About this transcript: This is a full AI-generated transcript of Morning News NOW Full Episode – Nov. 2 from NBC News, published November 3, 2026. The transcript contains 16,931 words with timestamps and was generated using Whisper AI.
"Developing right now on Morning News Now one last push from President Trump in his final campaign rally before the midterms. This is my 30th rally and I'm closing it down tonight. This is it. I'm getting out of here. I got to get a little sleep. I've been doing a little too many of these. This as a"
[0:00] Developing right now on Morning News Now one last push from President Trump in his final
[0:06] campaign rally before the midterms. This is my 30th rally and I'm closing it down tonight.
[0:19] This is it. I'm getting out of here. I got to get a little sleep. I've been doing a little
[0:24] too many of these. This as a new NBC News poll shows Democrats with an advantage just hours
[0:32] before Election Day and with tens of millions of votes already cast. We will have the latest.
[0:39] Also a catastrophic crash caught on camera this morning. Investigators looking into what caused
[0:45] a private jet to plummet into the ground, exploding on a busy Florida roadway and forcing homes and
[0:51] businesses to evacuate. We'll bring you an update. Plus a bad boost. Researchers sounding the alarm on
[0:58] popular energy drinks and their impact on your heart. What you need to know. And growing chatbot
[1:05] concerns heading into the midterms. New data shows more people are turning to AI for information
[1:10] ahead of the election. But the answers they get aren't always accurate. I will break down the
[1:16] eye-opening news study. It's actually not also just that it might be wrong. It's that they tell you
[1:21] really confidently information that they're saying is correct. And then people sort of assume therefore
[1:27] that it must be. It's the reminder that you have to double check, triple check everything and don't
[1:31] rely on the chatbots. Good to have you with us on a Monday morning and a very important week. I'm
[1:35] Joe Fryer. And I'm Savannah Sellers. We are going to begin with the closing arguments for candidates
[1:40] in a critical midterm election. At this time tomorrow, polls will be open in a handful of
[1:45] states as Americans vote in races that will determine control of Congress. Already, though,
[1:51] more than 54 million early votes have been cast. Of course, every state, every vote is important. But
[1:57] we are keeping an especially close eye on these states. Whatever happens in these places will
[2:03] determine who controls Congress. That includes Iowa. It's one of the states where President Trump is
[2:09] rallying voters yesterday along with Kansas. We have a team of reporters covering. They're fanned
[2:14] out all across the country, covering the midterms. NBC News national correspondent Aaron Gilchrist is
[2:19] in Atlanta. NBC News political reporter Megan Brand is in Washington. Let's begin in Cedar Rapids,
[2:25] Iowa, with NBC News correspondent Maggie Vespa. Maggie, good morning. What are you hearing from voters in
[2:30] Iowa there after President Trump rallied yesterday? Yeah, Joe, basically they're acutely aware that,
[2:37] as you point out, Iowa is one of those critical handful of states that could decide, will decide,
[2:42] effectively, control of Congress. We're outside here, outside a polling place. Polls open here for
[2:47] early voting the day before Election Day at 7.30 local time, so in about 90 minutes. And people
[2:53] here, poll workers, have been seeing a surge in early voting here in Iowa as well as across the
[2:59] country. You point out President Trump was here in Cedar Rapids, or excuse me, in Dubuque, Iowa,
[3:03] yesterday before heading to Kansas for his last two of 30 rallies in 30 days, trying to drum up that
[3:10] support among his base. He won this state by more than 13 points two years ago. He's won it three
[3:16] times, by the way. And now its Senate race between Democrat Josh Turek and Republican Ashley Hinson
[3:22] is a toss-up with the gubernatorial race in this state leaning toward the Democrats. So it just points
[3:28] to kind of the frustration, pollsters say, among voters on a number of key issues, namely affordability
[3:34] with the Trump administration. And that's kind of what's driving pollsters think, or could be driving
[3:39] this potential blue wave in these states. The question, guys, obviously, is will it be enough
[3:43] to put Democrats over the top? Maggie, behind the scenes, the Trump administration is fighting for
[3:48] more control over elections in the courts. What is the latest there? Yeah, so effectively,
[3:55] there have been a number of cases that the Trump administration has been fighting in Alaska in
[4:01] particular yesterday. And we've been watching that key Senate race there with two candidates by the
[4:08] same name. Effectively, the Trump administration has been seeking to decertify the election results
[4:13] in that state if GOP incumbent Dan Sullivan loses. And this comes amid the now infamous allegations and
[4:21] massive headlines across the country that Democrats recruited another candidate by the same name,
[4:26] basically to just confuse voters. Well, the Trump administration zeroing in on that amid state and
[4:31] federal investigations, saying that they wanted to block certification of that race if the GOP,
[4:38] Dan Sullivan, loses. A judge yesterday tossing that lawsuit out. So it seems that the Trump
[4:44] administration still could try to appeal. But at this point, that's the latest on that one. And again,
[4:49] it's just a number of cases that we're watching across the country as they try to kind of assert
[4:53] a little more control state to state over these over these races, guys. The drama over the Dan's
[4:57] Sullivan, as our Garrett Hake said last week, we want to also go northeast of where you are,
[5:02] a critical Senate race in Michigan and a shocking cross party endorsement. Walk us through that,
[5:07] Maggie. Guys, this was a huge bombshell headline yesterday. You should have seen all the reporters
[5:15] at the Trump rally suddenly checking their phones as this came through. Haley Stevens,
[5:19] who was the primary rival of the now Democratic Senate nominee, Abdul al-Sayed, yesterday pulling
[5:25] a complete 180, endorsing al-Sayed's GOP opponent, Mike Rogers. And it comes amid this kind of public
[5:32] ongoing feud over the views on Israel and Palestine, and specifically a recent ad from an outside
[5:39] progressive group that really is incredibly critical of Israel. Al-Sayed's campaign says they didn't have
[5:44] anything to do with that ad, but he himself has been critical of Israel. And it kind of culminated
[5:49] here over the weekend where al-Sayed's campaign told us, they were open about this, that they asked
[5:54] Haley Stevens not to come to a Democratic unity event yesterday. Cut to her going to church with
[6:01] the GOP opponent, Mike Rogers, yesterday switching her endorsement, saying that she'll vote for other
[6:06] Democrats, but she won't vote for her one-time rival opponent. The shockwaves of that announcement,
[6:13] guys, still rippling across the country. Maggie Vespa in the upper Midwest, where things are getting
[6:17] exciting on the day before the election. Maggie, thank you. Thank you. Well, throughout this campaign
[6:21] season, President Trump has been telling his Republican base to pretend he is on the ballot,
[6:27] and a key Republican in the Senate is now expressing confidence that will yield winning results.
[6:32] Meet the Press moderator, Kristen Walker, has more. Kristen, good morning.
[6:36] Good morning, Joe and Savannah. This week on Meet the Press, I spoke exclusively with Senator Tim
[6:41] Scott of South Carolina, who's been leading Senate Republicans' midterms push about whether the Trump
[6:46] agenda is on the ballot, along with Republican candidates in these elections. You have been on
[6:52] the campaign trail, as you just laid out, in the Senate battlegrounds with President Trump. So let me ask
[6:59] you, is a vote for a Republican candidate a vote for the Trump agenda? There's no doubt that President
[7:07] Trump has said himself that the midterm election is about him. He's asked for all Republican voters,
[7:14] frankly, independent, common-sense Americans, to vote for the Republican ticket. Here's why.
[7:19] He said when he's not on the ballot, there's about a 49.2 percent drop in enthusiasm and support.
[7:26] So that's why he is saying he's on the ballot. Number two, I would tell you that his agenda,
[7:30] without any question, is on the ballot. And number three, holding the Senate as a Republican majority
[7:36] is in the best interest of this country. That's why I call the Senate the firewall. America is on
[7:42] the ballot. Abdul El-Sayed wants a different America than the one that made me possible. That's
[7:48] why I'm asking every single viewer of this show, do your homework. And at the conclusion of your
[7:54] homework, I believe you'll be voting Republican through and through. The most radical, dangerous,
[8:00] weird candidates in America running as Democrats, it's this midterm election. This is too important
[8:07] to skip. You can see my full exclusive interview with Senator Tim Scott at meetthepress.com.
[8:13] You can also get more Meet the Press right here on NBC News Now every weekday at 4 p.m.
[8:19] All right, Kristen, thank you. Joining us now for more on this and some other news out of D.C.,
[8:23] NBC News political reporter, Megan Brand. So Megan, President Trump is now expected to deliver
[8:27] his closing message this afternoon at the reflecting pool. What more do we know about that?
[8:33] Hey, Joe and Savannah, good morning. So a White House official had said that President Trump will
[8:38] deliver remarks at the reflecting pool that will have his closing arguments, but will also discuss
[8:43] D.C. area renovations. Now, yesterday, President Trump was also asked by a reporter why he was
[8:50] delivering remarks at the reflecting pool later today. And President Trump had said it was to
[8:55] show how beautiful it is, pointing to the fact that renovations were now completed on the reflecting
[9:00] pool. But notably, in his answer, he did not make mention of potential midterm closing messages here,
[9:08] guys. Now, just a reminder, President Trump had pushed for the reflecting pool to undergo renovations
[9:15] earlier this year. And when that happened, we saw chunks of the reflecting pool getting or wafting
[9:23] up to the top of the pool and also the water turning green from algae here. And so then
[9:28] renovations happened again. And now President Trump is pointing to the fact that these renovations are
[9:32] now completed, wanting to draw attention to that fact as well. And, you know, President Trump has
[9:37] touted D.C. area renovations as well during his second term. For example, he has he's pushed for the
[9:44] White House ballroom in the so-called Triumphal Arch in the D.C. area, both of which are very
[9:49] controversial projects, guys. Megan, I do want to ask you about some big news that we were just
[9:53] discussing a moment ago with Maggie Vespa. This is Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens,
[9:58] this abrupt political about face in the Michigan Senate race. We saw how Abdul El-Sayed and even
[10:04] President Trump are reacting. Democrats desperately want to win this race. How's the party at large reacting
[10:10] to this? To put it simply, Savannah, Democrats are furious about this move. They're questioning
[10:16] why she made this decision right now when Democrats are trying to project unity and to get El-Sayed over
[10:22] the finish line in this highly competitive race that could ultimately determine control of the Senate.
[10:29] Now, I want to point you to what one prominent Democrat said. This person is the chairman of the
[10:36] Michigan Democratic Party, and he said that Congresswoman Stevens is not a current member
[10:41] of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future. Now, I do want to note here, guys,
[10:47] that Haley Stevens said yesterday that she's still a proud Democrat. Separately, you also had someone
[10:52] like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer weighing in, saying in a post, this is a despicable betrayal
[10:58] from Representative Stevens, saying that Senate Democrats are united in our support for Abdul El-Sayed
[11:04] because we know he will fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan,
[11:09] unlike Mike Rogers, who is a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors. Now, this is also notable,
[11:14] guys, because Chuck Schumer had supported Haley Stevens in that primary, but then after El-Sayed
[11:20] won the primary, then he endorsed El-Sayed, guys. And Megan, we should get to one more important
[11:25] headline out of Washington. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut went through a scary
[11:29] medical episode over the weekend, a stroke. What more do we know about that? The chief of staff for
[11:35] the senator had said over the weekend that the president was, excuse me, that Senator Chris Murphy
[11:40] was hospitalized for a stroke and that this had started when the senator started feeling a numbness
[11:46] in his arm when he was at his kid's hockey game on Saturday. He was then taken to a hospital where
[11:52] they discovered that he had a stroke. Now, thankfully, the chief of staff said that the doctors are encouraged
[11:58] by the senator's prognosis, said that the senator is awake and alert and saying in that statement,
[12:04] quote, we are optimistic he will make a full recovery. Now, just a reminder, guys, Senator
[12:09] Murphy is one of these many Democrats who has been crisscrossing the country to try to push other
[12:14] Democrats over the finish line. And he's also considered to be a potential 2028 contender, guys.
[12:19] All right. Megan Brand, lots to cover in Washington. Thank you.
[12:22] Well, a new national NBC News poll suggests Democrats have an advantage heading into election day
[12:27] as voters want change and a check on President Trump while his disapproval hits an all-time
[12:34] high. NBC News chief data analyst Steve Kornacki is at the big board, of course, breaking down the
[12:39] polls findings this election week. Hey, Steve. New NBC poll, our final NBC poll before Tuesday's
[12:45] election. What is Donald Trump's approval rating? It sits at 40 percent in our final poll here,
[12:50] 60 percent disapproved. Remember, this is not Trump's first midterm, 2018. His first term
[12:55] was a tough midterm for Republicans. They lost the House. They did do OK in the Senate that year.
[13:00] What was Trump's job approval rating heading into that election? Our poll back then, right before
[13:05] the election, headed at 46. So by this metric, Trump is in worse shape now than he was in his
[13:11] first term politically. The other key number we look at here, the generic ballot. Which party
[13:16] do you want to see control? Congress, Democrats in our poll here with a seven-point advantage over
[13:21] Republicans. This is up from a five-point Democratic lead around Labor Day. Compare that to the two most
[13:27] recent midterm elections, 2022. Remember, Joe Biden was president. Democrats did unexpectedly well that
[13:34] night, given Biden's low approval rating. One of the reasons the generic ballot was actually tied that
[13:39] year heading into the midterm. Back in 2018, though, that first Trump midterm, it was a six-point
[13:44] advantage for Democrats heading into the midterm in our final poll. Seven now. What goes into that low
[13:50] approval rating for Trump? I mean, no mystery. We have been talking about this. The economy,
[13:54] inflation, cost of living, those questions. Here's how you measure it in this poll. We ask people,
[13:59] how do you feel about your own current financial situation here? 49% say satisfied. 51% say
[14:06] dissatisfied. Let's compare that to Trump's first term back in 2018. Totally different universe. Back then,
[14:13] three-quarters of voters said they were satisfied with their financial situation. You could see that
[14:18] numbers crashed by 25 points, but it's more significant than that. This 51%, that is a
[14:24] slight majority, who say they're dissatisfied. We have not seen any kind of number like that,
[14:29] a majority saying dissatisfied on this question in more than 30 years of NBC polling. So in Trump's
[14:36] first term, one thing that sustained him to some degree was perceptions of feelings about the economy
[14:42] and his handling of it. That has changed dramatically here in his second term heading into this midterm
[14:47] election. You look at a host of issues here where we ask the question, which party would do a better
[14:52] job on these issues here? The Iran war, you see a Democratic advantage of five points. Inflation,
[14:57] Democrats with an advantage of a point. Now, that's not a huge number, but the significance is the
[15:02] shift that represents because it was not long ago at all. Think of like the 2024 campaign when this
[15:08] was like a 20-point advantage for Republicans, one of the reasons Trump was able to get back to the
[15:13] White House in 2024. So the significance is that has all washed away for Republicans. You can say
[15:18] the same when it comes to the economy. That is a two-point advantage for Republicans, but this is
[15:22] an issue they have typically dominated, especially in the run-up to Trump's return to the White House
[15:27] in 2024. So from a Republican standpoint, those are tough numbers. The hope the Republicans are
[15:33] drawing is this right here, asking about how do you feel about the Democrats and the Republicans as
[15:39] parties? Favorable, unfavorable. Republicans are not popular, but this is about where they were
[15:44] back in 2018 in Trump's first midterm. Look at the Democrats, 29 favorable, 52 unfavorable.
[15:50] This is different from 2018. In 2018, the Democrats as a party had much better numbers than this,
[15:57] and that does raise a question. Voters out there who disapprove of Trump, aren't happy about where the
[16:02] economy is, inflation. Are they willing to take the next step and vote for Democrats,
[16:08] given how unpopular Democrats are as a party? Or does that keep the Democrats from fully capitalizing
[16:14] on what otherwise for them is a very promising political climate? All right, Steve, thank you so
[16:20] much. In the Southeast, several critical races could determine which party gains the upper hand in
[16:24] that battle for Congress. Right, according to the NBC News decision desk, the Senate races in Georgia,
[16:29] South Carolina, and North Carolina are all battlegrounds that could be decisive in getting
[16:34] control of the chamber. NBC News national correspondent Aaron Gilchrist is in Atlanta
[16:38] with more on this. Aaron, good morning. Let's start where you are there in Georgia. Battleground
[16:42] polls suggest that the incumbent Democratic Senator John Ossoff has a pretty solid lead over his
[16:47] Republican challenger, Mike Collins. What are you hearing from voters who are heading to the polls in
[16:51] this one? Well, it's been interesting talking to voters here in Georgia, really for this entire
[16:57] midterm election cycle that's been going on all year long. Right now, we're outside the
[17:01] Republican Party headquarters here in Atlanta. We expect to hear from Mike Collins within the next
[17:05] hour or so as both the candidates for Senate now are making their final push to get people
[17:11] to turn out and vote. This is really a turnout election, both campaigns will tell you. We know
[17:16] that almost 3 million, 2.8 million people have cast ballots early here in Georgia. That is a record.
[17:21] At the same time, it's less than 40 percent of active voters in this state. And so there are a lot of
[17:27] people who still need to be, one, convinced to vote tomorrow and, two, convinced to vote for
[17:33] one of these candidates. As you look at the polls, Senator Ossoff does have an advantage and he's
[17:37] coming in, obviously, as the incumbent. And so there was some expectation that he might have a bit of
[17:42] an advantage. But when you talk to voters on both sides of the aisle here, they will tell you that
[17:46] economic issues are front of mind for them. The difference, of course, is who they believe is better
[17:52] equipped to help turn things around. We've heard Republican-leaning voters say that they think a
[17:58] Republican slate of candidates, not just Mike Collins, but from President Trump on down the
[18:03] ballot, Republicans are better equipped to help get the economy back where it needs to be. And then,
[18:08] of course, on the Democratic side, people say that what the president has done and what Republicans
[18:12] have done by the way of tariffs and the Iran war is costing people money. And they want John Ossoff and
[18:16] the Democrats, Joe and Savannah, to be the ones to try to turn things around in the next election cycle.
[18:22] And so that's really the issue, I think, that a lot of voters have been thoughtful about
[18:26] and sort of all the tentacles that are attached to talking about the economy.
[18:30] Aaron, the NBC News Decision Desk also says the governor's race is one to watch in this state.
[18:35] What are the dynamics there?
[18:38] Yeah, it's been interesting to watch. I mean, you talk about the Southeast, Georgia,
[18:42] South Carolina, North Carolina, they're all typically Republican-leaning states. There's a
[18:46] Republican governor here in Georgia right now, Brian Kemp, who is wildly popular in this state.
[18:50] He's back to Rick Jackson, the billionaire businessman who is running. But he and Keisha
[18:55] Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, are neck and neck in this race, which is a bit
[19:00] unexpected. Rick Jackson has poured hundreds of millions of dollars, some of it, most of it,
[19:04] his own money, into this election cycle. Keisha Lance Bottoms has had less money to spend,
[19:10] but they've been hitting each other hard on the airways with campaign ads talking about
[19:15] Rick Jackson has cast Keisha Lance Bottoms as a bad Atlanta mayor saying bad mayors don't make
[19:20] good governors. And then conversely, you have Keisha Lance Bottoms, who has been trying to
[19:25] talk about the fact that Rick Jackson doesn't have political experience in terms of being in office
[19:31] at any level of government, and that he would be essentially a puppet for President Trump,
[19:37] as he has said he would be the president's favorite governor if he's elected. So those are some
[19:41] of the dynamics that play here with the governor's race that will be an important one to watch
[19:44] as Democrats try to build up more, try to win over more governor's seats to build that wall
[19:50] against President Trump. Aaron, let's talk about South Carolina. We know it's historically
[19:53] red state. Republicans have won there in the last three presidential elections, but the GOP is worried
[19:58] about the Senate race there. The candidate is Darlene Graham. That's the sister, of course,
[20:02] the late Senator Lindsey Graham taking on a relative Democratic newcomer, Annie Andrews. The former
[20:08] governor of South Carolina, ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley was on Meet the Press yesterday. This is
[20:12] what she had to say. You have Darlene Graham that is not an experienced candidate, but they know she
[20:21] cares about affordability. They know that she's going to fight and be a conservative. They know
[20:25] she's going to vote the right way as opposed to an Annie Andrews. At the end of the day, South Carolina
[20:29] is going to bring it home. We're a red state. We want to stay a red state. And I think that that's
[20:33] what's going to happen. Aaron, real quick, why are some Republicans worried about this one?
[20:39] Because the polling shows that this is a neck and neck race in the state and a race that really
[20:43] shouldn't be. This was Lindsey Graham's seat. And so there was thinking before he passed away earlier
[20:47] this year that this would be an easy seat for Republicans to hold. And now you have Darlene
[20:52] Graham, who, as you noted, is a political novice in terms of national politics, who stumbled through
[20:57] some of the debates that she had earlier this year. But she does have the support of President Trump.
[21:02] He's been here a couple of times, been to South Carolina a couple of times to support her. And so
[21:06] Republicans are worried, though, because Annie Andrews has built up some name recognition and Darlene
[21:10] Graham has had some slips. And so that's a race to watch very closely. We could have three states,
[21:15] North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, all sending Democrats to the Senate.
[21:19] All right. Aaron, thank you so much. And you can dive deeper into the 2026 midterms with NBC News's
[21:25] polling page, early vote data, expert analysis and more subscriber only content. Scan the QR code on your
[21:32] screen to subscribe now. Let's get to our other big story of the morning. Federal investigators are
[21:38] working tirelessly to determine what caused a private jet to crash on a roadway in West Palm
[21:44] Beach, Florida on Sunday, killing all nine people on board. Officials say the plane was flying from
[21:48] Texas to the Bahamas before it plummeted into the ground in a residential neighborhood. This video
[21:54] shows the scene just moments after impact smoke and fire force temporary evacuations of nearby homes.
[22:01] NBC News correspondent Jesse Kirsch has the latest.
[22:06] This is the moment a private jet plummeted to the ground in South Florida. The terrifying deadly
[22:12] crash captured on dash camera, sparking this massive fireball. You can see and hear the plane
[22:18] nose diving into a neighborhood near Green Acres, Florida, just before 1 p.m. The crash killing all
[22:24] nine people on board, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Flight radar 24 data showing the
[22:30] jet plummeting from about 35,000 feet in roughly three minutes. Air traffic control audio recording
[22:38] the crew's frantic mayday call. The wreck leaving a giant crater in the ground, flames shooting up into
[22:46] the air as drivers navigated the damage. This was a Learjet 60, according to Secretary Duffy,
[22:51] who says the plane was flying from Austin, Texas to the Bahamas when it crashed. When you see a plane drop
[22:58] that far that quickly, what does that tell you right away? Well, it's clearly a loss of control
[23:02] for some reason. And I think it's clearly associated with the severe weather that was existing
[23:08] at the altitude that the airplane was flying at just before it made that rapid descent.
[23:13] And the list of questions only growing. Secretary Duffy also saying the FAA and NTSB will be
[23:21] investigating. Meanwhile, here on the ground near the scene, you can see that authorities have quite
[23:26] a long stretch of roadway blocked off. And the sheriff's office here in Palm Beach County tells us
[23:30] that for the time being, residents living in evacuated areas will be stopped from going home.
[23:35] Back to you. All right, Jesse, thank you. Good morning. What we can expect as we head into the week,
[23:40] let's bring in meteorologist Andrea Romero. She's tracking the threat of severe weather in the Northern
[23:43] Plains, also flooding in the southwest. Hi, Andrea. Good morning. Good morning,
[23:47] Joe in Savannah. And we are tracking some rain across the country. We have some rain here in Florida
[23:53] with that persistent onshore flow, continuing the risk of some flash flooding, especially for
[23:58] parts of southern parts of Florida and also eastern parts of Florida. Meanwhile,
[24:03] here in the four corners, some of the rain is beginning to diminish. But of course,
[24:07] the risk of flooding continues across the area. Yesterday, especially in southwest
[24:13] Colorado, along the San Juan River near Pagosa Springs, we had near record high
[24:21] crusting in the river. And that, of course, is still bringing significant flooding. Over 19 million
[24:26] people are still under flood watches and flash flood warnings for that area. But the storm system will be
[24:32] heading east today. The slight risk for severe storms will be centered across parts of the plains. We do
[24:38] have some mountains, snow that will be lingering over the Rockies. But the main story and the focus will be
[24:43] here across the central part of the country. As a storm system pushes east, we are expecting flooding
[24:50] and strong storms to target the Mississippi River into tomorrow as well. So we have for today the severe
[24:57] threat that's expanding from parts of Texas all the way up into parts of Nebraska, into Missouri. We can see
[25:05] some few isolated tornadoes, EF-1s, EF-2s. So you want to be weather aware in those areas with the
[25:11] possibility of destructive winds and damaging hail as well. And we also have the risk of flash flooding
[25:17] that's extending into parts of Minnesota and into Wisconsin. We're talking about rainfall totals of
[25:24] over two to three inches between today and tomorrow. And of course, we'll see how that rain does impact
[25:29] election day weather tomorrow with that stormy weather, especially here in parts of eastern
[25:34] Texas. Back to you guys. All right, Andrea, thank you so much. Well, Formula One has a new champ,
[25:40] and he is not even old enough to buy the celebratory champagne. Over the weekend, driver Kimi Antonelli
[25:45] became the youngest champion in the sports history. The 20-year-old prodigy clinched his first world
[25:52] title by finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix yesterday. He ended that race behind Red Bull's
[25:57] Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. Antonelli, who drives with Mercedes, had a season
[26:02] to remember. He won five of the first six races. He even outpaced his much more experienced teammate
[26:09] George Russell, who had been the preseason favorite to win this year's championship.
[26:13] In addition to being the youngest champion, Antonelli is also the first Italian driver
[26:18] to claim the sports crown since 1953. And he just has this lesion of fans. It was so cute when he won.
[26:24] He was crying and, you know, against his family and everything. When did he start driving? I know,
[26:29] right? Very young. I mean, a lot of them start go harding when they're like six. You can't have
[26:34] your license, but you're eight. Go fast. Yeah, yeah. Isn't that crazy? It's paid off for him.
[26:38] All right. Much more to come here on Morning News Now later this hour. More pro sports history,
[26:42] this time in the WNBA. The Golden State Valkyries winning their first title after just two seasons as a
[26:48] team. Born their thrilling win in the plans now for a multi-city celebration now underway.
[26:54] But at first half of the break, grounds for dismissal lawyers for Luigi Mangione,
[26:58] renewing their push to throw out his state murder case on claims of double jeopardy.
[27:04] Our friend legal analyst Misty Maris is here to break down the arguments can tell us what could
[27:08] come next. Stay with us. We are back with a look at a new filing from lawyers for admitted
[27:14] CEO killer Luigi Mangione. They are pushing for the dismissal of the case
[27:19] brought against him in New York state court on murder and weapons charges.
[27:22] Mangione's team is renewing its earlier argument that his guilty plea to federal
[27:27] stalking charges two months ago should prevent a separate state trial. At the heart of their
[27:32] argument is New York's double jeopardy law. That law essentially argues a person cannot be
[27:37] prosecuted for the same crime twice. Mangione's lawyers argue that because he already pleaded guilty
[27:43] in federal court, the state trial would be a second prosecution. For more, let's bring in our
[27:49] friend NBC News legal analyst Misty Maris. She's here on set with us. Misty, good morning. So help us
[27:52] understand what exactly the defense is arguing, how this double jeopardy plays into it. So the New
[27:57] York law on double jeopardy is a lot more broad than the federal counterpart. It says that somebody
[28:02] can't be tried twice for the same criminal transaction. So Mangione's team says you're talking about
[28:09] the same gun, the same victim, the same act to kill Brian Thompson that he pled guilty to in federal
[28:15] court. And they actually point to the language and information that he provided to the court in what's
[28:21] called his allocution, where he pled guilty and he has to explain what he did that day. And they say
[28:26] that he said everything that would be required to prove murder under the state law. And therefore,
[28:33] the case should be dismissed. For prosecutors, my understanding is there is an exception
[28:36] here in the double jeopardy law. So what is their argument? How does that exception play?
[28:40] So the exception is that if it's different crimes and it seeks to redress a different type of harm.
[28:46] So prosecutors say the federal level case that was stalking charges, whereas these are state murder
[28:53] and weapons charges. And so the harm is different. And what prosecutors would ultimately need to prove
[28:59] for a murder conviction is actually very different than the requirements for stalking. So this is a total
[29:04] separate crime and New York should have the opportunity to seek justice under its own
[29:09] law. So this is actually kind of a novel issue. It's a little bit of a unique circumstance. There's
[29:14] case law that actually was successful on that double jeopardy argument, but the facts were slightly
[29:20] different. So this is actually one to watch even outside of Mangione's case.
[29:24] We know that a decision on this is expected in December. What are the different ways the judge could go?
[29:29] So the judge could either grant the double jeopardy motion and this case would be thrown out.
[29:33] Prosecutors would then have the opportunity to appeal that determination, deny it, in which case
[29:39] the trial would move forward. Mangione's team would very likely appeal, but there's something very
[29:44] consequential in between. Remember, Mangione's federal sentencing is coming up. So you have to
[29:50] wonder what will state prosecutors do if hypothetically Mangione is given a life without the possibility of
[29:56] parole sentence? Will they continue to pursue this or will they just say, listen, the federal law has
[30:01] addressed this. There's no reason to push forward. We should also mention there's Pennsylvania. There's
[30:05] charges that he faces there. They're not as serious as the charges in New York, but there is a double
[30:09] jeopardy law there. So how could that possibly play out? So the double jeopardy law in Pennsylvania is
[30:14] actually not as broad as the New York state counterpart. And I think when it comes to Pennsylvania,
[30:19] if they're pursued, because as you said, they're not as serious. They carry a maximum sentence of 20 years,
[30:24] but the facts and circumstances are different. They happen on Pennsylvania soil. Remember that
[30:30] it's false identification, forgery and having an unlicensed firearm, all that happened in
[30:35] Pennsylvania. So there would actually be a pretty strong argument for those charges to move forward
[30:41] despite the plea in federal court. That being said, you have to wonder whether Pennsylvania is actually
[30:46] going to push forward that depending on what Luigi Mangione's federal sentence is. I think everybody's
[30:52] really watching and waiting to see what that looks like. All right, Misty Maris, thanks as always for
[30:56] being here. Thank you. Coming up, cardiac concerns, new research highlighting a link between energy
[31:00] drinks and heart problems in young adults. We're going to break down the data and the warning from
[31:04] health experts. Morning News Now will be right back. We're back with a new study that shows how energy
[31:13] drinks and other stimulants can increase the risk of heart problems in young adults. The new research
[31:17] analyzed more than 28,000 reports sent to the FDA over an eight-year period. Cardiac arrest was reported
[31:24] 11 times more often when someone consumes stimulants regularly, like pre-workout powder or caffeine
[31:31] pills. Nearly half of the reports involved adults between 18 and 34. NBC News health and medical reporter
[31:38] Berkeley Lovelace Jr. joins us now to break it down further. Hey, Berkeley, good morning. So this new research
[31:42] was presented at the annual American Heart Association meeting. Tell us the findings here. What is it that makes
[31:47] energy drinks in particular a health risk for young people? Yeah, so one of the big concerns here is that these
[31:54] products can contain very high levels of caffeine. And on top of that, they can contain other added
[32:00] ingredients that may affect how the heart functions. And so that's particularly concerning for young
[32:06] people who are otherwise generally healthy. And so in this study, researchers found that cardiac arrest was
[32:12] reported about 11 times more often with energy drinks and stimulant supplements. And almost half of those
[32:19] reports involved people between the ages of 18 and 34. Heart attacks, they were found to occur about four
[32:26] times more often. And heart palpitations and similar health issues were also found to be happened about
[32:33] four times more often. And so of course, this is a very, very big concern for young people who are
[32:39] generalized or generally healthy. At Berkeley, I know one expert you spoke with said that, you know,
[32:43] although these findings are concerning, it doesn't mean most users will develop heart problems. It also
[32:47] doesn't prove that energy, energy drinks cause any problems. So what is the recommended daily limit of
[32:54] caffeine? And what can happen if people do take in more than that? Yeah, so the FDA says that healthy
[33:01] adults should stay under 400 milligrams of coffee or caffeine per day. That's about four to five cups of brewed
[33:07] coffee. But it can be surprising on how quickly that adds up. So a pre-workout supplement, for example, can
[33:13] contain around 300 milligrams or more of caffeine. And that doesn't include the additional caffeine that
[33:20] people may have during the day. So another coffee or an energy drink. And so that can lead to very
[33:26] serious problems. It can lead to heart palpitations, your heart racing. And in very serious cases, it can
[33:32] also lead to more serious events such as cardiac arrest or heart attack. Does coffee pose the same risk
[33:38] care as other energy drinks? No. And this is a question that I had for myself as well. No,
[33:45] they are very two different beasts. At least one cardiologist I spoke with said that they are in very
[33:51] two different categories. Just because they both contain high levels of caffeine does not mean,
[33:56] does not mean they'll have the same effect on the heart. So energy drinks and similar supplements
[34:01] also have other added ingredients that researchers think that can have effect on the heart. And so we should
[34:08] not be, they're not typically just an apple or a similar comparison here for caffeine and coffee.
[34:15] I think all of our morning viewers here had that question. So I'm glad you answered it there.
[34:19] These reports have not been verified by the FDA. So how should people use this information when they're
[34:24] making decisions about their health? Yeah, so I think this should be viewed as a warning sign. And so
[34:31] the FDA's database allows doctors and patients to submit reports that they believe are linked to a
[34:37] certain product. And so these reports aren't verified. But the FDA can look at these for
[34:43] potential safety signals. And right now this is this study is kind of giving a warning sign for energy
[34:50] drinks as well. And so what people should do is just they should in the meantime look at how much coffee
[34:56] or caffeine they're consuming and think about how much they're consuming. And also just if they have
[35:03] experienced any heart issues such as palpitation or potentially fainting that they should seek medical care.
[35:09] All right, Berkeley Lovelace for us. Thank you so much, Berkeley.
[35:12] Well, coming up on Morning News Now, an in-depth look at the influence of AI on tomorrow's election.
[35:19] Did anything ChatGPT provided you with make you change who you were thinking of voting for?
[35:25] Absolutely. But a new study shows those ChatBots may not always be giving accurate information,
[35:33] the eye-opening findings on what it could mean for the midterms. Welcome back as Americans get
[35:37] ready to head to the polls tomorrow. A growing number of people are turning to AI ChatBots to
[35:42] get information about the election. They're asking about everything from polling locations to where
[35:47] candidates stand on key issues. But now a new study was taken across 10 states and six different ChatBots.
[35:53] It revealed that they often give incorrect, sometimes overconfident information. I spoke
[35:59] to one of the researchers about how this could affect tomorrow's election.
[36:03] You could call it a light bulb moment when ChatGPT helped Jeremiah Hine fix a household problem.
[36:09] And I took a picture of it and I asked ChatGPT, I said, can you help me turn my lights on? After that,
[36:15] I was like, now I understand why people like this. It is so helpful.
[36:20] It wasn't long before he was experimenting with asking it to help with something else.
[36:24] His vote. I said, knowing what you know about how I care about human rights and
[36:29] LGBTQ rights and, you know, I lean this way and I'm a progressive Democrat, whatnot.
[36:35] I said, I'd say, who should I vote for? He says the ChatBot helped him navigate races
[36:39] he might have previously overlooked and changed the experience of voting.
[36:44] I felt the proudest that I ever have because I really felt like a full-fledged, like involved
[36:49] citizen. And that ChatGPT helped inform my voting for every single position.
[36:55] Jeremiah is one of a growing number of American adults who use ChatBots for all kinds of information.
[37:01] And while relatively few Americans say they're using ChatBots for election information,
[37:06] among those who do, the most common use is finding out where candidates stand on the issues.
[37:11] They're also using them to check on whether things they've heard or read are true.
[37:14] Did anything ChatGPT provided you with make you change who you were thinking of voting for?
[37:21] Absolutely.
[37:22] But as voters turn to AI for more information about candidates and the issues, the question becomes,
[37:28] can they trust the answers? Max Reed and his colleagues at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue
[37:34] tested six ChatBots, including ChatGPT, across 10 states using hundreds of prompts.
[37:40] None of them performed perfectly.
[37:42] They weren't testing who ChatBots would say people should vote for, like Jeremiah asked.
[37:46] Instead, they tested questions about how to vote, things like election procedures and deadlines.
[37:51] Some of the errors were basic. One ChatBot even gave the wrong date for election day.
[37:56] That is AI getting election day wrong. That's not exactly a difficult question.
[38:02] Other errors range from giving the wrong ballot deadline for one state
[38:05] to old rules about who can witness an absentee ballot. But some problems weren't as easy to spot.
[38:11] Even when they were factually correct on the baseline response to a user's question,
[38:17] they often were overconfident in explaining the different kind of exceptional cases that a voter
[38:22] might encounter. And some answers could sound authoritative even when information was incomplete,
[38:27] incorrect, or didn't apply to every voter. When the AI is providing an answer that's either
[38:33] inaccurate or incomplete or just not exactly right in some way, how is it presenting that to the user?
[38:39] Is it like, hey, go look into this? Or is it like, here's your answer?
[38:41] It is often, here's your answer. For Jeremiah, that trust was part of the experience.
[38:48] Did you trust everything that it told you? I did, because I didn't think,
[38:54] why would it need to lie to me? And he acknowledges ChatGPT could get things wrong,
[39:00] but he says he's still glad he used it to help navigate his ballot. It makes it so easy to be
[39:06] involved, informed, and make you feel the way I felt, that my vote did matter.
[39:12] All right. So obviously there for Jeremiah, it was like this moment of pride. Like, I feel like I
[39:17] know a little bit more than I normally do about some of these candidates, especially on down ballot
[39:21] races. But Max was just stressing kind of this like use of AI chatbots, right? It dovetails with
[39:27] some media literacy issues. You have to be able to make sure you feel that the information is correct.
[39:32] So he really stresses when you're getting that information and making an important decision like this one,
[39:36] go double check it, go look it up somewhere else, find a reputable source. That's not just the
[39:41] chatbot. My worry is critical thinking. Like if you can't take in information and make your own
[39:46] choice about why you feel, how you feel, and who you're voting for and having a chatbot tell you,
[39:51] that's a concern to me. So that's another issue I realized, but like, I feel like you need to kind of
[39:55] have some, take some, dig your claws in and decide for yourself how you feel and why you feel.
[40:01] Yeah. I thought it was interesting too, what he said about how
[40:04] the concern also for them wasn't even primarily just information or misinformation.
[40:09] It was the way that it's presented, right? Because people feel like they're like talking
[40:12] to a person who's like, I for sure know this answer. Like, here's my confidence that I'm
[40:16] presenting it with. So somebody who maybe isn't that used to, you know, looking things up on the
[40:20] internet, thinks like, oh, well, this sounds like they're talking about.
[40:23] It wasn't your friend. Yeah, exactly. All right. Fascinating look there.
[40:26] All right. Well, now let's get to some sports news for you. The Golden State Valkyries
[40:30] will be celebrated this week as the newest Queens of the WNBA. The team staged an incredible victory
[40:36] over the weekend, winning the title in just their second season in the league as an expansion team.
[40:41] The Valkyries won a hard-fought series, beating out the Atlanta Dream in Game 7 by a score of 68 to 63.
[40:47] The MVP honors went to Gabby Williams, who played like a true superstar. She scored 30 points in the
[40:52] final game that ties the record for most points in a winner-take-all finals game. The Valkyries will
[40:57] keep the party going with the parade on Wednesday, happening in San Francisco, giving fans a chance to
[41:02] cheer on the champions one more time. Up next, we are going to introduce you to Hall of Famer and
[41:07] former State Supreme Court Justice Alan Page about his incredible and unusual career journey. Stay with us.
[41:14] Finally this hour, the story of just an incredible life that started with a Hall of Fame football
[41:22] career, but certainly did not end there. Nightly news anchor Tommy Almas heard from the Honorable
[41:28] Alan Page about his lifelong passion for justice. Being an American means having the opportunity to
[41:38] be yourself. I believe that we can create a more perfect union. Alan Page was just eight years old
[41:46] when the Supreme Court issued its landmark decision, striking down segregation in public schools.
[41:52] For me, even at that early age, it had a profound impact. What it was doing was creating hope.
[42:00] He set his sights on a career in law, determined to join in that fight for civil rights. But another
[42:06] calling found him first, football. He dominated at the University of Notre Dame. Then the NFL came calling.
[42:17] Page played 15 seasons as a defensive tackle. Part of the legendary Vikings defense known as the
[42:25] Purple People Eaters, appearing in four Super Bowls. In 1972, he was named the NFL's most valuable
[42:33] player, the first defensive player to be awarded that honor. Winning, that's something that we all strive
[42:40] for. But that doesn't change who we are or who we will become. The pursuit of justice was still his
[42:48] priority. Between football games, Page attended law school. He worked as an attorney for more than a
[42:54] decade and in 1992 became the first black man elected to the state Supreme Court. Help me, God.
[43:01] Help me, God. Congratulations. He served as a justice for 22 years, bringing his commitment
[43:07] to fairness and his signature bow tie to the bench. In every case had its own importance. The goal is
[43:15] to get it right. In 2018, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. But Page says the greatest honor
[43:24] he's ever received is Justice Page Middle School here in Minneapolis. This is home and it feels like home.
[43:31] How are you doing? Students taking the initiative to rename their school after a modern day hero.
[43:40] The things that I've done, people look at that and say, that's exceptional. I'd say it's not necessarily
[43:48] exceptional because we all have the power to do something. No matter who we are, no matter what our
[43:53] background is, we all have the power to lift others up, to make things better. I mean, that is just
[44:04] incredible. He is a Minnesota icon. Everyone in Minnesota knows him. So I'm glad we could share
[44:07] his story to the broader audience because he's just one of the best. All right. That's going to do it
[44:11] for this hour of Morning News Now. Stay with us, though. The news continues right now.
[44:16] Right now on Morning News Now, party foul, a stunning reversal out of Battleground, Michigan.
[44:26] It's shaking up that closely watched race for Senate hours before election day. Democratic Congresswoman
[44:32] Haley Stevens, who lost in the primary to Abdul El-Sayed, now throwing her support behind his
[44:38] opponent, Republican Mike Rogers. How are voters reacting to it all? We've got some 11th hour NBC
[44:45] News polling revealing just where they stay. Also this morning, the desperate search for answers after
[44:51] a private jet crashes in Florida over the weekend. The tragedy caught on camera. All nine on board killed.
[44:58] The urgent investigation into what went wrong. Plus some potentially good news in the fight against
[45:05] Alzheimer's. We're going to dig into one sweeping new study on how simple healthy habits could help
[45:12] those most at risk. It is a welcome slice of hope for families, including one of our own right here at
[45:19] 30 Rock. And later in the hour, we're going one on one with the managers sitting pretty on top of the
[45:25] the world of baseball after a World Series win that has gone down in the history books. Of course,
[45:32] we're talking about the Milwaukee Brewers won their first title last week. So we'll be sitting down with
[45:38] the manager and seeing how he feels about it all. So happy for them. Good morning. Thanks so much for
[45:41] being with us. Big week. I'm Savannah Sellers. I'm Joe Fryer. And we do begin with what may be one
[45:46] of the most consequential midterm elections in modern U.S. history. Now just one day away. Tomorrow,
[45:51] voters will determine control of Congress, including critical contests in the Senate.
[45:56] And as the clock ticks down, Democrats are now dealing with 11th hour controversies. And two
[46:01] of the most pivotal states on this map are showing you right now. That's Michigan and Alaska. NBC News
[46:07] Chief Capitol Hill Correspondent Ryan Nobles has the very latest for us. Ryan, good morning.
[46:11] Hey there. It's no secret that in order for Democrats to win back a Senate majority, they need a nearly
[46:16] perfect night. For weeks, they appeared to be headed in that direction. But now two different
[46:21] problems have emerged in states that are key to their hopes of a historic evening.
[46:28] It is a rare November surprise. I'm a proud Democrat and I am endorsing
[46:37] Mike Rogers for the United States Senate. Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens,
[46:40] who narrowly lost a bitter Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, turning against the nominee and her
[46:46] party, endorsing Republican Mike Rogers, even attending a service at a black church in Detroit with the GOP nominee.
[46:54] It takes courage for someone to stand up and say, can't, can't do that.
[46:59] Creating a last minute controversy for Democrats in this close race.
[47:03] Stevens and El-Sayed had clashed multiple times, most recently over an ad from an outside progressive
[47:10] group supporting El-Sayed that Stevens called anti-Semitic and his campaign asking her not to attend events.
[47:17] But top Democrats say Stevens pledged her support for El-Sayed as recently as Saturday night before the about face.
[47:24] The U.S. Senate Abdul said that I was no longer welcome.
[47:27] Pressed on the move last night.
[47:29] This is about Abdul getting angry and angrier and saying, I don't want these people in my campaign.
[47:37] El-Sayed calling the move a distraction. I actually don't think about Haley Stevens.
[47:41] President Trump campaigning in Iowa, pouncing on the divide among Democrats.
[47:46] I'd love her to join the Republican Party, actually.
[47:49] Also weighing in on another key race, Alaska.
[47:52] This behavior in our elections cannot be allowed to continue.
[47:56] After claims Democrats and their Senate nominee, Mary Peltola, recruited a candidate with the same name
[48:01] as the incumbent Dan Sullivan in an effort to confuse voters.
[48:05] The Trump administration looking for an avenue to deny the certification of the results if the
[48:10] incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan loses. A federal judge tossing out a lawsuit filed by the Trump DOJ
[48:17] that would have separated the ballots for the other Dan Sullivan.
[48:20] The judge writing the Justice Department provided no workable plan to separate the ballots,
[48:25] which are cast privately. Peltola maintained she had nothing to do with the other candidates.
[48:30] I am not interested in tricking voters.
[48:34] While the president last night closed out his run of campaign rallies.
[48:37] Senator, I'm closing the sucker down. I'm getting out of here. I got to get a little sleep.
[48:42] And while President Trump spent most of the weekend on the campaign trail,
[48:47] holding events in Iowa and Kansas, the day before the election today,
[48:51] he'll be back in Washington, where he's expected to hold an event to discuss
[48:54] the National Mall's reflecting pool. Back to you.
[48:57] All right, Ryan, thanks so much. A new NBC News poll is giving us
[49:01] a clearer picture of where voters stand ahead of Election Day.
[49:04] Yeah, the poll conducted at the end of last week suggests Democrats have a sizable advantage
[49:08] in the battle for Congress as dissatisfaction grows with the president and his policies.
[49:13] NBC News national politics reporter Ben Kamisar joins us now with a look at these new numbers.
[49:17] Ben, good to have you with us. Obviously, this is sort of a chance to sort of measure how people
[49:21] feel about the Trump administration. President Trump's not on the ballot, but he kind of is on the ballot.
[49:25] Let's start with where does his approval rating stand?
[49:27] I mean, the president says, you know, vote like I'm on the ballot. And, you know,
[49:30] in that case, this is our approval rating here, 40 percent approved, 60 percent disapproved. That
[49:34] disapproval number is actually the highest that we've recorded in our NBC News poll over his last
[49:40] two terms. This is with registered voters. So to your point, midterms are usually a referendum on
[49:45] the president, his party in power. It's not a great number to be bringing in if you're Republicans.
[49:50] So what are we learning from this poll about which party voters are favoring heading into
[49:54] election day? And so we've seen and we continue to see a steady lead for Democrats on what's called
[49:59] the generic ballot. You know, if all things are equal, do you want Democrats to control Congress,
[50:02] you want Republicans to control Congress? It's about a seven point lead now among these registered voters.
[50:07] But the interesting thing is, so what does that mean when you actually run it against an election
[50:11] that isn't about generic R and generic D, right? So I think one of the things I'm really interested
[50:15] here is what this means for the candidates in some of these states and some of these key
[50:19] races, because if you look right here, the Democratic Party may be getting, you know,
[50:23] the votes and sort of the people want the Democrats to control Congress. They're not exactly thrilled
[50:28] with the Democratic Party brand, particularly in some of these states and these districts that are
[50:32] Republican leaning. So it's kind of a rock and a hard, you know, two kind of forces hitting each
[50:38] other. And it's going to be interesting to see how that all shows up. In some of these states,
[50:41] what does that look like when people are actually in their voting and have to make a decision over one of
[50:44] the parties here? Let's break it down by the issues. Obviously, we know the economy is a pressing issue,
[50:49] but walk us through the key issues and sort of which parties have the advantage for them.
[50:53] Yeah. So if you see inflation, cost of living continues to be number one. I'm just going to skip down
[50:57] to jobs in the economy, which is a little bit further down just to get at like the economic sentiment
[51:00] here is really important. It's continuously the top of the issue. And it's an issue that Democrats
[51:06] have really caught up to Republicans on. We typically see Republicans with a double digit lead on
[51:10] handling the economy, leading inflation. Democrats have fought that to about a draw. That's
[51:14] not where Republicans want it to be. It's certainly very much so where Democrats want it to be. But
[51:19] just one other thing to note there with another issue we've seen popping recently in polling is
[51:22] government corruption. People are really angry with government, particularly with government
[51:27] corruption. And this is an interesting, this is one of the big centerpieces of the Democratic ad.
[51:32] Republicans have a narrow edge on it. So it suggests that, you know, across the country,
[51:36] this is not playing out necessarily just in the Democrats favor. But again, to the question I was
[51:41] bringing up earlier, how this plays out in individual races where candidates are making
[51:44] individual arguments against candidates could be totally different.
[51:47] Yeah. And Kamisar, good to have you with us. Thank you so much.
[51:49] Yeah. All right. Well, the Trump administration is facing a new lawsuit this morning. It's aimed at
[51:53] preventing construction of the president's planned triumphal arch in Washington, D.C.
[51:58] It comes ahead of a final vote to approve it with construction plans set to start later this week.
[52:04] NBC News senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez joins us with the details. Hey, Gabe, good morning.
[52:08] Hi, Savannah. Good morning. That lawsuit filed by Virginia and D.C. argues the president's proposed
[52:14] arch is unlawful because, among other things, it's just too big. Now, the project, which the
[52:19] president says would also serve as a military complex, is among several efforts to remake the
[52:24] nation's capital in his own image. This morning, President Trump facing a new legal hurdle in his
[52:31] effort to build a massive triumphal arch just days before its possible groundbreaking. Washington, D.C.
[52:37] in Virginia, filing a joint lawsuit to block construction, calling the project flagrantly
[52:43] unlawful and arguing the administration needs congressional authorization because the 250-foot
[52:48] structure would violate the capitol's height restriction laws. The structure would be near
[52:53] Arlington National Cemetery. It has nothing to do with what that place was supposed to be,
[52:59] which is a resting ground for the people who have given their lives in service of this country.
[53:03] A commission led by his appointees is expected to hold a final vote on the arch this Thursday,
[53:08] President Trump now brushing off the latest legal challenge.
[53:11] It should be on everything. It's something the region
[53:14] needs militarily and I think aesthetically also.
[53:17] The president has claimed the arch would serve a national security function with drones and snipers,
[53:22] but the final submitted plans make no mention of either. The administration is using a similar
[53:27] argument to justify knocking down the White House East Wing to build a massive ballroom,
[53:33] says it will include a drone port and an underground military complex.
[53:37] It's among his many recent changes throughout the nation's capital, including gold accents in the
[53:42] Oval Office, paving over the Rose Garden and trying to put his name on the Kennedy Center.
[53:47] Today, on the eve of the midterms, he's set to deliver his final pitch to voters next to the
[53:51] Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which is filled once again with water after a botched $14 million renovation.
[53:58] Just to show how beautiful it is.
[54:05] The president has repeatedly argued the reflecting pool was vandalized despite a lack of evidence.
[54:12] Federal prosecutors dropped vandalism charges in the case. Joan Savannah.
[54:16] All right, Gabe. Thank you very much.
[54:18] Federal investigators are urgently searching for answers after a deadly plane crash in Florida on Sunday.
[54:24] All nine people on board were killed. The jet was traveling from Texas to the Bahamas
[54:29] and went down in a residential neighborhood. NBC News correspondent Jesse Kirsch is live
[54:34] at the scene of the crash with the latest. Jesse, good morning.
[54:39] Joe, good morning. According to Florida's governor at last word,
[54:42] there were no reports of anyone on the ground having been killed or injured,
[54:46] which is remarkable considering the devastation here. I'm going to step aside. Our photographer,
[54:50] Carlos, will push in and show you what is now a crater in the middle of this neighborhood,
[54:56] charred, buckling pavement at what is now a blocked off major crash scene. This morning,
[55:06] federal investigators are searching for answers after a private jet crashed near West Palm Beach,
[55:11] Florida, killing all nine people on board. Dash cam video showing the plane's quick descent
[55:17] and the nosedive before the fiery crash. Earlier, a pilot speaking to air traffic control,
[55:24] saying they were managing weather conditions. She later reported picking up precipitation
[55:32] and wanted to climb in altitude. But then, the frantic final moments.
[55:36] Bravo Delta, we're descending 8,000. Mayday, Mayday. Emergency, 722. We are in and overseas.
[55:44] We're going to crash into the ground. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the plane was a Learjet
[55:49] traveling from Austin, Texas to the Bahamas when it went down Sunday afternoon.
[55:53] It sounded like a loud boom. I thought it was thunder, but it turns out it was a plane.
[55:58] The aircraft is registered to a limited liability company in Delaware, according to FAA records.
[56:04] The Learjet's manufacturer, Bombardier, said in a statement the company is deeply saddened by this
[56:09] tragic event, adding they'll fully support the investigating authorities. Flight Radar 24 data
[56:14] shows the plane plummeting around 35,000 feet in roughly three minutes. When you see a plane
[56:21] nose diving, what does that tell you about the lack of control?
[56:24] Well, it tells me that the airplane was completely out of control. This was not an
[56:31] attempt to get an emergency landing. And again, that's indicative of an airplane that loses control,
[56:36] perhaps due to ice on the wings, perhaps due to an inappropriate movement by the pilots.
[56:42] We just don't know. But it was a missile, basically, when it struck the ground.
[56:46] All of this happening near a mobile home community. And this morning,
[56:51] the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office tells us that those residents are still under evacuation.
[56:57] Joe. All right, Jesse, thank you so much.
[57:00] Well, Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three young
[57:04] children is expected back in court later this morning as a judge considers whether she will face
[57:09] a second trial. Her first trial, as you probably remember, ended in a mistrial after jurors
[57:15] failed to reach a verdict. Now her defense team is pushing to have the charges dismissed,
[57:20] while prosecutors argue the case should move forward. NBC News correspondent Emily Akeda is
[57:25] outside the courthouse with what is next in this case. Hey, Emily, good morning.
[57:30] Hey there, Savannah. Good morning to you. So much of today is about next steps. Lindsay Clancy's
[57:36] first trial, it's been about two months since it ended in a hung jury. And since then,
[57:40] her defense has been fighting to prevent a second trial, while prosecutors insist that they will continue
[57:46] to push for justice for the three young children they say were taken at the hands of their mother.
[57:53] Will Lindsay Clancy face a jury for a second time? That question could be answered this morning
[57:59] as the escalating legal battle over her fate returns to the courtroom.
[58:03] I'm going to declare a mistrial. It comes two months after Clancy's high-profile case
[58:09] centered on the killings of her three young children, ended with a jury deadlocked 11 to 1.
[58:14] This entire case is based on speculation. Now, Clancy's defense is asking for all charges to be
[58:23] dropped, saying Clancy shouldn't be tried for the same crime twice on the grounds of double jeopardy.
[58:29] Arguing before declaring a mistrial, the judge should have investigated the possibility of
[58:33] misconduct by the lone holdout juror, who was accused of failing to follow the judge's instructions.
[58:39] He admitted he had reasonable doubt. Then he said, but I'm still not going to say that she's not guilty.
[58:46] He denied that claim in an October interview with Fox News.
[58:51] Did you have reasonable doubt? No. I had a lot of evidence to back up my claim.
[58:56] With any further questioning of that juror already ruled out, legal experts say the defense's
[59:02] effort to get the same judge to throw out the case is an uphill battle.
[59:06] It's highly unlikely that now with this double jeopardy motion, he's going to rule,
[59:11] hey, I didn't do enough. It's more likely that he'll deny the motion.
[59:15] During her first trial, Clancy's postpartum psychosis defense sparked a national and at
[59:20] times polarizing conversation. I think this woman was mentally distressed.
[59:26] Lindsay Clancy is 100% guilty and should be criminally charged.
[59:30] While the district attorney has not said if he will pursue the same charges,
[59:34] prosecutors told the judge they should be permitted to continue to pursue justice for the Clancy
[59:40] children as the mother and accused murderer could be ordered to stand trial for a second time.
[59:46] And we could see a timetable set for a retrial if the judge allows one,
[59:52] but it's not clear if the charges Lindsay Clancy is facing will be reduced. Remember,
[59:56] the DA has not taken that off as an option. He could decide to pursue lesser charges like second
[1:00:02] degree murder. And if that's the case, that would give Lindsay Clancy the option to waive her right
[1:00:07] to a jury trial and instead allow a judge to decide her fate. That certainly Savannah and Joe would
[1:00:13] produce a very different picture from what we saw play out in the first go around, guys.
[1:00:17] All right, Emily, thank you very much.
[1:00:18] As we begin another week, let's take a closer look at what's to come with your morning news now.
[1:00:23] Weather meteorologist Andrea Romero joins us with the latest. Hey, Andrea, good morning.
[1:00:27] Good morning, Joe and Savannah. And looking at the national picture this morning, we do have some
[1:00:32] rain to talk about. We have some heavy rain over southern and eastern parts of Florida, as well as
[1:00:37] here in the Northern Plains and also in the Four Corners region, especially over parts of Colorado and
[1:00:45] also parts of New Mexico. We're still seeing that rainfall. In fact, we do still have some flood alerts
[1:00:50] that are up 19 million people at a risk all the way from Florida into parts of Colorado, Utah,
[1:00:57] New Mexico and Arizona, and specifically here in the southwest area of Colorado, where we've seen
[1:01:03] all those conditions along the San Juan River with the river crusting near record highs. We're
[1:01:10] expecting that significant flooding to continue in that location. But the storm will be heading eastward
[1:01:16] today into tomorrow. The slight risk for severe storms will be concentrated mostly in the plains today.
[1:01:21] We do have some mountain snow that will be lingering over the Rockies and then that severe weather
[1:01:27] threat will continue to move eastward tomorrow with flooding and strong storms targeting
[1:01:33] the Mississippi River. So the severe threat will be there. 15 million people are at risk all the way
[1:01:37] from Texas into parts of Missouri, Nebraska, with destructive winds gusts over 65 miles per hour
[1:01:45] possible, as well as a few tornadoes. And we also have that risk for flash flooding because we are
[1:01:51] expecting those rainfall amounts two to three inches stretching all the way into parts of Minnesota and
[1:01:57] into Wisconsin. So we're going to see, especially tomorrow, how that election day weather is going
[1:02:03] to be impacting the polls. We have umbrella weather stretching all the way from parts of Minnesota,
[1:02:09] Wisconsin, strong to severe storms. Temperatures will be warmer along the east coast,
[1:02:13] will be a little bit cooler along the west coast. And of course, we have those Senate battleground states.
[1:02:19] You know, we'll see how that rain impacts here in parts of eastern Texas. It's going to be stormy.
[1:02:24] So we'll see. At least no blizzards. No, you don't. You don't have blizzards.
[1:02:29] Not terrible. Their election day is like that sometimes. They are. They are.
[1:02:33] That strip of the rain, though, is kind of like right through a lot of the battlegrounds.
[1:02:35] It is. So we'll see what impact they'll have, because especially where we have severe weather,
[1:02:40] obviously people don't like to head out when that's out. Impact turnout for sure. Andrea, thanks so much.
[1:02:44] We've got much more to come on this hour of morning news now, including a deep dive into how Wall Street,
[1:02:49] might react to the results of tomorrow's big midterm elections and how your portfolio could be impacted.
[1:02:53] First, after the break, chaos sweeping across Europe. The hot button issue is at the core of
[1:02:57] those multi-nation protests as the unrest enters a new week. That's up next. Stay with us.
[1:03:03] We're back now with a look at the wave of protests sweeping across Europe. Over the weekend,
[1:03:13] protesters and activists in several countries across the continent rallied against the rising cost of
[1:03:18] living, the war, and the poor state of schools. Well, the protests have been largely peaceful.
[1:03:24] Rioting and looting did erupt in some cities, as we showed you. This year was the scene on Saturday
[1:03:29] in the German city of Frankfurt, where police made dozens of arrests.
[1:03:32] NBC News international correspondent Raf Sanchez joins us now with more on all this. Raf,
[1:03:36] good morning. Looks like some of the most violent scenes did happen in Germany this weekend. Just
[1:03:40] walk us through what happened there. Guys, good morning. Yeah,
[1:03:43] so these youth-led protests have been sweeping across Europe for weeks now. Up until this point,
[1:03:49] Germany has been relatively quiet, but that changed over the weekend. We saw these very large chaotic
[1:03:55] scenes. A lot of it concentrated in Frankfurt. That's Germany's financial capital. You saw police
[1:04:01] at one point using water cannon to disperse the crowds there. Now, the complaints you're hearing from
[1:04:07] demonstrators in Germany, similar to what you're hearing across Europe about the state of the economy,
[1:04:12] about the feeling that there aren't good jobs for young people. But protests were led by a group
[1:04:17] called Gen Z Takes Charge, and they had a couple of specific grievances for Germany. They're concerned
[1:04:23] about the prospect of military conscription being brought in. They're concerned about how much money
[1:04:28] the German government is spending on defense. And there was some looting in Frankfurt. Kind of
[1:04:34] worryingly, police say at one point a gun shop was looted. They say they arrested a suspect. They
[1:04:39] recovered a number of weapons. So these protests continuing to spread across the continent. Guys.
[1:04:45] Raph, of course, we saw really France be the forefront of these protests. A week ago, we saw
[1:04:50] major rioting and looting and destruction of property. But then this weekend, it seemed to be more
[1:04:55] peaceful. Is that right? Yeah. So things were calmer this weekend in France. Some 300,000
[1:05:01] demonstrators taking to the streets across the country. You're seeing the scene in Paris there,
[1:05:05] and then Marseille. Police say they still made about 700 arrests, which is pretty significant.
[1:05:12] They're saying also there was this serious incident where somebody threw a Molotov cocktail at a police
[1:05:17] officer. That officer was very seriously injured, and they are now treating that as a case of attempted
[1:05:22] murder. Raph, we've also been talking about Italy, which went on strike Friday. What did we see there?
[1:05:28] Yeah. So big protests all across Italy, especially in Rome and in Turin. And this was organized by a
[1:05:35] left wing trade union. And a lot of the anger there is directed at Georgia Maloney. She is the
[1:05:42] far right prime minister of Italy. You saw people actually burning photographs of her. And guys,
[1:05:48] I will tell you on the streets of Turin, farmers found a kind of creative way to make their point.
[1:05:54] They actually dumped tons and tons of manure on the city streets. So that is a demonstration that
[1:05:59] nobody is going to miss. No kidding. All right, Raph, thank you so much.
[1:06:03] Well, last month, the United States hit another record low for birth rates, which means the
[1:06:08] population will decline without more babies or immigration. And it's not just a problem here.
[1:06:12] It's actually a global issue. In South Korea, the government is turning to all sorts of gimmicks
[1:06:17] to try to encourage a new baby boom, ranging from cash incentives to free daycare.
[1:06:23] NBC News international correspondent Janice Mackey-Frayer has more.
[1:06:26] Happening in countries around the world, populations in decline because couples are
[1:06:34] choosing to raise fewer children or increasingly not have any at all. Nowhere has the slump in birth
[1:06:40] rates been as extreme as South Korea. In 2023, the national birth rate hitting a record low of 0.72
[1:06:48] and even lower, just 0.53 in the capital, Seoul, meaning each generation in the country is roughly
[1:06:55] one third the size of the one before. There are a lot of complex factors contributing to the low
[1:07:01] birth rate, says the government official trying to reverse it. It's a global phenomenon. Birth rates in more
[1:07:08] than half the world's countries have fallen below the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman to
[1:07:14] maintain a stable population. Like anywhere, much of the hesitation here around having kids is financial,
[1:07:21] with the cost of housing, daycare and education on the rise. South Korea is also known for a culture that is
[1:07:28] highly competitive. An industrial powerhouse making semiconductors and super tankers, yet also struggling
[1:07:36] to produce babies. Desperate to turn it around, the government has spent billions of dollars trying
[1:07:42] almost everything. Housing subsidies, cash incentives, expanded parental leave, IVF treatments, all designed
[1:07:50] to take some of the stress out of it. The latest idea? Indoor playgrounds operated by the city that are
[1:07:58] staffed with teachers and easily accessible. The idea is to create options, spaces that are
[1:08:04] safe, vibrant and affordable. For example, to bring one child here costs less than two dollars. Two kids
[1:08:11] or more and it's free. Yet it isn't just a money thing. Changing social values and career stigma are part
[1:08:19] of it too. A lot of it shouldered mainly by women. Bayoumi says she wants kids but isn't keen to feel
[1:08:26] burdened with all the work. I think there are lots of reasons but I cannot say one reason. But a lot of
[1:08:38] reasons working together. Yes. The crisis is driving some South Korean companies to take far more radical
[1:08:45] steps to change the equation. For employees at Crafton, a video gaming powerhouse, babies are effectively
[1:08:52] born onto the payroll. Nearly 75,000 dollars in cash, more than half of it given up front at birth. The rest
[1:09:00] paid over the next eight years plus no hassle time off for health appointments and parental leave up to two
[1:09:08] years guilt-free. Oh and there's a free daycare too. Choi Jung-sik, a new dad, says the Crafton program gave him time off
[1:09:18] before and after his daughter was born. His wife Kim Ah-young says the support meant she could also care for
[1:09:26] herself. She explains that unlike before, she's now considering a second child. The early results of the
[1:09:35] experiment are striking. According to Crafton's operations manager, since the program was introduced
[1:09:41] last year, the number of children born to employees more than doubled, he says, with 99 babies so far
[1:09:48] this year. But the biggest draw may not be financial. Employees say it's the promise of a workplace where
[1:09:56] they don't have to choose between career and family. Sort of a hesitation because I knew that I wanted to keep my
[1:10:02] careers. It's always been kind of unclear for me when I would actually be able to feel like I'm ready to have a
[1:10:10] child. The company puts it as a priority. Crafton and other companies are betting that changing things
[1:10:17] for working parents will ultimately change them for the country. And there are signs of a modest shift.
[1:10:23] For the past two years, the birth rate edged up to 0.8 children per woman. Mainly, according to researchers,
[1:10:31] because the so-called echo generation, born 1991 to 1995, is now entering their 30s. And couples who
[1:10:40] postponed getting married during the COVID pandemic are now having families. Though experts say the
[1:10:45] numbers tell only part of the story. People are willing to have children only if society is a good
[1:10:53] place to raise them, says Dr. Park Cheong-hyun. Adding an improved fertility rate is separate from
[1:11:00] creating an environment in which children can truly grow up well. With no single fix in sight,
[1:11:07] the challenge for South Korea and much of the world is not just persuading people to have more kids,
[1:11:14] but rethinking the society they're born into. Janice Mackey-Frayer, NBC News, Seoul, South Korea.
[1:11:22] Coming up, we are now just hours away from those first midterm polling spots opening up on Main
[1:11:27] Street. But on Wall Street, anxiety over the results is hitting investors. How Election Day could impact your
[1:11:33] 401K. That's next. We're back now with a closer look at what's making news in the world of politics
[1:11:47] this morning, starting with the latest on Senator Chris Murphy after he suffered a stroke over the
[1:11:52] weekend. NBC News political reporter Megan Brand joins us now. Megan, good morning.
[1:11:56] Hey, Joe. Good morning. Let's start with Senator Chris Murphy, who was hospitalized over the weekend
[1:12:01] because of a stroke. The chief of staff for the Connecticut Democrats said that Murphy's arm started to
[1:12:06] feel numb when he was at his kid's hockey game on Saturday. The senator was then taken to the
[1:12:11] hospital, and they discovered that he had had a stroke. Now, thankfully, the senator's team says
[1:12:17] that he is awake and alert, and they're optimistic he will make a full recovery. Let's turn next to Alaska
[1:12:23] for an update on the Dan Sullivan saga. The Trump administration was handed a setback because a
[1:12:29] judge tossed their lawsuit that had sought to separate and preserve ballots that ranked
[1:12:34] the challenger Dan Sullivan. The Trump administration had wanted those ballots set aside in case an
[1:12:41] investigation moved forward into whether voters were confused over having two Dan Sullivans on the ballot.
[1:12:47] The judge, though, said that segregating the ballots would violate Alaskans' right to a secret ballot.
[1:12:53] And finally, let's go overseas to Israel, where elections took place last week. Now Israeli President
[1:12:59] Isaac Herzog says he hopes Israel's political parties enter negotiations with an open heart.
[1:13:06] Now this comes after the parties will have to negotiate to form a new government after neither
[1:13:12] major candidate's party won a majority of seats, meaning that the parties are going to have to
[1:13:16] negotiate to form a governing coalition. That process could ultimately take weeks.
[1:13:22] And that's a look at what's making news and politics this morning. Joe?
[1:13:25] All right, Megan, thank you so much. Wall Street is bracing for a big week of
[1:13:29] potentially market-moving news and data. A fresh round of corporate earnings and the October
[1:13:34] jobs report are all coming out. Perhaps the biggest headline, of course, this week will be the midterms.
[1:13:39] Investors will be anxiously awaiting the outcome of the election with control of Congress
[1:13:43] hanging in the balance. NBC News contributor and chief business editor of
[1:13:48] People and Caleb Silver joins us now. How is Wall Street viewing the election tomorrow?
[1:13:52] Will it matter if it's Democrats or Republicans controlling Congress?
[1:13:56] The market has been very volatile lately. We saw a steep, steep sell-off last week,
[1:14:00] but I don't think it has anything to do with the midterm elections. What investors want to see
[1:14:04] is some clarity and the elections are anything but clear right now. But after that, things usually
[1:14:09] get better. In fact, on average, the market rises around 15 and a half percent after the election,
[1:14:14] all the way to June 30th on average every year. Doesn't mean it's going to happen this year.
[1:14:17] But just some clarity and knowing what the future looks like from a political perspective,
[1:14:23] that's important to investors. So let's talk about clarity here. What happens if the days drag on,
[1:14:28] perhaps even longer? We don't know who has control of Congress. There are still some unsettled races.
[1:14:33] Are those the types of things Wall Street usually doesn't like? Exactly. That day-to-day volatility,
[1:14:37] what's going to happen next? That is the uncertainty that investors can't stand. That's like kryptonite.
[1:14:41] But actually knowing the results or having some sense of the results, even if it's gridlock,
[1:14:45] especially if it's some form of gridlock, that's actually beneficial to investors. That's what
[1:14:50] you're looking for. You mentioned that 15 and a half percent number. Here's one that I found
[1:14:54] interesting, a trend that's emerged in stock markets when it comes to the S&P 500. It's actually risen
[1:15:00] in all 19 post-midterm election years since 1950. That feels like more than a coincidence to me,
[1:15:09] but is that something that we might expect again this year? Or does AI and some of the other issues
[1:15:16] with inflation perhaps threaten that trend? Yeah. There are so many other things going on
[1:15:20] in the market right now, but history usually does rhyme. If it doesn't exactly happen exactly the same
[1:15:26] way every year, but it's that clarity that investors are looking for, at least knowing what
[1:15:30] things are going to look like in Washington from a regulatory perspective, that's super important.
[1:15:34] So it's no coincidence. These are the strongest six months of the year. November, the strongest
[1:15:38] month of the year. People just want to get past this, but there's plenty of other things
[1:15:42] that investors are worried about and focused on. We're in the middle of earning season right now.
[1:15:46] We've got some of the biggest companies reporting results. We also had some big companies last week
[1:15:50] take steep dives like Alphabet and like Intel, some of the hottest stocks over the past few years,
[1:15:54] taking a steep nosedive last week. And also next year, we'll just get a break from elections.
[1:15:59] The presidential race won't start like tomorrow or Thursday, but exactly. It'll be here before you
[1:16:05] know it. All right. Great. Caleb, good to have you with us. Thank you so much. Coming up,
[1:16:09] there is new hope this morning in the fight against Alzheimer's. We're going to dig into a
[1:16:13] sweeping new study that could prove to be a breakthrough for at-risk families,
[1:16:18] including one close to home here at 30 Rock. We've got that story next.
[1:16:22] We're back now with some hopeful news in the fight against Alzheimer's disease,
[1:16:29] a devastating condition that robs people of their memories and impacts more than seven million
[1:16:35] Americans. While there is still no cure, new advances in research and treatment are offering
[1:16:40] fresh hope to patients and their families. And for one NBC News producer, that fight is deeply
[1:16:46] personal. And now she is sharing her story. NBC News senior national correspondent News Daily
[1:16:52] anchor Kate Snow joins us now with more on our friend's story. Kate, good morning.
[1:16:56] Good morning to you, Joe. So November is national Alzheimer's disease awareness month. And so much
[1:17:02] new research is focusing on what younger people can potentially do to avoid getting this disease.
[1:17:08] This morning, we're highlighting the journey, as Joe said, of a very special friend.
[1:17:12] She is at higher risk for Alzheimer's and is making dramatic changes to her life
[1:17:17] in the hope that it will stop the disease from developing in her brain.
[1:17:21] Kroll is a treasured member of our family here at NBC News. As a senior coordinating producer,
[1:17:28] she travels the world with our anchors and correspondents, including me.
[1:17:32] We've known each other a long time. We have. More than 30 years, Sue.
[1:17:36] I know this is personal for you. Why are you sitting here right now?
[1:17:40] You know, I found out my mom had Alzheimer's and I went down this path to try to help her and to
[1:17:46] figure out what this disease was about. I started to realize that is this journey about me as well.
[1:17:52] Sue's mom, Jan, is one of nearly seven and a half million Americans with Alzheimer's disease,
[1:17:58] which causes dementia. In her late 50s, Sue got blood work that showed she was at increased genetic
[1:18:04] risk for Alzheimer's and already had an early marker in her brain, elevated levels of a protein
[1:18:10] called amyloid plaque. I was scared. I was really scared. And I started to like,
[1:18:16] look back at my memory and maybe I was forgetting a few words here and there. And maybe I wasn't quite
[1:18:22] as sharp as this. Is this menopause that we hear about brain fog? Like what is going on with me?
[1:18:27] So Sue did some research and found healthy habits in younger age may boost brain health long term.
[1:18:34] We need to start talking about Alzheimer's as an early and middle age disease.
[1:18:38] Neurologist Dr. Richard Isaacson is one of the nation's top experts on Alzheimer's prevention.
[1:18:44] He's launched a four year study with mostly at risk subjects like Sue who go on strict regimens of diets
[1:18:50] and supplements, cardio and strength training and plenty of sleep. The study tracks how that impacts
[1:18:56] them. How do you think things like sleep, diet, exercise might change the path and potentially
[1:19:03] stop Alzheimer's? The number one thing anyone can do right now, today to loosen up that amyloid
[1:19:11] plaque that builds up in the brains of a person with Alzheimer's is exercise. And then during deep
[1:19:16] sleep, that's when the garbage trucks come and they take the toxic sticky amyloid proteins, dump it out
[1:19:22] into the bloodstream to remove it from the body. That's why sleep is so important. Yeah, there's no one
[1:19:26] magic thing. Controlling vascular risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes,
[1:19:31] doing all those things slams the brakes on cognitive decline. One large study of older adults by the
[1:19:36] Alzheimer's Association found these kinds of lifestyle changes can improve cognitive abilities
[1:19:41] in the short term. Maria Carrillo is chief science officer at the Alzheimer's Association.
[1:19:46] The message is that the earlier you start, the better it is. Start in middle age because the brain is
[1:19:53] a muscle just like everything else. And the more we take care of it and use it and exercise it,
[1:19:59] the better we'll be in the long run. As part of her treatment plan, Sue also went on hormone therapy.
[1:20:05] Dr. Isaacson believes declining hormones during perimenopause may be a cause of Alzheimer's and
[1:20:10] could explain why two thirds of patients are women. We can use hormone replacement therapy to get that
[1:20:16] woman off the road to Alzheimer's. Sue also got infusions of a newly approved Alzheimer's drug
[1:20:22] called Donanimum. While it's not a cure, so far it's dramatically reduced the amyloid plaques in her
[1:20:28] brain. I'm doing all the right things and I don't have Alzheimer's in my body. It's not there, right?
[1:20:33] We're watching it, but it's not there. Sue hopes her positive results continue and could potentially
[1:20:40] save future generations from the devastating decline her mom is facing. She said to me the other day,
[1:20:46] she said you're brave. You are brave. But there's nothing more important to me than to be telling
[1:20:54] this story right now to be telling my story because I know that we can help people. This is a story
[1:21:01] about early detection. That's what this is all about. There is hope. Start figuring out now if it's
[1:21:06] within you so that you can combat it. There is blood work that you can get that screens for the early
[1:21:14] markers of Alzheimer's. Dr. Isaacson says he's developing an inexpensive blood test for this so
[1:21:19] that early detection could become a regular part of preventative care, just like getting your
[1:21:24] cholesterol checked. In full disclosure, like Sue, I am also, Joe, participating in Dr. Isaacson's
[1:21:30] Alzheimer's prevention trial. I want to ask you more about that in a moment. Sue is here. Sue, we love you
[1:21:35] and we are so proud of you for sharing your story because I know it's not easy, but you know how important
[1:21:40] it is. How are you feeling after this treatment? What has it meant for you? What has it done for
[1:21:45] you? Honestly, I feel stronger. When I got the diagnosis, I was scared. But I feel stronger. My
[1:21:55] brain is strong. And honestly, I feel blessed. Like, who was to know that this test was going to roll out
[1:22:02] while I was in the midst of studying this disease? And the fact that it did, I was able to combat it. The
[1:22:08] fact that I was studying my mom, I was able to know that this had come out. And that's
[1:22:12] amazing to me. And now I'm here to share that with others. I think when people hear Alzheimer's,
[1:22:17] they just suddenly feel this sense of helplessness, right? I mean, isn't that something that a lot of
[1:22:22] people feel? Like it's predestined. Yeah, like it's happening and there's nothing I can do about it.
[1:22:26] Did you feel that? And how do you feel up now? 100%. And there's a stigma attached to it. But I think
[1:22:33] that's part of the reason I know that there's no other patient that has come forward, like me,
[1:22:40] as far as I know. And that's why it was so important for me to to come to come forward.
[1:22:45] And one of the things that I although Kate said this, but one of the things that people need to
[1:22:49] know is that they say within the next five to 10 years, that our doctors are going to be giving us
[1:22:55] an Alzheimer's test the same way we get an old colonoscopy in the same way we get our mammogram.
[1:23:00] Like, I just happened to be ahead of the curve because I got this test. And thank God those
[1:23:04] things were available to me. And so it was thriving in my body, but but it is no longer. And so now we'll
[1:23:10] watch it and I'm being monitored, but I'm in a great place. This is not going to be what kills me,
[1:23:15] in my opinion. So it's yeah. And if you know, Sue, she means it.
[1:23:20] Well, she's been in a lot of life-threatening places with her too.
[1:23:25] What motivated you now to start doing this?
[1:23:27] Uh, the same thing as Sue, I have Alzheimer's in my family. And so I just thought I would
[1:23:32] start with this blood test and just see if I, the first step is just to see if you have risk,
[1:23:36] right? That's all it is. You're just taking a blood test to see, do you have elevated risk?
[1:23:40] It doesn't mean you're going to get Alzheimer's just means you're more at risk than the general
[1:23:43] population if you get those findings. But I think, I mean, Sue is such an example of
[1:23:49] being willing to get the information and then do something about it. Not everybody feels that way,
[1:23:54] Joe. Like I get that some people might feel like I just don't want to know. But if you do want to
[1:23:59] know and you do want to try to take some measures, this is the thing you can do it in your fifties,
[1:24:03] your sixties. Like you don't have to wait. You said this earlier, you don't have to wait until you're
[1:24:08] already in Alzheimer's to try to deal with it. I think that's why a lot of people don't want to
[1:24:12] know is because they feel like, what am I going to do then? You know, and right. But the science is
[1:24:16] changing. I think that's the headline. Correct. This is a disease of your forties, fifties,
[1:24:22] and sixties. That is when you get this disease. And then your brain is so resilient that you don't
[1:24:27] see the symptoms until your seventies and eighties. You may not want to know, but you're only hurting
[1:24:33] yourself. Go get the test. They can do something about it like this. Don't fool with it. Information
[1:24:40] is power. We can do something. Don't take no for an answer. I think people are going to be flooding you
[1:24:44] with questions about this after seeing this. They already are. What is the treatment like? I mean,
[1:24:47] the infusions, do you feel, does your body feel different? Is it easy? Is it hard?
[1:24:51] It was easy. But that being said, they, they, it, you need to get an MRI. First of all,
[1:24:57] your doctor has to tell you. Right. This is a specialized medication that not everybody knows.
[1:25:01] 100%. And it was only approved in 2024 and 2023. So they too are new. This is all new. So my
[1:25:07] doctor first had to diagnose me and say, yes, she needs it. And then I had to get an MRI. If you have any
[1:25:13] kind of blood droplets called aria on your brain, like you can't get it. And so the older you get,
[1:25:19] the more chances that it is that you have that. So, and then I was an infusion, just like a
[1:25:23] chemotherapy or anything. And it didn't cause me pain. And you know what, even if it did,
[1:25:29] so what? Like, I need to take care of this. That's the way I look at this. People are like,
[1:25:33] what's it like to have a shot of olive oil every day? I'm like, who cares if it tastes bad?
[1:25:38] That's part of the diet. Exactly. I need to help myself.
[1:25:41] Oh, no, I'm not there yet. I'm just starting the process.
[1:25:45] The sleep too, is that we were all talking about that. The sleep, we don't get it. We all need more.
[1:25:49] Well, this industry is very hard to get sleep in the news business. But I think the message is,
[1:25:53] like Dr. Isaacson says, seven, eight hours a day is really what most people, you know,
[1:25:59] in this period of life need. And most of us aren't getting it. Your mom, she's so proud of you. We all got
[1:26:05] emotional hearing you talk about her. But how is she doing? She's doing well. She's happy is the
[1:26:12] best thing that I can say. She's with her husband, Chuck, who's an amazing man and takes good care of
[1:26:18] her. She repeats herself a lot. She gets lost in conversation. She doesn't always know what
[1:26:24] she's talking about. And then every once in a while, she has something very wise to say. And so I told her
[1:26:30] we were going to be on TV today. And she asked me what we were talking about. And I said,
[1:26:34] we're talking about early detection of Alzheimer's and people need to get tested.
[1:26:38] And she says, we need to go get tested. And I said, we were Obama. And I said,
[1:26:42] that's why we're talking about this. And I said, that's why we're going to be on TV.
[1:26:46] And she says, when are they picking me up? And I said, you're going to watch,
[1:26:49] you're going to watch in front of the TV. And then about 30 seconds later, she says,
[1:26:53] when are they picking me up? And so that's kind of where we are. But I'm, I'm blessed that she's happy.
[1:26:59] And I, and I still have her, but I, you know, you lose them a little bit at a time. Yeah. And that's,
[1:27:04] that's really hard. She's my best friend, my confidant, my travel partner. And I've lost her a little
[1:27:08] at a time. But we always have to remember you, her husband, all the caretakers who are there
[1:27:14] doing this work. And now you're reminding us there is more we can even do that can help us.
[1:27:19] 100%. Please do it. Don't put your head in the sand. Please go help yourself.
[1:27:24] Sue, Kate. Thank you both. Appreciate it. This is so important. Thank you both.
[1:27:30] Coming up, baseball history unfolded last month, right before the world's eyes. Now,
[1:27:34] the Milwaukee Brewers are taking that well-earned victory lap, and we are going to go one-on-one
[1:27:38] with their manager. Stay with us. It's up next. Welcome back this morning. The Milwaukee Brewers,
[1:27:46] I think they're still celebrating their historic triumph in the World Series. Last week,
[1:27:50] the Brew Crew clinched their first title in franchise history, beating the Tampa Bay Rays in five games.
[1:27:56] It ends a wait of more than five decades to bring a championship to Wisconsin. While the Fall Classic
[1:28:03] is over, the Brewers, let's just say, have been enjoying a well-deserved celebration tour. That
[1:28:07] tour now winds through our studio here. Let's welcome the manager of the World Series champion,
[1:28:11] Milwaukee Brewers, Pat Murphy. And you brought a guest. You brought the Commissioner's Trophy here.
[1:28:16] Exactly. Who's allowed to touch it? Is anyone?
[1:28:18] Yeah, we're very picky on who gets to touch it. I don't blame you. How are you feeling right now?
[1:28:23] Are you still on a high right now? Yeah, it's been pretty special.
[1:28:27] Yeah. What's been the best part about it? To see the people in Milwaukee and the state
[1:28:32] of Wisconsin come together and to see how excited they are. I mean, it just does your heart good.
[1:28:38] I worked in Green Bay for a couple of years, many years ago, so I know these are passionate sports fans
[1:28:43] in Milwaukee, in Wisconsin, and they've been waiting a while for this one, haven't they?
[1:28:48] What has that been like, do you think, for the fans? I mean, could you feel that? Is it pressure? What
[1:28:52] did you feel? No, I mean, they love winners. They understand we're the smallest market. They
[1:28:58] understand we're limited in some areas, but they've watched us continue to grow and get to the postseason
[1:29:04] over and over, and they were very hopeful this year. The way we started and having the best record
[1:29:09] in baseball again, they were very hopeful we could break through, so I'm really happy that we did.
[1:29:14] You've been with the team for about a decade now, right? And you've been able to kind of move up with
[1:29:18] the team, so you must feel like a kinship with so many of these players, plus you bring in the new ones,
[1:29:23] but to have been part of this squad for a decade, what has that meant to you to then have this year?
[1:29:29] Yeah, it's important. It's important to build those relationships, and some of them, like you
[1:29:34] said, they're 10 years old, and you watch these young men play their first game in the big leagues,
[1:29:39] and then all the way through to now, play in the World Series. It's just a great feeling.
[1:29:43] What do you think was the special sauce for the Brewers? Because you mentioned it is the smallest,
[1:29:47] you know, one of the smaller teams. There's these teams that have bigger budgets, multi-million dollar
[1:29:53] players, and you guys were able to do it kind of on your own terms.
[1:29:57] Yeah, it's our own way, they say. You know, the great thing was is they were really a team.
[1:30:03] You know, they believed in each other. You could see it. They held each other accountable,
[1:30:08] and then when it came time, they kept their heads down and got it done.
[1:30:11] Yeah, the parade. We're looking at the parade right now. Walk me through what the feeling was like.
[1:30:17] What did you see? What did you feel while you were weaving through Milwaukee?
[1:30:20] I was on the last truck, and I was facing towards the back. You know, I'm sitting in the bed of the
[1:30:25] truck, and there were so many people. I thought we were going in circles because there can't be this
[1:30:33] many people. And sure enough, it was incredible, really incredible. You're like, we've just been
[1:30:38] going around the same block for the last few hours. It felt like that. There were so many people just
[1:30:43] over and over. I'm like, I don't know there's this many people in the city. We have to talk about you
[1:30:47] spent a few days here in New York, and you got to be on SNL over the weekend with Drunk Uncle.
[1:30:53] Walk us through your Drunk Uncle experience here.
[1:30:56] It was tremendous. You know, just being part of the whole thing was tremendous, and they treated us
[1:31:02] like we were something, you know. Well, you are. Well, I mean, it was really nice. The Drunk Uncle,
[1:31:08] I mean, I'm very familiar. It's good to see Bobby Moynihan back on SNL also this weekend. You need to
[1:31:16] take a moment. You need to take a break. But when do you start thinking about next season
[1:31:22] and the possibility of a repeat? What it is you need to do? Where's your mindset when it comes to
[1:31:26] that? Yeah, the morning of the final game, you know, I was making notes about spring training.
[1:31:32] Really? Yeah. I mean, you just do that. It's just part of your world, hoping that everything goes well.
[1:31:37] But still, you're constantly thinking about it. You know, you don't take too much of a time away. When
[1:31:43] you do this for a life work, you're always thinking about what's next. What's the next part
[1:31:48] of the celebration? Relax a little bit. Sleep. Pat Murphy, congratulations. Thank you so much
[1:31:58] for swinging by and talking with us. We appreciate it. I appreciate it. Thank you. That is going to do
[1:32:02] it for this hour of morning news now. But please stick with us. The news continues in just a moment.