Right to the breaking news. After days of rocket fire and air strikes, israeli commandos engage in their first combat in gaza. Is this leading to an allout ground war . Or can a ceasefire take hold before more rockets are fired . More civilians are killed . Martha raddatz starts us off. From the border of israel and gaza. Good morning, martha. Reporter good morning, george. Im standing near what is essentially the front line in the conflict. Im in israel. Just behind me a few miles is gaza. There has been a Constant Exchange of fire. Hamas rockets, and israeli air strikes. For the very first time last night, israel sent in a small number of ground troops, the first time they have done so since 2009. It was in the dead of night when several dozen navy commandos, israels equivalent of the navy s. E. A. L. S, approached the shore from the Mediterranean Sea in small boats. Surveillance planes and attack helicopters providing cover. They destroyed a number of hamas longrange rockets and laujers that have been targeting israels major cities. Hamas militants spotted the team and opened fire. There was a huge engagement. We took out the capabilities and the terrorists. Reporter the israelis have been pounding hamas from the air for days. We watched on this stunning hillside. With several dozen residents of an israeli town hit frequently by rocket fire from gaza over the years. Now, the residents gather every day to watch the Israeli Air Force strike back. You saw missiles right there . Oh, you shot it. You dont have to wait here very long. How often does this happen . Actually, this is, uh reporter we can see one outgoing right now. Thats tel aviv. Reporter last night, three rockets made it near or above tel aviv, where they were intercepted by the iron dome, israel also multibilliondollar defense system. Not a single israeli has been killed during this operation. In gaza, its another story. This is what the air strikes look like from the ground. The israelis warn residents that their building has been targeted with what they call a knock on the roof to get them to evacuate. Just minutes later, watch. As a powerful missile completely destroys this house. The israelis may be warning the residents. But according the united nations, 75 of those killed in gaza are civilians. 5 years or 6 years, child. I know that its innocent people. Reporter but there are still fears of a wider war. 30,000 israeli reservists have been called up. And israeli tanks are already amassed on the gaza border, in case the order comes for a fullscale ground attack. What kind of Tipping Point would there be . If the iron dome is unsuccessful in a way that it causes huge devastation. Reporter the people there are expecting the worst. A Mass Evacuation of american citizens in gaza. Where Alex Marquardt reports. Reporter those evacuations took place this morning. 144 american citizens among a bigger group of foreign passport holders that israel has allowed to leave. Exodus from gaza. The lucky few boarding buses to leave. There, we meet this family from baton rouge, louisiana, here to visit family. Now escaping a war. Are you disappointed to be leaving . No, no. Im happy. I miss america. Reporter you want to get home, out of the war zone . Yes. Reporter they grab their heavy bags for the long walk to the border. Once out of gaza, the relief to be going home is bittersweet. My family over there, you know. Reporter her family and so many others stuck as israeli missiles rain down on targets and people. That the palestinians here say have nothing to do with hamas rocket fire. This crowd pulling out a clearly wounded man out of a mosque struck just moments ago. The anger and body count soaring. Almost 170 now dead. Over 1100 wounded. With no end in sight. Today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said israel is stepping up its operations against hamas. He accused hamas for being responsible for using civilians as human shields. Martha . You can expect more of those small, commando raids by the israelis and certainly more air strikes. They say they will not stop the air strikes until hamas stops firing rockets. So far, the israelis have only gotten 20 of those rockets. George . Thank you, martha. Were joined by steve ganyard. Former fighter pilot, pentagon official. And aaron david miller, of the Woodrow Wilson center. Spent most of his career negotiati negotiating. Steve, let me begin with you. If israel does decide to go in on the ground, what would this operation look like . How long would it last . I noted that the Prime Minister told the cabinet this morning, it could take time. It could take time. Urban combat is the most dirty, nasty kind of combat there is. It takes a long time. The casualties are high on both sides. I think the israelis will do everything they can to stay out of an urban conflict. And keep their troops out of gaza. One of the reasons theyve been able to hold off so far is the the remarkable success of the iron dome, shooting down the hamas rockets. Not a single israeli killed so far. Iron dome is remarkable. It consists of very sophisticated radar. It is able to detect the missile launches coming in toward israel. It makes the determination if the incoming missiles are going to hit into populated areas. It only lox on to those missiles that could potentially hurt people. Im hardpressed to find an example where a single weapons system, a defensive Weapon System has so neutralized an enemys opponent. One of the things we see here is that its kept the civilian casualties low. So the political pressure on netanyahu to invade gaza is low. In a sense, you could say iron dome is preventing a conflict. Civilian casualties in israel low. But aaron david miller, the civilian casualties are mounting in gaza. The clock tends to tick there. The more casualties, the more pressure on Prime Minister netanyahu to go for a ceasefire not a ground war. And on the egyptians. Who probably risk the most in allowing this to play out. Because, al sisi knows that more civilian casualties will provoke reactions on the egyptians streets. The problem, george, is this. Effective mediation requires urgency, a mediator, and a deal. Frankly, right now, you dont have any of those. Hamas and israel are not done. Theres no deal on the table. The egyptians seem reluctant. And they are the key party because they have influence with israel. Good relations with the israelis. Not so much with hamas. They have a demonstrated track record. None of the elements are in place. Thats why the tragedy of this entire enterprise is likely to play out for a good while longer. It goes on. Potentially escalates. Is there anything useful the United States can do . We have tremendous leverage with the israelis, assuming we would use it. The problem is, our leverage with the israelis depends on hamas capacity and willingness to deescalate. Theres no motivation on them to do that. They went into the crisis weak, in order to justify the destruction that the israelis are doing and civilian casualties, they have to figure out a way to climb down. But to gain something from this operation. That is not clear what the gain is right now and who will give it to them. We have seen this before. An operation like this in 2009. A lowerscale operation in 2012. What is different this time . The reality is other than iron dome, i think steve is right. It is a paradox. It both prevents a ground operation and creates additional political time and space for the israelis not to conclude this quickly. At the end of the day, im telling you, i can write the script of how this ends. Hamas says they have beaten the ibf. They get benefit. Theyll argue they have degraded the capacity. We will have bought ourselves another year or two. Well be back at the table at this exact same point within the next two to three years. Thats the real tragedy. A lot of innocent people, primarily in gaza, are going to have to die as a consequence. Aaron miller, steve ganyard, thank you very much. Were joined now by Pierre Thomas, bringing us an exclusive interview with attorney general eric holder. The attorney general sounding an alarm about how this conflict could intensify the Terror Threat at home. It really is george. As the conflict intensifies, between israel and hamas, holder says hell be on the lookout for any hint of violence here at home. That potential and what is happening in syria makes for an especially dangerous moment. We met the attorney general in london after a series of urgent meetings about the threat from syria. Do they share your sense of urgency about syria . Theres a great concern about this syrian foreign fighters problem. About 7,000 of them right now in syria. Coming from europe, from the United States. And great concern about the impact theyre having there but the potential impact they could have in their home countries. Congressman rogers, made a comment recently that he had not seen a situation where there was so many threat streams so active at one moment. Perhaps since 9 11. I think we are at a dangerous time. Reporter moments later, as we sat together, he laid out his concerns in detail. You sounded the alarm about americans and europeans going to syria. Is this a clear and present danger . I think it is. In some ways, more frightening than anything i have seen as attorney general. 9 11 came out of the blue. This is a situation that we can see developing and the potential that i see coming out. The negative potential i see coming out of the facts in syria and iraq, now, are quite concerning. Reporter among the concerns, intelligence that bombmakers from yemen, those responsible for the 2009 underwear bomb plot are now in syria joining forces with the thousands of foreign fighters there. Is that a particularly nasty mix . Its a deadly combination. You have people that have the technical nohow and a fervor to give their lives in support of a cause directed at the United States and directed at its allies. And, its something that gives us really extreme, extreme concern. Reporter sources tell abc news u. S. Intelligence suspects that yemeni bombmakers in syria have designed a device small enough to fit in a laptop computer. Its why the u. S. Asked Foreign Countries to step up security. Were constantly monitoring what is going on out there. What known bombmakers are doing. The new techniques theyre trying to employ. Reporter suffice it to see these security upgrades were seeing didnt come out of the blue . No. Theyre not things that we decided, its july. Lets do something new. This is not a test. Were doing something in reaction to things that we have detected. Reporter americans who have gone into syria and made their way home. How many people are under surveillance inside the United States . I would say dozens of investigations that are under way. The fbi is on top of it. Reporter and another challenge. Isis. The Islamic State of iraq and syria. They have taken over huge chunks of iraq. They have allegedly confiscated lowgrade Radioactive Material that could be used for a dirty bomb. How concerned should americans at home be about isis . Well, i think, at this point, isis is a body concerned about doing things in iraq and syria. If theyre able to consolidate gains in that area, its a matter of time before they start looking outward. And start looking at the west. And at the United States in particular. So this is something we have to get on top of and get on top of now. Reporter is there a sense of resurgence with al qaeda . The al qaeda core has certainly been diminished. As we have been saying for some time, other factions are stronger. Groups that were once part of al qaeda and have now split from them are stronger. Reporter the administration scored a victory with the capture of ahmed abu khatala. One of the alleged planners on the awe salt on the u. S. Consulate in benghazi that killed u. S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others. Even that has been controversial. He was having lunch in public, being interviewed by journalists. What say you to that . I think that is really an argument i dont understand. Its one thing to talk to a reporter and have your face not even shown on camera while youre doing this. Its a whole other thing to come to the custody of the fbi, the United States military. I dont think that he would have had a cup of coffee with a couple of fbi agents or members of our military. Reporter hes being held in the u. S. Under tight security. Facing trial in washington. A number of republicans on the hill said he should be in interrogation on a military ship. He should be headed to a military court not civilian court. Theres not a tension in the way we have done this and getting intelligence that can be useful. And then ultimately convicting this person. I think its time for us to get beyond this point. Now its become something that i think is purely political and totally inconsistent with the facts. Reporter the job of National Security can be relentless. Not only does holder have to worry about overseas threats, he also has to worry about homegrown radicals, like the two men that allegedly attacked the Boston Marathon last year. Is that threat any less serious . Those lone wolves. The homegrown violent extremists keep me up at night as well. Trying to monitor them. Trying to anticipate what it is that theyre going to do. The experience we had in boston is instructive. It takes only one or two people to do something horrific. And pierre, the attorney general, you talked to him about homegrown terrorists motivated by domestic concerns. Yes. We recently had a case of someone assaulted on the courthouse steps in georgia. Two officers killed near las vegas. That is coming back, as well. May be a resurgence. He said there are a lot of sleep less nights these days. Up next, to Central America. A close look at the children taking the trip north. What can be done to stop the surge . And the roundtable. Where all the weeks politics. And lebron james caps a big week for cleveland. Und table. And lebron james caps a big week for cleveland. Dad hes our broker. He helps looks after all our money. Kid do you pay him . Dad of course. Kid how much . Dad i dont know exactly. Kid what if youre not happy . Does he have to pay you back . Dad nope. Kid why not . Dad it doesnt work that way. Kid why not . Vo are you asking enough questions about the way your wealth is managed . Wealth management at Charles Schwab really. So our business can be on at ts network for 175 dollars a month . Yup. All five of you for 175. Our clients need a lot of attention. Theres unlimited talk and text. Were working deals all day. You get 10 gigabytes of data to share. What about expansion potential . Add a line anytime for 15 bucks a month. Low dues. Great terms. Lets close. Introducing at t mobile share value plans. With our bestever pricing for business. Our closer look at the crisis on the southern border. So many children crossing over from Central America. And art rascon from our houston station, ktra, followed some of them on the dangerous journey north. Filing a special report for this week. Reporter welcome to guatemala city. The heart of the mayan civilization. This is where our journey begins. We follow immigrants. Tens of thousands of them arriving in the United States, desperate for a new life. Immigrants everywhere. Always on the move. Like maria and her two children from the hondurasguatemalan border. She is desperate for a new life for her 4 and 5yearolds. Barely surviving the rampant poverty and the Gang Violence overtaking the country. Even during our short time there, three funeral processions marched by. Caskets carrying the bodies of those killed in the recent surge of violence. Neighboring honduras has seen a similar spike. 32 children murdered there last month. More than 400 since january of last year. Its that violence that is driving families to send their children north to the United States. Loopholes in u. S. Policy are a key factor behind this surge. A 2008 law signed by george w. Bush says children from countries not bordering the u. S. Cannot be immediately deported. Instead, they can appear in court and make the case for staying. Separately, the Obama Administration announced in 2012, it would allow some children to remain in the u. S. Without fear of deportation. That Program Apply to children who arrived before 2007. Smugglers in Central America are convincing families that the reprieve still stands. On the move once again. Here, a couple of dozen immigrants. This group specifically led by coyotes. Smugglers. 16yearold antonio, traveling alone from honduras, was picked up by a smuggler with proms to get to the u. S. How much do you make a day . 30 every day for work here. Thats about five bucks. Thats it. [ speaking Foreign Language ] not far away, 15yearold jose, fleeing the increasing violence of guatemala. Lets go. Finally reaching the guatemalanmexican border. And a secret border crossing. Fear clearly evident in his eye. Why are you afraid . [ speaking Foreign Language ] reporter you have a lot to be afraid of. He says. Jose is joined by countless other children, making the same journey into mexico. They range in age here. Many of them older. Most of them younger. On this boat right here, at least five of them are minors. Finally, mexico. With the longest, deadliest journey still ahead. At least a week to the u. S. Border. And an uncertain future. For this week. Art rascon, on the border. Thanks to art. What to do with all these children . The big question now. And Pierre Thomas talked to attorney general holder. Who responded to charges hes not enforcing immigration laws. Yes, the immigration laws are being enforced. Were facing an extraordinary situation. Thousands of young people are fleeing Central America for economic reasons, to get away from endemic violence in their countries. The president has put together a proposal to Congress Asking for almost 4 billion. Were surging Immigration Judges to the border to process these people. Reporter can you see where the critics are coming from when you see buses of people being brought inland after they came here illegally . Let me say this. Our immigration laws are broken. Its why we need comprehensive immigration reform. Reporter on the other side, critics of the administration say you have deported way too many people. The aclu filed a lawsuit. Talking about the thakt fact that these children are not getting due process. Were going to get criticism. But weir going to follow the law. Lets get more from the republican chairman of the house judiciary committee, congressman robert goodlatte. The attorney general insists the laws are being enforced. You called the ask for Emergency Assistance a slap in the face to american taxpayers. Is the house prepared to do any emergency funding . Yes, we should do targeted appropriations where its needed. There is an awful lot that the president can do right now without any action on the part of the congress. He should make it very clear that people who enter the United States illegally are going to be sent home. Hes done that, hasnt he . Secondly, he should not only go to whats that . Thats he doesnt that . If you watched his interview from his press conference from texas last week, you would be hardpressed to get that message that this president is going to send people home who enter the United States illegally. Secondly, if he would not only go to the border but continue south and go to mexico city and meet with the Mexican Government. After all, if these children are fleeing a bad situation in their home country, as soon as they arrive in mexico, they have escaped that situation. So, what is the responsibility of the Mexican Government here . First of all, they should be securing their southern border with guatemala. But in addition, they should be working with the United States. The president should insist they do that. And do the same thing with the Central American countries. This matter could be addressed if the president exercises leadership and stop not enforcing the law. He doesnt enforce the law. He uses the concept of prosecutorial discretion to apply to hundreds of thousands of people right now. Hes releasing criminal aliens back on to the streets. That have been detained, rather than making hsure they get sent back to their home toncountries. Youre calling for the president to do that. If he does all that are you prepared to pass the funding and can a compromise be reached . I would pass emergency funding targeted for what is necessary. But most of the money the president is asking for is to continue the process of further transporting these children and adults, by the way, further into the United States. And that, i think, is what the American People dont like to see. They know that is not deterrence. That will result in more people coming to the country. The projection for next year is 150,000 unaccompanied minors. Its expected to be 90,000 for the rest of the year. One of the other things you see coming out of this are more and more calls for the americprt to be impeached. Sarah palin most prominently. Any articles of impeachment would be drawn up by your committee. Is this something youre considering . Or do you agree with Speaker Boehner saying its off the table . Were not working on articles of impeachment. The constitution is very clear. As to what constitutes grounds for impeachment of the president of the United States. The president of the United States has not violated that. The president is not enforcing the law. Theres a wide away of issues not just immigration, where we believe that. And thats why the speaker, and many of news the congress, are get lg rting ready to take legal action to stand up for the peoples right, for their elected representatives to be the part of the government to pass the laws, not a president with his pen and cell phone. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Lots to talk to the roundtable about. Including the new kals to impeach president obama. And the political impact of the big decision from lebron james. Believe it or not, there is some. First, our big winners of the week. [ male announcer ] they were some pretty good moves. And the best move of all . Having the right partner at your side. Take the next step. Consider an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by Unitedhealthcare Insurance Company to be your partner. Go long. Whos georges big winner . Back with that in just 30 seconds. And now, georges pick. The city of cleveland is georges big winner of the week. There you see president obama in denver this week. The white house has a hash tag for the outings. They call it the bear is loose. The president taking heat for shooting pool. But not going to the border to see the crisis firsthand. One of the topics for our roundtable. Joined by david plouffe, Senior Adviser in the white house. Republican strategist ana navarro. Our own cokie roberts. And bill kristol, the editor of the weekly standard. Some of the headlines, the bear goes out for a beer and the critics growl. Why didnt the president go the the border . I worked in the white house and so have you. He doesnt need to go to the border to address this. We have had this crisis for decades. But why not go . Yeah. Hes had plenty of officials there. Its beside the point. We need to fix the immigration system most broadly. That is the biggest message out of all of this. Its been languishing for decades. You have republican sport. Support. You have democratic support. Get it done. The issue of the kids, we need more resources. You talked to chairman goodlatte. We need more judges down there. More facilities down there. We have to deal with the shortterm crisis. We have to have a longterm immigration solution. If the president had gone to the border. It obviously doesnt make a big difference. But its symbolically important. Its important for him to show america what is happening with these kids. This is not the time to be tough guys. Theyre children. Theyre being put, by themselves, on the trains and boats by themselves to come here. Think how a mother must feel putting them on those boats. In that dangerous situation to come here. We need to be taking care of these children. Part of the message has to be, you guys have to go back home. Its not going to be all compassion. He cant say that. First of all, thats not what the law says. Secondly, the gohome to honduras, i heard a report this week that in new york, your chances of getting murdered are 1 in 25,000. In honduras, its 1 in 14. You cant send Children Home to that. Im afraid you have to. You dont. You absolute we send children back to mexico. All over the world. But theyre not in those situations. They are in those situations. The idea that youll let unaccompanied minors into the u. S. Because of a loophole in a 2008 law. The mexican child gets sent back, the hon durduran gets to. Thats not sensible. The republicans will propose this week on the hill amending the 2008 law to have even treatment for everyone. The president has to send a message that you cant come here. Why does this happen . David says this is a problem for decades. Why are the kids flooding the place . Because the president am amnestied all the kids already here. Every sensible person in Central America said, hey, if i can get my kid into the u. S. , great. Theres not one cause for what is causing this. Its a perfect storm of push factors in Central America. That include the poverty, the violence. And poll factors here being exploited and taken advantage of by an organized criminal ring of human smugglers. Theyre misrepresenting human policies. Taking advantage of parents. Getting them to cobble together 6,000, 7,000 to put their kids in this transport system to get them here when there is no such pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for these kids. So it is important for the president to clarify that the misrepresentation that is going on, on purpose, by criminal forces in Central America is not so. Thats why it would be important for him to go to the border. I have spoken to republicans and democrats who have been to the shelters. Who have been to the border. Listening to the kids. Listening to the people running the shelters gives you a unique perspective of what the problems on the ground are. I wish he had done it. This republican argument that this situation is caused because were not sending dream kids home, its preposterous. Its not based in reality. If thats the republican message, we want to start did you just hear me . Did you just hear me make that argument . I must be looking at bill kristol. Youre not quite as republican as me. Im not quite as old a republican as you are, but im just as much a republican. One at a time. The message we have stopped deporting dream kids. Amnesty is a magnet. That has been the republican message. People from the white house have been scoffing at that. How childish a view is that. What is happening on the border right now . The other democratic message, the border is secure. Thats not true either. Unprecedented border resources in terms of people, personnel, and money. Its true. Jerry brown says, they all come to california. Which is welcoming them, by the way. Theres a fence in california. They dont come into california. Theyre coming from texas to california. Thats wonderful. Theyre being shipped to california. Jerry brown says, our border is secure. The california border is secure because we built a fence there over the resistance of the Obama Administration. The bottom line is, the border is more secure than it has been. Is it completely secure . No. These kids are turning themselves in. They think that when they turn themselves in. Theyre not been apprehended theyre look for officials. So they can then go into the process. And hats off to the people in mcallen, texas, sacred heart church, the catholic charities, save the children, are in there trying to help these kids. Thats what the congress should be focusing on. Theres one thing i want to say. Im very disappointed with the hispanic celebrities that love to go to the white house and party and sing and dance for the president. With those hispanic organizations. And people that are hispanic and have a voice in this country that have not stood up and figured out a way to help those kids while theyre in the shelters, giver them better conditions. One person who did stand up this week, sarah palin, calling for impeachment. Enough is enough of the years of awe bus from this president. His unsecured border crisis, for me is the last straw. It makes kind of the battered wife say, no mas. Thats enough. Its time to impeach. She wasnt a particularly good Vice President ial candidate. Shes an even worse judge of who ought to be impeached and why. Bill kristol, not surprising that eric holder would hold that view. I was surprised by congressman goodlatte. Theres some concern. 1998. Impeach the president , lose seats in the house. No responsible republican official has called for impeachment. The problem with that would be you get joe biden president. The Republican Task is to elect a Republican Senate. And elect a republican president in 2016. Republicans are not going to impeach president obama. Theyre going to make the case for why a Republican Senate could check the president in 2015 and 2016. I think bill is completely right. Nobody of responsibility, nobody in leadership, nobody of relevance has talked about impeachment. The lawsuit is about constitutional powers and the separation of power. Can we stick to talking about what people who can make something happen say . And not what folks who just want to make headlines say. David plouffe, i think a lot of democrats want them to keep talking impeachment. Of course. They reap what they sow. Leaders are being some what responsible. Theyve fomented this out there. I think if you look at the Iowa Republican caucus attenders and the South Carolina primary voters, i bet you have majorities in the republican electorate saying he ought to be impeached. A majority of people dont want to hear another word from sarah palin. I saw that poll as well. They may have reached ewe than anymorety on that as well. We have to take a break. Before we go the break, the puzzler. My hometown, cleveland, my big winner of the week for getting back lebron james and the 2016 convention. Its been 50 years since cleveland won a championship in any major pro sport. Name the team that won in 1964. Bonus points for the opponent. Were back in two minutes. Really. So our business can be on at ts network for 175 dollars a month . Yup. All five of you for 175. Our clients need a lot of attention. Theres unlimited talk and text. Were working deals all day. You get 10 gigabytes of data to share. What about expansion potential . Add a line anytime for 15 bucks a month. Low dues. Great terms. Lets close. Introducing at t mobile share value plans. With our bestever pricing for business. So which Cleveland Team won a championship 50 years ago . Lets see some answers. David plouffe . Cleveland browns defeated the new york giants. Youre half right. Browns. A silent protest from ana navarro . Miami heat. No clue. But when was the last. Convention in cleveland . 1936. The keynoter called fdr a new deal caesar. And bill kristol. The cleveland browns. I guessed the lions. The colts. Youre right. They beat them 270. Well be back in a minute to talk about lebron james, clevelands big week, and the world cup. Were joined by espns mike tirico. The world cup. Were joined by espns mike tirico. So i want you to know the facts. There are currently no credit score or income requirements to qualify. You can get taxfree money from the equity in your home. You can use the money to pay off your current mortgage if you have one. The remaining money can be used for anything. Theres no monthly mortgage payments. And you still own your home call today to get your free guide and dvd. It explains how a governmentinsured reverse mortgage works. Theres no obligation. One reverse mortgage is a quicken loans company. Their licensed experts can answer all your questions. Call to find out what a great solution this can be. Dont wait, call now World Cup Final later today. Germany versus argentina, airing right here on abc. And espns mike tirico leads the coverage. He joins us from rio. And mike, what a thrill this must be for you. No single sporting event is bigger than this. It is incredible, george. The estimates from the last World Cup Final showed over 700 Million People watching. If you bump it up a little bit, about 10 of the world will stop and watch this soccer match today. Nothing stops the world like a World Cup Final. How do you see the game . A lot of people see argentina, worlds best player, lionel mes messi, versus germany, the worlds best team. Is that how you see it . Yes, messi is one of the greats globally all time. This is seen as the missing line in his resume. Can he get a world cup title to really be one of the true greats in the game . Germany, going for a fourth world cup title. Only the host nation, brazil, has more with five. Theyre a machine. A team built to win now and for the future. Theyre the slight favorite coming in. Though the beach behind me in rio, feels like buenos aires. Argentines sleeping out overnight. Camping out. Theyll be all over this town and try to rub it in the face of the brazilians if they can win a world cup on the brazilian soil. Its been a rough week for brazil. I have to talk to you about lebron james. I want to show an except of the essay. My relationship with northeast ohio is bigger than basketball. I didnt realize that four years ago. I do now. My presence can make a difference in miami. I think it can mean more where im from. What difference is this going the make for the cavs . They go from a 60 to 1 shot a month or so ago when the season ended, to the favorite to win the title. Thats how much the market moved. Its great for sports and the rust belt. The great lakes states where the weather is not as good and the economy has struggled. You talked about the Convention Going there in a couple of years. To see someone who is as big an individual star as we have in American Sports to say, i want to go back to my hometown and win. If hes able to win, and as you said 64 was the last time cleveland had a stature. If they win, theyll build a statue of lebron. Hell be a forever hero from where hes from. Thats at the end of the day, going home what its all about. No question. Meanwhile jourks lebron james in rio today, right . Hes here. Vladimir putin is here. The host nation, the three heads of state, the host nation and the two nations competing. All female heads of state. A whos who of vips here to watch. Stops the world. Mike, have fun today. Well be watching. Lets talk about this on the roundtable. Ana navarro, i have to start with you. Can you contain your cleveland for a second . How are they taking it in miami . You know, i think everybody is disappointed. Saddened. But i think were also grateful for the four years lebron james gave us. To tell you the truth. Its brought out the classiest and best of miami heat fans and the organization. When you compare it to how cleveland behaved toward lebron four years ago. Weve been grateful, thankful. Gracious. Thankful for four years of excitement he brought us. Thats a fair point. I agree with you, david. I saw the tweet about lebrons essay. Line for line, pitch perfect. It was pitch perfect. It was moving. It was unusual. Heres someone not doing it for the money. Seems to have learned from it. And the way they did this. The discretion. The whole process had. It was almost flawless. Maybe they should do it for the Vice President ial selection for 16 for both parties. He was a cocky kid when he left cleveland. We turned him into a gracious, elegant man. He said that. He said miami was like college for me, which was very interesting. I think its been a terrific week for cleveland, even before he made this decision. The republicans decided to have the convention there. We saw pictures of cleveland that looks a whole lot better than it used to look. It started me looking into what is going on there. The ohio unemployment, 5. 7 in may. Its in good shape these days. And to showcase that in a week like this really does help that city. Signals the importance the republicans put on the city of ohio. They could move the convention to miami now. I hate all this goodnatured sportsmanship. The people in miami are being so gracious. L lebron, gracious. What happened to oldfashioned American Sports . A real hatred of the opposition. We saw that in anas tweets before. Lets look to bill kristol for morale. Shes just cleaned up her act here. David, i think its clearly smart of the republicans to go to ohio. They need to win ohio to get the white house. You believe this whole idea that its twinned with, moving up the convention to july or june is a mistake . I think its a huge strategic blunder. The two things you control in a campaign, the convention and the selection of the Vice President ial nominee. Both of those things will be over before the summer. And . The democrats, they havent made their decision yet, hold their convention at the end of september i think theyre learning the wrong lessons from why they lost. They said its because the money. It wasnt. The president got outspent most of the summer of 2012. I think its a huge mistake. I think it was smart to go to ohio. We ran for governor of ohio twice. Were happy for the people of ohio. The problem with the Electoral College is, the republicans still have to pull an inside strait to get to the 270 votes. Its always fighting the last war. The republicans thinking, if we had ended the primary sooner, get to the general election pot of money sooner, we would have had a better shot. They were not going to win that election any way. And theyll have a tough time the next time. The longest running primary battle in modern times. 2008, obamaclinton. A lot of the republicans thought, boy, this is going the hurt the democrats in the fall. Theyre wasting all this money. Theyre antagonizing supporters. I tend to agree with david. The Republican National chairman does believe, too many debates, too long a primary season. Too much damage down in that season. End it quickly. Get on with it. Theres truth the that, too. They were not just too many. They were ridiculous debates. I think were overthinking it. I dont think too many people are paying attention to the conventions. As they used to. Im not sure it will make that much of a difference. I think it does. If we went through this twice, it matters. Says the guy sitting on a big pot of money while romney was dying in the desert. Well be back with martha raddatz. Well be back more with martha raddatz. Back now with the roundtable along with martha raddatz. What is your sense of where this goes next . Reporter george, i think one thing that was made very clear to me today by the israelis is that there will be more of those small commando raids into gaza to look for the longrange rocket launchers and the rockets. The israelis estimate that hamas has about 10,000 rockets. They have only taken out about 20 of those. Were back in jerusalem now. But on the way back, wee did see those tanks, those israeli tanks amassed at the board. I dont get the sense that the israelis want a larger ground incursion. If that iron dome fails, all bets are off. No question. Bill, let me you followed Prime Minister netanyahu for a long time. Do you buy what is becoming a think a little bit of conventional wisdom, that hes quite reluctant to go in on the ground . Yeah. I think a lot of israeli Prime Ministers have been. Its a small country. Youre talking casualties on both sides. If you go in on the ground if way you can minimize if you fight mostly from the air. Well see how effective the air campaign is. I think he would much prefer not to go in on the ground. Its a real absence of the American Leadership in the region. I think you have these rockets going into gaza from syria and iran. We havent made a Strong Enough presence in that region to have people be afraid of this country. So i think theres a sense that they can get away with anything they want to get away with. So much criticism of president obama for not going in, conducting the air strikes against syria. Also some sense there was a wasted effect by secretary of state john kerry to promote the peace. Between israel and palestine. I think this is a clarion call that we need to continue to pursue peace. This neighborhood is getting more and more unstable. At some point, there needs to be a peace agreement. Lets look at iron dome. Under president obama, the first direct investment in iron dome. We see how well its working. There are other defensive military systems being worked on to further protect israel. The notion that you should not pursue peace. At some point, there has to be peace there. Has to be. I think the question, though, ana, is it a peace that can be sparked by the United States . Or do the parties have to reach it themselves . I think both. I think we cannot give up having a role in the region and playing peace broker and bringing the parties together. Not only those parties. But other countries and governments that can influence the two parties. At the same time, america must support israel. Hamas needs to stop shooting rockets at israel. Israel has the right to protect her citizens. At the same time we try to and ask for a deescalation to all this. It can only spiral out of control and take many, many lives. Can any institution, government, country, have leverage over hamas . Well, iran used to be funding sending weapons to hamas. I think cokies point is important. When you have general chaos. When isis is conqueri ining chu. If youre a jihadist, you think, i have to get into this fight. Almost to maintain your reputation in the middle east, hamas, you have to take on israel. I think american weakness and the growth of jihadists in the neighborhood has emboldened hamas. You keep hearing this. Where is the United States . Where are you . And syria being the best example. If we had been in syria a lot sooner, maybe all of this wouldnt be happening. Who knows . But the but we would have been on the side of isis in syria. They wouldnt have been isis yet. We helped create isis. In this weeks sunday spotlight its been a year since the controversial verdict in the George Zimmerman trial, found not guilty of murder for the killing of Trayvon Martin. One of the key witnesses in the trial was Rachel Jeantel. A close friend of Trayvon Martin who was on the phone with him right before he was shot. Her testimony made her a target of ridicule. Shes turned her life around. Thanks to hard work and some good samaritans. Matt gutman has the story. Are you unable to read that at all . Reporter it was the moment that made Rachel Jeantel a house hold name. Can you read any of the words on it . Reporter the moment that the 19yearold was outed as illiterate on national tv. I dont understand. Reporter theres this point where he basically asks you to read the letter. What do you say . Im not able to read it. Reporter why was that . I didnt learn how to read cursive. Reporter bringing her rough dialect to an allwhite jury. Argumentative and defiant. Are you listening . You think . No. Reporter and all but embodying the racial rift the trial seemed to dig in the country. The ridicule was instant and merciless. She comes across as brutally ignorant. Reporter including this picture posted on instagram by defense attorney don wests own daughter. It reads, we beat stupidity. Celebration cones. No. Reporter you could argue that part of her died on the stand in the murder trial of George Zimmerman, accused of killing 17yearold Trayvon Martin. You could argue that she was reborn. What did that feel like . You didnt know me. To judge me. Reporter you didnt know you, to judge you . Yes. Reporter during a break in testimony that rod vereen, a miami attorney, decided to act. I didnt like what took place in social media, and the attacks she received nationwide. I couldnt turn my back to that. And i couldnt turn a blind eye to the problems that i knew she had. Reporter he coached her that night and hasnt stopped. Helping to set up a support group he would call the village. Jeantel was born premature. English not her first language at home. And reading never came easily. Some of the articles i had seen said, you had, at the time of the trial, a fourth grade reading level. Yeah. I wanted to go for help. Reporter but no one helped until vereens army of tutors descended. For up to seven hours a day. And they were tough. Very, very, very tough. Thats what i needed. To be honest. Thats what i needed. Reporter she was sent to a new school. Last month, yep, thats her. In those heels. And that smile. Oh, my gosh. That morning. I i kissed my bed. It was like, thank you, jesus. This is the last time waking up at this time. I really woke up. From the First Time Since i started going to this school. Reporter the socalled illiterate girl walking in her own high school graduation. Where do you see yourself five years from now . Reporter following your dreams . Following my dreams. And graduating college. Reporter all of them believe, it will take a village. For abc news, matt gutman. Miami. We end with welcome news. The pentagon reported no deaths of Service Members in afghanistan this week. Thats all for today. Check out world news with david muir tonight. Ill see you tomorrow on gma. Im Monica Malpass on inside story a budget fight between pennsylvanias republican governor and the state house is putting philadelphia schools at risk. Lets get the inside story. Good morning, im Monica Malpass, welcome to inside story, lets meet our insiders this week, they are ajay raju, and christine flowers
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