Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, February 17, 2025

Episode Date: February 18, 2025

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

Tonight, the runway disaster in Toronto as a Delta plane crashes on the tarmac. Terrifying video as passengers run out of the aircraft completely flipped upside down. The new footage from inside the plane as everyone is evacuated. More than a dozen people injured, several airlifted to a trauma center. How could this happen? Also tonight, the deadly flooding across the south, rescuers pulling people from trapped cars and homes. the mudslide, knocking homes off their foundations, and the pile up on the New York throughway, as snow blanket that region, where the next storm is taking aim.

The disturbing murder investigation in New York, a transgender man reported missing. Then days later, his body is discovered in a field. The suspects now in custody accused of torturing him. American Israeli hostage, Sagi Declan, released from Hamas captivity, cameras capturing the emotional moment he sees his wife for the first time, learning more about his baby born after he was abducted. Tariffs dim Broadway, how President Trump's trade war with China is forcing the signage for one new musical to go dark.

And meet the 96-year-old die-hard skier proving that age is just a number, how he's carved out an incredible legacy on the slopes. Plus heightened concerns over Pope Francis's health. from doctors as he remains hospitalized. Top story starts right now. And good evening. I'm Christine Romans in for Tom Yamis. We are following breaking news as we come on the air tonight. A Delta plane crashing while landing in Toronto.

Video showing that surreal scene. You see the plane flipped over. Emergency crews rushing in to evacuate passengers from those aircraft doors. New video just in giving us a good. glimpse inside that airplane. Listen. Everything, drop it. Come on. You can just imagine how terrified people were dangling while strapped into their seatbelts. Delta confirming there were 80 people on board at the time, including four crew members. Everyone was accounted for, though we do know several passengers were taken to area hospitals. Take a look at the flight path. The plane taken off

from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport shortly after 11.30 a.m. local time. The incident occurring about two hours later at Toronto Pearson International, around 2.45 p.m. local time. This all coming amid a string of recent aviation disasters. NBC's aviation correspondent Tom Costello starts off our coverage. On the runway in Toronto, a terrifying end for Delta Flight 4819. Our plane crashed. It's upside down. Lying upside down on the runway, an Endeavour Air Regional Jet had just arrived from Minneapolis in gusty winds when something went terribly wrong. This airplane just crashed in two, three. As thick black smoke poured from the plane, firefighters smothered the scene in foam.

The right wing ripped off, the fuselage bearing what appeared to be skid or soot marks. Everything, drop it. All 80 people on board managed to escape through the emergency exits. I was walking to this fence, and I could see a CIR. PRJ that is possibly crashed on the airport. The airplanes flipped. 18 people injured and transported to area hospitals, including two airlifted to trauma centers.

One child rushed to Children's Hospital in Toronto. I've seen a few people on stretches that we have transported. I have seen one person with a sling on their arm. And I've seen others that are just potentially exposure type injuries. because it is very cold here. The plane, a Bombardier, CRJ-900 regional jet made in Canada, is a workhorse for short-haul flights worldwide. At the time of the crash, it was 18 degrees

with 20 to 30-mile-per-hour winds and strong crosswinds. The question for investigators, how and why did the plane lose at least one, maybe both wings on landing, then flip over, causing jet fuel to spill onto the runway. I think it's possible the wing may have touched the runway due to a gust, and if that's the case, then the rest of this makes sense. But the recorders are going to show that.

In a statement, Delta says our primary focus is taking care of those impacted. The flight was carrying a total of 80 people, 76 passengers, and four crew. The investigation now will be led by the Canadian Transportation Safety Board, with both the U.S. FAA and NTSB assisting. Tom Costello joins me now from Washington, D.C. And Tom, we know investigators will be taken a close look at the black boxes from this aircraft. What will they be able to tell us? And as you know, we always see this.

They're orange. They call them black, but they're orange boxes. And the flight data recorder is what's going to be critical, giving investigators accurate readings on the plane's roll angle, the flight conditions, and how the plane handled the winds. We're talking about significant crosswinds coming in from the west at 38 to 40 miles per hour. The cockpit voice recorder should have the conversations between the pilots. so not necessarily on the radio, but between the pilots, before, during, and after the emergency.

What were they experiencing? That's what investigators want to learn. All right, Tom Costello, thanks, Tom. For more on this crash, I want to bring in NBC News Aviation analyst Jeff Guzzetti, who is also a former commercial pilot, former investigator with the FAA and NTSB. Jeff, thank you so much for being here in your expertise. Let me start with the video we have from just after this crash.

The plane upside down with a wing, apparently the whole wing assembly broken off, black marks visible on the side of the plane of the engine. What do these visual clues tell you? Good evening, Christine. Well, it tells me that the right wing was sheared off, and you can see it lying in the background. The left wing appears to be intact, but heavily damaged. And the airplane, in order to get upside down like this, would have to cartwheel or peer, pirouette, so to speak. And as Captain Cox indicated in the previous segment, typically that occurs because you're dragging a wing. So if that right wing would have banked and perhaps

hit a snowbank or the runway, it could cause the rest of the fuselage to tumble. And the wind was coming from the right side of the airplane. So these are things that the investigation is going to have to look at. I mean, it looks like everyone seems to have survived this crash. I mean, tragedy and a miracle all at the same time. What would an evacuation have looked like in a situation like this where the plane is literally upside down? It would have been chaotic, but controlled by the two flight attendants. And you can even see in that video that you showed that they were barking orders at the passengers, leave your things behind. Come on, let's go, let's get out. Now, of course, you're upside down, so it's going to be disorienting. And whenever these passengers

unbuckled their seatbelts, they would have fallen up a couple of feet and kind of fallen onto the overhead bins, which are now the floor. And that would have made things a bit more cumbersome, but still, with those flight attendants telling the passengers to get out of those two doors, that's what they were there to do, and it worked. Yeah, you can hear their training. You can just hear it as their barking orders to get out of that plane. What's the first thing the pilots would have had to do in a crash situation like this? Well, so, you know, at this point, I mean, the pilots are just like the passengers. They're hanging upside down, and there may not have had good communication between the flight

deck and the flight attendants. So I think they would have attempted to extricate themselves and get word to the flight attendants to evacuate as soon as possible. Jeff, this is now the fourth high-profile crash in just a few weeks. Do we have an air safety Is it a string of coincidences? How concerned should Americans be about flying tonight? Well, Christine, after the first two or maybe even three, I would have said that Americans should feel safe to fly. And I still feel that, even after this fourth commercial accident. It's too early to tell whether there's some sort of common thread, although I don't recall a spate of commercial accidents like this in quite a while.

this in quite a while. It'll be up to investigators on all four cases to determine whether there's any common threads and to prevent the next accident from occurring. Jeff Gazetti. Thank you very much. For more on the weather conditions at the airport at the time of this crash, I want to bring in today's show's Al Roker. Al, you know, what was the weather like when this plane was trying to land? Well, you know, look, Christine, it was not ideal, that's for sure. They've had lake effects snows coming across the Great Lakes. You can see those streamers coming across, and you can see Toronto in the midst of some very gusty winds. We're talking wind gust of upwards of 30 miles per hour or more. The winds, the steady winds,

we're coming out of the west at 23 miles per hour at 232. There was blowing snow, so visibility about six miles, not the best conditions in trying to land, Christine. Unbelievable. Right, well, we've got you here. This deadly storm system hit the south this weekend, and another is right behind it? That's right. This system now making its way across the country. We've got coast-to-coast, 42 million people impacted by winter storm warnings, winter storm watches, and advisories. This low-pressure system is going to come out tomorrow into the plains, develop some gusty storms, especially down along the Gulf. It tracks quickly across the Tennessee River Valley, moving away. Snow showers will hang out again around the Great Lakes with gusty winds.

The good news for the northeast, not much snow. But the heaviest snow, 6 to 12 inches in the mid-plains, Joplin, Missouri, and the bullseye there. and along coastal Virginia, we're looking at, again, around 6 to 12 inches, so that's going to be a problem. Also, brutal cold coming in. We're talking about 67 million people from the Dakotas all the way down into southern Texas under cold advisories. We're looking at wind chills, Bismarck right now, 29 degrees below zero, feels like five below in Chicago, 28 in Roanoke, even Nashville, feeling like 32. And as we move into tomorrow, this Arctic Express continues. these temperatures. It's going to be three degrees in Minneapolis. That's 27 degrees below average. Dallas at 50. That's 13 degrees cooler. New York City, 12 degrees cooler at 28. And you can see that

continues tomorrow. The good news, Christine, we're going to be looking at temperatures starting to moderate as we get on toward the weekend. Christine? All right, Al, thank you. That next weather system set to strike as the death toll from this weekend's storms rise in in hard-hit Kentucky. A young child among the dead and authorities believe people are still trapped. Shaquille Brewster is in eastern Kentucky for us tonight. Tonight, as Kentucky's devastating floodwaters recede, the region is bracing for yet another round of storms. We want to make sure we get all the rescues done before that, that we're not doing boat rescues

in a snowstorm. Heavy weekend rainfall, leaving communities cut off, claiming 11 lives and prompting more than 1,000 rescues. Nearly 250 airlifted in Martin County today. Stacey Best in Pikeville said the water came rushing in. I felt like I was going to die, really. We ended up going into the attic. You were trapped here?

Yeah, absolutely. In Kentucky's Hart County, a 35-year-old mother and her 7-year-old daughter were killed when police say their vehicle was swept away by water. More than 300 roads are still closed. In Pike County, rescuers are working to reach the many they believe are still trapped. The most urgent concern right now is making sure that people who need help that we get to those people. How many people are we talking about? We have no idea at this point.

In places where the water has moved on, the daunting future now visible. NBC's Kathy Park is in Hazard, Kentucky. At one point, downtown was completely underwater, forcing businesses to evacuate. Now the community is cleaning up, pushing mud out of these buildings and trying to save anything they can. Across Kentucky, some 10,000 remain without power, and nearly 17,000 without safe drinking water. This weekend storms also spawned tornadoes in Tennessee, damaging cars and ripping off roofs. In Atlanta, a tree collapsed into a bedroom, killing a resident inside. The mounting toll of a severe winter storm with yet another on its way.

And Christine, here in Letcher County, Kentucky, you see a different kind of impact. Yes, look at what this road has turned into, that rushing water. that's filling the backyards of several of these homes. One neighbor saying there's seven feet of water in her basement, this not from a swollen river, but instead a mudslide that diverted the water, devastating yet another community. Christine? All right.

Our thanks to Shaquille Brewster for that report. For more on the devastation in Kentucky and Tennessee, I'm joined now by Pastor Stephen Boykin. He's the lead pastor with his house ministries in Mayfield, Kentucky. Pastor Boykin, thank you so much for joining me tonight. How are you, how's your community doing tonight? You know, we're not unfamiliar with disaster, unfortunately. You know, we had the tornado in 2021, and we have seen so much that's come good out of it,

but in the moment that it happened, it was just so devastating. We had flooding ourselves again in 23 in July, and then as we faced this weather event, we were very concerned about what that was going to look like. We went ahead and opened our church up as a temporary shelter. We're very intentional now any time there's a weather report. We love our community. And what better way to share hope whenever there is something going on like this to give people the hope we have in our faith and Christ and point them to something tangible that they can receive.

And so we've come out okay in Mayfield, but a community is just south of us and Reeves, Tennessee, about 40 minutes south, the levy broke there. Hence now, we're working with other national nonprofit leaders to both respond there. And then what you just reported on in Pikeville, we've already been able to coordinate some relief efforts there. We want to pay forward the good that we've received to help others in disaster because we recognize how great a need there is right now in our community, but also in our region and in our state. Yeah, Pastor, you mentioned that your community is no stranger to disaster. You know, in 2021, you talked about that deadly EF4 tornado touched down in Mayfield. Then in July 2022, historic rainfall through eastern Kentucky catastrophic flooding.

We're seeing pictures of that there. Talk to us. You use the word resilience, and I think that's important. Talk to us about the resilience of the community, people you're talking to, and how they're dealing with what feels like a cycle of extreme weather there. Absolutely. You know, a lot of people don't, there's an unseen disaster. We're already in this epidemic of mental.

health in our world today. I don't think it's just a national thing. And people are feeling all of this transition. And then when you put natural disaster on top of that, there is such a heaviness. I know for us, we've had another tornado since our first tornado, May 26 last year. And so when people see these things, it begins to work on you a toll. But that's, again, while we point people to hope, we've actually formed a nonprofit the Hope initiative. We're responding in Douglas, Georgia from Hurricane Helene, now we're going to respond in some of these other regional disasters as well. But I think the presence of people in times of distress offers people hope, whether it's a warm blanket, whether it's just a listening ear. But we have an opportunity.

We also have a responsibility, I think, to come together in times like this. This is not a left or a right thing. This is just something we come together. We've seen our governor respond in such an incredible way in our state. He's even opened up the state park. I was talking to office earlier today. I think Gen Wally State Park is already at capacity, and yet they're continuing to make provision for people. It's a playbook that seems to work as people get the opportunity to have temporary relief. And then I've seen faith-based nonprofits come together and respond in such a way that helps so many people. There is such a great need, and I think all of us can get involved. Pastor, what's the biggest need right now in your region? What do you

need from the federal and local governments? What I'm seeing there in Reeves, there is going to be a great need for volunteers. The first responders, I was on the phone yesterday with the chief there in Reeves. He was doing an incredible job coordinating, working. There were people there wanting to come together. There's some local churches in that community coming together. They're going to need volunteers for muckout. And that's a community that may not get the same attention as Mayfield did with us or even Pikefield. I was on the phone earlier. There's already three or four national partners headed there, and I'm so thankful for that kindness and generosity. But this smaller community, I've heard 250 to 300 homes inundated with water, there's going to be a great need for volunteers to come together.

There will be some resources, but people come together, boots on the ground, help these folks in an impoverished area to put the pieces back together of their lives. All right. Pastor Stephen Boykin, thank you so much and good luck to all of you. Absolutely, thank you. Now to those ongoing federal workforce cuts spearheaded by President Trump and Elon Musk, the FAA, Department of Homeland, security and the CDC, all firing hundreds of employees. Today, protesters across the nation taken to the streets demonstrating in support of federal workers and the work they do and against Musk's moves to slash some of their jobs. Senior White House correspondent Kelly O'Donnell spoke to one Army veteran who worked at the FAA and was caught up in the cuts. With alarming real-world

incidents, the crucial mission of public safety faces an internal test. As the federal workforce is under scrutiny and hit with job cuts. President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency and Elon Musk's Doge team continue to make cuts, including at the Federal Aviation Administration. Close to 300 FAA employees terminated this weekend, according to a union that represents workers there. Twenty-eight-year-old Jason King was at FAA for eight months. When you were doing your job at FAA, did you believe you were helping to make the public safer? I truly did. King, an Army veteran with a service-related disability, says he worries cuts could be too deep. Even for the people that are still there, their workload has drastically

increased. And I think that's where a big part of my concern, the public safety comes in. Other federal job cuts may also be linked to public safety. Four hundred layoffs at Homeland Security. including 200 positions at FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Hundreds fired from the Centers for Disease Control, including about two dozen who support outbreak response, according to agency sources. Stand with federal workers. Protests across the country,

turning this President's Day holiday into a day of action. From the winter chill of Albany to sunshine in Orlando. We win. The West Coast. to the nation's capital. But the people are going to feel it eventually. Meanwhile, an employee affiliated with Doge is expected to seek access

to an IRS system that holds sensitive information. Today, Trump advisor Stephen Miller insisted Americans' personal financial data will be secure. I give you complete and total assurance on that point. We are talking about performing a basic anti-fraud review to ensure that people are not engaging in large-scale theft of federal taxpayer benefits. A Democratic senator said today these cuts are injecting unnecessary risk,

while a Department of Transportation spokesperson said the FAA is still hiring new air traffic controllers and has retained personnel who are involved in critical safety functions. Christine? All right, Kelly O'Donnell, thank you for that. Moving overseas now to the latest on the Russia, Ukraine war, top Trump officials preparing to meet with Russia to broker a peace deal, but notably missing from the table any representatives from Ukraine. And President Vladimir Zelenskyy tells NBC News,

he won't accept a deal that Ukraine doesn't help draw up. NBC's Richard Engle reports. President Trump dispatched his top foreign policy team today to Saudi Arabia to begin the most intense negotiations yet to end the war in Ukraine. The talks, which could redraw the map of Ukraine, and have major implications for the security of Europe and NATO begin with the Russian side. Ukraine is not invited. Ukrainian officials tell NBC News that's a troubling sign.

There's an old expression in peace talks. If you're not at the table, you're on it. Russian troops currently occupy about 20% of Ukraine's territory in the east and south. Ukrainian officials fear President Trump could carve off those areas and seed them to President Vladimir Putin. President Zelensky told NBC News's Kristen Welker, Ukraine will not accept a deal it is not part of. Do you feel like you have a seat at the table right now? I'm not only count on it.

I'm sure that we have to be there. Otherwise, it's not acceptable. European nations are also shut out of the talks. So today they convened a last-minute emergency summit among themselves. In Ukraine's frontline city of Haresan this morning, volunteers held. a belated Valentine's Day party in a shelter for children here, who after three years are still hiding underground, not going to school, and hardly ever playing and socializing. Yulia Izchuk is an organizer and says, of course, Ukrainians want peace, but they also want

their leaders to have an input in the negotiations. This initiative by President Trump, do you support it or are you nervous about it? I'm nervous about it. It's confusing, it's going quickly, and you don't see where it's going. President Trump says that Ukraine will not be excluded from these negotiations, and an administration envoy is expected here in Ukraine later this week. But talks with Russia do seem to be the priority. And President Trump says he plans to meet with Vladimir Putin soon.

Richard Engel, thank you. Next tonight to the growing health concerns for Pope Francis, the 88-year-old hospitalized in Rome tonight, with what the Vatican is calling. a complex respiratory infection. Though Pope was initially admitted for bronchitis treatment on Friday, but a series of tests has since created a, quote, complex clinical picture. NBC News correspondent Ann Thompson joins us now for the latest on Pope Francis in his health.

Anne, what do we know about his diagnosis and how he's doing tonight? Well, Christine, he apparently is doing better. The Vatican says he has no fever. He was working today. He ate. He received the Eucharist. He's said to be in good spirits, but what is keeping him in the hospital is something that the Vatican calls a polymicrobial infection. And what that means in plain English is that the Pope has one or two or, excuse me, two or three or four germs in his lungs that are really putting him at making him sick.

And they can be bacteria, they can be viruses, they can be fungi, they can be parasites. and that combination is what has made him stay in the hospital. They've changed his therapy, and as I said, he does not have a fever. That's the good news. The bad news is that he's had to cancel some of his events this week, including his weekly general audience, which he holds in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday or in the St. Paul auditorium, depending on the weather.

But I would say the next thing that you want to look for, is what does he do about the Angelus? That's the Sunday prayer that he usually prays from his balcony in St. Peter's Square. No word on yet whether he'll do that. We don't know how long he'll be in the hospital. Could he say the Angeles from his bed or from his room in Jameli Hospital? That's possible. Will he be back at Casasana Martyr?

We just don't know. And, Anne, how serious does this seem to be given his extensive medical history in his age? Yeah, well, he's, as you said, he's 88, and he suffered. from sciatica. He has a bad knee. And most importantly, in this case, he has basically one and a half lungs. When he was 21 years old in Argentina, he had the upper lobe of his right lung removed because he had an infection and they found three cysts on it. So you start there and then you deal with the fact he's had bronchitis. That's what put him in the hospital initially. He was hospitalized for three days with bronchitis in May, 23, just before Holy Week.

Two years before that, he had colon surgery. In between all of that, he's had a knee procedure. So he's had a lot of recent visits, spent a lot of time at Jameli Hospital, not particularly unusual for somebody who's in his 80s. These health challenges mount up. But this one certainly in the winter, and given the fact it's in his lungs and given his age, It's always something to be concerned about. Chris? All right, Ann, thank you so much for that.

Still ahead tonight, the murder investigation underway after a transgender man is discovered dead. The suspects now in custody, allegedly torturing him before he died. We hear from his family about when they realized something was terribly wrong. Plus, the Dallas Mavericks assistant coach arrested the violent altercation landing him in handcuffs. And check your pantry. The popular pancake mix being recalled over the risk of a life-threatening reaction.

Stay with us. We're back now with a disturbing case out of upstate New York, police arresting five people that they say tortured and abused a transgender man until he died. His devastated mother and sister speaking out about one of the suspects who they say he first met online. NBC's Antonio Hilton reports. Chilling new details in the murder of Sam Nordquist, a 24-year-old transgender man from Minnesota, allegedly tortured by these five people in upstate New York. The facts and the circumstances of this crime are beyond depraved. No human being should have to endure what Sam endured. Investigators say Nordquist was subjected to repeated physical and psychological abuse for weeks inside a motel room in Hopewell that led to his death. This is one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated.

His family said Nordquist traveled from Minnesota to New York in September of 2024, hoping to connect with an online girlfriend, Precious Arzuaga. His family feared for his safety and lost touch with him early this year. I had a bad feeling off the start that it wasn't going to end well if he came out here and he wouldn't listen to me because he thought that he was in love with this woman. On Thursday, Nordquist's remains were found in a field in neighboring Yates County. Archer. How could somebody be so few?

Authorities have charged precious Arzuaga, Jennifer A. Kihano, Kyle Sage, Patrick Goodwin, and Emily Motica, with second-degree murder with depraved indifference. NBC News could not immediately reach their attorneys for comment. According to police records, Goodwin was previously convicted for sexual abuse of a murder. minor and sage for grand larceny and distribution of pornography to a minor. They can rot in hell.

I'm going to run hell and die. New York Governor Kathy Hokel calling the case sickening in a statement, adding there must be justice for Sam Nordquist. Community members in upstate New York gathering for a vigil to show support for Sam. Rest in power. Sam Nordquist. We seek justice and face this enormous grief together. As of tonight, the district attorney and state police say, there's no evidence of a hate crime. Writing in a statement on Sunday, Sam and his assailants were known to each other, identified as LGBTQ plus, and at least one of the defendants lived with Sam in the time period leading up to the instant offense. Just because you're a part of the

LGBTQ doesn't mean that you're supporting that T and that Q and you're protecting that TNIQ. Britain Hargers is a community organizer. He too is trans and from a town not far from where Sam was found. What does this case represent to you? I think it just reminds me and honestly puts in the forefront the times that we are living in, the hateful rhetoric, and how this is not a trans issue. This is a human rights issue. Christine, all five suspects were denied bail after making an initial court appearance. If they are found guilty, they could face up to 15 years to life in prison, Christine.

And Tony Hilton, thank you for that report. When we come back, a father returning to his family after being held hostage by Hamas, the emotional reunion with his wife after his release, plus the moment he learns the name of his daughter born while he was in captivity. We're back with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with a big headline out of the sports world, An assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks has been arrested for assault. Dallas police saying Daryl Armstrong is charged with aggravated assault after he allegedly hit his girlfriend with a gun and threatened a shooter. The assault allegedly happening during an argument.

Armstrong has since been suspended from the Mavericks. Now to an update on a pancake mix recall, the FDA issuing the highest risk classification for the product. Last month, the FDA recalling Pearl Milling Company pancake and waffle mix over an undisclosed, milk allergen. But this past week, the FDA reclassifying that recall indicating the serious risk that a person with a milk allergy could die from consuming that product. A new report finding the U.S. accounted for about 60% of all unprovoked shark attacks last year, the international shark attack file, reporting 28 of the 47 unprovoked shark bites worldwide were here in the U.S., including one that was deadly, 14 of them in Florida. Some good news, though, the number of

unprovoked attacks around the world significantly down from 69 cases in 2023. And a tariff battle between the U.S. and China hitting New York City's iconic theater district, the marquee for the new musical comedy Operation Mincemeat, it'll be dark as the show begins previews. The spokesperson for the show says that's because the LED light bulbs used to light that marquee come from a vendor in China and that the shipment is being held up at customs in connection with new tariffs. According to the show, it's the first time in modern history when a Broadway show opened with an unlit marquee. Turning now to the Middle East and the talks to extend the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Among the latest hostages released over the weekend, an American held for almost 500 days missing the birth of his baby daughter.

NBC's Rob Sanchez spoke with the family about his emotional return. Tonight, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's committed to making President Trump's radical plan for Gaza, a reality. The U.S. says displacing two million Gazans will give them a new, safer life. But human rights groups say the plan amounts to ethnic cleansing. And it's opposed by Saudi Arabia, where Secretary of State Marco Rubio today met the country's crown prince. Talks now focused on extending the Gaza ceasefire. A source tells us negotiations are underway on the possible release of six hostages this week, in exchange for Israel allowing more temporary shelters into Gaza.

The White House confident it can broker a deal to reach phase two of the ceasefire, which would bring a permanent end to the fighting. But phase two is absolutely going to begin. Over the weekend, three more hostages freed, including American Israeli, Sagi Declhan. The parents of two small girls, Sigi and his wife, Abital, were expecting their third child when Hamas attacked their kibbutz on October 7th. Their daughter, Shahar, was born two months after her father was kidnapped. Sigi missing every moment of her short life, including her first birthday.

How I can stand near to the table with cake and balloon and present and, you know, and in the same time, my husband needs to survive. But as soon as Sigi and Avital were reunited, she told him the name of the child he'd never her mat. Koramah Shachar No shal. SIGI's father, Jonathan, looking on. I knew everything was going to be okay by looking in his eyes.

As Sagi, since he was a little boy, he speaks with his eyes. And when I saw his eyes, you know, from a few feet away, I knew that my kid was back. After 498 days of captivity, what was it like to see Sagi finally meet his baby? That life can begin again. Life as we knew it in some form. Absolute joy for him and for Avita. I believe that it would happen, but there are not words in the English language or any other language that I know that can truly express the power of that moment of reunion with his little girls.

Raff Sanchez, NBC News. Now to Top Stories, Global Watch, starting with the apartment building, Collapse in Egypt, officials say the three-story building near Giza caved in after a gas leak caused an explosion. At least 10 people dead, several others hurt. First responders were moving rubble to search for survivors. Officials evacuated nearby buildings as a precaution. The man known as the world's first openly gay Imam has been shot and killed in southeastern South Africa. Officials say Mushan Hendricks was ambushed by two men and shot inside a car. He was with a driver who survived the the shooting, Hendrix ran a mosque in Cape Town that welcomed Muslim members of the LGBT community. And pop star Shakira returning to the stage in Peru after being hospitalized over an abdominal issue, fans gathering outside the hospital in Lima where the singer underwent treatment. In a social media statement, Shakira postponed her concert in that city, saying her doctors advised her not to perform. But tonight, the Grammy Award winning artists getting

the green light to continue her world tour. When we return, a close-up look. at war in Ukraine, the greater implications of Russia's offensive reaching far beyond the war-torn country. We speak with two filmmakers about their documentary, Putin's Endgame, and their take on the state of the conflict. We're back now with another look at the war in Ukraine and the wider consequences of Russia's invasion. A new short documentary called Putin's Endgame, the stakes beyond Ukraine, explores how Russia's attempts at expansion are affecting people in the border countries of Sweden, Finland, and Estonia, and reshaping transatlantic security. Here's a clip from the trailer.

All of us are thinking, can we be the next target? I think if Russia will succeed in Ukraine, then we don't have this international world order we used to have. It means that you can change the borders of independent country with the war. For more on this film and The War, I'm joined by producer Joel Seidman, formerly of the NBC News, Washington, D.C. Bureau, and Kevin Tibbles, a former long-time correspondent for NBC News, who wrote and reported the doc. Thank you both, gentlemen, for joining me. Let's start with you, Joel. Why did your team decide to make this documentary, and how did the journey ultimately come together for you?

Well, a year ago, I thought it was a good idea to take the temperature of America's allies that were directly exposed. to Russia. The allies would be Sweden, Finland, and Estonia that have borders with Russia and the prospect of what if Ukraine falls, what if American support, allied support just doesn't continue and the Russians move in. And we wanted to figure out how these countries were dealing with the alliance. Both Sweden and Finland are brand new members to NATO. They joined after the 2022 invasion, and we were looking forward to understanding what their security concerns were and how they felt the alliance would come together with the prospect of Donald Trump as the next president.

You know, Kevin, talk to me about those conversations you had with people, about the possibility of Russian expansion. What stood out to you? Well, I can sort of give you a two-sided answer here, because I'll start with the ordinary people on the street, especially in Estonia. People there, perhaps way more so than here in North America, people there remember what it's been like living next door to Russia, especially the Second World War. It was the Soviet Union that invaded Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Baltia, the Baltic. countries. They tried to invade Finland. People there are genuinely afraid of what could happen should Ukraine fall to the Russians. As you heard in the opening clips there, that was a Finnish

border guard actually saying, could we be next? We also spoke, and this is the second side of my coin, politicians and security officials in that part of the world. You know, the Estonian foreign minister said two very interesting things to us after he said that could we be next? One is that the entire region is looking at Ukraine and is saying Ukraine is fighting our war for us. Ukraine needs as much support as it can get from Israel. its allies in the region, from its allies in Europe, and from NATO.

And all of a sudden, we're starting to hear discussions about, are we going to support NATO from this side of the Atlantic? Is NATO a waste of money? Should we be giving them arms? Well, of course, former Ukraine Ambassador Herbst in our documentary says, the best thing the United States could do is to give Ukraine the arms its knee. It needs to push the Russians back. That's the easiest way to win. this war and the easiest way to save American lives or without boots on the ground. The second thing that the foreign minister said was this is Donald Trump's Churchill moment. Can Donald Trump stand up to a bully, stand up to someone who has invaded another country

in order to try to steal the land and the resources that that country has? This is Trump's Churchill moment. Is he going to take it? You know, Joel, the audience for this film so far primarily has been American, right? What do you hope Americans are taking away from this documentary? I think, first of all, they need to understand the vulnerability of these three countries. They have borders that are furthest east, and they are bordering Russia. Also, I think they need to take away the idea that Europe, European allies, NATO, may have

to go it alone. It is very possible that the U.S. may not have the support that it's had in the last 70 years to keep this alliance together. And will they be able to do that as a unified body? Americans need to see, and we have lots of maps and locators, so they can understand where these countries are, to understand how vulnerable they are. Narva, which is right on the Russian border, there is a Russian city across a very close, cold-war-looking bridge on the Narva River has been declared by Putin that he wants to take it back. And Narva is very much like Dombas. It is a city that is 90 percent Russian-speaking people. They can cross this bridge by foot every day, and they do. So I think Americans need

to understand that, yes, Putin may have larger ambitions, may want to create some sort of an imperial Russia again. And these countries have already been exposed to Soviet occupation and to wars with the Soviet Union. Will Putin make another move? I think that they feel terribly threatened. You know, Kevin, what did filming this documentary and traveling to these places tell you about the current state of the conflict? I mean, you called this the chance to be, you know, a Churchill moment for Donald Trump. And we know parties are on the verge of actually talking here?

Well, of course, certain parties are on the verge of talking. We still don't know whether or not Ukraine is actually going to be at the table. And throughout the filming of this documentary, that is one of the constants that we heard, is that this is about Ukraine. Ukraine has to be at the table. That is what everyone has been saying to us. The other part, you know, Joel was talking about Narva. and the fact that there are so many Russians on the Estonian side.

And that might be a bit of a head scratcher for a lot of people. Well, if it's Estonia, why are there people speaking Russian? Well, here's a perfect example of why we wanted to shoot the documentary there, and that is that when the Soviets took over the Baltic states and Estonia during the Second World War, they basically either murdered anyone who had any power at that time, time, or they exported, deported, Estonians to Siberia to essentially die in labor camps. This has not been far forgotten over there. They also filled up Estonia with Russian-speaking people.

So they essentially ethnically cleansed parts of Estonia and filled it up with Russians, and that's how they continued the expansionism of the Soviet Union. have not forgotten that. People still have relatives who are on the other side as a result of all of this. And then it comes down to, well, is this going to happen to Ukraine? And is Ukraine going to be able to, is Ukraine going to lose this land that they've already lost? And are we going to sacrifice that to Putin, who will then presumably get the impression, oh, if he wants to take some more land, then all he has to do is go and take it. because nobody's going to stand up to him.

Gentlemen, thank you so much. Kevin Tibbles. Joel Simon. Thank you. We'll be right back. And finally tonight, we end with a story proving age is just a number. Our affiliate in Minneapolis, K-A-R-E-11, following one man to the ski slopes where at 96 years old, he still has no plans of slowing down. Boyd Hubbard has this one. Good morning, guys. For some people at Welch Village. Fantastic. Skiing.

Feels great. Never gets old. Oh, hi boys. Skiing, perhaps. But that doesn't mean skiers. A special fan. Alex Rivlin's gearing up is a process. Not surprising.

In the last one. When you're... How old? I forgot. 1990. It's one thing for Alex. 96. To amaze inside the chalet,

another out here. The skier carving a path at Welch Village was born in 1928. Dang, I can't believe he's able to do this. Born to silly before chair lifts were even invented. invented. I usually sing something.

If Alex isn't lifting his voice in song, he's riding the lift, laughing, kiddiness that accompanies him up and down the hill. These amazing guys are machines. A machine of a man built very active in the time of the hammer

and sick. Yes. It's me. We were racing in the suburb of St. Petersburg. Alex first fell for skiing in his native Russia. Always wearing head. Where he'd worked as a researcher on a nuclear icebreaker. Twice, North Pole.

His skis always along. It's me. Though more for chuckles. For fun. For fun. Then white knuckles. No hills, no hills, only ice, ice and ice. But back in St. Petersburg, Alex.

turned up the heat. The championship of Soviet Union. He skied professionally. Somewhere in the middle. And became a coach for aspiring Soviet Olympians. His passion on display. I tried to kiss a ski. Then in 2001.

Better life. Alex. I very happy. Immigrated to America. where his love for skiing was rekindled on the slopes of Welch Village. Today actually marks his 30th day this season. Welch's Taylor Jackson keeps count. Last year it was nearly 60 days and he was the last one off the hills last year.

When we shut down all the lists he was the last one out there. Then Alex left Welch with a promise. She always makes sure to tell us that he bought a season pass for the next year. Promise kept for 24 straight years. This is my favorite. This cheapest one. Far from home, Alex is home. You are part of this place now.

You are part of Welch now. At 96. I skied yesterday for hours. Alex Rivlin is still not over skiing, nor over the hills. This key brings me everything. Wow, amazing. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Christine Romans in New York for Tom Yamis.

Stay right there. More news now on the way.