Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, September 2, 2024

Episode Date: September 3, 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, anguish and unrest in Israel as pressure mounts to secure a hostage deal. A nationwide strike over the murders of six hostages who had been held inside Gaza. The urgent push for a ceasefire as hundreds of thousands flood the streets. President Biden saying Prime Minister Netanyahu isn't doing enough, as the U.S. may be preparing to present a take it or leave it deal. Tonight, a relative of an Israeli-American hostage speaks with top story, what she believes should happen to bring her loved one home. Also tonight, the deadly shooting on a transit train

in a Chicago suburb, a gunman opening fire, killing at least four people, and then taking off. Police say it appeared to be an isolated incident. The local chief of police saying he was shocked, what we know about the suspect now in custody. Miracle landslide rescue firefighters on a daring mission at the site of that deadly landslide in Alaska, rescue teams hearing sounds

in a collapsed home and finding two missing dogs who'd been trapped for days, the emotional reunion with their owners. Shocking video showing the moment a car slams into a house, the vehicle blasting through the living room just as a couple's about to eat dinner, how that couple and their dogs narrowly escaped. Titanic deteriorating, new images reveal

dramatic changes to the legendary ship, parts of the iconic bow collapsing on the sea floor, and researchers, uncovering an artifact once kept in the first-class lounge. Plus, back in the spotlight, our exclusive sit-down with singer-songwriter Rachel Platten, the artist known for her chart-topping fight song, now releasing her first album in years. Our Chloe Malas takes a walk with her in the city where she first got her big start. And a mother, daughter, and their pets stranded at sea as a hurricane was closing in

the extensive operation to get them back to safety. Top story starts right now. Good evening, everyone. I'm Kate Snow in for Tom Yamis. This evening, pressure is increasing to strike a ceasefire deal as anger, grief, and frustration pour onto the streets of Israel. The country enraged following the murders of six hostages held by Hamas. Their bodies were retrieved by Israeli soldiers over the weekend.

Today, a nationwide strike brought the country to a standstill, as hundreds of thousands took to the streets, dramatic scenes playing out all across the country, demonstrators setting fires and reports of fights outside the Prime Minister's house. The family of American Israeli hostage, Hirsch Goldberg, Poland, delivering heartbreaking eulogies at their son's funeral, as thousands of mourners filled the hilltop cemetery where Hirsch was then laid to rest. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushing back against calls from protesters and the international community to withdraw from Gaza, a main sticking point in ceasefire negotiations.

In just a moment, we will speak with the niece of an American-Israeli hostage who is still being held captive in Gaza. But first, we start with NBC's Raf Sanchez and the latest on those protests. This night, protesters bringing their fury to the gates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Jerusalem residents. Public anger in Israel spiraling after the killing of these six young hostages. and what demonstrators see as the government's failure to bring them home alive. The IDF says they survived more than 300 days in captivity,

only to be murdered by their Hamas guards in a tunnel beneath Rafah late last week. Israeli troops reached the tunnel Saturday, but it was too late. Protesters say they could have been saved if Netanyahu agreed to a ceasefire deal. And today, labor unions ordered their 800,000 workers to strike, demanding he changed course. President Biden, adding to the pressure. Mr. President, if you think it's time for Prime Minister Netanyahu to do more on this issue, do you think he's doing enough?

No. Tonight, Netanyahu telling the families, I ask your forgiveness that we were not able to bring them back alive. But also giving no sign of backing down, repeating his demands that Israeli troops stay in control of the Egypt-Gaza border. He says it's necessary. to stop Hamas smuggling in weapons, but it's been a key stumbling block in negotiations. And even Israel's defense minister says it's worth conceding to save the hostages.

My sweet boy. Hours earlier, American hostage Hirsch Goldberg, Poland, was buried in Jerusalem. For 23 years, I was privileged to have the most stunning honor to be Hirsch's mama. I'll take it and say thank you. I just wish it had been for longer. His parents still wearing the pieces of tape counting the days since October 7. Maybe, just maybe, your death is the stone, the fuel that will bring home the remaining 101 hostages.

A nation's anger and a mother's grief. And Hirsch, there's one last thing I need you to do for us. Now I need you to help us. to help us stay strong. And I need you to help us survive. And Raff joins us now from Tel Aviv. Raph, what are the leaders of Hamas saying about the deaths of these six hostages?

Kate, for the first time tonight, Hamas appears to be accepting that it was responsible for the killing of those hostages, a spokesman for its military wing, putting out a statement saying, its forces are now under orders to shoot their prison, prisoners if Israeli troops attempt a rescue. And they put out a sort of taunting video showing these six killed young hostages and saying that more rescue attempts will lead to more deaths

and that the only way Israel can get its hostages back alive is through negotiations with Hamas. Kate. And Raffa, labor court, I understand, has ordered an end to the strike that you mentioned in your piece. Have most businesses complied? And do we expect the hours-long strike now to have any ripple effects there? Yeah, Kate, so this strike was supposed to go on all day. A court stepped in earlier, so it only went for a couple of hours. It did cause delays at Israel's main airport.

It shut down the banks. It did not paralyze Israel's economy. And the hope of the organizers is that that would really put pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu to change course over a ceasefire deal. At this point, the labor unions have not called for any further days of strikes. And it's not clear how much impact this is going to have going forward. Kate. Raph Sanchez, thank you for more on the status of ceasefire talks.

Let's get right to Monica Alba. She's at the White House for us. Monica, we know the president met with the U.S. negotiating team in the situation room earlier today. What more do we know about that meeting? Yeah, Kate, and those key players are usually in the region, but they were all in person today. People like Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, CIA director Bill Burns and others who have been shuttling back and forth to the Middle East to try to advance the talks. And I'm told that they discussed the next steps here and what could potentially be done. The U.S. was already really pushing toward what they're calling

a bridging proposal and a framework that could buy a bit more time to iron out some of the differences that Israel and Hamas still have. And then the news of this weekend with those murdered hostages, including one American, that just adds a new urgency to all of this. And so they had to try to get together and talk about what could come in the next few days. and also try to figure out how to diplomatically advance this and see if any of those key negotiators might be returning to the region as soon as this week, Kate. And Monica, we've heard that the White House might be moving toward presenting a kind of

take it or leave it deal for the two parties. What would that look like and what kind of leverage does the U.S. have to try to impose that? And it's certainly risky, and there is no final decision that's been made to do that, but I am told that that was among the topics discussed this morning. in the situation room, this idea that the U.S. could come out at some point in the near future and say this is the last final best offer to the negotiating parties to say you need to accept this, or it could mean the end of American-led negotiations. So in effect, the U.S. in that scenario, would walk away from their negotiating role. Again, there's nothing indicating that that's

definitely what's going to happen, but we know at least that the National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan communicated that as a potential option in a virtual call with the U.S. hostage families yesterday. So at least that's something that's on the table as really the key closing factor here. Because so far, as we know, Kate, nothing has worked and this deal has still proved to be very elusive. Yeah, that's for sure. And Monica, I also want to ask you about a call this morning that we understand the National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had with both Israeli and Qatari officials. What more do we know? Essentially, Jake Sullivan has been working the phones all day long, I'm told.

He's been talking to his key counterparts to, again, try to iron out some of the outstanding issues that are still really key. And these are things that even months ago had been a bit intractable. So there's this challenge of trying to figure out, do we keep pursuing in terms of the Biden administration and the officials that I speak to? That's the idea they're asking themselves. Do we keep at this? Do we see if we can make any more incremental progress?

or is there something else that needs to be attempted? And we know that Jake Sullivan is constantly in touch with those negotiators and with the key players, and that's expected to continue. And the next step would be Kate to see whether President Biden himself is also going to be reaching back out to some of these world leaders, which I think is likely given the events of the last couple of days. Kate? All right. Monica Alba, appreciate all your reporting.

Thank you. As the families of those six hostages whose bodies were recovered from Gaza mourned their deaths, The families of 101 other hostages, including seven Americans, are pushing for a deal to get the remaining captives released. Joining us now is Hannah Siegel. Her uncle Keith Siegel is an American hostage being held by Hamas. Her aunt, Aviva Siegel, was held for 52 days and released in a deal last November. Hannah, it's good to see you. Thank you so much for joining us on Labor Day. Really appreciate it. As you know, of course. And over this holiday weekend, we learned about the bodies of those six hostages. being recovered. I can't imagine what that was like for those families and for families like

you are still waiting. How did you find out? And what are you thinking and feeling? Yeah, it's, you know, this past 11 months has been a really unique nightmare. This past weekend, I actually was at a wedding and got a call right after the ceremony ended, giving me the news that this had happened, the news that Keith wasn't on the list of. hostages who had been killed, but that Hirsch, an American, whose parents, my family and I have been working advocating with for months was. And it's devastating. It's incredibly discouraging. We're coming up on the year anniversary of October 7th. And I think for all of us, we never imagined we'd be here. And I know you were, Hannah, part of a meeting yesterday, right, with National Security

Advisor Jake Sullivan and other White House officials and a lot of families like you of American hostages in Gaza. What were your biggest takeaways from that meeting? You know, I think, first of all, Jake Sullivan and his team, President Biden, they've given us extraordinary support, access, transparency, and as much information as they possibly can. So I'm very grateful and also not surprised that they were willing to talk with us yesterday. You know, they continue to push for a deal. They continue to be our biggest champion. And I trust them and their commitment. I think the hard part is we're trying to make this deal. They are trying to make this deal between a terrorist group, Hamas, and a prime minister, Netanyahu, whose

political future depends on continuing this war. And so, in my view, we don't have two sides that are operating in good faith. And that puts the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and all of the other players who are really working to try and get Heath and the other hostages home in an extremely difficult conversation. Excuse me, position. Yeah, and I wonder, Hannah, your aunt was released last fall. We mentioned this. A deal was negotiated then to get hostages out. Do you think that is the only way right now that the remaining hostages come home? You know, it's really hard to think about Aviva was released in November, and that was the biggest sign of hope for my family and for everybody else. However,

It's been months, months and months of trying to get a deal, trying to iron out these details. And we just don't have time. We don't have time. And so while I have such trust and gratitude towards the Biden administration, I worry that this process isn't working. And I worry that we need to step back and try something else. What does that something else look like?

Do you have any idea? You know, I'm not a negotiator. I'm not a member of the National Security Council. I think that the Biden administration takes their responsibility to get the seven Americans home very, very seriously, as well as the 101 hostages. And I think we have to think about, you know, if the larger deal remains elusive.

And unfortunately, it's beginning to feel like we're doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for different results. What can we do to get at least some people home? What can we do to break the logjam? I don't know exactly what that is. I do know, you know, this is something that Jake talks about with us openly. They are exploring every possible avenue.

But at this moment, from my perspective, it's very hard to have faith in the process that's happening. That's hard to hear that from you. And it sounds like what you're saying, Hannah, is that you're not sure that even this moment, this weekend, with six people dead, is the moment that breaks the log jam and gets people to come to the table. I hope it is. I hope it is. And I know John Hirsch's father spoke about this when he spoke at Hershey's funeral earlier today saying maybe this is the thing. Maybe your death isn't in vain. It's the thing that pushes us forward towards peace and towards the hostages coming home. And I hope it is. I mean, the most encouraging thing I've seen all weekend are the hundreds of thousands

of people that have taken to the streets in Israel in support. of bringing these hostages home. It's something that Americans agree needs to happen. Israelis agree needs to happen. Congress agrees needs to happen. I mean, how many things can you say that about these days? And so I really do hope this is the moment that pushes the process forward and breaks the logjam. But, you know, optimism is hard to come by after this weekend. Yeah. Hannah Siegel, it's really good to have you with us. I really appreciate your time on the holiday. Thank you. Best to you. We'll be thinking of you. We want to turn now to A developing story just outside Chicago.

Four people are dead tonight after a gunman opened fire on a transit train. The deadly scene unfolding early this Labor Day morning. Police say one suspect now in custody. For more on this, Adrian Broadest joins me from Forest Park, Illinois. Adrian, that's the suburb just west of Chicago. I know the chief of police said that he saw this as something just really rare and unusual. Talk about what we know from police. Yeah, the chief of police you're talking about is Deputy Chief Chen, and he's calling this an isolated incident.

I spoke with him in the last hour, and he told me it appears all four victims were sleeping on the train when they were shot. Three of the victims were in one car. They were not seated together. They were separated. The fourth was in another car. And this all unfolded earlier this morning just before 5.30 a.m. The suspect is in custody. We do want to know. that that person has not been charged yet. We still know very little about the suspect and what led to this shooting. That's a big piece of the puzzle. Investigators are trying to determine what is the motive behind this, Kate. And Adrian, do we have any details about the victims in the shooting?

So we're still waiting to learn more about the victims. We know the fourth person who was transported to a nearby hospital died at the hospital. Investigators tell me they believe that's a man in his 60s. The other three people who were killed this morning have not been identified. In fact, investigators are still trying to locate their next of kin. Again, they were sleeping on what's known as the blue line. This particular line runs from Chicago O'Hare International Airport all the way downtown. This Park Forest, or excuse me, Forest Park is one of the stops along the way.

And the mayor here in Forest Park says he is calling on state leaders for additional resources when it comes to public safety. All right. Adrian brought us following that for us. Adrian, thank you. Now to power and politics and the new push from the Harris campaign to win over workers or to attempt to win over workers in states where Democrats hope to create a so-called blue wall. The vice president campaigning tonight with President Biden in Pennsylvania. As former President Trump heads to that state later this week, Gabe Gutierrez is on the ground in Pittsburgh for us tonight. Tonight, in the Steel City, President Biden and Vice President Harris in a rare joint campaign appearance courting organized labor on Labor Day. When union wages go up, everybody's wages go up. When union workplaces are safer, all workplaces are safer.

When unions are strong, America is strong. The vice president saying that U.S. Steel. should remain domestically owned rather than be sold to a Japanese company. I trust her. The latest attempt to win over blue-collar workers in critical swing states. I'll tell you something. Kamala are damn proud that we protected the pensions of over one million workers and retirees. Harris visiting Michigan earlier in the day.

We are out here running like we are the underdog in this race because we know what we are fighting for. While her running mate, Governor Tim Walves, hit Wisconsin. Really simple. It's really simple. When unions are strong, America is strong. Recent polls show Vice President Harris doing better than former President Trump nationally and in key battlegrounds by a handful of points, but within the margin of error. Compare that with polling that mostly showed Trump with a narrow edge before Biden's departure from the race. We needed a new spark. Natalie Glasby and her husband Christian here in in Pittsburgh have been union members for decades.

We're a little bit more excited for having a younger, more upbeat candidate that's going to stick up for us. Notably, though he's courted rank and file workers throughout his campaign, former President Trump was not on the trail today. He is expected here in Pennsylvania for a town hall on Wednesday, and he's hoping an updated indictment in the federal election interference case against him will bring new momentum. Whoever heard you get indicted for interfering with a presidential election where you have every right to do it, you get indicted, and your poll numbers go up.

Kate, this event just wrapped up, and it was a significant moment. For the first time in an event like this, President Biden spoke first and introduced Vice President Harris, a symbolic passing of the torch in front of this union crowd. Kate? All right, Gabe Gutierrez, for us, Gabe, thank you. On this Labor Day holiday, let's turn to the weather now. in the west. A high fire danger now in effect with millions under alerts. It comes as sweltering above average temperatures are expected across the southwest with the potential for record highs

in that region. Plus, we're monitoring developments in the tropics. So let's get right to NBC News meteorologist Bill Karens. He joins me in the studio. Bill, let's start in the west and those dangerous fire and heat conditions. What are you concerned about there? Yeah, Kate, as we started the summer, it was very hot in the west. We had a lot of big fires. Then everything kind of settled down. And now we're fearful, we're hopeful, but fearful of what could come. So we have red flag warnings that are widespread. This means that it's windy. This means that it's dry and the humidity is low. And if any fires form, they could rapidly spread. The key is if any form. And these do include areas from South Dakota and Wyoming, a good chunk of Idaho here in northern Nevada, the Salt Lake City area.

And as far as the heat goes, summer's not over yet. I mean, we're under Los Angeles. We're under excessive heat warnings. We have heat advisory, Sacramento to Fresno. And we add it all up. It's about 32 million people. This is mostly peaking Wednesday, Thursday into Friday. So if we do get any fires out there, the firefighters, you know, they have extreme heat to deal with. So average temperature is a little above tomorrow, but as we head towards the middle of the week, this is Wednesday. Look at Portland up to 93 degrees. Vegas 106, Phoenix jumps up to 110. And then by the time we get towards the weekend, the heat continues throughout this region, Kate. So, you know, we'll cross our fingers. No virus form. We're fine. But if they do, they can take off. Right, right. And then I know

your team's tracking the tropics as well. What's the latest there? This is the story of the late summer. I mean, this is Labor Day weekend. I never make Labor Day weekend plans because there's always some hurricane or something that we have to cover. But right now, we are at what we call the peak of the season. This is when we frequently have the most storms to track. And right now, and for the last 10 days, we've had nothing. It's eerily quiet. It's unbelievable. We do have three areas with possible development. The one in the Gulf of Mexico is about a 0% chance. We're not going to worry about that. This is the one we've been watching south of Puerto Rico. It's going to sneak south of Dominican Republic and south of Cuba. And by the time it gets to the Southern

Gulf and about next weekend, it may have a chance to develop. But if it does, it would likely not head to the U.S. anyway. So, Kate, it's amazing that we may go through the first week or two of September with no significant storms. I can't believe you're saying all this out loud, Bill, because I feel like you're jingsing us. We're far past that. I wasn't saying anything last week. But now it's just... Now you've got to say it. Yes. I get it. I get it. Everyone's thinking it. Bill Cairns, thank you. Let's head now to Alaska and to the community picking up the pieces following a deadly landslide last week.

One couple just making it out after their home slid down a hill while they were inside. Their dogs nowhere to be found after the collapse until remarkably after more than a week, crews surveying the site heard a tiny noise from within the wreckage. NBC's Dana Griffin has the story. Inside this destroyed home in Ketchikan, Alaska, a decade of blissful memories for husbands William and James Montever. So we've been together 42 years now. They were just days from closing the sale of this three-story home. I told Bill, I said, you know what? I really love this house and I'm going to miss it.

And 20 minutes later, it was all over. Your world literally turned upside down. Completely, yeah. Their house sliding 47 feet down this hill, crashing into another home. The hillside so unstable, the neighborhood was evacuated. It sounded just like a jet engine taking off. So I thought there was a jet crashing in. He thought a plane was about to land in the house.

And the wall came and threw the sofa, threw me up into the ceiling where I just like covered my shoulder and then dropped me back down on the sofa, which is where I cracked the four ribs. One person was killed in the landslide and had it not been for their dishwasher, William believes he would have died too. So when the wall came down on top of him, it was actually protected by the dishwasher that he was under. So we owe a big thank you to Bosch. Thanks to rescuers, the couple managed to get out with injuries, but their optimism intact. However, their two dogs, Alani and Cassie, were nowhere to be found. Either they didn't make it or somebody had found him, it was holding on to him, but didn't know how to get in touch with us or whatever

was going on. So we basically said our private goodbyes to them. One week after that horrific ordeal, engineers doing an assessment heard something unusual coming from inside that collapsed home. Heard a whimpering coming from the structure. So that kind of started a response from us. Firefighters assembled like heroes crawling through the unstable house. It was like a three-foot crawl space. So I shimming through that and then back up into that foot and a half void to the couch and I saw eyes. I was elated. I got a really high-pitched, excited voice. I was like, oh, my God, I found the dog. I see eyes and they're blinking. The sisters were successfully pulled out. The pups wrapped in blankets safe in the arms of their rescuers. And you're doing cool.

Alani and Cassie finally reunited with their dad. How are your girls? They're wonderful. They're amazing. I mean, even the vet was surprised. Oh my gosh. I got boost. right now. Like, do you guys believe in fate? Yes. Yeah. Call it fate or good fortune. This couple sure has earned their fair share. A reminder that even when all is lost, love can find its way back. Dana Griffin, NBC News. Oh, Dana, thank you so much for that. Still ahead tonight, the terrifying close call inside a Phoenix home. We're going to show you shocking video. The moment a car plows through a living room, what we know about the driver, and how that couple narrowly escaped the crash. And could we see more Listeria cases amid the deadly boar's head outbreak?

We're going to speak with an expert, a doctor, about why it could take weeks for symptoms to show up. Plus, new photos of the iconic Titanic, revealing a key piece of the ship is deteriorating. Those images, plus the remarkable discovery by a group of explorers, stay with us. Back now with the latest on that deadly Listeria outbreak tied to Boers' Head Deli meat that we've been following for weeks. So far, at least 57 people have been hospitalized. Nine people have died since the CDC first reported on the contamination. But it can take as long as two months from the time someone is exposed to Listeria until they actually show symptoms.

That means there could be even more cases on the way. To break it all down, I want to bring in Dr. John Torres with us. Dr. John, so people who ate these recalled products back in July could just now be starting to see symptoms? Do you think we'll see a surge? And, Kate, I think we're going to see numbers go up a little bit here over the next couple of weeks because we are at that spot now, like you mentioned, where the people that ate it back in July could start getting symptoms. But those are usually people that are immunocompromised, have other health issues, and it turns into the invasive type of disease, meaning it gets into the bloodstream. For most people, if you get gastrointestinal-type issues, what we call food poisoning,

that usually occurs six hours to ten days later. So people who ate it in July should be through that by now. But people who get the invasive disease, the more deadly disease, it could still be happening, Kate, and that's what we need to look for. And so just in case, if people aren't sure what they ate back in July, what symptoms should they be looking out for, and who is most at risk? So it starts off as simple gastrointestinal. You start getting nausea, vomiting, watery diarrhea, fevers and chills, those types of symptoms.

And then you can start getting these muscle aches. And if it gets invasive, particularly if it gets into the nervous system, you can start getting headaches. You can start getting confusion, mental status changes, we call them. And that's when it starts getting very concerning. And that's when it starts getting very dangerous because that's the high mortality rate we're talking about with this bacteria. And Dr. John, if somebody thinks they may. be infected what do they do so if they think they've been infected you want to go see your doctor to get tested because there are antibiotics they're simple basic antibiotics that work for this

but they have to be put in the system very early in order to make sure that it's effective now the one thing about this bacteria and that's why we always talk about safe food handling is this is a very contagious bacteria as in it can spread from one food source to another so even if you have any refrigerator and you've gotten rid of it because of the recall you want to clean everything out. My recommendation, throw everything out out, clean it out, and then reload the refrigerator without this type of product, because, again, it can go from

one meat product to another food source, and that can be dangerous as well, Kate. All right, Dr. John Torres, thank you so much. Well, just as a lot of Americans are traveling for this holiday weekend, a strike involving hotel workers is growing. Thousands of employees at hotels nationwide, taking to the

picket line on Labor Day, demanding higher pay and an end to pandemic era cuts. Hilton has the details better pay health care and workloads that's what more than 10,000 housekeepers cooks and staffers say they're spending their Labor Day on picket lines demanding in Greenwich Connecticut Boston San Francisco Seattle San Jose and even Hawaii this as the workers union approved strikes in additional cities later this week it's hard to build savings living oftentimes

paycheck to paycheck you've given this company 25 years yes are you surprised that this is where you are 25 years later on a picket line yeah that's why first time we do that because how they treat the people is is not make sense the strike center around Hyatt Marriott and Hilton hotel chains tonight Marriott has not responded for requests for comment while the Hyatt and Hilton both say they are willing to continue negotiations today Connecticut Governor Lamont supporting the workers. They took some real hits during COVID, just like the hotels did. They flattened their wages. Now give them a chance to catch up.

Sonia, a Hyatt housekeeper, tells me it hurts me a lot. It makes me emotional. With staffers walking off the job, many hotels are modifying services and amenities. But some guests say they understand. Sure, they really got to the point of being fed up. People like to work and have fair wages. Experts say these holiday strikes could put pressure on these major hotel brands to increase wages and come back with new contracts soon as they try to avoid conflict ahead of the busy end of year travel season, Kate. All right, Antonio, thank you so much. When we come back, the surprising election results in Germany. The country's far-right party winning an election for the first time since the Nazis held power there. The outcome rattling much of Europe, and what is behind that massive change? We're back with Top Stories News Feed. Two people are lucky to be alive after a car slammed into their Phoenix home.

A home security camera showing the couple in their four dogs. Look at that. In their living room when that car smashes through the wall. The couple is okay now. The dogs also were not hurt. Police arrested the driver who they say may have been impaired. The U.S. has seized. a plane used by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The DOJ says the plane was purchased

illegally through a shell company for $13 million, which violates U.S. sanctions. All this comes as Maduro faces backlash at home and abroad over a contested election there. A harrowing rescue at sea saved a mom, a daughter, their cat and tortoise off the coast of Hawaii. Rescuers first made contact last Wednesday after receiving a distress call from a sailboat, overcombeau. come by intense waves. It happened nearly 1,000 miles east of Honolulu. The captain had died and a passenger lit off a distress flare. A Navy ship arrived early this morning, safely recovering the survivors as a hurricane approached. Heading overseas now to the stunning election results in Germany for the first time since the Nazi party during World War II, a far-right political

party has won a state election in Germany. The party known as the Alternative for Germany has been dubbed an extremist group by intelligence agencies in the United States, or rather in the states where they are gaining power in Germany. NBC foreign correspondent Josh Letterman has more. Tonight, a political taboo has been shattered, a far-right party winning a state election in Germany for the first time since the Nazis, raising questions about Germany's political future and setting off alarm bells about the far-rights rise across Europe and beyond. The alternative for Germany Party, or AFD, taking first place. in the East German state of Turinga and second in neighboring Saxony.

The AFD, formerly accused by German intelligence, of being an extremist group in both states. Front pages in Germany calling it a political earthquake and a slap by Germany's east. It's horrible. I find it unbelievable. This Berlin resident says, the AFD, playing on fears about migration, especially by Muslim immigrants, and rallying opposition to foreign aid to Ukraine and to high cost of living. parts of East Germany feel that they've been left behind. They feel like they are not necessarily getting their part of the pie. The AFD leader in Turinga telling supporters at his victory party, first they ignore you, then

they laugh at you, then they fight you, and then you win. One of the biggest losers, Chancellor Olaf Schultz, who's deeply unpopular center-left party, hemorrhaged votes. Some of his coalition partners didn't even meet the 5% threshold to serve in parliament. Schultz calling the results worrying, telling Reuters the AFD, is ruining Germany's reputation, but the elections won't immediately change the way Germany is governed, in part because Germany's mainstream parties are vowing to block the AFD from forming a governing coalition. Tonight, AFD's leaders calling that threat undemocratic, saying Chancellor

Schultz should take the hint and pack his bags. The election also bringing shocking success for the far left, including a brand new party, the BSW, that came in third in both states. Its leader, a former communist, echoing the far-right in rejecting Germany's old guard of centrists, saying, the message has arrived, people want change. It's a populist message voters have been sending more and more forcefully across Europe and even in the U.S. In the U.K., the far-right Reform U.K. gaining ground. Its leader, Nigel Farage elected to Parliament for the first time in July. And in France, the right-wing national rally gaining dozens of seats more than ever before,

and leaving French government gridlocked for months. Should we expect more voters across Europe to take a gamble in the future on the far right? I think you're already seeing it. And by the way, our election is coming up in November, and it's a very similar situation here, I believe. The big question now is what all of this means for Germany's national elections

set to take place next year and whether the rest of the country will follow this sharp shift to the right. Olaf Scholz has said he plans to run again for Chancellor next year, but this election dealt such a blow to Germany's centrists, that there are questions now about whether his governing coalition can even hang on until next year. Kate? Josh Letterman for us, Josh, thank you.

Staying overseas with Top Story's Global Watch now, starting with a tiger attack at a theme park in Australia. Police say the senior tiger handler suffered injuries to her arm at Dream World in Queensland. She was taken to the hospital, but is expected to be okay. Dream World's Tiger Island attraction is one of the few interactive tiger exhibits. in the whole world. According to local media, two tiger handlers were also attacked back in 2011. And it appears the Olympic rings will remain a permanent part of the Eiffel Tower. The mayor of Paris announced the International Olympic Committee approved the decision to keep the rings on the iconic monument.

They will be replaced, though, with lighter ones to withstand winter months. Some Parisians have criticized the move. Turning now to a striking discovery at the bottom of the ocean, the new dive to the wreck of the Titanic, revealing iconic parts of the ship, are slowly following apart. NBC's Ellis and Barber has a look at the new changes to the world's most famous shipwreck. It's a view that's captured the public's imagination for decades, the bow and front railing of the Titanic, rising out of the cold depths of the North Atlantic. Every time people go out, the things that they always go to are the bow and the stern. Those are the most iconic, the beautiful. An image so powerful.

Okay, take her up and over the bow rail. Filmmaker James Cameron chose it to open his 1997 epic film about the ship. Later reimagining that same deck in its heyday. I'm the king of the world. But for a generation of explorers who dreamed of seeing, that deck on display in the future. Time is running out. And that's that's a big deal to us because Titanic's face is forever changed. New video shows that the bow which miraculously remained intact for more than a century is broken. A 15-foot section of railing now on the ocean

floor. The dramatic discovery uncovered in July by a team of explorers with the RMS Titanic Inc. The U.S. company with the sole salvage rights carrying a out their first unmanned dive to the wreck in 14 years. For me, the stuff that's going to disappear forever, I would like to see it in a museum and my kids to be able to see it, you know, more than just pictures. Another landmark discovery during their latest voyage, this two-foot bronze statue, Diana of Versailles, the centerpiece of Titanic's first-class lounge, initially spotted back in 1986, but not located until this year.

And there is an extraordinary amount of material out there. I don't think it's quantified in this sort of detail that we're hoping to do. But this latest journey to the depths was bittersweet for many involved. He was known as Mr. Titanic because of the amount of times that he had dived to the wreck. Veteran deep sea explorer Paul Henri Nargiolet was aboard the Ocean Gate submersible when it imploded last year. He was set to lead this mission. It's a mark of respect for pH because he won't have an oil at a gravestone because his body is gone. And so this in many ways is like a headstone or a tunistone for him.

Nargiolet's body may be gone, but his determination to preserve and tell the story of the world's most famous ship lives on. Ellison Barber, NBC News. Alison, thank you so much for that close look. When we come back, an exciting day in Paris. as Team USA cleans up at the Paralympics, the paratriathlon athletes dazzling all the way to the podium, and one athlete's surprise proposal in the City of Love. You won't want to miss. You are taking a look at Team USA Paralympic Archer, Tracy Otto. She's been competing at the Games five years after a brutal attack by her ex-boyfriend, left her paralyzed and without a left eye.

Amazing. While she didn't meddle this year, she is leaving Paris with a ring. Auto posting this video showing her now fiance, Rick, proposing under the Eiffel Tower. And she also announced that she's pregnant. I had the chance to meet Tracy and Rick before the games. And you can see her amazing backstory on my social media. Congrats to them. It has been an exciting few days at the Paralympics. And just today, Team USA raking in medals in wheelchair rugby, para-triathlon, and Parabella for more on all the wins and the Paralympic competitions yet to come. NBC Olympics reporter Matt Scott joins me now. He's a five-time Paralympian himself, a two-time gold medalist. Matt, what an exciting day for Team USA, right? Let's start. There's so many. Let's start with a paratriathlon.

The Americans secured a whopping eight medals today, including three gold medals. How impressive is that? Today was incredible. That's so impressive. I mean, Muhammad Lana, Alyssa Seeley, Grace Norman, all of these medals across paratriathlon is really incredible in just a testament to all the hard work they've put in all summer and for these four years. Yeah, sure. And Matt, I know you're a fan of Ezra Freck. He won gold today in the men's 100-meter T-63 final. Talk about his performance. Not only his performance, Ezra Freck has done a master class of self-belief. He has really been, he has really bet on himself all summer long, and he's been doing a countdown

until the day he's a Paralympic gold medalist. And I'm just so proud of that kid. He's a friend of mine. I've been following his career since he was just a teenager, and this is truly amazing. Look at the look on his face. I know. He's done it. You can see, just look at that, right?

You can see the joy and the pride. I love it. Congrats to him. Team USA's wheelchair rugby dynasty rolls on too, right? The team taking home a silver medal, and that was a close match with Japan, from what I hear. There's seventh straight medal in the event. It's not the gold, but it's silver. That's pretty darn good.

What does it mean for those athletes to get yet another medal? To be on the podium means everything, and they are representing their sport at the highest level. And if there was a gold medal for Paralympic Awareness, Chuck Aoki, who is the captain of that team, would have a gold medal because he has really put on for the Paralympic movement, and he's put so many eyes across America, across the world, on the Paralympic Games. Congratulations to him for winning that silver medal. And congratulations to the team for fighting so hard all tournament. I'm just going to keep on going. Now let's talk about Para badminton, right? A historic first there. Miles Krujewski and Casey Simon, Miles Krojuski and Casey Simon, securing a silver medal in mixed-team para-badminton S-H-6. That's the first para-badminton medal, I'm told, for a country west of Great Britain. Talk about this duo. I've heard that, is that the first badminton medal across Olympics and Paralympics? That is truly,

truly a monumental day. This duo has really made history. and made Paris 2024, something special for us all. And I saved your sport for last, if that's okay. Both men's and women's team, USA wheelchair basketball squads, having strong showings heading into the quarterfinals now. How do we feel about their gold medal chances? So I've been fully immersed in everything wheelchair basketball. Obviously, the men's wheelchair basketball team is Tracy chasing their third consecutive gold medal.

They're led by Steve Serio. who you see in this picture here, Trayvon Jennifer, who you see in the picture there. And Jake Williams has been having an amazing tournament. He is unstoppable offensively. And with the leadership of Trayvon, Jennifer, and also Steve Serio, this team is looking unstoppable. I really like their chances.

And on the women's side, they have won two games and they've lost one game in pool play. They've been looking really strong. The team is having a great time both on the floor and off the court, which is really, which is really fun to watch. They're a joyful team, but they know how to get the job done when they're out on the court. There you see Becca Murray driving. They are really strong team in both the men's side and the women's side. I'm expecting the gold medal finish.

Matt Scott, love it. Thank you so much. When we come back, our exclusive interview with Rachel Platten, the fight song singer, opening up about becoming a mother, her struggles with postpartum depression, and the inspiration for her first album, in seven years. That's up next. Finally, tonight, an exclusive interview with fight song singer Rachel Platten. The star's first album in seven years is out tomorrow, and she sat down with our Chloe

Malas to talk about where she's been and what inspired this new work. It's a song that took the world by storm. Rachel Platten's fight song empowering millions, even becoming a political anthem for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential run played once again at this year's DNC. Well, I felt a little torn because fight song was inherently something that was everybody's and not one groups. But at the same time as a woman, it was hopeful to believe that maybe a woman could be president. I think that same hope is there again now. But since that meteoric rise, Platon has remained relatively quiet as fans have waited for a new album seven years to be exact why the wait we've all

been waiting yeah that's a long time when you say it right it's it's so funny because in that time so much has happened and so much has changed i've become a mother i have two little girls that wait now over girls you're platinum releasing her fifth studio album this week titled i am rachel This record is me, to my core. Telling NBC News in an exclusive sit-down interview that the inspiration came from her battle with postpartum depression after the birth of her daughters. While I was on tour, I started having symptoms of postpartum depression. I didn't recognize it at that at the time.

And part of my recovery was writing poetry and then simple songs. It was almost like I was taking such baby steps with myself. Such delicate steps. This winter's been forever. Does it feel like someone's stretching out time? And I know it's actually the first song I ever wrote for this album. And it wasn't intentionally for this album. It was just a song to comfort myself at the time.

You know, just to help myself understand what was happening to me and the fear and the panic attacks. I really didn't know if I'd ever be able to be on stage again. But Platon says she's ready for this next chapter, even hopping up on stage for an impromptu jam session during our interview. My first proper gig in New York City was at 1 a.m. And I showed up at the Bitter End. This is like a, this spot is legendary for artists.

The Bitter End is a music landmark, the hallowed stage, a breeding ground for some of music's biggest stars, like Bob Dylan, Lady Gaga, Neil Diamond, Simon and Garfunkel, and even Taylor Swift. I started eventually to get my own nights here, and I'd pack it with, like, college friends and family, I'd beg, I'd, like, beg second cousins to come, like, tell coworkers. And I was, like, begging anyone I could to fill the place. They'd let you back if you could, like, sell out the room. Since then, Platton's hard work paying off with hits like Stand By You, and Better Place. Even taking the stage was Swift herself.

Now as Platten embarks on her latest project, she took us on a trip down memory lane. We're on my street. Through the streets of downtown Manhattan that built her. and at times broke her down. Even the apartment where her life changed forever. Where is the Fightsong apartment? It's that fifth floor walk up up there. I haven't been back here in 12 years.

I just, yeah, it's really, really wild. I was such a different person. What does it feel like to be living in this moment right now? It's everything that I didn't even know I was dreaming of. You know, it's like, it's exactly what I hoped for and didn't know that it was going to be possible. Like, in my wildest dreams, that girl could not have imagined that this one would be standing here one day. Having achieved, like, everything I was working so hard for, and then I never gave up on.

Platon's resilience that kept her going for the last two decades, now giving way to what she says is her most meaningful work to date. How did your children inspire this album? I talk a lot in the press about my postpartum, the deep depression that I sunk into. But I don't often talk about their magic and their absolute inner beauty and outer beauty and sparkle and their courage and how they inspire me. And they really do. I have a song called Girls and it's something that was such a personal little love letter to my daughters and also to myself and to all of us women and to all of us girls.

Chloe Malas, NBC News, New York. Such a beautiful voice. Chloe, thank you. And thank you so much for watching. Top Story for Tom Yamis. I'm Kate Snow in New York. Stay right there. More news now on the way.