Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, October 28, 2024

Episode Date: October 29, 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, comedy of errors, growing fallout over inflammatory comments at former President Trump's New York City rally as both campaigns entered their final full week on the trail. Trump's Madison Square Garden rally overshadowed by racist and controversial remarks, including a comedian calling Puerto Rico a, quote, floating pile of garbage. The disparaging comments prompting music superstar in Puerto Rican native Bad Bunny to come out in support of Harris, sharing campaign clips with his 45 million followers. followers, the backlash from both sides of the aisle and the potential fallout as Puerto Ricans head to the polls in Battleground, Pennsylvania. Also tonight battle for Michigan, Vice President Harris devoting her time to the critical Blue Wall State, hoping her economic pitch will win over voters. And what about the pivotal block of Arab American voters in that region? The polls driving home just how tight this race is with just over a week until the election. Ballots targeted,

drop boxes in Oregon and Washington set on fire. Smoke pouring. out as ballots are reduced to ash. Police saying incendiary devices ignited those fires. The search underway for a car spied at the scene and what to do if your vote was impacted. An armed standoff coming to a dramatic end after a white Minneapolis man shot his black neighbor, leaving him hospitalized. Disturbing video showing the moments he is struck. The incident sparking outrage. That neighbor filing more than a dozen reports to police saying he and his wife were repeatedly threatened what police are saying about why it took them days to bring that man into custody. McDonald's victim on dialysis, we hear from a teen sickened after eating a quarter-pounder,

contaminated with E. coli. The terrifying moment she realized her body was shutting down and how the restaurant chain is now handling the outbreak. And who is that guy? Basketball legend Dwayne Wade asking that exact question after a statue in his honor was unveiled the sculpture of the Miami Heat Great, catching a lot of heat online, fans saying it looks nothing like him. We hear from the artists themselves tonight about the making of that masterpiece. Plus, the innovative viewfinders bringing autumn leaves to life for those with colorblindness. Top story starts right now. Good evening tonight, both candidates embarking on their final week campaigning ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

The stakes couldn't be higher, with the race still neck and neck, any voter they can persuade in those critical battleground states matters. Vice President Harris making multiple stops in the Blue Wall State of Michigan today, touting her economic plan. While former President Trump spends his time in Georgia, state Biden narrowly flipped in 2020. Both are entering a battleground blitz this week. You can see them all over this map, making their final case to voters with just eight days until Election Day. But tonight, former President Trump's team on defense after the opening speaker at his Madison Square Garden Rally called Puerto Rico a floating pile of garbage. Those remarks quickly sparking backlash and firing up Harris's base, several top Latino music artists showing their support, J-Lo, Ricky Martin, Mark Anthony, and most notably, Bad Bunny. The Puerto Rican native sharing clips of Harris's plan for the island to his millions of followers.

There are nearly six million Puerto Ricans living in the mainland U.S., and they make up a key group of voters in places like, Battleground, Pennsylvania, where there are nearly half a million living on the state in the state alone. Our team is on the ground in Philly today, speaking of Puerto Rican voters about the disparaging comments. That was a foul. That wasn't right. Yeah, that was a low blow, and especially at the place, wrong time, wrong place. Now I'm in early voting because he filled up my desire to vote. And the Latino vote isn't the only key constituency both campaigns are trying to lock down. With Trump and Harris Ayn, Michigan,

they'll need to win over Arab and Muslim voters which make up a significant portion of the state's electorate. The New York Times reporting, a Muslim mayor of Hamtramic, Michigan, formerly endorsed Trump, a small city just a few miles north of downtown Detroit. He tells the paper that decision came from his anger

over President Biden's support of Israel, but many of his constituents remain polarized over the issue. We have a lot to get to this evening, But we start tonight with NBC's Garrett Hake in Georgia. Tonight, former President Trump in Battleground, Georgia. I think it's going to be the most important election in the history of our country. It comes after Trump's massive rally, packing Madison Square Garden in deep blue New York City, the start of his closing argument.

On issue after issue, Kamala broke it, but I will fix it. We're going to fix it. Tonight, the Trump campaign facing bipartisan backlash over racist comments from a comedian, who spoke earlier, including this about Puerto Rico. I don't know if you guys know this, but there's literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. Yeah. I think it's called Puerto Rico.

Okay. All right. Okay. We're getting there. Trump's campaign distancing itself, saying, quote, this joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign. Today, Vice President Harris going after Trump. It is absolutely something that is in terms of. something that is intended to and is fanning the fuel of trying to divide our country.

Republicans blasting the comedians comment too, including Congresswoman Maria Salazar, calling it disgusting, saying it does not reflect GOP values. Florida Senator Rick Scott saying it's not funny and it's not true. And now Puerto Rican music superstar and Harris supporter Bad Bunny weighing in, reposting to his 45 million Instagram followers, Harris's message to Puerto Rico about Trump. He abandoned the island, tried to block aid after back-to-back devastating hurricanes. I'm very proud to have the support of both like Bad Bunny and Jennifer Lopez and others who were supporting me before that nonsense last night at Madison Square Garden.

J.D. Vance today responding. I haven't seen the joke. I'm not going to comment on the specifics of the joke, but I think that we have to stop getting so offended at every little thing in the United States of America. I'm just, I'm so over it. Today, in Pennsylvania, reactions from Puerto Rican supporters of Trump? I didn't really get offended, like, because I know people just like the gossip. And of Harris. All those disgusting rhetorics need to be stopped.

The Puerto Rican vote could prove pivotal in Pennsylvania, the biggest swing state, where some 300,000 voting-age Puerto Ricans could cast ballots. Our recent poll shows among Latinos overall Harris leads, but Trump performs better with Latino men, splitting the vote with Harris. Meanwhile, the MSG rally also featuring Trump supporter and billionaire Elon Musk. Massive crushing victory. Get everyone, friends, family, people on the street. Put the signs up.

Put the hat on. Let's go. Today, Philadelphia's Democratic DA filing a lawsuit to stop Musk's daily million-dollar giveaway to registered voters who sign his petition supporting free speech and the Second Amendment. The DA calling it an illegal lottery. Musk has not responded, but President Biden did today. I think it's totally inappropriate. All right, Garrett Hake joins us from the campaign trail in Atlanta.

Garrett, that wasn't the only comment going back to that Trump rally that was out of bounds. Here are a few other shocking moments. She is the devil whoever screamed that out. She is the antichrist. When I hear Kamala speak, it sounds, yeah, it sounds like a script from Hollywood with a rich, Really, really bad actress. He is some sick bastard that Hillary Clinton, huh? What a sick son of a...

So, Garrett, is there a strategy with this type of closing argument? Well, the short answer is no, Tom. I think the strategy was to try to make the event at Madison's Square Garden look as big and seem as important as possible. And that meant filling out a list of speakers for a candidate who doesn't have the same kind of celebrity support that Kamala Harris does. That's why you had a lot of these folks added to the program late, and the Trump campaign essentially now has to sort of ride out what these folks added to their

scripts and added to their remarks yesterday for as long as this stays in the news cycle, which with Trump might not be that long time. Yeah, so the campaign seemed to distance itself from those comments, though we haven't heard from former President Trump himself, at least not yet. Has anybody in the Trump campaign been fired or reprimanded for booking that comedian? Yeah, Tom, Trump on stage behind me now, he's not mentioned those comments, was very excited to talk about Madison Square Garden at the start of this event. No one has been fired, although I couldn't speak to any internal reprimands, but I don't

think anyone will be fired. And part of the reason for that is that the Trump campaign wants to project that they don't apologize for things like this. They don't back down, and they think, essentially, the people who are upset about it need to get a sense of humor. You heard some of that from J.D. Vance. Firing someone would suggest that this was in some way a mistake and not. just a bunch of liberals getting upset, which is, I think, the way that they're going to

continue to characterize it and try to ride this out. Garrett Hake for us from the campaign trail, Garrett, we thank you for that. For more on the comments at that Trump rally and how the Latino community is reacting, I want to bring in Carmen Yuline Cruz. She is the former mayor of San Juan and served during Hurricane Maria. So I have to ask you, Carmen, what was your reaction when you heard those comments? Well, my first reaction was like, this cannot be happening. And I, you know, rewinded and went back.

And when I was sure that it had happened, it took me back to that moment many years ago, seven years ago, where Donald Trump came to Puerto Rico to throw paper towels at us. And I thought, this is not an oop moment for the Trump campaign and former President Trump. This is a true moment. He continues to show us who he is. He continues to show contempt racism, discrimination, fear-mongering towards not only the Puerto Rican people, but the Latino people in general. And frankly, he has to be stopped. 3,000 Puerto Ricans died because we perceived our lives to be less than. They're not here today to witness him yet condone something.

You know, people are going to say, oh, he didn't say. Well, you're responsible for where your campaign says or does. And again, this is not an oops moment. It's a truth moment. Donald Trump has shown us in September of 2017 what he thinks of us and who he is. And he has to be stopped. Carmen, you know, the person who said it, the comedian, claims that it was just a joke. The campaign has said that they disavowed it.

But you're not buying that, right? Now, I'm not buying it. I think if it was being disavowed, the former President Trump himself would have tweeted something. I mean, the man tweets about everything. So he could have just simply tweeted and said, look, to the people of Puerto Rico, not only do I disavow, I distance myself, this is not the truth. But no, he has a spokesperson to do it. So I really do not know how on a day like today, anyone that lives in the United States and it's a Puerto Rican descendant risk, Puerto Rican and vote for Donald Trump, and let alone somebody that's running for governor of Puerto Rico, the resident commissioner Jennifer Gonzalez, who was the Latinos for Trump co-president, have distanced themselves and said, oh, this is not what it's supposed to be done. This is despicable, but still continues to support President Trump. You cannot have it both ways. Yeah, Carmen, how do you think this moves the needle politically in places like Florida and places

like Pennsylvania, where there are lots of Puerto Ricans? Well, I have to tell you that yesterday I was the Bradley airport when people started watching this and it came up in the news and the people that were waiting for the plane to come back to Puerto Rico were really, really mad, enraged and saddened because it is not only disrespectful. It just shows that he doesn't even care what we think. Two things could happen. One is that I have heard many people say this, not all people, of course. I'm not voting for him anymore.

And twice that they stay home and they don't emit a vote. On the same day that Camilla Harris puts her plan for Puerto Rico out, he puts this despicable comments out. And it just is, you know what it is? It's utterly insulting to know that Puerto Ricans can hold their head up high, and Donald Trump just continues to show us who he is. Finally, Carmen, if you could speak to that comedian, if you could speak to Donald Trump tonight, what would you tell them? Enough is enough.

Stop it. We're sick and tired of you. You're used enough as a chess in your game. We are not a political chess, we're people. You have made us suffer enough. And God be my witness, I know that on November 5th, people will go out and vote. not out of fear, but out of love for a future where we can all be united. And, Carmen, before you go, how would you explain to people here on the mainland, not in Puerto Rico,

why so many Latino men, at least according to polls, are moving towards former President Trump? Well, I think it's because of a misplaced sense of false manhood. Sometimes former President Trump can be perceived as being a tough guy. Well, he's not a tough guy. he's a bully. And when bullies are confronted, as I confronted him after the hurricanes, they backtrack, they backpedal, they hide, they tweet their hate away. So please, let us show the world that we're nothing like him. Do not fall for his theatrics of being a tough guy. He's not a tough guy. He's a coward. And only cowards do to people what he has done to us

and the Latino community. Out of self-respect, don't vote for Donald Trump. Former Mayor of San Juan, Carmen, Yuline Cruz, we thank you for being on Top Story tonight. Thank you very much. For more of the implications, the fallout from Trump's Madison Square Garden Rally could have on the election.

I want to bring in our panel tonight. Hogan Gidley, former Trump White House Deputy Press Secretary and a communications consultant for House Speaker Mike Johnson. And Democratic Representative Darren Soto from the great state of Florida. Hogan, I'm going to start with you with all the coverage surrounding Trump's rally last night. How big of a stumble is this just eight days to the election? The former president was showing positive numbers when it comes to Latino voters. Now the campaign

has to do damage control. How does the campaign fix this? Or can they? Well, I wouldn't say they're doing damage control. It was pretty clear that the comments made by this comedian aren't the sentiment of the campaign or of Donald Trump. They were very clear about that very early on. The fact is, the American people don't care about some comedian who makes a bad joke. Now Kamala Harris, her campaign are running ads using this comedian, like they're running against a comedian as opposed to running against Donald Trump. Kamala Harris' super PAC has made the overture to Kamala Harris to stop getting off message and to focus on the people more. Even Pete Buttigieg says that she's wavering from the main message the American people care about. This is still going to come

down to the issues that matter most to the American people. It's not some goofy comedian who had a bad set. It's the fact that the price for gas and groceries is way high. The borders open and wars are breaking out all over the world. That's what matters to people, and that's what Donald Trump addressed directly. Right. Bad joke, bad set, but also bad judgment, right? The campaign and the candidate is the soul of the campaign? I mean, why make such a big blunder eight days out? Again, I don't know that the campaign had anything to do with this at all. In fact, they said they didn't. They didn't know what this guy was going to say. Comedians, as you know, are notorious for trying to push the boundaries. This guy fell flat. The room didn't like the jokes. The people weren't

laughing. They booed him and heckled him half the time. It was a bad set. But the rest of the night was focused on what the American people care about, which is why Donald Trump is doing so well in the polls right now. And I'm going to ask you about that after we talked to Representative Soto here. Your father was born in Puerto Rico, Representative Soto. You're obviously very familiar with the Latino voters and the significance of the I-4 corridor, you're in Kissimmee, which is Kissimmee, I should say, in Florida. And that I-4 corridor is sort of a swing area, battleground area in a battleground state. When it comes to the election,

what are you hearing from your constituents about these comments? Well, people are angry. There's nearly 1.2 million Florida Ricans here in the Sunshine State. We saw everything from the poor response to Hurricane Maria and nearly 3,000 Puerto Ricans dying to Trump blocking aid

after we passed it in Congress for Puerto Rico, followed up with tossing towels just at the time that those. memories we're starting to fade for some folks. We see this come up like a lightning bolt hitting our community and really salt on an open wound. And so what do we see? We see folks calling my office, folks going out to vote, and we're about to see the full power of a nearly six million person diaspora spanning from Florida to Pennsylvania to North Carolina and Georgia. And meanwhile, on the same day, Vice President Harris was presenting an actual plan for Puerto Rico to help out with small businesses, to help out with disaster recover, to help out with prosperity for the island.

So we see attacks on the one hand, and then we see economic plans to help the future of the island on the other. And it's making a crystal clear. We need to make our voice heard and show just how powerful that we six million Puerto Ricans in the mainland can be with eight days left in the election. Hogan, you know, what was the purpose of that rally in Madison Square Garden? I mean, he could have been in so many places. He could have been in Washoe County in Reno, in Nevada. He could have been somewhere in North Carolina, in Erie County in PA, and yet he's in Manhattan. Why?

Well, look, Kamala Harris didn't have to be in Texas. She's going to lose that state, too. Yeah, but there's a tight Senate race there. I mean, there's a little bit of strategy there. Sure, but you just made my point. Of course, New York and California, ironically, were the two states that actually gave the House over to control of Republicans in the last cycle. So Donald Trump understands that, but look, Donald Trump's speeches go out everywhere across this country, regardless of where

he is. And let's not pretend as though he's not spending a lot of time in North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, all the swing states, Pennsylvania. He's doing all of those things, but he's speaking to all Americans. This was another opportunity for him to kind of show the American people the broad tent that the Republican Party has become. You have former You have union bosses. You have wrestlers. And while the disdain is so obvious from the Democrat party on anyone who would dare watch WWE, our party doesn't care about that. We want to do things that make your life better, regardless of race, religion, color, or creed. Donald Trump did that. I do have to make this one point. And it's an old fight. And I know I shouldn't go backwards,

but I'm going to say it. In Puerto Rico, when he was throwing those paper towels, people in the back were screaming to him to throw the paper towels. And you know and I know that if you're If Barack Obama were there doing this with paper towels, ESPN would diagram his shooting arm and say he could still be in the NBA, for heaven's sakes, he's so good at playing basketball. It's insane the attacks they have on Donald Trump when the administration gave Puerto Rico $96 billion in aid and recovery after that hurricane. He also, I think, threatened to sell Puerto Rico or trade Puerto Rico for Greenland at one point. Representative Sotom, what do you want to say to that?

Well, you can't whitewash what happened with Hurricane Maria. Thousands of people die. Power was out for over seven months. We see what it's like when a president reacts and gets FEMA to do its job. In Florida and Texas, we had good responses, and Puerto Rico was left to dangle in the wind, and they cost lives. And we remember that. It seems like it's a long time ago, but now this reminds everybody that President Trump

has just never been a friend of Puerto Rico. He's looked down upon us, and it goes to this broader theme with this rally of hate yesterday, attacking Hispanics generally, attacking the African-American community. It's when you set something up like that, these types of comments are bound to happen. And in the closing days, Kamala's talking about improving the island, improving central Florida and other areas. But she's the vice president now, Congressman. She's the vice president now. She could have been doing this for four years. She doesn't care. Other Otherwise, you would have seen some result. She's done nothing.

We see border security. We see border crossings at a five-year low. Things are moving in the right direction. They're going across a different way. Hogan, I want to play some comments from the president, former president last night. I want to get your reaction on the other side. Here it is.

And I think with our little secret, we're going to do really well with the House, right? Our little secret is having a big impact. He and I have a secret. We'll tell you what it is when the race is over. Former President Trump there's talking about Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. You work with Speaker Johnson. What is the little secret if you can enlighten us? Well, he put out a statement about this today, which I actually thought was pretty funny.

He said, speaking of secrets, I remember Kamala Harris kept the secret that Joe Biden was physically and mentally in steep decline. No one cared about that. The FBI obviously kept the secret. The Russia collusion was not actually real and that the Hunter Biden laptop was actually real. They kept those secrets fine. but I guess when it's a secret that could possibly benefit Donald Trump, the media cares all about it. But I think the campaign also said in a statement that it has something to do with teletown halls that they're doing together. And, of course, any time a congressman is on a phone with the president in front of voters, it's always exciting because they go ballistic, the fact they're actually hearing directly from a president.

So a lot of these little things go on behind the scenes, and I think that's what Donald Trump was alluding to. Representative Sotom, I want to put some poll numbers up for you. And Garrett had some of this in his reporting as well. Let's put these up for our viewers here as well. Vice President Harris at 54% has a slight lead over former President Trump at 40% when we talk about Latino voters. Her slight lead follows a trend of Republican gains with Latino voters. In 2020, President Joe Biden won 63% of the vote. And former President Trump 32 back in 2016, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won 66%. Trump wins 28.

Okay, you see the trend where it's going. It's even better with Latino men. What is happening with the Democratic Party and Latinos? Look, we have vast majorities of Hispanics voting for us. And when you have someone posing as a strong man, hugging the flag, some people can confuse that for patriotism. But as someone who is there in the chamber on January 6th, I could assure you that former President Trump is anything but a patriot.

He helped launch an insurrection that helped stop the balance of power. And it took his vice president to have courage to finally get this together. And what we've seen is President Biden, Vice President Harris, bring our country back from the brink, from January 6th, from the pandemic, bringing inflation down, which was global and caused by the pandemic. And we need to continue to make our economic arguments about how things are moving in the right direction and that we need to continue to invest. Meanwhile, we have the other side talking about hate, talking about the strangest of things, and

with eight days left, we're going to continue to bring our economic interest home. Representative, sort of before you go, though, I do want to ask you a point-blank question. If the polls are right on Latino voters, specifically Latino men, do you think that's going to cost the Harris Walls ticket to some battleground states like North Carolina, like Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, maybe? I think that we need to continue to push our economic message with Hispanic men until the end. We got some great surrogates like my good friend, Ruben Gallego, who's going to win that Senate

seat in Arizona, and folks up and down the eastern coast who can talk to folks, because we are Latino men, and we know what... will help with the future of the country. Representative Soto, I appreciate it. Hogan Gidley. I appreciate you as well. We thank you both for being on the show tonight. We're also following some breaking news out of the Pacific Northwest. Hundreds of ballots in Oregon and Washington set on fire.

Look at this. Video showing smoke pouring out of the boxes as first responders try to rescue the flaming ballots inside. Police found incendiary devices inside them, which they believe were planted by the same suspect. This happened in Portland and Vancouver. Officials say anyone who dropped off the ballots at those boxes show. contact their election office. Authorities releasing photos of the suspect's car. You'll see it right here, which was both spotted, which was spotted at both scenes.

Okay, and we talk about Election Day, but the election is already here with millions of Americans voting early across the country. NBC News, exclusive early voting data shows that more than 45 million Americans have already cast their ballots, including in the important battleground state of Michigan. That's where Vice President Harris is Chris Costigan State today. Her message focused on the economy as she prepares her closing pitch to voters to tomorrow in the nation's capital. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell has details on that speech. All in on Michigan today, with Vice President Harris making three stops. Her job here, hammering

her economic message. My approach will strengthen America in many ways, including our economy. Donald Trump will weaken America and our economy. The vice president seeing a semiconductor plant in Saginaw. Meeting union labor trainees in McComb County. specifically of what is good for unions and union labor, he's been awesome. Tonight in Ann Arbor, a rare rally reunion with running mate Tim Walls, who met with union machinas in Wisconsin this morning and pounded former President Trump's record. He talks a big game, but he was an absolute disaster for working people. While overall polls show a razor-thin race across the battleground states, a closer look at the economy, brings out a sharp

divide. 42% of voters said if Trump wins, they would be better off financially. But just 24% say they would be better off under Harris. Joseph Knowles, a recently laid off auto worker, has been a lifelong Democrat. Now he's supporting Trump. Right now, I think Trump is the best to help bring back these jobs, to help bring back affordability. Union electrical worker, Barry Platt voted early for Harris. plans. Trump doesn't have any plans. And that makes a difference to you? Absolutely. Today, Michigan begins processing its early votes, with nearly 1.8 million ballots already cast. Among today's early voters, President Biden, who waited more than 30 minutes to cast

his ballot in Delaware. While set up is underway near the White House, for Harris to deliver what AIDS call the closing argument of her candidacy tomorrow night. And Harris Aides say that the vice president will ask voters to imagine America under a Trump presidency or a Harris presidency. She says that he would have an enemy's grievance list about himself and she would have a to-do list about the American people. They also say that she chose the location in Washington because that is the place where Mr. Trump had urged his supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol back on January 6, 2021. Tom? All right, Kelly O'Donnell. We thank you.

Still ahead tonight, a white man accused of shooting his black neighbor in custody after an hours-long standoff. What exactly was happening here? The disturbing video of the neighbor trimming a tree and then being shot to the ground by his neighbor, what he is saying from his hospital bed about the incident and why it took police days to arrest the man who shot him. Plus the warning to parents tonight over a surge of walking pneumonia. These cases are happening in children, the symptoms to look out for. And J.P. Morgan Chase suing its customers after an ATM which allowed them to take out unlimited funds what we're learning about the legal action. Stay with us.

We're back down with a dramatic standoff in Minneapolis involving a man arrested for attempted murder after he allegedly shot his neighbor. According to prosecutors, the victim had called police 19 times to report harassment and threats made by the man next door, but they didn't decide to move in until days after that shooting. Antonia Hilton explains, and a warning some of this video is disturbing. It took five hours. SWAT teams, drones, and a crane. For police to take 54-year-old John Herbert Sawchak into custody after he ultimately

surrendered outside his Minneapolis home early this morning. Sawchak was wanted for the attempted murder of his neighbor, Davis Metori. who he allegedly shot in the neck while Motori was trimming a tree between their two houses. Surveillance video obtained by NBC Minneapolis affiliate CARE 11 shows the moment Maturi fell to the ground. And then I woke up with two to my body holes in my body. According to court documents, Maturi had called police on Sawcheck 19 times in the last year, alleging his neighbor had threatened to kill him and his wife, brandished a knife at them, and hurled racial slurs. Stay away from me.

You don't know what you're doing. Stay away. Try it again, then tough guy. Stay away. You can't throw a punch, can you? Police say they began surveilling Sauchuk after reports of harassment. But even after the shooting, they did not move to arrest Sauchuk for several days, citing his mental illness, possession of a firearm, and knowledge of explosives.

We are not going to bust the door down, guns blazing, and get into a deadly source situation. But we will ensure the community will be safe. As pressure to act ramped up, police say they contacted Sauchick's fans. to gather information about his mental health issues, consulted with a psychiatrist, and had crisis negotiators attempt to contact him. Hopefully, it'll end peacefully and he'll get the help he needs. Metori, who was hospitalized with a fractured spine,

ribs, and a concussion, struggling to come to terms with that explanation. If you're saying you're scared, what does that do to me, you know? Like, you have this body armor, you have the threshold training. You have all, you have this group of hundreds of people you can call for assistance. at any time and they'll be there within moments when i call for assistance when i called for have a knife pointed at me i had to wait hours and hours and hours but tonight the mayor of minneapolis thanking police for taking saw chuck into custody without anyone else getting hurt and all this happening in a residential area that is a cocktail that could erupt at any moment

and requires both the kind of tenacity but also the willingness to do this right Antonio Hilton joins us in studio. So, Antonio, what happened to that neighbor that is now in custody? Well, Tom, details about the man are sparse, but prosecutors say in court filings that he's violated restraining orders with neighbors in the past. But right now, it's not clear how he plans to plead or if he's even retained a lawyer. We expect to learn more, though, in the coming days as he makes his first court appearance, Tom. Okay, Antonio Hilton, we thank you for that.

Now to that E. coli outbreak we've been following. McDonald's will resume selling quarter-pounders this week in states where the hamburgers were pulled with new details emerging about the outbreak. One teen now in dialysis and authorities saying some people got sick after eating them at airports. Christine Romans has the latest.

The quarter-pounder will be back on the menu as McDonald's food safety crisis enters a second week. The Colorado Agriculture Department has ruled out beef patties as the source of the E. coli outbreak that sickened 75 people in 13 states, one person died. A McDonald's spokesperson saying the most likely source of the outbreak, slivered onions. In a video message, McDonald's president vowing to make it right.

On behalf of the McDonald's system, I want you to hear from me. We are sorry. McDonald's no longer sourcing the onions from supplier Taylor Farms, Colorado Springs, saying those onions were sold in McDonald's in Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming, and other states in the area, including airport locations which could account for cases in other states. Taylor Farms says it will continue to work with the CDC and FDA, saying its products on the market today are safe. 15-year-old Camberlin Bowler says she ate quarter-pounders in September and is now in isolation in a Denver hospital with her mom.

It scared me like I was scared, so I told her and it was just like we went to the hospital. Her medical records show acute renal failure most likely caused by E. Cole It's just been scary to see her body work against her. It's been hard. Like I had to take off time from work. She got on the softball team for her high school. She had to miss her last couple games because she was sick. Like she went from being super healthy and like no issues at all to possibly kidney damage for her whole life.

Her attorney says he represents 31 families. There's going to be a lot more cases in this outbreak than 75. The quarter pounder back on the menu in the days ahead, but at about 900 locations, it'll be back on the menu without any onions for now. Now, the company is going to report its earnings tomorrow, so likely we'll hear more about what this has done to foot traffic, but there is one analysis published today that shows foot traffic in the few days after the outbreak was made public. Foot traffic fell at McDonald's. Tom.

Okay, Christine Romans, for us. When we come back, former President Trump has repeatedly said he will carry out the largest deportation program if he's elected. We speak with one family living in fear that they could be ripped apart if that were to happen, and we press two former Trump officials on why they think it's a necessary step and what they would say to those families being separated. Stay with us. Okay, we're back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we start with J.P. Morgan. Chase suing customers that allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars during a technical glitch in August. The so-called infinite money glitch went viral on social media in August,

allowing users to withdraw funds from ATMs before counterfeit checks bounced. J.P. Morgan did warn customers it was illegal at the time. They are now filing at least three federal lawsuits aimed at those who withdrew the highest amounts during the glitch. Stunning drone footage showing landscapes in North Carolina gradually recovering from the destruction of Hurricane Halene. Check this out. Aerial footage showing mountains in Buncombe County, North Carolina. That's Asheville, torn up on one side from hurricane mudslides, but blooming with fall colors on the other. The area is slowly starting to recover weeks after the hurricane pummeled the mountain town of Asheville. Public schools reopened for the first time today. That's a good step.

And the CDC warning that cases of a type of bacterial pneumonia is surging in the U.S., particularly in young children. The strain nickname Walking pneumonia can cause fever cough and a sore throat, but is typically more mild than other pneumonia infections. The CDC is saying case numbers peaked in August but have remained high since late spring. Okay, we want to turn back now to our political coverage and the 2024 presidential election. The Trump campaign pledging that if elected, its administration will conduct the largest deportation program in American history. NBC's Julia Ainsley spoke with a family of mixed immigration status who worry that policy could soon become a reality.

and two former Trump officials who say they think the country is ready for mass deportations. The Rivera family lives in fear of what would be the worst day of their lives. I was afraid that one day they would come home and he wouldn't be here. The day that nobody comes up and picks me up from school. You know, what if he just like doesn't appear? Like, what if he just like doesn't come home after today? Jenny met her husband, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, here in this North Carolina County, 18 years ago.

The family asked, we not show his face or share his name because they are worried he might be deported. As a high school teacher and mother of their two teenage daughters, Isabella and McKenzie, the stakes of her husband being deported are high. Jenny says she lives in fear that her next phone call will be one saying he's been deported. If my husband accidentally butt dials me in the middle of the day and I see his name come up on my phone, my heart just sinks. And I have to step out and answer that phone call.

Now former President Trump is campaigning on the promise of mass deportations, invoking wartime powers laws to deport more undocumented migrants living inside the country than any president in American history. I will invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Think of that. That's how far back. Though Jenny's husband does not have a criminal record, he was previously stopped at the border and sent back to Mexico, making him a possible target for deportation if stopped by ICE. North Carolina's new 287G law guarantees local law enforcement's cooperation with ICE.

In a future Trump administration, that could mean the Rivera's father is. is more likely to be deported back to Mexico, while his U.S. citizen wife and daughters would remain behind. Their father says he lives in the shadows to stay protected. I don't make any trouble. I just go work and coming home,

pick up my kids, they get to soccer, and I live for them, and my family is everything for me. And he's worried people would treat his children differently if they knew his status. I think it's the last eight years with the Trump talking about us. That way, it's kind of, it's like my daughter says, it's kind of a little bit difficult. Really, like a one-at-a-time kind of operation. We spoke to two former Trump officials who said they think the country is ready for mass deportations,

even involving families. Ron Vitello served as acting director of ICE under Trump. He said the first Trump administration worked on a plan to target families for deportation. Part of the problem Vitello said was they were worried about how the public would respond to families being deported. Do you think the American public is more willing to see something like that now? I think it's necessary. I think the polling that I've seen in media and sources such as that, that people are ready

to have that happen because we've got more than 10 million people that have been in encountered by CBP at the border since the Biden-Harris administration took over. And so people are really kind of tired of the impact that that's having. Kamala Harris has blamed Republicans, spurred on by Trump, for blocking a bipartisan bill that she said would have secured the border if passed earlier this year. A recent Pew Research poll found more than 56% of registered voters are in favor of mass deportations of immigrants living in the country illegally. But 58% also said they were in favor of allowing.

un-documented immigrants married to U.S. citizens to stay. Chad Wolf served as acting Secretary of Homeland Security under Trump, though he says he does not speak for the Trump campaign now. While the Biden administration has prioritized criminals and made no effort to target families like the Rivera's, Wolf said families with U.S. citizen children should not be exempted from deportation. Do you think that families would be exempted from deportations under a future Trump administration? Well, I don't know why you would exempt any class of individuals from the law.

That just doesn't make sense to me. We also asked him about the Rivera's daughter's fear of their father's deportation. What would you say to her, you have children? Should she be afraid? Well, again, the hypotheticals are very difficult. I have no idea what their background is unless there's other extenuating circumstances of some kind. You're not going to see that individual a priority for removal as. Look, the end goal here is to protect Americans and protect American communities.

So we want to get the worst of the worst out of those communities. The only way the Rivera's father could apply to live legally in the United States, as the Rivera understand it, would be to leave the U.S. for 10 years. My kids would have to sit outside the country for 10 years or he lives outside the country for 10 years and I stay here. But when's the best 10 years for him to miss? To his teenage daughters, losing dad is not an option at this time in their lives. He's the one that I talked to about my day and how things are going, how my love life is going, how everything is.

Julia Ainsley joins us tonight from Washington. Julia, if former President Trump is elected, do we know how these mass deportations would happen? Do we know which agency would carry them out? The agency in charge, Tom, would be ICE, immigration and customs enforcement. But at this point, they would need 10 times their annual budget in order to carry this out. Trump has said he's going to depend largely on local police. This is state jurisdictions, local sheriffs who were somehow going to be willing to use their men and women, their time, to be able to carry out these arrests. He also has said that he would invoke a 1789 military wartime powers act in order to get the military involved,

although that could be a violation of the Constitution that prevents the military from arresting civilians, even if they are not U.S. citizens. So a lot of logistics still up in the air, also just in terms of the amount of people that they would try to get on flights, that could mean having to vastly expand detention along the U.S.-Mexico border. They haven't put any of these plans firmly in writing yet, and in fact, people are very reluctant to say that they're speaking for the campaign on this issue, but it continues to be something the former president brings up at about every campaign rally. We've seen people holding signs at the R&C calling for mass deportations. They say they'll prioritize criminals first, Tom. But when they're looking at trying to go after over one million people, of course there will be families and some without criminal records who are arrested and deported, Tom. Okay, Julia Ainsley for us tonight.

Julia, we thank you for your reporting, and we will be right back. We are back now with the changing of seasons, promising a gorgeous rainbow of fall foliage. But not everyone can appreciate these stunning views. For those who are colorblind, here's what some of those views can look like. Muted and unsaturated, but new technology and special viewfinders allows those who are colorblind to see the full color spectrum. It's a project spearheaded by a park ranger in Virginia who is colorblind himself. Valerie Castro traveled to the state park where he works to get a closer look. One of the unmistakable first signs of fall, the beautiful array of changing color,

It's going to be a feast for the eyes. Virginia State Park Ranger Ethan Howes has dedicated his career to protecting and sharing these iconic views. What's your favorite part of your job? Seeing people's reactions to things for the first time. But that seasonal rainbow drawing tourists to parks across the country was something Howes hadn't actually seen for himself until recently. Looking out, it's just kind of mundane, I guess, kind of bland. How's is colorblind, making the varied reds, oranges, greens, and yellows appear all one color. Colorblindness can occur in some cases when cones, the nerve selves in our eye that perceive color, are missing or not working.

The most common type is red-green colorblindness, making it extremely difficult to distinguish between those hues. One in 12 men and one in 200 women are affected by colorblindness, making scenic vistas like this look drastically different. That is until House found viewfinders with special lenses that allowed people like him to experience the full color spectrum. With Howe's help, Virginia became the first park system in the nation to have these adapted viewfinders at every location, unveiling them at an event earlier this year. And everybody just sees that normally? Yeah. Okay, that bat's cool. A lot of different colors that I've been recognized.

Melissa Baker is the director of Virginia State Parks and says she'll never forget that momentous day. It was one of the best days of my career. Parks belong to people. Many of us have been able to get out on the trails and see all the colors and do all the things. But it's important for us to find opportunities for people who haven't always had that ability to do that. For Howes, those meaningful moments for visitors, a reminder of the first time he tried the viewfinder himself and called his mother to do. describe what he'd seen. What was her reaction hearing that you were able to see some of these colors now? When I first told her that I looked through it, she started crying, and she probably wept for, I don't know, three or four minutes.

I'm tearing up myself, just kind of recalling that. I never realized how much it impacted other people that I couldn't see it, because I don't really think about it. So it was really cool experience, just getting that reaction from them. Excuse me. Tony Dykes, a co-founder of Enchroma, the company behind the Viewfinder Technology, says experiences like Hows are not uncommon. A lot of people, it is just a surprisingly emotional experience to have this sort of veil drop and see something different in the world for you.

The park has enchroma glasses on hand for people to use on guided hikes and kayaking so park goers can witness the beauty every step of the way. How does it make you feel knowing that you've been instrumental in helping giving people that experience? really proud. I never thought that I would have a large impact the way this has in my career. Valerie Castro, NBC News, Natural Tunnel State Park, Virginia. We thank Valerie Castro and her team for that wonderful story. When we come back, do you recognize this man? Well, neither do the fans of the Miami Heat nor Duane Wade himself. That's right. It's the statue that has gained so much attention. It's at the center of an internet roasting right now. You'll hear from the artists who created this piece how they're defending their polarizing work.

That's next. Finally tonight, you may have seen or already heard about this new statue to Dwayne Wade in Miami. It's taking a lot of heat, no pun intended there. The bronze sculpture unveiled outside of the heats arena this weekend, meant to pay tribute to the three-time champ's incredible career. But some fans, even Dwayne Wade himself, say the basketball legend, is nearly on. unrecognizable. NBC's Jesse Kirst talked to the two artists behind the statue to figure out what exactly happened. Tonight, there's a mystery brewing in South Florida.

I can't believe that. Who is that guy? It's supposed to be a statue of the man asking that question. Miami Heat legend Dwayne Wade, but the internet is not quite so sure. That is not D. Wade. That's Shannon Sharp, the Rock. Like, what's that? Outside the Heat Home Arena Sunday. the team unveiled this new tribute to the man known as D. Wade. While there's plenty of debate about whose face that is, when you look at the whole statue, it's hard to see anybody else.

A figure in a heat jersey on top of the scorers table, some will tell you that's got to be Dwayne Wade. With eight, Wade picking this iconic moment from his game-winning steel and shot against the Chicago Bulls in 2009. Wade puts it up for the win! Yeah, baby! He's got it! Wade, part of NBC's Olympic basketball broadcast team this past summer sat down with today's Craig Melvin before seeing the statue.

How do you measure a moment like that? It doesn't get measured. Hall of Fame, okay, it's a couple of hundreds of May Hall of Fame. When you get here, when you get the statue talk, that number gets really, really low. And I don't even know if I have the right emotions for it. This is crazy. The three-time NBA champion looked up in awe at the ceremony. But some fans may have been even more surprised, claiming the statue looks nothing like the basketball icon.

Who is that guy? One user on X writing, we're all wondering the same thing, man, L.O.L. Another even comparing the statue to zombies from the hit film, I Am Legend. Outside the arena, some fans were skeptical. Not a huge fan of it, but I'm glad it's here. He deserves it all. While others say the Internet does not do this artwork justice. When you look up, who do you see? I see Dwayne Wade flash, the legend, number three, the most historical player in heat history.

I think it looked a lot worse actually on the internet and all the memes that they're making about it. A sentiment shared by one of the sculptors. I would say to anybody that's even slightly critical, come to Miami. Come to Miami, take a look at it in person and you'll be very pleasantly surprised. Both of the sculptures artists defending their work, saying Wade visited with them four times, adding they used a computer to get the details right. He approved it on the site.

He approved it in the photos, and he approved himself. And if somebody else doesn't approve him, he can go to Dwayne himself. Wade is far from the only famous figure immortalized in controversy. This is soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. And this is his likeness, allegedly. This bust in his hometown got so much blowback, it was redone. And if you love Lucy, you might not feel the same way. about this Lucille Ball statue, dubbed scary Lucy, before being relocated.

But the man at the center of yesterday's latest newsie unveiling was all smiles. This is out of body, y'all. This is nothing that you can dream of. This is nothing I ever thought I would experience. I didn't play for this. I didn't pick up the basketball for this. I picked up the basketball to change my family's life. And at the end of the day, that's what this statue is about.

about a remarkable career. Jesse Kirsch, NBC News, Miami. We thank Jesse for that story. If I was doing Wade in the Heat, I think I'd say let's get back to the drawing board. All right, thanks so much for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamison, New York. Stay right there.

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