Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, February 14, 2022

Episode Date: February 15, 2023

Survivors of the Michigan State shooting speak out as tributes pour in for the 3 students killed, a possible guided Russian missile kills an American medic in Ukraine and his wife speaks to NBC News, Nikki Haley announces her 2024 run for president, "Rust" production will resume this spring, and the families of the Parkland school shooting still fighting for gun reform 5 years later.

Tonight, the killer on campus, the deadly rampage at Michigan State University. Panic students running to take cover as the lone gunman opened fire in two locations. Eight students shot, three of them killed. Tonight we'll speak to one student who says she was on lockdown for hours, terrified, hiding under her bed, what she did when she heard the gunshots ring out. Plus what we're hearing from the father of the suspect about the moment he, quote, turned evil, and the tributes pouring in tonight for the lives cut tragically short. Blown out of proportion, the U.S. recovering critical pieces of that Chinese spy balloon,

including sensors and electronics, more than a week after it was shot down, but the White House now admitting the three other objects, the military shot down, were likely benign, commercial, or research balloons. The growing criticism from lawmakers tonight. The dramatic new images out of Ukraine showing the moment a misdemeanor. Exploded near an envoy of volunteers killing an American medic. Why experts believe this was a targeted attack by Russia. This says Ukrainian troops are running out of ammo. Richard Engel on the front lines with tank operators now having to ration what they have left.

Challenging Trump, Republican and former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador Nikki Haley officially announcing in a new video that she's running for president. Going head to head with her former boss, Donald Trump. So how good of a shot does she have and does her candidacy actually help Trump? Plus what Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said today about his potential bid for the White House. Also tonight, the shocking video showing a New Zealand pilot who was taken hostage where he's being held tonight. And turning the tables, the incredible moment a cashier wrestled a giant knife away from a crook, then chased the coward away with his own weapon.

Top story starts right now. And good evening. We begin top story tonight with the chilling new details, a lone gunman going on a deadly rampage on the campus of Michigan State. The first shots reported just before 8.30 last night. Students seemed frantically running. Mass shootings so common, these kids likely knew exactly what was going on. Some even jumping out of windows as cops rushed in to find the shooter. A new video appearing to show the gunman. You see him here in. marching through the campus. Authorities today revealing that shooter who later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound had a prior weapons charge and could not have legally owned a gun. And tonight his father telling NBC News, his son turned, quote, evil and mean after the death of his mother. By the end of his deadly assault, eight students had been shot across two locations, five of them tonight in critical condition in the hospital.

And tragically, these three students were killed. sophomore Brian Frazier, who was studying business, junior Alex Werner, remembered as an outstanding student and athlete and junior Ariel Anderson. She had hoped to become a pediatrician. Their death's part of the 67 mass shootings just this year. And another staggering number tonight, more than 338,000 students have experienced gun violence firsthand since the Columbine shootings back in 1999. The issue is so pervasive, some students experiencing this nightmare twice. Here's what we mean. Tonight, you'll hear from one Michigan state student who survived the Sandy Hook shooting back in 2012

only to relive the same horror again last night on her college campus. Her life, like those 338,000 others, forever changed by what she experienced. In a moment, we will be joined live by a second student who sheltered in her dorm during the deadly rampage. These are the images she took in those frightening moments hiding under her bed. But first, Maggie Vespa is on the campus tonight and leads us off. Run! Tonight, terror on a college campus. And another community shattered.

I could hear gunshots like directly behind my head. I just grabbed my backpack and my phone. And I just remember I just ran for my life. Authorities in East Lansing say just before 8.30 Monday night, frantic calls came pouring in from the Michigan State University campus. We got multiple victims at this time. Investigators say a masked gunman seen here on surveillance footage roamed MSU's open campus, first firing shots inside an academic building.

We had officers in that building within minutes, and in that building they encountered several students who were injured. Minutes later, more gunfire in the nearby student union. We cannot keep living like this. In all, eight student shot, three killed. Brian Frazier, Ariel Diamond Anderson, and Alexandria Werner, reportedly studying biology and anthropology. Her high school saying she exemplified kindness. The five wounded, in critical condition, doctors overwhelmed. Meanwhile, a manhunt was underway.

Police working with the FBI releasing surveillance images of the suspect. 17 minutes later, the crucial tip. A citizen IDing the suspect as Anthony McRae, a 43-year-old with no known connection to MSU, police say he took his own life hours after the shooting. His father telling NBC News McRae turned evil and mean after his mother's death. Investigators highlighting McRae's record, most recently pleading guilty to a misdemeanor weapons charge in 2021. He was ineligible to possess or purchase a firearm. So one of the things that we're going to need to know is, how did he get that?

that weapon. In East Lansing, the horror still fresh. Tell me about the frat house. He came really close. Yeah. During the rampage, freshman Gage Thoreau sheltered in his dorm room with a dozen others, a neighbor's camera capturing what appears to be the gunman walking near his fraternity house. Nobody knows how to digest this. People are walking around campus really, like, scared. Jackie Matthews knows that fear. A senior at MSU, she's from Newtown, Connecticut, and was inside a nearby middle school under lockdown during the Sandy Hook Massacre. This needs to be more than a new story tomorrow. Unfortunately, multiple people reach out to people who have experienced other mass shootings

who are at Michigan State, and there is nothing that will ever, ever be okay about that. A generation all too accustomed to mass shootings, now the target of America's latest. Maggie Vespah joins us now live from East Lansing, Michigan tonight. Maggie, I want to go back to those victims who lost their lives. Do we know anything more about them? The three who lost their lives, Tom, are being honored and remembered, as you can imagine here on campus. In fact, we've heard that there's a memorial for Ariel tonight just scheduled here in the next few hours. But those tributes are pouring in just about the things that, you know, you would want people to know about your friends.

As we said, Alex being remembered as somebody who, her school is saying exemplified kindness. Ariel was someone who purportedly loved kids and wanted to be a doctor. So everybody just wanting to make sure they were remembered for the things they loved in their lives and just the best of them, basically, as this community grieves. And so young. And do we know anything about the motive here? Because this shooting was so strange in the sense that it appears this man, it's unclear his connection to the school, but he just wandered onto campus and started killing people. Exactly. It seems like he has no connection whatsoever to MSU.

He was never a student here. Authorities say he was not a staff member here. And they say, frankly, right now, his motive as to why he chose this school, this campus is a mystery. And kind of adding to that mystery, one of the twists that authorities revealed today was that they found that note. You might have seen this headline, a note in his pocket after, again, he died by suicide. And in that note, authorities say he made threats against two schools in Ewing, New Jersey, which they say the suspect has ties to. They didn't reveal what those ties were or anything more about the threats. But as a result, the district today there also canceled classes.

Okay, Maggie Vespa with a lot of new reporting for us tonight. Maggie, thank you. As the country grapples with another mass shooting, the Michigan State community mourns the loss of three of their own. We are joined now by Nadine Badoon. She's a junior at Michigan State University who was on campus during this shooting. We should point out, Nadine, we know tonight you're at your parents' home because staying on campus for you was obviously too troubling, and we understand that.

How scary was last night? Last night was unbelievable. I still didn't comprehend what happened. I didn't deepen what happened at all. Talk to me about what happened around 8.30. I'm not sure when you heard the first gunshots, but we know we have these photos of you, and you physically were hiding under your dorm bed,

and you were under lockdown? Yeah. I barricaded myself. I got many phone calls from my friends saying, that there was an active shooter. Also, there was an email. And so I decided to put a dresser in front of my door and turn off all the lights and turn off all my electronics sounds and just hit under the bed for three and a half hours. Did you know what was going on? I mean, there are so many mass shootings now in America. Were you completely aware of, oh, this is now happening on my college

campus? I would never have expected it to happen to me. It's one of those things that you just never expect to happen to you. I still can't believe it happened. I still can't believe I heard gunshots next door from my dorm. I can't believe that I heard helicopters on top of my dorm. I can't believe any of it. Do you think this is going to sort of weigh on you and the MSU community in the years ahead? Yeah. I... I do feel like it's going to be hard to recognize campus the same anymore. It's going to be hard to get used to it again. It's going to be hard to look at my dorm the same.

To look at the buildings that I travel to every single day, Berkey, the Union, all of those halls that I have classes in, that I study, and that I eat in. It's going to be different to recognize them the same from now on. There are several students who were injured in the shootings, three who lost their lives. Have you thought about them today? Yeah, absolutely. It's very sad. It's so sad that I was able to go home and all my friends were able to go home.

But there's these people that warrant it's not fair. Is there anything you want to say to our viewers at home or to people who may be watching who went to school with you? College is such a special time. It should be a time of a lot of happiness and growth. and now it's been marred by this horrific mass shooting on your campus? Yeah, I feel like we shouldn't just forget about it, like any other. It's not as a country, like we need to stop moving on so quickly from these events because they need to be stopped.

They need to be paid attention to so that they don't keep happening over and over again. Nadine Bade Dune, we thank you so much for joining us tonight. We know it's a tough time for you, and we hope you at some point. you can return to campus. And a programming note, we're going to have more on what happened at MSU and, of course, the five-year anniversary of the Parkland shootings later on in the broadcast. But we do want to turn now to another major headline that we have been following here in Top Story, the growing mystery around those high-altitude objects.

The U.S. military has been shooting out of the sky. And now, defense officials announcing the recovery of significant debris from that Chinese spy balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina. NBCD's chief foreign affairs correspondent, Andrew Mitchell, reports on this new evidence. A potential breakthrough on the search in the Atlantic for debris from that Chinese spy balloon. Crews have recovered what U.S. Northcom called significant debris, including all the priority sensors and electronics as well as large sections of the structure. But big questions tonight about the shootdowns of the three smaller objects last week. The White House said today those

unidentified objects, which it's told Congress are likely balloons, could be for benign commercial use or academic research. The Joint Chiefs Chairman acknowledging it took took two missiles to bring down one of them. On the fourth one over Lake Huron, first shot missed, second shot hit. The missile landed harmlessly in the water of Lake Huron. That lake is several hundred feet deep. The debris search will take time. They may never find the wreckage from the two others in the Yukon, where a C-17 unloaded

equipment Saturday night and Alaska. That's up in some really, really difficult terrain in the Arctic Circle with very, very low temperatures in the minus 40s. Senators in both parties not satisfied after a classified briefing today. 95% of what was discussed in that room today can be made public without compromising the security of this country. The American people need to know more, so they'll have more confidence in our national security. Did you get the answers you needed today? Well, I don't think we have the answers yet, and that's part of the frustration that not only we in Congress have, but the public has.

Some who have been brief now asking if those small objects were really a threat and worth the price of shooting down. The Air Force estimates the cost of taking out the four high-flying objects is more than $2.5 million. I would ask you to reflect on how many airliners have been brought down by balloons in recent memory. All right, Andrea Mitchell joins Top Story tonight. Andrea, give us a sense of those lawmakers. It sounded like some were frustrated and others may have thought the shooting down was unnecessary. No, exactly. Republicans, of course, but also Democrats, so this is bipartisan.

This is the Intelligence Committee, which tends to not be that political, at least that's the tradition. And both parties are really frustrated. They're not getting enough information. They don't think what they learned was truly classified that the American people could be told it. And there's pressure for the president to actually go public and explain all of this to the American people. And that leads to my next question, Andrea. So do you think President Biden feeling this pressure will eventually address what's going on here? I would expect that. Nothing's been decided yet. They're doing an interagency review.

The FBI, in fact, is now looking at the components from those sensors and the other electronics that they've now salvaged from the Atlantic Ocean from the Chinese spy balloon. That was the serious one, which was actually spying. The others, they say, now, was not, most likely. And to see whether any of those actually were exported from countries with export controls or even American companies, and that could lead to criminal action if American companies are illegally exporting sensitive, you know, technical materials to China. All right, Andrea Mitchell for us tonight. Andrea, thank you for that. We take you now the war in Ukraine for an in-depth report. One of our teams there has been working on for several

days. It involves the killing of an American volunteer medic. Pete Reed died after he and his team were hit by what appears to be a guided Russian missile. they tended to an injured Ukrainian woman. NBC News has obtained video that shows the attack in the seconds it unfolded. Freeze frames actually show the missile in the milliseconds before it hit the team of paramedics. Ralph Sanchez has those visuals and the investigation into Pete Reed's death on the battlefield. Huddled at the side of the road, a group of medics tend to an injured Ukrainian woman. If you look closely at the right side of your screen, you can see a missile appear.

And then, frame by chilling frame, it streaks towards its target, this white van. The impact exploding the van into a fireball. The attack killing American medic Pete Reed, his final moments spent trying to save the injured woman's life. Reed died on this street in the besieged city of Bakhmut two weeks ago. The 33-year-old was part of a group trying to evacuate civilians as Russian forces closed in. Mickey watched Smokey and the Bandit's night. NBC News has verified the footage and experts tell us the missile appears to be a Russian-made cornet, a guided weapon designed to destroy tanks.

The volunteer who took the video says he has no doubt who pulled the trigger. Do you believe that your team was deliberately targeted by the Russians? Of course. All the evidence that we hold at the moment, it was targeted. They waited us till we get to complete stop. She says the Russians attacked with a second missile less than a minute later, and that none of the medics were armed, making the attack a potential war crime. Russia denies targeting civilians.

ankle fractured from the looks of it. Reid, a former U.S. Marine from New Jersey also worked as a medic in Iraq during the fight against ISIS. I sold some fight left in me. I could use my medical for good. It was there amid the chaos of war, he met his future wife. He fell in love super fast. He was funny.

He was goofy. He always made me laugh. They were married less than a year. The awful call coming as Alex, a nurse, worked the hospital night shift. I mean, I was angry, obviously, that he was targeted. It's infuriating, but at the same time, it was a comfort to know that his death was absolutely immediate.

Alex traveling from Alaska to Ukraine to bring her husband home. If you had one last chance to speak to him, what would you say? that I was super proud of him, that he was very loved, hope people can see his life, and remember that it's super important to be present with the people that you love and remind them every day. And with that, Ralph Sanchez joins us tonight from Kiev.

Raf, the images of that missile hitting the van and killing Pete Reed. Talk to us about the verification process you went through and that experts looking at this video figured out that indeed this probably was, most likely was a targeted attack. Yeah, Tom, a couple of steps here. The first was to geolocate the video, to prove that it was, in fact, shot in the city of Bakhmut. One of our colleagues in London was able to compare the houses you see in the background of the video to satellite images. So that satisfied us that the video was authentic.

And then, as you said, the images of the missile are so clear. We were able to show them to two military experts, and they could tell us, with confidence, that this did appear to be a cornet missile, which is a very common weapon used by the Russian military here in Ukraine, Tom. And then, Raf, talk to us about what's next for Pete's family. We heard you speak to his wife there. She's going to now travel to Ukraine to try and get that body back to bring it back to the states. Yeah, they are mourning their loved one, Tom, and they are seeking accountability.

We know from Pete Reed's family that the FBI has the video that we showed you at the top of the piece. We know that there are also two other videos out there, which have not yet been made public. One is a dash cam from one of the vehicles. The other is footage from a GoPro that one of the medics was wearing. So there is more evidence out there about what happens in the city of Bakhmut. But Tom, we should be realistic here that the prospects of the U.S. government successfully prosecuting a Russian soldier for the killing of Pete Reed are pretty slim. Maybe nearly impossible. Ralph Sanchez and his team with an incredible report out of Ukraine there. We want to stay in Ukraine. Another troubling headline, tanks on the front lines of the war are actually running out of ammunition.

This is something another one of our teams there has seen firsthand. Ukrainian soldiers saying their ammunition stockpiles are dwindling and their Soviet-era tanks are breaking down. Richard Engle has the latest on this ongoing battle. Ukrainian tanks on the front lines are running out of ammunition. say stocks are so low, they now only shoot when they can see their enemy. We use as little ammunition as we can, but still it's disappearing, says a battalion commander codenamed the saint. Can you stop this Russian offensive? Now we can only hold them off, he says, but nobody knows how long we can keep doing it. Their equipment is just too old. Get in now.

This tank, like most Ukrainian tanks, is about 50 years old. And spare parts are a problem. Ammunition is a major problem because Ukraine isn't making ammunition for these old tanks anymore. They are using the stockpiles that they already have, and those stockpiles are quickly running out. Russia still produces ammunition for its Soviet-era tanks and has huge reserves. But here in Ukraine, tractor mechanics are keeping the old machines running. and scavenging from destroyed Russian tanks until health arrives. And it's not just tank rounds.

NATO is now warning Ukraine is using so much ammunition of all types that Western allies cannot provide it fast enough with new orders taking up to two years to deliver. An officer here told me it's simple. The longer it takes for ammunition to arrive, the more Ukrainians are killed. Tom. So simple and yet so troubling.

All right, Richard Engel for us. Richard, thanks. Back here at home into power and politics. Now, the race for 2024 already heating up former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley now announcing a run against her former boss, President Trump. She's getting in early and what's likely to become a crowded field. NBC's Ali Vitale is on the campaign trail for us in South Carolina. Nikki Haley making it official. I'm running for president. In a video, the former South Carolina governor touting her roots in the state. I was born and raised in South Carolina, so I have seen the very best of our country. A first-generation American story. I was the proud daughter of Indian immigrants. And while not naming her competition, taking what seemed like digs at former President Trump. It's time for a new generation of leadership.

I don't put up with bullies. And when you kick back, it hurts them more if you're wearing heels. Trump's one-time ambassador to the United Nations, now his first official challenger. though likely not the last. Former Vice President Mike Pence is also expected to run. Today, a source familiar with his plans telling NBC News, he'll resist a subpoena to testify in the special counsel investigation of Mr. Trump's denial of the 2020 election results.

And Florida Governor Ron DeSantis asked today when and if he'll jump in. Wouldn't you like to know? All right, Ali Vitale joins us now from Charleston. Allie, you literally wrote the book about women running for president. You'll remember back in 2016, former President Trump had some choice words for the only female GOP candidate, Carly Fiorina. Do you think the president will come after Nikki Haley that way? And one of the strategies here, at least some people think, is that former President Trump actually wants more people to run so he can fracture that GOP vote in the

primaries. Look, I could see that theory of the case playing out well for Trump. And certainly that's something that people in his orbit are thinking about. But other contenders, and I'm not just talking about Nikki Haley, Tom, are also thinking about the ways that they can differentiate. themselves. I mean, you look at Nikki Haley making this argument not against Trump explicitly, but citing things like the need for new leadership and generational change. Trump can't change his age. Haley represents not just a new face in that she is a woman of color, but also someone who is younger and thusly a new kind of person to represent the Republican Party. She's probably got our long road ahead of her, Tom. It's part of why she announced so early. But when it comes

to the way that Trump might take her on, we've already seen him try to cite the fact that she previously said she wouldn't run in 2024 if he was running. Now, clearly, we know they're both in this race, and she's kicking things off tomorrow with a rally here in Charleston. And then there were two. All right. Allie Vitale for us, Allie, we appreciate it with Nikki Haley throwing her hat in the ring as the second GOP candidate. What are her chances for 2024? I want to bring in our panel tonight, NBC News Political Analyst and CEO of Voto Latino, Maria Theresa Kumar, and NBC News political analyst Brendan Buck. He was a counselor to House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Guys, thank you so much for joining us tonight. Maria Teresa, I want to start with you. If you were to give that campaign announcement ad a grade, like a report card, A to F, what would you give it? Well, if I had never known who she was, I would actually say that's probably a B and would peak my interest. But if you actually see what her record was while she was then governor, then you would actually be able to recognize that she speaks on both sides of her mouth. principally as a woman who was, she was desperately against any type of abortion.

It was perpetuating abortion bans. And I think that's going to be one of the biggest dings that she has going into the race. When you look at Trump, he doesn't say necessarily that he's anti-choice. And that, you know, in some screwy way when we saw what happened in Kansas, may actually benefit him. You know, Brennan, I found the ad kind of interesting for a Republican primary. At times, if you close your eyes and just listen, you may have thought it was an ad for a Democratic primary. I say that because she talked a lot about race, and in 2016, we'll remember, former President Trump launched his campaign with racially charged language against Mexico and talking about building a wall. Yeah, it also felt a bit like a general election ad.

It had a lot of vibes of maybe Mitt Romney in 2012. The problem is, I'm just not sure that's what the Republican Party is looking for. I think Nikki Haley would be a tremendous general election nominee. I think she would be a great fresh face for the party. The question is whether there's an audience for that. And polls show that she doesn't really resonate a whole lot. So she has a lot of work ahead of her. Look, she may be right now in fourth place in her own home state.

I know getting in early has some of its advantages, but we are a much more populist party than we used to be. We're much more isolationist than we used to be. The most interesting thing from that ad for me, though, is she said she's going to kick back against bullies and whether or not she's going to be able to just say, time for a new generation, that's nice, but it's probably not enough. You probably also need to take on Donald Trump.

Nobody's really been willing to do that, but maybe she's signaling she will. And to be clear here, there is no known Nikki Haley base within the GOP right now. That's exactly right. Yeah, that is one of the things that Bucket's me. Yeah, Brian, you go ahead and then bring a treatise, I can ask you, yeah. Yeah, you look at polls and she's, she barely registers.

she's at 1%. I think it is a mistake to say somebody who is not the leader in an odd year is necessarily out of it in an even year. We've attached ourselves to people like Scott Walker and Rudy Giuliani and been proven wrong, but long road, big hill to climb for her. Yeah, you know, Maria Theresa, I want to ask you about the point that Brennan was making earlier about the state of South Carolina. He's right.

If Senator Tim Scott, who is incredibly popular with the GOP, throws his hat in the ring as well, they're going to be competing for the hometown vote in their state of South Carolina, which is always an important state in the primary calendar. Going to be more important with your party this year, clearly, but still an important state for Republicans. So this even hurts her, I mean, if Tim Scott does come in. Well, I think it's more of what Brendan said in the beginning, is that she doesn't really have a base within the Republican Party, and that's going to be her biggest challenge.

What I found curious was the fact that Trump actually said, you know, kind of shrugged his shoulders. He said, let her get in the ring. And that's because he does recognize that the more candidates that come into the ring. He does have a loyal base that will come out for him. And having Nikki Haley come in, the only person right now that gets hurt is DeSantis. DeSantis is actually they're going to be counting after the exact same kind of moderate, independent Republicans. And I think that is why Trump says, you know, the water's warm, come on and come on in. It's a great point. That leads to my next question with Brennan. Now, Brendan, how many people, as somebody who has ties to the Republican Party, how many people, would it start to make you feel

nervous that Trump could actually take it all with his maggot support. How many people would have to throw their names in like four or five? Yeah, not a whole lot, four or five. Look, Donald Trump has anywhere from 30 to, it's not a majority, but anywhere from 30 to 40% of the party who will choose him first. You think he could still have up to 40%, Brendan. You think he could possibly in some states up to 40% still? Absolutely. I look at it, it's kind of cliche to talk about lanes, but you've got Donald Trump, who's himself. You've got never Trumpers who are, I think, are pretty small. Then you've got people who I think are sort of Trumpist, but maybe more electable. And I would put maybe a Ron DeSantis in that category, maybe a Ted Cruz, if he

were to run. But then you've got a lot of other people in the category where I think they're trying to be more traditional Republicans. And that's a very crowded field for, I think, a pretty small portion of the vote. And that's Nikki Haley. That's Mike Pence. That's Tim Scott. That's Glenn Yonkin. Lots of people who want to be, you know, what they used to be 10 years ago. and see if that still sells. You're splintering the vote really quickly. And if Donald Trump's 30%, even if it's just that, is very loyal, that's plenty to win a plurality in a lot of these states

where you win the delegates if you just have a plurality. Yeah, Maria Theresa, before we go, I do want to ask you about the big news on the Democratic side. Senator Feinstein's not going to run for re-election. She announced this. Who do you think is lined up for that seat there in California for that Senate seat? And could we possibly see a senator shift in the future? Well, I mean, you could have, you know, Katie Porter, basically, has put it in her hat.

She has roughly $8 million. Schiff has almost $30 million. And former Speaker Pelosi has already said that she is endorsing Schiff. One of the places that we're looking for, though, is whether or not Barbara Lee puts her hat in the ring, she has $60,000. This is going to be an incredibly expensive race for an incredibly blue state, that is basically all Democrats and all are very formidable. But I do think that Adam Schiff is going to be the one that is going to be. lead the race for the establishment while Katie Porter is going to lead the race for the independent small dollar donor. It's going to be a battle. It'll definitely be a battle. It'll be a good race

to watch as well. I want to thank both of you for joining Top Story tonight. We will definitely check back in with you later in the campaign season. Tonight we're also tracking twin winter storms, bringing heavy snow, rain, and dangerous winds to the west. Take a look at this snow today in Las Vegas. Sin City. Seen temperatures in the 30s. What? Is that really snow? Maybe it's something else in Vegas. Anyways, winds topping 60 miles per hour, 97 million Americans across the west currently under wind alerts. Let's get right over to Bill Karens to walk us through the next few days. Bill, I don't know if I've ever seen that. It's happened occasionally. Every now and then it happened, same with Phoenix, but rarely. And Phoenix is going to be mighty cold come tomorrow morning

too and in the Thursday. So here's our two storms. One's heading over Iowa. This is the second one now brewing in the four corner region. So let's start with the first one of my concerns. Flash freeze tonight. Be very careful heading out in the Minneapolis area. Tomorrow morning, it's going to be icy. It rained all day today. Temperes tumble tonight. Blizzard warning for the Fargo area. 60 mile per hour winds overnight.

Wind chills dipping down the negative 15. You do not want to get stuck on the roads later on tonight. And then a snowstorm develops in Denver and heads out into the central plains. This will be a powdery light snow. Shouldn't cause too many power outages, but travel will be difficult from Denver all the way towards Omaha. And then Wednesday evening, isolated severe storms. I don't think we're going to get a ton of severe weather tomorrow. as we head into late Wednesday night, early Thursday, and then during the day Thursday, this is the time I'm concerned about if we get tornadoes.

The best chance we'll be here in Tennessee and Kentucky as we go through Thursday afternoon. Again, severe weather in middle of February, possible all the way up to Ohio. I mean, that's how unusually crazy warm it's going to be. And then Friday, all that rain goes to the east coast and top. It's also going to be incredibly warm. Seventy in Cincinnati, Boston and New York, near record highs. It's time we get the Thursday in the mid-60. I can't wait for that.

All right, Bill. We appreciate it. Still ahead tonight. The surprise witness called the Alec Murdoch trial. Murdo's sister-in-law taking the stand. What she says Murdoch did in the days following the murders that raised her suspicion, plus the dramatic confrontation inside of a mini-mart. Watch this. The cashier taking a knife from a crook to stop an attempted robbery. We'll tell you what happened after. And a major update from Hyundai and Kia, how they're beefing up security in their vehicles following those string of thefts due to a TikTok challenge. Stay with us. Top story just getting started on this Tuesday. All right, we are back now with new emotional testimony in the Alec Murdoch double murder trial. The sister of Murdoch's slain wife taking the stand for the prosecution. NBC's Katie Beck has this one.

On the stand Tuesday, with striking resemblance to Maggie Murdoch, her older sister, Marion Proctor. Is that the last time you talked to her? Yes. Testifying through tears about the night she learned her sister and nephew were murdered. I didn't think it was true. I said there has to be a mistake. Recently released police body cam footage also shows Alec Murdoch emotional that night. Distrutt and pacing when police arrive.

It's official that they're dead? Yes, sir. That's what it looks like. Proctor recalls a conversation with Murdoch in the day. after the murders, when she says he oddly claimed his top priority was then to clear Paul's name in the boat crash case. I thought his priority should have been focusing on finding out who killed Maggie and Paul. She recalls Murdoch's devastation, but says they never discussed a search for a killer, despite concern from the family, that one was on the loose.

I think everybody was afraid, and Alec didn't seem to be afraid. The defense questions focused on family dynamics, especially in the time just before the murders. Do you believe Alex's relationship with Maggie was? It was good. It wasn't perfect. But Maggie was happy. And I think she was happy. We expect to hear more testimony tomorrow about what the defense calls Murdoch's botched roadside suicide attempt. The man, they say Murdoch hired to shoot him. a potential witness on the list. Tom? OK, Katie, thank you for that.

We turned out of some bizarre and surprising developments in the production of Rust, which announced today that filming will restart this spring. And now NBC News confirmed this evening that Alec Baldwin will return in his positions as both actor and producer. This says he faces both civil suits and criminal charges in the death of cinematographer Helena Hutchins.

Naila Charles joins us now from L.A. with more on this update. This is so strange. Alec Baldwin is charged with involuntary manslaughter and could face a trial. How would filming resume if he's still involved, plus all the people that were on that sent when the first incident happened, having to work together again? Right, Tom. It's really strange. A spokesperson from Russ Movie Productions tells NBC News that Baldwin will be returning, like you said,

as an actor and producer when filming resumes in the spring. And we've also reported that will happen somewhere outside of New Mexico. It's possible the trial could be delayed, and if so, it may not interfere with filming at all. But one of our legal experts says if the filming and trial do happen at the same time, it would be difficult to accommodate both, since as a defendant, Alec Baldwin, must be in court for trial. He says the defense could even try to delay by arguing that the filming is important to all of those production jobs. Baldwin could also waive his right to a speedy trial, but the judge may be concerned about that being perceived. as biased towards a rich Hollywood actor.

It's also possible that prosecutors could use Baldwin's continued involvement in the film to further prove what they're calling a pattern of recklessness. Tom? Yeah, and we also understand that Helena Hutchins' husband is also going to have a role in this film? Yeah, that's really interesting. According to the press release, her husband, Matthew Hutchins, will be an executive producer for the film. In October, he settled with Alec Baldwin and the production company. for an undisclosed amount after filing a wrongful death claim.

Joel Sousa, who was also shot in the incident, will also be returning as director, Tom. In a statement, he says, although this is bittersweet, quote, every effort on this film will be devoted to honoring Helena's legacy and making her proud. It is a privilege to see this through on her behalf. In addition to that, Helena's husband will be an EP on a new documentary about her life and work on Rust.

Rust movie production says the documentary, will also show how her death has impacted her friends and colleagues. Tom. Okay. And then finally, is safety still going to be a concern on that set? I have to imagine it is. Well, Rust movie production says it will have new safety officers on set. No mention, though, of the film's original armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was also charged with involuntary manslaughter as a person who was in charge of weapons on set. An attorney for the production company says the production has been cleared by all of high. Hollywood's unions and guilds, also saying all working weapons and ammunition will be banned from

the set. That, of course, includes live ammunition. But a film safety expert we reached out to says putting the film back into production is a highly questionable decision, saying that if they don't increase the film budget, they will run into even more problems. Definitely a lot of pressure, Tom, as the industry and world watch this closely. Tom. All right. Naila Charles from a very windy Los Angeles tonight. Okay, Naila, thank you for that report. When we come back, a parking job gone horribly wrong in Utah. Take a look at this, a driver slamming through the front of this pizzeria. While the owner says the situation could have been much, much worse, if not for the Super Bowl, we'll explain.

All right, we are back now with Top Stories News Feed and the cashier in L.A. fending off a crook, armed with a knife. Take a look at this. New surveillance video shows the suspect brandishing a kitchen knife pointing at the employee's stomach and demanding she opened the register well. The employee somehow wrestled the knife from the attacker, chasing him out of the store.

No one was hurt, but police are still searching for that suspect who likely is still running. Now, another wild scene caught on camera. This one at a restaurant in Salt Lake City. New video showing a car smashing right through the front window of this pizzeria after a driver hit the gas. Instead,

of the break while she was trying to park. The owner says, luckily, no customers were inside at the time because the restaurant was opening later than usual after the Super Bowl rush. There were employees inside at the time, but no one was hurt. And a consumer alert, Hyundai and Kia are rolling out a software update to more than 8 million vehicles to prevent an uptick in thefts. As we've reported here on Top Story, there's a viral TikTok challenge right now. It demonstrates how to use USB cords to steal certain types of vehicles.

The thefts have been linked to more than a dozen crack. and eight deaths. The update that they're doing now includes an anti-theft sticker to deter attack, a longer alarm, and the need for a physical key instead of a push start. All right, time now for Money Talks. What consumers and investors need to know from the business world and beyond, and new numbers show inflation eased slightly in the new year compared to last year. That's a good news, but it's still high and in a worrying sign, inflation rose from December to January. See that right there. NBC News Business and Data reporter Brian Chumman. joint's top story right now to break down all of this for us. And Brian, I guess one of the things

that was scary is when you look at the year over year numbers, things like natural gas, airfare groceries, sky high. Yeah, all high. I mean, look, broadly speaking, Tom, the inflation report shows that prices are still really uncomfortable for Americans. And you can see just the categories ahead of you, right? Natural gas up 27% over the last year or so. And you can see, again, things like eating out, just going out to get groceries for cooking at home. Those all got enormously more expensive. But I want to point out that most of the drive in inflation was actually due to shelter, just the cost of putting a roof over your head, higher rents and mortgages contributing to high inflation. Did consumers get relief anywhere? Are we seen any prices come down?

Yeah, well, there were some price declines in things like airline fares over the month. We also saw used cars and trucks go down. That's a very big component of inflation as well. That seems to show that maybe the supply chain issues with cars are alleviating, although new cars still remain very expensive. But broadly speaking, again, things are getting more expensive than they are getting cheaper, although you might be able to find some price categories that did see price declines. And used cars were out of control just a couple of years ago. I mean, really well, especially during the pandemic. I know you had a chance to speak with somebody who owns a chain of grocery stores in the Midwest. What did they tell you? I mean, I know they're trying to fight to get

better prices for consumers. Yeah, Tom, for most Americans, the pain of inflation is coming at the grocery store and food at home increased by 11.3% over the last year. I spoke with the CEO of HiV. a grocery chain based out of the Midwest in Des Moines, Iowa. And he was essentially telling me that he's trying to negotiate with their suppliers, the likes of a PepsiCo, the likes of a Procter & Gamble, to say, can we try to at least stop the price increases or maybe institute price cuts in some cases? Because consumers are going to say, we're not even going to go and buy those goods anymore. We're going to trade down, which is happening right now.

Consumers are saying maybe instead of the Oreos, we're going to go with the cheaper store brand, private label cookies, which are a little bit cheaper. By the way, those private labels are often owned by these types of chains. which gives them more leverage when they try to negotiate with the large multinationals. Could this person forecast of when prices will at least get a little bit better for consumers? Yeah, well, his expectation was that prices will not flatten even in the beginning of this year. That's because of some of the lingering impacts and the delays by which some of these producers have been increasing their prices over the last year and into the beginning of this year.

But optimism as he, and by the way, other retailers and grocers as well try to negotiate with their suppliers that they can get prices down maybe in the tail end of this year. All right, Brian Chung for us. Brian, we always appreciate your analysis. Thanks for joining Top Story tonight. Okay, when we come back, Top Story's Global Watch, a pilot being held hostage by a rebel army in Indonesia, the wild video they've released and what they're demanding.

That's next. All right, time now for Top Stories Global Watch, and we start with rebels in Indonesia, releasing new images of a pilot who's being held hostage in the Papua region. New video from the West Papua Liberation, Army appears to show the captain alive, surrounded by armed men. He was kidnapped last week after landing in a remote region to pick up construction workers who were building a health

care center there. The rebels are demanding the Indonesian government recognize West Papua's independence. And the first ever Marburg virus outbreak has been confirmed in the Central African nation of Equatorial Guinea. The World Health Organization says the highly infectious and often deadly virus has killed at least nine people. More than 200 people have been quarantined and 16 additional suspected cases of the virus have been reported. Health officials say the virus spread by bodily fluids can have a fatality rate of 88%. In an update to a story we've been closely following, Nicaragua's government has now voted to strip expelled prisoners of their Nicaraguan citizenship.

More than 200 political leaders, activists and journalists were released last week and sent to the U.S. in an unprecedented move by President Danielle Ortega. Experts say revoking their citizenship is a violation of international law. Okay, now we take you to Turkey where the death toll of last week's earthquake is now more than 41,000. A staggering number that is unfortunately still climbing. But amazingly, rescue workers are somehow pulling survivors from the rubble eight days later. NBC News foreign correspondent Matt Bradley is there for us tonight.

Tonight in Turkey, rescue workers still finding miracles. Like these two brothers, 17 and 21 years old, pulled from the Russians. a bubble, amazingly, still alive after a hundred and ninety-eight hours. The last thing I saw was the ceiling tumbling on me, he says. And an astonishing sight for these rescuers peering into the darkness and seeing the outstretched hand of a 65-year-old survivor later pulled out after nearly nine days. But rescues are becoming rare. Teams are increasingly focused on recovery and rehabilitation, especially for children.

It was a shock for me, 13-year-old Abd al-Qadr told us. I heard that so many of my classmates are dead. We met 7-year-old Ahmed, now living in a tent and reliving a nightmare. How do you feel now? Are you still scared? I'm not afraid anymore, he told me, but I'm still afraid of that lightstand that might fall down. A psychologist in this camp told me that even though people here have lost their homes, they've found a community. Strangers are stepping up, caring for children whose parents are gone, but the emotional scars are well below the skin.

One of my kids makes very scary drawings, this mother of three told me. He's drawing dead people with exes on their faces and ambulances. I hope it'll get better. And there's been so much concern about humanitarian aid, not getting to those who need it, but after a week of diplomatic pressure, Syria's regime just agreed to open up two more border crossing to let in more of that aid. Tom? A major development there for the people of Syria

who have been suffering so much. Okay, Matt Bradley for us, when we come back, remembering the victims of the Parkland massacre, the Michigan State shooting happening nearly five years to the day since 17 people were killed inside of a Florida high school,

how their parents are honoring them as they push for change. All right, we are back now with calls for change as America grapples with yet another school shooting We're also remembering the 17 people killed five years ago today at Marjorie Stomond Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Sam Brock with a look at how their parents are honoring their memory and trying to prevent these tragedies from happening again and again.

For parents, spouses, and siblings who had their lives upended and heart shattered five years ago to the day by a murderer at Marjorie Stomond Douglas, a day of reflection included beautiful portraits. we pause to honor those we love. Comforting words from faith leaders. May God heal our community and bring us back to a place where there is nothing but goodness everywhere we look. And acts of kindness all across Broward County. But no truly safe space from tragedy. Not then. Not now. I don't have the ability. I can't even pull up the ability of denial right now that it has

been five years. And I tell you, it's like, okay, fine. I've done my five years. I've done everything I can possibly do. But, okay, Scott, it's time to come home now. It's just time to come home. I've done five years. It's time to come home. Linda Beagle's son, Scott Beagle, was a teacher, a camp counselor, and a hero who shepherded 31 students into his classroom, saving their lives. There's a memorial fund in his honor that sent more than 400 at-risk kids to summer camp. It's one example. of an outlet for parents and grieving families determined to turn the worst chapter of their life into a powerful life-saving legacy. There were too many parallels, not the least of which was watching

students die in school again. Tony Montalto is talking about Yuvaldi, but in the hours after this interview, there was also Michigan State. Montalto lost his precious daughter, Gina, who he says was the first one to reach out to new students, an avid reader, artist and member of the color guard. continue to do what I need to do to extend Gina's legacy and the legacy of the 16 others that were taken that day. Her death, he says, will continue to propel new laws and policies, like the initial package in Florida, requiring a single point of entry at schools, more rigorous mental health screenings, and gun safety reforms, like raising the state's purchase age for firearms to 21. Every time we pass a policy or a law that can make other students and teachers

safe at school. We're going to do that because that is part of their legacy. Their lives and the lives of everyone that's been taken in a school shooting can't be in vain. As the March for Safety continues, a new memorial also springs up. Montalto and the Parkland 17 organization have paved the way for a sanctuary on this 150-acre reserve where each loved one will be honored, their lives, not their deaths. The media will get on there and say, this could be upsetting to you. might want to turn away. No, don't say that. Look at it. Look at what it does. I'll take my son. I'll show you pictures. Look at what an AR-15 assault rifle does. Look at the damage. The damage that even on this day of remembrance lives in the souls of far too many families.

And Florida is considering legislation that's a virtual lock to pass that would make the state the 26th in the country to allow for concealed carry with no permit and no training either. With so much progress on gun reform in the last five years, the families that I've spoken with nearly to a person say that that effort is unacceptable. Tom? All right, Sam, we thank you for that, and we thank you for watching Top Story Tonight. I'm Tom Yamis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.