good morning, to our viewers in the usa and around the world. i m john avlon. it is monday, december 18th. it s 5:00 a.m. here in new york, noon in tel aviv, where the u.s. defense secretary is scheduled to meet now with his israeli counterpart. secretary lloyd austin s mission is to press israeli officials on specific milestones for progress in israel s war against hamas, as civilian casualties climb. here s democratic senator chris van hollen talking to abc this sunday. we do have unacceptable levels of casualties. we see loose rules of engagement, way looser than anything that the united states would exercise. we would not drop a 2,000-pound bomb on a refugee camp to target a hamas commander. a senior defense official tells cnn that austin will, quote, want to hear very clear articulation of the israeli self-assessment today. that same official has confidence in the israeli military and so he s there to ask questions and learn more about their plan. elliott gotkine
on capitol hill, the fda commissioner pushing back. he was taken to task about whether the fda didn t move quickly enough. the united states was facing a supply chain stress before the recall that began in february. the pandemic, war in ukraine and labor supply issues have all had an impact. the fact is, food safety is not a priority. whomever looked at that report felt there was no need to respond at all from october to february, until there was a recall. that is a dereliction of duty in my view. before heading on his trip to asia, the president hosting leaders of finland and sweden at the white house as he backs their bid to join nato in defiance of vladimir putin and opposition from nato member turkey s president erdogan. in the face of aggression, nato has not grown weaker or more divided. it has grown stronger, more united. with finland and sweden s decision to request membership in nato, it will be enhanced for all time. this as ukrainian soldiers who surren
In spring 2018. This is the un backed Prime Minister fayez al sarraj. And this is khalifa haftar, the rival military commander who controls the east of the country. Here they are shaking hands after the meeting, which was hosted by the french president , Emmanuel Macron. Heres what he said at the press conference. Translation today, president al sarraj and general haftar can become symbols of National Unity and reconciliation and peace. Iwant National Unity and reconciliation and peace. I want to say with great solemnity, the courage you have shown today by being here and agreeing on thisjoint shown today by being here and agreeing on this joint accord is historic. It is the courage of taking a risk, despite who might have opposed you. Despite the actions of others, which will lead toa actions of others, which will lead to a Reconciliation Process and the construction of peace in the long term. Just to remind you of the complicated political situation in libya. Mr sarrajs government is
In spring 2018. This is the un backed Prime Minister fayez al sarraj. And this is khalifa haftar, the rival military commander who controls the east of the country. Here they are shaking hands after the meeting, which was hosted by the french president , Emmanuel Macron. Heres what he said at the press conference. Translation today, president al sarraj and general haftar can become symbols of National Unity and reconciliation and peace. Iwant National Unity and reconciliation and peace. I want to say with great solemnity, the courage you have shown today by being here and agreeing on thisjoint shown today by being here and agreeing on this joint accord is historic. It is the courage of taking a risk, despite who might have opposed you. Despite the actions of others, which will lead toa actions of others, which will lead to a Reconciliation Process and the construction of peace in the long term. Just to remind you of the complicated political situation in libya. Mr sarrajs government is
Missouri’s troubled House speaker is getting blowback after he hired another former House speaker who had pleaded guilty to assault to be his chief of staff.