Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, June 22, 2023

Episode Date: June 23, 2023

The U.S. Coast Guard announces the submersible missing since Sunday suffered a “catastrophic implosion” en route to the Titanic wreck, killing all five people on board, Raf Sanchez has an exclusive look at a Ukrainian helicopter unit playing a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with Russian fighter jets, the high-speed pursuit caught on camera as police capture a man accused of kidnapping a woman at gunpoint, San Francisco hit with another wave of major retailers leaving the city, and a conversation with the administrator of a Louisiana abortion clinic one year after Roe v. Wade was overturned. 

Tonight, the tragic end to the search for that missing Titan submersible. The Coast Guard announcing large pieces of that sub were found on the ocean floor, leading officials to believe the sub, carrying five passengers, suffered a, quote, catastrophic implosion. The debris field found 1,600 feet from the wreckage of the Titanic, the aunt of one 19-year-old victim telling NBC news he was terrified to go on this expedition, but did it for his dam. Now, investigators trying to figure out if there will be a recovery mission, and the main question tonight, what went wrong?

Also tonight, deadly summer storms, a violent tornado ripping through the Texas panhandle, killing at least four and leaving a path of destruction in its way. As we come on the air, baseball-sized hail is falling over Denver, less than 24 hours after another hail storm there, injured more than 100 concert govers, where that dangerous weather is heading next. Nuclear threat?

Ukraine's present warning Russia may be planning to destroy a key power plant, would create an international emergency. This, as Ukraine ramps up its counteroffensive in the east, our team in Bahmoud getting exclusive access inside a Ukrainian helicopter unit, telling our Ralph Sanchez they are playing a deadly game of cat and mouse. Kidnapper take down. New video showing police in California closing in on a suspect who allegedly abducted a woman at gunpoint. The chase on the ground and in the air and how that woman's 12-year-old son helped to save her.

Plus, body cam footage capturing first responders racing to save a five-year-old trapped inside a burning building. The moment that child jumped from a third floor window to escape the flames. And Swift Justice, how Brazil is cracking down on ticket scalpers ahead of Taylor Swift's international tour. And they'll be served more than just karma if they're caught. Top story starts right now. Good evening. for Tom Yamas. We begin with that catastrophic loss of undersea adventurers hoping to reach the Titanic. The desperate international search effort intensifying over four days, but the Coast Guard

announcing today that the Titan's tail cone was found 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic on the seafloor. The discovery suggesting the implosion was not caused by a collision and was consistent with the, quote, catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber. Experts estimate the force at that depth exceeds 5,500 pounds per square inch, nearly 400 times the pressure that I'm experiencing here at sea level. Investigators hoping to piece together how the unregulated subs split apart and when. Loved ones mourning the loss of their family members, as the Coast Guard warns, the incredibly unforgiving environment on the seafloor could complicate efforts to recover their bodies. The aunt of the youngest victim sharing tonight that the teen was terrified

to go on the voyage. And we've just learned that the Navy might have detected a sound with an implosion or explosion when it lost communications on Sunday. So let's get right to NBC's Tom Costello, who leads us off again tonight from Boston. Heartbreak in the North Atlantic. After four days of searching for that missing mini-sub named Titan and the five people on board, this morning a Canadian deep-sea robot spotted debris from the sub just 1,600 feet from the wreckage of the Titanic, the very destination it was headed for on Sunday. The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber.

A catastrophic implosion in the extreme pressure at nearly 13,000 feet below sea level. The size of the debris field is consistent with that implosion in the water column. In a statement, Ocean Gate, the subs owners said, our hearts are with these five souls. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew. Stockton Rush, the founder and CEO of Ocean Gate, billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding, French sub and Titanic experts, Paul Henri Nojolet, wealthy British Pakistani businessman Shazada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleiman. Suleiman's aunt says the teen was terrified, but went along to bond with his father. He had a sense that this was not okay, and he just, he was not very comfortable about doing it. The Coast Guard says the U.S., Canada, France, and Britain will have to determine who will investigate and whether to recover the victims.

So close to Titanic's final resting place where 1,500 people died in 1912, still to be determined who pays for the search and potential recovery. The company had been diving to the Titanic since 2021, charging customers as much as a quarter million dollars for the experience. But a former employee and other submersible experts have long warned the sub was not certified to dive so deep. In 2018, the chairman of a committee of 38 concerned submersible experts wrote to CEO Rush, asking him to adhere to our industry accepted safety guidelines and protocols for ultimate success. In 2021, Discovery Channel host Josh Gates decided against taking the sub down to the Titanic for his TV show. I just felt as though the sub needed more time and it needed more testing, frankly.

Investigators don't yet know why the sub imploded. It might have simply surrendered to the crushing pressure nearly 400 times what it is at sea level. Perhaps a fatigue crack developed in the titanium carbon fiber show after so many deep dives. It's really hard to imagine. It's one Empire State building made of lead sitting on top of you at that level. In a hauntingly cruel twist of fate, Stockton Russia's wife, Wendy, lost relatives in the Titanic more than 100 years ago. Now her husband has lost his life in those same deep waters. Tom joins us now again tonight from Boston. Tom, what more can you tell us about this noise?

The U.S. Navy says it detected from the time the surface lost communication. with the sub. So we're now talking about a noise that the Navy says it detected on Sunday about the time that the sub suddenly lost communication. And the Navy says that sound seems to have been consistent with an implosion or an explosion. And keep in mind, the Navy has sensors and microphones all spread across the North Atlantic. That is not the same sound that they were hearing picked up on sonar buoys in the last

couple of days, that seems to have been just ambient ocean noise, and there's a lot of it every single day. Haunting to imagine that they picked up perhaps that terrible moment. What are you hearing, Tom, about calls to regulate tourist subs going to look at the Titanic in the future? Yeah, by the way, I should have mentioned that the incident commander was aware that the Navy had heard that, but decided we got to press ahead with the search and rescue just in case somebody's alive. As for whether they should regulate this going forward, yeah, that was a conversation that the commander today at the Coast Guard said probably needs to happen, because right now there are international bodies that regulate that area around the Titanic wreck. That's a graveyard

at sea. And to have people, tourists coming in there to that graveyard at sea, maybe it's best that they come up with some sort of a regulatory framework for that. But now, tragically, more lives lost right there near the Titanic. An unregulated graveyard at sea. Tom Costello for us in Boston. Tom, thank you. There are still so many unanswered questions when it comes to what caused this catastrophic event.

Let's bring in Deep Sea Explorer, Dr. Katie Croft Bell. She is a National Geographic Explorer and the founder and president of the Ocean Discovery League. Thank you so much for being here. I'd like to get your reaction first to what we've been learning today. I mean, given the noises the Navy says it recorded and the likelihood of a catastrophic implosion explain to us, in your professional opinion, how does something like this happen?

Well, you know, it certainly was one of four possible scenarios that, you know, everyone in this field has been thinking about. They could have been floating at the surface. They could have been floating within the water column. They could have been disabled on the seafloor. And, of course, the last and tragic outcome is that the submersible, in fact, imploded at the seafloor. So that appears to have been what happened and is certainly, obviously, one of the plausible scenarios in this situation. I mean, you are personally and professionally familiar with just how brutal that environment is.

I mean, how much will be done in the recovery afterwards? I mean, will there be a way, do you think, to get specific answers to what may have happened here? I think that there are definitely some ways of figuring out the physics of what happened. You know, depending on the area of the debris field can possibly tell us how high off the seafloor they were when the submersible imploded so that investigation is ongoing, of course, and whether or not materials from the submersible will be able to be recovered is, I'm sure, a part of what is still ongoing tonight and in the days to come. And, Katie, I mean, tell me sort of how you're thinking about the kinds of questions that should be asked about this submersible and about submersibles in general. I mean, this did not go through any regulations. Would there have been red flags that might have been noticed, do you think, if this had been an inspected craft? Certainly less so.

I mean, you mentioned the Marine Technology Society letter to Stockton Rush and Ocean Gate flagging that this was, you know, an untested design. It's the largest submersible of this kind. Carbon fiber was used in the hole, which is not traditionally used. It's a huge cylinder. So there are all kinds of things that were very different from other submersibles that typically go through very rigorous design and testing processes. So I think, you know, the best possible outcome of this obviously very tragic situation is that this industry is regulated and people do have to adhere to very strict safety regulations.

And, you know, you are a professional explorer. I want to get your opinion on this. I mean, in terms of risk and reward and knowledge gained in this era in which increasingly we're sending robots down to these sorts of deaths, I mean, is this kind of exploration sending humans to the bottom of the ocean? Do you think that's worth it? You know, there are certainly lots of people who do it and do it in a very safe way. The submersible Alvin, which is operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,

has been operating for more than 60 years without any. any casualties. And it does so because it is very, very safely designed. There are many, many redundant systems. It goes through rigorous testing processes. And so I think that it can be done safely if the people who are operating it, you know, take that very seriously. And it's, it's clear that there were many red flags raised in this situation years ago that were not heated. And unfortunately, it led to this catastrophic end today. Ocean Explorer. Dr. Katie Croft Bell, thank you so much for being here. Now to the severe weather hammering several states. A deadly tornado ripping through Texas overnight, reducing a town to rubble. And in Colorado, a hailstorm pummeling concert goers at an outdoor venue. Miguel Almaguer is in Texas for us tonight. Tonight, the twisted and tortured landscape of Matador. This is what's left of the small Texas town shredded by a powerful summer twister. Nearly every hunt,

business and building in this community of 600, a skeletal remain. We could hear the porch being ripped off the side of the house. Then we could hear the roof being ripped off. With Matador declared a disaster by the governor, the preliminary EF3 tornado showed no mercy as it swept into town. An hour and a half outside Lubbock, killing four. Brooke Brandon rode out the storm on her walker alone at home. I had no other choice but to stay right in the hallway because there was nowhere else for me to go. was nowhere else for me to go that I wouldn't die.

The misery in Texas came at nearly the same time as mayhem in Colorado. Oh, my God, out! Outside Denver, dozens pelted during a dangerous hailstorm at an outdoor concert, leaving some hospitalized and others with broken bones. As other storms barreled across the East Coast, record 97-mile-per-hour winds knocked out power in Houston. 18 million across Texas are under heat alerts, where a potentially deadly combination of sweltering temperatures and stifling humidity shattered six records on Wednesday.

But tonight, back in Matador... We can rebuild whatever. It's not a problem. As long as they're okay, we're okay. A reason to be grateful amid so much loss. It's a miracle really incredible that only four people in this town died from that powerful tornado. As you can see, it had the strength and the power to toss everything in its path, including this Harley-Davidson, which is still on its side. Authorities here say they will continue

to assess the damage. They believe this was all caused by an EF-3 tornado. Jake. Miguel Al-Megger for us in Texas. Miguel, thank you. And the severe weather threat is not over yet, with dangerous hail falling again in the Denver area. So let's get right to meteorologist Bill Karen's, Bill, tornadoes, phone-breaking hail. I mean, there is a lot to keep track of here. What are you watching right now? About an hour ago, hour and a half ago, we had a tornado that went through the southern portions of the Denver metro area around Highlands Ranch.

It does not look like it was a powerful tornado. It doesn't look like anything you just saw there with Miguel in Matador, Texas, but there is a lot of tree damage and things like that. We also had a lot of significant hail, and that was with that storm right there that's now heading out here into the front range. So we have a couple of areas of severe thunderstorm watches. The one I'm keeping my eye on is this one here in Oklahoma. So we have a couple lone thunderstorms.

They're very widespread. We have one south of Wichita Falls, pretty strong one just to the east of Childress. And then this very large one that's right along Interstate 40 here. And this is one to be heading towards Oklahoma City and probably about an hour from now if it holds together, maybe the Norman area, Oklahoma City southwards. So it's heading right over the top of Weatherford. It likely has golf ball size hail with it, showing a little bit of rotation. but it's a severe thunderstorm morning. No tornadoes have been spotted, but if there's any

thunderstorm to watch, that's the one over the next hour and a half. So as we head towards tomorrow, we're just stuck in this weather pattern. It's hot in Texas. It's cool in the east and kind of rainy, and we're watching the severe storms each and every afternoon heading out of the mountains into the front range. So once again, Nebraska, all the way down to North Texas, and the heat's not going anywhere either. Still 18 million people under heat advisories. And currently, it doesn't look like it's going to break anytime soon. Dallas back up into a by the end of the weekend and other areas up to 110, Jake. So this was the story that's going to go on right into July.

Meteorologist Bill Karens for us, Bill, thank you. Now to some breaking news in the Hunter Biden investigation, bombshell whistleblower testimony just released by the House Ways and Means Committee accuses the Justice Department of giving the President's son preferential treatment. The committee says the DOJ interfered in the investigation and retaliated against whistleblowers who came forward to discuss the case. For more on this, I want to get right to NBC News Senior Congressional Correspondent, Garrett Hake. Garrett, what more can you tell us about the new allegations laid out in this testimony?

Well, Jake, these two whistleblowers who both testified under oath are senior IRS agents who basically argue that throughout the duration of this five-year investigation into Hunter Biden that just concluded with two misdemeanor guilty pleas. They were slow walked, blocked, basically that the former president, the president's son, rather, got preferential treatment all along the way. They argued that they had a stronger case that could have been brought earlier in various jurisdictions and that the Trump appointed U.S. attorney from Delaware who was in charge of this investigation was blocked by the DOJ and by FBI officials from pursuing it. Now, the DOJ spokesman broadly and the spokesperson for that U.S. attorney in Delaware both deny those claims, essentially saying we had free reign to do this as we saw fit and we ran the investigation the way we wanted to run it. Separately, there's another kind of specific allegation in here that's drawing a lot of attention tonight. And that comes in the form of what one of these whistleblowers says is a WhatsApp message that was taken up as part of their investigation in which Hunter Biden is in 2017 messaging a Chinese business partner, basically saying, I'm sitting here with my dad and we're wondering why this deal hasn't gone through, and then appearing to threaten this Chinese business partner saying that he and his father, who was the then former vice president, Biden, he had not yet decided to run for president again, would essentially make this business

partner's life miserable if he didn't respond. That piece of it is very new and would appear to run contrary to Joe Biden's long, consistent statements that he never did any kind of foreign business deals with his son Hunter. So those kind of, the broad kind of claims about the investigation regarding Hunter Biden are one bucket of this, this specific claim that would somehow appear to involve Joe Biden is the other sort of new development in these lengthy whistleblower testimonies that were released today. Garrett Hakefors in Washington. Garrett, thank you. Moving overseas now to Ukraine, where President Zelensky is warning that Russians are planning an attack on a major nuclear plant.

This, as Ukrainian helicopter pilots are playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with Russian fighter jets. They are low on ammunition, and they are pleading for American F-16s. NBC's Raft Sanchez has an exclusive look inside one of the units desperate for support. Tonight is fighting rages across Ukraine's south and east, President Zelenskyy issuing a stark new warning, accusing Russia applauding to destroy the Zaporica nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. There should never be any terrorist attacks on nuclear power plants anywhere, he says. The warning comes weeks after Ukraine says Russian forces destroyed this major day. triggering devastating flooding in the southern city of Hurson.

The Kremlin denies responsibility, and today called Zelensky's claims about the nuclear plant, a lie. But overnight, an explosion punching a hole in this key bridge in Russian-occupied Crimea. Local Russian officials say it's the latest strike by Ukrainian troops using long-range missiles. Two weeks into their long-awaited counter-offensive Ukraine's forces are facing fierce Russian resistance. and making slow progress on the ground. Part of the problem, they're badly outgunned in the air.

Russia's fighter aircraft are far more advanced, and there are far more of them. A comparison shows Ukraine outnumbered 15 to 1 on both jets and attack helicopters. We travel to a clearing in the woods in the east that's doubling as a Ukrainian helicopter base. This unit has a dangerous mission. They fly out to attack Russian forces, support Ukrainian ground troops, taking part in the counteroffensive, and then get back here quickly before enemy fighter jets can catch them. Captain Alexander is one of the few Ukrainian pilots still in the skies, flying an aging

Soviet-era helicopter gunship into combat above his homeland. How does it feel to be fighting a full-scale war in your own country? This is my duty. this is my task, as well as the task of all soldiers, the task of all men, he says. They fly just over the tree line, sometimes as low as 15 feet off the ground, hunting for enemy tanks and infantry. And with ammunition desperately short, they try to make sure every bullet counts. Can Ukraine compete with Russia in the air?

I think yes, even though we really don't have enough modern equipment for this, he says. modern planes, modern helicopters, but with what we have, we're very successful in completing the task. British military intelligence says Russia is reinforcing its attack helicopter fleet at this airfield near the front, which makes Ukraine's pleas for American-made F-16 fighter jets all the more urgent. But it may be months before Western aircraft arrive. So until then, Alexander and fellow pilots from the 18th Brigade will make do with what they have, staying in the air and staying in fight. Ralph Sanchez joins us now from Kiev. Raf, those pilots impressed on you just how badly they need these American F-16s. What is the timeline on possibly getting them?

Right now, Jake, there is no timeline. Last month, after a lot of resistance, President Biden gave the green light for NATO allies to start supplying F-16s to Ukraine. He also said the U.S. would support training pilots to fly them, but at this point, we don't know how long it will take for the jets to actually arrive. And crucially, we don't know how many of them will actually be delivered. And, Raf, you mentioned the Ukraine issued a warning about a possible Russian threat to that nuclear power plant. Did they give any specifics on what the threat might be? Yeah, so Ukraine's intelligence chief says the Russians have planted landmines around the cooling pond. That's the body of water that keeps the plant's nuclear reactors cool. If something

happened to that pond, you could potentially have a disaster. It is worse. saying the U.N. inspected the plant last week, and they said they saw no evidence of minds of the pond. Jake. Now to some high-stakes diplomacy, President Biden welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House for a state dinner. Moody made headlines for participating in a rare press conference today, but it was President Biden's recent comment about China's leader that also made news. Kelly O'Donnell has the latest. During this day of ceremonial honors, showering the world's most populous democracy, India. The president's diplomacy toward China under scrutiny. After he used the loaded term dictator to describe China's president Xi Jinping during an off-camera

talk with donors, just one day after Secretary of State Blinken met Xi in Beijing, China reacted angrily calling Mr. Biden's language absurd and irresponsible. Today, the president was pressed about whether his word choice undercut efforts to stabilize U.S.-China relations. The answer your first question is no. But says he won't back off what he thinks is a, quote, fact. Secretary Blinken had a great trip to China. I expect to be meeting with President Xi sometime in the future. I don't think it's had any real consequence. Part of his China strategy is strengthening ties with India.

One of the defining relationships of the 21st century. On full display today with all the trappings of a state visit, including a formal banquet prepared for tonight. But India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is criticized for backsliding on democratic values on human rights and press freedoms. Modi, who has shunned press conferences at home, was under pressure to participate today. There are many human rights groups who say that you have. and denied mistreatment of dissidents and religious minorities. There's absolutely no space for discrimination. NBC's senior White House correspondent Kelly O'Donnell joins us now.

Kelly, over the last year, India has been routinely criticized for taking a neutral position on the war in Ukraine over its ties to Russia. Today, was there any movement on that issue? There could be some movement when you consider that India's relationship with Russia has been in part because it has relied on Russia for military, equipment to arm its own defenses and oil. And today, this new economic agreement includes some new partnerships in the defense space so that India will be able to get equipment that is not Russian made. So that will reduce some of the demand there. But an ongoing issue is that India

does buy a sizable quantity of Russian oil at a cheaper price because Western nations are honoring the sanctions. And of course, buying Russian oil means funding the war in Ukraine. Jake? Kelly O'Donnell for us at the White House. Kelly, thank you. Still ahead tonight, kidnapper take down. Police in California arresting a man accused of kidnapping a woman at gunpoint after a wild chase. How a 911 call from that woman's 12-year-old son led them to the suspect. Plus, major retailers closing up shop here in downtown San Francisco.

AT&T, just the latest, shutting down its flagship store here. So what is causing these mass departures? And Brazil has bad blood with tickets. how they are trying to crack down on the illegal ticket resellers ahead of Taylor Swift's international tour. Stay with us. We're back now with a dramatic pursuit on a highway here in California. Police tracking down a man accused of kidnapping a woman at gunpoint, the call from her son

that may have saved her life. NBC's Eric, excuse me, NBC's Aaron McLaughlin has the details. Suspect out of the vehicle dragging the victim. Tonight, the dramatic moment police in California cornered a man accused of kidnapping a mother at gunpoint. They got the suspect on his knees. After an all-out chase from officers in the sky and on the ground. The tip coming from the victim's terrified 12-year-old son, who said he witnessed the man, identified as Angel Garcia, break into their home and abduct his mother, according to the sheriff's office.

He has a gun. I'm sorry. What's going on? So there's a guy who came. He's the father of my little brother, and he's trying to kill my mom. He has a gun. Okay. How old are you? He can not be able. He's back. Fast. Wait. What I said? Okay. We have everyone on the way. Is this guy inside or outside? He's outside and he has my mom. Police say that's when they raced to the boy's house. But the suspect was already going. gone. Edited portions of the pursuit released by the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office. With the help from the boy, bystanders, and eyes in the sky, police hot on Garcia's trail,

able to track him just about 10 miles down the road. Authorities say the car came to a stop when it reached a bridge that was blocked with barricades due to construction. Garcia seen exiting the car running to the victim's side when she attempted to get away and placing her between himself and deputies who just arrived. Police say they negotiated with Garcia before he released the woman. Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? And that they arrested him shortly after. The mother sustaining non-life-threatening injuries, including scratches and bruises,

according to officials who add that the actions of the 12-year-old led to the quick arrest. Garcia sent to jail now facing multiple charges, including kidnapped. domestic violence and child endangerment. Jake, authorities say Garcia is still in custody. His bail set at nearly $500,000. Police records show he's due in court next Tuesday. A very scary story and a very brave boy. Aaron McLaughlin for us, Aaron, thank you.

Staying here in California and the latest battle that this city, San Francisco, is facing, another round of major retailers closing up shop. Now, one analysis showing nearly half of retail stores in one neighborhood are gone since the pandemic. It's all making the effort to revive downtown even more difficult. San Francisco's once bustling downtown streets still struggling to bounce back as retailers continue to flee. The Exodus continues. A lot of retailers have been pulling out of the city. In the past few weeks, Westfield announced it's giving up its prominent downtown mall location,

while AT&T revealed it is closing its flagship store in the city. The hemorrhaging of businesses, a concerning post-pandemic trend for the city by the Bay. According to an analysis by the San Francisco Standard, nearly half of the non-service retailers in the city's Union Square District have closed since 2019. Major stores like Crick and Barrel, Anthropology, and H&M, just a few of the almost 100 shuttered in the last few years, while only 12 stores have opened in that time, according to the standard. The loss of business, just the city's latest obstacle as it grapples with the issues of employers abandoning the city, homelessness and drugs. It's like a zombie town, you know. So many homeless and drug dealers, you know, it's ridiculous. I cannot even walk with my son on the street.

Overdoses in the city up 40% versus this time last year. I spoke with a local bike mechanic recently who said crime at his store has fallen off since the pandemic. But from what he's seen, the drug situation has gotten worse in the neighborhood. What about drug activity on the streets? What do you see about that? That does seem to be worse. It seems like fentanyl has really gotten to a lot more kids. A new data from the University of Toronto School of Cities shows San Francisco ranks last among major U.S. cities when it comes to downtown foot traffic.

It's at only 29% of pre-pandemic levels. The city's challenge is becoming a huge political talking point in recent months. The city is not vibrant anymore. Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis slamming the city in this video today. Leadership matters. They are doing it wrong here. No wonder why we've had so many people move from San Francisco to Florida. California, Governor Gavin Newsom, not backing down, defending his state in a recent Fox News interview. Per capita, more Floridians moved to California than California is moving to Florida.

The mayor of San Francisco telling me, while there are problems, they are overblown. San Francisco has challenges with crime, with public safety, and we're doing everything we can to deal with it. But just because people are seeing it in a more heightened way because of social media videos, it's unfortunately made San Francisco a bit of a tariff. The city and its leaders facing an uphill battle to get the city back on track. And I should say here, as someone that loves this city and loves living in the area, we are going to keep following not just these challenges, which are so obvious, but plans to turn those challenges around, which are not as obvious. When we come back, new details just in on the fatal rust shooting. The film's armorer now accused of transferring narcotics on the day of that on-set shooting, the new charge she is now facing. Back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with new allegations in the deadly rust shooting.

Prosecutors say the film's armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will face an additional charge of evidence tampering for allegedly transferring narcotics to someone on the same day of the shooting. Now, she is already facing involuntary manslaughter charges after a gun that was loaded with a live round, was fired on set, killing the film's cinematographer. New video capturing the harrowing moments. A five-year-old was rescued from a building apartment complex in Peoria, Illinois. Body camera footage showing deputies and citizens holding a blanket up to catch a child trapped on the third story of the building.

The child eventually jumping through a window to safety. Cruise also saved the child's three other family members. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. A consumer alert, frozen fruit sold that several major retailers has been recalled over Listeria concerns. The FDA says the affected products were distributed at stores across the country, including Walmart, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Target. The recall impacts a variety of frozen fruits products sold from January 19th to just last week. So far, no reports of illnesses customers can ask for a refund. And the median age in the United States reached a record

high last year. New data released by the Census Bureau shows the nation's median age increased to 38.9 years between 2021 and 2022. That is an increase of about three and a half years since 2000. Experts say the median age will likely continue to rise if birth rates keep declining. Now, it's been nearly one year since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade. Since then, 23 states have banned or restricted abortion. This, as OBGYN says, the ruling has worsened their ability to manage pregnancy-related emergencies. NBC's Kristen Dahlgren reports more on this.

Christy Muller and her husband can't wait to be parents. But after multiple miscarriages, finding an obstetrician for her high-risk pregnancy hasn't been easy. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to find a doctor who was going to cater to my needs, cater to my baby's needs, and also make sure that both of us was going to make it out of this alive. There was already an OBGYN shortage in rural Georgia before Roe v. Wade was struck down. But now doctors say the state's six-week abortion ban is making things harder in a place where more than half of the counties don't have a single OBGYN. We are limiting our patients and our practitioners. And when we do that, we may not understand the ripple effects. Dr. Joy Baker says the shortage of doctors is not just impacting patients who are pregnant.

If I called you today as a new patient for an annual visit, When could you see me? September. That means waiting months for even routine women's care, like breast and cervical cancer screening. And new doctors may be hard to lure to Georgia. A recent survey of almost 500 medical students showed a majority unlikely to apply to a residency program in a state with abortion restrictions. Are you concerned about a pool of upcoming doctors into your state? If they're looking for providing abortions as part of their medical practice,

Georgia can be a place they don't apply, and I think we welcome that. State Senator Ed Settler sponsored Georgia's abortion ban. While he acknowledges the women's health care challenges facing parts of his state, he says there are options. When you think about the telemedicine that's available, you can have a doctor consultation. Those are pretty broadly available across the state. But you couldn't have a scan to see if there were issues with the fetus. The Life Act balances the difficult circumstances.

And I think the idea that there's geographic barriers for certain women in certain communities misses the point that there's a living, beating heart, and a child that's worthy of protection. Dr. Baker argues the geographic barriers to care should be top priority. We know that statistically we're going to see a rise in maternal deaths because of this decision. That makes Georgia one of the most dangerous places in which to birth in the developed world. A stark reality facing the Mullers, who now travel 40 minutes each way to see Dr. Baker as their due date approaches. And hopefully my husband won't be stuck delivering on the side of the road. A soon-to-be mother who wants this baby girl more than anything, worried their safety, has gotten caught up in the fight over abortion rights.

Kristen Dahlgren, NBC News, LaGrange, Georgia. For more on how the overturning of Roe v. Weight has impacted women's health services across the United States. now by Kathleen Pittman. She's the administrator at Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport, Louisiana, one of the states currently under an almost complete abortion ban. Kathleen, thank you so much for being here with us on Top Story. I want to ask you how your clinic has been impacted in the year since Roe v. Waivers overturned and the almost complete ban of abortion, not only in Louisiana, but in your entire region. Actually, the clinic closed. We were able to stay open for the month of July right after, you know, the ruling on the 24th. But since then, the clinic has been

closed. We did how staff manning phones reporting to work just to help direct potential patients to where they needed to be. Effective in February, we actually closed the doors and started directing our phones through our phone calls through the cell phones and what have you. We are actually in the process of relocating out of state. I can tell you, it's been no small thing trying to relocate a clinic. And in the meantime, we continue to take calls from women, and it has been devastating. It really has, not just for the staff, of course, but for the women in Louisiana, East Texas, southern Arkansas, and parts of Mississippi as well.

Yeah. Kathleen, you appeared on MSNBC. last year when Roby Wade was overturned. I want to play a clip of what you said, and I'm going to ask you a question on the other side. Have a listen to this. The women we serve here already live under the federal poverty level. We are dealing with a population that has so many strikes against them to begin with. Money is always going to be an issue. Many of the women that we cannot take care of now will be forced to continue a pregnancy. Kathleen, women seeking abortion services in Louisiana, as you mentioned, they already had so many strikes against them.

So how do you try to help them now that it's even harder to get the services they need? Right now, all we can do is direct them out of state, various clinics, I think, southern Illinois, Kansas, parts of New Mexico. home and understand we are working with people that, as we, you know, I said in the previous clip, they already have so many strikes against them, transportation is an issue, time off work, time away from their families, child care. So for, I would say, a huge portion of the women seeking care, they've not been able to obtain it simply because they cannot get to where abortion is legal. It is amazing to imagine that just, you know, the budget for a hotel room alone might stand in

the way of an operation that cannot exactly be frozen in time either. So, Kathleen, finally here, we have new poll numbers that say six and ten voters remain opposed to the court removing the national right to an abortion. Tell us your view of the future given what you've experienced. I mean, how frustrated are you, and what do you imagine the next five years will look like when it comes to abortion access across America? I think it's only going to get worse. I am hoping that at some point citizens will say enough is enough, particularly in these states

where the maternal mortality rate is already abysmal. Continuing these pregnancies for a lot of women puts them at much higher risk of death or injury. So, you know, as far as I can see, it's going to be some years before we would ever be able to provide care again closer to home for these people. You know, I think perhaps it's gone too far as far as politics are concerned. And I'm hoping that the politicians will have to answer to this. There will be a day of reckoning for them.

I do believe that. Kathleen Pittman, thank you very much for being with us. And tonight, tune in to the NBC News Now Special, Abortion in America one year later. Meet the press, examine the impact of that landmark decision, and what it means for the future of this country. That special airs tonight at 10.30 Eastern. When we come back, the deadly explosion in China. Dozens killed inside a restaurant.

At least nine people arrested what officials believe the cause may have been and why the country's president is now calling for change. Now to Top Story's Global Watch and a massive explosion at a restaurant in northwest China. The gas explosion tearing through a barbecue restaurant on the eve of a long holiday weekend there, at least 31 people killed and seven others injured. Nine people have been detained, including the restaurant's owner. China's president Xi is now ordering a national safety campaign after several tragedies in the country this year.

Hundreds of migrants continue to arrive in the Canary Islands, new video showing migrants being rescued by Spanish authorities off the coast of West Africa. It comes one day after a migrant boat sank on the same route. 30 people are feared dead. The Canary Islands has received around 1,000 migrants just this week, with more than 220 rescued today alone. And an anti-ticket scalping law in Brazil has been nicknamed the Taylor Swift Law. The bill would criminalize ticket scalping with penalties of up to four years. years in prison and fees up to 100 times the ticket price. Much like in the U.S., fans say scalpers have made it nearly impossible to obtain legal tickets for her extremely popular

ERAs tour. Swift will play five shows in Brazil towards the end of this year. Now, to a massive invasion in a small Nevada town, millions of Mormon crickets are taking over streets and blanketing buildings, leaving residents desperate for a solution. Steve Patterson has the details. It is happening right now, a small town under invasion. Oh, it's disgusting. It's so gross. This is Elko, Nevada, besieged by Mormon crickets. It is disgusting.

They're literally everywhere. Ground Zero, the once quiet home of Colette Reynolds. It was very apocalyptic feeling. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat. Everything you eat looks like a Mormon cricket. Collette says it felt like living in the Old Testament. Oh, my God.

And did it feel that way to you? Did it feel biblical? I prayed a lot about it. The critters are a migratory menace. They've plagued farmers here since the 1800s. Thousands of acres don't invest it. An outbreak like this can last up to six summers. The paths normally stick to the desert and away from people, but this time, they found their way into town.

And this is what Elko, Nevada looks like right now. A town covered in millions of these crickets. They're not aggressive. They don't sting. They don't bite. But that doesn't mean they aren't causing problems. Killing them only attracts more because, well, they eat their own dead, both gross and a hazard. I feel like I hear of crunching.

Roads can easily become slick with bug juice. And the smell. It just smells like dead, rotten bugs everywhere all the time. The hospital, a scene out of a horror movie. We had people out there with leaf blowers, with brooms, trying to keep the sidewalks. clear. The swarm has mostly moved on, but there are a lot of bugs left hopping around, and a lot of mental anguish lingers. A reminder of the futility of man facing mother nature. Steve Patterson, NBC News. Steve Patterson, with my nightmare assignment. Coming up next,

an AI secret invasion. The opening credits for Marvel's latest series generated entirely by artificial intelligence. When we come back, we'll talk to director and former family tie star Justine Bateman about why this title sequence has some in Hollywood fearing for the future of the industry. Finally tonight, that shape-shifting otherworldly animation you just saw, well, it was made by artificial intelligence, and it is bringing the growing debate about AI to your living room. It's a clip from the opening credits to the new Marvel show Secret Invasion. The first episode is now on Disney Plus, and this sequence, streaming while the Writers Guild is asking for regulations on artificial intelligence models. With me now is filmmaker and author Justine Baitman. You might know Justine from her time on NBC's family ties, but she's also a Writers Guild of America member currently on strike, and she has a computer science background.

She has written and thought a lot about this moment, about what artificial intelligence means for the film industry. Justine, thank you so much for being here. We really appreciate it. You recently penned an urgent warning that AI could destroy the film industry. Writing in Newsweek last month, quote, AI has to be addressed now or never. I wanted to speak to you about artificial intelligence ever since I read that, and I really want to know now, what is your reaction to this sequence and the revelation that it was made with AI? Well, the use of AI, it's really the use of AI, and it's, and AI is being used, generally speaking, by people who, um, they're basically greedy by companies that want to expand their, um, their profit margin. And what better way to do that than to get rid of all that overhead of having to pay artists to do the work. And this title sequence in particular, the thing that's most offensive about use of AI and the arts is that these LLMs of these large learning machines are trained on a bunch of material, our past work. So the fact that our past work, and then you put in, you give it a task, and then it spits out an amalgamation of what it's been trained on. So the idea that we could be replaced by an amalgamation of our past work is, really offensive. And when you understand how AI is set up like that, there's anything magical

about it. It's a parlor trick. And I can't look at a title sequence like that and go, oh, wow, that's cool. What a great title sequence they made. No, I look at it and I say, oh, that's a parlor trick that was, you know, made by a program that was trained on all of our past work. It's, to me, it's trash. To me, AI has no place in the arts. It's so interesting because I mean, you've called AI technology's automatic imitation, right? And there's, on the one hand, this economic thing where suddenly, you know, VFX companies are no longer going to be paid by the frame the way they are now. Suddenly, you know, you can just turn to an AI company to just bang this out for you.

But then there's this creative aspect to it. And I want to get your experience on your thoughts about this. As a creative and as a coder, I mean, what do you think algorithms will wind up doing to the creative process? It's pretty clear that it might replace jobs. Do you, what's it going to do to the art that we experience, do you think? Well, to me, artists are tubes through which God, the universe magic, whatever you want to call it, comes through into society. And when you cut those tubes off or you cut off that flow into society, it will have very bad consequences. I mean, already the sort of last 15 years has been an awful lot of work.

reboots, rehashings, remakes, sequels that, you know, for the most part, I don't think people are really into. I mean, they make money because it's easy. You know, you're going to get another episode of that. But I think it'll be, I mean, you're going to look back in history. Societies without art does not have a good result. And AI is not art. Method Studios, I should say here, has responded to some of the criticism. They told us, quote, AI is just one tool among the array of tool sets are artists used. No artist's jobs were replaced by incorporating these new tools. And I guess my question for you is, you know, there is this, you know, is the economic pressure to use AI and to get it into this area, get it into all the areas of our lives where you can save some money by using it? Is that going to inexorably happen here? Or do you think there is perhaps a way for this technology to be used responsibly? Why was Method Studio paid very little money to do that title sequence? Did they use it because they didn't have enough money to hire artists to do something?

I mean, I don't know. Look, AI isn't solved. There's no problem in the entertainment business that AI is solving. You know, get AI to solve the homeless problem. Get it to solve something that is actually an issue. We don't have a lack of writers in the entertainment business or actors or directors or, you know, prop masters or cinematographers or anything like that. AI is the wrong direction for the arts. We need to be going in the opposite direction.

We need to be doing less reboots, less remakes, less rehashings of the 20th century and have something new. We haven't had a new genre in film or music since the 90s. Justine Bateman with fascinating perspective here. Thank you so much for being here. And thank you so much for watching Top Story. For Tom Yamas, I'm Jake Ward in San Francisco. Please stay right there. More news now is on the way.