we'll keep you updated. thank you so much for joining us. very excited now handed overer o news night with abby philip, which starts right now. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> fears are rising of a two front assault on israel and a war on a wider and deadlier scale, as the american president gets ready to visit the war zone. that's tonight, on news night. ♪ ♪ ♪ and good evening, i'm abby philip. the united nations calls the middle east right now on of this, as the u.s. racist keep this war from snowballing into an even deeper geopolitical crisis. and in major developments tonight, president biden says he will visit israel on wednesday in a high stakes trip as the pentagon orders at least 2000 marines and sailors to prepare for deployment to the region. >> on wednesday, president biden will visit israel. he's coming here at a critical moment for israel, for the region, and for the world. >> now, this visit comes as israel is preparing for a likely ground invasion against hamas, which began the conflict with the devastating attack on israeli civilians. there are now more concerns, however, including hezbollah, the islamist militant group also deemed a terrorist organization by the u.s.. it's far more deadly and powerful men hamas, potentially. they're attempting to infiltrate from lebanon, in the north. meanwhile in syria, israel has struck hamas friendly targets there. and iran, which backs and funds hamas, is warning that a wider conflict may be inevitable if israel continues its retaliatory strikes. now, the urgent questions tonight, what a multi front assault on israel force the united states to get even more involved? would iran follow through on its threat? and what happens to the fate of the dozens of hostages, and of course, the millions of civilians who are caught in this cross fire. joining me now is cnn's anderson cooper, who is on the ground in tel aviv. anderson, the news tonight that president biden will visit israel this week, what does that mean for both the u.s. in israel, and how is that being received over there? >> it's certainly a huge sign of support by the biden administration for israel. the speech that president biden made last week was very well received here, many people in israel, there were billboards put up thanking president biden for what appeared to be unwavering support. certainly, a visit by him here only bolsters that idea. it's also an opportunity for him to send a message, the president, to send a message to hezbollah, to iran, others in the region, of the u.s. support, and perhaps sent a message more directly to prime minister and his war cabinet about what the u.s. concerns are about a ground offensive and what they can do to try and meet some of those concerns. >> and anderson, there's also this video that hamas released today about a woman that it abducted. and you spoke with her family today. how are they taking that? i can only imagine, it's got to be pretty bittersweet for them, knowing that she's alive, but seeing her there in that video. >> yeah, mayhem is the name of the hostage. she's a french israeli and she's 21 years old. her family, i talk to her mom, karen, her brother, orient eli. they are relieved to see her. this is the first proof of life that they actually have. they knew that -- they believe that she had been taken, but they didn't know where she might be. they had -- there is no video of her that they saw of her being captured, as there had been with other families, if anyone had seen their loved ones captured on hamas videos that they put out for propaganda purposes. so this was the first proof of life. i asked karen about her thoughts, and she's just desperate to get her daughter home, obviously, let's listen. >> we are beginning the world to bring my baby home. she's only 21 years old. she just went to a festival party after months that she didn't go anywhere. she had medical problems. she just wanted to have some fun. and she shouldn't be there. so we are begging the world to interfere and to bring her home. and all the others. >> israel now says 199 people are being held hostage. hamas has said the number may be as high as 250. i talked to a former senior mossad official who was involved in hostage negotiations in the past, and he said it's very possible hamas doesn't even know how many people are being held hostage in gaza, that is not just hamas, there's also islamic jihad, who earlier said they had about 30 people, and the former official said also that in past hostage takings, sometimes it's been sort of mafia groups that have also seized one or two hostages to get some financial leverage so that there's a lot of confusion on the ground, perhaps, about not only where these hostages are, but exactly who has them. >> but mm. anderson, thank you, as always, for being there on the ground for us. and i want to turn out to the front lines of this war, my next guess left chicago, illinois, to take up arms and fight for israel after his friend was killed in the hamas attacks. an idf reservist sergeant joins me now. andrew, who is not using his last name out of security concerns, is now in israel. andrew, thank you for being here. i do want to start by asking you about president biden's visit. he says he will be there on the ground on wednesday. you are there, on the frontlines. do you think this visit will help or hurt the war efforts that you are engaged in now? >> i think president biden coming is a step in the right direction. obviously, it makes me proud as an american citizen to see our president standing up to terror in this way. and i think it's a clear statement that the u.s. stands with israel against the tyranny of hamas. >> and we're also learning tonight that the secretary of defense says that they are preparing to have about 2000 u.s. troops just get ready for a potential deployment to the region. is that something that you are surprised to hear? do you think that would be helpful? >> i think that's a question that's a bit above my pay grade. what i can say is that the idf is prepared for all scenarios. and you know, we will be ready for whatever comes at us. >> and speaking of scenarios, i mean, one of the likely scenarios here is that this becomes a broader war. iran's making threats, hezbollah, as you know, is also making threats as well, potentially getting involved in this war. for you, are you concerned about what this could mean for israel, if this becomes not just a war with hamas, but a broader regional conflict? >> like i said, i think the idf is incredibly prepared for whatever comes at us. there's plans in contingency plans that have been made going back years. and i can say as a foot soldier that we've trained for nearly every situation. so it doesn't specifically worry me. i trust that whatever commands come from above, that we will be ready to execute them to the fullest extent. >> and you are of course just 21 years old. you, i presume, had a life in the united states, and now you are answering the call to duty. how do you feel right now as you are preparing for what is to come? and now we are over a week after these horrific attacks on israel. >> i am a person that is part of a much larger group of american reservists that answer the call on that fateful saturday morning in order to come and serve. and you know, i think that i'm, you know, part of a lot of people that felt a responsibility to come and help israel in any way that we could possible. people are helping all over the world, whether that's donations, whether that's here in israel doing things like donating bloods, for me, it's that the most effective way for me to help was to be in a pair of combat boots. so that's why i'm here. >> are you worried about your own safety? >> i think every combat soldier has a slight amount of fear about their own safety. but it's something you put to the side and you rely on your own training in order to execute the mission. >> all right, sergeant, thank you so much. >> thank you for having me. >> and the u.s. says it still knows nothing about the condition of the americans believed to be taken hostage by hamas. i mean while their whereabouts remain unknown, some do believe that they could be held in gaza 's tunnels. my next guest has actually walked through those tunnels. i want to bring it veteran foreign affairs correspondent reena ninan. reena, these tunnels are a little bit of a source of some mystery. but they are believed to be just literally under the feet of the palestinian people, as you can kind of see here, under buildings, utter apartments. we also have some somewhat rare video, this is from 2017, can you walk us through what we are looking at here, what you've been to? >> you know, we have to tell you, these tunnels are far more elaborate than the ones i went down. the ones i went down were built by a teenage boy that were essentially made of dirt, and we're probably one-time usage. but you can see the potential of hostages being in these tunnels, fortified here with concrete, what also is so troubling is that as incredible as israeli anti-detection systems are for these tunnels, which they do have, it's really hard. hamas has gotta release martyr over the years old ability to get in and destroy these tunnels. so you see how fortified it is, the concrete, the fact that they can go down into here and go undetected. >> i will show you a few more pictures here. >> you see the dirt around here, the ones i went through were essentially -- i'm 54, i was able to go down the whole entire route of these tunnels. and then it slowly started to cave down. these are far better engineered, and constructed, and the tunnels that likely these hostages are, i bet, are potentially the ones that are not intended for one time use, they're intended for this type of warfare. >> meanwhile, the other story here is about the civilians. they are now being asked to evacuate. we're looking here at this evacuation map. there's really only one place for them to get out, and it would be right here, this is the rafah crossing that leads to straight to egypt. i'm going to show you another image here. this is up close. what is the challenge for civilians you're trying to get out? >> one, it's incredibly unpredictable and incredibly dangerous. we know that there have been israeli airstrikes. so you constantly don't know what could happen in this area. state department has also said if and when the rafah crossing eventually opens is what could happen is it will be open for a long extended period of time. it will open quickly and could potentially close. so you've got all these people here in the gaza strip looking to get out, that's the one exit point right now, it's rafah, which enters into egypt sign 19 insulin. they're so you've got the unpredictability, it's dangerous, and also, abby, the fact that we heard we don't know how long it could be open for. >> and of course, this is a very significant distance here. it's a small space, but a significant distance if you don't have a lot of means. >> if you don't have a lot of means, and you don't know how long you are camping out there. for the fact that people could be down there, trying to get humanitarian aid. the egyptians also don't want over 1 million people absorbed into egypt. so that's a big concern, they've said multinational people, come into egypt, leave via cairo. these palestine's going through don't have that often. >> all right, reena ninan, thank you so much. and ahead for us, much more from the ground, including a mother whose son was killed in a firefight with hamas. plus, a landlord reportedly obsessed with this war is now accused of killing a palestinian american boy in chicago because he was muslim. his story is next. and congresswoman alexandria ocasio-cortez and presidential candidate chris christie both join me live onset as america gets more involved in this war. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> a first grader who just celebrated his sixth birthday plans to go to school in america today, but instead his family held his funeral because he was murdered for being a muslim. his name is lydia i'll fire you may, a palestinian american boy living in a suburb of chicago. now the family's landlord, 71 years old, his now accused of stabbing the young boy to death. investigators say it was a hate crime, that the landlord targeted him and his mother over the war in israel. everyone now, from president biden to illinois governor, has condemned this attack. at one point, in quote, a local official says it is always the smallest coffins that are the heaviest. a neighbor says that he was playful, full of energy, and, above all, innocent and all of this. it's a tragic statement about violent radicalism and the risk that this war will inflame tensions in unexpected places. joining me now is congresswoman alexandria cortez, the new york democrat serving in the congress. congresswoman, thank you for being here, this is such a devastating tragedy. the six-year-old, he just had nothing to do with any of this. when you hear of this kind of thing happening in the united states what goes through your mind? >> i think one of the things that is so incredibly important for us to keep in mind, as a country, is in times of such great geopolitical peril we cannot allow the bigotry and racism and antisemitism and islamophobia to take root and bloom in the united states. right now, especially new york city, there are also reports of muslim, a job the, also antisemitic attacks in jewish places of worship as well and it is extraordinarily important that we understand that people are not associated with many the political actors in this current situation. >> i want to ask you about some other news tonight. president biden, of course, saying on wednesday that he is going to israel. i wonder, do you think that is a good idea or are you concerned that that might inflame tensions in the region? >> i do believe that president biden, especially with some of his most recent statements, has been playing a constructive role. the ability to acknowledge that we can condemn hamas and go after and ensure that we target their operations while also advocating for the protection and upholding of human rights in gaza, israel, and beyond, throughout the entire region. our hope is that that stable presence can continue in momentum that direction. >> also, at the same time, 2000 troops being told to get ready to potentially deployed to the region, it is that something that you support the defense department doing? >> you know, i know that, and i truly believe that it's in the interest of every single actor in this region to have a cooling of tensions here. i don't believe that any singular actor wants to see an escalation in violence, an escalation in the volatile, the volatility of the situation and i think what is most important is that we focus on the moves that are necessary to achieve that aim and we know that secretary blinken's name throughout the last several days have focused on that and our hope is that the presidents visit will as well. >> i would go back to something you just mentioned there about hamas. as all of this kicked off your and several others of your colleagues released a statement calling for a cease-fire in the region, but i wonder, what is israel supposed to do about hamas after they murdered, brutalized, a product it over 1000 of their citizens. are they just post to do nothing? >> i think what is important to note about a cease-fire is that it's not one-sided. hamas has been sounding thousands of rockets at israel as well, and it's important for us to identify the goal, in terms of what safety means, in terms of what defense means, -- >> excuse me congresswoman, i think the position from israel's perspective is that there is already an attack and hamas already committed an attack. after that happened, do you really believe that they should not respond to that? >> i think what is important, in terms of response, is israel does have a right to self defense. i think what we need to take a look at in this situation is, if collective punishment qualifies as defense. if the blockade on water, food, electricity, if the dropping of white phosphorus, which is an indiscriminate weapon, qualifies. so i do believe that there is a discussion to be had here. i don't believe that, in either or approach is what is necessary, but we should identify what our goal, is which is the cooling of tensions. >> israel's goal is to rig the region of hamas. they have been very clear about that. i certainly take what you are saying about the condition of gaza right now for civilians who, as you point out, are not synonymous with hamas. but, for israel to deal with a mosque, which is a force that is actually detrimental to palestinians, how else are they supposed to address a violent militant, some say a terrorist group, other than to go in there and take them on directly? >> well, when we talk about going in there i think we should also keep in mind president biden's statements as well about what the implications of a potential ground invasion would be. this is an inherently complex situation. i do believe that hamas needs to be dealt with -- >> but how is what i'm asking? >> what we're trying to figure out right now is what this present situation of collective punishment and indiscriminate attack is one approach, but we are seeing the issues and complications of that approach now. can we target them in terms of intelligence? is there precision? what are the options available are entirely up to the administration and for israel to examine and explore, but we need to center the fact as well that there are hostages in this region. there are israeli ostriches, american hostages, innocent palestinians, about 1000 children have died so far in these attacks and i think we need to have a conversation about what that how it looks like because we have seen what the impacts of that have been so far and we have to try to, i believe, it's a complex situation, thread that needle in a time when there is so much opposition to nuance. >> one of the other factors in this, a couple of years ago there was a vote in congress for funding for the iron dome and you, very publicly, or torn, even emotional about your vote, which ultimately was present. you put out a statement to saying that you opposed iron dome funding. i wonder, given everything that we have seen in this last week, the iron dome has essentially intercepted thousands of rockets from hamas. do you believe, now, that that funding is essential? would you vote for it today? >> to be clear, at that time, i had voted present on the iron dome funding because what we had seen previously that year in terms of netanyahu's decisions, which also resulted in the bombing of several buildings that contained media agencies, civilian targets. however, i do think that, in this present moment, when we discuss support for israeli defense systems, that is absolutely legitimate. i think it is absolutely something that is who support we can -- >> you would vote yesterday if it came to the united states congress, additional funding for the iron dome? >> i think if it was explicitly around that. i have concerns about white phosphorus, i have concerns about the respect for humanitarian, about human rights and ensuring that we have humanitarian aid going through. but, on the sole principle of iron dome and defense, i absolutely think there's an openness, for sure. >> i want you to respond to something that republican president -- ron desantis at about the potential for refugees from gaza. just take a listen. >> i don't know what biden is going to do, but we cannot accept people from gaza into this country as refugees. i am not going to do that. if you look at how they behave, not all of them are hamas, but they are all antisemitic, none of them believe in israel's right to exist. >> there is a lot in there, but i wonder, for you, is he touching on something that is perhaps real here? should arab countries taking on the lion share of the burden to absorb what could be over 1 million or more refugees from gaza? >> i think there is something to be said about the region's partners being able to support and step up palestinians, however, that does not abdicate the united states from our historic role that we have played in the world as accepting refugees and allowing people to restart their lives here. i also want to address something very specific about what governor desantis said when he said, quote unquote, all gazans are antisemitic. how incredibly destructive and dangerous that rhetoric is. we just had a six year old boy stabbed 26 times this morning because of rhetoric like that and it is dangerous, it is unacceptable, it is reckless, and no leader in the united states of america should be amplifying a message like that. >> congresswoman, back in washington, where i think you are headed tomorrow, there is a big speakers race heating up. jim jordan looks to be the person who republicans will put up for a vote. you joined been all democrats in voting to get rid of kevin mccarthy. and he regrets if jim jordan is the man who replaces him? >> we know. it has never been, truly, within the integrity and history of this institution for one party to elect another party's member a speaker. we will see if jim jordan has the votes, we will see if individuals like mike lawler or mike -- who represent new yorkers in hudson valley, the catskills, westchester county, will actually vote to install a man who voted to overturn the united states election and who supports a national abortion ban to be speaker of the house, second in line to the presidency. i have my doubts that the people of new york would really stand prefer that, but, in terms of the integrity of the institution, i think it's important that we support hakeem jeffries. >> is jim jordan it better or worse alternative you kevin mccarthy? >> it's difficult to say. kevin mccarthy clearly eroded the institution. he held the u.s. economy hostage with a debt limit, even went back on his word and his deal with the president in doing that. it was kevin mccarthy who installed this, and ultimately made the call, for a one person motion to vacate that and let us into this mass to begin with. it's difficult to say. but, i do believe that the entire republican party has an institution problem, and that they have driven the entire country to the brink in this incredibly sensitive moment. >> congresswoman, we will see what happens tomorrow. we appreciate you coming this video, thank you. up next an israeli soldier is killed during a firefight with hamas staging dozens of lives. his mother joins me live. plus, israeli families of hostages held by hamas are waiting for any information about their loved ones, but now anger is growing. it report next from cnn's clarissa ward. is it possible my network could take my business to the next level? it is with comcast business. powering all your devices with gig-speed wifi. and you get fast downloads and uploads. pick it up! pick it up! oh we got this! because it's powered by the next generation 10g network. more speed for your business? it's not just possible. it's happening. get started for $59.99 a month for 12 months. plus, ask how to get an $800 prepaid card with a qualifying internet bundle. comcast business, powering possibilities. >> night, as hamas release is a video of one of its hostages, dozens of other families are anxiously awaiting word of their loved ones fate. over in israel, anger is starting to build about the government's handling of the situation. more tonight from cnn's clarissa ward. >> four days they have sat outside the military headquarters in tel aviv, holding vigil for their loved ones. among many family members of those held in gaza there is anger that the israelis government handling of the crisis, and growing cries to make a deal for the hostages released. tsai and her family are looking for her sister, a 19-year-old soldier who disappeared at -- >> we don't know where she eats, sleeps, with a keeper. >> tell me, why are you here? >> because i want someone to look at me, look at all of us. >> earlier today the government confirmed they believe another 50 hostages are being held in gaza, bringing the total close to 200. among them is 74-year-old vivian silver, a piece activist and canadian citizen who lived in the -- coutts. it was some of the darkest bloodshed during the october 7th attack. her son was on the phone throughout the morning as the horror unfolded. >> i heard a lot of gunshot out the window and we decided to stop talking because she was hiding, but, at some point, she told me that they're inside the house. >> her house? >> yeah. and that was it. she said i feel you and that was the last message. >> for nine agonizing days he has shuttled between optimism and despair, as israel's leaders steal its citizens for an invasion of gaza. >> when you look at more than 300,000 reservists being called up, huge amounts of weaponry and military personnel amassing at the border, a lot of anticipation about a ground offensive, how does that make you feel? >> it makes me anxious. i didn't want war before, and i don't want war now. i don't think we can cured dead babies with more dead babies. >> do you think that in israel most people agree with you, to think most people want war? >> nobody wants war, but i think people are willing to accept what because they will hurt anyone to stop the pain. so you see it demon in front of you and you want to vanquish it. i don't think it is realistic, whatever we do to gaza now it will come back. >> a plea to break the endless cycle of violence and to prioritize rescuing the living over avenging the dead. but, in this moment of raw anguish, it is the calls for invasion that are growing louder. >> clarissa ward, powerful reporting there. as israel now prepares for an unexpected ground operation against hamas, we are beginning to learn of some of the heroism that was on display a week ago by israeli soldiers. 20-year-old -- was an american citizen who is born and raised in israel. his mother says he this day shunned at a base in his akeem, which is in southern israel, not far from gaza when the attacks began. he and his colleagues sheltered, and the move into the front lines, defending their base. him and five officers were killed, but they did save more than 90 others and succeeded in stopping hamas militants from attacking a nearby kibbutz. his mother ilana joins me tonight. alanna, thank you so much for joining me, i have to offer my condolences to you for the loss of your son. he was killed, essentially, as a hero protecting others who are in danger, but as you are sitting here more than a week later, how are you coping with all of this? >> so, my son and i, throughout his life, it was a short life, but everything he did was always focused on helping other people. he blossomed when he was helping other people and that was throughout his whole life, from the time he was a scouts counselor, he did a year of service with at risk youth before he joined the army in addition to his army service. also, with his training as an officer, he is in charge of basic trainees and he became like their father, like their parent, and he saw that humanity in every single one of them we always said he had x-ray eyes and he gave himself to every trainee. in this situation, it was clear to me that he would put himself in the front because he saw myself as the person who needs to protect other people and he takes responsibility for other people and that was a line that went through him throughout his life. >> he sounds like an amazing person. i wonder, when was the last time you are able to talk to him? >> we spoke to him about a week before we were actually away for the week prior to the event and we spoke to him in the day before and planned to come visit him on his base on saturday. none of us could have imagined that our worst nightmare is that you could be on the front line in this war, protecting other peoples lives, and keeping other people safe behind him. >> you are planning to visit him just before this attack occurred? >> yeah. we hadn't seen him in a week and it was clear to us that we were going to come to his base and visit him and be with him over the weekend when the war rock broke out, but he -- not only did he and his colleagues run out and put themselves in the front line, they came under a massive artillery barrage at 6:30 in the morning and they got all of their basic trainees into shelter and they ran out to the perimeter post and took their place and made sure that their trains were safe inside. there were also civilians who ran into the base to take cover and kept them safe, and also behind the base there was a kibbutz and they knew that, if the hamas terrorists were able to get through the line of defense, there were to be a massacre. they fought them off for an extended period of time, which gave the kibbutz behind them time to prepare and to fend off the attack and in that kibbutz there is no casualties. among his trainees there was only one casualty and he and his comrades, he was an officer and he didn't put his soldiers in the line of danger and stay back, they kept themselves and their civilians safe, and that was the kind of person that he was. he always sought humanity and each and every person that was in front of him, he took time to talk to his soldiers in the evening to get to know them, their personal stories, and that is so not common in the military. in the military framework it does not encourage that kind of interpersonal connection. for him, that was his life values, to see every single person, no matter who they wear, where they were from, and what their rank was, and their ethnicity or their gender or religion, to see them as a human being, as an individual and always to think about the other person before himself and that was a line that really went through out his whole life. >> there are so many other families that are preparing to see their loved ones deployed right now in this war. do you have a message for those families, any words for them tonight as they await this ground invasion that could be coming any moment now? >> i think the only thing that any of us, that i feel i have to say, is no one wants anyone else to die. we lost through the most important thing to us and the idea of additional lives being lost, i don't care who they are. i don't care if it is another mother losing their child, to me it is something that i don't want to see and i can't bear. on one hand, this was a horrible attack on innocent civilians and it can't be fixed, there is no way to fix that. the idea of more lives lost just tears me apart because i know what it means to lose your child. >> elana, i'm so sorry about the loss of your son, but what you described, is heroic actions saved so many other lives. thank you so much for sharing that with us, we really appreciate it. >> thank you. >> we will be back in a moment. >> as president biden is set to take a high stakes trip to israel in the middle of the war, secretary of state blinken moment ago announcing a plan to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis in gaza. >> today, at our request, the united states and israel have agreed to develop a plan that will enable humanitarian aid from donor nations and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in gaza, and them alone, including the possibility of creating areas to help keep civilians out of harm's way. >> joining me to discuss the unfolding crisis in the middle east's republican presidential candidate chris christie, the former new jersey governor as well. governor christie, thanks for being here. >> thanks for having me. >> i want to start on that point by secretary blinken that he made, they're focusing on the humanitarian part of. the seaside recently that the u.s. supported israel's decision not to allowed food, water, electricity into gaza. this new plan, which would allow humanitarian assistance in, do you support that? >> look, i think as long as the israeli government is in concert with us on, it than that would be fine. but i think we have to do is do everything we can to support their efforts in trying to convey, very clearly to hamas, that the terrorist attack down on israel was completely unjustified and deserves retaliation. so, if secretary blinken is working with prime minister netanyahu and it is a joint effort, then i have no objection to it. but israel should have the right to make that call. >> you said last week, i think this is where i wanted to understand your thinking, that you thought it was acceptable for the civilian population to be deprived of, basically, basics, to survive. >> -- >> if israel wanted that. here it seems the biden administration has applied pressure to prevent that deprivation from happening. if you are president of the united states, would you have done a similar thing? >> first off, what i said last week was that hamas brought this on themselves and their citizens. i think the -- of that question is do i think it's justified for israel to do this? yes, given that hamas came to israel and killed civilians and kidnapped civilians, and still has them in custody, that civilians on both sides are at risk now. now, again, as i said, as long as israel is on course with this and thinks it's okay, i have no objection to it. but i don't think that hamas should be dictating terms to israel after what hamas did to kill civilians and kidnap civilians inside israel. >> one of the other things that president biden has a recent ways that he thinks it would be a mistake for israel to occupy gaza city. on that question, where do you stand? is it wise for israel to go in and then find themselves in an occupying situation? there >> i think that is always hard and i think they have to make the decision about how much damage can they inflict to the terrorists thin gaza without having to own, occupy, and running gaza. that's going to be a military decision, an intelligence decision that the israeli government should make. i think president biden is wise to say be careful about the idea of occupying gaza city because getting in is much easier than getting out, but the israelis need to decide for themselves about how they can eliminate the terrorist threat their country and their people and they have got to make that call, but i think president biden saying what he said, you know, it was advice and it's what friends do. >> lessons perhaps from the united states experience after 9/11. is that a lesson as a nation that we have learned? >> i think the problem with drawing that analogy is that, when president biden pulls out of afghanistan, we see what results that has been, which is the taliban back in place as a government -- >> i think perhaps you're making the point that, after 20 years, the taliban was still around. we waged a war for two decades and it seemed to not have the effect that we intended. >> i think the effect that was intended was to make sure there are going to be no more terrorist attacks from that area on the united states and that has been a success. i don't think the goal was ever to eliminate the taliban, but, the question is, given what has happened, are we now seeing an increase in terrorist activity around the world? i'm not saying that afghanistan's cause of that, but i'm saying it's contributor. . >> i'm gonna play for you what former president trump said about what he would do when it comes to these refugees, that potentially could be coming from gaza. listen. >> i banned refugees from syria, are banned refugees from somalia, very dangerous places and from all of the most dangerous places all over the world. in my second term we are going to expand each and every one of those bands, we aren't bringing in anyone from gaza, syria, yemen, libya, or anyone else that threatened security. >> governor desantis said something similar, that the united states shouldn't let gazans in because, his view, they all hate israel. what would you do? >> i don't think we should like gazans and because i think we are doing more than enough to try to deal with that situation. in israel. and i think we need to be supporting israel and, for the gazan refugees, there are another places for gazan refugees to go, starting with the border crossing in egypt, which should be opened. in my view, given our level of support that we give to the egyptian military year after year after year, the least they can do is open up and allow gazans to come there. so i don't think america should be a place of first option for refugees, especially, abby, considering that we are taking in 200,000 folks who are trying to come over the border every months in america in our southern border. >> it sounds like both of your rivals in this republican race are suggesting the same thing, that gazans, just because they are from gaza, should not be allowed in. it sounds like a different thing from what you are saying. trump is also connecting it to, back when he was running in 20, 16, what he then cold, basically, a muslim ban. >> it didn't work back then, it was a bad idea back then. what i am saying is that everyone in the world is going to have to contribute trying to deal with the aftermath of the terrorist attack by hamas on israel. one of those potential problems is a refugee problem. it seems to me that the middle eastern countries surrounding the gaza strip can take in those refugees. i don't think that should be an obligation for the united states. or there to help make sure that israel can appropriately defend its sovereignty, its borders, and its people, and that is a huge contribution for the american people, the american taxpayers, and refugees in my view should not be one of the things we. do >> governor christie, stand by for us i want to get your take on some other news today about this extraordinary gag order that a judge imposed on trump in his election interference case. flew back in just a moment. >> tonight, donald trump is forbidden continues attacks against special counsel jack smith or risk facing jail. judge tanya chutkan imposing a-limited gag order on the former president in the election interference, saying that trump does not have the right to say and do exactly what he pleases. back with me now is republican presidential candidate chris christie. governor kristi, this-limited gag order issued by judge chutkan really is kind of extraordinary, just given the former presidents hold job. what do you make of the fact that she had to go? there >> that is him. abby, that is him. he is going to always, always push the edge of propriety, the edge of legality. that is why he is under indictment for different jurisdictions. that's why it's out on bail in four different jurisdictions. the fact is that a gag order like this is not extraordinary in a criminal case, it is only extraordinary because you're dealing with the former president of the united states who is running for president. but here's what republican voters and their primary have to remember. he is a criminal defendant, he doesn't get special rights because he is the former president, he is a criminal defendant indicted by a grand jury of his peers in the district of columbia. and so he can't go out there and start polluting the jury pool by -- impugning dental witnesses, impugning the prosecution, and impugning the judge. he wouldn't be allowed for any other criminal defendant and it shouldn't be allowed for him. i give the judge credit that she narrowly tailored this latte can still continue to talk about whether he believes the case was politically motivated, so he's making an acknowledgment towards his candidacy, but she is not going to allow him to act illegally and unethically as a criminal defendant. >> all right, here's our trump responded to all of those. listen. >> what they don't understand is that i am willing to go to jail if that is what it takes for our country to win and become a democracy again. >> first of all, do you believe him? is he willing to go to jail? >> it's a complete lie. he is a coward. the last place he wants dispend five minutes is in jail. by the way, having done this for seven years as the u.s. attorney in the fifth largest office of this country, no one should want to go to federal prison. >> he's playing victim here for his supporters, it clearly. >> he plays it all the time. donald trump doesn't want any legitimate debate or discussion about his conduct. he is not showing up at the presidents debate so he doesn't have, it is not interacting with other candidates or really with any other kind of network interviews because he doesn't want to do it. all he wants to do is stand in front of a microphone like that, lie, and allow some people to believe it. but that is why, abby, we have got to have vigorous conversation. it is why i have checked into the rnc a couple of weeks ago stopping vivek ramaswamy and i from having a discussion on another network for 45 minutes to be able to talk about these issues and talk about donald trump and what he's been as a candidate. that's why for viewers care about it, keep me on the debate stage. go to chris christie.com, donate $1, you keep me on the job bag stage because one donald trump shows up, the last person he wants to think