NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Saturday, July 27, 2024

Episode Date: July 28, 2024

Team USA wins gold on Day 1 of Paris Olympics; Massive California fire engulfs hundreds of thousands of acres; Rocket strike in Israeli territory kills at least 12, including children, Israel blames Hezbollah; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, live from Paris, the first big day of competition of these Olympic Games and Team USA scoring its first gold. And it's a big one. The epic rivalry in the pool, the American men blasting past Australia to win gold in the relay, Caleb Dressel bringing it home, Katie Ledecky taking bronze in what's being called the race of the century, and the nasty weather sending this American cyclist skidding. The big question tonight, will they have to cancel the triathlon swim in the Seine after all that rain?

Back home, the out-of-control wildfire in California. Thousands evacuated, homes burned down, and the fire NATO caught on camera. Our correspondent on the front lines. A major escalation in the Middle East, the deadliest attack on Israeli territory since October 7th. And rising fears a new front in the war is about to open. Former President Trump sharpening his lines of attack on Vice President Kamala Harris. And what new battleground polls reveal about just how close the race is now. Back here in Paris, I go one-on-one with Michael Phelps. What he told me about the swimmers chasing his records,

plus what could be the greatest Olympic comeback ever before Simone Biles' epic return tomorrow. She sits down with us. This is NBC Nightly News. Reporting tonight from the Olympics in Paris. Here is Lester Holt. Good evening from Paris on this first official day of competition of the Olympic Games. The rain came down for much of the day, but it has not dampened the enthusiasm we're feeling here. COVID restrictions are now a distant memory. The crowds are back and the athletes are proving

why they are the very best. Today, the focus was on the ultimate rivalry in the pool, the United States versus Australia. Caleb Dressel helped lead the men to Team USA's first gold, comfortably defeating the Aussies in the 4x100 relay. Katie Ledecky began her quest to become the most decorated female American Olympian ever. She took a step closer today, meddling in the 400-meter freestyle. It was billed as the race of the century with so many powerhouse swimmers competing. While she scored bronze, she has got more opportunities ahead to step atop the podium in the days ahead. We start our coverage tonight with Stephanie Gosk, who was at the Aquatic Center today. What a way for Team USA to win its first gold medal in Paris. Hunter Armstrong, Jack Alexei, Chris Giuliano, and Caleb Dressel

dominating the 4x100 meter freestyle relay. The Americans get it done again. It was just surreal. You know, just trying to take in every moment of it. Dressel anchored the race. His eighth gold medal might have been his sweetest. It was the first witnessed by his six-month-old son, August. It was really special making the team in front of them and then winning gold in front of them, so I can take that with me the rest of my life. It was a strong showing in the pool for the women of Team USA, too, picking up silver in the same event. I think everyone's happy with how we swam, and it's just going to keep getting better.

And Katie Ledecky won her first medal of these Olympics, a bronze in the 400-meter freestyle, bested today by her Australian rival, Arianne Titmuss. Just a little disappointed that I couldn't bring my best today, but a medal's a medal. Can't be disappointed with that. Unfortunately, the swimmers weren't the only ones getting wet today in Paris. Downpours drenched beach volleyball, athletes and spectators alike. Skateboarding was postponed, but the women's cycling time trial was not. There were a lot of crashes. Amazingly, U.S. cyclist Chloe Digert went down, got back on her bike, and still won bronze. I just did everything I could to get to the finish line today, and I'm really grateful. It's God's plan. I'm just thankful that I'm here.

The heavy rainfall could also cause sewage to overflow into the Seine, affecting water quality. Organizers say Sunday's practice session for triathletes and distance swimmers may be cancelled, with Tuesday's competition in jeopardy. But hopefully we get a swim, bike and run because I don't swim this much to just run and bike. Halfway around the world, the water and Mother Nature were far more cooperative. Surfing got underway in Tahiti, 12 time zones and 10,000 miles from Paris. Bright blue skies and perfect waves. The medal count already off to a good start for Team USA. Cassidy Cook and Sarah Bacon nabbed the first of the games, winning silver in synchronized diving.

To be the first medal for Team USA and the first medal ceremony of this Olympic Games, it's just, it's amazing. It feels insane. And Stephanie, we saw our first gymnastics action today as well. Yeah, we did, Lesher. The men qualified in fifth place in the team competition for the final. They haven't won a medal since 2008. And the women, they start tomorrow. They have their own qualifier. A lot of excitement so early in these games.

All right, Stephanie, thanks very much. We want to turn to our other big story right now. Several massive wildfires sweeping across the West tonight. Thousands evacuated, homes destroyed. And the biggest one in California, it is nowhere near contained. Steve Patterson is on the front lines in California. Tonight, California's largest fire so far this year, the Park Fire, exploding in size in just four days. The flames' meteoric march rapidly spreading to more than 300,000 acres,

now sprawling over multiple counties. A towering, swirling firenado seemed crossing this road. This home, among more than 130 structures, so far destroyed, and at least 4,000 more are threatened. Authorities believe the blaze was sparked by 42-year-old Ronnie Dean Stout II, spotted pushing a burning car into a ravine, now arrested on suspicion of arson. Overnight, new evacuations in multiple communities. The fire department was like, you guys have to get out now. It's coming up and it's coming fast. Including the entire town of Paradise. Still reeling from the trauma left by the Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history,

killing 85 people, decimating the area. Definitely is a lot of PTSD in this county. And you can see the destruction in its wake. Homes in this area gutted. And at its fastest, officials say it was moving at about 5,000 acres per hour. Right now, the West is besieged by fire, with more than 110 active fires covering nearly 3,000 square miles. In Idaho, harrowing video shows residents escaping through a tunnel of flames. In eastern Oregon, the pilot of an airtaker was found dead, battling one of several fires consuming the state.

I've lived here all my life and never, never seen it this way. Never. And in Alberta, Canada, officials estimate half the historic town of Jasper was destroyed, with thousands forced to evacuate. And as you walk through the wreckage here, something you immediately notice is the smell, is the smoke. Officials say poor air quality alerts for the rest of the week across the West. Lester. All right, Steve Patterson, thank you. Overseas now to what could be a major escalation in the Middle East. At least a dozen young people killed in what is the deadliest attack on Israeli territory since October 7th. That attack, Israeli military says, launched by Hezbollah from inside

Lebanon. Israel is now vowing to respond. This could all lead to another front in the war there. Raf Sanchez has late details for us tonight from Tel Aviv. Tonight, Israel says at least a dozen children and teenagers were killed after a rocket hit a soccer field where they were playing. The Israeli military says it's the deadliest attack on its civilians since October 7th, and it's blaming Hezbollah, the powerful Iranian-backed militant group in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah tonight denying responsibility, but Israel vowing to strike back. This attack shows the true face of Hezbollah. The rocket hitting the Golan Heights,

disputed territory Israel captured from Syria in 1967. Most of the victims from the Druze religious minority. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now rushing back from Washington. Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets at Israel. We're seeing more interceptions now over the skies of northern Israel as a fresh barrage of Hezbollah rockets comes in. While more than 100 miles from Gaza, Israel has pounded southern Lebanon,

raising fears of war on a second front. In central Gaza today, hospital authorities say at least 36 people were killed, including 15 children, by an Israeli airstrike on a school. This little boy tells our team, glass and stones fell on us. There was dust everywhere. The IDF says it was targeting a Hamas command center inside the school. The latest young lives cut short in this unforgiving war. And Raf joins us now from Tel Aviv.

Raf, we understand the CIA director is heading to Europe for hostage talks. That's right, Lester. He'll be in Rome tomorrow for what a senior administration official says are hopefully the closing stages of ceasefire negotiations. But those talks could get a lot more complicated if there's major escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. Lester. All right, Raf Sanchez, thank you. We turn to politics now and the dramatic shakeup in the race for president.

We're getting our first look at battleground polling since President Biden dropped out and the race could not be closer. Aaron Gilchrist is on the campaign trail with former President Trump. As the new race for the White House heats up between former President Trump and Vice President Harris, a new group of battleground state polls showing just how tight the race is. Trump and Harris tied in Michigan and Pennsylvania. Trump inside the margin of error with a one point lead in Wisconsin and Harris leading Trump in Minnesota by six points outside the margin of error. The vice president improving on President Biden's battleground standings before he left the race. Hello, Bitcoiners. The former president stumping for support in Nashville today at a Bitcoin conference. Laying out my plan to ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet. Talking up cryptocurrency, but also blasting his competitor for the White House.

She's a radical left lunatic. That after a Friday night speech hitting Vice President Harris on the Biden administration's border policy. Millions of people crossing and she was the border czar. Now they're trying to say she never was the border czar. Trump for the first time this weekend not wearing a bandage on his wounded ear. The FBI late Friday clarifying that the former president was in fact hit by a bullet or fragments from a bullet two weeks ago. The Republican nominee also announcing on social media that he will continue to do outdoor rallies.

Vice President Harris also on the campaign trail this weekend, headlining an 800 guest fundraiser in Massachusetts, raising more than a million dollars, according to a campaign official. And ours is a fight for the future. And it is a fight for freedom. Harris also sending a recorded message to the Gen Z-led Voters of Tomorrow Summit in Atlanta. And we know your vote cannot be taken for granted. It must be earned, and that is exactly what we will do. Lester, tonight here in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Donald Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, are rallying supporters in this 6,000-seat arena. This is a state that hasn't gone Republican for president in 52 years,

and tonight these two men hope to change that. Lester. Aaron Gilchrist, thank you. seat arena. This is a state that hasn't gone Republican for president in 52 years, and tonight these two men hope to change that. Lester? Aaron Gilchrist, thank you. When we return from here in Paris, my conversation with Michael Phelps on the swimmers now going after his records. And Simone Biles returns to the games tomorrow, but tonight she opens up with our Hoda Kotb. We're back from the Paris Olympics where Team USA won gold, silver, and bronze in the pool today. And no one knows what it's like to win in the water better than Michael Phelps. Today, I talked to him about who he's watching as the games begin. Well, before we talk about the individual races here, what's it like for you to come back?

You know, I think last night during opening ceremonies, you know, just being a part of opening ceremonies for me, I had hair sticking straight up on my arms. Like, I had just the emotions and the feelings of being back at an Olympic Games. Well, let's talk about some of your former teammates competing. Who are you watching? You know, obviously, Katie Ledecky is, you know, she's like my little sister. I've known her forever. And, you know, go back to that old

photo of her and I when she was, you know, a little 10-year-old or however old she was. You know, she's really made a name for herself and really become a dominant name in the sport. Last time we talked, it was, you know, we were talking about mental, the mental approach to this game. As you watch these athletes right now, how do they seem to you? You know, for me, a lot of them have taken that part of it in control for themselves, right? I think, you know, we've had a lot of additions to, you know, the mental health space from the USOC. So I think, you know, just from talking to the swimmers, I think it's really cool and really powerful that they're taking that on themselves and taking care of the mental and the physical health so they can be the best version of themselves.

One of the things I've got a kick out of is the rivalry between USA and Australia. What's that all about? When we are in the pool, yes, of course, we're competitors. We want nothing more than to beat the person next to us whoever it might be but when we're out of the pool we're friends saying that i hope team usa rings those cowbells as loud as they can possibly ring them all meat long who are the people we should be watching as we look toward the future uh you know i think kate douglas this week has a great chance in the two breast um jack alexi hunter armstrong Beck, Hunter Freestylers.

It's kind of really anyone's ballgame. I think that's the greatest thing about this sport, I think, now is you really see the younger generation that's stepping up. It doesn't matter if they're racing Katie Ledecky. It doesn't matter if they're racing Caleb Dressel. They think they can beat them. And that's the kind of attitude and the mentality we need to have when we're going up and racing the best in the world. Part of my conversation with Michael Phelps here in Paris. We'll have much more from the Paris Olympics in just a moment, including the epic comeback for superstar Simone Biles. What she told Hoda Kotb about how she plans to win gold. We are just hours away from perhaps the greatest Olympic comeback story ever. Simone Biles returns to the Games tomorrow after pulling herself out of the competition

three years ago. She sat down with our Hoda Kotb. There's something different about Simone Biles now, not the gymnastics. You should not be able to do that as a human being. Her vaults still soar as jaw-droppingly high. Absolutely incredible. Her floor routines, as electric as ever. Ladies and gentlemen, that's how it's done. Now, the shift is in her mindset.

There's this joy that I haven't seen in a long time. At 27, she is more confident, more centered, more herself. I feel like the new me, I'm a little bit older, more mature. So just being unapologetically me. She has, as they say, done the work. Therapy every Thursday has become as critical as her reps in the gym. Before, I was kind of like pushing down my trauma and now I've learned to speak on it and kind of release that. So that's really helped me and that's why I'm doing what I'm doing today. Do you feel stronger now than you have before? I think

so. I think we used to think of therapy as a weakness and now I think of it as a strength and if there's somebody that can help me deal with what I'm going through, then that's what I need to do. It is the women's team final from Tokyo. You may have been watching that night in July 2021. Tens of millions were as Simone sprinted toward the vault and then got lost in the air. Wow. And that was not what was planned. A dreaded and scary phenomenon gymnasts call the twisties. Never in my life have I seen her do that. Never. Worried about safety,

she pulled out of the competition. I'm sorry. I love you guys. Watching from the sidelines as her shocked teammates managed to pull it together and win silver. But it was not the triumphant Olympics any of them had dreamed of. I'm going home in one piece, which I was a little bit to pull it together and win silver. But it was not the triumphant Olympics any of them had dreamed of. I'm going home in one piece, which I was a little bit nervous about. So I'm not mad. Back at home, Simone focused on her mental health.

She also got married, became an aunt, and then slowly started to think about a comeback. How long did you have to mull it over? It took a while because I was watching gymnastics on TV. But then, you know, every time somebody twisted, I was like, oh, my gosh. One day I just woke up and I was like, OK, let's try this again. Those signature skills came right back. Vaulting Simone to her third Olympics and a chance at what she says is redemption.

How do you want yourself to be remembered? As long as I was having fun and doing what I love, then that's all that you can do, because I don't want to look back 50 years from now and be like, wow, she was good, but she was so miserable. And I think a couple of times I might have thought that. But now I'm just like, wow, look at her go. She's loving what she's doing with who she's doing it with. So really just embracing that moment. Every time Simone looks in the mirror, she sees this tattoo, a Maya Angelou quote on her collarbone. And still I rise.

And so she does. Hoda Kotb, NBC News. When we come back, Olympic families finally back in the stands. How it is energizing these athletes. Finally tonight, there is new energy here at these Olympics. The COVID era restrictions of the last two games are now gone. And the biggest change for the athletes, their loved ones are allowed back. Emily Akeda has the story.

In Paris, the streets are packed and so are the stands. This Olympics already looks and sounds drastically different from the last one, when athletes competed in eerily quiet venues in Tokyo because of COVID. Coaches stepped in as cheerleaders. He is going crazy. While friends and family celebrated thousands of miles away.

Relishing in victories over emotional video calls. I love you so much. In 2021, Amy and Mike Parato watched from home as their daughter, Jessica, won a silver in synchronized diving. We were sitting on the couch watching it three o'clock in the morning. And I don't remember much about other than being amazingly, overwhelmingly emotional that that happened. This was the moment they held her medal for the first time when she brought it to Minnesota. That's a lot of work. Pretty amazing, huh?

To me, it's like their medal as well. So it's just every single person, especially my family who have been there with me from the very beginning, that I just attribute that success to them. We see her as our daughter, you know, playing around, running around as a kid, having fun, flipping off our couch and ruining our living room. To hear the Olympics is just incredible. Now 30, Jessica will hurdle, pike and somersault into her third Olympic Games. And this time her number one fans. And so many other families will get to watch their favorite athletes go for gold from the stands. Will it be emotional for you? Oh, it's always emotional.

I just want to see them have fun and do their best. And if they get a medal, great. If this is the end, if this is their last go around, I don't want to miss one second of what she's doing. And you get to see it in person. Yes. Emily Ikeda, NBC News. want to miss one second of what she's doing. And you get to see it in person. Yes. Yes. Emily Ikeda, NBC News. And what a beautiful place to be back. That is NBC Nightly News for this Saturday. Please tune in for NBC's primetime Olympic coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern. I'm Lester Holt. I'll see you back here tomorrow night from Paris.

Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.