NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Episode Date: May 9, 2024

More severe thunderstorms are threatening millions of people from Texas to Virginia after days of tornado damage, President Biden says he will stop sending bombs to Israel if it goes ahead with its ground offensive in Rafah, Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene tried to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, and more in tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the state of emergency in Michigan as severe storms threaten more than 50 million people from Texas to Virginia. The deadly new threat after days of relentless severe weather. Dozens of tornadoes tearing across the central U.S. and deep south. In Michigan, the side ripped off a massive FedEx facility. A home flipped upside down. Our team in the storm zone and the forecast coming up. And just in tonight, President Biden saying he will stop sending bombs to Israel if it goes ahead with its ground offensive in Rafah. Donald Trump winning another legal delay and another chance to remove D.A.

Fannie Willis from his Georgia election case. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene pushing a hand on a motion to oust Speaker Mike Johnson as booze erupt in the House. The FedEx plane landing on its nose after its front gear fails. Smoke and sparks flying. The investigation tonight. President Biden in Battleground, Wisconsin, announcing a major investment in AI and taking aim at Donald Trump over a failed project at the same site.

After our series of reports on complaints of racist and homophobic bullying at a Texas school district, the Fed's now taking action. And one of the mysteries of the deep may be solved. What are whales saying to each other? Turns out they may have their own alphabet. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Turns out they may have their own alphabet. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Good evening and welcome.

For weeks now, millions in the Midwest and Plains have been living in a virtual line of fire from violent storms that have unleashed more than 100 tornadoes since the start of the month. Michigan, the latest in the bullseye, homes destroyed in Kalamazoo County. Tens of thousands across the state were left in the dark. In Portage, the side of a FedEx facility ripped away. And the threat zone is only expanding tonight. Right now, 51 million people living under a severe storm risk in an area stretching from Texas to Virginia, with tornado watches posted in several states. We'll get to the latest forecast from Bill Cairns in a moment, but first, Maggie Vespa with a look at the destruction. A vicious cycle of violent spring weather strikes again.

Large tornado right here. Tonight in storm-battered Tennessee, one person is dead after authorities say a tree fell on a car north of Knoxville. And this warehouse evacuated after its roof caved in. In southern Michigan, fierce winds overnight ripping a massive chunk out of this FedEx facility, revealing multiple stories of fallen metal and wires. FedEx writing, we are grateful there were no serious injuries. In all, Tuesday, close to 30 reported tornadoes tore across eight states, making for more than 60 twisters this week.

In Portage, Michigan, neighborhoods are shredded. Close to a dozen people hospitalized. This house flipped completely upside down with a couple in their 60s inside. Your cousin was effectively buried alive. Under this house, yeah. And it was over an hour before they could get her out with just her arm sticking out. Sisters Kathy and Ann say firefighters dug their cousin out unharmed. Her husband, who was thrown into the yard, suffered a broken neck.

The family back today to save photos. Is it hitting you right now? Yeah. Oh, yeah. It's been hitting us all morning. All morning? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it was Yeah. It's been hitting us all morning. All morning? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it was scary. It was scary what they went through. You know, I cry for them because it's trauma what they went through. But with all the great support, they're going to be

okay. The same sort of devastation that's played out all week. Among the flashpoints, a deadly EF4 decimating parts of Oklahoma Monday. Meanwhile, Texas now at risk for more damaging winds and hail days after torrential floods ravaged the state. Amid our climate crisis, the behavior of these severe systems is shifting, with supercell storms that spawn twisters becoming stronger and so-called tornado alley trending east toward more populated areas in Mississippi, Tennessee, and the Ohio River Valley. Back in southern Michigan, it feels like I'm at a funeral. Dawn Nico's home is among the latest destroyed. I cried all day yesterday. It's like

the end times, all the destruction. Maggie, joining us now from Michigan and Maggie, that FedEx facility behind you is certainly proof of the power of these storms. Yet we understand there were no serious injuries. Yeah, Lester, that's right. No serious injuries and no reported deaths. Michigan's governor saying today that in that respect, people feel very lucky. But adding, quote, the devastation is real. Lester. Maggie Vespa, thank you. The extreme weather is still very much a threat for tens of millions tonight. Bill Cairns is tracking it. Bill, new reports of tornadoes even this evening as we get on our way, Lester, to another tornado outbreak. Already eight reported today. And the worst of these storms has been in Tennessee,

Kentucky and Missouri. Report of a damaging tornado already in Missouri. And softball to grapefruit-sized hail reported with that storm. Already 162 severe weather reports, and we're just getting started. We have tornado watches in portions of 11 states from Texas all the way through Missouri back into areas of Tennessee. And the strongest storms so far have been focused really to the most part Nashville up into western Kentucky. And we have life-threatening flash flooding ongoing now, and this will get worse as we go throughout the evening, especially from Bowling Green up towards Evansville and even areas just south of St. Louis. And unfortunately, we do it all over again tomorrow. Severe weather expected from Dallas all

the way through the south and right up the east coast in the Washington, D.C. Not so many tornadoes tomorrow, Lester. A lot of wind damage. I know you and the climate team will be watching carefully. Thank you. Tension is deepening between the U.S. and Israel tonight after President Biden halted a shipment of weapons to Israel. The president saying late tonight he won't supply the weapons for a major Israeli operation in Rafah. Andrea Mitchell has late details. Tonight, in a stinging rebuke of a close American ally, President Biden halting a weapons shipment of 3,500 bombs to Israel, just as Israeli troops are targeting Hamas in Rafah.

They go into Rafah. They haven't gone on Rafah yet. If they go into Rafah, I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah. Fearing Israeli forces could drop 2,000-pound bombs on Rafah, as it did targeting a suspected Hamas terrorist in the Jabalia refugee camp last fall, killing civilians. We have concerns about what that would mean for the civilian population there when you look at the way Israel has conducted its operations in the past and what the impact on the civilian population has been. But the move angering many Republicans. I think it's a hugely irresponsible decision. There should never be any question about America's commitment, United States

commitment to Israel. An Israeli official telling NBC News there is deep frustration over the U.S. decision. And tonight, also a rift over humanitarian aid. With the Rafah border crossing now occupied by Israeli tanks, aid not getting through, the State Department calling that unacceptable. It comes despite Secretary of State Blinken's repeated urgings about aid to Gaza, as he told me in Israel last week. And it's imperative that they get the food that they need, the water they need. And tonight, new reporting. CIA Director William Burns is back at ceasefire talks in Cairo after meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. U.S. officials telling NBC News Israel wants Rafah to be excluded from any ceasefire. An Israeli official denies it.

Still, the State Department said today an agreement that could halt the fighting and bring home the hostages is within reach. Lester. OK, Andrea, thanks. None of that late drama we're watching in Congress. Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene calling for a vote to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson, then Democrats stepping in to help save his job. Ryan Nobles is tracking all of it. Ryan, the speaker is now weighing in. Yeah, that's right, Lester. And this has been brewing for weeks. Conservative Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene had threatened to call this vote, finally doing it tonight where she was booed on the House floor. Listen. Declaring the office of Speaker of the House representatives to be vacant. supporters of mike johnson quickly offered up a motion to end her effort and the vote was overwhelmingly in johnson's favor including some democrats now green forced the vote despite

opposition from virtually every republican as well as former president trump earlier in the week green gave johnson a long list of demands but johnson did not back down tonight he called green's attempt misguided and said he hoped it was the end of the personality politics in Congress. Lester. Ryan Nobles, thank you. Now to former President Trump's legal battles. A Georgia appeals court giving the former president at least a temporary victory in his election interference case brought by D.A. Fonny Willis. Laura Jarrett joins us. Laura, what did the court say? Well, Lester, the court has now given Mr. Trump permission to appeal that decision from March

that kept the D.A. on the case, but prompted her to remove Nathan Wade, her ex-boyfriend, who had led the prosecution. Now, Mr. Trump still wants the D.A. disqualified. So this appeal will slow down the Georgia case considerably with the D.C. election interference case still in limbo and the Florida classified documents trial now indefinitely on hold. All this making it all but certain that the ongoing hush money trial will be the only case done by November. And Stormy Daniels is, of course, expected back on the stand here in Manhattan tomorrow. OK, Laura, thanks very much. In Battleground, Wisconsin today, President Biden tried to sell voters on his economic achievements and the strength of the U.S. economy. But as Peter Alexander reports, he's still facing plenty of skepticism. President Biden tonight in Wisconsin, his fourth visit to the crucial

battleground this year, announcing the creation of a multibillion dollar AI data center, Microsoft promising to bring thousands of jobs. We're seeing a great American comeback story all across Wisconsin, and quite frankly, the entire country. The president also trying to cast a contrast here at the same site where then-President Trump announced a $10 billion electronics factory. But that massive project never materialized. Look what happened. They dug a hole

with those golden shovels and then they fell into it. Union worker Eric Stolz voted for Mr. Trump in 2020, but is backing the president now. What does new manufacturing mean in a city like this? Everything to me, my family, to my community, to the whole state of Wisconsin. Go outside. Look at the cranes. Go outside. Look at the roads. Still, President Biden has a lot of convincing to do. A poll this week shows Americans trust Mr. Trump over the president on the economy and inflation by double digits, while two thirds of Americans say they're living paycheck to paycheck. Mr. Trump slamming President Biden just last week. It's called the new tax. It's called inflation tax. We call it the Biden inflation tax. At the Sugar Shack in downtown Racine, Michelle Noonan's family business is thriving,

but rising prices are taking a toll. Just a lot more challenges for any business owner these days. Yes, yes. Everything costs more. The Noonan's now always looking to spend less. I feel like it was better, easier for me four years ago. I could just go to work, right, come home, not really have to worry about so much. Here in Wisconsin, President Biden also warned in the starkest terms yet that he believes if Mr. Trump loses, he will not accept the election results this fall. Lester. All right, Peter, thank you. Tensions in the Middle East leading to new

disruptions as graduation season gets off to a rocky start with commencements on some campuses and arrests on others. Liz Kreutz has late developments. Across college campuses nationwide, another tense day as more universities crack down on pro-Palestinian protests ahead of graduations. At George Washington University, police using pepper spray overnight to disperse a crowd of demonstrators there. At UMass Amherst, roughly 130 people arrested after refusing to leave their encampment, while student protesters continue to barricade themselves into a building at the Rhode Island School of Design. These new clashes coming as a House committee led by Republicans grilled K-12 administrators

on Capitol Hill today, accusing some elementary and high schools of letting anti-Semitism run rampant in their classrooms. What are you doing to keep students safe? And how can we stop this? New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks pushing back on the line of questioning. If we really care about solving for anti-Semitism, and I believe this deeply, it's not about having gotcha moments. It's about teaching. You have to raise the consciousness of young people. They're pushing forward now. Meanwhile, an investigation is underway at UCLA into the violence that broke out after counter protesters attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment last week. According to law enforcement sources who spoke to the Los Angeles Times, police are using photo recognition technology, similar to what was used after the January 6 attacks on the

Capitol, to identify the counter protesters. At nearby University of Southern California, a police chopper circled overhead as graduation celebrations got underway. The school canceled its main commencement ceremony due to safety concerns. I think for administrators, myself included, there's a lot of tension of how do you make sure that we pull this off with minimal disruption. Pedro Noguera is the dean of USC's Rossier School of Education, but 40 years ago, he was a student at UC Berkeley, leading the campus protests against South African apartheid, with demands for divestment like pro-Palestinian students are making now.

What's your message to the student protesters now? My message is educate. Educate others. Engage in dialogue. I know it's hard, but don't just talk to the people you agree with already. And Lester, as scaled-back graduation celebrations begin here at USC, things remain tense on campus. A pro-Israel counter-rally is now scheduled here tonight. Lester. All right, Liz, thanks. In 60 seconds, the news about a Texas school district we've investigated for years accused of tolerating a culture of racist and homophobic bullying.

What federal officials are now saying right after this. We are back now with a major update. After years of NBC News reporting on accusations of racist and homophobic bullying at schools in South Lake, Texas, the feds are calling on the district to address claims of civil rights violations. We get more from Antonia Hilton. For over three years, NBC News has investigated the picturesque South Lake, Texas Carroll Independent School District, where some students told us about a culture of racist and homophobic bullying. What happens to black kids when they go through school systems

where they don't feel entirely at home? I think that it strips them of their identity. And I think that they leave a shell of the person that they once were. Documents reviewed by NBC News show that this week, the Department of Education notified Southlake's Carroll Schools that it intends to negotiate with the district over four students' civil rights complaints. We spoke with the district over four students' civil rights complaints. We spoke with a lawyer for the students. When the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights notifies a district that they're being invited to negotiate resolution of a complaint, it means that they have made a formal finding that the school district violated those

complainants' civil rights. Christian was 12 years old and had just left the district when we met him in 2022. What were kids saying? They were using gay slurs and like being very rude to me. Southlake was thrust into the national spotlight in 2018 when a video of students chanting the N-word went viral. A group of conservative residents then defeated a proposed diversity and inclusion plan. By the time my youngest was in ninth grade, he was getting called the N-word pretty regularly. Mom Angela Jones filed one of the federal complaints. I knew that my children's civil rights had been violated. But to have the Department of Education come out and say they agree,

that meant the world to me. Southlake's Carroll School District today did not respond to requests for comment. But in August of 2021, we sat down with Superintendent Lane Ledbetter. Is there racism in Southlake and in Carroll ISD? So let me think about that question. I'm going to stop there. I think it goes back to people understanding each other, almost from an empathy standpoint, just being able to understand varying perspectives and differences. Angela Jones's children have

already left the school, but she believes she has an obligation to the students still there. I can't sit here and let those children face the exact same thing my children faced. That's not being a good citizen. It seems like here the DOE is essentially raising the stakes. What happens next? Well, according to the Department of Education, the district will have to negotiate an agreement to quote, remedy both the individual discrimination at issue as well as any systemic discrimination. If they don't cooperate, legal experts tell us they could lose federal funding or face judicial proceedings. All right, Antonia, thank you.

Coming up, the dramatic landing of a FedEx plane touching down without its front landing gear extended and the plea deal by the former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani accused of stealing millions and the biggest superstar in baseball. Some anxious moments today as a FedEx plane landed in Istanbul. The Boeing 767 cargo plane's nose scraping on the runway after its front landing gear failed to deploy. The plane managed to come into a stop on the runway. No injuries were reported. Also tonight, a major development involving the former interpreter for baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani. The Justice Department saying he has agreed to plead guilty to two federal charges for illegally transferring 17 million dollars out of Otani's account to pay off his own gambling debts.

And a major milestone in our countdown to the 2024 Paris Olympics. Tens of thousands welcoming the Olympic flame as it arrived in France after 12 days at sea aboard a historic ship from Greece. A relay will now carry it across France over the next 69 days to light the cauldron at the opening ceremony July 26. Coming up, the breakthrough science under the sea, what researchers are finding out about how some of the biggest animals on the planet talk to each other. The haunting sounds of whales have long intrigued us. Now we're learning how these giants of the sea speak.

Here's Anne Thompson. To you and me, the underwater noises sperm whales make sound like tapping. But these vocalizations, scientists say, are actually language. And more sophisticated than imagined in Finding Nemo. These series of clicks are called codas, that scientists say are the building blocks of communication between these mammoth sea creatures. Far from arbitrary, a new study published in Nature found whales use four basic elements, including rhythm and tempo, to create a phonetic alphabet. How does this phonetic alphabet

work? It essentially looks at the speed at which they're saying things, at the kind of different texture. Emphasis. Emphasis on how I said something. Researchers from Dr. David Gruber's Cetacean Translation Initiative listened to some 8,700 of these snippets made by whales off the Caribbean island of Dominica. Trying to figure out what they are saying is the next step. Do you think it's possible that one day we could talk to whales? I think it will be possible to be able to be sending information back and forth. We're not really sure what it's going to look like. That's the kind of cool thing. And become real-life Dr. Doolittles learning the ABCs of the deep. Anne Thompson, NBC News.

That's nightly news for this Wednesday. Thank you for watching, everyone. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.