Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, June 24, 2024

Episode Date: June 25, 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 Midwest bracing for catastrophic flooding as relentless rainfall pushes rivers to their breaking point. A dam in Minnesota in imminent danger of failing, its rushing waters submerge a massive structure and uproot trees. The state of disaster in Iowa as flood waters cut off communities. Residents forced to escape the rising waters are urged to move to higher ground. While in South Dakota, roads are literally collapsing, swallowing up homes and backyards. And the whole region right now is on alert for more rain and a possible destructive windstorm as millions also continue to bake in dangerous heat. Bill Carrott, standing by to time it all out. Also tonight, debate countdown. We are now just days out from the unprecedented primetime matchup

between President Biden and former President Trump. How the candidates are preparing right now for the make-or-break moment and the efforts to prevent the showdown from devolving into chaos. This is the battle over abortion rights is expected to take center stage. We're marking right now two years since Roe v. Wade was overturned. How the Biden campaign is already teeing up for that fight. Boiling point. Violent clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators erupting outside of a Los Angeles synagogue. Officers in riot gear are called in as protesters throw punches and hurl insults.

The White House now forced to respond. Factory in flames. A deadly fire erupting at a large. lithium battery plants in South Korea, video showing plumes of black smoke funneling into the sky. Rescuers sifting through charred debris to try to figure out a cause. And miracle rescues, a hiker lost in California,

Santa Cruz mountains for nine days, surviving by drinking water from his boot and eating wild berries. The moment that his cries for help were finally heard in the emotional reunion with his family. And a four-year-old also found safe after surviving nearly 24 hours alone in the California woods. You'll hear from that young boy's father.

Protest on the green climate activists storming a PGA golf tournament, unleashing smoke bombs on the 18th hole, the clashing that unfolded on the course. And this pride month, the challenges for LGBTQ Americans as they enter their golden years and the volunteer stepping in to help those that paved the way for so many others. Top story starts right now. And good evening. I'm Sam Brock, in for Tom Yamis. Tonight, communities across the Midwest right now on edge. Rivers on the brink of bursting their banks after a recent onslaught of heavy rainfall, we start in Minnesota, where officials there issuing a dire warning that a dam is in imminent danger of failing. Dron video, you're looking at it right here, showing the full picture as rushing waters put immense pressure on that dam located in Blue Earth County, Minnesota.

Now, check out this up-close look at the surge of. water. You can just see there, one structure just tumbling beneath it. Officials say the dangerous situation could quickly turn catastrophic, warning anyone downstream to evacuate. This is hardly the only community at risk. Right now, more than two dozen waterways across three states are at major flood stage. This new video, just in from North Sioux City, South Dakota, significant flooding slicing through roadways, collapsing homes and swallowing up backyards. Let's look now at aerial video from Iowa showing just how widespread the devastation truly is. Entire communities inundated as you see there.

The governor asking President Biden to expedite a disaster declaration and adding insult to injury, more storms are expected to move through that region overnight. 26 million at risk for a possible Dorado, a serious windstorm which could unleash a path of destruction. And it's not just the storms either. Tonight, 52 million Americans are also under heat alerts, dangerous temperatures sweeping across parts of the South. Bill Karen, standing by to break all of this down for us. But first, NBC's Shack Brewster kicks off our coverage. Tonight, a deadly flood emergency in three states. After days of heavy rain, rivers gushing over their banks and submerging entire communities.

In Minnesota, the Rapidam Dam is facing imminent failure. Officials there are monitoring the buildup of debris and making plans to keep residents in the area safe. In Iowa, Evacuations are underway in several counties. We have lived here for 20 years. I have never seen anything like this. Kim Wood says she escaped in the middle of the night, her husband driving through their neighbor's lawns. The water now blocking their return home. I have so many memories in the basement, pictures of my grandchildren, Christmas ornaments. And there's still the threat of more flooding. We are really looking at unprecedented times right now. With several rivers forecast to hit flood stage in the coming days.

We've employed many pumps through the area, but unfortunately, we just can't keep up with a river that is flowing at that pace with that much water. There's absolutely nothing we can do to stop it. Overnight, a train bridge connecting Iowa and South Dakota collapsing into the Big Sioux River. That is the main bridge that a lot of commodities and different materials move on throughout the stage. That'll impact us for many, many months to come. Rock Valley, Iowa is underwater after a levee broke, flooding more than 500 homes and displacing 1,500 people. Crews spent the weekend trying to rescue residents. As the Midwest grapples with extreme flooding, the dangerous heat is shifting south, several cities hitting triple digits today.

And the Midwest is facing another night of severe weather, with the possibility of a deracho, a cluster of fast-moving and destructive thunderstorms this evening. This wave of severe weather just continuing. Shaq Brewster now joining us from Sioux City, Iowa tonight. In the beginning of your piece, you mentioned that Minnesota's rapid and dam is on the brink of failing at this moment. So what happens if that dam fails and how many people potentially could be impacted? Well, Sam, the sheriff's office there already reported a partial failure of that dam. But officials have not specified how many people would be impacted by a partial failure or a a total failure and what that would actually look like.

But they have insisted that folks are prepared and that they are unnoticed if there are evacuations that need to take place. That is happening in Minnesota. Here in Iowa, you see some of the damage and devastation behind me. This is the big devastation from the big sued river. And you see there's a mailbox back there, a car that is nearly fully submerged. The water continues to go deeper and deeper as you go down the street. interesting thing here is that this is a river that saw record-setting crest. And we're not talking

about a record that was broken by just one feet or two feet. We're talking about a record that was all-time record that was broken by more than seven feet. Sam? And Shaq, to think that that might actually get worse in the days to come. Thank you so much live there from Sioux City. For more on this extreme weather throughout the country, I want to bring in NBC meteorologist Bill Karens now. Obviously, Bill, this summer has been off to a pretty intense start so far. We saw. Shack there a second ago. That's just one portrait of the overall puzzle. And right now, the Midwest, you're saying, is expecting more severe weather? Yeah, and more heavy rain tonight, more severe weather. We're hoping to miss the areas with the worst flooding ongoing.

So we have a flood watch from Minneapolis down to La Crosse. This is for thunderstorms that are going to be forming in the next couple hours and travel throughout the night. Everywhere you see the red colors here, this is where we have river flooding that's ongoing right now. Some have already crested. Some are not going to crest for a couple days. like the Minnesota River, the snakes down like this towards Mankato here. That's not going to crest until Wednesday. And eventually in St. Paul, the Mississippi River will crest. That'll be Wednesday or Thursday.

So we're not completely done with all our major flooding. And everywhere you see these purple dots, that's where we have major flooding. So that's like the highest category. Usually when that happens, we know we got water in towns and water in homes. Here's the beginning of some of those thunderstorms starting to form tonight. I think the worst of it's going to be about starting about 10 p.m. and then it will go right through about this storms won't make it to like Milwaukee and Chicago until about 5 a.m. in the morning. So they'll form here, and then they're going to race through

central and southern Wisconsin. Could have wind gust of 70 miles per hour. We're going to wait and see how it develops, but the potential is there for that der ratio, which is just a long lasting, damaging wind thunderstorm line. It has to be at least 240 miles, and it has to have numerous reports of 70 plus mile per hour winds, and that's possible. Tomorrow we take our severe weather threat to Kansas City and also in the St. Louis, Sam. All right, so a lot of major metro areas that are going to be impacted. That's one piece of this thing, Bill, and also the extreme heat. Where do we stand with that?

I mean, it's been an incredibly hot day. So this is different. Last week, we broke a lot of record highs. This week, it's more humid and not as hot, but the feels-like temperature is even worse. I mean, we were up to 114 at one point in Omaha. Even at this hour, it still feels like 111, Little Rock 108. This is as hot as it has been all summer long in these areas, and it's been brutally hot along the Gulf Coast. We still have about 52 million people in either heat advisories or excessive heat warnings.

And it's not really going anywhere. And yes, we're going to get cooler in the Great Lakes in northern, New England, and the northeast. But from Dallas to San Antonio, New Orleans, it's just the beginning of a very long summer. Those are difficult words to hear there, Bill. Thank you so much. We move now to the latest and former President Donald Trump's classified documents case and today's pair of hearings. One of them is a continuation. of the Trump team's efforts to dispute the constitutional right to appoint a special counsel.

And a second hearing covering a potential new gag order against Trump. Joining me now to talk a little bit more about this is Justice Correspondent, Ken Delanian, who's been obviously following this case so closely from Fort Pierce, Florida. Ken, let's start here. Trump's legal team began their challenge to special counsel, Jack's Missappointment, like just the appointment of it in a hearing last Friday. Is there a new layer to this argument? Yeah, Sam, and so there were two very different hearings today.

And in the morning, the judge heard a challenge by the defense to the constitutionality of the special counsel under the appropriations clause. And as you said, that was sort of a continuation of a similar argument they made all day on Friday, challenging the constitutionality under the appointments clause. And by the way, Sam, both of these issues have been previously litigated in cases of other special counsels. this argument has never won the day. And so a lot of legal experts are wondering why Judge Cannon devoted a day and a half of hearings to this issue, when no matter what she decides she won't be the last word, it will go up to an appeals court because this is a legal issue, not a fact issue. And this really sort of plays into a lot of concerns about how Judge Cannon is handling this case, Sam.

So is it viewed, Ken, as kind of a moonshot? I mean, are we talking about dozens upon dozens of federal cases where this argument has been tried previously and basically just shot down on outset? Well, I don't know about dozens. There haven't been that many special counsels, but it certainly has been tried, for example, most recently in the Hunter Biden case with special counsel David Weiss,

and it failed there. Now, those court decisions are not binding on Judge Cannon, but what legal experts say is, yes, it is a moonshot. It's very unlikely. It's a narrow, legalistic, technical argument that doesn't seem to have much chance, if not in front of Judge Cannon, certainly on appeal. And yet she's painstaking,

allowing both sides to argue. And the consequence of that, and she's done this, you know, time after time after time, a relentless parade of pretrial hearings. The consequence, Sam, is that we don't have a trial date in sight. And it's very unlikely that this case will go to trial before the November election, which is exactly what Donald Trump wanted. Yeah, certainly the sands of time are moving very quickly on that, Ken. You know, I'd also ask you, that's the first hearing. Tell me about the second hearing that unfolded, the one regarding a new possible gag order for the former president, which would, by the way, be the third one issued in his cases collectively, if it is granted. Prosecutors are arguing violence

against FBI agents is a real threat here based on some of the things the former president is saying. Is that correct? That's right. And this is a hearing that people are not questioning. They needed to have this hearing. Jack Smith says this is essentially an emergency because Donald Trump began accusing the Biden administration and the FBI of plotting to assassinate him based on a document that was included in the Marlago search papers. And the Trump team got in discovery. It was a standard document that stated the FBI's use of force guidelines, which is essentially that an FBI agent can use deadly force if he or she feels their life is under threat. And they twisted that, former President Trump twisted that into Biden has

authorized the FBI to use deadly force. That was false. That's not what happened. And special counsel has gone into court to ask the judge to order Donald Trump to stop saying that because he's saying that that's putting the lives of FBI agents in danger. Because when you talk about an FBI plot to killed Donald Trump, they're concerned that some small, narrow band of Trump supporters may actually act on that in a violent way because there's a precedent. After the Marlago search, a deranged man, a Trump supporter, attacked the FBI office in Cincinnati, armed with an AR-15. He was killed by police. There have been other incidents. So Jack Smith is saying, look, we need to stop this, but Judge Cannon appeared skeptical today to those arguments, Sam.

All right, Ken Delanyan, thank you so much. Next tonight, we are just days away now. From the first debate of the 2024 presidential race. President Biden and former President Trump preparing to face off for the first time since 2020. NBC News is Gabe Gutierrez, has that report on how the campaigns are preparing. Tonight, just three days away from that crucial first debate. Both campaigns are preparing very differently. Mr. President, how is the bean prep going? President Biden hunkered down at Camp David, huddling with advisors with no public events scheduled this week. He's now a convicted felon. Why his campaign is out with a new ad highlighting former President Trump's legal

problems. A senior Biden advisor tells NBC News the president is expected to be increasingly punchier against Trump and that it's a moment where the campaign hopes to break through to a larger audience that has yet to tune in to the election. Leading Biden's debate prep is former chief of staff, Ron Clayne. A source familiar with the preparations tells NBC News that Biden's personal lawyer Bob Bauer is playing Trump during the prep sessions, reprising his role from 2020. To be honest, it's hard to say some of things that he says, some of which are, you know, very fact-free. It's a stark contrast from former President Trump, who's holding informal policy discussions with advisors, but no mock debates while still holding public events.

Tonight, the former president is fundraising in Louisiana after campaigning in Pennsylvania over the weekend, mocking his opponent for not leaving Camp David. He's sleeping now, because they want to get him good and strong. Trump, teasing that he's already chosen his running mate and says the person will likely attend the debate in Atlanta. In my mind, yeah. Did they know?

Nobody knows. Among the top debate topics expect it, the economy, immigration, and reproductive rights. What both candidates need to do is talk about what they're going to do for the American people, how they're going to show up as leaders. And Gabe Gutierrez,

joining us now from the White House this evening. Gabe, Biden aides say that he is preparing to face a few different versions of former President Trump. Yeah, that's right, Sam. People familiar with his debate, perhaps says that it's taking into account whether former President Trump shows up with his usual bombastic self or whether he takes a more disciplined approach. The campaign says that it wants President Biden to appear as the adult in the room, Sam. Okay, Gabe, also taking a turn here. We're getting some breaking news now involving WikiLeaks' Julian Assange at a plea deal with the DOJ. What more can you tell us? Yeah, that's right, Sam. This is breaking just within the past few minutes. But as we understand

that Wickeleaks founder Julian Assange plans to plead guilty as part of a plea deal and will serve a time survey. This will happen after he's served five years in prison. Now, Sam, court documents reveal that the plea deal was filed tonight in the U.S. District Court for the northern Mariana Islands. That's a U.S. territory in the Pacific. Assange was expected to make that appearance in court and be sentenced to 62 months with credit for time served in a British prison, meaning he would be free to return to Australia, where he is an Australian citizen. Now, the U.S. charges against Assange stand from one of the largest publications of classified

information in American history that took place during the first term of Barack Obama's presidency. Starting in late 2009, according to the U.S. government, Assange conspired with Chelsea Manning, an intelligence analyst and disclosed tens of thousands of activity reports about the U.S. war in Afghanistan. So, again, the breaking news, Sam, just within the past few moments, court documents revealing that Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has entered into a plea deal with the U.S. Department of Justice. He is pleading guilty, expected to, just within a short time, in the northern Mariana

Islands. That's a U.S. territory. So far, no comment from the White House. Sam. All right. Gabe Gutierrez, keeping tabs on multiple big stories tonight. Thank you so much, Gabe. Today, also marking the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Now, the Biden campaign hosting dozens of events across the country, slamming former President Trump on the issue of reproductive rights and promising to ensure abortion rights nationwide if he were to win a second term. Von Hilliard has their latest attack lines and how the Trump camp is responding. Our body! Our body! Tonight, on the two-year anniversary, of the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, the battle over abortion rights, taking center stage once again in the 2024 campaign.

In the case of the stealing of reproductive freedom from the women of America, Donald Trump is guilty. The Biden-Harris campaign using the anniversary to hammer former President Trump for nominating the three Supreme Court justices that helped overturn Roe. So, Biden saying in a statement, if given the chance, there is no question Trump will ban abortion nationwide with or without the help of Congress. The campaign mobilizing Vice President Harris and First Lady Jill Biden, rallying supporters in swing states. Donald Trump handpicked three members of the United States Supreme Court because he intended for them to overturn Roe v. Wade. And as he intended, they did. So, it was premeditated.

The Biden team also releasing a new ad, featuring a woman who says she was denied abortion treatment in Louisiana. He's now a convicted felon. Trump thinks he should not be held accountable for his own criminal actions, but he will let women and doctors be punished. I feel like I have fewer rights in terms of reproductive rights than my grandmother and my mother, who were born in the 40s and 60s. I cannot support a candidate that does not support abortion straight up fully. If you do not support abortion fully, then I cannot support you. Former President Trump, whose voice concerned that abortion is a liability for Republicans in November, is doing something of a political highwire act on the issue,

taking credit for overturning Roe and saying the states should decide abortion rights, though he is yet to say how he will vote as a Florida resident on that state's ballot measure to ensure abortion access and has not taken a position on access to abortion medications. And Trump is not supporting a national ban, as many conservatives want to see. We did something that was amazing. The big problem was it was caught up in the federal government, but the people will decide, and that's the way it should be. Some of us in our group are torn on Trump.

We want a federal abortion ban, and obviously he wouldn't support something like that. But we're hopeful that if he surrounds himself with the right people, and because he has been the most pro-life precedent in our lifetime, you know, a lot of us are still supporting him because of that. In the two years since the Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe, abortion rights have appeared on the ballot in seven states and won every time. And data from Planned Parenthood Action Fund shows nearly 28 million women of reproductive age live in states with partial or total bans on abortion, many of which are key swing

states in this year's election. When Congress passes a law that restores the reproductive freedoms of Roe, Our president, Joe Biden, will sign it into law. The Biden-Harris campaign hopes to focus on reproductive rights boost their campaign against Trump, who is leading the president on many other major issues, from the economy to immigration. But recent polls show abortion is the top issue for only 4% of voters. There's more than nothing there are a vote. The ultimate salience of one of America's most divisive issues, now an open question,

is this year's hotly contested election draws closer. Vaughan Hillier, joining us now. Vaughan, you beautifully laid out this highwire act that the former president is trying to walk right now. We know that Biden is going to attack Trump on abortion during the debate. And you mentioned, you know, he is owning the Dom's decision, but also understands this is a politically volatile issue for Republicans. Based on your reporting, how is Trump planning on responding? Right. There's an acknowledgement from the Trump campaign that abortion access and reproductive rights, the polling consistently shows that a majority of Americans are in favor of. for Donald Trump, he is acknowledged and, you know, actually blamed a lot of statewide races

in the 22 midterms on the messaging of some Republicans around abortion. And since you have seen Donald Trump make the case that, you know, that they should focus in, that these are states' issues here. But, you know, if you look at somebody like a Carrie Lake, who she ran for governor and lost in Arizona, in 2022, she's one of those candidates that Donald Trump was indirectly referring to, she is taking a much different posture here in 2020. now that she's running for the Senate after Arizona voters rejected her. And she went from a near-total abortion ban to now a position of a 15-week abortion ban in the state here.

But this is where for Donald Trump, you have seen him kind of equivocate, even like on abortion medication. Back in April, it suggested that he would announce a policy position on that in a week. Well, we're now here in June, and he is yet to do that. So it is a fraught position. And for him, you also potentially have, you know, some conservatives who wanted a federal abortion ban coming out of Roe v. Wade, and Donald Trump is not agreeing to that at this point. So it's really a difficult position with strong opinions on every one of these sides.

Yeah, the delicacy on this topic, pretty clear. Von Hilliard, thank you so much for that report. For more now on the countdown to the first presidential debate and what each candidate needs to do to win over its voters, certainly to strengthen its base. Let's bring in our political pros, Megan Hayes. She is the former special assistant to President Biden and director of message planning for the White House. We also have Lance Trover, former press secretary for North Dakota Governor Doug Bergam's 2024 Republican presidential campaign. Thank you both so much for joining us tonight. Megan, I'd like to start with you. And with the issues specifically, we just heard that report from Vaughn on reproductive rights. It was interesting to hear him say that abortion is only the top

issue for about 4% of voters. So it's now been two years since Dobbs, reverse Roe v. Wade. How much of a catalyst, in your opinion, is abortion for rallying the Democratic base? I mean, I think it's a huge catalyst. I think this is something that has, as Vaughn mentioned in his report, this is something that's had seven ballot initiatives and one every single time, and a lot of those states were extremely red. And I think that one and three people don't have, or women do not have access to reproductive health care and to abortion providers within their states.

And I think that's a problem. And I think that in some of these swing states and these suburban women are really going to start to take notice, and I think it's going to drive turnout. And I really do think it will help in a lot of these swing states, like in Arizona, where Biden won by only 10,000 votes. And it is interesting to hear you say that. We know some of the most conservative states traditionally in the country have had voters come out and protect access to abortion rights. Lance, I want to pivot to you for a second here.

In addition to abortion, obviously, a couple of major topics that are going to come up on Thursday from immigration to the economy and specifically inflation. This is on the minds of so many Americans right now. Where do you see former President Trump really focusing his efforts on Thursday? I think this is a real opportunity for Donald Trump to really set out the differences. You're exactly right. It's going to be inflation. It's going to be the border. It's going to be the cost of living that I think will define this debate. And look, he's going to come out and say, we didn't have this when I was president. All of this has begun, the out-of-control border, the runaway inflation, the runaway costs of living.

All of this started under Joe Biden. And that's going to be the stark difference. I think he has a real opportunity to make that case and get a lot of voters honed in on his message. Yeah, that's an issue many people are very concerned about right now. Megan, CNN's political director said in an interview recently with the New York Times that, quote, Thursday's live debate is not the ideal arena for live fact-checking. Instead, Ms. Bash and Mr. Tapper would focus on facilitating the debate between these candidates not being a participant in that debate. So I guess my question is, do you think that hurts President Biden? And what is the role, I guess, of a debate moderator? Is it to move things along or to fact-check on the spot?

Obviously, this has come up before. What do you think about this? Yeah, I mean, I think it's to move things along, right? But I also think that the president needs to be careful here. He needs to be laying his vision out for the future and what he wants to do for the American people and also tell them what he's done for them in the past and not continually drive Trump's message or drive that he's lying all the time. I mean, he shouldn't be a professional fact checker either here.

He just needs to be moving the issues forward. And I think that they need to focus on the substance. I think it's going to be a really tricky situation for the moderators and for President Biden because, you know, former President Trump does say things that aren't always true most of the time. So I think that it's just a tough situation, but I think that President Biden needs to stick to his message and stick to what he's going to do for the future of this country. Speaking of the former president, Lance, at Mr. Trump's rally over the weekend, he did speak about the debate ahead of time, presaging things here to his supporters. There is some of what he had to say. Should I be tough and nasty to say you're the worst president in history, or should I be nice and calm and let him speak?

So the president at times, obviously, former president, has been criticized for being too critical, too vitriolic, too insulting. What do you think Mr. Trump's best strategy is heading into this debate? Well, I think you see Donald Trump at a rally, and he says a lot of things that these rallies are certainly entertaining, and that's one of the reasons people show up to his rallies, right? And Joe Biden can't get people into an ice cream shop. I think he, again, is going to set out a clear difference. How he does that, I think, remains to be seen. But again, there is a clear difference in this race with the border out of control, with inflation out of control, gas prices out of control. It's going to be a pretty easy sell for him. It's really just

about getting voters locked in and honed in on that message that he's got, and I think that'll be the critical difference Thursday night. Obviously, topics and stylistically big differences here. Megan, you know, we've seen President Biden recently in terms of counterpunch as being more aggressive when it comes to attacking former President Trump, especially regarding his legal troubles. Do you expect they're going to see more of that on the debate stage on Thursday? You know, the president doesn't normally attack people on their personal issues here, but I do think his legal troubles will be brought up. I don't see that there's a way not to. I think the moderators will probably bring it up. But I do think that the president's not going to let

Donald Trump bully him. I mean, the president doesn't stand for that and his, you know, that's just not who he is. And I think that the president will come out being his authentic self, just like he was in 2020 you saw it at those debates as well. And I think that the president just has to keep its cool. And I think the optics here matter. The optics of how these men come out and how they present themselves are going to matter just as much as a substance. Yeah, there was definitely no shortage of fireworks last time. But of course, obviously, the format is very different this time with the mics being dropped once you go from one candidate to the next. So we'll see how that plays out. Lance, I would also want to ask you as long as we have you. The former president said

that he has decided at this point, who is going to join him on the ticket as VP and that that that person will most likely be at the debate. According to our reporting at NBC News, your former boss, Doug Bergam, is on that short list. Is there anything, any sort of insight you can impart about that? Well, certainly, I'm partial to Governor Bergam. He's a get it done executive who's had a lot of success in his state. But politically, I don't think it matters who Donald Trump chooses to be as VP. I mean, you've seen right lately that Virginia has been competitive. You've seen the governor of Minnesota saying, hey, it's going to be close in our state. You've seen Donald Trump leading in states like Nevada. So politically, I'm not sure it really matters. But obviously,

VP is a very important job. You're going to want somebody who can get in there and get the job done on day one and help President Trump enact his agenda. So, yeah, it's absolutely critical and absolutely important. But politically, I'm not sure it really matters. Actually, so Mr. Berger has made very similar comments. Thank you both very much for taking the time here, guys. That was Megan Hayes and Lance Trover. Appreciate it. A programming note. Now, NBC News will have coverage of President Biden and former President Trump's presidential debate hosted by CNN on Thursday.

Our special coverage and analysis begins Thursday at 7 p.m. Eastern on NBC News Now, and the debate itself starts at 9 p.m. on NBC. Well, a topic that is very likely to come up during the debate is the war in Gaza, as Israel's prime minister appears to be backing further it further away from a U.S.-supported truce deal with Hamas, tensions over the war right now

reaching a boiling point back here at home. Violent clashes erupting between pro-Palestinian protesters and supporters of Israel outside of a synagogue in Los Angeles over the weekend. This involved police in riot gear having to be called in and eventually breaking up the fighting. NBC News correspondent David Noriega has been following all this for us from L.A. David, thanks so much for joining us tonight. First, talk to us about what happened. I mean, how did this situation unfold? Hey, Sam, so the reason that there was a protest at the synagogue in the first place is that protests,

say they were targeting an event taking place in the synagogue that was promoting real estate in Israel. One of the organizations participating in that event has listed real estate properties in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. There have actually been similar real estate events around the country for some months now. They are often hosted at synagogues. There were very similar protests to this in the New York and New Jersey area in March. The differences that those protest did not devolve into violence the way this one did.

There was a group of protesters and a group of counter protesters. broke out between them. The LAPD says there were several physical altercations, and they are officially reporting two reports of battery, investigating two reports of battery. Sam? So, David, obviously we were looking at that video there. I mean, you mentioned some physical altercations. It looked pretty intense. At points, and we know there were arrest. Do we have any sense? How many? There was one arrest, Sam. The LAPD said it arrested somebody for carrying what they described as a spiked pole, presumably a flagpole or sign. The violence was certainly significant.

The videos are pretty intense. I would say it doesn't quite rise to the level of violence we saw here in L.A. during the campus encampment on UCLA campus. Nevertheless, this violence is pretty significant, and it has drawn so much attention, including from elected officials, locally, state level, and nationally, in large part, because it was outside a synagogue in a pretty heavily Jewish neighborhood in West L.A. With the back story, I'm glad you mentioned it, that on college campuses, there was such an intensity of protesting and clashing going on between these sides.

Knowing that, and you mentioned, David, so far not a lot of comments. Has the White House said anything so far about this latest incident? Yeah, President Biden issued a statement on Twitter, on X, in which he pretty harshly criticized the initial protest, saying that intimidating Jewish congregants is dangerous. And he described this protest as unconscionable anti-Semitic. and un-American. He specifically criticized them blocking access to the synagogue. There have been similar statements calling this protest anti-Semitic by mostly Democratic elected officials. Mayor Karen Bass has criticized it pretty harshly. Governor Gavin Newsom, representatives Adam Schiff and Ted Liu, all officials here in California. Sam?

David Norgia, with the very latest there for us. Thank you so much from Los Angeles. Still ahead tonight, the deadly shark attack, a pro-surfer who also appeared in movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, killed in Hawaii. What I'm? eyewitnesses say happened and why it is so unnerving to people who live there. Plus, the mayor of Oakland breaking her silence for the first time since the FBI raided her house. What she says about the search and calls for her to step down. And the incredible stories of survival, a hiker found missing alive after nine days. And in a separate case, a four-year-old child rescued after spending a night by himself in the woods.

How both were found. Top story is just getting started on this Monday. And we're back now with a deadly shark attack. You don't hear that often that claim the life of a professional surfer known for his role in movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and Charlie's Angels. That tragic incident unfolding off the coast of Oahu in Hawaii over the weekend. NBC Stephanie Gosk has the full report. Born and raised in Hawaii, Tamayo Perry surfed off of Oahu thousands of times. He was a professional at the highest level in surfing.

On Sunday afternoon, the 49-year-old was attacked by a shark while surfing near Goat Island. According to officials, he was bitten multiple times. Honolulu Ocean Safety responded via jet ski and brought the surfer here to shore. But there was nothing they could do, officials say. The injuries were too severe. Jason Bitzer, a close friend, says Perry was salt of the earth and a man of faith. He's just a genuinely good person. Like, there's no other way to put he's a good person, and he cares about people, and he really just kind of embodies aloha.

Perry was a world-class surfer who also had the occasional movie role in Pirates of the Caribbean and Blue Crush. Oh, it's pretty nuts. It's my word. Most recently, he worked as a lifeguard at Hawaii's famous bonsai pipeline, one of the most demanding and dangerous lifeguarding jobs in the world. What does it say about your skill in the water if you're a lifeguard on that beach? Just simply put, there's no higher mountains to climb than being a lifeguard at pipeline. Shark attacks are rare in Hawaii, averaging nearly eight a year. There have been only five fatalities in the last decade. If this could happen to Tamaio could happen to anyone. He's the most confident waterman I know.

He was doing what he loved and he was surfing at a spot that he grew up and cherished since childhood. And very few people understand as well as he did, how dangerous the ocean can be. Stephanie Gosk, NBC News. A devastating reminder there. Thank you, Stephanie. Next tonight, a pair of stunning rescues in California. A lost hikers surviving nine days in the mountains on just creek water and berries before finally being discovered by authorities. Also, a four-year-old boy going missing for nearly 24 hours in the wilderness.

The emotional moments that then ensued when they were reunited with their families. Or Morganshevsky reports. Exhausted and embracing family. These photos capture the moment Lucas McClish knew he'd survive after a wilderness nightmare. The 34-year-old lost for nine days in California Sierra Wilderness after setting off for what was supposed to be a three-hour walk. His only tools, a flashlight, and folding scissors. Each day I go up a canyon down a canyon to the next waterfall and sit down by the waterfall and drink water out of my boot. drinking from his boot, eating wild berries, and sleeping on wet beds of leaves.

McGlisch fought off exhaustion and soon realized he wasn't alone. I had a mountain lion that was following me, but it was cool. He kept his distance. I think it was just somebody watching over me. He didn't tell anyone where he was going, so it was days before his family filed a missing person's report. I just had to trust God that he was going to be okay, and that was hard to do some nights when we would go to bed at night because I would worry about where he was.

Finally, a tip led rescuers to where McGlish was calling for help, where he emerged, shirtless and weary, but alive. Just a few hours east, another stunning rescue. We really believe that we saw a modern day miracle. Renato Ramirez clinging to his four-year-old son, Christian, after he went missing for 22 hours in the California woods. Ramirez says the family was visiting Huntington Lake. when Christian went to play with other children, but never returned.

The family called 911 almost immediately to launch an overnight search. Terror, honestly, is terror. Walking around in the woods with a flashlight, and, you know, and I had jeans and a sweatshirt on, and I was cold, and so I could imagine how cold and hungry and scared he must be. And even more frightening realization was the wildlife. I saw a couple bears while I was out searching for him, and that just that just give me more energy to keep going.

The next day, merely 24 hours later, Cruz found Christian a quarter mile away, sunburned, dehydrated, and ready to be home. That was the best day of my life to get my little boy back. And for him to be able to hug us back, it really was the best thing I could have ever imagined. And tonight Christian's father says that he'll be spending no doubt the next few days at home, resting and recovering. the family feels very blessed, that his only symptoms were, again, limited to mild dehydration in a little sunburn. As for the 34-year-old McClish, when asked about what helped him pressed through day after day in the wilderness, he said two things specifically, burritos and taco bowls. Sam? Spoken like a true Californian. Morgan, thank you so much. Just ahead,

the out-of-bounds disruption at a PGA tournament event, the climate activist, charging the course and then releasing smoke bombs. Look at that. The delay is some of the country's top golfers prepared to play their final hole. And we're back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin this with the mayor of Oakland breaking her silence over an FBI raid on her home. On Thursday, federal agents were seen carrying boxes out of the home of Mayor Shane. at a news conference today. The mayor says she did nothing wrong, adding, quote, this

investigation is not about me. The FBI did not release details about the search or an investigation, but it is worth noting they also waited homes connected to a politically influential family who runs a recycling company in the area. Well, here in South Florida, the town of Surfside, honoring the victims of the 2021 deadly condo collapse at a memorial service today, family members reading the names of the 98 victims in front of the site. A memorial flyover was also held. Three years later, and the exact cause of the collapse is still under investigation.

And a major golf tournament in Connecticut disrupted by climate protesters this weekend. The video is pretty wild. It shows at least six protesters storming the 18th green of the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship, deploying smoke bombs as you see one of them arrested there and powdered paint. Someone wearing shirts with the words,

no golf on a dead planet. The group was quickly arrested and the finish was delayed for just about five minutes. The course was not damaged. Well, we continue our coverage of the violent weather that has been tearing across the country. Tonight, NBC's Maggie Vespa reporting on the new data from last month's E-4 tornado in Iowa and a look at the team of scientists who put themselves in the deadly twister's path just to collect that data. Tonight, as America's onslaught of severe weather rages on, A fearless team of storm-chasing scientists as shedding new light on the power of last month's deadly EF-4 twister that leveled parts of Greenfield, Iowa.

Wind speeds in this tornado topped 300 miles per hour? Yeah, so with our radar, we calculated wind speeds of over 300 miles per hour, which is very fast and very strong wind speeds. 300 miles per hour. Only the third tornado ever recorded with winds that strong. And it moved, they say, at up to 55 miles per hour, twice a twister's typical speed. It's very rare. 1%, 2% of tornadoes.

The jaw-dropping data, courtesy of nine scientists from the University of Illinois, who raced to place their state-of-the-art Doppler-on- Wheels trucks and sensor-equipped pods in the tornado's path, a feat typically reserved for Hollywood. But this devastation was all too real. I've never seen a tornado like that. On the ground for more than a mile, officials said the tornado destroyed more than 150 homes and left four people dead. The scientist's mission to better understand how twisters move and form and develop warnings with detail on strength and timing, like those for hurricanes. There might be more tailored ways to safety. Either take shelter because you only have a minute or it's not so strong or you should really take the five or ten minutes and get to a rude.

really ruggedized community shelter, and we just don't know that well enough now. A potentially life-saving bullseye on a fast-moving target. Maggie Vespa, NBC News. Wow, when the movies become real life there, Maggie, thank you. When we come back, the deadly factory inferno in South Korea, at least 22 people killed as a massive fire tears through a lithium battery plant causing a series of explosions. What officials believed caused that coming up next?

Back now on top story, and a tragic fire at a lithium battery factory in South Korea, claiming the lives of at least 22 people, most of them, Chinese nationals. NBC's Danielle Hamamjin has the latest, and we want to warn you, some of the following images and details may be disturbing. A series of explosions rocking South Korea's capital as a massive fire ripped through a lithium battery factory, killing at least 22 people and injuring eight, according to authorities. Firefighters rushing to put out the inferno and rescue crews seen wheeling out body bags of the victims. Officials saying 18 of the dead are Chinese citizens. Over the past few decades, foreign workers from China and other neighboring countries have come here looking for work.

For a lot of them, the opportunity to go work in South Korea is, you know, it's first and foremost, just a way to improve their livelihoods. But as we saw from the recent tragedy, these conditions are often quite challenging for them. This eyewitness describing how the horrific scene unfolded, saying she heard popping noises that sounded like raining bullets. Lithium battery production involves the use of highly toxic materials. Officials saying the victims were likely killed within seconds, not by fire, but by the poisonous fumes.

Korea's president visiting the battery plant Monday urging a thorough investigation. While the nation's interior minister called on local authorities to prevent any hazardous chemicals from contaminating the surrounding area. Family members of victims now starting preparations at a funeral hall where staff are beginning the grim task of trying to identify the remains. Just what caused the explosion is still unclear, but this was one of the deadliest fires in South Korea in recent years and has reopened conversations on the nation's struggle to improve safety standards. Sam. Danielle, thank you so much.

We are also now following other international headlines on Top Story's Global Watch, starting in Russia with a series of attacks on houses of worship. Officials there say that armed militants attacked two Orthodox churches and two synagogues in the predominantly Muslim Dagestan region. At least 20 people were killed that included in Orthodox priests. An amazing rescue captured on camera as a mudslide hit a French hamlet. Look at this, new video showing the moment that French National Police rescued a couple there at the bottom of your screen there by helicopter as a deluge of mud and debris surrounded them. More than 100 residents had to be rescued.

The floodwater was so strong that it ripped through several homes and just cut off roads completely. So far everyone appears to be accounted for and no injuries amazingly were reported. And finally tonight, we are celebrating Pride Month. Many in the LGBTQ community are entering their golden years without vital support and resources. We speak to the volunteers who are lending a helping hand to the generation that came before them. That story coming up next. And finally tonight, aging, as we all know, can be a challenge. But that challenge can be even greater for LGBTQ elders.

Many of them are growing older without children or family caregivers. And they often fear discrimination due to their second. or gender identity. NBC News now anchor Joe Fryer has a look at the volunteers right here in South Florida who are stepping in to help. Oh, this is a good picture. Gene Dinah's life changed drastically when his husband Bob died eight years ago. I miss him every day. They had been together for 46 years and built a beautiful life in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I like this one. That's a picture of Bob and I, the two of us, at a park in San Francisco. It was just great. It really was. I couldn't have, I couldn't have had a better, better partner, I think.

But they had no children. So when Bob was diagnosed with leukemia and later dementia, Gene became his full-time caregiver. I took care of him as best I could. He never complained. What I loved about him is he was not a whiner. During Bob's final years, Bob and Gene were finally able to get married after the Supreme Court made marriage equality. The law of the land. My husband was very happy when we married. He'd been in the closet, you know, for all those years. And he was fine with it. He was really happy. Just two years later, Bob died. I never thought of losing him. My whole life was him. You know? Now, at 76 years old, Gene has no surviving relatives who can help take care of him. I didn't see a doctor or dentist for four years while I was his caretaker.

And when it was all over, I started going to the doctor and I found out I had prostate cancer. Since his husband died, Gene has been connected with the group Sage, which offers services and advocacy for LGBTQ elders, a demographic that for most of their lives was not able to get married or adopt children by law. So many of our elders have grown up in a time when discrimination against the gay community was much more intense. SAGE says today older LGBTQ Americans are four times less likely to be parents than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts and twice as likely to be living alone. The group connects elders with volunteers like Craig Rosenblatt. Look at this view. Who donate their time to a company an elder. And you've had experiences that I have not had with bigotry.

Where there were a lot of things that I was able to do that you were not. able to do and there's a lot of things that I was not able to do that people can do today. In addition to companionship, Sage also helps with housing and medical needs because they say many of the elders they work with avoid senior programs and even doctors over fear of discrimination. There's been just a history of exclusion that forces many to either not seek care or to seek care and feel compromised in the process. And the challenges of aging are even greater for the transgender community. 65% of trans elders felt there would be limited access to care as they aged, according to Sage. It's the bias of we don't want to take care of you. So 65-year-old

Morgan Mayfield, who lives in Florida, where the state has recently tried to ban gender-affirming care, says he has experienced this prejudice firsthand. When they look at your records, they're going to see in your list of medications that you're either taking estrogen, or you're taking testosterone. The question then is why. The minute you tell them that it's because you're trans, you can see the bias in their face. And you can see the slight step back from even the proximity of being close to you. Volunteers like Craig, the work is more important than ever, giving back to a generation that paved the way for him and so many others. For recipients like Gene, a new friend in his golden years.

He got our Christmas tree out, got it working, and plugged it in and everything, and that meant everything to me. Made you feel whole again. Yeah. To break through those many barriers, that many barriers, and to not have care is an amazing service here in Florida

that that gap is being filled. Joe, thank you so much for that report. Thank you for watching Top Story. I'm Sam Brock in for Tom Yamis tonight. Stay right there. We have more news for you coming up on the way.