NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Episode Date: April 4, 2024

Deadly earthquake in Taiwan traps dozens; Major storm pounds East Coast; Texas egg producer tries to stem Avian flu spread; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the most powerful earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years, and now the race to rescue survivors. The dramatic images, bridges and buildings shaking and swaying, some left tilted at extreme angles by the force of the deadly 7.4 magnitude quake. A rooftop pool, rocking water spilling down the side of the building, tremors causing massive landslides, first responders pulling people out alive, but dozens of workers trapped in mines. Our team in the region tonight. Also this evening, the major April nor'easter on the move.

Heavy rain, floods, and up to two feet of snow in the northeast. After that tornado outbreak across at least six states, thousands of flights impacted. Passengers on a southwest flight injured by severe turbulence. The bodies of seven aid workers killed by an Israeli strike moved out of Gaza. The growing outrage. Chef Jose Andres, founder of the charity they work for, accusing Israel of systematically targeting them. Kansas City Chief Star Rishi Rice breaking his silence about that high-speed

car crash. What he said about talking to police. NBC News reports the Oklahoma official with white nationalist ties facing a recall election. How voters decided. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome. A new day has begun in Taiwan, where the search for survivors from a massive earthquake grew more urgent overnight. There have been at least nine deaths, and the expectation is there could be many more. Over a thousand people were injured from the 7.4 magnitude quake which rocked Taiwan's Pacific coast, collapsing hundreds of buildings and triggering tsunami warnings across the region. As many as 143, some of them tourists, are feared to be trapped in the ruins of toppled

hotels. Searchers also feared for the safety of workers thought to be stranded at a rock quarry. The government urging the public to be wary of aftershocks that continue to rattle the area. It's the worst earthquake to strike Taiwan in 25 years. Our Janice Mackey-Frayer is in the region tonight with late details. Tonight, rescuers racing to reach those trapped after a massive earthquake in Taiwan, pulling people out of buildings, even out of vehicles, with authorities now focusing on getting to those still stuck under the rubble. With reports tonight, 71 workers are trapped in two mines. The earthquake struck during the morning rush hour, causing buildings to shake and sway.

This woman saying it felt like her house would collapse. The magnitude 7.4 quake jolting the island. Rooftop swimming pools churned. Water pouring down this building. Video filmed inside a moving train showing huge landsl century. More than a thousand people are injured. Taiwan's president-elect saying the top priority is to rescue people and get them treatment. The hardest hit area around Hualien, just 11 miles from the epicenter. That's where American Annie Lima was when it hit. Around eight o'clock this morning and the whole world started shaking. What was it like? It was pretty scary. In all the years that I've lived here and

in Southern California before that, I felt a lot of earthquakes, but this was by far the strongest and the most frightening. And it just went on and on. I think it was close to two minutes. And as soon as the shaking stopped, we ran to get out of the apartment. Dozens of people are still trapped along roads, tunnels, and hiking trails cut off by landslides. In Hualien, some buildings now leaning precariously, and crews already working to demolish them. Janice, we recognize they're still very early in the search and rescue here, but it appears the early warning systems in place made a difference. Lester, they had cell phone alerts that went out. They're accustomed to having earthquakes there and that it happened during the day when people were awake appeared to help. Tonight, the focus is on search and rescue, but the challenge, there have been more than 200

aftershocks so far and rain is in the forecast, which could complicate efforts. Lester. Janice Mackey-Frayer, thank you. There is volatile weather here at home tonight in the eastern part of the country with torrential rain, damaging winds and possible flooding after this system produced more than a dozen tornadoes and caused at least one death. We'll get to Dylan Dreyer in a second, but let's start with Maggie Vespa. Tonight, a lethal system races east, up to four inches of rain slamming some communities. Not happy about the weather here, but it is what it is. Flood watches in effect for millions from West Virginia to New York, storms wreaking havoc for travelers.

I'm really hoping it doesn't get delayed, but who knows? The time kept shifting from, you know, an hour and a half to an hour. Thousands of flights delayed nationwide. This morning, a Southwest Airlines flight between New Orleans and Orlando making an emergency landing amid severe turbulence, sending two people to a medical facility. The monster system carving a path of destruction from the Ohio Valley. Oh, dear God, this is bad.

To the southeast, flipped semi-trucks, snapped trees, and toppled power lines. At least 16 reported tornadoes across six states. Near Louisville, Kentucky, mom Lisa Zarodnicek says she barely got her kids downstairs before violent winds ripped the roof off their second-story bedrooms. We were just running down the basement, and that's when we heard the pop, and the roof off their second-story bedrooms. We were just running down the basement and that's when we heard the pop and the roof came flying off. We weren't even in the basement yet before that happened. You didn't even make it down? No, no. It's just crazy. It's still an early part of the year to have all this tragic storms. Kentucky's governor this afternoon touring damage, saying as

many as seven tornadoes tore through his state Tuesday, some turning deadly. We have confirmed one weather-related fatality. This came in Campbell County in a car accident. 19-year-old Brady Delaney remembered by family, saying he was loved by so many. We'll be praying for him and for his family. Outside Atlanta, several people were injured in storm-ravaged neighborhoods. While in Michigan, some residents saw up to 14 inches of snow. A week of wild weather dragging on for tens of millions more tonight. And Maggie, that damage behind you speaks to the power of these storms. Yeah, Lester, exactly. Cleanup is clearly still a huge issue

here as are power outages. More than 12,000 people here in Kentucky are still without power, more than 350,000 nationwide. Lester. Maggie Vespa, thank you. Let's bring in Dylan Dreyer now. She's in lower Manhattan where rainy and windy conditions are picking up tonight. Dylan. They certainly are, Lester. The rain has been coming down hard. We've had thunder and lightning. Severe storms are still a possibility across the mid-Atlantic. This whole storm system produces a lot of rain as it moves through tonight and tomorrow,

so we still have 39 million people under flood watches. Now, on the backside of this storm, as it pulls away, winds will increase. The threat of snow increases, and then more rain is going to fill in back through the mid-Atlantic. We could see wind gusts along the coast up to 65 miles per hour with an additional two to three inches of rain possible across New England. And if we get one to two feet of snow, Lester, up across New England, this could be the biggest snowstorm we've seen so far this season. And of course, it's now April. All right. Thank you, Dylan. Israel is facing growing outrage after its airstrikes in Gaza killed an American and six others working for World Central Kitchen.

The aid group's founder, Chef Jose Andres, speaking out tonight as Israel says its forces made a grave mistake. Raf Sanchez is in Israel. Tonight, the bodies of the foreign aid workers carried out of Gaza after those Israeli airstrikes on vehicles marked with large World Central Kitchen logos. Some of the people that died were my friends. And I served with them. The founder of the aid group, Chef Jose Andres, appearing on Israeli television and demanding answers. They were targeted systematically, car by car.

So this was not just a bad luck situation where, oops, we dropped the bomb in the wrong place or, no, this was over 1.5, 1.8 kilometers with a very defined humanitarian convoy. Overnight, Israel's top general announcing the findings of its preliminary investigation, calling the strikes a grave mistake. It was a mistake that followed a misidentification at night during a war in a very complex conditions. It shouldn't have happened. All seven World Central Kitchen staff who were killed have been identified, among them 33-year-old Jacob Flickinger, a dual American-Canadian citizen, his family sharing these photos of him with his partner and young sons.

President Biden saying he's outraged and heartbroken by the deaths and that Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers. But the White House also saying it won't stop supplying arms to Israel, which it says faces a genocidal threat from Hamas. Just last week, the Biden administration signing off on sending Israel more than 1,800 bombs and is pressing Congress to approve a plan to sell Israel more F-15 fighter jets in the future. Meanwhile, World Central Kitchen has paused its aid operations in Gaza, three of its ships returning to port today with vital food undelivered. Another blow to the humanitarian effort just when it's needed most. And Raf, we've learned President Biden is expected to talk to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu

tomorrow. That's right, Lester. It'll be their first call in nearly three weeks and comes amid a series of very public disagreements between the U.S. and Israel, not just over the killing of those aid workers, but also over Israel's plan to push ahead with an attack on Rafah. Lester. Raf Sanchez tonight. Thank you. A new statement this evening from Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rasheed Rice on that car crash in Dallas that injured four people. Rice has been linked to one of the cars involved and says he'll continue to cooperate with authorities. He says he takes full responsibility for his part in the accident and apologized to everyone involved. There have been no charges in the case so far.

A follow up tonight to our report on a town in Oklahoma that elected a man with white nationalist ties. Then came the effort to unseat him from city council and a recall vote yesterday. Brandi Zadrosny is back in Enid, Oklahoma with the result. On a blustery morning in Enid, Oklahoma, voters headed to the polls there to answer a question that for months divided their city. Should Republican city council member Judd Blevins be removed from office over his white nationalist ties? Voting against Judd Blevins be removed from office over his white nationalist ties. Voting against Judd Blevins. I voted for Judd Blevins. I believe that he's the man for the hour. Blevins, seen here campaigning during yesterday's recall vote,

has said he never identified as a white nationalist or white supremacist. But activists in Enid who initiated the recall race took issue with his participation in the deadly 2017 Charlottesville Unite the Right rally and his past role with a state chapter of a white nationalist organization. Blevins refused to talk about his past when we approached him last month. Why did you march and unite the right? Why did you hold a tiki torch and march as people said Jews will not replace us? But offered this at a candidate forum ahead of the election. What were you trying to achieve or what was your purpose in those? Bringing attention to the same issues that got Donald Trump elected in 2016,

securing America's borders, reforming our legal immigration system, and frankly, pushing back on this anti-white hatred that is so common in media and entertainment. Last night, according to preliminary votes, Blevins lost his seat by 268 votes to Republican Cheryl Patterson. One of those votes coming from Connie Vickers. For a year, Vickers and her friend Nancy Presnell had been a part of the Enid Social Justice Committee, drawing attention to Blevins, often carrying this poster, showing him holding a tiki torch in Charlottesville before the rally.

They gathered together last night as the election results came in. How are you feeling? Elated, happy, relieved. Even though we're a red city, a red state, people still don't think that Nazis should be allowed to be in office making decisions. In a statement, Blevins called the race a trial not just for me, but for many in this community.

But for many in the community, the results, a relief. I was very proud of the city of Enid tonight. Even with Blevins defeated, though, some see more work ahead. The people who recruited him and supported him and paid for him are still there, and they're not going to give up. Brandi Zadrozny, NBC News, Enid, Oklahoma. In 60 seconds, growing concerned about the spread of avian flu to people, the measures being taken to stop it,

and could it impact the price of eggs right after this? A health alert to tell you about tonight. The nation's largest egg producer temporarily shutting down a facility in Texas after bird flu was discovered there. Morgan Chesky now on the potential risks and the impact on consumers. Tonight, the American agriculture industry on high alert as a series of troubling new cases of highly infectious avian flu hit poultry farms, dairy producers, and now people. The nation's largest egg supplier destroying nearly two million chickens after birds at one of its Texas facilities tested positive. It's highly dangerous to humans, although it has never been shown to be easily transmissible

between people. Now, the first U.S. case of a person suspected of catching this version of bird flu from a cow has been reported in Texas. Officials say the patient, a dairy employee who worked near infected cows, wasn't hospitalized and experienced only minor symptoms. The news comes as the highly contagious bird flu has spread to dairy cattle in at least six states. At Cedar Ridge Egg Farm outside Dallas, it can spread anywhere. Owner Raul Fahid has strict safety measures in place for his 14,000 chickens. But the risk remains high. If just one of your birds gets infected with avian flu, what happens to the flock? They will all be destroyed.

Officials say the risk to human health remains low. But stress eggs or poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees to kill any bacteria or viruses. The most immediate impact, though, may be to your grocery bill. Egg prices, which have already doubled since 2020, could be inching higher if this current outbreak continues to spread. And tonight, officials warn that backyard or even pet chickens are at risk if they come into contact with wild birds carrying the virus. But do not suggest that this is all the start of a new

pandemic. Lester. Morgan Chesky, thank you. Coming up, one country's anti-gay law that even includes the death penalty. How a court has just ruled and will the U.S. intervene? Back with our NBC News report. It's been called one of the harshest anti-gay laws in the world. And today in Uganda, a highly anticipated ruling was handed down in a court case that challenged it. Here's Erin McLaughlin. Tonight, Uganda's constitutional court upholding a majority of the country's notorious anti-gay law, which includes the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality, a law the Biden administration calls a tragic violation of universal human rights. I'm worried. I'm petrified. Given if the judges can give such a ruling, that means there's no protection for any LGBTQ person

in Uganda. And I'm not immune to that. Activist Frank Mugisha, listed as a petitioner on the legal challenge that was rejected today, says they plan to appeal the ruling to Uganda's Supreme Court. He's been receiving death threats and is worried about what today's judgment means for the community. For Ugandans, it is now state-sanctioned homophobia. It is telling Ugandans, now you can act. Now you can hate on LGBTQ persons. So you're bracing for violence? Definitely. On Wednesday, the court ruled that some sections of the law do violate Uganda's constitution, including a provision that required mandatory reporting of homosexuals and another that prevented landlords from renting to the LGBTQ community.

But the court deemed the rest of the anti-homosexuality law constitutional, including upholding the death penalty provision and the criminalization of homosexuality. It's a law that's overwhelmingly popular in Uganda. We will fight for our African culture. We will fight for our faith. The court called the law a reflection of the sociocultural realities of the Ugandan society, even citing the U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs decision, striking down the right to abortion,

pointing to how that ruling considered the U.S.'s history and traditions. In December, the U.S. government responded to the law with sanctions, including visa restrictions for certain Ugandan officials and reduced support to the Ugandan government. Tonight, the State Department reacted to the ruling. We believe that law undermines the human rights, prosperity and welfare of all Ugandans. Activists are calling on the Biden administration to do more. Now in New York, Mugisha says he plans to return to Uganda soon. The whole entire world should be worried. And they shouldn't only be worried about Uganda.

They should be worried about other countries. Erin McLaughlin, NBC News, New York. That's nightly news for this Wednesday. Thank you for watching. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.