Top Story with Tom Llamas - Feb. 20 | NBC News NOW
[Music] good evening I'm Ellison barber in for Tom yamas We Begin top story tonight on this President's Day with the historic visit by our current commander-in-chief President Biden making an unannounced visit to Ukraine marking the first time an American president has been on the ground in a war zone with no substantial presence of American troops Biden touring the streets of Kiev with Ukrainian President Vladimir zielinski the two passing the city's famed Saint Michael's Cathedral then embracing at the wall of remembrance as they paid respects to the Fallen Soldiers of the war the visit largely a symbolic show of support just days before the one-year anniversary of the full-scale invasion but Biden today also pledging material support promising another 500 million dollars in Aid the president leaving the same way he came covertly and on a train the trip which had been planned in secret for months over and just hours chief White House correspondent Kristen Welker leads us off tonight President Biden arriving in Poland after his historic and highly secretive trip inside a war zone in Kiev side by side with Ukraine's president zielenski thank you very much for coming Mr President at a huge moment of supporting the Ukraine I thought it was critical that there would not be any doubt none whatsoever about U.S support for Ukraine a show of unity and Defiance aimed at Russian President Vladimir Putin days away from the one-year anniversary of Putin's invasion of Ukraine the American stands with you and the world stands with you the momentous date starting with president zielinski and the first lady of Ukraine greeting Mr Biden uniformed Ukrainian Military Officers lining the streets as the two presidents walked through the Ukrainian Capital locked down for security air raid sirens in the distance then this dramatic moment laying a wreath at the wall of remembrance for fallen Ukrainian soldiers punctuated by a Moment of Silence the ceremonies making a powerful impact on ukrainians NBC's Aaron McLaughlin is there all day ukrainians have been paying their respects at this wall of Fallen Ukrainian soldiers they tell me President Biden's visit shows them that the world sees their sacrifice we feel that world support us and tonight we're learning more about the results in the making President Biden giving the final sign off on Friday and leaving in the pre-dawn hours Sunday these newly released images showing him arriving in Kiev after a 10-hour train trip across the Ukraine border the Kremlin was notified hours in advance and the visit comes as Ukraine which relies on Western military aid is pressing the U.S for more President Biden announcing another half billion dollars in military aid and making this pledge for as long as it takes and that's how long we're going to be with you Mr President the U has given Ukraine over a hundred billion dollars in Aid so far but the challenge for President Biden our NBC News poll this month showing Americans are split on taxpayer money for Ukraine 49 say congress should provide more funding and weapons and 47 percent say congress should not Republican house Speaker McCarthy says he's against a blank check for Ukraine all as Russia has begun its major new offensive in the east Kristen Welker joins us now from Warsaw Poland Kristen you mentioned the president's visit while shrouded in secrecy was really months in the making what more do we know about those behind the scenes preparations well we know Ellison that the president made the final decision on Friday as you say after months of discussions that really stepped up after president zielinski's surprise visit to the White House back in December as you'll recall and then it was early Sunday morning in the cloak of darkness and secrecy that the president left he only had a few staffers with him and then extraordinarily as you just saw there in that piece that final stretch taking that 10 hour train ride one official telling me the president could have gone to a number of locations but wanted to go to Kiev as a show of force and a show of strength Ellison Kristen a lot of ukrainians hope to see President Biden in their country months and months ago particularly when other allies like the president of France and then prime minister of the UK were making visits to keep specifically it was symbolically important to ukrainians back then it seems like it is still symbolically important to them today how is this visit impacting morale within the country foreign there is no doubt about that they praised the president for visiting president zielinski said that the president's visit was historic and also brave but what happens next as I just reported the president did commit another half a billion dollars in a military aid package but you have president zielinski who is saying look this is wonderful we are grateful for all of the support but we still need more we need F-16 fighter jets for example so expect those types of calls to continue even as the public remains sharply divided about how much more Aid they think U.S taxpayers should go toward Ukraine this is going to be the challenge for President Biden moving forward Allison Kristen Welker in Poland thanks for that from Ukraine we take you now to neighboring Belarus the country is one of Russia's closest allies Remember The full-scale Invasion began with Russian forces making a push to capture Ukraine's Capital Kiev and those soldiers crossed into Ukraine via Belarus now Ukraine is warning Belarus could play a bigger role in Putin's next offensive or Kier Simmons was at the border of Belarus and Ukraine this is another side of the Ukrainian border Russia's side we're inside Belarus Russia's critical Ally where tonight there are fears in the west that Russia's new offensive in Ukraine might include sending troops from here and that's Ukraine just across the border there you can see how heavily fortified it is the ukrainians clearly taking no chances that that's Ukraine right there looking at Ukraine how tense is this border it's awesome now very tense this Border guard tells me Belarus wanted us to see their special forces showing off their capabilities they want peace they say despite supporting Russia you're ready to fight if you need to fight you're ready to fight of course he tells me we'll tear you with our teeth among their military equipment chinese-made troop carriers after touring Europe China's most senior Diplomat will be in Moscow for talks the U.S accusing China of considering supplying lethal arms to Russia which the Chinese government calls fake news Kier Simmons joins us now from Moscow here President Putin is scheduled to address the Russian Parliament tomorrow any heads up on his message yeah it's kind of his version of the State of the Union Alison look obviously I haven't read his speech according to the Kremlin he's been still writing it today but we can have a pretty good guess at what he's likely to say can't we there will be plenty of rhetoric accusing America of supporting Ukraine and effectively fighting Russia and saying that this is an existential threat to Russia certainly he thinks I think that this is a threat to his uh leadership now look I know I'm standing here in Moscow there'll be folks Across America watching this I'm thinking this isn't really going to change my world well here's why it is because as long as President Putin doubles down on his policy on Ukraine as as long as this conflict continues the world is Shifting Ukraine is becoming symbolic and countries are positioning themselves around Ukraine and is changing international relations that's going to change economic Outlook is certainly going to change our security Outlook and there are many many people worried about what the future looks like because of what's happening in Ukraine and cure have any Russian officials addressed President Biden's visit to Ukraine is this visit something that is even on the news in Russia oh yeah oh yes it got us in its own Russian television and uh we haven't heard directly from the Kremlin itself but other Russian officials have been uh you know kind of almost laughing at it on the one side others describing it as a provocation listen I I think ultimately for for many Russian officials here this will be confirmation of their view that they are in a battle uh with NATO the challenge is is will this escalate that you hear that again and again but it really is a a genuine concern here's the debate will the year ahead we're looking back at the year gone well the year ahead see things change on the battlefield dramatically will they ultimately stay the same if Ukraine starts to really win how will Russia react there are the concerns of a kind of nuclear reaction if you like what is trying to be judged is what will President Putin do if he is cornered I don't think we ultimately know that the Chinese Senior Diplomat is here in Moscow this week talking about negotiations trouble is of course very few people trust China in the west and certainly in Washington all right Kier Simmons reporting from Belarus and Russia thanks for that for more on the state of the war in Ukraine and how the U.S has responded over the past year we're joined Now by retired colonel in the United States Army and NBC military analyst Colonel Jack Jacobs first Colonel Jacobs I want to get your reaction to Biden's trip to Kiev the U.S
has given Ukraine billions of dollars since February of 2022 a lot of it military support from weapons and ammo to training but U.S troops are not involved in the fighting there are no boots on the ground right so how significant is it to have the president of the United States physically go to an active war zone and stand next to the president of the country at War well it's very important for the uh for the entire uh Ukrainian defense uh you know the ukrainians would like to have seen the president there much earlier but this is a very large operation to get the president there don't forget that he had to fly to he had to fly to Poland and then a 10-hour train trip there in a 10-hour train trip back before he he would be uh he'd be out of Harm's Way uh it's extremely important symbolically especially because it comes just on the cusp of the 20 of the one year anniversary of the Russian invasion uh and so it's not surprising that the Russians are vituperative and the Chinese as well by the way and and and uh everybody who's allied with Russia is extremely uh outspoken about the trip trying to downplay it and say that it was not significant but it is extremely significant both from the standpoint of the United States and its allies on the one hand and Ukraine on the other Allison you look at this new Aid package military assistance President Biden says the U.S will be giving Ukraine an additional 500 million dollars in military assistance that includes artillery ammunition anti-armor systems and air surveillance radar it does not include fighter jets those F-16 fighter jets that's something that president zielinski has specifically said he needs what do you make of that latest announcement in terms of military support and Aid well that kind of support is extremely important the thing that the ukrainians need the most at the moment is ammunition and artillery pieces and high Mars missile systems uh fighter jets are extremely difficult for a number of reasons the first is the United States the West don't want to see Western fighter fighters on the ground because ultimately air battles and and ground air missiles will be launched and and some of those aircraft will be lost and so the the Optics of that are not particularly attractive second it's arguable whether or not those aircraft will really make it the kind of difference that needs to be made on the ground in Ukraine what is really needed as I said is more ammunition more artillery pieces uh more ways to intercept uh both tanks and uh and missiles coming from from Russia that's what's really required much more important than aircraft Allison okay Colonel Jacobs thank you so much for that back here at home the arrest in the killing of a beloved Bishop in Los Angeles his death shocking the community police saying the suspect is the husband of The Bishop's housekeeper Nyala Charles has the latest on the ongoing investigation tonight a suspect arrested in the shooting death of a high-ranking and beloved Los Angeles Catholic bishop this man this bishop made a huge difference in our community he was loved and uh and it's and it's very sad that we're gathered here today uh to talk about his murder in this way investigators say the suspect is 65-year-old Carlos Medina the husband of The Bishop's housekeeper and that he had done work around The Bishop's residence detectives were told by the tipster that they were concerned because Medina was acting strange irrational and made comments about the bishop owing him money 69 year old Bishop David O'Connell was found bleeding and not breathing at his home in Los Angeles this weekend from an apparent gunshot wound on his upper body according to deputies investigators saying it was a targeted attack it was very shocking to me I'm getting chills right now just thinking about it having spent most of his priesthood ministering to South down Lake communities Afflicted with poverty and gang violence O'Connell became known as LA's Peacemaker and was admirably called Bishop Dave he was very interested in trying to be a mediator between the police and the community he was somebody that you know police officers and gang members and humble Community people all you know gravitated to his compassion extended to immigrants he supported the immigration or Asylum claims of more than 75 unaccompanied minors through a SoCal immigration task force he called it a labor of love attorney Linda Dak and Grimm worked with Bishop O'Connell's task force welcoming The Stranger had always been a passion of his he has been an amazing supporter of all the kids and families that I've represented quietly behind the scenes without seeking attention the Archdiocese of Los Angeles saying in a statement that it is deeply Disturbed and saddened by this news the respected Faith leader originally from Ireland had served the Los Angeles area for more than 45 years and was named an auxiliary Bishop by Pope Francis in 2015. I knew I'd lost a
great friend I knew that La had lost you know a great Bishop Bishop Barron was ordained with O'Connell I woke up to the news that he had been shot uh so that's just doubled the the shock and the surprise that's part of the trauma of this thing for all of us is we just find it so hard to understand and Ayala Charles joins us now from Los Angeles ala do we know what led up to this have police said anything about a possible motive here Ellison deputies say they're still investigating if a dispute caused this and they say they also executed a search warrant at Medina's home where they found two odd firearms and other evidence possibly linking him to The Bishop's murder they say his wife is cooperating they say although he's not charged he is in custody as they continue to go over forensics now back to Bishop Dave who people are remembering fondly despite the horrible way in which he died they say he is still known to be someone who helped the helpless and had hope for the Hopeless remembering him fondly and remembering his legacy Allison all right Ayala Charles thank you so much for that now to a major development in the rust set shooting criminal case against actor Alec Baldwin New Mexico prosecutors have dropped a five-year firearm sentencing enhancement charge against Baldwin after his lawyers argued it was unconstitutional Baldwin still faces charges of involuntary manslaughter for the Fatal movie Set shooting of cinematographer Helena Hutchinson for more on this we want to bring in criminal trial attorney Sarah Azari who joins us now from Los Angeles Sarah Baldwin's attorney argued against this firearm enhancement because it wasn't actually on the books at the time of the shooting walk us through what's going on here how much damage has been done to the case how strong is the manslaughter case well look uh Ellison good to be with you first of all when I saw the charging document in uh in Alec Baldwin's case I was shocked I mean I had red flags all over it because it was so incredibly overcharged I didn't believe that the involuntary manslaughter charge was warranted to begin with let alone a gun enhancement because a gun enhancement also known as a weapons enhancement is typically what we see where there's an underlying crime that then the enhancement tacks onto where there's a gun used in the commission of that crime and therefore it enhances the sentence or the penalties associated with the underlying crime here the underlying crime is the mishandling and use of a gun so we've got a gun enhancement enhancing essentially a crime involving a gun that's what stood out to me and this is absolutely the right thing to do but I'm going to call spade a spade I think the DA's office is Saving Face I think there's a lot of heat people are beginning to realize that this was politically motive innovated if Alec Baldwin was John Smith he probably would have never been charged and I think the technicality is yeah it was not on the books at the time but but he should have never been charged with a manslaughter let alone a gun enhancement Sarah the DA's office released this statement saying quote the prosecution's priority is securing Justice not securing billable hours for Big City attorneys do you buy that at all I I chuckled when I read that because let me tell you I've represented celebrities and average citizens and I can tell you that their ability to pay their resources and our billable hours are not a factor in terms of prosecution's decision to charge right they don't care about whether the defendant can pay or has a lot of money to pay or the attorneys are big shot big firm attorneys who are going to bill this is just again they're backpedaling they made a huge mistake by all these flying red flags in this complaint and now they're trying to do the right thing and and trying to shave off some of this overcharging and instead of accepting responsibility and owning what they did they're putting it on the idea that you know we're here to seek Justice and not to put money in the pockets of of the defense attorneys so where does this case go from here how will the D.A try to make its new-ish or slightly varied case as the trial progresses or as the case progresses well I think I think you know that the fact that this was so overcharged to me indicated that they're trying to muscle Baldwin into a plea deal right they're going to offer him something hoping that it'll settle he's not going to settle he shouldn't settle because this is a very defensible case so I think at this point he's left with this involuntary manslaughter charge that's charged in two alternative counts and he goes to trial and you know I actually I listen interviewed the gun expert I was one of the first people to interview him for the prosecution on one of my podcasts and uh you know what this prosecution did is for a year and a half shocked experts to see who would fit their narrative who would come up with a standard that they they could then say that Baldwin violated right and so Baldwin has to go to trial this case is going to go to trial and I think it's wishful thinking to say that oh he's facing 18 months I I would bet he's not going to get convicted all right Sarah Azari thank you we appreciate your expertise now to the major winter storm taking aim at the Northwest winter alerts in effect for more than 27 million people from California to the Midwest the storm arriving as the southeast is preparing for potentially record-breaking highs later this week Bill Cairns is here with the forecast Bill let's start with this winter storm out west what are you seeing tonight there's just so many people are going to be shaking their heads in the next couple days be like what is going on with our weather it's already been that way kind of a weird winter this is a major winter storm that's going to bring high winds cold temperatures and snow to many areas even some low elevations that don't typically get snow like that or are going to be watching that we're talking about areas in the deserts we're talking about areas like some Salt Lake City is going to get about 10 feet of 10 inches or snow 10 feet would be a story 10 inches of snow we have blizzard warnings in areas of Wyoming in California we're going to get the snow levels down between one and two thousand feet that's going to be something that doesn't happen very often so we get to snow at the high elevations all the skiers are like yep we're going to stay open until May it's been that crazy of a year but Minneapolis this would be historic 20 inches of snow in two days mostly Wednesday and Thursday that would be a big deal plus gusts to 45 miles per hour tomorrow night keep an eye on the Las Vegas area possible power outages 70 mile per hour winds even in the city itself are likely so that'll be a story and then how about these temperatures in the East it's already been an incredibly warm winter and we are going to see temperatures this week they're going to have people turning their air conditioners on not just in their car but even in their houses up to 112 people or cities are going to break record highs and you know tomorrow is an 84 in Alabama 80 in Charlotte I mean you've seen it it's already been a wildly warm winter in the East and that's going to continue all right Bill Karen's thank you so much for that and now to a number of controversial proposals surrounding child labor laws with a job market struggling to fill some positions legislators and at least two states are now proposing easing child labor protections the new guidelines could open the door for teenagers as young as 14 to work in jobs that have long been considered hazardous Juan Venegas has the latest minors as young as 14 working inside industrial freezers and meat coolers just one of the latest proposals by a state legislature flirting with the idea of relaxing child workplace protections we're certainly in a height labor market right now but trying to relax our child labor laws at a point we're seeing more and more violations seems to me a very wrong-headed policy last month two states Iowa and Minnesota introduced bills to losing age regulations as well as workplace safety Protections in some of the most dangerous workplaces the legislators in Minnesota and Iowa are justifying it because we need more workers and I think the underlying reason is cost control if passed Minnesota's bill would allow 16 and 17 year olds to work construction jobs while Iowa's proposed change would allow 14 and 15 year olds to work certain jobs in meat packing plants as long as they are separate from where the meat is prepared and they wear the proper gear there is a federal law so kids can't work in mining they can't work in meat packing because they cause serious injuries and what Iowa wants to do is just thumb their noses at the federal law and say no we're we're gonna in our state we are going to endanger children that's how we're going to answer the labor crisis in Iowa The Proposal would also protect the business from civil liability if a student worker is sickened injured or killed on the job the data is really here there Deckers have incredibly High rates of injuries on the job and allowing young workers to do these is just about exploiting whoever they can to make a profit Senator Jason Schultz the author of Iowa's built did not return NBC news's request for comment state senator Rich drayheim Chief author of the Minnesota legislation told NBC News quote eliminating work opportunities for youth just because of their age will make it even harder for businesses to find Reliable employees the proposed changes come as the Department of Labor cracks down on companies illegally employing minors just last week a federal investigation uncovered that 102 teenagers some as young as 13 were working overnight shifts cleaning slaughterhouses across the Midwest as a result the Sanitation Company forced to pay 1.5 million dollars in fines and guad joins us now from Miami quad states can pass their own legislation of course we all know that but the U.S also has federal laws and there are federal laws with set guidelines aimed at protecting minors they've been in effect since the 1930s so how will those federal laws impact these proposed changes uh Ellison so we have the fair labor standards act which protects minors they put in Provisions in place first to make sure that they have educational opportunities and also to protect them from hazardous environment in fact in those laws we know that specifically certain jobs in meat packing and also in poultry plants are prohibited for a lot of these minors they can't operate certain machines like the ones that are used in these plants and then when you look at construction a lot of those jobs are specifically prohibited for minors jobs like demo jobs on the roof and also operating certain Machines of course it will be up to the legal experts to look into these proposed changes and see if they do in fact violate any federal laws and then figure out what the next step would be if those proposed changes go in effect Allison Venegas thank you for your reporting now onto Plains Georgia where former President Jimmy Carter is in Hospice Care the community now sending an outpouring of love and support to their most famous citizen who's been a fixture there for decades Kelly O'Donnell with the tributes from Carter's home and across the globe President's Day has a special poignancy in Plains Georgia today where Decades of Community Pride Embraces a favorite son it's a good opportunity to say you know we recognize what you've done for our country we thank you for that Bill Clinton noted this holiday to send good wishes to Jimmy Carter the 39th president who returned home to this house here in Plains to spend his remaining days in hospice care close to Roseland his wife of 76 years do you feel this personally oh definitely he deserves to know he should know what Pete what he meant to people and what he will always mean to people and represent to this country secure in his faith and his place in history at 98 Jimmy Carter has lived longer than any American president he reflected on facing his final days after surviving brain cancer in 2015. I've had a wonderful life I've
had thousands of friends and and I've had an exciting and adventurous and gratifying existence today the Carter Center and his local church are posting messages and memories from the public while today Habitat for Humanity honored his nearly four Decades of sweat and Spirit by wishing him comfort and well-being Kelly O'Donnell joins us now from Plains Georgia Kelly what else have you been hearing from people in that Community about the former president well Ellison we've seen people who were drawn to come here and to stop and see part of the town here behind us and to just spend a little bit of time being close to the former president knowing that this is a very sad time and a poignant time for him and for his family people talking about a chance to reflect on his life of service and the many ways from the White House and then in all the years since the kind of work that he did from Habitat for Humanity to his work around the globe trying to eradicate disease through the Carter Center standing up for democracy in countries all around the world and others talked about just the humility of the man and his faithfulness to his community here neighbors and friends and his local church lots of people wanting to comment about his life with gratitude and concern about his family and about what may come next but a real sense that planes that has long been filled with pride about Jimmy Carter and all of his accomplishments it's also right now now really wrapping itself around the Carter family and those who've been attached to him over the years because this is a trying time certainly for those close to him Ellison all right Kelly O'Donnell thank you so much still ahead tonight the latest on the deadly shooting of a Temple University cop an 18 year old man is in custody tonight accused of killing the campus officer after he allegedly tried to stop him from stealing a car with the family of that Fallen officer is telling top story tonight plus the unimaginable in Turkey yet another earthquake hitting the already devastated region multiple fatalities reported and the scare at an indoor water park near New York City several people injured while swimming what authorities say fell from the ceiling stay with us foreign of a Temple University Police Officer an 18 year old was taken into custody at his home in Pennsylvania and now faces a murder charge tonight the officer's family spoke with our Valerie Castro remembering the father and husband as a hero vowing to never let his memory fade tonight a growing Memorial honoring the life of a campus police officer murdered on a Philadelphia street our hearts are broken who were devastated that the loss of a Temple University police officer who is protecting and safeguarding our community when they were taken from US 31 year old Christopher Fitzgerald a Temple University cop was shot in the head Saturday night according to campus police Philadelphia district attorney Larry krasner charging 18-year-old miles pfeffer with the crime we can't confirm a suspect has been taken into custody is under arrest pfeffer was taken into custody by U.S Marshals who found him at his home in Buckingham Township using the Fallen officer's handcuffs to take him in we were able to get the house surrounded we had they were able to get compliance and take the suspect into custody without incident Philadelphia police say officer Fitzgerald tried to intervene in a carjacking near campus when he encountered pfeffer the district attorney in a statement saying pfeffer allegedly shot Fitzgerald then attempted to Rob him of his gun and went through his pockets quote while the officer was laying on the ground and fatally wounded I just feel really awful that something had to happen to him because he was just like protecting us fever is also accused of committing a carjacking a short time later audio of that incident apparently captured by this ring camera pfeffer who is being held without bail following arraignment faces 24 different charges that include murder and carjacking Fitzgerald the first officer killed in the line of duty in the history of Temple University Police was active in the community with the organization black men run raising awareness about gun violence I'm still in disbelief right now and hurt not just me but I hurt our team I heard our Brotherhood our fellowship I heard a lot of things in our environment that we stand for he also leaves behind four children and his wife Marissa we're getting more heartbroken um my babies are not well um their parents are extremely devastated um there are there's no words that can describe what we're feeling at all his family says he began his career in law enforcement at just 19 years old following in his Father's Footsteps wanting to serve he loved what he did he loved it um every day he would tell me about all the accomplishments that he did and um he just wanted the city to get better um he did a lot of community outreach um he ran in the neighborhoods um to stop the gunfilence now leaving behind his family and career as a hero I'm gonna always make sure that my babies know who their dad was and he was a good husband it was my best friend NBC Philadelphia also reporting that Fitzgerald had promised to take his children out for a pancake breakfast after his shift on Sunday but of course he never made it home Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro ordering Flags to fly at half staff throughout the state in honor of Fitzgerald until sunset on the day of his funeral Allison Valerie Castro thanks for that now to the latest in East Palestine Ohio following a train derailment there as we've reported there are growing concerns over polluted air and water and now the state is preparing to open a health clinic to address some of those fears George Solis is there and spoke with residents on what support they need tonight more anger mounting in East Palestine we're so far out and we still don't have answers Shelby Walker's home is near the toxic train derailment site we have no choice to live here right now Walker says just days after the derailment she started feeling sick I have lost my sense of smell and taste since then some respiratorial issues she says she's tested negative for covid and that her doctor was unable to explain her symptoms ongoing EPA testing of the air and water has not yet shown a threat to the community according to the agency still some residents say they aren't convinced I'm very frustrated we don't think they're taken care of all the pollution that they should be U.S Transportation secretary Pete budajesh urging Norfolk Southern and other rail companies to drop previous resistance to certain regulations the agency says would improve safety on America's rails in a strongly worded letter to CEO Alan Shaw Buddha judge says the people of East Palestine cannot be forgotten nor can their pain be simply considered the cost of doing business Shaw making an unannounced visit this weekend to East Palestine Norfolk Southern says it's paid out more than 2.6 million to Residents and business owners for their losses but Walker says the damage is done you want answers I'm not here to put Blame it was an accident it was a horrible horrible accident but I do blame for them not saying hey this is what we need to do George Solis joins us now from East Palestine Ohio George what will it take for the residents you've spoken with to trust their waterways again is there anything that could make them trusted Allison that is the big question a lot of presidents say they've been hearing from The Sciences they've been hearing from the EPA that their air and their water is safe but many of them say they just simply don't know if they can trust it many of them still relying on bottled water because some of their Wells haven't been tested the question here is what is going to be done long term to make sure that these residents feel safe Allison George you have spent a lot of time on the ground there talking with residents have you spoken to anyone who says hey look we're considering leaving East Palestine for good because of this yeah some residents tell me if they could leave today they would but for many people here this is home many want to raise their families here so they don't want to leave and say they won't until there is some accountability here they're hoping that the company behind all of this Norfolk Southern takes responsibility Allison thanks George when we come back another explosion reported in Ohio a massive cloud of smoke shooting into the sky what authorities are saying about the cause of that blast stay with us [Music] back now with top stories news feed and we begin with the deadly shooting during Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans police say the shooting took place along a parade route in the French Quarter one person killed and four others injured including a child at least one person was arrested no word yet on what led up to that shooting in Ohio an investigation tonight into an explosion at a manufacturing plant outside of Cleveland new video shows a massive plume of smoke billowing out of that factory in Oakwood Village officials say more than a dozen people are injured including at least one person who was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition no word yet on the cause but all employees are accounted for and an indoor water park in New Jersey is temporarily closed after part of a ride fell onto guests video shows frantic guest does lifeguards attempt to help Park goers stuck under a decorative helicopter hanging from the ceiling this happened at the American dream Mall about 13 miles outside of New York City at least four people were hurt but they are expected to be okay an investigation is now underway we turn now to the emotional return to campus for students at Michigan State University classes resuming one week after a gunman opened fire on students there killing at least three and injuring five others Jesse Kirsch is in Michigan tonight with the latest one week after a campus Massacre claimed three lives and critically injured five more students tonight Michigan State University is back to class I think I had my share time to grieve kind of prepare myself mentally last Monday freshman Connor Dunn ran as the shooting spree unfolded hiding in a nearby ice cream shop today we checked in with the 18 year old before his first class back I'm not really sure what I what to expect and check back in after it felt good kind of almost like reassurance both buildings turned crime scenes now shuttered memorials handwritten notes covered campus and demonstrations continue why was this the right moment to come back you know it's important to all of us coming back today allowed people to come into spaces and places that were familiar come back to people that they knew and trusted and began to find their next best step forward in her first national one-on-one interview since the mass shooting msu's interim president says today is a day of moving forward there's no right right way for any one person to grieve there is no one right way for people to come back in into this setting in light of what's happened here can a campus stay this open we're going to have to work on it we're gonna have to sort out ways in which we can manage our freedoms at the same time as some of these societal things press in on us Jesse Kirsch joins us now from East Lansing Michigan Jesse do we have an update tonight on those students who were injured in the shooting yeah Allison we have an update from the hospital officials say tonight only two of the five injured students remain in critical condition the final funeral will be tomorrow Ellison thanks Jesse turning now to power and politics the latest headlines from Washington and Beyond as President Biden continues his trip overseas back at home talk of his re-election campaign heating up this as candidates on the Republican side begin the battle over their base we're joined Now by senior National politics reporter Jonathan Allen John I want to ask you first about an article in the New York Times it's titled Biden drawing up a 2024 Playbook that looks a lot like 2020s and one of the lines from the article says this quote whether he ultimately faces Donald J Trump again or another Republican trying to be like Mr Trump the president plans a campaign message that still boils down to three words competent beats crazy John A lot has changed since President Biden ran for president back in 2020 could a 2020 Playbook work this time around especially given how low his poll numbers are it's certainly difficult to win a new war with the old Playbook Ellison but the Biden Administration officials Biden White House officials people have been involved in his campaigns before have been building this message for a long time we heard him talk about the Ultra Mega Republicans all through the first two years of his presidency and we're hearing a lot of the same rhetoric and they think that it is something that they could transfer from Donald Trump to Ron DeSantis or anybody else who might be the Republican nominee like that New York Times article NBC has done a lot of reporting on this issue and what the coming Biden campaign may look like uh it probably will be at least until April before he announces but certainly a lot of thought has been given to that by the people closest to Biden you mentioned Florida Governor Ronda Santa so let's switch and talk about Republicans here Ronda Sanchez obviously a very well-known discussed possible 2024 candidate he met with law enforcement officials today in three different cities he made stops in New York City Suburban Philadelphia and Chicago in response to the announcement to visit by the Chicago Police Union the governor of that state JB pritzker tweeted this quote Rhonda Santos is dangerous and hateful agenda has no place in Illinois Banning books playing politics with people's lives and censoring history are antithetical to who we are every candidate hoping to hold public office in the Land of Lincoln should condemn this event what's your takeaway from all of this at this point is the Santa's throwing his hat in the presidential ring really a question of when not if it is a question of when not if Ellison it would be a huge surprise a seismic uh political event if he did not run uh his timetable for actually getting into the race is probably after Florida's legislation legislative session ends uh in June maybe July or August but he has a lot of things that he can do as governor Florida has evidence today with these speeches a lot of things that he can do that effectively uh act for him as a presidential campaign or at least a shadow presidential campaign and go out and talk to groups he can talk to donors he's got a donor Retreat scheduled for this weekend in Palm Beach starting Friday and so he can build that support network even without being an announced candidate so you look at some of the criticism being thrown Ronda Santos's way the governor of Illinois obviously that's a Democratic governor but then you look at Republicans former president Trump he's been very active on his social media Network truth social posting about the Florida governor calling him Ron de sanctimonious and also lashing out at the New York Post for writing what the former president felt like was a puff piece those are his words about DeSantis we saw another high-profile Republican Nikki Haley announced her candidacy last week when you look at Trump's reaction to her candidacy compared to this his reaction to hers feels almost muted by comparison DeSantis has not even announced at this point does the former president Sia DeSantis candidacy as his biggest threat in 2024 what should we read into those attacks coming from former from former president Donald Trump he has to look no further than all the national polls that show it as a two-man race right now and I think the reason that you heard that sort of muted response to Nikki Haley basically saying to her you know she has to do what's in her heart and uh and and you know kind of welcoming her to the race even as he criticized her a little bit uh he looks at uh Nikki Haley and anybody else who might get in the race is somebody who can split the anti-trump vote with DeSantis that's good for him and I think you will see him you know with some variance uh welcome more candidates into the field rather than uh rather than criticize them the way that he criticizes DeSantis he's speaking tonight right now Donald Trump is in Palm Beach to the club 47 group and earlier tonight he the first thing he said is a promise for the future was that he wouldn't allow anyone to cut Medicare or social security for the nation's seniors if he's president that is a a shot across the ballot DeSantis who's uh voted for uh some budget items in his past that uh that I think the Trump folks look at is opportunities for them to hit him on Social Security and Medicare okay John Allen thank you so so much we appreciate your expertise as always take care coming up next state of emergency flooding and landslides devastating parts of Brazil and leaving dozens dead the race tonight to find survivors [Music] now to top story's Global watch and we begin with another massive earthquake striking near turkey's border with Syria new video shows people fleeing clouds of debris as the 6.3 magnitude Quake struck people also ducking for cover inside an airport in Pate the only remaining Hospital in that City now evacuated so far at least three people have been killed and dozens injured this on top of the more than 45 thousand people killed as a result of those massive Quakes in the area two weeks ago and in Brazil a state of emergency after record rainfall triggered deadly flooding and landslides aerial footage shows cars scattered on a beach after the road beneath them crumbled so far at least 36 people are dead and rescue teams are searching for the missing many Carnival festivities across the country have been canceled with parts of Brazil seeing nearly 24 inches of rain in a single day thanks so much for watching Top story for Tom yamas I'm Ellison barber in New York stay right there more news now on the way thanks for watching our YouTube channel follow today's top stories and breaking news by downloading the NBC News app
2023-02-24 04:32
