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pacific. i'm ana cabrera reporting from new york. thank you for joining us. right to the breaking news at the united nations this morning, president biden is about to address the general assembly for the final time as this country's commander in chief. his address comes amid global turmoil with war still raging in ukraine. and conflict escalating in the middle east. israel ratcheting up its attacks against hezbollah over the last few days, killing more than 500 in a series of deadly air strikes within lebanon and injuring at least 1600 more. much to discuss. joining us now, richard engel from tel aviv, and nbc's mike memoli at the u.n., and "new york times" diplomatic correspondent michael crowley and former deputy assistant secretary of state joel rubin. good to have all of you here. richard, if you will, paint a picture for us of this moment globally as the president prepares to address all these world leaders. >> well, things look very rough right now. and i think a lot of people are

saying and i've been speaking to world leaders, not just to opinion makers, but several heads of state, or heads of government, and they say right now there is a complete lack of american leadership that the u.s. at the moment right now president biden is sort of a half a president, he pulled himself out of the race. he's just going toward the end of his term. people are already looking toward kamala harris, they're looking to former president trump for guidance. and that it has created an opportunity for countries like israel, potentially countries like iran, groups like hezbollah, to carry out their own objectives. they are embarking on a new air war in the middle east, not just an expansion of what it has been doing in gaza, but a new military campaign with military style objectives.

the u.s. is focused on its own affairs, that biden is ending his tenure, and that there is not the same kind of dedicated american leadership that there might otherwise be. i think it is a very difficult time for him to be giving this speech, considering we still have several months to go. not to the election, but until the inauguration comes. and if you just look at the world affairs right now, you have ukraine occupying a piece of russia. vladimir putin threatening world war iii, we don't know where that is going to go. israel expanding its war from gaza to lebanon and iran's president just said a few minutes ago that iran will not accept -- the islamic world will not accept israel turning lebanon into another gaza. so there are many outstanding issues that could just escalate

dramatically between now and inauguration day. so, i think it is a tough day for him to be showing american leadership and showing his own leadership in front of the world stage. >> we're showing live pictures inside the general assembly facility where we just saw the president of brazil giving his speech to this body. we also are waiting president biden's arrival, so you saw that area where there is apparent security clearance, where he'll be passing through here momentarily. mike memoli what are the president's main objectives in his speech today, according to the white house? >> well, first of all, i'll set the scene. the president's motorcade just passing by a few seconds ago. the president making his way inside the u.n. where he will speak after president lula of brazil. robert does an excellent job of laying out how dire the situation is in the middle east and the challenge facing this administration, which has been working tirelessly over the last few months primarily on the gaza hostage situation, trying to

bring forward a cease-fire and ultimately a lasting peace there, unsuccessful at doing so just yet, but now the increasingly delicate situation as it relates to lebanon. and white house officials are indicating that this president is not going to come to this general assembly with a new solution here or any major announcement to come about potentially a breakthrough here. but instead what he's going to use this address to do is really speak to the fact that, yes, this is the last time he will be speaking as a president of the united states after a half century of work, especially in the foreign policy space. and he's going to bring to this forum the perspective he's gained over that 50 years, to talk about the importance, yes, of the steep challenges that are facing the world order, facing individual countries, that they're so high that no single country can solve them alone. there is a need, not just for important alliances like the one that the president is very proud to have sustained and built and strengthened during his four years in office, but also through institutions just like

this one, the u.n., that have a critical role in trying to solve these problems rather than leaving it any one individual nation to do it. these speeches tend to be like the foreign policy equivalent of the state of the union address. there will be a laundry list element to what the president has to say about the range of challenges, but he is underscoring that and is going to focus on the ability of democracies in particular to deliver for their people, to work in concert with one another, with shared values, to -- as a very clear contrast with more dictatorial countries like china, like russia and with a contrast that is also relevant to the campaign that is under way. >> we see the president arriving as we speak at the united nations where he's going to address the general assembly in just moments. michael crowley, as he walks in, and we await his speech, this is a president who has a deep background, of course, in international diplomacy. how important is his message and this moment for the country and for his legacy as a world

leader? >> absolutely right, ana. foreign policy is his first love. and he is dedicated an unusual amount of time to it over his career. it is very important for him, honestly. i think naturally this is a president thinking about his legacy, thinking about what he's leaving behind, and how history will judge him. and as your other guests here have so ably laid out, it is kind of a mess in the world right now. he's going to try to accentuate the positive. including the fact that after the trump era, he was able to rebuild key american alliances, particularly with europe. and would make the case that the ukraine glass in some ways is half full, not half empty. for instance, that russia could be in control of all of ukraine, had the u.s. not mustered a more formidable international european centric coalition in defense of ukraine. that's the sort of argument he's going to make. essentially things could be worse and then to your question

about how important for the country, america's getting ready to choose its next president. and foreign policy is not usually one of the top issues that voters make their decision on, but there is a lot happening right now, the world is a dangerous place. everyone agrees that there are some very serious problems and i think that number one americans are trying to decide what to think about all this chaos around the world and whether donald trump would do a better job. and also what to make of kamala harris and her ability to take the reins here and steer america through these treacherous waters in the middle east and europe, fears that china might move on taiwan in the coming years, so i think it is an important opportunity for voters to think about the state of the world, and how foreign policy factors into their decision and also as a campaign matter, whether -- what sort of world is being handed off to kamala harris or donald trump and who is more able to deal with it. >> joel, i want to get your

thoughts. i may have to interrupt you for the president's speech, as soon as he begins. again, this is video of his arrival at the united nations. just moments ago. world leaders know he won't be president this time next year. so how are they likely viewing his speech and this moment knowing one of the people who could succeed him has a very different view of america's place in the world, joel. >> yeah, ana, this is a valedictory speech and vision speech. and to your point, i think the president is going to speak, of course, where we came from, and how different the world would be quite frankly without saying it if donald trump had been president, and how russia would have taken over ukraine, how we would still likely be stuck in afghanistan, and how these wars in the middle east would not have been avoided. and then, of course, he's going to talk about where we are on these issues and i do believe lay out a vision for america's role in the world, the importance of the united nations, dealing -- how to deal with hot wars, sudan, israel, and gaza, and hezbollah and, of

course, the war in ukraine. and then, again, repeat the point of american leadership and the crucial role that the united states plays to make the case to the american people who are watching the speech from a national security perspective, we're stronger when we're with our allies, we show that across the world, and so he's going to lay that ground work out as well for his successor, hopefully kamala harris, who has been learning quite actively about the value of these multilateral coalitions and quite actively engaged in them as well, particularly on ukraine. >> richard, we assume this speech was in the works while before the recent escalation we're seeing between israel and hezbollah overnight in lebanon we had this reporting that more than 500 people are now dead, 1600 wounded, and one of the deadliest strikes we have seen since 2006 involving these two countries and israel and hezbollah specifically. what is the update on the situation there? >> well, israel is now carrying

out an air war in three locations. against the leadership of hezbollah, in south beirut, and just another major strike in south beirut, apparently, hezbollah leader was targeting -- targeted. carrying out blanket air strikes, all across southern lebanon, targeting hezbollah's missiles and there is an exodus of tens of thousands of people trying to leave south lebanon. they worry that is going to be a new gaza. and also the valley which is near the syrian border, israel says it is targeting that area to prevent hezbollah from resupplying weapons, bringing in more weapons from syria and iran. so you have a multifront campaign, an open ended war, israel laid out three war objectives to disarm hezbollah, to drive it back from the border, and then lastly to allow israeli citizens to move back to northern israel. none of those are easy, none of those are quick. this could be a war that lasts

weeks, potentially months and will probably be on the cards until election day if not inauguration day. >> mike memoli this gathering happens every year around this time, so this will be president biden's first time speaking at the general assembly like this since october 7th of last year. and that horrific terror attack. what is the latest when it comes to the cease-fire negotiations and trying to bring all the hostages home? >> well, in conversations recently with security officials -- security council officials and what we have been hearing from the white house publicly indicates that, yes, they are still actively working to bring about a cease-fire, to try to bring these hostages home. we saw recently national security adviser jake sullivan meeting with those hostage families at the white house to deliver an update to them, to also solicit their feedback as well. but they are pinning the responsibility at this point on hamas to make the necessary

difficult choices to bring that to a reality. we see that they also continue to engage with key international partners. yesterday, the president meeting at the white house with the president of the united arab emirates. vice president harris having her own meeting with him. these are indicative of the conversations happening with leaders directly face to face, with president biden in washington, members of his team have also continued to travel extensively to the region. >> mike, let me interrupt you because president biden has now taken the podium. let's listen. >> -- the fourth time i had the great honor of speaking to this assembly as president of the united states. it will be my last. i've seen a remarkable sweep of history. i was first elected to the office of the united states as a senator in 1972. i know i look like i'm only 40. i know that. i was 29 years old.

back then, we were living through an inflection point. a moment of tension and uncertainty, the world was divided by the cold war. the middle east was headed toward war. america was at war in vietnam. and at that point, the longest war in america's history. >> our country is divided and angry and there were questions about our staying power and our future. even then, i entered public life, not out of despair, but out of optimism. the united states and the world got through that moment. wasn't easy. or simple. without significant setbacks. but we go on to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons through -- through arms control. and then go on to bring the cold war itself to an end. israel and egypt went to war,

but then forged a historic peace. we entered the war in vietnam, the last year in hanoi i met with vietnamese leadership. and we elevated our partnership to the highest level. it is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the capacity for reconciliation. today the united states and vietnam are partners and friends, and as proof, even in the horrors of war, there is a way forward. things can get better. we should never forget that. i've seen that throughout my career. in the 1980s, i spoke out against apartheid in south africa. and then i watched the regime fall. in the 1990s, i worked -- for war crimes, he was held accountable. at home i wrote to end the scourge of violence against women and girls, not only in

america, but across the world as many of you have as well. but we have so much more to do. especially against rape and sexual violence as weapons of war and terror. we were attacked on 9/11 by al qaeda and osama bin laden. we brought him justice. then i came to the presidency in another moment of crisis and uncertainty. i believed america had to look forward, new challenges, new threats, new opportunities were in front of us. we needed to put ourselves in a position to see the threats, to deal with the challenges, and to seize the opportunity as well. we need to end the era of war that began on 9/11, as vice president to president obama, he asked me to work to wind down the military operations in iraq. and we did.

painful as it was. i came to office as president, afghanistan had replaced vietnam as america's longest war, i was determined to end it. and i did. it was a hard decision, but the right decision. four american presidents had faced that decision, but i was determined not to leave it to the fifth. it was the decision accompanied by tragedy, 13 brave americans lost their lives along with hundreds of afghans in a suicide bomb. i think those lost lives -- i think of them every day. i think of all the 2,461 u.s. military deaths over a long 20 years of that war. 20,744 service members wounded in action. i think of their service, their sacrifice and their heroism. i know other countries lost their own men and women fighting alongside us. we honor their sacrifices as well. to face the future, i was also determined to rebuild my

country's alliance and partnerships to a level not previously seen. we did, we did just that from traditional treaty alliances, to new partnerships like the quad, the united states, japan, australia, india. i know -- i know many look at the world today and see difficulties. and react with despair. but i do not. i won't. as leaders, we don't have the luxury. i recognize the challenges of ukraine to gaza to sudan and beyond, war, hunger, terrorism, brutality, record displacement of people. climate crisis, democracy at risk, strangers in our societies, the promise of artificial intelligence and its significant risk. the list goes on. but maybe because all i've seen and all we have done together

over the decades i have hope. i know there is a way forward. and in 1919, the irish poet william butler yates described a world and i quote, where things fall apart, the center cannot hold, loose upon the world. some may say those words describe the world not just in 1919, but in 2024. i see a critical distinction. in our time, the center has held. leaders and people from every region across the political spectrum have stood together, turned the page, turn the page on the worst pandemic in a century. we made sure covid no longer controls our lives. we defended the u.n. charter, and assured the survival of ukraine as a free nation. my country made the largest

investment in climate, clean energy, ever anywhere in history. there will always be forces that pull our countries apart. and the world apart. aggression, extremism, chaos and cynicism. a desire to retreat from the world and go it alone. our task, our test is to make sure that the forces holding us together are stronger than those that are pulling us apart. that the principles of partnership and we came here each year to uphold can withstand the challenges, that the center holds, once again. my fellow leaders, i truly believe we're in another inflection point in world history. the choices we make today will determine our future for decades to come. but we stand behind the principles of that unite us, we stand firm against aggression,

when we end the conflicts that are raging today, when we take on global challenges like climate change, hunger and disease, when we plan now for the opportunities and risk of a revolutionary new technology. i want to talk today about each of these decisions and the actions in my view we must take. to start, each of us as a body made a commitment to the principles of the u.n. charter. to stand up against aggression, when russia invaded ukraine, we could have stood by and merely protested. when vice president harris and i understood that was an assault on everything this institution is supposed to stand for. and so, my direction, america stepped into the breach, providing massive security and economic and humanitarian assistance. our nato allies and partners and 50 plus nations stood up as well. the most importantly, ukrainian

people stood up. i asked the people of this chamber to stand up for them. the good news is putin's war has failed. and his -- at its core aim. he set out to destroy ukraine. but ukraine is still free. he set out to weaken nato, but nato is bigger, stronger, more united than ever before with two new members. finland and sweden. but we cannot let up. the world has another choice to make. will we sustain our support to help ukraine win this war and preserve its freedom, or walk away and let aggression be renewed and a nation be destroyed? i know my answer. we cannot grow weary. we cannot look away. and we will not let up on our support for ukraine. not until ukraine wins a just

and durable peace and the u.n. charter. [ applause ] we also need to uphold our principles as we seek to responsibly manage the competition with china so it does not veer into conflict. we stand ready to cooperate on urgent challenges on the good of our people everywhere. we recently resumed cooperation with china to stop the flow of deadly synthetic narcotics. i appreciation the collaboration. it matters for the people of my country. many others around the world. on matters of conviction, the united states is unabashed pushing back against economic competition, against military coercion of other nations in the south china sea. and maintaining peace and stability across the taiwan straits. and protect our most advanced technologies so they cannot be

used against us or any of our partners. at the same time, we're going to continue to strengthen our network of alliances and partnerships across the indo-pacific. the partnerships are not against any nation. they're building blocks for a free, open, secure and peaceful indo-pacific. we're also working to bring greater measure of peace and stability to the middle east. the world must not flinch from the horrors of october 7th. any country, any country would have the right and responsibility to ensure that such an attack can never happen again. thousands invaded a sovereign state, slaughtering and massacring more than 1200 people, including 46 americans in their homes and at a music festival. despicable acts of sexual violence, 250 innocents taken hostage, i've met with the families of those hostages.

i've grieved with them. they're going through hell. innocent civilians in gaza are also going through hell. thousands and thousands killed including aid workers. too many families dislocated, crowding into tents, facing a dire humanitarian situation. they never asked for this war that hamas started. i put forward with qatar and egypt a cease-fire and hostage deal. it has been endorsed by the u.n. security council. now is the time for the parties to finalize its terms, bring the hostages home, and secure security for israel and gaza free of hamas, ease the suffering in gaza and end this war. october 7th -- [ applause ] since october 7th, we have also been determined to prevent a

wider war that engulfs the entire region. hezbollah, unprovoked, joined the october 7th attack launching rockets into israel. almost a year later, too many on each side of the israeli-lebanon border remain displaced. a full scale war is not in anyone's interest. a diplomatic solution is still possible. it remains the only path to lasting security to allow the residents from both countries to return to their homes own the border safely. that's what we're working tirelessly to achieve. as we look ahead, we must also address the rise of violence against innocent palestinians on the west bank and set the conditions for a better future, including a two-state solution. where the world, where israel enjoys security and peace and full recognition and normalized relations with all its

neighbors, in a state of their own. [ applause ] progress toward peace will put us in a stronger position to deal with the ongoing threat posed by iran. together we must deny oxygen to terrorist proxies which have called for more october 7th and ensure that iran will never, ever obtain a nuclear weapon. gaza is not the only conflict it deserves outrage. and sudan, a bloody civil war unleashed one of the world's worst humanitarian crisis. 8 million, 8 million on the brink of famine. hundreds of thousands already there. atrocities elsewhere. the united states led the world in providing humanitarian aid to sudan. and with our partners, who led

diplomatic talks to try to silence the guns, and avert a wider famine, the world needs to stop arming the generals, to speak of one voice and tell them, stop tearing your country apart, stop blocking aid to the sudanese people and end this war now. [ applause ] the people need more than the absence of war. they need a chance. a chance to live in dignity. they need to be protected from the ravages of climate change, hunger and disease. our administration has invested over $150 billion to make progress and other sustainable development goals. it includes $20 billion for food security, and over $50 billion for global health. we mobilized billions more in private sector investment, we have taken the most ambitious

climate action in history, we have moved to rejoin the paris agreement on day one. and today, my country is finally on track to cut emissions in half by 2030. on track to honor my pledge to quadruple climate financing to developing nations. with $11 billion thus far this year. we joined the health organization donating $700 million doses of covid vaccine to 170 countries. we must move quickly to face mpox outbreak in africa. we're prepared to commit $500 million to help african countries prevent and respond to mpox and donate 1 million doses of mpox vaccine now. [ applause ] we call on our partners to match our pledge and make this a billion dollar commitment to the people of africa.

beyond the core necessities of food and health, the united states, the g-7 and our partners embarked on an ambitious initiative to mobilize and deliver significant finance to the world. we're working to help countries build out their infrastructure, to clean energy transition, to the digital transformation, to lay new economic foundations for prosperous future. it is called the partnership for global infrastructure and investment. you've already started to see the fruits of this emerge in southern africa and southeast asia and in the americas. we have to keep it going. i want to get things done together in order to do that we must build a stronger, more effective and more inclusive united nations. the u.n. needs to adapt and bring new voices and new perspectives. that's why we support reforming and expanding the membership of the u.n. security council.

[ applause ] our u.n. ambassador just laid out our detailed vision to reflect today's world, not yesterday's. it is time to move forward. security council, like the u.n. itself, needs to go back to the job of making peace, of brokering deals to end wars and suffering. and to stop the spread of the most dangerous weapons, of stabilizing troubled regions in east africa, from east africa to haiti to kenya-led mission that is working alongside the haitian people to turn the tide. we're also have a responsibility to prepare our citizens for the future. we'll see more technological change, i argue, in the next two to ten years than we have in the last 50 years. artificial intelligence is going change our ways of life, our

ways of work and our ways of war. it could usher in scientific progress at a pace never seen before. and much of it could make our lives better. but a.i. also brings profound risks from deepfakes to disinformation to novel pathogens to bioweapons. we have workeded ahome and abroad to define the new norms and standards. this year, we achieved the first ever general assembly resolution on a.i. to start developing global rules, global rules of the road. we also announced a declaration on responsible use of a.i. joined by 60 countries in this chamber. but let's be honest, this is just the tip of the iceberg. but we need to do to manage this new technology. nothing is certain about how a.i. will evolve. or how it will be deployed. no one knows all the answers.

my fellow leaders, it is with humility i offer two questions. first, how do we as an international community govern a.i.? as countries and companies race to uncertain frontiers, we need an urgent effort to ensure a.i.'s security, safety and trustworthiness. it is as it grows more powerful, it must also must grow more responsive so our collective needs and values benefits of all must be shared equitably. should be harnessed to now, not deepen digital divides. second, we ensure that a.i. supports rather than undermines the core principles that human life has value, and all humans deserve dignity. we must make certain that the awesome capabilities of a.i. will be used to uplift and empower everyday people. not to give dictators more

powerful shackles on human spirit. and here is a head and why they may be -- may well be no greater test of our leadership than how we deal with a.i. let me close with this, as we navigate so much change, one thing must not change. must never forget who we're here to represent. we the people. these are the first words of our constitution, the very idea of america, they inspired the opening words of the u.n. charter. i made the preservation of democracy the central cause of my presidency. this summer i faced a decision whether to seek a second term as president. it was a difficult decision. being president has been the honor of my life. there is so much more i want to get done. as much as i love the job, i love my country more.

i decided after 50 years of public service, it is time for a new generation of leadership, to take my nation forward. my fellow leaders, let us never forget some things are more important than staying in power. [ applause ] it is your people that matter the most. never forget we are here to serve the people, not the other way around. because the future will be won by those who unleash the full potential of their people, to be free, to think freely to innovate, to educate, to live and love openly without fear. that's the soul of democracy. it does not belong to any one country. i've seen it all around the world, and the brave men and

women who ended apartheid, brought down the berlin wall. fight today for freedom and justice and dignity. we saw it at universal journey for rights and freedom in venezuela, where million cast their vote for change, and that hadn't been recognized. but it can't be denied. the world knows the truth. we saw it in uganda, lgbt activists demanding safety in recognition of their common humanity. we have seen citizens across the world peacefully choosing their future from guiana to india to south korea, nations representing one quarter of humanity who will hold elections this year alone. it is remarkable the power of we the people that makes me more optimistic about the future than i've ever been. since i was first elected to the united states senate in 1972, every age faces challenges. i saw it as a young man, i see

it today, but we are stronger than we think. we're stronger together than alone. and what the people call impossible is just an illusion. nelson mandela taught us and i quote, it always seems impossible until it's done. it always seems impossible until it's done. my fellow leaders, there is nothing that is beyond our capacity if we work together. let's work together. god bless you all and may god protect all those who seek peace. thank you. [ applause ] >> president biden giving his final address to the general assembly at the united nations today. and back with us to discuss what we just listened to, mike memoli at the u.n., chief foreign correspondent richard engel in israel, "new york times" diplomatic correspondent michael crowley and former deputy

assistant secretary of state joel rubin. let me start with you, richard, we just heard the president there touch on a whole slew of topics and regions. he talked about russian aggression, talked about competition with china, about the israel-hamas war in gaza, about what is happening in sudan and the conflict there, and the 8 million people who are suffering from famine. he talked about artificial intelligence and the climate crisis. so much in that one 20 plus minute speech. what stood out most to you? >> reporter: well, it sounded like a very good graduation speech, but i'm not sure if any world leaders are listening to it right now. i think they're already looking beyond president biden, they're looking to the next administration, and they are very worried about the state we are in currently in this transition period. he talked about the need for a cease-fire and he got an applause line there, have to have a cease-fire. i was talking to a senior negotiator directly involved in

the cease-fire talks, between hamas and the united states and egypt and israel, and it may have gotten aplause line, but those cease-fire talks are dead in the water. and they are getting even worse as the situation escalates now in lebanon. presidents generally have their careers boil down at least in foreign policy terms to very few thing, to a few key actions. i think president biden will be remembered for afghanistan, very early in his presidency, for pulling out of afghanistan in a chaotic way. people will remember afghans clinging to the bottom of aircraft as they fled their country and then handing over afghanistan to the taliban after a 20-year period of relative opportunity for the people of afghanistan. they'll remember him for standing with ukraine, for not rolling over, for standing with

president zelenskyy, standing with the country that many around the world had written off, most people didn't think that ukraine had the capacity or the will to stand up and fight. i think he'll certainly be remembered for that. but not necessarily remembered for going all the way. i've spent a lot of time over the last couple of years in ukraine, met president zelenskyy and other senior leaders more than half a dozen times, and they talk about their appreciation for president biden, but also their deep frustration that he supported ukraine, gave them money and weapons, but just enough to keep them in the fight and not enough to win it. and then finally in the middle east, if you look at what is happening, has been happening over the last year and what is happening right now, the gaza strip has been destroyed. i was in gaza a couple of weeks ago, there was nothing left. it is an unlivable wasteland and a lot of people in the region,

people i'm speaking to, point to israel for that point and netanyahu, but also point to president biden for not having necessarily an even hand and not reining in israel, some of israel's most aggressive tendencies by supplying israel with weapons. so, when you look at a whole, at his legacy, in terms of foreign policy, i think ukraine will stand out, but there will be a lot of dark spots as well. >> a couple of things he said were repeated and that was end this war. he said that about the israel-hamas war in gaza, he said that about the conflict in sudan. and he did say related to what is happening in the middle east, and escalation we're seeing between israel and hezbollah and lebanon, a full scale war is not in anyone's interest. let me bring in mike memoli now. what was really notable about this speech is how he started it and ending it. starting with his personal legacy and ending with his decision not to seek another

term. >> well, you know that as somebody who has covered president biden now for more than 16 years, that's exactly what i was seizing on as well. fascinating he, from the start, acknowledged and even joked with his age, his time, the length of his career, and then used that as a way to broaden out and outline the ways in which he believes the u.n. and our alliances can tackle some of these major challenges. so fascinating to hear him at the end as well talk about the fact that he had that very difficult decision he made, he was hoping to be seeking another term at this point, but made that decision to hand off the nomination to his vice president kamala harris and put that domestic political consideration into the context of what he has talked about so often during his time in office, that this century is going to be defined by this conflict between democracies and autocracies and as he said to his fellow world leaders, there are things more important than holding on to power. it was very notable to hear president biden specifically

give -- make reference to vice president kamala harris and the context of ukraine saying that he and vice president harris were a stalwart in supporting ukraine during -- that was the first time we heard a significant ovation from the crowd. it was also interesting to hear that coded language, i think, speaking directly to the israeli government about this large challenge at this point saying, yes, we -- first, supporting israel's right to respond as they have to the october 7th attack, he did stand behind them on that. but as you quoted him saying full scale war is not in anyone's interest, i thought it was notable he put it in this context as well, progress toward peace will put us on a stronger position to deal with the bigger threat of iran, that is an important concern of israel as well. so, really fascinating speech for the president, but richard is correct in laying out and the concern about whether these leaders are listening to him, we know president biden will have a series of meetings with other

leaders while he's here, including then meeting with president zelenskyy when he's back in washington, but an indication of the fact that we are set to turn the page in this country. president zelenskyy will be meeting with president harris and he'll be meeting with former president donald trump. >> michael crowley, there are $140 plus other heads of state, president, prime ministers, et cetera, who are part of this united nations general assembly. and this is just the beginning of the week of speeches, president biden going second overall after the president of brazil. do you think that the leaders in that room were listening to those directives we heard from president biden. what were the top takeaways? >> you know, i think they're always going to listen to the american president. i think they're listening a lot less than they have in past years. this president is a lame duck. he's almost done. there is probably a roughly 50% chance that american foreign

policy is going to take a dramatic turn in the prospect that donald trump might be elected president in november. so, i think this speech has a lot less impact than his past speeches. i think it was a little bit of a laundry list speech. it was a valedictory for him, he was charting his career, weaving it through the history, the recent history of american foreign policy and i think kind of trying to put a stamp on his legacy and make a case for the things he believes in and he's achieved in public life. but, you know, overall, i don't think it was a particularly memorable speech or that it is going to change a lot of minds. in addition to the weakness of a president on his way out, you have a foreign policy that a lot of member states, the united states are not happy with right now. particularly when it comes to american support for israel, virtually unqualified in the

eyes of a lot of people in that room, probably, basically unconditional. a lot of frustration with the president. i would add, though, i do think maybe the most memorable thing about it was his conclusion in which he kind of held up his decision to leave the presidency voluntarily as a model for other leaders around the world, saying there are more important things than holding power. that was an interesting decision, mixing in a domestic political drama with his -- and turning it into a message to the world about foreign policy, to try to encourage the norm of democratic transitions, and to stigmatize people who hold on to power indefinitely. so i did find that interesting. but, yeah, ultimately, you know, i think that it is not going to be a high impact speech and i think it served purposes for biden's own legacy and a little bit of framing for the election to lay out some choices between

continued american engagement in the world, building alliances with europe and partners, asian partners, supporting ukraine as a contrast and implied contrast to the policies of donald trump. whether that's really going to most needle for a lot of voters, i don't know how many are tuned into the president's 10:00 a.m. united nations address. so we'll have to see. >> joel, your thoughts on what we just heard, how do you see it? and what do you see as the priority at play here with this week of speeches and with all the private meetings that are going to be taking place on the sidelines? >> yeah. you know, ana, sometimes these speeches in the moment don't seem that significant. but i'll take a bit of a different tact. i do believe there was a bit of a churchillian quality to this. this was a big speech it is rare that an american president or any leader gets up in front of the united nations general assembly and says, you don't need to stay in power forever.

in fact, i didn't. i chose to leave. democratically, and in a gentle way, he chastised the audience and there is a through line between that and some of the wars that he also spoke about. why is vladimir putin in this war in ukraine, to stay in power and -- i could argue why is israel continuing to be trapped in these wars that it was pulled into, but now is continuing to engage in. prime minister netanyahu doesn't necessarily want to make a deal that could collapse the government. there is a lot to that, and a lot of meat on that bone. i also do think it is also -- it is very important to remember that from a national security perspective, the united states right now is safer than we were four years ago. we don't have troops directly engaged in military operations like we did four years ago for the first time in decades, quite frankly. and that's a win for the united states on the global stage. and so, from where i sit, this is an opportunity for the

president to do what he did, which is to lay out the priorities. he does have -- he may be a lame duck, but still the commander in chief and the president always after the elections including those who finished the second term, they have two and a half months before the inauguration of the next president and a lot of freedom of motion. bill clinton famously engaged in a very close -- closing the deal, the negotiation for peace at the end of 2000 before george w. bush took office. and, you know, that was during a tumultuous time in our democracy. so i don't -- i wouldn't write out joe biden by any stretch. he's in the office more for obvious reasons than he has been in recent years and i think he's writing out his vision, getting this deal done, stopping the war in sudan and ensuring ukraine's support is rock solid at the united nations and around the world. >> joel, what do you make of his focus on artificial intelligence during this speech, talking

about the benefits and dangers and saying in the years ahead, there may be no greater test of our leadership asking the assembly there how do we as an international community address the use of a.i.? >> yeah, ana, stunning and very significant. we were in a similar dynamic multiple decades ago, the beginning of the cold war and in the nuclear era, when there were no rules for the road, when nuclear weapons had been introduced by us in world war ii and the bombing at nagasaki and for years there was no -- there were no guardrails, no ways to really ensure that we could not just have a nuke go off at any moment in time and in a free for all. so rules of normal sea and parameters. >> thank you all for joining us for this conversation. coming up, legal ripple

effects. what we are learning now from a senate hearing underway into the stay with us.'s ruling on the promise of america is freedom, equality, but right now, those pillars of our democracy are fragile and our rights are under attack. reproductive rights, voting rights, the right to make your own choices and to have your voice heard. we must act now to restore and protect these freedoms for us and for the future, and we can't do it without you. we are the american civil liberties union. will you join us? call or go online to my aclu.org to become a guardian of liberty today. your gift of just $19 a month, only $0.63 a day, will help ensure that together

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for the city we all love. ad paid for by re-elect mayor london breed 2024. financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org. critical brief this week to try and get that case moving forward. joining us for more on the hearing happening now on capitol hill, nbc's ali vitali. what have the senators heard. >> we are listening to opening statements from several witnesses who are former doj

officials and legal scholars. one senator put it this way, the whole point of the hearing for the senate communities is to show how much the ruling on the immunity sucks, and it's a simple way of putting it and a less colorful way of explaining what they hope to do today. listen to senator dick durbin. >> you are faced with the corrupt presidency to meet the demands of the people and constitution, congress will have to alert its power from appropriations to legislation. the supreme court has made it nearly impossible for the courts to hold a runaway president accountable. >> durbin here effectively trying to set the table for why congress may have to step in to limit the powers of a presidency through future legislation. we are at the end of the congress about to get into the

lame duck session at the end of november, but this is a way to tie a supreme court ruling that maybe voters aren't thinking about when they are going to the ballot box in november tying that hearing to a future trump presidency looking back at the ways at how former president trump exercised his power, and the ways in which he might not be checked on those things going forward if he were to be elected and we will see that in time. >> and we also heard about the weight loss drugs. >> all the different lawmakers and committees are trying to fit in their final priorities before they go home for a lengthy break ahead of the november election.

the whole point of that is to have the ceo of novo nordisk there testifying about the price of wegovy, these weight loss drugs that have been so ae bick wow tee used by americans. we have seen senate democrats specifically work on cracking down on price of drug costs, for instance, insulin has been capped at $35. this is an extension here of what we are seeing on capitol hill. >> looks like the ceo walking in. >> yeah. that does it for us today. see you back here tomorrow, same time, same place. i am ana cabrera reporting from new york. josé diaz-balart picks up our coverage, next. but trelegy has shown me that there's still beauty and breath to be had. because with three medicines in one inhaler,

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ubiquitous. good morning. 11:00 a.m. eastern, 8:00 a.m. pacific. i am josé diaz-balart. we begin this hour with bre