NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Friday, August 30, 2024

Episode Date: August 31, 2024

Hundreds of flights canceled, thousands delayed as Labor Day travel rush begins; NHL star Johnny Gaudreau, brother killed by suspected drunk driver; Trump back-tracks on abortion ballot stance; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the severe storms colliding with holiday travel, just as millions of Americans are getting away for the Labor Day weekend. Severe weather unleashing tornadoes, heavy rain, and flooding. In the Northeast, a massive sinkhole swallowing up a truck. The major headaches, long lines at the airport, with air travel expected to break records. More than 5,000 flight delays nationwide. Plus, the NHL star and his brother killed while biking by a suspected drunk driver. The tragedy coming just hours before the brothers were going to attend their sister's wedding. Breaking tonight, the Dallas police officer fatally shot inside of his squad car and what police just revealed, calling his death an execution.

The new headlines from those two big political interviews, former President Donald Trump walking back comments he made to NBC News, criticizing Florida's abortion ban after conservative backlash and Kamala Harris defending her shifting positions on policy. The pause in fighting in Gaza to vaccinate children for polio. The baby who earlier this summer was just learning to crawl now stricken with the first case of polio in Gaza in 25 years. And the mother who lost nearly everything in a flood and the other mom who reunited her with the prized possession she found floating in the shore. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.

And good evening. I'm Tom Yamas in for Lester. We begin tonight with the severe storms causing chaos at America's airports just as the Labor Day travel rush gets into full swing. We're tracking thunderstorms on the move you see here in the Midwest and heavy rain along the Gulf Coast. The weather disrupting travel plans across the country. More than 5,000 flights delayed today. And it comes as air travel is expected to shatter records over the long holiday weekend with more than 17 million flying. Shaquille Brewster starts us off tonight from Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Shaq, good evening. Good evening, Tom. You see the folks behind me preparing to travel. As the TSA says,

it's prepared to screen some three million people at checkpoints nationwide, making today the busiest day of air travel this holiday weekend. Tonight, severe summer weather clashing with the Labor Day weekend travel rush. A tornado ripping through Minnesota yesterday. Toppling trees and knocking out power to thousands. He shut the door and it went boom, boom, bang. I said, let's get the door closed. A mess on the roads in Pennsylvania, too.

Flash floods causing this massive sinkhole. It's completely gone. I've never seen anything like that. Millions under threat as thunderstorms plow through major travel hubs, leading to flight delays at airports in Raleigh, New York and Chicago. The turbulence was kind of bad. Across the country, more than 200 cancellations, over 5,000 delays. The anxiety level feels a little higher, so definitely taking a couple deep breaths. A record Labor Day travel weekend at Chicago's O'Hare Airport,

where we spotted Olympic champion Simone Biles and her husband, bear safety Jonathan Owens, who said they were headed home. Officials here say plan ahead. What do you suggest people do? Make your travel reservations early. Try to arrive early at the airports to give yourself time and patience as well. The travel rush extending to the roads with some relief at the pump. I'm Priya Sridhar here in Atlanta where gas prices here are $3.26 per gallon. That's below the national average of $3.36, which is down almost 50 cents from this time last year.

A holiday weekend blitz capping off a record-setting summer of travel. Shaquille Brewster, NBC News, Chicago. All right, we want to turn now to the tragic death of an NHL star and his brother. Police saying both were killed by a drunk driver. And as Stephanie Gosk reports, it happened on the eve of their sister's wedding. Tonight, outside the Columbus Blue Jacket Arena, a memorial is growing. The NHL team shocked by the loss of its biggest star. They signed Johnny Gaudreau two years ago.

Hey, Johnny. How's it going? Top. Hi. The all-star forward nicknamed Johnny Hockey gave new hope to a struggling team. On Thursday night, police say the 31-year-old and his younger brother Matthew were killed by a suspected drunk driver while riding bikes near their hometown. Johnny was the father of a baby boy and girl, Matthew a hockey coach and husband. Today, their sister was supposed to get married.

The driver, Sean Higgins, charged with two counts of vehicular homicide. According to the arrest warrant, the 43-year-old told an officer he had approximately five to six beers. He admitted alcohol contributed to his impatience and reckless driving. The warrant alleges Higgins tried to unlawfully pass an SUV, hitting the two brothers who were riding in the narrow shoulder. Higgins has not entered a plea. The brother's uncle writing in part, last night we lost two husbands, two fathers, two sons, two brothers, truly two amazing humans. Jerry York was their hockey coach at Boston College.

It sounds like Johnny and Matthew made a real impression at Boston College. Well, they really did. And the way they carried themselves around the campus was, you know, something a coach dreams about. The Blue Jackets writing they are shocked and devastated. You know, the fame never really changed, John. Tom Bunting coached alongside their dad in New Jersey. You know, people just saw them as hockey players, you know. But it was a really, really tight, tight family. And it's just a horrible day. Back in Ohio, Johnny's jersey is a favorite among young players. One youth coach saying it's going to be a hard year. Stephanie

Gosk, NBC News. And in Dallas, police say one of their officers were found shot to death in his squad car and that he was executed. The suspect later killed after a high-speed chase. Morgan Chesky with the investigation tonight. Just outside Dallas, this is where a gunman's run from police ended. After authorities say he fatally shot officer Darren Burks inside his patrol car overnight, then opened fire on others. I know that the word ambush has been thrown around in the last 24 hours or so. That's not what happened here. Officer Burks was executed.

Investigators say it began nearly 30 miles away in a South Dallas neighborhood where neighbors reported a flurry of gunfire. Police arrived to find one officer wounded and a suspect who kept shooting. The shooter wounded two officers, then sped away, launching a massive chase. Police now identifying the gunman as Corey Cobb Bay. Cobb Bay approached Officer Burks and talked with him briefly through the driver's side window as he recorded the encounter with a cell phone. The suspect then pulled out a handgun and executed Officer Burks as he sat in his vehicle. The shooting coming eight years after another gunman ambushed DPD, killing five officers and

wounding nine others. But despite our hurt, despite our grief, as a department, as a city, and as a family, we will keep fighting. Morgan Chesky, NBC News. After those two tough stories, we want to turn now to politics and the race for the White House. Tonight, the fallout from those two big interviews. This just in tonight, Donald Trump walking back comments he made to NBC News about abortion after conservative pushback. Here's Gabe Gutierrez. walking back comments he made to NBC News about abortion after conservative pushback. Here's Gabe Gutierrez.

Tonight, former President Trump bowing to pressure from conservatives, calling on him to oppose a ballot measure to overturn the six-week abortion ban in his home state of Florida. So I'll be voting no. It comes after NBC's Dasha Burns pressed him Thursday, and he didn't give a clear answer. How are you going to vote on that? Well, I think the six-week is too short. It has to be more time. I'm voting that I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks. His campaign later tried to walk that back. I think all the president is saying is that he thinks that there should be more than six weeks. That

caused a firestorm with anti-abortion advocates. It was discouraging and disappointing to hear the president really use talking points from really the abortion lobby. There are also mounting questions about Mr. Trump's new proposal regarding fertility treatments. For people that are using IVF, which is fertilization, we are, the government is going to pay for it, or we're going to get or mandate your insurance company to pay for it. The Trump campaign is not providing details about how the pricey procedures would be

paid for. An NBC News estimate puts the total cost at around $8 billion a year. All this is Harris in her first extensive interview since President Biden dropped out of the race, defended some of her policy reversals since she last ran for the White House in 2019. My values have not changed. On immigration, she once raised her hand when asked whether the border should be decriminalized and said this about unauthorized crossings. I would not make it a crime punishable by jail. It should be a civil enforcement issue, but not a criminal enforcement issue. Now, do you still believe that? I believe there should be consequence civil enforcement issue, but not a criminal enforcement issue. Now. Do you still believe that?

I believe there should be consequence. We have laws that have to be followed and enforced that address and deal with people who cross our border illegally. The Harris campaign is planning a battleground blitz this upcoming Labor Day, including a rare joint event with President Biden. Tom. All right. Gabe Gutierrez at the White House for us. And one of the big election issues is how much Americans spend on energy like gas and electricity. Garrett Haig tonight in the battleground of Pennsylvania, where there are questions over whether the candidates can keep their promises.

Did you see her on television last night? Tonight, Donald Trump on the attack against Kamala Harris in the Keystone State. She's anti-fracking. She's anti-everything. That's Pennsylvania. In the second largest gas-producing state in the country, the former president hammering Harris for changing her position on fracking. There's no question I'm in favor of banning fracking. Joe Biden will not ban fracking. I would not ban fracking. As vice president, I did not ban fracking. As president, I will not ban fracking. I would not ban fracking. As vice president, I did not ban fracking. As

president, I will not ban fracking. She's vowed repeatedly that we will ban fracking. If you don't have fracking, you don't have a commonwealth. With prices at the pump up more than 50 percent from this time four years ago in the depths of the pandemic, the cost of the fuels that fill our cars and power our homes has become a critical campaign issue. Earlier this month, the former president introduced and immediately hedged on his ambitious energy plan, relying heavily on expanding natural gas production and building new nuclear plants. We intend to slash prices by half within 12 months at a maximum 18 months. And if it doesn't work out, you'll say, oh, well, I voted for him. David Bernhardt served as Trump's secretary of the interior.

Is that a realistic goal? You're certainly not going to start from an idea of a large nuclear facility and have it built in a year. That's certainly not going to happen. But what he can do is send a very significant message and signal with his actions in the first few days. Independent analysts say when it comes to energy costs, even presidents are limited by the laws of economics in a global market. When it comes to U.S. production, those decisions about where to drill, how much to drill, those are made by the sweet seat and by boards of directors. And so the real question is, how much can any U.S. president influence the path of U.S. production?

I think it's fairly minimal. Another challenge for Trump. The U.S. already produces more oil and natural gas than any other country on Earth ever has. All right, Garrett Haig on the campaign trail. We want to turn to the Middle East and a wild headline. Israel and Hamas agreed to pause the fighting in Gaza in order to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of children against polio after the first case there in 25 years. Here's Raf Sanchez. Tonight, with polio spreading in Gaza, the U.N. ramping up for a vast war zone vaccination campaign. Israel and Hamas have agreed to three-day pauses in the fighting starting Sunday to give the UN time to inoculate 640,000 Palestinian children. Polio affects mainly small kids and was stamped out in Gaza 25 years ago. But it's making a return in the contaminated water

that many depend on for bathing and drinking after Gaza's water treatment system collapsed. The UN hopes to roll out more than a million vaccine doses. One challenge, keeping them cold in the sweltering Gaza heat with little reliable electricity. I'm not going to say this is the ideal way forward, but this is a workable way forward. The campaign will come too late for Abdelrahman,

the first child in Gaza confirmed to have polio. This was him earlier this summer. Learning to crawl in the tent, his displaced family calls home. Now he's paralyzed in one leg. His life has changed 180 degrees, his mother Naveen says. The 11-month-old was born just weeks before the October 7 Hamas attack and never vaccinated amid the chaos of war. Doctors have now vaccinated his nine siblings,

but there's little they can do for Abdel Rahman, except hope that other children will be spared this unforgiving disease. The U.S. is urging Israel not to issue more evacuation orders for Palestinian civilians while the vaccination campaign is underway. Tom. Raf Sanchez for us. OK, Raf, thank you. When we return, the new twist in the murder case made famous by the podcast Serial. Nearly two years after he was released from prison, what a court ruled today about Adnan Syed's conviction. Stay with us. All right, we're back with a major twist in the case of Adnan Syed.

Ann Thompson explains why his murder conviction has been reinstated today, nearly two years after he was freed from prison. Adnan Syed remains free tonight, but is headed back to court. The Maryland Supreme Court today ordering a do-over of the hearing that tossed Syed's conviction in 2022 for the 1999 strangulation death of his high school girlfriend, Haymin Lee. Syed served 23 years behind bars for a crime he says he did not do. The case, a media sensation. I had no reason to kill her.

Dissected on the podcast Serial. The state Supreme Court today, finding in an effort to remedy an injustice against Syed, the prosecutor in circuit court committed another against the victim's brother, Young Lee, by failing to treat him with dignity, respect, and sensitivity. Mr. Lee says his family was never presented the evidence for overturning Syed's conviction and not given enough notice to appear in person. It's a great decision. David Sanford is Lee's attorney. Will appearing in person change the outcome here? Appearing in court probably won't change any outcome at all, but it will afford dignity and respect to the victim. What's more important is that the victim will have an opportunity to speak in court and that may change the outcome.

Erica Souter represents Cyan. Giving Haman Lee's family justice doesn't mean further harming Adnan's family. So justice is that the innocent go free. Tonight, there is no date for the new hearing. Ann Thompson, NBC News. And we're back after this break with an NBC News exclusive, the new warning about how Americans are being scammed out of millions of dollars using a certain type of ATM. Stay with us. We're back now with an NBC News exclusive and an urgent warning from the FTC. They say scams involving ATMs for cryptocurrency are on the rise and the scammers are often targeting older Americans. Christine Romans has more. It shows up as a

security pop-up alert on your screen, warning you to call a number for immediate help to protect your money. It happened to Marilyn Lacazio when she was browsing on her iPad. Over two days, a gang of scammers drained her of more than $30,000, she says, convincing her to deposit money into an ATM typically used to convert cash into the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. I just called the number without thinking, you know, it would be anything other than Apple. You thought you were protecting your money. I thought I was because after the gentleman from Apple,

he then connected me with someone who was supposed to be a representative of my bank. He told her because of a fraudulent charge on her account, she should withdraw cash and deposit it into a specific Bitcoin ATM, promising the money would show back up in her bank account the next day. I know nothing about Bitcoin at all. I didn't realize that once you get in there, you can't get your money back. The Federal Trade Commission reports a spike in scammers using Bitcoin ATM machines, stealing more than $65 million in just the first six months of this year,

up nearly tenfold since 2020. When your heart starts thumping that there's something seriously wrong, it may very well be that while you're trying to protect yourself from fraud, you're actually being defrauded. Scammers pretend to be tech support, your bank, even the government. In Marilyn's case, they said her social security number was frozen until she deposited the money. Experts say don't click on or respond to unfamiliar links. Slow down. Scammers try to create a sense of urgency and they'll often ask for you to withdraw cash, buy gift cards or deposit money into a Bitcoin ATM. The FTC says the average loss this year is ten thousand dollars per victim.

Christine Romans, NBC News, New York. All right. When we come back, her house collapsed during historic floods. She thought she had lost it all. But tonight, the surprising way she got one precious memory back. There's good news tonight about precious memories and going out of your way to help others when they need it most. Heidi Voigt from NBC Connecticut has this story. In a flash, Randy Marcuccio's world turned on its head when her Oxford, Connecticut home collapsed amid catastrophic floods earlier this month. Two people lost their lives. So Randy, a single mother of three-year-old Riley, counts herself lucky. But precious mementos, including those of her late mom,

were swept away in the floods. It's hard, you know, single mom who doesn't have a mom because moms need moms too. And who could have known that 35 miles away another mother was about to enter her life. I'm walking by the water's edge with my friend and I see what looks like a photograph. Along the Long Island Sound, Nancy Lewis picked up not just any photo, but the kind every mom knows. I had to track her down. So that's exactly what she did. I just wanted to see if there was anything that I could do for you. I mean, apart from this little sonogram that I found. Randy's sonogram. The first time she saw her son Riley's button nose.

That's him. Thank you. The irreplaceable family memento now helping Randy look to the future. You know, this is the start. This is a little bit of the middle. And we'll finish out with a good long life in the end. Heidi Voigt, NBC News, Oxford, Connecticut. Great people and a great story. That's nightly news for this Friday. We thank you so much for watching.

I'm Tom Yamas in New York. Have a great night and a great holiday weekend. I'll see you right back here on Monday. That's incredible.