charlottesville are liable and ordered to pay millions of dollars, but -- >> the defendants in the case are destitute. none of them have any money. i don't know how the plaintiffs are going to get any of this. and with gas prices soaring, president biden is making moves to ease the pain. many experts say it's just a drop in the bucket. >> announcer: live from london, this is "cnn newsroom" with isa soares. hello, everyone. it is wednesday, november 24th, and just hours from now jurors in brunswick, georgia, will begin their second day deliberating the case of three white men charged with killing ahmaud arbery, an unarmed black man. now, the jury spent just over six hours on tuesday deliberating the racially charged case, garnering really international attention. here's cnn's martin savage with more. >> reporter: the jury deliberating the fate of the three men accused of killing a black man running through a coastal georgia neighborhood last year. >> the law of the case -- >> reporter: the judge placing the controversial case into the hands of one black and 11 white jurors. >> so, with that, ladies and gentlemen, i ask that you retire to the jury room. >> reporter: the prosecution getting the final say, retelling how an armed father and son travis and gregory mcmichael aided by roddy bryan eventually cornering and killing him, the final moments caught on video. >> you can't force someone to defend themselves against you so you claim self-defense. >> reporter: the men say they were attempting a citizens arrest after arbery was seen several times trespassing inside a home under construction. it turned deadly, they say, when arbery attacked travis mcmichael as mcmichael was pointing a shotgun at arbery. travis saying he shot in self-defense. the prosecution pushing back, saying the men that day never told police they were attempting a citizens arrest. >> the defendants never, ever said citizens arrest. they never said we're making an arrest. they never said they saw a crime. ladies and gentlemen, it depth come from the defendants on february 3rd, 2020. >> reporter: the state argued self-defense was not an option since the father and son initiated the chase. saying an armed travis mcmichael in a truck never really feared an unarmed arbery. >> there's no fear here. there is only anger. do you really believe he had no other choice but to use his shotgun? >> the state arguing if any one of the defendants had not taken part in any of these crimes, ahmaud arbery could still be alive, and that his race was a motivating factor. >> what's your emergency? there's blake man running down the street. >> reporter: both arbery's family and defense attorney said they had faith in the jury. >> we're confident that this jury will seriously consider all the evidence and come back with a verdict that is reflective of what actually happened, which is the brutal and unjustified murder of ahmaud arbery. >> very confident in the evidence of travis's innocence. now we'll see what the jury feels is justice and we'll accept the verdict whatever it is. >> reporter: defense attorney kevin goff who made controversial comments throughout the trial, criticizing the presence of black pastors seemed to soften his tone expressing concern for the arbery family. >> there's no pressure on the lawyers. win or lose, we go home. the pressure is on the clients, you know, and i feel for the arbery family. this has been an ordeal for them, you know. some of this testimony and the evidence presented about their son has been graphic. >> reporter: jury deliberations will continue on wednesday, which here in the united states is, of course, the day before a major holiday. and there is a lot of speculation that there could be pressure on this jury to want to get done with their work so that they can enjoy the entire holiday weekend. remember, these jurors have actually been working on this case since jury selection, which was back on october 18th. so, it's possible that on wednesday we could get a verdict. we'll have to wait and see. ma martin savage, cnn, brunswick, georgia. >> of course we'll keep our eyes peeled on brunswick, in virginia they found the white nationalists liable for $26 million in damages. now, the unite the right rally became a new front to america's culture wars. white supremacists loudly broadcast being their beliefs in public instead of just online as you can see there. james field, jr., whom the nation saw in disturbing video is responsible for nearly half of that money. he plowed his car into a crowd of counter protesters, injuring dozens of people and killing 32-year-old heather heyer. cnn's jason carroll has more now on the verdict. >> reporter: at the end of the day, this is a civil case, a civil trial. this was about trying to get as much money as possible out of these defendants. 17 of them, some of them individuals, some of them organizations designated as hate groups. and while the jury did hold them accountable for millions, when you add it all up, they did deadlock on two major claims. one of those being conspiracy to commit racially motivated violence. the other one, failing to prevent that conspiracy. however, the jurors at the end of the day, they did find that these defendants were responsible for four other claims, including state conspiracy claims and in addition to that subjecting plaintiffs to racial and religious -- racial and religious harassment. >> jason carroll there. cnn's errol reeve covered it extensively in 2017. the future of the white nationalists, whom donald trump once referred to as very fine people. >> well, in 2017 they're at the height of their power, and they were happy to let me know how smart they thought they were. but nearly every defendant i've talked to has said the alt-right is essentially dead. white supremacy isn't dead, but the online movement that was very obsessed with trump is gone. almost every group involved in this has quit the movement. most of the leaders have quit. >> there were no fine people marauding through the crowd in charlottesville, chanting jews will not replace us. and this verdict seals it. >> well, the mother of heather heyer we see there who was mentioned as we mentioned was killed in charlottesville, spoke with cnn about her reaction to the verdict. have a listen. >> even when the evidence seems very clear, you can't always determine what a jury is going to say or do. so i was glad they were able to recognize the preponderance of evidence definitely showed the clients to be guilty. and the evidence was their own words. that was the beauty of the case. >> now, the financial rewards the plaintiffs will likely be more symbolic than real. james fields who drove his car into the crowd is serving multiple life sentences in prison. other defendants indicated they are financially stressed. >> the defendants in the case are destitute. none of them have any money. i don't know how any of the plaintiffs are going to get anything for any of this. >> well, cnn legal analyst jeffrey toobin said the defendants will still face consequence including the prospect of having their wages garnished and property taken. stay on top of that story for you. now to wisconsin where a child has died, becoming the 6th victim of sunday's christmas parade rampage. the man accused of deliberately ramming his suv into the crowd made his first court appearance on tuesday. his bail is set at $5 million. omar jimenez reports. >> there are not words to describe the risk that this defendant presents to our community. >> reporter: after being accused of killing six and injuring over 60 others, 39-year-old darrell brooks makes his initial court appearance. >> i have not seen anything like this in my very long career. >> reporter: he was charged with five counts of first degree intentional homicide. but prosecutors say a sixth is coming. >> i wish to notify the court sadly that today we learned of another death of a child. >> reporter: and there is new video of the moments -- >> whoa, whoa, whoa! >> reporter: police found and arrested the 39-year-old brooks sunday night on the front porch of 24-year-old daniel ryder who had no idea what happened at the waukesha christmas parade about a mile away. >> he at one point asked me what was going on downtown. i was like, there was a parade today. he's like, oh, that must have been what that was. >> reporter: the man he knows is brooks asked to use his phone and call uber. >> i called an uber and i'm supposed to be waiting. i don't know when it's coming. can you call, please? >> reporter: not long after, ryder said he saw police going up and down the street and felt it had to do with brooks. he told him to leave. moments later -- >> i saw him looking for his i.d. moments later the police see him and get him in cuffs. i had no idea in my house. the uber showed up maybe a minute after he was in cuffs is all. i think about sometimes if he had gotten in that car what would have happened. >> reporter: before allegedly driving his car through the parade, police say brooks was involved in a domestic disturbance earlier sunday. he has a criminal history going back to the '90s. in july of 2020 he was accused of firing a hand gun during an argument. in february of this year he was released on bail. less than nine months later he allegedly ran over a woman whoa claimed she is motte they are of his child with his car. nine days later he was released on just a thousand dollars bail. less than two weeks before the christmas parade. the milwaukee county district attorney called that bail amount inappropriately low. authorities say brooks also had an outstanding arrest warrant in an unrelated case in nevada where he is a registered sex offender. meanwhile, a community is trying to heal, mourning the six that were killed and processing loved ones that nearly added to the toll. and there are still others recovering in the hospital this morning, as some even improve, a firefighter's son who was marching with his high school band during the waukesha christmas parade is now out of the i.c.u., but with a long road to recovery after having undergone at least a surgery to repair a broken femur. meanwhile, the suspect, darrell brooks during his court appearance, rarely looked up and was oftentimes seen swaying back and forth in his seat. he currently faces five counts of first degree intentional homicide as prosecutors promised a sixth, which would mean if found guilty, he would face six consecutive life sentences. omar jimenez, cnn, waukesha, wisconsin. >> now, the committee investigating the january 6 insurrection at the u.s. capitol has issued a new round of subpoenas. this time targeting right-wing extremist groups involved in the riot. thankfully the proud boys and the oath keepers who you see here moving through the capitol in formation, while wearing tactical gear. dozens of members of both groups have already been charged in the attack. the committee has spoken to more than 200 witnesses, though some key members from former president donald trump's inner circle are stonewalling. preet bharara spoke about the strategy. >> i don't know whether there was any attempt to get voluntary cooperation from these folks and those broke down. they decided they needed to issue subpoenas. i think that's probably less likely than a new mode of operating, which is they're on the clock. they've had people to find the subpoenas already. one of those people, steve bannon, has been indicted by the justice department. and so they're sending subpoenas first and asking questions later which shows a certain new amount of aggressiveness that i think is warranted here. >> well, meanwhile, new york's former police commissioner is demanding an apology from the january 6 committee after it subpoenaed him. lawmakers say he attended a meeting on january 5th with key trump allies to discuss options for overturning the presidential election results. his lawyers say his client never attended any such meeting, but will comply with the subpoena. now, a jury in ohio ruled that three major pharmaceutical chains helped fuel the opioid epidemic in two counties. lake and trumbull counties in the suit against cvs, walmart and wall green said each county will seek more than $1 billion in damages. they abused their position of trust, fostering a black market for opioids. all three chains indicated they will appeal. now, brian laundrie, the florida man whose weeks long disappearance sparked, if you remember, national manhunt, died by suicide. the local medical examiner's office said he died from a gunshot wound to the head. his remains were found last month in a florida nature reserve. the 23-year-old vanished in september just days after his fiancee, you can see there, gabby petito was reported missing, and later found 34 murdered. laundrie's parents say they are in mourning and hope the finding brings closure to both families. a missouri man is free from prison after spending the past 43 years behind bars. kevin strickland conviction had his charges set aside. one of the shooters eventually changed her story. strickland had always maintained his innocence. have a listen. >> i was actually watching the soap opera, and a news break, whatever they call it, and i just couldn't believe what i was hearing. >> so that's how you learned? >> that's how i learned. >> you saw your name on the screen? >> my picture, yes, other inmates started hollering. i heard them beating on walls and carrying on. >> strickland said he wants to get involved in public speaking. the state of missouri will not provide any compensation for the time he spent in prison. still ahead right here on the show, the u.s. announces historic effort to push down prices at the pump, but will it be enough to help americans feeling the financial pinch? plus, dollar tree will soon become $1.25 tree. why one of american's last true dollar stores is raising their prices. those stories after a very short break. you are watching "cnn newsroom." cold who's boss, r grab mucinex all-in-one... and get back to your rhythm. ♪ the relief you need. the cash you want. frequent heartburn? not anymore. the prilosec otc two-week challenge is helping people love what they love again. just one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. because life starts when heartburn stops. take the challenge at prilosecotc dot com. the black friday sale is on for the #1 gift this holiday season, the blendjet 2 portable blender. it packs the power of a big blender on the go, and it crushes right through ice. just drop in your favorite ingredients, even frozen fruit, and make a smoothie any time, anywhere. blendjet cleans itself. just add a drop of soap, water, and blend. recharge quickly with any usb port. order now on blendjet.com and get our best deal ever! 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other nations including china and india plan to take similar measures. it comes, of course, as americans are feeling the squeeze of higher prices, paying $3.40 you can see there, a gallon, on average. compare that on your screen to just over $2 this time last year. that makes a huge difference. but even after tuesday's announcement, it could still be weeks before prices at the pump go down. >> right now i will do what needs to be done to reduce the price you pay at the pump. and while our combined actions will not solve the problem of high gas prices overnight, it will make a difference. and it will take time, but before long you should see the price of gas drop where you fill up your tank. >> some are asking what is the strategic oil reserve. it is a back up oil supply owned by the u.s. government. it is designed to keep oil flowing if the commercial supply is disrupted. it was established in 1975 following an opec oil embargo, the spr can hold up to 714 million barrels along the gulf coast. john berman following the announcement was asked about concern that tapping the nation's oil reserves is a quick fix that rile doesn't address the bigger issue. >> this is a short term solution. that is true. it is not intended to be a long-term solution. it is intended to correct the supply and demand mismatch in the market right now. so as more production comes online after covid, then you will see, obviously, the supply coming up to where the demand is. that hasn't happened fully yet, and that's why this mechanism of doing this exchange of the strategic petroleum reserve is to be able to mesh supply and demand over the next shorter period of time. >> but others say tuesday's announcement may be pure politics. cnn economics and political commentator. >> reporter: oil prices are already falling. the administration claims that they're falling because of this move that the decline happened in anticipation of this announcement. maybe it could just be that supply chains are normalizing. but either way, perhaps the administration will claim credit if prices continue to fall further even if it has nothing to do with this particular announcement. >> well, with that announcement, president biden is ready for thanksgiving break. on tuesday the president, first lady, vice president and first gentleman were in charge of serving the main course, the turkey. later the bidens left washington to massachusetts where they will spend the holiday with their families. it's been a tradition of the bidens since 1975, commemorating the first holiday joe and jill biden spent together. well, meantime, white house press secretary jen psaki spent the afternoon defending the president's decision to leave washington for the holiday as well as the higher cost of turkeys. this year, due, of course, to inflation. sa psaki confirmed they would be spending the holiday together out of town. when it comes to turkeys, psaki said the rise in prices is minimal. have a listen. >> well, first i would say i don't know if you've cooked a turkey before, but a 20-pound turkey is a pretty big turkey, i think we can all a glee. they're about $1 more. so not to minimize that, any increase in prices is something the president is concerned about, as is evidenced by his announcement today, and as his efforts to push forward on additional relief for the american people. >> now, after 35 years of selling items for a dollar, the dollar tree has announced it's raising its prices. the company says most items will cost $1.25 by the first quarter of next year. what the change comes amid rising inflation, dollar tree insists it was not a reaction to short-term market conditions. the company says the 25 cent increase will allow them to reintroduce customer favorites and expand its selection. so no longer a dollar. well, everything from cheerios to fruit roll-ups are expected to go higher as they hike prices on dozens of brands. the company sent a letter to retail suppliers that prices will increase 20% and that is expected to get passed along to shoppers. the change is side to be in response to materials and higher labor costs. still ahead here on the show, new warnings mounting and mounting fears of a winter surge in u.s. as well as in europe. with millions of people traveling ahead of the holidays and cases moving the wrong direction, health officials say the next few months could be devastating. plus, we'll take a look at the new law enforcement to help keep the system bosses from contacting employees after they're off. those stories after a short break. zero heartburn. because life starts when heartburn stops. take the challenge at prilosecotc dot com. new vicks convennce pack. dayquil severe for you... and daily vicks super c for me vicks super c is a daily supplement with vitamin c and b vitamins to help energize and replenish. dayquil severe is a max strength daytime, coughing, power through your day, medicine. new from vicks. start your day with crest 3d white and from mochaccinos to merlot, your smile will always be brilliant. crest 3d white brilliance. 100% stain removal, 24 hour stain resistance to lock in your whitest smile. crest. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. xfinity rewards are our way of thanking you just for being with us. enjoy rewards like movie night specials, xfinity mobile benefits, and the chance to win tickets to see watch what happens live. hey, it's me. plus, get holiday gifts for everyone on your list with great deals on fan favorites from today. join over a million members by signing up for free on the xfinity app. our thanks. your rewards. now, the u.s. federal bureau of prisons has released new documents about the death of jeffrey epstein, the pedophile and financier. he didn't show any suicidal thoughts before suicide, despite some prison workers noticing signs of troubling behavior. prison staff made a litany of procedural errors with incorrect or incomplete record entries. meanwhile the latest round of jury selection in the case against epstein's former associate has finished. the final round is expected to begin next week. this comes, of course, as the siblings of ghislaine maxwell asked the united nations to step in calling prison confinement, quote, a violation of her rights. now, as americans head into thanksgiving holiday, the coronavirus pandemic here in the united states is re-taking a turn for the worst. cases are on the rise as you can see in 27 states with midwestern states accounting for more than a third of new infections. and hospitalizations are starting to pick up in the united states as well. and that is all leading to growing concerns of a winter surge. the centers for disease control and prevention said so far only about a quarter of eligible adults have received a booster shot. well, next week advisers with the u.s. food and drug administration will meet to discuss a new antiviral pill to treat early stage covid cases. the pharmaceutical company merck says early data shows its pill reduce i hospitalizations and death by almost 50% in clinical trials. some doctors say the results are impressive, but others are raising red flags. cnn's senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen breaks down the numbers for you. >> merck did a clinical trial with 762 participants. half of them got a placebo over the course of about a month. 45 of those folks were hospitalized with covid and nine of them died of covid. of the half that got the drug, 28 of them were hospitalized, a much smaller number, and then of them died. that really is quite impressive. and so those are the results that the fda advisers will be looking at next week. >> elizabeth cohen there. south korea has reported another record number of new covid-19 infections. more than 4100 new cases were reported on tuesday, proving the prime minister to suggest things are urgent enough to consider restrictions. it was a week ago south korea lifted measures. since then cases hit record highs several times. i.c.u. beds in seoul are nearly full. after more than a year and a half of closures, new zealand says it will begin easing border restrictions to vaccinated travelers. in the new year, starting january 16 residents coming from all other countries may enter in mid february. and international tourists will be allowed from april 30th. travelers will have to isolate for seven days and show proof of vaccination. well, the coronavirus situation in europe keeps getting worse. germany just reported its highest single-day surge of new infections. more than 66,000. its previous record came just days ago. meanwhile, the world health organization warns europe could reach more than 2 million deaths from the virus by march. the w.h.o. said europe accounts for two-thirds of all new cases globally in the past week. cnn's cyril vanier joins me now live from paris. good morning to you, cyril. the warning from the w.h.o. is pretty alarming. talk us through what leaders are doing, what measures are being taken to really try to contain these rising covid cases and critically, hospitalizations here, cyril. >> reporter: absolutely. look, it's good to be with you this morning, isa. it is concerning. the deaths in the european region recorded by the world health organization have doubled compared to late september, and this surge in cases which frankly many european leaders simply hadn't seen coming has forced governments in this part of the world to take measures that they had thought or at least hoped would be a thing of the past. so you're seeing a lockdown in austria, went into international lockdown this week. a partial lockdown in the netherlands. a return to home working at least four days a week in belgium. in germany starting today, germany is a bit more of a patchwork situation despite their dire covid situation because decisions there are taken state by state. but nationwide, starting today, isa, employees wanting to enter their workplace will have to show proof of vaccination recovery, or a negative covid test. failing that, they will not be allowed to enter their workplace and their pay can be legally withheld. here in france where the government thought up until recently it had a little bit more wiggle room because of vaccination rate is higher, stands at 75% nationwide. actually, the government is seeing the infection numbers triple compared to the beginning of the month, and that has prompted them to hold a covid national defense meeting this morning after which we expect to hear probably more covid measures here in france as well, isa. >> and i'm sure you will keep us posted what comes out of that meeting for us. cyril vanier for us in paris. great to see you, my friend. now, with coronavirus infections rising across much of europe, many people are still working remotely as cyril utah jazz just mentioning there. but when your home is your office, it can be difficult really to separate work from your personal life. now portugal is trying to create a healthy work life balance and protect workers off the clock hours. >> reporter: the portuguese parliament behind me has approved one of the most employee-friendly labor laws in an attempt really to preserve the work life balance as people continue to work from home. now, under this new law, bosses are not allowed to contact employees outside of working hours, and that basically means no phone calls, no text messages, and no emails. or else they'll be fined. the new law says employers must also pay working from home expenses, such as increased electricity, gas, and internet bills. on the streets of lisbon, many tell me this law was essential. >> translator: with working from home, there was an extension of our working hours and unfortunately some bosses could have had a tendency to abuse that. >> translator: i know what my colleagues and i went through in the lack of regard for working hours because they're not respected. people nowadays have to be available 24 hours a day because they have a company cell phone or a work computer. people have to have their own lives. >> translator: i think there should be some sort of regulation in regards to questions of working from home. i'm not sure that just because it's been written in law that it will be effective enough for it to be respected. >> reporter: portugal's ruling socialist party is hoping the new labor law will attract digital nomads to their shores. >> this gives power to workers that can choose the best place to live and to work to any part of the world. of course, it also gives a huge opportunity to companies that can have the best talent in the world, no matter where the workers live. >> reporter: it is perhaps a bit too soon to tell how exactly this law will be implemented, but it was one of the last measures taken by parliament before it was dissolved ahead of a snap election next year where jobs and the economy are likely to be the main issues. >> and now i'm back in london. the magic of television. and we have an exciting new addition to cnn's portfolio. cnn portugal is now on the air, a 24-hour multi platform news operation in portuguese. it is available through tv and digital in every home across the country, giving millions more viewers the opportunity to get cnn's reporting in their own language. a huge congratulations to cnn portugal for the launch and incredibly powered. as a portuguese, makes me very proud indeed. now, germany's next government is set to take a big step forward in the coming hours. a social democrat and three democrats are set to present their three waco list deal later today. the announcement follows nearly two months of negotiations between the three parties and no single party gained the majority of the vote in september's election. social democrat olive schultz is suspected to succeed angela merkel stepping down after 16 years at the hill: still ahead at this hour, the u.s. and russia working to ease tensions in eastern europe. plus moscow's reaction sends weapons to ukraine. nic robertson joins me. and ethiopia, the prime minister telling people to take up arms as foreigners evacuate and rebels advance. we'll explain. gives you two times brighter skin. hydrates betteter than the $400 cream. frequent heartburn? not anymore. the prilosec otc two-week challenge is helping people love what they love again. just one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. because life starts when heartburn stops. take the challenge at prilosecotc dot com. clerk: hello, how can i? sore throat pain? ♪honey lemon♪ try vicks vapocool drops. in honey lemon chill. for fast-acting sore throat relief. wooo vaporize sore throat pain with vicks vapocool drops. xfinity rewards are our way of thanking you just for being with us. enjoy rewards like movie night specials, xfinity mobile benefits, and the chance to win tickets to see watch what happens live. hey, it's me. plus, get holiday gifts for everyone on your list with great deals on fan favorites from today. join over a million members by signing up for free on the xfinity app. our thanks. your rewards. now, top u.s. and russian generals are staying in touch amid serious concerns about russia's buildup at the border with ukraine. there are fears it could escalate into an all out we're. the plan to send weapons and military advisers to ukraine would only aggravate tensions. satellite images appear to show russia gathering close to 100,000 troops along with tanks and military hardware amid the border. cnn editor nic robertson joins me now. secretary of state anthony blinken is expressing concern about russia's military on the border of ukraine. put it into perspective for us. what does this mean for putin? what could be his intentions here? and how much military hardware are we looking at? we looked at a satellite image. do we know how much is already near the border? >> it certainly has a detailed view. t-80 tanks would be good foreground incursion force. putin had buildup on the border earlier this year and they pulled them out. what is his intention is very hard to gauge here. he certainly believes ukraine is historically part of russia's domain. he does president want to see nato encroaching. when you see -- when he sees the u.s. saying very clearly in public -- a lot of this is public diplomacy. >> right. >> they are saying through sources we might provide stinger missiles which would bring down aircraft. we might provide missiles that would be very effective against those t-80 tanks. we might provide military helicopters to ukrainian forces giving them access. the kremlin's view is, look, nato has already been helping train and advise and moderately equip the ukrainian military. this has been a gradual thing. there is sort of a red line in putin's mind clearly, and that is ukraine does not become part of nato. so he has to assess what he sees happening and hear this rhetoric and see what the british government is planning to help with the ukrainian navy. he has to interpret that. does he interpret that as really nato creeping over the line and de facto giving ukraine, pulling it into its sphere of influence, which is what he stands against. so the rhetoric at the moment is to warn putin, this could be the cost. and there is political capital for him. >> so, perhaps there is a lot of posturing here, but there is a lot of fear that both sides, you push on one side and push another, that could lead to something. that is a concern. >> the kind of soft invasion of ukraine before in 2014 where he annexed crimea right under everyone's noses. there were these green men, you know, the russians denied initially they were part of their military. they were special forces with their badges removed. so, you know, putin's got form on that. but he also has political capital in this. putin is very interested in putin and his longevity. we know he's pushed his presidency to 2036. pretty remarkable for any leader to be able to do that. but he does not want to be brought down by making a miscalculation and costing, you know, russian lives in a battle in ukraine that doesn't deliver what he wants, so part of the west narrative at the moment is to show him, yes, there would be costs, and we are serious about our in tent. so there is a gas pipeline and there is, you know, putin does not want a ukrainian political leadership that is anti-russian. he wants one that's soft and friendly, that benefits his interests. >> nic, i know you'll keep on top of this. nic robertson. the prime minister is promising to lead his troops on the front line of the country's civil ward. he is calling on everyday people to join forces in battle saying this is a final fight to save ethiopia from eternal, internal as well as external enemies, the people's liberation front advancing on the capital. the u.n. meanwhile is urging families of staff members to evacuate as the situation, security situation deteriorates in the country. cnn's larry is covering this from nairobi. larry, i know you have recently come back from ethiopia. i want to get your take on what is unfolding here. are we looking at an escalating huaraz the rebels claim to be edging closer to the capital? what's your assessment? >> reporter: so, isa, that is a possibility because in the time i spent in ethiopia, what's quite clear is how strongly held the positions here are. and both sides of the conflict feel they are on the erliverge victory. the government side and the coalition they have assembled. and this war started in tigray last november, it is spreading and threatening to go right into addis ababa. that is something the u.s. special envoy for the horn of africa, jeffrey feldman talked about when he briefed reporters yesterday. he said they agreed there is a need to talk here, both sides, but that will to actually sit down and figure out some kind of cease-fire, a negotiated cease-fire is what's lacking. the u.s. is trying to get them there. the african union is trying to get them there. the u.n. is trying to get them there. it is not there yet. what i figured out, spending time in ethiopia, the government is trying to buildup this anti-western sentiment, nationalist sentiment that he has been drumming on again and again and again, and that might be the reason why he stays he is going to the front lines. he's made a call to arms before, isa, this is the first time he's saying he himself will be leading the battle against the tigray people's liberation front. when they met on sunday, he feels his priority is to push back the tigray liberation front back to the north in tigray. one quick historical note here is the last time an african leader went to the battle front, that was back in april. the president of chad, and he died in battle. i'm not sure how committed the prime minister of ethiopia is to this plan. >> he said he'll lead his troops in the front line. we haven't seen anything to suggest that, larry, as of this hour. >> reporter: none at this point, no, we haven't seen him. the state media that report everything has so far not shared any video or i ammages of him o the front lines. >> great to see you, larry. you are watching "cnn newsroom" from london. nasa has launched a space caratcraft it hopes will crash. details just ahead. the black friday sale is on for the #1 gift this holiday season, the blendjet 2 portable blender. it packs the power of a big blender on the go, and it crushes right through ice. just drop in your favorite ingredients, even frozen fruit, and make a smoothie any time, anywhere. blendjet cleans itself. just add a drop of soap, water, and blend. recharge quickly with any usb port. order now on blendjet.com and get our best deal ever! hi. so you're the scientist here. does my aveeno® daily moisturizer really make my dry skin healthier in one day? it's true jen. this prebiotic oat formula moisturizes to help prevent dry skin. impressive. aveeno® healthy. it's our nature.™ new daily moisture for face. are you a christian author with a book that you're ready to share with the world? get published now, call for your free publisher kit today! well, this just in to cnn. the european union is the latest to call on the chinese government to provide independent as well as verifiable proof of the well-being and whereabouts of tennis player peng shuai. concerns about peng began early this month when she disappeared from public view after accusing a former chinese official of sexual assault. the international olympic committee said she is safe and well after checking up on her sunday. many remain skeptical. they said the tennis star's situation is not a diplomatic issue. we will stay, of course, on top of that story. nasa has launched a spacecraft that will deliberately crash into a near earth asteroid about ten months from now. >> 2, 1, and liftoff of the falcon 9. >> it's called dart which stands for double asteroid redirection test. they love acronyms. the target does not pose a threat to earth, but nasa wants to test the technology to see if it can change the asteroid's direction. cnn's michael holmes has more on the groundbreaking mission. >> reporter: it's a space story seen several times in the movies, like in the 1998 sci-fi film arm ageddon. >> the united states government has to save the world. anybody want to say no? >> reporter: an asteroid threatens earth. the military astronaut, even oil rig drillers try to save mankind. some cities don't make it, but in the end the planet survives. a hollywood ending which nasa is hoping to make a reality, with its first planetary defense test mission. scientists say they have identified the kilometer-wide asteroids like those shown in the blockbusters, and there are no dangers of them hitting earth in the coming centuries. but nasa says it wants to study what could be done if an earth-threatening asteroid is discovered. >> dart is nasa's first planetary defense test, so we're going to try to do something we've never done before with the spacecraft. dart stands for double asteroid redirection test. so, a nice acronym. nasa does like acronyms. d.a.r.t. is another one. the purpose of this spacecraft and this mission, it has one purpose, that's to crash itself into an asteroid and try to redirect it or try to move it into a different orbit. >> these asteroids are not a threat to the earth, they are not a danger to the earth, not on a path toe hit the earth in the foreseeable future. it makes them an appropriate target for a first test. >> reporter: traveling at a speed of 6.6 kilometers per second, d.a.r.t. will then deliberately crash into the moonlet to jolt it from its regular orbit. scientists will monitor with satellite imagery and ground-based telescopes to see how it orbit's earth. >> we have an idea how big the asteroid is and how fast it's coming, that kind of information. then we'll have an idea how much momentum we need to make that asteroid miss the earth. >> reporter: the targeted moonlet is as large as one of the peer midst in egypt. there are 10,000 asteroids a as big or bigger that could potentially cause major regional damage if they ever hit the earth. although none of them are tracking this way. d.a.r.t.'s kamikaze mission could provide lifesaving data if anything ever does get too close. michael holmes, cnn. >> well, back here on earth, the rare treasure from the famous scientist just sold for $13 million. it is a key stage and development of albert einstein's theory of relativity were sold at auction at christie's in paris. christie's callsed theory one of the most -- one of the single most important ideas in modern science. and the nominations are out for the 64th grammy awards. and my producer is very excited. r & b jazz musician john battiste leads all artists with 11 nominations across the seven categories. most of those nods are for his work on his latest album "we are." battiste couldn't believe the news himself taking to twitter to celebrate by his many exclamation points. other artists are justin bieber and h.e.r. each nominated for eight awards. and billie eilish, newcomer olivia rodrigo, the grammys will air january 31st. thanks for joining me, isa soares. 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