good morning, everyone. glad you're with us. ooip poppy harlow in new york. there's a lot of news to get to this morning. here are five things to know for this thursday. at moment, hundreds of americans could cross the border out of gaza and into egypt one day after the rafah crossing opening. >> israel striking the largest refugee camp for the second day in a row. president biden now saying we need a pause in order to get the prisoners out of the war zone. overnight republicans going after one of their own taking to the senate flor and slamming senator tommy tuberville as he continues to hold up the m military appointments. donald trump jr. rirning to the stand today followed by his brother as the $250 million civil fraud trial continues. a much-needed win for a community in mourning. the high school football team from lewiston, maine, beating their rivals with a roster of celebrities cheering them on. "cnn this morning" starts right now. this is a live look at the rafah border crossing where hundreds of americans could be leaving gaza today. according to this new deal hamas, they have been trapped inside the war zone for weeks as israel continues its unrelenting ground assault. you're looking at the devastation from a secondary strike in two days on gaza's largest refugee camp. the idf says it was targeting hamas' command center, but the united nations human rights office is warning the high number of civilian casualties from the strikes on the densely populated camp could be a war crime. >> hamas' defensive lines are collapsing and retreating. this is the late haddest video from the idf. president biden is now saying he supports a humanitarian pause in the war to save hostages still in gaz sa. a protesters called for a cease-fire. he responded, i think we need a pause. a pause means give time to get the prisoners out. we have live coverage all morning. priscilla alvarez is live for us. but i want to start with raphael. more americans will be getting out today. what's the latest in terms of people getting across that border? >> reporter: good morning, the expectation is that more americans and more foreigners in general will be able to pass through a state department spokesman confirmed wednesday that an initial group of foreign nationals, including u.s. citizens had departed gaza and made it into egypt, also he decline d to give specifics on f u.s. citizens were able to leave gaza. he did say that more americans would be able to leave today and in the next days and that the state department had communicated directly with american citizens in gaza so they would be ready to go. there was also confirmation from president biden himself. he wrote wednesday on x that the u.s. had secured safe passage for wounded palestinians and for foreign nationals to exit gaza. we're expecting some american citizens to exit right away with more departing over the next coming days. how many americans were stuck in gaza? at a senate appropriations committee hearing, secretary of state antony blinken said there were approximately 400 plus. their families, about a thousand people the in total. he also said there are about 5,000 other third country nationals in gaza who want to get out as well. >> there's been a second strike since yesterday morning, since we were on with you last, on that refugee camp by israel. how are they explaining it and defending it given they said the first strike took out the hamas target they were going after? >> reporter: yeah, that's right. israel defense forces commander last night said that the problem here is what they have been faceing all along, hamas is embedded in civilian communities, building their command centers, their infrastructure behind schools, hospitals, and other civic centers. it's very difficult to be able to target the commanders and the opteratives without any ca casualties. he said they are trying their best not to harm any civilians, so they do not intend to injury any civilians, but it's a reality that they are facing in the ground. they also reiterated what they said a couple weeks ago that they had asked the civilian population to leave those combat zoneses in the north and go south, but what we're hearing from relief workers and doctors in the north is that many of these people cannot leave, many of them are sick and being treated in hospitals. we are talking about families with young children. it's just impossible for them to get through. and then again, there's really no safe place in gaza at this point. >> thank you for the reporting. >> let's go to priscilla alvarez. a protester identified herself and interrupted president biden and called for a cease-fire. >> mr. president? i need you to call for a cease-fire. >> what's interesting is the president even though she was being told to leave, he did stand and answer a couple questions. the president said he you wanted the emotion and called for a pause. had he was careful not to say cease-fire. when you look at what he said, what does he mean? >> reporter: this moment really captured the dell indicate nature of the conflict and the heightened emotions of the white house is trying to navigate. the president did acknowledge the remarks saying, quote, i think we need a pause, a pause means give time to get the prisoners out. that referring to the hostages held by hamas. so the president really extending what u.s. officials have already said, which is that they would like to see israel engage in a humanitarian pause to get aid into gaza and to get the hostages out of gaza. but they have always been very, very careful about using the term cease-fire, saying cease-fire, and even implying at all that they are telling israel what to do and how to conduct its military operations. so what president biden said last night was really an extension of what we have been hearing from u.s. officials, but again, it underscores how politically difficult this is for the president. that happening at a campaign fundraiser in minneapolis. and also the president reminding the crowd that this is a complicated conflict that hamas is a terrorist organization, and also noting that he is the guy that got aid goo gaza. so one that this is fast moving, but he is the person to talk to these loaders and try to arrange for aid to get into gaza and work to get those hostages out of gaza. but all of this just underscoring how accocomplicated difficult it is as this white house proceeds. >> thank you very much for the reporting. today an american medical volunteer is resting at a hotel hours after she was finally able to cross the border. she volunteered in gaza for seven years creating procsthetis for children in gaza for the relief fund. she was in sprodic contact with her family. they got the news a at 8:26 a.m. in sgaz. she text her brother, just wait ing for the border to open. an hour later, staff have arrived. then gate open. we wait for a go sign. in the holding area, waiting for our name to be called. two hours later, in palestinian holding area. four hours after that, the message the family had been waiting for, on shuttle to egyptian border. pray for the people of gaza who now don't have us as shields from harm. her brother joins us now. we appreciate your time. i can't imagine what the last several weeks have been like. i want to start with with last i heard, she was in hotel and resting. do you know how she's feeling right now? >> i'm disappointed. i haven't been able to speak to her. she's been kind of quiet on the text message app as well. so it's cause for some concern. i'm worried about her spiritual condition because of the arduous conditions of the last three weeks, which had been pretty he lashs is and frightening fors us to be reading her text messages describe ing what's going on. but we weren't there listening to the bombs drop and the missiles launch. i'm a bit worried about her condition, and i'm looking forward to speaking to her and seeing her back here in the states. >> to that point, i think there's a natural assumption once you cross the border, everybody exhales and everything is wonderful, but your concern here, do you feel this is going to have a long-term effect because of what she has been through? >> i'm concerned about that. i'm pretty confident about her well being in long run because she's a tough woman. she's been going there visiting gaza for so many years. i was baffled when she first started doing it, but she's gritty and she's used to dealing and helping people who have been wounded, especially children injured in wartime. so she's a tough cookie. she puts up a good front. she's a very spiritual woman. she has a really firm base there. so in the long run, i'm confident she will come through this well. i'm just worried because i'm feeling it. i'm 12,000 miles away and reading her text messages about bombs falling and staying awake at night with the building shaking. so it's bothered me. and i changed my perspective on this world and on this conflict, thinking about all the thousands of people being killed there by accident or on purpose, and she could easily have been one of them. every life is precious, and hers is too. she was always pointing out so are the lives of the kids getting killed every day there. >> talk about the feeling when you got the text that she was across the border finally. >> i had a broad smile on my face. i really exhaled. those precious words when she said we're on the move, i had confidence their group was not going to move towards the border unless they had gotten some very clear and believable messages from the state department, as well as the powers that be. so when she says she was on the move, that's when i started really feeling happy. when i read the test message she was across the border, i was really happy then. i was satisfied then. i knew it was over in terms of the ordeal of being trapped in gaza. >> i can't imagine the relief. we're grateful for you and your family. thank you very much. >> thank you for having me on and supporting us. this just in, 20 ambulances have arrive d at rafah border crossing to pick up wounded palestinians. we'll keep you posted on all the developments. back here at home, donald trump jr. expected to take the stand again today in the civil fraud trial against his family. what he told prosecutors and what his brother could say nesks. and republican senators erupting at tommy tuberville for blocking 61 military apointments. >> we're not done. if you're a flag officer, one or two star general, we have your back. we're going to work this. we're going to work it. you deservrve it. our nation h has to haveve it. welcome back. donald trump jr. will be back in a new york courtroom today for a second day of testimony. this is in the civil fraud trial against the family and the trump org. the lawsuit accuses don jr. and his brother of a scheme to inflate their father's net worth to gain better loan terms and insurance agreements. eric trump could also take the stand today. kara scannell is following it all. what was key from don jr. and what else the do they want from him today? >> reporter: good morning. don jr. is the first of the trumps who will be testifying at the civil fraud trial. s he was the one that was taking the stand yesterday, the first one up out of the gate in this trial where it's a high stakes for the family business. he will be back on the stand today, but he testified about an hour and a half yesterday, where he answered the questions head on and even enjekted a little lev ity into the proceedings. donald trump jr. taking the stand, testifying in the $250 million civil fraud case brought against his family's company in new york. the lawsuit accuses trump jr. and his brother of know ingly inflating the assets to secure better loan and insurance policy terms. under oath, he denied any involvement in the preparation of his father's financial statements, testifying, the accountants worked on it. that's what we pay them for. further claiming had his role was that of a, quote, real estate broker and feigning ignorance for accounting principles. >> do you have any familiarity with an acronym gaap? how did you become familiar with that? >> probably an accountanting 101. >> what do they teach you about generally accepted accounting principles? >> i'm not an act tant, but they are generally accepted. >> anything else? >> that's pretty much what i remember from accounting 101. >> after winning the 2016 presidential election, the former president handed the reigns of the company over to his two eldest sons. >> my two sons, who are right here, don and eric, are going to be running the company. >> reporter: he was pressed about his involvement. the first after his father took office asking him if he gave the accountants the $246 million evaluation a attached to the licensing deals. trump jr. says he may have discussed the deals, but had no prior knowledge to those values being used in the financial statements. further testifying that his company's accountants had an incredibly intimate knowledge, and i relied on them. despite juthe judge finding tru and his sons liable for fraud, trump jr. was jovial during his 90-minute testimony, a departure from his previous chentss calling the trial a sham and a kangaroo court. even joking with the judge about the pace of his answers, saying, quote, i apologize, your honor. i moved to florida, but i kept the new york pace. trump jr. was even seen hovering over the court sketch artist to see how had he was illustrated before leaving court for the afternoon break. donald trump will be back on the stand this morning around 10:00 a.m. his lawyers are not going to question him, so next up will be his brother eric. he was involved in the valuation of golf courses and he's expected to be on the stand for several hours. >> a little bit of levity is right in that deposition tape. kara scannell, thank you. tributes are pouring in for the general. we're remembering college basketball coach bobby knight and his legacy and his signature short fuse. live pictures from the rafah crossing. one egyptian official saying 7,000 foreign nationals could be released from gaza into egypt. standbdby for new w developmene. nice footwork. man, you're lucky, watching live sports never used to be this easy. now you can stream all your games like it's nothing. yes! [ cheers ] yeah! woho! running up and down that field looks tough. it's a pitch. get way more into what you're into when you stream on the xfinity 10g network. welcome back for the first time in franchise history, the texas rangers are world series champions. the rangers eliminated the diamondbacks with a 5-0 win to claim the best of 7 series. the shortstop, who was monster, breaking up a no-hitter. it would score the night's first run. texas added 4 more runs in the 9th. he was named the series mvp. the rangers managed to win 11 straight games away from home. that's the longest road winning streak in post season history. next up, a parade in texas tomorrow for the world series champs. >> wait until you see this. it will warm your heart. high school football returning to lewiston, maine, last night for the first time since the mass shootings that claimed the lives of 18 people. it's the biggest game of the year. it's battle of the bridge between lewiston high school and edward little, the town came together to honor their lost loved ones and the first respond ergs who risked their lives to find the gunman. ♪ >> that is the legendary james taylor kicking off the game with his rendition of the national anthem. the team got extra encouragement from the likes of will fehr ril and rob gron cow ski. >> today's the day. showdown. lewiston vs. edward little, everyone is going to be watching. everyone is going to be talking about it. so let's bring it on. >> i have been thinking about everyone in lewiston, maine. i'm sending my love. i just want to say you guys are amazing. sticking together to stay strong through these tough times. >> from all who are returning to the game tonight, we applaud you for supporting one another. for all those playing in the game tonight, you already are champions. >> lewiston went on to beat edward little, 34-18. president biden and the first lady will travel to lewis ton on friday to pay their respects to all of those who tragically were killed. tributes are pouring in this morning for the general, hall of fame college basketball head coach and noted ohio state university graduate bobby knight has died at the age of 83. he won three national titles, 11 big ten conference titles and 662 games during his 29 seasons at indiana, among many other achievements. but his drive for winning was attached to a temper. he had little patience for players, referees, reporters, anyone standing in front of him. andy scholes looks back at his life and legacy. >> robert montgomery knight is one of basketball's biggest and most polarizing personalities. a strict, no nonsense coach on the court, bob knight didn't mince words off the court either. >> i'll handle this the way i want to hand it the it. you [ bleep ] it up to begin with. sit there or leave. i don't give a [ bleep ] what you do. >> now, back to the game. >> reporter: after garraduating from ohio state university, he enlisted in the army to help lead their basketball program. he was the black knights head coach for six seasons before accepting a job to coach at indiana in 1971. under the general's leadership, the hoosiers won three championships. knight also led the usa to a gold medal coaching michael jordan and the rest of the men's basketball team at the 1984 olympics in los angeles. after 29 years, his behavior on and off the court strained his relationship with the administration at indiana university. in may of 2000 he was placed on zero tolerance policy after it appeared he placed the on the neck of a player. months later he had a an altercation with a freshman student on campus. >> he fwrbed my arm and got in my face and just said a couple comments. it was pretty wild. >> i would have to be an absolute moron, an absolute moron with the things that have been laid down on me to grab a kid in public and curse at a kid in public. >> reporter: but that incident turned out to be the final straw for knight at indiana. >> i gave him the option of resigning as head basketball coach. he declined, and i notified him he was being removed as basketball coach effective immediately. >> reporter: knight continued coaching after indiana spending seven seasons in lubbock coaching texas tech. >> this is without question the most comfortable red sweater i have had on in six years. i can't tell you. >> reporter: after retirement, knight had little patience for the media, became a media members himself broadcasting for espn. and during the 2016 presidential campaign, knight tried his hand at politics, stumping for donald trump. >> you folks are taking a look at the most prepared man in history to step in as president of the united states. that man right there. >> reporter: in february of 2020 after years of turning down invitations, knight finally made his return to assembly al. knight attending the hoosiers game for the first time in 20 years, he was surround ed by former players and received a huge ovation from the home crowd. brash, intimidating, mad genius, he's been described a lot of ways, and always true to form, those opinions never seem to matter much to the general. >> when my time on earth is gone, and my activities here are passed, i want they bury me upside down and my critics can kiss my ass. >> it was the introverted subtlety of bobby knight that i think really was captured by andy in that piece. >> last quote says it all. >> ohio state grad. probably the most notable part in his career. >> our thoughts with his family and what a run he had. this morning israel forces say hamas' defen