prompting new retaliation from u.s. forces and new fears that the violence could spread. let s bring in aaron gillcrist who s covering today s diplomatic meetings in washington at the white house and nbc s jay gray who s in tel aviv. jay, starting with you. what is the latest on the ground in israel and gaza as we talk about last hour the war cabinet meeting last night and what may have come from that. day 81 of the war and as intense the u.n. says it has been since the start and as deadly. they are saying the intensity of the battles on the ground as well as the air strikes has ramped up over the last 48 hours. we know that the attacks have been targeting from the air control and command centers according to the idf. they have been working also to identify and target some of the senior hamas leaders saying that one of their air strikes did kill a leader but not saying to this point who that may be. on the ground, they are continuing to try and expose and then eliminate the
iranian-linked group amid a rise of attacks targeting u.s. service members. all this as a top israeli official arrives in washington, d.c. the latest on the escalating tensions just ahead. plus, holiday returns. the latest from the roads and the air as millions of americans head back home, while shoppers rush to bring back those not so great gifts before time runs out to make their returns. thanks for being here. we begin this hour with the expected visit tomorrow to mexico. by secretary of state antony blinken and homeland security secretary alejandro mayorkas. both are set to meet tomorrow with mexico s president andres manuel lopez obrador and first on the agenda will likely be the so-called caravan of migrants heading toward america s southern border. organizers say 8,000 people, including thousands of children under the age of 14, have started the more than 3,000 mile journey from southern mexico to the united states and they are walking. sam brock is following this
hey there, everyone. i m alex witt at nbc world headquarters here in new york city. our top stories this hour, we are awaiting a key meeting that could be critical in helping the crisis on the southern border, as,000 more migrants begin their long journey north. secretary blinken and other officials plan to how old talks with mexico s president. we re look at what s at stake as resources are stretched to the limits. tension in the west bank after a new israeli drone attack kills six palestinians, and increasing threats from settlers put pressure on palestinians, who say they re being pushed out of their homes. back here in the u.s., gun shop owners are noting a new trend. black women buying guns at a rapid pace. what s behinds the spike in sales? we begin this hour with that critical meeting in mexico city. a u.s. delegation led by secretary blinken arrived in mexico just a few minutes ago. they ll meet with the president lopez obrador, as the administration trying to g
the gunman identified, a student at the university. what police say he did before targeting victims at school. tom soufi burridge in prague tonight. here in the u.s., the major storm hitting the west at this hour. heavy rain, flooding, and possible landslides. rescuers pulling drivers from their cars. and following days of flooding in the northeast, crews now racing to clear roads, as the holiday travel rush kicks into high gear. rob marciano standing by. the race for the white house. donald trump s republican rivals running out of time to cut into his massive lead before the iowa caucuses. nikki haley stepping up her attacks against the former president. ron desantis claiming trump s indictments have distorted the primary. jonathan karl reporting. the israel-hamas war. the u.n. now warns the entire population of gaza is facing starvation. children lining up for soup, clutching pots and bowls. israel urged to agree to a new cease-fire to allow more humanitarian aid into
hiding on the ledge of a building. the gunman identified, a student at the university. what police say he did before targeting victims at school. tom soufi burridge in prague tonight. here in the u.s., the major storm hitting the west at this hour. heavy rain flooding, and possible landslides. rescuers pulling drivers from their cars. and following days of flooding in the northeast, crews now racing to clear rides as the holiday travel rush kicks into high gear. rob marciano standing by. the race for the white house. donald trump s republican rivals running out of time to cut into his massive lead before the iowa caucuses. nikki haley stepping up her attacks against the former president. ron desantis claiming trump s indictments have distorted the primary. jonathan karl reporting. the israel-hamas war. the u.n. warns the entire population of gaza is facing starvation. children lining up for soup, clutching pots and bowls. israel urged to agree to a new cease-fire to all