Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Episode Date: April 3, 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, global outrage after an Israeli airstrike kills aid workers in Gaza. The workers all part of chef Jose Andres' world central kitchens' non-profit, bringing aid to the region for months. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologizing, saying the strike was unintentional. The IDF vowing a thorough investigation as questions mount over how this could have happened. The fallout as more aid groups to spend operations in the region. Also tonight, tornado outbreak twisters carving a path of destruction in the central U.S., now 57 million Americans from New Orleans to Cleveland under the threat of more storms. In Kentucky, a man thrown to the ground as strong winds whipped through the state.

In Indiana, storms blowing out this woman's windows as she was driving, and were not out of the woods just yet, nor east are targeting the east coast, bringing torrential rains and more than a foot of snow. Underwater disaster, the first look at sonar images showing the massive debris field after Baltimore's deadly bridge collapse, the unprecedented challenge for engineers as they get a clearer picture of what lies beneath the surface. Searching for missing mothers, Oklahoma investigators left puzzled as two women on their way to pick up their children vanish. The suspicious circumstances surrounding their disappearance. Boy versus Gator, a wrangler, calling in an unusual assistant to help get a gator under control. The jaw-dropping video of the boy taping the animal's mouth shut. Plus, missing the boat. Eight passengers, including a pregnant woman and some who are elderly stranded on an African island

after their cruise ship left without them. Their dream cruise quickly turning into a nightmare after they returned late from a private excursion. The group forced to travel through multiple countries to eventually catch up to that boat. So who's to blame? And out of the office, Imagine having the right to ignore emails and calls from your boss when you're off the clock when California lawmakers is working and make that a reality. The fines he's proposing if companies don't respect your right to disconnect. Top story starts right now. And good evening. Tonight as we come on the air, severe storms are triggering tornado warnings in the Ohio and Tennessee valleys.

We're going to get to that in a moment. but first to that devastating news overseas, growing outrage after Israeli airstrikes kill aid workers with World Central Kitchen. The U.S.-based non-profit says its team was traveling in Gaza, using armored cars, bearing its logos when it was struck. The bombings killing seven aid workers, the victims, British, Polish, Australian, Palestinian, and a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen, all working in the war-torn region to feed those in desperate need. Chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, Jose Andres, releasing this statement, saying in part the Israeli government needs to stop the indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon. The Israeli government issuing an apology, saying the strike was unintentional and vowing a thorough investigation.

But some are saying it's not enough. The attack forcing the World Central Kitchen to cease aid efforts, ships carrying aid and food, Now turning back after that incident, other aid groups also pausing work amid safety concerns. The World Central Kitchen has made headline after headline for its work in Gaza and other areas hit by disaster. The group notably the first to get shipments of aid to the region by sea. All of this as Prime Minister Netanyahu faces outrage within Israel over the hostages still captive in Gaza, new video showing Israeli forces dispersing protesters outside the Prime Minister's home. NBC's Ralph Sanchez starts off our coverage tonight from Israel.

The convoy of aid vehicles had just left a Gaza warehouse, clearly marked with the logo of the World Central Kitchen, when they were hit by a series of Israeli airstrikes. Tonight, the White House among those sharply criticizing Israel. We were outraged to learn of an IDF strike that killed a number of civilian humanitarian workers yesterday. This incident is emblematic of a larger problem. Seven aid workers were killed, including a dual U.S. Canadian citizen. Late today, President Biden calling World Central Kitchen founder, celebrity chef Jose Andres, to offer condolences. Andres, writing, the Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop

restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Israeli forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants. And writing, our hearts go out to their families. saying Israel will investigate, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that such tragedies do not occur in the future. NBC News mapped the locations of the aid group's destroyed vehicles, finding at least three strikes over a mile and a half length of coastal road. The aid group says they coordinated their movements with the Israeli military ahead of time.

We pressed an Israeli government spokesman. Israel tells the world that its strikes are based on precise intelligence, that it's. it takes measures to make sure they're not civilians in the area. How can that possibly be true, given what happened here? There's a war going on. It's a war zone. And in every war, sadly, tragically, mistakes happen. And we do our very utmost to avoid those mistakes. Among those killed yesterday, Australian Zami Frankum. NBC's Richard Engel met her last month as she helped organize an aid drop. The situation in Gaza is, as we all know, incredibly bad.

It's going to require all of us working together. Her family saying she leaves behind a legacy of compassion, bravery, and love. Tonight, heartbroken colleagues carrying the bodies of the victims to the Egyptian border. All right-haw-aw-aw-aw-aw-A. Preparing to leave Gaza with the prayers of those they came to help. Ralph Sanchez joins us again tonight from Tel Aviv. Ralph, I know you have some new reporting tonight about the World Central Kitchen and their aid workers who potentially came under attack even before the bombing. Tom, that's right. Two days before the deadly airstrike, World Central Kitchen says it believes one of its vehicles was shot at by an Israeli sniper.

They say a bullet damaged a wing mirror. Nobody was hurt. But obviously the aid organization very alarmed. They filed a report to the Israeli military about. We reached out to the IDF tonight. We didn't receive a response. And then, Raff, do we know how this is going to affect aid getting into Gaza moving forward? This is likely to have a really significant impact, Tom. Just to give you an example, World Central Kitchen was the backbone of this plan to get more aid into Gaza by sea. That plan now completely in limbo as World Central Kitchen suspends its operations in Gaza more broadly. the Israeli military needs humanitarian partners like the UN, like World Central Kitchen,

and this is raising real concerns about whether it is safe for those humanitarian groups to operate inside of Gaza. The UN saying this deadly airstrike was not an isolated incident. Around 200 aid workers, most of them Palestinians, have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war. The U.N. says that is a toll that absolutely shatters previous records. Tom. All right, Raf Sanchez for us tonight, Raf, thank you. For more on this tragedy, I'm joined tonight by Josh Phelps. He's the former director of relief operations at World Central Kitchen and a former colleague of Zami Francom, one of the seven aid workers killed in this strike.

Josh, first off, I am so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine what you're going through right now. I know you and Zami had remained friends since you last worked together during a mission. in Haiti. How did you find out about the news and what went through your mind? Somebody internally, a little bit of a kid thing called me and at the same time sent me, I want to say the Instagram post from I on Middle East with the passports and their body bags. Yesterday around 5.5.30. And what was that moment like for you?

shocking devastating i was with my mom in a park down in southeast virginia in bc now uh he knew her a lot of people knew her our friends and family and um it was you know tragic shocking uh but you know not shocking enough you know considering where she was and and and whether or not she should have been there. So, yeah, it's a lot of the process. Josh, what was she like? I mean, what compelled someone like Zami to go into a place like Gaza

and risk her life to help these people? Zami wanted just to help people and make her life about traveling the world, helping people, and he did this, you know, she went to World Central Kitchen in 2018 in Guatemala. and had just been promoted, I was living in Asia. You know, just super excited about the life he was making over there.

She was on the other half of the world, again, where her family and friends are. You know, what compelled Zami was well compelled most people who work for worlds and took pictures. She would go anywhere. What's troublesome is that, you know, layers of management didn't stop her from going there. Zami's not a volunteer if she was an employee. So as we all grieve and we're grieving, I think we need to, Hopefully the organization takes a step back to review, you know, what they're doing with these people who just want to make the world and the organization proud and serve people.

Josh, you know, I noticed you mentioned that in your first answer, and now you've said it again, so I think it's fair to ask you about this. Are you essentially saying you might be upset that Zami and the other aid workers for World Central Kitchen were allowed to operate in Gaza, which was incredibly dangerous? Of course. If they have 70 kitchens set up, why did they need members of the court team there? Other members of the court team weren't there. So I just think, you know, these are just questions that will be asked. And I know everyone feels terrible. And it's, you know, it is a volunteer-driven organization in many ways. But Zomni was not a volunteer. Damien was not a volunteer. You know, they weren't members of the May Day Day Rescue security team that was with them. Why do you think that decision was made? Do you think it's because the need was so great

that they needed people from the actual organization in there? I don't know. That's a good question. I hope we'll get an answer to that, you know, as we all believe, and, you know, and that I love the Zami doing me and the other folks. I don't know no means. But I do think it's something that people could start talking about. Our Richard Engel spoke with Zami,

as we heard in Raff's piece, just last month about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We have some more from that interview. Let's take a listen. The situation in Gaza is, as we all know, incredibly bad. It's going to require all of us working together, making efforts as these any way possible to bring meals into Gaza. So if that's C-130, overland, by sea, whatever it is that we can do, World Central Kitchen will be there.

You know, Josh, I've met a lot of people from World Central Kitchen. I had an opportunity to interact with some of the teams in Ukraine, incredible work all over the world. And it's interesting. You mentioned you met her when she started in Guatemala or he knew her from then, and then Haiti and all these other countries and ends up in Gaza. It's been my experience that the workers of World Central Kitchen are not cowboys. They do not go out there because they are thrill seekers. They go out there because they personally want to help people. Is that the type of person Zami was as well?

Yeah, absolutely. Part of service, you know, she was doing remote school in Guatemala and then caught the bug as we all caught with Wilson's application and handing people a plate of food and that immediate impact you make on people who are in dire need. And, you know, just today, her immigration lawyer, her help with her work visa five years ago, leased out. You know, she touched and made an impact on everybody and she deserved to be doing it after decades more, whether or with work central kitchen or otherwise. And so I just, you know, as hard as it is today, just to talk as many people as I can celebrating her life and looking forward to her homecoming, to her family,

and, you know, just celebrating the bright light that she was in so many lives. Josh Phelps, a friend of Zami who died in that Israeli air strike on the World Central Kitchen aid workers there. We appreciate your time and again. I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you. We want to turn to news back here at home. Some breaking news we've been following.

The major headline, 57 million people at risk for another night of severe weather. Violent conditions already barreling through the Midwest. At least nine tornadoes reported and the flash flooding threat now stretching from Indiana to New Jersey. Morgan Chesky has more on the Trail of Destruction. Tonight, drenching raids, high winds and tornadoes wreaking havoc. The dangerous trio, sparking a state of emergency. in Kentucky. Striking so fast, this student was knocked right off their feet. The massive storm ripping through this mobile home, a family trapped inside, but somehow able to escape unharm.

Severe weather blasting semi-trucks off the road. I don't know if it picked it up, moved it down the road, but it sounded like it was grinding against the blacktop. In Oklahoma, the same system responsible for multiple overnight tornadoes. It was just pounding the windows on the side of the house. It was crazy. In the town of Barnsdale, one reported twisters sent debris everywhere, and its blame for ripping off roofs, including the one belonging to Sharon Horst, but fortunately, no injuries. I'm not afraid to storms. But this one? Scared. I've never been so scared in my whole life. In Illinois, an apparent tornado touching down. In Indiana, another close call. Gravel in my head. There's glass in my head. You know,

whatever, and mud, there's still mud behind my ears. Kiana Duff heard the tornado warning seconds before the storm shattered every window in her car, yet she walked away without even a scratch. And in Missouri, firefighters braving the elements to rescue a delivery driver trapped by rising waters. He was in his truck, and then the water comes up so fast that he got stranded in her, so we had to rescue him by boat. But back in Oklahoma, after her... of frightening night of tornadoes, the rushes on to move on.

We all got to help one another in this time of meet. Yeah, and back out here in Barnesville, Tom, I have to tell you, when you see the damage that this community suffered from, it is incredible that nobody was injured and that absolutely everyone was accounted for by authorities who really went door to door overnight to make sure their town was whole as the result of this incredibly frightening overnight storm. I had a chance to speak to one resident here who told me that he was inside a building, minutes before this storm struck, it later caused that building to collapse. And he echoed sentiment that we heard across the entire town. And that is that forecasters really did go above

and beyond in channeling the path of this storm, particularly this tornatic cell that gave everyone here precious minutes to get underground and take shelter well ahead of when that tornado struck. Tom? An incredible story there. All right. We appreciate all that, Morgan. For more on the severe weather threat tonight and into tomorrow. NBC News meteorologist Michelle Grossman joins us now live. Michelle, what's the latest? Hey, Tom, great to see you. Well, we continue to track strong storms tonight and we'll continue over the next couple of hours. We have tornado watches. That is in the pink. Also tornado warnings in the red. You need to seek shelters if you're in this spot, the lowest level of your house. We're also looking at heavy, heavy downpour.

So 41 million people under flood watches from the Ohio Valley into the northeast. We're looking at three to four inches of rain in some spots. And we could see rain coming down one to two inches. Cold air is going to work into this system. We have 10 million people under winter alerts from the Great Lakes. We have winter storm watches, winter storm warnings, winter weather advisories, even blizzard warnings in April. We're looking at pink here and portions of New England could see up to a foot and a half of snow in some spots. So tonight we're concerned about the tornado threat, 53 million people at risk for strong tornadoes, EF2 or greater, and very large hail. Tom. All right, Michelle, Michelle, thanks for tracking that. Now to the latest on the deadly bridge collapse in Baltimore. New 3D sonar images just. released by the Navy showing the mangled mess crews will need to remove in order to reopen the port of Baltimore. Tom Costello has the latest. The U.S. Navy's 3D sonar images provide the first view yet of the Francis Scott Key Bridge now resting on the muddy bottom of the Patapsco River. What we're seeing in the water is that the wreckage has been completely collapsed. Some

people use the term pancakeed. 3D provides the best visuals of the razor sharp metal the dive teams will face as they start cutting the bridge into smaller pieces to be lifted out of the water. The water itself so cloudy and dark, divers can only see a foot or two in front of them. Shining an underwater light only reflects back like a snowstorm, making photos or video nearly impossible. That's making it very difficult to even determine where to cut, how to cut. It's very dangerous for our divers to be able to go into this area. Water salvage teams have been using torches to cut and remove massive chunks of the bridge, some weighing 200 tons, as the Coast Guard has now opened two small channels,

mostly for tongs and barges involved in salvage operations, the massive scale of the cleanup coming into clear focus. Two SBA disaster offices now open for local businesses threatened by the disaster, as the governor presses corporate America not to give up on this region's critical economic artery. And so making sure these businesses know that we need them, we want them, and they have to stay here in the Port of Baltimore. All right, Tom Costello joins us tonight from Washington. Tom, you mentioned there at the top of your story, these dive teams will actually be cutting through that steel debris under the water? Yeah, that's absolutely right, but they can't do that right away because they don't have any visibility.

Literally, they can't see a foot or more past themselves. In other words, they can barely see their hands. This is going to be such a very, very dangerous job underwater, but the ultimate goal is to use underwater torches to cut that metal down. And then, Tom, you know, one of the reasons why some of those who died in this terrible accident could not be found is because of that visibility you were just mentioning. Do we know where that search stands for those four people that are still missing? They had to suspend operations again today, diving operations, because it was so dangerous on the weather was really. really not cooperating. It was very unsafe for divers to return, and those four workers remain missing in the water. All right, Tom Costello, we thank you for your reporting.

Now to power in politics and former President Trump hitting the campaign trail across the Midwest today, Trump taking his hardline message on immigration in Wisconsin and Michigan after a Grand Rapids woman was allegedly killed there by an undocumented immigrant. Gabe Gutierrez on the ground in Michigan for us tonight. Tonight, former President Trump on a battle ground blitz with this rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Do I have your word? You're going to go out and vote? And this stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Both states, President Biden narrowly won four years ago. Mr. Trump zeroing in on the border crisis, highlighting the murder of 25-year-old Ruby Garcia here last month. Authorities say the suspect, her romantic partner, is an undocumented immigrant who'd previously been deported during the Trump administration. Not one more innocent life should be lost to Biden. migrant crime. Mr. Trump slamming President Biden for rolling back restrictive Trump border policies. Under the Trump administration, we had a tough policy of getting the bad people

out. A new survey shows 64 percent of Americans disapprove of President Biden's handling of the border, including three and ten Democrats. If you don't have a border, you've got problems and they're importing them all over the country. But studies suggest migrants don't commit crimes at higher rates than American citizens, and Democrats argue Mr. Trump is trying to exploit Garcia's death. They blame the former president for killing a bipartisan border security bill in Congress. These billboards are now going up in the crucial swing state. Donald Trump has not wasted any time in grandstanding and clamoring for the camera to come here. The former president also fighting legal battles on multiple fronts. The judge in his hush money trial just expanded the

gag order against Mr. Trump to include the relatives of court staff after Mr. Trump on social media attack the judge's adult daughter, who's a political consultant for Democrats. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump just posted a reduced $175 million bond in his New York civil fraud case, preventing his properties from being seized while he appeals the case. I had to put up a bond this morning for $175 million. I did nothing wrong. Meanwhile, back at the White House today, President Biden took a significant call. He spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping for an hour and 45 minutes, the White House calling the conversation candid and constructive.

Among the topics, TikTok, with President Biden reiterating concerns over the app's ties to China. Tom? All right, Gabe, thanks for that. Staying with politics, we want to turn out of the battle for Florida. There was a time in this country when the race for the White House ran right through the Sunshine State. Take a listen. You just stayed with these simple boards. You wouldn't have those problems.

Those high flute and computers, Tom. This is the answer. Get it right. That was our dear colleague, our late colleague, Tim Russert, former moderator of Meet the Press, talking about the importance of Florida in the 2000 election with that iconic whiteboard, you may remember. But in the 24 years since, times have changed with Florida becoming something of a Republican stronghold. Since former President Trump flipped Florida read in 2016, he and his fellow Republicans

have run the table in the major state. white races. You see it right there. But a ruling this week from the Florida Supreme Court may throw a wrench in that winning streak. The court allowed a six-week abortion ban to take effect, but also green-lit a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state's constitution, giving Democrats hope one of their biggest issues in 2024 will put Florida back in play. In a new memo first obtained by NBC News, the Biden campaign says Florida is winnable this year for President Biden. It reads in part, President Biden, Vice President Harris, and their commitment to fighting back against Donald Trump and Florida Senator Rick Scott's attacks on reproductive freedom

will help mobilize and expand the electorate in the state. So could we be going back to the good old days when Florida, Florida, could decide presidential elections? Let's ask our political pros tonight. Julia Manchester, she's a national politics reporter at the Hill, Nikki Frye, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, and Carlos Corbello, former Florida Republican congressman and an NBC News political analyst. Thank you all for being here. Nikki, I'm going to start with you. do you think Florida is winnable for President Biden?

Without a doubt. We're going to go back to that white board. Florida, Florida, Florida. All eyes are on our state. You know, really since the last year and a half, we have seen this trend of building a wide coalition of Democrats, Republicans, and independents that are frustrated with the extreme MAGA policies that have come out of Tallahassee here in our state. So now that we have abortion on the ballot, again, it's going to be a referendum of what has happened at Tallahassee, but also quoting the Republican legislature who passed this. accountable as well as Donald Trump, who made this all possible.

And Rick Scott, who said he would have passed and signed that six-week abortion ban that now will be the impact here in the state of Florida. Carlos, you're a resident expert when it comes to Florida. Is this for real or is this a Biden head fake to get the Republicans to spend a lot of cash in Florida? Well, Tom, it is true that like in the rest of the country, abortion is a liability for Republicans in the state of Florida. And I do think that this could have an impact down. ballot. I don't think it will be enough to tilt the state from becoming a reliably red state

as it has over the last few years to being a state where President Biden could actually win, at least not where things stand today. But certainly this gives Democrats a path to relevance in the state again. It gives them an excuse, a reason to get their base motivated. And I do think it could have an impact down ballot. You know, Julia, when we talk about, you know, the impact this ballot measure could have in Florida, we think about other states. even states like Kansas, where it has had effect. Do you think this is going to happen in 2024 in November? You know, it very well could.

And if you look at the past, you know, state elections, recent state elections, you don't have to go much farther back than Alabama last week when we saw a state house race really flip in that deep red state because of the candidate campaigned quite a bit on abortion. You know, it's quite, it's very well possible. But look, it's going to take a lot of organization from Democrats to really build. back up. And I think, you know, talking to Republicans, you know, over the past couple of days, it has somewhat taken them off guard. I mean, I think they thought that Florida for the races

in 2024, whether it's the Senate presidential race, that this was essentially in the bag for them. And while they do have certainly an advantage in the state, Democrats are, I mean, Republicans are going to be forced to pay more attention to Florida than they wanted to. And maybe that means spending more money in Florida and having to allocate those national resources differently. So I think this certainly will play a role. And, you know, and I could see Florida going the path of Ohio, a very similar state in that it was once a very reliably swing state. Now it's more red. I could see Florida potentially enshrining abortion rights in its constitution like Ohio did. Julia, you know, I do have to ask you because you're the independent

voice here, though. The knock on Democrats was that they were not as organized in Florida. enough attention to Florida. They lost their focus on places like Miami-Dade County. And that's the reason why Republicans were able to make inroads. I mean, the clock is ticking. Can you fire that back up in time for the election? Well, full disclosure, I'm from Florida as well. So I definitely like the rest of it. Yes, sort of. But, you know, to be honest, I was actually talking with Cherfried earlier today. And she was talking about how this really began years ago. I mean, you know, in 2018, when they really started to build back up. And we've seen. that even though they've lost, you know, some House seats in recent elections, there still has

been an effort to organize, and part of that effort can be seen in the measure that will be on the ballot. That's a result of it. So, you know, in terms of, you know, can they, you know, gear up in time, I think potentially, but it's going to be an uphill climb. We know that Rick Scott is a very formidable opponent. We know that Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, the Republican machine is very strong in Florida. So it's going to be an uphill climb. Chair, Frieden, I guess you have the stage now. I mean, are you guys organized in Florida? Yes, we are. I took over as chair last year, February of 2020, and actually tomorrow is going to be the one-year anniversary of me being actually arrested on abortion rights. I was protesting

outside of the Capitol. And we're seeing that energy and momentum everywhere we go in the state of Florida, whether it is red areas, whether it's rural areas, are consistent. in blue areas. We are organizing. We are motivating our voters. We're motivating our grassroots volunteers. And we're seeing an impact because the other thing is not just about abortion. But right now, Florida has become the most unaffordable state in the nation with the highest inflation, three times that of the national average. The extreme measures that have been coming out of Tallahassee, whether it is book banning, whether it is going after LGBTQ plus community, whether it's going after the environment and now, of course, reproductive health care,

people in the state of Florida, not just Democrats, but Democrats, Republicans, and independents are frustrated with the type of leadership that is coming out of Tallahassee. They're going to hold Republicans and Ron DeSantis, as well as Rick Scott and Donald Trump accountable for the mess that has been here in the state of Florida. You know, Carlos, when I think about the governor's mansion, when I think about the U.S. senators from Florida, it's been a long time since a Democrat was elected. I do want to ask you, are Republicans still invested? Are they still on the ground?

Are they not taking Florida for granted this time around? Tom, Republicans have been very aggressive about growing in this state, and the numbers show they have been extremely successful, especially when you look at the voter registration numbers, and specifically in the Hispanic community, you mentioned Miami-Dade County, but it's not just Miami-Dade, it's Central Florida. Two Republicans have made major inroads with Hispanic communities, and now that has turned the same. state and more reliably read. So I really do think, and you know, I do my best to call it honest for your viewers, I think what's most likely to happen is that this abortion ballot language will likely pass with over 60% of the vote, but Donald Trump will still likely carry this state.

Now, some of these state legislators who are responsible for the six-week ban that Trump himself has criticized, they have to be careful because down-ballot, this issue could really be harmful. Carlos, in your opinion, is Florida a red state? Is it purple? What do you think it is? at least pink, Tom. It is definitely no longer a purple state. It's very hard to make that case when you look at the voter registration numbers, when you look at the fact that all the statewide elected officials are Republicans now. This is a red state. Democrats can still compete here. This gives them some momentum. This gives them an opening, but they have a tough hill decline. Chair, free, we have about a minute. What is your pitch to Democrats to invest in Florida when you

hear that, those facts from Carlos? You don't count Florida out. Florida's worth fighting for. We are the belly of the beast when it comes to MAGA extremism. If you want to protect democracy and the soul of the nation, you've got to come here to the state of Florida. So we are sitting in a moment here in our state, really kind of getting to this point in the last 24 hours, where now we have abortion on the ballot. So Florida is in play. Don't count Florida out and come and join us at Florida Dems.org. All right, Chair Freed. We appreciate you. Carlos Crabello, always a pleasure. Julia Manchester, always a fan of your work, and now I know you're a fellow Floridian,

so I like you even more now. So we're going to have you on much more. Guys, thanks so much for joining Top Story tonight. Still ahead, the search for two Kansas moms who vanished. The two friends reported missing after they failed to pick up their children, where authorities discovered the abandoned car that they had been driving in, plus dramatic video showing a deadly avalanche in Switzerland, an American teenager among those killed.

And missing the boat, eight passengers on a Norwegian cruise ship stranded off an island off the coast of Africa after they failed to get back to the ship on time. The update late today on where those tourists are now and what to do if you ever find yourself in their shoes. Stay with us. Okay, we're back now with a cruise vacation gone terribly wrong.

Eight passengers on a Norwegian cruise stranded on an island off the coast of Central Africa after they failed to return the ship at the scheduled call time. They missed it by about an hour. Those travelers then making their way through seven countries to finally meet up with the ship days later.

NBC's Josh Letterman has the details. Tonight, a dream vacation turned into a nightmare. A group of cruise passengers, including some who were elderly and one who was pregnant, stranded on a remote island off the coast of Africa. It was still anchored right off the harbor. They didn't come back to get us.

So we were stranded here. The eight passengers, six Americans, and two Australians were at a port stop on the island nation of Sao Tome, where they went on a private tour, not organized by the cruise line. Jill and Jay Campbell were among those stranded. They were supposed to be back on the ship by 3 p.m., but missed the all-a-board call by more than an hour, according to Norwegian. We were on a tour of the island. We got an issue on the tour, but they didn't do us back in time. They say their tour guide alerted the crew and that the island's coast guard even tried to get the group to the ship, but the cruise line would not let them on board. Norwegian cruise line saying in a statement, while this is a very unfortunate situation, guests are responsible for ensuring they return to the ship at the published time, which is communicated broadly over the ship's intercom in the daily print communication and posted just before exiting the vessel.

After what we've witnessed, I mean, we truly believe that, you know, although there's a set of rules or policies that the ship may, they have followed, they follow those rules too rigidly. The crew delivered their passports to local officials in Sao Tome, but many in the groups say they were still left without their money, medicine, and other important documents, as they then set off to rejoin the crews at another port stop. Very difficult process. You're dealing with multiple languages, language barriers. You're dealing with different currencies, currency exchanges, finding someone that even has dollars. The couple says they've traveled through seven countries in 48 hours, first stopping in Gambia, the next port stop. But the boat could not dock there due to weather. Then they arrived in Senegal. During an appearance on the Today Show, they said they were starting to doubt continuing their journey. We are considering whether or not we are going to board the ship. We believe there was a basic duty of care that they had forgotten about. So it does concern us.

But Norwegian tells us tonight all eight passengers did eventually reboard the ship and says, despite the series of unfortunate events outside of our control, we will be reimbursing these eight guests for their travel costs from Bangor, Gambia, to Dakar, Senegal. Let's go! This isn't the only time cruise passengers have failed to. return for their scheduled time. They better start running. The strict cruise ship boarding times causing several recent viral moments of passengers

rushing to get back on board. Cruise industry experts say there are real reasons why ships have to keep a tight schedule, including safety staffing requirements and the timing of other ships coming into dock. They say that's one reason passengers should bring a credit card and an ID with them into port just in case for some reason they miss the ship. Tom? All right, Josh Lederman for us. For more on the cruise ship chaos, I want to bring in the cruise guy himself, Stuart Chiron.

He's an expert on all things cruise lines and cruise travel. Stuart, thanks so much for joining Top Story. It's great to see you again. Is this cruise ship, is Norwegian? Are they in the wrong here? No. Essentially, it's like you miss your flight. They missed the ship.

This wasn't anything that NCL caused. And I could tell you that these passengers were not one hour. It was more than two was probably close to three hours when you take into consideration. the passengers had to be identified as being not having returned. They had to have crew go to their cabin, search for, and retrieve all the passports, and keep in mind that this ship was not docked. It was anchored offshore. So they had to get those passports in a tender boat to their port agent, which was located ashore,

and the passengers were still not there. But, Stuart, you got to have the tender landing. Yeah, but the boat's still there. You have a woman who's pregnant. Some elderly passengers. Can't, couldn't they have just made an exception here? Well, you know, keep in mind that they were well past their departure time. The tender platforms, the steel, the large steel doors were already closed.

This ship was essentially getting ready and just about ready to sail. It would have caused tremendous delays. The only thing they could have done was, you know, have these passengers, you know, climb up a wooden ladder like the pilot does to get on and off the ship, which would have been way too dangerous. There's a lot of safety issues that go into this. You think this is bad PR for Norwegian because they eventually let them back on the boat. So they must have been reading some of the headlines.

Well, no. The passengers are able to attempt to rejoin ships on most itineraries. This isn't the first time passengers have missed a ship. It's certainly not going to be the last. But hopefully a lot of people will learn some lessons from this about what to take off with them. make sure they've got cell phones, make sure you've got your travel insurance, you know, available, and make sure that you know what time and you get back. In this case, I mean, they were really late. Yeah, you know, those are all great tips. I'm glad you gave that to our viewers,

because I'm sure people may be stuck in a similar situation. These passengers had traveled through several African countries as they were making their way back to the ship. Do you think they'll have any type of case for a lawsuit if they want to sue Norwegian? Well, again, the fault is on the passengers, not the cruise line. And the good news is that the cruise line was working with the passengers in order to get them the necessary visas so they could get through all these different countries and be able to rejoin the ship so that they could enjoy the last, you know, several days of this vacation. Stuart, let me give you a scenario real quick here.

Let me give you a scenario real quick. You're on the ship because you follow the rules, but your family, your best friends, they don't make it. What do you think should be done? Leave them? Well, if they're late and the ship has got to go, remember, there's, listen, there's thousands of other people, passengers and crew, they've got other ports, other itineries, other destinations to which to get to. In this case, you know, they did wait.

They were, you know, exceptionally late. And, you know, they had to get to the next port. They had to get going. Unfortunately, in this case, I think they waited enough. And, you know, these passengers did what they were supposed to do, and that's get themselves to the next port. Stewart, always great talking to you. Thanks for joining Top Story tonight. My pleasure. When we come back fighting an alligator, new video shows a gator ranger in Florida.

But take a look at how old he was. That's right. The kid here seemed coming over to help. What we're learning about this young helper next. We're back now with Top Stories News Feed, the decades-long legal battle over the Tulsa Race Massacre, making its way to Oklahoma Supreme Court. The two remaining survivors, both who are 1009 years old, are seeking reparations. They allege the city of Tulsa was complicit in the 1921 massacre and that the effects are felt by survivors and their families.

They're asking the state's high court to reverse a lower court's dismissal of the case. In 1921, a white mob burned the predominantly black greenwood neighborhood to the ground. killing 300 people and leaving thousands homeless. A wild scene caught on camera on a highway near Jacksonville. New video shows the Gator in a Wrangler's grip, fighting with barrel rolls and gaping jaws. And then a child is seen stepping in, shocking some bystanders. He was the Wrangler's young son and helped tape up the Gator's mouth.

As his father secures its limbs, the gator was eventually hauled into a car. No one was hurt. And the end of an era in Las Vegas, the famed Tropicana Casino closing its doors today after six. 67 years. It was known for welcoming stars like Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor and for its iconic cameo in James Bond's 70s films. Diamonds film Diamonds are forever. It is set to be demolished in the fall to make way for a $1.5 billion major league baseball stadium. Okay, now to the

suspicious disappearance of two missing moms in Oklahoma. Officials say they were traveling together to pick up children but never showed up. Their car found it abandoned on the side of the road. NBC Stephen Romo has the latest on the search. tonight the urgent search for these two missing women from Kansas now expanding across state lines we are unsure where these women are or what happened to them that unknown is what has created it suspicious for us at this time authorities say 27 year old baronica butler and 39 year old jillian kelly were traveling together near the kansas oklahoma border to pick up their children on saturday but never showed up to their destination Monica's blue Kia SUV later discovered abandoned and a remote part of the Oklahoma panhandle. Sheriff's office deputies approach the vehicle and these women are gone and they're nowhere to be seen. Officials say their search was hampered by the extremely rural area where the car was discovered. The law enforcement looks for local buildings, houses, businesses for possible cameras to see maybe where the car was parked,

wherever it was going, where the women might have gone. But in such a rural area, that's what's made it so challenging for us. According to authorities, no threats against the women have been reported, but Veronica's family members tell NBC News she had been engaged in a custody dispute. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation now turning to the community for help. It's very, very important for us for people to continue to put in their tips and whatever information they may have that could help the case. At an Easter Sunday service, a local church coming together to pray for a safe return. Lord, we lift up Jillian, we lift up Veronica, we pray for their safety. Stephen Romo, NBC News.

We turn out of Top Stories Global watch and a check of what else is happening around the world. We start in Switzerland, where an American teenager and two others were killed in an avalanche. New video shows the avalanche barreling down a mountainside in the resort town of Zermat. Three bodies were found buried in the snow, including a 15-year-old from the U.S. A 20-year-old man survived and has been airlifted to the hospital. We also have an update tonight of the luxury watch scandal out of Peru. Lawmakers in Peru submitted a request to Parliament to remove President Dina Boroarte after police raided her home as part of a corruption investigation.

Six cabinet members have also resigned amid the scandal. As we reported yesterday, prosecutors say she violated laws by not disclosing several luxury watches, including a Rolex. She will now face questioning on Friday and is being ordered to. to bring the watches with her. And Egypt's president swore in for a third consecutive six-year term. President Al-Sisi was re-elected in December after running against three unknown candidates.

He won nearly 90% of the vote with more than two-thirds of Egypt's 67 million registered voters casting a ballot. In 2018, a general referendum allowed him to run for a third six-year term. Okay, coming up, can you put your boss on Do Not Disturb? A proposed California bill would allow employees, to ignore after-hour calls, text, and emails from work.

The assembly member who proposed the legislation joins Top Story, along with someone who does not agree with the proposal, the debate over whether Americans have the right to disconnect after this break. I swear, this is my break. This is my chance. This is my boss. I'm sorry, Don't I have to take. take this. Hello, Miranda. My flight has been canceled. It's some absurd weather problem. I need to

get home tonight. The twins have a recital tomorrow morning at school. Picture this. It's just like that scene out of the devil wears Prada. It's after work hours and your boss calls or sends you a text to check your email. Do you ignore the message and risk your boss's wrath or do you abandon your evening plans? Well, a new bill aims to help employees avoid this conundrum by giving them a quote, right to disconnect from emails, text, and calls after hours. It was announced Monday by Assemblyman Matt Haney, a San Francisco Democrat, who joins Top Story Now, and John Ferrari, an employee at the Startup Financial Tech Company, GFT Rewards in Santa Clara, who not necessarily is on board with the legislation.

Assemblyman Haney, I want to start with you. What motivated you to introduce this bill? Well, it's an issue I've heard a lot about from my constituents, from my family, friends. Now that we're 24-7 available with our smartphones, many people feel like they can never turn off. They're always working. They're always having to respond to text and emails. And there's a solution, which is over a dozen countries around the world, most recently, Australia, France, Ireland, Portugal, many countries with great startup cultures, have a right to disconnect where companies and employees are required to have a policy where they're clear with each other about what work hours are. If they're long work hours, fine.

If they're a regular, fine. But let's at least be clear what are those times when employees are able to rest or disconnect or just be with their family? And I think for California, this is a great thing to be able to attract high-skilled workers and to be able to make sure that we can compete with a lot of these places by offering this work-life balance for the people who live here. So, Assemblyman, how would you enforce the boundaries? Well, you know, so you require a company to have a policy around it.

They agree and consent in their contract with the employee, and then they're supposed to follow it. It's not out to punish anybody or get anybody. It's intended to create this explicit agreement around what work hours are. But if a company violates it, but if a company violates it, what, then you find them? Yes, so if a company has a intentional and recurring pattern of violating it, not one time, then there can be an investigation and there can be fines. So it's intended to deter, but there is the possibility of fines. But in most places where this exists around the country, around the world, people follow it.

And then there isn't a lot of fines, but there is the potential for enforcement. John, I want to turn to you now as somebody who works at a startup, what are your concerns with a bill like this? Well, I think when I think about what we're trying to accomplish at GFT, we're very mission-driven. And we're not necessarily governed by a clock, rather. We're governed by the objective, which is creating value for the people that will be using our platform. I think the concern that I would have is that anything that can stifle innovation in Silicon Valley, which is, I think, is one of the things that makes California such an incredible place would be a concern for me. You know, I really think that any cap that we put on people's capability could set us behind.

You know, I think the world is a very competitive place today, and I think that California ought to be looking for reasons to bring business here and to encourage entrepreneurship and encourage innovation. I think as with workplace culture being as flexible as it is today, I'm in an office myself. if I come into an office every day. I think it's so important that people are committed to the mission that they're a part of it, whatever company they may be at. Assemblyman Haney, what do you say to that, right? This country was built on capitalism,

it was built on hard work and innovation, and sometimes that happens after hours. Well, there's nothing about this bill that would prevent those type of long hours or regular hours. If that his company's policy was, you need to be available to work at any time, if that was their policy and employees agreed to it, they can still have that policy.

I would imagine that there might be some conversation with some employees about certain hours where they don't want to be available. And if they consent to that and the company agrees, then that's fine. So, hey, so, a second minute, I believe you can do a scenario with you, right? The Today Show, which is on way earlier than you're up, because the time difference in California, obviously in New York, but say that Today Show wants to get you on their show and they want to call you and it's the middle of the night for you, what are you going to do in this situation? How are you going to be able to contact your age

or how are your aides going to be able to contact you? Wouldn't that necessarily break your rules? No. My rules would be that there would be situations that are off hours like that where they would need to be available. So that wouldn't violate the rules that I have with my employees. And it sounds like it wouldn't violate those

that you would have. Of course, there are certain situations, types of jobs where you need to have that irregular type of... You don't want it to be a habitual problem where people are sort of abusing... I don't want it to be done without an upfront consent around what the policy is. A lot of folks right now just feel like they have to be on 24-7 all the time they're being contacted for work emails and all of that. And they didn't consent to that.

And there wasn't a clear policy. And they weren't even given a chance to say, hey, on these types of times and hours, as a general matter, not in emergencies or one-offs, I'd like to be able to be with my family and I won't be available. And so with a smartphone, because you're so available, this can be a reality. I think California actually is competing for high-skilled workers, and if we want to have these startups, and we want to be achieving the way we have for many years, we're going to have to offer some work-life balance. And right now, we don't have that culture. John, yeah.

John, you know other countries have adopted similar legislation for at least some of their workforce, as the Assembly had mentioned. I can remember growing up, and my dad in his line of work, he had to have a beeper, which he hated. And yet now in 2024, you do check your phone all the time. in our business. You check your phone all the time to see what's happening and people are reaching out to you. Do you think it makes sense to do this? I mean, I don't know if it makes America better that we're constantly glued to our phones and constantly connected to work. I think that first off, it's up to any individual with the company that they choose to work for. You know, I choose to work for a startup that's really inspiring with people that want to innovate,

and I think that what's special about our company is that we're really trying to inspire a shared vision, both with the people who use our financial services, but also within the company. itself. I've also lived internationally. I worked in London for multiple years. So I haven't worked in a country that has those specific regulations, but I've seen taste of it working across Europe. Say, for instance, a lot of people go offline in August or at 5 p.m. in Germany, the phones come off. And, you know, I just think that the way that Silicon Valley has been built and the way this country has been built is, frankly, around the clock work. And I think if you're signing up to work for a startup and you really want an opportunity, you know, you can create your own

opportunity. And the last thing I really want to say on this note is, you know, I really believe that anyone can make it in America. And if you're willing to work hard and you're committed to your work, you can be successful here. And that's not the same in all these other countries necessarily. John Ferrari, Assemblyman Haney, we thank you for your time. It was a great debate. When we come back, a risky rescue operation near the Golden Gate Bridge, a man slipping and falling more than 50 feet clinging to a cliff for nearly an hour. Straight ahead, you'll hear from the pilot and the deputy who saved his life. Why, they say it was one of the most dangerous missions of their careers. Stay with us.

Finally tonight, we're ending with a cliffhanger. Two brave members of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department, racing to save a man who slipped and fell and was clinging to a rock near the Golden Gate Bridge for almost an hour. What they told us tonight about how they pulled off one of the most dangerous missions of their careers. Here's our Savannah Sellers. Clinging to this cliffside near California's Golden Gate Bridge, a terrible. man in desperate need of rescue. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office says he fell from a recreational area.

You can see him here holding onto the gravel rock face, his feet bare. Rescue crew Henry 1 using thermal imaging to locate the man, 50 to 60 feet below the hiking trail, after a distress call came into the Southern Marin Fire Department. Hey, don't let go, man. After setting up for a long line rescue, the chopper hovers close by. Tactical flight officer Lawrence Mattelli then deploys. retrieve the man who had been hanging on for almost an hour. Right here, through, here you go.

Carefully placing him into a rescue harness. Grab your crotch and we lift up, okay? Grab your crotch. My fears we were flying in there was that I was going to watch this guy fall to his death. The chopper then ascends with the officer and victim attached by a cable. I got you, brother. Landing at the top of the cliff, where officials from the fire and rescue department gave the victim a medical evaluation.

As far as my personal experience, this is definitely one of the probably more dangerous rescues. The deputies with years of experience and rescue operations under their belt say this one was uniquely challenging because of poor vision in the night. I barely had any footing. The pilot and I, we have great communication. So the whole time we're talking to each other, giving him height callouts and then where we need to basically where he needs to put me in order to try and save this guy. I have to be very, very precise with where I put Larry, and then that's complicated at night time because of the lack of depth perception, lack of peripheral vision. A team working in tandem prepared for any scenario. We're very lucky. We get a lot of training, and this is exactly what we train for. It's very important to be ready, because when you get a call like this, there's no warming up, there's no practicing. You arrive on scene, and it's a go time.

Savannah Sellers, NBC News. Our thanks to Savannah for her help with that, and we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.