chris jansing reports. at this hour, donald trump s republican rivals not sounding much like rivals after he s kicked off the ballot in colorado. what they re saying including the candidate pledging to withdraw from the state s contest if trump can t compete too. pressure mounting on israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. his tense meetings with the families of hostages and where negotiations stand right now to bring them home. plus, the threat is far from over as a volcano continues erupting in iceland, what it means for thousands of people forced to evacuate right before the holiday. and it s the most wonderful time of the year, unless maybe you re headed to the airport. the record-breaking travel as families head home for the holidays. our nbc news reporters are following all of the latest developments. we start with donald trump s republican opponents rallying around after the colorado ruling. nbc s vaughn hillyard is following that for us. what are they sayin
plus with friends like these, a month until the iowa caucus and on the trail, donald trump is quoting dictators such as vladimir putin. it shows the rottenness of the american political system. in a month will he be his party s de facto nominee? chris christie is coming up. and israel reels after troops kill three of its own hostages waiving a white flag. will that change the way israel is waging war in gaza and affect crucial help from the united states? hello, i m jake tapper in washington where the state of our union is frankly stunned. watchs the leading republican candidate donald trump quote one of our nation s foremost adversaries, vladimir putin, as a sort of character witness while on the stump in new hampshire last night. vladimir putin, of russia, said that biden, and this is a quote, politically motivated persecution of his political rival is very good for russia because it shows the rottenness of the american political system which can not pretend to
takes. it comes as the u.s. is accusing russia of committing crimes against humanity. the declaration marks the strongest accusation yet from the u.s., as it seeks to punish moscow for its invasion of ukraine. we declared from day one that they were committing war crimes. we have announced that they re committing crimes against humanity, and we re looking at the facts on the ground. i had an opportunity to visit a forensic lab that we re supporting in helping them to gather the evidence that they will need and we will need to hold the russians accountable. we have correspondents covering this for us at the white house and on the ground in ukraine. let s begin with coverage from priscilla alvarez at the white house. what are the expectations for the president s trip to poland? white house officials have made clear, paula, this is a crucial moment not only because of that one-year anniversary which is just around the corner but also as u.s. and western officials warn of a
good to see you. i m yasmin vossoughian. we re following breaking. is a red sea showdown involving an american warship. missiles, drone attacks launched by an iranian-backed group. we re gonna tell you what happened here. it s committed forces expand their offensive south. an attack on the area that gaza residents were told to go to to be safe. the biden administration, meanwhile, pushing israel publicly to do more to protect civilians. as israel defense itself, it matters how. the united states is unequivocal, international humanitarian law must be respected. too many innocent palestinians have been killed. the white house also making clear today that they had no advanced warning of the hamas attack after hearing that they had the blueprint for the october 7th plan a year before it happened. we re also following other news, that donald trump is spinning himself as the defender of democracy, despite trying to overturn an election. the fallout from elon musk s profane mess