NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Episode Date: July 3, 2024

Deadly Hurricane Beryl takes aim at Jamaica; Record holiday and summer travel expected; Judge in Trump hush money case postpones former president's sentencing; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, that monster hurricane Beryl on a deadly path through the Caribbean and the growing concerns tonight, it could hit the U.S. The devastating images coming in showing the scope of Beryl's destruction. An island community flattened in half an hour. Entire neighborhoods leveled. Roofs ripped off. Boats tossed on their sides. At least six dead. We're live in Jamaica now bracing for an impact.

And could Barrow make landfall in the U.S.? The new track as we come on the air. Also tonight, sentencing delayed, with the Supreme Court ruling granting former President Trump limited immunity. His hush money sentencing that was set for nine days from now being postponed. But for how long? President Biden under pressure, the first Democrat in Congress calling for him to drop out of the 2024 race after his debate struggles. And our new reporting on Hunter Biden, why he is sitting in on White House meetings

with senior staff since the debate. The record July 4th travel rush, our rare access as the TSA screens for weapons among millions of flyers, our cameras there as agents search a bag and find this, a folding gun. The FDA approving a new drug to treat Alzheimer's, how it works, its big price tag, and will it be covered? This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. And good evening. I'm Tom Yamas in for Lester tonight.

It is massive. It is deadly. And it is unprecedented. Tonight, Hurricane Beryl has Jamaica and the Cayman Islands in its sights. A powerful Category 4 storm that has already killed at least six people on its catastrophic path across the Caribbean. Beryl is the strongest hurricane on record for June or July. It has caused immense destruction in places like St. Vincent and the Grenadines, according to that country's prime minister,

leaving 90% of the houses you see here severely damaged or destroyed on one of those islands. Tomorrow, Beryl is expected to bring up to a foot of rain to parts of Jamaica, which could trigger dangerous flash floods. And tonight, news it could even reach the United States. We'll get the latest on its path in a few minutes. But first, Sam Brock reports on Beryl's destructive rampage. Tonight, the monster storm pummeling the Caribbean with drenching rain and life-threatening winds and storm surge. That was bad. That was bad. Hurricane Beryl, now barreling towards Jamaica, has a potentially catastrophic Category 4,

expected to be the worst storm to hit here in nearly two decades. I am encouraging all Jamaicans to take the hurricane as a serious threat. It's also the strongest hurricane to ever form in the Atlantic this early in the season, linked to warming waters from climate change. Ignoring climate change is deadly and dangerous and irresponsible. Hurricane Beryl rapidly intensified as it made landfall in Grenada on Monday, devastating the islands of Petit Martinique and Karakou. The situation is grim. There is no power.

There's almost complete destruction of homes and buildings on the island. Officials say the storm has killed at least six people, a number they caution will likely rise. Beryl also leaving a trail of destruction in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, including ripping the roof off this school. This is actually the strongest storm that we've had come through St. Vincent and the Grenadines, including ripping the roof off this school. This is actually the

strongest storm that we've had come through St. Vincent in my lifetime. In Venezuela, water rushed down streets as families waded through water looking for their belongings. And at this marina in Barbados, boats tossed on their sides, sitting atop piles of debris. This is a lot of work. Tonight, heavy winds and rain hitting the Dominican Republic. While here in Jamaica, businesses line this stretch of road on the Caribbean, those selling fish and drinks not about to leave their livelihoods. I've done it already. I got through it and I can do it again and get through this one. Sam Brock joins us live tonight from Jamaica. And Sam, as that hurricane bears down on that island nation, there are no mandatory evacuations underway?

Yeah, Tom, that's absolutely correct. Look, it is incredibly calm right now. Look at the water behind me. And yet this could be a generational event tomorrow. And yet we are not looking right now with any evacuations that are underway. And Tom, all three major airports all closed tomorrow. It is not clear when they will reopen. Tom. All right, Sam Brock, you and your team stay safe out there. I want to bring in Dylan Dreyer now who's tracking this storm for us. Dylan, we've never seen anything quite like this, this powerful this early. Yeah, this is the strongest storm we've seen this early in the season. It is now a category four hurricane. Winds are up to 155 miles per hour and it will continue to make this westward track over the course of the next

several days. Here we go tomorrow afternoon in Jamaica. It is likely to still be a Category 3 storm. Whether or not it makes landfall doesn't even matter at this point because it has the potential of producing up to a foot of rain. We could see those damaging, deadly wind gusts, and that eventually will become a concern, perhaps even for southern Texas as we go into next week. Also want to point out the concern back through the Midwest where we do have tornado watches in effect. And the heat is also remaining dangerous down south, but also out west where we are likely to see the heat last at least through the upcoming weekend. All right. We'll stay tracking that storm as it heads towards Texas as well. Dylan, thank you. One day after the Supreme Court's landmark presidential immunity decision,

the judge in the New York hush money case postponed former President Trump's sentencing today. Laura Jarrett is here. And Laura, this is tied to that big Supreme Court decision we talked about last night. It is. And the judge's hand here was really forced, Tom, in some ways, because Mr. Trump will now face sentencing on September 18th. Now, this had been scheduled for July 11th, just days before he was set to be formally nominated at the Republican National Convention. Mr. Trump's attorneys had moved quickly here to try to leverage that win at the U.S. Supreme Court, where the majority said presidents have immunity for official acts. The Trump team, arguing Manhattan prosecutors improperly relied on evidence of some events that happened during his time in the White House. That would now be off limits, according to them. They, of course, want the conviction tossed out,

which prosecutors oppose. This is going to be an uphill climb, but it will be on the judge to decide how all this gets resolved. Meantime, his criminal cases in Georgia and in Florida, those are still indefinitely on hold, Tom. All right, Laura Jarrett, with that breaking news tonight, Laura, we thank you for that. To Washington now, where for the first time, a Democratic member of Congress is publicly calling on President Biden to drop his reelection bid after his debate struggles. The White House firing back today, saying the president is staying in. Here's Kelly O'Donnell. Tonight, President Biden's political future at the center of a storm. We're going to face this tough summer. As his only public event

today focused on extreme weather and emergency management. For five days, the president has not answered reporters' questions. Mr. President, will you drop out of the race? He has relied on scripted remarks using a teleprompter. We've invested a record more than 50 billion dollars. The White House said today it wants to turn the page after a debate performance crisis that some Democrats say has raised questions. I think it's a legitimate question to say is this an episode or is this a condition? Today the first public call to exit the race from a House Democrat. We must call on him to give the ultimate sacrifice of saying that he will step aside because that's the best way to save our country. Another Democrat with a warning.

I just want him to appreciate at this time just how much it impacts not just his race, but all the other races coming in November. At the White House briefing today, he had a cold and a bad night. I would not see this as an episode. Under repeated questioning, Corrine Jean-Pierre defended the president as physically and mentally fit. Is anyone in the White House hiding information about the president's health or his ability to do the job day to day? Absolutely not. The New York Times reports that in closed-door meetings, several current and former officials noticed the president increasingly appeared confused or listless or would lose the thread

of conversations. New tonight, NBC News reports that first son Hunter Biden joined meetings with the president and senior staff this week in the West Wing. Reaction from senior staff described as what the hell is happening. The White House had this explanation. He came back with his dad from Camp David. He walked him into the speech prep and he was in the room. The White House says the president will do an on-camera interview Friday and a press conference next week. Tomorrow, he's set to hold a video call with Democratic governors and talk with top congressional leaders for the first time since last week's debate. Tom?

Kelly O'Donnell with a lot of new reporting tonight for us. Kelly, thank you. Now to the July 4th travel rush with record numbers of Americans on the roads and in the air. Tonight, the TSA showing us one of its biggest challenges, intercepting all the weapons that passengers bring to airports every day. Here's Tom Costello. Early morning at Reagan National and airport police are responding to a TSA checkpoint where a gun has been discovered in a passenger's carry-on. First thing that came to my attention were there were bullets inside of a square-like item. A fold-up gun. The passenger knew exactly why the belt would stop. He said, oh, I forgot to check my gun. At Washington Dulles Airport on Friday, the TSA discovered a 38-caliber

handgun inside Indiana Congresswoman Victoria Sparks' carry-on. She's been charged with a weapons violation. In a statement, her office says Representative Sparks' carry-on. She's been charged with a weapons violation. In a statement, her office says Representative Sparks accidentally carried an empty handgun in her suitcase with no magazine or bullets. It happens every day at TSA checkpoints. Anywhere from 15 to 30 a day across the country. And they're almost always loaded? Yes, generally always loaded, oftentimes with around in the chamber, ready to go. Not secured, not locked. Anything in your pockets, please take go. Not secured, not locked. Anything in your pockets, please take them out of your pockets and place them inside of a bin. It comes as a record 32 million passengers, nearly 3 million a day,

are flooding through TSA checkpoints over the extended July 4th stretch. Average wait times, 30 minutes for standard screenings, under 10 minutes for pre-check. But it's not just liquids, gels, and guns that can slow down a lane. This is just a sample of some of what they've collected today alone at this checkpoint. Lots of knives. Here's a knuckle knife, for example. Here's a taser. They've also got a popping switchblade. And this may look like a comb. It's also a knife. Meanwhile, the government reports the flight cancellation rate the lowest in nearly a decade.

The FAA says air traffic controller shortages slowed flights on Thursday in Newark and could delay flights tonight. All right, Tom Costello, back to that issue of guns found at TSA checkpoints. What's the penalty when that happens? The federal fine can be $1,500 if the gun's not loaded, up to $15,000 if it is loaded, and then there are local fines, potential charges as well, Tom. All right, Tom, we thank you for that. There are new developments tonight in a desperate search for an American missing for nearly two weeks while on vacation in the Bahamas. Maggie Vespa spoke with her mother tonight. Tonight, mystery in paradise mounting with newly released photos taken by family of, they say, the tent where 41-year-old Taylor Casey was staying when she vanished from a yoga retreat

in the Bahamas nearly two weeks ago. Her mom finding the Chicago youth director's Bible. And I'm just crying and crying out for Taylor, you know, and feeling my child. Casey's loved ones just back from a three-day trip to the Shivananda Ashram yoga retreat, sounding alarms about the investigation, saying this potential crime scene seemed open to the public, adding no missing persons posters were up, and Bahamian authorities and retreat staff told them they'd initially opted not to alert all guests and asked family not to approach them. Because they were on vacation and they wanted to respect their privacy. Bahamian authorities not addressing those allegations. Let me say that our priority is to find Taylor. Holding this press conference nearly a week after

Casey disappeared and tonight saying crews searched the area, finding her phone in the ocean, her passport still missing. The retreat saying we did our best to provide Casey's family with support, meeting with them along with police and U.S. Embassy representatives on two occasions, adding they're providing guests with regular updates. And when Casey's family visited, they say, guests were encouraged to speak freely. All this amid heightened safety concerns. The U.S. in January issuing a level two travel advisory to the Bahamas due to crime. What do you think happened to your daughter? I have no idea. That's what I'm trying to find out. Casey's family is now pleading with American authorities, namely the FBI, for help.

And this week, Chicago police issued a missing persons alert. Tom. We hope they find her. Okay, Maggie, thank you for that. In 60 seconds, the new drug to treat Alzheimer's, just approved by the FDA. We're going to tell you about it. We're back now with the FDA approving a new treatment for something millions suffer from, Alzheimer's disease.

Anne Thompson is here now with the details. So, Anne, what do we know about it? Well, Tom, what happened here is it's the potential for this drug to slow the disease, despite some very real risks that led to today's action. Kissenla targets the amyloid plaques that build up in the brain and are suspected of causing Alzheimer's. Lilly, the maker of Kissenla, says the drug slowed cognitive and functional decline in patients by up to 35 percent compared to a placebo. The risks associated with this modest improvement include brain swelling and bleeding.

Kissenla is a monthly IV treatment that can be stopped once the plaques are cleared. The cost, $32,000 a year that Medicare is expected to cover, Tom. All right. Some new hope tonight. And we appreciate that. Coming up, it started with millions of misspent dollars in Mississippi. Now the former governor is suing a local paper that won a Pulitzer for exposing the fraud. Our reporting next. We are back now with new developments in a case we've been following. It involves millions in misspent welfare dollars and has links to NFL legend Brett Favre. Now it's led to a court battle between a former governor and a Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper. Here's Ken Delaney.

This is the kind of corruption that Mississippians know all too well. Anna Wolf's reporting at Mississippi Today exposed a huge scandal in the poorest state in America. Seventy seven million dollars in welfare funds intended for children in need went instead to multiple pet projects, including this horse ranch, this volleyball arena and to sports celebrities like Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. Favre was never charged, but the reporting led to eight criminal indictments and journalism's biggest prize. Adam Ganesho is the editor of the paper. You can't just win a Pulitzer unless there's real impact. Two days after the Pulitzer announcement, we got the first threat of legal action. Former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, who was in office when the fraud occurred,

is suing the newspaper, Wolf, and other staffers for defamation, saying Mississippi Today wrongly accused him of a crime. Allegations in court documents suggest Bryant was among those who directed the spending, but he maintains he did nothing illegal. I did nothing wrong. I wasn't aware of the wrongdoings of others. How would you explain to somebody who's never heard about this, Phil Bryant's overall role in the welfare scandal? So it's pretty well laid out. It doesn't say that he did anything illegal. This is an agency

under the governor's office. I mean, he has control. He has oversight. Bryant did not initially sue over the newspaper's prize-winning reporting. Instead, he brought the case over how the reporting was later described, including when the newspaper's CEO said Bryant embezzled funds, which is not true. He was never charged, and there's no indication he's under criminal investigation.

Bryant's attorney, Billy Quinn, says that was the last straw. So here we are to give, one of their favorite words, accountability to the situation. Well, the rabbit's got the gun now. We'll see who's going to be accountable. The CEO apologized, but Bryant was not satisfied and got a court order saying Mississippi Today

must give a judge internal files and communications with confidential sources to determine if Wolf acted out of malice or a reckless disregard for the truth. Some people are going to look at that and say that's just seeking revenge. Well, he didn't sue them because they exposed $77 million worth of misspending. He applauds them for doing that. Good on them. That's not what this suit is about. This suit is about defamation. Mississippi Today is now asking the state Supreme Court to overturn the judge's order. If that doesn't happen, they say they'll look to the federal courts. What's at stake for a free press? Protecting confidential sources. Are you willing to go to jail? Yeah. It's real. It's scary, but something I think we feel very strongly about. As you know, there's a long history of reporters

going to jail to protect their sources. Perhaps they will here. All I want is the money. Meanwhile, advocates like Alita Fitzgerald, who have worked on behalf of Mississippi's children for decades, remain outraged by the scandal and grateful for the journalism. Unleashing that story meant a lot to a lot of people and had them thinking differently about what government officials were saying about the well-being and what was going on in the state of Mississippi for poor families. Kendelanian, NBC News, Jackson, Mississippi. That's nightly news for this Tuesday. I'm Tom Yamas. Thanks so much for watching. Have a great night.