new jersey to new york. >> it was parnding, it was pathetic. >> he's a symptom of something that donald trump created. >> the guy who was not on the stage is the winner each time. good morning, everyone. it was the final gop presidential debate of this year, four candidates clashed on policy, they traded personal insults and they recognized time is running out to make their pitch to voters before the iowa caucuses less than six weeks away. >> nikki haley took the brunt of attacks from desantis and vivek ramaswamy. over foreign policy positions. >> to say that was an attack on america fails a basic state. if you can't tell the difference between israel is and the u.s. map is on the map. >> she caves any time the left comes after her, any time the media comes after her >> nikki, i don't have a woman problem, you have a corruption problem and i think that's what people need to know. >> it's not worth my time to respond to him. >> her donors, they make money in china, they're not going to be let her be tough on china and she'll cave to the donors. she won't stand up for you. haley at times remained si silent. her opponent chris christie who clashed with vivek ramaswamy over ukraine. >> this the fourth debate, the fourth debate that you would be voted in the first 20 minutes as the most okay noxious blowhard in america. >> chris, your version of foreign policy experience was closing a bridge from new jersey to new york, so do everyone a favor, walk yourself off stage and enjoy a nice meal. >> christie, who only got his first chance to speak 17 minutes into the debate spoke the least among the candidates, he grew frustrated with his opponents for side-stepping the republican elephant in the room, former president donald trump. >> this morning, trump is expected back in new york courtroom for his civil fraud trial, likely to begin to wrap up next weeks when trump takes the stand again. >> lisa, i want to start with you, you had a recent piece, which may have been a motivating factor in some chris christie's tone and posture, talking about reality which is behind the scenes, donors want trump to lose, that want him to get out of the race, they want christie to drop out, after last night, what do you think his calculation is? >> he wants to show he still deserves a place on the stage. what he argues he's bringing the only guy who's willing to go after former president donald trump directly and we saw that last night. whether that's enough i think there's big sense among donors and the wing of party want an an alternative to trump, narrow that down to one candidate, that momentum has been behind nikki haley. he had a role to play in this race, particularly i'd point to his exchange with ron desantis, whether he thought donald trump was unfit for the presidency and desantis evaded that question that was quite unartful. >> i cannot, david, picture a world in which chris christie drops out of this before vivek ramaswamy. i'm serious. i'm serious. >> governor christie did an incredible job last night the best performance of all of his debates, very relaxed and in his groove. to your point, he was maybe trying to deserve something, that he deserved a spot. he was kind of like, excuse me, please answer the question that was posed to you. my old boss would say, somebody give him answer, a very good answer to a completely different question. chris christie different let them off the look last night. >> he's also trying to, you know, position vivek ramaswamy and desantis as just unelectable as, you know, inappropriate and he actually had a moment where he stood up for nikki haley. she didn't need it. but it was an interesting moment. >> do we have that moment? okay, watch this. >> he has insulted nikki haley's basic intelligence. not her positions, her basic intelligence. if you want to disagree on issues that's fine and we disagree on some issues, but i'll tell you this, i've known her for 12 years, longer than he started to vote in a republican primary, and while we disagree about some issues and we disagree about who should be president of the united states what we don't disagree on, she this is smart, accomplished woman. >> here he is going back and forth, basically talking over the other two, but then, you know, he comes out and defending her. i think it was a play for female voters, one of the things we saw with gary tuchman group, the voters who watched, they liked the way she held her own. as the person being attacked that was her opportunity to show i can take it, i'm tough enough and that toughness is what you want when you're trying to look presidential. chris christie wanted to make clear, this was a moment he could jump in and actually maybe pick up some votes from women. >> a moment of civility. >> decency. >> i agree. >> having been attacked by chris christie on television, i found that -- it was lovely moment but a calculation was there. >> look, no one on that stage is within a country mile of the guy who's winning the race and christie was the only one attacking him. 39 days. like, are they ever going to attack the guy who's destroying them every poll. >> governor christie said we're not talking about the one person we should be talking, we're moving the numbers around, 14 to 13, we're sharing market share on this side of the ledger but we're not taking any market share away from donald trump. the polls tomorrow, next day, those numbers aren't going to change. if anything, trump's numbers are going to go up again. i'm going to stick with the guy who i was originally ly for. >> there's the actual race, which is where donald trump leads by 30, 40 points nationally. as you point out is not moving the needle. it's nice to talk about these guys and what they're doing and what's going on. it doesn't feel so relevant to the actual, who the actual winner will be of iowa or of new hampshire. >> one thing that's relevant in iowa is the issue of abortion and that's an issue that didn't even come up at all last night as question, given some moves on that from nikki haley said she would sign a six-week federal ban, chris christie would not. that was surprising to me before iowa. >> it was surprising. it's a big issue in iowa. i was impressed with these moderators. they were trying to draw sharp contrasts. they brought up the critiques of each candidate very directly. abortion has been discussed, long notable exchanges on abortion. >> i would say yes, but remember before nikki haley that she would sign that six-week abortion ban, on the last debate, here's what -- >> she was trying to walk that line early on, the kindler, gentler approach on abortion, we had the virginia elections where it was clear that 15-week ban is still considered a ban to voters and so perhaps she decided -- >> what was the word that the governor was using to describe this. >> commonsense. >> it's not a ban -- it's a limit. potentially decided let me get where the republican base is and go with the six weeks. >> this is primary focused on these debates are focused who's going to win in iowa, republicans need to start exercising those general election muscles sooner rather than later. the more you talk about abortion in manner that doesn't send people to the other side of the aisle, right, that's better for republicans. >> it's going to be hard. because even haley, her record, she voted for state legislative provision after provision granting constitutional rights for fetuses. so, i think you're right, the party needs to figure out a way to talk about this. broad swaths of the american population will accept. >> all right, thanks, guys. later this hour, we'll be joined by presidential candidate chris christie live here on cnn this morning, his response to donors, some big donors from his own party pushing for him to drop out. deeper into southern gaza, hear what secretary of state blinken told cnn exclusively about how civilians are being treated there. they nonetheless have an obligation to do everything possible to protect civilians, to distinguish between terrorists and innocent men, women and children. >> that doesn't seem to going so well, mr. secretary, about keeping civilians safe. >> we're seeing some important steps being taken as they're operating, beginning to operate in the south of gaza. >> that was secretary of state blinken offering new and important assessments on the israel/hamas war last night on cnn's "king charles." as jews in israel and around the world prepare to celebrate hannukah starting tonight, in northern gaza, new pictures show thousands taking shelter inside a damaged hospital. israeli forces are pushing deeper into southern gas what and mounting a show of force now surrounding the home they say of the hamas leader. alex marquardt has reporting live from tel aviv, that's a significant development, right, but they're saying he's underground at this point. >> reporter: yeah, the top aide for netanyahu more of symbolic victory than anything else. they believe hamas leadership is in khan younis. intense fighting in and around there. israel has said they've broken through the hamas defense lines. surrounding the house of the hamas' top leader, now netanyahu said it's only a matter of time before they get them. idf believe he's below ground. he's the number one target. today's two months since the horrific attacks on october 7th. you have the top leader of hamas sinwar, as well as two leaders of the military arm who still haven't been found. >> can you talk about the development of commercial ships in red sea, new reporting about the u.s. considering showing protection to them given the attempted strikes against them a couple of days ago? >> reporter: yeah, this is really notable and speaks to the major concern of what's going on in the red sea. the u.s. and other countries we understand are in discussions to potentially escort commercial ships in the red sea past yemen, basically into the gulf of aden. between africa and yemen, the houthis have stepped up their attacks, there have been concerns that they would want to expand this conflict. seedsing an israeli-linked ship, now according to sources, the u.s. is in talks with what's known as the combined maritime forces, multinational task force to escort those commercial ships from the red sea into the gulf of aden and speaks to the significant concerns of those houthi rebels. >> they're commercial ships, we're not talking about military vessels that they would need that kind of protection. senate republicans have blocked a bill that would have sent billions of dollars of aid to ukraine. we'll speak to a top administrative official about their next moves. new details about the college professor who opened fire at the university of nevada, "live from," three people murdered. >> i was born in the year 2000. it's 2023. i'm tired of it. you're probably not easily persuaded to switch mobile providers for your business. but what if we told you it's possible that comcast business mobile can save you up to 75% a year on your wireless bill versus the big three carriers? did we peak your interest? you can get two unlimited lines for just $30 each a month. there are no term contracts or line activation fees. and you can bring your own device. oh, and all on the most reliable 5g mobile network nationwide. wireless that works for you. it's not just possible, dear moms and dads, what you have achieved here today is going to help us and our futures. it is why we're coming up on stage to collect your diplomas. mom, love you always. vo: when you graduate, they graduate. visit finishyourdiploma.org to find free and supportive adult education centers near you. this morning, some new details on the shooter who police say killed three people at the university of nevada, las vegas, the campus huddle together for a vigil last night. the shooter was a career college professor. his name we're just getting this anthony polito, 67 years old. shot and killed after the ram page. he reportedly sought a job at unlv. most recently a full-time business professor at east carolina university. two law enforcement officers are also being treated for minor injuries and for parents and loved ones waiting for word during the lockdown some breathtaking revelations coming in one text message at a time. >> the first text is, of course, she's telling me that there was an active shooter. and that she was scared. then, she said, i love you. >> police searched the suspect's home overnight, they have yet to determine a motive. classes at the unlv campus are cancelled through at least sunday. president biden outlining in very stark terms what he believes is at stake if the u.s. fails to support ukraine against russia. listen. >> we can't let putin win. it's in our overwhelming national interest and international interests of all our friends, and any disruption in our ability to supply ukraine clearly strengthens putin's position. >> those comments didn't phase senate republicans who killed a funding package last night demanding tougher restrictions at the border in exchange for their support. joining us now is the director of the office of management and budget, director young, appreciate your time this morning, yesterday in the president's remarks he also said that he's willing to make significant compromises on the border, new compromises or discussions that already happened. >> glad to be here with you. look, the president also used the word stunning yesterday, it's stunning that republicans know the stakes on our national security front, know what happens if putin marches through ukraine, knows what happens if we're not there for our longest ally in the middle east, this is people's lives, and by the way, the president asked for a funding to strengthen border security, so if you're for border security you would have voted for that bill. >> and in doing that, though, he put the issue on the border on the table here which has opened the door to republicans, you need republican votes, we want more on the border, therefore if you want the funding you'll have to five us policy changes, do you think that was a mistake to put it in the first place in. >> absolutely not. this is a critical need at the south border. this isn't his first time asking, he asked for the funding for the border last december, got half. asked for funding in december, got none. asked for funding now and republicans are saying not good enough. this is stunning to me that republicans won't fund more equipment to look for fentanyl at the border, it's stunning that that won't happen. by the way, they need republican votes to pass this national security package, you also need democrat votes. republicans continue to say my way or nothing on the border. >> you're known in washington as an outcomes person, you get the job done, knows how to do the math and count the votes and get to that point, do you feel like an outcome is going to require losing democrats votes in the senate. >> look, i'm not going to negotiate from here even though i love having this back and forth with you, phil, what our job is to continue to remind everyone of the stakes if this security funding is not provided. this is not hyperbole, you heard this from the president, there's a risk if putin is allowed to go through ukraine he's on nato's door and then our sons and daughters could possibly be a part of conflict. so this is, you know, these are political games. unfortunately this is becoming a norm, where republicans know the stakes like in the debt ceiling and continue to push for things that are unrelate even though the stakes are too high. >> you had this in your letter, for people to understand this isn't just a political move on your guys' part to secure money, how much money is currently left? >> phil, we're going to make a couple of more announcements on packages, we have about $1 billion in which to do that out of the $100 billion provided to date, so we're really out of money, we're out of economic support and by the way the you don't pay the government to continue to operate, you also lose a war. we don't have much more beyond this year to continue to send weapons, and what happens with our partners once the u.s. pulls back, so our fear is this is domino effect that makes it harder and harder for the ukrainians to win and where they've done exceptionally well defending themselves. >> there have been reports that there are some senate democrats who said the president, the only way out of this maybe president getting into a room with leaders and trying to craft a deal, do you see the president calling people to the white house, meeting between the president and senator mcconnell or speaker johnson any time soon. >> look, i spent a lot of time in those rooms during the debt ceiling. it said we need to do something at the southwest border in addition to being there for our allies, with ukraine and israel. but, look, we're always willing to have a conversation. but i believe congress has been talking about this long enough and i'm happy the question was called, unfortunately people who know the stakes, who are supporters of ukraine, supporters of israel, decided to put politics ahead of our national security interests. and frankly, i remain stunned by that. we'll continue to make the case of how important this is, the stakes are too high to give up and we'll continue to push for this. >> if it's december and it's crunch time on funding, shlonda young is deeply invested. thank you. >> thanks, phil. >> she's tough. tensions ran high at the fourth republican presidential debate, next, we'll be joined by one of the four white house hopefuls who didn't hold back. there he is. governor chris christie with us live, next. the fifth guy who doesn't have the guts to show up and stand here, he's the one as you just put it is way ahead in poll. yet, three guys seemingly compete with vold mort. this is the fourth debate. the fourth debate. that you would be voted in the first 20 minutes as the most obnoxious blowhard in america. we're now 25 minutes into this debate, and he has insulted nikki haley's basic intelligence. not her positions, her basic intelligence. this is a smart accomplished woman, you should stop insulting her. another donald trump term, he's letting you know i am your retribution. he'll only be his own retribution. he doesn't care for the american people. it's donald trump first. do i think he was kidding that he said he was dictator? all you have to do is look at history. his conduct is unacceptable. he's unfit. >> former new jersey governor chris christie as you just saw there didn't shy away from criticizing his opponents at the fourth republican presidential debate. it was a fiery night. he joins us from tuscaloosa, alabama. i want to start with your defense of nikki haley, you know it's getting a lot of headlines, is an alliance beginning to form between the two of you? >> stop. you know guys are so cynical. >> that's not cynical. i called it civilized in the last hour. i said it was civil and important. >> no, what the intentions you read into are cynical, how about basic human decency. and that's all i displayed on the stage last night with nikki haley, look, i disagree with nikki haley on a lot of things. i think she's avoiding taking on donald trump. trying to protect a lead she doesn't have, so i have plenty of problems with nikki, but her basic intelligence isn't one of them. in fact i think she's a really bright, accomplished woman and she belongs on that stage. i'm not going to let vivek ramaswamy sit there and take broadside shots and say his 3-year-old son knows more than her. look, vivek ramaswamy is a m misojist. his comments about women. he goes at women's intelligence. i was not going to let it go on anymore. i don't think nikki haley should be our nominee and president of the united states. but i'll tell you this, she certa