NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Monday, February 5, 2024

Episode Date: February 6, 2024

California battered by torrential rain and flooding; New attacks on Red Sea shipping after U.S. military hits back against Iran-backed militants; Britain's King Charles diagnosed with cancer; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Breaking news tonight, the state of emergency as a deadly and historic storm slams the West Coast. The extremely dangerous storm fueled by an atmospheric river bearing down on Southern California. Los Angeles getting a month's worth of rain in a single day. Widespread flooding, mudslides forcing evacuations in the Hollywood Hills. At least three people dead from the storm. Swift water rescues, firefighters reaching three people clinging to a tree. We're in the storm zone.

Also tonight, King Charles diagnosed with cancer. What we know about his treatment and plans for Prince Harry to return to the UK to be with him. The new U.S. strikes on Houthi rebels. NBC News, the only news organization embedded with the U.S. Navy in the Red Sea, right as those strikes were launched. Senators revealing their long-awaited bipartisan deal on the border, but House Republicans calling it dead on arrival.

Is there a path forward? After that mid-air emergency, the new problem Boeing has discovered on some of its 737s. The 9-11 firefighter in that iconic image beside President George W. Bush at Ground Zero. How he's being remembered. And before it became the birthplace of jazz, the hidden history of New Orleans as America's first city of opera. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. The situation is serious tonight for 33 million people living under flood alerts from one end of California to the other.

Many facing relentless rain, rising waters, fast-moving mudslides and widespread power outages. The severe weather system, fueled by a so-called atmospheric river roared in yesterday and is already blamed for several deaths in northern California. The Weather Service calling these high-risk days, a distinction reserved for only the most dangerous flood potential. Tonight, Los Angeles taking the brunt of it with several locations registering double-digit rainfall amounts in a 24-hour span, making for L.A.'s wettest single day in 19 years. There have been some harrowing rescues and evacuations as the heavy rains have sent mud and debris crashing through Southern California neighborhoods.

It's where we begin tonight with correspondent Liz Kreutz. Tonight, relentless rain battering California. Up and down the coast, the destructive atmospheric river causing spinouts, landslides and flooding. In Northern California, three people have now died from falling trees. In Napa, storms flooding this church. The pews now covered in plastic. As the storm moves south, Los Angeles feeling the brunt, getting more than a month's worth of rain in one day. Only leave your house if it is absolutely necessary.

Overnight, several people forced to evacuate their homes near the Hollywood Hills after this mudslide tore through their neighborhood. Spencer Masamoto was watching Indiana Jones when he heard the debris and boulders rushing down the street. His dad took this video as the family escaped in their pajamas. Now back home, their front door blocked by mud. And this is what the neighborhood now looks like. These mangled screen doors, toppled trees, electronics, rocks, boulders, debris everywhere. It's a similar story near Beverly Hills, where a mudslide buried this SUV. Did you expect it to be this bad? Who would? This is crazy out here. And in Encino, a landslide seriously damaged several homes, this one nearly falling off the cliff. Much of California getting shocking rainfall totals. Parts of L.A. seeing 10 inches in 24 hours. In San Bernardino, first responders rescuing this family from raging waters.

This video from the Santa Cruz coast shows strong winds blowing sea foam across the pier. Meantime, some areas starting to ease like Santa Barbara. Evacuations lifted after torrential downpour Sunday, washing up this sailboat and causing flooding downtown. This backyard here is just getting wrecked. But the monster storm still hovering slowly on the move. Orange County and San Diego now on high alert. And Liz, the rain still coming down in places. When is it all expected to ease? Well, Lester, it's not letting up right now. And here you can just see the power of this storm here. This SUV got pushed across the road from the driveway by that mudslide and more downpours are expected.

We're very much still in the thick of this storm. The mayor is telling people to work from home and to stay off the roads if they can, Lester. All right, Liz Kreutz, thank you. From London, the news tonight that King Charles has cancer, and it's not related to his recent treatment for an enlarged prostate. Molly Hunter reports from Buckingham Palace where the king is canceling his public events. Tonight, Buckingham Palace announcing King Charles III has been diagnosed with a form of cancer. Just a week after the 75-year-old monarch

was released from a London hospital following a routine prostate procedure. In good spirits, walking out, waving to the crowd with wife Queen Camilla by his side. In the statement released tonight, the palace not saying what kind of cancer it is, only revealing that during the king's recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer. According to Buckingham Palace, Charles began outpatient treatment today in London. So the king, actually, by disclosing some of those personal details about his prostate issues

just recently, was in some ways breaking with tradition. The queen was certainly much more private about her health. The palace confirms he shared his diagnosis personally with sons Harry and William, and a source close to Harry and Meghan tells NBC News Harry will travel to the UK to visit his father in coming days. Charles, who's been king for just 18 months, was last seen out at church yesterday, and Buckingham Palace says he will continue to undertake state business and official paperwork and will postpone upcoming events. I think we will expect to see certainly William do more duties over the next couple of months, which will be difficult for him.

According to the palace, Queen Camilla will continue with a full schedule of royal duties. And Molly, we just heard Prince William will likely take on more engagements. What more do we know? Lester, that's exactly right. We learned today that Prince William will return to the public eye this week for the first time since his wife, Kate, Princess of Wales, had abdominal surgery. And really, with King Charles out of the public eye for the next couple of weeks, the burden of royal duties will fall to Prince William. Molly Hunter, thank you. New attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants on ships in the Red Sea, despite retaliatory strikes by the U.S. on Houthi and other Iran-linked targets.

Courtney Kuby is the only reporter embedded with the Navy in the Red Sea while it's conducting these strikes. she has our exclusive report tonight. The Iranian-backed Houthi militia again firing on commercial ships in the Red Sea and vowing more is to come. Despite new U.S. retaliatory strikes designed to deter them. We will not hesitate to defend lives and the free flow of commerce. We were there on Saturday night just after 10 p.m. when the U.S. and British military hit 36 Houthi targets in 13 locations. We're on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier in the southern Red Sea. This is where, over the weekend, more than two dozen U.S. military aircraft took off to conduct strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Captain Marvin Scott flew an F-18 in those strikes, calling them a success.

We do extensive mission planning. Everyone launches knowing what the game plan is. We rarely miss. Lieutenant Commander Alex Morgan is a helicopter pilot. Did we think we'd be doing it here in the Red Sea? My crystal ball was broken that day, but the way we do it hasn't changed dramatically. The commander of the carrier strike group telling us there is still significant danger here. How big of a threat do the Houthis pose to freedom of navigation right now? They could attack a commercial ship, render it somewhat immobile, and could bog the straight up for weeks, if not months. And he says the Houthis are getting critical help from Iran. They are getting intelligence from Iran. They are using Iran to give them some targeting information. The commanding officer saying all of it creates a threat to the U.S. military, too. Are you worried about the safety of the sailors on the ship?

Absolutely. Am I worried about the safety of the ship every single day? This comes as the U.S. is also retaliating against the Iranian-backed militias responsible for a drone attack that killed three U.S. soldiers, hitting 85 targets in seven locations inside Iraq and Syria on Friday. The president has been under pressure to respond more forcefully, with over 160 attacks by Iranian-backed militants against American targets since October. Mr. Biden declaring the new U.S. strikes a success. Are the strikes working, Mr. President? Yes. Meanwhile, these missions are also leaving a mark with the American service members carrying them out. Seeing missiles being launched from aircraft, the explosions associated with all

of these things, it's a lot of sights and sounds that will be etched in my brain forever. According, are there signs that these strikes have deterred the militias? Well, Lester, there were reports of at least two new incidents over the weekend in which Iranian-backed militias targeted bases with Americans in Syria, but there were no reports of any injuries. Lester? All right, Courtney Kuby, thank you. In Chile, authorities say intense wildfires in the central part of the country have now killed at least 122 people. Hundreds more are missing. Chile's president says the fires have burned down at least 3,000 homes. They started on Friday and were fueled by record heat and drought. Much of South America is in the grip of an intense heat wave. In Washington, backlash by Republicans and some Democrats to that bipartisan Senate border security bill.

House Speaker Mike Johnson calling it even worse than expected. Well, President Biden is praising it. Ryan Nobles has late details for us. Tonight, growing backlash to the newly revealed bill designed to beef up border security. House Republicans calling it dead on arrival. I just don't believe that the Senate bill meets the criteria that's necessary to solve the problem. The new legislation negotiated by a small group of bipartisan senators provides $60 billion to help support Ukraine and $14.1

billion for Israel. But the battle is over $20 billion worth of reforms to the nation's migration system. The bill expands the number of detention facilities, allows for an emergency declaration when more than 5,000 migrants cross on a given day, and raises the standards for migrants to qualify for asylum. GOP negotiator James Lankford urging Republicans to pass it. When we had a Republican House, Republican Senate, and President Trump as president, we weren't able to pass border security pieces. President Biden, supportive too. We don't have enough agents. We need help.

Why won't they give me the help? But Republican critics arguing the bill makes the crisis worse, including by still allowing migrants to be released into the U.S. pending asylum hearings. They've been releasing people into the country without detaining them. Now, this bill would say that's okay. But Democrats insist Republicans are taking their marching orders from former President Trump. Our new NBC News poll shows 57 percent of voters believe Mr. Trump would handle border security best. Just 22 percent pick Mr. Biden. They want to keep the border unsolved as a problem so that it benefits them in the upcoming election. Is President Trump the one driving the House Republicans when it comes to this issue?

The answer is no. They had the border solved under the Trump administration, and the Biden administration has completely undone all that work. And Ryan, some Democrats are also criticizing this deal. That's right, Lester. Progressive Democrats are worried the immigration reforms go a bit too far and they're also concerned about unconditioned aid to Israel. Meanwhile, Republicans are meeting behind closed doors to determine if there's enough votes to move forward or if they should kill the bill. Lester. Ryan Noble's out Capitol Hill for us tonight. Thank you. In 60 seconds, the new quality control issue affecting deliveries of Boeing 737 MAX planes and the discovery and what it means next. There are new troubles for Boeing tonight, one month after the

midair emergency involving a door plug, the aviation giant saying it has discovered a production error that will further delay deliveries of new 737 MAX planes. Here's Tom Costello. It's more evidence that Boeing's quality control problems extend through its supply chain. Boeing now says it will likely delay deliveries of some 737s after a supplier discovered two holes may not have been drilled exactly to our requirements. Spirit Aerosystems makes the fuselage. It struggled for years with production problems. The misdrilled holes were on a window frame. Boeing says 50 undelivered 737s will need a fix, though it insists it's not an immediate flight safety issue and all 737s can continue operating safely.

Spirit now says engineering determined that there is no safety of flight issue and it will work with Boeing. One month after a door plug blew out on a MAX 9 over Portland, grounding the entire fleet. The FAA today said nearly 94 percent had been inspected and returned to service. But Boeing's quality control remains under investigation and heightened scrutiny. And we'll ensure that those airplanes meet all safety standards before we can approve them for delivery. After a recent safety stand down on the MAX production line, the company received a thousand employee suggestions for improvement. Boeing CEO insists that includes Spirit Aerosystems. We own our supply chain. We own Spirit. We own the results of our work. We understand that. We really do.

Tomorrow, FAA Chief Whitaker will be on Capitol Hill as members of Congress demand answers and accountability. Lester. All right, Tom, thank you. Also, there's new video from the moment that deadly earthquake struck in Japan on New Year's Day. A cyclist struggling for balance, then a building collapsing just feet away. The video also showing people trapped in their car as it's rocked by the force of the quake. The earthquake left more than 200 people dead. Coming up, the other candidate for president and what it could mean for the general election, the rise of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Next.

We're back now to talk about the candidate throwing a big question mark into the 2024 race, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent who has drawn attention and controversy, has both major parties concerned he could shake up the race. He spoke with Von Hilliard. Kennedy! Tonight, with the Biden-Trump rematch looking likely, there is an independent trying to make this a three-way race. If you give me a sword and some ground to stand on, I will give you back your country. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is mounting an increasingly credible bid to qualify for the 2024 ballot, more than 55 years after his father's presidential run. How confident are you that you could actually win the White House? I think I can win the White House. I think I can win the White House. A new NBC News poll shows 34% of voters

suggesting they could see themselves supporting him. But both Biden and Trump's allies fear he could play spoiler. Who do you think you will draw more voters away from Donald Trump or Joe Biden? I mean, I hope to draw equal numbers from both of them. I think at this point, I'm probably drawing more from President Trump. Trump himself even praising Kennedy. He's a very good man and his heart is in the right place and he's doing really well. President Biden has not even publicly acknowledged Kennedy's campaign. An environmental lawyer, Kennedy left the Democratic Party last year.

You're a Republican and you're saying that you would be open to considering RFK Jr. Yeah. Kennedy speaks often about America's income gap. What's the main issue for you that brought you to it? Oh, corporate greed, for sure. But he has drawn scrutiny from Democrats, including for his discredited assertions vaccines cause autism and his recent staunch criticism of the COVID shots. Would you have tried to stop the FDA from approving the COVID vaccine? I would have said that they need to do science to show that the vaccine is actually going to avert more problems than it's causing. So would you have sought to stop the FDA from approving the COVID vaccine?

I don't, my, my policy is not going to interfere with anybody who wants to take the vaccine. Some of his views led four prominent members of his own family to say he does not share the same values as their father. Why should Americans ignore those words? Well, you know, listen, I disagree with my family on a lot of stuff. I have family members who strongly support me. And Kennedy tells us he now intends to name his vice presidential running mate within the next month. Lester. Von Hilliard, thank you.

Coming up, the Bayou music tradition being rediscovered. The sound of New Orleans before jazz. I can hear you. It was one of the iconic images after the 9-11 attacks. President George W. Bush at ground zero with his arm around Bob Beckwith, a retired New York firefighter. Like so many, Beckwith jumped in to help after the terrorist attacks in 2001. Tonight, the sad news that Bob Beckwith has died after battling cancer. He was 91. And as we mark Black History Month, a footnote being revealed and celebrated in New Orleans. The music embraced by the city before there was jazz.

Priscilla Thompson explains. Before becoming the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans in the late 1700s was a city of opera. Would regular people just be out in the streets singing too? Oh yeah, absolutely. They knew all of the operatic arias. And free people of color found success as classical musicians, a history that Giovanna Joseph says has been largely erased. Why don't we know about these black composers and black singers? Jim Crow laws. A lot of the musicians that had found work here, they started losing those jobs. Now Giovanna and her daughter, Aria Mason,

are working to restore that heritage through opera Creole. Finding the lost works of local composers of color and giving them a long overdue American debut. Including Edmund Day Day's Morgion, believed to be the first full opera composed by a black American. We can see actually the artistic process taking place. The conductor helping bring the 550-page handwritten opera to life is Patrick Dupre Quigley. This piece of music is the most important piece of American music that no one has ever heard.

Morgion will premiere in New Orleans, New York, and D.C. for Giovanna and Aria, a chance to expand the canon of great opera works. Restorative justice is our goal. Persilla Thompson, NBC NewsWS, NEW ORLEANS. Terrific. That's nightly news for this Monday. Thank you for watching, everyone. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other.

Good night.