Welcome back to ABC News live First Defense secretary Lloyd Austin is set to hold a news conference at the Pentagon as the US prepares to retaliate for the deadly attack on US troops in Jordan it'll be Austin's first media availability since his prostate surgery and Hospital stay both of which were kept secret from the White House in.
Public for days let's bring in White House correspondent Mary Alis parks along with ABC News National Security and defense analyst Mick mroy for more uh Marian what's the latest on potential retaliation for the attack in Jordan yeah the White House saying that this is going to be a multi-step process I was in the White House briefing.
Yesterday and uh Admiral John Kirby the National Security spokesperson said that we shouldn't expect that the first uh strike or the first response that we see from the administration from the US might be the last they are expecting this could be multiple days um and and a sort of a multipronged campaign us officials also telling us that they.
Could strike back in multiple countries um potentially in Syria Iraq even Yemen a possibility um so we are watching it very closely of course I was also pushing them on whether or not the the delay here I mean it's been more than three days uh could be letting these iranian-backed militias um recalibrate or or move assets out of the region the.
White House wouldn't confirm any of that sort of intelligence yet Diane all right and it looks like uh the defense Secret is getting ready to speak everyone for being here today it's my pleasure to welcome Secretary of Defense ly J Austin III to the Pentagon briefing room the secretary will deliver opening remarks and then take your questions please note.
That I will moderate those questions and call on journalists so I'd ask that you raise your hand if you have a question wait to be recognized uh and I'll I'll call upon you with that over to you Mr secretary thanks Pat good morning it's been a difficult few days for the Department of Defense and the entire department is.
United in our outrage and sorrow over the death of three US service members on Sunday in Jordan we all mourn the loss of three Army Reserve soldiers serving at Tower 22 Sergeant William J Rivers age 46 Sergeant Kennedy L Sanders age 24 and Sergeant Briana a Moffett age 23 our thoughts and prayers are with.
Their families and their loved ones and we know that this grief will never leave them and we hope that they know that the Department's love and support will never leave them either we're also praying for the other American troops who were wounded now our teammates were killed when a one-way attack drone struck their living.
Quarters and we continue to gather the facts about this deadly attack our fallen soldiers had a vital mission to support operation inherent resolve and to work with our partners to ensure the lasting defeat of Isis they risk their lives and lost their lives to keep their fellow Americans safe from Global.
Terrorism the president will not tolerate attacks on American troops and neither will I our teammates were killed by radical militias backed by Iran and operating inside Syria and Iraq in the aftermath of the vile Hamas terrorist assault on Israel on October 7th terrorist groups backed by Iran and.
Funded by Iran have tried to create even more turmoil including the houthis attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea so this is a dangerous moment in the Middle East we will continue to work to avoid a wider conflict in the region but we will take all necessary actions.
To defend the United States our interest and our people and we will respond when we choose where we choose and how we choose now that's what everyone here is focused on but in my first week back in the Pentagon I did want to address my recent Hospital stay and some of the issues around it I'm recovering well but.
As you can see I'm still recovering I'm still having some leg pain and doing physical therapy to get past it I'm deeply grateful to my doctors and the nursing staff at Walter Reed and I very much appreciate all the good wishes but I want to be Crystal Clear we did not handle this right and I.
Did not handle this right I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis I should have also told my team and the American public and I take full responsibility I apologize to my teammates and to the American people now I want to make it very clear.
That there were no gaps in authorities and no risk to the Department's command and control at every moment either I or the deputy secretary was in full charge and we've already put in place some new procedures to make sure that any lapses in notification don't happen in the future if the deputy secretary.
Needs to temporarily assume the off the duties of my office she and several White House offices will be immediately notified including the White House Situation Room and so will key officials across the department and the reason for that Assumption of Duties will be included in writing now I want you all to know that.
To know why this happened I was being treated for prostate cancer the news shook me and I know that it shakes so many others especially in the black community it was a gut punch and frankly my first instinct was to keep it private I don't think it's news that I'm.
A pretty private guy I never like burdening others with my problems it's just not my way but I've learned from this experience to taking this kind of job means losing some of the Privacy that most of us expect the American people have a right to know if their leaders are facing health challenges that might affect their ability to.
Perform their duties even temporarily so A Wider Circle should have been notified especially the president I'll take your questions today but as you know we've got an ongoing internal review as well as a DOD Inspector General review that we fully support so I may have to discuss some aspects.
Later now let me back up a bit as you know on 22nd December I had a minimally invasive procedure to cure me of my recently diagnosed prostate cancer and then I hit some bad luck during what is usually a pretty easy recovery on January 1st I felt severe leg pain and and pain in the abdomen and hip that evening an ambulance took me to.
Walter read the doctors found that I had several issues that needed treatment including a bladder infection and abdominal problems on January 2nd I was also experiencing fever and chills and shallow breathing the medical staff decided to transfer me to the critical care unit for several days for for.
Closer monitoring and better uh team care by my doctors and the deputy secretary assumed the functions and duties of my office which happened s when necessary her senior staff my senior staff and the joint staff were notified of this through our regular email notification Pro.
Procedures and I never directed anyone to keep my January hospitalization from the White House on January 5th I resumed my functions and duties as secretary from the hospital I was functioning functioning well mentally but not so well physically and so I stayed at Walter readed for additional time uh for.
Additional treatment including physical therapy for some lingering issues with my leg now I'm offering all of this as an explanation and not an excuse I am very proud of what we've achieved at the department over the past three years but we fell short on this one as a rule I don't talk about.
Conversations with my boss but I can tell you I've apologized directly to President Biden and I've told him that I'm deeply sorry for not letting him know immediately that I received a heavy diagnosis and was getting treatment and he has responded with a Grace and warm heart that anyone who knows President Biden would expect and.
I'm grateful for his full confidence in me and finally I also missed an opportunity to send a message on an important public health issue and I'd like to fix that right now I was diagnosed with a highly treatable form of cancer a pretty common one one in eight American men will get prostate cancer one in six black men will get it.
And so I'm here with a clear message to other men especially older men get screen get your regular checkups prostate cancer has a glass jaw if your doctor can spot it they can treat it and beat it and the the side effects that I experienced are highly highly.
Unusual so you can count on me to set a better example on this issue today and for the rest of my life and again I want to thank everyone for their well wishes and their great support and with that I'll take your questions thank you Mr secretary first question will go to Associated Press Lita thank you thank you Mr secretary you said that uh you.
Never directed anyone to keep this from the White House did you direct your staff or others to keep it from the public and from other senior staff members and if you did not has anyone been disciplined for doing something that you did not tell them to do and then just quickly on uh Iraq and and Syria what is your response to the KH.
Statement today that um they are postponing or not doing any more attacks thank you good morning Lita good morning to answer your question on whether or not I direct at my staff to conceal my hospitalization from anyone else the answer is no.
Um in terms of uh my my response to K's statement um we always listen to what people are saying but we watch what they do and and again uh actions are everything um so uh we'll see what happens in the future okay next question little go to Fox Jennifer um sir during that time that you were in the Intensive.
Care Unit there was a air strike carried out a drone strike against a um an Iraqi uh leader of a militia how is it that um do you regret that the authorities were not clear at that point and um what can you explain about what was going through your mind at that time and then separately there's been a lot of telegraphing about targeting and.
Responding to the Drone strike so much so that the Iranian proxy leaders have left the country some are back in in tan um has there been too much telegraphing or is the point not to kill any Iranian commanders um regarding the strike on the eth Jen um that strike was uh was planned.
And I I had made recommendations to the president on uh on actions that we should carry out uh and and president made a decision uh and based upon that decision authorities were pushed down to the Central Command Commander uh and as you know a strike like that uh you can't pick the precise time when that strike is going to take place you want to.
Minimize collateral damage you want to make sure that you have everything right and so uh the subordinate Commander had the controls on that particular strike so that uh I was very much involved in the in the in planning and the recommendations for that and we knew that that would take place uh within a matter of days um in terms of uh.
Telegraphing about strikes and whether or not um people leave or would have left you know I won't speculate uh on on any of that I would just tell you that uh you know we will have a a multi-tiered response uh and uh and again we have the ability to uh uh to respond uh a number in a number of times depending on what the situation is okay.
Let's go to Reuters Phil um what did your Deputy know about your condition and when did you know it yeah Phil I I think uh in terms of what she knew and didn't know I think we we should probably let uh that uh come out of the review I think I I won't speculate on what she knew and did not know uh based upon what.
Information was passed to to her again I think the details of that will come out of U one or both of those reviews so okay Gordon Mr secretary um you said you didn't direct your staff to hide this truth or or lie but did you create a culture of secrecy that then uh the staff kind of interpreted your your desires or your um intentions when it.
Came to you getting set yeah you know I I uh uh I don't think I've created a culture of secrecy uh I think uh there will be um security officers there will be other staff members who who may perceive that uh they're doing things in my best interest and you know I can't I can't uh U predict or or determine or ascertain what those things may be I.
Just know what I said and uh and did not say and of course uh you know I have a great staff and and they always uh want to intend to do the right things but in terms of what one may or may not have perceived at any one point in time I won't speculate on that okay let's go to ABC hi sir um thank you for doing this and I think on behalf of all of us here.
We Wish You a speedy uh recovery um I'd like to ask you about the current situation in the Middle East the the message has been deterrence deterring the attacks by the houthis deterring the attacks by the militias um has deterrence failed and if you are going to retaliate at the time and place of your choosing is that not an escalation.
Particularly given all the rhetoric with Iran and an question on your recovery sir um at any point did you feel that you your situation had caused you to consider possibly resigning uh given all of the political attention that that had developed as a result of it um in terms of resignation the answer is no um in terms of.
Uh of escalation in the Middle East uh you know our goal was to make sure that that we contain uh this crisis uh in uh in in Gaza uh and and that we prevented things from from spreading to a wider wider conflict now there's a lot of activity in the region but there's always been a lot of activity in the region and and you know.
Well that um Iranian proxy groups have been attacking our troops uh even well before October 7th and you can go we can go back and count the numbers of attacks before October 7th uh and and are not insignificant um there there are things that are ongoing now uh well things are not ongoing you know we we don't see a a conflict an allout conflict between.
Israel uh and Lebanese Hezbollah and so I think managing that I think is uh uh has been artfully done and so you know we remain in contact with our uh Israeli counterparts and make sure that that doesn't uh blossom into a a war or another front uh we don't see Israel engaged in uh in a conflict with other countries in the region not at war with.
With Iran U and yeah the hooes continue to do some things that are very uh irresponsible and illegal and uh and so uh our goal is to make sure that we take away we continue to take away capability from the hooes uh to do what they've been doing and this is not a uh this is not a US issue this is an international issue you know we're going to either be.
Serious about the freedom of navigation uh and uh or or we're not and and and so as we look at Partners like the UK and so many others that have joined us uh in this effort uh this is about freedom of navigation there are others in the world that are watching this to see how how serious we are about this and we are serious uh and again our partners and.
Allies are serious about it as well this is costing uh um countries and companies significant amounts of money as uh as they' had to redirect commercial traffic around but the hooes I mean their activity needs to come to a halt and we would call upon Iran to uh to quit or to cease supplying the houes with uh with these Advanced Conventional Weapons that.
They've used to attack ships and the in the Red Sea in the bab Elman Deb okay let's go to lean uh sir commiserations on your illnesses and it's good to see you back on your feet um at least on one foot on one foot um uh you you said uh that you never directed your staff to keep the news of your hospitalization uh from the from anyone uh did any senior.
Members of your family or your wife direct people to keep this a secret um to my knowledge uh no members well I don't know I don't know what anyone on my on my staff may have said but I think these things will come out in the in the review and so rather than speculate I I think we should we should let that uh the facts come out.
As a review is done so can I ask you one more question about you it you mentioned during your opening statement that uh this was an opportunity to talk about prostate cancer especially in the black community I wonder though do you have any regret that your silence on this reinforced this culture of secrecy among black black men about prostate cancer.
Yeah and you mentioned that and it's probably not a uh an issue of secrecy as much as it's an issue of privacy and uh this is uh this is a very cancer period is is very private and there may be cancer survivors amongst amongst us in this room right here and I know there is at least a couple there are at least a couple uh but but you.
Know uh how how private that that is uh uh and and you know what the initial diagnosis deals like and uh uh and so among the black community though it's it's even more a thing that that people want to want to keep private and and again it's more about privacy than secrecy uh in my case uh I should have informed my boss I did not that was a.
Mistake uh and uh and again I apologize to him for not doing so that's good and Pi Mr secretary you went to the hospital on December 22nd was your staff aware that you'd gone to the hospital hospital and if so why didn't they tell the White House he went back to the hospital on January 1st and an aid told the dispatcher uh when the ambulance arrives.
No lights no Sirens did you direct the aid to say that I asked uh my assistant to call the ambulance I did not direct him to do anything further than just call the ambulance uh and so what he said uh and why he said it I think that should come out in the in the review as well what about December 22nd when you went to the hospital the first time was.
The staff aware and if so why didn't they tell the White House when when I went to the hospital on December 22nd uh it was I went in for that procedure um my duties were transferred to the deputy that was planned and uh and I decided to stay in the hospital overnight didn't have to decided to stay there overnight uh because of the anesthesia that was.
Involved uh and then the next day later in the afternoon early early evening we transferred the authorities back no I'm talking about your staff staff we why didn't they the White House Mr secretary first we wish you good health and thank you for taking our questions we hope you have a quick recovery I have two questions I'll start with the first one.
On your hospitalization you were hospitalized for days before you informed the White House or the commanderin-chief of your condition and your absence anyone else within the military chain of command would have faced reprimand or even dismissal why shouldn't that same standard apply to you sir well let me just say that uh uh.
Thanks for the question that that we didn't get this right and as I said I take full responsibility for uh for the Department's actions uh in terms of why um on the second notification was was not made to the white house uh that information was available uh I'm not sure U at this point uh what exactly happened but I think details uh will uh.
Will play out as a review is is conducted so I can follow up about the situation overseas right now and the deliberation in regards to strikes there have been more than 160 strikes on American targets across the region as you noted since October why has the US waited until American Service members were killed to escalate its.
Response well um as you know we've responded a number of times uh and taken out uh um first of all their attacks uh many of them most of them are going to be ineffective many of and most of them were going to defend ourselves against uh and um whenever we uh conduct a uh a strike we're going to hit at what we're aiming.
At we're going to take away capability we're going to we're going to do what we're uh Desiring to do uh and so this this particular attack um was egregious and that it you know the attack um was on the sleeping area of one of of of of our base and and again uh we have uh uh we katab Hezbollah and and other uh elements uh continue to.
Um attack our troops uh and uh and again I think at this point uh we we should uh it's time to uh to take away even more capability than we've taken in the past in terms of the the you use the term escalation we've not described what our what our response is going to be uh but we look to hold the people that are responsible for this accountable and we.
Also look to make sure that uh we continue to take away capability from them as we go forward let's go let's go to the next question Washington Post Missy um welcome back Mr secretary um what first of all we um the chairman of the house um armed services committee one of the main oversight committees for this building has asked if you will come.
Testify on a specific date will you do that and secondly on the Middle East what's your response to the criticism um that the United States is sort of playing into the hands of the houthis because the US response is elevating their status they've demonstrated an ability to withstand years of bombing in the past and more broadly pling into the.
Hands of the Iranians that support the houthis and the other groups um when the goal of President Biden in the United States has been to prevent increased violence um in the Middle East and and now the United States is taking part in actually increasing it thanks U Missy what was your the first part of your question test what will you.
Testify as chairman Rogers has asked yeah so Congress has uh had some uh very relevant questions uh that uh they've asked us uh and we will continue to uh to answer those questions uh we'll continue to work with uh chairman rogers's office uh to uh to address uh any additional questions or issues that.
He might have and again we'll stay in touch with chairman rogers's office as and and uh you know as things play out so I'm sorry on the Middle East yeah are you playing into the hands of the houthis in Iran more generally well Mr you know if you take a look at what what the hooes are doing I mean they're they're attacking uh commercial shipping.
You know initially they said that they're attacking commercial shipping because these ships were supporting Israel U they've attacked the uh um ships that that are that have the interest of some 50 countries that are not supporting Israel and so this is this is an international CME uh and and this is something we have to do about.
And not in terms of elevating the status of the hood ities I think we have to do something about that this is not elevating their status this is about preventing them from uh having the ability to do what they've done in terms of attacking ships uh and trying to sync ships uh that have nothing to do with uh with with the Israeli conflict so let's.
Go to CBS David Mr secretary we all saw a golf cart out in the hallway is is is that how you're getting around now and how confident are you with that your recovery is going to be complete enough to allow you to continue in what everybody recognizes as a very demanding job yeah well nobody recognizes that more than me uh but uh uh that's the.
First time I use that golf cart by the way and uh but I think it's pretty neat um my leg will continue to Pro improve uh the doctors are confident that it will uh the my uh PT specialist who I think is a sist is uh you know he continues to work me hard and uh and and he has confidence as well it'll just.
Take time because of the nature of the of the of the you how much time um no they can't put a number on in terms of days or or or weeks but but it'll be incremental Improvement I won't be ready for the Olympics but uh but I'll uh I'll improve so let's go to AFP thank you Mr secretary um does the US need to its military actions or do.
Something new or unprecedented in order to deter rounding X proxies and and if so how can that be done without um without uh sparking a broader conflict I think everyone recognizes the the challenge associated with making sure that we hold the right people accountable uh that uh that we do everything necessary to protect our.
Troops and that we manage things so that it they they don't escalate I don't think there's any any set formula for doing this I do think though that uh that in everything that we do uh as we work our way through our decision-making process with the National Security uh um Council um we're we're managing all of that looking at all of that and and.
We're using every instrument of National Power to to address various issues so so I think I mean there there are ways to to manage this so it doesn't spiral out of control and that's been our Focus throughout so let's go to Al jazer thank you um speedy recovery uh Mr secretary um I I have two things um in back in December in your speech at the Reagan uh.
Library you told Israeli leaders they have to protect civilian lives in Gaza since that speech 12,000 more Palestinians have been we're now at 27,000 killed why are you still supporting this war when this government that is the most extreme in the history of Israel led by someone who refuses to recognize any political right for the.
Palestinians and with elements that are calling for uh ethnic cleansing and displacement of Palestinians do Palestinians have the right to dignity as you said in Angola when I was with you on the trip you said the future belongs to those who protect dignity not trampling yeah um I I said that in the speech at the Reagan.
Forum uh I've said that to my counterpart Minister Galant every time that I talk to him and I talk to him every week uh and I I emphasize the importance of uh protecting uh civilian lives I also emphasize the importance of uh providing humanitarian assistance to uh the Palestinians it's critical it's it's really important uh this is uh.
There's no question that this is a tough has been a tough uh conflict uh but we're as I said earlier we are starting to see uh the Israelis kind of shift their stance and and change their approach to a more uh focused uh and uh um um controlled well not control is probably not the right word but a more.
Focused effort uh focused on a discrete set of objectives uh and so um I think uh you know we talked to them about that uh weeks ago uh and uh they said they were going to do that and they are doing that but I will continue to emphasize and I know secretary blinkin and President Biden will continue to emphasize the importance of addressing.
The issue of the Palestinian people uh it it's critical and uh you know we're doing more uh but but we're not doing enough time for a few more let's go to CNN uh secretary allow me to join my colleagues in wishing you a speedy recovery uh the 30-day review is due in a matter of days now I think less than a week if.
I'm not mistaken do you commit to making that review public and second question has your Chief of Staff Kelly maximan offered her resignation or have there been discussions about her resignation in the wake of the failure to notify um I commit to being uh as as transparent as possible uh and uh and.
Sharing as much as possible um Orin you'll understand that because this is a command and control of uh policies of uh of our government here there'll be um elements of this that are classified but uh we're committed to sharing uh as as much as possible as soon as possible and your Chief of Staff has she offered her resignation uh she.
Has not so okay let's go to PBS nick uh Mr seor I've seen what you're going through up close among loved ones so again we wish you a full recovery and I know it's possible so thank you um you described this as a gut punch your instinct to privacy but if I could just ask you bluntly you had nearly a month between the time you learned of your.
Cancer and the time that this came out to inform the president how could you possibly think that it was okay not to tell him uh if I could be blun and just a small question on Iran in the Middle East what do you believe Iran knew operationally about the attack in Jordan and and how important is that when it comes to the US.
Response so um when the diagnosis was made um doctor highlighted that you have a finite window of time to actually get this done if you go beyond that that window then then you will have a problem Christmas holidays coming up uh for me uh to be have as little impact on on uh what we're doing in the department Christmas was a time for me to uh to.
Take a look at getting that done uh it was a tough decision for me uh and I did not decide until you know very close to when the procedure was done to actually uh do the procedure in terms of informing the president again I uh I admit that that was a mistake to not talk to him about that early on uh when you're the president of the United.
States you got a lot of things on your plate and so putting my personal uh issue uh on adding adding to his uh all the things that he's got on his plate I just didn't feel that that was uh that was a thing that I I should do at the time but again I recognize that that was a mistake and uh I should have done that differently so and what Iran knew about.
The attack in Jordan or how operationally he was involved um you know we believe that this was uh done by an element of what is known as the axis of resistance uh and U these are Iranian proxy groups uh and how much Iran knew or didn't know we don't know but it really doesn't matter because Iran.
Sponsors these groups it funds these groups uh and uh in some cases it uh it trains these groups on Advanced Conventional Weapons uh and so you know I again I I think without that facilitation these kind kinds of things don't happen so okay let's go to Ft and then Politico to close it out thanks Mr secretary have you seen any signs that.
China has been successful in pressing Iran to rain in the hoopies in the Red Sea uh we we have not um again what's happening in terms of uh close Communications between between leaders uh you know we we don't know but uh but we've not seen any visible evidence that they are they are encouraging or pressuring uh Iran to uh cause the.
Hoodies to to back off of what they've been doing okay final question thank you good to see you Mr secretary I also hope that you make a speedy recovery I have two questions um first of all um do you regret not personally telling the deputy the details the two times you that you were in the hospital and the authorities were transferred to her do you think.
That she had a right to know and then I have a question on the Middle East as well um as you heard me say in my opening statement uh I apologize to all my colleagues uh and uh and also the American people that uh that I wasn't as transparent as I I probably should have been upfront so and then my second.
Question is there any discussion right now of withdrawing troops from either Syria or Iraq especially given what has happened in the last couple weeks um what's happened in the last couple of weeks uh is not driving us to um consider withdrawing troops from Syria there are ongoing discussions with the Iraq Iraqi leadership about uh.
About our future footprint in Iraq and I think that's that's been fairly well publicized the high military commission we've taken the first steps uh in in conducting those meetings uh and so that will play out over time does that include discussions about withdrawing troops from Iraq uh it'll include discussions about our footprint going.
Forward for sure thank you very much Mr secretary ladies and gentlemen that's all the time we have for today thank you very much and we've been watching defense secretary Lloyd Austin in his first news conference since returning from the hospital after having surgery for.
Prostate cancer Austin addressed the deadly attack on US forces in jordan saying his thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the service members killed or injured he also says the US will respond quote when we choose where we choose and how we choose the defense secretary also addressed the controversies surrounding.
His medical issues and lack of disclosure saying he is recovering well but admits he could have handled it better for more let's bring in White House correspondent Mary Alis Parks ABC News National Security and defense analyst Mick mroy foreign correspondent Marcus Moore in Aman Jordan and ABC News medical correspondent Dr Darian Sutton.
MC Austin says that the president will not tolerate attacks on American troops and neither will he so how much do we know about the options on the table for how to respond so Diane surprising ly a lot there's been a lot of uh leaked information on what the targets could be uh potentially that is so that Iran has.
The ability to remove uh Personnel so there's not a lot of Iranians that are killed in this response uh but that is one of the concerns is that this will be essentially hitting empty facilities there's also some discussion that the delay may have been uh because of weather so it might have been a combination of that but I do think that.
This is going to be a multiphased operation that tries to uh deplete degrade uh the infrastructure that Iran uses to support these proxy groups whether it's storage facilities training facilities uh and the logistical supply line so that even if they still have an intent to attack US forces they might not have uh the means and I think that's.
Something that we could expect them to really try uh to affect a change Marcus secretary Austin says the military sending a message of deterrence what roles do US troops actually play in the region well um as you know uh the US troops have been in this region for for quite some time for decades now and uh more.
Recently a lot of the work that they've been doing uh has been trying to uh keep Isis from uh the remnants of Isis from being able to operate in the region and uh and conduct attacks and uh there is a relatively large or still a large US presence here uh in the region and that has been the source of of conflict as we've seen these Iranian proxy groups.
That have carried out um attacks on on US service members here in the region recently but as you heard the the secretary uh mention he said that these groups have been uh targeting Americans since before uh October 7th and and Diane if I can um well one of the points that that that really stood out to me uh was the question about the US response.
And the potential for it to spread into a much wider uh conflict all of this revolving around the the Israel Hamas war and and and he uh indicated uh that he believes that they are being successful that they have been successful in containing the conflict or trying to contain it to uh to Gaza saying that if you look uh Israel is not.
U in an allout war with any countries that uh that it neighbors right now and that the the conflicts and the fighting that we've seen between Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and Israel on its northern border that that has been uh contained he he indicated and also Al that while the houthis have continued to carry out attacks on the commercial.
Shipping routes in the Red Sea uh that they have been able to diminish their capabilities but that more work needs to be done I think altogether uh they're they're trying to say that they have been successful in in keeping this from spiraling out of control and one other note Diane uh he said that we are not at War uh with Iran and I thought that was.
Uh that was significant it does seem that way Mary Alis what are you hearing from lawmakers about a potential response how how much pressure is President Biden under from Congress on this a significant pressure and the White House was asked about this yesterday whether he's feeling that political pressure to respond uh they.
Said that that's not what he's taking into account right now that that they're worried primarily on the US sort of National Security of course and responding appropriately while also balancing um like Marcus was just talking about a concern about about escalating this conflict in any way um and figuring out sort of how to get that.
Delicate balance right but of course they're under political pressure it has been several days now you can imagine there's a lot of Americans wondering if this makes the United States look like an attack on our troops is going unanswered I think that the White House um is aware of that pressure but but like I said they're at least publicly.
Saying that it is not a deciding factor for President Biden mick how fine Al line does the president have to walk here in order to send a message to these iran-backed Rebels but also to try not to escalate this conflict and spread it even further so that is the balance Diane it needs to.
Be significant it needs to be unambiguous it needs to actually cost Iran something because quite frankly Iran has no problem fighting to the last proxy uh Force that's why they have them this needs to actually have consequences for Iran but they don't want to have it such a significance consequences that they then feel compelled to respond.
Which could escalate this into a conflict that I don't think either country uh wants or or should want so I think that's the balance but it does have to be significant and deterrence quite frankly is self-grading homework we'll find out if it stops these attacks against our troops and if it doesn't then we need to relook at our response.
And try to be more significant uh next time and Dr Sutton Austin also spoke about his recent hospitalization he says he was diagnosed with a highly treatable form of P prostate cancer and in error he tried to keep that private how serious is that diagnosis how do you get it and what are some symptoms to look out for it's an incredibly serious.
Diagnosis it's actually one of the leading causes of death the second leading cause of death among American men after lung cancer and so when we talk about this diagnosis it's important to create awareness because one key point is that early intervention can help solve a lot of the complications of prostate cancer in including metastasis.
Or spreading to other parts of the body and so in this speech in this report you know I feel for him number one I appreciate the honesty as a physician I feel for his lack of privacy in this moment but I also understand that his position requires transparency so when we look at the details regarding his case it clinically makes sense he had.
This procedure early December or Pro was diagnosed early December had this procedure in January and suffered from the complications of that which unfortunately are rare but I think he took a Gamble and in this case uh he was trying to keep it private and that complication is likely why the reason the reason why we're talking about it.
Right now he said something interesting he said prostate cancer is in a glass jar and so if doctors can see it they can cure it I think he said or maybe he said treat it what did you make of that statement I think that it's it's that prostate cancer is always available to discuss number one having discussions about screening on prostate cancer.
Should start in your 40s the average age is 67 but whenever I talk about average ages Diane we have to understand half of those who are diagnosed are under that average and half are above and for black men that risk is even higher 60 to 80% more likely to be diagnosed earlier in terms and also with later stages and so I think when he references that glass.
Jar he's speaking to the fact that it's something so obvious an easy topic to discuss something so curable and solvable but it just has to be done early I want to bring in our senior National policy reporter an flarity here as well because an Austin says new Protocols are now in place to avoid a similar situation in the future meaning.
The communication breakdown that happened here right because he's saying there was no Gap in Authority but he's also saying you know at one point the deputy press secretary was the one calling the shots and the White House didn't know and so on so what can what can you tell us about changes that have been put in place since this all.
Happened so he's not saying and he's not speaking to a lot of the details that the reporters wanted in this you could hear from the questions that they asked repeatedly uh did your Deputy know why you were in the hospital or why she had received these authorities you know she's suddenly in charge of the Armed Forces did anybody bother to tell her.
Why he said I'm not going to speculate on what my staff knew he said I have a great staff he says I can only speak to what I knew and what I said at the time and he made very clear over and over again I made a mistake suton he also said one other thing that stuck out to me he said I missed an opportunity to raise awareness.
About this condition by keeping it secret especially in the black community and among older men he's saying he's hoping to correct that now how important do you think that is it's incredibly important some of these conversations that happen on public stages like this then dictate and translate to conversations I'm having with patients I.
Can't tell you enough how many times a patient has come in and stated I saw something on television and it scared me enough that I wanted to have a conversation now when we look at the statistics the American Cancer Society expects that we have expected 300,000 new cases of prostate cancer this year and as I alluded to earlier that risk is.
Even increased for as black men and so I think it's really helpful and valuable have conversations like this on a public stage ignite conversations in A Private Matter and then he can save more lives Mick back to the security issues here Austin also said that this is about more than just this back and forth that we're saying he says this is about freedom of.
Navigation how crucial is that and who has vested interests there so Diane I think that's part of trying to separate what's happening in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aiden from the war Gaza obviously the houthis are saying that they're only going after uh you know Israeli linked ships but quite quite frankly over 50 countries.
Nationals not Israelis have been affected uh and this is affecting global trade so freedom of navigation should be every country's interest not just those that have a political interest in how the war Gaza is going so I think that's one of the reasons why he's really pushing that because the Coalition is built on ensuring freedom of navigation.
And international waterways which is essential for the world economy and I think that's something that's going to continue to be pushed and it's real it really needs to be something that countries identify and join in to stop all right Mar Ellis Parks MC mroy Marcus Moore in flarity and Dr Daren Sutton thank thank you all we'll be right.
Back tonight the US plan to strike back for the deaths of three American soldiers plus the dangerous storms saturating the West more Americans turn to the most watched newscast on television World News Tonight with David mure tomorrow morning wake up with Usher it's going be a great show what will he reveal about his new music and his epic.
Halftime show plus she just got nominated for an Oscar so what's Anette Benning doing next she's coming to GMA live tomorrow on Good Morning America good vies on my phone everything is so little bit of sun just a little bit breathing just a little bit my little a I've been R through the Str pictures.
Of myone like everything is so little bit of sun Good Morning America from America's number one news source comes the allnew ABC News app breaking news Incredible video faster smarter and it can customize to you and your interests if you love being in the know you're going.
To love this experience what all the buzz is about experience the allnew ABC News app download it now ABC News live Prime winner of the Gracie award for best news program in all of Television stream ABC News live Prime with lindsy Davis week nights on ABC News live the ideal male physique is tall dark and handsome money can buy you a lot of.
Things money can't make you taller right we're bring you behind the scenes of the newest cosmetic surgery as a man it's like man I wish I was taller we see men who are taller as the alpha I went from 59 right now wish shoes I'm 61 everybody's freaked out by it on the basis of what it's called leg lengthen you only live once so go for it.
The big business of getting tall now streaming on Hulu welcome back to ABC News live first three top pro athletes are opening up about their mental health struggles Michael straan sat down with them to discuss the moment they finally asked for help and how we can change the narrative about mental health in the.
Black community a small gathering of some of America's greatest black athletes competing at the highest level but Underneath It All privately struggling with their mental health I'm learning how to live a new life in this new pain in this journey of grief that's like a roller coaster what a play back at the.
13 yd line by Solomon Thomas in 2018 New York Jet defensive lineman Solomon Thomas had just finished his rookie year shortly after his sister Ella died by Suicide that's what he says his mental health struggle began I grew up the mentality hey like you know be a man be tough like push through it you know after my sister died I had all these.
Emotions and feelings I had never felt before like deep depression deep guilt for Olympian track and field athlete Anna coch wow Anna cockro went Blowing by it was her third year of college when she began to struggle a lot of the typical depression symptoms that you hear about just didn't apply to me I was doing all the things you're supposed to.
Do and still felt terrible and for three time in ba Allstar towns no hesitation SW Timberwolves Center Carl Anthony towns it was after losing multiple family members including his beloved mother to covid-19 that his world came to a standstill it was the first time in a way the world was silent and in that silence I realized that in this whole.
Process I never took time to take care of myself and I got to a point where I had to start realizing I was deteriorated their struggles as unique as their path to Healing my college coach pulled me into her office and she was like what is going on you're smiling and there's no light behind your eyes someone else recognized it before you.
Really wanted to acknowledge it absolutely and I just broke down and she called one of the therapists that day and was like when is your earliest appointment and is going to come in for me my general manager John Lynch came up to me and said hey s like uh we have help for you if you need and it was that night that I went home and I faced.
Myself in the mirror and um from that I started going to therapy I Know Carl you did it what some people probably called unconventional way you didn't go to therapy no if it wasn't for Arie he was the head of the medical Department we've had a close connections he's known me for so long he knew my mother he would talk about two hours a day and just I.
Just tell him how I feel tell him the the mental struggles I'm going through the thoughts I'm having and I felt very comfortable in having those tough conversations with someone that was familiar to me there are many barriers to having these tough conversations in the black community among them stigma access high cost and shame statistics.
Show that only one in three black adults with mental illness obtain treatment how did your teammates react how did your family react I kind of told them after the fact but once I started going and started feeling better that's what opened the door to the conversation because there's a noticeable difference therapy is great when you're in the.
Crisis but I found the most benefit from it when I was going consistently because sometimes you need to get to the root of the problem and not just treat the symptoms I think at first my parents they just didn't quite understand like I think there was a lot of struggle for them of thinking what did we do wrong did we make a mistake and having to.
Reassure them almost like a new a new era because you know I I didn't have parents who were were going to be into therapy it was like if you feeling that way you suck it up and you get through it you figure it out old school and not that they didn't care about our feelings they didn't want to hear our feelings they didn't know how to handle it.
Themselves absolutely save my life for me my mom really encouraged me to go to therapy and I was really resistant I was reluctant your goal is to always be the best you that you can ever be that's why therapy is so important because it helped me find out who I was like what does my brain patterns revert to when I get anxious or when I get sad and how do.
I break that I have teammates who they'll come up to me and they'll talk about you know their anxiety or or or some deep times they went through and I I'll encourage like hey man' it really sounds like you need some professional help and they're just like ah I I can't do that you know this is 2024 now and we're having this conversation I came.
Into the NFL 1993 and
