Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Episode Date: October 31, 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 with six days to go, the presidential candidates barnstorming critical battleground states in a last-ditch effort to win over voters. Inflammatory comments made about Puerto Ricans at a Trump rally now consuming both campaigns after President Biden appeared to call former President Trump supporters garbage when reacting to a comedian's remarks at Madison Square Garden. The former president firing back from inside the cab of a garbage truck, as Vice President Harris distances herself from her boss. Also tonight, election threat warning. Ballot boxes set on fire and artificial intelligence spreading disinformation. Polling centers

enlisting snipers and officers on horseback to keep ballots and workers safe. The growing security concerns before, during, and after election day. Lebanese refugees seeking shelter in an unusual place. One of Beirut's most popular nightclubs now housing hundreds trying to assist. escape the war. Our team speaking to those now sleeping on what used to be a dance floor and the new developments U.S. officials heading to the region to try and broker a peace deal. Could this lead to an end to the war in Lebanon? And breaking tonight the explosive fire at a battery plant, flames shooting from the facility as thick black smoke fills the sky, the urgent evacuation efforts now underway. The million dollar teacher cheating scheme, an assistant principal and

several others arrested for orchestrating a plot allowing unqualified educators to teach in schools, more than 200 people allegedly paying to pass certification exams. Fow ball, that shocking moment at Game 4 of the World Series, a Yankees fan grabbing Dodger star Mookie Betts glove and prying a baseball out of it mid-play. What happened next? And our series, Is This Real, returns. We're trying out viral products for the fall. Could this glove be the trick to avoiding the slimy mess when carving a jack-a-lantern?

What about a leaf collector vowing to clear lawns in a matter of seconds? Are they too good to be true? Armae-Eagland finds out. Plus, the number of E. coli cases linked to that deadly McDonald's outbreak rising once again. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. Tonight, the final sprint to Election Day is on.

But as former President Trump and Vice President Harris Taylor, their closing messages to undecided voters, their arguments are being largely overshadowed by trash talk. Both campaigns now in cleanup mode after a comedian's disparaging comments calling Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage at Trump's New York rally on Sunday. Then former President Biden slamming the remarks and appearing to call Trump's supporters garbage

before walking it back. Former President Trump, quite literally, riding that gaff just moments ago, speaking to reporters from the cab of a garbage truck. We'll break it all down in a moment. Right now, Vice President Harris on a whirlwind tour stomping through battlegrounds, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Former President Trump also spending his day in the Tar Hill State, a state he won twice, but recent polling shows a razor-tight race. As he prepares to speak tonight in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the former president repeatedly amplifying false claims of voter fraud. A new CNN poll giving us insight into the race, the state of the race and those key blue wall states, Vice President Harris, with an edge over Trump in Michigan and Wisconsin,

not within the margin of error, while the two remain deadlocked in Pennsylvania, both with 48 percent support and within the margin of error. Right now, more than 56 million Americans have already cast their vote, taking a live look at Washoe County, Nevada, home to Reno, where the county has already begun. At this hour, there are growing concerns about election threats, officials sounding the alarm on foreign interference, domestic extremists, and escalating threats to polling centers. What the FBI and police are monitoring. We have so much to get to this evening.

NBC's Garrett Hake is going to start off our coverage from Wisconsin. Tonight, former President Trump weighing in on the firestorm over remarks by President Biden, where he appeared to call Trump supporters garbage. Looking to turn Biden's controversial comments into a campaign rallying cry. Joe Biden finally said what he and Kamala really think of our supporters. He called them garbage. My response to Joe and Kamala is very simple.

You can't lead America if you don't love Americans. While hours earlier, Vice President Harris separating herself from the president. He clarified his comments, but let me be clear. I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for. I will be a president for all Americans, whether you vote for me or not. The president made those comments last night on a Zoom event with a Latino group, referencing Trump's Madison Square Garden rally. Speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage. The Puerto Rican that I know are a Puerto where I'm in my home state of Delaware, they're good, decent, honorable people.

The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization is seen as unconscionable. And it's un-American. Two and a half hours later, the president posting on X, he was not referring to all Trump supporters, writing, quote, earlier today, I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump's supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage. That's all I meant to say. But his comments sparked a backluster. Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro reacting when he first heard the audio. Kind of give you my fresh reaction to it. I would never insult the good people of Pennsylvania or any Americans,

even if they chose to support a candidate that I didn't support. While Trump and his supporters responding in real time, learning about the remark mid-rally from Senator Marco Rubio. Just moments ago, Joe Biden stated that our supporters are garbage. Wow. That's terrible. Trump comparing the remark to Hillary Clinton's 2016 comment calling Trump supporters deplorables. Garbage, I think, is worse, right?

But Trump has his own long history of divisive rhetoric, including these comments attacking Democrats just yesterday. This is a sick group of people, I'm telling you, and there's a great evilness. And repeatedly referring to his opponents as the enemy from within. Those people are more dangerous, the enemy from within. While Trump last night distancing himself from the racist comments by that comedian at his MSG rally. I have no idea who was never saw him. I don't want anybody making nasty jokes or stupid jokes. Probably he shouldn't have been there, yeah.

And late today, news from Puerto Rican music star Nikki Jam, who endorsed Trump. You know, Nikki, she's hot. Where is Nikki? We need you. We need you back, right? Jay, I'm now rescinding that endorsement, saying, quote, Puerto Rico deserves respect. And Garrett joins us now from Green Bay, Wisconsin. So, Garrett, we saw those images of former President Trump in the front of that garbage truck.

Talk to us more about his appearance in Green Bay. What do people need to know about the totality of that trip? Yeah, Alison, the Trump campaign told us earlier today that they were going to block out the sun with this Biden garbage comment. and that's exactly what they've tried to do today between his rally and North Carolina this morning to that event at the garbage truck just after he landed here in Green Bay. He's yet to speak

here tonight, but every other speaker on the pre-program, including former Packers quarterback Breck Farb, obviously a huge celebrity here in Green Bay, has made sure to mention that remark. I wouldn't be surprised to hear it come up again tomorrow too, but Trump moves to three states with heavy Latino

populations where he hopes to do well. Arizona, Nevada, and a non-traditional battleground state, New Mexico, that his campaign is hoping to put back on the battleground map for the first time in about two decades. Ellison? All right, Garrett Haake, on the trail in Wisconsin. Thank you so much. We appreciate it. Vice President Harris, barnstorming three critical battleground states after delivering what her campaign calls her closing argument to a massive crowd at the ellipse in Washington, D.C. Tonight, she and Trump are rallying 140 miles apart from each other in the same blue-wall state of Wisconsin.

where new polling shows Harris leads Trump by just 1.5049, well within that survey's margin of error. NBC News, Chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander, is on the ground for us in Madison, Wisconsin tonight. Vice President Harris tonight taking her closing argument on the road. Are we ready to vote? Hitting three crucial swing states. Unlike Donald Trump, I don't believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. No. He wants to put them in jail.

I'll give them a seat at the table. Harris today trying to capitalize on last night's massive rally in front of the White House. Donald Trump has spent a decade trying to keep the American people divided and afraid of each other. That is who he is. But America, I am here tonight to say that is not who we are. Promising to promote unity and honoring those Americans who fought for freedom 250 years ago. They didn't do that, only to see us submit to the will of another petty tyrant. Still a challenge for Harris? While polls show she has a significant lead among women, Trump has a large lead among men.

Eric Vose runs a community theater in LaCross, Wisconsin. He's supporting Harris. My wife is a breast cancer survivor, so she's got one of those pre-existing conditions. So I want to make sure we keep that Affordable Care Act. Electrician Eric Rapke is voting for Trump. Honestly, I think the thing with Trump is he is, I mean, he says what's on his mind. He says what a lot of people are thinking. Also tonight, California's former Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has endorsed the Harris Wall's ticket. Warning, if re-elected Trump will, in his words,

find new ways to be more un-American than he already has been. Ellison? Peter Alexander in Wisconsin. Thank you. Let's bring in our political pros now. Matt Gorman, a Republican strategist and former communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, Michael Hardaway, former longtime aide to President Barack Obama

and former communications director for the House Democratic Caucus. Michael, let's start with you here. There has been some reporting around the Harris campaign trying to keep President Biden off of the campaign trail. Now, Vice President Harris, separating herself from President Biden's garbage comments. We heard Garrett's reporting earlier saying that Trump campaign officials told him they wanted to try to block out the sun with this comment. That's why we saw the former president in a garbage truck, right?

What are your contacts close to the campaign saying about this moment? Is there frustration that Biden seemingly stepped on Harris' moment after that speech at the ellipse, and now it's having to deal with what could arguably be a bit of a political liability here. Yeah, listen, I think it's interesting because, look, you saw a guy, first of all, who's not running for president, but is an 81-year-old man who has both had an ability to not speak well his entire career, and also he seems to have some sort of brain issues, and so I think that's what you saw.

He clarified, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. I honestly think this is a distraction. I think the racist comments from Trump's rally. of the night are also a distraction. I think we should be talking about the idea of the Washington Post story that ran today talking about how the Trump tariffs will drive up costs for all of us throughout the country. And I think that's what most voters want. I think ultimately most voters don't care about this particular news cycle of what we're talking about, as much as they care about the fact that everything they will buy will go up if Trump gets in office

and enact those tariffs that will drive up costs. Well, they're certainly talking a lot. about this moment, it seems. I mean, Matt, the former president is still dealing with the fallout from that comedian's racist routine at Sunday's New York rally, and let's call it what it is. It was racist. We mentioned a prominent Puerto Rican reggaeton star, Nikki Jam, withdrawing his Trump endorsement. I want to play some of what he had to say, and then we'll talk right after. I revoke any support of former President Trump. I mean, the former president hasn't fully condemned the rhetoric that we heard at that

rally, in particular from the comedian. Nikki Jam, though, this is not some sea-less celebrity we're talking about. His words do matter to a lot of people. Is there any worry, either for you or when you talk to your campaign contacts, that this sort of backlash could impact the former president in places like Florida, where you have a voting base that is paying attention to this and was offended by a lot of these remarks? Yeah, look, a couple things. Nicky Jam can vote for whoever he wants.

God bless him. I'm not going to say anything on that. I think, you know, but I'm not going to also pretend that it has some sort of out-size impact. And I don't think the Trump campaign does either. I mean, you saw Trump refer to him as a her initially in that clip package you played before. So I don't think he has much awareness, too. And look, I think there is a difference, candidly, between an offensive and terrible joke for some comedian who no one knows other than the Tom Brady Netflix roast. And the sitting President of the United States, and look, if he has brain issues, he still has the President of the nuclear launch codes.

There is a big difference here. And look, I will say this, the biggest way, I think for the Trump campaign folks who I talk to to get back on offense was to get back on offense and go after this. I mean, Joe Biden handed Donald Trump and the Trump campaign a gift with these comments. And instead of talking about that joke in the rally from Sunday, we're now talking about President Biden's comments. And we will be until I assume Tuesday. Michael, let me ask you about celebrity endorsements because I'm interested in this idea. I know there's always this debate about whether or not they're important. And at a lot of points in campaigns, it's like, no, probably not, right?

People want to talk about the issues. They're making up their mind on other things. But when you look at a race this close, when pollsters have said, based on this current slate of polling we've seen, this is the closest presidential election we have seen since 2000, could these last-minute celebrity endorsements and or appearances, whether it's for Harris or Trump in a race this tight, have an impact on voter turnout in the final moments? It does. It matters in two ways. For instance, you have a Beyonce who speaks to an audience that was going to already vote for Kamala Harris. But one thing she does do is drive energy

and excitement right before election day. So that matters because they can drive an energy around a candidate. The next thing is, you know, someone like a Mark Cuban or someone who's more moderate can also speak to those particular voters who may or may not know how they feel about a candidate. And so that is also useful depending on who that person is. And so it matters for those two reasons. The energy behind the candidate and also if you have someone who's more of a moderate and has fans that could go either way, they might be useful in pushing a few votes toward your

direction. Matt, same question for you. What do you make of celebrity endorsements, withdrawals, appearances in the final stretch? have an impact on at least voter turnout? In a general election, it's very, very little, aside from this, it does create earned media for the fact that we wouldn't be talking about Nikki Jam other than that thing today and the fact that create a little earned media. There's a few people, you know, whether it's a Taylor Swift or Beyonce, that can transcend

that a little bit, but that's very few and far between. They matter much more in primaries than they do in general elections where there might be actual tangible vote mobilization. Earned media getting press, that's where it matters. in a general election. Michael, I want to ask both of you about sort of the paths to victory, if you will. Michael, I'm going to start with you, and let's look at this new poll from CNN on three key battleground states. You have Vice President Harris with a slight lead in two of the three blue wall states. Analysts have said that her best path to 270 are these three

states, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, as well as one electoral vote from Nebraska's second congressional district. We've seen another poll today that had Trump ahead in Pennsylvania. what we saw in 2016 and 2020 with Trump outperforming the polls. How concerned are you that those blue wall states could potentially or could they slip away from Kamala Harris? I don't feel that way. I do think it's neck and neck. And obviously, the polling lays that out. I think this is really a conversation about energy and excitement on Tuesday. And I think in part that's really why you're seeing Trump try to make an issue out of this garbage

story, which is he's trying to drive excitement among his base and drive people out to the polls. It looks like it's going to be a photo finish on Tuesday in terms of who comes out in those three states. But I think right now each campaign should be on the ground in those states. And O'Connell has been there nearly every day and really focus on driving out their base and getting those moderates and getting those undecideds over to your side. Again, I think it's going to be a photo finish. It would be interesting to see how that shakes out on Tuesday. All right, Matt, similar question for you. But for the Trump campaign, when it comes to his campaign, that path to victory seems to be.

Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, as well as the one electoral vote in Maine. When you look at the gender gap that we've seen in polling, Trump is in Wisconsin tonight with Brett Favre, right? To win any of those states, though, he does need to cut into Harris's margin with women. Do you think right now he's doing enough to win those voters as Nikki Haley right now is urging him to do? Well, Nikki Haley and Trump should campaign. I don't know what the holdup is, at whatever, whoever side is holding it up should stop and they should campaign together. But I'll say this. At this point, winning men by more than they lose women, and for Democrats, vice versa,

is going to be one of the key to this election, right? Look at North Carolina, look at Georgia. Very early in the night, we will have a really good keen impact, see of whether or not even the blue wall will matter that much or where the blue wall is headed. These states aren't in vacuums. Likely, these states, some of them will fall together. Michigan, Wisconsin, for one, North Carolina, Georgia are another little. packet of states, which will tell us a lot about where the night's headed.

Pennsylvania could be on its own island there, but that's an exception rather than the rule. All right. Matt Gorman, Michael Hardaway, thank you both. We appreciate your time and insights. Thanks. Now, of the latest warnings, authorities are issuing over online threats to the election. The director of U.S. cybersecurity saying foreign adversaries are in an all-out effort to undermine confidence in the integrity of this election. NBC's Tom Costello goes in inside the agency's command center to see officials trying to root out disinformation firsthand. So, Tom, this is our secure floor. All cybersecurity.

So cybersecurity and physical security of critical infrastructure. It's in this room that America's director of cyber and infrastructure security, SISA, says the nation's shields are up, with U.S. adversaries targeting the elections. What we are seeing are Russia, Iran, China conducting influence operations. influence operations, disinformation operations, focused on two goals to undermine American confidence and the legitimacy of our elections and to stoke partisan discord. Last week, Pennsylvania election officials quickly labeled this video a fake, which depicted somebody allegedly ripping up ballots for Donald Trump. FBI, the intelligence community, and Sisa came out affirming that it was a fake Russian

video. Look, we are going to see more of this. Ahead of the elections, SISA has now role-played 200 response scenarios with all 50 states, from ransomware attacks to deep fake videos to bombings. There's a lot to keep track of. Nationwide, 132,000 polling places, 775,000 poll workers. It's here that they watch for any signs of cyber or physical interference. Do you see any sign of a successful foreign attempt to hack into any bit of the election mechanics in the country? No, and in my view, that would not be possible.

Not possible because every state runs their own elections. There is no single point of vulnerability. Voting machines are not connected to the Internet. 97% use paper ballots, and every state has added layers of security since 2020. What's there one big takeaway, one big lesson learned from the 2020 election that you're applying this year? Well, at the end of the day, what we learn from 2020 is that, that a lot of the work that had been done to ensure that the election was secure, that direction was the right direction to go in.

And what we've done from 2020 is we have doubled and tripled down. But the threat's doubled and tripled. It has doubled and tripled down, exactly. I think the greatest threat is this fire hose of disinformation. It's corrosive to our democracy. It does the work of our foreign adversaries for them. And oh, by the way, it's creating very real physical threats to. election workers and election officials and their families.

Foreign and domestic disinformation turning Americans against each other. Tom Costello, NBC News, Washington. For more on the types of threats, law enforcement agencies are looking out for ahead of during and after the election. We're joined now by NBC News Justice and Intelligence Correspondent Ken Delaney. Can you and several of our NBC colleagues have new reporting that outlines a number of threats, law enforcement is focused about sort of their top concerns, from domestic actors to foreign actors. Walk us through your latest reporting.

Yeah, Ellison, you heard Jen Easterly there talk about a fire hose of disinformation, both foreign and domestic. So law enforcement officials very worried about the foreign disinformation. For example, a Russian-inspired effort to produce fake videos that they flagged on Friday night of ballast being destroyed in Pennsylvania. That wasn't true. So that was foreign but there's a lot of domestic disinformation, probably even more. And it's not just Donald Trump-Maga-inspired disinformation. And there's some on the left, too. Even today, MSNBC reporting was being mischaracterized across social media platforms by left-wing disinformation artists. And then you have the physical threats. Law enforcement very concerned that domestic violent extremists who don't

believe the election is secure or believe there is fraud are going to attack polling places. And we've We've already seen three separate fires at ballot distribution boxes in Arizona, Oregon, and Washington. So these are some of the threats that law enforcement officials are very, very worried about. You also outlined something that's called the AI beast of disinformation. Explain to us what that means, and big picture, is law enforcement or our systems ready to manage these possible threats? Yeah, so AI, the AI beast refers to the way that AI can be used to super-enforcement. disinformation, particularly on social media. It can craft authentic-looking messages without even human involvement, and that really ups the ante. And it's not clear that the

platforms or the government really has a handle on that. In terms of the bigger picture in where in law enforcement is, what they're saying to us is, look, we're not treating this any differently than any other election, as counterintuitive as that sounds, because they always are amped up for every presidential election. The FBI has a war room, the Justice Department has a war room. You saw the Department of Homeland Security war room. room with Tom. So they believe that they are ready for any possibility. Obviously, the proof is in the pudding on election night and afterwards, because if this is a contested election, that's when the big worry comes is what happens in the days and weeks after that, Alison. All right. Candelanian,

thank you. As voters head to the polls, one of the top issues at the ballot box is the economy. A new report released just days before the election shows the gross domestic product in the U.S. increased at a 2.8 rate in the third quarter, fueled by strong consumer and federal government spending. But how do voters feel about these positive economic signs? We're going to go back to Madison, Wisconsin, and NBC's Shaquille Brewster. Shack, I mean, you have just been talking to voters for months and months and months now. This is good economic news. My question for you, is it something that's resonating with voters? And is there anything in the final days that will change their minds?

Well, listen, that's a really good question because we know that this week, just for example, you've been seeing a good streak of economic news. There's the GDP numbers that you just brought up. We can talk about the stock market earlier this week. A big headline was the rise in consumer confidence for Democrats and those supporting Vice President Harris. This is evidence that those policies, the Biden-Harris policies, are working for them. That was the sentiment that I heard when I talked to supporters here in Madison.

And I want you to listen to a little bit of those conversations. I think Harris supporters do, but I feel like the other Republicans are kind of just hearing what they want to hear. And I mean, because you tell them those things and they kind of just brush it off. I think Kamala is going to do things for our economy that will make life more affordable for like middle, lower class folks. So that's what matters about it for me. And look, it is also the case that grocery prices are higher than they were at the beginning of their term, that gas prices are higher than they were in 2020 and 2021. And that is the point that you have being raised by Donald Trump and his supporters.

Donald Trump, I was just with him earlier this week. And one thing that when he was asked about the economy, he called it a quote-unquote fake economy. He suggested that the administration without evidence is manipulating the numbers somehow. And on the other hand, he's dismissed the rise in stock market and stock prices as saying it's essentially because he believes that people think that he will win this election. So you see some mixed messaging on the Republican side. As for your question of, will this matter to voters? I think you can always get a sense based on what candidates mentioned when they're on stage. One thing about those GDP numbers today is that when you look at the events that Vice President Harris had today, two other events and a gaggle, she did not mention those GDP numbers.

Once, she did mention Donald Trump and his behavior and conduct multiple times, Ellison. Really interesting stuff. Shaquille Brewster, thank you. We appreciate it. And just days before the election, the current administration still working to broker some sense of peace in the Middle East. One source briefed on the matter tells NBC News two senior White House officials are set to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel tomorrow. The discussion at hand, the possibility of ending the fighting in Lebanon. The relentless Israeli airstrikes there, displacing more than a million people who are now struggling to find shelter.

One unlikely refuge, one of Beirut's most exclusive nightclubs, now opening its doors to those in need. NBC's international correspondent Matt Bradley has more. Only a few weeks ago, the music inside Skybar used to pulse. A spot where Beirut came to see in B.C. It's now a place for safety and secure. security. Under the dust of your feet, my body. The only songs filling this space now come from hundreds of displaced people seeking refuge

from Israeli bombardments. Fattin and her family are homeless, displaced by Israel's attacks on southern Lebanon. As Muslims who don't drink alcohol due to their faith, they've found an unlikely refuge. Is it weird to be here in a nightclub? It's weird because we are Muslims. You know, when Muslims cannot attend nightclubs, and it's nightclub, you mean, it's, you You know, something, you know. Right.

Yes, weird, you know. But now I have another thinking, I have changed my attitude. Yeah. How so? Living in a nightclub is a paradise now. Now, and even if the war will end, I will come and visit them. The only person here is still doing the same job is the club's bouncer. There's no dancing now with this particular clientele.

He used to turn people away. away, but ever since Skybard opened its doors, his job is to let them in and keep them safe. That's unlike many places in Beirut, where doors are closed to the displaced, even some mosques. Kharajid, the jama is un-sakrha, and the nightcap, or not. Because this is a man who's a man who has a domine, he has a dameer, he can't The situation, they've had to the nashen who are they coming, they've got to be. The situation outside is desperate.

The Lebanese government says some 1.2 million people have been displaced in the last year. Many are sleeping on the streets. But this place is a sanctuary. Dahl al-Mahdi says it's better than a five-star hotel. We're here, we're here, we're sitting, we're doing a And for many 24, 4, 4,000. This is a carabba. It's not going to be able.

All right. All right. And for many, this isn't the first time that war has led to homelessness. He says that he's fled his home four times in his life, always because of Israeli invasions, and every time they destroy his house.

With U.S. elections only a week away, the entire region is looking to America for relief. Foughton's parents live in Michigan where they're getting ready to vote in a crucial swing state. Are you hopeful that some people? someone will stop the war? Yes, of course.

Yeah. And it will be from America, you think, will stop the war? Kindness is always there. In America? Kindness is always in the heart of every person, I think. And Matt Bradley joins us now from Beirut. Matt, we heard there the hope from people in Lebanon that the United States will help and do something to end the fighting. What more do we know about that meeting between senior White House officials and Netanyahu?

Yeah, well, we're hearing that Brett McGurich and Amos Hochstein, two of the most senior envoys from the Biden administration, are headed to Tel Aviv tomorrow. Now, the main focus of this isn't actually the Gaza Strip, as we've been seeing for the past year. This diplomacy is about trying to resolve the fighting over Israel's northern border with Lebanon. Now, whether or not that could happen, there is thinking that that's more likely to see some sort of a breakthrough than what we're seeing in the Gaza Strip. And we have been hearing that Hezbollah is no longer making a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, one of the preconditions for them to stop fighting the Israelis here in Lebanon. But still, there's a lot of pessimism around this. And we're also hearing from senior officials that this really could take weeks or even months

to come into effect if there's an agreement at all. And what are we hearing of late from Hezbollah, Matt? The new head of that organization delivered his first address today, right? That's right, Naeem Qasem, who was just elected in the past couple of days to head Hezbollah after the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah and Hassan Nasrullah's sort of, you know, assumed successor, who hadn't even been elected to the post before he was killed by the Israelis. So we heard from Naim Qasem. We don't even know if he's here in Lebanon. It's thought that he might actually be in Iran, where he would, of course, be seeking cover because the Israelis are picking off top Hezbollah leaders one after another. He vowed that he was going to continue the fight against the Israelis, but he also said that there was some sort of an opening for a ceasefire, though he said that Hezbollah isn't going to beg for a ceasefire from the Israelis.

Alison. Matt Bradley in Lebanon, amazing reporting. Thank you. Still ahead tonight, the massive fire erupting at a battery recycling plant, terrifying video showing fireballs exploding in dark smoke filling the air, the emergency evacuations, residents in neighboring towns told to stay inside. Plus the education scandal rocking Houston. Teachers arrested for orchestrating a scheme allowing hundreds of unqualified teachers to pay for someone else to take their certification exams. We'll tell you how they were caught. And E. coli cases on the rise linked to that deadly McDonald's outbreak, the startling number of people falling ill after eating

quarter pounders. Stay with us. Back now with the alleged teacher certification scam uncovered in the state of Texas, multiple teachers charged with running an elaborate ring in which some teachers allegedly paid thousands of dollars to have someone else take certification exams for them. The defendants pocketing more than a million dollars in a scheme that prosecutors say put kids in real danger. NBC's Stephen Romo reports. It's crazy. Parents and students in Houston stunned to learn some of their educators are accused of running a million-dollar fraud ring.

Got to be careful of people. In my class, everyone was, like, gathered up, reading it off one phone. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogh announcing this week that five people, including two assistant principals, have been charged in an alleged scheme that let hundreds of people cheat on their state certification tests. This was used to certify more than 200 unqualified teachers all now practicing or having practice here in our Texas public schools. A respected high school basketball coach, Vincent Grayson, is the alleged ringleader. Prosecutors say it worked like this. People struggling to pass certification tests would pay Grayson or the others allegedly involved $2,500. dollars. Up to 500 of that was used to bribe officials at the testing center. Then on testing day,

the candidate would sign in and show an ID as usual, but then leave, allowing assistant principal Nicholas Newton to take their place and ace that test. Prosecutors say since 2020, more than 400 fraudulent exams were taken on behalf of 200 teachers, while the scheme raked in thousands for those involved. Grayson, Newton, and three others have been charged with two felony counts each of engaging in criminal activity, according to the district attorney. NBC News has not been able to reach attorneys for Grayson or Newton. An attorney for Lashonda Roberts, accused of personally funneling at least 90 teachers into the scheme, says the accusations are, quote, unsubstantiated claims and that the truth will come to light. But the scheme authorities call a pay-to-pass scam,

potentially put kids in real danger. The cheating teachers include at least two sexual predators who once falsely certified had access through their employment to underage kids on campus and off. One has been charged with indecency with a child, another with online solicitation. But amid such a deep breach of trust, it was ultimately a Good Samaritan who cracked this case open

for authorities. A former coach applying as a police officer in a different part of Texas had an attack of conscience and came forward with a scheme that was apparently well known among teacher applicants wanting to be certified and busted this phony test-taking scheme right out of the water. And Stephen Romo joins us now in studio. So Stephen, in addition to that good Samaritan? Was there something else here that tipped authorities off? Yeah, there actually was. Teachers from all over the state of Texas were sometimes driving hours to get to Houston to go to these specific testing centers. So that raised some suspicions on its own. But because of that fact, right now authorities, they're really focusing on the people they say that made money

behind this scheme. But they say that there are teachers that are probably still working in the state of Texas right now, up to that 200 number, that are uncertified or fraudulently certified. Some districts like Houston Independent School District saying if they find someone who fraudulently passed that test, they're going to fire them. Stephen Romo, thank you. When we come back, new details on the Menendez Brothers case. Their resentencing date just announced. Stay with us.

We're back now with Top Stories News Feed. An update on the date of the Menendez Brothers resentencing hearing in California. In a official from Los Angeles Superior Court telling NBC News the resentencing hearing is now scheduled for December 11th. The judge will determine whether Eric and Lyell Menendez should be resentenced for their parents' murder if they decide they could that would potentially make the brothers eligible for parole immediately. Late today, Los Angeles DA announced he supports the brother's request for clemency. Evacuation orders are underway in Missouri as a massive fire rips through a bomb. battery plant. New video you see it here showing large plumes of smoke rising from the lithium battery recycling plant in Fredericks Town. Authorities telling residents in the immediate area

they need to evacuate and urging anyone else within the reach of the smoke plume to shelter in place indoors. No injuries have been reported so far. Lithium batteries can generate toxic gases and carry a risk of reigniting. And another update for you tonight. More cases of E. coli have been linked to McDonald's quarter-pounders. The CDC now reporting at least 90 people across 13 states have been sickened. At least one person has died. The agency adding the true number of cases is likely much higher. The CDC says sliced onions from supplier Taylor Farms was the likely source of the outbreak.

Turning overseas now to the deadly flood sweeping across eastern Spain. Villages submerged in roads overtaken by water after the region was battered by a month's worth of rain on Monday and Tuesday. Authorities say nearly 100 people were killed, and that death toll is expected to rise. NBC's Kierce Simmons has this report. Tonight, Spain, hammered by catastrophic flash flooding that carried whole cars away in its deadly currents.

This woman and her dog, initially struggling in the water, then saved one of many dramatic helicopter rescues, here a child. Drivers trapped by a year's rainfall in just eight hours. The aftermath like a pile up on the freeway and in southern eastern Spain's narrow streets. At least 95 people have died. Tonight it's unclear how many are missing. One witness saying a house at the entrance of the town just disappeared.

Look how we have torn our clothes because we were saving dogs, says another. change is causing more extreme rainfall events while Valencia has a history of sudden floods. More than a thousand troops have been deployed amid criticism the local government was not prepared. The Prime Minister declaring the whole of Spain is crying with you and promising we won't abandon you. Many homes are rubble, the King calling it enormous destruction. Kier Simmons, NBC News. We're saying overseas now with Top Story's Global Watch.

New details on the American kidnapped in the Philippines nearly two weeks ago. Philippine police say they've arrested at least three suspects in connection to the kidnapping, but they are still searching for three more. As we've previously reported, 26-year-old Elliot Eastman from Vermont was allegedly shot in the leg before being dragged into a speedboat that fled south. Authorities believe he is still alive. An oasis announcing it is canceling thousands of reunion tour tickets sold by resellers. The iconic British rock band has confirmed that nearly 50,000 of the 1.4 million tickets sold

for the UK tour dates will be canceled and relisted on Ticketmaster. This follows the promise that tickets would be sold only at face value in an effort to combat scalping. When we come back, the shocking World Series moment to Yankees fans trying to rip a ball out of the glove of Dodgers' mooky bets, the punishment just handed down from the Yankees, and how other fans are reacting. That's next. Welcome back.

The headline from the New York Yankees win in game four of the World Series was not the go-ahead grand slam from Anthony Volpe or a string of strikeouts from the Yankees bullpen. Instead, it was this shocking incident. Two overly eager New York fans trying to rip a foul ball. from the glove of Los Angeles outfielder, Mookie Betts. Both of those fans were ejected from the stadium. NBC News correspondent Sam Broncos at Yankee Stadium with more. I mean, Sam, this was a stunning moment.

Fan interference, somewhat common or I guess not new in baseball, but to hold onto a player like that, seemingly pushing their hand into his glove. That seemed particularly egregious. What do we know about those fans? The two fans have been banned by the Yankees and Major League Baseball for tonight's game. So as you see all these people piling in for what's a very high-energy situation, they will not be among them.

And you perfectly characterized it, Ellison, you can actually, if you're a fan, the ball comes into the stands, do what you need to try to get the ball. But you can't enter the field of play. And most certainly, in the case of Muki Betts, his arm was extended. He had leapt up and he was vulnerable. The arm was right there when they were grabbing onto the wrist in one respect. And then the other fan, this is Austin Papo Bianco, pulled the ball out and just threw it away.

Now, we were able to actually connect with Austin, one of our digital writers, to find out his take on all this. He said, he expected to be banned. What he did not expect was that his friends and his brother and family members, they also can't take the seats either. So the Yankees and MLB have extended his band, not just to the two guys. No one can use those seats from their family.

So, Sam, did the Yankees issue a more lengthy statement? beyond just banning them because certainly there's got to be some worry, I would imagine, that maybe tonight there could be copycats. Yeah, as far as whether or not someone is going to pattern themselves and try to do something similar, hard to say about that. But the Yankees and NLBU's very strong language. They called this egregious. They said it's unacceptable, and they also described it as a zero-tolerance situation. They're not taking any chances with it or even potentially setting a precedent that this is okay. Lines were across, and so as a result, they are banned from this incident. I would also

point out, Ellison, there have been notorious examples of fan interference before, but the intentionality was very different. One of the most classic cases is 1996. Game one of the ALCS, Yankees and Orioles. Eric Cheater hits the ball, Jeffrey Mayer, if that name sounds familiar, a preteen at the time, sticks his glove out over the center field wall and catches the ball away from the outfielder. There was no replay at the time. He was going for the ball. It was ruled a home run. Steve Bartman in 2003. The Cubs, before they broke their curse of finally winning a World Series in the first time in a century, Steve Bartman went for a foul ball. Moises a little of the Cubs also went for that ball. And as a result, it wasn't caught.

The Cubs didn't beat the Marlins that year and they didn't win the World Series. Those are known in history. But this is the first example that I can remember as a baseball fan, where a player was vulnerable, went up, had the ball, and the fans then ripped it away from him, MLB reacted accordingly. Yeah, it looks so different than what we saw with Jeffrey Mayer. That was a moment where you were like, oh, poor guy. He really was just excited and went for it, and then all of the fallout afterwards. Look, I see all those fans behind you, some of them kind of hooping and hollering as they walk past. Got to ask you, what have they said about that moment? And as we head to game five, what are they hoping for tonight?

Yeah, a lot of opinions, a lot of hollering, as you said, from Yankees fans. What I thought was interesting is there seemed to be a universal understanding that what happened was wrong. You can think whatever you want about the teams that are playing. But this wasn't right, and that's the vibe that I got. Here's a sample of the conversations we have. Yeah, I mean, I think even Yankees fans would admit that that's sort of beyond sort of what, you know, fans are entitled to do when they're at the stadium you can be loud you can be vocal you can sort of boo players but at the same time there's like lines that shouldn't

be crossed and I think I think everybody would kind of acknowledge that they crossed the line a little bit last night my initial reaction was I loved it I'm not gonna lie we needed a little bit of fire I get it you don't want to do that these guys get paid a lot of money a little bit of an insult but I loved it in the moment second thoughts maybe don't do that yeah came around on it actually not a great idea. The one hanging question at this point, will there be any ban for next year? Haven't heard anything from the Yankees on that, Alison. All right. Sam Brock at Yankee Stadium. Thank you. We appreciate it.

When we come back, we are trying out viral products for fall, a product that lets you scrape out a pumpkin with ease and almost no mess. What about a hand warmer that recharges? They sound almost too good to be true. So are they? Is this real? Fall edition. Up next. Finally, tonight, have you ever seen a product on social media and wondered, is that real? Well, NBC's Maya Eaglin is taking a look at some hard-to-believe fall products firsthand that tell us how they work. Here in New York, fall is in full swing, which means a stunning array of foliage. But also, most of the ground is covered in leaves.

What if there was a way to pick them up without the rake and trash bags? Gardena's lawn and leaf collector. It's just one of three viral products that caught our eye on social media, and we want to see for ourselves if they help make the change of seasons more enjoyable. On TikTok, you can see influencers using Gardena's lawn and leaf collector cleaning their lawns in seconds. For about $180, the company promises a quick cleanup without having to bend down, easy storage, and unlike a leaf blower, no noise. Let's open it up. A few different parts here it does need to be assembled though all right so I see that we've got to flip this upside down so the wheels are flat and then there's this little hole here

that these rods are going to go into after some help for my coworker Aaron And this black bar goes over here, I think. Oh, that's tricky. Now we're going to put everything together. And about 30 minutes. I think we did it! We're ready to try it out in New York's famed Central Park, home to 18,000 trees.

It's definitely picking up a good bit of the leaf. Not all of them are making it into the basket, but it is filling up, which is a good sign. All right, we're going to empty this thing out. All right, so this leaf collector was a little tricky to put together. The directions were slightly confusing, but when I did get the hang of it, it was pretty easy to maneuver. Falling leaves, not the only sign of the change of the season. It also comes with a drop in temperatures. In the fall time, there's also a lot of out.

There's also a lot of outdoor chilly activities. We have trick-or-treating, we have football games and tailgates. This is an electric hand-warmer that says it will keep your hands warm for a few hours at a time. The Okupa hand-womber is portable, rechargeable, and is marketed to last up to eight hours. We're going to turn it on here. Three different heat settings. I do feel like getting a little bit warm. Let's see.

Nice, and I feel like it would fit in a pocket. The heat lasting five hours when we used it starting with a full charge. I would say this is real, but it would be real nice to have two of them in one package. And it wouldn't be fault without the iconic Jacko Lanner. The pumpkin glove scraper going viral and even featured on an episode of Shark Tank as affixed to that dreaded task of cleaning out the seeds and pumpkin guts. It says no sticky slime, no cold, wet mess. So let's take it out and see what's inside.

So there's two sizes in here. a large and a small. I went with a small and now let's open up the pumpkin. We have cut a circle through the top. Let's lift it up and see what's inside. Perfect. This reminds me of Halloween growing up so much fun. All right, the inside of our pumpkin is here. So let's put the up back on and scrape it out. I think the best way to do this might be scraping all the sides and then taking it all out. Let's see.

Oh yeah, got a big clump there. Honestly, this took no time at all. So I would say this is real, but as for the mess, not so sure about that. Thanks, Maya, and thank you for watching Top Story. I'm Ellison Barber. Stay right there. More news is on the way.

Thank you.