Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, February 1, 2024

Episode Date: February 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, the mother of a convicted school shooter in Michigan testifying in her own defense. Jennifer Crumley taking the stand in her involuntary manslaughter trial after her son went on a deadly shooting spree at his high school back in 2021. The prosecution arguing that she didn't have to pull the trigger to play a role in those students' deaths. Crumley claiming she was in the dark about her son's mental state. The emotional moments inside the courtroom as the first of me, its kind trial gets underway. Also tonight, deadly hangar collapse, a hangar near Boise Airport crumbling to the ground, leaving three dead and several others injured. The extreme lengths crews had to go to pull people from the mangled rubble. Why did this happen? In Washington,

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin breaking his silence, apologizing for leaving his administration and the public in the dark about being treated for prostate cancer. How he's working to ensure public that the country wasn't put at risk. Plus, the defense secretary pressed on why the U.S. waited until service members were killed to escalate its response in the Middle East. Hostage standoff, a gunman storming a Procter & Gamble factory in Turkey, taking the workers captive and spray painting a Palestinian flag on the wall. Worried family members gathering outside desperate for information. What we've just learned about the suspect and those held inside and was the U.S.-based company specifically targeted.

Inferno rescue police officers jumping into action to pull a woman from a house already up in flames, the split-second decision they made that saved her life. And wheel of misfortune. Viewers of the popular game show debating whether a contestant got snubbed in a bonus round worth $40,000. Did she say the right answer?

You'll hear what she said and decide. Top story. Starts right now. And good evening, the first parent to ever stand trial in a mass shooting committed by their child taking the stand in her own defense today. Jennifer Crumbly, the mother of a teen who killed four students at a Michigan high school back in 2021, was sworn in this morning. Crumbly has pleaded not guilty to four counts of involuntary manslaughter related to the mass shooting. These are some of the biggest takeaways from her testimony. She said her husband was responsible for storing the gun

and that she hid the bullets from her son. She claimed her son's school failed to tell her about his difficulty to stay awake and pay attention. And finally, she said his mental health never alarmed her enough to seek professional help. The prosecution, though, argues she knew of her son's deteriorating mental health and that she was, quote, grossly negligent in buying the gun for her son.

In a moment, we'll show you a textman. message she sent that may hurt her own defense. NBC's Maggie Vespa covering the trial for us and starts us off outside the courtroom. I've asked myself if I would have done anything differently and I wouldn't know. If you could change what happened, would you? Oh, absolutely. I wish he would have killed us instead. Tonight, Jennifer Crumley on the stand, testifying in her own defense about her relationship with her son, Ethan. I thought we were pretty close. And pushing back on prosecutor's core argument that leading up to the 2021 shooting at Oxford High School, she ignored clear signs. Her son was struggling. Did you ever believe that your son needed mental health

treatment? No, I mean, there was a couple of times where Ethan had expressed anxiety, not to a level where I felt he needed to go see a psychiatrist or a mental health professional. She testified school administrators downplayed concerns, including in a meeting with Ethan's guidance counselor the morning of the shooting. He told us that he didn't feel my son was a risk. Sean Hopkins telling the jury Monday. I felt it was better for him to be around peers and people who are his age than to be home alone. Prosecutors say both of Ethan's parents bought him the gun used in the shooting, but today, Crumbly saying her husband was responsible for it. Who is responsible for storing the gun? My husband is. It was more powerful. It was more

his thing. Her testimony following an emotional mourning, several people in the courtroom crying as prosecutors played surveillance video of the deadly shooting. Because the situation was active in the killing hadn't stopped. You can't stop

and render aid. All right, Maggie, joins us live tonight from Pontiac, Michigan. Maggie, the defense argued again today that they should be able to call Ethan Crumbley to testify in his mom's trial. Talk to us about that moment and what's next in this case. Yeah, so we'll start with that push for Ethan.

The defense, Tom, as you know, has argued for this before they did so again today. The problem there in their argument, the judge says, is that Ethan has made it clear to the court via his attorneys that if called to testify, he would plead the fifth. The judge says he could do that to protect his potential right to an appeal. And the judge says, hey, this isn't even my ruling. She reiterated this today. She says, there is case law that prevents an attorney from calling a witness who has made it clear that they will plead the fifth. and she just said to them again today, you cannot put him on your witness list. No one can, no one could under these circumstances. So they moved on from that. As far as what's next,

the defense finished their direct examination of their client of Jennifer Crumley today. So first thing tomorrow morning, we expect the prosecution to begin their cross-examination. No telling how long that could take. And the defense, it's worth noting, has not put out an official public witness list. So we'll have to wait and see if once everyone's done with Jennifer, what comes after that. It's possible this case could go to the jury or possible, they could, Tom, call more witnesses. So we'll see what happens there. And then, Maggie, we also heard in your report that Jennifer Crumley is putting the blame on this for the gun and what happened on her husband. What is next for him? Yes. Yeah, so as you know,

each parent is separately charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter because there were four students killed in that 2021 shooting. So James Crumley was decided he would go second. His trial set to begin on March 5th. So basically, we'll have this case. we presume, wrapped up by this point, and then we'll see this kind of separate case begin, probably hearing a lot of the same arguments, a lot of the same evidence, but tied specifically to his role in the Oxford High Massacre, again beginning in March, and we'll see how much new evidence comes out at that time, or how much this feels effectively like a tragic case of rinse and repeat. So it remains to be seen, Tom. Okay, Maggie Vespa, leading us off tonight.

Maggie, we appreciate that. For more of what happened in court today, and what's next in this case, I want to bring in NBC News legal analyst and a friend to Top Story, Angela, Senadella. Angela, this is an unprecedented case, right? Never before have we seen the parent of a mass shooter stand trial. What does the prosecution have to do to convince that jury that Jennifer Crumbly is guilty of a crime? Yeah, Tom, so the legal standard here is quite high. It's almost to two different parts. The first is gross negligence, and then the second is proximate cause.

Now, with gross negligence, they have to prove that Jennifer Crumbly, something so egregious, so unconscionable, that no reasonable parent would act similarly in her situation. She really failed. And then the second part, though, is they have to connect that to the desk and claim that it is that failure that was the proximate cause of these four passings. So it is a high bar, Tom. And then, Angela, there was another moment today when Jennifer Crumbly was asked about a text message. She had sent to her son the day before the shooting after the school made her aware that he had been doing internet searches on ammo in school. Let's listen to what she said when she was asked this by the defense.

He was worried about he was going to get in trouble, and then I said, next time, don't get caught. What did you mean by that? So there's an ongoing thing in her house. Someone always asked me the trouble I would get in high school because I always got caught. Because I always got caught. Like, all my friends could be doing the same thing, and I'd be the one to get caught. So I was kind of referencing to that.

Angela, what do you make of that? So it looks kind of damning in that small segment, but I have to say when you listen to her testimony overall, you have to look at the context of the county that she is in. And this is gun country here. So looking up ammo, the way she describes it, is not something that is just so out of the ordinary that kids or students 15-year-olds were doing.

And on top of that, when she describes the voicemail that she got from the school, It was almost like it just letting you know, but if you have any questions, call me back. Otherwise, have a nice day, meaning that she was not put on notice. She was not aware, cognizant, that this was a big deal, Tom. Angela, it was also revealed that she was having an affair and that she sent text messages to the man she was having an affair with Brian Moroche after the shooting. I want to put up one of those exchanges. Jennifer Crumbly writes, I failed as a parent.

I failed miserably. And then Brian Moroche says, you didn't do this. How can messages like this be used against Jennifer Crumbly? So this is something that a lot of lay people don't always realize, but after an accident or after a tragedy, even apologies saying, I failed, I'm sorry, can often be used as an admission of guilt. So that is what the prosecution is trying to do here. But on the flip side, her lawyers are trying to say, look, this makes her look like a vigilant parent. This is someone who cares. If she didn't care, perhaps she wouldn't be this invested.

So it could go either way. You know, she's on this stand. She's being charged with involuntary manslaughter. Is being a bad mom enough to convict her? I mean, what kind of evidence does the prosecution have to provide to get a conviction? That is a great question, and that is what her team is saying, that perhaps she was not a perfect parent in many ways, and she admits she had some failures, but that is absolutely not enough.

It is not enough that she failed, that she wasn't fully aware at every single moment of what was going on in his life. But the prosecution here is trying to claim that what she did was so egregious. It was really ignoring the mental health concerns combined with buying him a gun, or as she alleges, that her husband bought a gun, the parents buying a gun together. And then that neglect is what caused a death. So they are making that argument, but I think they're having a hard time. Angela, Senadela, first.

Angela, we always appreciate your analysis. We do want to turn out of that deadly hangar collapse in Boise. The incident killing three people and badly injuring nine. Authorities rushing to rescue those trapped after the structure went down. It was still under construction at the airport. The cause of the collapse is now under investigation. And Liz Kreutz is there tonight. Tonight, officials working to determine what caused this hangar under construction at the Boise Airport to collapse,

killing three people and injuring nine others, five in critical condition. Holy Bs. James Kintana witnessed the immediate aftermath, taking this video as he drove by. It was very, very shocking to see the magnitude of damage and see how big the structure was and how it seemed to have collapsed. Let's get everyone out of that collapse zone if you can. Officials described a chaotic scene as authorities responded to emergency calls around five Wednesday night. I don't know what caused it, but I can tell you that it was a pretty global collapse that occurred to the main structural members came down. It was fairly catastrophic.

First responders pulling victims out of the wreckage. You saw people being rescued. Yes, absolutely. Officials have now blocked off the property. They say as many as 30 people were working here at the time of the collapse. The rescue challenging and technical, with some of the victims hoisted out. This massive crane also collapsing. They were still working on some of those structural components tying those together.

The 39,000 square foot steel structure owned by private aircraft company Jackson Jet Center. The company saying in a statement, our focus now is on supporting our team and partners during this difficult time. A project manager for the contractor, Big D Builders, telling NBC News all the victims are their employees. It's overwhelming. It's such a tragedy. Liz Kreutz joins us now live from Boise. So, Liz, we've been covering severe winter weather out west all season. Do we know if weather played a factor here? Yeah, Tom, that's a big question.

We do know that there are reports of strong winds at the time of this collapse last night, but again, it's too early to say authorities are saying it's all very much still under investigation. Here at the site of the wreckage, you can see how massive it is. Authorities have been here all day inspecting the damage. They've now turned the investigation over to OSHAB. Tom. Okay, hopefully they get some answers there. Liz, thank you for that.

mentioned dangerous winter weather continuing to wall up the west, a one-two punch now taking aim at the Pacific, heavy rainfall hitting California and Orange County. Authorities, you see them here, rescuing a man trapped in a storm channel. That storm system now moving east with another following close behind. Let's get right over to NBC News meteorologist. Bill Cairns, we know it's going to be a busy week bill for you, so a lot of action out west. Yeah, we're almost done with Storm 1, Tom, and then Storm 2 is really going to have high impacts. I mean, this could be a high-level event. We could be talking evacuations, stuff like that. like that. But we'll talk more about that in a second. Storm one is along the coast. Storm two is

out here in the Pacific. This storm doesn't look that impressive yet, but it will by the time it gets there on Sunday. So let's talk about what's happening actually now. It's just showers in much any areas of California. Some heavier rains will head through the desert southwest, including Arizona and Phoenix throughout the next couple hours. And then the storm will head out into the middle of the country like Saturday, heavy snow in the Rockies, and that'll be about it for this storm. So as far as what we still have left, about 14 million people under flood alerts, That's for this storm and a couple wind alerts and high elevation snows for the most part. The rainfall additional will not be that huge.

Snowfall will be. It will be great for heading towards the weekend for all the mountainous areas, but we don't have to worry so much about, you know, the California mountains. Not yet. That's going to occur on Sunday. So this is when the next big storm comes onshore. It will start raining hard Sunday morning. It'll continue all day Sunday. The rivers will fill up.

This is going to be a long duration event. Unlike the last storm, Tom, that came in and out. This one's going to linger all the way through Monday and two. Tuesday. Some areas could see up to a foot of rain in Southern California. Okay, Bill Caron's first tonight. Bill, we thank you for that. We're also following breaking news tonight overseas. Officials in Turkey say a gunman took seven people hostage at a factory in protest of the ongoing war in Gaza. The factory owned by Procter & Gamble, an American company behind brands like Crest and Oral B. With more on this breaking story, let's get

right over to Megan Fitzgerald, covering this from London tonight for us. Megan, we just got an update from Procter and Gamble, I'm told, on the condition of those hostages. What can you tell us? Tom, that's right. What we know is that all seven of these hostages have been rescued, and they're all said to be safe and unharmed. These hostages are Proctor and Gamble employees, and they're all Turkish national. As you mentioned, P&G is a U.S. company, but we understand no Americans were involved in this situation. Now, according to the local governor of this province, which is just about two hours outside of Istanbul, the suspect beat up the security guard and had a weapon as he entered the factory.

A relative of one of those hostages told local media that the suspect then fired several shots in the air before taking those workers hostage, Tom. And then, Megan, local authorities say this gunman took the hostages in protest of the war in Gaza. What more do we know about a possible motive? Yeah, that's right. In fact, I want you to take a look at this video from Reuters,

though NBC News has not been able to independently verify. It appears to show a gun on the table and spray painting on the wall, showing a Turkish and Palestinian flag with the words in Turkish that says the door will be open to Gaza, either coffin or death. Now, the governor has confirmed that the suspect's demands were to stop the war in Gaza. And Tom, it's important to note that this turned into a rescue mission for police after the negotiations broke down. But again, all seven of those hostages are safe, and that suspect is behind bars tonight. Tom? That's good to know. Megan, we appreciate you on that breaking news tonight.

Next to the Pentagon back here at home where defense secretary Lloyd Austin is apologizing for what he calls a lack of transparency related to his cancer diagnosis and hospitalization. Austin also addressing the crisis in the Middle East after three soldiers were killed in that drone attack. NBC's Peter Alexander has this report. Tonight with the U.S. on the cusp of retaliatory strikes, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin detailing the Pentagon's preparations. This is a dangerous moment in the Middle East. And speaking out for the first time about that controversy, how he hid his hospitalization and diagnosis from the president and the public. I want to be crystal clear. We did not handle this right, and I did not handle this right.

Delivering a frank and forthcoming apology. I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis. I should have also told my team and the American public. And I take full responsibility. I apologize to my teammates and to the American people. Austin faced bipartisan outrage after revelations he spent several days at Walter Reed unable to do his job, but kept it a secret from the commander-in-chief and others. Today saying he did not want to reveal his prostate cancer diagnosis.

The news shook me, and I know that it shakes so many others, especially in the black community. It was a gut punch, and frankly, my first instinct was to keep it private. Even from the president. Putting my personal issue, adding to all the things that he's got on his plate, I just didn't feel that that was a thing that I should do at the time. Anyone else within the military chain of command would have faced reprimand or even dismissal. Why shouldn't that same standard apply to you, sir? Well, let me just say that thanks for the question, that we didn't get this right. And as I said, I take full responsibility.

visible limp, a sign of the 70-year-old's ongoing recovery. I'm here with a clear message to other men, especially older men. Get screen. Get your regular checkups. Prostate cancer has a glass jar. All of it coming as the U.S. is vowing what officials call a multi-target campaign that could last weeks in retaliation for the drone attack by Iranian-backed militia that killed three U.S. service members, among more than 160 attacks since October.

on American targets. Why has the U.S. waited until American service members were killed to escalate its response? As you know, we've responded a number of times. I think at this point, we should, it's time to take away even more capability than we've taken in the past. And delivering this warning to those Iranian-backed forces. They have a lot of capability. I have a lot more.

And with that, Peter joins us tonight. Peter, you pointed out there in your report that the secretary is still recovering. Do we know anything about his health and how long his recovery will take? Yeah, Tom, it is a good question. The secretary could not detail how long his doctors said it would take for him to recover. He certainly did look thinner today and said that he is now receiving physical therapy to help try to overcome the complications from that prostate cancer treatment, Tom. And, Peter, I know you're covering the Pentagon tonight.

You're in front of the White House. I'm going to ask you to pull a little double duty or triple duty, if you will. Because I know there's breaking news tonight out of Capitol Hill and a potential deal, at least in the Senate, when it comes to immigration. Yeah, that's right. Key Senate negotiators who have been involved in trying to find an agreement on what is a politically explosive issue now say that they have come to a tentative agreement as it relates to U.S. immigration and asylum laws as part of a wider package that would also include aid for both Israel and Ukraine. the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, saying that there could be a vote on this issue as early as next week. He hopes to put forward the full text of the issue as early as this weekend. But to be very clear here, Tom, this issue of immigration is still facing some serious pushback, not just from members of the Senate, but from the top Republican in the House, the House Speaker Mike Johnson,

as well as from the Republican frontrunner for president, former President Donald Trump. Tom. All right. Peter Alexander at the White House for us tonight, Peter, we appreciate that. And out of power and politics, in the race for the White House, President Biden making a campaign trip to Michigan today, a key swing state that could be critical to his reelection. He's already secured the coveted endorsement of the United Auto Workers,

saying today that because of organized labor, the U.S. has the strongest economy in the world. But the president is losing ground fast with another key demographic there, Arab Americans, furious over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. For more on President Biden's trip. to Michigan, the state of the race for the White House this year, including on the Republican side. I want to bring in our panel tonight, Jonathan Allen's in NBC News, senior national politics reporter, and Meg Kinnard, a national politics reporter at the AP. She's based

in South Carolina and actually joins us live tonight from a Nikki Haley campaign event there in the Palmetto State. We thank you both for being here. John, I want to start with you. This trip comes as the administration issued an order, and we saw that in Peter's report, on sanctions against Israeli settlers, extreme Israeli settlers, and we know that the president wants to short some of the Arab-American vote here. Will this help, and will those voters, if they don't like Biden, will they go to someone like Trump? You know, that's a great question about whether it will help.

I mean, time will tell. We've seen the White House trying to offset some of the political damage that it's incurred within the Democratic Party because of its support for Israel and Israel's war, in the side of the war against Hamas. So we're going to have to see about this particular action. But what is problematic from the president is he has enraged Arab Americans in this country. And Michigan has a huge Arab-American population, and it's not just Arab-Americans. It's broader than that.

You've got Muslim Americans who are not Arabs. You've got people who are allies of the Arab-American community who are upset. This could be a huge problem for him in Michigan, not necessarily because they're going to vote for Trump, but even bringing down the vote total for Joe Biden could be a huge deal. Because they live in places like Dearborn and all around Detroit, and those suburbs, and those are the places he needs people to turn out on election night. Right, absolutely. I mean, you look at the last couple of elections, you know, Michigan tight is it tick? Is it possible for Joe Biden to win the White House again without Michigan?

It is, but it's a lot harder if he loses Michigan. Okay, Meg, let's talk about South Carolina, where you are tonight, a new polling, giving us an idea of what the state of play is there, at least for this moment in time. The results are not a surprise. Former President Trump leading Nikki Haley in her own state by 26 points, 58 to 32, our viewer seat on the screen there. But keep in mind, this was what the race looked like in November, when there were many more candidates in the race. Trump was in roughly the same spot, 52%.

But Haley was at just 17, just over half of her current numbers. So, Meg, is Nikki Haley actually gaining ground? Is she doing better? Or is that still unclear? It's kind of hard to characterize it as her definitely doing better because we're not comparing apples to apples. As you point out, there were a lot more people. in the race when she was marking that lower number, and now there are just fewer options

with that head-to-head that she said she has long wanted coming up with Donald Trump here in South Carolina. It's really important to remember, too, when we're thinking about people being polled in South Carolina in this head-to-head matchup between Haley and Trump. He has been popular here since he first won the primary in 2016. Yes, she was elected statewide twice, but that was before that. A decade ago was the last time that Haley faced her voters here in South Carolina. So, you know, we often hear, yes, she's a former governor, yes, she's a resident, yes, this is her home state, and it's an important place for her. But there are a lot of different South Carolinians who are calling this place home now compared to when Nikki Haley

was governor. I've been talking to a lot of people here tonight, and many of the ones that I talked to moved here to South Carolina after she left office. So it's kind of hard to think about people having that long-term support for her here. One of those states that many people migrated to during the pandemic. Jonathan, you know, it's been a little bit more than a week since the New Hampshire primary and some of the conventional wisdom

was, let's give Nikki Haley a week. She'll look at the numbers, she'll look at the polls and see if she wants to stay in. It sounds like, and she's at that event just there right behind Meg, it sounds like she's definitely still in it to win it. Is there a path for her?

Yeah, I mean, presidential candidates tend to run until the plane don't fly, meaning they don't have the money to continue campaigning. There does not appear to be a path for Haley that doesn't involve some sort of external event, right? I mean, you need to see some sort of act of God or like Trump that's convicted or something, you know, as things are going, there isn't really much of a

chance for her. But there are reasons for her to continue campaigning. Right now, she's building a national political network. So every time she goes to a new donor and gets money from them, that somebody should go back to again in the future. I also think that if you're a candidate like Nikki Haley, you want to be in a position that you look like you came in as runner-up. And the reason for that is there's a long history of Republicans nominating the previous cycles runner up in the future. So I think she's got her eyes a little bit on 2028. Romney, Reagan. But, you know, you told me, don't ask you about math. But the math is hard for her because in Nevada, she's not going to get any delegates. If she loses South

Carolina, it's a winner take-all, then you go into Super Tuesday, and she's down by a significant number of delegates. Yeah, I mean, our colleague, Dasha Burns asked her in Iowa if she could name a state that she was going to win. And, you know, that wasn't something you should do. Kristen Walker, I believe asked her that on meet the press. There is not a state where it's obviously you can win. And here's a little secret about math in the Republican primaries. If you come in second in every state, you lose. You're not going to be the nominee. Meg, what are you hearing from voters in South Carolina? Are they holding their nose and voting for Trump? I know a lot of those polls show his supporters are very enthusiastic about voting for him. Are you seeing any kind

of movement for Nikki Haley? Sometimes in these campaigns, as we get closer and closer to election date, you can sort of see that momentum, you can feel it. Are you seeing any of that on the ground? heard from a lot of people who supported Donald Trump in his previous runs and are looking for other options now. And right now, Nikki Haley may be that choice. But I've yet to find a voter who already at the beginning of this cycle when former President Trump announced his campaign said they were supporting him then and have now switched to somebody else. When you go to these events, of course it's a snapshot in time and it's anecdotal. But the people who said back then that they were supporting the former president seemed to be still

giving him support here in South Carolina. Of course, Nikki Haley has picked up some folks. up voters and supporters who were considering some of the other candidates who have now dropped out. But it's kind of hard to characterize that there was somebody a voter in late 2020 when Donald Trump was entering the race who is now switched over to Nikki Haley. I don't think that's really happening here in South Carolina. And I have talked to some voters who are intent on supporting her in the primary here in just a couple of weeks, but have acknowledged that they know that she's not going to win it. And in fact, they do plan to be voting for Donald Trump on their general election ballot from November.

You know, Meg, if you follow the Haley campaign from the get-go, you can totally buy the argument that she sort of found her voice towards the end of Iowa into New Hampshire. And some have argued candidates, when they're dead, suddenly come alive, and it may be too late. I want to put a poll up on the screen, though, for our viewers, a new CNN poll, and it shows a matchup between Trump and Biden and Haley and Biden, and you can see clearly Haley does better than Biden when the matchup is head-to-head. Do you hear this at all from voters that she could actually take it to Biden more than Trump can?

Or do Republican voters just not care about that right now? There are some people who are voicing that. And often we hear Nikki Haley, she did it here tonight, talk about a vote for Biden in the general election, is a vote for Kamala Harris becoming president, kind of forecasting that Biden wouldn't be able to serve out that second term. And there are some voters with whom that seems to be landing and saying, look, yes, I don't want that to be the circumstance. And so I would foresee myself supporting her. And I have heard from some Democratic operatives as well that that's the matchup they definitely don't want to see. They don't want to think about Nikki Haley atop the GOP ballot because they do see that head-to-head with President Biden in November

as something that wouldn't be as good for them as they think another matchup with Donald Trump would be. So we'll see what happens. But at least from some voters as well as some within the party, that is something that I've been hearing. Before we go, John, I want to get to a very important NBC News report that came out today from our campaign teams. I'll put it up on the screen for our viewers here. The headline, these women support abortion rights. They're still voting for Trump. It shows a focused group of female voters in Pennsylvania who are pro-choice, but still plan to support the former president saying other issues are more important.

We know Democrats right now, at least Joe Biden, the re-elect team, are running on democracy and women's rights. A report like this and a focus group like this, it's got to hurt the Biden team because it cuts against the grain. It absolutely cuts against the narrative that they want, cuts against the grain for, I think, what you would see from most Democratic-leaning or most pro-choice voters. However, look, Donald Trump has been all over the place on abortion over the course of time, which means that he is less consistently with the most restrictive Republicans on this. So for that reason, I think there are going to be some voters who don't look at him as trying to ban abortion in the same way that some of the other candidates, Rhonda Sanis, for example, with the six-week abortion ban in Florida. He's not in that same place. So I think it gives a little bit of leeway to him. And then again, as these women said, it's not the top issue for some of them.

Yeah. Jonathan Allen, we appreciate you, as always, Meg Kinard in South Carolina. We thank you for joining us. Still ahead tonight, new details on that toxic train derailment in Ohio last year. Federal investigators shedding new light on what may have happened one year ago, but residents say they're still suffering health issues and no one can explain why. Plus, a terrifying new trend known as gas station heroin. Have you heard about this? A dietary supplement sold over the counter that users say have similar effects to opioids, how authorities are cracking down. And the fiery rescue caught on camera, how deputies in L.A. use their own bodies to save a woman trapped on the second floor of a burning home. Stay with us.

We're back now with the scary and little-known substance being referred to by some as gas station heroin. Have you heard about this? It can be found in some over-the-counter dietary supplement sections just at your local store or gas station. The dangerous ingredient accounts for a powerful energy boost, but also leads to strong physical dependency, similar to opioids. NBC's Valerie Castro now with what to look out for. Tonight, so-called gas station heroin finding its way into stores around the country. See these little gas stations right here? These are the places they would sell them.

The substance called Tieneptine found as an ingredient in some over-the-counter products labeled as dietary supplements. Chrissy Rife Schneider used supplements containing the drug for three years, visiting various gas stations to buy the brand Tiana Red, fueling a $150 a day habit for an energy boost. Just because it's legal and over the counters, I compare it to fentanyl and heroin. Dr. William Rushden, a toxicology expert in Alabama, calling it a growing threat to public health. It's it really acts a lot like an opioid. It's not just when you take it, but it's when you stop taking it, becoming sort of very ill, very agitated.

TNeptine is not approved by the FDA for medical use in the U.S. But the FDA does not test dietary supplements before they reach the consumer. And that's the loophole that allows some companies to include the synthetic drug in a supplement. But we absolutely know now it's spreading throughout the west of the country. The FDA now issuing new warnings about the dangers focusing on the brand Neptune's fix, linking it to seizures, loss of consciousness, and death. The maker agreeing to a voluntary recall saying distribution channels have not reported any adverse events from the use of its products.

NBC News reached out to the makers of these brands for comment, but did not hear back. These things are the devil's candy. Rife Schneider has now taken to social media with her experience. I honestly never thought I would even be here. Now almost four years sober and newly married. She's focused on sharing her story as a warning to others. Valerie Castro joins us tonight from our top story studios in New York. Valerie, the drug is Tia neptine.

You mentioned it in your report. Now, have any states banned it so far? And what's going on in the states that have not? Tom, 12 states have banned this drug. But New Jersey is an example of a state where it hasn't been banned, and people are getting very sick. The CDC says New Jersey saw a big spike in the number of cases reported to poison centers in just the last few months of 2023. 17 people ended up in the hospital, some in cardiac arrest, some had seizures, several were put in the ICU. The CDC says they all ingested the brand Neptune's fix.

That is now under voluntary recall. All right, glad you're doing this story and telling our viewers about this. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the catastrophic train derailment in Ohio, new details are emerging. The NTSB now releasing a transcript from when the train's conductors knew something was wrong. That Ohio town is still grappling with the toxic chemicals leaked from the accident, with some saying they're experiencing headaches and rashes. NBC Stephen Romo has the latest.

tonight video and documents just released by the NTSB shedding new light on that devastating train derailment and controlled explosion a year ago including transcripts of the conversation in the train's cab when conductors realized something was seriously wrong we didn't get any air in the back one says that means we've come apart 38 cars had jumped the tracks some bursting into flames and leaking toxic chemicals Christina Dilworth says that day, East Palestine, changed forever. We all had to leave. It was scary. It was like a horror movie. For much of the last year, Dilworth stayed at a hotel, paid for it by Norfolk Southern. But that relocation program is ending. Bottled water.

It's just my new normal. She hoped coming back to her house would feel more like coming home. A lot of people just think, oh, it's done. It's over. Everybody's safe to go home. I almost feel like we're like the forgotten town. An October EPA report did not show any concerning levels of contaminants, and state regulators say the tap water is safe. But many here worry about the long-term health impacts.

After the derailment, Dilworth says she developed a rash and headaches. Health-wise, are you concerned just being here? Yes, I am concerned. What's my long-term future? I've already been exposed. As for the cleanup, Norfolk Southern says that is nearly complete. Trucks and heavy machinery remain as crews rebuild the area that was dug up to remove chemicals. We want to make it look like it was beforehand.

Cruise also installed pumps, which are still collecting all stormwater from the site. A lot of people asking why it took so long, what was the biggest challenge at this site? You know, it's a complex site, but everything we do, we've got to work with the regulators to get done correctly. Meanwhile, all day long, trains run through East Palestine, and no new federal safety legislation has passed. All right, Stephen Romo joins us live tonight from New York. Stephen, a few of these documents you've been talking about are raising some eyebrows. Let's put one here on the screen for our viewers, and one of Norfolk's Southern representative calling some of the photos of the controlled burn, quote, cool. You can see that text.

How is the company responding to this? Yeah, Tom, that certainly stood out to us as we went through these new documents. Norfolk Southern is responding to this. They sent us a statement saying, quote, we have no tolerance for anything that undermines. the seriousness of the situation. We've taken steps to address this with our employees. And by the way, Tom, we've also learned today, and actually yesterday, that President Biden will be visiting that site coming up later this month. And as we heard in the piece, many residents have questions specifically about why a federal disaster declaration never

happened in this situation. That hasn't happened yet. So there will be a lot more questions for President Biden when he visits there. That's for certain. Tom. Stephen Romo visiting that area one year later. We appreciate that. When we come back, outrage in New York City, several migrants arrested after they were caught on camera, kicking and punching two NYPD officers. But those suspects released, get this,

without bail and now back on the street, how the city's DA is defending that decision. All right, we're back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with the shooting at a Georgia high school. Police say two people who were not students were shot in the school's parking lot. They are expected to survive. School was on lockdown for hours before the area was deemed safe and students were released. A group of quick-thinking deputies in L.A. saving two people from a house fire. Look at this video.

It's body cam, and it shows deputies running towards the burning home when they realize someone is trapped on the second floor. The deputies then climb on top of each other to reach the window. One of them breaks the glass and helps pull a woman to safety. The officers also pulled another man from the fire. No word on their conditions. And a major strike at the Chicago Tribune today. More than 200 reporters, photogs, and other staff members walking off the job for 24 hours. The union representing the workers say they're demanding fair wages and that management

not eliminate 401K benefits. According to the union, it's the single largest coordinator. strike against Alden Global Capital since it purchased the paper in 2021. Okay, now to the attack that was caught on camera, sparking outrage. Two New York City police officers injured in Times Square over the weekend. Seven of the

suspects are migrants. Now out on bail, tonight in a move that's drawing scrutiny from the governor. NBC's Rahima Ellis explains. The alarming video showing two NYPD officers beaten in Times Square, kicked and punched, as police say, They were trying to disperse a disorderly crowd Saturday.

Seven suspects arrested, foreseen in these mugshots. Chief, what were you thinking when you saw that video? Completely outraged. And tonight, the NYPD also outraged, though suspects are back out on the street, released without bail, on charges including assault on a police officer. In any case, when you attack our police officers, you should go to Rikers' Islands. You should be remanded or bail should be set. Prosecutors acknowledging to NBC News, they only asked for bail for one of the suspects.

District Attorney Alvin Bragg writing, violence against police officers is never acceptable. It is paramount that we conclusively identify each defendant and specify each participant's role in the incident. Tonight, the NYPD saying, the seven suspects are migrants who came to New York in the past year. Several have arrest records since coming to the U.S., according to senior law enforcement. officials. At least six others still being pursued. It's not known whether they are also migrants. Get them all and send them back. You don't touch our police officers. Tonight, we're told the two NYPD police officers are okay. Tom? We thank Rahima Ellis for that. Coming up, Maritime Warfare, Ukraine says this video shows them using drones to blow up and sink a Russian

warship near Crimea. Ukraine claims that attack cost Russians military. That and much more. In Global Watch, next. Back now with a check of what else is happening around the world and Top Story's Global Watch. We start with the unprecedented move. President Biden imposing sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

The decision follows the deadly shooting of a 17-year-old American in the West Bank last month. According to UN, according to the U.N., according to the U.N. There have been nearly 500 recorded settler attacks since October 7th. The Biden administration says the sanctions will focus on visa restrictions on foreign nationals who are directly involved in that violence. In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying, quote, Israel acts against all lawbreakers everywhere, so there is no room for unusual measures in this regard.

Moving on, Ukraine claims it has sunk a Russian missile boat near Crimea. This video posted by Ukrainian intelligence forces, They say it shows several Ukrainian drones exploding directly on the Russian ship's haul. It eventually rolls over and sinks. The post-claiming Russia was not able to recover the ship's remains, which they say is about a $70 million loss. And more than 1,100 flights across Germany grounded today after security staff walked off the job. A German labor union demanding higher hourly wages and better overtime for 25,000 workers across the country. The 24-hour strike affecting 11 air airports.

including Global Hub, Frankfurt, Berlin, and Hamburg, an estimated 200,000 travelers now affected. Okay, time now for the Americas and a growing crisis in Cuba. Officials in the island postponing a controversial price hike on fuel. A 500% hike was scheduled to go into effect today, but the government's saying they were targeted by a cyber attack. The hike is just one of a number of measures that has many in the island concerned that it will only worsen the already failing economic situation. And Augustine is in Havana tonight for us.

Tonight in Cuba, long lines of cars wrapping around gas stations. Many waiting for hours to fill up their tanks, growing nervous, ahead of an unpopular proposal to spike gas prices. Nobody knows right now this happens, what can happen with the new prices. And how do we go to get it with the prices? The Cuban government announcing last December plans to increase the price of gasoline 500%.

One of a series of measures aimed at getting the deficit. under control. The government owns every gas station on the island and says subsidies are no longer possible, adding to an already cratering economy. The hike was scheduled for today, but in a last-minute twist, officials delaying the measure because they were hit with a cyber attack. In this decision, it influe the occurrence of a incident of cyber security in the systems informatics for the commercialization of the combustibles. Despite the delay, most worry higher prices are inevitable.

but will affect the level acquisitive of the population, that then, after the new proposed fuel spike, filling a tank of gas would cost at least $4,500 pesos. At a time when the average salary is about $4,000, that's $14, forcing people to make the decision between gas or all other life expenses. No only is that I prevengge that are going to save the inflation in a two-digit and three-digit,

but it's just that it's going to the last week, that many of the products that were selling For decades, oil from Venezuela has been a lifeline for Cuba's economy. But ever since that country's economic demise, gas deliveries have reduced sharply, leaving the island to rely on fuel shipments from Russia and Mexico. But now, residents are worried about an escalating crisis. Over the last two years in Cuba, the price of a carton of eggs like this has more than tripled. Eggs are now so expensive that an average state salary doesn't even stretch to buy two carton of eggs a month.

Raoul Silva, owner of a restaurant and food store, worries that more taxes on fledgling private companies will stymie any economic recovery. I don't know that one of the antimano knows that it will create an impact of the economy of the country. Over the last two years, Cubans have emigrated from the island in record numbers. In the short term, at least, price hikes could add more fuel to the fire. Ed Augustine joins us tonight from Havana. Ed, things there have been really bad in Cuba for a really long time,

but this new wave of economic depression is reminiscent of the special period in the 90s after the collapse of the Soviet Union. What is the government saying and are demonstrations being discussed? The government's line is that this is the necessary medicine. You know, Cuba has a hugely inefficient, inefficient economy, and it heavily subsidizes things like, gasoline, electricity, and water. And the government's broke, and it has been for many years. That's one of the reasons there are so many power cuts. That's one of the reasons that salaries

are so tiny. So their line is that in the short term, it's going to be painful for the population, but that this adjustment in the medium term is going to lead the economy back to growth that they argue is going to ultimately be better for Cubans. But having said that, we're talking about massive price rises here. You know, we're not talking about doubling petrol prices that would be massive in and of itself. We're talking about. We're talking about, a 500% increase. Now, that's just not, that's not only leading to angry motorists. That's leading to widespread anxiety across Cuba about how those price rises will factor in across the economy to lead to higher food prices, for an example. And people are nervous about it. It's a tense

time here. I think the population is anxious. The government also is rather anxious. Having said that, this journalist here speaking to you now hasn't heard at this point any suggestions of demonstrations. And, Ed, while I have you there, I am curious the timing of this cyber attack. Do we know any more about the motives behind it or which country or actors may be behind it? We don't know anything much. The government announced that there has been a cyber attack. We know looking at the history of the United States and Cuba, that there have been various attempts to destabilize Cuba politically and economically. from the United States, both by organs like the CIA. You have to go back to the 60s to find examples like that.

And there are also about $20 million a year that circulate to apparently promote democracy here. And historically, a lot of that money has been used to try and destabilize the government too. But there's no allegation by the government about who it might be. In fact, just kind of a gossiping with a friend of mine earlier, there was suggestion at least an idea that maybe this is kind of a convenient excuse. for the government to perhaps back down or put off these price rises, which they know are going to cause a lot of popular discontent. Ed Augustine from Havana tonight, Ed, we appreciate your reporting. When we come back, we're going to take a turn, quite literally a turn, the Wheel of Fortune moment that has fans' heads spinning. A contestant trying to solve the final puzzle, some viewers think they heard or say the correct answer, but others insist that's not the case.

We'll play you the moment and let you play Pat Sajak right after this. Finally tonight, that viral Wheel of Fortune moment that has game show fans divided. You may have seen hashtag Pink Orchid trending on Twitter. That's because it was the answer for the bonus round in a recent episode of the beloved show that the contestant actually got wrong. But many fans believe she actually answered it correctly. You'll get a chance to hear for yourself. Here's NBC's Morgan Chesky.

Tonight, the iconic game show Wheel of Fortune, finding itself in a head-spinning debacle, eager fans are trying to solve. Now, spin the wheel, let's see if we can get some more. In the final moments of Tuesday night's show, contestant Megan was ready to take on the bonus round. Now, you chose Living Thing as your category. So she began rapid-fire answering. Something forked.

But the 10-second timer ran out before she could guess correctly. Pink. Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry that didn't work out for you. The right answer, according to Pat, pink orchid. But some fans think that's exactly what she said. Others argue that first guess was something orchid, not pink. Listen closely to a slow-down version, revealing that may be the case. Pink Orchid.

Hashtag Pink Orchid now trending on X, as avid wheel watchers voice their confusion and even anger. One fan saying, honestly, it feels like this woman got robbed out of her bonus prize tonight on Wheel of Fortune. Another saying, hey, Wheel of Fortune, I definitely heard the contestants say Pink Orchid at the beginning of that final puzzle and rewound it to make sure you owe her some money. We reached out to Wheel of Fortune for their take on the Pink Orchid. orchid controversy, but have yet to hear back. As for Megan, she was back on TV this morning to set the record straight. You know, I wish I said pink because I would have been $40,000 richer, but I said something. This isn't the first time the game shows found itself swirling in controversy. Fans were outraged by this recent puzzle. The category was rhyme time, yet the answer

was absolutely positively while the contestant guessed correctly fans were livid the response did not rhyme grab those devices but sometimes it's the contestants themselves who take a spin and a miss mythological hero atuice you can't accept that fish love This is Wheel of Fortune, Joe. Laughs, the family favorite knows, makes solving any puzzle. Even better. An ace of kidneys. Morgan Chesky, NBC News.

Pink Orchid, I'm sure she will not forget that one. Thanks so much for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamas coming out of Washington. Stay right there. More news on the way. Thank you.