NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Episode Date: October 2, 2024

Iran launches major ballistic missile attack on Israel; Israel likely to retaliate after Iranian attack; Drinking water crisis in North Carolina, days after flooding disaster; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the major escalation in the Middle East. Iran launching a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel and a suspected terror attack in an Israeli city. The night sky lighting up as Israel says Iran fired nearly 200 missiles at its territory. U.S. warships helping to thwart the attack, launching interceptors while in the Israeli city of Jaffa. The deadly attack that began on a train, police calling it terrorism. All this after Israel began ground operations in Lebanon, targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah. Our teams inside Israel and Lebanon, also tonight growing desperation in the southeast, crews searching for survivors days after Helene struck. As deaths soared to more than 150,

the urgent race to get relief into the hardest hit areas. The major strike at ports along the East and Gulf Coast, tens of thousands of dock workers walking off the job. How it could impact the price you pay and the supply chain ahead of the holiday shopping season. The vice presidential candidates, Tim Walz and J.D. Vance facing off tonight. Will it be the final debate of the 2024 campaign? The beloved actor famous for his roles in Good Times and Roots, remembering John Amos and heroes and hope after

Helene. The brave professionals and everyday people saving lives in the storm zone. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. It was Iran who struck tonight in the ever-spiraling cycle of violence in the Middle East. The U.S. says around 200 Iranian ballistic missiles launched from Iran rained down across Israel this evening, sending people running for cover. Just moments after air raid sirens sounded, the sky filled with streaks of light. Incoming missiles, many appearing to explode in the air, intercepted by Israeli and American defenses. Iran launching waves of missiles toward Israel in retaliation for its recent killing of a leader of Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia group. Remarkably, Israel says there were no deaths and few injuries

as a result of the missile strikes this evening. The attacks, not a surprise after U.S. intelligence several hours earlier warned a missile attack by Iran was imminent. This evening, Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu making clear there will be a response. Our team witnessed it all from the ground. Raf Sanchez leads us off with the latest now from northern Israel. It began just after 730 local time. I can tell you at this moment, the skies above us are lighting up. What looked to us from the grounds like deadly shooting stars, Iranian ballistic missiles slamming down one after another near an Israeli air base. Also seen over Jerusalem's western wall and across the country.

Israel says its air defense is taking out most of the incoming missiles. We are seeing some of these missiles, they are either falling apart, a sign that they are either falling apart, a sign that they have been intercepted, or they are making their way down towards the ground here in northern Israel. The IDF says around 180 Iranian missiles fired in total in two waves, minutes apart. We are once again seeing the skies lighting up now. Traveling the nearly 1,000 miles from Iran to Israel in just 11 minutes. Later, like millions of others, we took cover when we heard the warning sirens. That's the sirens. We're going to head to safety. President Biden had ordered the U.S. military to assist in defending Israel.

Tonight, the Pentagon saying U.S. Navy destroyers fired a dozen interceptors at the incoming missiles. Obviously, this is a significant escalation by Iran, a significant event. The U.S. condemning the Iranian action, saying dozens more ballistic missiles were fired than in Iran's previous attack on Israel back in April. This is totally unacceptable and the entire world should condemn it. The IDF tonight saying there are no known fatalities or major injuries in Israel. Iran says the attack was a response to Israel's assassination last week of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, following nearly a year of Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel. All of it with nerves already frayed here by an earlier mass shooting in Tel Aviv. At least six civilians killed when two terrorists opened fire on the

light rail, police say. While in a late night speech addressing the missile attack, Prime Minister Netanyahu saying Iran made a big mistake tonight and it will pay for it. Rav, what have you learned about damage caused by those Iranian missiles? Lester, Israel says there were a small number of impacts in the south and the center of the country. We know one missile came down near a school and several more were aimed at an airbase that was damaged in the last Iranian attack back in April. Lester. All right, Rav Sanchez, thanks. And Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel is in southern Lebanon, right across the border from Israel. Richard, you've

covered this conflict for a very long time. Does it feel certain that Israel will retaliate here? Oh, Israel will absolutely retaliate. And Prime Minister Netanyahu is already giving some hint at what Israel intends to do. Tonight, he listed off the names of several militant leaders who have attacked Israel in the past, nearly all of them subsequently assassinated by Israel. So Israel could carry out targeted attacks against Iranian officials believed to be associated with this missile barrage. There could be attacks on nuclear sites, military facilities. How far Israel goes will determine the course of this war in the Middle East.

Lester. All right, Richard Engel, thanks. As you heard, the U.S. actively participated in defending against the Iranian strike as the president and vice president kept a close watch on the situation. Here's Peter Alexander. President Biden tonight declaring Iran's major assault on Israel a failure. The attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective. The president crediting the U.S.'s extensive planning, anticipating today's attack

and working alongside its close ally, Israel. Make no mistake, the United States is fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel. Earlier, President Biden, with Vice President Harris, monitoring the attack alongside their national security team from the Situation Room. The White House says Iran did not give any advance notice of today's missile barrage. That comes as the Biden administration's months-long effort to prevent a larger war in the Middle East is now facing its toughest test yet. The president tonight saying it remains to be seen what the consequences for Iran will be. The vice president also condemning the Iranian attack.

Iran is a destabilizing, dangerous force in the Middle East, and today's attack on Israel only further demonstrates that fact. Still, former President Trump campaigning in Wisconsin argues on the administration's watch the world is spiraling out of control. They are very close to global catastrophe. We have a non-existent president and a non-existent vice president who should be in charge, but nobody knows what's going on. All of it a dire backdrop to tonight's one and only showdown between the two vice presidential picks who have been fierce critics from afar for months. This is not about power. It's about governing. Well, Kamala, day one was 1400 days ago. What the hell have you been doing?

Tonight, they'll meet in person for the first time. And Peter, you're there in the spin room and we're going to be seeing some new rules at this debate. Tell us about it. Yeah, Lester, that's right. A couple of key differences tonight compared to the last presidential debate. There will be no live fact checking by the moderators and both candidates. Microphones are going to stay on when it's the other person's turn to speak, which is likely to make for some fiery exchanges here this evening. Lester. Okay, Peter, thanks. And you can watch full coverage of tonight's vice presidential debate starting at 8 on NBC and NBC News Now.

We'll turn to the flooding disaster in the South now with many in hard-hit North Carolina now facing a desperate challenge, finding essentials like food and water, while some still wait for word on loved ones. Sam Brock is there. Tonight, the crises in western North Carolina are too many to count, with access to a basic life force, water, at the top of the list. Behind you right now is this effort to disseminate water. How critical is it for families like yours? It's very critical. I mean, like we got a baby, he eats oatmeal. He, you know, he's a priority for us. Is it a lifeline right now? Absolutely. Parents and loved ones coming to one of four community sites where supplies are slowly trickling in and neighbors stepping up. But complications abound.

All three water treatment plants in Asheville are compromised, with the pipes to distribute the water washed away. You don't realize how thirsty you are, you know, at home, and you flip your faucet on, just drink out of the sink or flush the toilet, brush your teeth, you have to spit in your sink, and you have to use your good water to rinse your sink out. With other area locals largely cut off from aid, frustration with FEMA reaching a boiling point of its own. There's no water, there's no internet, there's no food. The agency says it's already delivered a million liters of water and 600,000

meals to North Carolinians and promises more on the way. Tonight, the treacherous wait continues though for those missing. Many people were waiting for days, trying to get in touch with loved ones, and thankfully, many of them have. On the ground, shelters are teeming. We do not have the resources available. With 75-year-old Cynthia Dunn, who survived the rushing waters clinging to a mattress, one of the lucky ones with temporary shelter. Everything's gone.

My identity's gone, and I hate to say it, my hearing aids. I lost my teeth. Other displaced residents wait in long lines at gas stations and grocery stores for necessities. Katrice Goodrum picking up some essentials and tells us how she's charging her father's oxygen machine in the car. He's on dialysis and her pain is many families. We've been very blessed and very fortunate. It was just me passing by and seeing that his dialysis and her pain is many families. We've been very blessed and very fortunate. It was just me passing by and seeing that his dialysis clinic was open. But everybody doesn't have the ability to ride by. And Sam, your heart just goes out for these folks. So we have talked throughout all this about communities that are simply can't you can't get to because they're remote. But I understand you're getting into some of them now. Yeah, look, Lester, we're finally in the outer reaches of Buncombe County after the interstate opened up.

And Lester helps to explain how the death toll here in this county went from 40 to 57. Look at this car over my shoulder flipped up. That is not from a tornado, but rushing water. Expect more scenes like these in the days to come. Yeah, it's tough. All right, Sam, thanks. And in neighboring Tennessee, the tragedy is still unfolding for families of people missing. Survivors saying the warnings about the flooding came too late. Kathy Park has their stories. Tonight, a desperate plea from families in Irwin, Tennessee, as they enter a fifth day with no updates on their loved ones. Several still missing in Unicoi County are Latino and worked at Impact Plastics,

including Fernando Ruiz's mother, Lydia. There is hope, but a lot of time has passed. Today, families growing more frustrated with the recovery efforts and the disconnect from day one of this disaster. A county spokesperson admitting to the shortcomings in their emergency response. I was not aware that there was a Latin American community here. That was a failure on our part for which I apologize. The governor surveying the devastation today and responding to the heartache. Did the state do enough to prepare the residents for a catastrophe like this?

It's hard to imagine preparation for something that's never happened. The nightmare isn't over for Robert Jarvis, who captured the water rising all around him as he tried to escape the plastic factory with his co-workers. It was too late when we got our warnings. The company insists they told employees to leave. Witnessing the panic, Eric Castellon and Ronald Kell jumped into action, saving Robert and others. If me and Eric didn't do it, and a couple of my other associates didn't do what we did, they all would have been dead. And the disaster stretches all across East Tennessee, where entire roads and bridges have washed away, cutting off residents.

The only way to reach them is by foot. At the height of the storm, more than 1.2 million gallons of water per second flowed over the Nolichucky River. That's more than the daily peak flow at Niagara Falls. Officials say the priority right now is to recover bodies before they can rebuild. Lester? All right, Kathy, thank you.

And coming up, as tens of thousands of dock workers go on strike, we'll explain how soon you'll start seeing the impact. Plus, how long could it last? All right, we're back now with a strike that has brought 14 major U.S. ports responsible for almost half of U.S. imports to a standstill. Tens of thousands of dock workers demanding higher pay and more job security. Christine Romans now on the impact for consumers. Cranes idle in Brooklyn, Baltimore, and Houston. Dockworkers striking for

the first time in almost 50 years. The dockworkers union rejecting a 50 percent pay increase over six years. An offer the Maritime Alliance says exceeds every other recent union settlement, adding, this is a completely avoidable strike. The dock workers also demanding restrictions on automation for the cranes, gates and trucks at the ports to make sure technology doesn't replace their jobs. Nothing's going to move without us. And we're going to keep this thing going every day. The longer the strike goes on, the more you'll feel it. Retailers and importers

are scrambling to move their products, already raising freight costs. Eventually, that could raise prices for consumers. And every day of uncertainty, a concern for Margaret Barrow. Her healthy snack company, It's Nola, relies on ingredients that come through these ports. It's kind of scary because in two months, if I can't get all of the ingredients that I need for my product, I'm going to have to just let my customers know that I have to put a pause on producing my product. These ports behind me are critical for you being able to keep your business running. Absolutely. A lot of business can go under because of this. Manufacturers and retailers want the White House to step in and break the strike. The White House said the impact on consumers would be, quote, limited for food, fuel and medicine, but said collective bargaining was the best way to reach a deal.

And Christine, I know a lot of people are crunching these numbers right now. How damaging could a long strike be to the U.S. economy? So supply chains, Lester, can bounce back pretty quickly after a couple of days. But keep in mind, every day that you have a shutdown, it can take five days to clear the backlog. So the longer this goes on, the worse it is. We're soon going to realize all those things come by ship. All right. Thanks. Up next, the latest FBI report on violent crime and how one major American city has turned the tide. Stay with us.

It is becoming a big issue in the 2024 race, violent crime. But as FBI data shows, violent crime continued to drop across the U.S. in the first part of the year. Our Ken Delaney in Texas to Detroit, where the police chief says the reality doesn't match the rhetoric. Tonight, we're with officers patrolling downtown Detroit who tell us this city, long one of America's most dangerous, is safer. Is that the reality that you see? We often get a bad rap. But that's not what you'll hear from former President Trump when he talks about crime across America. Crime here is up and through the roof.

Including in Michigan. But you can't walk across the street to get a loaf of bread. You get shot. That's simply not true. We spoke to Detroit Police Chief James White. I invite him to walk the streets of Detroit, and I'd be more than happy to do that with him and show him how Detroit is performing. In Detroit, crime has fallen dramatically after it exploded during the pandemic. We look at this to ensure that our strategies are working. When you look at our criminal homicides, they're down 21 percent.

White says 1,000-plus cameras at gas stations monitored by officers helps. And it's not just Detroit. Across the country, new FBI data shows, crime has fallen steeply back to where it was five years ago. Violent crime dropped 3% in 2023 from the year before, continuing a three-year trend, and murder fell by 11.6%, the largest single-year decline on record. Though another key measure, the Justice Department's annual survey asking 200,000 Americans if they've been crime victims found

violent crime was about the same in 2023 as the year before. But that survey does not factor in the plummeting murder rate. I got a call around 103 in the morning from my son Chandler. He was yelling Jordan was shot. Still, for too many families, the horrors of gun violence are a tragic reality. Vanika and Andre Thornhill's 23-year-old son Jordan graduated college this spring. He was the innocent victim of random gunfire leaving a Detroit block party. I lost my son. Why? Why did it happen? Why did it happen? It shouldn't have never happened. To victims of crime, statistics are meaningless. How does it make you feel when you hear people say, well, crime is down?

If you would have asked me prior to this, I probably would have been like, OK, I can probably see it. But seeing that it hit home, I don't know. I can't say it is. What happened to Jordan Thornhill is tragic. Chief White telling us the crime drop is still nothing to celebrate. We're not going to, you know, tear a rotator cuff patting ourselves on the back. I mean, we've got a lot of crime in our city, a lot of violent crime. Those crimes coming at a

heartbreaking cost, though the FBI notes there were 2,500 fewer murders in America last year. Lester. Ken Delaney, and thank you. Up next, stories of survival, heroism, and hope from the flood zone. Some good news, isn't it? So then we get back in. A beloved TV sitcom dad has passed away. John Amos, best known as the family patriarch on Good Times, died from natural causes back in August, his family revealed today.

Amos was also nominated for an Emmy for the 1977 miniseries Roots and starred in movies like Coming to America, Die Hard 2, and Uncut Gems. He was 84. And finally, as the Southeast reels in the aftermath of Helene, there is good news tonight about the heroes who've gone above and beyond. Here's Priscilla Thompson. Angel Mitchell was at her mother's bedside at this hospital in Irwin, Tennessee, when flooding began Friday. Water was just rushing in, power out. As the water rose, she says her 83-year-old mother was placed in a boat tethered to the hospital. What was going through your head? Just that my mama's going to die. My mama's going to be swept away. More than 60 patients were evacuated by helicopter, the hospital says, all making it out alive.

The nurses, the staff there, they made sure we all got out. Amid so much desperation, stories of survival, heroism, and hope. In Ashe County, North Carolina, onlookers watched in horror as this home was swept away with a woman still inside. Armed with a life jacket and a rope, Eddie Hunnell jumped in. I just couldn't watch her die. Pilots from around the country coming together to bring in critical supplies and get people out. We've had people from Texas to Maine all the way across the East Coast just show up. Ordinary people joining forces to support one another during unimaginable times. While Angel feels some local leaders fell short, she says heroes saved her and her mom.

I just want to thank them. If it weren't for them, we would not have made it. Priscilla Thompson, NBC News, Johnson City, Tennessee. And 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.