NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Thursday, October 24, 2024

Episode Date: October 25, 2024

Los Angeles DA will recommend resentencing for Menendez brothers; Obama joins Harris at Georgia campaign rally; Trump campaigns in critical battlegrounds less than two weeks before Election Day; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, after more than 30 years behind bars, the bombshell decision that could lead to the Menendez brothers going free. The infamous case, Lyle and Eric Menendez serving life for the 1989 killings of their parents. They say it was self-defense after years of abuse. Today, the DA recommending they be re-sentenced. After new evidence emerged, could they be released and how soon? We question the DA. Just 12 days until the election, Kamala Harris bringing out the star power, a rally in Georgia with Barack Obama and

Bruce Springsteen, and now word Beyonce will also join her on the trail. It comes after the vice president said she believes Donald Trump is a fascist. Mr. Trump meantime blitzing two battlegrounds in the West and his new vow if he is reelected to fire special counsel Jack Smith. The ballots burned in a critical battleground, a mailbox set ablaze, the suspect under arrest. McDonald saying it's identified the source of the onions linked to its E. coli outbreak, the supplier issuing a recall, the FDA investigating, and the mom who says she wound up in the hospital after eating McDonald's. And the insect wrangler who overcame his fear to create a big buzz on social media.

This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. The Menendez brothers, two of the most notorious killers of the last 35 years, could be eligible for release immediately, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, who has announced prosecutors will ask a court tomorrow to resentence Lyle and Eric Menendez. They're currently serving life sentences for the brutal shotgun murders of their parents inside their Beverly Hills home in 1989.

The case captivated the country at the time and has been thrust back into the headlines by recent documentaries and calls for their release by family and celebrity supporters. At the crux of those calls, the brothers claimed that their father had sexually abused them and that the killings were an act of self-defense. The DA saying tonight they have paid their dues. Senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett has more. After serving more than three decades behind bars tonight, the Menendez brothers may soon be on the verge of release. I believe that they have paid their debt to society.

LISA DESJARDINS- Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon announcing today his office will support a resentencing of Eric and Lyle Menendez, convicted of murdering their parents in a Beverly Hills mansion, a case that captured the nation's attention, one of the first to be televised. GEN. LILI MANENDEZ, We're going to recommend to the court that the life without the possibility of parole be removed, and that they will be sentenced for murder. They will be eligible for parole immediately.

LISA DESJARDINS- The D.A. under pressure to reexamine certain evidence of sexual abuse, the brothers say they endured at the hands of their father, Jose, then a high-powered music executive. JOSE, High Power Music Executive, Because I think that often, for cultural reasons, we don't believe victims of sexual assault, whether they're women or whether they're men. LISA DESJARDINS Those claims dismissed by prosecutors at the time, who argued they killed out of greed to get their inheritance money. And the abuse allegations were largely excluded by the judge when the brothers were tried

and convicted in 1996, but viewed in a new light now, gaining fresh attention with a Peacock documentary and recent Netflix series, and from pleas by celebrities and extended family members who have called for their release. This decision is not just a legal matter. It is a recognition of the abuse my cousins endured. All that mounting pressure raised by critics of the DA's decision who question its timing as Gascon faces a tough reelection in less than two weeks, and why he's acting now, when the brother's pending petition for freedom laying out evidence of the abuse was filed more than

a year ago. Mr. District Attorney, when did you make the final decision in this case to recommend resentencing? The final decision was made today. I have been reviewing arguments within my office, both in support and against it. And I came to my final conclusion a few hours ago. Why the timing so close to the election? It has nothing to do with the election. This has to do with the workflow to the office.

So, Laura, this goes to court tomorrow. Walk us through what happens next. Yes, Lester. The judge in this case still has to sign off on this recommendation for resentencing. So we're likely to see a hearing on that set in the coming weeks. And the DA previewed not all in his office agree with this recommendation and may actually oppose it. All right. Laura Jarrett, thank you.

Just 12 days until Election Day and Vice President Harris is in Battleground, Georgia tonight to campaign with former President Obama after saying she thinks former President Trump is a fascist. Peter Alexander has late details. Vice President Harris tonight ramping up efforts to get out the vote joined by former President Obama and rock legend Bruce Springsteen. Michelle Obama on Saturday and Beyonce expected to perform at a Harris rally in Houston tomorrow. Harris is trying to hammer home what she argues is the contrast with former President Trump. Donald Trump will sit in the Oval Office stewing, plotting revenge, retribution, writing out his enemies list, or what I will be doing, which is responding to folks like the folks last night with a to-do list. At a televised town hall,

Harris highlighting Trump's longest serving chief of staff, John Kelly, saying his former boss meets the definition of a fascist. Do you think Donald Trump is a fascist? Yes, I do. Trump says Kelly was lying out of pure Trump derangement syndrome hatred. Harris says it's a warning. He's just putting out a 911 call to the American people. Harris was also asked about a frequent Trump criticism of her, that she's had nearly four years to make the changes she's now calling for. Why wasn't any of that done in the last four years? Well, there was a lot that was done, but there's more to do, Anderson.

And I'm pointing out things that need to be done, that haven't been done but need to be done. And she was pressed for specifics on a border wall. She now backs a bill that funds some new construction. But she previously called a wall stupid. So you don't think it's stupid anymore? I think what he did and how he did it did not make much sense because he actually didn't do much of anything. But you do want to build some wall?

I want to strengthen our border. Meanwhile, polls show the vice president is facing an enthusiasm gap with black men. In Philadelphia, we met Harris supporter Jeremy Page. What is it about Kamala Harris that has you backing her so strongly? It is her being an advocate for small businesses and for economic development. Gary Blassingale is voting for Trump. I like the way he speaks his mind. He says what everyone is thinking.

But Harad remains undecided. This is one of the few elections where I actually feel like we have been valued as black men. And here in Georgia, more than two million people have already cast their ballots in person, a record and a third of all the active voters in this state. Lester. All right, Peter, thank you.

Former President Trump is in Arizona making controversial comments about the special counsel. Garrett Haig joins us. Garrett, you're at Trump's rally tonight. Lester, the former president was heavily focused on the border and the economy here, issues he believes will propel him in Arizona and when he campaigns later tonight in Nevada. Tonight, with less than two weeks to Election Day, former President Trump hitting critical battlegrounds, including the campus of Arizona State. DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States, I will launch the largest deportation program

in American history. We will get them out. JOHN YANG, President of the United States, And overnight in Georgia. DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States of America, And overnight in Georgia. DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States of America, I would like to begin by asking a very simple question. Are you better off now than you were four years ago? JOHN YANG, Former U.S. Secretary of State for the United States of America, A new poll

shows Trump going into the final stretch leading Vice President Harris by two points nationally within the margin of error, and showing most Americans, 54 percent, disapprove of Harris' job performance as vice president, while 52 percent approved of Trump's performance as president. This morning, a clearly confident Trump making a controversial vow to fire special counsel Jack Smith moments after taking office. DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States, Oh, it's so easy, so easy. I would fire him within two seconds.

JOHN YANG, Saying he doesn't believe the House, even if controlled by Democrats, would impeach him for a third time. No, I don't think they'll impeach me if I fire Jack Smith. Jack Smith is a scoundrel. Smith, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, is prosecuting two cases against Trump, one over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. A second case involving Trump's handling of classified documents was dismissed by a Trump-appointed federal judge, a decision Smith has appealed. The Harris campaign responding, quote, Donald Trump thinks he's above the law, and that a second Trump term, where a more unstable and unhinged Trump has essentially no guardrails, is guaranteed to be more dangerous.

Trump has called Smith's prosecutions political, pointing to a recent statement by President Biden. DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States, We got to lock him up. Politically lock him up. Lock him up. JOHN YANG, The White House says the president was just referring to politically defeating Trump. DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States, He's not allowed to say that. He's such a stupid guy.

JOHN YANG, Garrett Haik, NBC News, Tempe, Arizona. JOHN YANG, Young voters could hold a key to the outcome of this election. that. He's such a stupid guy. Garrett Haik, NBC News, Tempe, Arizona. Young voters could hold a key to the outcome of this election. And tonight, a new NBC News Stay Tuned Gen Z poll finds a significant gender gap among these voters. Savannah Sellers met some of them in Wisconsin. Yeah, I've been knocking 30 hours a week since June. In Green Bay, college junior Levi Ott has been pounding the pavement for Donald Trump. I really like his policies, first and foremost. According to a brand new NBC News stay tuned poll of 18 to 29 year olds, he's in the minority. Half of Gen Z voters support Kamala Harris, while one third support Trump,

relatively unchanged from August. But when you break it down by gender, there's a divide. Young women say they'll vote for Harris over Trump by a 33-point margin. Young men are virtually evenly split. Are you feeling like from the people that you talk to, from being on your college campus, that people are moving more conservative? I do in general. I know definitely young men are moving in the conservative direction, like massively. Both genders say cost of living is their top issue.

But while women ranked abortion next, men selected threats to democracy. 22-year-old Tanisha Vanden Langenberg supports Harris. Is there one singular issue that you think is the most motivating to people your age? For me and the people that I surround myself with, it's definitely reproductive rights. AMNA NAWAZ, One of the starkest findings, 77 percent of young voters believe the country is on the wrong track, up 10 points from August. KAYLA TAYLOR, I feel like we are very much so moving in the incorrect direction.

Our country has become very, very divided. I was at a funeral a couple months ago, and people couldn't stop talking about politics, and that's not something that should be happening at all. AMNA NAWAZ 18-year-old Landiron Crone Jr. sees it a little differently. LANDIREN CRONE JR., I believe that we're kind of at a stalemate. We're constantly battling. I think it can get much better. AMNA NAWAZ Of course, the big question, will Gen Z voters show up to the polls?

58% said they are almost certain they will. They're going to come. They're going to vote. The youth turnout will decide who becomes the president. It's as simple as that. Savannah Sellers, NBC News, Green Bay, Wisconsin. Breaking tonight, a new inquiry by the Justice and Transportation Departments into airline customer service and competition, all as Boeing workers rejected the company's offer to end their strike. Tom Costello joins us. Tom?

Yeah, Lester, the Transportation and Justice Departments are asking Americans' opinions on everything from airfares to anti-competitive behavior as they consider new consumer protections. The industry tonight says airfares are already at historic lows. Meanwhile, Boeing says it is disappointed that 33,000 workers remain on the picket line tonight, having said no to the latest Boeing contract offer. Day 42 of the Boeing strike with assembly lines for the top-selling 737, 767, and 777 still shut down after union members voted to reject the company's latest contract offer. I voted no and I'm feeling like they're continually trying to give us the bare minimum and it's ridiculous. Boeing's latest offer includes a 35 percent pay

hike over four years, bonus and incentive pay, and bigger 401k contributions. But the union wants a 40% pay hike and a return of employee pensions, which the company scrapped 10 years ago, leading to years of anger and animosity. If they're not willing to give it, we've got to get something that replaces it. The strike now enters week seven with America's aviation giant still struggling. Yesterday reporting a six billion dollar quarterly loss. The new CEO says Boeing must refocus on the engineering expertise that made it great. Obviously the later that the strike ends the more impact that will have in terms of how fast we're able to recover. In a year of big labor wins including the dock worker strike Boeing's union believes it has leverage

as airlines complain they're not getting the planes they ordered, affecting their ability to fly their schedules. Luster. All right, Tom, thank you. In 60 seconds, the new details about the source of a deadly E. coli outbreak. We speak to a woman sent to the ER

after she said she ate at McDonald's. McDonald's says it has traced onions linked to its deadly E. coli outbreak to a California grower. That supplier issuing a recall and the FDA launching a probe as a mom who says she was sickened in the outbreak speaks out. Here's Maggie Vespa. Tonight, amid a deadly E. coli outbreak tied to its quarter-pounder, McDonald's IDing California-based Taylor Farms as the source of the potentially tainted onions, the FDA investigating the supplier.

Distributor U.S. Foods issuing this recall notice urging customers to destroy four Taylor Farms raw onion products, the recall sparking a chain reaction in restaurants with no reports of illness. Colorado-based Illegal Pete's along with Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and others confirming they're removing fresh onions from select locations. Taylor Farms not responding to NBC's requests for comment telling Bloomberg it hasn't found traces of E. coli yet but pulled the products out of an abundance of caution. Meanwhile, lawsuits against McDonald's mounting. Do you trust them as a fast food place?

Nebraska receptionist Clarissa DeBak alleges she went to the ER with E. coli last month after eating a quarter pounder with her two-year-old son, Kai, by her side. It's terrifying to think if that would have been a different outcome and he would have got it instead of me. The CDC said nearly 50 McDonald's customers became infected and one died. Do you have more plaintiffs getting on board? We do. We've been retained by over 15 of the families in this outbreak. McDonald's president on today, Wednesday, stressing they've pulled

raw onions and the quarter pounder in several states to protect customers from contaminated product. It's very likely worked itself through that supply chain already, but certainly will be working with the CDC and cooperating. An ongoing investigation into an iconic brand's crisis. Maggie Vespa, NBC News. There is more to tell you coming up amid violent incidents at a campaign office. Our inside look at the elaborate effort to ramp up security in the key battleground county. In Arizona, a suspect is under arrest accused of setting fire to a mailbox and damaging ballots. Police say he told them it was not politically motivated, but the incident is just the latest election security concern.

Julia Ainsley now on what's being done to protect the votes and the people counting them. Snipers, drones, police on horseback and several layers of fencing will surround the Maricopa Tabulation and Election Center come November 5th. Is all that necessary? I would like to say it's not. We want to make sure that if somebody's considering doing something and if it's just a single actor, they will be deterred by the show of force. Just today, 20 ballots were damaged after someone set fire to a mailbox in Phoenix. And officials say the man arrested in Tempe yesterday for allegedly shooting up a Democratic field office had 250,000 rounds of ammunition

and plans for a mass casualty event. The election center already on alert after protesters surrounded it following the 2020 election. Some of them claiming the vote had been stolen from Donald Trump. We didn't have all of the fencing, all of the badging, all of the metal detectors, and it was a scary time for us here. Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates says since then, the political tensions have turned into outright threats against him and his colleagues, even their children. His office receiving this voicemail in 2021. How did that affect you? The threats and the harassment affected me,

but particularly to the extent that they started to threaten or mock our children. It affected me so much that literally I suffered from PTSD. Did you ever imagine that when you joined the county board of supervisors, you would be facing PTSD therapy problems with your family because of it? No, not in a million years. I'm just one of many, literally thousands, tragically, across this country who are in elections who've had the same experience. Hoping to reduce the threat of violence, the county is also making sure voters know their ballots are secure. To increase transparency, the Maricopa County Election Center has put cameras in rooms like these where people are taking ballots out of

envelopes so anyone can watch them 24-7 online. However, some residents still have their doubts. What I hear around is that we are concerned that make sure all the ballots are counted. That's why Gloria Badia signed up as a poll worker this year to see the process for herself. Do you think that there might be protest outside of the tabulation center just like there were in 2020? I hope not. I'm wishing for the best. Julia Ainsley, NBC News, Phoenix, Arizona. And up next for us here tonight, the man who's all the buzz online after overcoming his fear of hornets. Finally, there's good news tonight about a self-proclaimed king who's faced his fears to become social media royalty. Here's George Solis.

Brett Davis wears many hats, musician, farmer farmer, licensed nurse, and social media star. Thank you so much for tuning in. Where millions watch this jack-of-all-trades don a more regal persona as the Hornet King. Well, all kind of just happened to me. You could say he was destined to reign. But boy, did it sting to get here. A good comic book origin story, perhaps. But this was real.

And this phobia started when you were a young boy. Toddler, yeah. I was attacked by a ground nest. Up until about six years ago, when Davis did what we joined him to do in rural Pennsylvania. Suit up and hit record. Take notes. Go after some hornets. Here they are.

Conquering his fear with extreme exposure therapy. People who have the phobia or have other phobias who look to me and say, after some hornets conquering his fear with extreme exposure therapy people who have the phobia or have other phobias who look to me and say oh he conquered that I can get over this tens of millions have watched as Davis vanquishes his fear with every hair-raising encounter you're the king am I the jester here today it's scepter this high-powered vacuum and barely drowns out the angry buzz of hornets come a a long way from the phobia days. Oh my God, absolutely.

The Hornet King's travels have taken him as far south as Alabama, and all trips usually end in a feeding frenzy for his animals here in his kingdom, now fearless and celebrating his crowning achievements. Always striving to learn new things and discover what, what is a yellow jack? See, she knows, she knows. A moment fit for a Hornet King. George Solis, NBC News, Philadelphia. I don't know. No, I know.

That's nightly news. Thanks for watching. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.