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Conditions apply. Offer includes 1% loyalty rate reduction for qualifying customers. Visit hyundaicanda.com or your local deal for details. If it's Thursday, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump emerges unscathed again from a fiery primary debate night as the remaining rivals direct their fury at each other instead in the countdown to caucus day.
Plus, fighting in southern Gaza's main city intensifies as NBC News learns new details about the horrors of October 7th and the brutal gender based violence committed by Hamas two months after. And we're following the fallout and the implications of a major abortion ruling in Texas where a pregnant woman just won an unprecedented emergency challenge against the state spam. Welcome to BE THE PRESS now. I'm Kristen Welker in New York.
We begin with the race for the White House. With the first primary contest fast approaching, it was an action packed debate night with Nikki Haley's rivals attacking her like a front runner. Ron DeSantis delivering his most capable performance of the campaign and Chris Christie at his most forceful. And VIP Ramaswamy mainstreaming white nationalist conspiracy theories.
It's all significant. But it's also significant that with 40 days to Iowa, none of that changes the race. Despite skipping every debate, despite mounting legal obstacles and authoritarian rhetoric, former President Trump remains on a glide path to the nomination. And with just one exception, his rivals are still pulling their punches.
So the question is why? Take a look at perhaps the most telling moment of the debate last night in exchange between DeSantis and Christie on Trump's fitness for office. I think we need to have somebody younger. I think when you get up to 80, I don't think it's a job for that question.
The question was very direct. Is he fit to be president or isn't he? We should not. Who's almost 80 years old.
He's afraid to answer. Either you're afraid or you're not. I'm a simple guy, okay? I hear the question and I answer it.
Is he fit or isn't he? Well, it's no coincidence that the only candidate willing to forcefully make the case against the former president is the only candidate who finds himself well underwater in terms of favorability. Mr. Trump's rivals are on the trail today.
But he wasn't. Instead, he was in a Manhattan courtroom where he's facing civil fraud charges. And yet last night, Christie got booed when bringing up Trump's many legal woes. Take a listen.
I want you all to kind of picture in your mind's Election Day, you'll all be heading to the polls to vote. And that's something that Donald Trump will not be able to do because he will be convicted of felonies before then and his right to vote will be taken away. You know, look, big picture here. There is a robust fight for second place between Ron DeSantis and Mickey Haley happening right now.
But last night was a reminder that Donald Trump is still the political third rail of today's Republican Party. With us now is our NBC News team Chill Booster in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where last night's debate took place. And Priscilla Thompson is in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Jack, I want to start with you.
You were in the spin room last night. How are the candidates? How are the campaigns framing the debate? Who are the winners and losers?
Well, Kristen, I'm sure you will be shocked to know that when you talk to AIDS and advisors of all campaigns, they all say that their candidate won the debate. So you can take that for what it is. But coming in following the debate, when you listen to the candidates now, you have Nikki Haley acknowledging that she was on the defensive for much of last night. But she's saying that that's because she has now surged in polls, now surging.
That word is relative. When you look at recent polls, even one that came out today, you still see former President Trump with that Dobb dominant lead in this race. But you have Ron DeSantis, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. He was able to play some of the role that you've seen McKay Haley play in prior debates where he was able to get his messaging out, pretty much stick to his thumb speed and also throw in a couple of jabs at other candidates throughout.
And then I'll tell you, former Governor Chris Christie, he definitely was proud of his performance. I spoke to him hours leading into the debate. He said that he was going to be coming in as a prosecutor, that he wouldn't let other candidates evade answers and he would keep the fire on former President Donald Trump. When he came into the spin room, he was rushing over to another television hit.
But he snapped at my camera. I yelled out a question. He ignored my question. But he looked and he looked me in the eyes and said, I told you so.
So he's proud of what he was able to do. And then you also hear Ramaswamy proud of his performance. He's become that attack dog on stage. And he definitely replicated that again on stage last night.
Kristen Shock, mixing it up with all of the candidates pressing for the answers there. What has been so extraordinary is that, of course, former President Donald Trump has skipped all four debates. Instead, he's facing four indictments. Today, he was in Manhattan courtroom.
This was for a civil trial. Basically, his strategy is working because he's only been increasing the polls. Right. Right.
He essentially is debate what debate? As he is dealing with his legal issues in the courtroom. The courtroom, by the way, that he doesn't need to be in, but he's sending out fundraising emails. And you listen to his messaging as he talks to reporters.
He essentially says that I'm forced to be here. I'm forced off the campaign trail when I want to be in Iowa and New Hampshire. And is saying and keeping that combative tone against his legal foes. Listen to a little bit of that messaging that you've been hearing from Donald Trump.
Again, ignoring the debate, but focus on his legal issues. The attorney general committed fraud. And you just saw it right up there. She's a fraud.
This whole case is a fraud. It's election interference. It's keeping me here instead of Iowa and New Hampshire. You just saw the attorney general approaching committed fraud.
And today we also learned of two new debates, one in Iowa, the other in New Hampshire, both in January. Sourced with the Trump campaign already telling NBC News that there is no way that he'll be on that debate stage. No surprise there, Shaq. They have continued to say unless they see a real dip in the polls, that the former president is not going to be participating.
Great reporting as always. Thank you. Priscilla, I want to turn to you. You and I were up late last night, and you were watching the debate with some Iowa caucus goers.
What did they have to say? And of course, you asked them the key question, were any minds actually changed last night? What did they tell Kristen? That was the big question.
I was in the room with about two dozen independent and Republican voters in Iowa. And as soon as it wrapped up, the first question I asked them was, did this change anything for anyone in this room? And not a single hand went up. There were folks in that room who were supporting Donald Trump, some of whom this was their first debate watching, and they said it was interesting, but Trump was still the winner in their eyes.
He's still their candidate. There were a number of People who were very interested in Vivek Ramaswamy. But I will tell you, what they said in the same breath was, well, I will take him or I'll take Trump. And so it's unclear how strong that support actually is.
But I will tell you there was also a contingent of people very interested in Nikki Haley. Some of them said that she didn't have her strongest night last night, that she got a lot of incoming, and she maybe didn't handle that so well. But they say that overall, her answers are clear, her policy positions are clear, and so they're gonna support her because they believe she can win in the general election. But an interesting note, one name that did not come up among those voters that we were Governor Ron DeSantis.
That is pretty fascinating. Let me ask you about Governor, because it's really starting to feel like a fight for second place between Haley, who's had a lot of momentum in recent weeks, and Governor DeSantis. He is back in Iowa today. He, of course, has done the 99 county tour, the full Grassley, as they call it.
What is his pitch to voters today as he tries to regain the momentum? Yeah, he just wrapped up here a short while ago, and I spoke to a lot of voters who were in line today. It was interesting, I'll tell you. All of them, half a dozen I spoke to.
None of them watched the debate last night. They said they wanted to be here in person hearing from the candidates. And another thing is a lot of those folks have not attended candidate events yet. This was their first event that they were attending, including one man who was on Team Senator Tim Scott, but is now shopping around for a new candidate.
I don't want to play some of those conversations I had with those voters. I've seen enough of the baits. They're. They're pretty much reiterating what they've.
What they've said before. And. And without Trump there, the energy just isn't there. And have you looked at any of the other candidates and Kaylee Vickran Swami?
Well, yeah, but Vivek's kind of out there right now. I think he's a really good politician, knows what he wants, but not yet. Yeah. Yeah.
Okay. What about Nikayla? She's getting traction here, too, it seems. DeSantis.
All right, and that is going to be the issue. It's a lot of I'll take this candidate or maybe that other candidate. And so it's convincing them to caucus for someone like DeSantis. And I asked him what he needs to do to shore up that support in these last few weeks, especially given the poll numbers that show him trailing by double digits.
And he says it's round game, it's making it to the 99 counties, it's convincing people to commit to caucus and he believes have a successful night here in January. Person. We shall see. All right, Priscilla, and chat beforehand.
Thanks for your fantastic reporting. Join me now on set is our panel. Noah Rossman, senior writer at the National Review and former Homeland Security secretary and current partner at Paul Weiss J. Johnson, thanks so much to both of you for being here.
Secretary Johnson, let me start with you. What were your takeaways last night? Do you think that last night changed anything about the Republican field? I have two thoughts.
One, Chris Christie, who was my governor, I'm a resident of New Jersey, left governor in 2017, woefully unpopular in that debate last night. He was like the one truth teller. He's polling at what, 3%? He knows he has no shot to get the nomination.
He's just there to basically. He does. He did last night. He does best debating.
You remember that takedown moment of Marco Rubio in 20 in 2016, for example. I think he overall wants to improve his image, improve his standing, improve his prestige. He's in it for that and he's good at debating. The question I have every time I see Nikki Haley, who's on the rise is whether Trump does have a 50 point lead in that group is whether he would be willing to offer her number two and she'd be willing to take it.
That's the question. But overall, I've noticed in particular in primary campaigns, candidates enter the race polling at a certain level and then sometimes the more you see them, their numbers go down and sometimes the more you see them, their numbers go up. And that does seem to be the case with DeSantis and Haley. He started here.
He's been dropping that. That's been arrested somewhat. But Governor Haley continues to decline and may see a surprise in New Hampshire, South Carolina. Well, that's what makes it so exciting, Noah, because there is even though Trump is so far out in front, because we are talking about caucuses, this is a very different way, unique way of weighing in, casting your ballot, if you will.
So could there be a surprise and did last night change anything, do you think? I mean, the secretary's talking about the fact that, yes, we have seen Nikki Haley with this momentum. It's a real fight for second place. Yeah, but you're frankly right, it's a fight for second place.
I would be surprised if last night changed dynamics. First of all, it was very low rated debate. As far as we understand, about 3 million people tuned in and I can't really think of any viral moments that are going to translate in the next couple of weeks into organic enthusiasm. But enthusiasm is a big question.
As far as Iowa goes, it's not quite like the Democratic 2008 primary where they argues with each other. Second ballots, there's multiple ballots and they all have to substitute firehouse primary. It is a standard primary, but there's an enthusiasm element there and getting people out to vote for their candidate could matter quite a bit. Donald Trump's banking quite a bit on his image.
Right. He's banking on the idea that his Persona, his aura is such that he doesn't really have to campaign very much. And the polls suggest he's right. But enthusiasm on the ground matters quite a bit.
Round game matters quite a bit. He does have it. But Ramsay's team is very. He's got the governor behind him, he's got Banderplats behind him and now Nikhili has the Koch network, all which are augmenting their games.
You could see an upset in Iowa, you could definitely see an upset in New Hampshire and you could see an upset in South Carolina after that. I don't know where either of these candidates though. Super Tuesday comes on very fast and then you're dependent upon momentum from those early states. If they don't have it, I think the balloon deflates pretty quickly.
Yeah, I mean we are 40 days until Iowa. So I think you're absolutely right about that. Ask you about some of the drama that is unfolding on Capitol Hill, this big fight over the supplemental and no, the big sticking point is over this border piece of it. How to fund the border, what if any changes should be made at the border And Republicans, Democrats don't see aid.
Oh, by the way, should Ukraine and Israel aid be dealt with as a part of this supplemental? Should they be dealt with separately? Should aid Israel be conditional? There's a lot unresolved and they want to get out of town by next Friday.
That's the only thing they can agree on is that everybody wants to get out of here by next Friday. Yes. The House in particular to mollify members of the House Republican Conference who are hostile, unlike hostile to the Ukrainian cause will support it, be convinced to support it if it is paired with border funding and changes to the status quo in statute when it comes to the border. And will they get that is a big question.
White Houses signal they're interested in negotiation. They haven't said where they want to negotiate or where they're flyable. And the House Republican Conference has yet to actually propose their own, their own, you know, resolution to this in pass. So I'm very pessimistic that we're gonna get something next.
Are you pessimistic? You share that pessimism? Well, if I were in the administration now, this Democratic administration, as opposed to last one, I would see this as an opportunity. There are three compelling governmental interests here at stake.
Funding, Ukraine, funding for Israel and the border. If I were in the room, I would be negotiating on the border side of this thing. Sure. More customs officers, more Border Patrol, more immigration judges.
HR2 is unacceptable to Democrats, but changing the asylum laws, which a lot of people on the left don't like, would actually help. The way our asylum laws are structured right now, where the bar is very low on the front end to qualify, does serve as a magnet for a lot of the what we see on the southern border. And as long as we're talking about this general topic, let's take care of the DACA R recipients, maybe provide path to citizenship for those who've been here over 10 years. So I would.
I would say this is something of an opportunity. The president said he's open to compromise on this issue. Do you think that includes on asylum laws too? Do you think there could be some common ground that they could find there?
Yes, I do. I think that there are people even within the current administration who recognize that we need to change our asylum laws and perhaps alter the standards on the front end. Everybody can walk away here with a victory, and everybody can walk away here with a narrative that they want to promote. The White House has been criticized, I think, duly and justly for throttling material, lethal aid to Ukrainians.
They ask for something, they get Hemming and Hoang for three, four weeks and eventually get the platform that they need. That has hindered, indeed rendered the counter offensive this year rather unsuccessful. Republicans would be handing this president the ability to say, look, Republicans, abandon the cause. I had nothing to do with it.
Let me blame them. They would be giving them that narrative. It would be political malpractice to, to provide them with that out. And one of the fascinating things we're seeing is Senator Lindsay Graham, Republican, who has been really focused on Ukraine, is now saying, I'm more worried about our border than Ukraine.
Doesn't mean he doesn't want Ukraine to get done as a piece of this, but it speaks to the fact that they have to. And Lindsay could be key to this. Lindsay understands border. He understands immigration policy.
So he could play a key role here. All right. Well, we will watch him and all the lawmakers and president very closely to what extent he gets involved. Thank you so much.
No, Ed, Secretary Johnson, really appreciate it. Great to see both of you. And coming up, today marks two months of Israel's war with Hamas. We are on the ground in Israel where tensions are flaring as protesters marching Jerusalem and Israeli forces advance deeper into southern Gaza.
Plus, my one on one interview with the Jordanian foreign minister on how the Israel Hamas conflict is reshaping dynamics and deepening divides in the Middle East. Stay with us. You're watching the press. Now.
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Welcome back. Israeli military says they are in the middle of, quote, stubborn fighting in the Gaza Strip, including inside the southern city of Khan Yunis as they seek to eliminate Hamas and locate the remaining 138 hostages. The IDF release this footage they say shows their military's operations in the city and as Israel's aerial bombardment continues. This was the scene on the ground in communists as shot by our NBC crew.
On the ground, the UN Says hundreds of thousands in con units are under evacuation orders as the World Health Organization's Gaza envoy warns the health system is collapsing. We just delivered essential medical supplies, trauma kits, essential medicines. It's not the first time. We're constantly supporting hospitals, health facilities around Gaza, but the health infrastructure is.
On his knees. It's almost collapsing. That is what the reality is. It's almost collapsing.
Today, President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu the first time in 10 days. We do not yet have the details of that call, but does come as Secretary Blinken told Netanyahu advisor that Israel must do more to protect civilians. As humanitarian groups warn nowhere is safe. This was the scene in Rafah where tens of thousands of civilians have already fled and were expected.
Israel says Hamas launched rockets Wednesday from within humanitarian zones in southern Gaza. Joining me now from Jerusalem is Tallaharani Hala. Thank you so much for joining me. What is the very latest on the fighting in Gaza at this moment and what we're just talking about, the humanitarian situation on the ground as well.
Right. Well, you spoke of the intensifying military activity by the Israeli army in the southern part of the Gaza Strip and in particular Khan Yunus, where you showed some of that NBC News video of buildings that were targeted by airstrikes and people sometimes with their bare hands trying to get to any survivors. There is also, of course, the added complication of a collapsing healthcare system. So anyone who is rescued from these piles of rubble having a very hard time getting the medical attention that they need.
UN Officials say that the healthcare system is collapsing. Some, though parts of the Gaza Strip are. We're seeing a medical system that has completely collapsed. In other words, that cannot accommodate any more injured, any more sick.
And on top of everything else, you have just run of the mill everyday illnesses. I'm talking, of course, about diarrhea that children can suffer from, skin conditions, chest infections, all of these benign medical conditions that are not treated now that might lead to an even bigger humanitarian and healthcare catastrophe down the line for some. And the images tell the tale of everything. You are detailing the horror there.
Hala, let me ask you about what we are seeing in Jerusalem. A far right march scheduled for tonight, of course, it is the first night of Hanukkah. The Israeli opposition leader saying it could further inflame tensions. What unfolded?
What were the takeaways? So this was an extreme nationalist supremacist march that was scheduled for this evening. It doesn't seem to have taken off in any kind of significant way. The road behind me was blocked by Israeli police.
And it seems like the group was small. It didn't end up taking that very provocative route to Temple Mount, Haram al Sharif, as the Muslims call it, and Temple Mount, as the Jewish Israelis call it. So in other words, it really ended up just kind of petering out and not causing any kind of significant disturbance as far as that march is concerned. But the atmosphere, of course, is still very much tense.
There is still violence that takes place, especially in the west bank with increased settler violence against some of the Palestinian villagers and not very far from our position here, Kristen, and obviously the west bank, an area of grave concern as well with the settler violence that you describe. I do want to ask about these reports we're getting from US Officials who confirmed that Israel is considering a plan to effectively flood Hamas tunnels with seawater. Where is that plan? Is it still in the planning stages?
Is it realistic? Do you expect that to actually come to pass. We're seeing satellite imagery that NBC News has been able to show to experts that show that certainly in the last few weeks there appear to be some sort of pipe network connected to the seashore and connecting the water of the Mediterranean inland into the Gaza Strip. Now, when the Israeli military is asked specifically about that plan of flooding tunnels, they're not denying that that is a tactic that they are considering using.
They're not confirming it either. Certainly there have been changes to the landscape that suggest that this is something that they may be considering Many complications, though. Obviously, first of all, achieving anything that would be successful in rooting out militants from the tunnels is much easier said than done. And secondly, of course, very quickly you have the hostages, some of whom are assumed to be in those tunnels.
So taking, taking that step would certainly anger the families of the hostages even more than they are currently. An increasing their level of frustration even more than it is now with the government of Israel. Kristen, it's such an important point, particularly as we continue to ask the US Government if they know the specific whereabouts, the conditions of remaining hostages, and they say they do not. So clearly a lot of focus on those tunnels.
Haligrani, thank you so much, much for joining us. Please continue to stay safe. We really appreciate it. Joining now is the Jordanian deputy prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ayman Safati.
Thank you so much for joining me. Really appreciate it. Thank you for having me. I'd like to ask you about the very latest that we're hearing from the administration secretary, Said Anthony Blinken, saying last week that in his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other top officials in the region that Israel agreed that there does in fact, need to be a plan in place to protect civilians.
We have heard similar language from top Israeli officials as well. And I wonder if you can give us your assessment. Have you seen evidence of this, that Israel is taking new steps and more steps to protect civilian lives in this new phase of the war? Thank you so much.
Actually, no, we're seeing evidence to the contrary. The number of Palestinian wounded since the aggression resumed has increased. People are still being killed at very, very large number, infrastructure being destroyed, hospitals attacked, humanitarian aid trickling down in a much, much less way than it was before, before the hostilities were resumed. So, yes, Secretary Blinken tried.
He did tell us that Israel is committed to try and do more to protect civilians. Unfortunately, on the ground, we have not seen that. You realize we see more killing and we see more aggressiveness in the attacks. Israel has said that they have Created safe zones where people can go and not be targeted, bombed.
Do you have any information about those safe zones? Are there in fact areas where civilians in Gaza can go to and feel safe? Because based on the reporting that we have from the region, there's a sense that nowhere is safe in Gaza. Well, absolutely, nowhere is safe.
You remember at the beginning of the war, Israel was telling people to leave the north and go to the south where the south will be safe. And now we're seeing people being killed in the south. So basically the message we're not going to get killed in the north, we're going to kill you on the south. And that's exactly what's happening.
About 1.8 million Palestinians, about two thirds of the population of Gaza have left the north are now all concentrated in the south. Khan Yunus is one of the biggest cities there and it's been the target of Israeli fierce bombardment over the last few days. So pretty much nowhere in Gaza safe. No hospital in Gaza is being able to provide sufficient treatment.
No shelter in Gaza is being able to really give people any cover from this war. Do you believe that the United States bears any responsibility for the civilian deaths? Told Gaza I mean, basically this war that Israel has started after October 7th, we all condemned what happened October 7th is something that's unacceptable by any standard. But what Israel is doing now is also acceptable by any standard.
Denying people food and water is a war crime. Targeting civilians is a war crime. The reality that Israel is creating now is not a reality that's going to be conducive to the peace that everybody wants now. What, what we are seeing is that we see an international community that is not doing enough to stop Israel from, from continuing with those atrocities.
The UN has failed to take any meaningful action to stop that and therefore we believe all need to come together and stop this war in the interest of the Palestinians, in the interest of Israelis and in the interest of overall peace. Because another victim of this war is the. Is. Is the faith that people have had in peace that is eroding by the day as the images of destruction continue to come out from, from Gaza.
As you know, Israel has made the argument that it is a mosque that is embedding itself in these civilian centers and thereby creating war crimes. What do you say to that argument? Does Israel not have a right to defend itself, particularly in the wake of the attack on October 7, the worst attack against a Jewish population since the Holocaust? Well, unfortunately it's not the largest attack against Arab Muslims in decades.
The right to self defense does not mean a license to kill with impunity. It does not mean attacking the whole community. As I said, 1.8 million people displaced. Over 16,000 killed.
The majority of them are women and children. Over 6,000 Palestinian children killed. These are not Hamas. These are innocent people that had nothing to do with the conflict with Hamas and as well.
So I think that argument resonates with no log logic anymore. This is a war that is not going to bring about security to Israel. Definitely. It's not a war that's going to have any implications in terms of moving us towards peace in the region.
So no, it is not self defense. It is a blatant aggression whose victims are civilians who need to be protected by international law. They must be protected. So as well as violating international law by targeting civilians, remember that Gaza is one of the mostly most densely populated areas on that.
So again, people have no shelter in the north, no shelter in the south. Hamas is eliminating Hamas which is a target is not going to be possible through this war. The civilians are going to be have been the victims of the segregation. Let me ask you more about the civilians.
Why hasn't Jordan opened its borders to Palestinians who want to flee to help deal with the this growing humanitarian crisis that you have talked about and that we're talking about and witnessing? Well, I mean Palestinians have a right to protection in their own country. We're not going to allow Israel to proceed with its policies of transferring the crisis to the region. Neither Jordan nor Egypt would accept the displacement of Palestinians from their country, which by the way, again is a war crime.
We've seen Palestinians displaced in 48 and 67. They have not returned. Palestinians deserve to be protected in their own national soul. That is in Gaza on the west bank where by the way, civilian populations are also being the target of settler terrorism and other majors that suffocate their existence.
So we will not allow for the Palestinians to be pushed out of the country. Jordan has done enough with the largest per capita host of refugees anywhere in the world. But this is not about providing protection. This is about allowing Israel to empty Gaza from its population and then probably do the same on the West Bank.
And that is for us is a red line because that would mean killing the Palestinian people aspiration for freedom and state of them there on their land. And that would mean trying to solve the problem at the expense of Jordan and other countries in the region. All right, Foreign Minister Amin Safari, thank you so much for your time and your perspective. Please do come back as we continue to track this tragedy that is unfolding in the region.
Thank you so much. After the break, NBC News exclusive reporting on the mounting evidence documenting Hamas's sexual violence against Israeli women and girls and how the US and human rights groups are responding. You're watching the press now. Welcome back.
It's been exactly two months since the deadly October 7 Hamas terror attacks in Israel, and we're starting to learn more about some of the most atrocious crimes committed on that day, including acts of gender based violence, violence. We do want to take a moment to warn you that many of the details of this reporting are incredibly disturbing. NBC News has reviewed interrogations of captured Hamas fighters, documents and a number of testimonies from eyewitnesses and first responders describing accounts of rape, sexual violence and mutilation against Israeli women. Israeli police have also released a video of survivors of the attacks detailing what they saw.
One woman described watching a group of Hamas militants gang raping a woman, mutilating her body and then shooting her in the head. Earlier this week, President Biden condemned the acts of sexual violence, calling it unimaginable cruelty, and urged unequivocal global condemnation of Hamas. Joining now is the reporter on the story of these investigations unit senior producer Anna Schachter. Thank you for being here.
This is such a difficult report. Absolutely. What more did you learn in this report, in these documents that you have poured over? Well, the detail, the level of detail that hasn't been released to the public was really important to gather and lay out because there have been questions of did it happen and did it not happen.
So we wanted to very carefully analyze all of the evidence and get corroboration on eyewitness testimony. And so we've been working on this for about five weeks and we just had it ready just in time for that UN panel about the sexual violence carry out on Israeli women. How are international leaders responding? How is the Israeli government responding, Anna?
Well, the Israeli government is taking their police investigation of these crimes very slowly and carefully. There's just such a huge amount of intelligence to go through and so they haven't come out with any numbers. So my reporting indicates, indicates dozens of women mutilated, abused or raped. The biggest number of those is their bodies mutilated.
The international community, the UN made a statement about 50 days after October 7th condemning Hamas and these specific crimes. And the Israeli government came out and we'll hear from Netanyahu. For him, it was too little, too late. Let's play a little bit of what we heard from Netanyahu in response to this I say to the women's rights organizations, to the human rights organizations, you've heard of the rape of Israeli women, horrible atrocities, sexual mutilation, where the hell are you?
I expect all civil rights leaders, governments, nations to speak up against this atrocity. Where do you think this goes from here? And could we see war crimes against Hamas in the wake of these revelations? Well, the UN has set up a special commission to investigate war crimes in the general Hamas, Israel war.
So looking at all sides of this and the police investigation in Israel will likely take many months. So we'll probably get more evidence trickling in. And we'll stay on the story and continue to report it out and talk a little bit about what we've heard from the Biden administration. We know that John Kirby of the NSC has also weighed in, obviously condemnation.
But what are they talking about in terms of next steps, in terms of what should happen here? They are all calling for a full investigation of the sexual crimes, from Kirby to Blinken to up to President Biden. So a lot of support for this investigation from US Officials. All right.
Thank you so much. Really appreciate it. Thanks for having me. Incredible recording.
Up next, a major ruling out of Texas where a judge just granted a woman the right to an emergency abortion despite the state's sweeping ban. We'll have the details of what it could mean in the battle over abortion right after this. You're WATCHING THE PRESS now. Welcome back.
We're following a major development in an abortion rights fight in Texas where a judge today granted a pregnant woman's emergency request for an abortion. K CX file a request for a temporary restraining order to allow her to have an abortion. She found out late last month that her fetus has a rare disorder that will likely lead to a stillbirth or the death of the baby shortly after birth. Texas has some of the strictest abortion laws in the country, banning nearly all abortions with very few exceptions.
ABC Marissa Para now joins me with the very latest. Marissa, thank you so much for staying on top of this developing story. So bring us up to speech here. What specifically did the judge rule today?
Well, in short, the judge ruled that the plaintiff can end her pregnancy. And this is historic because as you mentioned, this is the first attempt we've seen on, you know, since the origin of Roe vs Wade to seek a court ordered abortion. We also have heard from the Texas attorney general's office. They have put out a statement after the judge's decision, in part not only attacking the decision to file a suit and the judge's decision in response, but also detailing the warnings and the punishments for violating the Texas laws.
It stands, we're talking about thousands of dollars prison time, felony charges. And so I want to take you to words that came from the Texas judge this morning after she had made her decision. She said in the idea that Ms. Cox won so desperately to be apparent and this law may of her lose that ability is shocking and would be a genuine miscarriage of justice.
And so I want to detail a little bit of the behind the scenes and some of the context here. It's important. Kate Cox is 20 weeks pregnant. She is currently carrying a fetus that has trisomy 18.
This is a condition that 90% to 95% of babies do not make it past their first year. And this is a condition that doctors had told her was also putting herself, her own life at risk, as well as future fertility. So this is a big reason why her legal team filed an emergency motion. This was an emergency case, an emergency medical case.
It's another reason why we have a decision just two days later, Kristen, which, you know, if you remember, there was a lawsuit with 20 women that was filed in the state of Texas. That was in March. We're not expecting a decision on that until next summer. It's, it's incredible context.
Mar, you're absolutely right. The speed with which the judge came to that conclusion is really astounding. So just taking another step back, what might this mean for other women seeking abortions in Texas? Right.
So a couple of important clarifications here. The judge's order today only pertains to Kate Cox and her medical team. This does not pertain to other women. Now, in terms of a path forward, it doesn't set a precedent per se.
But as it was explained to me, there could be someone in a different district and if their judge, they have a similar case, whether it's, you know, an emergency medical case with similar conditions, if a different district judge in the state of Texas rules differently, they could now appeal that and potentially have a path forward because of the decision made by this judge today. So that's an important context. And in terms of what happens next, there are questions on what the state of Texas will do in terms of a potential appeal. There's a lot of questions.
We saw, of course, that, that very stern letter that came out. So those are all things that we'll keep an eye out for in the coming days. Kristen. All right.
Fantastic reporting. Thank you so much. Good to see you. Really appreciate it.
We want to turn now to from Texas to Minnesota, where history is set to be made next month when St. Paul, the state's capital, will be governed by an all female city council. All of the women are under the age of 40 and six of the seven are women of color. NBC News correspondent Adrian Bros spoke to all seven of these women and she joins me now.
Adrian, thank you so much for bringing us this report. What are these history making women telling you? Well, these women say they hope the work they do in St. Paul will serve as a blueprint for other cities around the country.
Country A new Generation was over 30 people running for these seven seats. But people chose to elect us of adverse leadership and refugees. A sinkhole elected not just women and women of color, but they elected experience and skill sets especially. I'm a civil engineer.
You think about problems and approach them in a different way. All under the age of 40. To be in this moment now and show what's possible is very exciting. I want to continue being a game changer.
I want people to see this city hall, this chambers as their own. I remember growing up never believing that I was a leader. Whenever I see ads on tv, that's about politics. They are people who look like me at all.
It really is important to me that other folks who are like us, you know, growing up, you know that they see somebody who they can't be because it is hard for you to be who you cannot see at all. These three were reelected in November. History isn't just the fact that we all got here, but it's going to be made by what we do here. When I ran for city council, it did not look like it looks now today, five years ago.
See that transformation has been amazing. The four newly elected will start their first term in January. What do you think about the history you7 are making? Replicable?
Say more. What we did was certainly special, but nothing we're not extraordinary. We're not the exception. There are women across the country that are running for municipal races and for the critics and anyone who may underestimate them, a challenge.
I dare them. Yeah. And the reason is because I think that that is something also be a young black woman, but like a young woman. A lot of my criticism stem from that fact alone that I was young despite having almost a decade of politics and actual direct government.
Experience. Like experience. Experience with a powerful message for those who aren't hopeful about the future. When I was elected eight years ago, there was only one woman on the city council.
And when I and a fellow council member joined, there were then three, eight years later, the entire council is women. And that's not a lot of time. I think it's really powerful to see just how quickly this change took place, forging a path toward change. I see the work that we're doing as trailblazing what we believe our folks in our state deserve.
And speaking of trailblazing, others did come before them. St. Paul is not the first city to elect an all female colony council, but St. Paul is one of the largest.
And the women say when they're sworn in next month, they are ready to tackle those big agenda items and get to work. Kristen, they certainly seem ready to do so. I like that one of them said that history will be defined by what we do here. What a fantastic eye opening report.
Adrian Brodis, thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it. And still to come, Israel special envoy for Combating Anti Semitism joins me on set to discuss America's rising anti Semitism problem and how to confront hate on college campuses. That is next.
You're watching THE PRESS now. Welcome back. The first night of Hanukkah begins just a few hours from now. But for millions of Americans, the holiday celebration also comes at a moment of heightened fear and grief due to the Israel Hamas war and growing concerns about a RIS antisemitism.
Some parties are being canceled, other celebrations are being toned down as the ADL reports a dramatic spike in anti Semitic incidents nationwide since October 7th. That includes college campuses. Or a recent ADL survey found that 73% of Jewish students reported experiencing or witnessing anti Semitism since the start of the school year. I'm joined now by Mikhail Kutlu, Israel's special envoy for Combating anti Semitism.
Thank you so much for being here. I wish you were under different circumstances. It has been two months since the October 7th attack. We are witnessing this spike in anti Semitism.
Talk to those here in this country and other countries who are afraid to openly and proudly celebrate Hanukkah to light the menorah. So first of all, you're right. It's two months exactly since the massacre of 10, seven actually war crimes, crimes against human so terrible that, you know, they're very difficult to imagine and not too terrible to have happened. And no less terrible than the antisemitism that fueled those atrocities is the antisemitism as a response to those atrocities that deny that justify that support.
And as we saw that attack Jews in their wake on university campuses, in demonstrations, on streets and on social media platforms. And so, you know, you started with the fact that Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah for 2,000 years. Jews, a prototypical indigenous people, that 75 years ago, we mark 75 years, Israel returned to an ancestral homeland after thousands of years of exile and persecution. We did.
At the end of the day, we did prevail. And even as Hanukkah sort of reminds us, the reminder of the few over the many, of the courageous over the the cowards. I think that 107 is a call to action in a moment of reckoning. You mentioned those on university campuses.
You mentioned the importance of giving the courage to all of the students and all of those that feel threatened, that feel insecure, that feel that they can't show their identity. More than anything, I think that the conflation of 2 months to 107 with first night of Hanukkah says was the opposite. Wear your identity proudly and with courage. When you look at the figures, the rise in anti Semitism, is it because there has been a rise in anti Semitism in the wake of 10 7?
Or are we uncovering something that was always there? And how should we as a country, as a global community address that? That. So that's a really great question.
Because the truth is it didn't happen overnight. It's been percolating and bubbling below the surface. And the mutation of an ancient hatred. I said 2,000 years ago, right?
An ancient hatred that has mutated and permeated according to guiding social constructs of our time and now latching on to what we regard as human rights, the secular religion of our times. In many ways, social justice and under the guise of progress has enabled the attack of Jews or the call for genocide of Jews on university campuses that would not be acceptable against any other group has come to a head. And I think 107 more than anything else, as you alluded, actually exposed many masks that have become a moment of reckoning. They're a moment of reckoning for university spaces.
They're a moment of reckoning for our societies. The attacks of 107 are not just the atrocities themselves. And as we speak speak, Israel is in a state of war. The entire country is deployed to war.
And they're not just attacks on dudes around the world, including in the United States, who are afraid to celebrate Hanukkah. They're actually an attack on our shared humanity and on civilization as we know it. Because I remind us, Hamas, the perpetrated the atrocities of 107 is a genocidal terror organization that in its charter is committed to the annihilation of Israel and the murder of Jews. That is an understanding that we cannot accept in our societies, on our campuses and in our midst.
We only have a little less than a minute left, but I do want to follow up with you on what we're seeing on our college campuses. This extraordinary moment where the presidents of three big universities refused to say that calling for the genocide of Jewish people was outlawed effectively on their campuses. What should happen to those presidents very quickly. So go Right.
So, you know, spoke about how we got here, and it's not about specific university presidents. What has to be very clear is if there is a DEI infrastructure, diversity, equity and inclusion that protects all students except for Jews, Zionist supporters of Israel, then that is not a good DEI infrastructure. If you can call for the genocide of one group of one minority and you would not be allowed to call for genocide against anybody else, then we have to ensure that that double standard is not allowed to continue festering, including on university campuses. Kyle, thank you so much.
Really appreciate it. Thank you for your time. NBC News now coverage continues with Christine Romans in for Hallie Jackson right now. He was a young Marine.
She didn't care about convention. They made a life together. Then one night, the Marine died. And then the death investigation took a wild, unexpected, expected and utterly bizarre turn.
I'm Josh Wakowitz and this is Trace of Suspicion, an all new podcast from Big Line. Listen to all episodes of Trace of Suspicion now wherever you get your podcasts.