NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Thursday, June 13, 2024

Episode Date: June 14, 2024

Supreme Court rejects bid to restrict abortion pill access; Record rainfall in Florida as massive wildfire rages in Arizona; Biden, Zelenskyy sign new Ukraine security agreement; and more on tonight��s broadcast.

Tonight, the major ruling by the Supreme Court upholding access to the most commonly used abortion pill in the nation. The justices unanimously rejecting a bid by anti-abortion advocates to impose strict new limits. The decision a victory for abortion rights supporters two years after the court overturned Roe v. Wade. And why the fight over the abortion pill and reproductive rights is far from over. Also tonight, the state of emergency in Florida, millions bracing for more catastrophic flash floods as the storms turn deadly, some areas getting afoot in a single day. President Biden on the world stage, our correspondent asking, would he commute his son Hunter's sentence?

How he answered. Donald Trump back on Capitol Hill for the first time since the January 6th attack. His private meetings with Republicans and what happened when he saw Mitch McConnell for the first time since the senator blamed him for the Capitol riot. The new safety concerns for Boeing, the potential problem on brand new 787 Dreamliners. NBC News investigates the state with the highest rate of children in foster care facing allegations of horrifying abuse and a major lawsuit, and the animal advocate who turned this testing facility into a refuge for hundreds of four-legged friends. This is NBC

Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. We begin tonight with a major and notably unanimous ruling on reproductive rights by the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices upholding continued access to a widely used abortion medication. The plaintiffs in the case challenged the FDA's 2000 approval of methopristone on safety grounds. But the court today refusing to weigh in on the merits of their arguments, instead deciding the plaintiffs had no legal right to bring the lawsuit in the first place. It's the first abortion decision by the conservative majority court since it reversed Roe v. Wade two years ago. The case had activists on both sides of the issue holding their breath in anticipation of today's ruling.

And while the decision is being viewed as a victory for Democrats and reproductive rights groups, fresh battle lines are being drawn tonight. Senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett has more. Tonight, the U.S. Supreme Court diving back into the battle over reproductive rights, unanimously rejecting an effort to roll back access to the most commonly used abortion pill in the country, a medication many doctors say they use every day. I was relieved because mifepristone is such a commonly used and critical medication. The fight over mifepristone rose to a fever pitch more than a year ago, is such a commonly used and critical medication.

The fight over Mifepristone rose to a fever pitch more than a year ago when a group of anti-abortion advocates and doctors filed suit, saying the FDA didn't do enough to evaluate the drug's safety risks. The Biden administration pointing out it was approved by the FDA as safe and effective more than 20 years ago. The just is today taking no position on all that. Instead, finding the plaintiffs who don't prescribe or use mifepristone don't have the legal right or standing to sue. Justice Kavanaugh writing, the plaintiffs want to make mifepristone more difficult for other doctors to prescribe

and for pregnant women to obtain. But the desire to make the drug less available for others does not establish standing. Lawyers for those plaintiffs disappointed but not deterred. We were hoping for a different ruling from the Supreme Court, and that means that we still have work to do. Had the high court not stepped in, access to the pill would have been limited significantly, a possibility brought into even sharper focus now that the justices have eliminated the constitutional right to an abortion, and Southern states have mostly banned the procedure, prompting more women to turn to medication abortion they can receive in the mail.

If the court had restricted Mifepristone back to the early days of approval, where you needed to go in person, that would have been a disaster. This is Democrats try to leverage the current landscape ahead of the November election, forcing a vote today to protect in vitro fertilization. Senator Tammy Duckworth had two children with the help of IVF. My miscarriage more painful than any wound I ever earned on the battlefield. Every woman deserves to be able to be called mama without being called a criminal. Just two Republicans voting in favor of the bill that would prohibit states from imposing

restrictions on IVF after Alabama's highest court caused a nationwide uproar, concluding frozen embryos have the same rights as children, causing IVF clinics to temporarily shut down out of fear of lawsuits. Many in the GOP saying they support IVF, but today saying a bill to protect it is overkill. There is no state in the United States of America that prohibits a woman from growing her family through IVF. And Laura, we're still waiting for another ruling from the court on reproductive rights. Yes, Lester, there's a major decision still left to come here on whether hospitals

have to provide emergency care, even if it means performing an abortion in states with near total bans. A decision on that expected by the end of this month, Lester. All right, Laura Jarrett, thank you. And we'll turn now to dramatic new images out of South Florida. Catastrophic flooding triggering a state of emergency with more heavy rain hitting tonight. While in the west, wildfires erupting in the dangerous heat. We begin with Marissa Parra in the storm zone. Neighborhoods in South Florida underwater. You need a ride? You sure? Rescue crews called to help stranded neighbors. We have about six inches of water inside the house. The aftermath of a deluge of record-breaking rain

slamming the Sunshine State. Now, two deaths reported after a car lost control on wet roads in Collier County. This is how high the water was yesterday. Exactly. From Florida's west coast. Because it's flooded everywhere. To north Miami. I got nowhere to go so I'm like I'm a loss for words. Miami-Dade and four other counties under a state of emergency as millions face flood risk across the state. And we are working around the clock to protect our residents and our businesses. The storm system creating a swath of travel nightmares. Hundreds of flights delayed or canceled. Overnight, rising waters temporarily shutting down part of I-95. Street after street in South Florida looks exactly like this one.

Cars stalled out in the middle, homes flooded, leaving neighbors wondering what happens next. Abandoned vehicles littering roads and parking lots as parts of southern Florida saw 10 to 20 inches of rainfall over two days, comparable to hurricane totals. The ground now saturated and vulnerable. What are you going to do? I'm going to do what I haven't tried. Stay here or go to the hotel. And even more rain in the forecast for waterlogged Florida. Marissa Parra, NBC News, North Miami. I'm Liz Kreutz in Arizona, where firefighters have been battling a destructive wildfire north of Phoenix. And then we're just going to have to watch it and make sure it's not hopping the road like it did.

The Rose Fire igniting late afternoon Wednesday outside the town of Wickenburg. Quickly spreading across more than 160 acres, jumping Highway 60. This major highway is now closed in both directions and you can see fire crews there in the helicopter doing a water drop to try to put out these flames. The fire fueled by strong winds and the dry scorchingching heat destroying six homes and forcing residents to evacuate. We had a neighbor call us and say, did you know you're about to be evacuated? Paul Bjorklund says the flames were just a couple miles from his house. We walked out and looked and saw big plumes of smoke and we decided to head for the hills.

And Lester, officials say this fire was human caused. Highway 60, where we are, has now reopened. Evacuations have been lifted, but there is still no containment on this fire tonight, with firefighters working by hand through triple-digit temperatures to get it under control. Lester. All right, Liz Kreutz, thank you. President Biden at the G7 summit in Italy today, signing a major agreement with Ukraine. But much of the attention

focused on what he said about his son Hunter's felony gun conviction. Gabe Gutierrez is there. Tonight, President Biden on the world stage for the first time addressing his son's felony conviction on camera. I'm extremely proud of my son Hunter. He has overcome an addiction. He is one of the brightest, most decent men I know. A jury found Hunter Biden guilty on all counts for lying about his drug use on a background

check to buy a gun. The president had previously said he would not pardon his son. But tonight, he went further, ruling out a commutation which would reduce or erase a potential prison sentence without expunging his record. Mr. President, do you plan on commuting your son's sentence? Today here in Italy, the president also meeting with G7 leaders, trying to send a strong message to Russia's President Putin, signing a 10-year security agreement, committing the U.S. to help train and equip Ukraine's military. And we have signed the strongest agreement between Ukraine and the U.S.

since our independence. The G7 leaders today also agreeing to use interest from Russian assets to lend Ukraine 50 billion dollars as the U.S. expands sanctions against banks and countries such as China that do business with Russia. Those sanctions have so far done little to stop Putin. You cannot divide us and we'll be with Ukraine until they prevail in this war. President Zelensky says China's President Xi told him by phone that he wouldn't sell weapons to Russia, though President Biden is skeptical. China is not supplying weapons, but the ability to produce those weapons and the technology available to do it. So it is, in fact, helping Russia.

President Biden also weighing in on the war in Gaza, blaming Hamas for the failure of ceasefire talks so far and saying he's not confident a deal will happen soon. Whether or not it comes to fruition remains to be seen. We're going to continue to push. I don't have a final answer for you. And Gabe, if I can turn you back to that security agreement, Presidents Biden and Zelensky signed, it comes with limitations. Yeah, that's right, Lester. It's not a treaty. It wasn't ratified by Congress, so it could be scrapped by any future president. Lester. Gabe Gutierrez, thank you. And former President Trump returning to Capitol Hill for the first time

since the January 6th attack, meeting privately with Republicans, including some who criticized him after the riot. Here's Ali Vitale. It was a great meeting. Tonight, former President Trump back on Capitol Hill for the first time since the January 6th attack by his supporters. We agree just about on everything. And if there isn't, we work it out. A congressional pep rally of sorts for the likely GOP nominee, speaking to lawmakers behind closed doors. There's tremendous unity in the Republican Party.

We want to see borders. We want to see strong military. We want to see just success for our country. And we don't have success right now. Among the signs of Mr. Trump's success rallying his party, the attendance of top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, who hasn't spoken to the former president in four years. He's sharply criticized Mr. Trump, calling him practically and morally responsible for what happened on January 6th, but has since endorsed him. How is it seeing the former president? We had a good meeting. Also there, potential Trump VP pick, Senator Marco Rubio.

What did it say that even McConnell was in the room with him? Yeah, we're Republicans. I mean, every day we want to win elections. All the awkwardness is gone. I mean, we're in politics. You know, ultimately, we work against all the time we don't agree with on something. Not every Republican was at the meeting today. Three Republican senators skipped the meeting, citing scheduling conflicts. Lester.

I'll leave the tally. Thank you. In just 60 seconds, months after that terrifying midair blowout, the new safety concern Boeing is investigating in the fuselage of some of its brand new planes. We're back with big travel news with Boeing confirming it's working on a new quality control problem involving one of its planes. It comes as the FAA chief testifies about flight safety. Tom Costello has the latest. Boeing's latest problem is with the 787 Dreamliner. The company confirms hundreds of fasteners on the plane's fuselage appear to have been over-tightened and installed incorrectly. Boeing says the effective planes have not yet been delivered to airlines, and it's taking the time necessary to ensure all airplanes

meet its delivery standards prior to delivery. Can Americans feel safe about their circumstances they fly across the country and around the globe. Air travel continues to be the safest way of travel by a very, very large margin. On Capitol Hill, FAA Chief Mike Whitaker said the FAA's tough new oversight of Boeing is permanent. Dozens of inspectors now on Boeing production lines after the MAX 9 door plug blowout in January revealed serious quality and safety lapses, even though Boeing was supposed to be under FAA audit. I'm very concerned that, you know, your oversight is not strong enough.

But Whitaker says FAA inspections are now far more robust and Boeing aircraft production remains capped. Are you comfortable with the steps Boeing is taking right now to change its safety culture? They have submitted a comprehensive plan. It is comprehensive. It's ambitious. Meanwhile, Boeing whistleblowers continue to report concerns. Boeing's new overhaul plan includes new quality control and safety management systems. As the company remains under FAA and FBI investigation, the CEO will be on the Capitol Hill hot seat next week. Lester. Okay, Tom Costello, thanks. When we return, the allegations are horrific. Our investigation into one state's foster care program and accusations of years and years of abuse and neglect.

We're back now with our investigation into West Virginia's foster care system. A sweeping class action lawsuit is accusing the state of failing to protect foster kids. Stephanie Gosk has the story. With a steady job, apartment and boyfriend, 20-year-old Naomi Bennett is one of the lucky ones. But that doesn't mean it's easy. I have a lot of nightmares, night terrors or something. Are you battling depression right now? Yeah. Yeah. Naomi entered the West Virginia foster care system when she was roughly 12 years old. For the next four years, she was shuttled between more than a dozen different facilities. It was definitely draining. Each place I went, I would stop talking to people because it hurt to get close to the staff or the kids.

Because Naomi felt unsupported in the system, she says, she acted out, destroying property and running away, a few times ending up in juvenile detention. The first time I met Naomi, it was her birthday and she was in shackles. I'll never forget that. I'll never forget that. I'll never forget that. Shackles. Yeah. Lane Deal is Naomi's state-appointed attorney. She's represented dozens of foster care children. There have been instances where the department has not been able to find a placement for a child and they have been reported to have to place the child in a hotel. West Virginia's foster care system is maxed out, largely because of the state's intractable opioid epidemic. It has the nation's highest rate of children in foster care,

but not enough foster care families or caseworkers. The foster care system is really on a cliff. Mike Folio worked as assistant general counsel for the state's Department of Health and Human Resources. He's now a government watchdog. You may have a CPS worker handling a hundred or so cases. It's humanly impossible for anyone to handle that many cases. According to a class action lawsuit filed in federal court by a non-profit and Folio's organization, children in West Virginia have been abused and neglected, put in inadequate and dangerous placements. Like Naomi, who ended up in out-of-state facilities, including Foundations for Living in Mansfield, Ohio.

They had cameras there, but in the staircase they didn't. So sometimes if it's just a kid and a staff, sometimes if the staff didn't like them, then they would just start hitting them. Like, they would fight. In the stairwell where there were no cameras. Yeah. An NBC News investigation obtained records of incidents provided by Foundations for Living to the state of Ohio, revealing reports of multiple cases of abuse and neglect, five assaults by non-staff, and seven cases of inappropriate seclusion or restraint of

children that were substantiated by the facility or the government. West Virginia no longer sends foster children to this facility, and its CEO says that while she can't comment on individual patients, they are committed to providing high-quality care. But West Virginia still has to rely on other out-of-state institutions. And when the foster care system is maxed out, who suffers as a result of it? The children and the families. Everybody, really. Governor Jim Justice has acknowledged there are challenges. There's still tons of work to do. Tons and tons and tons of work to do. There have been some leadership changes, and the agency has been reorganized. But Folio says it's not enough. You have a system in chaos and kids who live in trauma. I don't have this utopian view that we

can wave a magic wand and fix it. It's going to take decades to do it. But you can't keep kicking the can down the road. The state says Folio is a disgruntled former employee, denies the allegations in the class action lawsuit, and has sought to get it dismissed. But Naomi says she's left to pick up the pieces. My hope is for myself to never give up, to pursue my dreams, and don't let my anxiety hold me back.

Who do you hope is listening to you right now? Anyone that can do anything about it. Anyone. Stephanie Gosk, NBC News, Martinsburg, West Virginia. And we'll take a break here. When we come back, how do you bring back acres and acres known for years for bad conditions for animals? Fill it with kindness. Next. Finally, we have a remarkable story of one woman's

perseverance and how she literally changed the landscape for hundreds of animals along the way. Here's Savannah Sellers. Over the years, Shannon Keith has written a lot of letters. Mostly they don't respond. Those letters addressed to animal testing facilities like this one in Nowata, Oklahoma, asking to rescue dogs and cats that would have otherwise been euthanized. What did you think when you got the phone call from this facility? I nearly passed out. This site was in particularly bad shape. What did you think when you first came here? I was overwhelmed. There were hundreds and hundreds of dogs living outside in these pens 24-7. When he was doing the testing, the dogs were inside in these dingy, dark, awful, stinky

kennels. But something was different about these 30 acres, and Shannon, who founded Beagle Freedom Project, had an idea for the owner. We'll buy the property because we want it, and you give us custody of all your animals. And part of that deal was he relinquishes his USDA license so he can never test on animals again. These rolling hills are now known as freedom fields. A sanctuary while the animals await forever homes. We have so much to learn from these animals about love and about forgiveness because they love people so much. What does it mean that this very same land that was where these animals were being tested on is now their sanctuary.

Yeah, it's hard. It's so bittersweet. You know, I just hope they know that they're safe now. And I think they know that and how much we love them. Savannah Sellers, NBC News, Nahuatl, Oklahoma. It really warms your heart, doesn't it? That's nightly news for this Thursday. Thank you for watching. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night. Good job.