gabe gutierrez, nbc news, san juan, puerto rico. >>> suspected gunman in a deadly in police custody this evening. investigators are unsure what may have motivated him to kill three co-workers and wound two others in maryland before driving to delaware where he shot and injured a victim there. >> federal agents captured the suspect last night following the day-long manhunt. >>> the forecast is in for winter. folks at noaa say get ready for a warm one, not hot. of course, it is still winter. they say should be a mild season. not quite as the warm as the last two winters. they say la nina is to blame for warmer temps to come from california to maine. but will be a holder than normal winter in the pacific northwest. >>> still ahead tonight. wal-mart's new weapon in the shopping wars. how the retail giant plans to redefine the american mall as we know it. what does it mean for rival amazon and more importantly your wallet. >> shocking moment. the food truck explodes. flames quickly spreading to other cars. what caused it? (burke) at farmers, we've seen almost everything and we covered it, jul

here's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: in the wake of hurricane maria, not even a third of the island's cell towers are working. >> as long as we find out, yeah. >> reporter: for felix vazquez and his wife dawn, the last three weeks have brought a deafening silence. >> it's been horrible. it's been horrible. >> reporter: from their home in westport, connecticut, they desperately tried and failed to reach her mother, carol bruno. >> we sent e-mails daily. >> reporter: for some relatives on the u.s. mainland frustration is mounting, posting cries for help on social media. >> we've gone above and beyond to find her and we've not stopped. >> reporter: so we travel from san juan to the town of manati to look for carol. we pull up to her address. are you carol? and there she is. how hard has it been to not be able to speak with your family? >> well, it's been extremely hard, but you know, we tried. >> reporter: she still hasn't spoken to her son until we offer her our satellite phone. >> hi. >> hi! mommy, hi! >> oh, my god, carol! >> i love you. >> i love you, too. you're okay? >> hello. >> y

gabe gutierrez, nbc news. ponce, puerto rico. >> a lawsuit has been filed against the makers of some of the most popular diet sodas on the market. the claim is that the word diet in the drinks is "misleading and unlawful." and that customers may have been deceived. nbc news, national correspondent miguel alguimire has details. >> for millions of americans, the four letter word that makes the sodas desirable. diet. but tonight the three largest u.s. makers of carbonated beverages are being sued because of that claim. the lawsuits contend diet is false. misleading and unlawful. adding these popular drinks make consumers, reasonably believe the sodas are a diet aid. >> it is in fact a scam and fraud on the public that they have been selling, marketing, and producing this product as a diet product. >> calling the legal claims, meritless, the beverage association on behalf of the industry says diet beverages that contain zero or barely any calories have been shown to help people manage their diets. the lawsuits cen

gabe gutierrez has the latest from san juan. >> reporter: the controversial $300 million contract will soon be cancelled, says the head of puerto rico's power authority just hours after the governor said he wanted to pull the plug. >> it's interfering with everything. and doesn't go towards the best interest of the people of puerto rico. >> reporter: andy, the ceo of whitefish energy told nbc news he had nothing to hide. >> there's people looking for something that does not exist. >> reporter: he first contacted the puerto rico electric power authority after hurricane every ma in early september. >> i found them on linkedin. >> you used linkedin to get a $300 million contract. >> linkedin's going love this, but yeah. >> reporter: he strongly denies that u.s. interior secretary also from whitefish, montana, or anyone else in the trump administration had anything to do with the contract. fema said it had significant concerns and never reviewed the document despite wording that suggested otherwise. >> simply not something we would do. >> reporter: really? this is just wrong. >> yes. >> re

nbc's gabe gutierrez is there with more. >> reporter: this helmet camera shows the urgent mission the military in remote parts of puerto rico, children waiting for water. now people are getting so desperate, the epa says they're breaking into sealed off wells in the town of durado in an area on the superfund list, sites so polluted, the government considers their clean up a priority. even though there is a clearly marked dangerous sign, people were willing to risk it, ripping off this fence. this man from chicago helping with relief efforts comes here at night to find water. >> we're drenched, it's wet. we need to cool off some kind of way. there's no electricity. >> reporter: luis ortiz is filling up at a well the epa has deemed safe. >> this is the water that i drink for me and my wife and my kids. >> water is life. i make sure that public health is protected. >> reporter: adding to the frustration, an investigation is underway in another town, where puerto rico's secretary of state says the plants were wasted left out in heavy rain. >> pulling rats out, i got angry. >> reporter: on

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, isabella, puerto rico. >>> we'll now take a startling new look at a deadly epidemic through the eyes of its youngest victim in our series one nation overdosed. among the hardest hit areas of the opioid epidemic is montgomery county, ohio, where this year over 500 poom are dead due to accidental overdose. tonight we look at the impact on children living in a home with parents in active addiction. here's nbc's kate snow. >> hi, baby girl. >> reporter: tory brinkman has always been a survivor. born 15 weeks early, a tiny pound and a half. that was just the beginning of her struggle. for the first ten years of her life she lived with a mother addicted to heroin. their history together shows how savage the addiction can be. today she's a remarkably composed 14-year-old telling her story her way. what do you remember about those early years and your mom? >> she never ate. she'd have maybe a coke a day. no water. then go right back to bed. she would never take care of me, never feed me. i have to feed myself. i consider myself as the parent and my mom the kid. >> r

gabe gut air wez the brutal reality on the ground. >> reporter: tonight in puerto rico, some feel the president's words add insult to injury. >> i'm completely sad, completely disappointed. >> reporter: the president seeming to break the promise he made last friday. >> we will not rest until that job is done. >> reporter: a promise echoed by vice president pence. >> we're with them for the long haul and we will see this through. >> reporter: today puerto rico's governor with this plea. >> as u.s. citizens is we're not asking for better treatment, for less treatment. we're asking for equal treatment. >> reporter: in the remote town of unasco residents say they've seen little if any federal response. maria gonzalez says she has cancer and is desperate for a generator. what would your message be to fema? >> come on. do what you're supposed to do. >> reporter: fema says 19,000 civilian and military responders are in puerto rico and the u.s. virgin islands. today the acting homeland security secretary met with officials here. >> we've heard some elderly people want to come out, and they ne

gutierrez, nbc news. >> thanks to gabe for that report. let's get a check on your weather now with nbc meteorologist bill karins. it's the middle of october. fall just now starting to feel like it outside. >> there's been people in the southeast with air conditioners on since april waiting to turn them off. finally get a chance to do that. this octobers halfway through the months. off the charts warm. that's not really going to change much. this cold front gets the humid down. rain showers out there this morning. umbrellp breumbrella for you. even atlanta also removing rain showers earlier today. here's the cooler air. right now the 60's. look back to the great lakes. 40 in st. louis, chicago and detroit. this cool air is going to be moving to the east during the day. temperature dropping during the day for many. much cooler air. this is back to average. how it should be this time of year. so warm. not really used to it being this warm throughout the region. this orange by the way shows you where the conditions are going to continue to be

nbc's gabe gutierrez is there with more. >> reporter: tonight most of puerto rico is powerless. >> water. we need water. >> reporter: nearl hurricane maria, 85% of the island still has no electricity. that's almost 3 million americans. the three-star general spearheading military relief efforts says he'll take whatever help he can get. >> the power of america, my own belief, is not the federal government. it's the local government. it's private organizations all coming together as one team to help people in the time of need. >> reporter: that help could be coming from big tech. tesla founder elon musk saying he wants to help rebuild the island's power grid using solar technology. how long before this project gets off the ground? >> we're getting our teams together talking already. >> reporter: the potential partnership with governor ricardo rossello started last week over twitter. >> we can't be thinking about just putting back up the old system. we need to take this opportunity to remake the system, to be innovative. >> reporter: other tech giants also want in. google's parent company i

gabe gutierrez, nbc news. >>> in japan tonight, voters have given the party of prime minister shinzo abe a big win and snapped parliamentary elections giving abe a mandate to continue his hard line against north korea. the prime minister who is an ally of president trump wants to change japan's constitution so that the military can go beyond the solely defensive role it's had since the end of world war ii. >>> while north korea delivers heated anti-u.s. rhetoric almost daily, hearing from the people of north korea is rare. nbc's kiir simmons got that chance on a state-sponsored visit to a temple nestled in the mountains 100 miles north of the capitol pyongyang. >> reporter: hidden in the heart of north korea, a devoutly atheist country, something rarely seen by outsiders, a buddhist temple 1,000 years old, perhaps offering lessons for today. this is beautiful. the temple was bombed by the u.s. during the korean war. kim song tells me. this is such a peaceful place, do you worry that it will see another war soon? another war happen because we have a nuclear superpower she tells me. u.

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, puerto rico. >>> still ahead as we continue here tonight, toxic vehicles. the top automaker facing demands to recall one of the most popular suvs on the road over fears of poisoning. >>> also protests erupting as nfl owners and players meet face to face. what happened inside the room amid the "take a (burke) at farmers, we've seen almost everything so we know how to cover almost anything. even a swing set standoff. and we covered it, july first, twenty-fifteen. talk to farmers. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ whstuff happens. old shut down cold symptoms fast with maximum strength alka seltzer plus liquid gels. mr. wise man... you wish to know how to protect your sterling credit score. my credit is off to a good start, but i worry my information was hacked, which kinda freaks me out. well, unfreak yourself out and download the free creditwise app from capital one. creditwise gives you a credit score, and alerts you to changes. even if i'm not a capital one customer? nooooo! yeah, a

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, puerto rico. >>> still ahead as we continue here tonight, toxic vehicles. the top automaker facing demands to recall one of the most popular suvs on the road over fears of poisoning. >>> also protests erupting as nfl owners and players meet face to face. what happened inside the room amid the "take a knee" firestorm? hope you can stay with us. (burke) at farmers, we've seen almost everything so we know how to cover almost anything. even a swing set standoff. and we covered it, july first, twenty-fifteen. talk to farmers. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ whstuff happens. old shut down cold symptoms fast with maximum strength alka seltzer plus liquid gels. mr. wise man... you wish to know how to protect your sterling credit score. my credit is off to a good start, but i worry my information was hacked, which kinda freaks me out. well, unfreak yourself out and download the free creditwise app from capital one. creditwise gives you a credit sc

>> gabe gutierrez in san juan, puerto rico, for us. thanks. >>> still ahead tonight, dramatic rescue at sea. two women and their dog saved after they say they were stranded in the pacific ocean for nearly five months. how did they survive so long? >>> also, a car suddenly plowed into a restaurant. the shocking moment restaurant. the shocking moment "volatile markets." restaurant. the shocking moment something we all think about as we head into retirement. it's why brighthouse financial is committed to help protect what you've earned and ensure it lasts. introducing shield annuities, a line of products that allow you to take advantage of growth opportunities. while maintaining a level of protection in down markets. so you can head into retirement with confidence. talk with your advisor about shield annuities from brighthouse financial established by metlife. ♪ when heartburn hits fight back fast with tums chewy bites. fast relief in every bite. crunchy outside. chewy inside. tum tum tum tum tums chewy bites. wnot thinking clearly, so

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, puerto rico. >>> there's a lot more to come. still ahead, for years you've been told it helps prevent heart disease, but now the fda is pushing back on claims about this product found in everything from coffee to salad dressing. >>> also pop star selena gomez opening up for the first time if you move your old 401(k) to a fidelity ira, we make sure you're in the loop at every step from the moment you decide to move your money to the instant your new retirement account is funded. because when you know where you stand, things are just clearer. -♪ a little bit o' soul, yeah because when you know where you stand, anif you've got a lifee. you gotta swiffer my doctor recommended i switch laxatives. stimulant laxatives make your body go by forcefully stimulating the nerves in your colon. miralax is different. it works with the water in your body to hydrate and soften. unblocking your system naturally. miralax. whoamike and jen doyle?than i thought. yeah. time for medicare, huh. i have no idea how we're going to get through this. follo

gabe slate visited the area and used three hundred and sixty degree video camera technology to give you a better visual of the damage. ((anchor tag))you can see the 360 videos gabe shot in santa rosa on our website kron 4 dot, through our mobile app, or on our facebook page. (steve) still ahead at 8 ...we are checking on your homes.(pam) - viewers have sent us their addresses ... we are looking into whether those properties were damaged. that's after the break ♪ because everyone likes easy. sure do. because everyone is on the go. because we all like to save energy, but sometimes we slip up. reaching up. ssssh! because sometimes we want it cool at night, then toasty in the mornings. introducing the easy to use, energy saving, adjustable from everywhere, easy on the wallet and the eyes, nest thermostat e. e is for everyone. (steve) firefighters are racing to get ahead of advancing fires. and they are making some progress. but sadly the toll of destruction has risen again. (pam) five days after the fires broke out... this is what we know. 35 people have died... including 19 in sonoma cou

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, new york. >> we appreciate you spending part of your evening with us. that is "nightly news" for this friday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. ♪ ♪ >>> now on extra. harvey weinstein under fire, facing the camera. >> how you doing. >> ashley judd triggers a sensational scandal. why vanna white is standing behind him. >>> emotional diaries from his ravaged home land. >> looks like they nucleared us. >> ellen from puerto rico. jennifer lopez, behind the scenes of the hurricane relief song called the new "we are the world." >>> global bladerunner mania. we sit down with the cast as the mega sequel opens. >> i am going holy [bleep], harrison ford. >>> is this the first look khloe kardashian's baby bump? >> and tanika's interview with liz hurley. >> you hang with real royals, darling. >> why she says harry and meghan are a perfect match. >> i would love her to get married to prince harry. >>> "this is us" and this is

her commentary in 15 seconds. ♪ >>> the phillies have found their new skipper gabe kapler. former direct of players development for the dodgers and a former player himself he september 12 years in the majo majors. kapler is only 42. he's going to be the third youngest manager in mlb. more importantly, i think he's the right fit for the phillies. here's why. first and for most, kapler new school of thoughts for the game is going to be a plus for this team. i'm not hating on any old school baseball having a keen eye when it comes to things like saber metrics and nutrition and strength training will be big plus for this team give them an extra push. secondly the fact he has a successful history of developing young talent which is something the phillies have lot of the we should see improve many quickly. also the fact that kapler is a young former player, that gives the phillies something they can easily relate to. so we may see more cohesion in the dug out. because really any time you bring in a new coach, you see a pretty rapid response you see that spark that they bring. i t

with gabe sherman, you could easily have either denial or context. you could have the white house adviser saying here's the context about that vote. there's nothing like that. it is fairly clear. we're having this discussion as the white house is trying to sell trump's tax plan on the road as you can see it on the screen. and several people close to the president recently saying, in private, trump is unstable. losing a step. and unraveling. >> it has been remarkable. from senator bob corker on the record, on to a number of people speaking for some big kind of attribution. you have seen' rash of press articles saying that he is not a smart man. there's only so much longer the republican party can be complicit in allowing this person, supporting this person, being in control of the nuclear codes for the country. the rest of us are becoming increasingly terrified. that's why you're seeing his poll numbers go so far. it is very clear he is eroding from his own base. this is an unprecedented frightening situation that somebody like that has so much power.

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, cananvonas, puerto rico. >>> there's a lot more to come. still ahead, for years you've been told it helps prevent heart disease, but now the fda is pushing back on claims about this product found in everything from coffee to salad dressing. up for the first time about the life-saving gift she got from her best friend. if you move your old 401(k) to a fidelity ira, we make sure you're in the loop at every step from the moment you decide to move your money to the instant your new retirement account is funded. because when you know where you stand, things are just clearer. -♪ a little bit o' soul, yeah anif you've got a lifee. you gotta swiffer my doctor recommended i switch laxatives. stimulant laxatives make your body go by forcefully stimulating the nerves in your colon. miralax is different. it works with the water in your body to hydrate and soften. unblocking your system naturally. miralax. whoami

gabe gutierrez, nbc news. ponce, puerto rico. >> a lawsuit has been filed against the makers of some of the most popular diet sodas on the market. the claim its that the word diet in the drinks is "misleading and unlawful." and that customers may have been deceived. nbc news, national correspondent, miguel alguimire has details. >> for millions of americans, the four letter word that makes the sodas desirable. diet. but tonight the three largest u.s. makers of carbonated beverages are being sued because of that claim. the lawsuits contend diet is false. misleading and unlawful. adding these popular drinks make consumers, reasonably believe the sodas are a diet aid. >> its, in fact, a scam and a fraud on the public that, that they have been selling marketing and, and producing this product as a diet product. >> calling the legal claims, ma meritless, the beverage association on behalf of the industry says diet beverages that contain zero or barely any cal reeories have been shown top people manage their diets.

kron-4's gabe slate met them .. he joins us live from santa rosa with their story. gabe i did a ride along with two amazing people who took it upon themselves to save animals. house pets. and they did it because no one else couldthey had the vehicle and credentials to cross the road blocks into burned out neighborhoods. . neighborhoods burned out blocks into cross the road credentials to vehicle and they had the else could because no one and they did it house pets. save animals. themselves to took it upon people who two amazing along with two amazing people who took it upon themselves to save animals. house pets. and they did it because no one else couldthey had the vehicle and credentials to cross the road blocks into burned out neighborhoods. (pam) toss weather temperatures began to cool today as high pressure weakened. this is the beginning of a cooling trend that will have temperatures running below normal through the middle of the week. fires continue to burn but the weather conditions are improving for firefig

>> let's start right where gabe was. cal fire has updated the fire lines, and where areas have burned and how close they tore populated areas. we can zoom in right here. gabe was in the city of fairfield, which you see right here, and this atlas fire that started in napa andbe moved into solano county, and he -- and moved into solano county. so a lot of folks live in here, so no doubt there is concern. there are four main locations tonight that cal fire crews are focusing on, up in lake county, you have middleton. here you have geyserville up along 101. you don't want this fire, the pocket fire to creep down in there. and as we zoom back into the bay area proper, this is the fire that is threatening calistoga tonight. you saw the flames burning along highway 29. that was right along here. this fire line probably has crept a little bit closer to the highway. cal fire not updating this real- time, obviously, their resources are stretched thin. and the final location of the four that is getting a lot of attention from cal f

gets it he will be youngest manager since terry franconia in 1996 who was 38, gabe, is 42. terry franconia, of course earned his chops here in philadelphia, not by winning but by doing well enough to be hired then by red sox and cleveland indians where he won a world series, with them. >> there goes your theory, once leave here. >> get to the top. >> sue, if you ever leave here >> ale be number one you will be the queen. >> how could i ever leave when i have interesting stuff like this to talk about, rain, wind , and weather drama coming through the area right now and steve keeley, we're out in it this morning, steve. >> if weather drama was mike's favorite show bold and beautiful we will be bold and ugly because leaves, rain, drains that can't take the ra so i'm calling to see if you can help me save on my energy bill. we can do that. great. i live in a post-war, pre-war, mid-century home and the heating system is a turbine, hvac, reverse hydrogen, boiler pipe unit. well sir, peco can visit your home and show you how to save up to 20% a year. ♪ hmmmm. you don't have to b

gabe gutierrez, nbc >>> we turn now to another disaster unfolding in the west. the death toll still climbing as nearly two dozen large fires burn in california. right now red flag warnings are in effect as more residents flee the flames that have already destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. nbc's joe fryer remains on the front lines tonight. >> reporter: surrounded by flames, smothered by hazardous smoke, california's wine country is on high alert tonight as winds pick up fanning the fires. >> we are not out of this emergency. >> reporter: today the size of the fires is growing. thousands more evacuating including the entire town of calistoga. shelters are packed. many unsure if their homes are still standing. >> i want to go home so bad that i'm ready now to sneak back in there. >> reporter: jake oliver's house was spared when he flagged down a fire truck. >> i said, help me, man. sa they're my heroes. >> reporter: firefighters are stretched thin. we met this crew from southern california. they just battled the destructive inferno in anaheim hills, then

gabe gutierrez, nbc news. >>> still ahead, future of fighting cancer. new approach to target the disease, seemingly miraculous results for some patients even when all else has failed. >>> bigger jackpots, major changes for one of america's most popular lotteries. tell you about it wh back. it's why brighthouse financial is committed to help protect what you've earned and ensure it lasts. introducing shield annuities, a line of products that allow you to take advantage of growth opportunities. while maintaining a level of protection in down markets. so you can head into retirement with confidence. talk with your advisor about shield annuities from brighthouse financial established by metlife. but prevagen helps your brain with an ingredient originally discovered... in jellyfish. in clinical trials, prevagen has been shown to improve short-term memory. prevagen. the name to remember. it's date night and... ugh... nothing fits. you're just bloated from gas. i can see it and i know you feel it. take gas-x®,

gabe, let's start with the weinstein. it's obviously the worst kept secret in hollywood and new york. was it? did people know about this widely? >> this was something that was whispered about in media and entertainment circles. i see a lot of parallels to the story that i covered last year, the roger ales story. he was a volcanic temper. he ruled through fear and intimidation and he was able over decades to keep these sexual harassment allegations out of the public eye by coercing women allegedly to sign settlements and the other real thing i noticed is like fox news, harvey weinstein presided over his movie company with no accountability. there was no independent hr department, there were no checks and balances. this was for all intents and purposes a culted personality around harvey weinstein. that is why this went unchecked. due to the courageous reporting of "the new york times" this is coming to life. >> i'm glad you made the roger aisles comparison. so you had a culture at fox news which gabe has been keen on coveri

gabe smith is the first african-american to receive his diploma from gonzaga. he started school back in 1950. that's even before the supreme court ruled to desegregate schools. gabe says teachers and fellow students stood by him. >> that stood out about gonzaga. they did what they felt was right. and you can't argue with that. >> certainly can't. news 4 tonight on news 4. another gonzaga alum. david culver sits down with hinal to learn about his experience. imagine that conversation. you'll have to see -- you'll see what the school has planned to honor gabe. >> i got to tell you for going to a school that long ago, he looks great. >> i want to know what he's doing. >> i would love to know. >> by the way, it's friday the 13th. do you have any superstitions? >> you know what, i am not a superstitious person. i'm not. >> it's her lucky day, >> superstitions. >> you know what, i'm going to take a wild guess and say chris has a lot of superstitions. we need to get you that long word you were told to say all day. it is friday the 13th. 61 degrees in the district. it

it was reported last night, it became official about 40 minutes ago, former major hearing gabe kapler is the next manager of the phillies. kapler becomes 54th manager in team history, 42 years old, and over last three seasons he work with the dodgers as their director of player development in 2007 he managed a minor league team for red sox. kapler also won a world series title with boston, back in 2004. we will have more on him, as the day moves on. >>> nfl trade deadline is less than 24 hours away. eagles could use some help the attack he will, linebacker, and more, but for right now they are seven-one and obviously making the best of an already talented roster. bird beat 49ers yesterday 33- 10. the play of the day was made by cornerback jaylen mills who picked off a pass and weaves his way to the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown. the pick six was the first, of his career. >> it is bitter, man, i really cannot even explain it, seeing the crowd go crazy, my teammates, i really couldn't celebrate because they were pulling me down. i really can't explain that feeling. it was awesome. >>

nbc's gabe gutierrez has more on puerto ricans are trying to cope with this ongoing disaster. >> this is where all the tables would have been. >> reporter: the restaurant jackie reyes owns in san juan is torn apart. and more than a month after hurricane maria, time is standing still. >> without your income. that puts you like six months behind in your personal economy. >> reporter: across puerto rico's capital, the hum of generators is the sound track of a crippling reality. 80% of the u.s. territory is still without power. many businesses relying on cash and paper instead of credit cards and computers, a modern dark age. jose, a professor at the university of puerto rico, estimates the island has already lost nearly $3 billion in economic output since the storm. >> not just people, but some businesses are also migrating because they cannot operate. >> reporter: more than $70 billion in debt before maria, puerto rico is now mired in even deeper financial quick sand. damages reach up to $95 billion. joaquin's coffer ee shop also has no electricity and he's desperate to get his business

nbc's gabe gutierrez is there. >> reporter: the general in charge of the relief effort here says this is the worst disaster he's ever seen. >> we have far more federal troops here and have been here for many weeks. >> reporter: as for fema, it has is 100 workers in puerto rico, compared to 3,000 for hurricane irma and almost 4,000 for hurricane harvey. >> we have the right amount of people here. we're bringing more people in. >> reporter: tonight new questions about what some volunteers are doing. a senior leader with the federal disaster medical assistance team is upset volunteers pay for spa treatments inside tents meant to treat noncritical patients. >> my team members who have come to puerto rico to help these poor people are having spa day? it's beyond comprehension. >> reporter: the department of health and human services says one example of poor judgment should not overshadow the life saving work being performed by the more than 500 hhs personnel on the island. today a bipartisan congressional delegation including house speaker paul ryan visited puerto rico touting a $36 billio

nbc's gabe gutierrez has more on puerto ricans are trying to cope with this ongoing disaster. >> this is where all the tables would have been. >> reporter: the restaurant jackie reyes owns in san juan is torn apart. and more than a month after hurricane maria, time is standing still. >> just think about one month without your income. that puts you like six months behind in your personal economy. >> reporter: across puerto rico's capital, the hum of generators is the sound track of a crippling reality. 80% of the u.s. territory is still without power. many businesses relying on cash and paper instead of credit cards and computers, a modern dark age. jose, a professor at the university of puerto rico, estimates the island has already lost nearly $3 billion in economic output since the storm. >> not just people, but some businesses are also migrating because they cannot operate. >> reporter: more than $70 billion in debt before maria, puerto rico is now mired in even deeper financial quick sand. damages reach up to $95 billion. joaquin's coffer ee shop also has no electricity and he's de

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, new york. >>> we appreciate you spending part of your evening with us. that is "nightly news" for this friday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. ♪ >> announcer: more americans watch nbc news than any other news organization in the world. is always available on demand and streaming on your favorite screens. follow our latest coverage with the nbc news app. ralph northam: i'm ralph northam, candidate for governor, and i sponsored this ad. narrator: ed gillespie wants to end a woman's right to choose. ed giof a woman'sd put thpersonal decisions,rge not women and their doctors. as governor, ed gillespie says, i would like to see abortion be banned. if ed gillespie would like to see abortion banned, i would like to see that ed gillespie never beco >>> if harvey's stripping, i'm leaving. >> to my shock, harvey acknowledged. >> finally calling out the hollywood titan's decades of sexual misconduct. >> how you feel, harry? >>>alex, highlight of my

gabe sherman's piece if accurate -- and i have no reason to doubt it. he's a strong reporter -- is that he has gotten worse. it's unraveling. this is deterioration of the president's mood and ability to function in the job. i do think first of all his behavior is worsening and secondly i think the concern of people around him is certainly worsening and that's why you have people in the military who you could never imagine in any other circumstances leaving what is called the tank where these very high level discussions take place and going to the media with their concerns about the president. and the questions that i have are fist where are the rest of the republicans -- >> other than corker. >> telling him just to make nice with the president . and secondly, where is the vice president of the united states. he has a constitutional obligation to the country. he shouldn't be running around to football stadiums making political gestures. he needs to get in there and satisfy himself that the president is incapacitated or kpas ta kpas tated and proceed from

gabe gutierrez who is in san juan. gabe, what are we expecting to hear at this hearing first of all? >> hi there, stephanie. as you mentioned, some serious questions for the fema administrator. 41 days aft effort hurricane maria. about 70% of puerto rico is still without power. now, last week, i know you spoke with a smokesman from whitefish energy. since then, the government of puerto rico asked the power authority to cancel this contract. they need to go through several logistics to officially capsule the contract. i asked him some more questions about how he managed to land this contract. he once again insisted that he had no help from anyone in the trump administration but he said he was actually first in contact with officials here in puerto rico through a social networking site, take a listen. >> i found them on linked in. >> you used linked in to get a $300 million contract? >> linked in's going to love this but yeah. >> so that is raising a lot of questions about the process after when he came to the island, th

(steve) today kron4's gabe slate visited what's left. (pam) you can see the 360 videos gabe shot in santa rosa on our website kron 4 dom.... through our mobile app, or on our facebook page. (steve) and tonight we are closely monitoring the weather conditions.. it was another smoky day around the bay area.. but the more pressing concern tonight is the winds..(pam) meteorologist anny hong is tracking what firefighters will be dealing with tonight. (anny hong): .seasonably cool conditions will persist overnight into friday before a warming trend develops over the weekend and into monday. another round of very dry conditions along with locally strong and gusty offshore winds will return friday night into saturday, especially over the north bay mountains and east bay hills. a cooling trend will begin next tuesday and rain chances are forecast to develop late wednesday into thursday. (steve) tonight the death toll has risen to 35 in the california wildfires.(pam) here now is a look at some of those who lost their lives. so we created the only

here's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: in the wake of hurricane maria, not even a third of the island's cell towers are working. >> as long as we find out, yeah. >> reporter: for felix vazquez and his wife dawn the last three weeks have brought a deafening silence. >> it's been horrible. it's been horrible. >> reporter: from their home in westport, connecticut, they tried and failed to reach her mother carol bruno. >> we sent e-mails daily. >> reporter: for some relatives on the u.s. mainland frustration is mounting, posting cries for help on social media. >> we've gone above and beyond to find her and we've not stopped. >> reporter: so we travel from san juan to the town of manati to look for carol. we pull up to her address. are you carol? and there she is. how hard has it been to not be able to speak with your family? >> well, it's been extremely hard, but you know, we tried. >> reporter: she still hasn't spoken to her son until we offer her our satellite phone. >> hi. >> hi! mommy, hi! >> oh, my god, carol! >> i love you too. you're ok? >> hello? >> hello. >> yeah. >> reporter: toni

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, san juan, puerto rico. >>> now to a powerful new installment in our series, "one nation overdosed." it's estimated that our country now has nearly a million heroin users, and the death rate associated with the drug is skyrockets. but the smallest victims of this crisis don't often get counted in the statistics, the children. kate snow went to one of the hardest hit parts of the country, dayton, ohio, to see how one hospital has had to change everything to help children. >> are you hiding? >> reporter: jude seidler is the unlikely face of a crisis. the precocious 2-year-old was born to a mother who used heroin throughout her pregnancy. at 9 days old he went home with adoptive parents ashley and jay, and ever since they've been bringing him to dayton children's hospital. >> we've been able to chart his progress and where he is on the scale. >> reporter: what do you think? how's he doing? >> doing great. >> reporter: at the newborn follow-up clinic five specialists have been checking jude's development to make sure his speech, movement, coordination are all on t

gabe gutierrez reports from san juan. >> reporter: the controversial $300 million contract will soon be canceled. just hours after the governor said he wanted to pull the plug. >> there are people out there on a witch hunt looking for something that does not exist. >> reporter: he says he first contacted the puerto rico electric power company. i found them on linked in. >> yeah. >> reporter: he strongly denies that u.s. secretary administrator zinke had anything to do with the contract. preppa which is $9 billion in debt signed off on the deal. but ceo carlos ramos admits including the portion about fema was a mistake. >> everybody is doing same thing at the same time. those things happen. >> reporter: crapping the contract could delay power restoration by ten to 12 weeks. white fish industry says it is disappointed with the decision. 39 days after hurricane maria about 70% of the island is still in the dark. gabe gutierrez, nbc news san juan puerto rico. >>> powerful storm bearing down on the east coast. 4 inches of rain could pound the region. rain hammered the mid at lalant coast

gabe sherman, thanks so much for your time today. really appreciate it. >> yep. >> we'll be right back, but first, president trump is quick to defend tossing paper towels into a crowd of people at a hurricane relief center in hurricane ravaged puerto rico. >> they had these beautiful soft towels, very good towels, and i came in and there was a crowd of a lot of people and they were screaming and they were loving and everything. and i was having fun. they were having fun. they said throw them to me, throw them to me. >>> do you know how to network like a champ? and when is a good time to have some fun in the office? i've got some great answers to all of these questions which might help you run a better business. check out the your business page on nbcnews.com for an exclusive online video series to help you work smart, grow fast and go further. hat's the idea. what do you think? hate to play devil's advocate but... i kind of feel like it's a game changer. i wouldn't go that far. are you there? he's probably on mute. yeah... gary won't

gabe gutierrez joins us live now from san juan. gabe, you've been spending a lot of time there. governor ricardo rossello says an audit is expected today. do we know anything about that? >> hi there. good morning. well, just within the past few minutes, the governor's office announced he would be delivering a statement in a few minutes at 11:30. so we expect potentially some information about that audit to come out there. we should be clear this is the puerto rican office of management and budget conducting this audit. also a separate audit being asked in washington from the federal department of homeland security. the governor has taken a step back from this. until he got the results of the audit. again, we're hoping to hear what he has to say in just a few minutes at this point. but what we should say, the ceo of prepa, the puerto rico electric power authority, the ceo remains defiant at this point. yesterday during a news conference, he said some of the criticism that's been talked about regarding this contract, this, quote, gossip sfr the u.s. he says nothing illegal happene

ali, back to you. >> nbc's gabe gutierrez onboard the "uss comfort." to help, nbc.com/puertorico. >>> one nation overdosed, opioid crisis tearing through the country ripping families apart. grandparents forced to take on the role of parenting their grandchildren. you're watching msnbc. right back after this. ♪ ♪ (bell mnemonic) we were in a german dance group. i wore lederhosen. so i just started poking around on ancestry. then, i decided to have my dna tested through ancestry dna. it turns out i'm scottish. so, i traded in my lederhosen for a kilt. a silicon valley server farm. the vault to man's greatest wonders... selfies, cat videos and winking emojis. speaking of tech wonders, with the geico app you can get roadside assistance, digital id cards... or even file a claim. do that.. yeah, yeah that should work. it's not happening... just try again. uh, i think i found your problem. thanks. hmm... the award-winning geico app. download it today. you myour joints...thing for your heart... or your digestion... so why wouldn't you take something for th

nbc's gabe gutierrez is on the ground in puerto rico. and i'm wondering if you're getting any reaction yet to the fact that the president called the federal storm response a ten, gabe? >> reporter: hi there, chris, good afternoon. well, the president has been saying for a while since his visit here that he was very proud of the federal response. and certainly there would be several people on the ground that we've spoken with that agree with him that think there has been a fema and first responder presence here in some parts of the island. but, chris, in many remote parts of puerto rico they still have not seen any federal response. fema just hasn't been able to make it to some of these areas. and even in san juan we spoke with a business owner this morning who runs a bed and breakfast that says the main problem right now is the power. as you mentioned, about 80% of this island is still without power. and, chris, just think of how krn credible that is. four weeks after the storm the economic engine of puerto rico, the tourism industry, is

gabe, thanks. gabe gutierrez in san juan, puerto rico, continuing our ongoing coverage in puerto rico. >>> coming up, the road to recovery a long one for the millions of puerto ricos still 12r struggling. andrew cuomo, new york governor, joins me next to talk about the latest recovery efforts and what he's doing to help. it's ok that everybody ignores me when i drive. it's fine, 'cause i get a safe driving bonus check every six months i'm accident-free. and i don't share it with mom. right, mom? right. safe driving bonus checks, only from allstate. switching to allstate is worth it. >>> a major development in the ongoing political crisis in spain. looking at live pictures from barcelona. catalonia's carlment officially declared independence from spain in an act of defiance from the spanish government looking to form a catalan republic. a live look at streets, celebrating the vote which comes as the spanish government was directing rule over the semiautonomous region. the united states supports the

thank you for your reporting on this, gabe sherman. >>> stand by, everyone. chairman devon nunes is minutes away from making an announcement on capitol hill. his committee is the one investigating russian meddling in the election and whether the trump campaign colluded. you're watching "velshi & rhule" lye on msnbc. when a fire is going on, you're not thinking clearly, so they called the fire department for us i could hear crackling in the walls. my mind went totally blank. all i remember saying was, "my boyfriend's beating me," and she took it from there. our first truck was on the scene within five minutes. i am grateful we all made it out safely. people you don't know care about you. it's kind of one of those things where you can't even thank somebody. to protect what you love, call 1-800-adt-cares >>> i believe with my heart and soul and my father does and this administration does that no one can best the american worker. >> all right. that was first daughter and adviser to the president ivanka trump. last night speaking to fox news while she may believe

gabe sherman broke the story for "vanity fair" and he joins me now. what have you learned? even the fact that there is a mar-a-lago strategy says something about where things are right now. >> yeah, i think you put it really well. i mean, this is -- we're in uncharted waters. we have a white house where the staff views the president, let's be blunt, almost as a national security risk. and their job as senator corker said on the record is to prevent world war iii. and i've heard people at the highest levels talk about how general kelly and secretary mattis and others really view their job as keeping trump from putting us into some sort of conflag race. >> i want to take a moment to just absorb how insane all this is. >> it is, it's mind blowing. >> almost an open secret in washington that bob corker's now saying --py want to put in context the conversation i had with a prominent republican who literally was saying they imagine general kelly and secretary mattis have had conversations that if trump nunch are lunched for the nuclear football, what would they do, would they tac

aaron and gabe, thank you both for joining us here. i want to also thank jonathan and amber talking us through what has been a morning of let's call them interesting developments. thank you, both, for being on set. >>> coming up, we'll be back with today's big picture. thank you so much. thank you! so we're a go? yes! we got a yes! what does that mean for purchasing? purchase. let's do this. got it. book the flights! hai! si! si! ya! ya! ya! what does that mean for us? we can get stuff. what's it mean for shipping? ship the goods. you're a go! you got the green light. that means go! oh, yeah. start saying yes to your company's best ideas. we're gonna hit our launch date! (scream) thank you! goodbye! let us help with money and know-how, so you can get business done. american express open. hi, i'm the internet! you so yknoarmless bowling.lt?ne. ahhhhhhhh! you know what's easy? building your website with godaddy. get your domain today and get a free trial of gocentral. build a better website in under an hour. he's brought us to the obstru

gabe gutierrez is live in san juan for us. we had a look at the contract this morning. there's one piece in it that goes over audits done by the government, right? talk us through it. >> reporter: hi, there, hallie. good morning. that part of the contract is getting attention. let me read you from that contract. quote, in no event shall prepa, the comptroller or any representatives have the right to audit or review the cost and profit elements of the labor rates specified herein. basically, you can't audit this contract. despite that the governor ordered an audit. he's expecting results of the initial part of that audit, the one done by the puerto rican office of management and budget. he's expecting those initial results today. we have no time frame on that. but he said it's coming out at some point in time. he's waiting to take an official stance on this until he gets some of the results. within the past hour, a spokesman for whitefish said that portion of the contract is standard. despite that whitefish says his company welcomes that audit. governor rossello was aske

gabe gutierrez with the crisis unfolding there. there's a mass exodus of puerto ricans seeking refuge in southern florida. the past two weeks roughly 60,000 puerto ricans fled the island heading towards florida seeking disaster relief state-wide. joining me now is msnbc's maria atencio live in orlando but spent a great deal of time in puerto rico after the hurricane and has seen both sides of this. good to see you again. walk us through what families are seeing when they ay rive in florida? >> reporter: ali a second struggle for them. a second hurricane, in their words. many coming literally with the clothes on their backs coming to welcome centers like this one in the greater orlando area where 19 agencies have set up every single need they could possibly have from housing to health, job centers. there's a school district here. there's even, and i'll pan over to my left here, the tax collector's office. because many need to turn over, puerto rican licenses to get florida driver's licenses. i'm here with mark pinot. you have seen a