Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, July 25, 2024

Episode Date: July 26, 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, we're live from Paris as the history-making 2024 Olympic Games gets underway. More than 10,000 athletes from across the globe converging in France's capital to compete on the world stage. The opening ceremony promises to be unlike anything we've seen before. Floats set to parade down the famous River Sand, the city's most iconic landmarks transformed into sports venues. Some American teams already in action. Biles giving us a preview of what's to come, excitement filling the cobblestone streets as anticipation builds on the eve of the Olympic Games. Also tonight protecting Paris, France preparing for its biggest security operation in the country's history, helicopters circling

the city, snipers on roofs, and divers in the water, the massive challenge of securing the opening ceremony, the region on high alert as police foil plots against the games. Harris takes center stage, Vice President Kamala Harris, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for a ceasefire deal after a day on the campaign trail. Former President Trump blasting Harris as he reverts to his old tactics. Will the two meet on a debate stage and the new battleground polling showing a tightening race? Raging wildfires out west, thousands forced to flee their homes as flames close in. A California man in custody accused of igniting the state's largest,

wildfire of the year. In Canada, a fire burning out of control ravaging a historic tourist town, the air quality concerns as smoke pushes into the central U.S. Gucci goddess sentenced, a woman accused of stealing more than $100 million from military families to purchase designer goods learns her fate, the jail time she now faces after splurging on luxury cars and properties. Plus, the Sen on stage, the river at the heart of Paris on full display at this. this year's Olympics, but it's the city's rich history that flows through its banks. Arkeir Simmons finds out what makes it the perfect place to kick off the summer games, even testing the water himself.

And an expert is right here to tell us the chances the U.S. men's team has of winning gold with some tougher competition in basketball. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We are coming to you live tonight from Paris with a special edition of Top Story as the 2024 Olympics gets underway. Athletes from all around the world coming together to compete in the historic games. It is on the eve of the opening ceremony where we talk to you tonight and you can feel the excitement building throughout this city. Just behind me here, the Arc de Triumph, one of the many iconic landmarks here in the city of light. The most

notable of them all, the Eiffel Tower, of course, lit up at night and by day, Look at this, a stunning backdrop for beach volleyball. This year's events and competitions featuring Paris's famous sites, some transformed into sports venues. Also setting this year apart at the 2024 opening ceremony for the first time ever, the start of the summer games won't be in a stadium. Instead, on the River Sen, athletes will float down four miles of the historic waterway on boats. Let's break it down by the numbers. Millions will watch more than 10,000 athletes for more than 200 countries compete. In this year's games, there are 39 sports and a total of 19 days of competitions.

We're already seen Team USA in action, the women's soccer team kicking off a new era as they claim victory against Zambia, and a glimpse into what the U.S. gymnastics team has in store, Simone Biles and her teammates practicing before their competition begins. Several new sports making their way to the world stage, braking, also known as breakdancing, kiteboarding, and kayak. And one of the most exciting contests is taking place. miles away from Paris. In Tahiti, where the world's best surfers are chasing massive waves. Dozens of Olympians paddling against the fierce ocean for a chance to take home the goal. Also going for the top prize is tennis champion, Cocoa Gough and basketball legend LeBron James, both holding the honor of being this year's U.S. flag bearers at the opening ceremony.

And the American delegation will be led by First Lady Jill Biden, who will take her place next to French President Immanuel Macron along the Senate. There is so much to get to before the games officially begin. Our NBC All-Stars, Keir Simmons, and Stephanie Goss. Join us now live from Paris. Stephanie, I'm going to start with you. The opening ceremony is tomorrow, which is the official start of the Olympics. But some sports are already underway.

Talk to us about Team USA Women's Soccer. They started off very strong today. Yeah, they really did, Tom. This was a pretty easy game for them against Zambia. They won three to nothing. You know, what you need to know about this team is that they've lost some big names, Carly Lloyd, Megan Rapino. This is a young team.

There's something of an unknown entity. The games are going to get a lot harder than the one we saw today, but they're certainly off to a great start, start, Tom. Yeah, and we also got our first look at Team USA women's gymnastics. They were practicing in Paris today. How were they looking? I mean, terrific. Look, no one's been able to come even close to Simone since she came back after getting the Twisties in Tokyo.

And the whole team is looking good as well. You know, Simone here in Paris is. a total celebrity and we stumbled across this TikTok you have to check it out this woman is a rugby player for New Zealand and she ran into Simone and got one of her coveted pins listen to what she had to say it's terrific I'm not did we not have it doesn't look like we have it Stephanie but it sounds amazing yeah I'll explain it the pins are incredible and it's it's part of the culture here. She asked for one from Simone and she got it and she was so happy to have gotten it

because of Simone's celebrity. The whole team is actually going to look a lot familiar to people who watch Tokyo. Four out of the five gymnasts were at Tokyo. They're looking for redemption, not just Simone, but the team. They got silver in Tokyo and they're looking to get gold here, of course. And then Stephanie, Team USA's Casey Kauffold made her Paris debut today in Archery. Talk to us about that competition and also the majestic venue where it's taking place. Sure. Well, I mean, you know, this is a terrific story. People probably don't follow a whole lot of archery. Casey Confold is the world leader in archery. She had a great day today. She finished fourth. If she wins an individual medal here, Tom, she will be the first woman to win an individual medal in archery since 1976. That's a long. That's a long time. People should tune into archery. All right, Stephanie. We can't wait. The action just getting underway. Kier Simmons, like we said, Big day tomorrow. You've been here for months covering this. I mean, this is an opening ceremony like we have never seen before. Talk to us about what viewers can expect.

That's right, Tom. Steph says tune in to archery. Tune in tomorrow. Goodness me, because it is going to be just a spectacular. This parade on the river with LeBron James in Cocoa Gough waving the flag for Team USA on the second to last boat. That is the tradition because the U.S. will host. the next summer games. Let's just give you some of the numbers. 10,500 athletes will take part. 206 countries represented. There'll be 94 boats. 3,000 dancers, artists and performers. The actual length of it along the sand, four miles, around 326,000 spectators. And Tom, more than a billion people around the world expected to watch this opening ceremony. if they haven't got seats on the bleachers on it. I got to tell you, there are bleachers on almost every bridge along that river and all along the left and right bank.

If you haven't got seats, you'll be watching it on TV. Paris is ready for its close-up, Tom. So, Keir, like we said, no one's ever done this before. We've been driving around the different bridges, looking at the setup here. Do you think Paris is going to pull this off? Paris believes it well. Well, today I was at an event, a sustainability event, with President Macron. He looked incredibly relaxed, just himself, honestly.

You wouldn't know that it was the eve of such an important day. I managed to just pull aside Tony Estegay, who is obviously in charge of the 2024 Olympics. Again, looking relaxed. I said to him, how are you feeling? He told me, I feel good. Paris feels good. I think Paris is ready for these Olympics. History-making Olympics, Tom, which,

will very likely change the way we see the games in the future. Don't be surprised if we see more opening ceremonies like this one in the open air, more events all around cities, the way you've seen it here in Paris. It is not as expensive. It is more sustainable. And goodness me, I think it's going to be a party, Tom. All right, Keir Simmons for us from Paris. Kier and Stephanie, we thank you both for great coverage.

We're going to be checking with you guys throughout the games over the next two weeks. weeks here. Now, security in Paris ahead of the Olympics, incredibly tight, right? As French officials work to protect the games against the international backdrop of wars on two continents and elevated tensions around the globe. For more on the security preps underway here in the city of lights, we're joined by Richard Engel, who is, I can see him right here in our eyeline, he's about to join us here on set. When you walk around Paris and you sort of drive around, you notice the security fortress that it's become. Richard is here with us now. Richard, great to have you. Yeah. I want to give our audience an idea of the kind of security presence we're looking at here in Paris, right?

So let's look at some of the numbers here. You can feel it. Yeah, 45,000 police officers alongside 10,000 soldiers, 22,000 private security contractors. It's a massive mobilization. I know you've been talking to French law enforcement officials about what it all takes. So they've done a million background checks. There's drone systems, anti-dron systems. They put sonar in the San River.

They've put blocks inside the San River that go all the way to the bed. of the river in case people get in it. They'll notice changes in the water level. There are SWAT teams, armed SWAT teams, about more than 600 of them, called in or could be called in if there's a violent incident. So they're very worried about it.

They're very worried because there could be a repeat of that terrible incident at the Baraklan theater. They've had history with Islamic extremism in this country, also neo-Nazis, the far-reft, the far right. So they were concerned about a variety variety of scenarios, tomorrow being the opening ceremony, being a main concern. And we'll see what happens, because so far I haven't seen a lot of protests so far,

so they may have it under control. We're going to have to wait and see. I know you've got access to some of those elite groups that are sort of protecting Paris. Sure. So these are the elite SWAT teams. They're not exactly SWAT teams like in the US. They don't respond to bank robberies and things like that. They're counterterrorism SWAT teams. They're more like the Navy SEALs or Delta Force or something like that. We were with them. They're the same group that responded. to the Bada Klan. And they're training every day, drilling for hostage rescues or any kind of scenario. And you'd asked about the U.S. many countries are also bringing their own police officers. And the U.S. is doing that as well.

Yeah, so talk us about that because you have these high-profile U.S. athletes. And also, we know France is one of our allies. How are they working in coordination? Very, very close coordination. The French are in the lead. It's their country. But the U.S. has set up a situation room. And we were filming in it today, and they have multiple government agencies working there in the same room so that if there were an incident, and their primary responsibility is focusing on Americans, American tourists, the delegations, the athletes, that their focus is to immediately respond to American citizens.

So they're here, they're up and running. Some of them have been in Paris working for two years for this, working with the French authorities. So those relations are very strong. But there is a base level of violence in this country. So they are concerned. It's not just Paris. Something could happen in other cities. They've already been making arrests. They've made numerous arrests in the last 10 days.

Three people who allegedly had intent to disrupt the games just in the last three days, including a Russian national, reportedly with links to Russian intelligence. Yeah, they've thwarted some plots already. Okay, Richard Engel for a site. Richard, always appreciate your reporting. We're going to have much more from here in Paris as we count down to the opening ceremony of the Olympics, but I do want to turn to the major political news back home.

Vice President Kamala Harris on the campaign trail posted on Twitter that she is ready to debate former President Trump and that he is backpedaling from his commitment to face off in September. This has former President Trump declared at a rally last night. He's not going to be nice and criticized his opponent just days after calling for unity.

NBC's Peter Alexander has the reporting tonight. Tonight, Vice President Harris welcoming an on-stage showdown with former President Trump, accusing him of backpedaling from his previous commitment to a September debate. I'm ready to debate Donald Trump. I think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on a debate stage. And so I'm ready. Let's go. Just this week, Mr. Trump said he'd be willing to do more than one debate with Ms. Harris, but appeared to balk at the current plan.

I agree to a debate with Joe Biden. but I want to debate her and still be no different because they have the same policies. Their head-to-head is quickly heating up. New polling shows the vice president has narrowed Mr. Trump's advantage over President Biden, the race effectively a toss-up. On the economy, Harris today slamming the former president's proposals

as tax breaks for billionaires. America has tried these failed economic policies before, but we are not going back. We are not going back. Mr. Trump today attacking the vice president. She's the most radical person, probably that we've had in office, let alone the office of the presidency. In Charlotte last night, casting aside his promise from last week's Republican convention that he'd strike a more unifying tone.

He can't be too nice. He really can't be. So if you don't mind, I'm not going to be nice. Is that okay? It comes as President Biden detailed his decision to drop. out of the race. I revere this office, but I love my country more. Discussing his desire to unite the country by passing the torch to a new generation. There's also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices. And that time and place is now. The vice president

soon to receive a major boost, the endorsement of former President Obama, according to people familiar with their discussions, who say the two have been in close touch since she announced her plan to run. In this election, we each face a question. The Harris team now running with its first campaign video. Freedom, freedom. Set to the Beyonce song, Freedom. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, is facing new backlash for his past criticism of Democratic leaders, including Ms. Harris, for not having children. We're effectively run in this country via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs, by a bunch of childless cat ladies. Hollywood star, Jennifer Aniston posting, all I can say is, Mr. Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of

her own one day. And the second gentleman's first wife, Kirsten Emhoff, praising the vice president as a co-parent to the Mhoff children. I love our blended family and I'm grateful to have her in it. We're in the early days of the Harris campaign, but already they're embracing a different approach, both stylistically and strategically. Stylistically, the vice president is a younger candidate embracing pop culture memes, appealing to younger voters who had been less enthusiastic about President Biden, but also perhaps strategically, a different electoral map. The Harris campaign right now, hoping that her candidacy will mobilize different demographics, particularly southern black voters in states like Georgia, where Vice President Harris will head early next week. Tom.

All right, Peter Alexander for us tonight. Peter, we thank you for more on the state of the 2024 presidential race. I want to bring a national political reporter for The Hill and a friend story, Julia Manchester. So Julia, Vice President Harris is accusing President Trump of backpedaling on his commitment to debate in September. One day after former President Trump said during a rally that he is not going to be any more attacking her. What are you hearing from the campaigns about both their strategies to take on one another? Look, I think from both of these campaigns, they're looking forward to some face-to-face moment. You know, we saw how critical that presidential debate with Trump and, of course, President Biden was.

just a month ago. So it's an opportunity for both of the campaigns. However, I think right now the Trump campaign is moving, you know, somewhat cautiously because we know that now is the period to define Kamala Harris. And the Trump campaign right now is figuring out what the best way to define Kamala Harris is. We've seen President Trump label her, you know, hit her over the border. Yesterday, he labeled Joe Biden as a fake liberal and said Kamala Harris is the real liberal to be concerned about. So I think they're going to be experimenting with some of these messages, see what sticks, and then bring that to a debate stage if we, in fact, do see these two debate. Yeah, and a quick correction. I said, but I misread something that he was not going to attack.

He's saying that he wasn't going to debate, but we're going to have to wait and see. I also want to put up the swing state polling from the Hill and Emerson. You see how close it is between Harris and Trump, Trump leading Harris in Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, and Harris having the lead in Georgia, all within the margin of error. that shows how close it is. That's in addition to those polls. Peter mentioned. What are you hearing about how both campaigns are preparing for this close race? Look, I think right now those polls are reflective of the fact that we're just seeing more Democratic enthusiasm under Vice President Harris than we saw under President Biden. You know, Democrats I've talked to have talked

about this, you know, switch, this night and day switch that started on Sunday when President Biden stepped down from the top of the ticket. And you're already seeing the Harris campaign really begin to mobilized, really crisscrossing the country and holding these campaign events with and without her. We're seeing Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman, he's been deployed to the campaign trail. So they are seriously hitting the ground running, knowing that, quite frankly, they don't have a ton of time left. Now, the Trump campaign doing the same thing, trying to get on the ground as much as possible. But I am curious, Tom, about how this sort of shifts the map. Before President Biden stepped down from the ticket, we were hearing all about that blue wall.

Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, how that was President Biden's path to victory. Earlier this week, though, the Harris campaign sent out a memo saying that that was still the path. However, we should also pay attention to some of these sunbelt states like Nevada, Arizona, even Georgia. And a lot of that is because we've seen key constituencies within the Democratic Party fold, including voters of color who are galvanized right now about Harris. And, you know, we've seen that the Republican campaign or the Trump campaign has been trying to make inroads with some of these voters. I'm curious to see how they push back, you know, in the wake of these, you know, better poll numbers for Kamala Harris. Yeah, you know, we have to be completely

honest with our viewers here, right? I mean, so much has happened over the last two to three weeks in this race that you look at that poll and you just wonder if it's all sort of sunk in yet for voters because it's a lot to throw at them at once. I know you and the Hill have some new reporting when it comes to the veep stakes. I want to start by asking you about Governor Andy He's the governor of Kentucky and has come after J.D. Vance for his personal story in relation to Appalachia. How important a surrogate is Bashir to the Harris campaign? I think Andy Bashir is important because he is coming from a red state to state that Democrats typically don't win in. He's a very rare breed in Kentucky. So the fact that he's able to hit J.D. Vance because they come

from a similar region of the country, that's probably pretty crucial because we know that J.D. Vance is going to be trying to appeal to these blue-wall voters, the working-class blue-collar voters that, you know, previously went for Democrats prior to 2016. Trump was able to flip them back, and since then, they've been swing voters. So it's important that Harris has someone like Bashir on her side. That being said, though, we know that his name has been thrown around in the beep stakes, the Kentucky governor. However, I'm hearing that it's down at this point to Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania

governor Josh Shapiro. Shapiro, notably, one of those Harris surrogates, he's going to be in Philadelphia on Monday. He could very much appeal to a lot of those blue wall voters as well. And then, Julie, I know you have some other leading candidates you've been reporting on. Mark Kelly, Senator Mark Kelly from Arizona and Josh Shapiro, you were just mentioning there from Pennsylvania. What do you think about Senator Mark Kelly? Look, I think Mark Kelly has a very compelling story. You know, he works with Gabrielle Giffords, the former Congresswoman who was a victim of gun violence. She has since become a major advocate for gun violence prevention. Those two, you know, that's a cause that's very important to Democratic voters and also a number of moderate voters as well. So I think we could certainly see him bring that to the ticket. He's a former astronaut. So that's certainly a compelling story as well. And he comes from a very important state, Arizona. That's a border state. We know that Mark Kelly has been critical of the Biden administration's handling it. at some points of the southern border, and he's been more hawkish on that issue. So that could help

her as well. But really, from what I'm hearing, Pennsylvania governor, Josh Shapiro, just because of the sheer, I guess, massiveness of what Pennsylvania brings to, or totality, I should say, what Pennsylvania brings to the electoral college count 20 electoral college votes. It's a true swing state. And I think, you know, we can talk about paths to victory. You can't really go anywhere without Pennsylvania. Maybe there's a narrow path, but Pennsylvania is pretty big. So there's some questions as to, you know, whether someone like Josh Shapiro could win that for Harris. All right. We thank you so much, Julia Manchester from the Hill. We want to stay in Washington now. Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, meeting with Vice President Harris and President Biden today

separately. Biden pressing the prime minister for an end to the Gaza war to the war in Gaza and the releasing of remaining hostages. NBC's Andrew Mitchell has those details. President Biden and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at their first meeting since the early days of the war. Well, welcome back. Mr. Prime Minister, we've got a lot to talk about. With time now running out to close a ceasefire and hostage deal before he leaves office, Mr. Biden pressing the Israeli leader on a ceasefire.

It's time now to get the negotiation in place and get the hostages home. It's time to end the war. Shame, save, shame on you! Netanyahu's visit sparking days of outrage. Today, protesters rallying near the White House. Yesterday, police used pepper spray, as hundreds demonstrated around the Capitol, painted pro-Hamas and anti-Semitic graffiti, burned an American flag and raised Palestinian flags, actions strongly condemned by congressional leaders in both parties and by Vice President

Kamala Harris. Today, the White House also putting Netanyahu on the spot by inviting American hostage families to meet with him and the president in the cabinet room. We got absolute commitment from the Biden administration and from Prime Minister Netanyahu that they understand the urgency of this moment now. Aviva Siegel, her American husband Keith, a hostage. She was released after 51 days but saw the horrors firsthand. I want everybody just to imagine any girl that's a young girl that's never been touched.

She's lying on a mattress on the floor and just praying. Please, just that he won't tell me to come this time and do what he did yesterday. I'm very, very worried. I do not want Keith to come back dead. And I want all the hostages to come back as soon as possible, because we hear about more and more of them that are killed. Even as the IDF recovered five more bodies of Israeli hostages from a tunnel in Kanunas, who had been killed on October 7th.

late today, Vice President Harris and Netanyahu in their first meeting since Biden dropped out of the 2024 race. Harris declined to preside over Netanyahu's speech to Congress. Donald Trump's running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, also not there. I also expressed with the Prime Minister my serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians. Tomorrow, Netanyahu flies to Mara Lago to see former President Trump, who said today he wants him to get the war done quickly. Tom?

All right, Andrea Mitchell, we thank you for that. Still ahead tonight, the raging wildfire emergency on the west coast. Residents near Sacramento forced to flee as the park fire explodes in size overnight. The man now in custody accused of starting one of those fires. Plus, the U.S. intercepting Chinese and Russian bomber jets in the skies near Alaska. What defense officials are saying about that unprecedented incident? And of course, we'll have much more of our coverage from here in Paris. We'll tell you which country is not happy with the food inside the Olympic village and is now sending in their own private chef.

Stay with us, the special edition of Top Story from the Olympic Games in Paris, just getting started. back from Paris, and you're looking right there at the famous Louvre Museum. We want to head to other news back home in the states with the latest on the massive wildfire raging in northern California. The blaze is now the biggest of the year in the state, prompting widespread evacuations. Authorities arresting an arson suspect today. Morgan Chesky is there. Tonight, a west coast furnace turned inferno. California's park fire exploding overnight, forcing residents to evacuate in Chico, north of South. Sacramento. The heat is insane. Spot fires everywhere. In less than 24 hours, the wind-driven

inferno scorched more than 70,000 acres. Entire homes and buildings engulfed in flames that authorities are now calling an act of arson, arresting a 42-year-old man from Chico for pushing a flaming car into a ravine, which they say started the fire. Just outside Cohasset, smoldering debris is all that remains where homes once stood. Here in Butte County, cruise have already made their way back to several remote areas trying to cut fire line wherever they can to slow the spread. From California to Canada, months without rain and record highs has turned much of the west into a tinder box. The Durkie fire in Oregon is now the nation's largest, charring nearly a quarter million acres since igniting from a lightning strike

last week. The blaze so big, it's creating its own weather, with extreme heat forming a fire-fueled thunderstorm, carrying smoke and ash even farther. As crews from 22 states fight 24-7 to contain it, a similar struggle in Alberta, Canada. The picturesque town of Jasper, now facing near apocalyptic scenes as flames close in. The fire smoke so thick, its impacted air quality as far south as Colorado, with a gray haze hanging heavy. Back near Chico, with flames far from contained, evacuation orders remain ongoing. The quicker you get out. out the safer you will be. And tonight, as this fire very much keeps burning a frightening deja vu, it was six years ago that a wildfire left 85 people dead and destroyed nearly

90% of the town of paradise. Some of those survivors resettling in North Chico in an area that tonight is frighteningly close to this very fire. Tom. Morgan Chesky on the fire line for us tonight. Morgan, we thank you for that. For more on this wildfire emergency, NBC News meteorologist Michelle Grossman joins me now. Michelle, so what's the latest on the conditions there as it looks like the fire is just growing more and more out of control? That's right. Yeah, we're looking at still elevated fire risk, and we're going to be seeing that. Now, keep in mind, peak season is July to October, so we have a whole lot of time to get through. Now, we're looking at the fire elevated risk through portions of California into the

Pacific Northwest, the Intermountain West, notice places like Great Falls, Bowman, Rapid City, Scott's Bluffs, seeing the chance for elevated risk. Then as we go through our time here, we're looking at thunderstorms tonight. So it's a combination of the wind, the really hot temperatures, and dry thunderstorms. What is a dry thunderstorm? Well, it's a storm that where the rainfall evaporates before it reaches the ground. So something to keep in mind as we're watching those thunderstorms brewing right now in portions of the Intermountain West. We have a thunderstorm watch, a thunderstorm warning. Where you see the orange, that is a thunderstorm morning. And as we go throughout time here and through the evening,

we're looking at the chance for severe weather as we go through tonight. That includes these places where we are concerned about the dry thunderstorms. red flag alerts all across the northwest. We're looking at these red shading where we see the red flag warnings. That includes places like Spokane into Twin Falls, Butte, Billings, Cassford, Rapid City, Scott's Bluff, so Montana into the western portions of Nebraska, also Dakota. This is through tomorrow and will be extended as we go throughout the weekend as well. It is impacting air quality. We have air quality alerts throughout the northwest into the inner mountain west where you see this orange shading. That's where we're looking at the chance for that poor air quality. You want to shut

the windows, get an air conditioning if you can, and also stay inside when you can throughout the day with those hazy skies in place. And this is why all these fires are burning and that wind is blowing off to the east. So we're seeing that smoke from the northwest wildfires towards the east. And we're going to be watching this as we go throughout the next several months. Tom. Okay, Michelle, we thank you. Just ahead. A woman dubbed the Gucci goddess sentenced to prison. The jail time she now faces after stealing more than $100 million from military families. spending it on designer bags and luxury cars. And more from here in Paris as our Olympic coverage continues.

Stay with us. Another amazing view from here in Paris as the world turns its attention on the city as the opening ceremony nears. I want to turn to my friend Ellison Barber at our top story studio in 30 Rock for some of the day's other headlines including Norrad intercepting Russian and China. accepting Russian and Chinese bombers off the coast of Alaska. Alison, great to see you tonight. Good to see you, Tom, and thank you.

Let's turn now to Top Stories News Feed. A former Uvalde police officer has pleaded not guilty to charges connected to that horrific 2022 elementary school shooting. Adrian Gonzalez is appearing in court today denying 29 counts of child endangerment and abandonment. He is one of two law enforcement officials to be indicted on criminal charges for his department's 77-minute delayed response at Rob Elementary School, where 19 children and two teachers were killed. Gonzalez faces up to two years behind bars if convicted. California Governor Gavin Newsom is issuing an executive order to clear thousands of homeless encampments across the state. The move follows a recent

U.S. Supreme Court decision that said ticketing homeless people for sleeping outside is legal. California has seen a spike in homelessness with nearly 180,000 people experiencing homelessness just last year. The order direct state agencies to remove unsafe encampments and work to find those people shelter. Norad intercepting Russian and Chinese bomber jets near the coast of Alaska. Defense officials say the move was not seen as a threat. However, this is the first time the two countries have been intercepted together and while using bombers. None of those jets entered U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace. And a Texas man is lucky to be alive after he was pulled from a Tesla engulfed in flames.

Video shows the colony police officers racing to the scene, quickly using a pipe to break that driver's side window, pop an airbag, and pull that man out to safety. He was trapped inside the burning vehicle after an accident that pinned the car, rather, between two overpassed barriers. The man was transported to a local hospital for evaluation,

and amazingly, he's expected to be OK. We're going to turn now to sentencing day for a woman dubbed Gucci goddess, the San Antonio resident living a lavish lifestyle, buying designer clothes and expensive cars. But it turns out the money she used to buy those goods was meant to go to military families. NBC's Marissa Parra has the details and the prison sentence that woman is now facing. Tonight, the woman dubbed the Gucci goddess is behind bars, where she sentenced to spend the next 15 years. Former U.S. Civilian Army employee Janet Mello found guilty of stealing nearly $109 million, originally meant for children and military families, instead used for

her own personal luxury, from high-end jewelry and fancy cars to lavish homes. This was the largest, the largest fraud the United States Army has seen by a single individual. Working as a financial program manager for the U.S. Army in areas including youth services, prosecutors say Mello created a sham business called Child Health and Youth Lifelong Development, or child with a why, adding that she routinely betrayed the trust of colleagues to get approvals, sometimes even forging signatures to fraudulently secure grants. The millions of dollars meant for military children instead deposited into her own personal bank account, the military families didn't see a penny.

Over a period of six years, military children who themselves make sacrifices as their parents serve our nation, misdialed on essential. funding that did not receive the benefits they would have received if not for this scheme. Instead, her scheming funded at least 31 pieces of real estate, like these lavish mansions and ranches scattered throughout the country, 82 different vehicles like motorcycles and classic cars. Mello even spent $923,000 on jewelry in one day, just a fraction of the total spent for more than 1,500 pieces. The forfeiture process is underway. and we're committed to return as much as possible back to the intended benefit for sureies.

As investigators work to recover those misappropriated funds, Mello was sentenced after pleading guilty to five counts of mail fraud and five counts of filing a false tax return. Ms. Mello was very remorseful for her actions. We believe that the sentence that was recommended by the guidelines was appropriate, and we believe that maybe she should have gotten something a little bit less. This was in light of the fact that she cooperated. She returned a lot of the money, and we expect that a lot more is going to be returned in the future.

The prosecutors standing firm on the sentence, saying 15 years is more than fair. We need to send a really strong message that you will not be able to do this. We will not tolerate it. Marisipara, NBC News. Now to the major announcement from Southwest Airlines, the carrier saying they plan to stop using the open seating model that has defined their business for decades. The move coming amid plummeting profits and increased competition from other budget airlines. NBC's Emily Aketa has the details. A major change of course for Southwest Airlines announcing today it will soon start assigning

seats and selling some with extra leg room, ending more than 50 years of its famous or for some infamous model of open seating where boarding can build into a mad dash. You've got people just running in front of you. And while some Southwest super fans are disappointed. I love open seating. That's why I fly Southwest. The discount carrier CEO says the move is a bid to boost revenue and adapt to travelers' evolving tastes. Reporting 80% of Southwest customers want an assigned seat, especially on longer flights.

When a customer defects from Southwest to another competitor, it's the number one reason. So it's the right thing at the right time. Despite this summer's record travel, many airlines are grappling. with over capacity. Southwest recorded a 46% drop in profit from last year, facing growing rivalries with other budget options. What kind of headwinds is the airline facing right now? They have simply added too many seats when it comes to basic economy seats. In other words, the seats that people are buying at the lowest possible fare. So many have been added into the system, not just by Southwest, but by other airlines as well, it's put a lid on

fares. Southwest says bookings for assigned and premium seats will become available at some point next year. The change still requires updating cabin layout and FAA approval. Back to you. Emily Aketa, thank you. Now to top stories, Global Watch, and we begin with an update on the deadly typhoon still making its way across Asia. The storm packing winds equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane sinking a cargo ship as it battered off the coast of Taiwan. Six crew members are still missing. The storm weakening after making landfall in China, but 20 people have already been killed and hundreds more have been injured across the region. The cybersecurity firm behind the massive IT outage facing backlash for an attempt at an apology. Crowdstrike tried to thank

workers who helped customers who were impacted by the outage last Friday by giving them $10 Uber eats vouchers. But then Uber blocked use of those cards because high usage rates triggered a fraud alert. According to Microsoft, the faulty update that was released by CrowdStrike rendered more than 8 million devices unusable for several hours last week. And dive teams in Australia finding a shipwreck after 55 years. Take a look at this video showing the wreck of the MV Nugog in the water 90 miles north of Sydney. Officials say the cargo ship ran into stormy weather back in 1969, killing 21 men and sparking one of the biggest maritime searches in Australian history. Australia Science Agency using high-resolution seafloor mapping to ultimately find the wreck

still intact, more than 550 feet below the surface. Coming up next, we throw things back over to Tom in Paris. The concerns over athletes doping and how organizers are looking to crack down. Plus a look ahead at some of the most anticipated competitions of these 2024 games. Stay with us. And good evening once again from Paris. That right there, the Champs-Selisse lit up in all its glory. You can see the Paralympic logo on top of the Arc de Triumph there.

We are back with more from the games as competitions get underway ahead of the opening ceremony. I'm joined now by my friend and colleague Rob Harris. He's a Sky News sports correspondent that's joining our coverage here in Paris. Rob, first of all, thank you for joining Top Story. I want to start with the athletes' village, right? There's been a little bit of drama, I don't controversy, something about the food. And now I understand that your colleagues from Team Great Britain, they're going to actually be flying a chef. What happened?

Yeah, this is meant to be the astronomy capital of the world, but the Brits aren't happy with the French cuisine at all. They're concerned about the quality of their food and a lack of it in the village. Concerns that they're not enough eggs and chickens and maybe some of the meat is undercooked. But Team Gube have their own base here, performance lodge, and they've got their own chefs already. bring an extra one in as well. So many of the athletes now choosing not to eat in the village, but to go to Team G.B's own base. I wonder how that's going to go down with the French. I know you love Team GB. Let's talk about Team USA for a little bit. So we had women's soccer today. Team USA coming out very strong. We saw that earlier in the broadcast, 3-0 against Zambia.

Tell us about our coach, because she's somebody you guys know very well. Yeah, she's an incredible character, Emma Hay. She's just left Chelsea, having won five women's super league titles in a row. She's a formidable character. I interviewed her. just after she took the U.S. job, and she's determined she speaks her mind and the players that she's coached under speak really highly of her. And obviously, the U.S. needing a bit of a turnaround after the struggles at the Women's World Cup in Australia last year. And what a start for her hair with the victory. Yeah, I know you've also been covering the issue of doping at the games. It's been an issue over the last several games. Even star swimmer Caleb Dressel for Team USA has

expressed his concerns about who's on what in the pool possibly. What have you learned? Well, there's a huge lack of confidence in the world anti-doping. agency all relates to these cases of the 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive in the months before Tokyo 2021. We didn't just know about this until a few months ago when the cases were revealed. 11 of those swimmers are here. The World Anti-Doping Agency and other anti-doping authorities are accepting that they were contaminated by food in a hotel so they've avoided bans and other athletes are not happy. It's questioning how much confidence you can have in the doping authorities. And at the backdrop to all of this, the awarding of the winning

into games to Salt Lake City in 2034 and demands for the IOC that is part of the agreement that the US removes the law brought it in 2020 that can prosecute criminal cases for doping. That would be so wild if that happened. I do want to ask you about some of our star athletes including Team USA women's gymnastics and Team USA men's basketball. First in gymnastics, does Team USA have it? Is there anybody else that can compete with them right now? Well, there is a British star Max Whitlock who's going to be pretty strong in the gymnastics. But I think a lot of British eyes, even on Simone Biles, we all saw the events in Tokyo, how she came back from adversity to win bronze.

And I think she's really inspirational in that sense. And in terms of basketball, we've got fond memories from London 2012. The last time we saw LeBron at the Olympics, here he is back again trying to get gold. So certainly someone to keep an eye on. Some international teams, though, can give them a run for their money, right? There's teams like France, where we are the host country and other European teams that are playing some great basketball with NBA stars. Yeah, that's the growth of the NBA. mean so many more foreign stars coming to play there.

They're getting stronger coming back to Europe to be able to beef up their national teams. And it's really posing a challenge for the U.S. They can't have it completely easy these games in basketball anymore. It is one of the hottest tickets also in town in Paris towards the end of the Olympics, the finals. All right, Rob Harris, we thank you so much from Sky. And when we come back more on the Olympics, the SEND takes center stage in a history-making opening ceremony. Keir Simmons shows us this landmark of Paris. It's a wonderful story you won't want to miss.

That's next. We are back now with this breathtaking show. Look at that. The Eiffel Tower illuminated by all those lights. They put on this incredible display every hour throughout the night. And we're so lucky to have this view just behind us right here in Paris. On the eve of the opening ceremony, anticipation is building as the hours ticked down. All eyes on the Sen River.

role it's taking in tomorrow's ceremony. And while the quality of its water has drawn controversy, many still marvel at its history. Kier Simmons took the journey. In Paris tonight, there are bleachers on the bridges and TV screens on the banks of the Sen, months of worries over strong currents and water quality, mostly in the rearview mirror. As the river becomes the stage for a history-making opening ceremony from Notre Dame to the Eiffel Tower, That's as it should be, because the Sen, its banks adorned with cafes and booksellers or Buchanese, is older than Paris itself.

The Sen is Paris, Monsieur. The Sen is Paris. You even say where you are in the city in relation to the river. It's the left and the right bank, not the north bank and the south bank. It's because the river twists so often. American historian Russell Kelly has lived here for 30 years. That is the center of Paris. And says Paris began on an island on the Seine, the Il de la Cite, now known for its famous cathedral.

You have Notre Dame itself, a medieval Gothic cathedral, and then you have these 19th century buildings. All of it is here. All you have to do is know how to peel back the layers. We followed the river through picturesque villages for three hours to its source. Thank you. Welcome. Hello.

Thank you. Welcome. This is the first bridge. It's the first bridge of the sign. And the right bank and left bank. La grieve right and the right right. Antoine Hiro is from friends of Sorsenne and spent his childhood here. It's a magical river.

She travels the friends, but she's very, very calm. The Gauls, then the Romans, revered this place, a water nymph. In the 19th century, they built a shrine. Oh yes, you can see the water. You can see the water. That's the source. That's the source right there. That's the source.

Whether the sand is clean enough for Olympic swimming has been hotly debated. But up here at the source, it's safe to take a sip. It's fresh. It's clean. Yeah. Kier Simmons, NBC News, Paris. And we thank Kier Simmons for that wonderful story. In case you're wondering, he's feeling absolutely fine after drinking that river water.

Riverwater. We thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamas coming to you from the Terrace of Finnegan in Paris. We leave you with this stunning picture of the moon lining up perfectly with the Olympic rings and the Eiffel Tower, the majesty of the Olympics in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Stay right there. More news on the way.