tonight, hurricane helene gaining strength expected to slam florida as a major category 4 storm. helene rapidly intensifying as it closes in on florida's

gulf coast and its capital, tallahassee. set to become the most powerful hurricane to hit the u.s. in two years. life-threatening storm surge up to 20 feet. states of emergency in florida, georgia, and the carolinas. mandatory evacuations, miles of traffic as the race to get out is on. al roker standing by with the new track. also breaking tonight, the ied exploding at a california courthouse. six injured. a suspect in custody. deputies pinning him down as he screamed at the top of his lungs. what was his motive? the deadly bus hijacking in los angeles. a gunman leading police on a chase for more than an hour. police using flash bangs to enter that bus. how the driver escaped and the lifesaving training police say he used to alert authorities. overseas, hezbollah fires a missile on tel aviv for the first time. is israel preparing for a ground offensive in lebanon? the new troubles for the secret service. the agent on leave tonight after law enforcement sources

said he allegedly sexually assaulted one of kamala harris' staffers. plus, the candidates in key two battlegrounds as vice president harris tries to cut into trump's lead on the economy. and the baseball mitt master, giving new life to old gloves from around the globe. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. and good evening from miami. i'm tom llamas in for lester tonight. it is massive, it is gaining strength, and it is life-threatening. tonight, hurricane helene is on a potentially devastating path to florida expected to make landfall late tomorrow as a powerful category 4 storm. helene already flooding streets in cuba and causing heavy rains and dangerous conditions in mexico. hurricane and storm surge warnings are in effect for much of florida's gulf coast with surges as high as 20 feet predicted. airports in tampa and

st. petersburg set to close tonight. flood watches are in effect for 36 million people from florida all the way to virginia. beyond the winds of 130 miles per hour expected at landfall, there's a tornado threat across parts of the southeast. al roker is tracking it all for us tonight, and, al, this is one of the most powerful storms we've seen in years. >> that's right. two years ago hurricane ian making landfall as a category 4, and, tom, right now it's 460 southwest of tampa and moving faster north at 12. we've got tropical storm warnings all the way north of atlanta, down to key west, but hurricane warnings into georgia and the panhandle of florida. storm surges, as you said, anywhere from 10 to 20 feet near cedar key. dangerous life-threatening surge and escape routes washed out for flooding. the system makes landfall sometime tomorrow evening between 6 and 10:00 p.m. this is going to bring massive amounts of storm surge inland and

as it makes its way into the appalachians more flooding is possible talking about anywhere from 10 to 20 inches of rain, tom, considerable flooding across the southeast. we're going to be talking about this right on into friday. we'll have complete details tomorrow morning on "today." tom. >> all right, we know you'll stay tracking it throughout the week. up and down florida's gulf coast preparations for helene are in overdrive tonight. marissa parra is in tampa, and the storm surge is the big fear. >> reporter: it is, tom. that's why this normally bustling riverwalk is empty and why you see this wall it's also why you essentially see this wall of flood protection panels creating a fortress around storefronts like this one. after slamming cuba and mexico, tonight powerful hurricane helene barreling towards florida. >> a mandatory evacuation has been ordered. >> reporter: millions of florida residents now on the move. officials are pleading with locals to evacuate the entire gulf coast from the panhandle to sarasota as helene's winds could reach 130 miles per hour. >> this is a really big storm. you're going to see

impacts up to 250 miles outside the center of the storm. >> reporter: florida's no stranger to hurricanes, but rapid intensification increasing with climate change in recent years has some floridians on edge. >> some people say the whole state of florida can be like a flood zone now if we get enough rain. >> reporter: they're bracing for surge that in some parts could reach 18 feet. tonight, tampa airport announcing it will suspend operations overnight as residents and tourists race to evacuate. >> our hotel is getting evacuated too. just this morning here in downtown this lobby was teeming with people. now it's a ghost town. in tampa not everyone is heeding the warning instead doing anything they can to prepare. >> you are worried? >> oh, yeah, i'm very worried. water, you can't run away from it. it comes on you before you even know it. >> reporter: but with hours until landfall, the time to prepare for helene is running out.

marissa parra, nbc news, tampa. all right. we want to turn to a developing story out of california. a suspect is in custody after an explosion at a courthouse injured six. david noriega is in santa maria. david, witnesses saying deputies pinned down the suspect? >> reporter: that's right, tom. right behind me is the courthouse where witnesses described a shocking explosion shortly after court opened for business this morning followed by a chaotic scene as multiple officers piled on to the suspect. the santa barbara county sheriff's office said the explosion, which happened in the lobby of the building, was caused by an improvised explosive device. they describe the suspect as an adult male who acted alone but haven't released any information about his identity or motive. authorities say they deployed a bomb squad to comb this entire surrounding area and to search a vehicle that they say was connected to the suspect. the fbi is involved in this case, tom, and

one thing we're keeping an eye on is whether they will take over the investigation. tom. >> yes, still a lot of questions, all right, david, we thank you for that. we turn overseas to the escalating war. hezbollah targeting tel aviv with a missile for the first time and israel with its strongest suggestion yet there could be a ground war. richard engel is in beirut. >> reporter: israel now says its strikes into lebanon are preparatory to take out hezbollah fighters and weapons before a possible ground invasion. the chief of staff of the israeli military today told his troops a maneuver is being planned into lebanon where the death toll from air attacks has been rising for days. "you will go in, destroy the enemy there, and decisively destroy their infrastructure," he said. hezbollah leaders are promising to inflict heavy casualties in a ground war and to prove they're undeterred, the iranian-backed militia group for the first time launched a missile at tel aviv. the missile was shot down by israeli defenses. the last time israel invaded lebanon was in 2006.

that war crippled lebanon and destroyed its infrastructure. after heavy losses, israel ended the operation. president biden today still hopeful. >> an all-out war is possible, but i think there's also the opportunity is still in play to have a settlement that can fundamentally change the whole region. there needs to be a two-state solution. >> reporter: but his calls for diplomacy are going unheard. beirut is already filling up with refugees. public schools turned into shelters to accommodate the tens of thousands of lebanese who have left the south and the west, areas that are being shelled by israel right now. israel says it will fight until hezbollah is disarmed. hezbollah says it will fight until israeli troops stop attacking gaza and neither side shows any sign of backing down. a woman i spoke to tonight who evacuated to beirut with 21 of her relatives told me she hopes the american

government will act and not allow lebanon to become the next gaza, tom. >> richard engel from beirut, we thank you. back here at home law enforcement sources saying a secret service agent is on leave accused of sexually assaults one of vice president harris' staffers and a scathing new report is out on the first assassination attempt on former president trump. here's ryan nobles. >> reporter: tonight the secret service once again facing scrutiny. two law enforcement officials telling nbc news an agent in vice president harris' detail has been placed on administrative leave for allegedly groping a harris staffer. those sources saying the agent was allegedly intoxicated at the time. the agency says it's investigating. all of it comes on the same day as a scathing senate investigation outlined a long list of errors made by the agency on the day of the attempted assassination of former president trump in july including a

secret service countersniper team not alerting trump security detail despite seeing local law enforcement running with guns drawn toward the building where the shooter was. investigators asking, did the thought even cross your mind that you should inform someone to keep trump from going on stage or get him off stage? the sniper responding, the thought did not cross my mind. >> there needs to be a house cleaning in management, not just in people but the policies and practices in the secret service. >> reporter: a secret service spokesperson said the report was in line with the agency's internal review. all this while the trump campaign says that u.s. intelligence officials have briefed them on the ongoing iranian threats against the former president. tom. >> ryan nobles on the hill for us. ryan, we thank you. and both candidates today taking their dueling messages on the economy to key battlegrounds as kamala harris tries to chip away at donald trump's lead on the issue. kelly o'donnell is in pittsburgh tonight. >> reporter: today both campaigns focused on an issue that

affects every voter, the economy. >> the cost of living in america is still just too high. you know it, and i know it. >> reporter: vice president harris who has faced criticism for limited policy specifics laid out what she called a pragmatic approach to lower costs, invest in small businesses and bring more manufacturing to the u.s., a message aimed at pittsburgh. >> by offering tax credits for expanding good union jobs in steel and iron and manufacturing communities. >> reporter: as if debating from a distance, former president trump countered harris' new plans from north carolina. >> her economy is doing really, really badly. kamala goes to work every day in the white house, families are suffering now, so if she has a plan, she should stop grandstanding and do it. just do it. >> reporter: while the vice president has

made up ground in polling on voters' views of who would best handle the economy, a new poll shows mr. trump still has the edge among likely voters at 50% with harris at 39%. the former president tying harris to inflation. >> but ask yourself, is anything less expensive than it was four years ago? >> reporter: late today harris speaking to msnbc. >> donald trump has a history of taking care of very rich people, and i'm not mad at anybody for being rich, but they should pay their fair share. >> reporter: from the economy to immigration, vice president harris is headed to arizona friday where she's expected to make a stop along the southern border. tom. >> kelly o'donnell on the campaign trail for us. and come november control of the house could also come down to a handful of districts including one in new york where a republican has found himself at the center of a very big controversy. here's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: outside the capitol

some uncomfortable questions for the freshman congressman from new york. >> did you give your mistress a job? >> i did not. >> reporter: this week "the new york times" reported anthony d'esposito hired his mistress part-time in 2023. citing four people familiar with the relationship. he also hired his longtime fiancee's daughter. both possible violations of house ethics rules, which prohibit hiring relatives and sexual relationships with staffers. payroll records show d'esposito employed the women, but nbc news has not confirmed the alleged affair. >> do you think you violated any house ethics? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: d'esposito who represents a district on long island called the article a slimy partisan hit piece. his opponent says the allegations are very serious and demand further investigation. d'esposito's seat was one of four new york districts republicans flipped in 2022, one of them going to another long islander, george santos, critical wins

that gave the party control of the house. santos was kicked out of congress. a democrat now holds that seat. so, allegations of house ethics violations in this long island district are not just a local matter, they bring national implications. republican control of the house rests on the tiniest of margins. just eight seats, and this seat is wobbly. 1 of 24 that the cook report says are considered toss-ups this election. >> what do you make of the allegations against congressman d'esposito? >> i wasn't wild about him to begin with. >> i wouldn't change my vote. >> what matters to you more as a voter? >> i would say it had been ethics and morals. i'm not so certain that's important anymore. i like his positions. >> reporter: the vote in this critical district may already be locked in. stephanie gosk, nbc news, garden city, new york. all right, in 60 seconds, the deadly hijacking of a city bus in los angeles. the police chase and takedown caught on camera. that's next. en with my mom's alzheimer's,

we've still been close. but when she developed agitation that may happen with dementia due to alzheimer's disease, a distance came between us. she'd get upset when i'd try to help, began wandering, even started swearing. she got agitated often. so, we talked to her doctor. rexulti is the only fda-approved medication proven to reduce agitation symptoms that may happen with dementia due to alzheimer's disease. elderly people with dementia-related psychosis have increased risk of death or stroke. report fever, stiff muscles, and confusion, which can be life-threatening, or uncontrolled muscle movements, which may be permanent. high blood sugar can lead to coma or death; weight gain, increased cholesterol, unusual urges, dizziness on standing, falls, seizures, trouble swallowing, or sleepiness may occur. rexulti helped reduce my mom's symptoms. take action for your loved one. talk to their doctor today about rexulti.

we are back now with the chaotic deadly scene on a bus in los angeles earlier today taken over by a hijacker until police finally stopped him. here's steve patterson with the video. >> reporter: downtown los angeles besieged by a storm of sirens as a small army of squad cars tailed this hijacked l.a. metro bus for an hour. the driver, police say, steering the bus at gunpoint. >> this operator continued to operate the bus in a safe manner as he could. >> reporter: police say the bus came under assault before 1:00 a.m. a hijacker identified as lamont campbell shot one passenger sending others running from the bus. >> the operator initiated emergency protocols on the bus. >> reporter: police say the driver remembered a piece of lifesaving training

pressing a panic, 911, call police, emergency. it spurred the lapd into action deploying spike strips funneling the bus into a trap. a s.w.a.t. team surrounding the bus. >> this is lapd. you're surrounded. come out with your hands up. >> reporter: storming in, pulling the driver to safety arresting the suspect alive and unhurt. >> he surrendered immediately, and there was no use of force at the end of the pursuit. >> reporter: police say one passenger was shot multiple times. the victim later died at the hospital. no one else was hurt. a small wonder, police say, thanks to the quick thinking of the man steering away from danger. >> they are civil service heroes. >> reporter: courage under fire. calm behind the wheel. steve patterson, nbc news, los angeles. up next, the new city where former president trump is trying to link immigration and crime. what we found. that's next. crime. node-positive breast cancer.

my fear of recurrence could've held me back. but i'm staying focused. and doing more to prevent recurrence. verzenio is specifically for hr-positive, her2-negative, node-positive early breast cancer with a high chance of returning, as determined by your doctor when added to hormone therapy. verzenio reduces the risk of recurrence versus hormone therapy alone. diarrhea is common, may be severe, or cause dehydration or infection. at the first sign, call your doctor, start an antidiarrheal, and drink fluids. before taking verzenio, tell your doctor about any fever, chills, or other signs of infection. verzenio may cause low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infection that can lead to death. life-threatening lung inflammation can occur. tell your doctor about any new or worsening trouble breathing, cough, or chest pain. serious liver problems can happen. symptoms include fatigue, appetite loss, stomach pain, and bleeding or bruising. blood clots that can lead to death have occurred. tell your doctor if you have pain or swelling in your arms or legs, shortness of breath, chest pain and rapid breathing or heart rate, or if you are nursing, pregnant, or plan to be. i'm focusing on what counts. talk to your doctor about reducing your risk. ♪ when you need to prepare for unpredictable adventures...

[gasp] you need weathertech. [hot dog splat] laser measured floorliners front and rear. [drink slurp and splat] [scream] seat protector to save the seats. they're all yours! -we're here! -hey, i knew you were comin'... so i weatherteched the car! -can we get ice cream? -we can now. order your premium american made products at wt.com. with claritin, relieving your allergies is a walk in the park. get fast, all-day relief of your worst allergy symptoms like nasal congestion. (♪♪) live claritin clear. molly leaving was one thing.

but then i thought mom's weak bones might keep us stuck on the couch. no way. (♪♪) if you have postmenopausal osteoporosis and are at high risk for fracture, you can do more than just slow bone loss. you can build new bone in just 12 months with evenity®. evenity® is proven to reduce spine fracture risk by 73%. i heard her say the evenity® she's taking builds new bone. builds new bone! evenity® can increase risk of heart attack, stroke, or death from a cardiovascular problem. do not take evenity® if you have low blood calcium or are allergic to it. serious allergic reactions and low blood calcium have occurred. tell your doctor about jaw bone problems, as they have been reported with evenity®. or about pain in your hip, groin, or thigh, as unusual thigh bone fractures have occurred. building new bone. we dig it. want stronger bones? ask your doctor about building new bone with evenity®.

city in the center of a firestorm over immigration. former president trump has claimed aurora, colorado, is being overrun by venezuelan gangs. we sent gabe gutierrez there to find out if it's true. >> reporter: this video of armed men roaming an apartment complex in aurora went viral last month. it was captured by cindy romero's security camera. >> this was terrifying.

and i don't wish it on anybody. >> reporter: she says the nightly violence forced her to move, and she showed us the bullet holes in her car. >> it was never meant to be political when i released it, of course. it was meant to bring awareness so the people in my building could get help. >> reporter: that thrust colorado's third largest city into the spotlight prompting former president trump to repeatedly rail against venezuelan migrants here including today. >> they're going in with guns that are beyond even military scope, and they're taking over apartment buildings, and they're literally taking over those towns. >> reporter: trump and his allies have highlighted a venezuelan prison gang, tren de aragua, or tda, homeland security officials tell nbc news they have more than 100 criminal investigations nationwide into tda including for sex trafficking and shooting police officers calling tda the next ms-13, a violent gang from el salvador, but police in aurora stress the gang is not overrunning their city

and that it's unclear whether the gang is responsible for any violent incidents at three apartment complexes, one of which has been shut down. immigrant carlos lives in another. [ speaking [ speaking in a global language ] >> reporter: he tells us the story has been exaggerated for political reasons and most venezuelans are here to work. >> i want the former president to come because i want to show him the city. i want to show him the narrative is not accurate by any strep stretch of the imagination. >> reporter: mike coffman is aurora's mayor. you're a republican. >> correct. >> you're a donald trump supporter. >> i'm going to vote for the president. >> but you don't agree with him on this particular narrative. >> no. >> reporter: we asked the mayor whether he regretted saying it first, the apartments had fallen to the gang. he says he does not, because he was going off police reports he had been given at the time. tom. >> all right, gabe gutierrez for us tonight. gabe, we thank you for that. when we come back we'll switch gears

here. we'll introduce you to the man giving new life to old baseball mitts, reviving memories and smiles, the good news is next. this is a hot flash. this is a hot flash. but this is a not flash. for moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms due to menopause... ...veozah is the first and only prescription treatment that directly blocks a source of hot flashes and night sweats. with 100% hormone-free veozah... ...you can have fewer hot flashes... ...and more not flashes. veozah reduces the number and severity of hot flashes day and night. don't use veozah if you have cirrhosis, severe kidney problems, kidney failure, or take cyp1a2 inhibitors. increased liver blood test values may occur. your doctor will check them before and during treatment. most common side effects include stomach pain, diarrhea, difficulty sleeping, and back pain. ask your doctor about hormone-free veozah... ...and enjoy more not flashes. you could save on veozah. visit saveonveozah.com

to learn more. ♪limu emu♪ ♪& doug.♪ and if we win, we get to tell you how liberty mutual customizes car insurance so you only pay for what you need. isn't that what you just did? service! ♪stand back i'm going to show ya,♪ ♪how doug and limu roll, yeah!♪ ♪♪ ♪you know you got to live it,♪ ♪♪ ♪if you want to win...♪ [bump] time out! only pay for what you need. ♪liberty, liberty,♪ ♪liberty, liberty.♪

my moderate to severe crohn's symptoms kept me out of the picture. now i have skyrizi. ♪ i've got places to go and i'm feeling free ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me ♪ ♪ control is everything to me ♪ and now i'm back in the picture. feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi helped visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining. and with skyrizi, many were in remission at 12 weeks, at 1 year, and even at 2 years. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to. liver problems may occur in crohn's disease. ask your gastroenterologist how to take control of your crohn's with skyrizi. ♪ control is everything to me ♪ learn how abbvie

could help you save. finally, if you've ever had a beloved baseball glove you just couldn't part with, there's good news tonight. here's maggie vespa. >> reporter: woven into the fabric of america's favorite pastime lives a love for nostalgia that jimmy lonetti is

determined to preserve. the retired minneapolis mail carrier and father of three took a swing two years ago opening d&j glove repair. >> hi, jimmy. >> hey, fellas. >> reporter: dedicating to restoring baseball gloves. >> a glove should be a lifetime investment. buy a good one, take care of it, you'll have it forever. >> reporter: lonetti's extra innings career traces back decades for repairing gloves for his son, dom, the "d" in d&j. word spread among little league parents and fans online. lonetti now repairs roughly a thousand gloves per year, shipped from around the world. >> i've gotten them from england, you know, i had a guy from norway send me a glove. >> reporter: his home run work linking generations breathing new life into jim's 60-year-old glove gifted by his dad, now used for catch with his granddaughter abby. >> you never thought twice about replacing it. >> oh, heaven's no,

no, no, no, no, there's way too much sentimental value. this is cultural glue. this is intergenerational glue. >> reporter: that glue -- >> it's fun. i also get to spend time with him. >> reporter: -- also bonding lonetti's legacy. >> it's this old guy right here. >> that's your first glove? >> my first glove. my parents bought it for me at the local kmart. >> reporter: with his grandfather's, a career cobbler, his photo perched among the prized memorabilia. >> a few guys mist up standing when they see their glove. >> it's emotional. >> it is, it is. it just means i'm doing some good. so, yeah. yeah, i'm having fun too. >> reporter: maggie vespa, nbc, minneapolis. >> we thank maggie for that home run of a story, and we thank you for watching "nightly news" on this wednesday. i'm tom llamas. have a great night.

addressing crime concerns in antioch. nearly a dozen shootings in one neighborhood. how the mayor and police are reassuring the community