newsroom. i m jim acosta in washington. we begin with fears of growing escalation in the middle east. the pentagon says an iranian attack drone struck a commercial ship operating in the indian ocean on saturday. a u.s. defense official says a fire broke out on the chemical tanker with nearly two dozen crew members on board, but no one was hurt. it comes as newly declassified u.s. intelligence suggests iran has been deeply involved in a series of attacks by houthi rebels in the red sea. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is announcing a d deepening of the conflict saying the fighting will intensify until there s a vikt rip over hamas. one of the deadliest days of the conflict with 15 soldiers killed on friday. several hamas militants also killed as mounting slin deaths grow, beyond 20,000 according to hamas-controlled health ministry in gaza. we re covering this story from all angles. let s go to kevin liptak at the white house for us. kevin, how are the u.s. and other
the orioles. the highlight of the show for me. i like the squirrel. we will see you tomorrow. thanks so much for joining us this morning. cnn news central starts right now. look at that beautiful day out there. i love that shot of the hudson. finally making it official, florida governor ron desantis is set to launch his presidential bid today. how he changes the race as the republican field expands and what does elon musk have to do with it? shelter now. a stark warning as a typhoon packing wind gusts over 100 miles per hour barrels into land. a look at the devastation as the worst of it is hitting right now. the mar-a-lago documents case reaches a critical moment. donald trump s lawyers demand a meeting with the attorney general as the special counsel closes in on a decision about whether to charge. this is cnn news central. let the games begin. the one competitor that donald trump appears to be most focused on is about to jump in the race. florida governor
we ve been waiting for you. glad to have you along. good morning. i m victor blackwell. glad to see you this morning. and i m amara walker. happy to spind the holiday with you. more than 42 million people expected to head out this memorial day weekend. we re going to tell you what to expect if you re going to the airport or driving to your destination. plus lawmakers racing to reach a deal. now treasury secretary janet yellen has more. and a plot to kill the queen? 40 years ago when she was getting ready to visit the u.s. the details ahead. all by myself anymore every time i hear that for all these years, i still get chill bumps. the best 15 minutes of celine dion for any of her songs. now she has canceled her world tour for 2024. she battles health issues. health officials say she may never be able to tourn again. we ll have the latest on her condition. first, travel season. experts say it will be a busy one. aaa expects 42.3 million americans to travel 50
i would say the crib bars are too high for the grandpa. that was adorable. we ve been ending the show with a lot of singing this morning. that sounded on tune. the next morning of cnn this morning starts now. good morning and welcome to cnn this morning. it s sunday, december 17th. i m omar jimenez in for victor blackwell. hello, omar, good to be with you. i m amara walker. here is what we re watching this morning. immigration is front and center on the campaign trail and on capitol hill. the biden campaign is condemning the former president s newest comments while trying to secure funding for ukraine. severe weather is set to impact millions, especially along the east coast. we re tracking who can expect the worst of it and when. and in israel the idf is facing new scrutiny after soldiers accidentally killed israeli hostages in gaza. we have latest on efforts to free the hostages still in captivity. a man is canada is charged with murder over suicide kits
texas governor greg abbott, about to sign a controversial bill that makes it a state crime to enter the state illegally. this, while the white house and senate negotiators are urgently trying to reach an agreement on border policy before the year is over and we are live at the border. republican presidential front-runner donald trump, unleashing a familiar play from his old campaign book, targeting migrants in his campaign speeches, but his rhetoric, darker than ever. u.s. defense secretary lloyd austin, in israel right now presently display the protections of civilians in gaza , as global calls for a cease- fire mount. we re following these major developing stories and more coming in right here on cnn news central. right now, chaos at the southern border, really the focus in washington, texas, and the campaign trail. here in the nation s capital, senators worked through the weekend to still negotiate trying to get republican backed border security measures in excha