she spoke exclusively with nbc's alice barr about the excruciating experience. it comes as president biden says aid is not reaching those who desperately need it quickly enough. alice barr has more from capitol hill. >> reporter: new images of two released hostages show the elderly israeli women being transferred from hamas custody to israeli forces. the 85-year-old says she was treated relatively well in captivity after going through hell. >> my mom is telling the horrific story. she's saying that many, many people, a swarm of people came through the fence. >> reporter: their appearance like a mirage for the more than 200 families still waiting for word of their loved ones kidnapped by hamas. >> they're going to push our buttons because they know how precious all these lives are and how desperately we want them all back. >> reporter: this woman has four family members among the hostages. two more were murdered in the october 7th terror attacks. she traveled from los angeles to israel and attended the funerals, complete with a military procession. >> i wonder if

alice barr, nbc news. >>> and so we will speak more about this at 5:30, and larry gurston is going to be here to talk about what happens next. >>> former president trump was back in court as the judge issues a limited gag order after he attacked one of the law clerks on social media while he sat a few feet from him, and he also said that violations of the order would lead to swift sanctions. mr. trump and his sons are going to be facing some repercussions. mr. trump said he would be taking witness stand. >> he could be facing a $250 million fine and this is a no-jury trial. >> not guilty is the hunter biden plea as he bought a gun, and lying about his sobriety. he has openly struggled with addiction to crack and cocaine for years. the lawyers said that he did not break the law, and his sobriety status should not matter and he is protected by the 2nd amendment, and they will file to have it thrown out. his second court date is not set yet, but if he is found guilty, he could face up to 25 years in prison. >>> coming up, welcoming immigrants to the u.s. by offering them furnishings and

here is alice barr. >> reporter: as the war intensifies in the middle east, israel is preparing for a ground invasion at the gaza strip valley to destroy the hamas militant group that is still firing rockets. secondary estate antony blinken in israel meeting with the prime minister and underscoring u.s. support. >> israel will never be alone. see what secretary blinken seeing new images of the atrocities committed by hamas terrorists and meeting with survivors pleading for help to bring hostages home. >> first priority are our friends and family. you of the biden administration found support for the hostages which includes american citizens. at least 27 americans now among the devastating death toll of both israeli and palestinian civilians. as a humanitarian crisis in gaza grows under a barrage of airstrikes and with access to food and fuel cutoff. >> and makes you afraid for your own life. >> reporter: secretary blinken says he and prime minister. starting tomorrow, the u.s. government arranging charter flights to get american citizens out of israel. while in washington, house repub

from capitol hill, alice barr, nbc news. >> thank you very much, alice. we'll continue our coverage of the israel-hamas war throughout all of our newscast and online. coming up at 6:00, marianne favro talks with a sergeant from the israeli special forces, why she has a sense of survivor's guilt as she watches the war from the world away. >>> we're in the middle of october. the bay area is facing a heat advisory. take a look outside. beautiful day, san francisco, oakland, san jose, lots of blue skies. chief meteorologist jeff ranieri joining us. it is going to warm up. >> you got that right. we're tracking this hot area of high pressure that this very second is beginning to move over california. the little bit of good news with this strange weather, it only looks like a we'll see the 80s and 90s in places like berkeley, oakland, san mateo, burlingame. morgan hill 73, and for the early afternoon, going up to 90 in concord, 92 in los gatos, 90 in danville. it's going to get hotter than that once we hit the warmest part of the day tomorrow. that's a preview o

alice barr will join us with the latest efforts by the white house to reach peace. that's coming up in less than 30 minutes. >>> a bold new proposal from san francisco mayor london breed. she says it's time to roll back key restrictions at the san francisco police department currently operates under. the mayor held a press conference with key city and community leaders to offer support for a ballot initiative that would roll back some of those restrictions. if approved, the initiative would allow sfpd to install security cameras and have greater access to existing public cameras. the measure would ease limits on the police pursuit policy and allow the use of artificial intelligence technologies for crime fighting. >> this is not something that we wanted to push for because san francisco believes in second chances and opportunities, and we will work with you on that. but these lines have been crossed time and time again. our compassion has been taken for weakness, as if anything goes in san francisco. well, no longer. >> mayor breed's political challengers were quick

alice barr has more. >> reporter: a shift in strategy to kick the house of representatives back into action after more than two weeks without a speaker appeared to hit another wall the current nominee, judiciary committee chairman jim jordan initially back add plan to temporarily empower the interim speaker patrick mchenry, al how long the house to pass critical legislation while republicans work to get on the same page but after a lengthy closed-door huddle, jordan said there was too much opposition. >> we made the pitch to members on the resolution as a way to lower the temperature. and get back to work had we decided that wasn't where we were going to go. >> reporter: other republicans say the plan to empower mchenry isn't dead, but republicans can't come together. >> i think there are a number of options, and they're going to hammer those out the people keep leaving. i don't think there's enough people there to make that decision >> reporter: moderates in both party also expressed support >> so we can start moving appropriations, deal with the crisis in ukraine and our border >>

alice barr has the latest from washington. >> reporter: today the fall-out from former house speakerevin mccarthy's historic ouster. he's striking an optimistic tone amid the turmoil as the candidates line up to replace him. the number two in house leadership, steve scalise, announcing his bid even as he recovers from blood cancer. >> it is important we get this right. it is how we get back to work. >>> jim jordan also seeking the gavel. >> reporter: north carolina republican patrick mchenry acting as temporary speaker with house members scheduled to vote on the permanent post as soon as next week. many are calling for changes to the rules to prevent the next speaker from being handcuffed by the same far right action that picked mccarthy out of the job let by florida congressman matt gaetz. >> you have to have rules in place to prevent him from doing his charade every week. >> we can't have a speaker that surrenders. we need someone who fights and negotiates. >> president biden urging house republicans to act quickly to return to pressing work ahead. >> we have to get it done in a ti

in washington, alice barr, nbc news. >> thank you very much, alice. while the nationwide search is over. b.a.r.t. has a new police chief, kevin franklin, and today we heard from him for the very first time. franklin has been the interim chief of b.a.r.t. since may. he's from oakland. he has been on the force 27 years. he's planned with the plan that significantly increase the the presence of police on trains and in stations. mr. franklin spoke at lake merritt station in oakland. >> b.a.r.t. is dealing with a problem that's bigger than public transit. it's a regional crisis of mental health, of addiction, of homelessness, and we've created a very large progressive policing community engagement team that is working with mental health professionals who are employed by the police department. >> reporter: chief franklin is credited with improving the average response time to priority calls to four minutes. >>> still ahead, schools say it is a threat to fight against climate change. the new proposal that would hike the price of solar power, and how local sc

alice barr is tracking it from washington, d.c. >> reporter: as israel steps up its air assault across the gaza strip with what's widely considered the most intense night of bombardment yet, the biden administration is advising israel to delay a ground invasion of gaza to allow more time to get hostages out and humanitarian aid in. that's according to four u.s. officials though the white house is drawing a sharp line. >> the israeli defense forces, they make their own decisions. they decide what they're going 20 do and when they're going to do it. >> reporter: israeli officials are vowing to destroy hamas. president biden asked today whether he would support a cease-fire in exchange for the release of hostages. >> we should have these hostages released, and then we can talk. >> reporter: the u.s. is boosting its military presence in the middle east, trying to keep the conflict from spreading as israel and iran trade warnings. hezbollah increases attacks from lebanon into israel, and u.s. military bases in iraq and syria see an uptick in drone attacks. >> we are now sending more air def

alice barr has the latest from washington. >> reporter: an escalating conflict in the middle east is now a ground war with israel's forces pushing deeper into the gaza strip. and today managing to rescue a hostage, a young female israeli soldier from hamas control. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu facing plummeting approval ratings at home and international pressure to relieve the suffering of palestinian civilians forcefully pushing back. >> calls for a cease-fire are calls for israel to surrender to hamas, to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism. that will not happen. >> reporter: as israel continues its relentless air strikes, netanyahu blaming hamas for using civilians as human shields while the u.s. state department zeros in on humanitarian shipments into gaza, noting israel restored phone and internet service under pressure from the u.s. >> it is about ensuring that vital information flows, humanitarian coordination continues, and families can stay in touch. >> reporter: the war is touching off new security concerns here in the u.s. and a sharp uptick in h

from capitol hill, alice barr, nbc news. >>> still ahead in the 5:00 news, being in a hospital to get a shot is never fun. so stanford children's hospital is trying to make things a little bit easier for kids. how video games are part of the equation. >>> and not wasting water. the unique way one company is making beer thanks to leftover water from an apartment building. >>> and we are tracking some wind for the weekend. this is an early look at saturday morning with that wind building in the north bay mountains. i'll have a full look at >>> stanford is helping children fight their fear of needles by using a video game. it's called pinata, and the stanford children's program helped create it. it's focus is on making doctors visits more fun for children. pinata let's kids design their own pinata, pop it and get rewards. doctors say it helps distract kids from the pain and anxiety of actually getting a shot. >> you want to establish a very positive experience in the hospital around vaccinations so we don't have kids developing vaccine fear that follows them throughout their life, even i

alice barr has the latest. >> reporter: a break in the logjam at last as house republicans unite to electnew speaker. mike johnson of louisiana. >> the challenge before us is great. the time for action is now i will not let you down. >> reporter: the decision that fell entirely along party lines means the house can move ahead with urgent business after three weeks of speaker-less paralysis. speaker johnson was elected in 2016 to congress and fifth ranked in house gop leadership he is the least experienced speaker in modern history, but is well liked among his republican coalllecolleagues. >> he has united for all members to speak clearly on behalf of the american people. a friend to all and enemy to none >> reporter: some torpedoed the runs of three previous representatives. >> he is smart >> reporter: democrats who all voted for hakeem jeffries criticized johnson as an architect of mr. trump's legal efforts to overturn the 2020 election. >> house democrats believe when members of the body voted to reject the results of the 2020 election, they forfeited the ability to lead this chamber >>

alice barr joins me from washington. >> reporter: good morning. president biden and benjamin netanyahu are reviewing the policy after the scope of the deadly attacks comes into focus. >> this is an an attack that no one saw coming. >> reporter: four americans have been killed and the senate's top democrat saying that toll will rise after lawmakers were briefed on the latest developments. americans who managed to make it out of israel describing scenes of horror. >> rockets above us all day. >> reporter: israeli officials say 700 people have been killed and what they are describing as the nations 9/11. israeli air strikes hammering the gaza strip after hamas militant group in gaza attacked israel saturday morning raining rockets into israel. a music festival in the israeli desert is one of the first targets. 260 people killed here and others taken hostage. this man is desperate to find his kidnapped wife and two daughters. >> they are my babies and my wife. >> reporter: the defense department announcing the u.s. is sending military assets closer to

in washington, alice barr, nbc news. >>> was it on purpose or just an accident?lled a fire alarm in a capitol office building today triggering an eevacuation. it happened right before the house took up the spending bill. he said he pulled it by mistake. the house speaker kevin mccarthy says he's not convinced and is calling for a full investigation. >>> back here in the bay area an icon is back home, the body of senator diane feinstein was flown into san francisco escorted by her family and friends. the united states plane touched down at sfo around 6:00 this evening where san francisco officials waited with an honor guard made up of all contichants of the u.s. military. her only daughter catherine was on the flight along with speaker emerita nancy pelosi and her chief of staff. san francisco mayor london breed was nearby as well as the city's fire chief and other officials. an escort guided the hearse to the chapel. for now there's been no announcement of memorial plans for the long-term lawmaker. the 90-year-old senator died early friday morning of natural caus

alice barr joins us now. >> reporter: good morning, frank. president biden insisted that american leadership holds the world together in the second oval office address of the presidency underscoring the gravity of the message he wanted to deliver to the american people. as war rages in the nortmiddle and ukraine, president biden states the conflicts directly affect america's national security. >> when terrorists don't pay a price for their terror and dictators don't pay a price for the aggression, they cause more chaos and death. >> reporter: the president expected to make a pitch to congress today for $100 billion in aid. $60 billion to ukraine. the rest for israel, taiwan and addressing the migrant influx at the southern border. amid concerns, americans are growing weary of sending tax dollars overseas. president biden framing the support for allies as? >> the smart investment to pay dividends for american security for generations. >> reporter: he also announced $100 million in humanitarian aid for gaza and the west bank. drawing a sharp li

"today in the bay"'s alice barr is live in washington. we understand president biden is speaking to israeli leaders. >> reporter: yeah, laura, president biden has been in contact with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu more than once, trying to show support for what is one of america's closest allies. this is another very serious foreign policy challenge for the biden administration. as the full scope of the deadliest attack on israel in decades comes into focus -- >> this is an attack that i don't think anyone saw coming. >> reporter: -- the tragedy compounded with news that at least four americans have been killed. the senate's top democrats saying that toll will rise, after lawmakers were briefed on the latest developments. americans who managed to make it out of israel describing scenes of horror. >> there were rockets above us all day. >> reporter: israeli officials say at least 700 people have been killed in what they're describing as their nation's 9/11. israeli air strikes now hammering the gaza strip, after the ruling hama

. >> alice barr is live in washington. talk to us about the latest response from the white house. >> reporter: marcus and laura, a little later today secretary of state blinken will be headed to israel, and president biden is now set to meet with jewish community leaders a little later today as well, reaffirming the commitments he's been making about the u.s. unwavering support for israel. the president's message, we have israel's back. it's the fifth day of israel's bombardment of gaza, showing no sign of letting up. hamas militants are continuing to fire rockets into israel. it all comes as the first shipment of u.s. arms has now arrived in israel. israel estimates 150 civilians, including 20 americans, are still missing, after the hamas attacks many of them presumed to be kidnapped. president biden now confirms american citizens are among the hostages. he is pledging to do everything possible to bring them home. hamas terrorists are threatening to kill hostages and broadcast their executions each time an israeli air str

. >> the prime minister had to hide in a bunker when air raids went off, in washington sz, alice barr, nbc news. >>> coming up on "nightly news," lester holt is anchoring the newscast from inside israel, and he's talking with an activist who has been in talks with hamas since saturday, and he talked about how a deal could be made. >> there are a -- 43 palestinian women in israeli prisons, and 190 minors, and they are defined as minors, and they are from the west bank, and to the west of my knowledge, none much them have murdered israelis, and they need to claim something in exchange for women, children, elderly and sick. >> you can see more of that interview on lester's full insight into the war on "nightly news," that begins at 6:30. >>> coming up at 5:30, 20 minutes from now, our political analyst joins us and will talk about the ongoing search for the new speaker of the house, which is needed before any action could be taken on the israel and hamas war. >>> a double shooting in a quiet sunnyvale neighborhood left one woman dead as well as the shooter, but what was the motive? rober

we're joined by alice barr in d.c. good morning, alice. the president also delivered grim news about american victims in israel. >> reporter: yes, sadly that is correct. president biden said at least 11 americans have mao onow been ki in this war and it is entirely possible that americans are among the people being held hostage by hamas militants president biden is directing his administration to share intelligence and also to send hostage recovery experts to help israeli counter parts. national security spokesperson john kirby says we can expect to hear more about these efforts when the president speaks later today. >> we have some americans unaccounted for, and we are concerned that they could be among the hostages that hamas is holding. and i think you'll hear the president speak in very heartfelt tone about the importance to get all the information possible on these americans, get in communication with their families and do whatever we can to get them home >> reporter: the u.s. has begun sending help to israel, but the house of represe

. >> alice barr is live in washington. president biden is expected to address the nation in just a matter of hours. >> reporter: just about four hours from now, president biden will be addressing the nation, really addressing the world about the crisis in israel. that's after he issued a joint statement in support of israel, along with the leaders of the uk, germany, italy and france. today in israel, a mounting death toll, a growing hostage crisis, and a military mobilization for a potential all-out invasion of the gaza strip, with israel's prime minister saying air strikes in gaza are just the beginning. >> translator: we've just started to hit the hamas. >> reporter: some americans flying to israel to join the flight. this woman said good-bye to her brother. >> he wants to be there to support everybody. we want to be there, too, but it's terrifying. >> reporter: the number of americans killed is growing. among the hundreds dead in the massive terror attack carried out by the palestinian militant group, hamas. president

alice barr, nbc news. >>> be sure to stay with us for the latest throughout our newscast. you can get updates online at nbcbayarea.com. we're tracking all of the latest developments. >>> a pair of troubling signs outside of a homeless encampment are raising worries and sparking calls to police in san francisco. earlier this month police say joseph adam moore set up a temporary camp outside the academy catholic school and put out signs that said free fentanyl and meth for stolen items. moore is also on the state's sex offender list. the community expressed a lot of frustration and last night district attorney brooke jenkins filed charges against him for misdemeanor battery and creating a public nuisance. jenkins posted about the charged on social media writing in part, quote, i share the public's frustration and concerns regarding this alleged conduct and will everything in my power to ensure that we keep kids and families safe in our community. >>> the driverless car company cruise is pulling all of its driverless cars off the road nationwide. "today in the bay"'s ginger c

"today in the bay"'s alice barr is live in washington this morning. the president's words last night were clearly confronting global tensions head on. >> in fact, president biden framed it like this, he said american leadership is what holds the world together, and that coming in what was his second oval office address really underscores the gravity of the message he wanted to deliver directly to the american people. as war rages in the middle east and in ukraine, president biden making the case that the distant conflicts directly affect america's national security. >> history has taught us when terrorists don't pay a price for their terror, when dictators don't pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction. >> reporter: the president expected to make a pitch to congress today for $100 billion in aid, $60 billion to ukraine, the rest for israel, taiwan, and addressing the migrant influx at the southern border. amid concerns americans are growing weary of sending tax dollars overseas, president biden framing the

alice barr is tracking that story from washington. >> reporter: amid seething tensions in the middle east, president biden making a brief but politically potent visit to israel. >> you are not alone. >> reporter: reaffirming support for israel's fight after the brutal hamas attack, and there was a blast in gaza at a hospital that killed hundreds and royaled anger around other countries. president biden pointing to the u.s. intelligence assessment that israel is not responsible. >> i was outraged and saddened by the enormous loss of life at the hospital in gaza. >> there will be humanitarian aid through the border -- >> highway agreed he would open the gate to do two things, one, let up to 20 trucks through to begin with. >> the president said that aid could roll in by friday. he also announced $100 million in new u.s. humanitarian assistance for gaza and the west bank. >> the suffering is increasing every day. we see streams of people walking south, and then the question is, where do they go? >> president biden comforting survivors and families of the victims killed in israel. sharin

will continue to stand with israel, comparing the attacks to the worst rampages by isis al alice barr joins us from washington the president shared more information about the american victims of this war. >> reporter: that's right. sadly, phillip, president biden confirmed at least 14 americans are now among the dead, killed in israel. and for the first time, president biden confirmed that americans are among the victims being held hostage by hamas militants. a national security official has said 20 americans are unaccounted for. the president did not give an exact number but said getting them to safety is a top priority >> there's still some families desperately waiting to hear the fate of their loved ones, not knowing if they're alive or dead or hostages. infants in their mothers' arms, grandparents in wheelchairs, holocaust survivors abducted i've direct might team to share thence and deploy additional experts from across united states government to advise israeli counter parts on hostage recovery efforts because, as president i have no higher priority than the safety of americans

nbc's alice barr joins us live from washington. alice, of course the u.s. is a close ally of israel, so what kind of action are we seeing from our military? >> reporter: we're talking about one of this country's closest allies, the u.s. has always supported israel, calling it the lone democracy in that region. president biden has been in close contact with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. nbc news has learned that the u.s. military is moving some ships and aircraft closer to israel as a show of support, and defense secretary lloyd austin says the u.s. will begin supplying israel with munitions and other supplies immediately he says the pentagon will remain in close contact with its israeli counterparts to ensure they have what they need the u.s. already provides $3.8 billion a year in military assistance to israel there have been questions about iran's potential role in this attack u.s. secretary of state antony blinken acknowledged that iran and hamas have had a long relationship, but says he has not yet seen evidence that iran was directly invol

in washington, alice barr, nbc news. >> speaking of the speaker position, former house speaker kevin mccarthy is denying reports that he is planning to leave congress. the california congressman told reporters he still has work to do after a -- that he was going to resign. this comes after mccarthy was ousted from the speaker position after a historic vote on tuesday. since then, house majority leader steve scalise and gop representative jim jordan have launched bids to be the next speaker. former president trump has endorsed jordan for the position. while mccarthy says the members of congress will make the final decision. >> -- i think members -- >> mccarthy says he has spoken to both scalise and jordan, but he does not plan to endorse anyone. -- what together by the -- the helping hand of the san jose is offering to a fallen police officer from dallas and his family. the -- the two departments are teaming up, and how sundays 49ers cowboys game is at the center of it. and shaq it's coming to the bay area. it has nothing to do with basketball, and everything to do with music. when an

alice barr joins us live from lewiston. there are reports of a lot of police activity there overnight. what are we hearing from law enforcement? >> reporter: well, frances, really, the main activity, as you know, has been police. there have been law enforcement agencies from really all over the surrounding area, flooding into what is normally this quiet area in maine. between that and at the hospital, this has been, essentially everything that is happening right now in this area. because we know there's been a lockdown, essentially, shelter in place orders for everyone in this surrounding area as the search continues for robert card. now there are still three patients in critical condition in the hospital here. there were 13 injured in addition to the 18 dead. we can show you, i believe, some images from the last known address for robert card, the 40-year-old suspected gunman, and there were law enforcement agencies from all over, surrounding the home overnight. a lot of efforts to try to see if he could be drawn out. but e

"today in the bay"'s alice barr joins us live from washington this morning. you have the latest response from the white house. >> reporter: laura, secretary of state blinken is set to head to israel a little later today, and president biden, we've now learned, is going to meet with jewish community leaders, reaffirming the assurances he's given to israel. the president's message, we have israel's back. in the fifth day of israel's bombardment of gaza, there are no signs of them letting up and they continue to fire rockets into israel. it comes as the first shipment of u.s. arms has arrived in israel. israel estimates 150 civilians are still missing, after the hamas terror attacks. president biden now confirming american citizens are among the hostages, and he's pledging to do everything possible to bring them home. hamas terrorists are threatening to broadcast the execution of a hostage each time an israeli air strike hits gaza without warning. this morning on the "today" show, lester holt talks with a man whose mother was a nurse and was born in california.

"today in the bay"'s alice barr is live outside of a hospital in lewiston. more than 36 hours after the shooting, let's talk about where this investigation stands. >> reporter: laura, everyone is eagerly awaiting that press conference you just mentioned. we've just learned it will be about an hour from now, and set to give the latest details, whatever they can now share about this all-out, full-scale search for the man responsible for so much trauma and tragedy. an urgent manhunt by flashlight overnight as law enforcement surrounded the last known address of suspected mass murderer, robert card. it's just one area of intense focus, and until he's found, tens of thousands remain under shelter-in-place orders. >> please stay at home and be safe. >> reporter: card is suspected of killing at least 18 people and injuring 13 more, in a lewiston bowling alley and nearby restaurant and bar. >> i saw him looking down at his gun, he was facing away from our group. i turned to everybody at the bowling alley on that side, and i said everybody get out that exit door righ