NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Thursday, September 26, 2024

Episode Date: September 27, 2024

Helene blasts Florida with destructive winds, torrential rains and storm surge; Helene brings heavy rain and winds to Georgia; New York mayor charged with bribery, wire fraud in sweeping corruption indictment; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Breaking news tonight, Helene, gaining strength and now an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm set to hit Florida soon. The monster hurricane bearing down on the Florida Panhandle with 130 mile an hour winds, heavy rain and up to 20 feet of life-threatening storm surge. Tallahassee and the Crosshairs tonight, forecasters warning conditions along the coast will be unsurvivable. States of emergency and mandatory evacuations in effect. Our team in the storm zone and we'll have the new track. Also tonight, New York Mayor Eric Adams indicted on federal corruption charges. The mayor accused of accepting bribes, free or discounted trips and luxury hotel stays from foreign nationals and a Turkish official. The FBI is searching his official residence, his defiant message as he faces calls to resign.

Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep striking Hezbollah in Lebanon with full force, despite the U.S. push for a cease-fire. Kamala Harris meeting today with Ukrainian President Zelensky. Donald Trump saying he'll meet Zelensky tomorrow after slamming him for not cutting a deal with Russia to end the war. And the little hippo who's a big social media hit. And now you can see her 24-7. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome.

When this week began, hardly anyone was talking about a storm named Helene. Well, tonight it's all anyone is talking about along the Florida coast and across the deep south. As we come on the air now, Category 4 Hurricane Helene powering its way ashore in Florida's iconic Big Bend region. Forecasters have warned it could gain even more strength before officially making landfall later this evening. The hugely powerful storm captured in these images taken from a Hurricane Hunter plane, producing sustained winds of 130 miles per hour. The sprawling mass of Helene, a jaw-dropping 500 miles in diameter. Already tonight, some dramatic images of the storm surge, water rushing beneath Florida's Matlachet Bridge, a storm surge of up to 20 feet forecasted tonight.

Virtually the entire west coast of Florida under hurricane and storm surge alerts. Georgia and South Carolina also in the line of fire. We'll get the latest track in a moment, but we start in Tallahassee with Tom Yamas. Tom, what are you expecting there? Lester, good evening. Some are describing this as Tallahassee's most dangerous storm event in modern history. It's calm right now, but according to the radar, conditions could change at any moment. For the most part, the streets are deserted here as the rain is starting to fall harder and harder. As you just showed our viewers there, this storm is so massive, affecting pretty much all of Florida right now on a collision course with millions of its residents. Tonight, that monster Hurricane Helene aiming for Florida's capital, destroying these docks as Tallahassee braces for catastrophe.

This area has not had a major hurricane hit in quite some time, and certainly nobody in recent memory has seen a storm of this magnitude that has hit. With a foot of rain and triple-digit winds in the forecast, residents bracing for power outages and floodwaters raging in, authorities urging everyone to get inland fast. Sergeant, you just came over here to tell us something important. What was that news? Well, that evacuation is mandatory, and as you can see by the water, it's just going to get worse.

So we need to make sure everybody's cleared out of here as quick as possible and as safe as possible. A hurricane so severe, the National Weather Service calls the storm surge potentially unsurvivable. 46 million under flood alerts, 20 million at risk for tornadoes, and Helene's fury could turn trees into weapons. You can have a great home that can withstand a category three storm winds. It's a lot more difficult to withstand a big tree falling on your roofs. As hazardous tides menace the Big Bend region, some coastal towns could see storm surges 20 feet high. This weekend was supposed to be a big money festival at John Turner's Bar. Instead, it's a disaster.

You're obviously taking this thing seriously. What do you think is going to happen? Well, we, you know, prepare for the worst, obviously, and hope for the best and pray for the best. For many, shelters are the only way to stay safe. That's where Naomi Alonzo and her three kids will ride it out. Well, because, you know, we've never been through a hurricane like this big, and we would just rather be safe than, you know, just in case.

Tonight, as the full force of Helene lands on shore, local officials with a final warning. If you're just bound and determined to stay and not get out of harm's way, go in and take a black magic marker, write your name, your social security number, everything on the armor, we can identify you. That's a pretty sobering warning there, Tom. What are the big concerns for the state's capital as you head into the night now? Well, Lester, you heard the governor say it. They are not used to a

storm of this magnitude here in Tallahassee. One other thing they're worried about, these big, beautiful, live oak trees. They've been here for years in Tallahassee. They're all over the city. They provide a great tree cover, beautiful to look at. But tonight, with a hurricane of category four winds, they're incredibly dangerous. Lester. Tom Yamas tonight. Thank you. The impact of this hurricane is being felt well beyond Florida. Priya Sridhar is in Atlanta. And Priya, what's the situation there tonight? That's right, Lester. Here in Atlanta, schools and businesses are already closed. Officials say Hurricane Force from Helene will be felt here in the city and across the state. Warning of life-threatening and catastrophic flooding and

the potential for sustained power outages. Tonight, millions are being urged to stay off the roads as we brace for Helene's impact. Lester? All right, Priya, thank you. Bill Cairns is tracking the storm. Bill, what is the latest? Lester, we're watching the first time in recorded history a category four hurricane making landfall in what we call the Big Bend area of Florida. You can clearly see the eye. It intensified rapidly all afternoon today, and now it's only miles away from the coast. We're going to have landfall sometime before midnight in Florida, about 70 miles now from the coastal area. So what will this mean once it moves on shore? Well, of course, with the winds itself, that's going to be incredible. Even in the middle of the night through Georgia, the winds could still be gusting up to 100 miles per hour at daybreak around Atlanta near Tropical Storm Forest.

And then the winds will die down. But it's at landfall that we'll see those catastrophic winds somewhere between Tallahassee and Perry, Florida. That's where we could gust to 100, maybe even 120 mile per hour winds. Then the winds will weaken during the day, but still massive power outages all the way up through the state of Georgia. And then the rain, it's not going to stop. It's only going to get worse tonight into tomorrow in areas of North Georgia and especially portions of North Carolina and Leicester. We still have a tornado threat, too. Yeah, there's that. All right, Bill Kerens, thank you. Let's go to that sweeping federal corruption indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Prosecutors laying out how they say he

abused his power for years. Adams maintaining his innocence and defiant. Here's Laura Jarrett. Tonight, the first sitting New York City mayor in modern history indicted on federal bribery charges. I follow the rules. I follow the law. Eric Adams vowing to fight and stay in office as prosecutors revealed allegations in a sweeping 57-page indictment unsealed today, just hours after a pre-dawn search of his official residence at Gracie Mansion. The conduct alleged in the indictment, the foreign money, the corporate money, the bribery, the years of concealment, is a grave breach of the public's trust. Adams accused in the indictment of accepting free or deeply discounted trips to China, Sri Lanka and India, luxury hotel stays and more to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars. Bribes, prosecutors say Adams illegally accepted from wealthy foreigners and at least one Turkish government official, all in exchange for political favors. Year after year, he kept the public in the dark.

He told the public he received no gifts, even though he was secretly being showered with them. Among the allegations of favoritism, in 2021, Adams was informed it was, quote, his turn to help Turkey. So he pressured the city's fire commissioner to greenlight approval of this building, despite serious safety concerns from the city. All because Turkey wanted it opened in time for that year's United Nations General Assembly. After the approval went through, prosecutors say that unnamed Turkish official wrote Adams, you are a true friend of Turkey.

These are bright red lines, and we allege that the mayor crossed them again and again. Prosecutors also accused the mayor of masking illegal donations from foreigners, secretly routing their money through small-dollar donors based in the U.S., so-called straw contributions. And they say his campaign took advantage of a New York program that matches smaller contributions to, quote, steal public funds, raking in more than $10 million. But his defense team says the evidence will exonerate him. There are emails with Mayor Adams telling them, telling this staffer, telling all of them, do not take foreign money, period.

The policeman-turned-politician has lived under a legal cloud for more than a year, one growing darker in recent weeks, as members of his administration have come under increasing scrutiny in several different investigations. The city's police commissioner, top lawyer, and school's chancellor have all resigned. But Adams has steadfastly maintained his innocence. And I ask New Yorkers to wait to hear our defense before making any judgments. Some Democrats now calling for Adams to step aside. Thank you very much.

As he headed back inside Gracie Mansion today, protesters shouting after him. And Laura, the mayor says that he's not going to resign, but his future isn't necessarily entirely up to him. There is a scenario, Lester, in which the governor, Governor Hochul, could actually force him from office. Now, it's a lengthy process that has not been used in modern times. She has not said that she intends to use that power, only that she wants to do what's best for the people of New York. All right, Laura Jarrett, thank you. In the Middle East, Israel carried out new airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a U.S. plan for a temporary ceasefire. Richard Engel is in Lebanon. Hours after Israel rejected U.S. calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli military was in action in Beirut. Israel says it killed the head of Hezbollah's drone unit in a targeted strike. Its leaders are being systematically eliminated. Arriving in New York to speak at the UN, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there will be no ceasefire despite an initiative from President Biden and France for a 21-day pause for diplomacy.

We are continuing to hit Hezbollah with full force and we will not stop until we achieve our goals. First and foremost, he said, returning residents of northern Israel safely to their homes. Israel wants to push Hezbollah away from its border and destroy the militia's rockets, missiles and drones, which Hezbollah has launched at Israel for nearly a year, including today. To do it, Israel is bombing intensely, pounding Hezbollah strongholds in southern and eastern Lebanon in what is for now an air war, which Lebanon says has already killed around 700 people. Israel has threatened to invade Lebanon, most likely crossing the border here in the south. But U.S. military officials tell NBC News they are not

seeing the kind of buildup Israel would need for an imminent ground war. Lester. Richard Engel, thank you. And back home, Vice President Harris meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky at the White House. And former President Trump saying he'll meet with Zelensky tomorrow as he urges him to cut a deal to end the war with Russia. Here's Garrett Haik. Tonight, Vice President Harris standing side by side with Ukraine's President Zelensky. My support for the people of Ukraine is unwavering. Accusing former President Trump of wanting Ukraine to surrender. There are some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory.

They are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender. Late today, Trump responding. It's not a surrender. What my strategy is to save lives, I'll meet with President Zelensky and we'll see what happens. But I believe I can work that out. And saying he can still work with Iran, despite his campaign saying U.S. intel briefed him on Iranian assassination threats. Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018.

Would you try to make a deal with Iran of some kind if you were reelected? Sure, I would do that. I believe in getting, you know, it doesn't matter. I have a great memory, but it's a memory that wants to serve the people. Meanwhile, the former president tonight slamming Harris the night before her second trip to the southern border in four years. Kamala Harris will be visiting the southern border that she has completely destroyed. Trump blaming Harris for the record over 10 million migrant crossings since she and President Biden took office. She keeps talking about how she supposedly wants to fix the border. Why didn't she fix it almost four years ago?

Harris overnight dismissing Trump's complaints after he directed Republicans to block a bipartisan border bill this year, which he said wasn't tough enough. He killed a bill that would have actually been a solution because he wants to run on a problem. After his meeting with Zelensky, Trump rallies in the critical battleground state of Michigan, where absentee ballots were mailed out today. Lester. All right, Garrett Hake in New York tonight. Thanks. In 60 seconds beyond the hurricane zone, we look at the coastal catastrophe in North Carolina. Why are houses being swept away even after measures were put in place to protect them? Multiple beaches are closed in North Carolina tonight after several houses collapsed into the sea. As Ann Thompson explains, it's not the first time it's happened there,

and in this era of climate change, it likely won't be the last. This month, nature seems to be playing a cool game of dominoes with homeowners on North Carolina's Outer Banks. Three houses in four days on the same street, swallowed up by the ocean in Rodanthe, including Sharon Troys. Tell me, what's it like to lose a house that was your family gathering spot for 16 years? It's pretty devastating. Troys home now one of 10 in the area, gone since 2020. How many homes in Dare County are at risk of being swept away by the ocean? We're looking at another 20 that are going to be potentially compromised here very soon. The homes in the bullseye of rising sea levels, fueled by climate change.

In 2022, we watched local authorities replenish beaches with sand dredged from the ocean. But projects like these cost tens of millions of dollars. And how long do they last? Not nearly as long as you might think. Then buying an extra five to seven years, leaving homeowners with few options. You can choose to move the property yourself. That's an expensive proposition. Local government cannot do anything. Sharon Troy is trying to pick up the pieces. Holding on to memories the ocean can't wash away.

Ann Thompson, NBC News. And up next for us here tonight with Vice President Harris about to visit the southern border. We visit a part of the border wall that's rarely seen. Plus, she's a worldwide sensation. You'll get to meet her up close coming up. We're back now with a major issue in the 2024 race. Kamala Harris set to visit the border tomorrow for the first time as the Democratic nominee, where she could face questions about her shift on a top priority for rival Donald Trump, the border wall. Here's Julia Ainsley. It's a physical symbol of a divisive issue, the border wall, unfinished and at the center of the presidential election. In 2021,

President Biden deputized Vice President Harris to stem the flow of migrants by looking at the root causes of migration. These issues must be addressed in a way that is informed by fact and informed by reality. But Harris has only visited the border once as vice president and has kept relatively quiet on the issue while campaigning. Her platform is largely pinned on the promise to bring back a failed border security bill that includes new border wall construction, something the Biden administration previously opposed. NBC News got rare access to this remote area of the border, now close to the public, in Coronado National Park. We made our way near the top of a mountain along the U.S.-Mexico border. It was right here the contractors stopped wall construction at the

end of the Trump administration. A very tangible relic of her opponent's immigration policy. When the Biden-Harris administration took over, these materials were just left behind? They were left behind. I've been told that they can't get rid of it because it's been full of cement. So it's been sitting down here for the last three and a half years. And we've been frozen in time here. Former President Trump built more than 450 miles of wall, though the vast majority replaced existing barriers. He's made the border a top campaign

issue, from the wall to his plan for mass deportations. We will also seal the border and stop the migrant invasion into our country. It's the greatest invasion that we've ever had into our country. Border agent Art Del Quinto, vice president of the Border Patrol Union, which endorsed Trump, says the wall is a critical tool to stop illegal crossings. You need it here because this is one of the top areas in the entire country for entries into the United States. Harris, who once called Trump's border wall un-American and vowed to block its funding, now says she will support a targeted border wall un-American and vowed to block its funding, now says she will support a targeted border wall. State Representative Consuelo Hernandez is campaigning for her in

Arizona. There are some places that make more sense than others to have a wall, but we need more than a wall. And that is not the solution to a border crisis. No new border wall has been built since Biden took office. But as Harris heads to this swing state of Arizona on Friday, the country is awaiting new details of her border plan and if she intends to pick up wall construction where Trump left off. Lester. All right, Julia Ainsley, thank you. When we come back, we'll take a trip to the zoo to see the new arrival, a global sensation. Finally, there is good news tonight about a tiny hippo who has become a huge sensation on social media. Now she has her own 24-7 live stream. Janice Mackey-Frayer

is in Thailand. With pink cheeks and dewy rolls, Mu Ding is the hottest little hippo on the planet. An internet superstar who seems to be showing up everywhere, on sports teams, at landmarks. She's this way. We found Mu Ding here at the Khao Khao Zoo in Thailand, doing what the two-month-old pygmy hippopotamus does best. Sleeping, being cute, and sleeping some more. Very cute. I get to see them with my own very eyes. Mu Ding, whose name means bouncy pig or pork patty, shot to fame just after she was born, when the zoo uploaded adorable images of her. For the world, it was love at first sight.

Do you think she realizes how popular she is? Mu Ding may not know, says her keeper, but her mom may be surprised. Before, it was quiet here. Now that she's the meme of the moment, zoo attendance has soared. Her image now a registered trademark here. Can I get a t-shirt?

Out of stock. And boosting awareness, with pygmy hippos considered an endangered species while cameras now offer a 24 7 live stream we saw that beyond the antics going viral mu ding wants only to be close to her mom jonah a little girl unaware of her fame and happily unbothered janice mackie frayer mbc news chomburi thailand adorable that's nightly news for this thursday thank you for watching i'm lester holt please take care of yourself and each other good night