Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, October 23, 2023

Episode Date: October 24, 2023

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

Tonight, a special edition of Top Story near the Israel-Gaza border, where we are following major breaking news. Two more hostages just released by Hamas, video showing the two Israeli hostages, both elderly women in the hands of the Red Cross, getting treatment inside of an ambulance after they were freed from their captors. Their release, a glimmer of hope, as Israel faces growing pressure from the U.S. to delay a ground invasion. until they can get more hostages out of Gaza. Israel ramping up airstrikes, pummeling 300 targets in just 24 hours, claiming to have killed a top Hamas commander in retaliation for that brutal terror attack.

First responders in Gaza putting out fires and dragging bodies from the rubble, rushing to help the hurt, including children. Our team spread out across the region tonight. Caught in the crossfire, residents on boats. sides of the Israel-Lebanon border, prepping for a two-front conflict as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah ramps up once again. Why some tell us they're eager to leave while others plan to stay and fight. This, as the U.S. military sends reinforcements to the region aiming to avoid a larger war in the Middle East. Pilot tries to crash plane. In off-duty pilot charged with 83 counts

of attempted murder after lunging out of his jump seat inside the cockpit. and trying to turn off the engines mid-flight. The pilots subduing the suspect before making an emergency landing. They'll hear the audio from those harrowing moments on board. Plus the chilling warning from the FAA tonight to flight crews everywhere. Deadly super fog pile up. More than 100 cars crashing one after the other near New Orleans. At least two people killed dozens hurt.

SUVs wedged under pickup trucks, multiple 18-wheelers catching on fire. the rare weather phenomenon that triggered those dangerous conditions. Plus, an urgent manhunt in Tennessee for a man accused of shooting two police officers, his father, Nashville's chief of police, saying his son must be brought to justice. The reward now being offered for the suspect to authority say is armed and dangerous. And scary moments on board a school bus in Texas, a seven-year-old boy choking on a quarter, then stumbling forward to ask the driver for help. how she managed to help him within seconds

and why that first grader's mom is calling this a case of divine timing. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber reporting from the Israel-Ghasa border in for Tom Yamis. Tonight, two more hostages are out of Gaza. Their names, or Norit Cooper and Joheved Lifshitz.

You can see this video of Lifshitz. who is 85 years old on Egyptian TV. Members of the Red Cross and a medical team helping her out of a van. Even after more than two weeks in Hamas custody, amazingly, she walks to the ambulance. Both were put on stretchers and immediately got medical attention. Just north of this, Israel increased its massive air campaign against Hamas, flattening buildings, claiming to have destroyed as many as 320 Hamas targets this weekend. One Israeli warplanes striking the Rafa area in Gaza, that's where civilians are told or have been told to seek refuge.

First responders pulling people covered in blood and dust from the rubble among the casualties there, children. These airstrikes laying the groundwork for an expected Israeli ground offensive, part of the goal flushing Hamas militants from what could be 300 miles of tunnels under Gaza. Military leaders saying the ground offensive could take months. States pushing Israel to delay this plan, at least for now, looking to leverage the moment to release more hostages and to get more humanitarian aid inside the Gaza Strip. Just this weekend, 54 trucks getting through the Rafa border crossing were usually 500 cross a day. Not a single truck brought in fuel.

This weekend, new video released of the terror attacks from October 7th, Hamas militants wearing cameras shooting and killing Israelis indiscriminately. A disturbing reminder of the massacres that started this growing war. NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel once again leads us off. First, it was two Americans. Now two Israeli hostages are free, taken out of Gaza and loaded into ambulances tonight on the Egyptian side of the border. Hamas freed Nurit Cooper and Joheved Lifshitz.

Their release, like with the American mother and daughter last Friday, was facilitated by the Red Cross. Before Hamas began to release hostages, we spoke to a senior Hamas official who said the group was willing to free civilians. Tonight, we interviewed him again. He told us Hamas wants to talk and is open to negotiations. So where do we go now? Stop the aggression, open the borders, we are ready to release all. We don't need to have anyone in our houses. I'm talking about stopping the aggression, opening the borders, discussing our rights to get rid of this siege and incubation, and everything is on the table to be discussed.

At the White House, President Biden was asked about a potential ceasefire and said Hamas has it backwards, hostages out first. Today, Israel raised its estimate, saying there are 222 hostages in Gaza. U.S. officials say 10 Americans are still unaccounted for. Israel has thousands of troops positioned all around Gaza, ready for an invasion that could come at any time. But now, multiple U.S. officials say the Biden administration is encouraging Israel to delay it, to give more time for hostage negotiations. For diplomacy, it's our view that the Israeli defense forces Steve need to decide for themselves how they're going to conduct operations. We're not in the business of dictating terms

As Hamas continues to launch rockets toward Israel, the Israeli military says it attacked militants from Hezbollah as they tried to fire an anti-tank missile into Israel from Lebanon. And Israel is not stopping its air campaign into Gaza, striking 320 targets in the last 24 hours. In retaliation for Hamas's terror attack that killed 1,400 Israelis, including hundreds of civilians. This newly released video from the October 6th. 7th attack shows the group killing two Israelis as they drove along the highway. Inside Gaza, medical officials say more than 5,000 Palestinians have now been killed, with people digging through the rubble to try to pull out survivors after airstrikes.

Richard joins us now from Jerusalem. Richard, we saw you speak to that senior Hamas official. Do you expect that more hostages could be released in the coming days? Yes, I believe that negotiators believe that. Hamas has made this promise before that it will release the civilians, and they have now released four. But the negotiations are ongoing with Qatar and Egypt leading the way, and yes, the negotiations are difficult, but they, I'm in direct contact with some of them, and they do believe that

there will be more to come. And Richard, as you talk to sources involved in all pieces of this, do you get the sense that the release of hostages is delaying the Israeli ground defensive in Gaza, or is it not a factor here? I think it probably is delaying the ground offensive to a degree, but it is not the only factor. The Israeli military also needs extensive planning if it is going to go in and try and do house clearing in Gaza City. If it is trying to topple the Hamas government, that is not

some kind of war plan that you could put together in a week or two or three. It is a long process. So there is a narrative coming out from the Biden administration, multiple officials telling NBC News that the Biden administration is pressing for time and pressing Israel to slow down its ground offensive. But it is not clear that Israel is completely ready for this ground offensive. It has thousands of troops build up around the Gaza Strip. The mood in Israel is ready for war. But are the war plans there? Do they know what they're going to achieve? Are all these reservists really going to be going street to street, house to house over the rubble in places in and around Gaza City? Dealing with the humanitarian crisis,

dealing with the people who never left, it would be an enormous. challenge for for any army in the world not the kind of thing that you could just march into angry after two weeks richard ingle in jerusalem thank you the horrors of war on full display on both sides of the israel gaza border here in israel forensic workers now tasked with trying to identify hundreds of unrecognizable bodies more than two weeks after that massacre by Hamas. In Gaza, the death toll rising at such an alarming rate. It is a struggle to even name the dead. Entire families killed in airstrikes, and there seems to be no end in sight. As Israeli forces prepare for the looming ground invasion of Gaza, about three miles from the border,

search and rescue teams continue a grim operation, cleaning up Kibbutz-Berry. at times taking shelter from incoming missiles. More than two weeks after Hamas stormed this small-knit community, we, at the invitation of the Israeli government, saw some of the devastation firsthand. It almost looks like a tornado came through, but Hamas militants did this. Reminence of what happened here in this area. There's massive amounts of destruction, whole homes, whole structures, burnt and collapsed. one of the people who lived in this community, they say that this is because when Hamas militants

came in and overtook this area, first he says they set up a command center after massacring people on the way in. The command center, he says they set up, was inside an area where typically they have education classes for children, a child care type facility. They say then they went around looking for people. You hear the artillery. That's been constant. But he says they went around looking for people inside of the homes. And when people who were hiding inside of the shelters wouldn't come out, they then let them on fire, trying to smoke them out or burn them alive. Emergency response teams say they have removed more than 100 bodies from this kibbutz alone. Some of them, children. I'm used to bodies. I saw bodies in my life. I saw disasters,

but never something like that. A lead Israeli forensic investment. A investigator told NBC News they are having to identify most of the victims through DNA because many were so brutally tortured, their bodies are now beyond recognition. At this morgue, staffers are working day and night, trying to make sure families and the world know the names of Hamas's victims. 60 or 70 people working for 24 hours a day, hundreds of bodies. came every day. In Gaza, as Israel increases its aerial bombardment, the death toll has now passed

5,000, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. Families are broken. This woman cries out in agony. I have no one left. All my family is gone. They killed them. Bodies, including children's, only known by a number, now moved in. into mass graves as health officials struggle to keep up with the number of dead.

Amid the risk of escalation, the U.S. military has increased its presence across the Middle East. Defense Secretary Austin announced the United States will send a carrier strike group and an air defense system to the region as thousands more troops prepare for possible deployment. NBC's Pentagon correspondent Courtney Kuby has more. Tonight, with growing threats to the U.S. military in the Middle East, the Pentagon making significant moves, including reinforcing their air defenses, rerouting the USS Eisenhower carrier strike group to the waters off Iran and telling more U.S. troops to be ready to deploy. After at least six attacks threatening U.S. troops in as many days in Iraq, Syria, and the Red Sea,

the U.S. blaming Iran and their proxy groups. that Iran is closely monitoring these events and in some cases actively facilitating these attacks. U.S. officials say troops would not go to war in Gaza and the goal is to deter a larger regional conflict. NBC News recently had an exclusive look at that deterrence. This is the HMS Prince of Wales. It's England's newest and biggest warship. But right now, we're out here to see how the British Navy and the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps are all working together. That includes U.S. Marine Corps Ospreys and F-35s that are practicing land.

standing on the deck of this British carrier. U.S. sailors, U.S. Marines, raw Navy sailors, raw Marines have operated alongside each other for years. But right now we're really focused on deterring any actor, whether it's Iran, whether it's one of the non-state actors. And Courtney QB joins us now from the Pentagon. Courtney, what more are we hearing from U.S. officials about the uptick and attacks? They are really concerned about this continuing.

So just for perspective, we haven't seen these sorts of attacks against U.S. military bases or bases housing U.S. military in Iraq and Syria. For most of 2023, they really slowed down in March of this year after there was an attack that the U.S. responded to with airstrikes. So just for perspective, in just the last five or six days, there have been attacks at least four bases housing U.S. troops, mainly by drones, some rockets, indirect fire. The U.S. has been able to repel most of them knocking these things out. of the sky. But there was at least one where a drone was able to reach a base in southern Syria called Altanf and injure several U.S. personnel who were on base. There were minor injuries, mainly lacerations, but still, it was able to reach the base. The U.S. military, the Pentagon is extremely concerned of some sort of a miscalculation. So if one of these attacks

is successful, how would that potentially escalate an already extremely tense region? That's why we saw this announcement by Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, over the weekend, to send the Eisenhower carrier strike group, not to the Eastern Med, where it was already headed, but further into the Middle East, off the waters of Iran, and send in those advanced air defense systems, the Thad, and the Patriot systems. And Ellison, he put a couple hundred more U.S. troops on prepared-to-deploy order. Essentially what that means is they have been told, look, when you get the call that you are going to, you need to deploy, you have a matter of sometimes as little as 24 hours to be on that airfield and ready to go, Ellison.

Courtney Hubey at the Pentagon. Thank you. We appreciate it. The U.S. and Israel both warning of a potential second front to this war as clashes with Hezbollah escalate in the north. Tens of thousands already displaced, including one father, now living at a school turned shelter with his four children after they fled artillery fire near his home. Matt Bradley is in southern Lebanon again tonight with that story. After nearly two decades of calm, the long, cold war between Hezbollah and Israel is heating up once again. And again, the residents of northern Israel are being asked to leave. We're not running away. We're leaving for to let the army do his work. Still, the fighting here remains restrained.

For now, it's words as well as weapons that are firing across the border. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telling Israeli troops, if Hezbollah decides to enter the war, it will make the mistake of its life. We will cripple it with a force it cannot even imagine. Conserns now growing among Israel and its allies that the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group will escalate and drag the entire region into war. The group has already lost more than two dozen men here in two weeks. On Lebanon side of the border, civilians are already carrying a big for this small war. Many who live at the border have come to this school entire, seeking refuge, like Bilal Qasem, a tobacco farmer who brought his family here to escape the violence.

He tells me, we fled from the bombardment, from the artillery, because it's been hitting the border, and our house is fairly close to the border. The strikes started hitting some of the houses, so I evacuated my children here. This campus is now home to more than 1,500 people from the border region. Because of the increase fighting, more and more are coming every day. This region barely recovered from Hezbollah's last war with Israel in 2006. Now it's happening again. But if there's a full-on war here, can you handle thousands more people? It is hard. It is hard. We wish we will not reach this point. But it is hard. But even if it happened, we will still try.

Because there is no other way. We can't stop. The people need our help, and we will try to help them. Even it is so small. Bilal doesn't know when he and his four children would be able to return to his land. But when they do, he insists the land will still be his, and he'll take up arms to protect it.

Of course, I'm going to defend my land and defend my honor, he tells me, Once war is forced upon us, we're already. I'll come down to check on my kids, make sure they're okay, and then I'll go. Ellison, well, those people that we spoke with at that school today, they're among 19,000 people who have been displaced here in southern Lebanon, and there are well more than 20,000 Israelis who have been displaced on the other side of the border. Now, all of this, Ellison, is before this fight has really blossomed into a full-fledged war.

The kind of everybody here is dreading. Ellison? Matt Bradley, entire Lebanon. Thank you. As fears grow about the Israel-Hamas war expanding across the region, the deputy commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard hinted at the possibility of strikes on Israel. For more on the warning and what this might mean for the Middle East, NBC's Tehran Bureau Chief Ali Aruzzi joins us now from Tehran. Ali, the deputy commander for Iran's Revolutionary Guard said this, quote, we will carry out this task without hesitation if it is necessary. He's referring there to the possibility of a direct missile strike on Haifa, which is a port city here in Israel. How serious is that threat? Well, these are obviously a very serious thing to say, and he's taken up the tempo quite

considerably by making a direct threat to Israel. But these messages, or should I say, threats are not uncommon from IRGC commanders, especially towards the United States. United States and Israel. They want to show that they are a presence to be not to be messed with in the region. They want to show that they have the capability to wreak havoc here if necessary. But there's also a lot of bluster that comes out from these guys with these comments. They want to intimidate, they want to threaten, but not necessarily get involved in an all-out conflict on Iranian soil. Interestingly, he also said that the political decision to hit Haifa was a and his, and that decision lies with Ayatollah Khomeini, the supreme leader, who over the decades

has built, trained, equipped, and spent vast fortunes on proxy groups under his command, and they're known as the access of resistance in order to improve the combat effectiveness of Hezbollah, Hamas, and other militant groups in the region in Yemen, in Iraq, and in Syria. This allows Iran to meddling conflicts and disputes in the region. while maintaining plausible deniability and avoiding being pulled into direct military confrontation, because they know a direct military confrontation with superior military powers like the U.S. and Israel would be overwhelming for them. So right now, it's about supporting the proxies and putting out, you know, very, very dangerous words, but not following

it up directly themselves. But as this conflict continues, that could change, and we could see Iran getting involved directly. Ali, is there any sense that the increased U.S. presence that Courtney was just reporting on will actually deter Iran from taking any additional steps in involvement, be it more money, more artillery, more weapon sent in, or that direct action? And is there a chance that the U.S. presence could actually have the opposite effect that it wants when it comes to Iran? Possibly. I don't think the U.S. presence here particularly intimidates Iran. We've seen big build-ups of U.S. hardware on Iran's doorstep in the Persian Gulf time and time again,

and it hasn't deterred them from confrontation. They've sent swarms of heavily armed fastboats to circle U.S. Navy assets. They've shot down U.S. drones. They've even captured U.S. service members in the Persian Gulf and paraded them on TV. However, all of these are close calls have never ended up in a shooting match. But with this tension and animosity between these two old enemies being so high, the smallest miscalculation could dramatically change the playing field. So I don't think they're intimidated, but they are cognizant of it, and they may try and use it to their advantage if they want to broaden this conflict and drag America in.

Ali Arousi in Tehran, thank you. We appreciate it. For more analysis on the Israeli military strategy and diplomatic challenges, let's bring in Hagar Shumali. She served as the spokesperson to the U.S. mission to the United Nations under the Obama administration and is also the former spokesperson for terrorism and financial intelligence at the U.S. Treasury Department, and Colonel Jack Jacobs, NBC News, military analyst and retired U.S. Army colonel. Hager, let's start with you here. Two more hostages were released tonight. The U.S. has reportedly asked Israel to delay a ground invasion until more hostages are released. We're talking about at least 220 plus hostages inside of Gaza

right now. Should Israel take that advice? You know, I've been on the other side of these negotiations, and during the last violence, last rounds of violence, particularly in 2014. And the fact is that in private, the U.S. will try to send messages, but they don't press too hard because the U.S. as a rule will say, you know, they have a right to defend themselves. If this type of behavior were to happen here, the U.S. would likely take similar steps. So I would imagine that they're going to push them on that because the hostages are the number one priority, and the U.S. has a stake in that, for sure. And we approach war a little bit differently, of course. Every government will. But in my experience, Israel will heed, we'll take

those comments, but they may not necessarily implement them. They will do what they believe is in their best interest in that given moment. Colonel Jacobs, Prime Minister Netanyahu has visited IDF troops amassed on the Israel-Gaza border. So has Israel's defense minister. A couple of days ago, one IDF troop we met in this part of the border, we're just north of the border with Gaza, told us that they had been told three different times the ground invasion would start only for the orders to change. Could the uncertainty on a ground offensive negatively impact troop morale? I mean, it's been quite a while now since they've had this massive presence along the Israel-Gaza border. Well, one way to look at it,

a troop at the bottom of the food chain is if you have the mission, you want to get it over with as quickly as possible. On the other hand, you heard Richard Engel talking about exactly what's going on in those assembly areas where the IDF is located. They're rehearsing, their training, they're practicing. They're getting new objectives every time. Their operations orders are probably changing as the intelligence situation improves. And so you never have have too much information, and although the troops want to get on with it, and probably the people in Israel want the IDF to get on with it, at the end of the day, the troops on the border are doing things that are really important and will contribute massively to their success

if, as in when they go into Gaza, rehearsing, training, getting updates on their orders, and the longer they wait to go into Gaza, the more likely. it is, that there will be fewer and fewer non-combatants, particularly in Gaza City. So it works to everybody's advantage that the attack takes longer to initiate than sooner. Ellison. Hager, Colonel Jacobs mentioning the Israeli public there. It's been interesting. Since we have been here, we have heard so often from Israelis at the beginning that they want

this ground offensive to start and to start immediately. There was this perception among the public of get in there, try and get our hostages out and just take this directly to Hamas. We have seen some of the families of hostages protesting, telling the Israeli government they want them to hold off on a ground offensive and try to negotiate, try to get more of the hostages out alive. I'm curious what you think of this. If the U.S. is asking Israel to delay a ground offensive and then the IDF decides to go ahead with the ground invasion into Gaza, What could that mean for both U.S.-Israeli relations going forward as well as Prime Minister Netanyahu's standing here at home? Well, there's no doubt that having these hostages there complicates what is typically a very brutal response from the Israeli government in not just in the last, in the five rounds of

violence that we've seen between Israel and Gaza since 2007, not just for that, but as a part of its playbook, when Israel, since its history, has been faced with terrorist attacks, the playbook is to respond with an exceptionally brutal response. And it has worked for Israel for a long time. In the 1990s is when that started to become more difficult and when grievances grew. And now you have here, you have the situation here in hostages complicate that very typical response. The fact of the matter is that there have been past rounds of violence where the U.S. and Israel have differed in their opinions. Now, I don't want to, I want to stress that the United States government, I do not expect them to change their public stance in its support for Israel and in not common.

for a ceasefire at this moment at least. I don't expect that to change. I have not been surprised by the U.S. responses so far. But that said that even if there's daylight between the U.S. and Israel behind closed doors, where the U.S. is saying, hey, maybe you should hold off on this because we think hostages are more important, or, hey, we think urban warfare at this stage is going to be very difficult and may not help you achieve your goals, even with that daylight, it really doesn't undermine or crumble anything between the U.S. and Israel at all.

will remain a major ally. We're going to remain committed to their qualitative military edge. And I don't expect that to change. Colonel Jacobs, when we're talking about the possibility of a ground invasion, we are talking about urban combat in Gaza, which is incredibly challenging for any military. We have heard almost every night we've been here on the border, and we heard it in the last couple hours tonight, artillery being fired into the direction of Gaza. In theory, Israel has been focusing these aerial bombardments, all the different volleys we've heard of missiles of artillery going into Gaza to sort of flatten the way for their troops to go in, to make it easier to go into an

urban setting. But in Gaza, there is this added factor of Hamas tunnels. Can you explain to us why those tunnels are such a big deal? I mean, we're talking about, and I think you might have said this recently, an area that from the north of Gaza to the south is, what, 25 miles, but possibly 300 miles worth of tunnels? How big of a deal is this? that. It's a very big deal indeed. As we've discussed many times before, fighting in urban terrain is extremely difficult. Indeed, if you want to invade an area that's a built up area, you want to have less rubble. You want to be very specific and precise about where you bomb and what targets you take out, because you want as little rubble as possible, it makes it easier for the defenders

to defend. But fighting in an area like that, not only with rubble, But with the enemy in tunnels, in miles and miles of tunnels that have taken decades to establish and are well-equipped, makes it extremely difficult for the attacking force. It's very labor-intensive. It's time-intensive. And there are a lot of casualties on both sides as a result. I fought in urban terrain and with rubble, and I can tell you, it's extremely difficult and extremely dangerous. It's going to take a long time if as and when the Israeli defense force gets into Gaza,

into Gaza City, and it'll take a long time for them to clear the area, Ellison. Hager Shemali and Colonel Jack Jacobs, we always appreciate both your time and insights. Thank you. Now for the day's other headlines, we're going to go to Top Story Studio in New York City and my colleague Valerie Castro. Good evening, Valerie. Alison, good evening. still ahead tonight the terrifying moments on board an Alaska Airlines flight, an off-duty pilot

accused of trying to shut off the plane's engine in mid-air, the charges he's now facing. Plus, the car driving through a crowd of pro-Palestinian protesters in Minneapolis, what happened next? And the major health update tonight on Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton two weeks after she was hospitalized with a rare form of pneumonia. Stay with us. Turning now to Capitol Hill, where Congress has been without a speaker for 20 days, and there is no sign that the position will be filled anytime soon. Eight candidates have emerged saying they are the best person for the job, but do they have the votes? Let's bring in NBC News senior Capitol Hill correspondent Garrett Hake, joining us now from Capitol Hill. And Garrett, let's start with that big question.

Do any of those candidates have enough support to get enough votes to become the party's nominee? Valerie, it's a very unsettled field. Right 15 minutes ago, there were nine candidates, and now we're down to eight as these men, and they are all men, are jockeying to try to answer that exact question, not just can they get the majority of the conference, which is what they need to become the next nominee, and we'll see that vote tomorrow morning, but can they convince the holdouts there that they can kind of put them over the top, that they need to be the one to get to 217. There's this very fine mixture, I think, that has to be achieved here,

between someone who can be popular enough to bring the majority of the conference along, but not have the kind of deep-seated problems with even a small minority in the conference where they are so dug in, they'll consistently vote against them, like Jim Jordan experienced, like Kevin McCarthy experienced beforehand, and like Steve Scalise would have experienced had he taken his nomination to the floor. Garrett, what will it take? How are the Republicans going to get to that number of 217 and actually elect a speaker? I think a lot of it's going to require outside pressure.

And by that, I mean the deadlines that this Congress faces and the world events that are kind of swirling around us. Congress runs out of government funding, or the country runs out of government funding, in another two and a half weeks or so, middle of November. And so all this time span without a speaker is time wasted, especially if House Republicans want to pass their own spending bills and not just pass, you know, what they call a continuing resolution to kind of stretch things out. Likewise, pressure to support Israel, to pass funding for Ukraine. major world events that are going on right outside these doors that this Congress isn't addressing. And every day that goes by with that being the case, the pressure increases on members who might have issues with some of these candidates to perhaps set those issues aside and find the most palatable, if not the most perfect option, just to get this body back to work.

All right. In the meantime, the days keep passing us by. Garrett Hake, thank you so much. Now to a terrifying incident in the sky, an off-duty pilot charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after allegedly trying to bring down a commercial airliner by shutting off the plane's engines in the middle of a flight. NBC's aviation correspondent Tom Costello reports. Held tonight in an Oregon jail, 44-year-old Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph Emerson, booked on 167 charges, including 83 potential counts of attempted murder. The FBI and local police alleged Emerson was off duty riding in the cockpit jump seat, flying on Horizon air from Everett, Washington to San Francisco Sunday night, when he suddenly tried to pull the engine

fire suppression controls to shut down the engines at cruising altitude. The pilot and co-pilot stopped and subdued Emerson, removed him from the cockpit, then diverted the plane to Portland. We've got the guy that tried to shut the engine down out of the cockpit. We won law enforcement as soon as to get on the ground and park. With 83 people on board, it's definitely frightening that someone is struggling like that up in the cockpit. Law enforcement sources do not believe there is any connection to terrorism or the events in the Middle East. But today, the FAA issued an alert to all airlines for crews to maintain vigilance and situational awareness. Other recent cases of pilots of tempting or succeeding

in crashing planes include China Eastern last year, German wings, Egypt air, and possibly Malaysia Airlines 370 still missing. In 2018, a maintenance worker took an empty horizon air jet on a joy ride before crashing and killing himself. Now, investigators must determine the motivation behind Emerson's alleged actions. This is not the actions of a rational human, much less a highly trained pilot. Pilots over 40 must undergo physical evaluations every six months and disclose mental health issues and medications. Full mental health evaluations, though, are not part of that physical. Emerson's last physical was last month.

Valerie? All right. Tom Costello, thank you. When we come back in urgent manhunt in Tennessee, a suspect accused of shooting two police officers still at large and believed to be armed and dangerous. That man's father identified as Nashville's chief of police. His message for his estranged son tonight, that's coming up next. Back now with Top Stories newsfeeds, starting with the former MLB player arrested in connection to a deadly shooting in California.

Ex-relief pitcher Danny Serafini has been charged with fatally shooting his father-in-law and seriously injuring his mother-in-law at their Lake Tahoe home in 2021. A 33-year-old woman was also arrested. No word yet on the motive. Serafini was selected in the first round of the 1992 MLB draft by the Minnesota Twins. Minnesota authorities are searching for a suspect who plowed a car. car through a pro-Palestinian rally. Video shows that driver arguing with protesters in Minneapolis just moments before speeding through the crowd. Demonstrators and other bystanders later chasing them down on foot for a second confrontation, but they managed to get away. Luckily,

no one was seriously hurt. A consumer alert, Tesla, recalling nearly 55,000 cars over break issues. The company says controllers may fail to display a warning light when brake fluid runs low, increasing the risk of crashes. Owners of Model XEVs made between 2021 and 2023 are advised to install the latest OTA software. So far, no injuries, crashes, or deaths have been reported in connection to the issue. And a health update for former Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton, the five-time medalist daughter, sharing Retton, has returned home and is in recovery mode after battling a rare form of pneumonia. Just two

weeks ago, was revealed Retton, who is uninsured, was in intensive care, quote, fighting for her life. She has since received nearly $450,000 in donations to support her medical costs. No word yet on what type of pneumonia threatened has. Turning now to a statewide manhunt for the shooter of two Nashville police officers. The suspect, who is considered armed and dangerous, is the estranged son of the city's police chief. Our Kathy Park has the details.

A manhunt intensifying in Tennessee. After police, a 38-year-old John Drake Jr., shot 2,000, shot two officers early Saturday afternoon and is still on the run. Drake, the estranged son of Nashville's police chief. Officials say the shooting happened 20 miles southeast of Nashville outside of a dollar general store when the officers were responding to a report of a stolen car. During that investigation, they had contact with a subject. They struggled with that subject.

And during that struggle, the suspect produced a handgun and fired shots. Witnesses describe seeing the chaos. even capturing the law enforcement response that quickly followed. Went around the calling. Everybody was running. My daughter, she was actually pulling up to the store. And she came back out to say, they're shooting. It's some shooting.

A shelter in place was briefly issued for people in the area. As residents like Rachel DiMari remained on high alert. I was just like, wow, I've never seen anything like this. Been here all these many years, he shot two police officers, and they was able to get a way. I started looking around. I checked the bag. Checked because I've got to prove.

up under the dig. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said the suspect was armed and dangerous, sharing this mugshot with the public. Nashville's police chief also weighing in, demanding accountability and writing in part, I am shocked and deeply saddened to learn that my estranged son with whom I have had very minimal contact over many years is the suspect. Despite my efforts and guidance in the early and teenage years, my son, John Drake Jr., now 38 years old, resorted to years of criminal activity and is a convicted felon. He has not been a part of my life for quite some time. According to court filings in Tennessee,

John Drake Jr. has a criminal history that spans nearly 20 years and has now wanted for two counts of attempted first-degree murder. Tonight, both officers injured in Saturday's shooting are out of the hospital. And John Drake Jr. has been added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations most wanted list. A reward of up to $2,500 is being offered for more information leading to an arrest. Valerie the park thank you next to the miles long pile up just outside of new Orleans at least two people are dead and dozens more injured officials in

Louisiana are blaming the crash on so-called super fog conditions and bcceas priscilla thompson explains a massive pile up shutting down this interstate near new Orleans in both directions for hours pickup trucks stacked on top of each other at least Two 18 wheelers erupting in flames. For miles, look at it. It's crazy. This was the scene on Interstate 55. At least 21 people were taken to the hospital, including three in critical condition, according to hospital officials.

This is a very demanding scene. This is a taxing scene for our first responders. The cause of the 100 car wreck, likely a combination of dense fog and smoke from at least three wildfires burning in Louisiana that reduce visibility in the area to near zero. It's known as a super fog. Super fog is when you have foggy conditions near a fire. We get the water droplets on all the debris that's in the air from the fire, and that makes the smoke even more dense, and the fog's so thick, it's horrendous for travel,

sometimes down the zero visibility. That fog has now lifted, but tonight many are still recovering from a crash, unlike anything they'd seen before. Look at this. Priscilla Thompson, NBC News. Coming up, the collision in the South China Sea, the Chinese Coast Guard crashing into a Philippine ship it was trying to block the warning tonight from the U.S.

Back now with the story of how Tel Aviv's booming tech sector supporting the Israeli military in their fight against Hamas, software engineers developing an app to help identify those killed, wounded, and miscellaneous. The new technology now used by hospitals, police, and the Army. Jay Gray has a closer look tonight from Tel Aviv. In the echo of blast across Gaza, 40 miles from the border, where tanks and troops prepare to move in.

There's a group of civilian fighters, their weapons, a mouse, keyboard, and computer screen, their mission, information, and identification. We have teams that are working on technology, cutting at technology like AI, like facial recognition, voice recognition, trying to match patterns of movements and all the stuff. Tel Aviv's burgeoning tech sector, using their special skills at a time when their country needs them the most. We worked day and night. Recognizing the agony of families unable to find loved ones after the October 7th attack, Ruvin, a software developer for California-based Palo Alto Systems, says in just 24 hours,

he created the framework for an app, now used by hospitals, police, and the Israeli. the Army, pulling together pictures and data, helping to identify those killed or wounded. The authorities log inside, and they put some filters on the data, like what is the gender, the eye color, the air color, the body type, does he have tattoos? What is his height? Victims unknown for days now identified in just minutes. Tech teams are also analyzing videos, social media posts, searching for hostages and those responsible. responsible for the attacks. The industry has a presence on the front lines as well.

At least 10% of tech workers, Army reservists, have been called from their office towers to active duty. It's like two completely different things, right? Because here I'm a combat soldier. I need to walk with my gun. Stationed along the border with Lebanon, where firefighters with Hezbollah fighters are intensifying. A few weeks ago, Shlomi, was working as a software engineer. at a Tel Aviv startup. Using a weapon or the web, there is a sense of urgency right now.

There's so much work to be done. It's not a time to take a breath and think about the past. It's time to act. Action, they hope, will help to end the war, so they can get back to their day jobs. Jay Gray, NBC News, Tel Aviv. Now to Top Stories, Global Watch, and an update on one of the American.

American journalist detained in Russia. A Russian court has ordered reporter also Kermasheva to be held in custody until at least early December pending trial. Kermasheva, who holds dual citizenship with the U.S. and Russia and works for Radio Free Europe, traveled to Russia in May for a family emergency. She was charged with failing to register as a foreign agent during her visit. If convicted, she could face up to five years in prison. In eastern Ukraine, a missile strike on a post office leaving several dead. Dron footage released by Ukraine, Police shows the aftermath of the blast caused by a missile attack in the city of Harkiv. At least six people were killed and dozens injured. Officials claim Russia was behind the strike,

no response yet from the Kremlin. And the U.S. has renewed a warning to China that it would defend the Philippines after two incidents in the South China Sea. New video shows the Chinese Coast Guard colliding with a Philippine ship that it was trying to block on Sunday. Another collision with two different ships occurred later in the day. Both countries, are accusing each other of violating international maritime law. The two have continued to fight over who controls the critical waterway. When we come back, jumping into action, a bus driver racing to help a first-grade student who was choking on a quarter, you'll hear from that seven-year-old boy and the woman being hailed a hero.

Next. Finally, tonight, a school bus driver being called a hero. jumping into action to save a first grader in distress. Why that seven-year-old's mother is so thankful tonight for a moment of what she calls divine timing. This is the moment a routine school bus ride turned into sheer panic for seven-year-old Preston Bell. I walked up to the bus driver holding my neck because I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk. Surveillance video shows the first grader leaning back in his seat when he accidentally drops a coin into his throat. He heads to the front of the bus where Texas bus driver Raquel Radford-Baker quickly realizes he's in trouble.

I just tried to tell him that I just choked on the corridor and it hurts very bad. And I just grabbed him, ran down the stairs with him. On my way to the sidewalk, I was actually performing the homelick maneuver. I'm saying, baby, breathe, baby, breathe, I got you breathe. The quarter popping out once Radford Baker gets him to the sidewalk and asks a pay. there to call 911. Preston's mother, Gianna, able to thank the woman who helped her son. She told me yesterday, she said, all I wanted to do was save your child's life. That's the only thing that was running through my mind is that I have to save him. I have to help him right now.

Radford Baker, a 17-year employee of the Dallas Independent School District's Transportation Services, says she just happened to be filling in on Preston's bus route that day. It was divine timing. Preston's mother grateful for Radford Baker's quick thinking. Oh my God, she's a hero. She's literally a hero. I can't imagine what was going through her head at that time. That just sprang in action like he needs help. The hero crediting first aid and CPR training with giving her the skills to save a life.

I'm just grateful that I was able to save him. And we're grateful that Preston is okay. His mother says she now plans to take some first aid training as well herself. Thanks so much for watching Top Story tonight. For Tom Yamis, I'm Valerie Castro in New York. Stay right there. More news now is on the way.