plus donald trump unleashed, a court will now decide how much the former president can say in public about the 2020 federal election case. and attention shoppers, the white house wants to highlight falling prices at the grocery store to counter disappointing poll numbers. good morning. i'm kasie hunt. it is tuesday, november 21. 5:00 a.m. in washington, noon in gaza where a hamas official posted overnight that the militant group is close to, quote, reaching a truce agreement, end quote, with israel. that tracks with the white house as ergs is earlier monday that deal for release of some of the hostages is nearing. john kirby was asked whether any americans might be among the hostages that will be let go. >> obviously we are laser focused on the american citizens that we know are being held loss tap and we want them out. all of them, everyone should be out now. but we're this a negotiation and getting closer to the end. >> he declined to go into any details on the negotiations. west bank health officials saying nearly 13,000 palestinians have been killed since the start of the war. they say at least 5300 of those killed have been children. the united nations secretary-general called it by far the worst death toll for children killed in a war in the nearly seven years he's had the job. >> this is what matters. we are witnessing a killing of civilians that is unparalleled and unprecedented in any conflict since i am secretary-general. >> scott mclean is tracking developments from istanbul. scott, good morning. there has been so much focus, we've talked a lot about the ceasefire hostage negotiation tunnels, but let's focus in on the humanitarian crisis here and what is unfolding there. obviously a ceasefire would be part of any hostage release deal that could give some relief to civilians who are suffering on the ground. >> reporter: yes, we understand that the broad parameters of any deal would be a pause in fighting would last potentially four or five days. there would be a number of hostages released from gaza in exchange for an unknown number of palestinian prisoners held in israeli jails right now. all of those releases would happen over the course of four or five days. there could potentially be more hostages released if the pause is extended. we don't know the final details, nothing has been finalized, but we've heard that the sticking points are more of the finer points of the logistical parts, rather than anything that represents the core of this actual deal. you played sound there from the white house official john kirby. he says that things are looking good. hamas leader also said things are looking good. the red cross said it is in position to help facilitate anything on the ground. and the israeli prime minister netanyahu said that it is in his words sacred and supreme mission to bring the hostages home. and he is under tremendous pressure to get this deal done. polls show that most israelis, not all, but most would favor releasing thousands of palestinians in exchange for the 239 or so hostages that are being held in gaza. we saw tensions boiling over in a meeting -- a committee meeting of the israeliky neceknesset bee he is pushing legislation that would hand down the death penalty to terrorists.y knesset he is pushing legislation that would hand down the death penalty to terrorists. knesset he is pushing legislation that would hand down the death penalty to terrorists. and they worry that could put their family member high school greater danger -- members in greater danger. and antonio guterres calling the 13,000 killedcedented at least his time in office. and this is likely to be taken with a very big pinch of salt. they have been heavily critical of the united nations. for decades they believe that the organization has been biased against them. things boiled over a few weeks ago when guterres says it did not happen in a vacuum. and if you look at the record of the united nations human rights council, they have passed plenty of resolutions looking at israel, more than many of the human rights abusers. >> scott mclean, thanks for your reporting. and coming up next here, angry families of the hostages taken by hamas march to tel aviv. we'll tell you what they are demanding. plus federal appeals court ruling expected soon on donald trump's gag order. and will the drop in turkey prices help the president's poll numbers? welcome back. for the first time since the hamas attack on israel, families whose loved ones are being held hostage on hamas met face-to-face with the war cabinet and many say they came away deeply disappointed. oren lieberman on the push for answers. >> my sister was kidnapped. >> reporter: and he has waited 45 days for this moment. his sister has been a hostage in gaza since october 7 and this is the first chance for the families of the hostages to meet with the war cabinet. >> i do expect them to be transparent as much as possible about what can be done. okay? we all want to see everybody back today. >> reporter: frustration boiling over after six weeks and two days of questions. >> something very hard, very embarrassing that i have to stand here facing so many cameras and i have to go to a meeting in order to hear answers. >> reporter: but as the meeting was set to start, not all of the families were allowed in. >> in gaza there is enough room for the 240 who were kidnapped. and in the defense ministry, there is not room for 130 families? >> reporter: for weeks some families have excellent outside the defense ministry to remind the war cabinet inside that they will not leave and they will not let up. >> reporter: there is a public pressure campaign. this man's mother-in-law is a hostage. >> we don't have time, we don't have one hour more. we don't know sf she is alive. >> reporter: at least two hostages were found dead in the enclave. they are trying to push a death penalty for terrorists which the families say endangers their loved ones in hamas captivity. >> might be instead of talking about the dead, talk about the living. stop talking about killing arabs. talk about saving jews. this is your job. >> reporter: the family members of the hostages held met for several hours with members of the war cabinet even perhaps aggravating, they say the government didn't indicate that they were doing anything above and beyond to make sure that most important was securing release of the hostages but it was important at the war cabinet or equally as important was defeating hamas. that is not what they want to hear. oren lieberman, cnn. and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is not just under fire from those frustrated families whose loved ones are being held hostage. cracks within the government also beginning to show. let's bring in max foster. max, good morning, always good to see you. netanyahu is under so much pressure here. there is the hostage families demanding that he do more. and then there is pressure from his right and he honestly had been leaning that way before it happened anyway. what kind of position is the prime minister in and how do you expect him to try to make the next move? >> you can hear those voices effectively saying as oren was pointing out there that the focus of this campaign should be to getting the hostages out before destroying hamas. and if you look at the polling numbers, most recent polling numbers in israel, there is a lot of negativity about netanyahu and the way he is running this war. and his polling numbers are very low. and there is a broader issue here about how all of this started as well. so a lot of accusations that he and his government were d distracted by judicial overhaul plan and they didn't see the attack coming. so relatively recent poll by the israel democracy snit found a maj institute found a majority of the public think that it had a critical impact on the timing of the october 7 attack. they are focused on the war, but that is the real big political challenge that he's facing. and it is not just the public that have an issue with it, it is also the right which as you pointed out have really formed his base. so politically he is looking extremely weak. >> yeah, i mean, how long do you think this is tenable for him in the big picture? because he was on with dana bash a week or so ago and she kept trying to press him like hey, didn't you make these mistakes, when will you account for them. and he said we're at war, these questions will come later. i don't think that answer will stand up for months if not -- i mean, this campaign could go on for years. at what point does he actually have to shoulder some accountability for what happened? >> he has this coalition emergency war cabinet, hasn't he, a war government, and as long as that holds together and he is running it, then i guess that he is in relatively strong position. it is when that starts breaking down and politicians, opposition politicians, start reflecting what the public feels and if that emergency cabinet breaks down, there is a big question about who will run it even if there is during this war. and so i think that we're look to that how long can he keep that emergency government together. >> i think that is a great point. and i think reality is that in the media conditions under which we live now, public opinion, and you know this better than anyone, it can change so fast. and in ways that are harder and harder to track and see. i feel like when our media was more consolidated, it was a lot easier to understand and see the trends coming and watch the shifts happen. and now what used to take months to happen can occur in a matter of days or weeks. >> and never underestimate netanyahu either. he's been around a very long time and he's a survivor. >> yeah, that is a great point. glad you said that. he has been underestimated in the past and he always seems to show back up right in a position of power. very good point. max foster, thank you very much, i'll see you tomorrow. just days before black friday, a gunman opens fire inside a walmart in ohio. and stormy weather on tap for millionsns as they h hit the ro for thananksgiving. quick hits across america now. police say four people are injured after a shooter opened fire at a walmart near dayton, ohio. a woman recorded this video shortly after the incident. >> he shot like ten times and i don't even know how much more afterwards. but just -- i'm so lucky to be alive. >> police say the shooter took his own life. and the u.s. supreme court has rejected an appeal by former police officer derek chauvin. owner of the site formerly known as twitter elon musk is suing media matters following an exodus in the wake of a report highlighting anti-semitic and neo-nazi comment on the platform. now to weather. more than 27 million people under severe storm threats today from the gulf coast to the mid-atlantic and southeast. if you are traveling already for thanksgiving, you could be facing some delays. allison chinchar is tracking all of it for us. good morning to you. what should people be prepared for as they head out the door this morning to see family, eat turkey, et cetera? >> yeah, if you are packing the bags, maybe back patience go along with it. and that is either via air or on the roadways. we have several different front that will bring different weather, storms, snow and gusty winds. there is heavy rain coming down across chicago, columbus and cincinnati. and also snow if in the upper midwest. in the south the concern is still the potential for strong to severe thunderstorms. you've got several of those sliding through the new orleans area heading towards mobile and more rain pushing in towards atlanta and charlotte. here is the potential for the strong to severe thunderstorms today. basically stretching from southeastern mississippi towards virginia beach, isolated tornadoes and damaging winds will be the main concerns. as we go through the rest of the day, these systems will continue to push off to the east. taking a lot of the rain and snow with it. so later on today, you've got the concern of charlotte, raleigh, up through washington, d.c. and baltimore and then eventually toward the evening hours, that is when the bulk of this really spreads into the northeast. so new york, boston, hartford looking at that rain and snow sliding across the northeast. by wednesday morning still looking at it there. and by wednesday morning, you are looking at pretty decent snowfall coming down across interior new england as we push through those hours of the morning. by late afternoon, finally we start to see an exit of a lot of the rain and the strong winds and even the snow. so that by the time we actually get to thanksgiving, albeit still breezy in some spots of the northeast, most everybody else finally starts to see things try back out. out to the west, we'll have another system that will make for a bit of a white thanks giving for some. >> allison, thank you so much for that. and up next, hostage talks between israel and hamas progressing. we'll tell you what might be holding up the deal. and donald trump's gag order facing free speech test. what happened at that key hearing just ahead. good morning, thanks for being up early with us. i'm kasie hunt. after weeks of negotiations, statements suggest a deal for a temporary ceasefire in exchange for hostages is nearly done. hamas leader posted over-nile on t -- overnight that they are close to reaching a truce agreement with israel consistent with a white house statement earlier yesterday that the parties are closing in on a deal for the release of hostages. john kirby was asked whether the hostages released might include any americans. >> i know everybody is interested in the numbers and who they will be. we're working that through literally in realtime with both sides. so i think that it is better if i just don't speculate about what that pool will look like. >> scott mclean is live for us in istanbul. u.s. officials said that they were closer. do we have any insight into what the final sticking points might be here? >> reporter: yeah, so correspond to the qataris, final points are more logistical rather than anything that represents the actual core of what they have agreed on. but the families of these hostages, they have been extremely outspoken over the last more than a month now of this war. they have held rally, they have had marches, they have demanded meetings with the israeli prime minister netanyahu. and yesterday they got one, they had previously demanded sort of an all for all deal. all of the 239 or so hostages held in gaza in exchange for all the palestinian prisoners being held in israel that is about 6,000 or so. and broadly speaking, polling shows that the israeli public is supportive of releasing even thousands of palestinian prisoners in exchange for all of these hostages. these hostage families also attended yesterday a committee meeting of the israeliky kn knesset. and among there was a guy who wants to annex the palestinian territories. and he says that in plain words. and part of why the emotions boiled over yesterday is because of a law that the national security minister is pushing. and i want to give you a sense of what it was like inside of the room. this video you are about to watch is not translated but trust me, you don't need to speak hebrew to understand the level of emotion inside the room. listen. [ speaking in a non-english language ] >> reporter: and under these circumstances, the families worry that the law they are trying to push will only further endanger their loved ones who are being held in gaza. one man whose daughter and wife are being held right now said that lawmakers need to focus less on death, less on wiping out hamas and more on the living meaning their loved ones who are being held hostage right now. it is also worth keeping in mind a couple of the complexities of all of this. first off, kasie, not entirely clear that the hamas leadership actually knows precisely where all of the hostages are being held. we assume underground inside gaza. there are also political complexities within israel as well and that is that all of the israeli cabinet, some of them are quite far right figures, would need to agree to at least any palestinian prisoners and look, many of these lawmakers are much more intent on destroying hamas right now than they are about getting the hostages out. >> very difficult proposition. scott mclean, thank you very much. let's bring in our military analyst colonel cedric leighton. always great to have you here. let's talk about the contours of this deal and what is being reported here. sounds like they are close, closer, maybe any day now. we've heard from hamas on their platform tell gram. what are you paying attention to here as we potentially see this come together?gram. what are you paying attention to here as we potentially see this come together? >> good morning. i think the main thing is that telegram message from hamas. i think that that is critical because it basically shows that the positions that are outlined by the white house, by israel, by qataris and hamas seem to come to some degree of alignment and that is significant. so that is i think the main thing at the moment. of course the other thing that we have to watch as scott pointed out in his report, what is going on within israel domestically. that is something that is really significant and of course that could have an impact, probably negative impact on the negotiations. and so the way the right wing israel is looking at this, the way the knesset is dealing with the possible laws that it could impose the death penalty on terrorists, that kind of thing of course could have potentially negative effects. and ky knesset would be wise to table such measures. >> can you understand the tension between people who want a pause for hostage release and what hamas might be able to do with a pause? what are they worried that they could do during that time? >> they are worried about basically regrouping of hamas forces. so when they go through something like a truce and they have the means to move about, hamas fighters have the means to move about without being put at risk by artillery shells, by bombing that can give them the chance to move to different areas that are more defendable than where they are currently at. it could also mean that they could lay ambushes for forces once the troops stop. and so that is certainly something to consider. a truce of this type that seems to be developing here is one where both sides face degree of risk. there is always the possibility of mistakes that somebody may be a bit trigger happy and cause some problems, always a risk of course. but the main thing is that the right wing in israel is worried about the possibility of these forces regrouping. and moving into positions of great restraint. >> so colonel, the shifa hospital complex, former prime minister of israel told cnn that israel built the bunkers decades ago, seemed to be something of an open secret. and it raises a lot of questions about there has been this kind of complex information war about whether these things existed. basically israelis knew they existed all along because they put them there. what is your understanding of how this came to be and what does that say about what the israelis know, their intelligence capabilities in these areas and other things along those lines? >> yeah, so that is always an interesting statement. israeli put the bunkers there, you would think that they would have them mapped out completely. they are clearly sophisticated construction based on what we're seeing here in the videos that the idf has sent us. it seems to me that -- i can't believe that the israelis would have put a bunch of bunkers in a place like this, but if they did, clearly hamas has turned the tables on the israelis and using wh