Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Episode Date: September 6, 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, breaking news, the man hunt for an escaped murderer in Pennsylvania intensifies. Two school districts closing after the convicted killer is caught on a nearby camera. One man saying the killer broke into his home, helicopters scouring the search area not just to find him, but also playing audio recordings of his mother, pleading for him to give himself up. What happens if he crosses state lines? Bombshell accusations by convicted murderer, Ehrlich Murdoch's lawyers, saying the clerk of court pressured jurors to reach a verdict fast, then writing a book about her experience overseeing the jury.

Will the disgrace South Carolina attorney face another trial for murdering his wife and son? A mass exodus from the Nevada desert, tens of thousands trying to get out of the Burning Man Music Festival. All after relentless rain turned the land into an impassable pit of mud. For days, people rationing food and water facing a nine-hour transition. traffic jam just to get out. Now new questions about a death reported at the festival. A shocking Nazi chant in the middle of the U.S. Open. A German player in the middle of a match asking umpires for help, saying a fan was singing the anthem of Hitler. Security zeroing in on the fan, kicking him out of the stadium. Wrongfully imprisoned in Venezuela. One woman sentenced

to three decades behind bars, all on accusations that she was part of a plot to assassinate the president. Her story of torture and abuse behind bars, now MSD International, saying there's little, if any, real evidence against her. And a daring rescue mission through Antarctica's ice, a sick Australian researcher stuck on a remote base in desperate need of medical aid. An emergency icebreaker sailing 1,800 miles for the operation, bringing two helicopters to pull it all off. That heroin journey coming up. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. We begin top story tonight with that massive manhunt for an escaped killer in Pennsylvania. His name is Danello Calvacante. He escaped from the Chester County Prison on Thursday where he just started serving a life sentence.

Since then, he has been spotted on multiple surveillance cameras. These right here, these are the most recent photos we believe we have of him. This is all from a camera at a nearby botanical garden. Caught him twice as he came and went. You can see in. some of these. He has a duffel bag here and here. In this one, it almost looks like he's wearing a hoodie. Investigators say they think he actually picked those items up while hiding from police. This all happened in an area that's known as the Longwood Gardens. It's about four miles south of the prison where he escaped, and it's just outside of the entire search area. This is also just south of where he was spotted on Saturday, where he might have broken into

someone's home. Right now, FBI and Border Patrol are beefing up search efforts. Kava Alacante is an undocumented immigrant from Brazil, where he is also wanted for murder. A Pennsylvania jury convicted him in August for the 2021 murder of his ex-girlfriend. It took them just 15 minutes to reach a decision. He stabbed her to death in front of her children. It was all apparently to try and stop her from telling police about his murder charges back in Brazil. Now investigators across multiple agencies are working around the clock to find him, saying he should be considered extremely dangerous. NBC News correspondent George Solis leads us off with the latest developments in Pennsylvania.

Authorities confirm these new images show what convicted killer and escaped inmate Danielo Cavalcante looks like after nearly a week on the run. The photos confirmed that Cavalcante has not changed his appearance, but also that he has obtained a backpack, a duffel sling type pack, and a hooded sweatshirt. The pictures captured from a trail camera on the property of a botanical garden, five months. miles from the Chester County prison where Cavalcante escaped from last Thursday, police say the five-foot Cavalcante has been able to allude capture, potentially moving beyond initial police lines, in part because he is within a heavily wooded area. Obviously, I wish we would have been able to capture him without him getting through that

perimeter, but is it also not shocking. It's dark, it's a large area. Authorities now expanding the search area, which had been focused on a two-mile radius outside the prison where there had been multiple sightings, including one. captured on doorbell camera. The only thing I had to defend myself was a picture frame. Brian Drummond says Cavalcante was in his home on Friday. And then while upstairs, he saw the escaped inmate on the ground floor and flick light switches on and off.

And then he flipped the light switch back a few times, which was the real panic moment where I turned to my wife. I said he's here in the house. The ongoing search today, prompting schools to shut down. How ready are you for this just to all be? I longed to be over yesterday. It's scary. In recent days, residents have been receiving calls like this one, obtained by NBC News, alerting them to stay vigilant with Cavalcante on the loose.

If you see him, do not approach and call 911 immediately. He has convicted the homicide and presumed extremely dangerous. Last month, Cavalcante, who was originally from Brazil, was sentenced to life in prison for the brutal stabbing murder of his ex-girlfriend. Police broadcasting audio recordings from high above of Cavalcante's own mother, urging him to turn himself in. He's a bad guy. He needs to be in custody, and we're determined to capture him.

And George Solis joins us now from Kenneth Square, Pennsylvania. George, is there any indication from authorities as to where this fugitive might be headed now? Allison, every indication is that he's moving further south. Officials saying they really hope they could have nabbed him here in that two-mile radius. Now that he is outside of that perimeter, broken that perimeter. they are using every resource at their disposal, including, as you just heard, that very, very important recording of his mother urging for him to come back and turn himself in, Ellison.

George, with Cavalcante moving, it seems, closer to the Delaware border, what is the plan if he actually crosses into state lines? Yeah, Pennsylvania state police are very aware and in tune with the fact that this is just a few miles from the Delaware state lines. And so they are working with other state and federal agencies to prepare in the event he crosses state lines. Allison. All right. George Solis in Pennsylvania.

Thank you. Turning now to the latest in the case of convicted murder, Alec Murdoch. His lawyers demanding a new trial tonight accusing the court clerk of improperly influencing the jury. NBC's Kathy Park has the latest. Tonight, a surprising motion found by Alec Murdoch's defense attorneys accuses a county clerk of court, Becky Hill, of jury tampering, and now the legal team is demanding a new trial and a federal investigation. The clerk of court had improper private communications with the jurors. Hill did not respond to NBC News's request for comment. In court documents filed today, Murdoch's attorneys claimed

that Hill had frequent private conversations with a jury foreperson, told jurors not to be fooled by Murdoch's testimony, asked jurors for their opinions about Murdoch's guilt or innocence, pressured them to reach a quick verdict and invented a story about a Facebook post to remove a juror she believed lean in favor of the defense. Murdoch's attorney saying Alec still maintains his innocence. What has he shared with you with his latest motion? Well, I can't talk about attorney-client privilege information. I can tell you that when I shared with him the affidavits, he's a lawyer, he was astonished, he was shaking, he was in disbelief. Months after the trial ended, Hill published a tell-all book, even writing about visiting the murder scene.

Some of us either from the courthouse, law enforcement, or jury at Moselle had an epiphany and shared our thoughts with her eyes. I knew, and they know that Alec was guilty. Murdoch's attorneys claim Hill betrayed her oath of office for money and fame. She's trying to make money office. She's selling the book. Earlier this year, the jury found Murdoch guilty of killing his wife, Maggie, and his son Paul. The judge handing down two life sentences. What's the likelihood of a new trial? These motions are always difficult to win.

The defendant has to show not only that they, in fact, just discovered this evidence, but it's evidence that would probably affect the outcome of a new trial. Kathy Park joins us now from Columbia, South Carolina. Kathy, do we know more about why this motion is coming now? So, Elsa, that's a great question. And in fact, the legal team for Murdoch wanted to get more from the jury room during the trial after the trial had wrapped. But it was radio silent from the jurors. However, the book came out.

And according to the attorneys, some of the jurors were upset and they were a little bit more forthcoming once that book actually came out public. Kathy, what is next in the legal proceedings here? Yeah, so now that the motion has officially been filed, the Attorney General of South Carolina now has. 10 days to respond. And earlier today, he did release his statement saying that he's currently reviewing this motion, Alison. All right, Kathy Park in Columbia, South Carolina there. Thank you very much. For more on this move by the Murdoch legal team, let's bring in attorney Angela Senadela. She's known on TikTok as the lawyer, Angela, with over 1.5 million followers and one of our favorite guests here on top story. So let's kind of take this in parts, just big

picture when we're looking at the accusations against this clerk of court. The defense team is saying they've discovered evidence of her tampering with the jury. Some of the allegations they specifically include is they say that she was asking jurors for their opinions about Murdoch's guilt or innocence. They claim that she invented a story in regards to a Facebook post to dismiss a juror, sort of at the end of the trial. They say that she did that because she believed that juror was leaning towards guilty. Let's set aside. aspect about what this might mean for Eleg Murdoch in his case, just from a legal standpoint, for a clerk of court to have interactions at all like this with a jury. Is it normal? Is it

appropriate? It is so beyond bound, Ellison. I mean, this is so improper. It's incendiary. It's crazy. No one should be talking to the jury. Not even the jurors. They're not even supposed to be talking to themselves. And the fact that an elected official of the court tried to allegedly influence the jury is massive. So she is also being accused of pressuring the jurors to reach a quick verdict. I was there covering it at the last couple weeks of this trial. And I remember we were sitting in our cars in between hit, just waiting because we didn't go home until the jury went home. We assumed they would go home that night and come back again tomorrow.

And then we got an alert that there was a note. We were like, they probably just need like a food break. And they had a verdict. It was three hours. It was really fast. I mean, when you look at that and these claims, I mean, is it, I know it's hard to predict with the juror, but does that confirm in any way? like, yeah, they came back really quick. Maybe she did.

I hesitate to say there's any confirmation whatsoever, but I do think what you're saying makes a lot of sense in that this was an astoundingly quick verdict. Everybody was shocked. Nobody expected it to come back this fast because the trial itself was so long. It was so detailed. It really captured the attention of all of America. So it was shocking. It came that fast. Does that mean, though, that she really tampered with them? I mean, that's really a bit of a stretch to to claim. So we haven't heard from her on these allegations just yet, but if it was a situation where the defense accusations are correct, what would happen to her? I mean, would this be something that is criminal? It could very possibly be. Jury tampering itself is a crime, and she could be

prosecuted. There could be sanctions. A lot could happen to her. Either way, this was extremely immoral if she did it. Now, whether or not it's illegal, though, that will be the next step. That's where we have a trial. That's why we have a court system. Okay, so let's talk about what this mean for Elek Murdoch and the future of his appeals. How likely is it that they could actually get a redo? I think whether or not they'll get a new trial itself is a stretch. I do think, though, there will be an evidentiary hearing. So the next step here is that the appellate court will then remand it back to the trial court, and they will do a hearing about these allegations. Are they true? Is there enough fact-finding here to say that she did tamper with the jury?

Can they move forward with that enough to get the new trial? So the next step is the evidentiary hearing. So there's been some discussion I've heard people say, okay, well, either way, this probably isn't going to change the outcome of the trial. They don't see how this maybe would have led to a guilty verdict one way or the other. And so they were questioning whether or not their legal grounds, even for his defense team to ask for a new trial. I heard his attorneys make the case at their press conference today

to say that this basically is information that the defense had a right to know during the trial and therefore because they weren't aware of some of these conversations that that's the grounds they're seeking. It's like a lot of legal back and forth, it sounds like. But is that a legitimate legal thing in the state of South Carolina? Yes. So it's very complicated. If it's just a question of introduction of new evidence, the bar is extremely high. However, with jury tampering, there is a possibility that now this state will have to prove that this was not harmless, that whatever happened in that courtroom behind closed doors, did not affect and did not change the outcome. So we all wait with bated breath to see whether or not this evidence you're hearing

will prove that this tampering really happened. And before we let you go, I want to play a little of a recent documentary where we actually heard from Ehrlich Murdoch's surviving son, because as you said, this is a case that has really captivated the nation. This is the first time since he took the stand. We've actually heard from him in a documentary. Let's listen. Twelve jurors all agreed that your dad killed your mom and Paul. That's right. What do you think about that? I do not believe it was fair. Why?

I was there for six weeks studying it, and I think it was a tilted table from the beginning. And I think, unfortunately, a lot of the jurors felt that way prior to when they had to deliberate. You know, it was interesting to me because he didn't necessarily say anything. We hadn't already heard from his legal team, from him on the stand. But this is a very new documentary. Could there be some bigger strategy from Murdoch's team where they're saying, okay, we know we're trying for a new trial? Good idea to have the sun sit down? Should we read into any of that? I think you're really on to something here.

And that's because the defense had had this information for a while now. It's not like they just today realize that there's a possibility of jury tampering. So the fact that they had this interview right before they're going to ask for a new trial is relevant because even though PR is not supposed to matter in a court of law, we all know that it often does realistically. So I think you're right. It could very well be a part of a great defense strategy to attempt to, with multiple different angles, different punches, try to get a new trial. All right, Angelis and Adela, thank you. We appreciate it. Turning now to some other major news we're following tonight, the former leader of the far right group, the proud boys, just sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Kandelanian has that story.

What are we here for? To stop those still. Tonight, a central figure in the attack on the U.S. Capitol has been handed the stiffest prison sentence so far. A judge ruled that Enrique Tario, one-time leader of the far-right proud boys, will spend 22 years behind bars. While not physically present during the January 6th riot, he directed others and celebrated afterward, saying in a text message, make no mistake, we did this.

Prosecutors had sought 33 years for Tario, but Judge Timothy Kelly decided that was too long. We also sentenced four other proud boys last week to lengthy prison terms, but far less than prosecutors had asked for. Some of them seen here at the Capitol. American citizens are storming the Capitol, taking it back right now. There's millions of people out here. This is crazy. This is such history.

Tario and three other proud boys were convicted in May of seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors said their goal was to orchestrate violence to keep then President Trump in office, that the proud boys were behind every major breach of the Capitol during the attack. Afterwards, on CNN, Tario ridiculed members of Congress who huddled in fear as rioters breached the building. I'm not going to cry about a group of people that don't give a crap about their constituents. But a different tone in court today, telling the judge, I am not a political zealot, and saying to the men and women of law enforcement who answered the call that day, I'm sorry.

Ellison, Tario's sentence was four years longer than the previous longest sentence for January 6th defendant, and there have been over 1,100 criminal cases so far. The judge called Tario's apology in court better than nothing, but he said he didn't believe Tario was remorseful for the crimes he was convicted of. Ellison. Candelanian in D.C., thank you. Turning now to the forecast and the severe weather developing across the country. In New Orleans, heavy rains flooding roadways installing several vehicles,

authorities warning residents to try and avoid driving. And storms now threatening 8 million as a record-breaking September heat wave takes hold. So let's get right to NBC News meteorologist Bill Karens. Bill, what's the latest on those unseasonably high temperatures? We'd like to get it out of the northern half of the country, especially those areas that are back in school and don't have air conditioning in the classrooms. Schools are canceling already to start the year, half days for the kids, sending it home early. So that's a mess, especially in areas of northern New England.

And that was in the Great Lakes today, but that should be improving. And it's still brutally hot from Texas to Oklahoma. Even at this hour, it's 102 in Dallas and 103 in Del Rio. D.C. is 94, and it's going to be a warm, humid night once again. Tomorrow we should have record heat in areas like Washington, D.C., Baltimore, close to that in Richmond, Redding, even northern New Hampshire. So this is almost none precedent at September heat wave. So, Bill, we know there has also, there have also been some disturbances in the tropics that you have been tracking.

What are you seeing there? Yeah, get used to hearing. about tropical storm Lee and what will eventually be Hurricane Lee. This one will be with us for a good portion of the next two weeks. It's a developing storm now 45 mile per hour. It's still a thousand miles away from any land area. So we're not concerned with it at all for the next four to five days. And it does look to go just barely north of the Virgin Islands in Puerto Rico, but look how strong. The Hurricane Center thinks this could be a category four. I wouldn't surprise me if get up to a category five. This will be the most powerful storm on the planet as we head

through this upcoming weekend. So no one wants to deal with it. We don't want it to hit anyone. Our computer models do keep it north of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, south of Bermuda. But when it gets in this area here, that's when we get a little nervous about the east coast of the U.S., maybe New England, the Canadian Maritines. The bottom line is that's still eight to ten days from now. We will monitor this storm very closely in the week ahead. Wow. All right. Bill Cairns, thank you. And in Nevada, the mass exodus from Burning Man is slowly moving forward after rain and mud trapped more than 70,000 festival goers for days.

And now there's a new controversy over what they're leaving behind. Our Liz Kreutz is there. At Burning Man's Black Rock City, days trapped in messy sludge, have now turned to hours stuck in gridlock traffic. It was a great burn until it rained. Tonight, the slow crawl out of the remote desert festival stretching for miles. Tens of thousands still trying to get out. This is where festival goers finally reach a paved road,

But getting here is a lesson in patience. For some, the six-mile trip out, taking as long as nine hours. And now, questions are mounting over the chaotic mess left behind. The Pershing County Sheriff slamming the conduct of festival goers, telling the San Francisco Chronicle, some abandoned their property and vehicles leaving trash across several miles as they scrambled to escape the storm. There have been people that have left things. I think a lot of people had a very fear-based reaction. Organizers have not responded to NBC's request for comment about the aftermath, but veteran festival goers like Terry Galt, who's staying behind to clean up, are frustrated.

We know that people abandon their camps, so it's not surprising to hear that there was trash left behind. What's your message to people who leave things behind? Well, one of the ten principles is leave no trace. So for those people who left trash behind, those aren't real burners. They probably shouldn't be out here anyway. This all comes as authorities continue to investigate the death of a man at the height of the storm. Authorities say there's no indication it was weather-related, but that conditions may have slowed their response. While most today are going out by car, some finding ways to avoid the congestion.

With the bike, it was just 30 minutes. Tonight with half the festival still inside, the famous Burning Man is gone, but a massive cleanup effort still lies ahead. Liz Kreutz, NBC News, Black Rock Desert. Now to the White House in the announcement late last night that First Lady Jill Biden has tested positive for COVID. White House Press Secretary Corrine Jean-Pierre saying President Biden tested negative yesterday and again today. Peter Alexander joins us now from the White House North Lawn. Peter, do we know how the First Lady is doing? Yeah, Allison, the good news, the White House today says that the First Lady is experiencing only mild symptoms that she's going to remain at the couples.

Beach, Delaware home this week while she recovers. You'll remember she spent plenty of time with her husband over the weekend. They were together in Florida touring the disaster zone after Hurricane Adalia and then again spent Sunday together at their home in Delaware. But she's not with her husband right now. He's now at the White House. And Peter, so far as we said, the president has tested negative. Do we know what sort of protocols the White House is taking to ensure he stays negative and also keep the rest of the White House staff healthy? Yeah, just to be clear, you're right. So he tested negative again today. He was first negative when he tested yesterday. No symptoms were told today at the Medal of Honor ceremony. Notably, he walked in wearing a mask and keeping with CDC guidelines. He did take it off to present the award. The White House says he is going to be masking up when he's indoors and around other people. When he's a safe distance away, they say he won't be wearing that mask. Of course, the big focus for him and for the White House is the scheduled trip the president has to India later this week. for the G20 summit. He's going to be tested again before he leaves Thursday. They won't say

exactly how often he's going to be tested, just that it'll happen regularly. And obviously, all of it comes amid concerns of another possible rise in cases this fall, Ellison, with an updated vaccine expected in the middle of the month. And Peter, while we have you, because you are so well sourced in Washington, D.C. I also want to ask you about another story we've been following on Capitol Hill, the health scares of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. He spoke on the Senate floor today for the first time since that most recent incident where he froze for more than 30 seconds. What is the Capitol physicians? What have we heard, if anything, in terms of his health? Yeah, that's right. We did hear from what's described as the Congress's attending physician,

basically is the doctor who looks after the lawmakers on the hill. And right now says that there is no evidence that McConnell suffered either a stroke or that he had any other serious illness. This was not a seizure disorder in any way. McConnell, for his part, as you said, was on the floor of the Senate today. He did briefly mention the moment he says that's getting a lot of attention from the last several days. That's that most recent freeze up when he was on camera for almost 33 seconds without saying a word. We know that McConnell, we know that McConnell, among other things, has the support of the other leading lawmakers. They have said that publicly, and we know as it relates to the doctor's letter, that among other things, they completed

brain MRI imaging and consultations with neurosurologists. Ellison. All right. Peter Alexander at the White House. Thank you. While the First Lady recovers from COVID, cases are on the rise across the country. Health experts warn that new variants of the are driving up infections as well as hospitalizations. NBC News fellow Dr. Akshay Seyal joins us now with more. So Dr. Seil, talk to us about what you're seeing in terms of the numbers. How bad is it really and where are you seeing areas of concern? Yeah, Alison, so we actually just published an article about this on NBCNews.com where we spoke to experts across the country, really asking, what does it look like in your hospitals? You know, I'm based here in New York, but we wanted to

find out, you know, in San Francisco, in Atlanta, what are you guys really seeing? I mean, Listen, you know, the bottom line is, yes, COVID is on the rise. All indicators are pointing to that wastewater, which is how we track, you know, the virus and poop actually is going up, hospitalizations are going up. But the tricky thing here, Ellison, is because everybody's taking tests at home, it's really hard to get a good sense of where we are because those tests at home, they get thrown in the trash, they don't really get reported. But everything we're seeing right now does point to this rise in cases.

Now, the important thing, Alison, we are nowhere near where we were at this time. last year or even last winter. So while things, yes, are on the rise, we're nowhere near that surge or that overwhelming of the health care system that we saw previously. So when people are testing at home, or if they are, which I think a lot of people are doing this, they say, oh, I don't feel great, but I don't feel that bad and I'm vaccinated. Why test? You know, I had a situation the other week where somebody I knew somebody had COVID and my husband said, oh, should we test? And I was like, geez, I don't even think we have them in the house. We used to have them all the time. because people maybe don't have them around as much now or they're taking them at home or just

not taking them. Does that make it more difficult to contain it? It does. And, you know, your question's a good one. Why even take a test, right? Why bother? And I think to answer that, really focusing on the high-risk population, people who are over 65, maybe you have pre-existing conditions like asthma or some sort of lung disease or maybe cancer, autoimmune disease, these people all qualify for Paxilid, an antiviral. So your question, you know, why should I test? It really hones in on if you are high-risk, there is something that we can actually prescribe you if you are positive. Now, for everybody else, you know, these tests are expensive. It's, you know, $30 a test or for a pack of one or two.

So, you know, if you're having trouble affording it, I think the best advice really is, you know, if you're symptomatic, take a test. If you're going to be somebody who's maybe you're going to visit grandma, going to a big gathering, and you're having symptoms, definitely take a test. But for all other people, you know, who maybe they can't afford it, I think the best advice really is just stay home if you're having symptoms. If you're high risk, take that test. there is something we can do about it.

And since it has been a while, and a lot of people maybe are experiencing symptoms differently because they've been vaccinated, boosted, all the things, what are the key things to look out for when you should say, okay, let me take a test? It's, you know, it's, there's, we're entering the fall. And I think, you know, last year we talked a lot about the triple demic of flu and RSV and COVID. And people were always asking us, you know, how can I tell the difference? Can I, can I just, are certain symptoms that are more likely to cause one. And while that may be true, I think generally speaking, the only real way to tell the

difference between the three is to take a test. And to answer your question, the things you should watch for are the same really for all of them, which is fever, chills, body aches, but really trouble breathing. That's one we worry about. If you're having any trouble breathing, maybe you found like you're having used to, you're having used to, you're just not seamlessly breathing like you're used to. Definitely head to the urgent care emergency room, call your doctor, because that's the big red flag we watch for. Great advice, and people can see more of your reporting on NBCNewsNow.com. Dr. Seyal, thank you. We appreciate it. Heading overseas now to a possible meeting between North Korean President Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The White House warning the two isolated leaders are expected to engage in diplomatic discussions over the Kremlin's war with Ukraine. This development coming just one month after Russia's foreign minister traveled to Pyongyang in a bid to arrange artillery ammunition sales to Moscow. I want to bring in Brett Bruin. He's a former U.S. diplomat and current president of Global Situation Room, Inc. Brett, thank you so much for joining us tonight. Let's just start big picture here. Intelligence officials, they've warned of a deepening relationship between Russia and North Korea. What do we know about the goals from this meeting? And as someone who watches this sort of thing closely, what is your big takeaway here? Well, I think the big takeaway, Alison, is desperation. Vladimir Putin is casting far and wide, just trying to get some of those essential elements that he needs

to build some of the weapon systems, to build some of the arms for his campaign in Ukraine. And when you've got to go to Kim Jong-un, you know that you really are scraping the bottom of the barrel. Nonetheless, obviously, it does represent a concerning development. That's why you saw the National Security Council come out with some of these statements. And they're not so much directed to Pyongyang or to Moscow, but to Beijing, so that Xi Jinping, perhaps thinks twice and apply some more pressure on Kim Jong-un. And Brett, so we don't know exactly what these exchanges will be necessarily. But we have a general idea, right?

We're talking about ammunition, things that could potentially help Russia as they are continuing their war with Ukraine. And then sort of the exchange, based on reporting and comments from sources, the exchange sort of would be that North Korea would get things that could perhaps help them in their nuclear weapons program. How big of a deal would that be if we see that type of exchange? Would it change things dramatically from what we've seen out of North Korea? I think it is concerning.

And bear in mind that what we have witnessed over the last several years is North Korea trying to build missiles, particularly, that can go farther and farther. And they've had fits and starts. They've had some successes and also some failures. And Russia obviously has extraordinary missile. capability, both knowledge as well as some of the resources and the technology to build them. So this could supercharge North Korea's capabilities. And the challenge now for the West as well as the broader international community is we just don't have much leverage

left over Vladimir Putin. So trying to dissuade him from this endeavor is going to be a difficult task. Yeah, that was going to be my next question is you have two people who are so incredibly isolated to begin with. Is there anything the West can do to prevent something like this from happening? Or is it just they're going to do as they please? Well, Allison, as a recovering diplomat, I can attest to the fact that these kind of rogue actors are really difficult to contain nonetheless what I think Washington, our European allies, and others across the Indo-Pacific region will try to do is to apply pressure elsewhere. And perhaps, Perhaps that is in Beijing, perhaps it's in other parts of the Middle East, as well as with some of the countries that are sitting on the fence here, they may provide some support.

And if we can encourage them to send that message that this isn't such a smart idea, cozying further up to Kim Jong-un, it's just bad as a look and bad for international stability. We might have some success. Brett Bruin, thank you. Still to come tonight, could the world's spiciest chip be the reason why a teenager has died, why one Massachusetts family is now blaming a new social media challenge for the tragedy. Plus, a shocking chant at the U.S. Open directed at a German player will show you the moment one fan was kicked out of the stadium for yelling a Nazi slogan. And a major U.S. airline offered a passenger $1,000 to apologize for a mistake.

But is that enough for losing the family do? dog. This is Top Story. We're back with a Massachusetts community in shock after the death of a 14-year-old high school sophomore. His family says he died of complications from a social media trend where people eat an extremely spicy chip. NBC's Kristen Dogrin has more. 2023 Paki One Chip Challenge. Cheers. It's a challenge going viral on social media. Oh, I can't breathe. The brand Pocky selling what they call the spiciest chip in the world containing Carolina Reaper Pepper and Naga Viper pepper and challenging customers to eat it while

seeing how long they can go without eating or drinking anything else. Now one Massachusetts family believes the challenge may have contributed to the death of 14-year-old Harris Willoba. Harris's mother tells NBC Boston that he had a bad stomach. after a classmate gave him the chip and was sent to the nurse's office before going home, where he briefly felt better. But hours later, Harris passed out and was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. First thing was shock. When they said the name, I had to literally like ask a hundred times, like if this was him. The results of Harris's autopsy are still pending. Pocki has not responded to our requests for comment. But in a statement

to the Today Show last year, the company said in part, we take six. safety very seriously and have worked hard to ensure our products are properly and clearly labeled with allergen and safety information. One little chip. The chip, which is sold in a coffin-shaped container, warns on the packaging that it's intended for adults and should be kept out of children's reach. It's already started. However, the challenge has blown up online.

Even celebrities joining in. How do you swallow without any water? I know. That's part of the challenge. The ingredient that creates the heat is called Capsacin, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. In general, when somebody eats Capsacin, it can cause a very painful, burning, irritating sensation in the mouth and the throat. There can be stomach irritation. People might have stomach aches and nausea and vomiting.

When that happens, your body goes into more or less a fight or flight response. On Pocky's website, the company urges anyone who has difficulty breathing, faints or has extended nausea to seek medical help. Meanwhile, Harris's friends and family are left to mourn the young boy gone too soon. Now, those chips have been banned in certain school districts after reports that some kids were going to the hospital after trying them. In another district last year, they threatened to suspend anyone for simply bringing them into the school, let alone encouraging their peers to try them.

Alison? Kristen Dahlgren, thank you. Now, to a shocking moment at the U.S. Open right here in New York, a German tennis star suddenly stopping his match after he says a fan shouted a quote, famous Hitler phrase at him. That fan swiftly ejected from the stadium. NBC's Noah Pransky has this story. As two of the best tennis players in the world duped it out last night under the bright U.S. Open lights, it was a fan off-camera in the stands who brought the hours-long match to all. halt. German Alexandra Zverev pausing his match with Italian Yannic's sinner to approach the umpire. He just said the most famous Hitler phrase there is. Alleging a spectator shouted an infamous phrase tied to Adolf Hitler. It's unacceptable. This is unbelievable. The umpire and fans searched for the shouter.

Who set that? Who said that? When he was identified and quickly escorted out, the crowd responded with shout of their own. After the match, Zverev explaining why he felt the need to speak up. She started singing the anthem of Hitler that was back in the day. It was Deutschland Duvales, it was a bit too much. I love when fans are loud, I love when fans are emotional, but I think me being German and not really proud of that history, it's not really a great thing to do. The phrase translates to Germany over everything and was part of the country's national anthem

after the First World War. It didn't necessarily have to be something that was nasty and exclusive and, for example, anti-Polish. But certainly by the time you get to the 1920s, that's how people understood it because of World War I. And it became a kind of rallying point. But as Hitler roused the power in the 30s, the lyric was associated with the Nazi regime. It was later banned in 1945 following World War II.

You do not say this in public. It's a tremendous taboo. The people who would say something like this are trying to traumatize others. It's provocative in a really bad way. The CEO for the U.S. Tennis Association told us today, I'm pleased that our security team was able to address it. It's unfortunate that it happened. That stuff shouldn't happen.

When you have nearly a million fans, there may be some that, for whatever reason, you know, do some acts that you regret. You wish weren't the case. NBC's attempts to reach the ejected fan habit on success, But as for Zverev, he won that match. A nearly five-hour marathon, the longest match yet of this entire tournament. Now next, face the defending champ, Carlos Alcaras, tomorrow night right here at Arthur Ash. Ellison?

Noah Pransky, thank you. When we come back, a deadly Labor Day in Atlanta, multiple Georgia teenagers killed after their car care careened off the road. What we're learning about the victims next. Back now with top stories news feed starting with two tragic Labor Day crashes in Georgia. Police say five teenagers were killed and three others hurt after a pickup truck went over the wall of an Atlanta highway, landing on a road below. Hours later, two Morehouse College students were killed after their car crashed into a pole and then overturned. One of the victims, the son of former NFL defensive end, Hugh W.W. Florida officials are issuing a shark warning tonight after two people were attacked at the same beach.

Officials say a surfer was bitten on his left hand near Daytona Beach, and a few moments later, a swimmer in waste deep water was bitten on her right foot. Both people are expected to be okay. No word on what type of shark it was, but black tip and bull sharks are common in that area. And a woman is suing Delta Airlines after they lost her dog at the airport and then offered her $1,000 as an apology. According to a GoFundMe page, Paula Rodriguez was being sent back to the Dominican Republic because authorities at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Airport determined she did not have the proper visa requirements. Delta confirmed pet carriers are not allowed on CBP mandated flights and they were supposed to get the dog back to her. However, the dog managed to get out of its carrier outside

of the terminal and has since not been seen. That was August 18th. Turning now to the Americas and a shocking report from Amnesty International detailing arbitrary and politically motivated detentions in Venezuela. We spoke to the sister of one woman who is in prison for allegedly being involved in a plot to assassinate President Nicholas Maduro. Her family says she is innocent and that right now she's being tortured behind bars. This is Imelindres Benitez, enjoying life with her family in Venezuela, with her young son and her friends.

All of these photos are old. There are no recent photos of Imelian Dris Benitez because she has been in jail for more than 1,850 days, wrongly imprisoned, according to her family, and repeatedly tortured by Venezuelan authorities. She was tortured, with bolzage in the car, patage in the back, in the back, she was obligated to incarce and to raise the Pad de Nuestro. She said that no they were because my

brother was embarrassed and no they did her in innocent of all the delitos that they're not a terrorist. In August of 2018, Benitez was traveling

in a car with three other people when counterintelligence officers stopped them in the city of Barquisimeto and accused everyone in that car of being involved in a plot

to assassinate President Nicholas Madoro. Eventually, a Venezuelan court with jurisdiction over terrorism sentenced Benitez to 30 years behind bars on charges of attempted murder with malice of forethought of the president and the military high command, throwing explosive devices, terrorism, treason, and conspiracy. But according to a new report from Amnesty International,

there's little to no evidence of her involvement in any of it. Only because she was in this car when the people were detained, she was also arrested. She was severely tortured and even the government gave her a forced abortion. Her case, according to researchers, is emblematic of a policy of repression implemented by the government of Nicholas Maduro, a decade of a widespread in systematic attack on the population of Venezuela that may constitute crimes against humanity. The new report, Life Detained, is 30 pages long, and Benitez's case is just one of nine high. There is still an ongoing policy of repression. Venezuela was once the richest country in South America.

Today, Venezuelans struggle to access basic necessities. According to the United Nations, rampant violence, inflation, gang warfare, soaring crime rates and food shortages have forced more than 6 million people to flee the country. And its leader, Nicholas Maduro, has repeatedly been accused of stifling of stifling dissent by any means necessary. Normally people would think that in Venezuela, the repression only targets those who oppose

or are strongly opposed to the government. And what we have found is that it's much wider. It only needs to be someone that is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Human rights organizations have documented close to 300 cases of people currently detained in Venezuela. solely for political reasons. As for Imelian Dris Benitez, her sister says the international community

can and should do more. The liberty of my brother is what all we hope. That's all the justice with her case. Because he has a son that's up at home, that all the days me question for her.

Siento temor because for tantal things that I've seen, I've heard, that pass here in Venezuela, but I still al-sand my voice for the liberty of my

And so that's not going to happen to those the actions of more persons innocent, as he's passing my brother. Benitez's legal team appealed her conviction, but she has yet to appear before a court. Her sister told us they have been waiting for news

on her appeal for more than a year. Coming up next, a portion of the great wall destroyed. A gaping hole carved out of a section of the wall that dates back centuries. How authorities say two workers looking for a shortcut caused this. Back now with top stories, Global Watch and China's great wall has been severely damaged by construction workers.

This photo, released by local police, shows a large gap in a section of the wall that dates back to the Ming Dynasty. Authorities say two construction workers widened an existing cavity to the wall with an excavator because they were trying to create a shortcut to work nearby. A 38-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman have now been deceased. In update tonight, the coach of Spain's women's soccer team has been fired amid fallout for that unsolicited kiss. His firing comes just weeks after coach Jorge Vilda led the team to the country's first women's World Cup win. He had initially resisted calls for Federation President Luis Rubiales to step down after he kissed player Jenny Armoso following the championship win. Vilda later criticized Rubiales's behavior.

Rubiales has been suspended for at least 90 days. Now to the recognition of a hero. Larry Taylor, a former Army captain given the Medal of Honor today by President Biden. NBC's Courtney Kuby has the exclusive conversation with him right before his ceremony. It was the peak of the Vietnam War when First Lieutenant Larry Taylor got a call, soldiers in trouble. Minutes later, he was flying his cobra attack helicopter in the dark of night. Sometimes you fly in your under drawers or shower soap on, but about. God, you got it off the ground in two minutes.

Nearly 100 North Vietnamese troops were closing in on four American soldiers. Dave Hill was one of them. Totally surrounded. It's an area about the size of a football field. And nearly out of ammo. Taylor and his wingman fired everything they had, but the Americans were still pinned down. Over the radio, Taylor's commander ordered him back to base to resupply. Mike Holden saw it unfolding.

He told him I'm the senior officer. in this you're not get off my frequency i'm going in at these four men are going to die turned it off and went down what was going through your mind before i started the approach in i thought this is a good idea and when i got about halfway through it i thought what the hell have i doing he landed under heavy enemy fire with no extra seats the four soldiers clung to the outside of the chopper I said, there's no door. This is the cobra. Get the hell on here. So they, two of them sat on the skid and grabbed the strut. Two of them straddled the rocket pods backwards and flew. Taylor got them all out safely. Did you get in trouble for defying the order? Well, they're going to do, send me to Vietnam. It was 30 years before Taylor saw any of those four American soldiers again at a reunion.

That was the first time we could personally thank him. Hill started a year's long effort to get Taylor the nation's highest military award. Today, at the White House, that mission was completed. We never lost a man, and we never left anybody behind for any reason. And, yeah, I think I'm proud of that. I did my job. Courtney QB, NBC News, Washington. When we come back, the daring rescue from the Antarctic Ice,

how rescuers used an icebreaker and two helicopters. to get a sick man to safety. That's next. Finally, tonight, rescuers embarking on an extremely difficult evacuation mission in the Antarctic. Maya Eagland has the details on how they got to this remote post. Tonight, a daring evacuation mission in the Antarctic, one of the most challenging environments in the world.

Australian rescuers are bringing home a researcher who fell ill at the Casey Reuters. Research Center, an extremely remote outpost, and one of three managed by the Australian Antarctic Division. In a statement, the government agency says the researcher had an undisclosed developing medical condition and that the rescue required an emergency medical team, two helicopters, and a huge ice-breaking ship called the RSV Noina. We were really only able to even attempt it because of the fantastic capabilities that

the Noina gives us in terms of ice-breaking and aircraft. capability. The Australian Antarctic Division says the rescue ship left Australia last week and traveled more than 1,800 miles south, breaking through sea ice to reach the isolated area. On Sunday, two helicopters were deployed from the deck and arrived at the base to evacuate the man roughly an hour later. A window in the weather presented itself, so a very nice blue sky day for Antarctica in the first few days of spring. And the ship was able to launch two helicopters with a medical retrieval team to fly the 80 nautical miles to Casey, retrieve the Unwell Expeditioner from the station, and then return safely back to the ship. During the southern

summer, there are usually more than 150 people at the research station, but fewer than 20 are on site performing maintenance work during the winter months of March to August. This was a very complex operation for us. It's the earliest we've ever gone to an Antarctic station, just a day or two after the official end of winter, but it's still very much winter in Antarctica. The researchers expected to arrive in the Australian island state of Tasmania for treatment next week. Until then, he's under the care of polar medicine doctors on board the ship. Maya Eaglin, NBC News. Thank you so much for watching Top Story for Tom Yamis. I'm Ellison Barber in News.

New York. Stay right there. More news now is on the way.