>> it has been said that the supreme court is like a family, a family composed entirely of in-laws. 42 years ago, i was assigned to help then judge o'connor join that family. it was my first day in a new job at the justice department, and i was proud to be part of her team.

i thought our group did a pretty good job. after all, the justice was confirmed 99-0, and we must have had something to do with that. only many years later was i told that she thought i had been slow in getting material to her. i should have learned that when she had a challenge or responsibility before her, her approach was simple and direct. get it done. the way she participated in oral argument at the court is a good example. justices have many different styles on the bench. some like the back and forth of debates. others pose unusual hypotheticals. some badger counsel to get concessions. others spell out a particular theory at length and ask for comment. all this is fine and good. but justice o'connor was

different. after the advocate had gotten through only a couple sentences, the justice would jump in before her colleagues could with a well-prepared question. the question was clear, direct, even enunciated carefully. it went to the heart of the lawyer's case with no fluff. her approach was, let's get what's most important to me on the table at the outset. get it done. another example came the day i was nominated to succeed justice o'connor. reporters had asked her what she thought of the nomination. she had nice things to say but ended by noting the only problem was, i didn't wear a skirt. my initial reaction was, of course, everything is negotiable. fortunately, it didn't come to that.

she called me later that day and said, there's something very important that i had to do right away. my ears perked up. she said, you have to hire my incoming law clerks or they wouldn't have jobs. my ears unperked. she saw a problem for the clerks and a solution. she wanted to get it done so they could rest easy. she seemed a bit put out when i said i probably would wait until i was confirmed to do anything on the subject. justice o'connor had set her actual departure date from the court to coincide with the day her successor was confirmed. but a second vacancy on the court and associated delays led to her and i sitting together for more than half the next term. that was enough time for another

lesson. she and i were discussing a case in chambers, and i think she grew tired of my, on the one hand and on the other hand. she simply got up and said, you just have to decide. there was impatient in her voice, but i don't think it was entirely due to me. she had made her own decision by the future and announced her retirement six months earlier. i think she was anxious to get it done. the last several weeks after justice o'connor's passing, i have spoken with many women judges and lawyers who were young adults when justice owe con -- o'connor became the first. they say the same thing, younger people today cannot understand what it was like before skrus -- justice o'connor in what now seems a distant pass. that distance is a measure of time.

but is also a measure of her life and work. in nearly a quarter century on the court, she was a strong, influential and iconic jurist. her leadership shaped the legal profession, making it obvious judges are both women and men. the time when women were not on the bench seems so far away because justice o'connor was so good when she was on the bench. she was so successful that the barriers she broke down are almost unthinkable today. but not so in her lifetime. sandra day o'connor had to study and launch a career in the law when most men in the established profession did not want women lawyers, let alone judges. she had to find her own style to cajole, persuade and unite colleagues when there was no example to follow for the first female senate leader in the country. she had to ignore slights and

work to bring people together in social, professional, and political life. she had to demonstrate excellence as the 102nd member of the supreme court, all the way setting a model as the first woman on the job. she had to fight cancer and alzheimer's in public ways that helped others and promoted dignity and respect. she had to speak and teach and inspire to the country and around the world about the necessity of judicial independence so our generation and the next would have a road map to sach safeguard it with ae gifts god has given us. she had the be the most important woman in government and also a devoted wife and with her husband raised three sons. all this and more she had to do.

she got it done.

i'm jay o'connor, the youngest son of sandra day o'connor. normally, my voice isn't that raspy or alluring. after a very sore throat last night i woke up and was hardly able to speak. i'll do my best. mr. president, chief justice roberts, and evan thomas, the entire o'connor family is truly, truly honored and grateful for your generous words about our

mother. we gladly shared our mother with the nation for 40 years. so imagine what it means to her sons and grandsons to hear the tributes that you have given here today and the outpouring of public admiration she has received since her death. thank you. i would like to share with you all a son's personal portrait of the human side of our mother, focusing on what she loved, what she believed and what she was like, especially as a mom. i should note that i have asked the choir to break into a lively song if my emotions get the better of me. her first love was the lazy b ranch where she was raised, where he had could look out across the rugged high desert unobstructed by trees and she

could see forever. she loved books. growing up in the lazy b and living 30 miles from town was an isolating experience. books transported her to another place as a young girl and led her to stanford and beyond. she loved the law and the supreme court. she loved our country and our democracy. most of all, she loved her family. from her father she learned toughness. from her mother, she learned how to handle any situation with grace. her relationship with her husband, our dad, john o'connor, was one for the ages. they were the ultimate supporters and fans of one another in a marriage that lasted 57 years. despite our colorful flaws, she loved her three sons. and she adored her daughters-in-law and the grandchildren that followed. in 2006 at age 76, she stepped

down from the supreme court. obviously, after her long, incredible career, it was time to kick back, play golf and drink margaritas. right? not for sandra day o'connor. she saw big problems living in the country and she decided to do something about it. she became concerned that citizens were disengaged from their democracy. she looked to the future and she saw so clearly decades before anyone else that our democracy could not be taken for granted. she could not have been more pressient. she started i-civics to teach young people how or government and our democracy work. using online, interactive, role-based games and great

content. all for free. the concept took off. today, it's used by half of all middle school and high school kids in this country in over half the schools. to your -- our mother led a startup. within ten years, she achieved over 85% market share and 50% market penetration. not too shabby. church is a place for confession. i feel i need to come clean. years ago, while going through my mom's papers, i came across a box containing her report cards from middle school and high school.

of course, her marks were sterling, until i was shocked to see something. a b. a scarlet b. in the first semester of one of her classes. imagine what class it was in. civics. sandra day o'connor got a b in civics. in the presence of the president, the supreme court justices and all of you today, i ask you this. based on her 40 years of dedication to promoting the rule of law and democracy at home and abroad, do you think she has earned enough extra credit to raise that lowly b in civics to an a? [ applause ] what was she like?

quite simply, she was a force of nature. when she walked into a room, everything was more vivid. she willed things into action. people had a very hard time saying no to her, except her three sons and some of her lively colleagues on the supreme court. she had unearthly energy as one of her law clerks said of her. her way of relaxing after a long work day was to play three sets of tennis or 18 holes of golf. as we heard, she would often drag her clerks out on big outings or hikes each year, rain or shine. she brainwashed us as kids to think our turbo-charged level of family activities was normal. did we need to go to a three-family parties and a square dance, yes, a square dance, in one night? it was not normal.

she drew people in, took an interest in them, and made them feel special. evan thomas said a few minutes ago, she could be known as bossy. well, her family can agree, there's a lot of truth to that. but evan, don't forget, she was the boss. the lady boss. she had fun. mom and dad absolutely loved to dance. they were known as the best dancers in washington. in this city, it was not uncommon for the dance floor to clear the moment they stepped on to it hand in hand. they were that good. in the late '70s in arizona, they actually took lessons in disco dancing. quick survey of the justices of the supreme court here with us today, raise your hand if you have received technical training in disco dancing.

that's what i thought. my mom is the first person on the supreme court with technical training in disco dancing. what was she like as a mom? having a very demanding full-time professional career, she was still a mom in every sense of the word. she ran absolutely everything in her home. she did it all. organizing the household, outstanding cooking, grocery shopping, getting the kids where we needed to be, planning our social calendars, taking care of her mother-in-law, everything. all while still achieving ordinary things -- extraordinary things at work. my brothers and i had a front row seat, and we wonder how she did it all. she loved her marriage. of course, she wanted to set up her three sons with nice young women, too. my brothers and i have all

thought our dating lives were going great. to our mom, we weren't married yet. so it was depth-con three. she tried to set me up. she said, now, jay, i want you to meet a delightful young woman who is the daughter of somebody i know. she's very nice. there's just one thing. recently, she fell off a horse and she's in a full body cast right now. but i'm sure her cast will be off in no time. that was the low point of my dating life. my mom trying to set me up with a woman in a full body cast. in her mind, this was a pragmatic solution to the problem of a son she loved without a nice wife. classic sandra day o'connor. when seven years later i met and married my amazing and beautiful

wife heather, it was unclear who loved her more, my mom or me. i say it was me. but it was close. she varied her approaches with each of her sons based on our different interests and personalities. with scott, getting him to 5:30 a.m. swim practice each morning helped to become an all american swimmer at stanford. with her thrill-seeking middle son, it was a different story and a different approach. when brian was in high school, he decided to secretly take hang gliding lessons. he knew our parents would not be thrilled. when my mother discovered a receipt, he dropped on the floor, smooth move, there qass quite a discussion that night at the dinner table. our parents stowed brian, hang gliding is literally the most dangerous sport in the world. we give you boys a lot of

latitude, but we draw the line at hang glidgliding. for all we care, you could take up parachuting. naturally, the next weekend, brian took up parachuting. 2,500 jumps level, he still does 50 man formations. as for approach with me, one important mention was that my mom typed all my papers in high school until i took typing class in junior year of high school. let me tell you, nothing quite focuses the mind like having sandra day o'connor type and read all your english essays. to her tremendous credit, she never took out her red editing pen on my papers. she typed them exactly as written. it must have been torture for her. i can assure you that her law clerks did not enjoy the same special treatment.

we had lots of interesting conversations around the dinner table. of course, my mom asked probing questions. on the court, as chief justice roberts explained, she was known for almost asking -- always asking first questions at oral arguments, questions that cut to the heart of the case. where do you think she developed those world class interrogation skills? once she arrived at the supreme court, hardly? she honed those from years of grilling her three sons about what time we had come home saturday night. to the trial attorneys of america, you are welcome. what were our mom's maxims for us as kids? the saying she drilled into us over and over again. if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all. get it done. does that sound familiar, chief?

her most repeated command of all, don't hit your brother. amazingly, these very maxims were some of the exact same strategies she used to make herself so successful in life and on the supreme court. i'm serious. don't hit your brother was the first lesson in her own philosophy that she taught us over time, to not lash out at anyone, even your opponent. to treat everyone with kindness and respect. this approach allowed her to navigate every situation with grace and good will. in 1987, 36 years ago, she wrote out by long hand a letter to her three sons and sealed it. not to be opened until near the end of her life. included were detailed instructions about what should happen when she died. this included what she wanted at

her funeral, her favorite music to include, some key readings and more. the unmistakable theme of her selections was justice on earth. how fitting. it won't surprise you to know that we are following her instructions here today to a t. in the letter she also wrote her final message to her sons. this included the following passage. our purpose in life is to help others along the way. may you each try to do the same. our purpose in life is to help others along the way. what a beautiful, powerful and totally sandra day o'connor sentiment. it is so clear to scott, brian and me that she lived her own life in complete accord with

this purpose. now that she's completed the circle, her family will take her remains back to her beloved lazy b ranch, back to round mountain, where she can hear the two giant windmills spin and creak in the wind and where she learned how to see forever across the high open desert. back to the sacred place where her extraordinary life began. what do we say to this special person, this little cowgirl, this remarkable woman from a remote cattle ranch in arizona, this mother, this justice, who did so much for so many people? we say to her, we thank you. we love you. we will never, ever forget you.

>> moving words by jay o'connor, sandra day o'connor's youngest son. eloquent testimony of the life and purpose of his mother. you have been watching special coverage of this day of remembrance. i'm jose diaz-balart in for my colleague andrea mitchell who is actually attending justice o'connor's funeral this morning. with us now is nbc news white house correspondent monica alba,

laura jarrett and michael beschloss. president biden talked about an era of civility that we don't see anymore. >> exactly. harkening back to that, praising the late justice, especially for being so devoted, the president said, and understanding her influence, the power that she held but never doing it for the sake of that power. he really spoke to the barriers that she broke, of course, remarking on how incredible it was that she was the first woman to sit on the high court. but that she had broken barriers before that. he was even impressed with her when she appeared before the judiciary committee for her confirmation hearings where he was the ranking member and the top democrat. he even went back to some words

that she had in her opening statement and throughout that process saying really that he felt and understood why she had been regarded as a person for all seasons. somebody who was a legislator and a lawmaker before she was on the supreme court, and she's the last to be holding that kind of service and responsibility, but that it was one that she really understood. the president said that he really felt even in that moment that he knew that sandra day o'connor, even though they were going to have disagreements there would be opinions that he would not have necessarily fully embraced, that she was going to approach this job knowing that the court, that seeking justice under the law is the bedrock of america and a key principle. president biden spoke to those

moments 42 years ago. we heard from him, of course, this recognition that it was phenomenal, he argued and said, she was confirmed 99 votes to zero in a show, in a moment that might be difficult to try to wrap your head around in today's politics and the divisive nature of what we smee see in governmed congress. that that could happen, even though you may not agree with somebody, you can understand their responsibility for the job and what they will bring to it. that's what he said essentially it meant that that confirmation happened was a signal that the country can do that in these moments when it is important to come together and to make process. overall, president biden really praising sandra day o'connor, he said, as an american pioneer, a daughter of the west and somebody for whom he says he will remember fondly in terms of everything she did as a

dedicated public servant. >> michael, thinking of how you will remember her. i'm reminded often of the philosopher -- spanish philosopher who said, i am i and my circumstances. the circumstances of her reality and of her life and how they made an impact on who she eventually became and what legacy she left behind. >> she was always modest. i think that probably came through the service today. she never -- in fact, she radically underestimated her importance on the court, especially when she was that swing vote during the rehnquist court. as you know from your experience in washington, jose, people with that much importance who are that modest are sometimes hard to find. it was a huge element of her character. another element that came through today was that great

marriage. i think we should say this was alluded to but john o'connor, who was a wonderful person, very smart, great lawyer, a decade before he was diagnosed publically with alzheimer's, he began to suffer the symptoms. he was diagnosed, i believe it was 2002 or so. by 2005, sandra o'connor, i heard he had say this myself, she said, i really have to get off the court because i have to take care of john. she did do that. she did make a sacrifice for him. not too long after she resigned, john o'connor's condition deteriorated to the point that he did not know who she was. she could have stayed on the court for probably five or seven years longer and continued to have that influence, but take a

look at american history. how many people with that kind of influence and that kind of importance that she had was willing to give that up for her spouse? often happens, but not always. can i say one more thing? >> sure. sure. >> that is, this was a wonderful marriage. they loved each other deeply. but it turns out that sandra o'connor was the only justice of the supreme court in american history who had been once proposed marriage by her chief justice, which in this case was william rehnquist. this was not known until evan thomas' great book came out a few years ago. rehnquist and sandra o'connor were classmates at stanford law school. rehnquist fell under her spell, proposed marriage to her, which she turned down. she was such a catch that apparently three other men at stanford law school also proposed marriage to her.

you would think this might be an awkward situation when in 1981, sandra day o'connor arrives on the court and there she is serving alongside chief justice rehnquist, who had once wanted to become engaged with her. one measure of both of their civility is that it was never an issue. they had a great friendship, had a great working relationship. this was one additional unique aspect of sandra o'connor's life. >> so fascinating. one record probably that has no threat of being broken in the future. >> i would guess so. >> michael, thanks. laura, your thoughts on this life of purpose. >> jose, i was struck by some of the anecdotes and storytelling from her biographer there, evan thomas, reflecting at how she

really was sort of the social gather for her fellow justices on the court. he talked about how she would make sure they all had lunch together. if they weren't showing up to the cafeteria to dine together, she would go seek them out. he said she went specifically to go see justice clarence thomas and told him, clarence, you need to come to lunch. eventually, he acquiesced and later reflected that she was, quote, the glue of that court. if one of her law clerks put in a snarky remark about a fellow justice, she would scratch it out, because that's not how she rolled. >> thank you so much for being with us today. we have been watching the funeral service for the first woman to serve on the united states supreme court, sandra day o'connor. we will be right back after a short break.

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37 past the hour. on capitol hill today, last-minute negotiations with the homeland security secretary on new restrictions at the southern border continue. democratic leader chuck schumer says, it's going to take more time. any votes will be pushed to early next year.

this as texas governor greg abbott approved new powers for state and local police to arrest migrants who enter the u.s. illegally. the latest test of state powers by the governor who has bussed migrants to other cities and installed buoy barriers. texas was ordered to remove the barriers. joining me now, ali vitali and lee gallert. ali, any movement possible on these talks on the border going forward? do we have to wait until next year? >> reporter: it's looking like we will have to wait until next year. that being said, these negotiations are still going on. at around 10:00 this morning, the last negotiator walked into the room. i'm told by our producer staking out for the last 2 1/2 hours

that the homeland security secretary has left the negotiations. he has been playing a role of telling these negotiators how policy would be received or implemented at dhs if they were to move forward with some of the plans that they are talking about in that room. that being said, we are still a far way away from that. i think that reality is certainly settling in. frankly, when you look at the fact that only 17 republicans came back after this recess week was actually called back into session, i asked one of the key democratic negotiators what that tells him about their level of confidence in the negotiations. he said he didn't want to get into the republican psyche at this point. it's not really a good sign. it's a clear test of this very thorny bipartisan issue continuing to vex lawmakers. >> let's talk about that republican psyche, which you know very well in so many ways. what is going on here?

>> jose, i think republicans feel like they have all the leverage. they know that for the biden administration, it's a high priority to get this foreign aid package done. a lot of senate republicans agree with that as well. they know that they can extract some significant cceions on immigration and deliver from their perspective an immigration victory to their base voters. there's a confluence of interests here, why a lot of people are still optimistic there will be a deal. for the biden administration, it's important to deliver a solution to swing district voters and swing state voters that will be critical in next year's election. there's concern in the country with the situation at the southwest border. president biden's numbers on immigration are low. when we look at the polling. they have an interest in delivering an immigration victory here as well. with mitch mcconnell and others wanting to see ukraine and israel and taiwan funding, it

does look like eventually there will be a meaningful deal here. >> the big question is, what is an immigration victory -- what does an immigration victory look like? i know you have a lot of concerns about what's going on in capitol hill right now. >> absolutely. i think we're at an historic moment right now where the united states is thinking about getting rid of asylum. we made a commitment we would not send people back to danger without screening for asylum. i think in the flurry of what's going on, people are not recognizing how serious what united states is planning on doing. i fear icome an abstract discussion of numbers. we are talking about sending real people, families with little children, back to persecution, possibly death, without even a screening. there are ways to do this. i don't think this is going to

take it off the table, if that's what the biden administration or democratic congress people think will happen. there are ways to streamline it. we have to keep asylum. one of the odd things is the biden administration put out a regulation a while ago that would have streamlined the process. no one is against streamlining the process. instead, they wanted to talk tough. they went to this negotiation over ending asylum. that's really tragic. >> everything -- nothing happens in a vacuum. the reality is that there is a humanitarian crisis. i don't care what side you are on. there is a humanitarian crisis in the united states that is very visible right on the border, but across our country you have people who have come here seeking a better life, even seeking the possibility of

continued life, which they couldn't have in their country of origin. is the only solution no asylum possibility? where is the middle ground? >> i think you are absolutely right. this is a humanitarian crisis. there are things we can do. we can put more asylum officers at the border. we can give them power to decide favorable cases immediately. we can ensure that people have work authorization so they're not sleeping on the streets. people just want to work. there are plenty of things we can do. i think in the rush to talk tough now we are talking about ending asylum. that is an unbelievable thing. it's particularly unbelievable given that president trump is out there talking about poisoning the blood of the united states, making statements like that, and at the same time, the biden administration and congress are talking about cutting off asylum.

we need to be really careful where we are right now about taking a step. i don't think we will be able to reverse it. immigration tends to be a one-way ratchet. when things get more restrictive, rarely does it get pulled back. we are at one of those historic moments in the united states. there are plenty of things we can do. i think experts have told the administration, have told congress how we can streamline it. it seems like unless people can talk tough about it, say we're ending something, then no one is really in favor of it. that's going to be a shameful moment in the united states that we actually end asylum on a permanent basis. >> you said -- it's so true -- nothing is reversible. the issue of, let's say, five, six million people that have come to the united states in the last couple of years seeking the possibility of asylum, there are

tens of thousands more that are making that treacherous, dangerous journey to try to get to the united states. many are crossing thousands on a daily basis. why is it that that is not a focus? >> i think you are right to point that out. i think it's not a focus because people don't think it's going to sound good on the campaign trail. i think this is a political miscalculation by people who are ready to concede. i don't think it's going to take it off the table. what we saw during title 42, as you have pointed out in the past, even when we had title 42, people still came because if people are desperate, they will come. that's what i have seen in my experience over three decades doing this work. that's what experts will tell you. it doesn't matter if u.s. policy says we're going to close the border. people are desperate. they are going to come. that needs to be the focus. what we need to do is

streamline. >> thank you very much for being with us today. appreciate it. i want to bring you up to a story that is getting a lot of attention in south florida, but maybe you haven't heard about it. "the miami herald" is reporting on new u.s. intelligence showing the cuban government meddled in 2022, as did china, russia and iran. the redacted report published on shows that, the cuban government condued influence operations aimedt dengrading specific u.s. candidates in florida. the cuban government officials built relationships with members of the american media who held critical views of havana's critics in congress and pushed to amplify derogatory content online. it's unclear as of right now which people were targeted. the report comes as cuba is

about to mark 65 years under a repressive dictatorship. it will be 65 years since the castro government took power. anger in israel. a father vents his rage towards his own government after his son and two other hostages were shot by the israeli military as they tried to escape hamas. new military operations involving u.s. warships, protect shipping lanes from houthi attacks. you are watching msnbc. with just one pill a day. choose acid prevention. choose nexium. ah, these bills are crazy. she has no idea she's sitting on a goldmine. well she doesn't

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52 past the hour. pressure growing for a renewed deal to release more israeli hostages being held in gaza. this as hamas releases propaganda video showing three elderly hostages recorded under duress. we're not showing the video. just this image. meanwhile, anger and frustration growing after israeli soldiers mistakenly shot and killed three israeli hostages who had escaped from hamas. the father of avi shimriz, one of the three killed, said he recognized his son's handwriting on this sos sign they made

asking for help. >> what is your message to the government. >> you murdered my son twice. you let hamas take my son on october 7th, and you killed my son on december 14. they are not our leaders. they thinking only on themselves. >> joining us now nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel in tel aviv. colin clark, director of policy and research, and retired four star general barry mccaffrey. is it possible to get a pause in the fighting at this point? what is that could happen to get to that point? >> reporter: certainly you could get to a pause. you would have to stop fighting. at least for a little while. the issue is how long a pause would last. is it just going to be a pause

or something more? the israeli government is talking about a pause. there was a statement from the president of israel saying that israel supports a cease-fire that involves a truce leading to the release of more hostages and said the ball is in the hands of the hamas leader of the gaza strip. hamas, however, insists that in order for a deal to happen, it can't be just a pause, it has to be a full blown cease-fire. an end of the conflict at least for the time being. so, there are negotiations. these are the most serious negotiations we have had thus far and there is pressure on both sides. pressure militarily, on hamas, pressure on hamas from the negotiators, and also pressure on the israeli government, internationally and internally. you played the clip from the strong interview by hallie. and i spoke earlier today with the family of another hostage, the elderly man in the video that you alluded to earlier, the video released by hamas a short while ago, and he was just as

furious at prime minister netanyahu. naming him individually, saying that netanyahu is playing politics, that he's continuing this war in order to placate the extreme right in this country and to cover up the failures of the -- of october 7th and the response to october 7th. so, there is a movement here that is pressuring the government, but it is still relatively small, opinion polls suggest that overwhelmingly israelis do support the war on hamas, whether there is a pause or not, it does not seem like it will be more than a pause, even if we do come to that stage. >> yeah, i mean, general, just thinking about that father that hallie interviewed, how he, you know, speaks of his son and what happened to him, i spoke with an idf spokesperson yesterday here on msnbc about those three hostages who were killed. saying -- he said this is a

tragedy on the battlefield in the fog of war. listen to what the -- what he had to say about that. >> as i said, a tragedy that we have obviously come forward and announced to the israeli public and to the families of the fallen, of yotam, samer and alon. this is something that we need to learn our lessons in order to make sure forces on the ground have the tools in order to prevent this from happening again. >> just wondering, general, it is so, look, war is hell, always, and, you know, people die as part of war, b this specific thing, when you had these three gentlemen that no shirts, put an sos sign in hebrew, they were speaking in hebrew, and yet they were still shot and killed by the idf, general, how do you think something like this happens?

in other words, how do you see this? >> well, yeah, the interview with the father, exceptionally touching. you got to feel his anger and his sadness at losing his boy so close to freedom. one of the three hostages apparently was an israeli special forces soldier, so he -- they had escaped, apparently, hamas custody and would have been a triumph had they been able to gain safety. but, look, these are teenage soldiers, in combat, they're scared, youreflexes and urban contact. people are shooting at you from high rises, at ground level, coming out of tunnels. if you're slow, you're dead. it is sort of understandable. there has got to be a pause to get more of these hostages back. it is going to be extremely hard, almost unlikely that many will ever get released just by military power. on the other hand, hamas isn't

going to agree to a truce unless the idf eases up under pressure. there is four israeli divisions now fighting in gaza. the paratrooper unit is in the south. they have got hamas back to the wall. they're desperate, they're underground, they're running out of ammunition. the bombardment of israel is not what it was five weeks ago. so, we just got to understand the disaster that engulfed the region caused by the 7 october massacre, murder, torture and rape of israeli innocent civilians. >> yeah. colin, you to see anything going forward that could precipitate or help in a pause? >> i do think the entire incident as tragic as it was is an impetus for renewed diplomacy for the united states, the egyptians, the qataris, and others that have been involved

to make this the issue, right, on the table. we know that intelligence chiefs have been meeting toward this end and we're hoping to see some progress in the coming days before christmas. >> richard engel, colin clarke and general barry mccaffrey, thank you for being with us. this is such a complicated, difficult reality that is, you know, unfolding in the middle east and just no easy answers. and just so tragic. i thank you, gentlemen, for being with us. that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." andrea will be back tomorrow. i thank you for the privilege of your time. "chris jansing reports" starts right now. good day. i'm chris jansing live at msnbc headquarters in new york city. from a cowboy ranch to the highest court in the