here's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: tonight, a triple threat is looming over the presidential campaign, the rising tensions in the middle east, a deadlocked port strike threatening to raise prices. >> we're hearing from the folks regionally that they're having trouble getting product they need because of the port strike. >> reporter: and the devastating aftermath of hurricane helene. >> there's a lot of work that's going to need to happen over the coming day, weeks, and months. >> reporter: late today vice president harris visiting the storm zone in battleground georgia two days after former president trump went there. her trip coming after last night's debate where j.d. vance and tim walz remained civil while attacking each other's running mates. >> donald trump put this all into motion. he brags about how great it was that he put the judges in and overturned roe versus wade. >> you've simultaneously got to defend kamala harris' atrocious economic record, which has made gas, groceries, and housing unaffordable for american citizens. >> reporter: walz struggling when asked about his pa

here is gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: she was once one of the most conservative members of congress, but tonight liz cheney is standing alongside vice president harris. >> this year i am proudly casting my vote for vice president kamala harris. >> reporter: the vice president campaigning today in ripon, wisconsin, the birthplace of the republican party back in 1854. >> he, who violated the oath to uphold the constitution of the united states of america. and make no mistake, who, if given the chance, would violate it again. >> meanwhile, former president trump slamming yesterday's release by a judge of new evidence from special counsel jack smith in the now delayed january 6th case, including trump allegedly responding "so what" to reports mike pence was in danger. >> this was a weaponization of government, and that's why it was released 30 days before the election. there is nothing new in there. >> reporter: trump today in battleground michigan blaming harris for the ongoing port strike that is threatening to raise prices. >> kamala harris has unleashed nothing but chaos and suffering fo

here's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: tonight after facing criticism for avoiding unscripted events vicesident harris on a new media blitz. on cbs pressed on her economic plan. >> how are you going to pay for it? >> one of the things is i'm going to make sure that the richest among us who can afford it pay their fair share in taxes. >> but we're dealing with the real world here. >> but the real world includes -- >> how are you going to get this through congress? >> you know, when you talk quietly with a lot of folks in congress, they know exactly what i'm talking about. >> reporter: meanwhile, former president trump, who's called for the mass deportation of migrants, is igniting new controversy by suggesting undocumented immigrants convicted of murder have bad genes. >> you know, now, a murderer, i believe this, it's in their genes. and we've got a lot of bad genes in our country right now. >> that type of language is hateful. it's disgusting. it's inappropriate. and has no place in our country. >> reporter: the trump campaign tonight saying the former president was clearly referring to

gabe gutierrez is there. >> reporter: in western north carolina -- >> this is our campground. this is where we live. >> reporter: the wall of water from this river obliterated not just suzanne garland's home and family business, it's also shattered her sense of normalcy. how tough have the last few weeks been? >> i feel bad, yeah. but everybody's pulled together. we've lost everything. you can't just sit and cry. you have to do something. >> reporter: today she did something. among the first to vote early. >> people deserve to be heard. and just because we're rural and we're not in the city, we're up in these hills and stuff, we'll find a way to vote. >> reporter: north carolina a key battleground. democrats haven't won this state since 2008, but now view it as crucial on the road to the white house. we found in the aftermath of hurricane helene the election is essential on the road to recovery. >> we have to expand our polling places for people to have access. again, this is not a partisan issue. this is an american issue. >> reporter: today the raleigh suburbs saw long lines

>> gabe gutierrez at the white house.also tonight the supreme court declining to take up the biden administration's appeal in the case involving emergency room abortions in texas. that leaves in place a lower court's ruling that found texas hospitals are not required by federal law to perform emergency abortions that would violate the state's ban. >>> up next for us tonight, we'll take a closer look at the flooding tragedy at the plastics plant in tennessee. loved ones asking why were so many people still working when the storm rolled in? to be anything left... —left over? —yeah. oh, absolutely. (inner monologue) my kids don't know what they want. you know who knows what she wants? me! i want a massage, in amalfi, from someone named giancarlo. and i didn't live in that shoebox for years. not just— with empower, we get all of our financial questions answered. so you don't have to worry. i guess i'll get the caviar... just kidding. join 18 million americans and take control of your financial future with a real time dashboar

>> gabe gutierrez starting us off.ris campaign tonight zeroing in on that unusual campaign event by former president trump to try to cast doubt on his fitness to be president again. hallie jackson with more on this. ♪♪ >> reporter: vice president harris looking to flip the script against former president trump, putting his age and health front and center. her campaign pointing to mr. trump's unusual soundtrack session overnight after that pause for medical help for audience members. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ there's no need to feel down ♪ >> mr. trump today calling the interlude amazing and a great evening. >> i was dancing with him. i loved it. >> reporter: but the harris campaign suggesting mr. trump appeared lost, confused and frozen as democrats ramp up a push to cast doubt on mr. trump's mental fitness. >> he's confused. he's a nearly 80-year-old man. >> reporter: they're pointing to stumbles like this one. >> if anyone gets out to vote on january 5th or before. >> reporter: the elections on november 5th and highlighting his digres

let's head to the campaign trail now for the latest, starting with gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: tonight, with just five days to go, vice president harris with renewed urgency targeting key western battlegrounds arizona and nevada. >> we all know who donald trump is. this is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge. >> reporter: and now attacking former president trump for these comments about women overnight. >> i want to protect the women of our country. i want to protect -- sir, please don't say that. why? they said we think it's -- we think it's very inappropriate for you to say. i said, well, i'm going to do it whether the women like it or not. i'm going to protect them. i'm going to protect them from migrants coming in. i'm going to protect them from foreign countries that want to hit us with missiles. >> reporter: late today the vice president speaking exclusively with nbc's yamiche alcindor. >> former president donald trump has said he would be a protector of women, whether they like it or not. what do you make of that? and how does that contrast with your views on women an

sdm gabe gutierrez, thank you. >>> in 60 seconds how we have pretty drastic measures, panic buttons, reinforced doors and much more. vote watch is right after this. with rapid relief at 4 weeks. tremfya blocks a key source of inflammation. at one year, many people experienced remission... and some saw 100% visible healing of their intestinal lining. serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. healing is possible with tremfya. ask your doctor about tremfya today. ♪ >>> this political season election workers are facing unprecedented threats. in our "vote watch," hailey jackson details some of the measures being put in place to protect them including panic buts -- buttons and bulletproof glass. >> reporter: the construction nearly finished at durham's elections office set to re-open with some startling new features. >> this is already the bulletproof glass. >> yes. >> and more is going in right here. >> ab

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, bellaire, michigan. >>> and next for us tonight, rumble in the bronx.g crazy for the world series's historic return. even for those too young to remember the last time they were in new york. what do we want more of? more laughs. more hang outs. yeah, more of all of this stuff. but getting older also means more risk of serious flu, covid-19, and rsv. vaccines lower your risk, so you can keep doing more. ok guys, instead of getting weathertech, i saved a few bucks and got some cheap, foreign made floor mats. but they really stink, so put these on. ♪♪ really, gary? mom, i'm thirsty. don't settle for cheap, stinky floor mats. at weathertech we make our floorliners and cargo liners here in america, out of pure non-toxic american materials. dad, next time get weathertech. they don't stink! i'm on it. find out everything we have at wt.com. if you struggle. and struggle. and struggle with cpap. you should check out inspire. no mask. no hose. just sleep. learn more and view important safety information at inspiresleep.com donald trump has always wanted unchecked

here's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: with hurricane milton churning in the gulf tonight president biden is ramping up his criticism of misinformation ahead of the storm. >> it's un-american. it's not who the hell we are. >> reporter: meanwhile trump in battleground pennsylvania attacking harris. >> she's just led the worst rescue operation in history in north carolina. >> reporter: and intensifying political storm as both campaigns battle over federal disaster relief. >> they had no money. you know where they gave the money, to illegal immigrants coming in. >> reporter: that's false. fema says that more than a billion dollars distributed to shelter migrants is from a different government program, not disaster relief. harris on a late night show slamming trump for pushing misinformation. >> and it's crude. have you no empathy, man? no, for the suffering of other people. >> reporter: the former president also falsely says fema will only give storm survivors $750. trump's claims drawing pushback from other republicans. >> those rumors are totally unsubstantiated. >> reporter: still north c

>> all right, gabe gutierrez, thank you. >>> we'll take a break right here.eople clamoring to bring home a piece of "game of thrones." that's next. ri before taking breztri for my copd, i had bad days. days ruined by flare-ups [cough] that could permanently damage my lungs. then i talked to my doctor about breztri, and i noticed things changed. breztri gave me better breathing. ♪♪ starting within 5 minutes, my lung function improved. ♪♪ breztri also helped improve my symptoms... and was even proven to reduce flare-ups... including those that could send me to the hospital. now i worry less about bad days... and enjoy more good days. breztri won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. it is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. don't take breztri more than prescribed. breztri may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling,... problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. can't a

gabe gutierrez, thank you. >>> we'll take a break here.roker and a late update on the path of milton. that's next. so when i had carpal tunnel syndrome, lower back pain, and shortness of breath, i thought that's what getting older felt like. thank goodness... ...i called my cardiologist. i have attr-cm, a rare but serious disease... ...and getting diagnosed early... ...made a difference. if you have any of these warning signs, don't wait, ask your cardiologist about attr-cm today. (♪♪) one hundred republicans who worked in national security for presidents reagan, both bushes, and for president trump. now endorsing harris for president. she came up as a prosecutor, an attorney general, into the senate. she has the kind of character that's going to be necessary in the presidency. vice president harris is standing in the breach at a critical moment in our nation's history. we have a shared commitment as americans to do what's right for this country. this year, i am proudly casting my vote for vice president kamala harris. former generals, sec

let's start tonight with gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: tonight, with just 22 days to go, both candidates on a battleground blitz. former president trump going after vice president harris on immigration. >> when i win on november 5th, the migrant invasion ends and the restoration of our country begins. >> reporter: harris hammering trump for not agreeing to another debate. >> are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable to lead america? >> reporter: and now zeroing in on trump's response when asked about concerns election day would not be peaceful. >> i think the bigger problem are the people from within. we have some sick people, radical left lunatics. and i think they are the -- and it should be very easily handled by -- if necessary by national guard or if really necessary by the military. because they can't let that happen. >> reporter: today tim walz firing back. >> donald trump over the weekend was talking about using the u.s. army against people who disagree with him. >> reporter: while j.d. vance defended his running mate late today. >> if you have a major

>> gabe gutierrez, thanks. >>> in florida the destructive power of hurricanes milton and helene coming into sharper focus tonight. the landscape changed in parts of the gulf coast. stephanie gosk saw the damage by land and sea. >> reporter: tonight the barrier islands on florida's west coast are digging out. >> nobody ever expects this. >> reporter: manasota key was slammed by the brunt of milton's wind and surge. >> very challenging times for sure. >> reporter: fire lieutenant chad wynn gave us a boat tour of the worst of it. >> it's something we'll never get back. it's crazy, part of history's truly gone. >> reporter: while the manatees swim unfazed, the key is likely changed forever. the land connected before the hurricane, but when the storm came in it was so strong it blew a hole through the island. further down the coast houses are decimated. >> that sea wall is there to protect the houses, but hurricane milton was so strong that it actually picked up those huge boulders and hurled them into homes. some cases in their living rooms. in other areas water still submerges roads and h

gabe gutierrez, thank you. >>> we'll take a break here.roker and a late update on the path of milton. that's next. so when i had carpal tunnel syndrome, lower back pain, and shortness of breath, i thought that's what getting older felt like. thank goodness... ...i called my cardiologist. i have attr-cm, a rare but serious disease... ...and getting diagnosed early... ...made a difference. if you have any of these warning signs, don't wait, ask your cardiologist about attr-cm today. (♪♪) one hundred republicans who worked in national security for presidents reagan, both bushes, and for president trump. now endorsing harris for president. she came up as a prosecutor, an attorney general, into the senate. she has the kind of character that's going to be necessary in the presidency. vice president harris is standing in the breach at a critical moment in our nation's history. we have a shared commitment as americans to do what's right for this country. this year, i am proudly casting my vote for vice president kamala harris. former generals, sec

. >> we begin with nbc news correspondents garrett haake in atlanta and gabe gutierrez at the white house. garrett, first to you. donald trump spoke tour hours after hinchcliffe made those remarks. he didn't say a word about it. he's in georgia today. this has to be hanging over him? >> reporter: it's clearly hanging over the campaign. they have been talking quite a bit about the size of the rally last night, trying to brag about the energy that it proves in their view their movement has created. we have heard relatively little about the content across the board, including donald trump's own speech, he has two events here in atlanta or the atlanta area later today. we could hear more from him on that topic then. what i have seen mostly from trump's allies online today is either ignoring those comments or trying to create a backlash to the backlash. stephen miller, the former trump staffer turned aide and sort of legal ally now, charlie kirk who runs turning point, have been saying that anybody calling this a hate rally or comparing it to nazi rallies is trying to fire up the liberal base,

gabe gutierrez, thank you for bringing us the latest. before we turn to the harris campaign, your reaction, michael, to this new ruling out of georgia, related to election certifications, something that we used to just be able to take for granted. >> right. yeah, ana, it is an important ruling and important clapback on the effort to leverage the election in favor of republicans by giving power to local election authorities that they shouldn't have. i mean, their job is as the judge said, you have to go through the process, yes, you can challenge in the moment if you think a ballot or a voter is insufficient. but at the end of the day, your job requires you to certify the election. so this is -- this is an important step. there is still other areas in georgia where there is confusion. this endgame has been for republicans in a place like georgia because they realize georgia suddenly became a battleground state for them to make sure that they could tip the scales one way or the other in their favor. so, there is still a lot that can happen

. >> with us now, nbc news senior white house correspondent gabe gutierrez and garrett haake.sident has not done many unscripted events. you just listed some of the e interviews she plans it do this week and she'll focus on the campaign messaging over the last several weeks including reproductive rights and right there over the weekend, she had an interview with a popular podcast call her daddy tonight, tonight she has 60 minutes and she will have "the view" and howard stern and stephen colbert and this is part of the campaign strategy to get her out there more. they're mostly friendly interviews, however, she did speak to "60 minutes" and she was pressed about the u.s.' relationship with prime minister netanyahu. >> do we have a real close ally in prime minister netanyahu? >> i think with all due respect the better question is do we have an important alliance between the american people and the israeli people and the answer to that question is yes. >> notice, she did not directly answer the question there, pivoted a little bit, but she is expected later in the week to head to

gabe gutierrez from washington. and our garrett haake from arizona. also with us, megan hayes, former special assistant to president biden. and sarah matthews, former trump white house press secretary. the v.p. ramping up her warnings about a trump in a second turn in the final stretch. >> i should point out that some noise behind me on the north lawn. there's demonstrators protesting the gaza war. that's what that noise is. regards to the town hall, vice president harris was pressed on several issues. and, yes, she is trying to make the case, more so now, that donald trump is an existential threat to democracy. that message resembles what president biden was saying when he was campaigning. she also touched on other issues. she talked about supporting taking a look at the filibuster to codify roe, and also potentially supporting some kind of supreme court reform. it's that message of responding to general kelly's comments that donald trump is a fascist, she used that word herself for the first time. let's take a listen at some of what she had to say l

ron hill yard is in phoenix and gabe gutierrez is in reno, nevada. phoenix, what's reaching the ballot there? is abortion going to be a difference-making policy there in phoenix -- or in arizona? and if so, which candidate is going -- is going to get that vote? >> right. i think it is actually the perfect, i guess, representation of the nationalization of the overturning of roe v. wade, because it is not just the presidential election that we are looking at. it came down to 11,000 votes in 2020. but it is also the u.s. senate race. a few years ago, kerry lake said she would have defended the 1864 arizona territorial ban which would have punished doctors for performing abortions here in the state. she has quickly tried to, you could call, moderate, change her position on abortion, understanding that there is a referendum on tuesday's ballot that would codify abortion protections statutorily in the state of arizona. if you go further than that, there is the arizona legislature for the first time, decades we're talking about, democrats have the potentia

. >> joining us now, nbc news senior white house correspondent gabe gutierrez and nbc news correspondent dasha burns, live from north carolina. gabe, the vice president was giving what the campaign characterized as her closing argument last night. president may have complicated things a bit. how is the campaign handling this? >> hi there, jose, good morning. the campaign is trying to move past this. she's on a battleground blitz today to north carolina, pennsylvania, and wisconsin. and you just heard the vice president say right there that the president clarified his remarks. and that she strongly disagrees with anyone criticizing people based on who they vote for. now, a harris aide tells nbc news that overall the president's comments were not helpful, whatever he meant. and the white house has been doing damage control, according to a source familiar with the matter, the white house updated its transcript based on a conversation with president biden about his remarks. now, initially they released a transcript using an s apostrophe after the word supporters, plural. then it was updated

here's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: she was once one of the most conservative members of congress, but liz cheney is standing alongside vice president harris. >> this year i am proudly casting my vote for vice president kamala harris. >> reporter: the vice president campaigning in rippon, wisconsin, the birthplace of the republican party back in 1854. >> the former president is, is really becoming quite desperate, and perhaps it's because he wants to distract from the fact that he has offered no plan for the american people. >> reporter: meanwhile, former president slamming the release of new evidence by the judge in the case with jack smith, allegedly saying that trump responded "so what" when mike pence was in danger. >> it's nothing new in there. >> reporter: here in battleground, wisconsin, people are deeply skeptical of cheney. do you think she speaks for the republican party? >> no. >> reporter: but jerry eiler now backs kamala harris. >> i'm totally disillusioned with the way the maga group has gone and all the people who stand there and pretend his lies are truth. >> and our th

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, bell air, michigan. >> and the programming note, i'll talk to michigan's governorr the next hour, about the battle for her state and how she's trying to get out the vote for kamala harris. be sure to tune in, next hour 2:00 eastern. >>> up next, they're casting ballots at the same time they're taking classes on how democracy works. we'll head to philadelphia where hundreds of high schoolers are exercising their civic duty for the very first time. tremfya blocks a key source of inflammation. at one year, many people experienced remission... and some saw 100% visible healing of their intestinal lining. serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. healing is possible with tremfya. ask your doctor about tremfya today. ♪ have you compared your medicare plan recently? with ehealth, you can compare medicare plans side by side for free. so we invited people to give ehealth a try and discover h

joining us now is gabe gutierrez in columbus, georgia and dasha burns. dasha, let's start with you.president will be at town halls sent to and tomorrow. tomorrow's event will be with an all-women audience and that's a group that prefers vice president harris. what exactly is the strategy? >> you guys talked at the outset here about just how insanely close this race is right now. both of these candidates are at the point where they're trying to shore up the places where they are struggling. there is that gender gap. the former president is looking to get some women over to his side. this is an issue that's really been irking him. he said at rallies, women like me. women like me. he feels he's not getting enough credit for issues for his attempt to moderate the republican rhetoric and reproductive rights and overturning roe versus wade. he wants to be doing better with this demographic and when it's this close, the ability to maybe chip away a little bit at that lead and narrow those massive gender gap margins just a little bit could make a difference, guys? >> gabe, let me go to you.

gabe gutierrez has more. >> reporter: with hurricane milton churning in the gulf, president biden is ramping up his criticism of misinformation ahead of the storm. >> it's un-american. it's not who the hell we are. >> reporter: meanwhile, former president trump in battleground pennsylvania, attacking vice president harris. >> she's just led the worst rescue operation in history. in north carolina. >> reporter: and sintensifying political storm as both candidates battle over relief. >> you know where they gave the money? illegal immigrants. >> reporter: that is false. it's from a different federal program, not disaster relief. harris on a late-night show slamming trump. >> it's crude. have you no empathy, man? you know, the suffering of other people. >> reporter: the former president also falsely says fema will only give storm surv survivors 7$750. >> those rumors are totally unsubstantiated. >> reporter: still, chuck edwards says there are legitimate questions about fema's response. >> it was more than three days before we ever saw the first folks in here from fema. >> reporter: the

here's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: after facing criticism for avoiding unscripted events, vice president harris on a new media blitz. on cbs, pressed on her economic plan. >> how are you going to pay for it? >> well, one of the things, i'm going to make sure that the richest among us who can afford it pay their fair share in taxes. >> but we're dealing with the real world here. >> but the real world includes -- >> how are you going to get this through congress. >> you know, when you talk quietly with a lot of folks in congress, they know exactly what i'm talking about. >> reporter: meanwhile, former president trump who's called for the mass deportation of migrants is igniting new controversy, suggesting that those who are convicted of murder have bad genes. >> it's in their genes, and we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now. >> that type of language is hateful. it's disgusting. it's inappropriate and has no place in our country. >> reporter: the trump campaign saying the former president was clearly referring to murderers, not migrants, while trump is also slamming the biden-h

here's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: after a poll showing momentum for former president trump, vice president harris is in battleground michigan. >> you can't let anyone take you out of the game by not voting. >> reporter: harris ramping up attacks on donald trump. >> donald trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged. >> reporter: while the former president touting his plans for tariffs, he says protect american jobs. >> to my, the most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff. >> reporter: but he was also pressed after he previously said he'd not spoken to russian president vladimir putin since leaving office. >> well, i don't comment on that, but i will tell you that, if i did, it's a smart thing. >> reporter: it all comes after his unusual town hall in crucial pennsylvania. >> a doctor please? >> reporter: cut short after two medical incidents. >> personally, i enjoy this, we lose weight. would anybody else like to faint? >> reporter: for more than a half hour, trump played deejay and swayed to some of his favorite songs. >> let's just listen to music. who the hell wants to hear questio

senior white house correspondent gabe gutierrez is joining us. president votes today and in this final stretch? >> reporter: good morning, ana. yes, president biden, he voted early, back in 2020 after voting on election day during previous election cycles. but he has several personal connections to this election, even though he's not on the ballot this time. now, this morning, he is traveling with lisa blunt rochester, who he's endorsed for the open u.s. senate seat. she's a long-time friend of the bidens and one-time co-chair of his campaign. he's having breakfast with her, and then he is expected to head to the polling place. now, he also -- sarah mcbride is favored to win delaware's only congressional seat. she formerly worked as a staffer for the late beau biden. if elected, she'd be the first transgender person elected to congress. certainly a lot of personal connections here for president biden as he prepares to vote early. this also comes, ana, as he is taking a more low profile campaign role this time around after dropping out of the race

nbc's gabe gutierrez has more from the campaign trail. >> reporter: with just 22 days to go, both candidates on a battleground blitz, each in pennsylvania. >> let me just give you the bottom line, though. we win pennsylvania, we win this great commonwealth, we goare gog to win the whole ball game. it's such an important place. >> we are the underdog. we are running like the underdog. we have some hard work ahead of us. but here's the thing also. we like hard work. >> reporter: and now zeroing in on trump's response when asked about concerns election day would not be peaceful. >> i think the bigger problem are the people from within. we have some sick people, radical left lunatics. and i think they're, and it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by national guard or, if really necessary, by the military. because they can't let that happen. >> reporter: tim walz firing back. >> donald trump over the weekend was talking about using the u.s. army against people who disagree with him. >> reporter: while jd vance defended his running mate. >> you have a major reaction to an election in

here's nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: in the aftermath of hurricane helene, and with hurricane milton barrelling towards florida, president biden is calling misinformation about the federal response un-american. it /* >> it puts people in circumstances where they panic. >> reporter: former president trump and some of his allies keep spreading false claims. >> for one thing, a billion dollars was stolen from fema to use it for illegal migrants. >> reporter: that's not true. fema has distributed more than a billion dollars to shelter migrants, but the agency says that's from a separate government program, not disaster relief. trump also falsely claims residents are only being offered $750, even though they can kwauchl for more. >> he really lacks empathy on a very basic level to care about the suffering of other people. >> reporter: on social media, even more outlandish conspiracy theories are exploding from false claims of fema stealing money from donations from the government controlling the weather from antarctica. >> the amount of misinformation just continues to grow unnecessarily.

nbc's gabe gutierrez is at the white house for us. gabe, this was all over desantis allegedly dodging harris' phone calls. what do we know about what happened? >> reporter: governor desantis has been busy, of course, dealing with the emergency response in florida. he said he has spoken with president biden as well as the fema administrator. yesterday nbc news broke the story he had been refusing to take the call of kamala harris. the vice president yesterday called him utterly irresponsible and selfish. governor desantis fired back that she has no role in this. take a listen to what the vice president had to say earlier on "the view." >> we all need to work together to combine resources, federal, state and local resources around these kind of disasters. it's a shame that hasn't happened. look, it has at the local level. >> he'll take your call when you're president. [ applause ] >> here's the thing you should know on that point. and when i'm president, i will continue to call him to see what he needs for help. >> i didn't even know she

we begin with mark murray, gabe gutierrez and yasmeen abdutalla. gabe, what's going on?. first, what the secretary of state said a short time ago, he says that this state is on pace potentially to have record breaking turnout for early voting. as of mid-morning, 71,000 ballots have been cast. ptentially record breaking. i'm in front o polling place. it opened after the issues four years ago with long lines here in georgia. election officials are hoping to avoid a repeat of that. to the breaking news overnight. fulton county superior judge issued an 11-page ruling saying that election superintendents in georgia, it's mandatory for them to certify election results. it's mandatory by law, this judge says. that rejects claims from an election board member in fulton county who had voted not to certify the election results earlier this year during the presidential primary. as you know, republicans here in this state of georgia over the last several months have been raising questions about election rules in this state. there's been a lot of back and forth, a lot of legal challe

we are going to begin with nbc's gabe gutierrez. oins us from a polling site in atlanta, where by the way, in person early voting is already kicking off. hey, gabe, good morning. >> reporter: hey there, hoda. good morning. nbc news poll out today shows that half of americans plan to vote early. and this new polling location, which opened just moments ago is meant to help avoid those massive lines that georgia saw back in 2020. meanwhile, on the trail, former president trump is drawing scrutiny, as you mentioned, for a highly unusual campaign event. >> it's good to be back in pennsylvania! >> reporter: overnight, both presidential candidates in pennsylvania. >> we win pennsylvania, we win the whole thing. >> yes. >> reporter: former president trump cutting short his town hall. following two lengthy interruptions because of medical episodes in the audience as many complained about the heat. >> would anybody else like to faint? >> reporter: the event turning into an impromptu d.j. session, lasting more than a half hour. >> this is liste

nbc's gabe gutierrez is at the white house. he's got more. good morning. >> reporter: this morning the harris campaign is slamming the rhetoric at trump's madison square garden rally. the vice president is focusing today on the economy, touting her support for manufacturing in a must-win state. in the final sprint to election day, vice president harris heads to barnstorm michigan where early voting kicked off saturday, and more than 1.5 million people have already cast their ballots. harris rallying in the state on saturday, joined for the first time on the campaign trail by michelle obama, the former first lady addressing voters, especially men with a message on reproductive rights. >> i recognize that there are a lot of angry disillusioned people out there. if we don't get this election right, your wife, your daughter, your mother, we as women, will become collateral damage to your rage. so, are you as men prepared to look into the eyes of the women and children you love and tell them that you supported this assault on our safety? >> report

let's start our coverage with gabe gutierrez, he's on the national mall, or actually at the white house in washington, d.c., gabe, vice president harris is expected to urge voters to quote turn the page on the trump era, what else is the campaign saying about her expected speech tonight on the national mall? >> reporter: hi, there, actually heading over the ellipse within the next few moments, but yes here at the white house for now, but the location of this speech tonight will be very significant the harris campaign believes that choosing such a location in the shadow of the white house near the national mall, really will speak to the gravity of the office and vice president harris is trying to make that case. that she's better suited to be president than donald trump. and she plans to establish this contrast, right, between what she plans to do and what former president trump would do if he were in office and the second reason they chose this location is because the former president did speak at the ellipse on january 6th just shortly before some of his supporters attacked the u.s. ca

here is gabe gutierrez with more. we met tonight, a triple threat is looming over the presidential campaign, the rising tensions in the middle east, a deadlock port strike threatening to raise prices. >> we are hearing from the folks originally. >> reporter: and, the devastating aftermath of hurricane helene. >> there's a lot of work that's going to need to happen over the coming days, weeks, months. >> reporter: today, vice president harris visiting the storm zone around georgia, two days after former president trump went there. >> with that let's get smarter with the help of our leadoff panel tonight. john allen is here. aaron haynes, editor at large for the 19th and molly john fast, special correspondent for vanity fair and msnbc contributor. john, since moments before the show i saw you feverishly moving around candlesticks in the core behind you. i'm just so grateful your table skipping for the show so you get to go first. jack smith. somebody may have forgotten about jack but he didn't forget about us. what stic

nbc's gabe gutierrez is joining us from the white house now. w high are the stakes for this call? >> reporter: incredible hi. good morning. we're just learning that joe biden and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu were scheduled to speak at 10:30 this morning, and as you mentioned, according to a source familiar with the matter, kamala harris is expected to join virtually. this would be the first call between the two leaders since august 21st. again, almost two months since that last call. this comes as the president and the biden administration is trying to deescalate the situation in the middle east. so we expect the discussions to happen during that call on any potential retaliation from israel against iran. again, that phone call between benjamin netanyahu and joe biden was scheduled to start several moments ago. we're hoping to get a readout of this call once it wraps up. it comes as joe biden is juggling not only world crises, but also the response to hurricane milton here at home. he just canceled his overseas trip to germany and a

joining us from atlanta, gabe gutierrez. a lot of fol getting their vote done early.shows half of americans plan to vote early. among those, kamala harris has a 17-point lead. we have seen a lot of enthusiasm this morning for vice president harris. we were here early, and the voters told us they wanted to be among the first in line for what they view as a historic candidacy. here in georgia, there's a confluence of factors in this election. not only is there enthusiasm among black voters, but also the politics of disaster, the recovery of hurricane helene could be a factor. also a lot of questions about election integrity, at least the questions that republicans are trying to raise about election integrity in georgia. just this morning, a superior court judge in fulton county rejected a claim by an election board member here, essentially the judge said that election superintendents in the state, it's mandatory, they have to certify the election results days after the election. now, as you know, katy, over the last several months, republicans have tried to change elect