Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, September 16, 2024

Episode Date: September 17, 2024

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

Breaking tonight, new details in the second assassination attempt on former President Trump. The new body cam video of the moment's officers arrest the alleged gunmen. What we know about the suspect, including phone data, indicating he waited outside of Trump's West Palm Beach golf course for 12 hours before the incident. The charges he now faces and new questions about the Secret Service, how the agency is handling the heightened threats against the former president. We'll speak with a former Secret Service agent as this marks the second attempt on Trump. Trump's life in just as many months. Also, tonight, the out-of-control pipeline explosion, flames shooting into the air, triggering evacuation orders in a Houston suburb.

Concerns over air quality as the eruption fills the skies with thick, dark smoke. And we hear from college students forced to shelter in place. Life-threatening floods slamming the Carolinas, torrential rains lashing the region, inundating homes and leaving people stranded. Historic rainfall leading to a state of emergency. Meteorologist Bill Karen standing by with where this dangerous system is headed next. Do you know this victim, the Gilgo Beach Task Force, releasing new images of an unidentified person, more than a decade after their remains were discovered on Long Island?

Could the murderer be connected to a string of killings authorities have charged one man with? The new details just released. Searching for answers after the titans of merciful implosion. The hearing into what went wrong revealing the final message from those on board, These chilling never-before seen photos of the vessel you see here after the deadly crash. Political beatdown, a live debate in Brazil, taking a strange turn. One candidate smashing a chair over his rival's head. What happened next?

And inside tornado tourism, imagine spending your vacation, chasing dangerous storms. Right now, people from around the world are shilling out thousands of dollars to get an up-close look at twisters in action. But just how safe is it and is the experience really working? it. We tested out for ourselves. Plus Venezuela accusing three U.S. citizens of plotting to kill Nicolas Maduro, the leader there, arresting them how state officials are responding. Top story starts right now. And good evening. Tonight we're getting new insight into the apparent assassination attempt on former President Trump at his Florida golf course. This marks the second attempt on the former

president's life in just a span of two months. Prompting new questions about his safety and the current political climate. And we're just learning that President Biden spoke with former President Trump by phone. First of that body cam video showing the exact moment the suspect, Ryan Ruth was arrested. Police tracked him down on a nearby highway, all thanks to a witness who snapped a photo before he allegedly fled the scene. As we mentioned, this happened yesterday afternoon at the former president's golf course in West Palm Beach

near his Mar-Lago estate. Trump had been moving between holes five and six at the time. Secret Service confirming one of their agents first spotted the barrel of a rifle poking through and immediately fired at the suspect. Officials just revealing that the 58-year-old suspect did not fire his weapon and that the former president was never in his line of sight. The acting director of the Secret Service defending their actions as the agency faces mounting pressure. We need to look at what our protective methodology is. We need to get out of a reactive model and get to a readiness model. You can't just give me money and say, hey, we're going to make sure that everybody gets overtime.

Because the men and women are the Secret Service right now, we are redlining them. But the big question remains, how could a gunman come so close to a former president? Once again, in a moment, we'll speak with a former Secret Service agent about the urgent situation. But first, we turn to NBC's Garrett Haake with the latest on the investigation. Keep walking! Tonight, newly released body camera video showing the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt of former President Trump as he was arrested Sunday in Florida. What's your name, boss?

Ryan. He was just driving with the floor of traffic. Yeah, I think that he may have thought he got away with it. It was probably the highest profile stop this sheriff's office has ever made. All of it, just two months after the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, with new questions tonight about how another armed suspect was able to get close to the Republican nominee. The suspect in Sunday's incident, Ryan Wesley Ruth charged today in federal court with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, with more charges likely to follow. Our FBI agents then attempted to interview him, and he invoked his right to an attorney.

According to court documents, Ruth's phone signal suggests he had been hiding in the bushes by the fence of Trump's golf course for nearly 12 hours, from 159 a.m. until 131 p.m. That's when, according to the documents, while Trump was golfing, a secret service agent spotted a rifle poking out of the tree line. The agent opened fire in the direction of the rifle, and the suspect fled. This photo showing what he left behind, including the semi-automatic rifle with scope, a GoPro camera, and backpack with ceramic tiles as potential body armor. A witness saw a man fleeing, giving information to authorities critical to his arrest. Tonight, the acting Secret Service director saying he's talked to Trump. Have you briefed former President Trump on your findings so far and has his campaign asked for any changes in his security going forward after yesterday? So I've had a conversation with the former president. The president is aware that he has highest levels of protection that the Secret Service is providing him.

And tonight we're learning more about the suspect's background. His North Carolina home was searched by authorities overnight. Court records show a lengthy criminal history, including a conviction for possession of a machine gun. He had some problems with feds and stuff. I never thought he'd be trying to kill the president. Ruth was an outspoken supporter of Ukraine who visited the country in 2022. Thousands of people from every country around the world come to keep. On social media, the suspect called Trump his, quote, choice in 2016, who had since become a disappointment. Ruth contributed to Democrats in 2019 and voted in a Democratic primary in 2020.

He also criticized Trump, writing in April, quote, democracy is on the ballot and we cannot lose. Today, Trump arguing the suspect, quote, believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it, comments echoing last week's debate. I probably took a bullet to their head because of the things that they say about me. They talk about democracy. I'm a threat to democracy. Trump has also used incendiary language against Democrats, and authorities have not yet revealed a motive in either incident. Vice President Harris condemned political violence, writing, quote, I am thankful that former President Trump is safe,

and this today from President Biden. In America, we resolve our difference peacefully, the battle box, not at the end of a gun. Garrett Hake joins us tonight from West Palm Beach, Florida. So, Garrett, first I want to start, actually, from that first assassination attempt. You cover the former president's campaign. Could you visibly notice a difference

from that first assassination attempt to this one? Is there more secret service? Yeah, Tom, you can definitely I've really noticed a difference at Donald Trump's events and around Mar-a-Lago, the places where they know he's going to be and where the public knows he's going to be. I think one of the questions is, what are they going to do and what have they done about some of these smaller movements like golf, where it's not told to reporters, it's not publicly known that he's going to be there.

So the Secret Service takes a smaller footprint. Are they going to have to change that process going forward? We don't have good visibility into it. And the Secret Service Director did not really directly answer that question when I asked him about it earlier today. last week, right, that debate when he surprised everyone and he walks into the spin room. And we've been, we've covered a lot of presidential events. We've covered campaigns. Things have to be swept and it was sort of a surprise to everyone. And I don't know if that goes

against protocol, but it was a surprise to a lot of people there. You know, you asked an important question, and I know you have sources within the campaign. Are they going to change the way they campaign? Because this is now two assassination attempts in two months. I mean, this is absolutely crazy. Yeah, look, the Secret Service uses surprise as a tactic to help defend their protectees. If you don't know he or she is coming, you can necessarily be there. That's not true at a place like the Trump golf course where everybody in the world knows

he wants to go whenever he's not actively working on the campaign. Tom, look, I think this is going to be a live conversation within the Trump campaign as it was after the first assassination attempt. When you remember, Trump campaign sources told us, and we reported that they were done with outdoor rallies. didn't like that. He didn't like what it would say about him if he wasn't able to do these large outdoor rallies. And they have since resumed them. There is a constant tension, not just with Donald Trump, but with every protectee, about access, being public, and being safe. And I think we're

going to continue to see that play out with the Trump campaign going forward. All right, Garrett Hake, with a lot of new reporting tonight for us, Garrett. We appreciate that. The Secret Service, obviously, under intense scrutiny now after those two attempts on former President Trump's life in just a few months. The acting director holding a press conference today, revealing details of how they responded to yesterday's threat. All this, as President Biden says, more funding for the agency is necessary. Here's Kelly O'Donnell with more details. A dire challenge for the Secret Service tonight, doing more amid real dangers, and heightened threats. Keep walking! We cannot have failures, and in order to do that, we're going to have some hard conversations with Congress.

While the agent who spotted and fired on the suspect is getting praise, the agency is also facing questions, including why the Secret Service had not searched the bushes, where the alleged assailant hid for nearly 12 hours. The acting director says that kind of advanced search is not part of an unscheduled stop. This was an off-the-record movement. It wasn't a site that was on his scheduled. It wasn't part of his schedule. So there was no posting up of it because he wasn't supposed to have gone there. Earlier today, President Biden said more funding is necessary. The service needs more help. And I think the Congress should respond to their needs. The scope of the agency's duty has grown larger with more protectees.

Now more than 40 individuals, current and former officials, candidates and families under protection. House Speaker Johnson says Mr. Trump's security. must get more. We are demanding in the House that he have every asset available and we will make more available if necessary. In July, President Biden ordered an increase of the security force around former President Trump and Vice President Harris. Today, the acting director said those changes are in effect.

The Secret Service moved to sustain increases in assets and the level of protection sought. And those things were in place yesterday. All right, Kelly O'Donnell, joins us tonight live from the White House. So, Kelly, while an agent first spotted the suspect and fired, it was also a civilian who helped authorities catch up to him with that photo they snapped right after he tried to escape. That's right, and they are crediting that civilian for helping. And that person was also transported to the scene where the suspect was eventually stopped in that traffic offense and was able to do an on-the-spot witness identification. Now, of course, the authorities had recovered a phone. Perhaps that would have eventually led to the suspect, but the help of an individual paying attention, doing something, and saying something certainly helped authorities detect him and to do so quickly.

Tom? Yeah, see something, say something it always works. Kelly, we appreciate that. We thank you for all your reporting. For more on this, I want to bring in Evie Pompura. She's a former secret service special agent, author of the book, Becoming Bulletproof, Life Lessons from a Secret Service agent, and an NBC News law enforcement contributor. Evie, thank you so much for joining Top Story tonight. So I'm going to play some video for our viewers here, right?

And you're probably familiar with some of these images. It is the presidents playing golf. Every president that in my lifetime, going back forever, you know presidents play golf. And the reason why I'm playing all this video is because this is not new to the Secret Service, especially when you're protecting former President Trump who loves playing golf. So I guess my question to you is, how was somebody able to camp out there for 12 hours? And the Secret Service didn't find him? Yeah.

It's a really good question. I think that's one of the concerns is so when we're looking at the golf course that's being defined as an O-T-R, that's the big thing. Off-the-record movement. That means it's not on the record. However, the caveat here is he's going to a location that people know he consistently goes to. So can you really call it off the record? Off the record is, oops, here I am, I'm a surprise. Nobody knows I'm coming.

So I think, and if you listen to that press conference that the assistant, that the acting director, that the acting director, made, he said, we are reevaluating the way we work. And in fact, he said we have a very reactive model and reactive methodologies. We need to be proactive. So he's acknowledging that the methodologies they're using are not working today. The other thing is, as far as assets, he's saying, look, he's got all the assets. And it's true. He's got counter-salt, counter-sniper, sniper, CSU, all those assets. But what was missing? Post-Anders. What does that mean? Post-standers. Those are the agents that you see at that.

that outer perimeter, agents that are posting. That was my question. Wouldn't they have swept that golf course? And by swept, I mean, go through the golf course, go through every hole, look around. Is that not protocol? Off the record. No, I don't think that in this situation,

it was a protocol. I think that they went in. I think that the golf course is secure to some degree because it's a private establishment. It's trumps. They have a security in place. Look, we're looking at about 500 yards out. Typically, that goes to local law enforcement.

Again, there's another theme. Trump rally, the issue was local law enforcement. Here, local law enforcement. I think what's happening here is they have to look at the way they're doing their outer perimeter issues. When you go through training, the majority of training, and I've been through it, is the rope lines, who's in his immediate circle. Traditionally, the thought has been the threats coming from up close, get up front, shield him. Now we have something different. You have people with the ability to engage him from long distances, using a long weapon.

But I mean, also, I mean, to be fair, Jay. was assassinated from a long distance. So, I mean, it's something that Secret Service is aware of. Open vehicle, though, with JFK. And again, JFK pushed to be in that vehicle, and the Secret Service wavered and let him. So here's another thing, and this was brought up before when you were playing the package. Secret Service probably has to push a bit harder with their protectees and say, no, we're not doing this. This is the second attempt in two months.

It's not good whatsoever. What do you think happen? How do you think the agent scouted this guy with the rifle, with the barrel coming through the fence, fires on them. Talk to me about that protocol. I think that's actually pretty remarkable that he was actually able to see a barrel. So at that point, you're walking through, you're doing this scan to do the assessment, right? You're looking everywhere around you. He notices the barrel. He notices the shooter. Now, he takes a shot. From what we know, the shooter actually never took any shot. He didn't unload any type of bullets. So the agent takes shot. For the agent to do that...

And is that protocol, like once you see the weapon and the shooter to fire first? It's the behavior. So what I'm presuming, if you're taking that shot, you're seeing that shooter prone out, pointing the gun at something. No questions ask, you just fire. You're firing. Because it's imminent stage at that person. It's not like he's got it holstered or he's got it to his side.

Muzzle is pointing down. So for him to shoot, it means the shooter was in a ready position to engage. And he did the right thing. I also wonder at what distance the agent was to the shooter. We didn't get that information because the agent did not get the shooter. So I'd be curious to see what that distance was as well. Do you think there's going to be a copycat problem? Is this a copycat issue now?

It is a copycat. Will there be other copycats? And how does the Secret Service prepare for that? It is a copycat. This absolutely is a copycat. And I don't want to be the bear or bad news, but I think once people see something like this, they get brazen and bold and think, well, if that guy can do it,

and now if that guy can do it, I can do it. I would be really on full alert at this point. We've got 50 days to go. and everything should be put in protection, protection, protection. Everybody needs to be stepping up to fix this issue, at least for now. Long-term Secret Service has to look at manpower and resources. You've got 40 protectees. You've got all these threats.

He even said it, the acting director said, we are dealing with hyper, what was the word, hyper-dynamic threat environment. That means they're getting threats through the roof. Yeah, I got to tell you, what also concerns me besides these assassinations. attempts is that you have two men in Butler. You had this kid who was able to get up on the roof. He was a marksman. He would be a weakened warrior. He would, you know, fire his gun at the rifle range, and he was a pretty good shot. You have this guy who was, you know, by many accounts,

he had some issues, clearly. But both these men aren't trained assassins. From what we know, they don't have military training. They're not mercenaries. They're not from other countries that have been trained to be put here as snipers. What if there was the real deal? Because if there was the real I don't know if President Trump would still be around. You bring up a valid point, quite honestly, to say, these are amateurs. Right. They're lone guys who decided to pick up their gun. I'm going to go try to find an opening.

They found it both of them independently. The one who was able to get access to a roof. This shooter, 12 hours, 12 hours, nobody drove by, nobody swept the area in advance. Hey, the president's coming. These are all valid questions. No, I agree with you. I don't think that these are any esteemed shooters or deep assessment. that you need to worry about. And you beg the question, if these amateur types of style,

people can do it, then what does that say about somebody who really knows what they're doing, or a group of people that get together to do this? All right, Evie, we thank you so much for being here and thank you for your perspective, as always. We want to turn to some breaking news we're following tonight at Texas, where authorities near Houston are responding to a massive pipeline explosion, the giant plume of flames and heavy smoke damaging nearby homes. It's also forcing mass evacuations. A nearby college under shelter and place orders. Priscilla Thompson is at the scene in Deer Park tonight. We can see the flame just over her shoulder there.

Priscilla, what have you learned tonight? Yeah, well, Tom, that fire is still shooting flames up in the air, and you can feel how hot it is here on the ground as firefighters are preparing to possibly work through the night. An explosion of flames consume the skies in Deer Park, Texas. After officials say a natural gas pipeline, erupted. What do you remember about this morning? The boom. I mean, it was a loud explosion. It was a big fiery ball that went up to be above those trees. Behind Rosemary Allen's home,

flames and billowing black smoke. At least one firefighter has been injured, officials say, no word on how many structures may be damaged or destroyed. A lot of the house structures that are adjacent to that are still catching on fire. It keeps getting bigger. schools and several businesses ordered to evacuate. This video showing just how close the flames were to shopping centers. Students at nearby San Jacinto College forced to shelter in place. It was just scary because I was like, mate, what if it explodes again? The cause of the inferno remains under investigation, officials say. The owner of the pipeline energy transfer saying in a statement, an unknown car may have hit a pipeline valve. Officials say they've turned

the pipeline off. But tonight, the community. still on edge. It will be hours, if not in tonight or tomorrow. It'll be a while before it goes out. Okay, Priscilla, so we're taking some, we saw some pictures there, and we heard there from the city official. It's going to take a while to put this out. What are people around they're going to do in the meantime? Yeah, Tom, you've got nearly a thousand addresses, according to officials, that had to be evacuated. The energy company has set up a hotline for people in need of lodging and housing for tonight who have been displaced. And we also just got a release from them saying that it was a white SUV that they believe drove through a fence that

was near a Walmart and hit that pipeline valve causing this fire. They say that they are working to identify the person that may have been the cause behind this. Tom? Yeah, some strange circumstances there. Okay, Priscilla Thompson on that breaking news for us, Priscilla. We thank you. We do want to turn out of the life-threatening flash flooding impacting North Carolina tonight. The state hammered by torrential rains and storm surge. Look at this video. Roads turned into rivers and homes and businesses inundated by one to two feet of rain in some areas. The storm now expected to continue further inland tonight. Let's get right to NBC meteorologist Bill Karens. And we're saying the storm, right, Bill? Because this storm has no name.

Yeah, the National Hurricane Center decided it didn't meet their criteria to call it the H-name storm. So in the record books, this is just going to be noticed. It's your regular storm that you'd get outside of the hurricane season. But I'll tell you what, you talk to anyone in eastern North Carolina, especially south of the Wilmington area, and this is a storm they will never forget. So all the heavy rain is moving away from the Wilmington area between Raleigh, Charlotte and Fable, all the heavy stuff. But earlier today, I mean, historic rainfall amounts. These are personal weather stations. These aren't the official stations from the National Weather Service, but you look at these totals. And these were in less than 12 hours. In some cases, less than

six hours. And that's why the water rose so quickly, so many vehicles got stuck, water got into homes. And even at this hour, we still have flash flood warnings from Fayville all the way to the coast here around Jackson and all the way south of Wilmington where we had those heavy rainfall amounts. It's still dealing with flash flood warnings. So 8 million people who are in flood watches. Additional rain, maybe six inches at most. We got to watch some of these thunderstorms late tonight from Richmond to Norfolk. And we also have a chance of isolated tornadoes too, Tom. So yeah, this is a storm that, you know, the winds haven't been really strong enough to call this a tropical system, but it's been pretty wild. Bill Karens for us tonight. Bill, we thank you

for that. Next tonight to the first day of the Titan submersible hearings. The Coast Guard's Marine Board of Investigation, beginning two weeks of testimony, as questions linger over what exactly went wrong when the deep water vessel imploded last year on its way to the Titanic wreckage. It killed all five people on board, you'll remember. And today, new details were revealed, including an image of the submersibles debris and the crew's final messages. For more on the hearing, I'm joined now by Tom Costello, who has been following this story closely since the beginning. Tom, let's start with the image that everyone's been talking about, the image of the debris. at the bottom of the ocean. Yeah, what you're looking out there from the Coast Guard today is the tail cone of the Titan

submersible. It is literally sitting embedded at the bottom of the ocean, about two and a half miles down, 12,500 feet down, which is the depth, by the way, of course, of the Titanic. It is, as you know, made of a carbon fiber material. That was what the skin of the Titan was made of. And that is thought to have been the weak, weak link for the submersible, the Achilles heel, if you will, because quite literally they believe that it just cracked apart or imploded all at once as it continued to dive from its original, right from the surface of the ocean, I should say, trying to get down to the Titanic. But there were many engineers, and we heard this today, Tom, engineers and even the lead engineering director of the company of Ocean Gate that said,

this is not safe. The design's not safe. We don't believe that this carbon fiber is safe, and he himself refused to get inside and pilot the Titan. And then, Tom, I know that we learned also that over the last two years, it had about 100 equipment issues that had to be looked into. Is that normal? Is that a lot? I mean, I got to think that this thing is pretty high-tech, so it may have issues every year. You know, Tom, I'm not sure how high-tech it really is, to be honest. I mean, they were literally using like a Game Boy, control. I think that they were really, and the company finance director said today that they had no money to speak of. They did indeed deal with dozens upon dozens of failures in the years up to the disaster.

And in fact, they believed that Titan may have been hit by lightning at one point in 2018. And then really, most telling in the terribly cold winter of 2023, it was sitting out unprotected in the Newfoundland. you know, exposed to Newfoundland's Canadian cold. It was, imagine what that does to that fiber, carbon fiber skin. So, you know, I'm not sure that this company was demonstrating that it had the money to even properly care for the submersible. And like I said, it was a pretty rudimentary type of submersible. Interesting because their clientele were so wealthy.

You think that money would go somewhere. Before I let you go, Tom, I know they also shared some of their last message. or at least the last known messages? Yeah, so among the last known messages, as they were going down, they got a text message, if you will, in which they said, all good here. That was it. They would transmit in codes, very quick, simple codes, and the next code they received suggested that they were essentially dropping their weights. Well, the only reason you would drop your weights is because you needed to rise, right? You needed to surface, and that would suggest that they knew they were in trouble, and then very quickly,

After that, they imploded. All right. Tom Costello for us, Tom, we thank you. Still ahead tonight. Another Gilgo Beach victim? Authorities releasing new images of a person whose body was found near the other victims of the alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer. The similarities, investigators are now focusing on. Plus, the mid-air plane collision over a Nevada airport killing at least one person.

The detail is still coming in from that scene. And political smackdown. Look at this. The mayoral candidate hitting his opponent with a chair during a debate. the heated topic that sparked this violence. Stay with us. We're back down with an update on the Gilgo Beach murders. Police releasing new, more detailed images of a victim

whose remains were found on the Long Island Beach in 2011. The task force that is investigating a string of murders in that area, putting out flyers in multiple languages as they try to identify this victim and their killer. NBC's Valerie Castro has the details. Tonight, authorities releasing these new images of a Gilgo Beach murder victim whose case has gone unsolved more than a decade. Today, we're asking for the public's help in identifying an individual who has been known as Asian Doe. This person had a name. This person had family. This person had friends. We're reaching out to anyone who might have known this individual to help us with that identification. A past sketch of the victim whose remains were found on the Long Island, New York Beach in 2011,

showed little detail. These renderings, updated after studying those remains, show what the biological male of likely southern Chinese descent may have looked like. Authorities say the victim may have been a sex worker dressed in women's clothing. Tags from what they were wearing also released. We have a picture of an individual with long hair. Because the victim was wearing exclusively women's clothing at the time of death, it is possible that they identified as a woman or were known by others as being a woman. The remains were discovered along Ocean Parkway, the same area where 10 others were found.

Authorities arrested New York architect Rex Hewerman last summer and have charged him in connection to six of those deaths. Hureman has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has not been named as a suspect in this case. Were there any similarities in the way that this body was disposed of with those that were let nearby? And, I mean, are you considering Rex Uriman a suspect in the state? So if you look at, you know, where it was situated, I think it was about 300 or so feet from

Megan Waterman in that same stretch of Parkway. So it's between Megan Waterman and Jessica Taylor. It's all nice to speculate, but it basically doesn't matter until you can bring charges, and we're certainly not at that stage. Police say this victim was between 18 and 23 years old. and died of blunt force trauma at least five years before the remains were found. Authorities releasing the information in various Asian languages in hopes of reaching the victim's family. Though Heurman hasn't been named a suspect, court documents detailing internet searches on his computer

did include, quote, Asian escorts Manhattan. Whether this person died at the hands of a serial killer is a mystery still to be solved. Would you have to know the identity of this person that would re-charges against somebody? In other words, if you found out of the suspect in this case, it was at the scene and you still don't know who this person is, could you charge somebody? Yes. And with that, Valerie Castro joins us now in studio. And Valerie, the Suffolk County DA, they're really trying to figure out who these victims are because they're putting out those different images. They now have this word of mouth campaign, and it's not necessarily typical in some of these situations.

Right, they haven't had any luck with DNA, and we typically think of DNA as the go-to method for, identifying people, but police say DNA records from Asian people are less common in U.S. databases. And look, it's been more than 10 years since this person's remains were found. So police are really putting out this broad effort, this broad call to try and identify this person. And then what can people do to help? Police are asking people to enter their information into certain DNA databases. There are two in particular, family tree DNA and Jed Match Pro, or GED match pro. That one is

specific to law enforcement. key with putting your information into these databases is to opt into law enforcement matching. We think that police must have access to all of that information and they actually don't. You have to opt in to help law enforcement so they can search that information and possibly make this identification. Okay, Valerie Castro with that update, Valerie, thank you. When we come back on high alert, schools in Springfield, Ohio closed once again over threats linked to unfounded claims made by former President Trump and his running mate about Haitian immigrants.

The move just announced by Ohio's governor to try to keep students in the classroom. That's next. Okay, we're back now with Top Stories Newsfeet, starting with the deadly mid-air plane collision in Nevada. Video just in from the scene showing investigators searching a field for debris. Authorities say the two small planes collided over Minden Tahoe Airport. One of the aircrafts carrying two people managed to land. But the other plane crashed near a highway, killing the only person on board. Officials now looking into what exactly went wrong.

Ohio's governor, Mike DeWine, announcing state police will now do daily sweeps of schools in Springfield. Two colleges in the city have moved to virtual learning, and two elementary schools were evacuated today after receiving separate threats. Governor DeWine saying authorities have been forced to investigate, get this, at least 33 bomb threats, since former President Trump and his running mate J.D. Vann started making unfounded claims. about Haitian immigrants and arts and cultural festival that was scheduled for this weekend has also been canceled. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing at an all-time high today as investors await the Federal Reserve's policy meetings. The S&P 500 also ticking up close to its all-time record. Take a look. The tech-heavy NASDAQ composite fell by 0.52%, I should say.

The Federal Reserve is expected to meet this week to cut rates for the first time since 2020. that could lower borrowing costs for companies and improve earnings growth. And tomorrow's lunar eclipse will appear even bigger and brighter than usual. A super moon eclipse will be visible across North America and three other continents around 1044 p.m. Eastern tomorrow. The rare phenomenon is caused by a partial eclipse occurring at the same time as a super moon when the moon is at its closest point to the Earth in its orbit. So take a look tomorrow night. Okay, now to a disturbing story out of Texas.

and NBC News investigation finding a medical school has been using and selling unclean bodies without consent at school now suspending its program just as the story was set to air. Our Liz Kreutz has the details and speaks to the affected family of a U.S. veteran. We want to warn you the details in this piece, as you can imagine, are pretty graphic. Victor Carl Honey was a U.S. military veteran who served in the Army for nearly a decade. He was very friendly. He was outgoing, a nice dresser. After being honorably discharged, he began struggling with mental illness and homelessness. Then in 2022, he died of an apparent heart attack while living alone on the streets of Dallas. Honey was entitled to a burial with military honors, but instead, something else happened.

I think they think homeless black man, you know, he ain't got no family. They don't care about him. You were wrong about this one. An NBC news investigation has found that Honey was among more than 2300 people who died. died in the Dallas, Fort Worth region, and were given to a state medical school that used and made money off their body parts, at times as their own family searched for them. For Honey, within a month of his death, the Dallas Medical Examiner's office deemed him unclaimed, reporting phones for family members they tried were disconnected. And yet, he did have relatives,

some living right there in Dallas. His ex-wife Kimberly and their two adult children say they had even visited Honey in a hospital months prior to his death. To hear that your ex-execkels, husband has been deemed an unclaimed person. What's your reaction to that? That's crazy. We're here. We've always been here. His son has his same name. How could he be unclaimed? This is where Victor Honey's body was then taken, the University of North Texas Health Science Center, where according to government documents, his body was then frozen, cut into pieces, and sent out to different medical groups across the country. All without his prior consent or his family's knowledge. Those documents show honey's severed right leg sent to a Swedish medical device maker for

$341. His torso shipped to a medical education company in Pittsburgh, which paid $900. And for $210, a pair of bones from his skull went to the U.S. Army for military medical training. His right leg was sold. Yes, ma'am. His temporal bone, his torso. Yes, ma'am. Do you think he's he would have wanted this? No, he never wanted to be the 10 years we were married. He never wanted to be an organ donor. We talked about it. And Honey is not alone. NBC News reviewed thousands of pages of government records and data which reveal repeated failures to reach family members before declaring a body unclaimed. Our team has identified 12 cases in which families learned months or years later that a loved one had been provided to the medical school. Five of those families

found out what happened from NBC News, including honey's, a year and a half after his death. I don't believe they tried to find us. I don't believe they did. You can find people. NBC found me in a day. You can find people. Why do you think they did it? For money. They did it to him, a decorated military veteran. They'll do it to anybody, and that's not okay. For five years, the University of North Texas Health Science Center has had agreements with Dallas and Tarrant counties to take their unclaimed bodies for free. Saving them a combined million dollars a year in cremation and burial costs. It also helped the school, making it about $2.5 million a year by leasing body parts to outside groups,

according to financial records. Somebody needs to answer or somebody's for what they did, what they're doing. For 10 months, our team has been seeking answers from both counties and the Health Science Center. All three declined our repeated requests for interviews, but in statements, the counties told us they would be reviewing their contracts. The Health Science Center at first defended its program, arguing using unclaimed bodies is critical in the training of future doctors. But just days before this story was set to air, it made a stunning reversal, telling NBC News it was suspending the program and firing the top officials who led it. Writing in a statement, as a result of the information

brought to light through your inquiries, it has become clear that failures existed. They're hiring a consulting firm to investigate the program's operations. My kids want answers. They want justice for their dad. Honey's family recently received ashes that the county told them were his. We don't believe those are his ashes, but we gave him and did what he deserved as a decorated military veteran. And so this summer, nearly two years after he died, the family finally laid Honey to rest. You would think in this day's time, this doesn't happen here in America, but yeah, it does. It did. And with that, Liz Kreutz joins us now in studio.

So, Liz, whose job ultimately is it to identify and maybe track down the relatives of those victims? Yeah, well, Tom, it's complicated because actually, on one hand, the onus is on the counties. The medical examiner's office has a duty to try to track down the families before they deem them unclaim. But in one of these contracts, at least, it also puts the onus on the medical center, that they also had a requirement to try to track down any family members to get their consent. There's a 60-day period where nobody can do anything. You can't use anybody for the scientific research within a 60-day period. But we obviously saw that there are failures and trying to identify the family members

and people are falling through the cracks. So what happens now because the medical center, as you said, is going to suspend this operation now, right? And so they were taking these dead bodies from the cities and the counties. They were swallowing those costs, and obviously they were making money, too. But what's going to happen now to the cities and counties that have these extra deceased people lying around? Yeah, well, tomorrow there's going to be a meeting where the counties are going to decide if they should formally end their contracts with the medical center. It seems very likely they will, given that the program's now suspended. But we do know that the counties are scrambling to figure out what they're going to do because they've saved hundreds of thousands of dollars a year each being able to defer the costs of what would be cremation and burials to the medical center.

Now they're going to have to take on that cost. They're going to have to have resources to figure out how to do that. And so they're scrambling to figure out what to do now. All right. Liz Kreutz was an investigation. We appreciate that. Coming up, the Americans arrested in Venezuela. Venezuela accusing them of plotting to assassinate Nicolas Maduro,

one of the Americans, a former Navy SEAL, how the State Department is responding to the allegations as tensions grow between the U.S. and Venezuela. We are back now with you. America is in the latest out of Venezuela. Six people, including three Americans, arrested after officials accused them of plotting to kill President Nicolas Maduro. The situation unfolding less than two months after Venezuela's presidential election, the results of which have been highly contested by the international community. David Noriega picks up this one.

Tonight, tensions between the United States and Venezuela reaching new heights. Venezuelan officials say three Americans are among six people arrested for what they claim was a plot to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro. The arrests were announced on state television by Venezuelan Minister of Interior and Justice Diosdado Cabello, who displayed rifles that he said were confiscated from some of the alleged plotters, adding that the men were part of a CIA-led scheme to overthrow the Venezuelan government. The three American citizens include a former Navy seal detained earlier this month, whom

Cabello identified as Wilbert Joseph Castaneda Gomez. In a statement, the U.S. State Department confirming the detention of a U.S. military member and saying it was aware of unconfirmed reports of two additional U.S. citizens, and adding, quote, any claims of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maluro are categorically false. It's not the first time that U.S. officials or U.S. citizens have been implicated in such allegations. But these particular allegations come in an extremely fraught moment in U.S. Venezuelan relations. in particular, we are now two months out from the presidential election, which is widely seen as not free and not fair.

Venezuela also arresting two Spanish citizens, alleging that they admitted to being part of Spain's National Intelligence Center. Spain's embassy in Venezuela did not reply to a request for comment on the arrests of its citizens. Spain and the U.S. have both recognized opposition leader, Edmundo Gonzales, as the winner of Venezuela's July election over Nicolas Maduro. These latest arrests coming just days after Maduro decorated four of the 16 people sanctioned by the U.S. in response to alleged voter fraud in those elections.

U.S. sanctions against Venezuela, also leading to the seizure of one of Maduro's planes earlier this month. Nicolas Maduro has until January in order for a transition to the next president. So really what we're seeing here is a kind of Dan-speople. between now and January to see, on the one hand, if the United States can exert enough pressure to lead to a transition come January, or on the other hand, for the Maluta government to reject any such efforts and to essentially claim that they will remain in power regardless. Now another twist in the escalating feud between the U.S. and Venezuela.

All right, David Noriega joins us tonight from Los Angeles. David, you mentioned the U.S. putting pressure on the Maduro government. What kind of deal could be on the table if the U.S. were to try to find a middle ground with Maduro and his allies. Right, Tom. Well, you have to remember that Maluro and multiple people who are close to him in his administration are under indictment in the United States for drug trafficking and other alleged offenses. There are also proceedings in the International Criminal Court against Maluro and many of his closest allies. So these people, most experts who look at Venezuela, agree, are unlikely to leave power peacefully unless they are given some kind of off-ramp, some kind of deal

that assures them, at least the people around Maluto, some degree of immunity or amnesty. That, as far as we know, so far does not exist. And for Maluro between now and when the inauguration of the next president is supposed to happen in January, to leave peacefully, likely there will have to be some kind of high-level diplomatic agreement. Tom? All right, David Noriega for us, David, we thank you. We want to turn out a Top Story's Global Watch. We start with the deadly flood sweeping through Central Europe.

At least 15 people have died in flooding after torrential rains. fell across Austria and Romania. Flood waters also bursting riverbanks in the Czech Republic. Poland, now under a state of natural disaster and mass evacuations, are underway. Officials say this is some of the worst flooding the region has seen in nearly three decades. Okay, China has released an American pasture from detention after nearly 20 years. The State Department announcing David Lin will return to the U.S. after previously receiving a life sentence on charges of contract fraud back in 2006.

Lynn was arrested as part of a crackdown on organized religion after he tried to open a Christian training center in Beijing. He is one of three Americans, the State Department, labeled, wrongfully detained in China. And if you think the American debates are tense, take a look at this violent interaction in Brazil. This is crazy. New video shows news anchor and mayoral candidate Jose Luis Datena arguing with his opponent when he hits him in the head with a chair during the televised debate. The opponent, Pablo Marsar, had been referencing allegations that Tana committed sexual misconduct at work during that at the time of the attack during the debate. Marsa was taken to a hospital and treated for a fractured rib and a dislocated finger. Hopefully he's going to be okay.

When we come back, how much would you pay for a front row seat to a twister? For some amateur thrill seekers, the answer is thousands of dollars will take you along for a ride with a professional tour group that offers an up-close look at Mother Nature's Power. That's next. Finally tonight, a look inside tornado tourism. Thrill seekers from all over the world spending their vacations chasing twisters led by professional guides. Our Priscilla Thompson went out to Tornado Alley to find out what these tours are all about. Tornadoes, one of the most powerful weapons in Mother Nature's arsenal, also among the most fascinating. If you feel it.

Trace it! This summer's blockbuster twisters captivated millions, setting box office records. We got twins! Twins! And for thrill-seeking tourists around the world. Oh, that's getting really nice. Inspiring a ticket to ride. That's a big tornado guys.

Creating big business for the more than a dozen companies offering guests the chance to see a twister up close, including Martin Licious, who founded Tempest tours, in 2000. It normally takes about nine months to book the tours and three weeks is what it took this year. Each year, hundreds from as far as Europe, New Zealand and Australia sign up to see the power of the tornado in person. Spending anywhere from a day to a week and a half chasing the destructive storms at a price

that can reach nearly $5,000 with no guarantee they'll see a twister. But for those who do, like Jeremy Woodhouse, the experience. This is unforgettable. That first time that you went out, what was it like? I said it's like going out with a girl for the first time. And then the end of the evening, you get to give her a kiss. Woodhouse started as a guest of Tempest tours and now organizes photography trips with the company.

There's a lot of buildup and then luckily, hopefully you get that final satisfaction when the storm blows up, you know? guys let's stop playing games let's cut these guys all but the journey there isn't nearly as action-packed as you see in the movies it's a lot of driving and a lot of waiting for storms to develop eric burns owns tournatic expeditions the typical seven-day tour will do about 2,500 to 3,000 miles and it's not uncommon to do three or four states in that time frame we decided to hop in with tempest tours to get a taste of what it's like on the chase Okay, so what happens now?

So we're going to head to our target, which is in west central Kansas. We actually have a storm. This is a live radar feed right now. That moment when you see the supercell or you get up close to the tornado, what is it like in the van? We'll typically get off the highway, turn onto a small little dirt road, and then people can get out and take pictures of the storm safely away from the highway. Tempest tours and tornadic expeditions both say they prioritize safety. Driving purposely into a tornado is like driving purposely off a cliff. Briefing their guests on protocols and staying far enough from storms to ensure a safe exit.

We get close enough to the tornado to have a great picture, right? We don't need to be in the tornado to do that. Lishes and Burns both say that no one has ever been killed on a storm tour, and their guests have never been injured. But in 2019, two vans filled with tourists flipped during a storm chase with a different tour company, resulting in multiple injuries. And in recent years, so-called extreme tourism has faced new scrutiny. After last year, a deep sea submersible bound for the Titanic wreckage imploded, killing five. People out there who are going to say, this stuff is not worth the risk.

How do you see it? Well, I think if people think it's too risky, they shouldn't take a tour. I know the risk is there, and that is why we are safe is because I understand the risk and I pay attention to it. In a statement, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tells NBC News they do not condone or encourage storm chasing. Adding a storm chase tour operated in a responsible and safe manner might provide a person with little or no experience the opportunity to observe storms with someone more experienced.

But those tornadoes, some tourists, observed from a distance, can carve paths of destruction and claim lives across communities. You're taking your checks to the bank as these communities are working to rebuild. What do you say to those people who just think, like, this is not ethical? What caused the damage? The tornado. I think the communities, they benefit more from us being out there than not. Two vans full of highly skilled storm spotters that are looking out for you. And if they see anything, they're on the radio or on the phone to the weather service,

who then issues the warning and your siren goes off as much as 15 minutes earlier. I want those people out there. I don't want those storm chasers out there. Firefighters aren't wishing for fires, you know. Police officers aren't wishing for shootouts. And storm chasers aren't wishing for tornadoes that hit homes and towns and all that. While we're there, we can try to make an impact for the best outcome by reporting what we're seeing. That's our responsibility.

And I know in Twisters there's a scene where they're like getting out and helping like people in the community. Sheltz when they're all pulled. We've got to get everyone in the movie theater. Does that happen in real life? Absolutely. We have had many situations where we were out helping people. We might be pulling trees off the road so emergency vehicles can come through. where we might find a house that was hit and see if everybody's okay.

Something they say the movie does get right. You don't face your fears. You ride them. The Licious and Burns say their tours are nothing like the chases on the big screen. We never had a chance. You want one? Still, they say it's been a business boom. Wow, guys, that's amazing.

Providing a sunny forecast for businesses where cloudy skies are current. transparency. Priscilla Thompson, NBC News, Dallas. All right, that does it for us tonight. We thank you for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yammis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.