0:00

This week with George Stephanopoulos

0:02

starts right now. Outrage.

0:05

This week's horrific attack was

0:07

not the first such incident. It

0:09

must be the last. Six months

0:12

since October 7th, a major shift

0:14

by the U.S. after an Israeli

0:16

airstrike killed seven aid workers in

0:19

Gaza. If there's no changes to

0:21

their policy, then there's going to

0:23

have to be changes to ours.

0:25

This morning, the founder of the

0:27

World Central Kitchen speaks exclusively to

0:29

ABC News. Do you believe at

0:32

this point that they were deliberately

0:34

targeted? Your aid group. His

0:37

plea to President Biden. You

0:39

can be a friend of Israel and at

0:41

the same time you can be telling your

0:43

partner in the Middle East, you cannot be

0:45

conducting war in such a way. And his

0:47

calls for accountability. IDF has

0:50

a lot of questions to ask themselves,

0:52

what exactly are they there for? An

0:54

emotional conversation with Chef Jose Andres,

0:56

plus the White House response

0:59

from spokesman John Kirby. And.

1:03

We'll never forget those that they dealt

1:05

with the sacrifice, but we can't forget

1:07

about each other either. Twenty years

1:09

after the siege of Sadr City

1:11

in Iraq, we reunite with the

1:13

soldiers who fought and honor those

1:15

who died. A story of war

1:18

and family I have reported on

1:20

for decades. Plus, we'll

1:22

look at the science behind the spectacle

1:24

in the sky one day

1:27

ahead of the eclipse across America.

1:32

From ABC News, it's this week. Here

1:35

now, Martha Raditz. Good

1:37

morning and welcome to this week. Today

1:39

marks six months of war in Gaza,

1:41

six months since the horror of October

1:44

7th and the deadly terror attack on

1:46

Israel that killed more than 1200 Israelis

1:49

with more than 100 hostages

1:51

still believed to be held by Hamas.

1:54

It's also been six months

1:57

of Israel's devastating response, causing

1:59

widespread destruction across Gaza and

2:01

taking the lives of more than 33,000 Palestinians,

2:03

according to

2:06

the Hamas-run health ministry, and

2:08

leaving the territory on what the U.N.

2:10

has called the brink of famine. But

2:13

it was the loss of seven

2:15

aid workers this week that seemed

2:17

to galvanize a new level of

2:19

outrage. These seven individuals from around

2:22

the world, including one dual American

2:24

Canadian citizen, working with

2:26

the relief group Rural Central Kitchen,

2:28

killed by repeated drone strikes of

2:30

their clearly marked convoy, despite the

2:33

group having coordinated their location

2:35

and movements with the IDF.

2:38

Rural Central Kitchen was founded

2:40

by renowned chef-turned-philanthropist Jose Andres,

2:42

his organization providing meals around

2:44

the globe in the most dire

2:47

circumstances, from the aftermath of

2:49

natural disasters like earthquakes and

2:51

hurricanes to war zones from Ukraine

2:53

to Gaza, where Rural Central

2:56

Kitchen has served millions of meals

2:58

to Palestinians. That work

3:00

now paused after the attack that

3:02

Israel admits was a grave mistake.

3:05

So I sat down with Chef

3:07

Jose Andres to discuss his emotional

3:09

response to the death of his

3:11

colleagues and what he believes both

3:13

the Israeli and U.S. government should

3:15

be doing to address this war's

3:17

deadly toll. At

3:20

what point did it sink in

3:22

for you, the enormity of this loss?

3:25

Well, it has not sink in yet. I'm

3:27

still going through the process. But

3:31

this allowed work to be done. We are a small organization,

3:33

and right now we are in the middle of this story

3:38

that we wish we were not part of. We

3:40

are an organization that we want

3:42

to go to difficult places and bring food to people

3:45

and bring joy to people. Because people,

3:47

when it's about food and water, they need you today.

3:50

So for me, I think

3:53

the grief is going on, especially the members

3:55

I knew closely. So

4:03

I spent a lot of time with

4:05

her in missions. She

4:09

was always a joy and was

4:11

a very beloved member of the community. She is like

4:13

a sister. Damion

4:16

was a newest member and

4:19

so this hits

4:22

home because that's

4:24

people I serve next to

4:28

and they are the example of who

4:30

we are and that they put

4:33

themselves in harm's way to try to bring

4:36

hope and smiles to others.

4:39

You wrote a very emotional tweet this

4:42

week about Zomi saying, I

4:44

wish I never founded your organization. You

4:46

would be alive somewhere today smiling and

4:49

making somebody somewhere feel like they were

4:51

the most beloved person in the world.

4:55

You said you wish you'd never found it. Where

4:58

was Central Kitchen? You know, I

5:03

will forever have to live with this as

5:05

well as the families and all the members

5:07

of both Central Kitchen. I

5:13

founded it with one very simple idea, can

5:15

we provide food and water quicker than anybody

5:18

else? Obviously something like this makes

5:20

you think. We did what we

5:22

did because it's a lot of people that are

5:24

always forgotten, people that are always voiceless. I

5:28

know very often as many people that

5:30

joined the organization because they saw me

5:32

doing the work before and

5:35

this began being an organization of one that

5:37

became an organization of millions. These

5:39

are seven internationals,

5:42

six internationals plus. Saif,

5:45

the Palestinian, who is buried and I received

5:47

a photo from his father, his family, where

5:50

he is already resting. And

5:52

this has become news because these six

5:55

internationals that they've been... impacted

6:01

by this war and we're the dead

6:03

now many are mourning these

6:05

kinds with with a with a risk

6:07

we try to minimize the risk who

6:10

is going to tell me the day we were kind of

6:12

celebrating that we had armored vehicles

6:15

finally armored

6:17

vehicles that were very well marked that

6:20

we were doing the right protocols that we

6:22

were engaging with the IDF in the way

6:25

we all should be doing like every

6:27

minute everybody knew where everybody was who

6:31

was going to tell me that these

6:33

protocols will break in such a way the

6:36

initial report released Friday calling

6:39

the drone strikes a grave

6:41

mistake that should not have

6:43

happened satisfied with that

6:45

report well I want to

6:47

thank obviously the IVF for doing such

6:49

a quick investigation but at the

6:51

same time I will say something so complicated the

6:54

investigation should be much more deeper

6:58

and I will say that the perpetrator

7:00

cannot be investigating himself but I will

7:02

say we need more information we

7:05

need to see better quality videos we

7:07

need to be saying what was

7:09

the conversations the radio conversation between

7:12

the different officers and

7:14

soldiers in charge of saying

7:17

that those cars were a

7:20

target because they were an imminent threat those

7:22

weapons can only be used

7:24

with very sophisticated drones and

7:27

we all know that those drones have high capabilities

7:30

day and night with

7:33

cameras that can see in

7:35

very powerful way what's going on that's

7:37

one of the things that they said

7:40

is that they could not because it

7:42

was night see the logo from world central

7:44

kitchen which was so clear on top of the

7:46

vehicle in the daytime they said they couldn't see

7:48

it at night do you

7:50

buy that obviously I would like to see

7:53

high quality of the video high quality of

7:55

the images I'm very sure

7:58

that probably Those

8:01

logos were visible. They were white cars.

8:04

That logo is very colorful. Even

8:08

in a dark night, I

8:10

guarantee you that those drones could

8:13

be seen. They say that

8:16

their drone video, and this has

8:18

not been verified, this video, that

8:20

they say shows Hamas operatives

8:22

and they thought they've one

8:25

fired from an aid truck.

8:28

Every time something happens, we

8:30

cannot just be bringing Hamas into the question. I

8:33

think IDF knows better

8:35

than anybody that can be a better

8:37

army. Should

8:40

be protocols, should

8:42

be rules of engagement, that

8:44

somebody has to be making sure that

8:48

they happen in a war zone. It's

8:50

way too many cases now of humanitarians

8:52

dying. Many civilians, women, children, that the

8:55

only thing they did was trying to

8:57

get close by to somewhere that they

8:59

were giving them flour or

9:01

bread. This is not

9:03

anymore about the seven men

9:05

and women of World Central Kitchen that perish

9:08

on this unfortunate event.

9:11

This is happening way for too long.

9:14

It's been six months of targeting

9:16

anything that seems moves. This

9:19

doesn't seem a war against terror.

9:22

This doesn't seem any more a war about

9:24

defending Israel. This really,

9:26

at this point, seems it's a

9:28

war against humanity itself. That's

9:31

why I'm requesting Israel, I'm requesting

9:33

Prime Minister, I'm requesting IDF, that

9:36

this investigation and many

9:38

others should be done right,

9:41

should be done in an independent way. So

9:44

not only for World Central Kitchen family,

9:46

for the families of the deceased,

9:49

but for every other NGO that has

9:52

been targeted or has lost members to

9:55

exactly understand how the IDF has

9:57

been operating so IDF can learn

9:59

from it. We can all learn

10:01

from it. Jose, you said earlier

10:04

this week in

10:06

an interview, we were

10:08

targeted deliberately, nonstop, until everybody

10:10

was dead in this convoy.

10:13

Do you believe, at this point,

10:17

from what you have seen, that they

10:19

were deliberately targeted? Your

10:21

aid group? That the

10:23

convoy was deliberately attacked is

10:25

abuse. The

10:27

precision, the

10:31

continuous following over 1.8 kilometers

10:35

until the three cars were totally

10:39

destroyed and all the

10:41

members inside those three, obviously

10:43

this was targeted. We

10:47

could argue that the first one, let's say, was

10:50

a mistake. The

10:53

second, the

10:55

third. Do

10:59

you believe World Central Kitchen

11:02

was targeted on

11:04

purpose? My

11:07

humanity tells me that obviously I don't want to

11:09

believe that World Central Kitchen was targeted. And

11:14

probably this was not the case. Because,

11:17

offshore, they knew our movements, offshore they

11:19

knew our teams, offshore

11:21

they were in direct contact with

11:25

the different people that coordinate in

11:28

these situations. But obviously

11:30

this seems to keep happening,

11:32

this breaking of communication keeps

11:35

happening. Civilians must be

11:37

protected. Humanitarian

11:39

organizations must be protected. There

11:43

are people that have names and

11:45

last names. There are people that matter. They

11:48

cannot be voiceless. They cannot be ghosts of

11:50

words that don't make sense. Obviously

11:53

IDF has a lot of questions to

11:55

ask themselves, what exactly are they there

11:58

for? Are they there really? know,

12:01

bring home safely all those hostages

12:03

that still are suffering. Of

12:06

sure Israel had the right to defend itself. Of

12:09

sure what happened to, on October

12:11

7th, to Israel is something should never

12:13

happen. There was

12:16

an atrocity. Jose, we heard

12:18

Benjamin Netanyahu first say before

12:20

the investigation, it was

12:22

a mistake, it

12:25

happens in war. If

12:27

we simplify things in such

12:29

a way as Prime Minister Netanyahu has

12:31

done, we are

12:33

losing all the basis of what humanity should

12:35

be there for. If somebody knows

12:37

suffering, that's the people of Israel. Somebody

12:40

really understands the meaning of suffering. If

12:44

somebody should be holding the highest standards

12:46

of humanity, I would say that's also

12:48

the people of Israel. Netanyahu

12:51

says they will do everything they can to

12:53

make sure nothing like this happens again. It's

12:57

a first step, but

12:59

we know that leaders of the

13:01

world and politicians, they give speeches that

13:03

they never follow. These

13:06

declarations of intentions need to go

13:08

alongside with

13:10

real change of the people we put on the

13:12

ground. You spoke to President

13:14

Biden. Did you say to him what you're saying to

13:16

me now? I spoke as a person,

13:18

I spoke as the founder of an organization, I

13:20

spoke on behalf of the seven people that are

13:23

no longer with us. I

13:25

spoke about the hundreds of other humanitarians that they

13:27

are no longer with us. And

13:29

I spoke about the thousands of civilians that

13:31

probably they had to be perishing in the

13:33

way they are. You say,

13:35

President Biden, you

13:38

can and America will stand

13:40

behind you, support the right

13:42

of Israel to defend themselves on this massive

13:44

attack. But at the same time, I

13:47

will say that President Biden

13:49

also can be defending

13:52

and supporting the right of Palestinians

13:56

not to die, just trying to be getting

13:58

a piece of bread. I think

14:00

both truths can live in the same

14:03

place. You can be a friend of

14:05

Israel, and at the same time, you

14:07

can be telling your partner in the

14:09

Middle East, you cannot be conducting war

14:11

in such a way. You cannot be

14:13

destroying every building, every hospital, every school,

14:15

every university. You cannot be destroying, use

14:17

the future for decades of more than

14:19

two million Palestinians. And in the

14:21

process, leaving them hungry, leaving them

14:23

without water, or what is even worse, you

14:26

shooting them in the middle of the street in

14:28

the process of trying to have access to food.

14:32

What the White House did this

14:35

week, it seemed like a

14:37

very significant shift, saying there

14:39

would be consequences if they

14:42

didn't allow essentially more

14:44

humanitarian aid and take more

14:46

care with civilian

14:49

lives. Were you satisfied

14:51

with that statement? I

14:53

think the would be consequences is part of

14:55

the problem. Should be already

14:57

consequences. Support

15:00

Israel right to defend itself, but you

15:02

cannot be using weapons that they are

15:04

killing American

15:06

citizens who are humanitarians. You

15:09

can be supporting Israel right to defend itself,

15:13

but at the same time, you can

15:15

be asking Israel to conduct themselves

15:18

at the highest possible human level.

15:21

They opened two more crossings,

15:24

the Israelis announced. Is that enough?

15:26

Obviously, it's a first step to

15:29

open new entry points into Gaza.

15:32

But at the same time, to make sure

15:34

that they're open, hundreds of tracks can go

15:37

through each one of them. This

15:39

will be a first step. But at the

15:42

same time, how we do it

15:44

that is safe, let's the

15:46

humanitarian aid flow. Please

15:48

make sure that the IDF has a

15:50

real reckoning on how they conduct

15:52

war. Who are

15:54

the enemy? Who

15:57

really are they fighting? Not

16:00

only have you suffered this tragedy

16:02

and the loss of your employees,

16:06

you care so much about getting humanitarian

16:08

aid in there, about getting food in

16:10

there. And you can't

16:12

do it right now. So how and

16:14

when can you come back? We

16:17

need to make sure that the humanitarians doing this

16:19

work are safe. Hundreds

16:21

have died, close to 200 already. In

16:26

a way, I'm sad that there had to be the killing

16:29

of six foreigners that

16:32

brings all this outrage. Sometimes

16:36

history is written, unfortunately, in moments

16:38

like this. But

16:41

if it's anything that the lives

16:43

of these six

16:45

heroes, brave souls, can

16:47

bring, it's just the real understanding

16:49

of what's really happening in Gaza. The

16:52

answer of why all the destruction cannot be because

16:54

it's a Hamas operative in every building. We

16:58

cannot be winning a war, destroying

17:02

the lifehoods of two million people. This

17:05

is not a way to create safety for Israel.

17:08

This is not the way to create safety for

17:10

the Middle East. This is

17:12

not the way to create safety for a better tomorrow. I

17:16

don't believe in high walls. I believe in longer tables. What is good

17:19

for me must be good for you. Your

17:21

CEO said this

17:24

was unforgivable, despite

17:28

what happens with the investigation, despite

17:31

however more is done. Is

17:34

this unforgivable? It

17:37

is unforgivable. I

17:39

will have to live with this the rest of my life.

17:42

We all will have to live with this the rest

17:44

of our lives. I see

17:47

firsthand what has been happening in

17:49

Ukraine. The

17:53

entire Townsend city is being wiped out by Russia and

17:55

by Putin. What

17:57

Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing is exactly the same.

18:01

The best future we can be providing for our

18:03

children is

18:06

when we provide for the children of the people we

18:08

don't know the same future and the

18:10

same hope we are trying to provide for our own.

18:13

But it's so difficult to understand about that. And

18:17

we will take that question to White House

18:19

Communications Advisor John Kirby. Coming up

18:22

next. We're back in two minutes. Hey,

18:25

I'm Andi Mitchell, a New York Times

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Best-Selling author. And I'm Sabrina Kohlberg, a

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morning television producer. We're moms of

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we're combining our two interests by

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from the fictional moms we love to watch. From

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ABC audio and Good Morning America, pop

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culture moms is out now wherever you

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listen to podcasts. A

19:04

sea of protesters in Tel Aviv this

19:06

weekend demanding new elections and calling for

19:08

a deal to release hostages six

19:11

months after the terror attack on

19:13

October 7th. I'm joined now by

19:15

White House National Security Communications Advisor

19:17

John Kirby. Good to see

19:19

you, Admiral Kirby. And let's start

19:22

with that interview with Jose Andres. He

19:25

says this is a war against

19:27

humanity and things have to

19:29

change now. Well, our hearts

19:31

continue to go out with Chef Andres and his whole

19:34

team at World Central Kitchen. As you know, the president

19:36

spoke. Dona President shares that grief

19:38

and sorrow. And as

19:40

we have made clear, there's going to

19:42

have to be some changes to the

19:44

way the Israeli Defense Forces are prosecuting

19:46

these operations in Gaza. To

19:49

make sure that this doesn't happen

19:51

again. And some of the changes we talked

19:53

about, certainly more humanitarian aid and assistance getting

19:55

in. But just as critically, Martha,

19:57

there's got to be changes in the deconf process,

20:00

the information flow between aid workers

20:03

on the ground and the IDF

20:05

in their headquarters so that this

20:08

kind of targeting can't happen again. Are

20:10

you satisfied with the investigation? He

20:13

clearly wants to see more done. Would you

20:15

like to see a further investigation? We're

20:17

looking at the investigation right now, Martha. We haven't

20:19

come to any conclusions one way or another. This

20:22

was an investigation that was done sort of akin

20:24

to like an inspector general. So it was outside

20:26

the chain of command. But again, we're working our

20:28

way through that. Under said

20:30

he questioned the Israeli claim that

20:33

the drones could not see the

20:35

logo on top of the car.

20:37

Is he right to question that? I don't

20:39

know. We haven't also seen

20:41

as far as I know, haven't seen any any

20:44

of the specific video evidence. So it's hard to

20:47

know what their

20:49

site picture was at night. Now, certainly

20:51

operations at night can be more difficult.

20:53

There's technology, though, that can allow you

20:55

to burn through the darkness to see

20:58

in drones, right? In drones and infrared

21:00

technology. But I just don't know what I

21:02

don't know what they were using in terms of

21:04

their technology to look at this. But clearly, and

21:06

they've admitted that they obviously made

21:09

a mistake here. What really matters is that

21:11

they take steps going forward to make sure it

21:13

can't happen again and that they're transparent about

21:15

those steps. And I just want to talk about

21:17

rules of engagement. The Israeli military says

21:19

it's a grave mistake, but that drone

21:22

operator spotted who they said he

21:24

thought it was a gunman. Get

21:27

into one of those cars. And

21:29

yet, even if it wasn't an

21:31

aid convoy, they destroyed three cars.

21:33

Is that legitimate

21:35

rules of engagement? I

21:37

think, again, we're going to have to work

21:39

our way through this investigation and the decision

21:42

making process that goes in not just one,

21:44

but then three strikes and what the what

21:46

the intelligence was telling them, at least what

21:48

they believed it was. We know from our

21:50

own experience that the intelligence you

21:52

get and your process and you analyze may not

21:54

always be accurate and you act on that intelligence.

21:56

So, again, we just have to learn a little

21:58

bit more about this investigation. But

22:01

as I said, I don't want to sound

22:03

like a broken record, but what really matters

22:05

is they make the deconfliction changes and the

22:07

communication changes so that this doesn't happen again.

22:09

I mean, we've already seen, and Chef Andres

22:11

is concerned, of course, about operating on the

22:13

ground. Other aid organizations are probably

22:16

making these difficult decisions, and we've

22:18

got to make sure that they feel safe and secure getting

22:20

into Gaza and distributing that aid. You

22:23

said the U.S. position towards Israel

22:25

could change if there is not

22:27

a dramatic increase in humanitarian aid

22:29

and a reduction of the violence

22:31

against civilians. What will the consequences

22:33

be if they don't do that? Well,

22:35

I don't want to get ahead of the president or close

22:37

down his decision space, but as you heard us say, and

22:39

Secretary Blinken as well, if they're, if, well, we need to see

22:42

change over

22:45

time. So these announcements, Martha, they're very

22:47

welcome and they're good. And they are some

22:49

of the things that the president asked specifically

22:52

for Prime Minister Netanyahu to do in terms

22:54

of opening up additional crossings, allowing more trucks

22:56

in, getting the deconfliction process in place. But

22:58

now we have to judge it over time.

23:00

We have to see, not pass the announcements

23:02

and see if they actually meet these commitments

23:05

over time in a sustained and

23:07

verifiable way so that confidence can

23:09

be restored, not just between aid workers

23:11

and the IDF, but between the people

23:13

of Gaza and Israel. Would

23:15

you rule out slowing down or pausing weapons

23:17

transfers if this does not happen? It's not

23:19

my place to rule anything in or out

23:21

today. What I can tell you is that

23:23

as the president made clear to Prime Minister

23:26

Netanyahu, we got to see some

23:28

changes in the way they're prosecuting these operations, or

23:30

we're going to have to think about making changes in our own

23:32

policy towards Gaza. Okay. Because Israel has a right to

23:34

defend itself. And I think it's important to also remember,

23:36

they live in a tough neighborhood. We're

23:38

all focused on the fight in Gaza, as we

23:40

rightly should be. But they're facing threats from Iran

23:43

and from Iran-backed groups all throughout the region. We

23:45

got to make sure that they're ready for that.

23:47

Quite a threat right now. But I want to

23:49

show you a timeline at McCurby

23:52

and wonder why things might change this

23:54

time. November 6, death toll in Gaza

23:56

passes 10,000. November 10,

23:59

Secretary Blinken. and far too many Palestinians

24:01

have been killed. December 12th,

24:04

Biden says Israel is losing

24:06

support to indiscriminate bombing. December

24:09

22nd, death toll in Gaza

24:11

passes 20,000. February

24:14

8th, President Biden calls a response in

24:16

Gaza over the top. February 29th, death

24:18

toll in Gaza passes 30,000. March

24:22

2nd, Vice President Harris said there must be

24:24

an immediate ceasefire for at least the next

24:26

six weeks. April 1st, IDF

24:28

strike kills seven World Central Kitchen

24:31

aid workers. So why do you

24:33

think anything will change? I'm glad

24:35

you brought that timeline up, because it shows

24:37

the growing degree of frustration

24:39

that we've had with the way these

24:41

operations are being prosecuted and the way

24:44

that the Israelis are

24:46

acting on the ground in terms

24:48

of civilian casualties. So we have

24:50

been increasingly frustrated. And again, that

24:52

was a core message that the president

24:54

delivered to Prime Minister Netanyahu in their phone call

24:57

this week. If they've

24:59

got to do more, they've got to make changes. Now,

25:01

the prime minister assured the president that he would do

25:03

that. We've seen some announcements in those

25:05

early hours. That's welcome. We've got to see more.

25:07

We've got to see it over time. And

25:10

the Israeli media is reporting this

25:12

morning that the IDF withdrew ground

25:14

troops from southern Gaza. They've

25:16

been fighting there in khangunas for four months. What

25:19

does that tell you? Well, it's hard

25:21

to know exactly what that tells us right now.

25:23

This was just an announcement that they made. I'd

25:25

certainly let them speak to their operations as

25:27

we understand it and through their

25:29

public announcements. It is really just about rest and

25:31

refit for these troops that have been on the

25:33

ground for four months and not necessarily, we

25:36

can tell, indicative of some coming new operation for these

25:38

troops. They've been on the ground for four months. The

25:41

word we're getting is they're tired. They need to be refit. And

25:44

just one final question. There's such a

25:47

dramatic disagreement between what

25:49

the Israelis say and what they say

25:51

in Gaza about what is happening

25:53

on the ground. Obviously, we've seen some video of

25:56

that. Why hasn't the US

25:58

insisted on more? on

26:00

the ground accountability. Why aren't we,

26:02

and I'm not saying in a

26:04

combat position, on the ground accounting for this

26:07

ourselves to make sure the rules of law

26:09

are followed? The president's been very clear. We're

26:11

not gonna have US boots on the ground

26:13

in Gaza fighting in that war or involved

26:15

in that conflict. What we will do is

26:17

make sure that they have the tools and

26:19

capabilities they need to defend themselves. And what

26:21

we will also do, and the president made this clear,

26:24

is hold Israel accountable

26:26

for the way in which they're conducting

26:29

these operations. You heard it from Chef Andres,

26:31

and he's not wrong. You can do both.

26:34

You can be a good friend of Israel

26:36

as we are in helping them defend themselves,

26:38

at the same time holding them to an

26:40

appropriate standard of accountability

26:43

and effectiveness from a military

26:45

perspective where they are protecting civilians. Okay,

26:47

thanks so much for coming in this

26:49

morning. We appreciate. Up next,

26:51

a very personal reunion 20 years after

26:53

the siege of Sadr City in Iraq,

26:55

my conversation with the soldiers who

26:58

fought there about their long road home, Rebecca.

27:03

This past Thursday, April 4th,

27:05

was remarkably for me the

27:07

20th anniversary of what's known

27:09

as Black Sunday, the

27:11

day when the US Army's first cavalry

27:13

division came under surprise attack in Sadr

27:15

City, Iraq. I've been

27:17

privileged to cover the heroism and

27:20

dedication of these soldiers and their

27:22

families for decades. And this week,

27:24

they gathered again in Texas where

27:26

their extraordinary love and bond embodied

27:28

the best of us. I'm

27:32

hoping you'll be okay. Fine,

27:38

but with a handshake and a hug,

27:43

the years fall away. When did you last

27:45

see each other? About

27:47

19 years? Yeah. Oh, man.

27:50

19 years. The raw emotions that go through

27:52

me right now, I

27:54

can't put in words. Nobody truly

27:56

understands as much as these guys do.

28:02

That understanding began 20 years

28:05

ago, just days after these soldiers

28:07

arrived in Satter City, Iran, when

28:10

hundreds and hundreds of insurgents

28:12

launched a brutal, withering attack

28:14

on the men. It was

28:17

almost indescribable. It was probably the loudest

28:19

thing I've ever heard. One every five

28:22

seconds from an RPG or a pipe

28:24

bomb. A massive rescue force was launched

28:26

to find a 19 man platoon

28:28

pinned down in an alley, trapped on a

28:30

rooftop. And I said, you know, those are

28:33

our soldiers. And, you

28:35

know, we're not leaving them behind. Eight

28:37

soldiers would eventually lose their lives

28:39

that day, 60 more wounded. I

28:43

understand now what it means. When

28:46

you go to a veteran's ceremony

28:48

and you see the old veterans get

28:50

together and hug and cry and you

28:52

never really understood it. I

28:55

understand it now. And now

28:57

20 years later, retired Lieutenant

28:59

General Gary Valesky is

29:02

that old veteran. So

29:04

all your old

29:06

vet stories come true. Joining

29:09

his former soldiers and their families

29:12

for a two day reunion to

29:14

remember and honor. How's the family?

29:16

Very good. No complaints.

29:18

For me too, it was

29:20

a chance to reconnect. These

29:23

men and women have been part of

29:25

my life for the past two decades.

29:28

Jocelyn, last time you saw her, you were holding

29:30

her. I know. Now

29:32

she's 12. First, while reporting from Iraq. You

29:34

can see that crossing point right there. And

29:37

then through recounting their story in the

29:39

book, The Long Road Home. Mount up!

29:41

We're rolling! And a

29:43

National Geographic miniseries that follow. Through

29:48

the years, the road home has

29:50

been difficult, even unbearable

29:52

for some. But with the passage of

29:54

time, there has also been healing.

29:57

The 10 year, come in here and see them

29:59

in the memorial. It has a different

30:01

feel to it this time, just with my

30:03

family again. Is it getting better? Absolutely. I

30:06

mean, I've been working on it

30:08

for 20 years, so it's been a long process

30:10

of counseling. And I just gotta say, I think

30:12

it's incredibly great for what you've been doing. That's

30:14

not easy. No, but what

30:16

else can you do? You can survive. You

30:18

can get better. Help your buddies. Gary

30:21

Valesky deployed multiple times, beginning

30:23

when his son Alex was

30:25

just six. He is

30:28

now a soldier himself. But for

30:30

Valesky, April 4th was like no

30:32

other day. Coming back and seeing

30:35

all of the soldiers I've been serving with,

30:37

just brings back some of those memories. Just

30:41

tough. Really, both

30:43

good and bad way. Good, because

30:45

you get to see them all again. Guys I

30:47

haven't seen for decades. And the

30:50

other piece is, seeing guys that are still struggling. And

30:52

this means so much to them to come and reconnect

30:55

with their pals. That's the most

30:57

powerful thing. Troy Dennemy,

31:00

who took shrapnel to the back

31:02

on April 4th, today is about

31:04

to pin on a star as

31:06

a brigadier general. But

31:08

he has carried an emotional weight with him.

31:11

Ten years ago, we sat at a picnic

31:13

table just like this. Eddie

31:15

Chin was your guy. I've paid many respects to

31:17

him and beg for forgiveness. Why

31:19

do you say that you're so forgiving? Why? So

31:22

it's family, right? You lose part of your

31:24

family. Does it feel different this time? 20

31:27

years later? The camaraderie doesn't necessarily

31:29

change. I think some of the rawness

31:31

of the emotion is probably a little

31:33

bit less. It doesn't mean it's

31:35

gone away. Do you still think about that

31:37

day? Yeah, the day is absolutely part

31:39

of me, I think. Truly what

31:41

drives me and wanting to keep doing what

31:44

I'm doing is a lot of those experiences

31:47

from that year and the debt that

31:49

I owe. Eric Berkman was just

31:51

24 years old when

31:53

he was trapped on that roof. It has

31:56

not been an easy road for him since.

31:58

A few years ago, during the pandemic, Long

32:00

Road home. I ask you if you

32:02

are home yet. What

32:06

do you say? Roads never end. At

32:11

least until I'm in the ground. But

32:14

now the father of four is

32:16

finding peace. Are you home now?

32:19

I think just like everything else on the line, you've

32:21

got to constantly improve your house. I

32:24

think that ties in with self-maintenance and therapy

32:26

and doing things that make you feel good

32:28

and be a better person. So

32:30

I'm home. That's what I'm in my

32:32

home. And for those

32:34

eight who did not make it

32:36

home, these survivors have never, ever

32:38

forgotten them. When you see the

32:40

banners, when you talk about them, when you

32:43

say their name, they're still right

32:45

here with us. For

32:51

the family of Robert Garcia, I got killed

32:54

that day. These veterans are now family. And

32:56

they tell me stories about my son. And

33:00

that brings me so

33:02

much joy. Because I know

33:04

that my son is not ever going to

33:06

be forgotten. The

33:08

Arceagas loss did not end with

33:10

Robert. Ten years ago today,

33:12

our hearts and lives changed forever. At

33:15

the tenure I was able to speak. And

33:17

there is no way I would have been able to do it

33:20

without my two brothers and my son. Gilbert

33:23

on her right, Jeremy on her left,

33:26

Jeremy who also served in Iraq,

33:28

would die by suicide one year later.

33:31

All these guys, you know, show

33:33

us how much love. And

33:36

it takes away the pain a little bit more

33:38

each time I come around them. So

33:41

I'm very, very grateful for

33:43

that. A

33:45

gratitude that everyone shares.

33:49

And we're never going to forget those

33:51

that made the ultimate sacrifice. Not going to

33:53

forget you either. I'm going to challenge you.

33:55

Give me one more over. I'm going to

33:58

do it with six matches. He

34:02

wearing. My

34:06

thanks to all of the remarkable families of

34:09

the First Cavalry Division. it is an honor

34:11

to know all of you. The. Round tables

34:13

up next. We'll be right back. It's.

34:15

Been another busy weekend politics, so

34:18

let's bring in the powerhouse Round

34:20

Table: former Dnc chair Donna Brazil,

34:22

senior editor for The Dispatch, and

34:24

former. Trump Justice Department spokesperson

34:26

Sarah. Is Girl political Head

34:28

of News Alex Burns and

34:30

New Yorker staff writer. Susan

34:32

Glasser good to see all of you

34:34

Susan and I want to start with

34:37

you on Gaza. You heard what Jose

34:39

under I said You heard what John

34:41

Kirby said. It almost seems like a

34:43

real inflection point in this war. With

34:45

the death of those seven eight workers,

34:48

You know my said I was

34:50

very powerful interview obviously with us

34:52

Andres and you know what I'm

34:54

struck by is it a sad

34:57

presence of President Biden six months

34:59

ago already going to Israel and

35:01

warning them. Do Not make the

35:03

same mistake that America made after

35:05

Nine Eleven. Think about how you

35:08

prosecute this war against Hamas and

35:10

here we are six months later

35:12

and for me the question is

35:14

how does this even and I

35:16

don't see any scenario. Right now

35:19

that looks like victory for

35:21

Israel. I see grinding attrition.

35:23

I see a growing political

35:25

bind here in the United

35:27

States for President Biden so

35:29

eloquently unfortunately captured by ourself

35:31

Andres today find can't really

35:33

risk a full break. With.

35:35

Israel that at the same time he's demanding

35:38

conditions that you may not be enough really

35:40

to change the trajectory of what's happening on

35:42

the ground. And and on. I wanted to.

35:44

Talk. To you about that. This is obviously

35:46

been a huge issue for President Biden, but

35:49

that a. Timeline. Kind of makes clear

35:51

that they haven't really. Listened know and is

35:53

innocent for to the you know scripts

35:55

it says and matthew. In.

35:58

The Book of Matthews sub. He.

36:00

Said that when when I was

36:03

hungry. You fit me when I was thirsty.

36:05

You gave me water. me. What? Chef

36:07

Andres and his organization a son

36:09

over the years starting in Haiti

36:11

and Twenty Cents is to be

36:13

there on. The ground health and people

36:15

not just by feeding them a given

36:17

them the tools and the wherewithal to

36:20

see themselves. And to get themselves

36:22

backups, the President has been very

36:24

clear. That. Israel must do

36:26

more to allow humanitarian assistance

36:28

to do more to protect

36:30

civilians. A Yes. We want

36:32

those hostages including. Americans freeze. We want

36:34

to make sure that Israel is protected,

36:37

but we have to do more. That's

36:39

what's the shift. Told to do that

36:41

in our President Biden. Did meet behind

36:43

closed doors with Muslim leaders this week

36:45

but for had one doctor. Leaves

36:47

which really pound and down. The

36:50

point? Where is this standing

36:52

in terms of the Democratic

36:54

party? Or. In terms of the

36:56

Democratic Coalition as a whole, or when the

36:58

media often talk about this, in terms of

37:01

Muslim voters restraining the Democratic Coalition on so

37:03

many fronts, young voters are African American voters,

37:05

other voters who look at what's happening in

37:07

Israel and and don't particular identifies or with

37:09

the Israeli side of that conflict that they

37:12

may have had enormous sympathy for the most

37:14

people did for Israel after October Seventh. But

37:16

look at what's going on right now and

37:18

see no a rhyme or reason to. nothing

37:21

productive or at all. And I do think

37:23

Martha when you look at the President. Beating

37:25

behind closed doors of or with Muslim

37:27

leaders, were behind closed doors or in

37:30

private phone calls with Israeli officials that

37:32

may serve a purpose for policy reasons

37:34

are clearly did. This week is conversation

37:36

with a Prime Minister Netanyahu. He doesn't

37:39

talk to the whole country very often

37:41

about this. He doesn't talk the whole

37:43

country very often about or the war

37:45

in Ukraine either. And I think we

37:48

should do see in the Selector it

37:50

is America's looking around the world. They're

37:52

saying chaos, They're seeing disorder, They're seeing

37:54

this. are. Horrific violence against a

37:57

humanitarian aid workers and civilians

37:59

and. They don't have a president who's

38:01

doing a whole lot to help them make sense of

38:03

it. And Sarah,

38:05

Republicans have been staunchly

38:07

behind Israeli Prime

38:09

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Even

38:13

former Trump, however, even former President

38:15

Trump, however, said this week that

38:17

he didn't really love the way

38:19

this war was being carried out. Thought it

38:22

was a PR nightmare. Well,

38:24

it's hard to have a through line on former

38:26

President Trump's foreign policy some days. Kissinger

38:29

said that when avoidance of war is

38:31

the goal of the major powers, you

38:33

are at the mercy of the most

38:35

ruthless actors in the world. And that's

38:37

proven true here. There are 129 hostages

38:39

still being held by Hamas who were

38:41

taken on October 7th. I

38:44

think that Netanyahu at this point should offer

38:46

a very simple ceasefire option. By the way,

38:49

the Hamas side has rejected the six-week ceasefires

38:51

that have been offered time and time again

38:53

by Israel. Offer a

38:55

simple ceasefire. Return all of the hostages.

38:57

They actually hold 133 in exchange

39:00

for a ceasefire because you know what? Hamas will

39:02

either reject it or they will violate it immediately.

39:04

Because don't forget there was a ceasefire on October

39:06

6th. This is

39:08

the problem. This isn't like 9-11. They

39:10

are holding Israelis. They're holding Americans for that

39:12

matter. So, yes, Israel is going

39:14

to keep prosecuting that war until every single

39:16

one of those people are home. And

39:19

that 47-minute video that they have of

39:21

what Hamas did on October 7th is

39:23

something that frankly Americans shouldn't have to

39:25

watch. But maybe they need a reminder for what

39:27

happened that day. Because it wasn't like 9-11. They

39:30

shot parents and burned their children in front of them.

39:33

And I witnessed that as well

39:35

shortly afterwards. And it was indeed

39:37

horrendous. Any response to

39:39

that, Susan? I know one thing. A

39:42

senior administration official told me that

39:44

Netanyahu was very nervous about

39:46

President Trump's comments. Well

39:49

that's right. To Sarah's point,

39:51

there's no consistency. The Republican Party,

39:54

by and large, has embraced Netanyahu,

39:56

has embraced a kind of Israel

39:59

at all costs policy.

40:01

But as we all know, Donald Trump

40:04

is not always in the same mode,

40:07

even with high officials that he

40:09

appointed in his own presidential administration.

40:12

Remember that for Trump, all politics

40:14

is personal. You know why he's

40:16

offended with Prime Minister Netanyahu? Because

40:18

Netanyahu dared to call up Joe

40:20

Biden and congratulate him in November

40:22

of 2020 for winning the

40:24

election. But to Sarah's point, I

40:26

think that it's highly unlikely that

40:28

any American president of any party

40:31

is going to oversee a definitive

40:33

break with Israel ever since President

40:35

Truman essentially defied world consensus and

40:38

recognized Israel in 1948. You've

40:40

seen a very special bond between the

40:43

United States and Israel. So I don't

40:45

see this as some kind of definitive

40:47

break point. But remember, Netanyahu is politics

40:49

too, and he is a wildly unpopular

40:51

prime minister of Israel. There are hundreds

40:53

of thousands of people in the street.

40:55

The question is, will there be an

40:57

election in Israel before this war is

40:59

over? And you'll not change how the war

41:01

is prosecuted. Even if you replace Netanyahu, you still

41:04

are going to get those hundred twenty nine. This

41:06

is what Israel does. Donna,

41:08

I want to go. I want to go to

41:10

you first and just quickly. Alex made the point

41:12

that President Biden doesn't talk about the wars very

41:15

often, should he? Absolutely.

41:17

Not just in Israel,

41:19

Ukraine. We have superpower. He

41:21

is the command in chief. Absolutely. He

41:24

should speak out more. And also we

41:26

should cover what he's saying, because often

41:28

when he speaks, nobody listens. OK.

41:30

And Alex, I do want to turn to go

41:32

ahead. I guess you want to point to me.

41:34

No, no, if I could just disagree slightly with

41:37

Susan and Sarah. I do think there is a

41:39

consistency to Donald Trump, not in terms of his

41:41

ideology, but in terms of when he gets uncomfortable

41:43

with the consensus

41:46

views of the Republican Party. We saw it

41:48

after Parkland that he had that moment of

41:50

wavering on whether maybe we should do gun

41:52

control because he sees the same headlines as

41:54

everybody else and reacts on a

41:56

visceral level. We see it now on abortion.

41:58

He clearly isn't comfortable being. where the

42:01

right flank of the party wants him to

42:03

be on this issue. I don't think he's

42:05

going to oversee some pullback from the American-Israeli

42:07

relationship. But I do think there's a familiar

42:09

set of instincts at play there when he

42:11

sees these kinds of images and these kinds

42:13

of stories and just sort of balk at

42:15

the idea of putting his name on it.

42:18

OK, we're almost out of time, but I do want to hit

42:20

this new Wall Street Journal poll that found President Trump leading

42:22

or statistically tied with President Biden

42:25

in all of the seven most

42:27

competitive battleground states. Biden can't, they

42:29

can't, they can't feel good about that.

42:32

No. And you know,

42:34

the president's, the current president's response to a

42:36

lot of bad polling over the last few

42:38

months is, well, you're looking at the wrong

42:40

polls or other polls where I'm doing significantly

42:42

better. And actually, in fairness to him, there

42:44

are some national polls the last couple of

42:46

weeks where he seems stronger. But Martha, as

42:48

you know, elections are won and lost at

42:50

the state level in this country. And if

42:52

you're a Democrat looking at those numbers in

42:54

a place like Michigan or Pennsylvania and Wisconsin,

42:56

the former and in 2020 rebuilt blue wall,

42:58

you certainly feel nervous about that. But

43:01

this week and again, Donna, we have about 30

43:03

seconds, but no third party candidate, no label says

43:05

they won't put anybody up. They can't find anybody.

43:07

They couldn't find a candidate to unify the country,

43:09

but they are going to continue to work

43:12

on the ground to try to bring the country

43:14

together and find more problem solvers to elect the

43:16

Congress. But is that good news for Joe Biden?

43:18

Absolutely. We take all good news

43:21

every day and we try to go out there and

43:23

spread the joy. And by the way, these polls are

43:25

very good right now. You know why? Because

43:27

it tells us where our weaknesses are and we have

43:29

time to fix it. OK, thanks all of you

43:31

for joining us this morning. I'm glad to see someone smiling

43:34

after this day. Up next, the

43:36

nation awaits the eclipse across America. We'll

43:38

explain why. This one is so unique

43:40

when we come back. For

43:43

the second time in seven years, a

43:45

total solar eclipse will cast a shadow

43:48

as it moves across the U.S. 31

43:51

million Americans already live in the eclipse's

43:53

path of totality and many more are

43:55

making a trek to be in the

43:57

best position to see the daytime sky.

44:00

turned dark for a brief time tomorrow.

44:03

Astrophysicist and National Geographic Explorer Jada

44:05

Eisler will be with ABC's Ginger

44:07

Z in Carbondale, Indiana for the

44:09

Network Live coverage Monday. But before

44:11

she heads out, she joins me

44:13

here to talk about the celestial

44:15

phenomenon. And we're so excited about

44:18

this. Give us an idea

44:20

exactly what Americans can expect, depending

44:23

on where they're standing. Oh my goodness,

44:25

Martha, it's a pleasure to be here.

44:27

The eclipse is gonna be something to

44:29

see weather permitting. So most of the

44:31

contiguous US will see some form of the

44:33

eclipse. And if you're along that path of totality,

44:35

you'll see 100% of the sun's coverage. And

44:40

there was, of course, a total eclipse back in 2017.

44:44

How is this one different? And are they rare

44:46

or not? So that's a good question. So it's

44:48

different in the sense that the moon is in

44:51

a different place. So if we back up a

44:53

little bit and think about the fact that what

44:55

we're looking at is the moon passing between us

44:57

and the sun, then we're standing in the moon's

44:59

shadow. So the moon is closer to us in

45:01

2024 than it was in 2017. And

45:04

so we'll see a bigger shadow on the

45:06

earth, which means it's longer, the path of

45:08

totality, and the moment of darkness will be

45:10

longer. So that's one of the biggest differences

45:13

between 2017 and 2024. Now,

45:16

is it rare? This is a good

45:19

question. It's rare if you're gonna stay in

45:21

one place. NASA estimates that

45:23

there's a total solar eclipse roughly once

45:25

every year and a half. Now, some

45:27

people chase them, so then it's less

45:29

rare for them. But yeah, if you're

45:32

here and you're traveling briefly, then it's gonna be

45:34

pretty rare. So every year and a half, sometimes

45:36

it's over water. Nobody would see it or something

45:38

like that. Exactly, exactly. In fact, most of the

45:40

times it's over water because the earth is 70%

45:42

water. So most of the times it's over water

45:44

and you don't see it. So it's super rare if

45:47

you're like in the US looking for one over the

45:49

contiguous United States. And JoDyta, talk about safety. We've all

45:51

seen, we all remember that safety glasses gotta

45:53

wear those safety glasses. So here in DC, we'll get an 89% eclipse.

45:57

That means there's no time. it's

46:00

safe to not have on your glasses, right?

46:02

So you want to use eclipse glasses, you

46:04

want to make sure they're ISO certified, so

46:06

they're actually protecting your eyes. And

46:09

you are not only a space lover,

46:11

but really an expert in this field.

46:13

Talk about what it means to you

46:15

and what it should mean to Americans. You

46:17

know, I have loved the night sky for

46:19

a long time. I think astronomy is a

46:22

gateway science. I think it's a way for

46:24

us to all think about wonder and joy

46:26

and how much bigger everything is than what

46:29

we are, right? We're standing here watching a

46:31

dance of celestial objects. It's such an amazing

46:33

thing. So what it means to me as

46:35

an opportunity to just take a second and

46:38

be a part of something bigger than me

46:40

that I have nothing to do with. I'm

46:42

just an observer. And I think as

46:44

a scientist, there's something to know about

46:46

how, you know, we're still learning things

46:49

about science that we didn't know from

46:51

this eclipse that's happening tomorrow. So I'd

46:53

say for the average American

46:55

who's going to get a glimpse, whether it's

46:57

now or 100 percent or

46:59

some smaller fraction, just have the opportunity

47:01

to just take a minute and take

47:03

it all in. We are all excited

47:06

about that. Thanks so much, Diday. Great

47:08

to have you here. And be sure

47:10

to tune into Eclipse Across America starting

47:12

at 2 p.m. Eastern tomorrow, an unprecedented

47:14

live event broadcasting the total

47:16

solar eclipse here on ABC

47:18

News, ABC Newsline and multiple

47:21

Disney platforms. That's all for

47:23

us today. Thanks for sharing part of your

47:25

Sunday with us. Check out world news tonight

47:27

and our eclipse coverage tomorrow. And have a

47:29

great