former president trump back on the campaign trail in new hampshire and once again he is praising dictators around the world. listen to how he characterized chinese later on xi jinping earlier today. >> president xi is like central casting. there is nobody in hollywood that can play the role of president xi. the look, the strength, the voice. it's good to have a good relationship with putin and xi. they have lots of good reopens. and kim jong-un. >> the former president showing some confusion over who is the current president. >> the head of hungary, a very tough, strong guy. victor orban. they were interviewing him two weeks ago and they said what would you advise president obama? the whole world seems to be exploding? >> trump tipped his attacks on special counsel jack smith, talking about smith's wife and family. the former president repeated his accusations that smith is deranged and a trump-hating prosecutor, tipping his wife and family despise me much more than he does. turning now to the republican primary. let talk to the former arkansas governor, asa hutchinson. governor huffinson, thank you for joining us. we appreciate it. this was the republican front runner on the campaign trail earlier today. i hate to start an interview with you talking about donald trump. do all of these comments make you nervous about the prospect of him being your party's nominee in 2024? >> absolutely. that's why i'm working so hard. i'll be in 19 different cities in iowa this week. he clearly has an affection for dictators. and that be problematic in and of itself. and then secondly, he's wanting to assume more powers when he becomes president, that it is like he envies those that have that kind of power and dictatorial countries. so it is all problematic. we want to win. here in iowa, the latest polls have 57% of the people ready to move away from donald trump. we just need to expand that and make our case for the right steady kind of leadership based upon experience that i offer, and that's the case that we make. >> and let me ask you this. trump confused obama, or confused biden with obam he's had some of these mental slip-ups earlier this past week on the same night they were having the republican debate. he was talking about how kim jong-un presides over a country of 1.4 billion people. he was trying the talk about china but he mixed that up, too. there has been some attention paid to the slip-ups that he continues to have on the campaign trail. are you concerned about his mental acutie? >> well, clearly, he's trying to contrast himself with joe biden. but he's in the same age group. so i think you have to have a lot of grace here for people who have slip-ups whenever they are speaking. of course, he has the help of a teleprompter as well. he has to be transparent about his ability to lead and i'm more worried about the powers that he assumes than a slip-up on a campaign trail, that he would lead us in the wrong direction. >> you were saying that you will continue on. there is been a lot of talk about the need to coalesce behind an antitrump or nontrump candidate. is it time for you to drop out and help make that possible? >> i don't think so. i think most people that make the case, we need to narrow the field, they're talking about after the first four states. that's the case that mitt romney made. there will be a time down the road that consolidation will happen. the voters have to have an opportunity to express themselves and you will see a lot of changes. what you see today is not the way it will be next march. that is the case that i make. it will be different in trump world. it will be different with the make-up of the opposing candidates. so let's give it some time. we're in this. we're getting on the ballot access. my ideas count, and that's why we're conveying the message to the voters across iowa and new hampshire. >> and not to pick at this scab too much, if you don't make the next debate, does that force your hand a little bit and say, okay. it's time to get out. don't you have to be in these debates? >> well, actually, they keep narrowing it so much. and the listening audience continues to go down. i have some advice for their debates. control the time. maybe it more substantive about the issues and get the people on there that should be engaged in the debate like the first debate. so sure. i would like to be on the second debate, on the third debate. it may or may not happen. we'll be continuing this campaign even though they're going to continue to narrow the field in that venue. i have more policy discussions at a diner in new hampshire than i did on the debate stage. >> one of the candidates in your party that is gaining some traction is the former south carolina governor nikki haley. last people thought she had a strong debate performance. what do you think? could you get behind her? >> i'm a fan of nikki haley. i think she's done well in the debates. we have a good line of communication. my ideas are the best ideas for taking america forward. as good as she is, i have some challenges with the fact that she wants to do away with normal trading relations with china that would really hurt our consumers and add to the cost of inflation. so hats off to nikki for running a good race and we'll be out there competing. this week your party suffered a string of losses, mainly over abortion rights. that was a big driver. it seems in contest after contest, even in red states like ohio, voters are choosing abortion rights over limitations. has the party gotten why it wrong on this? >> i'll tell you. the winning issue for us is the economy. that's what we lead with. this is an important issue on abortion, access, the pro-life issues. we have to speak the truth and honestly on it. we have to manage it well with understanding problem pregnancies and how we need to invest in maternal health care. how we need to provide good alternatives to problem pregnancies. as governor of arkansas, i had to deal with a 12-year-old girl who went into foster care because she became pregnant through incest. a recognition of these challenges that are real in america, and in life, help to us convey with more compassion. let's stick with the economic message that is important for us. we're going to have to deal with this abortion issue for some time as it is debated in the states until we can get it right. >> and that leads me to this. do you think your party has been caught flat-food on the issue of abortion not realizing there would be this ground swill of support in all these states? in state after state, voters are choosing abortion rights be protected. what do you think? yes, we thought after the dodds decision, that it was settled and left back to the states and the debate would continue there. clearly, while it is in the states, we need to fight the battle. the democrats are making it a national issue and a polarizing issue. we have to be able to improve our messaging, showcasing compassion and understanding, as well as conviction. that's important to get that right if we're going to win next year. >> let me ask you this. the new york time is out with a story outlining trump's second term immigration plans. he intends to round up undocumented people in the u.s. and place them in camps, sprawling camps, as "the new york times" describes it. he also would reimplement the so-called muslim ban that he had in the white house, as well as use title 42 to turn back asylum seekers. do you support this plan? >> well, i've looked at the plan. it addresses a critical issue. we have to address the illegal flow of migrants coming into our country without any flow and i have a plan to do that. donald trump's plan is short-sighted in a couple ways. one, it would lead to chaos and it is complex. you need to have more congressional support as you take on those challenges and build the port for the border. and thirdly, you need to recognize the importance of a legal path as well. that's where his plan is totally deficient. and one of the ideas that i have is a state-based visa program. let's partner with the states. if they have a priority on ag workers, or if they have a need in the biotech field. let's allocate to them the ability to manage with security protections in place. i was there in the bush administration when we had responsibility with i.c.e. to to go out and deport people here illegally. every time we did that, people would rise up and say you're taking someone who has an 18-year-old in college. or you have a high school player who is a star player on the football team. so there is a lot of compassion that goes with that. donald trump has failed to recognize that and part of the plans that he has would be very chaotic for our society. >> he's also talking about what he would do to his political opponents. >> they have done something that allows the next party. if i happen to be president, and i see somebody who is doing well and beating me very badly, i say, go down and indict them. >> governor, you were saying a few moments ago, you worked in the bush administration, in the federal government. what do you think of a former president of the united states talking about weaponizing the justice department. from what i've heard in recent months, the republican party has said that the federal government should not be weaponized. the justice department should not be weaponized. here you have donald trump saying that's what he would do. >> the justice department should not be weaponized by either side. as a part of justice department family, you follow the rule of do right and equal justice and not get even. and donald trump is suggesting that the justice department and the tools of government and the power of government should be used to get even with people. that's wrong and it is not our justice system. it is wrong for either side to do that. we can't take those tools and start pounding our enemies just because we want to get even. it is just flat wrong. all right. former governor asa hutchinson. thank you for your time. if you make any decisions about the future of your campaign, come back and talk about it. thanks for your time. >> thanks, jim. good to be with you. in gaza, reports of a hospital surrounded by intense fighting. doctors withthout boborders say people a are trappeded insnside. we'll haveve the latesest, next. now to the latest on the war between israel and hamas. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is vowing to take full security control over gaza by the end of the war, in addition to wiping out hamas. this comes amid reports that israeli forces are surrounding a major hospital in northern gaza. israel says hamas is using the hospital as a shield for military operations but they deny that it is under siege. oren, what can you tell us? >> reporter: from our vantage point here, we have seen, we continue to hear artillery here. sometime more frequently. sometime a bit more intermittently. we've heard fighter jets above as well as drones. we haven't seen many of the strikes landing. the explosions that our teams saw last night. that seem to suggest the strikes. they are taking place farther south in gaza. perhaps not too much. the idf said it surrounded northern gaza and was working into the city. much of the nighting from the idf and tin gaza treating is that 400 patients and another 20,000 people have taken refuge. according to the hamas controlled ministry of health in gaza, the hospital has been surrounded by israeli forces and tanks making it impossible to bring anybody in or evacuate anyone from the hospital. on top of the humanitarian crisis in gaza, there is dire shortages of electricity, food and water inside the hospital. the hospital itself wasn't struck, the main complex, some of the outer buildings have taken damage. in addition, the generator took damage. that shut down incubators and the neonatal care unit. they said three babies have died there. the doctors without borders say they are past the point of no return in terms the hospital systems inside the gaza strip. at the same time, they say bodies are piling up in al-shifa hospital because they haven't be evacuated. the idf said there is no siege on the hospital and the east wing is open to bring anybody in or out who wants to be evacuated. they've evacuated two other hospitals and they'll help evacuate the pediatric unit of the shifa hospital tomorrow, according to the idf. they say they have taken over 11 military posts in northern gaza as the brutal fight on the streets of gaza continues. >> and oren, we're learning of another air drop of jordanian aid. what can you tell us about that if. >> this was just announced a short time ago. this would be the second time they have air dropped fuel. they have thanked the jordanians and the uae for helping with supplies. there is no mention of israel but something like that flying over gaza and over israel would have required at least some sort of coordination with the israelis. they sent some pictures out. hopefully you were able to see these, of the aid dropped in. perhaps providing a little bit of medical supplies to alleviate the dire humanitarian crisis inside the gaza strip. >> all right. thank you very much for that report. very important details there. thank you so much. in the meantime, there are only six days left until the federal government runs out of money in washington. the republican house speaker just revealed his plan to avoid a shutdown. some of the members of his own partrty are alreready y balking that. here in the bay, our carss and all of our stuff where we want to go. but, our cars can't take us e with unpaid tolls. vehicles with overdue, unpaid tolls may not be able to renew their registration until outstanding balances are paid. payment assistance is available. visit bayareafastrak.org/ase so go pay your unpaid tolls y and keep your wheels on the ! earlier this afternoon, house speaker mike johnson released his two-step plan to avoid the government shutdown. with the white house calling it a recipe for more republican chaos, is this already dead on arrival? let's bring in charlie dent. what do you think? is this dead on arrival? >> it probably is in the form that he intends to send it to the senate. i suspect the senate will reject it but it is not an irresponsible plan. he funds the government until the middle of january and he funds military construction and energy and water appropriations bills and he does the rest a few weeks later. the other ten bills. i would do it in one step, not two. but it's not reckless. there aren't any crazy cuts or wild policy riders added. but the senate is probably going to insist that it be done in one step and they'll probably also want to add some of the emergency supplemental funding for ukraine and israel and the border. this is just the first launch but it's not a reckless first launch. >> yeah. and a lot of folks in the house republican conference, they wanted big spending cuts and they're not getting that. i wonder what that means spore speaker johnson. he is the speaker because of what took place six weeks ago to kevin mccarthy. i have to think that is affecting him. >> i think the will give a lot to him. much of that with kevin mccarthy was personal. they viewed him as an establishment figure. johnson is seen as one of their own and there aren't many members to the right of mike johnson so i think wehe'll get total pass on this funding bill. he won't be able to accommodate the far right with the spending cuts. this is only about two months or so. just to fund it at current levels. so it would only be a couple months but this is something the senate would reject out of hand. i think the senate will want to do this in two steps. this ladder approach they talked about could lead to rolling shutdowns if you did it sequentially. the justice department january 5th, you would set up cliffs and you would have potential shutdowns each time so i call them rolling shutdowns. they'll probably add the supplemental funding for israel and ukraine. >> they can barely pass one bill to keep it running. just imagine if you had multiple bills to keep it running. >> and let me ask you. trump is planning for the mass detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants if he gets back into the white house, even talking about sprawling camps where undocumented immigrants would be held. what do you make of that kind of proposal? >> what i've read about it strikes me as pretty reckless and nativist. we need to fix the system. one of the thing he proposed as i just learned, he intends to use military construction funds to pay for thing that congress maybe would not have aappropriate on immigration. having written the military construction appropriations bill, that was my job i saw trump divert money for a border wall which i thought was an egregious violation of congress's article one authorities. and i think congress should stand up for itself and if congress wants to appropriate rate money for the policies, they may. what i see him proposing, it seem to be rather nativist. if he wanted to do border funding, fix the asylum system and accelerate deportations for people in the country unlawfully, i think that's reasonable. but setting up camps and things like that, it's pretty over the top. that's the stephen miller wing, steve bannon wing of the party running rough shod. >> of course. and it the signatures are on the latest proposal. and let me ask you one more thing. trump was at this rally earlier today and he once again went after the special counsel jack smith. he also talked about smith's family. let's take a listen. >> we have deranged jack smith. have you ever heard of him? he's a lovely man. did you ever see him with the purple little thing? a lovely man. the trump-hating prosecutor in the case. his wife and family despise him much more than he does. i think he's about a 10. they're about a 15 on a scale of 10. >> charlie, the former president of the united states saying that jack smith's family despises him. what kind of signal does that send? isn't that dangerous? >> well, i think it is dangerous and reckless. i would suspect that a judge presiding over such a case might want to intervene and sanction trump for those kinds of comments. essentially, he sounds like he's trying to instigate violence against jack smith. a federal prosecutor and his family. so at some point, i think these judges have to hold donald trump accountable. i've never heard this time of rhetoric. any other defendant in the case who would make these kinds of comments about judges or prosecutors would be reprimanded and sanctioned and have a gag order shoved down their throats. in trump's case, it's just another saturday. >> thanks as always. we appreciate it. in the meantime, the role of third party candidates could prove to have a major impact. robert f. kennedy jr. is polling higher than any independent or third party candidate in more than 30 years. harry joins us now. when i saw your report on this, that really got my attention. i'm sure it got a lot of people's attention. people were just writing off rfk as a nonfactor because of a lot of the positions he's taken. maybe not so much. >> the polls are the polls are the poll. no matter what you think of rcmp fk jr., a lot of people who like him in this country. if you look across the six swing states, we spoke about last sunday, look at how high rfk jr. is polling across those six states. the lowest is 9%. nevada, upwards of 25%. in michigan, among likely voters choosing him, there are only three other third party or independent candidates had a polled above 20% this late in the campaign in the polling era. ross perot was one of them, and john anderson in 1980. and all. those ended up with more than 5% of the vote nationally at the end of the campaign. the fact is, this is a very real candidacy right now. at leas