Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Episode Date: July 24, 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, Vice President Kamala Harris kicking off her presidential campaign in her first rally since entering the 2024 race. Harris firing up crowds of energized supporters, contrasting her record as a prosecutor with former President Donald Trump's legal issues. Two top Democrats who stopped short of backing Harris now falling in line will speak with Massachusetts rep Catherine Clark on the party's swift decision to embrace the vice president after. weeks of the vision. And President Biden seen for the first time since making his historic announcement to drop out. The president set to address that monumental decision in a prime time speech. Also tonight, Harris's search for a running mate. Speculation swirling about who will join her on the Democratic ticket. The process moving swiftly as her campaign requests vetting materials from five potential choices. Who's on the short list with just weeks to go until the Democratic

National Convention? Stepping down, the U.S. Secret Service Director handing in her resignation, the announcement following fury over her agency's failure to prevent the assassination attempt on former President Trump. Sentencing outrage, a nursing homeowner avoiding prison time after a deadly hurricane evacuation. The businessman accused of forcing hundreds of older adults to write out a major hurricane in deplorable conditions. Travel meltdown, thousands of flights canceled, and travelers left stranded after a global IT outage sends airlines into a tailspin. Delta now under federal investigation as it struggles to recover. We speak with an expert on what your rights are if your

flight is impacted. National Park explosion, a geyser eruption sends rocks and debris flying, forcing visitors to run to avoid getting hit. The startling situation at Yellowstone National Park. Plus returning history, a museum in Nashville sending nearly two hundred 150 artifacts back to where they came from, the group of curators choosing to repatriate their valuable collection, hoping to inspire others to follow their lead. And the jaw-dropping discovery off the coast of Brazil, we will explain why sharks, sharks, are testing positive for cocaine. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis.

Tonight, Vice President Kamala Harris's presidential campaign putting the pedal to the medal with less than four weeks until the Democratic National Convention and a little over 100 days until the election. Her fight for the White House is in high gear. Today, Harris holding her first rally since she jumped in the race just 48 hours ago. The Democratic frontrunner for the nomination met with cheers from an invigorated crowd. Harris using her speech to sharply contrast her time as a prosecutor with former President Trump's legal problems. And Vice President Harris is not the only one gaining support of pledged delegates,

but more key endorsements pouring in from top Democrats. President Joe Biden has made the selfless decision to pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris, who is ready, willing, and able to lead us into the future. Delegates throwing their support behind Harris' top Democrats and the campaign also smashing fundraising records, raking in more than $100 million in the hours after President Biden exited the race. Her team saying 62 percent were first-time donors. Three of the most recent polls still show a very tight race between Harris and Trump.

Two polls have Trump up by two points, and an NPR PBS Marist poll has Trump up by just one point, all within the margin of error. Right now, the Harris campaign dialing in on who could be her running mate. These candidates are topping the list just ahead. We will explain how they could further shake up this already unprecedented race. And today, President Biden back in Washington, D.C., spotted for the first time since making the monumental decision to drop out. Tomorrow, he will address the nation on that choice and what the next few months of his presidency will look like. We have a lot to get to tonight. So NBC's Peter Alexander starts off our coverage.

Tonight, Vice President Kamala Harris holding the first rally of her presidential campaign in front of an energized crowd in critical Wisconsin, embracing her likely showdown with former President Trump. I will proudly put my record against his any day of the week. Pitching herself as a former prosecutor. going after her political rival, a convicted criminal. I took on perpetrators of all kinds. Predators who abused women. So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump's type.

Zeroing in on Mr. Trump's praise of the Supreme Court for overturning Roe v. Wade. We trust women to make decisions about their own body and not have their government tell them what to do. The raucous event coming just hours after Harris became the de facto Democratic nominee. Her campaign announcing she's secured public support from a majority of the party's delegates ahead of next month's convention. Tonight, winning another pair of key endorsements from the two most powerful Democrats in Congress. We are here today to throw our support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. And today, Hollywood star George Clooney, just two weeks after urging President Biden to drop out,

praising him for saving democracy once again and hailing Harris's historic quest. Late today, President Biden, who has now tested negative for COVID return to the White House, where he'll address the nation from the Oval Office tomorrow night, detailing his decision to leave the race following immense pressure from Democrats and to lay out what he hopes to do in his final six months in office, that much more difficult now as a lame duck. Mr. Trump today off the trail, but on his new message, now attacking Harris. He's the same as Biden, but much more radical.

She's a radical left person, and this country doesn't want a radical left person to destroy it. He is running-made J.D. Vance overnight, accusing Democrat elites of disregarding the primary process that President Biden won. Democrats are the ones who want to throw out 14 million ballots and not elect Kamala Harris, but select Kamala Harris. It's disgraceful, and that's the threat to American democracy. And Peter joins us now from the White House. Peter, former President Trump today was asked if he would now debate Vice President Harris. What did he have to say? Yeah, Alison, you're right. Mr. Trump said that he would absolutely debate Vice President Harris. He added that he'd be willing to do more than one debate with her. But tonight, the Harris campaign says in those same comments, Mr. Trump also appeared to be hedging whether he would show up for the previously planned September debate, Ellison. And Peter, you spoke about the president's speech in your piece. Are we learning any more details about what President Biden might talk about?

I think we are getting a better understanding that he's not just going to detail, explain why he decided to get out of this race, but also try to better detail what he hopes to do in the course of the next six months. As we noted, it's much more difficult to do as a lame duck president. But there are a series of priorities based on my conversations with those here at the White House. He's going to focus on trying to open up the spigot to start. sort of dish out the hundreds of billions of dollars in federal money that has been passed and signed into law by the president, including that infrastructure money to help support roads and bridges and airports around the country. Separately, there are almost 50, 48 to be exact, vacancies in

the federal judiciary. Another point where the president, if Senate Republicans let him, will try to fill those slots. And beyond that, of course, is his desire to help find a ceasefire given the awful war between Israel and Hamas. Alison. Peter Alexander on the north lawn at the White House. Thank you. The search also intensifying tonight for the person who could join Vice President Harris's ticket.

NBC News now reporting the campaign has requested vetting materials from five candidates, the shortlist covering more than half of the 2024 battleground map. NBC's Jamish Alcindor takes a look at the Democrats who have made the cut. Tonight, Vice President Kamala Harris ramping up her search for a running mate. Her campaign requesting vetting materials from five elected officials, according to two sources familiar with the process. And when we fight, we win! The candidates on the short list include four governors, Pennsylvania's Josh Shapiro, North Carolina's

Roy Cooper, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and Tim Walts of Minnesota. Arizona Senator Mark Kelly also joining the list. Together, they represent more than half of this year's battleground state, which will likely decide the election in November. Certainly they have to be a unifier, unify and continue bringing our party together. They have to have expansion capabilities, meaning expanding the electorate. They certainly have to be able to draw a true contrast, not just between Donald Trump, Trumpism, and Trump's Project 2025, but also be able to draw the contrast between Trump's pick to be his, running me, J.D. Vance. Shapiro, a young Democratic Party star, rose to prominence as Pennsylvania's Attorney General. Then he earned a blowout win in the 2022 governor's race, outperforming Biden

and polling well with Republicans. President Biden yesterday endorsed Vice President Harris, as did I, as did many across this country, not only because of how honorably she has served in the past, but how absolutely ready she is to be president. to be the standard bearer for our party. Today, Shapiro denying he submitted any vetting materials. Did you say that no paperwork has been submitted to vet you as a vice presidential candidate? The other breast belt governor under consideration, Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer. She's a political powerhouse known for taking on former President Trump.

But despite throwing her support behind Harris, today I am fired up to endorse Kamala Harris for president of the United States. She has said she would not accept an offer to be her running mate. Another Midwesterner, Minnesota Governor Tim Walts, would offer Harris a progressive voice from the area. But he doesn't have the name recognition of the others on the short list. We've got a great candidate. We've got one that folks lined up behind Kamala Harris, that they're making the case that

this administration is moving us for. Roy Cooper of North Carolina offers Harris an ally with strong bipartisan support and a strong track record on abortion. I've known him for almost two decades, and he is an extraordinary leader. So far, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly is the only candidate on the list from the Southwest and the only one who's been to space. Kelly and his wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, have become leading gun control advocates after her attempted assassination in 2011.

We can have a president and a vice president who wants to fix our broken immigration system and keep families together. Vice President Harris is working against the clock as she makes her choice. Tell NBC News that Democrats would like to have a VP nominee by August 7th to make sure their candidates get on the ballot in all 50 states. And Yamish Alcindor joins us now from Wisconsin. Yamish, this is normally a process that could take months. Harris has two weeks.

Max, what exactly is this going to entail? Well, that's right. Vice President Kamala Harris really has to work quickly here. She wants to get this right, but she also wants to make up for lost ground because this has been a ticket, of course, that has been in flux in a way that we've never really seen a presidential ticket be in flux. That being said, what the process is going to tell is a number of things. The bipartisan policy center says that this means that she's going to be looking at financial

records, background checks, online activity, social media. She's also going to be interviewing the candidates that maybe get closest to that shortlist when she goes to look at sort of who are the finalist for her running mate. But I also have to tell you that in talking to sources close to Vice President Harris, there's really going to be a vibe check here. Who does she feel comfortable with? Who does she feel like she wants to be on the road with? Who does she really trust in this process?

And because she's sitting vice president right now, she wants someone who's going to be able to see her blind spots, is what one source told me. Someone who's going to be able to sort of give her wise counsel and constructive criticism and be able to really talk to her in a candid way when it comes to making decisions, both on the campaign trail. But, of course, if they make it to the White House, someone who could also take up policy issues

that she might not be able to have on her plate as president if she, of course, wins this election. So a lot to take in here. But it's really going to be about the person who she feels most. country with and also someone who she feels like will help her be former President Donald Trump at J.D. Vance in November. Allison? Yamish, thank you. Vice President Harris getting the endorsement to be the Democratic Party's presidential nominee from the top two Democrats in Congress,

adding to the list of high-ranking Democratic leaders supporting Harris, including our next guest. Joining us now is Minority Whip for the House of Representatives, Democratic Congresswoman from Massachusetts, Catherine Clark. Thank you so much, Congresswoman for your time tonight and joining us here on Top Story. We really appreciate it. Let's just jump right in because you have officially endorsed Kamala Harris as the top of the Democratic ticket for the next president of the United States. Are you confident that she is the person most likely to beat Donald Trump come November? Allison, I am supremely confident. She brings a rich experience in leadership, AG, of the largest

state in the country, a U.S. senator, a very successful vice president. And you can see how her stepping into this spot to be our nominee has electrified, not just the Democrats, but people all over the country who realize the threat that Donald Trump is and see in her a way to have their voice in the White House, to have their voice in these discussions. She is a champion for women and our right to make our own health care decisions. And she is so focused on lowering costs for families

and building an economy that works for working families. So you can see it from the vast number, 58,000 volunteers, $100 million in funding, and so much of that from first time donors. So we are excited and energized to make Kamala Harris, not only our nominee, but the next president. What do you think would be top of the list if there was a President Harris day one in the Oval Office? Would it be some of the health care things you mentioned, women's rights?

Where do you think the Democratic Party and the White House under Harris? Where would they begin? Yeah, I think she has been a champion and the spokesperson for the Biden-Harris administration on reproductive freedom. because she understands that these decisions should be between a woman and her family, her doctor, her own faith. So I would imagine that that is going to be top of mind. She is also so committed to making sure that people having their needs met, creating solutions

for families at home, whether that's addressing the high cost of housing and childcare. These are issues that she has worked on and been such a tremendous partner to work with for the work we're doing in Congress. We're so proud of what we were able to do with the infrastructure bill, bringing manufacturing back to this country. And her vision for the future is one that is centered around families and making sure that they see opportunity. And Congresswoman, you did not call on President Biden to suspend his campaign. Do you want him to stay in the race? You know, we went through a process as a caucus where we heard from many different members, all the members, and all of that information was relayed to the White House and to President Biden. And I just have to say that I've always been an admirer of President Biden, but what a patriot. What a selfless act.

I think it's why Donald Trump is so surprised because there's nothing in Donald Trump that could imagine putting the country ahead of his own accomplishments and desires. And so what we see in President Biden is what we've come to expect, courage, grit, and patriotism. And he will go down in history, not only for his incredible effectiveness as a president. but for this courageous move. Democrats seem to be really rallying behind Harris in a big, big way. But there are those who say this process is not Democratic enough, right? The group Black Lives Matter, they released a statement calling on the party to hold a virtual snap primary, arguing in part this, quote, we do not live in a dictatorship.

Delegates are not oligarchs. The Democratic Party, which has been the loudest in defending democracy, is now poised to commit some of the most undemocratic maneuvering to avoid listening to the will of the voters. Election scholars, they largely seem to agree that this ticket change is legal because it did happen before the convention. But my question to you, Congresswoman, is it ethical? Is this, in your view, an example of what democracy really looks like? I think it is. And here's the reason why. Kamala Harris has been an integral part of the Biden-Harris ticket. She will, was on the ballot in the primary where they received millions of votes. She's received 81 million

votes in 2020, 14 million in the primary. So this isn't a switchup. This is what a vice president does. When the president steps aside, the vice president steps in. And we are so lucky to have such a champion for freedom, for American families, for getting to solutions, in Kamala Harris. And I think that this is unprecedented, so there's bound to be anxiety about it, but this is the process. And you can see from the delegates around the country that are coming in with unanimous support for her. This is not a backroom deal-making. This is about making sure that we have the very best candidate to defend our Constitution, defend our freedom, and build an economy that works for us in the light of the very real danger of Donald Trump.

Democratic Whip, Catherine Clark. Thank you, Congresswoman. We really appreciate your time tonight. Thank you. Thank you, Alison. Now to our other major headline tonight, the head of the Secret Service stepping down today after bipartisan calls for her resignation

following the attempted assassination of former President Trump. NBC's Julia Ansley has the late details. of the committee. My name is Kimberly Cheathel. Tonight, Kimberly Cheath, the 29-year veteran of the Secret Service, is out. In a letter to President Biden saying, the Secret Service's solid mission is to protect our nation's leaders. On July 13th, we fell short on that mission.

I take full responsibility for the security lapse. Her resignation, first reported by NBC News, comes nine days after a gunman tried to assassinate Donald Trump at a rally. Putting Cheatel in the hot seat yesterday, as she struggled to answer basic questions. Why was the rooftop left naked to begin with? Can you tell us that, considering it was within the line of sight and so very close? Again, I can't speak to the specifics of this particular event site.

The deputy director has now stepped in temporarily, but questions and harsh criticism of the agency persist. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green has subpoenaed the Secret Service. The fact that there was nobody covering the top of that building is, ridiculous. He is calling for even more changes, especially during this tense and high-profile election season. We're going to continue to lay out all the things that we think need to be addressed and hope and watch and make sure that Secret Service implements those. For years, the agency has had a staffing shortage. One of the reasons Secret Service sources tell NBC news, it denied some requests for more security at earlier Trump events. The Secret Service currently

has about 3,500 agents assigned to protective details, including new more enhanced. security for Vice President Kamala Harris. That's 500 fewer agents than they had 10 years ago. Paul Ekloff served in the Secret Service for 23 years. Director Cheathel needed to go. She had lost the faith of the men and women of the Secret Service. We're in the middle of a campaign season. How much time does the Secret Service have to learn the lessons and fix what went wrong? The simple answer is they have no time. They have to integrate those changes now before another tragedy occurs. Julia Ainsley joins us now from our Washington Bureau.

So, Julia, who is going to take over control of the Secret Service now? Is this a to become effective resignation, or did this happen as soon as she wrote that letter? It's the media. In fact, there's already a new acting director, Ellison. It's Ronald Rowe. He's been the deputy director, just one under Cheatel. He's a 25-year career at the Secret Service. But as deputy director, he was responsible for all investigative and protective.

daily operations. So that would include the July 13th rally. So even though there's a new head of this agency, that doesn't mean the questions, the sharp criticism, and the investigations. We'll stop, Alison. All right, Julia Ainsley, thank you. We appreciate it. Now to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's highly anticipated visit to the United States. Protesters flooding the Capitol ahead of the embattled leaders addressed to Congress and meeting with President Biden, as calls for a ceasefire deal from the families of American hostages reach a fever pitch. Andrea Mitchell has more on the trip and what's at stake.

At the Capitol today, hundreds of anti-war protesters ahead of Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech here tomorrow. The Capitol police making arrests. Meeting with American hostage families Monday night, Netanyahu telling them the conditions are ripening to bring their loved ones home in this video released by his office. For the first time, the Prime Minister's signaling progress. But the parents of American hostage Hirsch Goldberg, Poland, told Netanyahu they want him to announce a deal now.

He indicated last night that maybe it's not quite there, and we're not going to stop pushing. We need to get this done. Rachel, every day is a cut through your heart. For us, it's our only son, and it is an indescribable torment. The family's telling House members today. met Prime Minister Netanyahu again. I have to say the urgency of the matter did not seem to resonate with him. The time is now to sign this deal, get the hostages home, and stop this killing. Meanwhile, the war grinds on. Israel's military pummeling Southern Gaza Monday,

in a safe zone, it says, targeting militants, but killing at least 70, injuring 200, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. The Prime Minister will meet with President Biden Thursday at the White House, followed by both Biden and Netanyahu holding an unprecedented joint meeting with the hostage families. And former President Trump, a Netanyahu supporter, says the Prime Minister is coming to Mar-a-Lago before flying home. Ellison? Andrea Mitchell, thank you. And staying with the Middle East, rivaled Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fata, signing a declaration in Beijing today agreeing to form a temporary unity government. The deal comes as war in the Gaza Strip enters its 10th month.

More on this declaration, what it might mean. I want to bring in international correspondent Matt Bradley. Matt, let's just start with these two groups involved. Fata is a group that used to be in the Gaza Strip, but they really haven't been there since about 2007, right? Who are these groups? Why are we seeing them talk right now? And will this agreement actually do something? Yeah, I mean, well, there were 14 different Palestinian factions who signed this,

But, you know, the ones that really matter are the two you just mentioned, Hamas, which we've all been talking about ever since October 7th, and Fatah, which used to really be the leader among the Palestinians. And among those two groups, you know, presumably all 14 of these groups, they signed on to this power-sharing deal that would, you know, form a unity government, and it would govern the Gaza Strip. And it would also manage its reconstruction. And I guess it would lead to Palestinian-wide elections. I mean, that's all the idea here. But in reality, there isn't a lot of optimism around this deal. Now, Hamas, they are the ones who govern the Gaza Strip, and Fata, which governs the West Bank.

They've been fighting ever since Hamas took control back in 2007. And there have been many deals like this. You know, this isn't the first time. The two parties they met in Moscow earlier this year. There was even a deal that was much like this involving 14 different factions, signed back in Algeria back in 2022, and nothing has really stuck. So, Hamas, they welcomed the deal. We haven't really heard of that much from Fatah.

But the one party that seemed very optimistic about all this was the Chinese. And Matt, do we know why this deal in particular was sponsored by the Chinese? Yeah, I mean, a lot of people, a lot of observers have been saying that this really looks like just a Chinese prestige project, just for Xi Jinping wanting to be seen as kind of a global diplomatic power as well as an economic power. And the Middle East is a huge part of that. And for sure, you know, China has its energy interests in the Middle East, and they'd love to improve that, widen their influence there. But the ultimate goal is that China wants to supplant American power in the Middle East by positioning itself as this diplomatic intermediary, which is the role that the U.S. has been playing for generations. So, you know, this isn't the first time Beijing has done this last year.

They brokered diplomatic recognition between Saudi Arabia and Iran, two countries that have been in odds for years. and that was a deal that was elusive to a lot of Western diplomats. So while this doesn't necessarily look like a promising deal that China has just brokered, it really shows that they are very ambitious in diplomacy in the Middle East. And Matt, you mentioned the United States. Have they responded to this declaration or the role specifically that China has played in it? And have we heard anything from Israeli government officials? Yeah, well, the Israelis were very clear.

They rejected the deal entirely. They said that they planned to destroy Hamas completely. And so there is no place for Hamas in a unity government. And anyway, they'd already rejected Hamas as a terrorist organization, the United States, and much of the international community has, too. So that's a problem for Fatah. If they were to let Hamas in, then they would also be kind of sallying themselves in front of the international community, which does not want to do business with Hamas.

Now, Israel Katz, that's Israel's foreign minister. He said that the deal saw Fatah embracing murderers and rapists. But, you know, as you mentioned, this all comes amid Netanyahu's very divisive speech to Congress. That's coming up tomorrow. And never mind that already, really fractious drama that's been playing out for the White House that you've already been talking about. And we've all been talking about for weeks. This speech itself made waves when it was announced months ago. And tonight, several Democrats have already said they won't attend Netanyahu's speech,

including Senate Majority Whip, Dick Durbin, who can hardly be counted as a lefty progressive. And even Kamala Harris, she's going to be meeting Netanyahu. privately in Washington, but she won't be presiding over his speech to Congress because, and this is according to her office, she'll be traveling for her campaign. Ellison? Matt Bradley, thank you. Still ahead tonight in urgent morning for kids and their parents this summer. Doctors sounding the alarm about a troubling rise in skin cancer and young people, the message from one family who lost their 20-year-old daughter. Plus, a Missouri man set free after serving more than 30 years for murder.

Why a judge decided to overturn that conviction so many years later. An incredible video out of Yellowstone showing a geyser exploding, sending tourists fleeing. Stay with us. Top Story is just getting started. Back now with a warning to parents and kids this summer. Doctors now seeing a concerning trend. of skin cancer in younger adults. Our team at NBC, Washington, speaks to a grieving family who lost their 20-year-old daughter

to melanoma. Here's Susan Hogan with their story. Her name was Marie to Sarah, her short life now captured in candid moments, happy, dancing, a devoted friend. Daddy's little girl. She doing whatever she want with me. Marie's parents tell me she was a surprise baby who became the princess. among her three older brothers.

Were they very protective? No, yeah, sure. They admit cancer never crossed their mind, especially at Marie's age. But it all started with a tiny birthmark on her toe. And then it wasn't until she was a freshman in college. Did she notice it changed? Yes, she started growing.

Sort of growing. A biopsy would later confirm that tiny birth mark was melanoma. Unfortunately, the cancer on her toe was deep. and her toe had to be amputated. They thought the worst was over. It wasn't. Over the next two years, while Marie lived her best life

at George Mason University, the melanoma spread to her brain, neck and spine. Doctors tried to surgically remove what they could, but it was too late. At just 20 years old, Marie died, surrounded by an army of friends and family. I'm thinking about that.

what we did wrong. But you cannot believe how organized we were. We have calendars with all head appointments. We never miss any appointment, doctor appointment or... Viviana said the one appointment she never thought of making was to a dermatologist for a skin check. Were you shocked when they called and said this was melanoma? I was total shock. Shocked because there was no family. history of skin cancer. Her parents also believed melanoma targeted older adults and lighter skin sun worshipers, which Marie was not. But according to the skin cancer foundation, melanoma is the second most common type of cancer diagnosed in 15 to 19 year olds and the most common

form of cancer affecting young adults between 25 and 29. While sun exposure is the main risk factor. People who have certain types of birth marks can also be at risk. Larger birth marks, there is a higher risk of developing melanoma. Dr. Jeffrey Gibney is an oncologist at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and says melanoma can develop within that birth mark or elsewhere on the body in the form of a mole, even in places that aren't exposed to the sun. A mole that's changing really does warrant more urgent evaluation. And the earlier, the better. When we do see an abnormal skin lesion, seeing a dermatologist is key, and you should not delay it. We want to catch skin cancers earlier in the development, not later, where there's a higher risk for the patient.

And time is what Marie's parents wish they could have back. They're hoping sharing her story will give you more time than they had. Come in every weekend and open the door. I'm here. The princess is here. That is what I miss them. And we thank Susan Hogan from NBC Washington for that report. For more on this concerning trend and what you should be doing to try and keep your family safe.

I want to bring an NBC News Medical Fellow, Dr. Akshay Sayal. Dr. Sayal, we listen to Marie's family there talking about what they wished they could have back. And as Susan said in her report, it's time. That's what they want. And early detection can be key to getting time. Talk to us about what families need. to know from looking at her story. How old should we be when we first start really going to the dermatologist and saying, hey, can we check these spots? Is there a set age? How do we make

sure that we're staying ahead of a potential problem? Hey, Allison, yeah, it's a great question. And, you know, for some background here, there's a little bit of controversy behind this. There isn't some sort of, you know, universal guideline that everybody should go out and get skin checks. But what I think there is is, you know, people who have family history of skin cancer, or people who are maybe using tanning beds or spending. a lot of time in the sun, they're people who really should be getting these annual skin checks, Alison, but for those, you know, who are really more concerned about melanoma. Again, this is a very serious disease, Alison, it can be, especially if you don't catch

it early. There are some signs that the American Academy at Dermatology has, and there's an acronym we use in the medical world called A, B, C, D, E's of melanoma, A, being asymmetry, if one side doesn't quite look like the other, B, being border, if it's not a smooth border, it's more irregular or jagged. C, being color, if there's multiple colors present. D, diameter. You want to keep it about the size of a pencil eraser. Anything bigger than that, you definitely want to talk to your dermatologist. And then finally, E, it's for evolving, Alison. It's

very important to do regular skin checks. And if you can, you know, you see something on your skin that doesn't quite look like it used to, or maybe it's changing in shape or size, definitely talk to a dermatologist about that as well. It is summer, of course, the sun, hotter, more noticeable. Obviously, it is there year round. Remind us when we should be using sunscreen, what kind of sunscreen we should be putting on our skins and other things that we can do just to try to make this possibility less likely for those of us who maybe haven't experienced this. Yeah, so look, I wear sunscreen every day, particularly on the face, and if I'm going outside

to go swimming, you put it on the rest of your body as well. But really, sunscreen should be applied every two hours, Ellis, if you're outdoors. And you want to be looking at something that's, A, either broad spectrum, and two, also minimum SPF of 30. Studies have shown, Allison, actually, that when you use sunscreen regularly, you can reduce a risk of melanoma by about 50 percent. You also want to, you know, use shaded areas when you can. If you don't need to be out in the sun, you don't need to necessarily go out and spend

a lot of time there. Not only are your risk of skin cancer, also premature aging of the skin. And finally, Allison, if you are around, you know, sand or water, just be careful. Some of those surfaces can reflect a lot of those rays from the sun, just giving you more likely to have a sunburn. So a bunch of tips in Allison, fortunately, this thing is something that if you catch it early, it's very, very treatable, so you definitely want to be aware of some of the signs going forward.

All right. Good reminders for all of us. Dr. Akshay Sayal, thank you so much. We appreciate it. When we come back, sentencing day for the nursing home owner who moved 800 residents into a warehouse to ride out Hurricane Ida. Several patients dying in the wake of the Category 4 storm due to squalid conditions and a lack of food. But that owner getting no jail time. The emotional reaction from the families of those

evacuees tonight. Back now with Top Stories News Feed, New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez will resign next month following his corruption conviction. Menendez officially informing New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy of his decision in a letter that was obtained by NBC. news. According to the letter, he will step down on August 20th. Last week, he was found guilty of accepting bribes on behalf of Egypt and Qatar. He has vowed to appeal. A Missouri man is set to be released from prison after spending more than 30 years behind bars for a crime. He did not commit. A judge overturning Christopher Dunn's first-degree murder conviction after two witnesses recanted

their original statements. Ben was arrested in 1990 when he was just 18 and was convicted despite no physical evidence. The witnesses were just 12 and 14 at the time of the crime and say their testimony was coerced. And a frightening moment for visitors at Yellowstone National Park today. New video shows the moment a geyser suddenly explodes sending a massive cloud of debris raining down along Biscuit Basin. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

A nearby boardwalk and parking lot were damaged. And a shocking discovery off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. Scientists say 13 Brazilian shark-nosed sharks tested positive for cocaine. You heard that right, cocaine. High levels of the drug found in their liver and muscles. Experts believe the drug is actually making its way into the water through illegal labs in the area and the waste of drug users. Next tonight to an update on the deadly nursing home tragedy in Louisiana in 2021. Residents were evacuated during Hurricane Ida to a warehouse where several of them died.

The owner of those nursing homes sentenced to no time in jail. NBC's Valerie Castro has this story and the reaction from a family of one of those evacuees. Tonight, the Louisiana man who sent 800 nursing home residents to ride out a deadly hurricane in an ill-equipped warehouse escaping jail time. Prosecutors say Bob Dean evacuated patients from seven facilities he operated to this warehouse outside of New Orleans, before Hurricane Ida may. landfall as a Category 4 storm in 2021. A state health department investigation revealing overcrowding, extreme heat, and lack of food and sanitation created squalid living conditions in the warehouse. And in the aftermath of the storm, seven of those evacuees died, five directly related to the storm. No power, not even emergency generator, no lights, no elevators.

Dean will serve three years probation in exchange for pleading no contest to 15 criminal counts, including cruelty to persons with infirmities, Medicaid fraud, and obstruction of justice. Victims' family members reacting to the sentencing. That was a complete slap in the face, not only to my father, not only to those who lost their lives, but to every single person that was in that warehouse. Dean declining to answer questions from our NBC affiliate in New Orleans. Why did you treat the people like that, the people who were in your facility? Families say they were left in the dark about their loved ones' conditions.

They found my dad in a t-shirt and a diaper. No pants, no shoes, nothing. He was cold. He had eaten in 48 hours. Dean was facing 20 years in prison, and the state attorney general had asked, quote, specifically that he be sentenced to a minimum of five years in prison and not be given only probation, adding, I remain of the opinion that Dean should be serving prison time. But Dean's attorney insisting it's time to move beyond the tragedy.

Natural disasters have consequences for both communities and people. Those consequences play out in different ways. And I'm glad that we can get this particular incident in consequence resolved the way we did today. And we can all the families and everybody and Mr. Dean and the community can now move forward. But for some, that's an uphill battle. There is no closure. There never will be closure, but you hope to get a sense of peace. To be where we are today, and this is the outcome that we get, it's really hard to take.

And Valerie Castro joins us now in studio, no jail time for Dean, which is shocking to a lot of people, but probation and possibly some other consequences? Right. So keep in mind, if he does violate any conditions of his probation, he could possibly face some prison time in the future. In the meantime, he will pay at least a million dollars in fines and restitution. And Ellison, back in 2022, a judge approved a $12.5 million class action settlement that Dean will have to pay out to victims and their families. All right. Valerie Castro, important reporting. Thank you. Just ahead, the travel meltdown leaving airline passengers stranded. A global IT outage

forcing Delta to cancel flights for a fifth straight day. So what are you owed if you're caught up? in the airline nightmare. We speak with an expert next. Back now with money talks, what consumers and investors need to know from the business world and beyond. Airlines, they are still reeling from that massive tech outage last Friday. More than 9,700 flights canceled in the last five days. Long lines like these, a reality for millions of travelers, as some have been delayed from their final destination. for days. Delta Airlines impacted the most severely with nearly two-thirds of their flights canceled since Saturday. The Department of Transportation now launching an investigation into the

Atlanta-based carrier. For more on this and what it means for travelers, I want to bring in Clint Henderson. He is the managing editor at the points guy. Clint, let's start with just where things stand right now. Are we almost out of the woods? And for people who are still in it or feel like they had to deal with this much longer than they should have. What sort of rights do they have? Do airlines owe them anything? So it's slightly better today. Delta has canceled around 475 flights and the other airlines have pretty much recovered. But Delta, really, this is a big black eye for them. Usually they're the sort of on-time leader. And in this case, they've really struggled to get back on track. It could be the end of the week before things are normalized at Delta. And remember,

they've got to carry all those passengers who were stuck. So big repercussions going to be for Delta here. As far as what passengers are owed, the DOT is investigating. There are new consumer protections for passengers, but it's really mostly around refunds if you don't take the flight. There's really no mechanism in place to compensate passengers for long delays or cancellations. I think there needs to be, but for now the DOT has proposed it, but those rules have not been finalized. So you're on your own, but I would say advocate for yourself, fight for compensation. And I think Delta will hopefully make passengers right and whole, even if they've had to book their own last minute travel on alternate carriers.

So that's what I would do if I was stuck in one of those lines. I would just book myself on another carrier and then demand compensation from. the airline that was at fault. You know, we talked a lot about the whole situation as it was happening and why you had an airline like Southwest, totally unaffected, and then you had Delta, and that was because they're using different systems, right? But when you look at the totality of airlines who were impacted, as we were just saying, Delta really has struggled the most.

Do we know why they have struggled so much to get everything back on track compared to some of the other airlines, say, United or American, that were impacted, but not as severe Well, and I think this is going to be the core of what the investigation tries to uncover what happened here. I think Delta is going to have to really make a major investment into their IT systems because clearly there's not enough backup to the backup systems. And I think that's similar to what we saw with the Southwest meltdown a couple of years ago. And remember, Southwest ended up spending over a billion dollars on new technology and investments to try to get their systems more stable. And it's really about crew scheduling for Delta, and they've got to have some better systems, some better ways of having those systems communicate with each other because that seems to be

what's really gone wrong this week for Delta. What is your advice tips for travelers to try and avoid getting stranded like this? I mean, I'm hoping as someone who was flying on Friday, this is just a weird one-off. But is there anything we can look for to try and avoid a situation like this? The first thing I would say is, you know, be educated, be an educated consumer, know what other airlines are flying the route that you're going to be flying on, have the airline app installed on your phone so you can rebook yourself potentially, but be an advocate and say, you know, if you're on a Delta flight, know that there's also an American flight and a United Flight and know to rebook yourself or get rebooked, have customer service numbers, reach out to them on social media. But if you see a giant operational meltdown like we saw on Friday where it's multiple carriers, I would just bag the trip. I would just cancel it and reschedule it and not even try to deal with it at that time

because it's going to take a few days to work those kind of things through the system and you're just better off not even leaving your house in those cases. Clint Henderson, thank you. When we come back, returning history, a Nashville museum trying to set an example for others, hundreds of valuable artifacts back to the countries where they came from. The ancient relics now making their way to their rightful home. Finally, tonight, returning history. Our Guadvanegas traveled to a museum in Nashville that's sending a collection back to its

original home and hoping to set a new standard. A special celebration in Nashville to mark the return of of pre-Columbian artifacts once taken from Mexico. These ancient tools, instruments, ceramic pots over 500 years old, and a museum favorite, the Mexican hairless dog, a small part of Mexico's history that has been on display at the Nashville Parthenon Museum now set to be repatriated.

I think it's important because Mexico's had a lot of their history removed. Assistant curator Bonnie Seamer working effortlessly to do what she says is the right thing. We can't fix the holes that are lost because a lot of context is lost, but we can give it back to where it belongs. This museum, hoping to set an example and teach others around the world how they can repatriate

artifacts too. An exhibit that celebrates this and then starts a conversation on what repatriation is and how it impacts people that the artifacts go back to would be the best way to do it. No small task. For two years, Bonnie worked with Mexican and local authorities to forge a new path for repatriation between the museum and Mexico. Almost every museum has something from somewhere else. And it's not that they want to keep them. It's that nobody knows what to do. Once the 255 artifacts are packaged, it will be sent to the Mexican consulate in Georgia, where the consul general played a key role to their repatriation. There are some gorgeous pieces, beautiful

pieces that are being recovered. And again, this is part of the past. This is part of the history of our people. The collection will ultimately be sent to the National Institute of Anthropology and history in Mexico City. It's going back to the people that really connects with. But before departing, the artifacts inspired local artist Jose Berra Gonzalez to create a special collection. It's barro. Jose says it was an opportunity of a lifetime for an artist who came from Mexico as a migrant and is now part of the repatriation. Like I, now, I'm of the new era, but in that then then they were artists.

So, convivir with them is like an honor, a respect to the history. For some visiting the exhibit, mixed emotions. It's a good idea, but also I feel like the United States also needs something like this. And for some museums, it can also mean losing using a valuable part of their collection. I understand someone that has ownership of it right now.

It's very difficult for them to give that ownership up, particularly when they're sharing it with the rest of the world. Yet the pressure to return artifacts to their original lands of origin persists, standing behind the widely held belief that it's wrong to keep what isn't yours. Gwadvenegas, NBC News. And thank you for watching Top Story. Good night.