abc's justin finch has more. justin, good morning. >> andrew good morning.h the house divided, republicans fear a repeat of the kevin mccarthy speaker election earlier this year, which took 15 rounds of voting this morning. round two in the gop's effort to elect a new speaker of the house. >> we got to wake up and stop this nonsense. there's real serious work to be done. >> frontrunner jim jordan, chairman of the judiciary committee. failing to garner enough support during the first round of voting. >> esposito lee zeldin, zeldin and 20 republicans refuse to toe the party line. >> i am not going to vote for jim. the ohio conservative has divided the party due in part to his staunch support of former president trump and his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election. >> other critics question his track record as a lawmaker. >> none of the bills he sponsored has ever become law. so we're looking at electing a person who would be second in line to the presidency, who's never passed a bill. >> a decades old abuse scandal. also hangs over jordan's head, s

abc's justin finch is in washington with more now. in good morning. >> rihanna and good morning. the us is sending its top diplomat into the war zone along with more military might into the region. secretary of state antony blinken is expected to travel to israel as early as today. the state department saying he'll deliver a message of solidarity and support for israel. the first plane carrying american ammunition has already landed in israel. sources say the us may send a second aircraft carrier to the region. the uss ford already arriving in the eastern mediterranean. >> this is about providing support to israel as it seeks to defend its territory and deal with an ongoing imminent threat from hamas terrorists who, as i said before, are acting a heck of a lot like isis terrorists in their barbarity and cruelty. president biden strongly denouncing the hamas attack. >> israel has the right to respond, indeed has a duty to respond to these vicious attacks. >> but the president did not mention iran. the white house says as of now, there's

justin finch, abc news, washington. >> there are major concerns about misinformation being spread onial media about what's happening in the middle east. nearly all platforms are coping with misleading or unconfirmed reports. experts say recent layoffs at x, formerly known as twitter, could be playing a role in this. ceo elon musk laid off thousands of employees last year, including many who were responsible for detecting and addressing false claims. abc seven spoke with the san jose state tech expert who says it is critical to look at multiple sources before coming to a conclusion that something is true. >> and that source has to be something a source that is trusted, trustworthy, you know, you know, a win known name that they know that they're going to be liable. there will be some issues if they start spreading bad news, whether it is, you know, you know that one about the war in the middle east or somewhere else. >> and it's not just x catching heat, the european union warned meta ceo mark zuckerberg about taking down misinformation in a timely manner. the war in israel has people

here is abc news reporter justin finch with the latest out .israeli forces unleashing relentless airstrikes targeting the gaza strip after formally declaring war in the wake of a surprise strike from the palestinian militant group hamas . >> and as you just heard, that, that's the sound of a mortar coming in from gaza. this is being fired by hamas militants while israelis are trying to deal with hamas, not just across in gaza, but also here, still inside israel. >> israel pounding hundreds of targets in the palestinian territory, retaliated for what's being called the worst attack on israel in 50 years. is that is intolerable for any democracy tsay it's intolerable for israel over delete altitude restriction. >> the us mobilizing military assistance for israel, deploying a carrier strike group to the middle east, the pentagon sending weapons and ammunition and us warships and fighter jets in route the united states stands with israel. >> we will not ever fail to have their back. the white house pledging continued support for israel while workin

abc news reporter justin finch live in washington with what we know this morning. agencies right now are scrambling to tend to civilians who are caught between the crossfire of israel and hamas. meantime israel's prime minister is now saying that this strike is only just starting this morning. israel at war, israel defense forces releasing new video showing its airstrikes. the idf says they've taken out more than 1000 targets across gaza. as it hunts down hamas. abc's ian pannell there on the ground as israel's military moves south towards gaza and what could be a step towards a ground invasion. these are armored personnel carriers essentially heading up towards the front line. >> we're seeing a lot of men, a lot of munitions and a lot of movement. this is starting to look really like a country at war. israel is also imposing a gaza siege, blocking food, water and utilities into the palestinian territory. >> civilians in gaza now scrambling to save survivors trapped beneath rubble and caught in the crossfire. now coming to light, evidence the israel attack have bee

abc news reporter justin finch is live in d.c. tracking the developments. eggie just a short time ago, the president meeting with loved ones of those who perished in that hamas terror attack on october 7th. >> the white house says the president will also be asking tough questions of israeli leadership in closed door meetings today. president biden arriving in israel as tensions intensify across the middle east . joining. jordan to iran, angry protests prompted by reports of a deadly missile strike at a gaza city hospital, killing hundreds. many of the dead were injured. palestinian civilians, others seeking shelter from the fighting. videos circulating online showing that hospital in flames. hamas militants blaming the blast on an israeli missile. israel insisting they are not at fault. >> according to our intelligence source, hamas checked the reports. it understood it was an islamic jihad rocket that had misfired and decided to launch a global media campaign to hide what really happened. gaza residents angered and afraid. >> and we went to schools. they bo

abc news reporter justin finch live in washington, d.c. with the latest developments. good morning, justin coomassie good morning. >> and secretary of state antony blinken is set to travel to israel as soon as today, just as the first round of military aid from the us survives on the ground. and as president biden calls for a decisive response to hamas this morning, the israeli defense forces air assault on gaza pressing ahead. the idf striking hundreds of sites across the hamas led territory from above. an idf spokesman on why their targets appear to look like gaza civilian sites. >> if it's above ground, they locate themselves in civilian buildings and hamas being the cowards that they are, the idf also mobilizing more than 360,000 reservists, potentially preparing for a ground invasion with destruction all around. >> many families in gaza force to shelter in place. >> there's no electricity. there's no food supply. there's no water. there's is no internet connection in gaza and israel. >> heartbreak as the number of dead rises. as abc's matt gutman in an israeli vill

abc's justin finch is here with details. justin good morning, andrea good morning. >> the crisis in israel has created an unprecedented challenge for the biden administration, with americans also missing in the conflict. this morning, the white house confirms americans are likely among the hostages taken by hamas militants. sorry. white house spokesperson john kirby getting emotional during an interview discussing the images coming out of israel. >> there's been a lot of death and destruction in that region, but i've never seen anything like this. >> yeah. i excuse me, very difficult to look at these images. >> president biden will speak this afternoon about the conflict as lawmakers respond with condemnation and pledges of support. senator lindsey graham even threatening to target iran's oil infrastructure in retaliation for iran's funding of hamas for every israeli or american hostage executed by hamas. >> we should take down an iranian oil refinery. the only way you're going to keep this war from escalating is to hold iran

in washington, justin finch, abc seven news. back to you. >> thank you, justin.tioned, the president will be speaking any moment now. as soon as that happens, we will bring that to you live here on abc seven. and of course, you can find out what's happening with the latest updates by going to abc seven news.com and downloading the abc seven bay area app to get breaking news alerts and livames. >> oakland mayor shang tao stressed the importance of community safety during her first state of the city address, the mayor pledged to focus on bolstering the 911 system and installing 300 new license plate readers. in her 45 minute speech, tao says community safety is her top priority as the city's top official. i am committed to increasing the number of police officers on our streets with a strong preference for diverse, home grown officers who know our community. she did not mention homegrown police chief lauren armstrong, who she fired back in february. he is now one of seven candidate s that she could hire as police chief. a former police commissioner that mayor tao f

and abc news reporter justin finch has new reaction from president biden and the new action from the us military to try and stop the fighting overnight in gaza, more explosions as israeli defense forces burnishing airstrikes around the clock, targeting the islamist militant group hamas. >> we will strike hamas from the top through its institutions all the way down to the individuals that conducted the butchery of our babies on the ground. the israeli military calling up some 360,000 reservists with a ground incursion into gaza, appearing imminent inside the palestinian territory hospitals are struggling to wait. the injured access to food, water and electricity cut off for days. >> things are getting worse day by day, minute by minute. >> actually, the idf now ordering more than 1 million people to evacuate northern gaza, where hamas. s tunnel network allows them to hide out, hold hostages and smuggle weapons. president biden on 60 minutes calling hamas cowards and defending israel's response. >> israel is going after a group of people who engage in barbarism. that is as consequentia

justin finch, abc news, capitol hill. >> thank you, justin. another big question about this conflict in the middle east is how is the war between israel and hamas being viewed online? gloria joining us at the live desk with more on that part of it. >> good morning, kumasi. if you've logged on to any social media platform over the past few days, you've probably been bombarded with posts and messages about the conflict in the middle east. experts say since the war broke out several days ago, the amount of hate and vitriol being spread online has exploded. jewish community high school of the bay in san francisco sent out an email to students, parents urging them to protect their children from some of the harsh realities of war. if you have a child in this situation, university psychology artist thomas plante recommends talking to them very broad strokes and say, do you have question about that? >> you know, what do you want to know about this? and to try your best to try to give that message that you're willing to talk to your children in a devel

abc's justin finch is here now with more. justin, good morning. >> andrew good morning. after a classified briefing last night, majority leader chuck schumer called the attack on israel heart wrenching and said the senate stands ready to help israel. this morning, the us is upping its support to israel, deploying military ships to the region, increasing the number of fighter jets in the middle east and israel's military could ask the us to tap into its stockpiles inside israel, where the us military has maintained warehouses for decades containing tanks and ammunition. president biden with this warning. this is not a moment for any party hostile to israel to exploit these attacks, to seek advantage. meanwhile, critics accuse the white house of financially enabling hamas to attack israel after releasing $6 billion in frozen funds to iran as part of a recent prisoner swap. iran is suspected of playing a role in the attack, but secretary of state blinken says funds from the deal were not used. republican presidential candidate nikki haley pushing back. >> i actually think i

justin finch, abc news, washington.middle east is leading to tension here at home, including a disturbing murder case in illinois. >> gloria, a boy and his mom were allegedly targeted by their landlord because of their religion. >> they were kumasi. and as you can imagine, there is outrageous morning after the stabbing death of a six year old boy and the wounding of his mother. this happened saturday in plainfield, a town just 40 miles southwest of chicago. the local sheriff's office says the family's 71 year old landlord is the suspect. he has been arrested and faces murder, attempted murder and hate crime charges for the attack. investigators say the family's muslim faith was the motive for the attack. >> she said he knocked on the door and that he attempted to choke her and said, you muslims must die. she ran into the bathroom and called 911. and by the time she came out, he had located and murdered her child, six year old wadiya. >> president joe biden responded to the incident yesterday, calling the stabbing horrif

as abc news reporter justin finch explain has 1100 people are dead, at least nine americans. morning. >> israeli forces unleashing relentless airstrikes targeting the gaza strip after formally declaring war in the wake of a surprise strike from the palestinian militant group hamas . >> and as you just heard, that that's the sound of a mortar coming in from gaza. this is being fired by hamas militants while israelis are trying to deal with hamas, not just across in gaza, but also here still inside israel. >> israel pounding hundreds of targets in the palestinian territory, retaliation for what's being called the worst attack on israel in 50 years as that is intolerable for any democracy. >> it's intolerable for israel over delete altitude restrictions on the us, mobilizing military assistance for israel, deploying a carrier strike group to the middle east , the pentagon sending weapons and ammunition and us warships and fighter jets in route the united states stands with israel . >> no, we will not ever fail to have their back. >> the white house, pledging continued support fo

justin finch, abc news , washington.on this week, abc's martha raddatz speaks to white house national security adviser jake sullivan about attacks on us forces in the middle east. >> and you can watch t full interview on this week at eight this morning right here on abc seven. well, the united auto workers is expanding its strike against general motors. the united auto workers is expanding that strike. and the union announced workers at gm's plant in tennessee will walk off the job. the auto workers strike began about six weeks ago against ford, general motors and stellantis. it appears the union was making progress with gm before yesterday's announcement. now the uaw has worked out a new contract with ford. there are reports it has reached a tentative deal with stellantis. now to the surprise announcement from one of the candidates seeking the republican presidential nomination. >> so after much prayer and deliberation action, i have decided to suspend my campaign for president. effective today, former vice president mi

abc's justin finch has that part of the story. justin, good morning. >> rihanna. and good morning. americans trying to leave the war zone have a new option this morning, but it's likely just for a few hours this morning. an egyptian controlled border crossing out of gaza, the rafah border crossing was expected to briefly reopen, offering a sliver of hope to foreign nationals trying to leave gaza, including about 600 americans. >> our goal is to ensure that every american who is in gaza has safe passage out. >> gaza is safe, which between egypt, israel and the mediterranean, leaving people who want to evacuate with nowhere to go until egypt agreed to temporarily reopen the crossing. american maha barakat tells abc's ian pannell her attempts to flee gaza have been met with frustration and confusion. >> we're trying to get out. it's going to be a short one, they say. it's going to be a short notice, like are you talking about like you're going to give me 20 minutes to gather my stuff, get to the crossing and leave? it's going to take me about a half hour to get there. >> four american

abc's justin finch explains what happens next. justin good morning. >> ryan and good morning. house members face a short deadline to decide whether to remove mccarthy as speaker. >> do you think your job is to allow this morning, house speaker kevin mccarthy faces an extraordinary threat to his leadership after florida congressman matt gaetz filed a motion to remove him as speaker, declaring the office of speaker of the house of representatives to be vacant. >> resolved that the office of speaker of the house of representatives is hereby declared to be vacant in response to the motion, mccarthy posting last night. >> bring it on, gaetz has threatened to try to strip speaker mccarthy of his office for months. those threats escalated over the weekend when mccarthy relied on democrats to provide the necessary votes in order to fund the government without additional funding for ukraine, as some republicans refused to budge on the issue. but according to president biden, mccarthy assured him the money would be approved separately, which mccarthy denies. >> so, mister speaker, just

and abc's justin finch is here now with more. justin, good morning. >> ryan and good morning. the israel defense forces identifying a newly freed hostage as an israeli captured october 7th as hamas wages terrorist attack on israel. the israeli government releasing new video of a heartfelt reunion showing israeli military private ori, now home with her family after clearing a medical examination. the israel defense forces say was rescued during an idf ground operation in gaza, where she was held captive for more than three weeks in chicago , israeli american natalie raanan has returned home. she and her mother were among the first hamas hostages freed when we celebrating the return of natalie back to her home in chicago, we have to remember that there's still 239 hostage bodies in the hands of hamas in the gaza strip. on the war front , a relentless exchange of rocket fire between israel and hamas. israel rejecting calls for a cease fire just as the united states would not agree to a cease fire after the bombing of pearl harbor or after the terrorist attack of 911. >> israel wi

abc's justin finch joins us now from washington. good morning, justin, to you. >> andrew good morning. and israel now demanding russian officials take action after reports of an anti-semitic mob storming a russian airport targeting passengers arriving on a flight from tel aviv this morning. an apparent sign of present middle east tensions reverberating thousands of miles away. new video circulating online showing chaos at this airport in the predominantly muslim russian republic of dagestan. russian media reporting a mob of hundreds rushing that airport, chanting anti-semitic slogans. some making their way onto the tarmac , targeting passengers from a flight from tel aviv. health officials say more than 20 were injured and israel condemning the incident, pressing russia to protect the safety of all israeli citizens and jews and act resolutely against the rioters at the israel-gaza border. airstrikes escalating. the israeli defense forces bolstering its gaza ground offensive against hamas militants despite matching armored tanks into

abc's justin finch is in washington with more on this. justin, good morning. >> rihanna and good morning. the white house is pledging to find and rescue the american is missing after the attack. this morning. the american death toll after the attack in israel is now 22 with at least 17 others unaccounted for. it's unclear how many are being held hostage. >> i think we all need to steel ourselves for the very distinct possibility that these numbers will keep increasing and that we may, in fact, find out that more americans are part of the hostage pool. >> the biden administration says it's in discussion with countries that have opened lines of communication with hamas, such as qatar, where hamas's senior leader reportedly lives. a lavish lifestyle. it appears no decision has been made on whether to send us troops into gaza to help secure the hostages release. we haven't made any decisions about hostage recovery at this time. >> we just don't also have enough information to be able to make decisions like that. us officials tell abc news hama

. >> abc's justin finch begins our team coverage now. he's in washington. in good morning. >> good morning. rhiannon the president will visit israel just as thousands of us troops prepare there for a possible deployment. abc news has learned president biden's visit to the middle east will be quick over the course of one day meeting with prime minister benjamin netanyahu in israel. >> tomorrow, president biden will underscore our crystal clear message to any actor, state or non-state, trying to take advantage of this crisis to attack israel. don't. >> secretary of state antony blinken revealed the trip in a late night announcement from tel aviv after a meeting with netanyahu and his war cabinet for nearly eight hours until nearly 3 a.m, the white house taking the complex security situation into account before announcing biden's trip. we wouldn't make a trip, obviously, if we did not believe that that proper, proper security parameters would be in place. >> and obviously this is not ukraine. it is a different situation. >> president biden will also stop in jor

abc's justin finch has the latest now from washington. good morning, justin. >> rhiannon good morning. and speaker kevin mccarthy and house members are also now bracing for a republican plan to kick start the process of ousting mccarthy as soon as today. >> the bill is passed on the heels of a bipartisan deal to fund the government until november 17th and narrowly averting a shutdown. >> house speaker kevin mccarthy now facing fire from within his own party. >> i am relentless and i will continue to pursue this objective. >> florida house republican matt gaetz threatening to introduce a motion that would allow house members to reject mccarthy from the speakership with a majority vote. gay rights drubbing mccarthy for brokering a deal with democrats and, quote, not reining in spending. mccarthy says he's determined to keep his gavel. >> bring it on. let's get over with it and let's start governing. >> after signing off on the short term spending deal, president biden slamming republican leadership. >> i'm sick and tired of the brinksmanship

abc news reporter justin finch has the latest from washington this morning. >> israel at war.nse forces released new video showing its airstrikes. the idf says they've taken out more than 1000 targets across gaza as it hunts down hamas. abc's ian pannell there on the ground as israel's military moves south towards gaza and what could be a step towards a ground invasion. >> these are armored personnel carriers essentially heading up towards the front line. we're seeing a lot of men, a lot of munitions and a lot of movement. this is starting to look really like a country at war. >> israel also imposing a gaza siege, blocking food, water and utility into the palestinian territory. civilians in gaza now scrambling to save survivors trapped beneath rubble and caught in the crossfire for now coming to light. evidence the israel attack have been months in the making. video showing fighters training on motorized paragliders, practicing their surprise arrival into israel. all the family of 19 year old karina akayev worried for her safety after video circulated online of her being taken

as abc news reporter justin finch tells us, the israeli military has two goals to destroy hamas and get hostages safely back home. >> overnight in gaza, a series of bright blasts across the dark skies. unrelenting airstrikes as prime minister benjamin netanyahu confirms as israel's war against hamas has entered a new phase. in a televised address to the israeli people, the prime minister saying we will fight for our native land. we will fight and won't back down. israel bolstering its offensive striking hamas from the air, the sea and on the ground and claiming 150 underground hamas targets are now destroyed. netanyahu saying the fight will only intensify in preparation for a broad ground invasion into gaza. a hamas official promising a fight, but i think he will achieve nothing on the ground but israel claiming it's killed several hamas leaders, including a commander who oversaw paraglider operations during hamas's deadly october seventh terrorist attack on israel. all across the gaza strip, concerns about a worsening humanitarian crisis. neighborhoods now reduced to rubble. the growin