i think he's having a midlife crisis i'm not. you got us t-mobile home internet lite. after a week of streaming they knocked us down... ...to dial up speeds. like from the 90s. great times. all i can do say is that my life is pre-- i like watching the puddles gather rain. -hey, your mom and i procreated to that song. oh, ew! i think you've said enough. why don't we just switch to xfinity like everyone else? then you would know what year it was. i know what year it is.

hello and welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm anna coren live from hong iconic on "cnn newsroom." israel claims it has found a hamas tunnel below the u.n. agency relief headquarters in gaza. the discovery comes amid fear that an assault on rafa is imminent. an alarming suggestion from former u.s. president donald trump on the campaign trail. what the future of nato could look like if he is re-elected. and ramping up security ahead of super bowl sunday in the u.s. details. plus, we've got pictures of one of the superfan's arrival in the states.

israel says it found a hamas tunnel under the headquarters of the u.n. relief agency in gaza. the israeli military released this video, claiming to show the tunnel, including what israel says was an electrical connection to anra headquarters. the u.n. agency says that it left the building on october 12th. israel ordered evacuations. it says it has no knowledge of what might have happened there since, nor of the tunnel's existence. meanwhile, israel is said to be preparing for a ground offensive in the southern gaza city of rafa. more than a million people are sheltering there. countries in the region are warning that a ground offensive in rafa could lead to serious repercussions. and an israeli official tells cnn that benjamin netanyahu told his war cabinet, the idf operation in rafah must be complete by march 10th, the start of ramadan. well, journalist eliot

gotkin is live for us in london with more. eliot, tell us about this hamas tunnel discovered under anra hq? >> ana, quite a striking discovery, the idf says that it has discovered, if not under the noses of anra hq, then certainly under the feet. this tunnel in total runs to about 700 meters in length, the idf says, and to a depth of 18 meters. and directly underneath the anra headquarters in the northern part of the gaza strip, it says it not only found copious amounts of weapons and also areas where hamas militants would have been able to sleep, but also a data center running their service, that hamas was using for to gather intelligence and to deal with its own operations. moreover, it says that it discovered cables that ran from the anra headquarters directly underground to this data center. in other words, that hamas was drawing its electricity from anra to power its service in this data center.

as you say, anra has denied all knowledge of this tunnel, or of this data center, and moreover, it doesn't have the capabilities and shouldn't be expected to know exactly what is going on underground. but certainly, this comes at a very delicate time for the palestinian refugee agency given the allegations by israel that at least a dozen of its employees were actively involved in the terrorist attacks of october 11th. and anra at the same time is trying get them to unfreeze these funds. and israel for its part will hold this up as another piece of evidence to say, look, anra is not fit for purpose and should be disbanded. and that raises the question of what would follow, and what organization would be able to provide all the humanitarian aid and provide for the humanitarian needs of all of those palestinians have been displaced, especially all of those now crowding into rafah in the southernmost part of the gaza strip.

ana? >> let's talk a little bit about that. we know this ground offensive in rafah is imminent. where are the 1.3 million g gazgazans there are expected to go? >> we don't know the specific, but they could move to areas north of rafah, which the idf has now cleared. but he is adamant that israel will provide safefor the palestinians in rafah so they can go in and deal with the four battalions belonging to hamas. and netanyahu also saying in that interview that anyone that says that israel shouldn't go into rafah is effectively say that israel should lose the war and hamas should stay there. so israel determined to go in to launch a ground operation into rafah. it says it will provide safe passage for all of those palestinians, but we're talking about more than 1.3 million palestinians there right now, around more than half of the

entire population of the gaza strip crowded into rafah. many have been displaced multiple times. moving that amount of people to areas, to wherever those areas are, is not going to be an easy task, ana. >> elliot gotkin joining us from london, thank you for the update. now we're joined by shaniya lowe in jerusalem. she's a communication adviser for the norwegian refugee counsel. great to have you with us. this imminent ground offensive of rafah has been described as potentially disastrous, condemned internationally. what are your staff in gaza telling you about the situation on the ground there? >> most of our staff in gaza are in rafah, and they describe to us that they are trapped between israeli tanks on one side, and the egyptian border on the other. there is simply no safe place in gaza. there is no safe place for palestinians to flee to. and were israel to expand its

ground offensive, ground operation into rafah, it would greatly hamper if not completely stop the ability for aid organizations, such as the norwegian refugee counsel, to deliver aid to palestinians desperately in need of relief. >> we've just heard from our reporter, eliot gotkin, saying that israel will assure safe package of the 1.3 million palestinians in rafah, but where are they supposed to go? >> that's a great question. i really don't know where they're supposed to go at this point. it's also important to remember that israel has claimed in the past to issue evacuation orders. these were not evacuations. these were unlawful, forcible transfers of the palestinian population in gaza. in order for there to be an evacuation, there needs to be not only safe l papassage, but

guarantees of safety where palestinians are being asked to leave to and guarantees that they'll be able to return home. over the last four months, we've seen israel issue a number of directives, calling on people to leave. oftentimes they faced tremendous violence, hostilities, even death while trying flee. they faced hostilities, ongoing bombardments in the places that they were told to flee that they were safe, and now they see at last no ability for them to return home if there's anything left there. this is incredibly concerning. palestinians have nowhere to go. and they must not be forced to flee. >> the search for food, water, and medicine, we know, is now a daily struggle for gazans. tell us what your staff is seeing and how they are able to assist? >> the needs continue to grow and grow and outpace the ability

of thhumanitarian agencies to respond. there are still delays to getting in aid and obstructions to getting in aid at the crossings. we've seen israeli protesters prevent our humanitarian response from entering through the crossing. people are desperate. it is difficult to find food. the prices have risen so much that even those with money cannot afford to buy simple goods in order to feed their families. and earlier in the hostilities, extended families may have been able to provide for one oanothe. now people are so desperate, they're really only able to focus on their immediate families and people are in the streets begging for whatever they can get. there's simply not enough aid and for things that are still available on the market, they are too expensive for most people who fled with nothing to be able to buy.

>> shaina, israel says that it must wipe out the last remaining hamas stronghold in gaza, that it's located in rafah, that there are four battalions there. what is your response to that? >> you know, we've seen the last four months, the devastation and destruction that just seems completely disproportional and disproportionate to -- and in many cases, appears to be violations of international humanitarian law. israel and all parties to this conflict need to remember that there are laws, international laws around distinction, proportionality, and what we've seen is that these laws have not been followed over the last four months. so the only way that this conflict can be resolved is through diplomatic means, not military might. we've seen that the cost of the civilian toll is simply much too

high, and we need to continue to push for a cease-fire and for the parties to resolve this through negotiations, not through fighting. >> shaina low from the norwegian refugee counsel, we appreciate your time. thank you. >> thank you. u.s. military officials say they conducted what they called self-defense strikes in yemen friday against houthi weapons, targeting ships in the red sea. they struck five missiles saying they posed an imminent threat to u.s. navy ships and commercial vessels in the region. the navy targeted several other drones and missiles in houthi-controlled territory over the past few days. remarks from the likely u.s. republican presidential nominee could alarm europe and impact relations with nato allies. take a listen to what donald trump said about encouraging russia when it comes to nato allies who don't contribute, what he considers to be their

fair share. >> i came in, i made a speech, and i said, you've got to pay up. they asked me that question, one of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, well, sir, if we don't pay and we're attacked by russia, will you protect us? i said, you didn't pay, you're delinquent, he said, yes, let's say that happened. no, i would not protect you. in fact, i would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. >> the comments is extraordinary in many ways, not least because it goes against the core premise of nato's collective defense. and nato countries are not delinquent on any financial obligations or pay their share of the common budget. nato said, encouraging invasions ab is unhinged and endangers american national security, global stability, and our economy at home. well, trump made those comments

in south carolina, putting on a big show in the home state of his republican rival, nikki haley. in trump's speech, he celebrated the failure of a $118 billion border deal and aid package earlier this week. he criticized president joe biden for his border policy and accused haley's husband or abandoning her campaign. >> where's her husband? oh, he's away. he's away. what happened to her husband? what happened to her husband?! where is he? he's gone. >> nikki haley pointing out her husband isn't gone n. in fact, he's deployed with the u.s. army national guard in africa. it's his second active duty deployment overseas and says it is outrageous for a former u.s. president to criticize a service member while he's serving. >> donald trump had a rally today. and in that rally, he mocked my husband's military service.

and i'll say this. donald, if you have something to say, don't say it behind my back. get on a debate stage and say it to my face. if you mock the service of a combat veteran, you don't deserve a driver's license, let alone being president of the united states. >> at the same rally, trump took aim at that special counsel report that recommended president joe biden face no charges for his handling of classified documents. trump claimed falsely that the conclusion proved political bias against him, even though the report detailed the many differences between his case and the current president's. but trump also tried to weaponize language in the report, that suggested that mr. biden's inability to recall some details was caused by lack of mental fitness. have a listen. >> more proof that we have a weaponized two-tier system of justice in this country.

crooked joe, got off scot-free, they said that he was a disaster mentally, and he willfully stalled gigantic numbers of classified numbers. willful. but because of his condition, mentally, is this guy going to make it to the starting gate, seriously? well, it shows you the power of incumbency, doesn't it, if that happens? >> meantime, the first lady is adding her voice to criticisms of the language in that special counsel report. in an email late saturday, she argued that the president's age and expertise are assets. cnn's priscilla alvarez reports from washington on the white house pushback. >> reporter: the white house is going on the offensive and taking direct aim at republicans and president joe biden's critics over his age, saying in a newly released memo on saturday saying, quote, this undeniable record, referring to the president's legislative

accomplishments, speaks to why it's no surprise that republicans continue their desperate and self-undermining age attacks after many years of failure. they're afraid of joe biden. this memo also goes on to make notable mentions of people like general mark milley and former house speaker kevin mccarthy who have called the president alert and engaged. but, of course, this comes on the heels of that special counsel report that also mentioned the president's age and apparent memory lapses. now, thissed a ehad aides to th president fuming saying the president is sharp and tireless. we saw that anger spill into public view from the president himself, who took particular issue with the special counsel, suggesting that he had forgotten the day his son died. now, all of this is part of what is going to be a defining theme for the presidential election year. that being the president's age and fitness for office. senior campaign officials say he is best when he is out on the campaign trail, engaging with voters, and we have seen an

uptick in traditional retail politic stops for him to do exactly that. and it is ultimately them, the voters, who are going to pass judgment on whether the president is fit to serve a second term. but of course, polls show that there is still some concern here about how old he is. but campaign officials and white house officials well aware of that, seeing it's something that he can navigate and remind the american people who he is and what he's like when he engages on the campaign trail. priscilla alvarez, cnn, washington. six people are dead after a helicopter crashed in san bernardino county, california, on saturday night. and the victims include leading figures from the world of finance and philanthropy in nigeria. for more on this story, we're joined by cnn's stephanie busari in lagos. what can you tell us about the victims of this crash? >> ana, we're learning this morning that banking executive, ceo, herbert wigway, his wife,

and their eldest son were among the victims of this crash, as well as a financial executive, quite a prominent one here in nigeria. we're learning that this charted airbus helicopter was flying from palm springs, california, to boulder city, we understand, for a team to watch the super bowl game, when it crashed, according to the national transportation safety board. it crashed just around 8:45 p.m. local time, and near the interstate in halloran springs, california. the nation has been plunged into mourning here, ana, because this is considered something of a national tragedy. herbert wigwe was a hugely popular banker, but also a philanthropist who cared passionately about education, particularly amongst

underprivileged nigenigerians. family sources tell me that he sponsored thousands of children home and abroad and he was also in the middle of building his own personal legacy with the building of the herbert wigwe university in his hometown. and stinstitution, he vowed, wod be world class, not just for nigerians, but africans so they could compete globally and ear marked thousands of dollars for pe people in that institution. wigwe was also a patron of the arts and was a huge art collector and sponsored a show on cnn, "africa avant-garde," but many are taking this loss personally. herbert wigwe was very publish on africa development and had many transformational projects on the go, ana.

>> yeah, huge loss for nigeria. stephanie busari, we appreciate the context. many thanks. we'll be right back.

for everyone wondering, taylor swift will apparently make it to the super bowl after all. at one point on saturday, the jets thought to be carrying the superstar from tokyo to los angeles was the most tracked aircraft in the world. i think that is quite sad. it seems coverage of american football may not with complete these days without a mention of taylor swift's whereabouts. her boyfriend, kansas city chiefs tight end travis kelce is playing, in case you didn't know. meantime, swift fans who caught her in taction during the tokyo leg of her eras tour say it's one thing she won't soon forget. o one concert-goer says she too hit the airs. >> first time flying through an international country just for taylor swift. >> what would the super bowl be without the clydesdale horses.

they drawed their carriage which harkens back to the olden days. they made a ceremonial delivery of budweiser beer to a bar and grocery store. the clydesdales have been a mainstay of super bowl tv commercials for decades. bud's ad this year called old school delivery tells how the horses the brought the refreshments to customers through a snowstorm. beautiful animals. of course, the reason behind all the hoopla is a football game. the reigning nfl champs, the kansas city chiefs are hoping to score back-to-back titles as they take on the san francisco 49ers at allegiant stadium and security preparations are underway to keep the super bowl and travelers flying to the game safe. cnn's josh campbell explains. >> as fans await super bowl kickoff, law enforcement in the united states has been planning for months for this big event.

the hundreds of thousands of fans who will be in and outside allegiant stadium will be protected by this massive deployment of law enforcement officers, some of the resources they're bringing include physical scanners for everyone going into the stadium. there are explosive detection k-9s, and censors that are being deployed, that essentially sniff the air for any type of chemical, biological, or nuclear-type threat. that's what's happening on the ground. in the air, a national security temporary flight restriction will be instituted just about an hour before kickoff. that will be enforced by military fighter jets. now, one area focused for law enforcement pertains to drones. drone technology is obviously very cheap to obtain. there are a number of ways that bad actors could cause harm using a drone. and so the fbi and other law enforcement agencies have brought in counterdrone technology. the capabilities include being able to technically take over a drone. either drop it out of the sky or perhaps take control, move it to another area, if there's concern that it might contain a

dangerous payload. now, at this point, all of this is precautionary. law enforcement tells us that they haven't identified anything specifically that gives them concern, but they're ready. >> there is no known specific or credible threats to the game or any of the events surrounding the super bowl. as always, you'll see an increased security presence, not only around the stadium on game day, but also around all of our other events. >> we have fbi personnel stationed in our own emergency operations center, and at every joint command post and sfwl intelligence center operating throw the las vegas valley. we are monitoring ing every scf information that represents a threat with law enforcement and appropriate private sector partners. >> reporter: the work of law enforcement doesn't end with the final score of the game. they have to get all of these people safely home. we're told by tsa that they will have increased personnel at harry reid international airports. all security checkpoint lanes will be open for a period of about 48 hours. of course, we know that not everyone leaves las vegas a winner, especially for crest

fallen fans for the losing side. tsa will be making their exit just a little bit smoother. josh campbell, cnn, los angeles. >> the u.s. senate is said to start voting on a bill that contains more aid for ukraine and israel. but the legislation is already facing a possibly fatal pushback from donald trump. that's ahead. plus, a horrific ending for a family of five after russian strikes on ukraine's second largest city.

welcome back to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm anna coren live from hong kong, this is "cnn newsroom." you are looking at live pictures

of the u.s. capitol, where the senate is set to begin voting on ukraine aid later today. the bill would set aside more than $60 billion for kyiv, along with money for israel and other foreign priorities. the final vote is expected next week, but there's no guarantee the house will even take up the bill if it passes in the senate. but the bill's uphill battle in congress got even steeper on saturday. that's when former president donald trump railed against the legislation on social media. he already hoped to sink an earlier bipartisan border security deal that included money for ukraine. a family of five was killed after being trapped in a fire caused by a russian drone khark. there were among seven people who died when a drone hit a fuel depot and set part of the neighborhood on fire.

a 10 mo-month-old and two other children were among the victims. meanwhile, ukraine is forging ahead with a reboot of its top military command. on saturday, president zelenskyy named five few senior commanders days after he replaced his top military chief. the new leaders are under pressure to act as russia reportedly makes new gains. a ukrainian open source mapping site shows russian in control of a rail line just north of the town and possibly a few hundred meters from its main supply route. >> for more, we're joined by a ukrainian parliament member. he's speaking with us from ivano in ukraine. great to have you with us. let's begin with the shake up at the top. obviously, his much-anticipated dismissal of one general to be replaced by another. do you support the move and how will it affect morale of front-line troops? >> i do not support this move,

but that is a decision of president. and he has all the right to do it. the general was very popular commander in ukrainian society. so that was a very good factor, which was increasing the moral of people, but the president decided that he should be changed, maybe he has more information, definitely, than i have. and he is politically responsible for this decision, so now i wish all the best to our new chief commander. >> but tell me, what message does this send to western allies? this shake up at the top? >> it's nothing super special. generals can be changed, commanders, changed. so the message, i don't think that here there is a message to the west or western allies. ukraine is ready to fight and we

will continue to fight, no matter who is our chief general. >> but do you trust general surski's leadership? >> general surski is very strong leader, and also, he was in charge of defense of kyiv, the most important moment of the war in february, march. he was responsible -- he was in charge of crowne counteroffensive in the fall of 2022. extremely successful near kha kharkiv. he's very well known and battle-hardened general. so i think he can be a strong leader of ukraine and military forces. >> mobilization is a huge issue in ukraine. and there is no consensus on how to proceed. it was a sticking point for zelenskyy and zlushny a very spat. they need to replace the

exhausted troops on the front line who have now been fighting for two years, plus the mass casualties. numbers that ukraine will not release. what do you believe should be done? >> that is the most important. i started to speak about this a year ago, that we need to have a clear system and our men and women on the front line, they also should understand when they will be changed. so that is very important. and we need to adopt the law, which will clearly determine the term of service, and in my proposition, with 18 months, now we have a proposition of the government about 36 months. but the most important that these terms should be determined and clear. for the moment, it is not. and that is a very big problem, both for the troops which are fighting, and also for other people, because it definitely does not may have the you, when you understand that you can be mobilized, but you don't know

for how long will you serve. >> but what sort of numbers are we talking about? because we know that zlushny was pushing for 450 to half a million troops. extra troops, to come into the system. are those the numbers that ukraine requires to fight russia? >> i'm not -- i don't have responsibility to speak about this, because i just don't know the exact numbers. by the way, i never heard from zlushny himself, these numbers, 245 250,000 or 500,000 people that was said by the president on the u.s. conference in december, but for me the most important is not number of people. the most important is ammunition, drones, and what these people have to fight with. of course, we are not in medieval times, we can't fight with the numbers. and also, ukraine cannot compete against russia with the numbers. russia is just much bigger in

manpower than we are. so we need to have a very strong strategy and strong weaponry. >> well, let's talk about that foreign aid package. $60 billion for ukraine, making its way through congress, although its package is far from assured. donald trump obviously bragging about the facts that he can rally support against these measures. as we saw him do with the bill that tied aid to a border deal. you've been to washington. what is your message to lawmakers that may want to support the bill, but don't want to incur the wrath of trump and his supporters? >> you know, we are very concerned about what's going on. the united states said that it will be with us as long as it takes, but now, for months, the decision about support of ukraine is in the congress without any decision. that is very disappointing. and not only us are watching, but the whole world. is really the united states the ally you can rely on?

does really the united states give the world in promises, which were a given. and i just want to remind to those lawmakers, who are against support of ukraine and speaking about charity, that 30 years ago, ukraine voluntarily gave up its the third biggest in the world nuclear arsenal under the pressure of the united states of america and under the guarantees that the united states will secure us if needed. if we would have these nuclear arsenal, we would never been attacked and killed by what is happening right now every day. i just want to remind this. this is not a charity from the united states. it's a clear obligation of the united states of america to help to ukraine. and that is very important. not just for us, but for the whole planet. >> alexi, we appreciate your time. thank you for joining us. >> thank you very much. well, pakistan has finally released the officials results from thursday's election. the winners and losers and

what's left to determine in a live report after the break. plus, the far right in germany is gaining both backers and detractors. we'll have the story from inside an afd meeting in brandenburg.

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official election results in pakistan are now in. after days of protests and vote-rigging allegations, independent candidates backed by the country's jailed ex-leader imran khan won a plurality of seats, but no majority in the assembly after thursday's vote. before the results came out, khan had apparently sent word that protests should be held today outside polling offices, where his party says election results had been withheld and delayed. well, joining us now is cnn's sophia sophie in islamabad. tell us, what is happening on the streets of pakistan, as we speak? >> well, anna, there are

protests happening. however, those protests are supposed to be on a wider scale, as announced by imran khan's party, the pti, are not as widespread, because they have claimed that they do not want to walk into a situation where they are entangled with the authorities. so, those protests that were supposed to be wider, are now just outside polling offices, and it is not only the party of imran khan that is protesting, it has chosen today as a day of protest, but there are other smaller parties who have also claimed rigging and manipulation of the polls. so, again, none of the parties have received the majority of seats that they need to form a government. that means that there would be coalitions formed with the ppp, the pmln, shareef's party, along

with smaller parties that may potential be forming a coalition. it remains to be seen what happens with these independents, associated with imran khan's party, which did win the most seats in the final tally that was released many days after the election by the election commissioner of pakistan, and what is going to happen in terms of who's going to be the next prime minister, who's going to be leading this nuclear-powered country, this nuclear-armed nation. there's a lot of anger on the streets amongst young voters, who feel that their vote has not been respected. will that anger spill out to a wider movement in tandem with the other parties who have also made accusations of rigging? these few days ahead are important, but stability in this country, so we'll just have to wait and see how they play out. ana? >> sophia sophie in islamabad, many thanks. many europe, german politics seem to be getting much more volatile. the far-right afd party is g

garnering both traction and critics. sebastian shoeka has our report. >> reporter: it's boots on the ground for the alternative for deutscheland, the afd. in this tiny brandenburg village, germany's far-right party are doing what many say their government aren't, talking to them. but as night falls, protesters spring with a message. german has been down this path before, never again means now. >> translator: the afd's plan only reveals the xenophobia, hatred, and bigotry that exists in this country. >> reporter: views that are not hard to find across the road in the village hall. >> translator: i'm glad that someone is taking care of all of this scum has spread in our country, in our beautiful

germany. >> proand afd curious supporters have gathered to hear from officials. the message even has trumpian undertones. our country first, posters say. part of the afd call for voters is about luring people away from some of german's largest political parties through transparency, they say. some of what's being discussed in this room is warped, questioning things like the covid pandemic and whether climate change is even real. a as the meeting concludes, many leave content with what they've heard. >> translator: the afd is finally standing up for its citizens and finally doing what we want, and what we want is to be part of the government. >> reporter: ami is part of that government and he acknowledges that public image is partly to blame for their ailing poll numbers. >> no doubt that we have to improve a lot of things, especially the performance of our coalition, or give the impression that we just, we are

not. but the feeling is there and we have to improve that. >> reporter: following an explosive investigation from the news outlet, afd lawmaker hailed the so-called re-migration plan discussed as a promise. at this hotel, far-right leaders suggested mass deportations, including for german citizens of foreign origin. >> translator: it is not only legitimate, it is necessary to think about re-migration. since 2015, more than 10 million foreigners have entered the country and a large proportion of them are not willing to integrate, but are instead building parallel worlds. the federal government is not putting the interest of the indigenous population first. >> reporter: in the real world, the report sparked waves of anti-afd protests. burns' response is to shout "conspiracy." >> translator: yes, without the government campaign, people wouldn't be out on the street. i am very positive.

>> cnn, brandenburg, germany. >> the afd is now distancing itself from the reported secret meeting. they say it was not an official party event. well, coming up, the u.s. government says china is weaponizing social media using it as a vehicle to spread dangerous disinformation. we'll look into those claims ahead. a bizarre scene in the

middle of an apartment complex in florida. an emergency call helped lead authorities to this building in tampa on thursday morning to help get this kangaroo back where he belonged. in a facebook post, the s hillsborough county sheriff's office says it was able to reunite the marsupial with its owner with the help of the agricultural team. no word yet on how the kangaroo got loose. didn't know people had kangaroos as pets in the u.s. well, the chinese new year rang in yesterday with celebrations happening all around the world. mexico city's chinatown was no exception, as it was decked out to welcome the lunar new year. of course, there were dragon dancers. it is the year of the dragon, after all. travel is a big part of new

year's celebrations in china, as millions board planes and trains to visit their hometowns. well, china is capitalizing on the deep political divisions inside the united states, spreading rumors and blatant disinformation on chinese social media sites. the u.s. government is paying attention and warns that the lies could have ramifications across the entire world. will ripley reports. >> reporter: in a world where misinformation is power, where fact and fiction collide, a digital drumbeat of disinformation from china, the u.s. state department says, threatening the very fabric of the free world. one of beijing's latest campaigns focusing on texas, a tidal wave of disinformation, surging across social media in china in recent weeks. zeroing in on tensions between texas and the white house, over

illegal migrants, spilling over the border from mexico. >> if texas declared independence from the united states -- >> chinese social media users captivated by videos like this, speculating about texas declaring independence. online chatter of a looming u.s. civil war, getting hundreds of thousands of likes, shares, and comments. mostly untouched by beijing's army of online censors. >> this is the dark side of globalization. >> reporter: and not an isolated incident, the state department says, releasing its first-ever report on what it calls the people's republic of china's information manipulation. >> when you look at the pieces of the puzzle and put it together, you see a breathtaking ambition on the part of the prc to seek information dominance in key regions of the world. >> what the u.s. calls a multi-billion-dollar coordinated campaign of distortion and disinformation, devised by the

chinese government, exploiting divisions within the united states. china's foreign ministry firing back, accusing the u.s. of hypocrisy, for being the first nation to weaponize global information. beijing blasting the state department report as disinformation that misrepresents facts and truth, labeling america an empire of lives. the u.s. says chinese's digital authoritarianism accelerated in recent years, magnifying perceptions of chaos in america. a welcome distraction, analysts say, for beijing's communist leaders, grappling with a growing pile of problems at home. from china's real estate crisis, new homes never finished, prompting protests by angry buyers, to a plunging stock market, skyrocketing youth unemployment, and rapidly aging population. beijing and washington battling for information dominance. >> one key point on this fake news of a looming civil war in

texas, this is not the first time. just the latest example on the chinese internet of information being twisted and manipulated. the u.s. says it's part of a much bigger campaign by the chinese government and almost orwellian attempt to poison the information space crucial for democracies to function, weaponizing disinformation, exploiting existing fault lines in the u.s. and beyond, and trying to reshape global opinions all to benefit china. will ripley, cnn, taipei. that wraps up this hour of "cnn newsroom." i'm anna coren in hong kong. thanks so much for your company. i'll be back with more news in just a moment.

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