Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Episode Date: November 23, 2023

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

Breaking tonight, the deadly car explosion on the U.S.-Canadian border. The surveillance video showing the car speeding and then flying out of control before catching fire and exploding as it was entering the United States. Two people killed in the crash, the governor of New York saying there's no indication of terrorism. The FBI investigating if this was an intentional act. The major border bridge shut down for hours today. International flights into Buffalo and Amtrak trains suspended. travel crunch. It is the great escape to get home. And across the country, it's bumper to bumper on the roads. Nearly three million people flying today with long lines at security checkpoints.

Some flights delayed by the ripple effects of last night's storms. We're tracking the latest on the holiday forecast. Hostage deal reached. Hamas officials saying the four-day pause in fighting will begin tomorrow in Tel Aviv. There's high anxiety as people gather in hostage square and wait for the release of captives. One family of hostages telling and news, it feels like a game of Russian roulette. Actresses facing backlash movie stars Susan Sarandon and Melissa Barrera dropped by major Hollywood agencies following controversial remarks on the Israel Hamas War. Tonight, the split reactions. Plus, nip-tuck nightmare. A Seattle woman traveled to Mexico to remove excess skin after weight loss, but she claims she woke up to implants that she

did not want and a collapsed lung. What she then says happened when she refused. to pay thousands of dollars in extra charges. And count down to the parade, the time-honored tradition watched by the nation, and of course those iconic balloons, will take a look back at their debut nearly a century ago and tell you how they've changed to the inflatable giants you see today, including some new ones hitting the route tomorrow morning. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. We begin with that breaking news.

The FBI trying to figure out what caused a vehicle to explode at Rainbow Bridge, one of the busiest crossings on the U.S. Canadian border. NBC News obtaining this surveillance video of the incident, the car appears to lift off the ground as it collides with a median at a high speed before crashing into a customs and border patrol checkpoint. The car catching fire and then exploding. Officials confirming two people inside that car are dead. Tonight, the governor of New York, saying there is no indication this was a terrorist attack. The FBI now working to determine if it was an intentional act or a terrible accident. When the crash happened, the border crossing was packed.

It is, after all, Thanksgiving Eve, and today is a travel day for millions of people. Officials closed four of the border crossings between the U.S. and Canada for hours after this explosion. international flights were grounded, and some Amtrak services suspended. NBC News correspondent Emily Aketa starts us off tonight with the latest on the crash investigation and the heightened security alerts. Tonight, the FBI is investigating a fiery crash at the U.S. Canada border. I've never seen anything like this. The car just exploded.

Officials in both countries now on high alert. Mr. Speaker, this is obviously a very serious situation in Niagara Falls. Moments before, you can see a white sedan hitting a median and going airborne. Witnesses watched the incident in horror. There was a car in front of him. He swerved out, went in front of the car, hit the fence, went flying up into the air. Law enforcement sources tell NBC News the car was going at a very high rate of speed in western New York when it crashed into a checkpoint structure at Rainbow Bridge, caught fire, and exploded.

Both people in the car died, and a customs and border protection officer sustained minor injuries. At this time, there is no indication of a terrorist attack. New York has already been in a heightened threat environment since the attack on Israel last month. Now, as several million people prepared aligning New York City streets for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, authorities say to expect an increased security presence. We don't see any nexus between the incident there and here in New York City. We're going to continue to be out in full force. As police work around the clock to assure a sense.

safe holiday. Emily Aketa joins us now from here in New York City along the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade route. And Emily, is there concern right now about mass gatherings taking place tomorrow in cities like New York? So, Alison, while today's crash certainly rattled some visitors and caused a cascade of security concerns tonight. Officials are saying people should enjoy in the Thanksgiving fun. This is an event that local and federal law enforcement have been preparing for over an entire year. I should also mention as new details emerge and signs appear to show that this was not an act of terror, we're seeing some changes happen in real time. For instance, several border crossings have been closed earlier today. They have since been reopened at the

Buffalo Airport. We saw international flights departing and arriving temporarily paused. We're just confirming with the FAA that that restriction has been lifted, Ellison. Emily, have investigators learned anything new or any information? in general about the driver in this car explosion? So right now, what we're hearing from investigators, they believe that the driver was a Buffalo area businessman, and the other person in the car that had died in the crash is believed to be a relative of his.

They don't know why he was going at such a high rate of speed, but right now a leading theory is that this was an accident or reckless driving, Ellison. Emily Aketa in New York City, thank you so much. We appreciate it. The activity at the border comes as 49 million Americans are taking to the road for Thanksgiving, and the nation's airlines are reporting record passenger levels this week. But with heavy rain and wind on the East Coast, travel headaches are hitting people as they try and head home for the holiday.

NBC News, Transportation and Aviation correspondent Tom Costello has the latest. From the San Mateo Bridge in the west to I-95 in the east, a bumper-to-bumper day. Interloop slows on your approach to Tyson's headed toward McLean and across the GW Parkway. With drivers paying 35 cents less per gallon than last year. I've been very busy and I'm trying to get back to the family. Meanwhile, it's been shoulder to shoulder in the nation's airports. Pack your patience. That's all you can do.

Pack your patience. Long line snaking through checkpoints, though the TSA managed to keep most under 30 minutes. It makes me regret not getting TSA pre-check. The FAA now says 2.9 million people are flying today more than predicted on a mostly blue sky day, though many East Coast airports were still delayed after heavy rain and wind cost 5,500 delays and 72 cancellations Tuesday. Still looking at a clean OIS, going straight to the terminal timeline. Today, heavy turbulence forced the FAA command center to temporarily close. Some military airspace opened up for Thanksgiving.

At Houston Hobby Airport, two private planes collided on the runway, no injuries. But for the airlines, this is the big test. The clock is ticking on a domestic flight. They've got about 45 minutes to get the plane in, bags off passengers on and out again. On an international flight, about 90 minutes. American Chief Operating Officer David Seymour. We're going to carry over half a million customers every day. Every day.

Every day. Every day. Every day. Yeah. It's a busy, busy period for us. A record setting week with a record-breaking crescendo on Sunday as nearly three million passengers all try to fly home at once. And Tom Costello joins us now from Reagan National Airport. Tom, what's the latest on cancellations and delays at this hour? We're looking at 3,100 delays nationwide in about 60 or so cancellations.

And the reason is we are still recovering from yesterday, the high winds and the rain and the ripple effect. right so the airlines have been playing catch-up all day and incredible volumes of passengers and so as a result the the ketchup continues today tom with that incident on the u.s canadian border did tsa have to implement any changes in security ts l sorry tsa tells me no they did not change their posture they were already forward leaning today they already had more tsa officers more dogs in airports along with local police, but they did not do any more aggressive steps. They said they've already been very protective and proactive, given what's happening in the Middle East right now.

All right. Tom Costello at Reagan National Airport. Thank you. For more on the Thanksgiving holiday forecast, NBC News meteorologist Bill Karens, joins me now. Bill, what is the latest on the track? Should people be nervous? Yeah, I can smile. We're good. I mean, it was a rough about 48 hours with the tornadoes the heavy rain yesterday and this morning, and now that storm is just almost gone for everyone. A little bit of rain left over in North Carolina and some snow exiting areas of Maine. We got as much as six to nine inches on the high elevations of New Hampshire and also Maine. So still some slick driving in those areas, but everyone else has cleared out.

It's been a long while since I've even seen any significant airport delays. And all of the ones from Baltimore to D.C. up I-95 through New York to Logan in Boston. Everyone is looking great. So we played a lot of catch-up today, as Tom mentioned. So let's take you into Thanksgiving. The only concern we have going over the next couple days is going to be the new storm that's going to bring snow to the areas of the Rockies and eventually into the plains. Everybody else is looking for a really nice Thanksgiving day. If you like to have those outdoor football games or whatever with your family, it looks perfect.

No problems on the roads anywhere east of the Rockies. But if you're driving on 25 up through Wyoming, that could be one of the worst spots. Then on Friday, this shifts down. Thursday night, it's going to snow in Denver Friday morning. You'll probably have to do a little shoveling. Roads will be a little slippery. some showers in Florida. But that's it for Friday. So for our winter storm, winter storm warnings are up for Lander and Casper all the way down to Cheyenne. Denver is under our winter weather

advisory. I mentioned about two to five inches for you. But our friends in Wyoming, Lander and Casper, you could get six to 12 inches of snow out of this. So a good early season snowstorm. Then on Saturday our snow pushes into Kansas, east coast, west coast, find. And for the busiest travel day of the mall on Sunday, a little bit of light snow through the Great Lakes, a little bit of rain in the Gulf Coast. And Allison, what's new, what's changed, all of a sudden, now it take some rain moving into New York City for Sunday afternoon and evening. Keep that in mind for your travel plans. All right, we will take it. We'd love to see you smile. Bill, Karen, thank you so much. Next to an update on the release of hostages held by Hamas. Israel now saying

the release will not happen until at least Friday. Families say they are feeling a wave of emotions, hope and anxiety as they wait for the possible return of their loved ones. NBC's chief international correspondent, Kier Simmons, has the latest from Israel. A delay to the long negotiated break in Gaza's bloodshed. The hostage release, including three Americans, and potentially many children, will not happen before Friday. Three-year-old Abigail Moore Edan may be among them. Her parents were killed. Our emotions are just going a little more crazy because it does feel like we're closer.

The delay, despite the head of Mossad in Qatar tonight, to agree final details of 50 hostages to be freed over four days. The aim to release 100 hostages, officials say, and 300 Palestinian prisoners. Teenagers and women, some jailed for minor offenses, others for attempted murder. A day of frantic phone calls for families like the mother of Meashem, forced to appear in a hostage video, hoping their weight will soon be over. It's like a Russian wallet. We are waiting to see who will come back home. Prime Minister Netanyahu had hailed the deal.

saying it included visits by the Red Cross to the other abductees. Though Israel's Prime Minister, vowing a short pause, would not end the war. While Hamas today, releasing another video of fierce fighting, truckloads of aid are planned, but today there was no end to the civilian suffering. They are massacring us before the truce, this man says. In tears, Jamalan told us his children and grandchildren might not survive. Today, he learned 60 members of his family are now dead. Friday's pause.

Too late for them. NBC News's chief international correspondent, Keir Simmons, joins us now from Tel Aviv. Keir, what more can you tell us about the timing of the deal outlined between Israel and Hamas? Well, it's not very clear right now. I mean, what we're being told is that the hostage release will not happen before. Friday and you have to assume that means that the pause in fighting will not happen before Friday because it was quite tightly choreographed with a group of hostages released for every day that the four days of ceasefire if you want to call it that, although of course the Israelis

weren't calling it that would happen to reach 50 hostages freed. So is it going to happen on Friday? Will it take more time? It's hard to tell. There are various reports in the Israeli media about what might be wrong here. It could be that simply the deal wasn't signed off, a glitch, if you like. It may be that Hamas has not said who, which hostages it plans to release. And that was part of the deal. I think that will all become clearer through tonight and into tomorrow. It's now the middle of the night here in Israel. But certainly for the families, for the families of those hostages, especially the children, of course, who were hoping that their loved ones

would be walking free in the coming days. This will be more agony. Kier Simmons, thank you. Hundreds of families are impacted by this deal. They've been living, as Kier said, in absolute agony, often with very little information about their loved ones, since Hamas's terror attack. The family of Alon Shimres is among them.

Alone was kidnapped on October 7th from his apartment. Joining us now is Alone's cousin, Odette. O'Ded, I appreciate you being here with us tonight. Odette Eschold, please. First, let's just start with. Talk to us a little bit about your family, how you are feeling right now. A lot has happened in the last 24 hours. Yeah, my family, thank you for having me.

My family lived in Kvajasa, small key boots on the border with Gaza. They were in shelters for over 24 hours. while the attack was going on and my cousin Alon Chingley texted his older brother that there's terrorists inside his apartment his older brother told him be quiet, you're strong

he replied back with a heart emoji and that's the last the family has heard from him there's been no no proof of life no video, no international aid organization that has seen him and the whole family is living up north right now

that no one lives in that town now after the attack. So it's just been, it's been incredibly difficult. A lot of stress and anxiety. We worry about him and his safety and the rest of the hostage is there. And, you know, we just pray for them to come home. What are you feeling in terms of this deal? And I'm not asking you to make any sort of political statement, but do you have hope right now that he might be among those released? And is there a mix of emotions knowing that not everyone is going to come out at the same time. Yeah, I mean, my understanding is it's going to be primarily focused on women and children.

He's a 26-year-old man, so he may not come out in this first wave, but I'm uplifted that children that saw their parents murdered in front of them that have been held in tunnels for, you know, since October 7th, we'll see their homeland again and be safe and have people around them who love them and care for them. I think, you know, 50 coming out is is a wonderful thing. And we support these talks and bring in the hostages home. It has been 47 days now. It sounds like despite the pain, the agony, the desperation you and your family feel that you still have hope. How do you keep that hope for so long? I mean, I think about my cousin and what he's going through. And, you know, my life is not difficult.

It has no comparison to what he's going through at all. So if I can think about him and pray for strength and advocate on his behalf and encourage our countrymen here to call their congresspeople and demand a return of the 10 Americans who are being held hostage right now, this is an international crisis, this is not just Israel. That's what, you know, helps us keep going. We're going to advocate until every single hostage is brought home. that's in the, I'm an Israeli-American.

I was born in Israel. I live in America, and we're going to fight for every single innocent civilian that was stolen from their home on October 7th. We are coming up on Thanksgiving as families around this country sit down to celebrate this holiday. What do you hope they remember about this story about families like yours? I mean, I hope that families can be reunited. I think it's the most important thing in the world.

I'm a father. You know, we grew up going to my family's home every Friday for Shabbat dinner, and we want the families to be reunited, and we pray for all the families in Gaza who are going through so much hardship that they can live normal, peaceful lives as well. There's been so much pain and suffering on both sides here, and it needs to stop. Odette Eschel, thank you so much. We will continue to keep alone and your entire family in our thoughts. We appreciate you being here tonight. Inside of Gaza, Palestinian families are also suffering. This hostage deal is set to include aid deliveries, but UNICEF is warning.

Time is running out for Gaza's children. According to the agency, due to insufficient sanitation and water shortages in the enclave, the number of children dying could surge even higher. Why? Bacteria. There is only one shower unit for every 700 people at shelters run by the United Nations in Gaza. according to UNICEF and just one single toilet for every 150 people. I want to bring in UNICEF's communication manager, Ricardo Perez.

Ricardo, thank you so much for joining us. The world rightly talks a lot about civilians killed in warfare when it's from rockets, artillery, direct impacts of war, right? But the ripple effects of war, they extend far beyond the initial explosions when hundreds of thousands of refugees are in a small area without adequate sand. sanitation diseases can fester. What is UNICEF seeing right now? Thanks for having me. We're seeing exactly that. The situation is worsening and going beyond, as you said, explosions and bullets flying around. Children are high risk right now of waterborne

diseases caused by contaminated water, which is due to destroyed infrastructure, water and sanitation infrastructure and also the lack of enough water getting through to the children and families in Gaza, hundreds of thousands at this point. Just the figure, normally, any humanitarian situation, from war to famine-like situation, the minimum of amount of water per day per person is around 15 liters. Right now in the Gaza Strip, people, children, families are having to survive with three leaders a day. So that's a fifth of what's needed in an extreme humanitarian situation. So it's catastrophic.

It's very concerning. And we're very worried that more children will die beyond the effects of the conflict. When we look at some of the information UNICEF has recently put out in one statistic, if I'm remembering correctly, they said when they looked at the average of reported cases of diarrhea among children under the age of five, it was 10 times higher this month than it was in previous months. You talked about cases and instances of children having chickenpox, scabies, lice, as well as respiratory infections. Can you explain to us how significant that can be for a child? I think as adults, we often think, oh, well, that's something maybe you'll get over in a couple of

days. Is there, how widespread, I guess, is the question. How widespread is the fear in UNICEF right now amongst your colleagues that we could see a large number of children dying because of these types of illnesses? We're very concerned, very concerned. It's a very real threat for children on the ground. And again, they've been living through hell for over 45 days now. They've seen loved ones dying, families, family members dying, their houses being destroyed. And right now, they can't access clean water. And indeed, in one of the most densely populated areas on the planet, disease can spread very quickly, infectious disease especially, and diarrhea outbreaks are already happening, as you said, 10 times told when compared to the same period before.

And it could get worse. We could get other diseases, including cholera, which we have no signs at the moment. But again, under such strict stressful conditions with hygiene and sanitation being really poor. It's just a matter of time before these things start happening over and over again and children getting more and more impacted. And beyond feeling sick with diarrhea, they can get severely malnourished because of all the water they're losing. So one disease leads to the other. And unless we can contain the situation, it's supposed to happen relatively soon. Ricardo, part of this hostage deal includes allowing more humanitarian aid into Gaza, but when you have shortages of the magnitude you are describing in an active combat zone, I imagine it can be logistically challenging to address it.

There is going to be this four-day ceasefire, at least as of right now. Is that actually enough time for humanitarian aid to get in in a significant way that would actually help address the issues that you're seeing, particularly among children right now? And if not, what really needs to happen in order to truly prevent another mass casualty event associated with lack of clean water, lack of sanitation? Well, at this point, any humanitarian pause, any pause in fighting and bombings and shelling is very good news for children. But no, I think the needs have now outpaced the resources. And even if we have those four days open to get more trucks in with more humanitarian supplies,

it's still a drop in the ocean of needs that has been caused since October 7th. So what we need is a long-standing peacefire, a longer humanitarian peacefire, whereby we can get more trucks every day with the supplies that are needed so we can start even better assessing how damaging the situation is on the ground now because there has been no safe space for children and for humanitarian workers in Gaza right now. We lost over 100 colleagues, U.N. colleagues, since the conflict started. So unless we have safety to be able to do our work, our logistics, our operations on the ground, the needs will always be outpacing the resources.

All right. UNICEFs, Ricardo Perez. Thank you so much. We appreciate your time tonight. The Israel-Hamas war fueling heated debates back here at home, and those tensions now spilling over into Hollywood. One of the stars of the screen movie reboot now out of a job. and Susan Sarandon dropped by her talent agency for controversial comments that some are calling

pro-Palestinian and others say crossed a line into anti-Semitism. Tonight, two Hollywood stars cast aside over their comments as controversy over the Israel-Hamas war rages on. Actress Melissa Barrera, who starred in the hit reboot of the cult classic scream. Who is this? Has been dropped from the upcoming seventh installment after making dozens of social media post since the start of the war. In one Instagram story, Barreira writing, Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp

and cornering everyone together with nowhere to go, no electricity, no water. This is genocide and ethnic cleansing. Spyglass, the production company behind the Scream franchise, commenting on Barrera's firing, telling NBC News, quote, we have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distorting. or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech. Some fans are outraged. Human rights aren't political.

They messed up big time when they let go of Melissa Barrera. I am so disgusted and angry and saddened over this news. People are standing up. Barrera's ousting coming just days after Academy Award-winning actress, Susan Sarandon, was dropped by her talent agency. After making these comments at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York. York City. A lot of people that are afraid, afraid of being Jewish at this time and are getting a taste of

what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country so often subjected to violence. United Talent Agency confirming to NBC News, they are no longer representing the actress in the wake of the November 17th comments, which sparked outrage online. A former speechwriter for Israel's delegation to the UN writing on X, quote, when Susan Sarandon says that Jews are getting at. taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country. She was saying that American Jews have it coming, that we don't deserve to live free from harassment and assault. My understanding, put it in a larger context. What she seemed to be doing there was calling for empathy. Wendy

Perlman is a professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Northwestern University. She spent the last 25 years living, studying, and working in both Israel and Gaza. Both Israelis and Palestinians have mistake in a narrative, have a history of being victims of violence. And when some criticize a narrative that others hold dear, it both hurts and it's a political threat of sorts. But I had a writing moments ago on Instagram that she condemns anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and that no body of government should be above criticism. Adding silence is not an option for her. Susan Sarandon has not responded to request for comment. Still ahead tonight, nip-tuck nightmare, a woman traveling to Mexico to remove her excess skin,

but says she woke up to find her body with implants she never wanted how much it could cost her to try and fix it. Plus, the deadly Listeria outbreak linked to fruit sold nationwide, what you should know if you're planning on serving plums, peaches, or nectarines this Thanksgiving. And Hall without oats, one half of the iconic music duo now suing the other and requesting a restraining order. What we know now about this brewing legal battle. We're back now with an update on a disturbing case in Las Vegas. A ninth teenager has been arrested following the death of Jonathan Lewis, a 17-year-old who died after a brutal group beating earlier this month. Steve Patterson has the latest on this heartbreaking story.

The video, it is incredibly difficult to watch. Tonight, Las Vegas, police have a lot of. a ninth teen in custody for the murder of Jonathan Lewis, the 17-year-old brutally beaten to death by his own classmates, according to police. A fight breaking out near the Rancho High School campus all over a pair of headphones and possibly a marijuana vape pen, according to police. It's just like absolute lunacy. It just looks like these kids are just, have gone totally mad. The disturbing images of the beating circulating on social media, fellow classmates, some as young as 13, kicking, pushing, and stomping on Lewis, who was later discovered unconscious in an alleyway,

the coroner listing the cause of death as blunt-forced trauma homicide. Police say they'll need help identifying one more person of interest, seen in this picture provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police wearing a black hoodie and khaki pants. Four of the teens involved, age 16 and 17, appearing in court earlier this week, charged with second-degree murder and set to be tried as adults. We are blurring the suspect's faces because they're minors. Robert Driscovich, an attorney for one of the teens, says he's, quote, concerned about the murder charge

being levied against kids of such young ages. Violence is being a cowardly. Friends and family paying their respects to Lewis last night at an emotional vigil. Some friends, he's known since eighth grade. We're here for what my mom said to get some closure for his death. His friend's 10-year-old brother visibly shamed. afraid something might happen to someone he loves.

I just want my brother to be all right on this week. The four teens arraigned in court on Tuesday were ordered to be held without bond at a juvenile detention facility, but the court doesn't release information on a plea entered by a minor. Regarding those other suspects who are under the age of 16, there's still a possibility that a judge might decide to try them as adults, given the gravity of the charges. Ellison? Steve Patterson. Thank you. Next tonight, we turn to a nip-tuck nightmare unfolding south of the border.

An American woman traveling to Tijuana, Mexico for an elective cosmetic procedure, now warning others about the potential dangers after she woke up from surgery with implants. She says she never asked for. NBC news correspondent Mara Barrett reports, and a warning, some of these images are graphic. It was a nightmare all the way around. What Kim McCormick thought would be a trip to get cheaper but still safe cosmetic surgery turned into what she's now calling a horrific experience. The plan was to do a thigh lift, a leg lift, an arm lift, a tummy tuck, and a breast lift. The surgeries I got was a breast implant that I didn't want, a Brazilian

butt lift, which I didn't want, but I got the tummy tech. That was the only thing that I wanted. McCormick had gone to the Mexico Bariatric Center in Tijuana for a successful gastric in 2018 and returned last month with her daughter, Misty Ann, to address excess skin after losing 150 pounds and 90 inches. The surgery she wanted would have cost more than $50,000 at home. So she paid $13,500 up front in Mexico. But this visit, she says, was vastly different. The hospital was filthy and her surgery rushed. I woke up in my room. And at that time, I called my daughter and I was just crying because my chest hurt. And then when I went like this, it was ginormous.

And I'm like, something's dreadfully wrong here. How did the doctors explain it? So the first person I saw was my medical coordinator. I said, I did not ask for these. Oh, yeah, yeah. Remember, you asked for those. I said, no, I did not. And she says, well, you'll really like them.

No. No, I won't. McCormick says she quickly developed infections. And doctors told her she had a partially collapsed lung. According to Miss Deanne, a San Diego doctor who examined her mother a few days later found science consistent with sexual assault. They physically mutilated my mother. They morally violated her. She says when she demanded help, the medical staff told Miss Deanne, she said,

had to leave. The McCormick say the medical center then charged them an additional $2,500, threatening Kim with prison time if she didn't pay. In a statement, the Mexico bariatric center says the hospital received express written consent to all the procedures performed. An extreme and terrifying example, but McCormick isn't alone and looking abroad. Patients without borders estimates 1.2 million Americans travel to Mexico for health care. 200,000 of them are going specifically for cosmetic procedures, often exponentially cheaper in Mexico. Doctors are actually that much cheaper than in the U.S. Influencers on TikTok recently showcasing medical tourism across the globe,

like beauty treatments in South Korea, plastic surgery in Turkey, and even dental work back in Mexico. With the understanding that there are a lot of cost barriers in the U.S. for procedures like this, as an American doctor, would you recommend this as an alternative for patients? look into or would you warn against it? There are some facilities internationally that are fantastic. They have U.S. trained or other foreign trained doctors that are as the same quality you get here in the United States. But also you have to be conscious because there are a lot out there that are just the

opposite of that. They are just trying to make some money essentially doing it on the cheap. Even with all possible due diligence, McCormick wants anyone considering traveling for procedure to think twice. The only way you can get this surgery done is by going out of country. And save your money because this could, this could happen to you. Please, please, please, no matter how enticing, they make this sound. And they make it sound wonderful.

It is not. Obviously, the cost savings are a big drop. But doctors recommend if you're really seriously considering going out of the country for a procedure like this, getting a recommendation from someone that you trust and can hear firsthand about their experience. is highly recommended. In Mexico, specifically, there is a plastic surgery director where you can look up and confirm that your doctor is qualified and experienced in the procedure that you're looking at. Now, it's not required that they register for the directory, but it's an easy indicator that

they're comfortable being checked by Mexican federal government. Now, as for Kim, she is still very much recovering and seeking medical help to address and reverse those botched surgeries. And that's expected to cost her another $70,000. Alison. Wow. Mara Barrett, thank you for that reporting. We appreciate it. When we come back, the deadly police shooting in D.C., a suspect in a U.S. Park officer engaging, exchanging, rather, gunfire on the street in broad daylight. At least one person killed what we're hearing happened moments before the gunshots rang out. Back now with Top Story's news feed, and we begin with the deadly shootout on the streets of Washington, D.C.

Police say after a brief chase, a suspect, and a U.S. Park officer exchanged gunfire this afternoon. Both the officer and suspect were shot. The suspect was killed, and the officer is now getting treated at the hospital. No word on what led to the chase. D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department say they are now investigating. An alleged case of road rage ending in gunfire on an Indiana roadway, New dash cam video shows two drivers cutting each other off when they nearly collide. That's when the driver of one car gets out and punches the other through a window.

The driver of the van then opens fire, shooting one person in the arm and hitting other nearby cars. No one else was hurt and the victim is expected to be okay. Both drivers are now facing charges. A health alert for you tonight, a deadly bacteria outbreak has been linked to fruits, fruits that have been sold nationwide. California-based company, HMC farms recalling peaches, plums, and nectarines due to possible hysteria contamination. The CDC says one person has died and at least 10 people have been hospitalized across seven states. The affected products were sold as recently as last week. We have more information on NBCNews.com. And a major legal battle between iconic music duo,

Hall and Oates. Darrell Hall has filed a lawsuit and a request for a restraining order against his music partner, John Oates, according to online court records. The suit deals with contract and or debt, but the details in the case are sealed. NBC News has reached out to their representatives, and we have Anna Hull's attorney in this case for comments so far. We have not heard back. Now to the latest in the leadership crisis at OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company that created ChatGPT, the company's founder, Sam Altman, has been brought back in as CEO after being ousted by his own board on Friday,

it comes after a difficult, confusing, chaotic few days, during which two different interim CEOs had been named and Open AI employees had revolted against Altman's firing, threatening to resign unless he was reinstated. For more on all of this, let's bring in Peresh DeVay, senior writer for Wired. Peresh, thank you so much for being here. As you know, Altman's return here,

it comes after several days of what I think we can only describe as Mayhem at OpenAI. Walk us through how this deal came together to actually bring him back. Certainly. Thank you for having me. Definitely a few days of chaos. So just like any good compromise, both sides had to give a little. The remaining board of directors, which had four members, essentially wanted better governors at the company. They wanted to stay there, stay on the board, and see Altman not be on that board going forward and have his sort of leadership checked a little bit. On the other side, obviously Altman and employees at Open AI

wanted him back at the company, felt that he was really the leader that the company needed to execute on its mission. And he decided that he was okay with having an investigation done into what his issues were that led the board to fire him in the first place. And he agreed that he wouldn't be on this sort of initial board that's been formed to sort of maybe select a permanent board going forward. A little more about this deal. Who else is joining the company as part of this agreement?

Yeah. So Brett Taylor, who's a long time tech executive, is joining the board to help out. And Larry Summers, the former U.S. Secretary, Treasury, who all also serves on the board of the financial tech company block is joining the board, and both of them will sort of have some role to play in maybe selecting new board members, additional board members, and potentially staying on the board for even longer beyond that. So the big question looming over this whole crisis is why was Altman dismissed in the first place? We know the Open AI board set on Friday that according to them, Altman, have not been totally candid in his communications. There's so much speculation online, talk about AI microchips. Do we have a better understanding now of exactly what they meant when they said that he hadn't been candid in his communications with the board?

No, and potentially we may never know. There was some sort of breakdown in communications where at least a couple of the board members felt like they could no longer trust Aldman and what he was telling them. Obviously, every CEO has to sort of be a good salesperson, and part of the pitch to any board is, you know, showing that things are going well and that you are making a dent on the mission. But there was clearly some frustration about how Altman was going about it, and it's very, you know, possible that we may never know any more about it. But there is this investigation that's called for. It's unclear if anyone, you know, including the board members, are required to really cooperate with them. So what happens next for Altman, Open AI, and in terms of the employees that had essentially threatened to quit if he was not brought back, what has their reaction been since this announcement that he will be back?

Employees are rejoicing. Certainly you saw almost 95% plus of employees sign a pledge threatening to quit. if Altman wasn't brought back. But the major takeaway here is really that Open AI will never be the same. Their reputation is sort of, at least in the short term, really damage. Clients wondering, can they trust Open AI going forward? Should they be partnering with other AI model developers? Should they be partnering with Microsoft and Google?

And employees, there's likely a share sale coming up where they'll have a chance to cash out of some of their stock. Once they do that, will employees still have that same loyalty to Open AI? All right. Peresdae, senior writer for Wired. Thank you so much. We appreciate it.

Coming up, deep roots in some of the country's finest wines. Our Tom Yamis traveled to Napa Valley, introducing us to the Mexican-American families who grew up in the area's wine fields and are now creating some of the most celebrated wines in the industry. Stay with us. That's next. Back now with Top Stories, Global Watch and the deadly cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe. Health authorities there reporting more than 150 suspected deaths since February and about 500 cases per week since late October.

The bacterial disease is waterborne and often driven by unsanitary conditions. The World Health Organization says cases are rising at an alarming rate across Africa. Violence breaking out at a World Cup qualifier match between Argentina and Brazil's national soccer teams. The new video shows police using batons and to strike fans in the stands. Officials say Brazilian and Argentinian fans began fighting behind one of the goals during national anthems, and that's when police were called in. The players, including Argentina's captain, Lionel Messi, going back into the locker rooms, and the game delayed by half an hour.

And dozens of migrants rescued off the coast of Spain's Canary Islands. Spain's Coast Guard says the 55 migrants were stranded in a wooden boat, about five miles offshore. The group received medical attention and everyone is expected to be okay. Spain says more than 32,000 migrants from West Africa have reached the Canary Islands by boat so far this year.

And back here at home, the Hispanic family shaking up the billion-dollar wine industry. The one-time migrant workers with decades of experience now making what some critics consider the best wine on the planet. Artamilas spoke to several

of wine's new tastemakers. At Schaefer Vineyards, Elias Fernandez walks row after row, checking the vines, the grapes, and feeling the sun. The sun reminds me a lot as a kid growing up because I did a lot of work out in the fields. A pioneer in the Napa Valley, Elias has gone from migrant worker to master winemaker. I've been doing this for 40 years. Wow. This will be my 40th harvest. Along the way, studying viticulture in college.

and creating this 2008 vintage, which won Wine Spectators coveted Wine of the Year. Do you think you're a better winemaker because you've lived on those fields? Yes, I definitely do because I can connect with the people in the fields very easily. So to me, it gives me a little bit of edge, for sure. That edge shared by a growing group of Hispanics, now shaking up the billion-dollar wine industry. Are Mexican-Americans making some of the best wine on this planet? Sure, and they're doing it right here in Napa Valley and other parts of California. Senior editor James Molesworth tastes, rates, and rights for Wine Spectator.

He's noticing more and more Hispanics making their mark. I think what you have there is probably a little more soul, which is hard to quantify, of course. But again, it's that if your family name is on this bottle, you're taking it very seriously. For this family, Oscar, his wife Lola, and their nephew, there was just one name for their wine. My first thought was yamas. We have to honor our family name here in the Napa Valley. A great name, but no relation to this reporter. It's really hard, and that's been our biggest challenge, is we are this small brand competing with a lot of big guys out there. They're betting wine drinkers appreciate not only their big, bold cabernet, but also from planting to blending to bottling.

One family did it all. And I think that it's really time to highlight those individuals that farm these grapes. And I think it's kind of a responsibility of ours to bring full circle, winemaking in the Napa Valley for the Mexican-American vittners. From the fields to the cellars to your dinner table, the American dream in a glass. We thank Tom Yamis for that report. When we come back, Parade Countdown. You've watched those iconic balloons year after year, but do you know the history behind them? Next, we'll take you on a trip down memory lane, showing you how the balloons came to be

and what new characters you can expect to see on the route this year. And finally, tonight, the countdown is on to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Those iconic balloons are being inflated and getting ready to hit the skies over New York City. Armae Eeklin takes a look at how the inflatables became part of the holiday's tradition. These towering giants over Manhattan have helped usher in the holiday season for nearly a century. Another year, another parade. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day balloons

almost as much a symbol of the holiday as the turkey and stuffing. But they weren't always the star of the show. In 1927, Felix the Cat was the first giant balloon to appear on the parade route when organizers decided to stop using live animals from the Central Park Zoo. The balloons also used to be released at the end of the route, with a prize given to those who found them. But that stopped in the

early 1930s over safety and environmental concerns. The balloons would eventually begin flying high over the city thanks to helium. It looks like they're having little trouble with a baseball player. During World War II, the parade was canceled due to a shortage of materials needed to make the inflatable giants. The big city becomes a place of fantasy for a few hours as the parade winds down Broadway. It would make a triumphant return at the end of the war, televised on TV. for the first time. No doubt you'll agree that the most spectacular part of these parades are the balloons. In 1968, what else?

Snoopy. Fan favorite Snoopy would join the fun and a variation of the beloved Peanuts character has been a part ever since. The balloons now average five to six stories high and require about 12,000 cubic feet of helium. It takes around three hours to get it inflated and about 10,000 cubic feet of helium to keep it afloat. Weather determining if the inflatables can fly and how high. In years past, high winds have caused dangerous conditions,

including in 1997 when a rogue balloon left several people hurt. No matter the elements, keeping everyone safe is no easy job. Each balloon requires 50 to 100 handlers depending on the size. Snoopy is one of our larger balloons, so they'll have one of the most balloon handlers on it, about 90 balloon handlers. During the year, a team of engineers, designers, and artists keep coming up with new technology and designs to make the balloons easier to manage, more durable, and as safe as possible. Another annual task, creating new character balloons.

We start with sketches and renderings and computer drawings, but ultimately we go to a 3D clay model. There will be six debuting this year, including Kung Fu Panda's Poe and the Pillsbury Doe Boy. I really did like the Pikachu going with the EV on the sleigh. A grand total of 16 character balloons, once again, bringing holiday cheer to people of all ages. It feels surreal because it's better to see it in person than on TV. It feels very surreal to be here. And make sure to tune in to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, starting at 8.30 a.m. Eastern tomorrow on NBC and streaming on Peacock.

Thank you so much for watching. watching Top Story for Tom Yamis. I'm Ellison Barber. Stay right there. More news now is on the way.