Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, March 14, 2025

Episode Date: March 15, 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. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. Right now, we're just minutes away from liftoff. That SpaceX rocket set to send astronauts into space. So astronauts Sonny Williams and Bush Wilmore, who have been up there for nine months now, can finally come home. This is the second attempt after a hydraulic issue caused the first launch to get called off on Wednesday. We're taking a live look right here at the launch pad. Let's get right to NBC News, aviation correspondent Tom Costello, who is live tonight for us at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Tom, we are in the last moments of the countdown here. Walk us through what we're singing and what you're hearing. Yep. T-minus three minutes and five seconds at this point. 7.03 p.m. Eastern time is the

actual launch time. Again, this is crew tan. Two American astronauts, one Russian cosmonaut, one Japanese astronauts, all headed to the International Space Station, part of a normal crew rotation to spend six months up there. But once they are on site, of course, at the station, that will allow Butch and Sonny and the rest of their crew nine to come home in their spaceship that they have had docked to the station since September. They've been there much longer than expected, as you well know. They had gone up for a 10-day mission. They've been there for now more than nine months. Sorry. So far, all things are going well. I've got emission control in my ear as well. They've been tanking, and when they actually lift all the off, they'll be consuming 700 gallons per second between liquid oxygen and liquid kerosene. So this is a very, very extensive and just listening as we go here, very, very extensive procedure that they have carried out, making sure they understood the problem from two nights ago when they had to scrub the launch, and they did that because a clamp that was holding the rocket to the structure on the ground, suddenly was developing a problem.

That's been resolved, and so now all systems are go with 95% chance of go because of the weather being so good. Beautiful day here in Florida. Ellison, they need, ideally, to get this off the ground tonight because the weather gets very volatile, as you know, in the southern U.S. over the next few days. Separately, I would just give you the timeline for when Sunny and Butch might be able to come home with crew nine. If all goes well, this crew, crew, crew 10, would dock at the state. station at about 11.30 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday night. They would then float into the station early Sunday morning, very early. Butch and Sonny would probably un-doch, probably on Wednesday, splashdown, probably on Thursday, either in the Gulf or in the Atlantic Ocean. So as we approach

now a minute and five seconds to T-minus, a minute, five seconds, let me listen. the rocket itself. The ton of water absorbs and prevents the sound from hitting the structure and reverberating back onto the rocket. And that call out for auto idle puts the rocket in a state the flight computers understand before it takes over, making sure the transition to final countdown is smooth and all the flight computers on board are in sync and configured for launch. So Alison, let me just explain something for our viewers here. There is about a 20-second delay right from where I am, real time, to the image you're seeing, right? So bottom line is, that's why I say, it's about T-minus 20 seconds,

and you're showing it's going to take a little bit longer than that. Bottom line is we're getting very close right now. You know, Tom, it was so powerful to hear about when it was about T-minus 10 minutes. We heard the commander Ann McLean thank all of the individuals who have made this mission possible. Remind us when Butch and Sonny come back, well, let's actually go ahead and listen as we're getting close to 30 seconds. Waiting to watch crew 10 take off today. T-minus 15. T-minus 10, 5, 6, 7, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 3, 3, 2, 1,000, ignition.

We're going to move up cruise in now forward to the National Space Station. 1.7 million pounds of thrust now propelling Falcon 9 and 4.10. We're continuing to get good call-outs on the first stage performance so far. over here at the Kennedy Space Center as Falcon 9 lifts off with Crew Tan. Absolutely beautiful, perfect launch so far. We're now 40 seconds into today's flight. And you need to get good performance. Listen very clear.

Listen carefully for Max Q at 58 seconds in. That's maximum dynamic pressure. Max Q. What great timing that was. great timing that was. We just passed through Max Q. That's the largest structural load that the vehicle will see on Ascent. Vehicle supersonic. Critical moment there, passed perfectly. We're now just over one minute and ten seconds into today's flight, traveling up more than 1,400 miles per hour.

And we just heard that call out for Juan Bravo, which means we're in the second and final abort mode for the first stage, continuing to get good performance. to get good performance and the crew already pulling over two G's next step we'll have a couple of events happening in rapid succession first will be that engine chill on the second stage and back engine which we just heard and then we'll have miko or main engine cut off where the nine engines on the first stage will cut off ahead of the first and second stages we'll be separating from one another then the single merlin vacuum engine on the second stage will ignite and continue to carry crew through 10 to orbit while the first stage begins its journey back to Earth. Now we're just two minutes into today's flight.

The vehicle is traveling just under 4,000 miles per hour. We're just about 20 seconds away from those events that Anna just mentioned. The nine Merlin engines will shut down here in just about 10 seconds for MECO. Stage separation and SES 1. Yeah, two minutes, 30 seconds. We'll get first and second stage separation. Stage separation, confirmed. Copy, two alpha.

Great callouts and incredible views there on your left-hand screen. On your left-hand screen, you can see a view from stage one. And an extremely excited crowd here in Hawthorne. Awesome views of that boostback burn on the first stage. as well as the M-back engine igniting on the second stage. Great views there. Now the booster isn't its boost-back burn. This is the first of three burns as it makes its way back down to Earth.

This will last about 45 seconds. And the crew, 10 crew, is still on board dragon attached to Falcon 9 second stage, which you can see there on your right-hand screen. And we're now at three minutes and 20 seconds in today's fight. The vehicle is traveling about 6,500 miles per hour. They are on their way to the space station, and we did have that confirmation coming up of the boost back shutdown, and then coming up at the T-plus-6-minute mark. And there we have our first images of the crew inside the dragon spacecrafts as they make their way into orbit. Dragon, SpaceX, nominal trajectory.

Continuing to get good call-outs. Dragon, copy nominal. Stage two continues beyond power with, and it's firing until we get to that second stage engine cutoff around the nine-minute mark of flight, about five minutes of flight to go before Dragon will be flying free. Some cool views there on your left-hand screen. That's the first stage booster as it's making its way back down to Earth. This is a ground tracking camera getting these awesome views. And on the right-hand side of your screen, you can see that lone Merlin vacuum engine of the second stage

or continue to get good performance on the second stage. That trademarked, that trademarked space-x maneuver to bring the booster rocket back down to Earth. Nobody in the world does that like SpaceX, and that makes this whole program affordable going forward. We're now at five minutes into today's flight with a liftoff at 703 p.m. Pacific 4.0.3 p.m. Eastern 403 p.m. Pacific, continuing to get good callouts as stage one makes its way back to Earth. And stage two continues to fire propelling dragon into orbit. If you're just now joining us, the four members of Crew 10 launched from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and they're currently on board Dragon, still attached to Falcon 9 second stage, which you're seeing there on your right hand screen, on your left hand screen, and the first stage vehicle is making its way back down to Earth. It already completed the first of three burns as the boost back burn, and the next event coming up for that view. is going to be the entry burn. Dragon, SpaceX, Nominal trajectory.

Great call-outs there. That entry burn is coming up. Basic Dragon, copy nominal. That entry burn is coming up here in just under 20 seconds. We'll reignite three of those nine Merlin 1D engines to help slow the vehicle down as it makes its way back into the Earth's atmosphere. We're now just over six minutes into today's flight

as Dragon and the second stage continue traveling at over 12. at over 12,000 miles per hour, making their way into orbit and on the way to the International Space Station. There, we just saw on the screen, it was very quick, but we had the entry burn, which we got some cool views of that from the ground, which is awesome. landing burn for the first stage. That's coming up here in about 30 seconds. Dragon, SpaceX. Nominal trajectory. Again, great call-outs for...

...confirmation there from the crew as they continue to make their way into orbit. Now seven minutes into today's flight, the first stage making its way back down to Earth, and the second stage continuing to fire. This is an awesome view. Let's see if we can see the center engine relight for that land. free light for that landing burn here in a few seconds. There's that landing burn. Let's watch the Falcon 9 touches down on Landing Zone 1.

And you're proud here. It's excited to see Falcon 9 touchdown from landing zone one. And now that the first stage has made its way back to Earth, we're about a minute away from the second engine cutoff, which we're expecting around the nine-minute mark of today's flight. We're continuing to get good callouts and dragon and all of the systems on the vehicle are performing. As we continue to watch and listen to the NASA and SpaceX coverage here, I want to also bring in former astronaut Mike Massimino.

Mike, walk us through what we just saw. I mean, we went through two stages here, at least, and it seems like everything is going well. It is. Yeah, the first stage was the rocket that launched them, and that's what you just saw, return to Earth. They went through a series of burns to do that. Now the second stage is where the spacecraft is attached to that engine

that you see burning now. That's the second stage, and that's what's taking them to orbit right now. So we still need that one to keep working for a little bit longer, and they'll be in space. That call out there for Shannon, and that is the call out for Shannon, Ireland, which is the final abort stage for the second stage off the coast of Ireland.

Standing by for a second engine cutoff. And back shutdown. nominal orbit insertion. And there we heard there we heard confirmation of system disarmed. Good confirmation of orbital insertion. Curzon is now well on their way

through the International Space Station following a nine and a half minute flight uphill. Now, the second stage is preparing for dragon separation here, which should happen shortly in about 10 15 seconds is what we're expecting and we're preparing for stabilizing the second stage so that we can have a smooth separation and there you can see on the left hand side of your screen there on your screen you can see that dragon separation that second stage

making its way and dragon is now flying great 10 minutes into today's flight. That was about a minute after we had that second engine cut off. So Mike, as we're watching and listening to this, is this sort of the moment where, in effect, they're in the clear? And we can say this launch has been a success, or do we have to wait until it gets flying? No, they're no longer underpowered flight. So they've been inserted into their orbit.

They still have some maneuvers, but it's those at eight and a half minutes or so where the engines burning underneath you, that you kind of hold your breath or waiting to make sure everything goes well. And now you have engine cut off and they're in good shape. They're in orbit right now. Amazing to see. We also have with us Leroy Chow, who is a former astronaut as well and also a former commander of the International Space Station.

Leroy, if you can hear me, I mean, just walk us through what you have seen so far in your reaction to what appears to be a very successful launch on the second attempt this week for Falcon 9 rocket. This launch looked flawless. You didn't hear any problems going uphill, no failures, no error calls, nothing they were looking at, looked completely flawless. The crew is now in their injection, orbit injection, and they'll do a circularization burn, a series of burns, and they'll be at the space station sometime early tomorrow. And I think we're listening to the astronauts speaking here.

That sounds like that's Commander Anne McLean. They're very happy. You can sort of hear it in her voice. The change from when she spoke right before takeoff where she was thanking all of the people who helped get them there to their families as well, her thanking again. Let's listen as she talks some more. I would be remiss to not once again acknowledge those who helped me get here to this wonderful view. to this wonderful view and this perspective, to the teachers, coaches, fellow officers,

fellow teammates, Raptor Nation, to my friends and family that encouraged my dreams from the start, thank you. I wouldn't be here without you. So we have here on Crew Ten, it's made up of four different astronauts. I want to say a huge thank you to NASA and SpaceX, especially the Falcon 9 team for the successful launch.

And we are looking forward to a smooth ride to the International Space Station. That sounds like that is the mission specialist, Onishi, who is an astronaut with Japan's aerospace exploration team. He has been in space in the past. He's considered a veteran, as well as Commander Anne McLean. Of these four astronauts, two of them have made space flights previously. The Commander Anne McLean, she's had two spacewalks and 204 days in Spain. 204 days in space prior to this. The other two, Nicole Ayers, who is a U.S. astronaut with NASA, and also the Russian cosmonaut, Peskov.

It is their first space flights. Mike, take us through the emotions of that. If you are a veteran or if it is your first time, does it feel different, or is it as exciting each time? For me, it was different. The first time, each time was different. The first time was just kind of overwhelming, and the engines cut, and I was like, okay, are we still alive?

What's going on here? It was just like a blur. And my second time, knowing a little bit more about what to expect, I enjoyed it a lot more. There were new people on my flight and was able to share what we were going to do with them. And then the engines cut off. It's still exciting, but I think I was more aware of what was happening the second time. I was able to pay more attention to all the little details. The first time was just like a blur.

Leroy, give us your final thoughts watching this. Obviously, they have a lot of work to do once they get to the International Space Station. We're also going to see those astronauts, the U.S. astronauts, Sunny and Butch, Sonny Williams and Butch Wilmour come back home. They're going to be returning not on this same capsule. They have one that has been docked there since September. And they're coming back with two other astronauts who were also up there working, a team they had integrated into once they got, had those issues with the Boeing capsule they traveled on. They stayed there and had been working. But give us your final thoughts on this moment and what happens next. Well, sure. The crew, crew town just launched. They're obviously very happy and very excited to be in space, especially the newbies, you know, the guys, the folks who haven't flown before. But they're looking forward to getting on board the ISS and beginning their expedition. Similarly, Sunny and Butch and the other two crew members are eager to come home, especially Sunny and Bush, because they've been up there, you know, around nine months, which is 50% longer than average. Usually we're only up there for about six months or so. But they've stepped up one They've had a great mission, and, you know, astronauts were trained to adjust to new situations

which they've done, but at the same time, I'm sure they're ready to come home. An extraordinary thing to watch. Mike Massimino, Leroy, as well as Tom Costello, who is with us earlier. We thank you both so much for your time. The NASA and SpaceX second attempt to launch the Falcon 9 rocket has been a success. And as we heard from, mission control when they took off, they said, good luck. Godspeed, go crew 10, and enjoy the ride. It looks like they will.

all for that. We'll stay on top of it as we turn now to some other news this evening. We're going to move on now to our other major headline, the deadly storm system that is moving across the country, powerful winds, stoking wildfires, dust storms, and tossing trucks across highways. The threat worsening as we head into the weekend with intense long-track tornadoes possible in the south, Alabama and Missouri declaring states of emergency with more than a hundred million people in the storm's path. NBC's Adrian brought us reports from St. Louis. Tonight, hurricane force winds fueling apocalyptic scenes across the south as the region braces for a potentially devastating tornado outbreak.

Intense winds whipping across Texas. There goes another one. Tossing multiple semi-trucks on their sides in Amarillo. Gust reaching over 80 miles per hour. kicking up a dangerous dust storm, visibility near zero, causing multiple crashes across the Southern Plains, the Texas Department of Public Safety, reporting at least three fatal crashes. This ambulance crushed in a crash due to low visibility in Oklahoma.

As those winds called wildfires to explode in both states, some residents ordered to evacuate. If you notice the smoke really picking up, if you can clearly see the flames, you need to do the best thing for you and your family and get out immediately. That storm now moving east, 113 million stretching from Minnesota down to the Gulf Coast, facing life-threatening storms heading into the weekend. The National Weather Service in St. Louis warning, quote, today may end up as one of the more prolific severe weather outbreaks in recent memory. Authorities bracing for the possibility of multiple tornadoes overnight, increasing the risk of danger.

We want people to take things seriously. every time. But we definitely have a heightened alert for today. The wind so strong, it's opening the lids of these dumpsters behind me, giving you an idea of how strong these gusts are. These winds are not near 70 miles an hour right now, but we're feeling the impact of just standing here and being kind of pushed to the side. With the winds expected through the night, power outages are possible. So before you go to bed, definitely make sure your phones are charged. Make sure you have the capability of getting emergency alerts. Adrian joins us now from St. Louis.

Adrian, talk to us about this dangerous weekend ahead. The threat level is as high as it can be for parts of the south, correct? Indeed, Ellison, and they're expecting to see some EF2 possible, that is, tornadoes. We're talking about strong hail, damaging winds, and this will likely outbreak across the Central Gulf Coast states into the Tennessee Valley. Families there should have their safety measures in place. Back here in St. Louis, where we are in the bull's eye of this storm, the winds are picking up. As you see behind me, the sky is getting dark. And city leaders are encouraging people to check their cell phone devices. Make sure you have your emergency alerts turned on. Ellison.

Adrian brought us. Thank you. We also have breaking news tonight. in the case of the Idaho College murders. NBC News has obtained 911 audio from the night of the killings. For the first time, we are hearing that call made from inside the off-campus house where four students were brutally murdered. The victim's roommates reporting that they had found at least one of their friends unconscious after seeing a man walking through the house. Take a listen. 9-1-1 location of your emergency. Hi. Something is happening. Something happens in our house. We don't know what.

what is the address of the emergency one one okay and tell me exactly what's going on um one of our one of the roommates has passed out and she was drunk last night and she's not like the up okay oh and they saw some man in their house for more on this let's get right to nbc's camilla bernal Camila, I mean, just hearing the 911 caller, they're sobbing, choking back tears as she's trying to speak. It's gutting, but walk us through what we know based on the audio we have from this 911 call. Is there more to it? It is. It's just a frantic phone call, and I think that's the important part here, where you hear her breathing and crying and describing the situation, describing what happened. This is about a four-minute phone call with 911, and it's unclear who exactly was calling because they,

They do not identify themselves, but they do pass that phone around multiple people. And you hear dispatch saying, do not pass the phone around. Tell me what's going on. Of course, you heard there. They describe someone as being passed out as not waking up. And it is important to point out that a portion of the transcript of this 911 audio was made public last week in court filings, but we're finally hearing that 911 audio. I want to play a little more of it.

Take a listen. Okay. So we don't have that part, but I will say that the dispatch makes sure that they go and check in on the people that are in the house. And so you, of course, hear the roommates. There are two other roommates that lived in that house at the time of the killings. And we know that there are text messages that were also made public where they are texting each other saying that there's a man with a mask in the house. You heard there on the call that they also described seeing a man in the house that night. The phone call 2-9-1-1, though, was not made until about 1155 the next morning. And the family of Kaylee Gonzalez saying, look, this is not to point fingers at anyone. This is a honest, raw phone call, and they want the finger to be pointed at Brian Coburger. They say they want justice, Ellison. Camila Bernal, on that breaking news. Thank you.

We appreciate it. Now to that terrifying scene on an airport runway, an American Airlines plane making an emergency landing. when the engine catches fire. Passengers forced to evacuate onto the wing. Now the investigation into what caused this latest incident in a string of aviation mishaps. Steve Patterson reports from Denver International Airport. It was a harrowing scene.

Panic passengers fleeing onto the wings of an American Airlines plane. The engine fully engulfed in flames, black smoke, billowing around families waiting to be rescued. Oh my gosh, they're emergency evacuated. Ground crews scrambling to the scene, evacuating passengers with slides. The Boeing 737-800 departed from Colorado Springs just before 5 p.m. Thursday, quickly diverting to Denver after the FAA says the crew reported engine vibrations. It was a loud thud and a lot of vibration shortly after takeoff.

Ingrid and Frank Hibbitts were on board with their two daughters, split up on different ends of the plane. They recalled the moment the engine caught fire while taxiing and their terror inside as smoke-filled the cabin. First, I thought, I hope they can extinguish this fire and I hope I get out of this plane in time and I hope the plane doesn't blow up. American Airlines says the 172 passengers and six crew were safely to plane. Twelve people were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries, according to local fire officials. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. It's the latest in a string of recent airline incidents. questions about air safety from a crash landing upside down in Toronto last month,

where everyone survived, to the plane that collided with a helicopter over the Potomac, leaving 67 dead. Commercial aviation in this country is still incredibly safe. I would not hesitate to fly, but I do understand the public's nervousness about this. But I must tell you that there's the good news story about this Denver event is that the system worked. Tonight, everyone on board, thankfully to be back on solid ground and reunited. As soon as we all were together in the terminal, yeah, great big hug because it was quite the relief. And Steve joins us now from Denver. Steve, have officials given any updates on those

12 passengers who were taken to the hospital? Yeah, Alison, good news here. All 12 have been treated and released from the hospital. American Airlines also praising the crew for following protocols and landing. And meanwhile, we know the FAA and NTSB now investigating. Alison. Steve Patterson, thank you. Late today, the Senate heading off a government shutdown step for midnight tonight by narrowly passing a stopgap spending bill to keep the federal government open. The Republican-sponsored measure passed with the help of 10 Democrats.

NBC's Kelly O'Donnell is tracking this from the White House. And, Kelly, those 10 votes, they are creating pretty deep divisions within the Democratic Party. Well, and those votes were about getting the measure to the final passage, and then the margin was even smaller. But those Democrats who decided to go along with Republicans did so because they said they didn't want a government shutdown. And Chuck Schumer was leading that, and he took a lot of heat politically, and certainly House Democrats, expressed a lot of frustration with the Senate leader because of his willingness to go along with Republicans. There's just a vision within the Democratic Party right now on how to respond to the Trump administration. And so Chuck Schumer said that he did not want to see a government shutdown. He had enough votes to come along. And part of that is he felt that if the government were partially shut down for some period of time, there was no clear path to reopen it.

He also said that the Department of Government Efficiency, the Doge team, would also be able to continue trying to shut down parts of the government permanently if that were to happen. So this was a bill that Democrats broadly do not support, did not like, but keeping the government operating for another six months was something they felt of the choices was the better way to go. But what we saw is that there is this division about how to respond to the Trump administration, how to message that, and how to try to have unity among Democrats. Tonight, they don't have unity, but there was certainly a lot of fire. Senior White House correspondent Kelly O'Donnell, thank you. We're back in a moment with the new revelations in the case of the missing student in the Dominican Republic. We have the transcript of the last person to see her before she vanished, being interviewed by police. Why his account is raising new questions.

We're back now with the latest on the disappearance of a University of Pittsburgh student in the Dominican Republic. NBC News obtaining an interview transcript. between investigators and a man believed to be the last person to see 20-year-old Sudeikha Kunaki, the parents of that key witness now claiming that their son has been detained. NBC's Jesse Kirsch is in Punta Kana with the latest. Tonight, the Iowa man at the center of the search for Sudeikha Kunaki defended by his family who claim he's been detained in the Dominican Republic. Joshua Reby's parents, through their attorneys,

alleged he has been detained under irregular conditions and subjected to extensive questioning without the presence of official translators or legal counsel until Wednesday. The 22-year-old college senior has allegedly remained in his hotel room under police surveillance. For days, Kunaki's hometown sheriff in Virginia has called Reby a person of interest. The Dominican Republic's national police say they don't use that term, adding no one is considered a suspect. His family says he has been repeatedly taken to the police station and interrogated for long hours. NBC News exclusively obtaining this photo from an interview Reby gave Dominican investigators on Wednesday. NBC has also obtained an interview transcript, which we translated from Spanish.

As she walked in the water, I never saw her again. Reby recalling he met Kunaki just before she vanished from this Punta Kona beach on March 6th. The two part of a group taking shots of pink tequila. Then they went to the beach, winding up in waist-deep water talking and kissing a little before a big wave crashed, sweeping them out to sea. I tried to make sure she could breathe every moment, but that didn't allow me to breathe all the time, and I swallowed a lot of water, he recalled. Reby says he eventually got Kunaki to shore, but they were still in knee-deep water. I asked if she was okay.

I didn't hear her answer because I started vomiting all the seawater I'd swallowed. After vomiting, I looked around and didn't see anyone. she had grabbed her things and left. I felt really bad and tired. I lay down on a beach chair and fell asleep. Reby telling investigators he was surprised to learn Kunaki never returned to her room. But when asked if he went to authorities or the hotel, he responded, my lawyers advised me not to answer that question, and I agree with them. And Jesse Kirsch joins us now from Punta Kana. Jesse, this man was interviewed by Virginia officials. That's where Kunaki is from or where she lives. have any more details from that particular interview?

Yes, sir, Ellison, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office out of Virginia is telling us this happened yesterday afternoon. They tell us that Reby was accompanied by his father and his attorney, and they describe him as cooperative. Meanwhile, a little bit more from that statement from his parents. They say he is dismayed by this disappearance, and his parents say they are expressing solidarity with Kunaki's family. Ellison. Jesse Hirsch in Punta, thank you. For more on this investigation, I want to bring in Bobby Chaconne. He is a retired FBI special agent. Bobby, I mean, based on Jesse's reporting, this man, Joshua Rebbe, who's 22 years old, a college senior, acknowledged in his interview with police in the Dominican Republic that he was with Sudeikouinaki

kissing at the beach and that she was in some sort of physical distress, right? He says it was because they both were struggling to swim after getting hit with big waves. But to an outsider, it seems odd that he wouldn't have answered when asked if he had told anyone or tried to get any help after this apparent near-drowning incident and her just leaving the beach. What do you make of that? Well, it starts to get a little suspicious as we move through all of these different interviews, and his story changes slightly each time. And this one is a little more significant than previous interviews in that he actually puts himself as the last person to see her.

In previous interviews, it was a little bit unclear about what happened in the water and where they were. And so now he's added a few more details, but he's also now stopped answering some key questions. And that's concerning to an investigator whenever somebody lawyers up. Now, look, everybody has a right to a lawyer. They have a right not to ask questions. He's relying on his Fifth Amendment rights. But it does, as an investigator, give us some pause to start looking more into the facts. How can we get the answers that he's not giving us?

If you were investigating this, what would your next move be? I'd be searching the beach up and down the beach to the point where I think somebody could drag a body and bury it because he might have done that or he might have pushed her back into the water. But in that case, if she had drowned in that shallow water, you know, you would think her body might have washed up or it might have been seen from some of those helicopters that's pristine, crystal clear water. So they've been doing the right thing. They've been searching as if it was a drowning and they haven't come up with her. So now they have to put, I think, put a little more effort into maybe this was foul. play. Let's dredge the beach. Let's see if she's here anywhere. What do you think they would need to see from an evidentiary perspective in order to shift this from a death investigation or looking into a possible drowning to thinking it was something

more nefarious and pursuing the foul play? Well, I think combined with his stop answering certain questions, if they found, say, you know, a part of her clothing that had blood on it or even any part of her clothing along the beach or buried somewhere on the beach, I think that would really turn the investigation to the foul play avenue, but I think right now they're pursuing both scenarios are drowning and maybe foul play, and that's what they have to do now. But now it's looking more and more like possible foul play because of the behavior of the person who is last with her. And Bobby, really quickly, before we let you go, there's been a lot of talk about the fact

that Virginia officials have called this man a person of interest. Investigators in the Dominican Republic aren't using that wording. Does it matter? Or is this just a semantic thing and a person of interest is more of a U.S. law enforcement term. It really is. It's U.S. law enforcement and U.S. media who love that term. You know, but, you know, we have to be very careful in who we list. A person of interest does not mean a suspect, and so a person of interest can simply be a witness. And if you know this was the last person to see the victim alive, then that's a very interesting person to talk to in a case. So people should really remember a person of interest

is not equal a suspect. All right. Bobby Chaconne, thank you so much. We appreciate your insight. and expertise. Thank you. Thank you. Coming up, an update on the Menendez Brothers bid for freedom. Their resentencing hearing now delayed after Governor Newsom revealed their risk assessment will not happen until June. What this means for the brothers.

Next. Back now with an update on the Menendez Brothers case, their resentencing hearing has now been moved to April. The brothers were set to appear before a judge next week in their bid for freedom. The delay comes after Governor Newsom said on his podcast that a risk assessment on their release will not be completed until June. He is still considering a clemency bid by the brothers who are facing life sentences for the 1989 murder of their parents.

Not a global watch and the uncertainty today for the last remaining living American-Israeli hostage held in the Gaza Strip, Edon Alexander. Hamas appearing to offer his release, but the White House and the Israeli government saying the proposal was not legitimate. NBC's Matt Bradley recently spoke to Adon's father and has the latest. It was a rare glimmer of hope around the fate of the last living American hostage in the Gaza Strip, but it quickly dimmed. Hamas announced today that they would be willing to release Idan Alexander, a dual Israeli

American after 17 months in captivity. My name is Edan Alexander. This video, released by Hamas in November, shows the now 21-year-old in captivity, almost certainly, under duress. Today's offer by Hamas also included the bodies of four other dual nationals. The Office of Israel's Prime Minister said in a statement that ministers would gather tomorrow night to consider Hamas' proposal, but it still appeared to pour cold water on the idea, saying that Hamas' position had not budged a millimeter and that the terror group was still engaging in what it called manipulation and psychological warfare. The White House also sounded skeptical on Fox business.

Well, I'm always very cautious when I hear the words of Hamas. I want to verify that with our national security team to make sure what they are saying is the truth. And Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Whitkoff, who's taken part in days of negotiations this week, said in a statement, Hamas has chosen to respond by publicly claiming flexibility while privately making demands that are entirely impractical without a permanent ceasefire. Idon, who was raised in New Jersey, joined the Israeli military after graduating high school. He was just 19 years old on October 7th.

His parents have worked tirelessly for his release, speaking at rallies, and even visiting the White House. My family and I are heartbroken, but we will never stop fighting for his return. I spoke to Edan's father earlier this week. He seemed optimistic after news U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boller had been speaking directly to Hamas in an unprecedented move. What do you think about these direct talks between the U.S. and Hamas? I think it shaped the tree, created chaos, some chaos in Israel, and this chaos create more opportunities.

I think it was a good move. But as negotiations continue, Idan's family has endured watching other hostages released, while Edon's fate remains uncertain. Your son is one of the last living hostages still in the Gaza Strip, the last living American. It's an extraordinary sacrifice. This is what I'm saying for a long time. time now. This deal is not perfect for one major reason that he left people behind. Now, as for the four bodies of dual citizens who Hamas said would be released along with

Edon Alexander, we don't know their identities. We reached out to Hamas to ask for more specifics and they said they wouldn't be able to provide that. However, we do know that there are four bodies of dual Israeli-American citizens who are still in the Gaza Strip. But we don't know whether those are the four that Hamas is talking about as part of. this potential deal. Matt Bradley. NBC News, Tel Aviv. Still ahead tonight, the serious health scare at a Texas hospital. The newborn babies exposed to measles after a young mother contracted the virus. We speak with the doctor about how the facility is now racing to stop that infection from spreading.

Back now with the latest on the measles outbreak here in the U.S. sources confirming to NBC news that there was a measles exposure in the labor and delivery unit at a Texas hospital. The alarming news comes as the total number of reported measles cases rises to 320 across 16 states. For more on this, I want to bring in NBC News medical contributor, Dr. John Torres. Let's start with this possible exposure inside of a labor and delivery unit. That sounds terrifying. How severe is it? And are there mechanisms in place for the staff to protect newborns presumably. And it's very concerning because these are the babies that are most vulnerable. You can't start getting the vaccine until you're 12 months old, maybe six months that there's

an outbreak because your immune system can't handle that shot at that point. And so these babies are completely unprotected. And what happened is a mother gave birth. And after that, they found out that she was positive for measles. The problem with measles, it's very, very contagious. And it can last in the air for up to two hours after somebody passes through that area. So it could be possible that other mothers and babies went through there and got exposed. as well. So what the hospital staff is doing is, number one, monitoring the babies, you know, making sure the mothers are vaccinated. The babies, they can't give the vaccine to you, so they give an immunoglobulin to, which is basically they give them antibodies to try and fight

this off. Not the best way to do it, but it's the only tool they have right now. When you look at the numbers, 320 cases in 16 states, is this a situation where it can no longer be contained and the spread is going to keep going? Or could we contain it? No, we could contain it. And right now is when we need to do that because it will keep spreading. and we'll keep going. I don't know if you remember are not during the pandemic. We talked about how many people could get infected from one person. Unvaccinated, 15 to 18 people can get infected from one person, even vaccinated. One other person could get infected. So it spreads very, very quickly. Public health has to move in. They have to vaccinate people, they have to quarantine people,

and that's how we get it under control. So if we don't see it controlling itself here fairly soon, we're going to have to take more drastic measures to get it under control or else it will spread like wildfire. Dr. John Torres, thank you. Thank you. We will be right back with the new song from Chapel Rome. She's going country. Stay right there. We're back now with Bingeworthy. Our look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. Let's bring in Chris Witherspoon, NBC News, entertainment contributor. Chris, always so good to see you. So first on our list, you're back. Never leave. Okay, so first on the list is a new movie. that's on Netflix. It's called The Electric State, starring Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt. Uh-huh. Let's take a look. Hey, you. Hands up. Turn around.

That Cosmo Bot? Are you telling me that my breakthrough broke out? This bot knows where to find my brother. I want him back. Find him. I mean, is this a drama? Is it sci-fi? Is it a comedy? You know, it's sci-fi, a little bit of comedy, but it's just so cool to see Mully Bobby Brown, who was 12 years old when she started doing Stranger Things, now 21 years old, all grown up,

kind of in her leading lady energy, along with Chris Pratt. There's so many other great stars where she basically plays this orphan who goes kind of missing in the Midwest and has to go through, like, the West. And it's very dystopian, but takes place in the 90s. So it kind of reimagines this futuristic version of the 90s, but an all-star cast, Ki-Hu Kwan's also in it, Anthony Mackey. And the cool thing, here, Ellison, the biggest budget Netflix film ever, reportedly $320 million. Woo! If you have Stanley Tucci, you've got to pay for that.

Maybe that Stanley Tucci's budget, yes. There's Pratt, too, though. Probably, yeah. That looks really good. I think it's excellent, yeah. Critics don't love it, but I really loved it. All right. Let's take yours over. We trust you. We trust you. You are our critics.

So the next one that we have, this is a popular series on Prime. It's returning for season three. It's called The Wheel of Time. Stand behind these walls and pretend we still have control. This tower is destroying itself from the inside out. If the white tower does not bend the knee to Randolpho, he will lose the last battle. There's not enough arrow in the world to deal with this. There won't just come for it.

They'll come for all of us. I really watch a lot of streaming and a lot of TV. I cannot overstate how much. And I am shocked when we do this segment how many things I'm like, that's been on before. I didn't know about this. You know what's crazy? It's from big budget Netflix to Big Budget Prime. This is like their big kind of series in his third season.

About $10 to $12 million per episode, which is pretty huge. But it's like Game of Thrones meets Lord of the Rings. It's very futuristic. And this guy who's considered the Dragon Reborn, it's all about him kind of stepping into his destiny and taking down the dark one and really saving. the world. But Rosamine Pike is in this and she slays every single scene. But if you love Game of Thrones, I promise you, this is that Lux, big budget kind of series for you. This is our good in-between House of Dragon season. Because I do love them. Yes. And there's three new

episodes out from this season and a new one each week. I love when they do a multiple drive. Right. Give me two or three just so I can do two Epps in one night and then go to the next week. Okay, this next one is murder, a murder mystery. We love murder mysteries here. It is a series called Long Bright River. It's on Peacock. It's about a cop, played by Amanda Seifred, who learns about a string of murders that she might have a connection to. Look. Over the past several days, three females have been found dead. I'm worried about you. It makes the killer all that moves, Mickey. Looks like someone's going after these girls. Then they have to know to watch their backs.

Why am you looking into this? You're a patrol cop. Not a detective. What is this supposed to mean? You mean it's you seem to take it personally, and you won't tell me why. Mickey. What's going on? It's Casey. I mean, it's so mysterious, right? Like, what's going on?

But I love Amanda from the Mamma Mia franchise, but this ain't that, okay? This is her taking a dramatic turn. It takes place in Philadelphia. She plays this cop. There's almost like this opioid crisis happening in Philadelphia. At the same time, these women go missing and they're murdered. And you wind up realizing and they're just kind of a way. a personal tie, one gets much away, to her personal backstory growing up there, and she's tied

to some of these murders. So it gets very personal for her. It's very juicy. Did you watch Maref East Town? Yes, I love Mary of East Town. This is kind of like Mayor of East Town for me, but it's Amanda instead of Kate. Oh, okay, I can get a murder with that. That was a good show. It's that kind of vibe. Okay. I love seeing her be dramatic, you know? Yes, it is fun. It is fun to see people also that you watch in the movies and then see them on like a series show. That's when the cool thing of streaming is like the crossover of the big names doing other stuff. Okay, we're going to turn to music. I'm ready. Because my girl Chaparone has no music out. Our girl Chapel Rone has released her new song, The Giver. Listen.

I love it. I love it. But just so you guys know, Chapel said she's not going country. This is a little knot that country. There might be a new album. She first debuted this song on SNL back in November. People were like, where's the single? Where's the video?

Now we got the single, the video coming soon. So we should consider this like her Beyonce era. She's just dabbling off and come back. She's not going to do a country album probably, but she's saying she's from Missouri. This is in her background. You know, country music is huge there. A little knots like, you know, how she grew up. That's great.

We love it. All right, Chris Witherspoon. Thank you for being here. time. And thank you at home for watching Top Story. I'm Ellison Barber in New York for Tom Yamis. Stay right there. More news is on the way.