Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, August 23, 2024

Episode Date: August 24, 2024

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Tonight, a new chapter in the race for the White House, RFK Jr. suspending his campaign, throwing his support behind former President Trump. The endorsement shaking up an already unprecedented race, Kennedy's siblings reprimanding the move in a scathing statement. Will Kennedy's base give Trump a critical boost in this close presidential race? Vice President Kamala Harris back in Washington after her history-making DNC speech, the impact her powerful remarks had on voters, and when will she do the first sit-down interview since joining the race? Also breaking tonight the deadly festival attack in Germany, a stabbing spree reportedly leaving several people dead and others injured. Police and ambulances rushing to the scene, the new details just coming in.

Italy super yacht disaster, a luxury ship mysteriously capsizing, rescuers recovering the bodies of those missing from the wreckage. Nearly two dozen people on board, including a British tech magnate when it went down during a violent storm. The investigation into what went wrong. Extreme weather, severe storms unleashing twin water spouts in Florida, the south baking in brutal summer heat, which areas could reach triple-digit temps as a tropical storm takes aim at Hawaii. Deadly hospital mix-up. It's a parent's worst nightmare. A woman checks into a hospital. When her mother calls to check on her, she's told her daughter checked out. The family baffled, believing their daughter had vanished for

nearly a year. The hospital then discovering her in the morgue. The drug smuggling operation inside Georgia prisons nearly two dozen indicted over an alleged scheme involving drones, how they carried out the years-long plot. Plus, the stunning spectacle in Iceland, the volcanic eruption lighting up the night sky will show you the incredible video as hot lava spews into the air. And the highly anticipated moment at the DNC, that never happened. The rumors swirling about a Beyonce performance catching like wildfire, how all the buzz turned into a buzz kill for the beehive. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Valerie Castro in for Tom Yamas. Tonight, the sprint to election day is on

and the rapidly changing race for the White House enduring yet another shakeup. RFK Jr. suspending his long-shot presidential campaign and endorsing former President Trump. The independent candidate making the announcement at an event in Phoenix saying he no longer had a realistic path to electoral victory. Kennedy went on to throw his support behind Trump. The former president seemingly delighted about the decision. Earlier today, Kennedy took steps to withdraw his candidacy in Pennsylvania, signaling his intention to back the Trump campaign just hours before making his official statement. He added that he would take his name off the ballot in 10 battleground states. His siblings, releasing a blistering statement reading in part,

our brother's decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear. The announcement coming just hours after Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination in a monumental speech. With both conventions now in the rearview mirror, the campaigns are in overdrive. We're just over two weeks out from the presidential debate and 10 weeks away from the election. We have a lot to get to this evening. NBC's Dasha Burns starts off our coverage. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Tonight, in a move likely to help former President Trump,

independent candidate, Robert Kennedy Jr., suspending his campaign. I promised the American people that I would withdraw from the race if I became a spoiler. And announcing, he will now endorse Mr. Trump. I was surprised to discover that we are aligned on many key issues. Kennedy, suggesting Trump offered to enlist him in his administration. He originally launched his White House bid as a Democrat, then becoming an independent, saying his principles, including protecting free speech, led him to today's decision. Staying on the ballot in the battleground states, I would likely hand the election over to the Democrats

with whom I disagree on the most existential issues. Like today, former President Trump thanking his opponent turned ally. We just had a very nice endorsement. from RFK Jr., Bobby. He's a great guy, respected by everybody. It's a major shift from the harsh words he had for him just a few months ago. RFK Jr. is a Democrat plant, a radical left liberal who's been put in place in order to help Crooked Joe Biden. Kennedy, a member of a storied family in Democratic politics, now endorsing the Republican nominee is already sparking criticism from within his own family.

JFK's grandson, Jack Schlossberg, posting RFK is for sale, works for Trump, bedfellows, and loving it. Kamala Harris is for the people. While Kennedy saying his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, is very uncomfortable with his endorsement. But supporters of RFK Jr. today telling us they'll follow his move to back Trump. I have no choice but to. I will, yeah, because I trust Bobby. And Kennedy's endorsement could be critical. Since Vice President Harris entered the race, Kennedy has lost ground, dropping from 9% support

in July to 5% in August, though a recent NBC news poll finding Republicans view him favorably while independents and Democrats have a negative opinion. So his endorsement could give Trump a small boost that could make a big impact in a tight race. Trump and Kennedy donor Omeen Malik helped broker conversations between the campaigns. The dynamics have just changed again. How have they changed now? Tremendously in the favor of President Trump. If you look at Bobby Kennedy. He's the most relevant third-party candidate in over a generation. Dasha Burns joins us now from Glendale, Arizona. Dasha, have we heard any reaction from the Kamala Harris campaign yet?

Valerie, the Harris campaign did put out a statement in response, not mentioning Kennedy by name, but saying that she's going to work to earn the vote of everybody. And Dasha, we're learning there's an update in the investigation into the Secret Service response to former President Trump's assassination. attempt. What's the latest there? We're learning that multiple Secret Service agents have been put on leave for their actions leading up to that assassination attempt, Valerie. We don't know exactly how many, but we do know that one of those put on leave was the agent in charge of the Pittsburgh field office who was in

charge of coordinating with local law enforcement, Valerie. All right, Dasha, thank you. And this shakeup, all after Kamala Harris accepted her historic nomination at the Democratic National Convention. The Harris campaign now making an urgent push for swing voters as she faces mounting pressure to get more specific on policy. NBC's senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez reports. Tonight, after an electric final night

of the Democratic National Convention, and with just 74 days to go into the election, the race for the White House is entering a new phase. Vice President Harris trying to maintain momentum today after making history, becoming the first woman of color to speak these words for a major party. I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America. But her acceptance speech focused instead on her history as the daughter of immigrants, a Jamaican father and an Indian mother.

She taught us to never complain about injustice, but do something about it. Her great nieces teaching the audience how to pronounce her name. First you say comma like a common sentence. Later, the young girls looked on, this viral picture capturing the weight of the moment. I'm no stranger to unlikely journeys. With protests outside the convention this week, the vice president making pointed remarks about the Israel Hamas war. Let me be clear, I will always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself.

But also saying the impact on Gaza has been devastating. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking. Harris's speech light on policy specifics, but in a dramatic shift for Democrats, she's now trying to flip the script on an issue where polls show Americans prefer former President Trump. Immigration. Donald Trump believes a border deal would hurt his campaign. So he ordered his allies in Congress to kill the deal. While Trump argued the border security bill was not tough enough, Harris is now touting her record as a prosecutor.

I fought against the cartels who traffic in guns and drugs and human beings who threaten the security of our border. While trying to diminish the former president. In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious. serious. And railing against Republicans for limiting abortion rights. Simply put, they are out of their minds. We trust women. We trust women. Still, her opponents are slamming the remarks. Just a few minutes after she spoke,

Trump accusing Harris of running away from her record as vice president. Why didn't she do the things that she's complaining about? She didn't do any of it. She could have done it three and a half years ago. Gabe Gutierrez joins us now from the White House. Gabe, people are wondering when Kamala Harris will sit down for a television interview. What can you tell us? Certainly, Valerie. That is a big question at this point. Her critics have been saying this for quite a while. Now, Vice President Harris did say that she expected to do a sit-down interview by the end of this month. That basically leaves next week. So over the weekend, there are no public events scheduled. We do expect. expect her and she and Governor Walves to hit the campaign trail next week and then to have more events in battleground states around Labor Day. But as of now, we don't have a firm date or time for when that sit-down interview would happen. All right. Gabe, thank you. And with both

conventions over, the final race to November is on, and that race likely to be a sprint, take a look at this election calendar. Some mail and ballots will go out to voters in as little as two weeks in states like North Carolina. And the week after that, on September 10th, the big matchup, the first debate between Vice President Harris and former President Trump. Here with us now are Michael Starr Hopkins, a Democratic strategist and a former staffer on the Clinton and Obama campaigns, and Lance Trover, a GOP strategist and former spokesman for the Bergen presidential campaign. Lance, let's start with you. Let's turn back to the big political news of today. Does RFK Jr. backing Trump move the needle in any significant way?

I think it does. I mean, there's a reason the Trump campaign has been lobbying hard to get this endorsement. If you go back before Joe Biden dropped out, the voters were kind of equally split between Democrats and Republicans that he was taking from them. Kamala Harris comes in. She pulls some of those soft Democrats back into her column. So Kennedy was holding on to some of the soft Republicans. So when you saw in the video there, I mean, that kind of speaks volumes, right? It's anecdotal. But that's what the Trump campaign has made. banking on. And so I think there's no question. It's going to help. And in an election this close, every single vote's going to count and matter. And I think that's why it's a big victory for the Trump campaign today, for sure. Okay. And Michael, we've already seen hints that RFK's endorsement could earn him a potential post in the next Trump administration if there is one. Here's what Don Jr. said just a few days ago. I'd love the idea of giving him, you know, some sort of role in some sort of, you know, major, you know, three-letter entity or whatever it may be, and let him blow it up. I think that's what we need.

With RFK's record on vaccines, what do you think the consequences of something like that could be? It's devastating. The idea that Donald Trump could appoint someone like RFK to be the head of the FDA, head of HHS. This is somebody who isn't just unserious, but they're dangerous. His rhetoric around vaccines causing autism, his belief that 9-11 was a conspiracy job. This is something that I think will not only backfire on Donald Trump, but it just shows that. the uns seriousness of the Trump campaign as well. You've got people like Peter Teal, Don Jr., Tucker Carlson, O for two now. They pick J.D. Vance as the VP, and now they're trying to add RFK Jr. I just, I don't think this is a smart move for the country, and I think it's a dangerous

move. Lance, same topic to you. Do you think, A, this is even likely to happen? I think that's a good question. Look, we don't know what deals have been made and what promises have been made. But, you know, at the end of the day, it's Donald Trump who would be making the decisions and not R of K, and they're going to follow his leadership. And so, again, I think these are scare tactics by the Democrats. I understand why they're doing it because, look, it's not a good day for them coming off the convention to have this guy potentially swing some votes out there in such a tight election. And Lance, let's go back to the finale of last night's convention. In Harris's speech, did you see any potential weaknesses in her remarks? And what are the potential

landmines in the road ahead? Look, if you thought that if in your scorecard, forget, about the last four years as she's been vice president, trying to wipe away the fact that she was the most liberal senator in the United States. If all that stuff appeals to you for trying to forget all that, it was a knockout speech. This campaign by teleprompter, though, has to end at some point. She's going to have to step forward and actually take questions from the media, actually address some of these serious issues. I mean, trying to position herself as a centrist, which I understand why she's trying to do that, versus the record that she has over the course of the last four, six, eight years doesn't jive. And so she's going to have to step forward and

explain some of these positions to voters. I mean, she's pretending last night like she's some kind of border hawk when it was she and Joe Biden who came into office and undid every single one of Donald Trump's border policies out there that lit the fire that let millions of illegal immigrants into this country. And Michael, talking about Harris giving a possible future TV interview, let's take a look back. Her performance in a major TV interview about immigration back in 2021 with NBC's Lester Holt was widely criticized as Lester pressed her about a lack of visits to the southern border. And after that interview, the New York Times reported she was, quote, avoiding many interviews out of what AIDS said was a fear of making a mistake. We still haven't seen a big

sit-down TV interview with her since that one with Lester three years ago. Could this strategy of not doing interviews end up backfiring because of this increase in scrutiny? You know, I reject the premise that Kamala Harris hasn't put forth policy provisions. We've seen under the Biden-Harris administration $1.2 billion go towards border security. She helped negotiate the border bill that was with John Thune. That, honestly, has been one of the most conservative border bills that's come out. She's dealt with Medicare costs, with capping prescription costs for insulin, expanded ACA subsidies. This is someone who really has cemented themselves in policies.

Donald Trump may like to talk about policies in terms of just words he throws around. But in effect, what he wants to do is deport 10 million immigrants. That would not only tank our economy, but you're talking about $400 billion in tax revenue leaving the country, a trillion dollars in spending from that community leaving the country. Donald Trump isn't a serious person, and it's why you're seeing someone like RFK who, frankly, the Harris campaign rejected his endorsement, flounder. Michael, we've seen a lot of momentum for the Harris campaign over the last week. We just wrapped up an enthusiastic week for many Democrats. There's got to be a letdown at some point, though. What can they do to guard against that?

I think Democrats understand the assignment, and it's making sure that every American, regardless where they are, has access to health care and jobs in an affordable economy. And so I think what you're really going to see is Democrats focus on abortion in the economy. One in three women of reproductive age lives in a state where there are abortion. abortion bans, and Republicans in the 16 states that have introduced new legislation have gone on to ban it even more. So you're really going to talk about the America that Donald Trump wants, which is one of less rights in the America of Kamala Harris, which is one of more freedom and more access.

All right, and Lance, let's go back to that election calendar that we had up a short time ago with early voting just a few weeks away. We're still seeing mixed messages from Republicans on early voting after the loss in 2020. Why not just embrace it? Well, you've got no argument for me there. I think Republicans should lean in and embrace early voting. I think it happens more often than not, but I certainly encourage and believe in early voting, and I think Republicans would do themselves well to be all in on it. All right.

Lance Trover and Michael Starr Hopkins, thank you both for your time tonight. Hey, thanks so much. Tonight we're also following extreme weather across the country. A pair of water spouts spotted swirling off the coast of Palm Beach, Florida, while thunderstorms swept through the region. And extreme heat scorching the southern U.S., Childress, Texas, located between Amarillo and Lubbock, expected to see a record-breaking temperature of 111 degrees today, with 25 million people in the region under heat alerts. Let's get right to NBC News meteorologist Bill Karens. Bill talked to us about the heat

that we're seeing, and when will those areas expect a break? Right, Valerie. So it's summer in Texas. It's supposed to be hot. Not supposed to be this hot. I mean, this is hot by even like Phoenix standards or Vegas standards. Now in Vernon, Texas, it's 112 degrees. That's right on the border here around the Red River of Oklahoma and Texas. Earlier today, it hit a high of 114. So yes, even by Texas standards, this has been an exceptional heat wave. It's not widespread. It's north central in West Texas and into Oklahoma. And into some spots, Elk City in Oklahoma is at 10. Dallas right now, by the way, you're right around 100. But when you add in the humidity, it feels like I'll have 110. So for obvious reasons, we got excessive heat warnings from Oklahoma City to Dallas to Waco. These are spots. tonight and then tomorrow we kind of take it a level down still hot just not as crazy hot as it's been this week and how about the west coast you're going to see pictures this weekend from california and maybe southern the portion of the cascades of snow the highest of elevations like no one lives but you'll see some pictures i mean temperatures for highs are only going to be in the

60s at night they're going to be in the 40s and as i mentioned you know some rain and even snow showers at the high elevations but as we head through the weekend still very hot in the middle of the country, you know, even areas like Oklahoma, all the way into Omaha and Nebraska, 100 degrees. And next week, Valerie, I'm sorry, no signs of fall. National near 100 all week. Same with areas of Alabama and much of Texas. darn, I thought we were so close to fall. So hot. False fall. Bill, I know you're also tracking a developing tropical storm that could hit parts of Hawaii this weekend. What's the latest there? Yeah, all as quiet as could be in the Atlantic.

We haven't talked about anything. We're not going to probably for at least the next week. But things are more active in the Pacific. So here's the Hawaii. This is just a small tropical storm. It's nothing that's, you know, too powerful. But it's going to go close enough to be strengthening tomorrow night into Sunday morning. It's going to clip the big island. Remember, there's, you know, volcanoes

that have peaks over 13,000 feet here. That's going to rain these out. We could get up to 10 inches of rain. It's going to be windy. The surf is going to be rough. Kind of what you'd expect with a tropical storm. But definitely the rain threat is going to be the biggest problem there as we had. And as I mentioned, in the Atlantic,

everything is quiet as could be. We have cooler water temperatures than normal right now. is the normal right now. We have some dry air that's been moving in. We have winds that are unfavorable. This is all very unusual, Valerie. The first week of September is the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. At times, I have like three storms I'm juggling at once. And everything right now is crickets. We'll keep it that way. All right. That makes me nervous, though. That's fine for now. Every day that goes by is one less day to get a storm. All right. All right. Thanks, Bill, Karen's meteorologist. Thank you so much. Moving now overseas where weather is

suspected of contributing to a super yacht disaster in Italy. Rescuers locating the body of the last missing person from the luxury boat believed to be the daughter of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch. NBC's Kathy Park has the latest on the investigation. Tonight, Italian rescuers finding the body of the final missing person who was lost after a luxury super yacht sank off the Sicilian coast. Officials recovery what they believe is a body of 18-year-old Hannah Lynch. Daughter British tech entrepreneur Mike. whose body was recovered just a day earlier. The yacht carried 22 passengers and was anchored about a half mile off the Sicilian

shore early Monday morning when officials say it was struck by a water spout, sinking the vessel. Only 15 people were rescued. Security cameras capturing some of the extreme weather and survivors saying they had just minutes to abandon the ship. A grim end to the harrowing five-day around-the-clock rescue operation, which included the health of more than 40 deep sea divers. The six who went missing are all accounted for and confirmed dead. A dark cloud now hanging over the port of Porticello where so much of the search was centered. One local residents saying the community is still in shock after the tragedy, now praying for those who died. A spokesperson for the Lynch family saying in part, the Lynch family is

devastated. Their thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy. Just days before, the group set sail to celebrate Lynch's recent acquittal on fraud charges. His family and those who defended him at trial joined him on the trip. Now the tragedy turning into an investigation on how the so-called unsinkable yacht went down. Kathy Park, NBC News. We're also following breaking news out of Western Germany where there has been a deadly stabbing attack at a festival. It happened in the city of Solingen about 22 miles north of Cologne. A police spokesperson confirming to NBC news that at least three people are dead and at least four severely injured. Police believe one suspect using a knife is responsible and so far they have not been arrested.

The attack appears to be random. The festival was being held to celebrate the city's 650th anniversary. Still ahead tonight, the update in the shooting death of a U.S. airman. The former Florida deputy now facing charges for opening fire, the lengthy prison time he could serve if convicted. And the hospital mixed up nightmare, a family thinking their daughter, went missing after being told she was left, being told she left a medical facility, then finding out she had been dead the whole time, the legal action they're now taking against the hospital. Plus, BMW issuing a recall on some of its popular cars, the vehicles that could be at risk for an electrical fire. Stay with us.

We're back now with a devastating end in a search for a California woman who had been missing for a year, a California hospital telling her family she had been discharged, but it turns out she died while in their care and her body was still in their morgue. Steve Patterson has this report, a warning. Some of the details are graphic. Ginger Kanji is living a parent's worst nightmare. I have absolutely no faith in your hospital. She spent a year looking for her missing daughter Jessie, but says a local hospital just informed her that her daughter actually died last year. And her body, has been stored in a morgue this whole time.

Kanji telling our Sacramento affiliate KCR that in April of 2023, Jesse Peterson was admitted to Mercy San Juan Medical Center after experiencing a diabetic episode. She wanted to leave the hospital, and I told her she was in the best place to get the best care that she needed. She needed to stay put. A few days later, Kanji says she called the hospital to check on her daughter, but was told Jesse had been discharged. They said they didn't have anybody there by that name.

And I asked them to double check because I'd just seen her a week before and spoke to her on the telephone, spelled her name for them. The man in the phone said, we don't have anybody here by that name. Days passed without hearing from her. So Jessie's family filed a missing persons report. But according to a lawsuit filed by the family, Jesse died from cardiopulmonary arrest on April 8th, 2023. And it was not until April 12, 2024 that her family was informed. The suit adding, Jesse. She's body was so decomposed that an open casket funeral was not feasible. And Jesse's fingerprints were not even obtainable for any keepsake. You're supposed to have some bedside manner and compassion for family members, of which they neglected in this case. In the lawsuit, the family's lawyer calling out Dr. Nadim Muktar, the physician who treated Jesse at the hospital, but signed her death certificate 361 days after she died. We've reached out to Dr. Mugtar, but have not heard back.

Health, the company that owns Mercy San Juan Medical Center, telling NBC News in a statement, we extend our deepest sympathies to the family during this difficult time. We are unable to comment on pending litigation. All right, Steve Patterson joins us now from Los Angeles. Steve, this is such a disturbing story, but I understand the family is now filing a lawsuit. What more do we know? Yeah, Valerie, the family is seeking $25 million, including punitive damages for outrageous and inexcusable negligence. And because Peterson's death was not reported for an entire year in autopsy to determine if there was any medical malpractice is now impossible leaving this family even further in the dark. Valerie? All right. Steve Patterson. Thank you. Coming up,

the drug smuggling plot inside Georgia state prisons, investigators revealing a scheme involving drones to drop drugs on jail grounds, what we're learning about those involved. We're back with Top Stories News Feed and an update tonight. The Florida sheriff's deputy who federally shot a U.S. airman in his home has been charged with manslaughter. Okalusa County Deputy Eddie Duran was fired a month after he killed Roger Fortson while responding to a domestic disturbance call. The 23-year-old airman opened his door while holding a gun pointed at the ground. Duran shot him seconds later. Officials saying Duran's manslaughter charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. New charges against a network of Georgia inmates who allegedly

smuggled drugs and contraband into state prisons using drones. Pictures shared between the suspects showing bags of drugs and cell phones that were dropped into the yards of several different Georgia state prisons. 23 former and current inmates of the Georgia state prison system were charged, their crime network allegedly beginning in 2019, and continuing for five years. Students and staff at a high school in Florida evacuated after a carbon monoxide leak, aerial footage showing paramedics treating cafeteria workers outside the school, fire crews saying three people who were lightheaded were taken to a hospital. All gas to the building has since been shut off. There are no reports of students being

affected. And a consumer alert, BMW recalling more than 720, 20,000 vehicles due to an electrical fire risk. The recall mostly impacting X1, X3, and X5 vehicles. Federal regulators say water pumps in the affected vehicles were insufficiently sealed. The issue creating a higher chance of a short circuit and even a fire, BMW saying it has received 18 customer complaints relating to the faulty pumps, but there have been no injuries. We now move to Money Talks, and the latest policy switch up from the federal Reserve, Chair Jerome Powell signalling today that interest rate cuts are on the way. This is the central bank continues its fight to curb inflation and aims to support a cooling

job market. Our Brian Chung has more on what this all means for consumers. Tonight, the clearest sign yet from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell that spenders will soon get a little help. The time has come for policy to adjust. Translation, get ready for lower interest rates. Americans have been paying high rates on everything from credit cards to car loans and mortgages. Chris Nunn and Louisville says he's feeling the squeeze of the roughly 30% interest rates on his $6,000 in credit card debt.

Slightly lower rates will at least take some of the edge off. But even if it makes dent, that's just going to help my monthly payments. That's not going to pay off to $6,000. Restaurant owner Journey Rain of Grits and Waffles says lower rates will help her expand. With interest rates being lower, I see grits and waffles being in every major. city. I mean, you know, being able to borrow money for a lower cost or even having credit cards with lower interest rates. The pace of price increases has slowed from the peak of 9% two years ago to 2.9% last month. Now the Fed has a new worry that its high interest rates

could potentially put people out of jobs. We do not seek or welcome further cooling in labor market conditions. Experts say rates will come down, but don't expect to see the rock bottom rates of 2020. They're going to drift down, but they're not going to drop like a rock. That's Absolutely right. So when the Fed does begin cutting rates, they're going to be cutting them incrementally and slowly and cautiously. Long-awaited reprieve for an economy that remains top of mind. And Brian Chung joins us now in the studio. Brian, let's talk about interest rates and inflation. Do we know how drastic these cuts might be? Yeah, and that's the thing is that we don't at this moment.

We know that, OK, yeah, the Fed has said that these interest rate cuts are likely to come in their next meeting, which, by the way, is September 18th. But we don't know if it's going to be a quarter of a percentage point or a half a percentage point. What we're hearing is that it could depend on the next round of data. We'll get one more job support, one more inflation report that tells us the state of this economy. If it looks like maybe they need to pair back on the brakes a little bit more, they might go with that more aggressive half a percentage point move, but they could also go by the standard quarter percentage point move. That's usually what they do. It kind of depends on how the data comes in.

And what could those lower rates do to the stock market? Yeah, well, I mean, look, the stock market had a really rocky last few weeks, let's call it, right? You remember that Dow Day where it was down a thousand points after that bad job support. Well, we've rebounded since then. Even on the S&P 500, we're actually flirting with all-time highs again. So the market has already, as investors say, priced in the expectation that the Fed is going to ease up and basically throw the economy of bone by lowering interest rates here. Where it goes from here, it really depends. If the lowering of interest rates doesn't do the job of making sure that we can avoid a spike in the unemployment rate, maybe markets could turn down again. It's really a fool's game to try to

predict if the stock market's going to go up or down. Now, when interest rates are high, those are actually good for people looking to put money away in high-yield savings accounts, right? So what happens now? Yeah, certainly. Well, look, when it comes to small businesses, they might be going, okay, this is great if my borrowing costs are going down. But the problem is that your savings are also going to go down because of the way that the Fed benchmarks its interest rates. So if you're talking about high-yield savings accounts, people have been seeing like five, even five and a half percent in the post-pandemic period. Well, if the Fed starts to cut interest rates very

quickly, you might see the rates on those types of accounts go down to maybe four, four and a half percent. So this is something that is very variable. It could happen very quickly. So one way to maybe avoid that and lock your money in at a higher rate would be to look at a certificate of deposit where some banks might still be offering 5%. You can lock that in for a year or even 18 months. That might be one way to navigate these changing rates that the Federal Reserve are going to do soon. All right, Brian Chung, thank you. Now to top stories, Global Watch, starting with the tourist bus plunging into a river in Nepal, new video showing first responders using a police system to reach the victims. At least 27 people were killed and 16 others hurt.

Authorities say the bus was carrying Indian nationals when it veered off a highway and fell about 500 feet into the river. Mexico's government now accusing the son of infamous drug kingpin El Chapo of kidnapping another cartel boss. Mexican officials issuing an arrest warrant for the son of Sinaloa cartel founder, El Chapo Guzman. They allege he kidnapped a fellow narco boss known as El Mayo and flew him straight to U.S. law enforcement. Both men are now in U.S. custody after El Chapo's son flew a small plane carrying them into El Paso, Texas last month. And an up-close look at an erupting volcano in Iceland. New aerial footage shows hot lava spewing from the side of the eruption as plumes of smoke rise above it. Officials saying this is the volcano's sixth eruption since December. Right now, the lava is not flowing towards the nearby town, but most of the residents there have already been evacuated.

Up next, the Beyonce rumor mill swarming the final night of the DNC, the internet frenzy over a Queen Bee performance that was never in the works, where the speculation all began and the big disappointment for the beehive. Back now with an update. In April, we told you about a manager at a California school district who was accused of bullying. including the time he moved an employee's desk to the roof after a disagreement. His co-workers claim he was never disciplined because of a close relationship with the district's superintendent. Now that superintendent is out of a job. NBC Bay Area investigative reporter Candice Wynn has been following the story closely. The board took action in closed session to terminate the superintendent's employment agreement effective immediately without cause pursuant to the terms.

That's Antioch Unified's board president. Antonio Hernandez making the announcement. In a 5-0 unanimous vote, board trustees stripped Stephanie Anello of her superintendent title. According to her contract, she'll be paid up to nine months of her $353,000 salary. I can't thank you enough. I cannot, if I could stand here for three minutes and just say thank you over and over again, I would. You hurt us. Kim Atkinson is one of the at least four district employees who have filed a bullying complaints against maintenance director Ken Turnage.

Jim Kessar is another. Turnage had instructed staff to put Kessar's desk on a roof after the two had an argument. Next to the display, a ladder and a sign reading Kessar's access. The district called the incident a prank, not bullying. The employees feel Turnage got special treatment because he's close friends with Anello and her husband, Annieok's former police chief.

It's a long time coming. It's, you know, they're starting at the top you know I still don't understand for the life of me why turnage is still employed we reached out to Anello she didn't respond but board member Mary Rocha shared a few words on Anello's behalf this is without cause meaning and hope you understand the circumstances here is we need to go forward and I hope that we can all come together and understand that Ms. Anello has done a good job in this district thank you after more than a year of accusations and scandal teachers

staff, managers, and now this school board say they're ready to move on. And now it's time to heal. Let's all heal. Let's move forward. I'm happy. Today's a good day, but it's not over. Jim Kessar says it's not over because Ken Turnage is still on administrative leave as the school district continues to investigate more bullying claims against him.

We reached out to Turnage tonight and he messaged me saying, quote, of course I'm not responding. With the investigative unit, I'm Candace Wend, NBC Bay Area News. Now to that Beyonce rumor that took the internet by storm. Many watching the DNC last night expected to see a surprise appearance by none other than Bay herself. False reports and speculation sending fans and nearly everyone else into a frenzy, but it turns out there were no plans for her to take the stage at all. A supersized letdown for the Beehive.

I'm irritated. I'm irrotating. After rumors that a star like Beyonce would make a surprise appearance and perform at the Democratic National Convention would prove to be just that a rumor. The gap in Thursday's program, leading fans and convention goers to speculate about a surprise guest ahead of Harris's speech after an already star-studded convention that included surprise speaker Oprah Winfrey a night earlier. CV Wonder, Pink, the chicks. There were lots of fantastic. talent there, but I know people were hoping for a few other famous faces to show up. The internet guessing everyone from Dolly Parton to former President George W. Bush, another notable Republican Mitt Romney also named, but the Utah Senator squashing that rumor. Eagle-eyed Swifties also noticing a gap in Taylor Swift's tour schedule, but one of the most guest, Beyonce, whose song Freedom has become central to the Harris Wall's campaign

with the singer's blessing. Someone at the convention posting a clip of a Beyonce song at Soundcheck, which was viewed more than one million times, then adding fuel to the room or fire, publications like The Hill and TMZ seeming to confirm it, TMZ citing multiple sources, saying, we're told Chicago PD is on high alert as it's involved in security for Beyonce at the United Center arena.

That excitement, then making its way down to the convention floor. What have you heard? Well, I mean, we've heard be ready for all the surprises here at the DNC. Night four, it's always exciting, so beehive should be ready. But by the end of the night, Beyonce never took the stage. Her publicist telling NBC News, Beyonce was never scheduled to be there. The report of a performance is untrue. This is like a perfect encapsulation of how misinformation and disinformation can spread so quickly.

There were some tweets where people were saying, I hope that these people are going to play. And that was misconstrued by a lot of people as there are rumors that they're going to play. The Hill and TMZ is showing a correction. TMZ writing, to quote the great Beyonce, we got to lay our cards down, down, down. We got this one wrong. You need to fact check everything.

And if you fact check and it goes back to a source that you don't trust, take it with a huge grain of salt. I think that's the big lesson here. Beyonce, yet to make a statement about the rumor gone awry, and fans will have to wait to see her take another stage. And when we come back, a look at what you can binge, watch, and listen to this weekend. The Hulu series, Reasonable Doubt, returns for a second season, plus the action-packed movie about an assassin coming to Peacock and new music by Sabrina Carpenter. And we're back now with Binge Warrant. are looking at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. I'm joined now by

Baker Machado. He's an entertainment journalist, TV personality, and host of the podcast, The Baker Show. Baker, thanks so much for being with us here on Top Story. Good to see you, Valerie. Let's jump right in. We've got a new season of Pachinko on Apple TV. It follows one family story over many generations and the ripple effects of World War II. Here it is. You must be really desperate. With only three months left in my bank account, you could say you're looking at someone with nothing to lose. I mean, I hope the key... You can't know what you're going to be able to do you.

I don't ever even though I'm going to beckxed her to find out of what happened last season. Yeah, so basically, as you mentioned, this is basically told over four different generations through the matriarch of this family. This looks like such a great story, but give us a reminder of what happened last season. Yeah, so basically, as you mentioned, this is basically told over four different generations through the matriarch of this family. dealing with the effects of World War II. So the writing in the show is like really, really top-notch. And Apple pays a lot of money for this show. And the second season, as you mentioned, just dropping as well.

And obviously, this has been a hot show for quite a while. Apple TV Plus, really a good one to watch here. All the episodes available for you. All right. Up next, another show coming to Netflix is called Pop Star Academy. It documents the journey to create a global K-pop group. Let's watch. The people that created BTS have this vision to take.

the chaotic K-pop and make it global. When we see it, we know it, but I don't know it until I see it. The girls know that they can be eliminated at any moment for any reason. I think everyone is a threat. I really perform for my life each time I dance. We have to work and sweat all day long every single day. If I make the girl group, that's when my life starts. All right, so this reminds me of making the band.

Yes, I was just about to say that. ...reality shows. Tell us about it. It also gives me... Do you remember that show, Finding the Next Pussy Cat Dog? This is, like, exactly just like that. But with, like, sort of a K-pop twist to this. So the girl group's name is Katzai. And by the way, their new EP just dropped available for you to stream right now.

All the available episodes are for you right now on Netflix. And it's basically this documentary of going through sort of the trials, the tribulations, the talent auditions, and all of the stuff that this international girl group made up of girls from the United States. Switzerland, the UK, Korea, all part of this group and the crying and the drama and all of that stuff that goes along with it. And the song's not too bad that dropped today as well so you can watch for yourself over on Netflix. All right. And I love the intensity in their faces. Yeah, you're going to take this seriously on this. All right. I like that one. Up next,

our last TV show is called Reasonable Doubt. It's out for a second season on Hulu. Let's take a look. One of my best friends called me today to tell me that she killed her husband. Chanel needs an attorney who's in domestic violence cases. Corey Cash is one trial away from becoming a household name. If it ain't about the money, then you know I'm going to ignore it. I think I love it, love it. I promise you, I want to do. All right, who doesn't love a good boy or drama?

Oh, yeah, and this one, of course, produced by Carrie Washington. And as you saw, it's very, like, soapy drama. So, obviously, if that's your thing, you'll love this. And as you saw that in the premise of this one, it's the superstar lawyer whose best friend allegedly murders her husband, but she's claiming self-defense in this situation. So she has to help her friend through this entire trial

get off the hook in this. By the way, if you love A Soaphy, as I mentioned, this is all up your alley. This is available for you right now over on Hulus. Definitely one to watch as well. All right, looks good. Turning out of movies, there's a new action thriller coming to Peacock called The Killer

about an assassin in Paris known as the Queen of the Dead. Let's take a look. So you're a good cop then? Very. And you are an assassin? Are you trying to do something good for a change? I'm always good at what I do. Give up the girl or hill sand every killer in the city after you.

So this looks like an assassin who sort of has a change of heart. Oh, well, look, the queen of the dead. I mean, quite the title, quite the moniker, if you could get this one. So this is actually from the producers over at Oppenheimer, and this was a remake of John Wu's 1989 classic that a lot of people remember that was set in Hong Kong. This one, a little bit fancier, it's set now in Paris, so they've changed a little bit about this. But as you mentioned, it's an assassin who has a little bit of a change of heart, and as a

result, she's now being hunted by other assassins and the police as well. This stars Nathalie Emanuel in this rule. This was supposed to actually go to Lapita Nyango before she eventually turned it down. But this also has some other great cast member, Sam Worthington's in this as well, Omar Sy. The problem with this one, it was delayed for so long because of the writer's strike. So just now it's available for you to watch on Peacock. All right. Well, good things come to those who late. Yes, exactly. I, amen. I agree.

Another new movie, a little less intense than the last one, is called Incoming. It's out on Netflix now and follows a group of freshmen during the first. the first week of high school. Let's watch. My parents put out of town this weekend. My brother's throwing a massive rager. Wow! You are my 3 plus 1.

I'm out. I think I'm out too, man. We're the only freshman invited. That's all make my move on Bailey. You're going to earn your brother's respect. You're going to stop being scared, and you're going to lose that nickname. What up, fetus? Hey, fellas.

Okay. I feel like every few years, some version of this story comes out, but it's always entertaining. This is like throwback to the super bad American Pie Days, those raunchy R-rated comedies, which we don't see, by the way. A lot of studios don't like to greenlight them anymore. This is why this one went straight to Netflix instead of to theaters. And as you mentioned, this is a raunchy sort of high school group of boys who are trying to get an elusive, cool party invite to go meet all of the girls. This one getting some mixed reviews. Some people say it's kind of lame, a little stupid. But look, it's an art rated comedy. What are you going to expect on that? It's available for you

on Netflix. I say it looks entertaining. Yes, I agree. Something good to watch on a Friday night. Finally, our last movie on the list actually came out in theaters in February, but it's now streaming on Prime Video. It's called Drive Away Dolls. Let's check it out.

We're here from the car. Wait a minute. You call with a drop off in Tallahassee, and then these broads come in and say they're ready to go to Tallahassee. They drive the car instead of you. Is that bad? Bad if they find the goods. What? You should see what's in here.

All right, love a good mystery in a briefcase. Yeah, what could be in the briefcase? Who knows? So this is from the Cohen brothers, Ethan Cohen. This is one of his first sort of solo projects without his brother. And as you see in that clip, this is a group of two girls who go on a road trip and somehow they cross paths with a bunch of different sort of criminals to find out what's in that elusive suitcase. But the guest stars in this thing are insane. Listen to this. Coleman Domingo, Beanie Feldstein, Pedro Pescal, even Matt Damon makes an appearance in this as well.

This was in theaters back in February. It was on Peacock just a few months ago, but it is now available on Prime right now for everybody to watch. All right, sounds good. Let's switch to music. Sabrina Carpenter, the Queen of Pop hits this summer. She is out with a new album today and a music video for her song, Taste. Let's listen. You just have to taste me when he's kissing you if you want forever.

All right, and I told you, I actually saw her in the building last night for the Tonight Show here to promote that album. Really? Yeah. And what was she wearing for that thing? A blue sparkly outfit. Oh, by the way, this is just as sparkly and amazing. As we see with almost every Sabrina Carpenter song, it's these fun sort of bubble gum pop songs. This is this brand new one that you just saw called Taste Off.

Her new album, by the way, that just came out today, short and sweet, which has espresso and please, please, please on it, all those songs we listen to all throughout the summer. But this music video is the thing that's trending all over social media because it's got Jenna Ortega in it. They're both fighting over the same guy. And to get the guy, as you see the kissing here, they're trying to stab each other and try to kill each other and blow each other up.

It's kind of gory but also kind of fun and cheeky at the same time. Now, what's interesting here is she premiered and debuted this song on her Instagram. She told people to go listen to it on her profile, and this is a new feature that Instagram has now released, kind of like back of the day on our MySpace pages when we would put songs on our profile, way back in the day. So College Baker is loving this right now. So everybody all day today is like, what's your song now on your Instagram profile? And everybody's obviously putting this one on there.

All right, lots to listen to there. Lastly, we have a new music video from Irish singer Hosier for his song, Nobody's Soldier, off his recent EP. Here it is. All right, what can you tell us about that? All right, so this is the new video that just came out for the song off his new EP that actually was released last week. He's been releasing tons of music. know if he's like Taylor Swift now. This is his second EP that he has released just this year alone. And he debuted this song a few weeks ago over at Lollapalooza. And it's been described

sort of as an anti-war protest anthem. But as I mentioned, tons of music that he has been releasing and everybody's been loving hosier. He's been selling out so much of his tour that's been on going on right now. All right. Baker Machado, thank you for breaking all of the day for us. Lots to look forward to. Thank you. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Valerie Castro in for Tom Yamas. Stay right there. More news now on the way.