NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Monday, October 21, 2024

Episode Date: October 22, 2024

Trump campaigns in North Carolina as race tightens; Harris barnstorms in three crucial swing states; Search for answers after Houston helicopter crash kills four; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the race for the White House. Both candidates blitzing the battlegrounds with just 15 days to go. With polls showing a dead heat, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump going all in on swing states. Mr. Trump crisscrossing North Carolina, repeating falsehoods about the response to Hurricane Helene, and declining to denounce violent threats to FEMA workers. And Trump's supporter, Elon Musk, raising concerns by offering million-dollar giveaways to voters. Ms. Harris today barnstorming three battlegrounds, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, alongside Republican Liz Cheney, why Cheney says even women who are anti-abortion like she is should back Ms. Harris.

Our complete coverage. Also tonight, the helicopter crashing into a radio tower in Houston. The moment of impact caught on surveillance. Four people killed the investigation tonight. The state of emergency in New Mexico after record-breaking rain and flash floods. At least two dead, hundreds rescued. We're in the storm zone. The new proposal by the Biden administration to require insurance to cover over-the-counter contraception for free when it could take effect. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. The path to victory is narrow and the time is short. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump working the map and the clock tonight in a race to find those

seemingly rare undecided voters. Yes, just over two weeks to go, but with early voting underway in more and more places, election day is now. It's why Vice President Harris was once more in the Midwest, making her pitch to Republican voters, those who might be disinclined to support Donald Trump. For his part, the former president back in North Carolina, defending critical ground and veering into a crude, unscripted, and potentially distracting moment on a stop in Pennsylvania. With the last miles of this race now coming in sight, we begin our coverage tonight with Garrett Haik.

Tonight, former President Trump playing defense in North Carolina. He's won the state twice before, but polls now show a coin flip contest. I will end inflation. I will stop the invasion and I will bring back the American dream. Neither Trump nor the RNC chairman saying today they'd seen any indication this election won't be legitimate. We're so impressed and I think they have a pretty good system here. But just hours later, Trump still suggesting without evidence the election could be tainted by fraud. The vote counter is more important than the candidate.

That's been true, unfortunately. Trump also visiting Asheville, hard hit by Hurricane Helene, where he was pressed about his false claims about the FEMA response and threats FEMA workers have received. Well, I think you have to let people know how they're doing. If they're doing a poor job, we're supposed to not say it. It all comes after Trump campaigned in Battleground, Pennsylvania. If we win Pennsylvania, we win the whole damn thing, right?

But raising eyebrows with this lewd digression about Arnold Palmer, spending 12 minutes talking about the golf legend in his hometown of Latrobe. When he took showers with the other pros, they came out of there, they said, oh my God, that's unbelievable. I had to say it. Trump also holding a photo op at a Philly area McDonald's, working the drive-thru window to pre-screened customers. We love you. Come here. Thank you. And scooping out French fries. You got the salt on it?

Saying he doesn't believe the vice president worked at McDonald's for a summer in college. Harris responding today. That is my president. He worked at a McDonald's. in college. Harris responding today. All while Trump supporter billionaire Elon Musk campaigning for Trump in Pennsylvania is drawing scrutiny for saying he'll offer a million dollars to one random registered voter every day if they've signed his petition in favor of free speech and the right to bear arms. If you already believe in the Constitution, you're just signing something you already believe, and you can win a million dollars. That's awesome. Pennsylvania's Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro firing back.

I think it's something that law enforcement can take a look at. Garrett, former President Trump now making another appearance there in North Carolina tomorrow. That's right, Lester. Trump exudes confidence at these rallies and regularly says he's winning everywhere. But he also just canceled a planned speech in Georgia to stand up another rally here in North Carolina tomorrow. A state no Democrat has won since 2008. Lester. All right, Garrett Haig, thank you. And tonight, Vice President Harris is going after Republican voters in three critical states

who might be open to a candidate other than former President Trump. Kelly O'Donnell is on the trail with the vice president. A battleground trio today, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and here in Wisconsin. I ask for your vote. Where Vice President Harris is looking for red bricks to fortify the Democrats' blue wall in a tight race. Donald Trump is an unserious man, but the consequences of him being president of the United States are brutally serious. Joined on the trail by former GOP Congresswoman Liz Cheney, who said she believes many women who object to abortion are also worried about consequences for women's health care from strict state abortion laws.

That's not sustainable for us as a country, and it has to change. Cheney, a fierce Trump critic who lost her Wyoming primary in a landslide, now urging Republican and independent voters to back Harris. We're going to reject the kind of vile vitriol that we've seen from Donald Trump. We're going to reject the misogyny that we've seen from Donald Trump and J.D. Vance. Former President Trump's raw language included a new and profane attack on Harris Saturday. You're a shit vice president. The worst. You're the worst vice president. Kamala, you're fired. Get the hell out of here. Fired. The American people deserve so much better. Harris responded Sunday. What you see in my opponent, a former president of the United States, really is, it demeans the office. While today's events are framed around the seriousness of what is at stake,

Harris pulled in star power over the weekend. Lizzo, Usher, and Stevie Wonder, who marked Harris' 60th birthday Sunday. Happy birthday to you. usher and stevie wonder who marked harris's 60th birthday sunday back here in wisconsin the harris team points out that in dependably republican walkershaw county 9 000 voters still chose nikki haley in the gop primary over mr trump even after haley exited the race haley has since endorsed trump and And Trump allies, like Lindsey Graham, are calling Republicans home, away from Harris. To every Republican supporting her, what the hell are you doing?

You're supporting the most radical nominee in the history of American politics. And Kelly, you have some new reporting on how the Harris campaign sees this dead heat race. Lester, Harris campaign officials tell me they recognize that many Democrats are worried that it remains so tight across all the battleground states. But they argue they built their operation knowing that they would need a strong turnout among Democratic base voters, as well as this strategic appeal to disaffected Republicans. Lester.

All right, Kelly, thank you. Join us tomorrow night as Hallie Jackson has an exclusive sit down interview with Vice President Harris and spend some time with her on the campaign trail that debuts first tomorrow night on Nightly News. In Houston tonight, FAA and NTSB investigators are gathering evidence after a helicopter crashed into a radio tower, killing all four people on board. Here's NBC's Tom Costello. Surveillance video captured the moment of impact. A private helicopter crashing into a 1,200-foot radio tower, which then collapsed in a fireball to the ground, igniting a large grass fire.

With pieces of the chopper falling into a nearby neighborhood. I just saw the cell tower crumbling down. Late this afternoon, NTSB investigators on scene documenting debris around the radio tower. The R-44 helicopter had left Ellington General Aviation Airport carrying three adults and one child headed for a helipad in downtown Houston. FlightAware shows a flying just 600 feet off the ground, 108 miles per hour, when it slammed into the tower, only a block from a Houston fire station, which immediately responded. There's a large collapse behind the station with smoke showing. No one on the ground was injured from the falling tower. While an FAA notice had warned pilots that some of the lights

on the tower were not working, video appears to show at least one light was functioning as the chopper approached. It's the pilot's responsibility to maintain safe separation from the terrain and from obstacles, regardless of the altitude that they're flying at. Radio towers and wires compose a lethal threat to helicopters. Earlier this month, a medevac chopper crashed in Kentucky after hitting a tower and guide wires, killing all three crew members on board. As the NTSB and the FAA investigate the Houston crash, authorities have not yet released the identities of those on board. The helicopter was owned by Porter Equipment, a construction company.

Luster. Tom Costello, thank you. Now to that deadly flood emergency in Roswell, New Mexico, where record rains led to hundreds of rescues. Two people were reported killed. The flooding caused extensive damage to homes and cars. Some people returning to find inches of mud in their houses. The city got one third of the rain it normally gets in a year. A bipartisan hearing underway at the Texas State House without its key witness, death row prisoner Robert Robertson, whose life was spared at the

11th hour Thursday after a committee of the state legislature stepped in and issued Robertson a subpoena that required him to attend today's hearing in person. The Texas Attorney General, however, did not produce Robertson for today's hearing. person. The Texas Attorney General, however, did not produce Roberson for today's hearing. After raising security concerns, Roberson was convicted in the 2002 death of his daughter based on now questionable medical evidence. His supporters question his guilt. How much time do you think you have bought Roberson? Well, the statutes in Texas are clear. When he was not executed last week, as they intended to, it starts the clock all over again. Lester, as a death penalty

supporter myself, I support the death penalty in the most heinous cases. With Robert Roberson's case, there are just way too many questions, way too many concerns for us to stay silent on this. Roberson is supported by a majority of the Texas legislature, but their legal authority in this case remains in question. Also tonight, the Biden administration issuing a new rule that would make more forms of contraception free. Ann Thompson is here. Ann, how would this work? Well, Lester, this proposed rule would require private insurance companies to cover the cost of contraception you buy without a prescription, including over-the-counter birth control pills, sponges, condoms, and the morning-after pill, which is also called Plan B. Currently, insurers must pay only if you have a prescription for these items. The White House says this change could affect some 52 million

women, and it comes two weeks before the presidential election, where reproductive rights is a top issue. There is a 60-day comment period before the rule is finalized, and it's expected to impact plans on or after January 1st, Lester. Okay, Ann Thompson, thank you. In 60 seconds, the Climate Challenge will meet a climate scientist who moved to Asheville to escape disaster where she lived, but is anywhere a safe haven nowadays. Right after this.

As climate change fuels extreme weather, some Americans have decided to pick up and move to cities that have been celebrated as so-called climate safe havens, only to find that such places may not exist. Let's get more from Hallie Jackson. To Melissa Booth, Asheville may never look the same. It's gone. I mean, it's completely gone. This is where I enjoyed so many hours of relaxing and enjoying the river. Her favorite hangouts destroyed by the flooding after Hurricane Helene. And it's along this river where we first met Booth and her husband three years ago after they'd moved here from coastal Georgia. Was climate change the only reason that you decided to move? I would say it was the biggest reason. Asheville had earned a

reputation as a so-called climate haven, along with places like Duluth and Buffalo, not immune to climate change impacts, but maybe more resilient, which came up in our conversation with Booth, a climate scientist. There's also no hurricanes, no big tornadoes, no violent weather patterns. Today, the best data showed that it was insulated from intense hurricanes, from severe droughts. After having lived through this flooding, I realized that I was wrong to think that Asheville is a climate haven or that there is a such thing as a climate haven. More than 90 percent of counties in the U.S. have had at least one disaster claim filed. And over the next 30 years, some estimates predict seven and a half million Americans could move because of climate risk.

They think about buying a home. They think about where to live in a way they just didn't 20 years ago. Experts say it's not about zero risk, just how much and what kind. From wildfires out west to extreme rain and snowfall near the Great Lakes to, yes, inland flooding in places like North Carolina. We need to have strong plans for when this happens again because it will. It's going to happen to every community across the U.S. But Booth has no plans to move again. In natural systems, resilience is the ability to bounce back. And that's what I want Asheville and all communities around the planet to have, the ability to bounce back.

And I want to be part of that solution. Hallie Jackson, NBC News. A lot to think about. Up next, our series, What Matters? In the heart of election season, we dig into the high cost of living, especially for seniors. We'll ask who voters in crucial Arizona trust more on the economy and those high home costs. Next. Early voting is underway in Arizona, where this month Phoenix saw record heat for 21 straight days.

The climate crisis on voters' minds there as they decide which candidate will do more about high home costs, especially for older Americans. Jacob Soboroff now with more on our series, What Matters. This year, Phoenix set a record 113 consecutive days of temperatures over 100 degrees. And so this is the new unit. Temperatures you can't ignore doing rooftop air conditioning installation. How much per install does something like this cost? The whole weatherization can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $25,000. $15,000 to $25,000?

Correct. And these guys are all getting it for free? Exactly. These contractors are working for the Foundation for Senior Living, which provides free weatherization services to low-income seniors. We've got people who would never be able to pay for any of this. And in a county like Maricopa, there it goes, just turned on again. Yep.

To not have it, what does that mean? Probably death. There were 645 heat-related deaths in Maricopa County in 2023 alone, a clear and present danger to Ruth Hernandez, the retired cashier who lives in this house. Why is what they're doing so important, so helpful for you? Well, I just retired and I know I never would have been able to have this done if it wasn't for FSL. At the end of the month, forgive me for asking such a personal question, how much money you got left in your bank account?

$30. Three zero. $30. After I pay my bill, this is going to help a lot. What do you want Vice President Harris and former President Trump to know about what life is like for people like you? There's a lot of people that are in need of help. You know, I thought maybe my Social Security would be a little bit more, but it's not.

Does either Vice President Harris or former President Trump connect with you more when they talk about what Americans go through? Well, right now it's Harris. Maricopa County doesn't have a dominant political party, but its residents all experience the same heat and increasing costs of housing and living. This is a mobile home community, and right now it's 102 degrees. It's not even noon yet. And what we're told about this place is that a lot of the residents don't have great AC

if their AC works at all. Michael Jacob, nice to meet you. You too. Michael Leonard also signed up for free weatherization services from FSL. They're replacing a water heater. This is the old one. This is your old water heater. It's only five years old.

Recently, Michael got a free air conditioner too. So this is a brand new air conditioning unit over here? Brand new. If you look at the typical ones for our neighbors, that's what the norm is. Michael invited us inside his house. What a difference you're going to feel. I feel the AC, huh? Oh, this is nice. Well, let me ask you, do you think that I mean, clearly there's your there's a Trump out up there. Do you think that he can help people like you? I think he can help the entire economy. We met another person who's getting these free services

and she's a vice president harris supporter and you're a trump supporter and uh despite the fact that you're going through sort of a similar thing you know you're divided commonality well it's the hardship yeah right hardship regardless of what side of the spectrum you're on it's hardship and so why do you think we can't see more eye to eye on on the politics really good question everybody's got come together. We got to pull together as a country. We got to. High temperatures on the thermometer and in politics in a place both could decide the presidency. Jacob Soboroff, NBC News, Phoenix. And that is nightly news for this Monday. Thank you for watching. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.