Transcripts For MSNBC Jose Diaz-Balart Reports 20241001

Right now theres widespread devastation, and an urgent search for survivors. The storm decimated towns with historic flooding washing out bridges and roads, and leaving some neighborhoods completely under water. Take a look at asheville, North Carolina, where homes and trucks were swept away by Raging Waters that have turned roads into rivers. At this hour, more than 2 Million people across the south are without power, hundreds are still unaccounted for. Well have live Team Coverage from across three states this morning. Joining us now, nbcs reporter, florida was the first place the Storm Hit. What are you seeing there . And im seeing George Solis there, who we will have on shortly. There is guad, also with us priscilla thomson. Guad, lets begin with you. Reporter total destruction in this area. So we are on treasure island. This is one of the islands on what they call the barrier islands, furthest west from the Tampa Bay Area, and i dont even know where to start here. So, the sand youre looking at is sand that was washed on from the beach, so essentially the surge brought in the gulf into this whole community. When the water receded, the sand stayed here. So all of these streets are covered in sand. And you can see dumpsters, motorcycles, vehicles that were parked not there, but on other properties that were pushed in by the water. Look at this shopping cart. Its destroyed. This is the force that the water came in with. Im walking on what looks like Sand Dunes. Theres a vehicle in that garage that was sort of shoved into the side. On the side of this house, jose, theres a vehicle that an owner told me was parked at her building, which is about 100 or 150 yards in the opposite direction. The water shoved that vehicle, with other debris, another dumpster into this area. Theres a Palm Tree that stopped it from moving further in. This is the type of destruction were seeing on these barrier islands. This has been closed down to the public. They are allowing residents, owners, Business Owners or owners of these properties to come in and begin with the cleanup. But before many of them can get into these buildings, authorities still need to come and clear the streets, because its almost impossible to get into a lot of these houses. We were escorted by the national guard, we spoke to one of the captains earlier. This is what he had to say about the Destruction Theyve seen. Absolute destruction. It looks like a War Zone here. Cars, you know, piles of dirt on cars, windows busted open, garages completely flooded, houses catching on fire. Im from the northeast, and looking around, it looks like a major snowstorm in the northeast. It blows my mind. Reporter so, im going to move over to this side, jose, you can see more of this destruction, everywhere we look. This garage, our photographer has to be careful because hes walking on these Sand Dunes and this is what residents have to walk through when they return to their properties. Now, jose, all of this damage is from the Storm Surge. When authorities talk about the danger from a foot, two, three, four feet of a possible Storm Surge, this is what comes with the water, especially in these communities that are right off the gulf. Ive spoken to some of these residents and i asked them what was different with the storm. They said, well, they always say theres a possibility of a Storm Surge, but it usually isnt as bad as they think. This time, it was much worse, jose. Guad, a few questions. There has been a massive effort under way in florida, which was, if you start comparing it to where helene hit, but as it went up north, you know, South Carolina, North Carolina has just been mostly Water Phenomenon. How is the Recovery Process in the areas affected in florida by helene going . Reporter so, jose, when you look at florida, florida has State Agencies that are always prepared for hurricanes. So they were standing by even before this, because theyve been hit by other storms this year. So the state always has Crews Standing by, the national guard, the power companies. Theyre much more prepared for an event like this, a hurricane. Now, most of the damage in florida, again, came from the Storm Surge, not so much from the wind or that heavy rain. There is some damage that weve seen around the Tampa Bay Area where trees were knocked over by the wind. But its really the Storm Surge that affected here. When it comes to the response, because florida is used to dealing with these types of hurricanes or storms, they are ready to come in. And even with all of those State Resources and fema present, helping out, we still have areas like this one that are waiting for officials to send in some of those machines and clear things out. Theyre asking people to be patient, because this is just one neighborhood. Were talking about the entire Tampa Bay Area, all these communities near the water that were affected. So it changes community to community. If you drive down ten minutes over by the airport, theres a community thats waiting for authorities to come pick up a lot of the trash, furniture, appliances, things that were ruined that people brought out to the front yard. Theyre asking, when are they going to pick up the trash . You drive in the other direction, theres boats that washed onto properties and theyre trying to figure out, what are we going to do with the boats . Here, its really the sand, they need to get the sand out of the way so residents can assess the damage. So it changes from community to community, jose. What weve seen in other states, a lot of that damage coming from heavy rain. This is why hurricanes are so dangerous. Youve got the winds, youve got the rain, and youve got the Storm Surge, jose. Thank you very much. And at least a third of the deaths from helene have been reported in North Carolina, with some towns there still under water. Many residents in Bumcombe County are cut off from power, Water And Cell service. Joining us now is quentin miller, sheriff of Bumcombe County in North Carolina. Sheriff, thank you very much for being with us. What exactly is the situation on the ground where you are . Ill first tell you its devastating. This has been a historic event for us, weve never seen this type of flooding. We have two rivers that are completely out of their banks, and this has really been a challenge, so much that weve activated our North Carolina Sheriffs Association Recovery or disaster program, and this is why we actually have sheriffs coming to Bumcombe County to assist us with this devastation. How would you describe that devastation, and what are some of the things just speaking with guad there in florida, it was such a Water Phenomenon where you are. What are some of the areas most affected and what are the people going through right now . Well, ill just tell you one of the issues is that weve had buildings just engulfed with water, weve lost a lowes building, a uhaul building completely. Weve had our whole town just totally devastated, and basically its not there no more because its under water. Weve had several Recovery Efforts continue, but we have landslides were dealing with at this point, and with those landslides, of course, were having challenges with recovering folks. No power, no Cell Phone coverage. So this is quite different when youre normally used to picking up a phone, you cant do it. Power, we have people here that dont have power, they dont have the ability to flush a toilet, and its very, very challenging. And i also welcome Forsythe County Sheriff with us as well. If you would, for folks that arent there, whats the most what are the most pressing needs for your people . Sure. First of all, i appreciate you all covering it. The most pressing need would be water, the basic essentials. Weve activated the North Carolina Sheriffs Association from across the state, we need resources here, we need water, we need everything that you typically need to survive, food, clothing, shelter. Ive seen a lot of tragedy in my career, and ive seen very few this devastating, as Sheriff Miller said, neighborhoods that are not there anymore, Recovery Efforts. So we have people from all over the state of North Carolina that are coming here to assist, but we need resources, we need water, we need water, we need water. And, sheriff, why hasnt that water been brought in already . Im just wondering i mean, what kind of assistance have you had . Was there any prestorm bringing in of resources by the federal Government Or Anybody else . My answer to that is yes, we definitely had planning, but were not accustomed to this type of devastation. We actually had, you know, several meetings, expectations of what was going to happen. We started planning for, you know, getting water in place, getting people in place. So weve done things to prepare, but i dont know how to tell you how you prepare for a storm this big and with this type of devastation. I think weve done a good job. As always, Theres Room for improvement in anything that we do. But, again, i would say this, we have done, you know, a tremendous job here. I would give credit to our county manager, i would give credit to our emergency response, our county manager, our Emergency Manager is taylor jones. Trust me when i tell you, they really did everything they could as far as getting us prepared. And, again, this is a storm thats historic, something that weve never seen and the devastation, again, entire towns are missing and folks are gone. If you would, both of you, gentlemen, just tell us a little bit about the people that you serve, the people that you care so much about. Are there mostly rural areas, are there towns, are there cities . And then the second question i have is, what do you need all of us to do . Well, what i can tell you is that im not from Bumcombe County, as our team drove in from forsythe county, two and a half hours away, as we came in, i was just tearful, what we came into. What i can tell you, its a difficult situation and we will get through it. Were Bumcombe County strong and North Carolina state strong. We will get through it. But the question you asked, what do we need from you . We need resources. While we have resources coming, we need a plethora of them coming. We need planes landing at the Asheville Airport with pallets of water, we need resources. We have manpower here. The North Carolina Sheriffs Association, chief of Police Association have sent manpower here. So the town is secured. We have people here, we have Law Enforcement here. What we need now is resources as we stand up Command Centers and stand up sites with people to refuel. We need water. What i need from you, i Cant Speak for Sheriff Miller, but from what ive seen being here two days assisting him, we need supplies and we need them coming by the pallets. Just add to that, you know, absolutely, we need water, absolutely we need food. Gentlemen again i hate to interrupt you. The president of the united states is going to be speaking on this issue. I thank you for being with us. Lets go to the White House. Governor cooper of North Carolina, county officials of the big Bend Region of florida, and other leaders of South Carolina and tennessee, the broad and devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene. Its not just a catastrophic storm, its a historic, historymaking storm, entire southeast and appalachians. Winds over 120 miles an hour in some places. Storm surges up to 15 feet and record flooding. Communities are devastated. Loved ones waiting, not sure if their Loved Ones are okay, because they Cant Contact them because theres no Cell Phone connections. Many more folks displaced with no idea when theyll be able to return home, if ever. Were keeping them all in our prayers and all the lives lost, and those particularly unaccounted for, theres nothing like wondering, is my husband, wife, son, mother, father, alive. And many more remain without electricity, water, food and communications. Homes and businesses have washed away in an instant. I want them to know were not leaving until the job is done. I also want you to know, im committed to traveling to impacted areas as soon as possible, but ive been told that it would be disruptive if i did it right now. We will not do that at the risk of diverting or delaying any of the response assets needed to deal with this crisis. My first responsibility is to get all the help needed to those impacted areas, and i expect to be there excuse me, i have a cold expect to be there later this week. I and my team are in constant contact with the governors, mayors and local leaders. The head of fema is on the ground now in North Carolina, shes going to stay in asheville and the region for the foreseeable future. Theres been reports of over 100 dead as a consequence of the storm and there are reports of up to 600 people unaccounted for because they cant be contacted. God willing, theyre alive, but theres no way to contact them because of the lack of Cell Phone coverage. Ive directed my team to provide every available resource as fast as possible to your communities, to rescue, recover, and beginning rebuilding. In addition, fema, which includes the federal Communications Commission to help establish communications capability, the national guard, the Army Corps of engineers and the Department Of Defense are going to provide all the resources at its disposal to rescue and assist in Clearing Debris and delivering lifesaving supplies. So far, thats over 3,600 personnel deployed. That number is growing by the day. I quickly approved requests from governors of florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, tennessee, georgia and virginia and alabama for an emergency declaration. And i approved additional requests for the governors of North Carolina, florida, South Carolina, and for Disaster Declaration to pay for debris removal, provide financial assistance directly, directly to survivors. Fema and the small Business Administration are there to help the residents whose homes and businesses were literally destroyed, washed away or blown away. The federal Search And Rescue teams have been working sidebyside with local officials and partners in treacherous conditions to find those that are missing, and theyll not rest until everyone is accounted for. I want to thank all of the first responders and everyone who has been working around the clock. One of the brave teams that volunteered to be there is from San Diego County fire department, set to travel all the way from california to North Carolina to help. But on their way, they were in a terrible Car Accident in louisiana. We pray for their full recovery, but it was a bad accident. We know theres more to do and well continue to surge resources, including food, water, communications and lifesaving equipment. Well be there, as i said before, and i mean it. As long as it takes to finish this job. Let me close with this. As president , ive seen firsthand the devastating toll that disasters like this take on families and communities. Ive been on the ground in many Disaster Areas since ive been president , and ive heard dozens of stories from survivors about how it feels to be left with nothing, not even knowing where or when youll get back on track. Im here to tell every single survivor in these impacted areas that we will be there with you, as long as it takes. I urge everyone, everyone returning to their communities, to listen to local officials and follow all safety instructions. Take this seriously, please be safe. Your nation has your back and the Bidenharris Administration will be there until the job is done. God bless you all. Thank you. [ Inaudible Question ] are you going to ask song for a supplemental . Thats my expectation. This is a historic storm. Its devastating. Theyve never seen anything like this before. And some are backtoback, three storms in a row. So its really, really devastating. Have you considered asking congress to come back for a Special Session . That is something ill have to request. No decisions have been made. Do you have a sense of when youll be able to go, sir . Yes, i told the governor of North Carolina i would go down, and i expect to be down there by wednesday or thursday when its clear for me to go. You guys travel with me, you know theres an entourage and this can be disruptive. If President Trump is down there today, is that disruptive . I dont have any idea. On the other side of the world in the Middle East im going to stick with this subject, but go ahead. Israel now be launching a limited operation into lebanon. Are you aware of that and comfortable with their plan . Im more aware than you might know, and im comfortable with them stopping. We should have a ceasefire now. Thank you. Mr. President, why werent you and Vice President harris here in washington commanding this this weekend . I was commanding. I was on the phone for at least two Hours Yesterday and the day before as well. I command over the telephone with my security people. Is it not important for the country to see well, President Biden there at the White House, just with some comments specifically, and he wanted to focus, for obvious reasons, on what is going on in North Carolina and South Carolina and in georgia and in florida. I want to bring in white House Correspondent Allie raffa. The president said to take this seriously. He told the folks that are affected by it. I know they certainly are. What are the plans for the federal government to, as the president was saying, surge resources into these affected areas . Reporter yeah, jose. As we see more and more images of the devastating impact that Hurricane Helene had on these regions in the south, you have more people asking what the federal government is doing and will do more of in the wake of that storm. And the president in this speech aiming to answer those growing questions and provide reassurance to the millions of people in the south still without power, still without Cell Phone communications, still without access to clean water, food and resources. He talked about the federal resources that he said he directed before the storm even hit and in the aftermath of that storm, the fact that he says he directed his Fema Administrator to the area before. He said that Fema Administrator is still on the ground there. He also talked about how the resources are being used. He said the federal Communications Commission is there, the national guard, the Department Of Defense, the coast guard, the national guard, all being used on the ground as these Recovery Efforts really just get under way. He aimed to reassure these residence struggling and said, quote, we are not leaving until the job is done. On a potential president ial visit, as we often see sitting president s do in the aftermath of these massive storms, he said, he, quote, expects to be there later this week, possibly by wednesday or thursday. He said that he has told the governor of North Carolina, roy cooper, of his intention to visit, but, again, talked about the potential strain that a president ial visit could have as critical resources are still being used in Recovery Efforts. He said he is in constant contact with State Leaders and that there are more than 3,000 federal personnel deployed in the region right now. He talked about the emergency Disaster Declarations that he issued before the Storm Hit in states like florida, North Carolina, tennessee, South Carolina, georgia, virginia and alabama, and he said that he has also approved additional requests for more resources there. But, again, jose, the president trying to reassure and stress the continued support of the federal government in the aftermath of this massive and devastating hurricane, jose. Thank you so very much. Sheriffs miller and kimbrough were telling us and we went to the White House and washington, d. C. As we were speaking with them, there is a dire necessity, a need of water, over and over again, these two gentlemen said, what we need is water, water, water. Lets make sure that all efforts are focused on that and everything else. I want to bring in Nbcs Priscilla Thompson in tennessee. Whats the situation like where you are . Reporter jose, well, the water here has receded, and so now the focus is really on search and recovery. It was a Rescue Effort up until this morning, when officials told us that it has moved on to a recovery effort. They have more than 100 teams out searching for folks who may be missing. We just actually spoke with two Family Members of people who are still unaccounted for. The family of Rosa Andrade and Monica Corona and their families telling us they were working at a factory when the floodwaters began to rise. They tried calling 911, they called for help, but they were told they were unable to get to them because they were evacuating a hospital here. So today those families are saying they believe the bodies have been found because they were out searching that area, but they have not been officially confirmed by officials here. And i did put that question to officials, how long these families will have to wait. These past four days have been agonizing for many of them. Officials said it could be 48 hours, it could be longer, but there is a process that they have to go through in order to properly identify folks and notify families. But going back to that hospital that was evacuated, we also had an opportunity to speak with a doctor, the last to be evacuated from that hospital, about what those folks experienced. Thankfully, everyone there was saved. But i want to play a little of what he shared about what happened there on friday. There were literally flowing rapids, probably six inches to a half a foot to a foot high, flowing within the building. And every team member, even with that, were pushing those gurneys to get them out through the doors, to get them back into an eddy behind the hospital and we used ladders to get them onto the roof. You hoisted those patients onto the roof . Yes, we did. Some of us carried individual patients on our backs. We just didnt know how much time we had. Reporter and that doctor now says, though, that a number of their staff members, theyve not been able to get in touch with after that rescue occurred. So a lot of missing folks still here, a lot of people still frustrated and looking for answers about where their Loved Ones are and whether they are okay or not, jose. Priscilla, i was struck by your mentioning these people who had lost their Loved Ones, and they said that the last time they spoke with them, when they called 911, there was this Hospital Evacuation going on, but they said their Family Members were inside working in a factory. Im so glad that were able to see these pictures, because these faces are people that have families and that have been contributing to our economy. So these are people who its interesting to just kind of mention the fact that when this storm was hitting, they were at work, they were working. Is there anything that can be done to help these people and so many others who have a Loved One that they may have lost . Reporter jose, i will tell you that some of these family Members Today said they dont feel that their Loved Ones lives were prioritized when rescues were going on or being prioritized now. Theyre just seeking closure. They want to have their Family Members with them, they want to know what happened and try to begin the grieving process. But officials say that there is really nothing that can be done, that they are out searching and they are going through the process they have to in order to get this information to folks. But, certainly, a lot of hurt, a lot of pain, and people just desperate for answers, because, yes, these people have families. Rosa had two kids, they said. Priscilla thompson, thank you very much. Appreciate it. Difficult times for everyone there. Thank you. Up next, our new Nbc Polling showing Latino Support for democrats shrinking over the last several election cycles. Were going to hear from voters in two key Swing States about what is important to them. 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And well send you this st. Jude tshirt. Without st. Jude or its donors, we would have been in a bad place. These kids, theyve done Nothing Wrong in the world. Finding a cure for childhood cancer, it means everything. Help st. Jude give kids with cancer a chance. [audio logo] 32 past the hour. Just 36 days until election day, and were getting new insight into where our latino voters stand. A brand new poll from Nbc News, telemundo and cnbc, shows Vice President harris leading former President Trump among latino voters 54 to 40 . That advantage has actually dropped to democrats lowest level in the past four president ial cycles. This is particularly pivotal because latinos are expected to account for nearly 15 of all eligible voters in november, a new high according to the pugh search center. Steve kornacki is at the big board, and nbc News Correspondent David noriega. What is this poll telling us . What its telling us, the question weve been asking since the 2020 election when Donald Trump did make some inroads with latino voters, weve been asking, will he retain those, could he possibly build on those . The numbers were getting in our polls suggest he has built on those inroads. This 14point Gap against Kamala Harris for trump. These are the Exit Polls from the most recent elections, going back to 2012, Barack Obama won the latino vote by 44 points, Hillary Clinton in 2016 by 38. It was still 33 for biden in the exit poll. Now in our poll, just 14 points for the democrats. So thats the big picture trend. Whats going on among latino voters driving this . A couple of noteworthy gaps, theres a gender gap. Among latino men, the race is tied. Women, harris with a lead of 26 points. There is an age gap. Look at this, latino voters under 50, harris is barely ahead. Its basically close to a tie. And then over 50, thats where harris gets her margin from and leads by 30 points. Latino voters over 50. Layer those two together and you can really start to see this dramatically. Look at some of the differences you find. Men under 50 years old, trump is winning that group, hes winning it almost by double digits. Women over 50, harris is not just winning, shes blowing trump out. So a big gap there as well. In education divide, weve talked about this a lot, with white voters its become a defining feature, college, no college divide. Were seeing that with gender. Latino men, no fouryear degree, again, trump is winning that constituency, double digits, 13 points. Women without a College Degree or with a College Degree, doesnt matter which, but a big harris lead, Big Democratic Advantage there. And finally, jose, look at this. There is a gap on religion. Catholic latinos favor harris by a 20point Margin in our poll. Protestants, complete reversal, trump by 26 steve, with all of the harris plus, plus, plus, all the different breakdowns, how is it that then trump is gaining . Well, i mean, to have a lead lets see if i can go back and call this one up. To have a lead by 13 points, thats a big chunk of the latino electorate, men who dont have a fouryear degree. Trump having a 13point Lead makes up and this does average down to a 14point Advantage for Kamala Harris. Trump winning by 13 here, losing the groups by those margins, it nets out to 14 points for Kamala Harris overall. In the city where the Hispanic Population grew in the last couple of decades, what are people there telling you . Reporter well, jose, yesterday i went to a Catholic Mass and an E Van evangelical service, theres no such thing as a latino vote. They have the same differences that you would see in the rest of the population. And here in hazelton, especially, you can see the democrats have lost a lot of Latino Support. Here, Donald Trump has won in the past elections and his support is expected to grow come november. And theyre very passionate on both sides when it comes to explaining who theyre going to vote for and why. Lets listen. For me, its trump. Its trump. If you are investigating, like, the past, they help the people. You remember president reagan, who supported the immigrant people was him. Few people, they like trump because the way he is, he wants to represent the Macho Man and stuff. But in the end, me personal, i like Kamala Harris, like i said, because the way she is. Because she represents who we are right now. Reporter and i was very curious to ask the latino voters, especially The Ones that are supporting Donald Trump, how they feel about comments hes made about immigrants, calling some of them animals, saying that latino criminals will go into your kitchen and cut your throat. He said this on saturday in a speech that Donald Trump said was a dark speech. And most of The Ones that support the former president told me hes not talking about me, im not an animal, im not a criminal, that does not relate to me, and hes not mentioning my name. The other ones, on the other side, what theyre saying is they worry that this type of rhetoric is poisoning the future of the country, its growing racism, and they wonder whats going to happen to their children and grandchildren if this type of hatred is spread in this country, jose. David, meanwhile, Las Vegas is key to winning nevada. What are voters telling you about how they feel . Reporter so ive been spending time on the East Side in Las Vegas, the latino part of town. And a couple of things ive taken away from my conversations with voters, the first thing you ask them, what is the top issue they care about, its nearly universally the economy. Beyond that, theres a big diversity of opinions. This is not a monolithic voting bloc. The sense ive gotten is this is a community thats really torn between the candidates and we see that in the data that steve broke down. They are more torn now than they have been in the last 20 or so years, theyre torn as a community, within their households, and in a lot of cases theyre torn within themselves. Over the weekend we went to Freedom Park where the community goes every weekend, there were some Youth Soccer League games happening, we spent time talking to parents. I want to tell you about one voter in particular. Shes lived in Las Vegas for about 20 years, a mother of four. She told me that she is about 60 40 leaning toward Donald Trump, but is open to being persuaded by the Harris Campaign. Her top issue is, again, the cost of living, the economy, but there are other issues that she cares about, too, that are informing, particularly her opinion of Donald Trump. And i want to play you a clip of what she told me when i asked her, what exactly is it that has you on the fence about trump . Take a listen. My parents are immigrants and its a very important thing to me, because thats one thing that i dont agree with trump on as far as him saying that were all coming here to you know, were all Drug Addicts and things of that nature. Were a hardworking community and a hardworking race, and i think we should be given more chances, more opportunities to come into this country. Reporter so, jose, when griselda goes to the polls in november, she is going to have to decide, look within herself and decide, is that going to prevent her from voting for Donald Trump, or is it her perception that the economy was better under Donald Trump, the inflation is not going to be the thing that makes her cast her vote in his favor. The other big question, will the Harris Campaign reach her in time and persuasively enough to convince her. One thing she likes, she has a plan for small businesses. The campaigns still have an opportunity to reach voters like griselda, the democrats are spending a lot of money on that effort, more so than the republicans. Of course, we dont know yet whether those efforts and that money will translate to votes come november. Thank you all so very much. And tomorrow, Rachel Maddow and team will lead special Coverage And Analysis of the debate between the Vice President ial nominees, j. D. Vance and governor tim walz. It starts tomorrow at 7 00 p. M. Eastern, 4 00 p. M. Pacific, right here on msnbc. Up next, were tracking intensifying israeli attacks overnight in lebanon. What were learning about a possible Ground Offensive that could come any minute now. Youre watching Jose Diazbalart reports on msnbc. Balloon Doug pops deflates and then i wake up. Is limu with you in all your dreams . Oh, yeah. Only pay for what you need. Liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. Always dry scoop before you run. 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Overnight, israel carried out an Air Strike in the heart of lebanons capital, beruit, for the first time since 2006. It follows fridays Massive Attack that killed longtime leader of hezbollah, nasrallah. And with so much uncertainty, more than 100,000 people have fled lebanon into syria, according to the commissioner for refugees. Joining us is Nbc News international correspondent, Matt Bradley and also with us is the ambassador, former israeli Consul General in new york. What do we know about the special Operations Israel is conducting right now . And there was a difference between the bombing that it just carried out in beruit on The One that killed the hezbollah leader. Reporter thats right. So were hearing now from the israelis saying theyve been conducting Ground Operations in southern lebanon, but they were very careful to say that these are limited Ground Operations, theyre coming and going, it sounds like, and they dont necessarily mean theres about to be a Ground Invasion. However, were also hearing from we heard from the Defense Minister of israel in the past couple of hours that the war is about to enter a new phase in lebanon, and this comes after weve heard reporting from the Washington Post and Cbs News saying that israeli officials have told washington that a Ground Invasion could be imminent. Nbc news has not backed that up and i hate to make predictions, especially about the Middle East, ive told you this before, but it sounds as though all indicators are pointing to the potential for a Ground Invasion at any moment. Weve been hearing its imminent. And we heard it, like i just said, that theyre about to enter a new phase. It looks like israel is tenderizing the ground. Theyve not only been doing what theyve been doing for the past two weeks, shooting down top hezbollah officials and major installations that belong to hezbollah. Now it looks as though Theyve Expanded Attacks and are trying to attack leaders of other groups like hamas. We had confirmation that overnight one of their leaders was killed. And, also, the left Wing Group called the Popular Front for the liberation of palestinian, which has been around for generations, but our audience probably doesnt know much about. Theyre not major players and havent been a Household Name for quite a long time. Still, three of their leaders were killed here in beruit by an israeli drone strike, or what is believed to be a drone strike. And that was actually the first attack by the israelis into Central Beruit since 2006, which also happens to be the last time the israelis launched a Ground Incursion into lebanon. So all of these indicators, taken together and, again, i dont like to make predictions because i always end up being wrong, but this does look as though theyre starting to see israel prepare for some sort of Ground Incursion they could see as a final swipe at hezbollah, as theyve been picking off their leadership for much of the past two weeks. Matt bradley in beruit for us, thank you very much. Ambassador, whats your read of the situation right now as israel clearly is beginning preparations for something, very probable a Ground Operation in lebanon . The question is, how do you define Ground Operation and how do you define limited . If the idea, to borrow from the Vietnam War tactics, a Search And Destroy mission, which is basically what were seeing today, thats understandable, which means that seeing today, thats understandable. Which means that, that means that there is a swath, say its ten, 15 kilometers long north of the israeli border and there are hezbollah strongholds over there. Hezbollah military concentrations. Small, but they do fire mortar. They do Fire Rockets into Northern Israel and that needs to be dealt with. The question is, jose, whether or not this is going to be a Search And Destroy or is israel really planning on a Ground Operation that includes in terms of Duration And Use of power, carving out a security zone. Now, i fail to see the benefit of that, the advantages of that. Because on paper and in planning, these limited operations seem magnificently efficient. But when push comes to shove and you start on invading, even if you call it an incursion and define it as limited, you end up in a sitting Duck Kind of situation. So i truly hope that there wont be a need for a big scale Ground Operation but like your first said, you never know. Ambassador, if you would, just give us a little bit of a better idea from your perspective on what hezbollah is and weve been hearing for so long that it has 130,000 men in arms and that they have more than 100,000 missiles and theyre certainly well financed by iran. Yet in these last couple of weeks when they first started getting you know, exploding bombs in iran for hamas leader, but for hezbollah leaders and then the pagers and the Walkie Talkies and now the bombing, there hasnt been a massive response by hezbollah. They have no Doubt Thrown Missiles into israel. But how would you describe Hezbollah Today . Well, thats a great question, jose. I dont think anyone has a definitive answer. Let me give you two different perspectives in short. One is that it was always a paper. If you recall, if our viewers recall, there was this myth about the Red Army, the soviet Red Army and once the world fell down and the Soviet Union disintegrated, everyone found out that it was all rotting. That it was all you know, make believe, that it was far from being the modern, overbearing Military Machine that people thought. It was all rusty. So make thats the case here. That they do have 100,000 fighters and they have 100,000 rockets but its not exactly a modern fighting force. Thats one way of looking at it. The other is that the danger is still there. Taking out, assassinating the Secretary General for the last 32 years and indeed the upper echelon of hezbollah does not seriously or did not seriously affect their formidable missile launching capability. And they still have that capability. But probably arguably the strongest Military Force in the world, which is why this is an ongoing thing. But theres no question about it. That hezbollah suffered a major strategic blow with the elimination and the top echelon, top layer of military and political commanders. Theres also another issue, which is related to what you just asked, jose, to what extent would iran really go to stand by hezbollah. Because as you know, the Nature Of The Beast is as follows. The proxys fighting for me. I dont know what iran is going to do so far. Theyve shown a lot of restraint, to be fair. Ambassador, its always a pleasure. Thank you very much for your time. Thank you, jose. Always. I want to take you right to the White House where President Biden is hosting an event celebrating the 2024 u. S. Olympic and paralympic teams. This is going on right now at the White House. Up next, the man charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump just entered a plea in court. Weve got the very latest on that, next. Youre watching Jose Diazbalart reports on msnbc. Watching joset reports on msnbc saving on your education should be a right, not a competition. At university of phoenix, youll get the best scholarship or savings you qualify for. Simple as that. Explore scholarship options at university of phoenix. Pain hits fast. So get relief fast. Only Tylenol Rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. They release Medicine Fast for fast Pain Relief. And now, get Max Strength topical Pain Relief precisely where you need it. With new tylenol precise. Ryan ruth, the suspect in the second apparent Assassination Attempt on Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges including attempted assassination of a president ial candidate. Earlier this month, he was arrested after he camped out with a Semiautomatic Rifle near where trump was golfing in west palm beach. Tom, good morning. What more do we know what happened . As expected, he pleaded not guilty. Waived the reading back of his indictment. He said you dont need to read this back. This is tied to a whole Host Hoff charges including firearms related charges and of course, The One thats the most serious and The One folks have paid the most attention to, the attempted assassination of a president ial candidate. Obviously, Donald Trump. So, the only other piece of information that we received today on the docket was a filing of various Court Exhibits including the more high Res Version if you will of where he was camped out and a map of the golf course. But all that was introduced in court last week as part of his Detention Hearing so not much new there. Now, the process goes to the actual trial calendar. So when might he actually face trial . When will there be all sorts of hearings and filings . All the standard stuff we talk about so often in any federal criminal case. I dont think theres going to be much new in the form of charges. Theyve hit him with some of the most serious they could so now well just have to see how this case goes from here. Typically, a trial you could expect in about a year from now. Well see if this gets sped up along the way. Of course, it comes as we just get through the united nations general Assembly Week and all the threats that have been on the lookout frankly for the u. S. Secret service in an upcoming rally the president has in butler, pennsylvania, that will be Something Everybody will be watching considering that was the first Assassination Attempt on july 13th, jose. Thank you very much. That wraps up the hour for me. Im Jose Diazbalart. You can reach me on Social Media at jdbalart and watch clips from the show on youtube. Andrea mitchell picks up with more news now. Right now, on Andrea Mitchell reports, israel is poised for more strikes in lebanon after killing the head of hezbollah in lebanon. Now, how will israels troops go in on the ground and how will iran respond . With five weeks until the election, Walz And Vance facing off Tomorrow Night in their only debate as Donald Trump delivered what he calls