Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, September 25, 2023

Episode Date: September 26, 2023

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Tonight, the new poll just out and the major concerns surrounding President Biden's 2024 campaign. A new NBC News poll finding a vast majority of voters are worried the president does not have the mental or physical health needed to serve a second term. Biden also struggling to garner enthusiasm from young voters and minorities. But how bad do things need to get before Democrats seriously consider other options? And what that poll found about the state of the Republican race as Trump's lead grows. Plus, the late breaking news on the impeachment inquiry into President Biden, the hearing just scheduled for later this week. Pressure to resign a growing number of Democrats calling on Senator Bob Menendez to resign after he was federally charged

in a bribery scheme. Why the senator is claiming his Cuban heritage is the reason he was keeping wads of cash in his home. And the shot fellow Democratic Senator John Federman is taking at his colleague tonight. State of emergency, the mayor of New Orleans sounding the alarm warning salt water will soon contaminate the city's drinking water, the problem on the Mississippi River fueling the danger, and the drastic measures being taken to preserve the city supply. Flood dangers, the remnants of tropical storm ophelia still pounding the east coast, how soon that storm moves out, plus an atmospheric river taking aim at the west coast, Bill Carrion's tracking it all. Plus crisis.

at the border, the staggering new numbers, a record-breaking 300,000 migrants crossing the U.S. Mexico border in one month alone. Families with young children crawling through barbed wire to get in, the difficult images coming in, and the plea from local leaders tonight. And thrill-ride horror riders stuck upside down at an amusement park in Canada, how long they were stranded there crying out for help. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We are following several major political headlines tonight on Top Story. And we want to begin first with that new NBC News poll, spelling trouble ahead for President Biden. The major takeaway for us that caught our attention, 74% of registered voters saying they have either major or moderate concerns that the president is not mentally or physically healthy enough to serve a second term.

President Biden, who already holds the distinction of being the oldest president ever elected at 77 years old, now 80. He would be 82 years old on inauguration day if he were to secure a second term. The second reason for concern tonight is this, an overall lack of enthusiasm among demographics that are key to a Biden victory, and those are young voters and minorities. Just 38 percent of young voters tell us they have a high enthusiasm for the 2024 election, and just 53 percent of black voters and 50, 51% of Latino voters say the same. We'll put those numbers in a perspective later on. And those are voters Biden is going to need to take on former President Trump, who in poll after poll continues to hold a commanding lead over his primary opponents. We will dive much deeper into the numbers on both ends of the political spectrum in a moment. But first, NBC White House

correspondent Gabe Gutierrez leads us off. Hello, hello, hello. Tonight, the major new warning signs for President Biden's re-election bit. NBC News polling shows 74% of registered voters have major or moderate concerns that the president does not have the mental and physical health necessary to serve a second term. It comes as the administration's opponents raise questions about the 80-year-old commander-in-chief's fitness to serve after a string of incidents. On Saturday, the president mistaking the name of rap superstar L.L. Cool J., while honoring him at an event. And two of the great artists of our time representing the ground-breaking legacy of hip-hop in America, LLJ Cool J.

And earlier in the week, accidentally praising the Congressional Black Caucus at a speech delivered to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. My dad would say everyone, everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect. Congressional Black Caucus embodies all those values. From stumbling on stage to tripping outside Air Force One, the president's opponents have sought to highlight his missteps, as evidence his age is a liability. But Mr. Biden has pointed to his experience and has tried to disarm the issue with humor. I got elected to the Senate when I was 29 years old. I had to wait 17 days to be eligible. That was 827 years ago, but it was a while. The White House today, brushing off the poll.

Senate registered voters say they have major or moderate concerns about the president's age and mental fitness. How troubling is that? I get the polling that you're laying out. I get that, but we can't be focused on that. We also have to be focused on really speaking directly to the American people. On the major issues, the polling is also dire for the president. 56% of voters disapprove of the job he's doing the highest of his term. 59% of voters disapprove of his handling of the economy.

America has the strongest economy in the world. A new Washington Post ABC News poll shows 62% disapprove of his work on the southern border. They continue to undermine our border security today, blocking bipartisan reform. And nearly 60% of Democrats tell NBC News pollsters they want someone to challenge the president in the Democratic primary, despite no viable challengers emerging. Mr. Biden now locked in a dead heat with a Republican primary front. under Donald Trump, 46 points apiece. One voter telling NBC news, she isn't thrilled about the thought

of a Biden-Trump rematch. It looks like we may face another, like, Trump-Biden matchup again. What do you make up the issue of age when it comes to voting? That's a disgusting thought. Gabe Gutier has joined us tonight from the White House. Gabe, our new NBC News poll

also gives us a look at how the rest of the Republican field fares in a head-to-head matchup with President Biden. Walk our viewers through what you found. in there. Well, Tom, we mentioned that dead heat between President Biden and former President Trump at 46 percentage points apiece. But looking at the other candidates in the GOP primary, President Biden at 46 percent against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at 45 percent. You'll remember Ron DeSantis's argument was that he was more electable than President Trump. This poll seems to turn that

on its head. But very interestingly, Tom, former ambassador Nikki Haley is at 46 against President Biden's 41 percent. So she's ahead by five points. But critically for her, she stands a very difficult chance of getting through the GOP primary. One last point. If you put President Biden, former President Trump, and you add in third party candidates, Biden's at 36%. Mr. Trump is at 39 percent. A libertarian candidate is at 5 percent. The no labels potential candidate is also at 5 percent. Green Party candidate at 4 percent, Tom. So that, means the potential fear among Democrats that third-party candidates can siphon off votes from President Biden, according to this poll, that fear is real, Tom.

Yeah, we're going to get into that with our panel in just a moment. But before you go, you reported on that ABC News Washington Post poll, and it showed the president in even more trouble against Trump. Here it is right here. He's down by 10 points against President Trump with registered voters, 52 to 42. But if you read the Washington Post reporting on this, they go out of their way. more than once to describe their own poll as an outlier. Either way, not great news for the re-election campaign.

Yeah, that's right, Tom. Yes, the Washington Post and other analysts do describe it as an outlier, but there's other things in that poll as well that poses some significant challenges for President Biden's campaign. For example, 91% of respondents view food prices now as negative. 87% view gas prices as negative. Of course, the president's re-election team is really touting Bidenomics and really trying to hit his economic record. According to this

poll and our poll as well, there is a lot of an uphill battle here for Biden's re-election. If they do plan to focus on that economic message, the question will be, can they sell that economic record to a skeptical American public, Tom? All right, Gabe Gutier is leading us off from the White House tonight. Gabe, thank you. Now to the other major breaking news for Biden tonight, the House Oversight Committee, today, they plan to launch an impeachment inquiry hearing on President Biden in the coming days, revealing they have enough information regarding his role and his family's business practices. Of course, these are just allegations. To break this all down for us, I want to bring in

Ryan Nobles, who covers Capitol Hill for us as well. He joins us tonight from Washington. So, Ryan, explain to our viewers what exactly happened today. So what we got today was the list of witnesses for this first initial hearing of this Republican impeachment inquiry into President Biden that the House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced a couple of weeks ago. It's the Oversight Committee that is taking the lead on this investigation. And what the chairman of the committee, James Comer, has said, is that this initial impeachment inquiry hearing is going to be a reset. It's going to be an update on all the evidence that they believe that they've uncovered,

and they're going to try and find a way to link the information that has to do with the president's on Hunter Biden's business dealings directly back to the president. So they've got a group of witnesses here who they think can make that. case. Of course, Democrats feel very differently, so we'll have to see how this hearing plays out on Thursday. Ryan, explain to our viewers. What is this going to look like? Are voters in the public going to be able to watch these hearings, or are these behind closed doors? Yeah, so this hearing is going to be completely in the public, but it is going to be very

different than the January 6th Select Committee hearings that we saw a couple of years ago, because you'll remember that while those were bipartisan hearings, there was really no opposition. The two Republicans on the panel were in lockstep. the Democrats on the panel. And so that allowed for a more staged and kind of managed free-flowing presentation. This is going to be much different because there will be Democrats who are going to be very much in opposition of what Republicans have to say in this hearing that we're going to see on Thursday. So they're going to bring three witnesses forward, one of a forensic investigator, another former U.S. attorney in the tax department, and then another law professor, all of which

are likely going to answer the questions in a way Republicans want, but they are going to have to take tough questions from Democrats as well, who are going to be skeptical about some of their claims. And though the White House has refrained from commenting about Hunter Biden's dealings and his hearings and his problems with the DOJ, they have been pretty forceful in talking about this impeachment inquiry. That's exactly right. They have established a war room at the White House to try and push back on the claims that are made by Republicans. They've enlisted the help of the Democrats on the Oversight Committee and the other committees that will be involved in impeachment inquiry to push back on many of these claims. And what they've stated very clearly,

completely separate from the legal troubles that Hunter Biden is facing, the indictments that he has on those gun charges, the possibility of tax charges. What they've made clear is that the president himself has never been implicated and that there's no direct evidence that ties him to any potential wrongdoing of his son. And while you're right, Tom, they're not going to talk about Hunter's legal issues specifically. They are making it clear that there is nothing that proves that the president had anything to do with what his son was up to. And then after Thursday, what more can we expect? Well, then we should expect to hear and see more hearings from this impeachment inquiry.

And the goal here for House Republicans would get to a point where they believe that they've established enough of a case that they could then bring up articles of impeachment, which would then have to be voted on by the entire House of Representatives. If that were successful, then President Biden would be impeached. but in order to be convicted, it would require a supermajority in the Senate. That's, of course, something that Democrats failed to do on two different occasions with the former President Donald Trump. Ryan Noble's for us on that breaking news out of Capitol Hill. Ryan, we appreciate it.

Now, to power and politics and more on the state of the 2024 race, I want to bring in Democratic strategist Amisha Cross and senior advisor to the Romney Ryan presidential campaign and founder of the Sheridan group, Kevin Sheridan. I thank you both for joining Top Story tonight. I want to start with you. When we talk about scenarios possibly, I just want you to work with me here in this segment. When we talk about scenarios where the current president is not the nominee, I want to bring up a graphic with some possibilities of people who possibly, again, possibly could run. You have, of course, Vice President Kamala Harris, you have the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, where we are tonight coming to you from San Francisco. You have Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation, Senator Klobuchar, and then you have Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and you have Robert Kennedy,

Jr., who's making some waves. Do you see any of these candidates on the screen here, possibly, I shouldn't say candidates, any of these politicians, possibly the nominee in 2024? Absolutely not. They are great candidates for 28, with the exception of RFK Jr. But I think that we have to speak in realistic terms here and for this audience. Joe Biden will be the Democratic nominee. He will be at the top of the ticket come 2024 as an incumbent president. I don't think that we can deny the facts related to the polling that we've seen from multiple different polls, but they do firmly believe, and the Democratic Caucus does, as well as the DNC, that Joe Biden will be the nominee. And any conversations that include

others that aren't named Joseph Robinette Biden are pretty much low and void at this point. The people who you mentioned, with the exception of RFK Jr., have already stood by and have announced their support of President Biden. They're not running against President Biden. They're also aligning their respective constituencies around the president. Okay, Amisha, you say this, but President Biden's polling numbers, they're in some serious trouble. We have the numbers on voter enthusiasm, and I want to show these to our viewers again, only 38% of young voters, age 50% of black voters and 51% of Latino voters, which are the people behind, showed enthusiasm for the president right now and for Democrats. And when you look at this from October 2019, at least with younger voters, it was 48% with black voters, it was 68% with Latino voters. 69%. So clearly those numbers are down. I want to show you this New Yorker cover released today

on all the political leaders that are getting to a certain age, and you can see them on the New Yorker cover, and they were walking with walkers. At some point, we had this graphic, maybe we don't anymore. There it is. But it's sending a message when in a magazine like the New Yorker is putting this out there. It's clearly not only in the minds of the voters, but I would say on the mind of Democratic voters. And I got to ask you, I mean, Does that concern you at all? Well, your average American voter isn't reading the New Yorker, first and foremost. But in addition to that—

I know, but if you've lost the New Yorker—Avish, if you lost the New Yorker, it's not a good sign for Democrats. In addition to that, we have a president and his surrogates who are going across the country who are uplifting HBCUs, who are fighting for civil rights and equity, who are fighting for lower-cost prescription drugs. We have to name it and call it exactly what it is. We're watching the frustration economically when it comes to people at home. not being able to pay their bills, rising interest rates, rising rates of the cost of living, housing costs and things like that. And those things do affect the opinions when it comes to

our election cycles. We're on the verge of potentially having a government shutdown. That matters. For many Americans across this country, particularly young Americans and black Americans, the student loan debt repayment that is going to start in the next couple of weeks also is something that is on their minds. But mind you, we are just over a year out of the election. And And if polls, we saw the polls be wrong in 2016, we saw the polls be wrong four years later. I do not believe that at this point, national polling is worth very much. But the Biden administration, as well as the Biden campaign, are outdoing exactly what they should be doing right now. Kevin, where's your head?

You see a scenario where party leaders, they look at these polls, and then they look at President Biden, they sort of take a very, very strong analysis of his health, and they say, okay, we can do this or we can't do this, Or do you not see a scenario like that happening? Well, I'll try to speak for Democrats to get inside their heads. I think if these polls continue to go on this tight for, you know, for the foreseeable future, you're going to get members of Congress who are down-ballot who are going to start clamoring for some changes maybe. I don't know. Gavin Newsom, I thought, would have made a more serious effort.

He's doing it behind the scenes, but I haven't seen him really, you know, take that actual step to get in. And they've got a Kamala Harris issue where, you know, if it's not Joe Biden, then she's running. And she would be more unpopular than he is in the polls. So I don't know. They're not in a great place. Republicans have their own issues, obviously, too. But these polls should be kind of alarming.

Amisha, I want to show you the numbers and put them on the screen for our viewers here when it comes to the head-to-head matchups with some of the GOP candidates here. And you can see, you know, it's a close race with that between Biden and Trump. DeSantis loses by a percentage point again. That's probably still within the margin of error. But then you have Haley versus President Biden, and she seems to be doing the best. I mean, still pretty close there, right? It's neck and neck against everybody.

Is there a candidate you think Democrats at this point would be afraid to run against or not really? Absolutely not. Joe Biden is running on his record. He's running on getting out the tried and true Democratic voters. He's also running on ensuring that America isn't on the brink of not being a democracy. I don't think that there is a candidate on the right that he is nervous about or that his campaign is nervous about. I do believe, and I think that, you know, not only polling, but also realistic conversations in these streets will show us that no one is disregarding that this is going to be a close race. This will be a close race despite the potential Republican nominee in former President Donald Trump.

running for multiple indictments, currently out on bail in multiple places. That seemingly has not dissuaded Republicans from standing beside him. And on that same token, I don't think that there is anything for tried and true Democratic voters and civil rights advocates and young people that is going to stop them from voting for the one person who engages in the rights and liberties that they so very need within their communities. I don't think that we're going to see anything there. We know that women's rights issues are on the ballot.

We know that unions' rights issues are on the ballot. do not support and have not supported either of those things. So I don't think that there is, I think that these polls are taking way out of proportion at this point. Kevin, you think any Republican in the GOP race is able to sort of surge ahead and get closer to former President Trump? I know we're still a ways away from Iowa. We're going to have the second Republican debate this week in Los Angeles.

Is there anybody that you're looking for to make a breakthrough? Is it, is it former governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley? Well, I think you're going to hear every one of those campaigns probably saying, oh, come on when they see these polls with Trump tied with Biden because it just freezes the race in place, and it makes it much harder for them to make the electability argument. So that's really a tough thing for them to do. They've got a big debate coming up. Again, Trump is now more likely not to get into the debates if he's seen way ahead and if he's seen tied with Joe Biden. So what do you do if you're another candidate to try and stand out? Miki Haley did the best that you could do last time by having a pretty clean debate and really shining.

Her numbers went up a little bit. She got a little bit more money out of it. Somebody's going to have to really paradigm shift the race, you know, in one of these debates and say and do something that's so remarkable that it takes, you know, the party by storm and can turn it around. But there's it, so far there's been just nothing they can do to get out of the way of Trump. Right, Kevin and Amisha, we appreciate your time. Thanks so much for joining Top Story and this discussion here on a Monday night. From the White House to the Senate now, three days after he was indicted on bribery charges, New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez said today he has no intention of stepping down as he faces what he calls the biggest fight yet. Chief Justice contributor, Jonathan Jeans, has the latest details.

A defiant Senator Bob Menendez walked in to face a crush of cameras as an accused criminal. When all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be the New Jersey's senior senator. Slamming prosecutor's case. The allegations leveled against me are just that. Allegations. Allegations of an illegal bribery scheme. According to the indictment, the New Jersey Democrat and his wife took gold bars, a Mercedes, and piles of cash to help three New Jersey businessmen and the Egyptian government. Menendez explaining the nearly half.

A half million dollars in cash, prosecutors found stuffed in his jacket pockets and elsewhere around his home, this way. For 30 years, I have withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash from my personal savings account, which I have kept for emergencies and because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba. His Democratic colleague, Senator John Federman, posting in response, we have an extra flashlight for our home emergencies. Menendez made no mention of the gold bars or the Mercedes. The indictment says the couple also accepted in bribes. And as for allegations, he passed sensitive information to the Egyptian government.

My record is clear and consistent in holding Egypt accountable. President Biden has not weighed in, but top New Jersey politicians, including the governor and some members of Congress, are calling on him to step down, along now with a well-known New York Democrat. The situation is quite unfortunate, but I do believe that it is in the best interests for Senator Menendez to resign in this moment. Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown now the second Democrat to call on Menendez to resign. And New Jersey Congressman Andy Kim now says he will run in a primary against Menendez. This is the senator, his wife, and their co-defendants are all due in court Wednesday and we'll plead not guilty. Tom? Okay, Jonathan, we thank you for that.

stay on Capitol Hill and the government shut down and the showdown over it. Congress inching towards the Saturday deadline to pass a stopgap funding bill with little progress so far. Let me see's Garrett Hakeas following this one for us. At a Washington warehouse, volunteers are preparing for the practical impact of the political impasse looming five miles south on Capitol Hill. We know that when budgets are stretched, food is the first thing to go. The Capitol area of Food Bank is now planning for a policy.

A possible surge of 100,000 people in the D.C. region needing food assistance soon if the government shuts down this weekend. Think about the cleaning crews, the food service, you know, those who have food trucks outside of, you know, of government buildings and offices. A shutdown would divide some four million federal employees nationwide into two groups. Essential workers, including active duty military, border patrol and air traffic controllers, expected to keep reporting for work. and furloughed workers simply sent home. Neither would see a paycheck until the government reopens. We're doing a lot of belt tightening. Wisconsin's Social Security claims specialist and single mom, Jessica LaPoint,

expects to work without pay. This has to be hard to discuss with your family. Yeah, I have an 11-year-old son who has been asking to go to Disney World for most of his life. We're looking at having to postpone that trip in order to just, just stay afloat during this unknown period. A shutdown would also slow services like food safety inspections and applications for passports and small business loans. The White House claims 10,000 kids would immediately lose access to Head Start,

and funding for WIC, a nutrition program that helps low-income women and young children, would dry up within days. Members of Congress, who will continue to be paid, have until midnight Saturday to strike a deal. I've never quit, even when the time runs out. Garrett Hake joins us tonight from Capitol Hill. Garrett, you covered these before. What does your gut tell you about when a deal will happen? And if not, what's the timeline looking like?

Well, Tom, I think it's far more likely that one of these plans that's cooking in the House or Senate will be used to get us out of a shutdown rather than keep us out of a shutdown. The Senate plan is bipartisan, which means it's more likely to ultimately get across the finish line. But the Senate is slow. And even if they're able to get the votes they need lined up when they get back into town, tomorrow. I think we're looking at a situation where we could easily tip into a shutdown over the weekend, and only then would there be enough pressure to land us, where we probably were always going to land on a bipartisan vote to fund the government for some short-term period

of time, likely with the Senate jamming the House. It is a tale as old as time in Washington. Garrett Hake for us, Garrett, thank you for that. Back now with the... I'm sorry, we want to turn to the growing emergency surrounding the New Orleans drinking water supply. The mayor has declared a state of emergency as official scrambled to stop saltwater invasion that could contaminate the drinking water there. NBC's Blaine Alexander is in New Orleans with more. Along the banks of the mighty Mississippi River, a summer of extreme heat and little rain has left its mark. The Mississippi River is forecasted to reach historic lows over the next several weeks. Which means the sole source of drinking water for southern Louisiana, including

New Orleans is running low. Under normal circumstances, the fast flow of the Mississippi keeps the salt water from the Gulf of Mexico at bay. But under the current drought conditions, the river's flow is reduced, allowing denser salt water to move upstream under the surface. Now it's at risk of contaminating New Orleans drinking supply. Our challenge is we don't have enough force in the river, and that allows salt water to move from the Gulf of Mexico, upriver. When unimpeded, it can move as far as New Orleans in Baton Rouge. Officials say right now water in New Orleans is safe to drink, but they're fighting to keep it that way. That includes raising a 25-foot underwater barrier called the sill to slow the flow of that saltwater upstream.

Our initial estimate that this construction will take approximately 24 days, and our expectation is that the performance of the augmented sill will delay the upriver progression of saltwater by 10 to 5%. 15 days. It also leads shipping in fresh water by the tens of millions of gallons each day to mix with the salt water in hopes of reducing the saline content. So we'll grab fresh water from upriver where we don't see effects of the saltwater intrusion and we will bring it down and deliver it to the impact of water intake facilities. Further down river in smaller communities, the impacts are already being south. Officials in Placomons Parish have issued a drinking water alert. I happen to be one who believes in the power of prayer. I'm going to ask for people to pray for rain. And officials stress that here in New Orleans, there's no need for residents to go out

and stock up on bottled water. Now, the saltwater invasion is projected to hit this area late next month, but officials hope that that's enough time to keep it at bay. Tom. Okay, Blaine, thank you for that. Now to the forecast and the remnants of tropical storm Ophelia still slamming New England after the storm brought heavy rainfall and coastal flooding to the east coast over the weekend. And tonight, the Pacific Northwest, experiencing its first atmospheric river event of the season. Let's get right to NBC News meteorologist Bill Carrey. So, Bill, will the Northeast get any relief from Ophelia soon? I know it's completely soaked. It's been three days in a row. Clouds and rain nonstop. It's still raining in many areas.

A lot of drizzle. Airports are at 90-minute delays for all the New York airports. Boston Logan is about an hour. Unfortunately, even tomorrow morning, still some clouds and drizzle that onshore flow, keeping it kind of cool and damp all through the. the Jersey coastline in the Mid-Atlantic. It may not be until Wednesday, Tom, so a lot of people see the sun for the first time in dates. And do we know what's the latest on that atmospheric river we were talking about earlier? Yeah, when we have El Nino's in the wintertime, usually it's associated with flooding and, you know, heavy snow and gusty winds that do damage. But in this case, this is a beneficial atmospheric river, this huge storm off the coastline of Canada,

the British Columbia. That's going to draw all this moisture, this atmospheric river off the Pacific, and bring in rain. Now, this is the drought map. We have extreme drought conditions in the cascades here in areas of Oregon and Washington State. So this is helpful rain. This puts an end to the threat of wildfires in this region, too. So the heaviest rain will be moving in tomorrow afternoon and evening in the northwest town. But again, mostly beneficial besides the travel impacts. And then, Bill, before you go, for those of us that check the National Hurricane website daily, I know there's a couple things out there in the Atlantic, one of the Gulf, anything we should be worried about? Well, yeah, I mean, this is still the peak months of the hurricane

season. So this shows you the climatology. This is the peak first week of September. So we're right here. So we're still in the heart of the season. We can get big, huge damaging storms. We have a couple areas of interest out there. Philippe is out here in the middle of the Atlantic. That's going to harmlessly turn out to see. We have an area of interest in the Gulf of Mexico. But Hurricane Center says a zero percent chance that that's going to develop. So as of now, Tom, there is nothing threatening, not only the U.S., but any land areas in the next seven days. We'll take it because that brings into October. Yeah, that is a forecast we will definitely take.

Bill, we appreciate it. Still ahead tonight, the mountain accusations against Russell Brand. The controversial comedian now the subject of a criminal investigation in England. It has started what police are revealing about additional accusers after four women came forward in a bombshell documentary. Plus, eight people rushed to the hospital due to severe turbulence on a flight to Florida. What we're hearing about the chaotic moments on board and the thrill-ride horror, dozens of people stuck upside down yelling for help at a Canadian amusement park, how long it

took to get them down. Stay with us. Top story. Just getting started on this Monday night. We're back with an update on a story we've been following. Famed comedian and actor Russell Brand is now being investigated by the London Police Department for multiple sexual offenses. Brand first faced scrutiny last week after the release of a documentary containing accusations, from four women who allege he sexually abused them between 2006 and 2013. Matt Bradley has the details, and a warning. This story contains descriptions of sexual assault. Tonight, more trouble for British comedian and actor Russell Brand.

British police confirming they're now looking into a number of allegations of sexual offenses, both in London and the rest of the country. What I seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations. Brand issuing a new video statement Friday accusing Big Tech of trying to censor him, but not addressing the allegations directly. Obviously, it's been an extraordinary and distressing week. Police say the offenses are all non-recent and officers will be offering specialist support to all of the women who have made allegations.

While police didn't give details of the dates or incidents under investigation, the lead detective said, quote, we continue to encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offense no matter how long ago it was to contact us. probe comes after four women came forward in the British media and told their stories in a documentary entitled Russell Brand in plain sight, a joint investigation by the Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4 dispatches. I was like, oh my God, he raped me.

Their allegations spanning the years from 2006 to 2013 include rape, sexual assault, and abuse. One woman says she was 16 years old at the time of her alleged assault. I was pushing him away, pushing him away. He wasn't backing off at all. And so I ended up having to punch him really hard in the stomach to get him off. Another woman sharing text message with the times she says are between her and Brand following her alleged assault in 2012 in Los Angeles, writing, When a girl says no, it means no.

Brand allegedly replying with an apology, quote, I'm very sorry. In his first video statement, Brand denied any wrongdoing while confronting his past. I was very, very promiscuous. Now, during that time of promiscuity, the relationships, I had were absolutely always consensual. The fallout already leading to consequences. I respect you for doing that, but the content of what you said has made me hate you. The remaining dates of Brand's UK stand-up tour bipolarisation now postponed,

with ticket refunds announced by the promoter. Paramount Plus removing his comedy special and YouTube suspending monetization on Brand's channel following the allegations. I need your support now more than ever, and more than I ever imagined, I would. Matt Bradley, NBC News. All right, we thank Matt Bradley for that, and we appreciate all his reporting. When we come back, we'll have the latest on the crisis at the southern border, a record number of migrants crossing into the U.S. Families with young children crawling through the barbed wire fence will have a full report from Texas next.

We are back now with Top Stories News Feed. We begin with the dangerous turbulence on a jet blue. flight to Florida. Authorities say eight people were rushed to the hospital after the flight from Ecuador to Fort Lauderdale hit sudden and intense turbulence. The flight was able to land safely and was met with medical personnel. One crew member was among those hospitalized. Details of the passenger's conditions have not been released. And demolition on a high-rise building in Miami halted after debris came crashing down onto the streets. You can see here a crane attempting to hold up a piece of the building before it tumbles to the street. Look at that.

narrowly missing a car. Authorities on scene urging residents to stay away. The city is holding an emergency meeting tonight to determine the future of that project. And police in L.A. searching for a stolen 250-pound Buddha worth $1.5 million. It's tough to make out here, so look closely. But authorities say the surveillance video shows the heist in progress at an art gallery in the middle of the night. The thief breaking into the entranceway through the driveway and using a dolly to cart off. the statue. The bronze Buddha is from Japan's Edo period, meaning it could be nearly 400 years old.

Okay, now to the Americas and the ongoing migrant crisis at the southern border, the Department of Homeland Security, confirming illegal crossings reached record highs this weekend. Border agents overwhelmed and shelters overflowing. The mayor of El Paso saying tonight they're at a breaking point. NBC's Julia Ainslie is in Eagle Pass, Texas with the very latest. Tonight, the border crisis up close. Our cameras there as this group of hundreds of migrants illegally crossed the Rio Grande into Eagle Pass, Texas. Border Patrol removing razor wire installed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Behind me, you have Border Patrol coming in to rescue some of these migrants carrying young children to try to keep them from crossing here and getting cut on this dangerous wire. Border Patrol says the wire can pose a humanitarian and drowning risk.

The federal agents start cutting the wire allowing the migrants to enter the U.S. Most of these migrants are from Venezuela, headed for cities throughout the country. We meet this family with a six-year-old son who just cut his arm on the wire. What we've gone through on this journey, it's not worth it, he tells us. Why do you say that? What happened? Dents along the way, black men, they brought it now, he said. This young woman says she was sexually assaulted and extorted in Mexico. They gather with hundreds of migrants under this bridge.

DHS officials tell us most migrants illegally crossing the border are processed and released into the U.S. We've just learned in August over 300,000 migrants cross the border, the highest monthly total ever. In just the last 24 hours, over 11,000 migrants were encountered by customs and border protection. The mayor of El Paso sounding the alarm. We have come to what we look at a breaking point right now. Congressman Austin Flueger blames Biden border policies for encouraging more migrants to come. The president needs to close the border. He needs to do the right thing. Stop abandoning us. This is not normal. And with that, Julia Ainsley joins Top Story tonight from Eagle Pass.

Julia, we were there last week. We saw this surge. And yet it's still ongoing. It hasn't stopped. Are there any signs that it's going to slow down? No, you know what, Tom. In fact, the DHS officials I talk to say it could even grow, right? here in Eagle Pass. They have had 4,000 migrants crossed over the past two days. They were in Border Patrol custody. They're over double their capacity here. And the numbers just keep growing. DHS officials who are watching the numbers of migrants south of here say more migrants have crossed through from countries like Venezuela. They're entering Panama now. They expect that surge to continue on to Mexico cross the border soon. Today we saw a group of hundreds cross

at one big swoop when Border Patrol agents started cutting the wire to let them come. in after they cross this river behind me. And then after that, we've seen groups of about 20 or so crossing probably every 30 minutes, Tom. You know, Julie, I want to ask you about that because we did see that in your report. And we saw those images last week as well. And people were asking me, why does the Border Patrol cut that barbed wire fence? It sort of sends a mixed signal, but it's for humanitarian purposes. Explain to our viewers why. Yeah, they've always explained that it's in a case-by-case basis. There have been times where they've seen people who look like they're about to pass out from heat exhaustion. They'll cut the wire then. If they're worried

people might drown, they'll cut the wire. Today, watching what I saw, how thick this wire was behind me, and these migrants holding babies on their shoulders, it's hard to imagine they really had any other option. They came through with boats and took some of the migrants in, but the group was just so big. They started cutting the wire to allow them to cross in, and then they just really started coming over it by the hundreds. If they hadn't crossed that wire, Tom. They would have been standing in the water and the current is strong. Three migrants here perished in this water last week. Yeah, including a three-year-old. It's all so sad. So I have to ask you because you're so well-sourced when it comes to immigration officials, and this is your beat.

So the surge, I would say, I think it's fair to say, caught a lot by a lot of people by surprise last week. This has been an ongoing problem, right, all summer. And we're seeing the surge not slow down. So is there any ramping up of enforcement there? Well, they have new partnerships. They're talking to Mexico. The Biden administration is in communication with Mexico to try to get Mexico to do more enforcement to stop migrants from even entering this part. But look, I spoke to migrants today who talked about terrible things that happened to them in Mexico. They said that part of the journey was worse in the dairy and gap. They talked about things that happened to them by cartels, even people there who said they were guards, but who extorted them, kidnapped them, assaulted them. If that's not keeping migrants back now, it's hard to say what could happen. next. And those officials you mentioned, the ones I'm talking to, say, look, we came up with a really tough policy after Title 42 ended in May. We thought we raised the bar on asylum criteria. As someone who told me last week, they said, look, we're starting to run out of options. These numbers are growing, and it's really not clear that the Biden administration has any

other policy solutions up their sleeves here, Tom. All right, Julia Angeley, on the border for us. Julia, we appreciate all your reporting with a steady stream of migrants crossing the border. are struggling to handle the surge. I want to bring in Congressman Tony Gonzalez, he represents Texas' 23rd Congressional District, which spans more than 800 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. Congressman, thanks for joining Top Story tonight. We spoke last week when this crisis was sort of unfolding there in Eagle Pass. You've had a chance to travel now down to the border to see this up close for the first time. Obviously, it's not the first time you've seen something like

this. What stands out to you, and I know you shot some video to sort of highlight what you saw? Yeah, Tom, thank you for having me. I represent two-thirds of the Texas-Mexico border over 800 miles. This isn't a new topic to me, but this is the worst I have seen it yet, and that's saying quite a bit. Let's talk a little bit about the problem. Actually, before that, the middle of the river is where the Mexico-U.S. border is. So anytime they've made it to the shore, they're already in U.S. soil. It's why you see Border Patrol cutting the fence because they've already entered the country illegally.

I was on Friday, I visited the processing center there in Eagle Pass, the video that you just showed that in that processing center has a capacity of 1,000 people. On Friday, the capacity was 4,600, nearly 500 percent over capacity. I visited it again today on Monday. I hosted a congressional delegation. I brought six of my colleagues from across the country to include New York, and today's capacity was over 5,000. We're headed in the wrong direction. You asked a good question earlier. Why is this happening? The cartels are very sophisticated, Tom.

They know in Washington it's very dysfunctional right now. They know there's an opportunity or there's a chance for a government shutdown. So they are flooding the border. You called it flooding the zone. And you were spot on. They're flooding the border with migrants because they know the chaos in Washington is the opportunity, if you will, for them to take advantage of this. Yeah, Representative Gonzalez.

I understand the reasoning on the cartels, right? But if the cartels are following the news that much, they would know that, hey, they're ramping up on Eagle Pass, they're ramping up on the border, and yet the flow has not stopped. So my thinking is that there are so many more migrants that are already in the queue that have been making that pass through Darien Gap.

We're seeing record numbers there that are crossing over from Venezuela, Colombia, into Panama. So what is being done to stop the flow? You're spot on. This doesn't, you can't just turn it on and turn it off. And I mentioned the numbers in Eagle Pass in El Paso, 800 miles away, which is also in my district. The numbers are even worse. There's over 11,000 people that are in custody and processing centers throughout there.

So the numbers are even worse. How do we get out of this? Let's talk about some solutions. The solution is putting the border a priority. And essentially, there has to be some repercussions for people that come over illegally. And that starts with the Biden administration, get a surging immigration judges to the border. That way these people can get their cases hurt in days, not years.

And if you do not qualify for asylum, you don't get sent to New York. You get sent back to your country of origin. The other piece of it, too, is we have to pass a budget. If we pass a budget, and we all, Democrats and Republicans, make border security and this migration crisis a priority, that sends a clear message to the cartel and others that we mean business. When it comes to this wave, Representative Gonzalez, do you think we are in the beginning of this current crisis? And I know the numbers have been sort of trickling up all summer.

Or do you think we're at the tail end or, I mean, or we have no idea? It's tough to say, but I will tell you from the folks I spoke with on intelligence reports show there are more trains on the way. There are more people. Once you said, like you said earlier, they're already in the queue. So it starts with enforcement. As soon as there are repatriation flights, you deport people that do not qualify for asylum. That stops it at the tail end of it. But in the meantime, there are more, there are thousands of people that are already on the way I get videos daily from my constituents showing this.

We're already over capacity. We're never going to build our way out of this. We have to have our policy discussion that enforces the laws that are on in the books. We can be warm and welcoming about it. The other part of it, too, is we have to talk about legal immigration. I have a bill. It's called the Higher Act. It already has 30 members of Congress, 10 Democrats, 20 Republicans, unheard of in this environment that focuses on legal immigration through work visas. These are the type of positive conversations that brings our country together. Representative Gonzalez, we're running out of time. We've only got about 30 seconds. Is Mexico being an honest partner here? They're not. And all you have to look at is the level of fentanyl that is coming over and killing our children. If we allow Mexico to be on.

our immigration enforcement, enforcement policy, we are failed. We have to take it into our own hands, and it's a matter, Tom, it's a matter of national security because it's only a matter of time if something terrible happens to our country besides what we're seeing at the southern border. Representative Gonzalez, we appreciate your time here on Top Story. Coming up next, Top Story's Global Watch, a deadly fire tearing through a golf ball factory overseas. Look at these images. What was inside that made the fire so dangerous on what's happening there?

Stay with us. Time now to get a check of what's happening around the world, so that means it's time for Top Story's Global Watch. We begin with a deadly fire at a factory in southern Taiwan. At least nine people killed and a hundred more injured as a massive fire tore through a golf ball factory over the weekend. Tonight, Taiwanese authorities fining the manufacturer $75,000 for storing 30 times the legal limit of hazardous materials inside. as they also weigh criminal charges.

In Canada, terrifying moments at a popular amusement park. Take a look at this video. It shows dozens of riders stranded upside down, 75 feet in the air, when a ride called the Lumberjack got stuck at the Wonderland Amusement Park in Ontario. Some riders yelling out for help as they were stuck there. Forget this, more than 30 minutes. At least two people treated for chest pain, though they are expected to be okay.

An investigation is underway. And criminal charges announced after those devastating floods in Libya, the country's prosecutor general ordering the arrest of eight officials within the water and dam management authority after this. Catastrophic floods left more than 4,000 people dead, two total dam failures causing the brunt of the destruction, despite calls from residents for years to fix that aging infrastructure. Okay, when we come back, the big update out of Hollywood, why we could see productions back up and running by January, the day. tentative deal reached in the Riders Strike. Stay with us. Back now with a major update on the Riders Strike. After nearly five months of riders on the picket lines, the WGA and studio struck a deal behind closed doors, renewing hope that halted productions could soon resume faster than we thought. Miguel Almaguer is following

this one tonight. In its last chapter, tonight the Riders Strike is getting its Hollywood ending. After nearly five months on the picket line, a tentative deal between the Writers Guild and the alliance that represents major studios means a big step towards resuming stalled productions. But the deal is still private, as the WGA tells members, though we are eager to share the details of what has been achieved with you. We cannot do that until the last eye is dotted. It's expected that will happen very quickly. But I am hearing from people who have seeing what the deal is and people who have heard what the deal is, they're very happy. Finally flipping the script on a nearly 150-day walkout, it's believed writers will earn higher

residuals from streaming shows and gain better protections from scripts written using AI that could threaten future jobs. This is not about people in, you know, drinking tropical drinks, driving Jaguars. We're talking about the middle class of our union, and we're just trying to keep our head above water. After shutting down studios across Tinsletown, writers at late night and daytime talk shows could return to work in just a matter of days. But new episodes of your favorite scripted shows

may not be back on the air until January. The WGA now encouraging its members to join actors and its union SAGAFRA, who remains on the picket line, fighting for some of the very same benefits. If you're like the momentum is there, the vibe is there. The studios and streamers are locked in to make a deal. And everybody wants to find a way they can get people back to work, get paychecks showing up in bank accounts.

Tonight as actors are left waiting for their cue, writers are set to ink their deal. Tom, the writer's agreement could serve as a template to help the actors strike. As for the writers, leadership will be taking a vote on their offer as early as tomorrow. Then it could go to the union as a whole for ratification. Tom, We thank Miguel for that report, and we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamas in San Francisco. Stay right there. More news on the way.