Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Episode Date: October 12, 2023

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Tonight, breaking news, a dramatic escalation in the war in the Middle East, Israel vowing to wipe Hamas off the face of the earth. A massive arsenal of tanks, troops and artillery surrounding Gaza tonight, with Israel prepared to invade at any moment in retaliation for those terrorists and barbaric attacks carried out by Hamas. A terrifying exchange of rocket fire sending both Israelis and Palestinians running for cover, the death toll surpassing 2,300 people. utter devastation on the ground in Gaza tonight, civilians trapped with nowhere else to go. Tonight we will be joined by former military officials from both Israel and the U.S. to break down how that land offensive could play out. The urgent efforts to get those hostages out of Gaza tonight before that land invasion, an estimated 150 people still being held captive by Hamas after they were ripped from their loved ones and taken across the border, including

Americans. Tonight we'll talk to a brother and sister desperate for word on their missing relatives who disappeared during Saturday's attack. Back here at home, the major development in Washington, Republicans in the House nominating Steve Scalese to take over as speaker, the final obstacle he still has to cross. Plus Hurricane Lydia slamming into Mexico is a deadly Cat 4 storm, the third strongest in the nation's history, when the American Gulf Coast could feel those effects. legend Mary Lou Wrette rushed to the ICU, where she's battling a rare form of pneumonia. What we're hearing from the gold medalist's family tonight as she fights for her life.

Top story starts right now. And good evening. Tonight, the eyes of the world are on Israel, where a massive buildup of tanks and artillery and troops suggest a full-scale land invasion of Gaza could be launched at any second. Unthinkable, 2,300 people killed in the five days since this war between Israel and Hamas broke out. At least 22 Americans killed. 17 more unaccounted for, and in all, roughly 150 people still being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza tonight, including Americans. At this hour, the war is still being waged largely by air. Dozens of missiles fired from inside Gaza intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome.

President Biden tonight sending ammunition to replenish those interpennessee. interceptors. But some still getting through a medical center in the southern city of Ashgolan, hit by a missile. Residents out on the streets terrified as they came under aerial assault. Our Ellis and Barbara was right there as those missiles rained down. We'll have much more from her and her team coming up in a moment. And tonight's scenes of absolute devastation in Gaza, building after building, completely leveled as Israel's defense minister vows to wipe Hamas off the face of the earth in retaliation for those horrific terror attacks carried out over the weekend. And I want to take a minute to show you exactly where all of this is happening, that utter destruction in Gaza happening right over here. This is the region bordering the Mediterranean Ocean, Egypt over here, Jordan, right over there.

The border tonight closed, leaving civilians with nowhere to go. Fears tonight that could lead to a refugee crisis. If you are Palestinian and you're trying to leave this area, you cannot get into Egypt, you can't get into Israel. The only place to go is the Mediterranean Sea. And at the northern border, a separate part right up here, there's been an exchange of gunfire as well. Hezbollah, militant Islamic group inside Lebanon, firing rockets across that border. Israeli forces launching rockets in return and residents in those border towns ordered to stay inside. But tonight, the region to watch is the south where Israel has.

has now declared the entire region around Gaza, this entire region here, a military zone. The firepower of the Israeli arsenal already on full display we have seen it night after night in towns across that military zone. And back here at home, mounting pressure tonight for President Biden to take action as Hamas threatens to execute

those hostages still being held captive. Now, the press are going to shout to me, and many of you are, that, you know, what are you doing to bring these get these folks home, if I told you I wouldn't be able to get them home. Folks, there's a lot we're doing. A lot we're doing. I have not given up hope. I'm bringing these folks home. Also tonight, the Secretary General of the United Nations calling for the immediate release of all hostages held in Gaza, writing civilians must be protected

at all times. That looming land invasion, adding even more urgency to that impossibly dire hostage crisis. Straight ahead, we're going to have two experts on the military strategy, including a former officer in the Israeli defense force. They're going to join us live with full analysis of what that ground offensive could look like, but maybe the bigger question, what the end game for Israel will be here. But first, let's go to NBC chief foreign correspondent who leads us off tonight, Richard Engel, in Israel. Israeli troops were caught off guard by Hamas's surprise terror attack. Now they're taking the initiative. Israeli forces are streaming south and digging in to target the Hamas-run Gaza

strip with artillery, tanks, and soldiers. The ground offensive could start at any time. For the last five days, Israel has been bombing Gaza to weaken Hamas and has cut off the power and water. Israel's defense minister promises what's coming next will reshape Gaza forever. places, he says, Hamas wanted to change the situation. It will change back 180 degrees, and they will regret this moment. As the military buildup picks up pace, Israel has declared the entire area around Gaza a military zone. Israel has brought in enough tanks and armor for a full-scale ground war and is now mobilizing the more than 360,000 reservists called up for national service. A new phase of this conflict is about to begin, and there will be many casualties.

For Israeli troops, the risks are high. Hamas planned for Saturday's murderous rampage into Israel for a year. It's gunmen showing a level of training and savagery that shocked Israel and the world. New footage shows Hamas gunmen paragliding into that music festival on Saturday morning. Hamas is also prepared for Israel's ground invasion and says it welcomes it. Hamas has a network of tunnels and booby traps and knows the ground. far better than Israel. For the two million civilians in Gaza, the risks are even higher. Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas on earth. Street-to-street fighting could kill thousands.

And Hamas is also holding an estimated 150 hostages there. The United States is fully backing Israel and is already sending plain loads of weapons. The U.S. has also sent warships to the eastern Mediterranean as a warning to Hamas's allies, Hezbollah and Lebanon and Iran to sit this one out. Made it clear, made it clear to the Iranians. Be careful. But will attack in Gaza destroy Hamas as Israel hopes or further radicalize the population locked inside what many describe as the world's largest prison? Wherever Hamas is located, wherever their terror capabilities are located, that's where we are going to find them. Israel says it has no choice but to go in that no nation could accept terrorists next door,

willing to slaughter women and children and take hostages as human shields. Richard Engel joins us tonight from Ashdod, Israel. Richard, if this ground offensive that you've seen up close now over the last two days happens as this military buildup continues, what would the military endgame be? Well, Israel says the goal is to topple Hamas and change the dynamic, but it is difficult to see how a ground offensive, which will be highly destructive, is going to overthrow Hamas unless Israel is willing to reoccupy the Gaza Strip, and there's little appetite here for that. So, mostly it's punitive.

So, Richard, we're going to talk a little more about this later in the broadcast with military leaders from both the U.S. and also Israel. But I do want to ask you, since you've covered so many conflicts, what do you think is going to happen once this ground war starts, if it does, when it reaches the urban center of what is Gaza, one of the most dense places in the world, skyscrapers, buildings, many of them bombed out. I'm thinking of scenes that we have seen. You have seen up close in Syria. We're Hamas as trained fighters as well. It will be very bloody. It will be very bloody for the Israelis.

It will be bloody for the Palestinians even more so. And it will happen right away. Gaza's quite small. So as soon as the ground offensive begins, it will go right into the urban areas because Israel will start with its artillery, then the tanks and bulldozers will follow, and then after that, the troops themselves will go in. And there are booby traps, there are berms, there are preparations that are being made. Hamas says, bring it on, that it wants to fight on its own territory.

Hamas is feeling very confident right now. What happens once we start seeing intense urban fighting is really anyone's guess. And that's why the U.S. is so concerned that this could become a wider conflict. Because if we start seeing large numbers of casualties, even more than we're seeing right now, and there are already large numbers of casualties. And those images are broadcast all throughout the Arab world. It could inflame tensions. It could put pressure on groups like Hezbollah to intervene.

So once this begins, assuming that it does begin, it will become a far more volatile situation. And that is not the only potential flashpoint. Watch Jerusalem. Every Friday, Palestinians gather to pray at the El Aksa Mosque, and every Friday there's a potential flashpoint. particularly this coming Friday. So there are many, many opportunities for this to escalate and spiral even further out of control.

Richard Engel for us tonight from Israel, Richard, we thank you for your reporting. As the threat of that ground offensive looms, Israeli leadership desperate to show a united front against Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader, Benny Gans, agreed to form an emergency unity government as the conflict escalates. Ellison Barber is in southern Israel tonight. Tonight, relentless strikes coming from both sides of the Gaza border. Hamas rockets fired towards the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon all day and night, one destroying a children's wing and a medical center that had been evacuated.

But many of those missiles stopped by Israel's Iron Dome. Three rockets have just been fired over Ashkelon. You hear the booms as they are intercepted. overhead. We were headed, there goes some more of them. We were headed in this direction closer towards the border with Gaza. We saw a number of military vehicles, tanks, what appeared to be them amassing in the wooded area along the street. We were told we couldn't go past the checkpoint or film any more of that. And now you hear right now the succession of booms of rockets being fired. Now amid the deadly conflict, Israel's government

showing a united front against Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and centrist opposition party leader, Benny Gantz, agreeing to form an emergency unity government. We're going to have all the ozma, in all the chasitots, we've evered to the attack. All is Hamas and bin Mavit. Gantz's national unity party, which has fiercely opposed Netanyahu's far-right administration, saying in a statement, the unity government formed on Wednesday, will focus on war efforts and will not promote any unrelated policy or laws. What Israel experienced and suffered last Saturday

was so unprecedented, so monumental, so important that it trumps all other differences and domestic considerations that these two parties might have with one another. The move is a dramatic shift in Israeli political dynamics, but some Israelis we spoke to were frustrated. All of it took this long. Why does it take so much time to unite? I don't believe anything from this government anymore.

Nothing here is functional, not the army, not the police, not the government. Nothing is. Now, with a government temporarily unified, all eyes are on Gaza and the imminent ground assault. Alison, Barbara, joins us tonight live from Ashkelon, Israel. Alison, back here in the U.S., Representative Michael McCall of Texas, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, saying Egypt had warned Israel about a possible attack from Hamas. Here's what he had to say.

There seems to have been a failure of intelligence as well. We're not quite sure how we missed it. We're not quite sure how Israel missed it. We know that Egypt had warned the Israelis three days prior that an event like this could happen. We know that this has been planned perhaps as long as a year ago. A warning was given. I think the question was at what level? So, Alison, you heard it there.

It sounds pretty cut and dry. I know Israel is saying a much different thing tonight. Yeah, I mean, it's significant to hear Congressman McCall say this because this is the first biggest name that has said this publicly on record. In the past, we've seen reports citing Egyptian intelligence officials making that claim. And to those reports, Netanyahu and his office have responded and called those claims absolutely false. But to hear Mike McFal make these claims, that is more direct than we have heard so far. far, and while the Prime Minister and his office haven't responded to that yet, they've called

past reports of those similar claims, fake news. Tom? Ellison, Barbara, for us tonight. Alison, we appreciate that. For more on the outlook of this war in the days and weeks ahead, I want to bring in our panel tonight. NBC News military analyst Colonel Jack Jacobs, he's a retired U.S. Army colonel who fought in the Vietnam War and received the Medal of Honor. And former IDF officer and spokesperson Barack Ross, who joins us live in studio here.

Barack, thanks so much for joining us, Colonel Jacobs, as well. Barack, I want to start with you. These are some of the images we're seeing from the front lines in Gaza, right? We're seeing large tanks move there. Richard spoke about this as well. We're seeing the troops mobilize right at the border, and of course, just the large military machinery. I know you can't talk strategy here. We would never ask you to.

But to explain to our viewers at home, what is happening right now? Well, like we know, this is absolute war right now. And this war began on Saturday morning with a massacre. on the scale in terms of numbers greater than 9-11. Potentially, I think, the second largest terror attack in the history of the world. If I'm not mistaken, after 9-11, as far as the brutality, we're talking about the imagery that we saw in ISIS. We're talking about the imagery that people hear about from Holocaust survivors.

And because of this, talk to me about what's happening right now. The military is mobilizing right at the border for a potential ground invasion is what we're expecting. Correct. What we're hearing right now, like we heard from the defense minister in Israel. The goal here is the eradication of this existential threat to Israel's security, restoring Israel's security, and eliminating Hamas. All right, Colonel Jack Jacobs, I'm going to bring you in here. I want to bring this map up again to remind our viewers just all the places we're talking about here. The military is mobilizing here in southern Israel by the Gaza Strip, as you know, Colonel. And then when we talk about Gaza, these are the images we've seen, right?

A very dense center that has been bombed out, building after building. We were talking about this with you last night. You can see what the Israeli troops are going to face once they move into this area. Very densely populated, a lot of civilians. Colonel Jacobs, talk to us about what Israel's goal will be once they move into Gaza. Richard pointed out that once they cross that border, they're essentially going to be in the city, and how they take it over or eradicate Hamas to use their language. Well, one thing to keep in mind is that the Israeli defense force is not going to go into Gaza until the command has a high degree of confidence.

that it has already eliminated most of the command and control of Hamas, ammunition stores, training areas, communications networks, and so on, because until they do that, any moving into Gaza is going to be much more difficult. So they're not going to go in until they're pretty sure that they've taken most of the communications and command capability from Hamas. But, nevertheless, operating inside urban terrain is the most difficult military operation you can conduct. You see all the rubble.

You have to fight from house to house. The rubble is good for the defenders. They're in tunnels. There are booby traps everywhere. We've seen videos from the Second World War where defenders in the Soviet Union in Stalingrad managed to keep the Nazis at bay in terrain just like this. It's very, very difficult to operate in this terrain.

We see a lot of Israeli tanks on the border with Gaza. They're going to have limited use except initially in getting into Gaza, which leads one to believe that there's a possibility that the Israeli defense force is going to go in for a certain period of time and a certain distance. And a series of underground tunnels, right, that Hamas has built all over the Gaza Strip, something similar to what you experienced with the Viet Cong in Vietnam. Brock, I want to bring it back over to you.

This is the Israeli military, as we know it right now. It's the world's second largest spender per capita when it comes to military weaponry, the 18th strongest military in the world. More than 150,000 active military personnel, 465,000 reserve forces. We know they've called up about 350,000. How long will it take them to mobilize? Because I know the Israelis have been waiting for that. Israel is mobilized.

Israel is mobilized. Israel is ready, and Israel is determined to do what it needs to do in order to return the security after the horrors that we experienced on Saturday morning. When we talk about the reserve forces, talk to me about that program, we know how they work in the U.S. How are they different in Israel? Yeah, sure. So we have mandatory service in Israel where everyone's required to serve.

And when you're done, you move into reserves duty and you go on into your 40s. Plenty of people continue to go well beyond that. Right now, people have been called up in mass. Everyone is showing up. People are volunteering. People are flying home in order to join the fight because this is the absolute defense of our country. And we have to eliminate this existential threat. Colonel Jacobs, before we go, I do want you to explain one thing briefly as you can because we're running out of time here.

We talk about Israel. We have Gaza, of course, but there's also the West Bank that Israel can take their eye off. Richard alluded to that a little bit in his report. How does the military make sure that they keep all of their bodies? border safe if they do move into Gaza? Well, they do have a large force, and it's easy to defend in those areas. The biggest danger, of course, is in the north, other than the south. And one of the reasons that the United States fleet is there is to deter Iranian forces,

Syrian forces from getting involved, and particularly Hezbollah, from coming into Israel from the north. No, Israel has enough forces to both conduct a ground. assault on Gaza and protect its borders elsewhere. The real question is whether or not they're going to be able to eliminate all of all of Hamas and I think they probably will. Colonel Jack Jacobs, Barack Roswey, thank you for your time and for your analysis. Next tonight we are starting to get a closer look at how the Hamas terrorists began their horrifying attacks. NBC's Ralph Sanchez is in southern Israel tonight with that report.

Tonight, new details about the opening moments of Hamas's surprise attack and new questions about the failure to stop it. Terrorists arrived at the gates of Kibbutz-Berry just before 6 a.m. on Saturday. Unable to get through, they lay in wait for Israeli civilians to arrive. Today, we walked through those same gates. This is the main entrance. Following a trail of horror spread across this Kibbutz, a small Israeli farming commune. The scenes of destruction here are just staggering.

The Israeli military says 40 hostages were held in. in this house. Six soldiers were killed trying to liberate them. And ultimately you can see the house completely burned out. Some houses frozen in time from the moment of the attack. And lying nearby a GoPro the killers brought to record their deeds. NBC News obtaining these images released by Hamas showing the bodies of dead Israeli soldiers that were subsequently beheaded. This footage shows families from Bari being marched barefoot from their homes, only to be murdered soon after. The bodies of more than 100 civilians were found here, including many children, some of them still lying in silent rows. It took Israel's military two days of intense fighting

to regain control. Every time that we saw that we clean the area and everything was silent, suddenly another 12 or another 20 would pop out. Tonight, there were combat troops on every street, but the painful question, where were they when Hamas attacked? Do you feel your response here was too slow? I don't use with feeling now. I use with the mission. We need to save the people to protect our land and to switch to attack. And how did Israeli intelligence miss signs of Hamas preparations,

including training on paragliders? And even building a mock town to practice their attack. Questions that will haunt Israel for generations to come. RAF joins us tonight from Ashtad. Raf, just absolutely terrible, everything you're witnessing there. Have we gotten any sense if there was any type of pattern on who was killed in these caboots and who was kidnapped? Tom, it's one of the questions Israelis are asking themselves tonight. Is there some way to explain who lived, who died, the randomness?

I got to tell you, just looking at the range of the victims, everyone from soul, soldiers beheaded fighting against these Hamas gunmen, to babies who were decapitated. It really does seem like these Hamas terrorists killed whoever they could find, wherever they could find. It doesn't seem like there's any thing that really explains what fate befell these people. And the brutality just gets worse as we learn more. Rafi, I also know you have some new reporting when it comes to Iran and their possible involvement in the surprise attack?

That's right, Tom. Two sources tonight tell NBC news that American intelligence finds that Iran was surprised by the attack, which suggests that they were not given advance notice. Those same sources, though, say the Biden administration has not yet reached a firm conclusion about Iranian involvement, and it's one of the questions they are continuing to probe. Tom. Ralph Sanchez for us tonight. Raf, thank you for that. And like you saw in Raf's peace, the kibbutzium near the Gaza border were some of the first places to be attacked by Hamas. Tonight, dozens of Israelis who lived in these communities are still missing and believed to be kidnapped. Joining us now is Liam and Alana Zichak, their cousins, Daniel and Sharon along with Sharon's husband and both of their children went missing Saturday from the kibbutz known as Near Oz.

Liam and Alana, thank you for joining Top Story. I know this is an incredibly tough time. Alana, I'm going to talk to you mostly, Liam. I know this is very emotional. When was the last time you heard from your family? I mean, me personally, a few weeks ago. But the last time we heard from them was Saturday morning, my aunt and my uncle, and they were on the phone with them at, I think, seven in the morning, while they were hiding in their Mahad, the shelter. while they were hearing sirens.

They thought the sirens were business as usual from Gaza until they heard Hamas in the neighbor's house, at which point smoke started to fill into their house, into their mamad. And Msharon said, I don't think we can survive this. I love you. And she hung up the phone, and that was last contact my family had with them. I can't even believe what that's like. Talk to us again about the family members involved here because we went through the list,

but you know them personally. I know we have some images of them as well, some of the family members. Yeah. So my mom is one of five, and her oldest sister, Rivka, Ricky, she has three children. Danielle, Moran, and Sharon. Sharon and David, who is her husband, they live on Kibbotsnir-Oz, where his family lives as well. And they live there with their two babies, their twin girls. They're three, Emma and Julie.

And Danielle lives further north in a town called Yavna with her daughter, Amelia. And they were just visiting with her sister. So also my cousin, just for the weekend. There's been a social media video that has been out there that I think the world has seen. I know it's very difficult to watch. We're going to play it now because some of your family members are in this video. you recognize some of them? Yes.

Tell me exactly what we're seeing here and who are your family? So we're seeing Hamas put them into a truck or they're in the truck. So right there you can see Amelia and Sharon, their backs are to us. And in front of the woman that you see, I can see David crouched down holding one of the twins. This is a video on TikTok. What was it like to see this? It was actually, so on Saturday, we were together just watching the news, waiting for news. And when we found out they were missing, we saw this video and heard about Yoni's

story. And at first, I said to Liam, I said, look, look, that looks like a man. I think it's the Vied. And he just couldn't, he was like, no, no, no. And I think we both just couldn't believe that it was real. And so we sort of just, I think, went numb and it was like pretending like it wasn't real. And then the next morning, my aunt messaged us to tell us that this was them for sure. And we looked, and I just looked at it, and I knew with every fiber in my being that it was them. I know my cousin's hair. I just, I could see the back of her head. She was just here a month ago where I did her hair in my kitchen for my brother's wedding. I know what that, I know what she looks like from behind. Did you contact the Israeli government, the U.S.

Have you been able to contact anyone for help? We have not, and there has been no one that has reached out from the government. We're incredibly frustrated. We want information. We want to get them back. That is our number one priority. Are your family members Israeli and Americans, or are they just hold Israeli citizens? No, they're all Israeli.

We're the only, my family here in America are the only Americans within our extended family. I think we have some video also of your family, of the actual family members. If you could talk to us a little bit about them and the types of people they are. and just so our audience can understand them. Yeah. My family is honestly, I know people say this, but the warmest, most loving, funny, kind, generous. And who's this here?

That's Amelia. Right before it was Danielle. The babies, I mean, they're children. Like, what can I say? They're beautiful and they're funny and they're silly little kids, you know? Like, look at her. She's making little heart with her hands. And, and, like, they're my aunt's world.

And I just, look, they're human beings. Yeah, that's show on right there. And show on and the twins. Liam, what would you say, there's a chance you never know that the people holding your family hostage right now see this interview. They see these photos. What would you want to tell those men, those terrorists? I want to tell them that these are human beings, and I'm begging them to please release them. Please.

They deserve to live. They're civilians. They're not the Israeli army. They were living their lives peacefully in a kibbutz near Gaza. They want peace as much as we do. Alana, what was life like before this terrorist attack in those kibbutz? because we know they were close to Gaza. Was this always a fear, and you mentioned the bomb shelter,

but was this always a fear that an attack like this could happen? So when my cousin moved to the Kibbutz, we all were like, why, but that's where her husband's family lives, and it's a beautiful place, Kibbutzim are beautiful places to live. And it's very close to Gaza. And so every time there was sirens, red alert, we would check in. And it was always, it happens often. And it becomes, for these Israeli people, it becomes a normal way of living, these sirens, these bombs, these rockets being sent.

And so we thought it was just that, again, we never, ever, ever, in our wildest dreams, could have imagined that this type of attack would have happened. Liam, those bomb shelters, they talk about a lot, and we've seen some video of them. Are they designed to protect from rockets and not terrorist attacks, not to live there weeks on end, and there's no way to get in? explain them. Yeah, basically, it's called Mamad, and they're required in every home in Israel because rockets happen all the time there, unfortunately. And they're designed to keep out rockets and keep people safe. They're not designed to keep terrorists out. I think some of them don't even lock sometimes. Alana, if, you know, I know this has been a tough time, is there anything you want to say just to the American people who are watching this and trying to understand

and what's happened in Israel? I think it's really hard to try and understand and make sense of any of this. I think I want to say this isn't the time for, in my opinion, this isn't the time for discourse and context and it's a time to come together. We have to come together with the Israelis, with the Jewish people.

Everyone has to come together to fight, against what we know is evil, and we have to work together to bring our family back immediately. It's the only thing we want. We don't want more rockets and more bombs. We want to bring our family back, and I want everyone to demand from our government and from the Israeli government to do everything in their power right now to bring them back to us.

Okay. Alana and Liam, thank you so much for sharing. I know this is a very tough time, and we appreciate your courage to come on and to ask for help for your family. Thank you. Thank you. And we'll continue to follow this for throughout the broadcast. But when we come back, the major headlines we're watching right here at home. Republicans in the House nominating Steve Scalese to serve as speaker when that nomination could be brought to a full vote on the floor. Plus, in battle, Congressman George Santos, facing new allegations of fraud and identity theft. And now a member of his own party moving to expel him from Congress will have a full report from Washington. And former NFL safety, you may remember him, Sergio Brown, arrested a month after his mother's death, the charges he's now facing. Stay with us. Back now to Washington and House Republicans today, moving closer to picking their

new speaker, narrowly nominating Steve Scalise of Louisiana to replace the ousted Kevin McCarthy. Ryan Nobles is at the capital for us tonight. Hey, Ryan. Tom, this was a very narrow win for the current majority leader, Steve Scalise, in that closed-door GOP conference. He barely edged out the current judiciary chairman Jim Jordan. And it really requires a vote of almost every member of the Republican Party on the House floor in order for Scalese to capture the speakership. And right now, there are several Republicans who have said that they just aren't prepared to support him at this stage. So as a result, this vote is being delayed. And we're not exactly sure when they're going to schedule it. And Scalise is spending all of his time whipping the

votes, trying to convince some of these wayward Republicans that they need to unite the conference and get behind him as the next Speaker of the House. Now, Jim Jordan, who many say they would still like to support on the House floor, he has said that he'll nominate Steve Scalise when it gets to that stage, and he's also trying to convince those who are supporting him to put their support behind Scalise as well. At this point, it is a waiting game, and until the House can pick a speaker, all the important issues that Congress is being forced to deal with will be delayed as we sit and wait for Republicans to make up their mind. Tom? Yeah, the whole country waiting right now. Ryan, we thank you for that. As House Republicans work on a new

speaker, some of the party are also moving to oust one of their own. This after New York Congressman George Santos now facing new indictments, including identity theft from his own campaign donors. NBC's Ali Vitale covers Capitol Hill. Excuse me. No, I'm not. Tonight, mounting pressure on embattled Congressman George Santos. Federal prosecutors hitting the New York representative with a 23-count superseding indictment. including new allegations of fraud and identity theft from his 2020 campaign. I didn't handle the money to the campaign. Prosecutors say Santos is charged with stealing people's identities

and making charges on his own donor's credit cards without their authorization. On one occasion, he allegedly charged $12,000 to the contributor's credit card, ultimately transferring the vast majority of that money into his personal bank account. Prosecutors also allege Santos and his then campaign treasurer Nancy Marks fabricated campaign contributions from family members to help his campaign hit a threshold for additional funding from the National Republican Party. Santos vowing to fight these new allegations in court.

Look, you're all acting like I'm not entitled to due process and innocent and so proven guilty. I'm nothing. I mean, I'm just going to go defend myself. He's already pleaded not guilty to charges in an earlier federal indictment. But fellow Republicans from his home state have had enough. After the latest indictment, I think it's clear that he's not fit to serve in the House of Representatives. New York freshman lawmakers is introducing an expulsion resolution today.

This is the most provable case of election fraud that we have before us. Kicking Santos out would require a two-thirds vote from the entire House, a rare move, and one that would only further complicate Republicans' slim majority hold on the House. But Santos saying it would mean overturning the will of the voters. And ignoring questions about his chances of surviving an expulsion vote. Tom Santos remaining defiant there, as we've seen him be throughout his tumultuous and scandal-ridden career here on Capitol Hill. What's helping him remain here, though, despite the fact that fellow Republicans are calling for him to resign or even be ousted, is the fact that Republicans are also far too preoccupied

with their own race for the speakership. Losing one Republican member, in this case Santos, would make their majority even slimmer. They can't afford that. Tom? It's a great point. Okay, Ali Vitale on Capitol Hill also for us tonight. Coming up next to dramatic rescue in Georgia, an SUV flipping on its side after, wow, look at that,

crashing into another car. The moment an officer who happened to be driving nearby jumped out on top of that vehicle to get the driver out, will show it to you. That's next. Okay, back down with Top Stories News Feed. We begin with the stunning arrest of a former NFL player for the murder of his mother. Former Patriots in cult safety, Sergio Brown, arrested in San Diego in connection to the death of his 73-year-old mother,

who was found dead near her Chicago home last month. Brown had been missing for nearly a month until he was caught coming back from Mexico. now being extradited to Illinois, where he face his first-degree murder charges. And a Georgia policeman coming to the rescue after a scary car wreck, dash cam footage, take a look, showing the moments an SUV topples over after colliding with a sedan that was blowing a red light. The officer quickly jumping on top, you'll see him here, holding the heavy car door up with the assistance of a helpful other driver who pulled over. Rescuing the passenger with no injuries, it is still unclear whether the driver of the sedan will face charges.

All right, we want to continue our coverage now of Israel's war with Hamas and a reminder of how delicate this situation is. You can see on this map right here the neighboring countries with Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and nearby Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. To give us a perspective on how things could possibly escalate, I want to bring in two great minds who have covered this region extensively and both for the Washington Post. First up is Josh Rogan, a global opinions columnist at the Post who specializes in national security and foreign point. policy. And Jason Razina, who served as Tehran Bureau Chief for the Post and still rights for their global opinion section, he lived in this region for many years and was detained by Iran for 18 months before his release in 2016. I thank you both for being here. Jason, I want to start with you. At the top of this broadcast, we heard some mixed messages, right? Israel is saying

that Iran had a heads up about the surprise terrorist attack by Hamas. The U.S. saying, namely the Biden administration, that they're being told that Iran was surprised. about this attack. The truth is going to be somewhere in the middle, possibly, or maybe one of the countries is lying. What do you think has happened here? Did Iran have involvement in this, do you think? Well, look, I think, as you said, it'll take some time for us to figure out whether Iran was directly involved or not. But I think this is a really good indication of something that some of us have noticed for a long time, that these proxies that rely on Iran for for weapons, for financial support, oftentimes act on their own.

I don't think it's possible to think that Hamas has not been getting military and intelligence guidance from Iran over the years, but whether or not Iran knew that this plan was eminent, we can't just say yet. Josh, I want to go back to the map of the region, right? And when someone like you takes a look at the region and the surrounding countries, right, and it just gets so compressed as you get closer to the Gaza's, Strip and the West Bank and Israel. When you look at this map, what worries you the most? As far as the military situation is concerned, we'll talk about a potential refugee crisis later.

Right. Well, I think as we saw it today, tensions are flaring up in the north, both in Lebanon, and there's also been rocket fire coming from Syria. The Israelis pounded Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon with artillery. There was a scare today where all the alert systems in northern Israel went off, turned out to be a false alarm, but it just shows you that this second front is brimming on the edge of boiling over, and I think that's what the U.S. government is scared most about. I think that's why they're sending at least one carrier group to that region. It's not to scare Hamas.

It's to scare Hezbollah and the Iranians from escalating this into a two-front war. Jason, you know, people are going to be looking at that map, and once Israel, if they do start this ground war, there's going to be a refugee crisis. if there is not already one, you could argue that that one is happening right now with the borders closed around the Gaza Strip. So obviously, Israelis are not going to be letting Palestinians in. Egypt only lets a few Palestinians in that have very special circumstances. We know they're not going to open that border as well.

Explain to us why when it comes to Egypt they're not going to allow, at least right now, Palestinian refugees in. Well, I think first and foremost that if they would start allowing them in, the floodgates would open, and so many people would be rushing into Egypt as a possible safe haven. Another issue is that Egypt is just trying to play a very difficult balancing act in that part of the world, communicating with all sides, trying to keep communications open with the Israelis, also with Hamas, also relies on the United States for a lot of support.

One thing that I think is critical here, a role that Egypt can play, if not, to taking on refugees is a mediator in the hostage negotiations. They have been unfortunately a hostage taker of Americans in the past, but I think there's an opportunity for them to play an important piece of the puzzle in getting Americans who are currently being held out. Josh, I think it's important not to forget the Palestinians that live in Gaza who will become refugees if this ground war starts because the world is going to have to figure out what to do with these people who may not want war at all.

They just want to live, and they're going to need some place to escape, if not Egypt and Israel. There's the Mediterranean Ocean, so somebody's going to have to open a border. What do you think happens, and what do you think the end game is for Israel, if they do move in with a ground campaign? Is it occupation? Obviously, they're going to try to get hostages back, but what could the end game be? Right. So to your first question, I think, just to follow up where Jason left off, Egypt can play a big role in mitigating the civilian suffering in Gaza, and that's through allowing humanitarian and aid and food and medicine flow into Gaza for as long as this goes.

So I think in addition to it, negotiating with hostages, one way to prevent these people from suffering more is to make sure they have food and water and medicine. And then I think the second thing that is going to have to happen is that when the dust settles, there's going to have to be a reconstruction and redevelopment effort inside Gaza because most of these people will not be allowed to leave. And most of the countries in the region will not accept more Palestinian refugees because of their own domestic politics. And I think the third thing that we have to mention is that there has to be a clear line from the United States and other countries that collective punishment of Palestinians is a violation of international law. And that eventually there have to be limits to what are the conditions under which this siege operates. Because as you noted, the end game isn't that Israel wants to occupy Gaza. And the end game can't be to kill all these people. So there has to be a recognition that even though the operations will continue for weeks and months,

the people of Gaza will be there forever and their suffering needs to be taken into account in every decision. Jason, we haven't even spoken about the West Bank and Israelis and Palestinians living amongst each other there. But what do you think happens over the coming weeks and months? Well, look, you know, if you just look at the conversations that are going on outside of the country between Palestinians and Israelis, I think there's a real indication that this is an untenable situation moving forward. And I don't see a pathway to reconciliation in our lifetime. And it's just so disturbing and distressing to see the images, to hear about the brutality. And I think Josh makes a very important point about acknowledging the need to service

the very basic needs of people in Gaza. But ultimately, there's no winners here. Okay. Jason and Josh, we thank you both for joining Top Story tonight. Coming up, the Olympic gymnast fighting for her life back here at home, the family of Mary Lou Retton saying she's in intensive care with a rare form of pneumonia, what we know so far about this scary health battle. That's next. We're back now with a story that has surprised many Americans

across the country. Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton's health battle. Her family announcing the Hall of Fame gymnast has been in the ICU for the past week battling a rare form of pneumonia. Morgan Chesky has the details and what her daughter is saying about her condition tonight. The family of Mary Lou Retton announcing today the former Olympic champion is fighting for her life over a very rare form of pneumonia. Thank you so much for all the love and support. Shayla sharing an update Wednesday on her mother who remains in an intensive care unit. She's still fighting. It's going to be a day-by-day process, and we hope that you guys will respect her boundaries. Mary Lou first vaulted into superstardom at the 1984 Olympics.

Becoming the first American gymnast to win the all-around at just 16 years old. She would go on to win five Olympic medals that summer, more than any other athlete, quickly becoming a household name for her athleticism and infectious smile, appearing in commercials. Watch out, big boys. On the cover of a Wheaties box, and even as a dancer. I don't want no veggie. The Hall of Famers spoke with today in 2019 about watching her daughters follow in her very footsteps.

I promise her every year. I'm going to sit like every other normal parent, and I just can't do it. Now the tributes pouring in from the gymnastics world for the 55-year-old. Fellow Olympic champ Nadia Cominici writing, Please get better, my very dear friend, as her family appealed to the public. Please continue the prayers, and we cannot thank you enough for the love and support that you guys have shown. While America's sweetheart continues to fight. And Renton Star Burns especially bright here in Houston,

where the city inducted her into their sports hall of football. fame back in 2020. And Tom, tonight, help coming in not only in the form of tributes, but financial assistance as well. Rent's daughters sharing that they are crowdfunding her hospital bills because their mother does not have any health insurance. Their initial goal, $50,000 and a last check, people all over the world have contributed more than $280,000 to the cause. Tom. I know a lot of Americans are thinking and praying for her tonight. All right, Morgan, we thank you for that. We turned out of Top Stories Global Watch

and another powerful earthquake shaking Western Afghanistan. The 6.3 quakes struck north of Harat early this morning, just days after two earthquakes you may remember of the same magnitude rocked that region. So far more than 2,000 people have died. Officials say many

homes that survived those first two quakes have now been destroyed. Search and rescue operations are underway after a deadly missile strike on a school in southern Ukraine. The bombing in Denibrio region killed at least four employees to other people were hurt. Nearby homes and buildings were also damaged from the strike. Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of carrying out the attack, nowhere yet from the Kremlin.

And an update tonight on Hurricane Lydia after it made landfall on Mexico's Pacific coast. New video shows raging floodwaters in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta. Another Lydia, after, excuse me, after Lydia slammed ashore as an extremely dangerous category for storm. Heavy winds of up to 140 months. miles per hour knocking down trees and power lines. At least one person killed, the storm moves east. Heavy rain is expected from eastern Texas to South Carolina. Okay, when we come back, the major need for aid as the war between Israel and Hamas intensifies, many here in the U.S. now answering that call. We'll take you to one distribution center in Florida where volunteers are packing

everything from baby wives to canned food as organizations race to get critical supplies into the region before humanitarian corridors are completely cut off. Stay with us. Finally tonight, a look at the helpers, organizations around the world trying to get aid to civilians in Israel and Gaza who are suffering catastrophic losses. NBC Sam Brock visited one group that's coming together to do what they can from afar. With the suffering in Israel only beginning to deepen to unthinkable depths, the need is overwhelming, but so is the response. Seeing everything on the news as it is and saying you've got to do something for everybody that's between everything that's going on. We do the stacking of the pallets.

At the Global Empowerment Mission Distribution Center in Durrell, Florida, we find helpers. Anything we can do. I mean, it's just so little, but anything we can do. Volunteers, packaging family aid kits to be shipped to Israel. These are MREs, meals ready to eat. So if they're somewhere where they can't cook or they don't have a lot of resources, these are really great for a family. Soap, baby wipes, electrolyte packets, and canned goods handled with care. Jonathan Morton working tirelessly as his cousins abroad live in fear.

One of them having witnessed a bombing. All he could do was watch it on TV. The bombing, it was horrible, and you can't believe this happened. We can't believe people are as brutal as humong. You can't believe they just killed so many innocent people. The Miami-area-based organization has satellite locations all over the world. Turkey, Ukraine, and Hawaii, to name a few. And it's not just the sorted items going out,

but the community donations coming in from local temples and shules. We're talking about boxes full of things like underwear and batteries, band-aids that are being picked up right now on this forklift and put it out and sorted somewhere else in the warehouse to then go out to Israel in the coming days. With thousands of lives lost and entire communities decimated, volunteer organizations like Jem know the need for supplies is dire. These kids are designed to help a family of four up to 72 hours after an immediate disaster.

It would be my hope that if even for 10 minutes, it provides some semblance of relief in this awful time. And access is a problem. The UN World Food Program is calling for humanitarian corridors as conditions on both sides of the border deteriorate. These Palestinian children shelter at a school being used as an emergency relief center. The UN already delivering ready to eat food to 73,000 people in Gaza. on Monday. Very soon, the food supplies and basic needs in Gaza are going to run out. We need safe and impeded access and we need funding support now more than ever. These aid missions, not about religion or geographic borders. This is about humanitarian relief and humans in need. Back

here in Dural, good Samaritans showing their support for the people of Israel and families feeling the pain of war. One package at a time. We thank San Brock for that one. And we thank you. Thank you for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.