today on "inside politics," a big development on hostage negotiations. president biden said a deal to free the more than 200 hostages held by hamas is, quote, going happen. this comes as a official familiar with the talks tells cnn and israel and hamas are moving closer to a deal. i want to get straight to mj lee, who is in san francisco with the president waiting for him at least. what did the president say? and put this intoen context along with other reporting this you and other colleagues have. >> reporter: yeah, you heard from president biden, who is making his way now here to san francisco for his summit with xi jinping, expressing a sense of optimism that a deal could be reached to get the hostages out of gaza. this was echoed in part by a u.s. senior official that i was speaking with earlier, who said that israel and hamas are moving closer to a deal to secure the release of these hostages, but the official, it's important to note, cautioned that it's closer, but it's not done. essentially saying closer does not mean they are necessarily close. in terms of the broad parameter of the deal, we're talking about a large group of hostages being released out of gaza in exchange for a number of palestinian prisoners that they are holding. there would presumably be a sustained pause in fighting that i'm told could last as long as five days, but a lot of the details are still being worked out. just to give you a sense of the sticking points and really how frougt fraught the negotiations have been, israel had at one point requested that 100 hostages be released. then saw hamas' military wing saying what they are discussing is the possible release of some 70 women and children. so one official summing this up as hamas is pushing to release as few hostages as possible for the longest cease-fire possible. there have also been serious concerns about how to actually execute this in a safe way, given that gaza is under constant bombardment. that's one of the many things that these parties that have been negotiating over the potential release of these hostages, that they have been working on day-to-day for the past couple weeks. but again, just sensing a little bit of optimism, at least from the american side, including from the president himself. >> when the president says it's going to happen, that's a big deal to hear from the president of the united states. but you are right to put some caution out there, as we report this, given the fact that you have been doing reporting as have many of our colleagues since the hostages were taken, in particular the last couple weeks as the talks have heated up, where they thought they were close, thought they were almost there and then the negotiations fall apart. so we do have to keep that very much in mind. but you're right, there are so many important and specific and complicated aspects to this. first and foremost, it's how many hamas is going to agree to release. we hope just for human kind that they release all of the hostages. but also how physically that would happen and how long israel would agree to a, quote, unquote pause for that to happen. all of those are factors that are going to have to be discussed and final lized before anything takes place. >> reporter: this is a phrase we have heard over and over from sources familiar with the talks that they have been close before, but a deal has not been struck yet. just to give you one more sense of why these talks have been so incredibly complicated, the pure aspect of actually communicate ing with hamas has been incredibly challenging. this is not some regular negotiating actor and partner that you were talking about. even just getting messages to hamas has been very complicated. we know that is why the qatarys have been trying to play the mediating role so they understand exactly what's going on. there's also just the question of can hamas be even a trusted partner in all this. u.s. officials have shown a lot of skepticism that at any moment, any information that they are getting from hamas, any assurances that they essentially can't be trusted. so that's just another sense of why these talks have been incredibly fraught. u.s. officials, again, have been working around the clock, a little bit of optimism that we're hearing from the president, but officials really caution until a deal is made and until they see hostages physically get out, they are not going to be sighing relief until they really see the hostages are physically out of gaza. >> so much of what has been going on behind the scenes has kind of been playing out some of the posturing that we have seen publicly from the prime minister, from members of his team, and also from others in the arab world about how to kind of play this because you're exactly right. there is absolutely no trusting in hamas, in particular. they are quite literally terrorists, so the notion of negotiating with terrorists is what we're talking about here, which is why qatar and others who do have a lot in the case of qatar, they have senior hamas leaders living in their country. so this is certainly potentially a moment and we're going to keep on it. thank you for your reporting. >> i wanted to turn to it a very related story in washington. that is tens of thousands of americans who are gathering on the national mall right now. you're looking at live pictures from the rally for israel. more than five weeks after 1200 innocent civilians were massacred by hamas terrorists. i want to go to gabe cohen, who is there on the mall. part of the reason why this rally is happening today is to push back on anti-semitism that is rising, but, b, to remind the world that these hostages are still being held by hamas. and there are family members, many of them who flew to the united states that are where you are on the mall that came from israel in order to make sure that the world doesn't forget that their loved ones are being held by hamas still. >> reporter: that's right. they are just part of this long list of speakers that we're going to see when the program gets underway. we're still seeing the massive crowd pouring on to this huge section of the mall, about a mile long now fenced off. people coming from ul over the country and all over the world. i met people from ohio, georgia, massachusetts, florida, california, who all wanted to be here to take part in this event. organizers think it's going to be the largest gathering of jewish american communities in recent history. they were really intentional with their list of speakers as they were putting this together, really toning down the rhetoric, trying to create as they put it a really wide tent of unity and support, trying to bring together jewish organizations from it cross the spectrum. there are three points of focus here. one is showing solidarity with israel and the israeli people. one is combatting anti-semitism. and third, to call for a release of the israeli hostages still being held in gaza. just a few minutes ago, i met a woman in the crowd who says she went to high school with a long island native, who is being held in gaza. here's what she said about why she came down today. it looks like we don't have that sound. but she talked about omar and his impact on her and who he was a at a person. she felt she should be here to support her community and we know that there's a lot of concern about security here. we will see as this gets underway that rhetoric is matched by the speakers on that stage. >> we didn't get to hear from ammar, but the fact that so many people in the united states and around the world are either know somebody who was killed or is held or knows somebody who knows somebody. the jewish community is quite small. not just in the u.s., but around the world. appreciate it. gabe mentioned the security concerns. the understandable concerns that law enforcement was focused on as they were prepare ing for th very large rally here in washington today. i want to go to shimon prokupecz, who is also there focused on security. what are you seeing and hearing at this moment? >> reporter: there's certainly some concern given the event, given what's going on across the country as it relates to the protest and anti-semitism. there's a lot of concern. you have so many people gathered in one area. we could see up to 100,000 people here. so this is a major concern for law enforcement. they are on the highest alerts here,s audiocassette see behind me. the national guard is even here. they placed them at inte intersections to deal with traffic, but also the security. they are also using these dumpster trucks so that in case cars wanted to come through here, so they have that extra layer of security. this is where people are going in. this is where people are attending the rally, this is where they are streaming in. once they go down here, there's a security area. they have to go through security. anything else that you would expect at a large event like a super bowl, new year's eve, same security measures here. for now, everything has been safe. everything has been pretty good. law enforcement is out here. there's a the lot of them here. they are going to continue to be out here. >> thank you so much. it's nice they are treating it like a super bowl. unlike a super bowl, this is a group of people being threatened by not just rallies, by protests and vie listens aclens across t world. thank you for that. now we're going to go elsewhere in washington up to capitol hill. very different kind of story. one that i never thought we would be reporting on. we're talking about a fight, not just a rhetorical fight, a political fight, an actual alleged fight with elbowing and shove asking one member of congress chasing after a former speaker of the house. that is what congressman tim burr shet is accusing the former speaker kevin mccarthy of doing. he's one of eight house republicans who vote ed to oust mccarthy from his speakership last month. manu raju is live on capitol hill. you spoke with burchett not long after this incident. what's going on? >> reporter: pretty surreal moment. unprecedented moments we're seeing here in the capitol, first starting with kevin mccarthy, something that never happened before, but it happened more than a month ago, but the tension is still lingering. you heard kevin mccarthy just a few days ago telling me that he's still angry at several of those members. apparently, taking it out in physical ways. tim burchett said one of the republicans who voted to oust kevin mccarthy, and in the hallways of the capitol, accusing kevin mccarthy of taking a shot to husband kidneys, a sucker punch, and chasing him down the hallway and engaging in a heated confrontation with the former speaker. something the former speaker denies. burchett says it happened. >> explain to us what happened with you and kevin mccarthy. >> i was dong an interview with claudia from npr, a lovely lady. she was asking me a question. at that time, i got elbowed in the back. it kind of caught me off guard because it was a clean shot to the kidneys i turned back and there was kevin. and for a minute i was like what just happened. and then i chased after him. he's a bully with $17 million and a security detail. he's the type of guy when you're a kid would throw a rock over the fence and run home and hide behind his mama's skirt. from behind, that kind of stuff, that's not the way we handle things. we have a problem with smrks i'm going to look them in the eye and talk to him. >> so he walked down the hallway and hit you with his elbow. >> you can go on the twitter account. it pretty much it's very accurate. >> i ran after him. i was like, why did you do that? because it was a little different. you don't have to hit hard to cause a lot of pain. and he just, as he always did, he denies it or blames somebody else or something. it was just a little heated, but i backed off. i wasn't gaining anything from it. everybody saw. >> he responded to you? >> he just acted like what are you talking about? that's symptomatic of the problems he's had as peek speaker. >> were you face to face? >> yeah, but there was security detail. they were doing their job. it wasn't exactly he wouldn't turn around and face me. he kept scurrying trying to keep people between me and him. i just let him go at that point. i raised my voice to him. i thought it was inappropriate. you don't expect a guy who was three steps away from the white house to hit you with a sucker punch in the hallway. >> did he raise his voice back? >> just pitched thing. that was about it. >> did he walk into his office? >> he just kept on walking down the hall. i adopt know where his office is now. >> reporter: he went on to say he's still in pain from what he calls a sucker punch. now kevin mccarthy denied this in conversation with our colleague melanie zanona saying i didn't shove or the bow him. it's a tight hallway. and i just asked the speaker of the house mike johnson about whether he witnessed it or has comment. he said he didn't see it and declined to comment. >> i'm just reading some of claudia's reporting, she has the quotes because she was there. burchett said, you have no guts. what kind of chicken move is that. you're pathetic, man. and then said when kevin mccarthy started to walk away, he said to the reporter, claudia, what a jerk. you need security, kevin, screaming after the former speaker. that happened, but there's some important business that is going on in those halls where you are, which is keeping the government open or at least trying. give us a report on that. >> reporter: this all ties back to kevin mccarthy. he pushed through a measure to keep the government open, did not have spending cuts. he needed democrats to get it over the finish line. that led to his ouster and eight total republicans voting with democrats to do just that. the new speaker doing the same ta tactic. putting forward a bill on the floor to keep the government open. no spending cuts attached to it. it needs democratic support to get it over the finish line. doing something a little different. others to february, but no spending cuts and that's significant pushback from the right flank. but we do expect democrats to carry this over the finish line later today. expected to a pass the senate before they head home for friday. but mike johnson told me he's not concerned about the security of his speakership in the aftermath of this move. >> i mean, there's so much to unpack with all of this. but the news is definitely out there and appreciate you giving it all to us and grabbing the congressman to get his rendition of what happened. thank you. coming up, donald trump's campaign pushes back on reporting about the radical immigration policies. a second term would allegedly bring three words they aren't saying, it's not true. we'll explain after a break. donald trump's campaign is trying to down play reports of some controversial plans for a potential second trump term. that included large-scale rirs irs as of detention camps and travel bans. in a statement issued last night, the trump campaign says reports about personnel and policies that are specific to a second trump administration are purely speculative and theoretical unless a second term priority is articulated by president trump or officially communicated by the campaign, it is not authorize d this any way. here to share their insights, the associated press, leigh ann caldwell of the "washington post," eva mcend and security analyst cary korda ro. even in the most controversial of stories about what his policies or potential policies would be and say no, that's not true. >> right. >> they didn't say it's not true here, but the pushback on what we're talking about is noteworthy because they don't do that very often. >> i will point out particularly with the immigration details, which you just mentioned, steven miller, his former white house adviser and widely seen as the architect of the policies was quoted in the times article saying that president trump will unleast the vast arsenal of powers to enact these policies. what's happening here in part is actually a classic trump trait. he doesn't kind of like it when other people feed off him and kind of profit or benefit from him. so i think some of it is him and his people saying we don't want these outside groups coming in and trying to take advantage of us. >> this is such a good point. there are groups who are writing position papers and policy papers and chomping at the bit for trump to get back into office so they can continue to push some of these really draconian notions. >> it's not all that surprising some of these policies, because when the former president was in office, he stressed our constitutions. he telegraphed he theed to do a lot of this, and we know there were bureaucrats in the way. now there are entities like the america first policy institute filled with folks at the ready to be deployed if he's to be reelected. >> but let's listen to donald trump in his own words, and this is him talking both in november, so this month, and then earlier this fall in september. >> we will begin the largest domestic deportation operation in american history. >> it's poisoning the blood of our country. it's so bad. and people are coming in with disease. people are coming in with every possible thing that you can have. >> poisoning the blood of our country. >> first of all, let's separate out and acknowledge the nature of that kind of language, which is xenophobic, which is in line with the types of policies that he tried to do last time with respect to the muslim ban and keeping out certain kinds of people, because that appeals politically and that's the type of policy he wants to implement. >> this is similar to what he tried to do before. he has wide authority that's what we saw during his first term s that pattern. >> in some circumstances, the courts will push back to a certain degree and really if we look over the past several years through the trump administration, it really is the judiciary that was able to hold the line and protect institutions more than the executive branch really in many circumstances was able to protect itself. >> now the judiciary has more trump appointees. it doesn't necessarily mean they are going to agree with him. but it is a difference. >> donald trump did a very good job confirming a a record number of apoint tees to the judicial system. but donald trump in his first term had people who were stopping him and pushing back. you had his chief of staff, you had the attorney general bill barr, and trump has said that he made a mistake in husis first b appointing people the who did not gray with him and allow him to do whatever he wanted. so now if he is elected, perhaps he's going to take a very different route and hire people who won't push back and will engage and allow him to do that. >> that's going to be a huge part of the conversation if he does get the nomination and there's a general election campaign. thank you, everybody. standby. today president biden is traveling to california. we heard that at the top of the hour. he's going fora high-stakes meeting with xi jinping. ahead, we have new reporting for a potential breakthrough between those two leaders on a key issue. stay with us. c'mon, we're right there. c'mon baby. it's the only we need. go, go, go, go! ah! touchdown baby! -touchdown! are your neighbors watching the same game? yeah, my 5g home internet delays the game a bit. but you get used to it. try these. they're noise cancelling earmuffs. i stole them from an airport. it's always something with you, man. great! solid! -greek salad? exactly! don't delay the game with verizon or t-mobile 5g home internet. catch it on the xfinity 10g network. just a few moments ago, president biden left the white house to head to california, where he will meet with chinese pr