now for bodies, thoughts to be connected to an ongoing investigation into the gambino crime family. what the new york attorney general is saying about former president trump's request for a mistrial in the new york civil fraud case. our nbc news reporters are following all of the latest developments, and we start in san francisco, where president biden is scheduled to address ceos at the apec summit. they, those ceos have been grappling with the impact of world conflicts on their businesses. monica alba is traveling with the president. what are we expecting to hear from the white house today? >> reporter: well, this is really a continuation of some of the progress made yesterday in the summit with president xi jinping of china. but of course this now broadens out the conversation, but many of the themes we expect will be similar, and president biden will be speaking here at the ceo summit at this site of the asia pacific economic cooperation conference where of course now many different countries and economies will be on the agenda. and we know that the president is specifically going to be focusing on some labor agreements, strengthening that for workers and trying to put that in the larger economic complex today. it comes after he spent the four hours yesterday with president xi where there was some other potential outcomes there on issues like fentanyl, which you have just discussed in your last hour and on that military-to-military communication, but there was one moment that is of course still getting a little bit of pickup today, and that is when the president was getting ready to leave his news conference. he was asked specifically about some prior comments he had made about xi. take a listen to that exchange. >> reporter: mr. president, after today would you still refer to president xi as a dictator, a term you used earlier? >> he is. he's a dictator in the sense that he is a guy that runs a country that is a communist country. >> reporter: president biden has been very clear in his foreign policy to make the distinction between democracies and autocracies. remember earlier this year he did refer to president xi as a dictator in some off camera fundraiser remarks. the fact that that is what he is referencing here is not anything that's really as concerning to the white house, they say, because, again, these are comments that have been made before. we did see some very strong reaction from the chinese who called that kind of language irresponsible, they said. but it's not something here that's ruffling a lot of diplomatic feathers, again, given the president has been clear on where he stands and that overall, setting that aside, the two leaders felt there was some area of progress here and some real outcomes that came out of the summit yesterday that they are hoping to build on today and tomorrow, chris. >> and the apec summit has drawn large protests including one that's going on right now. what can you tell us about that? >> reporter: yeah, over the last couple of hours, there were protesters who blocked some westbound lanes of the bay bridge which goes from oakland to san francisco, where we are here, and they unfurled a banner, these protesters, we understand, that said biden harris cease fire now, referring of course to the israel and hamas war. so some of them, it seems, were arrested, were removed from at least one lane of traffic, and that lane is now reopened to some vehicles, but if you look at that bay bridge now, and some live pictures, there is still a huge, huge backup and backlog there, which you can imagine that would happen with traffic in san francisco on a normal day. add to that, a global summit as well. this is clearly a moment where we are seeing various different protests. in fact, there are protests right outside at the summit side as we are expecting president biden to be arriving here at any moment, chris. >> monica alba, thank you. now to raf sanchez who got the firsthand look of hundreds of palestinians fleeing gaza. raf, on one hand, this is a way to safety, right? on the other hand, it's people having to flee from their homes. so tell us more about what you saw and heard. >> reporter: chris, we were on the edge of gaza city, we were on salahadin street, normally one of the busiest roads in gaza, now called a humanitarian corridor. we watched as thousands of palestinian civilians walking on foot down that street, whole families, little children with their knapsacks, parents holding babies. there were older people in wheelchairs, and israel says this is a sign of its commitment to getting civilians out of gaza city where the battle is raging. they say their war is only against hamas, not against the people of gaza, but for many palestinians this feels and looks like forced displacement, and they don't know if they're ever going to be able to go back to their homes. that is a question that we put to the israeli military spokesman. i want you to take a listen to what he said. can you guarantee that these people will be able to return home one day? >> i think that is really going to be in the hands of a lot of different players. one of the main ones is hamas. >> reporter: no guarantee that these people will be able to return home. some news breaking in just the last couple of minutes, chris, the israeli military is announcing it has found the body of israeli hostage, a 65-year-old mother who was kidnapped from the kibbutz be'ri on october 7th. the israeli military not giving any details on the cause of death, but they are saying that her body was found in a building near the al shifa hospital, where of course israeli forces were operating yesterday, operating again today. they say she was found nearby, not clear exactly where. the situation, as we have been talking about for days now, chris, inside of that hospital is dire. the world health organization says it is no longer functioning. there is no medical care because of power being out, water being out, a lot of concern about those prematurely born babies who are out of their incubators, because there is no power there, and, chris, over the last couple of days, we have been able to check in with doctors at that hospital by phone, but tonight, that is not an option because phone service is down all across gaza according to the two main palestinian phone companies because they say they have simply run out of fuel and they can no longer provide service. >> raf sanchez, thank you for that. the investigation into the gambino crime family is taking a gruesome turn with multiple law enforcement officials saying authorities are digging for bodies in upstate new york. nbc's tom winter has the latest for us. tom, i guess ten people allegedly linked to the gambino crime family were arrested last week. we think this new development may be connected to that? >> that's exactly right, chris, and was exactly almost a week ago that you and i were sitting here talking about those alleged crimes, showing photographs from the case, and the federal court documents associated with it. now, the reporting of myself and colleague jonathan dienst that, in fact, the searches that occurred yesterday in upstate new york are tied to not just the gambino family, and you're looking at some of the searches here, but also tied to those specific cases that were brought last week. that's something that we typically see, chris, often in these types of investigations where individuals that are charged can sometimes provide information, but of course there's search warrants as well. in the course of the investigation, there was perhaps a search that occurred of devices. it could be physical evidence, it could be maps. those types of things that can come up in the course of these cases that would then lead investigators to perhaps search specific properties, we saw this in the new england mafia family, in the robert deluca case, the missing person case, where you saw an individual provide information to the government and also an individual charged for lying after they were caught to the federal government about their knowledge of a body that was found. so we've seen this in other types of cases. we have no direct knowledge that anybody has become a cooperator. somebody has flipped, as some would say or become a rat as others would say in the mafia side of the street. so we have no indication of that in this particular case, but it is something that can occur. >> tom winter, thank you so much. a pretty stern response from the new york attorney general after former president donald trump requested a mistrial in his civil fraud case. nbc's vaughn hillyard has the latest reporting on that, so letitia james not having any of it. >> the firing back in a filing with the judge, urging, number one, if, in fact, there is a hearing that does take place, that they say they are in support of, it shouldn't take place until at least december 8th. because they do not want to give donald trump's team the ability to make a claim when they are taking this to an appeal that they did not have the full opportunity to file a true motion with their entire argument on the table for this mistrial here, and so letitia james team said, sure, let's have this hearing, you have to give us a couple of weeks, because, meanwhile, every day, they continue to go in the courtroom and ask witnesses the questions. of course, this is just still the beginning. even in december, if we get the judge engoron to rule on the additional claims here, donald trump's team is already appealed that first claim in which he found that they and the trump organization were liable for financial fraud, and so we are already expecting the appeals court to hear this. but at least for now, letitia james team saying do not take him up on this motion for mistrial. it has no actual standing. if he said in her own words, it has a total lack of merit, and so for now, we're looking to see here what the judge will determine when that hearing will take place. >> vaughn hillyard, thank you so much. we've got another big take away from president biden's meeting from chinese president xi jinping, possible return of pandas to the u.s. we've got more on that when we come back in 60 seconds. at humana, we believe your healthcare should evolve with you, and part of that evolution means choosing the right medicare plan for you. humana can help. with original medicare you're covered for hospital stays and doctor office visits, but you'll have to pay a deductible for each. a medicare supplement plan pays for some or all of your original medicare deductibles, but they may have higher monthly premiums and no prescription drug coverage. humana medicare advantage prescription drug plans include medical coverage, plus prescription drug coverage. and coverage for dental, vision, and hearing, all wrapped up into one convenient plan. plus, there's a cap on your out-of-pocket costs! humana has large networks of doctors, hospitals and specialists across 49 states. so, call or go online today and get your free decision guide. humana - a more human way to healthcare. the era of panda diplomacy may live to see another day after all. just a week after the national zoo was forced to say good-bye to its pandas, china's president, xi jinping suggesting beijing might send another set of the beloved bears to the u.s., to san diego. of course they have been a symbol of u.s.-china friendship since 1972. this potential goodwill gesture comes as xi courts u.s. business leaders, hoping to boost china's ailing economy. xi spoke at a dinner with hundreds of corporate luminaries, including some of the country's most successful and best known executives, apple's tim cook, blackrock's larry fink. senior executives from nike, boeing, pfizer, and fedex, and you can see the reception. he got a standing ovation. joining us now, rick stengel, former under secretary of state for public diplomacy, and public affairs. i mean, let's be honest, people's eyes might glaze over when they hear apec summit. this is 21 countries around the pacific, looking for help with trade, economic development, but in a post-covid era, the importance of what the administration can do and what these leaders can do, business leaders, put it into context for us. >> chris, at that dinner last night, xi jinping asked the rhetorical question, are we adversaries or partners. he answered the question by saying we're partners and friends, i can't tell you what an incredible sea change that is from a year ago or anytime over the last five years, where china really pitting itself against the u.s. as an adversary. the best possible construction a year ago was competitors, which is how the u.s. phrased it, and then last night, xi jinping says we're friends. it's really an enormous change. i think it's a victory for american diplomacy, american power, and i think it's a good thing for the american people. >> yeah, elon musk didn't stay for dinner, but apparently he showed up and had a few words with president xi beforehand. this relationship between the u.s. and china has been at its lowest point in decades. you have the balloon fiasco, tensions around taiwan. where do you see it standing today after the big meeting yesterday, four hours long, the reception that xi got last night. do you see at least some small opening? >> i see a big opening. maybe i'm too pollyanna-ish about this, but it's 180 degrees different than it was a year ago. i think the balloon issue was something that held us back. look, china's economy is sputtering, youth employment there is 20%. its real estate market is bad. they have been hurt by the withdrawal of tech companies, and president biden's refusal to let china buy advanced computer chips. china is coming to the table. they want to negotiate. they want to be partners. that's a good thing for the chinese economy. that's a good thing for the american economy. that's a good thing for the tech leaders that were in the room last night. >> how closely are leaders around the world, business leaders around the world watching what's happening here? >> well, you know, xi had a double mission, right, and in some ways, contradictory. he wanted to stabilize the relationship with the, but then he wanted to offer china as an alternative to business leaders in other countries. i mean, you know, xi's whole program is the stability of an authoritarian state is something businesses and other companies should like, democracies are fragile, they're chaotic. he can point to almost government shutdown in the u.s., so that's his double mission, and i guess in some ways, i mean, he certainly accomplished the former, kind of mending the u.s. relationship, whether he accomplished the latter, i'm not so sure. >> there's one thing we should talk about which is taiwan, a huge point of contention between the u.s. and china. and yesterday, joe biden said, listen, i caution them about taiwan, and in particular, getting involved in taiwan's elections, which are coming up in january. what role should and will do you think the u.s. play in trying to make sure those elections are free and fair. especially after a government spokesperson vowed, i think, just yesterday that china is going to be unstoppable in eventually retaking taiwan. >> well, i mean, joe biden talked about it at his press conference. he said, look, i directly told the chinese not to interfere in the taiwanese election. our policy towards taiwan is technically strategic ambiguity. we have signed on to the one china policy, but, you know, joe biden, you know, who grew up in the cold war, still has a lot of attachment to taiwan. and so he wants to make sure that china doesn't meddle in the taiwanese election, that it's a free and fair election. taiwan is an actual democracy, unlike china, so i think biden was straight and direct with him about that. >> rick stengel, always good to see you my friend, thank you for coming on the show. >> thank you, chris. let's go to gaza where internet and cell service have collapsed again. israeli soldiers conducting a search of al shifa hospital with hundreds of people trapped inside. nbc's eric mclaughlin is -- eric mclaughlin, what are we hearing right now? >> reporter: the picture that we can paint is limited given the near total blackout of communications currently impacting the gaza strip due to a fuel shortage. we have been unable to reach any number of doctors that we've been speaking to over the past few days. what we can say is based on what the israeli military released today. according to an israeli military spokesperson, they raided the al shifa hospital for a second day. israeli special forces going through the hospital complex, building by building, floor by floor, room by room. remember, al shifa complex is a large complex. yesterday, they alleged that they found a number of weapons, as well as intelligence tying those materials to the october 7th attacks. we have been unable to verify the claims of the israeli military. they say they continue the search today, no sign so far of the kind of hub the command node that the israeli military alleges as well as the united states alleges is buried beneath the hospital. again, that search is ongoing. meanwhile, there's just this desperate situation playing out inside the hospital itself. take a listen to what the regional director for the w.h.o. had to say about the situation, the humanitarian situation impacting some 600 patients, plus doctors, plus people sheltering in the hospital, take a listen to what he had to say. >> we still have grave concerns for the patients and the staff in the hospital. there are a lot of security concerns. there are a lot of logistics constraints, our options are limited. we hope to have better news in the next 24 hours. >> reporter: now, it's unclear how they would facilitate a potential evacuation, especially given that the humanitarian community says that the health system within gaza is near total collapse, where those patients will go, including the three dozen, prematurely born babies that they would have to take from the incubators out of the hospital. it's unclear what medical facility would be able to accommodate the volume of patients, critically ill patients that the hospital officials have been telling me are near death, chris. >> eric mclaughlin, thank you very much. we're getting a verdict in the in the trial of david depape. he of course is the man who was accused of going into the home of former speaker nancy pelosi with a hammer and attacking her husband. he shocked the courtroom when he took the stand basically said, oh, they had a good rapport. he and paul pelosi. in spite of the fact that paul pelosi ended up in the hospital for six days. so we're going to keep our eye on that announcement. in the meantime, let's go back to san francisco where at the apec summit, president biden has just taken to the podium. this is the city of synonymous with innovation and breaking barriers. where collaboration and coming together have always been key to unlocking our potential. it's a city that has been shaped by centuries of deep ties to the asia pacific region, by contributions of asian heritage. san francisco is a natural place to gather to innovate and collaborate, the 2023 summit, the ceo summit, and all the events that are taking place this week. i want to thank everyone who has made this week possible, especially those serving, apec executive secretary, apec business advisory council, the national center for apec, and so many others. today, 21 apec economies make up more than 60% of the global gdp, half the global trade. the asia pacific is the largest contributor of global growth over the next 30 years. so the vision we pursue for the economic region is far beyond the asia pacific. the choices we mad affect the entire world. it's up to us to tap the entrepreneurial spirit of our people and un