Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Episode Date: November 30, 2023

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

Tonight, millions under freeze alerts as the first big show of winter turns deadly. Heavy snow falling from Michigan to New York. Some towns buried under more than three feet of snow. In hard-hit Vermont, a transit bus colliding with a car on a snow-filled road killing at least one person. Temperatures plummeting along the East Coast with some cities seen temperatures 15 degrees below average. Freeze warnings also in effect across the south. Bill Karen standing by with how long this cold will last. Also breaking tonight a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas reaching its deadline, but is a new deal on the table.

An American citizen among the latest round of hostages released by Hamas, but now Israel is demanding proof of the hostages that remain in Gaza after Hamas claimed the youngest hostage, a 10-month-old, his four-year-old brother and their mother were killed in Israeli air strikes while in captivity. In the West Bank, Israeli forces storming a refugee camp. Palestinian officials claiming they shot and killed an eight-year-old boy as he ran away. Could this be the end to the fragile pause in fighting? Deadly military crash, a U.S. Air Force Osprey with eight airmen on board going down off the coast of Japan during a training exercise. At least one person confirmed dead. Search and rescue operations now underway as the military investigates the third crash with this type of aircraft. in a year. Missed warning signs? The new lawsuit filled after a middle school student was stabbed

14 times by her classmate. The victim's mother now claims the school ignored repeated threats made by the suspect and even knew a knife was on campus the day of the attack. The deadly explosion caught on camera, a fireball erupting at an auto shop in Ohio, at least three killed, and the blast felt for several blocks. The investigation now underway. Plus, a family on vacation pulled over with guns drawn and accused of stealing a car, how the terrifying incident was all due to a mistake

by the rental car company and teen to the rescue, a school bus packed with students rolling towards a row of gas pumps, the driver outside trying to chase after it, the moment of 14-year-old grab a hold of the steering wheel and saved her classmates. Top story. It starts right now. And good evening.

It's not even December yet, but many Americans are dealing with a blast of winter with this evening. Take a look at these images from Orchard Park, New York, outside of Buffalo. Residents there digging out after a lake-effect snowstorm

buried parts of the Great Lakes region, including more than three and a half feet in some parts of New York. The winter weather also causing dangerous conditions on the roads. Take a look in Vermont, a transit bus going off the side of a snowy roadway after colliding with a driver. I see roads also blame for a deadly crash in the Philadelphia area as below average temps settle in along the East Coast. Here's a live look tonight, right outside our studios at 30 Rock, thousand standing in near freezing temperatures to watch the lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas tree.

We're going to have more on that later in the show. Freeze warnings, though, also in effect for parts of outside. Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Bill Karen, standing by with the full forecast in just moments, but we begin tonight with Jesse Kirsch from a chilly Pennsylvania. Tonight, thousands digging out after being buried in the season's first big snowstorms. Lake effect snow bans dumping from Michigan to New York State, where Constableville was hit with more than three and a half feet.

Yes, it's going to be cold tomorrow morning once again with feels like temperatures likely in the mid and upper 20s. And outside the storm zone, a days-long chill is still lingering up and down the East Coast tonight, with temperatures as much as 15 degrees below average. The frigid conditions turning deadly in Philadelphia this morning, where police say it appears a driver lost control of his car on an ice patch. Tomorrow, the eastern U.S. will start to thaw, but for now, freeze warnings remain in effect for parts of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. Even the manatees are trying to heat up near Tampa, Florida, drawn to the warm water,

leaving this power plant. Back up north in Edinburgh, Pennsylvania, snow is finally tapering off as they clean up the mess left behind. Some welcoming the winter weather. So you're kind of happy to see this? Yeah, let's go ski. I'm ready. All right, Jesse Curse joins me now from Lyndonhurst, Ohio. And Jesse, what's the latest on the conditions where you are? Yeah, Tommy, see some piles of snow pushed aside here behind us. Roads moving pretty smoothly. here but we still see some icy patches like in parking lots and it is still definitely quite cold out here but again some relief in sight a warm-up is on the way tomorrow Tom all right Jesse Kirsch leading us off tonight Jesse

thank you for that for more in the forecast NBC News meteorologist Bill Cairns joins me now in studio so Bill what are you watching tonight well the good thing about November snow and cold is it doesn't last long it's not like when we get to the end of December or January or February so the snow's already over with the cold is gonna be with us about another 12 to 14 hours and then the sun tomorrow's going to warm everything up, but it still feels like 18 in Buffalo, 24 in Richmond. And tonight, the cold air is going to settle down to the ground in areas of North Florida,

once again, southern Georgia, Valdasa, Tallahassee, bring the pets in tonight, make sure you have any plants that you can bring inside because we are going to get another frost and possibly a freeze as the temperatures in Tallahassee, it's going to be 31 in morning, 34 in Atlanta. But as they said, it's a quick turnaround. We immediately will start talking tomorrow morning and afternoon about severe weather. It's returning into Texas. We have even an isolated chance of tornadoes.

So Galveston, Houston included in this, Livingston, the Lufkin. Those are the areas of concern, and then these storms will drift over into Louisiana. And it is a really active, messy forecast. We're going to start a very active pattern, not just this weekend, right into next week. So Friday, soggy east coast, huge storm comes into the Pacific Northwest. And we're going to start to have some issues there because we're going to have an atmospheric river coming in with one storm after another. Saturday, the southeast gets soaked. It's more heavy snow in the mountains of the west.

heavy rain. And then another storm comes in Sunday to the Pacific Northwest. Some areas could pick up feet of snow, inches of rain flooding and also the possibility, obviously, with all that heavy snow of huge travel issues, going through the mountain passes. And Sunday for the East Coast, if you have your plans, keep this in mind. Rainy weather will be developing. And Northern New England has a chance for a snowstorm as we go through Sunday night and into Monday. So Tom, this is the beginning. We were waiting for our El Nino winter weather pattern of active weather to set up. It looks like it has begun. Pattern is right. Okay, Bill, we thank you for that. We want to turn out of the breaking news we're following out of the Middle East. The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas expiring tonight, but negotiators are working to extend that we have some new reporting. As that ceasefire expired, another round of hostages were released by Hamas, among them an American citizen. NBC's Richard Engel is there with the details. Another American has been freed by Hamas tonight, 49-year-old Liyat Benin. She works as a tour guide at Yad Hashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial, and was taken hostage from a safe room in her home on a kibbutz near Gaza, while her husband tried to fight off the Hamas attackers. Her husband remains a hostage. President Biden reacting tonight. Laot Benin is safe in Egypt. She's crossed the border. I talk with her mother and father.

They're very appreciative, and things are moving well. She'll soon be home with her three times. children. Benin is only the second U.S. citizen Hamas has let go, following four-year-old Abigail Idan, whose parents were both murdered during Hamas's October 7th massacre. Also new tonight, Hamas released two 18-year-old men, something the group said it would not do, considering all military-aged men and women potential soldiers. In exchange, Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners. Israel has said Hamas must release at least 10 hostages a day to keep the truce going. Otherwise, it will resume bombing. But Hamas today said it's unable to release the Bebas family,

claiming that Shiri and her sons, Ariel, and 10-month-old Kaffir, were killed previously by an Israeli airstrike. The Israeli military and the Bebas family said in statements, they're working to verify that claim. Yahel and Naveh were among six members of the Haran Avigdori family Hamas freed last weekend. Their father remains in Gaza. Navei is eight years old and a soccer fan. Yahel is three and has a big smile.

But now only speaks in a whisper after being told by Hamas to stay quiet for 50 days, according to a relative Shira Hebron. What has it been like for you and all the families each day waiting by the phone? Maybe they're on the list, maybe they're not on the list. Are they alive? Are they dead? What has this process been like for you? It's been a nightmare.

It's been hell on earth, basically. Because, you know, imagine that one day, you know, just living your life, having a happy, large family. and then one day, in a couple of hours, it's completely shattered. People have been murdered and taken from their safest place. Now we have some air in our lungs, finally, because six of them have returned. Richard Engel reporting out of Israel, and this just in from our teams there in Israel, they're reporting that a possible new deal to extend the ceasefire is now being negotiated. With that news, we are also following what's happening in the Israeli occupying.

West Bank. Israeli forces storming a refugee camp. Palestinian officials claiming they shot and killed an eight-year-old boy the Israelis did. Ralph Sanchez has that part of the story and a warning. Some of the videos difficult to watch. Tonight, as an uneasy truce holds in Gaza, violence is surging in the occupied West Bank. Israeli forces storming a refugee camp in the city of Janine, hunting for militants from Hamas and Islamic jihad. But the Palestinian health ministry says Israeli troops also killed these two boys, eight-year-old Adam and 15-year-old Basel. Officials say this is the moment Adam was shot from behind as he's running away. A friend tries to drag him to safety behind a car, calling out for help. A second video appears to show Basel with a group of other teenagers before he, too, is

shot. Israel's military says a number of suspects hurled explosive devices towards IDF soldiers. The soldiers responded with live fire. Basel does appear to be trying to light something, but there's no evidence we've seen that either boy threw explosives. Israel says it killed these two militants during the operation. And Hamas calling on West Bankers to escalate all forms of resistance. Janine and other cities have been raided repeatedly by Israeli forces since the Hamas attack on October 7th. The UN says a record 232 Palestinians have been killed so far, including at least 61 children. The situation is boiling and getting worse rapidly. In Janine, a final goodbye from Basil's mother.

Where did they hit you, my love? she asks. Raf Sanchez, NBC News, Tel Aviv. Next tonight to a deadly crash of yet another American Osprey aircraft. This time, a plane on a training mission off the coast of Japan. NBC's Courtney Cuby has the story. Overnight, a U.S. Air Force Osprey crashed into the waters off Japan's southern coast with eight U.S. airmen on board. Tonight, U.S. military officials say the remains of one have been found and that search and rescue efforts continue. The airmen assigned to the 353rd Special Operations Wing at Kedina Air Base in Japan were on a training mission when Japanese officials say the Osprey disappeared around 2.40 p.m. local time.

The Osprey is unique, capable of taking off and hovering like a helicopter, then tilting its rotors forward to fly like a plane. But it's an aircraft with a troubled history. In August 2022, Air Force Special Operations Command grounded all 52 of its Ospreys for more than two weeks after clutches repeatedly malfunctioned. And deadly crashes with Marine Corps Ospreys as well, including four Marines killed when their Osprey crashed during an exercise in Norway last year. five more Marines killed just three months later in Southern California. And this August, a Marine Corps Osprey went down in Australia, killing three Marines on board, including Norm Lewis's son, Major Toby Lewis. Well, I'm concerned about any pilot, military pilot, and flying and the, you know, the things they have to do.

He says Toby loved flying the Osprey. I don't know the cause of Toby's crash, and I do not know. the cause of this crash. And, you know, and I think the military will, we'll figure that out and they'll decide whether these airframes are still safe to fly or not, or they'll correct the problem. Boeing and Bell, who build the Osprey, say they are standing by to provide any requested investigation support. Courtney Kuby joins us tonight from the Pentagon. Courtney, what is the latest on the search? So tonight, defense officials say that they will continue the search and rescue effort for at least another 72 hours.

But, Tom, this comes at the same time where U.S. military officials are notifying the family members of the airmen who are on board that CV-22 Osprey aircraft that their loved ones are missing. Tom. Okay. Courtney Kewber first. Courtney, thank you for that reporting. Back here at home, we're following some news concerning Elon Musk. Tonight, he had a clear message to advertisers who have boycotted X, formerly known as Twitter. Musk, cursing out advertisers, who have left a platform over anti-Semitic content. This outbursts just days after Musk returned from a trip to Israel.

Here's what he told CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin tonight. But there's a public perception that that was part of a apology tour, if you will. That this had been said online. There was all of the criticism. There was advertisers leaving. We talked to Bob Eiger today. I hope they stop. You hope?

Don't advertise. You don't want them to advertise? No. What do you mean? If somebody's going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go fuck yourself. But go fuck yourself. Is that clear?

I hope it is. Hey, Bob. Elon Musk, they're talking to Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, who has also pulled advertising off X. Joining us now with that and more is Jake Ward. Jake, you cover a lot of these face. for us here at NBC News. What's been the reaction so far?

And I know this just happened a couple hours ago to what we just witnessed and saw there. Well, if you thought it was awkward to watch it on video there, Tom, people in the room say it was an absolutely cringe-inducing moment that there was just a sense of tension, audible gasping. I mean, this gathering, as you know, is a gathering of some of the most powerful business and world leaders out there.

And the idea of someone, like Elon Musk, controlling a platform that has been as central to the communication of major companies for so long, literally telling them, go F yourself, you know, that is not a thing we have seen in the advertising world before it. And so the reaction has been incredibly powerful at this hour at a time when obviously the public perception of both Musk and X is already reeling, Tom. Yeah, Jake, and you know, you sort of have this weird scenario playing out because it had been reported that 90% of Twitter's revenue comes from advertising. And I think they've lost somewhere around 59 million, maybe the number is more than that,

from advertisers since Musk took over. So he was trying to please advertisers. You could argue when he hired the former ad exec from here, NBC Universal, Linda Yakorino. But now he has this. So what does this do to the company? I mean, it is just not clear. When you just think the bottom can't get any lower, it drops. from under us again. I mean, not only do we have companies pulling out to the tune of an estimated

$75 million so far at a time when that company, as you point out, cannot really afford it. That company depends on advertising for its lifeblood. And Linda Yaccarino, the former NBC Universal Exec, brought in as CEO to make that place appealing to advertisers again. You just can't imagine what it must have been like for her to be sitting in that crowd as she was, along with the likes of Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney. And to hear Elon Musk say, that and then presumably have to go to the after-gathering drinks and try to smooth over opinions in that room. I mean, it really is the lifeblood of X in a way that someone who has made his career on manufacturing things like electric cars and rockets to space. Maybe he just doesn't

understand it. But this certainly for any conventional CEO and certainly in any kind of conventional advertising business is the death now for a company like this time. Jake, we know that he spent $44 billion to buy Twitter, now calling it X, as you point out. out there. It's been a long time since we've talked about high-profile tech companies going out of business. Is that a conversation that people are having about X or are we not there yet? It is certainly the conversation that people are having. And, you know, if anyone was watching with, you know, just as a gas as anybody else, it is the investment bankers who are holding billions of dollars of debt for Elon Musk in that 44 billion dollar acquisition that he made. The company

already is worth about half of what he paid for it. And so you have to assume that between what he has said on stage and the kind of performance indicators that those bankers are undoubtedly getting by email every day, they in particular must be pretty worried, Tom. All right, Jake Ward, covering that breaking news on X for us tonight at Elon Musk. Jake, thank you. Now to the latest on California's fight against homelessness. Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom announcing a $300 million effort to clean up homeless encampments amid numerous reports of violence. across the state. The announcement coming as Newsom prepares to debate Florida governor and Republican candidate for President Ron DeSantis. This issue likely to be a key topic in that highly

anticipated face-off. NBC's Miguel Almaguer has the details on this new push. Tonight, California Governor Gavin Newsom, ratcheting up efforts to clean out those homeless encampments, the ones that have become synonymous with some of the state's biggest cities. I think we can all agree that we need to do more. to clean up encampments in the state of California. Newsom pledging $300 million to sweep out the encampments, promising to provide support to the people displaced. The governor says the state has already cleaned out roughly 5,700 encampments since July 2021.

The idea being that we weren't just cleaning up encampments out of sight, out of mind, and displacing people or moving people, but that we're trying to resolve the underlying issues in the first place and actually support people. people to get them back on their feet. The funding comes as a University of California study finds 171,000 people are experiencing homelessness in the Golden State, representing 30% of the entire country's homeless population and roughly half of the nation's unsheltered. Here to there is my state. Violence in and around California's encampments becoming a national flashpoint and raising questions about Newsom's handling of the crisis.

Oh, he's got a hammer. Somebody called the police guys. Last December, an organization supporting the homeless posted this video, reportedly showing a man swinging at people with a hammer near a row of tents in San Diego. And horrifying footage of a brutal beating, three people stomping to attack a homeless man in this encampment in May 2021. California Republican legislator Roger Neelow telling the Center Square the cleanup program Newsom announced is basically a program to deal with what he probably views as a political hot potato. One state over in Nevada, a possible solution. In Reno, officials opening a series of

housing units called the Nevada Cares Campus to provide individuals experiencing homelessness an alternative to encampments. Your basic needs aren't threatened anymore. You're not going to have to worry about getting your stuff stolen from you. You're not going to have to worry about physical violence. Since the campus was built in 2021 with the capacity of more than 600, the number of homeless people on the streets has dropped by 58%. The value of doing this is that we have an opportunity to watch people grow. Now a political battle heating up once again over California's poorest residents left out in the cold. Miguel Almaguer, NBC News. Still ahead tonight, the school stabbing lawsuit, the mother of a Georgia teen, suing school administrators after

her daughter was stabbed 14 times by a classmate. She claims they ignored multiple warning signs that could have prevented the attack. Plus, the urgent warning for anyone who uses sleep apnea machines, the popular products that the FDA says could potentially catch on fire while in use. And the family pulled over while on vacation officers with guns drawn telling them they were in a stolen vehicle. The mix-up by the rental car company. that caused this nightmare. That's next. We're back now with a disturbing story out of Georgia. The mother of a girl who was stabbed in the face at her middle school last spring

is suing school administrators for not protecting her child. Lawyers for the family now releasing video showing the graphic incident. NBC's Maura Barrett has more. Tonight, a distraught mother suing her child's middle school administrators. after this incident caught on video last spring, where her daughter was allegedly stabbed by another student 14 times. Every child and every teacher on that campus was in harm's way by the choice of the administrators who chose not to do anything to protect everyone on that campus. The lawsuit argues administrators knowingly ignored threats that could have prevented the incident and that a student resource officer had notified school staff that a student had a knife on campus and had made threats to injure other students. They were required to conduct an investigation.

The administrators did not follow those procedures. What should that investigation have looked like? At a minimum, they could have conducted an administrative search. It could have been pulling the child out of class, searching the child. It could have been searching the child's locker. This is what happens when administrators don't follow the policies and procedures they're required to follow. This is the type of heinous attack that can happen. The day after the student with the knife was originally reported,

The suspect approached Wilson's daughter, verbally harassing her while walking to gym class, according to the lawsuit. Seen in this video released by attorneys, upon entering the gym, the student allegedly stabbed the other student multiple times across her face, head, neck, shoulder, back, and chest. These photos included in the complaint show her injuries as she continues to recover. The complaint alleges teachers who witnessed the harassment did not diffuse the situation. The teachers who witnessed the bullying failed to keep the students safe while on school premises. Henry County schools told NBC News they do not comment on open legal matters. But in a press conference following the incident, the superintendent said their schools are designed to be safe havens.

We as an organization will not tolerate any behavior of this nature. As your superintendent and also as a mother, I go to bed every night and wake up every morning thinking about the safety of our young people. Wilson and her attorney disagree and say they want administrators to be held accountable. I fear that far too often, school systems have become almost numb to the number of threats that are coming in where they do not take action. How many more school shootings, how many more school stabbings do we have to have in our country before our administrators start taking these threats, particularly when it

comes from a police officer, starts taking these threats seriously to protect our children. They talk about it being a safe haven and it's not. And I'm living testimony of it. Mora, that video is so hard to watch, but then you see those aftermath photos, the photos of all the wounds, and this poor girl, she suffered so much. How is she doing? And what happened to her attacker? her. Well, Tom, we know that the suspect was arrested at the time and faces charges. But as for Wilson's daughter, the one who was stabbed, she's been homeschooled since the incident and has had multiple surgeries to recover from those injuries. But understandably, those scars, both physical and emotional, will last a lot longer. Yeah, I can't imagine what she's going through. All right, Maura, we thank you for that. Next tonight to a family vacation that took a very wrong turn.

when a Wisconsin couple was detained by police with guns drawn in Southern California. Their rental car reported stolen, and they were on the hook for it. NBC San Diego Consumer Reporter, Sergio Flores, has this crazy story. It's an Oceanside Police Department. Tonight, the moment this Wisconsin couple's vacation turned into a nightmare because of an error made by the rental car company. Driver, with your right hand, open the car door, Sheena and Cole Buries say it all started when they were pulled over by Oceanside police while on a trip to San Diego.

And you don't know why. You have no idea what's going on. We couldn't even really look at each other because you can't move at all. But, you know, I remember kind of whispering that I love you. The couple handcuffed by police not knowing what they did wrong until an officer tells them their rental car was reported stolen. So that van's reported stolen. It's from Payless rental. There should be the receipt for the Payless, right?

in that little consulate. Dollar tree. Police looking through the car for the rental contract, but not having any luck. The couple saying they were terrified and could only think of their daughter who they had just dropped off at the mall. That was my huge, huge fear. You know, now I just dropped off my kid. I'm in thousands of miles away from home and what is going to happen.

We're contacting them, so they say it's a big mistake. According to a police report, the officers were able to contact payless rental and confirmed the car was not stolen and the couple was released. The report saying Payless never contacted police to take it out of the stolen vehicle system. She has seen reacting to the officer as he explains a possible reason as to why she and her husband had guns drawn on them and were put in handcuffs. Because it's a rental car, the last person might have done that, eventually brought it back after they had already reported stolen and they never took it out of the system.

In a statement, Payless car rental saying Payless and its independent franchisees each have safeguards in place to prevent unnecessary notifications to retrieve rental vehicles. Fortunately, these protocols and this isolated incident failed. Our franchisee has apologized to Mr. and Mrs. Bury and refunded them for the rental. Oceanside Police telling NBC News the officers involved in this case met the expectations of this department in their conduct. They were courteous throughout this incident and explained their reasoning as they were able. I pulled over and had a panic attack off the freeway if I've seen an officer.

are all kinds of things because it brings back such fear, crippling fear. Tom, the couple tells me that a full refund wasn't enough to make up for the traumatic experience hiring an attorney to file a lawsuit against Payless. Now, an attorney for the car rental company tells me that she, quote, finds it disappointing that Ms. Fury and her attorney have attempted to pressure Payless into paying large sums of money by threatening to paint Payless in a poor light to the media. Tom. All right. Our thanks to Sergio Flores there and our colleagues at NBC San Diego for their help on that story. When we come back, a deadly explosion at an auto shop in Ohio caught on camera. The investigation now underway. Stay with us.

All right, we're back now with Top Story's News Feed, and we begin with the man arrested for attacking an American Airlines employee. Police say the suspect was being escorted off a plane at Miami's International Airport when he punched a manager several times in the face and threw her on the floor. He also allegedly pushed a gate agent to the floor as he ran off. One of the employees was hospitalized. Police say the man was making threats on board when he was told he could not get his medication out of checked luggage. The U.S. says it is foiled a plot to assassinate a Sikh activist in New York. The Justice Department announced charges against an Indian national for an alleged murder for

higher plot targeting a U.S. citizen who publicly advocated for an independent Sikh state in India. Federal prosecutors allege the scheme was orchestrated by someone in India's government. This comes months after Canada accused the Indian government of murdering a Sikh leader in British Columbia. An investigation tonight into a deadly explosion at an auto body shop in Ohio. Security cam capturing the moment the shop burst into a fireball in Hillsborough. This is about 50 miles east of Cincinnati. At least three employees were key. killed and another injured. People who live in the area say the explosion was felt for several blocks. No word yet on the cause. And the FDA warning consumers about two sleep apnea machines

that could overheat. Take a look. According to the agency, the Phillips Dream Station 2 CPAP machine can start to smoke or even catch fire while in use. The FDA says they've received more than 270 complaints related to the device since August, including users getting burned. The company said the device can still be used if safety instructions are followed, such as keeping the machine on a firm flat surface and regularly cleaning it. Okay, time now for money talks and some good news for consumers. If you've been looking for a break from inflation, you may not have to look any further than the gas pump.

Millions of Americans now paying three bucks or less per gallon. NBC's Tom Costello explains what's driving down those prices. From the Lone Star State to highways across the country, finally some inflation relief at the gas pump. A lot better than last year. It's all about supply and demand. Demand usually falls during colder months when people stay home. And right now, there's plenty of supply, with the U.S. making up 80% of the global increase.

The U.S. retains the crown of the world's largest oil producer. Oil production in the U.S. is back at record-setting levels. On the global market, oil is now selling for $77 a barrel down from 123, in June of last year. At the pump, gas has dropped to 322 a gallon nationally. Twenty-eight cents cheaper than last year. Sixteen states are now paying three dollars or less. Twenty-five thousand gas stations at two seventy-five or less, though higher taxes means gas can be two dollars more expensive out west. Still, cheaper gas is one reason why car dealers report electric vehicle sales have fallen sharply. In Wisconsin, CUNIS Automotive owns 44 dealerships across the region. We've definitely seen a slowdown in electric vehicle sales across the Midwest, and we're actually seeing a lot of defectors from electric vehicles as they move back towards a ice or hybrid vehicle.

A top customer concern driving long distances and finding charging stations. Where gas prices go from here could depend on whether OPEC cuts production this week. OPEC doesn't have the influence at once dead, but it could determine whether America's national average falls below three dollars by Christmas. There's also news about the UAW now moving to unionize non-union automakers, fresh off a 25% pay hike from the big three. The UAW said today it's launching a campaign now to organize 13 non-union automakers including Tesla, BMW, Mercedes, Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen. That includes 150,000 auto workers in all. Tom, could be huge. Okay. Okay, Tom Costello for us. Tom, thank you. Staying with business news and remembering an investing legend.

Charlie Munger, long-time business partner and close friend of Warren Buffett, has died at the age of 99. He had a brilliant mind, but simple advice for investors. CNBC's Becky Quick has this look back at Munger's investment philosophy and deadpan humor. Charlie Munger was best known as Warren Buffett's right-hand man. Their investing partnership dating back decades. I would say that every time I'm with Charlie, I've got at least. some new slant on an ID that causes me to rethink certain things. And we've had absolutely, we've had so much fun in the partnership over the years.

It's been almost hilarious. It's been so much fun. Buffett credits the Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman with teaching him the importance of paying up for high-quality businesses. When he weaned me away from the idea of buying very so-so companies at very cheap prices, knowing that there was some small profit and looking for really wonderful businesses that we could buy in fair prices. It's not that much fun to buy a business where you really hope this sucker liquidates before it goes broke. The willingness to pay for quality paid off for Munger and Buffett in deals like their 1972 purchase of Seas Candies and their decision in the late 1980s to buy a substantial steak in Coca-Cola.

Before his Berkshire days, Munger owned his own successful investment firm and practiced law. In 1962, he and a group of attorneys founded Munger Tolls, now known as Munger Tolls and Olson, a very prominent law firm. Munger, like Buffett, grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and as teenagers, they both worked at Buffett's grandfather's grocery store, but not at the same time as Munger was seven years older. It wasn't until Buffett was in his late 20s and Munger was in his mid-30s and living in California that they were introduced to each other by mutual friends. We had dinner together in 1959. In five minutes, Charlie was rolling on the floor laughing at his own jokes, and I do the same thing. They began to spend hours each week on the telephone, talking investments, and Buffett urged Mungert to trade in a career in law for one in investing.

I met Charlie, and he was practicing law, and I told him that was okay as a hobby, but it was a lousy business. Fortunately, I listened. From 1962 until 1975, Munger's investment partnership produced a 19.8% compound annual return versus just 5% for the Dow. It wasn't until 1978 that Munger formerly joined Berkshire as vice chairman. But Munger's even tempered, risk-averse and pragmatic approach to investing was a major influence on Buffett from the time they first met,

helping Berkshire Hathaway grow into a multi-billion dollar conglomerate that owns well-known businesses like Dairy Queen, Geico, Helsberg Diamonds, and Burlington Northern. Munger, however, didn't limit himself to just Berkshire. He was chairman of Wesco Financial from 1984 until 2011 when it was totally assimilated into Berkshire. During those years, he was known for his deadpan humor and straight shooting style at shareholder meetings where he interacted at length with his investors. After Wesco, Munger moved the show and his growing collection of fans to another company where he remained chairman, the Daily Journal. Charlie, one of my favorite lines from me,

is you want to hire the guy with the IQ of 130 that thinks it's 120, and the guy with an IQ of 150 who thinks it's 170 will just kill you. You must be thinking about Elon Musk. He brought his blistering one-liners to Berkshire Hathaway's annual meetings, too. What I needed to get ahead was to meet against idiots. And luckily, there's a large supply. Professional traders that go into trading cryptocurrencies, It's just disgusting.

It's like somebody else is trading turds and you decide I can't be left out. Charlie's big on lowering expectations. Absolutely. That's the way I got married. My wife lowered her expectations. And despite a net worth of around $2 billion, for Munger, money wasn't everything.

All you succeed in. doing in your life is to get early rich from passive holding of little bits of paper and you get better at better at only that for all your life it's a failed life life is more than being shrewd at passive wealth accumulation we thank Becky quick for that look back at Charlie Munger's life okay time now for global watch and we begin with stunning new images of a volcano erupting in Japan. Newly released footage captures the explosive volcano erupting on the island of Nijima, just about 90 miles from the capital of Tokyo.

According to the Japanese Coast Guard, the massive blast spewed volcanic ash and rocks over 600 feet into the sky and ocean, no injuries have been reported just yet. And a teenager jumping into action to save her school bus from crashing into southeastern Australia. CCTV footage captures the moment the bus, which was parked with 20 students on board, starts rolling down a hill towards a gas station. You see it there, the 14-year-old girl jumping into the empty driver's seat, grabbing the wheel and steering the bus to safety, preventing her classmates and the workers inside the mini-mark from getting hurt.

Police are investigating what happened here. Okay, and we want to turn now to the new book about the royal family that is stirring up a lot of controversy and a lot of bus. The book called Endgame, Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchies Fight for Survival, by Omid Scobie, is now being pulled from the shelves in the Netherlands, after a translation error in the Dutch version named the member of the royal family, I should say members of the royal family who allegedly made racist comments about the skin color of Harry and Megan's baby, baby Archie.

For more of this, I want to bring in Aaron Miller. She's the senior royal editor at People Magazine. Aaron, thanks so much for joining Top Story tonight. It's important to note that while there's various reports out there on who was mentioned in the book, NBC News can't confirm the specific names, but the translation error has brought back this conversation. that Megan and Harry had with Oprah in 2021. We have a clip.

Let's take a look. There is a conversation. Hold up. There's several conversations about it. There's a conversation with you. With Harry. About how dark your baby is going to be? Potentially and what that would mean or look like.

Ooh. And you're not going to tell me who had the conversation? I think that would be very damaging to them. So the book mentions that after this interview, Charles actually reached out, King Charles, we should say, reached out to Megan and smooth things over. Is today's news reopening old wounds? It is in a way. This is something that was reopened early this year as well before the coronation when it was revealed that these letters even existed between King Charles and Megan following that controversial comment made during the Oprah interview. And so now that these names are circulating and this moment is circulating around again,

it's definitely bringing that all back up to the surface. You know, Aaron, I'm trying to understand how this translation snafu happened because it doesn't really add up, right? If it wasn't in the English version, how does it end up in the Dutch version? Right. It's unclear whether the Dutch translation is incorrect or if the translation had been based on an earlier manuscript because the English version does not mention these family members. And people reached out to the Dutch publishers, and they did, all they said was that the error was being fixed and that the current versions were being temporary pulled from the shelves until the new ones will be out next week.

And we also reached out to Omid Scobie, and he said, having only written and edited the English version, he could only comment on that, but he was glad that the error was being fixed. But, yes, it remains unclear as to how this happens. Is it possible this is all a publicity stunt to gain attention for this new book? It's definitely out there circulating that that's a rumor. You know, is it a publishing error? Is it something that was purposely leaked? It was something that was, yeah, it's unclear, but that's something that has been said.

Let's talk about other parts of the book. The book also reiterates, I understand, claims that Prince William leaked stories about his brother Harry to the press and that Harry is in contact with his dad, King Charles, but not William. Is there any hope for the brother's relationship? You know, based on things that we know and our conversation with the author, it seems that the rift has gone to a colder and more hardened place from anger to now just complete indifference and that there seems to be no way back. So it does seem like that relationship, sadly, between William and Harry,

has, the rift is so deep that there is no return and that there is no communication between them right now. But however, there is an open line of communication between Harry and his father, King Charles. And when people spoke to Omid Scobie, he said that Harry would rather, you know, accept his father for who he is and go forward with a relationship than to lose him completely. but that's different from his relationship with his brother. Finally, the book is titled Endgame and argues that the future of the monarchy is fragile. Do you think that's a fair assessment? You know, I think when you take a look at the modern aspects of the monarchy, absolutely.

It's important to take a look at all aspects and certainly losing a biracial member of the royal family was crucial and pushing the monarchy towards a more modern era. And so I think it is fair to take a look at that. But I think there's been lots of strides and moves made within the monarchy just since the queen's death and trying to push it forward and modernize and to reach a younger generation. So it remains to be seen. But if anything, I think something that is pointed out in the book, are these relationships worth it to be lost for this for the sake of the monarchy? And it is clear when it comes to the brothers, Williams choosing to protect the crown while Harry's chosen to step outside of it. Aaron Miller from People Magazine.

Aaron, we thank you so much for joining us tonight. Thank you. Coming up next, what music lovers have been talking about all day, the highly anticipated Spotify rap dropping today. So how does your list stack up with what the rest of the world is listening to? We'll tell you the top artists, song, and podcast when we come back, and also Savannah Sellers. Stay with us.

We are back now with the day music lovers have been waiting for all year. Spotify Rapt is here to recap what you've been listening to since January. Taylor Swift, of course, taking the streaming throne, capping off a standout year for the pop star. NBC's resident Swifty, Savannah Sellers, has that story. That time of year again when Spotify Rapt comes out. Spotify Rapt is back, and there's a new artist on top, but it's not a big surprise. Taylor Swift, becoming the top global artist for 2023, with over 26 buildings.

billions streams on the music platform. Spotify has been dropping clues all over the internet, all over billboards today. Much like Swift's famous Easter eggs, the platform teased the reveal with puzzle piece billboards around the world. Swift dethroning last year's hit maker Bad Bunny, who's carried the title for the last three years. I'll make you cry when I run away. Rounding out the top five, The Weekend, Drake and Paiso Pluma. With the continued dominance of TikTok and the democratization of music, basically people deciding what they want to hear,

it doesn't really come as a surprise that the artists who make the most streamed artists globally are so diverse. Spotify also unveiling new features for this year, like The Sound Town, which matched users with a city based on their music taste. And the genre sandwich, showing off users top played music genres. features quickly becoming a fan favorite online. I am obsessed with this new Soundtown feature on Spotify wrapped. Other top performers on the charts included Miley Cyrus's Flowers, taking the top song in the world.

The top global podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, which is known for promoting conspiracy theories, won for the fourth straight year. Do you ever wake up in the middle of night and have a dream that he didn't do it? Also on the podcast charts, perhaps getting a boost. from his famous girlfriend, Travis and Jason Kelsey's New Heights was crowned the most streamed sports podcast this year. Taylor absolutely ripped it. She killed it and it looked like she was having some fun up there.

Swift herself, becoming the first woman to take the top artist honors. Taylor Swift being at number one for most dreamed artists globally is not a surprise given the year that she's had with the success of Midnights and the Erez tour and then the ERIS film. We have just been on a Taylor Swift roller coaster that nobody seems to want to get off of. Led by her powerful army of fans, the Swifties. The top artist this year was Taylor and I'm in the point zero one percent of listeners with 175,000 minutes. As her record-breaking Erez tour continues into 2024, Savannah Sellers, NBC News. We thank Savannah for that. When we come back, We'll take you outside to Rockefeller Plaza, the iconic Christmas tree about to be switched on for the first time this year.

We'll talk to the head gardener about how his team picked out this very special spruce. Stay with us. Finally tonight, the most famous tree in the world right behind me, in fact, it's my neighbor outside my office window, set to be lit tonight. The 80-foot-tall Norway spruce comes to us from upstate New York, more than 50,000 lights, and a 900-pound. star that will illuminate Rockefeller Center and kick off the Christmas season. And we were so fortunate to have our good friend, the man, the myth, the legend, the head gardener of Rockefeller Center, and the man who for the last three decades has actually chosen this tree, the man, so many people go to right during this time of year, because he has to pick the

world's most famous Christmas tree, no pressure at all. Eric Posse, thank you so much for being here. We appreciate your time. So when we look at this beautiful Norway screws, what was the first thing that stood out to you when you picked it exactly what you said it's beautiful it's majestic and it was gorgeous and then when you approach the family that ended up donating the tree because you don't show up with a briefcase full of money right they have to donate the tree right what is your pitch to them well first of all I ask if I could take a few pictures start to think about whether or not it would be a perfect tree for

Rockefeller Center and then I pitched the donation and you know would you like to donate it to Rockefeller Center in the world is that a tough conversation or do people usually into it People are very into it. This year, they were very excited, very excited about how many millions of people they were going to make happy. Yeah, when we look at this tree, how old is it? What do we know about its age? It's probably 75, 80 years old. Okay. And is that sort of the sweet spot you want for these trees? Yeah, that's when they look really prime and really good. And then when you're looking for trees, are you driving around? Are people calling the Christmas tree tip line?

Are you flying over it? What are you doing? Well, this year, I had gone up to see another tree in June of last year. and decided that there were a lot of good trees in the air, stayed overnight, found this tree the next morning, kept it in my back pocket, and knocked on the door this year. You feel guilty at all about that other tree you were scoping out? No, it was beautiful, too. Will that tree be able to be picked next year possibly? Do you keep these kind of in the back of your pocket? Right, I do keep a few trees on the list.

Yeah. So we were talking before we started taping, you were telling me that there's at least one thing that Christmas trees at home and this Christmas tree have in common as far as taking care of them. What is that? Drinking a lot of water. When it's warm out, it'll drink up to 90 gallons of water a day. 90 gallons of water a day. And how do you guys get the water there? It doesn't come from the fountain here with Prometheus.

How do you get the water? We don't use Prometheus water, but we take it from the building good old New York City water. 90 gallons. Any idea how much that costs a day to keep? No, but I probably could figure it out. Eric, what else, man? This is your busiest time of year, right? All these people are out here gathered for this big event.

What do you want people to remember this Christmas? The great night, great beautiful tree, night the beautiful angels in the channel garden and everybody just coming together and having a good time Eric thank you so much for your time we know it's going to be a wonderful night as always man thank you for all your work and we thank you for watching top story we hope you'll join and watch us on the tree lighting on NBC and across the NBC platforms I'm tom yamas here in New York thanks so much for watching top story the news continues right now