I was with Harris when the news about Iran and Israel broke. This is what happened next

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It seems like whenever I log on for pool duty with Vice President Kamala Harris, there's chaos in the Middle East – and today was no different.

In May, I traveled to Detroit aboard Air Force Two with the Vice President as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu planned an invasion of Rafah. On the same day, Hamas declared it would agree to a ceasefire with Israel, but this was quickly shelved. After waiting forever in a van outside the Wright Museum in Detroit, Harris finally gave us a brief statement.

For those not in the White House press corps, pool reporters are the designated journalists who agree to take a day off from their regular duties to follow either the President, Vice President or their spouses and submit reports to the press corps send because we can't do that. Everyone is constantly near the headmaster.

At the same time, it's a boring job that involves mostly sitting around waiting for the person you're following and then transcribing what they say and emailing it to everyone – and sometimes exciting. Most importantly, it's a way to be a good neighbor to our fellow reporters.

I already knew there would be a lot to do on Tuesday. It's election season – the vice presidential debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz would be Tuesday night and I would be traveling to Virginia to cover a debate watch party. Last night I covered the Senate debate in Montana.

However, when I received a notification request to represent the vice president on Monday evening, I signed up because I thought it might be fun.

Almost immediately I regretted my decision. When I arrived at the White House gates, my ID didn't work—because, I learned, it had just expired—which meant I had to get a temporary pass and then scurry in the pouring rain to get into the van .

It turned out that we didn't need to hurry, the vice president didn't want to go anywhere. Iran fired rockets at Israel, killing at least six people. Harris was in the situation room with President Joe Biden.

Of course, we poolers (there are those for photo, video and print) were in the dark about this and sat in the black van that usually follows the black SUV carrying the vice president. The photographers pulled out their cameras to take pictures of people getting in and out of the West Wing since we were parked in front of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where most of the administrative staff work.

At some point, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg entered the West Wing, likely to discuss the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and the destruction it left on the Atlantic coast. In the meantime, I was informed that Harris would be heading to North Carolina and Georgia to survey the damage.

Former President Donald Trump ranted on Truth Social that the planet was on the brink of a third world war. We sat the whole time. And waited.

Finally, the Vice President left the West Wing and we made our way. We soon arrived at the Josephine Butler Parks Center, a historic building that was also used for weddings, where she conducted an interview. The White House did not announce who.

At times like these, I feel almost useless, unable to share any colorful details with my colleagues, even though it was a fraught day for the Vice President.

Finally, Harris decided to give us a two-minute statement.

“I condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms. “I am acutely aware that Iran is a destabilizing, dangerous force in the Middle East, and today’s attack on Israel only further proves that fact,” she said, confirming that she was in the Situation Room with Biden and Biden's decision to shoot down the Iranian supported missiles.

“As I said before, I will always ensure that Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist militias,” she said. “My commitment to Israel’s security is unwavering.”

At the same time, I was reminded of Harris saying in her speech at the Democratic National Convention shortly after she was confirmed as the nominee that she would “ensure that America will always have the strongest and most lethal fighting force in the world.” That comment caused her to draw some ire from the left of her party, plus she did little to differentiate herself from Biden's clear support for Israel.

The Walz-Vance debate used to be seen as today's main event, but in the wake of the Iranian attacks it will likely be treated as a sideshow.

Almost three hours after Harris spoke to us, sitting in the van waiting the entire time, we were told our service had ended. The vice president was traveling on Navy One, and I was standing in the rain again, ready to see who would succeed her.