for decades, of course, abortion was a motivating factor. more on the republican side. that changed dramatically after the supreme court decision in the dobbs case. so democrats, of course, are holding this out as one of their top options, immunities, they believe, to fire up their own voters. so the candidates are watching this very carefully and there are some differences between the republican candidates, as we will hear at the

thanks anderson, joining me now here in the spin room as cnn chief national forest correspondent jeff zelenywho's spent a lot of time on the campaign trail with his candidates. what was your take away? >> i think the takeaway is you could really feel the urgency and the argument of the candidates. auto anything particularly happened tonight that is going to suddenly cause an awakening with an iowa or new hampshire voters that -- you can sort of see that raise contracting. five candidates onstage, but the time the next debate happens, probably even fewer. so this is narrowing. this is considerably different than that race in 2015 16. it is narrowing. but the biggest takeaways are nikki haley and ron tennis are still and each of those wait to be that leading alternative to donald trump. and i think they each had some moments tonight. i'm not sure voters were following specifically the ins and outs of the china debate. it seemed a little bit in the weeds here. but some of the things that may linger are the abortion discussion. >> you know, we were talking about it before i interviewed tim scott

you anderson, joining me now, here in the spin room is a cnn chief national affairs correspondent jeff zelenya lot of time on the campaign trail but these candidates. what was your take away? >> look, i think the takeaway is that you can really feel the urgency in the arguments of the candidates. i don't know that anything particularly happened tonight that is going to suddenly cause an awakening within iowa or new hampshire voters that, boy, i'm gonna go with this person, but you can sort of see the race contracting. five candidates onstage, by the time the next debate happens, probably even fewer. so this really is narrowing. this is considerably different than the race in 2015 and 16. it is narrowing, but the biggest takeaways are that nikki haley and ron desantis are still in each other's way to be the leading alternative to donald trump. and i think that they each had some moments tonight. i am not sure the voters were following specifically the ins and outs of the china debate. it seemed a little bit in the weeds here. but i do think some things that may linger, they are the abortion di

but i do want to go to jeff zeleny because he's been following the republican presidential candidatesnd what they're looking at tonight. so, jeff, on that front, how are they responding not only to tonight's votes as we are watching this come in, but to the poll that we've been david chalian has been going through bit by bit here through the night that cnn just came out with, which frankly is very dismal poll for president biden. >> well, aaron, a year before the 2024 election, not all republican fans are celebrating president biden's low approval rating and those headwinds that are facing him on inflation, on the economy and more. and here is why. a central part of their argument for the last several months at all the debates, including the one here tomorrow night, has been that trump can't win, that trump cannot beat joe biden. well the poll numbers and just the overall sense of the sour mood of the country, we now are essentially have a race that argument or certainly watered down that argument for republican candidates. so in a nutshell, aaron, the weakness of president biden has