celebrating, great moment on the last day on that field. >> that little boy kept up. i was going to say, still running. >> yeah. cutest thing of the day. thank you, coy. next hour of "cnn this morning" starts right now. good morning. welcome to "cnn this morning." it is sunday, november 19th. i'm amara walker. >> so good to be with you. i'm victor blackwell. here's what we are watching for you. president biden rejects calls for a ceasefire in gaza again. plus, what israel's prime minister is saying about hostages still being held by hamas. republican presidential candidates are in iowa and on attack. what they are saying about president biden and each other. the most powerful rocket ever built lifted off from texas, then exploded. some are still calling the launch a success. we'll tell you why. and if you are traveling up it's shaping up to be a wet week ahead with several systems that could slow you down across the country. we have your holiday forecast. starting this morning with the reports out of gaza where there was an explosion at a u.n.-run school. we have to warn you that the video we are about to show is graphic. >> the video shows dozens of bodies, including women and children. the school was being used as a shelter. one u.n. official called the carnage horrifying. a u.n. agency confirmed the school was hit saturday, but not didn't have further details. president joe biden is once again rejecting calls for a ceasefire in gaza. he says that would give hamas an opportunity to regroup and rebuild their stockpile of weapons. cnn's jeremy diamond is live from tel aviv. hi there, jeremy. what's the latest on the ground? >> reporter: well, as you said, dozens appear to have been killed in a strike on a u.n. school in jabalia refugee camp in gaza. the scenes are absolutely devastating. we can see dozens of bodies in just one of these rooms. you can see a dozen bodies on the floor covered in dust and desks are smashed. there is a huge hole in the wall. it is not clear exactly at this point according to the united nations what -- who was responsible for this strike. egypt and qatar as well as other countries have already blamed israel for this. but the idf saws they are aware of this incident. they say it is under review. but they have no further comment on whether or not they were responsible for this strike. but what is clear is that dozens of people are dead, including many women and children among them. meanwhile, at al shifa hospital yesterday u.n. workers visited that hospital and described its a death zone. they said patients and staff at the hospital were afraid for their lives, were requesting evacuation. today we have a little bit of good news amid all the devastation. that is that those 31 premature babies at al shifa hospital were successfully evacuated to the southern part of the gaza strip. they were evacuated in ambulances, organized by the palestine red crescent society as well as the world health organization participating in that effort and they were successfully evacuated and they are expected to be taken into egypt next via of rafah crossing. meanwhile, israel is continuing its military operations in the northern part of the gaza strip. we know that they are conducting clearing operations in a number of areas, including in gaza city, trying to get rid of hamas infrastructure, including those underground tunnels and they are still engaging in fire fights with hamas militants in gaza city and around that area as well. meanwhile, those hostage families are still waiting to see if there is going to be a deal to free dozens of women and children potentially in exchange for a multiday ceasefire. tens of thousands of people rallied last night in jerusalem and in tel aviv to not only plead for the release of their family members, but also to urge the israeli government to reach a deal, to agree to a deal for a ceasefire in exchange for dozens of these hostages to be released. the israeli prime minister amid all of that pressure from those families agreeing to meet with them. he will meet with them tomorrow. meantime, he says that there is no deal as of yet amid reports that there is a tentative agreement that is moving forward in these negotiations between israel and hamas mediated by qatar. >> jeremy diamond in tel aviv. now to priscilla alvarez in delaware. the president under intense pressure to support a ceasefire, but again in this new op-ed in t"the washington post" he says no? >> reporter: and that has been the position from the president and his administration. they have rejected calls for a ceasefire despite that mounting pressure. in this op-ed the president argues a ceasefire could be exploited by hamas. instead, the president and the administration have been pushing for humanitarians which would allow for the release hostages held by hamas as well as more humanitarian aid to get into gaza. but the president touches on two other points in this op-ed. that includes, for example, a warning against extremists who are attacking civilians in the west bank saying that the u.s. is prepared to issue visa bans. this is all an area of concern for the administration. and also the president taking a moment to call again for a two-state solution. this has been an idea that the president has long endorsed and says is the solution for the israel/hamas conflict. and in it he says the following. quote, a two-state solution, two peoples living side by side with equal measures of freedom, opportunity and dignity is where the road to peace must lead. reaching it will take economyments from israelis and palestinians as well as the united states and our allies and partners. now the president goes on to say that israel should follow humanitarian law and protect innocent civilians but zooming out here the president acknowledging both the israel conflict and conflict in ukraine, noting these conflicts while they are unfolding abroad affect u.s. national security and are significant and the u.s. support for these conflicts is important. and it is important, too, to not creed any ground to russian president vladimir putin as well as to hamas. now, the president and the admission have a supplemental request to congress for billions more in funding to support both of these conflicts. that funding is currently stalled. so the president taking a moment in this op-ed to remind americans why it matters now at what the administration sees as an inflection point. victor and amara. >> priscilla alvarez, thank you very much. the president's push for pauses over a ceasefire is drawing criticism from many. that includes some from within the jewish community. rabbi jessica rosenberg made headlines when she confronted the president this month at a campaign fundraiser in minnesota. here she is. >> mr. president, do you care about jewish people? as a rabbi, i need you could call for a ceasefire right now. >> president biden did calmly respond, saying, i think we need a pause, a pause means give time to get the prisoners out. rabbi jessica rosenberg is with us now from minnesota. rabbi, thank you so much for your time. as you know, the president hasn't budged from his position for anything beyond a pause, and president biden wrote in part in "the washington post" this. as long as hamas clings to its ideology of destruction, a ceasefire is not peace to hamas members every ceasefire is time they exploit to rebuild their stockpile of rockets, reposition fighters and restart the killing by attacking innocents again. what would you say to the president now? >> thank you so much for having me. i called for a ceasefire and i continue to call for a ceasefire because we cannot bomb our way to peace. we need a political solution, not a military solution. palestinians are fighting for equal rights in the land and as someone who learned from jewish tradition that all life is sacred, that is what i'm fighting for as well and that's why i'm calling for a ceasefire. i'm curious to know the reaction from your synagogue, the jewish community in general. i know you said that you were worried by confronting the president you would be alienated from the jewish community. what has been the feedback? >> i have been incredibly heartened by so much support and care and love, and that includes many, many people who agree with me. many, many people who felt more empowered to take action after seeing my actions, and also folks who, while have actually a lot of questions about ceasefire and don't understand, which is what some of what i hear reflected in president biden's op-ed. this idea that a ceasefire will enable hamas. a ceasefire is -- means all israel and hamas stop the violence, that israeli hostages come home and palestinian prisoners get to come home, and that we have the space to actually negotiate a just peace that values the safety and freedom of all. so i have actually since that event been able to have a lot of conversations with people to get to a better understanding of what ceasefire means. >> and as you know, rabbi, there are many in the jewish community dealing with the trauma of the massacre and of course the hostages who have yet to return home. they are also living with antisemitic attacks. you have dealt with that as well. we are seeing that disturbingly across the world. while you are calling for peace, what do you say to people in the jewish community who are still dealing with all this pain? >> well, first of all, we get to grieve. we take all of the space and time we need to feel the extreme grief and rage of the violence on october 7th, and to acknowledge all of what comes up when this happens, which is centuries of antisemitism. and killing palestinians does not honor or bring back any of the lives of israelis who were lost on the 7th. and i want to say i know there are many non-jews who believe that supporting israel in this war is how to stand in solidarity with jews, or even make repair the atrocities of the holocaust. you want to say ending be antisemitism in all the places that jews live everywhere, that how you stand in solidarity with jews. antisemitism is real and still very present, primarily in our country from white nationalists and christian nationalists. and for folks who want to support jews and antisemitism, that is where we must look. >> i'm curious how would you have liked to -- how would you have expected or hoped israel to respond on october 7th and beyond? >> we need space and time to grieve the lives lost and we need to work for equality in israel/palestine. gaza has been behind a blockade for over 16 years where there are really -- you know, referred to as the largest open air prison in the world, and the conditions in gaza are so bleak and dire. we're also seeing the non-violent boycott divestment in sanctions movement, which calls for equality. that's being outlawed in my home state of minnesota. it is illegal to support boycotts. these are things that we can do. we need to make it possible for israelis and palestinians to negotiate, and the u.s. has a huge role to play in that. over $3 billion in military funding of u.s. tax dollars goes to israel every year. that is money that could be spent on our schools and our hospitals. instead, it's being used to bomb palestinian schools and palestinian hospitals. so that is some of what we need, is an end to the overwhelming enabling of israel's violence now. >> you mentioned some of the very complex historical and political contexts to what's been happening for decades and around israel, but hamas has and continues to be an existential threat to israel. if your calls for a ceasefire are answered, would you be concerned that could potentially put more jewish lives at risk? >> i'm concerned for jewish lives and palestinian lives and all lives, and looking towards what is the future we're visioning. it needs to begin with an end to occupation and equal rights for all people in this land. and until we have that, if hamas is eradicated, a different group will emerge. when people are living without basic rights, that is the fundamental threat to safety in the regional. >> we appreciate your voice and your perspective. rabbi jessica rosenberg, thank you. the war is turning up hate across this country, including at some schools. now the education department is investigating allegations of antisemitism and islamophobia at seven schools. here is cnn's rene marsh. >> this is significant because these are the first campus hate investigations since the october 7th hamas attack on israel. it's also quite significant to have so many campus hate investigations happening simultaneously. really speaks to the unprecedented level of hate boiling over at u.s. schools. now, the seven schools being investigated include universities like cornell, columbia, the university of pennsylvania and one k through 12 school in kansas. these investigation stem from complaints filed by students and advocacy groups. five were antisemitic incidents and two islamophobia incidents that allegedly happened on campuses. and as the agency is working to stem rising texts at schools, here is the education secretary's message to parents. >> your child should be unapologetic about who they are, expressing who they are. they shouldn't have to hide their identity to earn lp on campus or in a k-12 indiscussion and that is our responsibility to protect them. if we see that there are places that are not doing it, we are going to open up an investigation and we are going to provide support, but we are going to open up an investigation to make shoork that we are doing our job as educators. >> cardonis says he has never seen this intensity of hate on school campuses and he anticipates that the agency will launch even more investigations. the agency will make recommendations for fixes at these schools, and if they do not comply, they do risk losing their federal funding. cnn reached out to all of the schools under investigation. most responded wsaying that the will cooperate with the investigation. >> thank you. coming up, former president trump had some strong words for his successor on the campaign trail over the weekend. as millions of americans get ready to travel for thanksgiving, new numbers suggest this could be the busiest travel season in years. top republican candidates converged in iowa this weekend with only eight weeks left until the iowa caucuses on january 15th. even though he is leading by a wide margin in the polls, former president donald trump totals supporters saturday not to be complacent and get out and vote. he also gave harshest attacks on president joe biden calling biden a, quote, stupid person and attacked his mental fitness, suggesting without any evidence that biden is on medication. >> governor ron desantis is pursuing an all-out strategy in iowa. he hopes to win in the state to build momentum to carry him through the other primaries. desantis' attacks on trump are becoming harsh, calling the former president a lame duck and saying his candidacy for president is high risk are low reward. mayor adams daysing a wide ranging corruption investigation around his 2021 campaign. >> the fbi it's focusing on campaign money, political favors and possible foreign influence in its probe and to adams and his circle. cnn's polo sandoval has more. >> reporter: good morning. the adams campaign upfront about why they are establishing this legal defense fund. in an affidavit signed by eric adams and obtained by cnn they right that the legal defense trust is, quote, necessitated by and intended to defray legal expenses in connection with inquiries related to the operations of the adams 2021 mayoral campaign committee. we should note that according to city regulations any new york city employee is allowed to essentially fund raise to cover any legal bills. however, they do have to adhere to some very strict regulations and restrictions. i want to show you a few of what those are. for example, donations, individual donations cannot exceed $5,000. all of those legal expenses have to be disclosed. adams also cannot solicit any money from any subordinates or anyone doing business with the city. also, they cannot accept any money from corporations or companies. so these are really just a few of those regulations that dictate who can donate and exactly how much and perhaps even when. meanwhile, adams himself continues to maintain that he has not been accused of any wrongdoing, though he retained that private attorney as this investigation presses forward. >> thank you. iceland has declared a state of emergency as they monitor a volcano rumbling under their southern peninsula. >> grindavik had to be evacuated after it was rattled by more than 1,000 earthquakes over the past week. the video you're seeing here shows a damaged road, steam there leaking out from underground. cnn's fred pleitgen has more. >> reporter: good morning, victor and amara. the authorities here in iceland say they believe a massive eruption could very well be imminent in the south of iceland. as you can see behind me, there is a checkpoint there because that area is completely cordoned off. the main sort of focal point that the authorities are concentrate on now is grindavik. we have seen the footage from that town, streets that are already cracked, steam coming out of those cracks as it seems as though the magma in that area is trying to make its way to the top and burst through the earth's crust. again, the scientists on the ground are saying they believe that is something that could happen in the very near future. i want to show you around just a little bit because you can see right behind me there is a sign here that says grindavik, and that is crossed out. that's ten kilometers away. i'd say 6 1/2 miles. of course, the world famous blue lagoon as well closed off. if we look in the distance, you can see a mountain back there with steam coming up next to it. that is a geothermal power plant. the authorities here are also very fearing that they believe that that power plant could be in danger as wall from lava flows. they are trying to build a trench system to redirect the lava if and when the eruption does happen. again, the authorities say right now big emergency situation on the ground. the town of grindavik has been evacuated. there are some people would can go back for a short period of time and pick things up. the authorities also say that may stop if the situation continues the way it has been. guys. >> thank you, fred. all right. holiday time now. there are new numbers showing that a lot of people are not planning to get an updated covid vaccccine. we'l'll discuss s the implicica. in order for small businesses to thrive, they need to be smart, efficient, savvy. making the most of every opportunity. that's why comcast business is introducing the small business bonus. for a limited time you can get up to a $1000 prepaid card with qualifying internet. yep, $1000. so switch to business internet from the company with the largest fastest reliable network and that powers more businesses than anyone else. learn how you can get $1000 back for your business today. comcast business. powering possibilities. quarters of americans are not worried about getting covid over the holidays. that comes from the kaiser family foundation. they underline a clear trend in how attitudes the virus have dramatically shifted. >> people aren't worried getting covid which means they are not as worried about preventing it either. half of adults said they were not planning on getting the new vaccine that became available in september. jacquelyn howard has more. >> this lack of concern that's out there around covid-19 is pro probably one of the reasons we haven't seen much uptake of the latest covid-19 vaccine. in this new kff survey it found that 1 in 5 adults, 20% reported that they have gotten vaccinated with the latest covid