the top of the hour this thursday, i m jim sciutto. i m erica hill. this morning, cnn learning details about a disturbing plot about a man looking to kill jewish elected officials. and the suspect could be in court as early as today. we will walk you through what we know. and also, the double murder trial of disgraced attorney alec murdaugh, and we are learning that a juror has been removed of discussing the case with people outside of the court, and all of this as the defense has just begun the closing argument. and today, a pennsylvania man is in court after he hid explosives inside of his luggage for a flight destined for orlando, and the latest on the case and the suspect s long criminal history. and we begin in michigan where a man is accuse of plotting multiple jewish officials in that state. we go to polo sandoval, and andrew mccabe, and polo, begin with what we know about the suspect and what led to his arrest. good morning. we have been digging with more be
washington. glad to have you. here right now in south carolina, there are major developments in alex murdaugh s double murder trial. the prosecution now respond ing after the defense presented its closing arguments yesterday. defense attorney jim griffin made an emotional plea when wrapping up his presentation. there are two words that justice demands this thises case and those two words are not guilty. the oath you have taken in this case it requires a verdict not dwlt. on behalf of alex, of buster, on behalf of maggie and on behalf of my friend paul, i respectfully request that you do not compound a family tragedy with another thank you. just before closing arguments began, the judge remove d a jurr for discussing the case outside of the trial. diane gallagher is outside of the court in south carolina. diane, what more did the defense say today as they were presenting to the jury in these final hours of this trial? reporter: jim griffin spoke for about 2 hours and 15
two trains crashing into one another, killing 36 people. we have the latest developments. for the first time in more than 30 years, chicago sitting mayor has lost re-election in a race that was dominate bid rising crime. is it a warning sign for other big city democrats? you re talking about a potential leak. the fbi providing his first public confirmation on their assessment about covid originally leaking from a chinese lab. we ll have more on the comments ahead. all that ahead, first, to our breaking news. a devastating train crash in greece killed more than 36 people. dozens are injured. a passenger train carrying hundreds of people collided head on with a freight train. multiple cars derailed. several catching fire. this happened north of athens. state broadcasters reporting that both trains were traveling on the same track for several miles before this collision. first responders still working, trying to find survivors in the twisted melted wreckage. hospital offic
very good wednesday morning to you, i m jim sciutto. and i m erica hill. happening right now, more than 4,500 civilians are stuck in the ukrainian city of bakhmut, this as russian forces launch a barrage of attacks on the fiercely contested area, president zelenskyy calling it the country s most difficult situation. as of now, though, ukrainian forces are still holding the line. cnn is on the ground in eastern ukraine and we will bring you the very latest. plus a political sorry, go ahead. it s all yours. plus a political shakeup in chicago. mayor lori lightfoot the first mayor in 40 years to lose an election bid in that city as concerns about crime and public safety rattle voters. we re also watching the alex murdaugh murder trial. take a look at this, aerial images from southern california where a winter storm has already dumped feet of snow, that s southern california, another 12 to 24 inches expected today. we do begin, though, in ukraine where 48 children
welcome to inside politics. . i m john king in washington. the attorney general facing a barrage of questioning from the judiciary committee. republicans and democrats willing the attorney general on a host of issues including hunter biden. chicago s mayor is out. she falls short in her reelection bid. is this a warning sign for democrats? and a trump slauump, new reporting on donald trump s allies are pressing to get house republicans to endorse his 2024 bid. so far, they are not getting what they want. we begin the hour with the attorney general on capitol hill facing sharp questions on a range of critical issues. merrick garland defending the integrity of his justice department at a time some suggest it s weaponized against conservatives. the attorney general agreeing much more can be done, including getting tougher on social media companies to deal with the fentanyl scorch. he said he was keeping husband promise to stay walled off from the investigation of the presi