very much. and thanks to our viewers for watching. "erin burnett outfront" starts "erin burnett outfront" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com "outfront" next, israel says hamas is no longer in control of northern gaza as the biden administration says it has new proof that hamas is using gaza's largest hospitals, the command center. plus, congress gone wild. a fist fight nearly breaking out in the united states senate. and a congressman accused kevin mccarthy of elbowing him in the kidneys. what is going on? it's embarrassing. new series "voters "outfront"." why young voters are increasingly fed up with biden. let's go "outfront." and good evening. i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, israel flags -- israeli flags in gaza's parliament. israel's defense minister pointing to a photo today at a press conference that shows israeli forces posing for a picture inside gaza's parliament and they're waving israeli flags. the defense minister says that this means, and it shows, he says that israel is now in control. >> reporter: you've seen his troops sitting in gaza's parliament. this is significant. i can tell you that in the northern gaza strip, hamas has lost its control. we're controlling all of the area that's above and underground of the northern gaza strip. and especially in gaza city. >> of course, it's obviously very charged that they would put israeli flags in that parliament. but israel also says it's punishing ground operations will continue and those include surrounding the al schiffa hospital. tonight, the white house says it has its own intelligence indicating that hamas is using al shifa to run its military operations. >> we have confirmed that hamas is using that particular hospital for a command and control node. that is a war crime. >> al shifa is the largest hospital in gaza. it's many blocks. it's about a dozen acres. e.r., surgery, maternity wards. it is where thousands of innocent palestinians are sheltering in parking lots and courtyards as well as whatever is underneath it. kirby does not support striking al schiffa from the air. cnn obtained an audio message from the head of the neonatal unit. he made it clear that the situation inside the hospital that he is seeing is dire. >> it is where evacuated to the surgical department and all of them are wrapped in towels, not in incubators. we expect all to die because they don't have water to prepare -- they don't have electricity to provide them with warmth. they don't have staff to care with them, even the staff is scared. >> we expect all to die. no human heart can be untouched by that. according to the u.s. administration, al schiffa has also been used to house some of the hostages taken by hamas, 239 as we understand that at this time those numbers have shifted over time. but 239 is the latest that we have. tonight a u.s. senior official tel telling that israel and hamas have been inching towards a deal. israel asked for 100 to be released. hamas' military claims negotiations are focused on the possible release of 70 women and children. they want a pause in fighting for five days for that. as both sides agree that there is a discussion about a substantial number of hostages. and both saying that now to the press is a significant step. it is unclear if any deal would include freeing the ten americans being held. today, though, president biden was asked and said this. >> what's your message to the families? >> hang in there. we're coming. >> jeremy diamond is "outfront" live along the israel/gaza border. the yoav gallant claiming full control of northern gaza city, israeli troops waving flags. the idf says fighting continues in the heart of gaza. so what more are you learning about how things really stand at this hour? >> reporter: well, erin, over the last couple of weeks, we have watched as israeli forces have been closing in on gaza city from the north and from the south. and tonight ra minister now saying that hamas has lost control of northern gaza including, he says, gaza city. this as we are hearing tonight ongoing bombardments and outgoing artillery in the direction of the gaza strip. and as we were watching israeli forces taking control of key positions, all appearing to head towards one key target. and that is al schiffa hospital. tonight, israeli forces say they have seized key areas in northern gaza. after block by block battles, the israeli military claiming operational control of the congested shati refugee camp and key hamas government buildings in gaza city where troops posed with israeli flags. the advances show israeli troops driving toward al shifa hospital where hamas operates a major underground command center. cnn cannot independently confirm those allegations with both hamas and hospital officials denying. the u.n. says all but one of northern gaza's hospitals have now effectively shut down due to a lack of power, water, and medical supplies. >> nowadays, every minute, every hour we are hearing that either a hospital or departments in hospital is closing its services. >> reporter: at al schiffa hospital, doctors desperately trying to save premature babies after a strike knocked out power to the hospital's neonatal unit. the israeli military now says it is preparing to send these mobile incubators to the hospital, releasing audio of an alleged conversation with a hospital manager. [ speaking in a global language ] meanwhile, new confidence from president biden in a potential deal to free some of the estimated 239 hostages held in gaza. >> after talking with people involved every single day, i believe it's going to happen. but i don't want to get into detail. >> reporter: as hostage families begin a five-day mark from tel aviv to jerusalem, israel and hamas are inching closer to a deal. the broad strokes, hamas frees dozens of women and children in exchange for as long as a five-day ceasefire, and the release of some palestinian prisoners. as families continue to plead for the release of their loved ones, the official cautioning a deal is closer, but it's not done. and tonight, erin, we have heard for weeks now as israeli officials have made clear that they believe that hamas is operating below al shifa hospital. yesterday israeli officials saying that they believe hamas is holding hostages there, and today we are hearing from the white house directly the national security council spokesman john kirby saying that not only does hamas operate a command and control center under shifa but also that it may be holding hostages there and under other hospitals. erin? >> all right. jeremy, thank you very much. and "outfront" now, retired army lieutenant general, the former security coordinator for israel and the palestinian authority. and dr. barbara zind, the american pediatrician who arrived in gaza the day before the october 7th hamas terrorist strike in israel. she remained stuck in gaza for 26 days. we followed her story of course for weeks here on "outfront." and she has spent a lot of time in gaza over the years. thanks very much to both of you. and, general schwartz, i want to start by asking you a couple questions about the situation on the ground. first the israeli defense minister says hamas is no longer in control of gaza city or northern gaza above and below ground. so if that's true, what's actually left, general? >> well, i think that statement by the minister of defense really emphasizes the fact that the israeli defense forces have control of what comes into northern gaza and gaza city and what goes out. they've also had the opportunity over the past two and a half weeks to assess the thousands of airstrikes that occurred in northern gaza and gaza city. so, the assessment of the underground i think is what characterizes that part of the statement because just yesterday when nick was in gaza and, you know, investigating some of the damage from the strikes as well as some of the ground combat, the idf spokesman, as i remember, made the comment that they had not physically cleared all the tunnels. but i think they've assessed what the damage has done. so, there's still fighting going on as we've seen reported. but i think the idf feels assured that they have control. >> all right. i'm just going to interrupt this conversation for one moment to go to the ground to our oren liebermann in tel aviv with some breaking developments. oren? >> reporter: erin, the idf has just confirmed they're moving on al shifa hospital. this is a development we've come to expect over the last days and even weeks as israel has pointed to shifa hospital, the largest in gaza as one of the focal points of hamas and its infrastructure. they have accused and the u.s. has backed them up. hamas of using shifa hospital as a base essentially building some of their facilities, some of their headquarters, their command and control below it. this statement just coming out a few moments ago. i'll read you a part of it. it says based on intelligence information and an operation necessity, idf forces are carrying out a preprice and targeted operation against hamas in a specified area in the shifa hospital. they then go on to say they include arabic speakers who have prepared for this complex and sensitive environment with the intent that no harm is caused to the civilians being used by hamas as human yields in recent weeks they say they have repeatedly warned hamas to leave the hospital and leave the area as gun fights have raged in that area. they also say they've given opportunities for patients and others to evacuate shifa hospital. and in the last line of their statement i'll read this quickly as well. we call upon all hamas terrorists present in the hospital to surrender. again, erin, this is a development we have expected as they've moved closer to the hospital and given the amount of folk yes they have, or, rather, attention they have paid to it, it was assumed at some point they would have to move on the hospital. in many ways, perhaps, if it can be proven that they are correct that hamas has used it as a base a way of vindicating much of what we've seen, much of what they have said over the course of the past several weeks. >> so, oren, a couple of things that you said there. they're saying all hamas terrorists, they're asking them to surrender. i mean, obviously, the clear implicit implication there is that they believe that there are hamas terrorists inside, that they're moving on that, specific military operation. is there anything in this that makes you believe that there is more to it in terms of a hostage rescue situation, or what do you read between the lines of the information they're sharing? >> let me take a quick look at the statement again. there's just a little bit of it i didn't read. there isn't any statement in here about hostages. there's no indication whether they believe hostages are inside the hospital. they did put out video of one of the other hospitals in northern gaza and suggested hostages may have been held in that hospital. at least as of this point, it doesn't look like the idf has made an accusation or a statement such that they believe hostages were held at any point at shifa hospital. but that's certainly something we'll keep an eye on. >> another thing you were talking about. they are talking about a targeted operation. they are bringing in medical teams somewhat in support of the civilian, the dire civilian situation aboveground in the hospital regardless of what hamas is present there. arabic speakers as well. do you have any sense from your sources of while you say this is what has been expected, obviously, it's happening around 2:12 in the morning where you are. any sense of the size or scope of what this operation may be? >> reporter: that's difficult to gauge from here. we're only 40, 50 mile as way. but it's difficult to know what's happening on the ground. how many forces are moving in. what kinds of forces. this would almost certainly be a special operations raid. they have units that are focused on tunnel warfare and specialize in that. perhaps they are involved because the accusation has always been that hamas is under the hospital and uses the hospital as protection above it. so, you'd have to believe that there are units that focus on special operations and operating underground. and they also say, and it's interesting, i'll point this out again. they say they are in a specified area in shifa hospital. so, it implies that they at least have some indication or believe they do at least where that connects, where aboveground connects with below ground, where hamas is using the hospital. it is a large complex. there is a main area. there are outer buildings as well from what we have seen. so, one of the things we'll learn as we see more how this played out both from the israelis and, of course, from the palestinians and shifa hospital where they focused, what they did, what kind of forces they used, and how many forces took part in this. >> all right, oren, obviously, stand by. and, as you get more information, you'll come back with us as soon as you do learn more. general schwartz, when you hear about this operation that the idf now says as we are all speaking is going on, the largest hospital in gaza, specified area targeted by idf forces asking for hamas terrorists present to surrender as they are going in. what do you hear is happening? >> so, i think oren characterized it very well. i would expect there'd be israeli special operations forces that have very good understanding and intelligence on the makeup of the overall al shifa hospital compound. it sounds like they have some pretty unique intelligence that suggests they know the area where maybe hamas is currently present or have been in the most recent past. so, i think also a key point of that statement was a precise operation, which, you know, lends us to believe that they are going to use primarily, you know, ground forces and the use of directfire weapons in order to clear the hospital and mitigate the likelihood of civilian casualties. >> dr. zind, i can only imagine what you're thinking as you hear this. you've been inside that hospital. you know people there. you've been talking to the head of the neonatal unit who ultimately had to leave. she thinks more than 50 premature babies will die. we heard her speaking there and her voice breaking. when you hear this news and you know the complex, what do you think? i mean, it is obviously a very large -- i know it's about a dozen acres all in. it's a very large space. and they're talking about something very specific. can you even comprehend what such a thing might mean? >> right. i'm concerned, of course, about those premature infants, the maternal fetal or newborn area is a distance from the surgical hospital and in general what they do is they have to do surgery on a newborn, they take an ambulance to get from one to the other. they didn't in this case. and the babies are right there within the surgical part of the department because they can get some warmth. but i just think of those newborns every day that they have low oxygen, that they're not fed adequately is really permanent damage to those babies and if they survive, even. and, so, i just feel like this is -- you know, this isn't going to help those babies at all, and still you have to weigh the benefit and risk. and the risk is for those 46 babies. >> and, dr. zind, on that front, as we understand this is happening right now. you heard the idf release audio of what they say was a phone call between an arabic speaking member of the idf and a hospital employee saying we're going to provide incubators. will that be helpful, and the employee responds yes. the idf provided this video so i can't tell you this audio. can't tell you ourselves that that's exactly where it came from. but what the description is if such a thing were to happen and those incubators were to get there, especially when you're now seeing military operation in a specific part of this hospital. would that make a difference at this point if those incubators were now just suddenly delivered? >> well, if those incubators were so -- had their own power, or battery power, they had oxygen tanks on them that would last for a while, and there was -- they also need clean water and they need one for every baby. so, that's a lot if they are carrying all of those incubators and they are all self-contained. most of them aren't going to have enough power for a long period of time. they would be more transport incubators. but it depends on that. if they bring a regular incubator with no self-contained power, then it's not going to be very helpful. >> general, a quick final word to you from everything you've heard. how big do you think this operation is in terms of the time it will take? obviously it's happening here now at 2:20 in the morning. the time it will take, the number of forces involved by the idf. >> the idf is clearly using the advantage of darkness and some of the unique capabilities they have to do the operation. i would suggest that it's going to take multiple hours and it's going to involve probably a couple thousand forces because the outer cordon to support the main assault force is going to go into the clearing of the hospital where they assess the hamas operatives were located. >> all right. thank you both very much. i appreciate it. and, as i said, our oren liebermann is standing by as we get more information on this, we are going to bring it to you. but we do understand, and the idf has confirmed that this operation in al shifa hospital with israeli forces going on is happening as we speak right now. "outfront" next, a sitting senator challenging the teamsters president to a fist fight during a committee hearing today. >> well, stand your butt up. >> stand your butt up. >> hold up, stop it. >> what happened? plus, the georgia d.a. revealing that trump's trial is going to be going on during the height of the presidential election. >> i don't expect that we will conclude until the winter or the very early part of 2025. and the former trump white house attorney ty cobb will be "outfront." plus, chinese president xi jinping leaving nothing to chance tonight as he lands in california for his meeting with president biden. pro-china crowds arriving just in time toto welcome xi. breaking news. the house just passing a bill to avoid a government shutdown. all but two democrats joining a majority of republicans to extend funding until january 19th. it's a major step, it comes as the capitol saw pretty embarrassing day, senator markwayne mullin challenging a witness at a hearing to a fist fight. at that fight -- or the fight almost broke out, and it would have if it weren't for senator bernie sanders. >> no, no, sit down. you're a united states senator. sit down, please. >> reporter: a breakdown in decorum today on capitol hill. >> i want to expose this thug to who he is. >> do not point at me. that's disrespectful. >> i don't care about respecting you at all. >> reporter: senator markwayne mullin bringing a congressional hearing to a halt standing up and challenging the witness to a fist fight in the middle of the hearing. >> sir, this is a time, this is a place if you want to run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults we can finish it here. >> okay, that's fine, perfect. >> do you want to do it right now? >> i'd love to do it right now. >> well, stand your butt up. >> stand your butt up. >> reporter: the tense moment escalating quickly after the senator read tweets that teamsters general president sean o'brien wrote in the past being critical of the senator. >> what a clown, fraud, always has been, always will be. quit the tough guy act in these senate hearings. you know where to find me, any place, any time, cowboy. >> reporter: numerous attempts by the chairman of the committee to break up the altercation that ensued. >> hold it. no, excuse me -- >> i will say -- >> senator mullin i have the mic. if you have any questions on economic issues, go for it. we're not here to talk about physical abuse. >> reporter: afterwards, mullin said he didn't regret it. >> i didn't start it. i didn't go after him. i have no beef with the guy. i mean, i don't even know the last time i've gotten in a street fight. >> reporter: meantime over in the house today, says former speaker of the house kevin mccarthy elbowed him in the back. >> it was a clean shot to the kidneys. >> reporter: mccarthy denying it saying they were in a narrow hallway intimating he only brushed past him. >> if i kidney punched him, he'd be on the ground. >> he said it was intentional. >> that hallway was -- there's plenty of room. you could walk four side by side. he chose to do what he did. >> reporter: elsewhere on capitol hill. >> that is bull-[ bleep ]>> you're doing stuff -- the american public have questions. why should they believe you? why should they believe you? >> reporter: devolving into name-calling between chairman comer and freshman congressman jared moskowitz. >> you look like a smurf here just going around in all this stuff. >> and this string of personal incidents up here on capitol hill certainly underscores just how high tensions are running. members have been scrambling to get the government funded before the end of the week's deadline. they're also certainly on the house side they have been working for ten weeks straight. that is very atypical for them. and the new speaker of the house mike johnson, he chimed in on all of this today. he said that maybe a thanksgiving break would allow at least his members a chance to get home and cool off a bit. erin? >> nothing like working ten weeks. thank you. let's go now to a former congressman. you know all the players involved in the chaos today. let me just start with the senator mullin fiasco that happened there in that committee meeting. were you shocked to see a sitting senator challenge a witness to a fight in the middle of a committee hearing? >> well, i'm shocked that the whole incident happened. mark wayne and i got elected together in the house in 2012. he's a very good friend of mine. but let's also take a step back and ask is there any culpability for bernie sanders and, more, in particular, his staff on the help committee putting sean o'brien back on the witness stand knowing that there was bad blood. did they know something like this would happen? and it's frustrating. but i will tell you there is one person i met in my life that i would never want to get in a fight with. and that's senator mullin. he's one tough dude. all right. so i want to understand all that. but we are talking about the u.s. senate. just whether there's bad blood or not, president of the teamsters union is who we're talking about. and whatever the personal invectives that have been lodged between the two, that is the largest union in the united states, they've got 1.3 million people as their members. there is no situation it would seem in which it was unfair for him to be sitting in the committee hearing as a witness. he should just control himself and act with decorum. >> well, i have led committee witnesses on my side of the aisle as a ranking member of a committee in the house. and you get it choose the witnesses. and if you know there's been bad blood on social media, you kind of know that there might be an outcome. now, there would never have been a fight in the senate hearing room, that was a lot of talking, and no action. now, i grew up watching professional wrestling. this seemed like it'd be a great prelogue of what could happen for charity. if sean o'brien and markwayne mullin want to fight for charity, help veterans organizations. help the capitol police memorial fund. let's do that. because they're getting the national attention right now. i bet they'd raise a lot of money. >> getting in, in a way that is quite embarrassing, i think something that people would like to think happens in other floors of elected representatives in other countries and now we see happening here. and on that i want to ask you -- when you know all these individuals. let me ask you about what happened on the capitol side today, on the house side. former speaker mccarthy accused of elbowing congressman burchett in the kidneys. mccarthy is denying it. but the npr reporter who was there said she saw it happen. so she saw the whole thing and is saying it happened. why is mccarthy denying it, do you think? >> i can't answer that. i wasn't there. but this is 100% personal between tim and kevin right now. and if i was still in congress, i would try and sit both of them down to try and work it out. it's disappointing that issues like this and incidents like this are getting this much attention nationwide, especially when we see what's happening in the world and thankfully speaker johnson and leader jeffreys were able to come up with an agreement to keep government funding going forward after this week. so, these members of congress can get home and be with their families and calm down a little bit. >> and we can do it all again in early january. but, you know, i guess they got it funded till january 19th. i hear you. at this point, sadly, it's something to celebrate in this country when it's put off another few weeks. next, the d.a. in the georgia case against trump filing an emergency motion to seal evidence after recorded interviews were made public. so who leaked those tapes? plus, the breaking news. israel saying its troops are right now as i speak carrying out a precise and targeted operation at the shifa hospital in gaza. the israeli troops are actually going in right now and we're going to g go back to the e gro for ththe latest, after r this. we are continuing to follow the breaking news right now. the israeli defense forces at this time, so it's about 2:30 in the morning in gaza. so they are currently conducting an operation against hamas at the largest hospital in gaza city. they say it's a targeted operation inside that hospital that the idf forces are moving in. it is, according to the u.s. and the idf, that hospital is also a command center for hamas. and a place where they have held hostages. oren liebermann is "outfront" live in tel aviv following this closely. and, oren, you were able to confirm this and get this update from the idf. what more can you tell us? >> reporter: at this point, the idf hasn't made any additional statements or put out any video. but we do expect they'll have to do that at some point. partially because of the focus on the hospital itself from the idf from the israeli government saying it is being used as a base by hamas. they have to essentially prove that to the outside world and show the outside world that what they have said up to this point is true. another reason they'll have to put out additional information and video is because of the consider ittism they have faced for operating around the hospital, strikes that have affected the hospital, and the deaths inside the hospital. officials there saying they have to bury people, essentially, right in the hospital complex, babies have died in the neonatal intensive care unit when their incubators stop working and the generators went out. this has led to a tremendous amount of criticism directed to israel. so in some way trying to prove or show that hamas used it, that explains what israel was getting at when it closed in on the hospital. statements haven't come out yet. we only have the original statement from the idf. so it's unclear how many forces have gone in what, types of forces they say they do have, arabic speakers to be able to communicate with the officials there, the doctors, perhaps the patients. there were some 650 patients inside and thousands of people taking shelter inside the hospital. so it is an incredibly difficult place to operate. the idf has made the decision, though, just a short while ago, erin, that they're going in. >> all right, and, obviously, a significant development, although anticipated significant that it is actually happening as we speak. oren, thank you very much. as oren gets more, we'll go back to tel aviv. also new tonight, the fulton county d.a. fani willis now saying it will take more than a year for her occasion against donald trump and others could wrap up. >> i think the case will be on appeals for years. okay. but i think that, um, in terms of i believe in that case, there will be a trial. i believe the trial will take many months. and i don't expect that we will conclude until the winter or the very early part of 2025. >> and the trump organization fraud trial, meantime, trump today reshared a social media post attacking both the judge and the attorney general in new york. we took a screen shot of it, and it said, my fantasy, i would like to see letitia james and judge engoron placed under citizens arrest for blatant election interference and harassment. former trump white house lawyer ty cobb. ty, that post that trump reshared on social media appears to have since been deleted. but, nonetheless, it was shared by him. do you believe that that could be significant for donald trump, how come? >> well, you know, we do have pending the appeal of judge chut can's gag order in d.c. and these are the types of incendiary attacks that do lead to violence. he specifically asked people to conduct a citizens arrest, detention of either james or engoron would be a crime if committed by any individual who was so motivated by the president's remarks. it's much like what he did on january 6th. it continues to be off the rails in terms of the extent to which his invective affects these proceedings and has the potential to intimidate witnesses. i believe that at some point comments like this will result in trump not only being sanctioned, which will probably be the first order of business, but at some point these types of comments will result in him being put in jail pending some of these trials. >> it's just really stunning to imagine just how that would happen and how horrible for this country that would be on so many different ways and different levels. ty -- >> well, particularly when, like your last guest reported, we are talking about very serious events. i mean, real serious events around the world. and this petty dictator type talk that keeps coming from trump just diminishes him and the united states every day. >> well, you just heard the fulton county d.a. fani willis as well. she said her case against trump could stretch into winter, and then early 2025. just to be clear, for anybody paying attention, that would of course be likely post-inauguration of a new president, which could be donald trump if he wins. so, what does this actually mean? >> well, you might recall that when the case was first brought, i said that i didn't believe that case could go to trial until 2025. and if trump is elected, there is a significant issue about whether the state court can proceed against him and if it's in the middle of proceeding as to whether they cawith him as t. the federal rule, which is only a policy, it's not in the constitution, it's not a statute, is that you cannot prosecute, you can't indict or prosecute a sitting president during his term. there is no law yet on what the state's rights are in those circumstances. but i think it's likely that a court may rule that they'd have to wait until the end of his term to finish the prosecution of it. >> and what about in that odd window where say he wins but he's not yet a sitting president? that kind of november to january -- >> right. i think in that window they could start the trial. but i think once sworn in, there is a substantial issue that, you know, sadly would interrupt the trial and ultimately be decided by the supreme court as to whether the state could proceed. >> all right. ty, thank you very much. ty cobb, the former white house attorney. thank you for your time. and, next, our latest series voters "outfront" kicks off next with a look at why young voters are turning away from biden at this time. >> i think that young voters recognize you can't bomb your way to peace and security. plus, rfk jr. speaking to supporters tonight. he is now polling higher at this point in the race than any independent or third-party candidate since, ready?? ross perot.. who'o's s backing hihim? tonight, joe manchin in a new interview refusing to say whether he will vote for biden in 2024. >> i think that's -- it's a hypothetical question thinking not knowing what we're going to have and who we're going to have. to make a choice right now, okay, let me just say i could not vote for donald trump. >> but you're not convinced you could vote for joe biden? >> well, i want president biden. i hope the changes would come. >> this comes as president biden is facing an uphill battle with a key group that put him in the white house. and jeff zeleny kicks off our new series "voters "outfront"" with a look at the crucial young vote. >> people may not vote because they all say, well, this happened under the biden/harris administration. >> reporter: as kerry singleton looks ahead to the next presidential election, he's thinking back to the promises he heard president biden and vice president harris deliver on a visit to atlanta. >> pass the freedom to vote act. [ applause ] pass it now. >> reporter: on that winter day, the president was closing in on his first year in office. hopes were high for singleton and other students on the grounds of clark atlanta university and morehouse college. the supreme court rejected a student loan forgiveness plan and high prices from food to housing are fueling economic anxieties. >> i do think that everyone is willing to hold the administration accountable for some of those promises that were made. and if they don't happen, i think it's going to be a scary election. >> reporter: for all the warning signs facing the president a year before the election, the skepticism and apathy of young voters rank high. >> folks just feel poorer right now than they did two years ago. there are going to have to be a lot of conversations about how we feel like our issues are being heard. >> reporter: this person is the youngest woman to win a seat in the georgia senate. in 2020 she went door to door in the atlanta suburbs building a coalition to help biden turn the state blue. that coalition, she said, could fracture by the president's handling israel/hamas war. >> i think that young voters recognize you can't bomb your way to peace and security. and, so, we do feel uncomfortable with that. >> reporter: rachel carroll's first vote went to biden. she finds herself disappointed by some priorities of the white house. >> if they can fund a war, they can fund the money to pay off our student loans. >> reporter: young voters were a critical component of the president's victory, particularly here in georgia. where biden defeated donald trump by only 11,779 votes out of nearly 5 million cast. exit polls in 2020 show that voters 18 to 29 made up 20% of the georgia electorate. the only state of the top six battlegrounds where the percentage of young voters exceeded the national share of 17%. biden won young georgia voters by 13 points, according to exit polls. but now a year before the 2024 election, surveys show a far closer race, with voters under the age of 30 here in georgia split 46% for trump and 44% for biden, according to a "new york times" siena college poll. >> reporter: alan and some of his classmates wish they had more inspirational and generational choices. >> we have to pick between two different people who are very, very old and up in age. >> we would like to see biden pass the baton. >> reporter: the vice president, whose college tour brought her back on campus this fall, resonates more. >> i think she sparks that energy. when she came to morehouse, it was fun. i feel her passion. >> reporter: but with biden at the top of the ticket, potentially facing a rematch of the 2020 race, voters say the burden rests on him to deliver on his promises and not take their support for granted. >> we have to hold biden accountable just like we hold trump accountable. >> reporter: having these conversations with so many young voters makes one thing clear. the economy for them is a very top issue as well as it is, of course, for voters across the spectrum. now, the biden campaign talking to them about this and their strategy says they are reaching out to young voters. they're increasing their outreach. and they said that they will go after young voters where they are. and they will make this a contrast election. but, erin, it's not as much, perhaps, as people voting for biden or trump. it's a concern about enthusiasm if young voters will turn out at all. that's why this is one key part of the coalition the biden campaign is trying to rebuild. >> all right. thank you very much, jeff zeleny in atlanta tonight. and when you take all of this into account, you've got to take into account that there is something else at play. right now there is, and that's rfk jr. because he's really hoping to make a play here in 2024 tonight telling a crowd in south carolina that he is counting on young people to do it. here he is moments ago. >> i'm the only one who's talking about what's happening to you think people in this consultant. somehow, in the terms of the last two presidents, the young people of this country have completely lost faith in the united states of america and lost any hope for their own futures. and that to me is the most heartbreaking data point that i've seen since i began running in this campaign. >> all right. well, kennedy is picking up momentum. so that message and other things he says is working for plenty of people. a poll from "new york times" and siena college shows him polling at 22%. that's higher than any independent or third party candidate this late in the race since ross perot. and for that you go back to 1992. harry enten is "outfront" to go beyond the numbers. harry, it has now been, and i'm just off the cuff here saying at least six months, that we've been talking about rfk jr. pulling about 20% in various polls of various people. but that number has been very steady. okay. who is in it? key swing states he is polling at 22% where. is the support coming from you can see? >> it's coming from multiple groups, but perhaps the most important group is people who didn't actually turn out to vote in 2020. he is getting well into the 30s with that group. he is actually i believe leading with that group. you can see it right there, 36% that donald trump's 31%. these are people whoa didn't vote in 2020 who say they'll actually come out and vote for rfk jr. in 2024. >> so these could be you think young people who couldn't before or people who chose not to vote. >> correct. remember ross perot in 1992 who he mentioned earlier on, he is someone who brought out untraditional voters. also, jeff was talking about younger voters. >> yep. >> among younger voters nationally, you look at quinnipiac. who leads in that group? rfk jr. leads in that group. the fact that kennedy is pulling in the folks who you might not expect who oftentimes don't turn out to vote. >> 18% to 34%. these are significant. nobody can look at this and not just pause. >> it's real. >> and it's not just young voters. as crucial as they are, and they were crucial for joe biden. without them, he wouldn't be in the white house, there is another key demographic that seems to be gravitating towards kennedy. >> yeah, black voters. if we look right i know, although joe biden has a fairly large lead with black voters, rfk is polling well into the mid 20s with them nationally speaking. and why is that important? that would be the highest share of the vote for a nondemocratic presidential candidate as long as we have exit polls. i think i don't have to go back to the '50s in dwight eisenhower to be polling as high as rfk is among black voters. >> another crucial group. biden may win it, but the margin. >> margins are everything. >> margins are everything. harry, thank you very much. >> thank you. next, pro chinese crowds right now arriving in san francisco, just in time to cheer for xi jinping's arrival as he is aboutut to come f face-to-fa wiwith presidedent biden.. breaking news. you're looking at chinese president xi jinping landing in san francisco just moments ago, set for a face-to-face meeting with president biden. the two rivals meeting as regulations right now between the two countries are at their lowest point in at least half a century. this is video filmed by our producer on the ground. crowds bussed in just to cheer to give xi that welcome as he arrives. china completely controlling the optics tonight for their president. david culver is "outfront." >> reporter: sharing a sofa and a smile at mar-a-lago. serenaded by former president donald trump's grandkids. ♪ seen in chinese for a visiting president xi jinping. the blossoming it seemed of a new friendship, and with it closer ties between the u.s. and china. >> i think long-term we're going to have a very, very great relationship, and i look very much forward to it. >> reporter: not quite how the story played out. in the six years since xi's last visited the u.s., u.s. relations have plummeted to all-time lows. >> they must play by the rules. >> reporter: the issues, where to begin. a bruising trade war. a devastating pandemic. >> it came out of china. >> reporter: rising tensions in the south china sea. growing threats from beijing over its goal of unifying with taiwan. and amidst russia's ongoing war in ukraine, an alarmingly cozy putin and xi relationship. in the war between israel and hamas, china refusing to condemn hamas. president xi's first trip to the u.s. was 1985 as a local communist party official taking in the sights. today he is china's most powerful ruler since mao, demanding near total control over a population of 1.4 billion people. xi now returns to an increasingly divided united states, something chinese state media repeatedly highlights in its propaganda. but if there is one topic that consistently unites washington, it's being tough on china, a sentiment bolstered by the downing of a suspected chinese spy balloon earlier this year. >> they're testing us. they're mocking us, trying to embarrass us. >> reporter: china has its own issues. after years of record growth, the world's second largest economy is struggling. its housing market in crisis. youth unemployment at record highs. and for the first time in 25 years, a deficit in foreign direct investment. international companies increasingly uneasy, putting money into china, in part because of beijing's unpredictable crackdowns. the u.s.'s reputation has also taken a hit in china, fuelled by state media's anti-west messaging and nationalistic posts on china's tightly controlled social media. ahead of the summit, rising skepticism towards u.s. intentions. one weibo user positivesing this is a u.s. delaying tactic, its strategy of containing china won't change, but only intensify. another posting, "anyone who thinks that china-u.s. relations will become better is simply naive. it's just your wishful thinking." many in china supporting xi's proposed new world order, one that's not led by the u.s. the u.s. now hosting this high-stakes west coast meet-up with low expectations on the outcome. no more love seat for the leaders of two super powers. instead, both on a hot seat with the world watching if they can tamp down tensions. and erin, tonight we're hearing from the chairman of a house select committee who is demanding the names of the businesses and the people involved in a welcome dinner for president xi in which companies are paying up to $40,000 for