NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Episode Date: June 27, 2024

Draft of Supreme Court abortion ruling appears on court's website; Candidates make final preparations for first presidential debate; Illinois murder suspect abruptly rejects plea deal; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the major mix-up at the Supreme Court revealing how it may rule in a high-stakes abortion case. The court acknowledging it inadvertently uploaded a document that reportedly shows it will allow emergency abortions in Idaho, despite the state's strict law. What the court says happened all after the Dobbs decision leaked two years ago. Also tonight, the final countdown to the first 2024 presidential debate. President Biden doing mock debates at Camp David. Former President Trump with advisors at Mar-a-Lago. Severe storms moving east, 71 million on alert after catastrophic floods in the Midwest.

In Minnesota, a home collapsing near an overflowing dam. The courtroom surprised. The suspect accused in a deadly July 4th parade mass shooting, rejecting his plea deal, the tears and anger from families. The new images of American journalist Evan Gerskovich in Russia as he goes on trial in secret on spying charges. News on Matthew Perry, could investigators bring federal charges in his death? My conversation here in Aspen with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. I asked him about those alarming deep fake images.

What is the industry doing to draw the line? And one month to Paris, landmarks transformed. But for Olympic swimmers, will this famed river be ready in time? This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, reporting tonight from Aspen, Colorado. Good evening from Aspen, where we spoke with some of the thought leaders gathered here at the Aspen Ideas Festival, of which NBCUniversal is a media partner. More on that later, but we start with one of the most anticipated decisions the Supreme Court will issue in these final days of its term, a ruling on Idaho's near total ban on abortion. The court has not yet officially released its decision on whether emergency abortions can be allowed in Idaho. But for a brief time today, a draft of the ruling appeared on the court's website, suggesting it would rule in favor of

permitting emergency abortions in Idaho. A court spokesperson says the document had been posted inadvertently. But it's the second time in two years this has happened with a major Supreme Court decision on abortion. Laura Jarrett has more on today's misstep. Tonight, a mistake of epic proportions rocking the U.S. Supreme Court. A closely watched decision on abortion set to come down any day now mistakenly and briefly posted to the court's website this morning, indicating the high court is likely on the verge of allowing emergency abortions in Idaho. The document obtained by Bloomberg Law before it was quickly removed from the website. The court's spokeswoman explaining the court's publications unit inadvertently and briefly uploaded a document to the court's website,

adding that the court's official opinion will be issued in due course. NBC News has not verified whether the document is the final version of the opinion or a draft, but the media's rare advanced access in this case, hearkening back to an unprecedented leak in another abortion case just two years ago in Dobbs, when Politico published the draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade. The current battle over Idaho's law, which criminalizes nearly all abortions except to save a mother's life. The Biden administration sued the state, arguing that abortion ban directly conflicts with a federal law requiring hospitals that receive federal funding provide abortions to women facing health emergencies, even if not on the brink of

death. That conflict, doctors say, puts them in a dangerous bind. It's a really heavy burden to have the five years of potential incarceration to take care of your patients. The document posted today and later published by Bloomberg in full includes an unsigned opinion from the court punting on the ultimate dispute for now, sending it back to the lower court, which means women in Idaho will be able to obtain emergency abortions while the lawsuit continues to play out. But it also highlights deep divisions on the high court. The justices trading barbs in the document. Justice Jackson saying today's decision is not a victory for pregnant patients in Idaho. While this court dawdles and the country waits, pregnant people

experiencing emergency medical conditions remain in a precarious position. While Justice Alito calls the court's decision baffling, saying the court has simply lost the will to decide the easy but emotional and highly politicized question that the case presents. A remarkable development, Laura. Any sense of when the court might release the official opinion in the Idaho case? Lester, we could see it as soon as tomorrow. The fact that the court is saying it already made its way to the publication unit means that it's nearing completion. So we could see it tomorrow at 10 a.m. or Friday morning.

Lester? Laura Jarrett, thanks. Now to the critical first debate tomorrow between President Biden and former President Trump. Gabe Gutierrez joins me from the debate site in Atlanta. Gabe, both candidates doing last-minute preparations tonight. Yes, that's right, Lester. We're about 24 hours away, and both candidates are expected to arrive here in Atlanta tomorrow afternoon. This will be the first time that a current and former president have ever debated.

Tonight, the stage is set. President Biden at Camp David, out of the public eye for nearly a week, huddling with advisors and holding mock debates. Former President Trump back at Mar-a-Lago doing more informal prep, today calling into a campaign event with black businessmen. Inflation is a disaster. It's killing the black community and it's killing the country. Tomorrow's face-off will be their first since heated clashes in 2020. Hoping to avoid chaotic crosstalk, the 90-minute debate will feature muted mics when the other candidates talking.

There will be no live studio audience. Mr. Trump expected to focus on the economy and the border, while President Biden will likely zero in on abortion rights and threats to democracy. Today, touting the endorsement of former GOP congressman and frequent Trump critic Adam Kinzinger. This is about defending the greatest country in the world. Mr. Trump and his allies accusing President Biden, without evidence, of planning to use performance-enhancing drugs or even just caffeine. Will it be on some sort of energy drinks or something, okay? The Biden campaign says the former president is desperate and resorting to obviously false lies.

For both candidates, tomorrow is a crucial test to appeal to skeptical voters who dislike both options. So-called double haters are now a quarter of the electorate. Yeah, I would say I'm a double hater until proven otherwise. Natalia McIntyre and Roshan Harris run a community center in Detroit. Who did he vote for in 2020? I voted for Biden. Do you regret that? In some ways I do. He says he might vote third party. She's undecided. I might stay home. College student Charlie Rooney is hoping President Biden addresses the war in Gaza. I'm deeply disappointed that we've ended with the two candidates that we have. As for Mr. Trump's highly anticipated VP pick,

the top contenders are expected here tomorrow night. Buster? All right, Gabe, thank you. And join us tomorrow night for Buster. All right, Gabe, thank you. And join us tomorrow night for complete coverage of the first presidential debate hosted by CNN. More rain is in the forecast as parts of Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota struggle with devastating flooding. Adrian Brados is in Minnesota with the latest. Minute by minute, the landscape here crumbling. This Minnesota home, swallowed by rushing floodwaters.

So were the playground and the bench where we spoke with the owners of that house just yesterday. Now, all washed away. The dramatic changes in this community, visible from above. Residents gathering today to take in the destruction. This is like a once in a lifetime thing. Adrian, that's a dramatic backdrop. And the spot I was standing in 24 hours ago also gone today. Across the Midwest, many landscapes have been forever changed and infrastructure destroyed.

In South Dakota, residents forced to evacuate during this week's flood are still waiting to return to unrecognizable neighborhoods. It was insane. It sounded like a war zone out there. In Sioux City, Iowa, neighborhoods still look like lakes. Still, while Mother Nature is at her worst, communities in crisis finding the best in each other. I hope we get better, and I hope people will chip in and help this place. The watercress in some areas exceeding levels not seen in nearly three decades,

even as the region braces for more heavy rain, threatening already swollen rivers to rise again. Lester. Adrienne brought us, thank you, a dramatic scene today in a courtroom in Illinois. The suspect of the deadly mass shooting at a 4th of July parade two years ago stunned the courtroom when he reversed his decision to plead guilty. Kathy Park has the story. Tonight, a stunning courtroom reversal as a man accused of carrying out a deadly mass shooting at a July 4th parade nearly two years ago in the suburbs of Chicago rejected a proposed plea deal. Police say robber Cremo III initially confessed to opening fire in Highland Park, Illinois, killing seven and injuring dozens more. Today, lawyers were expecting him to agree to a guilty

plea deal, which would have dismissed dozens of the charges while still facing life in prison. But when asked by the judge, you wish to go forward? Cremo said no. We've seen him do these things before. He enjoyed the theater today. Families who prepared for a possible sentence did not hold back their emotions. Leah Sondheim lost her mom Jackie in the shooting. He is evil and manipulative and brought us here today probably knowing what he was going to do.

Karina Mendez and her sister Nubia, who was at the parade, are still grieving their father, Eduardo Uvaldo. We need closure and I thought today was going to be the day that everything was over. Now, more heartbreak for families with a tragic milestone just days away. Fourth of July is never going to be the same again. It's hard because that was my dad's, you know, favorite holidays. But I don't think I'll ever celebrate again. The trial will now push forward to February of next year. Meanwhile, next week, the Highland Park July 4th parade will return for the first time since the tragedy.

Lester. Thank you. In Russia, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich went on trial today, more than a year after being arrested on what the U.S. calls trumped up spying charges. Andrea Mitchell is following this. The trial is going on in secret, Andrea. Lester Evan Gershkovich was moved a thousand miles from Moscow for this trial on these false charges of spying for the CIA. He appeared thin, his head shaven by his captors, nodding to the cameras. If convicted, he could be sentenced to 20 years in prison, and defendants in Russia are rarely acquitted.

U.S. plans to trade him and another American, Paul Whelan, already jailed for five years for a Russian hitman held in Germany, fell through. Donald Trump claiming he could cut a deal with Russia if he's elected, but there's no evidence that he could get Putin to release Evan. The U.S. saying everyone should want wrongfully detained Americans released now, not in November. Lester. Andrea, thank you. In 60 seconds, will there be charges in the death of Matthew Perry and the future of artificial intelligence? My interview with Sam Altman, whose company is driving the future of AI, where he sees it going right after this. Back now with a federal investigation into the death of Friends star Matthew Perry. A law enforcement source says the probe into who supplied the ketamine that contributed to Perry's death could result in

charges against several people. The source adds the probe remains open and there will be no immediate action in the case. Now to the gathering here in Colorado, the Aspen Ideas Festival. Today, I sat down with two of the biggest names in the world of technology and business, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and his ally and friend Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, to talk about the promise and the risks of artificial intelligence. Sam, what percentage of this audience do you think has in some way interacted with AI today? I would bet most. APT's November 2022 release kicked off a frenzy over artificial intelligence, skyrocketing open AI CEO Sam Altman to fame and scrutiny. Courted by Washington, striking deals with the biggest companies in tech,

then fired by the company he co-founded, reinstated just a few days later. You were fired from your own company. Why? It was obviously a super painful experience, but I do understand why anxiety levels have been so, are so high. And I think the previous board members, like they're nervous about the continued development of AI, had whatever feelings they had about me and how we were doing things. You were picking up the phone, Brian. Yes. Explain that.

Well, I remember, so maybe just to go back in time, what I noticed in those first 24 hours was not a lot of people sticking up for Sam. And I, in my darkest times, in my crisis, have had people stick up for me. And at no point in the five days this went down did Sam ever, even for a second, focus on self-preservation. We talked about how AI already has gone in some very troubling directions, the technology making it easy to target everyone from celebrities like Taylor Swift and Emma Watson to school children with fake AI-generated illicit imagery. How is the industry going to respond to this?

I mean, we think the industry needs to take a super strong stance on that. We've tried to be not only very loud in our calls for regulation to prevent some of these misuse cases, these misuses, which I think is happening, but also to set a really good example in the products and services we offer and hold ourselves to a very high level. But were these things inevitable? I mean, you clearly saw the risk coming as this technology was maturing. Like deepfakes and stuff?

Deepfakes, yeah, face swapping. Yeah. It was inevitable that the technology was going to be capable of that. In some places, we are going to draw a line, and face swapping deep fake revenge porn is a great place to draw a line. OpenAI has stunned people with its capabilities, like video creation from simple text prompts. But Alban says the ambitions for his company go much further,

comparing it to the Manhattan Project development of the atomic bomb. Was that helpful for you as you try to make your case? I mean, we try to give a number of historical analogies because we think it is important. So we can say there were some things about the Manhattan Project that are like what we're doing now. There's some things about the Apollo program. There are some things about the iPhone. But what I think is important is to say, here are the parts where we can look to a historical analogy, and here are the parts where we can't. And the shape of this technology and kind of the decisions and the impact, it is fundamentally like a little bit

different than anything I think we've been looking think. I think it's different than the Manhattan Project. It's not a race. It's not going to be done in secret. And I think nations can collaborate together and there could be a transnational kind of group or body that could really kind of align to make sure we're all on the same page. We think that's super important to get some sort of global framework and cooperation. I think we're really going to need that. One of the many conversations going on about the future here in Aspen this week. We're coming out there as rare as they are sacred. A white bison born in Yellowstone National Park.

Why it's uniting so many in hope. We're back now to tell you about an extraordinary and sacred site, an extremely rare white bison recently born at Yellowstone National Park. Steve Patterson is there with the significance and the celebration. On the edge of Yellowstone National Park, a remarkable sighting, bringing together indigenous tribes from across the West. The birth of a rare white bison so sacred to the people here, it's thought to fulfill an ancient Lakota tribe prophecy. Today, the miraculous birth being commemorated with ceremony, song, and for the first time, the reveal of a name.

Wakong Glee returns sacred. It's a blessing, but it's a warning. Lakota Chief Avril Lookinghorse says in tribal lore, it's similar to the second coming and part of a personal lifelong journey. This is a spiritual awakening. It's a fulfillment of our prophecy. It's our responsibility to take care of Mother Earth. This spiritual connection to the bison they share the land with runs deep, representing strength and abundance to indigenous cultures. Herds that once numbered in the millions are now managed in Yellowstone at about 5,000 after being hunted to near extinction across the country.

And here, there is no record of a white bison being spotted. That is, until now. It seemed unreal that I just was so lucky to be one of maybe There is no record of a white bison being spotted. That is until now. It seemed unreal that I just was so lucky to be one of maybe a dozen people that got photographs of this thing. Photographer Jordan Creech captured these images of the white haired calf the day it was born on June 4th. I know how important it is to the native culture to have been able to capture that. I'm happy I could share it. The elusive animal has not been seen since.

But to the tribes gathered here, it doesn't matter if it's ever seen again. What's important is its birth, serving both as a symbol of hope and prosperity and a reminder of how we should all treat each other. This brings tears into my eyes every time I think about it, because this shouldn't happen in our time. And it did. This gift of life and the blessing of a new beginning. Steve Patterson, NBC News, Yellowstone National Park. And up next for us here tonight, we'll go to Paris one month before the start of the Olympics. The one big question on everyone's minds. The view from Paris where the 2024 Olympics are now just one month away,

but the questions tonight, will a key venue be ready? Keir Simmons is there. Tonight's Paris ready for its close-up. The Eiffel Tower adorned with those famous rings, one of many iconic locations, now Olympic arenas. You can see now how the city of Paris is an Olympic venue. They've brought in the sand for the beach volleyball. Behind the Eiffel Tower there, that's the Champions Plaza. The Place de la Concorde, where so often history has been made, will premiere breaking this summer.

8,000 at the wrestling and judo venue, seated around an historic military statue. The triathlon and marathon swimming planned for the Seine, which officials acknowledge is still not clean enough. I spoke exclusively with the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. Swimming in the Seine was your idea? ANNE HIDALGO, Yes, it was my idea. MALCOLM BRABANT, She says, cancelling a swim in the Seine this week, she remains confident. Because I want to swim in the river Seine before the opening ceremony. Everyone's worried that it's not ready. You say je ne regrette rien? It's ready, it's ready.

Down on the river, an American-French family living on a houseboat will move to make way for an opening ceremony like no other. There's events right here, right here, just behind us. It's absolutely phenomenal. And the opening ceremonies on the river, I mean, there's nothing like it. They hope the world will see the Seine the way they do, as magical. Keir Simmons, NBC News, Paris. And that is nightly news for this Wednesday. Thank you for watching. I'm Lester Hull.

Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.