NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Sunday, February 11, 2024

Episode Date: February 12, 2024

Houston Police respond to shooting at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church; Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hospitalized for bladder issue symptoms; Trump’s remarks on NATO allies spark backlash; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, a shooting at one of the most famous megachurches in the country as services were about to start. The congregation pouring out after a woman fired shots inside Lakewood Church in Houston, home to celebrity pastor Joel Osteen. The woman carrying a long gun and accompanied by a small child. Off-duty police shot and killed her, the child in critical condition. Osteen's message to his congregation tonight. Also breaking, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin transported back to the hospital today what

we know about his condition. Former President Trump under fire for suggesting he would encourage Russia to attack U.S. allies if they haven't paid enough to support NATO. President Biden's warning to Israel's prime minister about his controversial plan to send forces into a Palestinian city packed with a million refugees. Grief and anger, some of the families of service members killed in a helicopter crash near San Diego, now questioning the military's decision that led to their deaths. This event happened under such questionable circumstances?

The judge busted for texting during a murder trial, even mocking lawyers as they argued before her what she's saying now. And an inspiring mission, the doctors performing a simple surgery to deliver the gift of sight. This is NBC Nightly News with Kate Snow. Good evening. It was just before 2 p.m. in Houston as a Spanish language service was about to start at the Lakewood Mega Church run by celebrity pastor Joel Osteen. The Houston police chief says a woman armed with a long gun walked in accompanied by a young child and started shooting. Off-duty officers stationed at the church shot and killed her, and the child with her was critically injured. An older man injured as well. Terrified, churchgoers fled out of every exit, witnesses describing panic inside, children later being led to safety. In what was once a basketball arena, Lakewood is one of the biggest megachurches

in the country, with as many as 45,000 people attending services each week. Joel Osteen late today encouraging people to pray, even for the shooter and the young child, and saying it could have been so much worse. We begin tonight with Jesse Kirsch. In Houston tonight, a peaceful day of prayer. An active shooter out of Central Area Lakewood Church. Turning violent. Around 2 p.m. local time, Houston police say a female shooter entered Lakewood Church, the worshiping home of televangelist pastor Joel Osteen, a megachurch that can hold 16,000 people.

She was armed with a long rifle and a trench coat with a backpack, accompanied by a small child, approximately four to five years old. Once she entered, at some point she began to fire. All of a sudden we just heard in the backstage, somewhere around the back out there, a few shots fired. This man says he was waiting for a Spanish service to begin when gunshots rang out. Officer and agent engaged engaged striking a female. Police say the shooter died at the scene, adding the young child with her was hit and is in critical condition. Investigators say a man was shot in the leg, but it's not believed to have been involved. Once she went down, officers reported back to us that she threatened that she had a bomb. So we searched her vehicle, our bomb squad, and also the backpack. No explosives

were found, but she was also spraying some type of substance on the ground. Police blocking off the area with many evacuating. And I thought that I maybe would die. After that, I just sent a message to my husband, said that I love him, and to my daddy said the same. Authorities believe the incident was isolated. Pastor Osteen speaking out late today. We're going to continue to move forward.

There are forces of evil, but the forces that are for us, the forces of God are stronger than that. Tonight, a community of worship shaken. Jesse Kirsch, NBC News. We are following other breaking news tonight. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has been taken to the hospital again. Pentagon correspondent Courtney Kuby joins me. Courtney, what do we know at this hour? Kate, Secretary Austin was taken to Walter Reed just after two o'clock this afternoon for what the Pentagon says were symptoms of an emergent bladder issue. Now, he was not taken by ambulance and defense officials say he's not been admitted at this point, but he's still undergoing tests. The Pentagon notified the White House, Congress, senior Pentagon leaders and the public

right away. In January, Austin faced weeks of scrutiny for not telling the White House that he underwent surgery for prostate cancer or that he was hospitalized with serious complications from that surgery. And we're learning late this evening that just about 5 p.m. tonight, Secretary Austin transferred his duties to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks. Kate. All right, Courtney, thank you. Now to the bitter back and forth on the campaign trail as candidates trade verbal attacks over age, mental capacity and military service. And tonight, President Biden is calling Donald Trump dangerous after Mr. Trump made remarks about NATO allies. Ali Rafa reports. Former President Donald Trump under fire tonight

after saying he would support Russia attacking U.S. allies that don't pay what he deems their fair share. I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. His comments threatening to upend the NATO alliance if he retakes the White House and sparking swift backlash from both sides of the aisle. The White House slamming the comments as appalling and unhinged. And this reaction from Mr. Trump's sole GOP opponent Nikki Haley on the campaign trail today. Trump said the most irresponsible thing. You certainly don't want to give them the right to invade a friend. Haley also firing back at Trump for questioning why her husband, who's deployed overseas, is not by her side.

What happened to her husband? Where is he? He's gone. Donald Trump clearly doesn't understand that in South Carolina, we love our military men and women. The former South Carolina governor betting big on the Republican primary in her home state, despite trailing her former boss there by double digits. Haley trying to capitalize on the age gap between her and the race's two frontrunners. Do we really want to have a country in disarray and a world on fire and have two 80-year-olds as our candidates? The issue of age, a political vulnerability of President Biden's, taking on a new significance in the days after the special counsel's report

on Mr. Biden's handling of classified documents, revealed scathing allegations about his memory struggles, which the president denies. He is sharp, intensely probing and detail oriented and focused. Biden's team on defense, blanketing the airwaves. And this kind of sense that he's not ready for this job is just a bucket of BS. The Biden team continues to dismiss recent polling showing more than 70 percent of voters are concerned about the president's age. Ali Rafa, thank you. On Capitol Hill today, the Senate held a rare Sunday session. Eighteen Republicans joined almost all Democrats to clear a critical procedural

hurdle for a $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel. Today's vote suggests the bill will likely pass the Senate in a final vote expected later this week. Its fate in the House is less certain. And we have breaking news out of the Middle East. The Israeli military says it has concluded a series of strikes in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza that has been considered a safe zone for more than a million refugees. It comes after President Biden today cautioned Israel's prime minister about a planned ground assault there. Matt Bradley reports from Tel Aviv. Tonight, the world warning Israel as it prepares its ground incursion into Rafah,

a city on Gaza's southern edge that now houses more than half of the enclave's population. Many of them have already been displaced several times over. Where do we go with four people, this woman said. We don't know if we should leave or stay. The Egyptian government threatening to suspend its peace treaty with Israel, a linchpin of regional security for decades if Israel's military proceeds, according to the Associated Press. And President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call this morning that the Rafan Kershon shouldn't go ahead without a credible and executable plan

for ensuring the safety of and support for the more than one million people sheltering there. But Netanyahu telling ABC News a plan is in the works. The areas that we've cleared north of Rafah are plenty of areas there, but we're working out a detailed plan to do so. And a senior Biden administration official said tonight a new deal to release Israeli hostages in Gaza could come as early as this week, just as the CIA chief heads to Cairo for more talks. But just across the border in Israel, signs of normalcy. This looks like a disaster zone, but for many, it was home. Some are hoping it will be again soon.

Shahar Shnorman and his wife, Ayelet Cohen Cohen are the only people who have returned to the Khafaraza kibbutz, where Hamas killed 80 people and kidnapped 19 others on October 7th. People thought we are crazy to come back. The kibbutz is mostly empty. They live amongst ghosts. What are you missing by living here now? I like to hear the laugh of the kids. I like to see all my friends. Will this place ever feel

the same again to you? No, but hopefully it will feel good enough to be a new beginning. And Matt joins me now from Tel Aviv. And what more do we know about this possible hostage deal, Matt? Yeah, Kate, well, a senior Biden administration official told NBC News that the deal is, quote, pretty much there, but that significant gaps exist. Kate? Matt Bradley, Matt, thank you. Bad weather may have been a factor in the helicopter crash that killed five Marines near San Diego. And tonight, the father of one of them is demanding answers about why they were flying in the first place. Here's Priya Sridhar. He just always wanted to be a Marine, and he's very proud to be a Marine. Gregory Davis is struggling to come to terms with the loss of

his son, 21-year-old Lance Corporal Donovan Davis. He is probably one of the most soft-spoken, kindest, gentlest people I've ever met. Lance Corporal Davis was one of five young Marines, all between the ages of 21 and 28, who lost their lives when the helicopter they were flying from Nevada to California crashed into a forest during one of Southern California's most intense rainstorms in years. It's been probably pretty much the week every parent dreads having. Now Davis, who had a 25-year career as a Navy pilot himself, is demanding answers from the Department of Defense about why his son was flying that day. I've flown that route

many times. I was just pretty much in shock that after I'd heard the magnitude of the weather. Are you hoping that something could potentially come out of this investigation that might change the way the Marine Corps makes their decisions? Yeah, if they don't, then these five Marines died in vain. A spokesperson for the 3rd Marine Air Wing tells NBC News an investigation into the crash is ongoing. Military experts say leaders are always calculating risks when making decisions. In combat, these aviation units are in bad weather, they're low level, they're at night, they're choosing to fly during those conditions and they're facing enemy action. So you simply have to get out this, you know, envelope and train to what you're going to face.

This time, Davis says, the process failed, and now he's struggling to cope with the loss of his beloved son. He was a patriot. He was selfless. He loved flying. He loved doing, being in the Marine Corps. And I guess he died doing what he really loved doing. Trying to make sense of his son's sacrifice. Priya Sridther, NBC News. Still ahead tonight, texting while judging. The real-life courtroom drama caught on camera as a judge sent hundreds of texts criticizing lawyers and others during a trial.

We're back with an NBC News exclusive about a high-profile sexual abuse case. Five women who say they were among the hundreds abused by the same gynecologist now speaking out about the trauma they're living with and what they hope others will learn from their ordeal. Alison Barber has their stories, and a warning, some of what you're about to hear is disturbing. I just thought no one was going to believe me. I was assaulted by my gynecologist. I was molested by Robert Haddon in 1993. Two days before the birth of my son, he sexually assaulted me. What is shocking to me is how little accountability there has been. Yeah, hi, Lori. It's Dr. Haddon calling. You know, I just got word that you called the office and you're upset and you were calling the police.

What the heck happened? What's going on? That's a voicemail from Lori Kinyak's then-gynecologist, Columbia University Dr. Robert Haddon, when he left just hours after sexually assaulting her at a postpartum checkup. Please, can we talk? I'm very upset. I don't know what's going on. So please, please call me back. There was no one else in the room. I was naked in a paper gown. And here's a man that had the guts to orally assault me. All these things go through your mind. Who do I speak to? How do I get out of here? Who's going to believe me? It's my word against his. But Kenyak's word was the truth. She contacted

the police and set off a decade-long struggle for justice. In the end, it wasn't just her word against his. More than 700 women came forward to say they, too, were abused by the OB-GYN over the course of his 25-year career. Five of them shared their stories with us. Do you feel like he manipulated the system, or do you feel like the system was set up in a way that just made this type of predatory abusive behavior easily achieved in this context? I think he picked a system where he knew he could use it to his advantage. He was opportunistic, but he was methodical. In 2023, Haddon was sentenced to 20 years in prison

after federal prosecutors proved he'd sexually abused patients between 1987 and 2012. Haddon's lawyers did not respond to multiple requests from NBC News for comment. More than 220 survivors have now settled with Columbia. The ones we've spoken to say it's not enough. I feel like no amount of money is going to make me feel comfortable when I walk in a clinic. I think I can come with two hands the amount of times I've seen a doctor since I was 18. So now, and I just don't trust doctors. Going to gynecologists after that, I never told the doctors why it was traumatic. I just, it was always

like a meltdown. Reflecting back on it, Haddon did a lot of sexual grooming over the years. What do you mean by that? The grooming behavior was the very long breast exams, checking to see if you have moles. He was my first OBGYN, so I didn't have the standard of care or kind of the information. He didn't care if your spouse was there, your mom was there, the chaperone was there. He had the ways to do it for no one to notice. Do you believe the systems that allow this type of behavior can change? If we don't think they can, then that would be quite devastating. Ellison Barber, NBC News. Really important report. Thank you, Ellison Barber, NBC News. presiding over a murder case, was caught on camera texting during the trial, all about the people in the trial, not once, not twice, more than 500 times.

Morgan Chesky has the story. It's the video evidence from a courtroom camera. Authorities say captures former judge Tracy Soderstrom on her phone mid-murder trial, texting and scrolling social media. There were some things that I did inappropriately. That admission coming Thursday after Soderstrom announced her resignation following an investigation accusing her of gross neglect of duty and partiality in office. A judicial conduct complaint against Soderstrom states over the course of a murder trial involving the death

of a two-year-old, the newly elected judge texted her bailiff more than 500 times, mocking the physical appearance of attorneys, jurors, and witnesses. I texted during a trial and that was inappropriate. The content I am not agreeing to because it doesn't matter. But the complaint cites messages that allegedly show Soderstrom was no longer impartial. At one point, Soderstrom calling a prosecutor gross and a horrible speaker while praising the defense attorney, texting her bailiff, can I clap for her? And during testimony, texting the state, just couldn't accept that a mom could kill her kid. So they went after the next person available, adding, can I please scream liar, liar? Evidence Soderstrom still denies played a role during the trial.

I didn't make up my mind. Even if I had, it wouldn't have mattered because I was not the fact finder. Mid-trial comments went further. Soderstrom allegedly calling a testifying officer pretty, saying she could look at him all day. Authorities tell NBC News the bailiff is no longer a county employee. Meanwhile, Soderstrom has agreed to never seek any state judicial position ever again. Morgan Chesky, NBC News. When we come back, there's good news tonight, how one mission is giving so many people new hope and a new outlook on life. There's good news tonight about a 10-minute surgery that is changing lives. A team of doctors giving those in need new hope and the gift of sight.

For eye surgeon Dr. Lloyd-Williams, this moment when the bandages first come off says everything. After a life-changing eye surgery, this woman is seeing again for the first time in years. That moment, repeated over and over again, as people who had surgery the day before adjust to the light. What is that moment for you? When I first saw it happen, I thought, I could do this for the rest of my life and never feel like I wasted a minute. Dr. Williams, an ophthalmologist at Duke University, has traveled with the Himalayan Cataract Project for a decade on a mission to cure blindness. The latest trip in December to South Sudan in Africa, a country with the highest rate of blindness in the world.

Dr. Williams worked alongside two local eye surgeons. For the most part, I don't even get up. I just sit, do surgery, next, do surgery, next. They call these surgical boot camps, performing nearly 2,000 cataract surgeries in just 10 days. People walked from as far away as 40 miles to be here, some arriving in wheelbarrows, many led by a stick. The results are immediate. Five-year-old Kual confused at first in this new world of sight before finally spotting his mom.

Many families here have a child take care of the person who's blind. You cure the blindness in the individual. You improve the economic situation of the family. You put one of their children back in school. This woman seeing her adult son for the first time in five years. Imagine if you hadn't seen your child for years. I mean, it's really quite remarkable. You don't need to speak the language to understand what's happening.

She locks eyes with her son. We had one boy say to us, I don't deserve to have any friends because I'm blind. And when I see that in them and I think I can do something about it, it just makes that all worthwhile. These boot camps changing lives as patients come out of the darkness to see the world in a new light. That is NBC Nightly News for this Sunday. I'm Kate Snow. For all of us here at NBC News, stay safe. Have a great night.