right now on "ana cabrera reports," breaking news, as florida readies for a direct hit from a monster storm. mass evacuations and urgent preparations as hurricane milton charges through the gulf. we're in tampa, a city that could see its worst storm in a century. the president expected to speak from the white house in just minutes as the nation sees two historic back-to-back storms, we'll carry those remarks live. also ahead, misinformation about the response to helene embroils the 2024 race. vp harris slamming donald trump over lies about storm aid. and breaking news at the supreme court this morning, justices hearing the first major case of the new term. the critical question should ghost guns be regulated as firearms? thanks so much for joining

us. it is 10:00 a.m. eastern, 7:00 a.m. pacific, i'm ana cabrera reporting from new york. mass evacuations not seen in years unfolding in florida right now as a monster hurricane barrels toward the gulf coast. hurricane milton is now a category 4 and still an extremely powerful hurricane, at this point landfall near tampa appears likely, with a catastrophic storm surge never before seen in this area, potentially up to 15 feet. we're talking historic impact. tampa's mayor not mincing words when it comes to the unprecedented danger. >> helene was a wake-up call. this is literally catastrophic. and i can say without any dramatization whatsoever, if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you're going to die. >> in just the last 24 hours, we have seen a max exodus to get out of the storm's path with bumper to bumper traffic seen

from the gulf coast to central florida. we have got it all covered with nbc's marissa parra joining us from tampa. dana griffin in naples. and meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking this monster form for us. let's start there. bring us the very latest. >> hi there, ana, we're looking at a very destructive storm. we'll see catastrophic conditions, we'll see life threatening conditions. i know we have been saying this, but we can't say it enough, it is time to evacuate if you have not, we have just over 36 hours, 36 to 40 hours before this makes landfall. let's get you to the latest. we're looking at a category 4 storm, very strong storm, it is moving through a super charged gulf. the waters are so warmhey're record-breaking temperatures and that's fueling this system. we're expecting to stay category 4 storm over the next 24 hours. it will weaken a bit to a category 3, forecasted to, as it makes landfall later on tomorrow, around 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. a very strong storm and it is

going to expand in size as well. that's going to increase the storm surge threat which i think will be the legacy with this storm. now, as we go throughout time here, here is the path as we go through today, category 4, may jump tie category 5, but throughout wednesday, most of wednesday, category 4, then it makes its approach to the west coast of florida. landfall anywhere between 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. thursday, that is the latest track as a category 3 storm. we're going to see winds gusting up to 100 miles per hour. that is dangerous on its own. there is still a ton of debris from helene, that's going to make it doubly or triply, quadruply as dangerous. that's something we'll watch over the next couple of days. tropical alerts from the carolinas to the keys. where you see that bright red color, that is a hurricane warning, unfortunately includes cedar key that was hit so hard with helene, down to tampa, fort myers, looking at tropical storm warnings, tropical storm watches as well. let's talk about the destructive winds. these are damaging. we're talking about

100-mile-per-hour wind gusts, up to 110, storm surge as you mentioned up to 15 feet. we're certainly going to keep on top of this for you over the next 36 to 40 hours. >> so much to track, thank you very much, michelle grossman. marissa, milton could hit tampa directly. so what are the fears there and how are they preparing? >> reporter: i'll point out for those who don't know, i'm looking at a body of water on the other side of this, a lot of surface area in this region, whether it is the gulf of mexico, tampa bay, a channel of water, you see the preparations preparing for whether it could be flooding, whether it could be storm surge, which we are expecting the strong possibility of sandbags, we have water bladder ready to be filled and flood protection barriers will hopefully do their job to protect the businesses, which are shut down. this is a ghost town. if this looks familiar for anyone watching us during our hurricane helene coverage, it is because this is exactly the same

preparations we saw before, but here is what we are seeing that is different. we went to some of the hardest hit areas in pinellas county yesterday, treasure island, barrier island outside of st. petersburg area, we're talking to residents who were showing us the devastation, we're talking about all of that debris that now poses a risk whether it be through the wind, whether it be through the water, if they see another storm surge with milton, and so they're in the process of cleaning up the mess that helene left behind and, of course, residents like jeff lund who we spoke to are so worried about what they're going to find yet again. >> it will be a war zone. 160-mile-an-hour winds hitting the shore, 12-foot surge and a lot of homes aren't, you know, homes like this and stuff, they're up to code, but homes like this and like that, i mean, they're going to -- the block walls will stay, but they'll lose everything, the roofs, i think. >> reporter: i was right here

with you ahead of helene. here is what i can tell you is different ahead of milton. it is a lot more empty now. there are a lot more evacuations, a lot less people walking around ahead of milton, more anxiety, there are a lot more cars on the road. i know we have seen those packed interstates and highways on their way, further north or further south to safety. i've spoken to a lot of first responders doing their job and they're not meeting resistance. people are already evacuated or on their way out. >> it is good to hear and see people just taking those warnings seriously. thank you so much, marissa parra. stay safe. dana, you're a couple of hours south of tampa in naples. the warning stretches that far. what is the scene like there? >> reporter: yeah, so, ana, good to be with you today. evacuation -- mandatory evacuations started at 6:00 a.m. today. beach access is closed. behind me this is low tide.

we saw much higher waves yesterday, but in the distance, you can see surfers showing up. we saw this yesterday and they're back out today, a different group, but this is what we're seeing here. people coming to the beach, the beach is now closed. but they're taking advantage of this opportunity to try to hit some waves before milton reaches shore. right now we're seeing a lot of heavy rain in the area. this is from a totally different system. this is not even milton. so we're getting extra rain, more saturation for the ground, we already have seen some localized flooding on the streets, which usually happens here in naples when there is any sort of rain event. so you can only imagine when more rain comes through, during that storm, just how inundated this area could be. we have received storm surge warnings on our phones, 36 hours before the storm hit. just reminding people to seek higher ground to move your vehicles. we have seen several vehicles that have moved to city garages to try to protect vehicles from storm surge, but it could be feet high and that's why it is very concerning. we have spoken to some neighbors, one who stayed put during ian.

and he said that is not a mistake he's going to make. he said i would rather drive out of here than canoe out of here. it is important to remember, if you're told to evacuate, you must do so. here in naples, zones a and b have been evacuated. those are areas closest along the coast and also the area that is most prone to storm surge. so, again, officials here warning people to be safe, prepare and get out. >> we hear that rain already falling, we know flooding is another major concern with this storm. dana griffin, thanks for bringing us the latest from naples. joining us now is jodie fiske, director of public safety for manatee county, florida, which issued mandatory evacuation orders for some residents. thank you for joining us. a state senator said this, quote, evacuate, there is no tomorrow if you are caught in the midst of this storm. are people heeding these warnings? >> they are. we have seen -- we had no resistance from our responders doing door to door knocks to say, you know, you got to go.

we're taking steps, we're shutting power down to the barrier islands as well as water ahead of this storm. so, 10 to 15 foot storm surge. that's a life threatening storm surge. so far we have just over 1100 people that have come to our shelters, more are coming. it is critical that people listen to these evacuation orders. >> it feels like the warnings cannot be overstated. what do you say to people who say they can hunker down and ride the storm out? >> don't. it really is just that simple. this is storm surge is not rising floodwaters that some people think they are, it is a force. and our teams are doing the very best they can to get the debris up off the road, we know there is going to be some left and the force of the surge, it is not worth the risk. you can replace things in your home, but you can do not replace your life. >> back-to-back hurricanes, hurricane force, now milton,

still a significant amount of debris on some roads from the last storm, including appliances, metal, wood, all of that, how does that complicate preparations as you all prepare here for milton. >> it is an additional step to get the debris off the road. our county teams have been working around the clock, the state of florida sent an entire contingent of folks down here to assist with that, the national guard is assisting with it. it is a danger, there are things on the road that would norm not normally be there before a storm, just due to the damage that we saw with helene. so, crews are working as hard as they can to get it up off the green. they'll get as much as they can out, but it is a concern about the projectiles and the high winds. >> the region around tampa is home to more than 3 million people. it is one of the most vulnerable metropolitan areas in the u.s. to storm surge. you talked about how that is the

greatest risk for a lot of residents in your area. can you speak more about that storm surge threat. how far inland could this storm surge push? >> we have a lot of our teams working on the map for that, we get the information from the national weather service. i would anticipate it would go further inland than we saw with helene. but due to the fact that the island topography changed a bit with the damage done by helene with that storm surge, so, you know, there is a reason that we went to levels a, b and c. so, when that surge comes in, it really is a force. it is not -- it is not one you can fight back against. >> jodie fiske, thanks again for taking the time with us. good luck in the days ahead. >> thank you. >> and now to the white house, where we are awaiting remarks from president biden expected in just the next few minutes. he just received a briefing on the federal response to these

historic storms, first hurricane helene and now hurricane milton. nbc's aaron gilchrist is standing by for us at the white house. what are we expecting to hear from the president? >> reporter: the president has been receiving updates today, both from his national security team and we know now he's supposed to be in this meeting getting this update on the federal response to fema -- to the disaster that is already happening in several southern states, but also the hurricane that is coming in toward florida. and i think we can expect to hear the president say when he speaks today, first of all, that people should pay attention, listen to what they're hearing from local emergency officials on the ground. they are the first line for these sorts of incidents. we talk often about fema and the federal government response and the president's response, but the reality is the local emergency managers, the state emergency managers are running the show. fema comes in when they're asked to help with dealing with the recovery, if you will, from these sorts of storms. to that end, we know from fema

that they have prepositioned resources on the ground for hurricane milton, once that storm makes landfall. there are urban search and rescue teams that have been prepositioned. there are ambulances and high water vehicles by the hundreds that have been prepositioned for hurricane milton. there is food and water by the millions that have been prepositioned as well. and so i think the president will say that fema and the federal government are ready to step in as soon as they are asked to, to help with the response and recovery effort that will be a lengthy and expensive one after hurricane milton makes landfall. the president is expected to speak in front of the cameras in the next few minutes here, ana, about how the federal government is trying to help local and state governments deal with this hurricane. >> okay, aaron gilchrist, stay close. we'll take the remarks as soon as the president speaks, thank you. i'll talk to the mayor of fort myerses as they brace for the impact of milton. and ron desantis declines a call from vice president harris over hurricane aid. is he playing politics?

then, as recovery efforts intensify in north carolina, is there is more than debris to grapple with there. there is misinformation, a lot of it. how it is creating a new hurdle for fema. and the first major case of the supreme court's new term involving ghost guns just getting under way. what is at stake. we're back in 90 seconds. don't go nair. in 90 seconds don't go nair. about money anymore. i don't have to worry about a mortgage payment every month. it allowed me to live in my home and not have to make payments. if you're 62 or older and own your home, you could access a portion of your equity to improve your lifestyle. a reverse mortgage loan can eliminate your monthly mortgage payments and put tax-free cash in your pocket. it was the best thing i've ever done. really? yes without a doubt. these folks know, finance of america can show you how a reverse mortgage loan uses your built-up home equity to give you tax-free cash. it's a good thing!

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and ugly and unfortunate display of polarization in american politics has reared its head concerning disaster relief. in the wake of helene's devastation, and with hurricane milton bearing down on florida, former president trump has amplified false claims about the biden administration's relief efforts. vice president harris addressed this yesterday. >> there is a lot of mis and disinformation being put out there by the former president about what is available, in particular to the survivors of helene. it is extraordinarily irresponsible. it is about him. it is not about you. and the reality is that fema has so many resources that are available to folks who desperately need them. >> nbc is also reporting that florida governor ron desantis avoided the vice president's calls after helene. his team says the outreach, quote, seemed political. joining us now, nbc news correspondent vaughn hillyard

and msnbc political analyst republican strategist susan del percio and basil smikle. on this hurricane response misinformation, the white house has pushed back, vice president harris has pushed back, republicans on the ground in these states have pushed back. has trump backed off at all? >> no, and we have not seen a presidential candidate ever use a storm in the aftermath of it for such blatant political purposes. there are no specific critiques or criticisms that are coming from donald trump about specific regions and response from fema and the biden and harris administration and said he, over the course of the last week has continued to paint broad strokes saying just literally in the last few hours on the social media that this is the worst administration response to any storm in american history, even more so than katrina. and he follows it up with very specific demands, saying in one post, quote, hope they remember

at the ballot box, referring to folks in north carolina. he then went in on another post and said, i can't imagine anybody living in north carolina, south carolina, georgia, alabama, florida or tennessee voting for her. for donald trump here, this is hitting north carolina which he has been very -- he and his campaign have been very specific, is important to his ability to reach 270 electoral votes and what we have seen from him, elon musk, and other close right wing allies is a continued focus on the idea that the administration has completely failed in its response, while failing to offer any specific critiques outside of that broad brush stroke of failure. >> trump has been criticized for his own responses to storms when he was president. he also faced allegations of political sizing disaster relief as he runs for a second term. he's talking about firing thousands of civil servants and replacing them with loyalists. what would that mean in a

disaster like this for fema? >> let's not forget, it is not just money we're talking about, that's maybe what donald trump is talking about. this is public safety. these are lives on the line. if you can't trust fema and trust basic weather reports, for example, which he's questioned in the past, this is a danger to all the folks in the path of milton right now because they don't know what to believe because they may support president trump. donald trump is literally putting lives at risk right now by doing what he's doing. going forward, you better believe he put lives at risk on a whole host of matters including women's reproductive rights and letting them choose what to do with their own body. there is not any area that donald trump won't go into with the view of it is someone else's fault and i don't care if anyone gets hurt. >> and maybe that isn't true, maybe he does care, but he certainly is moving politically. >> according to vaughn's recording, he just posted about

the response, saying that this is the worst response ever, and including other things. if that's the case, he does not care. and we have to take him at his words because he's very consistent if nothing else, he follows through when he can. >> we reported that governor desantis has dodged calls from the vice president, in the aftermath of helene. that has spilled into the public. let's watch. >> people are in desperate need of support right now. and playing political games at this moment, in these crisis situations, these are the height of the emergency situations, it is utterly irresponsible and it is selfish. >> she has no role in this process. i've had storms under both president trump and president biden, and i worked well with both of them. she's the first one who is trying to politicize the storm and she's doing that just because of her campaign. >> basil, what do you make of all this?

>> she's the sitting vice president of the united states, you better believe she has a role in trying to make sure that americans actually have the resources necessary to build back and to build stronger. what is interesting to me, before i even say that, i love the fact that in my interview she looked directly at the camera. she's making sure she establishes that relationship with the voter to say, while donald trump is speaking about himself, i'm going to speak directly to you. and in doing so, again, i think that's where the offer comes in to say what do you need, how can i be helpful, because by the way, this is not just an isolated incident. you have states from florida to north carolina being affected. the president's partner in governance should be able to reach out to a sitting governor to say what is it that you need? but from a political standpoint, what desantis is saying i don't want to go through the same thing that chris christie did a few years ago with superstorm sandy, when chris christie, fox

news may have used the word hug or embrace, but warmly greeted the sitting president of the united states in barack obama to say thank you for your support and help and took him on a tour to say this is what we need. instead of actually saying we're going to partner with our brethren from the other side of the aisle to make sure that vet voters and residents get what they need, we'll continue to play politics. that's what ron desantis is doing. >> it is really playing bad politics because he just took trump's argument away from him. he's saying, oh, the vice president has nothing to do with this and trump is trying to blame the vice president. >> that's what i was going to say. it seems to me they're trying to have that argument both ways. let's talk about harris' "60 minutes" interview, a range of topics including the administration's border response. >> was it a mistake to loosen

the immigration policies as much as you did? >> it is a long-standing problem. and solutions are at hand and from day one literally we have been offering solutions. >> but the numbers did quadruple. >> and the numbers today -- because of what we have done, we have cut the flow of illegal immigration by half. >> should you have done that -- >> -- fentanyl by half. but we need congress to be able to act to actually fix the problem. >> basil, is that answer sufficient for swing voters? >> i think it is sufficient for swing voters. she's strong in this interview, frankly. and where i think she's going to continue to do is remind voters that it was donald trump and republicans that killed a bill that -- a bipartisan bill that actually would have gone further to alleviate some of the concerns at the border.

so the fact that she continues to say that, she sounded really strong on this interview, really good pushback, so i do think that, among other areas, you mentioned reproductive rights earlier, i think that will speak to undecided voters. >> trump's racialized rhetoric came up before the interview, but it came after the remarks about bad genes. speak to us about that. >> i want to let people listen for themselves. >> how about allowing people to come to an open border, 13,000 of which were murderers, many of them murdered far more than one person. and they're now happily living in the united states. now a murderer, i believe this, it is in their genes. and we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now. >> it is in their genes, referring to migrants coming into the united states. and i want to be very clear,

race science has been disproven, donald trump referencing a very dark history that we have seen play out over the centuries at suggestions that genes through race are at the core of racial inequities, justifying racial inequity, not only in the united states, but also abroad, through history. for donald trump in 2020, he was in minnesota at an all white rally where he referenced that crowd as having good genes, donald trump himself said that he has been blessed with good genes here. for donald trump, this is just a further continuation of history of him talking about migrants not only in this way, but also about poisoning the blood of the country, all of this at a difficult time, just one month from election day. >> vaughn hillyard, susan del percio and basil smikle, thank you. we expect to hear from president biden about the preparations under way for hurricane milton.

and we're learning the president will postpone an overseas trip because of the storm. he was scheduled to depart for berlin on thursday and travel to angola before coming back to the u.s. next week. now the white house says they will delay that trip so the president can oversee the preparations and response to both hurricane helene, which is ongoing, and the upcoming hurricane milton impact in florida. up next, here on "ana cabrera reports," can so-called ghost guns be regulated as firearms? the major case before the supreme court right now and what it could mean for access to deadly weapons. plus, the cia director's urgent new warning about tensions in the middle east. stay right there. warning about tensions in the middle east. stay right there if you're living with dry amd, you may be at risk for developing geographic atrophy, or ga. ga can be unpredictable—and progress rapidly—leading to irreversible vision loss. now there's something you can do to... ♪ ( slow. it. down.) ♪ ♪ ( get it goin' slower.)♪ ask your doctor about izervay. ♪ (i. zer. vay.) ♪ ♪ ( gets ga goin' slower.) ♪ izervay is an eye injection.

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right now, arguments are getting under way at the supreme court. it is their first major case of the new term, the justices are hearing arguments on whether to uphold new federal regulations on so-called ghost guns. ghost guns are put together using at home kits or 3-d printers making them difficult to trace. the biden administration wants the guns to be regulated the same way as other firearms with serial numbers and background checks required. the plaintiffs including gun rights groups and makers of ghost guns say current gun laws shouldn't apply. nbc's ken dilanian joins us with more. what are we hearing so far in these arguments? >> this is a big deal with real

world implications here. unlike guns bought from a licensed dealer, ghost guns have no serial numbers. so the guns don't be tracked if they're found at a crime scene. the kits can be bought online without any background check and the buyer doesn't have to present any identification at all. some people buy these kits anonymously with cryptocurrency or prepaid debit card. manufacturers and sellers would have to obtain licenses, mark the products with serial numbers, require background checks, and maintain records. the justice department says ghost guns have proliferated in recent years from fewer than 4,000 in 2018 to 20,000 recovered at crime scenes in 2021. it also says new rules have slowed the growth. take a listen to justice sotomayor responding to the issue of where does the line here in terms of regulating things that could be made in guns. take a listen. >> want to know what our

standards review here is. i can imagine a frame or receiver that is just a block of metal. that's not readily convertible. i can also imagine some part kits that require such tremendous amount of work that it doesn't qualify as readily convertible. so, if i can point to one item that wouldn't qualify, it could be swept up potentially by your -- by the new regulation. is that enough to defeat official challenge? is it enough? or is that always an as applied challenge? >> there are things that will be regulated here that can't be made into guns. the justice department responds that these things are basically turnkey kis here and there is also an element of willfulness.

this is a very pro rights supreme court. >> it is a case we will be following through to the end when they eventually deliver those decisions. thank you very much, ken dilanian. up next, from bad to worse, how debris from helene could be a major problem as hurricane milton closes in on florida. i'll talk to the mayor of fort myers about that and preparations for one of the strongest storms ever recorded there. e strongest storms ever recorded there. daddy, hi. speaker: goodness. my daughter is being treated for leukemia. [music playing] i hope that she lives a long, great, happy life and that she will never forget how mom and daddy love her. saint jude-- maybe this is what's keeping my baby girl alive. [music playing] narrator: you can join the battle to save lives by supporting st. jude children's research

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just an incredible, incredible, incredible hurricane. it has dropped -- it has dropped 50 millibars in ten hours. i apologize. this is just horrific. >> that was nbc's hurricane specialist john rales giving a sobering report on hurricane milton yesterday. saying, frankly, you should be shaken too. the meteorologist's emotional reaction to this radar, grim reality check to the deadly risk milton poses. crews are still scrambling to clear truck loads of debris left in the wake of hurricane helene that could soon become

projectiles, making this 1-2 punch of back-to-back storms even more dangerous. nbc's jesse kirsch joins us now from sarasota, florida. as people there brace for milton, where does the cleanup from helene stand? >> reporter: i can tell you the cleanup effort is far from over. going back to that emotional moment from one of our meteorologists, colleagues, i want to put this in perspective for people, you can see on the side of the home, blocks from the water, that is the water line from helene on this home, about at my waist height. we're expecting potentially twice as high of a storm surge here. but, again, this is the aftermath of a hurricane and take a look at what is still left behind, furniture, food, all kinds of other items out here. this is a typical scene in the aftermath of a hurricane. but the problem is, now milton is coming our way. and when that hurricane roars ashore, this becomes an even bigger problem. this morning, florida is racing to remove truck loads of debris

and the clock is running out. >> it is a 24/7 around the clock mission. we need as much of this debris picked up as possible. this creates a safety hazard. >> reporter: across the gulf coast, streets and sidewalks are littered with parts of destroyed homes. splintered lumber, heavy pieces of furniture and household items after hurricane helene gutted the region less than two weeks ago. now another major hurricane, milton is less than 48 hours from landfall in the same region, turning trash into projectiles. >> it can make it harder for our responders to get in and out. >> reporter: fighting an uphill preparations battle. they're scrambing in manatee, florida. >> people continue to bring items out of their home and put it back on a street, so the area that was clear and is now not clear. >> i dealt with dumpsters a lot.

>> reporter: how many loads have they taken? >> two. >> reporter: after two already taken? >> yes. >> reporter: hurricane helene sent waist high water into lance's home. now he's paying hundreds of dollars out of his own pocket to get his family's ruined belongings hauled away. how worried are you about what the wind is going to do to your community? >> i'm very worried. >> reporter: despite all of that, the biggest concern from some officials we spoke with is still evacuations, pleading with people to heed those warnings. if you've been told to get out, get out now, because once the storm comes, it is too late. and we could have water above some people's heads. >> it is so serious. this is deadly we're talking about, a storm that could be super deadly. thank you. joining us now, the mayor of fort myers, florida, kevin anderson. i know you're anticipating very busy rest of the week. walk us through what the next 36

hours look like for you and what are your biggest concerns? >> so, right now we have got that calm before the storm. and i'm really concerned with people misreading the change in the storm and feeling like this is not a threatening storm any longer. it is a threatening storm. this is the powerful storm. i don't ever recall a storm coming at us direct on like this and people need to understand that and take the precautions. so we will continue to encourage people to evacuate to get to safer areas. we prepared as a city and we are prepared to respond for recovery. >> and i know that you started evacuations early, residents trying to get out yesterday found themselves in miles of traffic. our affiliates reportsing multiple gas stations in the area have run out of gas. how big of an issue is this as people are trying to get out of harm's way, are people getting

stuck? >> i haven't gotten any reports of people getting stuck yet. i can tell you i evacuated during hurricane irma up to atlanta and very slow, what should have been a nine-hour drive was 16 hours, so it wasn't too bad but it was bumper to bumper. that's why it is important for people to not to wait until the last minute. plan ahead, and be prepared to take care of things. >> smart, smart. today in fort myers schools and the city offices we know are all closed. workers are racing against the clock to try to collect the debris as well from hurricane helene to kind of prepare for the next go. where do those efforts stand this morning? >> so yesterday we had an all hands on deck with our public works teams and solid waste teams. by the end of the day, we had the degree bring picked up. that doesn't account for anything people may put out today. the solid waste center is closed

where we dump. so, we can only pick up so much and if we don't have a place to dump it, we're stuck. >> fort myers could see up to a ten-foot storm surge. we just saw that live shot from jesse showing how in his area of sarasota there had been the storm surge that was about five feet and when you think about twice as high, overhead. this was before you were mayor, you worked for the fort myers police department for 24 years. you have seen hurricanes before. how does milton compare, do you think? >> i have never been so concerned about a storm in my career. i've been through andrew, charlie, all of those. but this one really has me concerned because as i mentioned, we never have seen one come at us straight on, especially on the tail of another storm just two weeks ago. >> well, mayor kevin anderson, thank you very much for taking the time.

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news out of the middle east now, militant groups have just launched more than 200 new rocket attacks on israel. the israelis meanwhile ramping up their offensive against hezbollah targets in lebanon. and this morning, a new warning that things in the region could spiral further out of control. the director of the cia cautioning about a very real danger of escalation. joining us from beirut is nbc's matt bradley. matt, what is the latest there this morning? what are we hearing from hezbollah leaders? >> reporter: well, once again, for as many days in a row we're hearing that israel is expanding its offensive, now well into its third week on lebanon against hezbollah they are actually saying and they are saying they are adding a fourth division to the ground defensive that they launched about a week ago and this time putting them into southwest lebanon. that, before, had been more in southeast lebanon.

warning people on fishing boats or pleasure craft not to go into the sea or the area off of southern lebanon where it sounds like the israelis are planning to do naval maneuvers as well. this is a expansion of ground maneuvers that israelis said would be targeted and this one week in is not the pinpoint operation described a week ago. we heard the second in command in hezbollah. he said for the first time his group is willing to come to some sort of peace deal and it's not going to be tied to a peace deal in the gaza strip. >> there are reports that the placement for hassan nasrallah has been killed. what do we know? >> we heard this last week that the one to become the to nasrallah killed two weeks ago behind me that he was about to become that successor.

a cousin of nsrallah and has familiar connections to tehran. we heard he was targeted in another blast behind me. now it sounds like the israelis said he was killed in that blast and we haven't heard from him in a couple of days. we have to wait for hezbollah to confirm whether or not he is dead. we know they will be honest because they have been honest in the past about some other leaders that israeli has claimed to have killed, so this is just a matter of waiting and seeing. >> matt bradley, keep us posted. up next, a storm of misinformation in the aftermath of hurricane helene and the growing fight to fact check as the dhs secretary warns he has never seen it this bad before. >> it shows distrust in their governor and, therefore, they don't seek the help that they truly need. y don't seek the help that they truly need ♪ that colonoscopy for getting screened ♪ ♪ is why i'm delaying ♪ ♪ i heard i had a choice ♪

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trusted sources ahead of milton's landfall. tony hilton has been joined in this and joins us from burnsville, north carolina. how is this misinformation impacting the relief efforts there? >> hey, ana. in recent days, former president trump and other republicans have been criticizing fema's hurricane helene response. in some cases claiming that false funding that was meant for hurricane disaster victims has been diverted to migrants. now the head of fema is pushing back. take a look. >> reporter: the head of fema attempting to set the record straight after her and has been related accused of inadequate response to hurricane helene by former president trump. >> kamala spent all of her fema money, billions of dollars for housing on illegal migrants.

>> she responded on cnn. >> it's false and no funding has been taken from the disaster relief funds. >> the last two weeks fema has distributed $1 million to shelter migrants in cities across the u.s. but the white house and fema both say that is a separate deposit program, not for disaster relief adding no funds have been diverted. it comes assess the federal government rushes to prepare florida for a second hurricane. governor ron desantis saying on monday the government is working with his state. >> we have gotten what we need from the feds. >> the federal government also sending 500 troops to north carolina to help with search and rescue efforts and to bring aid to people left with little after hurricane helene. have they come to your neighborhood and knocked on the door? >> no. >> one common false rumor that

fema will only provide families $750. >> they are giving billions to ukraine but only $750 for the americas. while fema assesses people's eligible for more. fema forced to set up a web page to dispel the rumors. . >> it shows distrust in their government and, therefore, they don't seek the help that they truly need. >> reporter: i've had the opportunity to speak with residents here who have heard and believe some of this misinformation and i can tell you, it is having a real impact. people who have genuinely believed they have been abandoned by their federal government who feel betrayed and deeply heartbroken in a traumatic time for people living here.

for anyone who is curious about what recovery looks like right now, already tens of millions of dollars in aid have been approved by fema. that number is expected to go up as people continue to fill out applications and make phone calls to them or visit them at community centers, and the governor says that by today, as much as 90% of the power could be back on, ana. >> thank you for shedding that light and reminder to all who want more information, you can go on to fema's website. they have a rumor response page there for you. that is going to do it for us today. you can come back tomorrow. i hope you will. same time, same place. we will be here. catch our show online and around the clock and be sure to tune in noon today for a press conference with alejandro mayorkas for a