Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, February 17, 2023

Episode Date: February 18, 2023

A gunman has killed at least six people in a rural community south of Memphis. The suspect has been detained, and police are investigating possible connections to the victims. Surveillance footage shows police in Alabama carrying an unresponsive detainee to a squad car after a lawsuit alleges he was locked in a cold cell for hours, which resulted in his death. An international hub at one of the nation’s busiest airports has been closed due to a power outage, leaving thousands of passengers stranded with no indication of how long the shutdown will last. Hate crime charges against an alleged shooter who prosecutors say targeted a Jewish community in Los Angeles. And the prosecution rests its case in the Alex Murdaugh murder trial.

Tonight, breaking news, the deadly shooting spree in Mississippi. Police say a gunman shot and killed at least six people across multiple locations. It happened in a rural community just south of Memphis, the suspect detained by police, but we're learning tonight about that gunman and possible connections to the victims. Ex-officers plead not guilty. The five men charged with brutally beating and murdering Tyree Nichols appeared in court for the first time, and they came face-to-face with Nichols' mother. action and where the former officer's criminal cases head from here.

Disturbing surveillance video shows cops in Alabama carrying an unresponsive detainee to a squad car after he was locked in a jail freezer for hours. That man later died at the hospital from what his family says was hypothermia. Why those relatives and the jail supervisor who leaked that surveillance footage are now suing. Plus the federal investigation into a story we have covered for months. More than 100 minors found working the graveyard shift at a slaughterhouse criminal charges the company could now face. And terminal shutdown, an international hub at one of the nation's busiest airports, is closed because of a power outage. Thousands of passengers now left stranded. How long authorities say this travel nightmare could last? Top story starts right now.

Good evening. I'm Joe Fryer. In for Tom Yamis. We begin top story tonight with the deadly shooting spree that shattered the piece of a tiny community in Mississippi. Authorities say a lone gunman opened fire at multiple locations, including a gas station convenience store and a residential neighborhood. At least six people were killed. One of the victims was shot dead in her home. Her husband, who was also injured, said the shooter busted through their front door without warning. adding that he had never seen that man before. Arca Butla is where this tragedy unfolded. It is a small rural community with a population of under 300 people. It sits right near the border of Tennessee and Mississippi, roughly 45 miles from Memphis, and that is where we find Guad vanegas tonight. Guad, good to have you with us.

So what is the latest that you can tell us? What do we know so far? Joe, we are still learning details. We know after speaking with local authorities there in Texas. Tate County that the calls initially came in just before one o'clock today of individuals that had heard gunshots. As you mentioned, there's six people that were killed. Two were found dead on the street. Two others inside a home. A fifth victim was killed inside a convenience store. And that six victim would be the woman that was at home with her husband. We're learning more

details after the husband shared what he experienced. That husband being the seventh victim was injured. clear if he was shot. For now, we know that her husband only was injured in the attack. Now, we also learned through our local affiliate here, WMC, that the suspect was identified as 52-year-old Richard Dale Crum. Local police, the local sheriff, that is, told us that the suspect has been detained, and officers will be interviewing him, and he's now facing a first-degree murder charges, Joe. Guad, do we know if any of the victims actually knew the gunman? So as you mentioned, the husband of the woman that was killed says he saw the man come to their home and he did not immediately recognize him. Here he is speaking to our local affiliate.

He just pulled up and hurried. He busted into the house to the front door. And I rascal with him. My wife, a lot of small. So, Guad, the big question, of course, is motive. Do we have any idea why this rampage happened? Joe, as of now, authorities say they do not have a motive. Now, they say they believe the suspect did act alone. The governor of Mississippi issued a statement today and saying that all state resources will be available

as this investigation continues. And he has also called in the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation to help as well. As they continue with the investigation, again, a suspect has been detained by police in Mississippi, Joe. Guadvenegos, thank you. Now to another major headline we've been following, those five former Memphis police officers charged with murdering Tyree Nichols, appeared in court today, and entered their pleas. NBC's Priscilla Thompson was inside that courtroom and has the very latest. Do you all have anything to say?

Five former Memphis police officers charged in the brutal beating death of Tyree Nichols, silent, as they appeared in court for the first time today. I'm going to go down the line of the attorneys. The plea of not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty. The arraignment lasted less than five minutes, all pleading not guilty to charges, including second degree murder, stemming from the January 7th beating. Nichols died three days later. Today, attorneys for the officers called for a fair trial. It must be based on the facts and the law and not the raw emotions that our country is currently experiencing.

And urged against a rush to judgment. There's 20 hours of video. We've seen five minutes snippets of a video and made that determination. Again, I don't think you can do that. Do you believe there's more to see? I believe there's more to see. Among those in the courtroom, Nichols family. And I'm waiting for this night mean. basically that I'm going through right now I'm waiting for somebody to wake me up coming face to face with the men accused of murdering their son they didn't even have the courage to look at me in my face after what they did to my son so they're going to see me at every court day everyone and until we get justice for my son today's hearing comes after two Shelby County

sheriff's deputies were suspended for five days. An internal investigation found they did not notify dispatch they arrived on scene after the beating and failed to keep their body cameras on. Six Memphis police officers have been fired, the city says, and seven more remain under investigation. Tonight, the family of Tyree Nichols finding reason to hope amid so much grief. This is a glorious state. This is the beginning of the process. Priscilla Thompson joins us now from Memphis. So Priscilla, we these not guilty please what's next in the case yeah joe attorneys for the five X officers filed their motions for discovery today so they should begin receiving and reviewing those materials as they begin preparing for trial the next hearing in this

case case is scheduled for May 1st Joe all right Priscilla thank you so much now to an update on a man who died after he was in custody in an Alabama jail he was allegedly left on a cold concrete floor for multiple days. The FBI is now joining the investigation as his family and friends demand answers. Morgan Chesky has the story, and we do want to warn you, the video is disturbing. Tonight, the FBI investigating a man's death after being detained inside an Alabama jail. His family alleges he was left naked on a cold cement jail cell floor for days. This video from January 26th shows officers at Walker County Jail putting Anthony Mitchell inside a patrol car bound for a hospital,

Within hours, the 33-year-old was dead. Now Mitchell's mother has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the county sheriff's office and jail staff, claiming video leaked from an officer inside, contradicts what officials told the press, that Mitchell was alert and conscious when he left the facility. It goes on to allege when he arrived at the hospital, Mitchell's internal body temperature was 72 degrees, adding it is clear that Tony's death was wrongful, the results of horrific malicious abuse and mountains of deliberate indifference. The emergency room physician wrote in Mitchell's medical records that they believed hypothermia was, quote, the ultimate cause of his death, according to the suit.

100%. I believe Tony would still be allowed today if he would have received help at the hospital instead of going to the Walker County Jail. The Walker County Sheriff's Office has declined to calm it. But the suit accuses jail staff of looking on and chatting by Mitchell's open cell door. Entertain as he languished naked and dying. It also includes screenshots alleging staff dragged him from a shower to the booking. area. The Alabama Attorney General's office has confirmed it's aware of the case and the FBI's involvement stating once the investigation is completed, the Attorney General will ensure that any appropriate action is taken. The FBI has not responded to our request for comment. A Facebook post from the Sheriff's Office around the time of his arrest said Mitchell was first admitted to jail on January 12th as a pretrial detainee in custody for attempted murder. The post said he

fired at least one shot at deputies after a family member asked officials to perform a knowing he might be a danger to himself or others. He had his faults at the end, and yes, he was battling his demons, but even then he deserved humanity and respect. Morgan Chesky joins us now from Dallas. Morgan, you mentioned it was a corrections officer who leaked this video. Now I understand there is a lawsuit surrounding that as well. Yeah, Joe, this former acting supervisor is suing the Walker County jail for wrongful termination

here after she leaked that video. And I do want to say her attorney says, quote, she is scared and in fear for her life of what they may do to her. And as we mentioned, we did reach out to the sheriff's department for comment, but they have no response at this time. Both lawsuits remain very much ongoing. Joe? All right, Morgan, thank you so much for that report. At a Los Angeles, where a suspect is facing hate crime charges for two separate shootings targeting Jewish men. Both men were attacked as they left religious services. NBC's Naila Charles has the details, including what authorities say the suspect confessed.

Tonight, federal charges filed against a California gunman accused of targeting Jewish people in Los Angeles. Because the complaint contains allegations that Tran attempted to murder the two victims, he faces a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Law enforcement officials announcing federal hate crime charges after two men were shot in two days, as they were leaving synagogues. The shooter now being identified by authorities as 28-year-old Jamie Tran.

Tran told agency search for a kosher market online, then selected his victims because of their, quote, headgear, according to the federal complaint. Both shooting victims were dressed in clothing that visibly identified their Jewish faith, including black coats and head coverings. The complaint reveals Tran has a history of anti-Semitic and threatening conduct, including a 22 incident when Tran texted a former classman. from dental school, quote, I want you dead, Jew. He was arrested Thursday after he discharged an AK-style firearm, which he told police

he obtained from someone he did not know in Arizona. Despite the arrest, the Jewish community still shaken. The perpetrator is now in jail. And while that gives the Jewish community some measure of comfort, also make no mistake, as Mayor Bath said, the Jewish community feels under siege. One of the victims was shot in the back Wednesday. The other shot in the arm Thursday, less than a mile away from each other, according to police. Both shot at close range. Both survived. Vivian Isenstatt says she knows the first victim.

He keeps saying it's a miracle that nothing happened to him. We were lucky that we're not going to funerals. That's just the reality. L.A. law enforcement increasing security and patrols at Jewish businesses, homes and synagogues, even as the suspect remains in custody. We here in Beverly Hills have stepped up our own security for all houses of worship. The incident setting the community on high alert. People are feeling a little bit scared. People are very concerned about their safety. I didn't know that was going to happen in my neighborhood, so that's horrible. With anti-Semitism on the rise, leaders are urging everyone to stand up to hate. We ask that everyone, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, stand up against this

growing anti-Semitism. Use your voice. Naila Charles joins us now from Los Angeles. So Naila, We know the Anti-Defamation League says that anti-Semitic incidents reached an all-time high in 2021. Anti-Jewish tropes continue to spread. We are still waiting for the latest hate crime numbers from last year. But right now, how is the Jewish community responding to what's happening? Joe, a rabbi at that press conference sold the Jewish community not to let this stop them from worshiping this weekend, urging them not to give bigots the victory. That same rabbi called for a national task force against anti-Semitism.

According to the FBI, nationally, about 63% of religious hate crimes are motivated by anti-Semitism. Joe? And let's talk about this specific case. What is next for the suspect? Well, in federal court today, Tran was ordered to be jailed without bond. He didn't enter a plea. His arraimness scheduled for early March. We're also learning more about a 22 incident in which he was charged with possession of a loaded firearm at Cal State Long Beach.

He's released from custody pending trial, and that case is still being. pending now. Joe? Naila Charles in L.A., thank you. Moving overseas, four American troops were injured in a helicopter raid that killed the top ISIS leader. The operation was conducted overnight in northeastern Syria. The target was Hamza al-Hamsi. He oversaw the group's deadly terrorist network in the eastern part of the country. Four U.S. service members and one working dog were wounded by an explosion during the raid. All of them are in stable condition and expected to recover. We have new reporting on that, suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina earlier this month.

The U.S. military says recovery operations have now come to an end, and sources confirmed to NBC news that the balloon was launched from China's Hainan Island. Top officials from the U.S. and China are attending a security conference in Munich, and NBC's Andrea Mitchell is there. She spoke exclusively with Vice President Kamala Harris about the heightened tensions between the two countries. The Vice President on the tensions with China. They aren't even accepting phone calls, military to military. Even during the Cold War, we had a hotline.

Isn't there a real risk of miscalculation of an accident? First of all, we do maintain diplomatic communication. But not military to military. Military to military is something that we will strengthen, and we realize how important that is. We certainly realize that. And I would assume and hope that the Chinese do as well. Back home, the president is underwater in the polls.

Dozens of Democratic leaders are saying that they not only don't think that he's the strongest candidate, they don't think that you're the right person to be on the ticket. Why do you think that? I think that it is very important to focus on the needs of the American people and not political chatter out of Washington, D.C. You obviously ran for president in 2020. You want to be president. you still want to be president someday?

Joe Biden has said he intends to run for re-election as president, and I intend to run with him as vice president of the United States. Tomorrow, the vice president will meet with a bipartisan delegation from Congress, with polls back home showing support for spending billions more on the Ukraine war slipping. Joe? All right, thank you, Andrea. Turning now to a shocking discovery made by federal officials, more than 100 minors, some as young as 13,

were found working in meat packing facilities across the Midwest. Many of them were working overnight shifts, often cleaning slaughterhouses with dangerous chemicals. Now, the company that employed them has been forced to pay more than a million dollars in fees. Here's NBC's Julia Ainsley. Tonight, a federal investigation confirming that over 100 minors have been working in dangerous conditions across the Midwest. Advocates working with the miners say they're migrants,

some as young as 13, working overnight shifts and employed to clean slaughterhouses at 13 different locations in eight different states. In total, 102 minors. Employed by the company, Packer Sanitation Services, or PSSI, the company contracted nationwide with facilities in Kansas, Minnesota, and Nebraska, which were found to employ the most teenagers, according to the Department of Labor. Investigators sharing the details in a teleconference today. We found that over the course of the past three years, PSSI employed at least 102 children in hazardous work, cleaning dangerous, power-driven equipment like skull splitters

and razor-sharp only thoughts and used caustic chemicals. It's a story we first reported earlier this year. At the time, we spoke with Audrey Lutz, who has been helping migrant children, who say they've worked at one of those plants. You met them. Did they look like adults to you? I would have a hard time ever calling the people I've met with adults.

They certainly look, especially the youngest middle schoolers, no way to pass as an adult. Today, in a statement, Packer Sanitation Services said, in part, our company has a zero tolerance policy against employing anyone under the age of 18 and fully shares the DOLs of June. objective of ensuring full compliance at all locations. As soon as we became aware of the DOL's allegations, we conducted multiple additional audits of our employee base and hired a third-party law

firm to review and help further strengthen our policies in this area. Investigators say PSSI had previously flagged some applicants were too young, but proceeded to employ them anyway, calling these violations, quote, corporate-wide failures. Make no mistake. It's with no lyrical error or actions of rogue individuals or bad managers. As a result, PSSI was fined and has paid $1.5 million in penalties. Julia Ainsley joins us now. So, Julia, as we heard in your piece, the investigation notes that it was a systemic problem when it came to hiring minors.

But given how many of them were employed, as young as 13, could this cleaning company face any criminal charges? Well, you know, the Department of Labor today did not preclude criminal charges. from coming later. But that would be announced by the Justice Department. But people have spoken to advocates who are representing the children say $1.5 million is really a drop in the bucket when you consider that there were over 100 children working for this company and considering their large profit margins. Although the company, PSSI, does say that they believe these were rogue individuals who came in with fraudulent identities. People representing the kids say it was

hard to mistake an 18-year-old for a 13-year-old. And, Julia, I know you are just getting back to Washington after seeing one of these facilities? Yeah, that's right. I just landed. I just got back from Grand Island, Nebraska, where I got to see firsthand the first facility where the Labor Department came in in October and found 23 children working in the dead of night, cleaning up blood and animal parts off the killhouse floor in a slaughterhouse. And what I saw just from being there firsthand is how massive this facility is. And what a big operation they have, slaughtering thousands of animals. day but that the town is so centered around this large meat processing facility. People I spoke to there said it was common knowledge that there were children working at this facility and going to school during the day. There were even some police reports where teachers and school officials said that there were children falling asleep in class because of their work overnight at the

slaughterhouse, Joe. Right. Incredible reporting. Julia Ainsley, thank you so much. Now to the severe storms that dropped rain and snow across much of the country, they even spawned some February February tornadoes. Widespread flooding prompted a state of emergency in West Virginia. An 11-month-old child was killed after he was swept away by floodwaters. Rising waters also trapped more than 100 students inside a high school in Lincoln County overnight. And tonight, millions across the northeast are bracing for plunging temperatures. Meteorologist Bill Karens joins us now live in the studios of Bill. What does the holiday weekend look like?

Well, our spring fling is over. That's for sure. The storm system. The last one in our string of storms that we followed this week is now exiting off the coast, only left over rain and a little bit of snow here in areas of southern New England. Lake affects snow coming off the Great Lakes. That's what we expect to talk about as we go through the middle of February, not this incredible warmth that we've seen. The 24-hour temperature change is pretty dramatic. So compared to this time yesterday, we are 32 degrees colder in Atlanta. I mean, Pittsburgh's 33 degrees colder. New York's dropped about 20 degrees. You get the idea. the cold winds are blowing in from the north, and the wind chill as you head out on this Friday evening, Green Bay, 9, Chicago 13, Detroit 13, and those cold winds will eventually make their way to the East Coast as we head to out tonight, and especially when you wake up tomorrow morning. So the forecast on Saturday, after that chilly morning, lots of sunshine, we'll just call it back to normal. It'll feel cold to everyone compared to how it's been, but it'll be back to normal on Saturday. By the time we get into the next week, though, it gets mild once again throughout the country. So here's how your holiday forecast looks. Again, pretty quiet.

We don't have a lot of storms out there for the holiday weekend. That's great for all your travel. I know a lot of people head to the mountains. Sunday, it should be nice in the bluebird sky, beautiful for skiing in the northeast and also the Rockies. And finally, it will end on President's Day. A little clipper storm bringing some snow to the Great Lake. So we deserve a nice little break as we head into the holiday weekend, and we're getting it. All right.

I have not been outside since this morning. You're saying I'm in for a rude awakening. I hope I told you. I said bring the jacket and gloves. All right. I think I have gloves. All right. Thanks, Bill. Have a good weekend.

You too. Still ahead, a critical day of testimony in the Alec Murdoch trial. An expert witness was called to piece together a detailed timeline of Murdoch's movements on the day his wife and son were killed. Plus, the new voicemail that the prosecution says points to a possible motive. Also, travel nightmare why one of the busiest international terminals in the country is totally out of commission and how soon it could be back up and running. Stay with us. Top Story is just getting started on this Friday night. The question must be asked.

By the way, don't expect the media mob to ever ask it. Are Dominion systems prone to human error? Dominion is a Canadian company, but all of its software is smartmatic software. So the votes actually go to Barcelona, Spain. I've been all in trying to find the machine fraud, and we've found it. We have all the evidence. I dare people to put it on. I dare Dominion to sue me because then it would get out faster.

Those were clips from Fox News's 2020 election coverage, and that coverage is now at the heart of a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit. A new court filing from Dominion voting systems against Fox News reveals that many of the network's top hosts and executives did not believe popular conspiracy theories around election fraud. Dominion claims that Fox News peddled the theories in order to keep viewers, Well, behind the scenes, some hosts and staffers were criticizing central figures like Rudy Giuliani. NBC News, senior White House correspondent, Kelly O'Donnell, joins us now.

So, Kelly, what are some of the biggest takeaways from this filing? Well, so much of what is learned in this really takes us behind the scenes in the days immediately after the election in real time. And because this litigation is so high stakes, Dominion was able to, through the discovery process, get access to internal communications at Foxx. news, to get the text messages, the memos that were written, and to depose many Fox employees from the executive chambers down to the rank and file people working on the shows at Fox News. And that's how we're learning all of this. What did they think? What did they say to each other in those days immediately after the election? And what we find is it is starkly different than what was being said on camera to their loyal audience at Fox News. So you have famous hosts like

Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingram, who were saying behind the scenes that they did not believe the claims being made by Trump lawyers, Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, and so forth. They did not believe that the Dominion voting systems, that's the party bringing this defamation suit, that these claims had any merit, that they were somehow changing votes, that they were somehow responsible for an election lie. In fact, a number of the figures at Fox News were known to say in these real-time communications that they believed that then President Trump legitimately lost the election. And part of the tension was they knew that their own viewers were very upset about this. And there was concern about the Fox News brand and upsetting their own viewers.

And so they continued publicly talking about these issues and certainly in the minds of the Dominion lawsuit, stoking and furthering claims against this company, blaming them for election lies that they claim now to be false, that have been demonstrated over the years since to not be true. So it's a stark difference. The public face of Fox News on its airwaves, the way it communicated to its viewers, and what we now can see was really happening behind the scenes. It is a really explosive content coming through the pages of this litigation. Jeff? Content that's part of a 192-page filing filled with revelations like this, against Fox. How is the company responding? Well, certainly Fox News is responding, and they are

fighting this lawsuit intensely. And part of what they're saying is that they expect there to be a lot of noise and confusion coming from this. They say that this is being cherry-picked as well. Fox, in part, says there will be noise and confusion generated by Dominion and their opportunistic private equity owners. But the core of this case remains about freedom of the press and freedom of speech, which are fundamental rights afforded by the Constitution. and protected by the famous case, New York Times v. Sullivan. So part of the Fox defense is that conspiracy theories, allegations of voter tampering or election fraud, were a part of the national conversation at the time, something that news organizations could report on.

That is something that will be contested in this case. What Dominion is saying is because Fox News, through the litigation, they are learning, they knew it to be false, but that is where the line will be drawn legally, that you can't knowingly report on things that are false and promote those things. That'll be contested in this case. The filing that happened today and a large filing yesterday where the bulk of this material comes from is actually asking for a summary judgment from the court. This case will be heard in Delaware and saying that there is so much evidence here,

the case shouldn't even go forward, that the judge should favor dominion election systems because they say they've proven these claims already. We'll see how that goes. But this is so high stakes for the company and certainly for the Fox brand. All right. Thank you, Kelly, for breaking all that down for us. Now to the ongoing Alec Murdoch saga and his murder trial, South Carolina prosecutors are resting their case after spending a full month arguing that the once prominent attorney murdered his wife and son. Now it's the defense's turn.

Katie Beck has the details. Tonight, critical witness testimony from the prosecution's closing witness, a state investigator presenting a detailed time. of the night Murdoch's wife and son were murdered. All right, so this timeline, this condensed timeline begins roughly when? Around 6 p.m. All right, on what day? June 7, 2021. Cell phone and GPS data from Murdoch's SUV.

Pinpoint when he had left his home. The data shows driving faster around the location where Maggie Murdoch's phone was located at the roadside, just 16 minutes after the time of death. Was that top speed higher than anything? any speed he achieved when he went to work earlier that day? That is correct. Testimony also revealing Murdoch was at his mother's property for 20 minutes, while he had previously given different accounts of how much time he had spent there,

telling an investigator he'd been there for 45 minutes to an hour. Cell phone data also showing he dialed 911 less than 20 seconds after he arrived at the kennels, where the bodies of his wife and son were. Despite telling investigators, he had turned them over to check for signs of life. How many seconds of that from the time the suburban arrives at the kennels and he calls 9-1-1? Roughly 20 seconds. Friday, the prosecution resting their case. State of South Carolina rests.

But not before introducing more on a potential motive for the double homicide. That the two victims, Maggie and Paul Murdoch, had discovered bags of pills in Alex's bag a month before their killings. A May 2021 voicemail message from Paul to Alec was read in court. Because when you get here, we need to talk. Mom found several bags of pills in your computer bag. This is again from Paul to Alex on May 6. This bolstering the state's argument that the perfect storm was approaching the once prominent South Carolina attorney. Whose other alleged crimes ranging from money laundering to selling painkillers to insurance fraud have now taken center-staged.

The defense pushing back saying the state's case lacks hard evidence. like an eyewitness, video, or fingerprints that showed Alec Murdoch pulled the trigger that night. There is no direct and frankly circumstantial evidence presented that the defendant shot and killed his wife, Maggie, or son Paul. Brutal murder of his son Paul. He had no DNA from Paul on his clothing in an area where you would expect to find it. The defense will now call their witnesses, which could include Murdoch's surviving son, Buster, as they fight to prove his innocence. Katie Beck, NBC News. When we come back, reality star manhunt. Authorities say they're looking for a man who once appeared on a popular MTV show, why there's now a warrant out for his arrest.

Now to Top Stories News Feed, a manhunt is underway in Illinois for a former reality star accused of soliciting sex from a minor. Conor Smith is a former contestant on MTV's Are You the One? He's now accused of sending explicit material of himself to undercover detectives who are posing as a 15-year-old girl. Authorities say Smith fled from them in a black pickup truck after they tried to arrest him during an arranged meetup. Dozens of international flights have been canceled or delayed as a power outage at New York's JFK Airport continues. The outage began in the airport's Terminal 1 on Thursday after an electrical panel failure. caused a small fire. JFK says it's hoping to resume limited service by tomorrow, but the FAA warns it could be days. Travelers are advised to check their flight status before

heading to the airport. A National Geographic announced the winners of its first Pictures of the Year competition. The grand prize went to this shot of bald eagles in Haynes, Alaska. It was taken by a software engineer from San Francisco who has a passion for wildlife photography. He'll be featured in an upcoming issue of National Geographic. Several runners-up were given honorable mentions, including this image of a volcano erupting in Iceland. Turning now to money talks, what consumers and investors need to know from the business world and beyond. New data from the New York Fed shows Americans have racked up a staggering $986 billion in credit card debt. That's a 6.6% jump in the last quarter alone. And it's part of a concern.

trend is more Americans struggle to pay off their monthly balances. Investopedia, editor-in-chief, Caleb Silver, joins us now. So, Caleb, I mean, credit card debt has been trending up for a while now. But let's look at the big picture here. Since 2014, it has jumped more than 60%. And now we're nearing a trillion dollars total. What is driving this? Yeah, well, you can blame high interest rates in the past year when the Federal Reserve

has raised interest rates. That affects credit card APRs. They're up at 19%. plus inflation. Things are costing more, so we're spending a lot more money, maybe not getting a lot more for our money, but we're spending more. But don't forget the fact that credit card companies have also been raising their credit limits for borrowers because they want to entice us to do a lot more borrowing. We weren't borrowing in 2021. We borrowed a lot last year, and we're continuing to do so in the beginning of this year. You mentioned interest rates, credit card

interest rates are even higher now because of those fed hikes. So a balance can really snowball quickly. So for people who are in credit card debt, what are the best ways to get out of it? Yeah, you've got to consolidate that debt to the lowest APR card that you have or find a card that has a lower APR, because 19% is very tough for people, especially if you're carrying a big balance. The average balance, Joe, around $6,000 per borrower. You also have to pay these off. Pay your smaller debts off first. It's hard to tackle a $5,000, $10,000 debt.

Pay the little ones off first, get some momentum, and then keep going. And then move to a balance transfer card. lot of offers out there that will happily take you. Credit car companies want you with a 0% APR for 12 to 24 months. Just don't forget the limit there because then that rate spikes up and you're going to get a balloon payment if you don't pay it off. But you can do that. Take a personal loan if you need it. We don't like to do it. But if you can get one at a lower interest rate that allows you to consolidate all that, do it. But then the most important thing, Joe, is do that inventory. Go through your bill. What subscriptions are you paying for that you don't need? What are you

paying for that you just don't use anymore, pare it down and get tight because no one wants credit card debt, especially with rates this high. Good advice there. So for people who don't have credit card debt right now, I mean, it can add up quickly. I remember when I was younger, it didn't take long for it to add up. What are some of the best practices to just avoid that debt in the first place? Well, you've got to pay off your bill every month if you can. Don't pay the minimum. There's no reason to pay $80 for a $50 sweater because you couldn't pay the full amount. So don't buy what you can afford. And if you are going to put something on credit, then make sure you have a plan to pay it off in time. Make sure you're paying off that balance every month if you can

or getting to it the next month. Those penalties rack up over time. So be careful with that. Also, use the cash-back rewards cards if you can. Might as well get paid back in cash. Put that cash back into repaying your bill. That's a smart way to keep the cycle going. All right, Caleb, Silver. Thank you so much, Caleb. Appreciate it. Coming up, the deadly avalanches overseas. At least 17 people have been killed. to look for survivors. We're going to show you the rescue efforts still underway next. To cover the news, you have to be in it. We'll take you to the front lines of the story, bringing your news feed to live. Streaming live every night. It's your news playlist.

Top Story with Tom Yamas, weeknights at 7 on NBC News Now. We're back with Top Story's Global Watch and the deadly episode. Avalanches in eastern Tajikistan. New video shows crews digging through deep snow as they search for survivors. At least 17 people are dead and several are missing after a series of avalanches hit the mountainous region. Authorities warn more avalanches could come over the next few days. In Pakistan, another deadly attack on police. Officials say a suicide bomber detonated device inside police headquarters in Karachi. At least six people were killed there.

The attack comes weeks after a suicide bomber disguised as a policeman killed more than a hundred people at a mosque in another part of the country. And rescues from the rubble are still taking place in Turkey nearly two weeks after those devastating earthquakes. New video shows rescue crews pulling a survivor out of the rubble after he had been trapped for 278 hours. That is almost 12 days. The man was taken to the hospital in serious condition. More than 41,000 people have been killed. since those earthquakes struck. Back here at home this weekend marks 81 years

since more than 125,000 Japanese Americans were ordered into internment camps on U.S. soil during World War II. NBC's Emily Aketa reports on the powerful new tribute to them, including her own family. It's a moment Rako Iwanaga traveled hundreds of miles for, a chance to see. This is the Idea Cho.

A book without a prologue, chapters, not even a single sentence. Grace Fumi Akahosu. Yes, my mother. One thousand pages of simply names. Mutsumi Iwanaga. Each representing the countless, often suppressed stories of Japanese Americans forced into what are widely known as

internment camps during World War II. Their crime, looking like the enemy. We're sitting in barracks right now. When you're exposed to this sort of thing, did the memories start to come back? Most definitely. And more than anything, I realize as an adult, how difficult it was to live five in a room with a baby and a grandfather in the conditions that we were in. 125,284 people of Japanese ancestry.

And for the first time, it's an acknowledgement of what happened. Their names have been compiled in one place for visitors like Rako and her daughter Maya to see and stamp. Why was it important for you to be with her? It's a tangible representation of what her generation and the generation before went through. It was super emotional turning that corner. It's the culmination of a three-year painstaking process led by USC professor Duncan Eukin Williams. This is a community that's been kind of disappeared and kind of written out of the American story. The very block where thousands boarded buses for camps 81 years ago is now home to the sacred book of names on display here at the Japanese American National Museum until October.

My own family was incarcerated in 1942. My grandfather, Albert Bunji Ikeda, a mere seven years old at the time. He's since passed. That's my grandfather. I'm going to get him there. So I had the chance to stamp his name for him. I just know this would be. really meaningful for him a moment mirrored by so many visitors oh so significant

making sure history doesn't repeat itself one stamp at a time emily eketa mbcbc news los angeles so significant all right when we come back a look at what to binge this weekend stay with us we're back now with Our look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend, and we have a holiday weekend. We're joined now by NBC News Internet and Culture Reporter, Callan Rosenblatt. Good to have you with us. I mean, some folks might need three days of material, so we've got plenty for the most time, right? Let's start off with some streaming stuff.

We've got Apple TV Plus and a show called Hello Tomorrow, and this is my favorite description. It's set in a retro futuristic world, which seems like two conflicting things to me. Yes, absolutely. Very different tones. This is a salesman who's actually selling timeshares on the moon. On the moon. It is a very interesting topic. I am excited to take a look at this with you.

All right, let's take a look. We live with miracles that are fingertips. We've got robots taken out of the trash. We fly to the stars. And that's what I want for you and your families. That's the dream you all deserve. Soon you folks will be saying, wow. I love living on the moon.

And now I get why it's retrofuturistic because it's got that 60s vibe it seems like going on, but then it's also obviously not something that we can do right now. Exactly. It looks like if robots invaded the 60s or vice versa. This is looking like a really great show. I've already seen a lot of rave reviews online. What I'm seeing is the show is good, but Billy Crudeup is what makes it phenomenal. People say they can't stop watching him. They love him in this particular show.

also been seeing a lot of people finding ways to make moon puns with other sort of salesman related topics. So death of a moon salesman or Glenn Mooney, Glenn Ross. So lots of fun memes coming out of this one as well. All right. You can, for that alone, you should be watching this one. All right. Let's go to Paramount Plus. They've got Star Trek Picard. This is season three, which is the final series. Of course, this follows John Luke Picard, Patrick Stewart, in the next generation of his life. Absolutely. Let's watch a clip of that one.

There is something coming. Some kind of attack. And Starfleet could be the target. There's a darkness. I'm all-consuming darkness. And it is getting stronger. John Luke, trust no one. Trust no one.

All right. We've established you and I are not Trekkies, but for the Trekkies. Yes. I was going to say that we are very clear that you and I are not Trekkies, but this could be the season that converts us. I've been seeing people saying online that this season alone could make people fans of Star Trek. It is their favorite, Star Trek fans' favorite season of any iteration ever. It is getting, again, rave reviews. People are loving this. Again, I have not watched it yet, but I don't think I might check it out. in a few weeks to see if we are. Exactly.

I have to say, I respect Trekkies. I, like, think, like, they're awesome and their emotions. So I love that, and I love that they're going to love this. All right, next up, Amazon Prime Video has Carnival Row. This is set in a Victorian fantasy world. And here's my favorite description. It is a forbidden love story between a human and a fairy. So if you think they've run out of TV ideas, they have not run out of TV ideas.

They have not. Because now we have this idea. All right, let's take a look at this clip here. apart and we can't just sit at home and do nothing. What have you got in mind? Take a closer look at what you're doing to us. I thought if we were peaceful, they'd show us mercy. But now we know the truth.

All right, I recognize some of those folks, including Orlando Bloom, right? Yep, and Caradella Levine. You know, it seems like this episode has a lot of, like, crossovers, right? We had, like, futuristic 60s, and now we have, like, Victorian high fantasy. So I keep seeing people, again, on social media online, say, if you're a big fan of high fantasy, like, that is your bread and butter, this is for you. You have to check this out. It's on season two. If you're not for high fantasy, maybe skip this one.

But if you do like that genre, if you like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, any of those other kind of TV shows or movies, this is for you. I love how we're just mixing all the genres now. Eras. There are no rules right now, right? Mix and match. It's all good. Baries and humans, all right. Next up, let's go back to Apple TV Plus. But this is a movie. It's called Sharper. It's got huge names. Julianne Moore, John Lithgow, Sebastian Stan. Story about a mother and his son who actually plot to take down Manhattan billionaires.

Let's check out a clip of that one. All that work for $1,000. If you're going to steal, steal a lot. What are you doing here? Just wanted to say hi. A lot of good time. All right, cool. See your round, Dad.

I always assumed my son who'd inherit all this. He doesn't have the fortitude. He's weak. All right, I'm getting succession vibes here. Oh yeah. And you know what? I'm a sucker for anything A24. This is an A24 project.

So I kind of feel like if it's A24, it's worth a watch at bare minimum. But this looks great. Again, if you're really like into like cons or like, you know, those sort of like, From the 90s, I'd always have kind of like a con at the heart of it. Like, this is bringing that back. This is totally for people looking for that kind of movie this weekend.

And if you're going to cast an evil billionaire, who better than John Lithgow, right? The perfect casting. Pitch perfect casting. All right, a dark thriller there. All right. And now we've got a docu series on Netflix. It's called Full Swing. This one, I guess, just really follows some golf professionals through a season, right?

Yep, absolutely. All right, let's check it out. There is a power struggle going on. golf? You've got this existential threat to the game of golf in the Saudi-backed league called live golf. They're throwing astronomical money to people, and everything's got a price, I guess. I understand. I'm going to get for it, and I'm totally cool with that. Straight up, are you going to live? Ooh, look at that look right there in the camera. I like that one a lot. I mean, so, I mean,

some people might argue this might be more dramatic than an actual, you know, golf tournament. Yeah, absolutely. It might be. It might be. And, you know, again, we're making admissions, you know, not Star Trek fans. I'm not a big golf person, but I love a sports documentary. Like, give me the last dance, give me this. I will binge the whole thing. And, you know, there's some interesting information in this, which I didn't know, is that there is a Saudi-backed golf league that is now competing with the PGA tour.

It's really interesting. And also, you know, in sports, there's always these incredible stories. There's a lot of drama. So I am really looking forward to binging this this weekend. And that is a super controversial topic right now, People saying, like Tiger Woods, we are definitely not going to live in others who are. Exactly. It's become a big thing.

To see that captured behind the scenes is going to be very interesting. Huge. Let's shift gears now. Say you got your streaming done for the weekend. Now you want to listen to some music. We've got something from an artist called NF. I mean, this is huge right now. It was just released last night on YouTube.

Let's show a clip of that one. Don't get me wrong. Nature had a great ride. Why? It's time to give the people something different. So without further, do I like to introduce my album, my album, my album, my album, my album, my album, my album, my album, my album, my album, my album. Hope. Incredible.

It's blowing up overnight with more than two million views. It is a number one song on YouTube. You know, if it's not on TikTok yet, give it a countdown for about midnight to night, and it will be trending there, too. This is going to be a huge hit. And I should point out, the song was called Hope, which we just heard at the very end there. That's the title of the song. And so his name is N.F.

He is a rapper. He released his first EP back in 2014. So that's definitely something to watch right now. Oh, absolutely. And it's amazing how you use YouTube right now to get out music instead of, you know, the radio, like when I was used. Yeah, well, you know what helps artists to promote themselves and kind of go around the So it's cool to see them blowing up this way.

All right. Here's someone I have heard of, and that's BB Rex. So Heart wants what it wants. It's a 1970s-inspired music video sticking with our theme of retro. I don't know if it's futuristic, but... Yeah, but mix and matching genres, right? Let's check it out and take a listen. All right, only wants what it wants, what he wants, what he wants,

till it doesn't, and it's all right. All right, I feel like I want to do aerobics now. Oh, yeah, absolutely. It's taken you right to the 70s. And, Joe, I hope this isn't controversial to say, but I feel like she's giving Miley a little bit in this. Like I get like a Miley Cyrus vibe from her, which I love. So can't wait to...

That's a compliment. Yes, a huge compliment. Yes, I love Miley, love Bibi. This song is awesome to me, and I will be having that on my Spotify this weekend. All right, so much to listen to, so much to watch for. Callan Rosa Blad, thank you so much for helping us find all the things that we need to binge on this holiday weekend. We appreciate it. And thank you so much for watching Top Story for Tom Yamis.

I'm Joe Fryer in New York. Stay right here. More news now on the way.