Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Episode Date: June 22, 2023

The U.S. Coast Guard detects unusual underwater sounds near the Titanic wreck as the search continues for the missing submersible, an explosion in central Paris injures dozens, Israeli settlers set homes and cars ablaze while raiding a Palestinian town in response to a shooting, two rabbis plead guilty and avoid prison time for their roles in a fire that killed two in New York, and at least 46 women killed in a prison massacre in Honduras. 

Tonight, the international search effort for that missing Titanic submersible as time is running out. Planes, ships, and drones searching a massive area for the sub after a Canadian air crew picked up underwater noises, renewing the hope that the five passengers on board might be alive. A deep dive robot from France arriving today and remote operated vehicles scouring the ocean floor in hopes of finding that sub before oxygen runs out. The Coast Guard estimating that could happen in just 12 hours. Tonight, allegations of design flaws with that vessel are also resurfacing, and a longtime friend of one of those missing passengers joins Top Story.

Also, breaking tonight, the explosion rocking central Paris, flames and thick black smoke pouring out of the leveled building. Nearly 40 people hurt, and now rescuers searching the rubble for the missing. But we are learning about a group of American college students who were studying at that building. Summer scorcher, millions still on alert for dangerous heat that has already knocked out power to 200,000 customers. A heat dome hovering above Texas keeping temperatures in the triple digits across the state. Plus, thunderstorms moving to the East Coast at this hour, we are tracking all of that. Plea deal outrage.

Two New York rabbis set to serve no jail time despite causing a fire with a blowtorch that killed two people, including a firefighter. The major backlash tonight from the victim's families. Plus, the new video showing the terrifying moment a car drove through a gas station and into a store pinning a person inside. Why authorities believe that crash was intentional. And saved by TV, a husband instantly realizing his wife was suffering a stroke one day after seeing a new report from our station NBC Chicago. The warning signs that you should look out for to save your life or someone else's. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Jake Ward in for Tom Yamas.

We begin with a potential sign of hope in the search for that missing Titanic summit. The Coast Guard analyzing unusual underwater noises picked up near the site of the Titanic wreckage. Planes, ships, and remote vehicles still searching sea and sky for that vessel with five people on board. But strong winds and ocean swells are complicating efforts. The U.S. Coast Guard's response coordinator saying today he still has hope, and this is still a search and rescue mission. But the situation growing more dire by the hour, with oxygen projected to run out at around seven tomorrow morning. The Coast Guard captain also saying he believes there are limited rations on board. More resources being called into help, including a French deep dive robot that can reach the depth of the Titanic wreckage.

And we are also learning about a 2018 lawsuit over the state. that submersible safety. So let's get right to Tom Costello, who leads us off again tonight from the rescue mission's Unified Command in Boston. 900 miles east of Massachusetts, Canadian air crews continue to drop sonar buoys and report hearing unusual noise in the water, both yesterday and today. Plains, ships, and drones are now aggressively searching a grid near the sunken Titanic, but so far nothing. The Navy now reviewing all sonar contacts. Can you describe what the noise sounds like that they're hearing?

The noises have been described as banging noises, but again, they have to put the whole picture together in context, and they have to eliminate potential man-made sources other than the Titan. Underwater acoustics experts caution, the ocean is noisy. Heavy ship traffic, even fish and whales, can sound like tapping. But the noise also means hope that the five men on the, board the sub are still alive trying to communicate.

I don't think I'll be able to sleep unless we get some positive news. In Pakistan, Muhammad Hashem is a friend of businessman Shasada Dawood who's on board with his son, Suleiman. I'm just watching TV for the last 48 hours and just keeping my fingers crossed and still have a hope that he will come back, inshallah. Allah will make some miracle happen and he will make it. The Titan sub is about the size of a. minivan with room for five and a toilet with a privacy curtain. This Ocean Gate photo shows it's

relatively cramped. Only one person can fully extend his legs at a time. Crews generally have sandwiches and water for a six to eight hour trip. Aaron Newman is an Ocean Gate investor who's gone to the Titanic in Titan. We're going where humans have rarely gone. So, you know, we're pushing the limits of things. And so, you know, it's not, it's not. It's not. It's not Not at Disney World Ride. But a former employee mutually settled a lawsuit with OceanGate after being fired for claiming the sub wasn't certified to go so deep. And three dozen submersible experts expressed concern that the design was potentially catastrophic. Today, Discovery Channel host Josh Gates tweeted,

ultimately I walked away from a huge opportunity to film Titanic due to my safety concerns with the Ocean Gate platform. Meanwhile, a French deep dive robot and its operators are arriving on site now. NBC's Ron Allen is in St. John's Newfoundland. Calm here in the harbor, but reports of extremely challenging weather conditions at the site, winds gusting to 30 miles per hour, ocean swells of 6 to 7 feet. This is a search and rescue mission 100%. We are smack dab in the middle of search and rescue, and we'll continue to put every available asset that we have in an effort to find the Titan and the crew members. Tom Costello joins us now from Boston. Tom, I'm just flummoxed at how long they have been down there. And as I understand that, the Coast Guard has really laid out a timeline for how much time they have left.

Am I right about that? Yeah. Well, so they believe, based on the fact that this sub went into the water early Sunday morning, they think that the air on board should run out tomorrow morning 7 a.m. or so east coast time, 7.08, to be precise. Now, they are flooding the zone with more ships. By tomorrow morning, they have. expect to have 10 ships on scene. They're moving in more air assets as well. But the Canadians have also added a parabolic, I should say, chamber so that if somebody needs to go through a decompression process, they have that chamber on one of the Canadian ships. That's a hopeful sign, certainly. And do we know, Tom, if the Coast Guard has a sense for how long the mission could

take to rescue these people, considering all the moving parts here? I don't think that, you know, get past the tomorrow, we get past 7 a.m., I don't think the Coast Hards is going to give up. I think that this will go on for some time. I can't tell you how long. I would suspect a day, maybe two days, at minimum, until they decide that this may be more of a recovery operation than a rescue. But make no mistake about it, at this moment right now, this is an all-out rescue, search and rescue effort. Tom Costilla for us in Boston, where they are scrambling to find these folks. Tom, thank you. The rest of years believe, of course, as Tom mentioned, that there is still hope as they race against time to find this missing sub.

And so we want to bring in Colonel Terry Verst. He's a former U.S. Air Force test fighter pilot, a NASA veteran, and a close friend of Hamish Harding on board the sub. Colonel Verst, your friends with Hamish Harding, you were just in contact before he left for the expedition. How hopeful are you having heard this news about these noises being detected? Well, that was very good news. There was a news organization earlier today who reported that they were actually SOS and not just basic tapping. I haven't heard that confirmed by the Coast Guard, but that would be, that would really confirm that they're alive down there. And so the good news, as I've been saying all along, is that we haven't had the bad news.

We haven't found a wreck. We haven't found debris on the surface. And so that's positive. And we know that there should be enough oxygen to last. into tomorrow. There's no sense in putting it even an hour and a minute as to when the oxygen runs out. There are five human beings. They each have different metabolic rates. You add those up. There's a lot of errors. They're down in extremely cold temperatures. The temperature on board the sub is probably in the 30s, if not low 30s. And so that will, the good news is that will slow down

your metabolic grate and you'll use less oxygen and create less carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is another problem equally as bad as a lack of oxygen. So there's definitely a range. I think what we just heard from your reporter, they'll probably continue search and rescue operations for hopefully another day or two. Hopefully they find them before then, and that's not necessary. You are in this unique position in which you have professional experience of hazardous environments and, of course, this personal connection. I'm curious, I mean, Hamish was clearly so adventurous. What did he tell you about how excited he was about this trip? And what do you think about when you imagine him down there now? Well, his fellow friends and I have been laughing that

what he's doing right now is planning his next exploration adventure. When he went to the bottom of the ocean, that Mariana's trench, we spent a lot of time talking. I put in touch with some Navy friends, and he really analyzed the risk because he was concerned about that. When he flew on Jeff Bezos rocket, the new Shepard rocket. He had a long talk to me about flying on rockets. And so when we did our one more orbit mission, where we set a world record flying around the North and South Pole, we spent a lot of time. We call it what ifing the mission. What if we lose an engine?

What if we lose cabin pressure? What are our divert airfields? We spent weeks, you know, what ifing that mission. So he's definitely a professional. He's a pilot himself. And that's the kind of thing that he would think about. Unfortunately, in that sub, there's basically. nothing to do. There's one button to control it. And so all the systems should automatically

send it to the surface. It releases weights. I've read that there's seven different different way. I'm not an expert on the sub, but there's seven different ways to get rid of the weight. So they must be snagged on something. They're either stuck in the bottom. They've had some water fill in some external tanks or something like that or somehow they're snagged at the bottom because all these systems should have brought them to the surface automatically. Colonelverts, we really appreciate your time and your unique personal and professional perspective on this. We're all hoping for you and for everyone you're in touch with. Thank you so much. Well, I appreciate NBC's coverage, and I appreciate this massive effort of American, Canadian, British, French, commercial vessels are involved.

So thank you to those men and women doing that search and rescue operation. Appreciate it. Thank you so much. We're also following breaking news overseas. A massive explosion in Paris destroying a building in the city's Latin quarter. dozens of people injured, some still in critical condition. Al-Aruzzi has the late detail. Tonight, an explosion rocking the heart of Paris. The blast destroying a building in the city's historic Latin quarter.

And then I heard a noise, I've turned to the noise. And there, I've seen a bomb of a huge, like 20 or 30 meters of up. Nearly 40 people were hurt, including four critically. Paris's fire chief saying nearly 30. 300 firefighters were called in to fight the blaze, emergency workers searching the rubble for at least two missing people. The explosion taking place in an area usually packed with both Parisians and tourists. It was like a bomb, actually.

Journalist Karin Desal was there at the time, describing the chaos that followed the blast, with many unsure what caused it. There was some streams. You know, it blows like it was very. very strong and window at the opposite side of the street explodes. The exact cause of the blast is still under investigation. But this man who lives near the scene says the entire street smelt of gas before the explosion.

The destroyed building is also home to the Paris American Academy School, where nine students from Ohio's Kent State University were studying. Tonight, the school telling NBC News, all those students are safe and accounted for. Ali Arousi joins us now from London. Ali, we know the cause of the explosion is still unknown. Are authorities saying anything else about their investigation at this hour? Hey, Jake. Well, the Paris prosecutor said, after arriving at the scene, that the initial checks of the

camera footage suggested the explosion occurred within the building, which was next to the Valde Grasse Church. Now, initial report suggested it was a gas explosion, and according to witnesses, there was a strong smell of gas before the blast. However, authorities have said the cause of the blast hasn't been determined, and an investigation is ongoing. Ali, Ruzi, for us in London. Ali, thank you. Moving now to the violent clashes in the Middle East, hundreds of Israeli settlers raiding a town in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to dozens of homes and cars. This attack coming just a day after Palestinian gunmen killed

four Israelis in a nearby settlement. Megan Fitzgerald has the latest. Tonight, violence in the West Bank reaching a flashpoint, hundreds of Israeli settlers storming this Palestinian town, setting fire to dozens of cars and homes, killing at least one person and injuring many more. This community now left in smoldering ruins. This Palestinian resident says they burned houses, cars, and they attacked the people. We are trying to put out the fire, but we can't. And hours later, the Israeli military says it fired a drone at a militant car driving in

the West Bank, Palestinian civil defense confirming three people were killed in the strike. Today's attacks come after a resurgence of violence in the region. Just yesterday, four Israelis, including a teenage boy, were killed by Palestinian gunmen after two men opened fire at a gas station and a restaurant in a West Bank settlement. Family still mourning the loss of young lives as the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed revenge. Saying in part, our forces are now operating on the ground to settle the score with these murderers. Everyone who hurt us is either in the grave or in prison. The Palestinian militant group Hamas taking responsibility for this attack, saying it was in response to the raid of Israeli forces in

Janine. Earlier this week, the Israeli Army using combat helicopters to invade a refugee camp in the area, while troops on the ground stormed the camp with live ammunition, stun grenades and toxic gas. With at least seven dead and nearly 100 injured, residents here now living in constant fear. This woman saying there is no safe place in the camp. At any minute, there could be a raid. We are afraid for our children to go outside. The U.S. State Department saying today it's, quote, deeply concerned by the situation in the West Bank as the cycle of fighting continues.

Megan Fitzgerald, NBC News. Megan Fitzgerald, thank you. We turn now to rising tensions between the U.S. and China after President Biden called Chinese leader Xi Jinping a dictator. The Chinese government condemning Biden's comments, calling them, quote, extremely absurd and irisorselder. responsible. Biden's remark comes just one day after his secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, met with Xi in an effort to calm tensions between the two countries. For more on this, we're joined by NBC News Senior White House correspondent Kelly O'Donnell. Kelly, thank you for being here. These comments from Biden came at a campaign fundraiser here in California. What more can you tell us

about his remarks regarding his Chinese counterpart? Well, one of the things people don't have a real sense of very often is that when fundraisers, big dollar fundraisers were getting into campaign season, when those are held, there are press representatives who attend part of that to hear the president's comments, but there is not a camera, there is not an audio recording of that. So a pool reporter was there and heard the president talking about this. And as you mentioned in the intro, this followed right after Anthony Blinken being in China, meeting with the president of China and Xi Jinping, as well as other top officials. So, chances are that trip and the importance of it was top of mind for President Biden.

And he was talking about Xi Jinping and talking about the Chinese spy balloon. And the president used the word dictator when he was talking about President Xi not knowing that the spy balloon with the equipment that was attached to it had crossed over into the United States. Now, China is upset about a couple of things. Certainly being called a dictator puts things in different perspective, but also the notion that, she wouldn't have known about that questions his authority. So this presents some challenges for the administration. At the same time, they say the president is known for being forthright about this, talking about the differences in the relationship between the U.S. and China. But in the world of diplomacy, words matter in an outsized way. And using a provocative term like dictator

certainly stands out. The U.S. thinks of China as getting increasingly autocratic. That's not that far away from dictator, but saying it bluntly can pose challenges at a time when the U.S. is trying to improve the relationship between Washington and Beijing. Jake? And, Kelly, you know, we know the Secretary of State had been visiting Xi just one day before and basically said the balloon incident is resolved. Here's how he described it to our Janice Mackey Freyer after that meeting. Have a listen. We did what we needed to do to protect our interests. We said what we needed to say and made clear what we need to make clear in terms of this not happening again. And so as long as it doesn't,

that chapter should be closed. Kelly, how is the White House explaining Biden seeming to directly contradict his own Secretary of State on this? Well, I think they believe the matter is closed between the U.S. and China, but certainly the president talking about his leadership, talking about the issues that have affected the U.S. in this fundraiser setting, which can be more casual, well, it just came up. So this is not a policy issue. This is not the U.S. rolling back that decision that Anthony Blinken explained. They want the spy balloon matter to be behind them. They want to focus on other things, like restoring military-to-military communication to prevent incidents from going off the rails. They want to have

better economic cooperation and to find areas, even with all the differences between the two superpowers, where they can work together. So this really comes down to looking at the long sweep of President Biden's public life and history. He has been known to say things that sometimes get him into trouble, sometimes make challenges for the people who work for him, and at the same time, that has been part of his political brand. So it'll be something that will be measured over time. The State Department today is saying they expect further engagements with China. This is a bump that they're having to deal with. Jake? Kelly O'Donnell at the White House for us. Kelly, thank you. We turn now to Capitol Hill.

and new testimony from the special counsel who investigated the origins of the Russia election interference probe, John Durham, leveling fierce criticism at the Justice Department for alleged bias against former President Donald Trump. Democrats called his report a defense of the Trump campaign. Garrett Haik reports. Special counsel John Durham facing a five-hour grilling, defending his explosive conclusion that the FBI acted improperly in its opening of the 2016 Trump-Russia probe. We found troubling violations of law and policy. Mr. Durham, arguing that the available evidence did not support opening the full investigation known as Crossfire Hurricane.

The FBI opened up Crossfire Hurricane without speaking to the people who provided the initial information. Is that true? That's correct. Was there adequate predication for the FBI to open Crossfire Hurricane as a full investigation? On July 31st, in my view, based on our investigation, there was not a legitimate basis to open his support. full investigation. And Durham saying he found anti-Trump sentiment among the FBI brass who launched the investigation. There are some individuals who clearly expressed a personal bias. The Mueller report ultimately found no conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, but resulted in 34 people

criminally charged. Democrats noting Durham's four-year investigation produced only three criminal cases, including two acquittals, and accusing the bill bar appointee of running. political interference for former President Trump. Mr. Durham, your report reads like a defense of the Trump campaign and an attack on Hillary Clinton because that's exactly what it is. Garrett Hake joins us now from Capitol Hill for more on this five-hour grilling. Garrett, how is the Justice Department responding to the allegations that Durham outlined in his testimony today?

Well, the Justice Department IG had already put out a report before Durham's was completed, arguing the opposite point, that this investigation that became the Mueller investigation was properly predicated. They dispute the basic finding there. As for the FBI, they say they've made dozens of changes in how they open investigations going back to 2016, changes which, if they had been in place then, would have corrected a lot of the problems

that Durham is describing now. Jay? Garrett Hake on Capitol Hill for us tonight. Garrett, thank you. Now to the latest ethics scandal rocking a U.S. Supreme Court. New reporting from ProPublica showing that Justice Samuel Alito took an expensive fishing trip to Alaska in 2008 with a billionaire who paid his way. This image obtained by ProPublica showing

Alito standing next to Paul Singer, a hedge fund billionaire who has since had multiple cases before the court. Alito not only did not recuse himself from any of them, he also did not disclose the trip. The news comes just two months after ProPublica reported on another justice, Clarence Thomas, taking lavish vacations paid for by billionaire Harlan Crow. Joining us now from our Top Story studios in New York is Josh Kaplan, one of the pro-publica reporters who broke the story. Josh, thank you so much for joining us and our compliments on your reporting. I want to get right to what you have found. What more can you tell us about the major findings in your story about Justice Alito? Yeah, so what we found is that Justice Samuel Alito went on this luxury

Alaska fishing vacation with hedge fund billionaire and Republican mega donor Paul Singer. He not only, they didn't just go on vacation together. They, Alito flew to, across the country to Alaska on a private jet provided by the billionaire. We're told that if he chartered that plane himself, the cost could easily have exceeded $100,000 one way. And we, Alito didn't disclose any of this. It's been a secret until now. and experts told us that he appears to have violated a federal law passed after Watergate that requires justices to disclose most gifts to the public.

And perhaps even more notably and distinct from the Clarence Thomas coverage is that this billionaire, the same billionaire, had case after case before the court, and a leader did not recuse himself from any of them. Experts told us they were not aware of any other example of this happening, of a Supreme Court justice sitting on a case after having received an expensive gift from one of the parties. And, Josh, as you mentioned in your report, I mean, the Supreme Court is unique among federal institutions

and that the justices are largely left to police themselves on ethical matters. But I guess I'm wondering, I mean, Alito appears to have actually broken the law here. And I guess I'm wondering, you mentioned a six-figure plane trip. You mentioned not disclosing these things. I mean, where did he cross the line?

And what is he saying about this? Right. So experts told us that he appears to violate the law, although maybe not in the way you expect. So justices have very, very few restrictions, basically no restrictions on what gifts they can accept. And that's a stark contrast from the other branches of government where getting gifts from outside parties, especially in this case, someone he actually hadn't met before, would be highly restricted. But what he did have to do is he had to disclose it. Experts told us that gifts of transportation, of private jet travel, are clearly required to be disclosed under the statute. Alito, in his response, which he published in the Wall Street Journal before our story ran, he said that his understanding of the law was that he didn't have to disclose this.

And he said that this was actually common practice among the justice. There was a common interpretation that if they took accommodations or transportation to a purely social event, then they didn't have to tell anyone about it. And Josh, we mentioned your previous reporting on Clarence Thomas, and again, our compliments on it. You know, about reporting on his lavish vacations paid for by another billionaire, Harlan Crow. Those revelations have smart calls for new ethics rules for the court, and it comes at a time when the American people are growing skeptical of the court. A Marquette law school poll last month found that 59% of Americans disapprove of the job the justices are doing.

Just 41% of them approve that's down from 44% in March and 47% in January, a steady decline. Does your reporting indicate that with these new revelations there's any chance that actual oversight of the justices might happen? I think that's a major open question. I mean, there's been a lot of movement in Congress to call for, Ethics of Reform after the Clarence Thomas stories were published, and I think that's likely that's been reinvigorated with, now that we know that it's not just one justice, taking free vacations from billionaires. But, and so there have been bills introduced that would do things like tighten the rules

around recusal that, or what came up in this case, would create a binding code of ethics for the Supreme Court, which currently doesn't exist. would create a sort of ethics office for the Supreme Court, which also currently doesn't exist. But none of those bills have been passed so far. After this story came out, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee says he intends to mark up the bills. But I think, you know, I mean, also, Chief Justice John Roberts is in a position to institute reforms himself. And so far, the justices have chafed at the prospect of, you know, these reforms coming from Congress. actually repeatedly questioned whether Congress has the power to regulate the court at all.

Josh Kaplan, with dogged work on an important story, Josh. Thank you so much. Tonight, we are tracking severe weather across the country. Video just coming in tonight shows a funnel cloud touching down near Akron, Colorado. No word yet on any damages or injuries. And on the first official day of summer, dangerous heat continues across the south, leaving tens of thousands of people without power. So let's get right to meteorologist Bill Cairns. Bill, tell us a little bit about how long this heat is expected to last in anything you can give us on why it is happening. It is going to last way, way too long. I mean, if you look at this map here, this is next week. This isn't even this week.

This heat dome is centered over Texas and Oklahoma, and it is going to sit there until at least the beginning of July. That is not what anyone in that region wants to hear. It is brutal. This weekend, Dallas, you get a little bit of a break Friday. Then you're back up to 120. by Sunday. So some areas are going to switch. And look at Del Rio, 108. These temperatures are just ridiculous. And by the way, today Del Rio broke their all-time record high temperature. And Bill, as I understand it, you're also watching storms gather along the east coast. Tell us about that. Well, yeah, we're going to watch all these storms in the west, and then some of this will be moving towards the east. We've got two separate storm systems. The one that we're really concerned with

is where we just showed you that tornado picture. That was actually a very strong tornado. But thankful of rural areas. So we have one area with a tornado watch north of Denver and another one here in the panhandle of Oklahoma. The storms have so far avoided the Denver area and towards Pueblo, but that probably won't continue all night long. Here's a closer view of some active tornado warnings here. So again, so far, a lot of these have been in rural areas. We hope to keep it that way. And if you're on the East Coast, keep that umbrella handy for at least the next week straight. This weather pattern is stuck and not moving. Bill Carins, thank you so much. Still ahead tonight on top story, plea deal outrage. Two rabbis in New York will not serve jail time after starting a fire with a blow torch that killed two people, the protests from the community, and the victim's families. Plus, the new video showing a car crashing into a store, pinning a man inside. The charges the driver is now facing after authorities said the crash was not accidental. And Duke University announcing it will provide free tuition for some students. Who will qualify? And when will it start?

Stay with us. We're back now with growing outrage in New York over a controversial plea deal. Two rabbis pled guilty for their role in starting a fire that killed two people, but they will face no jail time. One of those victims, a volunteer firefighter. His community now making their voices heard. NBC's Steve Romo has the story. No justice for Jerry. No justice for Jerry.

Tonight, emotions still high. Two years after a massive fire at an assisted living facility left a resident and a firefighter dead. A judge accepting a plea deal that includes no jail time for the two New York rabbis charged in the deadly fire. A crowd including volunteer firefighters gathering outside court in protest as Nathaniel Summer and his son Aaron walked in. The men admitting their best. behavior was reckless. Nathaniel, Somer, you plead guilty to manslaughter in the second degree. Yes. Core documents say the father's son pair used a propane-fueled blow torch inside that facility

to perform a pre-passsover kosher cleaning ritual without a permit or a fire watch. Then the blaze burned out of control, causing a partial collapse of the building. They had initially been charged with manslaughter, assault, and arson. Now, Nathaniel Summer will serve five years of probation, and his son Aaron will serve three years probation for pleading guilty to reckless endangerment, according to NBC, New York. We reached out to their attorney but have not yet heard back. One of the victims, heroic volunteer firefighter Jared Lloyd, the pain for his family still raw, his mother saying she felt betrayed by the deal. The judge accepted the plea deal. This is not Justice Rockland. None. This is not justice. Y'all need to stand up for Jared because it could happen to all of you.

Also saying it felt like Jared's life didn't matter. They did not consider what we wanted. They just felt that it was best for them. Rockland County's DA did not respond to our request for comment. Some firefighters outraged by the outcome. The operations officer for the fire response that night, disappointed. The night at a far, the DA himself sat in my chief's car and promised me that some of the would hang or be held accountable for this uh for their actions at this fire that never happened so it was all like lip service yeah jake and the firefighters and family are not the only ones who were upset with this outcome county executive ed day actually issued a statement about this

calling the plea agreement unacceptable as for those two rabbis they'll officially be sentenced coming up on september 20th jake stephen roma for us stephen thank you when we come back a prison massacre. At least 46 women killed inside of a correctional facility in Honduras. The culprits that authorities say were behind the gruesome attack. Stay with us. Hillsborough County seconds before a speeding car comes crashing in behind him. The man rushed to the hospital, but he is expected to be all right. Police say they do believe the crash was accidental. The driver has been charged with criminal mischief. The USDA has officially given two California companies the okay to sell the nation's first ever lab grown meat. The approval

comes months after regulators determine products from upside foods and good meat are safe to eat. meat is grown in tanks with cells from a living animal. I've actually eaten some of this stuff and then cut into cutlets or nuggets. The move aims to eliminate harm to animals and decrease the environmental impact of grazing and growing feed for animals. Also, I can attest it does taste like chicken. And Duke is making a big commitment to affordable education. The university announcing it will provide free tuition for North and South Carolina families making under $150,000 a year. Duke says the move is an effort to make higher education more accessible and equitable, the program will take effect in the fall of 2023.

Now, to the lawsuit just filed today by the Federal Trade Commission against America's largest online retailer, that's Amazon. The suit alleges the company deceptively got millions of people to join its signature Prime program, writing that Amazon, quote, failed to obtain the consumers express informed consent before charging the consumer's credit card, debit card, bank account, or other financial account for the transaction. NBC News, Aaron Gilchrist, joins us now from Eric, from DC. Aaron, great to have you here. What exactly did Amazon do that the FTC says was deceptive? And how do their allegations relate to this prime cancellation process? Yeah, so, Jake, this lawsuit comes after a two-year investigation by the FTC. Essentially,

it says Amazon did two things here. It used dark patterns to trick people into recurring subscriptions without their explicit consent. Now, dark patterns are basically web and app design tactics that sort of straddle the line between persuasion and manipulation and inhibit your ability to make knowledgeable choices. Now, the FTC says Amazon made it harder for people to buy things without having a prime membership and didn't always make it clear to people that when they clicked on certain buttons, they were joining Prime. The second piece of this is the FTC says that Amazon Prime made the cancellation process hard to navigate and designed it to actually deter people from ending their subscriptions. The deceptive design expert we spoke to references a Norwegian example of canceling prime being 11 steps.

The FTC says Amazon leaders slowed changes to the cancellation process because it would have hurt Amazon's bottom line, Jake? And Aaron, you know, it sounds pretty clear that experts feel that these, you know, were dark patterns, as you mentioned. People were likely to get confused in them. But do they think the FTC really does have a case here? Well, one expert we spoke to says that this could possibly end up in court as opposed to being. settled because this concept of dark patterns may not be clearly defined enough in law, and a court decision could actually help to flesh that out. Listen to this. The FTC has been clearly signaling its interest in this area, and it's already brought some

very large enforcement actions getting huge settlements. Probably what it comes down to is whether the company agrees that the practices that it's engaging in are really dark patterns are unfair, deceptive to consumers are just legitimate business practices. Now, Amazon told NBC News in part the FTC's claims are false on the facts and the law, and we look forward to proving our case in court.

That's what Amazon had to say about this, Jake. Aaron gilked us for us, dark patterns, a very important phrase to remember. Aaron, thank you. We move on now to the Americas, and our focus tonight is on Honduras, now reeling from one of the deadliest prison maskers in recent history. At least 46 women killed

when authorities say members of a notorious gang got past the guards and then went on a horrific rampage. NBC national correspondent Gabe Gutierrez reports. Tonight, anguish and anger in Honduras after government officials say a gang slaughtered at least 46 women inside a prison. Smoke billowing from the women's prison just outside of the nation's capital, where officials say members of the Barrio 18 gang opened fire on women in their cells. before lighting the prison on fire. This is the charred wreckage, one of the worst prison massacres in recent history.

Police say they recovered 18 pistols, an assault rifle, and two grenades, all of which were smuggled in. Outside the prison walls, families desperately seeking justice for their loved ones. This father says he's dying of pain while he and many others wait for answers about how this person.

could have happened. Officials from Honduras' prison system say the gang removed guards from the prison gates before beginning their deadly assault, though none of the guards have reported injuries. Honduras' president, Yamada Castro, saying the street gang planned the attack in plain view as security authorities stood by, tweeting that she will take drastic measures. The head of the nation's prison system suggesting the riot could have started because of recent attempts by authorities to crack down on crime in prisons. Saying that they will not back down in a televised address shortly after the massacre.

Some government officials now calling for a better incarceration system to prevent another tragedy. Jake, a security minister says the government is reviewing footage that shows the moment the women overtook the guards taking their keys, acknowledging that gangs have essentially ruled some parts of the prison for years. Jake? Gabe Gutierrez with a difficult story for us tonight. Gabe, thank you. Still to come, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announcing a new plan to regulate artificial intelligence. What that could mean for the advancing technology, we'll be right back. We're back now with alarming news about how kids in the United States are doing in school.

A new report tonight showing math and reading scores for 13-year-olds are at the lowest level in decades. NBC's Stephanie Gossk has more. Across all regions and affecting all kids. New test scores show dramatic learning loss. The single largest drop in math scores for 13-year-olds since the National Assessment of Educational Progress began 50 years ago, down nine points from 2019 before the pandemic to the fall of 2022. Reading is not much better, down four points.

This is a crisis that America cannot ignore. the long-term educational crisis facing our students has by far outpaced the physical threat that COVID ever presented to them. Alberto Carvalho is the superintendent for L.A. Unified School District, the second largest in the country, where they are focusing on summer school, teacher training, and a longer school year to make up lost ground. The recovery needs to be swift, needs to be strategic, with the right investments, and the right approaches to teaching kids. middle school teacher Shannon O'Connor says many of her students are no longer engaged.

There still has to be some expectation of responsibility on the students part. And for a large chunk of them, that has kind of gone to the wayside. How difficult is it to get them back on track if you don't have that buy it? It's really hard. We try to make it as fun as possible while still keeping to our content and the standards that we have to teach. An age group way behind heading into the critical high school years, with a school system still struggling to get them ready. Stephanie Gosk, NBC News. Now to the AI revolution.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer unveiling a strategy for congressional regulation of artificial intelligence. This move amid dire warnings from AI experts that unchecked development could lead to human extinction. Tonight, a race to put guardrails around artificial intelligence. We need to manage the risks to our society, to our economy and our national security. A day after President Biden met with experts in how the technology can potentially amplify everything from discrimination to mental health crises in children, the Senate Majority Leader revealed the beginnings of a plan to rein in AI. We come together at a moment of revolution, not one of weapons or of political power, but a revolution in science and understanding that will change humanity.

Everyone that I've talked to is in agreement. Tech insiders like former Google CEO Eric Schmidt say it has tremendous potential. Getting better materials, solving climate change, managing our energy systems better. There's a lot of reasons to think that technology can do all of that. And Schmidt says industry, not government, should lead the way on fighting the dangers. Because there's no way a non-industry person can understand what is possible. It's just too new, too hard. There's not the expertise.

There's no one in the government who can get it right. But the industry can roughly get it right, and then the government can put a regulatory structure around it. Schumer agrees that traditional congressional action will move too slowly for the rapidly growing field of AI. By the time we act, AI will have evolved into something new. This will not do. A new approach is required. That's why he's proposing legislation beyond slow congressional hearings.

hoping to engage with the industry in a series of policy forums this fall. If government doesn't step in, who will fill its place? Individuals and the private sector can't do the work of protecting our country. The U.S. regulatory approach has been slow compared to the EU, where AI is categorized and in some cases outlawed by risk level. And in China, draft regulations make companies legally liable for anyone's misuse of the technology. Senator Schumer seeking to catch up with a fast-moving industry. If we don't set the norms for AI's proper uses, others will.

On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers also rolled out the National AI Commission Act. That act would create a commission to evaluate the best way for the U.S. to regulate AI. Coming up on top story, Saved by TV, an Illinois man recognizing his wife was having a stroke thanks to a TV news report, how that may have saved her life. That's next. Finally tonight, the potentially life-saving news report for one family. A woman suffering the stroke at home, and her husband was able to quickly recognize her symptoms from an NBC Chicago story. NBC Chicago's Lauren Petty has the details. Jenny Tucker was simply tidying up dog toys.

There was, you know, another toy over here I went to pick up, went down to get it and like missed it, which was weird, and then went to get it again and dropped it. This was four weeks ago, and her Winnett. home determined to continue on with her morning she went to finish her son's school lunch it felt like I had 10 fingers like I could not turn the twist tie then the 45-year-old mom of two went to talk to her youngest son and was dragging her right leg and I just looked at Ryan and I said something is wrong go get your dad when her husband Dave came into the room she was sort of struggling to keep her balance he

knew he had to dial 911 luckily we had just watched your segment the day before and you realize time is of the essence. The Tuckers had seen this story, which spelled out the signs of a stroke, not knowing they'd soon meet neurosurgeon, Dr. William Eras, in person, after Jenny was rushed to North Shore Evanston Hospital and given clot-busting medication. After they administered the medicine, I was just kind of looking. I'm like, I'm like, I think I saw you on TV yesterday in a segment on strokes. Her husband was like, hey, you're the guy I saw on TV?

And it was just, it was such a great experience because, you know, the reason. and we do things like this is to make sure we educate people. The acronym for remembering stroke symptoms recently changed from fast to be fast, with the B and the E standing for balance and eyesight issues. Balance issues were Jenny's first sign. As soon as the whole right side started to feel weird, I think it finally clicked. It was happening verbatim. Everything that we watched the previous day was like unfolding in front of me. and I just knew that, you know, you have to get them help as quickly as possible.

Those quick actions worked. Being that young and having a major, major medical problem averted is an absolute blessing. Jenny has no lasting damage from the stroke, only gratitude. I'm so lucky. In Winnetka, Lauren Petty. So lucky. NBC 5 News. An important lesson about being fast there.

And for more on strokes and the warning signs to watch out for, we are now joined by the director of the Stroke Center at Mount Sinai in New York City, Dr. Carolyn Brockington. Dr. Brockton, thank you so much for being here. We saw the husband, Dave, there in the report, talk about recognizing his wife's symptoms from this new acronym, B-FAST. How important is it to look out for the B and the E, the balance and the ice-eye issues? Incredibly important. They did the exact thing that we want people to do. and when you understand what stroke is and that time is brain, meaning every moment that goes by the brain doesn't get enough blood flow,

you can be left with a permanent disability. So they really recognize something was wrong right away, recognized they have to do something and went to the emergency room to get the appropriate treatment that can be given in specific and selected patients. You said the phrase, time is brain, and honestly the hair on the back of my neck stood up, that is a pretty jarring way of saying it. I mean, let's talk about the importance of time.

I mean, give me some sense of it here. What is the difference in reacting in minutes to, you know, versus reacting in something like hours or even days? Well, a stroke means an injury, right, from not enough blood getting to the brain in a period of time. And we estimate that 1.9 million brain cells are injured irreversibly every minute that goes by that the brain isn't getting that blood flow. So that really sort of highlights how important it is to get in right away.

So the B fast is so important because it gives people something we understand, we want to be fast, we want to do something fast, but then also what are some of the signs and symptoms you might look at? So B is for balance, right? She had difficulty moving and realized that she was having trouble. E is for eyesight. Maybe sometimes people might lose their eyesight or they have double vision. F is for face. Sometimes people notice that their face is drooping on one side. A is for arms or legs.

You ask somebody to hold out their arms. And if they can't keep one side up for a period of time, that might be a problem. As is for speech. Sometimes people notice that their speech is slurred, almost as if they're drunk, but they know that they're not. Or they're having difficulty finding the words they want to use or understanding what people are saying to them. And then finally, T is for time. We said time is brain. So you call 911.

You know, these days everybody Googles their symptoms and calls a friend. You don't have time for that. Really, 911, in order to get you to the closest hospital in order to be. evaluated for the appropriate treatment. And Dr. Brockton, I mean, how do we keep ourselves from winding up in this position at all? I mean, what are the risk factors that people can control to help reduce their chance of stroke? Certainly, prevention is key, right? And so trying to prevent a stroke is so important.

So really, you have to partner with your doctor because we know that there are a lot of medical conditions that increase someone's risk for stroke. For instance, the number one reason is high blood pressure or hypertension. Right, so you had that that has to be controlled, not only with diet and exercise, but many times medication is required. Other things like diabetes or high cholesterol or heart disease or even family history might increase the risk. So it's important to partner with the doctor, have a relationship and discussion, find out what your own individual risk factors are, and modify them appropriately. You really can reduce your risk of stroke substantially. Dr. Carolyn Brockton, thanks so much. nearly 2 million cells damaged every minute.

It's important to be fast, everybody. And thank you so much for watching Top Story. For Tom Yamis, I'm Jake Ward in San Francisco. Please stay right there. More news is on the way.