NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Nightly News Full Broadcast (July 6th)

Episode Date: July 6, 2024

President Biden defiant after debate fallout as Democrats discuss next steps; Coastal Texas braces for Beryl’s impact; California battles massive fire as nation faces dangerous heat wave; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, President Biden defiant. His calls for him to step aside grow from within his own party. The make or break primetime interview. President Biden saying he will stay in and he will win. His refusal to take an independent cognitive test. And what he says about the Democratic lawmakers who say he can't win. I don't think those critics know what they're talking about. The fallout today, plus the key meeting among Democratic leaders set for tomorrow. And Tropical Storm Beryl churning towards Texas, set to hit as a hurricane. Communities there bracing for impact.

We're preparing for the worst, praying and hoping for the least amount of rain. That after Beryl left massive destruction in its wake across the Caribbean, we are tracking its path. A new evacuation warning says another California wildfire explodes in size. Dramatic video, an injured firefighter airlifted to safety, plus the brutal heat wave baking the West. High temperatures soaring into the 120s. An Amtrak shuts down train service between Boston and New York ahead of one of the busiest travel days of the year and tragedy in the NFL. The rookie just drafted killed in a car crash overnight. Also, a tribute to a hero. How hundreds in one small community came together to honor a man they didn't even know. This is NBC Nightly News with Jose Diaz-Balart.

Good evening. I'm Gotti Schwartz. In for Jose, it was possibly the most important television interview of Joe Biden's life. The president in a one-on-one primetime sit-down with the fate of his campaign hanging in the balance. was to quiet the critics, calm the skeptics by proving he is just as capable of not just running a national campaign, but is serving as president for four more years. But while most agree the president appeared more sure footed than his disastrous debate a week and a half ago, what's unclear is if he has stopped or even slowed the tide of Democratic defections. Another Democratic member of Congress said today the president should not run again. We have new reporting tonight about other lawmakers meeting in the days ahead, looking to chart a way forward. We have two reports tonight, starting with Ali Rafa,

who is traveling with the president. Tonight, growing fallout from President Biden's dismal debate performance as a fifth Democratic lawmaker calls on him to step aside today. While more admit privately, they're weighing doing the same. I don't think anybody's more qualified to be president or win this race than me. A defiant President Biden trying to restore lost confidence among lawmakers, donors, and most importantly, voters. And an exclusive sit down with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos. Eligible for what I've been able to do with the COVID, excuse me, with dealing with everything we have to do with...

The president addressing his performance in that debate against former President Trump. It's a bad episode. No indicates any serious condition. Did you ever watch the debate afterwards? I don't think I did. No. Mr. Biden also refusing to commit to taking a cognitive test to ease voters concerns about his mental fitness. No, no one said I had to. No one said they said I'm good. I have a cognitive test every single day. Not only am I campaigning, but I'm running the world. The answer right now is no, you don't want to do that, right? No, I've already done it.

President Biden downplaying recent polling. Do you really believe you're not behind right now? I think it's all pollsters I talk to tell me it's a toss-up. As a new post-debate poll of seven battleground states shows the 2024 race remains tight. But doubts over the future of the president's candidacy are only growing. You haven't seen the reports of discontent in the Democratic Party, House Democrats, Senate Democrats? I've seen it from the press.

The president admitting he's spoken with at least 20 members of Congress since the debate. None of the people said I should leave. But if they do. Well, it's like they're not going to do that. Mr. Biden vowing nothing short of the divine would make him step aside. If the Lord Almighty came out and said, Joe, get out of the race, I'd get out of the race. The Lord Almighty is not coming down. And Ali joins us now from Wilmington, where the president is. And Ali, the public will be seeing a lot more of the president

in the coming days, right? That's right, Gotti. The president will campaign in Battleground, Pennsylvania tomorrow. But a major opportunity for him to change the narrative, not only with voters, but also world leaders, will be next week at the NATO summit in Washington, where he'll answer reporters' questions at a press conference. And the Biden team is hoping a smooth performance there will help right the ship. Gadi? Ali Rafa, thank you. And the pressure on President Biden might get more intense in the days ahead, with key Democratic leaders in the House and Senate set to hold meetings about what to do next. Julie Serkin covers Capitol Hill for us. And Julie, last night's interview hasn't really silenced his

critics there, right? Yeah, that's right, Gotti. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries will convene a virtual meeting with top Democrats tomorrow. It comes just as lawmakers prepare to return to the Capitol for the first time since President Biden's brutal debate performance. A source described the Sunday session unlike any other meeting. So it's likely that Biden's future as the leader of the party will be called into question. It all comes as some of Biden's allies in Congress are calling on him to exit the race. Officials tell me they expect the number to only rise nine days after Biden faced off against Donald Trump. And it isn't just the House. High ranking Senator Mark Warner is bringing together Democrats on Monday to decide if Biden

has what it takes to beat Trump in November and carry the rest of the party to victory. Jolie Serkin. Thank you. And don't miss Meet the Press tomorrow. Kristen Welker will be talking to Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff, plus a potential pick for Trump's vice president, Senator J.D. Vance. And the other big story today, Tropical Storm Beryl is expected to strengthen back into a hurricane and slam into Texas in the next 48 hours. People there are bracing for dangerous storm surge and days of flooding. Priscilla Thompson reports from Galveston. Tonight, residents along the Texas Gulf Coast bracing for barrels wrath. In Galveston, empty store shelves at some supermarkets as residents prepare to ride out the storm. Are you doing anything extra to prepare? We would just buy some water at the grocery store.

Hundreds of miles down the coast in Corpus Christi, cars lined up for sandbags. The city running out of all 10,000 in less than an hour. We're going to be putting them in front of the garage and then lining the doors with them. Here's why forecasters are so concerned about barrel-making landfall. It could bring four to six feet of storm surge to the Texas coast. Why is that so dangerous? It's wind pushing the water inland. At four feet, it can swamp evacuation routes, and cars can start floating.

At six feet, the risk of injury and death goes up, as chemicals,, debris and downed power lines are pushed into the rising water. Barrels already ripped a deadly path of destruction as it tore through the Caribbean this week. Buildings, homes and boats smashed by ferocious winds and waves. Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula battered too. In Cancun, the storm stranding passengers desperate to get home. Back in Texas, residents on edge and uncertain about what's ahead. And Priscilla Thompson joins us from Galveston, Texas. Priscilla, that's a slim stretch of land there. Are people getting the message to get out? Yeah, Gotti, they are. The waves and the wind are expected to start picking up all along the Gulf Coast as early as tomorrow morning,

and officials are not taking any chances. Already, a mandatory evacuation order has been issued in at least one county, and the governor has declared a disaster declaration across the coast. Gotti. Priscilla Thompson, thank you. Let's bring in meteorologist Angie Lastman. Now, Angie, what are you watching out for over the next 24 to 48 hours? Gotti, we're expecting this system to reintensify into a hurricane right now, though. Still, tropical storm barrel with winds at 60 miles per hour and moving northwest at 13 miles per hour right now. Looks like landfall will be early Monday morning right around sunrise, but it does become a Category 1 here as we get into tomorrow,

bringing impacts to the Texas coast. We're looking at a landfall from Corpus Christi to Galveston at this time before it starts to weaken, moves to the north and east, and still brings rain to parts of Arkansas and Tennessee through middle of next week. Here's the rainfall amounts. This is what we're really concerned about when it comes to impacts. We've got anywhere from 5 to 10 inches of rain possible across this region, stretching from the Texas coast up to northeast Texas and into parts of Arkansas. But localized amounts will likely be upwards of 15 inches. We'll also see the storm surge impacts as well

as some strong winds. Gotti. Angie Lassman, thank you. And crews in California are rushing to contain more than a dozen wildfires burning right now across the state. Thousands have been forced to evacuate and making matters even worse. Record high temperatures. More than 100 million Americans are under heat alerts. And Liz Kreutz has the latest. Whipping winds and blistering heat tonight fueling yet another massive fire in California. The lake fire in Santa Barbara County exploding to more than 12,000 acres with no containment, prompting evacuation warnings in the popular wine tasting region this holiday weekend.

Flames seen just half a mile from the famous Neverland Ranch. The inferno among 18 burning statewide. The National Guard rescuing a firefighter who got trapped battling the basin fire outside Fresno. All this happening amid a dangerous coast-to-coast heat wave. Palm Springs hitting a record high Friday of 124 degrees. The temperatures just keep going up. It just seems to be increasingly worse and worse each year. Nationwide, historic heat scorching places like Las Vegas, which could tie its record of 117 degrees on Sunday. Raleigh, North Carolina, just reached its record high of 106. And back in the West, Death Valley set to hit an astonishing 128, the hottest place in the country. When you step out in these extreme

temperatures, it's like stepping out into an oven. Sweltering temperatures of 118, also baking Phoenix. It's going to feel like we're on the barbecue cooking. So far this year in Maricopa County, there's been 175 suspected heat-related deaths. The Phoenix Fire Department's saying they're working around the clock. How busy is your fire department right now? We're extremely busy during the day. We're going on multiple heat-related emergencies, but our firefighters are prepared. The City of Phoenix gives us every resource to go out there and safely operate. And Liz Kreutz joins us from Los Angeles. Liz, how long is this heat wave expected to last? Well, Gotti, here in California, the excessive heat warnings will be in effect for several more days. Cities across the West could see highs up to 25 degrees above average through Friday. Gotti.

Liz, thank you. And some breaking news out of the sports world. Authorities confirming 24-year-old Minnesota Vikings rookie Kyrie Jackson is one of three people killed in a multi-car crash that happened last night in Maryland. Now, police say Jackson was a passenger in a Dodge Charger that was hit by another driver who was changing lanes at high speeds on a highway. Jackson was just drafted by the Vikings back in April, and he never got to play a game in the NFL. And a major step forward today for NASA's mission to send astronauts to Mars. Late today, four volunteers emerged from more than a full year in isolation here on Earth. 378 days to be exact, and all to simulate and study what it would be like for humans to live on Mars.

And that meant mock spacewalks, even growing and harvesting some crops and practiced Martian habitats. And NASA is hoping to send astronauts to that red planet in late 2030. And still ahead tonight, the soaring number of customer complaints about air travel, why people are so frustrated and how the airlines are responding. And we are following some breaking news on this busy holiday travel weekend. Amtrak has announced it has shut down service between Boston and New York City in both directions for the rest of the day. It's all because of an ongoing power issue, and Amtrak says it is communicating directly with impacted passengers and working with them to rebook alternate travel plans. And those travel headaches on the ground matched by those in the sky.

Now the government is revealing just how frustrated the nation's flyers actually are. Here's George Solis. Tomorrow is set to be the busiest travel day of the summer. But tonight, with thousands of delays across the country, many Americans flying home after the July 4th weekend think air travel is worse than it's been in years. Do you think air travel has gotten better or worse? It's not better. I don't know if it's worse.

Flight times, delays, and other things, and then just being able to change your ticket whenever they feel like it has definitely gotten worse. A new report from the U.S. Department of Transportation revealing they were so knee-deep in complaints filed by air travelers from last year, it took them until this month to sort through them all. Like in the 2050s. In total, the agency saying it received some 97,000 submissions, the highest number on record since the pandemic, up from 86,000 in 2022. Complaints rose sharply against the airlines themselves, ticket agents, tour operators, and even discrimination. Why are there so many more complaints, you think? Consumer complaints for air travel are higher than in previous years due largely in part to

the fact that more people are traveling than ever before. We are seeing numbers that we've never seen. Another reason critiques are soaring, travel experts say more flyers now know their rights and how to file these complaints. Even as the U.S. hit a record low cancellation rate for flights in more than a decade, nearly a quarter of all flights last year were still subject to those frustrating delays. The report says that two-thirds of all complaints last year were about airlines here in the U.S. The Transportation Department says they will streamline how they take complaints from flyers to quickly address more issues and hold the airlines accountable.

Oh boy, yes, I'll go boy. Proving the odds against the chaos and turbulent travel. George Solis, NBC News. And when we return, what's being called friendly fraud. How social media is fueling a new kind of credit card scheme. And we are back with some stunning images of volcanic eruptions in Italy. Take a look at this. This is Mount Etna erupting in Sicily. Etna is Europe's tallest volcano.

It sent ash into the sky, forcing airport closures. And another smaller volcano, Stromboli, sent lava into the sea. There have been no evacuations at this point. Have you ever contested a charge on your credit card, maybe because a scammer used your card without your permission? Well, now there's a stunning rise in people taking advantage of that very process. Brian Chung reports on what's being called friendly fraud. If an airline ever does you wrong, dispute it with your credit card. It's the latest social media finance fad. Credit card companies have so much power.

Dispute the charge with them. Tutorials on how to dispute bogus credit card charges. They ended up refunding me and all is good and right in the world. If a customer sees a charge on their bill they don't recognize, they have the right to call the credit card company and dispute. It worked for Don Kelly. When I first saw the charge, I just thought it was a mistake. He spotted an unexpected $47 charge on his bill. Frustrated after trying to reach the company in question, he then turned to his credit card company. How quickly were they able to get you your money back? It was within just a matter of days and it was all done online and it was very easy. And he's not alone. $11 billion in charge

backs were paid out last year, up over 50% compared to pre-pandemic and expected to rise 40% by 2026. But with payback just a few clicks away, it may be too easy. And some consumers are taking advantage, flat out lying that they didn't purchase an item that they really did. Others are disputing charges because they weren't happy with the product or service, and the seller wouldn't give them a refund. Credit card companies have even given it a name, Friendly Fraud. People change their minds or their package is expiring and they haven't used it. But it's far from friendly and it's hitting businesses hard. Good. Keep going here. Perfect.

Brooklyn-based Pilates instructor Kasidy Pillars says every dispute means having to defend her charges to a credit card processor, costing her time and money due to chargeback fees. Do you have any rough estimate on, let's say, last year, how much in fees you've had to incur? It was between $500 and $1,000. When you're an extremely small business, it's a lot. Her wish that consumers just would talk to her first. Would you prefer that your customers just come to you directly? I do. We are very flexible. A useful tool for consumers, but making some businesses sweat. Brian Chung, NBC News, New York. And when we come back, there is good news tonight in a powerful

tribute from one community for a veteran they didn't even know. And there is good news tonight about honoring those who served and the community that came out in force to pay tribute to a man they didn't even know. There's a saying in the military, Leave no one behind. It's part of a soldier's commitment to service and sacrifice. That's why when 86-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran Gary Brooks passed away alone recently and no kin came forward, the Raposta Funeral Home in Belfast, Maine, posted a notice in the newspaper reading, If you would like to assist with being a pallbearer or simply attend,

please contact the funeral home. There have been tears shed for this man. And on the day they laid Gary to rest, I don't want to die in this state of the world. your shed for this man. And on the day they laid Gary to rest. A surprise. More than 500 strangers showed up at the main Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Augusta to say goodbye. People came from everywhere. Jim Roberts from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, along with funeral director Katie Raposta, helped arrange the service with military honors. What was it like that moment that you saw hundreds of people showing up to honor him?

It's an overwhelming feeling of just patriotism. And it just, the respect that everyone was there showing is overwhelming. Everybody just wanted to be part of something that was spectacular, something that was awesome and honoring Gary. They came out in sweltering heat to remember a man they'd never met. Dozens from military motorcycle clubs, others stepping up with a 21-gun salute, and even a flyover. So many people willing to show that no soldier should be left behind. It is absolutely unifying. Unifying and healing too for the few who did know Gary,

like Victoria Abbott from the soup kitchen where he used to spend time. He always had a smile on his face. It was remarkable how many people came out to honor a man who really, in our little world, was bigger than life. The service, a touching tribute to a fallen veteran. How did this experience impact you? It's heartening to say the least that there are still people that want to honor veterans. It's just so profound. It's so meaningful. An honor they all deserve. That's NBC Nightly News for this Saturday.

I'm Gotti Schwartz. Stay safe and have a great night.