Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, September 30, 2024

Episode Date: September 2, 2024

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

Tonight, communities in distress, Hurricane Helene's unprecedented fury leaving neighborhoods completely demolished. The historic storm killing more than 100 people and leaving many others unaccounted for. The scope of the widespread devastation just coming into focus, cities and towns obliterated, families searching for answers, going days without hearing from their loved ones, rescue crews sifting through the rubble for signs of life where the dire situation stands. So where is FEMA? Frustrations mounting over a lack of resources in the wake of the deadly hurricane. Hundreds of thousands without electricity and shelters at capacity. Storm victims desperate for any help they can get. So what is the hold of? And will it reach those who need it the most

before the next storm moves in? Meteorologist Bill Karen standing by with the looming trouble in the tropics. Plus, U.S. officials just telling NBC news it appears Israel's ground incursion into Lebanon has begun, Israeli troops now set to face Hezbollah on the ground after taking out its top commanders and carrying out its biggest strike on Beirut in more than two decades. Richard Engel is there with the late-breaking details. Also breaking tonight, thousands evacuated and forced to shelter in place as plumes of smoke billow from a chemical plant right here in the U.S. The urgent warnings near the Atlanta metro area as chlorine is detected in the air.

We'll speak with a woman forced to stay inside and her husband. the concerning odor and what she's experiencing. The most exclusive place on Earth, Disneyland's private club for elite guests, kicking out two members who paid $50,000 a year to get VIP access, the incident prompting the couple to file a lawsuit and how a jury denied them

they're happily ever after. And Queens of Track, a track meet unlike any other, highlighting the greatest women runners, the winners even receiving their own crown, the event making its star-study debut, sprinting right into the spotlight. Plus, the massive walkout that could jolt the economy, the dock workers walking off the job at major U.S. ports

starting at midnight. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We now know the magnitude of Hurricane Helene's deadly and devastating path of destruction. More than 100 people killed and reports of hundreds missing. So how is this hurricane? A hurricane able to destroy so many communities, and why is it only being revealed days later?

We're going to show you how all this happened. On Thursday, you'll remember Hurricane Helene rapidly intensified into a monster Category 4 hurricane in the Gulf, packing 140-mile-per-hour winds. Meteorologists warned that the size of the storm was worrisome. Its windfield spanning up to 350 miles, the massive system clobbering neighborhoods from Florida all the way up into Tennessee, upending the lives of so many. The catastrophic storm wreaking havoc over a span of more than 600 miles. We were in Tallahassee just before landfall.

Florida State's capital expecting the worst as the storm seemed to take direct aim at the city. But as the outer bands moved in around dusk, Tallahassee seemed to dodge a bullet. The impacts less severe than what was expected. But areas like Tampa began to see Haleen's fury as the system neared landfall. A hospital flood barrier remaining intact, but you can see the storm surge pushing in. Jesse Kirsch was live in Perry, Florida, as a storm-made landfall. But there are cars out here. I can tell you, first responders have been saying that 45-mile-per-hour winds,

they were not going to be on the roads anymore. So anyone who is out here presumably not a first responder and should not be out on the roads. He's winds are really picking up right now. We've got some debris flying. We're going back to the town. And then when we woke up, it wasn't until daylight on that Friday that revealed the true scope of the widespread devastation along Florida's Gulf Coast.

Keaton Beach and saw the wreckage for ourselves firsthand. Families losing everything, homes and businesses washed away. But as the violent storm moved further north, it unleashed unprecedented destruction. So many caught off guard despite the urgent warnings. In North Carolina, torrential rains triggering mudslides and pushing dams to the brink of failure. The water's picking up homes and cars and washing away roads. Communities like Asheville completely underwater and left unrecognizable. Dozens in this community are alone. killed by the hurricane, family still searching for their loved ones as power and cell service remains knocked out, making it difficult for first responders to get to those in need.

As we reported on Friday in Tennessee, a hospital had to evacuate their rooftop as floodwaters rushed in. Patients and staff were airlifted during an intense rescue operation. With so many places still cut off, many are without water and food with nowhere to go and no idea what comes next. We have so much to get to this evening. NBC's George Solis is on the ground, in North Carolina with the desperate efforts underway. Tonight, Hurricane Helene has moved on, but left in its wake, a trail of death and destruction. Officials in North Carolina say they were blinded by Helene's sheer intensity. Homes swept away, restaurants and shops torn to pieces.

Communities cut off from clean water and electricity, leaving residents nowhere to go. Shelters are at capacity. Those shelters only provide overnight lodging, food, and water. FEMA is not at these locations. This is basic necessities only. Asheville, among the hardest hit, tonight, remains largely cut off from relief, frustrating residents. Nobody's going to help us. I mean, I don't know what we're going to do. Do you have any faith in the federal response here?

No, no. Ricky and Devana Brown's auto shop has been in this location for 30 years. This is devastating. I mean, it's hard to see it. I mean, this is hard to come and look at. You know what I mean? This is your whole life right here. and it's this old building to somebody.

But to us, this is our life. Drop-up of communication has left relatives of missing locals pleading with officials for information on their loved ones. What do you say to the residents who feel that the local and federal response wasn't fast enough following this storm? So first, people are working around the clock. What we want to tell people is that more help is on the way and help is continuing.

In North Carolina, every single county has been impacted. The western part of the state by catastrophic flooding, the eastern half by heavy rains and tornadoes. Do you have the manpower right now to handle this response? So this is a multi-federal agency response, which is why we're bringing in people from across the federal government. FEMA says they'll deploy 1,200 first responders to the state to support relief efforts. Relief that can't come soon enough for towns like Boone, two hours north of Asheville, or mudslides rip through neighborhoods. 100 miles south the river in Henderson County reached 30 feet oh my god smashing all previous flood records rivers and lakes jam with debris back in Asheville

residents don't know where to even begin it's a lot of work destroyed a lot of things things that I loved of course and and my business and my job and my livelihood and all that so you know I don't know George, this is absolutely terrible. I kind of want to start where your reporting was going about FEMA. Do we have a better understanding of what is happening with the federal and state response in these states? Yeah, Tom, so we pressed the administrator why maybe people weren't seeing them on the ground. They say, look, they're not going to sugarcoat it. They say this is a very monumental task. They are embedding themselves with some of those local first responders that are here.

But they're saying they're relying on people in these communities to let them know where the need is, right now to get to those places. They committed. I asked the administrator, do you commit to getting to every one of these neighborhoods that's impacted? She said, yes, as you heard, 1,200 personnel that are deployed here on the ground. Today, they showed us some of the supplies that they plan on parachuting in and already bringing into these communities. But as you saw, so many people here that are impacted say it's not coming soon enough, Tom. Yeah, well, you can just take a look behind you, George, right? And you can see how probably impossible it is to get to some of these residents. That's why You have to pre-position assets.

Are they taking any blame for not already being there? Because it's going to take days to get wherever they want to go. Yeah, we're continuing to press officials on how soon they can actually start getting into some of these areas. But keep in mind that cell phone service here is also still spotty. They've put up some temporary cell towers, but it is spotty even on a good day, even for our teams here that I've been reporting and trying to get this information on the ground. At one point today, officials telling us that they have received thousands of calls from relatives trying to get in touch with their loved ones and that they've really only been able to get to about 150 prioritizing those that are elderly and have medical needs. So again, there are still such a long road to recovery here and getting that crucial aid, the water, the food here to those people that need it most is still just a process that is taking too long for some of those folks that are most directly impacted, Tom. And then, George, before you go, I think it's important to explain to our viewer.

how this tragedy, this disaster unfolded in North Carolina and Tennessee and Georgia. So what happened with the rivers there and the lakes with Hurricane Helene once the hurricane passed over those states? Yeah, keep in mind, Tom, that before Helene even struck, there was a system that was stalled here that was dumping rain upon rain upon rain here. So these areas were already saturated. Helene really just adding that one-two punch, that overwhelmed systems here of, A lot of people contributing climate change and infrastructure here that just wasn't prepared.

Keeping in mind, as you would know, that this part of the Carolina just isn't used to this type of weather. So, of course, once Helene was here and these systems were inundated with water, it is really just a miracle that these dams did not break. And we did see reports that they were imminent at any point. But the water did recede enough. And now we're just left with this massive cleanup here, Tom. Okay, yeah, cleanup and a lot more to do there as well. Okay, George Salis, we thank you for leading us off. Now to the desperate search that is happening at this hour right now to find 150 people

still missing in Tennessee after Helene brought major flooding to the state over the weekend. Authorities say families could be waiting 48 hours or more for updates on missing loved ones. That's where NBC's Briscilla Thompson is in Tennessee tonight with the latest. Tonight, the floodwaters in Tennessee have receded, but the pain is still flowing for some families. They are just desperate to find out where she is, where if she's been found, they just want news. Rosa Andrade and Monica Hernandez-Corona are among the 150 people still unaccounted for in Tennessee, officials say, after three agonizing days. Authorities say more than 100 responders are scouring debris, as today efforts shifted from rescues to recovery.

They confirm only three storm-related deaths in the state so far. They used everything they had to save life that day. Some were saved. We're still searching for some. We all have hopes that we will find some more alive. Relatives say Rosa and Monica were working at Impact Plastics Factory when the water began to rise and that they got into the back of a semi-truck trying to escape. A man who says he was also on that truck posted this video online,

showing water rushing by as cars and yellow pipes floated away. Their family members were in the back of an 18-wheeler holding on to pipes, calling 911 for help, and that help didn't come. In a statement, Impact Plastics says when the parking lot and service road began to flood, employees were dismissed, but that some remained. Boarding a neighboring company's truck as the flooding intensified. That truck tipped over, Impact Plastic says. Five people were rescued by helicopter, but six others were never found. We are devastated by the tragic loss of great employees, the company wrote. Loss made all the more painful by the wait for answers.

They are really grieving, and all that they really want is closure. They just want closure for their families. And Priscilla joins us live from Irwin, Tennessee. Priscilla, do we have any idea how many people may not have survived this storm? Yeah, Tom, that is unclear right now. We know that there are more than 150 people unaccounted for, according to the state. And they say that they have more than 100 people out searching debris piles like this one looking for potential remains or trying to rescue. But at this point, they say

it has shifted to a recovery mission, no longer a rescue. But one thing that is happening is that people are hearing rumors of remains being found. They have questions. And what authorities said today is that they will not add to that storm-related death total that is now at three until they know for sure that those deaths are related to the storm. So authorities do acknowledge that they have found additional bodies, but at this point, they are not calling them storm-related deaths. And as you heard in the story, they are saying it could be 48 hours, if not more, before people begin to get those confirmations on some of the additional remains that have

been found. Tom? Yeah, and it may be even longer than that with all that destruction. Did people have ample warning there in Tennessee to get out of harm's way? You know, the family members of those workers who are believed to possibly have been lost here say that there was not enough warning, that they did not expect this. They did not know that this was happening. And they wish there had been more warning. We also heard the hospital that was evacuated on Friday saying that they thought that it was only going to be the amount of water where they could hunker down there.

And they only realized as the water began rising how drastic it was going to be. So people perhaps knew that this storm was coming, but certainly did not expect the type of flooding and devastation that we're seeing here. Tom. All right, Priscilla Thompson for us from Tennessee. Priscilla, thank you. As we mentioned, there are still ongoing efforts to rescue people who are trapped and cut off

due to Helene's floodwaters. Joining us now is Elise Adams. She has a loved one trapped in Spruce Pine, one of those mountain towns in North Carolina where communication has been cut off, and it's impossible for rescuers to reach. Elise, first off, thank you for taking the time to talk to us. I know this is a very, very difficult time.

Talk to us about who is missing exactly in your family, and when was the last time you were able to talk to them? So my children's Mimi is up in Spruce Pine. She was able to relocate up to Little Switzerland, up to a little bit higher land, but she is stuck up there. It's her and a few of her friends. They are elderly. They are also senior veterans.

They need supplies. they were barely able to get some gas up there, and the only way out is to be airlifted. This is happening all over these counties. When was the last time you heard from her? Yesterday. She has to walk up a mountain. My mom talked to her, and she has to do that just to get service

to reach out to anyone. Her entire, her home is gone, her cars are gone, her cats are gone. This has been absolutely devastating. devastating. They have nothing. Was she one of those cases that it was too hard for her to evacuate, or she had no understanding that she had to evacuate? I don't think that these people thought that it was going to be this extreme. Everyone

kept hearing about Florida, which I understand. My mom was stranded on Longboat Key south of Tampa at the same exact time. But no one is focusing the attention on these western North Carolina cities other than Asheville. I understand that that is a big name, but people need to understand about Black Mountain, about Spruce Pine, about Marion. These are towns with 2,000, 3,000, 10,000 people, and there are so many missing people.

Do you think the government is doing enough? Honestly, I don't know how you did not have a formal a formal press conference or something from either President Biden or Kamala Harris. I mean, how do you not say anything for four days? They've been strained it for four days, and this is the first we've heard from them at all. FEMA is not on the ground there at all. They are not in these cities, not in these towns, and not in these villages. Does your relative have food?

Does she have water? Does she have the medication she needs? They have a minimal amount of water. They have a minimal amount of food. They were able to get slightly down the mountain to get a little bit of gas, but they haven't been able to cut their way out yet. When you say cut their way out, what do you mean?

There's trees down. You have to have chainsaws up there to get the trees out of the roads. And that is if the mudslides didn't take the roads out completely. I can not even tell you how many families even here outside of Charlotte that are looking for their loved ones up in that area. No one knows anything. Alise, have you contacted any authorities? Have you tried to get rescue teams out there? And have you been able to make any progress on that? Yes. The local police department, the Rock Hill Police Department,

as well as the sheriff-elect, Tommy, or Breeden, he's going to be, both of them are doing daily runs, multiple runs a day to supplies that go directly up to Black Mountain. So if they have multiple drop-off locations, I sent them to you as well. There's also a nonprofit called Hungry Heroes. They're located down here in Rock Hill. They, during the year, normally they provide food to first responders. They were up in New York during 9-11, during this 9-11 recently, earlier in the month.

And they are now on the ground in Black Mountain feeding all of the first responders and the heroes that are going up in helicopters, see if these people out. Elise, one more time before you leave. Where exactly is your family right now, just in case people are listening to this? They can send teams there? Spruce Pine is the community.

They are, I don't have the exact location. They are up the mountain in Little Switzerland. Okay, Little Switzerland. There is a list going around of locations and people, especially elderly, people that need medications, and their locations where they have to be rescued from. Elise, we thank you so much. I'm sorry this is happening in your family, and I really hope and pray that some rescuers can get to them and they can get them off the mountain into some safety. I do as well, and thank you for bringing attention to this area. Yeah, of course.

For more and why Helene was so devastating and some new trouble in the tropics, let's get right to NBC meteorologist Bill Karens. Bill, before we go to the tropics, walk our viewers through what's going to happen with all that water? How long will it take for that river water, those overflowing lakes to recede? You know, George Salis said some of it's receding, but everywhere you look in those live shots, there's water. Yeah, the biggest issue is the dams because, you know, they're all full. So they have to release the water in case they get another big rain event coming, so they don't have another catastrophe.

So that's why all the gates are open, and that's why a lot of the rivers are still very full, but they're much lower than when we were at the peak of the storm system. So, you know, everything's come down. The recovery has begun, but, you know, obviously they have to keep looking in the distance in case we get another big rain event. So we did have some downpours in downtown Nashville today.

It doesn't help. It didn't really hurt anything, but it's a lot easier to move dirt than it is to move mud. And so we'd like to kind of dry things out here. And this is Interstate 40s as it goes through, you know, heading into Tennessee or through the mountains. This is what was washed out in multiple locations. That's going to be one of the big stories.

That's a big, huge trucking around. Beautiful route if you ever driven it in a car. But it's going to be a long time before that opens up. Pigeon Creek that follows it, you know, eroded the highway away in numerous locations. If the forecast for Asheville, it looks pretty good. The next real rain chance will be on Friday, but there's no big, huge rain events coming. Which leads me into the tropics because we still have one area development in the exact same location, Helene developed, which gets everyone attention. Hurricane Center had this had a 50% chance of the pandemic.

development, now down to 40%. All our computer models are telling us that this is going to be slow to organize in the Gulf of Mexico, and it does not at this time look like it's going to become a big, bad, powerful storm. All the way out through Sunday, it looks like either a tropical depression or tropical storm in the middle of the Gulf, and then maybe this time next week, it starts heading towards Florida. There's no sign of this heading towards north, towards Georgia, South Carolina, or North Carolina for that recovery, Tom. But we'll have to keep our eyes on Florida as we head throughout this week. So not completely clear. but it does look better.

All right, Bill Karens, Bill, we thank you for that. The hurricane also impacting the 2024 election. Now in its final sprint, former President Trump on the ground in Georgia today, slamming the Biden-Harris administration's response to the disaster and the preparations underway for tomorrow's critical vice presidential debate. Garrett Hake, with the details tonight. Tonight, former President Trump visiting the storm zone in Valdosta, Georgia, coming with Franklin Graham's aid group, bringing trucks loaded with supplies and fuel.

We're here today to stand in complete solidarity with the people of Georgia. And hammering Vice President Harris for not being there herself. Of course, the Vice President, she's out someplace campaigning looking for money. The quality of the federal storm response could have a major political impact on the vice president, who's hoping to repeat President Biden's narrow 2020 Georgia win. Harris was briefed aboard Air Force II, cutting campaigning short in Las Vegas to return to Washington, meeting with FEMA officials tonight. We will do everything in our power to help communities respond and recover.

I plan to be on the ground as soon as possible, but as soon as possible without disrupting any emergency response operations. Trump also accusing the White House and Democratic governor in hard hit North Carolina of, quote, going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas without providing evidence. What was that in reference to? Governor can be called. Just take a look.

Where's that Mr. Trump? Do you have, any evidence for that, Mr. President? It comes as the candidate's running mates prepare to meet for the first time at tomorrow night's debate after largely going after the person at the top of the other ticket. They do not share our values. Look, it's not even about policies. It's about sharing our values. Man, what a nightmare the American southern border is, thanks to Kamala Harris' policies.

Tomorrow, perhaps, the final candidate showdown, with Harris having accepted a late October debate, Trump's saying it's too close to the election. And as you say here in Las Vegas, I'm all in, I'm all in, even if my opponent is ready to fold. And today, Trump says he hasn't offered J.D. Vance any advice ahead of that debate tomorrow night and that he plans to watch it and provide live commentary on social media after his own two events in Wisconsin. Tom? All right, Garrett Hake for us tonight on the campaign trail and in that devastation. You can tune into our debate coverage starting with a special edition of Top Story tomorrow.

night, live from the debate spin room, coverage begins at 7 p.m. Eastern right here on NBC News now. Okay, we want to turn now to that breaking news out of the Middle East. Israel has just confirmed it has begun a ground incursion into Lebanon to attack Hezbollah on the ground. The IDF says that targets are located in villages close to the border. Source is telling NBC news that Israel did not notify, excuse me, the U.S. about the new operation and that it would be, quote, limited in scope, scale, and duration. NBC's chief foreign correspondent Richard Engels on the ground with the latest. U.S. officials tell NBC News tonight that Israeli troops appear to have crossed the border

into Lebanon to attack Hezbollah. Israeli officials say the goal is to deliver a knockout blow to what has long been considered the most fearsome, best armed militia in the Middle East. Asked if he was aware. I'm more aware than you might know, and I'm comfortable with them stopping. We should have a ceasefire now. A U.S. official tells NBC News, Israel informed the United States ahead of time, describing the operations as brief, days, not weeks, with a limited geographic reach.

The official said Israel had planned a broader campaign, but the U.S. pushed to scale it back. Tonight, American officials worry that over time the mission could expand. Hezbollah claims to have 100,000 fighters. Independent analysts, however, estimate the real number. is about half of that. Still, a sizable, dedicated force fighting on its home turf. This is the dead center of Beirut. It's called Martyr Square, and it is filling up with internally displaced people. People here have come from southern Beirut. They've come from southern Lebanon, areas that are under attack by Israel, and they are sleeping outside because

they don't know what's coming. They don't know if there's going to be an Israeli invasion of Lebanon, perhaps tonight, imminently, or even in the next several hours. Israel says the mission is to push Hezbollah north of the Latani River, creating a buffer zone along the Israeli border. Hezbollah says it's ready for a long guerrilla war. Richard Engle joins us tonight from Beirut and Richard, some big developments tonight. We saw overnight those videos of the missile strikes, but it's clear tonight there is more from Israel. So Israel, it appears, has crossed the border. It is describing it as a limited incursion, but the question is, what is limited?

Israel is describing this as a days-long operation, but how many days? And anyone who has seen a war or fought in a war will tell you that things change once battles begin. If Israel encounters heavy resistance and Hezbollah is promising to put up heavy resistance, it could end up being stuck in Lebanon for a lot longer. But it does seem that Israel is trying to push its advantage. Israel in the last couple of weeks has decimated Hezbollah's leadership. It has destroyed its command and control. By driving into Lebanon, it seems that Israel is trying to draw out Hezbollah's fighters.

Hezbollah is convinced that it will do well in a guerrilla war. But if it can, if Israel can, pull those. those fighters out into the open, then those fighters will be exposed, they'd be exposed to Israeli air strikes, drone strikes, and it could be an opportunity for Israel to wipe out a large part of Hezbollah's standing army. It's a very risky strategy, but Israel believes right now it is pushing its advantage that it has weakened Hezbollah enough by what it has done over the last couple of weeks, that it is taking this chance to try and fight them head off. Richard, thank you for that. Still ahead tonight, a man wrongfully convicted of murder,

finally exonerated. J.J. Velasco has spent decades behind bars, decades and years on probation, now officially a free man. When he was incarcerated, he wrote to a Dateline producer who worked for 22 years on his case, and tonight the story of how they overturned his conviction, highlighting when the justice system sometimes is unjust. And shocking video of the moment a child trapped in an elevator is able to escape. We'll show you exactly how he did it. And the most exclusive place on Earth, when Arizona couple kicked out of Disney's members-only Club 33, what landed them in hot water and why they're willing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees to try to get back in, plus the secrets of this

exclusive club. Stay with us. Okay, we're back down with the incredible story of J.J. Velasquez, who spent more than two decades behind bars for a crime he did not commit. Velasquez wrongfully convicted in the 1998 murder of a retired cop. But thanks to his relentless pursuit of justice and the determination of one of our colleagues at Dateline, a New York court today finally exonerating him. Lester Holt spoke to him minutes after his name was finally cleared. It would be impossible to return to John Adrian Velasquez all that has been taken from him.

But today in a Manhattan courtroom, a judge finally gave him. him back his good name. His decades-long cries for justice after being wrongfully convicted of killing a retired police officer coming down to a four-minute-long proceeding. The people do not believe they are in a position to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Without fanfare or apology, the judge formally accepting the conclusion of a Manhattan District Attorney's internal investigation, the same office that once helped put him in prison, that J.J. Velazquez, as he is known, is an innocent man. I am granting that application, so this matter is dismissed.

Jay J.J.'s family and friends following him to a nearby park where he sat down with me for the first time untethered to the criminal justice system. Your name, you've got your name back. I think people maybe don't appreciate how important that is. Absolutely. I mean, when we're born, our name becomes our identity. And so when we're taken through the system, they strip you of your identity. They put you in a shower, butt naked, hose you down like a slave. And then they give you a number and brand you. And that wasn't who I was. And I've been fighting for 27 years to tell them that my name is John Adrian J.J. Velasquez has been physically free since 2021 when then New York Governor Andrew Cuomo commuted his sentence, granting him parole but leaving him stained with the mark of a convicted felon. I had curfew. I couldn't travel out of the state without permission. If I wanted to go on a date, I needed permission. Also there to witness his exoneration today, Dateline producer Dan Slepian, whose dogged 22-year pursuit of the truth in JJ's case began with a series of prison letters he received from JJ. I can go on and on about this miscarriage of justice. What do that mean to you to have someone listen to you?

Well, besides my mother, Dan's my hero. Everybody knows that. Like, if it wasn't for Dan, I'd still be sitting in the cage. Well, Dan, every time we've talked about the story, you said you're not advocating for JJ. You're advocating for the truth. Did the truth prevail today? Yeah, the truth finally did prevail today. But frankly, everybody knew the truth for a very, very long time.

And it took a long time for the court to finally recognize it. The DA's review of JJ's conviction looked at several factors, including recanted eyewitness testimonies and DNA evidence. JJ's case, one of several wrongful conviction cases unearthed by Slepian, recounted in his book The Sing Sing Files. It's the cases undiscovered that haunt both men. You feel that you left a lot of innocent guys behind when you left president? I know I left a lot of innocent people behind. It's that common? It's very common.

Working on their behalf, JJ's mission as he moves forward and catches his breath for the first time in a very long time. Does the world feel a little different now? Definitely does. I can feel the air is like cleaner for me. And I just like, I feel different. And in our top story's spotlight tonight, we are joined now by Dan Sleppy and the Date producer you saw in Lester's report. He spent more than two decades reporting on JJ's story. And as you just heard there, JJ credits him with helping exonerate him. Dan, we thank you for

being here. And that's actually my first question. I mean, you heard him call you his hero. What does that feel like? Uncomfortable. It makes me feel very uncomfortable because I was just, first of all, doing my job. I was following facts. But in reality, JJ's my hero. Over the past couple of decades, what I've learned from him is immeasurable. And I feel like He's done so much more for me than I've done for him. He's taught me how to be a better friend, more loyal, a better journalist, see things that I didn't know and question my own biases. And so years ago, he writes you this letter.

What stood out in that letter to you that you said, let me look into this? The first letter, he wrote me many letters over the years, but most of all was the urgency and precision of how he wrote, the way he made his argument. imploring me to look into his case. He wasn't asking for sympathy. This wasn't a plea for sympathy. This was a plea for the truth.

His case hadn't been investigated, and he was simply asking for somebody to look into it, and that's what I did. Do you remember the first clue you uncover that you said, this doesn't smell right? There's something wrong here. For me, it doesn't really work that way, because I go in with a presumption of guilt

once a jury has rendered its verdict. So if I find something that doesn't doesn't really match. I say, okay, but what about this? There came a time where there was an ocean of evidence that was undeniable. There were no longer two sides to this story. There was only one reality. And so what JJ's case represented for me was something that was more emblematic of the system, which is how easy it is to be wrongfully convicted, but more troubling, how difficult it is to be released, even when there's obvious evidence of innocence that any common sense person with intellectual honesty you can see.

What did you learn about the criminal justice system over these 22 years? I mean, what was it in JJ's case? I learned a tremendous amount. And most of all, what I learned is that the criminal justice system isn't simply imperfect. The criminal justice system in many ways is designed in its adversarial legal nature to not release people when they are convicted. is a finality, and for good reason, very often when it comes to trials. But the troubling part, and this is a hidden epidemic in America, is that when there's

obvious evidence of innocence, you need a bolt of lightning to strike the jailhouse door to get another day in court. Conservative estimates right now suggest that of 2 million people, we have about a 95% success rate in the system, which we mean by definition there's about 100,000 innocent people right now, as you and I are talking, sitting in their cells. Over the past 30 years, only 3,200 people have been exonerated. And so when I look at a case like JJ's, and I've done many others, Eric Lisson, David Lemus, they're all in my book, The Singsling Files.

But when I look at a case like JJ's, that's so unbelievably obvious. He had a documentary, he had a podcast, he has a book, he went to the president. When you look at a case like his, if it took this for him, God help everybody behind it. What was it in JJ's case that essentially overturned this? I mean, what was the one piece of evidence? You'd have to say. Well, the one piece of evidence today that they said that they finally tested was DNA evidence.

In reality, everybody knew he was already innocent. What happened was is there was a review, there was five eyewitnesses, one picked out a juror trial, two recanted. The key eyewitness, let me put it to you this way, the key eyewitness, the reason JJ became a suspect was because a heroin dealer, who was a witness two days after the crime, had 10 bags of heroin in his underwear. It was put on a table in the precinct in front of him. He was charged with arrest if he didn't pick somebody else out. He looked at 1,800 mugshots after saying the shooter was a light-skinned black man with braids and picked out a light-skinned Hispanic man that never had braids.

He told me, he picked him out at random. He told the DA's office, he picked him out of random to get out of there. Once JJ was arrested, they changed his mugshot from light-skinned Hispanic to black Hispanic. And by the way, that mugshot, he had never been convicted before. That mugshot was sealed. It should never have been in the system in the first place. How is he doing?

I mean, I know he's been out. What is it like? He spent his entire adult life incarcerated. Yeah. He's engaged to have. beautiful woman named Jerry. You know, I can't discuss his trauma. Everybody who has gone through something like that has a trauma that will live with them forever.

And JJ has that. It'll never leave him. But he is the most emotionally intelligent, his IQ is off the charts, empathetic, loving person that I know. And just to give you an example of that. that is that when he got out of prison, he promised his fellow prisoners that he started a group. We started a group called Voices from Within There. He promised he'd be back. He went back a month after, back into prisons. And that's his job working for the Frederick Tuggles Project

of Justice, going into prisons to show people in free society the humanity that we share behind prison walls. You know, when people ask me, what do journalists do? A lot of times they know things. But what journalists do, as in your case, sometimes people can't go to the police, They can't go to lawyers, either they can't afford them or they won't be believed. But there are journalists like yourself that will believe them and track down their story. So, Dan, thank you for doing that. Amazing story. I got the book right here.

I want to get it one more plug. The Sing Sing Files. Make sure to check this out if you have a chance. I'm sure it's incredible. I'm going to read it tonight. Dan, thanks again for everything you do. Coming to a journalist is a problem. Yeah.

That's a problem. No, you're right, but that's the reality of the system. That's the reality. All right, when we come back, a string of disturbing discoveries here in New York City. found at the base of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, the fourth discovery of remains there since August. What is going on? What the NYPD is saying tonight? That's next. All right, we're back now with Top Stories News for you. We begin with the string of human remains discovered at a New York City Park. Police say they found skeletal remains along the

shoreline of the Brooklyn Bridge Park last week. This is the fourth discovery of human remains there since August. The NYPD is investigating, but right now is refusing to comment on whether the cases are related. American dock workers at major ports preparing to strike at midnight, the international longshoremen's association calling for higher wages and a ban on the automation of some equipment. Tens of thousands of Longshoremen at 14 ports along the east and Gulf coast are expected to walk off the job. A stoppage could cost the U.S. economy as much as $4.5 billion dollars a day. Overseas, shocking video captured the moment a child freed himself from a stuck elevator in northern China. The surveillance footage shows the boy pressing buttons and trying to

call for help with no luck. After 10 minutes, he's seen prying the elevator doors opens with just his hands. He managed to get out safely at his floor. The property management says a stone wedged in the door caused the elevator failure. And this just in baseball legend Pete Rose has died At the age of 83, a medical examiner has confirmed for us tonight. Rose, who is the MLB's all-time hit leader, spent 24 years in the league with the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Montreal Expos. Known as Charlie Hustle. Over his career, he won three World Series titles, the National League MVP, and was a 17-time All-Star. Rose was banned from baseball in 1989 for gambling on baseball while he was the manager of the Reds. This has kept him out of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Now to a story about the happiest place on Earth that has landed one couple in a legal nightmare. Two Disney fanatics kicked out of the California theme parks exclusive and expensive members-only club. It's called Club 33. They're going to court to get their memberships reinstated, but losing instead, and it's cost them $400,000 in legal fees. Valerie Castro has the latest on how they are still fighting to get back in the club. Tonight, a pricey and secretive members-only club. at Disneyland, now in the spotlight. This after an Arizona couple's membership was revoked,

costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. The park claiming Scott Anderson was drunk at Disney's Club 33, the elite paid membership club. But Anderson says he was suffering from a medical issue. I wasn't found to be drunk in the park. I had a vestibular migraine in the park, which was horrific. Their lawsuit to have their memberships reinstated, failing when a jury sided with Disney earlier this month.

We reached out to Disney about the lawsuit, but have not heard back. I had two beers and a half a glass of wine. So what exactly is Club 33? The website vaguely describes it as a private membership club with a variety of tailored experiences at both Disneyland and Disney World. But Disney super fans share an inside look at some of the experiences on social media. I ordered the Le Ramon Fizz for my first drink, which was delicious. And then the pear salad, scallop, and filet mignon as my first three courses.

and we may or may not have shop for some merch. There might be a hall coming soon. You get 50 single-day guest passes to the parks, private VIP tour once a year, LA parking, which honestly might be the best part of this entire thing. The Anderson say it was a dream come true to finally be accepted to Disneyland's Club 33 at the California theme park

after more than a decade on the wait list, no matter the pricey membership fees. $10,000 back when we first joined. Today that membership is $32,000. It's like four times as much money is, you know, we thought it was going to be here. And it was like, okay, great. But, you know, I mean, this is our world at this point. Once they were in, their attorney says they were regular visitors going at least 80 times a year there to get the VIP treatment and behind the scenes access.

We had just tons of amazing experiences. We had dinner inside the haunted mansion. And to them, when they would go to Disneyland, they would have these fence. moments that you can't recreate, you couldn't, you couldn't even set up, and they became lifelong memories. And for them, that was worth every dollar, every cent that they spent. The couple says they spent as much as $125,000 a year in visits. As any avid Disney person would be, that would be your dream, would be a member, be a member of Club 33.

But access to those special perks means abiding by terms and conditions set by the park. Private membership organizations have enormous discretion over who to admit and who to kick out based on whatever rules they decide. As for the Andersons, they say they aren't giving up their legal battle just yet and plan to appeal. My wife's love Disney or her whole life. We are going to continue the fight. All right, Valerie Castro joins us now in studio. A lot of people watching this are going to be intrigued. What else do you get with Club 33 besides, you know, drinks and a couple of passes?

So the Andersons were members for five years before they were kicked out of the club. And in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, they say they got perks like hanging out in Walt Disney's private apartment at the park. They got to go to various lounges and bars. They heard about celeb sightings like Tom Hanks and Rebel Wilson. They also tell the Hollywood reporter that they weren't banned from the park, even though their membership from the club was revoked. So they've continued to visit just as regular visits. Yeah, clearly they love Disney. Okay, we will follow this.

We thank you so much. We learned a lot about Club Thub. Okay, when we come up, the Georgia chemical plant fire spewing into the air. We speak with a woman and her husband forced to shelter in place. They can't go outside. They can't turn on their air conditioning because of the potentially dangerous chemical being detected in the air. Stay with us. We are back down with the latest on the massive chemical fire in Conyers, Georgia.

The fire at a chemical plant yesterday thrown up enormous plumes of orange smoke into the sky. authorities saying the fire started when a sprinkler in the building malfunctioned, causing a chemical reaction with the water. While the fire is now out, more than 90,000 people are still sheltered in place after chlorine was detected in the air. Larry and Lindsay Price joined us now from Conyers, Georgia. And guys, just to put this in perspective, when we say shelter in place, you're not allowed to leave your home, right? You have to stay inside with the air conditioning off, and you've already started to feel maybe some type of symptoms from that toxic ass? That is correct. They have asked everyone to stay inside and for all the businesses and the town to close. When you saw those images, when we see the images of those giant plumes of smoke, what was it like to know that that's happening in your town?

I mean, it's crazy to think that that's just a few miles down the next to us. Very shocking because this did happen back in 2004, so that happened, yeah, 20 years ago. Yeah, local sandwich shop, even has that painted on the side of their building, the fire from back then. And so, have they told you when you can leave your house or when you can turn your air conditioning back on? They have not, and I think that's why some of us are frustrated, because we just don't know what chemicals actually were in there. So people are concerned about, you know, not having the knowledge of what chemicals besides chlorine were in that building. And then we don't know when we can, yeah. So you had Hurricane Helene just kind of passed through that area too, right?

And you can't leave your house. It's still pretty hot in Conyers, Georgia. turn your AC on. What is life like right now? Well, it's been fun trying to work from home. I guess everybody learned how to do that during COVID. So we're just kind of practicing those techniques the best that we can. But I got to jump start on our Halloween decorations. Yeah, kind of frustrating. But I think just, yeah, the unknown, I think that's what what has everyone feared the most is just not knowing what those types of are. And the residents I got to imagine are frustrated, scared. And if you have small children, I can't imagine what that's like either.

Yeah, we're fortunate that our kids are already up and grown and out of the house, so it's just us here. But it is frightening, for we have a lot of friends who live very close to where this fire took place, and most of them just left town. So it is frightening. You guys are going to stay put until you get more instructions on what to do, or are you going to try to leave town too? Right now we're trying to stay. The wind has been mostly moving. Unfortunately for the people who are northeast of us, but it, I think, is shifting. We're a little bit south of where it happened.

And I know the winds have shifted or are shifting tonight, so it's hard to say. We don't know what to do. We wish we had a little bit more information, you know, but we're just kind of staying, sheltering in place right now. Larry and Lindsay Price, we thank you so much for sharing with us. We know it's a tough time there in Conyers, Georgia. When we come back, the Queens of Track, Olympic Track stars from around the world meeting in New York City for a track meet like no other.

The event giving out cash prizes to all competitors and even featuring a performance from Megan D. Stallion, why athletes and organizers say they hope events like this can push the sport forward. We're going to explain. Stay with us. And finally tonight, a new wave of track and field. The track meet right here in New York City

featuring some of the fastest women in the world and celebrities as well. Each competitor walking away with a cash prize, our Zinclai Esamwa takes us to the inaugural meet that organizers say was part of a push for equal pay. Set. Welcome to the inaugural edition

of the Athlos, NYC. It's being called the Coachella of Sport. Polino will back up her win in Paris. Headlined by rapper Megan the Stallion at New York's Icon Stadium, a crowd of 5,000 fans, celebrities, and athletes gathered for Aflose,

a track meet like no other. This is women's sport. This is the future of what's happening. in our world. The lineup included 36 women athletes. The winners of each event adorned with a quintessentially New York prize, a Tiffany crown. Oh, I feel so excited. This is like a one in a lifetime moment, and I'm just grateful to be a part of the experience. This is just giving us women in track and field the visibility that we need, and so I'm really, really happy that this is happening. We can hear the booming crowd. You got Meg DiSalleon, D. Nice, and the fastest women in the world.

Yeah, it's a hell of a lineup. Why put this on? Why not? I mean, you. Just hearing you describe it, I'm like, I hope I still have a seat for this thing. Athlos founder and entrepreneur, Alexis O'Hanian, is no stranger to the world of women's sports, married to tennis megastar Serena Williams. When I pitched her on Athlos, it was an insta yes. And she was like, this is a great idea. I see it. You've got to do it.

There is a high. Ohan, an investor in women's sports in his own right. The founding investor in LA's Angel City Football Club now ranked the most valuable women's sports team in the world. You recently said you wouldn't want your daughter Olympia to enter into the world of women's sports if she didn't earn what she was working. Yeah. Well, credit, credit to Serena. I was like, hey, you know, Serena wouldn't be nice one day if Olympia played on the national tier. And without me to be, Serena's like not until they pay her what she's worth. And I said, challenge accepted. According to a 2023 report, on average, female athletes earn 21 times less than their male counterparts. In track and field, that source of income is.

reliant on championship wins. Athlos hoping to change that. Every participant earning a cash prize. With the star-studded event, capitalizing on the growing momentum of women's sports. And the reigning Olympic champion. With some of the biggest names from this year's Olympics hitting the Aflose track.

Battle on the inside. Three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas running the 200-meter dash, placing second behind Paris 2024 bronze medalist, Brittany Brown. I couldn't say no to being a part of something like this. Everyone here is getting paid tonight. What does that matter?

That matters a lot because, I mean, it's equity in women's sports, right? We work really hard. We're a really good product, and track and field is in such a good place right now where we can actually move the sport forward and drive competition. The top cash prize for something like this would be $30,000. That's right. You doubled that. And as I understand it, every woman who leaves tonight running is going to get a cash prize.

Oh, yes. and a share of the revenue. So 10% of all the revenue tonight, 10% goes into a pool, and every woman who lines up gets a share of it as well. All with the hopes of getting equal pay to the finish line. It's honestly a blessing for all of us that we're able to be in an era

where the sport is changing and diversifying. I hope this is something that happens every year, and they invite different women every year to be competitive. We thank Zinclae for that report, and we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.