News Information and Media Site: Nightly Rundown: 8 days to Election Day; FBI investigates ballot box fires; Matthew Perry’s family speaks out exclusively

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By Dan Donahue

Monday, October 28, 2024

Good Monday afternoon. We've entered the final full week of the 2024 presidential campaign, authorities say ballot boxes were lit on fire in the Pacific Northwest, and Matthew Perry's family is speaking out exclusively to NBC News as they mark one year since the "Friends" star's death.

Here is what's in our Nightly Rundown.

Harris campaigning in Michigan, Trump in Georgia on heels of Madison Square Garden rally

With eight days left until Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris has multiple events scheduled in the key battleground of Michigan, while former President Donald Trump is campaigning in Georgia following his controversial rally at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Trump took the stage at MSG on Sunday to deliver his closing argument, after vulgar and racist remarks from his warm-up speakers, including a comedian who told disparaging jokes about Puerto Rico, describing it as "a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean."

Harris, as she left for Michigan today, called the rhetoric at Trump's MSG rally "nonsense," and said the former president is "fanning the fuel of trying to divide our country."

A Trump campaign spokesperson told Fox News today the comedian's joke about Puerto Rico was "made in poor taste" and that "obviously, that joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or our campaign."

Also today, Philadelphia's district attorney is suing Trump supporter Elon Musk and his super PAC to block their million-dollar daily giveaway to registered voters, after the Justice Department warned that it may be illegal.

And President Joe Biden cast his ballot in his home state of Delaware, joining the more than 44 million Americans across the nation who have voted early.

Hundreds of ballots destroyed after fires at drop boxes in Oregon and Washington

The FBI is investigating after authorities said two ballot drop boxes were lit on fire early this morning in Oregon and Washington state.

Police in Vancouver, Washington, said they responded to a report at Southeast 164th Avenue early this morning and found a "suspicious device" next to the ballot box, which was smoking and on fire.

The Clark County auditor's office said that hundreds of ballots were severely burned, and many were destroyed. Anyone who dropped off a ballot in that box after 11 a.m. on Saturday is asked to contact the elections division at (564) 397-2345 or elections@clark.wa.gov.

Also overnight, police in Portland said they responded to a ballot box fire, and determined an incendiary device had been placed inside. The Multnomah County elections office said a fire suppressant inside the drop box protected nearly all the ballots, and only three were damaged.

Matthew Perry's family speaks out exclusively one year after his death

The family of actor Matthew Perry is speaking out exclusively to NBC News, as they mark one year since the "Friends" star's death.

After Perry struggled for years with drug and alcohol abuse, the actor's mother spoke of his death as a tragically inescapable.

"There was an inevitability to what was going to happen next to him," Suzanne Perry told Savannah Guthrie. "You've got to stop blaming yourself because it tears you up," she added.

Perry, who starred for 10 seasons on NBC's smash hit sitcom "Friends," was found unresponsive in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28, 2023. The medical examiner ruled Perry died from the acute effects of ketamine.

"What he taught the world is that no amount of money will cure an addict," said Perry's stepfather, "Dateline" correspondent Keith Morrison.

McDonald's to begin selling Quarter Pounders again after E. coli outbreak

McDonald's plans to start selling its Quarter Pounder hamburgers again this week, after tests indicated its beef patties were not the source of a deadly E. coli outbreak across multiple states, a company spokesperson said.

No E. coli was detected in samples from the Quarter Pounders that have been linked to the outbreak, the spokesperson said in a statement, citing tests by the Colorado Agriculture Department.

The FDA is examining whether slivered onions served on the Quarter pounders were the source of the contamination. Last week, McDonald's identified Taylor Farms as the supplier of the potentially tainted onions.

A Taylor Farms spokesperson told Bloomberg last week that it found no traces of E. coli in tests of raw or finished onions, but it has issued a recall of four raw onion products out of an abundance of caution for potential contamination.

Quarter Pounders will be sold without onions for the time being at all 900 stores that are supplied by Taylor Farms Colorado Springs, the McDonald's spokesperson said.

What else we're watching:

About 10,000 North Korean troops are now on the ground in Russia and will likely be deployed in Ukraine, the Pentagon said today.

Iran said it will use "all available tools" to respond to Israel's attack on Iranian military targets over the weekend.

Smoke from multiple brush fires is impacting the air quality of the Boston area, as parts of the Northeast remain in drought conditions.

Halloween heat: Roughly 100 new daily record highs could be set this week as the weather warms to summer-like conditions across much of the country.

The World Series returns to Yankee Stadium tonight for the first time since 2009, with the Los Angeles Dodgers leading the the Bronx Bombers 2-0.

Apple has rolled out its latest software update, which includes the company's new Apple Intelligence features. Here's what users need to know.

This year's Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has been selected.

Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. After the broadcast, access Nightly News video on NBCNightlyNews.com or the NBC News app.