Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, February 6, 2023

Episode Date: February 7, 2023

Thousands dead in Turkey and Syria after a catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake, the toxic emergency in Ohio after a train derailment, the U.S. Coast Guard's efforts to spot a growing number of migrants arriving to Florida by boat, the police officer in the hospital after a Facebook Marketplace deal turned into an attempted robbery, and the major test for Ticketmaster as Beyoncé tickets go on sale.

Tonight, the catastrophic earthquake overseas, the death toll, now in the thousands. Utter devastation tonight in Turkey and Syria, a 7.8 magnitude quake and powerful aftershocks, sending high rises crashing to the ground, rescue teams urgently searching for survivors, pulling young children from the rubble. Our team is on the ground in Turkey. Breaking here at home, the toxic disaster in Ohio, a drone, capturing a massive explosion moments ago, as crews attempted to release chemicals from a derailed train that sparked an enormous blaze over the weekend. What we're learning at this hour about the danger in the air. Open sea surge tonight will take you inside the Coast Guard's efforts to spot a growing number of migrants approaching Florida by boat.

Are Guadvinagus embedded with the team searching those seas from the sky? The investigation underway in New York City after an off-duty officer was shot during an attempted robbery, why officials believed the victim was lured there by a phony average. on Facebook Marketplace. Plus, the incredible video showing the moment the Coast Guard rushed to rescue a man as giant waves knocked over his boat. Two of the guardsmen who were on the rescue mission will join us live, but the story only gets crazier from there, why the man who was rescued was later arrested for an

incident at the house from the movie The Goonies. And Beyonce breaking records last night at the Grammys, but will she break ticket master as well? A pre-sale for her upcoming tour now underway, how the site fared in its biggest test since the Taylor Swift disaster. Top story starts right now. And good evening. Tonight, a catastrophe on a scale that is almost impossible to put into words. A powerful earthquake rocking Turkey and Syria overnight. And it is already one of the most deadly and recorded history with fears aftershocks could do even more damage. The images are still coming in, and they are staggering.

Let's take a look. Dramatic video showing the moment a high-rise building came crashing down in southern Turkey. You see it there as it happens, residents racing to escape the billowing cloud of dust and debris. The initial quake, a magnitude 7.8, more than 3,700 people killed so far. Many of them, refugees of the Syrian Civil War, as this natural disaster, adds yet another layer of suffering to an existing humanitarian crisis. And that number tragically expected to rise as more than 15,000 rescue workers dig through all that rubble. A small solace of moments, few and far between, but we've seen them like right here when those first responders are able to pull out a survivor. Rescue teams racing against time and the threat of hypothermia as they continue working through the nights in frigid conditions.

NBC's Matt Bradley is on the ground tonight with his team in Turkey. Tonight in Turkey, buildings still falling as the heartbreaking death tolls sadly keeps rising. The fear now, more aftershocks. This one captured today on live television. The reporter starts to run. You can hear a building crashing down behind it. Later, finding a family that somehow made it out a lot. That quake, hitting 12 hours after the first Earth.

earthquake overnight, a magnitude 7.8, captured on security cameras, bringing down buildings in an instant. Here rescuers are combing through rubble when another building collapses nearby. Tonight, rescuers racing to find survivors still trapped. My grandson is 18 months old, please help my family, she begged, saying her missing relatives had been on the 12th floor. The quake hit along the Turkey-Syria border. In Syria, volunteer rescue workers from the white helmets were used to rescuing civilians

from bombings. Many of these victims, refugees who had already lost their homes in war, like 18-month-old Ragab. Rescuers saved her life, but her pregnant mother, brother and sister were killed. The ceiling had directly fallen on them, said Ragab's uncle. One survivor in northwest Syria described emergency crews desperate. Some few people working in their hands. But this region, afflicted by war and now an earthquake,

help can't come soon enough. Matt Bradley joins us tonight from Turkey. Matt, the death toll keeps rising. Do we have any idea of how many people died in this disaster? Yeah, Tom, we really don't. And as you've seen all day long, we've seen those numbers steadily increasing, sometimes jumping by hundreds, nearly thousands,

thousands at a time. And we heard from the World Health Organization tonight with an ominous statement saying that we're not going to necessarily see these numbers increasing. We could actually see them multiply by orders of magnitude more. All of this will depend on what rescue workers are able to recover from the wreckage. And Matt, do we know anything else about all the people that are displaced because these thousands of buildings have now been destroyed? Yeah, well, Tom, the really awful fact here is that this is a place that has been displaced. been ravaged by war before this historically terrible earthquake. This is one of the worst earthquakes that this region has recorded.

So now we're talking about displaced people who are already displaced, who are once again homeless, and now they're having to grapple with, as you can see around me, wet and really cold winter weather. That is going to be a challenge, both of the populations here in Turkey who have more resources, but more so for those people in Syria who are displaced by war. And now, once again, as I mentioned, are going to be displaced by this horrific earthquake. Tom? Matt Bradley with those devastating images tonight.

Okay, back here at home to the other major headline we're following the toxic emergency in East Palestine, Ohio, following a train derailment. Take a look at this, an explosion herd, and then seen from the site during a controlled release of toxic chemicals late today. Thousands of people still under evacuation there are Ron Allen is on the ground with the very latest. Tonight, emergency crews desperately trying to get control of a potentially deadly situation with a control detonation. For three days warning residents, the burning wreckage of a freight train could explode, sending shrapnel and toxic fumes a mile in every direction over a rural Ohio community. It's kind of crazy for a small town like this. Thousands of residents under a mandatory evacuation order, police going door to door, threatening families with children with arrest if they don't leave. Police car came up and said, evacuate, evacuate, evacuate, no, get out, get out.

Friday night, as many as 50 of the trains 150 cars derailed en route from Illinois to Pennsylvania. Today, the response focused on five cars carrying hundreds of thousands of pounds of vinyl chloride used to make PVC pipes and vehicle upholstery and also linked to increased risk of cancer, according to the CDC. This is a matter of life and death. This controlled release will actually take place. and you are in eminent danger. Officials, again, wanting residents to stay away as they use small explosives to blow holes in the train cars,

hoping the hazardous material will seep into ditches where it can be burned safely away. We want to be able to control that situation. That's the safest way is to control the situation, and that's with this operation we're going to take this afternoon. All right, Ron Allen joins us now live from Columbia, Ohio. Rob, Ron, I'm being told by our producers, I'm being told by our producers that's about as close as you can get to the disaster site.

Can you tell us more about the explosion from today? The pictures are pretty ominous. And I'm also curious, can you sense anything in the air? Can you smell it? Can you see it from where you are? No, we don't, and we took the extra precautions. We are a good 10 miles away or so because, as you can sell from that cloud, there was a very thick release of this toxic chemical into the air.

And the governor and others here warned that that was going to happen because that was the only course of action they felt was prudent, given that now for 72 hours, over three days, this situation is becoming more and more unstable. They had been warning that there could have been a catastrophic explosion given the situation there on the ground. So they detonated the cars themselves in a way so that the material would seep out into ditches and then they burned it. And so that's the big cloud of smoke that you see. I presume it's still burning into the night. We can't see it at night that closely. There has still not been an all-clear, but the railroad company did say that the operation was a success.

So hopefully the tension here is easing. For the last several days, there had been thousands of people literally evacuated from their homes, police going door to door, telling people you have to go. And if you have kids, we might arrest you if you don't get out of here. It was that serious. now we seem to be down a level. Again, still know all clear, but the situation a lot more improved than it was a few hours ago, according to the railroad company. Ron, we're talking about toxic chemicals here, toxic air. Do we have any idea when those thousands of residents,

as you mentioned, can go back to their homes? No, we don't. We hope to hear something I would guess tomorrow. I can't imagine that that would happen in the middle of the night. Throughout the day, the EPA and other environmental officials say they have been monitoring the air and it's fine. They've been monitoring the groundwater beyond this evacuation zone that's about a mile radius and stretches from, we're in the corner of Ohio that's near Pennsylvania. There are some areas of Pennsylvania that were also affected. But they say the conditions beyond the evacuation zone are fine and hopefully the area closer will be fine tomorrow, but this may take a while, Tom.

Okay, Ron Allen for us tonight, Ron, we do appreciate that. We turn now to a major arrest in Baltimore, authorities saying a couple that embraced neo-Nazi ideals were detained after the FBI uncovered their plot to wipe out the city's power grid in the coming weeks. NBC correspondent Stephanie Gossk has that story. Tonight, the FBI says white supremacist Sarah Clendan Daniel and Brandon Russell were plotting to wipe out Baltimore's power grid within the coming weeks. The alleged plan was to spray five substations with gunfire. The accused were not just talking, but taking steps to fulfill their. threats and further their extremist goals. According to the affidavit, Clend Daniel telling an undercover agent it would probably permanently

lay this city to waste. Russell allegedly told the FBI the goal was to create a cascading failure. Federal prosecutors say these photos show Clenn Daniel had access to firearms. In one, a woman the FBI believes to be her is dressed in tactical gear containing a swastika, holding a rifle and with a pistol. They say Russell started an ethnically motivated violent extremist group that embraced neo-Nazi ideas and targeted racial minorities and critical infrastructure. The arrest comes after recent attacks on energy grids in Washington State, Oregon, and North

Carolina, where last December gunshots were fired at two substations, leaving 45,000 customers without power amid freezing temperatures. Unfortunately, power grids are actually wide open. The power companies have got along for a long time, not having really robust security in place because they haven't been attacked, but it's a very challenging situation. The FBI says Clint Daniel and Russell had been in touch since at least 2018 when they were serving time in separate prisons on felony charges. Russell for illegal possession of explosives, Clint Daniel, for armed robbery. Since her release, she was diagnosed with a terminal illness, allegedly telling an undercover FBI agent she wanted to accomplish something worthwhile before her death.

They are both charged with conspiracy to damage an energy facility. This is one of the substations that provides power to Baltimore. That charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, Tom. All right, Stephanie, Goss, with those scary details out there. Stephanie, thank you. Next to the intriguing new details about that Chinese surveillance balloon shot down over the Atlantic Ocean, including how American spy planes tracked it and what U.S. Intel hopes to learn from it.

Andrea Mitchell has the latest tonight. Tonight, the head of U.S. Northern Command says the 10-square-mile debris field from the Chinese surveillance balloon has been narrowed to less than a square mile. The Coast Guard setting up a security zone around the crash site, with the military saying the balloon was 200 feet tall, with a payload weighing more than 2,000 pounds. The president taking a hard line against China, which today escalated its attacks, saying it reserved the right to retaliate against the U.S. We made it clear to China what we're going to do.

They understand our position. We're not going to back off. We did the right thing. The goal now analyzed the wreckage to determine what information China was able to learn and whether it was using new technology. We were also able to ensure the protection of any sense of information that the balloon would not be able to collect against us. because we knew exactly where it was going before it got there.

Two senior administration officials tell NBC News, you two spy planes were circling the balloon as it crossed the country, taking pictures and extracting data about the Chinese capability. There's immense intelligence value in watching an asset like this actually behave. What are its maneuverability, its collection, its emission characteristics? But the White House is facing questions on Capitol Hill. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have some serious questions about how long they knew about this, why they didn't shoot it down sooner, what information, if any, was able to be collected.

China's still denying it was a spy mission. This is a major, unforced era and a blunder by China. There's a massive setback for their intelligence collection program. And I think globally around the world, we can be talking about China's invasion of sovereignty. All right, Andrea Mitchell joins us now tonight. Andrea, you know, I have a question. Have we gotten a clear answer as to why this balloon wasn't taking it out earlier when they first spotted it? Well, certainly we have from military leaders, Tom.

They are adamant about their advice to wait until the balloon reached the Atlantic and could be shot down over water. It was 200 feet tall with a payload, they say, weighing 2,000 pounds. The debris could have hit a school, a church, homes, even in a rural area, if they'd shot it down over land. And then they really would have, you know, had a real tragedy on their hands. Plus, NBC News is reporting they had those U-2 spy planes circling it the whole time getting close-ups, getting valuable data from it as it drifted across the country.

So by shooting it down over water, they improved the likelihood that now, in this salvage operation, they can try to get large pieces of the surveillance pod intact and learn a lot more about China's capabilities. All right, Andrea Mitchell, love having you on top story tonight. Thank you. For more insight on this in the military operation, I want to bring in Lieutenant General Dave Dupula, who served as the dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies after serving in the Air Force for 34 years where he was the unit's first deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

Lieutenant General, thanks for joining Top Story. I think you're probably the perfect guest to have on this. There's a lot of people out there with strong theories on this, right? And I want to start where we left off there with Andrea Mitchell. Should we take the military at its word, that they could not take this out over land with all of the money, all of the power, all of the force that the United States military has? It had to wait for this balloon to float over the continental United States. States to take it out efficiently? Well, Tom, first, thanks for having me on.

And what I'd like to do right off the bat is pass my compliments to the members of the F-22 flights Frank Zero One and Luke Zero One out of the first fighter wing for shooting down an adversary airship at over 60,000 feet. That's an accomplishment never done before, and on the first pass with a Name 9x. So let's transition to your question. commander of Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command should be complemented for offering a series of options to the Department of Defense once the Chinese airship entered U.S. airspace. After that, it was really the President's decision on what

action to take next. So this issue will see what the decision process was as more details. I want to make sure, I want to be very clear. I don't want to confuse our viewers. Are you trying to say that there possibly was another way to take this out earlier, and the president maybe decided, let's do it over water instead? Well, look, the question is, why wasn't this Chinese air vehicle taken out once it was located inside U.S. airspace, and optimally, prior to crossing U.S. territory? So, you know, the notion that, you know, well, we got to wait until it's over water. Well, it was over water before it came into the continental United States. And oh, by the way, it was over very, very sparsely populated regions. So one of the questions that needs to be asked was, well, what was the probability of debris hitting someone on the ground over Montana or South Dakota?

I mean, I've got some people have told me it was about 1 and 2.5 million. Yeah, that's why I wanted to ask you the question, because some people are sort of raising that as well. It sounds a little strange, but I'm not an expert. You are. Another question I have for you, the Chinese have satellites. Why are they using a balloon to fly over the continental U.S.? That also seems not to add up? Well, the biggest advantage of a high-altitude balloon over satellites is persistence. So they can dwell over an area of interest for a long period of time, where satellites in low Earth orbit move in and out of view pretty quickly. So it's also possible to maneuver balloons, which makes them technically airships. And according to the Pentagon, that's what this was.

And so the Chinese were able to control the vehicle, you know, it lingered over our intercontinental ballistic missiles fields, our only B-2 bomber base, and then a critical port on the East Coast. So it may not have been lethal this time, but next time it might have had a... an electromagnetic pulse device on board. And so this was not an inconsequential act, and it should have been shot down once violating sovereign U.S. airspace. Lieutenant General, what do you think happened here?

Do you think the Chinese lost control of this, or do you think this was all completely planned, and this is the way they wanted the mission to unfold? No, this was no accident at all. It was the Chinese testing the U.S. response and how we might react. And so, as I mentioned already, I think that, you know, this time they did the test, they saw what happened, and they are incorporating that information and findings into what they might do next. Lieutenant General Dave Duptula, we really thank your expertise and your insight on this incredibly bizarre story, but one that's captivated the nation. All right, we want to turn now to Washington on the eve of the state of the union.

Tonight, President Biden preparing to speak to a divided nation, two years into his presidency. A recent NBC News poll finding just 45% of Americans approve of his performance, so what should we expect to hear as we look at photos there of him preparing for the state of the union? And what does this speech really mean for the president's political career? I want to bring in Republican strategist and a friend to Top Story, NBC News political analyst, Susan Del Perseo, and Democratic strategists, first time on Top Story, tonight, John Rionish. Guys, thanks so much for joining us. I do want to start with some poll numbers. ABC News had an interesting poll that's been out, asking some very, very important questions.

First question up here in this poll, Democrats, should they nominate President Biden? Here's what they said. Among voters who identifies Democrats, 58% said that the party should nominate someone else. Only 7% of voters would be enthusiastic about Biden's re-election compared to 17% of voters that would be enthusiastic if former President Trump

was elected again. And finally, 62% of voters polled said President Biden has gotten not much or nothing done. Those are really tough poll numbers heading into two years and possibly a re-election campaign after the speech. What do you think is going on with the president? I think take tomorrow night to talk about the future. I think take tomorrow night to do strong, optimistic, communicate to a lot of people. It's one of the biggest audiences that he'll ever have as president. It's also sort of a preamble to announcing his reelection and use this to set people on fire. Get them enthusiastic. And I think, you know, looking at numbers like

that, there is some enthusiasm building to clearly do. That's a great spin because I don't know if they're looking at it that way. I think nowhere that would look at it. His policies are popular. He is talking about lowering prescription drug pricing. He is talking about, you know, big economic jobs that were announced last week. But people have to know about it. People have to feel good about it. Gas prices are lower than they were last summer. So capitalize on that and keep on talking, talk more effectively. Susan, we also have some numbers from the Pew Research Center as well, as we were talking about the economy, where voters think strengthening the economy should be the top priority of the president and Congress, followed by reducing health care costs

and defending against terrorism. How do you think these kinds of priorities will shape what we hear from the president? Because listen, he is tackling inflation. He has hit that head on. Prices are still very expensive everywhere you go. Right. And inflation never goes away. It just stops really increasing. Getting worse. Yeah, exactly. So the issue that the Biden administration has to focus on right now is not just what he's going to do, which is very important, but show some of the muscle of what they have done. And that gas prices are lower. People know this. I think we're in a very partisan divide. And when you see some of these numbers, it's really about just hitting the other and when you hear the looking for someone else,

put up five candidates and see where actual names, and I guarantee Biden's doing better. Among Democrats. But most of all, what Biden should do tomorrow is say, in beginning of this year, you saw me in Kentucky with a new bridge that's going to be built, and here are the infrastructures that we're going to build in the next year or kick off and name them

and really look forward with that. Say, this is what I've done. the infrastructure. Now we're getting it done. People will see that as accomplishment. John, it's interesting. Last week, we were talking so much about classified documents and the debacle that's happened with the White House. And of course, what happened with former President Trump as well. But that was dominating weeks of news coverage. And then comes this Chinese balloon. Sure. And the classified documents almost sail into the orbit, if you will. How do you think he sort of handles the edits, the last minute, parts of the speech? Because China now

has come to the forefront of his presidency. I think it has. But you know what? I think a lot more is coming out, that what his decision process was, Andrea, I think, just encapsulated it quite, quite brilliantly, that there was a very decisive, you know, series of deliberations. The president also did want to preserve public safety and not shooting something the size of several buses down, even if it hits one person on a highway in South Dakota or Montana. That is a tragedy that a president must avoid. I would also say, don't let yourself get distracted by even a big story from the week. You are there to talk about what you want to talk about in your agenda.

So following the state of the union, of course, is going to be the response from the opposing party. This case is going to be the Republicans. We've had some famous moments of people who have delivered this speech in years past. Put down the water bottle. Well, I think we have a clip of this week. We have some of the more famous ones. You may remember former Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal. He gave one. There's, of course, what you were mentioning, Senator Marco Rubio. And sometimes they make for SNL moments. Yeah, Michelle Bachman as well. Yeah, so many there. What should be the response here? I mean, what should Republicans say?

It's going to be Governor Huckabee Sanders. What you think she should say to the nation? What she should say and what she will say are probably completely different things. Because Republicans have to show that they are willing to govern now, especially that they have control over the House. But she won't do that. That's not her job tomorrow night. Her job is to go after Joe Biden. I think she will seize on the China issue, which is why Biden, in his state of the Union,

should flip the script on the balloon thing and look like he's fighting China and come up with some words and an agenda on China. As far as Huckabee Sanders, I think it's good for the Republicans not to throw away anyone with a promising career in politics. Right. So she's comfortable. I mean, I'm sure it'll be fine. It's always, you know, unless you really mess up, it's not remembered. But if I were her, I, I, I, the Republicans need to disprove to voters that they are not all radicals, that they are not all Marjorie Taylor Green and Lauren Bobert. And that has become the, or George Santos, that has become the overwhelming view of the Republican Party, now newly in power in the House to much of the country. That's a problem with independent voters.

That's a problem heading into 2024. She has to disprove that. To soon as a point, she won't. She won't. And I guarantee you, abortion ban, somehow national abortion ban will make it into her response. Okay. I do want to turn it to 2024 now. And, you know, there were some Major developments over the weekend with the Democratic Party changing their primary calendar. I think we have a graphic of this and what the calendar looked like before, where it is now. South Carolina, that's the big headline. That's where the road to the presidency for Democrats, if they win, that's where it's going to start. Do you think this is going to alienate voters in Iowa, New Hampshire?

And you think this passes, because I know some of the state laws have to be voted on and approved for this. Well, I don't know that Iowa is ever really coming back for the Democrats. It has headed in one direction and one direction only ever since President Obama's reelect. Unless they can't run a caucus, sorry. Yeah. The Democratic Party in Iowa did not show itself to be a trust-building organization in the last election. I think they're really smart to lean in, you know, moderate black voters, that is the backbone of the party, that is who turns out, that is who let Joe Biden come roaring back from two singing losses. Does it tip the scale, though, for the former president?

Is it almost unfair? Well, he is the sitting president. You know, that's it, but, I mean, if anybody wants to challenge him, it's almost like it's... Yeah, but here's the thing. He is, he's not going to be really... There's no real challenge against a sitting president. So really, for the Democrats... There won't be a Teddy Kennedy who tries to challenge the incumbent. And even if... I mean, that would be highly unlikely.

But, you know, so really, there's not a lot of... Besides changing it, that's the only entry left. The president should get his way is what you're saying. But where this map is really, or the changes are really important, believe it or to Republicans, because if New Hampshire does not move its state and the Democratic Party says, if you go to their primary, you're not going to be allowed to participate, get our delegates. Well, that leaves the primary only open to Republicans. And now, independent voters won't decide Democrat or Republican. They're all going to go, if they're going to vote, into the Republican primary. And that changes

the dynamic because you have a lot more independent voters voting. And maybe left. Do they have open primaries? Yeah, they have, that's what I'm saying. It's an open primary. They're going to go in. Which could mean way more centrist candidates on the Republican side. Finally, Susan, real quick, before we go, I want to ask you about the announcement from Americans for Prosperity. The Koch brothers, a lot of money there. They decided they're not going to back former President Donald Trump. Will this make a difference? Is it important?

It's important because it's sending out a strong message that they are open to other candidates. And now they've gone to, other potential candidates have to court them. But Trump was self-funded last time around. You remember the first in 2016, he didn't really need the money. Small dollar donors, too. He didn't need the money. By the way, any county running for president at this point, if they're in the game, doesn't need the big donors, but it does still send a message of where the old establishment is. Maybe some of the establishment.

Yep, yeah, okay. We're going to have to see what happens. John, Susan, thank you so much for joining top story. We do appreciate it. And we will have full team coverage of tomorrow state of the union address, beginning with Hallie Jackson and myself at 745 Eastern. And you can catch all that coverage plus the address in its entirety right here on NBC. news now. Okay, we head to the Americas and the ongoing surge of migrants arriving along the Florida coast. The U.S. Coast Guard working around the clock, not just looking for vessels, but rescuing stranded

migrants, many risking their lives and taking to the seas and homemade rafts. Guadvanegas embedding with the Coast Guard on this one and seeing one of those rescues up close. They are the eyes in the sky over thousands of miles of open water on a mission to save and intercept. The U.S. Coast Guard granting NBC News access to one of their planes, cameras documenting how they patrol the ocean. Within the first hour, flying over a group of migrants stranded on an island near the Bahamas, floating nearby two empty vessels. Cameras and raiders on the plane are used to spot the vessels before we can actually look at them. Then other officers will look out the window and actually be able to see them out here.

this group of migrants brought on board to a Coast Guard cutter. It's all part of an ongoing surge in migration headed to the Florida coastline. The U.S. Coast Guard says more than 8,000 migrants have been interdicted on water in the Florida sector since October. This vessel carrying over 300 migrants crowded on a sailboat. The surge prompting Governor Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency, making additional resources available, including the National Guard, the majority of the migrants coming from Cuba and Haiti, often with limited supplies. Most of the migrants found at sea will be repatriated by

the Coast Guard, but policing the waters means also bringing humanitarian support for what can often become a deadly voyage. We had a case a couple weeks ago where we found people on Angea, the island we flew over earlier. They had written SOS in the sand, and I had happened to see it while we were flying by and we were able to drop the food, water, a radio so they could talk to us and we could let them know, hey, you know, we're going to have people coming to get you and they were picked up within two hours. But the surgeon numbers continues, and the vessels seen at sea are a proof of the desperation. A lot of these vessels are very homemade and in that way, they're very unseaworthy.

So I've seen vessels that have motors to literally a paddleboard with suitcases on the side of it with three people. just trying to hopefully drift up towards the United States. And I think that's the really scary thing for us is because these vessels are so unseeworthy. You know, we don't know how long they're going to last. Yet even with air support and technology, the mission to find all illegal vessels is virtually impossible. Florida state authorities say at least 5,400 migrants have been apprehended after making it to U.S. soil illegally since October of last year. Last week, the H.S. Secretary Majorcas speaking to Jose Diaz Valard, sending a message to those migrants.

People who take to the sea will not be eligible for the parole process. For the U.S. Coast Guard, the mission continues. When our airplane lands, another goes in the sky. All right, Guad Venegas joins me now in studio. As we heard in the piece there, the administration said they will not grant parole for those taking to the sea. Has that helped with slowing the crisis that's been happening? Tom, they're talking about this new immigration policy, right? Today, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about this. So the Biden administration has a new policy where 30,000 migrants are allowed to seek asylum. They get an emergency parole to come into the U.S.

From certain countries, right? Nicaragua, Venezuela, Cuba, right? Exactly. So we have Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Now, what the vice president said is since this program rolled out about a month ago, they've seen a 99% decrease in irregular migration. But I talked to the Coast Guard on the plane. I asked them, what have you seen this month?

And they said they're still seeing large numbers of vessels, crowded vessels, and the numbers have not decreased, at least on the water along the Florida coastline. Now, the numbers that the vice president shared, she's talking about the border in general, right? We're talking about the water and the land border, U.S. Mexico. So maybe they've seen a decrease there. But in the ocean, the Coast Guard told me they are still seeing

large numbers of people make their way. Perhaps it's going to take a longer time for the individuals coming from Haiti, Cuba who are planning to come to the U.S. to maybe change their mind and try to apply through this new asylum process that, by the way, requires the use of an app through a phone. Maybe some people are so desperate, they don't even understand that process. What we know is that the desperation is there, and they are still making their way on the ocean on these vessels. Speaking of that desperation, you've been covering this for months now for us, what's it like to see those vessels

up close? Because, I mean, you can't believe what people get into to cross that ocean to come to the U.S. Tom, the cameras that these planes have are impressive. They can spot a vessel 15 miles away. So when we flew over one of these boats, they were able to close up on it. And it was made out of wood. It looked like styrofoam and other pieces of trash. They somehow manage to make these. They assemble it.

They make these float. I was told that they often see vessels that don't even have an engine. They use paddles, and this is how they're getting across the ocean. A lot of the migrants don't make it to the Florida coastline. They will crash on islands, they will be stuck at sea. So that's why the humanitarian mission is so important for the Coast Guard. So these vessels, it is impressive when you see them. We saw those photos, and every time they get a new vessel,

I mean, it could be something they've never seen before, whether it's metal, wood, or anything that they can find where they're coming from. It speaks to the level of desperation on what they're trying to escape there. Okay, Guadvanegas, we appreciate it. Thank you. Still ahead tonight. The New York City shooting linked to Facebook Marketplace, an off-duty officer attempting to buy a car he found on the side, but instead getting robbed and shot will explain this troubling trend

and the signs to look out for if you use Facebook Marketplace. Plus, the home explosion in Minneapolis, what we're learning about the people who were inside the home at the time. And the major change coming to a movie theater near you, have you heard about this? Why it could soon cost you more to get the best seat in the house. Yes, we're talking about the movies. Stay with us.

Top story, just getting started on this Monday night. We're back with a New York car purchase that turned into a shootout, leaving an off-duty officer shot in the head. Police say he was trying to buy a vehicle he found on Facebook Marketplace, but the deal turned out to be an attempted robbery. NBC Stephen Romo shows us how similar problems are happening across the country on this Facebook feature. Tonight, New York City Police on edge after they say a cop's Facebook Marketplace transaction turned into an attempted robbery and shootout. Someone just got shot trying to buy a car. That's unfortunate. The NYPD says a 26-year-old officer was off duty when he went to buy a car with his brother-in-law in Brooklyn on Saturday.

Almost immediately suspect displayed a gun and announced the robbery. They say the officer was shot in the head. And police sources tell NBC New York his brother-in-law then picked up the officer's gun and returned fire at the suspect who ended up getting away in a black BMW SUV. Police officials say the officer is in the hospital right now fighting for his life. name was not released, but the NYPD says he's a five-year veteran of the force and that he's married with two children. Sources tell NBC New York that investigators are looking into whether this could be linked to other nearby robberies that also started with Facebook Marketplace vehicle sales.

But this problem is not unique to New York. In December, Cincinnati police say a woman was robbed at gunpoint of $15,000 while also trying to buy a car from Facebook Marketplace. She has the gun to my head and she was like, I told you. and in Pittsburgh eight people were robbed at gunpoint over eight days last July according to court documents reported by WPXI a man had a gun held to his head and he was robbed of $4,500 when he tried to buy a car he saw on Facebook marketplace Chicago police also warning the public last year nine times out of ten if you see a deal that's too good to be true it is Facebook addressed how users can protect themselves including a feature that allows users to set up a meeting place within the app that can be shared with family and friends to monitor. The company also telling NBC News it's working with law enforcement on the matter and that they encourage people to report suspicious behavior and review each person's marketplace

activity. Some cities also offer internet protection exchange locations or safe trading spots. These are designated areas usually outside police stations where transactions can take place. That's what we want them to do. We don't want anyone to trade their safety for a great deal. It seemed like everybody was doing this except the greatest city in the world. Stephen Patzer, who says he was once scammed himself, is pushing for these safe spaces at some NYPD precincts. The idea is that criminals wouldn't want to meet in front of a precinct.

If the meeting did happen, it would have been in a well-lit area or in a place that was under surveillance. He succeeded in putting up signs encouraging the exchanges. outside a few Brooklyn precincts. They say that it's a huge success. People are, in fact, coming to do exchanges. All right. And as Stephen Romo joins us now live here on Top Story, we've gotten an update from NBC, New York,

saying that the person of interest is now in custody in that Brooklyn shooting that we started the report with. I want to get back to Facebook Marketplace here. I mean, what are some other best practices people can do to make sure they're safe? Yeah, a lot of people asking that, especially after hearing all of these examples of problems with Facebook Marketplace, The biggest they say is just make sure you, if the deal seems too good to be true, that it actually most likely is not real. That's just what we always hear. The seller also, if they refuse to meet in a well-looked public place, that should raise a massive red flag for you as well. And if they only accept cash payments, PayPal, credit cards are very good to use because they have fraud protection. And also it's harder to steal that than it would be just grabbing some cash and running off. They also say if they try to change that pickup location at the last minute, that is a huge red flag. That's something cameras often try to use to make it seem like it's just more convenient for them,

but actually they might be trying to get you somewhere where they can actually rob you. And of course, they also say, trust your gut. If something seems off in behavior or in location, just get out of it. A lot of that stuff is common sense, but also good reminders. All right, Stephen Rommel for us, thanks so much. When we come back, the massive recall of to-go food products, hundreds of products from fruit cups to sandwiches, pulled over Listeria concerns. Some of the items found on Amtrak trains along the East Coast,

what you need to know. We'll tell you about it right after this break. Back now with Top Stories Newsfeiting, we begin with the home explosion just outside of Minneapolis. Aerial footage shows the damage to what appears to be a new home that was under construction. Officials say at least three people were pulled from under the debris, including one person who had to be airlifted to the hospital. No word yet on their condition that cause there under investigation. More than 400 to Go-style food products have been recalled due to Listeria concerns. The products include items such as sandwiches, yogurts, and fruit cups. The FDA says the items were sold from January 24th to January 31st in Amtrak trains, hotels,

and stores along the East Coast. So far, no illnesses have been reported. And AMC theaters will begin pricing movie tickets based on seat location. The new system called Sight Line will offer three-tier options, seats that are more popular like the middle of the theater will be priced higher. AMC will begin rolling the system on Friday, rolling out the system on Friday at select theaters in New York, Chicago, and Kansas City,

but says it will be in place at all domestic theaters by the end of the year. So expect to pay more. Okay, we want to turn out to a scary incident at an airport in Austin, Texas, a cargo plane preparing to land on the same runway, a passenger plane was about to take off from.

And we're just learning those planes. We'll get this less than 100 feet from each other. NBC's Morgan Chesky has this one. Tonight, federal investigators pouring over a close call at Austin Bergstrom International Airport. It happened early Saturday when a FedEx cargo plane was making its approach in heavy fog. Tower confirmed FedEx 1432 heavy. Clear to land on the 1-8 left. FedEx 1432 heavy.

That is the firm. So when they left, you are to land traffic parking price. We're out to 737. According to the FAA, the cargo plane was clear to land. on the same runway as a departing Southwest Airlines flight that had just been cleared for takeoff. The NTSB now says the FedEx flight came within less than 100 feet of the Southwest plane. Moments later, you can hear someone not yet identified on radio traffic between pilots and air traffic control. Tell Southwest to aboard.

FedEx is on the go. That response, the FAA says, is the FedEx pilot, cutting his landing short, pulling the plane into a climb and putting critical distance between both planes. The airplanes got closer than they should have. They're still working through exactly how close, but there was a loss of separation clearly. That loss of separation, according to NBC's aviation expert John Cox, is something pilots are trained to watch out for. Had the FedEx crew not initiated a go-around, these airplanes would have been potentially very close or even possibly collided. In New York just weeks ago, a similar

situation at JFK Airport after an American Airlines flight ended up on the wrong runway and almost hit a Delta flight about to take off. The 1943 canceled takeoff plans. And at Newark Airport on Friday, another incident, but this one much less serious, as a Boeing's 787 clipped wings with a united flight as it left the gate, snapping off a small piece of the wing. And back here in Austin, officials say that these planes were flying in a fog so dense that a weather advisory had been issued, but important to note, experts say that conditions were still flyable, although they did warrant caution. Both the NTSB and FAA are now investigating. Morgan Chesky, NBC News, Austin.

All right, Morgan, thank you for that. Coming up next, rescued and arrested. Two members, members of the Coast Guard join us live to explain how they pulled off this dramatic rescue at sea, plus the bizarre twist that happened after the mission. We'll explain. All right, we're back now with a wild rescue caught on camera off the coast of Oregon. You have to see this video. It shows a boat taking on water in 20-foot waves, extremely high winds as well. A Coast Guard's man then attempts to swim towards the vessel when it was consumed by a monster wave. That Coast Guardman was able to save the man on board. He was airlifted to safety, but after being rescued, they discovered that man stole the boat and that he was a same suspect allegedly seen here leaving a dead fish on the porch of the

home made famous by the classic film The Goonies. Yes, there's a lot going on with this story. That man was later taken into custody. We're lucky to be joined, though, by the two men who helped carry out that incredible rescue mission, Lieutenant Commander Will Circleman and his co-pilot, Lieutenant Tripp Guys, thanks so much for joining Top Story tonight. Commander Circleman, I want to start with you first. Walk us through that rescue because we're looking at this video

and you guys attempted a rescue that I really have never seen a sort of strategy like this where your Coast Guardsman actually jumped into the water and swam out to that boat in distress. Yeah, good evening, Tom. So we were wrapping up a week of the Coast Guards Advanced Helicopter Rescue School, but we're actually training crews to conduct rescues in these conditions. And we were flying, and ironically, we had just determined that the weather conditions were too rough to train that day when we heard the May Day call. And at that point, it really was a team Coast Guard effort, 47-foot motor lifeboats from the National Motor Light Boat School, as well as Station Cape Disappointment, responded. And Secretary of Columbia River Command Center actually was able to triangulate the position of that distress call and basically give us a location.

So at that point, the 47-foot-motelette boats actually located that boat in the seas and got us on scene. Well, and talk to me about why did the Coast Guard have to jump in the water and swim to the boat? It was just too rough to hover over that yacht? Yes, sir, ultimately. So the vote is, I believe, estimated to be at 35 feet, and the stern of that is very small. And so for us to pick him up just off of the boat, it wasn't really feasible with the conditions. And it is common for us in those heavy weather conditions to have an individual enter the water and then we use our swimmer to get them from the water. Did your swimmer actually did the swimmer actually get on the boat or did he stay off the boat as that massive wave knocked it over?

Yeah, he was off the boat. So in our evaluation of the boat, it was made clear with our swimmer branch that he was not to get on the boat or get beside the boat. And so the plan was to swim behind it and give verbal commands to the individual on the boat. So the guy that was on the boat, he was still on that boat as it flipped over? Yes, sir. And he survived that. Yes, sir. Amazingly, incredibly. So Tripp was flying, and our flight mechanics, Joe Ivy and Kyle Turcott were operating the hoist. And they were able to locate, relocate the rescue swimmer in the water in that massive field of whitewater.

Pick up the rescue swimmer, John Walden, and he got right back into the game. So he was pointing to the survivor in the water. And these guys picked him up. What did your rescue swimmer say about that wave? Because, I mean, they kind of just, it really hit him there in the middle of the ocean. Yeah, he described it as a washer machine. He, I would say, we lost visual with him for a couple seconds, and he did a great job trying to dive below it and then popped right up and signal to us that he was okay. When did we got to go real quick?

When did you find out that the boat was stolen and the guy was an alleged criminal that you rescued? That was all after the fact. So in a moment, our job is just to go rescue. that person. Guys, thank you so much for joining us. When we come back, fans lining up to see the Queen, Queen Bee, that is, how Ticketmaster is dealing with the sky-high demand for Beyonce's upcoming tour. That's next.

Finally tonight, ticket sales beginning today for Beyonce's first solo tour since 2016. And after cementing her legendary status at the Grammys last night, Queen B's faithful are swarming for tickets. It's a major test for Ticketmaster following the company's debacle with Taylor Swift. tickets from last year. We get more now from Savannah Sellers. Thank you so much to the Grammys. The day after Beyonce's historic night, tickets for her upcoming world tour now on sale. Queen B, the biggest music icon to put Ticketmaster to the test since the platform's meltdown

over Taylor Swift tickets in November. Beyonce, the wait list, the waitless. Today's sales, only for a lucky few, though. just got Beyonce tickets. Official Beyonce fan club members who pre-registered and made it through a lottery-style process for an access code to try to buy tickets. Superfan Nikki Patel was prepped, but with demand more than 800% availability, according to Ticketmaster, last night, she was waitlisted.

Will you be watching to see if you get off the waitlist today? Absolutely. Is Hope still alive? Hope is still alive. Elisa Longoria was able to buy two tickets to a show. show in New Jersey. I was preparing for the worst, and the whole process took like 10 minutes. Ticketmaster is staggering sales for Beyonce's Renaissance tour based on location, hoping to avoid another debacle. I will sell just about anything to go to this concert. Today, the company

says its systems are working, and they're moving thousands off the wait list for multiple venues. Fans still hoping to see a star, they deem irreplaceable. All right, Savannah joins us now on set. So, Savannah, I want to go back to something in your report. Explain this new method where Ticketmaster is staggering the sales. I mean, what's the strategy here? Yeah, so that, I think, is what's made the big difference in today being pretty smooth. So essentially, they did this by location, whereas the Taylor Swift debacle, all the tickets went on sale on the same day.

This one, there's three different groups. Group A, Group B, Group C, so they're staggering cities, and therefore hoping for less traffic on the site at once. Hopefully that works. Let me ask you just sort of a simple question here. If you don't spend your entire day trying to get tickets, if you work a full-time job, if you're a parent taking care of a child, I mean, do you have to be completely dedicated to this process to actually see the artist you love? Yes, it's a great question. And actually, with this new system, maybe not. Because what we saw is once people did get in today, it was a relatively smooth, quick process. Every single person I talked to was actually under 10 minutes, whereas the Taylor Swift weight was hours and hours and not knowing what was going to be on the other side of it. Hopefully this new system takes care of it, but you have to be so. attuned to the details. You had to be part of her fan club and then pre-register and then go through this lottery system to even get that access code. So now it might not be so much about time,

but really about luck. I think people should hire you. You could be like a ticket consultant, right? You could help help people throughout the process, make sure they see the people. The Taylor heartbreak. Yeah, seriously. This is like too much. All right, Savannah Sellars. Savannah, thank you so much for that. We thank you for watching, of course. I'm Tom Yammis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way. Thank you.