NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Sunday, April 7, 2024

Episode Date: April 8, 2024

Undefeated South Carolina women’s basketball wins NCAA championship; Spectators prepare to make the most of solar eclipse with food, tattoos, even weddings; Southwest flight makes emergency landing after engine cover peels off; and more on tonight’s broadcast. 

Tonight, the watershed moment for women's sports, the championship game that had the nation on the edge of its seat. South Carolina winning it all over Iowa and Kaitlyn Clark, their fans erupting. Clark's final college game, but her legacy unmatched. The women's tournament setting new records and inspiring the next generation of athletes. Millions of Americans on the move for the historic solar eclipse officials warning of epic traffic airport delays even cell network outages but the excitement that's unstoppable it's a once in a lifetime kind of experience we've got the all-important forecast with just hours to go

terrifying moments in the air an engine cover blown off this Southwest flight, forced to make an emergency landing. Got a piece of the engine cowling hanging off. So why did it happen? Parts of one Virginia city overrun by an illegal street takeover. This police car swarmed. Another hit by a speeding car. Why chaotic scenes like these seem to be happening more often. Is this university building causing cancer? The investigation finding more than 160

people who spend significant time there diagnosed with the disease. And as the country comes together to watch the eclipse, the emotional reunion nearly 50 years in the making. This is NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson. We begin tonight with something unusual. Good news on a couple of different fronts. Rare moments of unity with millions across the country getting ready for the solar eclipse. Now just hours away. We'll have more on that in a second. But it's a different star front and center tonight.

That's Caitlin Clark. And what feels like a game changing moment, not just for her, but for women's sports, period. South Carolina, late today, beating Clark's Iowa in a college championship game for the ages, with the drama capping a record-setting women's NCAA playoff, delivering monster ratings. Just one Final Four game Friday night saw more viewers than any of last year's World Series games, more viewers than the of last year's World Series games, more viewers than the most recent NBA playoffs, more viewers than the last decade's worth of Daytona 500s. All of it proving these women are undeniably unmatched. Our Jesse Kirsch has a front row seat.

Perfection with a touch of sweet redemption. Tonight's South Carolina women's basketball is perfection. They made history. They etched their names in the history books when this is the unlikeliest group to do it. The Gamecocks winning today's national championship, tapping off an undefeated season. 38 wins and zero losses. Underso! Unstoppable! Congratulations! undefeated season, 38 wins and zero losses. I do so unstoppable. Congratulations. The win South Carolina's third women's tournament title and redemption after losing to Iowa in last year's Final Four.

I'm just so proud of our team, and it feels great. It hasn't sunken yet, man. For Iowa, this marks back-to-back championship losses for a women's program that has never won the tournament. To be back in this position and come out here and battle, I mean, South Carolina is just so good. Like, there's only so much you can do. We'll put up a three here. For Kaitlyn Clark, a title would have been a legacy-cementing finale to her collegiate career,

which has been filled with crowning achievements. She's Division I's all-time leading scorer for women and men, helping women's college basketball explode in popularity. On Monday, Iowa's Elite Eight matchup became the most-watched women's college basketball game ever. Then the team's Friday Final Four win shattered the record again. She has made such an impact on everybody's lives. Today's championship expected to reach even more people thanks to Clark's stardom and her formidable opponents. Tonight, Kaitlyn Clark going home without a storybook ending. But when you look in the stands, it's clear she didn't need a trophy to change the game. Kaitlyn Clark, if you're out there, you are one of the GOATs of our games, and we appreciate you.

Jessie Kirsch is joining us live from Cleveland. She is a GOAT, even if this is not the night Kaitlyn Clark wanted to have Jessie, but this is really just the beginning for her, right? Far from the finish, Hallie. She is declared for the WNBA draft, which is on April 15th. The Indiana Fever have the first pick and no surprise, Kaitlyn Clark is expected to be drafted number one. She says she expects women's basketball to keep on growing. Hallie. A courtside seat there for you, Jesse. Thank you there in Cleveland, which we should point out is right in the path

of totality for tomorrow's eclipse. You see the path here with millions of people now flooding into all these cities and towns right along it tonight. It's set to be a moment of unity, one that makes history. But it could come with big headaches on the roads and in airports. We've got all the angles covered tonight. Let's start with Priscilla Thompson in one of the first places that will see the eclipse tomorrow, Dallas. Tonight, a last-minute crush of travelers are flooding into the path of totality, hoping for a chance to see history. It gives you tangles up your spine, you know, when it happens. For our family, it's a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience to see, and that's why we decided to travel. As more than 44,000

take to the skies today alone, the FAA is warning about delays at airports in Little Rock, Chicago, Burlington, and more. Cities along the roughly 100-mile swath from Texas to Maine will go completely dark on Monday afternoon as the moon passes between the sun and the earth. And we are literally over the moon to welcome over 1 million people to our state. The millions of tourists are adding to the more than 31 million already living along the path, prompting concerns about supply shortages, cellular outages, and traffic chaos. Here in Dallas, exits like this one off of major highways that lead into downtown will be closed at certain times during the big event. NBC's Maura Barrett is in Bloomington, Indiana. This small college town normally has a population of 80,000

people, but it's expected to balloon to hundreds of thousands, all for the eclipse, which will be seen just above this stage in this football stadium, all while William Shatner, Captain Kirk himself, narrates the moments of totality. That excitement is spreading nationwide. Schools in Buffalo, Cleveland, and Indianapolis canceled for eclipse fever. So it's called the eclipse bourbon. Texas restaurants are serving up specialty cocktails and blackout burgers. In Maine, eclipse-themed tattoos. Plus, researchers are eager to study how animals will react. The big event is cause for other celebrations, too. In Ohio, Ginny Harris and Bart Lombardi are getting married

when the sun meets the moon at a huge service for 150 couples. It's definitely the only time it will happen in our lifetime to experience something like this. It's pretty crazy, but just so much fun. And Priscilla, it is crunch time for all of these places with less than 24 hours to go. Hallie, that's right. Crews here at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science are still hard at work as our crews across the city putting the final touches on events

ahead of tomorrow's big day. Hallie? Priscilla Thompson, thank you. Meteorologist Bill Cairns is here. All right, Bill, the hopes of tens of millions of eclipse watchers are hanging on your every word tonight. No pressure. So many people are making those last-minute decisions to get into the totality. Already watching the clouds in Texas.

That has been locked in the forecast. San Antonio to Austin, it looks mostly cloudy. Dallas, flip of a coin. Some areas will be all right. Some areas will be in the clouds. Little Rock forecast has, it looks mostly cloudy. Dallas, flip of a coin. Some areas will be all right. Some areas will be in the clouds. Little Rock forecast has been getting better and better. Same for southern Illinois and Indiana. It looks like northern Ohio should be OK. Cleveland, we're hoping the clouds clear out just in time for you. Western New York still looks very cloudy, and the best spot by far still looks Maine. Now, that's the totality. Everybody else still

sees the eclipse, but a lot of clouds, unfortunately, from New York to Washington, D.C., down into the Carolinas. Bill, thank you. To some breaking news tonight about a scary emergency today when part of a Southwest Airlines engine cover ripped apart during takeoff. Steve Patterson has the latest. It is the very last thing anyone wants to see looking out of the window of their plane. Passengers on board Southwest Flight 3695 stunned, treated to a white knuckle watch party morning when part of the engine's cowling or the protective cover that houses the engine appears to peel back. Let's go ahead and declare an emergency. Got a piece of the engine cowling hanging off apparently. The FAA issuing a statement saying in part the pilot reported the engine cowling fell off during takeoff and struck the wing flap. The Boeing 737-800 was towed to the gate. The FAA will investigate. It's typically due to a failure

of maintenance personnel to properly secure the engine. While the plane is manufactured by Boeing, the engine is not. Right now, it's unclear what the source of the malfunction is, but Southwest has recently had a series of runway scares, including a possible engine fire on Thursday that grounded a Vegas-bound flight in Lubbock. These small incidents occur, but they're rarely catastrophic. Passengers on board reportedly OK, but stunned by an in-flight moment they won't soon forget. Steve Patterson, NBC News. Overseas now today marks six months since Hamas launched its deadly attack on Israel. The families of those still held hostage gathering

today to share their outrage and the renewed push to bring them back home. Hala Garani reports from Tel Aviv. Tonight, anguish and anger on display in Jerusalem, as thousands mark six months since the October 7th Hamas attacks and the start of the war. The families of the remaining 133 hostages in Gaza gather to remember them. A powerful moment as they assembled on stage and screamed in frustration and grief. Lishai Lavi Miran's husband Omri is still being held. She tells him that she loves him. And then screams, enough.

On Saturday night, protesters demanded an end to the war. According to the Palestinian health ministry, more than 33,000 have been killed in Gaza. Meanwhile, significant developments on the battlefield. Tanks on the move as the Israeli military announced that it will withdraw its ground forces from southern Gaza. The remaining IDF troop presence is now tasked with holding the northern half of the strip. For Palestinians now returning to their homes, there is shock at the extent of the destruction, like here in Khan Yunis. There is bombing everywhere, this mother in Rafah wails, her daughter bursting into tears on her lap.

Hala joins us now from Tel Aviv. So, Hala, six months in. Tell us more about this new round of peace talks in Cairo. Well, Hamas has sent a team to negotiate, but the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeated his demand that there will be no deal unless all hostages are released. Hallie. Hala, thank you. Still ahead tonight, another violent street takeover with even police cars attacked.

Why it seems to be happening in more cities. Tonight, another violent street takeover caught on camera. This one in Virginia. The mob so bold they went after police. All of it appears to be part of a troubling trend we're now seeing coast to coast. Marissa Parra reports. New video showing mayhem on the streets of northern Virginia. I believe that they fully intended to drag her out of that car.

One driver hitting a different officer with his car before speeding off. The officer survived and Fairfax police arrested the person they say did it, among others. There's nothing neighborly about what they do. They do donuts. They drive at high rates of speed. It's happening across the country in states like Florida, California, Illinois. Reckless driving is on the rise and continues to take lives. He loved me and could have something. 20-year-old Jaden Johnson was killed in 2021 when two street racers flew through a red light and into the car he was inside of. His mom telling NBC News their family now paying the price. A part of me died. I'll never be the same person. As states like Tennessee, Florida and Maryland advance proposed legislation that cracks down on street racing with harsher penalties and steeper fines.

Fairfax police have already made several arrests vowing there will be more. You're going to see our civil disturbance unit because that's exactly what this is. A nationwide problem with no straightforward nationwide solution. Marissa Parra, NBC News. Cancer concerns on campus. Could this college building be linked to more than 160 cases? The women now revealing their stories. Plus, an out of this world eclipse reunion nearly 50 years in the making. We're back with new reporting tonight on the stunning number of cancer cases, now more than 160, potentially linked to one building on the campus of North Carolina State University.

Keely Arthur from our Raleigh affiliate WRAL has been leading the coverage on the story. I was hoping to survive. You can't even imagine what it's like. These eight women are united by a common diagnosis. Thyroid cancer my junior year. Ovarian cancer. I was diagnosed at the age of 34. I finished chemo at the end of November. And a common belief. We're talking about this one building. That this building at North Carolina State University called Poe Hall caused their cancer. We were all students working there. And they are far from alone. In the fall, the university found PCBs, a cancer-causing chemical, in building material inside Poe Hall. They closed the building soon after. And that's when WRAL began its investigation.

We have had dozens of people speak to us. And the more we reported it out, the more potential cases we found. More than 50 cases of cancer are now confirmed. 99 reports of cancer. We counted the cases here on this wall and now the list of cancer patients who spent significant time at Poe Hall has reached 164. We literally got engaged right in front of this fountain right here. Robbie Glad's wife Sarah earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from NC State. Five-year plan was to start building our family. We wanted to have two kids, her and a friend of hers who both spent their master's program in Poe Hall within months of

each other having diagnosed with some kind of cancer. Sarah died of breast cancer in January, but not before delivering a healthy baby boy. I don't care about money. I don't care about compensation. I do care about being able to help other people. Are you worried about the reputation of this university? I'm not worried about the reputation of this university because I know we're doing the right thing. The university's chancellor, Randy Woodson, says more testing is being done. The school says they are deploying every resource available to get answers. In order to be able to fully engage with people about health implications, we have to have questions answered about the environment within the building.

Preliminary testing by outside consultants hired by the university found PCBs in Pohall. The building was built in 1971 before the chemicals were banned. In a statement, the university says that no state or federal agency has completed the work to determine if there are health impacts related to Pohall. And experts warn it's difficult to link cases to chemicals found in buildings, but not unheard of. I do think that the information that's in the record about the PCBs in the building really suggests that there's a possible signal there that needs to be followed up on. When you think people will get answers. We're working on it as quickly as we can. Answers that for these women cannot come fast enough. The lull there where they didn't do anything for a while

or the people who were in that building as unforgivable. For NBC News, Keeley Arthur, Raleigh. When we come back, there's good news tonight. An emotional eclipse reunion for a science teacher and generations of his students. There's good news tonight about a reunion 46 years in the making, one that's only possible thanks to a once in a generation eclipse and a once in a lifetime teacher. It's so good to see you. They're all grown up now. I am so happy to see you. But to his four, he flagged his students about an eclipse way down the road in 2024, inviting them all back to watch together. I said, hey, why don't you circle this April 8th, 2024 eclipse? And you know what? We're going to get together on that.

And you said that in 1978, 78. And my kids looked at me like I was crazy. He did the same thing every year for the next 16 years, every class. Then some four decades later, posted a reminder online. That's when this happened. Rick Mintz, class of 79. Chuck O'Brien, class of 1982. Andrea Malafio, class of 1988. Andrea Malafiou, class of 1988. One by one, they showed up.

Rick Mintz. Oh, Rick. How you doing, Rick? How you doing, buddy? You look different, man. Dozens, just for the pre-party. How many of you haven't seen Mr. Moriarty, Pat, since you left high school? Wow.

You came back just for this. Tomorrow, more than a hundred of Moriarty's former students are expected to join him at his house from Rochester and beyond, way beyond. Some flying in from Boston, Austin, and Detroit. Did your surgeon think you were crazy for postponing your knee surgery for this party? Yes, he did. He tried to convince me that my knee was more important, but he doesn't know Mr. Moriarty. The excitement building and so are the emotions. He says right here, take care of Chuck. He needs your guidance. I'm thinking about your house today when we met a bunch of your students. What did that mean to you? When I had these kids, they were ninth graders. I have a lot of gratitude now that

this eclipse is supporting the fact that there's reunions happening. There's people sharing stories and they're reconnecting with each other. It's beautiful. I thank you guys so much for being here. Such a special moment for him and a special moment here, too, for a different reason. With tonight's broadcast, my first official one for Sunday Nightly, stepping into some very big shoes

and a very long legacy. It is a privilege and an honor and a responsibility I take seriously. I'm looking forward to getting our weeks started together every Sunday. I know there's a lot of ways honor and a responsibility I take seriously. I'm looking forward to getting our weeks started together every Sunday. I know there's a lot of ways to watch a lot of stuff these days, and we're grateful you're choosing us. Thank you for now. For all of us here at NBC,

that's nightly news for this Sunday. I'm Hallie Jackson. I'll see you right back here next week.