test test test. test test test. tonight, the suspect charged in the brutal attack on house speaker nancy pelosi's husband making his first appearance in court. the man who allegedly broke into the pelosis' home and assaulted paul pelosi with a hammer facing a judge. the d.a. saying he was looking to harm speaker pelosi, calling the attack politically motivated. and now former president trump weighing in, adding fuel to false conspiracy theories about the crime. also tonight, the killing of a famed music star, takeoff, a member of the chart-topping rap group migos gunned down at a houston bowling alley. what investigators are saying. two police officers shot by a

suspect with a long gun, possibly from a rooftop in new jersey. the urgent manhunt tonight. the midterm elections just one week away. president biden campaigning in florida, where democrats are in an uphill battle. new hope of preventing rsv, the virus overwhelming children's hospitals as pfizer announces the results of its vaccine trials. after her disqualification sparked outrage, the young athlete inspiring america, by taking on her biggest race yet. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening. not guilty was the plea late today from the bay area man accused of beating paul pelosi with a hammer inside his san francisco home last week. david depape making his first court appearance on state charges today after his own words offered insight into his possible state of mind and alleged intentions, that authorities say were

aimed at house speaker nancy pelosi. tonight an online trail suggesting depape was drawn to conspiracy theories. the state charges, which include attempted murder, are separate from the serious federal charges also announced yesterday. in a new statement, speaker nancy pelosi this evening referencing what she called her husband's long recovery process as he remains in a san francisco hospital. our miguel almaguer was in the courtroom today and has this report. >> reporter: wearing a jailhouse jumpsuit and his arm in a sling, david depape entered a not guilty plea today. the district attorney successfully arguing for no bail, with the 42-year-old facing a litany of federal and state charges, including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and false imprisonment. >> we certainly view him as a public safety risk to the city of san francisco. certainly to the speaker as time goes forward. >> reporter: visiting her husband today, nancy pelosi says paul

is making steady progress. investigators say the 82-year-old was struck in the head with a hammer after depape broke into the couple's home and told them he did not plan to surrender, and that he would go through pelosi. in the criminal complaint, depape compared himself to the founding fathers, telling authorities he was fighting against tyranny without the option of surrender. >> we're going to be looking into mr. depape, his mental state. >> reporter: inside this garage, where the suspect lived, 16 miles away from the pelosi home, investigators recovered paperwork, rubber gloves, hammers, and a sword. from your time with him, did you get the sense that he may do something wrong? >> to be honest, i kind of had the suspicion something strange might happen. >> reporter: blogs written under depape's name shared mixed ideology and mor recently far right conspiracy theories. the attack itself fueled by misinformation.

the former president on a podcast sharing debunked theories that police say never happened. >> the glass it seems was broken from the inside to the out. and, you know, so it wasn't a break-in, it was break-out. >> reporter: after recovering a journal during his arrest, the federal complaint says depape wanted to use nancy to lure another individual to depape, but offered no further explanation. tonight, new frightening details from the man accused of a grisly attack. >> miguel, as i noted at the top of the broadcast, you were in the courtroom today. what else did you learn about the suspect? >> well, lester, new court documents allege that the suspect knew he was being recorded on ring cameras, and he knew 911 was being called. still, they say he carried out this attack. the same court documents say the suspect was on a, quote, suicide mission. lester? >> miguel almaguer, thank you.

we'll turn now to the death of a famous music star, rapper takeoff, a member of the chart-topping group migos, was shot dead after a private party in houston. morgan chesky now on the search for answers and suspects. >> reporter: in houston, a billiard and bowling alley turned homicide scene after overnight shooting killed one of music's biggest stars. police say 28-year-old kirshnik ball, known as takeoff in the rap group migos was fatally shot when at least two gunmen opened fire after a disagreement broke out following a private party. two others were also shot. police adding there were dozens of witnesses. are you confident in saying you don't believe takeoff may have been the intended target here? >> i'm not comfortable by saying that. i don't want to speculate, not at this time. >> reporter: investigators say ball attended the party with another member of migos, his uncle quavo. >> everybody spoke of what a great young man this is, how peaceful he is, what great artist. ♪♪ >> reporter: the georgia native helped

turn the rap group into an award winning success following their smash hit "bad and bougie" in 2016. migos released two more albums. they both debuted at the top of the charts. online tributes pouring in. rapper gucci writing rest in peace. reverend bernice king writing "i mourn that such frivolous violence has ended your life. my heart goes out the takeoff's family." the loss a somber reminder of young rappers lost to gun violence. in 2019, rising star nipsey hussle was fatally shot outside his south l.a. clothing store. just one year later, a gunman killed pop spoke during a break-in at his hollywood hills home. >> if you compare to maybe hip-hop in the '90s, the violence is way more rampant, and it's happening to younger, younger artists at an incredible rate. >> reporter: now investigators stress that ball was not a

part of any criminal activity here, and tonight they're asking all of those witnesses to share any potential leads. lester? >> all right. morgan chesky, thank you. here is breaking news out of newark, new jersey, where there is an urgent manhunt tonight after two police officers were shot while serving a warrant. law enforcement sources saying police believed the shooter fired a long gun, possibly from a rooftop or elevated window. the neighborhood placed on lockdown. no suspects are in custody. both officers are expected to survive. just one week now until the midterms, and both parties are bringing out their big names in this final sprint. president biden looking to boost democrats in florida, a state where his party is trailing in the major races. peter alexander will be in the key battlegrounds for us all week. tonight he is in florida. >> reporter: president biden tonight trying to rally democrats here in florida, just one week until the critical midterms. set to appear with gubernatorial candidate charlie crist and senate candidate val demings.

>> this ain't your father's republican party. it's a different deal right now. >> reporter: polls here show republicans, governor ron desantis and senator marco rubio with the lead. >> these democrats are with joe biden 100% of the time. that's not what we want in the state of florida. >> reporter: republicans are looking to capitalize on growing support among the key swing group, latinos. here in florida, a recent telemundo lx news poll shows desantis leading crist among latino voters. most also support desantis' decision to send migrants to martha's vineyard. republican tony figueroa, the child of cuban and nicaraguan immigrants tells us he is worried about rising prices. how is inflation impacting you? >> i want to have my own place, to call my own. i've been saving up for that for years now. it just seems like with inflation, that goal seems a little more out of reach day by day. >> reporter: we also

met democrat mercedes paloma who came here from cuba when she was just 9. she is worried american democracy is giving way to dictatorship. in your eyes, it's democracy that's at stake, no? >> yes, it is. because it has become the truth versus lies. and when you a binary situation, that's when you have a problem, when violence becomes the recourse to a voting democracy. >> reporter: then there is ivan nieves, a miami bistro owner who calls himself an independent. he voted for president biden in 2020 and says he's not satisfied with the result, telling us he is now undecided. do you feel stuck in the middle? >> right. i think i haven't seen that person. i haven't seen that, honestly that vibe that says okay, i'm going to do things differently. >> reporter: there are at least nine tight races that could determine control of the senate. and key governors' matchups too. in arizona, republican kari lake facing fierce criticism for this joke about rising crime in the attack on paul pelosi. >> nancy pelosi, well, she's got protection

when she is d.c. apparently her house doesn't have a lot of protection. >> peter is with the president at a rally in miami right now. but peter, in the tightest races we've been watching, democrats are turning to former president obama. >> lester, with president biden's approval ratings in the low 40s right now, it is the former president barack obama who is heading into key battleground states this week like nevada and arizona before campaigning together with president biden this weekend in pennsylvania. lester? >> all right, peter, thank you. the supreme court has blocked house democrats from obtaining former president trump's tax returns, at least for now. chief justice john roberts temporarily shielding those records two days before the irs was due to hand them over. also today, the supreme court rejecting the request from trump ally senator lindsey graham to avoid testifying in a into possible election meddling in georgia. now to an emotional day in a florida courtroom.

outraged families of those killed in the parkland school shooting confronting the gunman at his sentencing hearing. here is sam brock. >> i thought that the devil does not assist until death put us in front. >> reporter: all day the pain poured out. >> you don't know me, but you tried to kill me. >> you are a revolting entity. >> reporter: parents, family members, survivors speaking without restrictions on time or subject directly to the man who killed their loved ones. >> i wish no peace for you. i wish nothing but pain. >> i am disappointed and disgusted with the verdict that was handed to you. you do not deserve the best case scenario. >> reporter: the deadliest mass shooting in u.s. history to reach trial ended without a death penalty verdict because there wasn't a

unanimous decision, as florida requires. >> my brother chris on february 14th died a hero. you, however, you will die as nothing because you are nothing. >> reporter: some parents using the time to lambaste the defense, which they say misrepresented the killer's lack of access to mental health care. >> this individual didn't fall off the grid. he was the grid. he was getting every service that they offered. that totaled hundreds of hours of therapy. >> reporter: ultimately, those here left with one simple feeling, emptiness. >> i am broken. i am broken, and i am broken. >> reporter: tomorrow afternoon, we'll hear from a few more families, and then the sentencing, life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. lester? >> raw emotion in that courtroom. all right, sam, thank you. in 60 seconds, the virus causing child

hospitalizations to surge. is a new vaccine on the horizon? and the big change elon musk may bring to twitter. what it could start charging users for. nucala is a once-monthly add-on injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. nucala is not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your asthma specialist about a nunormal with nucala. ♪ [christmas music] ♪ ♪ ♪ weathertech gift cards have the power to wow everyone on your holiday list. offering a variety of american made products. weathertech! nice! like floorliners... cargo liner... tablet holder... boot tray... cupfone...

sink mat... pet feeding system... anti-fatigue comfortmat and more. order the weathertech gift card instantly for the perfect gift at weathertech.com new hope for new hope for parents and hospitals overwhelmed by children sick with rsv. an experimental vaccine is showing some promise. it comes as pharmacies sound the alarm over a shortage of a critical antibiotic heading into the winter months. here is gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: the search for an rsv vaccine has taken decades, but tonight pfizer says new data for its experimental shot given to pregnant women early in the third trimester was 69% effective in preventing severe respiratory illnesses in newborns in their first six months of life. the company says it's even more effective in the first three months. >> it's a real breakthrough. i'd say people have been searching for a vaccine for nearly six decades, at least five without success.

so this is the major triumph for women and their babies. >> reporter: pfizer's data has not yet been peer reviewed. the company says it plans to apply for vaccine approval before the end of this year, but shots in arms may not come until next winter. >> it's extremely frustrating. >> reporter: irene heron in baltimore knows the stakes. two of their children with rsv have gone to the hospital in the past few weeks. >> i think the toughest part is not being able to do much but just kind of wait and let it run its course. >> reporter: as more hospitals brace for a triple threat of rsv, the flu, and new covid variants this winter, orange county, california has just declared a health emergency, and another concern is emerging. across the u.s., some pharmacies are reporting shortages of one of the most idly used antibiotics, liquid amoxicillin. it's commonly prescribed to treat ear infections, and pneumonia in children. >> it's the time of

the year where demand is increasing. >> reporter: it's not clear what is causing the shortage of the antibiotic or how long it could last. lester? >> gabe, thank you. when we come back in a moment, a major suv recall. what drivers should know. plus, could split ticket voters hold the power up and down the ballot? avoiding triggers, but still get migraine attacks? qulipta™ can help prevent migraine attacks.