NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Episode Date: August 14, 2024

Gov. Tim Walz holds first solo campaign event as Harris' running mate; Israel braces for Iranian attack as negotiators push for Gaza ceasefire; Missouri, Arizona become latest states to add abortion ballot measures; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the race for the White House. Kamala Harris' running mate Tim Walz defending his military service record from Republican attacks. The Minnesota Democrat hitting back at his first solo campaign event, saying he's damn proud of his service to the country and commending Donald Trump's running mate J.D. Vance on his own service in the military. It comes after Vance accused the 24-year National Guard veteran of stolen valor for saying he carried weapons in war. Also tonight, Tropical Storm Ernesto gaining strength in the Atlantic and taking aim at Puerto Rico. We're tracking it. The urgent manhunt in North Carolina. The convicted murderer escaping while being transported to the hospital. The Middle East on edge, Iran rejecting a call from the U.S. and others not to retaliate

against Israel after the killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. The raid on a small town Kansas newspaper that raised major First Amendment questions, now the former police chief facing a charge. The big shakeup at Starbucks. The CEO ousted after little more than a year, replaced by the CEO of another well-known chain. And more than six months after it was stolen by thieves, a community coming together to restore a legend to his rightful place at the baseball diamond. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.

Good evening and welcome. Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz tonight defending his military service after attacks by his Republican opponent J.D. Vance over how he described his military duties and his decision to leave the National Guard before his battalion deployed to Iraq. Walz, in his first solo campaign appearance since joining the Harris campaign, didn't directly respond to the allegations, but cautioned against denigrating another person's service record. The Minnesota governor and 24-year Army National Guard veteran

telling an audience of union workers that he is proud of his service to the country that includes his time in Congress. Walsh today thanking Vance, who served in the Marines, and all veterans for their service and sacrifice. Kelly O'Donnell has the story. Going solo for the first time as Kamala Harris's running mate before public service union workers. Today, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz making his first public response to attacks from the Trump campaign about how Walz talked about his time in the National Guard. I'm going to say it again as clearly as I can. I am damn proud of my service to this country. At issue, this 2018 clip posted by the Harris campaign,

where then-Congressman Walz, who was talking about gun restrictions, said he carried weapons in war. And we can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war is the only place where those weapons were at. But Walz was never in combat. Trump running mate and Marine veteran J.D. Vance called that Wall's description scandalous behavior. I'm not criticizing Tim Walz's service. I'm criticizing the fact that he lied about his service for political gain. The Harris campaign said last Friday Walls misspoke when he said he carried weapons in war. Walls served 24 years in the National Guard. Today, Walls did not address any specifics, but criticized

the criticism. And I firmly believe you should never denigrate another person's service record. Anyone brave enough to put on that uniform for our great country, including my opponent, I just have a few simple words. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. Kelly, you're also tracking new developments regarding potential cyber threats to both campaigns. Lester, the FBI says it is investigating attempted hacking of both campaigns. Today, the Harris campaign said it was notified by the FBI in July that a foreign actor influence operation targeted their computer systems, but they are not aware of any breaches.

On the Trump side, the campaign has said Iran was behind the hacking. Lester. All right. Kelly O'Donnell, thanks. Now to Tropical Storm Ernesto gaining strength and taking aim at the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Dylan Dreyer is tracking it. Dylan, it's been a very early, busy early season. It certainly has been busy, Lester. And here we go with Tropical Storm Ernesto approaching Puerto Rico. Winds right now are up to 60 miles per hour, and it's moving fairly quickly at 18 miles per hour. It is likely going to strengthen into a Category 2 hurricane before it approaches Bermuda, heading into the weekend. But even though we're not looking at a direct threat to the eastern seaboard, we do still expect some large swells and dangerous surf. And with the heat down across

the south, a lot of folks at the beach is certainly something to keep in mind. Back towards Puerto Rico, we could see up to four to six inches. Some areas could get up to 10 inches of rain. And because of the terrain of Puerto Rico, that could lead to some landslides possible, Western. All right, Dylan, thank you. In North Carolina, an urgent manhunt for a convicted murderer on the loose. Authorities say Ramon Alston was being transported to a hospital in Hillsboro when he freed himself from his leg restraints, then jumped from the van and fled into the woods still handcuffed. He's serving a life sentence for a shooting that left a one-year-old girl dead. The fate of abortion rights will soon be in the hands of voters in a growing number of states

as we get a clearer idea about the impact the fall of Roe v. Wade is having on pregnant women. Here's Laura Jarrett. A constitutional amendment in Missouri that would wipe out the state's near total ban on abortion now set to appear on the ballot this November while abortion rights organizers in the swing state of Arizona shattered records with more than half a million signatures to get their proposed amendment added. This initiative has made the ballot. Tonight, Missouri and Arizona joining a growing list of states, all with similar ballot measures that would create a new right to abortion

up to the point a fetus can survive at around 24 weeks, something opponents say goes too far. This ballot push, the byproduct of the Supreme Court overturning the right to an abortion, allowing each state to pass their own restrictions. Laws now under increasing scrutiny as new data emerges about what's been happening in hospitals. A new analysis of federal records by the AP showing more than 100 pregnant women in medical emergencies like ectopic pregnancies denied care in the ER since Roe was overturned. As doctors tell NBC News, they are navigating vague laws that don't account for medical nuances. There's so much fear and confusion because an ectopic can have a heartbeat.

Kylie Thurman had an ectopic pregnancy where an embryo implants in a fallopian tube. She was initially denied an abortion in Texas, despite the law making an exception for such emergencies. Then it ruptured. I wanted to have kids and I wanted to keep my fallopian tube, but now it's gone. A piece of my womanhood was taken. She, along with another patient in Texas, are now calling on the Biden administration to investigate. I had to fight like hell to get my care, and I still didn't get it fast enough. So, Laura, what's the next step for this fight in Texas? Well, there's really a broader fight that's going on, this conflict between federal law that says you have to provide care and these state level bans. It keeps rearing its head. The Supreme

Court didn't actually take up that issue last term, but they now might be forced to resolve it this time, given this Texas issue. All right, Laura Jarrett, thanks very much. To the Middle East now, the region on edge as Iran rejects calls from the U.S. and other Western nations to refrain from retaliation against Israel. Tensions rising after the assassinations of top Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. Richard Engel is in Jerusalem. A senior U.S. official tells NBC News Iran has yet to decide how and when to carry out a retaliatory strike against Israel. Iran's president today rejecting a call by the U.S., France, the U.K., Germany, and Italy to stand down its ongoing threat of a military attack. Iran's president called that an excessive request, according to a government spokesman.

While in Gaza, conditions are so bad, many say death is better than what they're going through. Around 8.30 this morning, these twins, Isar and Isir, four days old, and their mother, Jumana, a pharmacist, and her mother, were all killed. Multiple witnesses tell NBC News the corner apartment where they were staying was hit by Israeli fire. Mohammed Abu Al-Khamsan had just left the apartment to collect the twins' birth certificates. The Israeli army did not respond to our detailed request for comment. Israel believes

115 hostages are still in Gaza. 23-year-old Romy Gonen was kidnapped by Hamas during the Nova Music Festival on October 7th. Last word her mother Mirav and sister Yarden received is that Romy is alive but wounded, shot in the arm and in pain. What has it been like for you to watch so many close calls? There was a deal, it was on the deal and then it fell apart.

You're describing my life, building the energy, building the hope, building the expectation, and then you fall apart. We're sitting here, and I'm looking at the sunflowers here on the table, and I'm thinking, well, this is exactly Romy. She's a sunflower. She has so much light in her, so strong light in her. But this is also, you know, a flower. And if it doesn't get water, it will die. Amid the rising tension, the U.S. tonight approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel, including jets, missiles and tank rounds. Lester. Richard Engel in Jerusalem tonight. Thank you. New developments this evening in the raid on a local Kansas newspaper that raised free speech concerns. The former Marion, Kansas, police chief who led that raid a year ago, Gideon Cody, now charged with interference with the judicial process. Cody resigned after the raid,

which also targeted the homes of the paper's publisher and a city council member. And more now on our top story, the 2024 race. Come November, it is possible the election could all come down to a single district in Nebraska. So our Jacob Soboroff, in partnership with our affiliate WOWT, traveled to find out what matters most to voters there. There was a guy named Jason who responded to me on social media and he said we should come see him at Rotella's, an Italian bakery, and this is it right here. Dude, thanks for doing this. Yeah, nice to meet you. Jason Odom is a Marine Corps veteran and now an engineer for a big tech company.

A father of three, he reached out because he said he was worried about his three kids getting sent to war. Why on earth would you respond to me and say you want to talk to me about life in Omaha? There's a lot of people, they used to be described as what, the silent majority. I kind of feel like that a lot of times. We came to Omaha because a rare electoral system could have the city in the ultimate spotlight come election night. People here call Nebraska's second congressional district the Blue dot. That's because it's a democratic island in a sea of Republican voters. And unlike the rest of the country, only Nebraska and Maine award their electoral votes by congressional district. So the one electoral vote here could prevent an electoral college tie and help one candidate reach the 270 votes needed to win. Why'd you want to meet here, Rotella's Italian Bakery?

Well, it's kind of famous here in Omaha, and I happen to live nearby. It's got the best bread, I think, and it's super cheap. Oh, man, I just want to stay here just for the smell. Inside, we met Karen Hidalgo, who told us she's also a veteran. Me, as a single parent, we would come up here from Lincoln and head back because it's more affordable. You drive here because it's an affordable place to come? Correct. That two-hour round trip made perfect sense talking to other customers.

Two bucks for five? Yeah. If you bought those in the grocery store, how much would they be? $2.50 a piece. Yeah, exactly. So is that why you come here? Yeah. So you think the people in power understand that this is what life is like and this is

why people come here? Because they can't afford life. That's what I'm saying. I believe the elite has a purpose. Which is? Just letting us know. Honestly. You brought me to this place

and it sounds like everybody's on the same page. Right, everybody is here for a reason. Trying to make their dollar go as far as they can, right? How do you weigh what to do come November? Well, unfortunately, you have to pick the best of the two options. For Jason, that's Vice President Harris. But he's not convinced either party can solve increasing inequality here.

That's what this place is partly about, right? Because this is a local business that quite literally feeds a population that may not be able to afford it otherwise. That's exactly right. We don't have enough food to eat and nothing else matters. When he heard we were at his store, owner Lou Rotella Jr., who employs 700 people in Omaha alone, invited us into the factory attached to it. It occurs to me that over 103 years, this place has been open in good times and in bad times. Yes. Today, everything is so expensive.

We've done everything we possibly can to be able to be competitive so that way our customers could keep on going too. What do you think the people who are running to be our leaders should know about what life is like for people here? Just family, trying to make it, trying to make a living. A century-old bakery where dough stretches farther. They could hold clues about what matters on election day. Jacob Soboroff, NBC News, Omaha, Nebraska. In just 60 seconds, the major change brewing at Starbucks. With rising prices turning off customers,

can a new CEO who helped turn around a burrito chain do the same? With prices rising, major chains are looking at how to keep customers. That includes Starbucks, who replaced their CEO after just a year, bringing in the head of Chipotle. Tom Costello explains why he has a tall task ahead. This morning's news broke just as Americans were sipping their first cup. Breaking news to bring you, and this is big, Starbucks' CEO. The CEO of Starbucks, Loxman Nerisman, out as the world's most iconic coffee brand struggles with customers who've said no to higher prices. It is eight

dollars. I'm just saying I can't do it out. I'm tapping out. I can't do it. Starbucks new CEO is Brian Nicol who turned Chipotle around after a devastating E. coli outbreak in 2015, improving quality and using technology to speed up orders, doubling Chipotle's revenue. And we thought he would be the right leader for this moment. Thank you. Have a good one. The new CEO's challenge, luring back Starbucks customers who've been driven away by inflation, long waits, and cheaper coffee at competitors. I don't like the prices. I think they have gone up a lot. It's a good bit cheaper at the local coffee shop. The move comes as higher prices have turned many Americans away. KFC, Pizza Hut,

and McDonald's, all reporting falling sales, are now offering value meals, while under nickel, Chipotle grew its revenue in the last quarter. What are the problems Starbucks has had with consumers? What do consumers want? Consumers are looking for value, and they want to feel like when they spend money at a premium brand like Starbucks, it's worth both their money and their time. Six dollars for a tall, small drink. Fed up with inflation, more Americans are simply saying no. Tom Costello, NBC News, Washington. And we're back in a moment with a

closer look at why dozens of sea lions are getting sick. We join researchers on the hunt for answers in the Pacific Ocean. What we found next. We're back with our series Climate Challenge. Researchers along the California coast looking at why an alarming number of sea lions and at least two dolphins are getting sick. Liz Kreutz has a closer look. In California, an urgent race to save dozens of sea lions showing up sick and disoriented on beaches along the central coast. The Marine Mammal Center is responding to a multitude of calls here and rescuing them. So far, volunteers here have responded to nearly 150 sea lions and at least two dolphins, all showing signs of poisoning from domoic acid, a neurotoxin from algae that gets into the fish these animals eat and can flare up

during the summer. The Marine Mammal Center says this outbreak has been longer and more intense. These animals are seizing on the beach. Our teams are working overtime. We followed a team as they made a rescue at a beach in Morro Bay. There on the shore, a stranded sea lion. Crowds watching as the crew made their approach. Okay, they were successfully able to capture this sea lion here they're now going to get it into the crate they're gonna then bring it to the truck we're talking quietly because any loud noise can cause these animals to go into a seizure. It's pretty dramatic to see a sick disoriented animal like that right here on this popular beach. It's very dramatic, but we also know that they are windows into the health of our ocean.

And to human health as well. Are humans at risk? There's a risk. Right now, currently, there isn't a warning for human consumption, but sea lions are the first indicators of that toxin being in the environment. Although there's still much to learn about domoic acid outbreaks, experts say a strong upwelling of cold water and our warming climate are contributing factors. These algae do well in warm environments, and so if we're seeing more of that and an increase in that, then that's definitely a factor for these events.

Sea lions, a sentinel for our ocean's health. Liz Kreutz, NBC News, Morro Bay, California. When we come back here tonight, how this community came together to bring back a treasured statue of Jackie Robinson after a thief stole it. And after the second inning, Robinson gets the first hit off four. Finally, some good news tonight. When a statue of Jackie Robinson was brazenly stolen. It took an amazing effort to bring the baseball great back. Morgan Shasky was there for the monumental return.

They arrived in their game day best. Players welcoming another back home. We know that out of darkness comes light. Which is why Renee Alexander brought twins AJ and Aisley back to their League 42 ballpark. I said, hey, you guys want to go see the new statue being revealed? And they said, yeah, and went crazy. It was January when the league's beloved Jackie Robinson statue was stolen. The crime even caught on surveillance video.

You see that surveillance video, someone taking him away. I was like, was it because of race? Was it because of hatred? The man who confessed blamed drugs and when sentenced to prison for theft and other crimes, apologized. I'm sorry. Over the last six months, donations allowed for an exact replica, crafted in Colorado, then carefully packed to finally return to Wichita for a homecoming fit for a Hall of Famer. One, two, three, go! A monumental moment where Robinson's legacy looms large. If it wasn't for League 42, a lot of the kids in this community probably wouldn't even be playing baseball. Nothing. Nothing. Including Jason Dennis's own son,

Jackson. I like how they put Jackie Robinson there because he's my favorite player. Really? Of all time. When you walk past that statue next season, what are you thinking? I'm thinking I'm going to hit a home run. Inspiration from a player and man. Proving barriers were made to be broken. I think it gives this generation hope that they too can do anything if they put their mind to it. Morgan Chesky, NBC News, Wichita, Kansas. Now that is teamwork. That's nightly news for this Tuesday. Thank you for watching. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.