a battle over the midwest vp picks. tim walz and jd vance sparring at their first and possibly only vice presidential debate. clashing on reproductive rights

and gun policy. their debate coming as crime as the top concern for americans. the new fbi data showing how much violent crime has dropped in the last year. advan vance and walz also speaking on the mideast crisis as it hit as new boiling point. iran fires missiles at israel. and israel continues its offensive against hezbollah in lebanon. live coverage on the latest. president biden set to visit areas in the carolinas impacted by hurricane helene, as the desperate search for loved ones continues. and officials rush to get much-needed aid to communities wiped away in the flood. and dozens of north dakota veterans get a very special greeting at the capitol.

good morning, i'm frances rivera. the hopefuls going head to head on abortion, and violence in the middle east. tuesday's showdown was likely the last debate of the 2024 presidential race. brie jackson takes a deeper dive for us. >> reporter: minnesota governor tim walz and ohio senator jd vance clashing on the debate stage just hours after iran's strike on israel put a spotlight on foreign policy. >> you saw it experienced today, where along with our israeli partners and our coalition, able to stop the incoming attack. but what's fundamental here is that steady leadership is going to matter. >> donald trump actually delivered stability in the world, and he did it by establishing effective deterrence. people were afraid of stepping out of line. >> reporter: a moment of unity in response to the devastation

caused by hurricane helene. >> i'm sure governor walz joins me in saying our hearts go out to those innocent people, our prayers go out to them. and we want as robust a federal response as we can gem. >> re get. >> reporter: and on the economy. >> we just want the wealthy to pay their fair share. >> if kamala harris has such great plans for how to address middle class problems, then she ought to do them now. not when asking for a promotion. >> reporter: vance turning the focus to a top issue for republicans, border security. >> you got to stop the bleeding. you've got to reimplement donald trump's border policies. >> donald trump had four years. he had four years to do theis. and he promised you, america, how easy it would be. >> reporter: on democracy, former president trump's running mate refusing to admit that he

lost the 2020 election. >> it kamala harris censor americans from speaking their minds? >> so, america, i think you've got a really clear choice on this election of who's going to honor that democracy, and who's going to honor donald trump. >> reporter: with voting already under way in parts of the country, each campaign is looking to leave a lasting impression in what is likely the final debate. in washington, brie jackson, nbc news. dramatic scenes in the middle east with iran firing nearly 200 ballistic missiles at israel. the attack seems to have been largely thwarted because of israeli anti-missile systems and u.s. help. so far, there are no reports of fatalities in israel but benjamin netanyahu is promising fierce retaliation. for the latest, let's go to claudio lavanga. break down the events leading up to this attack. >> reporter: good morning,

frances. well, the iranian revolutionary guard said that the attack was in response to several things. one was the killing of ismail haniyeh, the political leader of hamas who was killed in july in iran. and the recent killing of nasrallah in beirut. and what they said in a statement was the massacring of people in gaza and in lebanon. also the iranian mission to the united nations said that this was a legal and legitimate response to israel's targeting of iran's national foreign interests and sovereignty. as you mentioned, the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, promised to retaliate, saying iran has made a big mistake and that they will pay for it, while the iranian president said they will not. he said what happened on tuesday was only a glimpse of iran's

capabilities. as you mentioned, there were no fatalities reported from tuesday's attack by iran. only a couple of people, according to the israeli emergency services were hurt because of the shrapnel that fell from the sky of those rockets being intercepted by israel. but perhaps the deadliest attack on tuesday on israeli soil came from the ground, from two people who opened fire shortly before the barrage of missiles that were fired from iran. they opened fire at bystanders. this particular attack was claimed by the palestinian islamic jihad, frances. >> rising tensions with nerves already frayed from there. thank you so much, claudio. back lear at home, residents across the southeast are still grappling with the devastation of hurricane helene. the death toll now reaching at least 151. power is slowly coming back to some regions. but more than a million customers are still in the dark

this morning. today president biden will head to north and south carolina to meet first responders and tour areas hit by helene. jay gray has the latest from the hard-hit town of boone, north carolina. >> reporter: the mountains of north carolina littered with splintered wood and twisted metal. remnants of homes and lives ripped apart by helene, a storm unlike any the region has ever seen. >> we were facing apocalyptic disaster. the last time that west north carolina experienced a flood like this was in the book of genesis and noah. there is nothing in between. this is the big one. >> reporter: entire communities washed away. >> i mean, there's no road. there's no evidence of a road. there's no trees. it's just water and stumps. there's nothing left. >> reporter: more than 130 dead, across six states, with

expectations that number will grow. more than third of the victims from the carolinas where 600 or more are still missing. >> day three of him potentially not having insulin. i'm scared. >> reporter: kristin stark hasn't talked to her dad since before the storm. like so many, frantic to find loved ones. she' call ed dozens of times, bt so far no answer. >> it goes straight to his voice mail. and in some way, hearing his voice is a little comforting. >> reporter: there is little if any comfort in the hardest-hit areas here. survivors with no power, cell service, clean water and food and fuel scarce. >> there's actual whole communities that are completely cut off from the grid. >> reporter: operation airdrop flying in supplies where they can. in other battered communities, essentials carried in by donkey. life-saving measures in areas desperate for help. they'll need for a long time here. jay gray, nbc news, boone, north

carolina. new this morning, rap music been hit with additional lawsuits. some of the allegations go back more than 20 years, some involve minors, according to the accusers' attorney. he denied the accusations. he has already been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering. he has pleaded not guilty. he's currently imprisoned in brooklyn, new york, awaiting trial. negotiators are working to strike a deal to get tens of,000 of dockworkers back on the job this morning. major ports from texas to new england are at a stand still as union workers walk the pickett line for the first time in nearly 50 years. the union is demanding higher wages and protection from automation. if the strike drags on too long it could raise prices on

everything from toys ato cars higher. good morning, michelle. >> the fall front will be moving through the northeast. we're looking at scattered showers. maybe just keep the umbrella handy. there's that first front that's going to come through. you can see yellow popping in. for the most part, it will be very scattered and very light. that will move through and bring really nice weather thursday, friday through the weekend. down to the south we're looking at an area of disorganized weather in the gulf. that's going to bring the chance for showers to florida again. some of these could be on the heiferier side. we could see lightning with these storms as well. as we go throughout tomorrow, we'll see showers and storms for the central gulf coast. this is going to expand through the next couple days and will be heavier in florida by this weekend. we're talking about a big story out west. 36 million people impacted by heat alerts. heat advisories, heat warnings. places like phoenix, yuma.

we'll see temperatures soaring once again. we've seen it in the d orlando. temperatures in the 80s there. 92 in houston. that's your wednesday forecast. >> okay. we don't want to rewind. thanks, michelle. beloved actor john amos has died. he starred as the stern patriarch on the 1974 sitcom "good times." shortly after he landed the adult role in "roots", earning him his first emmy nomination. his career spanned over five decades with over 100 tv and film credits, starring in films like "coming to america" and

"let's do it again". his family shared that the star passed back in august. he was 84 years old. coming up, a legendary actor comes out of retirement. but first, we're back. >> a minute thwi how major cities are turning the tide in the fight against violent crime. ! i'm trying! this cheap stuff is too thin! i told you not to get the other toilet paper. here's charmin ultra strong. ahhh! my bottom's been saved! wooho! with its diamond weave texture, charmin ultra strong cleans better with fewer sheets and less effort. what's everybody waiting for? this? ok hon, we know you're clean. we all go, why not enjoy the go with charmin. can neuriva support your brain health? mary. janet. hey! eddie. no! fraser. frank. frank. fred. how are you? support up to seven brain health indicators, including memory. when you need to remember, remember neuriva.

turning back to our top story. violent crime has become one of the top issues, but fbi data shows it has continued to drop in the u.s. in the first part of the year. we go to detroit where the police chief says the reality doesn't match the rhetoric. >> reporter: we're with officers patrolling downtown detroit who tell us this city, long one of america's most dangerous, is safer. >> is that the reality that you see? >> we often get a bad rap. >> reporter: but that's not what you'll hear from former president trump when he talks about crime across america. >> crime here is up and through the roof. >> reporter: including in michigan.

>> but you can't walk across the street to get a loaf of bread. you get shot. >> that's simply not true. >> reporter: we spoke to detroit police chief, james white. >> i invite him to walk the streets of detroit, and i'd be more than happy to do that with him. >> reporter: crime has fallen dramatically after it exploded during the pandemic. >> we look at this to ensure that our strategies are working and our criminal homicides are down 21%. >> reporter: white says 1,000-plus cameras at gas stations monitored by officers helps. and it's not just detroit. across the country, new fbi data shows crime has fallen steeply, back to where it was five years ago. violent crime dropped 3% in 2023 from the year before. continuing a three-year trend. and murder fell by 11.6%, the largest single year decline on record. though another key measure, the justice department's annual survey asking 200,000 americans if they've been crime victims found violent crime was about the same in 2023 as the year

before. but that survey does not factor in the plummeting murder rate. >> i got a call around 1:03 in the morning from my son chandler. he's yelling, "jordan was shot." >> reporter: still, for too many families, the horrors of gun violence are a tragic reality. their 23-year-old son jordan graduated college this spring. he was the innocent victim of random gunfire, leaving a detroit block party. >> i lost my son. why? why did it happen? why did it happen? it should have never happened. >> reporter: to victims of crime, statistics are meaningless. how does it make you feel when you hear people say, well, crime's down? >> wif you would have asked me prior to this, i would have been okay, i can probably see it. but seeing it hit home, i don't know. i can't say it is. >> reporter: what happened to

jordan thornhill is tragic. chief white telling us the crime drop is still nothing to celebrate. >> we're not going to, you know, tara rot tear as on the back. still to come. for a hundred,000, thousand do wrist wear. metamucil's psyllium fiber helps keep your digestive system moving so you can feel lighter and more energetic. metamucil keeps you movin'. and try fizzing fiber plus vitamins. (mom) let me see my new grand-dog! metamucil keeps you movin'. (mia) say “hi grandma”!

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and i can't take up space with a confrontation. i simply don't have time for confrontations. >> he has been a phantom to the big screen for seven years, but one of our greatest living actors is finally making a comeback. focus features confirmed that daniel day lewis is coming out of retirement. he will appear in the film anemone. it is the directional debut of his son, ronan day lewis. the legendary actor has not appeared in a movie since 2017. you saw that clip that are. and this guy is hard core when it comes to his acting. it pays off, because he has those three best actor awards. >> no pressure on his son, right? >> right. well, the greatest quarterback of all time is putting some of his jewelry up for sale. a collection of watches worn by

tom brady are going on the auction block this december. it's part of the collection from treasures from tom brady. the pieces offers represent his career. you may need the payday of a quarterback. they are expected to sell for $12,000 to $800,000. >> you're talking about big names in there. when we come back, details on the concerning trend in breast cancer rates. and boom bkeucts are set to haunt mcdonald's just in time for spooky season. ♪ that always shines on me. ♪ ♪ there's a way ♪ ♪ everybody say. ♪ ♪ oh... ♪ ♪ you must know what it's like. ♪ ♪ baby, you must know what it's like ♪ ♪ to love somebody. ♪ ♪ to love somebody. ♪ ♪ the way i love you. ♪

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when you need to remember, remember neuriva. here's what's making headlines this morning. new diagnoses of breast cancer are ticking up, especially in young and asian women. for women under 50, the increase is about 1.4% a year since 2012. and, among aapi women under 50,

breast cancer diagnoses have gone up 50% since 2000. a new study shows time-restricted eating could help improve the health of those who have metabolic syndrome. participants who restricted their eating showed significant improvements in heart health. pepsico says it's buying a mexican food company. it's their first food acquisition in about five years. and monster face buckets coming to mcdonald's.

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north dakota veterans. from our bismarck affiliate, jody kearseman has the story. >> reporter: this is the moment these veterans have been waiting for, for more than 50 years. finally, a welcome home from their country. this moment enough to bring tears to many eyes. it is just one of many moments strung together that made this western north dakota honor flight one to remember. honor flight founder earl moore experienced those moments alongside these north dakota veterans. without telling anyone who he was, morse pushed wheelchairs, visited with veterans, heard their stories, and finally revealed his identity. >> vietnam veterans were real to

me. >> reporter: telling these men they are his heroes. >> you are the standard by which i had hoped to live my life. >> reporter: there were plenty of moments that stirred up happy memories for ronda and her dad herb schlegel. that moment came at the world war ii memorial. when herb spotted kilroy. >> he would doodle the kilroy. and he didn't explain what it was. >> i remember drawing that a lot. but, he was very popular back then. >> reporter: there were also plenty of sad moments. moments of grief. and moments of healing. >> that's me. >> reporter: for marine corps veteran dennis. that came here at the vietnam veterans memorial. >> about an hour before he was killed. >> reporter: he had 11 names to

find. >> my best buddy. >> reporter: names of 11 buddies who didn't come home. >> i wrote a letter to them. >> reporter: for brothers val and freddy frank, the most memorable moment was captured in these photos. as they were able to provide comfort and healing to a stranger. her brother died in vietnam. she always worried he'd be forgotten. >> hopefully, we left her with some peace in her heart. >> i think she did. >> and her in our hearts. to thank us for our service. >> our thanks to jody hersman for that report. gla glad to honor them now and a little over a month from now on veterans day. i'