NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Sunday, May 19, 2024

Episode Date: May 20, 2024

Search for Iran’s president underway after helicopter crash; Biden gives commencement speech at Morehouse College; Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs issues apology after release of video that appears to show 2016 assault; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Breaking news tonight, the helicopter carrying the Iranian president crash landing. His fate still unknown right now. Rescuers racing to make it to the site. Bad weather slowing the search. The president and key members of Iran's cabinet also on board. What it means for the rest of the region already on edge. Diddy's apology, the music mogul speaking for the first time since that video emerged of him assaulting his then girlfriend. I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses. While the D.A. says he won't be charged. Houston's heat wave emergency.

Hundreds of thousands without power after that deadly storm. Long lines for ice and water. The temperatures hitting 90. One-on-one with the CEO of Airbnb. Will there be more stunts like this up house to stay in? And his acknowledgement that prices got too high. Do you think you lost the thread on the value piece of it? This is NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson. We're coming on the air with developing news out of the Middle East and no word yet on

whether the Iranian president has survived a helicopter crash. State media reporting that crash earlier today. As you can see, look at this, just how thick the fog was in the area near where it happened. In just the last couple hours, officials say they've pinpointed the chopper's location and now the Iranian military is descending on that spot after getting a cell signal from one of the crew members on board. Leaders in Iran asking for prayers as the White House says President Biden's been briefed on this now hours long urgent search in a region already on edge. You can see where it happened in northern Iran, close to the border with Azerbaijan, where the Iranian president had been making a visit. Kira Simmons is in the region and starts us off tonight.

Kira Simmons, Iranian President, Iran's Foreign Ministry. Battling murky conditions, Iranian rescue teams racing to reach the remote site, severely restricted visibility that Iran's interior minister says caused the crash. Initially, reassuring Iranian TV, it was a hard landing due to weather and fog. Iran's President Ibrahim Raisi pictured on board the helicopter today with the foreign minister who's also missing tonight. The country's second most powerful leader appearing in front of the cameras at the inauguration of a new dam,

hours before his helicopter went down in the mountainous terrain according to Iranian state media already Iranians holding mass prayers for their president a hardliner who's been talked about as a possible successor to Iran's 85-year-old supreme leader Tonight Ayatollah Khamenei telling his country we hope God returns our dear president and assuring them there will be no disturbances on the country's affairs. Their leadership has seen a brutal crackdown during mass protests after the death of a 22-year-old Iranian woman. Last year, Lester sat down with Raisi discussing the release of American prisoners held in Iran. Are they healthy? Are they well?

They are very healthy, and according to our latest information, they are in full health. But today's tension in the Middle East does not appear to have played a part, U.S. lawmakers say. I've just spoken to the intelligence authorities. At this point, there is no evidence of foul play. It looks like an accident. Darkness fell hours ago in this region and still no news. The White House says the president is being kept up to date. Another unexpected turn of events in the Middle East already reeling. Hallie.

Keir Simmons in Dubai. Thank you. I want to bring in White House correspondent Aaron Gilchrist. Aaron, what else are we hearing from the U.S. side? Well, Hallie, the White House is monitoring this closely. There are already very real fears that the Israel-Gaza war could spark a larger regional conflict. You remember, Israel and Iran attacked each other directly just last month. The president's national security

advisor is in Israel this weekend working to get a ceasefire and contain any conflict, and the death of Iran's president could further destabilize that region. Ali? And Aaron, President Biden was where you are at Morehouse College in Atlanta today to deliver a commencement speech. Given what we've seen at other graduations, any protests? Well, this was a speech that was mostly well received here at Morehouse, Ali. In his salute to the class of 2024, President Biden talked about faith and leadership and democracy, among other things. He also faced the Israel-Hamas war issue head-on, calling for an immediate ceasefire and return of the hostages taken by Hamas.

He also said he supports peaceful protest and told the graduates, I hear you. Now, a handful of graduates turned around in their seats during the president's remarks. Others wore symbols of support for the Palestinian people. The class valedictorian did not directly address President Biden, but he did call for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza as well. Ali. Aaron Gilchrist, thank you. Tonight, we are hearing from Diddy for the first time since a disturbing video from 2016

surfaced, showing the superstar violently assaulting his then-girlfriend. Sean Combs says he's disgusted by his own actions and not asking for forgiveness. Adrian Broadus has more with a warning that some of what you're about to see is hard to watch. I'm so sorry. Tonight, a 67 second apology from Sean Combs. I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. It comes two days after surveillance video obtained by CNN shows Sean Combs kicking, dragging, and throwing objects at his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. The video, believed to show an assault on Ventura, was captured in an L.A. hotel in 2016. Previously, Diddy publicly denied all the allegations against him, but now? I was disgusted then when I did it. I'm disgusted now.

I went and I sought out professional help. Ventura filed a lawsuit against Combs in November, stating that around March of 2016 at a former Intercontinental Hotel in Century City, Mr. Combs became extremely intoxicated and punched Ms. Ventura in the face, giving her a black eye. It was settled less than 24 hours later. Today, Ventura's attorney responding, Combs' most recent statement is more about himself than the many people he has hurt. It's an admission likely without a lot of consequence. Could this video mean anything for future cases? If Diddy is sued civilly or prosecuted for other crimes,

then it might be possible to get these videos into evidence. The LA District Attorney says the case is outside the statute of limitations. I'm committed to be a better man, he's in every day. I'm not asking for forgiveness. I'm truly sorry. The mogul still faces multiple civil lawsuits with allegations including abuse and sexual assault spanning decades. An attorney representing other accusers responding, quote, apologies are for people who are genuinely sorry, not for deviants whose life purpose has been to wreak

havoc on everyone around them. Adrienne Broadus, NBC News, Los Angeles. To Texas now, where officials are warning about a dangerous heat wave at perhaps the worst possible moment for the hundreds of thousands of people still without power, days after devastating storms ripped through the state. Priscilla Thompson is there. It's been three days since Lauren Juan Infante were left in the dark with no power and no air conditioning. What was it like in that house? If you turn on your oven at 350 degrees and you open it up, that's how it feels in the house. You can go home and check on your insulin. Unable to keep Juan's insulin cold, they left and are now spending their days at a cooling center. We just couldn't stand it anymore at the house. It was too hot. Nearly 300,000 homes, businesses, and schools across Houston are still without power.

Days after a deadly windstorm tore through the area Thursday night. Oh, there it goes. Oh, my God. The rain. Hurricane-strength winds knocking down the frame on this house, leaving behind a 400-mile path of destruction. And officials say killing at least seven. And now another deadly threat.

The heat's not going to get any less. It's only going to get hotter from here. That's what we've got until we get our next delivery. Alicia Brantley got one of the last bags of ice. It's extremely hot, and we're taking care of my 96-year-old grandmother as well. Tonight, crews are racing to restore electricity. When should everyone expect to have their power restored? We're anticipating being able to restore the majority of our customers by the end of day Wednesday. Many now desperate to get their lives back on track.

It's hard. It's hard right now. And the heat is not helping at all. Doesn't seem to be. Priscilla's joining us now from Houston. So what does this mean for the students who are supposed to go back to school tomorrow? Well, Hallie, despite massive transmission lines like this one going back up, there are still dozens of schools without power. No word yet on what the district plans to do about those. Hallie? Priscilla Thompson live for us there in Houston. Priscilla, thank you. Still ahead tonight, we go one-on-one with the head of Airbnb with the busy summer travel season just days away. What he's doing to try to bring down prices.

Ahead of the summer travel season, Airbnb is taking on the critics who have complained they're too pricey, even as the company's become one of the biggest names in the world for when you need a place to stay, bigger than the next five hotel chains combined. In our one-on-one, the CEO tells me he's not done trying to revolutionize the travel industry. Do you feel a little like Willy Wonka? A little bit. Do you like that analogy? I love that analogy.

Brian Chesky's not the first tech CEO to promise to make dreams come true. These are color swatches of tiles for siding for the up house. But if your dream is to spend a night in the house from the movie Up. We lifted this 40 foot house 50 feet in the air. Or to sleep over at the Ferrari Museum in Italy. Airbnb may have your golden tickets.

We always thought what if these worlds that existed in our imagination, we could bring to reality and you could book them on Airbnb? Chesky and his company launching about a dozen of these icons, as they call them, in a marketing stunt going viral. Good press after a wave of harsher headlines. That's why we'll make sure your listing has an impossibly complicated lockbox. Summed up in an SNL sketch this spring. Why stay in a hotel when for basically the same amount of money you could stay in a place with worse sheets? Did that sting? It didn't sting.

I felt, if anything, like, you know, like we have a huge responsibility. We're a part of culture. The brand is a noun and verb used all over the world. But for some, the brand started straying too far from its 2007 roots as an affordable alternative to hotels. Customers concerned about too many fees and higher prices. Do you think you lost the thread on the value piece of it? A little bit insofar that perception is reality. We did. I mean, objectively, the prices went up. That became this kind of symbol for people. Like, why am I paying these cleaning fees and humping my trash out behind the alley when I can just stay at a hotel? The way I think about it is you have to

listen to like the community. And when people tell us that like Airbnbs aren't as affordable as they used to be and we're being feeling nickel and dime of cleaning fees, you take that very seriously. Chesky says they've worked hard to increase price transparency and to foster more competition among hosts. The result? Airbnbs are cheaper than they used to be on a year-over-year basis, and hotels are up. So the prices are going like this. After a pandemic slump, Airbnb has roared back after going public in 2020.

But even that IPO got less attention, Chesky says, than a promotion for the Barbie Dreamhouse tied to the hit movie last year. We just wanted to create like a moment of joy for people, a moment of magic. Now he thinks AI can help. What if an app could understand you, learn about your hopes, your dreams, and personalize these itineraries and these trips just for you? That's what AI can do. I think there are so many people who would listen to you say that and go, that sounds so cool. And I think some of those same people might say,

and also kind of scary and like a little bit risky. It's an incredibly good thing. It is a little scary and a little exciting. I think that's how technology is. And I think whether like the world is one we should be excited about or fear depends on the people whose hands you entrust the technology with. Like his and his companies. In his view, nowhere to go but up. We're going to do something even crazier and bigger and hopefully bring even more magic to the world.

Bigger than the uphouse? Even crazier. And a stunning light show over Europe. Why this comet turned the night sky bright blue. An incredible light show over Spain and Portugal. Look at this, a comet streaking through the stars, turning the night sky that beautiful blue-green. NASA says that color comes from magnesium that burns off the rock as it enters Earth's atmosphere. It eventually burned up over the Atlantic Ocean. There is more good news tonight about the full circle moment for a father and son after hundreds of hours in the cockpit together.

There's good news tonight about spending time with the people we love and the father and son who took family bonding to new heights, 30,000 feet to be exact. These co-pilots making each other laugh and making memories of a lifetime. You know, when you look over and there's your kid sitting on the right seat of your airplane, it's just like, oh my God, this is awesome. Tom and Eric Lake aren't just coworkers, they're father and son. We talk almost every day,

usually about flying or something, you know, or that's something that's going on in our lives. We're a really close family. A family grounded in love, but never grounded. Tom, teaching Eric how to fly when he was growing up. Eric following in his father's footsteps, joining the Air Force at 25. And when Eric flew his first flight as a pilot for Delta in 2018,

guess who was at the controls with him? Since then, the two spending more than 500 hours together in the sky. This was on Memorial Day, and they flew on Christmas. Eric even turning down a promotion so he could remain his dad's co-pilot. I just decided, hey, I'm going to stick with him and fly with him and have that experience. Did you ever look over and just think, that's really my dad in the cockpit next to me? I really did. I really cherished it because I knew, you know, that this was going to come to an end at some point.

That point came this month when Tom retired after 34 years with Delta Airlines. Eric wanted to make sure it was a day his dad would never forget. Thank you for making it special. Passengers and crew members thanking Tom for his service. Thank you for your service. A water cannon salute to send him off.

And the most meaningful tribute, six years after Tom flew in Eric's first flight in the cockpit, his son joining his dad on his last. Everybody was there and it's just, I was like, my God, this is all for me. You know, I'm just, just an old Delta pilot just moving on. They made it so special that it was the greatest day of my aviation career. Eric, how does your dad inspire you? He is the best pilot that I've ever known. I think if I can even do half of what he's done, I think I'm doing something right. Looks like they are both doing something right.

That's nightly news for this Sunday. Lester will be back tomorrow. For all of us here at NBC News, I'm Hallie Jackson. Thanks for watching and have a great week.