NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Nightly News Full Broadcast (April 13th)

Episode Date: April 14, 2024

Iran begins retaliatory attack against Israel with launch of more than 100 drones; At least 7 dead, including suspect, in stabbing attack at Australian mall; Dramatic rescue video of nearly 200 left stranded in midair after deadly Turkey cable car accident; and more on tonight’s broadcast. 

Tonight, the major escalation in the Middle East. Iran launching drones and missiles directly at Israel. Dozens of weaponized attack drones sent into Israel. Officials there warning they would take hours to hit. The attack in response to an attack that killed Iranian officials. Israel bracing for more. Iran will bear the consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further. President Biden rushing back to the White House for emergency meetings with his national security team. The White House vowing to stand with Israel. U.S. military assets being repositioned in the Middle East. Could this lead to a larger war?

The stabbing rampage at an Australian mall. Six people dead. New details on the lone hero police officer who took the suspect down and what one mom did to save her baby. Chilling video of a woman carjacked by a man with a gun. She was later found dead. The manhunt now for the killer. Why police believe she may have been targeted. Dramatic rescues from trapped cable cars, passengers hoisted up by helicopters, some stranded overnight after one of the cars crashed high above a mountainside in Turkey.

And we take you to the restaurant where a robot is cooking almost everything. How does it taste? This is NBC Nightly News with Jose Diaz-Balart. Good evening. We begin with major breaking news in the Middle East. Right now, the skies over Israel are lit up after Iran launched a massive wave of attack drones and missiles into Israel. Much of what you're seeing right now is Israel's famed Iron Dome defense system, taking down most of that incoming. But we are in the early hours of this attack, and it is not yet clear what, if any, of these missiles

or drones may have made it through and hit targets inside Israel. The attacks are in response to this missile strike in Syria two weeks ago, which killed Iranian officials. President Biden met with his national security team in the Situation Room this evening. Some U.S. military assets in the region have already shot down some of those drones. There are still many questions tonight. How much damage will Iran's attack cause and how will Israel respond? We have full coverage tonight, beginning with Richard Engel in Jerusalem. Richard. Jose, we saw some of the Israeli air defense systems in action here in Jerusalem tonight,

and they did appear to be quite effective. Iran says this military action is it, as far as Iran is concerned, its response to Israel's presumed attack against an Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria two weeks ago. But Israel might choose to escalate this further. It is a very, very volatile situation. Iran tonight launched a swarm of drones at Israel as air defenses lit up the sky and exploded over Jerusalem. For the last several minutes, we've seen these flares streaking all across the skies over Jerusalem.

And now for the first time, we're hearing the air raid sirens. It's a developing attack that is unfolding in slow motion. The drones take several hours to travel roughly 700 miles from Iran to Israel, giving the Israeli military and its allies time to divert, jam, or shoot them down. We are closely monitoring Iranian killer drones that are en route to Israel sent by Iran. This is a severe and dangerous escalation. Our defensive and offensive capabilities are at the highest level of readiness ahead of this large-scale attack from Iran. Iran says the attack is revenge for an airstrike on

Iran's embassy compound in Damascus nearly two weeks ago that killed seven members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, including two top commanders. Although Israel has not acknowledged involvement, it is widely believed responsible. Iran's supreme leader said he considered the attack on the embassy compound to be an attack on Iranian soil. To stop the drones and clear a path around them, Israel tonight closed its airspace, canceled flights for the next two days, and disabled some GPS location services. Israel is also canceling schools and all gatherings of more than 1,000 people through Monday. Hours before the launch was detected, President Biden today cut short a vacation weekend in Delaware, returning to the White House to consult with his national security team.

Yesterday, the president said an Iranian attack could come quickly. I have expectations sooner than later. President, what is your message to Iran in this moment? Don't. But Iran isn't listening. Earlier today, Iranian forces abseiled down, boarded and captured an Israeli-linked cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. And Richard, there are reports that some of these drones have already been shot down. So the Israeli Air Force has already deployed. Its goal is to shoot down drones before they enter Israeli airspace. But Israel is not working alone. The Israeli media report that British and

American aircraft have already begun shooting down some of the drones over Iraq and Syria. Richard Engel in Jerusalem, thank you. And let's get right to NBC News Pentagon correspondent Courtney Kuby. Courtney, U.S. officials confirming Iran launched weaponized drones. It could take hours to reach targets. What is Israel's capability to intercept them? Yeah, that's right, Jose. And U.S. officials expect that Iran will launch various types of drones in this operation now, but they expect most of them to be what are called one way attack drones, specifically the Shahed models. They're packed with explosives that detonate when they hit a target. Some of these drones can fly over fifteen hundred miles and carry hundreds of pounds of explosives,

and they only fly about 100 miles per hour, but they also fly lower, which can make them harder to intercept. Now, U.S. officials tell NBC News that the intention is for the U.S. military to shoot down some of these drones and even these ballistic missiles with U.S. assets that are already in Iraq, Syria and at sea if they come within range. Jose. Courtney Kuby, thank you. I want to bring in Kristen Welker, moderator of Meet the Press. Kristen, President Biden rushed back to the White House from Delaware for emergency national security meetings. This attack by Iran is not only a major escalation in Mideast tensions, but a major new challenge for the administration.

Jose, that's right. According to the National Security Council, the administration has been in constant communication with Israeli officials, as well as other partners and allies in the region. Now, the White House reiterating President Biden has been clear, quote, our support for Israel's security is ironclad. Right now, the focus is on the key question. Could this become an even wider war that forces the U.S. to get directly involved? Tonight, a senior administration official tells me the level of concern about a broader conflict is significant. And there's frustration inside the administration that Israel didn't give the White House a heads up over what is believed to have been its attack on those Iranian targets inside Syria. Now, despite President Biden's support for Israel,

he's been trying to ramp up pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu to wind down the war inside Gaza, given the mounting death toll and the growing humanitarian crisis, Jose. And Kristen, what more do we know tonight about U.S. military assets in the region? Well, Jose, U.S. officials say they are prepared to help defend Israel with ships, including the USS Carney. Now, that's a destroyer that has been involved in beating back Iranian proxy groups and now has been repositioned to help defend Israel along with other destroyers and assets. Jose. Kristen Welker, thank you. And join Kristen and her guests for all the latest developments on this attack tomorrow morning on Meet the Press.

And now to our other big story, also from overseas, breaking news about a deadly stabbing attack in a mall near Sydney, Australia. Six killed, a baby among those injured. Josh Letterman has the very latest. So warning, the images are disturbing. Tonight, the terrifying rampage in Australia by a knife-wielding killer, attacking shoppers seemingly at random at a busy mall just outside Sydney. Stabbing five women and one man to death, severely injuring eight others, including a nine-month-old. Australian broadcasters learning details live on air. The baby got stabbed and then, yeah, the mom got stabbed and the mom come over with the baby and threw it at me and just holding the baby, yeah, it looked pretty bad.

Horrified shoppers fled for their lives, barricading themselves inside stores. It's just, it was insane. It was insanity. I wasn't expecting it. I thought I was going to die. The rampage ended by a lone police officer who was nearby and confronted the suspected killer. As she continued to walk quickly behind him to catch up with him, he turned, faced her, raised a knife. She discharged a firearm and that person is now deceased. Witnesses say he looked like he was only getting started. If she didn't shoot him, well, he would have kept going.

He was on the rampage. Australia's prime minister calling the officer a hero and saying the suspect acted alone. The motive at this stage is unknown. Police have not released the identity of the suspect, but say they believe him to be a 40-year-old known to law enforcement, saying this wasn't terrorism driven by ideology. But unlike in the U.S., where mass killings have become common,

violence like this in Australia is exceedingly rare. Tonight, Australians are in mourning, their sense of security now shaken. Jose? Josh Letterman, thank you. A massive rescue operation is finally over for more than 100 tourists trapped and dangling over a mountainside after a deadly cable car accident in Turkey. Dana Griffin has the dramatic details. Dramatic moments showing mid-air rescues following a deadly cable car accident in Turkey. A massive response as helicopters and emergency crews frantically work nearly an entire day to reach almost 200 people left stranded high above this rocky mountainside.

Video showing rescuers sliding down ropes, then one by one grabbing people stuck inside and pulling them to safety. Other people were carefully lowered to the ground. A reporter asks, how do you feel up there? We were really scared. Officials say this dangling pod on a line that carries tourists from the beach to a nearby mountain hit a pole and burst open, sending riders plummeting to the rocks below.

One person was killed and several others hurt. This woman says, while we were descending and really high up, we smelled like something was burning. After that, the cabin shook. Then we stopped. The rescue effort continuing through the night. 13 rescued from other cars were also taken to a hospital. Investigators are now working to determine what caused the pole to break. Dana Griffin, NBC News. Back here in the U.S., there's been another accident involving a barge. In fact, 26 barges broke loose near Pittsburgh and floated down the Ohio River late last night. Marinas and dams were hit, along with at least one bridge, which has been closed for inspection.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Coast Guard and local officials are working to retrieve and secure the barges. Still ahead tonight, the terrifying caught on camera carjacking that left a woman dead and the killer on the loose. Also, robots making meals. How technology is upending the fast food industry. A manhunt for a killer is underway after a deadly carjacking rampage in Florida, and it was all caught on camera. Marisa Parra reports. Terrifying moments caught on camera leading to an all-out manhunt tonight. You need to do something now because I don't know what's going on. This shocking video showing a violent confrontation near Orlando, Florida, and possibly a young woman's final moments.

Someone wearing a black hoodie and a mask, armed with an automatic handgun, filmed pointing it at a driver inside a white Durango at this intersection. The suspect then jumping into the back seat. Poor guy's been held up by some guy with a machine gun. Police believe the person driving that white Durango was 31-year-old Catherine Aguas-Vivas, a recent U.S. citizen from the Dominican Republic. A short time after that first call, police get another about a car badly burned with a body inside 30 miles away, shell casings found on the ground outside.

We believe that to be the vehicle and the decedent to be Catherine. Police now believe this was a targeted attack. Shortly before this video was taken, Catherine called her husband to report a green Acura was ramming into her back bumper. Why did she and her husband not call 911? I don't know. Why did she stop at the red light? I don't know. There's a lot of things that we'll absolutely never know. Why did she stop at the red light? I don't know. There's a lot of things that we'll absolutely never know. Tonight, the suspects are on the run, with police calling witnesses who have come forward so far heroes. The people who are following behind this, witnessing this, are absolute heroes with providing critical information of a very dangerous and frightening

situation. Marisa, what's the latest on the investigation tonight? Well, Jose, the charred remains of this car found just down the dirt road behind me. The question tonight is, why was she driving more than 200 miles away from her home, and what was the motive to target her? Police still searching for those answers and those suspects. Jose? Marisa Pardo, thank you. Still ahead tonight, would you eat a meal made by a robot? It could be the future of fast food, but how does it taste? And Field of Dreams, what sparked this massive Little League celebration? There's a new revolution in fast food.

Many major chains are experimenting with having machines take over preparing part of your order, but now one restaurant is going all in, having the robots do it all. Elwin Lopez reports. The burgers at this Los Angeles fast food restaurant are classic, but the workers may be the future. Cali Express touts itself as the world's first fully autonomous restaurant. Okay, you're going to help me get Wally to make me a burger, is that right? From facial recognition as you order. So go ahead and put in your order. Okay, so we'll do the burger with everything and some raw onion, of course. To the robot chefs behind the counter, almost everything here is made by machines. The fries by a robot called Flippy.

Flippy is using his robot arm to grab a basket. He's going to bring it over here to this freezer and we'll dispense an order of fries into it. Because a robot arm is just a robot arm, but the secret sauce here is the AI that really powers it. And for the main course, there's the burger bot, grinding the meat fresh, forming patties and grilling to order. As it spins around and as it gets to the end, it'll scoop it up and it'll dump it into this bucket. Major chains are already starting to bite into AI and automation.

Wendy's experimenting with AI-powered drive-thrus. Welcome to Wendy's. What would you like? Salad chain Sweetgreen has salads rotating through automation. Chipotle even has robots building its burrito bowls. What would you say to people that say, listen, this is taking away jobs? Restaurants have a really hard time finding workers, and it costs them a lot to have those workers. So you want to be very thoughtful about where you put those workers,

because working the fry station is a pretty undesirable job. It's dangerous. You burn your arm. Automation will likely eliminate some jobs. That may be inevitable. They didn't choose that it's 30%. But Brian Justy, who researches labor practices at UCLA, warns an all-robot kitchen may not be on the menu anytime soon. I think there's a kind of significant smoke and mirrors trick happening here where you get claims of full automation.

Because even at what they call the world's first fully autonomous restaurant, there's a noveva. The robot helps me out a lot, and then I help the robot in turn. She makes these burgers whole, adding toppings and, of course, the bun, something these robots haven't quite mastered yet. All right, let's try this. Not bad. A bite into the future, whether we're ready or not.

Alwyn Lopez, NBC News, Los Angeles. And when we come back, there's good news tonight, a moving tribute to honor an American hero. There's good news tonight. You know, so often the good news doesn't get as much attention as the bad. So every Saturday, we highlight the many people who spread joy and love. These are just some of those stories this week. When you think of stepping up to the plate, this Southern California Little League team knocks it out of the park. That's Norco Braves coach Pete Moreno handing out jerseys to his players.

But there was still one jersey left. Watch as he gives it to the team's biggest fan, Mikey Mena, who has Down syndrome. Mikey, now an honorary player. That's heart transplant patient Ashley Stewart finally meeting the family of the woman who gave her the life-saving gift. Watch as Gino Colucci is moved to tears listening to the beating heart of his beloved wife Raquel who died suddenly two years ago. This is Melody.

Her legacy living on in Ashley's baby girl, who she named Jane Raquel in honor of Mrs. Colucci. Look at these guys! Here's their reunion one California family thought might never happen. They're overjoyed at finally getting their dog Mishka back after she went missing last summer. There she is. Mishka, who was microchipped and wearing a collar with ID, was finally found more than 2,000 miles away in Michigan. And in Florida.

That's 99-year-old World War II Army veteran Sidney Levin, surprised by school kids in Palm Beach County. This celebration planned by the Honor Flight Organization. I noticed that not only did they sing the Star Spangled Banner, but you sang along with them. What did that mean to you? Oh, breathtaking. It'll never leave me. The kids, the shining faces, the peace on their faces. Are you surprised at all that this video has touched so many people? I think they need it.

I think they really need it. To get up and understand the value of living in this country. It's freedom. By the way, in our conversation, I asked Mr. Leavitt what was his secret to a long, healthy and successful life. His answer? Ice cream. Lots of it. That's NBC Nightly News for this Saturday. My colleague Hallie Jackson will be here tomorrow night. I'm Jose Diaz-Balart. Thank you for the privilege of your time.

Good night.