NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Thursday, October 17, 2024

Episode Date: October 18, 2024

Leader of Hamas killed by Israeli forces; Harris campaigns in battleground Wisconsin, 19 days before election; Early voting underway in storm-ravaged North Carolina; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, Israel's top target, the leader of Hamas and the accused mastermind of the October 7 terror attack killed in Gaza. Israel saying this video shows Yahya Sinwar's final moments, throwing debris at a drone just before he is killed. His death confirmed by DNA and dental records, but it could mean for ceasefire talks and Hamas's hostages. And just in, the last minute reprieve in a Texas death row case. A judge temporarily blocking the execution of a man convicted on the now controversial

diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome. Also tonight, the election just 19 days out. Kamala Harris blitzing across battleground Wisconsin on the heels of her combative interview with Fox News. And Donald Trump asked about the January 6th attack at a town hall calling it, Wisconsin, on the heels of her combative interview with Fox News. And Donald Trump asked about the January 6 attack at a town hall, calling it, quote, a day of love. The scathing new report on the Secret Service calling on the agency to bring in new outside leadership after the July shooting at a Trump rally. The acting director responding exclusively here tonight.

And the midnight moment when Times Square turns into one giant art gallery. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. The Mideast preparing for what may come next after Israel announced it had killed the mastermind of the October 7th Hamas terror attacks that killed more than 1,200 people. His death announced by the Prime Minister Netanyahu on Israeli television. Officials in Israel say Yahya Sinwar was killed during a heavy gun battle with Israeli troops. The IDF releasing this unverified footage that it claims shows Sinwar's final moments. It is a landmark moment in the war in Gaza

and the latest Hamas leader to be killed by Israeli forces. But as some Israelis took to the streets, it is unclear who will succeed Senwar and what it means for the remaining hostages held in Gaza and the future of negotiations to free them. Erin McLaughlin leads off our coverage tonight. Tonight, new drone video shows the moment just before Israel says the leader of Hamas, the architect of the October 7th terror attack, was killed. In the footage released by the Israeli

military, the IDF says Yahya Sinwar can be seen with his hand blown off, his face covered, throwing a stick in defiance. NBC News has not confirmed the video shows Sinwar. Today, the images of Sinwar's body lying in rubble, surrounded by Israeli troops, sent shockwaves through the region. Today, the mastermind of this day of sheer evil is no more. According to an Israeli official, overnight, there was a fierce battle in southern Gaza. Israeli troops initially had no idea Sinwar was at the location. His body discovered today and later identified using DNA tests and dental records. President Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from Air Force One.

I told him that we were in good peace with his actions and further that now is the time to move on. Yaya Sinwar spent 23 years inside an Israeli prison for killing fellow Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel. He was released in 2011. One of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, Netanyahu, exchanged for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier kidnapped and held in Gaza for five years. It was an exchange that would later inform Sinwar's decision to take 250 Israeli hostages to Gaza on October 7th.

Many of them have since died. 101 remain, including 84-year-old Oded Livshitz, kidnapped from a kibbutz near Oz. His daughter-in-law says she's terrified Sinwar's death could spell even more misery for the hostages. I believe there is no way to get the hostages back now. I hope that my intuition is a mistake.

Erin, I understand things are moving in real time, of course, but is there some inclination as to who will now lead Hamas and if anything really changes? Lester, it's unclear. Experts say Sinwar's brother is likely next in line. And caution, he's just as hardline and brutal a leader as Sinwar. Lester. Erin McLaughlin, thank you. There is breaking news from Texas right now, where a civil court judge has temporarily halted tonight's scheduled execution of Robert Robertson, whose story we have been reporting here on Nightly

News. The state attorney general, however, is challenging the judge's decision as we speak, meaning the execution could possibly go forward this evening still. For 20 years, Robert Robertson's story has never changed. Did you harm your daughter, Nikki? No, sir, I did not harm my daughter. But what has changed is the now controversial shaken baby syndrome diagnosis that convicted him of killing his two-year-old daughter in 2002. You did nothing that led to her death? No, sir. Robertson said he had rushed Nikki to

the hospital after she'd fallen from her bed, and he found her unconscious. Doctors determined the little girl had bleeding behind her eyes and brain, which was also swollen. Three symptoms known in medicine as the triad. At the time, doctors believed that could mean just one thing, abuse. But Roberson's current attorney insists Nikki was misdiagnosed. There was this tragic death of a chronically ill child. In fact, Nikki had been to the hospital more than 40 times in her short life, including two visits days before her death with a 104.5 degree fever, something that Brian Wharton, the detective who arrested Roberson, didn't know at the time. We were aware that she had been sick recently, but I don't think we ever understood how extensive that history was.

Wharton, now a minister, also didn't know that Roberson had autism, explaining the lack of emotion that initially made the detective suspicious. He wasn't diagnosed until 2018. He now believes Roberson is innocent and regularly visits him. Wharton has been fighting to save his life. So has an army of others, including a bipartisan majority of the Texas legislature. We're at a point here where the truth about Robert is being avoided and justice is not being served. Tonight, minutes before the scheduled execution, a judge issued a temporary restraining order delaying it so Roberson can testify at a hearing on Monday. The AG's office, however, is challenging that. I spoke with Brian Wharton just hours ago by Zoom. Roberson asked him to witness his final moments. It's a heavy burden. He's asked

me to be present, and I owe that to him. It doesn't feel like a burden, and so I will to be with him to make sure he knows that he's not alone. How are you preparing for your own death? I'm at peace. I'm not ready to go, you know. Like I tell people, God has a last say. And again, the court has temporarily blocked his execution. We'll, of course, continue to follow this story. Return out of the race for the White House was just 19 days until Election Day. Vice President Harris was in crucial Wisconsin today, facing new fallout after her heated interview with Fox News. Garrett Haik has lay details. Tonight, Vice President Harris blitzing the Badger State.

It is good to be back in Wisconsin. With multiple events in Battleground, Wisconsin. This is going to be a tight race until the very end. Taking aim at this comment overnight from former President Trump, who was asked at a Univision town hall about his actions surrounding the January 6th attack. Trump glossing over the violence, calling it a, quote, day of love. But that was a day of love from the standpoint of the millions. It's like hundreds of thousands. It could have been the largest group I've ever

spoken before. He called it a a quote, a day of love. But it points out something that everyone here knows. The American people are exhausted with his gaslighting. Meanwhile, there's new fallout over Harris's combative interview with Fox News. Essentially a pathway to citizenship for the... May I please finish? Yes, ma'am. May I finish responding, please?

Harris repeatedly casting former President Trump as a danger. He has talked about going after people who are engaged in peaceful protest. He has talked about locking people up because they disagree with him. This is a democracy. The vice president tried to distance herself from President Biden, but did not name any specifics about what she would have done differently in the last four years. Nothing comes to mind that you would do differently? Let me be very clear. My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden's presidency.

And like every new president that comes in to office, I will bring my life experiences, my professional experiences and fresh and new ideas. And she was pressed about her calls for change despite being the incumbent vice president. Your campaign slogan is a new way forward and it's time to turn the page. You've been vice president for three and a half years. So what are you turning the page from? Well, first of all, turning the page from the last decade in which we have been burdened with the kind of rhetoric coming from Donald Trump that has been designed and implemented to divide our country.

Trump running mate Senator J.D. Vance firing back today. Twenty-five minutes of a person who couldn't answer a direct question. What are we turning the page on? She goes and talks about Donald Trump, who, of course, hasn't been in office for the past three and a half years. Kamala Harris has been. And Garrett, looking ahead now, both campaigns are also getting some pretty high profile last minute help on the trail. Tell us about it. In this moment, including a couple of billionaires, Elon Musk, who's running for Trump in Pennsylvania tonight, and Mark Cuban on the trail today with Harris here in Wisconsin. There's no particular reason why the Constitution is so much more powerful than voting on those

people else in the nation to choose the next president of the United States. All right, Garrett Haig, thank you. In another crucial swing state, North Carolina, in-person early voting began today, all while in the western part of the state there's a push to help residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Gabe Gutierrez is there. In western North Carolina, the wall of water from this river obliterated not just Suzanne Garland's home and family business, it also shattered her sense of normalcy. How tough have the last few weeks been? It's been bad, yeah, but everybody's pulled together. You've lost everything. I mean, you can't just sit and cry like you have to do something. Today, she did something among the first to vote early. People deserve to be heard, and just because we're rural and we're not in a city, we're up in these hills and stuff, like, we'll find a way to vote in a city, we're up in these hills and stuff,

like we'll find a way to vote. North Carolina, a key battleground. Democrats haven't won this state since 2008, but now view it as crucial on the road to the White House. We found in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the election is essential on the road to recovery. We have to expand our polling places for people to have access. Again, this is not a partisan issue. This is an American issue. Today, the Raleigh suburbs saw long lines. While here in rural Avery County, a rush to replace damaged polling locations. It's a flood like no other flood.

Larry Jones showed us one, a church, now turned into a donation distribution site. Which is why, for some here, politics may not be a priority. For others, like Suzanne Garland, being heard is. Do you feel forgotten? I think that this area is forgotten on a good day, much less in a disaster. For others, like Suzanne Garland, being heard is. Do you feel forgot? I think that this area is forgotten on a good day, much less in a disaster. We're Americans. We need help.

As the cleanup effort here continues, another challenge, absentee ballots. Election officials say they're working with the Postal Service to try and redistribute them. Lester? All right, Gabe Gutierrez tonight, thank you. Now to our exclusive interview with the acting director of the Secret Service responding to a highly critical report about the agency after the July the attack on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Today, the independent review panel of law enforcement experts from both parties issued a 52-page report that finds deep flaws at the Secret Service and calls the agency bureaucratic, complacent and static. Acting Director Ronald Rowe responding in an exclusive interview. We have not been sitting back waiting for reports like this to come out. Following the horrific events of July 13th, we've already started to make not only operational

changes, but policy changes. They are recommending a leadership change. Are you prepared for that? Well, what I'm focused on right now is making sure that I'm advocating for the men and women of the Secret Service that are out there doing the mission. This busy campaign season remains a high-threat environment with demands to secure so many prominent figures out on the trail. Agents and resources are stretched thin. Do you have a morale problem? We are asking them to do extraordinary things right now. I worry that my workforce is certainly demoralized by some of the things that are said about them. The Trump campaign has repeatedly requested more resources. He is receiving the highest level of

secret service protection that is commensurate with the protection provided to the president of the United States. Is he satisfied based on your interactions with him? So I've had conversations with the former president. He's very happy with his detail. He's actually publicly stated that. The agency says it is adding more technology, expanding training on drones, acknowledging they didn't work at Butler. Even robotic dogs that can detect body heat of unseen perpetrators.

And moving target dummies simulate attacks. But the director says their training center needs more. The challenge that we have here is we don't have a realistic training environment for the most famous address in the world. Agents have traveled to Tyler Perry's studio replica of the White House for training. Roe insists they need their own to meet the real world security demands. Kelly O'Donnell, NBC News, at the Secret Service Training Center. And up next, protecting kids from extortion online.

Do new measures from one of the biggest social media companies go far enough. Back now with a new announcement from Meta aimed at protecting teens from blackmail on its widely popular app, Instagram. Savannah Sellers reports on our series, Kids Under Pressure. Meta unveiling new protections on Instagram to combat sextortion. That's when a criminal coerces someone into sending explicit images and then threatens to spread them unless they're paid. Here's how to take control of the situation if you need help. The company placing this PSA in Instagram feeds and launching new features to protect against accounts with, quote, scammy behavior. Meta says it will make it harder for suspicious accounts to request to follow teens, and users will be notified if the account they are messaging with is in another country.

Antigone Davis is the head of global safety at Meta. This crime has evolved. This is why we think it's so important to educate people in this area. Are these measures being put in place to inform teens that sexortion is happening on the platform or to try to stop it on the platform in the first place? First and foremost, we want to stop it on the platform, but it's both. We want to make sure that teens have the information that they need because these are adversarial actors. They're going to try to get around the protections that we put in place. That sounds like an acknowledgement though that Meta does not have a handle on it. No, what I would say is we've put in place built-in protections,

but we're dealing with adversarial criminal actors. Criminal actors targeting American teens. Savannah Sellers, NBC News, New York. And coming up, come with us to Times Square as it goes from tourist haven to megawatt art gallery at the stroke of midnight. Finally, every year, millions and millions of people descend on Times Square, but most never see it quite like this as a neon art gallery. Emily Aketa with the good news tonight. It's one of the most famous places in the world, Times Square, with some 300,000 daily visitors and a dizzying display of billboards you can see from space. But 364 nights a year, there's a synchronized surprise for the city that never sleeps.

We're in the final moments of the day, which means the clock is quite literally counting down to a total transformation of Times Square's more than 90 billboards. And look at that. How magical is this? From 1157 until midnight, digital art dances across the massive screens in what's called Midnight Moment. It's got to be one of the most monumental secrets hiding in plain sight. Jean Cooney oversees the public art program. From eye-popping color gradients to larger-than-life blossoms, every month a different artist takes over this one-of-a-kind canvas. It's almost as though time is slowing down.

It's really hard to alter the energy of Times Square in any way, and Midnight Moment really does that. Some accidentally stumble upon the spectacular show while others seek it out. So I heard about it on TikTok and like I absolutely loved it. It was awesome. Like art kind of brings you into the moment so it's kind of cool to share it with all these people. The billboards are owned by different companies that donate the time each night. It's really a people-powered program. It's people making decisions to say yes to the same thing all at once to put on a really incredible show. In the name of public art. In the name of public art. Emily Ikeda, NBC News, New York. What a terrific idea. That is nightly

news for this Thursday. Thank you for watching. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night, everyone.