Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Episode Date: September 20, 2023

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Tonight, the stunning arrest in New York City, a daycare drug ring busted in the Bronx after a one-year-old died of a fentanyl overdose. Investigators finding a brick of the dangerous opioids sitting on top of children's playmats. Turns out the daycare was an alleged front for a full-fledged drug-dealing operation the lengths the owner allegedly went to to cover up what happened. Also tonight, Biden's stark warning on the world stage, his message to Russia and Iran tonight as those five American prisoners touched down on U.S. soil. The deadly NFL brawl,

a Patriots fan, not unconscious by a Miami Dolphins fan, later dying at the hospital. The investigation tonight as the league grapples with a troubling spate of violence in the stands. Daylight mugging danger, shocking video showing a woman robbed

and then dragged down a street in Oakland. All of this happening in the middle of the day. The warning tonight for residents after a string of similar incidents. Plus, houseboat inferno, the terrifying moments, nearly 30 people were forced to abandon their boat as it exploded in flames, how the couple who took this video raced into action

and helped get everyone safely to shore. And shorts in the Senate, the upper chamber ditching its formal dress code, opening the door for lawmakers to wear whatever they want on the floor. Why some senators are all for the change, one even saying she's getting ready to wear a bikini. And others are saying it's a threat to the, the Senate's dignity. Tonight we'll have a panel of experts weigh in on this controversial move

and to break down what exactly office-appropriate attire looks like in 2023. Top story starts right now. Good evening. We begin Top Story tonight with that stunning scene here in New York City. Two people arrested and authorities looking for a third after a tragic discovery at a daycare in the Bronx. The operator of that daycare and her cousin arrested and now charged with murder plus federal drug charges in the wake of the death of one-year-old Nicholas Dominici, who was found unresponsive in the daycare last week. His tragic death, authorities believe, caused by exposure to fentanyl, which was being stored inside that daycare. Not by accident, prosecutors claim, but instead as part of a drug packaging operation. At least one brick of fentanyl found on top of a play mat used by the children. And police still searching for that owner's husband who is accused tonight of trying to help his wife cover up her tracks.

NBC senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett leads us off tonight. This is a tragedy. Tonight, federal charges against two suspects who prosecutors say were storing fentanyl at a daycare, killing a one-year-old boy and hospitalizing three other babies, the youngest, eight months old. But this case is different. We alleged that the defendants poisoned four babies and killed one of them. because they were running a drug operation from a daycare center, a daycare center. The owner, Gray Mendez and Acevedo Bredo, accused of packing up and keeping large amounts

of fentanyl here in the Bronx. Investigators discovering a brick of the drug on top of play mats in a closet when they arrived on the scene last week. The father of Nicholas Domenici, the one-year-old who died, telling WNBC, he was their youngest child. A lawyer for the daycare operator tells NBC news her client had no idea drugs were in the building. The daycare had just passed a surprise inspection this month. But after finding the baby's unresponsive, prosecutors say Mendez tried to cover up what happened, calling her husband before 9-1-1. And all of that happened while the children, the babies were suffering from the effects of fentanyl poisoning and in desperate need of help.

Later, allegedly deleting thousands of their text messages, according to court documents. While prosecutors say surveillance footage shows the husband entering the daycare empty-handed before police arrived, then leaving two minutes later with two full shopping bags, dashing out the back alley. We're not going to give up. We're not going to get him. And Laura Jarrett joins us now live in studio. So Laura, let's go back to the husband. Do we know where he's at tonight? No, and authorities say they're still looking for. them. They vowed today at that press conference to hunt him down and to find him. No leads,

though, at least as of right now. This is such a sort of a strange question to ask because of the circumstances here, but you have three other babies who are given Narcan. To say Narcan and babies, it's so mind-boggling. How are they doing tonight? It's sort of unthinkable given how all of this has played out. But we all know the reality is if you give Narcan, you can actually save lives. And that's what first responders did to those three young ones. And tonight, we are told They are all home from the hospital. Okay, a little bit of good news there. Okay, Lori Jarrett, for us, leaving us off.

Thank you. We turn now to our other big story tonight, five Americans out of Iranian custody and home in the U.S. for the first time in many years. This comes after President Biden struck a deal with Iran securing their release, and today, the president right here in New York, speaking at the opening of the UN General Assembly, with a new message to the world to support Ukraine and its war with Russia.

NBC's Chief White House correspondent, Peter Alexander, has more. tonight the emotional homecoming five Americans back on U.S. soil touching down outside Washington after a nearly 24-hour journey that brought them back from Iran where the U.S. says they had been wrongly detained for years.

Too long. Five and a half years. On the tarmac tears of joy and relief. We've been apart for eight years and finally we're together and it's just completely unbelievable. President Biden, hours later, addressing the United Nations, making no mention of the freed Americans,

but delivering this stern message to Iran. Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon. Their return after a controversial prisoner swap where the U.S. also unfroze $6 billion in Iranian money that the White House says can only be spent on humanitarian needs. Freedom. Republicans say it was a ransom that will encourage more Americans to be detained. Here with the U.N., President Biden, with Ukraine's President Zelensky in attendance.

Warning of the consequences if world leaders don't stay united against Russia. We have to stand up to this naked aggression today and deter other would-be aggressors tomorrow. Still one recent poll shows a majority of Americans oppose authorizing more military aid for Ukraine. And many Republican lawmakers do, too. Speaker Kevin McCarthy says he has questions for Zelensky. Where's the accountability and the money we've already spit? What is the plan for victory? I think that's what the American public wants to know.

But the president remains adamant. If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure? I'd respectfully suggest the answer is no. Notably absent from this year's gathering, Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as China's president Xi and the leaders of France and the UK. During his visit, Zelensky meeting wounded Ukrainian soldiers being treated at a New York City hospital. Tonight, his impassioned plea to punish Putin, condemning him for the kidnappings of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children. Those children in Russia are taught to hate Ukraine, and all ties with their families are broken, and this is clearly a genocide. Zelensky, as you point out there,

Peter speaking, in English. I do want to talk more about him. He's heading to Washington? Yeah, that's right. On Thursday, Zelensky's going to meet with President Biden, Tom, at the White House. It'll be the third time they've met at the White House, the second since the war began. Zelensky also meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill that day, really an effort to make a sort of personal plea on behalf of the people of Ukraine for additional funding going forward. And then President Biden, we also know, has some important meetings here in the city. Yeah, he does. His time at the U.N. specifically is over, but he does have meetings on the sidelines. And the most notable one that's going to take place on Wednesday here is going to be with B.B. Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel. It's the first time these two have met. It's been widely viewed by some in Israel, sort of a snub than 11 months into Netanyahu's most recent term. As prime minister, there's been no invitation to come to the White House. That's not happening here either. The president has not been shy about his criticism, specifically as it relates to Israel's new effort, Netanyahu's new effort to try to remake the judiciary there. So a lot at stake

in that conversation as well. All right. Peter Alexander, here in studio on a rare occasion, Peter, great to see you. Nice to see you. Yeah, and like Peter mentioned in his peace, Ukraine's President Zelensky warned of the impact of Russia's aggression in his address to the UN. NBC's Richard Engel is on the ground in Ukraine tonight. It takes a look at the devastation in one Ukrainian village. The town of Chaziviar is not near the front line, it's on it.

Russian troops are firing artillery from less than three miles away. Serhi Chaos is the mayor here and keeps his broken town running. Nearly every house has been damaged by Russian fire. All the water and power lines are broken. Every day, Chaus delivers supplies to the town center. 13,000 people used to live here. Now just 900, so worn down by the war, they no longer notice the artillery. There is no shelter just.

I can tell there's a lot of. fire because people barely flinch, so they've just gotten used to it. Yes, it's gotten really bad because people are losing their fear, and fear can save your life, he says. For a year and a half now, people have been living in basements, and the incoming above is more intense than ever. It's going to be a long winter, spending days and nights down here. Ludmilla was wounded a few months ago by Shrapnel when she left to go get food.

How are you feeling? How are you, how's your stamina? It's very scary to be bombed from all sides, but somehow you get used to it, she says. We try and have all these little details, some flowers, some honey, clean plates, like at home. Chaus, the mayor, showed me what's left of Town Hall, hit by a Russian missile. There is really nothing left of this. Now he worries the West, may lose interest in helping Ukraine. We have to be together.

Otherwise, the world goes down, he says. They've already evacuated all the children from that town, and they're already preparing for the next challenge. The winter here starts soon. Tom. All right, Richard Engel, with the realities of war there in Ukraine. As world leaders meet at the UN, much of the attention has been on President Biden

and the U.S. relationship with foreign powers. Biden focusing on the fight for democracy abroad and the need for countries to work. together while he faces criticism, that the U.S. is now facing a new axis of evil. I want to bring in chief international correspondent, Keir Simmons, who is with us in New York, covering the U.N. General Assembly and Kier, I want to ask you first about Ukraine and here in New York, President Zelensky, giving his entire speech in English there. What kind of message do you think that sends? And he's basically saying democracy is on the line

here. He is. And, of course, it is the same message that he has been sharing with the world ever since this began. It's the same message that President Biden has been espousing ever since this began. Now, listen, let's be clear. It's President Putin. It's Russia that chose to launch his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But I think one of the challenges for President Zelensky and for President Biden is that the message hasn't changed. Now, okay, if this counter-offensive by Ukraine shows some progress, then we may be having a different conversation, six months' time, in a year's time. But as we speak right now, Ukraine's ambition is to get back to its international borders, and that seems to be going very slowly. And you heard Republicans saying there in Peter's

report, what's the plan here? And I think those voices will get louder, and that's a challenge. The war is on your continent. The war is not over here. People are paying attention to the war here, maybe not as closely as they are in Europe. What is the mood in London right now? Do people follow the developments? I think the mood in European capitals is one of determination. that they just need to keep going, a determination to face down, actually, President Putin, the same way it has been for some time. I think there's also worry.

I think there's also concern about that same point that I made. What is the outcome? How long is it going to take? And could it be years? There are those analysts and analysts who look at Russia, who don't support Russia, who I talk to, who, for example, compare this to the Iraqi-Iran war for many years ago.

Well, that was like seven or eight years long. This is being called a war of attrition. I think we need to prepare ourselves that this could be an era that we live through, not a short period. Yeah, this as congressional leaders here are fighting over funding for Ukraine. It's important. You say this could be a very long war. I want to move back to, we mentioned in the intro, the new axis of evil.

Some are saying it is Russia, it is North Korea, and it is now China. We know President Biden spoke about China and his UN speech. Here's a piece of that. We'll talk on the other end. When it comes to China, I want to be clear and consistent. We seek to responsibly manage the competition between our countries. So it does not tip into conflict. I've said we are for de-risky, not decoupling with China.

So there's two types of major conflict, right? There's the conflict with the military, but there's also economic conflict. And the U.S. would not want either of those to happen. The relationship has sort of been a roller coaster under the Biden administration because of Taiwan, because of comments made, because of the spy balloon. Yeah. Where does it stand now? Yeah, I would add to that, you know, some kind of a diplomatic conflict, too. And I think one of the challenges is that China is incredibly difficult to read right now.

So people who've paid close attention will remember, for example, that China's foreign minister just disappeared just a few months ago. Now the defense minister appears to have disappeared. There seems to be potentially some kind of a crisis. There are voices in Beijing speaking publicly saying, for example, if we communicate with America, America is just going to try to control us. There are others saying that we should keep communicating that, for example, a meeting between President Xi and President Biden here in the U.S. in November should take place. Again, it's very hard to know what's happening in those kind of high echelons of the Communist Party in Beijing. And that's what those U.S. diplomats are having to try and figure out and how to nuance. the message in order to try to keep this from being catastrophic.

And who do they deal with if these people are disappearing? Yeah, that's another point. Wang Yi, we should point out, met for two days with the Secretary of State just over the weekend. So there we are, there are talks happening. Keir, let's move over to Iran. We heard in Peter's piece there. The president was very clear Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. We just got those hostages back. Yeah.

Obviously, six billion unfrozen Iranian dollars sent over to them. sent over to them. I do want to ask you, what do you think happens with that because there's a deal that maybe we could be approaching? Yeah, look, incredibly controversial, just all kinds of aspects of it, that $6 billion. There are so many people who will say, well, you know, how can you give that kind of money, how can you release that kind of money to a country that you clearly can't trust? It's still enriching uranium. So there was all that controversy and that criticism. I think on the other side, the argument is that maybe some kind of a deal could be, it could be a prospect if you just inch this forward.

And let's just make another point here, too. You talked about those potential partnerships between Russia and China and Iran. Anything the U.S. can do diplomatically to try to unnerve those relationships, to destabilize them, there are those who will say that's a good thing. Yeah, and then finally,

what are the concerns in Europe, and especially in London, because the UK is such a close partner on the 2024 election? Are they watching this? There's deep concern. Yeah. There really is.

You know, whatever your politics are, you know, here in the U.S., you won't be surprised to know that there'll be leaders in European capitals who are worried about the potential of a President Trump. Because of all of the foreign policy politics that we saw last time he was in office. Now, clearly, American people will make their own decision, but you won't be surprised that U.S. allies, leaders in Europe and in Asia, we'll be beginning to think about how do we position ourselves if that is a potential prospect. What are those policies of a Trump administration, potential Trump administration in 2025 going to look like? And what is that going to mean for us?

Keir Simmons, in studio for us. What a treat. Thank you for talking to the world tonight. It's been a pleasure. We turned out of that missing jet back here at home. A mystery authorities were trying to locate when they finally found that debris field in Williamsburg County, South Carolina. The F-35 stealth fighter jet worth almost $80 million disappeared. The pilot ejecting because of a, quote, mishap. Officials now looking into exactly what happened, and the Marine Corps grounding its aircraft following the incident. For more of the recovery effort into this multi-million dollar debacle, I want to bring in NBC Sam Brock.

He joins me tonight from Indian Town, South Carolina. So, Sam, first, bring us up to speed on what we've learned since last night. Okay, so military investigations, Tom, in general, are faster than their civilian counterparts. I guess that's the good news here. But with respect to how long this takes, the NTSB might take years to finish its investigation. The Marine Corps, which is leading this investigation, will probably take months. We should be able to get a final report at some point in the next, who knows, six, eight, ten months, but we're not going to get a lot of information until then.

That's problematic. When you consider the fact, Tom, as far as what we know right now, this transponder issue, how do you lose a $100 million aircraft and have absolutely no idea where it went, right? Because all planes, all aviation, all aircrafts have transponders to track them. And in this case, you have joint base Charleston, which has come out and said, it was not working. We're not sure if it didn't work because the pilot ejected. Was it not working the entire time? What is the backup plan? That's really the biggest question for so many people in this community. And it's also a stealth aircraft, right? So that also means it was not on the

radar. That would traditionally be the backup. So no one's thing on radar. And then what would the backup mechanism be? Well, because it's so secretive, no one knows. The military has to answer that question. What have we learned to your original point on from 24 hours ago? The pilot was ejected according to the Marine Corps sometime around 1.30, which is very interesting to me, because talking to neighbors on the ground here in Indian Town, this small little area, fewer than 1,000 people. And if you look over my shoulder, it's mainly grass fields and wood. So good thing, this plane crashed here. But they heard something after 2 o'clock, a good deal after two, which is to say this aircraft could have been on autopilot for more than 30 minutes.

And it just really does beg the question, what was the master plan once the Marine Corps realized that this pilot and this, I should say, aircraft was not accounted for, how are they wrangling it or trying to find it? And people here were living in terror for a period of time. Sam, I'm going to put you on the spot here, but you're a great reporter, so hopefully you have this information. You know, I've flown in jets, not a stealth jet, not an F-35 by any means, but those jets traveled so fast. It's not too far from where it was lost. So did it nosedive? Because you think it would have gone almost even farther with the speed these jets travel?

Yeah, that's a great point. So a couple of things on that, Tom. The mere fact that it got here within 30 minutes as opposed to, say, eight minutes or five minutes tells you it was going at a much lower rate of speed than typically you would expect. And in fact, that matches up with eyewitnesses that I've spoken with who are accustomed to seeing military exercises because there was a base nearby. And they said that when this aircraft was coming in a couple of miles away from the crash site, it was really moving slowly and nearly inverted, like almost at a 9. degree angle. So whether or not that was a consequence of planning or just how this type of aircraft adjusts, it was not going full speed, even though it's, you know, 80 miles away from where the pilot ejected. Sam Brock for us tonight with a lot of new reporting, and it's still a lot of questions, though. Sam, we appreciate it. Now to the United Auto Worker Strike and the Union setting, a new deadline for a deal with the nation's largest automakers. UAW leaders warning they'll expand this strike to other plants in just days if negotiations continue to stall. NBC's Maggie Vespa is on the ground tonight at one of those stuck plants in Michigan. Tonight, day five on strike and a new deadline.

This is our generation's defining moment. So be ready to stand up. United Auto Workers President Sean Fane now demanding America's big three car companies, GM, Ford, and Chrysler owner, Stalantis, give up major ground. Or he says come noon Friday, this targeted strike at three plants will expand. All three companies say they want this resolved quickly. We'll continue to sit at the table, work through things, try to find the common ground. Among the union's demands 40% pay hikes, each company offering roughly 20% raises. Ford and GM could each lose $40 million in profits per week, more if the union expands the strike, to more plants.

The impact already rippling through the industry. Some parts suppliers say they'll have to lay people off, something the CEO at Michigan's Cascade die casting is scrambling to avoid. We're going to go to our people and sit down with them and ask for volunteers to take time off. We expect that the strike could impact as many as 50 to 100 employees. And those are all people that have families to feed. Among the 13,000 auto workers on strike, Jacob Deshaun now stuck at home instead of heading to his shift at Ford. I want to be on the line making vehicles. The union promising $500 a week.

The father of two says it's not nearly enough. I needed the money, so this strike is not helping me at all in any way. So many feeling that right there. Maggie Vespa joins us now. Maggie, now we're hearing the spotlight there may grow even more next week with former President Trump heading to Michigan while his GOP rivals are on the debate stage. Yeah, Tom, exactly.

He's skipping the second GOP. debate in California, as you point out, according to three sources familiar with the matter. And instead, basically, former President Trump, planning to, according to those sources, travel here to the Detroit area and basically speak to these people who you've seen on the picket line for five days now, auto workers in this area. One source even telling CNBC describing it basically as counter-programming to the debate. It is also definitely worth noting UAW's president responding to the news. We've been hearing supporters doing that as well as honking all day.

UAW's president responding to the news saying that basically they are fighting an economy, in his words, that enriches people like Donald Trump on the backs of workers. So basically blasting these plans and promising us an interesting visit, if nothing else, Tom. Maggie Vespa, a masterclass in live shots right there. The loudest buffler American engineers can make, along with that horn honking, and you could not be phased. Maggie, thank you for your reporting tonight. Still ahead tonight. The deadly brawl at an NFL game. A Patriots fan dying after witnesses say he was knocked out by a Miami Dolphins fan. One fan who was right there in the stands told me about the terrifying incident. Plus the violet mugging caught on camera in Oakland. A woman dragged down a street in broad daylight, while local officials are now pointing fingers at each other for the crime in that city. And a consumer alert, 53,000 pounds of ground beef recalled over ecoli concerns. the products impacted at this hour.

Stay with us. All right, we are back now with the investigation to the death of a Patriots fan after a fight erupted at Gillette Stadium during Sunday's NFL game. If you're on social media, this all comes as we seem to be seen more and more bad behavior in the stands at NFL games.

Tonight, Massachusetts state police and local prosecutors investigating the death of a fan who witnesses say was punched in the head at the Patriots Dolphins game Sunday night. This video showing stadium security administering CPR to 53-year-old Dale Mooney. A fan in the Dolphins jersey reached over and just punched the victim twice in the face. Eyewitnesses say as the fourth quarter got underway with the stadium packed, a scuffle broke out in the stands. Initially, police said Mooney, a hundred-year-old. husband, father, and lifelong Patriots fan suffered, quote, an apparent medical event.

What do you remember seeing right after he was punched in the face? Right after he was punched in the face, he immediately went down. He slumped over in a chair. The concern came, like I said, after about 45 seconds to a minute. The deadly incident comes as brawls are being documented all over the country at NFL games this season. Look at what happened just this past Sunday. This fight between three women happen at that same Patriots Dolphins game. And in Cincinnati at the Bengals versus Ravens game, the hardest hit happened off the field

when this man, dressed as a tiger, headbutted another fan knocking him out. According to the NFL, one incident is too many. They say their records, which have not been examined by NBC News, show after 32 games this season, they've had 80 reports of disorderly conduct, down from last year at this time when it was 140. You have alcohol, you have fans, you have passion, you have people betting on games, you have all these different things coming on at once. The chief NFL spokesperson tells NBC News that they offer their deepest condolences to the friends and family of the victim, Dale Mooney.

They also say their top priority is the safety of the more than 1 million fans that attend NFL games every week. and they deplore the activities that a handful of people that go to these games to interfere with the enjoyment of others. Okay, we want to turn now to the shocking video out of Oakland, California, a woman getting dragged by two men in broad daylight, trying to steal her purse. This comes as the city grapples with crime and a seemingly inability to get a grip on it. NBC News correspondent Jake Ward has more. We want to warn you some of these videos you're about to see our disturbing.

A violent mugging in broad... daylight in an Oakland neighborhood. A woman dragged by two men into the street after she left the grocery store. A witness who did not want to show his face on camera telling our NBC Bay Area Station... I couldn't believe the violence of what they were doing to this woman, just for her purse. Oakland police say they have not identified any suspects but are investigating. The incident contributes to a growing frustration about crime. Auto thefts and assaults have doubled since 2019, according to the Oakland Police Department.

Try and be aware, like, we don't have any faith that the police are going to actually do anything. The NACP is calling on Oakland to hire more officers, rehire its fired police chief, and fully staffed 9-1-1 dispatch, which state officials found answers fewer than half of calls in an acceptable amount of time. Now, would, the voters would wake up and smell the coffee. We're going to die straight. Some people are living in denial. The city is out of control. City Hall is now feeling the heat. I hear the frustration. Oakland missed a recent deadline to receive potentially millions of state dollars to combat organized retail theft. Its mayor, Shengtow, told NBC Bay Area her office is not to blame.

Again, we are having those very tough conversations internally. The city administrator manages the whole city, all the departments, and so he would be the key person to actually connect with. Now, as crime rates continue to rise, Oakland is still trying to hire a police chief, as the mayor and the police commission struggled to work together to find one. Jake Ward, NBC News. When we come back and update on those devastating wildfires in Maui, some residents who lost everything and have been staying in hotel rooms paid for by the government, now saying they're going to be kicked out by the end of the month, how the governor's office is explaining the move.

That's next. All right, back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with the investigation into a shocking murder of a family in a Chicago suburb. Police say they were carrying out a wellness check at the home when they found two adults and two children dead from gunshot wounds. Three dogs were also killed. Investigators say this was not a murder-suicide and believe a suspect is still at large. There's been a violent carjacking in Connecticut that was caught on camera. Ring video shows the victim after pulling into his Westport home. It looks like into his garage when two mass suspects come up behind him and

pull him from the car. The thieves punching him repeatedly and eventually taking on. off with the vehicle. Investigators saying the suspects followed the man home. Police say at least two people were arrested, including a minor. The Aston Martin, along with several other stolen cars, were recovered. Alex Murdoch will plead guilty to 22 additional federal charges. Murdoch reaching a plea deal on charges, he stole millions of dollars from his clients while working as a prominent lawyer in South Carolina. He's already serving a life sentence for the murders of his wife and son. Earlier this month, his lawyers filed an appeal against that case, alleging jury tampering.

And a consumer alert, more than 58,000 pounds of ground beef being recalled over E. coli concerns. The American Foods Group say it found that bacteria and test samples from beef products sent to wholesalers in Michigan, Georgia, and Ohio. The impacted products came in the form of 10-pound plastic tubes.

The USDA advising customers who have bought impacted products to return them or throw them out. So far, there are no illnesses reporting. I have been reported. Okay, we want to turn now to the latest out of Maui where some displaced residents are saying they receive letters from their hotels

that are providing temporary housing, telling them they had to leave in a matter of days. The confusion coming as the governor ramps up efforts to reopen the area West Maui for tourism. Erin McLaughlin has more. In the weeks since the deadly Maui fires, confusion over where to live and for how long has been oppressive.

issue for thousands of displaced residents. We're all scrambling to try to find another place. Charles Nahale lost his home in the fire. He's since been living in government provided housing at the Sands of Kahana Resort, but says he just received a letter from the hotel management company, saying the unit he's been living in won't be available after September 30th. A real disgrace for all of us that are at this place and lost everything. The letter obtained by Hawaii News Now says that housing opportunities,

would be provided until at least October 30th at Kahana Villa's Resort, Gardens at West Maui Resort, and Maui Beach Resort in Kahai. But Nahali says he's received no more information about alternative housing. The hotel management company did not respond to our request for comment, but writes on their website, with services and amenities slowly returning to our West Maui Resorts, we are gradually welcoming back reservations in October, per the governor's instruction. issue of displacement and relocation, a major point of contention for residents across the island, with more than 7,000 people housed in 40 hotels. Governor Josh Green says he's now working to reopen West Maui for tourists on October 8th. We're going to do what we can to house the

7,415 people that are currently in hotel rooms, move them into long-term rentals. If you have a long-term rental and you'd like to participate, contact us, we would love to rent that for 18 months. to get housing for a long time as we rebuild. But for people like Charles, the push to welcome back tourists to their embattled island comes with concern and confusion, as they're left to wonder yet again if they'll still have a roof over their heads. Okay, Aaron McLaughlin joins us now live from Los Angeles. Aaron, what are state officials saying about these relocations? Because obviously these people have suffered so much, and it was just a few weeks ago when this happened, as you point out in your story. And now having to relocate a few weeks later, what's that going to be

like. Well, Tom, a source within the governor's office tells NBC news that these hotels were always meant to be temporary solutions and they're still working on longer term options. The issue being that prior to this fire, the state of Hawaii was already facing a housing crisis made worse by the fire. Now, in terms of why certain individuals are being asked to move from hotel to hotel. Well, that remains unclear. Tom. Yeah, still very strange. Okay, Aaron McLaughlin for us. Aaron, we appreciate your reporting. Now to Top Stories, Global Watch, we get a check of what's happening around the world. We start with the escalating tensions between Canada and India over the assassination of an activist on Canadian soil. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcing Canada is

investigating, quote, credible allegations that India may have been behind the June killing of prominent Sikh activists Hardip Singh-Nizjar. India has denied those claims, calling them absurd. Both countries now expelling senior diplomats as relations continue to sour. And an unbelievable scene on a bullet train in Japan, this is so weird, two professional wrestlers brawling in the aisles of a high-speed train

as it ran between Tokyo and Nagoya. The 75 passengers on board watching in awe as the wrestlers put each other in chokeholds, Flipping each other over in the narrow aisle, event organizers say tickets for the spectacle sold out within 30 minutes. All right, coming up, the debate over clothes playing out on Capitol Hill. Have you heard about this? The Senate scrapping its dress code, allowing lawmakers to wear essentially whatever they want inside the chamber. The backlash the move has prompted, and does it signal a change in what's acceptable attire in the workplace and outside every day?

We'll check it out. Welcome back. This week, the U.S. Senate changed its dress code, allowing senators to now wear whatever they want on the chamber floor. The rule largely seen as an accommodation for Pennsylvania Democrat John Federman, who is known for wearing casual attire and was treated for clinical depression earlier this year. But Senate Republicans pushing back on the rule change. I plan to wear a bikini tomorrow to the Senate floor, and Chris Combs is going to wear. shorts because there's no dress code anymore. I think there's a certain dignity that we should be maintaining in the Senate and to do away with the dress code to me debases the institution.

I don't tend to change anything. I expect to do the Senate the same way it's been done for 240 years with a dress code. What has been suggested? stinks, it's unprecedented, and if you can't count on the majority leader of the United States Senate to uphold the decorum of the United States Senate, who can you call on? I mean, it's a respect thing. It's like going to church in your jeans or going to a funeral in your jeans. But Senator John Federman saying he wants to move on to other issues. Aren't there more important things we should be talking about rather than if I dressed like a sloth?

All right. With that, I want to bring in our panel tonight, NBC News historian, Michael Beschloss, Vanity Fair, national political reporter Abigail Tracy, and Mr. Manners himself, aka Thomas Farley. Welcome to all of you. Tonight, I'm going to make sure I'm on my best behavior here with Mr. Manners here. Michael, I'm going to start with you because I've obviously listened to you for years. And you are somebody that likes to hark back to the good old days at times. And that's not a dig, but more We heard Senator Grassley there say, off the top, this is unprecedented in the history of the Senate. Obviously, fashion has changed a lot in the 240-year history of that great body. How much have the rules changed, though? Well, the rules have changed over the years. It's always been for male senators, which was, for most of American history, that's what they were, as you know, Tom, suit and tie. For women, there weren't many women in the Senate for most of history. until 1993, women had to wear dresses.

After that, they had to wear dresses, or that they could wear pants, but they had to wear a top that covered their shoulders. And in 2019, Senator Tammy Duckworth, at my home state of Illinois, brought her 10-day-old baby onto the Senate floor and made sure that the baby was wearing a cardigan jacket so that it would look like a blazer. All right, so there you go.

It's sort of been all over the place. Abigail, I also wanted to raise the issue of the double standard here, right? And some have pointed this out as well in the scrutiny female politicians face for their appearance and their clothing compared to male politicians. And this is not unique to the Senate. I think this happens in the workplace all across America where female employees, for whatever reason, dress better, are expected to dress better than their male counterparts who can dress any way they want. And we're sort of seeing this here without repercussions. What's your take? No, absolutely. I agree.

I do believe that there is a double standard when it comes to this. When you're looking at the history of the Senate and sort of the battles that were being fought, as Michael so keenly laid out, you look at the fight for women was around whether or not they could wear pants or whether they could bear their shoulders on the Senate floor. These are minor battles or what should be minor battles, and, you know, the dress code wasn't thrown out of the window at that time. You know, they really had to fight tooth and nail for some of these changes. And right now, the debate is around John Fetterman, really, and, you know, his decision to wear shorts and a hoodie typically on the floor of the Senate.

But I will say, you know, people always talk about the idea, like dress for the job that you want, not the job that you have. And in fairness, John Fetterman, this is what he wore when he was campaigning for Senate. This is who he was as lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania. So I think voters did kind of get what they expected for in terms of his wardrobe today. I will just put that out there. And, Thomas, we understand, obviously, that the senator is going through the issues that he is facing with depression and fighting through those to serve in the Senate. But you wonder if there's sort of a domino effect here, right?

And we've seen it when you go to Broadway and people are wearing shorts on Broadway in an ice theater. You see it when you fly. People wear pretty much anything, anything is open now when people fly on airplanes. It used to not be that way. So my question to you is that, are we going to get to a point now where in 10 years, everyone the Senate looks like Federman? It's a concern for me, Tom. I think you're absolutely right.

And I think this has largely been seen. It's an accelerated post-pandemic. So as more and more Americans have grown accustomed to working from home and working in their pajamas with return to office and return to work, people are in a more casual state of mind. I think to know, Congress has set a bar that's a little bit higher. And I think what we're seeing with this decision, it mirrors largely what's happening across corporate America where business casual has become the de facto standard versus more

corporate attire. But I do think it is unfortunate because the way we dress does send a message to the world about how we want to be perceived. And I think even with t-shirts and a shorts, there is a way to do that where you actually look truly put together and polished and not so much. And I fear that this is a road that we might be going down as these dress codes get relaxed so severely. Thomas, is there a rule, you know, heart? working back to maybe your Bible, Amy Vanderbilt, and whatnot, is there a rule on how people should dress in the Senate? You know, as far as I understand it, there are no official rules in the Senate right now.

However, what's happened is there was kind of an acknowledged way that we're the sergeant-at-arms enforced a dress code that was an agreed-upon policy. That agreed-upon policy is now going away, and Senator Chuck Schumer has effectively said, dress as you like, I will still, I, Chuck Schumer will still be dressing up, but you as another senator, fellow senator, can dress how you wish. What's interesting is there is, I think, not in addition to the double standard we spoke about with Abigail a moment ago for men and women, there's still the dress code for staff. So if you're a Senate staffer, you're still expected to abide by a certain dress code. The Senators, not so. And I think that actually sends

the wrong message as well. Michael, some lawmakers have said that they're not dressing for themselves when they serve in the Senate. They're dressing for the people that they represent. And listen, I own a lot of hoodies. I love hoodies. I love shorts. I'm from South Florida. But I got to say that when you're on the Senate floor and you're making a passionate speech about asking for more funding or talking about going to war or fighting for your constituents, I got to think that if you are not dressed in a serious manner, your colleagues and the rest of the country is not going to take you in a serious manner. I think that's probably right, and those senators are setting a message. So is Senator Federman.

And, in fact, that's probably had something to do with the way that he got elected was by dressing like that. But it's the way that society is going. You know, you look at pictures of MLB baseball games in the 1960s. A lot of men wearing suits and ties. Same thing with many people who went on to airplanes in the early 1970s felt that they should dress formally. We're obviously living in a very different world, and for the Senate to look hugely different from the voters who elect those senators may not be a good thing either. Abigail, you cover politics. That's a great point that he's making there,

especially when the trend in politics right now is to be an outsider, right? Not to be part of sort of the mainstream political machine. And for someone like Senator Federman, it definitely does stand out. Do you see this as a trend taking off, or do you think people are going to sort of state traditional in both the Senate and the House? I mean, I think you're going to see a mix. I think you already have. You know, there's this idea of these dress codes. But really, when you're there, when you're at the Capitol and when you're there for votes

and you're watching different members, you know, in the House and in the Senate come in, there already is this real variation that you see among these lawmakers in terms of the way in which they're presenting themselves and the way in which that they're dressed. But I do think, to Michael's point, some of it is going to be a reflection. of who elected them and who voted them. I do think there is something about Federman's brand. You know, he is kind of this car-heart-wearing guy, and a hoodie is sort of part of the ethos, part of the identity that he ran upon when he ran for Senate and won initially.

I do think, though, also, you know, back to this idea around staffers. Today, I've spent some time speaking with a number of Senate staffers, both Republican and Democrat. And there is a little frustration around, again, that double standard, the fact that they're going to be expected to wear, you know, button downs and ties and all of this, whereas their bosses won't be. And I think there's kind of a question as to, you know, whether that hypocrisy itself might fade away as well. Thomas, what does the manager's book tell us about how we judge others or when somebody dresses maybe unlike the rest of the party, if you will? What does the manage book say on how we should react? Ideally, we judge people on their actions, not on what

they're wearing. That's the ideal. And in fact, the best etiquette of all is an etiquette that's not judging others, but in fact, uplifting them and they feel better for our presence, not worse. The reality of human nature is that we're visually based human beings. So we do make snap decisions and judgments. If we see someone who's dressed in a sloppy way, we think perhaps they're not organized or they're not punctual or they simply don't put in the effort in the time. I think it's interesting. If you look at Silicon Valley Titans who come out to testify in They're known for wearing hoodies until they actually come to the Senate or to the House to testify, suddenly even they know to dress up.

So I do feel that dressing up, we actually do behave a little bit differently than we do when we're not dressed up. And I fear Congress is already such a hop-out-of-bad etiquette in the way Congresspeople behave on the floor of both the House and the Senate, that this collapse, if we can call it, that of a dress code is going to hasten the bad behavior, as people feel more casual, they can act more casual. And I don't think that's a positive development. Thomas Abigail, Michael, first of all, thank you for the proper attire tonight. I thank you for the perfect manners

and the great conversation. I hope to see you all soon. Thank you. All right, coming up, the heroin rescue had seen nearly 30 people on a boat engulfed in flames, the family that rushed in to rescue everyone that included a two-month-old baby.

We'll hear from those heroes. That's next. We're back now with a dramatic. rescue caught on camera in Arizona. A houseboat on Lake Powell bursting into flames with nearly 30 people on board. Valerie Castro explains how everyone on that boat made it out alive. Jump! Jump! A miracle rescue on the water. Video shows a houseboat on Arizona's Lake Powell engulfed in flames. Nearly 30 people, including children as young as two months old, on board. The blaze consuming the vessel, a column of black smoke rising over the lake.

and Courtney Cahoon were with their family on a boat nearby. I'm like, you guys got to jump. You got to get off this boat as soon as you can. People on board throwing themselves into the lake to escape the flames. Jake's dad realized like we have to get as close as we can to get these people onto our boat. But in the channel, the water's really rough. The Cajuns and other boaters in the area, including a patrol boat, rushing to their aid, pulling survivors from the choppy waters to safety.

It could have been such a different outcome. I think it's so important to just be there for each other, checking out each other. The boat ultimately burning down to its hull and sinking. Somehow no one was injured. After it all ended and we went back to our hospital. We were very teary-eyed and just like grateful. Everyone was okay. So yeah, it was crazy. But I'm so glad for that from that it was. Investigators are now working to figure out why this floating home went up in flames. Valerie Castro, NBC News. Finally tonight, the story of one Broadway understudy who was flying home from a vacation when she got the text that she was playing Jasmine in Aladdin

in just a few hours. The amazing team effort from her flight attendants and pilots that helped her get her from the sky to the stage just in time. Savannah Sellers has that story. Michaela Renfro had four hours left on a flight home from a European vacation when she got the text of a lifetime. Michaela, please send an updated ETA when you can. I may need you for Jasmine to me. Oh, God. She's currently in the ensemble of Aladdin on Broadway, but she's also the understudy for Jasmine. When she landed, she had two hours until curtain call. The problem? Rush hour in New York City. So you're stuck in the air, and there's nothing you can do about that.

I can't just go up to the pilot and knock on the door. Can you just drive a little faster, please? Renfro asked the flight attendant if she could be first off the plane, but Delta Airlines did way more than that. So we would like, listen. You just relax, hydrate yourself with some water, and leave the rest up to us. If he could land the plane on Broadway, he would have done that for her. They moved her to first class. They switched gates so the plane would be closer to customs. And they helped her book her own magic carpet ride, a blade helicopter that would get her

from the airport to Manhattan, turning a typically 90-minute trip into one that was merely seven minutes. And then you had to completely transform into Jasmine. Yeah. I had about 15 minutes makeup, five minutes hair, five minutes put your clothes on, and then five minutes walk down to the stage. Even her flight attendant made the show. Can you believe you made it? No, no. So it was truly a miracle every step of the way. Miracle granted. Seems like luck, or maybe a genie, was on her side. Savannah Sellers, NBC News. We thank Savannah for that story, and we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamis in New York.

Stay right there. More news on the way.