leading presidential candidates dealing with major legal distractions as they prepare to head into the first contest of the 2024 election season. on friday, a federal appeals court upheld most of a gag order barring former president trump from attacking certain witnesses, prosecutors and court staff. trump is vowing to appeal the ruling, which centers on his federal election subversion case. this comes as president biden hits the campaign trail just hours after his son was indicted again. hunter biden is now facing new federal tax evasion charges. prosecutors accuse him of a four-year tax evasion scheme and spending millions of dollars on things like drugs, escorts and exotic cars. if convicted on all nine criminal counts, he could face up to 17 years in prison. the charges come as house republicans continue to pressure hunter biden to testify at a congressional hearing and prepare to vote on a resolution to authorize an impeachment inquiry into president biden. paula reed has more. >> president biden ignored questions friday about the latest criminal charges filed against his son. >> any comment on the new charges against your son? >> reporter: those new charges laid out in a 56-page indictment unsealed thursday. prosecutors allege hunter biden engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. they allege the younger biden had money, but spent it on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars and, in short, everything but his taxes. the case was supposed to be resolved by a plea deal that fell apart this certain. >> i'm cooperating completely. i'm 100% certain that at the end of the investigation i will be cleared. >> reporter: the case stemmed from hunter biden's lucrative overseas business dealings. he did eventually pay taxes he owed along with hundreds of thousands in penalties and fees. prosecutors say when he did finally file his returns, he included false business deductions to reduce his tax liability. his lawyers claim prosecutors bowed to political pressure to bring charges against the president's son. in a statement, his attorney abby lowell said if hunt's last name was anything other than biden, the charges in delaware and now california would not have been brought. in a newly released podcast recorded before the indictment, biden said the pressure comes from republicans intent on undermining his father. >> they are trying to, in their most illegitimate way, but rational way, they're trying to destroy a presidency. so it's not about me. in their most base way, what they're trying to do is, they're trying to kill me, knowing that it will be a pain greater than my father could be able to handle. >> reporter: the indictment does not include my evany evidence lg these alleged crimes to president biden, but republicans push forward with their impeachment inquiry and pursuing an interview with the president's son. >> my concern is that weiss may have indicted hunter biden to protect him from having to be deposed in the house oversight committee on wednesday. >> reporter: that claim doesn't really pass muster, because hunter biden did not use the indictment he was already facing in delaware to avoid sitting down with lawmakers. he has committed to a public interview, something the lawmakers on that committee have so far rejected, insisting first on a behind-closed-doors deposition. so they appear to be at a stalemate. it's unclear when, if ever, he will appear for an interview on the hill. initial appearance has not yet been scheduled d in court. >> amid his son's legal troubles, president biden is >> does this insulate hunter biden where he doesn't have to participate or can refuse any kind of deposition or subpoena to testify? >> no. because he had that fifth amendment right all along. he had an indictment in delaware. we saw in the mueller investigation and the current investigations by jack smith, all of these people taking fifth amendments when not charged with crimes. so it's really not the case that this charge somehow protected hunter biden from having to testify. this testimony stuff is really a bit of a red herring in suspect to the criminal charges that hunter biden faces. those are failure to pay $1.4 million over a period from 2016 to 2019 on about $7 million in income. >> republicans have also argued that hunter biden is connected to all kinds of inappropriate foreign business dealings, but thus far he has not been charged with anything related to that. this indictment doesn't mention his father and provides no links of hunter's wrongdoing to his dad, the president. but some house republicans say this indictment bolsters their need for an impeachment inquiry. how might this impact an impeachment inquiry into president biden? >> well, in the public record so far, there is no evidence linking what hunter biden was doing during this 2016 to 2019 period to his father. this period of time hunter biden was on the board of burisma, a ukrainian oil company, none of which seemed to be connected to his father. to say this behavior implicates his father, the sitting president, in impeachable conduct, to me, makes no sense whatsoever. what is clear is that hunter biden didn't pay his taxes. what is clear is that hunter biden earned $7 million that he probably would not have been able to earn were he not his father's son. therefore he has this problem of being a politically exposed person, a person who is in the public domain, and prosecutors look at those people more seriously than regular private citizens. >> let me shift to donald trump and his fraud trial ongoing in new york right now. he wants to testify on monday. the court did uphold the gag order against him. so how significant, in your view, is this? might he defy the gag order, which is what his attorneys have said as to why they recommend he should not testify on monday. what's at stake for the former president. >> well, i think that there is no reason for trump to testify on monday. he has testified already as a prosecution-called witness. his expert witnesses have made the case that the way that the property's were evaluated were subjective and not intentionally fraudulent. i don't think he needs to go there. if he goes there, i think it really is a matter of political show and really part of a campaign effort than a criminal defe -- well, it's a civil case, not a criminal case. if i were his lawyers, i'd do everything i couldwould do everg i could to keep him out of that court, but i think he wants to go in there and use this as a political platform matter. still to come, israel advancing its military operations in southern gaza. they issued a new appeal for civilians to leave areas in the south, while in the u.s. it is facing condemnation after it vetoed a u.n. security council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. new blasts today in southern gaza as israel advances its military operations into khan younis. israel defense forces say they carried out strikes on about 450 targets in gaza over the past day, the most since a truce with hamas ended one week ago. the fighting happened just hours after the u.s. vetoed a unsecurity co u.n. security council resolution which called for an immediate ceasefire in gaza. a hostage has died during what israel calls a failed rescue mission. alex marquardt is in tel aviv. the idf is now warning people in much of khan younis to evacuate. what is the latest on the ground? >> reporter: so much of the focus by israel has been on khan yo younis, the second biggest city in the gaza. the idf says they are carrying out intensive operations to encircle the city. they said they're operating in the heart of the city and going from house to house and tunnel to tunnel. we have seen aerial assaults by israel and we've already seen ground forces operating quite actively on the ground. now the idf just a few hours ago issued what they're calling an urgent appeal to residents and civilians of central khan younis to head southwest to what they say are known shelters. essentially israel says they are going to start operating in these areas and it's going to become very dangerous for civilians. i think this serves to show how complicated and stressful these evacuations can be not only for people who live there, but for people who fled there from the north. just a couple of hours ago the idf posted a map online full of grids. they said that specifically in five of these small areas, very specific areas in central khan younis, that people there should move to the southwest to a much bigger, wide open area. now, it is unclear whether anybody in khan younis or many of them can actually access this map, whether they can get online, whether they're quick iquickly checking twitter, which takes a you to a map, which takes you to another complicated map, which is unhelpfully oriented in a different direction. if you go to that bigger area in the southwest, you can go to known shelters. at this point, it is not clear how many people may have gotten this message. it is not clear what shelters there actually are there. we know the u.n. has set up some shelters in southern gaza, but we also know they are bursting at the seams. it's really not clear where these people are going to go. we have reached out to the idf for clarification on what shelters they're referring to, and we have yet to hear back, fred. >> we also saw the u.s. block a u.n. resolution calls for a ceasefire in gaza. what has been the response to the u.s. using its veto power at this stage of the war. >> globally speaking, there has been a lot of outrage. at the same time, a lot of people are not surprised because this resolution clearly called for an immediate ceasefire. that is something the united states has refused to do. israel has thanked the u.s. for using their veto. this resolution had 97 cosponsors all saying there should be an immediate ceasefire. the u.n. secretary general invoked article 99, which is rarely used. the security council voted. these 15 members voted. 13 voted in favor of an immediate ceasefire. the u.k. abstained, and the u.s. voted against it, there vetoing this resolution. the reaction came fast and furious. i want to show you a little bit of it. the prime minister of the palestinian authority said that the failure of the security council to stop the aggression is a disgrace and a new license for continued killing, destruction and displacement. the use of the veto exposes the hypocrisy of claiming to care about the lives of civilians. we also heard from the group doctors without borders, who wrote, by vetoes this resolution, the u.s. stands alone in casting its vote against humanity. finally, there was this message of thanks from the israeli ambassador who says i thank the united states and president biden for standing firmly by our side and showing their leadership and values on this hanukkah holiday. >> alex marquardt, thank you. the u.s. state department is bypassing congress as it prepares a possible munitions sale to israel. officials sent an emergency declaration to lawmakers late last night. the sale includes 13,000 tank shells, worth about $106 million, to be sent immediately to israel. let's bring in joel rubin, the former deputy assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs for the obama administration. he's also running for congress in maryland. good to see you. before i get your reaction to the munitions sale issue, what is your reaction to the u.s. using its veto power at the u.n. over the u.n. resolution? you saw criticism saying this is a vote against humanity, the position that the u.s. has taken. >> it's great to be with you. as alex laid out, it's a tough vote, very tough vote. i think what this shows to israel in particular is that there's limited time available, that the united states is willing to protect against a biased resolution, as this one was, where it did not call out hamas. a week or so ago, hamas broke the truce that allowed kidnapped israelis to be exchanged for palestinians who were in the prison. hamas broke that. so this whole process that the u.n. put forward clearly is designed to put pressure on. i think without a mechanism there's no that such a resolution could end up creating a lasting, durable ceasefire. all that said, there's not a limited time for the united states to continue to provide this political cover for israel at the united nations. we're talking weeks, if that, before the united states is going to likely be pushed to change its position. i think the israelis understand that as well. this was a very tough vote for the u.s. to take. >> now to that munitions sale to israel. there continues to be growing international pressure for the u.s. to support some sort of ceasefire, a last one in gaza. why do you think the state department is circumventing congress to get these tank shells to israel right now? >> fred, on a technical level, this is a lot of what i worked on in the obama administration, this relationship between the executive branch and the state department and the congress. there is a notification process that informally allows congress to hold or prevent already-appropriated funds from moving forward to execution, meaning, these funds were already appropriated. foreign military financing is the program. the administration wanted to get them in israel's hands now. congress could hold that up, but the administration is willing to take the risk and say we need to get them approved. there is not unlimited time. israel is in a moment right now where it is engaged in aggressive actions against hamas. to pause that or slow that down paradoxically could slow down the whole process of finishing this military activity longer. i think the administration made the choice to tell congress they're not going to observe the informal hold, if there is one. they're going to pass that. there is a cost in the relationship between the two bodies, but this will mean that these funds go straight to israel. they need the munitions to continue their fight. >> it's hard to believe it's now been a week since that truce ended in gaza. israel is now involved in very heavy fighting in southern gaza along with israel dropping leaflets, providing qr codes for safe places for people to go. with these kinds of circumstances and very few people having internet access to even take advantage of those qr codes, how do you get both sides back to the negotiating table under these kinds of circumstances? >> i mean, it's heartbreaking. the humanitarian assistance that we and other countries are providing is a drop in the bucket for the need. to your point, the diplomatic process has to happen. we have our allies in egypt and qatar that have tight inroads with hamas. getting them to fully engage more actively with hamas in order to commit to a ceasefire, i think this is the problem. there was a test a week or so ago with that collapse. to get that confidence back after that test failed where there was a good process under way that all sides thought was working, that's going to be really hard. i think this is why we see the renewed activity from israel. without a doubt our allies, particularly in egypt, feeling extreme pressure, very much worried about a refugee crisis coming over the border into sinai and then into egypt that they do not want. we have to be active in terms of working with our allies to get another commitment out of hamas. absent that, we're going to likely see this war go until israel feels it's achieved its military objective, which is to completely take away hamas. that's when you're going to see israel more comfortable with calming the military activity down. >> what is your comfort level on those images that were dispensed that the world saw with palestinian men on their knees stripped down to their underwear and the idf saying they did so because they wanted to make sure they were not armed as they were looking for hamas members? >> yeah. you know, fred, they can have the argument any which way they want, but that brings back hard memories of iraq, of the war in iraq, of this sort of grouping of men and humiliating them in public. i think it's too far. israel, if it wants to continue to claim the moral high ground in this fight, it needs to continue to try to maintain that and show some dignity to those detained that they have the right to detain, but they need to ensure it's done in a way that does not dehumanize those who have been detained. >> joel rubin, thank you so much. a texas woman fighting to get a legal abortion is told she has to wait once again. much more on the late night court ruling, next. a late-night court decision is dealing another set back to a texas woman trying to obtain a legal abortion to end her high-risk pregnancy. the supreme court is halting kate cox's attempt to get that emergency procedure just a day after she was granted permission by a lower court judge. camila bernal is following the story for us. what happened? >> reporter: kate cox is 31 years old. she's 28 weeks pregnant. her unborn baby was diagnosed with a fatal genetic condition. her health is at risk and her future reproductive health is at risk. she sought this legal abortion by suing. a texas judge granted that legal abortion, which is extremely significant in texas, because it has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. the attorney general ken paxton did not agree with that ruling and asked the state supreme court to intervene. that is exactly what they did, freezing the lower court's decision and saying essentially for now she cannot have that legal abortion in the state of texas. the supreme court is saying that's a pending case. but but, again, she's 20 weeks pregnant and there is no timeline when or how this will be decided. her attorney is staying this is an urgent medical emergency that should not be decided in the courts. but ken paxton says she has failed to prove that her life is at risk. she in her lawsuit is saying she's been to the hospital multiple times with emergencies because of her pregnancy, also saying her baby is only going to live a few days. she says her life and her future fertility is at risk, which is why she's asking for this legal abortion in the state of texas. for now, the state supreme court is saying not yet. we'll be right back. despite what most analysts rate as a surprisingly good economy, a lot of voters aren't buying it. in fact, people feel like they can't buy as much this year. that could give donald trump an edge. a new "wall street journal" poll shows trump narrowly leading joe biden in a hypothetical matchup. that's the backdrop for a beloved tradition in a tiny loui louisiana town. >> reporter: this is the annual redneck christmas parade in west monroe, louisiana. >> it's not your typical christmas parade. we have a motorized lazy boy. you can't get much more redneck than that. >> it's always a good laugh. >> it's part of our town. i don't think there's very many rules. pretty much anything goes. >> reporter: behind the joke, there's a tough reality. it's a very poor community and the parade serves as a holiday toy drive. >> i have been a child that has been less fortunate growing up. i had the parade and the fire department give me and my brothers christmas gifts. this is my way of returning the love. >> reporter: is there a lot of need in this community? >> lord, yes. people don't realize this is kind of like a third world country. >> there's many, many homeless in this area. >> there's a lot of abandoned homes and trailers they're living in. >> and in the woods, they just makeshift tents. they work, managing to survive until everything got so expensive and they couldn't afford the little apartments or houses that they had. >> interest rates skyrocketing, fuel skyrocketing, milk $5 a gallon. >> reporter: do you have any thoughts about the upcoming presidential election? >> we hope trump gets back in there. maybe he can straighten it out. >> reporter: why do you think he'd straighten it out? >> because it wasn't in this turmoil when he left. all this has managed to happen in the last three years. >> i think we are going downhill. for a parent like me that's a single mom and not being able to find work, feels like you keep getting put in a hole. you're trying to climb out, but you keep getting knocked down. >> reporter: president biden's campaign has been pushing bidenomics, saying the economy has been getting better since he's been in office. but inflation is rising. public opinion says people still think it's bad. there's some commentary saying the economy was bad, but now it's better, unemployment is lower. what do you say to those people? >> i say that's a big, fat lie. >> reporter: why? >> look at our pocketbooks. what little people may have been able to save from the stimuluses we got, it's gone. people are living off credit now, if they even have that. i don't know how these families that come to this redneck parade, this community, even can buy groceries. you've got to choose, do i buy gas, buy groceries or pay my electric bill? >> reporter: louisiana is a deep red state and neither campaign will pay much money to win over voters here. many people didn't want to comment on politics, but those who did focused on the economy. >> the economy, economy, economy. it's horrible. we're ready for trump -- can i say that? >> totally. >> we're ready for trump to get back in. can't wait. we're counting on it. >> i think he cares. i may be wrong, but i think he does. not to say he's going to be perfect. we know that a lot of things he does, eh. but for the most part when he was in office, even with everything going on, he accomplished a lot. >> reporter: do you think pbide doesn't care about people down here? >> i don't think he has a clue. >> reporter: you've probably seen a lot running a convenience store? >> oh yeah. they've got problems with drugs, meth, fentanyl. i blame biden for that too. >> reporter: who do you think you'd vote for in the 2024 presidential election? >> trump. >> reporter: why? >> because he's the only president, in my knowledge, that's given back to the people and helps the people. if he's in jail, i'd vote for him. >> reporter: elle reeve, cnn, west monroe, louisiana. up next, it's one of the longest-running football rivalries. we're live as army and navy face off for the 124th time. the army and navy will face off for the 124th time this afternoon in what is one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports. coy wire joins us from massachusetts where they are geared up, ready to go. what's going on? >> reporter: yeah. first time in new england. this is incredible, dating back to 1890, fred, with its pageantry, the rich tradition, banging it out for bragging rights on the football field. it is one of the greatest rivalries on the planet. we did catch up with one family who's living in a house divided. colonel frank rubio, nasa astronaut, class of 1998 from west point. his son andrew currently at west point, his daughter lydia currently at the naval academy. he just came back from the longest space mission by any american astronaut in history, 371 days in space. he's back here now to see his first army/navy game since he graduated. >> we are absolutely going to go at it today. army is going to win for sure. but the other 364 days we are brothers and sisters in arms. we work together. yeah, we are best of friends except for tonight. >> both teams are going through the same thing being in armed forces. that makes the stakes a little higher. it's a ton of fun. >> this rivalry took my first best friend and made him my biggest rival. it's so fun to have someone i know at the other school and makes it all the more special and exciting to be here today. >> reporter: we have another house divided. david and eric are twins, seniors, one at army, one at navy. they too are in a conundrum. listen. >> we support each other. i support my twin brother all the time. it just comes to these rivalries where it's like, well, man, i love you and i love that we have this shared connection of both being in service academies. but on this one day, there's no substitute for victory. >> we're going to be going around talking a little bit of smack to each other. he's going to be talking smack to my friends at the naval academy. it's a very fun environment. we're not the best of friends right now, that's for sure. >> reporter: this place is going to be rocking today, fred. gillette stadium is packed. you have lots of people rolling in to see this 124th edition of the iconic army/navy game. it is going to be epic. kickoff is at 3:00 eastern. >> ready for battle. you know what team i'm going for. >> reporter: what's that? >> go usa. [ laughter ] >> reporter: we can't lose. >> t thank you s so much, cocoy. we'll be r right back.k. hello again, everyone.