Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Episode Date: October 3, 2024

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

Tonight, Hurricane Helene's impact still growing, a slow-motion disaster. Entire communities in the South completely cut off with roads, homes, and businesses all submerged in a thick, destructive mud. Millions across the region still in the dark with no power, no clean water, and no answers. Tonight we'll speak live with a couple who escaped from the roof of their flooded home by kayak, returning to the wreckage days later to find nearly everything they own, gone. Also tonight, ready to attack Iran? Israel promising swift retaliation after Iran launched nearly 200 missiles at the country overnight.

All this as the Israeli military ramps up their ground operation in Lebanon, how the threat of escalation becomes more pressing by the day. Challenging Trump's immunity, new documents reveal special counsel Jack Smith argued the former president fundamentally acted as a private citizen, not as a president when he sought to overturn the 2020 election. what this latest filing means for Trump's legal battles. Also breaking tonight more than a year since those deadly fires ripped through Maui, what officials now say ultimately caused that fatal inferno. Parents turn in teens, a group of thieving teenagers caught on camera ransacking convenience stores in Los Angeles, then brought to the police station by their own parents,

how mom and dad teamed up with police to stop these flash mob robberies. Meet Mexico's first female president, the first woman to lead the nation sworn into office, her plans and promises for this new era. The World War II bomb exploding, a Japanese airport force to shut down after the explosive created a 20-foot-wide crater on the runway, what caused it to detonate. Plus, our NBC News Digital Docs team speaking with four women, kidnapped by Hamas, will share their story of survival.

Top story starts right now. And good evening. I'm Tom Yamas. This tonight, communities across the south, still reeling from Hurricane Helene's devastating hit as entire towns remain isolated and desperate for help. This new drone video, take a look. It shows the town of Swana Noa, North Carolina, completely covered in layers of thick mud. A similar scene also playing out in neighborhoods throughout the state, cars lodged in homes, power lines crumbled, and roads washed away. Residents there attempting to clean up the destruction and salvage what they can. The National Guard deployed as rescue and recovery efforts are still underway across much of the southeast region.

The death toll hitting 179 with hundreds more still missing. In just a moment, we'll speak to Stephanie and John Zara, a North Carolina couple, forced to flee from their submerged home with their two little children by kayak. That home now unrecognizable. Their memories and belongings destroyed. We'll hear their story in a moment, but first I want to get right to Sam Brock. He leads us off tonight from Swannanoa in North Carolina. For the saturated and stunned residents of Swannanoa, North Carolina. There's six inches of just the wettest, sluggiest mud that you can think of across the whole house.

Finding even small keepsakes. This is first picture we took in with my grandfather and my youngest daughter, Celeste. Can be massive moral victories. These are things you can't get back. There's no amount of FEMA that will put these pictures back. This working-class neighborhood, accessible now for the first time as some roads have opened up and community needs crystallizing like the eye of a storm. I think the hardest thing right now is there's no power, there's no water, cell service is spotty at best. With roads destroyed, mules are carrying food to some cut-off communities.

If you have like different family members across the community and you can't reach them, you don't know if they're okay. All of this against the backdrop of a death toll quickly rising with more than 90 killed in North Carolina as President Biden took. took an aerial tour Wednesday. Every single X that you see on a car structure is the sign of something searched. There are one, two, three vehicles here, one shed that makes four and countless other structures that can't even be accessed. The roofs on some homes punctured by people escaping as those injured are facing untenable conditions at some hospitals. Everything people see on the news, it's worse in person. It's worse. Hannah Drummond works at Mission Hospital in Asheville, where she says 200 patients have been placed in an ER meant for 100.

They ran out of food for us on Saturday, so the patients and the staff in the ER weren't eating. When you can't use the toilets, that means I have to find a commode and I have to find a biohazard bag or some kind of receptacle. HCA Health, which oversees the hospital, has not responded to multiple NBC News requests for comment. In eastern Tennessee, a host of neighborhoods remain inaccessible and in dire need of help. Today, a vital lifeline for some, his Army Blackhawk helicopters drop supplies to communities still cut off. And back in North Carolina. God bless you. More heartbreak at the food banks.

Tanya Peterson telling our Antonio Hilton, her grandkids had not eaten in days. We're running what little gas we got out of a junk car for the generator, you know, to be able to heat the bottles up for the babies. It's terrible. We've got people looting for gas coming through your yards. It's awful. It's awful. No one's coming down. No one. Sam Brock joins us tonight from Swana Noah, North Carolina. Sam, I think viewers here watching this tonight are going to hear about mules delivering aid in a place like the United States of America and really get a sense of how bad things are there. I mean, talk to us about what it's like to be on the ground there.

We see the devastation there behind you, but it seems as the days go on, we're getting a better sense of just how bad the situation is. Yeah, that's 100% correct, Tom. In the sense, we're getting into these communities that were completely inaccessible before. The road that I'm standing on right now was covered in feet of mud. To the point, Tom, where it still caked into the mailboxes here. The water reached the roofs. There were kayak rescues and people floating on devices going from one rooftop to the other. So yes, you definitely get a fuller sense of the picture here.

And to your point, mules carrying supplies sounds like something out of Oregon Trail. I mean, this is kind of insane. Now, as far as the water crisis is concerned, this is a topic. on everyone's mind. County officials dealing a bit of a blow tonight, saying that both the water treatment and delivery systems are catastrophically damaged. They cannot even give residents here a timeline to bank on. It could be weeks, it could be months, no one knows, and time clearly is ticking right now. Tom back to you. Yeah, you can't imagine weeks. You definitely cannot imagine, imagine months. Okay, Sam, we thank you for that. And as we saw there in Sam's story,

that community has been devastated by the flooding from Hurricane Helene. Our next guests are members of that community. The Zara family, Stephanie, John, and their two young children were forced to escape from their home. Through this window after the water came rushing in, look at this, just 30 minutes after they heard a siren from a nearby dam. The family was rescued after waiting hours on their roof and had to leave their phones, IDs, and pets behind. Look at that photo. Stephanie and John, Zara, now join us live on Top Story. First of all, guys, thank you so much for sharing. I know this is incredibly hard for you. We're so happy to hear that. you and your family are safe. I also know you were able to be reunited with your pets.

Can you tell us more about what those moments were like when the flood waters were rising in your home? Yeah, it's almost undescribable, the panic. We had, when the water started rising, we were calling 911. We were not able to get through immediately. I was able finally to get connected. And I said, the water's coming in. What do we do? And she says, get to higher ground. And I said, We were going in the attic and she said, go in the attic. We're overwhelmed with calls. There's nothing else we can do. And that was the end of the call.

What did you guys go from the attic? Once we got all of our pets, John helped me get the children and the pets in the attic. He stayed on the floor and then immediately he could sense the danger of how fast the water was rushing. So he tried to open the doors and the doors were already jammed from the rushing water. So at that point, it was like complete panic mode. and he found that small window by the grace of God, and we swam to it and climbed out. How are your kids reacting to this?

I can't imagine what it would be like to go through this as an adult, but having to care for your two children who you love so much? Yeah, I mean, honestly, it's like it's been remarkable how resilient they've been, just through it all. It's just been amazing. I've told them I'm so proud of you guys. You've been so strong. They didn't cry through the whole ordeal just hung on, and they're still hanging on.

They're doing okay. You know, we're looking at these beautiful pictures of your family right now, and you never plan for something like this, right? You know, you think that you have a house, you build a family, you do things right, and then out of nowhere this happens. Did you guys get enough notification? Did you have any idea it was going to be this bad? No. No, it didn't. You know, we've lived there for the better part of 10 years.

and we've seen some minor flooding in our yard and along our street before, but, you know, we just, I think everyone on our street just never expected it to end up on, you know, up to the gutters of our houses. I mean, I kept saying to myself as it started to get closer to the house and get, you know, near the steps, I was like, okay, well, certainly it won't come in the house. Then it comes in the house, and I'm like, well, I'll put stuff on top of the, you know, kids' bunk beds. Certainly it won't reach that high. And lo and behold, it did. It did just that. And there's, you know, we have neighbors that have been in that, on that street for 80 years

that I've never seen anything like it. Talk to me about the moment you escape and you realize what has happened to your neighborhood. Well, when we got rescued, we were. completely cut off, and it was just, you know, survivor mode at that point, we made it to the shelter at the church, and we got bused to the Ag Center, so we were completely cut off and did not understand the amount of damage, and we're still grasping that. I mean, it's obviously still coming in. We're still learning of the devastation, and it's just our town has completely been wiped

out. because there was you know no cell service we didn't have our phones but even those that did have phones it was impossible to make contact to even like let families know that we were okay or we weren't okay or where we were going so the unknown part of you know that first 48 hours was was probably the toughest and you know we lost our our business that we run out of of our home, and we just recently found out that because of a lack of flood insurance, like so many folks on our street and across America that don't have flood insurance,

we've, you know, gotten denied insurance coverage. So now we're kind of navigating, you know, what FEMA can do to help, and, you know, it's kind of hard to know what to do next, really. So you're telling me, and we've seen the way your house looks, you essentially aren't insured when it comes to this? That's what we were told by our insurance company that we were not covered for flood damage that happened. I can't imagine after going through that

and then learning about this insurance issue, which is, I would argue, in some regards, just as bad, right? Because now you have to start from nothing. Have you been able to get help? You mentioned FEMA. Talk to me about the local response, the state help, and FEMA in general.

Yeah, FEMA, the application process was very easy. We don't have a laptop. I was surprised that I was able to complete the whole thing on my phone, and I've already received some help from them already. So it seems like there is some quick action there on their part, at least for some. I'm not sure if for all I'm sure not all. When you say you've gotten some help, can you share how much you've gotten

and what can you do with it? We have received $750 for emergency needs. such as food, you know, water clothing, just the basic essentials is what that amount is for. Can you use it? I mean, is there anywhere where you can buy things? Well, we're fortunate enough that we were able to get to family and friends in South Carolina. And so those resources are available to us here. But we know that those that are still stuck in the community are. without power, water. If they had a generator, they're running out of gas. There's nowhere to get gas.

Cell phone coverage is still really spotty. And, you know, it just seems like there's been a bit of a dragging of the feet on the federal level to get folks into not only rescue people that are in these rural areas, but to provide those basic necessities that folks need. to survive. Really, a lot of people are just, have been dependent on the community to help give out water and clear roads and things of that nature. Were you guys able to salvage anything from your home? Are you going to have to completely rebuild? It seems like a complete rebuild. All those houses in that shot where you kind of see the roofs peeking out are in the 100-year-old range.

So, you know, this kind of thing is pretty devastating to a house of that age. And that's all we've got. So, you know, we have to, it feels like we have no choice. John and Stephanie, I know you guys got to be strong for your kids. What are you telling each other at night? We have each other. Yeah, we're here and we're alive. We have been very thankful for friends, family, and community have come together to help, you know, donate to a GoFundMe that her sister started and folks that are just like bringing us diapers and wipes and clothes for the kids and clothes for us and those, you know, kind of like basic necessities that we need to, you know, start the process of, you know, rebuilding.

trying to figure out what normal is, you know, all the schools are closed, so the routine of school for the kids is disrupted, and, you know, we're, there's just, there's a lot to think about when something like this happens. You seem, you seem sort of, I don't want to say calm, but very measured about all this, which is admirable, and that is pretty incredible considering what you went through. Is there any disappointment or anger about anything before? before the storm, do you wish you would have known more? Or is it one of these freak incidents that took everyone my surprise?

Yeah, I think everybody's caught off guard, including local officials. And I don't think anybody could have known how bad it was going to be. You know, once they released that water from the dam, it was, you know, up and in our house and to the ceiling of the home, you know, probably unless I'm not. an hour. So it happened very quickly. And in our particular situation, long before that even happened, our road was so flooded that if we wanted to leave, it was not going to be a passable road. We would probably have ended up stalled in a trapped vehicle, essentially. I'm sorry this has happened to you. I hope you guys get some relief in some way. I'm glad you were able to

get your family out and you guys are okay because you're right, the most important thing survived out of that storm and that flood. Yes. Yeah. We thank you for joining us. All right, we do have to turn now to our other major headline, the escalating war in the Middle East. Israel vowing retaliation after Iran launched nearly 200 missiles last night. It comes as the ground war between Israeli forces and Hezbollah is intensifying in Lebanon. Richard Engels on the ground for us tonight with the latest. Iran's most intense strike ever against Israel, raining down almost 200 ballistic missiles, nearly all of them shot down, including by interceptors from a U.S. destroyer.

American and Israeli officials tell NBC news Israel is tonight preparing its response. A senior Israeli official says the response will come swiftly. While in Israel today, no fatalities, but they were assessing the damage, including from an Iranian strike on a school visited by NBC's Erin McLaughlin. This is what remains of one of the classrooms. They say the missile struck just over this way and then blasted into the side of the school. Israeli officials say no one was injured, but this could have been so much worse. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today said Israel's fight is not just with Iran,

but its network of militias across the Middle East. We are in the middle of a tough war against Iran's access of evil, which seeks to destroy us, he said. President Biden today said he supports Israel's right to retaliate, but said it must be proportionate and that he would not support an attack on Iranian nuclear sites. There are things that have to be done, and it's obviously Iran has gone way out of, I mean, it's way off work. The administration is seeking to avoid a regional war. But that ship may have left port two.

Israel's war here in Lebanon is escalating. After initially holding back, apparently, to assess Israel's strength, Hezbollah is now engaging Israeli troops directly in close combat, as towns and cities are emptying out. As the Israeli military released images today of what it says are Israeli troops operating inside Lebanon, it also announced its first casualties. At least eight soldiers killed. Richard Engel joins us tonight from Tyre in Lebanon.

Richard, our viewers may remember this is not the first time during this conflict that Israel and Iran have exchanged missiles. Do we have any idea what the Israeli response may look like? And it may it look like the last time where they essentially fired off a drone or a rocket and essentially they stopped? It's unlikely that it is going to look like it did last time. So in April, it was the first time ever that Israel received fire directly from Iran, and Israel, under a lot of pressure from the Biden administration and other countries, responded in a more or less a symbolic way, carrying out a strike, but proving to Iran that it could get through its defense systems,

that it could carry an attack that was undetected. But the attack in April by Iran was much less severe. It was much more telegraphed. It began with drones, meaning that it took hours for the drones to leave Iran, cross half the world, fly a thousand miles, get to Israel, giving the United States Israel plenty of time to see what was going on and respond. There were some ballistic missiles, but they came in the later stages of the attack. This was much more severe, about 200 ballistic missiles fired with little or no warning. The only warning the U.S. got was because the U.S. detected it. Iran didn't inform the U.S. or Israel ahead of time, which it effectively did by firing the drones last time.

So it seems that the Israeli attack from what we're hearing from U.S. officials, from Israeli officials could be quite severe. it would only be speculation, really, to talk about the types of targets. But President Biden did suggest one thing that he does not want to see hit which of those nuclear sites. Richard Engel for us tonight in Lebanon, Richard, please take care in there. As the war in the Middle East escalates, Iran's leader traveling to Qatar in an effort to build up support in the region. Top leaders of Hamas, which are backed by Iran, are there tonight as well. One of its top leaders sat down with our NBC chief international correspondent, Keir Simmons, who pressed him on the group's contact with Iran, the status of its leaders, and where hostage

negotiations stand. Less than 24 hours after Iran attacked Israel, the Iranian president touched down here in Qatar on a diplomatic drive to win international support as the conflict between the two nations escalates. The Iran-backed militia that lit the fuse for Israel's war in Gaza, and this broader conflict is also here. Iran said last night's strike was in part retribution for the killing of a Hamas leader, but Iran waited two months, only responding after more assassinations. So today we asked a senior Hamas official whether his group feels isolated. Iran finally last night

launched less than 200 missiles. Are you disappointed by the support or reaction that you've seen from Iran? It is a war crime to assassinate the top negotiator of Hamas, regardless in Tehran, in Beirut. It is their decision, how to do it, operational decision, logistical decision, how to do it? I mean, would you expect more support from Iran? Look, we are expecting support not only from the Iranians. We are expecting support from anyone in the region. Will the Iranians meet with Hamas while in the country we ask?

idea about any arrangements. Almost 12 months since Hamas launched its October 7th attacks, tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are dead, including battalions of Hamas fighters and civilians. Now as the war moves to Lebanon, where Hezbollah is based, and even Iran, he says there have not been serious negotiations for a ceasefire deal with Israel since early July. Israel estimates there are 101 hostages still in Gaza and that at least half of them are still alive. If you say that you want a solution, why don't you release those people? I don't know exactly how many captured Israelis in the Gaza Strip, 101, 120. I don't know.

You don't know how many there are. No, no, I don't know how many of them are alive. How can that be, though, after 12 months? They are in different areas, in different groups, in a very complicated security situation. I have to respect my own people and to say that at the time we have 100 or 120 captured Israelis, we have thousands of Palestinians who were kidnapped from their houses in the Gaza Strip by Israeli soldiers. They are living in sedatea man or other Israeli jails in a very inhuman condition. Many of the men who lead Hamas and Hezbollah, both groups supported by Iran, are dead.

Yet amid the terrible bloodshed, Hamas still believes it is winning. There were reports last month that its leader, Yaya Sinwa, the brains behind October 7th, was dead. Not true, he says. Is Yaya Sinwa still alive? Sure. When was the last time Hamas hearing Qatar communicated with him? We are communicating with our leadership. Generally, regularly, I cannot now say when exactly with whom, but...

He's alive but he can't communicate because he'd be killed. What I know that he is still alive, he is still in control, he is still communicating with his people on the ground, he's still communicating with the leadership outside. Was October 7th a strategic mistake? For us, we, after one year of, after October 7, we consider October 7th is a strategic achievement. An achievement? Yes, yes. Keir Simmons joins us tonight from Doha.

So, Kira, Hamas is acknowledging that they don't know how many hostages are alive. That's got to be so troubling to the families, hoping to see their loved ones once again. Devastating, Tom. It's been incredibly painful, hasn't it, for almost a year? for those families and to hear what that Hamas official had to say. I mean, cruel, really, in the sense that they are just wanting their loved ones at home and they get no information. It is stunning that Hamas still says that they don't know, that it doesn't know where

the hostages are or how many there are or how many are alive. The Israelis estimate, they estimate that there are 101 and that more than half are, alive, but the reality is that after almost 12 months, we simply do not know. And then, Kier, you know, Hamas didn't give us concrete proof that Yaya Sinwar is still alive and in control. Why should we believe anything that that person said during that interview? Yeah, it's a great question. Now, ultimately, this region is so full of untruths, isn't it? So I think the question really becomes, why would you want to talk to some? someone from Hamas. And I think the answer is that it potentially gives you some insight into the way

that group thinks. There will be truths there that can be matched against information from other sources and put together to try to get some kind of a jigsaw of what the reality is. And here's a final point, Tom. In the end, even though there is a war happening right now, there is also a question of trust. Fundamentally, every battle like this ends in talks, and the question of both sides trusting each other will come into play at some stage. It is in the end, after all, the total breakdown of trust that leads to a conflict, like the kind of kind that we're seeing right now. Kear Simmons, with another big interview for us tonight here on Top Story, Kear, we appreciate that. Back here at home in a major headline in Donald Trump's federal election interference case,

Special counsel, Jack Smith, arguing an unsealed filing that former president, quote, resorted to crimes to stay in office after his 2020 election loss, purposely spreading lies about the election results to keep power. Ken Delanyan has the late-breaking details. Tonight, Special Counsel Jack Smith fighting to keep the January 6th case against Donald Trump alive. In a new filing with new evidence, Smith tailoring his criminal case to survive the Supreme Court's ruling that President, can't be prosecuted for carrying out official acts. Writing that although Trump was president during the charge conspiracies, his scheme was a fundamentally private one.

Smith also laying out new details about Trump's conduct and conversations in the days and hours before his supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. After Trump began claiming fraud, even as votes were still being counted, the special counsel quotes a Trump aide

is saying, make them riot. But the bulk of new revelation involve Trump's alleged interactions with Vice President Mike Pence based on five pages of notes by the Vice President. The special counsel saying Pence gradually and gently tried to convince the defendant to accept the lawful results of the election, including a private lunch in December, where Pence encouraged Trump not to look at the election as a loss,

just an intermission. Smith, arguing Trump and Pence were political running mates discussing private acts, not office holders contemplating official ones. After Pence decided not to stop the certification, and Trump denounced him in a tweet, Smith recounts aides allegedly telling Trump that Pence was in danger. As Trump sat in a White House dining room watching the Capitol riot on TV, Smith wrote, an aide told him Pence had been rushed to a secure location. Smith says Trump looked at the aide and said only, so what?

In a statement, a Trump campaign spokesman called the filing falsehood-ridden, unconstitutional, and another obvious attempt by the Harris Biden regime to undermine American democracy and interfere in this election, adding the case should be dismissed. All right, Ken, Delating joins us tonight live from D.C. Ken, doesn't the Justice Department typically avoid taking action related to the candidates this close to an election? I mean, we're not talking about around 35 days. Yeah, people are voting now, Tom, and that is absolutely their policy. And in fact, the DOJ has now entered what they called the quiet period, where prosecutors avoid announcing anything. they think could influence voters. But it was the judge, not the special counsel, who made this filing public. And this judge has made clear that she's going to conduct this case without any regard for the election. Tom. Ken Delanyan for us, can we appreciate that? Still ahead tonight, the report just in on the cause of the deadly Hawaii wildfires. More than a year after

those devastating fires that ripped through Lahaina, what investigators say was the cause and origins of the catastrophe. Plus, large groups of teens ransacking seven 11s across L.A., the family members who turned some of those suspects into police. And one Texas man literally trying to shred a guitar that was signed by Taylor Swift, why he took a hammer to it immediately after spending $4,000 to win at auction. Stay with us. Top Story, just getting started.

We're back down with a new angle in the fight against retail crime in California, and maybe one you haven't heard. about. Over the summer, large groups of teens mobbing convenience stores across Los Angeles ransacking shelves and leaving employees frightened. We know you've heard about that. But now police say some of those teens' parents are turning them in. Emily Aketa has more on what drove these parents to the breaking point. In Los Angeles, police getting some surprising help from suspect's parents, turning in at least three teens to officers in recent days after the department shared images of massive bike flash mobs ransacking 7-Eleven stores.

With all the publicity that we used the media on the flash mobs, that the parents had seen that and decided that the right thing they do was to bring the child in. The LAPD says there have been more than a dozen of these flash robberies at 10-7-Elevens across the city since July, where mobs of young people, flood stores, snag merchandise, knockover displays and take off, typically occurring on Friday nights. While there are calls for more precise data, research shows Los Angeles is the most affected city in the U.S. by organized retail crime. I think these individuals have been lulled into a false sense of security into thinking that

if they do it in mass, that somehow they may be able to just slink away because of the sheer numbers of perpetrators. And so this time, not so much. The stores often left in shambles requiring major cleanup efforts and becoming a priority for the LAPD, applauding parents who are choosing to hold their kids accountable. It is interesting to hear that parents themselves were active in getting their children to be held accountable for those and to face consequences. The miners were booked for robbery and released back to their parents. When you engage in foolishness, you play stupid games and you win stupid games. prizes. And so I'm glad that these parents are modeling and teaching their children, that every

choice has a consequence. And hopefully, this will deter these young people from doing it if they've done it before. And the parents just didn't know. All right, Emily, kind of joins us now in studio. So, Emily, what else is the LAPD doing to sort of get these robberies, which are very high profile because we watch them all the time on the news? How do they get them under control? So I mentioned those several arrests, but police actually believe there were something like 20 to 40 young people that had been involved in this string of robberies over the last number of months. And they believe that some of those people weren't even from the area of the crime. So they're getting in touch with school resource officers, school districts across the region.

And they're also putting out and ask to the public to bring forward any kind of information. They've already received a number of anonymous tips. And as we've seen, we know some of those tips, critical tips, could be coming from the families of the suspects themselves. All right, Emily, Aketa for us. Interesting story there, Emily, thank you. When we come back, we're going to have much more tonight. An important health alert, researchers finding breast cancer rates are on the rise, with one group seen of 50% increase in cases over the last couple of decades.

What you need to know next. Okay, we are back now with Top Stories News Feed. We begin here in New York where federal prosecutors say that they might bring new charges against Mayor Eric Adams. Adams appeared in court today after he was indicted. last week for allegedly accepting bribes and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish nationals. Federal prosecutors say the new charges could come from several related investigations and that it's likely additional defendants will be charged. Adams has pleaded not guilty to all those charges. New research shows breast cancer rates are on the rise. The American Cancer Society

says new cases rose by 1% from 2012 to 2021 with a steeper increase in women younger than 50 and a 50% increase in Asian-American and Pacific Islander women of all ages over the last 20 years. Deaths from breast cancer rates, though, continue to drop, which is good news, with advances in diagnosis and treatment. A man who bid $4,000 for a guitar signed by Taylor Swift immediately smashing it. Video from a charity event in Texas shows the man hitting the guitar with a hammer as the audience cheers. The man telling NBC News the act was a joke, but the auctioneer said it was a lighthearted dig at Swift for using her influence and politics. Alluding to her endorsement of Kamala Harris. Tonight, the smashed-up guitar is up for auction, yet again, this time on eBay,

and the charity says all proceeds will go to agricultural education for local youth. $4,000. Okay. Now to the latest on the deadly wildfires that devastated Hawaii in August of last year, the blaze ripping through the town of Lahaina, leaving at least 102 people dead. Most of that community completely burned to the ground, Maui officials just moments ago releasing a report finally identifying the cause of the fire. Take a lesson.

The destruction of much of Lahaina on August 8th, 23 was caused by a single fire that started at 6.34 in the morning. The fire was caused by re-energization of broken utility lines resulting in sparks igniting unmaintained vegetation at and surrounding utility pole 25 off of Lahaina Luna Road. This hypothesis was overwhelmingly supported by the data and all initially plausible alternatives were considered and excluded. For more on the report's findings, we're joined now by Steve Patterson.

We were both on the ground in Hawaii and Hawaii, say, covering those fires for days after the blaze. We actually investigated this same hypothesis as well, Steve. Since the investigation began, there's been a question on whether the devastation was the result of a single fire or multiple fires or if there's someone to blame. And there's still questions tonight, right? Yeah, there are. I mean, but it says many have long thought. The details here are important, though, according to officials today. And as you've just heard, a fallen Hawaiian electric power line ripped down across bone dry grass

in a long-forecasted extreme wind event on the morning of August 8th. That fire was then put out by the Maui County Fire Department. And then they left because they thought they put it out. Then later that day, when those strong winds turned into hurricane force winds, that same fire rekindled, a piece of debris. Later that afternoon was then swept across this bone. dry brush, the fire, really going into the heart of Lahaina, where 100 people, more than 100 people lost their lives. It forever changed this state. But Tom, the key word here in all of this

is the word rekindled, because as you mentioned, the debate has always been whether or not it was one fire that reignited or two separate fires. Of course, the electric company would like the storyline of two separate fires because it's possible that it wasn't their equipment when the second fire ignited. Regardless, the report is labeled as accidental. It doesn't assign blame. It doesn't assign criminality. Nor does it pave over what was said just a month ago by the Hawaii Attorney General, which was despite the severe warnings about historic winds for days. Hawaiian officials did little to prepare or free up resources for first responders that were scrambling around trying to save lives. We reached out to Hawaiian Electric. They did release a statement just moments

ago, regretting that their operations contributed to the initial ignition in that morning, that they are fully cooperating with federal investigators and that they're doing everything they can to look over their procedures. All right. And there's so many lawsuits and still so much investigation that's still going to be done. Steve, we appreciate you updating us on that breaking news. Coming up, Mexico's historic new president, the country swearing in the first female president in its history, will take a look at what her term could bring.

Plus, a World War II bomb exploding at a Japanese. airport. This is crazy. Why the explosive detonated near the runway. That's next. Back now with the Americas in the beginning of Mexico's historic new presidency, as Claudia Scheinbaum is sworn in as the first female president in the nation's history. The country's new leader promising to promote women's rights and fight ongoing violence, but she has her work set out for her as she inherits a country riddled with economic hardship. anchor Julio Baketo is in Mexico City tonight. A historic new era in Mexico, as Claudia Seymann was sworn in as the nation's first

female president. Sheimbaugh, a 62-year-old climate scientist and a former mayor of Mexico City, started her six-year term, addressing a room of more than 100 high-profile invitees, including U.S. First Lady Jill Biden. Promising to strengthen women's rights and Mexico's economy. We'll promote the investment public and the private. I'm with all clarity.

Tengal the certainty that the invasions of actionists, national, and extranjors, are sure in our country. Sheimbaum, the country's first president of Jewish heritage, made history in June when she won a landslide election

as a member of the governing Morena Party, which was founded by her mentor and predecessor Andres Manuel López Obrado. I think what we've seen so far, based on her speeches and based on the appointment of cabinet members, is quite a bit of continuity with what AMLO did over the last six years. Though crime rates remained high during his term, Obrador left office with nearly 80% approval rating due in part to policies and programs that targeted poverty. Sheehm vowing to carry on his biggest projects,

include the Hawks, Not Bullets approach of avoiding violent confrontations with drug cartels. But she will also inherit a nation struggling with a weakening currency and a rising budget deficit. As President Shembaugh mentioned during her inaugural speech, about 10 million people were lifted out of poverty. These are clear indications that the emphasis on the more disadvantaged sectors of society will continue. With the U.S. presidential election just weeks away, all eyes on how this new administration will navigate the results and maintain a strong relationship with its largest trading partner. Claudia Sheimban will govern from the building behind me, Palacio Nacional, and her relationship

with the United States will really depend on what happens on November 5 when Americans elects their next president. The issues, though, no matter the results of that election, will remain the same, immigration, trade, and the war on drugs. Tom? We turn out other headlines from around the world and top stories global watch, and we start with the migrant tragedy of the northeast coast of Africa. Two vessels carrying more than 300 migrants from Yemen to Djibouti sank just 500 feet

from shore after smugglers forced passengers to jump into the sea, according to UN officials. At least 45 individuals have been confirmed dead with hundreds still missing. More than 150 people have been rescued, but the latest incident adds to it is now the deadliest year from migrant sea crossings between Africa and Yemen. An airport in southwest Japan was forced to shut down after an American bomb from World War II unexpectedly exploded. New video shows a massive cloud of ash spewing into the sky at the Miyazaki airport, leaving a crater 23 feet wide and three feet deep on a taxiway near the runway. The airport was built during the war and was once a launch point for some kamikaze pilots. The explosion today caused at least 85 flight cancellations

but no injuries were reported. Okay, we want to stay in Japan, Nintendo booting up to have the world's first museum dedicated to the gaming giant. The new museum bringing visitors through 135 years of history. That's right, 135 years from its beginning as a playing card company to revolutionizing the video game industry. Rare consoles and interactive games all on display in the company's old factory complex near Kyoto, but it's not an easy place to score a ticket. people have to enter a random drawing three months in advance. Okay, and we will be right back.

Finally, tonight, as we approach the one-year anniversary of Hamas's horrific October 7th attack on Israel, nearly 100 of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas are still in captivity. But for the ones who have been released, the trauma is still very fresh. Four women kidnapped by Hamas speaking to our colleagues at NBC News Digital Docs, describing the horror of their abduction, their daily struggle to cope with the memories of what they witnessed, and the fight they carry on today

for the loved ones they left behind. We leave you tonight with this powerful short film. I still have triggers to deal with every single day. I'm being scared of being by myself. I was really independent, and I'm trying to regain it. I don't know how to shmohs I can't shmoh my

Rache of a thrift of ashan It makeser Shellana not in a It's like It's a lot It's different

Theeve is different All the all the I've Everything Everything Since the 7th

It's like I've been Taken Away I don't even look at myself the morrow because I'm not here I haven't come back I'm still in Gaza a surprise attack beginning with thousands of rockets Hamas confirming it has taken an unconfirmed number of hostages the first group of hostages released by Hamas after a fragile ceasefire I was in a complete shock for weeks before I really understood that I came back.

There is joy and relief across Israel tonight. Four hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas 245 days ago are now free. Public anger in Israel spiraling after the killing of these six young hostages. Hundreds of thousands demanding that the Netanyahu government accept the deal to bring the remaining hostages home. I was in Gaza for 51 days. I was in captivity for 54 days. I was in 7.51 yamine.

I had 515 days. And 7. Hamas. 6 a.m. in the morning, one of the most peaceful and beautiful moments that we had in the festival. And we had this beautiful sunrise. And then the chaos began. We got an order to hide in the trees. And then I made my biggest mistake because I didn't see anybody and I didn't hear anybody. So I screamed so loud, help, and I called to the army, and then the wrong group heard me.

It was crazy. Entering the first house, realizing that you're in Gaza, realizing that this is not a dream, this is reality. I mean, I've gottafed with my mom and my two small men's my, my father and my auntie were all came up so much and all so much of life regilling and tovying and betooking that I'm in a manarra in Aza

in the tunnels I had to struggle to breathe because there was no oxygen you just feel so weak you can't even hold your body you can't talk, and you just want to concentrate taking another breath. Every day, they stop to stare at us for a minute, and you don't know why or what they're planning. The Roolet the Rusi to learn what will happen with you,

or that are going to be ence, or that will beckxed to you, or that'shaphery. This shalheret that my mom's my gave me a few days before they left me. And that's the task that I've got to stry him, that he'll be able to. Just all of all I've got to ask you to give me a coax. What helped me was Keith was with me.

I've been married to Keith for 43 years. Most of the times we weren't allowed to even whisper. So we used to just look at each other in the eyes. And the look between us was with so much love and it just was so special because we weren't alone, we were together. Our release day was the longest one. One of the terrorists got into the room with a comb. And he said, who wants to fix her hair before you go?

And I remember I took that comb and had a little mirror, really dirty one behind the door. It's the first time that I saw my face clearly. I saw my face maybe twice. the entire captivity. And I didn't recognize myself for a second. I had a different look in my eyes. But I was really proud at myself that I managed to survive this whole experience,

if you want to call it, that way. So, yeah, let me say that day I do more things that I would have done than what I'd do a time, than what I'd do a time. I would have gone to before 7th of October. I'd have to do it. I'd have to say, it's a dkv, Hara, it's something that's going to make sure you to the Shoebe. I'd not have putres to the people from the administration.

And all that I'd do so much I'd do it. I'm not fash, it's a mcestown I'm condi to do you. Condettuwait. Today, I'm not, I'm not not even able to get to do it. And there's a son, Mataan Zangaka, still mowice.

Why I'm, I'm, I'm, can, I'm, can, can't have to have backed with my my mother's of my, and they're not. It's the things, the basissim. Why I can't talk when I want to want to, and they're not. Why I need to feel like that I'm free of shea? And they're not.

Sometimes I'll learn myself to think about him coming home and me jumping on him and screaming and being happy and making him piles of pancakes because he loves pancakes. But then after thinking that, I go back to real life and I understand Keith is not here I miss those moments

of feeling free to feel happy in the evenings those are the times that I allow myself just to cry cry because Nob is going to look at me and say poor thing she said again

or bring me a tissue I don't want anybody to bring me a tissue I just want to feel See fire now, hostage deen now. See fire now. The best majority of us wants this to end because we want to start to heal and to go on. It's a siot that every time

they're there's aque, and there'ska. I don't think that a year's a full of, we'll be in a lot of time. How they're on there? There's a shan of to ask me and to try to come from it from what I've evered, to try to pappell by myself.

But they're, really, so they're not, I will not allow myself to lose my hope. Because if I do, who will scream for Keith? Who will scream for the hostages to come back? I'm going to keep strong, and I'm going to scream. As loud as I can, anybody that will hear me. I'm going to beg.

Thank you.