Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Episode Date: October 23, 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, NBC going one-on-one with Vice President Harris. With just two weeks until Election Day, NBC's Hallie Jackson pressing Harris on where she stands on key issues as Americans begin to cast their votes. What she says will happen if former President Trump disputes the election results and the questions she gave no clear answer on while former President Trump spends back-to-back days in Battleground North Carolina with the race tightening there. Also tonight, the road to 270, we're breaking down the paths for each candidate to take the White House. And for the first time in modern history, could we end up with a tie? It's a real possibility. I'll walk you through the paths to victory. And what would happen if both candidates end up with 269 votes?

And breaking news at this hour, McDonald's hit with a multi-state outbreak of E. coli. One person is dead. Several others hospitalized after eating quarter-pounders. the states where people are impacted and how the fast food chain is responding tonight. Netanyahu's house attacked. New images showing a Hezbollah strike damaging Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's private home.

The significance of this assault as the U.S. urges Israel to de-escalate the situation in Lebanon. Former Abercrombie and Fitch CEO, Mike Jeffreys, arrested for sex trafficking. Jeffries, along with his romantic partner, accused of orchestrating a sickening scheme, and misleading aspiring male models in order to sexually exploit them. The sprawling indictment detailing elaborate sex parties

and how they allegedly tried to cover it all up. A woman caught in a tight spot dangling upside down, stuck between boulders for hours after trying to retrieve, you guessed it, her cell phone. She dropped it while hiking, how she was eventually freed. And a dog rescued by a North Carolina family, reciprocating the favor, rescuing his 11-year-old owner after a mudslide moved in.

Their home swept off its foundation, trapping the boy under piles of debris. The dogs bark and persistence credited with saving the boy's life. Plus, the big payout from Jewel's class action lawsuit, the e-cigarette users who could be thousands of dollars richer. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We are officially two weeks.

out from Election Day. And tonight, NBC's Hallie Jackson, questioning Vice President Harris on the obstacles she faces to win the presidency. No topic was off limits. Harris pressed on the economy, the gender gap, distancing herself from President Joe Biden, and how she'll handle abortion rights if Congress is controlled by Republicans. You'll hear her responses in just a moment. Meantime, former President Trump lashing out at Harris during a Latino outreach event, unleashing new attacks before returning to battleground North Carolina for a second consecutive day. A live look now at Trump's rally in Greensboro. Again, these are live cameras. This is getting underway. The former president devoting much of his time to a state he's won

twice, but recent polling shows it was very much in play with Harris closing the gap now. And new tonight, the former president's campaign confirming he will join millions of Americans voting early in this year's election. Has several states already report record-breaking turnout, more than 17 million Americans already casting their votes. Either person or with a mail-in-battle. Today, Vice Presidential nominee, Minnesota Governor Tim Walls, joined by former President Obama on the campaign trail in Wisconsin. And the Harris campaign isn't just breaking out past presidents tonight.

Rapper Eminem will introduce Obama at a rally in Detroit, and rock star Bruce Springsteen preparing to bring his concerts to the trail as he rallies with Kamala Harris and Key Swing States. But let's kick things off with Hallie Jackson and her one-on-one sit-down with Vice President Harris. Thank you, Madam Vice President, for your time today. to be with you. Thank you. For so many voters, we know that a huge issue for them is the economy. It's the cost of living. Our new NBC News poll shows that more voters think that the Biden administration

policies have hurt them rather than help them. And I wonder, are the last four years an obstacle to you in this race? Here's how I look at it. First of all, let me be very clear. Mine will not be a continuation of the Biden administration. I bring my own experiences, my own ideas to it. And it's informed a number of my areas of focus, most of which are, on to your point, lowering costs. So part of my plan includes what we need to do to bring down the price of groceries, including the work I will do dealing with price gouging, something I dealt with when I was Attorney General, something I will deal with going forward. Then why do you think that's not landing with voters?

Because in the numbers, it's the opposite. Former President Trump leads you on this issue. Well, when I'm out, this is why I'm going out to Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, excuse me. just got in late this morning, actually. But going to three states yesterday, and I'm going to continue being on the road. I have to earn the vote. As you sit here today, do you think the country is ready now for a woman and a woman of color to be president? Absolutely. Absolutely. And I am saying that in terms of every walk of life of our country, you know, I think part of what is important in this election is really not only turning the page,

closing the page and the chapter on an era that suggests that Americans are divided. The vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us. And what the American people want in their president is a president for all Americans, which is the type and kind of president I pledge to be. You've been reluctant to lean into, to talk about the historic nature of your candidacy on the campaign trail. Why is that? Well, I'm clearly a woman.

I don't need to point that out to anyone. The point that most people really care about is, can you do the job? And do you have a plan to actually focus on them? There is a big gender gap in this race. Fewer men support you right now than they did President Biden. Some of your allies have suggested there's sexism at play. I wonder, do you think there is sexism at play here? Let me just tell you something.

You've come to my events, and you will see there are men and women at those events. So the experience that I am having is one in which it is clear. that regardless of someone's gender, they want to know that their president has a plan of lower cost, that their president has a plan to secure America in the context of our position around the world. Do you not see sexism as a factor in this race at all? I don't think of it that way. My challenge is the challenge of making sure I can talk with and listen to as many voters

as possible and earn their vote. We traveled with the vice president to campaign events in Pennsylvania. Wisconsin, and Michigan. We are out here chatting with Vice President Kamala Harris. She is looking to win over moderate voters, Republicans undecided, in this key battleground state. We're off to the next one. Wisconsin is next.

Including events with former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney. You're out here trying to reach women, trying to reach moderate Republicans. We are just two weeks out from the election. If they're still undecided, it means something about your message hasn't connected with them yet. What is it? We're two weeks away from the presidential election. election and people are listening to the issues you could tell from the response here with

a group of undecided many independents many Republicans that they are open to and actually supportive of an approach that is about saying that we must have a president of United States who honors and defends the constitution of the United States as opposed to Donald Trump that says he wants to terminate it and on the campaign trail she criticized former President Trump on minimum wage after he avoided saying whether it should be raised while campaigning at a McDonald's. Do you have a number? What would you like to see it at? Well, at least $15 an hour, but we'll work with Congress, right? That's something that is going through Congress. And we also asked her about Trump supporter billionaire Elon Musk, campaigning in Pennsylvania with his $1 million offer to a random registered voter if they've signed his petition in favor of free speech and the right to bear arms.

Do you worry that it could be effective, his support for former President Trump in that key battleground? Listen, I'm not about doing gimmicks and all of that. I think that what we have to do and what I'm going to continue to do is to be out in communities. We also asked about abortion rights if Congress were to be controlled by Republicans. So is a question of pragmatism then? What concessions would be on the table? Religious exemptions, for example. Is that something that you would consider with the Republican control courts?

I don't think we should be making concessions when we're talking about a fundamental freedom to make decisions about your own body. We are sitting here two weeks away from election night. Last election, the former president came out on election night and declared victory before all the votes were counted. What is your plan if he does that again in two weeks? Well, let me say this. We've got two weeks to go, and I'm very much grounded in the present in terms of the task at hand, and we will deal with election night and the days after as they come, and we have the resources and the expertise and the focus on that as well. So you have teams ready to go? Is that what you're saying? Are you thinking about that as a possibility?

Of course. This is a person, Donald Trump, who tried to undo a free and fair election, who still denies the will of the people, who incited a violent mob to attack the United States Capitol, and 140 law enforcement officers were attacked. Would you consider, if you win and he's convicted, a pardon for former President Trump? I'm not going to get into those hypotheticals. I'm focused on the next 14 days. But do you believe, is there any part of you that subscribes to the argument that has been made in the past, that a pardon could help bring America together, could help unify the country and move on?

Let me tell you what's going to help us move on. I get elected president of United States. All right. With that, Hallie Jackson joins us tonight from Washington, fresh off that interview with Vice President Harris. So, Hallie, you also press the Vice President about President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the race. I do want to play that sound and talk about it after. Let's listen. Can you say that you were honest with you?

the American people about what you saw in those moments with President Biden as you were with him again and again repeatedly in that time? Of course. Joe Biden is an extremely accomplished, experienced, and capable in every way that anyone would want if they're president. You never saw anything like what happened at the debate night behind closed doors with him? It was a bad debate. people have bad debates.

Should he? He is absolutely... But that's the reason why you're here, and he's not running for the top of the ticket. Well, you'd have to ask him if that's the only reason why. What do you think? I am running for president of the United States. Joe Biden is not. And my presidency will be about bringing a new generation of leadership to America

that is focused on the work that we need to do to invest in the ambition. and aspirations of the American people. Hally, first off, great question. I think there's a lot of insight there. And I think it speaks to a larger point, right? And maybe the problem she's having with some voters in these battleground states, which is she is the vice president. And Joe Biden, if they want change,

it's very hard for her to make that case, even though she is trying very hard. And from the get-go in the interview, it sounded like she said she was going to be her own president. Tom, thank you for that. And listen, this goes back to the very first question that I asked her when we first sat down, which is about, as you point out,

the four years that she has already been in office right there alongside President Biden. She has been, of course, reluctant to criticize President Biden. She has cast it in terms of, you know, traditionally, vice presidents are loyal to their president. She has defended his fitness for office. You heard her do it again there. She also has made clear, as she did right at the top, that she wants to be different from Joe Biden, that she will not be a continuation of the Biden administration. Now, the reason why that's so interesting just from a political and strategic perspective is because

the four years of the Biden administration, as we pointed out, had not been all that popular, frankly. And so she is trying to make the case that she is generational change, that she is turning the page, essentially, after having been in the White House for four years. So you heard her answer to that there. The question is, of course, how does this resonate to voters? And I will tell you that she is making this very big push. You saw it in that story, undecided voters, looking at moderate Republicans, disaffected Republicans, for example. Why? That is a very, it's a small slice of the electorate, but this election is about the margins, Tom. You know that as well as anybody, right? It's going to come down to a small slice of voters. It's partly why she's

heading to Texas, not a traditional presidential battleground, but she's going to be there later on in the week to try to spotlight the state's restrictive abortion law. She and her team see that as really a potential way to mobilize turnout because there's a lot of folks who say that they believe that is such a key issue, Tom. And they think there might be a possibility there in that Senate race as well, which you know. All right, Hallie Jackson, so great to talk to you. Great interview. And we're going to look for more of it throughout the day. With just two weeks left until Election Day, both campaigns are playing defense in states their parties won four years ago. Today, former President Trump on the trail in Florida and North Carolina,

while Governor Tim Walls rallied with former President Obama in Wisconsin. All this has U.S. authorities announced new evidence of Russian interference in the election. Garrett Hake has it all covering it from North Carolina tonight. A crowd of Trump supporters tonight awaiting the return of Donald Trump to the Tar Heel State for the second straight day, Looking to shore up a southern battleground that's voted for Republicans for president in the last three elections, but remains competitive now. Earlier, holding a roundtable with Latino community leaders in South Florida, boasting about his support. It's an incredible community, and I liked them, and they liked me, and now they're seeing numbers that are shocking. And unleashing a torrent of personal insults against Vice President Harris.

She's lazy as hell, and she's got that reputation. She's a radical left lunatic. Meanwhile, former President Obama rallying with Tim Walls in Wisconsin on the Badger State's first day of early voting. Get off your couch and do what? What? Put down your phones and do what? It all comes amid a renewed focus on election security. With the Office of the Director of National Intelligence warning, they expect foreign actors,

particularly Russia, China, and Iran, to intensify their efforts to, quote, divide Americans and undermine Americans' confidence in the Democratic. process, including by using AI. The intel agencies assess that Russia prefers for Trump to win and was behind a false stories circulating online suggesting illegal activity by walls. You probably can't tell that some of us are at real. Tonight, the nonpartisan group represent us releasing this public service announcement, warning about deceptive election-related content created by AI, using deep-faked versions

of celebrities to prove their point. These are all scams. designed to trick you into not voting. Don't fall for it. Back in North Carolina, voters eyeing the election process warily. I think this will be a fair election this year because we're already, we notice all the tricks, and it's a new day under the sun, so we're aware. Do you have confidence that this election will be fairly decided?

I sure hope so. I have some confidence, not 100%. I guess we'll see. All right, Garrett Higg joins us tonight from Greenwood. Greensboro, North Carolina. So Gary, it sounds like and feels like the candidates are ramping up their interviews, both in traditional media and sort of new forms of media. Talk to us about who's doing what, and we just saw Harris's big interview there with Hallie Jackson. Yeah, that's right, Tom. I think this is really going to go down as the podcast election. Both of these candidates have realized that there's a limit to how many people they can reach from the traditional media like us. And then many of those folks are more engaged, more likely to have made a decision already, more likely to have voted already.

Both campaigns have tried to go outside the box of reaching audiences with podcasts. Donald Trump has done podcasts large and small cater to young men, including on some streaming platforms that, frankly, I had never even heard of coming into this. campaign. Now he's set to do Joe Rogan's podcast on Friday, one that I've heard of, and I expect most of our viewers have. It's the most downloaded podcast in America most weeks. This comes after Kamala Harris was on Collar Daddy, arguably the most widely listened to podcasts for young women. These campaigns are trying to ring votes out of unlikely voters around the country, folks who might engage with them on those platforms who will simply never see them on ours. Tom? All right, Garrett Hake for us.

Garrett, we appreciate that. As Garrett was mentioning, Trump is working to protect. North Carolina. Let me show you the map from 2020. North Carolina was the only battleground states of the seven were watching that he was able to hold right here. Coming back to the 2024 map. Now, the Harris campaign is zeroing in on what they see as their most direct path, the blue wall. These three Rust Belt states, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. They voted together for Democrats in seven of the last eight presidential elections, and they carry Joe Biden to the White House in 2020. But tonight, NBC News has new reporting that some Harris campaign officials look at this, are worried. There could be a crack in the blue wall this year.

The Harris team is bracing for either Michigan or Wisconsin to be flipped by Trump. If that happens, that would make her road to the White House more difficult, but not impossible. Tonight, we're going to walk you through the paths to the White House, and there are several, but we're going to walk you through the main paths for both candidates to talk about what could happen on election night. So let's talk about Vice President Harris, right? First off, her easiest path is if she can maintain that blue wall that Joe Biden rebuilt in 2020. So she holds Pennsylvania, she holds Michigan and Wisconsin. Look at the number right there, 270.

She's headed to the White House. But if something were to happen, like if she were to lose Pennsylvania, then she has to win North Carolina or Georgia, and then she can head out west. Either Arizona or Nevada puts her over the top. But if she were to lose two battleground states, like say Michigan, and she just holds Wisconsin, she has to flip North Carolina,

she has to win in Georgia, and then she can go out west, and she could win there. And if she were having a very bad night on election night, say the blue wall just collapses, right? She loses Wisconsin, she loses Michigan, she loses Pennsylvania. That means she has to win North Carolina,

she has to win Georgia, she has to win Arizona and Nevada. She has to win in the east, and she has to win in the west. Again, that's going to be a very rough night for Democrats if that happens, but that's a path for her. Let's talk about Donald Trump now,

the former president. He won in 2016. His easiest path on election night would be to win North Carolina once again, he holds North Carolina. He flips Georgia back red. Remember, he lost in 2020, he won it in 2016, and then he wins Pennsylvania. This East Coast strategy, it takes him to 270. But if he can't win Pennsylvania, and remember, all eyes are in Pennsylvania, 19 electoral votes, the most money and the most time spent by these candidates. If he says he wins Michigan,

and he holds North Carolina, flips Georgia, all he has to do is win Nevada or Arizona, one state out west. If it's Wisconsin that he wins and he loses, Michigan and Pennsylvania, it's a little trickier because the math doesn't add up. He has to hold North Carolina, Georgia. He has to win in Arizona and then Nevada as well, and that's one of the paths that he can get to get over there. The final path, and this is kind of a strange one, is if there would be a tie. And yes, there could be a tie. Let me walk you through how this would happen. If Harris wins the blue wall, she wins Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, she gets a 270, so you're going to say, the race is over. Sort of. Watch this. If we go to Trump and we give them

the states out west, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina. 268. He's still two electoral votes short, so what happened? Let's go to north. You see Nebraska here in Maine? They sort of have this Where's Waldo effect? They're both blue and red. What does that mean? Well, they hand out their electoral votes in different ways. By popular vote, but also by congressional district. Let me show you. So as we go into Nebraska right here, you have the popular vote at two, and then each congressional district gets one electoral vote. So Congressional District 2, that's the city of Omaha and Sarpie County.

If Trump were to flip this, and he won this in 2016, I should remind you, then look at this number, 269, 269. So you're asking yourself, what happens? We're not at 270. Well, here's what happens. It then goes to the House of Representatives. And the House of Representatives would select the President, not the current House, the House that wins on election night. So if Republicans are in control of the House, each state gets one vote, and it stands to reason. that if the Republicans have the majority,

they're going to select Donald Trump to be the president. Same for Democrats. If they win the House, they're going to pick Kamala Harris. So what happens with Vice President? It gets stranger. The Senate then picks the Vice President. So if the Democrats hold the Senate like they do right now, and if they hold on election night,

they would pick the vice president. So yes, there's a scenario where Donald Trump could be the president, and then Governor Tim Walls would be the vice president, and vice versa. Kamala Harris is president, and J.D. Vance is the vice president. the vice president. It's completely strange. Listen, this hasn't happened in 200 years with this many states, but it has happened in our country's history. So just one of the many scenarios we're going to be ready for on election night. And again, we're going to be covering all this as we head

into those two weeks into election. We want to switch gears now because we're covering a lot of news tonight. And there's a big story, some breaking news involving McDonald's. Tonight, a deadly E. coli outbreak in multiple states now linked to the fast food giant. According to the CDC, there have been 49 cases, right? 10 hospitalizations and one death. And most people sickened reportedly by eating the popular quarter-pounder hamburger. Take a look

at this, Matt. These are the 10 states with cases. Colorado, Nebraska, reporting the most illnesses. For more on this, I want to bring in Liz Kroits, who's been following all the late-breaking details from L.A. So, Liz, talk to us about what we know so far about this outbreak. Hey, Tom. Yeah. So right now,

McDonald says that their investigation shows that it could likely be linked to the slivered onions that are on the quarter-pounder burger. The CDC says their investigators are still trying to understand where it's linked to. They're looking at both the slivered onions and the beef patty that's used for the quarter-pounder. And what they say is that McDonald says is that the slivered onions, they believe, are tied to one single supplier that then uses three distributors that then distributed these onions to the restaurants across the those 10 states where there have been cases reported. As you mentioned, 49 people have reported illnesses, but the CDC says the number is likely more because of folks who don't report that they are sick. Ten people, including a child, are hospitalized. And sadly, that one person

that died, Tom, that is an elderly person who ate at a restaurant in Colorado, who is believed to have had some underlining health issues. Yeah, millions of Americans rely on McDonald's for lunch, dinner, breakfast, you name it. How do people know if they have E. coli? and what should they do? Yeah, so what the CDC says is really a stomach issue here. So it's if you're vomiting, if you have stomach cramps, nausea, those are some of the key signs. And then they say that oftentimes the symptoms, Tom, can come three, four, five days after

you ingest the E. And then it can last five to seven days the symptoms. If you recover from it, of course, some people have more severe issues from E. And if you do feel like you have those symptoms, you should. tell your health care provider, we will say, Tom, that McDonald's did say in a statement that they have taken the slivered onions off the menu in the affected areas and also temporarily taken the quarter pounder burger off the menu in those affected areas as well. And Liz, before you go on, know we have some reaction from McDonald's. What are they saying?

Yeah, so they're saying that they take the food safety very seriously here. They are working with the CDC right now to try to understand how this happened, what it is linked to, and And as we said, they said in their statement that their safety protocols are in line. And what they're doing then is taking these slivered onions off the menu as well as the quarter-pounder burger. And Tom, they mentioned that all the other burgers on their menu, those are fine to eat. They don't believe it's linked to that. Okay. Les Christ, we appreciate it.

Big story tonight. We're going to head overseas now, switch gears to the war in the Middle East. In Israel tonight, Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Blinkin's arrival coming in a renewed push for a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas as the conflict over in Lebanon now escalates. Andrea Mitchell has this one. Today, massive explosions in Beirut. Israeli airstrikes collapsing two apartment buildings,

adding more urgency to the crisis confronting Secretary of State Anthony Blinken as he arrived in Israel for a tough meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Blinken telling the Prime Minister he should capitalize. he should capitalize on the death of Hamas leader Yaya Sinwar to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of the hostages. We have to make sure that this is a moment of opportunity to move forward. Lincoln also urging him to reach a diplomatic solution in Lebanon, where at least 63 were killed in the past 24 hours, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

NBC's Matt Bradley is there. The death toll here is likely to increase. It's been hours since this airstrike, but family members are taking it upon themselves to sift through the wreckage looking for their loved ones. This, as in Gaza, the war continues. Food lines today as far as the eye can see. Adding to the desperation of hostage families, including Aviva Siegel, who was held hostage for 51 days and whose American husband Keith is still being held in Gaza.

What do you want Netanyahu to do? I would like Bibi Netanyl to understand that if Keith doesn't come home now, he's going to come home dead. And I want him home. I want him home alive. And tonight, with much of the aid stalled at the Gaza border, Lincoln told Israel much more needs to be done to make sure the aid reaches the people who desperately need it. Tom?

All right. Andrea, we thank you for that. We want to turn back to that Hezbollah drone strike on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home on Saturday, Andrea had mentioned that. Officials now telling NBC News that the prime minister's residence was damaged in the attack, though Netanyahu was not at home at the time and no injuries were reported. For more on that strike, let's get right over to Matt Bradley, who joins us tonight from Beirut. So, Matt, the drone strike was on Saturday, but we didn't get any confirmation of damage until now. Walk our viewers through why there was that delay.

Yeah, well, this is all up to the military censors in Israel. And, you know, they have a lot of sway when it comes to any information that comes out of the government, particularly when it involves high-value figures like Benjamin Netanyahu or military targets or potential decisions. So this was the kind of delay that you can expect when you're talking about something like this. But it's a great question, Tom. Why did it take three days? Well, that's up to the censors to decide. You know, when you think about how this conflict started with the Hamas terror attack on Israel on October 7th, security and how this happened was a big issue. It's still a big issue in Israel, right? Why their guard was down. And now you have a drone attack while

they're at war at the prime minister's residence. I mean, how is that drone able to get so close? It's the kind of thing that the Israeli military is going to have to answer for and they're investigating it. And, you know, it sounds as though they're probably pretty embarrassed because this isn't the first time this has happened. There was a drone attack that killed four soldiers in a base in northern Israel just a couple of weeks ago. And there was a drone that Hezbollah lofted over the northern city of Haifa weeks ago, months ago, before this big, expanded Israeli attacks on Hezbollah even started. And that was really rattling because that went pretty low.

And it showed that Hezbollah, despite not being a sophisticated, huge military like the Israelis, that they were capable of sending in drones and getting really close to high-value Israeli targets. So this has long been rattling the Israelis about a year after those October 7th,000. the tax that you mentioned really put the military and its capabilities on notice. All right, Matt Bradley for us from Lebanon. Matt, we appreciate it. It's still ahead tonight.

The urgent search for a missing Texas mother, the real-turn mother of four vanishing more than two weeks ago. What we're learning about the troubling moments before she disappeared. Plus, the former CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch arrested on sex trafficking charges. More than a dozen men saying they were sexually exploited after being promised modeling opportunities, what were learning about the alleged years-long scheme. The massive payout to jewel users, the thousands of dollars hitting bank accounts following a class action lawsuit. We're going to explain. Okay, we are back now with the arrest of the former head of Abercrombie and Fitch.

Prosecutors alleged the company's longtime CEO Michael Jeffries ran an international sex trafficking scheme, coercing and exploiting young men while promising some of them modeling jobs with the brand. Allegations first detailed in an explosive BBC investigation last year. Embassy Stephanie Gosk has the latest. Tonight, the former CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch, Mike Jeffries, who built the teen clothing brand in part on racy and at times sexually suggestive advertising, stands accused of multiple federal charges for sex trafficking and interstate prostitution. He was using his power, his wealth, and his influence to traffic men for his

own sexual pleasure. Similar allegations were made in a 2023 documentary. I didn't feel safe to like say no or I don't feel comfortable with this. I didn't have control. Though it's unclear if they were part of today's charges. According to the federal indictment, Jeffries along with an employee and his romantic partner, employed coercive, fraudulent and deceptive tactics to get men to attend sex events, both within the U.S. and overseas, including France, Morocco and St. Bartz from 2008 to 2015. They spent millions of dollars on a massive infrastructure to support this operation and maintain its secrecy. Prosecutors say the men were paid and led to believe they could get modeling

deals or career opportunities if they took part in sex acts. Fifteen unidentified victims say they were often given alcohol and drugs, including muscle relaxants called poppers, according to the indictment. Jeffrey's attorney did not respond to NBC's request for comment, but spoke after his client was released on bond by a Florida federal judge. We'll be dealing with these matters in court, not out here. The former CEO stepped down from his role in 2014, the company struggling after a string of scandals, the focus of another document.

As a manager, you have to recruit good-looking people, and this is what good-looking is A 2003 lawsuit alleging discrimination, Abercrombie settled and denied wrongdoing. Catalogues with sexually charged content were pulled, along with controversial T-shirts criticized for being racist and sexist. A decade later, Jeffries, once one of the most influential CEOs in the country, now charged with crimes that have proven could put him in prison for life. The U.S. attorney says that beyond the 15 victims in the indictment, there may be dozens more and he is urging them to come forward and contact the FBI. Tom. Okay, Stephanie Gosporus.

For more on these charges, I'm joined tonight by Amanda Kramer. She's a partner at Covington law firm and was previously an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York where she led human trafficking prosecution and significantly expanded the SD&Y's work on trafficking and sexual misconduct. I made a thank so much for being here. I want to have you on because I want to understand why we're seeing so many of these high-profile people now being, uh, and prosecuted of sex trafficking. You know, you start with Jeffrey Epstein, R. Kelly, now you have this case with Abercrombie and Fitch.

And you have Diddy in the headlines. We're not going to talk about that because your firm is representing one of the alleged victims in that case, so I understand that's a sensitive issue for you. But explain to me why these high-profile people are now being taken for this, because we both know this didn't just start. It's a great question, and I think this is one of the uses of the sex trafficking statute that took a long time to catch on, and now that prosecutors are using it in this way, to get at conduct that is not really addressed without a long-term, deep federal investigation.

And, you know, these cases all have similarities. A famous person in the middle, a lot of position and status, power that is being allegedly exploited, and many, many alleged victims. Was the tipping point, Me Too? Was it Jeffrey Epstein? When did it change? And then how was it, I don't want to say easier, or how was it, how did it facilitate the prosecutions afterwards? Was it that more victims came out and were willing to speak? So the Me Too movement definitely played a part. But I think that as I did as a federal prosecutor and a number of other prosecutors, there were big organized sex trafficking cases brought, including against networks in Tenne and Singo, Mexico. And once those cases were successful. Which is actually, because maybe some people don't understand that case. Yeah, so it's sort of the Tenen Singo is to sex trafficking as Detroit is to car manufacturing.

Okay. And so there were large networks of families bringing women to the United States and selling them for sex for their own profit. And there was a lot of coercion. seeing those cases through and to successful results, I think then enabled prosecutors and law enforcement to start looking at other kinds of organized activity in this area. How hard is it for a prosecutor, though, right? Because the statute of limitations, it extends now, right? It's over several years, and people's memories change.

And also, I have to think sometimes people come up and they're not credible. And when you have someone high profile, I mean, we're hearing about. it feels like hundreds of cases. When you talk about someone like Diddy, R. Kelly, there were so many victims, too. How do prosecutors sort of weed through, you know, okay, we can pursue this lead. This is not legitimate. Well, I think you pursue all of the leads, and that's part of why it takes so long. You know, this case was charged about a year after the allegations were first raised publicly. But, you know, you're in a search for the facts. I think what you raised is a good point.

and the reason that there are so many alleged victims in some of these cases. So in this case, you've got 15 alleged victims identified as John Doe's, one through 15. So they corroborate each other's accounts because when you have people year after year experiencing or alleging that they experience the same things, having not met each other, it's powerful evidence. We only have about 30 seconds. media in a lot of these cases started, or I want to say open the door, and then after you saw prosecutions, what is that role? I mean, do prosecutors feel like now they have something once it reaches sort of, it's in the public sphere? Well, a former U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, Mary Jo White, used to famously take a newspaper article, circle it, and say,

what are we doing about this, and leave it on a supervisor's desk. And so I think the media has really spot, you know, shine a spotlight on a problem that has long needed the attention of many. Amanda, we appreciate you so much. Thank you for being here and explaining all of this to us. When we come back, the major ruling involving Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City Mayor found liable for defaming two Georgia election workers last year. The luxury assets, he's now being ordered to turn over to those victims. That's next. Okay, we're back now with Top Stories News Feed. A major ruling tonight involving former New York City Mayor and former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani. A federal judge ordering Giuliani to turn over his luxury Manhattan penthouse and all his valuable possessions to two Georgia election workers who he defamed.

The two women filed an action to seize Giuliani's assets in an effort to begin collecting on the $146 million in damages they were awarded last year after he was found liable for repeatedly defaming them over false election fraud. claims. And some users of Jewell e-cigarettes have received thousands of dollars as part of a massive settlement. Jewel and partial owner Altria agreed to pay a total of $300 million back in 2022 after consumers claimed they were misled about the vape's addictiveness and safety and for marketing to minors. Jewel has not admitted to any wrongdoing and Altria has denied it, has denied the allegations and estimated 845,000 users were eligible for compensation. The amount users are receiving depends in part on how many receipts they could provide in their claim. Okay, next tonight to a case of a missing Texas mother, last seen more than two weeks ago.

A neighbor telling police, she got into a heated argument with her husband outside of their San Antonio home before vanishing without a trace. That husband now in custody for domestic violence charges, and authorities say he's not cooperating with the missing person investigation. NBC's Jesse Kirsch picks up the story from there. Tonight, the desperate search for this missing Texas mother of four is, still going more than two weeks after Suzanne Simpson disappeared. Hi, I'm Suzanne. Our San Antonio affiliate, W-O-A-I report Simpson, a local realtor was last seen outside her home by a neighbor

who told police she was arguing and physically fighting with her husband, Brad Simpson, according to a police report. Authorities, meanwhile, releasing this surveillance image of Suzanne Simpson in the dress, they say she was last seen wearing. For days, police searched a nearby landfill, but never found any trace of Simpson. At a candlelight vigil days after the disappearance, Simpson's mother telling W-O-A-I that her daughter described being hurt physically by her husband. Simpson's mother fears her daughter is not alive. I just don't understand. I don't understand why it happened. It wasn't part of their life. Brad Simpson is currently in custody, charged with assault and family violence, and for not properly registering a short-barreled rifle.

Law enforcement says he has not cooperated with investigators searching for his wife. Mr. Simpson's attorney did not immediately respond to NBC News's request for comment, but sees this as a weak case against his client, according to the San Antonio Express News. The newspaper also reports Simpson plans to plead not guilty, according to his attorney. She was an incredible person, and she just had the sweetest disposition. Suzanne Simpson's sister, among those shaken. still desperately seeking answers. When a mother goes missing, they don't go missing by accident because mothers have very set

schedules of like coming home at night and making dinner, doing the hustle to make some money, taking the kids to their activities. Jesse joins us tonight from Miami and Jesse police late today. I know you know this said a business associate of Suzanne's husband has been arrested. What more do we know about that? Yeah, so officials are telling us, Tom, that Texas Rangers helped make this arrest yesterday in the middle of this missing person investigation, and authorities are accusing this individual of tampering with evidence.

Tom? Jesse Kirsch for us. All right, coming up in the show, Battlefield Blast, a rocket exploding right in front of Ukrainian soldiers. Look at this. What we know about the strike as Russian President Vladimir Putin gathers his allies at a conference in Russia. What he's up to. Stay with us. We're back now with more coverage from the Middle East.

are growing calls for the release of a Palestinian leader who is one of Israel's most high-profile detainees. Israel has accused him of serious crimes, but Hamas wants him released as part of a ceasefire deal, and many Palestinians actually want him as their new leader. Support for his release even backed by some high-ranking Israelis. NBC's Danielle Hamamjan spoke to his son about his father's quest for freedom. Ramallah in the West Bank, the center of Palestinian politics. But Palestinians here haven't cast a national ballot in nearly 20 years. Their deeply unpopular president, 88-year-old Mahmoud Abbas, delayed the last elections, in part many believe, at a fear someone else would get more votes.

That other candidate is Marwan Barguti. Over the years, polls have shown he's the one man who's had more support than any other leader. He represents a symbol for getting out of the government. of this mess that Mahmoud Abbas put in. Everything that is wrong with the Palestinian political system, he is, he seems to be the way out. Many see him as a way out, but Israel is keeping him locked up in prison where he's been for nearly two decades.

Barguti was a leader in the Second Intifada or uprising. At the time, he said the Israeli occupation should come at a cost. Once Israel's most wanted man in the West Bank, he was accused of founding the armed Palestinian group, the Alaksa brigades. He was captured, tried, and convicted on five counts of murder. He killed three of my children. Barguti didn't offer a defense, refusing to recognize the court's authority. He was sentenced to five life terms.

Security will be achieved by one way, by one way, by bees. And peace will be achieved by the end of the incubation. Today, he's the most high-profile prisoner held by Israel. And if Hamas's demands are met in a ceasefire deal, he could be released along with other Palestinian detainees. He's paying the price right now. He's someone who's a unifying figure. That's what people love about him.

He wants to see the Palestinians united. In 2011, when a thousand Palestinian prisoners were freed in exchange for one Israeli soldier held by Hamas, Israel kept Bargutti behind bars, but released Yahyazinwar, who went on to mastermind the October 7th attacks and who was ultimately killed by Israeli forces last week. Polls also show that Barguti would have the support of Hamas and the more progressive Palestinians. No one talks to the Palestinian people. That's why no one is actually willing to say or do anything. We don't have any leaders here in the streets. So we We don't have that trust.

I do believe that Marwan Margui will restrain that trust. A former student leader, Barguti believes in the two-state solution, a Palestinian and Israeli state side-by-side. Since his incarceration, he's said he supports peaceful, popular resistance. Some call him the Palestinian Nelson Mandela. The late South African president, who himself spent 27 years in prison, has his own statue in Ramallah. But the prospect of a president, Barguti, appeals to many beyond the Palestinian territories.

Ami Ayalon is the former director of the Shinbet, Israel's security agency, and he also wants Barguti out of prison. Many Palestinians are ready to die and to kill in order to achieve freedom. He says Barguti is the only one who can lead a Palestinian state, and in doing so, bring security to Israel. When I say that he should be released in order to be the future leader of Palestinians, I'm not doing it for the Palestinians. I'm doing it for us because I believe that Israel will survive, meaning will improve our security and will maintain our identity as a Jewish democracy only in a reality of two states. So in order to defeat Hamas, you have to defeat Hamas, you have

to create a better reality and a better reality in the Middle East for both of us, not only for the Palestinians, is a reality of two states. Barguti learned Hebrew and has written a book on how to survive in an Israeli prison. To fellow inmates, he's also a professor teaching a master's degree in Israeli studies. To Arab Barguti, he's a father who's been absent for most of his life. I just want my father back and I know everyone is concerned about, you know, the future leader of Palestine and all of that for me I don't care about that and I only care about is that he's back to his family that he meets his grandchildren but

for those who accuse him of murder there's only one place Marwan Barguti belongs and that's behind bars when asked by NBC if he would consider releasing him Benjamin Netanyahu's office did not respond now it's worth noting Tom that there's resistance to in the West Bank earlier this year Palestinian media reported that the Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas, asked negotiators and mediators to exclude Barguti from a prisoner swap because it would threaten Abbas's leadership. We reached out to his office and haven't heard back. Tom? A story we will continue to follow. Okay, Danielle, we thank you for that report. We want to stay

overseas. Time for Top Story's Global Watch. We begin with a deadly swordfish attack off the western coast of Indonesia. Incredibly strange. Officials say that 36-year-old Julia Manfrini was surfing when a swordfish pierced her chest, penetrating about two inches deep. The prominent Italian surfer was rushed to a medical center where she died. Experts say swordfish attacks on humans are rare. Now to the latest on the war between Russia and Ukraine. Video shows a shell exploding. Look at this, just yards from Ukrainian soldiers on the front line in the Donets region. The blast and debris flying as troops and crew scrambled for cover. It's unclear if anyone was hurt,

As the war continues, Russia right now is hosting a summit this week in Kazan, hundreds of miles from the Ukrainian border. The summit includes the leaders of several countries, including China and Iran. Okay, and an Australian woman rescued after she was stuck for several hours upside down. Look at this. You see her feet right there. New images show first responders rescuing the woman who was trapped upside down between two massive boulders. Here's what happened. Officials say the woman fell into the 10-foot crevice while trying to return.

retrieve her cell phone. Her friends called for help after an hour of trying to free her with no luck. Luckily, she was not seriously hurt, which is incredible. Okay, when we come back, they are called man's best friend for a reason. This story is amazing. A child missing after a mudslide from Hurricane Helene. Hurricane Helene wiped out his grandparents home, how the family dog managed to find him and help save his life. Trust me, you're going to want to stick around for this one.