Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, January 31, 2025

Episode Date: February 1, 2025

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Good evening. We're following breaking news as we come on the air. A small plane crashing in northern Philadelphia. We will bring you the latest from the scene as soon as we get the reporter and some of those images that are coming in. This comes as investigators say they have the black box voice recorder from the helicopter involved in that deadly plane collision at Reagan National Airport. Those recorders expected to give us insight into what was happening inside the chopper just before the moments of the crash. Right now, barge is on their way to help with salvage operations and pull the wreckage

from two debris fields. New video first obtained by CNN showing a clearer picture of that crash. You see the helicopter. There's terrible coming behind the plane and the debris then falling into the water. This 3D map illustrating the flight paths of both aircraft and how they ended up on a collision course, but certainly not the why. And this evening, we're learning so much more about the lives lost and the devastating crash. right here. A couple going to visit their daughter at college, Olympic hopefuls, avid hunters,

and devoted flight attendants, and pilots among countless others. Today, the Army also identifying two of the soldiers involved in the crash withholding the name of the third at the request of her family. This evening, Reagan National Airport coming under renewed scrutiny. DCA was designated to handle 15 million travelers annually, but that number has now climbed to 25 million. And just last year, Congress added more long-haul flights. Right now, the airport sees roughly 800 landings and takeoffs per day. We have so much to get to, including the close call at the same airport just a day before. NBC aviation correspondent Tom Costello has the latest. With thick fog hanging over the Potomac River, the black boxes from

the regional jet and the Black Hawk helicopter are now at the NTSB lab in D.C. for a complete readout. We have a high level of confidence that we will be able to get a full download in the very near future. On the river, divers spent the day working to recover more victims remains. The D.C. Fire Chief says as of this morning, 41 bodies have been recovered, 28 of them positively identified. With victims still in the water, a salvage team will soon work to raise the fuselage. For us to recover the rest of the remains that we are going to need to get the fuselage out of the water. On any given day, some 100 helicopters fly in and around Reagan Airport airspace. Many of the them, military flights. Today, the FAA announced it is restricting helicopter traffic around the

airport to all the police and MEDAVAC flights. New video, which first aired on CNN, offers a more clear view of the crash. Today, President Trump again said the chopper was flying too high. It was above the 200 limit by double. It shouldn't have been there. Investigative sources tell NBC news the chopper may have been flying at 350 to 400 feet when it crashed in. It was about to the plane. You have to be 200 feet and below. That's because landing traffic is coming literally over the top of you. Retired Marine Colonel John Siligoy spent decades flying choppers in and around D.C. airspace and says the Black Hawk was clearly flying out of its zone. And he says air traffic controllers should have been much more direct in their commands to the

chopper pilot. You have to be very specific. And then directive in this case. He might have made a call like Pat 25, turn left 90 degrees immediately, or Pat 25, turn right 90 degrees. He didn't do that. The day before the crash, another regional jet aborted its landing, also at Reagan National, after receiving a cockpit warning of helicopter traffic. So, Biggerard, 45, 14 is going around. It's turning out to 250, 3,000. What is the reason for they go around? We had an RA with the helicopter traffic below us. Right here, 45. On Wednesday, just a single controller was handling both helicopter and plane traffic after a supervisor allowed one controller to leave early.

For years, the airport has struggled with understaffing in the tower, and TSB investigators will interview controllers about Wednesday's crash and air traffic volume at DCA. Our job is to come out with the probable cause, but then more importantly, make recommendations so that this type of tragedy never, occurs again. Tom Costello joins us tonight. Tom, I want to go back to those black boxes now at the NTSB lab for analysis. We heard the NTSB said they're starting to download the black boxes from the passenger jet. They just got the Black Hawk ones. When do you think we'll know more about those recordings? Yeah, and incidentally, by the way, the cockpit voice recorder from the regional jet had water inside it, but the NTSB says their labs should be able to extract the data. They're drying that CVR out right now.

As for getting a readout, they hope to have that by tomorrow, though they probably won't share that immediately anyway, at least not publicly. And then Tom, I know you have some new reporting about the American Airlines flight number 5342 that was involved in the crash. Yeah, I was just double-checking the number here in front of me, Tom, because American Airlines has decided that it is now going to retire that flight number, 5342 that was associated with this horrific accident here at Reagan National. That flight will no longer exist for American Airlines. All right. Tom Costello for us, Tom, we thank you for that. We want to turn to that breaking news right now in our affiliate in Philadelphia as they cover that plane crash

that's happened in the northern part of the city. Let's listen in. Commercial buildings, but we were in a residential section where we were seeing that smoke coming from. You can probably see some smoke behind me. And I'm just going to step out of the way to see what we can see right now. We have seen smoke in the air throughout the area. And officers really just trying to move people out of certain areas and keep them away from areas where they need to be working. We've seen multiple emergency vehicles. I can see a fire department vehicle in front of me right now. I can see two fire department vehicles in front of me right now. Many police vehicles. And as you might imagine. Police on foot, also in the neighborhoods surrounding where I am now,

trying to move people out from where they need to be. That small street that we were on, as we were backing out to get out of that street, and people, dozens of people who were on foot coming toward us, we could see the police then blocking that street off with red tape as we backed out to make sure that no one else was coming in that area. We are at this staging area right now. now waiting for police to give us some more detailed information. I know Deanna Durante has been getting information from her sources about what what is believed to have happened and what they are dealing with on the ground here. We are here waiting to get more information from police about their operation, what they've seen and what they're able to tell us about this. That's what

we are seeing right now. We are still seeing people on foot trying to kind of get a handle on this situation. Again, just as I came on, I heard Tracy talking about it being a mess getting around in this area. That is true. I would not recommend coming anywhere near this area. Police are trying to get a handle on things. They need this area and don't want additional people in here to try to make more congestion in this area. getting to that area as the media you just wonder how hard it is for medical personnel to get to that area and of course we don't know how many people need to be treated we know two people were on board that plane but Lauren as you

were describing this is a heavily congested area heavily trafficked and there are numerous businesses there are numerous homes the plane went down it looked like it was just behind a complex so a lot of people curious wanting to know of their family. Friends are okay. They're co-workers, but at the same time, they're advising people to stay out of the way for two reasons, because there was so much congestion. We can hear the fire trucks arriving and they need to get to that scene, but also because they're warning people about the fumes and the smoke and telling people to keep their windows raised and their windows closed because of that danger as well. Yeah, and it's interesting, Jacqueline, as you say

that, sometimes we come to a scene and you can smell the smoke right away. That's not the case. here. I'm not smelling a lot of smoke. It's possible that it's because it's raining right now and that might be washing some of that away, but it is not a scene where you are getting an overwhelming whiff of smoke from the fires that we know have been burning here. But what you mentioned about this area is certainly true. This is an area where you have commercial businesses and also residential right butted up against each other and with a very, very, very busy highway between them. So that makes this area extremely challenging for law enforcement for first responders to try to get a handle on things. It's also a Friday night. You would expect that people might be

out. They might be stopping at the McDonald's. They might be picking out something to eat. Again, you can hear the sirens still going through and I'm taking a look behind our camera to see what that is that is going through it looks like it is an ambulance some sort of medical it's a fire department medical vehicle a fire department medical vehicle that's that's going through there and this part of the street that actually where it's turning onto they do have parts of the road actually blocked off where there are no cars moving on it you can see there that that medical vehicle is able to sort of get down that street without having to interact with any other cars. This stretch of things is shut down. It was difficult for us to even get here. We thought we might have to walk. We

thought we might have to park a little ways away and walk in and we were able to get in a little closer. Actually, let me spin you around. Bruce, if you could spin around there and I'll just give you a sense of where we are here. This is Roosevelt Mall here. You can see the Macy's. over there and you can see that they have we've been listening to the ongoing breaking news coverage from our affiliate there in philadelphia covering this plane crash in the northern part of the city i do want to play for you some ring cam video that has come in i'm not going to talk over it because i want you to listen to it we do want to give you a warning here it is incredibly graphic but we do want to show you what's happened in philadelphia

I'm going to ask our director, Brett. I don't know if you can roll that first one as well. If we have sound on that one, it's okay. I guess we apparently don't have the sound on that one. Joining us here is Todd. I'm sorry, Todd Yeri, who's a former air traffic controller out of Chicago. Todd, we've been watching this together. And when you see that video, it is horrific.

We know very little, but there are some that you know, and you can speak to from your expertise. Talk to us about what you've seen and what seems strange. Well, there was a takeoff clearance, so air traffic control cleared the aircraft. There's the proximity to the airport about four miles. Something happened either right as the aircraft is lifting up. You can look at the incline or the decline, the descent being rather steep. Something happened rather catastrophically after the aircraft lifted off, and we don't know what it is. What do we know about this jet?

It's a Lear jet, correct? We know that it was a MedVAC plane, if you will, it carries passengers. It had flown from Miami to north, east Philadelphia, that it was heading to Missouri from what we know. But this type of jet, I mean, it's a high-performance piece of aviation. It is a high-performance jet. It is very reliable. It is very unusual to see what we've just witnessed. And so something that we can't identify yet must have influenced.

When a plane is flying like that and then it seems to just nosedive down, what usual? is the cause of that? It could be a number of things. What we do know is there's a loss of flight control, and so we know that's the case. We don't know if there's something inside on the flight deck or something outside the airplane that actually caused this.

We were listening a little bit to the forecast and the weather conditions at takeoff. When you were listening to that, was there anything out of the ordinary? It was raining a little bit. You can kind of see that the video, in some of this video, that the weather wasn't great.

Nothing that I heard from the weather report for an instrument flight rule's takeoff. It seemed like that would be what we might come across on any day. A little bit of rain, you can still take off. A little bit of rain. You've got good visibility. Obviously, there's nothing to impede the airplane lifting off that we've heard, nothing around ice or low temperatures.

So I don't think it's so much the weather. I think there's something else that interview. It was about four miles from the airport, from what our local affiliate has reported so far. Does that tell us anything if it were to have some type of catastrophic mechanical failure? It doesn't tell us much. It tells us it happened relatively quickly after takeoff. That much we do know.

We don't know how high in altitude the aircraft had reached before the descent occurred. But what we do know is that shortly after takeoff air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft. When it happens earlier than maybe towards the middle or the end of the flight, does it make it any more difficult for the pilot to somehow try to save the aircraft in any way? There are just moments when you just can't? It depends on the issue. And that's why it's always hard to kind of try to figure these things out until you get to the core questions.

It's hard to know. On jets like that before takeoff, are they routinely inspected? Are they inspected at different points, you know, throughout their flight hours? How does that work? That's an airworthiness question. I think that would have to come down to someone from the agency who's dealing with certification. Okay. Todd, we appreciate that.

And we will be right back. We're back now with the new controversy swirling around a groundbreaking Oscar nominee Carlos Sophia Gascong, the actress who made history with her nomination for her lead role in Amelia Perez, now coming under fire for resurfaced posts on social media, where she made offensive comments towards Muslims, George Floyd, and the Oscars themselves. NBC's Chloe Malas explains. The light always wins over darkness. Carlos Sophia Gascone, the first openly trans actress nominated for a Golden Globe,

with a message of acceptance and inclusion, just a few weeks ago. when Netflix's Amelia Perez won Best Picture musical comedy at the Golden Globes. But tonight, Gascon apologizing for a series of offensive posts she made on X. Writer Sarah Haggy capturing these messages translated from Gascon's native Spanish before she deleted her account amid the growing backlash. In one from 2016, calling Islam an infection that urgently needs to be cured. In another saying George Floyd, whose death at the hands of Minneapolis police launched a national reckoning with racism was, quote, a drug addict and a hustler, as well as comparing diversity at the 2021 Oscars in the wake of his death, to quote, an Afro-Korea festival, calling it an ugly gala. NBC News could not independently verify the authenticity of these posts. But in a statement, Gascon apologizing, saying in part, as someone in a marginalized community, I know.

this suffering all too well, and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain. In recent weeks, Gascon had been called a trailblazer for also making history as the first openly trans actor to be nominated at this year's Academy Awards. Gascon's performance as a cartel boss who enlists the help of a lawyer to fake their death and undergo a gender-affirming procedure to live a more authentic life, being hailed, alongside her co-star and fellow nominee Zoe Saldana. The role, an empowering moment for the actress who says she is often the target of anti-trans hate. The hate that she's received online has really galvanized her.

She's received death threats. Julian Sankton, the features editor at the Hollywood Reporter, interviewed Gascon, last year. She showed me some of the screenshots when we were in Madrid together, and she said it was her gasoline to keep fighting. But now, some calling for her Oscar nomination to be rescinded. This is the movie we had to give attention to, really? There is not a world where I see Carla keeping her Oscars nomination. I think her comments should disqualify her, along with these tweets.

She shouldn't even attend the Oscars. The Academy of Motion Pictures, which has revoked nominations only a handful of times in its almost 100-year history, has not immediately responded to NBC News's request for comment. It is definitely serious, especially for somebody like Carlos Sophia Gascon, whose campaign and whose sort of awards momentum were driven by an enthusiasm to support this history-making role and nomination. But the Oscars have had scandal-plagued honorees before. In 2006, Mel Gibson went on an anti-Semitic rant when pulled over for a DUI.

Haxaw Ridge. But a little over a decade later, his film Haxaw Ridge won two Oscars, and Gibson was nominated for Best Director. With just over one month until Hollywood's biggest night, it's unclear whether this could affect Gascone's chances for a historic triumph. Chloe Malas now joins us. So, Chloe, how bad is the timing of all this for Gascone? Because the voting hasn't even started on the final winners for the Oscars just yet. All these headlines are out there, the apology, and all this social media history. Tom, it could not be worse timing. Voting for the Academy Awards begins in just over a week. And this was supposed to be, exciting moment, right? The first openly trans actress to not only be nominated for a Golden

Globe to be nominated for an Academy Award. And I think what's most telling is that Netflix, they have not said anything. They have released Gascon's statement. The Golden Globes hasn't said anything. SAG hasn't said anything. And neither has the Academy because she actually criticized the Academy Awards in 2021. And I always find scandals like this interesting, Tom. When you think about somebody going into award season like this, wouldn't people be looking at her social media and scrubbing? You never want to leave a paper trail because past is precedent in Hollywood. You know, Hollywood and the Oscars, they are no strangers to scandal. Look at Mel Gibson.

Look at plenty of people who have been outspoken in Hollywood. It's mind-boggling to think that these tweets existed and nobody did anything about it or thought that these would not cause some sort of a controversy. And this is just the beginning of what I'm sure is going to be. be looming over the Oscars over the next coming weeks. All right, Chloe, we thank you for that. When we come back, the landslide rocking laguna, the video from Southern California, as piles of debris and rocks take out a popular staircase, the beach closure is now in effect. Stay with us.

Back now with Top Stories News Feed, starting with the deadly hyperbaric chamber explosion in Michigan. This is a sad one. The chamber combusted at a medical facility north of Detroit while a five-year-old boy was inside. He was killed and his mother was injured. Hyperbaric chambers are very flammable because they contain 100% pressurized oxygen. Multiple state agencies are investigating the incident. And this just in the New York Times reporting, CBS News is set to hand over the transcript of its 60-minute interview with Kamala Harris to the FCC. The interview became the subject of a $10 billion lawsuit brought against the national. network by President Trump. He accused him of editing the interview for Harris's benefit ahead

of the election. According to the Times, CBS News will now comply with an FCC request for the unedited transcript. A transcript of the interview was never released to the public. A landslide taking out the popular thousand steps in Laguna Beach. Video shows part of a bluff collapsed right under Holmes. That staircase in a walking path destroyed. Luckily, no one was hurt, but city officials close the beach until further notice. The cause of the landslide is unclear, but comes after Southern California's first significant rain of the season. And Hawaii hit with a powerful storm system causing severe thunderstorms, flash floods, and hurricane force winds, even blizzards? The island chain receiving up to six inches of rain turning roads into rivers, thunderstorms bringing

winds as high as 120 miles per hour, knocking out power thousands and downing trees, and flights were grounded across the state, the Big Island, declaring a state of emergency. Now to the latest on the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. Federal officials had odds with local law enforcement in upstate New York after an undocumented Mexican citizen was released from jail despite ICE's request to keep him in custody. The Justice Department now launched an investigation to that county sheriff. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez has more. With ICE agents ramping up arrests across the country,

Today, tonight the Trump administration is escalating its showdown with local law enforcement over illegal immigration. The Justice Department launching an investigation into Democrat Derek Osborne, the sheriff of Tompkins County in upstate New York. After an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who pleaded guilty to assault was released from jail in Ithaca, despite ICE's request to keep him in custody. The acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General calling the local sheriff's office a self-described sanctuary city that appears to have failed to honor a valid federal arrest warrant. It's an early test of the president and his border czar's promise to take on Democratic-run sanctuary cities.

Do you plan to prosecute public officials who don't help you? You can't noily harbor and conceal an illegal alien from ICE. That's a felony. So don't cross the line. And it comes just days after the president signed

the Lake and Riley Act, giving more power to ICE. We're moving with urgency and speed to get these vicious and violent criminals to hell out of our country. In a written statement, the Tompkins County Sheriff's Office says it followed the law and did notify ICE when the individual was going to be released, adding, DOJ's assertion that the Tompkins County Sheriff did anything to put federal law enforcement officers in danger is false and offensive. All right, Gabe Gutierrez joins us now in studio here in Washington. So Gabe, this is really interesting, right?

And I want to pick up where you left off there. The sheriff says, look, I did nothing wrong. The Trump administration says, yes, you did. They're threatening him. Yeah, and legal experts, some advocates say that that sheriff is under no legal obligation to hold these undocumented immigrants longer, you know, than the 48 hours for that ICE detainer. But the Trump administration is really trying to make an example out of some of these local officials.

They've been promising this for a long time, and now they're trying to make good on that promise. They're threatening to bring civil lawsuits against these local officials if they stand in the way. But the question will be, how many, how far will these local officials take this really around the country? This could be a test case in upstate New York. Gabe, we thank you for that. We want to move overseas now to the Middle East where Hamas is set to release three more hostages tomorrow. Among them is 65-year-old American Keith Siegel, a North Carolina native, taken during the October 7th attack in Israel. The new exchange coming just days after a chaotic hostage release,

in Gaza that threatened to derail a Palestinian prisoner exchange. For more on tomorrow's release, Keir Simmons joins me now from Tel Aviv. So, Keir, what can you tell us? Hey, Tom, what a blustery and cold night here in Tel Aviv, the night before a important day, a day that President Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, told us this week would happen tomorrow, Saturday, and that is the release of the first American hostage in more than a year, the first during this ceasefire. Keith Seagal will be released. tomorrow, according to the Israelis, given the list of three by Hamas.

And his release will be poignant because his wife was a hostage too. She was released more than a year ago. She's talked about the moment when they had to separate. And now there will be this moment tomorrow when they are reunited. There are others, too. Yardin Bibas will be released tomorrow according to the list. That will be really bittersweet because his wife and two children, including his little boy Kaffir, who was just nine months old when they were taken hostage, there is no sign of them.

And so we don't know whether he knows that his family is still missing. Of course he knows that he was taken hostage with them. We don't know whether he knows that the concerns about them, the fears for them have been rising and rising. And so that will be a very difficult day. These releases are always bittersweet, but particularly tomorrow. And then just politically, Tom, what we expect Prime Minister Netanyahu to be in Washington next week.

He will be the first world leader to meet with President Trump, just showing just how important this peace process is to the Trump administration. And then next week two will be potentially the beginning of talks for phase two of the deal. That phase two involves more hostages being released if we get there. So it will be more fragile days, more difficult days, more days of optimism and hope and holding on, and then also stories of real pain, Tom. Keir Simmons for us, Keir, we thank you. And when we come back, China's new military move, the massive command center being built in Beijing,

including nuclear-resistant bunkers. what U.S. officials are saying about that facility tonight. We're back now with the growing tensions over the Panama Canal. New Secretary of State Marco Rubio expected to face a showdown on his first international trip to the country tomorrow. His visit already met with protest as President Trump threatens to seize control over a major and critical waterway to global trade. NBC's Andrew Mitchell is there with more. In Panama, flags are flying high, raised in defiance of President Trump's threat to take back the Panama Canal.

A canal Panama has operated for decades and says is not controlled by anyone else, including China, and won't give up. The ship is about to move to the next chamber. Jaime Treyano works at the canal and is a canal historian. The Panama Canal is operated by the Panama Canal Authority, which is 100% Panamanian. Not by China. Panamanians. The canal was opened in 1914 at a cost to the U.S. of $352 million,

but was turned over to Panama in 1999. Ships sailing through the canal go only 51 miles. That cuts the distance from Atlantic to Pacific by more than 9,000 miles, cutting the distance and the time by more than a month. That saves millions of dollars for businesses and consumers in the U.S. A Chinese company does operate ports at either end of the canal, but other ports are operated

by the U.S. and Taiwan. Former U.S. officials confirm American ships don't pay more than any other countries, as the president has said. Still, Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday doubled down on President Trump's claims. The government in China in a conflict tells them shut down the Panama Canal, they will have to. That is a direct threat. Jorge Kihano administered the canal when Vice President Pence visited in 2017.

and worked there for 44 years. Instead of bringing in the hammer, extend the hand. And I think we'll get much further than what we are now, because the canal will not go back to the United States. People here say Panama is America's closest ally in the region, cracking down on illegal migration and drugs. A message Panama's president plans to deliver to Secretary of State Rubio tomorrow. Tom?

We will be watching that visit closely. All right, Andrea, we thank you for that. Now to Top Stories Global Watch and a check of what else is happening around the world. We start in Venezuela, where a top Trump official met with President Nicolas Maduro. Special missions envoy Richard Grinnell seen shaking hands with Maduro in Caracas late today. The U.S. State Department says the purpose of this trip is to urge Venezuela to take back migrants who have committed crimes in the U.S. and are being deported and to call for the release of Americans who are currently imprisoned there. The administration says the visit is not intended to legitimize Maduro who the U.S.

U.S. does not recognize as the winner of Venezuela's last election. And Nicaragua reforming its constitution to allow the president and his wife to serve as co-presidents. Under this new constitution, President Daniel Ortega and his wife, the current vice president, Rosario Murillo, will serve together in a term that is now six years instead of five. Critics say the reform is a power grab for Otega and his family whose party already controls all government branches. And China reportedly building the world's largest. military center just outside of Beijing. Satellite images, you see them obtained by the Financial Times, show a roughly 1,500-acre

complex, roughly 10 times the size of the Pentagon. Military experts say the compound will have bomb-proof bunkers for top officials in the event of a nuclear attack. Several U.S. officials told the Financial Times they are monitoring that state. All right, still ahead tonight, we continue to remember the lives lost in the devastating American Airlines plane crash. One ice skating club in Boston morning the loss. of six of its members, when we come back the moment their fellow skaters found the strength

to get back out on the ice. We are back now with a snowboarder's incredible story of survival, braving frigid temperatures and a winter storm for two days after getting lost on a California mountain. NBC Los Angeles reporter Christian Casares talks with the man, just thankful to be alive. I still have all the feeling in my feet. It was just a little more. or they still feel like little pins and needles a little bit. 35-year-old Malachi Garcia opening up from his hospital room in Pomona about his Sunday trip to the ski resort in Wrightwood with his friends.

I just remember it was actually one of our first runs, so I didn't know I was going the wrong way. It seemed like I was going the right way. Garcia says he realized something wasn't right when the terrain changed. It said in my head like, okay, I'm on the back of the hill. Like, I'm not going to be able to climb back up. As Garcia shows us the minor scrapes on his body, he recalls going into survival mode when he realized he was lost. I do quite a bit of outdoorsy things. I do quite a bit of hiking and things.

As the search began that day to find him a big winter storm rolled into the area, dumping several inches of snow and the temperatures dropping down to the upper teens. Unfortunately, the weather was just not going to allow us to do that. It was pretty frustrating. We know obviously when people go missing, especially in the winter, time is critical. Like I said, I just kept moving. So as I'm moving, my body's staying hot. There was snow in the gloves. So I would take them off intermittently and just glow on my hands, get him as warm as I could.

It was those skills, Garcia says, kept him alive for 48 hours. But it was a walking path in the snow that helped search and rescue crews find him to He didn't have any, you know, obvious signs of injury. He didn't have any medical complaints. He was pretty emotional. He was cold, obviously. Today, Garcia says he is thankful for the second chance he's been given to live and to see his family again. And I'm thankful to God for that.

I mean, I'm just very thankful that he's alive and home. It's been an emotional roller coaster. But when we asked him the toughest question, are you planning on going back? Snowboarding? Yeah. And he says he is ready to go back and start snowboarding again. But again, Garcia says he is feeling good.

He is actually expected to be relieved from the hospital over the next few days. But the LA Sheriff's Department, they tell me this is a great reminder for anyone who plans to be doing any outdoor activity, especially in severe weather, to have a plan, make sure that you have a partner, you tell someone where you're going to be at, and also carry a phone in case there is an emergency that is the one item that Garcia forgot to pack. In Pomona, Christian Cossett's NBC 4 News. And finally tonight, we wanted to check back in with the Skating Club of Boston. As we told you last night, they're mourning the loss of six of their members who died in that devastating mid-air crash on Wednesday night.

Among them, up-and-coming young skaters, dedicated parents, and beloved coaches. Sam Brock was there as the club got back on the ice. today honoring those loss with resilience. 36 hours after this rink went silent. And world-renowned skater Jimmy Ma is back on the ice in Boston. None of us want to hear music today, but because we have that job, we have to. They would want us to. Losing six members of this skating community, he says, felt akin to losing family.

All of them were pillars of our community. But to me personally, like Jen and Gina, like just... They've had a massive impact. Ma referring to the family of 13-year-old Gina Hahn, who three years ago shared her dreams with NBC Boston. I really want to go to the Olympic step by step. Today, her coach saying that goal was in sight. Gina's nickname was Gina Starina. She was a little star.

With the breathtaking sweeps of the synchronized skaters and other athletes like Ma returning to practice, the plan is crystallizing on how to honor the lives of Gina and her mom. Spencer Lane and his mom, and coaches Vadim Naumov and Jena Shishkova. You feel like your role has expanded? Yes. In light of the hole, the emotional hole that's been created. These kids would have wanted us to shine. These kids would have wanted us to push.

These kids would not want to see us give up. That projection of strength, extending far beyond the skating club of Boston to a global stage. I think that we're looking at this now as not only the championships, but an opportunity for the figure skating community to gather together, to remember those loss. Leslie Graham is one of the managing directors helping to bring the figure skating world championships to Boston in two months.

We're going to feel like everyone is coming to our home and our home has had some really big changes over the last 24, 48 hours. But I do think that this community, this worldwide community will come together in those moments and support each other. Those sentiments, in fact, already appear to be streaming in. We've had support from Thailand, Japan, France, the U.K., all the different federations have shown their support for the Skating Club of Boston and for U.S. figure skating in general.

What does that tell you? It's a big world, but it's a tight community. As Ma and his fellow skaters are showing, tragedy won't define this group. but it will reveal its essential love and connection. If I could leave a lasting impact on these youngsters, that would mean the world to me. And it starts with us being strong for this situation. Sam Brock, NBC News, Norwood, Massachusetts. We thank Sam Brock for that story, and we thank you for watching Top Story

and what has been a very difficult week for so many. I'm Tom Yamas reporting from Washington, D.C. tonight. Stay right there. More news on the White. way.