Good evening and welcome to the source. Im kaitlan collins. Tonight, two more hostages have been free. 17 days after they were kidnapped by hamas. Weve just obtained new video of the two israeli women who were released, taken to a Medical Center in tel aviv tonight. They are 79yearold nurit cooper, who you can see here, and 85yearold Yocheved Lifshitz. They were both kidnapped with their husbands from the kibbutz nir oz near gaza on that deadly day. Their husbands, i should note, were not released tonight and do remain captives of hamas. These women were released to the red cross at the Rafah Crossing between egypt and gaza. This happened just in the last several hours. This news comes three days after the release of judith and Natalie Raanan. That was last friday. Now they are expected to be back on their way to the United States this week. Over 200 hostages do still remain in gaza tonight, a number that we do know includes american citizens. Cnn has now learned that the white house, meantime in the background of all of this, is quietly urging israel to delay its invasion of gaza in order to buy more time to potentially get more hostages out. The white house has been extremely careful with how theyve been talking about this in recent days. That much was evident, as President Biden today, as he was weeking with reporters about this, quickly corrected himself after the mere mention of a ceasefire. Why did you we should have a ceasefire not a ceasefire. We should have a hostage release. Then we can talk about it. A white house spokesperson also followed up on that clarification on cnn earlier, saying that the Biden Administration does not believe that this is the time for a ceasefire. Now, just to fill you in on those two women, Those Two Haas T Tajs whose families are so grateful that they are safe and in israel in the care of the idf, what we are told about sources, how this all came down, is there was some behind the scenes negotiating happening between the egyptians and the qataris. Thats what sources told us. Nurit cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz are at Medical Centers undergoing checkups. Thats something we saw happen with judith and Natalie Raanan last friday. Their Family Members are waiting for them, we are told. But of course this news is bittersweet for a lot of families out there. A lot of the relatives of other hostages, who still have no news about their loved ones. It is believed to be 218 hostages that are still in gaza tonight. Anderson cooper joins me now live from tel aviv. And anderson, i know you got to speak with yocheveds daughter, charone. What did she tell you . Shes obviously overjoyed about the news about her mom. She was at the airport about to board a flight to come here to tel aviv to see her mom. Shes going to be landing shortly, if she hasnt already gotten here. Shes obviously thinking very much about her father, who is in custody, and all the other hostage families. Lets listen in. Its impossible to describe. My mom, i think she had a good smile. I dont know. Im so delighted. But my heart is with, you know this is a small ray of light in a big story that is still unfolding. My father is there. Theres so many other people. We are waiting for good us in about everyone. My heart is with all my friends and loved ones and Everybody Else that are still hostage. I think this is a great sign that we are moving in the right direction. Your father is still being held hostage. Have you had any information about him . No. I dont know any information. Im waiting to hear what my mom says. I do not know. Kaitlan, when i asked her what her message was to all the other families of the hostages, many from her community, from nir oz, she started to cry. And she clearly is thinking very much of them tonight and the pain that they are experiencing and very much wants all of these hostages to come home. Yeah, its such a difficult moment to be so overjoyed for your own family and at least i mean, her, its still bittersweet because her father is still being held tonight. Anderson, i know you mentioned nir oz, the kibbutz where these women were kidnapped. Thats where hamas came in. They killed many people there. They slaughtered many people there. They took others hostage. I know you went inside nir oz. What did you see when you were in there . Yeah, i mean, as you see from the images, its all still like it was On October 7th, when people were slaughtered and when the gunmen finally left. This is how they left it. Theres blood stains still on peoples floors in safe rooms where they were shot, where they were killed, people kidnapped. I talked to mrs. Lifshitzs grandson, who saw her at the hospital tonight. He was flown in from allot, where most of the community of nir oz has been moved to. Theyre basically living together in a hotel there. You know, these kibbutzim are very close agrarian communities. This family has been there they were part of the founding of this kibbutz in the early 50s, i believe. They are very, very tightly nitted together, these families. They grow up together. They live there much of their lives. And they are together now in exile, essentially, and all waiting for word of loved ones who are missing or many of whom are still being discovered as dead. Theyve all been displaced from their homes. I mean, these two more hostages now its a total of four who have been released by hamas since last friday. Theres still so many other families that are waiting on words of their loved ones. Our reporting is, anderson, that the white house has been quietly and not directly telling them, trying to get israel to delay this planned Ground Incursion into gaza because theyre worried about the hostages. Theyre worried about not being able to get them out. Obviously the idf has continued its aerial strikes in gaza. What is the latest youve seen on the ground in tel aviv as far as what that response looks like militarily . I think a couple of israeli officials have publicly said theyre not getting that message from the u. S. It remains to be seen. The question is, does this drip, drip, release of two hostages one night, two hostages several nights later, does that add to the pressure to delay . Certainly hamas would like to see a delay, a ceasefire altogether. They are very eager to get Fuel Supplies in there. Theres a lot of humanitarian organizations who obviously would like to see a ceasefire. They want to see more Relief Supplies coming over the rafah border. But, look, theres more than 300,000 troops amassed on the border. It would be very hard to imagine a longterm ceasefire, a longterm pause, given the state of readiness,. It appears to be on the brink here. Again, thats going to be a political and diplomatic solution, if there is one. Well see. Anderson cooper, thank you for that. Im joined now by former israeli ambassador to the uk and current Senior Adviser to Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu, mark ray gef. Thank you for joining me, mr. Ambassador, for being here. We are being told that the u. S. Has advised israel to delay its Ground Invasion of gaza in order to allow for more time to get other hostages out. Is that something that the Israeli Government is receptive to . So, we want to get the hostages out too. Theyre our people. But we believe the best way to do that is to keep the pressure up on hamas. You know, this terrorist organization isnt suddenly going to become humanitarian and release hostages because its the right thing to do. Theyre going to release hostages because theyre under pressure. So, we believe upgrading the pressure on hamas, thats the military pressure, thats the diplomatic pressure on their allies and supporters abroad. Thats the right way to get people out. As we increase the pressure, well see more people released. Well, i am hoping you could clear something up. Because on saturday, the reporting was that hamas had offered to release two hostages, they provided names, it was widely reported in the media, the Regional Media at least. But the Prime Ministers office said that that was im quoting the pms office said it was propaganda lies. We did see these two women released today. Did israel initially reject that offer . Can you explain what happened here . I think this is hamas disinformation. Its not logical at all to suppose that israel would refuse to accept hostages released. Its just ridiculous. It was psychological warfare. Anyone they release, well of course accept. And our demand is that, you know, theres more than 200 people held hostage. We dont want one or two released. We want them all released. They should all be released unconditionally and immediately. And before theyre released, they should all be visited by the International Committee of the red cross, which has asked to see the hostages. But of course hamas has refused that. Of course Everyone Wants all of the hostages home. I spent a lot of time with their families last week. But is israel telling hamas via intermediaries that israel will only take bigger groups of hostages, or has that changed . No, israels message is clear. We will keep hitting the hamas military machine. We will keep applying the pressure. We think, first of all, one, were going to defeat hamas on the battlefield and destroy their military machine. That process is instrumental in speeding up the release of the hostages. Is it accurate that Israeli Government officials said they want all hostages released before the delivery of fuel is allowed into gaza, as is being reported tonight . So, fuel is a difficult issue. Israel has given the green light for medicine, for water, for food, humanitarian aid for the civilian population. Obviously we dont have a problem with that. Fuel, unfortunately, is essential for hamas military machine. They need it for their rockets. They need it for their underground Terror Network of tunnels. We had a documented case last week where fuel i think six tankers, cnn reported, went in through Rafah Crossing with egypt. And that fuel, a large proportion of it and it was said of course the fuel is going to generators in hospitals to save lives. And yet hamas, at gun point, stole a large portion of that fuel, and we presume it was diverted to their military machine. Weve said to The Americans and President Biden has addressed this issue publicly, if supplies that are meant for the people of gaza are supposed to alleviate Human Suffering are in fact stolen by hamas, there must be consequences. But is the delivery of more fuel tonight conditional on the release of all the hostages . No. At the moment we have no interest in more fuel going to the hamas military machine, and we have not authorized fuel. Weve authorized medicine. Weve authorized water. Weve authorized food stuffs. Weve not authorized anything else. And were in a state of war with hamas, and we have no interest whatsoever in helping them beef up their military machine. On the contrary, we want to destroy their military machine. Just to be clear, even if they released all the hostages, that doesnt change your mind on fuel being allowed into gaza, is that right. The government decision is that fuel doesnt go in because it will be stolen by hamas and it will be used by them to power rockets that are fired into israel to kill our people. Weve all been talking about when this Ground Invasion is going to occur. Of course what that is going to look like. We have heard from the u. S. That theyve urged the Israeli Government to delay it. Do you believe that a Ground Invasion, if it goes forward, makes the release of more hostages less likely, sir . We dont take a Ground Incursion lightly. First of all, theres the fate of the hostages. And secondly, we know that our young soldiers going into battle, itll be dangerous. I mean, hamas has dug in. Theyve got their underground network of tunnels. Theyve got their booby traps. Theyve got their bunkers. It will be difficult fighting. And im realistic. I know that those young soldiers going into battle will face lifethreatening situations. And unfortunately, not all of them will come back alive. And thats the sad reality. I was speaking to some young soldiers, and you know, theyre committed to this. They know what needs to be done. They know we cannot continue to live beside this terror enclave. So, in a Ground Incursion to gaza, we take it very seriously. We know the risks involved both for the hostages and for our fighting men. But this has to be done. Lets be clear, israel refuses to go back to the, sort of, reality of 6 00 a. M. On october 7th, where we live next to this Terrorist Enclave and they can inflict the, sort of, deadly, horrific, gruesome violence that they inflicted upon us. We refuse to live that way anymore. We will destroy hamas military machine. And in so doing, not only do we better protect our own people and safeguard their security, but i believe we create opportunities for better reality for the people of gaza, who for 16 years have lived under hamas rule, which is only bought them hardship and suffering and impoverishment. There are still questions about what happens to the Palestinian Civilians if israel is successful. And no one has articulated who would be in charge of gaza if that happens. When you look at what happened and President Biden being in tel aviv last week, sitting in on that wartime cabinet meeting, how much influence does the u. S. Have over when israel does move forward with that Ground Invasion . Look, america is our best friend. Its our strongest ally. And in israel, people are appreciated greatly President Bidens forthright support and not just in his words but in his actions. Hes giving us the tools we need. Hes replenishing our armaments so we have the tools we need to defeat hamas. And by moving those two carrier groups to the region, hes shown that he wants to deter others who might see the war in gaza as an excuse to attack each other on another front. I mean, we have nothing but praise for President Biden. And of course when you have a good friend, you listen to what they have to say. But israel is a sovereign country, and well make our own decisions according the our own assessment or of national security. You are a Senior Adviser to Prime Minister netanyahu. When we hear from some officials or some former Military Officer who is say that they believe he should resign over how this was handled, over the governments role and lack of a response, a slow response on that day, when you speak to him, does he accept responsibility, any responsibility for what happened On October 7th in terms of how the government handled that . I mean, in israel, theres no shortage of former offices, and theyve all got their own opinions. And youll have a whole range of opinions across the spectrum. But i think its clear we have to do a serious when this is over, yes, when weve defeated hamas, then theres going to be of course an intense public conversation in israel about Lessons Learned and mistakes made. I mean, first of all, we were surprised. Intelligence didnt get in time that hamas was going to launch this murderous, brutal attack. They massacred us because we werent prepared and there wasnt the warning. Second we have to ask, why is the fence that we spent so much time building and the technology and so forth which was supposed to be an impassable barrier that they passed it so quickly and relatively easy. Thirdly, theres the question of why did it take so long to clear out the terrorist thats infiltrated into israel. Still, it took us days, as youll recall, first to clear out our territory from Hamas Terrorists who were killing and keeping people hostage and so forth. For all these reasons and more, we need to have serious investigations. Ultimately we have to learn from our mistakes. And the only way you learn from the mistakes is by studying exactly what happened. And there will be Lessons Learned. To be fair, i think the focus today has to be on winning this war. We didnt want this war. It was forced upon us. But having been put in this situation, we will win it. Well win it on our terms. And theres definitely going to be, when this is over, a serious process of looking at lessons that need to be learned. Ambassador, thank you for your time tonight . Thanks for having me, kaitlan. Much appreciated. I should note, as far as his comments on fuel, what we at cnn know is that no fuel has entered gaza in these aid trucks since the war began. Its our understanding that the ambassador was referencing what we heard from an idf spokesperson alleging that hamas stole fuel that had already been in gaza. Coming up on the rest of the source tonight, the kibbutz were abducted, seven miles north of another one on the gaza border. That kibbutz. I visited it this weekend. That story is next. Also ahead, an update from gaez, where more aid strucks have arrived today. But no, it is not nearly enough for the civilians who live there. So far 2,000 children have been killed in gaza. Thats according to the hamas controlled ministry of health. I want to pause here before we go any further forward because i want to let you know what youre about to see is graphic. Its very disturbing. These are images and videos of children in the morgues in gaza, some of the tiny bodys ies you have names written on their limbs, which parents did so if their children were killed, their bodies could later be identified in morgues like this one. This comes as some doctors in gaza say they are operating on patients without using painkillers because their supplies are dwindling. And today 20 more trucks of humanitarian aid entered gaza through that rafah border crossing. The United Nations has made clear, 100 per day is what would be need for all the civilians who are there. So far, as you just heard from that Senior Adviser to Prime Minister netanyahu, none of them have included fuel, given the concerns he says israel has about what hamas would do to use it for military capabilities. Without that fuel, gazans are running out of power tonight. And we are just waiting for the electricity to run after the fuel, and then that will be the death toll of the health system. And without electricity, you know, this hospital will just be a mass grave. Joining me now is the Executive Director of unicef, kathy russell. And im so glad youre hear tonight because youre hearing from these doctors, from people in gaza who are saying, you know, without fuel the gaza strip runs on fuel. You just heard the Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister tonight, no more fuel is going into gaza at this time. How much of an impact does that have on the people, the civilians in gaza . I think in general, and the images show, its just such a horrible, terrible situation for the people who live there. And the fuel is important for two reasons, one, because they use it for generators, and the Generator Process vied electricity or power in hospitals. So, the incubators that are keeping babies alive right now depend on fuel. And at the same time, we need fuel for the humanitarian workers who are trying to do their work there and provide some support. So, if they cant get around, theyre really limited in what they can do. So, its just all in all a catastrophic situation on the humanitarian side and very, very worrying for us. But what happens to those babies, premie babies, they have to have oxygen. They have to be connected to it constantly. I think for now theyre managing with teeny little bits of fuel they have left. But at some point, it will run out. I think at that stage, we can just imagine what happens to these children. Its really just a terrible, terrible situation for them. The concern that we heard from the adviser there was saying that if they allow fuel to get into gaza, then it gets into hamas hands, they steal it, they dont let it go to civilians. They instead let it go to their military capabilities. I mean, would the United Nations be able to monitor that . Are those concerns warranted . What do Officials Say about that . This is the challenge, i think it would be hard for the United Nations certainly to monitor it. But i think if you step back, wars are always very difficult. You have to make tradeoffs all the time. But there are humanitarian rules that apply in war. And essentially the idea is that civilians shouldnt suffer, right, that we should try to do our best to protect them. And that means making sure that they have food and water, that they have access to health care. And i think that is an obligation on all of us, regardless of the fact that were in a war. There are wars all over the place. But at the same time, we have to make sure that civilians and from the perspective of unicef, especially children, are protected. Because children dont start wars, right . And theyre powerless to stop them. But they suffer so much in these conflicts. I think all of us as an International Community have to come together and figure out a way to make sure they are harmed as little as possible in these situations. Part of that, unicef is calling the for a ceasefire. They say its needed for humanitarian purposes. You heard how carefully President Biden was talking about Ape Ceasefire earlier today. He mentioned it. He quickly said, not a ceasefire. Im saying release all the hostages and then we can talk. Israel, though sh does not seem to have any interest in moving forward. What happens to civilians if there is no ceasefire in gaza . First of all, we desperately need a humanitarian ceasefire. We have to be able to move supplies into these areas. These children who are there dont have water, right . They dont have food. They dont have medicine. None of us can tolerate a situation like that. We have got to figure out a way that these hostilities can stop for some period of time so the humanitarian workers can move in and do it safely as well. We cant have humanitarian workers being killed while theyre doing their work, which unfortunately has happened. So, i think there really needs to be an effort to try to make sure there is access by humanitarians so they can save lives of children and others who are stuck in this situation. If there was one, what would that look like . Would it be a few hours so humanitarian workers can come in . I think we would have to obviously negotiate it and it would be challenging. As you can see from the efforts to try to get things over the border, supplies through rafah, everything is very complicated to try to do. But there has to be a commitment to say, yes, we are in a conflict here. You know, very complicated reasons for that. But at the end of the day, we have an obligation to try to help protect innocent civilians. And, again, from unicefs perspective, particularly children who have absolutely nothing to bring to the table in terms of responsibility but a lot to bring to the table in term of vulnerability and exposure. As we see with the numbers, many children are dying. A lot of what weve seen from inside gaza has come from peoples videos frrks their phones. Theres not a ton of press on the ground there because its so difficult to get inside. From what youve heard from these humanitarian workers who are in there, can you just, kind of, tell everyone else the snapshot of what theyre seeing . I think what theyre seeing is some of the imagery that youre seeing, which is that people who are desperate, they are really terrified by whats happening around them. You know, you see these images of children running, trying to get away, parents carrying children. I mean, its devastating. And we have staff who work there. Ive been on calls with them. You know, theyre in this very horrible situation where theyre there as humanitarian workers but their ability to help is really limited. And theyre also subjected to the same sorts of challenges, right, that the population is subjected to. So, its a really terrible situation. They also typically in a case like that, we would move what we call surge, sort of, bring new staff in, take staff out. We cant do any of that. Its a very difficult situation, and i think something has to change. And i think we have to really prioritize the rights and the interests of children and other innocent people who are there and, kind of, stuck in this absolute horrific nightmare. Kathy russell, Executive Director of unicef, thank you for coming. And please tell your workers were think of them. Thank you for sharing that tonight. Thanks so much. Of course the images we have been seeing out of gaza and israel are deeply impacting everyone. Weve heard from so many people who have been watching our coverage. For more information on how you can help these humanitarian efforts with a list of vetted organizations that are on the ground responding, including unicef, you can go to cnn. Com impact or you can text relief to 707070 to donate tonight. Of course while i was on the ground in israel, we saw evidence of the atrocities that were committed by hamas firsthand at a kibbutz where more than a dozen people were killed. The images are haunting and so are the stories behind them. We talked to those who survived about their Family Members who did not. Thats next. You want to be able to provide your child with the tools or resources they need. With reliable internet at home, through the internet essentials program, the world opened up. Fellas, fellas. Thats how my son was able to find the hidden genius project. We wanted to give yall the necessary skills to compete with the future. Kevins now part of this next generation of young people who feel they can thrive. Tonight we are learning new details about the two israeli hostages who were just released in recent hours by hamas. Nurit cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz were abducted from their kibbutz, along with their husbands, who still remain hostages tonight. This war is being fought not on some remote battlefield, but in quiet communities, where families previously grew their crops and raised their kids. Just yesterday, an israeli soldier was killed and three others were injured during a raid in the area of kibbutz kiss near the gaza strip. I was there just hours before. About ten reporters were taken inside this kibbutz to see the horrific aftermath of the october 7th attack. I want to show you what we saw. But i do want to warn you that some of what you are about to see is graphic. Reporter kibbutz raise poultry and their families. But as the sun rose on saturday, october 7th, the kibbutz that around 300 people called home, became the site of a massacre, as hamas militants stormed inside and murdered 14 people, kidnapping four others. Major marcus chef, a reservist in the Israel Defense forces, watched from home as the brutal attack unfolded that day. Now hes leading a small group of Foreign Press into the kibbutz for the first time, wanting the world to bear witness to the atrocities first hand. Weve seen the damage and yet still hard to absorb. Reporter the stench of death is thick in the air, as you walk along the treelined streets. But if you didnt walk look too closely, youd never guess a Slaug Slaught Slaughter took place here. Then you see the bullets in the door. The grandmother was in the bathroom when hamas militants shot her in the head. Her blood is still smeared on the entryway two weeks later. It would just look like a regular home on a saturday morning, Orange County out, the newspaper, her mail, some cookies. I mean, you look over here at the kitchen, you can see people have gone through it. They opened all the cabinets. Theres still cups in the sink. Her kettle is still out. And gina is one of several who was brutally murdered in her kibbutz on that saturday morning. The zack family lived just down the streets. Parents and their son were at home when the attack began. Their older children were away. We reached 24yearold hadarr on facetime. Whats through there . What was through that window . Reporter this is the first time hes able to see the charred remains of his familys home. He opened and found my dad laying on the ground with my dog just watching the door. Reporter the bodies of his mother and Little Brother were found hugging each other in the nearby bomb shelter, where they asphyxiated after militants set their home on fire. Just days before, sagi was dancing his heart out in a bruno mars concert in tel aviv. Im 24. We have ten years between us. Its hard for me to see my Little Brother. They are now orphans. His grief and his anger is palpable. Its, kind of, absurd to me that you guys storm in first and not someone from israel, you know what i mean . I love my kibbutz. My kibbutz is amazing. But the government i have no words to describe my disappointment. Reporter just 24 hours in the kissafim area, an idf soldier is killed. An ominous warning shot of what is yet to come. Its difficult to watch. And i do want to note that we got permission from these families to go into their homes, something that felt invasive to be there but was so important to them and to hadarr to be able to see his house for the first time. I want to express our gratitude to them for letting us in to see their pain and to tell their stories as well as to major mar chus chef for taking us inside that kibbutz. Of course On October 7th, there were heroes who Sprung Into Ax that day. Among them was a retired Major General in the idf. Hes here to tell his story next. Tonight, israel is vowing to destroy hamas after its brutal attacks across the country On October 7th. That morning, when yayir guo lan, the former deputy of staff realized what was going on, he didnt hesitate. He put on his uniform and he ran into danger. Hes reluctant to be called a hero, but he rescued several people that day from the site of the nova music festival. Earlier, i talked to yair about what he saw when he alived on the scene, as these hamas fighters were still attacking. This is what he told me. All in all, i took out six guys out of the nova festival. And i can tell you that what i saw on the scene was really, really, really terrible. It was a massacre. You know, dozens of dozens of terrorists penetrated to the centre of the festival and killed everyone. And those who managed to escape were really the minority, the lucky minority. It was, you know, scenes that i never saw in my long history in the idf. And i saw a lot. I can tell you, i saw a lot. So, it was really, really terrible. And then, you know, i decided to stay there in the south. And the day after, i went through a different kibbutzim. You know, our special villages along the gaza strip. What i saw there was, you know, again, a massacre. Babies and women and old people, you know, people who did nothing wrong in their life, were massacred brutally. Do you believe that israel is prepared, that the idf is prepared to go into gaza right now . Its not a matter of believing. Its a matter of knowing. The idf is wellprepared. You know, i visited last week, the troops along the border. I parked, you know, tanks commander, infantry leaders, and so on. Yes, we are ready. I think that the main problem today in israel is that political echelon unfortunately. And while its easy to define what are the military goals of this coming campaign, unfortunately, its very hard to define what are the Political Goals of this campaign . And therefore, you know, in ideal world, we would change the government before going to war. And i think that Benjamin Netanyahu failed so terribly that he should resign from his position as soon as possible. I know this is all really personal for you. I think i want everyone to know two of your own sons have been mobilized. One is going to the north, one to the south. I mean, with that here, what are you thinking about that . You know, as a parent, its terrifying. I was not afraid, you know, in my life, for the sake of my life. And i fought a lot. You know, when adrenaline is in your blood, you feel so confident, and even when youre afraid, it doesnt paralyze you. But this for the sake of your sons, this is devastating. This is really hard. But we have right now no other alternative. Right now we need to fight hamas and we need to be prepared, well prepared, for an opening of the Northern Front fighting against the hezbollah. And hopefully hezbollah will understand that it could be, you know, a terrible mistake for him to attack israel. What did you say to your sons when you recognized and realized that they would be mobilized . You know, truly, we have discussed it quite a lot. And we came to the same conclusion. Right now, we have no other alternative. Because this is our country. Were going to protect our citizens. Were going to fight for our sovereignty. And we are going to fight for the whole land of the jewish people and free and democratic state. And this is, you know, a good enough reason to be determined and to be courageous and to be as good as possible concerning fighting for the destiny of israel. Yair golan, i know youve said you dont feel like your actions that day were heroic, but i think a lot of people in israel feel differently. I want to thank you for being here with me tonight. Thank you very, very much. Of course what is happening in israel has ramifications on capitol hill, where tonight it is day 20. Still, there is no speaker of the house. Now, one of the new candidates has just dropped out of that race, as lawmakers are meeting inside that dome there to decide who could be the next speaker. Thats next. Eight House Republicans have just finish making their case their colleagues, hoping to become the next Republican House speaker. The majority whip, tom emmer, is considered to be the leading candidate tonight. He has a little bit of a donald trump problem. The former president claims hes staying out of the race tonight, though he did suggest maybe one candidate. I said there is only one person that can go all the way, you know who that is . Jesus christ. It might take a miracle for them to get a new house speaker. Melanie zanona is live on capitol hill. Melanie, whats the latest coming out of there tonight . Well, kaitlan, someones gonna be the nominee tomorrow. But as we have seen before, that is no guarantee that that person is going to be able to win on the house floor. Because some of the gops highest Profile Members have been unable to get it done. But despite that, there are still eight candidates still in the race, all of them made their pitch Behind Closed Doors for the rest of the republican conference. And at this point, tom emmer is seen as a potential front runner. Hes a member of leadership, hes a House Majority whip. He also ran the nrcc under multiple cycles. But he did also recent attempts on expectations that hes not close enough to former president donald trump. So that is a potential problem to him. The other person in this race we are keeping an eye on is byron donalds, floyd, a concert of House Freedom caucus. He also has support for the rest the florida denigration. But hes only a sophomore member. So theres some questions about whether hes whether to step into this very big job. Despite being 20 days into this crisis, there is still a lot of concern in the party that they are not going to be able to quickly unify. Lets take a listen. This is going to be very difficult. Its not good. [laughter] because a lot of people are going to want to work with democrats but it might end up to a point where thats the only way. Weve got to get the government open. But were going have to figure out how to get our act together. Big boys and big girls are going to have to quit Making Excuses and just have to get it done. So now that the Candidate Forum is over, the next stepss House Republicans are going to meet Behind Closed Doors tomorrow morning at 9 am. And once again, they are going to try to elect a speaker nominee. It could take a couple of rounds, because of so many candidates still in the race. But at this point, it is unclear if and when a floor vote is going to happen. And until they do, Critical Issues like funding the government, aid for ukraine, aid for israel all hanging in the balance. Kaitlan . Indeed, it is. Melanie zanona, thank you. Amid all the chaos that weve been seeing in recent weeks, recent days, amid all the pain that we witnessed overseas, there is something uplifting that will put a smile on your face. Well show you that, next. Bold. Daring. Expressive. Contra Costa College allows me to be whoever and whatever i want to be, providing the stage, the canvas, the tools to use my voice and write my story. Find your passion and create your future at contra Costa College. Start today at contracosta. Edu in these difficult times, of course, there is always hope, the hope is literally the name of israels National Anthem [sp eaking in a nonenglish