NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Friday, October 4, 2024

Episode Date: October 5, 2024

Search for survivors as communities struggle one week after Helene; Dockworkers back on the job amid new evidence of economic strength; Iran's supreme leader makes new threats against Israel; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the blockbuster new jobs report just out as we enter the final month sprint to the election. The U.S. adding more than 250,000 new jobs in September, blowing past expectations. It comes as dock workers return to work, averting a potential economic disaster. But with the election just over four weeks away, are American consumers feeling a difference in the economy. Also tonight, eight days after Helene hit, the hopes fading for finding hundreds still unaccounted for as deaths soar to more than 220. The race for the White House, Donald Trump visiting the storm zone in Georgia

as the White House slams claims he's made about FEMA relief money going to migrants as, quote, bald-faced lies. Kamala Harris, meantime, revealing former President Obama will hit the trail for her next week. And Mr. Trump set to return to the same site in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was nearly assassinated in July. Now the Secret Service is tightening security. Iran's supreme leader making a new threat as Israel prepares to mark one year since the October 7th terror attack. And art in the aftermath. Asheville's creative community coming together after Helene, plus the massive gift from Dolly Parton. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.

Good evening. There is welcome news today about the American economy. New numbers showing jobs up, unemployment lower, and wages higher. The new Labor Department data for the month of September coming directly on the heels of the short-lived dock worker strike that could have crippled the supply chain had it become a lengthy stoppage. By the numbers last month saw the workplace at 254,000 new jobs, lowering the unemployment rate a tick to just 4.1 percent, while wages increased by 4 percent from a year ago. The positive new numbers coming with

Election Day just about a month away and warranted a rare appearance in the White House press briefing room by President Biden, who declared we've gone from an economy in crisis to literally having the strongest economy in the world. It's where we start tonight with senior business correspondent Christine Romans. My name is Joe Biden. The president with a rare visit to the White House briefing room to hail good news on the economy. The nation has now created 16 million jobs since I've come to office. 254,000 of them added in September. The unemployment rate of 4.1 percent near a 50-year low.

Wages rose 4 percent over the past year, meaning paychecks are growing faster than overall inflation. And the Dow closed today at a record high. We've gone from economy in crisis to literally having the strongest economy in the world. But we've got more work to do. More work because many Americans feel like they're struggling to make ends meet with rising prices of groceries, housing, and child care. It feels like it's harder to live. Everybody's scratching and scraping just to live. Still, some say they're finally starting to feel a difference.

I feel like it's getting better. And one of the biggest risks to the economy, the port strike, has been resolved for now. Shippers and dock workers agreed to an almost 62 percent pay raise, bringing longshoremen back on the job, at least until January, when they've agreed to bargain again over automation, ending the port strike critical for the economy and especially for small business like Three Moms Organics. This is such a relief. Knowing that this has been worked out for at least now takes a lot of pressure off, especially going into the holiday season. The timing also key as the southeast picks up the pieces after Hurricane Helene and will need

significant rebuilding. And Christine, I know you and others are watching rising oil prices because of what's happening in the Mideast. How does that affect the overall picture? Yeah, oil prices jumped this week as that conflict in the Middle East escalated. And it's a reminder that there are big risks to the U.S. economy from outside the U.S. All right, Christine Romans, thank you. One week after the flooding disaster caused by Hurricane Helene, at least 223 people are now reported dead, with many still missing. Sam Brock is in North Carolina with the latest tonight.

In the early morning hours, helicopters are already hovering over homes and private shoppers whisking away supplies to the mountains. The sounds of a frantic search for survivors a week after Helene made landfall. Surreal. Apocalyptic. Surreal. Yeah, it's like it's like constantly in the sirens back and forth. Official fatalities standing at more than 220 for six states and in battered Buncombe County alone, more than 70. But there are significant discrepancies over the hundreds missing figure, which officials couched last night. That's a communication gap that's not necessarily being unaccounted for.

Communication in multiple ways. For one, cell service is compromised. Trying to communicate with my co-worker was really hard. And families are going through the same thing. And for another, this church group packing supplies is full of members who aren't fluent in English. They say they're relying on their own text network and door knocking systems apart from the county. You have your method of confirmation. They have theirs.

Yeah. And there isn't a full necessarily overlap. There's not only by news. As the real number of missing remains anyone's guess. Jamiston Tebalan, a church leader, hands out supplies today to those who need them the most. Here, we're not looking race, color, you know, gender at all, religion, nothing. You know, we're all in this together. You're just trying to help people in need. We're just trying to help people in need. The other reality coming to light that the vast majority of businesses and homeowners here, like Jody and Steve Dunning, have no flood insurance. There wasn't a reason to think in this framework. There's no reason for the mountains to have floods. We've never had this before. A new dimension of a flood catastrophe. County officials say the river should be treated as hazardous materials.

They're warning residents with no running water not to bathe in toxic river water. Lester. Okay, Sam Brock, thank you. And the federal response to this storm disaster is becoming an issue in the presidential campaign with a new claim by former President Trump facing strong pushback from the White House. Garrett Haik has more. Tonight, former President Trump back in the storm zone in must-win Georgia, alongside Republican Governor Brian Kemp, a sometimes Trump critic, now backing the former president.

I'm not thinking about voters right now. I'm thinking about lives. A lot of lives lost, a lot of people missing. Trump also facing new criticism for this false attack on the administration's hurricane response. The Harris-Biden administration says they don't have any money. They stole the FEMA money just like they stole it from a bank so they could give it to their illegal immigrants. The White House slamming that as a lie. It's just categorically false. It is not true. It is a

false statement. In the last two years, FEMA has distributed over $1 billion in taxpayer money to shelter the record numbers of migrants in cities across the U.S. But the White House and FEMA say that's from a separate government program, not for disaster relief, and there's no evidence funds have been diverted. Today, President Biden praising Vice President Harris' role handling crises this week, including the storm response and the now-resolved port strike. I'm in constant contact with her. She's aware we're singing from the same song sheet. She was a major player in everything we've done.

It comes as tonight Harris campaigns in a must-win state of her own, Michigan, hoping to shore up support from organized labor after yesterday's decision by the International Association of Firefighters not to back a presidential candidate this year. Harris has the endorsement of virtually every large union and today went after Trump. Donald Trump's track record is a disaster for working people. He is an existential threat to America's labor movement. Just look at his track record to know. While President Biden raising concerns about Trump's reaction if he loses. I'm confident to be free and fair. I don't know whether I'll be peaceful.

And Garrett, Vice President Harris will be getting some high-profile help next week. Tell us about it. Yeah, that's right, Lester. And a sign of how near we are to the end of this race and how tight it's expected to be, the Harris campaign is bringing in someone they hope can be a closer. Former President Barack Obama expected to crisscross the country on Harris' behalf, beginning with a rally in Pittsburgh next week. Lester?

Okay, Garrett Haig, thank you. Tomorrow, former President Trumpester. OK, Garrett, hey, thank you. Tomorrow, former President Trump returns to Butler, Pennsylvania, and the site of the July attempt on his life. Dasha Burns was there that day and spoke with some Trump supporters who say they're going back to. Nearly three months after surviving that attempt on his life, with those images of blood on his face and his fist in the air, former President Trump is returning to Butler, Pennsylvania this weekend. I have an obligation to go back to Butler. We never finished what we were supposed to do.

Back then, rally goers watched in horror as the gunman climbed onto an unsecured rooftop and opened fire. A scathing Senate investigation later detailed massive security failures by the Secret Service. About 100 yards behind me is the building from where the gunman took shots at former President Trump. Last time around, people could get pretty close to Mr. Trump from outside the rally perimeter. This time around, we can't get anywhere near the area. In fact, they're even putting up, you can see these shipping containers that are blocking line of sight from outside the rally perimeter. Tonight, the Secret Service telling NBC News they've made comprehensive changes and enhancements and that the former president is receiving

heightened protection. Joining Trump Saturday, the family of Corey Comperatore, the firefighter dad who was killed. Back then, I spoke to Dr. Joseph Main, who rushed over to help. The man was definitely killed instantaneously. A moment he says he can't forget. Them bringing the body down where I saw that stick with me the end of my life. Do you think you're going to go? Yes. Why? I refuse to be terrorized to the point where I feel like I'm only safe at home. Also returning, mother and son, Donna and Joe Hutz. I knew my son was scared to death because he was holding my hand. He had held my hand since he was probably five or six years old. How are you two going to support each other through this? Hold hands. I don't know. How are you doing now? I'm doing a lot better. I ended up

in trauma therapy. The way I described it to my therapist, I says, I can't get out of the bleachers. They hope to turn a weekend of tragedy into a time of healing. You're not going to scare us away from the rallies. You're just defiance. You don't get to win. Dasha Burns, NBC News, Butler, Pennsylvania. In the Middle East, new threats against Israel by Iran's top leader, while Israel shows no sign of scaling back its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Richard Engel is there. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, led Friday prayers in Tehran today, for the first time in more than four years. He said Iran is ready to strike Israel again if necessary.

To drive home the point, the 85-year-old cleric clutched an assault rifle. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is at war with Iran's network of allies. The main battleground is Lebanon against Hezbollah, which has been attacking northern Israel with rockets for nearly a year. In response, the group says, to Israel's war on Gaza. Beirut is now rocked by Israel day and night. Here, Israel targeted what an official said was a meeting of Hezbollah leaders. In southern Lebanon, Israel is trying to carve out a buffer zone free of Hezbollah. Israeli strikes are taking their toll here. The city of Tyre, one of the biggest cities here in southern Lebanon, has effectively been evacuated. There

are very few civilians left here. Hezbollah has taken a beating in recent days, but the group remains intact. And every day down here, we have seen and heard outgoing fire. Lebanese officials say 1,400 people have been killed. In Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu and his war cabinet are still deciding how and when to respond to Iran's missile attack. That decision will be felt across the Middle East and beyond. There's more to tell you about coming up. The family of an American hostage opens up to us about the hardest part of the last year as October 7th approaches. Israel is preparing to mark one year since the October 7th terror attack. For the families of some 100 hostages still held in Gaza, it's been a year of fear and uncertainty. Our Raf Sanchez

with one family still waiting to learn the fate of their beloved father. In those playful hours after school and before dinner, Avital Dekelhan and her young daughters wait for their dad to come home. They've been waiting for 364 days. And we're missing so much. My daughter is asking about him every single day. 36-year-old Sagi Dekelhen is a hostage in Gaza, one of 101 still held captive after being kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th. Among them, seven Americans, three confirmed dead. Sagi, among those thought to be alive,

and the only one with young children. Three-year-old Gali asks about her dad, but the hardest questions come from Bar, who's seven. Where's my daddy? Mom, why he's not come back? Why daddy's not here to celebrate a birthday? And what do you tell your daughters? My heart is broke, but I need to be strong. So I tell them, I hope that is okay. We don't know, but I hope. Sagi grew up between Israel and Boston, a Red Sox fanatic who played center field for Israel's junior national team.

He and Avital, high school sweethearts, together for 20 years. Raising their children in near Oz, a kibbutz two miles from Gaza, and one of the first communities overrun by Hamas on October 7th. Segui went out to defend the kibbutz. It was the last time Avital saw him. For the next 10 hours, with terrorists going house to house, she sheltered their children in a safe room. And I said to my daughter, please be quiet. And she asked me, Gaza in my house? Daddy is dead? When they were finally rescued, Barr narrated this video. We're very worried about our dad, she says. And through it all, Avital, in the final months of pregnancy. In December, she gave birth to their third child, Shahar, Hebrew for dawn. Today, Shahar is 10 months old.

Her father has missed every moment of her short life, never held her or seen her smile. I can't wait for them to meet. Really, it's every day I wait for this. That's why my wish. Sagi may not know his family survived October 7th. Avital texts her husband updates about the kids, knowing he can't read them. I do it for Sagi. I write for him what I feel and what I want to tell him. How much I miss you, Sag. Even after 10 months, it feels like the first day. Last Thanksgiving, a brief ceasefire led to the release of 105 hostages. And I remember how bar she's so cry.

Why not? Why not? Why not my daddy? But the deal did offer a glimmer of hope. Freed hostages said they'd seen Sagii in a tunnel in November, wounded but alive. And you feel in your heart he's still alive? Yes, yes. Almost every day I go to sleep and I dream about Segui. And we meet in dream and we talk about everything. I feel Segui is alive and we must do everything to bring him home. Raf Sanchez, NBC News, Kiryat Gah, Israel.

And we will take a break here. And coming up, the spirit of Asheville, how Dolly Parton and so many artists are coming together to help. Finally, tonight, there is good news. In the aftermath of Helene, Dolly Parton announcing she's donating $2 million to the relief effort. And in North Carolina, Asheville's artist community is banding together to come back strong. Antonia Hilton is there. Mark and Julia Goldthwait can still hear the music. It's the only thing that gives me peace.

And the dancing and laughter that once filled the Asheville Guitar Bar, an iconic intimate venue in the River Arts District. What was it like in there on a busy night? Oh my gosh, I would just look at everyone's smiling faces. Many bands have been formed out of here. Many relationships have come and gone and come back again, yeah. Hurricane Helene may have destroyed almost everything in the neighborhood, but the one thing the storm couldn't touch was its spirit. This is an iconic creative community, welcoming artists and Grammy-winning performers. Mark and Julia are salvaging many of the 52 guitars that once covered these walls and accepting help from beloved customers coming to dig them out of the mud.

So, yeah, we haven't really broke down yet. No, we haven't. We've just been focused on getting forward and making things happen. They're not alone. Artists have coordinated cleanup crews, saving as much of their life's work as possible. Keep remembering us, you know.

Don't let this, like, pass through. Check on us, you know, don't let this like pass through. Check on us. We're going to need help for a long time. At the Green Room, a small free-spirited shop spared by Helene. Owner Kitty Savage is hosting free jam sessions. Trusting in music to help her neighbors get by. It's really nice to see people coming back and getting to experience some sense of joy. We have a duty of providing joy. This is the spirit that made Asheville. Do you have faith that your community is going to help you bring this place back? Absolutely. Absolutely. And it's this art and spirit that will make them whole once again. Antonia Hilton, NBC News, Asheville.

And that is nightly news for this Friday. Thank you for watching. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.