NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Friday, May 24, 2024

Episode Date: May 25, 2024

Record numbers expected to travel this holiday weekend; Midwest hit by more strong storms, reported tornadoes; Three missionaries, including two Americans, killed in Haiti; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight we're tracking severe storms on the move with the record Memorial Day travel rush now underway. Nearly 44 million people expected to get away on the busiest Memorial Day weekend in nearly 20 years. Today could be the busiest day ever in the air, but severe weather threatening 45 million from Texas to Michigan after five straight days of tornado outbreaks in the central U.S. In Oklahoma, this monster tornado on the ground for nearly an hour. Our team at the airports and in the storm zone. Also breaking tonight, the horror in Haiti. A young American couple working as missionaries killed by gangs. The mother of one of them telling us her son called her as it happened.

His final words to her. The American terrorist avoiding a 12-year prison sentence for bringing ammunition to Turks and Caicos. His relief following 100 days trapped in paradise as the judge sets him free. But what about the other Americans still detained there? We speak to two of them. Just in tonight, the judge denied Alec Baldwin's bid to dismiss his charge over the deadly rush shooting when the actor is headed to trial. New pressure on Israel, the

U.N.'s top court, ordering it to halt the Rafa operation. And the college baseball team fighting to bring a World Series win back to a school whose days are numbered. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. And good evening. I'm Tom Yamas, in for Lester. We begin with two things on the minds of so many Americans this Friday night. Holiday travel and severe weather. A potentially volatile combination as the unofficial start of summer gets underway. AAA says it's going to be the busiest Memorial

Day weekend in almost 20 years, with nearly 44 million of us expected to travel 50 miles or more. The TSA says it expects to screen more than 18 million air travelers and predicts a record summer travel season. But one of the big questions going on this weekend, how much more severe weather are we in for? And are these incredible scenes of a tornado tearing through parts of Oklahoma a preview of what's to come? We start tonight with senior correspondent Tom Costello. Kick off to the summer travel season with 20-year highhigh Memorial Weekend traffic hitting the roads. But signs of trouble already with the fire in Boston's Ted Williams Tunnel creating havoc. And at the airport's record-breaking numbers of passengers.

The weather looks good right now, so hopefully my flight doesn't get canceled. The TSA says today alone could set a record with 3 million checkpoint screenings. I just need your ID. Hold on to your ticket. Already five of the busiest TSA days ever have been this month, setting up another summer stress test for airports and airlines. Last year, we saw a 10-year low in terms of the cancellation rate. So far, that's holding this year.

We'll be looking to the airlines to see if they can keep that up. At DFW Airport, the nation's second busiest, the command center watches it all. From here, they monitor 20 miles of underground baggage track at DFW, 80,000 bags a day moving through the system through five terminals. You see a lot of green. That's fantastic. Green is good. American Airlines with its new baggage control room to speed up bag delivery and cut its lost luggage rate. Bags with tight connections at hubs are loaded last, so they're offloaded first. And now some are going on earlier flights. We have found that very, very effective in ensuring that bags are either traveling with our customers or slightly ahead of our customers into some of

our key markets. If I get to the airport two hours early, my bag may make an earlier flight to Reagan Airport or LAX or wherever I'm going. It could. Right. Today, thunderstorms paused departures in Chicago, while a brief communication failure at Memphis Control affected Nashville and Dallas flights. One big threat this summer, the FAA is still short 3,000 air traffic controllers, despite pushing through big classes at the Air Traffic Control Academy. All right, Tom joins us live. Tom, let's pick up right there. I feel like we've been dealing with this issue for a couple of years, right? Why is staffing still such a problem for the FAA? Yeah, a few issues. First of all, mandatory retirement age of 56 for controllers. 30% of the folks in the academy, they wash out. And another 30% quit once they get on the job

and they realize how difficult the job is. And that has meant flight cancellations, cutting back flights in New York last summer. The concern is that could happen again. All right, Tom Costello leading us off tonight. Tom, we thank you for that and the risk of severe storms complicating the travel picture this weekend after a stunning 26 reported tornadoes touched down across the Great Plains and the Midwest. Here's Maggie Vespa. Oh, my gosh, dude. Yeah, that's a big old tornado.

Jaw-dropping video painting a familiar picture. An apparent monster twister tearing through Oklahoma on the ground for nearly an hour. Hail hammering the town of Duke overnight. As a merciless streak of tornadoes stretches on. Iowa's governor today announcing President Biden approved a major disaster declaration speeding up help for people in Greenfield ravaged by Tuesday's deadly EF4 tornado. Basically, we're going to have to start from scratch. Storms slamming the state again.

This car catching fire near Des Moines this morning after winds ripped down power lines. Hours later, heavy machinery pulls a metal roof from a tree after a reported tornado hit western Illinois. Authorities say no one was hurt. Ten-year-old Michael cleaned up debris with his brother after seeing the twister from his school bus. I saw it getting ready to come touch the ground. How did you feel when you saw that? Nervous and scared. Couldn't get to him, and that's the worst feeling ever a parent can ever imagine having. 2024 is the third most active year on record with 900 reported tornadoes,

more than a third in May. And heading into the holiday weekend, tens of millions more find themselves in Mother Nature's line of fire, desperate for relief. Tom. All right, Maggie and her team covering those storms all week. That brings us right to Bill Caron's bill for many a dangerous weekend, huh? Yeah, severe thunderstorms tonight, Texas to Illinois,

but tomorrow is the day that we're watching the chance for those violent tornadoes again. The I-35 corridor going into Oklahoma all the way up to the Wichita area. This will be after the dinner hour when they'll pop and explode and they'll continue through the night and even into Sunday morning for areas like St. Louis, Indianapolis, a big damaging wind threat will head your way. So here's how the forecast is going to shape up as you go through the holiday weekend. Just showers, hit and miss, not going to ruin your plans on the East Coast tomorrow. We do see Sunday. That's the day with a really nasty weather heads through the Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley. And then on Monday, a rainy, cloudy, cooler period for the East Coast.

So more bad weather to watch, Tom, as we go throughout the holiday weekend. OK, Bill, we'll stay on alert for that. From Haiti tonight, a harrowing story of that country's escalating violence. Three missionaries, two of them Americans, have been shot and killed by armed gangs. Here's Gabe Gutierrez. Tonight, Davy Lloyd's mother is in agony. He died doing what he loved because he just wanted to help the Haitian people. Elisa Lloyd and her husband founded Missions in Haiti more than 20 years ago.

The independent nonprofit runs schools and churches. Last night, she picked up her phone to learn an armed gang was terrorizing her son, his wife Natalie, and a Haitian colleague. He had already sustained a beating at the hands of a gang and they had come into the compound. They had taken everything. Then at that time, a second gang entered. None of them would survive. Davy was just 23 and Natalie 21. Today, her dad wrote, my heart is broken in a thousand pieces. They put gasoline, they set the house on fire, and then they broke the door down and went in and shot them. Armed gangs control most of Haiti's capital since the assassination of the country's president

three years ago. More than 2,500 people were killed or injured since the assassination of the country's president three years ago. More than 2,500 people were killed or injured by gang violence in the country in the first three months of this year. Now, Kenya will lead a multinational security force to help stabilize Haiti. The Biden administration has promised to set aside $300 million for the effort, but the president stresses there will not be American troops on the ground. We're going to supply logistics, intelligence, and equipment. Tonight, with the future of the non-profit Elisa Lloyd founded uncertain, she's remembering her son, who she says just wanted to make a difference. He just had a heart to do what was right, and I just don't know how I'm going to deal with all

that, but I know that God's faithful. The U.S. government continues to have a do not travel warning in place for Haiti, with essential U.S. government personnel there forbidden from even walking around the capital. Tom? Gabe Gutierrez with that critical situation in Haiti and in Turks and Caicos, one of five American tourists charged with bringing ammunition into the country illegally was freed by a court that could have sentenced him to 12 years in prison. Priscilla Thompson has this one. Absolutely elated. Can't wait to get home. American Brian Hageridge walking out of court

in Turks and Caicos, a free man today after being detained there for more than three months. A judge sentencing the father of two to a year-long suspended sentence and $6,700 fine after Hageridge pled guilty to possession of ammunition that he says was accidentally left in a checked bag he used for hunting trips. The crime punishable by 12 years in prison. The judge setting aside that minimum, citing the act being unintentional, that he has no prior criminal record and the impact on his five-year-old daughter. Overwhelming, just joy. This is what we've been waiting for, for the last 101 days, to be home and hug my kids. It's the best day. The financial toll, an estimated $100,000, a family spokesperson says. Off we go.

Now Hagerich is headed back stateside as four other Americans facing similar charges in separate incidents await their day in court. We did it. Got it. God did it. Thankful. Thankful. So happy. Sherita Greer and Ryan Watson are now hoping for a similar fate.

I also have so much comfort knowing that he's getting to hug his kids tonight. Man, I want that for him almost as bad as I want it for me. Tonight, renewed hope for returning home after they say Paradise became a prison. Priscilla Thompson, NBC News. And there's breaking news tonight about Alec Baldwin. The actor is now heading to trial after the judge denied his bid to dismiss his charge in the deadly rush shooting. Chloe Malas joins us now on set. So, Chloe, what happens next? Tom, that's right. Alec Baldwin is on course to head to trial this July in New Mexico, where he is charged with manslaughter for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Helena Hutchins, which occurred on the movie set of Rust in 2021. Now, the judge overseeing the case announcing her decision tonight. And this news comes after Baldwin's manslaughter charges were dismissed last year

by New Mexico prosecutors. He was then recharged by a grand jury in January. NBC News has reached out to Baldwin for comment. In the past, he has said that he was not responsible. The film's armorer was convicted of manslaughter in March and is serving an 18-month prison sentence. And Tom Baldwin, if convicted, he too would face an 18-month prison sentence. All right, Chloe Malas with that new reporting tonight. Chloe, we thank you for that. And in the Middle East, growing pressure on Israel after the U.N.'s top court ordered it to halt its offensive against Hamas and Rafah. Here's Raf Sanchez. Tonight, this Israeli airstrike hitting Rafah.

Our team in Gaza following fire crews trying to put out the flames. What the Palestinians need is immediately stop war. The strike coming just as the U.N.'s highest court ordered Israel to stop its military operations in the city to protect civilians. Israel must immediately hold its military offense. The ruling is binding, but the world court has no means of enforcing it. And Israel giving no sign it'll comply, saying it launched a just war to eliminate Hamas following the October 7th terror attack, and that it's acting to reduce as much harm as possible to civilians. But nearly a million Palestinians have been

displaced since the start of the Rafah operation, the court's action today adding more pressure on Israel after war crimes prosecutors earlier called for the arrest of both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders. The White House called that move against Israel outrageous. We don't think there's an equivalence between what Israel did and what Hamas did. The court today also calling it deeply troubling that Hamas still refuses to immediately release its hostages. Israel's military says it recovered the bodies of three more hostages today. And after a call with President Biden, the leader of Egypt tonight agreeing to allow more aid into Gaza through Israel. Tom.

OK, Raf, thank you for that. All right. Up next, the growing number of seniors facing the threat of homelessness. We are back now with a growing problem. Laws put into place at the height of COVID to protect the most vulnerable, now leading to a spike in senior evictions. Bagad Shaban of our NBC Bay Area station explains. Zeta Flowers is packing up the Oakland, California home where she raised her four adopted children. At 80 years old, she's being forced to leave. It's not fair. It's not fair.

It's not fair. Tell me which one you like. Flowers runs a daycare out of her home, but the pandemic decimated her small business. Her rent, she says, became unaffordable. Before COVID, had you ever not paid your rent? Oh, no. Never. Not ever. No. Like many major cities, Oakland prohibited landlords during the pandemic from kicking out tenants unable to pay their rent. But after the three-year-long moratorium ended last July, landlords were allowed to begin demanding a year's worth of back rent and evict tenants who didn't pay up. We're seeing an alarming rise in the eviction of low-income seniors.

Attorney Ann Tamiko Amora is the executive director of the Eviction Defense Center. Seniors were hit very, very hard by COVID. A lot of them, they have fixed incomes, right, like Social Security, that barely, barely covers the rent. Today, nearly a quarter of her clients are elderly. That's up 17 percent compared to pre-pandemic. Nationally, seniors are now the fastest-growing age group experiencing homelessness, roughly 140,000 and counting. Omura's nonprofit took on Zeta's case after the Oakland native received a notice from her landlord demanding she pay nearly $18,000 in owed rent or move out in three days.

What went through your mind? They didn't care to expect me to move that fast, like in three days. Impossible. Tenants can legally fight off their eviction for rent missed during the pandemic if they can show they endured a substantial financial hardship as a result of COVID-19. My client has responsibilities. Real estate attorney Mark Chernev represents Zeta's landlord. As unfortunate as it is, small property owners can't subsidize these types of situations. It's not fair to ask them to.

He says renters need to have documentation proving their struggles and may also need to hire an attorney. What would you say to those who argue that this puts an unfair burden on the shoulders of tenants? Because the only way to make the defense is to have to go through this legal process. If it's truly the result of substantial financial hardship, you would have bank records, you would have credit card bills, you would have loss of income that you could show, you could have decreased of hours that would be pretty easy to prove up. Instead of going to court, Zeta Flowers reached a settlement with her landlord that forgives her owed rent and provides her with moving expenses if she leaves by next month. I had help. I'm seeing seniors out pushing carts now because they're homeless.

After more than two decades here, she now plans on leaving Oakland in hopes of finding a new home she can afford. Begachaban, NBC News, Oakland, California. And up next, a beloved college closing forever, their baseball team going down swinging on a win streak that could send them to the World Series. Finally tonight, the college baseball team fighting to outlast everyone, even their very own school. And a bunt out in front of the plate. The Birmingham Southern Panthers could make baseball history. First is wide and down the line.

Playing in the College World Series without a college. Confused? So were the players when their coach told them the school was closing down due to a lack of funding. It's always been about passing on to the next guy that's played your position, worn your number, sat in your locker. Yet now there was no one to pass it on to. But the job was just to finish so strong. At the time, the team was in a bit of a slump. 13 wins and 10 losses. Your coach tells you your school's going to shut down and it's almost like something clicked. What happened with the team? I think really we just started playing looser because like we have nothing to lose. The team took off winning 17 of their final 21 games advancing to the Super Regionals. To be able to go in our last year and the lasting memory that people have of Birmingham Southern

is us in the World Series. I think that would be incredible. Their coach says the school has never had a team like this one. The closest team I've ever had by far, and it just goes to prove the power of togetherness. For the players, they say they've learned to deal with adversity, coming together and trying to honor all those athletes and students who came before them. What does it mean to wear that jersey today and for the rest of this tournament? It means the world to me. This jersey, people before the rest of this tournament? It means the world to me. This jersey, people before me have worn this jersey and I'm just really trying to represent them and carry

on what they've done for the program. Go Panthers. That's nightly news for this Friday. I'm Tom Yalmas in York. Thank you so much for watching. Have a great Memorial Day weekend.