Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, June 21, 2024

Episode Date: June 22, 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, the deadly mass shooting at an Arkansas grocery store. Nearly a dozen people shot and at least three killed after a gunman opens fire. Two officers struck and people sent scrambling for cover in a parking lot. The jarring images of the bullet holes piercing cars, gunshot victims airlifted to hospitals. We hear from a woman narrowly missed by the barrage of bullets, the violence leaving the city shocked and on edge. the breaking details just coming in. Also, tonight, extreme heat gripping much of the country, 90 million under heat alerts as this summer scorcher shows no signs of letting up. The major train meltdown as high-tempts crippled transportation. The city's expected to shatter records this

weekend. Some spots expect it to feel hotter than 100 degrees. And thousands still out of their homes as fast-moving wildfires rip through New Mexico. Israel's inner turmoil, signs of a growing internal divide as a top military official says there is no way to eradicate Hamas. The comments drawing sharp criticism from Prime Minister Netanyahu's support beginning to crumble. The protest outside his home calling for new elections and to bring the hostages home. Kenya's violent tax protests, the police cracked down on demonstrators turning deadly. officers firing off tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets at protesters, the intense standoff sparking outrage and more unrest. Massive bridge fire, a railroad overpass and building engulfed

in flames, the plumes of thick black smoke shooting into the sky and the efforts to get the blaze under control. Plus, Reggie's racial wounds. MLB legend Reggie Jackson's emotional remarks when asked what it was like to return to the Alabama field where he got his start. Jackson detailing the extensive racism he experienced while playing in the South. The new insight into the baseball legend's painful past as the world watched his incredible career. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. Tonight, another community, and in mourning after a gunman opened fire at an Arkansas grocery store. A barrage of bullets killing at least three people and wounding eight others, including two officers.

This all happening just before noon in the small Arkansas city of Fordyce. It is roughly 70 miles south of Little Rock. The shooting unfolding in and outside of a grocery. store. And just a moment, you'll hear about the terrifying encounter as people rush to take cover, and we must warn you, this video is graphic. One woman hiding in a store capturing this video of the gunman as he fired off his weapon. Police have yet to reveal his identity. Investigators combing through the extensive crime scene, the parking lot covered in bullet casings, several victims airlifted by medical helicopter to nearby hospitals. Governor Sarah Huckabee,

Sanders saying the fast response by first responders may have saved lives. And B.C. News correspondent Sam Brock starts us off tonight with the late breaking details. The sounds of gunfire tonight erupting by an Arkansas gas station. As police confirm a mass shooting at a Ford Ice grocery store in hours drive from Little Rock claiming the lives of three people. This situation is secure and it's contained. There are no active threats to the community. Yeo shows a man walking through the parking lot with a long gun, pointing and firing, although police have not confirmed who that is. Oh, my God, baby. There's somebody over to be a shit.

State police say eight other civilians were injured. Their conditions ranging from non-life-threatening to extremely critical. Two members of law enforcement were also shot, but police say will survive. The volley of bullets, nearly taking more lives. I was crying. I was nervous. I was having a breakdown, and I heard. and he had shot at my mom's car and it was the tire and you know he missed us by like an inch and you know

I was just sitting there I was praying hold my sister hand because I was scared you know both were scared police also saying the shooter tonight critically injured and in custody this says the U.S. has experienced more than 230 mass shootings this year documented by the gun violence archive including nine just over the weekend from two killed at a Juneteenth celebration in round Rock, Texas to 36 rounds fired at a splash pad in Michigan and during nine, including an eight-year-old child. Tonight, Arkansas officials trying to console yet another community in mourning. It's tragic. Our hearts are broken. And Sam Brock joins us now, Sam, those numbers, 230 mass shootings this year, just absolutely devastating. What is the latest on the investigation?

Do we have any details on this shooter? So police are not discreetly. disclosing much right now, Allison. We know the Arkansas state police are leading the investigation. ATF New Orleans will be assisting as well. But right now, we don't know if there's a criminal history with this particular shooter, whether or not he knew any of the victims. And yet, this is a very interesting piece of information here. Our local affiliate did interview the parents of one of the victims. They say their daughter had died, and they named someone in this interview and said, I cannot believe this person upended so many lives, ruined so many families. Whether or not that actually is indicative of the fact that this was personal or a random shooting.

We just have not been able to question police yet. They didn't take any questions tonight, but it certainly makes you wonder where this investigation might go. Yeah, so many questions. Sam, can we talk a little more about that mother who did speak to our affiliate? What did she have to say about her daughter? How old was she? How are they coping with this unimaginable loss? This is crushing. You would be crushing anyway. But she is a 23-year-old nurse who was on her day off. Fridays were her day off. Allison, and she went shopping for groceries when all of this happened. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. She has a 10-month-old child, a daughter, absolutely adorable, adorable, cute little child who she leaves behind. And, you know,

Allison, the parents also said that they were following her on an app on their phone. And she works as a nurse. She was at the hospital when they checked. So they thought that she had returned to help some of the victims, not knowing that their daughter had actually died. Sam Brock, we appreciate you and you're reporting. Thank you. We're going to turn now to that scorching heat simmering across the country. Temperature is reaching record highs as millions of Americans brace for what's expected to be a hotter than normal summer. NBC's Aaron McLaughlin has more. Tonight, over 90 million Americans are under heat alerts as the thermal dome tightens its grip.

From the Ohio Valley to the mid-Atlantic scorching temps 10 to 20 degrees above average. When you go outside, like, I feel like it's melt. melting. Extreme temps causing travel chaos. Today in Philadelphia, dozens of firefighters battled flames near train tracks. And at New York's Penn Station, more delays. Amtrak trains slowed down due to the heat. The same thing happened on Monday. It was delayed. I got to work 45 minutes late. Down south, as families look for relief from the heat tragedy. In Florida, couple died after getting caught in a rip current, leaving their six children behind. In Minnesota, flooding after a severe thunderstorm dumped up to 10 inches of rain in a matter

of hours. And in California, an early start to the fire season. The number of acres burned so far is up almost 1,500 percent compared to last year. According to NASA, the number of summer heat waves in the U.S. has roughly doubled over the last four decades. So far this year, they've recorded more than 12,000 record highs at weather stations across the country. And this is just the first full day of summer.

With more triple-digit temps in the forecast for the weekend, officials warning stay inside and stay hydrated. Aaron McLaughlin, NBC News, New York. Over in New Mexico tonight, firefighters continuing to battle those raging wildfires that have left two people dead. President Biden on Thursday issuing a major disaster declaration authorizing the use of federal aid to assist the thousands of residents displaced. For more on this, NBC news correspondent Steve Patterson joins us now from Mescalero, New Mexico. That's about 20 miles south of Rio Doso. Steve, right now, both the South Fork and Salt Fires still at 0% contained. Evacuation orders still in effect.

Talk to us about how things are looking tonight. Much the same as they have been for the last four to five days, Ellis, the situation remains dire. Those two fires still burning out of control. firefighters about a thousand fire personnel on the ground have their attention divided between those two fires which if you combine the total acreage that they burned it would be more than 24,000 it is larger than the size of Manhattan 1,400 structures burned to the ground 500 estimated to be

homes as you mentioned two people dead and the flames march on although more favorable conditions today because we did get the rain this is the first time that we are seeing the sun literally all day long. That has led to cooler temperatures. It has led to more saturated ground. It has led to firefighters being able to get closer for those aerial attacks and getting heavy equipment in. So hopefully they can make more inroads. But as it is now, still 8,000 people evacuated from their homes and zero percent containment on two fires. Yeah, Steve, we spoke to the mayor of Rio Doso last night. And at the time, he was worried that the weather, the rain could actually make things worse, particularly because of the

concerns about flash flooding. What you're talking about happening today was rain that obviously seemed to really help. But is there still the possibility that that flash flood warning could make this situation even worse? Oh, absolutely. And look, this is always a double-edged storm when you have a double-edged storm when you have a storm on top of a fire area, especially when you have burn scars as wide and as deep as what is happening here in New Mexico. That scarring creates the loose soil. It doesn't have any grip or texture, so it allows rain, any sort of moisture, to sort of slide off.

It creates really unstable ground right for flash flooding. We've had warnings and watches in this area throughout the day. Haven't heard of anything disastrous, but the potential is, of course, always there. In the meantime, though, it does mean more favorable conditions. Of course, anytime you have water falling from the sky, on an active fire. That is helpful to the firefighters. We've spoken to fire personnel. They say they welcome it, but of course they're very wary because of the fresh danger it could bring. It just seems

like New Mexicans can't catch a break right now. Alison? Really helpful contacts. Great reporting, as always. Steve Patterson in Mescalero, New Mexico. Thank you. And for more on the severe weather, impacting much of the country as we head into the weekend. Let's get over to NBC meteorologist Bill Karen's. Bill, is the heat here to stay? Where are you watching over the next few days? Yeah, we've had quite a week of tracking all sorts of different types of weather. But we'll start with the heat because this is included in the most people. About 67 million people still are in these heat advisories or excessive heat warnings in a few cases. And even at this hour, things are warm. I mean, we're all sharing in this. I mean, from St. Louis, that feels like

96, Washington, D.C. feels like 97. In Columbia, South Carolina, 94. Everyone is pretty much in the mid-90s. This is widespread. Some areas have gotten a little bit of relief, but at a cost, we've had these thunderstorms rolling through Connecticut. We've had some flash flooding. We've had some wind damage. And those are now rolling down over the coast and heading towards Long Island and weakening. It looks like some of these areas at least have cooled off from the excessive heat. So tomorrow, the heat pushes a little further south. Washington, D.C. has a chance of hitting 100 degrees. Areas around Cincinnati, south of Chicago also could be in the mid-90s. We will set a few record highs. And then Sunday looks to be very hot. Once again in D.C., you know,

It does cool off many areas Monday, Tuesday. So next week, still going to be warm, but it's not going to be excessive. And as far as the tropics go, we're still watching these two areas. This little spin that's been off the coast of Florida all day long has not shown any signs of getting any stronger. You can clearly see the spin, but it has kicked up the surf. Rip currents are up, red flags up and down the coastline of South Carolina and Florida. And that'll be the thread into the weekend. And as far as the flooding goes, we do have flood watches up.

And all these little red boxes you see here, Allison, we have numerous flash flood warnings, especially in areas of New Mexico. So we'll have to watch that closely, too. And as we said, if we get the heavy rain over the burn scars from those recent fires, that could be troublesome. Bill Carins, thank you. We now go to former President Trump's classified documents case in today's court challenge to special counsel Jack Smith's appointment.

Both sides going before Judge Eileen Cannon today for the latest in a series of hearings with no trial date in sight. Following all of this on the ground in Fort Pierce, Florida, Is our justice correspondent, Ken Delaney, and can you have been at the courthouse all day? Talk to us about what we heard from Trump's team. What is their argument here against the special counsel? Ellison, Trump's team is trying to have this case dismissed on the grounds that special counsel Jack Smith's appointment was unconstitutional under the appointments clause of the U.S. Constitution. It's a complicated series of arguments.

By the way, they've been made before in other special counsel cases, and they've failed. But one of the unique arguments here is that Jack Smith, unlike other special counsels, was never confirmed by the Senate. And so they're arguing that Jack Smith wields a lot of power for someone that's never been reviewed by the legislative branch. The counter argument to that is that he's supervised by the Attorney General, a Senate-confirmed presidential appointee. So that was part of the argument that played out today.

Judge Cannon seemed skeptical of the idea that she should dismiss the case on these grounds. But what was really surprising is that she had the hearing at all, because this is a case that many legal experts said could have been decided an issue based on the paper briefings, not something that a judge needed to burn a day of hearings, because she's not going to be the last word on this in any case. This will inevitably be appealed and may go all the way to the Supreme Court because it's a constitutional issue. But the way Judge Cannon has handled this and other issues, and this is the first of three days of pretrial hearings, is the reason that a year after the indictment, we have no trial date and none in sight, because Judge Cannon has

decided that every issue in dispute pre-trial needs to be litigated in her courtroom, and that's just taking a long time, Alison. Ken, the next hearing in this case is slated for Monday, and another one is scheduled for Tuesday. Just yesterday, we had that reporting from the New York Times, that the Trump-appointed judge, Judge Cannon here, that she'd rejected private suggestions from other judges, reportedly judges who were more senior, more experienced, to step aside before this case began. Do you get the sense that there still might be an incredibly long road ahead before this actually goes to trial? Yes, because this is a case that involves classified documents, and that requires a lot of motions and litigations, many of which are going to be sealed outside of public view.

And she hasn't even gotten to that stuff yet. That's the really complicated part of this case. So, yes, we are a long way from a trial. It's really unlikely that we'll see a trial before the November election. And the Times reporting was very interesting because what it showed is that the president judge, according to New York Times, thought that it was bad optics for Judge Cannon to take this case after she had made an unusual ruling in the FBI search, ordering a special master to review everything the FBI sees before the FBI could have it. And she was resoundingly reversed by an appeals court who said that her ruling had no basis in the law. And so the judge, the president judge said, maybe it's not a great idea for you to take the case. She ignored him. her right to do as a lifetime-appointed Senate-confirmed federal judge. And now we are where we are with a lot of people wondering whether, frankly, she's biased in favor of Donald Trump. But she hasn't done anything, I have to say, that would merit a motion for her to recuse on the grounds of bias. It's not enough to disagree with her rulings or think that she's taking too long. She has a right to do that, Alison.

It will be really interesting stuff. We will continue to watch this. Candelanian, thank you. Moving over to the Supreme Court, where the justices are deliberating over several major decisions before the end of the term. Just today, the High Court issuing a blockbuster decision upholding a federal gun law banning domestic abusers from owning firearms, that ruling almost unanimous and proving emotional for survivors of domestic violence. NBC's senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett has the latest. Tonight, the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the federal law that bans domestic

abusers from owning firearms. This is a powerful step. In a nearly unanimous 8-to-1 ruling, both conservative and liberal justices finding that barring people with restraining orders from possessing guns is consistent with the Second Amendment. Chief Justice John Roberts adding, since the founding, our nation's firearm laws have included provisions preventing individuals who threaten physical harm to others from misusing firearms. The case was brought by Zaki Rahimi, ordered to stay away from his then-girlfriend in 2020 after he physically assaulted her and threatened to shoot her.

A Texas court found he posed a credible threat to her physical safety. He's still behind bars. Justice Sotomayor today pointing to estimates showing a woman who lives in a house with a domestic abuser is five times more likely to be murdered if the abuser has access to a gun. Justice Thomas, the lone dissenter not disputing the danger posed. by Rahimi, instead arguing in the interest of ensuring the government can regulate one subset of society, today's decision puts at risk the Second Amendment rights of many more. I was in an abusive relationship. But domestic abuse survivor, Audrey Maltzberger, is praising the court's decision.

She and her three children escaped her abuser nearly 20 years ago. I get choked up. Today, emotional at the thought of what could have been her fate. Sadly, to an abuser, this is just a piece of paper. But to victims of domestic violence, it's peace of mind. It's a sigh of relief that we can move on and we don't have to look over our shoulders. And Laura Jarrett joins us now in studio. Laura, this is just one of a number of really big cases that we were expecting the Supreme Court to take up.

The one that is still outstanding is this question of presidential immunity as it relates. to the 2020 election and President Donald Trump. From everything we've seen so far in this court, do we expect them to rule kind of split, as we would expect liberal versus conservative, or is it kind of up in the air? It will be a decision for the ages, no matter how it shakes out.

But I think we can say safely, given how long it has taken them to rule and that we still haven't seen a decision yet, it seems virtually impossible that this case could possibly be tried and completed before the November election. I think based on oral argument, It appears many of the justices didn't seem willing to say that he's completely immune

from any and all prosecution, but it also didn't seem likely that any of them will say that he's not completely immune from anything. And it seems much more likely they're going to send it back down to the lower courts to try to hash out where is he immune, where is he not immune, which means more time, more delays. That's a strategic win for him. Those delays working on two cases now. Laura Jarrett, thank you. We head overseas now to the war in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing an unprecedented rebuke from one of his own senior military officials as outrage grows over how his government is handling the war. NBC's international correspondent Josh Letterman has more. Tonight, an apparent rift within Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to be publicly at odds with his own military's leadership over the central premise of the war, eliminate Hamas. It's a promise Netanyahu has made to Israelis for eight months. Tonight I want to speak to you about total victory. But now the chief IDF spokesman, Daniel Hagari, contradicting the Prime Minister on Israel's Channel 13. Who thinks that we can't elim it Hamas, he's toad, that's just to throw the hole in the public.

Hagari also calling out Netanyahu's lack of a plan for who will govern Gaza after the war, saying, if we do not bring something else to Gaza, will end up with Hamas. Netanyahu bluntly pushing back, his office saying, of course the IDF is committed to destroying Hamas' ability to attack or to govern ever again. With Israeli troops already stretched in, Netanyahu and his military are also clashing over exemptions for military service for ultra-Orthodox, something Netanyahu's far-right governing partners are demanding he keep. How unusual is it for the Israeli military to be publicly contradicting the prime I've been doing this, I think, for four decades. I don't think I've ever seen it before.

More and more people from within the IDF are letting their views be known about concerns they have about what the current strategy is, or to be more precise, what they see is the lack of a strategy. Already, Netanyahu has disbanded his war cabinet after two of its members, including opposition leader Benny Gantz, walked out. making fake crises that helped Iran and hurt Israel's ties with the U.S., the country's most important ally. And this week, a new and very public rift with the Biden administration, Netanyahu blasting the White House over aid shipments he says are drying up.

It's inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunition to Israel. We generally do not know what he's talking about. We just don't. In Israel, Netanyahu also under intense pressure from the public. Protesters raging in the streets and outside his residents, blaming Netanyahu for failing to reach a deal to bring home the remaining hostages. We want a new election.

We want a government that works for the people, that is trying to bring the hostages back and to find a conclusion to this war against Hamas. The brother of hostage Na'amah Levy telling NBC News he's disappointed and mad. I have expectations from my government. I think they should have been able to seal a deal a long time ago. And Josh Sleaderman joins us now. Josh, all of this is coming as Israel would be facing, or could be facing, rather, this war on two fronts. Talk to us about what is going on on the northern border as it relates to Lebanon and Hezbollah

and also the latest inside of Gaza. Yeah, there's been renewed fighting between Israel. and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Ellison. And both sides are really ramping up the threats as well. Hassan Nasrallah, the chief of Hezbollah, has been saying that if there were a war to break out, that no part of Israel would be safe. He has been saying that Hezbollah has new types of weapons

and drones that Israel doesn't even know about. And he's even shown off a drone footage from a Hezbollah drone that shows parts of the Israeli city of Haifa, which is deep into Israel. and the Israeli top diplomat in the meantime has been saying that these kinds of threats to Israel's safety cannot continue and that Israel is preparing to make the necessary decisions about how to respond. Alison.

Josh Letterman, thank you. Still ahead tonight, the latest on an American arrested in Paradise. The Oklahoma father stuck in Turks and Kekos since April after ammunition was found in his luggage. The sentence handed down today that will let him return to the U.S. Plus, a landslide taking out a home in China as heavy rains batter that country. The urgent rescues playing out amid historic flooding. And a raw and powerful moment from MLB legend, Reggie Jackson, why a special baseball game made him reflect on the racism he endured while playing in the South.

Stay with us. Back now with an unexpected moment. Major League Baseball honored the Negro leagues and those who played in it. Baseball legend Reggie Jackson in a pregame show on Fox opening up about racism he experienced early in his career, revealing he was kept out of hotels and restaurants because of his race and was the target of racial slurs. NBC's Valerie Castro has more. Coming back here is not easy.

Painful revelations from baseball legend Reggie Jackson about racism and discrimination he experienced during his professional baseball career. Reflecting on the past, ahead of a game between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals Thursday night. I walked into restaurants, and they would point at me and said, the, I can't eat here. I would go to a hotel, and they say,

the, I can't stay here. We went to Charlie Finley's country club for a welcome home dinner, and they pointed me out with the N-word. He can't come in here. The emotional moment unfolding at the history, historic Rick Woodfield in Birmingham, Alabama, former home of the black barons of the historic Negro leagues and of the Birmingham A's, a minor league team where Jackson got his

start. This year, the MLB honoring the field's history with a tribute game on Fox, but for Jackson, the history here is a hurtful one. The racism that I played here, when I played here, the difficulty of going through different places where we traveled. The same thing, the 78-year-old Hall of Famer, known for his hitting in the postseason. There was only one Mr. October, Reggie Jackson. Played for five teams, including the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees from 1967 to 1987, slugging 563 home runs, landing him among MLB legends. There it goes.

The right fielder starting his major league career just three years after the last of the Jim Crow laws were overturned, facing discrimination, even. even after retiring. He has asked for jobs in baseball, Major League, Minor League, doesn't matter. Reggie Jackson has been told there is no place in baseball, at least for now, for Mr. October. The five-time world champion, crediting his teammates and managers for supporting him through the trauma of enduring hate speech on a regular basis. Fortunately, I had a manager and Johnny McNamara that if I couldn't eat in the place, nobody would eat. We'd get food to travel.

If I couldn't stay in a hotel, they'd drive to the next hotel and find a place where I could stay. Jackson recalling feeling threatened even while in the safety of a trusted teammate. I slept on their couch three, four nights a week for about a month and a half. Finally, they were threatened that they would burn our apartment complex down unless I got out. Now years later, speaking his truth. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. The clip getting millions of views on X. Athletes and journalists chiming in, urging their followers to pay attention to the experience

shared by so many Black Americans in Jackson's generation. His message and legacy hitting far beyond the outfield. If it wasn't for the Willie Mays, the Jackie Robinson, the Reggie Jackson's, the three of us wouldn't have an opportunity to play. We love you, Reg. And Valerie Castro joins us now in studio. Valerie, can you tell us a little more about this? this game and why Reggie Jackson thought this right now was the correct moment to have

this conversation. Allison, this is the first time that Rick Woodfield hosted a major league baseball game, and this was meant to pay tribute to those great players like Willie Mays, who recently passed away Jackie Robinson, all of those great names in black baseball history. But this was more than just honoring those names, as Jackson mentioned. It was also about not forgetting everything that they endured. Such an important story. Valerie Castro, thank you. When we come back, check those cabinets. Half a million glass mugs sold on Amazon recalled over reports they can shatter when filled with hot liquid.

Dozens of people hurt what you need to know. Next. Back now with Top Stories News Feed at an update on one of the Americans arrested in Turks and Caicos for carrying ammunition. Ryan Watson of Oklahoma will be allowed to return to the U.S. after avoiding jail time, a judge giving him a suspended sentence and a $2,000 fine. He has not been allowed to leave the island since April when hunting ammunition was found in his luggage. He faced a prison sentence of up to 12 years. Steve Bannon has lost a bid to delay his prison sentence. A federal appeals court in D.C. denying his request to remain out of prison while he appeals contempt of Congress charges. The former Trump advisor has been ordered to begin his four-month sentence

on July 1st. In May, an appeals court upheld his 22 conviction for defying a congressional subpoena related to the January 6th Capitol attack. And a consumer alert, more than half a million glass coffee mugs recalled over reports they can break when filled with hot liquid. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the Declan single wall glass coffee mugs from Joy Jolt can, they can crack or break, leading to burns and cuts. Again, these are made by Joy Jolt. The products were sold on Amazon so far more than 50 injuries reported, including several hospitalizations. Turning now to power and politics and the debate countdown. There's just six days now until the first Biden-Trump face-off. The former president seeing a surge

in campaign contributions as both men go after a key group of voters. NBC's Dasha Burns has this report from Pennsylvania. Tonight, former President Trump eroding President Biden's lead in the campaign cash race, a post-conviction windfall bringing in $141 million since May for the Trump campaign, outpacing President Biden's $85 million in the same period. It comes with the first presidential debate less than a week away. I look forward to the debate on Thursday night, and we have to show that the man is grossly and competent. Mr. Trump holding informal policy sessions with advisors.

President Biden hunkered down at Camp David for intensive prep. Tonight, the vice president weighing in during an exclusive MSNBC interview. I think that the debate is going to make clear the contrast between our president, the current president, who works on behalf of the American people, fights for the American people, and the former president who pretty much spends full-time fighting for himself. A strong performance could help win over voters like Kurt, a Republican. who voted for Nikki Haley in the GOP primary.

You voted in the Pennsylvania primary for a candidate that wasn't in the race anymore. Right. Why? I just felt it was important that my voice was heard. And I think to really send a message that there are others out there like me, you know, that would prefer an alternative to President Trump. Nikki Haley won 20% of Republican primary voters in his home county of Erie, Pennsylvania after leaving the race.

The Biden campaign targeting these voters with ads and staff, while Haley has since endorsed Trump. The question now, where do these voters go in November? My vote would probably be between Biden and a protest vote. The debate will be a major moment for undecided voters. David Langdon says he isn't sold on either candidate, but is eager to watch. A 90-minute debate on his feet with no notes is going to tell the nation whether Biden's able to run for another four years or not. And Dasha Burns joins us now from Philadelphia.

Dasha, with both teams spending the weekend preparing for this first debate, do you get the sense that they're trying to manage expectations in any way? Well, there's been a shift, Ellison, in the way Trump and his team are managing expectations. In fact, changing the expectations for President Joe Biden. They had been playing down his ability. Trump had been talking at rallies, saying that, quote, Biden can't put two sentences together. But now just he is talking about how. Biden is a worthy competitor. He went on a podcast saying that he wouldn't underestimate President Biden trying to raise the bar a little bit, probably realizing that lowering the bar as much as they had might have been an advantage to President Biden ahead of the debate, Ellison.

Really interesting. There's the other debate that is still going on inside of the Trump campaign as it relates to who they will pick to be the former president's running. May this go around? You have some new reporting on that. Who are the names being considered? Yeah, Alison, the other debate for Team Trump is the who and the when of this important announcement. Tonight, sources are telling us that the field has narrowed to three top contenders. North Dakota Governor Doug Bergam, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio. And the team is still deliberating when to make this announcement. The sentencing date of July 11th when the former president will receive his sentence in New York is kind of that pillar that they're working with. Do they announce beforehand?

Do they announce right around the sentencing to try to switch the news cycle to something less damaging or do they do it at the convention as a former president has said he would like to do all of that still on the table, Ellison. Dasha Burns in Philadelphia. Thank you. And a programming note, you can watch NBC's special coverage of the first presidential debate hosted by CNN. It is all kicking off next Thursday.

Coverage right here on NBC News now starting at 7 p.m. itself is at nine. Coming up, Bridge Inferno, flames engulfing an oil rail bridge in Vancouver, the race to put out those flames. And the woman suing her boyfriend for not dropping her off at the airport. How this couple's fight played out in New Zealand's legal system. Next. Back now with the violent clashes rocking Kenya, protesters opposing a controversial tax bill clashing with police who have deployed tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets. Hundreds injured and at least one person killed, but that bill still moving forward in the legislature. NBC News correspondent Danielle Hammandajan has the latest.

Defiance on the streets of Nairobi met with water cannons and tear gas. All across Kenya, protesters are demanding their government back down on a controversial bill which is expected to raise $2.7 billion in additional taxes. We are here to question the government. Cut on your expenditure. Do not overtax us. They say the finance bill will choke the economy and raise the cost of living at a time when Kenyans already struggle to make ends meet. We can't even afford diapers for the kids anymore.

There are no vaccines in the hospitals for the children. We need this government to do something and we can't just be graying all our problems away. According to human rights groups, the protests dubbed Occupy Parliament have led to more than a hundred arrests. They say 200 people have been injured and at least one person killed. He was Jillian Munoz, 29-year-old son, Rex Kanike Masai. She was told a plainclothes officer shot him while he was running away from tear gas. If someone is fighting for their rights, she says, why use live bullets?

We're fighting for our future. We need young people to fight for our future rights, our future Kenya. and to just overthrow the silly government, man. We're tired. We're tired. In a joint statement, rights groups calling for police to, quote, desist from the use of excessive force, intimidation, and arbitrary and unlawful arrests of Kenyans. We are not going to sit at home so that they are going to pass another finance bill without our approval.

But President William Ruto has continued to push for the bill, arguing that Kenyans have been under-taxed. Kenyans have been socialized to believe that they pay the highest taxes. We are way below. Our taxes are way below those of our peers. The public outcry has forced the government to withdraw some of the most contentious proposals, including a 16% tax on bread and an annual 2.5% tax on vehicles. But the people say that.

is not enough. Scrap the entire thing to want them from scratch. Despite the widespread anti-tax protests, the bill did pass its second reading in Parliament yesterday, which means it's going ahead for the next stage of approval. Next week, a committee will vote on proposed changes to the bill. Ellison. Thank you. We are also following other international headlines on Top Stories Global Watch,

starting with the deadly storms across China. New video capturing the moment a house collapses. during a landslide in the eastern part of the country. More than 10,000 people evacuated, and in the southern Guangdong province, nearly 50 people have died amid historic flooding there. A massive fire destroying an old rail bridge in Canada.

New video showing plumes of black smoke rising from the burning bridge in Vancouver. Firefighters seem dousing water as flames engulfed. The bridge is no longer in use and no one was hurt. The cause is under investigation. And a New Zealand woman sued her, boyfriend for not dropping her off at the airport. According to legal documents, the couple had a verbal agreement. The boyfriend would drop her off and watch her two dogs while she was away.

However, according to the suit, he never showed up, causing her to miss the flight. According to local media, she was seeking compensation for rebooking fees, a shuttle to the airport, and a kennel for the dogs. Her claim was dismissed, and no word, if they're still together. We will guess now. When we come back, a look at what you can binge watch and listen to this weekend. The new docu-series about the California woman who faked her own disappearance. Plus, Jessica Alba returns to the big screen and new music by Ariana Grande, Brandy, and Monica.