NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Thursday, November 28, 2024

Episode Date: November 29, 2024

Stowaway passenger found after boarding flight from New York to Paris; Democratic members of Congress targeted with bomb threats on Thanksgiving; Australia passes landmark social media ban for children under 16; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the investigation into a stowaway on a flight from New York to Paris. What we're learning about how the passenger was able to get through security and onto a Delta flight without a ticket. And where passengers say she tried to hide all on the busiest travel week of the year. And tracking the Arctic blast. We'll tell you where and when you might feel some of the coldest air yet this season. And the historic social media ban. Australia now moving to block kids under 16 from popular apps like TikTok, X, and Instagram. But we know about how that ban would work. And the new bomb threats to at least six Democratic lawmakers

just a day after several of Donald Trump's cabinet picks were targeted. And inside the peace deal between Israel and Hezbollah. All report from the border capturing artillery fire. Both sides accusing each other of violating the ceasefire, but will it hold? And the cost of chocolate. How climate change may hike the price of your favorite tweets. All report from Africa tonight on the solutions being used to keep costs down. Plus, there is good news tonight. How a small town shoe store in Iowa without a website has gained a global footing. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.

Good evening. I'm Gotti Schwartz in for Lester. And we start with some pretty harsh weather this Thanksgiving. We saw strong storms washing out a lot of the East Coast today with rain and snow battering the Northeast. But that rain not putting a damper on today's Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. And if you were in a last minute rush to the dinner table, we also saw hundreds of delays at airports. And among the chaos, new questions about how a Delta Airline passenger from New York managed to board a flight to Paris without a ticket and apparently hid in the plane's bathroom before being detained. And if getting to the Thanksgiving table wasn't hard enough, getting home could be tricky too, with the first arctic blast of the season on the way. We're going to

get the latest forecast in just a moment, but we start with Erin McLaughlin on that stowaway investigation in New York. Tonight, with the hectic holiday travel season well underway new questions as to how a stowaway made it onto a delta airlines flight without a ticket earlier this week the flight left jfk international airport for paris tsa says the stowaway completed security screening but somehow bypassed two identity verification and boarding status stations. Passengers say she'd been hiding in the plane's bathroom. People realized that she was spending a long time in one lavatory. The passenger was detained by law enforcement. Delta says it's investigating, adding nothing

is of greater importance than matters of safety and security. I happen to be one of the busiest travel days of the year. Austin Gould is a former TSA assistant administrator. How serious is this? Oh, TSA takes us very seriously. We always look at ways to tighten our screening processes. Calls for more electronic gates at our nation's airports while on the roads in the northeast, travelers brave soggy conditions, even snow. With all this rain, you're being extra careful? Really careful doing the speed limit, not driving fast at all. Capping off a week of harsh weather from coast to coast. Today, there were hundreds of delays at airports across the country. Still, so far, travel has remained relatively manageable. We

didn't know how crazy the airport would be, but it was actually really nice. How was it? How was your flight? It was pretty good. Yeah, not bad. And the rain couldn't dampen the enthusiasm for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Thousands lined the streets to celebrate the New York City tradition. It's been amazing.

Even though it's raining, I'm having the best time ever. And Erin joins us now from New York's LaGuardia Airport. Erin, after the holiday food coma wears off, how are things looking for people traveling back home? Well, Gotti, all eyes are on Sunday. That's when the TSA says it expects to screen more than 3 million passengers at airports nationwide. They're calling this one of the busiest travel periods on record. Gotti. Erin McLaughlin, thank you. And for more, let's bring in NBC News meteorologist Michelle Grossman. Michelle, what can you tell us about this Arctic blast on the way?

Hi there, Gotti. It's going to be chilly. We're going to look at temperatures well below normal for this time of year. Siberian Express traveling 5,000 miles from Canada, bringing us temperatures right around the freezing mark for so many of us. Take a look at some of these numbers because the big city, Chicago, we're looking at 28 degrees on Saturday, just 29 on Sunday. And this cold air is going to reach the south. So Atlanta temperatures only in the 50s over the weekend, just 46 degrees on Monday. Cold during the day, cold at night, too. These are the overnight lows. We're looking at freezing temperatures near the Gulf Coast states. Atlanta just 30 on Saturday morning. Sunday morning, we're looking at 32. New York City, you're going to be around the freezing mark, too,

on Sunday morning. As a result, we are looking at a southern freeze. We're looking at 11 million people at risk for freeze alerts. Gotti? Michelle Grossman, thank you. And overseas, Australia passing a major ban on social media for children under 16 today, making that the one of the toughest social media bans in the world. And the goal there is to address the impact social media has had on kids' physical and mental health. Liz Kreutz has more. It's passed in the resolved in the affirmative. Tonight, Australia taking an unprecedented step, becoming the first

country in the world to ban the use of social media apps for anyone under the age of 16. That's pretty huge. The landmark law, which overwhelmingly passed with bipartisan support, drawing immediate reaction globally on the very apps expected to be the target of it, including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and X. Do we all agree that this is like good but bad at the same time? Under the new law, tech companies will be required to take reasonable steps to verify a user's age and prohibit those under 16 from creating accounts or else face millions in fines. We have heard the cries of families who are suffering. The controversial measure meant to help protect young people from the negative effects of social media.

The American Psychological Association has warned about the addictive nature of these apps and the negative impact it can have on a child's mental health and body image. In Australia, Wayne Holdsworth says his son died by suicide after a sextortion scam. Anyone that says this is not a good idea has not lived through my life. But the law is facing fierce opposition, including from the big tech companies and Elon Musk, who wrote on X, seems like a backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians. And others, including some teens, are questioning how a law like this will be enforced. It will only create a generation of young people who will be more technologically literate in bypassing these walls.

Liz, that is such a good point. How is this law going to be enforced? I mean, that really is the big question right now. And there's not a lot of specifics in the law right now. Gaudi, we do know that it could be that they use some sort of technology that's able to estimate someone's age based on a video, or maybe they're going to require users upload documentation proving their age. It's going to be up to the tech companies to figure this out. They have a year to do so before the law takes effect in 2026. Gaudi. Questions ahead, Liz, and out of politics and new bomb threats against several Democratic members of Congress as they were preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving. And this comes after many of Donald Trump's cabinet picks said they were the targets of

different threats earlier this week. Kelly O'Donnell is with the president elect in Florida. Tonight, another batch of bomb threats disrupting this holiday by targeting the homes of elected officials from Connecticut. This time, Democrats, several lawmakers, including Senator Chris Murphy's Hartford home. His office said this appears to be part of a coordinated effort involving multiple members of Congress and public figures. Congresswoman Johanna Hayes posted that police received a threatening email stating a pipe bomb had been placed in the mailbox at my home. No explosives were found today or after a cluster of similar threats made Tuesday and Wednesday to several of President-elect Trump's

cabinet picks and top advisors. Authorities are investigating. Turning to the coming presidential transfer of power, today President Biden stopped at a firehouse on Nantucket, where he was asked about President-elect Trump's plans to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada. I hope he rethinks it. I think it's a counterproductive thing to do. Adding. The last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships. The president elect posted about his phone conversation with Mexico's new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, making a claim that she has agreed to stop migration through Mexico, effectively closing our southern border. But the Mexican president, who described their call as pleasant, disputed Mr. Trump's broad assertion by writing Mexico's

position is not to close borders, but to build bridges. Notably, she said in Wednesday's call, they did not discuss tariffs. And Kelly, today we also saw a different world leader praising Mr. Trump. What did Vladimir Putin have to say? That's right. Flattery can be an effective tool among the powerful. And today, Putin described the president-elect as an experienced, intelligent leader who could find a solution for the war in Ukraine, while he also said that President Biden might be making it harder for his successor by giving more aid to Ukraine before he leaves office. Gadi? Kelly O'Donnell, thank you. And to the Middle East now, where Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon

are accusing each other of violating a ceasefire agreement that went into effect less than two days ago. Hala Garani reports from northern Israel. Tonight, day two of the Israeli-Hezbollah ceasefire, and in northern Israel, work is starting on repairing rocket damage from the war. In Kiryat Shemona, a few miles from the border with Lebanon, the scars of conflict are still visible. And the sounds of battle still audible. Our camera caught outgoing Israeli artillery fire towards southern Lebanon. The IDF saying it bombed a Hezbollah rocket facility.

Both Hezbollah and the Lebanese army accused the IDF of violating the ceasefire. In the southern suburbs of Beirut, Matt Bradley met residents coming back to massive destruction. So he's saying there's no other option. It's either death or victory. So he sees this as victory. A very different picture across the border. This is Kiryat Shomona's central bus station. It was hit by Hezbollah rocket fire just a few days ago. But unlike the scenes in southern Lebanon, people in this town say they're not ready to return yet. They don't necessarily believe that the ceasefire will hold and that they'll only go back to their homes once they feel truly safe. We follow Limor Ben Avi, who briefly returned to her home to collect items

for her twins. I want Hezbollah nowhere close to Kiryat Shemona. It's very scary. Beyond these hills, Lebanon, and the lingering question on everyone's mind, can this truce hold? Hala Gharani, NBC News, Kiryat Shemona. And we're learning more about those three Americans freed from Chinese prisons Wednesday as part of a prisoner exchange. We've got new video of what appears to be the plane that brought them back home at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. You can see one of the passengers who we think was one of the prisoners running up to give a big hug. The Americans were exchanged for Chinese detainees in the United States.

And in 60 seconds, food banks seeing record demand this holiday season, why it's happening, even as experts say the economy is getting better. That's coming up next. And this Thanksgiving, food banks across the country are seeing record demand, with nearly two-thirds reporting an increase even with inflation cooling. Shannon Pettypiece has a closer look from Grand Rapids, Michigan, in our series, The Cost of Living. So there's different porks. This is pulled pork, just pork steak. This Thanksgiving holiday, it's shelves like these inside a food pantry in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where a growing number of Americans are turning to put food on the table.

It's a struggle. Dominique Flemings has seen her pay rise in recent years to $20 an hour, working 12-hour shifts at a manufacturing plant. Still, she says it isn't enough to feed her children. As my pay goes up, the cost of living is going up, the cost of groceries is going up, the cost of electricity, gas, water, it's all going up. So it feels like you can't get ahead probably. Cannot get ahead. Are you seeing demand go down at all? No, we're seeing the exact opposite. We're seeing demand go up. Scott Bloom has seen more new faces every week at his food pantry. The money that people make working, and these are working people, isn't able to cover even a survival budget. It's a struggle being seen across the country.

65% of food banks say they saw an increase in demand over the past year. Near Dallas, thousands showed up last week for a few bags of food to make a Thanksgiving meal. Ken Estelle runs Feeding America West Michigan, which says it has given out nearly 23 million pounds of food this year. We have never seen the demand as high as we have it today. Lori Braley was among those who came for a few boxes of food ahead of the holiday after being laid off from her manufacturing job. This is what you guys are going to have to eat this week?

Yeah. For Dominique Flemings, she's not sure what she would do without the help. A lot of people are embarrassed to go places like this. They don't want people to know that they're struggling, and that's not something that you should even think about. A message for the growing number of those in need this holiday season. Shannon Pettypiece, NBC News, Grand Rapids, Michigan. And still ahead, while your sweet treats could cost you,

we're going to journey to one of the largest cocoa producing regions in the world to show you why and how farmers are trying to fight climate change. Coming up next. And the holiday season is officially underway. And if you're a chocolate lover, you're going to want to hear this. Cocoa prices have more than doubled this year, which could mean smaller packaging and even a different taste. The problem is harvest issues in West Africa, the largest cocoa producing region in the world. And Zincle Esamwa takes us there. Daniel Aponsa comes from a long line of cocoa farmers. So we have lived on cocoa money till now. But in recent years, the 66-year-old says cultivating the crop is getting harder. The climate change started to come in. Things became different. Why? It was like hell

for cocoa farmers. The yield dropped, reduced drastically, and poverty was everywhere. Ghana is the world's second largest cocoa producer. Here, farmers say erratic rain is leading to crop rot and rampant deforestation is causing dramatic water loss in the soil. Experts say changing weather patterns continue to have a negative impact on the cocoa supply. The price of cocoa has more than doubled since the start of 2024. For consumers, buying chocolate in the U.S. will likely be more expensive this year. To adapt, farmers like Daniel and Ataifsi are teaming up with non-profit Fair Trade to learn new climate-forward ways to farm, like using fruit-bearing trees to provide moisture and shade to the cocoa crop from excessive heat.

Because there is no protection for the cocoa. But if you see this one, this cocoa. Oh, it's protected by this? And this is plantain? Yeah, this is plantain. Ifsi sharing that training with other farmers in her community. Today, experts are hopeful a better fall weather forecast and sustainable farming practices will help the cocoa supply rebound this season. While Aponsa credits cocoa and the new farming techniques for his livelihood, he believes more must be done to mitigate climate change.

The hope for a future depends on all of us. We, the cocoa farmers, are the foundation. We have the buyers there. We have these chocolate manufacturers. So let's all come together and see the way forward. Zinclair Samoa, NBC News, Gozo, Ghana. And when we come back, there is good news tonight about the ties that bind this shoe store to customers all across the globe and all without the internet. And finally, there's good news tonight about the power of small business and the shoes that tied generations of one family to customers all around the world. Boyd Hoopert from our Minneapolis affiliate, Care 11, has that incredible story.

You've heard the stories from rural America of struggling stores leaving small-town main streets. This is not one of those. This machine probably was built in about 1930s, I would guess. That Tim Weaver is coaxing a Depression-era sewing machine toward a second century of shoe repair is not the feat that's brought us to Buffalo Center, Iowa, population 850. It is very unique. The feat that brought us here are the feat that have brought us to Buffalo Center, Iowa, population 850. It is very unique. The feet that brought us here are the feet that have brought Weaver's Leather to a milestone. We're coming up 100 years next year. Which isn't Weaver's only significant number. We're probably close to

13,000. 13,000 pairs of new shoes stack Florida Rapids. It goes and goes. Shoes filling the original store and a series of additions. We're a little full. 15 pairs of shoes for every man, woman, and child in town. 16 extra wide. Which Julie, Tim's wife, will tell you is a bit misleading. Those are all the people who have come here. We have shoes in every state. Despite this. Never had a website, just word of mouth and people coming. A business model Tim's father adopted 74 years ago. Probably about 30 years ago, that picture. Tim keeps this picture of his dad nearby. And another reminder, even closer.

That's me. I'm 94 now. He comes to work with me every day. Well, a little stubborn. Leroy was 19 Ted Weaver. when his father died of cancer. Leroy is right here.

Leaving Leroy to take over the store his dad founded in 1925. If you're keeping tabs, that's three generations. I'm the fourth generation and I'm Colin Weaver. Colin and his brother Tanner. This is my thing. And their grandma, Carolyn. I rip out zippers. There isn't people that do this anymore. We live in a throwaway country, I think. Not here. No, you save the unsavable. Not unlike Weaver's, the kind of small-town store that shouldn't have survived. Sounds good. Thanks, Shelly. Yet thrives.

Not too many people can say that. It's an honor. It's something special, I'll tell you that. We're here for it. Keep the generations going. In small towns across America, businesses come and too often go. But how appropriate the strong fabric of Buffalo Center depends. Hi.

On weakness. Yes. Boyd Hooper for NBC News, Buffalo Center, Iowa. Another Boyd Hooper story with so much soul. Boyd Hoopert, thank you. That's Nightly News. Thanks so much for watching. I'm Gotti Schwartz.

And from all of us here at NBC News, happy Thanksgiving and have a great night.