Meet the Press NOW — July 24

Drive off in a new Hyundai Elantra today with $0 down during the Hyundai Advantage Sales Event. Take advantage of the $1,000 Spring Drive bonus and lease the 2020 Elantra Essential for just $73 weekly at 4.99% for 60 months. And you're covered by Elantra's best-in-class 5-year new car warranty. Now that's the Hyundai Advantage.

Conditions apply. Offer includes 1% loyalty rate reduction for qualifying customers. Visit HyundaiCanada.com or your local dealer for details. If it's Monday, a shifting dynamic in the Republican race for president as Tim Scott gains momentum in the polls, Ron DeSantis struggles, and Donald Trump awaits a potential third indictment.

Plus, widespread protests erupt in Israel as Prime Minister Netanyahu's judicial overhaul plan passes a key hurdle in parliament amid growing turmoil and fresh fallout with the White House. And the border battles heat up in Texas where Republican Governor Greg Abbott is daring the Biden administration to take him to court over the deployment of controversial floating barriers in the Rio Grande. And welcome to Meet the Press. Now I'm Ryan Nobles in today for Kristen Welker and for the first time in really a long time, we have something of a new dynamic emerging in the Republican presidential primary with Donald Trump awaiting another criminal indictment.

Ron DeSantis trying to reboot a struggling campaign. And now Tim Scott apparently on the verge of a breakout moment in the field. The South Carolina senator is up to 11% in an Iowa poll out over the weekend. The only other candidate besides Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to crack double digits in the first caucus state.

He's also at 10% in another early state, his home state of South Carolina. He trails only Trump, DeSantis and the state's former governor, Nikki Haley. Perhaps related, it comes as the Scott campaign and the super PAC supporting him have unloaded a combined $3.1 million to get his message out over the airwaves this month. That's a pretty big number in just over three weeks.

And there's more on the way with NBC News reporting that the pro Scott super PAC Trust in the Mission has reserved $40 million of TV and digital ad spots through January on top of $7 million that it's already booked. And if you want proof that the Scott bump is real, well, take a look at his rivals. Politico reporting that PACs associated with DeSantis and Haley are now starting to beef up their opposition research into the South Carolina senator. We'll have more on that in just a moment.

But folks, even with Scott's apparent momentum, the field is really dwarfed by the elephant in this room of Republicans. And that is, of course, Donald Trump. It's still largely a race for runner up as the former president is still dominating in the early polls. This despite two criminal indictments and likely a third on the way.

We've got a lot to talk about here, so we're just gonna kick things off with our panel. Joining me on set, Mark Murray, the NBC News senior political editor and the co-author of the First Read newsletter. Tia Mitchell is Washington correspondent for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Fashukera, senior advisor to Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders and Republican strategist Jim Dornan.

So let's talk numbers. And so if we talk numbers, we'll go first, Mark. The Fox News poll with these two key early states of Iowa and South Carolina. And if you take a look at the numbers, you know, obviously, it's still Donald Trump salutes.

He's out by a wide, wide margin. But you see Tim Scott emerging in both of these two polls, both Iowa and South Carolina. He's now cracked double digits. How is it that Scott found himself in this position?

Yeah. So the advertising has played a role as we end up writing in our first read newsletter. He's now spent more than $3 million along with the super PAC over the last three weeks. And that's a lot of money when you're in the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire to be able to do it.

And as the campaign puts it to me, he's been able to do it on his own terms. When you're actually launching your own bio spots and not being attacked. And the other pieces of news are another potential indictment for Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis's campaign is lagging. Then all of a sudden that creates an opening to be the chief alternative to the chief alternative.

We always thought was Ron DeSantis. And so it's money, it's attention. And then it all kind of sets up that debate that we're going to end up seeing a month from now, whether or not Donald Trump gets on the stage that Tim Scott seems to be a person that the spotlight is going to potentially be on him. And that's a lot of money though.

And that certainly will have an impact. Can he keep that level of spending up over the long term? Well, so that certainly, I hope it's eyes on that $40 million. It's important to note, goes in through next year.

And already the super PAC before that $40 million was going to spend about $7 million through the end of this summer. And so that is a lot of money in places like, it's plenty of money to introduce yourself to voters. I think the question comes once you end up starting getting that scrutiny, Pete, panels like us are starting to talk about him. Sometimes those numbers start to go down.

Now they're going up and they go down. Yeah, right. So let's talk about South Carolina. This is a state where we would expect Scott to do well.

The voters know him there. He's a known quantity. He's always won by wide margins. You know, is it just the fact that he's from South Carolina or is this indicative of kind of a wider bit of momentum behind Scott's campaign?

Well, I think the South Carolina polling is so interesting because we know there are two candidates from South Carolina, governor Nikki, former governor, former ambassador Nikki Haley is who's polling second right now after former president Trump. So I do think, you know, in South Carolina, they know him. They're used to voting for him. He's one statewide in South Carolina.

So it it makes sense that he's doing pretty well in that state. But I think it is still notable that compared to the other South Carolina candidate, he's still a little bit further down, which again is the concern. How far can Tim Scott actually rise in these early states? I mean, it's kind of a broader example of the problem with the Republican primary field.

Sam Donald Trump is that they're all kind of eating their own and really kind of on display fully in South Carolina. So, Jim, and Mark kind of alluded to this a little bit. This is going to be Scott now kind of front and center. He's a known quantity.

But for the most part, no one has really attacked him in any way, shape or form. Will he be able to withstand the scrutiny that's certain to come now that he's started to make some gains? I truly believe that he can. And he's got first of all, he's got a great story, you know, single family or single mom raised up.

You know, we say cotton to congressman. That's beautiful. I mean, he's a he's the perfect Republican, in my opinion. And the best out of this group, in my opinion, as well.

I think that he has great retail and he's frankly, if you've met him, he's one of the nicest men I've ever met in my life. Who's also a U.S. senator. So I like him.

I mean, I think he would represent the party very well. And I think once he gets attacked for for real gets attacked, that he'll respond accordingly and probably with a smile. I want to press you a little bit about a specific area where he could face some Republican scrutiny. And that's the effort that he made with Senator Cory Booker to try and find some consensus on police reform.

He was pressed on that in a town hall in New Hampshire on Friday. Listen to how he responded. I believe that police reform failed because there were too many folks on the on Cory's side of the aisle that were more interested in the issue than the solution. We will never negotiate your qualified immunity, your liability.

It's like saying there's a there's a shooting. You go figure out how to solve the problem there. But if you do it wrong, we're taking your house and your pension. So will Republican primary voters reward him for standing strong in their mind during that negotiation?

Or will he be penalized for even engaging in the topic at all? No, I think he had to. And he was a leader, obviously, on our side of the aisle for doing it. And frankly, I think he did a pretty good job.

He pulled out the best time he could have because Booker was moving towards, I believe, defunding the police. And that's where Senator Scott drew the line. So I think he'll probably get attacked by other the other Republican candidates. But ultimately, this is going to be about the economy and probably immigration to a certain extent.

But and Scott, he's just good on the issues. I mean, the guy comes across like a very, very smart politician. All right, we're going to work in the conversation. I promise.

I've got to hear because we're going to talk about the Republican front runner now. And Garrett Hick is the latest from Trump World as we continue to keep an eye out for a potential indictment. So Garrett, the short side of an indictment would seem to be the volume of posting that Donald Trump has done on his social media platform. He was very busy this weekend.

What is he saying? You know, it's not just on his social media platform. He's also been blasting out fundraising emails with largely the same topic here. Ryan, a former president's been attacking the DOJ and the special counsel relentlessly.

He describes it as election interference, which we've all heard before. The idea of a stolen election this weekend, debuting a new attack Right, Jim, you laughed when we played the soundbite and said leadership. I assume that was sarcastic, but expand on your thinking. It was.

I just, I find this just mind-boggling that you would support something like this. I don't, I mean, it's, it is awful. I mean, it's, it's degenerating. It's, I mean, I just can't imagine it.

I'm, I'm flabbergasted by somebody actually pushing this forward as a policy. I mean, it, it's, it's begging for the criticism that he's getting, and it's going to get worse, frankly. Well, on the other side of this, as we see the vice president, Kamala Harris, coming out forcefully against this, in what seemed to be a very comfortable space for her. She, she was ready to go on the attack.

Put it on the T for her. Exactly. Is this where she could play a very vital role for the Biden team? And I hope she does more of this.

I think, I, I believe of Joe Biden. I certainly believe of Kamala Harris that when they're in fighting mode, when there's friction, when they've got, uh, foils to go up against, they're at their best. And sometimes I know that this administration is trying to govern and try to dial down the temperature and try to find peaceable ways to the center. Fine.

But in this mode right now, you've got to call out some spades and find some people who animate your values. It's not just to punch to punch. It's to say, we have a real different view of how America should be run. That's that over there.

You go in that direction if you want to be in the minority with 33%, or you live with us in the majority who want a better future for our kids to live in. And Mark, there have been a smattering of polls that have shown Biden and Harris kind of starting to bleed a little bit with independent voters. Are flashpoints like this something where they could build back some of that trust with independent voters? It's always helpful when you're the incumbent president or also the incumbent vice president, and then you're having a matured primary on the other side and they're starting to beat each other up.

We've seen this with, we saw this for Barack Obama in the 2012 cycle. We even saw it for Donald Trump as well, too, that, you know, all of a sudden when people start every single statement that you end up having gets scrutinized, it's attacked. It actually ends up helping the other side of the party. I did find it really interesting, too.

And that is exactly correct. This is in Kamala Harris's, the vice president's wheelhouse. It was also interesting that they were going at the guy who's number two in the polls, stagnating in the low 20s. And, you know, the Biden campaign has always been built on, well, you know, we're the best to be able to defeat Donald Trump.

And it seems like not only is that an easy low hanging fruit, but it also kind of ensures that you end up getting that Donald Trump versus Joe Biden matchup that the people in the White House seem to want more. Yeah, terrific conversation, everybody. Thank you so much for being here. We appreciate it.

Mark, TFS, Jim, thank you all. And coming up on live pictures now, the situation in Tel Aviv where mass protests have been raging for hours after the Israeli parliament passed a key part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial judicial overhaul plan. We are on the ground in Jerusalem with the latest. Plus, see you in court, Mr.

President. That's how Texas Governor Greg Abbott is responding to new legal pressure from the Justice Department over controversial floating barriers that the administration is calling both illegal and unsafe. The latest on that story ahead. You're watching Meet the Press now.

Drive off in a new Hyundai Elantra today with zero dollars down during the Hyundai Advantage sales event. Take advantage of the one thousand dollars spring drive bonus and lease the 2026 Elantra Essential for just 73 dollars weekly at 4.99% for 60 months. And you're covered by Elantra's best in class five year new car warranty. Now that's the Hyundai Advantage.

Conditions apply. Offer includes 1% loyalty rate reduction for qualifying customers. Visit HyundaiCanada.com or your local dealer for details. Welcome back and you are looking at live pictures in Tel Aviv as thousands of protesters take to the streets after Israel's parliament passed a controversial law overhauling the country's judicial system.

This was the scene just moments ago as demonstrators took to the streets, clashing with authorities and setting fires in downtown Tel Aviv as the protests intensify. Ahead of today's vote, ahead of the vote today, I should say, demonstrators gathered waving Israeli flags and blocking the streets to the Knesset while police deployed water cannons as they tried to disperse the crowd. The new law, which passed 64 to zero after opposition members boycotted the vote, puts limits on the Supreme Court's ability to strike down decisions made by government ministers. And it's just the beginning phase of Netanyahu's planned judicial overhaul.

Yesterday, in an unusual move, President Biden weighed in on the internal politics of Israel, calling the proposal, quote, divisive. And in a new statement today, following the vote, Biden said it was unfortunate and urged leaders to build consensus through political dialogue. Joining me now is NBC News foreign correspondent Raf Sanchez. He is in Jerusalem and NBC News White House correspondent Ollie Raffa.

Rafa, let's start with you. Tell us, what is the latest on the ground in Israel? Well, Ryan, Israel is tonight a divided country, perhaps more divided than it has ever been in its 75 year history. You can see behind me on the streets of Jerusalem, there are now some few dozen protesters who are blocking this main road.

Earlier tonight, there were tens of thousands and there were Israeli police using water cannons to try to disperse them. These protesters say they will stay on the streets and in their words, they will continue the fight for democracy. We have heard a lot of anger, a lot of fear about this country's future from these protesters. But there is another half of Israel, the half that voted for Prime Minister Netanyahu and his far right government, and they are celebrating tonight because they have felt for a long time that the unelected judges of the Supreme Court were standing in the way of the policies favored by the conservative majority of citizens in Israel.

And Netanyahu speaking to his public earlier tonight, says that what he did was not undermining democracy. He says it is the essence of democracy because it puts power back in the hands of the governments. Either way, Ryan, a country deeply, deeply divided. And it is not clear right now how it comes back together.

And of course, this is just the first stage of these overhauls. What other forms of judicial reform can we expect the Knesset to take up? Right. So there are kind of two outstanding policies that we have yet to see what's going to happen with them.

One, the most controversial. There was originally a plan under which parliament could vote by a simple majority to ignore rulings of the Israeli Supreme Court. Now, Prime Minister Netanyahu has said he has put that policy to the side. He says he has no plans of reviving it, but his opponents do not trust him.

They feel that Netanyahu has moved the goalposts over and over again over the course of these negotiations. The other outstanding issue is the question of how judges are appointed. It's a little bit technical, Ryan. I'll spare you all the details.

But the government here wants to take more control over the committee which is tasked with actually appointing judges to the Supreme Court. The opposition says that is an absolute red line that judges need to be appointed by consensus. We will see in the coming weeks which parts, if any, of this rest of the judicial package Netanyahu plans to take up. And of course, this all comes at a time where Netanyahu himself is dealing with some health problems.

He just got fitted for a pacemaker today. How is he doing and are there still some lingering concerns about his health? Yeah, Ryan, it's pretty extraordinary. Netanyahu was released from hospital here in Jerusalem earlier this morning and he pretty much went straight to the floor of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, where he was presiding over this floor vote.

Netanyahu is 73 years old. He generally seems to be in pretty good health, but this is the second trip he has made to the hospital in a week. As you said, he was fitted with a pacemaker after suffering what his doctor said was arrhythmia and irregular heartbeat. He says he's fine.

He addressed the nation earlier on and we saw him counting the votes, twisting arms, cajoling and facing up to his opponents. So he seems at least to be a man in good health. But as you said, there are questions over his situation. Okay, Raf Sanchez live in Jerusalem.

Stay safe, Raf. Let's go now to Ollie Rafa, who's at the White House. So Ollie, Ali, I should say, a little bit of an out of the ordinary statement by the White House and the president to get involved in a foreign political battle like this. What are they saying about this latest move by Netanyahu and his far-right coalition?

Doesn't this really already complicate the situation and the relationship that Biden has with Bibi Netanyahu? Yeah, Ryan, it's very rare for U.S. presidents to so publicly weigh in on the internal affairs of these countries that are closest allies. But this relationship between the president and Prime Minister Netanyahu is anything but conventional.

And now so is this ongoing crisis. We saw, as Raf reported, Prime Minister Netanyahu clearly ignoring that request from President Biden that they talked about in their phone call last week, that he echoed in that statement this weekend where he asked Netanyahu to believe there should be some reform of the judicial system, they also believe it should be done through a process of dialogue and consensus. So I think the government decision will not be a popular one. I suspect when Prime Minister Netanyahu says, look, we're prepared now, let's spend the next five months discussing what can be done on the rest of the judicial reform proposals.

I suspect that that reflects the desire on his part to try to calm the temperature, calm the attitudes, and see if over a period of time, if you take a step back, you will see attitudes begin to change. I suspect on the key provisions of this, like the override provision, which he has shelved, but also on the issue of the judge's selection, who picks the judges, what's the makeup of the committee. That, I think, is going to be the next real focal point. And the real question will be, will we see a resumption of discussions under the aegis of the president of Israel, President Herzog?

Some of the opposition doesn't want to engage in that. Other members of the opposition seem to think that probably they should engage in that. That's the next thing to be watching for. Okay, and we should point out those are live pictures of the situation in Tel Aviv.

You see some fireworks being set off there. Just quickly before we go, Ambassador, we only have about 30 seconds. How does this impact the relationship with President Biden? President Biden had said that he had hoped to invite Bibi Netanyahu to the United States for a visit in the near future.

Does this now delay that visit? Does it make the tensions between those two men even greater? Well, I think President Biden will want to continue to draw a distinction between his support for Israel and this particular set of proposals. I don't believe that he will want to have an early meeting with the Prime Minister.

He'll want to have some assurance from the Prime Minister about what's going to happen with these proposals. Already you have the Prime Minister suggesting he's ready to have discussions, last at least until November. I think he feels, in that context of a free environment, where it becomes easier for President Biden to invite him to the White House. Okay, excellent insight.

Former Ambassador Dennis Ross, we appreciate you being here with us. Thank you so much. My pleasure. Up next, Texas takes on Washington.

We'll have the latest on an escalating legal and humanitarian fight between Governor Greg Abbott and the Department of Justice. But first, in today's Meet the Press Minute, a look back at Israel's long fight for independence. Here's then-Foreign Minister Golda Meir in 1956, reflecting on conflict with Egypt and her nation's enduring struggle for self-determination. Madam Minister, do you believe that the Arab nations wish to destroy Israel as a state?

Is that what you mean? To my sorrow, yes. Yes. I believe President Nasser has so stated rather recently.

Recently, and a year ago, and a half a year ago. And he states that quite often. How do you think that Israel can be maintained in the midst of a hostile population on all sides? Mr.

Swick, maybe it is easier for us to understand it than for others. Because throughout Jewish history, if the Jewish people went out of existence, just because other peoples wanted them to go out of existence, there wouldn't be a Jewish people today, and there wouldn't be an Israel today. But there is a certain stubbornness about our people that we just want to live the same as other people do. So we've lived among nations that didn't like us, and now we live in an area as an independent state where people don't like us, we hope temporarily.

And welcome back. Texas Governor Greg Abbott remains defiant after the Justice Department threatened legal action if the state refused to commit to taking down a series of floating barriers along the border meant to deter migrants from crossing the Rio Grande. DOJ gave Texas a deadline of 2 o'clock this afternoon. The legal threat comes after disturbing allegations of, quote, inhumane treatment of migrants were brought to light earlier this month.

The allegations came from a border officer sounding the alarm in an email to his superiors. The officer said the state was using concertina wire wrapped around barrels to halt migrants, and that a teenage boy broke his leg trying to navigate it. The Texas Department of Safety denied the accusation and told NBC News there is no wire in the river, just on the banks. NBC News correspondent Priscilla Thompson has this report from the Texas border.

Yeah, that deadline has come and gone. And as you can see, those buoys are still in the Rio Grande behind me. To be clear, the Department of Justice gave Governor Abbott until 2 p.m. Eastern time to commit to removing those buoys.

But what we've seen from Governor Abbott is effectively a doubling down on his position. Today, he sent a letter to President Biden saying that Texas has a U.S. constitutional right to have sovereign authority over protecting its borders. He also hit on something that the DOJ mentioned in their letter to him about this rivers and harbors act, which the DOJ says he is in violation of because he did not get approval from the federal government, the U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers, before placing this buoy in the water. But Abbott says that buoys are not something that are covered under this act. And so, therefore, he believes that he is on good legal standing to fight this. And that is exactly what he intends to do.

So we are anxiously awaiting to see what exactly is going to happen here next. But I will tell you, as it relates to the issue of migration and what we've seen here in the time that we've been here, we have seen people simply walking around the buoys, walking past the buoys. They're a thousand feet long. That's about the length of three football fields.

We also saw a man who jumped over in between two buoys. And so it would appear that people are still finding ways to cross. And this is something that advocates have brought up, saying that this buoy is not going to stop people from crossing. It is only going to make it potentially more dangerous, potentially more deadly if folks might try to swim under them and could potentially drown.

But I also spoke to the Department of Public Safety, Lieutenant Christopher Oliveras, as these buoys were being installed. And he said that any barrier is going to be a good deterrent and a vital tool for law enforcement officers who are out here. And I did reach out to him to ask him about some of the things that we have been seeing today in terms of folks still finding a way to make it across. But unfortunately, we have not yet heard back from him.

Guys, back to you. OK, Priscilla, thank you. And we do have some breaking news just in from the Justice Department. They've officially filed a civil complaint against Texas in this dispute.

The Justice Department demanding that Texas remove those structures at their own expense. And turning now to the extreme weather and deadly heat which are still plaguing the globe today. In the western U.S., the heat is not letting up as temperatures once again hit record highs. Salt Lake City reached 106 degrees and Phoenix reached a blazing 118 degrees on Saturday.

Sunday also marked the 24th straight day temperatures in the city have climbed above 110 degrees. There's a little bit of good news, though. While more than 59 million Americans still remain under heat alerts today, that number is about half of what it was at the beginning of the weekend. Up north, more flooding hit New England this weekend as you're watching this water rush down the stairs inside of Boston's iconic Fenway Park.

Even further north, four people, including two children, are missing in Canada after intense thunderstorms also caused flash flooding in Nova Scotia. The rains came after Canada's Atlantic region was plagued with wildfires earlier this summer. Similar wildfires are still raging across Greece. Footage from this weekend shows billowing smoke and flames on the island of Rhodes as tourists and locals were forced to evacuate.

And after the break, spoiler alert inside Democrats' growing fears of a third-party presidential candidate potentially derailing Biden's 2024 bid. You're watching Meet the Press Now. Welcome back as Republicans focus, or their focus, I should say, remains squarely on the 2024 primary. Some Democrats are already looking ahead to the general election and a potential spoiler for President Biden, a third-party candidate.

The group No Labels has begun to make its case for a third-party presidential bid. They're working to get on the ballot in all 50 states. And a prominent moderate Democrat and a frequent thorn in Biden's side has said he's not ruling out a run on their ticket. Are you considering running for president on the No Labels third-party ticket?

We're not considering anything about running for any office. Are you ruling it off the table? We're not taking anything off the table. Washington's divided.

The politics is dividing the country, making you pick a side. There's only one side, the American side. That's where people want to be. So if you believe that and if that's where the American public is, would you be open to running for a third-party presidential ticket?

Let's see where everybody goes. Let's see what happens. Maybe they'll come to their senses and start doing the job they were elected to do. Joining me now is Amy Walter, the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report.

Amy, I'm not going to ask you to analyze whether or not Joe Biden changing the part in his hair, or Joe Manchin changing the part in his hair, is a sign of something to come. But you did write a very fascinating piece for the Cook Political Report. At the risk of having people not read it, I need you to answer the question of the title. How seriously should we take a potential no-labels candidate?

Well, any time you come off of a presidential race, like we did in 2020, where I'll talk to a UNICEF official about the complex, devastating impact on children and what can be done to address the humanitarian crisis as war rages with no end in sight. You're watching Meet the Press Now. Welcome back. The violence in Sudan has now surpassed 100 days with no end in sight.

The fight between the military and the paramilitary group has killed at least 3,000 people, according to Sudanese officials. Millions have been displaced, according to the U.N. This comes just two weeks after the U.N.'s secretary general warned that the country could be on the brink of a full-scale civil war. And as UNICEF reports, that severe violations of children's rights are a, quote, hourly occurrence.

With me now is Joe English, and he's a spokesperson for UNICEF. Joe, thank you for being here. And for people that have been following the developments in Sudan, explain what has been unfolding there for the past three months. Yeah, it has been 100 days of absolute horror.

You know, many kids here in the U.S. are currently on their summer vacations, and we know as children that, you know, those good times can feel like they last a lifetime, but the reverse is true. And so just trying to imagine what it must be for children and families who 100 days ago woke up to the sounds of guns, the sounds of artillery. You know, maybe they thought that this would last a couple of days.

Now, here we are over three and a half months later, and there is no end in sight. All across the country, you know, families' lives have been turned upside down. We know that over 400 children have been killed, more than 2,000 children injured in the violence. But this is going to be a low estimate because there are parts of the country that there's a communication blackout, there's a lack of access.

We just aren't able to get in and to verify these numbers. And so it's a nightmare on a daily basis, and children wake up every day and they are scared. Families are making impossible decisions of whether to leave their homes, to leave everything they know behind in search of safety. But where do they go?

We know that hundreds of thousands have fled the border into Chad, and that's in Darfur where we have an idea of what's going on there, but the situation seems desperate. And ultimately, children need peace, and they need it as soon as possible. You mentioned that you've had difficulty getting into the region. So what has UNICEF been able to do to try and help these children that are in such a dire situation?

We are reaching children where we're reaching children with, we say, drinking water, with nutrition. You know, where children and families may have crossed the border, we're reaching them with psycho-social support to be able to unpack some of the experiences that they've gone through, and with education. You know, but the reality is, is that whilst fighting continues, there are areas that we just cannot reach. And so we need gun support.

We need a meaningful pause in the fighting, at the very least, if not a full ceasefire. You know, and we need it to be guaranteed that we can have that access. But that's not going to be enough. You know, funding is absolutely critical as well.

And small amounts, you know, the amount that a regular person in the street could donate could actually make a huge difference. There are hundreds of thousands of children in Sudan who are malnourished, who just don't have enough to eat. And UNICEF is there. We know how to treat these children.

And something so simple as a high-protein paste made out of peanuts can be the difference between life and death. You know, and that costs a couple of dollars. So anyone who's out there who wants to help, it's possible. It can feel overwhelming.

It can feel demoralizing. You know, but organizations like UNICEF, the U.N., NGOs, you know, if you are able to support, it makes a difference and it saves children's lives. So to that end, are you getting the type of support from the United States and other Western allies that you need? And how much can the average person do?

The U.S. government is always a huge supporter of UNICEF's work. They're our biggest donor for our humanitarian aid. But the reality is, is that there is never enough.

You know, I mean, Sudan is now 100 days. You know, we all know about the crisis in Ukraine, the food insecurity in the Horn of Africa. You know, we respond to every single one of these crises. Wherever there are children in need, we will be there.

We will be providing that support. But ultimately, we need more funding. You know, and so if anyone there watching at home does want to support UNICEFUSA.org forward slash donate, the smallest amount can make a huge difference. But ultimately, what children need is they need peaceful solutions to this because until then, all we are able to provide is a temporary respite.

You know, and we want these kids to be able to go back to their normal lives, to be able to go back to school, you know, and start building for a better future. Right. You mentioned the need to find some sort of breakthrough in terms of a ceasefire or something along those lines. Do you have any encouraging signs that a diplomatic solution can at least a temporary solution could happen in the near future?

I mean, we hope so on a daily basis. Sadly, you know, we have seen a number of ceasefires agreed that have not held. You know, but for UNICEF, our focus is always the children. And we hope that that can be something that everyone can agree on.

You know, even within war, there are rules. We are, you know, any party conflict is supposed to keep children safe, keep them out of harm's way, ensure that schools and hospitals and the critical civilian infrastructure that families rely on is kept separate from the fighting. And sadly, we continue to see that that is not the case in Sudan. And so, you know, there are many, many things that the children in Sudan need.

Peace is paramount, but, you know, the list goes education to safe drinking water, to protection. There's so much need. Okay, Joe English, thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. We appreciate you being here.

And thank you for being with us this hour. I'll be back tomorrow with more Meet the Press Now, but our NBC News Now coverage continues right now. Drive off in a new Hyundai Elantra today with zero dollars down during the Hyundai Advantage sales event. Take advantage of the $1,000 Spring Drive bonus and lease the 2020 Hyundai Elantra Essential for just $73 weekly at 4.99% for 60 months.

And you're covered by Elantra's best-in-class five-year new car warranty. Now that's the Hyundai Advantage. Conditions apply. Offer includes 1% loyalty rate reduction for qualifying customers.

Visit HyundaiCanada.com or your local dealer for details.