NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Nightly News Full Broadcast (May 11th)

Episode Date: May 11, 2024

Northern lights visible across U.S., even reaching the deep south, due to solar storm; Israeli offensive in Rafah appears imminent as residents say there is nowhere safe to go; Protests and arrests continue on college campuses as graduation season begins; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the spectacular light show across America and the world, the Northern Lights, where they've rarely been seen before. From Maine to California, all the way down to Florida, stunning images painted across the sky. A rare and powerful solar storm sending the Northern Lights down south, and you can still see them tonight. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. We'll tell you who has the best chance of catching the magic. New warning from Israel to Palestinians in Rafah to get out now. Will Israel cross the red line drawn by President Biden not to invade the city? Colleges bracing for chaos at graduations across the country. In two cities, students marching to the university president's homes, demanding action. A mother allegedly gunned down

by her neighbor now fighting for her life. Police believe it's because she's white and her children are black. Her son speaking out to us. And it's just, it's heartbreaking, to be honest. The high cost of owning a home, it's not just mortgage rates, why the price of everything from insurance to repairs is going through the roof. This is NBC Nightly News with Jose Diaz-Balart. Good evening, I'm Kristen Welker in for Jose. Something amazing is happening across the skies over America this weekend. We're used to seeing photos of the Northern Lights from places like Alaska, maybe Montana. But look at this. This was taken last night in Arizona. This one that was taken in California. Our galaxy is really showing off. A rare and powerful solar storm some 93 million miles away has supercharged the northern lights,

making them especially vibrant where we're used to seeing them and visible where they're almost never seen. There are warnings from scientists that these solar flares could impact satellite communications and power grids. So far, there are no major disruptions. And you'll have another opportunity to see them tonight. George Solis is covering it all. It's the stunning and rare sky show captivating the nation from coast to coast. I can't believe what I'm seeing. The Aurora Borealis lighting up the night sky from Wisconsin to the Arizona desert and even as far south as Florida. This is insane.

The vibrant greens, purples, pinks popping up across the planet are being caused by this, a massive geomagnetic storm on the sun. The sun is really active right now. Amy Barraclough is the director of the Edelman Planetarium at Rowan University in New Jersey. We're seeing them really far south. Why is that? Right. So the northern lights are pretty common, but this particular storm that's hit us is so big that it's sending so many particles down to us

that it's pushing that circle of light all the way down as far south as Florida, possibly even Hawaii. Amy, taking us inside the planetarium to show us a photo of the sun taken today. You can see that huge one right there. That's the culprit. That's the culprit. That's what's causing that huge storm. That sunspot, 16 times the size of Earth, and could cause chaos across the globe, but hasn't yet. NOAA reports some minor power grid irregularities and impacts on high frequency communications and GPS. Elon Musk saying his Starlink satellites are under a lot of pressure, but holding up. When we talk about interruptions, we're not talking like

global shutdown of services, right? No, there's not going to be a global shutdown. As for the global show, here's where you can watch tonight. From Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine, mostly clear skies in the northern plains in the northwest, with clouds setting in across New England. The night sky raising the curtain on a rare spring light show. Well, we're staying up for. Just amazing. And George is outside the Edelman Planetarium in Glassboro, New Jersey tonight. So, George, what is the best way to view those northern lights tonight? Yeah, Kristen, you want to get far, far away from city lights. Anything that will contribute to that light pollution and will drown out the beauty.

The best advice, get to a wide open field to increase your chances of that picture perfect moment. Kristen. Great advice, George Solis. Thank you. To the Middle East now, where Israel's military issued a new warning for Palestinians to evacuate the city of Rafah. As Israel threatens a ground invasion, a major escalation President Biden has specifically warned against. Hala Gharani reports from Cairo. Tonight, panicked scenes in southern Gaza after Israel expands evacuation orders in Rafah. Displaced Palestinians fleeing once again, carrying their few belongings.

The IDF issuing orders telling residents to get out of the combat zone. As fears mount that Israel's long-anticipated offensive in southern Gaza is imminent. The impending assault leading to division with the U.S., President Biden saying the U.S. would withhold arms shipments if Israel invades Rafah. We've destroyed about 20 battalions of the Hamas's 24 terrorist battalions. We have another four to go. They're in Rafah, and that's why we want to go into Rafah. Among those on the move, this mother fleeing with her baby. We are leaving for the unknown, Fatin Lafi says, and there are no safe areas at all. The IDF has urged civilians to head to Al-Mawazi and other coastal areas.

It is hot and there is no water or electricity. Israel has targeted these so-called safe zones in the past and airstrikes have intensified in the last 24 hours. Aid groups say that apart from a few trucks carrying fuel, no supplies have made it in since Monday. A UN warehouse in Gaza sits empty. One of the few functioning hospitals with only 48 hours of fuel left. For the displaced, for the bereaved, and for the families of hostages, the next chapter in the Gaza war

could be the hardest one yet. And Hala joins us. Hala, right now, no aid is going through the Rafah crossing. And you have new information tonight about that border closure. What can you tell us? Indeed, Kristen, Egypt is now saying that it is refusing to operate the border in coordination with Israel in Rafah, so long as the IDF, its army, occupies the crossing on the Palestinian side. It is calling the latest Israeli offensive an unacceptable escalation, Kristen. Just a devastating situation. Hala Gharani, thank you so much. And don't mismeet the press when I'll talk about all of this with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, plus Senators Bernie Sanders and Lindsey Graham.

That's tomorrow morning right here on NBC. Back here in the U.S., there were new disruptions at college graduations today and a new escalation from protesters marching on the homes of the university presidents themselves. Elwin Lopez has the very latest for us. Tonight, across the country, universities bracing for more demonstrations as students gear up for graduation. In Virginia, VCU students walking out as the state's governor took the stage. The walkout an act of defiance over a number of Governor Youngkin's stances, including his support for how police handled pro-Palestinian protests. At the University of Pennsylvania, You have two minutes to pack up your belongings and disperse the area or you will be arrested.

Police in full tactical gear, sweeping the campus, breaking up pro-Palestinian demonstrators. I'm glad to see the long arc of justice has come to the right place in the United States of America and on our campus. A group of them marching to the interim president's home. A few seem jumping over a fence, banging on the door. At MIT, protesters also made their way to the president's home. Officials say at least 10 people were arrested after a clash between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators. Back west after USC scrapped its main graduation ceremony, students at UC Berkeley celebrating theirs. Crowd of protesters wearing shirts calling for the university to divest. Over in Claremont, Pomona College moving its graduation ceremony more than 30 miles away and switching it from the morning to the afternoon. I have a van, a handicapped van,

so I can't go. George Bertram says he's now unable to celebrate his niece. We drove down from San Francisco. Now we're going to miss the ceremony. She's upset because a lot of people can't go to the ceremony. And, Elwynn, you are at Pomona College in California. They have moved their commencement off campus, as you just reported. What is this scene like there now? Kristen, we've seen the loved ones gathering with the soon-to-be graduates all across campus. But the college here says that it decided to move the ceremony off campus in part for safety reasons. Kristen. Elwynn Lopez, thank you to Ukraine now where Russia's new offensive is intensifying today with fierce battles for control of several

Ukrainian villages near the country's eastern border with Russia. The fighting has centered near the city of Kharkiv. Russia says it took five border villages, but the region's Ukrainian governor says the fight for control is still ongoing. And Brazil is bracing for more heavy rain tonight. After 136 people were killed and more than 700 others were injured by the worst flood southern Brazil has seen in 80 years, those record-breaking floods have devastated cities and forced thousands to leave their homes. But among so much tragedy, a sign of hope, this horse nicknamed Carmelo on social media has been rescued

after the floods left him stranded on this roof for days. Well, back in this country, an Illinois man has been arrested and charged with a hate crime after he allegedly shot a mother who's also his neighbor. And tonight, police say race was a factor. Jesse Kirsch has the very latest. It's just hard to think that someone wants to do damage in that way and form of just a single mother trying to survive, you know. Tonight, Melissa Robertson's family says she's still in the ICU after what authorities believe was a racially motivated murder attempt. Female subject shot in the stomach. Officials say Tuesday in Lockport, Illinois,

70-year-old John Shadbar was seen firing dozens of rounds with an assault-style rifle. The Chicago area man allegedly hitting his 45-year-old neighbor in the chest and hand. You can actually see bullet holes. Robertson's son, Mikael Johnson, says she is that neighbor, adding his seven-year-old brother and a three-year-old were just yards from the rampage on a trampoline. What goes through your mind? You know, I just thank God and I thank everything higher up that nothing even more tragic happened. Johnson says for years Shadbar hurled racial epithets at his family. Robertson is white. Her two sons are black. He called her N-word lover and just called me and my little brother N-words. The Will County Sheriff's

Office says before this week's incident, the victim complained twice about Shadbar in March. Authorities writing one shouting incident was resolved by deputies. Hey, thank you. Got it on video. The sheriff's office says the other call was about possible gunshots and fireworks, adding there was not enough evidence to make an arrest. But Johnson says his family made more calls. And it's just, it's heartbreaking, to be honest. I feel like if it was anyone else in any other neighborhood or any other station, it'd be a different story. Shadbar faces multiple charges, including for attempted murder and a hate crime. He has not entered a plea, and NBC News has not been able to reach an attorney for comment.

Meanwhile, investigators released photos of this arsenal they say they discovered at Shadbar's home, including the AK-47 style rifle they believe was used in an attack that has changed lives forever. Jesse Kirsch, NBC News, Lockport, Illinois. Now to a consumer alert on the skyrocketing cost of being a homeowner. We all know it's expensive to buy a home, but the cost of already owning and maintaining one is going up too. Christine Romans explains why. This historic home is Meg Thoman's American dream. We bought the house in April of 2012. The decking on top. But skyrocketing costs have also made it a financial nightmare. How does it make you feel when you see bills like this? It feels like I can't run on the hamster wheel fast enough. One big expense, your mortgage. Rates

are at the highest they've been in years. But owning a home includes other expenses too, and those bills are getting bigger. Insurance is Meg's new pain point, and nationwide, insurance premiums have soared more than 30% in four years because of big storm payouts and inflation. Meg's shopping around now after her insurer dropped her $3,000 a year policy. This was the best one at $9,500 a year. Which is triple what you used to pay. Exactly, more than triple.

Another major expense, property taxes. Up 4% in a year to more than $4,000 on average. And the biggest money drain, maintenance and repairs, an average of more than $6,500 a year. Right now, Meg's getting her roof repaired. And Meg, once you fix the roof, this is the next project. We need to replace the entire front porch. I wish we had been able to do it back then because the costs have really skyrocketed since. Her contractor, Jim LaPointe, says his business is booming, even though he's charging more because costs have never been higher. These were $77 a box, whereas they were probably 30% less about, you know, maybe a few years ago. But in general, your price inflation in a typical year would be

5% to 7%, and now it's double that. Yes, about that. All of those rising costs are flipping the owning versus renting equation for many, with Bankrate finding it's now cheaper in all major cities to rent versus buy. We have some repairs in the soffits that need to happen. But Meg still loves her home. I'm so thankful that we have one because I have a lot of friends and co-workers who are really struggling to get into the market. Christine Romans, NBC News, Freehold, New Jersey. There's good news tonight. 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.

Jose Diaz-Balart has just some of those stories this week. Come up here, Charlie. Come up here, Charlie. Come up here, Charlie. When sports legend Deion Sanders comes calling, you know that something special. What about a scholarship? Yeah! The Colorado Buffaloes coach honoring junior running back Charlie Offredholt

with a full athletic scholarship. Charlie also named the team's spring player, celebrating with players, his parents, and of course, Coach Prime. And talk about a promposal. Iowa high school junior Annie Schlarman got a dozen friends who all decided to take her out on prom night. Together, they celebrated an evening full of fun, including ice cream and even axe throwing. For her and Mom Sue, that invite and inclusion meant the world. I just always hoped that she'd have these types of experiences.

And so as a parent, especially of a child with a disability, it just brought me so much joy. It was an incredible moment to me. And there's a baby boom at the Sheriff's Department in Boone County, Kentucky. That's Deputy and first-time dad Brennan Dills with his new baby girl. But he's not the only one. Deputy Christian Foster's a new dad too. And so is Jacob Bolton. But get a load of this. They're just a few of the more than a dozen law enforcement parents to welcome little ones in the last year or so.

And caps off to this new Golden Gate University graduate, Marielos Woods. This mom of two finally getting her associate's degree in general education after years of hard work and putting family first. It wasn't just Marielos who was feeling pride. Take a look at the emotional reaction from her six-year-old son Leo, who was sitting with dad Will. Oh no, but what's wrong? I love you, Will. It's happy tears, Dad. Oh my goodness. Really happy tears? It is. What was it like for you to see that? Amazing.

I was able to show my kids that hard work pays off. It's happy tears, Dad. But seeing that Leo got to understand why I was sacrificing time away from them. It just makes the whole thing worth it. Marios, are you about to reach the peak of your American dream? Yes, I think so. All of my dream involves doing the best I can for my kids and for my family. So many happy tears after all those great stories.

Our thanks to Jose for that. And to all the moms out there, happy Mother's Day tomorrow. That is NBC Nightly News for this Saturday. I'm Kristen Welker. I'll see you right back here tomorrow morning on Meet the Press. For all of us here at NBC News, have a great night.