NBC Nightly News Full Episode - Nov. 1

[0:00] Tonight, the stunning twist in a key battleground less than 48 hours before Election Day. [0:05] A dramatic turn in the Michigan Senate race as a key Democrat endorses the Republican candidate. [0:11] So will it matter to voters? [0:13] And President Trump on defense in battlegrounds Iowa and Kansas with surprisingly tight contests there. [0:20] Another Senate race controversy, a federal judge tossing out the DOJ's civil legal challenge to block Alaska's Senate results. [0:28] Over two candidates with the same name. [0:30] The latest on all the Trump administration's legal maneuvers. [0:33] Also breaking tonight, this deadly plane crash in Florida, killing nine people. [0:39] The jet nosediving into the ground, leaving behind a fiery crater. [0:43] Our team on the scene tonight. [0:45] Deadly Halloween holiday shootings. [0:48] Multiple investigations coast to coast with gunfire erupting and dozens now hurt. [0:53] Developing tonight, President Trump not ruling out new strikes on Iran. [0:57] What it means for the chances war ramps back up. [1:00] New video tonight of an ICE officer pulling a gun on a bystander with another officer now set to turn himself in after allegedly running someone over. [1:09] The fallout tonight. [1:11] A dramatic shootout captured on camera. [1:13] The intense moment police killed a suspected sailboat thief. [1:17] Flash flood emergency. [1:18] Water rising fast across the southwest. [1:21] Homes surrounded. [1:23] Cars submerged. [1:25] Officials warning people to get out now. [1:27] And there's good news tonight about the incredible milestone for the voice of a football team. [1:33] Now the longest serving radio broadcaster in league history. [1:36] Nightly news starts right now. [1:38] But it's just nice to be down here. [1:40] This is NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson. [1:45] Good evening. [1:46] We are coming on the air tonight with a dramatic twist in a key Senate race with the battle for control of Congress hanging in the balance. [1:53] Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens pulling her endorsement of her party's pick, Abdul El-Sayed, [1:59] and backing his Republican opponent instead, Mike Rogers, shocking her own party with one top Democrat calling it a betrayal. [2:07] And new questions now on how voters see the move. [2:10] We're also following a late legal ruling on the Alaska Senate race and its ballot with two candidates with the same name, [2:16] a judge delivering a blow to the Trump administration tonight as President Trump rallies in red states to try to boost GOP chances. [2:24] Our team is covering every angle, including Steve Kornacki at the big board, all of it just ahead. [2:30] But first, some breaking news out of Florida right now, [2:33] where a fiery plane crash in a residential neighborhood has killed all nine people on board, [2:38] leaving behind only this smoking crater. [2:41] Our Jesse Kirsch has made his way to the scene and starts us off tonight. [2:46] This is the moment a private jet plummeted to the ground in South Florida today. [2:50] The terrifying, deadly crash captured on dash camera, sparking this massive fireball. [2:57] You can see and hear the plane nose-diving into a neighborhood near Green Acres, Florida, just before 1 p.m. [3:03] The crash killing all nine people on board, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. [3:09] Flight radar 24 data showing the jet plummeting from about 35,000 feet in roughly three minutes. [3:17] Air traffic control audio recording the crew's frantic mayday call. [3:20] The wreck leaving a giant crater in the ground, flames shooting up into the air as drivers navigated the damage. [3:29] This was a Learjet 60, according to Secretary Duffy, [3:32] who says the plane was flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it crashed. [3:36] When you see a plane drop that far that quickly, what does that tell you right away? [3:41] Well, it's clearly a loss of control for some reason. [3:43] And I think it's clearly associated with the severe weather that was existing at the altitude that the airplane was flying at just before it made that rapid descent. [3:54] And tonight, the list of questions only growing. [3:58] Jesse is joining us now from West Palm Beach. [4:00] And, Jesse, it is an active scene behind you there. [4:03] And federal investigators are now coming in to help investigate. [4:07] That's right, Hallie. [4:08] Both the FAA and NTSB are expected to be investigating here. [4:12] And you can see how much of this road is now blocked off by local officials on the ground. [4:16] Meanwhile, the sheriff's office here in Palm Beach County is telling us that residents living in evacuated areas will be blocked from getting home for the time being. [4:24] Hallie. [4:24] Jesse Kirsch, thank you. [4:25] Now to the final 48 hours until the midterms, including that shocking endorsement in the Michigan Senate race. [4:31] Liz Kreutz has more. [4:34] Tonight, a stunning turn in Michigan. [4:36] In the final days before the closely watched Senate race there, Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens pulling her endorsement of her own party's nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, announcing she is now backing Republican Mike Rogers. [4:49] Abdul said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away. [4:54] And he's right. [4:56] And that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today. [5:04] This morning, the two making a surprise appearance together at a Detroit church. [5:08] It's my personal and private decision. [5:11] I still love the party. [5:12] I'm honored to have Haley Stevens support today. [5:15] I'm honored to have earned that vote. [5:17] Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer calling the decision a despicable betrayal. [5:21] It comes after Stevens, who lost to El-Sayed in a bitter primary, was uninvited from a Democratic unity rally with El-Sayed. [5:30] The two have been in a public feud over El-Sayed's staunch criticism of Israel and a recent ad made by an outside group blaming Israel for high costs in Michigan that El-Sayed says his campaign had no involvement in. [5:42] Still, even this morning, Democrats thought Stevens would vote down party line. [5:47] She is voting straight down the line on the Democratic ticket, and she's going to be celebrating with Democrats across the country when we win on Tuesday night. [5:54] Today, El-Sayed responding to Stevens' last minute switch. [5:57] At the end of the day, I actually don't think about Haley Stevens. [6:01] See what I'm saying? [6:01] Like, I think about the, like I said, the 9,999,998 people who are not those two. [6:08] Because you know what? [6:09] I'm just less interested in the politics of it all than I am in the policy of it all. [6:15] Voters in Michigan also reacting. [6:17] I was very disappointed. [6:19] I feel it was vindictive. [6:22] I don't think it shines well on her part. [6:24] The shocking shakeup coming as President Trump is back on the campaign trail as both Republicans and Democrats make their final push to control the Senate. [6:33] I've never met Haley, but Haley said what few people are willing to say. [6:38] I think it probably, I'd love her to join the Republican Party, actually. [6:42] I think that could happen, maybe. [6:44] The president rallying Republicans in Iowa and Kansas today. [6:48] Two states he won by double digits in 2024, and where the GOP is now facing unexpectedly tight races. [6:56] Pretend I'm on the ballot, because essentially I am on the ballot. [7:01] Liz is joining us now from the unlikely battleground where the president is rallying. [7:05] And Liz, not many people may have had Kansas on their bingo cards before this year. [7:12] Yeah, Holly, that's right. [7:13] The last time that Kansas elected a Democrat to the Senate was 1932, but recent polls show it could now be possible with the Republican incumbent Roger Marshall neck and neck with his Democratic challenger, Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor who calls himself a radical moderate and is promising to bring decency and morality back to Washington. [7:34] Those polls could be why the president is coming back here tonight, his second visit to Kansas in the last two weeks. [7:40] Yes, Hallie. [7:40] Liz Kreutz, live for us in Kansas. [7:42] Thank you. [7:43] Now to Alaska and a judge delivering a blow to the Trump administration over that ballot battle on two candidates with the same name. [7:51] Steve Patterson reports. [7:54] Tonight, a November twist in Alaska's still stunning October surprise. [7:58] A federal judge dismissing a Trump administration lawsuit attempting to block certification of Alaska's Senate race if incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan loses. [8:07] The DOJ wanted ballots separated, but the judge was concerned over how officials would do that without violating ballot secrecy. [8:15] The federal criminal investigation into whether any laws were broken is still on. [8:19] What we've learned recently has been deeply troubling. [8:21] Federal agents now dispatched to Alaska after that bombshell New York Times report detailing an alleged effort to sabotage the campaign of Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. [8:31] The Times reporting Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign worked with National Democrats, finding a man named Dan J. Sullivan to run. [8:38] Those groups saying they were not involved and Peltola herself denying any knowledge to Alaska's KTUU. [8:44] We're tricking each other up here. [8:47] Senator Sullivan saying he doesn't buy it. [8:49] There's no way that this went on for a year that they weren't informed her on it. [8:56] We sat down with Matthew Salisbury, quoted in that Times article, who says he was also approached by a recruiter to run for Senate. [9:02] I turned over everything that I had given to the New York Times. [9:05] He spoke to us right after his interview with the FBI. [9:09] Are you disappointed in this whole thing? [9:11] Absolutely. [9:12] To have involvement in this or your campaign, have involvement in this, if what they report is true, it's really disappointing. [9:20] Steve's joining us from Anchorage now. [9:22] And Steve, the Trump administration is already appealing that judge's ruling. [9:25] Yeah, clearly the Trump administration wasting no time on this. [9:30] Meanwhile, the Peltola campaign calling the lawsuit baseless, saying it has no sway with Alaska voters. [9:36] This could all set up a long legal battle now. [9:38] Hallie? [9:39] Steve Patterson, thank you. [9:40] Let me bring in Julie Serkin, who is joining us here now. [9:42] Hi, Julie. [9:43] It is not just Alaska where the Trump administration is looking to put pressure on some of these races. [9:48] Yeah, there have been a string of legal setbacks for the Trump administration as it ramps up its efforts to try and intervene. [9:54] And how states run their elections in California. [9:56] For example, Hallie, a federal judge blocked the administration from threatening election workers with criminal charges for counting ballots they say could be illegal. [10:04] The administration has appealed that. [10:06] In Washington state, the DOJ pushing to set aside hundreds of ballots from voters it suspects are non-citizens. [10:12] Judges warn these efforts could lead to lawful voters just not casting their ballots, a real concern. [10:18] And, Hallie, an NBC News review found roughly 200 people have been prosecuted for voting-related offenses out of 174 million registered voters. [10:28] That's obviously a small number. [10:29] The majority were lawful permanent residents. [10:32] Many were mistakenly believing that they were allowed to vote, and that's why they did it, according to that review. [10:37] Julie Serkin, a lot to watch. [10:38] Thank you very much. [10:39] Let's get to Steve Kornacki at the big board with our brand-new NBC News poll. [10:43] And, Steve, a spotlight on the president's approval rating tonight. [10:47] Yeah, Hallie, it's our final temperature check heading into Tuesday. [10:50] Donald Trump's approval rating in our final pre-election NBC News poll stands at 40 percent, 60 percent of voters saying they disapprove of the president's performance. [11:00] Now, this is not Trump's first midterm. [11:02] Remember, 2018, his party lost 40 seats, lost control of the House. [11:06] They did do okay in the Senate that day, but what was his approval rating like in our final poll before that midterm? [11:12] It was 46 percent. [11:14] So 46 then, 40 now. [11:16] On paper, by this number, Trump enters his second midterm in worse shape than in his first midterm. [11:21] How about the generic ballot? [11:22] Which party do you want to see control Congress? [11:25] In our poll, Democrats now with a seven-point advantage over Republicans. [11:29] That is up from five around Labor Day. [11:31] Compare that to the two most recent midterms. [11:34] This time four years ago in Biden's midterm, generic ballot was tied. [11:38] And in Trump's first midterm, Democrats had a six-point advantage on the eve of that midterm. [11:43] Of course, all of this feeds into the key question Tuesday, one of them, who is going to control the Senate? [11:48] Republicans trying to hold on to that. [11:50] They are vulnerable in many places on this map. [11:53] The key number here is four. [11:55] If Democrats are going to beat Republicans, take control, they need a net gain of four. [11:59] Republicans obviously need to deny Democrats from doing that. [12:03] The red states, these are states that Democrats are targeting, that Republicans now hold. [12:08] A lot of these states, almost all of these states, are not just Trump states. [12:12] They were Trump double-digit states. [12:14] The Democratic path to a majority, if it exists, goes through Trump country. [12:19] And Republicans, meanwhile, trying to turn the tables on Democrats. [12:21] Minnesota and Michigan, the two Democratic seats, they think they could flip and change the math in their favor. [12:27] Steve Kornacki, thank you. [12:29] And NBC News, of course, will have full coverage on election night all night. [12:33] I'll see you there starting at 5 o'clock Eastern. [12:35] We are following other news tonight, including what's been a wave of deadly violence on this Halloween weekend, [12:40] including at a Spirit Halloween store. [12:43] Here's Dana Griffin. [12:45] Tonight, a Halloween weekend marred by gun violence from coast to coast. [12:49] In Northern California, customers inside the Spirit Halloween Friday forced to hide. [12:55] We have at least four victims found. [12:57] Seven were shot in what police describe as a targeted incident towards someone inside the store. [13:03] When we went in, then we just heard like pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. [13:06] Everybody froze. [13:07] 31-year-old Constance Hages died, her family telling police she was pregnant. [13:13] There were three separate shootings overnight near Dallas, leaving four dead, 15 injured. [13:23] This is completely unacceptable for it to take place in Dallas, [13:25] and we're going to do everything that we need to do to get everyone in custody that's responsible for this. [13:31] Gunfire overnight in several cities, leaving at least 14 dead, 69 injured, [13:36] including a deadly shooting in Newark, Delaware. [13:38] People were running, screaming. [13:40] And in Colorado, police need help identifying two men seen in this doorbell video at a Halloween party. [13:46] Persons of interest in the shooting death of a University of Colorado Boulder student. [13:51] A violent holiday weekend, leaving families grieving and communities searching for the suspects and answers. [13:59] Dana Griffin, NBC News. [14:02] So the war against Iran now in the region bracing for escalation with President Trump not ruling out more military action. [14:08] Keir Simmons is in Bahrain for us tonight. [14:11] Keir, good evening. [14:13] Ali, good evening. [14:14] With America focused on the midterm elections, the conflict with Iran continues to simmer in this region tonight. [14:21] In Saudi Arabia, they have been targeted again by missiles and drones, [14:25] and the ship has been hit again in the Strait of Hormuz. [14:29] America's allies and partners in this region continue to push for peace, [14:33] but President Trump says he is in no hurry for a deal and that a military escalation is still possible. [14:40] The U.S. still has substantial military assets in this region, and a third aircraft carrier is on the way. [14:47] Here in Bahrain, home to the Fifth Fleet, they are bracing themselves for an escalation after the vote, [14:52] with Iran threatening substantial retaliation. [14:55] Ali? [14:56] Keir Simmons, thank you. [14:57] Here at home, new backlash in California over a newly surfaced video showing an ICE officer pointing a gun at a bystander. [15:04] Priscilla Thompson reports. [15:07] Growing outrage in California tonight over this. [15:12] An ICE officer pulling a gun on a bystander during an arrest in North Hollywood. [15:17] It happened Friday while ICE officers were arresting this man. [15:20] Video then shows this bystander walking two dogs, pick something up off the ground, and throw it into the street. [15:28] The Department of Homeland Security saying in a statement, [15:35] a bystander armed with pepper spray encountered the officers, [15:39] creating a moment of chaos in an otherwise controlled scene. [15:42] That could have been my son. [15:43] My son walks out in the mornings and is just worried, worrisome. [15:48] It's horrible what's happening right now. [15:50] The tense confrontation raising new questions about ICE officers' tactics. [15:55] I've got a runner, I've got a runner. [15:57] In Houston, a grand jury indicted officer Mario Alberto Morales for running over a man with his car last month. [16:04] You see him here moving Miguel Pata Hernandez's leg as Pata Hernandez cries out. [16:10] ICE calling the prosecution a political stunt. [16:13] Morales' attorney says his client is innocent and will surrender on Monday. [16:18] Priscilla Thompson, NBC News, Houston, Texas. [16:21] We are back in a moment with the dangerous flood emergency in the West and the new evacuation orders. [16:28] Back now with heavy rain prompting a flash flood emergency tonight in the Southwest, [16:33] leading to rescues like this one here in Arizona. [16:36] Crews pulling that person through dangerous flooding. [16:38] Elsewhere, the rising water, stranded cars, and surrounded homes. [16:43] Also tonight, dramatic body cam footage out of Rhode Island. [16:45] You see officers speeding toward a stolen sailboat, gun drawn. [16:49] Moments later, the suspect starts shooting and the officers return fire. [16:53] In the end, one officer was hurt and the suspect was killed. [16:57] And investigators looking into the February disappearance of Nancy Guthrie say they met with scientists in Florida to discuss DNA analysis. [17:03] But so far, no break in the case. [17:05] And today, Savannah posted this card online asking people to, in her words, [17:09] help us, tell us what you know, adding, our mom was a light in this world. [17:14] We want to celebrate her. [17:15] The FBI tip line once again is 1-800-CALL-FBI. [17:19] When we come back, there is good news tonight about an astonishing milestone for one Philly legend. [17:25] There is good news tonight about hard work, humor, and humility as a Philadelphia legend marks an NFL milestone. [17:36] He's going deep down the far side of the field. [17:40] For maybe the most recognizable voice in Philadelphia. [17:43] The final score. [17:47] An astonishing milestone. [17:50] Merrill Reese marking his 50th season in the booth. [17:53] The ball is taken away from Danil. [17:56] The longest play-by-play radio broadcaster in NFL history. [18:00] This is Merrill Reese. [18:01] Is this your dream job? [18:02] It's my dream job. [18:03] I'd rather do this than anything in the world. [18:05] And in 1977, when Reese started calling Eagles games at just 35 years old. [18:11] What a big Sunday this is. [18:13] It's not a bad view. [18:15] It's a great view. [18:16] That dream becoming reality. [18:18] A lot of people would say, relax. [18:21] You've done it. [18:21] You've had an amazing career. [18:23] Go take a load off. [18:24] Go do some golf. [18:25] Well, I do plenty of golf. [18:27] It's never relaxed because to me, this is what I'd rather do than anything else in the world. [18:32] And here is where he sits, alongside his radio partner and former Pro Bowl Eagles receiver Mike Quick [18:38] and longtime producer Joe McPeak. [18:40] We'll get on the plane, and he already has his notebook out, preparing for next week's game. [18:45] Devontae Williams. [18:46] That meticulous prep, a family affair. [18:49] 80. [18:49] Camden Brown. [18:51] 30. [18:51] With his wife of 47 years, Cindy. [18:54] 86. [18:55] 86 is Luke Schoonmaker. [18:58] She goes over everything with me. [19:00] She has a checklist. [19:00] As you're looking back on 50 years, what are the moments that stand out to you that you've loved? [19:05] The most rewarding moment was when the Eagles won Super Bowl 52. [19:11] Eagles fans everywhere, this is for you. [19:15] Let the celebration begin. [19:19] A call as iconic as the man who made it. [19:22] This is not a farewell tour for you, right? [19:24] It is absolutely not a farewell tour. [19:27] They will have to come up. [19:28] I always say they're going to have to remove me with a crane. [19:31] I'm not going anyplace. [19:33] I love what I do. [19:36] And that is nightly news for this Sunday. [19:38] It will be the Eagles taking on the Commanders on Sunday Night Football up next. [19:42] I'm Hallie Jackson. [19:43] And for all of us here at NBC, thanks for watching and have a great week.