Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Episode Date: June 29, 2023

A Delta flight is forced to land in North Carolina without nose landing gear as thousands of flights are cancelled or delayed nationwide. Daniel Penny pled not guilty to manslaughter and homicide charges in the death of Jordan Neely on a NYC subway last month. Protests explode across France after a police officer shot and killed a teenager during a traffic stop. A woman is rescued after falling off the tenth story of a cruise ship. Philadelphia authorities bust a catalytic converter theft ring allegedly responsible for millions of dollars in losses. And the woman who finally found the remains of her husband lost in Vietnam… 54 years after he died.

Tonight summer travel meltdown, passengers stranded as we head into the busiest holiday weekend of the season. Terrifying moments on board of flight heading to North Carolina. The plane coming to a screeching halt without the nose landing gear. Across the country, thousands of flights canceled or delayed. The chaos triggered by severe weather made worse by staffing shortages. And the other dangers in the air tonight, the extreme heat down south. And now 125 million Americans under air quality alerts. where that toxic wildfire smoke is heading next.

Breaking news tonight on Madonna, the pop icons manager, revealing she was admitted to the ICU for an infection, the late details coming in. Also tonight, the former Marine accused of choking Jordan nearly to death on a New York City subway appearing in court, pleading not guilty to second-degree manslaughter and negligent homicide, why his lawyers tell us they're confident the jury will rule in his favor, and what we're hearing about whether or not he'll take the stand. Sub-wreckage recovered, debris from the submersible that imploded near the Titanic pulled from the ocean. We'll show you the first images of the pieces left behind and what authorities are now saying about possible human remains that have been recovered.

Overseas outrage erupting in France after a 17-year-old was shot by police during a traffic stop, that deadly confrontation captured on video, the swift condemnation coming in from French officials as fiery demonstrations take over the streets of Paris. Plus, passenger overboard videos showing a woman floating in the open sea after she fell from the deck of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. We'll talk to another passenger on board who was there as rescue teams brought that woman to safety, what he says he saw. And coming home in Air Force pilot who went missing in action in Vietnam finally identified the critical clue discovered at the scene that helped bring his family closure after more than 50 years. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. We are still days away from the 4th of July weekend, but tonight the holiday travel rush is already on, and it is off to a very rocky start. Thousands of flights

canceled or delayed yet again today due to weather and staffing shortages. Fears tonight, the crowds we've seen at airports from coast to coast will only get worse as millions of Americans look to get away this weekend. But passengers on one Delta flight, this one, to North Carolina, They are more than happy to be on the ground tonight after a terrifying dissent. The plane forced to land without its nose landing gear. Luckily, no one on board was injured. The other major concern as people head outdoors, the soaring temperatures from California to Florida. Multiple heat-related deaths already reported in Texas, but even more people tonight are under air quality alerts,

an enormous 125 million, a smoke from the Canadian wildfires pours over the northern border once again. Pittsburgh today, just blanketed in that yellowish haze. Bill Cairns is standing by to tell you where it's heading next, but we want to begin first with the travel woes across the country. Tom Costello, who covers aviation, leads us off. Frightening moments today on a Delta plane's approach into North Carolina. Passengers braced as flight 1092 from Atlanta to Charlotte prepared to touch down without a functioning nose landing gear.

The inbound crew alerted air traffic control. his wheel on safe indication, we're going to have to go ahead and declare an emergency. He didn't want to land, and so that kind of was like the first sign of like, oh, something must be pretty wrong. We didn't know why we were just circling the airport, and then the pilot came on and let us know that the wheels up under the nose weren't coming down. The pilots guided the plane onto the runway, landing safely with more than 100 people on board. That was not bad at all.

With no reported injuries, the airline says it is a rare occurrence, and Delta Flight crews trained extensively to safely manage through many scenarios. The incident comes on top of days of delays and cancellations, set off by severe summer weather. We've been here for a day and a half. I've been sleeping on this chair and I have not eaten anything. They just give us a flight for July 3rd. It's difficult. We just want to go home, take a shower, eight. But with passenger levels near record numbers, despite fewer flights, rescheduling travelers from canceled trips. is a challenge. Today, thousands of delays and cancellations ticked up by the minute. The only chance they had to give me was to fly me out on Saturday, which is too far away.

The airline with the most flights impacted, united. It's newer cub, hit hard. The airline says weather issues made it difficult to get crews into place, off-duty flight attendants being offered triple pay to pick up open flights and help with the staffing shortages. This is a an understaffed ATC and crumbling infrastructure in aviation, but it is also absolutely poor planning on the part of United Management. The week's travel chaos all leading to what's expected to be a record-breaking Friday, with the TSA predicting 2.8 million travelers. This is definitely going to press the system.

That's going to be our focus, you know, whatever it takes in order to make sure that the airlines are doing their job, and that the FAA has the resources that's needed in order to make sure that both staffing-wise and technology-wise, we're moving forward. Tom joins us now from Boston. Tom, it seems like a lot of people are kind of playing the blame game here when it comes to the root issue that people are experiencing. But I think what most travelers want to know is, will we ever get a clear answer?

Are airlines and aviation authorities going to work together to fix the problems? Oh, I think so. But listen, there's more than one problem, right? I mean, first of all, you can't control Mother Nature. That's going to come in, and the perfect storm was that parked over New York City, the busiest airport in airports in the country. Second of all, United Airlines got behind. They didn't have enough flight attendants. You can't fly without flight attendants.

Their staff wasn't around, so they had to bring in more staff, paying him triple pay. The third problem is air traffic control staffing. That's been a years-long problem. That's not new. They're trying to catch up with that. The trouble is they had to close the academy during the pay. pandemic, and they're not caught up. And it takes two to three years to, in fact, train new controllers. So it's multiple things happening. But let's be clear, Ellison, you know, last year

in May and June, it was worse. We had a bigger travel meltdown. Again, over the holidays, Christmas, it was worse. This is a glitch. I think they're going to work through it. What do you expect to see in the weeks and months ahead when you're talking about some of these issues that are staffing, just airlines kind of running at maximum capacity? If it takes two, three years to get some people trained for these positions. What should we brace for this summer? Well, listen, if all the airlines are flying full and all of the airlines have reduced the number of planes, but the planes they are flying are bigger because they're trying to actually carry more people than they did last summer. So planes are full. There are not very many empty seats left.

And as we've heard many, many times, passengers are coming in droves. record numbers of passengers this summer. That's a very tightly wound system, not a lot of room for forgiveness if something goes bad. It's going to all be about the weather. All the airlines have invested in technology to help them better predict the weather, better accommodate their schedules when they know weather's coming. And the air traffic control issue is simply going to take time to work its way through, years to work its way through with 2,500 controllers retiring last year and this year. Tom Costello, thank you.

And as the busy holiday weekend nears, the severe weather is heating up. Cities covered in a haze as smoke from the Canadian wildfires returns. And in the south, communities scorched by record high temperatures are urging residents to exercise caution. Sam Brock is in Louisiana for us. More than a third of the country tonight is looking for a precious commodity, healthy air. Sounds like I can't even get a breath of fresh air. eyes are stinging and I'm trying to protect my breathing from particulate matter. From Cleveland to Chicago to Pittsburgh, a staggering 120 million people are under an air quality alert from the

Canadian wildfires, prompting a 10% jump in patient calls according to Northwestern medicine. They're about two to three days out for ICU admissions if conditions continue. While severe weather to our south has New Orleans marching to a familiar bead of extreme caution as the heat index source close to 120 degrees. How do you help make sure that everyone is staying safe in this kind of heat? We hydrate ourselves. They take many breaks, drink water, drink gatorade, those things like that. The Crescent City, just one of many, from Florida to California to the Mississippi Valley, getting crushed by record-breaking temperatures. New Orleans Homeland Security Director says the city has distributed 5,000 bottles of water and activated its emergency operation center,

with hundreds of thousands coming this weekend for the Essence Festival. What we want to do is make sure that every day we're communicating what the situation on the ground is. They have the capability of utilizing buses as cooling shelters, mobile cooling shelters. But tonight, relief also needed for residents like Willie Williams Jr. I didn't wash my toothbrush with foster water. I used bottle water. Williams Jr. planted its flag in the Seventh Ward decades ago and is one of about 450 residents under a boil water advisory. coincided with the heat waves.

Some people, as I said before, are going to be more affected than others, financially, emotionally. So it's not a very good thing. And Sam Brock joins us now from New Orleans. Sam, you mentioned the Boyle Advisory at the end of your piece there. Are parts of New Orleans still under a Boyle Advisory? They are, Allison. The timing on this could not be worse. We're talking about a stretch of a neighborhood in New Orleans East, also a subdivision,

with hundreds of people, almost 500 total. The good news is the city says that this all happened during a construction of a water main that's going to be fixed by about lunchtime tomorrow. Those folks desperately need help, and it's coming soon. Sam, you look at statistics from NOAA, the national oceanic and atmospheric administration, and the majority of weather-related deaths in the United States, they don't actually come from hurricanes or tornadoes or even lightning or flooding.

It's from heat. So how is the city of New Orleans prepared? for these record temperatures, especially as we head towards a holiday. Most people celebrate outside. Yeah, and Allison, if you move one state over, we know there's been at least nine confirmed deaths in Texas, heat-related deaths from Webb County. Possibly that number is 12 or 13 during this heat wave. So officials here are being extremely careful.

We heard, of course, from the Director of Homeland Security. They are coordinating with the state and FEMA on the federal level as well. And communications, he's going to be looking out for all the folks who are in shelters here locally and if it looks like they need to open more based on the conditions on the ground, they will. Ellison. All right, Sam, thank you, and you and your crew stay safe as well. The brutal heat and severe weather are not going away anytime soon, and that toxic air is affecting millions. Let's get right to Bill Karens. Bill, where is that toxic air right now? Where do we think it's heading? And we just keep adding up these numbers. Just in like in the last five

minutes, we just added a couple more million people. Now we're up to 137 million. And it spreads from Minneapolis. Now, all the way to Atlanta, it wouldn't surprise me if people didn't even North Florida see a little bit of smoke tomorrow at the sunset, but the worst of it, the dangerous air quality is where we have it in the purple. That's where it's considered unhealthy for everyone. And that's everywhere from southern Wisconsin, Illinois, through Indiana. And the problem, the smoke is just like a cloud. It's almost like fog. If the wind is blowing hard, it's going to blow it away. But the wind isn't blowing. The air is really just sitting and just still. So the areas that were bad in the smoke yesterday, it was bad all day today. tomorrow the air is not going to move a lot. It will slowly begin to disperse. But look at these numbers. It's unhealthy to be outside right now in Madison, Chicago, Indianapolis, very unhealthy. Detroit and Cleveland, it's been the same way all day. And a little bit of this is now seeping to the East Coast.

This will not be a repeat of three weeks ago. But even people in D.C. were smelling it today. And they were saying they could tell that there is wildfire smoke in the air, and you'll notice it at sunrise and sunsets. And that air will eventually start to clear up. But it's going to take at least another 24 or 48 hours. So, Bill, let's talk about this heat wave. What does it look like right now? What should people know? I mean, talk to anyone in Little Rock and those areas, brutally hot. We extend to tomorrow the excessive heat warnings.

And the temperatures, even at this hour, are still ridiculous. Little Rock still feels like 108, Oklahoma City, 1008, Pensacola, 109. And then, of course, severe weather tomorrow could be in Chicago in St. Louis, Kansas City. So the airport domino effect, we're not done with it yet. I feel for anyone trying to get home or get to a vacation. We're going to talk about that next. Bill Karens, thank you so much. So with that severe weather and other factors impacting summer travel plans, millions can anticipate more delays and difficulties this holiday weekend. Let's bring in Clint Henderson, managing editor for the travel website, The Points Guide. Clint, good to see you, old friend. I wish it was under better circumstances. Let's talk about what's happening at airports right now. We're hearing that passengers' flights are getting delayed and canceled, and the airlines don't have other flights available for them to take for, days. If people are in that situation, is there anything they can do, or are they sort of at the mercy of the airlines? I wish I had better news for you. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of extra capacity to take those passengers. So unfortunately, unless you've got super top-tier elite status in some secret club at the airline that can magically make flights appear,

you're kind of out of luck at this point. I will say you can always ask the airline to put you on a competitor if they have seats available. The problem is you've already got to got every flight with a standby list of 50 people on it. I did, we at the points that I just heard from United, they said things are starting to turn around at least at the Newark Airport. So that's a little bit of good news. Hopefully they can get this all sorted. They said hopefully by Fourth of July holiday, they'll have things semi-restored.

So when it comes to refunds, typically if it's a weather-related event, airlines won't refund a passenger. They won't necessarily put you up in a hotel. Are there any instances here where airlines are able to do something for passengers, or are they sort of off the hook for refunds and reimbursements? I mean, technically they're off the hook, but that said, I urge consumers to be their own best advocate, keep receipts of every expense you incur, and I would campaign to the airline directly and say, hey, I went through this, can you compensate me? We saw during those delays and cancellations at Christmas time that Southwest did make passengers whole, even though some of it was. was weather-related. So there's always hope, and I would hold the airlines' feet to the fire and say, you need to compensate me. But this is another reason why, as a consumer advocate, I'm urging

people to say, we need a passenger bill of rights that includes not just things within the airline's control, but also weather events like this, too. We just shouldn't have people having to sleep in airports on costs. Yeah. And Clint, the big picture question, if you have a crystal ball, all of these problems, they're happening now. We're not quite at peak. travel for summer? Do you think it is going to get worse before it gets better? Unfortunately, I do. I will say it's positive developments because the airlines have staff back up. But as Tom Costello reported, the air traffic controller situation is still pretty desperate. So I would just say as a consumer, you really need to educate yourself.

Make sure you're tracking your flight and make sure you know if there's alternatives, figure out alternatives have a plan A, a plan B, and a plan C when you travel this summer. All right. Clint Henderson, managing editor for the points guy. Thank you. Now to breaking news about legendary pop star Madonna, the 64-year-old singer, is recovering from a serious bacterial infection after being rushed the ICU over the weekend. And Thompson joins us now on set with the latest. And this sounds incredibly scary. What do we know about her condition? It does. But we actually have some good news tonight, Ellison, to report. A source close to Madonna tells NBC news that the 64-year-old is out of ICU and she is recovering. Now, this comes on top of her agent's statement that came earlier today and started all of this.

And her agent wrote that on Saturday, Madonna developed a serious bacterial infection, which led to a several-day stay in the ICU. Her health is improving, however, she is still under medical care. a full recovery is expected. And that's really good news because she's got a lot on her plate. Absolutely. Yeah, her health most important, but there is also this very big tour that she's supposed to kick off next month. Is there any indication in terms of when maybe that tour plan will resume? So this tour called the Celebration Tour was to celebrate her 40 years in the music industry. And it was supposed to start on July 15th in Vancouver, British Columbia. Well, now that has been put on pause because of this health scare. They don't know when it is going to start. That will be

configured out once they know exactly what her health prognosis is. But again, the good news here is that she's out of ICU. She's said to be recovering. And by all indications, she's anxious to get back on stage and back on her tour. We certainly wish her the best. Thank you, Ann Thompson. We appreciate it. Turning now to Lower Manhattan, where today, Daniel Penny pled not guilty. The charges stemming from that chokehold incident on the subway back in May, leaving Jordan Neely dead and a community outraged. Neely's lawyers calling today a good day the family feeling that Jordan's life is being considered. NBC's Emily Aketa brings us the latest. Appearing stoic and looking straightforward, today Marine veteran Daniel Penny pleaded not

guilty to second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. The highly watched court appearance comes nearly two months after the 24-year-old was seen on camera applying a deadly chokehold on Jordan Neely. Who witnesses say had been threatening passengers on board a New York City subway train. The legal team for Neely's family arguing any reasonable person knows choking someone for that long will kill them, vowing outside the courthouse today to achieve justice in his name with Neely's father by their side. What do you think will really resonate with the jury come to trial? I think there's one simple question that if I was questioning Daniel Penny, if he took the stand, I would ask him, why didn't you let go? That's the most important piece of this case. Even if there's a dispute

about him putting his hands on Jordan Neely in the first place, at some point, let go. Penny wasn't arrested until nearly two weeks after the death of Neely, a homeless street performer suffering from mental illness, that delay, fueling widespread protests that spilled onto subway tracks, calling for criminal charges. Justice Ford! The case becoming a lightning rod for issues including homelessness, public safety, and race, and drawing

nationwide attention. Some progressive officials have alleged Neely was murdered, while others helped raise nearly $3 million for a legal defense fund for Penny. His lawyer's confident jurors will see things in their favor. What gives you such confidence in the outcome of

the trial? It's confidence in a legal system. I've been trying cases in Manhattan for quite some time. Confidence in the law, confidence that our client acted within the confines of the law in this case. Danny won't be the only one on trial. The right and duty to defend one another will be on trial too. They wouldn't say whether Penny will take the stand, but recently released a series of pre-recorded video statements where the college student insists he was trying to restrain nearly to protect himself and others. I was scared for myself, but I looked around. I saw women and children. He was yelling in their faces saying

saying these threats. I couldn't just sit still. If convicted, Penny could face up to 19 years in jail. If Neely was not actually physically assaulting someone, then Penny can still be justified in his actions as long as Neely was about to use force against somebody else, or his threats were imminent. Emily Aketa joins us now live outside the lower Manhattan. courthouse. Emily, did we learn anything new in court today? Today from court documents that there's not just that one widely circulated video showing the deadly chokehold on camera, but police have actually, in fact, obtained at least five cell phone videos from the May 1st incident. The defense hasn't decided whether they will be putting

penny on the stand, but they believe that holding the trial in this location in Manhattan and will actually work in their favor because jurors, chances are, will have ridden or taken the New York City subway transit system already and may be more understanding to an uncomfortable situation within the confines of a subway train. The next court day, Ellison, is set for October. Emily Aketa, thank you. New questions tonight about the Justice Department's investigation

into Hunter Biden's finances, an IRS whistleblower speaking out and alleging the deal DOJ gave the president's son preferential treatment. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez has the latest. Tonight, President Biden is emphatically denying he was present when his son Hunter allegedly texted a Chinese business partner in 2017 demanding payment. IRS supervisory agent Gary Shapley, now a whistleblower, told lawmakers he obtained WhatsApp messages. He says were sent by Hunter. Biden. He says Hunter Biden used his father as leverage to pressure a Chinese businessman into paying

him, quote, I'm sitting here with my father, and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled, adding, you will regret not following my direction. If this was any other person, they likely would have already served their sentence. Shapley alleges that the DOJ provided preferential treatment and slow walk the investigation into Hunter Biden, saying Justice Department prosecutors prevented him from looking into the messages. He also, He also alleges the federal prosecutor overseeing the case. Trump appointed Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss told at least six witnesses last year on not the deciding official on whether charges are filed, and that Weiss said a Biden appointed U.S. attorney had rejected his requests to file additional charges. Hunter Biden recently reached a plea deal with Weiss for misdemeanor tax charges resulting in no prison time. Attorney General Merrick Garland has denied interfering with Weiss's investigation. He would be given full of. authority to decide the matter as he decided was appropriate. And that's what he's done. And Gabe Gutierrez joins us now. Gabe, what are we hearing tonight from Hunter Biden's attorney?

Well, Hunter Biden's attorney says that this IRS whistleblower is biased and any suggestion that this investigation cut corners. It went on for five years, by the way. The attorney says any suggestion that cut corners is preposterous. The attorney is also saying that any verifiable words or actions of my client in the midst of a horror. Addiction are solely his own and have no connection to anyone in his family else. Gabe Gutierrez, thank you. Heading overseas now to the protest breaking out in France after a police officer shot and killed a teenager during a traffic stop. Outrage demonstrators taking to the streets, setting cars on fire, and demanding justice.

Matt Bradley has the latest. Outrage and unrest exploding in the streets of France. Nationwide protests reached a boiling point last night. to police shot and killed a teenage boy during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb. This video shows the stop, and the moment a police officer aims his gun at the driver's window, as the car drives forward, the officer shoots. The car crashing just down the road, 17-year-old Nail died from a bullet wound, according to a statement from the prosecutor's office, which also says the officer

accused of shooting the teenager is now being held on potential manslaughter charges, though the family is pushing for charges of intentional homicide. may have been sparked by initial reports in French media saying the officers claimed their lives were in danger and that Nail was shot because he refused to stop. But the video circulating on the internet shows he did stop just before being shot at point-blank range. Nail's death triggered these massive protests in cities and towns across the country. Cars set on fire, bus stops destroyed, even a town hall set ablaze. Riot police responded to the disorder by sprang tear gas and arresting over 30 people.

The French interior minister said two dozen police were injured in the chaos. France's president Emmanuel Macron addressed the incident, saying in a tweet, we share the emotion and grief of young Nile's family and friends. It is up to the justice system to establish the truth and to assign responsibilities. French athletes like superstar Kiliya Mombapé and celebrities such as actor Omar Sae also expressed their anger and sadness. Nile's death marks the second police killing during traffic stops. in France this year. Last year, 13 people were killed by police in such circumstances,

according to a Reuters tally, the most the country has ever seen. And, Alison, despite the police investigation and President Macron's comments condemning the incident, French police are already bracing for more protests in the neighborhoods that surround Paris and other major cities. French police are deploying more than 2,000 officers in preparation for what could be another violent night. Ellison? Matt Bradley, thank you. Still ahead tonight, a disturbing update in a serial rape case. A New Jersey lawyer accused of attacking multiple women in the Boston area now facing new charges, how authorities say they've tied him to even more victims. Plus, that breaking news on the submersible that imploded near the Titanic, what authorities have

just revealed about possible human remains found in the wreckage. And a woman falling from the 10th deck of a carnival cruise ship, we'll talk to another passenger who witnessed the moment she was pulled back on board. Stay with us. We are back with the latest on the Titan submersible. More than a week after it imploded killing all five passengers, we are getting our first look at what's left of it. New images showing crews in Canada unloading the pieces of the wreckage that were recovered from the ocean floor.

Let's bring in NBC news correspondent Ron Allen. And Ron, this is stunning, in addition to pulling up those fairly large chunks of debris. We're also learning tonight. They have recovered some human remains. Yes, it is amazing when you think about this happening two and a half miles down on the ocean floor. Investigators last week were saying that they didn't think they would find anything, let alone human remains. And now they believe that they have. There's a salvage company that's been out there for the past number of days, prowling the ocean floor with a robotic device.

These are remarkable contraptions that are usually used in the oil and gas drilling industry, laying telecom lines. they've been trying to find what the could of this submersible, which, remember, was only as big as a minivan, and now they have found some remains of these five individuals. All this will go to investigators. The U.S. Coast Guard, we know, is leading this investigation with the help of the U.S. Transportation Safety Board, the Canadians, the French, the British. Everyone is involved in this, trying to figure out what happened, why it happened, how to prevent it from happening, and now the discovery of human remains will obviously open up wounds. for the families of the victims who lost loved ones there,

and for that community, St. John's as well, which is a maritime community, which was following the search and rescue, the recovery operation very closely, and the whole event was just very disturbing for that community. Do investigators think they will be able to determine what caused this? With the debris, they now have a much better chance. And as you know, there were a lot of questions raised about the design of this submersible. The fact that the company, Ocean Gate, had not had it licensed, or inspected for safety by an outside independent body that does these sort of things in the maritime industry.

It was operating in international waters, so there was no requirement for that. The owner, the pilot, Stockton Rush, who was killed aboard this, was a pioneer, hard-charging, talked a lot about the need for innovation and seemed to defy regulations and regulators who would slow down innovation, he complained. So there's a lot of that. But again, just a significant development that they now have wreckage, they now have some remains. And so, yes, they are probably getting much closer to answers. Ron Allen, thank you. From that tragedy in the ocean, we turn now to an incredible sea rescue after a Royal Caribbean passenger fell overboard from the 10th deck of the ship. She was miraculously saved and brought back on board. We spoke to one passenger who saw that rescue unfold.

A woman saved in a dramatic rescue after an alarming incident at sea. We have a report of a person overboard. A Royal Caribbean passenger fell overboard Sunday from the 10th deck of the Mariner of the Sea's cruise ship, 31 miles off the coast of the Dominican Republic, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The 42-year-old American passenger floating in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, life preservers and smoke flares dropped in the water. She was on 10, which is kind of like up there. Matthew Cun was with his wife and kids on vacation when they witnessed the ordeal.

There's a few other people around me and we're just kind of talking about, like, you know, there's no way you can survive that fall. Like, we're looking for her body at this point. The ship quickly deploying a rescue boat to save the woman and bring her back on board. When they actually pulled her aboard, I mean, it was, I was kind of speechless. You could actually feel. feel the reaction from the other people on the boat, like cheering. Like, there's, everyone was, like, clapping and so happy and not it. The entire rescue lasting just under an hour.

It remains unclear what caused the woman to go overboard, but she said to be in good health, according to the Coast Guard, which said it is investigating the circumstances surrounding her fault. Royal Caribbean telling NBC News in part, quote, the ship and crew immediately reported the incident to local authorities. and began searching for the guest. Thankfully, the guest was successfully recovered and was brought on board. A miracle rescue in the maritime.

And now other cruise passengers looking forward to smooth sailing. I think everyone's pretty happy and just, you know, everyone's kind of getting along and no issue since that. The Coast Guard told us a medical evacuation was not requested and that a local hospital evaluated the woman once the boat docked. We are glad to hear that she and the rest of the passengers are. doing well. When we come back, the dog attack caught on camera, two dogs pouncing on a county employee who was trying to serve an eviction notice near Miami, how another bystander with a

traffic home helped the victim get to safety. Back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with the apparent drowning of a former NFL quarterback, Ryan Mallet. say the 35-year-old was pulled unconscious from waters near Panama City Beach in Florida before being pronounced dead at a local hospital. As we reported yesterday, the area is experiencing dangerous rip currents that have killed several people in the last two weeks. Mallet played with New England, Houston, and Baltimore during his five seasons in the NFL. In update tonight, the New Jersey lawyer accused in a series of sexual assaults is facing new charges. 35-year-old Matthew Nilo was indicted on additional counts of

rape and sexual assault for alleged attacks on four women in Boston's North End neighborhood 15 years ago. Nilo was arrested last month for a string of attacks around the same time in Boston's Charlestown and neighborhood. A prosecutor say all the charges are linked to DNA evidence. A woman hospitalized tonight after a dog attack that was caught on camera. A new video shows a county employee walking up to a home in Miami to serve an eviction notice when two bulldogs knock her to the ground and start attacking her. another person attempting to keep the dogs away with a traffic cone, the woman eventually jumping in a car to safety, authority saying the woman has several bites, but is expected to be okay.

And Simone Biles will be returning to gymnastics competing for the first time since taking a break for her mental health. The U.S. classic just outside Chicago will be the four-time gold medalist first event since the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. That's when she pulled out of the team final saying she needs to vote. focus on her mental health. Since then, Biles has become an advocate for the wellness of athletes. Now, to a heartbreaking story looking at Ukraine's stolen children, children forced away from their families by Russia. Tonight, NBC's Molly Hunter shares one mother's desperate attempt to get her son back. In a video posted by pro-Russian media, Ukrainian mother, Oksana Stetsenko, is seen getting off the train in southwestern Russia. The Russian reporter narrates,

Asana's son Nikita was taken from the Ukrainian village of Kupyansk to a safe place by the Russian military, he says, now he's being handed back to his mother. But what the reporter doesn't say is 12-year-old Nikita was kept for eight months at a school in Russian-occupied Lujansk without his mother's knowledge. Oksana says she had no idea if her son was alive. They took our children, she told us just days after that reunion. They have no right to keep them there. The official Russian narrative depicts the Russian state as savior.

We take children out of the conflict zone saving their lives, President Putin said last week and the face of the Russian operation is commissioner for child rights, Maria Lavova Bilova. Back in March, the International Criminal Court accused both Lavova Bilova and Putin of alleged war crimes. the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children. President Zelensky says more than 200,000 Ukrainian kids have been deported to Russia and Russian-occupied territory. The Ukrainian government says at least 370 have been brought back, including Nikita. The NGOs save Ukraine headed by Mikola Kaleba organized Oksana's daring trip, 3,000 miles all the way into Russia to bring Homer's son.

They are not giving them back. We're taking them back. Since the ICC arrest warrant, Kuleba says Russia is making it harder. Russians understand now that each case is valued for ICC, for Ukrainian, for future court. Each case could be evidence. Each case, it's evidence of war crime. On September 8, Nikita says Russian troops took him and 12 classmates from their boarding school outside of Kharkiv, just two days before Ukrainian troops liberated the area.

They were sent to the Paravals Special Correctional School in Russian-occupied Lujans. NBC News found this picture of Nikita on the school's website. He says they sang the Russian national anthem, his classmates in uniforms with Russian Zs. They're Ukrainian kids. No, he says. These kids aren't Ukrainian anymore? He says they're not Ukrainian anymore because they were grabbed. Ukrainian officials describing what they say is Putin's plan to erase Ukrainian identity.

You never wore the Ukrainians because Ukrainian nation never exists like nations. You all time were Russians. Were you scared to go into Russia? Oksana says it was terrifying going into Russia. I was shaking at every border crossing. But it wasn't even a question she said. even a question, she says, unless you're a mother, you can't understand. In a statement to NBC News, Lavova Bolova says Russia has always helped and continues to help

families be united. But Oksana is clear. No Russian official, no one from the Peraval School ever got in touch. I cried at night, she says. The pillow was covered in tears. I had no idea how to get him back. Molly Hunter, NBC News, Harkiv, Ukraine. We thank Molly Hunter for that eye-opening report. Ukrainian families desperate to reunite with their children as NGOs work to find them, despite many months and miles between them. I want to bring in André Dobryonski.

He's the Director of Communications for the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America. He's also the chair of UN Affairs for the Ukrainian World Congress. Andri, we're glad to have you with us to talk about this. You look at some of these numbers and estimates right now are difficult. But the Ukrainian government says at least 200,000 children have been deported. Only 371 returned. It's a terrifying reality for families who are still in Ukraine. Talk to us about how this is happening.

We heard in Mali's report that family saying their child Nikita was taken from boarding school without permission. We've heard other reports of people in occupied areas like Hirsan, where they say, we were told this was going to be a temporary move to get our child out of war, and then it's been weeks and months. Walk us through some of the stories you've heard from families experiencing this. Well, let's talk about how these people are transferred. There are four primary objects to this Russian plan. One is to physically remove the children from the territory of Ukraine to Russia. Once they're there, then they're placed into a different environment.

Some of them can be schools. Some of them can be things referred to as summer camps. We've heard that for months now as an excuse, sanatoria, places of relief. And once they're located in those areas, then a lot of those children get their citizenship fast-tracked without their permission. Parents' permission, obviously, they are signed up for Russian citizenship. And then the last step would be to get them adopted by Russian parents. So those are the physical machinations, the legal machinations about how to get those children out there. But this all starts on the occupied territory.

This has been happening since the war began nine years ago in areas of occupied Donbos and Crimea. There only remains one school where you can still have Ukrainian language instruction only at the early grades. The Ukrainian identity has been erased both in the territory of occupied Ukraine and in Russia. I'll just want to point back to even before this war started, between 2002 and 2012, the last two Russian censuses, the estimated number of Ukrainians in Russia, which was the largest diaspora community there, dropped by 35 percent, not because people left. Again, this is before the war, but because of the closing of Ukrainian cultural institutions and the enrollment of them in a Russian identity.

You mentioned this has been happening even before the full-scale invasion started. One of the organizations we saw Molly speaking with the head of Save Ukraine. They have been working on helping children. in Ukraine since 2014. Talk to us about the steps, parents, families, organizations like Save Ukraine and other NGOs have to take to try and find these children, first of all, and then to make their way through this very difficult terrain, dangerous circumstances to get kids home. Well, much like the Ukrainian government, much like the American government and good journalists out there, a lot of this is happening online. We saw that in Mali's report. People spot

plotting children in reports that are being broadcast. They could be on telegram or social networks, and you can find children that way. That is a painstaking process. Sometimes you only get a sliver of a child's face and possibly geolocate them. But to find children like this is almost impossible. You mentioned the large-scale number of 200,000. Ukraine set up a website this year after the full-scale invasion called Children of Ward. Ukraine.gov. But in any case, that's a method for parents in Ukraine to say, to register their

child, my parent, my child has been taken. I don't know where my child is. This is the information about my child. This is a recent picture. And through that method is a way that some of those 300 children have been returned. However, the majority of work has been done, like you said, by NGOs, by journalists, by investigators online, trying to track these children down. And it's only a matter of time, the longer these children are inoculated from the outside world. You saw in that report how children were being indoctrinated with Russian military paraphernalia. I'm sorry to make this comparison, but my father went through a German displaced persons camp before he came to the United States and would have remained adopted by a German family had not the war ended. This kind of

stuff is heinous, and this is why it's not just a war crime, as the report mentioned, but it's also specifically mentioned in the convention of genocide, specifically separating children from one group and placing them in another group. That's something that the UN got together in 1948 and specifically mentioned knowing about the horrors of what happened in World War II. And so many of the children we see or hear about missing are at an age where they are potentially not going to remember speaking Ukrainian if they don't get home soon. Andrei Dobryanski, thank you so much for your time tonight. We appreciate it. When we come back, catalytic crackdown, police in Philadelphia busting a crime ring,

they say was selling hundreds of stolen converters per week. How they track down the mastermind of the operation, that is next. We're back now with the latest on those catalytic converter thefts we've been covering here on top story. Authorities in Philadelphia busting a theft ring accused of buying tens of thousands of stolen converters worth more than $8 million in losses. This as thefts have quadrupled nationwide in recent years. Valerie Castro has more. Tonight, the multimillion-dollar Philadelphia crime ring tied to thousands of these

catalytic converter thefts busted. Thieves sawing off the valuable part from cars in minutes, then selling them for hundreds of dollars. Police accusing TDI towing of buying tens of thousands of stolen converters worth roughly $8.2 million in losses. street level was, if you go to this location, they will buy your catalytic converters, no questions asked. They will buy them after hours at night, and they will buy them in bulk. Police say the 11-person theft ring, including a juvenile, was buying 175 of the converters a week

at their peak for around $300 a piece. The owner of the towing company, Michael Williams, accused of masterminding the operation. Police say he took the converters, his company purchased, and sold them for profit at another location. He is cooperating with this investigation, candidly because we had him red-handed. Catalytic converters filter dangerous toxins out of a car's exhaust, but some of the precious metals they contain, including platinum, are very valuable.

The thieves like to come in and they cut the pipe here. They break the bolts off up there. National data shows a spike in catalytic converter thefts in recent years. An analysis by the National Insurance Crime Bureau shows claims, claims for thefts nearly quadrupled nationwide between 2020 and 2022. We're going to see where the arms of this reach, and I'm sure there's others doing it, and this is a message to them that I'm never coming after you. And the crime can happen fast.

Back in February, this thief in San Jacing up this car and sawing off the converter in about a minute. People do call me all the time and say, hey, would you like to buy our converters from us? We have a, you know, 20 of them. Will you give us some money for them? Last month, Massachusetts authorities shut down a seven-member catalytic converter theft ring that allegedly stole hundreds of parts worth roughly $2 million in losses. It's alleged that in some weeks, these seven individuals received between $40,000 and $80,000

from their crimes. And Valerie Castro joins us now. Valerie, in your piece, it seems like law enforcement authorities in Pennsylvania are very determined to crack down on this. But is there any space for politicians to do something? So, Ellison, there is a bill making its way through the Pennsylvania legislature right now that would require places like scrapyards and recycling facilities to record information like a vehicle's make and model and VIN number, a vehicle identification number, to better track where that catalytic converter came from in hopes of cracking down on all of these thefts. Great, Valerie Castro, thank you. We appreciate it. When we come back, coming home, the military wife spending more than five decades trying to figure out,

what happened to her husband during the Vietnam War, the discovery deep in the jungle, giving her the answer she spent more than half of her life searching for. Back now with Top Story's Global Watch, Kevin Spacey's sexual assault trial began in London today. The disgraced actor is facing 12 sex offense charges for alleged crimes that took place from 2000 to 2013. One of his charges carries a maximum punishment of life in prison. The 63-year-old has denied all allegations. Heavy rains and overflowing rivers wrecking havoc on central Chile. New video shows rescuers using rope to pull someone from raging floodwaters.

Two officers then helping to get a horse to dry land. The rain also sparking landslides, leaving some homes on the verge of collapse. So far, at least two people have been killed and 13,000 people have been evacuated. And authorities in the Philippines carrying out one of the country's largest human trafficking busts, Officials say multiple buildings in Manila were raided in nearly 3,000 alleged human trafficking victims were rescued. Authorities believe the victims from the Philippines, China, and Indonesia were being used to recruit people online for a cybercrime syndicate. No word yet on any arrest. And finally, tonight, the story of one woman's decades-long fight to find out what happened to her husband who went missing during the Vietnam War.

Now more than five decades later, she has answers and the ability to finally bring him home. Maya Eaglin has the story. For the last 54 years, the only thing Joyce DeSoto had left of her husband, Ernest, was memories. We had the most beautiful smile. That was one thing. And he was really sweet and really, really smart. The high school sweethearts were married for 12 years and had three children when Ernie, an Air Force fighter pilot, went missing in action after his plane was shot down over Vietnam. A day their son, who was only eight at the time, tells our Bay Area Station they will never forget.

I remember the day that someone knocked on the door and told us, you know, that, you know, he became missing. Ernie was just one of thousands of Americans left unaccounted for in the Vietnam War. But Joyce never stopped trying to find out what happened to her husband, joining forces with other military widows to press the government for answers. We would meet secretly because we were told. To be quiet, not to say anything, because the war was not popular. Then in 2021, more than five decades after Ernie went missing, a U.S. recovery team searching the crash site found this bone fragment. Two years later, scientists confirmed through DNA testing it belonged to Ernie.

A zipper from his flight suit was also recovered. It's bittersweet because you held them alive for a long time. While bittersweet, the discovery is giving Joyce a moment of solace that she had spent over half her life looking for. Kids closure. He's here. He didn't suffer. He was actually killed in the airplane, which I've never known. Now Ernie's family is planning a funeral for Friday, including a military flyover. It means a lot. It means a lot. Just to put him to rest. The Purple Heart recipient, finally back home. Our thanks to Maya for that report. Thank you so much for watching Top Story tonight. For Tom Yamis, I'm Ellison Barber in New York. Stay right there. More news now on the way.

Thank you.