NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Sunday, May 5, 2024

Episode Date: May 6, 2024

8 million under flood threat as deadly flood water engulfs Southeast Texas; Campus clashes continue as graduation season begins; Israel closes major crossing into Gaza after it said Hamas fired rockets towards border; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the catastrophic flooding in Texas, parts of major cities underwater, and new weather threats for tens of millions. Devastating flooding in Houston and Dallas, roads, now rivers, houses submerged, hundreds of people needing help. Look at these dogs rescued by police on a jet ski, cars trapped in water rising fast, empty trailers floating away. Just the worst flooding that I've ever seen in my career. And now a new threat, another round of possibly dangerous tornadoes. At USC, the LAPD clearing out protesters.

And a twist tonight, the threat of disruptions of graduation ceremonies, how schools are preparing. A major border crossing for humanitarian help into Gaza shut down today. Why Israel did it. Former President Trump's search for a VP heating up top contenders all in one place this weekend. New reporting on the hunt for a running mate. Three American and Australian surfers missing in Mexico now presumed murdered. Why officials think they were targeted. Gold star families scammed after their loved ones died. How the army set them up with this man who then stole millions.

And the zebra on the loose finally captured stripes and all. This is NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson. Good evening. We are coming on the air with dramatic rescues in the state of Texas. Deadly flooding, submerging entire neighborhoods. More than 560 people had to be rescued or evacuated by first responders. And you can see what it looks like from above, from the air. All these houses underwater. You can see it here from the ground. Look at this. That is a street sign. The water is nearly to the top of it, just for some perspective, with some 15 million now bracing for more, from

Dallas to South Dakota tomorrow. The risk? Another round of devastating tornadoes, with another serious storm system moving in fast. We have team coverage tonight, starting with Priscilla Thompson in Houston. Tonight, at least one person is dead as dangerous floodwaters rage across Texas. Body cam video shows Houston police rescuing this man and three dogs after being trapped in at least eight feet of water in a flooded trailer park. Oh, that was floating. In Dallas, passengers struggling to escape rushing water on a roadway. And this empty horse trailer floating away in Hamilton, Texas.

Since Friday, hundreds of people and pets have been rescued across the state. Amid a days-long deluge that has dumped more than two feet of water in some areas, including up to two inches today alone. This is the worst flooding that I've ever seen in my career. This river nearly swallowing an elevated roadway. Then an explosion and electricity crackling along these power lines, likely caused by the wet weather. That's crazy. The view from above showing homes underwater, sinking cars and submerged street signs as 8 million people remain under flood alerts from Texas to Oklahoma and Arkansas.

ERIC GINES, Very little sleep. We're just worrying about the water going in the house. Hopefully it didn't go in. This here was bad. Oh, my God. YAMICHE ALCINDOR, Some, like Erica Gines and Frank Currier, returning home to find almost everything destroyed. But it's just wild to see how much damage it does.

That's overwhelming. And to think about just moving all this stuff in 14 days ago. Except for some boxes. We had stuff over there and the garage was full of stuff. Now it's all everywhere. And for those in the flood zone, the threat isn't over yet, with major river flooding expected to last the next few days. Priscilla is joining us now. So Priscilla, have more folks had a chance to get back home yet?

Get a look at the damage? Not necessarily, Hallie. Take this neighborhood, for example. The houses back there look virtually untouched, but this is what the roadway leading into this neighborhood looks like. You can see how high the water is on that sign, and officials worry that people will try to drive through this water to get to their homes and that that could lead to more rescues. Hallie? Priscilla Thompson, thank you. For more, let's bring in NBC News meteorologist Bill Cairns. And, Bill, there are still major issues coming up for millions of people. Hallie, we have a dangerous Monday afternoon evening smack in the middle of the country.

We're at a level four out of five risk. We call this a moderate. And this red bullseye is where we expect the best chance for not just tornadoes, but strong tornadoes that will be on the ground for a long time. We call them long track tornadoes. And the areas at risk are going to be from Oklahoma City to Wichita, heading up into northern Kansas, and evening hours heading towards Tulsa and eventually around Kansas City and Missouri. So the timing looks like late afternoon, the storms form.

They should be near Wichita, Oklahoma City here about 7 p.m. And then they will try to travel towards Kansas City, hopefully weakening by that time, by 11 p.m. in the evening. Wind damage, large hail, but it's the tornadoes that we're very concerned with. And this threat will continue into Tuesday. 24 million people at risk as we take this storm system into the Ohio Valley and areas from Nashville all the way down to Little Rock. Hallie, this week looks just as dangerous as last week. Not what people there had hoped to hear. Bill, thank you. Out west on college campuses, more police action this weekend with the LAPD clearing out one of the original protests at the University of Southern California.

Now, these demonstrations are taking on a new front, graduation ceremonies themselves. Adrian Broaddus is there. Tonight, colleges nationwide grappling with ongoing demonstrations. Before sunrise at the University of Southern California, officers cleared this encampment. Protesters left willingly. No one was arrested. The pro-Palestinian demonstrators calling for a ceasefire and for the school to divest from Israel.

University officials say they called in police about 12 hours after warning the encampment was a violation of, quote, policies and the law and that protesters could face arrest. And when the students were cleared by LAPD from the center of campus, they shut down this main street and they also chanted, they do not care, they will be back. At the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, police clashed with demonstrators as they try to take down an encampment. The school says at least 25 were arrested for trespassing. And it's not just schools. At the Art Institute of Chicago 68 were arrested and charged with trespassing. Now school administrators coast to coast trying to determine whether or not to change graduation plans. In Ann Arbor yesterday, nearly 75 protesters interrupted the beginning of commencement at the University of Michigan. Demonstrators chanting before being moved.

They have the right to protest. A lot of these people, you know, their senior year of high school, their graduation was during COVID. So they already had that ruined. And then now you got this going on. Some universities like USC have canceled their main graduation ceremony, while others have increased their security measures. Adrian joins us now from USC and Adrian, campus is just starting to open back up? Hallie, it is opening to students and faculty with valid ID ahead of final exams here this week. Meanwhile, across the country, as graduations continue, some volunteer staff are getting trained on how to best de-escalate potential disruptions.

Hallie? Adrian brought us, thank you, a new escalation in the Middle East tonight. Israel closing the main border crossing used to bring food and medicine into Gaza after that key border area was attacked by Hamas. It comes as the head of a major aid group tells NBC News parts of Gaza are now in full-blown famine. Megan Fitzgerald has the latest. Tonight, another massive blow to the dire humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.

Israel shutting down the Karam Shalom crossing after they say Hamas fired rockets towards the border. Hamas says they targeted IDF headquarters. The closure, a significant setback. In an exclusive interview on Meet the Press this morning, the head of the World Food Program, saying parts of the enclave already gripped by famine. So what I can explain to you is that there is famine, full-blown famine in the north,

and it's moving its way south. This as the latest round of negotiations on the ceasefire ended today. Hamas calling for an end to the war, a complete withdrawal of IDF troops, and for people to be able to return to their communities. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this morning doubling down, saying ending the war in Gaza would keep Hamas in power.

And tonight, a source with knowledge of the matter told NBC News CIA Director William Burns is in Doha and will travel to Israel this week. Meanwhile, the Israeli cabinet voting to shut down broadcast company Al Jazeera from operating in the country. Al Jazeera releasing a statement saying in part, we will make sure that we report both sides despite the fact that we have lost the coverage from inside Israel. Megan Fitzgerald, NBC News. With just six months to the day now until the presidential election, many of the top contenders to round out the Trump ticket as the former president's running mate descended on Mar-a-Lago for a donor retreat. You see some of them here. Dasha Burns has more on who's in and out of the veep stakes mix.

Tonight, former President Donald Trump appearing at the Formula One race in Miami. And with six months to go in the race for president, there's another race heating up to become his running mate. Possible veepstakes contenders converging this weekend at a donors conference in Mar-a-Lago. At least seven contenders on the shortlist. According to Trump World sources, Senator Marco Rubio and Governor Doug Burgum seeing their stock rising. Governor Kristi Noem seeing hers falling and Trump praising them and the other prospects in his speech on Saturday. Will you accept the election results of 2024? I look forward to President Trump being the 47th president. Kristen, you could ask him multiple times.

Senator, just a yes or no answer. So the American people, the American people will make the decision. Newly installed Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley addressing that issue and his so-called litmus test for RNC employees in his first network interview. The RNC has been accused of creating a sort of litmus test for employees or potential hires around denying the results of the 2024 election. Is there any truth to that? The only litmus test that I have is whether or not you support our Republican candidates. The RNC says it's recruiting 100,000 lawyers and

volunteers to monitor voting and has filed more than 80 lawsuits as part of what they call their election integrity program. What do you say to critics who argue that these lawsuits are just sort of paving the way for former President Trump to claim the election was stolen in 2024 if President Biden wins? They're absolutely not. Look, what we're trying to do through these lawsuits is get states to implement common sense election integrity programs that has nothing to do with voter suppression. Another priority for Whatley, uniting the party after a bitter primary and a push to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson. We need to make sure that all of the Republicans understand the gravity of this election cycle, and they do.

And we need to make sure that we are on the same page as we're moving forward. Tasha joins us now. And Tasha, even against the backdrop of all this campaigning, we do expect the former president back in court tomorrow for his criminal trial. Yeah, Hallie, that's right. And Chairman Watley tells me that while it's been hard to have less of Mr. Trump's time, the former president has been able to capitalize on the media attention and rally voters from the courtroom.

Hallie. Dasha there for us in Palm Beach. Thank you. A major highway in the Northeast tonight reopening ahead of schedule with both sides of I-95 in Connecticut now good to go. That's just days after this fiery crash that closed the highway Thursday morning. Look at that. Crews have been working to demolish this bridge in Norwalk after it was damaged during the

crash when a car hit a fuel truck, which then hit a tractor trailer. I-95, of course, is one of America's busiest highways. And out west, a zebra's daring escape has come to an end after the last of four zebras that got away in Washington state has been captured. Sugar has been on the run for nearly a week after she busted out of a trailer heading to Montana. She was finally caught after her owner called in some help. You could say she earned her stripes for that one. Still ahead tonight, new details on a murder mystery in Mexico after three surfers went missing. Plus, the scam targeting Gold Star families

after their loved ones were killed. We're back with new details about those missing American and Australian surfers in Mexico. Tonight, officials say they were probably victims of an attempted carjacking gone wrong. Here's Marisa Parra. Tonight, new details on what Mexican officials are calling a robbery gone out of hand, just over a week after three tourists vanished on a surfing trip to Mexico. The local attorney general saying the three bodies discovered in a water well 50 feet deep are likely that of Jack Carter Road, Callum Robinson and his brother Jake. Saying this appears to be an attempted carjacking gone wrong and there were signs the men tried to

fight back and met a violent end. The medical examiner's office in Ensenada saying the cause of death for the bodies found gunshot wounds to the head. Mexican investigators seen combing through evidence, finding blood, bullet casings and drag marks near the men's campground and a white pickup truck badly burned. Police have arrested at least three people, including a woman who was found with what appears to be a cell phone belonging to one of the men. But police believe there may be others who were also involved. It's tragic, very tragic. James knew Callum Robinson. Callum was a good guy, a surfer. I knew he played rugby and he's from Australia. Callum and his brother Jake, both from Australia, love to surf, bringing their friend, American Jack Carter Rowe, to Ensenada, a known surfer haven within the Mexican state of Baja, California. Tonight, as the families wait for more answers, local authorities vowing to bring swift justice.

Marissa Parra, NBC News. We're back in a moment with more on how millions of dollars were stolen from these military families and why some argue the Army deserves some of the blame. It can feel upsetting to hear about any scam where vulnerable people are taken advantage of. But when it happens to Gold Star families dealing with the death of someone they love, it's infuriating. Kandalanian now on the scam artist who acknowledged stealing millions from military families when they were at their absolute lowest. He must have been so proud to see him in that uniform. Oh my god, yeah. Sharon Hartz was not only deep in mourning over the sudden death of her 26-year-old son, Sergeant Thomas Anastasio, while serving in the military. His birthday right before. She was also

totally overwhelmed with all the arrangements that come with the death of a loved one. That's when the army told her that she would not only receive half a million dollars in death benefits, but that she would be set up with an army financial counselor to help her with it. They insisted that we be educated on the finances so they were properly handled. She drove to Fort Dix, where she first sat down with Kaz Craffey, an Army reservist who held a civilian job offering advice about money to Army families. What was he like when you first met him? Very charismatic. That turned out to be a facade. Craffey was a con man. I've lost a little over $200,000. Now I'm up in the air. I can't afford to retire.

I feel taken advantage of. You know, I'm embarrassed. Prosecutors say Craffey was only supposed to be giving families generic guidance. Instead, he held a second job as an investment manager in violation of Army rules. He convinced Hartz and other Gold Star relatives to hand him their money, then racked up huge commissions, even as he made unwise investments that plummeted in value. He's now pleaded guilty to bilking dozens of Gold Star families out of millions of dollars. Natasha Bavard signed her money over to Craffey after she lost her husband, an Iraq combat veteran, to suicide. I saw that in a short amount of time, I lost a lot of money. I've lost like $260,000 overall. Public records show Craffey bought this $2.1 million house in 2022. It's now in foreclosure and he's facing 10 years in prison. But many victims say others have questions to answer.

I do believe that there's blood on the hands of the Army here. Attorney Natalie Karwam specializes in suing the military. She's representing Hartz, Bavard, and other victims, contemplating a lawsuit to hold the Army accountable. They were at their lowest. And here, the only person that they believed was going to take care of them, which was the Army, sends in a person that just basically took advantage of them. In a statement to NBC News, the Army said they conducted a thorough criminal investigation and found this to be an isolated case and that they remain dedicated to

caring for families of fallen soldiers. For Sharon, it's not just about the money. I feel like I left my son down because, you know, this was his way of taking care of me and my children. You know, so it's devastating. Kendelanian, NBC News, Paramus, New Jersey. When we come back, there's good news tonight about these graduates and the memorable ways they're showing gratitude for their parents. There's good news tonight about pomp and circumstance, but also gratitude and the special way the class of 2024 is saying thank you to the people who worked so hard to get them to where they are.

Brenda Bernice Gonzalez Nazario. The walk across the stage is usually the emotional moment for graduates. But for Brenda Gonzalez, it was this walk that meant the most. That's her, days before graduating, surprising her mother, Anna Lucia, in her break room at her job at a meat factory. And putting that symbol of hard work and accomplishment, the cap and gown, on her. And I'm like, you did it, Mom.

We did it. She made my dream come true. She paid my college. A heartfelt thank you to the single mom of five from Mexico who worked three jobs to keep the family afloat. She deserved it more than I do. So many first generation college grads delivering the same powerful message to their parents. We did this together. That's Ivan Hernandez graduating from Graceland University when he put the cap on his dad, who was overwhelmed with emotion.

At Azusa Pacific University in California, Lizette Flores. You see the parents of Lizette Flores when she walked across the stage yesterday. She's the first in her family to graduate college. Do you think you could have done it without your parents' support? I definitely don't think so. When she had her official grad photos taken, she knew what she had to do. I definitely felt like I needed to include my parents because they were such a big part of my educational journey. This graduation

season, now a season of gratitude for students like Celeste Zamora. It wasn't just me who graduated, my parents also graduated with me. Remember Brenda and her mother? That's them after graduation, celebrating what they both accomplished. Because of her believing in me and her sacrificing a lot of stuff to make sure my dreams come true, it's like her dreams came true. Just a huge congratulations to those grads and to their families, including, by the way, Brenda's sister, who's set to start college this fall. That's nightly news for this Sunday. Lester Holt will be in tomorrow.

For all of us at NBC, I'm Hallie Jackson. Thanks for watching. We'll see you right back here next week.