Its really the only time we get to see them. Thank you so much for joining us. This is cnn news central. Inside politics is up next. Today on inside politics, a mass shoot is still on the loose. Officials say they are now using divers to search the river close to where the killers vehicle was found, but are they any closer to finding the Armed And Dangerous suspect . Plus a potential breakthrough. Sources tell cnn theres been significant progress on negotiations to release hostages kidnapped by hamas. This as israeli tanks conduct a second night of targeted raids field just got bigger, but this time its another the democrat jumping in. Congressman dean phillips says President Biden is doing a spectacular job as president. So why is he trying to take his place . Im dana bash. Lets go behind the headlines and inside politics. We begin with the state still gripped with fear as the manhunt continues for the 40 hours after the shooting rampage that killed 18 people at a Bowling Alley and bar in lewiston, maine. Authorities are still on the hunt for the suspect robert card. Residents and communities as cross the state are told to continue to stay inside and lock their doors. Officials say they will now be putting divers into a nearby river to aid in their search. We will be putting divers in the water along the river, which you see here. And thats going to look like a couple different things. So the very first thing youre going to see out there is youre going to see some Air Resources that will fly over this particular area, and they are looking to see what can we clear from the air. Were also learning more about the victims. Including joseph walker, who was the Night Manager at the bar and grill and apparently tried to stop the gunman with a knife. Heres what walkers dad told cnn earlier. For someone to do this to so many family, as well as mine, its just crazy. It leaves you an empty hole they dont know how it will ever be filled. If this person was at the time in his right mind, i believe he would have been a loving person just like we are. Something went wrong. Just heartbreaking. Cnns Shimon Prokupecz is on the scene in lisbon, maine. I know that you have been talking to Law Enforcement and you are now physically near where the alleged gunmans vehicle was found, where Law Enforcement is searching and really intense ways. What are you learning . We were heading to the area where the car was left at the boat latch, because thats where they are going to be doing the searching. While we are on our way there, we saw the police racing to this area where we are. Because they got a tip of the loud noise. People who work, this is a lettuce farm here. Thought they heard a gunshot and so police swarmed this area. They were searching all back here and Into The Woods to make sure that there was no one in there and just a short time ago, the police chief here in lisbon came out and iniffished their searches and said they found nothing. They cleared this area. But the point of this is just to show how on edge this community is. They are calling 911 when they are seeing something, when they are hearing something, and police are not taking any chances at all. They are responding in force. They are in tactical gear, as they go around and do their searches. They have been doing this for the past two days, responding to tips, responding to 911 calls, because they really dont know where he is. Now today as you said, its a significant day here for Law Enforcement because they are bringing in more resources here. They are bringing in divers. They are brienging in hospitales to focus around that river area where the car was last seen. They say they are going to go in the water and search the water and they are going to search the areas around the river to see if they find anything. Really still, they have no idea where he is. And so they are trying to do everything they can to find them. This community has been dealing with this now for two days. Many of the stores are closed. People are afraid to leave their homes. And the police here are really try ing to get this to some kin of a resolution for perhaps people could feel safer. Safer and then begin to grieve as a community, which is not really been allowed to happen yet. And i know you have spoken to the police chief there in lisbon, maine. What is he saying about their level of confidence about the area in which this gunman is at this point . Reporter they still are Work Ushd A Theory that hes here. Yesterday when i was talking to some of the officers who were manning some of the security posts, they said as well, they believe that he was still here. They have no evidence a the this point to suggest that he has left this area. So they are work ing under the theory that he is still here. However, this morning when we first got here around 7 00 a. M. , things actually changed. It seem ed like everything was over because many of the rod brocks that police had in place were take down. Now it seems whats happening is they want to focus around this river area, go where they havent gone before, which is under water. Its not clear why all of a sudden today they are starting to do this, perhaps you can ask why didnt they start doing this yesterday, but its clear that someone has come to the opinion and the feeling that, you know what, its time with get into this water and we start searching. And i think the point you make about the families, they are still all living with so much fear that they cant get to that grieving point yet. And so hopefully this can come to a resolution soon. No question. Thank you so much for your excellent reporting. Appreciate it. And for more on the investigation, i want to bring in chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst john muller. John, what does it tell you that they are using divers in the waters near the location where the suspects car was found. We just saw shimon very close to there. Reporter every investigation is a progressive thing. So we know things today that we didnt know yesterday and we didnt know the day before. Ha they learned yesterday with the execution of three separate search warrants, onen the car, another on the house, and another on a different property is things that are influencing what they are doing today. They found a note, which indicated that he didnt expect to be around when the note was found. So thats the equivalent of a suicide note in some manner. So that shifts that search to the water. His car ends up there, theres no sign of him. Theres water in front of where the car is. Did he get on a boat and further escape or is he under the water . Did he follow through on the idea that hechs going to take his own life . Was that by drowning . The only way they are going to know that is with divers. Another clue informs the search of the car, they found a rifle, an ar15 platform, and a caliber similar in description, make and model to the gun used in the attack. Was that the gun from the attack . Did he leave it behind and take his own life . Or did he escape and has access to another weapon . So thats why the shift, but in the background, as shimon demonstrates by being on the scene, they are still poised, coiled, if it you will, to respond to anything that could be a sighting or a sign, because they also know what they dont know. And right now, were still in a period of inkrcreased knowledge but some uncertainty. I mean, as they should be doing exactly that. Can can you just drill down a little bit more on what you mentioned about this note that was found . I know you have been talking to sources about this. In addition to the suspects cell phone. I i dont have the copy that the note contains, but it was characterized to me as a note that was written that gave information to others about where things could be found and how things could be disposed of. It was clearly a note that suggest ed when it was found or read that he was no longer going to be with us. Now of course, did his plans change . Did he he follow through . We dont know. One of the reasons that that is critical to know is if they can establish that he took his own life, then the whole shelter in place thing can be had lifted right away. The other reason its critical is because if they can establish thats not likely the case, they still know that they are hunting for a person who is likely armed and definitely dangerous. Absolutely. The community is understandably extremely on edge, as shimon has been talking about from there and others as well. John miller, thank you so much for that reporting. I want to dig deeper with experts who we have with us. Neil franklin is a retired Maryland State Police commander and katherine is a former senior fbi official and an active shooter expert. What is your take away from what we heard earlier. We didnt play a lot of it because there was a lot of words. There werent a lot of details except for that critical one, which is that they are sending divers into the river. Let me begin. John brought up a lot of important points here. It is a Process Of Elimination that the teams have to go through searching everywhere. So searching this body of water, it will just help them out so much in this investigation, but theres one thing that i was thinking about here. His car was located here, but if he hopped on some type of water kraflt, where is it . If he took it to another part of the lake, where is it . Would he sink it . Thats another reason they would have to search. Its a Process Of Elimination at this point. Especially when it comes to that body of water and serging other places. This Process Of Elimination, its important that the citizens do their diligence. Very seldom do people lock their doors. They feel safe. They might leave their keys in their car, they leave doors unlocked. And i think its important that they secure these premises. You can get into them, however, being locked it makes noise. Force is applyied, which can alert someone to the presence of card or someone else. I think thats very important that people lock their doors and their cars, secure their facilities. Its going to help a lot. N this investigation. It sounds like people are definitely complying there. Katherine, you are not only a former fbi official, but your specific area of expertise is with active shooters. Whats the information that has been found that john miller and shimon were both talking about . I think as they mentioned, this is kind of the dog eat dog beat the leather on your shoes investigative work that has to be done now that has nothing to do with the fact that he has committed this heinous act. Hes a criminal. They are looking for him now, and they have to apply those saim techniques they apply in any situation. Some of the added layers on top of it really have to do with where this mind set of this individual might be because we know that this it is a planned event, targeted violence is a planned event. So this person planned it. He gathered the things that he needed for it. Hes carrying it with them. A lot of shooters we see them carrying way more ammunition than they are ever going to use. But they want to be prepared. So if he had a car and abandoned it at some place, my instinct says, he may have hopped on a boat. Did he hop in another car, did he have materials staged Someplace Else and the search of the house will help to give them some of that information that kind of speaks to his future where he wants to go. Just staying with you, this note that was found. Were being careful because nobody knows what he ended up doing, but it seems as though officials are approaching this in part as he might be dead, which is why they are looking down divers are going down into the river. How does that sort of connect with the idea of him going in with his face fully visible, he didnt cover his face, people know who he is. Yeah, he intended to do this. He intended for people to know it was him for sure. When i think about an fbi agent and you have somebody who takes off after a bank robbery, they are trying to get away. They run and continue to run. We dont have that here, any evidence of that. This individual knew that people in the bar and the Bowling Alley likely would know who he is. Hes from the community. Mass shooters shoot this their communities. They shoot in places they are familiar with. They shoot people who they know. And they get frustrated with and that leakage that comes out beforehand might unclollude a note that goes out on social media or a note that go out Someplace Else. In this case, they find a note, you have to know that they are looking for the idea that 30 to 40 commit suicide or want to commit suicide and make thats what we have here. Well have to leave it there. Well no doubt be back talking to both of you soon. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. We are going to continue to stay on the latest of this manhunt throughout the hour. But first, new details on negotiations to release the hostages taken by hamas during their brutal attack on israel three weeks ago. Sources tell cnn theres been significant progogress. Wewell get yoyou to date,e, co up. You are looking at video from just moments ago. Gaza city lit up by explosions. Thats after the idf staged a limited ground raid into gaza overnight as it prepares for an expected ground invasion. Nic robertson has more. Reporter knowing that the idf has ha had Ground Incursions over the past couple days and said they will be having them in the coming days, we have heard a lot of outgoing tank fire from around here. Thats unusual intense, sustained for well over a couple of hours. We have heard a lot of Artillery Fire. A lot of explosions being reported in gaza. Small arms fire behind me right now. And onen point, a huge wall of smoke that lasted 15, 20, 30 minutes literally blew up the hill towards where we are off of gaza. The sort of smoke tasted and felt like the sort of smoke that can be used by the military for a smoke screen for activity. This happening on the ground. We cant comment and say whether or not theres an incurunderway now. They tend to be clarified The Morning After the event, put knowing they have said that the incursions will be sustained and continued, for all intents and purposes, what we have heard behind us here has sounded like it might be that. And while we have been listening to that heavy fighting behind us, we know that my colleague Becky Anderson has been reporting from the talks in dohar, where theres a hope that the Hostage Talks over Hostage Release might be realized, might come to pass, but the call from that discussion was for the guns here to fall silent. The guns have absolutely not fallen silent now. The guns are doing the talking. Please stay safe where you are. Get back to us if you see and hear anything else. Last night the u. S. Retaliated against iranianbacked militias inside syria. That after a series of attacks on u. S. Military personnel in the region left nearly two dozen u. S. Troops injured. That as hezbollah also backed by tehran launches Rocket Attacks into northern israel from lebanon. Jim sciutto is live with more on the strikes. Lets start with syria. What are you hearing from your sources about what happened there . Reporter these were significant strikes for the u. S. To carry out now. I should note where we are. That is syria just beyond those likes there. Less than a half a mile from where were standing, thats a u. N. Base there. The u. S. Carried out strikes on two bases inside syria. The eastern part of the country used not just by iranianbacked militias, and this is crucial, but also by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary guard corp. Which the Defense Secretary referenced specifically. The u. S. Knows that those bases are used not just by the iranbacked militias, but by iranians themselves. So this has the makings of a direct strike potentially on iranian personnel there. We dont know the results of that strike, how many casualties, but it shows the seriousness with which the u. S. Has been taking those iranianbacked strikes on u. S. Forces both in syria, but also in iraq. Strikes that we know have injured u. S. Service members and led to the death of one u. S. Contract who had a cardiac event fleeing one of those alerts there. It is one of those measures of just what a volatile mix we have here, because you have syria here. Then you have lebanon here, where hezbollah has been launching attacks with regular lair ty every day. We were up on the border yesterday on that side. All the population has fled south from there because it is so unsafe a at this point. There were more attacks from hezbollah forces into northern israel today. Thats the volatile mix. The concern is if theres more israeli activity inside gaza, will iran order its proxies to then attack israel in retaliation. Where youre standing really is illustrative of the fear about this widening into a bigger regional conflict. Thank you so much. We appreciate that. There are still more than 200 hostages believed to be inside gaza, according to i israeli officials, including grandmothers in their 80s and young children. There are intense negotiations ongoing to bring them home. Chief National Security correspondent Alex Marquardt has new reporting on those talks. What we have been told is that these ustalks are going in the right direction. They are progressing, but sources have been caution ing u that this is not a done deal. What that is the expectation, the hope that there will be another release of hostages, but unlike the last two we have seen where only two hostages were released at each time, this would be a bigger group. Israel, the United States, qatar, which is leading these Discussion Cans with hamas, they are pushing for all of the civilians to be released. Men, women, children, everybody certainly on the civilian side, both foreign and israeli. But at the very least, theres an expectation and is a hope there would be a much larynxer group than we have seen in the pas