Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Episode Date: December 21, 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, several Americans on their way home after they were released as part of a prisoner swap with Venezuela. The U.S. reaching a deal with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to release 10 Americans, including six who were deemed wrongfully detained. An American fugitive and a group of Venezuelan political prisoners also freed in exchange the U.S. releasing close Maduro ally and Colombian businessman Alex Saab, who was charged by U.S. prosecutors for a multi-million dollar bribe scheme, the mixed reaction to the deal from U.S. lawmakers. Also breaking tonight the war between Israel and Hamas, reaching a grim milestone. At least 20,000 people killed in Gaza, including thousands of children. Our team on the ground going inside a UN school-turned orphanage, packed with children, some disabled who lost their entire families. Plus, the dozens of journalists killed while covering this war, as talks for another ceasefire appear to be lagging.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken saying this could all be over if Hamas would surrender. Back here at home, the deadly news chopper crashed the helicopter for ABC's Philadelphia affiliate going down with a pilot and photographer on board what we know about that crash. Trump ballot block. Other GOP presidential hopefuls sounding off after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot. The state's primary just three months away, could other states now follow suit? Plus, Diddy accused are Chloe Malas sitting down with the friend of singer Cassie, who is one of four women filing sex abuse lawsuits against music mogul, Sean Diddy Combs? The disturbing behavior she says she witnessed while Cassie and Diddy were together.

And neighborhood rocked, a security camera capturing the moment a Miami home exploded for people inside the house at the time, making it out alive. The investigation tonight into the cause. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. We begin with that major prisoner swap between the U.S. and Venezuela. The U.S. releasing a close ally of Venezuela's president, Nicholas Maduro, in exchange for at least 10 Americans and Venezuelan political prisoners. Here is a live look at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas. Six of the released Americans are expected to land there at some point tonight. The State Department said they were all wrongfully detained in Venezuela.

Among them, Savoy Wright, Joseph Cristella, Ivan Hernandez, and Jarrell Kinnemore. The rest have not been named over privacy concerns. Also being released back to the U.S., fugitive Leonard Francis. As Top Story reported back in September of 2022, he was behind a bribery scandal that impacted dozens of U.S. Navy officers. He escaped house arrest weeks before his sentencing, but as a part of this deal, Biden granting clemency

to him and releasing Colombian businessman Alex Saab. You see him here. He arrived back in Venezuela today. Saab is a longtime ally of Maduro. He was arrested by the U.S. in 2020 in Cape Verde after significant efforts by the Trump administration.

Federal prosecutors in Miami charged him with a multi-million dollar money launder scheme. Florida Senator Marco Rubio among the lawmakers who were not happy with this deal. In a tweet, he called the release of Alex Saab, a quote, disgraceful decision by the president, adding that the administration's policy of appeasement only emboldens narco dictator Nicholas Maduro.

This all follows the relaxation of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela in October. So let's get right to NBC's Gabe Gutierrez, who leads us off from Washington. Tonight, 10 Americans are on their way home. Some expected to land soon in San Antonio, Among them six people, the State Department says, were wrongfully detained in Venezuela. The Biden administration striking a deal with the country's socialist government led by President Nicolas Maduro. We have no higher priority than the release of detained and or hostas for Americans being held hostas.

Venezuela is also releasing 20 political prisoners and sending back a fugitive. Leonard Francis, better known as Fat Leonard, was behind one of the worst bribery scandals in U.S. Navy history, and fled to Venezuela last year before his sentencing. In return, the U.S. is releasing Colombian businessman Alex Saab, a Maduro ally, who's accused of bribery and money laundering with negotiations over hostages in Gaza ongoing and tense talks with Russia underway over its detainees. This is the latest swap mediated by the Qatari government. Among the wrongfully detained Americans, Joseph Cristella.

What was your reaction today when you heard that your son was coming home? I was shocked. Late today, we spoke with his mother, who says her son was being used as a bargaining chip. It's just been a horrendous journey, and it's finally come to an end. Senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez joins us now from the North Lawn of the White House. Gabe, some of those Americans are headed towards San Antonio as we speak. Have you heard anything from officials or sources at the White House about their condition or what will happen to them next? Well, hi there, Ellison, yes, as you said.

They're expected to land in San Antonio in the coming hours, and Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio is a place where they will be psychologically evaluated and also get post-isolation support, as do many other Americans who have been wrongfully detained. They often head to San Antonio. Nelson. And, Gabe, this prisoner swap is just one part of a broader deal, right? What more do we know about the agreement between Venezuela's government and the United States? Yeah, just a few months ago in October, the U.S. made a deal with Venezuela to ease sanctions if Venezuela agreed to make progress on having democratic elections in 2024. Of course, Alson, there are a lot of skeptics of that deal here in the U.S., even Florida Senator Marco Rubio, very outspoken, a critic of Venezuela's government. He is calling the deal shameless, and he's saying that it essentially incentivizes enemies of.

of the U.S. to detain more Americans. But, yes, today the president said that he, at this point, he does believe that the Maduro government so far is making progress when it comes to freer elections. Gabe Gutierrez at the White House. Thank you. Now to former President Trump in that Colorado Supreme Court ruling banning him from appearing on the state's 2024 election ballot. The court citing the Constitution's insurrection clause.

Trump responding online calling it a, quote, sad day for America. This as his rivals for the Republican nomination once again come to his defense. NBC News's senior Capitol Hill correspondent, Garrett Haake, has more. Tonight, President Biden weighing in on the Colorado Supreme Court's dramatic ruling, banning Republican frontrunner Donald Trump from the state's ballot. The court citing the 14th Amendment, saying the former president engaged in insurrection on January 6th. President Biden was asked if Mr. Trump is an insurrectionist. certainly you're self-evident.

You saw it all, whether the 14th Amendment applies or let the court make that decision. But he certainly supported an insurrection. There's no question about it. None, zero. The 14th Amendment was ratified after the Civil War, in part to keep supporters of the Confederacy out of office.

The former president writing on social media today, quote, every case I am fighting is the work of the DOJ and the White House. No such thing has ever happened in our country before. With his campaign labeling the split, decision by Colorado's highest court, with all seven of its justices appointed by Democratic governors, has, quote, completely flawed and a scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of President Biden, saying they'll appeal. Mr. Trump's Republican rivals echoing the frontrunner's

complaints. We don't need have judges making these decisions. We need voters to have to make these decisions. And arguing it will help the former president. They're doing all this stuff to basically solidifies support in the primary for him, get him into the general, and the whole general election is going to be all this legal stuff. And look, it's unfair. They're abusing power 100%. Recent polls show Mr. Trump leading President Biden in a potential 2020 renatch. The Colorado ruling now on hold until January, awaiting word from the Supreme Court. As of January 5th, if the U.S. Supreme Court does not take the case or intervene, then Donald Trump will not be on the presidential primary ballot.

And Garrett joins us now from Washington. Garrett, it is not just Colorado. Mr. Trump's position on the ballot is also being challenged in other states. Yeah, that's right, Alison. More than a dozen states have either pending litigation or pending appeals related to Mr. Trump's ability to appear on any of those ballots. It looks increasingly likely. It'll be the Supreme Court that'll have the last word on all of those cases.

Alison. Garrett Haake in Washington, D.C. Thank you. For more on the political fallout of the ruling in Colorado, disqualifying former President Trump from the 2024 ballot. Let's bring in Carlos Kerbello, former Republican congressman from Florida and NBC News political analyst. Thank you so much for being here with us tonight. I just kind of want to get your gut reaction to all of this, listening in Garrett's piece to Governor DeSantis, saying he believes there are ulterior motives here that this will help Trump, in his words, solidify. the Republican nomination, and then he thinks it will benefit Democrats based on what he said if the former president is then dealing with all of these different legal issues in the general

election. Do you think that that is part of the undertone here, and just big picture, what do you think this does for President Trump and his campaign? They've said they're outraged by this and plan to fight the ruling, but they're also fundraising on this, campaigning off of it. Well, Allison, Governor DeSantis makes a point that I think is fairly valid. What this ends up doing in a Republican primary is it excites Trump's base. It feeds his victimhood narrative. Donald Trump has been telling his supporters in the Republican Party for years now that there's a great conspiracy against him.

And this decision by the Colorado Supreme Court certainly feeds that. This isn't legal analysis. The court may have been completely just. and might be accurate in their interpretation of the 14th Amendment, but the political consequences are that Republican primary voters will continue rallying around Donald Trump because there's this perception that he's under siege. And of course, this is very frustrating for rivals like Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, who have no choice, but to criticize the court knowing that this is helping Trump consolidate

support in the Republican primary as they try to challenge it. Yeah, I mean, you mentioned those GOP rivals. We have seen so many of them speak up, come out against this, saying they believe this ruling is wrong. But surely that is feeding into a narrative that helps the person they're trying to beat in the Republican primary, right? I mean, only Chris Christie has been critical of Trump. All of the other candidates have really tried not to offend him or at least not offend his base. Is there a point where some of these other candidates who are trying to be the Republican nominee? have to switch gears and go on the attack, or would it hurt them too badly with the Republican base to say anything in support of this court's ruling? Well, listen, that's the trap that Republican primary challengers to Donald Trump find themselves. And Trump is popular with the Republican base, but they want to beat him. If they attack Trump too harshly, then that can turn off a lot of the voters that they need to try to convert to supporters of theirs.

So it's a very careful balancing act. I think you've seen Nikki Haley perhaps be the most successful trying to pull that off. She has managed to distinguish herself from Trump while not offending or challenging Trump supporters directly. Of course, Governor Christie is speaking very plainly and openly and clearly regarding his thoughts of Donald Trump, but a lot of people don't see a path to victory for him. And of course, Ron DeSantis, Allison, he took the approach of trying to. do a copycat campaign, basically following Donald Trump to the nomination, that is unlikely to work out.

A lot of Republicans think that Nikki Haley is the one who has pulled off that balancing act as best as possible, and that she's the one best position to face off one-on-one against Donald Trump after the first few primary states and give him a run for his money. So the Supreme Court has until January 5th to take this case. The Iowa caucus is really soon, like just a couple of weeks after that. I think it's four weeks after that date on January 15th. Do you expect whatever happens in Colorado or the fact that it hasn't been solved yet to make some sort of difference or impact at all the early primary states? For now, Allison, this decision certainly helps Donald Trump consolidate his position as the leading Republican candidate.

for president. First and foremost, because it keeps him in the news and it really drowns out everyone else. Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, to lesser degree, are trying to get attention. They're trying to get cameras at their events. And when everyone's talking about Donald Trump, because he's being attacked by what Republican primary voters perceive is a liberal court that is trying to keep him off the ballot, that is only good for him. So these candidates are going to have to let this storm pass, let this media cycle clear, and then try to regain some of the momentum, especially someone like Nikki Haley, who's been surging in the polls, who seems like she's going to pose a real threat to Donald Trump in New Hampshire.

She really needs this story to go away. All right. Carlos Kerbello, former Republican congressman from Florida and NBC News political analysts. Thank you so much. We appreciate your time and insights. Moving it now to a tragedy for our colleagues at a Philadelphia ABC News affiliate. They are mourning the loss of two team members both on board the station's helicopter when it crashed last night in New Jersey. NBC News correspondent Noah Pransky has this report. ABC Action News in Philadelphia going on air reporting on its own tragedy. This is just devastating. Two members of our news team went down. They did not survive.

The station's helicopter crashing in a fall. in Burlington County, New Jersey. At 0002 hours, a New Jersey State Park police officer located and confirmed a debris field. The two victims identified as 47-year-old photographer Chris Dardy and 67-year-old Monroe Smith, a veteran pilot in the news business previously flying for NBC affiliates as well. Action News issuing a statement saying they have a long history with our station and have been working as part of the Action News team for years. It is quite clear. This is a difficult day for us.

The helicopter went down around 8 p.m. while on its way back from an assignment on the Jersey Shore. Action news confirming it leases the helicopter from U.S. Helicopters Incorporated based in North Carolina. The chopper is an American Eurocopter model. Flight aware data shows the aircraft left Philadelphia around 723 p.m. Flew to the Jersey Shore and circled the area before turning back with its last known position near Atlantic City at 8.03 p.m. New Jersey State Park Police and the FAA arrived on scene before dawn Wednesday, but the investigation began in full after daybreak and is led by the National Transportation Safety Bureau. The NTSB telling NBC News, during the on-scene phase of the investigative process, the NTSB does not determine or speculate about the cause of the accident. Our hearts are with those team members and with their families as we continue to learn more about what happened.

The NTSB plans to release a preliminary report with factual information gathered during its prelimin. preliminary investigation. However, the probable cause of this accident won't be released for one to two years, the typical time it takes the NTSB to complete its final report. Ellison? Noah Pransky, thank you. We turned out of the forecast in the severe storm slamming the west, heavy rainfall turning roadways into rivers across coastal California today. 20 million people now under floodwatches as the Pacific system slowly marches south. For more on this wet winter weather and a look ahead at the holiday forecast. NBC news meteorologist Bill Karens joins me now.

Bill, what's the latest? Allison, it's always the same in California. We need the wet weather to fill our reservoirs. We need the water, but we don't need it all at once. That's the problem with these storms. It's the problem with this one. Big huge pinwheel, big flow of moisture now coming in. It's been sitting over the same areas,

and now we're starting to get concerned in the higher elevations. Already some reports of four to five-inch rainfall totals in the mountainous areas. I'm not too concerned with Santa Barbara. As we head to 1,000 oaks in Los Angeles, maybe some urban flooding in the next two days, but it's in the mountainous areas, the burn scars, where we could get the mud and the debris flows because we're going to get hit by some significant rain.

And we now have our first flash flood warning that's been issued for this storm. We'll have many more in the next 48 hours. That's that maroon area there in north of San Luis Obispo. But 22 million total are under these flood watches over the next couple days. How much rain are we talking? Well, this is impressive because, you know,

last year we had some big storms. I don't know if we had any rainstorms that we had 12 inches. That's what they're saying. Isolated spots. could have in this rainstorm, and I don't care where you are in this country. You get a foot of rain. You're going to have some serious problems out there with flooding. So here's how we're looking as we go throughout our holiday outlook. This is Friday, East Coast, fine, showers, Chicago, down to St. Louis. There's the storm out west and also in the northwest, a little bit stormy. Saturday, starting our holiday weekend, clear on the East Coast. Our storm goes into the four-corner region. Some snow in the higher elevations. Then on Christmas Eve, snow possibly. Colorado areas of Nebraska and the Dakotas, but a

rainstorm Christmas Eve in the middle of the country. And Allison, unfortunately, it's going to be a soggy, rainy Christmas day in many areas in the middle of the nation. So not a lot of snow to be had to make the most of it. Maybe next year. Bill Cairns, thank you. Now to the war between Israel and Hamas and efforts to renew talks for a ceasefire. President Biden today saying his administration is pushing for another pause in the fighting

and the U.S. Defense Secretary visiting the region, how he says Israel can reduce the mounting civilian casualties inside of Gaza. NBC's chief foreign affairs correspondent, Andrea Mitchell, is following it all. Tonight, the Israeli military says the three hostages who were mistakenly killed by Israeli forces had escaped from Hamas five days earlier after Israeli soldiers killed their captors in a firefight. The army says they've since analyzed a camera on a military dog at the scene, which recorded the hostages' voices.

They were later mistakenly shot by Israeli soldiers. soldiers while holding a white flag. Their deaths, increasing the pressure in Israel to pause the fighting and strike a deal to get the rest of the hostages out, the president today. We're pushing it. There's no expectation at this point, but we are pushing it. Secretary of State Tony Blinken today blaming Hamas. I hear virtually no one's saying, demanding of Hamas, that it stopped hiding behind

civilians, that it lay down its arms, that it surrendered. This is over tomorrow if Hamas does that. Prime Minister Netanyahu vowing to continue the war until Hamas is eliminated. Israel is now allowing aid into Gaza through a second crossing, but the U.S. and aid groups say it's not nearly enough. Alison. Andrea Mitchell, thank you. Now an update on the staggering death toll in Gaza.

The number of Palestinians killed reaching 20,000 today. And so many of those victims, children. Almost 15,000 of Gaza's children have been killed or wounded. Many now fighting for their lives in hospitals as airstrikes continue and buildings collapse around them. NBC news correspondent Hologorani has more. In Ruffa on this December day, a man runs down an alleyway carrying an injured toddler. The girl's name is Ream. She's unconscious.

The man climbs into an ambulance with her. The rubble the little girl was pulled from has become a familiar scene in Gaza, an airstrike, collapsed buildings, chaos. The war here has killed and wounded, nearly 15,000 children in a little over two months, according to UNICEF. The UN's Tom White has remained in Gaza throughout. Children after children after children who are lying in the hospital corridors with horrific injuries. and lots of them, you know, serious blast injuries, you know, they've lost limbs. And it's not just the injured, it's the disabled and homeless. This UN-run school in southern Gaza has become a refuge for orphans and kids with complex medical needs,

some several times displaced, like 90% of the strip. Sometimes it's the adult who cry as the children stay silent, or watch in the children. horror as buildings collapse around them, leaving children covered in debris and dust. There aren't enough emergency vehicles, so any mode of transport will have to do in Gaza. Horse-drawn carts, pickup trucks, motor taxis. The stream of casualties seems endless. When I have to deal with a child or a baby without their family, without their father and mother, I feel heavy-hearted and restricted.

Back at the Kuwait Specialty Hospital in Raffa, little Reem is handed over to the medical team and placed on a gurney. The doctors check. Does she have a pulse? Reem-Albana, we are told, doesn't make it. In nearby hospitals, parents hug their kids' lifeless bodies, wrapped in shrouds, a last embrace before letting go for good. For them, it's too late. But for hundreds of thousands of others, the future remains unwritten. My wish is for the war to end and go back to my house, this little girl says.

And for these children, perhaps, there still might be a chance. Hala Garani, NBC News. Still ahead tonight, murder confession. A former player for the Sacramento King's minor league team arrested for the gruesome killing of a woman in Las Vegas. what police say he admitted to planning along with his girlfriend. Plus, Diddy accused our exclusive interview with the friend of singer Cassie, who says she witnessed verbal abuse while Cassie and Diddy were together.

And a consumer alert ahead of the holidays, Spinnage recalled in seven states over Listeria concerns. What you need to know. Stay with us. and rapper Sean Diddy Combs has faced four different lawsuits in recent weeks alleging sexual assault and abuse, all of which he has denied. The first of those came from singer Cassie Ventura, known as Cassie, who accused Combs of sexual abuse and sex trafficking during the decade they were together. NBC's entertainment correspondent Chloe Malas spoke exclusively to a longtime friend of Cassie's who said she witnessed some troubling incidents. Chloe? Good evening, Ellison. Singer's songwriter

activist Tiffany Redd had been working with Cassie on an album when she first met Diddy and says that she witnessed him verbally abusing her friend. Following Cassie's settlement with Diddy, Red penned an open letter in Rolling Stone about her experience. She spoke to me about the events that she says traumatized her. I don't think people understand what it's like to be traumatized by somebody famous and rich because you can't get away from them. Tiffany Redd has written for the likes of Zendaya, Jason Derulo, and Jennifer. for Hudson. In 2015, she became friends with Cassie while writing songs for her album. At that point, Cassie and Diddy had been together for nearly eight years. In a lawsuit, Cassie filed last month,

she detailed the abuse, she says Diddy committed, including physical assault. Red says, although she did not know about the alleged physical assault while working with Cassie, she did witness verbal abuse on more than one occasion, one of which took place during Cassie's 29th birthday in 2015. Red says Diddy showed up at Carriot. where Cassie and a group of friends were celebrating. So he had her back into the corner, and he was like cussing around with his hand and his fit in her face. Later that night, Red, who was staying at Cassie's home, says she awoke to screaming. He's standing in the, like, living room area, and she's there.

And he was like, emotional singing, bitch. There you are. And I just was like, oh, he's talking to me. And I remember, like, I don't know if you know what his voice sounds like, but like, I felt like I was in a presence of his mom. they're inside. And I remember, like, looking at his eyes, and I said to him, what did y'all do? Because I could see that she was, like, really sedated. That was the first time I ever seen her, like, hide before.

And then he says, tell your girl she wants some birthday . And we were like, well, I mean, he's saying this to me. And I'm like, well, she doesn't have to have sex with you if she doesn't want to. He was upset, like, you know, I guess that she didn't want to do with him, whatever she, whatever he wanted. I don't know. I don't feel like I could advocate for myself in that moment. Like, I realized, like, oh, this guy is dangerous. Red says it was only a few months ago that Cassie told her what was really going on that night in 2015, that it all stemmed from the music executive wanting her to take part in what he called a freak off against her will. What did Cassie tell

you about these freakoffs? You know, that he would hire these like sex workers and like they would have, you know, sex with her or whatever and he would watch and tell them what to do. In her lawsuit, Cassie alleges she was forced to participate in freakoffs throughout her relationship with Diddy. Red Learning recently one horrific detail from Cassie. She told me the only time he was willing to do anything or work on her music, go through any plans, any of that was when she had a freak off. So all of our music, all my work to find out that like I spent all these years writing these songs for him to rape my friend to, like is just disgusting. In the lawsuit, Cassie detailed the physical abuse. She says Diddy committed,

including an instance where she was put in a hotel room for days to heal. Redd says Cassie recently told her about Diddy giving her a black eye before the premiere of her 2016 film, The Perfect Match. I remember one time her telling me that I think it might have been the perfect match that movie that she was in. And she told me that she had a black eye under her makeup. Do you believe Diddy is a dangerous person? Yes. I did. Why? I mean, look in his rap sheet. An attorney for Cassie declined to comment. Diddy's attorney did not respond. In 2015, Diddy was arrested on three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and other charges for allegedly beating up his son's football coach. Prosecutors declined to file felony charges related to that arrest.

hours after Cassie filed her lawsuit, she and Diddy announced that they had reached an undisclosed settlement. Combs released a statement saying, we have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. His lawyer adding that the settlement was, quote, in no way in admission of wrongdoing. I mean, I just felt like it's PR. He settled because he doesn't want to go to court. Diddy's music career spans three decades, including three Grammy Awards, and the creation of Bad Boy Records, representing artists from Mary Jane. B.I.G. In September, he was awarded MTV's Global Icon Award. But since the allegations surface, Hulu scrapped a reality series about his family. And the recording academy said they are

considering to rescind his invite to this year's Grammys. You know, I think a lot of people, especially in the black community are, you know, I've seen the narrative of like, you know, they just trying to take a black man down. And it's just like, that's not what this is about. that's not what this is about. This is about accountability and a reckoning. Like, that's just the bottom line. As for what justice looks like, I think justice looks like ditty being behind bars.

I also think that justice looks like everybody getting retribution for all of the things, the amount of therapy. Like I just said, all of my, all of the moments, the time, like these are our careers. And Chloe is back with us now. You hear her saying justice looks like Diddy behind bars. Is there a possibility that could still happen? Where does the criminal case stand? So Cassie filed her federal civil suit here in New York. And the NYPD has come out and said that there is no investigation into Diddy right now. Now, that doesn't mean that the district attorney of Manhattan isn't looking into something or perhaps investigations going on behind the scenes. But publicly, on the record, no. No such investigation has been confirmed. And also, there have been other lawsuits of some women coming forward with other similar accusations

and allegations. And who knows if others might come forward as well. Remember, the Adult Survivors Act is set to expire at the end of this month in the state of California. And we know that Diddy, that is where he has primarily resided. So you never know if others might come forward between now and the new year. And you spent so much time talking with Tiffany. And you can tell even watching that back, not being in the room.

her that she has been so deeply impacted by what she says she witnessed. She has been able to sort of take this and turn it in a way, right? Can you explain that? So she calls herself an activist, right? She's not just a singer, songwriter, who's worked with so many stars. Like I mentioned, Zendaya, Jason Durulo, Cassie. You know, she is somebody that has started an organization called the 100 percenters. And that's, she says, comes from the fact that she always gives 100%. And this is about advocating for equal pay and fair rights for those who are both artists and writers and music producers and helping also get them out of archaic music contracts. So she has turned her tragedy and her trauma into something positive. But she said that speaking out to NBC

news, speaking out to us, has helped her heal. And she also wants to stand up for her friend Cassie and validate what's in that lawsuit. Amazing reporting. Chloe Malas, thank you so much. We appreciate it. When we come back, a neighborhood rocked. New video shows a Florida home exploding while a family of four was inside. The investigation now underway to figure out what caused that blast. Back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with the former minor league basketball player charged with murder. Court documents show Chance Comanche admitted to. strangling a sex worker with an

HDMI cord after posing as a customer. Police say Comanche worked with his ex-girlfriend in the murder plot. According to a police affidavit, the murder taking place just hours after he played in an NBA G-Leak game. Now to the Miami home explosion that was caught on camera,

home security cameras capturing the moment the home erupted into a fireball. Police say a family of four, including two children, were inside at the time. They do have serious, injuries. Officials say some type of gas issue likely caused the explosion. And a consumer alert, spinach recalled in several states over Listeria concerns. Fresh Express recalling eight-ounce spinach bags and Publix branded nine-ounce spinach bags. The affected products has used by dates

from last week. They were sold in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia. So far, no illnesses have been reported. We want to turn now to the concerning rise. and respiratory illnesses nationwide. The CDC reporting that in the past four weeks, hospitalizations among all age groups increased by 200% for influenza, 51% for COVID-19, and 60% for RSV. To break down what all of this means, I'm joined now by NBC News medical contributor, Dr. John Torres. Dr. Torres, thank you so much for joining us. Let's just start with these numbers. Obviously, a lot of people expect to see an increase in the flu, RSV, even COVID. during the winter months. But when you look at these numbers, they're pretty high. I won't name

names, but I feel like I know a lot of people right now that are like, oh, I think I have the flu. I found out I have the flu. Are these numbers concerning? Yeah, the numbers you certainly want to pay attention to. And if you go anywhere, you're going to hear coughing, sneezing, you know, people that are just sick. And this is not unlike the past couple of years where we have the tripledemic happening. We're not quite at that point yet. But if you think about it, two of these viruses, flu and RSV, they're seasonal viruses. So we're seeing the seasonality of them happening now in the winter. COVID is a year-round virus, but it also has seasonal spikes, and that's what we're seeing as well. And so that triple combination there, along with the fact that we're getting

together over the holidays, we're going in more transportation-type situations where we're enclosed in either airplanes or subways or buses, it's going to spread more. And we think it's going to spread more over the next couple of weeks. What are we seeing with COVID right now? I know there's this new variant J-N-1. The CDC has described it as the fastest-growing variant. What makes that different than other variants we've seen so far. And the World Health Organization came up with the same thing saying we need to pay attention to JN1 because that's going to be the variant that's going to start overtaking all the other ones.

And right now it is quickly moving. And the thing that's different about it, so this is an Omicron subvariant. In other words, it comes off Omicron variants and it's a lower level of that. It's changed enough to the point where it's more infectious and we think it can break through some of the vaccines. But luckily, the vaccines are still giving us that ultimate protection of keeping us from being hospitalized or dying from this virus, which is at the end. of the day what we want to happen. But the fact is more contagious means it could spread more.

And like I mentioned, during the holidays where we'll be getting together, so you have to be cautious about this. So let's talk a little bit about vaccinations, because the rate of vaccinations for all sorts of things, a lot lower based on the data that we have than it was in 2022. Why are people backing off of vaccines? So if you look at flu vaccines, they're kind of the normal range of vaccines, which is still pretty low. COVID is extremely low right now for the booster shots. And I think part of what you're seeing is kind of vaccine fatigue. People are saying, you know, I have plenty of COVID vaccines, I don't need any more, but because of these new variants, they do. The other thing to realize is with vaccines, it takes two weeks for them and become fully effective.

And so some people, I think, might be saying, well, it's too late for the holidays. I'll get it later on. But the truth with the vaccine is every day you have the vaccine, you're more protected than you were the day before. Yes, it does take two weeks, but even a couple days will give you some protection. Okay, so people should still get it if they haven't got it. There's no bad time to get a vaccine. Okay. And if you fall into a category where you're like, well, I just had COVID a month ago, or I just had the flu. Should you still be looking at getting a booster and a flu vaccine? So with COVID, what the CDC says is you can wait 90 days.

You can wait three months and then get the COVID vaccine at that point. With the flu, you want to go ahead and get the flu vaccine because it's possible you had type A flu and then type B could move right in and affect you, and the vaccine keeps you protected from all those. One thing I've started to hear people talk about is the idea of long flu. Heard a lot about long COVID. It was something everybody dreaded. A lot of people have dealt with the ramifications of that for a long time after having COVID. long flu and how do you know if you have it?

So what happened in the pandemic is we learned about long COVID, and they kind of opened up researchers' eyes to wait. Let's look at other viruses and see if viruses are what are causing these long type symptoms. And so they looked at flu. The VA did a great study looking at people that are hospitalized with COVID and people that are hospitalized with flu. And they found out that they have rates of hospitalizations, unfortunately, some deaths,

issues with lungs, brains, kidneys, those types of things, the long COVID, long flu, long virus-type symptoms. With COVID, it tended to be worse, but flu is right behind, and they're looking at other viruses as well. So I think what we're finding out is viruses affect us more than we think they do, and they affect us longer than we think they do. Dr. John Torres, thank you. Now to Top Stories, Global Watch and the devastating flooding in southern India. Drone footage shows buildings and roads submerged, crews desperately trying to reach residents trapped by floodwaters, torrential rain falling on the region over the last few. days. The area is still recovering from a powerful cyclone that left at least 13 people

dead earlier this month. A former doctor has been sentenced by a French court over his involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Prosecutors in Paris say the former gynecologist helped round up Tutsis, who would be detained and often killed by the government. He received a 24-year prison sentence after being found guilty of charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. And French lawmakers passing a controversial immigration bill, the bill that is backed by President Emmanuel Macron will force immigrants to wait longer to access welfare benefits and make it more difficult for their children to become French citizens. The legislation is an effort to curb immigration. The country's health minister has resigned in opposition.

Coming up, our coverage continues on the war between Israel and Hamas. Among the tens of thousands killed in this war so far, nearly 70 of them are adjourned. journalists. Next, our interview with the committee tracking these deaths, why they believe this war is so deadly for the people covering it. We're back now with the latest on the Israel-Hamas war and the conflict's devastating toll on journalists. A new report from the committee to protect journalists finding the war has been the deadliest period for reporters in more than three decades. Since the war began on October 7th, at least 68 journalists have been killed, including 60,

one Palestinian, four Israeli, and three Lebanese reporters. More than a dozen others injured or missing, and at least 20 journalists have been arrested. This is just one of them. Ayat Kaduru, a Palestinian freelancer who was killed by an Israeli airstrike on her home. This video posted just weeks before her death, what she called My Last Message to the World. In it, she says, we have big dreams, but our dream now is to be killed in one piece, so they know who we are. Colleagues of those lost at times unable to contain their grief, this Palestinian reporter and anchor breaking down on the air live just after learning one of their co-workers had been killed. The correspondent taking his press gear off saying it offers no protection to him and his colleagues

from the airstrikes that keep raining down on their homes. The committee to protect journalists says it is investigating even more reports of journalists injured killed, that number, 68 lives already lost, is all but certain to rise. For more on this, we're joined now by the Middle East and North Africa program coordinator for the committee to protect journalist Sharif Mansour. Sharif, thank you so much for being here. We're going to get to those horrifying numbers from your organization's report in a moment. But I want to ask you first about this incredibly important work that you and your group

have been doing, documenting these deaths and telling the stories of these journalists. This is a painful process. It's painstaking work. What has it been like to carry out this task and what has made this war feel so different? It's been hard. It's not the first time we at the committee have been documenting cases of journalists worldwide. And in that region, Gaza was always dangerous for journalists. Over 11 years, I've been at CPJ now.

This is the fourth military conversation for Gaza. war we've seen. And every Gaza war journalists were killed, media offices were banned, but we haven't seen anything with that scale, not even in the region since 1992 worldwide. The toll, of course, is primarily paid, and those sacrifices are already offered by Palestinian journalists, local photojournalists, freelance journalists, who form 90 percent of the the total count of 68, 61 are Palestinians killed in Gaza, a majority with Israeli fire. And what we're seeing is that they have been killed at about one journalist per day. It is the most dangerous and most deadly environment we have seen.

But the deadly environment existed for Palestinian journalists before. We at the committee just six months ago released a report. in which we said that Palestinian journalists are left vulnerable in a precarious situation. In a deadly environment, 90 percent of the journalists were killed before this war, covering IDF activities were Palestinian journalists. And in this war, 90 percent as well are Palestinian journalists. We said before the war that that has, of course, will lead to change. chilling effect about the ability of journalists to cover IDF operation.

And what we're seeing is that it's not just this is becoming more deadly for journalists, that chilling effect has become more wide censorship, and even muzzling of international media by disallowing them access into Gaza. We've seen unprecedented not just casualties, but cases of censorship in the West Bank. and even in Israel, at least 20 journalists were arrested, put in military persecution under administrative detentions. And those who were released are put in house arrests in conditions that does not allow them to operate.

This is all more of a news blackout, not just the tragic loss of life. With every journalist is killed, we lose our ability to document the ones. war and our ability to understand it. Yeah. On the CPJ website, people can learn a little more about each one of the journalists who have been killed during this war.

And as you read through the stories, if people go to your website and read through them, they will probably notice one phrase that pops up almost every time or quite a lot. It's killed by an Israeli air strike. Israel has told multiple international news agencies that they cannot guarantee reporter's safety inside of Gaza. My question to you and listening to you describing the differences in this war compared to other wars and the specific challenges for Palestinian journalists. I wonder if you and or the CPJ believe Israel is intentionally targeting journalists inside of Gaza. Well, Israel and the Israeli army cannot evade their responsibility under international

law to treat journalists as civilians. They have a role. to play covering any war. And of course, what we see the track record of the Israeli army in the past is that they have disregarded, for example, press insignia. Thirteen out of the 20 journalists who were killed over 21 years by IDF fire had visible, identifiable signs for them as press on their chest or in their vehicles. And we see that happen at least in one case in Gazan and at least in three cases in Lebanon. We've also expressed concern about a pattern of killing in which journalists or their colleagues or employers have received threats before they were killed or their family

were killed. That happened with Al Jazeera journalist recently, a cameraman. It also has happened with other freelancer who worked with international organization who have been threatened and put in smear campaign and later on found their family houses bombed and their family killed. We are investigating every single case, and we have expressed, for example, in the case of Bilal Jadallah, he's a local press freedom advocate who have helped CPJ in the past documenting this deadly pattern by identifying families of journalists who were killed in

Gaza by a day of fire. was killed with an Israeli shilling to his car. And he, I think, has been one of the people who provide shelter for journalists who were seeking internet connection, a place to work, and electricity after dozens of media outlets were bombed in Israeli strike. There are other cases in which we believe there is need for international and independent investigation. And we believe those investigations have to be rapid and transparent. We have expressed in our deadly patent report, we said that in all of the 20 cases before this war were killed by IDF fire, no one was charged, no one was held accountable.

Only if the journalist has a foreign passport or working with an international organization that the IDF would say that they are opening a preliminary probe, but these probes never leave to anything. So we want to make sure that whatever investigation has also leads to holding the perpetrators accountable. And very quickly, Shreif, before I let you go, I'm curious, what is your message to people around the world who are relying on journalists inside of Gaza for information about what is happening? What do you want them to know about what those journalists are going through and how they can help?

Those journalists have seen family member killed, have seen colleagues killed, and they continue to report day in and they are taking exponential risk and paying those sacrifices because they believe that it's their role to tell the world what's happening in Gaza, where less there are no other international journalists, but they are also trying to provide and shed a light about news and commentary that can help us understand the motivations of the warring parties and the implications of their policies. And without their first-hand account and testimonials on the ground, we're left with a sea of this and misinformation that can only fuel the conflict.

Jareef Mansour with the Committee to Protect Journalists. Thank you. We will be right back. Stay there. Finally, tonight, Santa's helpers. One Wisconsin couple is reading and responding to hundreds of letters addressed to the North Pole. Jennifer Haw, from our Minneapolis affiliate care, caught up with the couple helping to keep Christmas alive. The neighborhood right across the river may look mundane.

Oh, yeah. Except the house with the red mailbox. There's some letters. I just emptied it earlier today. Makes it magical instead. Oh, this is a great letter from Theo. Rochelle and Gary Jader don't just read every letter. I feel that I've been good this year.

They answered them all too. I really channel Santa though, I've read envelope maybe. Reaching well over a thousand now since becoming Santa's helpers five years ago. So there are many little letter writer campaigns going around the country and we are one that was asked to help. So it's really for Santa that we do this. Some of the letters inspire laughter. I would like toy handcuffs for Christmas. My mom says, I can't use them on my little brother.

Others are so sweet. The gifts from you are really good, but I know it's not all about the toys. Thank you for all that you do. Sweet. They all, though, keep the Christmas spirit alive. When I read the kids' innocent letters, it it really makes me happy and yet i'm crying emotions may overflow rooted though in a bona fide belief dear santa that either the big guy my name is madison or by simply spreading goodness and he's been

very nice can lead to a better life wouldn't it be fun if we all believed magical yeah it is magic so much for watching Top Story. For Tom Yamis, I'm Ellison Barber in New York. Stay right there. More news now is on the way.