NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Episode Date: April 10, 2024

Arizona Supreme Court reinstates 1864 law that bans nearly all abortions, the parents of a Michigan school shooter sentenced to prison in connection with the deadly shooting, a whistleblower raises concerns about Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, and more in tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the major court decision in Arizona reinstating a 160-year-old Civil War-era law banning nearly all abortions in the state. Arizona's Supreme Court ruling an 1864 law criminalizing all abortions except to save the mother's life can be enforced. Doctors who perform one facing up to five years in prison. The key battleground ruling coming after GOP front-runner Donald Trump said abortion should be up to the states. How soon could it take effect?

Also tonight, James and Jennifer Crumley, the parents of a Michigan school shooter, sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. The emotional moments in court, the couple coming face to face with families of the victims. The terror takedown in Idaho. The FBI saying it arrested an 18-year-old before he could carry out a deadly attack on churches. His chilling text messages. The school bus overturning in North Carolina, 11 injured, while the driver is facing charges.

A new Boeing whistleblower coming forward, his safety warning about another model of the company's planes. Tracking severe storms and possible tornadoes in the south. Our NBC News exclusive, the images out of New York. Subway violence, random attacks. The city's top cop one-on-one. What he says is driving it all. And who got the best shot of that spectacular show in the sky? This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.

Good evening. A new aftershock from the repeal of Roe v. Wade is rocking the abortion landscape in this country tonight. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled today that a near total abortion ban on the books in Arizona since the Civil War is enforceable. Under the long dormant 1864 law, abortion is a felony. Performing or assisting a woman with having one is punishable by imprisonment. An exception is carved out to save a mother's life. Tonight, the Arizona court is putting its ruling on hold for 14 days, but already Arizona's Democratic attorney general is vowing to not enforce the law. Tonight, anti-abortion activists are gearing for a long fight as pro-abortion rights groups look toward taking the matter to the voters in the form of a constitutional amendment. Laura Jarrett has late details.

Tonight, a legal fight over abortion in a critical battleground state, fanning the flames of a political fire gaining ground towards November. Arizona's highest court today backing a law that bans nearly all abortions and carries up to five years in prison for doctors who perform one. The conservative majority on the court reviving an 1864 law that lay dormant for decades under Roe v. Wade. Are you kidding me? I mean, 1864 was before women even had the right to vote. We are totally going backwards. Sixty six year old Arizona resident Beth

Bauman fighting back tears. I'm devastated. I just I didn't think that they would do this. I really didn't. Yet the state's Democratic attorney general says she won't enforce the law. It is one of the worst decisions in the history of the Arizona Supreme Court. No woman or doctor will be prosecuted under this draconian law. I will fight like hell. It does give me comfort. Some reassurance in a time of uncertainty, says Dr. Gabrielle Goodrich, who's practiced in the state for over two decades. I don't know what the law will be. It is so early to know how that's going to play out. Is today's decision a win for your side? It is. The advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom says the existing 15-week law doesn't go far enough.

And even if the state AG won't enforce a stricter ban, other prosecutors still can. It's our position that county attorneys have the authority to enforce this law. This latest court fight over abortion only raising the political stakes in an election year. Arizona, long a Republican stronghold, now the latest state on track to get a constitutional amendment on the November ballot, creating a fundamental right to abortion if it passes. The vice president also planning to travel to the state for events Friday. You look at state after state where they're passing these abortion bans, and the majority of the legislators doing it are men, telling women what to do with their body. And I've kind of had it with that. While the former president and many

GOP lawmakers continue to avoid talk of a national abortion ban, instead backing state-level restrictions. Some states are taking conservative views and some are less than conservative, but it's back with the states, it's back with the people. The Supreme Court has turned it back over to voters. We've got to let voters sort through this. So, Laura, as it stands, this could go into effect in 14 days. Well, the court allowed additional challenges to go forward, Lester, but if those fails, the law still allows some additional time baked into that. So at the earliest, this law will go into effect in roughly two months.

All right, Laura, thanks very much. Now to the unprecedented prison sentence in Michigan, 10 to 15 years for the parents of the teenager who shot and killed four students at Oxford High School. Maggie Vespa on the emotional day in the courtroom. America's first parents convicted for their child's mass school shooting, each getting the maximum sentence. It is the sentence of this court that you serve 10 to 15 years. Jennifer and James Crumbly in prison jumpsuits appearing stoic as their sentences were read. Earlier this year, both were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter related to the 2021 Oxford High School massacre

carried out by their son. This tragedy has taken an incredible toll on our family. Families of the four students killed emotionally addressing the court, including Madison Baldwin's mom. While your son was hearing voices and asking for help, I was helping Madison pick out her senior classes. While you were purchasing a gun for your son and leaving it unlocked, I was helping her finish her college essays. At times, loved ones speaking directly to the shooter's parents. You failed as parents. The punishment that you face will never be enough. Instead of acknowledging any mistakes, they continue to show no remorse. Hannah St. Juliana's sister, Raina, calling out the testimony Jennifer Crumbly gave during her

trial, saying she wouldn't have done anything differently. You wouldn't do anything different. I cannot fathom that. Today, Crumbly clarifying that comment. I didn't have a reason to do anything different. This was not something I foresaw. With the benefit of hindsight and information I have now, my answer would be drastically different. Meanwhile, James Crumbly speaking publicly for the first time.

I am sorry for your loss as a result of what my son did. Prosecutors pushing back on the idea that this case sets a sweeping precedent. There's a difference between precedent setting and rare, and this is really a rare set of facts. The families say a maximum sentence can't bring back their children. Maximum sentence enough. It's not. I'm serving a life sentence. Maggie, will the three members of the Crumley family have any contact while they're in prison? So, Lester, the judge is still weighing that. But meantime, a no contact order remains in place.

Also tonight, Michigan's Department of Corrections confirms mom, dad and son will all be housed in separate prisons. Lester. Maggie Vespa tonight. Thank you. In Idaho, a teenage suspect is under arrest. The FBI says he's an ISIS sympathizer who was stopped the day before he was set to launch deadly attacks on churches. Ken Delaney reports. Prosecutors say this is the suspect, 18-year-old Alexander Mercurio, posing in front of an ISIS flag. According to the criminal complaint, he allegedly told associates

he had spent months formulating a plan to attack churches and kill parishioners in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The FBI arresting him the day before they say he planned to carry it out. Mercurio allegedly wrote in a text message he would walk into a church, start beating people, and then kill them with his knives and machete, saying he would burn down the building. He said he would keep going until police killed him. That message allegedly sent last week to a confidential FBI informant. During his arrest, the FBI seizing knives, a machete, and butane. Intelligence officials have been warning about the risk that disaffected Americans could become lone wolf attackers, especially after the Hamas terror attack and ensuing war in Gaza.

The FBI director just today. The ongoing war in the Middle East has raised the threat of an attack against Americans inside the United States to a whole nother level. The potential for a coordinated attack here in the homeland is now increasingly concerning. Mercurio's alleged plot has echoes of the recent deadly ISIS-K attack on a Moscow concert hall. Court records describe Mercurio as a disillusioned teenager radicalized with ISIS propaganda during pandemic school lockdowns. A U.S. intelligence bulletin issued Friday warns of an elevated risk of ISIS-inspired attacks on sports stadiums, concert venues, and churches

here in the U.S. Lester? Kandelanian, thank you. Also tonight, we're tracking severe storms on the move. Tornado watches in effect across the South, including parts of Texas and Louisiana. Tomorrow, the threat pushes east, 16 million under threat across the Gulf Coast and up into the Tennessee Valley for storms that could produce tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds. Also tonight, concerns about another Boeing airplane after new whistleblower allegations about the safety of the 787 Dreamliner. The FAA and Congress are investigating. Tom Costello has details. Already under unprecedented scrutiny, Boeing is tonight facing new allegations. The FAA tells NBC News it's investigating new whistleblower claims first disclosed by the New York Times,

made by a Boeing quality engineer who warns the 787 Dreamliner's fuselage was improperly fastened together. In a letter to the FAA, his attorney writes it is likely to cause premature fatigue failure over time in two major airplane joints. That could cause the plane to break apart after many thousands of flights. He is alleging that Boeing knowingly took a series of manufacturing shortcuts in the construction of the 787. But Boeing strongly objects, insisting the 787 is very safe and has undergone intense stress testing, saying these claims about the structural integrity of the 787 is very safe and has undergone intense stress testing, saying these claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate and do not represent the comprehensive work Boeing has done

to ensure the quality and long-term safety of the aircraft. Still, the new claims come after two fatal MAX 8 crashes overseas and the MAX 9 door plug blowout in January, all to be the subject of congressional hearings next week. Boeing is putting profits and production speed ahead of quality and safety. The 787 fuselage is made of a lightweight composite material to make it stronger than aluminum with better fuel economy. Boeing and three different providers make the components that join together in the final assembly. The FAA has already approved Boeing's plan to tighten paper-thin gaps between those sections, which the engineer claims are

vulnerable. Boeing insists they are stress-tested and safe. The plane, it says, should fly for decades. The new whistleblower worked at the same South Carolina Boeing plant where another whistleblower worked, John Barnett, who took his own life last month. Before these new allegations, the FAA chief told Lester last month, Boeing's quality control remains under intense FAA oversight and inspection. I will make sure that we're not approving any aircraft into the system that are not safely built. Boeing says the 787 should fly 40 to 50 years if the plane is properly maintained. There are now 1,100 in service worldwide. The company says it has spent years

going over every element of the plane to make sure it is safe. Lester. Tom Costello, thank you. A scary scene today in Burke County, North Carolina, where a school bus rolled over, injuring nine high school and middle school students, the driver and a bus monitor. The students and drivers suffered mainly bumps and bruises and were released from hospitals. The driver of the bus now charged with failing to maintain lane control. In 60 seconds, the major move after our NBC News investigation on Louisiana's Cancer Alley busts the huge settlement over that toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, why some say it doesn't go far enough.

A major update now on a story we've been following for more than a year after our report last spring on years of government inaction in an industrial part of Louisiana known as Cancer Alley. EPA Chief Michael Regan announced a proposal to curb toxic emissions from chemical plants. Today, the EPA finalized those rules requiring more than 200 plants nationwide to drastically reduce potentially cancer-causing emissions. And we move from toxic air to that toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Today, more than a year later, the rail company Norfolk Southern announcing a massive settlement in a class action lawsuit. Here's Erin McLaughlin. It was considered the most hazardous train crash in Ohio history. 38 cars carrying toxic chemicals derailed, sending a thick plume of smoke into the sky and striking fear into the small village of East Palestine.

Now, more than a year later, Norfolk Southern, the company responsible for the freight train, announced a settlement. $600 million to resolve all class action claims within a 20-mile radius from the derailment. The statement adding, for those residents who choose to participate, personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius. But some residents in East Palestine today say they're frustrated. We need to know. We don't know what the long-term effects are. We first met Melissa Boyer days after the crash. Literally lit it up back here. She and her family live half a mile from the derailment site.

She says this settlement does little to ease her long-term concerns. We've had more upper respiratory infections, bronchitis. We don't know if we're going to get sick or cancer or anything from this. The monetary is going to be gone. That is a lot of money for a train derailment Mark Bryant represents 800 plus East Palestine plaintiffs. He says it's unclear how many claimants will ultimately come forward, but it could be in the thousands. In the statement, the company says the agreement, which has yet to be approved by the court, does not include or constitute any admission of liability, wrongdoing or fault.

Regardless, Boyer says. No money is going to fix this because it's never going to be fixed. It's never going to be the same again. Aaron McLaughlin, NBC News. We've got a lot more to tell you about tonight. Up next, our exclusive interview with New York City's police commissioner over what he says is making officers' jobs tougher. We're back now with our NBC News exclusive. As recent videos of unprovoked attacks fuel safety concerns in New York City, the city's top cop sat down with Tom Yamas

to talk about what's driving the violence and shaping the public's perception. It's the type of crime and video that gets the NYPD commissioner angry. The brutality of a 68-year-old Queens woman tossed from the top steps of her church just to be robbed. The woman now in stable condition and this video going viral. Another example of violent incidents in New York City at a time when the NYPD says overall crime is trending down. Yes, we are heading in the right direction for crime. But to someone's reality, someone who's been a victim of a crime, it tells a different story. And that's something we're struggling with right now. Perception versus reality. New York's top cop, Commissioner Edward Caban, is less than a year into the job, taking charge as the city faced a crime wave, migrants overwhelming shelters, and a transit

system where riders didn't feel safe. I think a lot of the country was stunned when the governor sent a thousand National Guard troops into your subway system. What was that moment like? Well, you know, when you talk to people riding on subway systems, they just want to feel safe. And we want to thank the governor for bringing resources into New York City Police Department. We'll take that. You think it was necessary? We'll take the help any day of the week. The latest data shows crimes like shootings, murders and burglaries all down in the first quarter, but rapes and felony assaults on the rise. Caban says bail reform laws have made every officer's job tougher.

Whatever you want to call it, catch and release. We lock someone up, district attorney puts bail on them. The judges let them go to walk our streets again. It's a broken system. We're seeing that we're locking up the same people over and over again. And it has an effect on our law enforcement officers. It has an effect on our law-abiding citizens. And it has a negative effect on the actual or perceived image of public safety.

And one that has grown more complicated with the recent arrival of nearly 200,000 migrants. When there was that high-profile crime in Times Square when the officer was beat by the migrants, you called them ghost criminals. What did you mean by that? Right now, most of them had no IDs. There's no way we could tell where they live, where they come from. They're pretty much ghost. I got to think that makes your job tougher to try to combat crime. And you're trying to look for people. You don't even know what their names are. Yeah, absolutely. It does. Though Caban says migrants aren't coming to New York City to commit crimes when they do. It's one more setback from his goal, making sure New York not only is, but feels safe.

Tom Yamas, NBC News, New York. We'll take a break. Then up next, talk to a photographer who snapped a shot that's sending the internet over the moon. An incredible view from space of the shadow cast on the Earth by the total eclipse. Just one of the awe-inspiring images from that rare celestial event. Let's get more from Liz Kreutz. It's hard to say who shot it best. So many angles, so many perspectives, so many people capturing this historic moment. Photographers, some with iPhones, others with professional long lenses, spread out along the path of totality to capture the magic of the solar eclipse. One of the most breathtaking frames, this one of a plane on the edge of the sun's glow.

The mesmerizing moment taken by 25-year-old Kendall Rust, an amateur photographer from Memphis who traveled to Jonesboro, Arkansas, never expecting to get the shot of a lifetime. When I got it, I'm like, that's it. I'm done. I've taken everything I need to take. This is the one. Her image going viral. I've had comments from all the way from France to the UK. I had no idea it was going to reach this amount of people. The photo, just one example of the beauty of this natural wonder and the shared experience of looking up, even from the sky. And space, that's the moon's shadow over North America.

How cool is it to know that you're there capturing the same eclipse as so many thousands of other people? It's amazing just to be a part of that experience has been really incredible. One eclipse, millions of unique perspectives, an extraordinary astronomical event, lasting moments, but forever captured in these images. Liz Kreutz, NBC News. Great photos and really talented folks. That's nightly news for this Tuesday. Thank you for watching. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night, everyone.