Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, December 18, 2023

Episode Date: December 19, 2023

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.

Tonight, a major storm bringing rain, dangerous wind, and snow to New England as it leaves a deadly and destructive path along the East Coast. Entire neighborhoods submerged with the system unleashing heavy rainfall and coastal flooding from Florida up to Massachusetts. Winds topping 60 miles per hour in some places downing trees and power lines. Hundreds of thousands left without power as temperatures begin to plummet. Snowy conditions also leading to a major pile up on a highway in Michigan. The weather causing delays and cancellations at airports across the country? Will it continue to impact holiday travel? We have the track.

Plus, the growing outrage in Israel after the IDF killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza, despite them hanging a banner that read SOS and had Hebrew writing. The father of one of the men telling NBC's Halle Jackson, he feels like Netanyahu's government, quote, murdered my son twice. The head of the CIA now reportedly in Israel, as talks resumed for another ceasefire and the release of more hostages. Trump speech backlash at a rally in New Hampshire, former president Donald Trump, saying undocumented migrants are, quote, poisoning the blood of our country, a phrase used

by Adolf Hitler in his manifesto Mink Kampf. Trump also quoting Russian president Vladimir Putin and calling North Korean leader Kim Jong-un very nice. The swift response from the Biden campaign. Slaughterhouse children. The NBC news investigation taking you inside slaughterhouses in this country where children as young as 14 are working illegally scrubbing the facilities in the overnight hours. The conditions so bad they have even turned deadly. Plus, the new video showing the moment a freight train slammed into a semi-truck in Texas, how that truck became stuck on the tracks. And talk about grandma bragging rights, a California woman who is not a doctor delivering her own granddaughter in the backseat

of a car, the moment she realized she had to jump into action. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. As we come on the air, 14 million people are still under flood alerts and many without power as that powerful storm moves across New England. New video just coming in shows raging water in New Hampshire. The nearby area completely flooded. Multiple bridges and roads closed at this hour. The town's fire chief there saying it was worse than what they saw during tropical storm, Irene, back in 2011. On New York's Long Island, coastal flooding really hitting those low-lying areas and moving into communities,

enormous waves battering the coastline in Andover, Massachusetts, about 20 miles outside of Boston. A massive tree ripped out of the ground and blocking a road. Wind gusts in the state topping 60 miles per hour. At one point, more than 200,000 customers lost power there. Blustery winds crossing the Great Lakes, also bringing snow to parts of western New York and the Midwest. This new drone footage, it shows a multiple car pile up on a snowy interstate 94 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

So far, no word on the injuries. The storm not only causing a headache on the roads, but also at airports. as people try to get a head start on their holiday travels. According to Flight Aware, nearly 4,000 U.S. flights delayed today. About 550 canceled. Tonight, we are learning this storm has turned deadly. So let's get right to NBC's Emily Aketa.

With whipping winds and torrential rain, a monster storm is leaving behind a mess for millions tonight after barreling up the East Coast. When gusts topping 60 miles an hour in at least seven states today, downing trees onto homes and cars and wiping out power to nearly 800,000 at one point. It was raining too hard and the wind was blowing and everything was so crazy here. Parts of New York and New Jersey declaring emergencies after fast-rising floodwaters stranded drivers and caught families by surprise. First responders jumping into action.

You can't even make out the roadway here in Bayshore, New York, where floodwaters are now creeping towards people's homes. I didn't think it was going to get this bad. In Vermont, fire officials evacuated a village inundated by a dangerous combination of rain and snow melt. What we are experiencing today is dangerous and there will be damages. It's the same system that sent a car hydroplaining into another killing two people in Durham and spawned a tornado outside of Myrtle Beach over the weekend. Nearby, a 35,000 pound semi-truck flipped. I never had a case where I ever thought that I'd flip over. While in the Great Lakes region, snow squalls led to this massive pile-up, a deadly winter wallup, hampering the start of the holiday week.

Emily, Aketa, joins us now from New York. Emily, we know travel is a big concern for people this week. What's the latest on flight cancellations and possible delays? Yeah, Alison, you bring up an excellent point. So many people trying to get a head start on the holiday travel with Christmas now a week away. and we saw these severe storms take a heavy impact to the early holiday travel. Some 550 flights were canceled today. Nearly 4,000 flights were delayed.

Boston's airport taking the biggest hit, Ellison. And you mentioned those dangerous wind gust, right? How many people are still without power tonight? And I understand you're also learning new information about several people who died in this storm. What can you tell us? Yeah, that's right, Alison, wing gust's tapping six. miles an hour in at least seven states knocking out power to hundreds of thousands at this hour nearly 800,000 households are without power keep in mind

temperatures are expected to plummet overnight in terms of some of the deaths we're learning new information one out of Massachusetts where an 89-year-old man tragically died he was inside a trailer when a tree according to authorities fell on top of it and in Maine we're learning a 40-year-old man die while trying to clear debris off his roof Ellison Emily Aketa in New York, thank you. And for more on the millions, still under winter weather alerts, NBC news meteorologist Bill Karens joins me now with the forecast. Bill, where are you watching right now?

My friends in Maine are just taking it on the chin this afternoon and this evening, by far the worst. I mean, one at every three homes in Maine doesn't have power right now. And the temperatures are going to drop dramatically in the next couple of days, and power crews will be rushing and trying to do the best job they can. And the reason Maine was so bad is they had the high winds, even Bangor hit 68-mile-per-hour winds, had snow on the ground, plus the temperatures today were in the 50s, and it poured rain. So everyone else just had the rain. They had the snow melt and the rain. That's why our friends in northern Vermont and also in New Hampshire have had it pretty bad, too. So the storm is rocketing out of here, behind it, more typical of what you'd expect this time of year,

some snow showers near the Great Lakes. Everywhere you're seeing maroon here is a river floodwater. I mean, it's like almost every major river in the northeast, though some of the highest rivers that are cresting now are in areas of New Jersey, right along the New York, New Jersey border. We've also got a couple here just north of Providence, and there's a couple of northern portions of New England. So again, not all of the damage is completely done yet. At least the winds are starting to

come down. Now only in the 20, you know, Tuck it's still at 51, but earlier they were at 70. And a lot of coastal residents, they said this felt like a strong tropical storm or a low-end hurricane. So what's next? East Coast, middle of the country, you are fine the next couple of days. All our attention will shift out to the west coast. We'll eventually

see this storm system coming in the Southern California Allison, but that's going to take it sweet time. We get a little bit of a break here for us to catch her breath. Bill Cairns, thank you. We want to turn now to the latest from the Middle East. U.S. officials telling NBC news that a new round of talks is underway with the goal of securing another ceasefire and the release of more hostages. The negotiations coming as anger mounts over the death of three hostages killed by IDF troops. Richard Engel has the details. Hamas released a video tonight showing three elderly male hostages. Made under duress, but proof they're still alive. In the past, Hamas has freed

hostages shown in similar videos. A U.S. official tells NBC News, CIA director Bill Burns is now in talks with the head of the Israeli Mossad and senior Qatari officials to reach a new ceasefire and potentially free more hostages. The Israeli government is under pressure to negotiate as details emerge about the three Israeli hostages who are mistakenly killed by Israeli troops last week. The Israeli military saying the hostages were shot even though they smeared SOS with old food and helped three hostages in Hebrew on white banners and were carrying a white flag. Today in Israel, defense secretary Lloyd Austin said U.S. support for Israel's right to defend itself against Tamas is ironclad, although protecting civilians is a moral

duty and strategic imperative. Andy vowed to protect freedom of navigation in the Red Sea after another attack against commercial ships today by Iranian-backed militants in Yemen. We're taking action to build an international coalition to address this threat. We joined an Israeli naval patrol today off the coast of Gaza. Commanders warned us that Hamas's allies are trying to impose a naval blockade on Israel and risk escalating this conflict. This is fighting fast, and this is a danger just for the free economy, for the global community. While in Gaza, misery is everywhere.

Human Rights Watch today accuse Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war. As aid trucks arrive, they're mobbed. Often the aid trucks can't even stop, dropping boxes as they go out of fear they'll be overrun. Bottles of fresh water are fallen upon. Total desperation. And Richard Engel joins us now from Jerusalem. So, Richard, do we have any idea, possibly, of how far along these negotiations are for the potential release of the next round of hostages? Well, we don't really know how far along they are. I wish I knew, but we do know that these are the most serious talks that have taken place since the last ceasefire.

The CIA director, the head of the Mossad, very senior Qatari officials meeting. These are the kind of decision-making discussions that we had before when the ceasefire was in place. It could still break down. There's a lot of discrepancies too many to even go through here because they're talking about tactical items about how hostages could be released, how many which hostages, women, old men, the Israelis are what all of the hostages released clearly. Hamas is talking about a permanent end to hostilities. It's unclear if they're willing to release all of the hostages. There's also this regional dynamic where they're trying to de-escalate tensions in the Red Sea.

So there is an enormous amount of ground to cover many pitfalls. But as I said, these are the most serious talks that have happened since the last ceasefire, which did work and was able to release, to see about 105 hostages. released. NBC News, Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel, thank you. And as Richard mentioned, the loved ones of those three hostages killed by Israeli troops are now dealing with anguish and outrage. NBC's Hallie Jackson spoke with two of their families and has more for us tonight. At the second day of the Shiva for Alone Shamri's hug, hug after hug. He was serving in the army in special forces.

Alone is a brave guy. Avi Shamrese believes his son plotted and escaped from Hamas tunnels, along with two other hostages. If you see the sign, all is his handwriting. The sign that says SOS? Yes, this is him. That's his writing? Yes.

The army did not act as an army. They act like murders. They just shoot. to kill. It's not just grief. I'm really angry. I asked the government stop the shooting, and look what's happened. What is your message to the government?

You murdered my son twice. You let the Hamas take my son on October 7th, and you killed my son on December 14. They are not our leaders. They're thinking only on themselves. They are not thinking about the hostages. Alone, Shamriz was shot by his own military at the same time as Yotam Haim and Samar Talalka. And at Summer's family home, his mother, Leila, welcomes visitors. Where do you, Samar, Akshan?

Including an Israeli politician. We can only ask for your forgiveness, he says. Leila says they're all three heroes. They went out, escaped. They did all the work. just waiting for you to come get them. She tells him, I will not forgive anyone. You did not accept his condolences. Why?

Because these words came late, she says. Later, describing how she keeps playing in her head her son's final moments. Their call for help, the white flag, this is what I keep seeing, she tells us. I am hurting. For these families, pain and rage. and for this country, a reckoning.

And Hallie Jackson joins us now from Tel Aviv. Hallie, it is heartbreaking to hear Alon's father, especially that moment when you asked him what his message is to the Israeli government. And he said, you murdered my son twice. You let Hamas take my son on October 7th. And then you murdered my son on December 14th. That is something that will stay, I think, with a lot of us for a long time. And I know it is something that a lot of Israelis feel.

right now. When you are talking to families and people who are close to other hostages still inside of Gaza, what do they want to see happen next? One thing. They want the rest of the hostages out, right? I mean, top to bottom, when you go to these protests and I was there, some of the huge ones this weekend, the one that we saw that was one of the biggest since the war began, people marching in the streets, they want those hostages release. They want some kind of negotiations to get on the table. They want the Netanyahu government here to be able to get to some kind of a deal to get those hostages home. After that, listen, it varies, right?

I've talked to some people who would like to see a wholesale change in government. I've talked to others who simply don't go that far. But the biggest party right now is to get the people held captive in Gaza out. And that is because, as these people here say, they say time is running out, that what happened with these three Israeli hostages killed by their own military shows that there is a real urgency to this issue and that the Netanyahu government needs to act, they say. Alison. Halley Jackson in Tel Aviv, thank you.

And as the Israel-Hamas war presses on, fears of its global impact continue to grow. As our Richard Engel reported earlier, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group recently attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea, causing many companies to halt services through Egypt's Suez Canal, forcing ships to take the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope, which adds time and costs that ultimately could have an impact on the global supply chain. For more on this, I want to bring in Ryan Peterson. He is the CEO of the shipping company Flexport and currently has many containers diverted or delayed. So, Ryan, talk to us about what is happening in the Red Sea from your perspective.

How much is it impacting your business right now? And when you look ahead, do you feel like this is the start of just a never-ending impact to your business? Oh, I can't say never-ending. It's difficult to say when it'll happen, or when it'll start to wind down. What was basically happened is this Rebel Group in Yemen, very well-funded Rebel Group has fired missiles at over 20 ships in commercial ships, as well as at U.S. naval assets in the Red Sea. And a missile hit a container ship on Saturday and nearly missed two on Friday. And so pretty much all of the major ocean carriers that do container shipping have now opted to avoid the Red Sea in the Suez Canal and are going the long way, as you showed your viewers.

That adds about two to three weeks to each journey, call it 25% longer sailing, which, you know, of course, that means a 25% reduction in capacity of that trade lane. And that's a huge impact. we've seen over the last couple of years with the pandemic is that a small decrease in supply or a small increase in demand can have huge swings in the price. So the price of ocean freight and also air freight is likely to skyrocket for the next couple of weeks. And we'll see how long it resolves. The U.S. Navy is sent a carrier strike group to the region and will perhaps do things more aggressively to try to shut this down. So when you're looking at this as a business owner, I mean, does it make you concerned about what your business will look like in the coming weeks and possibly months?

Or do you feel optimistic that something is going to change and perhaps Houthi rebels will back off? Well, you know, you're talking about the price of ocean freight into Europe is probably going to go up about three times. We'll see how it shakes out in January. But you're going to see a big price increase from Asia to Europe. A lot of freight actually hits the U.S. East Coast that goes through the Suez. and it's a longer journey around so that the prices will probably go up there. Asia to U.S., you're already seeing your price increase coming down the line in January of maybe two times. We'll see it's not fully clear where the prices land in January,

but you probably can see a very big increase. So if you're a business owner, that is not the words you want to hear. I mean, even if this were in a best case scenario to be something that happens for a couple of weeks and maybe it gets resolved, maybe something changes in terms of the Israel-Hamas war, But either way, I mean, a disruption like that is pretty significant. How long does it take after a disruption for consumers to see things, quote-unquote, return to normal? I mean, are there some long-term effects that even if this is resolved, people could be seeing and feeling in the prices? And also in just having access to other items that they need that maybe aren't getting to places on time like what we saw in COVID.

How long does something like that last? Yeah, it'll take several months. You know, because take, for example, the case of the Mersk Palladium 3 is the name of the ship that got hit with a missile. Flexport is the third largest freight forwarder in the United States. But surprisingly, we didn't have any containers on that ship, but it was meant to go to Barcelona and pick up three containers for one of our customers and then take them to Morocco. So, but obviously, that's not going to happen. And now you have to find a different ship to go and do that. Well, the ships used to go in that direction.

But now if you're going around the Cape of Good Hope, you would hit Morocco first, right? And then Barcelona, so it's out of order. And so you can imagine that happening on the grand scale of millions of containers, all of them needing to find a new journey around the world, a new transshipment hub. It's not going to be easy, and it'll take months to work out, likely leads to delays in very high costs. All right. Ryan Peterson, CEO of the shipping company Flexport, thank you so much. We appreciate your time and insights. Turning now to the race for 2024. Former President Donald Trump, the clear frontrunner for the GOP nomination, continues to soar in the polls.

But a new round of controversial comments has sparked outrage. This, as 2024, Nikki Haley, gains momentum in New Hampshire. NBC News correspondent Vaughan Hilliard has the story. Tonight, less than a month before the Iowa caucuses, the race for the Republican nomination heating up. Former President Trump speaking in Nevada and New Hampshire over the weekend. The Republican frontrunner making controversial comments about undocumented immigrants. They're poisoning the blood of our country. That's what they've done. Critics pointing out that the term blood poisoning was used by Adolf Hitler and Minkv.

Trump also calling North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un very nice and quoting Russian president Vladimir Putin, using Putin's words to defend himself against the criminal trials awaiting him. Putin. Has anybody ever heard of Vladimir Putin? Of Russia says that Biden's, and this is a quote, politically motivated persecution of his political rival, is very good for Russia because it shows the rottenness of the American political system. The Biden campaign responding in a statement, accusing Trump of channeling quote his role models as he parroted Adolf Hitler, praised Kim Jong-un, and quoted Vladimir while running for president. Only one Republican rival has reacted to the remarks. For

former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. He's disgusting. And what he's doing is dog whistling to Americans. A new poll out of New Hampshire shows Trump's former ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, surging. It has her solidly in second at 29 percent, 18 points ahead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who she's now attacking. I have seen all of the commercials that you're seeing.

And if you punch me, I punch back. Ron DeSantis has lied in every one of his commercials. They've been fact-checked. Anyone from CNN to Newsmax has all said that these are wrong. If he's going to lie about me, I'm going to tell the truth about him. DeSantis attacking Haley's electability. It's just the basic, undeniable truth about where we are in terms of this party, that the only person running that can get significant support from courts,

Republicans and conservative voters is me. Haley does not, she cannot pierce into that. Now as Haley and DeSantis do get out for that number two spot, the former president is returning to Iowa tomorrow for his final campaign event before Christmas. The campaign then has planned a two-week blitz across the state ahead of the caucus on January 15th. Just this afternoon, the campaign in a fundraising email declaring that with a big enough

win on January 15th, Trump would be the outright presumptive nominee immediately. Ellison? Vaughn Hilliard, thank you. For more on former President Trump's remarks and the state of the Republican primary, let's bring in Rina Shaw. She is a political strategist and former senior congressional aide to two Republican members of the House. Rina, let's just start with the big headline here.

I mean, former President Donald Trump, he is the frontrunner right now. No doubt about that when you look at the polls. In Vaughn's report, he laid out those comments Trump made about blood poisoning. It is language Adolf Hitler used in his book, Mind Kampf, that would really be disqualifying for most political candidates. But Donald Trump is not most political candidates. We have seen that time and time again. His base is so dug in and so supportive of him, it almost seems like any time something controversial

comes up, he really does get a pass with his base. Do you think that's going to be the case this time? Is there any chance that the ongoing war in Israel and the Republican Party's staunch support for Israel in that context might mean he could actually see political consequences for using that particular phrase? Right now, as we speak, Donald Trump continues to get praise from the far right wing of the Republican Party because for them, he's reset the rules of politicking, and they're not going to go back.

Once you've come to a place where Donald Trump has taken our politics, and he didn't do it alone, I must add, but he has made it almost normal to reach for not really essentially what would be considered the underbelly of American thinking. It's the worst of what's out there globally. It's almost as if he doesn't care to be a student of history. And for people like me in particular, who are the kids of immigrants, I am so beyond shocked that these comments don't seem to drill down into our electorate to people who have been disengaged, who are apathetic about our politics, and it doesn't wake them up to hear

somebody talk like this, because what this is, essentially, is so racist and it's so outlandish that it should drive us to be fearful of where our country is going, but also how very rich of the former president? Because if you look back, look at the Trump organization, how many immigrants has it employed over the years? He has no sense of respect for his fellow man, and he's showing everybody, not just fellow Republicans, that he doesn't deserve the nomination this time. Yet he continues to get the support of the Republican Party because he's supposedly speaking about their fears of a changing of America. I do want to take a look at that New Hampshire poll we mentioned one more time. In this poll, Nikki Haley does seem to be slowly gaining a fair amount of ground in the state of New Hampshire.

You see her there at 29%. What do you make of that momentum? Do you think it is temporary, unique to New Hampshire, or could we be seeing a turn for Nikki Haley? Well, I've spent some time in New Hampshire, and I find the voters to be quite moderate. And this was, of course, prior to Trump's rise and Trump getting the GOP nomination back in 2016. But I will say, you know, when you're looking at the Granite State, nowhere is a monolith anymore. Everyone's got complexities.

But as you see Trump out there continuing to give regular praise to dictators, He's almost looking to many Republicans as if he wants to be one, and he's essentially told us that that this past week. So Nikki Haley's strategy of continuing to call him out on not just his failures when he was in the White House. She used that line of him adding to our national debt. She's gone beyond that. She said it's dangerous to have somebody with his kind of views. She hasn't been very explicit, but if you read between the lines, she is getting more so by the day. And I think that's a – New Hampshire is a place where they appreciate that.

So I'm not surprised. And I think this will – this signals a trend. I think Nikki Haley is not just coming off as the adult in the room. She will continue to show that she is the best poised to win a general election, no matter what Democrat she's up against. All right. Rina Shaw, thank you so much. We appreciate your time and insights, as always. Thank you.

Still ahead tonight, actor Jonathan Majors, convicted of assaulting his former girlfriend. The Creed 3 star in court as two guilty verdicts were. read the move from Marvel and Disney immediately following that conviction. Plus, the head of the Florida Republican Party stripped of his authority after he was accused of rape, why his wife, the co-founder of the controversial Moms for Liberty Group, is now facing cause to step down. And dozens of popular Quaker Oates products pulled from the shelves what consumers need to look out for. Stay with us.

We're back now with the major scandal in Florida Republican politics, the head of the state party, accused of rape, now stripped of power by his own members, his wife, a prominent school board member and activist, now also facing calls to step down. NBC news correspondent Guadvinagus has that story from Miami. Tonight, the sexual misconduct allegations plunging the Florida GOP into chaos. He needs to resign. It was unanimous. Christian Siegler, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, suspended and stripped of most of his power in the wake of a police investigation into accusations of rape made against them by a decades-old acquaintance. This is about the black eye that it's put on the party, what you ran on to get in this chairmanship, and how you can't focus on us as a party because you're focused on fighting a criminal investigation. The state party voting to strip Siegler of essentially all of his power. reducing his salary to just one dollar and transferring most of his responsibilities to Vice Chairman Evan Power.

You cannot lead the Republican Party with the charges that are standing in front of him. This is a scandal that has really rocked the Florida Republican Party. He were talking about a Republican Party now in disarray in a critical state for the presidency, and very importantly, also handicapped now in raising money for the presidential race. Ziegler did not respond to our request for comment. He has not been charged and denies all allegations against him. But now major players in the Republican Party are calling on the chairman to resign. So I've called on Christian to step down as the RPOF chairman.

I think every single statewide elected official at this point has said that we need to move on. I think we're at the posture where we would be better served with different leadership in the Republican Party. Hey, ho-ho, Bridget Ziegler's got to go. Ziegler's wife, Bridget, also embroiled in the scandal. The Sarasota County School Board Member and founder of the Conservative Political Advocacy Group Moms for Liberty is not accused of wrongdoing, but a search warrant with details in the case obtained by NBC News alleges Bridget intended to have a consensual sexual encounter with her husband and another woman his alleged victim. Governor DeSantis actually put her on the board of the oversight district over Walt Disney World because of her leadership in the don't say gay effort in the state of Florida.

So now for it to be discovered that in her own personal life, there are some LGBTQ questions. Obviously there are questions of hypocrisy. The search warrant says Bridget backed out and the victim tried to cancel when she learned Bridget would not be there, but Christian Siegler still went to the victim's home. The resolution recommends that Bridget Ziegler immediately take all steps necessary to voluntarily resign. The Sarasota County School Board last week passing a non-binding resolution calling on Bridget to step down. But Bridget, so far declining to do so. She has also not responded to our request for comment as the couple at the center of the Florida GOP, now in the middle of a political firestorm.

And the Florida GOP has called for an emergency meeting, said to take place January 8th. It is expected that they will remove Ziegler from office during that meeting. Ellison? Guadvanegas, thank you. When we come back, train versus truck, a cargo train slamming into a semi-truck in Texas. What we know about diesel and oil that spilled onto the tracks, that is next.

Back now with Top Story's news feed, Marvel star Jonathan Majors convicted of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend. The actor found guilty on two charges, two of the four charges, stemming from a domestic violence arrest in New York back in March. The actor is best known for his work in the Marvel franchise and movie Creed 3. Sources telling NBC News Marvel and Disney have dropped him from any upcoming projects. Majors will be sentenced in early February. A dramatic train crash caught on camera in Texas, shocking video showing a cargo train slamming into a semi-trailer truck and then derailing from the track just outside of Fort Worth. Officials say the truck got stuck while trying to cross the tracks. Diesel fuel and oil spilled, but hazmat crews were called to the scene and say there is no danger to the public.

The train's conductor suffered minor injuries. No other injuries were reported. And a consumer alert, Quaker Oates recalling some of its most popular. products over salmonella concerns. The impacted granola products include Quaker Chewy bars and granola oat cereals. The recalled Chewy bars have a best before day of October 24, while the granola cereals are best before September of 2024. You can find the full list on our website, NBCNews.com. Heading overseas now to the Vatican, where today marks an important shift by Pope Francis in recognizing same-sex couples. NBC News foreign correspondent Molly Hunter,

tonight on the announcement and the reaction. Tonight, a radical step of inclusion, Pope Francis giving his permission for Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples, a change of perception, if not doctrine, and reflective of Francis's own more pastoral vision. Pope Francis deals in big picture, broad brush, he sends a broad message. The new declaration is a landmark step signaling the church's welcoming of the LGBTQ community, But the document signed by Pope Francis stresses that the blessing of same-sex couples is not the same as a marriage sacrament in the eyes of the church. I'm sure many people won't be satisfied with this.

They would think that anything short of marriage, anything short of equality is offensive. And on the other hand, some people will see this as an incremental step. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a statement, each of us needs God's healing love and mercy in our lives. It's an overdue decision, but I'm glad that it's been made. I think that's a great step forward. I think that's wonderful news, to be honest. Long overdue.

You know, if Jesus said love was love, then love is love, isn't it? The door now open for so many who have not always felt welcome, thanks to an aging Pope still sparking controversial discussions. I think it will be taken as a step toward eventually allowing marriage. That's not what the Vatican is saying, but that's truly the way it will be perceived by many people. Molly Hunter, NBC News. Now to Top Stories, Global Watch, and we began with breaking news out of northern China. A 6.1 magnitude quake striking near the Gansu province.

So far, more than 100 people are confirmed dead, but dozens more are injured. Rescuers are searching the rubble for survivors. The landmark security trial for Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai began today after years of delay. The 76-year-old arriving in court to stand trial over charges, he colluded with foreign forces under Hong Kong's national security law. Lai was arrested in 2020 after a raid on the office of the pro-democracy newspaper he founded. He's faced a slew of litigation since Hong Kong's massive pro-democracy protest back in 2019 and has pleaded not guilty to all charges. And severe floods slamming northeastern Australia after a tropical cyclone passed through that region. Floodwaters bringing a nine-foot-long crocodile into one neighborhood in Queensland.

Wildlife crews eventually trapping and removing the creature. The record rainfall, submerging cars and homes, even shutting down the region's major airport. More than 300 people have been rescued from floodwaters so far. Coming up, the NBC News investigation, our team going inside slaughterhouses in this country that are illegally using teenagers, some as young as 14, to clean those facilities. The in-depth look into the dangerous and even deadly conditions those children are facing. Back now with the alarming results of a year-long NBC News investigation. Children, some of them as young as 14, hired to work in slaughterhouses across this country. These dangerous conditions even turning deadly. NBC News Homeland Security correspondent Julia Ansley has this report with NBC's Digital Docs team and the investigative unit.

Things happen in a plant that adults aren't comfortable seeing. You walk through the plant, you can't walk through it without getting animal parts on you. Or blood all over you. When I went to the door principal, I see the pollo, the blood, the drips. When nighttime falls, more than 1,300 slaughterhouses across the country must be scrubbed top. top to bottom. Former workers say cleaning what's called the kill floor is dangerous work.

The floor, a slippery combination of blood, animal fat, harsh chemicals, and hot water. In 23 alone, almost 6,000 kids were working illegally across industries in the U.S., with the agency investigating more than 800 child labor cases and 47 states. Some experts say today's tight labor market is in part to blame for an 88% spike and children being illegally employed across all industry since 2019. As a result, more underage children are working in dangerous conditions. Some employees look young, but are over 18. Others are clearly children. One of those kids was working here in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Nuvon Perez was working the night shift at Marjack Poultry in July.

when he was killed after getting sucked into equipment that accidentally turned on. He was 16 years old. His uncle told us he was a happy teenager. No, that he's enoged, no, that's always, it was very sorrient. I, all the days, I go, all the hours, I'm going to be to my woman, and she's a destruzada. He's her first, he was destroyed. So, nobody can't get that sorrow for her.

Duvonne worked overnight at the slaughterhouse and by day attended middle school year a few grades behind other kids this age. He wasn't the first person to get caught in a machine and die at the plant. A 48-year-old man died from his injuries following an accident that happened at the Marjack poultry plant in Hattiesburg on Monday night.

Devine came to the U.S. from Guatemala in the last decade with his family. But in the last two years, more than a quarter million migrant children have arrived in this country alone. without their parents. Almost half are from Guatemala. Dodge City is about a thousand miles northwest of Hattiesburg.

It's one of many small Midwestern towns Central American migrants now call home. All of these communities have one or more slaughterhouses driving the local economy. There are people here who are wanting to bring other family members. So they contact the smugglers and they say, listen, I have a family member who wants to come here. And sadly, the smugglers, they have their price.

This adult Marjax slaughterhouse worker told us they are employed legally. They asked NBC News if they could stay anonymous out of fear of losing their job. They're one of many who came from Guatemala to work at the plant. And apart of that, there are days, too, that we don't have nothing. We spoke to We spoke exclusively to a former manager at Slaughterhouse Cleaner Packer's Sanitation Services, Inc., or PSSI.

They asked to stay anonymous out of fear of repercussions from speaking out. You're around all kinds of sharp instruments that a lot of them automated. They don't, they're not mature enough to understand that these things are going to hurt them and a lot of times will kill you if you don't treat it right. You have to respect the machinery, and you have to turn it off.

PSSI paid a $1.5 million civil penalty in 2023 for violating child labor laws that maintains they did not knowingly hire children. PSSI told us they have a zero-tolerance policy against employing anyone under the age of 18, and they said they've implemented enhanced screening processes and technologies in their hiring practices. Shannon Rebolydeo is a U.S. Labor Department investigator. Her findings led to PSSI being penalized for employing children. You walk into the building, but the operation's enormous.

And as we walked, I was just like, that's a kid. That's a kid. And so we would stop and talk to them briefly. We found a systemic failure on the company's part. There were over 102 children that we verified their age and their identities, that were working in the night shift. it's dangerous. It's prohibited, and it's prohibited for a reason because it's so dangerous. You have to act like an adult, you have to behave like an adult, you have to perform like an adult,

and if you mess up, you get treated like an adult. And they get paid like adults, often well above minimum wage. Many immigrants are desperate for these jobs to feed their families. There's some real pressure on them to try to find work. Attorney Larry Stein has represented Marjack for more than three decades. He agreed to talk to us about Duvon's death. The people they're paying loans to get up to here, and I don't think they're the lone people that are very kind, shall we say.

Is it hard to fill these jobs with people who are legally allowed to work in the United States? It is hard, yes, it is. Is it impossible? I don't know if it's impossible, but it's hard. Some workers at Marjack used stolen identities to get their jobs, a fact communicated to the company and law enforcement. NBC News obtained police reports showing that for years, Americans complained to Marjack and called the local police.

They say their identities were stolen by Marjack workers who used their social security numbers to get jobs at the plant. We discovered that at the time of his death, 16-year-old Duvonne had used the identity of a 32-year-old. year old man to get his job, according to the company. Was the company surprised to learn that Duvonne was 16 years old? Yes, they were surprised. That I can tell you, they were surprised and somewhat horrified.

If you could look at this, too, I mean, do you think that he looks 32 years old? No, he did not look 32, but he might have looked 18. So how could it be news to Marjac that there were people working there under fake IDs, if they got these calls previously. Well, because then you have to depend... Now you're depending on the credibility. Is it the person calling or is the person there? And we're limited.

They gave us this documentation. We cannot look into it. Stein says the company's hands are tied. We are prohibited by law from going beyond that system. I know that's sad reality, but that's the one that they, frankly, all employers in United States operate under. We asked Shannon Rebo-Yedo with the Department of Labor if a company generally was responsible

if they'd been duped with fake papers. So the company is responsible for following the child labor provisions, which says that you can't work in a meatpacking capacity until you're 18 years of age. And they are required to do due diligence. We now put signs on all over the facilities in every entrance, no under 18 may enter. and we put it in English and we put it in Spanish.

Marjac says that Duvon was hired by an outside staffing company and that Marjack now requires that company to provide a photo when someone applies for a job. The federal government has not fined Marjack. If they do, the maximum fine for hiring a child is $15,138 per instance. Do those fines actually have an impact on how these companies do business?

I think the publicity of having something like that is far worse than the penalty. Nobody wants to be seen to hire a child. One source at the plant told us they worried children were still employed even after Duvon's death. We asked Marjack, and they told us they have reviewed its entire workforce and does not believe they are employing anyone under 18. Can you say definitively that there are no more children working for Marjack? Lord, there's no way I could ever say that definitively.

As NBC News documented instances of child labor across the country, it started to become clear how prevalent the issue is throughout many American communities. ICE and foods and herdo farms, they're finding themselves under federal investigation. The labor says, when IT America Incorporated, violated child labor laws. The county is at the forefront of a new report that accuses a food manufacturer of violating child labor laws.

Gorbors poultry, famous for their omniscience. farm chicken. Our kids are not for sale. Our kids are not for sale. Our kids are not for sale. Now Congress is scrambling to figure out how to fix this issue. Kastia, never. The

man's despeded of his abuela, of his tios, of his familyaries, and lamentable, will regressar and

a caja. And Julia Ansley joins us now from Washington, D.C. Julia, I mean, your report is focusing on a kid, a 16-year-old boy who probably should have been

taking a driver's test soon, and instead, as your report ends there, being sent home to his family in a box. Has the Department of Labor responded to Devon's death? They have. In fact, Alison, there are two ongoing investigations from the Department of Labor, one into how Duvon got this job in the first place, looking at how he was able to potentially steal

someone else's identity, what the company knew when they hired him, and they're looking into his death and what led to his death, why that machine that was supposed to be turned off was still on when he was pulled into that case. conveyor belt. And both of those investigations, as we understand it, are still ongoing. Julia, sometimes the meatpacking side of this industry, it can feel isolated from the final food. We as consumers are actually eating at our dinner tables and our kitchens. Do you have a sense of where some of the Marjek products actually end up? Well, they end up in many places, your supermarkets, fast food chains. One of those places is well known to a lot of us,

Chick-fil-A. And we reached out to Chick-fil-A, and they said we're reviewing our own procedures for investigation and response as we pursue the steps necessary to effectively hold all our suppliers to our high safety standards. And one Marjack employee who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity said that Chick-fil-A gives the employees there a coupon every year for a free Chick-fil-A sandwich, Ellison. Julia Ainsley, thank you. When we come back, the woman going into labor on a Los Angeles highway, the moment she realized she would not make. get to the hospital and how her mother stepped in to deliver the child inside the car. That

incredible story is next. Finally, tonight, a special delivery for one California family this holiday season. A woman going into labor on the way to the hospital, her own mother, not only right by her side, but delivering the baby. This isn't how Rosie expected to meet her granddaughter. You delivered the baby grandma? Oh my gosh. But she was beaming with joy when she had a minute to process it. Rosie isn't a doctor, but she successfully delivered her daughter's healthy baby girl in the family car on the five freeway in Los Angeles. I took my seatbelt off and I laid down on my back and I took my clothes off and I'm like, you got to call 911. Like she's going to come out. I cannot make it to the hospital.

Leslie says she was four days away from her due date when she started to feel intense pains. What was supposed to be a 20-minute car ride to the closest hospital turned into a delivery no one will forget. I was just like, oh, my God, I'm naked. I'm going to give birth with my dad's car. It all happened so fast. And Leslie says her mom just jumped into action. Her head is right there. I feel her head. And she's like, oh, yeah, it is. and she saw her, my daughter's head, and it's full of hair. So she's like, okay, okay. So then I'm like, you know what?

I'm pushing, catch her, catch her. So I give, like, three pushes, her heads out, and she just slides out. Paramedics arrived minutes after the birth, and the father, Miguel, was able to cut the baby's umbilical cord. It's kind of like a scary situation for a good, but maybe is good, so that's all that matters. Rosie smiling, saying they never expected Baby Eslin to make her debut this way, but she's just happy. Everyone is safe. Leslie and her new baby are doing well, and one day, Baby Eslin will hear how she surprised them all on the five in the backseat of her granddad's car. Thank you so much for watching Top Story for Tom Yamis.

I'm Ellison Barber in New York. Stay right there. More news is on the way. Thank you.