If it's Friday, Israeli forces push deeper into Gaza as Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urges restraint in meetings with Israeli officials, with some in the White House now concerned about the future of the conflict amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. Plus, President Biden visits Lewiston, Maine, in the wake of last week's deadly mass shooting as he pays his respects, meets with first responders, and prepares to deliver remarks in just a few moments. And a jury has convicted the disgraced crypto king, Sam Bankman-Fried, on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy following one of the biggest financial fraud schemes in American history, leading the FTX founder facing up to 110 years in federal prison. Welcome to Meet the Press now.
I'm Gabe Gutierrez, and we're following breaking news with President Biden set to deliver remarks in Maine. I want to go right to NBC News White House correspondent Monica Alba. Monica, what are we expecting? Well, Gabe, we are about to hear from President Biden.
He has been on the ground there in Lewiston, Maine, for the last hour or so with the first lady, as well, meeting with those in the community who have been so deeply affected by this mass shooting, of course, the deadliest so far in 2023 this year, but something like the 600th mass shooting of this year so far. And the president is expected to, of course, continue to pay tribute to those who lost their lives, and then, of course, to also continue to talk about what he sees as a potential action path forward when it comes to calling for the ban of assault weapons, something he has talked about far too many times, unfortunately, after these horrific mass shootings. But something that is new about this, Gabe, is that the president is also expected to talk about what his own administration has done by standing up what's known as the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which was initiated a little over a month ago. Monica, I'm going to interrupt you and pause for an NBC News special report.
This is an NBC News special report. Here's Lester Holt. Good afternoon. We're coming on the air because President Biden is in Maine right now visiting a community in mourning.
The president is set to speak any moment now in what has become a far too regular duty for any president, that of comforter in chief after a mass shooting. It was nine days ago that a gunman opened fire in two separate locations in the city of Lewiston, killing 18 people and injuring more than a dozen. The president today will meet with the families of the victims. They range from a 14-year-old boy to a 76-year-old retiree.
Earlier today, the president and first lady met with nurses and first responders who responded to this massacre. And the visit is not devoid of politics since the shooting. The president has called on Congress to pass new gun reform laws, including an assault weapons ban and universal background checks. Here now is the president.
Governor Mills, Mr. Mayor, Senator Collins, Senator King, and Charlene Pingry. Look, you couldn't be here, but I also want to acknowledge Representative Jared Golden and all the people of Maine. We've done, Jill and I have done too many of these.
Jill and I are here, though, on behalf of the American people to grieve with you and make sure you know that you're not alone. We just visited a memorial at the restaurant, and we're here at the bowling alley where we met with the first responders standing behind me. You know, we'll never forget the trauma they experienced. And as I said, I can't express how much we appreciate what you did.
And also, the members from the nurses and docs in the hospital who took care of these folks. I don't know how they do it. We're also meeting with survivors and families of the victims who have, will never quite be the same. No pain is the same, but we know what it's like to lose a piece of our soul and the depths of a loss that's so profound.
Some of us have been there. 18 precious souls stolen, 13 wounded, children, grandchildren, spouses, siblings, parents, grandparents, bowling coaches, union workers, beloved members of advocates and friends of Lewiston Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. All of them live lives of love and service and sacrifice. We also remember the survivors who will forever carry the memories and the physical and emotional scars of this.
They should be embraced. I know you will. I know you do. You know, as we mourn today in Maine, this tragedy opens a painful, painful wound all across the country.
Too many Americans have lost loved ones or survived the trauma of gun violence. I know because Jill and I have met with them in Buffalo and Uvalde and Monterey Park and Sandy Hook and anyway, too many to count. Too many to count from places that never make the news all across America. It's about bringing people together, different voices and perspectives for an honest conversation on what is going to be a long road to recovery.
You know, and I've been at this a long time. I know consensus is ultimately possible. This is about common sense, reasonable, responsible measures to protect our children, our families, our communities. Because regardless of our politics, this is about protecting our freedom to go to a bowling alley, a restaurant, a school, a church without being shot and killed.
Let me close with this. Scripture says the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. And saves the crushed in spirit. Our prayer is that the crushed in spirit survive this more rapidly than otherwise.
You know, as we gather here today, we know your hearts are broken, but we also know your spirits are strong. The way this community has come together, the way this state has come together has been a marvel to the rest of the country. So God bless those we lost, those who have been wounded, and may God bless the first responders as well as the nurses. I told the nurses, docs, if there's any angels in heaven, male and female nurses are the ones in heaven.
Docs let you live, nurses make you want to live. For guys who spent a lot of time in ICU. So thank you, thank you, thank you. Now I'd like to invite Senator Collins to come up and say a few words as well.
Senator. President Biden speaking in Lewiston, Maine following that mass shooting that took 18 lives last week. The president noting Jill and I have done too many of these. A phrase that certainly captures the sense that many people have as they watch the president in the role of consoler in chief.
We want to go straight to NBC's George Solis on the ground in Lewiston. George, how has the community reacted to the president's visit? Yeah, Lester, a lot of people were expecting to hear from the president, hear those comforting words after this tragic loss that has fallen on this community. Many excited that he was able to meet with those first responders, the nurses, the people that really made the difference in those early hours after this horrific shooting took place here in this community.
Many of the lives here forever altered and changed. Many wondering if they'll ever get back to a sense of normalcy. Just today, I spoke with a teenager who said at their school today, they practiced an active shooter drill, something that was only ever discussed, never actually put into practice. Around this community, people have been sporting the message, Lewiston strong.
And for that, for many people, that means a whole lot of different things. But to have the president here, to have the first lady here, to pay their respects to this community after so many people have been grieving in silence to be able to come out and share their words, bond with one another. It has been so much to this community. As you heard the president say, he's done so many of these, so many that it's hard to keep track.
And this community never thought they would be in the spotlight for such a horrific reason. But to have the support of not only just their local neighbors, but to have the nation watching them has meant so much, Lester. And you make such a good point. These are folks that for a couple of days could not gather together to mourn or to comfort each other because there was an active search for the shooter.
For more, let's bring in our senior Washington correspondent, Kelly O'Donnell. Kelly, in the introduction, we mentioned there is a political side to all this, as there often is following mass shootings. And certainly, Lester, the president would like to use the heartache and grief that a community like Lewiston feels and to leverage that for some political outcome like a ban on assault-style weapons. He also now has in place the first-of-its-kind policy department within the White House structure that is dealing with gun violence.
And they were on the ground in Maine as well. Lester? All right, Kelly, thanks very much. That concludes this NBC News special report.
We'll have much more ahead on our streaming network, NBC News Now, online at NBCNews.com, and tonight on NBC Nightly News. For now, I'm Lester Holt, NBC News, New York. Good day. And that has been an NBC News special report.
We'll continue to monitor the remarks from local officials in Maine. But now we want to turn now to the Israel-Hamas war and new reporting from the White House. Current and former senior U.S. officials tell NBC News that there is growing concern inside the administration about how Israel is conducting the war as the humanitarian crisis worsens and the Palestinian death toll rises and amid uncertainty over whether Israel can be reined in.
Those senior officials tell NBC News that some in the Biden White House worry that the U.S. could become isolated on the world stage and that President Biden could be blamed for Israeli military actions. As against that backdrop that Secretary Blinken met in Tel Aviv with Israel's leaders, reaffirming U.S. support, but also urging them to practice restraint And very consistent today in saying that they are still expanding their operations.
They are continuing to push forward. We've heard that from the Israel Defense Forces, the Israeli Defense Minister, as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that they are going full force ahead. They plan to focus the majority of their efforts in Gaza City because they have said time and time again that they believe that is where Hamas militants primarily operate out of. That prior to the war was the most populated city in the Gaza Strip.
And we are expecting a lot of the military efforts in the coming days to really focus on that area because that is what Israel has been saying publicly for quite a while now. And yesterday, they said their forces had completed what they described as the encirclement of Gaza City. Gabe. And Allison, there's been growing outrage about some of these strikes.
And now we're hearing that the Palestinian Red Crescent says that Israel targeted one of its ambulances outside a hospital in Gaza City. What more do we know and what is the Israeli military saying about that? Yes, it appears that we are looking at possibly two different strikes on ambulances, one that took place in the gates, kind of at the entrance of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, and another that was on a convoy of ambulances traveling on a road that is sort of Western Gaza, Rashid Street. What apparently happened there, based on what Palestinian Red Crescent has said and other groups inside of Gaza, is they are saying that that strike that happened near the gates of Al-Shifa Hospital, that that killed at least 15 people.
And then when they're talking about this other strike on the convoy of ambulances traveling on Rashid Street on that one, this is what the Palestinian Red Crescent has said, quote, at precisely 4.30, Israeli occupying forces launched an airstrike on Rashid Street in the western part of Gaza. Their target was a group of ambulance vehicles returning from a mission to transport injured individuals to the Rafah border, which included an ambulance affiliated with the Palestinian Red Crescent. The IDF has now released a statement of their own. And they are saying this, quote, an IDF aircraft struck an ambulance that was identified by forces as being used by a Hamas terrorist cell in close proximity to their position in the battle zone.
They say a number of Hamas terrorist operatives were killed in the strike. We intend to release additional information, they say. And then they go on to say again, this is the IDF, that Hamas's method of operation is to transfer terror operatives and weapons in ambulances. Now, all of that being said, and we're still getting information on this, so this is sort of just laying out for you what everyone has said officially so far.
There was a press conference about 30 minutes before that strike that took place on the convoy of ambulances traveling on that street in western Gaza. And our NBC News team in Gaza was actually at that press conference. And at the press conference, again, about 30 minutes prior to the ambulance convoy departing the hospital to make its way towards the Rafah border crossing, the director of Gaza's Ministry of Health told reporters that this convoy of ambulances was going to be leaving with injured patients and also explicitly laid out the route that it planned to take. So that's all the information that we have right now.
Israel, IDF claiming they will release more information in the coming hours and we'll keep an eye on that. So much to sort out there, Allison. Briefly, while I have you, Secretary Blinken, as we mentioned, is back in the country as the Biden administration is pushing for that humanitarian pause. I know it's a fine line to walk.
Israel said that it won't agree to any sort of pause unless all the hostages are released. But is there any sign that Prime Minister Netanyahu may be willing to soften his position at this point? It really doesn't seem like it. Shortly after he met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, he gave a speech to his Israeli citizens.
He said, I appreciated his visit. And then he said, I made clear to him that we do not plan to have any sort of ceasefire unless all of the Israeli hostages are freed, saying we plan to proceed with this at full force and also saying we have no intention of allowing fuel inside of Gaza. Gabe. Allison Barber inside Israel.
Allison, thank you. I want to turn now to Monica Alba at the White House. And Monica, you just heard there from Allison talk about a temporary ceasefire or a humanitarian pause. I know the administration has been very careful about what it calls that, either a pause or a ceasefire.
But with Secretary Blinken back in Israel, we're also learning concerns about inside the administration over how Israel is conducting this war. I know you have some new reporting on that. What is driving those concerns inside the administration? Yeah, this is some notable new reporting from my colleagues Carol Lee and Courtney Kube, specifically about that balancing act, Gabe, this idea that the administration wants to protect civilian lives, but they are watching the mounting death toll in Gaza of Palestinians, so many of them women and children.
And they are watching how the world is watching. And there is a concern that the president's consistent strategy of the last couple of weeks of supporting Israel's right to defend itself could ultimately backfire on the Biden administration, given the Biden administration in the White House and the president, as much as they can try, they aren't likely going to be able to influence or rein in Israeli military actions. They can ask the prime minister as many times as they want to consider civilian life in all of this. But as we're seeing, they have their own priorities.
And the White House has been clear in saying we're not directing or demanding that the Israeli military do anything specific either. So as they're watching this, some former and some current senior administration officials are now seeing that come into a starker light. And of course, this is something that has evolved over the last couple of days and weeks. Initially, when the president even went to Israel, when he was so full throated in his defense of what Israel was doing in response to the gruesome and horrific attacks on October 7th, it was very clear where he stood.
And he has made that crystal clear. But now there are these broader conversations about what this might look like if it goes on so much longer and the death toll is so much higher. And as that continues to climb and that shifts on the world stage, other countries could come in and also start to push for more of this kind of a pause, the ceasefire language that the White House, of course, has been very hesitant on, at least in relation to trying to get hostages out. Monica, that broader conversation happening inside the White House, but also within the wider Democratic Party.
There are now 14 Democrats calling for a short term cessation of hostilities. Is the White House concerned about a divide within the president's own party? They're certainly following it very closely. And what they have said and what I think they will continue to say is that they do believe a complete ceasefire of both sides means it would be beneficial, they argue, to Hamas because they would have the ability to restock and to continue to plan potential future attacks.
As we heard today, it was a possibility. So the White House is, again, being very careful in its language. But we have also seen them shift because at the beginning they weren't calling for anything related to humanitarian pauses. That's something that about a week ago Secretary Blinken was more clear about exploring.
It was something that the White House slowly said, let's look at it. And then finally, it was President Biden himself saying this week, we should have humanitarian pauses, plural, multiple, so that they can get people out during an agreed upon time. But as we heard from the Prime Minister there very clearly, that's not on the table in any broad sense. Monica How about the White House?
Monica, thank you. I want to turn out to Matt Bradley. He's in Beirut. And Matt, Hezbollah leader gave his first speech since the war began today.
And what did he say? And are we likely to see increased clashes on the Israel-Lebanon border now? Yeah, we've been talking about this for a while. It's kind of hard to parse out because it was an hour and a half long speech.
This is a voluble man in normal times. And he had been waiting for about four weeks to give this speech ever since this Hamas offensive started on October 7th. We finally heard from him today. And he essentially said that all options were on the table.
So he didn't change much, but he did act as though what he was already doing, that Hezbollah was already in the fight and that they could expand it more. That was something that really drew a lot of attention throughout the entire region. But again, we've already been seeing Hezbollah launching directed missiles across the border into Israel. We've already been seeing Israel firing back.
And he was celebrating the 50 or more than 50 Hezbollah so-called martyrs who have already died in this weeks of fighting. And, you know, he was essentially saying that we could be expanding this conflict anymore. But he was so careful not to go the full length and say that he was going to be launching a full scale war against Israel. It's hard to know exactly what he's saying, but he was definitely throwing a lot of red meat to his base.
And we were amongst them in that very energetic rally here in Beirut, Gabe. So, Matt, Hezbollah, like Hamas, of course, is backed by Iran. What does the speech say tell us about how closely Tehran is watching this conflict? Well, it was unclear, but in the audience, we were seeing a lot of Iranian flags and there was a lot of support there.
We were hearing the kind of thing you'd hear from Iranian officialdom. Death to America. Death to Israel. These are common phrases that we hear in Welcome back.
As we've been reporting for the past several days, for the first time since the war began, some people were able to evacuate from Gaza this week through the Rafah Gate, connecting southern Gaza and Egypt. And while some civilians were getting out, including some Americans and injured Palestinians, some aid was also getting in. But Israel has not yet lifted its blockade on fuel over concerns that supplies will be diverted to Hamas. As a result, aid organizations and local hospitals say they're functioning on reserves which are quickly depleting.
Here's what one doctor at a hospital in northern Gaza told our NBC News team. We have here in the Gaza governorate and the North area of Gaza, we are lacking the fuel here, especially in Shifa Hospital and Atataleem Hospital. And because of the last two days, the main roads of Gaza to the South area is a cut by the Israeli army, so it is dangerous to bring any amount of fuel from the South area to Shifa. Also no electricity, but still we are keeping some of the important area like an ICU, operating theater, neonatal ICU and intensive area.
Why we are doing that? We are reducing the consumption of electricity so we can keep the hospital running for another few days. And in address in Israel this morning, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the U.S. has identified ways to get fuel to hospitals in the South, but he did not reveal details of any plan to do so.
I'm joined now by Abby Maxman, President and CEO of Oxfam America. Thank you so much for joining us. And as you just heard from that doctor, hospitals are running out of fuel in Gaza, as you well know. And Secretary Blinken said that they've identified ways to get fuel into hospitals for people in the South.
What's your reaction to that? And we have been reporting over the last several days, NBC News has, that Hamas has been stockpiling fuel in Gaza. How necessary is fuel to the aid effort right now? Well, thanks so much, Gabe.
Fuel is essential, as is water and food. The scale of the humanitarian need in Gaza is huge and really growing exponentially by the day. As you know, there's more than two million people, a million of whom are children in the Gaza Strip, who are facing this terrifying future where food and water are absent. And with the absence of fuel is also the absence of hygiene and water systems and hospitals like we were just hearing and bakeries.
Nothing is able to work. People are running out of food, clean water and medical supplies. And the situation is truly dire. Abby, the sticking point here, though, seems to be this idea that how can you get fuel into Gaza without having it end up in the hands of Hamas?
How confident are you that aid organizations could distribute this fuel without supplying Hamas? Well, we continue to have, as we did before this crisis and now, have safeguards in how we deliver aid and all of our aid to people in Gaza. And that is continuing to be an issue of getting the shipments that are needed to the people is just the priority of the moment. And we've really recognized what is needed now above all is the end of the siege with full humanitarian access so that we can scale up our humanitarian operations.
We need the protection of civilians, the release of hostages and above all, an immediate ceasefire. Civilians are already experiencing such extraordinary suffering and it's increasing constantly as we're speaking and they're really bearing the unacceptable burden as hostilities continue. People want dignity and security and they need food and water and safety now. Abby, you mentioned safeguards, though, but how can you keep fuel out of the hands of Hamas when the organization runs the government there?
Well, we work with with partners locally whose commitment are to the communities that we serve. And we continue to ensure that they are able to provide the services to the people in need. What we're seeing is people needing safe shelter. Half of the Palestinians in Gaza are displaced from their homes and many are sheltering in the hospitals, churches and schools.
And they actually want to survive and keep safe. Our own staff, we have 33 staff in Gaza, and they are worried about their lives just surviving through the night and the next day. They are focusing on their survival and supporting friends and family. And we are in regular contact with them and we work closely with two organizations inside Gaza who are trying to scale up our activities now.
The Palestinian Medical Relief Society and the Culture and Free Thought Association are all doing excellent work getting the what is needed only a fraction, unfortunately, of what is needed because of access and the lack of access to what is needed. But we are not concerned about diversion. We're concerned about saving lives. And Abby, the Rafah crossing has been open now for eight trucks to pass through.
You mentioned this might just be a fraction of what is needed. But how is the opening of the Rafah crossing impacted your aid operation in Gaza over the last few days? Well, really, the opening of the Rafah crossing, while it is appreciated, it is a drop in the ocean of need. The needs are absolutely enormous for everything.
Food, water. People are living on tinned food only. They have no access to supplies. And what is getting in is a fraction of what was needed prior to this crisis every day.
And so while we appreciate and are encouraged that there is some beginning of access, this needs to be scaled up enormously. We have half a million Palestinian civilians that are trapped right now in a siege within a siege in northern Gaza. And civilians are being deprived of items essential to their survival. Food, water, fuel, medicines, as we've talked about.
And this is really serving as collective punishment and a violation of international humanitarian law if they cannot get the basic things they need to survive. And Abby, are any Oxfam workers included in those who were able to cross into Egypt? Well, we have one staff member who was outside of Gaza trying to get into his family. And he has been waiting to get into Gaza for 26 days.
All 33 of our staff and their families have been trapped inside Gaza. Many are living in conditions that they describe having moved. Those who were able to move south did being appreciative of living in single rooms with only 60 people. Enormously difficult, harrowing conditions that they're living in.
They want to and are ready to be able to scale up the humanitarian operations when it's safe and they're able to do so. And Abby, earlier in the hour, we talked with our reporter about how the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances, they were targeted in a strike in southern Gaza, apparently. How dangerous is it for aid workers on the ground right now, even in the South? It is extremely unsafe for everybody.
There is nobody inside Gaza who feels safe at the moment. We are hearing harrowing stories from our staff. Certainly the blackout last weekend was absolutely terrifying when we had 36 hours where we did not get contact with them. When we did, we were relieved that they had survived, but everybody has lost a huge amount of family members.
They've given up their homes. They've had to flee with no time and no warning and have lost everything. And so that's why we continue to call for an immediate and safe release of hostages, an immediate ceasefire and a protection of all civilians, which is absolutely paramount. Abby Maxman with Oxfam.
Abby, thank you so much. And up next, Washington's wartime concerns as the White House pushes for a humanitarian pause on the front lines. A growing number of Democrats in Congress are now raising criticisms of the Israeli military. We'll dig into that and more.
The panel's next. You're watching Meet the Press Now. And welcome back. As we mentioned, there is growing concern inside the administration and within the president's own party about the president's support for Israel amid the deteriorating humanitarian crisis inside Gaza.
And while the president continues his diplomatic push for a humanitarian pause, he may soon be facing additional political challenges as a growing number of mainstream Democrats ramp up their criticism of Israel's military tactics. I'm joined now by the panel. Susan Page, Washington Bureau Chief for USA Today. Juanita Tolliver, Democratic Strategist and an NBC News Political Analyst.
And Republican Strategist Brad Todd. Juanita, I want to start with you. Yesterday, these 14 Senate Democrats signed this letter calling for a cessation of hostilities. Where does this say about where the mainstream Democratic Party is on this issue right now?
Well, the first thing it says is they're still negotiating language because cessation of harm is not quite ceasefire. It's a little bit more than a humanitarian pause. So I think those internal conversations. Pause, ceasefire.
The White House has been trying to walk this fine line, hasn't it? Right. Consistently. And we know that Secretary Blinken has had to do the same when he's on the ground in Israel speaking to the government officials because I think it's something to be said about the Biden's track record and how he went into this conflict.
Remember, first, it was Israel. Defend yourself. We're not going to draw any red lines for Israel was the line. And now he's backtracking.
And I think that has something to do with the response from the American people as well. American people, but also, Susan, the response from some key swing states. Right. We've heard in Michigan that Muslim Americans, Arab Americans have been responding very negatively to this.
And I was in Minnesota earlier this week speaking with some voters there. They seem very upset with how the Biden administration is handling this issue. You know, in the biggest picture, the Biden administration is also concerned that Israel is going to isolate itself in the world. And that is going to be a problem as you try to figure out what comes after the war in Gaza.
But in the United States, yes, a bigger divide than we've seen in the past on issues involving the Middle East and Israel. And the groups What is the tipping point with these mass shootings? 18 people killed when they go out to bowl or to a bar in Lewiston, Maine. I mean, on top of children being slaughtered in classrooms, there is no serious contemplation of additional gun legislation on the Hill, and there wasn't, people didn't even pretend this time that that was a prospect.
Especially with Republicans in control of the House. I think that is a big piece here. Well, Brad, I want to get you to weigh on this. Maine has a yellow flag law in place, and this murderer had made it known to the police that he was a threat to others.
That, again, shows you, once again, the yellow flag law in Maine is a reasonable approach, but gun laws don't stop this. Mental health is the problem. We have people who mean harm to themselves and other people. And that, until we come to grips with that as a country, that we have a mental health crisis and that both parties need to work to solve that together, this is not going to stop.
Juanita, earlier this week, the president has been trying to sell Bidenomics again. He was in Minnesota speaking to rural voters. And this is something that he has had a big problem with over the last couple of years. Republicans have made incredible gains in 2016, 2020, and then also in the 2022 midterms.
And they've been increasingly getting rural support. The president trying to combat that this two-week blitz that he's going to have over the next two weeks. How do Democrats bridge that divide and win back some of these rural voters, given the fact that the president has had such a difficult time selling his economic policies? Right.
I think it's about trying to give the voters commitments that they can feel, because that's the thing that we've seen with the economic agenda for the Biden administration, is that, yes, they've had historic gains, job growth, job creation, and increases in wages for voters. But the question is, what are people feeling in real time? And that's what we see coming up in this negative sentiment about the economy, because if their bank accounts are still struggling, then I think that's a piece of it. Not just for rural voters, but voters across the country.
And Brad and Susan, I want to get you to weigh in as we're running out of time here, but the new jobs report out today, last month, 150,000 jobs added, a little less than was expected. But the unemployment rate is still under 4%, even though it did go up a little bit. Susan, how does this translate to voters heading into the 2024? Here's the thing that flummoxes the White House.
The economy is pretty good. The jobs numbers are terrific. Inflation is still a problem, but moderating a bit. And yet, President Biden so far gets no credit.
And I think their hope is that people eventually feel it in their lives and give them some credit, but that has not happened yet. Right, I want to give you the last word here. President Biden intentionally made fuel prices and energy prices more expensive, and they're now intentionally making mortgage rates more expensive. He's not going to get credit as long as things in daily life continue to cost more on purpose.
All right, thank you so much, Susan, Juanita, and Brad. Thank you so much for joining us here on Meet the Press Now. Really appreciate it. And after the break, NBC News sits down with Catherine Bergum, First Lady of North Dakota and wife to 2024 presidential hopeful Doug Bergum, to talk about her road to recovery from addiction and the road to the White House.
That's next. You're watching Meet the Press Now. Welcome back. It's been a busy few days in two New York City courtrooms.
In federal court, a jury convicted disgraced cryptocurrency CEO and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, finding him guilty on all seven charges, including wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering, after he carried out one of the biggest financial frauds in American history. The conviction comes less than a year after FTX's spectacular collapse. Bankman-Fried faces more than 100 years in prison when he's sentenced next March. Meanwhile, in district court in Manhattan, the judge presiding over Donald Trump's civil fraud trial has expanded his gag order so that both Trump and his attorneys are barred from making public comments about court staff.
It comes after a Trump attorney clashed with the judge, accusing his clerk of political bias. Also today, Eric Trump wrapped up his testimony in that civil trial. Eric is the second Trump to take the stand this week. Donald Trump Jr.
testified yesterday and Wednesday. Donald Trump himself is expected to testify next week, as is his daughter, Ivanka. Turning now from the courtroom to the campaign trail, where North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum is continuing his White House bid. Part of that effort includes his wife, who is raising awareness about an issue that transcends partisan politics, addiction and mental health.
Catherine Burgum has been public about her struggles with alcoholism and her recovery. NBC News campaign embed Sarah Dean spoke to the Burgums and filed this report. Addiction doesn't care what political affiliation you have. It doesn't care whether you're rich or poor.
It touches everybody. It's a staple of North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum's longshot presidential campaign. Her courage to stand up and share her story has been a complete game changer, and it's not only changed lives, I know it saved lives in our state. His wife's story of alcohol addiction and recovery.
Someone said that the easiest, fastest, cheapest way to eliminate stigma is just to talk about it, to normalize the conversation around the disease of addiction. Talking about it is what First Lady Catherine Burgum has been doing for six years, first in North Dakota and now nationwide. People don't reach out for help because of the shame and stigma. People overdose because then they lose their lives, you know.
And so it's so important that we eliminate the stigma around this disease. It's a brain disease. She first went public with her story shortly after her husband became governor in 2016. I was a blackout drinker from when I was in high school.
It was a 20-year struggle trying not to drink. And, you know, that, so my relationship with alcohol was really my way of coping with untreated mental health issues. Burgum speaks about her struggles, including getting arrested for a DUI and becoming suicidal, hoping to help others who are suffering. It helps eliminate the shame, I think, because, you know, people will say, wow, well, I've done that too, you know.
And, you know, she seems to be doing pretty well. And so maybe if I just confront this and, you know, ask for help, I can be, I can find my way. Celebrating recovery is a key part of Burgum's message and the statewide initiative she began called Recovery Reinvented. I would not be here today, you know, without my recovery.
Now when I get emotional, it's just because I'm full on grateful, you know, for what I have in my life and for my recovery. So celebrating it is just so important and celebrating it by talking about that there's always hope for recovery. It is an issue that Burgum say is getting voters attention on the trail. Some of the most powerful moments of our campaigning have come when Catherine, as she does at our campaign stops, she shares her story that she's changing lives and saving lives everywhere we go.
And thanks again to NBC's Sarah Dean for that reporting. Such an important issue for so many Americans. This all comes as Doug Burgum is struggling to qualify for the third Republican presidential primary debate next week, hosted by NBC News in Miami. Meet the Press now will be there live from the spin room ahead in the hours ahead of the debate.
And Tommy Yamas and Hallie Jackson will have special pre-debate coverage starting at 7 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, followed by post-debate analysis at 10 p.m. Eastern right here on NBC News Now. Lester Holt, Kristen Welker and Hugh Hewitt will moderate the main event at 8 p.m.
Eastern. Don't miss it. And if it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press on your local NBC station. Kristen will have an exclusive interview with Ukrainian President Zelensky.
I'm Gabe Gutierrez. The news continues with Hallie Jackson right now. Hey, it's Kate Snow, NBC News anchor and host of The Drink. This month, Demi Lovato is my guest.
The global superstar tells me that she is the happiest she's ever been right now. But getting there, it wasn't simple. Demi opens up about starting in Hollywood young and why she now thinks she may have started too soon. She talks about recovery, her new marriage, and the deeply personal reason behind her new cookbook.
The Drink is always about the journey to the top. And this was an honest conversation about what that takes. Hope you'll listen and follow The Drink wherever you get your podcasts.