♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by...

woman: two retiring executives turn their focus to greyhounds, giving these former race dogs a real chance to win. a raymond james financial advisor gets to know you, your purpose, and the way you give back. life well planned. erika: i love seeing interns succeed, i love seeing them come back and join the engagement teams and seeing where they go from there, i get to watch their personal growth, it makes my heart happy. (laughs) announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" >> i am caitriona perry in washington and this is "bbc world news america."

-- continue to secure a truce between israel and hezbollah in lebanon. record-breaking 60 million early votes have been cast so far in early voting. north korea fires in intercontinental ballistic missile and a move condemned by its neighbors. -- in a move condemned by its neighbors. hello and welcome to "bbc world news america." u.s. secretary of state antony blinken says they have made good progress toward a truce in lebanon. two advisors are heading back to the u.s. after spending thursday in tel aviv, working with israeli officials on a cease-fire deal. our white house coordinate -- the specialists are pushing to

ensure civilians in both countries can return to their homes. tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border have left their homes to escape cross-border fire between hezbollah and israeli forces. during talks with the senior american delegates, prime minister benjamin netanyahu said any agreement must ensure israel can counter threats to its security from lebanon. the lebanese prime minister said he was cautiously optimistic about an agreement. efforts to secure a cease-fire agreement between israel and hamas are also continuing. the director of the cia is in the egyptian capital of cairo with mediators, exploring options to end the fighting and bring hostages back to israel. a regional editor sent this update. >> even as there is a new diplomatic push to get a cease-fire between israel and hezbollah, in lebanon the fighting between those two sides is continuing unabated. in israel, seven people were

killed today by hezbollah rockets, one of the largest death tolls since hezbollah began to fire into israel after the october 7 attacks in support of hamas. israel has continued with its airstrikes, and we've heard from lebanese authorities that six health workers were killed. there is no let up but two u.s. envoys came to israel and they have spoken to prime minister benjamin netanyahu. there has been much speculation over a possible 60 days cease-fire. even a draft proposal. this has been dismissed to an extent by israel and mr. netanyahu himself has said he is not interested in documents or papers. he is interested in securing -- industry -- that is what he is focused on. he said that during a meeting with the two u.s. envoys and

later he met members of the military. there is hope building that there may be the beginning of an end to this conflict between hezbollah and israel in lebanon, but we still have to wait to see any real concrete movement forward on it. >> at least 39 palestinians were killed in an israeli attack on a hospital in northern gaza according to health officials. israel's military said forces were targeting hamas fighters who it says were hiding in the hospital, claiming hamas and local health officials -- a claim that hamas and local haas -- hospital officials reject. missiles hit the third and fourth floors of the building and medical supplies were destroyed. the attack comes less than a week after israeli troops raided the hospital in -- and captured around 100 people they suspected of being hamas fighters.

joining me now to discuss the latest developments is a distinguished fellow at the washington institute and former special advisor to the u.s. special envoy for israeli-palestinian negotiations. thank you for joining us. >> always happy to. >> we heard the u.s. secretary of state say the envoys in israel are making good progress on a deal between israel and lebanon to implement the nearly 20-year-old security council resolution. do you see a situation where prime minister netanyahu would strike a deal between the outcome of the presidential election is known? >> that is a great question. i'm not 100% sure. this deal has to stand on its own, no matter who is president. this could go on until wednesday versus tuesday, but it has to be strong enough -- his definition of success, is it good enough

that he can tell the israelis that are displaced they can come back to their homes in the north after being gone for a year and a lebanese will want to know the same about the population on their side and in that sense, the terms of the deal versus whether it is done on tuesday or wednesday is going to be more decisive. >> hezbollah initially began attacking israel on october 8, in solidarity with hamas. is it prepared to do a deal without a deal in gaza? >> you put your finger on a critical question, which is can these conflicts be decoupled? until now, the u.s. believed that the offramp of the middle east crisis was through a hostage deal in gaza and a cease-fire there. now, when you see -- who has

been handling both sides, both the lebanon and hostage side, i think it is very telling but now it seems that the thinking in washington is very much flipped that maybe the way to decelerate and get on that offramp is to get hezbollah out of the conflict and the signs are that hezbollah might do this deal if the terms are right. it's a new type of thinking, certainly the united states, that the way to end the conflict is through the north and not through the south. >> we have seen somewhat of a hardening of language from the secretary of state, antony blinken on the issue of gaza. he said today that israel had achieved its stated objectives of putting hamas into a place where it could no longer repeat the attacks of october 7 and it had held the leadership to account, and that this was a

time as the u.s. sees it, to end the war. given what we have seen from israel in the past few weeks, increasing attacks on northern gaza, do you think israel sees it as a time to end the war? >> i think the story is that there is a fraction of the number of israeli soldiers in gaza now than in fall of 2023, spring of 2024, as late as the rafa situation. it is really a small fraction, but the point is that it now seems to be more to the counterinsurgency phase where they are going after certain pockets in northern gaza, so you have a fraction of the people on the israeli side involved and yet there are going to be casualties. what the secretary was trying to do was say major operations are

virtually over in gaza. israel doesn't say that. i think they feel that as leverage in the hostage negotiations. they assume it is the same it has been since october the eighth, when in fact it is really a fraction of it and i think the secretary was just trying to frame it in a way that people realize that major operations are essentially over, even if there are pockets. i think that is what he was trying to convey but that is something the prime minister will definitely not say, certainly with hostages held in gaza. >> when we look at the humanitarian situation in gaza, increasingly dire, particularly in light of that bill that passed through the israeli parliament this week, manning aid agencies. what does that mean for the u.s.

in terms of how it handles this and any potential risk of culpability that may come to the u.s.? >> that is a very legitimate question, which is israel does not want to own 19 palestinian refugee camps. if you're going to say unrwa no, what is it exactly? this is something the u.s. cares deeply about. i think it would be a fair question. funding will get through congress given the fact that a lot of their workers were involved in october 7. the killings. if you are disqualifying them, you have to be able to say, who is the partner? it has to be a partner that is feasible and it'll be catastrophic if there is no serious aid agency involved.

this is an urgent question for the united states. >> the human investigation noted that there were nine workers with some involvement. >> israel says the number of members goes far beyond that. a lot of the hamas headquarters were under u.n. headquarters. >> which is disputed but we can't get at -- we can't get to that so we will take that issue up again. thank you so much for joining us. with the u.s. presidential election just five days away, new numbers show that more than 60 million early votes have been cast, smashing records. the campaigns continue as donald trump and his democratic rival kamala harris are appealing to voters in the southwest united states. the former republican president will rally crowds in new mexico as well as the critical battleground states of arizona

and nevada. vice president kamala harris will be crisscrossing swing states as well. stops in what is known as the sunbelt as both candidates look to win over latino voters after controversies, the latest of which came during donald trump's rally on wednesday night. here's what he said and kamala harris's response. >> whether the women like it or not, i'm going to protect them, i'm going to protect them from migrants coming in. i'm going to protect them from foreign countries that want to hit us with missiles. >> it is very offensive to women, and terms of not understanding their agency, their authority, they're right or ability to make decisions about their own lives, including their own bodies. >> as the race enters its closing stages, still on a knife

edge, zeroing in on those seven battleground states that could decide the election. the trend has shifted slightly in donald trump's favor but neither candidate can bank on victory in either -- in any state. it really is a statistical dead heat at this point. some other election news to bring to you. tech billionaire elon musk failed to show up at a court in pennsylvania for a hearing about his million dollar cash giveaways in swing states. he announced registered voters could win cash prizes during a speech in support of donald trump. the philadelphia prosecutors say the scheme may be an illegal lottery. muska denies that the giveaways break federal law and is trying to move the case to federal court. elsewhere in pennsylvania, lawsuits have been filed by both democrats and republicans over postal ballot concerns. these cases are some of the legal concerns being raised about the election days before it happens.

let's speak now about election security and integrity with the vice president of election protection act issue one. lovely to have you with us. there have been some questions raised by former president trump and others about how secure this election is. what sort of provisions are in place to protect the integrity in terms of the overall results reporting and verifying them? >> thank you so much for having me. wonderful to see you. i think voters need to understand and rest assured that there are multiple safeguards and transparencies in place. multiple verification systems ensure that systems are safe and secure, and that election workers worked tirelessly around the clock to administer our elections. there are people from both parties that come together to administer the elections and there are other systems of

checks and balances in place, including removing ineligible voters. we also know that ballots are counted accurately by machines that are rigorously tested for accuracy and security. though the elections might look different, depending on where voters are, and states have different laws, every single state in the united states has checks and balances in place and safeguards involved, to keep elections safe and secure. >> you mentioned they are removing ineligible voters. it has been raised by various candidates on campaign trails, just what is an ineligible voter? >> the most important thing is that you have to be a citizen of the united states to vote and when any american goes to register to vote, they are signing an oath that they are a citizen. there are different requirements

in states about how you show citizenship or how you show that you are eligible to vote, such as identification, so there are different processes, but one of the main things we have seen this election cycle is the spread of false information intended to undermine confidence in our elections, and false claims primarily about ineligible citizens voting. we have seen those at high rates and i think it is actually the greater threat to our electoral system, the spread of false information. >> in relation to that is the issue of mail-in ballots and we have seen legal cases filed by both democrats and republicans but are they any more or less secure than a physical in person vote? >> mail-in ballots are just as secure as an in person vote. of course have seen and i want to acknowledge the recent incident where a u.s. postal service box as well as drop

boxes were targeted by individuals for arson. that is a rare count -- account. there is an active investigation in both of those cases and investigative workers are working tirelessly to make sure those ballots that were destroyed will have the opportunity to vote. voters should not be scared away and we have to make sure that our voices are heard. all available methods for voting are safe and secure. especially when we are taking about mail-in ballots. one of the main contentions is winded they count? that is what is at stake, making sure that they get there in time and can be processed. those who vote by mail, the mail-in ballots receive the same level of scrutiny as a ballot cast in person.

mail-in ballots whether they are sent in through the postal service or dropped off in the dropbox, those ballots receive the same level of scrutiny and identification as any regular in person ballot. >> thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you so much. >> the u.s., south korea and japan have jointly condemned north korea's launch of an intercom -- intercontinental ballistic missile, calling it a violation of multiple security ounces resolutions. north korea fired the missile at a sharp angle as high as 4350 miles or 7000 kilometers. -- before it landed in water.

south korean officials warned that north korea aims to produce even stronger weapons, especially if it receives help from russia. north korean leader kim jong-un said that the test was appropriate and appropriate action and that it sends a signal to its enemies. u.s. secretary of state condemned the attacks following talks with his south korean counterpart. >> we condemn it in the strongest terms. the latest launch of many and other provocative actions it has taken. frequent violations all of multiple u.s. security council resolutions. all countries should be demanding that the dprk cease these destabilizing actions. >> at least 158 people are confirmed dead after the worst flash flooding to hit spain in decades. king philippe a held a minute of silence for the victims today, nearly all of whom were from the region of valencia.

months of rain fell in eight hours, causing terrifying scenes that you can see here, water rushing through the streets, sweeping away bridges and roads. emergency teams are continuing to search for survivors and dozens of people who remain missing. officials are warning residents to remain at home with more heavy rain predicted over the next 24 hours. our correspondent sent this report from valencia. >> lifted to safety above the flooded fields, a one-year-old baby is rescued from an isolated house south of valencia. emergency teams are working around the clock. hundreds of troops have been sent to help them in the search for the missing. this little town was hit hard, dozens of people were killed here and bodies are still being found. there is mud everywhere. flash floods swamp the town --

swamped the town in minutes. shops, homes and businesses have been devastated. in the ruins of his pharmacy, miguel told me everyone here knows someone who has died. >> everyone has someone who lost someone and i feel worse than yesterday. it is like a nightmare. >> one woman told us her husband narrowly avoided being swept away just outside their front door. >> my husband was almost drowned. he was only saved by the neighbors. >> volunteers are arriving to help with the cleanup. people are struggling. in some places, there is no water or electricity, and the

internet is down. the damage here is huge. just look at what the force of the floodwaters has done to this railway line. like doctors are flying overhead as people make their way through the mud. there is a sense of shock and deep sadness. all across this region, you see cars and trucks swept away by the floods. >> the current, sweeping the ground. >> the authorities are warning that the emergency is not over yet. people have been urged to stay-at-home. the government has promised to help, but many people here say they feel abandoned. >> a typhoon made landfall on taiwan's eastern coast on thursday, bringing wind of over 200 kilometers per hour, making

it the equivalent of a category four hurricane. at least half a million households are without power, 70 people have been injured and two are dead. the storm has moved from the main island and is expected to weaken as it moves northeast but experts warn of heavy wind and potential flash flooding in the coming days while the island is used to typhoons, this is the largest to directly hit taiwan and nearly 30 years. our correspondent was there as the storm passed through. >> the brunt of the storm has been borne by the people of the east coast of taiwan where it came on shore earlier today. it's an enormous storm, 500 kilometers across, packing wind of over 200 kilometers per hour, so it is a very serious storm and that is why the government has really shut the island down. the real danger from storms like this isn't so much from the wind but the amount of rain it is carrying and as it piles into

the central mountains, it will start breaking up and dumping all of that rain over the mountains, potentially causing flash flooding and landslides. whole villages have been buried in events like this. the other thing that is most noticeable about this particular typhoon, kong-rey is how late it is coming in the season. taiwan has already had two very big storms here, big typhoons so far. another at the end of september, that i have looked back at the records and i can tell you as far as i can see, this is the largest typhoon to ever strike taiwan so late in the season, right at the end of october and beginning in november. people have been commenting on that. we see people on tv being asked what they think of the typhoon and they are saying we are used to typhoons here but what is really strange is this is way too late in the season and we have never seen anything like it. a 70-year-old man said i've

never seen anything this late in the year in my lifetime. >> before we go, thursday marks the first day of the festival of lights. the holiday is one of the most important events in the hindu calendar, celebrations across india let up skies from mumbai to -- some celebrated by lighting sparklers, lamps and candles while others lit fireworks to symbolize the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. the exact date of the festivities varies each year and some parts of india will observe the holiday on friday as well. that's it for today. thank you so much for watching world news america. take care. announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james.

announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs.

♪ amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff bennett is away. on the "news hour" tonight, kamala harris and donald trump head west as the margins remain razor-thin in critical swing stateswi