Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, February 12, 2024

Episode Date: February 13, 2024

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 we have new details in that shooting inside of Joel Osteen's mega-church. The female suspect wielding a rifle, bearing the word Palestine, shot and killed by off-duty officers. New videos showing the terrifying moments, shots ring out sending churchgoers running for their lives. The suspect's young son in critical condition after being shot in the head. What we know about a motive and the alarming findings inside her home. Also tonight, winter slam, $45 million on alert as the Northeast braces for a massive nor'easter that brought white-out conditions to parts of the plains and a severe weather threat in the south. The storm expected to disrupt the morning commute on the roads and at major airports. Could New York City see its biggest snowfall in years?

Al Roker standing by to time it all out. Another twist in the Trump election interference case down in Georgia, a judge announcing district attorney Fannie Willis, could be disqualified if misconduct allegations against her are proven true. The judge also denying Willis's request to cancel a hearing on whether she benefited financially from a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor in that case that she appointed. That decision, a major blow to the DA's office and could upend the case against Trump. We're breaking it all down. In Gaza, a 27-year-old doctor takes us through a day in his life treating hundreds of patients at a time,

moments of chaos and desperation inside the last functioning hospital. The concerns this medical center could soon collapse as doctors struggle with incredibly short supplies. Plus, Griselda versus Netflix, new updates in the lawsuit against Netflix and actress Sophia Vergara over their portrayal of Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco, what the family argues the streaming giant didn't do when they decided to create the hit miniseries. And rescue on the mountain. The moment stranded snowmobilers are discovered after becoming stuck in deep snow. The device they brought on their trip that officials say was the key to finding them fast.

Top story. It starts right now. Good evening. We are learning new details tonight about the woman who stormed a popular Houston megachurch, opening fire, and sending churchgoers scrambling for their lives. Video captures the terrifying and chaotic moments inside as multiple services were underway at Joel Osteen's church. The suspect entered the church with her seven-year-old son and fired off several shots using an automatic-style rifle with the word Palestine written on it. Two off-duty officers shot and killed the woman. Her son and a man in the church were both wounded. Police have identified the shooter as 36-year-old Genesei Moreno. They say she has a length of.

criminal history dating back to 2005, and includes unlawful carrying of a weapon, evading arrest, an assault on a public official. New video tonight shows law enforcement raiding the home of the shooting suspect overnight. A motive, though, is still unclear, but police say they believe she acted alone. NBC's Morgan Chesky has the latest on the investigation, including the troubling items found inside the suspect's home. Tonight, chilling new details about the shooter at Joel O'Shea. Lakewood Church in Houston, where Gunfire Sunday sent members running for cover. They were repetitive.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Boom, boom, boom, boom. And I yelled, Mom! Police identified the shooter as 36-year-old Genesee Yvonne Moreno and say she was carrying an AR-15 with the word Palestine written on it. Police said they also found anti-Semitic writings during a recent search warrant. We have uncovered some items. We do have some anti-Semitic writings that we have uncovered during this process,

but like I said, we are 24 hours into it. Investigators say a dispute between Madano and her ex-husband's family, some of whom are Jewish, may be related to the shooting. At the church, witnesses say the shooter was wearing a trench coat and opened fire almost immediately after walking inside. The first thing that I thought that I was like, I need to hold my kids really hard, and I thought that I maybe will die after that.

Police confirming Moreno entered the church with her seven-year-old son and was armed with multiple weapons and ammunition. Two off-duty officers returning fire, killing the shooter. Her son critically injured in the crossfire. They held their ground in the face of rifle fire at point-blank range. And they continued to fire until the perpetrator was neutralized. and they did not yield. Law enforcement records show the shooter had at least six prior arrests since 2005,

including unlawful carrying of a weapon, which she pleaded guilty to, evading arrest and assault on a public official, which she pleaded to a lesser charge. Moreno's neighbor saying she filed a restraining order against her in November. Police adding in 2016, authorities placed Moreno under an emergency detention order. We do believe that she does have a mental health history that, is documented through us and through interviews with family members. The shooting Sunday came minutes before the megachurch's Spanish service, where one member was wounded but is expected to make a full recovery.

We're devastated. I mean, we've been here 65 years and have somebody shooting in your church. But, you know, we don't understand why these things happen, but we know God's in control. Morgan Chesky joins us now live tonight from Houston. So Morgan, such a scary incident there. I know police have said she acted alone, but are churches in that area increasing security? Yeah, Tom, they are. In fact, authorities, whenever they were sharing these new details in a press conference earlier today made a point to say it will not be just mega churches such as this one, but places of worship all across the Houston Metro where they will make an effort to have an increased presence throughout the next few days or so. certainly regardless of religious affiliation, this is causing concern.

And frankly, it's another example of a place of worship turning into a place that ends up being attacked. And right now, while they search for what the true motive may be, authorities are clear to say that they have not ruled out a hate crime or even terrorism as potential causes here. But they say as of right now, this remains a very active investigation, and they're encouraging anyone with information. about this shooter to please come forward. Morgan, obviously one of the saddest parts of this story is that little seven-year-old who was also shot the alleged shooter's son. Do we have any updates on his condition? According to officials earlier today, Tom,

the Houston police chief said that he is fighting for his life in critical condition. Still unclear who struck whom here. Yesterday we heard from the police chief, Tom, who said that, Right now, they're still trying to figure that out, and that if he was struck in the crossfire by one of those officers who returned fire when the shooter started opening fire with that AR-15, that mother's to blame because she placed that child in such a dangerous place. Tom? Morgan Chesky, leading us off tonight. Morgan, we thank you for that. We want to turn out of the forecast.

Millions on the East Coast preparing for that threatening nor'easter. The storm set to slam the region with dangerous. wind, rain, and snow. Officials sounding the alarm warning drivers of a dangerous commute tomorrow morning. And some areas bracing for up to 10 inches of snow. I want to get right over to Al Roker, who joins me now. Al, I've been reading the headlines. It's going to be the most snow we've seen in the area and maybe two years. Walk us through what you're seeing and what you think is going to happen. Okay. And also, Tom, we're going to give you some, there's some caveats with this system. But a lot of folks not taking any chances. A lot of school systems

already shutting down. Forty-five million people under winter weather advisories, winter storm mornings, including New York City. And you can see the leading edge of this activity starting to make its way up toward the northeast. So here's what we're looking at. This low pressure system gets itself together overnight. The rain will change over to heavy snow in the northeast. We're looking at slow and slick morning commute along the I-95 Carter from Washington, Philadelphia, on up into Boston. Now, the snow, the good news is, Tom, this is a quick mover. It blows through here pretty quickly, But then we're going to get some very cold winds. Lake effects snow showers developing.

In fact, these winds are going to be a factor with airport delays because we're looking at wind gusts tomorrow anywhere from 20 to almost 40 miles per hour as you get. And Nantucket may see wind gust of up to 60 miles per hour. So here's what we're looking at as far as snowfall accumulation. Lighter amounts as you get into central Pennsylvania, one to maybe three inches of snow. As we get closer in, you can see New York City's right on that line,

three to six inches. However, we've had really warm temperatures in the northeast, so the ground temperatures are fairly warm. So are these numbers three to six inches, maybe on grassy surfaces, I think on the streets and sidewalks, it'll be a little bit less. Three to six in Scranton is more likely. Hartford, Connecticut, away from the coast, maybe three to six. Providence, the big number, six to ten inches, Tom, three to six up in Boston. So we're going to have to watch this as it develops, because can the snow really get itself together and bring those temperatures down to cause the accumulation. But because it's a fast mover, I think the numbers may be a little on the lower side. We'll keep our fingers crossed and see how it goes.

And, of course, we'll update everybody tomorrow morning on today. Tom. All right, Al, we hope you are right about that. We will watch you on the Today Show. We turn now to politics. Former President Trump facing a growing firestorm for saying he would encourage Russia to attack NATO allies who have not paid their dues to the alliance. This comes as President Biden weather's his own political storm, the special counsel's withering account of his alleged memory issues. Garrett Hake has the latest. Tonight, growing backlash on both sides of the Atlantic over Republican frontrunner Donald Trump's controversial comments about NATO. From the White House, you've heard from President Biden, gosh, I don't know how many times. We will defend if needed

every inch of NATO territory. That's what the Commander-in-Chief of the United States ought to be saying when it comes to NATO. To America's closest ally, the U.K. I think what was said, was not a sensible approach. All after former President Trump recounted talking to a NATO member, suggesting he would encourage Russia to attack a country that had not met its financial obligations to the alliance. If we don't pay and we're attacked by Russia, will you protect us? I said, you didn't pay, you're delinquent? He said, yes, let's say that happened.

No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You've got to pay. The NATO treaty requires an attack on one country to be treated as an attack on all. While NATO countries have also pledged to spend 2% of their GDP annually on defense, but many don't. And that, Mr. Trump's Republican allies insist, was the point of his remarks. That's simply the president telling NATO countries, they need to step up and play their part. It's that simple.

But NATO's Secretary General saying Mr. Trump's statement, quote, undermines all of our security. Meanwhile, the White House on offense tonight against the scathing. accounts of President Biden's, quote, diminished faculties in that report by special counsel Robert Hur, which described Mr. Biden as, quote, an elderly man with a poor memory. Today, the president laughing it off with supporters. I've been around. I know I don't look like it. I've been around a while. I do remember that. And the chairman of the Joint Chiefs speaking to Lester today defending the president. He's pretty sharp. He's got a very good grasp of the issues. He, he, and he's got a very good grasp of the issues he asked, I think, very pertinent questions. Were you surprised to hear that?

Dialogue. Yeah, it was. Because it's not characteristic of what I've seen. All right, Garrett Higg joins us tonight from Washington. Garrett, I know tonight there have been a lot of developments when it comes to the former president in some of his legal cases. I know you have an update tonight for our viewers on the immunity claims. Yeah, that's right, Tom. All the former president's criminal cases in the news this week. But tonight, the former president's lawyers have filed to the Supreme Court, asking them to throw out a lower court's decision earlier this week on immunity, basically arguing that he would be immune from prosecution from anything related to these election interference case against him. And perhaps more to the point, to keep that

criminal case paused while they come to their decision. The timing is important here. An extended pause could push that trial into the fall or perhaps even after the election. Tom. All right, Garrett Hake for us tonight. Garrett, we thank you for that. For more on some of these big moments recently from the campaign trail. I want to bring in Chuck Todd, our chief political analyst here at NBC News. So, Chuck, thanks again for being here. I want to start with something else that Trump said over the weekend, this time about Nikki Haley's husband who's serving in the military overseas. Let's take a listen. Then she comes over to see me at Mar-a-Longa, sir, I will never run against you. She brought her husband. Where's her husband? Oh, he's away.

He's away. What happened to her husband? What happened to her husband? Where is he? He's gone. Chuck, you know, I know there were a lot of Republicans over the weekend shaking their heads, not only over the NATO comments that we saw in Garrett's piece, but also over this comment. It was a bad week for President Biden, and yet former President Trump was able to step on himself. No, this is what he does best, and why I think there almost is weird, comforts the wrong word among Biden partisans, but sort of like why this as bad as Friday was for him. Thursday and Friday, why it's not full-on skies falling because at the end of the day, there's

always Donald Trump. He has a way of inserting himself or not allowing, you know, not following traditional political rules. I mean, this is a case where he should have just stayed quiet all weekend. Let Biden stew in his own issues, but he couldn't help himself. I mean, I think he also somehow went after Taylor Swift again over the weekend. But, you know, Tom, eight years ago, I'd have said, boy, you better be careful attacking a military veteran like that. That's going to hurt. Trump in a primary. Well, he attacked John McCain, and that didn't hurt him. In theory, doing what he did should be harmful. Any other Republican that attacks a candidate whose spouse is serving overseas would normally see that as a negative for them. But as we know, Donald Trump

is about the one person who doesn't get punished for things. Literally, any other politician would get the ire of the public for it. Chuck, let's switch gears now to President Biden in the wake of that scathing special counsel report, highlighting the age concerns surrounding President Biden. Our colleagues at NBC News published a story asking if it's even possible to replace Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket. It reads in part, Biden has said he will remain in the race, and there is no indication otherwise, but the only plausible scenario for Democrats to get a new nominee would be for Biden to decide to withdraw. No prominent Democrats have called for Biden to step aside, and there's no known serious conversations about it. But Chuck, tonight, I want you to entertain me.

If President Biden worked to do this, explain to our viewers how this would happen. Well, in some ways, there is an historical precedent, and it's 1968. It's LBJ. He gets out March 31st of that year. Filing deadlines had passed in some states, not everybody to get in, and nobody was going to have enough delegates, even with the primaries that remained at the time to get the nomination without it becoming essentially a convention contest, primary voters wouldn't matter. And so what you would have is this would be an inside game. It would be a very public inside game, meaning I think you'd have various factions out there,

whether it's the teachers unions in one place or Bernie Sanders supporters elsewhere and things like that. So it would be, I think, play out very publicly per se, but it would be an inside game. And Kamala Harris would have a leg up on everybody else. While she wouldn't inherit all of Biden's delegates, you know, she would essentially be the first person, have a shot at getting them. And in many cases, if she's managing this correctly on her, she's making sure that the delegates that are selected are people that are potentially as loyal to her as they are to him. In fact, I'd be very curious if I were Kamala Harris right now, I'd be in the very back of my mind thinking about this as they select the delegates going forward

to this summer convention. But the bottom line is this, Tom. This only happens at the convention. There is no other way to do this. Right. So it has to happen at the convention because the primaries have already been started. Biden's the nominee. He's on all the ballots, yada, yada, yada. Let's put up some of the faces, though,

that of people who could potentially be the other nominee were to say, I don't want to be the nominee anymore. We talk about Vice President Kamala Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom as well, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. I got to think, from what you were just saying right there, if this does happen at the convention, and again, we're just speaking in hypothetical terms here.

You've got to start that process now. You've got to start talking to people making sure you at least have some mojo going to the convention, right? Well, be careful. You know, there's one of those things where if you get caught doing this too much before anything's happening, then you could get ostracized from the party like Dean Phillips, right? So there's a line you've got to walk here. You're not wrong that if you really think this is going to happen, yeah, you better be prepared on that front. You know, I think that there would be three or four quick candidates out of the gate, right?

You're Gretchen Whitmer being one, one of the, you know, Newsom being the other, probably the governor of Illinois, too. He's a self-funder, the Pritzker, J.B. Pritzker on that front. And but there'd be all sorts of, you know, you still have the Bernie Sanders wing of the party. And they would have a lot to say about this. And I think this is why every time I've entertained this conversation with some high-level elected Democrats, The minute you go down, they're like, oh, you know what, we'd only beat each other up. We would be a party divided. We're better off just, you know, doing Biden here, even if it turns into like a weekend at Bernie's.

We're better off doing that because the other side of it could just break the party apart. Is the chat, and I know it's chat coming from the right, but is the chat about Michelle Obama? Is that even in the conversation? Is that even a possibility? or is that so out of the realm of reality that's never going to happen? That's a, it is a right-wing fever dream, meaning this has been invented on the right. There's no evidence of it at all. She hated politics.

It took, I remember when they just tried to get her to campaign for House members and Senate members, and she hated doing that. So she's not into politics. I don't know how many different ways she has to say it. But let me bring up something else. The real question here, Tom, is who could convince Biden, He's got to do this, if that's the case. And you've got to think it's one of the former living presidents, right?

It's really only President Clinton and President Obama. Who else can have a peer-to-peer conversation with a men? Maybe it's somebody that goes to First Lady, Joe Biden, you know, could be maybe some long-time members of Congress. You know, it's possible that a Debbie Dingell is somebody that's a conduit who's a congresswoman out of Michigan, whose husband served in Congress with Joe Biden almost the entire time that he was there. Yeah. That's the real question I have, Thomas. Who? Is there anybody with credibility back in the old Barry Goldwater? It goes to Richard Nixon. It's time to give it up, right? Is there a faction in the party in the Democratic Party that would play that role? I don't see it, but those are the first places I would be looking. And, you know, I wanted to have this conversation because the New York Times, right, over the weekend, and we have another graphic of this, I mean, their editorial page, I mean, if you look at the headlines just from this weekend, I mean, it was, to me, it was surprising. But all the questions were being asked by their editorial board, which is a liberal editorial board, and by their op-ed writers, a lot of them, not all of them, but a lot of them on the left.

So I wonder how real this is, and could this be something that Democrats are actually considering right now? Yeah, I don't think it is as real as maybe the Times Ed Board wishes it were. I mean, by the way, it's fascinating for you to put up those headlines because one of my biggest gripes about the media, this collective media, is that whenever you do the most trafficked email columns or most emailed columns, you see it's always the same subject matter. So they're all writing about this because it's getting a lot of attention. So I would be careful in assuming there's real traction just by the total. of the amount of content there is. I think there was people feeding an audience beast here

because, again, I go back to, I've gone to select power players that I think would be involved in a process like this. Yeah, Chuck, you say that. And none of them are picking, none of them are doing it. But Chuck, our poll, the ABC poll, at 85% that voters say he's too old to be president?

I mean, at some point, Democratic Party leaders are going to have to say, wait, there might be something here. Tom, that's what it's going to take. It's going to be somebody going public. You tell me who that is. that Akeem Jeffries, is it Nancy Pelosi, right? Outside of political advisors like David Axel Ryan and James Carville.

You would have to, if there is a big name like that, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Akeem Jeffries, you know, President Obama, President Clinton, it would have to be somebody of that stature to come out publicly and say it's time to go or to privately go and leak it out. And I'm just coming up, I'm not saying this is happening. In fact, I cannot, there's no, I have found no evidence that it is happening. But I think unless it's at that level, I think this is just, this is just water cooler chat for right now. Chuck Todd for us tonight, Chuck, we thank you for that.

We want to turn out of some other breaking news we're following tonight. A Georgia judge moving forward with a hearing on the misconduct claims against Fulton County DA Fannie Willis. You may recall Willis brought election interference charges against Donald Trump and 18 other co-defendants, but she's now accused of having an improper relationship with the lead prosecutor on the case who she appointed, Nathan Wade. The judge saying today the hearing must occur and could result in disqualifications if proven Willis benefited financially from that relationship. Blaine Alexander joins us tonight from Atlanta to help us understand these latest developments. She's been leading our coverage out of Georgia on this. So Blaine, talk us through the judge's decision today and what this really means and what we can expect in the coming days.

Well, Tom, the biggest thing out of this is that Thursday's hearing is going to take place as scheduled. That's something that D.A. Willis had been trying to avoid altogether. Remember, she said that it would be nothing but a circus, and she was asking the judge to say it, make it go away. That's not going to happen. So Thursday, that hearing is going to happen. Now, as for who is going to testify, that's still a question. Remember, Fannie Willis had filed a motion to quash the subpoena not only for herself, but also for Nathan Wade, and for several other members of her staff who had been subpoenaed.

Well, the judge today said he's not going to rule on that. Basically, he's not going to quash it right now, but it's possible that he does so on Thursday once testimony gets underway, once that hearing gets underway, Tom. And then, Blaine, you know, Willis and Wade have both said their relationship started after he was appointed as a special counsel in this case. But a recent filing says there's a witness who will testify that Willis and Wade's relationship actually predated his hiring.

So that's why Thursday's going to be so interesting, Tom, because up until now, all we'd seen on this were a flurry of motions and filings going back and forth. Thursday really is kind of when the rubber hits the road when we start hearing from actual witnesses. Ashley Merchant, who's the attorney for Michael Roman, who's the person who filed the motion that set all of this into play, says that she has a witness that is going to undercut that. That's going to say that the relationship actually started before Wade was hired to work on this Trump case. And that's a really big point of contention. Now, we're going to be watching for a number of witnesses, but the person that will likely take the stand first is somebody named Terrence Bradley. He is the former law partner of Nathan Wade. He also represented him in his divorce proceedings for a time in there.

So we expect that that person will be called to the stand first. The judge, Judge Scott McAfee said, once that testimony's over, then he'll kind of make a decision and see if the other witnesses, including, of course, Fannie Willis, will need to testify. But that's certainly going to be something we're watching very closely in all of this. You know, Blaine, everyone was covering this case the entire country because of sort of the legal ramifications for the former president, right? We all remember when he was down there in Georgia, you know, getting booked and the mug shot. I mean, who could forget that? What's going to happen with the larger case? Does it have to, is it sort of put on hold while all this is figured out?

Well, everything's still moving forward. I think there are a couple of things that we're looking forward to on the calendar. One, it's possible that this hearing could actually go for two days. It starts on Thursday, but the judge said he's blocked out Thursday. Friday, depending on how many people we need to hear from. The second thing, of course, is that there's still been no trial date set yet in all of this. The DA's office proposed August. Of course, Trump and a number of his co-defendants pushed back on that, so we're still waiting for an actual date to hit the calendar. But then the other thing that we're waiting to

see, Tom, is how the judge, Scott McAfee, rules in this motion to dismiss and disqualify Fannie Willis. That's going to be something we're watching very closely once we get past this hearing. The other thing I do need to mention, though, is that we heard from the DA's team, they're forcefully pushing back on all of this, saying that basically they would be shocked if Ashley Merchant can substantiate the allegations that she's claiming. So it'll be very interesting to hear the testimony that comes from the stand on Thursday, Tom. It's going to be a big day on Thursday. Okay, Blaine, we thank you for everything. Overseas now to an update on the story we've been following closely, and this is a tough one.

A Palestinian child who was heard on a heartbreaking emergency phone call has been missing for two weeks and has now been found. dead. Heen Rajab was trying to flee Gaza City with five family members when their car came under Israeli tank fire. You'll remember those chilling phone calls with emergency services. The girl pleading for someone to come to her while she remained trapped alone in that car. Rescue workers finally able to search the area after the IDF pulled out on Saturday morning confirming both the girl and the two first responders who were sent to find her had been killed. Also unfolding in Gaza, daring nighttime rescue mission, two hostages being held by Hamas, rescued in Iraq, rescued in

a raid in the southern city of Rafa, ahead of an expected ground advance there. The mission marking just the second successful recovery of hostages since the start of the war. Raf Sanchez is in Tel Aviv with the details. Tonight, the emotional reunion, the families of two Israeli hostages have been waiting for for months. Luis Haar and Fernando Marman back with their loved ones, freed from their Hamas captors by Israeli troops. They're in good condition, despite 129 days of captivity. Hamas kidnapped them from a kibbutz during the October 7th terror attacks.

It was very emotional to see them, to hug them, to feel them. It feels almost unreal. This new Israeli drone footage shows the moment commandos stormed an apartment building in southern Gaza, exchanging fire with Hamas gunmen and emerging with Har and Marman. Do you want a blanket and Israeli Navy SEAL asks? It's warm in our hearts, Haar replies. The operation was launched at 1.49 a.m. in the heart of the city of Rafa. The hostages held in a second floor apartment by three armed Hamas guards, Israel says.

We penetrated it with explosives. It was a clear-and-sweep operation, finding the hostages, bringing them both out. Israel pounding the area with airstrikes to cover the commandos retreat. At least 67 Palestinians, many of them civilians, killed, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. Palestinian doctors, like Nora al-Wahidi, struggling to treat the wounded. The situation is more than catastrophic. We are dealing with a new case every minute. President Biden tonight once again warning Israel against an all-out assault on Rafa, where half the population of Gaza is seeking refuge.

They're packed into Rafa, exposed and vulnerable. They need to be protected. And the CIA director will be in Cairo on Tuesday for more negotiations on the hostages. Ralph Sanchez for us tonight. Raf, thank you. Still ahead. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hospitalized once again. The secretary admitted to a critical care unit for a bladder issue. What we're hearing about his condition and who was taking over in his place. Plus, a national guard chopper crashing in Utah. What we're hearing tonight about the pilots on board. And a self-driving car torched on the streets in San Francisco. The hunt for a motive on what we know about the chaotic scene. Why did this happen? Stay with us.

top story is just getting started on this Monday night. Back now with news out of the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin back in the hospital. Admitted to a critical care unit Sunday after being hospitalized for a bladder issue at Walter Reed Medical Center. The duties of the defense secretary now transferred to Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks. His hospitalization coming less than two weeks after Secretary Austin held the news conference where he apologized. for his lack of transparency following his hospitalization for prostate cancer back in December. NBC News Pentagon correspondent Courtney QB joins us tonight.

So, Courtney, what do we know about the Secretary's latest hospitalization and how bad is his condition? Yeah, so those are questions we've been asking, and we really don't have a good sense of his current condition other than his doctor said today, after he received some sort of a non-surgical procedure under general anesthesia, that he is expected to make a full recovery and that he may be. even be able to resume his duties that he transferred to deputy secretary kathleen hicks on sunday he may be able to resume them as early as tomorrow now what we know is that he is suffering from some sort of a bladder issue we don't even know at this point tom if it's directly related

to the complications that he suffered last month from his prostate cancer surgery now a viewers may remember here that secretary austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early december he He underwent a surgery right before the holidays to treat that cancer. Now, fast forward to about to January 1st, when he started experiencing some extremely painful symptoms and was taken to the hospital to Walter Reed via ambulance on January 1st. He was hospitalized for weeks, Tom, suffering from an infection, from a buildup of fluid inside his system, and it was really a matter of weeks before he was able to leave the hospital and return here to the Pentagon.

Well, yesterday, because of this, what the Pentagon, again, is calling an emergent bladder issue, he was sent back to the hospital. Now, again, he was under general anesthesia today, but doctors say that this bladder issue, whatever it is, is not expected to impact his prostate cancer treatment. So we still have a lot of questions here, but it looks as if the secretary is expected to make a recovery, and he's not expected to be in the hospital for a prolonged stay, Tom. And then as far as notifications go, the White House, other government officials. Everyone was notified this time.

Yeah, this was completely different than what happened on New Year's Day. You'll remember that Secretary Austin went to the hospital on a Monday evening, and it wasn't until Thursday evening that the Pentagon told the White House, including President Biden, that Secretary Austin was not only in the hospital, but that he was an intensive care unit. And it wasn't even until days later that the Pentagon informed the White House, again, including President Biden, that he had been treated for prostate cancer. Secretary Austin, in the days and weeks of criticism that he faced for that inability to

disclose publicly what he was going through, he promised to do better. And I have to say, Tom, they have really, the Pentagon has really lived up to that, notifying the White House, Congress, senior Pentagon leaders, and the public within hours yesterday that he was going to the hospital and keeping the public updated, including, as recently today when they announced that he had gone through this non-medical or non-surgical procedure under general anesthesia. We do expect to get more updates, including when he's released from the hospital, Tom. All right, Courtney, Qie for us tonight. Courtney, we thank you for that update. When we come back, a sobering look at life inside the last major

hospital standing in Gaza. We'll introduce you to a 27-year-old physician caring for more than, get this, 800 patients as the walls of his city crumble around him. That doctor's Dispatch next. All right, we're back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with a developing story out of Utah, where a National Guard helicopter has crashed during a training exercise. The Utah National Guard says one of its Apache Longbow helicopters was involved in a training accident. You can see what happened right here.

This happened near the West Jordan Army Aviation Facility. Both pilots, though, survived the crash. That's great news. They're now being treated at a local hospital because of the crash, though, still under investigation. This crash comes less than a week after five Marines were killed when their chopper crashed during a training exercise near San Diego. 13 people were rushed to the hospital after two tour boats collided near the port of Miami. The Coast Guard says the two charter boats were navigating the fisherman's channel when they slammed into each other. More than 30 rescue units responding to the scene late Sunday afternoon,

passengers suffering from broken bones and ribs. According to their families, the cause of this crash is under investigation. San Francisco police are investigating after a self-driving car was vandalized and then set on fire. Take a look at this. You can see the Waymo, a driverless car just engulfed in flames after someone threw a firework inside of it over the weekend. Others smashing the windows in with a skateboard and spraying graffiti. No one was in the car at the time. Police say it's not clear why the crowd was gathered to begin with the lunar New Year celebrations were underway nearby.

No arrests have been made. And two snowmobilers rescued after getting trapped outside of Salt Lake City, drone video capturing a five-hour search and rescue operation by the Wasatch County Mountain Rescue Team. The first responders using a spotlight. You can see it here in infrared cameras to find the stranded men who called for help with a satellite device after getting stuck in steep terrain. both snowmobiles are expected to be okay. Okay, we turn now back to the war in the Middle East where crucial medical supplies and supporting Gaza

are in desperate demand. Our NBC News Digital Docs team following the daily life of a 27-year-old doctor treating hundreds of wounded civilians inside of Gaza's last major hospital and a warning to some viewers. Some of the images you're about to see are disturbing. All right. All right. But you're all that's good. But you're doing as I'm

I'm talking about. Okay. Okay. Okay. Abrahear. Okay. Abrahim? Listen, come on me. Come on me. Just me. Just me. God.

God. He'll go. He'll go. Ah, God. Ah, God. Ah, God. Oh, hush. Whush.

Every night after a hard work, I came to sleep due to what I saw during the day. The vision of martyrs and injury. He is shocked and he has a human. He is shocked and maybe he has a he must. Maybe he has a hemotorax blood in his chest. We don't have medication to complete therapy. The simplest thing like being killer and anesthesia, we don't have, we don't have cause, we don't have loves, we don't have anything.

I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do you. I'm going to do this. I'm going to do something. I'm going to do this. You know, it's a lot.

But this is the the, this is the enemy. Yes? Yes. This is a good rashik. It's a good. This man is suffering from him.

You know, God. This man is suffering from pain because we don't have any anesthesia here. God. Israel dance are everywhere and we are completely surrounded. We have received 128 injuries and 56 months. 46 martyrs since this morning. I don't receive any help from any organization. Since the beginning of this work, I just work here as a volunteer.

I spent all the day working with the engine, but finally we get time to drink. I live here in the hospital with my friend, which are journalists, in an intent which is very small. My family in another place, I can't reach them, I hope they are safe. Let me see what we have food today. Lemon. I'm going to the soup for buying something to eat because I don't have any food in my tent.

Amiabhii? Bacca with you these. No, no, the tuna. This war destroy everything. everything, destroy the hope we had before. I just have many dreams. One of them be a great doctor of plastic surgery. But now I'm just seeking for a safe place of my family,

where they can live as a human. No, I'm really, you know. We fear that we are passing from the same scenario like a Shepah Hospital. I work at the hospital and now the situation are the same. Many questions why you don't leave the hospital right now. Who will receive the injuries and who will cure them? A big thanks to our NBC News Digital Docs team for putting that together. Okay, we're going to get a check of what else is happening around the world,

so it's time for Top Story's Global Watch. We begin with the shocking news in the world of elite running. 24-year-old Kelvin Kippem from Kenya, who holds the world record for the fastest marathon, was killed along with his coach in a car crash in his home country. Last year at the Chicago Marathon, he became the first man to run a marathon, in under two hours and one minute.

Kipham was set to compete in the Paris Olympics later this year. A national emergency declared in Trinidad and Tobago as an oil spill coats several beaches. The government of the Twin Island nation sharing several photos, look at that, of the boat which is still leaking oil. No word yet on the owner of the vessel or how it overturned. Officials say they're concerned about the spill's impact

on both the environment and tourism, a vital industry for the Caribbean nation. And a high-stakes meeting between Argentina's president and the Pope today. The meeting follows a contentious year in which Argentinian president Javier Millet repeatedly insulted the Pope's stance on social justice.

Today, Milay changing his tone and praising the, quote, most important Argentine, appearing to shore up support from Catholics amid a mounting economic crisis. We should note, of course, Pope Francis is originally from Argentina. Okay, coming up,

the godmother versus Netflix. The family of Griselda Blanco settles a major lawsuit against the streaming giant and star Sophia Vergara. What's behind the legal drama the drug queen pin hit? Stay with us. The people when they see

the tattoos that don't know in English, and what they think is how they can use them, how can abusals. The only way of that we can we can't have what we want is That was a clip from the Netflix show Griselda, the mini-series at the center of a lawsuit that has been settled between the family of Griselda Blanco, that drug queen pin, and multiple co-defendants, including the series star and producer Sophia Vergara and Netflix. The complaint filed by Blanco's youngest son, Michael, claims that his unreleased and private artistic literary work about himself and his mother's life was used without any credit, and the family did not authorize the use of violence. their image, likeness, and identity. To help break this all down, let's bring in NBC News legal analyst, Angela Senadellis.

So Griselda Blanco, she's no longer with us, but still causing a little bit of trouble. What happened here with this case in her family? So look, it all comes down to how you, me, all of us, we have the right to exploit our own story, almost exclusively. But the net also is balanced with Netflix's writer, any production company, to have freedom of expression. It's the First Amendment. But what his side is arguing here is that they invade.

his privacy because you can only use public material in general if you were to give a story about somebody else and make money off of them. And there were some kind of meetings, right? I mean, there were team members from either the production company or Netflix that actually talked to Michael Blanco at some point. And that's where he said, listen, some of my ideas may have been used, they may not have been used, but I was shocked to see this story was produced without my knowing, right? Right. So that's where the whole privacy issue comes into play, because had Netflix just used totally publicly available information, there, he likely would have no case. So he's basing it in these private meetings, that they invaded his privacy by using material from meetings. So they eventually settled on this case. I know we don't know the terms of the settlement here, but because they settled, did he have an argument, do you think? So you never know. It's often just the cost of doing business from

Netflix's side, but these lawsuits literally happen every single time a biopic is made. And there is history here. So it's not clear that he necessarily had a case or that Netflix. believed he had a case or that they just thought it would be much cheaper for them to settle. Yeah, and there's sort of been mixed reviews I know from family members that some of it is very true to life. Some other parts are fictionalized. Even the producers have said, look, this is a piece of art. It's fictionalized. How can you win sort of a case like this? I say win because they settled. If so much of this is sort of made up, like the main characters are real and some of the storylines are real. But, you know, the dialogue, things like that and different scenarios are

made up. on the exact right point here, and that is the First Amendment. That's the right to freedom of expression, creative, artistic expression. So that's exactly what Netflix would be saying. But the fact that they used his name is where the question mark comes into play. Now, it is interesting here, there's no defamation part, though, because that's often what we see here. They will use someone's name, fictionalize it, and then defame that character. Because like some of these families, they obviously have so many relatives. And when you talk about historical figures, what usually happens in this case? Do some family members get brought in

and maybe get a cut of the profits, or sometimes if the family, if the relative is so famous, they can cut the family out entirely. Well, usually the first step is to purchase the life right. So that's usually the easiest step. But if Netflix or the production company is not going to do that, yeah, they go down the line, see who they can take meetings with. And then at that point, they usually settle if it's possible. All right.

Would you have defended Grisel de Blanca? Would you have been her attorney? I mean, I don't have experience in drug smuggling. It wouldn't be right for me. Angela Senadella. We always appreciate you and your analysis. Coming up, it's the tip of a lifetime. The staff at a cafe gets $10,000 from a very generous customer. They tell us why he gave it to them and how they're going to spend it. It's an awesome story. Stay with us. Finally tonight, tipping someone, of course, has become second nature for so many of us.

The 10 to 20% gratuity often given without a thought. But at one Michigan restaurant, a customer leaving behind a $10,000 gift that move a reminder of how little or a lot of generosity can go a long way. And Mrs. Ellison Barber has this way. When you get the check at a local restaurant or cafe, how much do you tip? Some joints will give you a hint, suggesting 20, 22, or even 25%. But last week, one patron at the Mason Jar Cafe in southwest Michigan showed some gratitude on another order of magnitude. tipping $10,000 on a $32 lunch. Absolute disbelief to begin with.

Typically, we'll see, you know, every now and then $100, but not ever anything of this gratitude or magnitude. Manager Tim Sweeney was shocked to see this kind of tip, especially during the cafe's slow winter months. Had conversation with him and he wanted to proceed. Turns out this act of kindness was far from random. It was in memory of.

a friend who had recently passed and he was in town for a funeral and it was just really an act of kindness that impacted so many people the customer who wished to remain anonymous requested the tip be split among the staff waitress page mollick says she'll use her share to help pay off some of her student loans lower that interest every bit i can we had so many incredible women working that day so many hard-working mothers just who who really deserve this the cafe is sharing this picture of the tip on Facebook with the caption, I'm crying, you're crying, we're all crying, adding, quote, keep sharing the love where you can.

Every dollar counts at a job like this, and I think that a lot of people really, really deserve this. If a little bit goes a long way, a big tip like this has the potential to change lives. Anytime you can lend a hand and change somebody's life, whether it's a small act or a large act, It's very important to just keep that in the forefront, keep that top of mind. Thanks so much for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamas in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.