NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Saturday, September 14, 2024

Episode Date: September 14, 2024

Springfield on edge after Trump accusations; Trump and Harris on the campaign trail post-debate; Gas prices could drop below $3 a gallon; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

This is NBC Nightly News with Jose Diaz-Balart. Good evening. A powerful mix of presidential politics and internet rumors has created chaos in one small city. Springfield, Ohio, has been dragged into the spotlight this week. Today, there were new bomb threats there. This time, hospitals were targeted. Former President Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, doubled down on their unfounded claims in the past 24 hours, accusing the Haitian immigrant population there of destroying the city and abusing its pets. But one of the people who helped spread that original rumor is now trying to set the record straight. Maggie Vespa starts us off from Springfield. Tonight, Springfield, Ohio,

reeling from new threats. Earlier this week, targeting schools and government buildings. Today, sending two hospitals into lockdown, both a false alarm. And tonight, an in-person meeting at a Haitian community center canceled because of security concerns. The mounting chaos here, fueled by a false stomach-churning conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants are stealing and eating people's pets, something city officials say there is no evidence of. Despite that, Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance, tweeting a number of times this week about Springfield, today retweeting an unverified video that amplified false rumors of immigrants cooking cats.

While former President Trump, they're eating the dogs, has made the baseless claims a campaign trail staple. And I'm angry about illegal Haitian migrants taking over Springfield, Ohio. Springfield officials blasting the rhetoric, saying the city's Haitian immigrants are there legally. But adding tensions have been mounting around a large recent influx, roughly 15,000 drawn by manufacturing jobs. But some Springfield residents say that's put a strain on resources. I'm angry that foreigners are using up the resources that were set up for the Americans that reside here. Now, many Haitians telling NBC News they're afraid for

their safety and keeping kids home from school. I was talking to my friend like recently and said one of the guy, one of the Haitian guy got punched on his eye. So that's one thing we got to have to work on it. And tonight, the woman behind a Facebook post credited with launching the baseless rumor is speaking out to NBC News. Erica Lee says her claim that a neighbor's missing cat may have been taken by Haitian neighbors was wrong, now saying she had no firsthand knowledge of any such incident. The neighbor quoted saying Lee misinterpreted the story and the cat was actually owned by an acquaintance of a friend. Lee telling me, I messed up royally and quote, I had no intention whatsoever to cause

any of this disgusting hate on anyone of any race, color, or religion. You know, your pets are safe in Springfield, Ohio. I can't even believe I have to tell you or anybody else that, but that's the fact. Going back to that canceled meeting at the Haitian Community Center, organizers say there was no one specific threat that made them cancel, rather just the general atmosphere. And they add they have no plans to reschedule. Maggie Vespa in Springfield, thank you. We are getting a clearer look today at how this week's presidential debate may have reshaped the race, with new polls showing a bounce for Vice President Harris. And now there's a renewed chance there may be a third debate. Vaughn Hilliard reports.

Former President Trump visiting police in Battleground, Nevada today, trying to bounce back from his debate with Vice President Harris. Nobody can believe how bad they've done at the border running our country. Trump calling himself a, quote, extraordinary genius in a social media post

and claiming he won the debate with Harris, citing unscientific internet polling. We actually had one 92 to 6. Three reputable post-debate polls showed Trump trailing Harris by five points, a slight boost for Harris from before the debate. The vice president riding a wave of momentum, set to kick off a campaign blitz this week in the key battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. That push comes as Harris sits down for her first solo interview since becoming the Democratic nominee and distancing herself from President Biden. Well, I'm obviously not Joe Biden. And, you know, I offer a new generation of leadership. The vice president also suggesting Trump's appeal is slipping.

I think people are exhausted with that approach, to be honest with you. This is some of Trump's own supporters express skepticism of his lack of focus on the issues. It wasn't my favorite of his performances. He can't help himself. Trump was insistent that he would not do another debate, but now he's cracking the door open to accepting Harris's call for another matchup, saying he might if he was in the right mood. And Vaughn, all this is happening as more states are set to begin early voting. That's right, Jose. Mail ballots will go out in several states beginning this week, including in Battleground, Wisconsin.

Jose? Von Hilliard, thank you. And now to the gas price story that may be hard to believe. Prices plummeting. The national average on track to go below $3 a gallon. Priscilla Thompson tonight on how low they could go. 281.

It's a day many drivers thought they would never see again. Anybody else notice that the gas prices just plummeted by like 40 cents? Gas prices dropping below $3 a gallon in 17 states, including here in Texas. For here, we love is good. That reaction in sharp contrast to what drivers were saying last year when the national average was more than 60 cents higher. Gas prices are pretty, pretty high. Just keep going up and up. But now, experts say, the national average is on track to drop below $3 a gallon next month for the first time in more than three years.

As we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas, it's possible the national average could fall to as little as $2.75 a gallon. What's behind the dip? Lower demand globally, particularly in China with a slowing economy and among Americans who tend to travel less in the fall. And it's not just impacting your wallet at the pump. We should see a continued drop in grocery prices. Airfares are already down. And with the lower price of jet fuel, it's going to give airlines more latitude to potentially lower airfares even further. On average right now, a domestic round-trip ticket will run you $240,

according to travel booking site Hopper, down 8% from this time last year. But a word to the wise, consumers should enjoy it while it lasts. Hey, keep coming here and stopping buying gas. As long as you can. As long as I can, right. And Priscilla joins me now from Keahy, Texas. Priscilla, we see that price behind you, $209. How long could this last?

Oh, Jose, prices like these are expected to stick around through winter, but experts say they may start to tick up again in the spring as demand rises with more people hitting the road. Jose. Priscilla Thompson and Katie Texas, thank you. And now to other big news tonight, the astronauts stranded in space speaking out for the first time since NASA's decision to keep them there until February. It was supposed to be an eight day trip. Now on day one hundred and two and counting. Liz Kreutz has the details. It might not be what they expected, but the two astronauts stuck in space say they're on board with their new reality.

This is my happy place. I love being up here in space. Veteran astronauts Sonny Williams and Butch Wilmore speaking with reporters in their first press conference since learning their eight-day mission to the International Space Station would actually last more than eight months. It was pretty smooth. It wasn't what we expected.

However, we were prepared. The duo first took off for space in June as the first crewed test of Boeing's Starliner. But after helium leaks and problems with Starliner's propulsion system, NASA decided not to risk the astronauts making their return in it. The Starliner made its way back to Earth last week, landing safely as Sonny and Butch remain in orbit. We could have gotten to the point, I believe,

where we could have returned on Starliner, but we just simply ran out of time. With months to go now until they return on a SpaceX spacecraft in February, the astronauts say the hardest part is being away from family. You know, my daughter, I'm going to miss most of her senior year in high school. And for Sonny, missing a taste of home. I was just talking to my family about that and some other folks that it would be nice if somebody put a New England apple in a spacecraft that was coming up here. Something that will be sent up, their ballots. I sent down my request for a ballot today, as a matter of fact, and they should get it to us in a couple of weeks.

It's a very important duty that we have as citizens, and looking forward to being able to vote from space, which is pretty cool. A dedication to mission and country. Liz Kreutz, NBC News. And now to the controversial new police drones that officers are deploying across the country, using the technology to reach crime scenes, even shattering windows and breaking down doors faster than any human could. David Noriega has the story. In Redmond, Washington, the first cop on the scene might look a little different. So this is where the drone lives.

The Redmond Police Department is on the cutting edge of using drones as first responders. Sergeant Steve Lincoln runs the program. We can get pretty much anywhere within the range of this drone in under two minutes. What kinds of calls is this responding to typically? Some examples are traffic collisions, domestic violence calls, fights. Or a hypothetical shoplifter. We can just follow that person as they're running across the street and just guide the patrol officers in. And if we need to, we can turn on the infrared and see if anybody's hiding in the alleyway.

The number of police departments that are using drones as first responders is still relatively small. But the market for this tech is massive. There's about 20,000 police departments across the country, and this tech, which is still pretty new, is on the verge of becoming commonplace. Drones are cheaper and nimbler than helicopters. They're also getting more sophisticated. Redmond PD is considering a partnership with Brink, a leading drone company that makes outdoor drones as well as tactical indoor drones. If someone is inside with a rifle and it's dangerous to send up a person to break out a window, this can happen. This one can break glass to go in through a window,

push open doors, use thermal imaging, and even draw 3D floor plans in real time. The tactical drone is all about reducing the probability of officer-involved shooting. So we're trying to keep officers safe, but also suspects safe. Put the weapons down! But police drones are controversial. Seattle shut down their police drone program over opposition from residents, and civil liberties groups have privacy concerns. Never before has police been able to send robotic surveillance cameras over people's houses.

In Redmond, police chief Daryl Lowe says they're only used after someone calls 911, not for general surveillance. We have our cameras set at the horizon, so we're not capturing, you know, images or anything on our way to the call or on our way back from the call. You think this is the future. What exactly do you mean? I believe it's the future in the sense that this is an enhancement that police departments of all sizes can implement. New tech transforming policing and raising unanswered questions.

David Noriega, NBC News, Redmond, Washington. And that's NBC Nightly News for this Saturday. Hallie Jackson will be here tomorrow night. I'm Jose Diaz-Balart. Thank you for the privilege of your time and good night.