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United States Rep. Gonzales: Border Patrol Overwhelmed By Migrant Surge; Homeland Security Official: Authorities Report Seven- Day Average Of 9,600 Migrant Encounters Along U.S. Southern Border In December; Colorado Supreme Court Says Trump Ineligible For Office Under 14th Amendment's "Insurrectionist Ban"; Detroit News: Trump Recorded Pressuring Canvassers After 2020 Vote; Israel Claims It Killed Hamas Official Involved In Weapons Smuggling; IDF Preparing To Expand Ground Operations Into New Areas Of Gaza; Israel Dropped Hundreds Of 2000-Pound Bombs On Gaza; Authorities Knew Maine Shooter Was A Threat But Felt Confronting Him Was Unsafe; FAA Moves To Address Air Traffic Controller Fatigue. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired December 23, 2023 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: That's all we have time for right now. If you want to ask me a question, scan the Q.R. code on your screen or e-mail, AskAmanpour@cnn.com. And remember to tell us your name and where you're from.

Don't forget, you can find all our shows online as podcast at cnn.com/podcast and on all other major platforms.

I'm Christiane Amanpour in London, and I'll see you again next week.

[12:00:36]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone. Thanks for joining me. I'm Omar Jimenez, in for Fredricka Whitfield, we've got a lot to get to.

We're going to start with some U.S. officials are warning the southern border is near a breaking point, with thousands of migrants there waiting to be processed.

CNN is learning that federal authorities are reporting a seven-day average of more than 9,600 migrant encounters at the border this month, which is among the highest that's ever been recorded.

Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales, whose district covers a large portion of the Texas border with Mexico, says the resources of border towns already are stretched thin, and are being pushed past their ability to handle the unprecedented surge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TONY GONZALES (R-TX): When there's these large numbers of people that come over, what ends up happening is Border Patrol gets overwhelmed and what they ended up doing, they have to feed and they have to clothe and to house these people.

So, where do they go? They go to the local grocery store, just the other day, they bought 8,000 loaves of bread, cheese, food to feed these people.

Well guess what happens when you go shopping at that local grocery store? You don't have groceries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: We're covering this on multiple fronts. Joining me now is Rafael Romo on the southern border in Eagle Pass, Texas. And we've also got Kevin Liptak in Washington.

I want to start with you, Rafael, because just give us a sense what are you seeing there today?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Omar, let me tell you, in the last few minutes, we saw dozens of migrants being brought here by border patrol agents to this holding area behind me.

We are right next to the U.S. border with Mexico. This is where Border Patrol agents bring immigrants once they surrendered to authorities after crossing the border so that they can wait there before being processed.

The numbers of immigrants crossing here in Eagle Pass and more widely in the real sector are staggering, Omar.

On Friday, Customs and Border Protection released the latest on the number of apprehensions here at the U.S. southern border. The U.S. Border Patrol recorded a total of 191,113 in November of what they call encounters with immigrants at points along the border other than a regular point of entry. That compares to 189,000 or 4,000 more than the month of October.

If we add people who enter through points of entry, the figure is close to a quarter of a million.

And this is just in a single month, Omar, I had an opportunity to talk to a local immigration activist, who told me that the current situation is unsustainable. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSIE F. FUENTES, MEMBER, EAGLE PASS BORDER COALITION: It needs dire attention. And I would say that what we are doing, or what we have been doing over the last 2-1/2 years is just damaging an incredible ecosystem, along with committing cruelty against humanity, for the way we're treating human beings.

So, there is multiple angles that you can look at what's going on here in Eagle Pass, Texas, and say, how could this be happening in America?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Omar, in releasing the latest figures, the top immigration official recognized, they are facing a serious challenge along the U.S. border. He also said that CBP and other federal agencies need more resources from Congress to both enhance the security at the border and the country as a whole. And the reality is that the impact to communities like Eagle Pass is brutal.

This is a city of less than 30,000 people. Local officials say they're having to deal with this crisis with little or no help from the federal government. Earlier this week, we heard and you -- we heard it also at the beginning from Congressman Tony Gonzales, a Republican whose district includes two-thirds of the Texas border, he says that the situation here at the border is at a breaking point.

Omar, back to you.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And resources that could potentially go there from Congress are what's in the middle of major negotiations that have, in some points, had an impasse.

And negotiations that the White House has been pretty heavily involved in, at least, monitoring. And that's where I want to get to you, Kevin. The Biden administration, this is clearly something that they have been dealing with and at times struggled with over the course of this administration. How are they responding to what we've been seeing there at the border?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, they are urgently working to look for solutions here. And the word that you keep hearing from administration officials is untenable, the situation at the border there, as Rafael laid out.

[12:05:04]

And one of the complicating factors that you hear from officials is that this is not concentrated in one particular area. It's spread out across sectors across the southern border. And it is really straining resources. And it certainly is a logistical challenge for the administration. But it is also a political challenge for President Biden as he enters this 2024 election year, where immigration will certainly be a major topic of discussion among the candidates.

And so, what you have seen President Biden do is get on the phone with the Mexican president Lopez Obrador, try and apply pressure on him to do more on that side of the border, to increase enforcement to try and stem the flow of migrants crossing the southern border.

You have also seen the White House request from Congress, as you mentioned, that $14 billion to ramp up enforcement to also try and ramp up the personnel who had process some of these migrants at the border. But this is caught up in these ongoing negotiations over changing some of the border rules.

At the end of the day, President Biden is kind of caught in a bind here as so many presidents have found themselves in on this issue of immigration. On the one side, he has Republicans and certainly many Democrats who want him to do more to stem these flows of migrants. But you also hear from progressives, immigration advocates, who are very concerned that some of the proposals that are being talked about are reminiscent of those highly restrictive rules under the Trump administration.

So, certainly, this is an issue that President Biden will be dealing with over the next several weeks.

JIMENEZ: And something that Congress can be wrestling with as soon as we come back -- as they get back into session in 2024.

Rafael Romo, Kevin Liptak, thank you so much as always.

Now, with just weeks to go until the first contest of the 2024 presidential race, GOP front runner Donald Trump, just scored a major legal victory against Special Counsel Jack Smith.

Meaning, the Supreme Court issued a one sentence judgment yesterday, bluntly rejecting Smith's request to fast-track arguments on the former president's immunity case.

Joining me now is white collar criminal attorney and American University adjunct Law Professor Jeffrey Jacobovitz.

Jeffrey, just plainly, what is the impact of the Supreme Court's very blunt decision here?

JEFFREY JACOBOVITZ, ADJUNCT LAW PROFESSOR, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: Good afternoon, Omar. We don't know what the impact is. And in fact, it could be a major victory, it may not be a major victory, because of the D.C. Circuit rules on it. And it looks like they are ruling on this issue in expedited fashion. It could be the Supreme Court does not grant cert and take the case, in which case, the December -- excuse me, the January 6 actions will go to trial timely.

And right now, that the trial is set by Judge Chutkan. Even if the case is delayed a month or two, it still would go to trial prior to the election.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And that's, of course, one of the concerns that people are watching. Will this stay on track for March? Could it be delayed until later? But as you mentioned, the appeals court is scheduled to hear arguments on this on January 9.

So, if everything goes to plan, it could still stay relatively on track. But that's not the only case that we're dealing with how -- here, obviously, over in Colorado.

The Supreme Court's decision to remove Trump from the state's 2024 ballot. He's still on it right now, since that ruling is essentially pause until further review.

But what do you see the U.S. Supreme Court doing when it reviews that appeal there?

JACOBOVITZ: Well, the Colorado decision involves Section Three of the 14th Amendment, and alleged, and then, found that President Trump engaged in an insurrection, and could not hold public office, and cannot hold the presidency, and could not be on the ballot for the primaries.

So, what does the Supreme Court do? And you know, I'll give you a little background. John Roberts has been concerned about the credibility of the Court, we've had the ethical issues involving Clarence Thomas, and whoever receives ethics.

And now, you have a situation where it turns political because if they rule in favor of Colorado, they take the election away from the people. And they could possibly do that, the amendment is pretty clear cut in terms of what's allowed and what isn't.

You have January 6, defendants who have gone to trial and judges have found that the judge -- excuse me, that President Trump -- ex- President Trump did engage in an interaction.

And so, the Supreme Court is in a tough pickle here because they have had had -- they have had political decisions in the past, this is certainly very political. And whatever they do, they're not going to please everybody here.

And they could get rid of the case by ruling on a technicality. And when I say get rid of it, in other words, put it on pause put it on hold. Finding, for example, there wasn't due process of finding that Congress has to find for the insurrection.

[12:10:05]

Some ruling that doesn't address the merits of it, but then, holds back on it.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Yes, I mean, and obviously, the implications and the timing of everything could have a major effect on this election. Though, Trump didn't really win Colorado last time around, it's still the wider reverberations could be pretty significant.

Along the lines of what many have argued in regards to the 14th Amendment. I mean, this week, The Detroit News released new comments, Trump made on a call to two Michigan County election officials in 2020, where he urged them not to certify election results in Detroit.

Is this something that's more interesting to read about? Or is it something that he could actually be charged with?

JACOBOVITZ: No, it's certainly more than just reading about it. And it's both him and RNC chair, Ronna McDonald, because what you have -- McDaniel, excuse me.

JIMENEZ: Yes, yes.

JACOBOVITZ: What you have here is potentially, bribery, because they were promising the elector, an attorney, if in fact, they didn't go forward with the vote, you have potentially conspiracy to defraud the United States. And you also have additional evidence for the Georgia RICO case, because this is what's in federal court known as 404 (b) evidence or other crimes or evidence. This is similar to the call to Raffensperger in Georgia. And so, it's something certainly that Fani Willis would try to introduce in her Georgia case in some fashion, either as other evidence or as part of the underlying RICO case.

JIMENEZ: Yes, yes. Well, we will have to see a lot of factors playing out. And we only got to a few of the cases that Trump is facing or could potentially face in 2024.

Jeffrey Jacobovitz, thank you so much. Got to leave it there.

JACOBOVITZ: Thank you, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

All right. Still to come this hour, let the countdown begin. With just over three weeks before the Iowa caucus, Republican hopefuls are canvassing the state. But is anyone closing in on Donald Trump's dominating lead? We've got the numbers.

Plus, "BREAKING NEWS". Just in to CNN. The Israel Defense Forces claimed they've killed a top Hamas official. We're going to take you live to Tel Aviv in just minutes. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:16:27]

JIMENEZ: They used to feel far away. But the first contest of the 2024 presidential race are just around the corner.

The Iowa Republican caucuses will take place in just 23 days. Who's counting though?

With New Hampshire and South Carolina quickly following and with just weeks before the first votes are cast, former President Trump remains the clear front runner, according to polls, despite his legal troubles. And all the other presidential hopefuls are scrambling to close the gap.

So, joining me now to talk more about this is Patrick Healy. He is the deputy opinion editor for The New York Times. Patrick, great to see you. Thanks for being with us.

So, I just want to start with despite the legal charges to cases and trials that Trump is facing, polls show that GOP voters still seem to love him, especially as compared to the other candidates. Do you think he can hold on to those voters if he's actually convicted of any of these cases?

PATRICK HEALY, DEPUTY OPINION EDITOR, THE NEW YORK TIMES: I think a lot of them are going to stay with them, Omar. You know, you've talked to a lot of Republican voters now, and they see a real conspiracy. They see democratic government, a Biden justice department, democratic prosecutors, who are bringing these charges, and they have not seen the evidence laid out. They have not seen due process or kind of a fair trial.

They find themselves, saying, look, we are making choices between Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, these are the choices in front of us. We like Trump, as you said, they love them -- love Trump, that's just a reality within the Republican Party.

When we do focus groups, in a -- in Times' opinion, when my colleagues in the newsroom and at CNN are out on the trail, talking to folks, when you start talking to Republican primary voters about conviction and whether they would stand by him, they sort of find themselves kind of imagining a world that just doesn't exist, where Donald Trump has done nothing wrong, where he needs to fight this until the very end.

And frankly, where even a conviction would not seem legitimate, probably in their minds in the minds of a lot of them. Just like --

(CROSSTALK)

JIMENEZ: Yes.

HEALY: Just like Joe Biden's election. Fair election in 2020 doesn't seem legitimate.

JIMENEZ: Yes. I remember, actually, I went out to New Hampshire after Trump was indicted in Florida on the classified documents case. And I asked some of his supporters, hey, you know, here is the documentation. Here are the pictures. Does this matter to you? And almost all of them said, no.

And to your point, said that they viewed almost the justice department as a hole. Anything that they brought was in their minds invalidated.

Now, for one of his people, he's competing, with Ron DeSantis, he seemed to be speaking -- staking a lot of his presidential candidacy in Iowa, investing most of his time and resources there.

And we're a few weeks out before that high stake vote, and we now find out, the leading super PAC supporting his presidential bid. They are canceling their television ads in Iowa and New Hampshire, shifting their focus to the ground game.

What do you -- what do you make of that strategy?

HEALY: Omar, it's just not working. It's just not working for Ron DeSantis. I mean, he has not worn well with Iowa voters. I mean, I have covered several campaigns with presidential candidates, who turn things around for themselves in Iowa.

Certainly, John Kerry in 2004. Seeing sort of Ted Cruz in 2016. Seeing what Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama tried to do in 2008.

You really need to sort of do that event-to-event sort of politicking to really convince people that you were well.

[12:20:06]

That they want to -- that they want to have you as president that they want to have you in their lives.

DeSantis has spent so much time and money in Iowa. And you look at the polling, where it was back in June to today. DeSantis has just gone down. Down, down.

Now, Kim Reynolds, the governor of Iowa still likes him. And he definitely has an organization in Iowa. But it's just so telling that the -- that the numbers have gone down. And the Donald Trump, for all those problems you cited, may still be the first Republican in decades to clear 45, even 50 percent in Iowa things hold.

JIMENEZ: Yes. We will see what happens there.

Now, look, that is the primary side of things. But obviously, the primary landscape is different than the general election landscape. And, at least in some ways, it seems the Biden campaign is preparing to face Donald Trump, specifically, we're learning Biden's campaign will make the threats to democracy a central focus of its campaign.

And according to a memo shared with CNN, they're going to be placing people on the ground in battleground states beginning in mid-January to focus on that messaging.

So, do you think that's actually going to resonate with voters? Or do you think most Americans are focused more on, you know, kitchen table issues, like the economy, for example?

HEALY: Most voters are way more focused on the economy. That's really where it is. And I'm really skeptical that these appeals on democracy are going to flip any voter, who isn't already with Joe Biden to Joe Biden.

Look, it's a -- it's a very good argument to make against Donald Trump. Donald Trump has been one of the biggest threats to democracy that this country has faced in decades. That is unchanged.

But the reality is, you know, most people who are going to be participating in this election, know what happened on January 6th. They saw it for themselves. They know that Trump is not some cheerleader champion for democracy as we -- as we knew it.

So, mobilizing on democracy, I sort of understand certainly why it's happening. The Biden camp has to figure out a way to talk to younger voters, to talk to independent voters, and democracy, and protecting democracy can do well.

But to go back to your question, it really is the economy, pocketbook issues, kitchen table issues that have moved people.

The one area that's really been interesting, as you know, has been around abortion, and the way that that has been a real energizing issue for a lot of democratic and independent voters to support the Democratic position.

The challenge with that is that Joe Biden has never been the best messenger on abortion rights. So, how he and his campaign figure out ways to do that in states is still kind of an open question.

JIMENEZ: Yes, and we saw that, that political energy around abortion play out. Specifically in election results through the midterms and, of course, in some individual special elections in states as well.

So, we will see if that momentum carries into this coming cycle as well. Patrick Healy, got to leave it there. But thank you so much for being with us.

HEALY: Thanks, Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right, everybody. We're going to get you to some breaking news. Just in to CNN, Israel Defense Forces claim they have killed a top Hamas official. We're going to take you live to Tel Aviv. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:27:43]

JIMENEZ: "BREAKING NEWS" this hour. Israel Defense Forces and Israel security agencies say they have killed a Hamas official, who was involved in smuggling weapons into Gaza.

The news comes as the IDF prepares to expand operation into new areas, specifically emphasizing southern Gaza, as officials claim they're in the final stages of controlling the northern section of the enclave.

At the same time, the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution calling for urgent steps to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access throughout Gaza. And UNICEF says hundreds of thousands of children are at high risk of malnutrition and preventable death.

So, there's a lot we're following here. We've got CNN's Will Ripley in Tel Aviv.

Will, so, let's start with the breaking news here. What more are you learning about this Hamas official that was killed today in southern Gaza?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: His name is Hassan Atrash. And he is important to the IDF, because they believe he is one of the guys who was smuggling weapons into both Gaza and even the occupied West Bank.

And this is crucial because a lot of the resources that have been funding Hamas's war against Israel are being provided by other state actors. I would think of Iran as the top of the list there. But in order to get things like money and weapons here, and you have to have intermediaries working to broker these deals and sneak them in. You know, some of these underground tunnels that Israel has been destroying were exactly for the purpose of getting weapons smuggled into Egypt, put down in those tunnels, and then they get smuggled into the Gaza Strip.

And that's how the rockets that Hamas uses to fire on Israel. There were 30 rockets in a single day, just a couple of days ago, they were all intercepted by the Iron Dome. But clearly, this is an important step for the IDF. But it's certainly just one of many officials in Hamas that they are trying to target right now.

Of course, what they really want to do is chop off the top of the leadership chain. And even though there is multipronged leadership in Hamas, I'm told it's not just one centralized organization, you can't just kill one leader and then, the whole thing collapses.

No, it's much more -- much more -- you know, complex and organize them that.

Nonetheless, getting somebody who is smuggling weapons in is certainly important for the IDF and they say it happened as a result of a jet fighter strike.

Now, we don't know who else was killed. A lot of these strikes, Omar as you know, have had extreme collateral damage. The IDF saying, that just in the last 48 hours, five of their own soldiers have also died in Gaza.

[12:30:05]

We know that 18 civilians were also killed in an airstrike on Central Gaza earlier today. This is Israeli artillery blamed for those 18 deaths. We don't know how many of them were believed to be Hamas militants. And how many of them are the innocent people, women and children who have died by the thousands. The death toll so far well over 20,000, according to the Hamas controlled health ministry in Gaza, Omar.

JIMENEZ: And of course, this is all within the context of a large scale campaign by the IDF military campaign throughout Gaza. What have they revealed about their plans to expand operations from where they've been at this point?

RIPLEY: Yes, right on the heels of this U.N. resolution, which is calling for a ceasefire in order to bring in humanitarian aid, although some human rights groups, including Doctors Without Borders and aid agency that has really blasted this U.N. resolution saying that it's all but meaningless for regular Gazans.

And here we are just one day later, after this U.N. resolution, which the US abstained from voting and because it didn't have strong enough language condemning Hamas, and Israel is now announcing they are expanding their military operation to central Gaza. And in fact, their combat forces are going to be on the ground throughout the Gaza Strip.

They believe that they have essentially now obtained operational control of Northern Gaza. That's the area that was most heavily bombarded at the beginning of this war that began back on October 7. Now they're moving operations into central Gaza and sending people notices telling them to evacuate. But Omar, where do they go? That is the big question. That's certainly

the question that a lot of people are asking, considering that NGOs that have been on the ground in Gaza have said repeatedly, there is no safe place for these families to go. And some of them have already had to relocate once, twice, or even more.

And I don't know if you can see because it's dark outside. But there is tremendous rain, there were thunderstorms, bitter cold winds. And there are a lot of people right now that are out in the elements in Gaza, exhausted, hungry, if not starving, and now being told once again, that they have to pack up and move but where, just to avoid death from yet another airstrike.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And you know, you alluded to it a little a few moments ago, just about the reaction to what passed the U.N. Security Council. I mean, several of those humanitarian organizations have criticized their, as you mentioned, not going far enough. Why are they specifically taking such a big issue with it?

RIPLEY: They feel that the language was too watered down and large part because the United States which had delayed this vote a number of times you're talking about a series of delays after a flat out veto by the U.S. earlier. So these eight organizations, most notably Doctors Without Borders, basically saying that that the resolution as it stands right now doesn't have any teeth, not like a U.N. resolution could force Israel to stop their military operation. This is a sovereign nation, and they're going to engage as they see fit.

But I'll read you a bit of a quote from the one of the spokespeople for Doctors Without Borders, basically saying that people in Gaza are people. They're not pieces on a checkerboard. Many have already been displaced several times. And then going on to say the Israeli army just orders people to move into areas where there are ongoing airstrikes, no place is safe, nowhere to go.

That certainly speaks volumes. And that has been said repeatedly by people on the ground in Gaza, horrified by the humanitarian situation, even as Israel says they have no choice but to try to carry out these military objectives since Hamas has not agreed to their proposal of a week long pause in the fighting to release hostages were still remaining well over 100 of them, including women, elderly and people desperately in need of urgent care.

JIMENEZ: So many efforts happening on multiple fronts and all the meanwhile there are people caught in the middle of it all. Will Ripley, thank you so much for your reporting.

Look, it's been 11 weeks of war in Gaza with no end in sight and the humanitarian crisis gets worse by the day. The U.N. says the entire population of more than 2 million people is facing acute hunger and warns a full scale famine is not far off.

Now, according to the Hamas controlled health ministry, more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7. That's 10 times more than any Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the last 15 years. CNN's Nima Elbagir takes a closer look why the casualties are climbing so high, and a warning some of the images you're about to see are graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even at a distance, the devastation wrought on Gaza is unmistakable.

ELBAGIR: We are a few 100 meters here from the boundary with Gaza. But even here, you get a sense of the degree of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza the sheer intensity and scale.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): This is what that looks like up close. Scenes of destruction have become all too familiar. Here the aftermath of another Israeli airstrike. This time in late October at the Jabalya refugee camp in. One of the most densely populated residential areas in Gaza.

[12:35:00]

The bomb that caused this damage is a 2,000 pound bomb, likely made in the USA dropped by the Israeli Air Force at least four times as powerful as the vast majority of the bombs used by the U.S. in its fight against ISIS. In densely populated Gaza, the human cost is incomparable. Whole families wiped out in one place.

Jabalya refugee camp is one of the epicenters of Israel's bombing campaign. To understand the complete picture and scale of the destruction in Gaza, you need to look from above. In coordination with artificial intelligence companies, Synthetic, CNN was able to locate over 1,900 crisis left behind by bombardment in just the first month of the war.

Using AI, we analyze the diameter of these cases, over 500 of which were greater than 40 feet in diameter, consistent with American made 2,000 pound bombs used by the Israeli Air Force. Our analysis covers the one month period to November 6, in which a staggering 10,000 people are believed to have died.

The US's most senior Middle East diplomat testified on November 9, the number of dead could be even higher.

BARBARA LEAF, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR NEW EASTERN AFFAIRS: This period of conflict and conditions of war. It is very difficult for any of us to assess what the rate of casualties are. We think they're very high, frankly. And it could be that they're even higher than are being cited.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): Yet the U.S. continues to back Israel's bombardment. So why is the death toll so staggering, because it's not just about the point of impact. This is a crater caused by a 2,000 pound bomb. The potential kill zone from that crater can spread up to 365 meters, that's 1,200 feet, an area equivalent to roughly 60 soccer pitches or around 90 American football fields.

The IDF told CNN, in stark contrast to Hamas has intentional attacks on Israeli men, women and children. The IDF follows international law and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm. But is that true?

This is just north of the Shati refugee camp along the main coastal road. When you go and closer you can see in just this small neighborhood at least nine crisis consistent with 2,000 band bombs, which means the potential kill zone could encompass this entire area.

CNN and Synthetic's analysis of the devastation of Gaza shows extensive bombardment in an area this densely populated and using these bombs it's inherently indiscriminate, and the human cost continues to soar, surpassing 20,000. Many of the dead still unburied, still under the rubble with no end in sight. Nima Elbagir, CNN, Sderot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: Thank you Nima for that reporting. Still ahead for us. We've got newly released video showing law enforcement in Maine was aware of growing concerns over the Lewiston mass shooters mental health and his access to firearms. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:42:35]

JIMENEZ: We're learning new details about what Maine officials knew before this year's most deadly mass shooting. Police there released a new dash cam footage from a month before the October massacre indicating law enforcement was aware of gunman Robert Card's mental health struggles and access to firearms.

18 people were killed in the attacks at a bowling alley and a restaurant, Card was found dead two days later from a self-inflicted gunshot after an intense manhunt. CNN Polo Sandoval joins me now with the latest. So Polo, what more are you learning about this new video?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So Omar to be clear for viewers much of the information about Robert Card's potential access to weapons CNN has reported on however this never before seen and heard dash cam video in it quite literally puts you in the driver's seat as Sagadahoc County Sheriff's deputy was unsuccessfully attempting to contact Card just in the days before the shooting.

And in it you can see that effort. And just to remind viewers how this all played out. It was in October that Robert Card's family initially reached out to authorities saying that his mental health had declined that he had access to firearms.

Not long after that it was the Army Reserve who Card was serving with that then reached out to authorities asking for a wellness check. And that's where this video picks up that I'm about to play for you. In it you will hear Army Reserve Captain Jeremy Reamer, who's the voice on the call speaking to his sheriff's deputy explaining what they've been able to do. But perhaps most importantly, what they've been able to not do in terms of removing any weapons from Card.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SGT. AARON SKOLFIELD, SACO POLICE: Obviously, we're very concerned over this. I don't want to be an alarmist or anything. But when you get out, you know, it's when I've got you know, a lot documentation that sent to me. They're worried about him doing a mass shooting and he's having hallucinations that he had been institutionalized for a couple of weeks this past summer.

And he's not showing any signs of improvement. Just trying to get some answers on your end of the year. All of his weapons from the National Guard have been accounted for, right. So he doesn't have anything at the house.

CAPT. JEREMY REAMER, U.S. ARMY RESERVES: National Guard. So in terms of all the weapons this is kind of how it went down as far as I know. There was no real court order to take his weapons or anything like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Captain Reamer there saying essentially their hands work. hide legally.

[12:45:00]

However, Captain Reamer also saying after this was documented I had an opportunity to watch the rest of this video, Omar, Captain Reamer saying quote I don't think this is going to get any better. Obviously, inadvertently, but it certainly was just a prediction of what was what's going to happen here in the days following this about six weeks later after this was documented. Card would go on that rampage, killing 18 people injuring 13, Omar. You were there covering the subsequent investigation.

So this is certainly going to add more depth perhaps to the frustrations of the families of those victims, those who were killed, and also those who survived including the last patient that was discharged from a hospital recently. Omar.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And you know, it's always after these mass shootings that you try to piece together. How did this happen? What could have been changed? And just to hear the mention of a mass shooting again, weeks before this actually unfolded as is pretty chilling you hear that on video.

Polo Sandoval, thank you so much for that reporting.

Now on this busy holiday travel week, the FAA is taking steps to review the impact and risks of overworked and understaffed air traffic controllers. We're going to discuss next.

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[12:50:35]

JIMENEZ: As the busy holiday travel season ramps up the Federal Aviation Administration is launching a new program to help the overworked and understaffed air traffic controllers. Now sources familiar with the announcement tell CNN the FAA is convening a special panel to review the impact and safety risks of on the job fatigue facing air traffic controllers.

The decision comes after a series of close call incidents this year while the National Transportation Safety Board said a FedEx flight came within 100 feet of hitting a departing Southwest Airlines flight in Austin back in February. In that case, the air traffic controller said he was in the middle of an overtime shift on a six-day work week.

So, here with us now former FAA safety inspector and CNN safety analyst, David Susi. So, David, what is this new panel going to be able to do to address this issue that impacts so many travelers?

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: Well, I'm really encouraged by the fact they put this panel together because it's challenging the historically, I would call it archaic way of saying, we're going to monitor your sleep and duty but being prescriptive about it and saying you can only have eight hours on four hours off whatever and back and forth on these 24 hour shifts. That's how it's historically been done.

But as you know, circadian rhythms, what's going on in your personal life, all of those come into play as far as fatigue and rest and how well rested you are?

JIMENEZ: And look, I mean, I don't have to spell it out for you. But the stakes of what they do, obviously, is so huge to so many people. The Department of Transportation says the FAA has more than 3,000 air traffic controllers short at this point of the staffing that it needs. Why has it been so difficult to increase that workforce?

SOUCIE: Well, partly because the job is so difficult, it takes a very special mind. I was at the Academy in Oklahoma City with a lot of these traffic controllers as they got washed out of the program. And a lot of them that you would think would be very capable of doing this.

You actually have to think in the fourth dimension, not only what's going on at the moment, but what's going to happen. If these airplanes are going this fast and going that far, will they intersect? Will they collide? You would think all of that is automated.

And it is to some extent, but basically that goes on in your mind. It's hard to find someone that's ready and prepared to actually handle that type of mental acuity and vigilance to follow all that movement.

JIMENEZ: Yes, I mean, look, you talked about the fourth dimension, essentially, I went out to the aviation school at University of North Dakota and I sat with them and learn how their air traffic controllers worked. And even there are times where if it's whiteout conditions or fog, they are essentially operating blind. They can't see visually, as the number of planes are actually coming in, and they're trying to manage those things.

So, couple that with the ability to actually recruit folks as well. Should people be worried as they head out on flights this holiday season? Or is this more about just trying to operate at an optimal level?

SOUCIE: Well, Omar, it's important to remember just that we're in the absolute safest aviation system in the world. It's the safest mode of transportation, regardless of what we're doing. So when you talk about safety improvements, people get a little worried. They're like, well, why are we doing this? Why do we have to do this, and it doesn't mean that it's an unsafe system. This isn't a critically -- critical issue that has to be addressed today.

But in looking forward at what it could turn into these indicators of these near misses and near collisions, you notice we're saying near miss and near collision, not collision and not missed. So understand it is a safe system. But we are looking always have/

I've been with the FAA -- I was with the FAA for 17 years. And since then, working in the areas in the safety and improvement programs, we're just trying to make things better, but get that caliber tighter. And this chan transition from prescriptive into a performance based system is where the key is here. I think we're going to get there. There's some new clients out now.

JIMENEZ: Yes, yes. I want to turn to another story quickly. The company Reliable Robotics said it recently flew a cargo plane over California without a single human on board. The flight lasted a total of 12 minutes flew about 50 miles, but the company says it is working with the FAA to certify the technology for commercial operations.

What do you make of that? Do you see that as something that's scalable, really, and even to a point where it reaches the general population?

SOUCIE: Absolutely. I do it's a change in an era of historical thought about how we fly it changes.

[12:55:00]

It's a change in an era of historical thought about how we fly. It's changes -- is going to be -- it's not going to be on commercial airplanes with passengers, I don't think for at least another eight to 10 years. However, cargo planes are very close within a couple of years. I fully expect to see airplanes without pilots delivering packages.

And I think that that's really close by and robotics is really -- Reliable Robotics has really made some advancements there that weren't considered before. So I'm excited about it. I think that's going to change a lot of how we deliver packages, at least in the short term.

JIMENEZ: Well, look, if a former FAA safety inspector is excited about it, then I feel like I can be excited about it too. But obviously, it would be a whole new frontier for travel here. David Soucie, I got to leave it there. Thank you so much for joining us.

SOUCIE: Thank you, Omar. Have a wonderful day.

JIMENEZ: You too. And a quick programming note for us. He's buried in debt and facing multiple lawsuits. How did it happen? Go inside Rudy Giuliani's rise and dramatic fall in the CNN Original Series "Giuliani: What happened to America's Mayor?" Four part series airs tonight at 8:00 on CNN. We'll be right back.

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