Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, October 2, 2023

Episode Date: October 3, 2023

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, breaking news, a major update in the search for a nine-year-old who authorities feared was abducted while on a camping trip with her family. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including dive teams and the FBI, now scouring in upstate New York Park, after Charlotte Sina went missing while on a bike ride by herself. Her bike found just 15 minutes later with no sign of the child. Her aunt telling NBC News, she, quote, disappeared into thin air. the desperate pleas from her parents for any information and what our local affiliate just found out. Also tonight, Trump on trial former President Trump stone-faced as he appeared before a New York judge

accused by the state's attorney general, Letitia James, of exaggerating the value of his real estate properties by billions of dollars. But outside the courtroom, Trump going on the attack, slamming both James, the judge, and the civil suit, but saying the legal cases against him just help him in the polls. Troops to Haiti. Late today, the U.N. Security Council voting to send a multinational armed force to Haiti

to help combat violent gangs that have taken over much of the country. So will Americans be deployed? The pledge tonight from the Biden administration. The deadly church collapsed in Mexico, new video showing the moment the roof cave wiping out the building during a mass. At least 11 people killed cranes and dogs called in to help find any survivors. Attacked and missing a swimmer. vanishing off the coast of Northern California after a group of friends say they came face to face with a shark.

Two of them managing to swim back to shore, but a third person may have been pulled under the water. An update tonight from search teams on the ground. Plus, the bedbug panic in Paris. Social media video showing the blood-sucking insects on trains and movie theaters and other public places, one official saying, quote, no one is safe.

It scrambled now to rid the capital city of those pests before fans and athletes from all over the world head there for the Summer Olympics. And the two reigning concert queens, Beyonce's Renaissance tour wrapping up as the highest-grossing tour by a female artist, Taylor Swift's Ares Tour already shattering records, and it's still not over. The amount of money both artists put into the U.S. economy and how you can still see both shows, even if you didn't score concert tickets. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We're coming on the air tonight with breaking news. Local authorities saying a missing nine-year-old who vanished while on a camping trip with her family in upstate New York has been found. This is Charlotte Senna. She had been missing for more than 48 hours after vanishing while on a solo bike ride Saturday night. She was at Moreau Lake State Park about 50 miles north of Albany and only 15 minutes from where she grew up. We want to walk you through what happened.

Police say at 6.15 Saturday night, she had finished a bike ride with family, friends, and asked to go around a loop in the park one more time. She was wearing a tie-dye Pokemon shirt. After 15 minutes, she did not return, leading her parents, family, friends, and other campers to launch their own search. At 6.45 p.m., her bike was found, but no sign of Charlotte. Police have not released details on the condition of that bike. Within minutes, her parents frantically called 911, and by 7.5.5. at night, just 45 minutes after she left for that bike ride, state police were on the scene. Multiple law enforcement agencies were searching the park using every tool possible, including

dogs and drones. But now we are hearing good news from what we believe and what we've been told at this hour. I want to get right to NBC's Kristen Dahlgren, who is there with the breaking development. Kristen, walk us through which you know. Right. Hey there, Tom, and this is all breaking right now and it's been happening over the past 20 minutes or so. the state police have now confirmed that Charlotte was found alive, that they do have a suspect in custody. It was about 20 minutes ago. We noticed a sheriff's car come peeling out of the

state park here where they have been staging a lot of their operations. And then family members arrived here in several different pickup trucks and then followed in the direction that the car had gone in. And that's when we learned from state police, just this incredible ending to this story that she had been found alive. She was missing for about 48 hours. You kind of laid out that timeline. She had been camping here, a place that she and her family came to quite often. She took that solo bike ride, and then, like her family told me earlier today,

she seemed to just disappear into thin air, and that's when the search started. The 911 call went out, and it has just been a massive operation spreading over 47 miles around this park. We saw searchers out all over today, literally going shoulder to shoulder, and cutting through a lot of the branches, the brush, to try and see if there were any clues, any sign of her at all. But again, just about 20, 25 minutes or so ago,

it appears that they found her alive, and we are just waiting for further updates from her family and from the state police. And again, we're just getting this news. It's the first reporting. We're getting from our local affiliate about her being found alive. And it is incredible news.

Reminder of you, where she was out there vacationing with her family on sort of a family camping trip with other families and friends? Right. So this isn't far from where they live, but it's a beautiful spot where they're able to come out and go camping.

And friends of the family said they came here quite often. And so they had come sort of to enjoy what may have been the last good fall weather weekend around here. And so they were out with good friends and family and she was out biking with a bunch of kids around dinner time. They were all doing this loop around the kids. campsites and that's when according to police and to the governor she said she wanted to go on one more

bike ride by herself the governor said she was kind of you know being a big girl and wanting to do it herself and so she went out and after about 15 minutes her family noticed that she hadn't come back they started to get worried they started to call for her other people in other campsites joined into the search and somebody found her bicycle about half an hour after she had left and then there was just no sign of her from there until tonight, Tom. Okay, Kristen Dahlgren with that breaking news, Kristen, we do appreciate it. We've just gotten a statement now from New York State Police. I want to read it to our viewers here.

It says Charlotte Sennah has been located and is in good health. A suspect is in custody. This is still an active investigation. More details will be released as they become available. With that, I want to bring in our next guest, Jim Kavanaugh, former ATF special agent. He's also an NBC news analyst. So I know we have very little so far from what Kristen reported and the statement I just read from New York State Police. What can you gather? Because it's been 48 hours. Luckily, they're saying she was found alive, which is incredible news.

Right. It really is, Tom. This is great news. But what the state police did right here is they flooded the zone with as many law enforcement officers that they could. And they worked this on multiple fronts. You know, the one front that searched the woods. You know, a child can, you know, have a problem with the bike, a chain comes off, a flat tire, and go off in the woods, and they don't always make the right decision. And so the state police launched this investigation by air assets, foot, you know, searchers, and they didn't let up on that, and that's smart money. But at the same time, within, you know, 24 hours, they put out an Amber Alert, and they said, look, we think she might have been inducted. Now, they would have examined the bike, Tom, and as you correctly reported, we do not have the information on the bike, the condition of the bike, anything that might have been wrong with it, any evidence that might have been there. And they pressed like maybe this is an abduction. So when they brought in all these troopers and deputies and agents and, you know, the crescendo of events are happening in the park and in the area, you know, maybe this abductor couldn't move.

He couldn't feel safe to move around. maybe a witness saw the child maybe she alerted someone maybe she escaped from his grip we don't know the answers but they had so many officers there whatever information they were able to get they could exploit it quickly

and then they have her safely and someone in custody or at least under questioning to see you know what is he doing with the child you know was she in prison tied up we have to find those answers Jim I just want to tell our viewers these are apparently are people at the campgrounds that are celebrating people that were, we understand,

maybe assisting in that search, regular citizens. And then, as we know, a lot of family and friends were part of this search. A lot of family and friends were there when this first happened. And just incredible news that this nine-year-old has been found, according to state police, someone is in custody. I think the incredible part about this story is that we've just spent weeks, I think about two weeks, right, or so covering that escape from a Pennsylvania prison where that fugitive was hiding out in the woods forever, and that thick brush, it's so hard to find people. And then I was looking at Kristen's live shot, and it's just 704 on the East Coast, and Charlotte disappeared at around 6 o'clock, 615, so the sun was coming down. I can't

imagine what those parents were going through. And step one for law enforcement was essentially looking for this nine-year-old child in pitch-black, you know, conditions. Yeah. Tom, I would say to every parent, and I'm a parent, but never let the children by themselves like that in a public area like that. Always in a group, hopefully with adult supervision, but they're safer in a group by themselves. That's what the predators are looking for. And these creeps are everywhere. They're everywhere. They're escaped from penitentiaries. They're sexual predators. They're criminals everywhere. They see a lone child they see it as an easy mark don't do that don't let your children out there by

themselves keep them close have an adult if you can but if you're letting them ride around the block have them with all their friends because that that you know doesn't guarantee no attack but it pushes the predator off they want to get the person alone they want it to be easy and get away with it and they don't want witnesses and I would say the predator probably saw the three girls ride around the loop a couple of times he probably watched him. And then when she came alone, then he made his

deal. It's just an assumption. We don't know that. Yeah, we simply don't know. It's still so early. What does the timeline tell you 48 hours and they're able to find her alive and also get the suspect? Does that tell you anything at all from all your experience dealing with these searches? Well, just sometimes, you know, the victims

do help law enforcement. A nine-year-old girl can do a lot of things. She can make noise. She can escape. She could raise, alert someone. She could write a note to someone. It'll be interesting to see if she did anything on her own that helped her be noticed or helped her get found because, you know, nine-year-old girl, pretty smart. She knows something's wrong. She might have been able to alert somebody, wave at somebody, yell, scream, who knows.

Those facts will be interesting. And did he have her in a camper and a tent, you know, in a vehicle? Apparently it was close by the state park time. So there's a lot of information to get, and we need to glean that. So, you know, all the parents in the country can use the facts to say, okay, we're learning. every day we're going to do this better next time okay again if you're just joining our coverage we've just learned at the top of the hour that Charlotte Senna that nine-year-old girl who had gone missing just north of Albany has been found alive a suspect is now in

custody if we get any other developments we will bring them to you as soon as they come into our newsroom we want to turn now to our other big story that we're following tonight former President Trump in a New York courtroom today the stunning images broadcast around the world for the opening of the 250 million dollar civil fraud trial. The case centering around who's responsible and what the punishment should be after the judge in the case found that Trump fraudulently inflated the values of his business properties. Trump tonight attacking the judge and the New York Attorney General. Here's NBC's Laura Jarrett with more. Tonight, Donald Trump once again in a courtroom with the fate of his business empire

now on trial. Today in court, we will prove our case. New York Attorney General Letitia James accusing Mr. Trump, his sons, Eric and Don Jr., and his name say company, the Trump organization, of exaggerating the value of his real estate properties, including Trump Tower, Mara Lago, and 40 Wall Street by over $2 billion to receive better loan terms from banks. No matter how powerful you are, no matter how much money you think you may have, no one is above the law. Just outside the courtroom doors, the former president attacking James, a Democrat, for bringing

the civil suit. Every time they give me a fake indictment, I go up in the polls. And going after the judge, who's also a Democrat. We have a rogue judge who rules that properties are worth a tiny fraction and 1-100, a tiny fraction of what they actually are. The Republican frontrunner arguing the banks were not victims of fraud and blasting the suit as election interference. They're wasting everybody's time for many months of this case,

The banks got paid a fortune. Blown money got paid money back. Didn't even need their money. But the judge already rejected that argument, pointing out the state only needed to prove his financial statements were false and misleading, and Mr. Trump's, quote, clearly contain fraudulent valuations. The key issues now left for trial, who's to blame for that fraud, and how much should be paid as a penalty?

In a deposition video played today, Mr. Trump suggested checking the accuracy of financial statements was the task of his long-time chief financial officer and co-defendant. Was Alan Weisselberg responsible for that? Objected to the form. I would say yes. All right, Laura, Jared joins us now in studio. So, Laura, first things first, how are we able to see the former president in court sitting there in the defendant's stand because it's something we haven't seen before?

Yeah, and it's very rare to be able to get cameras in the courtroom. We get still photography sometimes, but very rare to actually have a TV be able to broadcast from there. because of the work of a media coalition, lawyers who have been on our behalf for spaces like NBC and others outlets who've been trying to argue that this is a case of such importance that the media should be able to broadcast it. All right. And I want to ask you, you know, when we think about this case and how it started, the banks never complained about these loans or complained about former President Trump's real estate portfolio. This was brought on by the Attorney General. What's her argument on why she decided to target this one real estate tycoon? And it's why you hear Mr. Trump and his attorneys making the argument there is no victim here. But the judge who's actually already ruled in Letitia James' favor on this point on liability for fraud.

Basically, he's saying under the law, you don't have to show a victim. Basically, any ill-guided gains, that alone is a violation as long as there has been fraudulent misrepresentations, which the judge has found that there is. And basically all this left for trial at this point in time is to figure out what the penalty is. Okay. We thank you so much for that, Laura Jarrett. legal analysis on Trump's day in court and the civil case against him here in New York. I want to bring in our all-star legal team today, NBC News legal analysts, Angela Senadela,

and defense attorney Danny Savalas, who is also an NBC News legal analyst. Angela, I'm going to start with you. So Trump is essentially found guilty in parts of this case already. If they take his license away to do business in New York, how is that going to affect him going future and doing business around the country? I mean, it could impact him across the country. Other courts could bring similar actions against him, but the heart of his business is in New York. Also, all the banks are in New York.

If you take away his right to do business with these banks and in New York State, you're really crippling him. So I see the ramifications on him and his business and his life to be significant. Yeah, Danny, you know, the judge already ruled that there was fraud in this case. So explain to our viewers what's left for them to do in this trial because it's going to take weeks. So the judge granted what's called summary judgment, and that's a motion. that in civil cases you make, when a party believes that there are really no issues of fact, it's undisputed the facts, and so all the judge has to do is decide on the law. But what makes this a bit of a paradox is that it's a bench trial. So while the judge decided issues of law,

he preserved the remaining issues of fact for the jury, which in this case is the judge. So he basically just delayed his final decision on all the facts that he mostly has in front of them. But those issues, at least as to the fraudulent nature of those statements of financial condition, those are now etched in stone. So this case proceeds to trial, and then the judge will determine the remaining issues, among those, the amount of the dollar penalty. And some other remaining issues that need to be decided. But to say that the Attorney General's office is in the poll position here is an understatement. There's nothing better in a civil case than going to trial when most of the issues of liability have been determined in your favor. on summary judgment.

Angela, can you think of any legal strategy on why President Trump decided, former President Trump decided to show up in court today and then blast the judge outside, even though, as Danny pointed out, there's no jury in this case. It is the judge. Yeah, I really think that that was a poor legal strategy.

The only thing I could think of is that it's meant to preserve appeal, that he's just basically saying, this case is done, this judge is biased, I am going to go straight for appeal. I believe he was just throwing it all away today. One of the prosecution's key witnesses is going to be Michael Cohen. I've talked to you before about Michael Cohen as a witness in a case.

Would you put him up because he has a long history with former President Trump? Obviously, he has a legal history with him, but he's also in current litigation with him. He's written books against him. He went to jail, prison, I should say, for some of the crimes he committed. Is he the kind of person you want to have to put on the stand? The reality is people like Michael Cohen are frequently who cooperating witnesses. are. And this isn't a criminal case, but it's a lot like a criminal case in the sense that if they were to call Michael Cohen, then he has all the classic problems of every cooperating

witness. And in fact, it's almost a script that I could read to you, which is they would call Michael Cohen, and then the defense would go through the usual questions. Isn't it true that you're here because you got caught, you're singing for your supper, you're getting a deal, all the old chestnuts for every cooperating witness? But the reality is, the Attorney General's office doesn't really need Michael Cohen all that much. Yeah, maybe they call him to authenticate some documents, but this is a documents case. This case can be one on the documents alone. You have to call people in to authenticate them. Every piece of paper that you introduce in evidence in court has to be at least authenticated by a human or in some other way. But once that's done,

you don't need Michael Cohen that badly. So the Attorney General's office knows this. They may call them. They may not. If they need them for a document, they'll call them, but they're not going to balanced their entire case on Michael Cohen. The genesis of this case, because you're a defense attorney, if you were defending former President Trump, would you look at the genesis of this case and say, listen, Mr. President, they're coming after you because of everything you said while you were president, because you're a Republican, and this is purely political? Or do you think there is a big legal case here, and he was not targeted just for politics?

I think the argument could, well, you could say both. Here's why. this case likely had its genesis in large part when Michael Cohen went before Congress and talked about all the bad things that he said Donald Trump was doing in business. And guess what? For better or worse, that's how a lot of prosecutors, specifically federal prosecutors and attorney general's offices, which don't have the resources, and it's not the attorney general's job in New York to prosecute street crime. They are essentially an office of cherry picking. And a lot of times they get their ideas from what they see on TV.

For better or for worse, they see something on TV. They think it's an issue. They investigate, and that's likely a lot of the reason that this case was initiated. But if it is stamping out an evil in the financial community, then however they found out about it, so what, right? A lot of what if he wasn't former President Trump, if he was just Donald Trump and he had never become president, do you think he'd be in this position? Oh, I love this. I love rampant conjecture, and I'm glad to do it because, yes, would Donald Trump be in all this trouble if he hadn't started going on a national? and international stage, become the president, and ranting the way he does? Of course not. Because I think for the most part, look, he's been doing this, this kind of

business in New York for decades. How did he fly under the radar, Tom? How did that happen? It's only because he had someone like Michael Cohen come out against him and testify before Congress, unless it's to be believed that he was being investigated all through these decades, and they were right on the cusp of going after him, the Attorney General's office, which, by the way, this is not a criminal case. They were investigating him all this time. But I mean, to President Trump's, you know, to put out what he was saying, the banks got into deals with him, too. The banks had lawyers, too. They reviewed all these contracts. The banks, I mean, and the banks aren't the ones crying foul here. Yes, but that is not a, that is actually a deceptive argument, and I'll tell you why.

Because the argument that he makes when he walks out of the courtroom that, hey, I never defaulted, the banks never were harmed by this. what happens, and he knows this, he understands finances, if nothing else. When you lie to a bank about your asset value or inflate the value of your property, you are imposing on that bank without it knowing about it, risk. In other words, they're loaning you money based on a risk that they've assessed that is fraudulent. So even if you pay back the loan and there's no harm, no foul, that risk that you expose the bank to is a tangible one. They are a victim in that sense, maybe not in the criminal sense.

In fact, sometimes, yes, in the criminal sense, but in this case, the argument that, hey, I paid everything back, so no big deal. You're essentially saying that as long as I pay back the loans, it's okay to put whatever you want in your statement of financial condition, that I have a billion-gillion dollars, and I have all the money in the world, so please loan me this money. Angela, what's the worst case for the president here? In this case, it's not prison time, correct? It's fines and losing his licenses to operate in New York. Right, and it's huge fines up to $250 million. But I'm going to respectfully disagree a little with Danny here and say that I want to see these bank officials get on the stand. Are they going to incriminate themselves and say that they just breached their fiduciary duties, did not do their due diligence?

Or is it possible that on the stand they are going to provide some argument that shows that Trump's valuation is somewhat reasonable? And if that is the case, if they are showing that the judge and Trump and the bank had different valuations, isn't that in itself an argument that there is subjectivity of appraisal? And I'm going to agree with their disagreement here because she's right in the sense that Trump already submitted the affidavit of an expert to Justice and Goran, and Justice and Goran basically dismissed that affidavit of that expert, but basically saying, hey, these statements of financial condition in our business, they don't mean nothing. You should go out and do your own due diligence, which is pretty shocking when you think about the state of the industry if this is going on. And the amount of money that we're talking about, you're talking about that risk, you think they would do their due diligence? You think they would, but they're not a defendant in this case. It's just Trump. So maybe they'll come in and talk about it. It's the former president's fault.

Guys, thank you so much. You brought a lot of great points. We could keep talking about this, but we've got to move on. Great having you. Angela, Danny. Always a pleasure. Now to that deadly church roof collapsed in Mexico. Authorities say the roof of a Catholic church near the Port of Dambico caved in

while dozens of people were participating in a Sunday Mass. The collapse killing at least 11 and injuring 60. Mercer Parra reports. In a North Mexican city, the search for survivors grows desperate. This is all that's left of a Santa Cruz church after the deadly collapse of a building's roof during Sunday Mass. The moment captured on this surveillance camera. Out of nowhere, the roof is seen completely caving in. State security officials are still investigating, but say the cause is most likely a structural failure. Families are seen desperately looking for their loved ones in the debris.

in our diocese of Tampico, the death of a church of the Santa Cruz standing in the celebration of the Eucharistia. The collapse happened in Ciudad Mado in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, which borders Texas

and the Gulf of Mexico. Military personnel and emergency services have been working around the clock. using cranes and five teams of rescue dogs. They searched through the rubble looking for any signs of people and what went wrong. They're giving reference that has more of 50 years. There's been here functionally and operatively with no problem and without any indication of any issue of any fission.

Officials today reporting the death toll has risen to 10 while at least a dozen remain in the hospital. Our local bishop offering these prayers to the first responders on the scene, those left recovering, and the families grieving the lives lost. All right, Marissa joins us tonight from Miami. Marissa, the story is just terrible to have that roof collapsed during a time of prayer. What has the response been both locally and across Mexico? Yeah, I mean, you saw the video of the rescue teams, the dogs, the tools, the tools. that are being used to find anything that might be left there that might answer exactly what happened and deliver aid where it needs to be given.

But we're also seeing, of course, condolences from the president being given to the families who are grieving loss right now, those who are still recovering. But then something else interesting here, Tom, is that the Bishop of Thampico has said that the outpouring of support has been overwhelming. In fact, the local hospitals said that they're getting so many donations by way of food and medical equipment that they actually had to tell people to stop because they They already have enough because that's how much people are just pouring in their support. So if there is one silver lining here, it's that people are doing everything they can in the local area to show their support to those who are grieving and those who really need this, Tom.

Marissa Parra. Marissa, we appreciate it. Major news out of the U.N. tonight, the Security Council approving today the deployment of a multinational military force to combat the ongoing gang violence in Haiti. The U.S. vowing to provide support. NBC's Valerie Castro has a story. in two years of gang violence, deadly clashes and brutal kidnappings in Haiti. International troops now being called to intervene. 13 votes in favor. The draft resolution has been adopted. Tonight, the United Nations voting to send military force to stabilize the country. Gangs currently controlling over 80% of the country's capital, Porta Prince,

according to the U.N., who has called the status quo a catastrophic spiral of violence. The vote allowing for a non-U.N. force to provide support to Haiti's national police for at least a year in hopes of regaining control of critical infrastructure, like the airport, ports and roads, the African country of Kenya willing to lead the charge. We'll also be training the Haiti police so that they can have their numbers so that we go. We finish our mission. We come back. We leave them with a stable country. The Kenyans now have the authorization that they needed to collect this posse, if you will, and put them all together and start to form the force that will.

go forward and conduct business in Haiti. So it's the green light that they've needed. The vote comes a year after the country called on the U.N. for help. Since then, the Security Council has imposed sanctions on some of the most powerful gang members, including Jimmy Barbecue Cherisei, who last month set the streets of the Capitol on fire, calling for the ouster of the current Prime Minister, Ariel Henry. Gang members holding weapons at the ready. Some keeping their faces covered, though their gang leader says they have nothing to hide. But it's the Haitian people who are paying the price. More than 2,500 have been murdered by gangs this year, according to the UN,

while nearly 1,000 have been kidnapped. We're at a point now where it's just going to have to start over again, to rebuild the police force, to rebuild the police force, to rebuild civil society. The recent surge in violence pushing tens of thousands to the Dominican Republic, forcing the neighboring country

to shut down its border with Haiti on Friday. The bloodshed, now an undeniable cry for help from the international community. All right, Valerie Castro joins us now live in studio. So Valerie, we know the Kenyan military

has raised their hand. What about the U.S.? Will U.S. troops be in Kenya? in Haiti, I'm sorry? Not troops necessarily, but last month, the Biden administration pledged $100 million in support in the form of intelligence, even medical support, will be there. Today, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken pledged another $100 million with the help of the Department of Defense.

It's still unclear exactly what those resources will be. Other countries like Jamaica and the Bahamas, they will be providing personnel on the ground. This could all be in place early next year. Okay, Valerie Castro, Valerie, thank you for that. We also have some breaking news just coming in from. Capitol Hill. Representative Matt Gates from Florida has formally filed a motion to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy. This would set up a dramatic vote in the chamber as Congress has just six weeks to avoid a shutdown again. I want to bring an NBC News senior national political reporter,

Sahil Kapoor. He joins us live tonight from Capitol Hill. And Sahil, before we get to you, I want to play a piece of sound we have from Representative Gates that just came in. Let's take a listen. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Clause 2A1, of rule nine, I rise to give notice of my intent to raise a question of the privileges of the House. The gentleman will state the form of his resolution. Declaring the Office of Speaker of the House of Representatives to be vacant, resolved that the Office of Speaker of the House of Representatives is hereby declared to be vacant.

Cahill, pick it up from there for us tonight. Yeah, this is a huge moment in terms of the future of the House of Representatives. Matt Gates has officially filed the motion to vacate the speakership, effectively calling on the chamber to overthrow Kevin McCarthy as Speaker. Now, the vote has to take place within two legislative days. We don't know exactly when that's going to be. Matt Gates has been threatening this for a long time. He's never been a supporter of Kevin McCarthy. He's been a chief antagonist of Kevin McCarthy. And he argues that the government funding bill that Speaker McCarthy passed, relying in large part on Democratic votes, was the last. straw for him. He's been accusing McCarthy of cutting a so-called secret side deal with President Biden on the issue of Ukraine. It's something that McCarthy emphatically denied to reporters multiple

times today, so there's no secret side deal, simply that he's going to continue working on that issue separately outside the context of government funding. A huge moment here, it's going to come down, firstly, to whether Gates has enough Republican votes to make this threat credible. He's going to need at least five Republican votes, himself included, to ensure that McCarthy does not have enough Republican votes to stay in that speakership. But beyond that, it really could come down to Democrats. It could come down to whether Democrats vote with Gates to overthrow McCarthy. That would be the default setting. Democrats would want to vote for a Democrat to be speaker of the House. It would be extremely unusual if they voted otherwise. But it is a live ball

here as to whether Democrats vote present and essentially lower the threshold that enables McCarthy to survive with fewer Republican votes. Again, a huge moment here in the House of Representatives today. But Gates wouldn't want to push the power of the House over to the Democrats, right? So the theory would be he'd have enough votes and they'd be able to put a speaker that they'd want to post up. Yeah, that's exactly right. Gates's hope here is that McCarthy is deposed and Republicans regroup and end up picking another Republican speaker. He does not know who that is. We pressed him earlier today in terms of who he would like to see instead as Speaker of the House.

Gates does not have an alternative. He only says it's not going to be him, which is quite obvious to anyone who's here. That's one of Gates's big challenges. The lack of an alternative means McCarthy's hand is somewhat strengthened. Remember, he took 15 ballots to become Speaker of the House in the first place. And some McCarthy allies have told us that if he is removed, McCarthy could simply run again. He retains the support of most Republicans, but in this narrow majority, he needs nearly every last one of them. So he'll stand by for us.

Representative Gates is speaking right now to reporters. Let's listen in. But it's not a certainty. Have you talked to anyone to gazed their interests on becoming speaker if McCarthy? I've had a number of people call me sua sponte to express their own interest. Really? Can you name it? I could, but I'm not going to. Will you oppose?

Because I'm going to keep their confidence. Will you oppose and your allies who oppose Kevin McCarthy? Will you block or vote against every Republican rule if he remains Speaker? I haven't contemplated that. Do you think the Republicans... I will tell you this. I voted for the rules to get our approbes bills to the floor, and I voted for those bills. Do you the Republicans deserve to be back in the majority next year?

Absolutely. Why? I mean, this is, doesn't really, is not really something voters would think about that you guys are functional up here by this kind of fight. Well, I mean, Manu, the big fight so far has been me introducing a motion to have a vote on whether or not Kevin McCarthy still has the confidence of the members of the House of Representatives. That's a very different thing than your third grade teacher trying to tell your kid what gender they are. So I think that we deserve to be in the majority, in large part, based on the unacceptable option that is the alternative. Are you concerned that you're going to frustrate some of your fellow Republicans to the point where they may want to raise the threshold to oust the speaker at some point? That's everyone's prerogative.

Anyone can offer a change to the rules at any time. How do you square Trump saying one thing to you and then saying something different publicly? Okay, we've just been listening to there to Representative Matt Gates from Florida, who has just triggered that vote to oust Speaker McCorme. He's going to have to get the votes. We're going to have to wait and see in the weeks ahead if he has those votes to see what happens here. But a major move there on Capitol Hill tonight. Stay with us still ahead tonight.

The murder investigation in Philadelphia, journalist and community advocates shot and killed inside their home. The chilling post they made on Facebook just weeks before his killing. Plus, the swimmer missing after a suspected shark attack off the coast of Northern California, an update on the search from the Coast Guard.

And the deadly plane crashed near Lake Placid, New York. what we're learning about the passengers on board, including a former NFL pro bowler. Stay with us. Top story, just getting started. We're back now with the manhunt underway in Philadelphia tonight after the murder of a journalist and activist known for speaking up for underdeserved, undeserved groups in his community. He was shot and killed inside his home just weeks after posting on social media that he was threatened. Our George Solis has the details. Tonight, police are investigating the brutal murder of Philadelphia journalist and

LGBTQ rights activist Josh Kruger. He was loved by so many people. He didn't deserve what happened to him. Someone in your house, you're in your house, and someone could just barge in and kill you. And for what? Kruger was shot seven times inside his home early this morning, according to police. Traces of blood still visible on his front steps. Police say there were no signs of forced entry and the shooter fled the scene.

Kruger recently posted on social media about incidents of apparent vandalism and harassment. According to police, in late August, a glass egg was thrown at Kruger's front window. And just two weeks ago, he wrote on Facebook that he'd been threatened by a person that came to his door. Police say those incidents are now part of the investigation into his murder. As a journalist, Kruger covered a variety of political and humanitarian issues. On his website noting, his own experience with homelessness, HIV, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Street economy, trauma, and poverty informed his writing. He made lots of friends and probably as many enemies, but all for good reason, because he was fighting the good fight, for sure.

Kruger also spent five years as a city of Philadelphia spokesperson. Tonight, Mayor Jim Kenney writing, his intelligence, creativity, passion, and which shone bright, his light was dimmed much too soon. Okay, George Siles joins us tonight from Philadelphia. George, do police have any word yet on a motive? Yeah, Tom, no motive yet. This investigation is still in its early phases, but I should note, police officials tell me they are looking at doorbell surveillance video found at the home,

and they hope that will help them solve this case. Tom? Okay, George, so least, George, thank you. When we come back, the machete attack out of Miami, new video shows a driver getting out of his car, walking up to a man on a scooter, and swinging a machete at his head. What police said led to the frightening scene.

We're back now with Top Stories News Feed. The Coast Guard has called off the search for a man who disappeared after being attacked by a shark. A man was swimming with a small group of people at Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California on Sunday. That's what they say he was attacked and dragged underwater. Several agencies helped in the search, even deploying two helicopters. The Coast Guard has not identified the missing man. A Florida man has been arrested after attacking another with a machete at a Miami intersection. Video shows Luis Herrera getting out of his car, walking up to a man on a scooter,

and swinging a machete at his head in a road rage incident. The machete actually hit the victim, but amazingly, he wasn't injured. Herrera faces charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He was granted bond in order to stay away from the victim. And former NFL star, Russ Francis, has died in a plane crash in New York. Police say the plane experienced an emergency after takeoff, then crashed. short of the runway when trying to get back to the Lake Placid airport. Francis played on the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers.

In his career, he made multiple Pro Bowl appearances and won a Super Bowl championship. Francis died alongside a former commander for the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. Okay, we want to go back to that breaking news. We brought you at the top of the hour at the top of this broadcast. The breaking news out of upstate New York, a happy ending after the desperate search for a nine-year-old. Charlotte Senna abducted while riding her bike at a campground. Saturday night. State police announcing tonight she's in good health and a suspect is in custody. Kristen Dahlgren joins us tonight from the scene. So Kristen, this is just simply incredible.

Talk to us about some of the reactions you heard from the people there at the campground. Oh, yeah, Tom. Just an incredible moment. Just after we talked to you at the top of the hour, her family and friends came out. They had all been gathered together, you know, waiting for any news, as you can imagine. It's been an awful 48 hours for them. And then they got the news and there they are. just cheering and clapping. They wanted to thank the media and everybody for sending, you know, their thoughts and prayers and keeping her in the news and in the headlines so the search would continue. Really just an emotional moment there. They said they hadn't been able to see her yet, that they were still waiting for that reunion. I imagine that's going to come at some point

in the overnight hours, but really just a wonderful moment as they got that news that she was found alive, Tom. Kristen, any other news, any other reporting? I know it's just coming in about the suspect who's been arrested. Right. So we do know from the New York State Police that they have arrested a suspect. They are not giving any additional information at this time. And they said the next update, official update, won't come until sometime tomorrow morning. And so they are now working as they have been, you know, on a search for the past 48 hours. Now they're working on their investigation to see what happened to Charlotte and what role this suspect. may have played, and so that is continuing into the overnight hours as well, Tom.

Okay, Kristen Dahlgren for us. Kristen, thank you for that. Coming up, a widespread bedbug infestation right in the city hosting the next Olympic Games. The images of the bedbug seen here on trains will make your skin crawl, how they're trying to get rid of the pest in the city of lights. That's next. Back now with Top Story's Global Watch, and we start with a fatal highway crash in southern Mexico. A speeding truck packed with 27 Cuban migrants crashed after the driver lost control,

the accident killing 10 women, including a child and seriously injuring the rest of the passengers. The driver fled the scene. The migrants had been making their way towards the U.S. and had just crossed over from Guatemala into Mexico. And Turkey striking back after a suicide bombing in the capital city, counterterrorism forces detaining 20 people linked to the Kurdish militant group known as PKK, after they claim responsibility for the attack that injured two police officers. Hours later, the Turkish military launching airstrikes in northern Iraq,

targeting and destroying targets, including bunkers, depots, and caves used by PKK. And there's a giant explosion in England, a massive fireball lighting up the Oxfordshire skies with an orange glow. Police say in lightning struck gas containers had a power plant and caused the blast. 40 firefighters and six fire engines battling that flames. Fortunately, no one was injured. Staying in Europe, we head to Paris now where the city is dealing with an infestation of bedbugs. Social media videos showing the pest in trains, movie theaters, and other public places. You see them right there.

City authorities are now ramping up efforts to get a handle on the situation before the big summer Olympics. NBC's Ralph Sanchez has the details. Tonight, the city of Paris battling a wide. widespread infestation of bedbugs. We have maybe a 15thens because there's a lot of little, videos going viral on social media in recent weeks uncovering the less glamorous reality in the City of Lights. Bed bug sightings in trains and movie theaters across the city

are becoming the new normal, leaving residents and visitors on edge. It really traumatized me, says this woman. I'm actually taking the train right now, and to be honest, not serene. It's surprising, this man says. The fact we can actually see them means there are a lot of them, and they're being seen in the day when they usually come out at night, so that's a big problem. According to a report from France's National Agency for Food, Environment and Occupational

Health, the upsurge in bedbug infestations in recent years has been caused by the rise in travel, and the increasing resistance of bedbugs to insecticides. With the Paris Olympics less than a year away, authorities now ramping up efforts to get a handle on the situation. One member of Paris City Hall saying, I call on the Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne to organize a conference on the fight against the invasive species. And next week, the Transport Minister plans to meet with public transportation providers to brainstorm a plan of action for infested trains. Because right now, Paris is losing this battle to exterminate,

and eradicate the unwelcome pests. Raf Sanchez, NBC News. When we come back, Beyonce and Taylor Swift rocking stadiums and boosting the economy, just how much their record-breaking tours brought in and how you could still see the shows, even if you missed out on concert tickets. Stay with us.

Okay, we're back now tonight, and late-night shows are returning to the air following the conclusion of the rider's strike. industries across the country, strikes continue. NBC's Miguel Almaguer, documenting them all. With daytime talk shows back on the air today, tonight late night will make its long-awaited return. As you may have noticed, we've been off-air for the last five months. Several major productions no longer dark as the spotlight turns to actors. We don't do this!

In a sign of progress, today, SAG-AFTRA resumed negotiations with the alliance. representing studios and streamers, both sides hoping to end their stalemate over issues like pay and the use of AI. I think the studios finally realized that, you know, they got to stop playing games. Like the deal that put writers back to work, an agreement with actors could come together quickly. But it does seem like high-profile strikes are lasting longer and longer. As the UAW approaches its third week on the picket line, Ford and GM announced, Gordon GM announcing over 1,000 non-striking employees have been laid off. Fallout say the companies from the strike.

Everyone across the nation has been like the summer of the labor movement, and it's gaining momentum. In Nevada, 60,000 culinary workers just authorized a strike, while 75,000 Kaiser employees could pick it Wednesday for a three-day stoppage that could become the largest health care strike in U.S. history. One estimate, more than 360,000 workers have walked off the job already this year. There is a domino effect when workers stand in solidarity with one another. It encourages other workers in other industries. Tonight, as some return to work, others are digging in. Miguel Almegare, NBC News. And finally tonight, Beyonce completed her worldwide renaissance tour Sunday,

capping off a record-breaking summer. both hers and Taylor Swift's Ares Tour, generating billions for the U.S. economy. NBC Entertainment correspondent Chloe Melas crunches the numbers. It's a tour with big energy, shattering even bigger records. Beyonce's Renaissance tour concluded its 56-night world tour on Sunday and became the highest grossing tour ever by a woman at more than 560 million, according to Billboard's tracking. The historic tour even providing a boost to the U.S. economy.

A Morgan Stanley report estimated that Beyonce, alongside Taylor Swift, generated a combined $5.4 billion in spending last quarter. On average, Beyonce fans spending $1,800 for the Renaissance tour and Swift fans spending $1,500 for her heiress tour. These women have been powerful economic forces for a really long time, but all of a sudden, the Fed is talking about you, you know. And we're sort of taking them as seriously as we should as the sort of business moguls they are. Swift's 146 state tour continues into 2024 and is expected to become the highest grossing of all time at an estimated 1.4 billion, the first to ever cross the billion dollar mark. The twin tours have become a cultural phenomenon this summer with millions of people packing into the stadiums. I mean, look at the crowd. Look at the line for the merch.

Everyone is... No, no, no. ...dressing up and dressing out for the must-see events. Beyonce fans known as the Beehive, adorning silver outfits for Queen Bay, and Swifties have brought friendship bracelets back while dressing in Swift's different eras. It's merchandise sales, it's services, it's travel, it's flights, it's rental cars, it's hotels, all of these things. As people going out to dinner when they're in these shows, people wanting to get dressed up to

go see the star that they love. Next, both women will look to look. The bank roll the box office as they take their record-setting tours from the stadium to the big screen. Beyonce releasing a trailer for her December concert film on Monday, teasing a behind-the-scene look at the making of Renaissance. While Swiss film has already shattered presale records and is eyeing a $100 million debut ahead of its premiere next week. The two pop culture behemists showing who is running the world. Chloe Malas, NBC News.

Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.