Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Episode Date: September 5, 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, terror on a high school campus, a shooter opening fire, killing at least four people. The Georgia school placed on lockdown, students sent scrambling for shelter as gunshots rang out. Officers swarming the campus as first responders rushed to help those injured. Parents frantically searching for their kids. The 14-year-old suspect now in custody and what students are saying about the horrifying moments inside the school. Also breaking tonight new reporting from NBC News, the U.S. is considering its own deal to free American hostages in Gaza. Those details as our own reporter questions Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his unwavering ceasefire demands. His pointed response further fueling angered protest in the region, the mother of a murdered hostage in anguish,

accusing Netanyahu of sacrificing her son, the latest from the Middle East. Harris, the debater, the countdown is on to the highly anticipated matchup between Vice President Harris and former President Trump. With less than a week to go, we're taking a closer look at what she is like on the debate stage, what tactics she might use as both candidates barnstorm battleground states, and new details just in over those muted mics during the next debate. Fiery street takeover, cars torched and a dealership vandalized as large crowds gather at a busy intersection in Los Angeles. the chaotic scene as drivers perform burnouts in the middle of the street. The doctor is out, frustrations mounting as patients are forced to wait months,

sometimes several months, to see a physician. Our Dr. John Torres is here to get to the root of the problem. What's behind the appointment shortage and what you can do about it? Plus, breaking her silence, Australian breakdancer Raygun, whose Olympic debut went viral. Now defending her performance, her moves sparked global criticism. generating memes, online, and what was even mocked on late-night TV, how she's responding in her first TV interview and her surprising answers about if she is really Australia's best female break dancer.

And Boeing's troubled spacecraft returning to Earth without the astronauts it brought to the ISS. What it means for the astronauts now, forced to catch a different ride home, we'll explain. Top story starts right now. And good evening. Tonight, a community in morning after a gunman stormed a Georgia high school, killing at least two students and two teachers. The horrifying shooting coming just weeks after classes began for the new year.

This all happening just before 10.30 this morning, first responders rushing to the scene over reports of an active shooter. The school quickly placed into lockdown. Students evacuated to the football field. A grandmother live streamed the heartbreaking moments as families raced to reanour. night with their kids. There is a shooting at my granddaughter's school, and there's so many people out here trying to get their children.

Appalachie High School is located in Winder, Georgia. That's roughly 50 miles northwest of Atlanta. We're told at least nine people were taken to the hospital, some by ambulance, others by helicopter. Officials confirming they were all struck by bullets, their exact condition still unknown at this time. This suspect is a 14-year-old student who's currently in custody after surrendering to police. NBC confirming he will be charged with murder and tried as an adult. Still so many questions left to be answered tonight as this community is left reeling from tragedy. NBC's Priya Shrether has the latest from Georgia.

Horror in Winder, Georgia, after officials say a suspected shooter opened fire in Appalachie High School. There's a 14-year-old student here at the high school. school. Again, he has been taken into custody. He will be charged with murder and he will be tried as an adult. This video capturing terrifying moments after gunfire rang out. Police say deputies and emergency medical personnel rushed to the high school at about 1023 a.m. In response to an active shooting, the school put on lockdown. It was just like a loud boom. Authorities say the gunfire left four dead, two teachers and two students and nine injured. Our school resource officer engaged him and the shooter quickly realized

that if he did not give up, that it would end with an OIS or an officer involved shooting. He gave up, got on the ground, and the deputy took him into custody. Golf coach David Phoenix was shot twice and is alive, according to his daughter, who posted on Facebook that he's in stable condition. My heart hurts for these kids. My heart hurts for our community. But I want to make it very clear that Hate will not prevail in this county. Love will prevail over what happened today. Students returned back to school in August, sophomores describing the terrifying moments. I didn't know what was going to happen because you could hear the gunfires right down the hall.

So I was shaking, scared. I thought I was going to die. Student Itzel Navaretti says she was shaken up and scared. How does it feel that this happened at your high school? I'm shocked. I'm shocked. Something like this could happen here. Panicked parents rushed to the school, later reuniting with their children at the football field. My daughter called me at work, screaming that there was a shooter at Appalachie. President Biden briefed today, writing, Jill and I are mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short due to more senseless gun violence.

Former President Trump posting these cherished children. children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster. At a rally in New Hampshire, Vice President Harris remarking, It's senseless. It is, we've got to stop it. And we have to end this epidemic of gun violence in our country once and for all. Priya Shreider joins us tonight from Winder, Georgia. Prea officials said today the suspect is cooperating with authorities. Do we know anything else about a possible motive?

Well, Tom, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has interviewed the suspect's family members, but at this point they say that the investigation is still ongoing. Authorities also told us today in a briefing that it's unclear whether the suspect had any direct connections to the victims. Priya Shri, they're leading us off tonight here in top stories. We do want to move overseas now to the Middle East where there are major breaking headlines. This just in, the U.S. is now considering its own deal to free the American hostages, essentially negotiating with Hamas. This is, this has Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a rare press conference

in English today for international media as mass protests continue to erupt across his country. Our Ralph Sanchez is in Tel Aviv with the latest. Night after night, Israelis taking to the streets demanding their prime minister make the concessions needed to reach a hostage deal. But tonight, an embattled yet defiant Benjamin Netanyahu declaring he won't withdraw troops from the Egypt-Ghasa border, known as the Philadelphia Corridor. Gaza must be demilitarized, and it can only be demilitarized if the Philadelphia Corridor remains under firm control. The corridor is a major part of the stalemate in ceasefire talks, and Israeli forces waited until May to take control of it. If the Philadelphia Corridor is so critical, as you say, why is it?

you left it seven, eight months into the Israeli ground offensive before seizing them? Well, it was critical also to destroy Hamas, to kill about 20,000 of their operatives. This was the military plan that the military and the political echelon agreed upon. Public fury over Hamas's killing of these six hostages and the Israeli government's failure to save them. Among the dead, 27-year-old Almog Sarusi. The mother of Almog Sarusi, one of the murdered hostages, says you sacrificed her son on the altar of the Philadelphia Corridor. If the price of your refusal to withdraw from the Egypt-Gazah border is more hostages are killed, is that a price you are prepared to pay? And is that a price the people of Israel will accept?

I can understand the internal, the great torment that the mother of this murdered hostage feels, I'm committed. to getting all of them up. Neither the Prime Minister nor the protesters backing down. Ralph Sanchez joins us tonight from Tel Aviv. And, Ralph, I want to go back to that new reporting about the U.S. Considering its own deal to free American hostages, what have you learned? So, Tom, five sources are telling NBC news that the U.S. is considering making a direct deal with Hamas to free those remaining American hostages.

Such a deal with a terrorist organization is unlawful. unlikely. No formal offer has been made. But it is being considered, and it comes as the White House is under intense pressure from the families of those remaining seven hostages, but also as the Biden administration is losing faith in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's willingness to actually make a deal. And then going back to that news conference you attended where you were able to ask Prime Minister Netanyahu those questions. I mean, this was done all in English, and we can't escape the importance of that, right? He wanted the world to watch this news conference?

That's absolutely right, Tom. Prime Minister Netanyahu considered one of the world's great communicators, completely fluent in English, comfortable speaking in front of the U.S. Congress, and he wanted to make his case today in English to the world about why that Philadelphia corridor is so important to Israel. Tom. Ralph Sanchez for us, Raf, we thank you for that. Now back here at home into the 2024 presidential race.

Vice President Harris in New Hampshire today, proposing tax relief for new small businesses. This is she breaks with President Biden on some economic policy. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez is on the campaign trail with her tonight. Riding a wave of Democratic enthusiasm, but under pressure to detail her policies, today Vice President Harris unveiling new proposals on a top issue for voters, the economy. It's essentially a tax cut for starting a small business. series of new benefits for small business owners, including up to a $50,000 tax deduction for startup expenses, 10 times what's currently allowed. And she wants a smaller increase to the capital gains tax than President Biden called for. Compare that to what Donald Trump plans. He plans to give billionaires massive tax cuts and to cut corporate taxes. But her plans

would need congressional approval. That's partly why Harris is in Blue New Hampshire, where her campaign hopes her surging candidacy will rub off on Democrats running for Congress. Still, polls show voters trust former President Trump more to handle the economy. This is the lie at the heart of Kamala Harris's campaign that if you elect her, she's somehow going to be different than she already has been in office where her policies have caused higher grocery prices, higher food prices, and of course a wide open southern border. For voters here, the differences are stark. We met small business owner Brad Smith, who thinks Harris, brings hope. Do you think that your small business is better off now than it was during the Trump

administration? Oh, without a doubt. And I think the reason is everything to do with optimism. If you're a doom and gloom candidate or president, you are not going to start a business. Chad Kostra thinks otherwise. I just, I don't trust her. He owns a barbershop in Portsmouth and says he'll vote for Trump. I think he did a pretty good job. Harris is just going to be four more years of misery. All right, Gabe joins us tonight from New Hampshire. So, Gabe, it's kind of interesting, right, that the Harris Walls campaign is campaigning in New Hampshire. And I ask because, you know, if you look at the Republican primaries, right, Donald Trump did well there in 2016, 2014, he was the winner, okay?

Then you go to the general election, right? Hillary Clinton wins in 2016. This is up here for our voters, but barely by just 0.4 percentage points. 2020, Joe Biden does much better. And then we look at New Hampshire, and you say, you're just saying, you're just. How many electoral votes does it have? Only four. So, Gabe, what is the reason that they're there?

Because this is an interesting move. Look, Tom, the Harris campaign will tell you that they're not taking anything for granted. But the truth is, there are several things at play. It's not just the electoral votes. It's also the down-ballot races here, and really across the country. There's actually a Democratic primary here next week, and so this is a key time that a lot of people, a lot of voters here, here are tuned into politics, so it's an easy stop for Vice President Harris.

And there's also some cleanup being done here, Tom, because if you remember, Democrats earlier in this cycle, they shunned New Hampshire's first in the nation primary. And so they wanted to come back here. She made a very quick stop here, said hello to some voters. She's off to Pennsylvania, Battleground Pennsylvania, again tomorrow, for some debate prep this time, Tom. All right, Gabe Gutierrez, first, Gabe. We appreciate that. The Vice President also gearing up to debate.

to debate former President Trump. That showdown less than a week away. Over the next two nights, we'll be taking a look at each candidate's strengths and weaknesses on the debate stage. Tonight, we start with Harris, who faces a critical test in her truncated campaign. Kelly O'Donnell breaks it all down.

Of all the varied stops along the campaign trail, no destination may carry as much consequence as the debate stage, where Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump will meet face-to-face for the first time. Because as the same goes, if you've got something to say, say it to my face. Much has changed since Harris sparred with Mike Pence four years ago. Whatever the vice president is claiming the administration has done, clearly it hasn't worked.

Beyond a wayward fly, that debate featured a Harris tactic that she is used to quiet protests. You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I'm speaking. And to keep control of the moment. But Susan, this is important. And I want to add, Mr. Vice President, I'm speaking. I'm speaking. If you don't mind letting me finish, we can then have a conversation. Okay? Please. Okay. In that peak COVID period, Harris seized on the Trump administration's handling of the pandemic.

The American people have witnessed what is the greatest failure of the pandemic. any presidential administration in the history of our country. But some of Harris's notable debate highlights happened alongside fellow Democrats in what was a crowded field of 2020 primary contenders. America does not want to witness a food fight. They want to know how we're going to put food on their table. In a searing exchange, Harris aimed at Joe Biden over his record on desegregation and busing in the 1970s.

I do not believe you are a racist, and I agree with you when you commit yourself to the importance of finding common ground. But I also believe, and it is personal, and it was actually very, it was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country. You know, there was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bused to school every day. And that little girl was me. The Harris debate history also shows her on the defensive. Her record as a California prosecutor attacked by Tulsi Gabbard, who was then a Democrat, but has since turned independent and endorsed Trump. She put over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana violations and then laughed about it when she was. was asked if she ever smoked marijuana.

Harris's policy positions and changes also came under scrutiny from a debate moderator. You used to oppose the legalization of marijuana, now you don't. You used to oppose outside investigations of police shootings, now you don't. You've said that you changed on these and other things because you were, quote, swimming against the current and thankfully the currents have changed. But when you had the power, why didn't you try to affect change then? So there have been, I'm glad you asked me this question, and there have been many distortions of my record. Fast forward to 2024, and the Harris campaign has urged a change in debate rules to allow for a candidate's microphone to be active the entire time.

The Trump campaign backs muting microphones when candidates are not designated to speak. Harris posted on social media, in part, if his own team doesn't. doesn't have confidence in him, the American people definitely can't. Let's debate in a transparent way with the microphones on the whole time. The stakes for next Tuesday have been high since the upheaval that made Harris the Democrats candidate. But I'm ready. And I think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on a debate stage. And so I'm ready. Let's go. Kelly O'Donnell joins us tonight from the White House And, Kelly, we saw there in your report about the mics and what the Harris Walls campaign wanted.

I know now you have some new reporting about the final decision. It's resolved at this point. The Harris campaign is saying that although they wanted to have the ability for mics to be on the entire time, they will grant the Trump wish that it be as it was during the Joe Biden experience and the rules they wanted under President Biden. And that is, the mics will be off, but they've added some conditions. And they have communicated that to the campaign and to the host network. And from what we understand, this will be the change. If there is a lot of back and forth between the candidates, the mics could come back up.

There will be other reporters in the room who can observe and listen and fill in the blanks for the viewing audience if another candidate is speaking when the mic is not on. Those sort of steps. But what the Harris campaign said they wanted to be sure of was that Trump would show up for the debate next Tuesday. and so they agreed to the existing rules package. Tom? Yeah, that reporters now in the room is something new. We're going to have to wait and see since there is no audience.

Kelly, you've covered a lot of debates. You've also covered both Vice President Harris and former President Trump. What are you expecting to see? What do you think is going to happen on Tuesday? Well, if her convention was a way to introduce her broadly to the public and to lay out her vision, this will be an opportunity to size up the two candidates side by side. They have never actually met in person, former president's. Donald Trump and Vice President Harris. He did not go to the inaugural in 2020, so they have never

met in person. This will be a chance to see how they interact. From the Harris side, they say, as a former prosecutor, she will be able to spar with the former president, and he has talked about the ways that he will use a command of the stage and his far more considerable experience in presidential debates because this is the third time he's running for the office. Tom? All right. Kelly O'Donnell from the White House, Kelly, great report. For more on a preview of what to expect from next week's presidential debate, let's bring in our political pros tonight. Democratic strategist Tara Dowdell. She was also a contestant on The Apprentice and has worked with former President Trump and former, and this person has worked with former President Trump and former Trump White House Deputy Press Secretary, Advisor to Speaker Mike Johnson, Hogan Gidley. Hogan, thank you for that. Tara, I'm going to start with you. So Harris has not done a lot of interviews. She's done one sit down since she's gone to the top of the ticket.

I also noticed she hasn't done any town halls, right? All of her events are sort of scripted in front of audiences, not taking questions. What do you think we can expect from the debate? I think that you can expect her to be her prosecutorial self. I think that's what I think her team wants her to be authentic and they want her to be comfortable. And those are two very important factors in terms of debates. And so she is a prosecutor. That's her strength.

They're going to prepare her to play to her strengths. I think you will see a more prepared vice president because I think she's expecting some of what Donald Trump is going to use to try to attack her. I think some he's telegraphed some of it. Obviously he's Trump. He's unpredictable. But I think some of the things that she was attacked for when she was running herself, I think she'll be much better prepared to address those. Hogan, there's only three people miced, and I heard a large sigh. And I wasn't the one sighed.

So what do you think here of what Tara just said? No, I think she's right. I think Kamala Harris is going to be prepared. Let's not forget she was a United States senator. She's run for president before. Kelly just had a great package exposing kind of what Kamala Harris is all about. She'll have some canned one liners. She's dying to have that moment where she can look at Donald Trump and say, I'm speaking.

I guarantee you she's going to have another can line like she did against Joe Biden, where she said he was a racist and a rapist. I'm sure she'll have some mean things to say, no doubt. But it's incumbent upon Donald Trump to expose the difference between the two records. because under Donald Trump, you could afford gas and groceries. You had a closed southern border. You didn't have crimes spiking in our city streets, and there weren't wars breaking out all over the world. So every time Kamala Harris tries to say, in the future tense, if elected, I will, on day one, I'm going to.

I promise I will. All he has to do is say, you're the sitting vice president right now. Just do them now. And if you won't, why are you being so cruel to make the American people suffer for the next several months? Tara, what do you say to that? Well, I think that, first of all, there's going to be a lot for her talking about her being a prosecutor. There's a lot to prosecute Donald Trump on. First of all, I think she's going to draw that contrast.

He is a convicted felon, so I think she's going to go after him on that. I think that she's become quite quick on her feet, so the notion that it's just going to be simply one-liners and canned remarks, I think she's demonstrated when she's been out at her convention, speaking elsewhere, that she can hold her own right off the top of her head. Hogan, how does Trump nail Harris down, right? In kind of what you were saying, you were the vice president under President Biden. You cannot run away from that record. Well, I think that's kind of the whole game, if you will.

It's pretty obvious because Kamala Harris has done several things. And by the way, she hasn't been unscripted at all in this entire campaign. She was scripted in the Dana Bash interview, and then when she got off script, you saw it kind of all fell apart. She's been saying the same thing to several, to every single audience she's been in front of. when she starts to bring up those things about how she's going to make sure that on day one she's going to focus on the middle class. The obvious response is, why aren't you doing that right now? On day one, I'm going to make the economy better. Why aren't you doing that right now? And when Kamala Harris says things like, look, people are paying too much for their grocery bills.

I know people are hurting. They want more relief. But you're the one who can fix it. The problem is she's the one who broke it. She's in a weird spot. It's going to be very difficult for her to get out of that. Donald Trump has to continue to pick it. her down on the fact that what the American people feel right now, the sadness, the grief, the expenditures that they can't afford, that's all because of someone who's in office right now, and that's Kamala Harris. He has to point that out. Tara, I see you shaking your head. Why? I'm shaking my head because what Hoagland is doing is actually teleghing exactly what Trump is going

to do. And I think the vice president has an answer for all of that. First of all, the economy was horrible under Trump. Black unemployment was super high under Trump. We have low unemployment right now. People are working. Wages are up. Now, of course, there are people who are still hurting. That's the case in every economy, good or bad. But I think she has a great record that she can run on. I think that's going to be part of what she has to do. She has to remind people and not let Trump sort of set the narrative around these things. We were all locked inside when Trump was president. Crime was spiking. Border crossings are at their lowest right now. She is going to point. all of that out and the fact that we're hearing the basic the line of attack being going to be

delivered against her and that she has the answer for all of that. I think that's going to be what she's going to do. She's going to answer all that. The Biden administration, but it was, I mean, record high crossing since they came into office. I do want to ask you, what is a good night for Harris? Does she have to beat down Donald Trump? Does she have to just survive? I mean, what is a win for her? Well, I think she's, look, she has a big challenge, right? People argue that there's low expectations for Trump. There's zero expectations for Trump. Trump gets up there, he rambles, he is incoherent, he attacks, he deflects, he distracts. And so people don't seem, that doesn't seem to register, particularly with the media about him.

So I think that's going to be her challenge, is sort of dealing with the fact that the expectations for her are going to be very high while there's zero expectations for Trump. And so I think a good night for her is to make the case on the record and then paint a vision for the future. Hogan, real quick, you know, it seemed like Trump in that first debate against Biden was sort of disciplined. had a game plan, and when he realized Biden was faltering, he took his hits. And to be fair, I actually think that he actually at times felt sorry for the current president. What do you think's going to happen? Can he be that type of disciplined candidate, at least in the beginning of the debate. By the end of the debate, it was a different story. But in the beginning of the debate, do you think we will see that former President Trump version? Well, I love she was just talking about

the debate style of Donald Trump. And that was the one that actually got Joe Biden out of the race. He's no longer running for president because of the beatdown he took on national television. I think he can be disciplined. I think he will be disciplined. The problem is, as she was trying to point out, I think, incorrectly, the media has set this bar extremely low for Kamala Harris. They've been the ones running stories now saying that she should be off the ticket, that she's a drag on the ticket, looking for ways to take her off and put somebody else in as vice president when Joe Biden was still at the top of the ticket. But the fact is, this is going to come down to two people standing toe-to-to-to-looking at the American people right in the eye and saying,

Listen, I have a record as president of the United States. Your life was better. She has a record as vice president. Your life is worse. It's an easy choice. Donald Trump has to continue to make that point. Okay, we're going to have to leave it there. Hogan, Tara, we thank you so much for being here.

We appreciate it. When we come back, the U.S. service member detained in Venezuela. A defense official just confirming a sailor was taken into custody last week as tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela intensify. The late details just coming in. Plus, the dangerous street takeovers in L.A., car set on fire, and a dealership ship vandalized. The search tonight for those responsible. And an update on Boeing's troubled starliner spacecraft. They will return back to Earth later this week, but without the astronauts, why NASA says they need to stay in space until February. Stay with us.

Back now with NASA's new plan to bring back the troubled Boeing starliner spacecraft, NASA says the ship will return on Friday, but without its astronauts on board. NBC's Tom Costello has this look at what's next for Starliner and its crew. Three months into what was supposed to be a 10-day mission, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams are now preparing to close the hatch and send their Boeing Starliner home without them. Just after 6 p.m. on Friday, NASA will remotely undock the troubled spaceship from the space station, then guide it back to Earth. As Williams and Wilmore settle in for another five-month stay on the station. They're very much engaged, asking questions. I think they're happy that a decision

was made, and they understand the plan forward. Still haunted by the Challenger and Columbia disasters that killed 14 astronauts, mission managers decided last month they will not risk putting Williams and Wilmore on a starliner with engine thrusters that could potentially malfunction on re-entry. NASA has decided that Butch and Sonny will return with crew nine next February. Ignition, engines full power, and lift off. The SpaceX crew nine mission will launch later this month with two astronauts rather than four. Williams and Wilmore will fill the empty seats on return. Until then, they'll continue working on the station and doing long-duration cardio and strength exercises. But NASA insists the crew is not

stuck in space. Since they could ride Starliner home if the space station were in danger. In my view, they were never really, they're never stuck or stranded. They always had a way to, uh, to depart the space station. But that would only be if the space station had an emergency. The station copies of 1 at 170 meters and looks like good separation. To send Starliner home without the astronauts, NASA plans to use the troubled thrusters to gently back away from the station to avoid causing any damage. And that is just to take the starliner away from station and then immediately start going up and away and eventually it'll curve around to the top

and deorbit from above station a few orbits. If all goes well, Starliner will land without its crew in the New Mexico Desert just after 12 a.m. Saturday. Tom Costella joins us now. Tom, you know, our viewers at home may be following this story. They may remember about the astronauts reporting hearing that pulsing sound coming from the Starliner that they couldn't immediately explain. Some Conspiracy theorists online started going wild with that. Let's just take a listen and we can clear it up on the back end. It does sound like something from the movie Alien. What is it really, and is there any cost for alarm?

I think it's aliens, Tom. No, listen, NASA clear this up. The bottom line is there are multiple spacecraft to dock to the space station, and they are running multiple comms channels, right? And that can sometimes create feedback that runs back and forth between the station and the spacecraft, in this case Starliner. So they were getting a feedback loop through their systems, multiple audio channels, and it took a little bit. But even NASA Mission Control wasn't quite sure first what it was.

You know, I also got to ask you about the optics of this, right? So you're going to have SpaceX bring them home. I've got to think this has got to be an embarrassment for Boeing. Huge embarrassment. I mean, SpaceX is the arched rival for Boeing. Boeing has now lost $1.6 billion on its Starliner program. As you know, it is years behind schedule. It is billions over budget. And now they've got to turn to Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring those NASA astronauts home in February. NASA is still committed to Starliner. It needs an alternative to SpaceX, so it's not just relying on one spaceship. The question is now, okay, once you fix this problem, how soon might it be certified?

That may be another year away now, Tom. All right, Tom Costello for us, Tom. We thank you for that. Coming up in Oregon Hospital facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit. Here's why the legal action being taken after a nurse allegedly killed several patients after she tampered with IV drips, the disturbing accusations when we come back. All right, we are back now with Top Story's News Feed. We start with the U.S. sailor detained in Venezuela.

A defense official confirming to NBC news, the sailor was detained last week while on a personal trip to the country. The Navy now working closely with the State Department. It comes as tensions grow between U.S. and Venezuela following a contested presidential election. And as we've reported here on Top Story earlier this week, the U.S. seized one of Maduro's planes saying it purchased violated U.S. sanctions. Oregon hospitals facing a $300 million lawsuit after one of its nurses was accused of tampering with IV drips. The lawsuit alleges the Medford Hospital failed to monitor medication administration, among other claims. The nurse is accused of replacing prescribed fentanyl with non-sterell tap water in IVs leading to bacterial infections. Among the 18 plaintiffs, nine are the estates of patients

who died. The nurses pleaded not guilty. In South LA, illegal street takeover, ending with a torched car and torched cars and vandalism. New video shows a car performing donuts in an intersection. Police say people in the crowd then sent cars on fire and broke windows of a dealership nearby. Hours later, another street takeover

in another part of L.A. ended with one of the participants' cars set ablaze. Traffic snarled as crews tried to put out the flames. So far, no arrests have been made. Okay, now to power of politics and a look at how the youngest voters in the nation are feeling about November. Generation Z, Wayne

on the issues that mean the most to them as they prepare to vote in the presidential election. NBC Savannah Sellers has that store. I'm very proud to be an American. 21-year-old Oglethorpe University student Ashley Ewald says when Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race, it changed the game for her and many other young voters in Swing State, Georgia. I'm hearing, I'm excited to cast my bullet. I literally heard that from somebody who wasn't going to vote in November. Tonight, a first of its kind, NBC News, stay tuned poll of 18 to 29 year olds shows Harris leading with registered Gen Z voters like Ewald. 50% said they

favored Harris, while 34% backed former President Donald Trump. I think he's the best man for the job right now. At nearby Kennesaw State University, 21-year-old Grayson Hilliard says he's having trouble making ends meet. He thinks Trump is the one who can fix that. I think a lot of us are struggling at this time and we need help. When you say you're struggling, what things feel tough? grocery shopping for sure definitely noticing having to budget a little bit more at the grocery store picking up the off-brand item definitely picking up overtime at work bought an electric car to save money on gas that extra $40 goes along way each month in the poll 31% said cost of living and inflation is what matters most in this election with 68% saying they've delayed important life milestones

like buying a car or home due to debt how do you feel about the potential of being able to be a home on there. I'm worried. I don't think that the way the prices are right now, I'd ever see myself being able to afford a home or own one. As for the VP picks, 55% in the poll said they view Minnesota Governor Tim Walls as a positive choice. As a Republican, that worries Hilliard. I think that he is a great pick for Carlisle Harris. He's that small town dad-seeming vibe, and that does appeal to a lot of voters. 32% said they have a positive opinion of Senator J.D. Vance. As you see him interacting with everyday people, it's a little awkward. All the memes are saying this phrase, weird.

And I think that when he speaks to people, you can see it. One area of agreement for Hilliard and Ewald, setting a maximum age limit on who can run for president. 73% in the poll share that opinion. Do I want my grandmother to be in office right now running the country as a 78-year-old? Absolutely not. She should be at the beach, having fun, you know. She should be making cookies for her grandkids, you know? They also share a commitment to voting in November, knowing the election could come down to Georgia.

I kind of wear it as a badge of honor to be in a state and also be organizing and mobilizing in a state that is such a battleground state like Georgia. All right, Savannah joins us now in studio. So Savannah, you spoke with all these young voters. And for you, I mean, because this was kind of my takeaway with those Gen Z voters, are they essentially, looking at Harris and willing to vote for her just because she's different from Joe Biden and Trump, essentially a different person and younger? That's a really good question. First of all, I will say in terms of the excitement between Biden and then when it switches over to Harris as the nominee, that excitement is huge and it is a marked change. Even all the young Democrats that

I spoke with said, I feel entirely different about this race now that Harris is the Democratic nominee. Even though her policy proposals may be the same as Joe Biden. Yes, and some people actually acknowledge that. They said, you know what, I kind of understand. It's sort of an extension in some ways where it feels that way from the Biden administration. But there's something about her just not being that old that makes me feel like I kept on hearing fresh face. I also heard new frontier quite a bit from people. They are concerned about the age of politicians. 73 percent, a pretty overwhelming majority, said that they would be in favor of an age maximum limit of somebody who's going to run for president. That was a big concern for

them. And of course, when they compare it with Donald Trump, who's up there in age when you compare him to Harris, that is still something that's on their mind. even though Biden is no longer the nominee. It's not a bad idea. I'd love to see where the rest of the country is on that because they probably might be around that same point. I do want to put up something on the screen for our viewers. So this is where sort of young voters have been

over the last couple of elections, right? This is 2008 through 2020. About 44% of registered voters in the 18 to 24-year-old range end up voting, right? You can see it's been from 44 to 48, just under half in the last election. You were telling me, though, you think this number is going to be higher,

or at least the people you were talking to, could be closer to 70. I know people always hope the young vote turns out. It doesn't always turn out. Why do you think this election might be different? Well, first of all, it would be really important if it does, right? Either way, for this election, because they make up such a large portion of the electorate, people who will now be eligible to vote this year in that Generation Z. One of the reasons that I think is not dissimilar to other generations.

The economy and the cost of living matter so much to this generation. And they are telling me it feels so bad right now. Groceries cost so much more. I spoke with a young Republican voter who's changing apartments, moving into a smaller one so that it's cheaper, picking up extra shifts at work. Those are the types of economic pains that young people, particularly college students, really feel, I could barely pay my rent, I don't have enough time for another job, I go to school all day. That also could be a wildcard when it comes to who people are going to vote for, even though that number for Harris was quite high. I heard a lot of young Democrats say, you know what, though, I'm concerned about the economy, a lot of my friends are concerned about the economy. I'm worried that could make them actually vote for Trump instead because of how Republicans historically handle.

of the economy. Savannah Saylor, so great to have you here on Top Story. Coming up, the doctor is out. Americans struggling to get doctors' appointments or being told they need to wait for months to get one. So what could be causing this alarming trend and how do you get over it? Stay with us. We're back now with a growing concern as we head towards flu season. Patients increasingly struggling to get an appointment with a health care professional. One recent survey in Portland, Oregon finding the average new patient wait time was nearly 46 days. And patients in other major cities say it's not unusual to wait a month or more to be seen. NBC's Morgan Chesky takes a

closer look. It seems these days trying to get an appointment where the health care professional is becoming increasingly challenging, with many patients waiting days, weeks, or even months to be seen. They live in a big city. I can't get in for a month. Can I get an appointment, maybe sometime this week to see the doctor? They're like, no. Sorry, we're booked two months in advance. The numbers show it's becoming a more common occurrence nationwide. One study found a third of patients, say they've been unable to see a doctor in the past year due to availability issues. And for those who were able to get an appointment, nearly one in five patients had to wait anywhere from one to three months to be seen.

It's incredibly frustrating. When 26-year-old Victoria Holmes faced a four-month wait for a neurology appointment in Washington, D.C., where she lives, She saw a treatment in her hometown of Dallas, Texas. I literally have to take the desperate measure of going home to Dallas just to see a neurologist because I'm terrified that there's something wrong with me. It's a major frustration for both patients and doctors. We all became physicians to take care of patients, and that is getting tougher every day. Dr. Bruce Scott is the president of the American Medical Association and an ear nose and throat

physician in Louisville, Kentucky. Right now, things are at almost crisis level, and physicians are literally. closing their practices. Medical professionals say it's the result of a growing population needing health care, along with an aging physician workforce that's burning out, due in part to time-consuming administrative paperwork from insurance companies, and reduced physician reimbursement. Some doctors are now turning to concierge services to reduce the number of patients they see, charging hundreds or even thousands of dollars for their care. Others are passing administrative fees onto patients, forcing many to find new doctors.

I think we're facing even a worsening problem in the future unless something changes. Morgan Chesky, NBC News. For more on these frustrations for both patients and doctors, NBC News medical contributor, Dr. John Torres joins top story now. Dr. John, thanks so much for being here. So listen, just like probably millions of other Americans, I'm dealing with this as well. I tried to get a new doctor. They told me how to wait until February to get an appointment, which is crazy. There has to be a moment in time when this all changed.

What has happened? Because it wasn't like this years ago. Exactly. It wasn't like this years ago. And a few even decades ago, you remember you could spend a lot of time with your doctors. Often they came to your house to take care of you. That's not the system we have anymore. And it's been a gradual change that has accelerated over the last few years. So essentially, not enough doctors.

Patients are getting older and getting sicker and having more issues. And we have more medicines we can deal out too, so it's getting to be more complicated to get a visit. all that's adding to more time and more weights. So I got Morgan's script here, right, and he reports, just like you were saying, the growing population that needs health care and aging physician workforce that's burning out, plus time-consuming paperwork from insurance companies and a reduced physician reimbursement. So ultimately, is the problem with the insurance companies? I really want to get to the heart of the matter for our viewers.

As a doctor, I'm going to say, yes, the problem is with the insurance companies, but... But what happened? Are more people, is it because, look, you want more people to be insured because people deserve health care, but did this all... start with the Affordable Care Act, with Obamacare, or is this insurance companies in general? No, this has been going on for a while. It has to do with what we end up having to do, and off you'll talk to doctors, and I'll say the same thing. I spend more time on paperwork than I do on patient care, which is not the way the system should be. And the system should be the doctor and the patient in the room making a decision, unfortunately because of insurance, because of

regulations, government regulation, because of a lot of things. But when did that change? There's a lot of people in the room. It's been changing over the last couple decades. It's been this gradual increase in the oversight, gradual increase on things you have to do in order to get paid for that visit. And it's a gradual increase in what patients have to do. So you have to get these pre-approvals, which take a long time, often are denied. You have to get certain things checked off, certain things listed, certain things done on their health record right now. And now that's electronic, that health records become even more complicated. And so it takes more time to do. So let me ask a question. The reimbursement is also an issue, right? You're working more and you're

getting paid less. Does that mean, I'm not saying you personally, but does that mean doctors are overbooking? So there's all these patients that come in now, and it takes forever to be seen, and then also it's like five minutes in and out. Well, doctors only have a certain amount of time in a day, and often it's dictated what their time is going to be, the constraints. And that 15 to 30 minutes you see, that's not a doctor's choice. A doctor would want to see you for enough time to take care of whatever the needs are. But in this case, oftentimes it's dictated by the system they're working with or the reimbursements they're working through. And so the doctors do have to get patients in certain time periods, which means that the visit is rushed. So you as a patient want to

help make it the most efficient visit possible. I want to put up a stat for our viewers here. This is from the patient insurance standpoint, right? As of 2022, nearly 304 million people in the U.S. had some kind of health insurance, right? Which is a significant increase from around 257 million people insured in 2010. Do these appointment shortages have anything to do with, with with that sort of insurance problem. And I guess my other question is, what is the solution? Do we need more doctors? And I think it's actually the flip of that.

I think what's happening because of what you just mentioned there, we're getting a three-tiered system here. We're getting the people that have the money and they can get concierge medicine or they can get those visits pumped up earlier because they have the ability to do that. We have people that have private and government-sponsored insurance where they're kind of the second tier

and they get what they can appointment-wise and they have to have those 15-minute visits and everything. And then unfortunately you get that one group that simply doesn't go to see doctors because they don't have the money, they don't have the insurance. And so the solution here is multifactorial. One is, you know, we definitely need more doctors, especially primary care physicians. There's going to be an ongoing shortage. We need more of those. But also need to get back to the patient and the doctor in the room making decisions and doing what they need to do to make sure the patient's taking care of. And I don't know how that's

going to happen. I don't know if that's going to happen, but that's where we need to go. How do you get more doctors, though? So you have to start with the medical system and just basically start early on, you know, number one, encouraging people to go into medicine. Not as many people want to go in anymore because it's not the same as it was. Right, right. I've heard that from young people. Is it because medical schools are still too expensive? Is it still too long of a process? I mean, you want them to get the training. Right. Well, part of it is if you talk to anybody that goes into medicine, they go into it because it's a calling. Nobody goes into medicine. Right. Nobody goes into medicine because it seems like

a fun thing to do because it's a long journey to get through. And so it's a calling for people. nowadays, unfortunately, they get out, and that calling gets beaten down a little bit. And, you know, there's the distrust in medicines that happen through the pandemic. There's the vitriol you kind of see against doctors sometimes. Why do you think that's happening? I feel like that was happening even before the pandemic. I mean, when I was growing up, you know, someone would say I'm a doctor and ever, you know, the room, oh, a doctor.

And not that there's not that reverence and respect nowadays from my generation. But I definitely, and I'm sure you've noticed, it's changed. Why? Because I felt that was happening even before the pandemic. And the big thing is, as doctors, we're always taught, this year. be a two-way communication. And doctors are not the best communicators, especially when it comes to public communications. And so those that are in positions like I am where you have a platform and you can talk to people, you learn how to communicate and how to get those answers out there

and how to get the dialogue going. It doesn't always happen, unfortunately, because of those time constraints. And so oftentimes people are sitting there going, you know, why should I take this medicine? Why should I get this vaccine? Why should I get these different things when I don't really understand what it is? And it's hard to get that science across and get them to understand. So So communication is definitely part of the problem here, but on top of that, it's just I think the way society has turned out over the last few years of just going against authority figures and figures who might be able to help them out. So according to the Urgent Care Association, we have some video on this, there's more than 14,000 urgent care centers in the U.S. more than 78% of the U.S. population lives within a 10-minute drive of one. So what is your take on PAs, also seen patients, in lieu of a doctor, and people just go into urgent care because they can't get a doctor's appointment? And I think they're a great tool in a tool bag, as we say, and they're certainly part of the system that needs to be in there still and needs to take care of patients.

But at the same time, you can't neglect the overall well-being of the patient. And that means getting back to that family physician, getting back to that primary care doctor, who's the gatekeeper and saying, okay, I see you went to the urgent care three months ago. let's talk about your visit, how are you doing, where do we need to go from here? Now I think you need to see a specialist, or I can handle it here in my office, let's get you to a specialist if you need to. Just having the gatekeeper, that primary care physician can't overemphasize how important that is. And so certainly the urgent cares are good and they're helpful, but at the same time, they shouldn't be your only form of health care. Are you taking appointments? Can I just come see you? Can I just call your office?

Anytime, Tom. Drop your name. All right. Dr. John, so great to see you, as always. When we come back, the Australian break dancer who went viral for the wrong reasons. You may remember her. Her name is Raygun. She's speaking out now in her first ever TV interview since the Olympics, how she's defending the performance that sparked memes, parodies, and even now, Halloween costumes. Plus, why she says some of the attacks she faced were baseless.

That's next. Finally tonight, it's the Olympic performance that's hard to forget. The Australian breakdancer Raygun going viral for her moves, including one where she hopped like a kangaroo, or maybe it was a rabbit. Now she's speaking out on TV for the first time, defending not just her dance moves, but her integrity. Here's Emily Aketa with that interview. Here we go. Ray Gunn, starting the conversation. She's the Olympic athlete who became an overnight sensation for all the wrong reasons.

Is that a kangaroo reference, Ronnie? Now, Australian breakdancer Ray Gunn is finally speaking out in her first TV interview since the games. The 37-year-old whose real name is Rachel Gunn defending her mom. moves on Australian talk show The Project, despite losing all three battles by a combined score of 54 to zero. Do you genuinely think you are the best female breaker in Australia? Well, I think my record speaks to that. You know, I was the top-ranked Australian B-girl in 2020 and 2022 and 23. Gunn's performance quickly went viral, sparking a wave of memes and parody videos of her choreography.

NBC's Jimmy Fallon hopping on the trend with comedian Rachel Dratch. Me? Want me to dance with you? All right, I can do that. And an Australian breakdancer Halloween costume already for sale on Amazon. Gunn saying those moves were intentional. I wanted to bring out some Australian moves and themes. You know, I love our Olympic mascot, BK, the boxing kangaroo, and I wanted to show that. And that she felt the level of criticism. she faced was misplaced. It was really sad how much hate that it did evoke. And a lot of the

responses, though, is also just due to people not being very familiar with breaking and the diversity of approaches in breaking. Gunn is a university lecturer and researcher in the cultural politics of breaking. Some critics started to wonder if her qualification was somehow rigged. More than 40,000 people. even signing an anonymous change.org petition claiming Gunn had manipulated Olympic qualification processes. The Australian Olympic Committee demanding its removal, calling it, quote, without any factual basis and bullying. Gunn says her win at the Oceania Championship secured her spot at the 2024 games and that those attacks were baseless. That was upsetting because it wasn't just people that, you know,

didn't understand breaking and we're just angry about my performance. It was people that are now attacking our, you know, our reputation and our integrity. Despite the backlash she faced, Gunn says she will continue breaking even if it's just for fun. Emily Ikeda, NBC News. The Ray Gun costume should be popular on Halloween. We thank Emily Aketa for that story. We thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.