Viciously over the last 20 years, in the last year, completely unprovoked. A day after the Hamas Massacre in October 7th, hezbollah began attacks against israel which forced more than 60,000 israelis on our northern border to leave their homes. Becoming refugees in their own land. Hezbollah turned vibrant towns in the north of israel, to ghost towns. Think about this in equivalent terms. Just imagine if terrorists turned toes in San Diego into ghost towns. How long would the american government tolerate that . A day . A week . A month . I doubt they would tolerate it even for a single day. Yet israel has been tolerating this intolerable situation for nearly a year. Well, ive come here today to say enough is enough. [ applause ] we wont are rest until our citizens can return safely to their homes. We will not accept a Terrorist Army on our northern border in order to perpetrate an October 7th style massacre. For 18 years, Hezbollah Brazenly refused to implement u. N. Security Council Resolution 1701 which requires it to move forces away from the borders. Instead, hezbollah moved right up to our border. They secretly dug Terror Tunnels to infiltrate our communities and indiscriminately fired thousands of rockets into our towns and villages. They fire these rockets and missiles not for military sites, they do that too, but they fire those rockets and missiles after they place them in schools, in hospitals, in apartment buildings, and in the private homes of the citizens of lebanon. They endanger their own people. They put a missile in every kitchen, a rocket in every garage. I want to the people of lebanon this week, get out of the Death Trap that hezbollah has put you in. Dont let them Drag Lebanon into the abyss. Were not at war with you. Were at war with hezbollah, which has hijacked your country and threatens to destroy ours. As long as hezbollah chooses the path of war, israel has no choice, and israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their homes safely, and thats exactly what were doing. Just this week. The idf destroyed large percentages of hezbollahs rockets, which had built with irans funding for three decades. We took out senior Military Commanders who not only shared israeli blood but american and french blood as well, and then we took out the replacements, and then the replacements of their replacements. And well continue degrading hezbollah until all our objectives are made. Ladies and gentlemen, were committed to removing the curse of terrorism that threatens all civilized societies, but to truly realize the blessing of a new Middle East, we must continue the path we paved with the Abraham Accords four years ago. Above all, this means achieving a historic Peace Agreement between Israel And Saudi arabia. And having seen the blessings that weve already brought with the Abraham Accords, the millions of israelis who have already flown back and forth across the Arabian Peninsula over the skies of Saudi Arabia, to the gulf countries, the trade, the tourism, the joint ventures, the peace, the peace, i say to you, what blessings such a peace with Saudi Arabia would bring. It would be a boon to the Security And Economy of our two countries. It would boost Trade And Tourism across the region. It would help transform the Middle East into a global juggernaut. Our two countries could cooperate on energy, water, agriculture, artificial intelligence, and many many other fields. Such a peace im sure would be a true pivot of history. It would usher in a historic reconciliation between the Arab World and israel, between islam and judaism, between mecca and jerusalem. While israel is committed to achieving such a peace, iran and its Terror Proxies are committed to scuttling it. Thats why one of the best ways to foil irans nefarious designs is to achieve the peace. Such a peace would be the foundation for an even broader Abraham Alliance and that alliance would include the united states, israels current peace partners, Saudi Arabia, and others who choose the blessing of peace. It would advance Security And Prosperity across the Middle East and bring enormous benefits to the rest of the world. With american support and leadership, i believe this vision can materialize. And much sooner than people think. And as the Prime Minister of israel, i will do everything in my power to make it happen. This is an opportunity that we and the world should not let go by. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, israel has made its choice. We seek to move forward to a bright age of prosperity and peace. The proxies have made their choice, they want to move back to a Dark Age of terror and war. And now i have a question, and i pose that question to you. What choice will you make . Will your nations stand with israel . Will you stand with Democracy And Peace . Or will you stand with iran, a brutal dictatorship that subjugates its own people, Exports Terrorism across the globe. In this battle between good and evil, there must be no equivocation. When you stand with israel, you stand for your own values and your own interests. Yes, were defending ourselves, but were also defending you against the common enemy that through Violence And Terror seeks to destroy our way of life. So there should be no confusion about this. But unfortunately, there is. A lot of it. In many countries and in this very hall as ive just heard, good is portrayed as evil. And evil is portrayed as good. We see this moral confusion when israel is falsely accused of genocide when we defend ourselves against enemies that tried to commit genocide against us. We see this too when israel is absurdly accused of deliberately starving palestinians in gaza. What an absurdity. We helped bring in 700,000 tons of food into gaza, thats more than 3,000 calories a day for every man, Woman And Child in gaza. We see this moral confusion when israel is falsely accused of deliberately targeting civilians. We dont want to see a single person, a single innocent person die. Thats always a tragedy. And thats why we do so much to minimize civilian casualties. Even as our enemies use civilians as human shields. And no army has done what israel is doing to minimize civilian casualties. We drop flyers. We send Text Messages, make Phone Calls by the millions to ensure that palestinian civilians get out of harms way. We spare no effort in this noble pursuit. We see yet another profound moral confusion, when selfdescribed progressives march against the democracy of israel. Dont they realize they support the iranianbacked goons is day teheran, and hang gays in public squares, some progressives. According to the u. S. Director of national intelligence, irans funds fools many of the protesters against israel. Who knows, maybe some of the protesters or even many of the protesters outside this building now. Ladies and gentlemen, King Solomon who reigned in our eternal Capital Jerusalem 3,000 years ago proclaimed. He proclaimed something that is familiar to All Of You. He said, there is nothing new under the sun. Well, in an age of space travel, Quantum Physics and artificial intelligence, some would argue thats a debatable statement. But one thing is undeniable. There is definitely nothing new at the United Nations. [ applause ] take it from me. I first spoke from this podium as Israels Ambassador to the u. N. In 1984. Thats exactly 40 years ago, and in my Maiden Speech here, i think its the same podium, by the way, in my Maiden Speech here, i spoke against a proposal to expel israel from this body. Four decades later, i find myself defending israel against that same preposterous proposal. And whos leading the charge this time . Not hamas, but abbas. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud abbas. This is the man who claims he wants peace with israel. Yet, he still refuses to condemn the horrific massacre of October 7th. Hes still paying hundreds of millions to terrorists who murder israelis and americans. Its called pay for slay, the more you murder, the more you get paid, and he still wages unremitting diplomatic warfare against israels right to exist, and against israels right to defend itself, and by the way, they amount to the same thing. Because if you cant defend yourself, you cant exist. Not in our neighborhood, certainly, and maybe not in yours. Standing in this podium 40 years ago, i told the sponsors of that outrageous resolution to expel israel, gentleman, check your fanaticism at the door, today, i tell president abbas and All Of You who would shamefully support that resolution, check your fanaticism at the door. The singling out of The One And OnlyJewish State continues to be a moral stain on the United Nations. It has made this once respected Institution Contemptible in the eyes of decent people everywhere. But for the palestinians, this u. N. House of darkness is home court. They know that in this swamp of antisemitic bile, theres an automatic majority willing to demonize the Jewish State, and anything in this antiisrael flat earth society. Any false charge, any outlandish allegation can muster a majority. In the last decade, there have been more resolutions passed against israel in this hall, at the u. N. General assembly, than against the entire world combined. Actually, more than twice as many. Since 2014, this body condemned israel 174 times. It condemned all the other countries in the world 73 times. Thats more than 100 extra condemnations for the Jewish State. What hypocrisy. What a double standard, what a joke. So the u. N. s hostility [ applause ] so all the speeches you heard today, all the hostility directed at israel this year, its not about gaza. Its about israel. Its always been about israel. About israels very existence. And i say to you, until israel, until the Jewish State is treated like other nations, until this antisemitic swamp is drained, the u. N. Will be viewed by fairminded people everywhere as nothing more than a contemptuous farce. Given the antisemitism at the u. N. , it should surprise No One, one of the u. N. s affiliated organs is considering Issuing Arrest Warrants against me and israels defense minister, the democratically elected leaders of the democratic state of israel. The icc prosecutors rush to judgment. His refusal to treat israel with independent courts the way other democracies are treated is hard to explain by Anything Other than pure antisemitism. Ladies and gentlemen, the real War Criminals are not in israel. Theyre in iran. Theyre in gaza. And syria. And lebanon, and yemen. Those of you who stand with these War Criminals. Those of you who stand with evil against good, with the curse against the blessing, those of you do so should be ashamed of yourselves. [ applause ] but i have a message for you. Israel will win this battle. Well win this battle because we dont have a choice. After generations, after generations, in which our people were slaughtered, butchered, and No One raised a finger in our defense, we now have a state. We now have a brave army, an army of incomparable courage, and we are defending ourselves. As the Book Of Samuel says until the bible [ speaking in global language ] the eternity of israel will not falter. [ applause ] in the jewish peoples Epic Journey From Antiquity and odysseys through the temples and upheavals of ancient times, that ancient promise has always been kept, and it will hold true for all time, to borrow a great poets phrase, israel will not go gently into that good night. We will never we will never need to rage against the dying of the light because the torch of israel will forever shine bright. To the people of israel, and to the soldiers of israel, i say, be strong, and of good courage. [ speaking in global language ] the people of israel live now, tomorrow, forever, Thank You. You have been listening to prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing the United NationsGeneral Assembly as his country continues the wars against hamas in the south and gaza, and against Hezbollah And Lebanon to israels north. I want to bring in Nbc News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel whos joining us from lebanon. Also with us, former u. S. Under Secretary Of State for Public Diplomacy and affairs, rick stengel. So, richard, netanyahu laid this out as a battle between good and evil and a choice between supporting peace and prosperity, and democracy or backing what he called the Dark Age of terror and war, and referencing iran and its proxies, like hezbollah or hamas. What were your top lines as we listened to that speech . It doesnt seem like theres going to be a Cease Fire anytime soon. The biden administration has been pushing for a 21day Cease Fire to calm things down, open the road for diplomacy. Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected that before and he clearly rejected that right now. And he focused a lot of the speech on iran, and it was very similar to a speech that prime Minister Netanyahu gave to congress about two months ago when he talked about an alliance that must be formed between the united states and israel to counter iran. He clearly sees this as a war for israels survival, a war that israel believes it must win, that he believes that he is fighting, and he is directing this fight against hezbollah where i am in lebanon, gaza, against hamas. He talked about a sevenfront war. What he didnt talk about is how this war is going to how its possibly going to end. He talked about victory. He talked about eliminating hamas, but no discussion of what is to come afterwards. He said that the war can end if hamas drops its weapons, and simply releases the hostages, but who will then govern the wasteland that gaza has become. So it was one of the most strident speeches of the United Nations that i have ever heard. I think the biggest take away, where im standing in Southern Lebanon is more war is likely coming and coming soon. How closely do you think the folks in lebanon were paying attention to this speech, and what is the situation on the ground this morning. Reporter i can tell you people are watching this very closely where i am in Southern Lebanon. I was watching. Its been broadcast on local television. Its been broadcast on Al Jazeera and other Middle East broadcasters, people looking around were watching the speech on their phone. This was closely monitored. Closely monitored also because there is a sense right now that prime Minister Netanyahu is acting without any guardrails, that the united states at the Tail End of the biden administration in this climate of political turmoil in the united states is unchecked, that he is doing what he wants to do, that he is pushing this agenda and that he and only he are is setting the tone of this conflict right now. So, yes, i was watching people here in Lebanon Watch this speech and watching it in a way to try and predict their futures, what is going to happen here. Many people in lebanon are worried that the scenes in gaza where there is absolute destruction. I was in gaza not long ago, will be repeated here in lebanon, and already were starting to see quite a bit of destruction. 60,000 israelis have been displaced from Northern Israel and there are communities in the north of the country that are ghost towns. People have left, they are trying to stay out of the Rocket Fire that hamas, that hezbollah has been launching at israel, and those rockets have been launched again today at Northern Israeli cities, but on the other side of the border, there are 400,000 people that have been displaced because of recent fighting, and it doesnt sound like, based on what i was hearing, anytime, that that situation is going to be resolved anytime soon. If there is an escalation, it seems hard to see how those 60,000 are going to be able to rush back to their homes in Northern Israel or the people here are going to be able to come back and resettle Southern Lebanon. Richard engel, Thank You for your reporting and giving us your perspective on what we heard, helping to put that into context. Rick, obviously netanyahu spoke very passionately. He feels strongly, and spoke with conviction. One of the things we have been paying attention to is would he even show up because he was supposed to speak on thursday. He delayed his travel to address the u. N. Until today because of what was happening in lebanon. And this fight against hezbollah specifically, he addressed that decision to come today in his remarks earlier. Lets listen. My country is at war, fighting for its life. But after i heard the lies and slanders leveled at my country, by many of the speakers at this podium, i decided to come here, and set the record straight. Heres the truth. Israel seeks peace. Israel yearns for peace. Israel has made peace and will make peace again. Rick, what do you make of what we heard from netanyahu, and how do you think other World Leaders will receive it . Well, hes a terrific speaker, as we know, anna, and hes been speaking at the u. N. For 40 years, as he told us, so what he said today in many ways is a kind of a Greatest Hits of his speeches. He always justifies the origins of Israels Existence to justify the stuff theyre doing. He has multiple audiences, and i would say the irony is that the least important audience to him are the people sitting there that day, told. First of all, many people boycotted the speech. All of the sunni arab nations. Look at all the empty seats in the room. The audience hes speak today are the israeli public back at home, the american public, including jewish americans, and the biden administration, and the Supporters Israel has had, france and england. Thats who hes talking to. All of his speeches are a Path Work of truth and fantasy, and you saw a little bit of that today. But what he also talked about is trying to justify what israel is doing, and what he is doing is never let a crisis go to waste. Hes using the invasion, the horrific invasion of October 7th to justify getting rid of hamas, and now that hes basically accomplished that, hes moved his sites to hezbollah in lebanon, which has always beens much more critical and dangerous enemy, and hes now doing something there that there seems to be no end in sight. As richard said, these negotiations around a Cease Fire, which has the u. S. Has been optimistic about, he hasnt signed on to it. And of Course Hezbollah has not signed on to it because they have said were not signing a Cease Fire with israel until theres a Cease Fire in gaza. So were in this sort of holding pattern, and the fighting continues, deaths continue, Richard Stengel stay with us. We have breaking news were following this morning, a life threatening situation as tropical Storm Helene continues to churn through the southeast this morning. Were seeing flooding everywhere. Tons of Water Inundating florida and georgia, and beyond. This powerful and deadly system made landfall overnight as a category 4 storm. The strongest hurricane to ever hit floridas Big Bend region, with winds over 140 miles per hour, and a, quote, unsurvivable Storm Surge. The impacts now spreading. A Fire Department in the atlanta suburbs releasing this video of a Water Rescue for a woman, her baby and their dogs. This storm is not done yet. Lets get right to marissa parra, with rescuers in tampa. Whats happening there . Reporter hey there, i want to set the scene for you. We were out with Hillsboro County sheriffs office, i have Corporal Hartford with me, and we were going through the neighborhoods, and this was maybe as recent as a few minutes ago, were seeing flooded waters still several feet high on some of these streets, and its been almost 12 hours. You can imagine how much higher it was, and hopefully our Control Room can pull up video of what We Saw as recently as a few minutes ago, and the reason we are no longer on those streets is Corporal Hartford, you have been working since midnight. You have not had a break, so i think theyre going to swap teams, but ill just sort of describe for you what We Saw, what i have seen the last 24 hours before i ask you a couple of questions, because i know you have done several rescues, many overnight, so as you can see, ana, lots and lots of clean up to be done, and clearly now we are seeing daylight, we are getting a better scope of the damage. And we know, we have heard from all kinds of regions, whether its steinhatchee, whether its clear water, horseshoe beach. I spoke to the mayor, he called It Nothing short of catastrophic. Were going to have a better sense of what that looks like. I can tell you on the ground what im hearing over and over and over again, including from folks like Corporal Hartford, seeing it firsthand. So many people who have told me they have never seen it like this before, and thats very common with a natural disaster. Something like this, the rapid intensification with Climate Change is catching people off guard, people who have lived in florida their entire lives, who never expected it. They have seen so many hurricanes pass through. Here we have another example. Just like hurricane ian. People dropped their guard, and now Corporal Hartford, you saw many people, just in the one vehicle alone. Were inside of their rescue vehicle. Its an amphibious vehicle. It can go through water and land, and you used this to rescue, you said, two dozen, almost two dozen people last night. At least two dozen, yes. What were you seeing . What was the age range, the circumstances and the mental frame of mind for the people that you were seeing . We this everything from kids to the elderly. Everyone was in shock. Everyones kind of sensing they didnt expect this, the Storm Surge being high, the damage, them not being able to use their vehicles to get out because the water was so high. That was the consensus of everyone we spoke with last night. Reporter you said a 97yearold woman, and she was very afraid and she was almost in a dire situation, you said. She was bedridden. We had to fully get her out here, and get her to medical care. Shes safely at the hospital. Reporter thank goodness you were able to get in contact with her. I want to talk about this vehicle. This is where people were rescued last night, i mean, you brought them on here. Highlight some of what were seeing here. Reporter the great part about this vehicle is it can float compared to other Rescue Vehicles we have. We have a whole fleet of boats and airboats, and theres still places this tool is going to get us into places where people need help during the storm. Thats going to be the thing that helps us going forward. The fact that we can get up right to a house, a door or a window, and we can open the front or back door and get someone in. Someones on a stretcher, we can fit them here. Theres a lot of uses, we dont have to wait or make choices, we can get into action. Reporter for the 97yearold woman, this was life saving. Definitely. It took two of us to carry her out and her adult daughter as well, we had to get out, and we got them safely to an ambulance, which was still a couple of miles away from their house because the Flood Waters are so bad. Reporter how long have you had this vehicle . We literally just got this vehicle in the last year, and actually, we have seen its value that the sheriff was generous to make it a priority to be a part of this years budget. We have two now, and its been a great tool for us. Reporter ana and Thank You so much for allowing us to see it firsthand, and i want to point something out. We were going on a tour, and kind of getting a sense of the vehicles capabilities. They had said that it seemed like the rescues were sort of dying down. We were driving, and We Saw these guys got flagged down by someone passing by saying, hey, you might want to check up on this one house, and were still awaiting official confirmation, but i will say that it doesnt look good. It seemed like a grim situation. Ill say that. There were a lot of trying and very emotional Family Members outside of that house. And we dont have more details than that. Ana, i think that that is a very sobering reality here, and i think that thats going to be unfortunately something that we see again somewhere else, maybe in another coast, another city because the big fear, the big concern. We heard it from perry officials, people who didnt evacuate, for one reason or another, whether they could or not, theyre afraid of what they might find when they check up on those houses. Of course, this is a developing situation, and were going to be here all day. But already one that has turned very grim, ana, is this community is still in the very early stages of recovering and cleaning up. I imagine there will be more revelations of how destructive this storm is and has been. Thank you to the rescuers for all of their efforts to save people, and their belongings, and their pets and beyond. Thank you, marissa. Lets turn to Meteorologist Bill karins who has been tracking this monster storm. This is a storm thats moved quickly but obviously incredibly powerful and is still wreaking havoc in the u. S. Where are we at . I think it would surprise a lot of people to learn theres more people without power in South Carolina right now than florida. And florida is where it made landfall. This storm has been racing throughout the night. Up through georgia. A million people without power. Florida and South Carolina and georgia. The storm itself is racing in the mountains of North Carolina. Mount mitchell, one of the highest points in the east coast, Wind Gusts to 108 miles per hour. Of course theres no houses or structures up there, but still shows you the power of the storm. And theyve also reported 20 inches of rain in the last couple of days. Thats why we have this incredible emergency going on right now. Everywhere you see this like pinkish color from asheville to greenville, this is what we call a flash flood emergency. These are only issued when Theres Life threatening conditions going on. Water rescues taking place. Streams and rivers going through homes. Theres people trapped in homes they cant get to. Thats taking place in all the areas, the atlanta suburbs, and throughout the mountains of North Carolina. This is a horrific disaster. The roads, structures are being washed out. Numerous dams that are failing or theyre having to open the gaelts and release the water, which means it floods downstream. That is happening now through this region of western North Carolina. As the storm moves north, were going to end the rain in these areas. The damage is done. All the water has to collect into the rivers. Its going to take a day or two for the damage to stop occurring. Then were going to watch tonight, tomorrow, all the Rain Heads into areas of tennessee and kentucky. We could pick up isolated totals of 4 to 6 inches, mostly around 2 to 4. We have to watch for isolated cases of flooding there. And tornadoes, we have a nasty band of storms that goes from raleigh to wilmington. Thats going to kick to the north, Virginia Beach and norfolk later this afternoon. We could see isolated tornadoes. We have one Tornado Warning to the north of greensboro. Tornado warnings have been dropped by the wilmington area. We have to watch this line throughout the day. The storm is slowly weakening, ana, but its still causing just a ton of problems. The water issues in North Carolina are historic. Water is higher and running faster than they have ever seen in that area. And water is often the biggest threat when it comes to life threatening conditions and hurricanes. Bill karins, Thank You. And joining us now is keith turrey, the acting director for the fema. This was the strongest storm to hit floridas Big Bend region. Do you have a sense of the damage yet, and just how widespread it will be . Yeah, obviously a very significant storm, and i think were seeing and expecting there to be significant damage throughout florida in the Big Bend region, and even going around to the western coast of florida. Such a large storm, large Wind Field is going to generate a lot of Storm Surge. We expect to see damage throughout florida and as your reporter was mentioning through a number of other states. Just important to remember this is a very active situation. There are portions of North Carolina and South Carolina still being impacted and rain to come in tennessee and kentucky. So very large storms. Varying impacts across many different states. The Focus Today is still keeping people safe, conducting those Search And Rescue operations to make sure we can help anyone who may potentially need help. As the storm clears. And then well move on to getting a better sense of what the impacts look like. You deploy people and resources in advance. What kind of challenges are you facing at the moment . The biggest concern is in daylight came in florida not too long ago. Getting out there, getting a sense of what impacts were with state and local officials, where we know exactly to react to. We prepositioned resources from Florida All The Way up to North Carolina. And now we come to the point youre employing the resources, putting them in the field to do their work. Getting a sense of where to send them. Doing that quickly, managing those resources appropriately, and still messaging that even though its down to a tropical storm and there are hazards happening. And making sure people take this seriously throughout the day and tomorrow. We have seen deaths reported, three in georgia. One in North Carolina. At least two in florida. And of course that Death Toll could still climb. Whats your fear over the next 24 hours with this storm. Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by it. We never want to see loss of life. Everything were doing with our partners in advance is to minimize the risk to folks that are in the path. Thats an important reminder to make sure that people still do what they can to stay safe. Most people dont realize a lot of times injuries and fatalities after the storm are in the hours after walking through Flood Waters, driving through Flood Waters, downed power lines. Using a generator too close to your home. The risk is not gone. Thats the ultimate focus is to keep everyone safe. Once we get through that portion, well move into an Assessment Phase with all of our partners at the state and local level, determine what the requirements are for recovery and what type of support well provide. We just got word that the fema administrator, Deanne Criswell briefed the president on the story. Keith turi, Thank You so much for being with us. Good luck in the days and hours ahead. Up next on Ana Cabrera reports, more breaking news from new York City this hour where former President Trump just met with Ukraines President Zelenskyy. What we are learning about that meeting. Plus, the new York City mayor set to be arraigned at noon on charges of bribery and fraud. Will he continue to lead the nationS Largest city . S Larges . What Tractor SupplyCustomers Experience is personalized service. Made possible by tmobile for business. With tmobiles reliable 5g business internet. Employees get the information they need instantly. This is how business goes further with tmobile for business. Power e trades easytouse tools, like dynamic charting and riskreward analysis, help make trading feel effortless. And its customizable scans with social sentiment help you find and unlock opportunities in the market. E trade from Morgan Stanley with powerful, easytouse tools, Power E trade makes complex trading easier. React to fastmoving markets with dynamic charting and a Futures Ladder that lets you place, flatten, or reverse orders so you wont miss an opportunity. E trade from Morgan Stanley a Chewy Order is on the way for interrupted by dog . Dog Howls roo. Who can speak for himself. But Cant Shop for himself. So when he gave his roo of approval of the Food Dad bought on chewy, dad put it on autoship. So it always gets delivered, right on roos schedule. The Flavor Roo loves. The savings they love. Dog Howls for automatic delivery and 5 savings. For life with pets, theres chewy. We are back with more breaking news. Just moments ago, former President Trump met with Ukraines President Zelenskyy at trump tower, and they spoke after that meeting. Lets listen to part of that. Hes going through hell and his country has gone through hell like few countries like its happened anywhere. Nobody has seen anything like it. I think were going to get it resolved very quickly. It takes two to tango. Were going to have a good meeting today, and i think the fact that were even together today is a very good sign. Okay. So it sounds like theyre meeting after making those remarks so with us is former u. S. Under Secretary Of State for Public Diplomacy and affairs, rick stengel. Your initial reaction to what we heard . I think its a good thing theyre meeting. I think zelenskyy is trying to cover his bases. He well knows theres an election going on in the united states. Donald trump is a former president. Trump has been very very outspoken in the past in blaming zelenskyy, in criticizing zelenskyy, in echoing putins Talking Points about why he invaded ukraine, including the fact that nato expanded too far to the east. He said in his speech this week that ukraine doesnt really exist, which is exactly a putin talking point. That being said, the fact that theyre talking is better than criticizing, and i hope zelenskyy can persuade trump to be a little more sane and reasonable about the whole situation. We know that zelenskyy has also met with president biden as well as Vice President harris, and now this meeting with trump, so hes hitting all of his bases, the future uncertain right now in this country, in terms of who the next president will be at this point. Just thousand crucial is it for the ukrainians to see this Trump Zelenskyy Meeting . Its absolutely critical. Trump has said without saying how or why that he would settle this in a day, probably by giving all the land in the Donbas Region to russia. That would be very unfortunate. It would be rewarding putin for aggression. Has this meeting sent a message to putin, do you think . Thats why i think its a positive because it shows that trump is actually willing to meet with zelenskyy. Zelenskyy is willing to meet with trump. That there may be some kind of new dispensation, but its so important, i mean, the u. S. Election is not just important for ukraine. Its important for All Around The World to try to halt the rise of authoritarian countries, which weve seen over the last 15 years, and accelerated with russia and china. Everybodys watching this, zelenskyy is absolutely critically interested in it, but were all interested in it too. Rick stengel, Thank You very much for being here, to catch that as well for us this morning. In new York City, indicted mayor Eric Adams is about to face a judge today. Adams arrived at the federal courthouse this morning. Hes set to be arraigned at noon. The democrat is accused of this sprawling corruption scheme, and he will be arraigned on five federal charges, including bribery, and wire fraud. It is the first ever criminal case against a sitting new york mayor, and prosecutors hint it is far from over. These are bright red lines. And we allege that the mayor crossed them again and again for years. That is the only reason we are here today. Second, this investigation continues. We continue to dig, and we will hold more people accountable. In the face of growing calls to step down, adams has vehemently denied the allegations and has insisted hes staying put. Joining us now, nbc News Law Enforcement reporter tom winter. Whats next . Reporter incredible for us to say, not a year ago was this investigation out in the public, and it was known that there was an investigation looking into City Hall and perhaps the mayor specifically, but here we are. The mayor of new York City, Eric Adams in the courthouse behind me, going through the booking process. Theyll do finger prints, information for pretrial services, which typically involves getting financial information, Background Information on him, and then hes, at that point, in the federal court system. From there, hell go to the courtroom, as you suggested, at noon today. Hell have his first appearance, the judge will go through a bunch of procedural issues and say, have you retained counsel. The answer to that is of course we have seen his Attorney Alex Shapiro speaking, and theyll offer the opportunity to read the indictment aloud. Typically someone will waive that. They dont want to go through that. And the judge walks through the defendant, Shell Walk through the mayor what hes faced with, the types of crimes that have been presented and basically the legal framework of which he has the right to defend himself as hes presumed innocent in this case, and from there, they will likely move to the plea. He can enter a plea. Theres no reason to believe, certainly given his statements as you referenced that hell enter anything but a not guilty plea. At that point, Theyll Start to put things together as far as the case goes here. Theres no expectation there will be any sort of a bail issue. He has a Police Department protective detail, because the threats he receives, being the mayor of the city of new york, they know where he is, they might ask for his passports, they know where he is. Hell probably be released on his own recognizance, from there, well see whether or not prosecutors add anything. In the course of the Bail Discussion that talk more about his conduct. Thats something that well be listening for, and at that point, they might set up some preliminary schedules as far as how things proceed from here, and then at that point, the mayor will likely be free to go, and go about his business, being the mayor of new York City or answering those questions, ana, as you referenced those potential calls to resign. Stay with us. I want to bring in criminal Defense Attorney and former manhattan prosecutor, jeremy soland. The fed was clear, the probe is ongoing. We saw the fbi at the mayors residence yesterday. Do you think more charges are still coming against the mayor and what about his staffers mentioned in this indictment . It would not surprise most people if theres a superseding indictment, and or, we see staffers charged as well. Theres not unindicted conspirators. We heard stories about the leading of the text, we heard stories and saw the Text Messages arranging for the airline tickets. Theres allegations they are in cahoots with the mayor and assisting the mayor in these frauds. There are extensive allegations. You have the Luxury Travel always through turkey that prosecutors say was part of a bribery scheme. They even have this chart, all the dates going back almost a decade, and then on top of that, theres the illegal campaign donation component. They have the initial donations that allegedly came from foreign people or foreign entities, but then also you have what apparently the campaign applied for and received, and that is, quote, 10 Million in matching funds. Right. Public funds. So in new york, in the city, its for every dollar, you can get 8 in matching. He didnt actually steal that money, but the money comes from the government, the city, to say, here you go, im going to match the dollars you received, and those straw dollars, meaning he shouldnt have gotten them. This is a big problem for the mayor because theres a certification, a verification that you are saying im not getting this money, for example, from a foreign Entity Or Someone unauthorized to give me those dollars and if youre certifying and saying that, its hard to back up and say i didnt know, and you cant get it from them. That by itself is the crime. If they have problems with the bribery elements, you have this Campaign Fraud that really could sink his proverbial ship. What do you see as the strongest evidence against him given the Defense Attorney role you are in now . What holds might there be in the case . The strongest thing against him is he and his colleagues, his associates are the ones certifying and saying i can move forward, these are legitimate contributions, and you cannot have them as a strict liability. Its not maybe you can, maybe you cant. You cant. Thats going to be the hardest thing to overcome. The trumpian defense, i knew they were coming for me, when i stood up for you in new york, they were going to target you, they did. He said something along those lines. Thats the wrong route to go. Theres no reason to make the arguments if you have an evidentiary based defense. To say hes been tarnished, i dont think thats a route to go. Fight it in the courtroom, and fight it with the evidence, not some enemy. The mayor said he wont resign. What is the possibility of Governor Hochul removing adams from his perch . Reporter well, the possibility exists, and because of the way new York City runs, and if anybodys read the Power Broker about how things actually work in new York State and new York City, its very rare that you see the type of reach from the Governors Office into the of reach from the Governors Office into the city, to remove mayoral candidate. It has not happened in modern times. It is not something that is very often that happens, but it is something that the governor does have the ability to do. It was something that she was asked about yesterday. We can take a listen. Im an attorney. Im going to want to read this. And absorb the material embedded within it. This is a very serious matter that is unfolding. As the governor of the state of new york, i have a unique responsibility here to make sure i do right by all people in this great state. And i also represent 8. 3 million new yorkers when they elected me to be their governor. I became the governor of this entire state, including all the residents of new York City. And i want them to know this, i will be deliberative, ill be thoughtful, but were going to come to the right resolution. Reporter so, the Senate Majority LeaderChuck Schumer is also represents parts of new York City, so well have to see whether or not he weighs in on this or any of the other highpowered federal politicians who have the weight within the party. Certainly as you heard, the governor has a lot to weigh going forward, ana. Thank you very much, tom winter, jeremy saland, appreciate you both. An update, as you were speaking, were now seeing calls for the mayor to resign from congressman jerry nadler, a representative from this state of new york. Up next on Ana Cabrera reports, were keeping our e on helene. Well take you to one town in the Hurricanes Path next. O one the Hurricanes Path next. Ooh, yes plus, score free shipping on everything [ grunting ] and Surprise Flash deals all Way Day long Way Day starts october 5th, so mark your calendar. And start filling your cart wayfair. Every style. Every home. Life has twists and curls. But you define them and make them bounce. Tresemme flawless curls defining mousse. 24 hour. Hydrating curl definition. Style your life the way you want. Tresemme, style your way. Now back to that massive Storm Wreaking Havoc across the southeast. Right now, helene is moving over georgia, and the carolinas, downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall as a catastrophic category 4 hurricane last night. Helene triggered a flood emergency, not seen in most peoples lifetimes. Take a look at this. A man kayaking inside his flooded tampa home. This is hours before this Nightmare Storm the Storm Surge actually reached its peak. Emergency crews racing to get to homes, turned to islands from Key West To Atlanta with hundreds of Water Rescues already reported. And joining us now is nbcs George Solis in asheville, North Carolina. What are officials there talking to you about in terms of the response so far . Reporter yeah, i want to start with a little bit of good news here. There is so little. The rain is starting to taper here, but thats about it. Because the damage is done. Officials saying as we speak, there are active Water Rescues in some of these areas swollen from all of the rainfall. Keep in mind, tropical Storm Helene is adding to more rain that was already impacting this region, days before this storm hit. This area was hammered by relentless rain, so some of the rivers here, some of the tributaries already in inundated leading to some flooding. We have extra rain and more wind. Were seeing pockets of Wind Gusts from tropical Storm Helene still hitting us. Those have calmed down a bit. Where we are, were undercover. I can look around here and tell you there is no power in this region. That is much the case throughout a lot of the carolinas. There is more people without power in this region than in florida right now. This is not an area of the Western Carolinas used to dealing with hurricanes. Flooding from time to time. Were talking about flooding here not seen in almost a century. Which is why the governor and there are numerous local states of emergencies declared because, again, what theyre expecting in all of this is catastrophic. Some of the images that we have been seeing of neighborhoods and communities completely flooded, and really quickly, i want to share a brief story from where we were yesterday. We were actually at a Gas Station watching one of these roads just take on water after water. The owner of this Gas Station showed up, our crew was there, we helped them try to fortify it. He wasnt sure whether or not that water was going to get there. Guess what, this morning, he reaches out to us and sure enough, that entire Gas Station is underwater. Thats scratching the surface of some of the flooding that we expect to see here, this is historic, it is catastrophic, so the full scope of this damage, we have yet to see, but we know it is going to be significant here, ana. George solis in asheville, North Carolina, Thank You for bringing us the latest. Stay safe, my friend. Thats going to do it for us this busy week. Thank you for joining us. Ill see you back here monday, same time, same place, i hope you have a wonderful weekend. Im Ana Cabrera reporting from new york. Jose diazbalart picks up our coverage next. Ge next. Against covid19 up to date . With a covid shot this season, designed for recent variants. You can get your Covid19 Shot when getting your flu shot, if youre due for both, as recommended by the cdc. The fresher, the better. Ask your Healthcare Provider about getting this Seasons Covid19 Shot when getting your flu shot. Why use 10 buckets of water when you can use 1 fire extinguisher. And to fight heartburn, why take 10 antacids throughout the day when you can take 1 prilosec. For easier heartburn relief, one beats ten. Prilosec otc. One pill. 24 hours. Zero heartburn. Heres to getting better with age. Heres to beating these two every thursday. Help Fuel Today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. So, heres to now. Now available Boost Max good morning. 11 00 a. M. Eastern, 8 00 a. M. Pacific. Im jose diazbalart. We begin this morning with breaking news. Helene slamming florida overnight as a massive category 4 storm. The most powerful hurricane to ever hit the Big Bend region. The storm bringing 140mileanhour winds and torrential