NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, July 6, 2024

Episode Date: August 7, 2024

Harris chooses Minnesota Gov. Walz as running mate; Most Americans say they haven't heard of Walz or have no opinion of him; Slow-motion tropical storm Debby brings days of torrential rain and flooding risk; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the big announcement from Kamala Harris choosing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. The new Democratic ticket making their debut at a rally this evening in Philadelphia. Harris picking Walz, the progressive from Minnesota. As Democrats look to appeal to battleground voters in the Midwest. Our new reporting, what finally convinced her to choose him. Donald Trump slamming the new ticket as the quote, most radical left duo in American history. We're on the trail tonight. Also tonight, Tropical Storm Debbie unleashing catastrophic floods across the southeast. The rising toll, at least six dead and is the worst

to come. We're tracking it. Another assassination plot allegedly targeting Donald Trump foiled. The suspect with purported ties to Iran now charged. Team USA thrilling here in Paris, Gabby Thomas winning gold in the 200 meter. The U.S. women's soccer team after a nail biter against Germany set to play for gold. And during surfing, the awe-inspiring surprise. Our conversation with Simone Biles, how she shook off the jitters to cement her status as the greatest American gymnast of all time. And WNBA star Brittany Griner abroad for the first time since she was released from a Russian prison on chasing her third gold medal here in Paris. This is NBC Nightly News reporting tonight from the Olympics in Paris, here is Lester Holt.

Good evening. It was a stunning day for Team USA here in Paris. We'll get to all of it in a few minutes, but we start tonight with our first look at the new Democratic ticket. Vice President Harris appearing in Philadelphia tonight with her just announced running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a former congressman, high school social studies teacher, football coach and Army National Guard Sergeant Major, a newcomer to the national political stage. He's known for his progressive record as governor and for his sharp attacks against former President Trump. And Mr. Trump is already firing back tonight. Walls' appearance with Harris kicking off a campaign swing through key battleground states with exactly three months to go before Election Day. Peter Alexander starts us off tonight from Philadelphia.

Tonight, the new Democratic ticket is set. We are the underdogs in this race. But we have the momentum. Vice President Harris here in Philadelphia for the first time side by side with her newly revealed running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. In 91 days, the nation will know Coach Walz by another name, vice president of the United States. Tourists tell NBC News Harris had very strong chemistry with Walls when they met on Sunday that played a key role in her decision that she did not make until this morning. The campaign releasing this video of their phone call.

Listen, I want you to do this with me. Let's let's do this together. Would you be my running mate and let's get this thing on the road? I would be honored, Madam Vice President. In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and their personal choices that they make. Even if we wouldn't make the same choice for ourselves, there's a golden rule. Mind your own damn business. Harris, sources say, zeroed in on Waltz as a governing partner, pointing to his two terms as governor and 12 years in Congress, winning a rural Trump district. He's a National Guard veteran that sources say appealed to the

vice president. The Harris campaign hoping Waltz's Midwest roots will help secure critical battlegrounds, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Notably, Harris picked Walls over Pennsylvania's popular moderate Governor Josh Shapiro, who some leading progressives had campaigned against, in part for his past criticism of pro-Palestinian protests. The race is now on to define Walls. Trump branding Harris and Walls, who's backed progressive policies, as the most radical left duo in American history. What it says about Kamala Harris, that when given an opportunity,

she will bend the knee to the most radical elements of her party. But tonight, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is praising the pick. To characterize him as left is so unreal. It's just not what the question is right down the middle. Peter, it could be argued there's a bit of a gamble with this pick. Lester, I think that's right with her pick tonight. Kamala Harris is making a big bet that she can win this state, Pennsylvania, perhaps the biggest battleground of them all without the state's popular governor, Josh Shapiro. Tomorrow, Harris and Waltz head to

two other crucial battlegrounds, Wisconsin and Michigan. Cluster. Peter Alexander tonight. Thank you. In a new poll, almost three quarters of Americans say they've never heard of Walz or don't have an opinion on him. But that's about to change as he steps into the spotlight. Here's Gabe Gutierrez with a closer look. A white haired working class politician from the rural Midwest, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is seen as a plain-spoken attack dog who's not shy about taking on the Republican ticket. These guys are just weird. They're running for He-Man Women Haters Club or something. At 60 years old, he's just six months older than Kamala Harris, but they're from very different

backgrounds. Walz grew up in small-town Nebraska, spending summers working on the family farm. At 17, he joined the National Guard, eventually becoming a school teacher and football coach, and meeting his wife, Gwen. After moving to Minnesota, the father of two was elected to Congress in 2006 and ran for governor in 2018, winning in a landslide. His progressive record, now touted by Democrats, includes creating paid family medical leave, legalizing recreational marijuana, and increasing tax credits for low-income families. But Republicans have slammed other bills he signed, making undocumented immigrants eligible for driver's licenses, state-funded health care, and free college tuition at state universities.

Also, in 2020, as George Floyd's killing triggered riots and looting in Minneapolis, Walz drew criticism over why it took him three days to call in the National Guard. Is what it is, and I simply believe that we try to do the best we can. But Walz also brings strong union support as Democrats look to appeal to the critical Rust Belt. I had an opponent who thought this was a real zinger when we were going at it. He said, Governor Walls is in the pocket of organized labor. And I said, that is a damn lie. I am the pocket. A hunter and gun owner, Congressman Walls, was once endorsed by the NRA, but that changed dramatically when he became governor,

since he's backed new gun restrictions. Lester? All right, Gabe, thank you. Tropical storm Debbie is turning into a slow-motion disaster, inching its way through the southeast, leaving so many communities underwater. Maggie Vespa is in Charleston, South Carolina, where a curfew has been extended. Yeah, Lester, that's right. The city's mayor announcing that today,

knowing Debbie's sporadic rainfall will last for days and this flooding is just getting started. Tonight, Debbie's deluge unleashed on America's southeast coast. This is bad as I've seen it. In Florida, floodwaters swallow huge chunks of Sarasota, while nearby officials and a good Samaritan rescue a woman from a submerged car carrying her to safety. The deadly tropical storm now slamming South Carolina and Georgia, dumping up to 14 inches of rain since Sunday night, with several cars left stranded after water rescues there. My wife was like, maybe we should pack the car and get out of here because we have a three-month-old at home. The rain set to fall for days in what some fear will mark a once-in-a-1,000-year rain event. Lots of white caps out on the Charleston Harbor. You can see

how choppy the water is and heavy bands of wind and rain have just been rolling in throughout the morning. Just outside of Charleston, several tornadoes were reported overnight. Here's Erin McLaughlin. And one of those tornadoes hit this Arby's restaurant, and this is what's left. The insides of the restaurant completely gutted. Tables, chairs, glass, bits of insulation scattered about the parking lot. This restaurant's completely destroyed. The system moving at a stubbornly slow five miles per hour, a more common occurrence amid our climate crisis.

Bottom line is we need you to stay home until this passes. Priscilla Thompson is in Georgia. Here in Savannah, the ground is so saturated, it has caused this sidewalk to buckle, toppling this massive tree, sending it crashing into this car and leaving the road here impassable. The storm is responsible for at least six deaths, five of them in Florida, with Debbie's rat slated to last for days. Maggie Vespa, NBC News, Charleston. Let's bring in Bill Kerens now for a wider look at what's happening here. This is going to be a dangerous situation pretty much all week. Lester, it's going to take till Saturday morning for this storm to exit New England. But

today, just a slow tour of Savannah. And that's where it sits this evening. Torrential rain bands are surrounding the periphery of the storm. We do have flash flood warnings from Columbia, South Carolina, Charleston to Savannah. Flash flood watches for the East Coast for 49 million people. And this does include torrential thunderstorms this evening causing a lot of problems around new york city and philadelphia additional rainfall three to six inches isolated cases up to 10 inches for the carolinas and then as this storm heads northwards three to six inches of rain through the mid-atlantic this is going to be more friday into friday night into the northeast and lester some of that's going to fall in the mountainous areas of the northeast and that's's always a problem. All right, Bill Cairns, thanks. We'll turn out of the murder

for hire plot that federal authorities say they foil. And one of the potential targets, former President Donald Trump. Ken Delaney in now with late details. His name is Asif Raza Merchant, a 46-year-old Pakistani national who had spent time in Iran and tonight faces federal charges over a murder-for-hire scheme targeting a politician or U.S. government official. This handwritten note, now evidence, it's where the charges say Merchant wrote down code words to discuss the assassination plans with a confidential source in New York City. Prosecutors say he later handed over $5,000 in cash. A senior law enforcement official tells NBC News former President Donald Trump was a potential

target of the plot, possibly retribution for the 2020 U.S. killing of a general in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard. For years, the Justice Department has been working to aggressively counter Iran's brazen and unrelenting efforts to retaliate against American government officials for the killing of General Soleimani. Merchant was arrested the day before the attempted assassination of Mr. Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. And while his plot is not believed to be connected to that shooting, it is part of the reason the Secret Service detail around the former president had been increased. Merchant was trying to leave the U.S. the day he was arrested.

The DOJ says the hitmen he believed he was hiring were actually undercover law enforcement officers. Lester. Ken Delaney, and thank you. Here at the Olympics, another busy day for Team USA with five medals at the track and women's soccer team punching their ticket to a gold medal match. Tom Yamas is following it all for us. It wasn't all good news for Team USA. That's right, Lester. Team USA, usually a powerhouse in beach volleyball,

but both women's duos going home empty-handed. But Lester, you said it right. Track and field, one a night, one of the most exciting events so far in these Olympics. Tonight, Gabby Thomas delivered, smoking the field and winning the gold in the 200-meter sprint. It's gold for USA! I know I've earned it. I've trained so hard for this, but there's no feeling like earning an Olympic gold medal. While in a much longer race, the 1500, and upset by Team USA's Cole Hawker, who not only won gold, but set an Olympic record. Cole Hawker wins gold! In soccer, Team USA's match against Germany was an absolute nail-biter. Team USA's Sophia Smith came through big in the 95th minute. They'll play Brazil in the gold medal match. After the first round of basketball

was held outside of the city, today the first games in Paris thanks to an Olympic-sized transformation. Here in Paris, the Bercy Arena has been transformed from gymnastics to basketball. The hardwood is down, the hoops are up. Simone and Suni got gold inside this arena. Now it's time for LeBron and Steph to do the same. They're on their way. Tonight, beating Brazil and moving on to the semis. At surfing in Tahiti, a special cameo from a whale. That's a perfect 10.

And a gold medal for American Caroline Marks. Caroline Marks gets an exit. While in sport climbing, American Sam Watson broke a world record, scaling the wall in just 4.75 seconds. A new Olympic record and a new world record. The history continuing at wrestling. Amit Allure will finish strong. Where the youngest American woman to wrestle in the Olympics, 20-year-old Amit Allure, won gold.

Today has been the best day of my whole entire life. And Cuba's Mijain Lopez became the first person to win the same event at five straight Olympics. After the match, leaving his shoes on the mat, a tradition in wrestling to signify retirement. What a way to end a career. Tom Llamas, NBC News, Paris. And on prime time in Paris, a thrilling night on the track with Gabby Thomas competing in the 200-meter final and more. It all starts at 8 Eastern on NBC. In 60 seconds, the markets bounce back after yesterday's sell-off. What's going on with the markets?

We'll put it in some perspective right after this. All right, we're back now with a roller coaster ride on Wall Street. Stocks rebounding slightly today after yesterday's dramatic losses. Christine Romans is with us. Christine, what's going on here? You know, Lester, cooler heads prevailed after Tokyo's market rebounded sharply from its worst drop since Black Monday in 1987. The Dow rising nearly 300 points today, chipping away at Monday's big losses. That wipeout was the worst day in almost two years for U.S. stocks. It's a reminder

that stocks can go down after a recent series of record highs. And context here is key. The S&P 500 is up 26 percent in two years, 82 percent over the past five. But we may be entering a new period of volatility. There are signs the strong U.S. economy is finally starting to cool. The big debate now, what will the Fed do with interest rates to keep the economy in balance? Lester. All right, Christine Romans, thank you. Up next for us here tonight, my conversation with Simone Biles after her historic performance in Paris. What she wants now more than anything. And we are back now with my interview with Simone Biles. She will leave the Paris Olympics with four medals, three of them gold. Out of confidence in herself, no one can take from her.

You know, the last several years have been all about our expectations, what we thought you would do, what we thought the team would do. What were your expectations coming here? My expectations, or at least the team's expectation, was to go out there and win gold for Team USA, and we did just that. And after that, my expectation was go to all around, see if you can place top three, see what happens. And then after that, everything else was a cherry on top. So vault gold floor silver. I'm not mad.

Are you proud of yourself? Yes. I'm very proud of myself. I'm very proud of my performances. And you've been all about self-care. Yes. Did it work? Yes. No, most definitely. I've been seeing my therapist a lot while I've been here in Paris, so I owe a lot to her. Were there still moments of jitter coming here? Yes, definitely. Before team final, I was a little bit nervous, but as soon as we finished vault, I think it was a breath of fresh air for everybody. We were all like, okay, we know Simone was most nervous for that.

Let's get that out of the way. And then after that, it was a breeze. It was really just trying to have fun after. That's what greatness looks like. What do you want right now most of, now that you're done competing? Now that I'm done competing, some rest. Just some rest? Like a good night's sleep without an alarm.

I don't mean to make you do my job, but if you had to write the headlines of these games telling your story, what would it be? I would say my success is defined by what I make it. I like that. Yeah. I might use that. Okay, go ahead. How much gas is in the tank? You know, as much as you fill it up. So you still need things to fuel you. So moving forward, that's what I'm going to do. Is there a letdown after an Olympics? Are you going to wake up in a couple of days and go, wow, it's over? Yeah, I actually did that last night. As soon as we got back to the village, I just started bawling my eyes out and I called my mom and I couldn't believe it was over. And because, you know, you work your whole entire life for moments like this. And then whenever it's over, you just, you almost can't believe it. Have you ever sat back and really thought about what you have contributed to this sport? I think the impact that I've made, I definitely see because I see all those little girls cheering

for me, but to fully understand the depth of it, I think it'll take one day whenever I retire. And then I look back at the career and everything that I've done to evolve the sport. When you look at the arc of your career, which games were most significant to you? I think Tokyo taught me a lot about who I am, what I stand for, and how to take care of myself mentally and physically. And then Paris was kind of just like a lot of fun. And Rio established who I was and who I wanted to be and do with the rest of my career. And Paris has been pretty good to you. Yeah, it's been so much fun. And up next, from Russian captivity to the bright lights of Paris,

superstar Brittany Griner and why these Olympics are so important to her. finally she's an olympic vet but after all she's been through going for gold in paris has taken on new importance for superstar britney griner here's liz kreutz as wmba star britney griner goes for her third olympic BG scoring. This time is different. It's her first Olympics since her harrowing ordeal two years ago. Do you think everything you've been through the past few years, that gold is going to mean even more? Oh, 100%. In 2022, Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison on drug charges

after officials there said they found cannabis oil in her luggage. I made an honest mistake. After nearly 10 months detained, Reiner finally released in a high-profile prisoner exchange, much like the recent one that brought back Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Marine veteran Paul Whelan. Paris is now the first time she's been abroad since returning home. How have you prepared for this moment? You know, me and my counselor, we talked a lot about it and, you know, triggering things that could happen. But then also just staying focused.

You know, I'm thinking about bringing home that gold. And waiting for her at home, wife Sherelle and their new baby son, Bash, born less than a month ago. Every minute I feel like he's popping in my head and I'm thinking about him. It's just my world changed. Now in Paris, winning is Greiner's sole focus. Even off the court, where the 33-year-old is plotting games against the men's U.S. basketball team. The player lounge room is always fun. It's a fun time.

A lot of intense Uno games. Wait, you and Steph Curry might be playing some Uno? I mean, we might. You better watch out. I need to bring the Uno revenge with the draw 10 and that thing. Sadly, no cameras allowed in there. But all eyes on Greiner as she and her teammates go for gold. What do you want people watching from home to know about Brittany Greiner right now in this moment? BG is locked in and ready to go. I'm happy. I'm in a great place.

I'm representing my country, a country that fought for me to come back. And I'm going to represent well. Liz Kreutz, NBC News. And that is nightly news for this Tuesday. Thank you for watching. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.