NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Friday, August 9, 2024

Episode Date: August 10, 2024

U.S. women win gold in 4x100 meter relay but men fall short; Brazilian airliner crashes with 61 people on board; Parts of Mid-Atlantic and Northeast hit hard by remnants of Debby; and more on tonight���s broadcast.

Tonight, the thrilling gold medal moment. Sha'Carri Richardson leading the U.S. relay team to victory here at the Paris Olympics. The superstar sprinter flying down the track with enough time to look over her back at her rivals before crossing the finish line. But disaster for the American men, how they went from favorites to disqualified. In soccer, France and Spain playing for gold, the thrilling victory in extra time, and the U.S. women's basketball team cruising to the gold medal game, our full coverage. Also tonight, the passenger plane crashing in Brazil, terrifying video of it plummeting out of the sky, all 61 people on board killed, and the man lucky to be alive after he was too late to board.

The remnants of Hurricane Debbie slamming the Northeast, New York declaring a statewide emergency, the storm triggering flash floods, forcing rescues and evacuations, and unleashing tornadoes. We're in the storm zone. The race for 2024 and the alarming moment in the air for Donald Trump, why his flight to Montana for a rally tonight was diverted.

And Mr. Trump under new scrutiny for a story he told about nearly crashing in a helicopter, why that's now being disputed, and one of the newest events making its debut in Paris and the American hoping to dance his way to gold. This is NBC Nightly News reporting Reporting tonight from the Olympics in Paris, here is Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome as we head into the final stretch of the Olympics here in Paris. It was high drama on the track late today as the Team USA women captured gold in a thrilling victory in the 4x100 meter relay, with Sha'Carri Richardson turning it on at the very end. It was gold as well for American Ry Benjamin in the 400 meter hurdles. That's redemption as he beat the man who bested him in Tokyo.

This weekend, all eyes will be on Team USA basketball, where the women's and men's teams will battle it out with the host country France for gold. And making its Olympic debut today, breaking the new breakout sport. And Tom Yamas is following it all for us. A lot of excitement about these basketball games over the weekend. Yeah, Lester, it's going to be a huge weekend of hoops. Team USA taking on France in both the men and women's gold medal matches. Both countries have NBA and WNBA talent on their rosters, and the medals keep coming in track and field. Team USA now up to 29. Tonight, victory and defeat for Team USA in the 4x100

meter relays. Sha'Carri's got them covered! For the women, gold in a masterful race, anchored by Sha'Carri Richardson, who even had enough time to glance over and size up the competition. It was a much different story for the men, who fumbled the baton handoff early and never came back. But in the 400-meter hurdles, it was gold for American Rye Benjamin, who upset the defending Olympic champion. In soccer, a thrilling finish in the men's gold medal match between France and Spain.

With time winding down, France evened the score with a penalty kick. But Spain came storming back in extra time with two goals to win gold. See all of the win for Spain! The judges love to see this kind of stuff. And today, the world got its first taste of Olympic breaking. B-girls from around the world competing head-to-head in a series of battles judged on originality, musicality, and execution. Japan's Ami beating out Lithuania for the first ever gold. Team USA's Sonny Choi leaving without a medal, but thrilled to be part of the sport's debut.

It feels like everyone fell in love with it, so I think that's a success. 95-91, your final score. In basketball, after the men's team survived a serious scare from Serbia last night, no such troubles for the women. Wire to wire victory. Who cruised to victory over Australia. And sitting courtside at this historic game, NBA royalty, including the late Kobe Bryant historic game, NBA royalty, including the late

Kobe Bryant's wife, Vanessa Bryant, and their children, Carmelo Anthony, and current men's team members, Kevin Durant and Bam Adebayo. They're now just one win away from their eighth straight goal. This one means even more to Brittany Griner. For you personally, with everything you've been through to be here on an international stage, what does it feel like deep inside? Emotional. You know, I didn't think I would be here at all. And to be able to play for my country in a gold game when my country fought so hard to get me back, it means everything to me and my family.

Just like the men, they'll have to beat France for gold. Tom Yamas, NBC News, Paris. And on prime time in Paris, the biggest stars are in action on the track. It all starts at 8 p.m. Eastern on NBC tonight. Now to the breaking news from Brazil we're covering, where officials say there are no survivors tonight after a plane carrying 61 people fell from the sky. Tom Costello has late details. We do have to warn you, some of the video is disturbing. Horror and chaos in a neighborhood near Sao Paulo as Bopaz flight 2283 came crashing to the ground. On board, 57 passengers and four crew members. Video seems to have captured the terrifying moments the plane fell from the sky in a free fall, dropping fast.

Eyewitnesses said they jumped over a wall to escape the falling wreckage. While no one on the ground was killed, Brazil's president appeared on TV with grim news, saying none of the 61 on board had survived. One passenger who wasn't allowed to board because he was late now says he's grateful to be alive. The plane, an ATR-72 turboprop, was flying from Cascavel to Sao Paulo when it ran into trouble. Flight radar 24 data shows the plane's speed in orange becoming very erratic, from 250 miles per hour to zero, and the plane's altitude in blue dropping like a rock. Veteran crash investigators say it looks like a midair stall. The fact that the airplane entered a spin tells me that the pilots were not in control of it. Is all of the airplane there? Did it lose part of a wing? Flight radar reports there was a severe ice warning for 12,000 to 21,000 feet at the time.

The plane was at 17,000 feet when it ran into trouble. Brazilian investigators priority reading the plane's black boxes to flight data and cockpit voice recorders. The French-Italian makers of the plane say ATR specialists are fully engaged to support the investigation and the customer. It's a workhorse airplane, and so it has a very good reputation as being a good, solid, well-proven airplane. And Tom, what are investigators likely to learn from those black boxes? Well, that cockpit voice recorder could be critical. Those conversations may tell them a lot. The flight data recorder will detail the plane's mechanical and engine

performance. Did they run into severe icing? Lester? Tom Costello, thank you. In the northeast, one last powerful blast of severe weather from Debbie, bringing heavy rains, dangerous flash flooding, and reported tornadoes. Thousands of flights canceled or delayed as well. Here's Erin McLaughlin. Tonight, Debbie strikes the Northeast. Oh, that shut is moving. Water rising rapidly in upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania, swallowing communities and washing out roads.

This is how high the water on the bridge has gotten in the last 10 minutes. Flash flooding emergencies have been declared. This ain't good at all. First responders are desperate for help from surrounding areas to assist with rescues by water and air. National Guard helicopters have been brought in to look for people on roofs. The water is washing away their house. They're holding on to the trees trying to keep from being swept away. Maria Southard says she was there when flood water took out a bridge, forcing her to turn around. The water is all running right through the businesses again, and it's awful. What were you feeling when you were seeing all this?

It was, it's really heartbreaking. In Maryland, coastal businesses under water. Water up to my knees. And dangerous flash floods in South Carolina. Tornadoes were reported across Virginia, Delaware, and North Carolina. Oh my gosh, it looks like a war zone. It's not like a freight train was driving through the woods. NBC's George Solis is in Pennsylvania. The roof of this church here in Harrisburg ripped right off by an apparent tornado. The relentless rains drenching everything in sight. The building will more than likely have to be condemned. All of this impacting travel across the country as we head into one of the last weekends of the summer. I got booted off

two flights so far and there's no one here to help us in person. Today there have been more than 8,000 flight delays or cancellations at airports nationwide, with Debbie forecasted to be gone by the weekend. Lester. Erin McLaughlin in New York. Thank you. There is breaking news out of Illinois tonight. The sheriff who hired the deputy who fatally shot Sonia Massey announcing he is retiring by the end of the month.

Sheriff Jack Campbell has faced calls to step down in the wake of last month's shooting. Also today, a judge ordering the now former deputy charged with murder to remain in jail. Now to the presidential race. We're learning former President Trump's plane was just diverted due to a mechanical issue, but landed safely. It comes as he faces scrutiny over his story about a midair scare that critics say doesn't add up. Here's Gabe Gutierrez. During an at-times meandering press conference Thursday amid a flurry of falsehoods. Nobody was killed on January 6th. A remarkable story from Donald Trump about a near-death

experience. It's under new scrutiny tonight. The former president referring to former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, who dated Vice President Kamala Harris in the 90s. Well, I know Willie Brown very well. In fact, I went down in a helicopter with him. We thought maybe this is the end. There was an emergency landing. This was not a pleasant landing. And Willie was he was a little concerned, but he told me terrible things about her. We spoke with Willie Brown by phone today. To be clear, you have never been on a helicopter with Donald Trump. No, I have not. Are you kidding me? Have you ever had any conversation with Donald Trump about Kamala Harris? Of course not. His initial reaction to Trump's

comments? I laughed. I just assumed that he was on a helicopter ride with somebody black and he made a mistake and thought it was me. It appears Trump may have confused Willie Brown with former California Governor Jerry Brown, whose spokesperson says did ride in a helicopter with Trump during wildfires in 2018, but adds there was no emergency landing and no discussion of Kamala Harris. Also in that helicopter, then Governor-elect Gavin Newsom. His spokesperson also says there was no emergency landing. Today, the Trump campaign was asked about the pushback to the former president's claim. I would just defer you to President Trump's statement and what he said yesterday. The president has a lot of amazing stories from his life.

And we've just learned that former President Trump's plane was briefly diverted due to a mechanical issue, but landed safely in Montana, where he's campaigning tonight. Lester. All right, Gabe, thank you. We're going to take a break here and then it's breaking at the Olympics for the first time. We'll get to know the American who has all the right moves to win gold. The fancy footwork here in Paris says breaking makes its Olympic debut. And when the men's event kicks off tomorrow, Team USA's Victor Montalvo is hoping to win gold with moves he's been perfecting since childhood. Here's Telemundo's Arantza Loizaga. On the battle scene, he is B-Boy Victor. B-Boy Victor is the winner! But growing up, Victor Montalvo was just a shy kid who knew how to dance. I remember being young and going to the family parties and everyone was just dancing for hours.

You have it in your genes. Yeah. Victor was six when a tape called Beat Street, about American hip-hop in the 80s caught his eye. It's the same movie his father and his uncle used to watch. They're like, yo, we used to do that back in the day. They went to the room, got some hoodies, and that's when they started busting out some moves. Victor Sr. was a trailblazer of Mexico's breaking scene in his day. Back then, it was hard to imagine it would ever become an Olympic sport.

From footwork, we transition to power. By the time the younger Victor was born, the family was living near Orlando. His dad, a chef at Disney World. Money was tight. I can remember a lot of times where I would go out of state with like $25 and the event to get in was $20, you know, so I would have $5 for like the weekend to eat and somehow, some way I would win the event. I see we have a mat and then we have cardboard and a mirror and of course a speaker. Yeah, so that's all you need. Victor transformed into one of the best breakers in the world.

Now, a favorite to win his sport's first Olympic gold medal. I'm going to make sure that it's going to be my day. It will be his dad's day too. I feel like I'm living my dream through my son. I feel like I'm winning too. Who are you going to dedicate your victory to? To my family. I'm going to leave the medal in the house, in the living room,

just so the whole family can see it. And then it can be my dad's for sure because he was there since the beginning and what a fitting home that would be for a piece of olympic history at anzalo isaga nbc news and next as we continue i asked sydney mcloughlin lavrone what those seconds were like after winning gold and breaking her own world record sprint. And a walk to remember in the gardens that inspired some of Monet's greatest paintings. Talk about your gold medal winning race. Were you aware you were so far out in front of the field?

No, you never know how close anybody is. You can't look around. You can't look around. And also with the crowd cheering as loud as they were, 70,000 fans, you don't really know. You can't hear footsteps. So yeah, just gotta run your race and run all the way to look around. And also with the crowd cheering as loud as they were, 70,000 fans, you don't really know. You can't hear footsteps. So, yeah, just got to run your race and run all the way to the line. Catching up with American hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Lavroni today after her gold medal win in the 400 hurdles. There is a lot to do outside the Olympic venues here in Paris,

including a way to see France's rich art history in a whole new light. This was painter Claude Monet's literal window to the world, the view from his home under the colorful gardens he tended, the brilliant colors that intrigued him as an artist. It's been said he liked to paint whatever he saw around him yes he liked to paint whatever he saw around him but specifically in nature with french artist patricia rinsky darjans as my guide i explored monet's gardens he loved particularly the blue flowers blue was his favorite color. To see what draws thousands of visitors to this tranquil setting, its plays of natural light and colors that Claude Monet constantly chased, captured in famous paintings like Impression Sunrise and Poppyfield. So much of his work dictated by nature's illumination.

He selected the place and he came back, came back, came back so many times to make series, even several times a day just to capture the light. His pursuit of capturing the world in its raw beauty would later come to help define the Impressionist movement, celebrated earlier this year on its 150th anniversary. A style focused on nature's subtleties, a single flower or petal. How would he create that with a brush? He will make some little brush strokes looking like little commas side by side because in fact the shape of the flower is not that important. It's the light coming on that that is important, you see. And here, the place that inspired some of Monet's

most famous works. This will look very familiar to a lot of people. Yes, indeed. The water lilies. Many people think of this was one painting. Yes. This was many paintings. They are in total 250 paintings. Never been set up about painting them again, again, again due to the changing lights. That's right. Monet painted the water lilies 250 times. He wanted to get that light and that became his masterpiece. The ponds he built in the village of Giverny, much to the annoyance of neighbors at the time, have long since been restored, along with the Japanese touches that also influenced him,

allowing visitors to experience and reflect on how Monet saw the world. Don't look far away on the other bank. Just look at the reflection. Just look at the reflection. Just look at the water. You are like in a painting when you stand there. So for me, it's like being like in a painting. The garden's just an hour outside Paris. When we return here tonight, our photo finish in Paris.

Finally tonight, we're at the Eiffel Tower, the symbol of a city that soared to Olympic heights for these past two weeks, giving us a welcome break from some of the troubles of the world. It was quite a show, and we had an up-close view of it all, as so many of our Olympic athletes shined in the city of light. If an entire city could take a bow, well, then Paris is making its curtain call. Let's just admit it. Paris has been the star of this show, but they don't give out Olympic medals for charm and panache. On this stage, you've got to earn it. Gut it out. And boy, did we see that these past two weeks. The greatest to ever do it, full stop, end of story. From a comeback story for the ages. Are you proud of yourself? Yes, I'm very proud of myself. To showing what the razor thin edge of victory really looks like. To go to a photo finish to decide it. To defending what's yours.

Still belongs to the one and only Hedy Ledecky. We saw Americans claw their way to improbable finishes on the rugby pitch. No way. No way. She's going to do it. She's going to do it. We're going to name, we're all going to name our kids Spiff. Yes. And on two wheels.

There was so much to celebrate in this first non-pandemic Olympics since the PyeongChang Games of 2018. The stands once more filled with the families of athletes and spectators. There were expectations dashed. The games also gave us more than enough reasons to smile. We connected with familiar friends. Watch out now. And we saw the Olympics through new lenses. Come on, man. I'm the biggest kid in the crowd. Yes, we'll always have Paris. And thanks to the athletes who competed here, so much more. That's nightly news for this Friday. We'll see you back from New York on Monday.

Thank you for watching, everyone. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. So long from Paris.