NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Monday, June 24, 2024

Episode Date: June 25, 2024

Flood emergencies grow across the U.S. and raging waters threaten a dam in Minnesota; new video shows three Israeli hostages being abducted on October 7; and a look inside the preparations for the first presidential debate between President Biden and former President Trump.

Tonight, the deadly flood emergency across the Midwest and the growing concerns over the imminent failure of a dam. The dam southwest of Minneapolis blocked by debris, water gushing out the side. Officials warning residents to be ready to evacuate. And more evacuations in Iowa, entire neighborhoods underwater. The bridge connecting two states collapsing. Also, the dangerous heat shifting south. 59 million people under alerts, plus the new storms and potential derecho threat. Also, tonight, new video showing

three Israeli hostages being abducted, including an American gravely wounded. His parents speaking out why they wanted it released. Just three days to the first 2024 presidential debate, Joe Biden facing off with Donald Trump inside the final preparations for their highly anticipated clash. Our NBC News exclusive, two years after Roe v. Wade was overturned, five women who sued the state of Texas speaking out, saying they were denied abortions and suffered traumatic medical harm. The surfing legend and actor killed off Hawaii in an apparent shark attack.

What we're learning. The fearless team taking us inside a deadly EF4 tornado with winds topping 300 miles per hour. And the fast track to Paris, Sha'Carri Richardson and thousands of other top athletes competing for a spot on Team USA. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. We are watching a flood disaster in the making as we come on the air tonight. It's happening in the northern plains and upper Midwest. Several towns and cities

across parts of Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota are under flood warnings and are losing their battle against rising rivers after days of drenching rains. Broken levees, a collapsed train bridge, and a failing dam near Mankato, Minnesota, forcing new evacuations this evening. Parts of the region have received between 8 and 16 inches of rain since last week. And right now, nearly 30 waterways across the northern plains and upper Midwest are expected to be in major flood stage today. The expanding flood emergency occurring as parts of the nation are still locked in a suffocating heat wave. Shaquille Brewster has late details on it all.

Tonight, a deadly flood emergency in three states. After days of heavy rain, rivers gushing over their banks and submerging entire communities. In Minnesota, the Rapidam Dam is facing imminent failure. Officials there are monitoring the build up of debris and making plans to keep residents in the area safe. In Iowa, evacuations are underway in several counties. We have lived here for 20 years. I have never seen anything like this. Kim Wood says she escaped in the middle of the night, her husband driving through their neighbor's lawns, the water now blocking their return home.

I have so many memories in the basement, pictures of my grandchildren, Christmas ornaments. And there's still the threat of more flooding. We are really looking at unprecedented times right now. With several rivers forecast to hit flood stage in the coming days. The city has deployed many pumps through the area, but unfortunately we just can't keep up with a river that is flowing at that pace with that much water. There's absolutely nothing we can do to stop it.

Overnight, a train bridge connecting Iowa and South Dakota collapsing into the Big Sioux River. That is the main bridge that a lot of commodities and different materials move on throughout the state. That'll impact us for many, many months to come. Rock Valley, Iowa is underwater after a levee broke, flooding more than 500 homes and displacing 1,500 people. Crews spent the weekend trying to rescue residents. As the Midwest grapples with extreme flooding, the dangerous heat is shifting south, several cities hitting triple digits today. And the Midwest is facing another night of severe weather with the possibility of a derecho, a cluster of fast-moving and destructive thunderstorms this evening.

And Shaq, you're in Sioux City right now, which has seen record-breaking river levels. That's right, Lester. The Big Sioux River is well over a quarter mile away, but you can't tell when looking at this neighborhood road. Just look at that car, nearly fully submerged. The crest here was record-setting, exceeding the previous all-time record by more than seven feet. Lester? All right, Shaq, thank you. Now to the Middle East and the newly released video showing an American and two other hostages after they were abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7th. Here's Matt Bradley. Let us warn you, some of these images are disturbing. Tonight, newly released video shows three Israeli hostages

taken by Hamas during the October 7th terror attacks. They're pushed into the back of a pickup truck and covered in blood. Hamas terrorists pointing weapons at them after kidnapping them from a music festival. You can see 23-year-old American Hirsch Goldberg-Pollen, his arms severed after a grenade explosion. Hostage families released the video. We spoke to Hirsch's parents tonight. You still haven't seen the video? No.

Do you expect to see it? I don't know. I mean, I feel like I've lived in this parallel universe of anguish for 262 days, and I've seen the video of Hirsch being stolen initially. Just dealing with that is hard enough, and I kind of thought, I don't know that I have to throw myself completely off a cliff. Like many here, the family is angry that months of negotiations haven't freed their son. These are real people with dreams, with aspirations, with families waiting for them. This is our son.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Israeli parliament he's still committed to a potential ceasefire deal backed by President Biden, but will not completely end the war until Hamas is eliminated. Meanwhile, Mideast tensions sparking new violence in the U.S. Tonight, President Biden condemning this incident in L.A. Sunday, where the mayor says pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with pro-Israeli demonstrators and blocked access to a synagogue. The president writing,

intimidating Jewish congregants is dangerous, unconscionable, anti-Semitic and un-American. Meanwhile, Israel's defense minister is back in Washington for critical meetings this week, including in that potential ceasefire deal to try to free those remaining hostages. Lester. All right, Matt Bradley, thank you. Here at home, it's perhaps the most anticipated event of the presidential campaign so far. The debate this Thursday between President Biden and former President Trump. Gabe Gutierrez has new reporting on how both sides are preparing for this critical faceoff. Tonight, just three days away from that crucial first debate, both campaigns are preparing very differently. Mr. President, how is the main prep going? President Biden hunkered down at Camp David,

huddling with advisers with no public events scheduled this week. He's now a convicted felon. Biden's campaign is out with a new ad highlighting former President Trump's legal problems. A senior Biden adviser tells NBC News the president is expected to be increasingly punchier against Trump, and that it's a moment where the campaign hopes to break through to a larger audience that has yet to tune in to the election. Leading Biden's debate prep is former Chief of Staff Ron Klain.

A source familiar with the preparations tells NBC News that Biden's personal lawyer, Bob Bauer, is playing Trump during the prep sessions, reprising his role from 2020. To be honest, it's hard to say some of the things that he says, some of which are, you know, very fact-free. It's a stark contrast from former President Trump, who's holding informal policy discussions with advisers, but no mock debates while still holding public events. Tonight, the former president is fundraising in Louisiana

after campaigning in Pennsylvania over the weekend, mocking his opponent for not leaving Camp David. He's sleeping now because they want to get him good and strong. Trump teasing that he's already chosen his running mate and says the person will likely attend the debate in Atlanta. In my mind, yeah. Do they know? Nobody knows. in Atlanta. Among the top debate topics expected, the economy, immigration and reproductive rights. What both candidates need to do is talk about what they're going to do for the American people, how they're going to show up as leaders. And gay Biden aides are telling you they're actually preparing for two versions of Mr. Trump.

Explain that. Yes, Lester, people familiar with this debate perhaps say it's taking into account whether Trump will be his usual bombastic self or more disciplined. The campaign wants the president to be seen as the adult in the room. Lester. All right, Gabe, thank you. Joining us now and join us for complete coverage starting Thursday night on the first presidential debate hosted by CNN. It was almost two years ago today that the Supreme Court

overturned Roe v. Wade, clearing the way for states to impose new restrictions on abortion, including Texas, where Laura Jarrett spoke with five women who have faced a devastating impact. Three dobs. We were already in a pretty bad place in Texas. The day Lauren Miller learned she was pregnant, she started a journal. I didn't know it was twins yet. But at 12 weeks, she learned that one of the twins she was carrying had trisomy 18, a rare chromosomal condition making survival highly unlikely. You never think that your pregnancy journal is just going to turn into a horror novel.

Because her fetus still had a heartbeat, she couldn't get an abortion under the law in Texas. And she's not alone. How many of you were told you could not receive an abortion because the baby still had a heartbeat? All of you. Texas, like more than a dozen other states, moved swiftly to cut off abortion access after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Texas, like more than a dozen other states, moved swiftly to cut off abortion access after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago today in the Dobbs decision. The high court saying then that it was returning the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives.

But what's happened in states since Dobbs? Now a fierce fight heading into November. Getting it back to the states puts the question where it belongs with the vote of the people. Former President Trump taking full credit for getting Roe overturned, but more recently also saying he believes in exceptions in cases of rape, incest and to save a mother's life. You have to go with your heart, but you have to also remember you have to get elected. Rallies across the country today as the Biden campaign tries to draw a direct line from Mr. Trump to Dobbs. Decades of progress shattered just because the last guy got four years in the White House.

Highlighting women denied abortions, releasing ads focused on their stories, and making it a central focus of the re-election campaign. The vice president addressing a crowd today. In the case of the stealing of reproductive freedom from the women of America, Donald Trump is guilty. Recent data over the last two years showing more women forced to travel for care since Dobbs. Women like Jessica Bernardo, one of a group of women who filed a lawsuit against the state last year with the help of the Center for Reproductive Rights, alleging they were denied abortions in Texas. Five of them sat

down exclusively with Nightly News. I didn't want to wait for having a seizure or heart or renal failure. There's no coming out back from that. It was just infuriating. We're not here sounding an alarm about hypothetical scenarios. We're sounding the alarm about what is already happening and what has happened to us. But not everyone has been able to travel. Samantha Cassiano learned at her 20-week scan that her baby had anencephaly and would not survive, but could not afford to leave Texas for an abortion.

It was hard and traumatizing. Her baby living only four hours after birth. Knowing that your child is going to die and planning your child's funeral before your child's even here is insane. Amanda Zyrowski had the resources to travel, but says she became too sick too fast to leave Texas in time. I didn't even have that option because my doctors told me you better not be more than 15 minutes away from a hospital. I have to use a surrogate now because of what

happened to me. The damage to my reproductive organs is permanent. The group recently lost their lawsuit to clarify who qualifies for a medical exemption under Texas's abortion ban and now fear what's still to come. How many of you are worried that someone is going to die from these laws? If they haven't already. And Laura, any day now, the Supreme Court is expected to rule on another major abortion case. Yes, Lester, that's right. It's a dispute about whether hospitals that receive federal funding must perform abortions in medical emergencies, even in states where abortion is banned right now. And a decision in that case is expected by the end of this week or early next, Lester. All right, Laura Jarrett, thank you.

In Baltimore, the cargo ship Dolly was on the move again almost three months after the collision that caused the Francis Scott Key Bridge to collapse. Under its own power, the ship headed to Virginia to have its containers removed and to undergo repairs. The NTSB says it's examining key electrical components from the ship. In 60 seconds, he was doing what he loved most, surfing in the waters off Hawaii. The shark attack that killed a veteran pro surfer right after this. A mystery in paradise tonight. Police in the Bahamas are searching for a 41-year-old Chicago woman who disappeared there last week. Authorities say Taylor Casey was last seen on Wednesday in the area of Paradise Island in Nassau. A Facebook group created to find Casey says she was in the Bahamas for a yoga certification retreat.

Tragedy in Hawaii. A legendary surfer and actor who appeared in Hollywood hits dying after an apparent shark attack. Stephanie Goss with what happened and how he is being remembered tonight. Born and raised in Hawaii, Tamayo Perry surfed off of Oahu thousands of times. He was a professional at the highest level in surfing. On Sunday afternoon, the 49-year-old was attacked by a shark while surfing near Goat Island. According to officials, he was bitten multiple times. Honolulu Ocean Safety responded via jet ski and brought the surfer here to shore.

But there was nothing they could do, officials say. The injuries were too severe. Jason Bitzer, a close friend, says Perry was salt of the earth and a man of faith. He's just a genuinely good person. Like, there's no other way to put it. He's a good person, and he cares about people, and he really just kind of embodies Aloha. Perry was a world-class surfer who also had the occasional movie role in Pirates of the Caribbean and Blue Crush. Oh, it's pretty nuts. Most recently, he worked as a lifeguard at Hawaii's famous Bonsai Pipeline, one of the most demanding and dangerous lifeguarding jobs in the world.

What does it say about your skill in the water if you're a lifeguard on that beach? Just simply put, there's no higher mountain to climb than being a lifeguard on that beach. Just simply put, there's no higher mountain to climb than being a lifeguard at Pipeline. Shark attacks are rare in Hawaii, averaging nearly eight a year. There have been only five fatalities in the last decade. If this could happen to Tamayo, it could happen to anyone. He's the most competent waterman I know. He was doing what he loved and he was surfing at a spot that he grew up and cherished since childhood. And very few people understand, as well as he did, how dangerous the ocean can be. Stephanie Gosk, NBC News. And coming up, inside the storm, the real-life tornado

chasers who got close enough to a 300-mile-per-hour twister to get their equipment inside, what their research is revealing next. We're back now with the violent weather that's been tearing across the country. Tonight, we're getting a rare look inside an EF4 tornado with winds of more than 300 miles an hour. As Maggie Vespa reports, it's all thanks to a brave team of scientists. Tonight, as America's onslaught of severe weather rages on, tornado on the ground, a fearless team of storm chasing scientists is shedding new light on the power of last month's deadly EF4 twister that leveled parts of Greenfield, Iowa.

Wind speeds in this tornado topped 300 miles per hour. Yeah, so with our radar, we calculated wind speeds of over 300 miles per hour, which is very fast and very strong wind speeds. 300 miles per hour. Only the third tornado ever recorded with winds that strong. And it moved, they say, at up to 55 miles per hour, twice a twister's typical speed. It's very rare. One percent, two percent of tornadoes. The jaw-dropping data, courtesy of nine scientists from the University of Illinois, who raced to place their state-of-the-art Doppler-on-wheels trucks and sensor-equipped pods in the tornado's path, a feat typically reserved for Hollywood.

But this devastation was all too real. I've never seen a tornado like that. On the ground for more than a mile, officials said the tornado destroyed more than 150 homes and left four people dead. The scientists' mission to better understand how twisters move and form and develop warnings with detail on strength and timing, like those for hurricanes. There might be more tailored ways to safety. Either take shelter because you only have a minute

or it's not so strong, or you should really take the five or 10 minutes and get to a really ruggedized community shelter. And we just don't know that well enough now. A potentially life-saving bullseye on a fast-moving target. Maggie Vespa, NBC News. Coming up, the fast track to Paris.

We try to catch up with some of the fastest names at the track and field trials. That's my car, and I won't watch him since the last year. Finally, the 2024 Paris Olympics are just about a month away. And this weekend in Oregon, some of the world's fastest athletes earned their spots on Team USA. Here's Tom Yamas.

Tonight, the two biggest names in USA track and field heading to the Olympics and running for redemption. Sha'Carri starts to wind up, but she goes past Jefferson. Sha'Carri Richardson, 1070. Sha'Carri Richardson winning the 100-meter. You speak any French? Oh, no, I don't, but I wish I knew how to say I'm going to Paris. Richardson qualified for Tokyo but couldn't compete after testing positive for THC. Now set to make her Olympic debut, running up the stands to hug the grandmother that raised her.

I just feel like through all the times in my life, my family has always been there through every moment, up, down, good, bad, better, worse. And I was just appreciative again to have them in that moment. And the world champ is going to the Olympic Games. And Noah Lyles winning the men's 100 meters, fueled by his bronze finish in Tokyo. I wasn't happy with bronze. I've never been happy at that medal. No, I always want more. Bronze was just the kick in the pants to get me to keep going. More than a thousand athletes competing in eight days of competition at these trials. Fan favorites like hurdler Sidney McLaughlin-Lavrone and Tokyo gold medalist A-Thing Mo still fighting for a spot on Team USA. This may be the U.S. trials, but some of the fastest athletes in the world are here in Eugene, Oregon. And one of the reasons why these

trials are so difficult, regardless of your record, regardless of your ranking, you have to finish in the top three here to make it to Paris. Cracking the top three would be a dream for Quincy Wilson. That applause is for him. What do you think when you hear the entire stadium going nuts for you? It's amazing. He's just 16 years old, but fast enough to make it into tonight's 400-meter final. Are you scared you're running against your heroes here? I know, sir.

I mean, there's really no pressure. We all put our shoes on the same way. So, I mean, no matter the age, no matter what they do, it's all a fair race. That Olympic spirit alive and strong in Team USA. Tom Llamas, NBC News, Eugene, Oregon. And all the action of the U.S. Olympic team trials continues tonight, starting at 8 on NBC and Peacock. That's nightly news for this Monday. Thanks for watching. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.